A growing political storm has engulfed The Bahamas’ state-owned public broadcasting sector ahead of the country’s upcoming general election, after two senior board members of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) stepped down abruptly over what they frame as unacceptable government overreach into the independent governance of the national broadcaster ZNS.
The controversy traces back to a formal decision by the full five-member BCB board earlier this month that placed general manager Clint Watson on a paid administrative leave of absence through the post-election period. Watson, who had previously mounted an unsuccessful bid to secure the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) nomination for the Southern Shores constituency, was notified via an April 9 letter that his leave would extend at minimum through May 18 – one week after the general election – with a final return date left to the board’s discretion.
In an official correspondence signed by BCB executive chairman Picewell Forbes, the board framed the arrangement as a proactive step to preserve public trust in the broadcaster’s neutrality during a sensitive electoral cycle. “This decision was reached in the interests of transparency, and in what the board determined to be the best interests of the corporation to maintain public confidence in its operations and leadership,” Forbes explained, adding that Watson would continue to receive his full salary and all contractual benefits throughout the leave period.
That bipartisan board agreement was swiftly upended, however, when Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis directly intervened to override the directive, according to internal correspondence reviewed by *The Tribune*. The Prime Minister instructed Watson to resume his duties immediately, reversing the board’s leave order just days after it was issued.
The Prime Minister’s unilateral action triggered immediate resignations from two sitting BCB board members: Garth Rolle and Charles Colebrooke. In an April 12 resignation letter obtained by *The Tribune*, Rolle argued that the government’s intervention effectively stripped the board of its authority to make governance decisions in the broadcaster’s best interest.
“It seems obvious to me that we (the board) no longer have the confidence of the government to make decisions in the best interest of the corporation by cutting the legs from under us in such a manner,” Rolle wrote. “In reality, the board no longer have any powers to exercise in such an environment and I find this untenable.”
Colebrooke followed with his own immediate resignation in an April 14 statement, where he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the public broadcaster for more than four years. “I am very proud of our accomplishments and the commitment of the board members during this time,” he wrote.
As of Tuesday, Forbes, Rolle, Colebrooke and Watson have all declined to provide additional comment beyond their formal written statements. Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting Myles Laroda has confirmed that he is aware of the resignations and has notified the Prime Minister of the development. “That’s where we are right now,” Laroda told *The Tribune*. “I’ve spoken to both board members, and I don’t have anything further to say to that.”
Political observers note the resignation comes at a particularly sensitive moment for ZNS, which plays a central role in disseminating election-related information to Bahamian voters. The incident is expected to intensify ongoing public scrutiny of claims that the ruling government has sought to exert inappropriate political influence over the state-run broadcaster during the electoral period.