Letter writer confirms FNM has lost its moral compass and has no authority to dictate standards on the PLP
Dear Bahamas Press,
To pretend that the FNM operates on some higher moral plane of “standards and accountability” requires a level of political amnesia that borders on delusional.
Krysti Campbell wants the Bahamian people to believe that the FNM is held to a higher standard because of its pristine morals, completely ignoring that the resignations under the Minnis administration were not acts of voluntary honor.
They were forced exits when the individuals were thoroughly trapped by public pressure and massive scandal. To be blunt: resignation was just the gentlest way to let Peter Turnquest, Michael Pintard, and Duane Sands off the hook for the controversies they became ensnared in. They certainly didn’t do it of their own volition.
If the FNM is the gatekeeper of integrity, let’s examine their track record. Where was that standard when:
• Exhibit A- The Forced Exits: K. Peter Turnquest didn’t step down out of a sudden wave of moral clarity; he resigned because a multimillion-dollar fraud allegation made his position completely untenable.
Duane Sands didn’t walk away because of a deep respect for the rules; he was forced to resign after a glaring breach of border protocol during a strict pandemic lockdown that left ordinary Bahamians stranded abroad. Yet he allowed the dead dog of a rich friend to be flown in. People also should not forget the huge contract he awarded to a lady friend without cabinet approval.
• Exhibit B- The “Toggie and Bobo” Legacy: The Leader of the Opposition himself Michael Pintard’s entire political history is deeply entangled in the infamous, caught-on-tape murder-for-hire plot involving self-described gang members Toggie and Bobo.
He had to resign his Senate seat and chairmanship back then amid audio recordings of him negotiating affidavits and discussing massive payments. To carry that kind of unresolved baggage while pointing fingers at someone else’s house takes a remarkable amount of political audacity. You simply cannot call someone’s house dirty when you haven’t cleaned your own doorstep.
• Exhibit C- The Former Minister’s Blindspot: Krysti wants to talk about integrity, but remains dead silent on the fact that former Minister of National Security, Marvin Dames, was allowed to run for office in the recent general election comfortably feigning ignorance while his business partner was caught with 200 kilos of illicit drugs on a boat they co-owned. Enough drugs to cause the death of thousands of Americans.
As a former senior police officer and the owner of a security company, we are expected to believe he had absolutely no idea what his own business partner was up to? Where was the rush to preserve the “country’s reputation” then?
The truth is that the FNM party itself cannot take a single shred of credit for the resignations under the Minnis administration. Why? Because the internal accountability the FNM boasts about didn’t come from the party’s DNA. The credit goes entirely to a leader who actually stood for morals, ethics, principle, and doing the right thing. The standards, accountability, and integrity came strictly from Dr. Hubert Minnis at the top.
And how did the party reward that integrity? Those very same persons, the ones who couldn’t stay out of controversy, became the loudest voices calling for Dr. Minnis’ removal, backstabbing, cannibalizing and eventually kicking him out of the party. That is the true level of integrity under Michael Pintard—a leader who has now led the FNM into three consecutive election losses. He has none, and the party has none.
So please don’t act like honesty, accountability, and integrity are what you actually expect the FNM to do. Honesty and integrity are the exact reasons Dr. Minnis is no longer the leader of your party.
Why on earth would Prime Minister Brave Davis want to suffer the same fate as Dr. Minnis by holding his people accountable, when the FNM has made it crystal clear that when politicians say they want integrity, they actually destroy the person who tries to give it to them? You see “Rules are for thee but not for me.”
To be completely honest: The Bahamas is clearly not ready for actual moral standards, because the moment a leader tries to enforce them, their own party throws them out.
The FNM cannot weaponize a standard they systematically destroyed within their own ranks. So, again, Krysti and other party sycophants, your own front doorstep is piled high with unresolved scandals, election failures, and blatant hypocrisy. If you want to talk about morals, try practicing them internally first.
Signed,
A Strong FNM
