EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Prime Minister/President of any democratic nation has the option to hire, fire and/or reshuffle cabinet members, in his/her discretion. This is almost an automatic option and the ultimate ‘control lever’ which is wielded by national leaders. Apart from the stark possibility of being cast out of cabinet and the very public scrutiny which would follow, members of cabinet must also be aware of the fact that once thrown out into political darkness, their life in politics could be brought to an ignoble end.

Here in The Bahamas, since Independence in 1973 and, indeed, long before that, Prime Ministers have frequently required the voluntary or even forced resignation of ministers for any number of reasons, even though an explanation is mot constitutionally required. The late Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, God bless his soul, was a master at maintaining total control over his cabinet. At one now fabled National Convention of the PLP, Sir Lynden boldly challenged the late Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, then a powerful Minister of Works and high up on the totem pole of the PLP, to “fish; cut bait or get the hell out of the boat!” Sophie, as Sir Cecil was called (due to his alleged oratorical skills) et al, did just that on the floor of that convention.

Those events ushered in the in a new era in Bahamian politics. Fish; cut bait or get the hell out of the boat...echoes to this very day. Cabinet Ministers, by and large, often would have had no real life experience. Many of them would have been a run of the mill lawyer; an unknown medical doctor; accountant or a business person. Few of them would have ever had to make a payroll or manage a medium to large scale business enterprises. In short, some are added to cabinet to make up the numbers and as a ‘reward’ to sycophants and bootlickers. In the majority of cases, few incoming PM would want to surround himself/herself with Cabinet colleagues who, at some point, could become a thorn in his/her side.

There comes a time, however, even when the most accommodating and “loyal” Prime Minister must come to the brutal realisation that a handful of his/her cabinet members simply cannot cut it and for the good of the party and the nation, not necessarily in that order, need to be jettison out of the inner sanctum.

Our current ordained Prime Minister, Philip “Brave” Davis, KC, MP (PLP-Cat Island) has a date with destiny on behalf of the people of this wonderful nation. His is the divine mandate to complete the original agenda and mission statement laid out in the initial charter of the Progressive Liberal Party. Much was accomplished under Sir Lynden’s watch. But there is much more work to be done if we, as a people, are to catch a glance of Heaven on Earth while we are yet alive. To successfully do this, the PM must now, at this critical juncture, make the hard decisions as to whether or not current Cabinet members are pulling their weight in this struggle or even, God forbid, if they know what the hell they are doing.

If I were Prime Minister there are four current Cabinet ministers whose performance or lack thereof must be reviewed. While many are elected to Parliament, few are really competent, in my view, to hold the portfolios which they hold. Mr Davis is more than aware that his legacy will rest on the performance of his administration in critical areas to which I will not refer to at this juncture as I would Not wish to pre-empt the hand of PM Davis.

That handful of Cabinet members who have not/are not effective where they are, should either be dismissed (gently if possible); reshuffled or even thrown to the political wolves as a token sacrifice. It is my hope that at the appropriate time that the PM and the second best national chairman that the PLP has ever been blessed to have (save and except for the late and deeply missed Bradley Roberts), Frederick Audley Mitchell (PLP-Fox Hill) will undertake a careful analyst of who should stay; who should be reshuffled and who simply need to make room for new blood.

No one wants to take bread out of any Cabinet members mouths but the absolute necessity of a second consecutive term for this enlightened and progressive administration, with Brave at the helm, is non-negotiable. The PM has no time to waste when it comes to delivering all Bahamians over the proverbial Jordan and into The Promised Land. It is a sad indictment that after 52 long years of so called Independence that tens of thousands of unwashed Bahamians are still relegated to picking peas out of shaving cream, for want of a better expression. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau,

August 13, 2025.