THE government’s fiscal deficit actually decreased by $5.3m in the first half of the fiscal year when compared to the same period in the previous year, Prime Minister Phillip Davis clarified in the House of Assembly yesterday.
He conceded that his comments last week on the deficit were not accurate.
In his mid-year budget communication last Wednesday, Mr Davis told the House of Assembly that
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN and international travellers will ultimately have to pay user fees of up to $43 per person to finance the collective $263m redevelopment of the 14 Family Island airports put out to bid yesterday.
revenue collections were up but also noted that the government experienced a net deficit of $285.7m, which represented an increase of $7.8m compared to the previous period.
The revelation made headlines in the local dailies.
But during his contribution in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Davis singled out the Nassau Guardian and said its headline, which stated “Revenue Rises but Deficit Up” was not accurate.
WHILE revealing new details about the former administration’s food programme, Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis yesterday accused a non-profit organisation of going on “a spending spree” to purchase two high end trucks and boats with public funds meant to provide food assistance to Bahamians during the pandemic.
As he was ending
his contribution to the mid-year budget debate yesterday, Mr Davis, who did not name the NGO, said substantial amounts of money along with boats and trucks were recently returned to the government by the organisation in question.
“We have previously brought to the attention of the public, the startling lack of controls surrounding the previous administration’s pandemic food programme,” Mr
WITH repeated pledges to take policing to “another level,” Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said yesterday he intends to reduce the country’s murder count below 100.
Clayton
Commissioner Fernander revealed his 2023 policing plan at a press conference where he outlined six key priorities to impact crime trends.
He reiterated that police are focused on maintaining law and order, preserving the peace, preventing and detecting crime, apprehending offenders, and enforcing the law.
The commissioner noted that this year, and specifically the month of March, police will “flood the streets” in an effort to upset crime trends and tackle gun violence in the country.
The project information memorandum (PIM), released to interested private sector bidders, reveals that “recommendations” have already been made to levy passenger facility fees that will increase through a series of phased-in rises over a four-year period to pay for upcoming infrastructure upgrades at the major Family Island airports.
WHILE giving an update on the investigation into the death of Kenise Darville, Public Hospitals Authority managing director Dr Aubynette Rolle said in their communications with relatives, there were no discussions regarding liability. However, Jerard Darville, Mrs Darville’s husband, previously told The Tribune that following the close of the investigation and a meeting with hospital officials last Thursday, PHA had taken responsibility for the negligence shown in the
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Mrs Darville died on January 19 after being admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital two weeks
earlier. A week before her death, the mother went live on Facebook about the alleged negligence she experienced at PMH. In the heart-wrenching
video, she claimed she had a low platelet count and doctors initially informed her they would order the platelets for her. She further alleged a week later that
blood platelets were never ordered and that she was told by doctors to organise blood donations.
In a press statement, Dr Rolle noted the institution
sought to provide an update to all inquiries related to the death of Mrs Darville.
“We encourage members of the media and the public to respect the fact that we cannot share the details of our findings as we maintain the privacy and confidentiality of our patients, whether alive or deceased,” according to the statement.
“I wish to advise that we did meet with the next of kin, Mr Darville and other family members, regarding the findings of the investigation following a review of the medical records and interviews with various stakeholders. The investigation is now complete, and we are now preparing the final written communication to be delivered to Mrs Darville’s next of kin.
“At the end of the day, the PHA is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in the care and services we provide to the Bahamian people.
In our communications there were no discussions regarding liability. The investigation, however, has afforded us an opportunity to both analyse and strengthen our processes and procedures and where necessary we will continue to make improvements to our service delivery with healthcare in The Bahamas.”
Mr Darville said this week when he asked for the names of specific individuals responsible for his wife’s care at the time and any repercussions for those individuals, nothing could be provided for him.
Dr Rolle urged all their patients and loved ones to utilise the client feedback lines to share any concerns, complaints, or questions.
The client feedback line for Princess Margaret Hospital is 825-3438 and the client feedback line for the Rand Memorial Hospital is 350-6700 ext 2079.
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However when he was later reminded by East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson that his speech last week contained the figure about the reported deficit increase, Mr Davis then admitted that his speechwriters made an error when writing the figures in his speech.
“Madam Speaker: here are the facts, Madam Speaker, the government’s fiscal deficit for the first half of the fiscal year decreased by $5.3 million when compared to the previous year,” the Prime Minister said. “It decreased and not increased. Just look at the numbers.
“You see the deficit totaled $276m for the first six months of this fiscal year compared to $281.3m in the prior year. I’ll go a little further if you want to measure fiscal prudence and management.
“For the first half of this fiscal year, there’s something called the primary balance and that speaks to if you have to borrow money and pay the interest
on monies that were borrowed when your interest is due to be paid and you don’t have the money from your actual revenue to pay it then you have to go look to borrow to pay it. That is called your primary balance.”
He added: “So, these are some of the indicators you look at if you want to understand the fiscal element of the country so let me say in fact for the first half of this fiscal year, the primary balance reflected a surplus equating $4.9m, a major variance from the primary deficit of the previous year which was $41.2m.
“So, this primary surplus, Madam Speaker, is the first in a very long time and when you analyse over ten years’ worth of data, it is evident that the government had reoccurring primary deficits each year for the same time period.
“Just look at the numbers.”
However, Mr Thompson, Shadow Minister of Finance, later pointed out to Mr Davis that the article in question was just quoting
the figures provided in his speech.
To this, the Prime Minister responded: “The figures numbers speak for themselves. Everyone can see. That was a misspeak by the
writers. That’s why I made it a point to correct it. What I said today is correct.”
Mr Davis also said last week that revenue collections were up by $111.5m when compared to the same period
in the previous fiscal year. He attributed this yesterday to “a vibrant, rebounding economy and strengthened collection efforts.”
Prime Minister Davis
again insisted that he believed the country was on the right track under his administration’s watch and said the 2022/24 budget laid down a solid foundation for change.
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Davis told the House of Assembly.
“I can now report there have been further developments and I suspect much, much more to come. After the food programme was ended, while other organisations were returning unspent funds to the government, an NGO — I have the name here but I won’t call it — an NGO chose to go on a spending spree while the funds were being returned (to the government).”
The revelation drew shocked expressions and outbursts from government MPs seated in Parliament.
“They have the food money,” the Prime Minister continued. “I call it the food money and people trying to get it back to us and someone had asked me about why I ain’t bring the (pandemic) report yet and this the only reason I’m talking about this, so you understand why the report has not yet come.”
Mr Davis told parliamentarians that it was just a month ago when the NGO’s principal, who he referred to as a man, returned $100,000 in cash and trucks and boats to his
administration, all together totaling $400,000. But the NGO’s principal still had “more to bring,” he added.
“I don’t know whether he brought anything back as yet as I speak today, but this same guy brought back two modified high-end trucks, such as those used to fuel boats, jet skis and other watercraft,” the Prime Minister added.
“And then, it ain’t end there you know. He brought two boats — a speedboat and a barge. They say all together that’s what has been returned so far … and they are looking for some more from this person.”’
Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was questioned about the allegations by reporters yesterday; however, he was unable to comment, saying he didn’t know all the details surrounding the claims.
“I am unaware of any matters that he is talking about and we will delve into the matter,” Dr Minnis said.
The Minnis administration created the National Food Distribution Task Force, a public/private partnership, in 2020 to provide emergency food assistance for vulnerable Bahamians and residents affected by
the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme has since ended, but came under scrutiny after the Davis administration assumed office in 2021.
The government claimed they had no record of how money was spent by some NGOs attached to the programme and also alleged that they could not get the information it required despite multiple requests.
However, former representatives of the now disbanded task force have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and have even disclosed detailed records with the press on the committee’s spending habits since the initiative’s start.
In Parliament yesterday, Mr Davis also raised alarm about another “highly irregular” case of alleged improper use of funds involving a company that was engaged by the former Minnis administration.
“For reasons, which remain profoundly unclear, the previous administration appointed a private company, again the name is here, I ain’t call the name, as the sole collector of immigration fees.
“Of course, this was contrary to the practice since the department was created, whereby fees were
POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander confirmed yesterday that an officer will formally be charged in Magistrate’s Court today for alleged incest.
The Tribune previously reported that police were investigating allegations that a man allegedly raped his daughter.
In a statement on Tuesday, the RBPF described the individual as a subofficer. However, yesterday Commissioner Fernander confirmed that the accused is a corporal.
While acknowledging reports, Commissioner Fernander said that the officer is “responsible for his own actions”.
“I wouldn’t say to tarnish the Royal Bahamas Police Force but he is responsible for his own actions,” Commissioner Fernander said when asked about the allegations yesterday.
He continued: “Yes, we have an active investigation that is going on, and we continue to say if it’s within, we will weed the bad apples out and we have done just that.
“And you know from the past, any member of the force that is involved in any criminal activities, it cannot be a part of us.”
In January, Commissioner Fernander revealed a
14 percent overall increase in sex crimes last year, with 204 cases reported. The year before 179 incidents were recorded.
paid directly to the government. Under this exclusive contract, every person then had to go to the various offices of this entity to pay for work permits and all other immigration fees in cash.” But what was deeply troubling, Mr Davis added, was the fact that the company was not licensed to collect revenue or engage in the provision of financial services.
“We cannot imagine why the administration chose to enter an agreement with a company which was not licensed to trade in the terms of the contract. To make matters much much worse, they collect the money and they keeping
it,” he also said. “From the start of this contract to when we stopped the arrangement in 2022, the company is estimated to have collected some $6.4 million. When the government approached them asking them to forward the monies collected, they said they were holding government revenue, in order to and I quote: ‘expand their business’.
“I’m sure that I don’t need to remind this honourable House that this is a wholly improper misuse of government funds.”
He also said: “But it doesn’t end there. That’s immigration. This company was also collecting taxes on
behalf of the government in a Family Island, and then again, keeping the money. This was the same company that provided $12 million in loans during the pandemic as part of the government’s COVIS-19 Loans for Small Businesses Scheme, and the company cannot or will not provide a single record of any of the loans.” Investigations into the matter are continuing, Mr Davis also said, adding that after several discussions with the company, he can now report that they have agreed to forward the revenue collected to the government.
“I’m advised that some money has been received,” he also said.
RESTORING the stability of Haiti is a “big priority” of the Biden administration, according to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence
Daniel Erikson.
Mr Erikson yesterday attended a conference at the University of The Bahamas on building resilience and security in island countries threatened by climate change.
During the event’s question and answer period, an audience member called on the US Navy to make Haiti a top matter on its agenda.
The audience member explained that Canada has offered assistance to address the troubled state, however Haiti’s instability still has greatly impacted The Bahamas.
Mr Erikson said getting
Haiti back on track politically is a priority of US President Joe Biden’s administration, adding the troubled state has been a constant focus.
“From the position of the Biden administration, getting Haiti back on track, to a place of better security, revived political process and relieving the humanitarian suffering is a very big priority. It’s something that we’re continually focused on.
