We have often heard it said, and have said it many times in this space, that where one stands on an issue often depends on where one sits.

Nowhere does that play out more clearly than in the political realm.

We thought of this recently as we watched the formation of the new government of The Bahamas with the prime minister appointing 22 ministers, including himself, then stacking the executive further with seven parliamentary secretaries, providing jobs for nearly every Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) member-elect.

That brings to 29 the size of the executive with two ministers appointed to the Senate: Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Ryan Pinder and Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis.

That means that 27 of the 32 PLP MPs will be a part of the executive, and one will be speaker (Patricia Deveaux, the Bamboo Town MP, who made the revelation on social media last week).

That leaves just four PLP members on the backbench, including the deputy speaker.

In our research, we have not seen a previous administration with such a large executive, and question why the prime minister believes it is necessary to have an executive of this size, notwithstanding the many significant challenges the country faces.

His explanation that he needs to provide jobs for all these MPs because he wants “all hands on deck” will not align with the tone he will certainly seek to set as minister of finance when the new Parliament convenes and he begins to update the country on the dire state of public finances, and the need to be cautious in how every dime is spent.

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