Party Leader Davis Remarks at the Opening of S. Obie Roberts Headquarters, Southern Shores

PLP!!!
PLP!!!
PLP!!!!!!!
Good afternoon, Southern Shores.
Good afternoon to the mothers and fathers working hard every day.
Good afternoon to the young people looking for a fair chance.
Good afternoon to the small business people trying to build something for their family.
And good afternoon to every PLP on the ground who knows this election is about who is ready to lead and who is ready to talk.
And we open it for a man who is ready to serve Southern Shores with strength, discipline, and heart.

Southern Shores
S. Obie Roberts is ready.
He knows this community.
He knows our young people need pathways, structure, mentorship, and hope.
He knows people want a representative who listens, shows up, pushes, and delivers.
That is why I am proud to stand here this afternoon and say to the people of Southern Shores that Obie Roberts is the right choice for this constituency.
This election is coming down to a basic question.
Who is serious enough to lead this country?
Who is steady enough to lead this country?

Who has shown the judgment to lead this country?
Because wanting to be Prime Minister and being ready to be Prime Minister are two different things.
And every day Michael Pintard shows the Bahamian people that he is prepared to say anything, damage anything, and risk anything just to win.
Look at what he is doing now on passports.
He is trying to tell the Bahamian people and the international community that this Government is selling passports.
That is reckless.
That is irresponsible.
That is dangerous.
That is the kind of loose talk that can hurt a country.
Imagine a man who wants to be Prime Minister telling the world that the Bahamian Government is selling passports while that same Government is arresting people, charging people, prosecuting people, and sending people to jail for passport fraud.
That is how unserious he is.
That is how desperate he is.
That is how far he is prepared to go.
But no lie lasts forever.
And today in Parliament, no lie lasted.
Today in Parliament, Michael Pintard confessed more than he intended to confess.
In trying to attack the Government, he admitted the FNM caused the problem by removing the requirement for additional documents and questions.
Well let me ask the smart question.
If the files are being flagged, if the names are being found, if the cases are active, if the people are being arrested, if the matters are before the court, is that the system failing?

No.

That is the system working.
That is the system doing what it is supposed to do.
That is the Government enforcing the law.
And let us go deeper, because the Bahamian people deserve the whole truth.
They made the problem.
We are fixing it.
Say it with me.
They made the problem.
We are fixing it.
People, this ain’t hard to understand. Let me break it down for you. A passport renewal is supposed to be a second check. It is supposed to give the system another chance to look at the person, look at the documents, and catch anything that does not add up. Under the FNM, in 2019, they cut that renewal process down and made it easier. They reduced it to a form, the old passport, a photograph, and an NIB smart card. That meant less checking, less review, and less chance to catch fraud before a passport was renewed.
So what came next is easy to understand. When you remove layers of checking, you create a gap. And when you create a gap, fraud finds room in it. That is the consequence of their decision. They made the process weaker. They made the system easier to exploit.
Then this administration came in and put the checks back. Full verification was restored. The EPICS system was used more fully again. Monitoring was strengthened. Fraud detection was improved. Suspicious files were flagged. That is why cases are coming to light now. That is why people are being caught now. That is why people are being charged now.
And Michael Pintard sat there.
He heard it.
He saw it.
He said nothing.
So when he comes now trying to beat desks and act outraged, my answer is plain.
You sat there.
You knew what was done.
You helped make the system weaker.
And now you want to pretend you discovered a scandal because this Government restored the checks, reopened the files, tightened the process, and started sending people to court.
Spare us.
Two things can be true.

Fraud is rising around the world.
And the FNM still made our system weaker.
Criminals are getting smarter around the world.
And this Government is still right to tighten the process, restore the checks, and send fraudsters to jail.
Two things can be true.
So when Michael Pintard says there are people with new passport applications, I ask another smart question.
If someone applies for a new passport and the system catches them, and the file is flagged, and the police move in, and charges are brought, and that person ends up before the court, is that not the system working?
Of course it is.
That is what enforcement looks like.
That is what leadership looks like.
That is what a Government looks like when it is doing its job.
So let nobody twist the truth.
The FNM weakened the process.
The PLP restored the process.
The FNM created the gap.
The PLP found the gap.
The FNM made it easier.
The PLP is cleaning it up.
And let me send a message from Southern Shores this afternoon to anybody who thinks they can play with the Bahamian passport, play with official documents, or play with this country.
Brave do not do fool.
You try to defraud the Bahamian passport, I sending you to jail.
You forge official documents, I sending you to jail.

You game this country’s systems, I sending you to jail.
Bahamian or foreign, if you break the law, you are going to jail.
Ask the people already in jail whether this administration is serious.
Ask the people already before the courts whether this administration is serious.
Ask the people already charged whether this administration is serious.
Fox Hill is there.
There is plenty room there.
And summer there is no good time for anybody.
So let nobody play brave with this Government.

We are defending the integrity of the Bahamian passport.
We are defending the name of this country.
And we are defending the rule of law.
Now the same Michael Pintard who is reckless on passports is reckless on other issues too.
One minute he says he wants to abolish the Post Office Savings Bank.
Just like that.
No care for the workers.
No care for the people in the Family Islands.
No care for the depositors.
No care for the ordinary Bahamian saver.
Then the next minute he is making giant promises all over the country.
Five thousand homes.
Promise after promise.
Speech after speech.

Announcement after announcement.
Well I have a question for the Member for Marco City.

And half of what they are promising, this Government is already doing.
They talk about affordability. We cut VAT on food and we raised the minimum wage.
They talk about helping families. We expanded the School Breakfast Programme and we are helping thousands of children every school day.
They talk about healthcare. We expanded access to medication and strengthened public health services.
They talk about small business. We put real money behind Bahamian entrepreneurs.
They talk about security. We hired more officers, strengthened the law, and backed enforcement.
They talk about immigration. We increased repatriations, expanded staffing, and tightened border protection.
So what the country is hearing from the FNM is a party trying to campaign on work that is already underway under the PLP.
That is why they sound late.
That is why they sound hollow.
That is why they sound like a party trying to catch up to a Government that is already moving.
Now here in Southern Shores, this election is also about local representation.
That is why I need Obie Roberts.
He understands that representation is work.
He understands that service means presence.
He understands that a constituency office should be a place where people can get help, be heard, and see action.

He understands that Southern Shores needs drainage improvements, stronger infrastructure, more youth support, more crime prevention, and more local economic opportunity.

He understands that this seat is about people.
And I believe Southern Shores is ready for that kind of representation.
So today, as we open this headquarters, I want every PLP in this constituency to understand the assignment.
Talk to the people.
Organize the people.
Bring out the people.
Defend the record.
Challenge the lie.
Make the case.
Make the case for serious leadership.
Make the case for steady leadership.
Make the case for Obie Roberts.
Because this election is not about who can make the most noise.
It is about who can lead.
It is about who can deliver.
It is about who can be trusted with the country.
And on that question, I have no doubt.
The PLP is the serious party.
The PLP is the party doing the work.
The PLP is the party fixing what others broke.
The PLP is the party protecting the integrity of the country.
The PLP is the party standing up for ordinary Bahamians.
And the PLP is the party that will keep this nation moving forward.

So Southern Shores, stand with Obie Roberts.
Stand with progress.
Stand with seriousness.
Stand with strength.
Stand with the team that is working.
And stand with the future we are building together.