“The way that we approach Haiti, it’s really our civilian agencies in the lead.
So, it leans very heavily on the State Department, the US Agency for International Development, and others. There have been actions taken as well, by the Treasury Department to sanction bad actors in Haiti, particularly those that may be involved in corruption or somehow fuelling the gang
violence,” the deputy secretary said.
Mr Erikson said the US has provided assistance with the Haitian coast guard in recent times.
Haiti’s unstable government, along with the high level of crime, has resulted
in irregular migrants fleeing to The Bahamas and other countries.
On Monday, a highlevel delegation, led by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness along with representatives from The Bahamas and Trinidad and
Tobago, left for Haiti to meet with politicians and other officials there to discuss security issues facing the country.
The delegation’s trip to Haiti on Monday was a success, said Prime Minister and CARICOM chairman Philip Davis, adding that it marks the beginning of a journey that will help pave the way towards the holding of free and fair elections in Haiti.
Mr Erikson said he knows there has been ongoing discussions in the UN about what action could be taken with respect to Haiti.
He said the Biden administration believes in strengthening support to the Haitian National Police, adding there needs to be sustainable assistance so the same issues do not happen.
“But we’ll see as we get more fully briefed on the recent trip by the Caribbean delegation that was
there recently. And as the conversations continue to unfold, we’ll see what more could be done to support Haiti over the longer term.
“I think people, all interested parties that want to assist Haiti, want to be sure that any type of assistance is sustainable and doesn’t just kind of repeat cycles from the past,” Mr Erikson said.
Last month, at the 44th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to offer $44m in funding to aid Caribbean countries in the fight against climate change, while also unveiling his nation’s plans to help bring stability to Haiti. He said Canada will deploy navy vessels to conduct surveillance, gather intelligence and maintain a maritime presence off the Haitian coast in the coming weeks.
MORE than 500 irregular migrants have been apprehended in the last month, said Immigration Minister Keith Bell.
Mr Bell made these comments during his contribution yesterday afternoon at Parliament for the 20222023 mid-year budget debate.
Mr Bell said officials of his ministry launched Operation Restore, under Operation Secure, a part of the government’s national immigration policy framework. Operation Restore was launched on February 13 in Abaco and 245 persons, including Haitians and Jamaicans, were taken into custody.
“Operation Restore, as I indicated for the island of Abaco, is a joint effort of the Department of Immigration, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defence Force, which commenced on the 13th of February and continues,” Mr Bell said.
“As a result of this operation, a number of persons have been taken into Immigration custody for being
undocumented, working outside the scope of their work permit, overstaying, and working on Abaco with
a permit issued for New Providence,” he said.
“It must be emphasised that the operation
The Board of Directors of Finance Corporation of Bahamas Limited (“RBC FINCO”) hereby advises that Mr. Ross McDonald will retire as a Non-Executive Director of RBC FINCO effective at the end of the Board meeting on April 25th, 2023. The Board wishes to thank Mr. McDonald for his many years of dedicated service to RBC FINCO.
Corporate Secretary
on Abaco and ongoing repatriation exercises are costly exercises for the government. The overall cost for 2022, as I’ve said, is $1.5m.”
He also said: “On the 13th of February, 62 Haitian
nationals were taken into custody. On the 14th of February, 64 Haitian nationals were taken into custody.
“On the 15th of February, 15 irregular Haitian nationals were taken into custody.
“On the 16th of February, 11 Haitian nationals were taken into custody.”
Mr Bell continued:
“On the 17th of February, 24 irregular Haitian nationals were taken into custody. On the 19th of February, 33 irregular Haitian nationals were taken into custody, along with three Jamaican nationals. On the 28th of February, 30 irregular Haitian nationals were taken into custody, along with three Jamaican nationals. Madam Speaker, in that short period, some 245 persons were taken into custody, 239 Haitian nationals and six Jamaican nationals.”
Mr Bell added that the US Coast Guard on two occasions also assisted The Bahamas with irregular migrant interceptions last month.
“On 15th of February, the US Coast Guard intercepted a freighter in the area of the Old Bahama Channel. The vessel was registered and licensed as a Bahamian vessel up to 2017. The vessel was found to have some 312
Haitian nationals who were attempting to smuggle into the USA along with two Bahamians and two Dominican nationals,” Mr Bell said.
“(Then) on the 22nd of February, the US Coast Guard intercepted a 36 feet vessel, which departed from Freeport, Grand Bahama en route to South Florida, with some 78 irregular migrants on board. The groups comprised 74 Haitian nationals, one Dominican national and three Bahamian nationals,” he said.
“In both instances, Madam Speaker, the US Coast Guard provided valuable assistance in carrying out a direct repatriation of the 386 Haitian nationals to Haiti,” he said.
Mr Bell said that with the sanction of the government’s zero tolerance immigration policies, Operation Restore will continue.
“A number of matters have been placed before the courts resulting in fines and in some instances, custodial sentences. As of the 28th (of February), there have been 20 convictions for matters related to Operation Restore. The operation remains ongoing and the Department of Immigration will provide further updates to the public on our progress,” Mr Bell said.
JIMMY Smith, chief councillor of the West Grand Bahama District Council, took a bold step yesterday, moving away the barricade of rocks and reopening the Fishing Hole Road bridge causeway.
“Enough is enough,” declared Mr Smith, who said that he was prepared to be arrested for his part in having removed the large boulders at the western end of the bridge.
On learning the news, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) expressed strong objection to the reopening of the causeway.
According to a statement issued by deputy director and city manager Troy McIntosh, the reopening of the causeway was done without consultation or approval from the government and the GBPA.
“We have formally communicated to the relevant government agencies to express our deep concern for motoring public safety by the reopening of the causeway with no immediate plan in place and without the initial hazardous conditions being repaired,” Mr McIntosh said.
“The GBPA explicitly states our objection to the reopening and will take immediate and necessary action to protect the safety of motorists that traverse the causeway.”
Mr Smith said the decision was taken as the result of the lack of communication from Nassau about when the emergency remediation work would begin at FHR, which has been closed for the past two months.
“We are opening the causeway today,” Mr Smith said. “It is always a back and forth, and I think what prompted us to move this morning is when the person that is in charge of the Ministry of Works in GB stated on the newscast last night that Nassau is not communicating with her.
“Not only is Nassau not communicating with her, Nassau is not communicating with us in the western district. We are deteriorating down here in the western district in terms of roads, and every
other issue we have with the MOW, we are not being heard,” he stated.
“And, so today we decided from the council that enough is enough. I don’t want to put this on anybody else other than my chair as chief councillor.
“Right now, this is a movement of the chief councillor’s office and the council. Enough is enough, that is as much as I can say.”
A small crew of men were seen with blowers clearing away the loose gravel from the causeway.
Said Mr Smith: “We are cleaning the road to make sure all the gravel is gone. But we want to send a clear message to the WGB District residents: ‘Take your time on this road, if it’s raining you know what you have to do. While it is clear, still take your time on this road. Don’t allow them to say because we are driving recklessly, that is why we are having these incidents on the causeway.
“WGB district, we are better than this. We are a great people and we have great power. And today, the WGB District is putting forth that power that enough is enough,” he stated.
When asked if he was prepared for some repercussions concerning the actions taken, Mr Smith responded: “I am ready, I came dressed to be locked up today.”
The Fishing Hole Road causeway was closed on December 28, 2022 by the GBPA after safety concerns were raised concerning hazardous driving conditions experienced and engineering issues in the road construction were discovered there.
In February, Mr McIntosh explained that while waiting for the ministry to conclude the investigation and begin remedial work in early December 2022, the GBPA began preparations to close the bridge at a cost of $20,000. They also spent an additional $5,000 to grade the service road to be used as an alternative route to safeguard motorists.
Luther Smith, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works, told The Tribune when contacted that the government had reached an understanding with GBPA officials to close the FHR and reopen the
secondary service road to allow motorists access to and from West Grand Bahama.
At that time, PS Smith had indicated that emergency remediation work to FHB would be undertaken and that it would probably take two months.
However, not long after, concerns were raised over the deteriorated condition of the temporary service dirt road, particularly during bad weather. The large pot holes and rough surface was a nuisance for motorists, some of whom suffered the loss of tyres.
And early this week, a traffic accident occurred there involving a motorist who lost control and overturned.
Motorist Ernest Rigby had lost two tyres while driving on the service road.
“Water had settled in the road and you could not see the large potholes” he explained. “I think the powers that be need to do something. They should fix the road before they open the bridge because they are going to close it and we will be back down on the same (service) road again with this same foolishness.”
Motorist Marcus Newbold also urged the proper authorities to repair the bridge because the surface is slippery during the rain.
“When it rains … the bridge, whatever they put on it, is slippery and causes the cars and trucks to slip, and that causes accidents,” he said.
Shortly after 11am, a statement was issued by the Ministry of Works and Utilities announcing that the repairs to the Fishing Hole Road Bridge and service road will commence on Monday, March 6.
The contract for the repairs has been awarded to Bahamas Hot Mix Company Ltd.
“BHM was chosen as the preferred contractor at this time due to their responsiveness and ability to mobilise immediately, having the available resources to execute the works within the required time frame,” according to the statement.
According to the statement, the expected duration of the work is anticipated to be four to five weeks.
The Ministry of Works said the paving of the bridge surface is expected to be completed in two to three weeks, and then the service road will be repaired.
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.netSTATE Legal Affairs Minister Jomo Campbell revealed efforts are underway to improve and enhance the vehicle inspection and testing processes at the Road Traffic Department. He made the announcement while disclosing startling statistics regarding traffic accidents and unveiling an upcoming road safety campaign. He said globally, over 3,500 people die every day on roads, which amounts to nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries each year – making it the leading killer of children and young people worldwide. In The Bahamas, more than 6,000 road accidents and 59 traffic deaths were recorded last year. “As things stand, road traffic accidents are set to cause a further estimated 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries during the next decade without urgent action,” Mr Campbell told the House of Assembly.
“According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, over 6,000 traffic accidents were reported in 2022. Approximately, 59 traffic fatalities were recorded last year –most of the victims were young Bahamian males.”
Mr Campbell added that many of the traffic fatalities were recorded on the
islands of New Providence, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, and Abaco.
He said the country cannot afford to continue to record the number of road traffic fatalities that are being experienced today.
“We are losing far too many of our young people,” the state minister said yesterday. “To address the number of traffic fatalities in our nation and to promote road safety, the Ministry of Transport and Housing is re-launching a comprehensive national road safety programme, under the theme, ‘Slow Down, Stay Alive.’”
The road safety programme will be led by a National Road Safety Council – comprised of professionals from the Ministry of Transport and Housing, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Education and Vocational and Technical Training, the Ministry of Public Works and Utilities, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Road Traffic Department, and the Department of Local Government.
“The Council will work in conjunction with the Road Traffic Department and will have primary responsibility for road safety campaigns and initiatives in The Bahamas,” he explained.
