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MP ‘not confident’ gender equality bills will pass By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net LONG ISLAND MP Loretta Butler Turner yesterday admitted that she was “not confident” the proposed gender equality referendum will pass. Mrs Butler Turner explained that the general public does not trust the current government, and when combined with the government’s handling of the previous Gaming referendum and opposition claims of a “gay agenda”, she is not sure how the vote will turn out. However, she said, her view has not changed on the subject and she will continue to support the referendum and help to educate the public – just as she did in 2002. “I will continue to sup-

port this, it is not a PLP initiative in fact I feel strongly that this vote was driven by the policies and philosophies of the FNM. The PLP have played political games with this process and that is why we are in the position we are in today but I have taken the stance that this issue is bigger than the politics,” Mrs Butler Turner said. “The trans-gender, bisexual, homosexual conversation is secondary. I believe that is being used as a red herring by people to justify the difficulty they have in accepting what the current administration is saying. She said: “People do not trust the process combined what with the fact that they dressed up the gambling opinion poll as a referendum, said it was binding, got a no vote and then deSEE PAGE THREE

FNM COALITION WITH DNA ‘NOT A GOOD IDEA’

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net LONG ISLAND MP Loretta Butler Turner yesterday rejected talks of a coalition between the FNM and the DNA as “not a good idea” given the third party’s fledgling status. Mrs Butler Turner suggested that the way forward is a merger of the two SEE PAGE SIX LORETTA Butler-Turner

WOMAN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AT KNIFE POINT IN HER HOME By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net POLICE in New Providence are on the hunt for a man who allegedly broke into a woman’s home early on Sunday morning and sexually assaulted her at knife point. The rape took place shortly after 2am off Robinson Road. According to police reports, the woman was at SEE PAGE SIX

RBDF RANGERS ON THE MARCH

NEW students of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force go on the march at Coral Harbour Base on Saturday. 370 students were installed as part of the Rangers programme. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff

LANISHA ROLLE URGES PEERS TO ‘CONDEMN UNETHICAL BEHAVIOUR’

MINNIS HITS OUT AT MINISTERS WHO FAILED TO TABLE AUDITS

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

IN HER first public statement since resigning as a Free National Movement Senator 10 days ago, Lanisha Rolle yesterday urged her peers to condemn “unethical and factually unlawful” behaviour in the pursuit of political leadership. Mrs Rolle stressed the need for conduct with a high level of integrity and maturity in her appeal for disenfranchised colleagues and leaders to embrace change and accept that it is a transitional process.

FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis has criticised Cabinet ministers who have failed to table audits of government institutions as required by law, saying the issue highlights the need for greater accountability measures in government. Dr Minnis was responding to revelations in a Tribune article last week about gaps in the public record

SEE PAGE SEVEN

LANISHA Rolle

concerning audits of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), the Water & Sewerage Corporation (WSC), the Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation, the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation (BMC), the College of the Bahamas (COB) and the Hotel Corporation of the Bahamas. “This Government has shown a wanton disregard for transparency, accountability and the rule of law,” Dr Minnis said on Friday. “So while disappointing, SEE PAGE SEVEN

BAHAMIANS ‘ATTEMPTED TO SMUGGLE 26 IMMIGRANTS INTO US’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

TWO Bahamian men, along with 26 illegal immigrants, including a 16-year-old girl, were apprehended by the US Coast Guard after their speedboat experienced engine trouble 17 miles off the Florida coast. It is alleged that the two Bahamians were attempting to smuggle 24 Haitians and two Ecuadorians illegally into the United States. According to an immigration official, the men reportedly left Freeport

around midnight last Thursday onboard a 30ft Scarab, which developed engine problems five hours after leaving Grand Bahama. The disabled boat was spotted by a passing private vessel which alerted the US Coast Guard. The USCG Cutter Bernard C Webber responded, took the group onboard and transported them to Lucayan Harbour, where they were turned over to the Bahamas Immigration authorities. Immigration officer Napthali Cooper reported that one of the Bahamian men had been previously caught and has a smuggling case still pending in

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the courts. He reported that two of the Haitian men – one of whom was born in the Bahamas – were recently arrested and sent to the Detention Centre after they were caught in a previous smuggling attempt from the Bahamas. Mr Cooper also reported that a 16-year-old girl, who was born in the Bahamas, was also among the group. He said the group was processed at Immigration Headquarters. The Bahamian men are expected to be charged in court this week. In a separate matter, 17 persons SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Monday, May 23, 2016

CUBAN MIGRANTS DETAINED AT DETENTION CENTRE By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SEVEN Cuban migrants brought to Grand Bahama after being picked up by the US Coast Guards in Bahamian waters this week were flown to Nassau on Friday and detained at the Detention Centre to await repatriation. The US Coast Cutter Bernard Webber intercepted a rustic vessel in the Cay Sal Bank area on Wednesday. There were four men and three women onboard who claimed they had left Cuba on May 6. The group was turned over to immigration officials at the Lucayan Harbour around 7pm on Thursday.

THE migrants were flown back to Nassau. Officials reported that the migrants had suffered facial sun burn but were in good health otherwise.

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THE TRIBUNE

ESCAPED PRISONER RECAPTURED AFTER FIVE-HOUR MANHUNT

A PRISONER considered “armed and dangerous” who escaped from a police bus on Wulff Road on his way back to prison on Friday afternoon was recaptured after a fivehour manhunt involving officers and dogs. Jason Jerome Rolle, 21 and convicted for possession of dangerous drugs, got away from a police transport vehicle on Wulff Road near Claridge Road around 4pm while being escorted to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS). Rolle was caught in the Farrington Road area which police said he was known to frequent - around 9.30pm by officers from the Selective Enforcement Team. He was the second prisoner to escape a police transport vehicle this year. In February police searched for two weeks before recapturing convicted murderer Ormand Leon, who had escaped from a police bus taking prisoners from the courts to the De-

JASON Jerome Rolle partment of Correctional Services on February 2. According to police, Leon escaped from the bus on York Street, off East Bay Street, after leaving a Supreme Court hearing at which he was told he would be sentenced for murder in two weeks. He was captured by officers at a home in bushes on Fire Trail Road in southwest New Providence after being on the run for two weeks. On February 17, Leon was sentenced to 41 years, six months, two

weeks and one day. The results of a police investigation into how the 26-year-old escaped have yet to be released. One week after his escape, Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade said the Royal Bahamas Police Force was “looking into new devices to use” for transporting prisoners to and from the BDCS. The commissioner also defended the officers who were transporting Leon when he escaped. “What I recognise now is we are going to have to look at different devices because the traditional devices we have used have sometimes let us down. “But this escape was not a question of whether the officers are capable, but it’s when you tell me I am going to prison for an extended period or I am going to be sentenced to death, that person then says ‘boy this is final’ and their head kicks in and that person becomes animalistic,” Commissioner Greenslade said.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 23, 2016, PAGE 3

MILLER: BAHAMAS POWER AND LIGHT ‘LACKING COMPASSION’ By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net FORMER Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Chairman Leslie Miller blasted Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) on Friday for “lacking compassion” and begged the new managers to “get off their asses and do something” to assist Bahamians. Mr Miller told The Tribune he has been reliably informed that since American company PowerSecure International took over as the new management company of the nation’s energy provider thousands of persons have been disconnected. His comments came a day after police said they suspected toxic fumes from a generator had killed a married couple and left their infant granddaughter in critical condition. All three were found unresponsive by neighbours on Thursday morning at their Nassau Village home. While an autopsy will have to confirm the cause of death, Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said it is possible that the use of a generator that was found attached to the house, and left running overnight, may have contributed to their deaths. He noted that the house was experiencing technical issues and there was no power at the time. Mr Miller expressed his sincere condolences to the family and said money shouldn’t dictate “whether a person lives or dies”. “I was saddened when I heard the news,” Mr Miller said. “This incident is unfortunate and money should not dictate whether a person lives or dies. While I was at BEC I tried to work with people. We had plan after plan trying to keep the light on,” Mr Miller said. “This group has come in and hasn’t implemented anything. The biggest cost at the corporation is the cost of fuel and there has been no significant attempts made to tie in a long term contract and get the bill down. “These people are foreigners; they don’t understand that people are hurting and

FORMER BEC Chairman Leslie Miller suffering. They don’t understand that the economy is bad and they aren’t concerned about people. All they want is the money. Money rules the world. “People fell behind because it is tough. I have people calling me every day, crying, saying they have been turned off and the agreement they made has been cancelled. “People don’t understand the effect Baha Mar had on this country. “Waiting for this project to re-start is wreaking havoc on the Bahamas. Someone needs to get that damn thing done and up and running. I will say this: people are hurting and angry and someone will pay in the end.” Calls to management at BPL were not immediately returned. During his tenure as chairman, Mr Miller was involved in a series of controversial incidents at the loss-making corporation, including public spats with BEC’s union leaders over overtime pay to employees and the revelation that he and his family-

owned business owed the company more than $100,000. Union leaders repeatedly called for him to be fired during his time at the corporation. FROM PAGE ONE cided to do their own thing, people do not trust this government.” Mrs Butler Turner said she will continue to advocate for a “yes vote” and continue to work with the current government for the bills to pass. “I am not confident in the vote but I am confident in what I am doing is the right thing. Standing up and saying yes is the right thing, it is going to make a difference in people’s lives. I do not have confidence but I have

The government began negotiations with PowerSecure International over the five-year BEC management contract in May, and signed a transition services agreement in late July.

LORETTA DOUBTS ‘YES’ VOTE WIN

been doing what I need to do and will continue to do it.” The four Constitutional (Amendment) Bills were passed in the House of Assembly in March after a nearly two year delay. The referendum will be held on June 7. Bill one seeks to give a Bahamian woman the same rights as a Bahamian man to pass on citizenship to her child born outside of The Bahamas.

Bill two would give a Bahamian woman the same right as a Bahamian man to pass on citizenship to her foreign husband. Bill three would give a Bahamian father the same right as a Bahamian mother to pass on citizenship to his child born out of wedlock, provided proof of paternity. The final bill would make it unconstitutional to discriminate on the grounds of sex, meaning being male or female.

NIB EMPLOYEE FIRED FOR MISAPPROPRIATING FUNDS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Insurance Board Director Rowena Bethel yesterday confirmed that an employee has been fired from the organisation for misappropriating funds. However, she did not divulge details of the matter, citing ongoing negotiations with its trade union. Ms Bethel’s statement came during a press conference at which she responded to National Congress of Trade Union (NCTU) President John Pinder’s claim that the employee was fired “without due process”. “Following a thorough investigation into alleged improprieties involving contribution receipts that were handled by the said cashier, the decision was taken to summarily dismiss the individual concerned due to the gravity of the improprieties,” she said. “The actions of the NIB in this case are responsible, reasonable and pro-

CORRECTION AN ARTICLE entitled “Dorsett insists law followed on Mortgage Corp audits” (May 20) incorrectly stated that PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) conducted audits up to 2010 on the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation (BMC). In fact, under the former Ingraham Administration, PwC was contracted to conduct audits for the BMC 2006 to 2008 and under the Christie Administration, Beneby & Co was contracted to conduct audits between 2009 and 2013 and Kikivarakis & Co for 2014 and 2015. Audited financials for the BMC for the years 2009 to 2012 were tabled by the Minister of the Environment on May 27, 2015, those relating to 2013 are at the Cabinet office awaiting approval and those for 2014 and 2015 are underway. We are happy to correct the record.

portional in the circumstances. The action was fully in accordance with the conditions of employment regarding discipline and discharge at the NIB. The dismissed officer and the representative union are fully at liberty, if they consider the decision to be wrong, or unfair, to challenge the decision taken.” She noted that a dispute can be filed with the Department of Labour or legal action can be taken in response to the matter. “Under both processes a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the summary dismissal would occur, including the consequent action taken by the NIB,” she said. “The NIB stands ready to participate in such a review and this position has been commented to the representative union.” Mrs Bethel also reacted to concern from NCTU about ongoing union negotiations that could lead to industrial action. She said the first time she learned about the concerns was last Thursday, when she was advised that Mr Pinder had invited un-

ion members to “assemble at the entrance to the NIB headquarters premises”. “I learned late that day from the Union President that concerns existed around the timeliness of management responses to proposals put forward by the union in the course of the negotiations,” she said. “It is important to note that as regards the assembly itself, I was advised by our security personnel that the assembly of union members took place without undue disruption to the business of the Board; was within the contractually agreed 15 minute break that staff members are entitled to; and that

staff returned to their posts in an orderly fashion immediately afterwards.” Nonetheless, she said it was not until later that she learned the assembly “constituted some type of formal work stoppage by the employees concerned”. She said the matter is being examined and the NIB will react to the industrial action in time. “The public can be assured that should (any

further) action be taken a strategy will be in place to contain any consequen-

tial disruptions in service to an absolute minimum,” she said.

PAGE 4, Monday, May 23, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

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Obama looks to boost economic, security ties in Asia HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Barack Obama’s mission in Vietnam and Japan is to build stronger economic and security ties with Asian-Pacific allies anxious about the rise of an increasingly muscular China. That forward-looking message will be delivered even as he confronts the legacies of two wars long past — Vietnam and World War II — that still are fraught with emotion. Obama’s first stop on his weeklong Asia trip was Vietnam, where he is the third sitting president to visit since the end of the war. Four decades after the fall of Saigon, and two decades after President Bill Clinton restored relations with the nation, Obama is eager to upgrade relations with an emerging power whose rapidly expanding middle class beckons as a promising market for U.S. goods and an offset to China’s growing strength in the region. Obama arrived in Hanoi late Sunday. During his three-day stay in Vietnam, he’ll make the case for stronger commercial and security ties, including approval of the 12-nation trans-Pacific trade agreement that is stalled in Congress and facing strong opposition from the 2016 presidential candidates. Vietnam also is hoping that Obama will use the visit to erase an irksome vestige of the war by lifting the U.S. partial embargo on selling arms to the country. The idea is under consideration, but concern about Vietnam’s human rights record could weigh against it. In Japan, Obama will attend a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, where the uncertain global economy will be a top concern of the G-7 leaders. They’ll also grapple with a full array of world challenges, including the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, the refugee crisis in Europe and Russian aggression. Also on the agenda will be Beijing’s assertive claims in the South China Sea that are causing tensions with other countries in the region. While the summit isn’t expected to produce any breakthroughs, it gives leaders a rare opportunity to talk through the intractable difficulties they confront. “Remember that leaders are lonely people,” says Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the private Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “These people don’t have much time to sit down with their peers to talk about common challenges.” For all of that, the culminating moment of Obama’s trip will be a solemn visit to Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb that killed 140,000 people, ushering in the nuclear age seven decades ago. Another bomb killed 70,000 in Nagasaki three days later. It will be a moment to reflect on the devastating costs of war and to try to give new

impetus to the call for a nuclear-free world that Obama issued seven years ago in his first year as president. Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the Vietnam and Japan visits both reflect Obama’s world view “that we can move beyond difficult and complicated histories” to find areas of common interest. “You could not have had a more violent conflict than we had with the Japanese in World War II, as a visit to Hiroshima will certainly mark, but now they are among our closest friends in the world,” Rhodes said. “You could not have a more contested, controversial, costly, tragic war than the Vietnam War, and now (Vietnam) is becoming a partner of the United States, an important partner.” Still, concerns about human and political rights shadow the president’s stay in Vietnam. The country did free a Catholic priest who had been one of its longest-serving political prisoners in the lead-up to the president’s visit. But the U.S. remains concerned about severe government restrictions on citizens’ political rights and limits on civil liberties and free expression. On Sunday, the country held parliamentary elections controlled by the Communist Party, which chooses who can stand for election. The government’s heavy-handed response to recent unrest over mass fish deaths off the coast of Ha Tinh province prompted the advocacy group Human Rights Watch to call on Vietnamese leaders to put a stop to “harassment, intimidation and persecution” of environmental activists. In an unprecedented show of defiance for the communist country, thousands of people have protested publicly in at least seven cities on recent Sundays to demand a transparent government investigation. The protests were forcibly put down by security forces. In advance of the president’s visit, the White House invited representatives of Vietnam veterans’ organizations to trace progress in the U.S.-Vietnamese relationship. And it brought in Vietnamese civic to underscore its commitment to promoting human and political rights in the country. Rick Weidman, executive director for policy at the Vietnam Veterans of America, who participated in one of the meetings, said there still are wounds from Vietnam that need healing. He said the U.S. needs to do more to account for those still missing from the war and to help deal with ill effects from U.S. use of Agent Orange during the war. The administration is expected to announce more steps during Obama’s visit to help with cleanup of the chemical herbicide. (This article is by Nancy Benac of the Associated Press)

Judgment always a test of leadership EDITOR, The Tribune. A fundamental truth of leadership is that once earned, it is incessantly tested. Most of the time, that test comes in the form of difficult strategic, tactical, moral, and ethical judgment calls. Put another way, judgment is almost always a good measure of leadership and leadership potential. This is particularly true at the political level, where – sadly – the temptation to ignore sound judgment always abounds. It is in this context that it has become increasingly important to evaluate the performance of Free National Movement leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis. Judgment could not well have courted Dr. Minnis more aggressively since he was elevated to the leadership

REFERENDUM COULD CREATE FURTHER INEQUALITY EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHILE the June 7, 2016 referendum has been framed as a “Gender Equality Referendum”, there is the real possibility that it will create further inequality by taking away from unwed mothers a citizenship passing right they have enjoyed for the past 42 years, while at the same time granting a new right to Bahamian men to pass citizenship to their children fathered out of wedlock with Bahamian and foreign women, at home and abroad. The circumstances under which this tragic new inequality will occur is if Bill 1 fails and Bill 3 succeeds. Let me explain. Article 14(1) of our Constitution states that in the case of children born out of wedlock, for citizenship purposes, any reference to father shall be construed as a reference to the mother of such children. The result of Article 14(1) is that men who father children out of wedlock cannot pass citizenship to them under any circumstance, and rightly so. Currently in our Constitution, there is only one Article that enables children born abroad to receive Bahamian citizenship at birth; that’s Article 8. In brief, Article 8 states that children born abroad are Bahamian at birth if their father is a Bahamian who himself was not born abroad. And in Article 8, father means a married man. However, children

born out of wedlock abroad obtain Bahamian citizenship through their unwed Bahamian mothers because, in accordance with Article 14(1), “father” in Article 8 is construed to mean mother in the case of children born out of wedlock. Bill 1 seeks to amend Article 8 to allow for children born abroad to be Bahamian at birth if either parent is Bahamian by birth. On the other hand, Bill 3 seeks to amend Article 14(1) so that, in the case of out of wedlock births, the meaning of “father” will be changed to mean a male who proves paternity as prescribed. Thus, if both Bills 1 and 3 succeed, the effect of the proposed amendments to Articles 8 and 14(1) will be that unwed mothers will no longer be able to pass citizenship to their children born abroad by standing in the place of “father”, but they will still be able to pass citizenship to them by virtue of the newly amended Article 8. In addition, Bahamian men, single and married (i.e., those who father children by fornication or adultery), will be able to pass citizenship to their children fathered out of wedlock with Bahamian and foreign women, at home and abroad. However, if Bill 1 fails and Bill 3 succeeds, unwed mothers will NOT be able to pass citizenship to their children born abroad because “father” in the un-amended Article 8 would no longer be construed as the unwed

mother; instead, it would mean a male who satisfies paternity in accordance with the newly amended Article 14(1) that Bill 3 will bring into force. Such a scenario (Bill 1 failing and Bill 3 succeeding) would turn the so-called “Gender Equality Referendum” on its head, because unwed mothers will lose the right to pass citizenship to their children born abroad, but single men (who father children with foreign women through fornication) and married men (who father children with foreign women through adultery) will gain a new constitutional right to pass citizenship to those children by proving paternity in accordance with the newly amended Article 14(1). And more importantly, and in glaring contrast to the new citizenship passing rights that would be given to Bahamian men, if Bill 1 fails and Bill 3 succeeds, Bahamian women married to foreign men will still not be able to pass citizenship to their children who are born abroad. This is nothing short of a moral contradiction and a constitutional conundrum. The fact that unwed mothers are facing the real risk of losing a citizenship passing right they have enjoyed for 42 years is a further and greater reason for all conscientious men and women to vote “no” to Bill 3. PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS Nassau, May 21, 2016.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net of the FNM. It has paid particularly frequent visits on questions of governance (Senate appointments and internal Party management) and ethics (the Nygard-Bacon affair). And yet, in spite of its incessant door-knocking, we are forced to concede that, virtually every time, Dr. Minnis has failed to answer the call. On matters of Governance, the good doctor’s performance has been rather disconcerting. Of the 7 Senators he has named, he has lost 4. He appointed Senator Sands without consulting his executive committee or his executive council. And he has repeatedly ignored the advice of his members. The Nygard-Bacon affair is cause for even greater concern. As an aspiring Prime Minister, Dr. Minnis should know that he will always be held to a higher standard of ethics, accountability and transparency. He should quite simply never have put himself in such a position. Once alerted to the precariousness of his situation, he should have alerted those better equipped to lawfully resolve the situation. That said, Bahamians should carefully consider whether or not, based on this track record with his own friends and allies, he can be trusted with the far more complex job of managing the nation’s governance. More importantly, they should ask themselves whether he would do any better than our current Prime Minister – with whom he appears to share significant amounts of imperviousness to accountability. For me it is a frightening prospect ! Even that, however, will not do much good if those in the Free National Movement who care about country first, fail to ask ourselves the same difficult questions. Do not be mistaken: it gives me no pleasure to do so. But

as someone who has served the country and Party in various capacities, I cannot and must not escape my duty to help steer the nation and movement in the right direction. Bahamians embraced Hubert Ingraham’s leadership for two important reasons. The first is that he was decisive. Decisively firm, focused and driven. The second was that on such delicate matters of judgment, he let his integrity and patriotism guide him ahead of his self-interest. This enabled him to take on big projects, projects that might have paralysed lesser leaders, and to deliver. The point in this is not to call the former Prime Minister back into duty – he has served us well, and long enough. It is merely to demonstrate how far our movement has strayed from the ethos that allowed us to clean up the rampant corruption of the late eighties and early nineties. Minnis’ FNM is obsessed with the kinds of self-indulgent cynicism that generates instability in even the best of organizations. It is not my FNM. It is not the FNM that was relied upon to turn the country around in 1992. It cannot be the FNM that aspires to turn us around again, and resolve the increasingly disconcerting state of the nation in 2016. The time has come for change. Dr. Minnis must call an early convention, and seek a mandate to lead our movement in the next election. Without this, he may very well endanger the future of our Bahamas, not to mention our FNM. This is your one residual duty now, Dr. Minnis. It is a matter of leadership. A matter of judgment. Show us you can do better. MICHAEL SCOTT Nassau, May 20, 2016. • (Michael Scott was formerly a FNM candidate, Board Chairman, and Council member).

THE TRIBUNE

FORMER DNA CHAIRMAN JOINS THE FNM

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Chairman Mark Humes is seeking a return to frontline politics under the Free National Movement (FNM) banner, and has encouraged fellow DNA leaders to do the same. Mr Humes told The Tribune yesterday that he hopes to be a bridge that unites his former and current party amid talks of a possible coalition between the two. He said he stepped down as chairman of the DNA in 2013 because he wasn’t convinced the organisation was doing enough to become the country’s “party of choice.” “If the DNA had done sufficient groundwork they wouldn’t be concerned about joining up with the FNM,” he said. “I stepped aside several years ago as chairman of the DNA because I wasn’t really sure if the leadership was prepared to go the full distance to win the general election. Mr Humes said: “There was a lot of ground work to be done to make the DNA the most viable

shot to take over the government in 2017. “When you look at the DNA now, realistically it didn’t do enough to make sure it could be the government.” The Tribune contacted Mr Humes after photos of him attending an FNM event were posted on Facebook. Mr Humes, lecturer in the School of English Studies at the College of the Bahamas, ran as the DNA’s candidate for Fort Charlotte in the 2012 general election, where he received 519 votes. He was elected to the top post of the Union of Tertiary Educators in April 2013. Mr Humes resigned from his post as DNA Chairman in July 2013, saying the de cis on was personally motivated and in keeping with his principles and what he believes to be “right and true”. However, at the time, DNA Leader Branville McCartney said the former chairman was asked to step down by executive members because of inactivity. Mr Humes stepped down as President of the Union of Tertiary Educators (UTEB) last month in order to return to front-line politics. He was re-

Monday, May 23, 2016, PAGE 5

“When you look at the situation where we are right now, I had to make a choice as to how best as a country we are going to be able to get with the Progressive Liberal Party. The main objective is to make sure we don’t have five more years of the PLP.” Mark Humes placed by past president Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson. Yesterday, Mr Humes said he notified Mr McCartney that he was joining the FNM to avoid “blindsiding” him, adding that he encouraged the DNA’s leaders to join the FNM as well. “The (FNM) is aware of my talents,” he said. “If they want to use me as a bridge unifying the parties that’s fine. But I will make the case to the DNA that at this time when we look at the state of our country, it doesn’t make any sense thinking we can go alone. I will make the case to the DNA, to the Greg Moss’, the Paul Moss’, to all that are dissatisfied with their lives at this time and all the shadiness with this administration.” Mr Humes emphasized that

the FNM should stop infighting and unite to defeat the PLP. “As opposition party members, we’re not each others’ enemies,” he said. “Our main enemy right now is the PLP and the hatchet job they’ve been doing on us for the past five years.” Mr Humes said: “I want to help the FNM became a better people’s party, a party that loyal FNM supporters know and remember it to be, a party which those people who left would return to because they see the FNM becoming the party they knew before they left it.” Mr Humes said he officially made an application to join the FNM last month. “When you look at the situation where we are right now, I had to make a choice as to how

best as a country we are going to be able to get with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The main objective is to make sure we don’t have five more years of the PLP. Mr Humes said: “We have to look at the best vehicle at this time that sort of has the necessary mechanisms in place to get rid of the PLP. At this time there is no other organisation, outside the PLP, that has a mechanism in place to compete outside the FNM. “That’s one of the main reasons I joined,” he said.

SEARS CALLS FOR ‘EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF LOCAL GOVT’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE pledges from the major political parties, not enough has been done to empower local governments on the Family Islands or to decentralise power in New Providence, former Attorney General Alfred Sears said over the weekend. He called for a more “effective national system of local government”. Since his ratification earlier this year as the PLP’s nominee for the Fort Charlotte constituency in the next general election, Mr Sears has released a series of policy proposals that he intends to champion if he becomes a member of the government. Although he was prompted to return to front-line politics at the urging of PLP members who sought to replace Dr Andre Rollins in the Fort Charlotte constituency, he is determined not to simply join the party’s ranks but, he told The Tribune yesterday, to “sharpen the party’s vision”. For a high-profile mem-

ber in the party, he has displayed an unusual willingness to criticise the government when he believes it has inadequately delivered results on certain issues – hitting out at “successive governments” for not facilitating more local government, for example. Some of his ideas will be incorporated into the PLP’s policy platform, party Chairman Bradley Roberts said yesterday. Mr Roberts said he recently appointed Mr Sears to the platform committee, where he will have the chance to shape the party’s ideas. “I’ve had four years of reflection in terms of helping to sharpen our party’s way forward,” Mr Sears told The Tribune yesterday. “We need to sharpen our vision so we can more effectively address the concerns and to better seize and exploit the opportunities that exist for a more sustainable path for development and cohesive civil society.” Regarding local government, he said in his weekend statement: “In the Bahamas, there have long been public pronounce-

ments by both major political parties that government is best when it is nearest to the people. However, there has been a continuing reluctance on the part of successive governments to devolve power to the people to make crucial decisions within their communities.” The process of devolving power, he said, has been “tentative”, mainly taking the form of school boards, “the Public Hospital Authority (PHA), the Bahamas Maritime Authority and partial Local Government”. “The highly centralised Bahamian state apparatus, inherited from the British without much respect for the attendant conventions, was designed to control a slave population and ensure colonial exploitation,” he said. “Given this history, a decolonised and sovereign nation state must be engaged in a continuing pro-

cess of decentralising public power and empowering its citizens to create safe, prosperous and sustainable communities.” Mr Sears argued that the scope of local government, which mostly involves tasks like maintaining roads, cleaning public parks and ensuring safety around schools, needs to be broadened so it can be used to stimulate local economies and address other concerns. As an example of a change that he believes must be made, Mr Sears said local government authorities “should be permitted to raise revenue”.

PAGE 6, Monday, May 23, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

DR MINNIS: BUDGET WILL BE TRUE TEST OF WHETHER GOVERMENT HAS ECONOMIC PLAN

FNM leader Hubert Minnis.

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THIS WEEK’S Budget presentation will be the true test of whether the Progressive Liberal Party government has a definite plan for economic turnaround in the country, Opposition Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday. Dr Minnis questioned whether the government will present a sound economic blueprint to address the growing deficit or more empty rhetoric and broken promises. The FNM Leader said the Budget signified that the PLP government’s “day of reckoning” was imminent. “Will the PLP serve up an election year budget rife with headline grabbing spending that our taxpayers cannot afford but will be forced to foot the bill when all is said and done?” he asked. “Or will this Government finally come to terms with their years of neglect and focus on enriching their friends, families and allies at the Bahamian’s expense? The Budget means their day of reckoning is soon at hand. “Hopefully they will offer a sound economic blueprint that will address the growing deficit. They have created over $100 million more than they originally estimated. Will they finally have a plan that ends our country’s two straight years of negative economic growth? “Or will this budget address the massive unemployment created by the stalled Baha Mar debacle. Will their budget anticipate Baha Mar finally getting on track – and deliver the 5,000 good paying jobs they promised?” Dr Minnis said the FNM was ready for the challenge with real plans to move the country forward, instead of false hopes paid for with tax dollars. “Any meaningful Budget would include efforts to finally rid our country of the rampant corruption that has infected every aspect of our government under

the PLP leadership, hurting our people – robbing them of jobs, hurting businesses and driving up costs. Dr Minnis said: “This budget should ensure that the lucrative contracts that have been handed out to allies of the PLP become a thing of the past. Whenever the government is spending the people’s tax dollars it should be done in an open and transparent manner with true accountability.” He emphasised that the people should come before PLP party loyalists. “It is the people’s hope that this Government will finally rise to the challenges which they themselves have helped to create in our country,” he said. “No more empty rhetoric or continued broken promises. This budget will be a true test of whether the PLP has any meaningful plans to get the Bahamas back on track.”

WOMAN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AT KNIFE POINT IN HER HOME FROM PAGE ONE her home on Fifth Street and Coconut Grove when a man with a knife forced his way inside her home and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the area on foot. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS. Investigations continue. In January, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said despite a four per cent decrease in serious crimes against the person compared to the same period in 2014, rape, attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse all increased by 16 per cent, 33 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

FNM COALITION WITH DNA ‘NOT A GOOD IDEA’ FROM PAGE ONE parties and the disbanding of the DNA, whose only appeal she said was the “Branville McCartney brand”. In an interview with The Tribune, she said the DNA was not strong enough to sit at the table with the FNM because they held no seats in the House of Assembly. “A coalition is not the way forward in my opinion. What we should be talking about is a merger and an amalgamation of resources. “The DNA has no seats in parliament and cannot bring anything to the table,” Mrs Butler Turner said. “We are the alternative government, clearly the FNM is the alternative choice for the Bahamian people. “I cannot see a grouping that has no seats in parliament dictating how the official opposition should move forward. She said: “My position is this, as an alternative government, it is in our best interest to go out and bring, whether it is Branville McCartney or Greg Moss or another force, bring them to us and let’s get this worthless government out of power.” Mrs Butler Turner said the FNM’s brand is stronger than the DNA’s and the DNA should just merge with the FNM. “I do not think the DNA’s brand is strong enough to sit to the table and say ‘we want a coalition’. “They do not enjoy the wide spectrum of appeal. Branville McCartney has a following as an individual, the DNA does not have

the brand, Branville does,” Mrs Butler Turner said. “They cannot go out as a brand and win the government, the FNM brand was stronger. “I would recommend the DNA disbands and becomes a part of the FNM.” DNA Leader Branville McCartney told The Tribune last week he had been approached “several times” by senior members within the FNM, as well as sitting FNM MPs, to join the official opposition. Mr McCartney said while the DNA will never “fold up” and join a “sinking FNM” he proposed for the two parties to “join forces and work together” to oust the the PLP. FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said that while he is “open” to forming a coalition he is “turned off” by Mr McCartney’s arrogance. However, he said, he is willing to do “whatever it takes” to rid the country of the PLP. Neither Dr Minnis nor Mr McCartney has explained exactly how the coalition would work, or if discussions begun on the partnership have. Yesterday, former Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette expressed support for a “coalition or understanding” between the Free National Movement and the Democratic National Alliance; however, he maintained the FNM didn’t need the DNA to win the next election. Mr Symonette said while he does not know the details of the proposed partnership, if “accommodations” are made the PLP should be “afraid”.

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

insight@tribunemedia.net

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016

Believing in Bahamians?

The Prime Minister will have to attempt to sell dreams in his Budget Communication this week in an effort to cover up his administration’s failings, Malcolm J Strachan says

HIS week, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Perry Gladstone Christie, will be presenting his Budget Communication to Parliament. Within this document he must address the most pressing issues facing this country - crime, unemployment, education and, of course, Baha Mar. In what should be a time for our Prime Minister to boast of his achievements in office over the last four years, instead we will likely be greeted with an excuseridden theatrical address, filled with platitudes and latitudes of all kind. To put it colloquially, ‘dreams will be sold’ on Wednesday. But, for Mr Christie it may be too little, too late. Last Thursday evening, noted radio talk show host and attorney, Jeffrey Lloyd, blasted the Government’s handling of the economy and focused his most pointed criticism at the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) mishandling of Baha Mar. The resort, which should have been the jewel in his administration’s crown, is now poised to be the one element that will sink the PLP’s entire government. Mr Lloyd, who previously served as the head of that resort’s Leadership Development Institute (LDI), decried the lost futures of those thousands of young people who this Government will now turn to and ask for their votes. We believe Mr Lloyd was absolutely right in his criticism, which we will echo below. Over a year has passed since the resort filed for Chapter 11 protection. The Government of The Bahamas, through the Attorney General’s office and the Office of the Prime Minister, fought and blocked that motion, ultimately placing the resort into receivership, where it now languishes today. Thousands of young, bright, enthusiastic Bahamians have lost their jobs as a result. The future of that development has been taken out of the hands of the Bahamian people, and placed squarely at the feet of the Chinese Government. Bids have been put forward for the project, chief amongst them being the original developer Sarkis Izmirlian, who has put it in writing that he would make the bank whole, along with all of the Bahamian unse-

cured creditors, including the thousands of young Bahamians who are owed monies to this day. Mr Izmirlian is also offering to re-hire all of the former Baha Mar workers and get the resort completed utilising Bahamian contrac-

finish off the resort so that the Prime Minister can say there is movement taking place at Baha Mar. What a disgrace! In 2016, in the midst of what will be an election year, our Prime Minister, OUR Prime Minister, will be promoting the idea of putting the Chinese back to work. While Bahamians struggle to find jobs on a daily basis, while contractors and construction workers go hungry, they will reward the same company that brought that resort development to

“In 2016, in the midst of what will be an election year, our Prime Minister will be promoting the idea of putting the Chinese back to work. While Bahamians struggle to find jobs on a daily basis, while contractors and construction workers go hungry, they will reward the same company that brought Baha Mar to its knees. For our Prime Minister to even contemplate such an action is a betrayal of us as a people.” tors to finish the three per cent that remains. No other bidder has come close to this offer. The value on completion of this project stands at a whopping $600 million. We believe this deserves, repeating. That’s $600 million for local Bahamian contractors to finish the resort.

he Prime Minister himself has acknowledged the generosity of this offer, and has urged the Chinese Export Import Bank (CEXIM) to look at it seriously and soberly. It gets Bahamians back to work and adds a tremendous boost to our ailing economy - especially the construction industry. Because let’s face it; the only other development taking place in New Providence is The Pointe, and only Chinese workers are working there. Now to add insult to injury we understand that our Prime Minister is actively promoting a deal between the CEXIM Bank on finalising a deal with China Construction America (CCA), the same company that did all the shoddy work at Baha Mar in the first place, to have CCA

its knees. For our Prime Minister to even contemplate such an action is a betrayal of us as a people. It is an admission of defeat, an admission of incompetence and a betrayal of the Bahamian people; for Mr Christie cannot raise his head and say that he has actually fought for Bahamians. He would be nothing more than an errand boy for the Chinese. A lackey, dancing at the end of a string that reaches all the way to Beijing. And before any of their political cronies come around attempting to suggest that, by putting CCA back at that hotel, it will be a boost to getting it sold, my brother that is stupidness. We don’t talk that around here. Let’s get something straight. Chinese labourers had to be used in the first instance to build the resort. We accept that. But they failed to complete it on multiple occasions. Now the same CCA, who are alleged to have overbilled in the first instance, had multiple labour issues with their Chinese workers marching up to their Embassy for non-payment time and time again, and are now building a competing resort

in the heart of downtown, will be the same company that gets to finish off this resort while Bahamians go without? I thought this was the Commonwealth of the Bahamas! Are we no longer free and independent? When did we stop Believing in Bahamians and our God-given abilities? When did we become so weak? Many Bahamians are wondering to themselves about whose interests is their government looking to serve; the people that voted them into office, or a

Chinese government that is known for using soft-diplomacy to invade and colonise weaker countries. The fact that after everything we have witnessed from CCA, CEXIM Bank and the Chinese government; the fact that the Receivers were appointed by the Chinese government should also raise a huge red flag. Bahamians are consistently disenfranchised and disregarded in their own country. The Prime Minister’s Budget Communication will surely be must-see TV as this storyline continues to unfold.

Will there be a happy ending to this saga that has further tanked the economy over the last year? Will the government listen to the outcry from the Bahamian public? Will the 2,026 employees that once dreamt a dream so big, that the whole world was watching, be able to be re-employed with the resort? Bahamians all over the country will be awaiting these answers as Prime Minister Christie addresses the nation this week. Comments and responses to insight@tribunemedia.net

PAGE 2 MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

RBDF craft pulling the captured Dominican fishing vessel, Emily.

SQUADRON COMMANDING OFFICER, Lt Cmdr Whitfield Neeley, advises Acting RBDF Commander CaptTellis Bethel (centre) and senior officers on new innovative methods and techniques used to combat poaching.

Fishermen renew pleas to protect our marine resources from poachers By CHUCK PINDER

congratulate our fine men and women of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) for the capture of yet another Dominican poaching vessel. This vessel was apprehended last week on the Southern Bahama Bank with - once again - a large quantity of seafood aboard. It is with heartfelt thanks from the fishermen of Spanish Wells that we say thank you for your dedicated service in protecting the marine resources of our nation. At a time in the offseason when Crawfish are spawning and reproducing - which is a vital part of our $80 million a year industry - there is no doubt that there are spawny Crawfish within their catch. Along with this, coming from a country that as no laws protecting their marine resources and have already fished out their own waters, there is without a doubt a sizeable amount of under-

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sized crawfish in with the other seafood that they caught. These men and women of the RBDF have risked endangering their own lives to protect our country from these poachers and for this we are so grateful. The fishermen of the Bahamas will now be watching the Government to see the outcome of this arrest. If you read the article in The Tribune of October 28, 2014, on Dominican poachers by Minister V Alfred Gray you will want to wonder why we are having this problem. The Defence Force officers have done their job and have done it well and it is now up to the Government to act on behalf of Bahamian fishermen to see that these Dominican poachers are brought before the courts and Justice be served. It is also our wish that this vessel be cleaned of all of its fuel and oil, carried out somewhere on our banks or offshore of our islands and sunk for three reasons: 1) to add to another multi million dollar industry - diving - in our beautiful waters for our tourist dive boats to use. 2) send a message back to the Dominican Republic or any other country that comes to poach our waters that this is what will happen if caught. 3) it will stop corrupt officials or friends of corrupt officials from buying these vessels cheap at auction and putting Dominican divers aboard them with fake spousal permits to fish our waters with the same people that are killing our marine resources now. It is time for us to get serious. There is too much under the table ‘huga muga’ going on. There are vessels in our country now carrying as many as 18 Dominican divers aboard. On three vessels alone that I know of that is nearly 50. Some of them lay at Potter’s Cay Dock and appear notbe touched by Immigration or Marine Resources. Why? As long as we have foreign divers on Bahamian fishing vessels it will make it harder for our RBDF officers to do their job. Why you think they here? It is because of communication between the ones on the Bahamian vessels and the poaching vessels. It is because we have opened the corrupt door of allowing Dominicans

with fake spousal permits to be aboard our Bahamian boats. That is for one reason on Referendum Day on the foreign male spousal issue why I will be voting no. Just imagine how many will be here fishing if that passes. We have got enough problems now as it is. It is time Bahamas for us to stop playing games with our marine resources: don’t think we can’t lose them. We have poachers coming into our country now, raping our banks as far as 500 miles away from their home and why? Because they have killed their country’s waters and are now here to do the same thing to ours. And just think our Government, both by the way in the past and at present they have given out permits to Dominicans and others to be on Bahamian fishing vessels in mass numbers. It has been said ‘arrive today, fake marriage tomorrow, on the boat the next day’. We have cried out to the Government on many occasions to clean up this mess that is destroying our country’s marine resources. Once again to the Government, as I write this honouring the fine men and women of the RBDF, I say these poachers are literally killing our marine resources of our country. Please, for sake of our nation’s marine resources and for thousands of Bahamian jobs all over this country - fishermen, processing plants, truck drivers, marine mechanics, refrigeration mechanics, electrical engineers, export companies and many others - that this $80 million a year fishing industry encompasses, we are asking you to guard our heritage because once it is going, it will without a doubt change our country and our way of life for a long time to come. And because of this added help we need with efforts to combat poaching we are wondering why the Government has not joined the United Nations in their effort to combat Illegal fishing worldwide. Bahamas, it is time we stop playing games within our fishing industry and start taking this matter very seriously. This is organised crime we are dealing with and we will only end up like the Dominican Republic and then it will be too late. This latest vessel capture is just one of many. If we all work together for the good of our nation it truly will be ‘Better in the Bahamas. • Chuck Pinder is a representative of the Spanish Wells Fishermen’s Association.

PAGE 2 MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

RBDF craft pulling the captured Dominican fishing vessel, Emily.

SQUADRON COMMANDING OFFICER, Lt Cmdr Whitfield Neeley, advises Acting RBDF Commander CaptTellis Bethel (centre) and senior officers on new innovative methods and techniques used to combat poaching.

Fishermen renew pleas to protect our marine resources from poachers By CHUCK PINDER

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MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016 PAGE 3

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Why going it alone for CARICOM countries leads to fragmentation and weakness I START with the now proven premise that no CARICOM nation is able to prosper on its own. No protestations to the contrary erase the evidence that, without aid from external sources, these countries could not deliver the goods and services that their people expect. The countries of CARICOM started the process to their separate independence 54 years ago, when Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became nominally sovereign states in 1962. Yet, while rightly they have shed colonial rule and assumed control of their affairs, after half a century of sovereignty in not one of these countries - or the others that followed them - is the picture rosy. The opposite is true: each is being severely challenged and the economic prospects for all appear gloomy. A Commonwealth report on small states, just published, says that on its current development path, the Caribbean in 2050 will face unmanageable debt, poor growth and greater socioeconomic problems. The report, ‘Achieving a Resilient Future for Small States: Caribbean 2050’, considers current policies and trends in seven Caribbean countries - the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana - and makes a 34year projection across different sectors. The research shows five of the six countries under study would have a debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) above 100 per cent while two of them could exceed 200 per cent. These projections suggest that expenditure of debt interest will probably become a major drain on public finances in the future, reducing the funds available for development and giving rise to greater socio-economic problems. It is a serious regional issue, particularly as it affects sovereign credit rating and has led to higher sovereign risk premiums in international capital markets which mean borrowing costs for Caribbean countries are very expensive. It was precisely to meet these circumstances more effectively that, in 1973, CARICOM was created and before it CARIFTA. The leaders, at the time, recognised that while rightful separation from Britain gave them domestic political independence, none of them - not even Guyana with its vast natural resources or Trinidad and Tobago with its oil and gas could prosper on their own. But, sadly, CARICOM wandered from its purposes. The unity that was envisaged as the locomotive for delivering benefits was derailed by proclamations of nationalism and the sanctity of sovereignty. By the 1990s, it was clear that the Caribbean was in danger of becoming a back water. The 1992 West Indian Commission Report, ‘Time for Action’, was a recognition of the dangers confronting the region, and the centrality of putting back on track the locomotive of integration. The Commission recommended deepening economic integration through the creation of a Single Market and Economy so as to draw, for the common good, on the resources of the entire region - human, capital and know how; and strengthening the institutions of governance and operations of CARICOM by the establishment of a Caribbean Commission to implement decisions of Heads of Government and Ministers. In the ensuing years, the CARICOM ship slipped from its moorings and is now in danger of fragmenting into separate small boats adrift in a perilous sea. Today the Single Market has been on pause for five years, and the Single Economy has been all but abandoned. Governments are each trying to go it alone, striking other alliances where they secure immediate benefits, and often,

World View

PEOPLE waving Cuban flags greet passengers on Carnival’s Adonia cruise ship as they arrive from Miami in Havana, Cuba, earlier this month. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

“That deeper economic relationship between the Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries - the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba - is now coming to pass, threatening to leave CARICOM behind. Clearly there is a need for a response from CARICOM countries collectively to the economic co-operation process that is being launched with vigour in their own front yard or they will fulfil the fears that led to the creation of the West Indian Commission in 1990.” by doing so, weakening the cohesion of CARICOM. The point is that, on all sides, CARICOM member states are buffeted by economic forces with which they cannot contend alone, and against which they lack a strong and empowered single regional capacity to fight together. Clearly, there is an urgency for CARICOM countries as a whole to address their fragile condition, and to recognise that while national initiatives are imperative for economic growth and development and must be pursued diligently, deeper regional collaboration, including economic integration, hold beneficial and sustainable solutions. With specific regard to tourism, despite all those who often dismiss tourism as “too fragile” to be a real player in the economic development of the Caribbean, the industry has emerged as a strong and resilient economic activity that has been a fundamental contributor to global economic recovery by generating billions of dollars in exports and creating millions of jobs. It has played the same role in many CARICOM countries. The UN World Tourism Barometer has reported that tourism receipts increased by US$48 billion in 2014 to reach a record US$1.2 trillion globally. An additional US$221 billion was generated from international passenger transport, bringing the total export earnings from international tourism to US$1.5 trillion. Remarkably, the Americas was the highest growth area for tourism in the world. And while the lion’s share of receipts - US$210 billion - went to North America, the second highest share was earned by the Caribbean, though only US$27 billion. But, the biggest beneficiaries in the Caribbean area were the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba, which accounted for almost half of the money earned. Nine years ago, in a commentary entitled ‘The Big Three and Little CARICOM’ I posited the view that the three Caribbean Spanish-speaking islands would forge an alliance, creating a market of 23 million people that would marginalise the market of six million people in the English-speaking Caribbean. I warned that CARICOM countries would delude themselves if they believe that with their individual small markets, high investment costs, high costs of doing business and vulnerabilities both to natural disasters and external economic shocks, they could each operate successfully in the global market place in competition with the “big three”. And I urged that “CARICOM governments would do well to bolster their economies and their capacity for dealing with their Caribbean neighbours and the international community by urgently completing the arrangements for implementing their own Sin-

gle Market”. That deeper economic relationship between the Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries is now coming to pass, threatening to leave CARICOM behind. Two weeks ago, my friend and analyst of Caribbean affairs for many years, David Jessop, pointed out that “work is progressing on studies on the creation of a new Caribbean economic block that might bring together Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba with objective of uniting the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and capitalising on new trade opportunities”. He quoted Carlos Rivera Velez, the President of the Puerto Rico Association of Industries, as saying: “We hope that in the not too distant future, we can see the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba working together as a productive economic block for each of our countries and to strengthen the region”. Jessop observed that “these developments are taking place as CARICOM has become less coherent … where ‘dysfunction and strife’ now militates against the spirit of the Caribbean integration movement”. And he concluded, in terms similar to my own statement nine years ago, that: “It is time for the English speaking Caribbean as a whole to develop new thinking about how best to incorporate a future open trade relationship with Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in ways that deepen in the longer term trade with neighbours in Central and South America. It is time to read the writing on the wall”. Clearly there is a need for a response from CARICOM countries collectively to the economic co-operation process that is being launched with vigour in their own front yard or they will fulfil the fears that led to the creation of the West Indian Commission in 1990. That fear was that: “against that background of historic change and historic appraisal, CARICOM countries could be in danger of becoming a backwater, separated from the main current of human advance into the 21st century”. Of all the CARICOM countries, Jamaica has recognised the potential benefits of a tourism alliance with Cuba and the Dominican Republic with which it plans to forge a multi-destination arrangement. These arrangements make perfect sense for Jamaica, located as it is in close proximity to the Spanish-speaking islands. But one has to wonder whether the deficiencies in the CARICOM integration process and its failure to deliver its objectives after 43 years of existence, has not contributed to encouraging Jamaica to seek alternatives which are not limited to tourism. No one can blame Jamaica for taking a sensible initiative, but it would have benefitted CARICOM to enter these arrangements together.

A VIEW of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. It took the Cuban Vice Minister of Tourism, Luis Miguel Diaz Sanchez, earlier this month to express to the Caribbean Hotels and Tourist Association (CHTA) a strong desire to see the region cooperate in building a stronger Caribbean brand. Encouragingly, the CHTA said it “will be pursuing a number of priority issues discussed during their meetings” with the Cubans. No time should be lost in pursuing these priorities; time is not on CARICOM’s side even if, at this point, there is goodwill from the

Cubans. Such goodwill will not last forever, and Cuba’s national interest will respond to change and the lure of other sirens. It is time that the countries of CARICOM acknowledge that there is a loss of momentum with regard to the regional integration agenda. Lack of confidence in CARICOM is causing member states to establish alliances elsewhere. These issues need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The next CARICOM Heads of Government Con-

ference is six weeks away. It would be appropriate, desirable, and important for the Conference to address how best they might establish mechanisms to halt the decline in CARICOM and return to making it an instrument of development and progress for each of its countries and all of them. This commentary is a shortened version of a Feature Address to the St Lucia Hotels and Tourist Association on May 19. Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

PAGE 4 MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

THIS WEEK IN THE TRIBUNE Today Insight - what can Prime Minister Perry Christie possibly highlight as a success for his administration when he gives his Budget communicsation on Wednesday? And a renewed plea from Bahamian fishermen to the government to stop poaching in the wake of last week’s apprehension of a Dominican boat. Business - choppy waters in Little Harbour as the Abaco Club and local residents battle over a controversial marina project, Neil Hartnell reports. Sports - Suns shine: Temple Chris-

tian win the Frank “Pancho” Rahming Primary Schools national track and field championships while Bahamian boxers feature in The Tribune’s ‘242 on the Road to Rio’ series. Plus the latest properties for sale and rent in the Home Buyers’ Guide.

Tuesday Woman and Health - weekly advice on taking care of your mind and body and women making waves in the Bahamas Plus comment from Nicole Burrows and sporting mischief and mayhem by Inigo “Naughty” Zenicazelaya

Wednesday Tribune Tech - a weekly look at what’s new in the world of technology Plus Larry Smith’s forthright Tough Call column

Thursday Obituaries and Religion, a weekly review Young Man’s View - trenchant opinion from Adrian Gibson on the hot topics in the country ‘On da Hook’, a weekly look at fishing in the Bahamas

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ed to the best in arts, music, fashion, food, books, entertainment, gardening, animal matters, fitness, history and interviews Sports - The Finish Line, a look at the local sports scene, by Brent Stubbs Plus A Comic’s View - Naughty’s unique take on the week in the Bahamas

Saturday The Tribune’s Top 5: a special video review of the week’s top stories by Khrisna Virgil on www.tribune242. com Every day in The Tribune, news, business, sports and Classifieds Trader

NOTTAGE ‘NOT SATISFIED’ WITH MURDER RATE DECREASE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage said on Friday he is not satisfied by the decrease in the murder rate in 2016 compared to the last two years, vowing to work to ensure all Bahamians feel safe. Davano Dacosta became the 48th murder victim of the year when he was shot multiple times on Thursday in the Centerville area. According to Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) records, 63 people had been killed by the end of May last year and 60 people by the end of May, 2014. Dr Nottage’s comments came during a walkabout in the Bain Town constituency, where an abandoned building was being destroyed as part of efforts to erase havens for criminals. “One of the things we also encounter in buildings (like the now destroyed structure) is people hide weapons and drugs and

then use those weapons to conduct criminal activity in the area,” Dr Nottage said about the structure on Meadow Street. “We are reducing the opportunities for people to do those kinds of things. “People can’t commit a crime and then come and run in these buildings to hide their guns or their drugs and whatever. “This is an anti-crime initiative just as it is a healthcare initiative.” As for violent crime, he said: “I’m not satisfied. Although there have been some improvement and results I’m not satisfied. “As long as there are people who feel unsafe in our country, as long as we still have these homicides, assaults and armed robberies, I cannot be satisfied. “One is hopeful that this is a trend that we can keep doing. “People who work in Urban Renewal deserve an extreme measure of thanks for what they are doing. I feel encouraged but I’m not satisfied.”

UNDER

THE PLP

(A NEW RECORD)

2012

70 MURDERS

2013

119 MURDERS

2014

123 MURDERS

2015

146 MURDERS

2016

48 MURDERS

TOTAL

THE PLP campaigned about the murder rate under the FNM before the 2012 general election.

506 MURDERS *SINCE MAY 7, 2012 GENERAL ELECTION

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 23, 2016, PAGE 7

BRAN: FEAR SPREADING THROUGH THE PLP OVER POSSIBILITY OF FNM/DNA COALITION

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

chairman Bradley Roberts, who said such a union would not succeed at the polls in 2017. DEMOCRATIC NaHe called on the governtional Alliance Leader ment to focus on critical Branville McCartney yesnational issues instead of terday said fear was spreadusing its executives and oping through the Progressive eratives to wage a “petty poLiberal Party like wildfire litical war”. as he forecast the possibility “Bradley Roberts’ comof a coalition between his ments betray the fear which BRANVILLE party and the Free National the PLP is now experiencMCCARTNEY Movement becoming “more ing at the mere thought of and more real”. losing the 2017 general election,” he Mr McCartney said the prospect said. has prompted the PLP to enlist “That said, it was unsurprising to “weapons of mass propaganda” and see the party’s blustering chairman challenged that criticisms from party offer his comments on the idea. What

FROM PAGE ONE She said she was still committed in her quest to serve the country. “Our leaders must not resist change or merely demonstrate an appearance of change, but it is incumbent upon them to embrace change wholeheartedly to obtain the confidence of the masses,” her statement said. “Significantly, however, while many among my generation and those after me, may feel disenfranchised by the political system of yesteryear, all must recognise that change involves a transitional process. “Therefore, we must at all times conduct ourselves with a high level of integrity and maturity in pursuit of our endeavour to lead others. Conduct that is considered unethical and factually unlawful is by no means the answer to true political success, and such behaviour should never be tolerated or accepted as the norm in a civil society.” Mrs Rolle’s statement, entitled “The Need for Political Maturity rather than Political Mischief”, comes on the heels of her unceremonious departure from the Upper House amid controversy over leaked secret recordings of a conversation she had with political hopeful Lincoln Bain. Mr Bain admitted to se-

LANISHA ROLLE

cretly recording the former Senator; however, he maintained that his actions were solely to protect himself from possible sabotage. He said the recordings only “came into play” to prove to party executives that the private meeting had taken place, and denied leaking the audio. He said he did not regard recording Mrs Rolle without her knowledge as unethical or deceitful in any way. In the recording, Mrs Rolle reportedly spoke at length and disparagingly about the political future of several members of the FNM party with whom she was dissatisfied. During the conversation, she allegedly informed Mr Bain that the party would not nominate him to run as MP in the Pinewood Gardens constituency in next year’s general elections. She further claimed that the ratification of incumbent FNM MPs had been purposely delayed. In her resignation on May 13, Mrs Rolle cited a “need to focus on a few personal matters”. Yesterday, Mrs Rolle explained that she had “girded” herself with political maturity, and as such, she was fully aware that her appointed post had a “high probability of a shorter shelf life” than

BAHAMIANS ‘ATTEMPTED TO SMUGGLE 26 IMMIGRANTS’

FROM PAGE ONE were also discovered stranded in the area of Memory Rock off West End, Grand Bahama, on Saturday afternoon. The group, which consisted of 14 Haitians, three Jamaicans and one Ecuadorian, was picked up by the US Coast Guard and is expected to be brought to Freeport and turned over to Immigration officials at Lucayan Harbour. Mr Cooper also reported that the USCG spotted a third group of 22 Cubans discovered stranded for a few day on a cay with a lighthouse. The USCG is expected to arrive with them early this week at Lucayan Harbour, where they will be turned over to Immigration authorities.

MINNIS HITS OUT AT MINISTERS WHO FAILED TO TABLE AUDITS FROM PAGE ONE unfortunately it is not surprising that several institutions and agencies of this government have repeatedly failed to table their annual financial audits as is required by law.” “The law requiring annual audits of government expenditures is there so as to provide transparency and accountability from every level of government. But we can have neither when this government operates in the shadows and all but ignores the law. How are the people to know what their government is doing?” The tabling of audits is one of the few accountability measures Bahamians can use to independently assess the fiscal performance of government departments and institutions. Under the former Ingraham Administration, gaps were at times allowed to exist in the public record concerning audits of institutions as well. Nonetheless, Dr Minnis said: “Clearly, both in action and in their words, the PLP has shown it does not want Bahamians empowered to hold this Government accountable. How can these six ministers continue to be allowed to act outside the laws? “The Auditor General’s reports on the Department of Social Services and the Road Traffic Department confirm that corruption has seeped into every level of government under this PLP government. So what are the people to conclude when they learn that ministers have not tabled audits for years as is required? What are they hiding from the public? Where is the accountability? “Under the next FNM government, audits will be completed and tabled when they are supposed to. We will bring true leadership – which requires transparency and

accountability – back to The Bahamas.” Failure to table audits annually does not necessarily mean that audits weren’t conducted. Furthermore, in at least one instance - the BMC - the lack of up-to-date audits is partly because the corporation took on the task of updating its audits for the years when the Ingraham Administration was in office and did not have them conducted. PHA audits have been the subject of much attention in the past. Managing Director Herbert Brown told The Tribune last week that audits for the PHA have been completed. He could not, however, say why Health Minister Perry Gomez has not tabled them. Glenn Lavell, general manager of the WSC, said it’s his corporation’s fault why audits haven’t been tabled over the past several years. He said the WSC has been in the midst of changing the way it conducts its audits. National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage, who has responsibility for the Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation, acknowledged on Friday that audits for the corporation have not been tabled. He said there have been “difficulties” involving the auditors, adding that he would address the matter in the future. COB is in the process of getting up-to-date with its audits, with Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald saying recently that they will be ready by September. As for the BMC, Environment & Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett has said that a delay in the tabling of audits for recent years is because the organisation is finding a new company to conduct its audits after the head of the previous company passed away. The 2013 audit, he said, is before Cabinet waiting approval to be tabled.

is surprising, however, is the fact that a man well known for his absolutely outdated and myopic views is still allowed to weigh in on matters of national importance on behalf of the party.” The DNA leader called Mr Roberts a political dinosaur, whose efforts to present the PLP administration as a caring government have failed. He pointed to last week’s Tribune’s poll, in which 83 per cent of participants expressed support for a coalition government. Mr McCartney pointed to several coalitions throughout Bahamian political history. “Bradley Roberts should remember that a coalition was had in 1987

that of MPs. She thanked the Bahamian people and party members for entrusting her with the “noble task”; particularly FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, whom she said demonstrated the “political will and fortitude representative of 21st century leaders”. Mrs Rolle further emphasised that the global political directorate is faced with a

when the FNM did not run anyone against Hubert Ingraham, Perry Christie and A D Hanna,” he said. “Those gentlemen won their seats handsomely. Had the FNM run persons against Ingraham and Christie, these good gentlemen would have been a distant memory and never held the highest office in the country! “In 2002, the PLP did not run anyone against Pierre Dupuch, Tennyson Wells and Larry Cartwright, all of whom won their seats. Let me remind the chairman that his now party, the PLP, won governance in 1967 with the coalition of Sir Randol Fawkes and Sir Alvin Braynen!” Mr McCartney asserted that Mr Roberts did not want to remember

fervent demand for change, adding that the Bahamas was no different. She forecast that the country was at a pivotal crossroad, and based on its needs would vote for a party that represented a united collective and exhibited true potential to meet individual needs. “There is no doubt that the Bahamian people are discon-

successful coalitions because he was a member of the United Bahamian Party (UBP) at the time. “Rather than using its executives and operatives to wage petty political war,” he continued, “I can only hope that the fear they now experience inspires the government to finally commit itself to addressing the needs of the people. “That means focusing on issues such as our dangerously high debtto-GDP ratio, and our equally high crime rate. That means focusing on job creation, career and entrepreneurial opportunities for young Bahamians. This means fixing the economy and rooting out corruption,” he added.

tented with the present state of affairs,” the statement continued, “but Bahamians must recognise that only they have the power to bring the needed change to Parliament. “I have served within the public service, the judicial sector and most recently, the legislature. For the experiences I have gained, I am in-

deed grateful. “My entry to the political arena was influenced by a biblical proverb translated by one Edmund Burke, who said, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing”. “My name is Lanisha Rolle, and I am here to do something, for the good of the Bahamian people.”

PAGE 8, Monday, May 23, 2016

MAN HAS FOUR-YEAR FIREARM SENTENCE REDUCED ON APPEAL By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN sentenced to the previous mandatory minimum of four years for possession of an unlicensed firearm has had his sentence reduced on appeal. Michael Augustin, 27, appeared before Court of Appeal Justices Jon Isaacs, Stella Crane-Scott and Roy Jones this week concerning his 48 months prison term after being convicted of illegal possession of a 9mm pistol. On October 2, 2012, police searched an apartment at Dundas Town, Abaco, and found the weapon stashed in the dog house in the back yard. When arraigned in court, he was sentenced to then mandatory minimum of four years at the Department of Correctional Services to begin from October 5, 2012. Augustin and his lawyer, Stanley Rolle, contested the sentence to the appellate court on the basis that the punishment was unduly harsh, excessive and disproportionate in the circumstances. “The court does not downplay the seriousness of the offence,” Justice Isaacs said on Thursday. “However, we are satisfied that, in the circumstances of this case, the mitigating factors of the appellant ought to have placed greater weight in the scales of justice on his side. Had the magistrate had the discretion she, no doubt, would have considered such factors as the guilty plea and lack of antecedents in addition to his relative youth,” the judge added. “Having considered the respective submissions of counsel and the cases laid over by them, we are of the view that the sentence of four years should be quashed and a sentence of three years and eight months substituted in its stead. The sentence is to run from the date of conviction, which has been given as 5th October, 2012,” Justice Isaacs ruled. Augustin was arrested and convicted for possession of an unlicensed firearm a year after Parliament reintroduced mandatory minimum sentencing. The practice has since been abolished. Vernal Collie and Quintin Percentie appeared for the Crown.

THE TRIBUNE

BAHA MAR WORKERS LOBBY AGAINST CCA INVOLVEMENT IN RESORT By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

DISENFRANCHISED Baha Mar workers are lobbying against China Construction America’s (CCA) involvement in the sale and construction of the stalled Cable Beach mega resort. In a letter to Prime Minister Perry Christie, a copy of which was obtained by The Tribune, the former employees purportedly express outrage at the possibility that the resort’s previous general contractor, CCA, was in the running to both bid on the project and complete construction in the interim period. The letter is signed “Disenfranchised Baha Mar Citizens”. “For over a year,” the letter read, “thousands of Bahamians have seen Baha Mar from an angle they did not expect: from the outside, looking in. We were meant to be working at the larger-than-life resort, using the training we received to boost the tourism and economy of the Bahamas.” It continued: “Prime Minister, Do Not Allow CCA To Be The General Contractor To Complete Baha Mar Or To Be Its Eventual Owner. You are our

elected leader. You represent our best interests NOT the Chinese. “The question is simple: do we want jobs for Bahamians or do we want to simply forfeit jobs over to the Chinese? “Do we want to benefit the Bahamian economy or the Chinese economy? Do we want to place Baha Mar once again in the hands of CCA which has a proven history of enriching it-

self at the expense and suffering of Bahamians? Your answer for the sake of The Bahamas and all who live here should be a resounding NO!” The workers added that there are Bahamians ready and willing to complete construction, making the point that CCA projects provide less jobs for Bahamians and less money going back into the economy.

More than 2,000 Baha Mar employees were made redundant last October. Some 16 groups were said to have expressed interest in acquiring Baha Mar at the Supreme Court hearing on the project’s joint provisional liquidation earlier this month. However, officials have refused to identify the investors behind the bids received.

MURDER ACCUSED DENIES $14,000 BELONGED TO LONG ISLAND WEB SHOP By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN accused of murdering a web shop employee denied that the $14,000 found in her possession belonged to a web shop in Long Island, a Supreme Court jury heard on Friday. Central Detective Unit oficer Lincoln Mckenzie was giving evidence on his involvement in the investigation of the late 2014 slaying of Andrea Caroll in Deadman’s Cay. Cpl McKenzie said Daphne Knowles, a suspect, was asked “a series of questions” when interviewed under caution concerning her familiarity with Andrea Caroll. “She stated that she worked for Caroll and fixed sandwiches for customers of the web shop,” the jury heard. The investigator said Knowles denied knowing that Caroll kept large amounts of money in her possession. Cpl McKenzie told prosecutor Basil Cumberbatch that Knowles was also probed on her relations with three men: Rico Archer, Stanley Pinder and Defavo Beckford. She admitted to knowing Archer and said

that Pinder was her boyfriend. The latter is her son. When probed about the $14,000 found in her possession, the investigator said Knowles claimed “the monies came from her shop”. “She states that she had $7,000 for a (food) van, $7,000 for hair accessories and another $400 for other accessories,” the court heard. The investigator said he then probed Knowles on her whereabouts between 11.45pm and 8am on November 28 and 29, 2014. “She stated that around 9-9.30pm, she went to a D-Mac concert but she didn’t give a definitive answer on when she left. “She stated that around 8am, she arrived home from sleeping with her boyfriend,” McKenzie said. Knowles, of Cartwright’s, Long Island, is on trial before Justice Bernard Turner on murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges. Knowles is alleged to have killed Carroll between November 28 and 29, 2014. It is further alleged that Knowles conspired with others for 58 days to commit robbery and actually robbed Carroll of cash belonging to Bowe’s Web Games Ltd.

The accused, who denies the allegations, is defended by attorney Sonia Timothy. Cephia Pinder-Moss and Mr Cumberbatch are prosecuting the case. Ms Timothy, in cross-examination, asked the investigator if her client told him where the monies had come from. “She said it was from her shop, the backwood, chips, cigarettes,” McKenzie said. “So the money was to replenish her store?” the lawyer probed. McKenzie did not confirm that those were the exact words used but admitted that he was informed that she had needed to go to Panama to shop. He also admitted that he did not check her passport to verify that she made such travels in the past. “I had no cause to check,” was his explanation. McKenzie was asked if there was any fingerprint or DNA evidence connecting her client to the scene of the crime. The investigator said there was no finger print evidence and he had not received any DNA evidence that he had requested. The case resumes on May 26.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 23, 2016, PAGE 9

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My Voice! Endless Possibilities..... My Voice! Endless Possibilities.....

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PAGE 10, Monday, May 23, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS ‘IGNORING FACTS, INVENTING CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ OVER REFERENDUM By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PASTOR Cedric Moss

THE ‘YES Bahamas’ campaign said yesterday that Pastor Cedric Moss has shown a “wilful determination to ignore facts in favour of inventing conspiracy theories” when it comes to the constitutional referendum on gender equality. The statement came after a letter from Pastor Moss was published in The Tribune last week in which he argued that the upcoming referendum is “about politics”, with the third bill intended to be a distraction from the fourth bill.

Bill three would let unmarried Bahamian men pass citizenship onto their children while bill four would prohibit discrimination against a person based on their status as a male or female.

Bill Mr Moss said the third bill would let Bahamian men who “commit adultery with foreign women and father children for them anywhere in the world be able to pass citizenship to those children”. Responding yesterday, the YES Bahamas campaign said though the behaviour of such

men “appears to offend Mr Moss”, people should consider their children “whose lives are affected from the moment of birth for reasons beyond their control. “These children deserve to belong fully to their families and to our nation, to share in both the rights and responsibilities of Bahamian citizenship,” the group said. As for Pastor Moss’ contention that the third bill would not have retroactive implications if passed, the YES Bahamas campaign noted that the government has said it would produce measures to “ensure children born to an unmarried Bahamian father

can be regularised through the Department of Immigration”. Ultimately, the group said the Constitution must change so changes can be secured and not subject to the “whims of successive governments”. “Any government can pass laws that, for example, outlaw allowing one race a privilege denied to another race,” the group said. “But we all believe that this kind of choice should not be left to governments, that a nation’s founding document ought to reflect its values, and guarantee certain rights to all citizens, under all governments to come.”

‘YES BAHAMAS’ MARCHERS TAKE TO THE STREETS IN FREEPORT By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net MOTHERS, fathers and children participated in a “Yes Bahamas” march in Freeport on Saturday morning in support of the four Constitutional Amendment Bills on gender equality which will be voted on in the June 7 referendum. The group marched from the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce along the Mall Drive to the Harold Degregory Complex, where a mini rally was held. Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville, former Ambassador Maurice Moore of the Free National Movement (FNM), and Grand Bahama Human Rights vice president Joseph Darville led the march, holding “Yes” and “Equal Rights” banners. The march was one of solidarity, extending beyond politics. It was held to raise awareness among Bahamians about the inequalities in the Constitution and to encourage Bahamians to bring about change by voting “yes” to the four bills, which will usher in full equality between men and women in terms of citizenship, and end discrimination based on sex, in the Bahamas. Mr Moore, one of the founding members of the FNM, felt it was important to participate. “Our Constitution has no politics in it,” he said. “The only time politics gets in it is when we as citizens put it in.” He said that some 55 years ago many individuals made great sacrifices to bring about change in the country for a young generation of Bahamians. It is now time for the young generation to bring about further change in the country, he said. “I am on my way out now, but I made a promise ... that I will do all I can for as long as I can through laying the foundation for a better Bahamas, and the safest way to that is not necessary in politics, but to make sure the Constitution, the foundation of our country, provides equality to every citizen.” Mr Moore said that, in 2002, the movement towards gender equality was started, but politics became involved, things went wrong and the people voted “no” in the first referendum, which was held under an FNM administration. He urged young Bahamians to do their part to “fix it” now, adding that there are 15 days to go to the vote. “Young men and women, the charge has been placed to you; fix it, make it so that nobody, no political party can do it again, or change it unless it is through a referendum,” he said. Mr Moore said that it is not right that a Bahamian

CITY OF FREEPORT Chief Councillor Chervita Campbell embracing Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe after marching to the Harold Degregory Complex. Also seen is Minster for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville. Photos: Denise Maycock/The Tribune

A MOTHER is seen pushing her infant baby during the march. Attorney Constance McDonald (in black and pink t-shirt), co-chairman of the Committee for the “Yes” Campaign in Grand Bahama and march organiser, is seen walking briskly in background.

“We need a balance and this is creating a balance in the country. I appeal to fundamental religions that are always advocating that women are not equal to men to get onboard, change that stupid mentality, and to stop putting filth in the minds of the men and making them believe their women and wives are not equal to them.”

Grand Bahama Human Rights vice president Joseph Darville woman who marries a foreigner and has a child cannot pass on her citizenship to the child. “Here is a mother. “We know where the child came from and we know who the mother is, but yet our Constitution does not provide so she can pass her citizenship onto her child,” he explained. “On January 10, 2017, the country will observe 50 years of Majority Rule – that’s half a century - and

the Constitution prevents our citizens from having equality after 50 years. Vote ‘yes’ on all four of (bills),” said Mr Moore. Mr Moore told Bahamians that it is not time for politics and payback. “If you want to chastise them (the government), do it next year during the general election, not messing around with our Constitution,” he said. Joseph Darville claims that religious ministers over the time have di-

minished the quality of women. “We need a balance and this is creating a balance in the country. I appeal to fundamental religions that are always advocating that women are not equal to men to get onboard, change that stupid mentality, and to stop putting filth in the minds of the men and making them believe their women and wives are not equal to them,” he said. He said the constitutional bills will establish equality for all people in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. “Unless we do it we are going to look like banana republic country; we must move into the enlightened age, into the dimension where we can have compassionate politics,” he said. Mr Darville did not agree with those who say that a mistake was made during the first referendum.

“It was not meant to pass at the time because people were not sufficiently informed,” he said. “It was not a mistake. We do not need to cast blame; the mistake only becomes permanent when we fail to change it and that is where we are today,” he said. One of the things that fascinated me was the PLP did see fit to include Maurice Moore in some of the discussions. That is the way we need to move in the direction of compassionate politics,” he said. Also speaking was Rachel Russell, a young woman who has registered to vote for the first time. “I just registered last week, and I want to encourage everyone who has not registered, to go and register to vote,” she said. Miss Russell said she is spreading the message through social media and encouraging other people to vote “yes”.

Billie Bowe talked about the challenges she went through as the married mother of children with a foreign father. She talked about having to apply to the Immigration Department for a permit for her daughter to remain in the Bahamas. Tamar, a lawyer, said she was 12 or 13 during the first referendum. “It baffles me that today where we as a country believe we are so progressive and number one that we are so behind the eight ball as far as equal rights for men and women,” said the 27-year-old mother. “I have my own daughter and it is still an issue. In 2016, families are now being displaced and separated because someone 50 years ago said ‘no’. It is time that our generation should be the change. We have to register, and make our voices heard,” she said.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 23, 2016, PAGE 11

Conflict Resolution Safety Tips

By Corporal 3011 Makelle Pinder

EVEN though conflict is a normal and necessary part of healthy relationships, the mere fact that persons are sometimes unable to come to a resolve, is mind bothering. With the understanding that individuals aren’t expected to agree on everything at all times, it is imperative that they learn how to deal with conflict— rather than avoiding it. When conflict is mismanaged, it can harm any relationship. But when handled in a respectful and positive way, conflict provides an

opportunity for growth, ultimately strengthening the bond between individuals. However, based on the daily acts of violence that occur in our little country, it clearly indicates that how we handle our anger and how we deal with other people who are angry can make the difference, between managing conflict effectively and having conflict end in violence. This is an essential tidbit, due to the fact that too often people are losing their lives because of a lack of conflict resolution. Therefore, listed below are a few Conflict Resolution Safety Tips

Unhealthy Responses to Conflict: • An inability to recognize and respond to the things that matter to the other person • Explosive, angry, hurtful, and resentful reactions. Quick to resort to the use of weapons and profanity. • The withdrawal of love, resulting in rejection, isolation, shaming, and fear of abandonment. • An inability to compromise or see the other person’s side. • The fear and avoidance of conflict; the expectation of bad outcomes. Healthy Responses to

Conflict • The capacity to recognize and respond to the things that matter to the other person. • Calm, non-defensive, and respectful reactions. • A readiness to forgive and forget, and to move past the conflict without holding resentments or anger • The ability to seek compromise and avoid punishing • A belief that facing conflict head on is the best thing for both sides. • Remember that conflict is a normal reaction, therefore choose your battles, and learn how to walk away. With the mental ability to ignore ignorant people and senseless conversations. • Compromise, and

think before you act and speak. • Life does not have a restart button. Remember that life does not have a restart button, so choose your battles wisely. If applied, the safety tips provided can minimize your chances of becoming a victim. Nevertheless, should you fall prey to any criminal act, Call the Police as soon as it is safe to do so. Or, if you come across any suspicious person(s) or have any information pertaining to any crime, please do not hesitate to contact call the police emergency at ‘919’ or Crime Stoppers at 328-tips (New Providence), 1-3008476 (Family Islands).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

THIS still image taken from video posted Saturday on the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman shows an Egyptian dinghy collecting wreckage of EgyptAir flight 804.

EGYPT SENDS SUBMARINE TO HUNT FOR CRASHED JET’S BLACK BOXES

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt sent a submarine Sunday to join the hunt for the flight recorders from the EgyptAir jetliner that crashed in the Mediterranean and killed all 66 people aboard, while hundreds of Coptic Christian mourners filled a church in Cairo to pray for their relatives among the dead. Mounting evidence pointed to a sudden and dramatic catastrophe that led to Thursday’s crash of Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo, although Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said it “will take time” to establish what happened aboard the Airbus A320. In his first public comments since the crash, el-Sissi cautioned against premature speculation. “It is very, very important to us to establish the circumstances that led to the crash of that aircraft,” el-Sissi said in remarks broadcast live on Egyptian TV. “There is not one scenario that we can exclusively subscribe to. ... All scenarios are possible.” A submarine belonging to the Oil Ministry was headed to the site about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of the Egyptian port of Alexandria to join the search, el-Sissi said. The vessel can operate at a depth of 3,000 meters (9,800 feet), he said. After starting his comments with a minute of silence to remember the victims, he thanked the nations that have joined Egyptian ships and aircraft in the search. Beside Egypt, ships and planes from Britain, Cyprus, France, Greece and the United States are taking part in the search for the debris from the aircraft, including its flight data and cockpit voice recorders. Some wreckage, including human remains, have been recovered already. Egypt’s aviation industry has been under international scrutiny since Oct. 31, when a Russian Airbus A321 traveling to St. Petersburg from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard. Russia said the crash was caused by a bomb planted on the plane, and the local branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility, citing Moscow’s involvement in Syria.

Thursday’s crash will further damage Egypt’s tourism industry, already reeling from years of political turmoil. The nation of 90 million people has been in crisis after crisis since a popular 2011 uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Since then, it has seen a dramatic surge in attacks by Islamic militants, bouts of deadly unrest, a battered economy and the steady decline in the value of its currency. El-Sissi spoke a day after the leak of flight data indicated a sensor detected smoke in a lavatory and a fault in two of the plane’s cockpit windows in the final moments of the flight. The data was published by The Aviation Herald. Authorities say the plane lurched left, then right, spun all the way around and plummeted 38,000 feet (11,582 meters) into the sea, never issuing a distress call. Investigators have been studying the passenger list and questioning ground crew at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, where the airplane took off. In Cairo, several hundred mourners attended a memorial service for nine Coptic Christians killed in the crash, including 26-year-old flight attendants Yara Tawfik. The service was held in the Boutrossiya Church, located inside Cairo’s St. Mark Cathedral, the seat of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church. Relatives sobbed and prayed as Bishop Daniel, the senior cleric who led the service, offered words of comfort on behalf of Pope Tawadros II, leader of the Coptic church. “The church, the pope, the state and its representatives are very moved by this painful incident and are all standing together in offering their condolences to these families,” Daniel said. “They’ve ascended to heaven.” Nader Medhat, a cousin of Tawfik, said Saturday he was still trying to come to terms with the disaster. “We hear about such accidents, a plane falls or explodes, but it is always far away from us, it was always so far-fetched until it happened to us,” he said. A service was held Saturday in a Cairo mosque for co-pilot Mohamed Mamdouh, 25, another of the 30 Egyptians among the dead.

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DEFENCE FORCE APPREHENDS DOMINICAN VESSEL, 11 CREW THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) on Friday reported the apprehension of a Dominican fishing vessel and its 11 crew in a suspected poaching operation in the southern Bahamas last week. According to officials, the HMBS Lignum Vitae intercepted the 60-foot vessel near Cay Lobos on the Great Bahama Bank on Wednesday, after observing the ship for several days.

On boarding the vessel, RBDF officials found a large quantity of suspected scale fish and lobster. Captain Tellis Bethel, the Acting Defence Force Commander, said: “The capture of the Dominican vessel was the result of an extended anti-poaching programme for the protection of Bahamian fishermen and the preservation of vital marine resources.” He commended the collective efforts of the Defence Force’s Commander

Operations, Lt Cmdr Clarence Dean, the Squadron Commanding Officer, Lt Cmdr Whitfield Neely and the Operations Officer, Snr Lt William Sturrup, for devising an effective strategy to capture the poachers. The HMBS Lignum Vitae was commanded by RBDF Senior Lieutenant Bertram Bowleg at the time of the apprehension. See Insight

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