alfredsears

Fort Charlotte MP Alfred Sears, a veteran politician and Cabinet minister, has publicly endorsed businessman and Ambassador Sebas Bastian as his favored successor in the next general election.

His name has long floated around the Progressive Liberal Party’s circles.

Though the PLP has not yet nominated Bastian, the endorsement has sparked discussion about which direction the party appears to be heading and the blurred line between the acquisition of wealth, media influence, and political power in the Bahamas.

Who is Sebas Bastian?

Bastian is the owner of Island Luck, one of the country’s largest gaming businesses, and is also the owner of Eyewitness News.

He also serves as a Non-resident Ambassador to South America and has built a reputation as a technology-minded entrepreneur.

If he officially enters frontline politics, he would bring significant resources, media reach, and youth appeal. However, it would raise questions about the crossing of the controversial gaming industry and power.

What this could mean for the PLP

Inside the party, his nomination could energize young people and attract the youth and other like-minded technology-based entrepreneurs.

But it will also draw criticism from the religious sector of society, which is wary of the gambling ties with politics.

What happens next

Bastian would still need to be formally nominated by the PLP’s Candidates Committee, and it is not known when the party will announce its list of candidates for the upcoming general election.

The Free National Movement has already nominated Travis Robinson as its official candidate for the area and has been working in the community for some time.

Sears served consecutively for two terms in Fort Charlotte. The Free National Movement’s Mark Humes won the seat in 2017 before Sears came back to win it for the PLP, serving a third term.

Featured pictures: ZNS and Facebook

The two ministers in Prime Minister Philip Davis’ cabinet facing controversy and challenges in their ministries, prompting the Opposition’s call for resignation, have been swapped in a recent reshuffle.

Keith Bell is no longer the Minister of Immigration but have been sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. This comes on the heel of an “unorthodox” move of granting citizenship to three people at a funeral. And in a leaked letter, senior immigration officer in the Ministry of Immigration expressed a lack of confidence in him following the order to release 60 Chinese immigrants working on a construction site who were found to have irregularities with their documents.

In Sunday’s national address, Davis praised him for his leadership skills and experience in the Ministry of Immigration.

Davis then assigned Alfred Sears to the Ministry of Immigration and National Insurance, the post Bell held.

Sears who served as Minister of Works with responsibility for Bahamas Power and Light, was accused of misleading the House of Assembly and rejecting a plan that could have saved Bahamians $100 million on electricity bills.

Opposition leader Michael Pintard also charged that Sears and Davis were aware of the consequences of not executing the fuel hedging trades that would have kept BPL’s fuel charge low. Sears denied receiving or seeing any recommendations to continue the hedging programme and blamed the Ministry of Finance for the decision.

Eventually, Sears admitted inadvertently that he had seen the plan after initially claiming he knew nothing about it.

Typically, a reshuffle happens when a prime minister’s popularity decreases and when Cabinet ministers act out of order and drifts away from the prime minister’s agenda. Davis, though, defended the two ministers’ actions.

It is Davis’ responsibility to replace low preforming ministers in high priority portfolios.

Though swapping ministerial posts is not abnormal, it is an opportunity to reshuffle post-election.

In the middle of the 2022-2023 Budget Debate, House Speaker Patricia Deveaux scolded the Member of Parliament for Montague, Adrian White for wearing the “wrong color necktie” in the House of Assembly.

White was making contributions to the debate when Deveaux argued an earlier comment made by White in his speech.

“He’s getting out of hand today. And I ain’t even pick on him cause he ain’t even wearing the right color tie today,” she said to FNM Leader Michael Pintard who stood up to request more time for White.

She then turns to White, “Don’t come back here in that–[It’s either] black, grey [or] blue.”

White responded, “My tie is in accordance with the rules, Madam Speaker.”

Deveaux retorts, “It ain’t. Oh no.”

White then emphasizes that the House rules speak to the wearing of “dark color suits” only.

Deveaux seeks clarification from the House clark and then reiterates, “Dark colors, okay.”

Fort Charlotte MP Alfred Sears then stands to his feet to support Deveaux while reading from the rule book:

“Rule 93 says the dress of the members of the House including the Speaker at sittings shall be dark suits with ties for men and dark business suits or dress for women provided on state or formal occasions.”