“The Council will also work to establish local, regional, and international partnerships to improve
co-operation, enhance networking, and exchange best practices.”
March 6-12 has been designated as Road Safety Week. Several activities are planned to promote road safety throughout The Bahamas.
“Efforts are also underway to improve and enhance the vehicle inspection and testing processes at the Road Traffic Department. It is important to note that the new processes will not frustrate or disenfranchise members of the public,” Mr Campbell said.
“We must move from a manual vehicle inspection to a digital vehicle inspection regime that not only tests braking and light systems, but also suspension, wheel alignment, and shock systems. In short, the new vehicle inspection process will ensure that safe vehicles are on our streets.
“For our country’s sake we must reduce the number of traffic fatalities on our streets. One life lost is one too many. Traffic accidents are preventable, and we must encourage safe driving on a consistent and everyday basis.”
On behalf of Transport and Housing Minister JoBeth ColebyDavis, Mr Campbell invited the opposition to partner with the government on this “necessary road safety campaign” and advised all Bahamians to “slow down to stay alive”.
“WGB district, we are better than this. We are a great people and we have great power. And today, the WGB District is putting forth that power that enough is enough,”STATE Legal Affairs Minister Jomo Campbell, noted yesterday that a road safety campaign and improvements to inspection and testing process at the Road Traffic Department are in the works.
WHEN Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis gave his mid-year Budget communication last week, it seems something did not add up.
He told the House that the government experienced a net deficit of $285.7m – that’s $7.8m more than the previous year.
The press duly reported this rise in deficit – ourselves included.
Yesterday, Mr Davis started out on the offensive, blaming the press.
However, when East Grand Bahama
MP Kwasi Thompson pointed out that Mr Davis’ actual speech last week contained the figures that the press reported, he found a new target – his speech writers.
He said: “That was a misspeak by the writers. That’s why I made a point to correct it. What I said today is correct.”
If that was the case, then why did he not say so in the first place, and why did it take the intervention of Mr Thompson to nudge him to where he apparently wanted to be to make a point to correct it.
Is it really so hard to get up and tell the House that you misspoke and that you wanted to correct the record?
If Mr Thompson had not intervened, would Mr Davis have left it as an attack on the media for accurately reporting his words?
The difficulty with this is of course that we have already seen this administration show great reluctance for being forthcoming with the saga over whether or not Minister of Works Alfred Sears saw the proposal on fuel hedging at BPL.
In December, Mr Sears finally admitted that he had been briefed on fuel hedging – but it took a long while for him to get there.
The email was sent to him in October, but by his own admission it was “several
weeks” before he took some time while he was in New York to go through his emails and find that he had indeed received the briefing he denied in the House.
This came after repeated calls from FNM leader Michael Pintard to resign over his misstatements to the House.
To his credit, Mr Davis has clarified the matter far more swiftly. To his detriment, he has tried to put the blame on others.
Ultimately, it is his words and his speech. The speech writer doesn’t carry the blame if the House is misled in any fashion – the person giving the speech does.
So Mr Davis could have handled the matter with far more grace – and a little more respect for those he is addressing.
It is good news that the deficit has not increased – although the drop isn’t much, $276m rather than $281.3m. That’s moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.
There are some positive signs regarding the economy that deserve to be celebrated – our tourism numbers particularly have shown a strong rebound after the lockdowns of COVID.
An error in reporting figures serves as a distraction from that – and pointing the blame elsewhere instead of accepting it, correcting the record and moving on takes the focus off what has been done.
It also lessens trust in other figures that are reported to Parliament – how thoroughly have these details been checked before the House, and the nation, is informed?
Mr Davis should have just accepted the error on his part from the start, and would likely have looked better for doing so. Shifting the blame to others is never a good look, when we all saw him say the words himself.
EDITOR, The Tribune.
OUR roundabouts lack the necessary road signs to keep the motoring public safe. Before the New Providence Road Improvement project in 2009, the Island of New Providence had only around seven roundabouts on the entire island. Fast forward today, and we have in excess of 30 with more scheduled to come online with Village Road at Queen’s College, and five more on the new Gladstone Road.
Unfortunately, the Road Traffic Department & the Ministry of Works Road Signs Department have been an abysmal failure so far. I frequent the western district of New Providence, and there is usually a traffic accident on a weekly basis with motorists trying to traverse
those roundabouts, with inadequate signage.
Right now, the majority of roundabouts have only white road marking arrows with the left lane designated for left and straight ahead only, and the right lane designated for right and straight ahead only for two lane traffic entering a roundabout.
The 100-pound gorilla in the room is that motorists are using the left lane to traverse right on the roundabouts, thereby cutting across traffic on the right lane trying to go straight ahead, thereby causing accidents.
We need signage erected before the motorist arrives at the roundabout indicating that they need to select their lane, if going left or straight ahead or right and straight ahead.
Additionally, the white road markings at most
roundabouts have disappeared due to wear and the elements, and the government has not seen fit to keep these markings painted and clearly visible. Hence, the chaotic state at most roundabouts. To add more confusion, traversing a single lane entering a roundabout is totally different then traversing a dual lane entering a roundabout. The bottom line is that we need more signage at the roundabouts, in addition to a driver education campaigned on TV, radio, newspapers and social media on the correct usage of a roundabout. We need consistent police enforcement of our traffic laws. If implemented we can reduce accidents thereby keeping our citizenry safe.
BA SWEETING
Nassau, February, 2023
EDITOR,
IT WAS with some amazement that we read and listened to the Prime Minister’s bold and vigorous assertion last week that the Opposition’s ability to ask questions of the government is not an entitlement! This from someone who never misses an opportunity to trumpet his commitment to openness and transparency.
To be clear, he is technically correct. The rules promulgated by a supposedly progressive group of politicians headed by none other than the Hon. Minister of Works, Alfred Sears, actually leaves the future of democracy at the mercy of the government of the day! Amazing! Time to change the rules prime minister!
Actually, it would be a stretch to call that House Rules Committee progressive: Alfred Sears, Fred Mitchell, the late Tennyson Wells, Brent Symonette, Neko Grant, Frank Smith and Pleasant Bridgewater!
It would be fair to say that this iteration of the PLP provides another inflection point in the life of The Bahamas, which demands that the analog leadership of Sir Lynden and those who followed him give way to today’s digital reality.
As time and human activity seem to speed up, so apparently has the incidence of these crossroads moments.
The last such moment was in 2017.
Recognising it as such, the Bahamian people reached out for a transformative, inspirational leader, but were sorely disappointed by a someone who did not recognise the circumstances in which he found himself and as a consequence could not and did not properly exploit it.
As the saying goes, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them!”
The era of Sir Lynden Pindling began in 1967 but did not end with his defeat in 1995. It included the tenure of his two acolytes Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie and ended we thought, when Mr Christie lost his government for the final time in 2017.
The welcome respite was short lived though in every respect and 4½ years later, the final piece in Sir Lynden’s analog legacy is now on full display with Prime Minister Philip Davis, the 3rd partner in the triumvirate, Christie, Ingraham, Davis & Co.
The transformational leadership required to move
The Bahamas fully into the 21st century has not been evinced so far in the actions of Mr Davis as prime minister. Note his responses to Opposition leader, the indefatigable and relentless Michael Pintard with respect to opposition day and his refusal to let PS
Luther Smith or any other Permanent Secretary, appear before the Public Accounts Committee. That is undoubtedly regressive behaviour steeped in the stranglehold of 20th century politics. It was heartening to see Mr Pintard in his uncompromising way, stand his ground and refuse to accept the word of the government on question time in parliament and other matters. When placed in an historical perspective, given the recent revelations of untruths uttered by the prime minister and minister of works, especially as it relates to BPL, it would be fair to say that only a fool would believe them. We believe that Mr Pintard’s unceasing steadfastness and commitment to democracy and standing strong in the interest of the Bahamian people is most exemplary as he seeks to change systems that do not serve us well.
Mr Davis has spent a good portion of his time in office travelling the world. When at home, his behaviour harkens back to his tenure as Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for BEC and BAMSI, when he could not be relied upon to provide credible information on either institution. That has not changed! He still is not able to provide credible and reliable information on either!.
To be fair again, it can also be argued that the 21st century mindset was not so evident in the actions of the previous prime minister either.
One sign of a transformational leader is a willingness to actually try something different to get different results. To dismiss the status quo and heed the admonition that doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity! In its definition, transformational leadership is a leadership approach that causes change in individuals and social systems!
In his weekly Consider
This column on Monday, Philip Galanis opined that one of the reasons for our inability to solve problems is “the proliferation of
political polarisation that has enveloped our national discourse.” This according to Galanis, from a political directorate, “which is ensconced in the perpetual campaign of one-upmanship,” with politics that has become a zero-sum activity, where both major political parties have adopted an attitude that “for me to win, you must lose.”
This zero-sum scenario creates atmosphere of antagonism, he says, that frequently obfuscates the approach to finding acceptably workable solutions for all parties or what could be seen to be a consensus.”
I reference Mr Galanis, because what he is advocating is transformational leadership! Something Michael Pintard attempted during his tenure as a minister in the last administration, as he called for putting the politics aside until election was called, in order to bring the most talent to national problems. That cost him political capital and the enmity of many of his colleagues.
And I submit that the people of Marco City must recognise something transformational about Mr Pintard, who they reelected in 2021, a first for that constituency since David Thompson was elected in the 1990 byeelection and in the 1992 and 1997 general elections. Five election cycles!
This man who had his share of political misfortunes and setbacks and who saw his life upset and nearly destroyed by Hurricane Dorian, when given the opportunity set about being the change, he wanted to see using Marco City as his template. He believed that there was no better place to show and hone your ability to effect national change than in your constituency. Something none of the other prime ministers, except for Mr Ingraham, was able to do.
While pulling the FNM back from the brink of total disintegration, he set about rebuilding his constituency, introducing programmes that challenged the intellect and will of his people, including a back yard farming initiative, a tech hub that not only provides access to computers, but the opportunity to learn broadcasting among other things. His tenacity brings to mind another Michael, who refused to let any obstacles stand in his way. The world called him Iron Mike!
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
SOME Cabinet ministers are calling for the modernisation of the public disclosure filing process as the deadline for parliamentarians to do so has passed.
Bishop Victor Cooper, Public Disclosure Commission chairman, told The Tribune on Monday that “one or two” officials had requested extra time to disclose their assets and liabilities.
Before the sitting of Parliament yesterday morning, this newspaper asked several parliamentarians if they had disclosed. The deadline to do so was yesterday.
East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson said he was “carrying it over” that morning while Fort Charlotte MP Alfred Sears indicated he had to check with his accountant.
Central and South Eleuthera MP Clay Sweeting posted on Facebook a form with the caption “Public Disclosure Filed”.
Opposition leader and Marco City MP Michael Pintard stated on Tuesday he had dropped off his form.
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper assured his filing would be done before the end of the day.
