Will Prime Minister Davis shuffle his Cabinet in what is likely to be a new legislative session of the House of Assembly in September?
Who’s in?
Who’s out?
Who’s new?
Signs point to a shakeup across the board as the Prime Minister has been able to evaluate and assess the performance of Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, and Senators.
The system under which we are governed mandates that it is the Prime Minister’s Cabinet and Ministers serve at the Prime Minister’s invitation and pleasure.
Parliamentary histories of these political transactions do not support any evidence that Cabinet shuffles are premeditated on political spin from the Opposition or aggressive political discourse of the Deep State.
Party politics and popular political support at the Constituency level for serving officials has also often protected their stay in office when it was felt change was needed.
Mr. Davis is perhaps the best politically trained, exposed and experienced politician to ever hold the office of Prime Minister in an Independent Bahamas:-
1. Prime Minister Davis hails from a family legacy where his late father Brave Davis Senior became an icon of the party’s National General Council. Plus Mr. Davis senior was privileged to be one of less than a dozen powerful members of a party unit, the Community Association Club; which was headed by the late Arnold Pindling, father of Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling. This gives Prime Minister Davis an early training and understanding of how political power is maintained at the NGC Level and how to be in touch with key power brokers at that level.
2. Prime Minister Davis came out of the famous law firm Christie, Ingraham and Co formed by Perry G. Christie and Hubert A. Ingraham. Mr. Davis was able to coyly remain relevant in the PLP when the Party suspended Mr. Christie and expelled Mr. Ingraham; whilst Mr. Davis was senior partner of the firm.
3. In 1986 Mr. Davis eked out the PLP nomination to contest the bye election in Cat Island Rum Cay and Salvador on the resignation of PLP Cabinet Minister Ervin Knowles from parliament and went on to win the seat.
4. Mr. Davis was re-elected in the subsequent 1987 general election and lost the seat to the FNM in the 1992 general election which swept Hubert Ingraham and the FNM to political power.
5. Mr. Davis roared back in the general election of 2002 to win back his seat and in four subsequent general elections, (2007, 2012, 2017, 2021) has just about virtually owned the seat.
6. Mr. Davis has worked with and had rapport with three Prime Ministers- Sir Lynden, Mr. Christie and Mr. Ingraham.
7. Mr. Davis’s campaign to become Deputy Leader of the PLP on the retirement of former PLP Deputy Leader Dr. Cynthia Moxey Pratt in 2010 rejuvenated the organization and set the precedent on how campaigns and elections at the party level for such posts are now conducted in both parties.
8. Mr. Davis has a unique, keen and specialized skill in reading polls and recognizing drifts and political currents. His Candidates selected for the September 2021 snap general election were able from a proportional POV to ride what was deemed “the Brave Wave” to phenomenal political success.
Anyone sitting around betting Mr. Davis will get it wrong should tear up their pari-mutuel tickets before the horses even enter the gate.
Mr. Davis whatever he does has shown he is methodical and magnanimous and has the political respect and admiration of his colleagues and party.