04262016 edition

TUESDAY

McCOMBO OF THE DAY McCHICKEN JR.

i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 83ºF LOW 71ºF

The Tribune L ATEST NE WS ON TRIBUNE242.COM

The People’s Paper

PARTLY SUNNY

Biggest And Best!

Volume: 112 No.96

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 PRICE – $1 (Family Islands $1.50)

HELPING CANCER SURVIVORS SEE WOMAN SECTION

LETTER FROM OBAMA CARTOONIST COMMENDED - SEE PAGE NINE

Speaker shock at injunction

Major vows to defend freedom of Parliament

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Dr Kendal Major said he was both “astonished” and “offended” by the recent granting of an injunction, which bars members of Parliament from disclosing Save The Bays’ confidential information during proceedings, calling it a “pre-emptive onslaught” against the independence of the lower chamber.

Dr Major said as this move attempts to usurp the authority of the Speaker and is contemptuous to the House of Assembly, he stood ready to have persons

SOCIAL SERVICES STAFF ‘USED FOOD COUPONS FOR THEMSELVES’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

STAFF members at the Department of Social Services participated in a “fraudulent” scheme in which they used food coupons intended for Bahamians on welfare to purchase groceries, according to Auditor General Terrance Bastian.

The audit - covering the period July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2015, and tabled in SEE PAGE THREE

YOUNGSTERS SHOW UP IN STYLE FOR CLINIC FACILITY OPENING

brought to the bar of the House if necessary in defence of Parliament and its freedoms.

In his first public dismissal of the April 21 interlocutory injunction granted

by Justice Indra Charles, Dr Major was stern in denouncing the order.

He said while the Office of the Attorney General seeks to have the injunction set aside, Parliament will continue to function as it wishes. He added that he was unaware of anywhere in the Commonwealth where the court is allowed to curtail the actions of Parliament.

SEE PAGE SIX

FITZGERALD JUDGE MAY BE ‘MAY BE HELD IN HELD TO ACCOUNT CONTEMPT’

BY COMMITTEE

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Dr Kendal Major said yesterday that Jerome Fitzgerald may be held in contempt of the House of the Assembly if it is found that the private emails he read in Parliament from members of Save the Bays were obtained illegally.

While making several rulings in the House of Assembly, Dr Major said in the future, members who SEE PAGE SIX

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

SUPREME Court Justice Indra Charles along with Save The Bays Director Fred Smith, QC, and lawyer Ferron Bethel were named in a resolution yesterday in Parliament for the Committee on Privilege to determine whether they should be held in contempt of the House of Assembly.

The resolution, which was moved by Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald, also SEE PAGE SIX

GARVIN Tynes Primary School perform at the opening ceremony of the Flamingo Gardens cold storage facility. See page two for the full story.

Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

BEC EXECUTIVES QUIZZED AT BRIBERY TRIAL

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

FORMER executives at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation were probed yesterday on their knowledge of the Inter-American Development Bank’s role in the bidding process concerning a French company’s tender for the New Providence Expansion Phase Three contract with BEC.

Former BEC General Manager Bradley Roberts was called to the witness stand to give evidence on how Alstom SA, formerly ABB Generacion, was awarded the multi-million dollar project in 2001.

Crown prosecutor Garvin Gaskin asked Mr Roberts if the bidders of the DA-12 contract paid BEC executives to reverse the decision against Korean rival-firm Hanjung.

“That is forbidden,

I don’t know anything about that,” Mr Roberts said.

“My attitude is to do the right thing for the Bahamian people. I don’t tolerate that. There are times when dealing with international contracts, companies attempt to get close but that’s to the people with the maximum influence. We (the BEC board) have limited influence. In my experience we are professional,” he said.

Wayne Munroe, QC, asked Mr Roberts if there were any dissenting views on the recommendation to award Hanjung the contract. Mr Roberts said “no.”

He did confirm the prior testimony of former BEC Chairman J Barrie Farrington that board members were called to a Cabinet meeting to defend the recommendation.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

27 YEARS IN JAIL FOR KILLER OF BREASTFEEDING MOTHER

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN received a 27year sentence yesterday for his involvement in the fatal attempted carjacking of a woman who was breastfeeding her baby six years ago.

Valentino Dorsett, 33, stood trial in February on a murder and attempted armed robbery charge concerning an incident that led to the death of 29-year-old Tagia Soles-Armony the night of August 7, 2009.

A jury returned a hung verdict of 7-5 on the murder charge and a 9-3 guilty ver-

dict on the lesser charge of manslaughter, the latter of which trial judge Justice Ian Winder accepted.

Dorsett was also convicted of attempted armed robbery by 11-1 and was told that he would be sentenced in April.

“The circumstances of this case is a most tragic

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

of circumstances,” Justice Winder said yesterday.

“If we accept the evidence of (pathologist) Dr Caryn Sands of the bullet’s trajectory, it is only by a sheer miracle the child she was nurturing was not struck in the process.”

SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

SIR Gerald Cash Primary School’s Rake ’n Scrape band.

THE AUDIENCE at the cold storage facility commissioning.

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

(WHO) have long mandated its member countries advance equity and improve access to vaccination to people of all ages.

Monday marked the start of the fourth annual celebration of World Immunization Week (WIW) - an effort led by the countries to meet the mandate.

WIW strengthens national immunisation programmes by reaching out to populations with little access to regular health services, such as those populations living in urban fringes, rural and border areas and in indigenous communities.

Since its start in 2003, more than 580 million people of all ages have been vaccinated under the framework of WIW. Currently, health officials in The Bahamas are reporting a high success rate in their vaccination campaigns. Officials have suggested that vaccination

COLD STORAGE FACILITY TO HELP IMMUNISATION PROGRAMME

REV Sabastian Campbell blesses the new Immunization Cold storage facilities.

MINISTER of Health Dr Perry Gomez and clinic administrator Janet Lundy cut the ribbon of the new facility.

Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

PUBLIC Health officials yesterday commissioned a newly constructed vaccine cold storage facility as a part of the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez said the facility represents another milestone for The Bahamas as officials continue to strengthen the country’s overall health system.

According to Dr Gomez, the Christie administration has worked to ensure equitable health services and improve health facilities across The Bahamas. “(This is) all an attempt to, what we call, strengthening our health infrastructure so that wherever you are in the Bahamas and seek healthcare, you would be going in to clinics that are renovated and new and

furnished and equipped to deliver quality healthcare to you,” he stated.

The North Andros representative said the opening of the facility at the Flamingo Gardens Clinic allows the government to purchase and store a more significant amount of vaccines, and therefore allow them to expand their reach to a greater number of people inclusive of infants, children and adults.

“We use this occasion as an opportunity to also raise the awareness that our expanded programme on immunisation over the past 35 years has not only saved lives, but it has reduced and/ or eliminated many of the infectious diseases that once caused blindness, deafness, meningitis, disabilities and death in our population.”

The Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation

efforts have been adopted and accepted by roughly 95 per cent of the country’s population.

The Department of Public Health now offers 17 distinct vaccines.

“The construction of this facility will help in insuring that our vaccines are stored at the appropriate temperatures, thereby maintaining its potency until it is given to the client or patient,” he added.

In July 2014, the Ministry of Health requested technical support from PAHO to conduct an overall assessment of the structural and functional capacities of the system, as well as to provide advice for the development of the new cold storage room for the country.

The government commenced construction on the facility in mid-2014 and to date, there has been no clarification on how much was spent on the project.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, PAGE 3

Documents destroyed in social services dept

‘

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net DESTRUCTION of government documents at the Department of Social Services raises questions about whether fraud was perpetuated, Auditor General Terrance Bastian noted.

His view came in a report following an audit of the department for the period between July 2013 and June 2015 that was tabled in Parliament yesterday.

Among other things, Mr Bastian’s report exposed the way in which some employees committed fraud using food coupons intended for welfare recipients.

It highlighted internal weaknesses in which money is sometimes used to pay for services that clients don’t receive, contributing not only to waste of public funds but compromising of the health of clients as well.

In one instance, Mr Bas-

AUDITOR General Terrance Bastian. tian discovered that a medi- records showed that the cal provider gave the DOSS client’s condition had detea fictitious invoice for a riorated, making the client medical procedure for one ineligible for the procedure.

“It should be noted,” Mr of the department’s clients.

The invoice was submit- Bastian wrote, “that from ted despite the fact that the date of the request to the medical provider’s own deposit of the payment, 255

days elapsed where no oversight or follow-up occurred to ascertain that this client was not only considered ineligible for the service but also died. However, a payment was still processed in the name of this client.”

To counteract problems like this, Mr Bastian said the DOSS should “implement procedures to detect and mitigate the risks associated with vendors receiving payment in advance of the provision of their services.”

Even while highlighting problems like this, Mr Bastian said he was “severely

impeded” in his investigations by the destruction of government documents requested by the auditors, an act that contravenes the Public Service Bill.

“As a result, not all areas in the DOSS were covered by this audit,” he said. “Further, it was brought to our attention before the release of our audit report, that in addition to the documents discovered to be shredded…instructions were given in 2014 and 2015 for documents to be shredded. This act of gross negligence and indifference by staff members

around the importance of retaining and protecting government documents further underscores our position in not being able to formulate a conclusion on the DOSS. The continued destruction of documents even during the audit process indicates that there may be a level of fraud being perpetrated within the department.”

