分类： politics

A growing political and accountability controversy has emerged in the Bahamas surrounding McKell Bonaby, chairman of the national Beaches and Parks Authority, who is facing intense public pressure over the agency’s persistent lack of transparent spending disclosures and a years-long absence of independent public audits. As the Progressive Liberal Party’s candidate for the Mount Moriah constituency ahead of upcoming political contests, Bonaby released a formal public statement pushing back against growing criticism, asserting that every cent of taxpayer funding allocated to the authority has been properly documented and accounted for. To date, however, no detailed spending breakdowns, project-level financial reports, or independent audit documents have been released to the general public to back up these claims.

In his defensive statement, Bonaby framed the authority’s spending as a direct investment in Bahamian livelihoods, noting that more than 1,200 local contractors receive work and compensation from the agency on an ongoing monthly basis. He argued that every expenditure translates directly to tangible jobs, economic opportunity, and critical support for communities spread across the country’s island chain. He also highlighted the agency’s expanding operational scope, pointing out that it now oversees more than 250 public parks nationwide — a major increase that has required expanded staffing, upgraded equipment, and new operational infrastructure, including a modernized fleet management system to maintain the authority’s assets.

Bonaby further claimed that robust internal financial controls are already in place to prevent mismanagement. He explained that all vendor payments are tied to formal, valid contracts, require active business licences and up-to-date tax compliance certificates, and are backed by full supporting documentation and photographic evidence to confirm contracted work was completed as agreed. Even with these assertions, the statement failed to include any concrete financial figures, specific project details, or verifiable documentation to substantiate the claims of proper oversight.

The call for public transparency comes after repeated instances in recent years where the Beaches and Parks Authority’s spending has exceeded official budgeted allocations, even as the poor upkeep and deteriorating condition of multiple public parks drew sharp criticism from residents and public officials. Bonaby countered that his administration has made unprecedented progress on accountability: he confirmed that audited financial statements covering all agency activity back to 2014 have now been completed for the first time since the authority was founded, framing this milestone as a major breakthrough for fiscal responsibility in the agency. He also sought to draw a clear political contrast with the previous Free National Movement (FNM) administration, alleging that under the previous leadership, the authority routinely approved payments without formal contracts, accepted incomplete work from contractors, and allowed vendors to operate without required business licences or tax compliance clearance.

When reached for comment on Bonaby’s allegations, Shanendon Cartwright — the FNM’s candidate for St James and the former head of the Beaches and Parks Authority — declined to issue any formal response to the claims. The controversy continues to simmer as observers and opposition figures press for the immediate release of the completed audits to allow for public verification of the authority’s spending practices.

As the Bahamas’ general election cycle heats up, the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) rallied supporters in Abaco this week, framing its first term as a period of transformative recovery and laying out an ambitious agenda for a second term if voters reaffirm their mandate. Party leaders, including Prime Minister Philip Davis, centered their pitch on the dramatic rebound of Abaco’s economy and infrastructure after the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Dorian, while painting the opposition Free National Movement (FNM) as a threat to the hard-won progress the island has made.

Prime Minister Davis opened his remarks by highlighting one of the PLP’s signature achievements: the revival of Abaco’s core tourism industry. Once brought to its knees by Dorian’s devastation, Davis said the island has reclaimed its position as one of the Caribbean’s top stopover destinations, with growing private investment and rising economic activity serving as clear markers of sustained recovery. Key major developments underway and on the drawing board, he argued, will lock in that growth for years to come. Among the most transformative is the full redevelopment of Treasure Cay, a project that will generate hundreds of construction jobs and long-term permanent positions for local residents while restoring access to critical basic services across North Abaco. Additional projects in the pipeline include a 300-unit new housing development, a major expansion of the Abaco Club, and a growing footprint of financial services operations in Marsh Harbour.

