The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney yesterday said Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis should be “ashamed of himself” for ratifying former FNM Chairman Michael Pintard, suggesting that the Killarney MP has a warped sense of “transparency”.

However, Mr McCartney said Dr Minnis’ decision to ratify Mr Pintard “shouldn’t be a surprise” to those who have bought into Dr Minnis’ repeated calls for transparency in governance, pointing to Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells now being “all crease up” under Dr Minnis despite the latter doggedly insisting for Mr Wells’ resignation because of his controversial signing of a $650m letter of intent while a member of the governing party.

Mr Pintard, the FNM’s standard-bearer for Marco City in Grand Bahama, was one of six election candidates ratified by the FNM on Monday night. This came nearly a year after Mr Pintard had resigned from both of his posts as FNM chairman and senator almost a year ago for his involvement in reportedly uncovering an alleged murder plot, claimed to be connected to Lyford Cay billionaire Peter Nygard.

During a press conference yesterday at DNA headquarters, Mr McCartney chided Dr Minnis for opting to ratify Mr Pintard, suggesting that such a decision runs contradictory to Dr Minnis’ many calls for transparency from the governing PLP.

Another instance Mr McCartney said demonstrates his point, is Dr Minnis being allegedly involved in a conflict of interest because he benefitted financially from renting to the Public Hospitals Authority while a Cabinet minister under the previous Ingraham administration.

Dr Minnis’ company, Leechez Investments Ltd, was awarded a two-year contract with the PHA to lease its Stat Care building in 2005. The contract continued during Dr Minnis’ tenure as minister of health, and as of 2015 was still valid. Dr Minnis has said he disclosed the contract while in office and said he had directed the PHA to find another landlord. “This shouldn’t be a surprise regarding Dr Minnis you know, when he talks about transparency and the like,” Mr McCartney said of Mr Pintard’s ratification. “(Dr Minnis) couldn’t tell the difference between him and his company leasing from the government when he was a Cabinet minister.

“He was the minister of health, renting to his department. And he continues to rent that way. And he still doesn’t - I guess, understand - that you at least need to disclose it. He didn’t.”

But before this Michael Pintard thing, he had Renward Wells. The largest scandal, $650m, Renward Wells, that same MP for Bamboo Town. Renward Wells who Minnis put on the House of Assembly table and said he is calling for Renward Wells’ resignation, and he would not rest until he gets that man’s resignation, because Renward Wells had not told us about the circumstances surrounding the Letter of Intent (LOI).

“Couple months later, Renward Wells was all crease up under Dr Minnis, all crease up under him, and then Minnis turn around and said ‘you don’t need to know public about the LOI. I know and I’m satisfied.’ That’s the kind of leader you want?

“…He should be ashamed of himself.”

Mr McCartney also criticised Dr Minnis’ leadership abilities, charging that the FNM is no longer “a factor” in the country’s political landscape and is now a “scrap group,” echoing Agriculture Minister V Alfred Gray’s sentiments on Tuesday that Dr Minnis had “overseen the greatest destruction of a political party in the history of politics.”

However, Mr McCartney did not stop short of castigating the PLP, whom he said has “destroyed” The Bahamas.

“...I share the view that there’s no more FNM as it used to be. I think most FNMs would share the same view too. You go ask them. But Perry Christie has singlehandedly destroyed this country. The PLP has destroyed this country, and we’ve seen it from the economy, from the downgrades, crime, mismanagement, wastage, corruption, and the list goes on and on.”