PM: Bahamas will not be dictated to

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said yesterday The Bahamas “will not be dictated to” or abandon its national priorities “to fit neatly within the designs of others”.

While he did not specify whom he was referring to, Davis’ remarks came amid threats of United States’ visa sanctions on current or former Cuban government officials and others, including foreign government ministers, who are believed to be responsible for, or involved in, a Cuban labor export program, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions. The policy also applies to the immediate families of such people.

Davis said while The Bahamas is a small nation, size does not define influence.

“We will not allow our voices to be dulled,” he said in a speech at RF Bahamas’ Economic Outlook Conference at Baha Mar.

“Our national interests are not served by silence. They are served by engagement.

“But let me be equally clear: engagement does not mean compromise. We will not abandon our national priorities to fit neatly within the designs of others.

“We will not be pressured into choices that do not serve the best interests of our people. Within our strategic development framework, we must ensure that our solutions, even when reliant on international support and partnerships, always prioritize the well-being of our people first.”

Davis added, “The Bahamas has made its choice. We embrace international opportunities as a partnership between equals. We will not be dictated to, and we will not be sidelined. When the future is written, it will be clear: The Bahamas stood firm, spoke with clarity, and claimed its place in the world.”

In a press statement issued last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the visa sanctions are an expansion of an existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets “forced labor linked to the Cuban labor export program”.

The US State Department has already taken steps to impose visa restrictions on several individuals, including Venezuelans, under this expanded policy, Rubio said.

The Bahamas employs a significant number of Cuban nurses in the public healthcare system to offset staff shortages. Cuban teachers have also been employed in the public school system.

Davis also touched on the turbulent geopolitical climate, saying isolationism is not the answer right now and global partnerships are needed.

“In every era of history, the world has confronted moments of uncertainty — times when the established order appeared to fray, when the assumptions of one generation no longer served the realities of the next,” he said.

“Today, we find ourselves at such a juncture. Economic instability, geopolitical realignments, and shifting power dynamics have left many nations grappling with questions of security, growth, and relevance in an ever-evolving global landscape.

“We are engaged in external dialogue and relationships not because they are a preference, but because they are a necessity. Isolationism is not a strategy for success; it is a recipe for decline.”

Davis said while globalization is not perfect, it has reshaped modern economics and lifted millions out of poverty.

“The challenges of globalization – such as economic imbalances, shifting labor markets, and external vulnerabilities – are real,” he said. “But they cannot be addressed through disengagement.”

His comments also come amid fears of a global trade war.

Last week, the US implemented harsh tariffs (import taxes) against Canada, Mexico and China – the US’ three largest trade partners. Canada and China retaliated with their own tariffs against the US, with Mexico promising to introduce its own reactionary measures.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump went further, instituting 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US, prompting retaliatory duties from the European Union on exported American goods.

Trump’s policies have some economists fearing a US recession this year.

Due to this country’s reliance on American tourists to fuel the economy and on American food and other imports, local experts have warned Bahamians to brace for slower economic growth and higher prices.

Trump has also frequently spoken about his desire for Canada to be annexed as the 51st US state and for Greenland to be sold to America.

In addition, he radically shifted the US’ position on the war in Ukraine. He has falsely blamed Ukraine for starting that war, even though Russia invaded that country in February 2022.