Beyond large-scale private development, Davis outlined the PLP’s investments in core public infrastructure and human capital. The government has advanced sweeping energy reforms, including a new hybrid power project designed to boost grid reliability for Abaco residents and cut long-term energy costs for households and businesses. In education and workforce development, the party has expanded the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI)’s presence on the island and rolled out national job training programs to equip local workers for in-demand industries. Davis also emphasized how expanded digital access is opening new doors for remote work, distance learning, and telehealth services across Abaco and other outer Family Islands.

Davis used his speech to draw a stark contrast between the PLP’s agenda and that of the FNM, which has campaigned on a national policy “reset.” He warned that an FNM victory would reverse the recovery initiatives launched over the past term, quoting what he claimed was a line from a book by the opposition leader: “Make sure you undo all the successful things your predecessor did.” Davis argued that a change in government would put critical programs for youth development, education, and Family Island investment at risk. He also addressed two contentious local issues, immigration enforcement and land use, noting that his administration has taken a far stricter approach than previous FNM governments, including carrying out the largest single wave of deportations in the country’s recent history and demolishing hundreds of illegal, unregulated structures across Abaco. Closing out his address, Davis positioned Abaco as a central priority in the PLP’s national development strategy, acknowledging that while significant progress has been made, “there’s a lot more to do” to fully restore and modernize the island.

Local PLP candidates echoed the Prime Minister’s narrative, focusing their remarks on the FNM’s failed response to Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Kirk Cornish, the PLP incumbent candidate for North Abaco, harshly criticized the FNM’s post-storm relief efforts, telling a crowd of supporters: “When Hurricane Dorian hit, we didn’t just lose homes—we lost dignity. Our loved ones were left in a trailer. That is their ‘compassion.’ Abaco ain’t forget.” Cornish argued that under the PLP, steady post-storm recovery has transformed the island, but asked voters for a second term to finish unfinished work. “I’ll be honest—there is still more to do. That’s why I’m asking for a second chance to finish what we started,” he said.

Outlining his own priorities for a second term, Cornish pointed to investments across key local sectors: sports, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. For Abaco’s young athletes, the PLP will build a new eight-lane running track and modern sports facilities to expand recreational and competitive opportunities. In education, the government has prioritized staffing and equipping local schools, with a new focus on supporting students with special needs, including hiring more trained specialists and expanding targeted support services. “We must do better for children with special needs, with trained teachers and proper support. No child should be left behind,” Cornish said. For healthcare, the PLP will expand local scholarship programs for critical healthcare roles, including X-ray technology and laboratory science, allowing Abaco residents to train for these in-demand positions and return to serve their home communities. “Healthcare must improve. We cannot have machines sitting unused because we lack technicians. We need trained X-ray techs, lab workers, and doctors on every cay. No Abacoian should have to leave home to receive care,” he added.

On infrastructure, Cornish highlighted completed and ongoing upgrades across North Abaco, including community park and sports court renovations, clinic upgrades, backup generator installations, improvements to water and sewer systems, construction of a new hurricane shelter in Central Pines, and the distribution of completed new homes to residents displaced by Dorian. He also noted that additional road improvement projects are a top priority for the next term, alongside expanded support for local agriculture to boost poultry production, strengthen national food security, and connect smallholder farmers to local markets through school feeding programs.

Sebas Bastian, the PLP candidate for Fort Charlotte, outlined the party’s broader national plans during the rally, including a proposal to double funding for small business grants and expand access to affordable financing for local entrepreneurs across the country. He also highlighted the PLP’s education reforms, including expanding digital literacy training to prepare students for the modern workforce, and its housing agenda, which includes new affordable housing developments in Spring City and Central Pines and an expansion of the popular rent-to-own home ownership program. On national security, Bastian noted that the PLP has expanded law enforcement staffing significantly, adding 748 new police officers, 379 new corrections officers, and 300 new immigration officers to strengthen public safety across the country.

Bradley Fox, the PLP candidate for Central and South Abaco, closed out the rally by framing himself as a leader ready to continue the progress the party has already started in his district. “There’s still a lot of work to be done in Abaco; we’re not where we need to be yet,” he admitted, but pointed to clear, tangible signs of economic recovery across the island. “Our economy has been restored. We see it in the amount of boats in our marinas, the amount of jets on the tarmac. Homes are being constructed. Families have returned home. Communities are being rebuilt, and hope is being restored. And for the first time, we now have a BTVI extension campus right here in Abaco.”