The process was brought to their attention last year when Bishop Cooper reportedly told The Nassau Guardian that some firsttime MPs were not aware that there was a legal requirement for them to file financial disclosures under the Public Disclosures Act.
Asked if he thought his fellow parliamentarians met the deadline, Mr Cooper admitted: “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask them. I think the process is a tedious one. I think the filing needs to be modernised.
“The system is archaic. I don’t know whether the process has been reformed over the last 50 years. So
INFORMATION Com-
missioner Keith Thompson blasted opposition leader Michael Pintard for making “futile” requests under the Freedom of Information Act, adding the law has not as yet been fully enacted.
Mr Thompson addressed Mr Pintard in a letter dated February 24, of which The Tribune has obtained a copy in regard to the access to information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Mr Thompson, who referred to a letter Mr Pintard wrote on February 22, said the Marco City MP was requesting action that was not a part of the sections enacted in the FOIA.
In the letter Mr Thompson stressed he is not a “political animal”, adding he will not be drawn into the political arena.
Mr Thompson said he hoped Mr Pintard would now have a “clear” understanding of how the government works, noting the commissioner functions only on the sections that are presently enforced under the law.
He pointed out that only Sections 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, and 38 and 47 of FOIA have been enacted.
These sections include the basic structure of the Act such as its commencement and interpretation.
Mr Thompson claimed Mr Pintard had made a request under Section 5, which relates to the duties of the information commissioner. However, due to the law not being fully implemented Mr
Thompson stressed he is not empowered to do certain actions.
He suggested Mr Pintard lacked clarity on how the Act works, adding that the commissioner can only function on the sections which have been enforced.
“There are only two statutory instruments which have (been) brought into force, Sections: 30, 32, 33, 34, 36,37 and 38 and 47 of the Act. The other sections are yet to be brought into force therefore, your reliance on Section 5 futile at this point,” Mr Thompson wrote.
“In your penultimate paragraph, you seem to be requesting action from the Freedom of Information commissioner which he is obviously not empowered to do,” Mr Thompson said.
Mr Thompson said in his “humble” opinion Mr Pintard should be making his request to the legislature.
He continued: “I repeat yet again, honourable leader of the opposition, that I am not a political animal and will not be drawn into the political arena.”
Meanwhile, Mr Thompson mentioned previous issues with Mr Pintard when the opposition leader admitted he misspoke when he said he had written the information commissioner but did not receive a response.
During an FNM meeting, Mr Pintard said the opposition, through the Public Accounts Committee, will call the permanent secretaries and heads of public
corporations to answer questions raised by the Bahamian people. He claimed Mr Thompson was one of the officials the PAC had written for information.
On February 9, Mr Pintard admitted to a local daily that he did not send a letter to Mr Thompson.
“I am prepared to concede that the intention was to send to him, but in hindsight he would have been the wrong person actually to have written to for assistance in getting any information, so yes, I do concede the point, but all of the other persons mentioned, all permanent secretaries were written to, and we have a copy of all the correspondence,” Mr Pintard said.
“We did raise it through the PAC and the clerk wrote all of them.”
In the same local daily on February 9, Mr Thompson responded.
“If Mr Pintard is in the House, and he was in the House before the last election, he would know what part of the Act is in force. The entire Act is not in force. The sections that are in force are to provide me with the ability to set this system up, which we are doing and we are making great progress.
“Right now, we are finalising the actual system. I take offence to Mr Pintard publishing that he wrote the commissioner. He never did that.”
that’s what I’d like to see. (I) support public disclosure.
I think it’s important and I think it helps with transparency and accountability.
Public Service State Minister Pia Glover-Rolle repeated similar concerns as Mr Cooper about the process needing an update. Her public disclosure was submitted in January, she said.
“Of course, we have a lot going on a daily basis. Not that that should pre-empt us from our obligations, but it will be so much easier if the forms were digitised. As everything, you know, nowadays, even with banking it’s digitised and that would make it much easier and I think more accessible for parliamentarians and those who have to report to get the forms in a more timely manner.”
St Anne’s MP Adrian White explained that while filing seems simple, it comes with its challenges.
“This is my second year doing it,” the opposition MP said. “It seems like a very simple task for many people, but until you’ve adjusted to filing it on an annual basis it can be a little tricky because you have to get supporting documents from a number of places. But I’m proud to have submitted it and I hope all my other colleagues in the House Assembly and the Senate have done likewise.”
He said despite the challenges, the process needs to be done.
“That doesn’t make a difference to me, however, it’s going to be done so long as it gets done that’s fine, but we’ve got a system in place that’s been working for many years now. We don’t always need to change what’s not broken. So just get it done is what I would recommend everybody do rather than look for reasons why we need to do it
differently.”
He confessed he did the filing last minute on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Nassau Village MP Jamahl Strachan said he didn’t have much to disclose.
“As a new member of Parliament, I don’t really have that much to disclose. So it should be pretty easy for me, but it’s just a matter of ensuring that we meet the deadline,” he said.
Social Services Minister and West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe expressed confidence that the filings will be done in a timely fashion.
“We have asked all our members, and other members who thought that they needed extra time have requested such, and I suppose the commission will grant it, but I think for the most part, we will be on time today,” Mr Wilchcombe said.
THE Royal Bahamas Police Force kicked off Police Month yesterday with a walkabout in the Palmdale community, aimed at improving relations with area residents and businesses.
Chief Superintendent Anthony Rolle, officer in charge of community policing, and a team of officers consisting of representatives from the community policing unit walked the area passing out pamphlets containing safety tips and other important information to residents, motorists and businesses.
The RBPF is observing 183 years of existence and a number of community activities and events have been planned. March is also Crime Prevention Month, according to CSP Rolle.
CSP Rolle noted the importance of police fostering a strong partnership with the public through walkabouts, community activities and events.
“So, during this month during the month of March, we hope that our community partners would be able to participate and join in with us to help create safer communities. How would they do this?
“First thing with our community we want them to know that they would need to get to know their divisional commanders and this is why we are out, giving all these
posters, with the various divisional commanders...”
He added: “We need our community persons to know their commanders because what we need from them is for them to report suspicious activity, report matters to their divisional commanders because at the end of March, there is an award that is going to be given out to the community that is deemed to be the safest.”
The police force not only wants to make residents aware of officers’ presence, but the goal is to build relationships with the people in these communities.
The Tribune shadowed police officers and listened to locals and business officials who were happy to witness the presence of RBPF.
Antonia Davis, sales clerk at Rubins located in the Palmdale Shopping Plaza, expressed gratitude for the efforts seen by officers within the community, urging them to “keep up the good work”.
“Actually, it’s good, it’s good to see their presence because you know a lot of stuff has been happening,
especially in this plaza,” she said yesterday. “But yeah, it’s always good to see the police presence.”
Similar sentiments were shared by Bishop John Ferguson, a retired assistant commissioner of police, who called the initiative a “good sign”.
“The police have to make their presence to be felt all around the city of Nassau but the island of New Providence, because their presence will prevent criminals from trying to take advantage of people who are doing normal business.
“And this is a good sign, this is what policing is all about. Making their presence felt, being seen and interacting with the public that is fundamental in policing. And I congratulate the police for continuing to do this vital and most important job in this country.”
The RBPF intends to continue walkabouts throughout the year as the force keeps with its commitment to use community policing to prevent crime.
WE trace our governmental system to the United Kingdom, which honed the traditions and conventions of parliamentary democracy over centuries. Unlike the United Kingdom, The Bahamas has a codified Constitution.
Though the UK has various constitutional conventions and traditions, it does not have a written constitution like The Bahamas. It does not require a referendum to make fundamental constitutional changes. Though improbable, the British Parliament could act to abolish the monarchy.
Though it was politically expedient to do so, the Brexit referendum had no legal force. It was Parliament that had the constitutional and legal force and right to remove Britain from the European Union.
While The Bahamas adheres to core elements of the Westminster system, there are conventions we do not follow because of the size of our parliament.
By example, we do not have the more extensive standing committees of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Because of the larger size of the Commons, 650 members, compared to 39 in our Assembly, there is a considerably larger backbench, which helps to keep the executive more accountable. For political purposes, both the PLP and the FNM, have had oversized cabinets, even when they enjoyed large majorities.
The historic genius or insight of parliamentary democracy is the recognition of inherent features of human and group psychology including temptations to abuse power; the need to restrain the power of
the head of government through various checks; and the importance of collegiality and consensusbuilding in a cabinet system of collective responsibility.
In a parliamentary democracy, the executive branch, the Cabinet, is based in and responsible to Parliament. The prime minister and all of the ministers must sit in Parliament, the overwhelming majority in the elected chamber, the House of Assembly.
After the Second World War, the US did not impose its system on Japan after its surrender. Instead, it proposed a system of parliamentary democracy because the Japanese context was different from the context of the American colonial experience.
In the United States, the president is elected by the states and sits independently of the Congress. The president also appoints the Cabinet, and while the appointees must be confirmed by the Senate, none of them are members of the Congress, none of them are elected.
A quirk of the US system, which has evolved through historic practice, is the role of the Vice President, who is a member of
the executive branch but who is also the President of the Senate and who “has the sole power to break a tie in the Senate”. As noted on the US Senate website: “Prior to the 20th century, vice presidents rarely attended cabinet meetings or otherwise involved themselves in executive branch business.” The role of the Vice President grew significantly in the latter half of the 20th century.
In The Bahamas, a Prime Minister and his cabinet can be brought down by the House at any time by a vote of no confidence. Following such a vote, a Prime Minister must step down or call an election.
The Bahamas Constitution presumes the existence of and government by political parties. Article 73 provides that the Prime Minister must be a member of the House “who is leader of the party which commands the support of the majority of the members of the House.”
There is no mention of political parties in the American Constitution. Some of the authors of that 18th century constitution, including George Washington, were not keen on the idea of political parties. But the idea inevitably took root nevertheless.
In The Bahamas, we elect a party to office. There is no direct election of a prime minister.
The prime minister is not an elected chief executive. He or she is a part of cabinet, in which general direction and control of the government is vested and which is collectively responsible.
In the US cabinet secretaries are advisers to the president, who alone makes a final decision on
a given matter, such as the bombing of a foreign country to other matters of domestic and foreign policy.
As noted in previous columns: in our system the prime minister is not, as President George W. Bush put it, “the decider”. The cabinet collectively are “the deciders”.
A head of government in cabinet government does not solely possess the authority to make certain important decisions. In such a system, the cabinet reaches a consensus on matters of policy and the programmes of the government.
In cabinet government, the Prime Minister is the most important member of cabinet. That is why we call him or her prime (or first), and he or she has important constitutional responsibilities including certain powers of appointment.
Still, executive authority under our Constitution is vested in the Queen (Article 71) and is exercised by her representative the Governor General. That is why no legislation by parliament becomes law until it is signed by the Governor General.
Further, the Constitution gives responsibility for the general direction and control of the government to the cabinet (Article 72), not the prime minister. That is what collective responsibility means.
