Guardian Radio Today - October 6 2025

[00:00:00] Speaker A: The views and opinions of the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the management and staff of Guardian Radio. [00:01:06] Speaker B: 6.9 FM. Guardian Radio. Boots on the ground. What a fan side. Good afternoon, Bahamas. I know this has been a much, much, much anticipated show, so I am not going to keep you waiting too long, but, you know, I have to send my shout outs to the regular listeners, callers. Those of you watching on the live screen, see, I can say I can wave because I look cute today. So I can turn to the camera and give y' all a nice little wave, a wink, a smile. Hi, Sean. Hi, Evie. And you know God at home. God is at home today. I invited him to join me in the studio, but he say no, I don't know why. And I tell him, I said I could get you back because he put me on blast yesterday. So I say, God, I'm gonna get you back today. I invited Mr. God, Maynard Roseborough to join us in studio today. But I don't know, my good friend God, must he play in politics? I don't know why. But hello to you, God at home. Hello to all of the on Guardian Radio today, we have a very, very, very special guest. This is actually this guest's first time on this particular segment of the station's lineup of shows on Guardian Radio today. And I am elated to be in his presence. You know, he speaks with such confidence, such a shorty. He commands the room when he enters. I know a lot of you listeners have seen the flyer circulating, so you know exactly who I am talking about. This man is none other than the official leader of His Majesty's Royal Opposition and leader of the Free National Movement, none other than Mr. Michael C. Pintard. Mr. Pintard, welcome to Guardian Radio. [00:03:12] Speaker A: It's good to be on with you, Gabby. It is a wonderful day and I want to say good morning to the entire Bahamas. You know, it feels like one of those days where it's good to ring the bell. [00:03:24] Speaker B: Oh, Jesus. You done starting with the turbulence? It's so early for turbulence this morning, Mr. Bintad. It's afternoon now. You think? It didn't even pass lunch, though. [00:03:35] Speaker A: Somewhere in the world is morning. But it's good to be here with you. And I'm looking forward to candid discussion with the Bahamian people about the issues that affect them and their children. And I believe that, you know, we're an exceptional country, talented people. We're as gifted and talented as anyone else anywhere else in the world. And it's Time for that Bahamian excellence to shine true in every segment of our society. [00:04:01] Speaker B: Now, Mr. Pintard, there are a lot of persons that are already familiar with you. There are a lot of persons that know you. But for our listeners tuned in today that do not know who Michael C. Pintard is, could you kindly enlighten them on who this man is sitting across the table from me in studio today? [00:04:21] Speaker A: Well, I'm last child of Sister Laura Benson, who was born in New Bight Cat island. And I'm the, I believe, the last child of John Samuel Pintard from Duncan Town, from Ragged Island. And I grew up primarily in Coconut Grove and Angliston and then later in Yellow Elder. I mean, we used to move quite a bit. We moved to Mount Pleasant Village. We lived Arawaka Avenue, just a host of different places. I'm very familiar as a young person with New Providence, particularly Coconut Grove and Anglican, where I live through at least Seven Corners. I attended William Phipps Primary School. I believe the Valley Shack is in that location. And I went to SC macpherson and graduated from AF Adley. Of course, not before was suspended twice at AF Adley, expelled. [00:05:12] Speaker B: She was a troublemaker, too. [00:05:14] Speaker A: I fell on the third time. And the character of my mother and prayers of my mother was responsible for me being readmitted in school. And after grade 10, I didn't get any more problems. I graduated, went on to the College of the Bahamas and went on to do an associate's degree in agriculture, a bachelor's degree at Tuskegee University in Alabama in plant and soil science, and then of course went on to McGill and did a number of graduate courses in agricultural economics. I studied here in the Bahamas compliance and Anti money laundering and became an MLRO again, a money laundering operating officer and so reporting officer and so again in a number of fields I've dedicated my time to study. I believe today is relevant in transforming the country. I've been an activist all of my adult life. [00:06:10] Speaker B: Wow. But guess what? You miss out the part. The part that I to be well accustomed in that field. I know the still standing Michael C. Pindad. You know, though a what it say through smiling lips in my face concealed deceitful tongues that send fiery darts to pierce my back, my heart as I walk that confident walk. But I am still standing. I mean, I mean, listen, I remember that by heart. [00:06:46] Speaker A: My lord. [00:06:47] Speaker B: Acquaintances, formerly cultural critics, have suddenly become biographers speaking volumes. But me they know not, impressing small groups with their assessments of me, putting me in perspective. Michael, in retrospect presented by them who at best tolerate me but at worst wish for my demise. But Mr. Pintot, what do you say to them? [00:07:11] Speaker A: I'm still standing. [00:07:12] Speaker B: Listen, listen. They gotta know the Kudak Creative exists for all those persons listening out there. [00:07:18] Speaker A: So Gabi just quoted from the signature poem from my book Still Standing, which is on the BGCSE syllabus for High school students, one of three books that have been published. Patricia Glinton Mikolis was the principal figure her and Nico behind the editing and publishing of those books for me. And yeah, I the majority of what I've built, properties I've purchased, it's come through the creative arts. Writing plays, books as well as performing monologues, organizing events. And so yeah, the creative side of me, I see myself as a creative. There are so many creatives here. Persons in media, you're a creative athletes, persons who are entertained, whether in music, visual arts, dance, et cetera. All of us are creatives. The very area that the Prime Minister does not think is a real job. In fact, there are far more persons working in these occupations than the traditional occupations that he believes that's important. I'd also say that I functioned for many years as a human resources consultant, having done training for the majority, I believe, of the staff of commercial banks, offshore banks, insurance companies, various companies, including educational institutions, teachers in both the private and public sector. I've conducted workshops and training and motivational speaking on a volunteer basis. I've spoken to the vast majority of schools in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, including their graduations, public and private schools, something I couldn't have dreamed of. Times I was having challenges at AFR Lee or even when I graduated, I believe it was with a 2.6 or 7th grade point average. I wouldn't have been one of those students on the honor roll, but I stuck with it. I benefited from the guidance of my mother in particular, but also from persons like Doug Collins, who was my grade 10 teacher, and Ms. Pratt, who was my math teacher in S.C. mcPherson. A number of persons who poured into my life when I had challenges again, even back then, when I was fighting, which I shouldn't have been doing, I was fighting for people who were, in my view, the underdog. And as a high school student I joined with persons like Carla Reckley, Johnny Reckley, Franklin Munro, who they call Doom, Marvin Dames and we formed the youth association in Mount Pleasant and agitated for lights to be put on the park. And we tell the story of how we changed the mp. None of us could have vote, but we did Protest. We did go to the meeting when he indicated he could not get lights on the park and we turn our chairs. I remember vividly turning my chair with the back to the speaker as a teenager. And that has continued throughout my life in every country I've lived in as an activist. [00:10:10] Speaker B: Okay, so I know for our listeners they're wondering, well, why Gabby ain't tell us the numbers to call yet, why she didn't put it out there. So for all of our listeners out there and those of you that want to be a part of the conversation, let me lay the ground rules. Now this a tight ship we run in today. So for the first portion of this show, call, I see you on the line, but you need to listen to this information. For the first portion of this show, I will not be taking any calls. This is not something that Mr. Pintad acts. This is something that as the host I am deciding I will not take any calls. I will let my producer know that maybe somewhere around 1245 when we can open up the phone lines and let callers start to call in. And the reason I'm doing that is so that I can get these Questions answered by Mr. Pintad while he's in front of me. You can write your questions down, call us because this is going to be a 30 second window. We're going to have a lot of calls to get through, we're going to have a lot of texts to get through. So callers, you're going to be limited today to 3/30 seconds. Write your questions, the pin tide so that when I answer your call, you can quickly and concisely get your point out to him. We're going to do this, of course, as Guardian Radio today, call us, always do in a respectful manner, in an orderly manner and we're going to have a great conversation today. So what I'm going to do now is give you the phone line so that when we open up the lines, you, you are ready to call. So the phone lines to call today is 323-623-3325-431632-54259 or anywhere from our beautiful family of islands. 