Mr Bastian said during the audit, a DOSS staff member said a senior accounts staff member gave instructions to shred documents, including accounting items like “coupons, cheques, vendor statements, receipts and various types of accounting documents.”

“The separate acts perpetrated by accounting staff members reveal that there are obvious weak internal controls over the custody of accounting records within the accounts department and a severe lack of accountability around the same,” Mr Bastian said.

By using the coupons for ten different clients, several employees of the DOSS were able to obtain grocery items on August 30, 2015.

“The store’s name as printed on the coupons had been manually crossed out and replaced with an existing food store’s name,” he said.

“There was no authorising signature on the coupons when they were used by the DOSS staff members. As a result of the supposed acts between the food store personnel and the aforementioned DOSS staff members, these staff members were able to use the unsigned coupons to obtain grocery items.”

In fact, when management of Stop ’N Shop Grocers recognised discrepancies with the coupons, a senior member of the DOSS collected them from an employee of the store, promis-

lising (items) intended for the disenfranchised. This act by these staff members is an indication that one staff member was given too much authority, apparently with minimal or no supervision. This act may also be indicative of a more complex scheme being perpetrated with public funds.”

The department employees used $1,034 worth of food stamps.

Mr Bastian criticised the DOSS’ internal controls, noting that the coupon fraud was not discovered by the department but instead by the vendor.

He also criticised the lack of consistently prepared reconciliations related to vendors’ accounts for redeemed food coupons.

This lack, he said, “could contribute to over/under payment of vendor invoices.”

Additionally, Mr Bastian

raised concerns about poor oversight by executive management related to the review of vendor requests and payments.

Despite a requirement that approvals of such requests and payments be completed by the finance officer, in one instance a cheque request for a food store in the amount of $544,200 was “authorised by an accounts officer” without either a signature from the finance officer or executive management.

In fact, $3,682,636 in cheque requests were processed with the director’s signature, despite requirements.

Allowing this to take

place “indicates a lack of accountability on the part of executive management,” Mr Bastian said.

Such problems led Mr Bastian to call for duties in the accounts department of the DOSS to be more properly segregated.

“The risks associated with inadequate segregation of accounting functions can escalate leading to erroneous and inappropriate actions if one individual is in charge of handling assets, recording transactions, reconciling, and processing payments.”

The poor segregation of duties led to questionable acts and fraud, he said.

• For more, see Business

It was brought to our attention before the release of our audit report, that in addition to the documents discovered to be shredded…instructions were given in 2014 and 2015 for documents to be shredded... The continued destruction of documents even during the audit process indicates that there may be a level of fraud being perpetrated within the department.’

SOCIAL SERVICES STAFF ‘USED FOOD COUPONS FOR THEMSELVES’

from page one

Parliament yesterday - exposes a litany of internal weaknesses in the Department of Social Services’ (DOSS) accounting department and raises questions about how effectively top officials were providing oversight and management during the period in question.

Regarding the fraudulent scheme that saw several employees purchase groceries using food coupons, an investigation into the matter resulted in the termination of one staff member while two others have been placed on administrative leave.

Some of the pre-printed food coupons used in the scheme were for businesses that no longer exist, such as Stop ‘N Shop Grocers, Mr Bastian said.

ing to have them signed.

The employee, described as a senior DOSS accounts staff member, had access to the signature-stamping machine of the department’s director and used it to stamp the director’s signature on the coupons.

The employee later delivered the coupons “to the food store’s accounts department for processing”.

“The lack of control over the director’s signature stamping machine could result in inappropriate actions by employees entrusted with carrying out their daily functions,” Mr Bastian noted.

“It can also result in the director bearing the risk and responsibility for fraudulent activities and financial losses to the government.”

He added: “Through apparent collusion, staff members were able to perpetrate a fraudulent act uti-

CHILDREN AMONG DETAINED MIGRANT GROUP

BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THREE children, including a two-year-old, were among 16 Haitians intercepted at sea by the US Coast Guard and brought to Grand Bahama on Sunday evening.

The group was reportedly making its way from Grand Bahama to the United States when they were stopped.

This is the second group of migrants brought in since Saturday, and immigration officials are urging persons not to risk their lives and the lives of their children in such dangerous and illegal voyages at sea.

According to Napthali Cooper, an immigration official in Freeport, the children aged ten, 11, and two years old, were all travelling with their mothers.

The group claimed to have left Grand Bahama on Saturday evening, headed to Florida when spotted by the Coast Guard on Sunday morning just as their vessel was entering US waters.

There were nine men, four women, and three children. The USCG Cutter Robert Yared arrived at Freeport Harbour around 8pm on Sunday and turned

the migrants over to Bahamian authorities.

Mr Cooper reported that all of the Haitian men entered the Bahamas illegally by boat from Haiti between 2015 and early this year.

Although it was claimed that all of the children had been born in The Bahamas and had been enrolled in schools in both New Providence and Grand Bahama, none of their mothers had any current legal status in The Bahamas, it was reported.

He said that one of the mothers travelling with her two sons – ages ten and 11 – claimed to have been born in The Bahamas, and at age 33 could not afford to wait to obtain her citizenship and decided to take the chance with her sons “in hopes of finding a better life.”

“In light of the recent tragedies a week ago in which persons lost their lives at sea attempting to be smuggled to the US, it appears as if persons are still hell bent on making the dangerous voyage, and in some instances parents are taking children who may not have life jackets and are both unable to swim,” Mr Cooper said.

“People must place value on their life and those in

TOURIST DROWNS IN EXUMA

POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding the apparent drowning death of a man in Exuma that occurred on Sunday.

Police were told that shortly after 3pm, a man was swimming in waters

off Ramsey, Exuma, when he became unconscious.

Despite extensive CPR efforts the man was pronounced dead by the island’s doctor.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

their care above taking this sometimes dangerous route to a so-called better life via illegal means,” said Mr Cooper.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jrolle@tribunemedia.net

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES

News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax

(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com

@tribune242

tribune news network

Dame Joan condemns the referendum without reading the Bills WE ARE more than surprised, in fact we are shocked at the position taken by the first Bahamian woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Bahamas (1996-2001) and President of the Bahamas Court of Appeal (2001 to 2010) on the referendum to be held on June 7 to decide whether Bahamian men and women should have equal status in our country.

We are not surprised at Dame Joan’s position on the four proposed bills. It is her right to say that if she votes at all, she will vote “no.” But to dismiss them as “a waste of time” while admitting that she has not even read them is inconceivable for a woman of her educational background.

However, that is what she has done obviously without seeing anything wrong with her admission. She left the impression that she made her statement for her lack of information with a prideful bravado.

She admits that she has not as yet seen the four questions, but would vote “no” anyway, adding that in her opinion the referendum is unnecessary.

It’s unnecessary, she told The Nassau Guardian, because “there are two provisions in the constitution that deal with discrimination. One is Article 15 and the other is Article 26, and if you read those two articles together you come away with the clear view, if you’re thinking rightly, that what that does is it prohibits the government or any arm of the government from discriminating against people on a certain basis.”

On this page today, a lawyer has written a letter refuting her claims.

“Dame Joan well knows,” said the letter writer, “that the courts of the Bahamas, up to and including the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, decided that Article 15 does not in any way secure any of the fundamental rights and freedoms including the right not to be discriminated against.

“In fact,” the lawyer continued, “Article 15 has been held by our courts to be non-justiciable, meaning no rights are derived from that article, and is in essence an introductory paragraph only. In fact, Dame Joan, writing for the Court of Appeal in Newbold et al v the Commissioner of Police and others SCCrApp 180 /2008, recognised that no rights were derived from Article 15.”

Our readers should read the lawyer’s letter for themselves to follow the argument, which disagrees with Dame Joan’s premise as stated in The Guardian.

But for the sake of argument, let us say that her premise that relief against discrimination is covered in the Constitution. At the snail’s pace at which our courts move — they urgently need a major overhaul — litigants will end up like Jarndyce v Jarndyce in Charles Dicken’s “Bleak House”. By the time their case has droned to an end, there will be nothing left to discuss because the litigants will have long since gone to their graves.

And the Bahamians most affected by this unequal status are among the less fortunate who do not have the finances

to fight for their rights. That is why we agree that the equality rights should be clearly enshrined in our constitution and be beyond dispute. This is the importance of the four bills on which Bahamians are being asked to vote on June 7.

Vicious PLP politics wrecked the first referendum in 2002. Don’t let June 7 be a repeat performance. We know that Bahamians have reached the end of their rope with their politicians, but don’t let your anger destroy the future of your families.

Unlike Dame Joan, read the proposed Bills, try to understand them, and then act with wisdom, not blind emotion.

Said Dame Joan: “When you’re dealing with laws and laws so fundamental as constitutional law, you must take time to think things through and what I have seen in the debate leading up to this is a bunch of hot air and emotionalism and no thinking things through.

“So I would not support anything like that and all the brainwashing and things that are going on on television saying women are treated differently from men, that’s a conclusion based on what fact?

“And if we are treated differently, how are we treated differently?” she asked.

With Dame Joan seemingly so removed from the suffering of so many families in this community, The Tribune has decided to reprint cases of how many of our fellow Bahamians — women and children — suffered at the hands of heartless politicians – and, despite what Dame Joan now maintains, had no law to protect them.

