A bitter internal debate has erupted within the Free National Movement (FNM) of the Bahamas in the wake of the party’s crushing defeat in the May 12 general election, after a senior former party figure publicly called out opposition leader Michael Pintard for his controversial Senate selection choices.
Former Cabinet minister Leslie Miller delivered sharp criticism of Pintard this week, labeling the FNM leader’s decision to exclude deputy party leader Shannedon Cartwright from his Senate picks as “mean-spirited” and “spiteful”. Pintard, who successfully held onto his Marco City parliamentary seat despite the party’s poor overall performance, named four people to fill the FNM’s Senate openings: former professional basketball player Rick Fox, two attorneys Elsworth Johnson and Arinthia Komolafe, and Dr Trevor Johnson. Cartwright, who lost his bid for the newly created St James constituency to Progressive Liberal Party candidate Owen Wells, was noticeably absent from the list.
Critics across the party have argued that the snub is a deliberate move to sideline Cartwright, a sitting party deputy who represented the St Barnabas constituency from 2017 up to the 2026 general election. The FNM emerged from the national vote with just eight parliamentary seats, a result that left the party as the official opposition against the governing Progressive Liberal Party.
Miller, who has long standing as a former FNM Cabinet member, argued that Pintard’s exclusion of Cartwright raises serious questions about both his leadership style and how he treats senior party stakeholders. “I just see the leader of opposition as a mean-spirited person on his actions as leader to FNM, has proven that over and over and over again,” Miller told local media.
While Miller acknowledged that Cartwright never personally approached him to say he was seeking a Senate appointment, he added that he is confident the former lawmaker would have accepted the position if it had been offered. Miller also extended his criticism to Pintard’s treatment of two other former senior party figures from the Minnis administration: Desmond Bannister and Renward Wells. He alleged that Pintard has actively worked to push the two veteran politicians out of key frontline political roles, treating them unfairly in the process.
When reporters from The Tribune reached out to Pintard to ask for an explanation for Cartwright’s exclusion from the Senate lineup, the opposition leader declined to provide any on the record comment. As of press time, Cartwright also had not responded to multiple requests for comment on the controversy.