BY CLEMIA NEELY
Journal Staff Writer

The Opposition is questioning why the Ministry of Finance is contracting
Christmas decorations for nearly half a million dollars. FNM Leader Michael
Pintard stated that under the Davis Administration, the Ministry of Finance has
been awarding large no-bid contracts that are well beyond of its legislative
purview; these contracts are blatantly biased and raise grave concerns about the
misuse of public funds.
“When the Ministry of Finance functions less like a watchdog and more like a
private ATM for a hand-chosen few,” he said. “You know the system is broken.”
Contracts totaling $369 million have been awarded directly, many of which
completely violate the Public Procurement Act of 2023, which mandates
competitive bidding for the procured goods.
Pintard stated, “The Ministry of Finance has been issuing a full range of contracts
for goods and services that have nothing to do with the role and responsibilities of
the Ministry. There are no-bid contracts being issued by the Ministry of Finance for
Christmas decorations, topographical surveys, tree trimming at Government
House, and the construction of family courts.”
“This is naked abuse of the system, plain and simple,” he stated. “Every right-
thinking Bahamian must ask: why is the Prime Minister, as the Minister of
Finance, so determined to have his Ministry sign off on contracts for projects it
should never manage and can’t properly oversee? Why do most of these massive
Ministry of Finance contracts escape competitive bidding? It boils down to one
thing: control.” The FNM believes that it leaves many deserving contractors
robbed of a real chance to bid on these jobs.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) released a counterargument to Pintard’s
statement, stating that the government has been open and transparent in their
procurement practices.
“Once again, the Opposition is attempting to manufacture outrage using
information that is publicly available, because this administration made it public.
The Davis administration has been consistent, transparent, and lawful in its
procurement practices. In fact, the very reason the Opposition can raise these questions is because we have implemented and enforced a culture of disclosure
that their administration avoided at every turn.”
The statement further explained the government’s decision about Christmas
decorations, but it made no mention of other contracts that might have satisfied
Pintard’s requirement that they were not covered by the Public Procurement Act.
“On the matter of Christmas decoration, this is an allocation that supports scores of
Bahamian businesses and contributes to creating a joyful, festive environment
across the capital during the holiday season for Bahamian families and visiting
tourists alike.”
“The expenditure being questioned today is nothing new. The government publicly
explained in 2023 that more than $500,000 was budgeted to provide lighting and
decoration not just in Nassau, but across several Family Islands, marking the first
time many communities benefited from such national festive support. At the time,
the Ministry of Works outlined the vendors involved, the scope of the work, and
the value to local economies.”
The Davis Administration will continue to govern with transparency, the statement
said.