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‘Petty’ Minnis blasted by Cash FNM leader ‘removing committee members’ in search for votes By TANEKA THOMPSON Tribune News Editor tmthompson@tribunemedia.net FORMER Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash has accused party leader Dr Hubert Minnis of removing two people from the FNM’s Executive Committee, which he alleged was done “for the purpose of adding a few more votes at convention”. In a scathing statement released to The Tribune yesterday, the former senator accused Dr Minnis of being “petty” and “vindictive,” saying the Killarney MP does not want those who have opposing views around him. Mr Cash said he has also heard rumours that he too
MARCH ON, BAHAMALAND
was going to be removed from the FNM’s Executive Committee. He said while this has not been confirmed, he would not be surprised if it happened. Dr Minnis could not be reached for comment yesterday and FNM Chairman Sidney Collie would not confirm or deny the allegations when contacted. “I have heard about and read the reports on social media regarding the possibility of my removal from the Executive Committee by Hubert Minnis,” Mr Cash said in his statement. “While I have not received any confirmation to that effect from the ‘leader’ it would not surprise me if he did such a thing. SEE PAGE SEVEN
THE recent call from Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner for convicted murderers to face a minimum 30-year sentence without parole would infringe on the discretionary power of judges, Bar Association President Elsworth Johnson said. He also urged members of the executive and legislative branches of government to “loosen their grasp” on the judiciary, saying that the politicisation
of crime has hampered the “conceptualisation” of anticrime measures. “Laws being drafted and enacted in a reactionary manner will not offset or resolve the true root causes of crime,” Mr Johnson said when contacted for comment. “Calls like this gives the public the impression that those in the judicial branch of government are not being tough enough. When you take that stance you force judges into a spot where they can no longer use their SEE PAGE FIVE
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By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller and former Cabinet minister George Smith want the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) to hold a convention in September instead of November, arguing that sooner rather than later the party needs to organise itself and excite its base in preparation for the next general election. “Politics is a funny game,” Mr Miller told The Tribune yesterday. “The longer the convention goes on and the decision is made to have it in November, it is telling us in Parliament and other PLPs around the country that they are trying to avert anyone standing for any of the positions that could be vacant. I don’t think that should be said to people. It would really be a slap in the face not to call a convention earlier than November.” SEE PAGE SEVEN
BID FOR PROBE INTO BRIBERY AT BEC AFTER RAMSEY CASE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
30-YEAR SENTENCE CALL BY BUTLER-TURNER CRITICISED By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
‘BRING THE DATE OF PLP CONVENTION FORWARD’
THE FLAG of The Bahamas fluttering in front of a backdrop of fireworks at the 43rd Independence Day celebration held at Clifford Park on Saturday. For more photographs from the event, see pages 10, 11 and 13. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
MITCHELL: NO FALLOUT FROM THE US OVER MINISTRY’S TRAVEL ADVISORY By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said yesterday there has been “absolutely” no fall out from diplomats in the United States after his ministry issued a travel warning advising Bahamians, young men in particular, to exercise caution in their dealings with police in US cities. Mr Mitchell told The Tribune that the advisory
released on Friday was “nothing out of the ordinary” as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued similar advisories warning Bahamians travelling to the US on several occasions. The advisory was issued on July 8 in the wake of police-related shootings in the United States that have resulted in the deaths of black men. Five police officers were killed and seven wounded on Thursday night during a protest in Dallas, Texas,
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over recent fatal shootings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. The statement warned Bahamian citizens to “exercise appropriate caution” especially in cities affected by “tensions ... over shootings of young black males by police officers.” “In particular young males are asked to exercise extreme caution in affected cities in their interactions with the police,” the travel warning said.
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SEE PAGE SIX
THE Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is calling for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate a bribery scandaldating back more than a decade involving Alstom SA and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said yesterday. His statement came after the Supreme Court decided not to jail 79-year-old former BEC board member Fred Ramsey who was found guilty of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from Alstom to influence the awarding of contracts between 1993 and 2003. SEE PAGE THREE
ROLLINS WANTS INQUIRY INTO BAHA MAR
By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins said yesterday that the status of the Baha Mar project is more “worrisome” than Prime Minister Perry Christie is letting the public know. Dr Rollins, who is shadow minister of national security, said a new Free National Movement administration must “urgently convene” a Commission of Inquiry to look into the matter. SEE PAGE SIX
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BAHAMIANS were out on Montagu Beach enjoying the water and weather on a hot day yesterday as the nation celebrated the anniversary of independence. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
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BEC bribe-taker Ramsey spared jail, fined $14,000 By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net FREDDIE Solomon Ramsey on Friday escaped being hit with a custodial sentence and instead was fined $1,000 for each of the 14 bribery-related charges of which a jury previously convicted him stemming from the Alstom SA/Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) scandal. Justice Bernard Turner imposed a $14,000 fine on the 79-year-old insurance executive as opposed to a prison sentence in connection with evidence alleging that French company Alstom SA paid more than $300,000 to a BEC board member to influence the awarding of the New Providence Phase Two and Three contracts between 1999 and 2003. Justice Turner said Ramsey has two months to pay off the fine or face six months in prison. In addition, Justice Turner said he saw no reason why he should not order the entire $221,457.81 Ramsey allegedly received from Alstom as a result of the scandal be repaid, which the judge said should be paid to BEC or any successor of BEC within nine months. Failure to pay off the $221,457.81 within that time, Justice Turner said, would result in that sum being applied to Ramsey’s real property tax and/or him facing a separate term of six months’
imprisonment. Justice Turner also said that sum should be paid to the country’s Consolidated Fund should BEC (now Bahamas Power and Light) no longer be considered a public body. Ramsey was previously acquitted of two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of bribery concerning the Phase Two contract. However, he was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and 12 counts of bribery concerning the Phase Three contract. The 18 charges against Ramsey - four of conspiracy to commit bribery and 14 or bribery - concerned the New Providence Expansion Phase Two and Three contracts. It is alleged that Ramsey, being concerned with others, did conspire to “solicit, or accept any advantages ad an inducement to, or reward for, or used influence in procuring” for ABB Generacion and Alstom SA in the New Providence Expansion Phase Two contract with BEC between 1999 and 2003. It was further alleged that Ramsey, on seven occasions during the same period, solicited and received a total of $321,107.81 in bribes from Alstom SA, formerly ABB Generacion. During Friday’s proceedings, Justice Turner took into consideration the mitigating factors surrounding the case, such as Ramsey’s clean criminal history, his
FRED Ramsey pictured at the Supreme Court on Friday. civic and social engagement, his occupational reputation - all of which the judge said Ramsey has lost as a result of his actions Ramsey’s family life and his “perilous” health. However, Justice Turner said Ramsey’s actions brought “shame” to the
Bahamas, as well as to the other BEC board members and other officials engaged with the corporation. Justice Turner also said Ramsey abused the trust placed in him by BEC and brought reputational harm to the Bahamas with his actions. The judge also said
Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff Ramsey’s actions only further perpetuated an “ongoing narrative in the public domain of public corruption”. Justice Turner said a non-custodial sentence was appropriate to convey the “societal intolerance” to Ramsey’s actions over a
decade ago. Ramsey is a former emeritus Free National Movement Council member and former parliamentary candidate for Fox Hill. He is also a former insurance executive.
