PM Davis traveled to Bermuda and helped his friends get re-elected. Why stick Bahamians with the bill?

Prime Minister Brave Davis

The more we learn of Prime Minister Davis’ trip to Bermuda, the more it appears Davis and his entourage traveled to Bermuda and helped his friends get re-elected. So why stick Bahamians with the bill?

At Friday’s OPM press briefing, Director of Communications Latrae Rahming said the costs of the PM’s recent Bermuda trip were “covered by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), and all questions pertaining to that trip can be deferred to the organization.”

Over this past weekend, however, foreign affairs minister and PLP chairman, Fred Mitchell, sought to recast the trip as “a standard official visit to another country at the invitation of the premier of Bermuda, who is also the leader of the Progressive Labour Party, our sister party.”

So which is it?

Are Bahamian taxpayers expected to foot the bill for what was ostensibly a trip for a ‘sister party’ convention, or will the PLP organization pay for their overseas political activities?

As The Nassauvian initially reported, the delegation also featured Cabinet ministers, government officials, former Prime Minister Perry Christie, and Progressive Liberal Party members. The group landed in Bermuda at 5:02 pm on Oct. 19. Prime Minister Davis spoke at the 57th Annual Delegate’s Conference for the Progressive Labour Party that same evening.

A political trip

The recent trip to Bermuda was particularly political in its nature and its timing.

I wish to reciprocate your kind offer of inviting us to share in this political celebration and invite you to visit us during our PLP convention.

-PRIME MINISTER PHILIP BRAVE DAVIS, OCT 19, 2022

Based on the OPM’s initial statement that the Progressive Liberal Party will foot the bill, the trip was planned and executed with the primary focus being the Bermuda PLP’s convention.

A listen to the PM’s address makes the point self-evident.

PM Davis: “I wish to reciprocate your kind offer of inviting us to share in this political celebration and invite you to visit us during our PLP convention.”

And the timing of the ‘goodwill’ trip, right as Bermuda’s Premier fought off a contentious party leadership challenge, also lends credence to the journey being more political than not.

As reported by Caribbean weekly, “Bermuda Premier David Burt has been re-elected [Oct. 20] as leader of the ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) after fighting off a spirited challenge from former Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson following a bruising campaign battle.

“Deputy Premier Walter Roban, the home affairs minister, also retained his number two party post after defeating former National Security Minister Cabinet Minister Renée Ming.”

Both Burt and Roban were re-elected on Oct. 20, 2022.

During his address in Bermuda – the night before Progressive Labour Party delegates voted – PM Davis thanked “Deputy Leader Roban” and MP Chris Famous for visiting PLP headquarters, Gambier House, last month.

Roban was re-elected as Deputy Leader of the Progressive Labour Party, while Chris Famous endorsed Premier Burt and Deputy Premier Roban in their respective party elections.

Blurred lines

While in Bermuda, The Prime Minister also announced an upcoming appointment of an Honorary Consul to Bermuda.

Such an announcement is what one would expect on an official visit. Made, as it was, during a local party convention, is unusual.

What is becoming usual, unfortunately, is contrary ‘facts’ from government officials.

Communications Director Latrae Rahming seemed to put the issue of the trip’s funding to bed when he claimed the PLP would pick up the bill for the large entourage to travel. Now the truthfulness of that statement is in question thanks to Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell’s weekend statement.

Mitchell undermined the official message from the Office of the Prime Minister, creating confusion once again surrounding payment.

Who of the two is giving us the full facts?

Because both can’t be right if we’re getting the whole truth.

Our take

That neither the OPM nor PLP wants to ‘own’ the trip is telling. And despite what some would have you believe, prudent management of the country’s financial resources matters.

The Office of the Prime Minister no doubt recognizes the terrible optics of PM Davis’ partisan trip and speech meant to bolster his political friends first, with any immediate national interests a distant second. So Bahamians are told it was a political trip and that the PLP is responsible for it.

Fred Mitchell, on the other hand, recognizing the hefty bill the party should have to pick up for the Bermuda trip, then tells Bahamians it was a ‘goodwill’ foreign affairs trip. Which means Bahamians are expected to pay for the excursion conveniently taken as ‘friends’ of the PLP faced election challenges in Bermuda.

On top of the confusion around paying for the trip, The Nassauvian learned there were worrying flight concerns the Davis administration is now downplaying as ‘operational issues.’

This is not what transparency looks like.

Even as the PLP (rightfully) laments gross and excessive spending at our Belgium embassy by the former Minnis administration, Fred Mitchell signals that the PLP wants to do the same thing to Bahamians – waste our taxpayer dollars on self-serving, vanity projects under the guise of ‘governance.’

In Minnis’ case, it was Belgian furniture. In this case, it’s a trip to Bermuda for a political event that benefitted their other PLP friends.

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