Keile Campbell
Journal Staff Writer

Tributes continued to pour in for the late Parliamentarian Obediah Hercules Wilchcombe,
notably from Opposition Leader Michael Pintard spoke of their interactions as fellow Grand
Bahamians.
In the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Mr. Pintard spoke of several conversations with
Minister Wilchcombe in church where they occasionally sat near each other and noted that
the exchanges wouldn’t necessarily be politics related.
“Throughout the service, we didn’t remember any of the arguments in the House of Assembly
– they were irrelevant. We were talking about the hard-core politics that often consume us. I
think I spent dozens and dozens of occasions either in church with the Member from
Englerston or the Member from West Grand Bahama and Bimini and it created a
camaraderie,” Mr. Pintard said.
“It didn’t rob the ability to stand on the issues we believed in, but we appreciated each other
and most importantly we appreciated we were in a place where the real difference in the
human condition occurs, and that is in the house of God. And I remember, I will never forget.
That moment where we’d touch hands for the last time to interact with each other. Where
politics was secondary, but the word of God was primary.”
Now, speaking on interacting with the late MP for West End and Bimini, Opposition Leader
Pintard spoke of their recognition of Wilchcombe as a formidable political opposite, carrying
his competency with him, whether that be in media or politics.
“Obie’s career as a journalist was nothing short of remarkable. But in politics, he certainly
made a mark. We used to satirize Obie in plays because he was that compelling personality
and he understood and took it in stride. And so, when we crack jokes about him, again, it
brought additionally attention to a man that was known and loved by many Bahamians,” the
opposition leader said.
“I don’t recall outside the father of the country the kind of public display of affection that we
have seen for Obediah Wilchcombe. He made an impact on our country.”
The opposition leader acknowledged the upcoming by-election for the constituency left
vacant for an MP since Wilchcombe’s passing, and professed that when Bahamians of that
constituency go to the polls, they will not only be choosing a party or political organization.
“This one isn’t going to be for any of the organizations or any individual. I believe that it’s
going to be for the people that Obediah Hercules Wilchcombe served. The people that we
have committed to serving. For the mother, Madame speaker, who’s lost a child to gun

violence despite her best efforts to raise her child with the values she had,” Mr. Pintard
explained.
“Ultimately, this election will be, Madame speaker, will be for the two-parent home where
both persons are earning less than $300 and despite their best efforts, they’re having
challenges to keep the light on. They’re food insecure. They’re having difficulty with
transportation moving from the west to Freeport. All of us, when we participate in these
contests, Madame speaker, is not for us. It’s not for our colleagues.”
As it pertains to the by-election, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the Free National
Movement’s (FNM) deadline for nominees to contest the post of MP for West End Grand
Bahama and Bimini passed on Tuesday.
The late Wilchcombe passed away September 25 at the Rand Memorial Hospital at the age of
64.