A commentary published by the FNM described cabinet government: “The heart of cabinet government is the ability of ministers to reach a consensus on critical matters and collaborate on and direct government policy.”
The commentary further noted: “Ministers who cannot in principle accept a particular policy are honourbound to resign.
Ministers should not publicly promote independent agendas at the expense of colleagues. Ministers should advise their colleagues in advance about
actions which may affect their ministries.”
Unlike in parliamentary democracies where heads of government may be deposed through votes of no confidence, or persuaded by colleagues to step down, the US must endure a cumbersome impeachment process or by employing, such as in the case of disability, the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution, which has never been utilized in the more than two centuries of the American Republic.
The process for utilising the Amendment is complex, and parts of the Amendment are open to interpretation.
A vote of no confidence provides for a speedier resolution of a given matter and does not interminably tie the country up in knots such as in the US impeachment processes.
In our system, the party in power or the House of Assembly may act swiftly to remove a leader who is deemed either unfit for office or who no longer commands the support of the majority of his party. Our system is quicker and more flexible.
For our parliamentary democracy to work, there must be cohesive, disciplined political parties in Parliament, parties whose members are bound together generally by a set of objectives and principles; generally because there is not likely any political party in the world in which each and every member agrees with everything the party advocates or does. In the United States party discipline is not nearly as important as it is in our parliamentary system. Some members of Congress make a career and are celebrated for being mavericks.
In our system, by contrast, elected members of a party who do not understand this difference, or conveniently forget it, do so at their political peril.
In our Parliament there are two teams, the Government and the Opposition. Currently, in our House of Assembly there is not a single member who was elected as an independent.
Members of each side are elected as members of their particular team and are expected to support their team against the other side, especially in important matters like the budget.
Loyalty to a party or institution is not the same as being a toady or a bootlicker. Indeed, it often takes great courage to be loyal as demonstrated by MPs who support their party during difficult votes.
In every field of endeavour, loyalty is critical to the success of a group, especially at the high level of government and politics. There are reforms that are needed to our system of government. The 2013 Constitutional Commission recommended:
“The power of the Prime Minister to dissolve Parliament outside of the regular five-year term, except in the circumstances prescribed by the Constitution (i.e., a vote of no-confidence), should, in the Commission’s view, be eliminated.”
The Commission also recommended continuity: “Despite hearing several proposals to modify the electoral system to allow for some form of proportional representation in the House of Assembly, the Commission does not endorse such a change.
“While it accepts that the ‘winner take all’ approach of the firstpast-the- post system has sometimes polarised and undermined government legitimacy in the region, the Commission still considers it the superior electoral system and therefore recommends its retention.”
Even as we reform our Constitution and system of government we should retain those elements which make it resilient, viable and superior in significant ways.
Major Duties:
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• Prepare draft and proofread correspondence and legal documents for billing (Title, cause List, Company, Probate Searches)
• Manage, organize, and maintain documents
DO YOU know what the letter “E” stands for, in ESPN?
It’s actually “Entertainment”. And that’s appropriate, because the self-proclaimed “worldwide leader in sports” is first and foremost a major player in the entertainment business where the focus is on America’s great diversion – sports.
It has long been an article of faith that men could comfortably talk with each other about sports. For many years, this was also true of politics. The past 30 years or so have corroded that conversational staple, to the point where many friends simply avoid the topic.
And in the wake of the turbulent 1960s in America, women began the lengthy process of achieving equality on the playing fields and in legislative chambers and mayoral offices. So women now talk about and are interested in sports and are also often circumspect about politics unless they are sure of their interlocutors’ beliefs.
(For many years, the truth about female fans of the NFL and football in general was that they were mostly interested in the tight pants worn by the players. That might still be true, but you probably know more women who are actually interested in the game itself than you used to do).
So ESPN makes no secret of its entertainment function. It resolutely stays out of partisan politics.
On the news side of television, things are murkier.
The traditional “legacy” networks of ABC, CBS and NBC still go to great lengths to distinguish between “The Evening News” and “Entertainment Tonight”. For them, there is a sharp line dividing the news and the entertainment divisions of their large corporations.
In the cable news world, there are some significant distinctions among the most watched outlets. MSNBC and now also CNN clearly fancy themselves as beacons of truth and light in the wake of and in anticipation of the potential return of Trump World. Sticking with mostly wonky and pedantic news readers and commentators, these liberal-leaning
election results denials of Trump and allies like Rudy Giuliani and attorney Sydney Powell were nonsensical. Even Murdoch testified that he thought the election “was on the up and up.”
The popular evening TV hosts and Murdoch all testified under oath as part of Dominion’s giant lawsuit against Fox, and their revelations unmasked them. Their own words added to the evidence that Dominion has gathered in support of its contention that those running the country’s most popular news network knew Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election were false but broadcast them anyway in a reckless pursuit of ratings and profit.
place, Hannity is a superb entertainer.
The thing is, he works for Fox News, not Fox Entertainment Tonight. Millions and millions of people actually believe what he says, though it has now been revealed that at least in the case of the 2020 election, he is wise enough not to believe it himself.
On Monday’s show, Hannity called upon Kentucky Senator Rand Paul; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton; Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and conservative commentator Mark Levin, host of a Fox programme called “Life, Liberty and Levin.”
outlets aim to appeal to college-educated viewers who take themselves and the news seriously. These networks want a base of viewership composed of serious-minded citizens who believe they represent a solid political core that can steady the wavering American course in these tumultuous times.
Both CNN and MSNBC also despise the steady evolution of the Republican Party since the presidency of Ronald Reagan, from a traditional platform stressing strong defense, social and fiscal conservatism to a more openly populist advocacy for social reactionary-ness and resistance to change. Yet a different network has dominated the field of cable news almost since its inception in 1996. That is the formidable Fox News Channel. FNC founder Rupert Murdoch, now 91 years old, is the Aussieborn and London-trained media mogul who was reportedly the inspiration for the role played by actor Jonathan Pryce in the 1997 James Bond thriller “Tomorrow Never
Dies.” Leader of a family clan nearly as notorious as the Trumps in New York City, Murdoch was once married to Mick Jagger’s ex-wife and remains a model of persistent vitality and relevance for all men who aspire to live well into their 90s.
Murdoch learned the 24-hour news business when his Sky News entered the field in the United Kingdom in 1989. Previously, he had cobbled together a fourth “major” American TV network mostly by melding a collection of independent TV stations in major US markets. Murdoch’s Fox TV network had started in 1985, and its headline acquisition was the rights to broadcast the NFL’s National Conference games in 1993.
Pro football’s National Conference includes such giant and emerging American media markets as New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, Phoenix and Detroit. Ebullient former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden and ex-New York
Giants stalwart Pat Summerall were the famous faces of Fox’s NFL coverage for decades.
All of this comingling of sports, entertainment and politics brings us to the events of the past week.
A huge scandal broke out over the weekend, with Murdoch and his FNC evening hosts at the centre of it all. You might have heard that Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham were all revealed as hypocritical, venal liars in private emails disclosed in a $1.6 billion lawsuit filed against Fox News by a voting machine company called Dominion Voting Systems, which manufactures thousands of voting machines in use across the United States.
Trump and Fox claimed that the Dominion machines were flawed, had links to the dictatorial regime of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and were vulnerable to Democratic manipulation to alter election results.
Emails from all three of them, often to each other, illustrated that they were very well aware that the
According to numerous accounts in the New York Times and elsewhere, things started to go downhill for Fox in the ratings game after it had been the first network to declare Biden the winner in Arizona on election night. Trump needed to carry Arizona to retain a viable chance of re-election in the race, so when Fox made its call viewers and the White House felt that the network was conceding the election. Fox, of course, was correct in its call.
When Trump refused to concede and started attacking Fox as disloyal and dishonest, viewers began to switch to startup conservative TV rivals One America Network and Newsmax. Fox felt the ratings heat, and began to try to win back its large audience after ratings slumped after the election.
Talk about shooting the messenger bearing bad news. Fox, after uncharacteristically trying to actually live up to its “fair and balanced news” mantra in calling the Arizona race, likely learned its lesson. Never mix actual news with entertainment; it will cost you your viewership.
On Monday, as virtually every other news outlet breathlessly reported on Fox’s mounting legal difficulties, Hannity’s show aired as usual on Fox News at 9:00 p.m. This is a slick, fast-paced production. Glib and spontaneous but supremely authoritative, with every hair in his magnificent mane carefully in
These Republican stalwarts all offered views on Democratic Party lies about: the COVID-19 pandemic origin at a Wuhan, China lab; poisoned air in New York City after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; fraudulent claims about COVID vaccines, masks, mask mandates and Dr. Anthony Fauci; Russian collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 election; Hunter Biden and his laptop computer; the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the “left-wing mob echo chamber” that is the contemporary Democratic Party.
Not a word about the scandal swirling around the Fox News Channel and its leadership.
But these guests all distracted viewers from Fox’s own deception by itemizing alleged Democratic lies.
In other news accounts of the Fox depositions, Murdoch expressed ambivalence about pillow company founder Mike Lindell, a very public and vocal supporter of Trump and a kind of selfappointed election denier. Murdoch reportedly said it was “wrong” to allow this conspiracy theorist to appear on the Tucker Carlson show in January 2021 spouting incendiary rhetoric. “But he pays us a lot of money.”
During the Hannity show on Monday, there were two separate commercials airing from the same sponsor, unusual during a one-hour programme.
Both touted a “revolutionary new product” from Lindell’s pillow company.
Yesterday, Commissioner Fernander revealed the country’s murder count as 15, noting that the overall crime numbers have indicated a decrease in crime thus far.
However, he also advised that the country is currently challenged with murder cases that increased in 2022, calling March of last year “the bloodiest month in history” as 22 murders were recorded.
He pledged that his force will remain committed to keeping the murder count under 100 this year, as it is the goal of the RBPF to “stem the fear of crime”.
“While our overall crime numbers indicate a decrease in crime,” Commissioner Fernander said yesterday.
“We are still challenged with murder cases, which increased in 2022. There were 22 murders in March 2022, which represents the
highest number of homicides ever recorded for a single month in the history of the Bahamas. “We cannot afford to ever repeat this tragedy, the bloodiest month in history. Our goal is to hold the line and reduce the overall number of homicides for 2023 to double digits. We want to stem the fear of crime and this starts now.”
When asked by the media about the target number for this year’s murder count, Commissioner Fernander was unable to say.
“I don’t have no number in mind. I wish it could have been, you know, at a zero,” he said yesterday. “But we see what is happening, and we are trying to stop that trend.”
The commissioner’s plan noted objectives for each of the six priorities, starting with plans for revolutionising community policing.
The plan states that the
goal is to amplify police presence throughout The Bahamas through community walkabouts; engage community members and funnel intelligence gathered through community led initiatives among others.
Additionally, the police force plans to take a
A TEENAGER was sent to prison yesterday after being accused of stealing a woman’s car last month.