35720 and text us. I already see the text. Roll it in. I am going to try my best to get through all of them. The text number is 422-4796 and of course that line is powered by none other than BTC. So Mr. Pintad, you warm em up. You didn't get them, you know, into you. Knowing you, I didn't See the list ones you're throwing there. Talking about readiness, talking about a general election instead of a by election. And obviously a lot of our callers want to get answers to those questions. But I want to start off with the state, state of our current health care system. It said that the health of the nation is the wealth of the nation. But right now we see a failing health care system. I want to know your thoughts on the current health care systems which is our hospital at pmh, our clinics, sunderlands, the current state that it's in, it's in a state of disrepair. Should as the leader of the opposition you would have spoken to these things numerous times. I want to know currently, right now, what are your thoughts on the state and where do we, how do we fix this health care system or can it even be fixed? [00:13:19] Speaker A: Well, you know what I find interesting is when I make mention of crises in the country. The criticism from the prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister and their team is swift that often they deny that there is a crisis. I indicated that we have an a health care crisis, a crisis in terms of crime. I recently mentioned that we had a challenge in the country not just in terms of the physical health of Bahamians, but in terms of the mental health. And that was against the backdrop of all of the reports with respect to attempted suicides and suicides. I think a part of fixing the Bahamas requires that we at least admit the condition that we are in. And unfortunately this administration, because it has constructed this narrative that you know, things are going well, they have done all these transformative things, they are making that they're laying claim to, they fail to be honest with the public that things rough on the road and healthcare is one of those areas. Now I believe there should be a bipartisan approach to addressing the healthcare needs of the country and on focusing. Unfortunately, yes, it has been politicized. And so to answer your question directly, we are in a crisis. The pmh, the Princess Margaret Hospital is facing a number of serious issues. One of nurses, we're somewhere between three to 400 nurses short in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, we are short other allied health professionals. And so whether you're talking about in the radiology department or auxiliary staff that's required in pediatrics or for icu, we have very serious shortages. We have shortage in terms of medication. A part of the problem is many companies are refusing to do business with the government unless the government can pay cash because this government in particular has a problem paying bills. I'm not suggesting that it is the only administration that has been having challenges, but I will say that clearly they are the worst. There are basic supplies required for carrying out regular procedures at the hospital across departments that you do not have access to. And we're talking about supplies that should not be recycled, but that there should be new items again each time the procedure is carried out. And so the government has, in my bills have put the hospital and by extension Bahamians at risk. And it is a very serious issue. And so Sanderlands would be no different. We have a shortage of beds, we have a shortage of again functioning departments. We would like to know when would we have the transformation of the children's ward at pmh? How long is it going to take? If the former administration has made mistakes and there have been a number of them, the question is, why have you not corrected it four and a half years into your administration? The children's ward is but one example. Have you finished in totality the emergency room which you met in train? So when a government is talking about building a new specialty hospital for maternal care which is badly needed for pediatrics for children, our newborn baby, it's necessary. The question is how will you build staff, equip, populate with appropriate workers, a brand new hospital having fail, failing right now to do so with the existing hospital. And that's just not New Providence. But also in Grand Bahama, you have the rant that sometimes the operating room would not be available, whether it's because of air condition, the fact that it's out of order during that time, or because you have a shortage of personnel required. So if you're having problems equipping, outfitting the Rand Memorial Hospital, help us understand how you will successfully build a new hospital and staff it. We also know that Bahamians pay very little for health care. So when you look at the budget, it has one of the largest allocation of resources yet. If you look in excess of $100 million that is required to run the hospital on an annual basis, you, you are collecting a fraction of it. So we're talking probably less than one fifth of what it takes to run the healthcare system, clinics included, you are collecting possibly less than a fifth of that. So the question is, how will you sustain the services? So don't tell me just about the massive loan, the $300 million loan that you're taking out. Tell us on where you are going. Facility, maintain the existing pmh, maintain the Rand Memorial Hospital and build out the new clinics that you're breaking ground for now. The mat is not matting and the minister of health and the Prime Minister has not been able to explain it. [00:18:25] Speaker B: Well, you mentioned it is rough on this road. So speaking of being rough on this road, the cost of living is something that's been on every Bahamian city mind. The fact that they cannot afford to even live comfortably a lot not being able to meet their minimum needs and requirements. Can the cost of living be lowered effectively and do you have any plans if elected to office as the prime minister of this country to do so? [00:18:59] Speaker A: Let's start with the area of housing. One of the biggest challenges that Bahamians have when dealing with the issue of affordability is the issue of housing. And so when we talk about affordability, we're talking can people put food on the table behave largest component of the budget that I have in Marco City and as providing social assistance to persons across Grand Bahama who would reach out from time to time. And these are persons who they're not interested in calling a member of parliament or, or a government official. They would rather work in order to provide for their own families. But in the absence of an economy that grows by more than 2% they are forced to seek assistance for some item in their budget. And so we have a challenge with food, we have a challenge with housing, we have a challenge with people. Keeping the light on the Grand Bahama Power Company is again, we believe, inflating the cost of power. It is not such an issue. We do not buy the CEO's disrespectful remarks. We believe that they are again seeking to raise funds to maintain that they would have to pay for the fuel for the generators that they have and to fix an outdated infrastructure. So people, when dealing with affordability issues in Grand Bahama Power is the top of that list. For many residents, New Providence is no difference. The Prime Minister's failed reform in the energy sector again raises affordability questions. We will fix bpl, but we would not fix it for a few making some wealthy folks even more wealthy. We believe that oil Bahamian should benefit. So I just, I wanted to give the overview then to come to housing, we need affordable units to be rented. One of the challenges, Gabi, that we are having is that many persons who have those rental units out of the pool and made it available for Airbnb and again, it's more lucrative for them. For them, they believe it's less hassle, et cetera. So the few units that are available are now at a very high. We need to then work with, create a kind of ceiling for a number of in particularly in certain Geographical areas, it is unreasonable that the prices for or a one bedroom is what it is. Now I'm a landlord, obviously I have property tax. [00:21:30] Speaker B: That's the first thing the landlords are going to say. So I'm going to say it for them. In the instances what about, is there any intention for those that are going to say, well, we have real property tax, the maintenance to keep up with these places, building supplies and materials are constantly going up. We cannot afford to house people any longer in the living skyrocketing Right. [00:21:51] Speaker A: So government has ways again of providing incentives and of course even controls as it relates to rent. So if persons are building units, we have a tremendous amount of land. Governments around the world are creating social housing as a means of helping the most vulnerable to be able to afford rents. And it enables land wide rent at a concessionary rate because they can benefit from tax breaks that allow them to build units. Knowing what that ceiling is in particular areas, we ought to explore it. We ought to look at best practices in other jurisdictions and many of our callers who are out there, who've traveled internationally, who have read of what various governments and in some cases what private sector is doing in conjunction with certain municipalities, what have they obtained the out of control rent rates. We ought to look at it. Whether it's tax incentives, whether it is the provision of land for the purpose of creating social housing where persons who ordinarily might not be able to move in a particular area, that X amount or some portion of the inventory of homes in those areas are carved out for folks who would otherwise not be able to afford it. So these are not novel areas. They are working in jurisdictions across the world and we ought to look at that. We should also look at creating home ownership. We own a tremendous amount of land. As a government, why are we not making land available again to developers who with a view of shaving significant portion of that cost of that home off that bill through concessionary rates for land and in cases, land grants to Bahamian to give them a start. [00:23:47] Speaker B: Speaking of land grants, I want to stick a pin there and I want to ask you because this government recently touted a land reform bill and we've seen where they started to backdate some title deeds to persons and this would have started somewhere in the Fox Hill community. I want to know your thoughts on this. Did it truly move the needle? Is there a possibility? What about. And I want to bring in this. So this is going to be a three part question. I also want you to tie into this the removables Property act and what the current what is currently doing to Bahamians now in terms of being able to afford property in the market? [00:24:24] Speaker A: Well, two very distinct things. We are now studying what the government claim they have done awarding homes, whether it's to a dozen persons or less. It does move the needle for those families. So we're happy for those families that would have gotten title to land. We want to make sure that again as we get the feedback in all cases, families that ought to have it. But any family that owns a piece of the rock, we're happy for them as long as it's not at the expense of of any other family laying claim to the same property. But let's get real. In terms of home ownership, there are more than 12,000 families waiting for a solution to housing. This government does not have a plan. And let me just jump ahead before people run up these talks about you and the last administration. How many house did they build? We are out of office. We were kicked out of office for a variety of reasons. And one of those may very well be the inability to answer the issue of how do we provide affordable homes. The F and M has been in power four nonconception, a