That is what June 7th is all about — equality for all of our citizens - men, women and children.

We shall probably introduce the series with an article we wrote on April 24, 1997. Headed “A family tormented by the PLP”. The opening paragraphs read: “The front door flew open. A woman ran into the road and headed for the graveyard. “‘Frank it’s over! It’s finished, Frank, it is really finished,’ she screamed. She laughed. She cried, and she screamed some more. For her, it was a joyous moment.

“Neighbours opened their doors and looked out to see what had happened.

“Mrs Drucilla Higgs of Mathew Town, Inagua, had gone to her husband Frank’s graveside to share her good news with him. It was March 14 and ZNS had just announced the results of the general election.

“The FNM had won 34 seats. Mrs Higgs did not wait to hear the PLP’s results. Instead she was off to tell her Frank the good news…”

Mrs Drucilla Higgs was a strong woman. Hers was a brave, but sad story. There were many such stories. We shall try to reprint as many as possible to inform persons like Dame Joan of how many in our community suffered while they slept in self satisfied ignorance.

This is what June 7th is all about. We hope that Bahamians will first inform themselves and then get out and vote their conscience.

Dame Joan’s odd verdict EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS with great sadness that I read the comments of Dame Joan Sawyer, a former Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal, today.

I find it very difficult to believe, or rather to understand how, anyone with such a distinguished legal history considered it intellectually and socially responsible to comment on the four Constitutional Amendment Bills without actually reading them.

Moreover, I find it shocking that she would nevertheless conclude and disseminate to the Bahamian public her incorrect view that “there are two provisions in the Constitution that deal with discrimination”. I can only therefore conclude that her comments are a shameful attempt to mislead.

Dame Joan well knows that the courts of The Bahamas, up to and including the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, decided that Article 15 does not in any way secure any of the fundamental rights and freedoms including the right not to be discriminated against.

In fact, Article 15 has been held by our courts to be non-justiciable, meaning no rights are derived from that article, and is in essence an introductory paragraph only.

In fact, Dame Joan, writing for the Court of Appeal in Newbold et al v the Commissioner of Police and others SCCrApp 180 /2008, recognised that no rights were derived from Article 15.

On appeal to the Privy Council, the Law Lords

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net agreed with Dame Joan and referred to Article 15 as a “recital proclaiming the entitlement to every person in The Bahamas to fundamental rights and freedoms“.

They concluded that, “article 15 has no relevance or application, save as a preamble and introduction to the subsequently conferred rights.”

See Newbold et al v the Commissioner of Police and others (2014) 84 WIR 8 agreed, Article 26 then is the only provision in the Bill of Rights that provides the right not to be discriminated against, and for which Article 28 specifically provides relief. The statement of Dame Joan that “to some extent they are trying to draw out of the constitution what is already there, which is a matter of interpretation” is therefore most disingenuous, for she well knows that as the provision stands today, it does not include sex. It is not, contrary to her statement, a matter of interpretation. The constitutional right not to be discriminated against on the ground of sex does not in fact exist for Bahamians.

Dame Joan is further quoted as stating “things that are going on, on television saying women are treated differently from men, that’s a conclusion based on what fact? And if we are treated differently, how are we treated differently?” The answer to this question is simple and would have been clear to her had she read the pro-

posed Bills.

It is pellucid, on the reading of the Constitution that discrimination exists in Articles 8, 10 and 14. Only Bahamian men have the right to pass on citizenship to any of their children born outside The Bahamas. Bahamian women are not afforded the same right. Moreover, the foreign wife of a Bahamian man is entitled to citizenship; but the foreign husband of a Bahamian woman is not. An unmarried Bahamian man cannot pass on his citizenship to his child; but an unmarried Bahamian woman can.

I find it amazing that as eminent a jurist as Dame Joan was, she does not seem to appreciate that Bahamians are in fact treated differently in the Constitution, and that it is this unequal treatment that the Constitutional Bills seek to change.

Finally, she is also quoted as saying: “I don’t want to be equal to a man. I want to be me; I’m complementary to a man. I don’t want to change what God has [done].” While it is her right to desire inequality for herself, it is distasteful for Dame Joan to seek to convince others that inequality does not exist in the Constitution; and further to dismiss any movement to rectify this inequality as a waste of time.

Any movement, seeking equal rights for all, should never be considered a waste of time.

A DISAPPOINTED AND CONCERNED LAWYER Nassau, April 25, 2016

The Church and equality EDITOR, The Tribune.

protested. And why it may be extremely difficult for I FOUND it quite inter- many Church leaders to esting reading about the come to terms with equality Christian Church lead- – even now. ers seemingly new-found The Church, in our socienthusiasm for the equal ety, has always represented rights of women in The Ba- a more misogynistic view of hamas. the world and they use the Our Bahamas constitu- Bible as their justification. tion has been in flawed The following excerpts, existence – as to the equal from the Bible, give selecrights of women – for ap- tive cause to this male drivproximately 43 years. I en point of view: don’t recall the Church pro“For man did not come testing to the State as to just from woman, but woman how unfair and misguided from man; neither was man certain aspects of our Con- created for woman, but stitution has been with re- woman for man.” 1 Coringards to the equal rights of thians 11:2-10 women in The Bahamas.

“Your desire will be for I do, however, understand your husband, and he will why they would not have rule over you”. -Genesis

3:16 “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” 1 Corinthians 14:34 “For Adam was formed first, then Eve And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” Timothy 2:13-14 Contrastingly, though not accentuated enough, the Bible also seems to show God’s favour towards women. In Genesis, the woman seems to have been so important that she was created alongside the man, not merely from the man or after the man:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Gen. 1:27 When God decided to give his only son to die for the sins of mankind he actually selected the woman to be the vessel of this special Christ child.

Fertilisation of a woman’s egg but bypassing the seed of the male altogether: “When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 1:18 The first to see Jesus when he was raised from dead was a woman: “Now when Jesus was risen

early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” Mark 16:9 The upcoming referendum on gender equality will not, in any reasonable timeframe, solve the problems that centuries of misogynistic teachings have caused within this country.

Indeed, it is most unfortunate that a few men in a room easily wrote inequality into our constitution but then it takes millions of dollars and the will of an entire nation to undo this injustice.

Still, even if the referendum succeeds, this second time around, the real work

toward full equality would have just begun. I do not believe that laws and doctrines, in and of themselves, cause inequality between men and women – people do. And people have written all laws and doctrines throughout our human history.

Sadly, until we see a more positive change in the minds of men, toward women, there will always be – in practice – a division between the rights of men and that of women in The Bahamas.

DWAYNE LOCKHART-GAILLARD Nassau, April 25, 2016.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, PAGE 5

Davis dismisses Moss claims on referendum as ‘rubbish’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net DEPUTY Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis dismissed Marco City MP Greg Moss’ statements about the motives of parliamentarians pushing the passage of the constitutional referendum’s fourth bill as “rubbish” yesterday.

Days after Mr Moss told a group of pastors attending a forum at Evangelistic Temple that some parliamentarians are pushing the bill be-

cause of their homosexual identity, Mr Davis reacted yesterday, saying: “It’s rubbish, total rubbish and not worthy of a response.”

Mr Moss is one of several prominent people trying to convince Bahamians not to support the fourth bill. He told pastors that some parliamentarians want the bill passed as a way of protecting themselves for life after politics.

He added that the more he speaks to ordinary Bahamians the more he has become convinced that

the entire referendum will fail.

He also criticised the government’s decision to use public funds to boost the YES Bahamas campaign, which is headed by Senate President Sharon Wilson and former Senate President Lynn Holowesko.

Asked last week if pastors should sue the government for its failure to provide the No campaign with funds, Mr Moss suggested that doing so would not reap a significant outcome

because the courts won’t grant an injunction to stop the process and nor will it award costs to the winning party.

Asked about this yesterday, Mr Davis said: “Representations have been made to the Ministry of Finance (requesting funds for the vote ‘no’ campaign) and the matter is under active consideration. The results of that I cannot speak to.”

National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage, who has responsibility for

referendums, told The Tribune yesterday that he would speak to the issue of costs and funding during a contribution in the House of Assembly later this week.

The first bill would give Bahamian women who are married to foreign men the right to pass on their Bahamian citizenship to any child of that union no matter where that child is born.

The Constitution currently says that only Bahamian male citizens by birth have that right.

Bill two would give a Ba-

hamian woman married to a foreign man the right to secure for her husband the same access to Bahamian citizenship as a Bahamian male has in relation to his foreign wife.

Bill three would grant any unmarried Bahamian man the right to pass on his Bahamian citizenship to any child he fathers with a foreign woman with proof of paternity. The fourth bill seeks to end discrimination based on sex.

The referendum will be held on June 7.

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

is not a waste of time,” Mrs Bethel said.

“We may have wasted some time but this whole thing is not a waste of time.

This is about the electorate getting an opportunity to shape what this country will be like what the value of this country will be like and I really hold deeply the principal of equality and the principal of nondiscrimination.”

Mrs Bethel is a Bahamian attorney, human and gender rights activist, filmmaker and acclaimed writer/poet.

She appeared as a guest on KISS FM radio talk show “Ed Field’s Live” alongside Bahamas Crisis Centre Director Dr Sandra Dean Paterson.

