drhubertminnis

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has found a second life on TikTok and it could be changing how some Bahamians view him as the country heads to a general election.

Minnis was known as a stiff public political figure with a leadership style many described as stubborn or distant. Minnis is now on social media showing himself differently. On TikTok, he is joking, participating in trends, and directly replying to people who once criticized him.

His tone is lighter and some people may be buying into it. “I think I changed my mind about Minnis,” one user wrote. Another said, “If I knew you were this down to earth, I wouldn’t have been mad at you.”

Watch here one of Minnis’ reels

Minnis’ time as prime minister from 2017 to 2021 was defined almost entirely by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic which his shaped public life and policies. His leadership style during those times left many voters frustrated.

The early election he called in 2021, resulted in low voter turnout and a loss. His leadership of the Free National Movement was heavily criticized, and many called for his resignation.

After losing the FNM leadership race to current leader Michael Pintard and not receiving a nomination to run under the party’s banner, Minnis decided to run as an independent candidate.

Without the party banner, TikTok and Facebook, have become his main pathway to voters.

He presents him as approachable, humorous, and relatable, sharp contrasts to the politician many remember from the House of Assembly.

As Minnis enters this election season outside party lines, his campaign is about whether voters are willing to accept this new version of him.

Speculation swirled this week over the re-emergence of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), but three high-profile political figures — Dr. Hubert Minnis, Branville McCartney, and Desmond Bannister — have all denied any involvement.

The trio, once central players in the Free National Movement, were each rumored to be backing the DNA as it prepares a return to politics ahead of the next general election. But in separate statements, all rejected suggestions that they were a part of reforming the party.

McCartney, who founded the DNA in 2011 before stepping down in 2016, said, “I’m out of politics. I’ve been out of politics for some time. I don’t have any type of political ambitions at this stage,” he told the Tribune.

Former Prime Minister Minnis called the rumors shocking, while Bannister, the former Deputy Prime Minister, dismissed them outrightly, “I have not had contact with the DNA and the DNA has not had contact with me…that is not in my plans,” he told Eye Witness News.

The denials come as the DNA seeks to revive itself as an independent third party. The party won no seats in the three elections it contested, garnering fewer votes each time it went to the polls.

Minnis was not given the nomination for Killarney but has expressed interest in running in the constituency despite the FNM nominating Michaela Barnett-Ellis. Bannister served as his deputy in 2017, while McCartney is a close friend of Minnis, having even lobbied for his return as leader of the party in 2024, a position Minnis ultimately lost to Party leader Michael Pintard.

Questions about who is behind the DNA could shape how seriously voters take its comeback.

The bottom line

The DNA insists it’s charting its own path, but its comeback may again show how difficult it is for third parties to break through in Bahamian politics.

Progressive Liberal Party’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Vaughn Miller died early Sunday morning after he was found unconscious in a vehicle.

The 64-year-old Member of Parliament for Golden Isles was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Here is a timeline of the events leading up to his death:

2017—Vaughn  Miller joined the Free National Movement becoming the MP for Golden Isles Constituency

The popular radio personality entered politics to become a candidate for the Free National Movement. He won the Golden Isles constituency and gained 56 percent of the votes (3,374), beating PLP Michael Halkitis, who got 34 percent (2,058) of the votes.

Miller served in the House of Assembly in Prime Minister Hubert Minnis’ administration, becoming a parliamentary secretary.

June 12 2018—Vaughn Miller voted against the FNM’s increase of Value Added Tax

Miller was one of four Free National Movement members of Parliament to publicly oppose the government’s value added tax increase, joining Centreville MP Reece Chipman, Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine, and Bain and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson in opposing the move.

When Hubert Minnis’ administration sought to raise the VAT from 7% to 12%, Miller emphasized the burden it placed on Bahamian families, whom he believed could not afford the tax hike.

Miller said his constituents suggested it be implemented incrementally.

June 19, 2018—Vaughn Miller was fired by Prime Minister Hubert Minnis

Miller, appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Social Services, was fired for going against the Budget bill passed in the House of Assembly, in what the government said was a breach of the Manual of Cabinet and Ministry Procedure.  Minnis had appealed for MPs to support the budget in its entirety.

Opponents of the budget were apparently warned that voting against any part of the budget package would result in a resignation of their positions in government, in keeping with the Westminster system of governance.

Miller said he was given a letter from Minnis and escorted by a police officer to return his government-assigned vehicle.

December 11, 2019– Miller lambasted Hubert Minnis and became an Independent

Miller announced his decision in the HOA to leave the FNM and became an independent.

