The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE Shirley Street Post Office was officially reopened and renamed the John V Saunders Post Office yesterday, as Prime Minister Philip Davis defended the role of the Post Office Savings Bank and rejected calls for its elimination.

The facility was renamed in honour of John V Saunders, a former postmaster general who served for 40 years and was credited with expanding postal infrastructure across the country.

Mr Davis said Mr Saunders’ work “helped shape the institution we celebrate today”.

“His influence extended across the region and his legacy runs through every community this office has ever reached as we name this building in his honour,” he said.

Mr Saunders oversaw the establishment of post offices in Cable Beach, Elizabeth Estates, South Beach, Carmichael Road and at the airport, and contributed to expanding services across the Family Islands.

At the ceremony, Mr Davis also pushed back against criticism of the Post Office Savings Bank, arguing it remains essential for many Bahamians.

“There are some who are so disconnected and privileged that they don’t recognise people still use the post office,” he said. “They probably pay for the expensive courier services and live on an island with regular access to commercial banks, so they can’t relate to the struggle.”

He said the service continues to support pensioners, working families, fishermen, farmers and small business owners, noting that more than 35,000 accounts remain active.

The prime minister said the government has raised the deposit cap from $6,000 to $10,000 and maintained a five percent interest rate, compared to less than one percent offered by commercial banks.

He also criticised commercial banks for reducing their presence on Family Islands.

“The same commercial banks have left our islands hanging with no options for banking,” he said.

Mr Davis warned that eliminating the savings bank would destabilise communities, lead to job losses, and leave thousands without access to financial services.

“The only thing that getting rid of the Post Office Savings Bank would accomplish is the destabilisation of our Family Island communities, the unemployment of 98 workers serving our Family Islands, and the stranding of thousands of unbanked Bahamians with nowhere to go,” he said.

He added that “closure is never an option” and said the government remains committed to expanding and modernising the post office.

However, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has criticised the system, citing findings from the Auditor General that described the Post Office Savings Bank as “woefully deficient”.

Mr Pintard said auditors identified “substantial operational failures”, including incomplete financial statements, over-withdrawals and reconciliation issues that prevent the institution from determining what it owes or is owed.

He also cited the acting Auditor General’s warning that “you cannot have a manual post office savings bank in this day and age”.

Mr Pintard said an FNM government would replace the system by expanding commercial banking access across the Family Islands, introducing fintech services and credit unions, and repurposing post offices into logistics and distribution hubs.