He added, “The tie must be consistent,” before sitting down.

Defending himself, White said other ministers were seen wearing yellow ties in the past to which Deveaux said, “Not in here. Not under my watch. Now you cut it out.”

She then impressed upon White to button his jacket.

At the conclusion of his speech, he showed Deveaux an image of a PLP member wearing a yellow necktie.

Eight members of the Cabinet were sworn in on Monday afternoon to serve as ministers in the Davis-led administration.

Prime Minister Philip Davis said they will “deliver the party’s promise of a new day.”

1. Fred Mitchell–Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is an outspoken member of the PLP and was party chairman. He served in the Perry Christie administration in the same position in 2012. When the PLP lost in 2017, he lost his seat but was appointed PLP senator.
2. Glennys Hanna-Martin–Minister of Education and Vocational Training. She has been a longtime member of the PLP, having served in the Christie administration in 2012 as Minister of Transport and Aviation. The party lost in 2017, but she retained her seat and was one of four PLPs who returned to the Parliament as the opposition.
3. Michael Darville–Minister of Health. He was the MP for Pineridge and Minister of Grand Bahama in 2012 in the Christie administration. When his party lost, he became a PLP senator.
4. Michael Halkitis–Minister of Economic Affairs and Leader of Government Business in the Senate. He lost to the FNM in the 2021 election. He served in the Christie administration as the Minister of State for Finance in 2012.
5. Clay Sweeting–Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs. He ran against FNM MP Ricky Martin in 2017 and lost. The fisherman was then appointed a PLP senator in the Upper Chamber.
6. Alfred Sears–Minister of Works and Utilities. He was the Member of Parliament for Fort Charlotte from 2000 to 2012 and served in the Christie administration. He lost his seat to the FNM in 2017. He once served as Minister of Education and as Attorney General in the Christie administration.
7. Wayne Munroe–Minister of National Security. He is a prominent lawyer. He ran in 2017 for the PLP but lost to the FNM. He was also a former DNA member.
8. Jomo Campbell–Minister of State for Legal Affairs. He is new to politics and is believed to be a lawyer in Wayne Munroe’s office.

Davis said his Cabinet “will move with urgency, that this moment requires.”

Governor-General C.A Smith asked that the country “set aside differences until next five years.” He added, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Let’s unite and together make a better Bahamas.”

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard is dispelling the claim that fish houses cannot find sufficient divers to meet the demands for their commercial fishing dive boats.

The big picture

• One component of the Fisheries Bill 2020 prevents non- Bahamians from commercial fishing in Bahamian waters.
• Fish houses such as Fish Farmers Ltd.; Three Ro Bahamas Ltd.; Audley Seafood Ltd.; Geneva Brass Seafood; Paradise Fisheries Ltd. regularly hire non-Bahamian fish divers for their commercial fishing.

Why it matters

• Attorney Alfred Sears, QC, has presented a letter to Pintard threatening to file a constitutional motion against the government over the Fisheries Bill 2020 and the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
• Sears called the amendment to one aspect of the Fisheries Bill 2020 “unconstitutional, illegal and will irreparably harm” his clients, as there are not enough qualified and experienced Bahamian commercial fishing divers in New Providence to meet the demands of the lobster season.

What Michael Pintard says about finding qualified Bahamian fishing divers

Michael Pintard in an interview with the Nassau Guardian says the department of fisheries distributes more dive permits to Bahamians than to non-Bahamians, each year.

He said, “We issue, generally, 1,000 dive permits to Bahamians.”

“On the best year where you have the majority of persons applying who are non-Bahamian, around 60 dive permits.

“So, 1,000 versus 60, and on the low end, 800 versus 40, just so that you can get the context when people talk about the lack of availability of Bahamians who are interested in diving.”

He added, “When commercial vessel owners say the industry could collapse with devastation to this important sector, it is untrue. The statistics do not support that. Those permits these guys are getting, they are getting them for captain and engineer. The Bahamas, we have a lot of captains. We don’t need a non-Bahamian captain on a vessel.”