BID FOR PROBE INTO BRIBERY AT BEC AFTER RAMSEY CASE
from page one
The Supreme Court decided not to jail Ramsey because of his poor health, ruling that within nine months he must instead pay back the $221,457.81 in bribe money he had received. He was also fined $14,000 and given two months to pay this. If he fails to do so, the judgment will be executed against real property in his name and he will have to spend six months in prison. Ramsey is a former Free National Movement (FNM) candidate for Fox Hill. Although he said the
PLP respects the court’s decision, Mr Roberts said: “Public trust in governance must not be undermined.” He added that it would be naïve to think the crime was “perpetrated exclusively by one board member especially when the Cabinet decision ran contrary to the decision of the full board of the corporation”. “The Cabinet decision led directly to the retirement from that board of one of the members (who was a former BEC executive) in strong protest against the Cabinet decision and to protect his personal reputation. “Accordingly, the PLP
calls for a Parliamentary Select Committee with powers to send for persons and papers to investigate the following aspects of the matter.” The committee, Mr Roberts said, would seek to determine what was the cost impact of the bribery to BEC customers. He added: “Management and the board concluded that due to negative experiences with (D Alternator 11), it could not endorse securing (generator) DA12 from the same provider. What was the performance of DA-12 from the execution of the contract to its commissioning (including
any delays) and the performance of the unit post the handing over period to June 30, 2016? “Analysis must include any cost BEC was obliged to carry which impacted its ability to provide power to its customers. What was the additional cost of diesel fuel to run the backup gas turbine generators at the Blue Hills Power Station when DA-11 and DA12 were offline during the periods mentioned above? What were the human costs and misery index to BEC’s thousands of customers in New Providence over many years?” Mr Roberts called on
TWO IN HOSPITAL AFTER BEING SHOT BY MASKED MAN By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net TWO men are recovering in hospital after they were shot by a masked man on Thursday night on Okra Hill. According to reports, shortly after 9pm the two victims were standing on the side of the road in Okra Hill when a man with a handgun approached and shot them before fleeing on foot. The victims were rushed to hospital where they remain in stable condition. Police are also on the hunt for two armed suspects who robbed a man of
his motorcycle early on Friday morning. Reports are that shortly after 1.30am, a man was riding his red 2008 Sym Jet motorcycle on St Alban’s Drive when he was approached by two men in a champagne-coloured hatchback vehicle who robbed him of his motorcycle before speeding off. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact police at 911 or
919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime
Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.
FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis to agree to have a committee established to investigate the bribery issue given his expressed commitment to rooting out corruption. For years, the FNM has accused the PLP of being a corrupt party. Mr Roberts’ statement is a part of a larger attempt to paint the Tuesday, 12th July 2016 FNM with a similar brush.
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At King’s church, advice on 21st century social activism ATLANTA (AP) — Long-tenured members of Martin Luther King Jr’s church have some advice for today’s social justice activists: You’re on the right side, but get organized, never use or condone violence, and always use the power to vote that earlier generations secured. Howard King, a World War II veteran who joined Ebenezer Baptist Church during the civil rights movement, understands the tensions laid bare by police killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota and a sniper’s retaliatory killings of five Dallas officers. “Racists didn’t drop off into the earth, they just changed their tactics” after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, said the 91-year-old King, no relation to the civil rights leader he considered a personal friend. “They took off their sheets and put on three-piece suits, and a few wear badges,” he said Sunday, “but there is no justification for taking life — black, white, green or yellow.” Lifetime Ebenezer parishioner Thelma McClendon, 76, said, “young people now are just angry about so many things. What is their aim? What is their purpose? What specifically do they want? They better get a little better organized, and they need to vote.” Martin Luther King Jr became the obvious choice to lead the nationwide civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s, but there’s no focal point yet to this 21st century version. Black Lives Matter grew organically in response to the killings of black citizens by police, and it has avoided coordinating a national strategy. Leaders of locally run chapters have met with politicians, even presidential candidates, but they do not endorse. Groups like Philadelphia’s “Philly Coalition for REAL Justice” help set their cities’ agendas, supported by many other organisations whose missions range from overhauling the criminal justice system to expanding economic opportunity. This diffusion makes a movement more easily rocked by events like the Dallas massacre. While hundreds joined the Black Lives Matter march in response to last week’s videotaped killings in Louisiana and Minnesota — some of them taking advantage of the Texas open-carry law to show off their weapons — a lone sniper overrode their message by killing five of the officers keeping the peace. Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Sunday that the gunman taunted police before he was killed, and said his attacks were in retaliation for the police killings of black men. That stuck some Black Lives Matter leaders on a rhetorical tightrope. “Black Lives Matter doesn’t condone shooting law enforcement,” said actor and model Sir Maejor, an organiser in Atlanta. “But I have to be honest: I understand why it was done. I don’t encourage it, I don’t condone it, I don’t justify it. But I understand it.” The Rev. Jesse Jackson, an aide to King who witnessed his assassination in 1968,
defended today’s activists. In a Sunday interview, he said establishment critics will always tar leaders of social and political movements, no matter their structure, strategy or tactics. “In the 60s, they used to tell us if we had not been marching, the dogs would not have been biting,” Jackson said, referring to the police dogs that attacked demonstrators on the orders of political boss Bull Connor in Birmingham, Alabama. The Rev Steve Daniels in St. Paul, Minnesota, who grew up in segregated Mississippi, said “this generation is not going to take what we took. They’re not afraid, and they’re fed up”. Daniels, whose congregation at Shiloh Baptist Church includes the uncle of Philando Castile, the black man whose death outside St Paul was live-streamed on Facebook, also said that young people are taking action because their parents and other leaders have failed them. “They’re hurt. They feel left out. They’re frustrated and it shows, so they’re lashing out because they’re tired of being abused,” Daniels said. Activists’ lack of cohesion reflects how multifaceted society’s problems have become, and that’s something no single group can overcome by itself, Jackson suggested. “Our struggle - the barriers were rigid and apparent,” he said, citing legalised segregation that extended to every part of life in the 1960s. “Today, we have our freedom, but we don’t have equality,” Jackson continued, bemoaning declining investment in public education, mass incarceration that enriches for-profit prisons and other ills. “This kind of inequality breeds the tensions that lead to Baton Rouge and Minnesota and Dallas,” Jackson said. The same argument cascaded Sunday from the Ebenezer pulpit, where the Rev. Anthony Trufant was visiting from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. Rousing the mostly black congregation, Trufant blasted the notion that killings by police are always “the fault of people who don’t know how to handle themselves in the presence of law enforcement”. He described a litany of social, political and economic wrongs; condemned the “sexist, homophobic, racist, imperialistic rhetoric” of presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump; he called for “a living wage” and better health care and education. Then his crescendo: “What bends me out of shape is when people don’t recognise there is a reason for folks’ rage. There is a basis for people’s bitterness.” In the pews, another Ebenezer lifer, Barbara Ann Adams, 82, replied “Amen”. “Today, everybody has their own agenda, doing their own thing,” she said after the sermon. But people still want the same thing as her peers: “We wanted what was good, what was right, and you just have to continue to fight for what is right.” By Bill Barrow, Associated Press
Enough of Ingraham EDITOR, The Tribune
LATE last month, the former Prime Minster, Hubert A Ingraham, was interviewed by one of the local television stations wherein he was asked if he was returning to frontline politics. His response to that question went something like this: “I will respond when I have an announcement to make.” This was shortly after the swearing-in of two Free National Movement Senators, Monique Gomez and Dr Duane Sands. From that comment I got the impression that he is obviously considering a return to frontline politics, otherwise he could have said, as he said on May 7, 2012, that he has retired from politics and will spend time with his grandchildren. In an article in The Nassau Guardian on February 1, 2016 under the headline “Ingraham not coming back”, when asked if he would return to frontline
politics, he is quoted as saying “No. Absolutely none. Absolutely none.” Further on, when asked whether there were forces seeking to convince him to return, he is quoted as saying “oh, that happens every day. But no. I don’t propose to come back. Should we now assume he is considering going back on his word again, as he did in 2005 when he challenged Tommy Turnquest for the leadership, after staying away from all FNM activities for three years? It appears that Mr Ingraham only wants to use the FNM brand to achieve his ambition of being Prime Minister of the Bahamas. When he is defeated in a general election, he stays away until the next election is due and then he makes a re-appearance so that he can again be Prime Minister. It is little wonder that he refused to comment when asked on television about his plans. It is the strong belief of
many FNMs that he wants to re-emerge to challenge Dr Hubert Minnis for the leadership of the party. We hope that this time he “says what he means and means what he says” when he said “No. Absolutely none. Absolutely none” on the possibility of returning to frontline politics. I believe that he served this country with distinction during his three nonconsecutive terms, but there has to be a time when it ends. Since majority rule in 1967, The Bahamas had three persons that served as Prime Minister. During the same period the United States of America has had nine Presidents serve. There has to be other persons that can lead The Bahamas. Allow us to try someone different, Mr Ingraham. A CONCERNED CITIZEN July 10, 2016
Spare the rod EDITOR, The Tribune. “TOGETHER we create gardens of possibility in the parched earth. If we grow the babies up right, they just might redeem us all.” Imani Perry, professor of African American Studies, Princeton University. The artist proudly showed off photographs of his latest creation: a life-sized sculpture of Pompey, the leader of the 1830 slave rebellion on Exuma, replete with scars from brutal whippings on his back. Less than an hour later: a conversation with an adorable, smartly dressed,uniformed four year old who, among other things, is sharing a moving story of being beaten by her teacher for not having memorized lines. One could write a welldocumented book tracing the legacy of cruel and unusual punishment for even the most minor infractions in Bahamian society: from the horrors of chattel slavery that ended more than 175 years ago to officially sanctioned corporal punishment exacted on children by those charged with instilling in them both a joy of learning and enduring values designed to ensure the future of our country. However, that is not my goal. My hope is simply to ask the reader to seriously consider our sanctioning of antiquated, even barbaric, disciplinary policies in our schools, especially ones that serve only to help perpetuate a culture of violence in The Bahamas. What will it take to not only outlaw corporal punishment, but also to put in place more humane, clinically sound methods of
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net disciplining our children, methods which recognize their humanity and protect their rights? We must stop dehumanising the innocent and imbuing them with values that run counter to those held dear by modern, civilised nations. As you weigh the above, consider the following: First, in 1989, the Bahamas officially became one of 193 signatories to principles outlined in the 1959 UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Among other things, the Declaration states that “The child shall enjoy special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and by other means, to enable him [and her] to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. In the enactment of laws for this purpose, the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration.” The Declaration further states that “for the full and harmonious development” of their personalities, children need “love and understanding,” and notes that they shall be given an education which promotes their “general culture” and provides opportunities for them to develop their “abilities...individual judgment...and sense of moral and social responsibility...to become a useful member[s] of society.” Without doubt, corporal punishment inhibits such human development.
