The Campaign Is Over. The Budget Debate Should Begin
– ABAGAIL CARTWRIGHT FROM DEAN’S BLUE HOLE
Last Wednesday, Minister of Finance, Hon. Michael Halkitis presented the Government’s budget to Parliament. It addressed many of the issues currently affecting Bahamians, from the rising cost of living and healthcare to education, national security, and economic growth. Whatever one’s political persuasion, it was a serious and comprehensive policy presentation focused on the country’s future.
Like many Bahamians, I eagerly awaited the Opposition’s response, but before a single substantive point was made, the Bahamian people were treated to a spectacle. Mr. Pintard and members of his parliamentary team arrived wearing kindergarten-style name tags bearing the slogan “Not Politician #1.” On one of the most serious days on the parliamentary calendar, they chose to make a mockery of the proceedings. It was a strange way to convince the country that they were ready to be taken seriously.
Next, Mr. Pintard, in his response, appeared to borrow a page from the political playbook made famous by Pam Bondi during her congressional appearances in the United States. Bondi often responded to difficult questions not with direct answers, but with a collection of prepared attacks aimed at political opponents. Mr. Pintard seemed to have his own version of a political “burn book.” Rather than systematically challenging the budget’s assumptions, projections, or policies, he launched into allegations involving Minister Halkitis, including claims regarding a business relationship with Jonathan Gardiner, who is currently facing legal issues in the United States, and accusations that monies from the public treasury was used to assist the PLP’s campaign efforts in Abaco.
Mr. Pintard’s presentation was heavy on accusation and light on policy.
The irony is impossible to miss. The FNM spent much of the 2026 campaign accusing the PLP of corruption. It was their central message. They repeated it at rallies, in interviews, on social media, and in political advertisements. Yet when Bahamians went to the polls on May 12, they rendered a decisive verdict.
The PLP won. The FNM lost.
Apparently, the lesson was missed. If a strategy fails during an election, common sense would suggest trying something different afterward. Instead, the Opposition appears determined to recycle the same allegations that voters already rejected. The campaign may be over, but some within the FNM seem unwilling to accept the result.
The deeper concern, however, is what this says about the Opposition’s ability to engage on policy. After listening to the Government’s detailed budget presentation and then hearing the Opposition’s response, one is left wondering whether the FNM simply lacks the depth, expertise, and policy capacity necessary to challenge a modern budget on its merits.
The Bahamian people deserve an Opposition that can debate ideas instead of headlines, policy instead of personalities, and budgets instead of burn books. They deserve representatives who understand that serious national issues require serious engagement.
The campaign is over. The voters have spoken. We won. The FNM lost.
At some point, the Opposition must accept the verdict of the Bahamian people and begin doing the job the electorate assigned to them. Until then, they risk remaining exactly where voters placed them: on the Opposition benches.