NASSAU| Prime Minister Philip Davis moved beyond policy debate to launch a surgical strike on the character and independence of FNM Leader Michael Pintard. Framing the May 12th election as a choice between a “tested” leader and a “controlled” one, Davis sought to paint a picture of an opposition party in the midst of an internal identity crisis.
Davis did not just question Pintard’s policies, he questioned his power. He described the Leader of the Opposition as a figurehead who lacks the authority to command his own party, suggesting that a Pintard victory would actually mean a win for the corporate interests.
“POOR TEAM. POOR PINTARD,” DAVIS SAID WITH A TONE OF PITY. “HE DOES NOT LEAD HIS PARTY, HIS PARTY LEADS HIM. HE TAKES INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PEOPLE WHO PUT HIM THERE AND KEEP HIM THERE. HE IS NOT HIS OWN MAN.”
“Whose Side Are You On?”
The Prime Minister specifically targeted Pintard’s relationship with the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), particularly following recent arbitration disputes over the $357 million claimed by the government for administrative costs. Davis accused Pintard of siding with the Port Authority over the Bahamian people.
“WHEN THE GBPA TELLS THE NATION IT WON, AND THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION ECHOES THE PORT… THE BAHAMIAN PEOPLE ARE ENTITLED TO ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION: WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?”
Chaos in the Ranks
To underscore his point about Pintard’s lack of control, Davis pointed to the highly publicized infighting within the FNM, citing the “skullduggery” mentioned by former leaders and the public legal battles between party members.
“THEY FIGHT EACH OTHER IN PARKING LOTS, SUE EACH OTHER IN THE COURTS,” DAVIS REMARKED, CONTRASTING THE FNM’S INTERNAL TURMOIL WITH THE “PROVEN TEAMWORK” OF THE PLP. “YOU MIGHT VOTE FOR PINTARD AND INSTEAD END UP BRINGING BACK THAT OLD GUARD.”
With only 30 days left until the polls open, Davis’s message to the undecided voter is simple: Why risk the country’s future on a leader who doesn’t even have control over his own party’s present?
