The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE 

and EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff

AFTER Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis challenged Michael Pintard to confirm or deny whether he received financial contributions from the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Mr Pintard said both major political parties have received donations from the authority for decades.

“From the days of Pindling, both organisations have received primarily in election periods, contributions from the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and principally the Progressive Liberal Party,” he said. “Ingraham himself said over and over in Parliament, none of that impacts him in any way in terms of what his opinion is relative to a matter of principle concerning governance.”

Mr Pintard’s comment came after Mr Davis accused him of being “the waterboy for the Grand Bahama Port Authority”.

When a ZNS reporter asked Mr Davis in Grand Bahama yesterday about unsubstantiated claims that Mr Pintard received up to $5m from the authority to support his campaign, Mr Davis said: “If they gave it to him, they gave it him, but what was very curious to me is that once it came out, whether he would deny it or confirm it.

“It would be good to know whether he did or not.”

“We don’t have any campaign financing rules in The Bahamas. People could give their contribution to whichever party they wish. That’s their free will, but if it comes to the light and the Bahamian people like to know, I think it’s only right for them to deny or confirm whether they have it.”

Office of the Prime Minister director of communications Latrae Rahming said yesterday that Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has not personally received financial contributions from the Port Authority.

Mr Pintard said the claim that he received $5m from the Port Authority is “nonsense”.

He said: “We don’t want get into no figures, but $5m? Nonsense. $4m? Nonsense. Three, two, one, half a million? Nonsense. It’s fictitious.”

He also criticised ZNS’ question to Mr Davis and accused the network of basing the allegation on a meme.

“ZNS elevated a meme to an allegation,” he said. “My question is, how do you then not ask the prime minister about some of the heinous allegations, including some damning, dark stuff about violence against people, that has been floating around in reference to the prime minister directly? Relative to several ministers? If journalists now have the latitude to ask questions about something from social media, help me understand how you come to ask me about some fictitious number that we know nothing about when you have not bothered to ask questions about all these scurrilous, damning life and death memes about the prime minister and ministers?”

Mr Pintard said political contributions to him would not affect his positions and decisions.

“If you want to contribute to Marco City efforts or to the party’s efforts, feel free but that’s not going to alter what our opinion is on a particular subject,” he said.

He said his party believes the owners of the Port Authority should divest themselves of their interest in the institution either wholly or in part.

Dr Duane Sands, chairman of the FNM, said yesterday: “At a time when Grand Bahamians are looking for real solutions, for the prime minister to go to Grand Bahama and seek political gamesmanship is nothing short of an insult. This is the party of quid-pro-quo. This is the party of Sam Bankman-Fried and Peter Nygard, and so while they may be into transactional politics, we certainly are not.”

Both major political parties have promised to enact campaign finance rules but have repeatedly failed. In its Blueprint for Change, the PLP’s pre-election manifesto, the party promised campaign finance reform. However, in August 2022, Mr Davis said campaign finance reform was not a priority, and officials have given no indication since then that the matter will be addressed.

Mr Pintard said his party would introduce campaign finance rules. His predecessor, Dr Hubert Minnis, made the same promise but did not deliver.