Second, both religious and lay leaders frequently refer to The Bahamas as “a Christian nation”. Given this, it is understandable that Biblical arguments are used to justify the corporal punishment of children. For example, Proverbs 23:1315 states, “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol [Hell].” However, to those for whom this admonition makes sense, remember, too, that the Bible states, in 1 Peter 2:18, “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel” and, in Ephesians 6:5, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” Think about it. Think carefully about it. We are a 21st century nation, one in the process of crafting Vision 2040, a 25year national development plan. As we move forward, each citizen’s humanity must be honoured. In particular, the rights of the young and innocent must be safeguarded and our children our most treasured resource must be treated with the love and dignity they deserve. As the Preamble to the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) states: “[hu]mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” SPARINDAROD DONSPERLDACHILE Nassau, July 8, 2016.
Missing cash EDITOR, The Tribune. What will cause the Attorney General or the Prime Minister to simply say look this is enough we have to have urgent and in depth audits of all revenue generating departments and anyone found questionable must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Road Traffic - $40m, Post Office - can’t remember how many millions, COB - millions even here under prosecution for some. BAMSI - the building contract Carnival Festival - multi-
million overspend and no accounts, two years! Real Property - uncollected $400m owing. Don’t pay, discounts offered. BTC - millions owed, BEC/BP&L - million owed, NIB - simple NIB monthly payment overdue. BOB - a total mess, Passport Office - total mess, everyone knows July is vacation month. NAD/LPIA - seems a lot of unpaid bills here, fees going up. Editor - you are looking at hundreds of millions owed, unpaid or lost to stealing and seemingly Cae-
sar, the Prime Minister, sits quiet, undisturbed obviously unconcerned....clearly disillusioned! Can you imagine Hon Jerome Fitzgerald as Deputy PM after what he seems to have orchestrated with the Rubis scandal? An apparent and to me an incredible level of total disregard to the health and well-being of his Marathon constituents and look at his arrogance? Education still at D-grade! W THOMPSON Nassau, July 7, 2016.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, July 12, 2016, PAGE 5
PM: Trust fund for inmates who work in construction while in jail By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie hinted on Friday that the government will establish a trust fund for inmates of the Department of Correctional Services who participate in construction and other service programmes, enabling them to collect money to assist in their reintegration into society after leaving prison. His statement came as he, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and others celebrated Urban Renewal’s completion of a 1,300 square-foot home on Alexandria Boulevard in Nassau Village. Thirty inmates spent four months constructing the home for Cynthia Hanna and her seven children after the government decided to improve on the dilapidated structure in which she once lived. Dr Nottage, who took intimate interest in seeing the project complete, sometimes visiting the area twice weekly, said he nearly cried when Assistant Police Su-
PRIME Minister Perry Christie addressing the crowd in Nassau Village at the new home presentation ceremony. perintendent Kirk Douglas down home in which Ms of the Nassau Village police Hanna once lived. station took him to the area With her children, Ms and showed him the run- Hanna was placed in an
apartment in Nassau Village while her new home was being constructed. The home was built at no cost to the government, Dr Nottage said, as labour was provided by the inmates of the Department of Correctional Services and the materials for the structure were donated. The Christie administration has prioritised rehabilitating prisoners, teaming up, for instance, with the Inter-American Development Bank to implement a parole system, which has not yet been introduced. Last month, the Parole and Re-entry Steering Committee (PRSC) donated three 32-inch flat screen televisions to the Department of Correctional Services to assist with rehabilitation efforts and to help reduce recidivism. Friday’s ceremony marking the completion of the home is the most significant milestone for the programme Dr Nottage has called “Inmates Industries”. Mr Christie said: “What you have demonstrated to me that is that if (you)
have the capacity to (construct this home), then the government ought to be in a position, given the great need in housing that exists, given the fact that today we have houses under contract, to be able to identify a number of opportunities for young men like these here; create a trust fund for them where the monies that will be paid for the construction of the homes will be put in trust for them, so whenever they are released they have access to start off their reintegration. What it does is it puts under government watch and supervision a process that will cause the gentlemen, as they build and construct for people who will live in the homes, to know there’s an end game, there’s an end result for them. That, to me, properly done, will also enable them to have some of that to assist them with whatever you can assist people in confinement with.” Mr Christie said the programme will enable inmates to have a new beginning. He said: “Dr Nottage, I would expect therefore for you to cause these gen-
tlemen to virtually incorporate a company, call it whatever you wish … and have them be seen with doing this kind of work in the Bahamas.” Dr Nottage said one of Ms Hanna’s children, Adria, had received among the best Bahamas Junior Certification (BJC) examination results in the country. Elaborating on Mr Christie’s references to a company, he said: “We’re going to have a construction company before next year.” “The intention is really to form companies which are owned by the correctional centre, primarily to find jobs for people after they’ve been released from prison,” he told The Tribune. “So we have a number of programmes going on in the prison now so that when they leave prison they have somewhere to go, some finances to start them off and they have a job if they wish. I’m tired of people who fall foul of the law losing all their rights,” he added. Asked about her new home, Ms Hanna said: “God is good all the time.”
30-YEAR SENTENCE CALL BY BUTLER-TURNER CRITICISED from page one
discretion and that’s where the biggest problem will arise. All murders are not the same.” During the launch of her campaign for leader of the Free National Movement last Wednesday, Mrs Butler-Turner outlined her plans for a new Bahamas. One idea to crack down on crime was tougher sentences for convicted murderers. According to Mr Johnson, judges must maintain the ability to weigh the circumstances of all crimes.
He said unique factors in each crime, even murders, allow judges to identify the mitigating circumstances of a case and rule accordingly. “I know the saying states that a murderer is a murderer, but as it relates to the judiciary, the loss of a life as the result of the actions of someone, that can take on a number of classifications. For us to say that the premeditated murder of man is the same as murder perpetrated through negligence or some accidental means is for us to generalise our judicial system.” “I want to say this in the
purest sense, I think the response to crime is as much political as it is social, economics, educational. None of these measures can resolve crime unto themselves, but politicians have forced crime into the political arena and away from the others,” he stated. Mr Johnson reiterated statements he made to The Tribune last September when he called for a collective effort from various groups in society to tackle the country’s issues. In response to comments by Minister of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage,
who criticised the judicial system for the country’s crime problem, Mr Johnson said last year: “When you hear people start to play the blame game, it means they are devoid of the innovative mind-set to bring solutions to crime.” He told The Tribune on Friday: “Governments are now struggling to enact policies because we only see it as a political matter. We have to admit that beyond those enacted policies, the education, economic and social platforms must follow suit.” Mr Johnson said politi-
cians should shift their focus away from the punishing of criminal behaviour and toward the remediation of the root causes of crime and the infrastructural deficiencies of the judiciary. “Courts, the buildings and systems can use so much work. We can work to resolve that. Judge selection, selection of Queen’s counsels; those are matters the judiciary and the legislature and the executive can come together on,” he said. “I respect (the) civic leaders we have in this country, but at the same time we all must play our roles and fig-
ure out how best all of us can come together to ensure the best running of this country. This isn’t a shot at anyone in particular, this is a simple call for them to work towards a bottom up approach and away from this top down approach.” “When you listen to our judges, our police and scores of other sectors in our society there are countless points being made on how best to improve this country. The politicians should heed those inputs and steer the development of this country in a more decentralised manner.”
