Prime Minister Perry Christie should note with interest that Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis is refusing to state publicly whether he intends to challenge him.

In June, Davis said he would not challenge Christie if the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader decides to stay on. He said he was “ready for the job”. Interestingly, on September 16, when reporters asked Davis again whether he intends to run for leader at the party’s convention in November, Davis refused to say either way.

People close to the deputy prime minister say he is weighing his options, hence his silence. But that silence speaks volumes. It says to Christie that his deputy prime minister might not be so loyal to him.

In the face of rampant rumors, Davis has remained silent. That silence has alienated him from Christie supporters who are re-energizing their fighting machine to respond to any attack against the leader. On September 20, Christie told reporters that his relationship with his deputy was not strained.

Asked whether he expects Davis to challenge him, Christie, “He is a long, long personal friend and a person who has given me unstinting support.” He added, “Rumors would cause relationships to be subjected to a lot of questioning.”

No doubt, Christie is concerned about Davis’ refusal to pledge his loyalty to the leader as other ministers did publicly last week.

Both Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson and Labour Minister Shane Gibson declared Christie is the best leader for our times. Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe, who no doubt expects Christie’s anointing whenever the king gives up his throne, has repeated that he will not challenge Christie. Wilchcombe’s apparent thinking on the leadership matter and Davis’ apparent thinking is emblematic of the kind of politics we play in The Bahamas. But the politics of “who’s next” does not necessarily get us the best leaders.

Despite Christie shamelessly discouraging any challenge to his leadership, Davis, of course, has every right to run for leader.

As former PLP MP Philip Galanis noted recently, it is important that the leadership is tested. The PLP has not had a convention in six years. As Christie noted last week, if Davis intends to run against him, the necessary course of action would be for him to resign from the Cabinet. Surely, it cannot be comfortable for Christie or for Davis when they sit around the Cabinet table for the deputy to keep his lips zipped on the matter of leadership.

Christie would probably find it increasingly difficult to trust Davis, who served as acting prime minister last week when the prime minister was out of town. Davis’ silence also gives weight to reports of a growing division within the party. While Christie’s support base is no doubt strong and he remains a formidable leader, many PLPs believe the party will need new leadership in 2017.

Christie has lost credibility. People are tired of hearing him talk. On the other hand, it is difficult to convey Davis’ leadership qualities. While many are tired of hearing Christie talk, they squirm when the DPM communicates. He is intelligent, but he is not a skillful communicator. This was demonstrated last week when he fielded questions from Abaco business people during the Abaco Business Outlook.

Davis appeared unprepared for the questions and had difficulties communicating his responses authoritatively. People who have been around the prime minister in recent days tell us he has openly expressed his unease over Davis’ silence on the leadership question. It will be interesting to see how the prime minister responds to that silence.

Davis might make us wait until the convention to know what his plans are.

A month is a long time to sit around the Cabinet table without providing the prime minister any assurances of his support of Christie’s leadership.

We understand that the deputy prime minister is canvassing other Cabinet ministers for their support. But his colleagues should ask themselves whether Davis has the strength to take the party national if he becomes leader.

Davis won his Cat Island seat by just 85 votes in the 2012 general election. One thousand, four hundred and eighty people voted. This compares to Christie winning Centreville by 1,349 votes. Four thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three people voted.

Davis has many options to weigh. He knows he is a valuable asset for the PLP. He knows he is loved by many PLPs, but will it be enough to get him elected? He knows that behind the scenes, he has been at the heart of the party, keeping its wheels moving. He knows he can raise money and he knows he can run an effective campaign. But he must also know of the criticisms of him that are out there. He might even be pained that those criticisms are being raised again at this time.

He cannot run from his many gaffes, chief among them is misleading Parliament on the matter of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) dorm insurance earlier this year, and arrogantly failing to provide a full accounting of all BAMSI contracts. His lips were also sealed as controversy raged in his ministry last year over Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells’ signing of a letter of intent for a waste-to-energy project.

Davis knows Christie better than most. So he should also know that Christie is a skillful political animal who knows how to deliver a venomous strike.