By Gerrino J. Saunders
Journal Staff Writer

While on the island of Grand Bahama on Tuesday for a meeting with potential
buyers for the Grand Lucayan Resort Prime Minister Philip Davis was asked by
reporters to comment on several statements made by Free National Movement
(FNM) leader Michael Pintard who was a guest on a local radio talk show on
Monday.
During the interview the Prime Minister continued his critique of Mr. Pintard who
he accused of being a “water boy” for the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA)
after not standing with the residents of Grand Bahama in the government’s push to
force the Port Authority to live up to its obligations to develop the city of Freeport
and its subsequent demand of $357 million the Prime Minister says the GBPA
owes the government.
And more recently the Prime Minister has been critical of Mr. Pintard’s absence
and apparent lack of support for the residents of Grand Bahama in their fight
against a proposed 6.3 percent rate increase in electricity rates by the Grand
Bahama Power Company (GBPC).
During a press conference at the FNM’s Mackey Street headquarters on
Wednesday Mr. Pintard fired back at the Prime Minister over his “water boy”
comments and more.
Asked by reporters for his thoughts on the Prime Ministers’ comments he said,
“All we’ve been doing is fighting. He (Prime Minister) has not yet laid out a plan
for the future of Grand Bahama. We have said openly divest because we don’t
believe that you (GBPA) have the wherewithal to transform Grand Bahama, that is
what we have said to the owners. Does that sound like somebody who is carrying
water for anyone,” asked Pintard?
Continuing he said, “The only people I carrying water for is the folks in Eleuthera
who can’t get water from this government. We are carrying water for victims of
crime that his government is slow to address. For people who can’t get their
business license signed off on or their projects approved because they are not on
the right side of politics, that’s who we carrying water for.”

The Prime Minister’s comments especially while on Grand Bahama where Mr.
Pintard lives and questioning his loyalty to the people of Grand Bahama has
seemingly lit a fire under the opposition leader.
He pointed to the government’s failure to sell the Grand Lucayan despite having
three years to do so, and was critical of the Prime Minister for going to Grand
Bahama on Tuesday to meet with investors which has been “casted as a deal
already done, but the Prime Minister did not provide any details.”
However, he said on behalf of the people of Grand Bahama the opposition is
“prayerful and hopeful that this sale is the real deal now. We know before they
over sold and under delivered. But with this administration we have to wait and
see. They are long on promises short on delivery. They promised the airport,
promised the hotel, they promised a transformed West Grand Bahama.”
Mr. Pintard said during the recent by-election the FNM placed more contractors on
roof tops and inside homes that have been neglected than the government did
despite their small homes repair program.
“I raise these issues to make the point that when a Prime Minister comes to Grand
Bahama claiming that he is fighting for Grand Bahamians we say what credibility
could he have when he represents Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador where he
is failing with basic infrastructure after serving that community for over 20 years,
we still do not have throughout Cat Island potable water. So here is a Prime
Minister who is busy talking about him fighting for Bahamians as opposed to
members of the FNM who have been fighting all along, who don’t just fly there we
live there,” said Pintard.
Mr. Pintard also challenged PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell who twice joined in
protest against the GBPC to “show some credibility” by also protesting against
Bahamas Power and Light.
Prime Minister Davis also challenged Mr. Pintard and the FNM to be transparent
when it comes to alleged millions in campaign financing from the GBPA.
Mr. Pintard said, “Transparency is not a word that the Prime Minister and his
colleagues can use with any serious conviction or moral authority.”
He said, “The electricity transformation that we are undergoing right now as a
country screams for transparency. The public would like to know who are you
giving the generation of power to, who is getting the contract?

“Have you increased at least one of your providers the rental generation
component of power that Bahaman people are paying for, have you moved
dramatically upwards in the amount of money that we are paying just for
generation rental?
“Help us understand. Will the traditional assets to generate power at BPL be given
to a particular group? And we say given in large measure because the Prime
Minister refuses to outline the terms of any arrangement between those companies
that will be involved in the generation. And so, when you talking about
transparency, if you are doing a good thing for people why not tell the people the
whole thing,” asked Mr. Pintard.
Mr Pintard also noted that the opposition has laid more than 100 questions on the
table in the House of Assembly, some with regards to controversial contracts, and
the government has failed to answer them.
As for the issue of being transparent with campaign financing, Mr. Pintard said the
FNM is willing to reveal who their donors are if the PLP is willing to do the same.
He also said the Prime Minister had ample time to introduce campaign finance
reform if he was genuinely concerned.