AIR CONDITIONING FAILURE FORCES CLOSURE OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OFFICES By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
OFFICIALS at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) announced the closure of their Thompson Boulevard offices on Friday due to the continued malfunctioning of the building’s air-conditioning units.
In statement, ministry officials said “active measures” were being taken to address the situation. On Thursday, The Tribune reported that the airconditioning units at the three-story complex had been out of service for roughly three weeks, forcing officials to implement four-hour work shifts to
offset the arduous conditions. That report indicated that several employees from the Ministry of Education as well the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, a sub-tenant of the building, had to vacate the building around 11am on Wednesday to escape rising temperatures inside.
On Friday, officials confirmed that parts have been purchased to repair the units and are expected to arrive in New Providence next week. “Once the parts have arrived, the air conditioning technicians will work expeditiously to restore the units. Given the increased heat index outside, it is undoubtedly having an impact
on the temperature within the building. The wellbeing of our staff and the public is our first priority,” the statement said. The Thompson Boulevard office complex is owned and operated by the National Insurance Board (NIB). As rental terms for most NIB buildings, the corporation is responsible for repairs and upkeep.
The Ministry of Education confirmed earlier last week that it had been in contact with NIB to resolve the matter.
PAGE 6, Tuesday, July 12, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
Passport Office delays likely to continue until January By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said the backlog at the Passport Office is expected to continue until January when a new system and passport is introduced. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Mitchell said new updated 50-page passports, with improved security features, will be rolled out in 2017 along with an updated system and a shorter wait time for the documents. At the end of June, Mr Mitchell said the Passport Office is experiencing the “summer from hell” as he announced delays of more than 12 weeks for epassports. He said the Passport Office has been plagued with a series of issues including power failure, air-conditioning failure and equipment breakdowns. At the time, Mr Mitchell said even if the public pays the $200 price for expedited passports, there is no guarantee the documents will be ready on the specified date. He pleaded for “patience” as the government attempts to fix the outstanding issues at the department. “We will install new machines and significantly upgrade the current Passport Office,” Mr Mitchell said on Monday. “The new passports will have new features included updated paper,
technology and security features. “The number of pages will increase. The technology is old now at the Passport Office, it dates back to 2008 and we all know technology and software increases everyday, so it is long overdue. What we expect is that the roll out in January will put a substantial dent in the time for collecting passports.” Mr Mitchell also said he was “confused” that only a handful of Bahamians were taking advantage of the alternative measures the government put in place to ease the wait time at the Passport Office. “We moved collection of passports from the Thompson Boulevard office to another location and no one is using it,” Mr Mitchell said. “People complain and we make these arraignments and no one is taking advantage of it. I don’t understand it but we are going to continue with the services. They are going to move the collection of passports to BCPOU for a couple of weeks and then in an area in the east (of New Providence) but for right now, the wait for the passports is the same.” Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs implemented a new $200 fee for people who require passports within 48 hours on an emergency basis. The announcement came as the Passport Office continued to grapple with a backlog of 6,500 applications. The regular fee for passport renewal is $50.
FRED MITCHELL, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration
MITCHELL: NO FALLOUT FROM THE US OVER MINISTRY’S TRAVEL ADVISORY
from page one
“Do not be confrontational, and cooperate. Do not get involved in political or other demonstrations under any circumstances and avoid crowds.” Yesterday, Mr Mitchell denied that the advisory was “politically motived” as was suggested in a news report on CNN, an American cable news network, on Saturday. “There is no basis for this allegation,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The notice is quite clear in its terms. It means no more or less than what it says. “The travel advisory is directed at Bahamian citizens who are in the United States or plan to travel there soon, that given recent tragic events, we caution our citizens to exercise good judgment, awareness, and respect for US laws and law enforcement officials. This notification is similar to others we have issued in the past and is part of our duty and legal obligation we have to our citizens. It
is also similar to advisories that other countries have issued when necessary.” The advisory was picked up by several international media outlets, with some calling the warning “rare”. Online magazine slate. com urged persons to “ignore” the travel advisory because it is “more dangerous in The Bahamas than in the United States”. The article claimed that “on average, a Bahamian who leaves his country to travel to the United States would decrease his chances
of being murdered”. The article also compared The Bahamas’ murder rate to cities in the United States and said the murder rate in this country “is approximately ten times the murder rate of New York City and of the United States as a whole.” “A nod should also be given to the fact that The Bahamas warning is, to some degree, simply common sense,” the article said. “But just as warnings of ‘stranger danger’ or advice to look out for domestic ter-
rorists have some degree of common sense, they also greatly exaggerate threats and to some degree distract us from more acute problems. Therefore, if we want to be accurate, statistical, and factual, it should be noted that Bahamians are not imperiling their safety by travelling to the US. They’re probably enhancing it, however minutely.” When asked for comment on the article, Mr Mitchell dismissed it as nonsense. Two other countries have also warned their citizens
travelling to the US to be careful in view of the incidents, according to international reports. On Sunday, the Huffington Post reported that Bahrain, a tiny Middle Eastern island nation, on Saturday urged citizens via Twitter to “be cautious of protests or crowded areas occurring around the US”. The United Arab Emirates also warned students and citizens in the US to be careful, “aware of their immediate surroundings and avoid crowded places when possible”.
ROLLINS WANTS INQUIRY INTO BAHA MAR
from page one
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Dr Rollins also claimed that the estimated cost to fix “construction deficiencies” in the stalled project have allegedly skyrocketed to $1.8 billion dollars. He also claimed that he was told that a recent site inspection of Baha Mar by an insurer concluded that the property is “presently uninsurable” and has become a $3.2 billion liability. In a statement, Dr Rollins said Mr Christie has been “irresponsible in creating false perceptions” and encouraging Bahamians to have unrealistic expectations regarding the opening of Baha Mar, when the project will “neither be cheap nor a quick fix.” “I am reliably informed that a recent site inspection of Baha Mar by an insurer, as a precondition to insuring the property, revealed some alarming findings. These findings caused the insurer to conclude that the $3.2 billion asset is presently uninsurable. In effect, due to construction deficiencies, in its present state the property has been assessed to be a $3.2 billion liability,” Dr Rollins claimed.
His statement did not include evidence to substantiate this. “I am further advised that the repair costs to remediate the construction deficiencies may be as high as $1.8 billion and not the previously estimated figure of $600m provided by Prime Minister Christie. Given this information, the question must be asked: To what extent is this project even redeemable? These reports of severe construction deficiencies once again begs the question why the government chose to take sides in a private dispute between the developer and the contractor involving allegations by the developer of non-performance by the contractor? Why did the Christie administration strenuously object to the developer’s efforts to seek legitimate recourse via US bankruptcy protection proceedings that it could not access via our local Bahamian courts due to the absence of any suitable Bahamian bankruptcy laws?” Dr Rollins said the Christie administration’s role in this matter has been “both irresponsible and irrational” and the Bahamian people deserve a complete and transparent disclosure of all
of the facts. He said a new FNM administration must launch a Commission of Inquiry into the Baha Mar project “as a means of uncovering the absolute truth and rebuilding our nation’s reputational integrity.” Last month, Mr Christie revealed that two firms, one with ties to Bahamian investors, have been shortlisted as the court-appointed receivers of the project move closer to deciding which entity will acquire the West Bay Street development. However, he said the final decision is solely at the discretion of receiver managers who were in Beijing, China at the time negotiating a contract to remobilise and complete the project as soon as possible. Mr Christie said China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) along with the resort’s general contractor China Construction America (CCA), its subsidiary, were also participating in the talks. He did not name the two shortlisted groups, but said neither involved developer Sarkis Izmirlian. Baha Mar was initially expected to open in December 2014. The property is currently in receivership.