stellar record as an administration in the initial three with Hubert Ingraham in terms of providing housing. But they don't want to discuss that part of it. And even under Dr. Minnis the formula created for young professionals to own homes because they have gotten land at concessionary rates, model homes were already designed to be designated. That formula is a formula that can work. It just took too long to get off the ground and hence the benefits have not been seen under Michael Pintad and the Free National Movement. When we become the government it is possible and we will lead a housing revolution. And it is possible to build 2000 housing units per year. The chairman of the PLP and others they could throw a hissy fit all they want. It is doable. I've spent over the last several months in discussions with developers, with financiers, with persons who have factories that manufacture system builds persons who are interested in traditional building because you can have homes who housing units standalone as well as multi, multifamily units. You can have that going occurring alongside blocks, standalone homes or again multifamily. And so we've taken the time and we will roll out our plan shortly to demonstrate that we are in a position to have factories that stand up homes in less than three months at affordable rates for a range of families depending on the socioeconomic bracket that they fit in and These can be homes for again civil servants, particularly the frontline soldiers like police officers or persons from the uniform branches, whether it's police, customs, immigration, et cetera, social workers, nurses and teachers. Give you one example. Why would the government be evicting some of the officers who still are eligible for housing in Freeport out of units? Why are we not having a discussion about transitioning any officer who has to move into a home of their own or providing to them fee simple title for the unit that they're in? But back to what I'm saying. We can produce 450 or 500 square feet for somebody who's simply want a nice one bedroom studio unit as their starter development, their starter condo. We can then do 600 plus square feet. We can do 800 square feet, 1200, 160025 and counting. Where it isn't a situation where you are again taking public servants in particular through a long tedious process by which they are able to obtain home. We now are in discussions with persons who are prepared to provide financing for homes for Bahamians. And when we roll out the plan again, we will put to rest these nonsensical criticisms by the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party and some others who have failed to convince their cabinet that we ought to unleash the potential that developers hold in this country. Other people who are knocking on the door of this country based on the projects they are already doing, whether it's in Turks and Caicos, whether it's in Guyana or other countries. We have examples of projects that the Bahamas can adapt to our local condition using again traditional materials in some cases as well as modern building facilities. We have a young entrepreneur, built an entire community out west by importing a factory that he put adjacent to the to the property and built a number of home young professionals are living in. This is not rocket science. We could do this. [00:29:27] Speaker B: Well, you've heard it. If you're just tuning in, that is Michael C. Pintard, the leader of his opposition and leader of the Free National Movement. Listen. They say listen music. That means we have to go to our first break of the day. After the break I want to come back and address some more key issues and then we'll get to you callers and Texas, you're tuned in to Guardian Radio today. We'll be right back. Tired of banks forcing you to use technology to bank the way they want you to. Your convenience is important. So no matter what your banking needs, Commonwealth Bank's friendly staff are always available in branch for that personal one on one service. But when you choose technology, our online and mobile banking app offers you state of the art functionality. The choice is yours. Commonwealth bank bank the way you want. [00:30:46] Speaker A: Attention pizza lovers. Marcos is getting bigger a deal that can't be missed. Head in and order a mouth watering. [00:30:53] Speaker C: Large one topping pizza for just $10. [00:30:56] Speaker A: You heard right, just 10. [00:30:59] Speaker C: Don't this offer is only available at. [00:31:02] Speaker A: Our Southwest Burnett Road and call in or order online and pick up in restaurant today. [00:31:07] Speaker C: This amazing carryout offer is available for. [00:31:10] Speaker A: A limited time only this October. [00:31:13] Speaker B: Let's come together. [00:31:14] Speaker A: It's the Sister Sister Breast cancer support group Dollar Day happening Friday, October 17th from 7am to 10am right here on the grounds of the Nassau Guardian, Carter. [00:31:24] Speaker B: Street Oaksville and the basketball part. With just $1 you can help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Every dollar counts towards awareness, education and support for women battling this disease. [00:31:36] Speaker A: Come on out, drop a dollar and stand with us for a cause that touches so many lives. [00:31:41] Speaker B: Join us on Friday, October 17th from 7 to 10am and let's turn every dollar into hope. [00:31:47] Speaker A: That's the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Dollar Day proudly sponsored by by the Guardian Media Group Star 106.5 and Guardian Radio 96.9. [00:31:57] Speaker B: When it comes to hearts at Cleveland Clinic, you can't miss a beat. You seek the best care possible, work with the brightest minds and leave no stone unturned to get to the heart of the matter. Because understanding is always the first step to overcoming for every heart in the world. See how we're advancing the future of heart care at Cleveland Clinic today. Don't wait for a storm to arrive. Stock up on her, make home repairs, purchase a generator and more this hurricane season with a Fidelity personal only. Make that move today. Call 356-773. Explore Fidelity. We're good for you. [00:32:54] Speaker A: This is Guardian Radio your station for up to the minute news and intelligent, interactive and engaging conversations. 96.9 FM. [00:33:19] Speaker B: 96.9 FM Guardian Radio today the man in the studio say they got their boots on the ground but we could test that theory in a little bit. Right before we went joining us we're in studio with the lead of His Majesty's Royal Opposition and leader of the free national movement Mr. Michael C. Pintard. And I believe Pintard was just telling us about this massive because this this is a massive of housing. Should the bohemian people be gracious enough to elect him as Prime Minister? This massive undertaking that Pintad led administration is about to take on. So I'll just give you a minute to wrap up that point and then we'll get to our next next question. [00:34:01] Speaker A: Again using systems bill, we will be able, along with the traditional construction methods that Bahamians are famous for, will be able to build 2,000 homes on an annual. On an annual basis. One of the things we need to do at Ministry of Works is outsource a significant portion of the inspection regime at the Ministry of Works. There's no reason why private inspectors should not be retained. To a larger extent this will contribute to reducing the delay both on residential as well as commercial projects. We should also streamline the process where the Department of Environmental Planning is engaged so that while we seek to be good stewards to protect the environment and determine if people are building smart and safe, we do not slow down our projects. Capital, that is resources monies are fleeing to other jurisdictions because we take too long in the approval process here in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. And we'll streamline that so make available to Bahamians land which they and we own so that they're in a position to shave costs, have discussions with banks about savings, whether it's on commitment fees. When I used to build and sell homes, one of the things that was required was a, was a commitment fee. Are we able to make some adjustments there? We should also ensure that we build an inventory of social housing for persons who ordinarily it would be out of reach. The other thing that we should look at in terms of affordability, and I'll be brief on this subject, is we import Gabby $1 billion worth of food, protein, fruits and vegetables, flowers every year. We conducted studies with the Food and Agricultural Organization, we worked with ieca, we worked with cadi and we know based on the studies, the statistics that we are able to shave at least $300 million of our food bill in a relatively short time, under 24 months by growing those things, producing those things that we are presently importing so we could save over a five year period. There is no reason why we cannot cut our food bill by a half a billion. I don't know why the Davis administration has not utilized the studies conducted or stayed with the policies we provided. When I was Minister of Agriculture we got the cabinet to agree that 40% of all four foods purchased in the Bahamas must be purchased from a Bahamian. So we guarantee the market for them. So it's just a matter of producing to meet the needs. Secondly, when the government spends money on food, 70% has to come from a Bahamian producer. Think about that for a moment. So if you're out there. Any product that you produce, you should be saying to the government, I'm producing lettuce, tomatoes, all the salad crops, or the garnishing, that is the microgreens that season your food or decorate your food. Again, the government has an obligation to buy from you if you're producing bread. I understand that they may be spending up to $40,000 a month on bread at the prison. It may be more you should buy from a Bahamian. [00:37:15] Speaker B: But what happened to speaking of that, what happened to those. Just a comment in there. What happened to the bakery that we used to have down at PMH that people used to line up for that good bread? [00:37:28] Speaker A: We are missing opportunities. The this seems to have a very good relationship he had with his first minister of agriculture. So I thought they were going to do some revolutionary things because one of the things that's required is for a sitting prime minister to see the value of an agriculture sector which is underfunded in the government's budget, and to also be prepared to have a good relationship with the agriculture minister so that you are able to support the initiatives he or she brings to the table. So I thought they had a chance, but they've blown it. The egg yolk, which is their signa signature, the golden yolk program, which is the Golden Yolk is their signature agriculture project. They allocated 15 million towards this project. And we're wondering what the jail is going on with that program. They then came back and talked about $10 million. We asked them, is this an additional 10 or is this the first 10 of that 15 you never utilized? We don't know. What we do know is that I said in Parliament and I didn't mean to be disrespectful, there was more eggs in Parliament than they produced in the last four and a half years. They got some work to do in that regard. [00:38:34] Speaker B: Speaking of ministries, I really want to jump to these last two questions before we have to get to the news. But you previously held ministerial post as the minister of youth, sports and Culture as well. And recently a survey revealed that unemployment climbed, particularly between among youth and women. Is there an issue, Is there a skills gap issue? An unwillingness to work? Persons don't feel like they're being paid fair wages. What is the issue when it comes to this high unemployment rate that we're seeing? [00:39:08] Speaker A: I believe that in part there is a skills gap, but the broader issue, before we get to the skills gap, is that the economy is not growing at the rate necessary to sustain the enterprises that are here and the employment that's here, or make provisions for the employment that is the employment that is needed after every graduation cycle. 