Weeks before Bahamas’ hotly anticipated general election, a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate’s explosive claim about holding Crown Land title deeds for distribution has ignited fierce political debate and thrown a spotlight on long-simmering questions about the integrity of public land allocation processes.
At a well-attended PLP campaign rally held in West End on April 13, Dr. Monique Pratt, the party’s candidate for East Grand Bahama, made the unorthodox announcement to assembled supporters. In remarks captured on video and later circulated publicly, Pratt pushed back against claims from rival political groups that they would deliver Crown Land to constituents, asserting that she already held the long-awaited deeds in her personal possession.
“I’m proud to say that I have in my possession your long-awaited deeds to your crown land, and I’ve been given the instructions from our prime minister to release them to you,” Pratt told the crowd. A subsequent social media post from the candidate showed her at a party event calling out the names of East Grand Bahama residents who were purportedly marked as recipients of the allocated public land.
Pratt’s comments immediately triggered widespread scrutiny, as observers and political opponents questioned why official government title deeds would be transferred to a sitting political candidate rather than being processed through standard, formal government administrative channels.
When reached for comment by reporters on Monday, Pratt declined to address questions directly, referring all inquiries to PLP party leadership, noting that senior officials were aware of the controversy and would issue a formal response. Latrae Rahming, communications director for both the Office of the Prime Minister and the PLP, later confirmed to local outlet The Tribune that Prime Minister Philip Davis—who holds direct ministerial responsibility for Crown Land management—would address the matter personally during an upcoming press interaction.
The opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has already seized on the controversy to attack the incumbent government, with FNM chairman Dr. Duane Sands launching sharp criticism over the incident, arguing it raises serious red flags about procedural fairness, governmental transparency, and adherence to the rule of law in Bahamian public land administration.
“Crown Land is not a political reward, it is a sacred national patrimony, held in trust for all Bahamians,” Sands stated in his response. He questioned how official title deeds ended up in the custody of a political candidate rather than government agencies, and raised explicit concerns that land allocations are being weaponized for political patronage ahead of the election.
“The issuance of title deeds is a formal governmental function, not a political favour to be dispensed from a campaign platform,” Sands added. He also called for direct answers from Prime Minister Davis, demanding clarification on whether Davis personally issued the instruction to deliver the deeds to Pratt for campaign distribution. Sands emphasized that the incident raises “significant legal and ethical questions” and pushed for full accountability and radical transparency in the ongoing administration of Crown Land.