The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard said yesterday every political organisation has challenges, showing optimism that his party will overcome its own obstacles.

In the last several months there have been reports of a rift in the FNM between his supporters and those of former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

The party’s internal conflict has spilled out in the open, with its vice-chairman Richard Johnson, a supporter of Dr Minnis, suing Mr Pintard and FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands last year after he was banned from attending council meetings.

Mr Johnson claimed this violated the party’s constitution.

Last week, the Supreme Court granted an injunction against Mr Pintard and Dr Sands, ruling they are “hereby restrained” from prohibiting and interfering with Mr Johnson as he carries out his duties as FNM vice chairman.

Asked about the rift in the party, Mr Pintard told reporters all political organisations face challenges.

“Our focus is on holding the government accountable, any challenges we may have would not be specific just to the FNM. Every political organisation from time to time has challenges, we will surpass these obstacles. And we expect fully in 2026 to be returned to government, so we’re very optimistic about the future,” Mr Pintard said.

He made these comments on the sidelines of his special visit to Louise Bosifield, who celebrated her 102nd birthday yesterday.

Mr Pintard pointed out the FNM’s effort in holding the government accountable, including about missing financial reporting deadlines, noting many agencies and corporations rely on that information.

“We understand some of the constraints they claim to face. But we remember vividly the government talking about the need for timely information so that policy makers, rating agencies, creditors are able to make sensible decisions about the way forward for the country,” Mr Pintard said.

When asked if he expects Dr Minnis to challenge him in the next FNM convention, Mr Pintard declined to comment on the matter.

“I’m focused on the issues I’ve mentioned before. I have nothing new to add on that subject.”

Last week, a member of the Free National Movement said “it will be war” if party officials continue to try to block Dr Minnis from speaking at constituency association meetings.

On March 7, Dr Minnis addressed a crowd of FNM supporters at a Garden Hills Constituency Association meeting despite reported attempts by the FNM’s leadership to thwart him from doing so. Mr Pintard addressed another crowd of party supporters at a Centreville Constituency Association Meeting; both meetings were held at the same time.

When he spoke at the meeting, Mr Pintard said even if he one day no longer enjoys the support of the party as leader, he would never behave in a way that would “damage” the organisation, adding “it’s bigger than any one man, bigger than any one woman”.

During his remarks, Dr Minnis mainly took aim at the Progressive Liberal Party and their governance. Mr Pintard did the same as well, but also took time to speak about loyalty.

“We are asking you to value the opinion of each other. Everybody has something to contribute. We believe that we should use all the competent qualified people we can get. Competence is important. But what is also important is loyalty. We have to be more loyal to the brand and to the team than to our own personal ambitions,” Mr Pintard said.