By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has told the Free National Movement to find “someone who could win” if it wants to return to government, remarks some insiders interpreted as a sign that he does not believe Michael Pintard is the leader to take the party back to power.

Speaking Wednesday night at the FNM’s 34th anniversary celebration of its 1992 general election victory, Mr Ingraham said the party needed leadership capable of inspiring people rather than trying to force loyalty.

“You have to inspire people to want to be with you,” Mr Ingraham said. “You can’t force them to be with you.”

He pointed to former FNM leaders Sir Kendal Isaacs and Cecil Whitfield, describing them as good men who nevertheless recognised when they could not carry the party to victory.

“Whitfield was a damn good man, but he couldn’t win,” Mr Ingraham said. “Isaacs was a good man. He could not win and they decided themselves, they decided that they could not win, they looked for somebody who could win.”

He then told the party: “Your job is to find someone who could win. Whoever that is.”

Mr Pintard, deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright and chairman Dr Duane Sands were among those present for the remarks.

Some FNM insiders privately viewed Mr Ingraham’s comments as a warning about Mr Pintard, whose future is uncertain after becoming the first Opposition leader in nearly 30 years to take his party into a general election and lose.

Mr Ingraham partly blamed the loss on the FNM’s failure to connect with voters.

“The public did not like what we offered,” he said.

He said it was unheard of for a major national party such as the FNM to fail to secure even one-sixth of the vote in some constituencies, saying the results “tell us something”.

He referred to the defeats of Heather McDonald in Englerston, Darvin Russell in Centreville and Jamal Moss, none of whom received more than 20 percent of the vote in their constituencies.

Mr Ingraham rejected attempts to explain away the result and called on supporters to stop the backbiting and complaints that have followed the election.

“Let’s get over this. We lost the election in 2026,” he said. “We lost the election period. Don’t give no excuse about money or nothing. We lost the damn election.”

He urged the party to regroup and reconnect with supporters who had drifted away or become disengaged.

“Bring them back from their scattered places and unite for us to win again,” Mr Ingraham said. “Bring back their children and their grandchildren and bring others who may not been with us before.”

His intervention comes as the FNM confronts questions over its direction, leadership and structure following the May defeat. The party plans a convention next year.

Mr Pintard has not said whether he intends to remain leader or step aside. He reportedly told supporters he would await the findings of the party’s election post-mortem before deciding. However, the status of that review is unclear after the party postponed the conclave at which it was expected to be discussed.

Mr Ingraham said the FNM wins when it offers attractive programmes, credible messengers and leadership capable of inspiring voters.

Reflecting on the party’s victories and defeats over the past three decades, he pointed to his own rise within the FNM and to accomplishments of his administrations, including infrastructure development, the introduction of a minimum wage, expanded housing opportunities and wider economic growth.

He said there was “nothing magical” required for the party to win again.

He said elections are sometimes won and lost, but the party’s objective must be to secure government so it can advance its programme.

He also warned against simply recycling old strategies, saying each election was different and pointing to the wrong campaign slogan as one mistake made in 2012.

“When our record in Government is compared to our opponents’ we do very well,” Mr Ingraham said. “FNM governance has been good for The Bahamas, and so I want to encourage you to let’s do it again. Get yourself together. Get focused and do what you’ve done before.”

Speculation over a future leadership contest has continued to simmer.

Mr Cartwright, the former St Barnabas MP, and East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson are being watched as possible contenders, while The Tribune understands interest has also grown around Long Island MP Dr Andre Rollins following his fiery contributions in the House of Assembly. None has publicly declared an intention to seek the leadership.