With only weeks to go before the Golden Isles by-election, it’s becoming painfully clear that the Free National Movement (FNM) walked straight into a political ambush of its own making. What was sold as a show of strength has turned into a public unravelling — a display of confusion, weak leadership, and internal despair. The decision to contest a race they cannot win has left party insiders shaking their heads and loyal supporters wondering what exactly Michael Pintard was thinking.
What was supposed to be a proving ground has instead become a graveyard for the party’s credibility. The campaign in Golden Isles is lacklustre, directionless, and dogged by the same dysfunction that has plagued the FNM since its crushing defeat at the polls three years ago. It’s not just a bad campaign — it’s a reflection of a party that no longer knows who it is or what it stands for.
A Campaign Adrift
From the start, the FNM’s campaign in Golden Isles has stumbled from one blunder to the next. The strategy — if one can call it that — feels improvised, reactionary, and painfully out of touch with the mood of the electorate. The candidate, Brian Brown, has failed to connect with voters despite having four long years to build relationships and establish himself in the constituency. The cold truth is that if Brown couldn’t resonate with the people of Golden Isles after all that time, he never will.
And that’s not just the whisper on the ground — that’s the blunt assessment of honest FNM insiders who can no longer pretend that everything is fine. They see the writing on the wall: Brown’s goose is cooked. The campaign is running on fumes, and the enthusiasm gap between the FNM and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) could not be starker.
The PLP Juggernaut
Meanwhile, the PLP has rolled into Golden Isles like a well-oiled machine. The contrast could not be more glaring. Under the direction of seasoned political hands and backed by the momentum of national popularity, the PLP’s campaign has been aggressive, disciplined, and relentless. The PLP is not simply contesting — it is asserting dominance.
Their candidate, Darron Pickstock, has been warmly received. His energy, accessibility, and genuine connection to the community have made him a force to be reckoned with. In constituency after constituency, the PLP has proven that its ground game is unmatched — and Golden Isles is no exception. Pickstock’s reception is not merely good; it’s transformative. Residents speak of him as someone who listens, who understands, and who shows up. In a political environment where authenticity matters more than ever, the PLP found the right man for the moment.
The FNM, by contrast, looks weary and uninspired. There’s no spark, no unifying message, no sense of purpose. Just a party going through the motions — and it shows. Brown is now complaining that Pickstock is doing too much for the constituents. Wow!
Internal Turmoil and Leadership Anxiety
Behind the scenes, the FNM’s infighting has reached fever pitch. The campaign’s chaos is a mirror of the dysfunction roiling the party’s upper ranks. Michael Pintard, already under quiet scrutiny from within, now faces open dissent. Party veterans and younger hopefuls alike are asking the same uncomfortable question: after Golden Isles, can Pintard survive?
The consensus, whispered in private circles and murmured across constituency associations, is that he cannot. When Brown loses — and barring a political miracle, he will — Pintard’s credibility as leader will collapse. He will be blamed for leading the party into an unwinnable race, squandering scarce resources, and failing to inspire confidence. Pintard’s leadership will not die with a bang, but with a sigh of resignation — the sigh of a party that has lost faith in him.
Paranoia has already set in. Pintard is reportedly micromanaging every move, second-guessing trusted operatives, and lashing out at perceived disloyalty. That kind of insecurity is poison in politics. Instead of uniting the base, it’s alienating it. Instead of projecting strength, it’s exposing weakness. Internal squabbles and desperate finger-pointing have replaced the FNM’s once-proud tradition of bold, decisive leadership.
A Party at a Crossroads
The Golden Isles by-election was supposed to be an opportunity for renewal — a chance for the FNM to demonstrate that it had learned from defeat and was ready to rebuild. Instead, it has become a cautionary tale. The party’s message is muddled, its organization sloppy, and its spirit broken. The FNM appears to be a party more concerned with surviving the following headline than shaping the next generation.
If the FNM loses badly in Golden Isles — and all signs point to that outcome — it will not just be another seat lost. It will be a symbolic defeat, a public confirmation that the once-mighty opposition is adrift. The PLP will claim not just victory, but vindication — proof that the Bahamian people continue to trust their leadership and reject the disarray of the opposition.
The Reckoning Ahead
What comes after Golden Isles could determine the fate of the FNM for years to come. Pintard’s leadership will face open revolt. Ambitious figures waiting in the wings will smell blood. Constituency associations will grow restless, and donors will quietly withdraw their support. The FNM’s internal reckoning will be brutal — and perhaps necessary.
Despite his good intentions, Pintard has failed to galvanise the party. His attempt to bridge factions has left him pleasing no one. The base feels ignored, the elders feel sidelined, and the public sees no vision. A leader without loyalty or momentum is a leader on borrowed time, which has caused mass exodous of former die-hard.
The FNM’s Golden Isles gamble was meant to prove that the party could fight again. Instead, it has exposed that the fight is within. As the PLP’s Darron Pickstock rides the wave of enthusiasm toward what looks like an inevitable victory, the FNM is left staring into a mirror — forced to confront a painful truth: you cannot win the people’s confidence when you’ve lost your own.
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