Ingraham Puts the Baby to Rest: No Election Mischief, Just FNM Desperation

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has done what few in Bahamian politics could manage in this fevered season of suspicion—he’s put the baby to rest. With the authority of a man who has seen it all, Ingraham declared that there is no cause for concern about anything untoward with the upcoming elections. “There are too many systems in place to prevent interference,” he assured the crowd at a modest FNM gathering. His words were not just a reassurance to the country—they were a sharp rebuke to his own party, which seems determined to chase shadows instead of votes.

Ingraham, never one to mince words, chastised the FNM for being “fixated on the wrong things.” It was a public scolding of the first order, and one that laid bare the internal panic now gripping the once-mighty party. Rather than focusing on connecting with voters or presenting a credible plan for governance, the FNM has spent valuable time nursing conspiracy theories about electoral manipulation. The irony, of course, is that Ingraham himself built the very systems of electoral oversight they now claim to distrust.

When the man who modernized the nation’s democratic machinery tells you that the system is sound, that should be the end of it. But this is an FNM adrift—rudderless, paranoid, and unsure of its own message. Ingraham’s calm confidence threw into sharp relief the chaos that has defined the FNM’s campaign so far. His message was clear: the problem isn’t the ballot box—it’s the people who’ve lost the plot.

A Party in Disarray

It’s telling that the FNM had to call on Ingraham at all. His return from political retirement is less a show of unity and more a cry for help. It signals that the party has lost faith in its current leadership’s ability to inspire or even organize. For years, Ingraham was the party’s backbone—decisive, disciplined, and pragmatic. Now, the leadership that followed him seems consumed by paranoia and petulance.

Ingraham’s appearance illuminated that desperation for all to see. His composure and clarity only underscored the frantic energy of those currently steering the ship. Where he offered reassurance, they offered suspicion. Where he spoke of systems and integrity, they whispered about sabotage. It is this posture of perpetual victimhood that has alienated voters and made the FNM appear fractured and out of touch.

The public is not blind; they see the cracks in leadership widening. They hear the nervous tone behind the FNM’s rhetoric. And they compare it—inevitably—to the steady, seasoned voice of the man who once led them to three electoral victories. When Hubert Ingraham speaks, Bahamians listen. And what he said this week was devastating for those who still believe the FNM has a chance: the elections are clean, the system is strong, and the problem lies within.

Brian Brown’s Hollow Campaign

Then there is Brian Brown, the man who talks endlessly about living among the people of his constituency yet offers not a single concrete plan for their future. His campaign has been a masterclass in vagueness—long on slogans, short on substance. Brown seems more interested in opposing progress than advancing it. He objected when the PLP paved roads, repaired streetlights, and extended real help to struggling families. Those are not the actions of a man who has his constituents’ interests at heart; they are the reflexes of a politician who mistakes obstruction for leadership.

The residents of his community deserve better than a representative who sees every improvement as a threat to his political ambitions. They deserve vision, not vitriol. Brown’s hollow rhetoric and misplaced indignation expose him as a man unready for leadership, unwilling to engage with real issues, and unable to connect with the people he claims to serve. He does not have the “it” factor—because “it” requires empathy, ideas, and integrity.

The Final Word

Ingraham’s intervention may have brought momentary calm to the chaos, but it also served as a reminder of what the FNM once was—and what it has become. His insistence that the returning officer “did absolutely nothing wrong” was both a defence of democratic integrity and a subtle indictment of his party’s recklessness. The man who built the foundation of modern Bahamian elections has declared the system sound. That should have been a triumphant message. Instead, it only highlighted the chasm between the FNM’s past and its floundering present.

The sad truth is this: when a political party must resurrect its elder statesman to restore credibility, it has already conceded defeat. Ingraham’s appearance wasn’t a rally—it was a rescue mission. And the fact that he had to leave retirement to clean up after his successors tells the whole story. The baby has been put to rest, yes—but the FNM’s troubles are just beginning.

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