The West Grand Bahama and Bimini by-election is over now and to the people of that constituency, they delivered the best candidate. Historically in The Bahamas, the win of a by-election belongs to the governing party, except in extreme cases.
The Progressive Liberal Party’s Kingsley Smith is now the Member of Parliament for the West Grand Bahama and Bimini constituency. And, regardless of all the excuses from his opponents as to why they didn’t win, he is the man who will step into the House of Assembly and take that seat.
Although the FNM’s candidate wasn’t a complete wipe out in the race, he still failed to win and ended up with lots of smoke attached to his campaign. As a matter of fact if I was his leader, when the smoke started to rise, I probably would have pulled him as a candidate, let the eight days of gossip ride through and then move on.
The campaign for West Grand Bahama and Bimini was quick and deadly. There were accusations of wife abuse, talks of conning people, questionable declarations, songs with embarrassing lyrics and arrests connected to ‘buying votes’. In other words, “the usual” mud-slinging associated with Bahamian elections.
On the night of the by-election, when it was clear that Smith had won, FNM leader, Hon. Michael Pintard, seemed a bit frustrated. I am not sure why he appeared to be this way, but it was evident. I waited for him to concede, but I can’t say that I heard that in his speech. Now I know him to be a lyricist of sorts, so I thought maybe his conceding was lost in there somewhere so I listened again. I can’t say I heard it. But that’s another topic completely.
Now that the dust is clear, there are many discussions taking place on whether or not this win for the PLP is a clear indication that the 2026 general elections is a shoo-in for that party. Hardchore PLPs that I have spoken to feel that their leader, Prime Minister, Hon. Philip “Brave” Davis will secure that win hands-down, breaking the curse of the “one-and-done” governance in this country.
On the other hand, some FNMs are optimistic that their party will stabilize in time to defeat the PLP at the polls making Pintard prime minister, rolling out the party’s Manifesto. They will need to do some very hard work to accomplish this.
The FNM as it stands, appears to be a struggling party. I think finances are not in place to carry out things that are essential to a win. No one wants to put their millions to an organization which seems to have been thrown into disarray that no matter what is done remains unresolved.
The struggle always seems to be real in the FNM when former Prime Minister, Hon Hubert Ingraham, has to make an appearance to convince the masses to vote FNM. He did it in 2017 and it worked, the FNM was not so lucky this time as the people of West Grand Bahama and Bimini didn’t buy it.
People who are closely acquainted with former PM Ingraham know that two things he hates are to lose and scandals. Please note that Ingraham was not in the cameraman’s shot when Pintard spoke to his party’s loss on the night of the by-election.
In other matters …. I have said it a million times and will continue to say it – the FNM’s main problem is the dissension caused by former Prime Minister, Hubert Minnis, and his minions who refuse to accept the fact that he is no longer prime minister, nor leader of that party. I think the people of this nation showed Hubert Minnis rank disdain in 2021 and have no intention of letting him govern them again, ever. He needs to accept this. His name is not pleasant on the political palate.
It tickles me pink (maybe brown) when a reporter’s mic is put in the front of Minnis and he is asked the question of whether or not he wants to be leader of the FNM again. In response, he dredges up the little specks of humility he has in him and responds, “Only God knows my future. Only He knows what plans He has for me.” LOLOL.
Pintard supporters feel that the Minnis faction is so small in the FNM that Minnis becoming leader again is far-fetched. Other FNMs feel that Minnis is gaining momentum. I feel Minnis and his minions are a menace to the FNM and that Pintard and his chairman Dr. Duane Sands should deal severely with them; clean house and move on with the party’s business to become a deadly contender in the 2026 general elections.
It behooves me why FNM leadership choose to “pitter patter” around this issue, when the minions are showing such serious disrespect for them. Radical moves are needed here. Stop these people from disrupting the business of the party, even if you have to select another candidate for Killarney. Cut off the head of the snake and the body will die. I believe firmly in that.
If I was FNM leadership, I would call a convention and shut down Minnis and his minions once and for all.
As the FNMs struggle to stave off the antics of these minions, the PLP is gaining ground. No one likes confusion and disharmony so they will look to the other side. Now I am sure the PLP has its internal issues, but those issues do not end up on social media or in court. FNMs started turning on each other when Minnis became a member of that party.
We talk about what is in store for 2026 – three years from now – but the question is will Prime Minister Davis wait out those three years or will he call an early election, catch the FNM sleeping or fighting off Minnis and win the thing? I’m hearing some things ….
Politics is serious business. If you’re in it, you have to continuously practice rendering deadly blows, but at the same time walking quietly. And, you have to be comfortable with sometimes making unpopular decisions.
If the FNM remains in the state it is in, the PLP will win the election in 2026 (or whenever it is going down). Well, that’s how I see it anyway.
“AS I SEE IT” DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions represented in this column, “As I See It” belong to the columnist and do not necessarily represent those of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. The views and opinions expressed in the column are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. This column is for informational purposes only.
