IS PINTARD LOSING IT? SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH HIM

The political landscape of the Bahamas is currently witnessing a phenomenon that is as predictable as it is unsettling. As the Free National Movement (FNM) finds itself adrift, unable to “excite a mosquito” with its disjointed messaging and internal fractures, a familiar scent of desperation has begun to waft through the air. When a political entity realizes it can no longer win hearts through policy or hope, it invariably retreats to the shadows of its past. What we are seeing today is not a new strategy, but the frantic resurrection of an “old playbook”—one written in the ink of intimidation, chaos, and the “throw out the baby with the bathwater” mental attitude.

To understand the current climate, one must look back at the historical DNA of the FNM’s desperation. The party’s history is marred by moments where political discourse was traded for brute force. The mention of Perpall Tract still sends shivers through the collective memory of the Bahamian electorate. It was there that Raymond “Barry” Major was brutally gunned down by operatives who believed that silencing an opponent was easier than out-arguing one. This wasn’t an isolated tremor of instability; it was a systemic approach to power. The early 1970s provided a grim milestone in our judicial and political history with the executions of Philip Humes and Wendell Burrows at Fox Hill Prison. Convicted of a murder described as a “political killing” following the heat of a general election, their fate serves as a stark reminder of what happens when political zealotry curdles into lethal violence. When the FNM feels the walls closing in, history suggests they don’t reach for an olive branch—they reach for a cudgel.

The recent tactical shift toward tearing down billboards is the “lite” version of this historical aggression. To the logical mind, removing a sign does nothing to change the conviction of a Grand Bahamian voter who has already decided that the “instability of Pintard” is a bridge too far. However, these acts are not meant to persuade; they are meant to signal dominance and incite a “campaign of intimidation. “By attacking physical symbols of the opposition, the FNM is attempting to disrupt the ‘pleasant atmosphere’ that matured Bahamian voters have come to expect. They seek to sow seeds of discord, hoping that in the resulting dust cloud of chaos, the public will forget the party’s inability to lead. This is the quintessential “throw out the baby with the bathwater” approach: they are willing to destroy the civility of our democratic process if it means they can rule over the ruins.”Desperation is a ghost that haunts those who have lost the mandate of the people but refuse to let go of the mantle of power.

At the centre of this storm stands Michael Pintard, a leader increasingly viewed as under enormous “pressure to deliver.” The political reality is cold: when external interests—such as those represented by the Port—invest heavily, they expect a return. Pintard is currently caught between the anvil of his party’s internal “instability” and the hammer of his donors’ expectations. He “must pay the piper,” and the cost of that debt is being extracted through radicalized tactics. Because the FNM cannot generate genuine momentum or organic excitement, they must manufacture a “theatre of conflict.” They hope that by recreating the “goon squad” energy of yesteryear, they can frighten the PLP and distract the populace from the FNM’s lack of a coherent vision for the future.

The tragedy of the FNM’s current trajectory is its fundamental misunderstanding of the modern Bahamian voter. The electorate of today is not the electorate of the Perpall Tract era. We have matured. We value stability over theatrics and safety over “political killings. “The FNM’s return to ‘old political tricks’ is a confession of intellectual bankruptcy. By resorting to tactics that involve:Tearing down billboards to suppress the opposition’s voice.Inciting “goon squad” behaviour to intimidate voters.

Fostering internal chaos that spills into the public square….they are only confirming the very “instability” that has turned Grand Bahamians against them.

As FNM camps settle into desperation, Bahamians must remain vigilant. We cannot let our democracy slip back into the violence and intimidation of the 1970s. The “old playbook” should have stayed buried with its tragedies. Michael Pintard may feel pressure to “pretend to deliver,” but the masks are slipping. Desperation is no longer subtle; it appears in torn signs and echoes of a violent history. The FNM reveals who they are when pressured. Voters must choose between a future rooted in discord or the stability they have worked hard to achieve.