Both women are part of the advocate group Citizens for Constitutional Equality.

Mrs Bethel said: “Women have struggled in this country for centuries,

alongside with men, shoulder to shoulder throughout slavery, through the ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s. We have struggled alongside men to make this country what it is.

“We have participated and contributed equally to this country, to nation building, yet we are denied first class citizenship in my view under the constitution.”

Meanwhile, Dr Patterson noted that the negative response to the referendum stemmed from a culturally entrenched sense of entitlement that fed the disparity over equality for men and women.

She added that perhaps one of the largest barriers to widespread acceptance of the bills was that the ostensible success of women in the country made it seem as though equality in the Constitution was unnecessary.

Mrs Bethel also said:

“This is part of our belief system that we have continued to live with and this is actually structured into our constitution. The result of this system that we have lived with for centuries is that in the constitution in 1972 the inequalities were structured into the pinnacle of our laws.

“If we’re talking about gender equality between women and men, which is what I believe in, and non-discrimination on the basis of sex, we have to treat that as a critical goal of our democracy, of good governance, of nation building.”

She added: “I don’t see how we can move forward with any national development plan of 2040 when you’ve got the two basic aspects of your society, women and men, unequal.”

ACTIVIST: VOTE IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME

MARION BETHEL

ACTIVIST Marion Bethel yesterday disagreed with statements made by former Court of Appeal President Dame Joan Sawyer as she called for heightened education and public awareness in the lead up to the gender equality referendum.

Responding to reports that Dame Joan had dismissed the June 7 vote as a “waste of time”, Mrs Bethel underscored the critical impact the electoral process will have in shaping the country’s future.

She said: “I have tremendous respect for Dame Justice Joan Sawyer, I admire her greatly and I consider her a friend of mine. I have to disagree with her on this particular position that she has taken, this is not a waste of time.

“My opinion is that this

INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS LACK OF MARITAL RAPE LAWS

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE country’s Sexual Offences Act was identified as “anti-women” by an international news agency over the lack of protection against spousal rape.

The Bahamas was named in a photo essay that highlighted countries with laws that were deemed “antiwomen” by UK news site The Independent.

A picture of an island coast was used with an overlay of the words: “In The Bahamas, a man can rape his wife if she’s over 14.”

The piece was published on Friday, and has been shared more than 7,000 times across various social media platforms.

In the Sexual Offences Act, rape is defined as an act of any person not under 14 years of age having sexual intercourse with another person who is not his spouse without consent.

A spouse can only be found guilty of a sexual assault if the couple is separated, in the process of divorce, or if there is a restraining order in place.

The country’s legislative stance on spousal rape has repeatedly come under scrutiny from international groups, like Amnesty International and the US State Department.

A heated national debate was sparked after a Marital Rape Bill was introduced to Parliament by Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner in July 2009.

Mrs Butler-Turner, then minister of state for social development, said that the law was out-dated as spousal rape had long been outlawed in many other countries.

The 2009 amendment faced staunch opposition and the Ingraham administration shelved the bill.

Mrs Butler-Turner yesterday called spousal rape legislation a “moral right” that Bahamians did not buy into.

In her opinion the amendment never progressed because of the “loud” voices that overshadowed what she considered a silent majority.

Mrs Butler-Turner said she felt the argument for the bill could have been strengthened if male legis-

lators had been more emphatic about their support.

“I think that when you look at this holistically it was not just them (detractors). It was women who actually did not believe that it was possible for them to be raped by their husbands.”

“The majority of individuals from all the town meetings and sessions that I attended was that they didn’t see an issue with it.

“You cannot move a country beyond where it wants to go,” she said.

“I believe that if our ad-

ministration had put more emphasis on it, from male legislators, that that would have strengthened the argument, but that didn’t happen.”

When asked whether she would lobby for the amendment again, Mrs ButlerTurner said: “I think we have bigger hurdles to overcome first and those are for women to appreciate their value. Women really need to appreciate their value in terms of gender equality, that will help us to have a more equitable society.”

PAGE 6, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

SMITH DISAPPOINTED WITH PARLIAMENTARY STANCE ON PRIVILEGE

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net

FRED Smith, QC, legal director of Save The Bays, said yesterday he was “disappointed” that House Speaker Dr Kendall Major “dismissed as contemptuous” an order handed down

by Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles restraining members of Parliament from releasing any information contained in STB private emails.

Mr Smith told The Tribune the proper place for the determination of the extent of parliamentary privilege is in the Supreme Court, not in in the House of Assembly.

On Monday, Dr Major

said the judiciary has no jurisdiction over Parliament and the interlocutory injunction against Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald and Attorney General Allyson MaynardGibson, violates the principal of separation of powers.

Last Thursday, STB was granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the government ministers from further disclosing the group’s confidential information in Parliament.

The injunction was granted by Justice Charles yesterday and lasts until May 12.

The judge’s order said the government ministers are “prohibited” from any fur-

ther appropriation, perusal, use, publication or disclosure in Parliament or elsewhere of any correspondence, including emails, belonging to the applicants.

However, Dr Major said the Attorney’s General’s Office is seeking to have the injunction set aside.

“I am disappointed that responsible leaders of our country, parliamentarians, are ratcheting up an issue that is of constitutional importance to the future of the Bahamas and democracy,” Mr Smith said.

“The matter is before the court. I deplore the approach taken by the members in the House of Assembly. I do not wish to comment on the matter as it is a case before the court

and the government has given notice to set aside the order but the proper place for the determination of the extent of parliamentary privilege is in the Supreme Court.

“We (STB) do not seek to stop the inner workings of the House of Assembly, this is an act against our constitutional rights and throughout the world, including United Kingdom, there is a recognition that constitutional rights are to be determined by the Supreme Court. I urge (those in Parliament) to let the matter be properly determined by the court and not create a political deflection.”

Last month, Mr Fitzgerald accused Save The Bays of being a political organisa-

tion seeking to “overthrow” the Progressive Liberal Party government under the guise of an environmental group. During his contribution in the House of Assembly, Mr Fitzgerald read private emails from STB members and others, which he said bolstered his claims.

Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet, Mr Fitzgerald recently warned members of the environmental group to “batten down” because a “category five” hurricane was on its way, as he threatened to table “every single” email and bank statement in his possession if needed to protect his integrity and parliamentary privilege.

Last month in Parlia-

ment, Mr Mitchell claimed that some $8.25m has been filtered through various organisations connected with STB - locally and internationally - from 2013 to 2015.

Also speaking in the House of Assembly in March, Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller has alleged he saw a document that showed that five members of STB take home a combined salary of $740,000.

The disclosures came as part of a fierce political debate over claims included in an alleged murder-forhire plot outlined in court documents filed against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard by billionaire Louis Bacon and several other STB directors in early March.

Speaker shock at injunction from page one The injunction, which lasts until May 12, sought to restrain Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald and Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson from any further appropriation, perusal, use, publication or disclosure in Parliament or elsewhere of any correspondence, including emails, belonging to STB. “Honourable members, I regard this interlocutory injunctive order as a preemptive onslaught against the independence of the Parliament and its attempted execution usurps the authority of the chair and amasses contempt upon our institution,” Dr Major said as he addressed the House.

“In my view the order violates the principle of separation of powers critical to a parliamentary democracy and should attract outrage from every member of this place and senator in the other place. In short, it is a blatant breach of parliamentary privilege and utterly disdainful on many levels.

“As chair, I defy this or any attempt by any court to direct or affect in anyway the conduct of our business in this place. I have the honour to preside over this House at this junc-

ture in our history and will therefore jealously guard its rights and privileges.”

He added: “When the courts decide to meddle and extend its reach into the halls of Parliament democracy is not well served.

“Parliament can be messy yet it is self-regulating and the people ultimately cause it to correct herself. Members are often wrong and make mistakes. However for the system to work there must be mutual cooperation and respect between branches of government.

Our rules operate through the discretion of the chair and through this vehicle we regulate the members. Parliament has its own checks and balances, ie rules, chair, committees, private members, diversity, elections every five years, etc.

“This matter is not about politics or who is right or wrong for what they said or did. This action by the court is a violation of a clear-cut principle in constitutional law and separation of powers.

“The privilege of freedom of speech is both the least questioned and the most fundamental right of the member of Parliament on the floor of the House and in committee,” Dr Major stressed.

Separation of powers Central and South Eleuthera MP Damian

Gomez said this was the first time that he knew of where a Supreme court judge attempted to regulate the utterances of the House of Assembly.

The PLP MP, who is also the chairman of the House Committee on Privilege, said the concept of separation of powers had to be taken seriously. He also raised concerns that in reading Justice Charles’ order it was noted that there had been no representation from the Office of the Attorney General. He suggested that this was due to an intentional act on the part of STB. “As chairman of the Committee on Privilege, I shall be fairly restrained on what I have to say because I (understand) that a motion will be made on the matter,” he said.

“I received a copy of the order by email on Sunday afternoon. It troubled me reading the order that it was said no appearance was made by the Attorney General’s Office even though notices were being given.

“On inquiry, I discovered that the attorney general was served just before the hearing began and a copy of the notice was merely left at the reception desk so it was never intended by the applicants that proper notice would be given. I’m concerned about that, Mr Speaker.

