A BP Sunday Special >>> Davis is now on a Path to POWER!
By Alexander James
Editor Bahamas Press
Nassau, Bahamas – For most of my life I have been consumed with politics, studying almost from my infancy, having been brought up around in what most would describe as political royalty.
And growing up around the circles of the powerful perhaps has given me the eye to spot a potential king from afar. Back in 1997, when Perry Christie and Cynthia Mother Pratt were elected leader and deputy leader of the PLP, I was right there outside the voting room awaiting the results. That was a day of chaos to when Dr. Bernard Nottage’s votes were out numbered on the floor. Indeed, as the PLP needed to find its footing following its second election defeat by then-Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Hubert Alexander Ingraham, it was time to rebuild the party. Some didn’t know how to tell Mr. Pindling his time was up and, well, Sir Lynden stuck around, reducing the PLP’s numbers in Parliament to six members by that year. And, following the South Andros by-election defeat, the PLP was reduced to five in a 40 seat Parliament.
I was in the PLP back then and understood that, in order for the Party to regain the trust of the Bahamian people, everyone had to sign up for duty behind Perry Christie. That is what all who loved the country more than the party did. I joined the local branch, along with scores of politicos who knew that the only way for the PLP to regain trust was to read from the music of the Dr. Off song and “Get involved”. And thousands did. Five years later the PLP had regained the confidence of the Bahamian people and were returned to power in 2002 in a landslide victory.
Recalling this chapter in our history forces one to look at the PLP now: it has come full circle with just this week past finally electing a new leadership team headed by Hon. Philip Brave Davis at Convention. It is no secret Bahamas Press backed the team of Davis, Cooper and Mitchell. If ya didn’t know, now you do. The PLP, from the look of things, had to reset its course, and we believe, in less than five years the party will regain the confidence of the Bahamian people once again.
Davis followed the path almost exact to that of Christie and, more recently, Dr. Hubert Minnis before assuming leadership control. He travelled the country to get a full understanding of his beloved party and deeply assessed what went wrong inside the PLP for it to have suffered such a tragic defeat at the polls. We, from a very close view, saw Davis and his Be Brave Express travel from island to island, meeting with residents on the ground in almost every rock and cay in the country before drafting a detailed platform, which stuck the right chord with party supporters.
One of the plans and ideas presented by Davis was to rebuild once again a Party of “all the time PLPs”. Citing how many of the branches across the country are in ruins, lacking funding and participation. More importantly, some have too little membership to know what is happening within the organization. Davis, in his platform, presented ways to correct this and told his PLP family in a chorus that resonated throughout his campaign that, “It is time to roll up sleeves and get to work”!
What is clear following these discoveries is the fact that it is fair to suggest that the PLP got too busy addressing national problems [VAT, BAMSI, NHI etc], and took its eyes off the machine that took it into power. In many cases leaving generals abandoned and neglected during the ride while in government. An athlete most definitely is only as fit as the moving parts of the body, and, well, if the body becomes sick and challenged, beaten down with blows and left crippled, then that athlete will be no good to the sport. This is exactly the present state of the PLP. The party must rebuild.
We at BP think it is safe to say that Davis has struck a chord as he addressed the nation on Wednesday following his election. He called for unity and togetherness; he gave a call to action and sent out the appeal for persons interested in becoming candidates to sign up. He spoke about reforming the PLP and pledged his support to a rebuilding plan from the ground up. These plans presented have satisfied our concerns sufficiently that the PLP clearly has government in its sights.
Bahamas Press congratulates the Davis Team on a stellar campaign, which has brought them to the top. We now look forward to the next steps, which will propel the PLP – as Margaret Thatcher would say – on a path to power.
We report yinner decide!
