At a packed political rally held Wednesday night in Grand Bahama’s West End, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis delivered an optimistic address framing the island as firmly in the early stages of economic recovery, buoyed by new capital inflows, rising employment, and long-stalled infrastructure projects moving forward.
The leader of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) told attendees that a long-awaited “new chapter” has opened for Grand Bahama, pointing to on-the-ground progress that residents can already see across the island. “People are working again. The new Freeport Health Campus is under construction. Major investments are moving forward. The Grand Bahama Shipyard is expanding, and local workers are accessing new skills training to advance their careers,” Davis said.
Davis also highlighted a recent major investment announcement from global cruise operator MSC Cruises tied to Grand Lucayan, noting that the deal serves as external validation of the Davis administration’s years of targeted work to attract high-impact, sustainable investment to the island. He expressed full confidence that the four PLP candidates running for parliamentary seats across Grand Bahama — incumbent Pineridge MP Ginger Moxey, incumbent West Grand Bahama MP Kingsley Smith, Central Grand Bahama candidate Parko Deal, and Marco City candidate Eddie Whan — will keep the island’s recovery trajectory on track if elected.
A core point of Davis’ address centered on the government’s ongoing standoff with the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) following recent arbitration proceedings. While Davis incorrectly stated that the administration secured a full victory in the arbitration, he emphasized that the PLP government took unprecedented decisive action to hold the private port authority accountable for failing to meet its long-term contractual obligations to the Bahamian people.
“For far too long, this private authority has collected millions in public fees and concessions, but has never held up its end of the bargain for the communities of Grand Bahama,” Davis said. “The era of unaccountable license fee collection is coming to an end. We have put the Port on clear notice: Bahamian people will not continue to subsidize private profits while our local communities crumble from neglect.”
Davis added that moving forward, the administration will take an unflinching stance to enforce the original terms of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement that established the port authority’s mandate. “We will use every legal tool at our disposal, every regulatory power granted to this government, and every bit of political capital we have to make sure the original promises of Hawksbill Creek are finally honored for the people of Grand Bahama,” he said.
The prime minister also used the rally platform to criticize key policy proposals from Opposition Leader Michael Pintard and the Free National Movement (FNM), opening with a sharp rebuke of the opposition’s plan to abolish the Post Office Savings Bank. Davis told the crowd that roughly 7,000 residents of Grand Bahama rely on the community bank, with more than 35,000 users across the entire Bahamas who depend on its accessible savings services.
He also dismissed the FNM’s proposal for a national government-run lottery as an empty political stunt with no real policy substance. “Their national lottery is not a serious plan for the country’s challenges — it’s just a gimmick,” Davis said. “They are chasing newspaper headlines instead of working on actual solutions that improve people’s lives.”
In contrast to what he framed as the opposition’s shallow policy ideas, Davis argued that his administration has prioritized long-term, inclusive growth across the Bahamas through targeted policy action: energy sector reform to lower costs for residents and businesses, large-scale infrastructure investment, expanded workforce skills training, and opening new economic opportunities for all Bahamians.
“While we are investing in real, lasting solutions for the Bahamian people, the opposition’s big idea is to turn the national government into a numbers house,” he added.
Despite rising partisan tensions ahead of the upcoming election, Davis stressed that the progress Grand Bahama has made in recent years is undeniable and will continue under PLP leadership. “For the first time in a generation, we have a government that is finally standing up for the people of Grand Bahama,” he said. “We are not bowing to private special interests or clinging to outdated, unfair arrangements that shortchange local communities.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper also spoke at the rally, confirming that the planned redevelopment of Grand Bahama’s airport is now fully funded and construction is set to move forward. Cooper echoed Davis’ criticism of the previous FNM administration, noting that “for 34 years, the FNM gave the Port Authority a free pass on its obligations, but this PLP government has given them a clear deadline to deliver.”