Many in the financial and political spheres are mourning the death of Philip Galanis.
His career spanned over four decades, marked by his leadership as the former Managing Partner of Ernst & Young in Nassau and the founding of HLB Bahamas, an accounting firm.
Galanis’ death was confirmed by Prime Minister Philip Davis on Friday morning whom he described as a “progressive warrior and a nation builder” with “unshakable integrity.” Davis said, “He spoke his mind, always believing in the power of truth and the importance of standing up for what he felt was right for our country.”
Galanis was heralded for his candid views and his passion for public discourse.
His weekly column, Consider This, engaged readers on national issues and he had written a book, All Things Considered.
Galanis once served as President of The Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants and The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean. Beyond his professional achievements, Galanis was a respected former PLP parliamentarian, serving 15 years as a politician–both the House of Assembly and the Senate, once serving as MP for Englerston.
Galanis was a staunch supporter of a “Davis-Cooper” leadership team and had wished for Alfred Sears to be chairman.
When the Free National Movement won the election in 2017, the outspoken member of the PLP then suggested that Alfred Sears lead the party’s affairs in the Senate, or it would “lose out” on its “best chance to signal positive change.”
“The PLP must re-engineer itself. The party has to re-engineer, reconsider and then recast,” Galanis said. “The electorate wants to see a level of change within the Progressive Liberal Party. The electorate wants us to accept their voice and rule.”
When he no longer served as a parliamentarian, Galanis acted as a consultant to the PLP government for many years.
In 2012, when Loretta Butler-Turner accused him of being a coordinator of the ‘Vote Yes’ campaign–the gambling referendum, he responded:
“I am a free citizen and I have no responsibility, nor am I an officer in the PLP. So I am free to offer my consultancy services to whomever I please just as she (Butler-Turner) is free to bury whoever dies without reference to political affiliation. I am also extremely offended that it is suggested that I am trying to advance my own personal gain by doing this. Everything I do is for the betterment of the county. I do not think it looks bad. I have a view and I believe it is an activity that needs to be regulated and we need to tax persons that benefit from it.”
Galanis was Chairman of The Bahamas Trade Commission and was the nation’s Chief Negotiator during World Trade Organization accession talks.
On Tuesday, three days before he died, Galanis told Tribune Business that the Bahamas should consider opening new trade routes, considering Hurricane Milton and its anticipated storm damage in Florida. He added that he was already in talks with Brazil to directly transport goods and services to the Bahamas.
“It also accelerates the need for us to be able to offload goods in Grand Bahama as opposed to having them transit to North America and be trucked back down the east coast and shipped here. It’s the definition of insanity. We are increasing the cost as much as 20 percent by getting goods into the Bahamas via that route.
“We’ll make recommendations to the government. That is the role of the Trade Commission; to find ways and means of facilitating these kinds of arrangements…We really have to find alternative means of shipping and transportation to The Bahamas from the point of sale.”
Galanis died at his residence. He was 70.