14 Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Standard Bearers Confirmed

Meet The Fourteen Progressive Party (PLP) General Election Candidates Who were Officially Announced on Thursday Evening  - 16 October, 2025 at The Party's Headquarters - Farrington Rd., Nassau, The Bahamas

• Mario Bowleg, Garden Hills

• JoBeth Coleby-Davis, Elizabeth

• Pia Glover-Rolle, Golden Gates

• Leon Lundy, Mangrove Cay, Central and South Andros

• Leslia Miller-Brice, Sea Breeze

• Fred Mitchell, Fox Hill

• Darron Pickstock, Golden Isles

• Bacchus Rolle, South Beach

• Myles LaRoda, Pinewood

• McKell Bonaby, Mount Moriah

• Jamahl Strachan, Nassau Village

• Sebastian Bastian, Fort Charlotte

• Keith Bell, Carmichael

• Jomo Campbell, Centerville

Where are We on The National Salary Review for Public Servants in The Bahamas?

The Bahamas Prime Minister Answers: Here’s where we are.  The national salary review is complete, and tonight it will be made public.  While the review did not include every category of public servants, the same methodology will be applied to ensure increases are extended across the wider public service.  This includes our teachers, whose hard work and dedication continue to shape the future of this nation.

It’s the most comprehensive review of public service pay in decades.  It examines every grade, every scale, every allowance, and every increment.  It looks at the impact of inflation, at fairness between professions, and at how we can modernize pay across the public service.

The findings show that since coming to office in 2021, public officers have received salary increases every year, and that entry-level workers, the ones earning the least, have benefited the most with the consistency and regularity of their reassessments, salary adjustments, and increments, ensuring that these officers received their due in a structured, timely way, after many years of delay.

We did this because we made a decision to put workers first.  Some have asked about the delay.

The delay was not a cash flow problem.  It was an administrative process, making sure the new salary adjustments for more than fifteen thousand public officers were accurate, fair, and done right the first time.  I am satisfied we have resolved the issue, and I want to reassure every public servant that you will be paid before Christmas.

The union leaders have to do their jobs, to represent their members.  But I have to do mine, to represent all Bahamians.

My responsibility is not only to one group, but to every citizen who depends on a strong, stable country.

Some have asked what the grievance really is.  There is no grievance here.  The grandstanding and public drama do not change the fact that this Government is paying workers as promised.  So the question must be asked, is the objection to the fact that we are paying?  Surely, no one can object to fairness being delivered.

There is a proper procedure for filing grievances, and that process is always available.  But let’s be clear, this situation is not about a grievance.  It is about the Government doing what is right by its workers.

Before they can be members of any union, they are first employees of The Government of The Bahamas.  That is why I am speaking directly to you tonight, because not all public officers are union members, but every single one of you serves this nation.  You deserve to hear from your Prime Minister directly.

Workers should always be beneficiaries of our negotiations but never pawns when we disagree.  When politics, personal ambition, or theatrics replace genuine advocacy, it is the workers who suffer, and I will never allow that to happen.

I know that progress is still needed for some categories of workers, and we are continuing to review those cases.  We are not finished, but we are further along than we have been in a very long time.

We may have differences in approach in looking after workers, but our common goal must always be the same, to improve the lives of Bahamian workers.  That is what binds us, and that is what should guide us forward.

...

Source / Full Test

The Inequitable Cannabis Laws of The Bahamas

While every segment of the Bahamian society uses cannabis, and cannabis products - it is typically only one segment of our society that shows up in the courts of The Bahamas to face charges for it.  It is unfair.  It is indefensible.   It runs counter to any notion of social justice

THE BAHAMAS: THE CASE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE 

By Marlon Johnson

Nassau, N.P.,

The Bahamas

To my mind, the most important element of the recent change to the cannabis laws was not the authorization of medical marijuana, nor the ability to grow marijuana here.   In fact, it will be a challenge for any marijuana farm to be profitable at scale as there is no export market in which we can compete.

The most important change to me were the provisions that reduce penalties for small scale possession and consumption.   For reasons that have not been explained, these provisions have yet to to be brought into force.

The continued prosecution of these cases disproportionately impacts young poor Bahamian men - as these cases always have.

We are giving criminal records to these young men often from disadvantaged backgrounds for having and consuming a mild intoxicant - and substantially hindering their employability and life prospects for absolutely no good reason.

C'mon Bahamas, let's fix this right away and bring into effect those passages of the law which reduce the offenses for small possession and consumption down to the prescribed fixed penalties.

And then, let's further agitate to eventually eliminate those fixed penalties for adult consumption.  The prohibition on cannabis simply has not worked.

In real dollar terms, cannabis is cheaper now than it ever has been and more easily available and accessible.  Everybody who wants to smoke marijuana can find it and afford it.

Of course, while every segment of our society uses cannabis products, it is typically only one segment of our society that shows up in courts to face charges for it.  It is unfair.  It is indefensible.   It runs counter to any notion of social justice.

