By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip Davis defended his frequent international travels, saying they enabled him to call on the Dominican Republic’s president for help in evacuating Bahamians nearly held hostage in Haiti.

Initially reported as a precautionary evacuation due to the deteriorating security situation, Mr Davis suggested the January 27 situation was more dire than initially disclosed.

He argued his personal relationship with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, established through prior international visits, played a critical role in the mission.

He said: “I called him and said, look, I need help. I have six of my mission personnel in Haiti being almost held hostage. How do I get them out? Luis said, ‘Brave, just give me an hour.’ He calls back in an hour, and he said, ‘We’ll get them out.”

“If I hadn’t travelled, I wouldn’t have known President Abinader to call on in this situation.”

The Tribune reported in January that, according to the Bahamian Chargé d’Affaires in Haiti, diplomats had been stopped by Haitian police and relieved of their vehicle and weapons. 

This reportedly followed a protest by the Haitian National Police “against their own authorities”.

Mr Davis, whose comments came during an appearance on a ZNS TV show, argued that his overseas engagements have yielded significant benefits for The Bahamas, including strengthening relationships with foreign leaders and securing critical support in times of crisis.

“We depend on the world to survive, and you’re not going to survive by sitting at home,” he said.

He also discussed economic gains from his foreign engagements, such as the African ExIm Bank conference hosted in The Bahamas. 

He said the event brought over 7,500 delegates to the country, which was made possible through his efforts to strengthen ties with the bank’s executives. He said local sectors, such as the Livery Association, benefited from the influx of international delegates, further proving the value of these diplomatic efforts.

He also stressed that securing climate finance from the international community is essential, insisting such support can only be attained through active global engagement.

He said: “It is fair for Bahamians to ask, what is he travelling for? What’s the outcome? One of the key elements of my travel is to ensure that we get financing for the existential threat that is upon us with climate change.”

Yesterday, Free National Movement (FNM) leader Michael Pintard said while all governments must travel, the Davis administration often sends people to events where they are not needed, wasting resources. 

He said many delegates on these trips lack a clear purpose and do not give the Bahamian people a return on investment.

“The government has used the fight for climate justice as a general cover to camouflage what is a variety of reasons for which they are traveling,” he said. 

“They’re seeking to subsume it, to put it under this broad banner, which again, is disingenuous.”