NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has accused Prime Minister Philip Davis of misleading the public over the disclosure of key contracts tied to the government’s energy reform initiative, citing conflicting statements from senior officials about whether the agreements have been made public.
In a statement released Wednesday, Pintard said the prime minister “falsely claimed that all contracts related to the government’s energy reform, including the controversial Pike agreement, have been tabled in Parliament. They have not.”
Pintard’s comments came after the prime minister asserted that all related agreements were already laid in Parliament and available for review. However, in a subsequent radio interview, the Minister of Energy Jobeth Coleby-Davis acknowledged that the final agreements have not yet been fully published, noting that only a summary document is currently available and that the full versions are expected to be released online later.
“In a fashion that should surprise no one, the Minister of Energy contradicted him,” Pintard said, adding that the minister admitted the final energy agreements “have not yet been publicly released” and would be uploaded “soon.”
“The truth is simple,” Pintard said. “The Pike agreement has never been tabled in Parliament. It has never been fully disclosed to the Bahamian people, and instead of correcting the record, the Prime Minister chose to insult anyone who asked for transparency.”
The restructuring of the transmission and distribution network — currently managed by Bahamas Power and Light — is expected to affect households and businesses nationwide for decades. Pintard argued that such an agreement “cannot be shielded from scrutiny” and should not be misrepresented as public when it is not.
“Transparency is not optional when public assets are involved. Accountability is not a favor granted by government; it is a duty owed to the people,” he said.
Central to the controversy is the proposed long-term arrangement involving U.S.-based Pike Corporation and its Bahamian affiliate Island Grid Solutions, which would oversee modernization and management of the New Providence electricity grid through the Bahamas Grid Company.
