The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

UNPAID workers, shuttered properties and stalled projects now define Grand Bahama, Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard said yesterday, accusing the Davis administration of presiding over deepening economic decline while offering little more than promises and press events.

Standing outside the closed Grand Lucayan Resort, Mr Pintard said the government’s failures on the island’s most critical projects — including the resort’s redevelopment, the Grand Bahama International Airport and healthcare services — have left residents in limbo and eroded confidence in Grand Bahama’s future.

Workers at the Grand Lucayan were sent home again last week without pay, the property has no running water, and the government has offered no public update on the state of the long-promised redevelopment.

“This is but one example of the failure of the PLP here in Grand Bahama,” Mr Pintard said.

“Behind this building are real people — workers who missed paychecks, families who fell behind on rent and light bills, men and women who did everything right and were left in limbo while the government drags its feet and refuses to tell the truth.”

Mr Pintard was joined at the press conference by East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, FNM candidate for West Grand Bahama and Bimini Omar Isaacs, and Central Grand Bahama candidate Frazette Gibson. He also said the party expects to name its Pine Ridge candidate shortly.

Mr Thompson said Grand Bahama is in serious trouble, blaming the Davis administration for allowing conditions to deteriorate over the past five years.

The Grand Lucayan, he said, remains a symbol of government failure. He noted that the PLP announced a deal, claimed the hotel was sold and said funds were secured, yet has provided no updates while workers continue to be sent home without pay.

With Prime Minister Philip Davis expected to hold a Cabinet meeting on Grand Bahama this week, Mr Pintard questioned the timing and intent of the visit, suggesting it was driven by political pressure rather than tangible progress.

“A speech is not progress. A press event is not progress. A cabinet trip alone is not progress,” he said. “Progress is jobs. Progress is investment you can see and feel.”

Mr Pintard said uncertainty surrounding the Grand Lucayan has now dragged on for more than eight months.

“Two hundred and fifty-five days have passed with no clear redevelopment timeline, despite government claims that $120 million was collected from the property’s sale.”

“If the money was collected, show the proof. If it was not collected, tell the truth,” he said. “This property is too important to be treated like a political prop.”

He said when the PLP took office in 2021, an FNM-negotiated redevelopment deal involving Royal Caribbean and ITM Group was already in place — a deal he said the Davis administration abandoned. Subsequent plans announced by the PLP in 2022, including a proposed $100 million sale and $300 million redevelopment, later collapsed.

“The result is what we see today — a property that continues to sit idle while Grand Bahama waits,” Mr Pintard said.

Turning to the Grand Bahama International Airport, Mr Pintard criticised delays in the redevelopment, noting that the PLP had promised Phase One — including the domestic terminal and US pre-clearance — would be completed by April 2025. He said those commitments remain unmet well into 2026, with no visible construction, finalised design or public timeline.

“To this day, the Bahamian people do not know what the true cost will be, who will manage the airport, or even whether it will be rebuilt on the same footprint,” he said.

He also questioned the government’s decision to shift $100 million in Saudi development financing originally earmarked for Family Island airports to Grand Bahama, describing the move as “money shifting instead of dirt moving.”

Mr Pintard warned that prolonged uncertainty is undermining investor confidence, hurting small businesses and draining hope from young Grand Bahamians. He cited national tourism data showing stopover arrivals down 3.9 per cent as evidence of broader economic fallout.

He also took aim at healthcare services, describing Rand Memorial Hospital as dangerously under-equipped and understaffed. He said MPs routinely pay out of pocket to send constituents to New Providence for diagnostic services unavailable on Grand Bahama, despite repeated government promises of a new hospital.

“They are out to lunch when it comes to life-and-death issues like the hospital,” he said, adding that delays in completing the Rand morgue further demonstrate what he described as a lack of urgency.

Mr Thompson echoed those concerns, saying the state of the Grand Lucayan mirrors conditions at the airport, which he said is worse now than when the PLP took office. He added that unemployment — particularly youth unemployment — remains high, and that no major developments have materialised despite repeated promises.

He also raised concerns about chronic medication shortages at public facilities and private pharmacies, calling the situation unacceptable. He said constituents have been forced to travel from pharmacy to pharmacy searching for basic medication, and in at least one case, a family member died while medication could not be located.

While the government continues to speak about constructing a new hospital, Mr Thompson said immediate needs are being ignored, urging officials to ensure medication is readily available now at hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across the island.

On labour issues, Mr Thompson said unpaid National Insurance Board contributions for Grand Lucayan workers and late payments to security staff at the resort were not surprising. He described it as “unfair” that workers are denied benefits while government officials continue to receive salaries and insurance coverage.

Responding to government claims of low unemployment, Mr Pintard said the FNM does not believe those figures.

While acknowledging the opening of Celebration Key, he rejected PLP claims of sole credit for the development, noting that groundwork was laid under the FNM. He said more must be done to ensure cruise passengers spend money beyond the port, including empowering Bahamians to develop attractions and ensuring transparency in tourism-related contracts.

Calling for an end to announcements without results, Mr Pintard said any Cabinet visit to Grand Bahama must be accompanied by proof, timelines and accountability.

Mr Thompson also described what he called a historic opportunity for the island, saying Grand Bahama now has a chance, for the first time, to elect a prime minister who lives on the island and understands its challenges.