“Two cannot walk together except they be agreed,” he said.

“Obviously, Mr. Speaker, our differences are irreconcilable. The FNM will not repent and I shall not recant, and therefore, Mr. Speaker, because of my respect for organizations and institutions that I am a part of, two cannot walk except they agree.”

December 2020–Miller became a member of the Progressive Liberal Party

He announced in the House of Assembly his decision to join the Opposition at the time, The Progressive Liberal Party.

“It has always been, Mr Speaker, my desire, my dream… to serve our great country and to make life better for other people, particularly the poor, the indigent, the marginalised, the disenfranchised, the downtrodden,” Miller said, referencing his firing as Parliamentary Secretary, also revealing that he survived thyroid cancer, saying the illness took a financial toll on him.

September 2021–Miller was elected the Golden Isles MP for the Progressive Liberal Party

As a PLP, Miller won the Golden Isles seat, gaining 50% of the votes (2471). He was soon appointed the first Minister of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philip Davis administration.

September 2025–Speculations arose that Miller would not run again in the upcoming general election

Miller’s political future came under scrutiny, and rumours swirled that he may not contest the Golden Isles seat or may not be renominated by the PLP in the 2025 general election.

Reports were that he was seen campaigning alongside former Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller.

However, the Tribune reported that some PLP supporters in his constituency claimed he was not a good representative, citing his neglect of the community during his two terms.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister’s call for the Free National Movement to hold a convention appeared innocent on the surface, however, Bannister’s call seems more like a cunning plan to get his friend former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis back in office.

Bannister is Minnis’ confidant and Minnis once boasted of him as his “good counsel”, having appointed him as his deputy in 2020. Minnis once promised to “split” leadership with Bannister if his administration was elected for a second term, but plans were spoilt when he lost the 2021 general election.

Bannister’s sudden appearance on the political scene calling for a convention “at the earliest possible time” is surprising since he disappeared after the loss. The crafty call for a convention under the disguise of concern for the party is a deceitful plot in hopes that party leader Michael Pintard would bite the bullet so that Minnis can attempt to topple Pintard, the elected leader.

Bannister attempted to use reverse psychology on Pintard: “To delay calling a convention will diminish confidence in your leadership,” and “party members will question your confidence in remaining party leader, as well as your ability to raise the requisite amount of funds that will be required to hold a convention and to successfully contest a general election.”

His statement reeks of manipulation. Bannister, recognized as a veteran politician and lawyer, is hoping that Pintard and the now young leadership team of the FNM are gullible, which is the greatest insult.

Thus, no one should trust Bannister.

From Pintard’s win in 2021, it was widely circulated that Minnis was attempting to come back as party leader. Deputy chair Richard Johnson and other Minnis operatives have vocalized to the media that they wish for the former prime minister to return.

Minnis has done nothing to quiet the troublemakers from his camp as they continue to create chaos, nor has he dispelled the speculations that he wants to return which suggests a comeback is real, especially since they have ramped up activities in the media.

Bannister has also been revealed as Johnson’s lawyer having only shown up to a meeting when the party was taking disciplinary action against him for “violent disruptive speech and actions” and to negotiate a settlement between the party and Johnson who was seeking to sue the FNM for $500,000.

Bannister’s call is nothing more than a form of manipulation to gain control and get Minnis back at the helm. Members of the FNM should now be suspicious of him. He does not have the party in his best interest, only his selfish desires.

When Arinthia Komolafe was elected leader of third party Democratic National Alliance in 2017, after her party’s defeat in the General Election, the attorney and banker who became a household name, seemed like a sure thing for the 2021 general election. But her 2021 campaign was a nonstarter–averaging over 1 percent in the polls.

Komolafe who never held an elected office, resigned from her party in December 2021 and seemed to have vanished from the spotlight. That’s until she was seen at Free National Movement’s Eastern District Meeting on Monday night.

She made no declarations but her presence alone could mean a pivot for the FNM’s run in the next election. It’s likely she will contend for a seat.

When Komolafe resigned from her party she said she never intended to leave front-line politics and would consider an offer from a major party.

“Everything I do in my life, I have to pray and I have to meditate about it. For me, politics has always been a vehicle. It is a vehicle to bring forth a vision that I’ve been carrying for years — for where I feel this country should go and needs to be,” she said at the time.

“So, any decision I take in terms of frontline politics has to be an environment where I believe that vision is able to be brought to pass. I’m not just looking to be a politician. I could’ve done that long time.”

