The Tribune

PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday called on the Free National Movement (FNM) to publicly distance itself from recent public commentary from former Senator Michael Pintard, charging that the “disgraced” former chairman is intent on “wrecking” Dr Hubert Minnis.

He was referring to a statement by Mr Pintard earlier this week, in which the former party chairman said, “democratic and civil liberties are at stake” under the current administration.

“It now appears that Michael Pintard is intent on wrecking Dr Hubert Minnis and by extension the Free National Movement,” Mr Roberts said.

“Today I call on the Free National Movement to publicly separate itself and declare as uniquely unworthy and misleading, the public commentary attributed to Michael Pintard, the disgraced former FNM national chairman and senator, who rather than sit small after the colossal damage his conduct has visited upon our beloved country and his own party, now seeks to take to the airwaves and print presses to spew his ‘Save the Bays’ well-funded, anti-Bahamas and Bahamian propaganda.

“The entity affected negatively by Pintard’s persistence is the FNM and by extension its leader Dr Hubert Minnis. Pintard is subtly suggesting in his commentary on social media that he did nothing wrong as he builds his case to suggest that Dr Minnis and the FNM were complicit in throwing him under the bus in accepting his resignations from the two powerful posts he once held,” Mr Roberts said.

Mr Pintard had accused the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) of launching a “vicious and dishonest campaign” to make him and the FNM the centre of a recent court filing by Save The Bays (STB) against Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard.

According to a March 9 affidavit filed by a US investigator on behalf of STB, it is alleged that Mr Nygard hired two criminals to harass and intimidate those who opposed further development at his Lyford Cay property. It is also alleged that he orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot.

In the affidavit, Mr Pintard is named as being the one who uncovered the alleged plot. It has since been revealed that he met with “gang members” Livingston “Toggie” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma, the two criminals, several times last year about this issue.

He resigned last month over the controversy, after some people questioned why he did not go to police with this information.

However, Mr Pintard has maintained that his resignation was not an admission of wrongdoing.

“My resignation was and is about ensuring that I reduce any such distraction,” Mr Pintard said this week.

“Furthermore, it was and is about making sure the public knows that I did not do anything wrong in my professional or political capacity.

“Thousands of Bahamians are seeing through the PLP’s smear and deflection campaign and are imploring the FNM to stay on message about its vision for the Bahamian people and its careful critique of the abysmal performance of the PLP led government.

“While what I’m about to say may be too complex for Mr Roberts to understand I will still share so that someone may explain it to him. I did nothing to be disgraced. Your party and its operatives have unsuccessfully sought to malign, disparage and savage my reputation and at the same time sought to intimidate me and anyone who dare stand up against or even criticise the PLP or friends of the PLP.

“The real disgrace here is the PLP’s refusal to remove the clear impression that the government (led by them) has been bought and that its agenda has been hijacked by big money.

“There is a scary pattern of behaviour being displayed by the governing party,” Mr Pintard added. “Openly and in clandestine ways it seeks to criminalise, bully and defame those that criticise them. Ask the vendors on Paradise Island, former FNM chairman (Darron) Cash, prominent pastors, noted investors, journalists and now it’s my turn. The sad irony is that Mr Roberts and some members of his team should be the last crew asserting wrongdoings by others given the multitude of questionable actions they have engaged in for years.”