5,000 young people are now available. You say that 2,000 of them go to university of different types. Whether it's btvi, which is equally as important as you be, you still have thousands of young people who are looking for opportunities. And if you're growing at less than 2%, which is the project, which is the growth rate for this year would be less than 2%. And it's projected for the next period to again be sub 2%. We are growing at a slower rate than many of our counterparts in the region. So no matter the story and the spin the Prime Minister attempts to put on it, we are not growing, growing sufficiently. So the first order of business in terms of tackling youth unemployment, unemployment in general, unemployment in general is to grow the economy. That means in the creative arts space, which holds huge potential for employment in creating, in branding us as a mecca for small film, in other words, creating content for the small screen, whether it's for Hallmark, hbo, Cinemax, all of the different streaming platforms. Again, the Bahamas can be that location. So we could set up studios, sound stages, invite talent operating in that space overseas, as well as friends of the Bahamas who want to come and set up a marine studio in this environment. That's one option. We have sufficient talented young Bahamians in the visual arts, dancing, singing, et cetera. And we should launch them internationally so that we can earn foreign currency again to import into this market to do creative things in the Bahamas. We, I believe, can be a cultural mecca of all types. That would be undergirded not just by amazing cuisine, sand, sun and sea, but amazing cultural experiences that our orange economy can provide. [00:41:22] Speaker B: It's a pintad led administration willing to do the work to monies these persons. A lot of them complain that in the Bahamas they are not monetized for their works, that is the YouTube or the various channels. They cannot be paid. So it's a pint ad led administration for the creatives, planning on giving them equal opportunity like their counterparts around the world and even in the Caribbean, to be monetized. [00:41:46] Speaker A: We intend to facilitate the development. One of the challenges some of our artists have is, is not being able to access the royalties that are being collected in other jurisdictions on their behalf. We have enough persons smarter than the policymakers who are in the chair and those of us who will take the chair to make that happen to correct these challenges. I was in the theatrical field. One of our productions, whether it's 1 of the election productions would do half a million dollars in a six month period. So when I talk about this, I'm not guessing. I know that we have generated on more than one half a million dollars in a six month period and we paid performance. There is no other productions in the Bahamas that pay persons or was paying persons consistently as the productions that myself and David Wallace put on. So we know how to do this thing. You know, we have experience. So when I heard one fella in house running on with nonsense talking about how many people have we. Have you ever run a budget? We ran budgets continually. We didn't inherit a firm from two and built on the association with them. We went on this road and we were able to generate from scratch and pure talent a number of enterprises that employed hundreds of Bahamians and in fact benefited hotels. We sold out rainforests at one point 22 nights in a row. So when you talk and I'm not, and I'm not the most talented writer in the country, I am one of many. So imagine how many persons are out there who have the capacity to create iconic productions, to export it around the world and to travel around the world the way reggae travels around the world. Junkanoo is our preeminent festival. We have creative people who put brilliance on Beijing to monetize Junkunoe in a way that people can earn money year round. In other words, what hinders us from putting together multi purpose Junkanoo shacks? State of the art multi purpose Junkanoo shack. I had the design done by Leslie Johnson who put together the design that I presented to every Junkanoo group. Again, those in the A, those in the B, those who were rushing for fun. We have not yet constructed one multi purpose Junkanoo shack. A place where you can go and you walk in and you have enough walls where you could do a Junkanoo attic. A cafe that provides food for the tourists, Bahamian and foreign who come to see Junkanoo on display. Or you could go into the small amphitheater, the Amphitheater theater where you could see again in a 45 minute for those cruise passengers. You could see a Giancanoe show and hear the storytelling of the Bahamas and produce the music that you will hear not on Bay street per se but in a multi purpose stadium where Jounkanu is performed and people pay a fee to come in at the end of the year or any other festival can rent from the Giankanu community that stadium that they they can put on their event. So my, my Point is, there are things we can do right now that can change the fortunes of our country. But I, wherever you are there, just throw your deuce up. Throw your deuce up. Turn up victory sign up. [00:45:07] Speaker B: I'm ready to go to the news in just a couple of minutes and I really, really, really wanted to talk about this by election versus a general election. [00:45:18] Speaker A: Ring the bell. I, I, I take scarce resources, put it into preparation for the general election. [00:45:25] Speaker B: And ring the bell. Are you ready for the election? Out of boots really on the ground. [00:45:31] Speaker A: Did you ask them if they ready? Because I hear they said are you, are you ready? The bell. Put it to the test. Ring the bell. [00:45:40] Speaker B: After the break, we are after the news, we are going to take calls. So I'm going to quickly throw out the phone lines. But before we go to the news, the numbers to call are 323-623-2325-431632-54259. And listen, family islanders, I really want to hear from you because after the break, I want to know too what this man got in store for y' all on the islands. They say they tired of feeling left over, neglected. Grand Bahamas, 242-300-5720. Texas, I see you after the break. We're gonna get to your a billion. [00:46:19] Speaker A: Dollars promises in west sa. This is Guardian Radio, your station for up to the minute news and intelligent, interactive and engaging conversations. 96.9 FM. [00:47:55] Speaker B: 96.9 FM Guardian Radio today. KB Boatman. Oh, I love some bohemian music. It's this. Listen, I want to remind you guys today that Guardian Radio today is brought to you by Commonwealth Bank, Marco's Pizza, the Cleveland Clinic, Fidelity Bank, Burger King and Ron's Electric. And for those of you out there that want to partner with Guardian Radio or become a sponsor, the numbers to call is 302-2300. That's 302-2300. Listen, if you are just tuning in, it is hot in the room. I don't know if it's hot because we have the leader of His Majesty's Royal Opposition and leader of the Free National Movement, Michael Pintad in the room. Oh, it's hot. Just because I put on all these clothes today. I don't know what happened, but either way, somewhat. But I promise you that after the news, we would open up the phone lines and the text lines. I would get to your text today. And we're sitting, like I said, with Michael C. Pintad and the phone line lit. So, caller, I will not keep you Waiting. Welcome to Guardian Radio today. [00:49:28] Speaker C: Hey, good afternoon, Mama. [00:49:30] Speaker B: Good afternoon. I'm good. How are you? Could you turn your radio down for me in the background, please? We're getting some feedback. [00:49:36] Speaker C: Okay. Mr. Pintard, I just want to ask you, right? One, if elected, right, how would you deal with the drainage problem in New Province which is plaguing the people now? Second thing, right, how you plan on dealing with the high electricity bills for people? And third thing, how would you like to be remembered if elected as a pm? And one, one more thing, right? How would you deal with the living crisis in the Bahamas? Because nowadays people have to actually get married just to have a dual income to get a house with pure response. [00:50:09] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you so much, Carla. So I think he asked about four questions. So he asked about how would you, how would you deal with the drainage problem? That was the first question that we have in the. So I'll give you an opportunity to respond. [00:50:22] Speaker A: Well, we left in place several proposals on how to deal with the drainage problems. I'm answering the Minister of Works, the previous one, Alfred Sayers, and the present one, Clay Sweeting, why they have not taken on board the plan of action that we have left. There are no shortage of drainage solutions that are carried out globally. And the Bahamas has had a record where we have in fact implemented again, drainage systems that have alleviated the flooding problem in certain areas. So I'm at a loss as to why this administration has not allocated funds to again addressing the drainage issue. The Prime Minister is traveling around the world positioning himself as the authority on environmental issues when at home he's failing to address the environmental concerns that Bahamians have. And so I would say to the gentleman that we have proposals, studies that have already been administrative Works have in their possession. They now need to allocate the resources or enter into a public private partnership with those persons who can in fact execute it. And they should then reveal the terms of those public private partnerships. They've done so to the tune of over 100 million. With respect to roads, they're doing so. With respect to bridges, they should do the same thing with respect to our drainage system. The difference would be they should reveal what the total spend is, what is the interest rate that's being charged, and they should put it out to competitive bidding rather than direct to someone to a particular group. With respect to bpl, in my view, the government has failed in BPL reform. Again, it is a very complex arrangement. And Gabi, I'd be willing to do a show just on BPL but let me just say this. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Energy, both the past and present have misled the public in terms of the plans that they have put in place to reduce electricity costs. Your electricity bills have not gone down their promise. They failed from when they came in and refused to keep in place the hedge program to continue to renew that program so that we could save by having a predictable price for electricity based on the fuel cost. When they removed again, you were no longer able to predict what the cost was going to be because the fuel price you don't control. Since that time, they've engaged in a very complex privatization process that has not secured BPL workers. They have not yet completed the repairs of the transmission and distribution lines and nor do we know the the terms of the generation privatization. In other words, how much of our generation assets they have made they put in private hands and what is that costing the Bahamian people So they fail to provide us with cleaner and more consistent supply of electricity. And in terms of housing, Sir, I addressed that in detail earlier. I just recommend you listen to this wonderful show later on just to get the section on affordable affordability. As somebody who again worked on behalf of all Bahamians that was interested in all Bahamians succeeding, not just those in the FNM or the plp, but everybody deserves to eat in this country and we should make opportunities available to them. Every Bahamian should have access again to land. They should have access to the right to bid on contracts rather than the contracts just be given to a select group of people and that we are fair and honest in terms of the contracts that we make available to all Bahamians. [00:54:16] Speaker B: Call a year live on Guardian Radio today we're sitting with Leader of His Majesty's Royal Opposition and leader of the Free National Movement Michael Pintad. Go ahead caller. Go ahead caller. Did we lose the caller? I think we lost the caller. Let me get to some of these texts as I promised. The text lines have been lit up all morning. This person says hi Gabby Love. When you are hosting Guardian today. When are you. When you are on the show it is up the. Good work. Thank you so much. Always appreciate your support. This person. Text to Mr. Pintad, what is the stance. What is the F M stance on moving forward to one implement the Contractor act to passing the Contractors License Act. That is a question to you sir. [00:55:12] Speaker A: Mr. Pinto, we support the Contractors association the Times. We have had an opportunity to discuss the construction sector with any member of that group and we are overdue having a courtesy call with its leadership. But we are in support to having set standards that will determine the persons who work in that sector. We believe that the government ought to be more responsive to all of the professional associations, whether it's engineers or contractors who are working on the front line and can provide guidance to the government in terms of the decisions that they are making. I mentioned some of the things that I believe would benefit the association. One is that we should outsource the major part of the inspection apparatus at the Ministry of Works. Many projects are taking entirely too long to be approved and we should go through that entire approval process and shave days, weeks, months of the delays that people presently experience. And we should do the same thing with true with the Ministry of the Environment. That is also again sometimes a stranglehold on the forward movement of projects in the Bahamas. [00:56:25] Speaker B: Caller Radio today. Go ahead. [00:56:28] Speaker C: How are you doing? [00:56:29] Speaker B: Good, how are you? [00:56:30] Speaker C: Okay. And to my good leader, the next Prime Minister of the Bahamas, two issues I deal with and one of them is the issue which you were talking about how projects taking too long. One of the reasons why project is taking too long because payments have been delayed. Now, I'm just being upfront with this because I don't care who hears this, but the reality is some people on the PLP from the PLP contractors. I'm sorry, hold on. [00:57:05] Speaker A: But we can hear you clearly. [00:57:06] Speaker B: Sorry about that. Caller. Good afternoon, you're live on Guardian Radio today. [00:57:10] Speaker C: Yes, good day. [00:57:11] Speaker B: Good day. How are you? [00:57:12] Speaker C: Yes, sir, I'm good. Yes, I like das DM to the minister. Right. How is, how is it the FNM any different from the PLP when the PLP is only following the president said by the FNM to privatize public assets, you know, that are neoliberalism to do that. Margaret Thatcherism and the like. You understand me? And you know, just the transparency of privatization is still privatization. [00:57:44] Speaker A: Thank you, sir. That's an excellent question. We do support in the free national movement privatization, but we do not support the brand of privatization that the PLP is engaged in. The PLP is prepared to again, rather than through a request for proposals, sir, or competitive bidding that is asking any Bahamian that Listen, we are in the process of privatizing for example let's just say the the generation assets, that is the assets that create electricity or the transmission and distribution apparatus. I believe all of it should have gone out by true request for proposal to competitive bidding that would give you sir, your family, your friends, your neighbors an opportunity to put in their proposal so that we could look at who has the best proposal, who have the best price, who has the best experience. I'm not suggesting that those who it's been granted to are not competent and can't get it done. What I am saying is that no one else was given an opportunity to bid on it. So it then begs the question, did we get the best price? So the F and M is different than the PLP in the sense that under Michael Pintard we would put things out to competitive bidding. The second way we are different is we believe that the sovereign, that is that when we earn money from a privatization exercise, a portion of that money is needed to refurbish the old, outdated, dilapidated infrastructure of bpl. A portion of the money must pay down the legacy debt, all the money we still owe a bunch of people. The third is we must retrain the workforce again. But the portion that goes into the government coffers should not go into the consolidated fund, et cetera. We should have a portion of those funds earned from privatization going into a sovereign wealth fund. And then the final thing I would say that makes us very different than this administration is that we believe that every Bahamian should be able to buy shares under this administration. You would not be able to buy shares in the first round, say the transmission and distribution. You have to come in at $49,000. So if you have a certain revenue, a certain income, you could buy it. We believe that every, everybody, if you have a thousand, if you have 2000, if you have 5000, you should be able to buy in, buy into it. You would recall that a developer, a very prominent business person, said recently that, yes, they don't know what PENTA are talking about because you could buy into their company and have shares in the regasification plant. That's being done with Shell. Well, we may not want to buy into your company. We may want to buy directly into the asset. And so we're saying that at every stage, an F and M government would have made sure that the sovereign, the country, the sovereign wealth fund would have gotten some funds. Secondly, we would have made sure that Bahamians can buy in. And that's true for what's happening out at Clifton. Clifton. That's true for the pipeline that they want to run from Clifton to Blue Hills to carry the lng. That's true from whatever will be at Arwaki running a pipeline to Blue Hills, which is a shorter distance. Those assets, in my view, should give Bahamians an opportunity to buy in. [01:01:07] Speaker B: The phone lines are lit up the text lines are lit up. We want to get as much of you in as possible, so please call us. Just try to write down what you have to say. Keep it to 30 seconds so that you're not cut because we want to get everyone in today. This text says, I have a signed copy of Still Standing that that book of poems always stood out to me. One of only a few bohemian authors a part of the high school curriculum. Kudos. This text says, I would like to know what are the F M's plans for electrical solutions in Eleuthra? The situation there is abysmal. There is a crisis there. This next text that says question for Mr. Pintad. What are your thoughts on elderly care, homelessness and the way forward with treating these gems in a dignified manner as the as they come to the end of their season? This next tester says Good day, Gabby. Excellent talk show today. The Bahamas is at a crossroad today. We expect good answers from Mr. Pintard. My question is do he respect and accept Jesus Christ as lord and savior in his life and family? Selah from the mayor of Grand Bahama. [01:02:33] Speaker A: So tell the mayor of Grand Bahama who is my cousin, he could answer that. He should answer that on there. [01:02:42] Speaker B: So Eleuthera wants to know what are your plans for there. We had a text about Eleuthera about the electrical situation that they're dealing with down there. [01:02:51] Speaker A: Again, we believe in a broad measure of reform throughout the Bahamas and Elutra, like New Providence, requires a service provider that will have the ability to fix the transmission and distribution so persons who are generating power through solar can feed into the grid. One of the challenges we have in the Bahamas again in terms of Bahamians being able to produce electricity by any source, whether it's wind they were considering or solar, which is the most, we believe cost effective means to produce electricity. Your ability to feed it into the grid, the grid must have integrity, it must have the ability to receive that power and then of course we have to monetize it. And so we know that privatization has taken place in a number of the islands, including Illusra, where in this case request for proposal has gone out for solar company to in fact provide power for. What