Glen Braynen, 18, faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on a charge of armed robbery. It is alleged that on
February 5 in New Providence, while armed with a handgun, the accused robbed Lisa Forbes of her silver coloured Hyundai Sonata. As this is an indictable offence, Braynen was not required to enter a plea. The accused was informed that his case would be transferred to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).
The accused was further told that as the chief magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant him bail he had the right to apply for it through the higher court.
Until he is granted bail, the accused will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.
He is expected to receive his VBI on May 18.
A MAN was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday after he admitted to having two loaded firearms in 2021 and 2022.
Allen Knowles stood before Magistrate Kendra Kelly on two counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition each.
On October 22, 2021, Knowles was arrested in New Providence after he was found with a .40 pistol with 13 unfired rounds of .40 ammunition.
Then on January 17, 2022, the accused was once again apprehended after being found with a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol and 13 unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition.
In his latest appearance before the magistrate,
Knowles reversed his earlier position and pleaded guilty to all charges.
Magistrate Kelly sentenced Knowles to two years in prison for the 2021 offence and three years for the 2022 offence, to be served concurrently. However, 14 months will be deducted from Knowles’ overall sentence due to time already served at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.
A MAN was arraigned yesterday on several fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a resort gift card scam.
Roshan Pererah, 28, appeared before Senior Magistrate Carolyn VogtEvans on five counts of fraud by false pretences
and three counts of money laundering.
Between January 29 and February 9, it is alleged the defendant fraudulently obtained 18 gift cards at a total value of $4,600 from the Baha Mar resort on West Bay Street.
It is further alleged that between February 9 and 16, the defendant spent an estimated $1,663.75 at the same
resort with these illicitly obtained cards.
In court the accused pleaded not guilty to all eight charges against him. He was granted $7,000 bail with one or two sureties. The conditions of his bail are that he has to sign in at the Elizabeth Estate Police Station while on release.
Pererah’s fraud trial is set to begin on May 25.
A MAN was granted bail in Magistrate’s Court yesterday after it was alleged that he was found with drugs.
Alando Williams, 26, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.
It is alleged that on
February 26 in New Providence, Williams was
zero-tolerance approach to minor and major crimes by increasing concentrated saturation patrols in hotspot communities, expanding Operation Ceasefire and targeting prolific criminals, drug peddlers, repeat offenders and establishing a monitoring unit to monitor
suspects being electronically monitored.
Commissioner Fernander expressed his confidence in this year’s policing plan, noting that consistency is vital.
“We have consistency and to sustain, and we are hoping that the other stakeholders will be able to assist in this regard to hold the line,” he said yesterday at the press conference.
“And we continue to say to other members of the public to work along with our police, and with that, and those points and consistency, with working with members of the public, I believe we will reach that goal.”
Additionally, the commissioner’s policing plan adds that the force will expand several of its youth focused policing programmes, including its police cadet programme, Just Adolescent Mentorship
Movement (JAMM) and Second Chance programme and others.
Yesterday the chief of police revealed that the majority of the persons committing these heinous crimes tend to be between the ages of 15 through 25.
“They are young people, we are trying not only with a view of picking them up and charging them, but if they commit crime, obviously they will be charged, but we are trying to partner with them,” he said.
“And that’s where targeting our youth with a view or steering them away from the life of crime, and that’s where Urban Renewal comes in, and all of the other partners we have — the community, NGOs, the churches within the area, and the different youth groups and different reach outreach programmes that we have, for a second chance.”
arrested after he was found with four grams of Indian hemp.
In court, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted $1,000 bail. His trial is set for March 27.
a resident of # 51 Winchester Street, New Providence, Bahamas and died on Friday, 17th February, 2023 at his residence. Funeral service will be held at Saint Thomas More Roman Catholic Church, Madeira Street, Palmdale on Saturday, 4th March, 2023 at 1: 00pm. Officiating will be by Rev. Father Junior Calixte and other ministries of the Gospel. Interment will follow in the Lakeview Memorial Gardens Mausoleums JFK Road.
PierreLouis boby will be present at the Church for 12:00 noon.
Left with fond memories to cherish are his wife: Luna SaintPreus; mother: Pierre Marie; father: Joseph Apoleon; sisters: Cynthia Pierre, Carolle Saintil; brother: Kevin Francis; nieces: Stacey Pierre, Kristie Fleurimond, Michaella Saintil, Cassey Saintil; nephew: Kevin Jr. Francis; aunt: Ophanise Pierre, Annie Pierre; family from USA: Villard Pierre, Aland Pierre and Spouse, Voinise Pierre, Navoix Etienne and spouse Joseph Verdul, Robens Alone and Roosevelt Dulcio; numerous cousins and grand cousins and a host of other relatives and friends too numerous to mention!
The family wishes to apologize if they have erroneously failed to mention your name, please bear with us. We are indeed grateful and appreciative for all your kindness and prayer offered during our time of bereavement.
Relatives and Friends may pay their last respects at Rest On Funeral Chapel Ltd Mount Royal Avenue, #19 Kenwood Street on Friday, 3rd March, 2023 at 10:00a.m from 6:00 pm.
a resident of Soldier Road, New Providence, Bahamas and formerly of Gors-Morne, Haiti, died on Wednesday, 8th February, 2023 at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Funeral service will be held at Queen of Peace Parish Roman Catholic Church, Faith Avenue off Carmichael Road, on Saturday, 4th March, 2023 at 2:00pm. Officiating will be by Father Wid Andy Beniste and other ministries of the Gospel. Interment will follow in the Southern Cemetery, Cowpen Road & Spikenard Roads.
Ozias Gilbert Body will be present at the Church for 1:00pm
Left with fond memories to cherish are his wife: Francoise Albert Ozias; children: Betty Ozias, Gelanda Ozias, Jackson Ozias, Aron Ozias, Gilbert Ozias Jr., Ashley Ozias; brother and sister: Mariantile Ausias,Tragelus Ausias, Joshua John Masline: Senjera Keke Lavermio Jhoime Ramand Frankly Remi Jinet Nona Jullanda Ozias; nieces and nephews: Pierre Fednat, Ylusse Rosenat, Wudeline Jean, Viergeline Joachin, Joanel Pierre, Osias Clauzette, Osias Josiant, Osias Martine, Osias Poline Jacline Osias, Jozette Osias, Michelene Isias, Emode Osias, Nadia Osias, Angeline Ausias, Jinette Ausias, Yolette Ausias, Mona Ausias, Judette Ausias; numerous cousins and grand cousins, uncles, aunts and ahost of other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
The family wishes to apologize if they have erroneously failed to mention your name, please bear with us. We are indeed grateful and appreciative for all your kindness and prayer offered during our time of bereavement.
Relatives and Friends may pay their last respects at Rest On Funeral Chapel Ltd., Mount Royal Avenue, #19 Kenwood Street on Friday, 3th March, 2023 at 10:00a.m to 6:00pm.
a resident of Cowpen Road, New Providence, Bahamas and died on Saturday, 24th February, 2023 at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Left with fond memories to cherish are his father: Elira Almonor; mother: Ercilia Petit Frere; uncles: Louissius Petitfrere, Eluisel Petit Frere, Farilus Petit Frere, Louissaint Petit Frere; aunts: Telicia Petit Frere, Molette Petit Frere, Erla Petit Frere; cousins: Asttel, Insley, Fardi, Ineeve, Ilaner, Cance, Rozal, Tertilus, Odilia, Maeinnie, Delicia, Cilamene; and a host of other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Rest On Funeral Chapel Limited and will be announced at a later date.
FROM PAGE 17
more to see from him.” Painter sprinted through Philadelphia’s system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A squads and Double-A Reading.
SALE ON TRACK
TO RETURN
Boston Red Sox pitcher
Chris Sale will likely make his Grapefruit League debut next week.
The seven-time All-Star threw 43 pitches over two innings of batting practice on Wednesday. Boston manager Alex Cora told reporters that Sale should be cleared to work twoto-three innings in a game sometime next week.
The 33-year-old Sale was limited to just two starts last year and 11 starts in all since 2020 due to a variety of health issues. Sale arrived at spring training with no limitations, though Boston is taking the lefthander’s ramp-up slowly in hopes of avoiding any setbacks.
GUARDIANS ON GUARD WITH VALERA
The Cleveland Guardians are hoping some rest will help highly touted outfield prospect George Valera, who left Tuesday’s exhibition with an apparent right-hand injury.
Valera, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in Cleveland’s organization, was forced to leave during his at-bat in the second inning after fouling off a pitch. He underwent surgery on the same hand during the offseason to repair a hamate bone fracture.
Manager Terry Francona said Valera will receive treatment before the team’s medical staff considers any imaging tests.
Valera hit .250 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus last season. Also, Francona said lefty reliever Sam Hentges is dealing with shoulder
inflammation and will be evaluated weekly.
Hentges has become a reliable bullpen piece for Francona. Last season, the 26-year-old went 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 57 games.
“After Sam pitched the other day, he just came in and his shoulder just wasn’t bouncing back like he wanted it to,” Francona said. “They got him imaged. He has some swelling around the ligaments of his shoulder.”
PAIN-FREE LEMAHIEU
New York Yankees
infielder DJ LeMahieu went 1 for 2 against Washington in his first game since being sidelined last September by a right toe injury.
He singled off the leftfield wall in the third, and played four innings at second base. More importantly, LeMahieu enjoyed his pain-free at-bats since the middle of last season.
“I’m excited about that,” LeMahieu said. “Excited to keep it going. I’ve been feeling good, and I expected it to stay that way.”
LeMahieu was limited to 125 regular-season games and missed the playoffs. He finished the season with a .261 batting average, his lowest since 2011.
“It’s awesome to see him up,” Yankees leftfielder Giancarlo Stanton said. “He’s a force for us, and he’s a menace for pitchers.”
RORTVEDT SIDELINED AGAIN
Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt is out indefinitely after a procedure to deal with what manager Aaron Boone called “an aneurysm of his posterior artery” near his left shoulder.
The injury is the latest in a series of setbacks for Rortvedt, who came to the Yankees as part of the trade that sent catcher Gary Sánchez to Minnesota. He was expected to compete for a roster spot but instead never appeared in a majorleague game due to oblique and knee injuries.
SWING SHIFT
The early returns on Major League Baseball’s
decision to restrict shifts are promising.
Runs and batting average were both up through the first wave of games compared to spring training a year ago. Players were hitting .272 through Feb. 28, with an average of 11.9 runs scored. That’s up from a batting average of .259 and 10.6 runs through the same period in 2022.
The uptick in offense does not appear to be affecting pace of play, thanks in large part to the introduction of the pitch clock. The average game time through Feb. 28 was 2 hours, 39 minutes. That’s down from 3:01 over the same stretch last spring training.
Umpires remain aggressive in enforcing timing rules. Cleveland shortstop Jose Tena was called out for not engaging the pitcher until there were less than 8 seconds left on the clock.
GETTING CARDED
New York Mets manager Buck Showalter was so impressed with the support given by a particular fan during an 8-4 victory over Miami that a simple tip of the cap wasn’t enough.
