The Tribune

By Diane Phillips

OCTOBER 7 will mark two years since the final edition of The Punch was published. The building where jaw-dropping stories that had the power to change the course of local history were created appears empty. There is little talk now, as there was in the beginning, of trying to revive the tabloid that Bahamians loved or hated but read with equal voraciousness for the often-scathing, if uncomfortable truths or accusations that came within a millisecond of libel against the rich and mighty. There were those who looked around for another Ivan Johnson, the fearless publisher who became a bi-weekly stalking watchdog for a nation, but even a group could not muster up the doggedness with which Ivan Johnson approached Page 1 or the appetite for scandal and truth that seeded his editorial.

And in that time since the power of The Punch faded into a rear-view memory, another phenomenon occurred.

A prime minister has enjoyed the greatest popularity of any prime minister in Bahamian history since the early days of the late Sir Lynden Pindling or the honeymoon days of Hubert Ingraham three decades ago. A recent poll showed his approval rating was north of 60 percent. Two years in, that is good stuff for any leader in a climate where the temperature of politics is taken on a daily basis.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has earned his popularity.

I say this without partisanship. He is likeable, accessible, a fellow Bahamian who’d be just as much at home in Old Fort Bay as Fowler Street off East Street South. If he is in the mix, you know you are in for a good time and down to earth conversation.

He is a man with a heady title yet no airs and there is a lot to be said for that quality.

He is also a man without The Punch there to look over his shoulder, scrutinize his speeches vs. actions, test his resolve, his patience and potentially interrupt the popularity he and much of the country seem to be enjoying. Ivan Johnson’s untimely death less than three weeks after the election would have been very much in the favour of whatever government came to power.

So the question is – Does the absence of the tabloid that probed where others feared to tread mean that the PM and his administration are getting a bit more of a free ride because there is no knockout PUNCH?

Not necessarily, but it is an interesting possibility. Here’s what I think the late publisher would have done with regard to the PM’s stance on being strongarmed in financial services. He’d have said, “About dammed time somebody stood up to the EU or the OECD or whatever alphabet soup group thinks they can boss small economies like The Bahamas around.”

Ivan Johnson, whom I only ever met once in person, might have found fault with something the Davis administration has done, or certain antics that have taken place around it, but he would have given the PM full marks for his words at the United Nations in 2022 and again this week.

Last year, the prime minister of one little island nation with a population smaller than that of the city of Fort Lauderdale called the world out on how the Davids get treated by the Goliaths in a world with unfair rules when it comes to financial services.

How dare you, the rich developed nations of the world, especially those in the EU, he said in far more eloquent terms, continue to threaten us, blacklist us, torment us to make us abide by rules which do not seem to apply to you?

No doubt the PM was responding to the then-recent move by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) dumping The Bahamas back on its blacklist.

“Why is it that European states that operate frameworks akin to that of high-risk or blacklisted countries are not even eligible for inclusion on these lists?” he asked in a room where every word is recorded and no word should be uttered by accident.

“Why are all countries targeted - all of them - small and vulnerable and former colonies of European states? We find it astounding that the $2-3 trillion estimated to be laundered each year through the developed countries are never flagged as causes for concern.

“And yet my country, which is widely recognized as one of the best-regulated countries in the world and other countries like The Bahamas are singled out for such reputational attacks? The evidence is mounting that the considerations behind these decisions have less to do with compliance and more to do with darker issues of pre-judged, discriminatory perceptions. Black-governed countries also matter.”

During that address, the PM touched on a number of hot button topics – solar energy, guns, embargo on trade with Cuba, even a suggestion that the wealthy financial institutions forgive debt incurred during the COVID lockdown – but what he will be remembered for on that September day at the United Nations Assembly will be the courage he exhibited as he stared down the large European economies and pointed his finger at their hypocrisy.

Maybe he should have provided examples of Bahamian obedience to foreign dictates that cause stumbling blocks for Bahamians trying to do legitimate business, obstacles that make us feel like we are jumping through hoops laced with barbed wire simply to show that The Bahamas is trying to sniff out any attempt at money laundering or terrorist money transfers.

From due diligence on potential investors that reaches into the deepest pockets of their past to obstacles to opening a simple bank account, from what it takes to get a business license to the onerous responsibilities of reporting for foreign exchange control, The Bahamas financial regulatory process is a bear.

The PM could have asked if it is easier for a stranger to open a bank account with $100,000 in London or a well-established Bahamian to open a new account with $100 in Nassau? Who’s fooling who?

Ivan, you can continue to rest in peace for the moment. The PM who would like to ditch his nickname is actually living up to it. This is not a deep dive into partisan politics, as I said. I rarely touch the subject. Other people are far better analysts or pundits than I, but when it comes to David and Goliath and David is carrying the sword of “gotcha” on this one, I gotta go with him winning the battle, even if he did get a bit of a free ride with no Punch looking nipping at his heels.

PICTURE: Pig in a pineapple field – literally.

This photo captured the moment a pig calmly strolled, or waddled, across the lush grounds of Pineapple Fields, the iconic resort that draws locals and foreigners to Governors Harbour, Eleuthera.

Of course, it was a hot September afternoon when the pig decided to approach the pool before being persuaded by a member of the gardening staff to find another place to cool off, like the sea and beach across the street.