ADDRESS BY
HON. PRIME MINISTER PHILIP DAVIS, QC, MP
TO THE 17TH ANNUAL ABACO BUSINESS OUTLOOK CONFERENCE
HELD VIRTUALLY ON
THURSDAY OCTOBER 14TH 2021
“Facing Unprecedented Times: Recover. Adapt. Advance”
Good Morning Everyone.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to engage with you this morning.
Just four weeks ago today, my administration was elected to serve, with a convincing vote by the Bahamian people.
Since Election Day, in many ways those days and weeks have felt very long.
Along with the usual ceremonial and bureaucratic requirements involved in a change of government, we have also had to contend with the very pressing issues of both the Covid-19 health crisis, and the economic crisis, which we inherited.
But in another sense, the time has also passed quickly.
Despite the fact that the challenges are so great, and there’s so much to do on behalf of the Bahamian people, each morning I open my eyes and give thanks that it’s a new day.
And then I remember - it really is A NEW DAY!!
I imagine many of you will have experienced a similar sense of dislocation in relation to Time. The long days during which Hurricane Dorian settled over the island of Abaco in no way compare to the two long years that have passed since.
But the ongoing impact on all your lives - on all our lives - is very much still with us.
One of the great benefits of leading a national political campaign, is that it provides an opportunity to really spend time with people.
Not to see people just in organized settings, but to really spend time together, to get to know people up close, and engage with them in their daily lives.
The time I have spent with the people of Abaco and Grand Bahama particularly, have left an indelible set of memories with me.
Whilst we have made strong criticisms against the previous administration for their mishandling of the hurricane and its aftermath, and of their chaotic mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is the ongoing suffering of the people which preoccupies us.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the strain on our healthcare system presents a continuing threat to life and health.
The neglect of Abaco and Grand Bahama during the past two years, makes the situation even worse
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