PINTARD COMMITTING POLITICAL SUICIDE. A PARTY IN FREE FALL!

The Free National Movement (FNM) is currently witnessing a spectacle that is as tragic as it is dangerous. In a display of staggering political immaturity, Michael Pintard has decided to set fire to the very foundations of Bahamian democracy, ignoring the stern, paternal warnings of the man who built the modern FNM, Hubert Alexander Ingraham.

By insinuating that the electoral process is rigged and peddling a “stolen election” narrative, Pintard isn’t just playing with fire—he’s attempting to burn down the house because he doesn’t like the furniture.

The Ingraham Intervention

The tension reached a fever pitch when Hubert Ingraham, the “Delivery Boy” himself, felt compelled to publicly scold Pintard for his baseless lunacy. Ingraham, a man who understands the machinery of state better than most, laid out a historical reality check that should have ended the conversation:

The 25-Year Stranglehold: The PLP under Sir Lynden Pindling held power for a quarter-century, yet the FNM eventually triumphed in 1992.
The Swing Factor: From 1992 to 2002, the FNM held the reins, only to have the PLP regain them.
The Logic of Defeat: As Ingraham emphatically noted, if stealing elections were a functional reality in The Bahamas, the “back and forth” of the last thirty years would be impossible. The incumbent would simply never leave.

Ingraham’s message was clear: Respect the system that allows you to exist. But Pintard, blinded by a desperate need for relevance, refused to dance to Ingraham’s music.

A Playbook of Desperation

Instead of heeding, we see defiance. Pintard is clearly reading from the volatile playbook of populist movements abroad—specifically echoing the rhetoric of figures like the former US President—by casting doubt on the Passport Office, the Parliamentary Registrar, and any institution he can smear.

This isn’t “being his own man.” It is a calculated attempt to rile up a base through fear rather than vision. By distancing himself from both Ingraham and Minnis, Pintard has effectively orphaned himself within his own party. He is steering the FNM into a dark alley of conspiracy theories, leaving seasoned supporters wondering whether he even wants to win or is simply intent on leaving nothing for his successor to inherit.

Political Suicide or Sabotage?

The most chilling aspect of Pintard’s leadership is the growing suspicion that this is an intentional “political suicide” course. When your own advisors are begging you to find one positive thing to say, and you instead double down on “distasteful propaganda,” you aren’t campaigning—you’re sabotaging.

By attacking the integrity of our democratic institutions, Pintard is “pushing the party overboard.” He is creating a scorched-earth environment where moderate Bahamians feel alienated, and the youth feel cynical. If the FNM is reduced to a fringe group of conspiracy theorists, the blame lies squarely at the feet of a leader who mistook defiance for strength and paranoia for policy.

The FNM was built on the bedrock of “Government in the Sunshine.” Under Pintard, it is retreating into the shadows of baseless accusations. If he continues to ignore the wisdom of those who actually delivered victories, he won’t just lose the next election; he will lose the party’s soul.

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