New Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis received his instrument of appointment
Prime Minister Philip Davis received his instrument of appointment this morning from the Governor-General at a public ceremony.
Davis took his oath of office yesterday behind closed doors.
In presenting Davis with his instrument of appointment, Governor-General Cornelius A Smith called for the political divide established in the lead-up to Thursday’s general election to be removed.
“I want to offer my congratulations to the voters of this country. But more importantly [I want] Bahamians everywhere to recognise that we have one nation. We have one Bahamas. There is no FNM (Free National Movement) in the Bahamas; there is no PLP (Progressive Liberal Party). There is one Bahamas, and our responsibility now is to ensure that we become united so that that one Bahamas…becomes a better Bahamas,” Smith said.
“The people of the Bahamas have spoken. They have spoken loudly and clearly. They have chosen Prime Minister Davis and his party to run the ship of state for the next five years.”
Unofficial results showed that the PLP would take 32 of the 39 seats in the National Assembly.
In his first public speech as Head of Government, Davis said his government would be hitting the ground running as challenges facing the economy, education, and health care system needs to be addressed.
Yesterday, Moody’s rating agency downgraded the country’s creditworthiness/investment grade further into junk status.
The country when from “Ba2” to “Ba3”.
Davis said this “underscores the severity of the fiscal crisis and the urgency of moving quickly to address it.”
The 70-year-old said his government could not fail once it keeps the interest of Bahamians “as the guiding North Star”.
To that end, the prime minister committed to “lifting the veil of secrecy” that existed in the last government over contracts and how state resources are utilised.
He said those who made terrible deals must be held responsible.
Davis, a human rights lawyer by trade, promised that all Bahamians would be treated fairly under his government to ensure the hopes of their founding fathers were realised.
He also decried that several Bahamians were not allowed to participate in the election, and he promised not to let that happen again.
“The right to vote is an essential part of any democracy,” the PM said.
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