we do not know is we do not know whether or not the government has arrived at an arrangement with any of the companies that have won through competitive bidding the solarization contracts for several islands. And so what we would say is if that process has been complete, we support solarization. We support a company managing power in Illustra because clearly central government has failed in that regard. But we are in the dark. The government has not been transparent about what is happening in a number of the islands and we are in no position to comment on the success or failure of it save and except to say there's no transparency. [01:04:35] Speaker B: Caller, you're live on Guardian Radio today. Go ahead. [01:04:38] Speaker C: Yes, I apologize you all. It cut me off but the siren came by when I had to hurry up, come on the side of the road. So, Mr. Pintard, the next leader of the Bahamas, my question to you is, is that we're building a lot of low cost homes and infrastructure hasn't been put in as have been like in Bahama or Paradise island, places like that. Are we thinking about infrastructure or can we start thinking about building skyscrapers or what I call taller buildings so that when the government does build these projects, we don't, you know, the government won't get sued from flooding because we have flooding in just about every area. We're in a small, a very small island, especially in Nassau, I'm sure on the family islands, but we're not putting in enough infrastructure to deal with some of the flooding. That's my first question. [01:05:30] Speaker B: Second question, you got 30, you're 30 seconds up, I'm telling you. Thank you so much. Go ahead. [01:05:36] Speaker A: Again, the earlier question was about what will we do relative to drainage. Well, apart one of the things we did, we. Because again, the government should have a candid discussion with developers and with residents about the appropriate locations to build. So that's one of. And then how you build. I lost my home in Dorian. Right. My wife and I and our daughter was in the house when we lost it. In building back, we encourage residents consider building on stilts as well because what that does is that also helps you in terms of protecting your asset. That solves a part of your problem relative to your home flooding. What it does not solve is the part of your problem related to you just driving through the streets. And so what I said earlier about the government using the studies that have already been conducted and the drainage systems that have already been recommended to the government, they need to use those system to implement those systems to prevent flooding on our street. Let me just quickly say before we go to the line, with respect to my good cousin and I believe that was Rudy Stubbs, the mayor who considers himself the mayor of Freeport, you and I spent a lot of time bucking in many, many I love the Lord. In fact, I would not be here today. I wouldn't have been able to recover from suspensions and expulsion. Expulsion in high school, to graduate, to go to university, to come back home to make a contribution to the country. And I love my family. I don't have one of them situations where we appear for political purposes. We love each other in public and at home. [01:07:17] Speaker B: Carla, go ahead. You're live on Guardian radio today. You got 30 seconds. That's you. Yes, sir. [01:07:23] Speaker C: Good afternoon, Gabby. [01:07:24] Speaker B: Good afternoon. [01:07:25] Speaker C: Good afternoon, Mr. Pinto. [01:07:26] Speaker A: Good afternoon. [01:07:27] Speaker C: My brother, the income minister. [01:07:29] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you. My brother. [01:07:30] Speaker C: By the grace of God, God willing. [01:07:32] Speaker A: Yes. [01:07:32] Speaker C: You know, Poppy, Gabby, I know if you have a pen, maybe you could get a question. I can hang up and listen to the answer if it's possible. [01:07:41] Speaker B: Go ahead, papa. [01:07:42] Speaker C: But you know, I don't believe. I believe it's three angels from the Bible or one would he consider the archangel? I could be wrong. It could be Gabriel or it's three of them. I know one is Michael. And right Now I consider Mr. Pintas as Michael the archangel. One of the archangel bohemian people in this country. From the struggling and the disrespect we going through. You know, I would like to ask these questions. I hang up and listen. The people in Freeport the stroll way and it's them for some time now they was complaining. But things not make happening how they think it should happen. Now they have that big celebrate, what they call it celebration. Celebration over there. And they saying it dead. It was on the news the other night. The strawberry industry. [01:08:28] Speaker B: We got to go to a break. You got to get the question of what the question is. Ask the question. [01:08:32] Speaker C: I have three questions. [01:08:34] Speaker B: You, you gotta ask it, papa. [01:08:35] Speaker C: Quickly. I wonder what the plan is to help them over there. [01:08:38] Speaker B: When the straw vendors give me the next question. [01:08:40] Speaker C: The what? I want to be sure we can get this wat off because we need to be rescued without the medicine. [01:08:46] Speaker B: The vat off of the medication. [01:08:49] Speaker C: We had a court case going on with them. Soon as brave Davis become prime minister. He dropped the court case that we couldn't continue it. And all these private partner public. [01:08:58] Speaker A: I missed the last one. [01:09:00] Speaker B: We, we gotta go. So we got the first two questions here. [01:09:04] Speaker A: Text, text that third question. Because I, I, I want to get that third question. [01:09:07] Speaker B: You're tuned in to Guardian Radio today. We're sitting with the leader of the movement. We'll be right back after this break. [01:09:22] Speaker A: Everything is bigger and better at Burger King Nassau and you have a big appetite. BK has a royal deal for you. Get a flame grill Double Big King Jr. Or an original chicken sandwich plus four chicken nuggets small fries, a drink and a fresh baked cookie for only 9.95 including that the Royal Deal was built for a big Appetite and at 9.95 including that, it's a steal of a deal. Go big and enjoy the BK flavors you love with the 9.95 Royal Deal at Burger King Nassau. [01:09:52] Speaker B: It's time to upgrade the way you enjoy at home. Entertainment Entertainment. Alive Fiber is here. Enjoy all your favorite channels and streaming apps all at lightning fast Internet speeds with affordable bundles. And it's only a click away. Visit www.AliveFiber.com to sign up now. Stay connected. Live your life. It's good to be alive. Don't wait for a storm to arrive. Stock up on hurricane supplies, make home repairs, purchase a generator and more this hurricane season with a Fidelity personal only. Make that Move today. Call 356-7764-Fidelity. We're good for you. [01:10:50] Speaker A: This is Guardian Radio 96.9 FM. Fresh news, smart talk all day. [01:11:17] Speaker B: 96.9 FM Guardian Radio today. Oh, we are having a great day in studio and I don't know if it's because Marco's Pizza is on my mind or Burger King, but y' all know I like to eat. So I have to figure out which one of these places I go in for lunch today. Now I don't know if the money coming out of Commonwealth bank or coming out Fidelity, but somebody got to give me the money today and if I can get it. Listen, if from all of that food I know the Cleveland Clinic got my back and Ron's Electric Motors keep me covered with that oil change, keep the car running. Wonderful sponsors here on Guardian Radio today that keep this thing going. And if you want to become a a sponsor, the number to call is 302-2300. Phone lines we see you lit up but there are a number of texts be fair to everyone. So I want to get through some of these texts as well and then I'll give you a chance to answer some of the questions. This text says, Mr. Pintad, if you are elected as PM, will you ensure retired will you ensure retired junior police officer officers receive their gratuity that they are entitled to this? This text says, what's the purpose of having five years in power if you're going to keep calling election every four years? They might as well change the term to four years instead of five. I guess that's early election versus by election. Among the three vying to be PM for this country, then among sheep. Whoever stands in opposition to this fact is Just straight non objective. That is coming from our text line. The text line says good afternoon. Should you all become the next government, Mr. Pintad, would you see to it that we have a procurement act put in place for the Bohemians? If I'm not. If I. I can stand to be corrected. But I believe that we do have a. A procurement act in place text. But I will let Mr. Pintad answer that question. This next text says why should Bohemians believe an F and M government would retrain public technical workers when it was an evident government that stopped the training in the first place? And also what are three things other than signing contracts would at FM government do that would be tangible for people to see and touch Touch and the first six months and what should the people do if they fail to do so? I think that was a lot coming from the text line. I just want to give you an opportunity to quickly respond to the first set of questions and then call us. We're going to try our best to get to you. [01:14:24] Speaker A: So let me begin by addressing the first question that was raised concerning the elderly who oftentimes do not have the kind of care required. There are a number of families, despite their desire to take care of their grandmother or mother, find that they are unable to provide 24 hour coverage for them because they themselves have to go. There is a need for more homes that are in part supported by government, whether through tax incentives, but certainly in terms of providing land for elderly assisted living in the Bahamas. And it's ironic that this issue was raised because I was just in a discussion yesterday with a major developer in town. How do we put in place some of those buildings and homes that again we've been talking about for years, but we haven't been successful. One halfway houses for persons transitioning from prison back into society. So we do have an attempt by several NGOs to make that happen. But there is a need for a partnership between government and private sector and civil society and churches to. The second is assisted care living for the elderly. I would love to be at the forefront of creating a community where there isn't only facilities for where elderly live, but there is green space for where they are able to walk, to recreate that's safe, that's gated and that family members can have their relatives in a place with dignity that would complement. [01:16:07] Speaker B: Do you have the money to fund this though? [01:16:09] Speaker