THREE former members of Bahamas Power and Light’s board of directors said their work was hindered by “political” interference, adding the board, in particular former chairwoman Darnell Osborne, was “continually disrespected and undermined”.

The statement denied accusations from Minister of Works Desmond Bannister that the six-member board was frequently locked in dispute on critical issues leading to its shock dissolution last week, saying his commentary did not address the root of the problem.

A statement released by Ms Osborne, and former members Nicola Thompson and Nick Dean touted the work of the former board, but said outside forces undermined its functionality and emboldened “certain factions” to “run amok”.

“Recent pronouncements in the press by the minister of public works stating that the board was ‘locked in dispute on every critical issue at great cost to the company’ are untrue, inaccurate and misleading,” the trio’s statement noted.

“This statement does not capture truthfully the root of the real problem encountered by the board. Interference by the political directorate in a board whose very existence was chartered to be devoid of such activities stands at the root. Had the board been left to its own devices without external interferences, the mechanisms in place to prevent gridlock would have been effective.

“It was the interference that undermined the functionality of the board and in particular, the leadership of the chair. Certain factions within the board were thereby emboldened and allowed to run amok in the company and willfully ignore the checks and balances which are typically in place for public interest entities. Without the interferences, not only would resolutions to differences have been achieved, but the board would be left to function in accordance with internationally accepted standards of good corporate governance.

“The board, in particular the chair, was continually disrespected and undermined. There are implications of dysfunction attributable to constant personality conflicts and bickering, inability to make decisions, lack of strong leadership and chauvinism. At the very core of the fracture which developed was a difference in viewpoint of the overriding guiding principles.”

The three said they had several guiding principles - the best interests of the Bahamian people, accountability, transparency, the rule of law, fiscal responsibility and good corporate governance. They said this led to millions of dollars in savings to BPL and will continue to yield savings and build an infrastructure of transparency and accountability for generations to come.

The trio said it appeared they were removed for seeking to ensure that the board “operated in a transparent, fiscally responsible, and ethical manner in the best interests of BPL and the Bahamian people.”

The statement also took umbrage with the manner in which the three were dismissed, saying they were not advised that they were asked to resign in writing even though they received formal letters of appointment.

“It is wholly inappropriate that we have not been asked to resign or were not otherwise dismissed, in writing,” the trio noted. “Furthermore, we were only informed about the appointment of the new board via reports in the media. One of the exited board members was not even afforded the courtesy of being advised in person or in writing, prior to the issuance of the minister’s statement.”

Touting their achievements, the former board members said “customer satisfaction, service reliability, union relationships, relations with the regulatory agency, and staff morale had started to experience improvements at BPL and then began to deteriorate quickly as interferences intensified.”

The three former board members said they wish the new board well and are available to to ensure a smooth transition. A new board was announced on Friday.