As DNA member and leader, Komolafe said she was propositioned by both major parties but she declined. “The fact of the matter is I was too deep in. I had done too much work and I thought the organization deserved a fighting chance and the reality is based on my morals and ethics as a captain. I could not abandon ship though the storms were raging.”

Third parties are bound to fail in the Bahamas and the DNA suffered that fate miserably though voters vented their anger at the governing party and condemned the country’s two-party system.

Komolafe acknowledged at her resignation, the failings of third parties like the DNA and believed if she was on the ticket of a major party, she would have already been elected as a member of parliament.

As a third party, most of her gripes were directed at then Prime Minister Hubert Minnis whom she referred to as ‘Pharoah’ because of his ‘draconian’ approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Michael Pintard at the helm of the FNM party, Komolafe seems content to follow his lead and will likely be a contender in the next general election, converting swing voters to FNM gains.

Marco City MP Michael Pintard formally joined the three-way race to contest for party leader of the Free National Movement, betting that his ability to rebuild, reconnect and reignite can restore confidence in the party after its loss at the polls.

Unlike the other candidates, Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis and East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, who offered themselves for the leadership post, Pintard launched at the British Colonial Hilton with a crowded room of supporters.

He promised, “I will work daily to ensure that I am not a liability to you. And unlike so many before, anytime I believe that there is a better option, I have no fantasies about holding any particular position. I welcome better options to serve the people that I love.

“Whatever assignment God has for me to do, I will do it. Just tonight, I believe it is this assignment. I ask for your vote.”

Here are 5 takeaways from the launch:

1. The FNM needs leadership that empathizes and listens to people. It must begin the work to transform lives now, touching them now and not waiting until the general election.
2. Leadership needs to handle differences in opinion. In the past, some people’s opinions were not heard, even though they should have been heard. “I want to be the kind of leader that wants the best ideas,” he said.
3. Pintard is seeking to join camps. The party seems divided with supporters of past leaders–Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, Kendal Isaacs, Hubert Ingraham, Tommy Turnquest and Hubert Minnis. However, Pintard wants unity. He said, “Let’s embrace the new without alienating the veterans. We must coexist.” Speaking directly to all party supporters, he said, “The party needs you. We need you. You are a part of the family.”
4. He wants to build a country that appreciates talents and hard work, and move away from political polarization.
5. Pintard says he is fearless and called on party members to stand for and with other FNMs who may be victimized.

The party leader will be elected on November 27 in a one-day convention, replacing Dr Hubert Minnis.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis is now the outgoing party leader of the Free National Movement.

He served in the position of Opposition Leader in 2012 and won the position of Prime Minister in 2017. Minnis became the fourth prime minister of the Bahamas after overcoming a bitter divide in his party.

During his reign as Prime Minister, Killer Storm Hurricane Dorian hit and destroyed two economic hubs, Abaco and Freeport in 2019, and one year later, the country’s economy was further dismantled because of business shut down and closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His reign came to an end on September 16, when the FNM lost to the PLP, retaining only seven of the thirty-nine seats.

The party is now preparing to elect a new party leader.

Here are 4 things we will miss about Minnis

COVID-19 Press Conferences

Minnis’ weekly COVID-19 press conferences and national addresses became a staple at the onset of the pandemic. Bahamians, many laid-off, tuned in to get updates on lockdowns, adjustments to curfews and vaccines. Minnis gained thousands of social media followers, some in approval and others critical of his decisions. He became the talk of the town and was unable to shake off the stigma he gained of becoming ‘a dictator.’

Drama

Minnis’ term as prime minister brought drama to the House of Assembly. The many resignations became the signature of his administration: Reece Chipman and Halson Moultrie left the FNM to become Independent MPs; Vaughn Miller crossed the floor to the PLP; Lanisha Rolle stepped down from Cabinet as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture; Brent Symonette stepped down as Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration; Minnis’ Deputy and Finance Minister bowed out and Duane Sands left his post as Minister of Health during the pandemic.

The added drama was the $5.5 billion Oban Energies project when the company’s former non-Executive Chairman Peter Kriegar forged a signature at the Heads of Agreement signing. And the Post Office deal that many saw as a conflict of interest since a then sitting Cabinet minister, was the owner of the Town Center Mall that he leased to the government.

Minnis’ indifference

Despite constant criticism, Minnis remained resolute in what he thought was the best thing to do. Minnis was criticized by the public and some from his Cabinet were said to oppose many of his policies, yet he continued on his quest. Some have called him ‘stubborn’ but Minnis carried on and seemed not to care what others thought about him.

He once stated that he would risk losing the election due to his strict handling of the pandemic, though he was being rebuked by the public.