Showalter presented the fan with the lineup card afterward as a token of appreciation.
“He deserved it,” Showalter said.
HILL EXITS Nationals outfielder Derek Hill left Wednesday’s game against the Yankees with a right leg injury.
Hill, signed to a minor league deal, beat out an infield single leading off the third inning but came up limping. He was replaced by James Wood, considered Washington’s top prospect.
The 27-year-old Hill, a first-round pick by Detroit in 2014, is attempting to resurrect his career with the rebuilding Nationals. Hill hit .240 in 95 games with the Tigers from 202022 before Detroit released him in the middle of last season. He was signed by Seattle and assigned to Triple-A Tacoma before being released in the fall.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It took 2 hours, 19 minutes for the Miami Marlins to beat the Houston Astros 4-3 in a spring training game Monday — a game so fast that Ryan Murphy, a lifelong Houston fan, found himself lingering in the ballpark for a while afterward.
“I’m a baseball fan,” said Murphy, wearing 2022 Astros World Series gear, “so if I stay here for four hours, for two hours, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Faced with criticism of dwindling cultural relevance and a laggardly product compared to other major sports, Major League Baseball introduced a set of new rules this year to speed up games and attract younger fans. The bases are bigger to improve player safety and
may also encourage more aggressive baserunning. Pitchers can only disengage from the pitching rubber twice per plate appearance. And there’s a new pitch clock that gives players 30 seconds to resume play between batters. Between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds with nobody on and 20 seconds if there is a baserunner.
Less than a week into the spring training exhibition schedule, MLB seems to be getting what it wants, shaving about 20 minutes off the average length of games compared to last spring.
Players have been mostly pleased with the rollout.
“The game feels more exciting,” Washington Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin said. “Even some of the high-scoring games are under three hours.”
Fans seeing the newlook sport for the first time this week have had mixed reviews. Some, like Murphy, are indifferent to the changes.
“It’s irrelevant to us as fans, honestly,” said Murphy, who travelled from Utah to West Palm Beach for Houston’s exhibition season. “Players might think something different of it, but for us it’s all the same.
“How would I know the bases are bigger, honestly? I mean, we see a pitch clock out here, and we know it’s there, but it doesn’t matter to me.”
Some fans like the idea of being in and out of a game in under three hours, which is about how long an average nine-inning baseball game lasted in 2022. Others feel a nostalgic pull to how the sport has always been.
The Big Red Machine leads the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships after a record-breaking day one.
St Augustine’s College’s Big Red Machine came out on top of day one team rankings with a score of 406.50, edging out the second place Queen’s College Comets with 344.
Day one of the BAISS track and field championships featured CARIFTA qualifiers and broken BAISS records in both track and field events.
The Big Red Machine had two CARIFTA qualifiers from the secondary school.
Darvinique Dean, winner of the girls’ under 17 100m hurdles, qualified with a time of 14.64 seconds, beating the CARIFTA qualifying time of 14.89. She was followed by a fellow schoolmate Madison Moss who clocked a time of 15.68. Third runner up was St John’s College’s Valentina Knowles with 16.79.
In the boys under 17 110m hurdles, Quinton Rolle bested the
ON TRACK: High school student athletes compete yesterday on day one of the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships.
CARIFTA-qualifying time of 15.65 and notched the race’s fastest time with a scorching 14.86. SAC head coach Jason Edwards praised the efforts of his athletes. “They did exceptional jobs and this
meet is one of the prized meets in this country when you talk about high school at the elite level and for them to break these records of past people that [are] probably at the Olympics now or represent
the country now in World Championships is phenomenal,” Edwards said. QC Comets’ Kenny Moxey joined Rolle in qualifying for CARIFTA with a time of 15.19. The Big Red Machine’s Malik
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting in his Suns debut, helping Phoenix snap the Charlotte Hornets’ fivegame winning streak with a wire-to-wire 105-91 victory last night.
Devin Booker scored 37 points and Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 16 rebounds in the Suns’ seventh victory in 10 games. Chris Paul added 11 assists. Durant, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets on February 9, showed no lingering effects from a sprained right knee that kept him out of action for more than seven weeks.
The 34-year-old star fit in seamlessly with his new club, also grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots in 27 minutes.
White finished third in 16.72.
St John’s College, in third place in the team rankings with a score of 147, also had a CARIFTA
SEE PAGE 19
Durant made two 3s, a flurry of mid-range jumpers and showed he still has the burst to get to the hole on a driving left-handed layup for his first basket with the Suns. He also provided a boost on defence, blocking Hornets rookie centre Mark Williams twice in the opening five minutes.
The Hornets played without LaMelo Ball, who
SEE PAGE 18
THE public is invited to come to the Thomas A Robinson’s multipurpose fields in New Providence and experience the exciting Bahamas Flag Football League’s exhilarating, heart-pounding and suspenseful preseason, regular season, playoffs and championship games.
Everyone is invited to attend the BFFL’s preseason games, starting at 1pm on Sunday, and immerse themselves in the BFFL experience. League regular season games will be stacked with the best flag football players and coaches in the region, all locked in fierce competition every week.
Rivalries and pride are at stake on every play, in every game and on every
week as both men and women players battle it out for Bahamian football supremacy.
The BFFL allows for semi contact as both offensive and defensive linemen engage in hand-to-hand combat in the trenches.
On every action-packed play, the offensive linemen build a human wall to stop the defence and the defensive linemen surging through the wall to blow up the play. Both offensive and defensive linemen work nonstop in their craft and it is exhibited in an incredible display of force, strength, technique, agility and coordination.
The BFFL has a 9v9 Men’s Division and an 8v8 Women’s Division. The men’s division features a
THE stage hardly looked too big for pitcher Andrew Painter.
The hard-throwing Philadelphia Phillies prospect’s fastball touched 99 mph in his spring training debut against Minnesota yesterday.
The 19-year-old allowed one run and three hits with a strikeout in two innings, a solid first step as he attempts to crack Philadelphia’s starting rotation before his 20th birthday on April 10.
The 6-foot-7 Painter showcased a little bit of why the Phillies are so high on him. The 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft nearly reached 100 on the radar gun while facing Carlos Correa in the first
inning, though Correa did reach on an infield single.
“You know, (Correa) is pretty good at what he does,” Painter joked with reporters afterward. “So just trying to get by him.”
Painter threw 18 of 29 pitches for strikes and fanned Max Kepler with a 90 mph cutter. He ran into a bit of trouble in the second inning after allowing consecutive singles to Christian Vázquez and Nick Gordon before giving up a run on a sacrifice fly. The game ended in a 4-4 tie.
Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs praised Painter’s poise, which Painter attributed in part to having played at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers while pitching for Philadelphia’s Class A affiliate last year. “I felt like we didn’t even get to the point where he
PHILADELPHIA Phillies’ pitcher Andrew Painter, reacts after he delivers in the first inning during a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins yesterday in Fort Myers, Florida.
can probably get to but he did really well,” Stubbs said. “You saw the kind of repertoire. He can spin the ball. He was throwing strikes. Obviously a really
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
good heater and I don’t even think today’s heater was as good as it normally is. So I think we have even
16
9-player vs 9-player format and the women’s division features an 8-player vs 8-player format.
All league games are officiated by experienced and competent referees to ensure there is fair play for all players.
The BFFL has been the premier sports organisation for flag football in the Bahamas for over a decade.
It continues to enjoy both strong and widespread support from its many fans and corporate sponsors across the Bahamian archipelago.
The BFFL has risen from humble beginnings to becoming now a staple of Bahamian sports culture.
It is now not uncommon for teams to train yearround in preparation for the BFFL season.
In addition to the BFFL season, the league also hosts its annual international tournament in October.
This tournament, called the Heroes Tournament, is being held this year from October 7-8.
In the BFFL Heroes Tournament, there is a significant participation of Bahamian teams outside of New Providence and teams from other Caribbean countries.
“I’m excited for the upcoming season because not only does it provide new challenges but also gives my team and I the goal of trying to remain champions of the league,” said McCallton Demeritte,
SEE PAGE 19
By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer
MANCHESTER,
(AP) — As
Arsenal pushed further ahead in the race for the Premier League title yesterday, Manchester United moved a step closer to a second trophy this season by advancing to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
The biggest celebration of the night, however, was reserved for Grimsby Town’s fans after the fourth-division club produced a famous cup upset to beat top-flight Southampton 2-1. Tottenham was also the casualty of
SEE PAGE 18
IN an effort to promote healthier lifestyles, Mother Me Ministries, under the leadership of Elder Vernita Josey and Minister Davonia Josey Williams, will be facilitating a Fun/Run/Walk at 5:30am on March 18.
The ministry is inviting families, ministries, organisations and all persons interested in living better and being better, to join us for this healthy initiative.
Health professionals will be on site to carry out high blood pressure and glucose testing for all interested persons, so please join us as we begin our Journey to ‘...Prospering and being in Good Health.’
If you are interested in group registration or require additional information, please contact Elder Josey at 819-9122 or Minister Williams at 428-1116.
BAHAMAS Aquatics is all set to hold its final trials over the weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex before the team is selected on Sunday to represent the Bahamas at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships.
The last-chance trials will begin on Friday at 6pm and continue on Saturday at 9am with the final session scheduled to start at 4:30pm.
It will provide an opportunity for swimmers to make the standard before the team will then be selected, ratified and announced on Sunday.
THE University of the Bahamas’ softball athletic team will be in Grand Bahama on March 13 to conduct trials for players interested in playing on the Mingoes ladies’ team.
The trials are scheduled to begin at 3pm at the Emera Park.
Interested persons are urged to contact head coach Shane Albury at shanealbury@gmail.com or call 552-0653 for more information.
United. Arsenal’s focus is on the league and a 4-0 win against Everton at Emirates Stadium saw the table toppers move five points clear of second-place Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s team certainly appears to be over the jitters that threatened to derail its title challenge by avenging the 1-0 loss to Everton that began a three-game winless run last month.
That win was a blow to United’s own hopes of mounting a challenge at the top — but Erik ten Hag’s team remains in contention on four fronts after coming from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford.
FROM PAGE 17
underwent season-ending surgery yesterday to repair a fracture in his right ankle. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 26 points, and Terry Rozier added 20.
BUCKS 139, MAGIC 117
MILWAUKEE (AP) —
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and NBAleading Milwaukee hit a season-high 26 3-pointers to rout Orlando and extend their winning streak to 16 games. The Bucks’ franchise record for consecutive wins came in their 1970-71 championship season, when they won 20 straight.
Orlando’s Cole Anthony scored a season-high 28 points. Markelle Fultz added 21.
76ERS 119, HEAT 96
MIAMI (AP) — Tyrese
Maxey scored 27 points, James Harden added 23
XAVION Johnson, one of the top, rising young judokas in the island nation, pulled off one of his greatest feats when he captured the under-18 60 kilograms title in the Matsumae Cup in Vejie, Denmark.
