By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE Progressive Liberal Party has ratified its latest candidate, stating the organisation’s slate of contenders are “officially ready to compete” in the next general election.

In a statement yesterday, the PLP announced that the party has formally selected John Pinder II as a candidate for South Abaco.

The PLP said Mr Pinder joins a diverse team who will bring expertise to the pressing task of “creating real change” in the country.

“Bahamians are looking for change and value fresh perspectives,” PLP leader, Philip “Brave” Davis said in a press release. “A substantial majority of our candidates are new to frontline politics but they all care passionately about our country and have put themselves forward to make a difference. They may be new to politics, but they were ratified because of their achievements in other fields. We were looking for strong leaders capable of rolling up their sleeves and making a difference on day one.”

Mr Davis said he believed Mr Pinder, an estate manager and realtor who lost his home during Hurricane Dorian, was the perfect example of this.

He explained the Abaco native, who lived with his family in a tent after the storm, chose to remain on the island to help with recovery efforts. The opposition leader also said Mr Pinder helped to “organise aid distribution, solicit food donations and coordinate non-governmental organisations and other projects for rebuilding.”

“John is a man who solves problems instead of running from them,” Mr Davis continued. “We know he will play a critical leadership role in rebuilding Abaco.”

Mr Pinder joins more than two dozen political newcomers to the PLP, in addition to the four incumbents: Mr Davis in Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador; deputy leader Chester Cooper in Exuma; Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin and Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller, who left the Free National Movement last year and joined the PLP.

Mr Davis said his party has a “dynamic group of newcomers” who each bring “important talents to the table”.

Insisting the PLP moved from “strength to strength,” he added: “I know Bahamians see with the current FNM crowd the very real dangers of incompetence in governance. Having the wrong people in charge over the last few years has really hurt the country and set us back. Our problems got worse, not better. They tried to excuse the Oban scandal as a ‘rookie mistake’. They think they can justify a deal for an oil refinery characterised by secrecy and blundering with an excuse like ‘rookie mistake’?

He added: “What about raising VAT while cutting taxes for the wealthy? Was that a ‘rookie mistake’ too? They were warned that raising VAT would slow economic growth and hurt Bahamian businesses and families. But they did it anyway. It was incompetent and it was wrong. What about buying the Grand Lucayan, which Bahamian taxpayers have been forced to pour more than $200 million into so far? What about the over-reliance on business, killing lockdowns and the failure to offer free COVID testing, mistakes they’re still making 17 months into the pandemic? Not only do they make mistake after mistake, they never learn from them, either.”

Mr Davis said it is “time to turn the page, so the country could move forward and address its “most serious problems.”

“We’ve put forward an economic plan to create a more dynamic, more diversified, and more inclusive economy, and we have the team to pull it off,” he said. “Now we just want the PM to ring the bell so we can get to work.”