As Leader of the Free National Movement, I find it shameful that the Prime Minister continues to weaponize misinformation about the National Food Distribution Task Force, a program that fed thousands of Bahamian families during one of the darkest times in our nation’s history.
When COVID-19 shut down our economy and left many Bahamians without work or income, the FNM Government acted quickly. We established the National Food Distribution Task Force to ensure that no one went hungry. Working with trusted NGOs, churches, and community organizations, that partnership distributed more than 1.4 million food parcels and vouchers across the country. It was one of the largest, most coordinated relief efforts in our modern history.
Yet rather than commend this national effort, the Prime Minister chose to vilify it. In 2023, he told Parliament that there was “grave mismanagement” and “breathtaking deficiencies. ” He claimed that millions were unaccounted for and that $10 million had “vanished. ” He went as far as to suggest that those involved might have acted improperly, a reckless statement designed to score cheap political points.
The Prime Minister went further, weaponising the machinery of the state to intimidate and humiliate private citizens. He caused the seizure of assets of persons who have long worked on behalf of the Bahamian people and the arrest and public parading of individuals whose families have, for decades, contributed to the Bahamas through their philanthropy and community service.
All of this was done in pursuit of political brownie points that have caused lasting reputational damage to good people and tarnished their image both at home and abroad.
Now, the facts are clear. The Auditor General’s report confirms that every dollar disbursed to the Task Force was properly accounted for. The report even praised the Task Force and its partners, noting that “the work of the NFDTF averted a potential food security catastrophe, which could have had greater consequences for the country. ” This validation exposes what we have said all along: the PLP’s attacks were never about accountability. They were about distraction. The irony of this Prime Minister to accuse others of mismanagement while his own administration is still struggling to explain major financial irregularities, including unanswered questions about the $10 million loan to the Carmichael Village Development Project.
The Bahamian people deserve leaders who tell the truth and take responsibility. The men and women who served on the National Food Distribution Task Force gave their time, resources, and energy to feed our nation. They deserve our gratitude, not slander.
It is time for the Prime Minister to correct the record, apologize to the Task Force, and to the Bahamian people. Leadership is about honesty, humility, and accountability – qualities this administration continues to lack.