Johnson, competing recently out of his training camp in Canada, won the title over Haugesund Tomsu of the Czech Republic. He advanced to the final after beating Adam Restik, also from the Czech Republic, in the semi-final match.
He beat another Czech Republican in Adam Resutik in the quarter-finals after taking down Santtu Kottari.
On his return to Canada over the weekend to continue his training, Johnson said he was thrilled with his performance at the European sanctioned event.
“It was really amazing when I won it. I was truly excited and happy,” Johnson said.
“I was really excited for the performance because I was trying so hard to get this title.”
After winning his first four matches, Johnson said he knew he would have his hands full in the final, but he gave it his best shot.
“I just wanted to get it out the way because I knew it was going to be a tough match,” said Johnson, who needed less than three minutes to secure the match. “He’s one of the best fighters coming out of the Czech Republic in the under-18s 60 kilo class.”
Looking back at his performance, Johnson said it was exactly what his coach expected of him.
“In my first match, I got my opponent off the ground and caught him with one of my favourite moves to put him on the mat,” Johnson recalled.
“In my second match, I was trying to feel my opponent out, but I got thrown for a score and that kind of woke me up, I got him back and won it.
“In the third match, my coach said after you win this one, the semi-final will follow really quick, so I had to beat this guy immediately. I took him down in about 20 seconds. In the semifinal, it was a tough match, but I caught my opponent with one of my favourite moves and got him on the mat for the win.”
The final match, no doubt, turned out to be the hardest, but Johnson persevered and he got the job done. He said his training camp in Canada played a significant role in his development going into the tournament. He said the consistent hard work in his three sessions a day really paid off for the past two months he spent there.
“I have to work on my techniques and my
and Philadelphia took control early on the way to a victory over Miami.
Tobias Harris scored 18 points, while Paul Reed had 16 points, 14 rebounds and was plus-26 in 29 minutes for the 76ers, who played without All-Star center Joel Embiid – out with left foot soreness. The 76ers are 9-4 when Embiid doesn’t play this season.
Bam Adebayo scored 20 points for the Heat. They beat Philadelphia on the road Monday but trailed by 25 in the rematch at home.
KNICKS 142, NETS 118 NEW YORK (AP) —
Jalen Brunson scored 30 of his 39 points in the first half and New York rolled to its seventh straight victory, routing Brooklyn.
The Knicks made nearly 80% of their shots in a 47-point first quarter and coasted to their second victory over the Nets since their city rivals traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn had won
gripping, but I’m also going to continue to work on my ground work because I want to get better all around,” he summed up.
Johnson is now preparing to compete again at the Edmonton International in Canada next weekend.
“I’m praying that I can win
in the U-18 60 kilos and then the seniors 60 kilos for the same tournament,” he projected.
On this journey, Johnson is hoping that he will eventually qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, France, in 2024. He will have to make the transition
from the under-18 judo to the open division and that is where he’s hoping his experience gained will pay off for him in the long run.
“It’s a huge jump,” said Johnson about competing against some of the world’s best in his bid to follow in the footsteps and
surpassed Giannis Antetokounmpo for seventh place on the NBA’s scoring list for players under 25.
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scored 44 points and sidestepped an injury following a fall in the third quarter.
LAKERS 123, THUNDER 117
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 26 points and shorthanded Los Angeles beat Oklahoma City.
join fellow Bahamian judokas Cynthia Rahming and Andrew Munnings on the elite stage. “It would be amazing to be one of the top competitors representing the Bahamas. I’m really motivated by watching Cynthia and Andrew compete on the highest level in judo. It shows where I want to be and how much more growth I have to get in my career. So I’m just excited to keep pushing through and to see how far I can go.”
Before the year is out, Johnson wants to get more major titles and that is the Cadet world champion. The 16-year-old Johnson will have to go through the Cadet World Championships on August 24 in Croatia to earn the feat.
“I have to get stronger, get my gripping better, improve on my technique and get my ground game better. I just have to get better all around,” he stated.
“Once I do that, I feel I will be ready to become the Cadet world champion this year.”
Right now, the six-foot Johnson, who is normally one of the tallest competitors in his class, feels he’s on the right track to achieving all of his goals.
helping Chicago hold on for a victory.
The Pistons were trailing by two points with 9.7 seconds left when they called a second straight timeout — one more than they had — to trigger a technical foul that gave LaVine a free throw that he made.
DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, including two at the line on the extra possession the Pistons gave the Bulls to help seal their 14th straight win in the series.
the previous nine meetings, including the first two this season.
Quentin Grimes scored 22 points and Julius Randle added 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Knicks opened a twogame lead over the Nets for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. Cam Johnson scored a season-high 33 points for the Nets. They have lost four straight.
CELTICS 118, CAVALIERS 113
BOSTON (AP) —
Jayson Tatum scored 18 points in a pivotal third quarter and finished with 41 points as Boston held on to beat Cleveland.
Tatum added 11 rebounds and eight assists in Boston’s first victory in three games against Cleveland this season. With his 20th career 40-point game, the 24-year-old Tatum
LeBron James and Anthony Davis both were out with right foot injuries and D’Angelo Russell sat out because of a sprained right ankle. Troy Brown Jr. scored a season-high 19 points and Austin Reaves added 19 for the Lakers. They have won four of five.
Jalen Williams scored 24 points for the Thunder.
BULLS 117, PISTONS 115
DETROIT (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 41 points and Detroit called one too many timeouts,
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 34 for the Pistons.
GRIZZLIES 113, ROCKETS 99
HOUSTON (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 30 points, Ja Morant added 20 and Memphis sent Houston to its 11th straight loss. Morant also had seven assists and seven rebounds against the Rockets without playing in the fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies to their third straight victory. Jalen Green scored 20 points and Kenyon Martin Jr. 19 for Houston.
qualifier. Tayshun Robinson placed first in the boys under 20 110m hurdles with a time of 14.17, beating not only the competition but the CARIFTA-qualifying time of 14.20.
Robinson credited hard work and shared his coach’s advice for the finals.
“To stay linear, keep leaning forward don’t sit back, attack the hurdle and don’t get scared,” Robinson said.
SAC athletes were once again among day one’s record breakers along with the QC Comets as both Tumani Skinner with 48.37 and Zion Miller with 48.56 shattered the BAISS record
of 48.64. The record was held by Kinard Rolle since 2014.
Skinner finished first place and Miller placed second. Clinton Laguerre of the Big Red Machine came in third with a time of 48.85. The Comets dominated in the under 13 girls 400 metre dash and the 1, 500m run.
Cierra Delancy placed first in the 400m and Olana Prince won the 1,500m with a time of 5:51.64.
Temple Christian’s Jasmine Thompson scored a victory in the under 15 girls 400m dash with a time of 57.52. In the under 15 girls 1,500m run, TC once again bested the competition as Breyteisha Kemp won the long race with a time of 5:23.36.
The Big Red Machine was victorious in the under 15 girls 75 metre hurdles, the under 17 girls 1,500m finals, and the under 20 girls 400m.
For the under 13 boys 400m, SAC’s Jireh Woodside beat the competitors with a time of 57.67 followed by St. Andrew’s Trace Russell (1:03.09), and QC’s Terou Bannister (1:06.10).
St. Andrew’s Trace Russell got the win for the under 13 boys 1,500m with 5:37.19. Second and third place belonged to the Big Red Machine with Brandon Hanna and Kristian Wilson coming right behind.
Andrew Brown from SAC placed first in the under 17 boys 400m with 50.23. Meanwhile, Jayden
THE Bahamas boys team picked up their third consecutive victory in the Junior Davis Cup tournament in Guatemala to advance to the playoffs.
Yesterday, the boys’ team, coached by Bradley Bain, blanked Nicaragua 3-0 to advance to their playoffs where they will play against the Dominican
FROM
wide receiver for the Caro Contractors Avengers. “I’m approaching every game differently but my focus is one game at a time.
“This is a revenge tour. We feel we got cheated in the championship game last season. We are out for blood.”
Travis Thompson, head coach of the EDLC Lions, said they are excited.
“We have been training all year. This season is just another practice for us and it is all for our coach watching us from above, the late Philip Rahming,” Thompson said. “We got a three-peat for our former coach Philip Rahming and now we are going for a fourpeat which has never been done in the league before.”
Jayde Knowles, defensive captain linebacker of the Paradise Games Wildcats, said they have “one goal in mind, championship.”
Edward Campbell, head coach of the Oasis Bahamas
Republic in the first round of the playoffs today.
In their tie against Nicaragua, Jackson Mactaggart won his singles match 6-1, 6-3, Jerald Carroll won his match 6-0, 6-2 and William McCartney and Jackson teamed up in doubles for a 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 decision.
The girls’ team, playing in the Junior Billie Jean King
Hit Men, said they can’t wait to get started.
“The entire football experience of touchdown celebrations, come-frombehind wins, heartbreaking defeats and passionate play from football players who bring it each and every down is on display every week in every BFFL game,” Campbell said.
“If you’re passionate about football, then the BFFL is the league for you. Become a part of the BFFL experience and take your football to the next level.”
For more information visit the Facebook: Bahamas Flag Football League and Instagram: @bffl242. Here’s a look at the preseason schedule for Sunday: 1:10pm - Avengers vs Hornets
2:20pm - Phoenix Fire vs Lady Jaguars
2:20pm - Team Red Dot vs Lions
3:30pm - Avengers vs Assassins
3:30pm - Hawks vs Wildcats 4:40pm - Hornets vs Predators
Cup, lost their tie 3-0 to the host team from Guatemala, who is ranked at number two in the tournament.
The girls’ team, coached by Marion Bain, saw Sapphire Ferguson lose her singles 6-1, 7-6, Jalisa Clarke lost her singles 6-1, 6-1 and in doubles, BreAnn Ferguson and Jalisa Clarke lost 6-2, 6-3.
Cooper and Zion Davis of SJC placed second and third.
SAC’s Eagan Neely won the under 15 boys 400 metres and also broke the 2005 BAISS record for the race in the prelims with a swift 50.62.
Neely said he was happy to achieve this goal. “It feels good because I was trying to break this from last year and now to finally break it, my goal has finally been achieved,” Neely said. The field events at the 2023 championships had the same amount of excitement as Terrell McCoy from Windsor School starred in the under 17 girls’ shot put. McCoy not only qualified for this year’s CARIFTA games with a throw of 13.53m, but she also broke
the BAISS record of 13.37m previously held by Brashe Wood since 2013.
Comets’ Jamiah Nabbie will join McCoy at the April CARIFTA games after placing first in the under 17 girls long jump with 5.49m, passing the qualifying mark of 5.46M.
While SAC prevailed in the track events, the Comets came out victorious in the girls under 13 high jump and the javelin throw. Among the winners were Samiah Moxey and Malaya Gordon, who placed first and second in the high jump.
Comets Jahzaria Kemp and Caitlin McWilliam came in first and second in the javelin throw, beating Aquinas’ Kaitlyn Philippe who placed third.
at 9am.