“We have to take the

separation of powers very seriously.

Mr Gomez added: “This is the first occasion that I am aware of that a Supreme Court judge has actually sought to say to members of Parliament what they cannot say in the House of Assembly. I am indeed very surprised by that. One must wonder what was submitted to the court.”

He insisted several times that he was unsure why he was served with an order when he had made no public communication whatsoever about any emails.

“I am not apart of this, Mr Speaker, I know that there was some talk of another order that had been granted in the Supreme Court by Save The Bays in which they sought to muzzle the world by naming essentially a John Doe defendant because it named no one and could have affected members in this place who might have been served or given notice of this.

“I draw that to your attention, Mr Speaker, because whatever question is referred to the Committee on Privilege it is important for a reminder to cover all of these silly occurrences and I say that because of the time of the season.

“We all know that the election is coming up within the next 11 months and people tend to do things that they would not other-

KENDAL MAJOR wise do. But this is too seri- thing falls apart and we end ous of an issue for persons up with what we are facing to believe that the playing today, Mr Speaker, and you of politics with our Consti- have rightly called it out, tution can be tolerated,” Mr but I want to call it by its legal name, it is a constituGomez said.

Meanwhile, Marco City tional crisis when one arm MP Greg Moss said in this of the government tries to matter all parliamentarians usurp the other arm of govshould stand united on is- ernment.

“I am very troubled by sues that undermine dewhat has happened.” mocracy.

However, Fort Charlotte Mr Moss, who is also the leader of a fringe group MP Dr Andre Rollins asked of the United Democratic that Dr Major hold all MPs Party (UDP), said there to the same standard.

The FNM MP said: “Mr should be no room for any understanding sort of misunderstanding of Speaker, the role of Parliament and your role as the premier the essential function that protector of the Parliament, it is only my humble request it plays.

He said no one should that members opposite not question what is done in the be held to standards that cannot be acceptable within House.

“I have said this repeat- the confines of what is peredly,” Mr Moss said. “We missible under the law.

“I do not believe that have three arms of the government and that’s not just any member opposite lives a luxury or some sort of above the law when every tapestry we have devised. one else outside is supposed That is how the democracy to live under the law. That is all that I ask you, Mr works.

“Otherwise the whole Speaker.”

FITZGERALD ‘MAY BE HELD IN CONTEMPT’ JUDGE MAY BE HELD TO ACCOUNT BY COMMITTEE from page one

from page one attempt to table unverified documents would not be allowed to do so unless they satisfy “the standard of authenticity and reliability”.

In the House of Assembly last month, Mr Fitzgerald, the Marathon MP, alleged that members of STB were engaged in a well-financed plot to destabilise the government, and he disclosed email messages about their activities, which he said substantiated his point.

Those emails were later tabled in Parliament.

He has since maintained that he did not have “unauthorised” access to the emails but stressed that his actions were protected by parliamentary privilege. Mr Fitzgerald has also said that he got the private emails from his “political garbage can”.

“Additionally, the improper release of private and unreliable emails may violate the Computer Misuse Act and Data Protection Act,” Dr Major said.

“Particularly this violation is more likely when the source of the email is not verified. No doubt since the information was released in this privileged chamber, members are not subject to injunction in a court of law...

“Members, there is a fine line between parliamentary privilege, our right of free speech and our duty to refrain from abuse of private citizens. We must accept our responsibilities and exercise restraint.”

JEROME FITZGERALD Last Thursday, STB was judicial determination. granted an injunction reOn March 17, Dr Rolstraining parliamentarians lins challenged Dr Major’s from further disclosing the decision at that time not to group’s confidential infor- accept two affidavits he tamation in Parliament. bled the night before in refThe injunction was grant- erence to a controversy sured by Justice Indra Charles rounding Canadian fashion on Thursday and lasts until mogul Peter Nygard and May 12. However, Dr Major an alleged murder for hire expressed shock at the in- plot. junction yesterday and said Dr Rollins previously the business of the House told the House of Assembly of Assembly would go on as that one of the documents usual. The Office of the At- allegedly named Deputy torney General is expected Prime Minister Philip to file a motion to have the “Brave” Davis as someone injunction set aside. who “coached two individuDr Major also ruled that als who the government two affidavits that Fort calls criminals”.

Charlotte MP Dr Andre He also claimed he was Rollins attempted to file tabling a “doctored” affidalast month would not be vit, as well as another docutabled in the House for a ment that was not redacted, number of reasons. which he said frequently Dr Major said after he mentioned Mr Davis. reviewed the documents in On March 9, STB filed question for an extended an affidavit which accused period, he concluded that Mr Nygard of hiring two the source of the affidavits “gang members” to carry is “questionable and untest- out crimes against his oped.” He also said the mat- ponents. Mr Nygard has deters are still under police nied the allegations and has investigation and awaiting countersued.

ensures that the committee is provided with funding to obtain independent legal advice if needed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, who seconded the resolution, further called on the Bahamas Bar Association to examine the conduct of officers of the court who are involved in this matter as the courts had been dragged into a “mire”.

Mr Fitzgerald said he was seeking this resolution as a recent injunction granted

by Justice Charles to Save The Bays barring parliamentarians from accessing or making public the personal information of the non-profit organisation was an “attack on democracy.”

The injunction was granted on April 21 and expires May 12.

“Mr Speaker, so as not to exacerbate the conflict between the judiciary and the legislative body which is allegedly created by the applicant (Save The Bays), I wish now to move the following resolution for this House’s consideration,” the education minister said while standing on a point of privilege yesterday.

He said the resolution should refer the matter to the Committee on Privilege “for the examination and determination of whether the judge, attorney Fred Smith, QC, and Ferron Bethel should be held in contempt of this honourable House

and that the Committee on Privilege be properly funded to obtain independent legal advice if necessary concerning this attack on our democracy and report back to the House at the earliest opportunity.”

The resolution was later amended to include “and others” following the name of Mr Bethel and agreed upon before the House suspended for its mid-day break.

Before the resolution was moved, Mr Fitzgerald was adamant that he had no part in any “corruption” as was repeatedly suggested by the Official Opposition. He also maintained that Mr Bethel, who has acted as a lawyer for Mr Smith and others connected to STB, had sent him and other MPs threatening emails.

He said: “I have had enough. I am sick and tired of baseless unsubstantiated accusations of corruption being levied against this side and myself, which are unsubstantiated. Enough is enough Mr Speaker. These claims are ridiculous, silly and unsubstantiated, I will do whatever is necessary to defend my name. The member for Killarney said the country would thank him for what he was revealing that day and I’m not sure who is thanking him, but I can say from this side our eyes have been opened to what is going on to undermine the government.”

He continued: “Much has been said that I have read the emails of a sup-

posed non-profit environmental organisation Save The Bays. It appears that few are concerned that myself and my colleagues were called corrupt and when we exposed the whole diabolical scheme and, yes, including reading emails of those involved in the scheme, they started running to the hills and running to the court and even running to resign.

“So it’s all right to use a broad brush to paint the government with corruption, but when the facts start coming out all of a sudden you don’t want freedom of information.

The irony of this is, as a non-profit Save The Bays falls under the Non-Profit Organisation Regulations 2014 and they are required by law to operate in a transparent manner.

“In other words if you are doing good, you should not have any secrets, that’s what the regulations contemplate. Now if you intend to do evil maybe you should not hide behind a non-profit.”

Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins, however, stood on a point of order saying that Mr Fitzgerald was imputing improper motives on the part of those who were not in the House to defend themselves.

He urged House Speaker Dr Kendal Major to compel Mr Fitzgerald to withdraw the statement.

Later he questioned whether this was The Bahamas or Zimbabwe, a country which he claimed often chased justices out of office.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, PAGE 7

BEC EXECUTIVES QUIZZED AT BRIBERY TRIAL

from page one

“Would it be correct that Hanjung delivered on time and within budget?” the lawyer asked.

“That was the main consideration,” Mr Roberts said.

Mr Munroe asked the witness if he agreed that Cabinet was the ultimate decision maker to award the contract. Mr Roberts agreed.

“Do you recall The Bahamas, in 1999-2000, being blacklisted by OECD countries?” the lawyer asked.

“That was something that was known,” Mr Roberts said.

“Spain had a country representative on the IDB, as did France?” Mr Munroe asked.

“Yes,” Mr Roberts said.

When asked about the reason for the Cabinet meeting, Mr Roberts said the government wanted the BEC board to explain the reason for their recommendation.

“It’s not unusual to be called to Cabinet to defend a recommendation, we were there before,” Mr Roberts added.

Freddie Solomon Ramsey, 79, is currently on trial before Justice Bernard Turner on four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and 14 counts of bribery allegedly committed between 1999 and 2003. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The allegations are related to a widespread scheme involving tens of millions of dollars in bribes to countries around the world.

They were brought to light in 2014 in a US Department of Justice report, which said that French company Alstom SA allegedly paid more than $300,000 to a BEC board member to influence contracts between 1999 and 2003.

Ramsey is on $40,000 bail and is represented by attorneys Mr Munroe, Tommel Roker and Bridgette Ward.

Mr Gaskin, acting direc-

FREDDIE Ramsey pictured outside court previously. tor of public prosecutions, from “various sources” that is prosecuting the case with Hanjung was “openly allegthe assistance of Cordell ing being awarded the conFrazier. tract.”

