FNM IS HEARTLESS.  RAISED COOKING GAS FROM $75 TO $100

The Free National Movement exemplifies selective amnesia, denouncing policies they themselves created. Their latest outrage over PLP actions ignores their own legacy of hardship, especially for Bahamians from “over the hill,” who endured the consequences of FNM rule.

Let us be clear: the FNM is not suffering from confusion. They are suffering from desperation. They now loudly complain about economic strain, conveniently forgetting that it was their own policies that put the country under severe duress. Chief among these was the heartless increase of VAT to 12 percent, a decision that struck directly at working families, small businesses, and those already living on the edge. That increase was not an accident or a necessity forced upon them—it was a choice. A choice that revealed exactly where their sympathies lie.

What truly infuriates the FNM is not economic hardship, but the public proof that the PLP’s reversal worked. The reduction of VAT to 5 percent and the introduction of VAT-free groceries directly relieved pressure on everyday Bahamians, undercutting the FNM’s narrative. Their anger is rooted less in concern for the people than in the humiliation of seeing that effective governance doesn’t require cruelty.

History provides an even clearer picture of the FNM’s cold indifference. One cannot forget the decision by Hubert Ingraham to raise the tax on cooking gas from $75 to $100—an essential commodity used daily by poor and working-class households. This was not a luxury tax. This was a tax on survival. And to add insult to injury, the move directly benefited his then-associate Alphonso Elliott. The optics were terrible, but the reality was worse: struggling Bahamians were forced to pay more so the well-connected could profit.

Ingraham, with an almost unbelievable straight face, attempted to justify this burden as necessary. Necessary for whom? Certainly not the single mother trying to stretch a paycheck. Certainly not the elderly pensioner choosing between groceries and utilities. This brand of governance—detached, elitist, and unapologetically cruel—is not an anomaly within the FNM. It is the pattern.

The FNM’s actions reveal their priorities: preserve privilege for the few while neglecting the many. Michael Pintard’s remark that he would be personally unaffected by election outcomes confirms that for the FNM, leadership protects insiders rather than serving the people.

Such remarks confirm what Bahamians already know: for the FNM, politics is about maintaining privilege. If you are unaffected by outcomes, you have little stake in the suffering of others.

What makes the situation even more disingenuous is the FNM’s sudden attempt to cosplay as champions of ordinary Bahamians. They want to be seen as defenders of the poor, while their record tells a very different story. The people remember. Over-the-hill communities remember. They remember who increased taxes, who ignored their cries, and who governed with indifference while preaching austerity.

No new rhetoric can erase the FNM’s history. Their issue is not messaging, but credibility. At every crucial moment, they have chosen the interests of the wealthy over the needs of ordinary Bahamians.