Source / Comment

The Honourable Marvin Dames, and The Deceitful Progressive Liberal Party - PLP

The Hon. Marvin Dames, and The Prudent Drone Contract Honoured by The Ruling Philip 'Brave' Davis Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Administration

Marvin Dames' Righteous Vision for A Secured Bahamian Nation - The Bahamas

Recent claims about the drone contract under former Minister Marvin Dames are misleading.  For over three decades, he has served with integrity and distinction in global law enforcement, yet political narratives now attempt to tarnish his reputation.

Misleading statements and outright lies have become a common tactic of the Progressive Liberal Party.  For more than three decades, Marvin Dames has served at the highest levels of law enforcement, both in our country and internationally.  He has built a reputation that has earned him the utmost respect from the global law enforcement community, a reputation that continues to be upheld today.

However, his political adversaries, in their attempts to tarnish his character, resort to using surrogates to spread a lie.  Unlike many of his critics, Mr. Dames has a reputation that precedes him.  He has established relationships based on professionalism, honor, respect, and integrity.

Let’s unpack the falsehoods propagated by the PLP through their surrogates:

1.⁠ ⁠No Corruption.  No Scandal.

The official audit of the drone contract (2021–2022), a public document by the Auditor General, found no wrongdoing.

•⁠ ⁠No suspicious payments

•⁠ ⁠No side deals

•⁠ ⁠No missing money

The audit speaks for itself.

2. More Than Drones: A Vision for National Security

This was never just about purchasing drones.  The plan included establishing a Centre of Excellence and a training academy to build skills and capacity in drone technology.

The purpose of the academy is to train the next generation of drone pilots in The Bahamas and across the Caribbean region.  Key areas of focus include law enforcement, with partnerships involving the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Immigration, Lands and Surveys, the Disaster Risk Management Authority, and others.  Training opportunities have also been extended internationally.

The former Minister and the FNM were forward-thinking in this regard.

It is also important to highlight that Marvin Dames built an impeccable reputation in global law enforcement circles over three decades.  He has led some of the most critical divisions of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, including the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), the Central Detective Unit (CDU), and the Central Intelligence Unit (CIU).

He earned respect worldwide for his knowledge, experience, spotless character, and integrity, qualities often missing in political life today.  Why would anyone attempt to discredit a man whose leadership helped dismantle international criminal networks and whose reputation still stands firm today?

 3. Who Chose the Vendor?  Not the Minister.

A committee of senior government officials; NOT the Minister, handled the bidding process.  Multiple local and international firms submitted proposals.

The committee carefully reviewed all bids and recommended the company that was most suitable, realistic, and cost-effective at the time.  The winning bid was not only capable and aligned with government policy but also well under budget, compared to competing bids exceeding $30 million.

For clarity:

•⁠ ⁠The Minister did not choose the company.

•⁠ ⁠Payments were processed strictly through the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury.

 4. COVID Changed the Timeline, But the Plan Continued.

When the pandemic struck, budgets shifted.  Out of the $17 million contract, only a small portion was paid by the FNM government before the 2021 election.  The vast majority of payments were left to be honored by the present administration.

Importantly, the vendor adjusted with no penalties, and the program continued under the PLP.

So why insist on playing political games, using surrogates to tarnish the good name of one of our most respected citizens, when the very same company is still being engaged by the current administration?

Even the former Commodore, in his farewell speech at the inauguration of Commodore Floyd Moxey, commended the Drone Academy for its work.

If the accusations are real, then let those making them come forward and show their faces.  Stop hiding behind surrogates.  The Bahamian people deserve honesty and accountability, not shadows and whispers.

 5. Results You Can See.

The drone program was part of a broader modernization strategy championed by Marvin Dames, which also introduced:

•⁠ ⁠ShotSpotter technology to detect gunfire

•⁠ ⁠Body cameras for officers

•⁠ ⁠A Real Time Crime Center (RTCC)

•⁠ ⁠Revitalized national CCTV coverage, which was nonfunctional before he took office

The PLP often claims that the FNM had no crime plan.  But the truth is, their own crime plan was simply to continue the very initiatives launched by the FNM and Marvin Dames. Instead of acknowledging this, they go to great lengths to discredit him.

 6. The Real Question: Why Hide the Success?

Why downplay a program that continues to protect our borders and support law enforcement operations daily?

They use surrogates to spread falsehoods about an alleged $17 million “misappropriation,” knowing full well that the FNM government disbursed only a fraction of that amount.  The majority of the $17 million remains under the present administration’s responsibility as the contract continues to be fulfilled.

If this was a corrupt deal, why is the current government still paying the same vendor and operating the same program?

 7. The Facts Are Clear.

To clarify:

•⁠ ⁠The Ministry of Finance alone is responsible for disbursing payments to vendors.

•⁠ ⁠The Minister did not choose the company awarded the bid. A committee of senior government officials, spanning RBPF, RBDF, Corrections, Finance, and others, led the process. The Minister had no interactions with the company or its executives.

•⁠ ⁠The Minister did not benefit from the bid.

•⁠ ⁠Less than $1 million was disbursed under the FNM administration.

