The Tribune

WHAT do Delancey Street, Eastern Road, and Atlantic Drive have in common?

They are heavily trafficked thoroughfares by Bahamians and visitors, with numerous and deep potholes that keep deepening and widening because of stunning neglect and indifference by the political directorate.

Had King Charles driven those roads they would have been paved like the now-smooth Shirley Street, which got a thorough makeover to avoid global embarrassment and to show off for His Majesty and the international press.

These roads join innumerable miles on New Providence and throughout the Family Islands, that are hazards for motorists. It’s another colossal example of the depressing decline in public services on the watch of the Davis Administration since it was first elected to office in 2021.

A number of mangled pedestrian guardrails on John F. Kennedy Drive, in the vicinity of HO Nash, were removed to prepare for the visit. When will all of them be replaced? Will it require an accident or a student getting hurt?

Asked the cost of the visit, Prime Minister Davis demonstrated his studied imperious contempt for accountability and questions he wishes to avoid.

Juxtapose the money spent on the King’s visit and the lackadaisical approach to governance and the delivery of basic public services. With its re-election by a minority of voters, but a huge majority in the House of Assembly, the hubris and indifference by the administration will likely worsen.

The Davis government had a windfall in taxes after the country fully opened following the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy has continued to grow because of the US economy.

According to the government’s public sector debt bulletins, in December 2021, the total public sector debt was $11.6 billion. By the end of June 2026, it was at $14.7 billion.

Mr. Davis’s government borrowed approximately $700 million in the most recent fiscal year, claiming they would have $75-million-dollar budget surplus. They ultimately reported an actual fiscal surplus of $39.3 million, despite the government owing hundreds of millions to vendors. Many question the government’s math and accounting, seeing the purported surplus as a public relations gimmick.

Given the amount of money at its disposal, why is so much of the public health infrastructure collapsing? Why are numerous infrastructure projects incomplete, despite funds allocated and disbursed to certain entities? Why is the country lacking emergency vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances?

Much of the public infrastructure and government services in The Bahamas are in the worst shape in decades, despite a growing economy and more government revenue and borrowing.

Why?

The wasteful and extravagant Davis administration continues to fail the test of accountability on its spending of public funds. A series of scandals has raised questions about the profligate and questionable use of these funds.

These include: the use of public vouchers and the payment of some light bills during the general election, and the National Investment Fund scandal that continues to dog this administration, which has demonstrated a staggering arrogance and non-responsiveness to certain inquiries.

An obvious priority of the government has been to spend lavishly on its supporters through hundreds of millions in no-bid contracts, which many believe are bloated. Hundreds of millions have gone to consultants and luxury travel.

With huge sums going to questionable priorities and contracts, public services and infrastructure have been drained of potential investment, resulting in a collapsing Princess Margaret Hospital, third world roads, Bahamians being towed on the back of trucks instead of in ambulances, and other crumbling infrastructure throughout the archipelago.

We are experiencing something worse than incompetence. There is a shocking moral indifference to the needs of ordinary Bahamians.

The untold damage to our country is mostly due to a lack of leadership, indifferent to the needs of the people by a political elite that enjoys health insurance, generators, public vehicles, and many cushions and perks.

Many of the basic problems in public services are fixable. Sadly, they are worsening because the prime minister is failing to govern more assertively. He appears passive and detached in the face of national decline and collapse.

Meanwhile, public corruption has skyrocketed. In a 2023 post, the World Bank described how corruption affects developing countries like The Bahamas:

“Corruption harms the poor and vulnerable the most, increasing costs and reducing access to basic services, such as health, education, social programs, and even justice. It exacerbates inequality and reduces private sector investment to the detriment of markets, job opportunities, and economies.”

In The Bahamas, corruption stifles economic growth and competition. It deepens inequality, trapping vulnerable populations in poverty. It limits investments in infrastructure. It deters certain foreign investment. And it erodes public trust in government institutions and officials.

The prime minister is reminding Bahamians of former Prime Minister Perry Christie. Both enjoyed speechifying and making, which resulted in very little materialising, or things getting worse.

The list of promises that never materialized from the 2021 manifesto, in addition to new promises made, could fill a telephone-sized book. Energy reform has been done mostly in secret. It is failing spectacularly. Power outages are among the worse in living memory.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is clearly impressed with himself. He has told us about the amount of world leaders calling him weekly to ask for advice.

Really?!

The Nassau Guardian reported that he: “challenged Commonwealth leaders to stop allowing young people to graduate with qualifications but no job prospects, warning that governments must do more to ensure education translates into meaningful employment.”

Never mind that his government is particularly wanting on this front. In his first term, Mr. Davis gave an impassioned speech on inequality which, though rife with all manner of historical revisionism and other errors, pressed the need to reduce inequality.

Alas, where is the bold agenda of Mr. Davis to address inequality, climate change, education, health care, and the other grand promises of which he has spoken?

After the King left and the disruption and roadblocks were gone, many Bahamians joked, “The King Gone. Amen,” mimicking his jocularity upon arrival at Clifford Park. Sadly, it seems that one of the few ways to get quick action on basic public needs is have the King and international press come to town.

But if the prime minister wants to impress the home audience, can he please: fill the potholes, fix the air-conditioning at the Rand, and fix the kitchen at PMH; clean up the problems at Inland Revenue; “do more to ensure education translates into meaningful employment”; and answer questions about the use of public money?

If Philip Edward Davis really wants to be a big man on the world stage, he should begin at home, first demonstrating that he is a successful leader of a developing country, an example for others wishing to model our success.

Dear Prime Minister: charity and greatness should begin here at home!