NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Opposition Leader Michael Pintard yesterday accused the Davis administration of collecting record revenues while failing to pay its bills, arguing that the government’s claims of fiscal improvement ring hollow as arrears nearly double and vendors, public servants and healthcare providers wait months for payment.
During his contribution in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Pintard framed his remarks around what he called a growing “trust deficit,” questioning how an administration that touts rising revenues and deficit reduction can at the same time allow unpaid obligations to surge.
“Revenue has increased significantly under this administration,” Pintard said. “And so the question is… if revenue has gone up dramatically, what in heaven’s name are they doing with the money?”
Citing the government’s own budget documents, the Opposition Leader said the administration is now collecting “more than $1 billion per year since they first took office.” With that scale of additional revenue, he argued, Bahamians should expect tangible improvements in public services.
“With that kind of an increase, the Bahamian people would expect better hospitals, better clinics, better schools, better public services,” he said. “We would have expected better roads at better prices than we’re getting today.”
Instead, Pintard pointed to a sharp rise in arrears disclosed in the Mid-Year Budget Review. He told Parliament that unpaid bills stood at approximately $122 million in December 2024 but had climbed to $241 million by December 2025 — an increase of nearly $120 million in one year.
“That’s almost $120 million in additional unpaid obligations in a single year,” he said. “It is easy to celebrate a surplus when over $241 million in bills remain outstanding. It is far more difficult for the Bahamian contractor, who has already completed the work, paid his staff, and now is financing the government because they won’t pay their bill.”
Pintard argued that delayed payments distort the fiscal picture.
“When invoices sit unpaid, expenses appear lower,” he said. “When obligations are delayed, the deficit appears smaller. When vendors are forced to wait, the books look cleaner, but that’s not progress. It’s just leaving the tab for someone else to pay.”
During his contribution, the Opposition Leader clashed with government members over suggestions that the fiscal presentation amounted to deliberate management of optics. He clarified that he was not questioning Ministry of Finance professionals but rather the administration’s handling of its obligations.
“I’m not calling into question the professionals. I’m not calling into question the numbers,” Pintard said. “When you claim that the deficit is closing… and then we see the numbers do something totally different… we are saying in our opinion… it is intentional.”
The Opposition Leader repeatedly returned to what he described as an issue of credibility, singling out what he called inconsistencies in government statements — including previous assertions about $120 million allegedly “in the bank” in relation to Grand Bahama matters.
“It’s an issue of trust,” he said. “Trust is something a government shouldn’t be asking for. It’s something that a government should try to earn.”
Beyond the headline fiscal figures, Pintard detailed the practical effects of arrears across the public and private sectors. He cited police officers concerned about health insurance coverage, immigration and customs officers raising operational needs, teachers and public servants awaiting allowances, and National Health Insurance providers waiting months to be paid.
“We would have expected that clinics and doctors would not have to operate in uncertainty because they cannot be paid on time,” he said.
He added that small contractors and family businesses are often paid “in little small increments” after months of delay, straining payrolls and working capital.
“It would be one thing if the economy was in some crisis and the government came in here with humility and explained to the public that the monies are just not there,” Pintard said. “They are not facing any such hurricane or pandemic… More money… and yet they can’t explain what they do with all this money.”
The Opposition Leader also accused the administration of prioritizing consultants and insiders over frontline obligations.
“When it comes to frontline obligations, we hear about process and review,” he said. “But when it comes to insiders and consultants, money move quickly in this country. It moves quickly for some folks.”
He criticized what he described as delays in implementing oversight mechanisms, including the Ombudsman’s office and the Freedom of Information framework.
“You do not pass transparency laws and then leave them sitting on the shelf unless you never intended… to be transparent in the first place,” he said.
Pintard further took aim at the administration’s approach to Grand Bahama and the recent arbitration outcome involving the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA). While stating that the Free National Movement has long maintained that regulatory control in Freeport should not rest with “a couple of families or companies,” he accused the government of creating uncertainty in its handling of the matter.
He also pointed out that revenue-generating components once associated with the GBPA — including the utility, power and sanitation companies — were privatized under previous Progressive Liberal Party administrations.
“All of those revenue-generating groups were privatized under the Progressive Liberal Party,” he said, arguing that any expectation of extracting $357 million from the regulatory body was unrealistic given its structure.
Pintard framed the fiscal debate as a credibility test for the administration.
“Can you trust them to pay their bills?” he asked. “Can you trust them with your money?”
He concluded that fiscal discipline is measured not only by revenue collection or deficit ratios but by prioritization and execution.
“Fiscal discipline is not measured only by what you collect,” he said. “It’s measured by what you prioritize and how you spend,” said Pintard.