•⁠ ⁠This was a Cabinet-backed policy decision, validated by an independent audit and implemented by independent officials.

Source / Comment

Leslie Miller Little Young Girl

The Political Little Young Girl of Leslie Miller

Leslie Miller and His 'Little Young Girl'

Leslie Miller and His 'little young girl' Politics

Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis responds: Former PLP Cabinet Minister Leslie Miller has chosen to describe me as a “little young girl.”  Let me say this directly: I am a 43-year-old woman.  I have practiced law for nearly two decades, called to the Bar of The Bahamas and the Bar of England & Wales in 2007.  I am a Senator of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, a mother, and a public servant.

For a former Cabinet Minister to belittle me in this way is not only disrespectful to me, it is disrespectful to every Bahamian woman who has worked hard, earned her place, and stepped forward to serve.  This is misogyny, plain and simple.  And it is exactly this type of tired, small-minded thinking that has held The Bahamas back for far too long.

The FNM has made a deliberate choice to bring forward a new generation of leaders.  A younger, fresher, and more diverse slate that includes more women than ever before.  We are stepping forward to represent every Bahamian, to bring new ideas, and to build a future that is not trapped by the prejudices of the past.

The PLP wants you to believe that women cannot lead.  I wonder if they would use this same language about their own women Members of Parliament.  If not, then why do they believe it is acceptable when speaking about me?

Bahamian women are not “little girls.”  We are leaders, professionals, mothers, and nation-builders.  We will not be dismissed with a phrase or pushed aside by men who believe they alone should decide the course of this country.

To every woman and every girl watching this, know this: your contributions matter, your voice matters, and your leadership matters.  This moment is proof of why the fight for respect and equality in politics must continue.  And this is exactly why I am running to represent Killarney.

The Bahamas deserves better than this backward rhetoric.  We deserve leadership that debates ideas on merit, not on gender.  That is the standard I will uphold, and that is the change I will fight for.

Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis

Haitian nationals will not be granted entry in The Bahamas to apply for a US visa

US policy fully restricts entry to their country by Haitian nationals

Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas:  In June of this year, the United States issued a policy fully restricting and limiting the entry of Haitian nationals to the United States.

In light of that policy, today’s announcement that immigrant visa applications by Haitians to the United States can only be processed at the US Embassy in Nassau will result in no additional entries to The Bahamas for the purpose of US visa applications. Because US policy fully restricts entry to their country by Haitian nationals, we will not grant entry to The Bahamas for the purpose of applying for a US visa.

Source

Carlos Lehder says He Ran a Cocaine Empire from a Private Island in The Bahamas

Carlos Lehder says he paid former Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden Pindling 150,000.00 monthly via his agent, Everette Bannister

Brought to you by: Michael Franzese Wines

Carlos Lehder, a former associate of Pablo Escobar and one of the original co-founders of the Medellín cartel, sits down with Michael Franzese to talk about how he built and ran a cocaine empire from Norman’s Cay — a private island in The Bahamas. In this rare interview, Lehder breaks down the myths of the Medellín cartel, shares how he pioneered new smuggling routes into the U.S., and explains why the idea of a unified cartel is more Hollywood than reality.

0:00 – Carlos Lehder and his rise to the top 0:47 – Day in the life of a c*caine smuggler 1:30 – The truth about the Medellín Cartel’s structure 4:38 – Why Carlos bought a private island in the Bahamas 5:00 – Norman’s Cay and smuggling routes to the U.S. 6:00 – The Bahamas government transition and its impact 6:55 – How Lehder viewed the U.S. as his empire's

Nassau, The Bahamas - The Governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) PRESS STATEMENT on Carlos Lehder Interview

www.yourplp.org

Statement From the Progressive Liberal Party on Headline About Money Paid to Sir Lynden

For Immediate Release

The headline of 1 September 2025 on the front page of The Tribune, I PAID PINDLING 150K PER MONTH", is incorrect and misleading. It is also salacious and defamatory. However, because the law does not recognize defamation of the deceased, that outrageous allegation can be printed without legal consequences.

If one reads the story, a convicted drug trafficker, Carlos Lehder, who served time in prison for running cocaine into the United States, claims that he paid $150,000 a month to an intermediary whom he alleged was an agent for the late Prime Minister.

At no point does the story say that the drug trafficker ever paid anything to Sir Lynden. It is all after-the-fact, third-party hearsay nothing more than "he said, she said."

The larger point is that the source of the information is manifestly unreliable. The accusations cannot be tested because all the individuals against whom the allegations are made are deceased.

They cannot defend themselves. Sir Lynden is dead. Everett Bannister is dead. Gorman

Bannister is dead. These allegations, therefore, reflect cowardice, not truth-telling.

In The Bahamas, we often say, "Mouth can say anything." Around the world, it is said that paper will stand still for anything to be written on it. Convicted criminals often make self-serving statements. Newspapers, in turn, often print whatever will sell.

These allegations belong exactly where all other untested claims belong - in the garbage bin of history.

1 September, 2025