Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Michael Pintard said on Saturday the country needs to hit the “reset button” in the upcoming general election and vote the Davis administration out of office.
Pintard told supporters at a rally in Grand Bahama that the FNM is the “right party” with the “right team” to give better results for Bahamians.
“The government continues to spin the story that they would be better for Grand Bahama,” he said at the party’s headquarters on West Atlantic Drive in Freeport, Grand Bahama, to a crowd of supporters.
“We have a history to refer them to: the $21 million allocated for the phased redevelopment of the Rand Memorial Hospital under the FNM.
“In fact, since they have been in for the last four and a half years, they can’t even complete the morgue [or] the Carnival port agreement for East Grand Bahama that both administrations have worked on.
“We have demonstrated that we are closers. The small business support has never been as large as it is under the Free National Movement — at least $50 million over the last term and we intend to double it to make sure that micro, small and medium-sized businesses have a lifeline of cash in order to start or to expand.”
When Bahamians needed leadership at different times in the country’s history, they turned to the FNM, Pintard said.
“When this island needed investment, we worked with all stakeholders to ensure that we created a climate where persons can have confidence that they can invest in The Bahamas without someone coming to ask for 10 percent.
“We are different than that other group,” he said.
“So here we are tonight, in the midst of another historic moment where we need to hit the reset button in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I submit to you tonight that we are the right party with the right team, with the right heart in order to deliver better for the Bahamian people.”
With the general election set for May 12, both major parties have been active on the campaign trail in last ditch attempts to woo voters.
At Saturday’s event, Pintard criticized some of the Davis administration’s pre-election promises such as plans outlined by Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe that another PLP administration would strengthen the protection of the country’s borders with clearer rules, digital enforcement, and real consequences.
Pintard said the government could have passed laws to effect these changes in its current term instead of proroguing Parliament and calling an election five months early.
“I find it interesting that here is a government given a five-year contract [that] decides to walk off the job with five months left on the contract and then comes and tells you that all of these wonderful things that we are promising you yet again, you can trust us to deliver,” Pintard said.
“So if you were serious about stiffer penalties for violators of our laws and those who can compromise our sovereignty, you just need one more parliamentary session to pass those laws. You have five months left on your contract, but instead of convening Parliament to deal with the things they continue to promise now, they stepped off the job just to ask you to renew a contract not yet expired. I wonder why.”
Pintard was a part of the Minnis administration which called a snap election in September 2021 even though an election was not required until early 2022. The Minnis administration was wiped out of office, with the FNM only winning seven seats in the last general election.
Pintard said the PLP has made many “promises” to Grand Bahama that have not materialized, citing long-awaited movement on the redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan resort, promises that a new international airport will be built and plans to upgrade infrastructure at Rand Memorial Hospital.
“There’s the hotel, a promise — has that materialized? An airport that’s been promised — has that materialized? $120 million in the bank — has that materialized? Did they finish the Rand? Have they completed the morgue?
“What about all those promises in West Grand Bahama, have they materialized?”
He also said the Davis administration has not done much during its term.
“According to their own calculations, less than 40 percent of what they have promised in 2021 have actually materialized,” Pintard said.
He said that warrants an F grade.
“I want to tell you what F is for — somebody [said] failure. Let me add something to that. F is for us to fire them,” he said, adding that the PLP has nothing much to show after four and a half years in office.
He said the FNM is different from the PLP, telling supporters the party he leads intends to follow through with the promises laid out in its manifesto.
“I promise you, I assure you, the FNM is different. We’ve been clear with the Bahamian people about who we are, what we stand for, and what we intend to do.
“With our manifesto you can hold us to what we have promised. We believe political parties should be competing on how to fulfill the National Development Plan, not just our narrow plans, but our National Development Plan, our vision for the next 20, 30, 40, years, and our manifesto lays out the case.”
Broken promises
He also attacked Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis and the PLP for what he termed as two major broken promises to Grand Bahama residents.
“One of those promises was that they were going to sell the Grand Lucayan,” he said.
“The second promise was that they would build you a world class airport. Four and a half years later, what is the reality?”
In 2025, the government announced the sale of the Grand Lucayan to US-based developer Concord Wilshire. However since that announcement, there has been no progress on the planned redevelopment of the property.
Earlier this month, Concord said it has entered into an agreement with CTL Marine, a subsidiary of MSC Cruises, to advance the project.
Pintard said the public expected more concrete details and quicker action on the project.
“They issued a press statement just recently —33 days before an election —they claim that they have a new partner,” he said.
“Now, one might think that finally, four and a half years in, they are announcing groundbreaking news that construction will start on such and such a day, like soon.
“That they would give us a timeline, since they’ve made us wait so long. . .They issued a statement saying this, ‘we welcome a new partnership announcement’. Let me say it again, they welcome the agreement which we haven’t seen.
“They didn’t announce that it’s been signed, sealed and delivered. They didn’t say that the money was in the bank. They said they welcome an agreement.
“You see, you can’t claim progress when you haven’t left the starting line.”
Turning to the issue of border security, Pintard said the FNM is not like those people on the “far right who believe that every problem in The Bahamas was created by immigrants.”
He also said the FNM is also not like the “far left” in government who believes “that every interaction with a migrant is about how they can benefit personally or politically”.
“We are a party that believes that we ought to have a country of laws. And those who have come legitimately, have waited for years, deserve to have the system work on their behalf, but those who evade the law. . .we must demonstrate to them that we are committed without malice in protecting the law.”
In March, Pintard claimed in Parliament that the names of eight people found with fraudulent Bahamian identification documents were also on the voter register. Pintard produced a list of 74 people he claimed were being investigated for possessing fraudulent passports.
Responding later in the House of Assembly, Davis said he was “seeing issues too,” but added there are guardrails in law to address any such concerns. He urged Pintard to forward any evidence and reports to the parliamentary commissioner, as he, Davis, has done.
On Saturday, Pintard accused Davis of being more upset with him and others who have raised the alarm on this fraud than the actual incidents of fraud.
He said new revelations about alleged fraud are coming out each week.
Making a new allegation, he asked the government to verify claims that someone showed up to the National Insurance Board “in the last 48 hours” with a fraudulent voter’s card attempting to get an NIB card.
“We are waiting to hear about the person that showed up at NIB in the last 48 hours, presented a fraudulent voter’s card to get an NIB card and then name the individual who works in an interesting location who then presented himself, and I’m advised his car was searched, envelope found and multiple, multiple voter’s cards in it.
“We’d like for the government to explain whether or not this matter existed and we believe we know the person who made the phone call to make inquiries.”
He said if elected, the FNM will roll out Operation Shield in an effort to boost border security.
This plan will involve ending “illegal occupation” on both public as well as private land; bolstering maritime operations; expanding coastal monitoring and putting in place trained officers and reservists on every island.
It will also include the roll out of a biometric system and investigations of political abuse in the immigration system, Pintard said.