THE TRIBUNE
PM ‘delusional’ over response to Moody’s By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net LONG Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner chastised Prime Minister Perry Christie on Friday for his “delusional and incoherent” response to the threat of possible downgrade by rating agency Moody’s. Emphasising critical economic challenges, Mrs Butler-Turner accused Mr Christie of deflecting responsibility for the “spectacular blunders and policy mistakes which have wrecked our economy”. “Despite the economic mess we are in,” she said, “mostly because of the disastrous leadership of Christie and the PLP, the prime minister continues to live in a bubble and in a world of make-believe and fantasy.” Mrs Butler-Turner said: “The prime minister and minister of finance says he will meet with officials of Moody’s and provide them with good information, presumably to help them in assessing the state of the economy and his government’s plans to boost a stagnant economy and reduce unemployment.” Mrs Butler-Turner questioned whether Mr Christie had previously withheld information from the public and international financial agencies. “If Mr Christie is in possession of certain critical information
why didn’t he share it previously in order to forestall a possible downgrade warning to junk status by Moody’s?” she said. “Has he been trying to fool both domestic and international audiences? If so, he’s playing a dangerous game.” Moody’s pointed out more than a week ago that “debt accumulation” has continued to increase, with the government consistently failing to hit its budget projections, and the adequacy and effectiveness of its policy responses to the Bahamas’ problems. Moody’s warned that any potential downgrade could be “by one notch or more.” The country currently has a ‘Baa2’ rating, two notches away from being cut to so-called “junk” status - a position in which it will lose its existing investment grade status. Mrs Butler-Turner said: “Any attempt other than to be fully transparent with international credit agencies and financial institutions would do further damage to the economy. Perhaps Christie has no new information or any significant information which will forestall a downgrade. Perhaps he’s simply playing games. “The prime minister cannot use charm and sweet talk to fool international agencies which require facts and real plans, rather than pie-in-the-sky talk and delusional thinking by a government whose credibility continues to be downgraded day-by-day.”
Tuesday, July 12, 2016, PAGE 7
LORETTA BUTLER-TURNER
EIGHT HELD AS GUNS FOUND AT RESORT
EIGHT people - four men and four women - have been arrested after a police raid at a West Bay Street resort on Saturday morning uncovered guns and ammunition. Officers from the Selective Enforcement Team conducted a search of three rooms at the small resort on West Bay Street, where they found two pistols along with 34 live rounds of ammunition. Four male and four female occupants of the rooms were taken into custody and are expected to appear in court this week. Police also reported that an American man from New Hampshire was taken into custody for possession of ammunition on Friday at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA). According to reports, shortly after noon, the man was returning to the US when United States Customs and Border Protection officials detained him at the US Customs and Immigration Pre-Clearance Departure Lounge at LPIA after eight live rounds of ammunition were found in his luggage. The man was handed over to police and is expected to appear in court early this week. Police in New Providence are also searching for two males responsible for an armed robbery on West Bay Street early Saturday. Reports are that shortly after 2am, two men with a handgun robbed a small resort on West Bay Street of cash before fleeing on foot.
‘BRING THE DATE OF PLP CONVENTION FORWARD’
from page one
Mr Miller said he fears PLP members are complacent in the face of the Free National Movement (FNM) leadership fight that has grabbed headlines and that brought hundreds of FNM supporters out last week to separate events in a show of support for their preferred leader between Dr Hubert Minnis and Loretta ButlerTurner. “I think many politicians who just reach believe that because of the infighting in the opposition, this makes it easier for the PLP,” he said. “It would be a drastic mistake for anyone to make. Bahamians don’t vote for the opposition. They vote against governments.” The need for an earlier convention, Mr Miller said, is highlighted by the fact that the governing party is disconnected from everyday Bahamians amid persistent crime and high rates of poverty and unemployment. “Bahamians are funny people, they want to be able to feel you,” the former minister of trade and industry said. “People are saying from time to time they don’t feel the government. Baha Mar has been such a drag on the psyche of the average Bahamian, for
instance. If that could get back on track, that would take the burden off the government.” For his part, Mr Smith, a former member of Parliament for Exuma, said an early convention would show the PLP is in touch with the grassroots. “The FNM is going through their convention later this month,” he said. “I’m not a believer in a party copying another but I do believe the PLP should have a convention earlier than November. There is no doubt that the Prime Minister is going through a rough period in terms of government performance. “There are challenges, challenges that I hope the government overcomes. But the fact is, since we haven’t had a convention since 2009, it’s questionable whether the present holders of the office in the PLP have positions that are constitutional. “We need to look to try to embrace new, vibrant candidates and to re-examine every candidacy particularly in areas where we know the incumbent has problems. We should make a noble effort to try to make sure that the candidates have the aptitude, motive, conviction and intelligence to be able to address the
problems facing the Bahamas.” Mr Smith said he hopes changes take place at the next PLP convention. For instance, he said he hopes someone replaces PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts. “I hope that a new chairman will emerge,” he said. “I have nothing against the incumbent but I hope for a chairman who is more conciliatory, more a soft-sell and one particularly capable of embracing people will emerge.” However, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe disagrees, telling The Tribune yesterday that not only would a September convention pose logistical challenges given that students go back to school then, but the PLP’s constitution mandates that a convention be held in October or November. Mr Wilchcombe - who has expressed his willingness to challenge for the leadership of the PLP if Prime Minister Perry Christie chooses not to said the party should follow the precepts of its constitution when it comes to the issue of convention. “I take grave exception to the fact that we haven’t had convention for a while,” Mr Wilchcombe said, noting the PLP’s constitution calls
‘PETTY’ MINNIS BLASTED BY CASH from page one
“It is a classic Hubert Minnis move. I am aware that he has in fact removed two other persons whom he appointed to the Executive Committee, specifically for the purpose of adding a few more votes at convention.” He added: “For a leader who won by a substantial margin in the last (convention), this latest ... act is the act of a desperate person who is determined to cling to power by any means necessary. It is a mark of a small minded and petty person, never mind that last week Wednesday he was preaching about party unity. “I am glad he is taking this kind of action and that he has publicly announced his intention to do so to his campaign team. His small mindedness and vindictiveness are now being revealed to the wider FNM membership. It is the main reason why the FNM is so fractured today. He wants no one around him who opposes his views.” Mr Cash also noted that the last time former Prime
Minister Hubert Ingraham spoke publicly, it was to express his disappointment that Dr Minnis did not appoint Dr Duane Sands to the Senate earlier, despite the former FNM leader’s recommendations to do so over the past four years. “Petty, spiteful and vindictive will be the words that remain to describe Hubert Minnis long after he is gone from FNM politics,” Mr Cash added. The allegations are the latest to emerge from the FNM, a party that has been dogged with infighting and tension over the past few years, with some dissatisfied with Dr Minnis’ leadership. An early convention date was set after six out of 10 FNM members of Parliament threatened to have Dr Minnis removed as leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament by way of a petition to Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling. The November convention was pushed up to July 27-29. Last Wednesday, Dr Minnis and his rival, Long Island MP Loretta ButlerTurner, both launched
their campaigns at separate events. While Dr Minnis had the largest crowd, Mrs Butler-Turner had the most support from present and former FNM parliamentarians and senators. Speaking to reporters after her event, former FNM Leader Tommy Turnquest said he does not believe Dr Hubert Minnis has the “leadership ability” or the “personality” to defeat the current administration in the next general election. Mr Turnquest, who has endorsed Mrs Butler-Turner and her running mate for deputy Dr Sands, also said Dr Minnis has underutilised the talent in the FNM and he is unable to deal with “free thinking people.” However Dr Minnis has received staunch support from others like former FNM Cabinet minister Tennyson Wells and Maurice Moore, considered by some to be one of the FNM’s founding fathers. Last week, Mr Moore said he is frightened by the idea of Mrs Butler-Turner and Dr Sands leading this country, saying the two are inexperienced.
for a convention to be held every year. “We must always respect the articles in the constitution. That’s how you send the right messages. We must return to a constitution that works. Furthermore, September would be a period of time for back to school. How will delegates
get back to the capital? We would want delegates from all over the country and that’s a slow period all over the world because of that factor.” Initially, the convention was planned for November 2015 but was rescheduled for April 2016 because of the devastation left by Hur-
ricane Joaquin in the Family Islands and recovery efforts, which were underway at the time. The April date was then rescheduled until later this year to give attention to the June referendum on gender equality. The last PLP convention was held in 2009.
