Once again, Philip Davis asks the people of Grand Bahama to trust him—and to find yet more patience—over the stalled redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan Hotel, reminding reporters that “developments do not happen overnight.”

That statement, reported by The Nassau Guardian under the headline “Pressed on Grand Lucayan, PM says developments don’t happen overnight,” might sound reasonable—if the present situation itself had not, in many respects, developed almost overnight.

Pressed on the issue following the redundancy of more than 200 Grand Lucayan employees, the Prime Minister told reporters during an event in Mayaguana that major investments take time and that the development is “progressing,” pointing to assurances previously given by the developer.

All well and good. Except for one inconvenient fact.

When the New Day Progressive Liberal Party came to office over four and a half years ago, one of its earliest actions regarding the Grand Lucayan was to cancel the redevelopment deal that had already been negotiated and put in place by the former Free National Movement administration. That deal was scrapped on the grounds that it was allegedly not in the best interest of Grand Bahama.

That decision carried two unavoidable implications:

1. That the PLP already had a better deal lined up—or at least well advanced; and
2. That redevelopment efforts would continue seamlessly from the moment the previous agreement was cancelled.

Neither appears to have been true.

Instead, more than four years later, Bahamians are now being told—again—that development takes time, that patience is required, and that trust must be extended once more. If things truly “do not happen overnight,” then one is left to ask: what exactly has been happening for the last four and a half years?

What is clear is that the PLP government cancelled a live arrangement without a replacement ready to go, leaving Grand Bahama in limbo while workers, families, and the wider economy absorbed the fallout. The current posture—feeling its way forward, hoping that negotiations eventually bear fruit—suggests not strategic governance, but improvisation after the fact.

This is not the steady hand of leadership Grand Bahama was promised.
It looks far more like gambling with the island’s economy—and with the livelihoods of its people—while asking them to applaud the roll of the dice.

Patience may be a virtue.
But after four and a half years, it is no substitute for results.

The Bahamas deserves better.

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) fails for one reason; it is their nature.

END