The jury previously heard The French company from Mark Smith, an ad- feared that Hanjung may mitted bribe taker who have been influencing the received immunity from bidding process and in its prosecution in exchange letter, indicated that an for giving testimony. It was IDB representative in The revealed in court that Al- Bahamas was sent a copy stom SA had written letters of the same concerning Alintended for then Prime stom SA’s reservations.

Minister Hubert Ingraham The jury also saw a letter and then Deputy Prime Alstom SA received from Minister Frank Watson as Mr Hanna in December the company wanted BEC 2000, who took issue with officials to reconsider the the French company’s atbid it felt was going to be tempt to discredit another rejected. bidder or the evaluation The letter to Mr Ingra- process and noted that the ham made mention of Al- letters “are in direct contrastom SA’s gratitude for its vention of the tender probid being in contention for cess”. the project. However, the Mr Hanna was called to company also expressed the witness stand yesterreservation about the evalu- day and spoke of his role at ation process given that its BEC. bid met international standHe said he was responards with which their con- sible for all major projects sultants were satisfied. costing more than $100,000.

The letter further noted He also said he was involved that the IDB’s opinion had in the tender evaluation for been sought on the matter the DA-12 contract and urged that their proMr Hanna was asked if posal was more convinc- Abel Santamaria, Marco ing than Hanjung’s, which Contin, Jose Rodriguez or was not likely to meet the Mark Smith were consult18-month deadline for com- ants to BEC for that conpleting the project. tract or any other capacity.

Similar sentiments were Mr Hanna said no and expressed in the letter to said he did not provide any Mr Watson where Alstom information to a company SA asked for a reconsidera- called M Smith Inc for Altion of its bid before a deci- stom concerning DA-12. sion was made.

“They (Alstom) were tryThe French company ing to influence the evaluthen sent another letter, via ation of the tenders,” the facsimile, addressed direct- witness said. “They’re not ly to Patrick Hanna, BEC’s supposed to do that. They assistant general manager were told that it’s against all at the time, noting that it the rules.” had received information “Did Mr Ramsey ever ap-

proach you outside of a formal construct?” the prosecutor asked.

“No. I met with Mr Ramsey on two occasions because he was a part of a technical committee. I think he invited me to his office for lunch to ask for updates on the project,” Mr Hanna said.

“Did you take it as anything sinister?” Mr Gaskin asked. Mr Hanna said no.

In cross-examination, Mr Munroe asked the witness if he was involved in the acquisition of the two engines for BEC. Hanna said yes.

“You said Fred Ramsey had discussions on technical matters,” the lawyer asked.

“We spoke about engines,” Mr Hanna said, adding that these occurrences were not unusual because he had met with others in BEC for similar discussions during his tenure.

He also said he attended a meeting with the then deputy prime minister where an IDB representative was present.

Mr Munroe asked: “In February 2001, do you remember attending a meeting with (then general manager) Bradley Roberts, and Barrie Farrington?”

Mr Hanna said yes.

Mr Munroe added: “At that meeting, the prime minister asked specific questions - was there any difference between the two bids?”

Mr Hanna said yes, adding that the then prime minister was told while there was no difference in what was being offered, Hanjung had the edge over rival ABB/Alstom on performance.

Mr Munroe asked if this was due to Alstom’s delay on the first contract. The former assistant general manager said yes.

He also accepted Mr Munroe’s suggestion that a report by consultant Mott McDonald tipped the scale in Hanjung’s favour.

“Mr Ramsey never tried to badger you or offered you any money to take a

certain position?” the lawyer suggested. Mr Hanna agreed.

When asked if he could remember who was present at the Cabinet meeting in question, Mr Hanna said he could not as they “sat at one end of the room”.

Mr Munroe asked the witness if the meeting with the IDB representative was standard, to which Mr Hanna replied: “It’s an IDB contract” before noting that the IDB got copies of BEC’s monthly reports to show that the utility company was complying with IDB standards.

“So the meeting at DPM’s office with IDB wasn’t unusual?” Mr Munroe asked.

“No... I don’t think so,” the witness said.

When asked if he recalled any “unusual inquiries” from the IDB or Mr Watson, Mr Hanna said he did not.

“Would it have been one of those ‘tick the box’ meetings?” Ramsey’s lawyer asked.

“I can’t remember. To my mind, they were all somewhat general meetings,” the witness said.

The jury also heard testimony from ex-BEC board member Sharon Brown.

The retired banker and former director at Barclay’s Bank gave testimony concerning her capacity as a board member at BEC during the evaluations of the DA-12 contract.

The jury heard that Ms Brown served as a board member from 1997 and 2002 where she chaired the audits and finance committee because of her background.

She was asked by Cordell Frazier if she recalled a recommendation being made with respect DA-12 contract.

“Two recommendations.

Following a recommendation by the contract sub committee, it was reconfirmed by the board,” the witness said.

Ms Brown was asked if board members were paid for their work. She said they

received monthly stipends averaging $750 per month.

She was asked if Mark Smith was present or made privy to the meetings of the board.

The witness said no.

Ms Frazier asked the witness if she was aware of Ramsey receiving payments from ABB/Alstom.

She said no and further denied receiving bribes.

Mr Munroe asked the retired banker if she was aware “of the circumstances that caused the country to be blacklisted.”

Ms Brown said she was.

“Do you remember the government’s efforts to be removed?” the lawyer asked.

“Not specifically but I know there were discussions and meetings. The nature of those discussions and who were involved in them I don’t know,” the witness said.

Mr Munroe asked if she was aware that France and Spain were among the OECD countries that blacklisted The Bahamas.

The former board member said yes.

Mr Munroe suggested to the witness that Cabinet would sometimes take political positions over recommended courses of action.

Ms Brown agreed.

She also testified that she was aware that Cabinet had sent a message to the board asking them to reconsider their proposal to award the DA-12 to Hanjung but the board affirmed its position not to award the contract to Alstom.

“In the reconsideration meeting, did Mr Ramsey attempt to influence anyone of voting a different way?”

Mr Munroe asked.

Ms Brown said the vote was unanimous on both occasions.

The jury, with the permission of the judge and respective counsel, asked Brown: “Do you know why the position went the other way?”

She said she did not.

The trial resumes on Tuesday at 10.30am.

27 YEARS IN JAIL FOR KILLER OF BREASTFEEDING MOTHER

from page one

The judge said that a sufficient sentence must be imposed to show society’s disdain for the crimes when taking into account the 1835 year sentencing guidelines set out by the Court of Appeal decision of Larry Raymond Jones.

Prosecutor Koschina Marshall, at a hearing days earlier, recommended Dorsett receive the maximum penalty of that range while Dorsett’s lawyer, Troy Kelman, asked the judge to consider the probation report of Sonya Saunders.

Ms Saunders said that Dorsett’s criminal past stemmed from his disadvantaged childhood and expulsion from school in the ninth grade.

“I find the appropriate sentence would be 27 years from today’s date,” the judge ruled Monday afternoon.

Dorsett’s sentence was further reduced by the five years spent on remand awaiting trial in connection with the fatal shooting.

As for the attempted armed robbery conviction, Justice Winder imposed a 15-year sentence to run concurrently with the manslaughter conviction.

Dorsett has a right to appeal the conviction and sentences and the Crown can challenge the lengths of his sentences.

Soles-Armony, who lived with her husband in St Kitts and Nevis, was in town to visit her family and to introduce her three-month-old baby to her relatives.

She was shot while sitting in her Honda Accord outside her mother’s home in Sea Breeze Estates.

The Crown’s case against Dorsett relied on a statement allegedly given in police custody and a cell phone taken from the scene of the crime that connected Dorsett to the incident.

The cell phone was checked by police and found to belong to Dorsett’s girlfriend at the time.

His then girlfriend gave a statement to the police that the phone was missing.

She had reportedly left it at home on August 7, 2009 and it was nowhere to be found the following day.

Dorsett identified the phone and said it was stolen on August 8 around 7.30pm.

He said he made a report to the Wulff Road police station thereafter, but didn’t have a police report to corroborate this.

As for Dorsett’s statement to police, which was not signed, the accused blamed the shooting and planned robbery on an acquaintance called “Nine.”

He claimed that he was with “Nine” and another man known as “D-Boy.” He also claimed that he knew “Nine” would shoot the occupant of the 2008 white Honda Accord that they intended to steal as “Nine” had reportedly had an eye on the vehicle.

“Nine” allegedly borrowed a 9mm pistol from a gang and they went to Sea Breeze where they circled and waited for their target.

Upon sight of their target, “Nine” approached the vehicle and found Soles-Armony and told her to “open up.”

Soles-Armony was in the car breastfeeding her threemonth-old son at the time.

According to evidence heard in court, Soles-Armony drove off and “Nine” reportedly fired shots, ran behind the car and shot again.

Dorsett reportedly followed, jumping over a garbage can in the process of the pursuit.

The fatal bullet went through her left arm, into the left side just below her armpit in the area of the breast, through the heart and both lungs. The bullet was embedded in the car seat.

“Nine” and “D-Boy” had been brought in for questioning but there was no direct evidence linking them to the incident as alleged by Dorsett, the jury heard.

