Is Pinewood really safe — or ready to switch again?
In Pinewood, it will not just be a two-man race. Incumbent PLP MP Myles Laroda is seeking another term, but he faces a challenge from FNM hopeful Denarri Rolle and third-party Coalition of Independents leader Lincoln Bain.
With flooding frustrations, shifting voter loyalty and third-party momentum, Pinewood could once again prove unpredictable. It has a history of switching hands between the PLP and FNM.
It will become a closely watched battleground heading into the general election.
In 2021, Myles Laroda secured the constituency for the Progressive Liberal Party with 1,712 votes. The Free National Movement candidate at the time earned 937, while Lincoln Bain received 641.
That appears to be a comfortable PLP margin.
But Pinewood’s history tells a different story.
The constituency has flip-flopped between the two major parties for more than two decades. In 2017, Reuben Rahming won the seat for the FNM, defeating PLP candidate Khaalid Rolle. Since 2002, Pinewood voters have alternated between the PLP and FNM, making it one of the more politically fluid constituencies in New Providence.
That trend alone resists the idea that it is a “safe seat”.
The 2021 numbers also reveal another layer–If you combine the FNM and COI totals from that election, the anti-PLP vote surpasses Laroda’s total. The numbers show a significant bloc of voters willing to choose an alternative.
This time, the FNM has introduced a new standard bearer—Denarri Rolle, who is campaigning heavily on flooding solutions and infrastructure reform. Bain is also back, appealing to voters frustrated with the two-party system.
Laroda enters as incumbent, with a Cabinet label and name recognition. But he also faces continued scrutiny over Pinewood’s long-standing flooding issues, even as a $20 million drainage plan has been announced. But nothing has happened.
So is Pinewood up for grabs? Politically, it may come down to turnout, voter frustration, and whether opposition votes split.
If history is a guide, Pinewood is not loyal to political parties.