A: That would complement the existing senior homes that are already throughout the Bahamas but who also need support if you are building a community. We're entering into an Arrangement homes 300 homes with a developer. One component of that ought to be creating a community center that's a part of that development. Creating green space, but also things like a daycare for the elderly. We also need a home that addresses daycare for persons who have disabilities. Physical. There are many families that have children on the autism spectrum who do not have a place for their adult children as well as young children to go to during the course of a day. And so there is a need for us to the professionals that can provide the service, but also to provide the facilities. With respect to our vendors in Grand Bahama, we are happy for celebration key, but it is not sufficient to help straw vendors who are elsewhere on Grand Bahama to eat. There is a need for us to get a sale for the hotel to invite other developers to Grand Bahama who are interested in investing on that island. I would be at the forefront of calling on many talented Bahamians who have relationships with international hotel developers to invest in Grand Bahama. There's a need for boutique hotels that also bring stopover visitors who purchase from local vendors. With respect to procurement, we already have a procurement app. This government just doesn't observe it. [01:17:49] Speaker B: Caller, go ahead. You're live on Guardian Radio today. Thank you so much for your patience. [01:17:54] Speaker A: Yeah, good afternoon, Gabby. [01:17:55] Speaker C: Good afternoon. [01:17:55] Speaker B: Good afternoon. Could you turn your radio down, please? [01:17:59] Speaker C: Hello? [01:18:00] Speaker B: Okay, we can hear you clearly now. [01:18:02] Speaker C: Okay, then. Must have been that. You know, I have a question. What is the party doing to attract independent voters? You know, we have voters who seems to be disillusioned with both political parties and they have this narrative that the FNM and PLP are one of the same. So I know differently. But how do you. What is you do. What is the party doing to attract who I believe will take a key, a pivotal role in government? My second question is, what is the party doing? Do you support political live debates? Whereas all candidates, not just the leadership, all candidates who are vying for a particular constituency are involved in political live debate, Whereas you attest the attitude and the aptitude of the individuals. We shouldn't have to find out after someone is elected that they cannot think clearly on their feet, they cannot think critically, and they lack what we can describe based on the policies that they go after. Common sense. [01:19:14] Speaker B: Thank you so much for your call, caller. [01:19:17] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you very much, Kleve, and congratulations for the work you have been doing over the years, fighting for. Fighting for our children and addressing the crisis of immigration that we have that this government, again, have no solution for. And in Many ways I believe they benefit from the crisis and are seeking to benefit come election time. But to your question, what makes us different than the plp? Because I think that is the thing that appeals to independent voters. One is being served already in cabinet. I believe in governing for all and treating all Bahamians with dignity no matter who they support during an election cycle. I believe that's what the majority of Bahamians want. Even those who wear one color or the other. They want a government that governs for all Bahamians. That was my reputation as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, my reputation as Minister of Agriculture. I didn't seek to come and purge the Ministry of people who were reputed to be PLPs, which is what this administration has done. And even if you want to give the Prime Minister a pass and say, well, he ain't like that, well, he presided over people who behave in that way and he didn't correct it. So he is just as guilty. Secondly, we believe that everybody got to equal and therefore there should be competitive bidding. This government has given out more than a half a billion dollars worth of contracts directly to individuals rather than giving all Bahamians a chance to compete. I believe in competition to get best price and best product and to spread the wealth. Thirdly, want to know what you believe? We have been rolling out what we believe as it relates to immigration, Operation Shield. We have rolled out what we believe in terms of banking reform. We have shared with you what we believe will drive a housing revolution. We are now meeting with small groups, large groups. So please extend that invitation. We are prepared to meet with your staff, with your church in a business meeting so we can explain in detail our position on different issues. Let me just say this last thing. The best way to judge whether Philip Davis should continue as Prime Minister or Michael Pintard should come in as Prime Minister is look at our individual track records. He has represented Cat Island Rumpke in Salvador for 30 years. This is the first time you see him seeking to allocate millions of dollars. And it's only allocation so far because the stuff not in the ground, it isn't fully brought it manifested itself. So just now he's addressing an airport. 30 years in Cairn Island Station is still a police station that existed. It's a key hole. It's hard for him to find parks that he has put in place so that elderly and children can recreate. He's not created an economy and an ecosystem that children who leave and wish to return have an economy that they could participate in. He's a patronage man and again so when it comes to patronage he's no more a patronage man and trying to help persons directly. But our job is in addition to the direct assistance and nobody denies that he does direct assistance. You have to create an ecosystem, create an economy where people could thrive and they don't have to rely on a politician. Our job is to be facilitators, remove the obstacles and impediment out of the way of Bahamians, fight for them when they indicate the issue that they that you need to fight for them on and not merely when they complain. You see how you could come in and touch one or two. And so we are different in Marco City we have, I have a reputation of looking out for F and Ms. PLPs and any other and looking out for them clearly does not have that reputation and he doesn't as an individual. So again, independent voters, we are the best opportunity for Bahamian excellence to shine. True. [01:23:04] Speaker B: Listen, if you are just tuning in to 96.9 FM Guardian Radio today with your host Gabby. My guest today joining me in studio is leader of his Majesty's Royal Opposition and leader of the free National Movement, Mr. Michael C. Pintard. And we've been discussing and allowing you to get your questions answered by him and tune in the text lines are lit up. The call lines are lit up. I'm not going to keep you waiting. I'm not doing much talking today. People, people, I'm letting you get your questions asked. So this text says, hey Gabby, I want to know Mr. Pinsat's position on holding these politicians accountable for their minis, their mismanagement of the people's money. So they want to know are you willing to fire persons from your cabinet, mismanage the people's money, offer no performance? [01:24:03] Speaker A: Yes. The short answer is yes. In fact, we are seeking to put in place candidates who know in advance how they ought to behave and that's why we're going through the selection process that we are as we speak. Listen, I want the Bahamian people to know we work for you. We don't work for ourselves, we work for you. All of us signed up with our eyes open. We know what the challenges are and we are ought to govern with again, humility. And that is a part of the problem. The PLP has been afflicted by the same spirit that crept in to the F and M in the last administration, the spirit of arrogance. You have to be prepared to listen to the people who you work for. [01:24:42] Speaker B: Good day caller. Welcome to Guardian Radio Today you're on the air. Did we lose you? Next caller. Hello, Good day. You're. You're live. [01:24:53] Speaker C: Yes. Quick questions. One, what are you going to do with the illegal immigration problem? Because it is a problem. Two, when they swear and are they required to speak English? [01:25:07] Speaker A: Yes. The second one is. [01:25:08] Speaker C: Yes, this one stayed loud on. On radio. [01:25:11] Speaker A: Yes, they are required to speak English. [01:25:13] Speaker C: Yeah. But apparently half of them don't. But anyway, so we fun. Are the commonwealth in the Bahamas. Is it going to be common for all of the people, not your friends, family, lovers? [01:25:26] Speaker A: Yes. Yes, I am. [01:25:27] Speaker B: Thank you so much for your contribution. [01:25:28] Speaker A: Carla. Excellent questions. We fully support the establishment of a globally recognized sovereign wealth fund. One of the things that we have been doing is working with a team of talented Bahamians with assistance from persons who have assisted those persons in Singapore in terms of the management. They're younger, so the fund was established before they came along, but who work in conjunction with the sovereign wealth Fund of Singapore. And we intend to look at all as we have been doing the best in class sovereign wealth fund to implement in in the Bahamas when we become the government. You've heard me say on the Moorings deal that funds ought to be earmarked for the family island development. Any future Moorings contract that comes about as a result of competitive bidding. We've said the same thing that all privatization of government assets, one component of that revenue should go into a Bahamian sovereign wealth fund. And then of course, all tangible and intangible assets. Assets. There's a lot of conversation about just natural resources. Natural resources is but one part of the assets of the Bahamas. We have a number, a number of other assets that we ought to make sure we use from it. A portion goes into the sovereign. [01:26:50] Speaker B: But we have to go to our final break of the show and we're gonna try and get as much of your questions answered. You're tuned into. Welcome to Guardian Radio today with your host, my guest, Michael C. Pintad. We'll be right back. For fast, reliable and impactful printing services, look no further. Let Printmasters bring your masterpiece to life. We stand by our quality products that are second to none. Our affordable pricing and friendly, efficient staff makes Printmasters the ultimate choice. We can deliver any type of printing services from banners to booklets to business cards. You name it, we can print it. Let Printmasters bring your masterpiece to life. Guardian Building, telephone 302-2361. [01:27:36] Speaker