The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

As the newly installed Prime Minister, the Most Hon Philip “Brave” Davis, QC (PLP-Cat Island) fleshed out his administration, I would hope that several appointments be made to reflect national unity and continued nation building and reconstruction. The Urban Renewal Commission, as then led by the Hon Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt and the Hon Algernon SPB Allen, was an excellent and highly effective community tool for the then administration to directly impact the lives and housing conditions of thousands of Bahamians, especially in the inner city areas of New Providence and Grand Bahama.

I respectfully recommend to the Davis administration that “Bulgie” be reappointed as one of the chairs for the revamped Urban Renewal Commission. Algernon has the experience and passion to duplicate what he and Mother Pratt did before. I would also reappoint Mrs. Emmanuel over in Grand Bahama back to her post. All hands are needed on deck at this critical juncture.

Relative to the office of the Governor General, I recommend that Sir Cornelius Smith continue until next year to permit him to retire with civility and, of course, the appropriate gratuity and pension. Once this is done, I recommend that the PM appoint the Rt Hon Perry Gladstone Christie or the Hon Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt to the position of Governor-General with the concurrence of Her Majesty the Queen. Either of them would make Bahamians proud while recognising their considerable collective public service over the past decades.

The reconstruction work in Abaco and Grand Bahama continues. It is clear that the personnel appointed by the FNM administration either dropped the ball or they really did not know what the hell they were doing. The work is simply taking too long while residents in those two islands continue to catch hell right here on earth. May I suggest that the Davis administration appoint (with his agreement, of course) the former Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Hubert A Ingraham, as National Recovery Czar for those two islands. Ingraham is an Abaco native.

As a former PM he has extensive knowledge as to how to circumvent the “system” where necessary to effectively get things done, on the ground. He’d offered to assist Minnis, but we all know just how Minnis operated. He was a one man band, in the truest sense of the word and appeared to be intolerant of anyone sharing the light with him. Now, however, is not the time for pussy-footing and playing doll house games. Collectively, we need and require all able bodied hands on deck. To quote the late great and deeply lamented first Prime Minister of our wonderful nation, the Rt Hon Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling: “Fish; cut bait or get the hell out of the boat” rings as true today as it was decades ago.

Bahamians have entrusted “Brave” and the New PLP with our future. He is more than aware that while he and the administration will be given a political honeymoon, the bulk of Bahamians expect to see and feel concrete things in short order. If he fails to deliver, the tenure of the New PLP will be just as slippery and tenuous as that of the now, mercifully, defunct FNM.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau,

October 14, 2021