Dorsett contended that he never gave a statement

or interview to police, only that he was held at the Central Detective Unit until 9pm on August 12, the date

of his arrest.

He said he was beaten for a number of days before his arraignment and taken to

the Department of Correctional Services.

Concerning the cell phone that was allegedly

found at the scene, he claimed police had planted the phone there to frame him.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

The cost of being extraordinary

FLOWERS laid on a T-shirt signed by fans of singer Prince at a makeshift memorial in New York. The pop star died on Thursday aged 57.

Pictured right is Michael Jackson, titled The King of Pop, who died in 2009.

I

REMEMBER where I was when Michael died.

I was in my kitchen making a birthday cake for one of my friends. I was sick to my stomach at the news.

And it wasn’t how they were reporting it that made me feel ill to the gut, it was that they had to report it at all.

I couldn’t watch the news for more than the ten minutes it took to come across the wire and put me into shock. I shut off the TV and the radio. I avoided the internet news. If anyone talked about Michael, I didn’t want to hear it. I was absolutely in mourning, and could not understand why I felt so much loss.

When the infinitely wise television network decided to broadcast the memorial service, I could barely watch a tiny portion of it before I completely broke down, sobbing and snotty,

By NICOLE BURROWS

with my mum consoling me in my room, sweat and tears streaming down my face …

I remember it all so clearly it was the hottest summer I could recall.

To this day, I still can’t watch much about Michael’s death, or the court case that came after. And I have never since taken the CDs out of storage to listen to them again. Perhaps it’s time.

And I know there are people who think this is crazy. There are some who wonder why the hell you would even care about someone who never even knew you existed. There are others who think your

patronage of a musical artist, an artist of any kind, is equivalent to idolatry. And I’m not suggesting that, for some people, their love of musicians, actors, sports stars and other celebrities is not tantamount to idol worship, or maybe borderline obsession, but there is, I think, a larger grouping of people who have openly and fully welcomed the artist’s talent into their lives … when there truly is talent.

They ... we … don’t do this because we have nothing else to do or because we’re gullible, but because we for the most part have benefited in some way from what the artist’s talent has

brought to the world table.

Their body of work encompasses a time that we grew up in and for which we feel a great deal of nostalgia. If the artist truly did excel in her or his art, it influenced our world beyond measure and it aided our development because of this. A really talented artist uses her or his voice to give social commentary. And that social commentary is what defines a generation under the influence of that artist.

The artist, initially struggling to make it - unless a child prodigy like Michael, with years of musical experience from childhood - produces art that speaks primarily to the things the artist knows about. When that fails to sell records or bring in an audience, the artist is forced to focus on the things that sell for sure ... like love and sex. When they are able to finally make money with their talents, the art starts changing to a more personal experience. It becomes more reflective and is imbued with concern about the things that matter most to people: what’s wrong in our world, the problems of society, the ways in which we can make life better for all, especially those in need.

And the artist’s body of work starts taking on a new meaning, sometimes to the extent that the artist can no longer listen to the earlier work they produced … they respect it because it was the beginning of their journey, but they have now come so far from that point and they want to use the voice and platform they have to speak to the world in song about things that do more for that world. They start collaborating with other artists, they start producing other artists, and they fall out of grace with the big money machine that makes their industry and their careers ebb and flow like the tides.

It’s popular music after all.

Prince Rogers Nelson, aka Prince, knew much about the battle with the music business capitalists.

He even changed his name in the process of such battles … The Artist, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, The Artist Formerly Known As, and of course the symbol … in opposition of the big business effect on musical art, to make a statement on behalf of his art and that of other artists, and to this day there is some of his music you simply cannot find any version of online, for sale or otherwise. That in itself was a statement Prince made for his craft.

And yes, I know there were the experimental times Prince had. Some may take issue with his sexuality or seeming lack of sexuality. Some may say he was too raunchy, too explicit, even irresponsible.

Even I, as liberal a thinker as I am, still take issue with some of Prince’s songs, but I understand their origins.

And if you look back and then forward to the present day, you can see the trajectory of his artistic development unfold. The life of the artist becomes an open book from start to

‘

There are some who wonder why the hell you would even care about someone who never even knew you existed. There are others who think your patronage of a musical artist, an artist of any kind, is equivalent to idolatry. And I’m not suggesting that, for some people, their love of musicians, actors, sports stars and other celebrities is not tantamount to idol worship, or maybe borderline obsession.’

finish, always under scrutiny. All the things you may have thought were strange, helped to create important statements about life.

They made life extraordinary.

A

nd that’s the real contribution to this world of artists like Michael Jackson and Prince … and Madonna (now the only remaining major pop icon of the 80s and 90s). They push the envelope sometimes in ways that make us deeply uncomfortable, but we are eventually compelled to address what it is about that push that concerns us. We become aware of things we didn’t even realise concern us. But you take the bad with the good, and, yes, if you care to, you can discard the bad and focus on the good about an artist, but you can never deny the unusual and oft unwelcomed power they are able to wield in the world, because they were so unusual to the world that they changed it.

You simply cannot change the world - I hope for the better - if you stay in a box or a bubble and be all and only what others would want or expect you to be.

The reason why so many of us are free to do and say what we feel, not in a loose way but in an empowered way, is because someone dared to challenge the norms before us, showing us what could be done if we really wanted it to be done.

The world mourns the loss of another great musician - and Prince was masterful in ways Michael was not, even though Michael was dubbed the King of Pop. I’m inclined to believe that their musical genius, their constant fight with self for perfection and their compelling need to always be better and to do more, all the things that made them extraordinary, ultimately led to burnout. They both died as young men (within two months of their birthdays). And I guess we could never have truly envisioned Michael or Prince doing the moonwalk or rocking a guitar on stage aged 85, but somehow we still thought they would be around much longer than they were.

A part of that is because we’d always known them, they’d always been around and we’d become accustomed to them being around. But I think we also thought they would always be around because in some way they shaped our lives whether or not we realised it, and it created an attachment, and for them to no longer be around removes something from us. It takes away our view of the world in relative permanence … after all, we still can’t see our own selves not being around. And with these musical geniuses gone, not only does it leave the world without their incredible talents, but it reminds us that one day our lights will also go out.

All we can hope they did, Prince and the others, was influence the development of other artists who may one day at least compare to them and make life more beautiful to live with their art, and perhaps that, in our respective lives, we can do the same.

When it is all said and done, you and I both know there will never be another like Michael Jackson.

There will never be another like Prince Rogers Nelson.

And though not considered 80s pop music masters, they were masters in 80s R&B … Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, both musical artists who died early, and whose talents changed lives everywhere … there will never be others quite like them. Their gifts were transcendent. And now the removal of their ongoing gifts to us remind us of what could still be, but also of what does not last forever.

Life truly is a gift and an opportunity to give, so we should all give what we have while we can, no matter the cost, no matter how strange others think we are. Besides, it’s usually the average person who finds great difficulty understanding the extraordinary person. If you don’t mind being extraordinary, don’t seek to be understood, just give what you have to give.

One day, the world will understand exactly where and why it fits.

Send email to nburrows@ tribunemedia.net.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, PAGE 9

Cartoonist ‘ecstatic’ at letter from Obama

By ALBERT COX

JAMAAL Rolle, a Bahamian artist fast forging a global reputation - and The Tribune’s cartoonist has received a special congratulatory letter of gratitude from President Barack Obama for his depictions of the US President with other historical figures and a personalised lifelike portrait of the First Lady.

“I want you to know I am moved by your thoughtfulness,” the presidential letter stated.

“Though we all come from different traditions and communities, I believe nations and individuals are stronger when they work together. By connecting across borders and cultures and holding firm to the ideals that unite us, we can move toward a future of greater peace and prosperity for all.”

Mr Rolle told The Tribune he was “ecstatic” to receive the gratitude and

FIRST lady Michelle Obama captured in this portrait by Jamaal Rolle.

A PORTRAIT combining images ther King and Barrack Obama. acclamation from President Obama, “mainly because he responded directly to my correspondence speaking on the topics of bridging cultures and interconnecting, and with the perspective that he is an inspiration to me toward being the best that I can be without boundaries.

“I see such global response to my artistic work coming from the President of the United States as something that not only acclaims me but my country and the potential in the art community that we have here. Sometimes I believe art is a subject that is misconstrued by persons attempting to place art in a box or category by their own adapted perceptions.

But art in its subjectivity is fluent in the imagination as a bridge to communicate formalities of life in various aspects.

“I am appreciative to represent my country to the world with having portraits in the Vatican, the

of John F Kennedy, Martin LuWhite House and numerous other monumental historical places. To me, this is not iconic or monumental to myself but for my country in a cultural and creative way to be seen and distinguished in such a way. I am thankful and always humble for it was a talent I was blessed with by God.” Mr Rolle, aka The Celebrity Artist, had depicted President Obama, the first black president of the US, alongside Dr Martin Luther King and former president John F Kennedy in various drawings. He also drew Michelle Obama, wife of the president.

The Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchombe, who was informed of the President’s praise, said it was unique.

“This is a acclamation that no other artist has received in the history of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” Mr Wilchcombe said.

