The Tribune

By PAUL TURNQUEST

Chief Reporter

pturnquest@

tribunemedia.net

PLP Deputy Leader Philip "Brave" Davis announced last evening at his party's mass rally on Arawak Cay that if the PLP is returned to office they will commit to a fixed date for general elections.

"No one man should hold a country hostage," Mr Davis declared.

"And this is why our party leader has committed as the next Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas - to a fixed election date. No more guessing when the bell will ring," he said.

The PLP's deputy leader also sought to make the case last night as to why Bahamians should return the PLP to the governance of the Bahamas after five years in opposition.

Pointing to his party's commitment to double its investment in Education, and the promise of new jobs to come once elected, Mr Davis said that the PLP will also see to it that the College of the Bahamas will likewise be brought to full university status.

"Tonight, we have come to put the question: Why vote for the PLP? Why should you elect the team that is ready on day one to turn the Bahamas in the right direction? Why should you mark your "X" next to the sign of the hand in support of Perry Christie and our new generation of leaders?

"Firstly - the PLP is the only party poised to double the investment in Education. This is part of our goal to fully prepare young people for global 21st-century jobs and to retrain Bahamians. Thousands of new jobs are expected to come on stream before the end of our next term, and we are committed to see that you are fully prepared to fill those jobs. Just as we created BTVI and opened new technical schools, your next PLP government will expand these opportunities for the nation's youth. We believe the College of the Bahamas must become the country's first University of the Bahamas. That we will achieve in our next term," he said.

Mr Davis said that his party's investment in young people will also create modern 21st-century classrooms, which will immediately create construction jobs for hundreds of persons now in need to work.

"We will expand funding to young Bahamians seeking to study in the fields of agriculture, marine science, hospitality management, engineering, construction technology, and electronics. To the young people of the Bahamas you should vote PLP because - we in the PLP believe in you," he said.

Mr Davis also made the argument for why women in the Bahamas should support the PLP, stating that under the PLP Cynthia "Mother" Pratt served as acting Prime Minister - a feat unmatched on "the other side."

"The last PLP Cabinet comprised of four women Ministers. Another fact the FNM cannot boast. And in our next term, women will be assured the right of equal pay for equal work.

"Single mothers will not be discriminated against in obtaining housing. Nor dragged in the mud and thrown out of their homes like those heartless people on the other side. And so to all women under the sound of my voice... we in the PLP believe in you! So, Come with the PLP," he said.

Addressing the issues of crime, and the large number of homeowners facing foreclosure, Mr Davis again promised that with a PLP administration, help and hope would be on the way.

"The mortgage crisis has hit Bahamians hard and it is a matter those opposite have turned a blind eye to. We propose to immediately step in and rescue homeowners, battling the crisis. We are going to work with the banks and other institutional lenders to establish an agreement for a moratorium on foreclosures.

"We are going to obtain the agreement of the banks to write-off unpaid interest and fees for families who are facing foreclosure. Additionally, when we return to office, we will pass legislation necessary to protect homeowners, particularly those who have paid back more than a certain percentage of their mortgage loans.

"It is wrong for someone who has paid mortgage for years to be told, after falling on hard times, that their homes will be sold. To homeowners and those of you battling this tough economy, we will protect you," he said.