PAGE 8, Tuesday, July 12, 2016
See the realities at a time of patriotic pride
THE TRIBUNE
O
NE week ago today, I was getting ready to go and celebrate US independence in America with Americans. In all my years in college, I had never done it. I was anxious and excited – anxious, mostly because I don’t like crowds and there was already an estimated turnout of over a hundred thousand people … one quarter of the Bahamian population. But it was easy to get over that anxiety, and the headache that came with the heat, as soon as I saw the numbers of people flocking to celebrate, sprawled all over the place, lying on hot concrete, sitting wherever they could, pitching tents, bean bags, sleeping bags, folding chairs. There was excitement in the air but it wasn’t just the kind you get when you’re having regular fun. I could feel the pride of the people around me. And I found myself a little envious of the fact that I had left my country, in which I’ve lost almost all pride, to make that same country better from another country where the people were brimming with pride. The last week hasn’t been reflective of that pride, with all the racial hatred and tension brimming across the country. It’s almost as if we have lost 50 years of progress in US race relations … somewhat akin to the 40 years of progress lost in The Bahamas, perhaps for different reasons. Or are the reasons the same? I stood as one person in the crowd of hundreds of thousands and observed how, in spite of its troubles, America can still pull off a celebration of independence with such grace and fanfare. Children, obvi-
THE BAHAMAS 43rd Independence Day Celebration held at Clifford Park. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff myself. But I’m still angry, do this, maybe Bahamians grace is quite a distance because I feel like I’ve been will have more empathy from the start. yanked out from the place towards you which would Here’s a tip: the greatof my oldest and deepest translate into more sup- est reflection of your sucattachment just to save my- port at the polls in 2017. cess in your 40-plus years self and my people. In time, But never you mind: why of political life, of your it will be clearer to me and should I tell you how best governments, past and By NICOLE BURROWS to you exactly how that will to get re-elected because, present, and unfortunately work, but for now, in this as a general rule now, Ba- of the nation called The ously of recent immigrant physically there? And while moment of US patriotism, hamians have no interest Bahamas, would be in the origin, now with faces the water accumulates in I am embittered by my loss in Progressive Liberal Par- number of further educatpainted in red, white and my eyes, and the fireworks of Bahamian ty or Chris- ed young women and men blue, dressed in the same go off to the sound of very patriotism, at ‘Mr Christie, tie leader- who are trained in many colours, singing their new appropriate US anthem least in theoship going different professions, everyone wishes for national anthem from their songs of every genre, I start ry. I want so forward. white collar or any other, bellies. It was utterly mov- to feel anger. much to be better all around, You say: whom you are able to sucing; I wanted to cry. I wouldn’t be here if I of a country I but you highlight “It is un- cessfully lure back to The Why do I feel this con- didn’t think my being here can feel proud deniable Bahamas. only the platitudes tagious pride of an Ameri- would make it better for about, and that over I’m referring to those can in America but I can’t my people in any small or I wish that and the fairytale, the past 43 higher educated individumuster any pride in the Ba- big way. And I made a con- country could never touching on years, our als for whom your govhamas, whether or not I’m scious decision to uproot be the one of nation and ernment, now and then, the real, negative my birth, but its people has provided boundless right now it realities Bahamians have made opportunities with no reisn’t and it’s face every day. great strides striction on their ability to not shaping Would it hurt you towards be- acquire business or perup to look as coming a sonal resources without though it will to say something more pros- going through somebody’s be. perous and back door. If two thirds of honest? At least And then on occasion? Can socially just your young people never comes Prime society for come back, that means Minister Per- you identify your all.” Firstly, they can do better elsery Christie failings, if only two are ‘the na- where and what you have with his in- of 2,000 of them?’ tion’ and for them is not yet good dependence ‘its people’ enough, not progressive day message not one in enough … an environfor Bahamians. He says: the same? Secondly, could ment, essentially, that dis“The passage of time has you please enumerate these courages and challenges in no way dampened the great strides? Because what competition with brute sensations of patriotism we’re seeing in our non-al- retaliation and hostility, and national pride that we, ternate universe is that The discourages innovation as Bahamians, always feel Bahamas is broke and get- by producing a low qualeach year as July 10 draws ting broker by the second, ity education … and this near …” and immediately with a contracting economy environment is nothing to I think he should fire his and no viable economic im- be proud of or deem a sucspeechwriter. I’m not sure provement options for the cess by any stretch of what which bubble he’s living future. appears to be very elastic in, but Bahamian patriotI think that polish on imagination. ism is deeply dampened your crystal ball is workMr Prime Minister, the … wounded, disabled ing too well, because you people live the truth of even. As a speechwriter, I see beyond the realm of their circumstances. If a am aware of the colourful possibility. You can’t wish majority among them find language required to mo- away a failing economy or life to be severely probtivate listeners, but it’s all all the social ills that come lematic for Bahamians stale and empty rhetoric with it. And a socially just in The Bahamas, it probnow. You see, when you’ve society? I need only refer- ably is and they probably been forced to be cynical to ence one shameful social aren’t lying. Believe them. cope with reality, it almost sickness that is crushing You’ll be insulted less doesn’t matter what good our development: every if you do … at least aca politician thinks he’s do- other day there is some knowledge it. ing. headline about some man But to be plain with raping some young girl you, it makes no differr Christie, the or boy, with little punish- ence how kind people are people just don’t ment for ruining these to one another every day see what you children’s lives … the very if none of them have work see or what you want us to same children who grow or food and constantly believe you see. I am not up mentally disturbed and rely on others to provide convinced that you yourself wreak havoc on the nation their basic human needs, believe in the content of as they act out their early or go without them, bethe speeches and messages abuses. cause their government, you deliver or if you fight You say: “There is so their leaders, didn’t into convince yourself every much in the form of meas- clude them in a human time you give one, but peo- urable, impactful contribu- improvement plan. ple tend to be persuaded tions to nation-building” When part of a judge’s by what they find sincere. and “these accomplish- ruling is that we won’t punThese words you send us on ments have covered a wide ish a thief too much because every official occasion are and diverse swath of effort he’s already humiliated void of reality. Everyone and high achievement in enough by the outcome of wishes for better all around, so many areas of national the mere disclosure of his but you highlight only the life”. You list the areas thieving, we have nothplatitudes and the fairy tale, of accomplishment, but ing to be proud of … it’s never touching on the real, you don’t say what exactly just a sample of the larger negative realities Bahami- those accomplishments trough of problems that ans face every day. Would are. Where is the evidence have crushed any hope of it hurt you to say something of this ‘everything is going real independence in The honest? At least on occa- good’ speech? Bahamas. Oh, were everysion? Can you identify your Perhaps the most con- one who committed a crime failings, if only two of 2,000 founding part of this in The Bahamas so fortuof them? message is that you think nate to be spared embarBecause, regardless of we have come so far up, rassment by their own acts, whether you tell us they when we think we have many of which would never exist, we are very aware come so far down. In come to light were it not and can see them, and are your words, “even the because of someone else’s only more annoyed that most cynical and jaded of information, insistence and you think smooth rhetoric critics must concede how investigation. will help you to coast over far we have come in such the real life we all live on a remarkably short time”. Comments to nburrows@ this side of fortune. If you I suppose a fall from tribunemedia.net
M
THE TRIBUNE
PRESS CLUB SEEKS YOUNGER MEMBERS BAHAMAS Press Club President Anthony Newbold highlighted the challenges of fund raising and attracting members at the club;s annual meeting last month at the British Colonial Hilton. “An increase in the number of media persons participating in the activities of the Press Club is crucial,” he said. “Of more importance is the involvement of the younger members of the profession.” Mr Newbold said the club’s highlight in the pre-
vious year had been the inaugural Pioneer Awards, at which leaders in the profession were recognised for their development and contribution to journalism and mass communications in the country. For the first time, Mr Newbold said, members of the local media were honoured “and rewarded for their exemplary work and dedication, in this instance, some of the pioneers of the industry”. Recognised were Eileen Carron, publisher and Edi-
tior of The Tribune, with the lifetime achievement award, and Wendall Jones (Love 97/Bahama Journal/JCN Television); Kenneth Francis (The Nassau Guardian); Henry Saunders (More 94 FM); Silbert Mills (Radio Abaco); Anthony Ferguson (Guardian Radio); and ZNS Radio/ Television. Mr Newbold said another of the club’s achievement was the establishment of a Code of Ethics to guide media professionals in the execution of their duties. He
also addressed the state of the nation and the critical need to have the Freedom of Information Act enacted, the issue of crime and the concern that the Baha Mar Resort remains closed and its estimated 2,000 staffers out of work. Bahamas Press Club Executives returned to office and elected unopposed were Mr Newbold, President; Anthony Capron, First Vice President; Lindsay Thompson, Secretary; and Vincent Vaughan, Treasurer.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016, PAGE 9
THE BAHAMAS Press Club executives returned to office: Anthony Newbold, President; Lindsay Thompson, Secretary; Vincent Vaughan, Treasurer; and Anthony Capron, First Vice President. Photo: Letisha Henderson
Spreading the word on tackling hunger
PHILIP Smith (right), executive director of The Bahamas National Feeding Network (BNFN), and Rev Henry Knowles, of Wesley Methodist Church on Harbour Island.