A brewing political storm has erupted in the Bahamas over the government’s flagship agricultural food security initiative, with the opposition Free National Movement (FNM) leader Michael Pintard launching a fierce attack on the Davis administration over the ballooning cost, alleged mismanagement, and transparency failures of the Golden Yolk egg production programme.

Speaking at a political rally on the evening of the report, Pintard pushed back against official government claims that programme-produced eggs would hit retail shelves by the end of the month, questioning exactly what tangible progress the country has received for a public investment that has grown from an initial projected $15 million to a total of $50 to $60 million today. “Where the Hell them eggs are today?” Pintard challenged, highlighting that cost estimates have risen steadily from the original $15 million launch budget to $23 million, and now to approximately $60 million.

Pintard’s criticism is rooted in leaked confidential internal government documents, originating from the Ministry of Agriculture, that outline a series of serious allegations ranging from mismanagement and conflict of interest to public health risks tied to the programme and related government agricultural import policies. The 5 August 2025 report, which was obtained by The Tribune, raises alarms over multiple troubling findings: imported breeding pigs for related agricultural projects carried a reproductive disease, and the infected animals were culled and sold to the public without any disclosure of their health status. No public advisory or internal health warning was ever issued, and the report notes multiple local farmers have confirmed the sales, with full records expected to exist within the Ministry’s Department of Agriculture.

Additional claims center on the Golden Yolk programme itself: the report alleges that government-owned layer chickens brought into the project in February 2025 began producing eggs shortly after arrival, but the Ministry never publicly announced production. Instead, the report suggests, Golden Yolk eggs have been intermingled with private stock and sold under a private company’s brand, with no public disclosure of the arrangement, raising questions about the misuse of public funds for private gain and unreported conflicts of interest. The report also confirms that government-owned Golden Yolk chickens are housed on a private farm controlled by a programme-affiliated consultant, a hidden arrangement that has never been disclosed to the public.

A second leaked document, dated 19 February 2026, details requests for additional funding that have driven the programme’s total cost far above the original launch budget. The original construction contract for the BAIC Golden Yolk Egg Production Plant was awarded to Trade Winds Builders Co Ltd for $23.37 million, including VAT, with a 10% contingency bringing the initial total allocation to more than $25.7 million. However, core civil works including excavation, grading, drainage, paving, and site signage were excluded from the original budget, requiring an additional $14.6 million in funding that pushes the total confirmed project cost to more than $40.3 million, with approval currently pending before national tender and procurement boards. Pintard argued that the steady stream of cost overruns and hidden expenditures fits a pattern of opaque governance by the Davis administration, stating: “That’s the kind of government we’re dealing with, and this same Prime Minister want to talk about slush fund. The truth of the matter is, most of what they do is about hiding funds.”

Launched in 2023 with an initial $15 million budget, the Golden Yolk initiative was framed as a critical step to strengthen the Bahamas’ national food security. Its core goals were to ramp up domestic egg production from just 700,000 eggs per year to 28 million eggs annually when fully operational, cutting the country’s heavy reliance on imported eggs and stabilizing consumer prices during market volatility. Senior government officials have pushed back against the opposition’s claims, defending the programme’s track record and disputing Pintard’s cost estimates.

Shortly after Pintard’s rally comments, the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) confirmed that it has begun harvesting eggs from the programme’s layer chicks, with executive chairman Darron Pickstock reiterating that Golden Yolk eggs will be available in retail stores by the end of the month. In earlier statements from June 2025, Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Jomo Campbell noted that the Bahamas became the first country in the Caribbean region to offer locally produced eggs for less than $10 per dozen during a regional egg price crisis, and that participating farmers have sold dozens of locally-produced eggs for as little as $7 to $8 per box. Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting also refuted opposition cost claims, saying that opposition deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright was “misled” on total expenditure, and confirming that while $15 million was allocated for the full project, the full amount has not yet been drawn down.

