LATRAE RAHMING BOLD HONESTY

Rahming levelled a deliberate, unapologetic accusation: if Michael Pintard truly had the best interests of Grand Bahamians at heart, he would not object to the government’s effort to bring electricity rates in the Grand Bahama Port area in line with the rest of the country. It’s that simple. Fair is fair. And for too long, Grand Bahama has been treated as an exception, but only when it comes to suffering.

Let’s call this what it is. Free National Movement (FNM) leader Michael Pintard has gone on record not merely questioning reform, but actively defending the status quo. He has fought for the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s position and justified why things should remain exactly as they are. Meanwhile, ordinary Bahamians continue to be squeezed by Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC), which many residents describe as “sucking the ordinary Bahamian dry.”

The FNM has made its stance clear: it opposes the government’s move to purchase GBPC as a step toward reducing energy costs. They oppose a path that would give the people of Grand Bahama a real shot at relief from some of the nation’s highest electricity rates. They oppose a strategy aimed at bringing accountability and transparency to a system long shielded from meaningful reform.

Why?

If the government’s objective is to lower bills, increase oversight, and finally correct a long-standing injustice, what exactly is the objection? What is so threatening about parity? About fairness? About aligning Grand Bahama’s electricity rates with those enjoyed elsewhere in The Bahamas?

Rahming’s critique cuts to the core of a troubling reality: it is baffling that so many Grand Bahamians, burdened year after year by Port-imposed financial burdens, still rally behind a political movement that has shown no appetite to challenge that power structure. The Port imposes high costs on residents, yet some continue to defend the very party that refuses to confront them.

This is not about politics as usual. It is about whose side you are on. The side of entrenched corporate interests, or the side of struggling families who deserve relief.

Rahming has drawn the line. The question now is whether Grand Bahama will.