The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE Coalition of Independents (COI) secured a seat in the House of Assembly for the first time yesterday, gaining mainstream representation after Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis resigned from the Free National Movement (FNM) and joined the party.

The defection is a breakthrough for the marginal COI, a group that has styled itself as an uncompromising alternative to the country’s two main parties but has drawn criticism for promoting views some see as xenophobic and far-right. Until now, none of its candidates had come close to winning a seat — or even securing enough votes to reclaim their election deposit.

The COI, led by Lincoln Bain, made its electoral debut in 2021, contesting 32 seats and securing more than six percent of the national vote. 

In the 2023 West Grand Bahama and Bimini by-election, Mr Bain placed third with 307 votes — just over eight percent — again falling below the required threshold to retain his deposit.

Mr Lewis had flirted with the party before. In June 2023, he raised eyebrows within the FNM when he stood alongside Mr Bain during a COI protest calling for the resignation of Immigration Minister Keith Bell. At the time, senior FNM figures privately criticised his appearance at the event, given the party’s efforts to distance itself from the COI’s inflammatory style. 

Mr Lewis, however, dismissed concerns and said: “It’s not about colours. It is about The Bahamas.” He added: “What I heard my brother say this morning was not a xenophobic speech. It was a speech of empowerment for The Bahamas.”

COI leader Lincoln Bain yesterday described Mr Lewis’ formal defection as “history being made,” praising the former minister for “starting the revolution that this country needs”. 

He noted the party now holds a seat on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), describing this as a major step in their push for government accountability. 

He warned FNM leader Michael Pintard against removing Mr Lewis from the PAC, claiming that doing so would “show his hand” and reveal a desire to keep secrets from the public.

“He is now one of the leadership of the COI,” Mr Bain said, referring to Mr Lewis’ status as the party’s sole MP and therefore its parliamentary caucus leader. He said Mr Lewis would now have access to the COI’s “wide network of persons in every government ministry”.

The COI has built a following among Bahamians frustrated with the political establishment, but its rise has been fuelled by controversy. 

The party’s hardline stance on immigration, combined with Mr Bain’s confrontational tactics, has drawn widespread criticism. 

In 2022, he filmed himself firing gunshots into the air on Crown land while warning alleged squatters to leave, prompting a police investigation and the seizure of his weapon.

Human rights advocates criticised him in 2023 following a viral video in which he ambushed a Haitian woman at a residence on Paradise Island, accusing her of squatting. Local advocacy group Human Rights Bahamas condemned the incident as “dehumanising,” saying he was stoking fear and resentment for political gain. Activist Louby Georges called his actions “nothing less than xenophobia”, while then Immigration Minister Keith Bell dismissed his broader claims of a shanty town on Paradise Island as “rubbish,” noting the individuals involved were born in The Bahamas and had applied for status.

He has also faced legal trouble. In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that he had breached a trust agreement involving $40,000 and ordered him to repay $64,000. His appeal was dismissed in 2022, although a 90-day prison sentence linked to non-payment was overturned.

Despite these controversies, the COI continues to position itself as a voice for the disenfranchised. When asked if more political figures would follow Mr Lewis, Mr Bain said: “Yes, we are talking to other members of parliament, and we want Michael Pintard to when he sits in the House today, to look to his left and look to his right and wonder who’s next.”

Defections and party-switching have long shaped Bahamian politics, with MPs from both major parties breaking ranks over ideological rifts, leadership disputes, or personal ambition. Branville McCartney left the FNM in 2011 to form the Democratic National Alliance. Andre Rollins and Renward Wells both defected from the PLP to the FNM during the last Christie administration, while Greg Moss formed his own party after resigning from the PLP.

Under the Minnis administration, a wave of resignations included Vaughn Miller, who joined the PLP; Reece Chipman, who served the rest of his term as an independent; and Halson Moultrie, who resigned while serving as House Speaker. Frederick McAlpine, though never formally resigning, became one of the FNM’s most vocal internal critics and was ultimately denied renomination.