Despite government pushback, Pintard and the FNM remain firm in their calls for full transparency, questioning how many small local producers have actually benefited from the public investment, and demanding clear answers about the misuse of public resources and unaddressed public health risks outlined in the internal government documents. The controversy has turned the once-promising food security initiative into a major flashpoint ahead of upcoming political discourse, with the opposition leveraging the leaked documents to attack the administration’s record on governance and public spending.

As The Tribune prepares for the upcoming general election cycle following the release of mandatory financial disclosure forms showing over 50 millionaires are contesting public office, two prominent Bahamian figures are sounding the alarm over systemic gaps in the nation’s political transparency framework that they say are eroding public trust and inviting systemic corruption.

Reverend Philip Stubbs, a local faith leader, and Dr. Ian Strachan, a university professor, say the current system of voluntary, unaudited financial declarations from political candidates lacks any meaningful independent oversight, rendering the entire process little more than a hollow bureaucratic exercise. Their criticisms come amid growing public skepticism over the reliability of the newly published disclosures, which have already sparked questions about how sitting politicians recorded dramatic jumps in their net worth over the last five years.

In interviews with the Tribune, Stubbs noted that widespread doubt hangs over the credibility of the disclosures, a sentiment that has become increasingly difficult to ignore among Bahamian voters. “If the financial disclosures are not verified by a competent third party who can be held legally accountable, a reasonable conclusion is this: the disclosures are useless,” he argued.

Stubbs pointed to the unprecedented jumps in reported net worth among many incumbent candidates as a core driver of public frustration, with some candidates seeing their wealth surge by 200 to 300 percent over just a single five-year term. He added that this lack of transparency has steadily deepened public cynicism and political apathy, a trend that hits particularly hard among voters under 30, the nation’s largest demographic group. Despite his criticisms, Stubbs urged young and disillusioned Bahamians to reject disengagement and remain active in the electoral process, noting that change can only come through continued participation.

The newly released disclosures reveal that multiple high-profile candidates from the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) recorded significant increases in their net worth, among them deputy leader Chester Cooper, senior party members Keith Bell, Glenys Hanna-Martin, and Myles Laroda, as well as first-term representatives Kirk Cornish, Pia Glover-Rolle, McKell Bonaby, Wayne Munroe, and Jobeth Coleby Davis. Several of these candidates have publicly attributed their rising wealth to legitimate gains from private business ventures, personal investment portfolios, and individual life changes.

But the root of the problem, critics say, lies in the text of Bahamian law itself: current regulations do not require any independent audit, third-party certification, or formal verification of the declarations candidates submit before they are published to the public. This gap is particularly notable given the PLP’s 2021 general election campaign pledge to pass a landmark new Public Disclosure Act designed to strengthen transparency standards for public office. Since taking power, the Davis administration has yet to deliver on that promise, leaving the broken framework in place. The main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has since stepped in to make its own pledge to strengthen the disclosure law if it wins power in the next election.

Strachan echoed Stubbs’ criticisms, going so far as to label the current system of unaudited disclosures “worthless” and calling for sweeping across-the-board reforms to rebuild political accountability in the country. “Our amateurism enables kleptocracy,” Strachan warned. “The Prime Minister can investigate but who can investigate the Prime Minister? We obviously need to scrutinise not just politicians but all high ranking public officials. We need FOIA. We need an Integrity Commission.”

Strachan’s proposed reforms go far beyond updating financial disclosure rules: he called for mandatory real-time public disclosure of balance sheets for all state-owned public enterprises, live public publishing of all government procurement processes, and the creation of an independent civic anti-corruption watchdog with the power to investigate and prosecute official graft. “We simply can’t survive this level of corruption. Our country will fall into crisis if we don’t clean up our act,” he said.

Strachan added that the risks of inaction are even more acute in the current economic climate, with the country already facing crippling national debt levels, soaring cost of living pressures, and heightened vulnerability to global economic shocks. Fiscal mismanagement connected to unaccountable political power, he argued, poses an existential threat to the nation’s long-term economic and political stability.