Minnis’ memorable quotes

Quotes used by Minnis were often used for comedic release. “Where’s your compassion? Where’s your soul?” he asked business owners who laid off staff members during the pandemic.

Minnis once said he was going home to make stew when asked by the media about appointing a chief justice.

Another time, while venting his frustration after repeated questions from the media, Minnis responded, “A is A, B is B, 1, 2, 3.”

And the one quote that soured his relationship with former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was when he stated, “The Ingraham era is over.”

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sat next to former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis and his wife Patricia at the Free National Movement’s 50^th Anniversary Service, in what seems like long-lasting tension that spilled over from recent weeks following speculations that Minnis would try to be re-elected as party leader.

As the congregation full of FNM supporters stood on their feet for Minnis’ entrance, Ingraham stood in the front row of the church with his head held straight as he looked ahead.

Patricia Minnis entered the front row followed by Minnis as neither they nor Ingraham reached out to greet one another.

Throughout the service, Ingraham sat stoically but stood in honor as Minnis ascended to deliver his speech.

When a teary-eyed Minnis spoke as the outgoing party leader and asked for forgiveness for the “mistakes” he made as prime minister, the congregants stood to their feet in applause, but Ingraham remained seated.

After his speech, Minnis descended the podium  and walked over to Ingraham, shaking his hand as the congregation applauded.

Party insiders suggested that Minnis was trying to hold onto the leadership post as he garnered support from delegates to be re-nominated at the party’s upcoming convention.

Minnis helped to perpetuate the rumors when he did not publicly deny that he may be seeking to be re-elected, when questioned by reporters, only to say, he will let God guide him, despite initially stating he will not run for the post.

Ingraham, whom many consider a statesman, then said on Friday that he expects a new leader to be elected as the leader on November 27, emphasizing, “…That’s what is going to happen. I shall be there, God willing, and so will others in the party.”

The relationship between the two men has been frosty since the beginning of Minnis’ reign when he stated that “the Ingraham era is over.”

Ingraham has not been an active member of the party in the last five years since Minnis’ prime ministership “because I did not think that my advice or counsel was appreciated, wanted or needed, and so I did not avail myself of any opportunity to get in the way of anyone.”

It remains to be seen what their relationship will look like going forward.

An emotional former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis offered apologies at his party’s 50th Anniversary on Sunday.

Teary-eyed during his speech, he said, “Where I have made mistakes, I ask for forgiveness.”

The congregation made up of former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, sitting members of parliament, former parliamentarians and supporters stood in applause as he sniffed and cried.

“I am not perfect and I never will be.”

This was a much-anticipated event as Minnis was due to announce the direction he will take as the FNM sits in Opposition after its loss at the electoral polls.

However, on Friday Minnis revealed that he will not nominate for the leadership nor will allow anyone to nominate his name, as speculations arose that he will seek to be reelected as the leader.

At the anniversary service, he reiterated the role he intends to play as the sitting MP for Killarney.

“As the former Prime Minister, whatever role assigned to me, I will support the role of the Opposition.”

Speaking to his wife Patricia, he said, “You are my greatest support. You were and remain my greatest critic.”

Minnis added that he will remain committed to the party.

“I remain an FNM…I will remain loyal and faithful to the FNM and its values.”

The party’s one-day convention will be held on November 27 when a new leader will be elected.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has teased the public on the possibility that he will run for leadership of the Free National Movement on November 27 when the party holds a one-day convention.

When the question was put to him by reporters, Minnis never directly answered the question only to say he would let God guide his next step.

This caused speculations that Minnis would run for party leadership despite stating that he would not after the party lost the majority of its seats in the early election on September 16.

Minnis today is stating emphatically that he “will not nominate for the leadership nor will I allow my name to be placed in nomination,” he said in a statement.

This comes as a surprising move after former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis told reporters that he found it interesting that people were still questioning whether Minnis will seek re-election for the leadership of the party.

Ingraham said on Friday morning, “It is clear to me that the current leader of the FNM will no longer be the leader of the FNM after the convention on November 27, and he has already told us he is not running for the office anymore.

“The party has determined it will hold a one-day convention with the sole purpose of electing a leader. That’s what is going to happen.

“I shall be there, God willing, and so will others in the party,” Ingraham said.

By afternoon, Minnis released this statement reassuring that he won’t seek re-election. Minnis added that he will continue in his role as a member of parliament for Killarney and “will support the work of the Official Opposition.”

Minnis has been described as a reneger by party insiders. He was accused of launching attacks inside the party on the leadership contenders and has been seeking party members’ support before the party goes to convention.