By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis pledged to attack the cost of living in his second term with competition legislation targeting price-fixing and a plan to standardise electricity rates across The Bahamas, saying households are struggling to afford groceries and keep their lights on.

Contributing to a resolution thanking the Governor General for the Speech from the Throne, Mr Davis said in the House of Assembly yesterday that his administration will move aggressively to ease the pressure on Bahamian families.

“We will bring competition legislation to stop the price-fixing and abuses that strain household budgets,” he said.

Mr Davis also promised to end the disparity in electricity costs between New Providence and the Family Islands, where residents often pay more for power.

“We will end the injustice that makes a family in Mayaguana pay more to keep the lights on than a family in Nassau, by introducing standard rates for light bills across the country,” he said.

He noted the government has already moved to acquire the Grand Bahama Power Company to ensure residents there benefit from lower electricity bills.

“Grand Bahama Power Company is under new ownership – a purchase made by the government to ensure that Grand Bahamians are no longer excluded from lower bills under our new energy era,” he said.

Mr Davis also said Bahamians will be offered the opportunity to buy up to 25 percent of the government’s ownership stake in Bank of The Bahamas as part of a push to expand economic participation.

Mr Davis also announced a framework to address elder abandonment by giving Social Services greater authority to intervene before vulnerable seniors fall into crisis.

“Somewhere tonight, there is a senior citizen, a patriarch or matriarch, who raised children, kept a home, and held a community together, who can no longer care for themself, and who has been left to survive without sufficient support. This is not a norm I can accept,” he said.

He said health insurance will be extended to all public servants, including contract workers who were previously excluded.

Mr Davis also reiterated his pledge for tougher penalties for employers who hire undocumented migrants and announced plans to create a Fraud Intelligence Unit to detect and investigate fraudulent activity.

Turning to Grand Bahama, Mr Davis said the island is rebounding, citing a more than 91 percent increase in visitor arrivals.

He pointed to several projects and investments, including the Afro-Caribbean marketplace, the MSC cruise port, the Xanadu project, a new deal with the Port Authority, a new hospital and a modern airport.