FNM says PLP leader “pulling political levers” to get ad removed but PLP calls on FNM leader to apologize for “defamation”
Roman Catholic Archdiocese: The Hermitage is not to be used for political purposes
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As political parties continue to amp up campaigning for the upcoming general election, the Free National Movement (FNM) came under fire over the weekend for recent campaign ads and videos.
On Saturday, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) issued an interim order mandating Cable Bahamas Limited (CBL) to cease and desist its broadcast of political ads against Opposition Leader Philip Davis and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
URCA said it has launched a full investigation into a complaint made by Davis’ counsel, McKinney, Turner & Co, concerning the “inaccurate and defamatory political advertisements on REV Network”.
The same day, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau also hit out at the party after a video was circulated of several FNM members using the The Hermitage at Mount Alvernia, otherwise known as Como Hill, on Cat Island “without permission, as the backdrop for a political campaign video”.
“The Archdiocese has made access to The Hermitage, an important religious site for Roman Catholics in The Bahamas and beyond, freely available to the public,” the statement said.
“However, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau is a non-partisan religious organization and does not authorize the use of its property for partisan political purposes.
“All such usage should cease with immediate effect.”
In its own statement on its social media page, the FNM sought to defend the political ad, insisting Davis is “taking extraordinary steps in trying to conceal his party’s disastrous record from the voters”.
“But pulling political levers and applying political pressure to get regulators like URCA to disregard their own regulations won’t silence the truth,” the FNM said.
“The only thing negative about the ad Brave Davis and his party are taking extraordinary steps to remove from the airways is the fact that it graphically highlights the disastrous PLP record when they last held power.”
The statement accused the PLP of “incompetence” in managing the country during its tenure in office, asserting that it “learned very little to nothing” from its historic loss at the election polls in 2017.
“…No solutions and bereft of new ideas, Brave’s woeful PLP is left hiding behind lawyers, threatening legal action and pulling political levers to get regulators like URCA to ignore its own regulations, to do their bidding in hopes that they can erase the PLP’s disastrous record.
“While Brave and his party have learned very little since 2017, the Bahamian people have and won’t go back to the days of politicians running the country into the ground as they look to serve themselves at the people’s expense.”
In a statement responding to the FNM, PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell accused the party of “condoning the nastiest, malicious and most deceptive election campaign in our nation’s history”.
“We call on Dr [Hubert] Minnis and the FNM to apologize to Cable Bahamas and the Bahamian people for the nasty ads and while at it, seek forgiveness for going into a Catholic church in Cat Island recently and echoing the same type nasty political lies consistent with the television ads that have now been removed by the relevant authority,” he said.
“Dr Minnis and the FNM will pay for the nasty and low-down advice they have taken long after their highly paid foreign advisors are gone.”
Loading ...
