Fred Mitchell — chairman of the New Day Progressive Liberal Party — is upset. Not about poverty, crime, or inflation, mind you. No, he’s upset that the Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG), a watchdog group (read: people who read budgets and care about government promises), dared to point out a glaring inconsistency between what the government says it cares about and what it actually spends money on.

In a scene straight out of the PLP playbook — “Make a mess, and when someone notices, cry foul” — Mitchell lashed out at ORG, calling them part of the “chattering class,” which is rich coming from a man who’s made a career out of voicing grievances from a podium like he is auditioning for a political soap opera.

Let’s recap the facts, shall we?

• The 2025/2026 national budget allocates a measly $140,000 to the Freedom of Information Office — the same office that the Information Commissioner himself said needs $1 million just to get up and running.
• This isn’t just a line item oversight. This is a neon sign blinking: “We’re not serious about transparency.”
• The budget also skimps on funding for the Office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission of Investigations — institutions crucial for public accountability. You know, the stuff politicians promise before elections and hope we forget after.

Now, instead of saying, “You’re right, we should fix that,” Mitchell fires back with this gem: “Freedom of information is important, but what about fixing roofs and lifting the poor?”

Fred. Buddy. No one said you can’t fix roofs and tell people where the money’s going. It’s not an either/or. This isn’t Sophie’s Choice. It’s a budget.

You can walk and chew transparency at the same time.

And let’s not pretend the FOIA is some newfangled radical idea. This law passed in 2012. That’s over a decade ago. TikTok didn’t even exist. Yet here we are, 13 years later, and the government is treating implementation like a New Year’s resolution — noble in theory, neglected in practice.

And then, in true performative fashion, Mitchell ends with a voice note (because what’s more modern than defending government secrecy via a WhatsApp recording?) telling critics to shut up if they have never run for office.

Yes, because democracy only works if everyone keeps quiet unless they have run for parliament. That’s not democracy. That’s ego with a title.

So here’s the real problem, Fred: It’s not that people are picking on the PLP. It’s that the PLP promised transparency, accountability, and reform, and then decided that was too much work once the election was over.

Truth, transparency, and accountability are not “political conveniences.” They are the foundation of good governance. And when you gut the very tools meant to provide oversight, people are going to notice. And they are going to talk. That’s not “chattering.” That’s citizenship.

So no, Mr. Chairman, right-thinking Bahamians do not see you as a victim.

They see you — quite clearly, thanks to the little transparency we do have — as the guy who threw the rock, hid his hand, then whined when someone pointed out the broken window.

And no voice note is going to fix that.

END