HAILED for its sand beaches, Harbour Island is a mecca for snorkellers, divers and fishermen but like many islands in The Bahamas, the popular tourist destination is no stranger to the issue of hunger. Bahamas National Feeding Network (BNFN) executive director Philip Smith went to Harbour Island recently to meet with Rev Henry Knowles, senior pastor of Wesley Methodist Church. Mr Smith said it is important for him to be in touch with the people who are helping the BNGN get food to the people who need it most. “It’s an absolute honour for me to be able to meet with anyone who is doing so much for their community,” he said. In the nearly three years since BNFN has distributed food and funding to feeding centres throughout The Bahamas, the programme has donated more than $350,000 to its partners around the country. Once the capital of the country, Harbour Island is 60 miles from New Provi-
dence, but access to resources can sometimes be scarce, a scenario common among the Family Islands. While this group represents only 13 per cent of the total population, its poverty rate is significantly higher (17.2 per cent) than in New Providence (12.4 per cent) and Grand Bahama (9.4 per cent) “Poverty rates are on the rise leaving children in the Family Islands, in particular, even more vulnerable to experiencing hunger,” said Mr Smith. “Because of this, BNFN recently expanded its reach by partnering with 20 organisations in Grand Bahama, Andros, Eleuthera and Abaco, bringing its grand total of NGO partners to 110. If we want to eradicate hunger in The Bahamas, the Family Islands must be a part of that.” He added that it’s not only access to resources that is contributing to the escalating hunger issue in The Bahamas, but dwindling natural resources as well. “While most people recognise that the world is fac-
ing a future of water shortages, not everyone fully grasps that this could also mean a future of food shortages. We’re trying to do everything we can to raise funds and awareness today so that we’re prepared for any eventuality the future may bring.” Rev Knowles said: “Working with Mr Smith and the Bahamas National Feeding Network has been a true blessing. This donation will go a long way
toward helping folks, both inside and outside of our parish, who struggle every day just to provide basic nutrition to their families.” The BNFN is a non-profit organisation launched in December, 2013, that acts as a hub for distributing food to feeding centers throughout the country. For more information or to make a donation, visit www. bahamasfeedingnetwork. org.
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PAGE 10, Tuesday, July 12, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
A celebration of
Independence
IRA Storr and the Spank Band performing during independence celebrations. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
54 CUBANS DETAINED IN GRAND BAHAMA BY IMMIGRATION OFFICERS By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
FIFTY FOUR Cuban migrants were taken into custody by Immigration officials in Grand Bahama in three separate incidents over three days this week, a Freeport immigration official has told The Tribune.
On July 3, 13 migrants – 10 men and three women – were discovered at Old Bahama Bay, West End. The group reportedly left their homeland on May 29 in the hope of reaching Florida, but instead landed at West End, 55 miles short of the Florida coast. According to Immigration officer Napthali Coop-
er, authorities went to West End and took the migrants into custody and transported them to the West End Police Station. The migrants told officers that they left Cuba on May 29. They were taken to Immigration Headquarters for further processing and flown to New Providence where they will be housed
at the Detention Centre to await repatriation. A second group of 34 migrants was brought to Grand Bahama on July 4 after they were intercepted at sea by the US Coast Guard (USCG) in the Cay Sal Bank area in four separate incidents. The US Cutter Robert Yared arrived at Freeport
Harbour around noon with 32 men and two women, who were discovered onboard rustic vessels that were reportedly headed to Florida. They were turned over to Bahamian Immigration authorities. Mr Cooper reported that one of the females is known to Bahamas Immigration officers and was in their custody three weeks ago. “This is the third time she has been intercepted at sea by the USCG and handed over to us and subsequently sent to Nassau to the Detention Centre and repatriated to Cuba,” he said. The group was flown to New Providence on board two Pineapple charters. Mr Cooper also reported that a third group was brought to Freeport on July 5 by the USCG. He said the USCG cutter Robert Yard called at Freeport Harbour around 8am with six Cuban migrants who were discovered stranded on a Cay in the Cay Sal Bank area. The men - who appeared to be in good health - claimed that they left Cuba for Florida 14 days ago on board a rustic vessel. However, two days after leaving Cuba their vessel became disabled and they were forced to take refuge on a cay, where they survived eating land crabs and birds until being taken into custody by the USCG. The group was turned over to Bahamian authorities at the harbour and transported to Immigration headquarters for processing. They were flown to New Providence, where they will be detained at the Detention Centre for repatriation. Many migrants leaving Cuba pass through the Bahamas on their journey to make it to America. If they make it past the Coast Guard. Once their feet touched land, they are allowed to remain in the US and would qualify for expedited “legal permanent resi-
dent” status and eventually US citizenship. There have been many interdictions in the last few months at Cay Sal Bank, just south of Florida and a little north of Cuba. USCG cutters patrol the area and all interdictions are turned over to Immigration authorities in Freeport. During a recent interview, Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell noted that Cubans are intent on reaching the US and will not stop. He noted that they are also now entering the US through Mexico. According to the Center for Immigration Studies website, over the last couple of months, thousands of Cuban migrants were transferred from Central America to Mexico. And once at the US-Mexico border, under the current interpretation of the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) and the “wet foot, dry foot” policy that grows out of it, Cubans without visas are waved into the United States and are given legal status and full access to welfare programmes. It was reported that the number of new arrivals annually nearly doubled from 2014 to 2015, and is roughly six times higher now than it was in 2009, which marked the most recent low point. According to a table entitled ‘US Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Visa-Less Cuban Aliens FY 2004- FY 2015’, it was reported that, in 2016, a total 25,806 Cuban migrants had crossed the US-Mexico border and other US land ports of entry, to take advantage of the CAA and is not a new trend. Last October, the Cuban government announced that it would no longer require the much-maligned exit visa for anyone wishing to travel abroad. All a Cuban citizen will need is a passport and a visa for the country he plans to visit. This new Cuban policy took effect on January 14.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, July 12, 2016, PAGE 11
CLIFTON Park was the centrepiece on Saturday night as The Bahamas celebrated 43 years of independence. Musicians and performers took the stage, while Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling was present for the ceremony and the raising of the Bahamian flag. Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
PAGE 12, Tuesday, July 12, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
Jamaica’s CARICOM Review Commission - understanding the elephant
J
AMAICA’S CARICOM Review Commission has been established and has had its first meeting, even if its purpose and the prism through which the review will take place is not clear. But the work of the Commission, headed by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding and comprised of some of the leading lights of Jamaican business, has to be taken seriously. Its final report could have immediate and long-term consequences for Jamaica and the rest of the 15-member CARICOM group. In this connection, the Review Commission would be well-advised to ensure that it takes evidence from, and listens to, a broad cross-section of knowledgeable views from within Jamaica and the wider CARICOM area or it could reach inadequate conclusions. The atmosphere in which the Commission has been established and has started its work is unfortunate. There is a prevailing popular belief in Jamaica that Jamaicans travelling in the Caribbean are subjected to discrimination; that Jamaican businesses are disadvantaged in CARICOM markets; and that Trinidad and Tobago particularly enjoys an unfair advantage in the Jamaican market. Rational examination of these issues, rooted in hard information, might present a less jaded perspective. For instance, many Jamaicans travel weekly throughout CARICOM countries; the majority of them experience no difficulty, but the few who encounter problems gain the most publicity. It is also a fact that hundreds of Jamaicans have migrated to other smaller Caribbean
World View
structive critics. I agree with the statement made by Mr Golding at the first meeting of the Review Commission that “CARICOM has problems”. Chief among those is the long delay in completing arrangements for the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) in which all countries, including Jamaica, are culpable. Whatever consideration the Jamaica Review Commission gives to the CSM, CARICOM countries collectively should undertake a comprehensive analysis of the Single Market with a view to implementing measures to make it fully operational.
