By Fred Sturrup | GB News Editor | sturrup1504@gmail.com
The Sir Lynden Pindling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leadership legacy continues.
The Most Honourable Philip Davis, QC, MP, was not among that initial group of Pindling leadership politicians, each considered to be a protege. No, that list included Kendal Nottage, Darrell Rolle, Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie, primarily. (The latter two succeeded Sir Lynden in the high political seat of Prime Minister in the country).
However, there was a great PLP stalwart known as Edward “Big Brave” Davis, a fierce, fiery fighter in politics. The story goes that Sir Lynden very badly wanted to bestow an appointment of high honor on this giant of the political trenches who hailed from Old Bight, Cat Island. “Whatever you have for me, Mr. Prime Minister, give it to my boy.” Reportedly, that was the essence of that particular conversation between Sir Lynden and Big Brave Davis.
So, it followed that upon the resignation of Erwin Knowles as the representative for Cat Island in late November 1991, it was Philip (Little Brave) Davis who Sir Lynden endorsed to represent the PLP in 1992. The rest is history. Davis lost his Member of Parliament status during the 1997 general elections, but regained it in 2002 and has been that constituency’s political standard bearer ever since. Very early into his term as Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Davis is really the one looking most like Sir Lynden. He made a dramatic transformation with House of Assembly presentations and otherwise when bringing remarks at podiums, press conferences, etc. The collective tag of hesitancy and rambling no longer fitted him. In fact, some two years prior to the 2021 September general elections, Davis started to make smooth deliveries and he became better and better as time went on.
The masses of the people started thinking of him as “prime” Prime Minister material.
There was something else about Davis that I noticed, and I’m sure others did as well. The mannerisms of Sir Lynden could be detected at times in Davis. There was this strong conviction and a high confidence level portrayed by Davis that was surprising.
He is not a Sir Lynden clone. Nevertheless, much more so than Ingraham (a three-time non-consecutive PM) and Christie (twice the nation’s PM, non-consecutively) Davis resembles the Father of the Nation, Sir Lynden. Davis started out very well in appointing a magnificent Cabinet of The Bahamas. Then, inside his cabinet and outside he strategically placed others, including the most qualitative collection of women in parliament in the nation’s history, in key positions of governance.
The decision to allow the country to breathe by rescinding a lot of the restrictions imposed by a competent authority of the last government was huge. The return to nationwide normalcy began and continues despite the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic. If he can bring about the economic recovery of Grand Bahama and the revitalization of the wider country, he will further appear to be Pindling-like in leadership. How he and his ministers cope with national matters left in shambles by the previous government will determine just how much good he can do for the country, as did Sir Lynden.
At the present, PM Davis is off to a solid start. A nation now waits to see what the mega venture in Dubai produces.
