“I’m doing this to create change”
ORG: Wealth of candidates not a clear determination of their worth
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Despite declaring himself one of the lowest-net-worth candidates of the 227 who were nominated for office in the upcoming General Election, Garden Hills independent candidate Kareem Hanchell said he believes good governance is about more than the money representatives have.
Hanchell disclosed $60 as his net worth, with a total monthly income of $2,500 and liabilities of $2,440.
In an interview with Eyewitness News yesterday, he insisted that he is not ashamed of his current financial status and urged voters not to look at his revenue stream, income or expenses as a disadvantage.
“I’m doing this to create change,” he said.
“I said to Garden Hills that they have to determine if they want a man with a plan to make money for everyone or they want a man with money who don’t know how to make money for no one.”
Hanchell, a father of three daughters, is a self-employed businessman with a fencing company.
He said he has been mitigating his finances amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to provide for his family.
He explained that his disclosure shows that he pays himself from his company a salary of $2,500 monthly — which he uses for his family’s expenses, including rent, food, transportation and his daughter’s medication.
“I don’t have any assets. I haven’t purchased any properties as yet, so I am still going to be a first-time homeowner,” Hanchell said.
He said he and his wife have been self-funding his campaign and underscored the need for campaign finance reform in the country.
He said he wants to get into governance to voice his concerns in Parliament about businesses throughout the country and the impact of value-added tax (VAT) on taxpayers.
The independent candidate said if elected, he intends to make a 12-person council in the constituency and create a local government to be able to address concerns from various ministries at a micro-level.
In a separate Eyewitness News interview, Matt Aubry, the Organization for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) executive director, said absence of wealth for some candidates is not a clear determination of their worthiness in office.
Aubry noted that the system of governance in The Bahamas currently gives those with wealth and discretionary income the capacity to serve in an elected official position because the position requires a lot of time and is simply seen as a part-time position.
He questioned the level of verifiable information of disclosures made on Nomination Day and insisted that the process needs to be looked at in terms of overall electoral reform.
Aubry said the implementation of an Integrity Commission Bill would be able to address many of these concerns.
Several other candidates along with Hanchell nominated for the Garden Hills constituency, including Free National Movement (FNM) candidate Stephen Greenslade, who declared a net worth of $5,743,959; Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate Mario Bowleg, who declared a net worth of $345,919; well-known public commentator Ali McIntosh, who declared $130,500; Rastafarian Priest Richmond McKinney. who declared $7,000; former Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate Boykin Smith who declared $105,500; Derek John Smith, who declared $823,635.89; Pachino Sherman, who declared $1,393,600; and Sinisha Thompson, who declared $9,433.
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