“Jamaal Rolle is achieving feats that no other artist has received. I congratu-

CELEBRITY artist Jamaal Rolle with the letter from President Obama. late Jamaal Rolle and I am proud of what he continues to do and achieve. Jamaal gets tremendous response from across the board, as I remember Usain Bolt and numerous other world figures articulating that his work is the best they have ever received. He is a global talent.”

The Minister of Education, Jerome Fitzgerald, said: “The recognition of Jamaal’s struggle, enormous talent and drive by the leader of the free world is a singular honour, which Jamaal has earned. This honour is a testament to Jamaal’s commitment to his craft.”

Among numerous other distinguished people paying tribute was former President of the Senate, John Bostwick, who described Mr Rolle’s work as “nothing less than a genius”, adding “The Bahamas has been gifted to have given the world just a little taste of what we can do”.

A PORTRAIT by Jamaal Rolle.

JAMZ TEAM LENDS A HELPING HAND AT SANDILANDS WALKATHON

KEVIN DARVILLE, of 100 JAMZ, with participants at the annual Push/Walkathon at Sandilands on Saturday morning.

THE TEAM from 100 JAMZ and the “Jambulance” were out early on Saturday morning to support the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre and the Geriatric Hospital at its fifth annual Push/Walkathon at the Sandilands ground on Fox Hill Road.

The JAMZ team from Radio House volunteered at the event to assist where needed and also offered giveaways and congratulations to participants as they crossed the finish line.

People could be pushed

in wheelchairs, pushers, walk or run.

The theme of the event, which began as an effort to increase the awareness of healthy aging and the importance of physical activity for older people in the community, was “Celebrating Graceful Aging”. The race helped raise funds for the daily services provided to the Geriatric Hospital and outpatient clients such as educational seminars, rehabilitation and recreational services.

For more photos go to 100JAMZ.com.

PARTICIPANTS at the annual Push/Walkathon at Sandilands on Saturday.

Photos: Valden Fernander

READERS REACT TO FAILURE TO FILE FINANCIAL DECLARATIONS BY MPS

AFTER The Tribune revealed that at least ten members of Parliament had failed to file financial declarations by the March 1 deadline, readers on tribune242.com gave their reaction.

TigerB said: “Well some form of public disclosure finally, thank you Tribune!!”

Sickened asked: “‘Documents in the mail’. I love it!!! Who in their right mind would send something so

important and which comes with penalties if not filed on time, in the mail? Wouldn’t you want a stamped copy of your submission for your personal files?”

Only for Godson to reply with: “Sorry but you are not quite correct here. I would send it by registered mail.

Legally it is deemed to have been received at the very time I send it.”

Guava thought it was time for a woman to be Prime Minister: “It becomes ever more clear that in order for The Bahamas to move forward they need to elect a woman as Prime Minister. The boys are a

joke, all of them. They cannot even get their financials in on time much less get tourists in Baha Mar. And, along those same lines, join today’s world by passing the legislation giving Bahamian women full rights as citizens and stop it with homophobic language that attempts to misguide. It is beyond time to end the stupid boy’s club that has been running the Bahamas for the last five or

so years.”

Sheeprunner12 said: “This is the same attitude and attention that they give to being accountable with OUR money . . . and we are to take our politicians serious? But we put them there.”

Economist called for tougher rules: “We should make it law that any MP who has failed to disclose

by March, in any year that he is an MP, may not run

again in the next election.”

And Honestman asked: “And people wonder why crime is out of control in The Bahamas? It starts right at the top with our political leaders who feel they are accountable to no one.

Absolutely disgraceful.

Keep on their case, Tribune.”

• Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.

BOAT BELONGING TO FLORIDA TEENAGERS FOUND NEAR BERMUDA

FORT LAUDERDALE Associated Press

THE father of a Florida teen who went missing at sea while on a fishing trip with a friend last summer said yesterday he will share whatever information is found on his son’s recovered cellphone with the other boy’s family and law enforcement agencies.

Blu Stephanos told The Palm Beach Post that the phone belonging to his son, Austin, has salt water damage, so he doubts information can be retrieved, “but I

am not giving up hope”.

He said he would share any information received with law enforcement and the family of Perry Cohen.

The 14-year-olds went missing last July when their boat capsized off the Florida coast during a severe storm.

Their bodies were never recovered, but a Norwegian cargo ship spotted their 19foot boat near Bermuda last month and recovered it. Onboard were the phone and some fishing gear.

The statement came a day after Cohen’s parents filed for a restraining or-

der, asking a judge to ban the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) from giving the phone to the Stephanos family before it can be examined by law enforcement. The FWC is the lead agency handling the investigation and has the phone.

That hearing is pending, said Guy Rubin, the Perry family’s attorney. He said his clients have had no formal communication with the Stephanos family about the phone, so “I am not sure what their intentions are”.

FWC spokesman Rob

Klepper issued a statement yesterday saying that since this is not a criminal investigation the agency would turn over the phone and other items to the respective families. Any retrieval of information from Austin Stephanos’ phone would only be done with his family’s permission, Mr Klepper said.

The cellphone, two fishing rods and two small tackle boxes were recovered from the boat. The phone was shipped ahead to FWC, but the boat and other personal effects are expected to arrive at Port Everglades

next month.

Robert Heller, a digital forensics expert in Texas, said the phone could contain the boat’s location, its speed, its direction, distress text messages the boys tried to send, photos they took and other information, assuming it wasn’t damaged beyond repair. Even if FWC turns over the phone to the Stephanos family, Mr Heller suspects investigators will download its data for safekeeping, if it is accessible.

The Coast Guard searched for a week and the families’ volunteer

search lasted more than two weeks. During its search, the Coast Guard did spot the overturned boat near Daytona Beach, almost 200 miles from where the boys departed but it was gone when a recovery boat arrived at the location.

This is not the first rift to appear between the families since their sons disappeared. Last October, Pamela Cohen, Perry’s mother, asked that Stephanos’ parents not use her son’s name and likeness while fundraising for their new foundation.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

THE DNA Centreville Association began a clean-up at Strachan Corner off East Street to remove trash, old furniture, snakes and rats from the area.

DNA LAUNCHES CENTREVILLE CLEAN-UP

FOR THE past four years the residents of Strachan’s Corner, off East Street, have been asking the Member of Parliament for the Centreville constituency, Perry Christie, to clean up the area.

Residents said the large amount of garbage piling up has drawn rats and snakes and led to old furniture being dumped.

Concerned about children

playing outside in the area and rodents invading their homes, they said that they asked the Prime Minister several times to assist with the clean up by providing a dumpster and that they would be clear up the mess themselves.

With no response forthcoming the Democratic National Alliance Centerville Association has taken the initiative to plan

several clean-up campaigns throughout the Centreville constituency and on Saturday morning Strachan’s Corner became the first. With the help of of the party’s Women’s Alliance, Men’s Alliance and the Young Democrats, along with people in the community, the DNA Centerville Association branch begun a clean-up campaign.

THE TRIBUNE

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

MEMBERS of the DNA clean-up crew at work in Centreville.

AS apart of The Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority and The Ministry of Environment and Housing Earth Day celebration, a seagrape tree was planted. Senator Greg Burrows and Bruce Walker is pictured planting the tree along with assistance by students at the Botanical Gardens.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

CHILDREN enjoying the Earth Day celebration at Botanical Gardens.

MOUNT CARMEL STUDENTS WIN EARTH DAY CHALLENGE

FIVE students from Mt Carmel Preparatory Academy walked away as winners of the Ferreira & Company’s 2016 Earth Day Challenge.

The students focused on renewable energy and designed a functional water turbine. The water turbine was to be used as a source of hydropower to provide energy to the Family Islands. The end goal was to provide an alternative power solution that would not adversely affect the en-

vironment.

Biology teacher Kayla Brown said: “We are ecstatic about this win. Our students worked hard as they not only developed the theoretical, but also the practical version of this project. It demonstrates that once our students put their minds to it, they can achieve anything.”

Tito Collie, president of Mt Carmel, said: “We are indeed excited about the new innovations that our students are exploring. We

are proud of our students and we encourage them to always ‘take it to the next level’ as they continue to strive for success.”

Mt Carmel was up against eight schools, including St Augustine’s College, St Anne’s High school, Aquinas College and C R Walker. This is the first time the school has participated in the Ferreira & Company Earth Day Challenge. The students won tablet devices.

Earth Day was celebrated last Friday.

A YOUNGSTER helping to plant a seagrape tree at the celebration.

MORE than 200 children attended the Botanical Gardens Earth Day celebration.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, PAGE 11

SOME of the 100 new police recruits being sworn in to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

100 NEW RECRUITS START TRAINING TO KEEP THE STREETS SAFE

ONE HUNDRED new recruits to the Royal Bahamas Police Force were sworn in by Commissioner Ellison Greenslade on Sunday at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre.

Commissioner Greenslade welcomed the recruits - who begin six months of vigorous training at the Police Training College this week - by outlining the expectations of them.

He said they came with the willingness to demonstrate courage, integrity and loyalty; demonstrate care, respect and trust; share in the force’s vision, mission and guiding philosophy; and all be clear of the force’s mandate in Law. The Commissioner told the recruits that because policing is done with the consent of the Bahamian people, they must ensure that their credibility with the public is maintained at all times.

COMMISSIONER Ellison Greenslade pictured speaking to the media after swearing in 100 new police recruits to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

SOME of the new police recruits pictured yesterday.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff