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PM ‘deception’ over Baha Mar Rollins claims govt collusion with Chinese By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins yesterday accused the Christie administration of colluding with China Construction America (CCA) Bahamas and “deceiving” Bahamians over the stalled $3.5bn Baha Mar resort to protect the financial interests of the Chinese. This, he said, ultimately “cut the legs” from underneath project developer Sarkis Izmirlian. However, Prime Minister Perry Christie vehemently denied this saying it was “absolutely wrong” for Dr Rollins to “mislead” the country. He said the record would reflect that there was no intention to delay the resort on
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‘loretta more popular than party leader’
By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette said yesterday that Long Island MP Loretta ButlerTurner would be a strong contender for leader of the Free National Movement at its upcoming convention, pointing to a poll that he said shows she has pulled ahead of current leader Dr Hubert Minnis in the public’s opinion. SEE page SEVEN
car plunges into water near betty k terminal
the part of the government. Mr Christie said at all times, the government worked in the best interest of Bahamians and sought advice from government hired lawyers in the United States, the United Kingdom as well as the Attorney General’s Office to ensure his administration was making the right decisions. Dr Rollins’ highly critical remarks led Mr Christie to apologise for putting the former PLP MP in a position to hold a seat in Parliament. To this, Dr Rollins said it was evident that Mr Christie wanted a “lackey” and that he would not be silenced or prevented from speaking on behalf of Bahamians. SEE page SIX
‘parliamentary commissioner must go over referendum’
By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins has called for the “immediate” resignation of Parliamentary Commissioner Sherlyn Hall over his handling of the June 7 constitutional referendum. Dr Rollins added that given the way the Westminster system operates, both Prime Minister Perry
film fashion music lifes tyle culture Friday, June entertainme 17, 2016 nt animals food
Christie and National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage, who has referendums and elections in his portfolio, ought to have also resigned because of the way the vote was handled. During the 2016/2017 budget debate, the MP said due to the failings of the Parliamentary Registration Department, the electoral process was drawn into question. SEE page THREE
A CAR plunged into the sea near John Alfred Dock yesterday evening. The driver of the white Mercury Saber was able to get out of the car and was retrieved from the water by divers from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. At the time, he was unable to tell officers if there were any other occupants of the car, and divers continued their search of the area. The driver was assisting police with their investigation.
pm defends govt deal with equipment trouble means a foreign firm to manage bpl long summer of blackouts By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
AMID rolling blackouts that have frustrated Bahamians, Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday defended his government’s decision to select PowerSecure to manage Bahamas Power & Light.
Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller, the former chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), told The Tribune Wednesday that the government should not have surrendered management of the corporation to the American company. SEE page SIX
By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net PRESIDENT of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union Paul Maynard said yesterday unless the equipment at Bahamas Power and Light is changed “immediately”, Bahamians should expect a long sum-
mer of blackouts. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Maynard said at least $250m is needed to purchase new generators. He said unless the investment is made, the state of electricity service in the country will never change. SEE page SIX
dame anita’s view ‘a poke in the eye’ to bahamians By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
PASTOR Lyall Bethel has called recent statements
from Court of Appeal President Dame Anita Allen about same-sex marriage a poke in the eye to Bahamians. Reacting to a speech
Dame Anita gave on Tuesday, Pastor Bethel also backed calls for the judge to recuse herself from potential cases involving samesex marriage, insisting that
her stated views confirm a personal bias. The prominent pastor made the remarks during a SEE page THREE
PAGE 2, Friday, June 17, 2016
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STUDYING RAREST BIRD IN THE BAHAMAS WITH LESS than 260 remaining on a single island, the Bahama Oriole is the rarest bird in The Bahamas - and one of the rarest in the world. To inform conservation efforts, the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) is working with University of Maryland scientists to gather vital information on the endangered species. Of the six endemic bird species found in the Bahamas, the Oriole is the most threatened. It once lived on Abaco as well, but disappeared from that island in the 1990s. It has a black head and body with yellow underparts. “Previous studies indicated that the Oriole relied on coconut trees for nesting, and was in serious decline because these trees were dying from lethal yellowing,” according to BNT Science and Policy Director Shelley Cant-Woodside. “The current research is key to understanding the biology of this amazing species. We now know that the Bahama Oriole is not completely reliant upon coconut trees, but uses other trees in residential areas and in the pine forest. This is an important find if we want to ensure a secure future for this very rare bird.” Research on the Oriole was last conducted in 2011. The current University of Maryland team is led by Dr Kevin Orland. Their work is funded by the American Bird Conservancy, a Virginia-based group that promotes bird conservation throughout
the Western Hemisphere. The current research aims to survey populations of Bahama Oriole on Andros; determine the number of nesting pairs in residential and forested areas; confirm whether coconut trees are the preferred nesting tree; and capture the basic biology of the species, including food sources and predators. The researchers are also training Bahamians in field research and promoting a wider appreciation of this rare bird, which is threatened by forest fires, logging, introduced diseases, invasive species, and the potential effects of climate change in terms of sea-level rise and changes in habitat. Latie Smith and Lehron Rolle, two participants in the BNT’s ongoing bird guide training programme, are working with the Oriole researchers on Andros. The bird guide programme is a joint venture with the National Audubon Society to train Bahamians as nature guides. Recent College of the Bahamas graduate Shannan Yates and BNT Science Officer Scott Johnson are also helping the researchers to band birds so as to track their movements. “A lot of work still needs to be done,” Ms Cant said, “but through partnerships like this, coupled with local stakeholder involvement, more reliable information will be obtained to help improve conservation measures.”
A BLACK-Cowled Oriole nesting in a thatch palm on Flamingo Cay in North Andros. Photograph: Carlton Ward Jr.
PRAISE FOR CREATION OF YOUTH ENVIRONMENT GROUP DON’T miss breaking news throughout the weekend and a video review of the week’s top news stories with The Tribune’s Top Five. And, on Monday, The Tribune returns to newsstands with a round-up of all the weekend news, business and sport.
A LEADING environmentalist has praised Kenred Dorsett after his ministry’s announcement this week of the launch a Youth Environmental Corps training up to 1,200 young people for jobs in the blue and green economies in the Bahamas. Save The Bays Chairman Joe Darville described the initiative yesterday as “one of the most exciting, practical, important and useful programmes I have ever heard of any government proposing”. A retired educator who spent nearly half a century in various posts from counsellor to headmaster and organised Youth Environmental Ambassadors following his retirement, Mr Darville said the proposed programme “is a perfect marriage between the demands for skilled environmental manage-
ment with the need for job training. Save The Bays, along with other advocacy groups including Waterkeeper Alliance, have long called for an understanding that it is not the economy or the environment but the economy and the environment that will lead to sustainable development and quality of life for all of us. The Youth Environmental Corps is a programme that fully recognises the economy and the environment go hand-in-hand.” Mr Dorsett announced details of the five-year plan aimed at tackling unemployment among those aged between 17 and 40 while providing jobs leading to a better environment. The Youth Environment Corps will work in conjunction with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), the Bahamas Public Parks and Beaches Authority and the
Forestry Unit in the Ministry of the Environment. Mr Darville invited the government to extend its partnerships to include Save The Bays, whose Youth Environmental Ambassadors programme in Grand Bahama has already certified and graduated more than 100 participants. “We would be delighted to work with government and with the Environment Minister’s programme in both establishing the needs and managing the day-to-day requirements of creating and maintaining a beautiful environment whether it is on land, in the wetlands or at sea,” he said. Among the key projects mentioned by Mr Dorsett is the proposed new Lake Killarney National Park and the National Hero’s Garden. If the Lake Killarney park is approved, it will include nearly 20
acres of walking trails and boardwalks. In the past, the ‘big lake’ in the centre of New Providence has been maintained by avid seasonal hunters who manage and respect the mangroves and strive to keep the lake in its most natural state. If the park is approved, the lake will be available for kayaking, swimming and snorkelling. The Hero’s Garden will be located inside the Botanical Gardens, Chippingham. “The Youth Environmental Corps will help to reduce the economic gap and enhance our ability to protect and manage these resources,” said Mr Dorsett, referring to the many national parks the BNT manages and the local parks and beaches that are the responsibility of the recently-created Parks and Beaches Authority.
NEW SHARK SANCTUARIES IN CARIBBEAN
THE Caribbean boasts two new shark sanctuaries as the Cayman Islands and St Maarten on Wednesday declared their territorial waters covering some 49,190 square miles closed to all commercial shark fishing. During a three-day shark conservation meeting in the Dutch Caribbean country of St Maarten, the popular diving destinations announced protected areas for the endangered marine predators along with officials from Pew Charitable Trusts and billionaire ocean advocate Richard Branson. The two new protected areas for sharks in the Caribbean brings the global number to 14, according to Pew, a Philadelphia-headquartered non-profit organisation. Half of the protected zones for sharks are now in the Caribbean. And the islands of Grenada and Curacao are vowing to pass legislation to create sanctuaries in their waters as well. Virgin Group founder Branson applauded the Caribbean governments for creating new protected areas and encouraged other nations and territories to follow suit to establish a region-wide shark sanctuary. “The bold action taken by Caribbean governments to fully protect sharks in their waters is truly commendable,” Mr Branson said. Pew said other regional shark and ray sanctuaries have been created in the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Honduras, Saba and Bonaire. Luke Warwick, director of Pew’s global shark conservation campaign, said sharks play a critical role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. He said catching the top predators for their fins, liver oil, cartilage and other parts can have serious impacts on “more commercially significant fish species and the overall health of the marine environment”. “Sharks pose little danger to humans, but they do support profitable dive and snorkel tourism worldwide wherever they are still found in significant numbers,” Mr Warwick said. Roughly 100 million sharks are killed every year.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, June 17, 2016, PAGE 3
Munroe: No need for recusal by Dame Anita in same-sex cases By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net ATTORNEY Wayne Munroe, QC, yesterday criticised Marco City MP Greg Moss’ assertion that Court of Appeal President Anita Allen should recuse herself from potential cases involving same-sex marriage because she appeared prejudiced against the marriage status quo during a
lecture on Tuesday. Dame Anita spoke at the eighth annual Eugene Dupuch Distinguished Lecture at the Hilton. Amid backlash directed at Dame Anita, Mr Munroe stressed that it is not unusual for sitting judges to give lectures. “All she said is that the right to equal treatment is not just a right to equal treatment for Christians, so the question is how do we
square the constitutional right to equal treatment with discriminating against people because of one’s Judeo-Christian values? It was an argument rooted in the law. “All Anita Allen (did) is look at ways you can argue against a ban for same-sex marriage. Before one goes to argue a case before a judge, the judge will do their research and come with their preliminary
len has to, if this ever moves ahead must recuse herself.” “Absolutely, positively has to because she has showed a bias. She has absolutely showed, revealed her hand.” He added that it was “unfortunate” that the judge made her statements at this time. “It’s unfortunate that she could not see the impropriety in doing what she did because when I heard it I immediately thought bad idea, wait at least two months or so. But the next week? Inappropriate I felt.” Delivering the eighth annual Eugene Dupuch Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday night, Dame Anita said the laws of the Bahamas do not conclusively prohibit same-sex marriage. She said that a statutory provision clarifying that gay marriage is prohibited in the Bahamas may be necessary to conclusively rule out same-sex unions. Moreover, Dame Anita implied that the Bahamas might have to reconsider their traditional views
about marriage. In the build up to the June 7 referendum, major opponents to the passage of the fourth Constitutional Amendment Bill, which sought to remove gender based discrimination from the Constitution, called on the government to specify, through the Constitution, that marriage only exists between a born male and a born female. This was a point first offered by the Constitutional Commission in its recommendation document presented to the government along with proposed constitutional changes. However, the Christie administration stood by the point that it didn’t need to amend the Constitution to reflect such a clause because the Matrimony Clauses Act effectively protects the fundamental context of marriage. Pastor Bethel later told The Tribune that the responsibility is now on Prime Minister Perry Christie to not only respect the voice of the voters in the recent referendum, but adhere to
dame anita’s view ‘a poke in the eye’ to bahamians from page one
speaking engagement at the Rotary Club of West Nassau where he was invited to present a post-mortem report on the failed constitutional referendum on gender equality. Pastor Bethel stressed that while he hasn’t had the opportunity to view Dame Anita’s comments in their direct context, her words were poorly timed. “So I am not as up to date on her comments as I would like to be, but the initial statement I would say is, her timing is ill-advised. It has the effect of poking the eye, poking a finger in collective eye of the Bahamian people. “In some constituencies (results reflected that) it was seven to one, not three to one, not four to one – seven to one. The comment “hell no” was being expressed then and to think that a week later you are saying that same-sex marriage, and you are actually expressing yourself that it ought to be - I think Dame Anita Al-
questions and perspectives. I would be happy that she exposed what the law says as she finds it because if I have different authority than she does, I could bring them to the court to persuade her.” Mr Munroe said he has “never seen” Mr Moss, a lawyer, “on the other side” arguing in a court, suggesting the parliamentarian is not well versed in some matters of law.
During her lecture, Dame Anita suggested that without a statutory provision clarifying that samesex marriages would be unlawful in the Bahamas, one cannot conclusively say the law prohibits such unions. Both Mr Moss and Constitutional Commission Chairman Sean McWeeney, QC, disagreed with her, telling The Tribune that in the absence of a clear statute, the common law in-
terpretation would prevail, and it would say that a marriage is between a man and a woman. Mr Munroe disagreed with their views, saying the Constitution gives people a right to family life and privacy, “which means a right to marry”. “Show me how this part of the common law is received in The Bahamas,” he said. “Either you can do that or you can’t.”
Lyall Bethel adresses Rotary Clib of West Nassau on the Referendum Thursday at the Poop Deck west. his statement that same-sex marriage would not happen on his watch. “The prime minister is on record as saying that samesex marriage will never happen on his watch while he is the prime minister, I want to hold him to his word,” he said. “Of course he has made it difficult to hold him to his word because he said over 50 times that he is going to abide by the people’s
wishes when it came to the gambling referendum and just an about-face.” “But the people have spoken clearly and decisively. I mean absolutely, that is not who we are. We do not believe that a certain group of people’s special rights should not trump what is a privilege that government ought to afford to those who are able to make (reproduction) happen.” “A mother and a father
are uniquely qualified to raise the children that they have. A same-sex couple, they can never bear children on their own. That is why it doesn’t happen that way.” Pastor Bethel said Mr Christie ought to ensure that the issue of same-sex marriage is not fast-tracked through the courts by persons using the law to force a belief system down the throats of voters.
‘parliamentary commissioner must go over referendum’ from page one
This, he said, has resulted in his loss of confidence in Mr Hall to properly preside over the upcoming election process, which is around 11 months away. He urged Bahamians to do the right thing and vote the Progressive Liberal Party out of office. He said: “Resignations were in order after June 7, according to the Westminster system. However there is no
honour in this government. “The first time in the history of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas results, unofficial even, were not known for all polling divisions across the Bahamas and it is illegal according to the Parliamentary Elections Act for returning officers not to publicly disclose the results upon the final unofficial tabulation. “The chairman was the only person in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas who knew the (results).
“I believe the integrity of the electoral process was drawn into question as a result of the failings of the Parliamentary (Registration) Department on June 7 and I have lost confidence in the ability of Mr Hall to act as parliamentary (commissioner).” He added: “I do not believe that the democracy we are here to defend is well served if he remains in that capacity into the next general election. I believe that following the deba-
cle not only is the minister of national security to do the honourable thing and resign, but the PLP government. If in fact it is a government of integrity, it ought to ask the parliamentary commissioner to do the honourable thing and demit office without delay (and) with immediate effect in the interest of the Bahamas.” Before Dr Rollins began his contribution yesterday afternoon, he was chastised by House Speaker Dr Ken-
dal Major for not being present in the morning session when he was initially slated to speak. Dr Major sternly demanded that Dr Rollins apologise for his absence or face being named and not allowed to make his contribution. Dr Rollins told Dr Major that he had been in communication with Leader of Opposition Business Neko Grant and had asked him to pass on apologies for his absence.
However, Mr Grant, Central Grand Bahama MP, took exception to this saying he would not be a “scapegoat” in this matter. He said while he had been in communication with Dr Rollins yesterday morning, he was not directed to give apologies to Dr Major for the Ft Charlotte MP’s absence. Dr Rollins later apologised and gave his contribution. The House of Assembly’s budget debate resumes on Monday.
call for govt spending on yes campaign to be revealed By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette called yesterday for the government to reveal how much money was spent on the YES Bahamas campaign. “We have to find out the cost,” he said. “Every time you turned on the TV there were ads. How much did this cost the Bahamian people?” Mr Symonette also insisted that the government take responsibility for the handling of the referendum’s results, as he expressed disappointment over the failure of the gender equality vote. “The way the votes came
out, the PLP has to accept responsibility for it. They are good at blaming other people. One of the excuses was that we’re an archipelagic nation, but it was Nassau that couldn’t get any results. There’s no water between Carmichael and ZNS – that was the wrong excuse. “Most general elections you have the results that night, and in some constituencies you have four candidates so you can’t use that excuse.” In the hours following the June 7 vote, the Parliamentary Registration Department released results for only six of 38 constituencies. The department pointed to electrical failures, technical issues and procedural breaches for its inability to report totals for
polling stations throughout the country. In a break from custom, Parliamentary Commissioner Sherlyn Hall decided not to release polling division results as they came in, instead opting to wait for all the votes from an entire constituency before issuing them. The June 7 constitutional referendum was overwhelmingly rejected by voters, leading critics to call for Prime Minister Perry Christie to resign. Mr Symonette said: “I think it’s a very sad day that the four bills did not pass. I respect the wishes of those who spoke, that’s their constitutional right. “I’ve said publicly before, I have had children that are affected by this. One of my daughters said her chil-
dren will not be Bahamian because she has a foreign spouse, and another of my daughters, who has a foreign fiancée, is now questioning ‘should I have illegitimate children?’ “Which hurts,” he said. Mr Symonette was of the opinion that the outcome would likely have an impact on the country’s “brain drain” problem, noting that the majority of scholarship recipients do not return to the country. While he acknowledged calls for a legislative solution to citizenship inequalities, Mr Symonette underscored that such a move did not give certainty because it would be a matter of ministerial discretion. He added: “The PLP are incredibly unpopular and
the referendum proved just how unpopular. (Deputy Prime Minister Brave) Davis and (Prime Minister Perry) Christie were unable to persuade their constituencies to accept something that they campaigned heavily for. “In a Westminster system they would have called an
election the next day, it’s a vote of no confidence.”
PAGE 4, Friday, June 17, 2016
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Kerry tours Arctic Circle to see climate change impact NY-ALESUND, Norway (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday visited Norway’s extreme north, viewing areas where climate change has melted ice and opened new sea lanes. Trailed by staff and journalists in small Zodiac-type inflatable boats, Kerry and Norway’s foreign minister motored in an Arctic scientific vessel from a research station in Ny-Alesund, the world’s northernmost civilian settlement. The short cruise took Kerry and his delegation across the iceberg strewn Kongsifjorden (King’s Bay Fjord), where puffins and other Arctic birds skirted the waters, to the Blomstrand Glacier. The glacier has receded significantly in the past 25 to 30 years, with summer temperatures that can now be 8 degrees and 11 degrees higher than they once were, according to Jan-Gunnar Winther, the director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, who guided Kerry and Foreign Minister Borge Brende. “It’s stunning,” Kerry told reporters from aboard the vessel as it idled in front of the massive ice wall. “This is the centre of change within the centre of change.” As America’s top diplomat, Kerry has made the health of oceans and combating the effects of climate change a priority, and he will host an international conference on oceans in September, the third such event he has organized since taking office in 2013. “We’re not on the pace we need to be” to reverse the effects of climate change, Kerry said. He called for renewed efforts to move away from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. “Even where there is awareness, the steps that people are taking are not big enough fast enough,” Kerry said. “So, we have a huge distance to travel.” Kerry was a champion of the global change agreement reached in December in Paris that seeks to hold the temperature change to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), although he said ideally the world would agree to less than 2 degrees. “If we move more rapidly to the various other clean energies that already exist, we hope to be able to meet what we need to preserve a level of temperature increase that’s supportable, survivable,” he said. “We’ll get there hopefully.” After the visit to Norway’s portion of the Arctic Circle, Kerry planned to see icecaps in Greenland after a stop in Copenhagen. Both trips were intended to highlight his concern about climate change and oceans ahead of the September conference. The ice-loss-driven opening of the Arctic Ocean has led to competition among several nations for its resources and access to newly available sea lanes for commercial maritime trade. US officials say both Russia and China are preparing to exploit those possibilities and that the United States should take note. On his brief visit to the glacier, Kerry did not address those issues and seemed more impressed by the beauty of the bluish ice. “It’s stunning,” Kerry said. “The power of nature and the importance of our respecting it.” By Matthew Lee, AP Diplomatic Writer
Best-protected Great Barrier Reef corals now dead THE sweeping reefs growing off 200 steamy miles of remote Australian coastline — from Cairns to Cape Melville, home to sugar farms and dive resorts
— contained some of the least damaged corals growing in one of the world’s best marine parks. Until now. In stunning new findings that have laid bare the limitations of marine parks as defenses against rapid environmental change, more than half of the corals surveyed in large chunks of this pristine stretch of the Great Barrier Reef are expected to soon be dead. “Reefs that are in better shape should fare better under climate change,” said John Pandolfi, a University of Queensland professor who contributed to high-profile coral surveys, the results of which were released this week. “But, in this case, we found huge instances of coral mortality.” The coral deaths followed intense coral bleaching, which was caused by global warming and influenced by the whims of the weather. Hot waters have caused corals worldwide to spit out the algae that provided their colour and food. Those that can’t cool down and find new algae quickly enough die. The colourless coral corpses of north Queensland will soon be blanketed with mats of algae, and the hard skeletons will begin to crumble. It may take decades for the submerged wonders of what had recently been unspoiled reefs to resprout and recover from the wipeout, if they ever do. Temperatures continue to rise worldwide. The amount of heat-trapping pollution released every year from fuel burning and deforestation has plateaued in recent years, while the amount of pollution in the atmosphere continues to pile up. Bleaching is caused primarily by warm waters, and the current worldwide bleaching is the third and worst on record, all since the late 1990s. “Things aren’t going to be as good as they are now — we can look forward to some very difficult times,” Pandolfi said. “The reef is going to continue to degrade.” Overall, 35 per cent of the corals surveyed in the central and northern sections of the Great Barrier Reef were reported this week to be dead or dying. Scientists photographed and dove into 84 reefs and used six categories to score the condition of 200,000 corals. Dead corals could often be spotted by the algae that quickly grew over them. The news from coral surveys south of the popular tourist city of Cairns was bleak, with about 5 per cent of corals found dead or dying. But that was some 10 times better than the doom that befell reefs further north. Corals south of Cairns appear to have been saved by the happenstance trajectory of a February cyclone, which washed them with cooler waters and churned up the sea. That protected them from the high temperatures and searing exposure to UV rays that killed so many of their cousins further north. “We dodged a bullet in the central portion of the reef this time, but no guarantees that will occur again,” Pandolfi said. “Nature is an incredibly complex place, and it’s very difficult to predict how future bleaching might play out.” The discovery of the collapse of sweeping sections of corals was viewed by scientists with so much urgency that they were not put through peer review before highlights were released to the media on Monday. James Cook University, which led the surveys, declined to provide detailed information about the sampling methods or analysis, making it difficult for journalists or other scientists to evaluate or interpret the findings.
Minnis will prevail EDITOR, The Tribune. As the Free National Movement’s convention draws near, it does my heart good to see the support that Dr Minnis is getting not just from the Nassau supporters, but from the Family Islands as well. While the battle for leadership raged, Dr Minnis has remained focused and done his work well. The sign of a great leader! The overwhelming welcome that he received by
the crowds at the recent Andros Crabfest is a testament to his popularity in spite of the difficulty and opposition that he has had to endure from within and without. Dr Minnis enjoyed his visit to Andros where he mixed with the crowds at The Staniel Creek Beach Party, the visit to Cargill Creek and at the Crabfest where the entire FNM team were made welcome. Dr Minnis was treated like a celebrity as he walked
into crowds, shouting Minnis, Minnis, Minnis! People swarmed him and lined up for photos, shouting “Next Prime Minister!” I have no doubt that Dr Minnis will prevail and lead the FNM to victory in the next general elections! The New Bahamas! Change we can make together! 2017! MARIA T Nassau, June 14, 2016.
Tennyson dead wrong - again EDITOR, The Tribune. My self-serving, narcissistic, overbearing, thinskinned, oligarchic newest best friend Tennyson Wells has elevated me to the level of superstar. He has gifted me my very own groupies. For the record, Tennyson, I collude only with my conscience and I seek editorial opinion from no one. Just watching politics play out in this country is more than enough grist for the imaginative mill. And few characters provide more fodder than Tennyson Wells. Tennyson cannot seek the limelight in one breath and then complain in a second breath when that same light shows up his faults, his obfuscation, his warts and his hidden agenda. Allow me to proffer a bit of unsolicited advice. Leave the shameless boasting to others. There is no need to toot your own horn about all the charitable works you have done in the past. Even your use of the third person when referring to yourself doesn’t excuse the fact that it is still naked bragging. Your attempt to “bigup” yourself by spilling the beans on the FNM’s financial difficulties in years gone by doesn’t cast you as a benefactor, it comes across as throwing lowness. How about waiting for the party to verify your payment claims and have them thank you for it. Remember also that a $100 donation from a poor man who believes in a political cause is just as significant as a $100,000 cheque from a super oligarch like Tennyson. It is just plain old bad form for Tennyson to do good deeds and then “out” himself as a modern day Robin Hood. Hats off to you for your proclaimed generosity to those in need. Touché for your job-crea-
Letters letters@tribunemedia.net tion efforts over the years. I have no doubt that the toil of others for which I trust they were properly compensated did enrich you several times over. That is the beauty of capitalism that all love. The realm of politics differs from business. We, the people, eschew back-room deals and profiteering and demand transparency in our politics. Those who enter the political arena do so with the understanding that they might have to account to voters for their actions. Tennyson is rightly proud of the fact that he counts as friends both black and white people. I wonder if any of his friends bristle when he brazenly accuses of racism some white Bahamians who disagree with causes he supports. If Tennyson is as colour blind as he wants us to believe he is, then why play the race card at all? Also, Tennyson still can’t claim credit for good deeds without planting his foot in his mouth. We are all happy that the Wells family is proud self-made men and women who have eaten by the sweat of their own brows. But isn’t the essence of government, nay, even Christianity, that we help those who cannot help themselves. So don’t speak of your good fortune in such condescending terms, Tennyson. The public safety net exists for a very good reason, to be a lifeline for those who need it. We pay our taxes so that government can afford to offer a helping hand to those down on their luck or to create opportunities that will lift others out of poverty. Don’t throw poor people under the very same bus that you and the Wells fam-
ily are privileged enough to own. My last bit of advice to Tennyson is to stop jumping to conclusions. As a lawyer he ought to know that circumstantial and hearsay evidence tends to get overruled in a court of law, no matter how salacious they may sound in the court of public opinion. I expect from you, Mr. Former Attorney General, direct irrefutable evidence to prove your wild assumptions. Anything else is out of order. Attempts by Tennyson to assassinate the character and reputations of others by insinuation, innuendo and conjecture smacks of desperation and of the need for vengeance. He is also wrong. I have never sought, held or aspired to any public position in my entire life though Tennyson seems pretty cocksure in his delusions that I did at one time or the other. Tennyson chooses to juxtapose himself at the intersection of national and party politics. Service to party and country is honourable on the face of it, but when Tennyson attempts to whitewash his questionable public behaviour and erase the stain his actions have left on the body politic in this country then he will be called out for it. If Tennyson can’t stand the heat then he must stop piling wood on the fire, as he is again trying to torch the FNM. Tennyson should stop leaping to false conclusions over who is who among the writers who correspond with the editors of newspapers. Of course, this is not the first nor is it likely the last time he will be dead wrong. THE GRADUATE Nassau, June16, 2016. • More letters on page 10
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, June 17, 2016, PAGE 5
Dominican Republic probe shootout between poachers and RBDF vessel By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE Dominican Republic has launched its own investigation into the recent shootout between Royal Bahamas Defense Force marines and suspected Dominican poachers, Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said yesterday. Mr Mitchell was providing an update on his meetings with Dominican Republic government officials over Monday night’s incident. Mr Mitchell also said Dominican government officials were “quite apologetic” for the situation and have pledged to “do everything to get to the bottom of it.” Mr Mitchell said he spoke with the Dominican foreign minister on the matter, who
revealed that the suspected poachers in Monday’s incident had made their own report to the Dominican Republic’s navy and as a result an investigation has been launched by Dominican authorities. Mr Mitchell said the suspected poachers are from the Dominican Republic province of Puerto Plata. Mr Mitchell told The Tribune that the Dominican investigation would not impede this country’s government from continuing its own probe and taking legal action on the matter. In the meantime, Mr Mitchell said both governments have agreed to “work expeditiously” to officially settle protocols between both naval forces that would allow for a direct line of communication between the two entities should incidents like the one that occurred on Monday ever
occur again. Mr Mitchell was commenting on earlier revelations by National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage that RBDF marines were involved in a shootout and subsequent high-speed chase with suspected Dominican poachers in the Cay Lobos area on Monday night. The RBDF marines returned fire after being shot at with what RBDF senior officials told The Tribune were shotguns. No marines were hurt, nor were any of the vessels damaged during the encounter, according to Dr Nottage. Dr Nottage had said that Mr Mitchell, who was in the Dominican Republic at the time of the incident in question, was to take the matter up with the Dominican government. When asked how discussions with the Dominican
authorities went on the matter, Mr Mitchell said yesterday: “A diplomatic note was sent to them. I had a discussion, brought the matter to the attention of the foreign minister. He spoke to the commandant of their navy straight away, because this involves a ship and personnel from Puerto Plata, which of course is in a different area from Santa Domingo. “It turns out that the fishermen or the alleged poachers had made their own report to the Dominican navy, and as a result of that, the Dominican navy is in the process of doing their own investigation, which so the foreign minister said, also requires contacting our own Royal Bahamas Defence Force. And then the minister will report back to me what their findings are on that side. “On the larger picture,
there is a need for the protocols which had been settled between the two navies on points of contact to be officially settled and we’ve agreed to work expeditiously to make sure that that happens so that there can be direct contact instead of having to go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when these sorts of things happen.” When asked if he felt all was being done by the Dominican government to aid in mitigating against poaching in Bahamian waters, Mr Mitchell said: “What I would say from their side is that on a governmental level, there appears to be the goodwill to get this problem (poaching) resolved, but clearly there are commercial interests in the Dominican Republic that are not fitting in with that programme.” Mr Mitchell added: “We
in the Bahamas have the tools to enforce our laws. Regardless of what the Dominican Republic does on their side, it’s our responsibility to enforce our laws and to enforce them to the fullest. The Defence Force has the capability, has the equipment, has the manpower to do that, so the law is going to be enforced. “The Bahamas does not want to be in a shooting war with anybody, least of all civilians on the high seas, but the Defence Force has a set of rules of engagement, and if they are met with force on the high seas they will respond with the appropriate force,” he added. “That’s what I understand the rules of engagement to be and I’m sure they are not hesitant whatsoever in using the appropriate force if force is what they meet on the high seas.”
The crowds outside the PLP national general council meeting last night at which Cleola Hamilton, Kenred Dorsett and Fred Mitchell were ratified as candidates for the 2017 election.
roberts hits out at fnm chairman collie as mitchell, hamilton and dorsett are ratified PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday criticised FNM Chairman Sidney Collie for seemingly being “preoccupied with the internal affairs of the PLP”. He was responding to a recent statement released by Mr Collie in which he put certain questions forward for the PLP’s council to answer. Mr Roberts spoke to the PLP’s National General Council last night, as the party ratified three incumbent members of Parliament to run on the party’s ticket in the 2017 general election. They are Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, Southern Shores MP Ken Dorsett and South Beach MP Cleola Hamilton. Mr Roberts referred to the six FNM MPs who recently gave FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis an ultimatum to hold an early convention or face being removed as leader of the Official Opposition by Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling. “I have a few questions for Sidney Collie: Does the ‘gang of six’ clearly have a master plan to put up a candidate to challenge Dr Minnis for leader of the FNM? Is the candidate the retired politician and former FNM Leader Hubert Alexander Ingraham? If not Ingraham, who will challenge Minnis?” Mr
Roberts asked. “If Dr Minnis wins reelection, will the ‘gang of six’ retire from active politics as it is highly likely Dr Minnis will not support their nominations? “It is a serious indictment on the FNM if after more than 20 years as leader and two resignations from that position, the FNM is unable to identify suitably qualified alternative to Ingraham to lead that organisation into the future. Maybe Collie believes that only one woman could ‘born’ a FNM leader.” In a statement released Wednesday, Mr Collie offered some questions he wanted answered at the PLP’s council meeting. Mr Collie said: “On Monday Minister (Bernard) Nottage described the multiple killings this weekend as ‘unusual’ even though there have been a record setting 514 murders under this PLP government – does Minister Nottage have a concrete plan to combat the rising murder rate in the country, upon which the government can act? “For more than four years the PLP has made promises regarding Baha Mar – from when it will open to creating 5,000 good paying jobs – all amounting to a lot of empty rhetoric and broken promises can anyone in the meeting truly tell the people when or if Baha Mar has a new
owner and if they will complete the project and get it open without millions more in taxpayer’s money being spent on it? Mr Collie added: “During the recent referendum there was a major delay in releasing the results that showed that this government failed and still no one has been held responsible for this terrible delay – who is finally going to be held responsible for the delay in announcing the results from the referendum?” Last night, Mr Roberts also lamented the “disappointing” low voter turnout in last week’s gender equality referendum, adding that he was “saddened” that fears of gay marriage overshadowed the vote. “The results of the recent referendum as well as the low voter turnout were disappointing,” Mr Roberts said. “Councillors, we are obliged once again to accept the will of the people. I am personally saddened that theme of homosexuality and same-sex marriage were promoted as central issues in the public debate when in fact they were not the issues being addressed with the four questions on each ballot. The promoters of the ‘no’ vote proclaimed: We diverted the global homosexual agenda. Time will affirm that they were terribly misguided.”
pm pays tribute to civil servant retiring after 45 years of working for the nation By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
COLLEEN Nottage, a public service worker for 45 years who rose to become permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Sciences during her career, was given a lavish farewell ceremony at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel yesterday to mark her retirement. She was serenaded with a song by National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage, delivered a wagon full of goods from Minister
of Agriculture and Marine Resources V Alfred Gray, and praised as an exceptional servant of her country by Prime Minister Perry Christie. Her work experiences in the public sector were diverse, having served in key positions in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health and Environment, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the Ministry of Public Safety and Immigration, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, among others.
Mr Christie, who as a teenager and young adult was a friend of Ms Nottage, said it’s important to have proper succession planning to replace public service workers with distinguished careers when they retire. “One concern we’ve had and this comes up as we engage in the national development plan, is to ensure that we integrate into the public services effective, continuing service,” he said. “Our country is absolutely dependent on good advice. We are becoming a very complex country.”
PAGE 6, Friday, June 17, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
PM ‘deception’ over Baha Mar
from page one Branding the prime minister as “weak,” Dr Rollins further urged Mr Christie to suspend all Baha Mar negotiations with the Chinese. He said the prime minister was “desperate” to gain a victory in the form of the resumption of construction at Baha Mar in return for granting concessions that are not in this country’s best interest. The controversial MP said he was “fearful” that Mr Christie would give the Chinese way more than the Bahamas could afford, pointing to speculation that Chinese investors had requested hundreds of economic citizenships. He was adamant that this was a means of assisting Chinese citizens with an avenue of escaping criminal prosecution. He was referring to speculation that the Chinese requested 500 economic citizenships to remobilise the project. Mr Christie has previously said the government would not sell or negotiate citizenship with any investor. Speaking in the House of Assembly, Dr Rollins said the government was “cosy” with CCA, allowing the Chinese construction firm and its Executive Vice President Tiger Woo to persuade officials into allowing the development to proceed into liquidation on the premise that as soon as this was done, delayed construction would imminently begin. He also pointed to the absence of adequate Bahamian bankruptcy laws that would have allowed Baha Mar to claim protection and restructure the property while remaining open. “The prime minister, following the massive referendum defeat,” Dr Rollins said during his contribution to the 2016/2017 budget debate, “is clearly in an extremely weak position politically and therefore as
leader of this government he is negotiating from a position of weakness and desperation. “He is desperate to gain a victory in the form of the resumption of construction in Baha Mar in return for granting concessions that are not in our country’s best interest. “I am fearful for our country and I am afraid that the prime minister will give these Chinese investors way more than we as a country can afford. As you are likely aware, the Chinese government has an ongoing anti-corruption campaign where they are trying citizens, many of them wealthy businessmen and political figures, for crimes of corruption. The punishment for those found guilty is execution. “It is speculated that the request for economic citizenship is a means of granting an escape to persons who want to evade criminal prosecution by securing citizenship in countries that do not have an extradition treaty with China. This is serious Mr Speaker. Clearly if this is true these are not the kind of persons that we ought to be welcoming in the country. “Clearly the Chinese investors see our prime minister as a lame duck prime minister because they are asking him to commit political suicide. The fact that this government would even consider this is confirmation that they have taken leave of their collective sense. He added: “These demands made on the government will have dangerous ramifications on the country and our economy for generations to come. This is a true case of giving away our national sovereignty if ever there was a case of surrendering our national sovereignty. “We must not allow the emperor and the dream seller to flush our country down the drain in his desperate
The Baha Mar development. attempt to be re-elected. I believe this country ought to have an election as soon as possible since this government is not prepared to force the resignation of this prime minister.” Responding to Dr Rollins’ claims, Mr Christie said it was unacceptable that the MP was attempting to mislead Bahamians. He defended the government saying at one point it had worked in the interest of Mr Izmirlian. He said: “Firstly I would wish to indicate that no Chinese company (and) no Chinese personality persuaded the government of the Bahamas to do anything. “The government of the Bahamas, when Sarkis Izmirlian filed for Chapter 11 (Bankruptcy) in the Delaware court, was advised by our solicitors in London (and) by our lawyers in Washington, one of the foremost bankruptcy lawyers in the US, and by the lawyers in our AG’s
Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff Office, it was a considered legal opinion that in the best interest of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the creditors (and) the Bahamian people who were owed money, that their best interests would be served by having the courts of the Bahamas be the supervising court of a liquidation. Mr Speaker we received that advice from the jurisdiction in the United Kingdom, the Untied States and the Bahamas. “Mr Speaker, I repeat it was wrong, absolutely wrong of the member to speak of an intention of the government (to deceive). It is not true and there is nothing available for this member to say that.” “The member, whether wittingly or unwittingly, is misleading this House and misleading this country. Mr Christie added: “Mr Speaker, it is on record when the government was informed by Mr Sarkis Izmirlian that he was applying under Chapter 11
the prime minister was informed in his office by Mr Izmirlian with his bankruptcy lawyers there at a time. When the prime minister was acting at the instance of Mr Izmirlian in being an intermediary with the Chinese Export Import Bank, working for and on behalf of Mr Izmirlian, it was then at that meeting that the prime minister was told, much to his amazement and surprise, that as we were speaking his lawyers were filing for Chapter 11.” Mr Christie said this meant that in the interests of all concerned, he had to seek immediate legal advice. Baha Mar was initially slated to open in December 2014, but faced a series of delays, which it blamed on its general contractor, CCA. The resort filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a US court last June. However, the cases for the resort’s Bahamian proper-
ties were thrown out. What the US judge said at the time was that under the circumstances, the US Bankruptcy Code chapter 11 would have been “an ideal vehicle for the restructuring of this family of related companies with the ultimate goal of finishing a project” – a route objected to by CEXIM and CCA – his hand was forced as there was no guarantee that any ruling in his court would be enforceable in the Bahamas without the cooperation of the Bahamian courts. Government had objected to the case being heard in Delaware, claiming it would have breached Bahamian “sovereignty.” Last October, the Supreme Court put the resort into receivership at the request of the Export Import Bank of China. A formal sale process for the project began in March when Baha Mar’s court appointed receivers hired a Canadian real estate firm to market the project to potential buyers.
pm defends govt deal with foreign firm to manage bpl
from page one
He said the utility provider had a plan to prevent summer blackouts under his watch. Reacting yesterday, Mr Christie said he does not second guess his government’s decision to partner with PowerSecure. “When the management agreement was signed, we understood that we had to go through a significant amount of challenges and we’re doing that now,” he said on the sidelines of an event honouring retiring
Permanent Secretary Colleen Nottage. “The government will not second guess itself on the management agreement. What we have done is we have brought in not just individuals to manage, but individuals backed up by a major corporate personality in the United States of America. I heard my colleague Leslie Miller speak and challenge the agreement and say he thought we were wrong to do so. I think he is wrong in his position for any number of reasons, one of which is if you look at
where we are in the region with respect to alternative methodologies, we’re far behind many countries in the region. And they have been able to rely on integrating the private sector in helping them to provide electricity at a cheaper and affordable cost to their people.” “So there is no doubt in our mind, just as we looked at the airport and we made a decision for Vantage to take over the airport and we looked at BEC and made the decision to bring about a new paradigm there with Bahamas Power
& Light where we think in the medium and long-term it’s going to be the best decision for the Bahamas and you’re going to see it, and he’s going to see it, and he’s going to appreciate it because he is a businessman and whatever his reasoning is, I haven’t been able to share it with him at this state, but there’s no doubt in my mind we made the right decision and the Bahamian people will see it.” On Wednesday, BPL conducted “outage rotations” to help address the corporation’s struggles to meet
customer demands. One resident, Daphne Miller, of Coral Heights, told The Tribune her electricity was off for six hours Wednesday and then went off again yesterday. “I’m so upset with BEC as I’m drowning in my sweat,” she said. Meanwhile, Mr Miller said under his leadership BEC planned to “have a fully operational 128 megawatt plant up and running by June of this year” thanks to financing and a guaranteed loan from the National Health Insurance Board.
After a lengthy process, the government signed a five-year agreement with PowerSecure in February to manage the struggling electricity corporation, which was later renamed Bahamas Power & Light (BPL). It was recently revealed that the Christie administration nixed BPL’s plans to raise rates to finance needed reforms. In addition, PowerSecure recently provided the government with its business plan, details of which have yet to be shared with the public.
equipment trouble means a long summer of blackouts from page one
Mr Maynard said BPL has rented 40 megawatts of power in preparation for the summer months and another 40 megawatts is on its way. However, he said, if the “old ancient” generators don’t stay on, the rented machines won’t do much to stop the generation issues. “Unless we change the equipment and the fuel, nothing will change. We have to get serious and do what we have to do, we have to go to natural gas and gas turbine,” Mr Maynard said.
“The machines are ancient and old and they keep breaking down. We will continue to have these issues and the blackouts and the outages until the machines are changed. Some days they will work fine and other days they break down and it takes a while to get them back up. It will cost at least $250m to get new machines and someone needs to find the money or we will always be in problems.” On Wednesday, BPL announced “outage rotations” throughout New Providence as the corporation continued to grapple with
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“generation challenges” at its power stations. In one of several statements, BPL said customers would experience power outages in two-hour intervals “until further notice.” Customers were advised to check BPL’s Facebook page for continued updates on the affected areas. At 10.30pm Wednesday, a statement said one engine had been returned to service to provide enough capacity to meet customer demand on the island while repairs were completed on two others. But a severe thunderstorm, which produced lightning strikes, then damaged BPL’s transmission and distribution networks, causing further outages in several communities across the island. The company said crews were working through the night to carry out repairs and restore power. This failure to keep the lights on came months after American company PowerSecure was contracted to take over management at the government-owned utility provider. The new management deal was touted by the government as being the answer to sub-par electricity service and high electricity bills.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, June 17, 2016, PAGE 7
FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner at the FNM rally that saw him see off her challenge to his leadership in 2014.
‘Loretta more popular than party leader’ from page one While he admitted that the results of a national poll may not reflect the wishes of FNM delegates, Mr Symonette said it would be prudent for council members to consider the “writing on the wall” that Dr Minnis is not the favourite. “No question,” he replied, when asked if he thought Mrs Butler-Turner should vie for the leadership post. “I think when you look at the numbers, she is one of the highest ranking contenders. She ranks higher
than Minnis in the country. “I have to qualify that comment, that was a poll done in The Bahamas. Now the qualification, the convention of some 400 people are the ones that elect the leader, now I’m not sure how many of the poll are in the council, but if the council were truly reflective of the mood of the country, the writing would be on the wall that Dr Minnis is not the favourite.” Mr Symonette did not reveal the source of the poll or when it was done, adding only that it was professionally conducted. The party recently an-
nounced that it would hold a “full convention” from July 27 - 29 at the Melià resort. The decision was made after six of the FNM’s 10 MPs gave Dr Minnis an ultimatum: call an early convention or they would write to Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling to have him constitutionally removed as leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament. Mrs Butler-Turner, one of the six, told The Tribune earlier this month she was “not sure” if she will make a bid for leader at the upcoming convention. Mrs Butler-Turner, the
FNM’s former deputy leader, lost to Dr Minnis by a resounding 3-to-1 margin at the party’s last convention in November 2014. Yesterday, Mr Symonette maintained that there should still be a contest to Dr Minnis’ leadership in the event that Mrs ButlerTurner did not enter the race. He challenged that the environment that helped the Killarney MP retain his leadership post in 2014 had changed drastically. “I think it’s necessary to have one,” he said. “There have been shifts in opinion of effectiveness of the leader.”
“Those statistics don’t hold today so you can’t just spout them out without any degree at looking at what’s happening today. “Polling has been done and those figures don’t stand. The numbers have changed drastically, Loretta versus Minnis, in particular Minnis’ popularity and ability to govern. There have been scientific polls done and those numbers have changed drastically.” He added: “So I don’t put much faith in the three-toone argument, that’s long gone out the window.” Mr Symonette insisted
that a leadership challenge was instrumental for the growth of the organisation. “We will move on and springboard from convention into a full blown election campaign. The PLP is incredibly unpopular and the referendum proved just how unpopular. [Deputy Prime Minister Brave] Davis and [Prime Minister Perry] Christie were unable to persuade their constituencies to accept something that they campaigned heavily for. “In a Westminster system, they would have called election the next day, it’s a vote of no confidence.”
judge urged to impose most lenient sentence on woman involved in kurt mccartney killing By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A JUDGE was asked to impose the most lenient sentence possible for a woman convicted of having a role in the accosting and killing of businessman Kurt McCartney. Sonia Timothy, lawyer for Lyndera Curry, said yesterday that based on the evidence at trial, the actions of her client amounted to manslaughter by negligence. Such an offence, she said, carried a five-year prison term on the law books. Curry, Thorne Edwards, Okell Farrington and Sumya Ingraham were on trial for nearly two weeks concerning McCartney’s murder and armed robbery. On December 14, 2015, a jury took three hours to return verdicts for each of the accused persons after they
had been excused to deliberate on the evidence. Edwards was unanimously convicted of murder and was found guilty of armed robbery on a majority verdict of 9-3. Curry was acquitted of murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter by 11-1. The same count was returned on her conviction for armed robbery. Farrington and Ingraham were acquitted of murder, manslaughter and armed robbery. Businessman and community activist Terry Delancy, who had been accused of being an accessory to the murder after the fact, was, for legal reasons, acquitted of the charge following the close of the prosecution’s case. It was alleged that Edwards shot McCartney in the face when he became involved in an argument between Curry and McCartney. The prosecution maintained that McCartney was
crushed when Farrington, Ingraham and Curry allegedly rolled over his body as they fled the scene in the victim’s Hummer. It was alleged that Edwards ran away after the shooting. The Crown is seeking the discretionary death penalty for Edwards and life imprisonment for Curry. Ms Timothy yesterday said that the armed robbery conviction in her client’s circumstance did not concern the use of a firearm, as she had no weapon. She also asked the court to bear in mind the favourable probation report presented that painted Curry as a previously employed and productive citizen and a mother of a three-yearold child. She had no prior convictions. Ms Timothy also stressed that her client’s psychiatric report revealed that she suffered from “adjustment disorder” while at the prison, which had left her client
status hearing in armed robbery case By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
TWO men awaiting trial for armed robbery appeared in the Supreme Court yesterday for a case management hearing. Travis Stuart, 19, and Rasheed Johnson, 18, appeared before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs for an update in their case concerning a gunpoint
robbery of a woman in December 2015, which is scheduled to be heard in February 2017. However, no attorneys appeared for the accused men when the matter was called. The judge fixed another status hearing for November 11. Johnson and Stuart were charged in connection with an armed robbery that occurred on December 15 of
last year. It is alleged that they robbed a woman, at gunpoint, of a $30 handbag, $120 cash, an iPhone 4 worth $350 and a Blu phone valued at $150. The woman reportedly was walking on Wilton Street when three men in a black Honda CRV vehicle pulled up and robbed her. Johnson and Stuart have pleaded not guilty to the allegation.
with feelings of anxiety and inability to sleep.
Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs said he would have a
written decision on June 21 at 9.30am.
PAGE 8, Friday, June 17, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
Christie’s brand of leadership is so out of style I
’ve been keeping a close eye on politics in this country for a good 20 years. The one thing that always amazes me is how often Bahamians bellyache about the “same ole” politicians running the country. But then, come every general election, those same bellyachers vote the same old politicians right back in.
When the game passes you by Since we have officially entered election season, I feel it’s a good time to impart to the Bahamian electorate the two words my mother hurled at a tenyear-old me as I lay kicking and screaming on Maura’s Toy Land over a Stretch Armstrong action figure I couldn’t have: Grow up! Yes, Bahamas. You’re almost 43 years old, so whether you like it or not it’s time to forget about the toys, pick yourself off the floor, get your act together and “for goodness sake” grow up. This past week, as the political engines fired up in earnest for the 2017 elections, I noted how many of the old names – famous
A Comic’s View
By INigo ‘Naughty’ zenicazelaya names – started creeping 1980s) worn out sneakers in back into the headlines. hopes of making “another Names like Laing, Turn- run”. quest, Wells, Smith, Moore, So I say – with all due Dupuch and Foulkes. respect to all the over-65 Names that are so well political crowd who have known throughout this served this country well in country they could just the past – it’s time for you as well be Bird, Russell, to hang up those beat up Malone, Worthy, Thomas, Converses and have a seat. Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar It doesn’t have to be a rockif we were talking basket- ing chair, mind you (even ball. though I personally like Indeed if politics were rocking chairs). Maybe a sport, all the above would recliner works for you. The no doubt have their jerseys point is now is the time to retired for the plant yourself contributions down and lean Ingraham they have made all the way needs Sands or to the game. back. Relax. Butler-Turner, Chill out. Take And come playoff time but they definitely a break. You’ve you would find don’t need him. earned it. them where Which brings any respectable And nobody needs me to the MiHall-of-Famer Rollins.’ chael Jordan of should find our generation: himself – in a comfortable former Prime Minister Huseat in the stands enjoying bert Ingraham. the game. Not on the court. Like “A Clockwork OrNot in the locker room. Not ange”, the whispers and rulacing up his old 1990s (or mours have started up again
‘
about our former PM making a political comeback. If you follow Facebook and Whatsapp (which are never wrong) then you already know that Mr Ingraham is going to contest the leadership position when the Free National Movement goes to convention in July. Apparently, Mr Ingraham has chosen Dr Andre Rollins as his deputy. Or maybe he’s chosen Dwayne Sands. Or will it be Loretta Butler-Turner? Facebook is still narrowing down the candidates and will soon get back to us on that. In the meantime, allow me to delicately point out that just like Bird and Johnson, Michael Jordan needs to stay retired. In an era of Kobe Bryants, Tim Duncans and Lebron James, nobody wants to (or even needs to) see Jordan play any more. The same applies to Mr Ingraham. I remember the Jordan era well. He was tough, he was determined, he was greatness personified. Jordan won three championships with the Chicago Bulls then retired for a short while. He decided that retirement (and baseball) wasn’t for him so he returned to Chicago and won three more. Then he retired again. But when the legend became antsy in retirement, once again he returned to basketball only to embarrass himself and (slightly) mar his legacy with a couple of pitiful seasons in Washington. Mr Ingraham, don’t return for your season in Washington. (There’s a difference between dribbling a ball and being unceremoniously labelled as “dribbly” on social media). Sit in the stands. Cheer. Coach. Enjoy some popcorn and Becks. Watch as the Kevin Durants and Russell Westbrooks of the world take the league to a higher level. In 2016, is
there anytime more mind PLP not named Christie blowing than watching are thinking (and plotting) Seth, Klay and even Lebron ways to get rid of everything make the impossible look named Christie. And for easy? good reason. It’s an out of Sure, Jordan can run up style label they cannot profand down the court (slowly) itably sell to the Bahamian and win a championship if public. he teamed up with any of Surely by now even steadthose players. But the fact is fast, stalwart PLPs must rehe would need them. They alise that the party will not definitely don’t need him. win the next general elecIngraham needs Sands or tion if the top product they Butler-Turner, but they def- have to offer is our current initely don’t need him. And PM. To cut to the point, the nobody needs Rollins. fact is Mr Christie is simply So while social media de- unsellable. cides who Mr Ingraham’s Between the gambling deputy is going to be, let me referendum, crime, no reiterate my position one mortgage relief, the Chilast time: Grow up, Baha- nese, the ‘Numbers Boys’, mas. the Baha Mar fiasco, BAMThe brave new world of SI, NHI, the gas leak fitechnology, innovation and asco, the city-dump fiasco, global competition we now the (mostly) lousy Cabinet find ourselves in cannot - and this latest failed referwill not - wait for the best endum, it’s safe to say that of yesteryear to catch up famous snowball’s chance is with tomorrow. stacking up better than Mr We have some very tal- Christie’s. ented, very capable young Same for the PLP with political players on our Mr Christie as their leader. team patiently The only waiting for an prospect the I’m sure opportunity to PLP has (and the senior play. How long I mean that as politicians are we going to singularly as keep them on in the PLP not conceivable) is the bench? elect a new named Christie to How long are leadership team you going to are thinking during their keep support- (and plotting) convention and ing the same old try to sell those ways to get rid players? How tired dreams happy are you of everything with some fresh to watch your named Christie.’ faces. team keep losSurely by now ing? Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Minister Obie Everything must go Davis, Wilchcombe and Alfred Sears realise this is their last Now that the Progressive chance to have their own Liberal Party and Prime personal outriders blasting Minister Perry Christie them through traffic. Surely have been thoroughly emthey realise the next step is barrassed by the results of a going-out-of-business sale the mismanaged referenand locks on the door? dum (again!) I expect to see In closing let me break the mother of all sidewalk it down, when the leader sales happening within the of the nation taps into his party in short order. inner Fred Sandford as in In other words, I’m sure “Elizabeth I’m coming, this the senior politicians in the is the big one”. After learning the results of the Gender Equality referendum, it’s time for young blood and strong hearts in the political arena.
‘
Sail Master/Coach
NEEDED • Male or female. • Must be a qualified sailor with extensive racing experience
• Qualified to coach junior sailing program • Boats are Optimists and Sunfish/Laser (16 boats) and Brenta 30’s (4boats) • Good people motivator/social coordinator • Base salary $45,000.00 per year Please send resume to: vshippingbahamas@gmail.com
• Inigo ‘Naughty’ Zenicazelaya is the resident standup comic at Jokers Wild Comedy Club at the Atlantis, Paradise Island, resort and presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday, and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm on KISS FM 96.1. He also writes a sports column in The Tribune on Tuesday. Comments and questions to naughty@ tribunemedia.net.
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, June 17, 2016, PAGE 9
domestic terror not ruled out as mp killed LONDON Associated Press
A politician who campaigned for Britain to stay in the European Union was killed yesterday by a gun- and knifewielding attacker, a tragedy that brought the country’s fierce, divisive referendum campaign to a shocked standstill. Jo Cox, a 41-year-old Labour Party MP who praised the contribution of immigrants to Britain and championed the cause of war-scarred Syrian refugees, was attacked outside a library in Birstall, northern England, after a regular meeting with constituents. Police would not speculate on the attacker’s mo-
tive, but Clarke Rothwell, who runs a cafe near the scene of the slaying, told the BBC and Britain’s Press Association that the assailant shouted “Britain first!” several times. Police did not confirm that account. Witnesses described a man shooting Cox several times and then stabbing her as she lay on the pavement. Police said they had arrested a 52-year-old man and were not looking for anyone else. “Our working presumption ... is that this is a lone incident,” said Dee Collins, acting chief constable of West Yorkshire Police. British security officials said the shooting didn’t appear to be related to international terrorism, but domestic terrorism has not
been ruled out. Residents identified the suspect to the BBC and other media as Birstall resident Tommy Mair. Neighbors said Mair was a quiet man who did gardening jobs for local people. Violence against British politicians has been rare since Northern Ireland’s late-1990s peace agreement. Cox was the first serving member of Parliament to be killed in a quarter-century, and figures from all parts of the political spectrum expressed deep shock. Both the Vote Leave and Britain Stronger in Europe campaigns suspended activity ahead of next week’s vote over whether Britain should remain a part of the 28-member bloc.
Police at the scene after British MP Jo Cox was shot, in Birstall, West Yorkshire, England, yesterday.
obama seeks tighter gun laws after orlando shooting ORLANDO, Florida Associated Press
Embracing grieving Orlando families and appealing anew for national action, President Barack Obama claimed a threat to all Americans’ security Thursday as a strong reason to tighten US gun laws. Counterterror campaigns overseas, he declared, can never prevent all “lone wolf” attacks like the one that killed 49 people in Orlando. Speaking at a makeshift memorial to the victims, Obama said the massacre at a gay nightclub was evidence that “different steps” are needed to limit the damage a “deranged” person set on committing violence can do. He cheered on Democrats’ push for new gun control measures, including a new ban on assault weapons and stricter background checks. Although he showed little hope the measures would
find much support among most opponents, Obama seemed to be aiming for other lawmakers, perhaps Republican hawks eager to get behind counterterror campaigns but steadfastly opposed to gun restrictions. Obama arrived as Orlando began the next stage of its grief — funerals all over town. A visitation for one victim, Javier Jorge-Reyes, on Wednesday night turned out a crowd of friends, family, drag queens and motorcyclists to pay their respects. “We’re just here to spread love and joy and try to put an end to all the hate,” said Ezekiel Davis — or, as he’s known to some, Sister Anesthesia Beaverhausen. Obama could not miss other signs of a community coming together in tragedy. Hundreds of people gathered in 95-degree heat outside the Amway Center stadium where he met with families.
Brittany Woodrough came to honor her close friend, 19-year-old Jason Benjamin Josaphat. “I just pray for his family and I can’t believe this happened,” she said. “Seeing President Obama here makes it real.” Orlando’s calls for solidarity stood in contrast to the sharp-edged political debate in Washington and the presidential campaign trail that continued during Obama’s visit. Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican and frequent Obama critic, accused the president of being “directly responsible” for the shooting because, he said, Obama had allowed the growth of the Islamic State group on his watch. McCain quickly walked back those comments with a written statement saying he had misspoken and was referring to Obama’s “national security decisions, not the president himself.”
The gunman, Omar Mateen, had made calls during the attack saying he was an IS supporter. But CIA Director John Brennan said Thursday the agency has found no connection between the gunman and any foreign terrorist organisation. In Orlando, Obama noted the need for strong efforts to fight terrorists before they can get to America, but he said that’s not enough. “It’s going to take more than just our military,” he said. “We will not be able to stop every tragedy. We can’t wipe away hatred and evil from every heart in this world, but we can stop some tragedies. We can save some lives. “We can reduce the impact of a terrorist attack if we’re smart,” he said, a reference to a ban on assaulttype weapons that can kill dozens of people in moments. Mateen was armed
with a Sig Sauer MCX assault rifle. Obama made his remarks in downtown Orlando during an afternoon visit to express condolences to this grieving city. The president spent roughly two hours talking privately with victims’ families and survivors of the attack in a gay dance club. He told them he was inspired by their courage and felt their pain at the loss of so many young lives. “Our hearts are broken, too,” he said. In his remarks, Obama also expressed solidarity with gays and lesbians who were targeted at the nightclub. “This was an attack on the LGBT community. Americans were targeted because we’re a country that has learned to welcome everyone, no matter who you are or who you love,” Obama said. “And hatred toward people because of sexual orientation, regard-
less of where it comes from, is a betrayal of what’s best in us.” There were some signs of political unity: Florida Gov Rick Scott, a Republican frequently at odds with Obama, greeted him on the airport tarmac. Florida Sen Marco Rubio, also a Republican, traveled with Obama from Washington, along with Rep Corrine Brown, a Democrat who represents parts of the city. Biden and Sen Bill Nelson, D-Fla, joined Obama on the tarmac. But there was no bipartisan unity on the need for new gun legislation. As the Democratic push continued, including a 15-hour filibuster from Sen Chris Murphy, whose state of Connecticut shouldered the killing of 20 children in Newtown in 2012, Republicans said their response would focused on the threat posed by the Islamic State group.
PAGE 10, Friday, June 17, 2016
After the referendum EDITOR, The Tribune.
In the aftermath of the Referendum, there is much speculation. It is disturbing to hear accusations that the Bahamian people are ignorant or misogynistic, xenophobic or homophobic. To begin with, I believe that the majority of citizens in this country believe that women are entitled to equal rights. In fact, I daresay many women voted against the Referendum. I unqualifiedly support equal rights for women but I did not vote. Why? Because I saw it all as an exercise in hypocrisy. The root cause for the failure of the Referendum was the manner in which the process was carried out. Many people were expected to understand the Constitution and provisions they may have never known existed. They were given the wording of the amendments and then told to read them. They were then told that the issue here was that the Constitution did not grant equal rights to women and the only way this could be done was by making amendments to the Constitution. “Experts” were then put before them to explain the provisions of the Constitution and the proposed amendments. It soon became clear that even the Experts could not agree with one another. In the course of these explanations several questions arose: 1. With all the problems we have right now related to the economy, joblessness and crime, why now? 2. If the issue is as important as they say it is, why did they put it on the back burner in favour of a referendum (opinion poll) on gambling, following which they disregarded the people’s wishes anyway? 3. Whether the Constitution, in fact, already granted those rights. 4. How many people were affected by this discrimination anyway? 5. Whether the amendments as proposed could have the unintended effect of legalising gay marriage. 6. Whether the new provisions could be abused. 7. Whether the Government had the power to legislate these changes without amending the Constitution and, if so, what was their motive in not so doing. These issues were glossed over by the proponents of the Referendum and emphasised by the opponents. The people were told: “Trust us, the only question here is whether you support equal rights”. This was only bought by some. The people who bought this proposition then, unfortunately, assumed that those persons who did not support the Vote Yes campaign were simpletons, misogynistic and xenophobic. For those who are disappointed at the result, particularly the young people, the failure of the Referendum is the sole responsibility of the Government and the Opposition. Those who could not accept the proposition invariably had trust issues with the Government. It was not that they were seeking revenge against the Government but that they did not feel they could trust it. At least two eminent former judges raised questions about the
Letters letters@tribunemedia.net amendments, their purpose and their desirability. The reaction of the proponents to at least one of the judges was to question her sanity, a reaction which they all later came to regret. A number of eminent lawyers and Parliamentarians and activists also raised the questions. They were accused of being obstructionist. The difficulty for the people was that if lawyers and judges can’t agree on the facts, how could they be expected to understand them? This then opened the door to distrust and suspicion. 1. Why was the Government advancing these issues now, when 14 years ago they said they were not necessary? 2. Why have a Referendum when, with the last Referendum, we were told that the Government had no horse in the race but after it failed, they went ahead and enacted legislation legalising gambling anyway? 3. Why were they only concerned to encourage widespread approval of the Referendum without ensuring that both sides of the argument were ventilated? Rumours then abounded that the Government was funding the Vote Yes campaign and paying its proponents. These rumours were never explicitly denied. 4. Why did the Government not just act as an honest broker and encourage the dissemination of the No arguments as well? The legal case for the proponents was put by a number of lawyers, eminent and otherwise, who attempted to speculate how a court would interpret the Constitution and the amendments ... all theoretical. As Dame Joan and Maurice Glinton took great pains to point out, resort should only be had to amending the Constitution when it is absolutely necessary and that need is clear. They referred to Article 26 of the Constitution and argued that it prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex. They referred to Article 13 which empowers the Parliament in matters of citizenship. This comes from a judge who, until very recently, would have been the principal adjudicator of any such questions before the Court. Human nature is such that the majority can seldom be relied on to grant or uphold the rights of a minority. That is why we have the Courts. That is why we expect our leaders to be statesmen. We have a lack of leadership in this country. We certainly have no statesmen. A real Leader who felt that a fundamental human right was being denied would have sought to remedy that himself. Both the PLP and the FNM supported the amendments, why didn’t they just enact legislation to bring this about? The answer is shameful. They each were afraid that there are citizens (voters) who would object to these provisions granting citizenship and who would show their disapproval at the polls. Because of this, our leaders were afraid to even try to pass any such legisla-
tion. A real leader, a statesman, does what is right, without regard to the consequences such actions will have for him personally. His satisfaction is in knowing he did the right thing. What did our Prime Minister do? He sought to have the matter dealt with in a Referendum and told the Leader of the Opposition that he would only do it if the FNM was locked armin-arm with the Government. Why? Because in the event there was a backlash, everyone would have to take the blame. A real leader would have said, let me cause legislation to be passed granting these rights. If anyone disagrees and believes this is against the Constitution, let them go to Court and get a declaration that the law is invalid. If the Court makes such a declaration, then I will seek to go to the people by way of Referendum. The advantage of this would be that there would have been a sufficient airing of the issues in the press over a period of time when the legislation was being debated. There would be further airing when the issue came to Court. It would have gone first to the Supreme Court and then to the Court of Appeal (where undoubtedly Dame Joan would have supported the Government’s right to so legislate) and then to the Privy Council. By this time, because of the numerous commentaries and judicial pronouncements, the issues would have been much clearer. The Government decides to bring a Referendum, lock the FNM in it and then expect praise for having had the courage to do so. What a joke! The Government’s willing accomplice in this exercise was the FNM. They failed to hold the Government’s feet to the fire and force it to act fairly. They also joined in the chorus that anyone objecting was xenophobic and a misogynist and dumb to believe that questions of gay marriage could arise. Together, they then sought to stifle any opposing views and expect the people’s endorsement. The Leader of the Opposition, some days before the Referendum, in what some interpreted as a turnabout from his initial support of the Referendum, advised people to “vote their conscience”. Yet, in a statement the day after the Referendum, he says he had an idea that the people did not understand the questions. If they did not understand, how then could they “vote their conscience”? You know, the joke was “if you understand the Referendum, vote ‘Yes’ and if you don’t understand, vote ‘No’. Not understanding the Referendum did not necessarily mean that a person was dumb. I suspect that people may not appreciate the courage it took for those Pastors, those judges and lawyers, those media commentators and other activists and citizens to speak against the process. For some, their own financial and social survival were threatened. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their role in defending democracy in The Bahamas. LUTHER H McDONALD Nassau, June 12, 2016.
THE TRIBUNE
‘The Bahamas’ own street philosopher’
Casting the first stone EDITOR, The Tribune. In recent times, Bahamians have been consumed with the realisation that many of our sons and daughters are not subscribing to what we call “old school” methodology. The discussion of alternative lifestyle has caused us to abandon Christian principles and become God himself. What happened to “Judge not, that ye be not judged”? Jesus hung out with the “bottom of the barrel”. He forgives us seventy times seven. But the worst among us have the gall to point our dirty, stinking and nasty fingers at someone just like us in many cases. We are stunned that many of our children, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins are doing strange things with each other, and with others that does not please us. But the question is, who among us are qualified to pick up the proverbial stone to throw it, lest we “chap ourselves”. The many insensitive commentary hurled at our own children, just because they go contrary is asinine. How could we, in all honesty, fix our mouth to complain about anything that appears immoral, when we are covered with dirt, all of us? Never mind what we pretend to do, we are who we are. It doesn’t matter how much we try to deceive. All of a sudden, we are lily white. The Bahamas is the most promiscuous country in the world. We must be the sweetheart capital of the world. For decades family islands have been the breading ground for incest. Tradition has been that the men “sampled” their infant
and small children first, long before puberty. The mothers who ignorantly allowed these things to happen have kept incest quiet. On some of our islands, retardation is more pronounced from the sexual practices right in the family, father and daughter, mother and son, brother and sister, kissing cousins and other family combinations. This practice has produced generations of imbeciles. Not a dog says bow-wow. Many women have several children for several men and are sometimes confused who has fathered whom. Too many men have children through every corner. The mystery of how many children have been fathered is usually discovered at funerals. “Ya daddy ain’t ya daddy but ya daddy don’t know.” Shame and scandal in the family. We know some pastors have used the trust that usually is associated with their position to pounce on an unsuspecting boy or girl and destroy their spirit. We cannot forget an infamous pastor who used his office for his escapades. But theses same church people will “grunt” their uncharitable comments about others. We also can remember the exploitation by politicians who have used their position to devour innocent young boys and girls. Some adults are made to perform sexual acts to keep their jobs. We attend church on Sunday, but cannot wait for the benediction to rendez-vous with other church members before they finally arrive home for the traditional “peas and rice”. Finally, the hullabaloo about same sex has been in the Bahamas since time immemorial. We all know our sons and daughters and close friends who have
been practising for forever. I could remember in the early sixties, the whole family assembled every Halloween night for the procession of men dressed like women to have their pictures taken at Maxwell Studio, next to Transfiguration Church. Stop the amnesia. Are we going to “tar and feather” our children and friends because they choose to practice what we disagree or disapprove. Are we qualified to stone them, especially after “all of us” are guilty of some of or all of the things mentioned above. Can we, in good conscience, look in the mirror and honestly say too that we are also curious, but have no courage to admit that we do. You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind. I will admit that I am no angel in my sixty-four years; I have never met an angel either. I have travelled very far and covered much ground. I know one thing for sure, and that is the people who are most vocal are not necessarily the people who are exempted. I know also, that many persons cannot swear that they “will never”. The “bald naked” truth is, few of us cannot say what will happen if the atmosphere is conducive. Now we reach to this, “He that is without sin cast the first stone”. HYPOCRITES! Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain. Now call what you wish, but just don’t call me collect, pay for the call. I am still in fear of Jesus, only. IVOINE W HAM Nassau, June 15, 2016.
INGRA-
readers react to miller and wilchcombe comments Readers on tribune242.com were unhappy with Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller, after he admonished the Christie administration for surrendering the dayto-day management of Bahamas Power and Light to PowerSecure. B_I_D___ said: “He nervous he gonna have to pay!!” Calypso believed MPs were “acting like children”: “If we keep politicising these situations we will get NOWHERE. When will Bahamians learn that the only way to facilitate meaningful progress and change
is through COOPERATION. It does not matter who comes up with the idea so long as the idea advances all Bahamians together. Our MP’s act like children and it is a sickening reality that cannot continue!” And Watcher said: “Miller is being disingenuous when he says that this was a mistake. We all know that
the infrastructure at BEC is old and decrepit, something Miller would have been very well aware of when he was Chairman. Blaming BPL is like me having a 1989 Honda Civic and, when I lend it to my brother to drive, it breaks down. Should I get mad at him, who just happened to be driving my 27-year-old car when it finally conked out, or should I blame myself for not getting a more recent vehicle?” DNA Leader Branville McCartney also made the news this week, after he expressed openness to allowing homosexual couples to
form civil unions. Honestman responded with: “We have much bigger problems to deal with. Why is The Bahamas so consumed over same-sex marriage when we have corruption rife throughout government and carnage on our streets?” Jackbnimble said: “The LGBT aim to dominate and have same-sex laws passed in every country in the world. They recently tested the courts in China and lost and are now appealing the case. The Bahamas and EVERY OTHER COUNTRY will be tested. This is not go-
ing away any time soon. We need to wake up. I agree with Greg Moss. The issue needs to go to referendum and put to bed once and for all. Our people do not want this that’s why we voted ‘NO’. If the people voted ‘NO’ then why are they still insisting on pursuing this?” Stapedius was sceptical: “He is willing to say or do anything to get in the media and win his seat back. Really a disappointing group. In a time when people are uncomfortable voting for either of the two major parties we have this joker who has a clear opportunity to
make a move squandering it. The DNA has to show more organization and clear policy positions on issues. Simply popping up with press soundbites when it suits you is not good enough.” But there was this from Lkalikl: “The first sensible thing he’s said in a while. The Bahamas must find a way to move forwards and stop trying to go backwards to some mythical Biblical time.” • Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, June 17, 2016, PAGE 11
Antique Auto Club
grandmother, Patricia McKenzie, came and enjoyed the show.
Antique Auto Club. The Antique Auto Club of The Bahamas is very pleased to announce that, following its recent Annual Antique Auto Show & Cook-Out, it has been able to make quite a substantial donation to the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Foundation for benefit of a one-year-old toddler, Amaris Smith. Amaris required reconstructive heart surgery just before the show. The surgery was successful and little Amaris together with her mother, Vanessa McKenzie, and
Ardastra Gardens
JOIN THE CLUB OUR Clubs and Societies page is a chance for you to share your group’s activities with our readers. To feature on our Clubs and Societies page, submit your report to clubs@ tribunemedia.net, with “Clubs Page” written in the subject line. For more information about the page, contact Stephen Hunt on 5022373 or 447-3565.
Ardastra Gardens. - Ardastra will host the Adventures of Dory tomorrow, from 9am–noon, for children aged five to 12. The cost is $10 (10% off for members). Contact 3230067 or education@ardastra.com for more information and/or to reserve your child’s spot.
Cycling Club Bahamas Cycling Club Bahamas. - Weekday rides east, morning, Tuesday and Thursday, leaving 5am sharp from Sea Grapes Shopping Centre, East Prince Charles Drive. This ride is a 17-mile loop to the Northbound Paradise Island Bridge and back again (both bridges are sometimes incorporated depending on available time). Open to riders capable of 18mph+ for 1 hour. Lights are essential.
Weekday rides west, morning, Wednesdays & Fridays, leaving 4:45am sharp from Cable Beach Police Station, West Bay St. This ride is a 20-mile loop. The route is varied. Open to riders capable of 18mph+ for 1 hr. Lights are essential. Contact Shantel to confirm your attendance. Afternoon, Tuesdays & Thursdays, leaving 5:30pm sharp from Old Fort Shopping Center east of Solomon’s Fresh Market. This ride is 18-20 miles depending on whether you choose to do a second loop. Recommended for strong riders capable of 20mph+ for 1-1.5hrs. Intermediate Riders 18-22mph -see Spyda Weekend rides, Saturdays leaving 6am sharp from Harbour Bay Shopping Centre in front of First Caribbean Bank (Starbuck’s) 30-40 miles headed West. In order to complete this ride it is recommended that you have done some recent cycling! Leaving P/I bridges optional at the end. The pace will range from 18–20+mph, 2.5 hour duration Sundays leaving 6am sharp from Harbour Bay Shopping Centre in front of First Caribbean Bank (Starbuck’s) 40-50 miles headed East. This ride is not recommended if you have not
PICTURED at the Heart Foundation’s corporate offices are, from left, club member Paul Baker; president Don Pinder; show chairman and VP Adrian Hanna; Vanessa McKenzie and Amaris; foundation chairman RE Barnes; past president Brendan Foulkes; Amaris’ father, Alvin Smith; club member Wayne Aranha; secretary Murray Forde; and club member Maximo Hillhouse. They are pictured in front of Mr Baker’s 1927 Peerless and Mr Foulkes’ 1965 Ford Ranchero. cycled recently or first tim- more details. Final, Cozumel, Mexico July 2 & 3 Independence http://cozumel.triathlon. ers! P/I bridges optional at the end! The pace will T/T and Road Race, Nassau. org/event/schedule/ July 23 Seagillian Cyrange from 18–20+mph, 3September 24 Potcake3.5 hour duration (cyclists cling Fest, Spanish Wells, man main event triathlon, are invited to join in any- Eleuthera. Nassau, Bahamas. August 13 & 14 Viva! Bawhere along the route). February 4 - 2nd Annual hamas Invitational T/T & Bahamas Medical Center Upcoming events: The first annual Adelaide Road Race Nassau, Baha- Dri Tri. Village bike and walkathon mas. February 18 - Ride For September 11-18 ITU Hope, Governor’s Harbour, will be held at Adelaide Village Park on Saturday, June World Triathlon Grand Eleuthera. 25, at 7.30am. Registration costs $10 for children aged four to 17 and $20 for adults. Booth rentals are available - contact Christine Stubbs on 557-1307. Youth Cycling Developmental Programme each Saturday at the tracks. Contact Barron on 552-5128 for
PAGE 12, Friday, June 17, 2016
Your pictures of
storm-hit
Nassau AFTER Wednesday’s stormy weather saw waterspouts forming over Lake Killarney, social media was full of pictures of the funnel cloud over New Providence - with readers also sending in their own pictures. This page shows a round-up of some of the pictures submitted, as well as published on Facebook by groups such as NEMA and Odyssey Aviation.
THE TRIBUNE