Three months after being defeated at the polls and left deep in debt, a senior Free National Movement (FNM) official said that the party is well on its way to paying off those debts.
After the May 7 General Election former FNM Leader Hubert Ingraham revealed that by the end of the campaign, the FNM was left with nearly $1 million in debt.
In fact, Mr. Ingraham cited this debt as playing a role in his party’s defeat claiming that that the FNM lacked the financial resources of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
“We needed more money to run an effective campaign this year,” Mr. Ingraham said during the FNM’s post lection convention on May 26.
“You will know that our party does not accept all offers of financial support for its election campaigns. It has always been critically important to the Free National Movement that its funding come from reputable sources and further that financial support not compromise the hand of the government should it assume office as government.”
During the campaign cycle the FNM raised some $131,000 from its online fundraising campaign through contributions from 363 individuals.

However, former Chairman of the FNM Carl Bethel said the party has made significant steps in repaying its debts and he maintained that there has been a steady flow of donations from the party’s supporters.

“Historically, the FNM has not been shy about indicating when it had campaign debts to pay. These debts are being paid from donations from our supporters. We received donations that have kept the party going and we are paying our debts.”

While Mr. Bethel declined to state how much of its debt the FNM has repaid, he insisted that the party’s financial state is strong and the party is well-equipped to being a formidable opposition to the government.
“This party is stronger than ever and we continue to have the backing of our supporters and we are pressing on,” he said. “The FNM is in a party that is in good shape.”