EDITOR, The Tribune

The shocking death of The Punch Editor Ivan Johnson represents a massive blow, not only to the journalist fraternity in The Bahamas, but to the sputtering Free National Movement (FNM) as well. For the 31 years of its existence, The Punch has been viewed as the unofficial mouthpiece of the FNM. It began publishing in February 1990; two years prior to the Hubert Ingraham led FNM unseating the Sir Lynden Pindling led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

Based on the eulogies I’ve read in The Tribune, Johnson was no fan of Sir Lynden or the PLP. The two would lock horns on the ZNS TV-13 programme Contact during the late 1970s. That was during a time when it was considered sacrilegious to vocally express anything remotely negative about Sir Lynden. I am surprised that Sir Lynden granted Johnson permission to publish The Punch, considering their tumultuous interview on ZNS over a decade before. During the eighties, the only notable media houses in The Bahamas were ZNS, The Tribune and The Nassau Guardian, to the best of my knowledge. The emergence of The Punch in 1990 was an omen of things to come.

After the historic August 19, 1992 FNM election victory, the Ingraham administration would open up the airwaves, which would lead to a deepening of our democracy. Johnson was a cultural phenomenon and a provocateur. His hard-hitting anti-PLP articles in The Punch ruffled the feathers of many PLP politicians. Controversial FNM politicians were not exempted from The Punch’s Grapevine. The racy photos of scantily clad women on page three of Johnson’s publication raised the ire of many within the Christian community who religiously purchased a copy of the tabloid each Monday and Thursday.

In a country that is culturally conservative, Johnson incessantly pushed the envelope, usually with seeming impunity. This was because Johnson made certain to cross his t’s and dot his i’s, with the aim of avoiding libel lawsuits. Now with his untimely death, the FNM has lost a dependable ally in the field of journalism. During the FNM’s years in opposition, the party could depend on The Punch to keep the PLP’s feet to the fire. Its influence, among tens of thousands of Bahamian grassroots, was undeniably massive. Its titillating Grapevine articles and sensational opinion pieces undoubtedly influenced the political viewpoints of thousands of swing voters. What will now become of The Punch is anyone’s guess, now that its founder has made his transition. I am of the belief, though, that Johnson’s passing will have almost as great an impact on the FNM as it will undoubtedly have on The Punch.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

October 5, 2021.