The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia,net

THE Democratic National Alliance’s Southern Shores candidate, engineer Ethric Bowe, resigned from the party last week citing the ratification of talk show host Lincoln Bain in the Pinewood constituency as a “deal breaker” for his association with the group.

Mr Bowe, ratified by the DNA in November, said his contention with Mr Bain allegedly stemmed from a failed investment opportunity of which he claimed the two were a part in the past, calling Mr Bain’s character and actions at that time “unbecoming.”

In response to the claims, which were published on The Tribune’s website on Friday, Mr Bain said yesterday that he plans to pursue a defamation lawsuit against Mr Bowe. He insisted if the engineer had a viable case against him, he would have pursued legal action a long time ago.

Mr Bain slammed his former business associate as a troublemaker, contending that the allegations against him were meritless and done with the sole intent of misleading the public on the circumstances surrounding their “issue.”

Mr Bain, host of the 94.9 FM radio show “Real Talk Reloaded,” claimed Mr Bowe has always refused to pursue a legal resolution over the matter because he knows his claims are “baseless and selfishly motivated on all fronts.”

According to the talk show host, the issue between the two stems from the folding of their civic organisation, the ‘Justice League’ which stood in opposition to several operations within various communities throughout New Providence.

The group’s strongest action came during a 2010 land dispute in the Pinewood Gardens community, which saw challenge of the deed title to nearly 70 homes in the area by Arawak Homes.

Mr Bain, ratified by the DNA for Pinewood last Wednesday, said shortly after a push to aid in the protection of these homes by the ‘Justice League’, Mr Bowe for whatever reason got cold feet and withdrew his support for the action being taken.

“He made cases against me in a business we were both a part of,” Mr Bain claimed. “Those matters were looked into and put to rest by the relevant authorities. At that time, if he wasn’t satisfied, he could have taken it further but he didn’t.”

On Friday, Mr Bowe confirmed that he has submitted his letter of resignation to party officials.

He told The Tribune that he, along with several other persons allegedly lost out on a deal with Mr Bain in the past, and as a result, made it known that if Mr Bain was ratified by the Free National Movement or any political party, he and members of that group would show up and campaign against him.

“I cannot be on a platform with a person like that,” Mr Bowe said on Friday. “It is hard for me to be a DNA if he is a DNA candidate because I know what he represents and I cannot stand for it or with him.

“And it hurts me to say this because I was so excited about what the DNA was doing for this country. But this, it ruins all of that positive work because I know what this man stands for. He doesn’t represent the accounting, accountability and transparency model we need moving forward.”

Mr Bowe told The Tribune that he was unaware that the DNA was considering Mr Bain as a candidate before he was ratified last week.

He said he only became aware of the move during Wednesday night’s ceremony that saw Mr Bain officially ratified.

“When (Mr Bain) entered the bus I asked several party officers what was his reason for being there. No one could say, so I asked the chairman directly and he informed me of the party’s decision. I left shortly after.”

Mr Bowe alleged that Mr Bain had “betrayed our trust,” referring to himself and two others involved in the deal.

“My mother always told us when we were young; had the crows not been found, we would have all been safe and sound. That means you would never find me in bad company,” he added.

In response to those claims, Mr Bain on Sunday said: “Any right thinking person could see, if Mr Bowe had an issue he should have taken it to the courts. Instead, he has opted to do something he is very known for doing, running off in the press when he doesn’t get his way.

“These kinds of actions are Ethric Bowe’s track record. He has a history of making a stink in situations where he can’t get his way. I will be suing (Mr Bowe) because of his comments.

“I am shocked that this has reached this point. This could have been resolved to a point of his liking years ago, but he wants to go this route,” Mr Bain said.

“But I cannot let Ethric stop what we are trying to do in Pinewood. I cannot focus on Mr Bowe, I have to remain focused on the relief we need in Pinewood. The people of Pinewood have tried the PLP and the FNM, still no resolution. Now, with the help of my community, Pinewood is looking to represent itself. I am from there. I know what it is like to struggle there, to walk through floodwaters; we need to correct all of this. Now we are working towards that and we cannot let anyone deviate that plan.”

In a statement released by the DNA on Friday, the party said it had accepted Mr Bowe’s resignation, stating that he had “regrettably made the decision not to run in the upcoming general election for personal reasons.”

The party noted that as a candidate, and a nationalist, Mr Bowe had proven himself an asset to the organisation.

The statement read: “He has made invaluable contributions to the party and our plans for the Bahamian people. His input and insights have been a tremendous resource to the DNA and have been greatly appreciated.”

Mr Bain was ratified by the DNA months after the Free National Movement overlooked him for the Pinewood nomination.