elephant is like a pillar; the one who felt the tail said the elephant is like a rope; the one who felt the trunk said the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who felt the ear said the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who felt the belly says the elephant By SIR RONALD SANDERS is like a wall; and the one who felt the tusk says the countries; many of them for concessional financelephant is like a solid pipe. have become residents and ing from the international They then compare their citizens. On the trade side, financial institutions, the findings and learn that they Jamaica is the third largest collective effort to get symare in complete disagreeexporter of goods to CARI- pathetic and effective acment. COM after Trinidad and tion on debt rescheduling The point of the story is Tobago and Suriname, and and write-offs, the co-opthat each man was correct it does so without difficulty erative approach to Climate in his assessment based on for the most part. Change and for securing the information that he proTrinidad and Tobago’s adequate and timely fundcessed, but all were wrong significant share of the Ja- ing for mitigation and adapbecause they did not take maican market is replicated tation, the curin every other CARICOM rent combined ‘Chief among CARICOM’s problems is the account of the full body country largely because of effort to address of facts. The its oil and gas production, the challenges long delay in completing arrangements elephant is the benefits of which spread posed to the fi- for the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) the sum of throughout its productive nancial services in which all countries, including its parts, sector, including manufac- sector of the not any of turing. Indeed, more than ‘de-risking’ pos- Jamaica, are culpable. CARICOM its parts by 60 per cent of Jamaica’s an- ture of major countries collectively should undertake themselves. nual CARICOM imports banks in the US a comprehensive analysis of the Single So, too is comes from Trinidad and that are cutting CARICOM. Tobago, but even if Jamaica off vital corre- Market with a view to implementing Any constopped importing from spondent bank- measures to make it fully operational.’ structive and that CARICOM partner, it ing relations meaningful would be spending the same with Jamaica The time for talking and review must take account of sum of money to replace and other CARICOM delaying has long since the organisation in its widthese imports from else- countries, a wide array of where. Nonetheless, given collaboration in regional passed; further delays will est and deepest context. The referendum vote in its dominance in the CARI- institutions, such as the only serve to create frustrathe United Kingdom which tion and disenchantment COM market because of oil Caribbean Development led to a 52 per cent majoramong the business comsubsidies to industry, Trini- Bank (CDB), that provide ity vote to leave the Eumunity and the public at dad and Tobago should give resources for social and ropean Union (EU) has the national level. serious consideration to a economic development. While Mr Golding is no meaningful parallels fund from which Caribbean Foreign Ministers and countries could borrow on diplomats in the service of right that “CARICOM in CARICOM. The EU is very concessional terms. Jamaica on the internation- has problems” the Review a much deeper economic In the larger picture, al stage would also testify Commission should ensure union with delegated auCARICOM brings other to the remarkable utility of that its work is not mired thority to a Commission to benefits to Jamaica, as it shared concerns and com- in the self-interest of a make rules than is CARIdoes to all other member mon action in advancing few. It should remind itself COM. The issues of imstates. The strong alliance the interest of Jamaica and of the story from the In- migration and an alleged dian subcontinent in which drain on the British Health with other CARICOM CARICOM as a whole. countries on crucial issues None of this is to say six blind men were asked services by foreigners do that confront Jamaica in that CARICOM is a per- to determine what an el- not apply in CARICOM, the international commu- fect organisation; it is not. ephant looked like by feel- and CARICOM is not a nity are invaluable; among I am among its strongest ing different parts of the huge behemoth dictating these are the joint struggle supporters, but I am also elephant’s body. The blind policy to Jamaica or makfor broader-based criteria among its strongest con- man who felt a leg said the ing incursions into its politi-
cal autonomy. As for trade and other disputes between member states on the terms of the CARICOM arrangement, the Caribbean Court of Justice in its original jurisdiction (of which Jamaica is a member) has an admirable track record of arbitrating such disputes the Shanique Myrie case is a significant example. The means for settling disputes is in place and working. All CARICOM countries should welcome Mr Golding’s Review Commission and the institutions of CARICOM, including the CARICOM Secretariat, the CDB, the University of the West Indies, the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce and the Caribbean Trade Union Congress should all provide it with knowledgeable evidence. If ‘Brexit’ should have taught us one thing in the Caribbean, it is that institutional means were confounded by political propaganda and downright lies. In the absence of truth and adequate information, 52 per cent of the British people voted for calamity and those who either led the campaign of misinformation or did little to advance the real facts are now scattered like dust in the wind. Sir Ronald Sanders is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com.
THE WOMAN WHO WILL BECOME BRITAIN’S NEXT PRIME MINISTER LONDON Associated Press
AFTER all of the flamboyant characters and very public backstabbing in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, the winner turned out to be an understated workhorse who maintained a low profile throughout the campaign. Home Secretary Theresa May, 59, is not well-known internationally, but she has served for six years in one of Britain’s toughest jobs, playing an important role
in counter-terrorism policy, and will now take charge of delicate negotiations to separate Britain from the European Union. She was less visible — and less talked-about as a likely future prime minister — than Treasury Chief George Osborne and former London Mayor Boris Johnson, but she proved to be the stealth candidate, outmaneuvering both in the intense competition to follow Cameron at 10 Downing Street. During the EU referen-
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dum campaign, Osborne was passionate about remaining in the EU, and lost his leadership hopes when voters turned the other way. Johnson led the campaign to take Britain out of the EU, but never formally entered the leadership race because of dwindling support among his party’s lawmakers. By contrast, May stayed largely out of the referendum fray. She tepidly backed remaining in the EU in a single speech, then remained largely out of sight as the behemoths of the Conservative Party — including Cameron and Justice Secretary Michael Gove — did each other in. “We do have this remarkable situation in British politics now where the people who led a fantastically successful campaign that got 17 million people to vote to leave the European Union have all but disappeared,” said Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics at King’s College London. May’s triumph is no surprise to colleagues who say she is cool and calm under pressure. She has grown in confidence and stature after six years in the limelight, projecting authority in front of TV cameras that once made her nervous. She is not flashy, does not call attention to herself, and had seemed content with her public role as a loyal Cam-
BRITAIN’s Theresa May is applauded by Conservative Party members of parliament outside the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday. eron backer. There is no doubt she has her critics. Conservative Party elder statesman Kenneth Clarke last week called her a “bloody difficult woman” in an unguarded moment when he didn’t know he was being filmed. Others praise her openminded approach. Lynne Featherstone, a Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords who played a key role in winning support for same-sex marriage in Britain, said May at first opposed the measure but eventually helped make it the law of the land. “Theresa May changed her view and by time I authored same sex marriage law — she backed me all the way — unsung hero,” Featherstone tweeted
Monday. May has long seemed aware that the Conservative Party is saddled with an elitist, out-of-touch image. Serving as party chairwoman in 2002, she warned that the Conservatives had become known as “the nasty party” and needed to change their ways and broaden their appeal. In her brief, successful leadership campaign, she took a more populist stance somewhat at odds with her “law and order” image. She emphasised the need for more equal opportunity and fairness within Britain. “Right now, if you’re born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others,” she said. “If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the crimi-
nal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately. If you’re a woman, you still earn less than a man.” As home secretary, May has earned a reputation as a reliable, even-tempered minister who capably ran a sprawling department responsible for counter-terrorism policy, policing, immigration, border control and drug policy. She was criticised at times for problems with border staffing but generally got high marks from politicians and the media while taking a hard line on national security matters and calling for easier deportation of extremists. She took steps to limit the “stop and search” powers of police — seen as unfair to young minority men — and used her position to criticise police and firefighting departments for lacking diversity. At the same time, she has spoken out about unchecked immigration into Britain, stating that current levels are too high. Day One will be Wednesday, when she is expected to visit Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace before assuming her new role.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, July 12, 2016, PAGE 13
NEW MAPLE SAUSAGE BREAKFAST SANDWICH COMBO Wake up to the sweet taste of maple.
Rushing for
Independence
BAY Street was the scene for an independence rushout over the weekend, with young and old alike joining in the parade, full of colour and music. Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff
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