PINTARD-LED FNM STRUGGLES TO MAKE INROADS A YEAR AFTER PARTY’S DEFEAT
NATIONAL REVIEW: BY CANDIA DAMES
(EDITOR’S NOTE: After reading this excellent Commentary in today’s Nassau Guardian, written Executive Editor Candia Dames, I was compelled to share it with readers of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE.)
NASSAU, Bahamas – Sept. 28, 2022 — In the post-Minnis era, the Free National Movement (FNM), as expected, is having a torturous climb, but even that is putting it mildly.
The main opposition party does not appear to be climbing at all as it slumps on, grasping for relevance, but failing to make inroads of any consequence on the national political landscape.
This is due to three factors.
The first is we are still in recovery from Dr. Hubert Minnis, whose governance style, overall bad management of our affairs and ill temper traumatized and displeased Bahamians and left the FNM’s brand in tatters.
The next factor, which we touched on in this column last week, is that while the Davis administration to date has not had any groundbreaking accomplishments, Prime Minister Philip Davis and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) have managed to stay clear of scandal and controversies that could have a seismic impact on the political climate and deplete from the party’s goodwill bank.
Poor performance in government and a shift in the mood of the electorate against those in office tend to have a direct benefit for the opposition.
This is why, notwithstanding his mediocre showing as opposition leader which led to a vote of no confidence in him by the party’s parliamentary caucus in 2016, a few months later, Minnis led the FNM to a major victory at the polls.
That victory came because the country was in an anti-Christie mood in 2017 and needed to see Perry Christie gone from office.
While voter turnout was just 65 percent in the 2021 election, it was the strong anti-Minnis sentiment that led to a Davis prime ministership.
These are early days yet, but Pintard is not now benefiting from the gift of poor governance and Davis remains likeable, or at the very least, not disliked by the masses.
The third factor that makes opposition a hard trek for the FNM is that FNM Leader Michael Pintard is not a dynamic or inspirational leader. He trades as a skilled orator, but he is not always an effective communicator. He overwhelms listeners with too many words to attempt to communicate what should be straight-forward thoughts.
Pintard is not a compelling leader and struggles to articulate and attract people to a vision.
See complete NATIONAL REVIEW in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/in-pursuit-of-relevance/