A: Great news, Ronce Electric Motors new location on Cowpen Road right next to Island Lock is open Saturdays and Sundays. So for Those needing repairs on electric motors, generators, welding machines, water pumps, battery charges, electric lifts, transformers and power tools. Ron's Cowpen Road location can have you up and running on weekends. Don't forget, you can still visit Ron's Electric Motors on Wolf Road and Claridge Road. And now Ron's new location on Cowpen Road. Dial 356-0249 or 323-5267. [01:28:08] Speaker B: This October, let's come together for hope, support and strength. [01:28:12] Speaker A: It's the Sister Sister Breast Cancer support group darling, happening Friday, October 17, from 7am to 10am right on the Nassau Guardian grounds, Carter Street. [01:28:22] Speaker B: And the best part, with just $1, you can help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Every dollar counts toward awareness, education and support for women battling this disease. [01:28:35] Speaker A: Come out, drop a dollar and stand. [01:28:37] Speaker B: With us for a cause that Join us on Friday, October 17th from 7:00am to 10:00am and let's turn every dollar into hope. [01:28:46] Speaker A: That's the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Dollar Day, proudly sponsored by the Guardian Media Group, Star 106.5 and Guardian Radio 96.9. This is Guardian Radio 96.9 FM. [01:28:59] Speaker B: Fresh news, smart talk, 96.9 FM, Guardian Radio today. Listen. This is our final segment of the show. We've been having a great conversation today. You've been getting your questions answered, your calls in, your text in. The phone lines are busy and lit up. The text lines are busy and lit up. So I will not keep you waiting. Caller, go ahead. You're live on Guardian Radio today. [01:29:44] Speaker C: Good afternoon, ma'. Am. [01:29:45] Speaker B: Good afternoon. Can you turn your radio down? There's a little. [01:29:48] Speaker A: Good afternoon, ma'. [01:29:48] Speaker C: Am. Hi. My question, two questions for you. The spirit of victimization. It's a liable. Well, it was a liable. Well under the FM administration and the PRP administration, you being a potential leader of this country, what is your position on victimization going forward and if you were to be successful in, you know, becoming the prime minister of this great Bahamas. Now, the second question I have for you is in reference to this sexual deviant, okay? Persons who been, you know, abusing, sexually abusing our children, our young ladies and our young boys. Now, there's something called some list or something that was supposed to be put out there with a listing of persons who are convicted of sexual offenders, a. [01:30:48] Speaker B: Sexual offenders registry to registry. [01:30:51] Speaker C: What do you intend as far as if you are elected, your government in relation to that particular issue? Do you plan on putting that out there so persons can be fully aware and not. Because sometimes we have an issue when we have friends, family, lovers and someone close to us. We don't want to cause them any stress and we protect them. And I think that's one of the main issues that's happening in this country. Thank you so much for Mr. Penthard, is in reference to the age of consent, do you intend or what is your view on. I forgot what the age, where the age is right now, I think it should be at least 18 years old. [01:31:36] Speaker A: Yes. [01:31:36] Speaker B: Thank you so much via for your call. [01:31:39] Speaker A: Thank you very much. Let me just quickly answer. There were a couple of questions from previous callers and then I want to get into those. One is in terms of vat, which we maintain that we should again take VAT completely of breadbasket items and to expand of products that go into the basket of bread basket items so that you have a number of the healthy foods that are included. So we need to dramatically expand that list. We should remove it again, medication, again, healthcare, and of course it should not again be attached to education, feminine hygiene products, baby products, et cetera. So we are committed in following through with that was a question raised by pauper, I would only say relative to the gratuity for several categories of retired officers as well as reserve officers not being paid on time. We challenged the present minister, Wayne Monroe, who represented some of the officers and he is now minister and have the ability to again address this issue in conjunction with the Commissioner of the Police that they ought to speak to this issue and explain why they have not been able to resolve this issue. If they are arguing that there's a need for a court case to make the final determination what is hindering the government in conjunction with with the Royal Bahamas Police Force to work with the Chief justice so that this matter could be heard. Many persons have died without receiving their gratuity. And then of course, with respect to victimization, I do not support it. And again there is a need for us. Again there's an ombudsman position. We refuse to populate the budget for that position so that you have real power that the public can complain and identify persons. I would not tolerate persons in my administration abusing any Bahamian regardless of their political standpoint or they come from. I believe serial serial sexual offenders should be known to the public. Serial sexual offenders should be known to the public. [01:34:00] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you so much. Listen, our time is winding down, callers. We remind you to keep your calls brief so that we do not have to cut you. Go ahead. You're live on Guardian Radio today. This is our final minutes of the show brief we want to get them all in. [01:34:14] Speaker C: Why should PLPs trust you and the F and M and vote for you docent who say they frustrated and disappointed with our new day. [01:34:24] Speaker A: Thank you so much because one, I'm not using politics as a personal come up to enrich myself or benefit me, my family or friends. The house I live in, I own, the cars that I drive, my wife drive, we own, the properties we own. We don't own nobody on it. So I'm not here for a come up. I would not have chosen activism to be arrested. When I protested against Pinling that was not about pursuing economic benefit. When I was arrested in Canada officers, that was not for an economic come up. When I took over the administration building at Tuskegee that was fighting for students who were being locked out of class. You can trust me because again I'm one of you. I'm the person who in college with regard and at McDonald's I didn't come face recognized families again, I didn't go to what some people consider to be the best school. I understand the plight of the sufferer but I also appreciate those visions for their children who had a better youth than I did a period in their life where the needs they had were met. So I understand those that succeeded early and people like me who came up on the rough side of the mountain and so I'm prepared those that created again provisions for their children to succeed. Those who despite their back best efforts, their children like me struggle. I'm here to fight for all all behaviors. [01:35:52] Speaker B: In our last few minutes. Caller, we want to remind you, keep it brief, keep it to one question so that we can get through all the calls that we have on the board before we close out the show. Go ahead. You're live today on Guardian Radio. Today you're live, ma'. Am. Go ahead. [01:36:08] Speaker C: Good afternoon, future Prime Minister Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Good afternoon, Gabby. Mr. Pintard, from a younger inception growing up. [01:36:19] Speaker B: Keep it. [01:36:20] Speaker C: And I've always known the VLP to be a government of gangsters. Why did I say that? Because crime soars higher under PLP administration than any F and M administration. We are at our highest with these drugs being trafficking into our country to take it out. And also because from my observation, for those listening who are deciding what to vote the PLP government is the government of gangster. [01:36:52] Speaker B: I'm going to have to cut you, caller. I'm going to have to cut you. Come on people. [01:36:57] Speaker A: One of the points she raised is that over the last four and a half years. Again, homicides are up 40% when compared to the same period under the Free National Movement. Again, genesis at the root is not created by any political party, but what we do as leaders to coordinate stakeholders to combat it in prevention, interdiction, rehabilitation, that's on us. And I think the PLP is failing with respect to immigration. We introduced the shield program. We believe that we should take decisive action to protect public and private land from people taking it over. Secondly, we talk we strengthen maritime patrols with our regional partners. Thirdly, we'll investigate political abuse. We believe in the immigration crisis. Today this administration is complicit. We will this system of hiring work permits before they find 20 workers. It is corrupt and it stink and we'll flush it out. [01:37:53] Speaker B: Listen, we are come. We have come down to the end of the show. I want to just quickly get in a few texts because this is a yes or no question. This texter asks if elected, will you finish the airports in the family Islands? Simple yes or no? [01:38:12] Speaker A: Yes, we will. [01:38:14] Speaker B: Okay, listen. You have been tuned into Guardian Radio today with Gabby in your company. I was joined today by the leader of His Majesty's royal opposition, Mr. E. Pintard and leader of the Free National Movement. Mr. Pintard, you got 30 seconds. Anything you want to end with? Let the people know so that we can prepare them for tomorrow. [01:38:39] Speaker A: We will end unfairness and enforce immigration laws. We are going to limit the approvals. There is a runaway system under this particular Refuse to disclose data on how many citizenship, permanent residencies, work permits they have given out since they have been in power. They continue to run Bahamas Air 2. I believe they're now going to three flights a week. Even though people are asking are you certain on when the time when persons come in has ended? Are they in fact returning home? And for those persons who are entitled to to citizenship who for years, 30 years plus been waiting, they are asking how is it that persons just arrived recently they should have not been cleared up. I believe in a fixed date and the F and M will enforce fixed date for election. Two term limits on prime ministers and we believe in competitive bidding in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. [01:39:37] Speaker B: Listen, so much to say I invite Mr. Pinchas Tad to join us back here on Guardian Radio today. And you the listeners, I want to thank you so much for going along with me, your host Gabby today. Until next time, Gabby out.