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College shuts amid legal row Sojourner-Douglass caught up in US affiliation problems By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net SOJOURNER-Douglass College’s Bahamas campus has shut down its “academic operations” for the rest of the year, it’s executive director saying campus officials are in talks with another “American institution for affiliation” to have the campus reopened as soon as possible. Theresa Moxey-Ingraham, executive director of the East Bay Street satellite campus, told The Tribune that the school has closed for effectively the entire fall semester and will not resume “until the beginning
of the new year”. The Tribune understands that Sojourner-Douglass (Bahamas) will not conduct another semester until the new institution, reportedly Bethune-Cookman University (BCU), takes over. Mrs Moxey-Ingraham did not give a reason for the campus’ closure, saying she was not at liberty to disclose such information amidst the ongoing negotiations. However, international reports have suggested that the issue stems from the revocation of SojournerDouglass’ main campus’ accreditation as a result of financial issues. SEE PAGE SIX
PAIR JAILED FOR 18 YEARS FOR ROLES IN TRIPLE KILLING By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
TWO men were sentenced to 18 years in prison yesterday for their roles in the fatal shooting that claimed three lives, including a pregnant woman due to give birth to her son, five years ago. Shawn Knowles, 43, and Timothy Saunders, 36, reappeared in the Supreme Court yesterday before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs for the completion of the trial on July 30, 2011,
into the deaths of Edward Braynen, Chackara Rahming and Erica Ward. Probation reports, which had been requested by the court for consideration, were exhibited at a prior hearing on July 26 and evidence was given on the findings by probation officers from the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services. Senior Justice Isaacs yesterday said: “As the jury convicted on the strength of the statements taken from SEE PAGE SIX
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MEDICS WERE ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY NHI TABLING By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
QUESTIONING the “government’s commitment to consultation and transparency,” United Healthcare Reform Alliance, a coalition of medical and insurance stakeholder groups, claimed yesterday that it was “blindsided” by the government’s tabling of its landmark National Health Insurance Bill in the House of Assembly on Wednesday. SEE PAGE SEVEN
Ready to rock Rio
THE BAHAMIAN swim and rowing team, along with chef de mission Roy Colebrooke and BOC president Wellington Miller at the flag raising ceremony for the BTC Bahamas Team in the Games Village in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. See Sports for more.
FORBES, SMITH AND MILLER RATIFIED AS PLP GETS ‘WAR READY’ FOR ELECTION By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
THE Progressive Liberal Party last evening moved one step closer to its “war ready” mantra, as the party announced the ratification of three incumbent candidates on Thursday evening. In front of a packed hall of supporters, Prime Minis-
ter Perry Christie formally announced that Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller, Nassau Village MP and House Deputy Speaker Dion “Dynamite” Smith and Mount Moriah MP Arnold Forbes will all seek re-election for the PLP in the 2017 general election. According to the Prime Minister, the PLP, the party he described as that “of the
GRANT DENIES PRESSURE ON HIM TO QUIT POSITION By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant was adamant yesterday that he was not pressured to step down from the post of Leader of Opposition Business and the Free National Movement’s shadow Works Minister, saying his decision was completely “of my own accord”. Mr Grant, the day after
he resigned at Parliament, spoke to The Tribune and rejected reports that he was ordered to leave both posts by executives of the FNM to ensure they were vacant to be placed on the table for future negotiations. “There was absolutely no pressure whatsoever. It was a decision that I made on my own, off of my own accord,” Mr Grant told The Tribune yesterday. SEE PAGE NINE
people”; has to work “tirelessly in the coming months to prove to the voters that its work is not yet done”. To resounding applause, Mr Christie asserted that he and his colleagues had already bought into a belief coined on the party’s 2012 campaign trial; “no retreat, no surrender.” The Right Honourable Member for Centreville de-
scribed each of the three as key cogs to the party election machinery; a system he went on to suggest was vital to introducing democracy to the country and one that must remain instrumental in maintaining it. Arnold Forbes, the first of the three candidates to be ushered in to the hall, SEE PAGE FIVE
TURNQUEST REJECTS CLAIM OF RACE ISSUE IN CAMPAIGN POST-CONVENTION fallout continued for the Free National Movement yesterday as Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest clashed with former chairman Darron Cash over the latter’s claims that leader Dr Hubert Minnis ran a raciallydivisive campaign. Mr Cash made the claim as a guest on radio talk show Let’s Talk Live with Carlton Smith. “We heard it in the adver-
tisements,” Mr Cash said, “we heard it in the platform speeches, we heard it from Dr Minnis’ surrogates. This idea that the white people supporting Loretta [ButlerTurner] is something that is so grotesquely a violation of the core principle of the FNM that I think it is going to do damage to Dr Minnis and his reputation and potentially even the FNM.” SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Friday, August 5, 2016
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Winner praises God as she wins new car HELENA Neilly is ecstatic as her key unlocks a new Hyundai Accent, top prize in the Wendy’s, Coca-Cola and Automall summer promotion on Saturday. ECSTATIC and overjoyed, Helena Neilly “gave praises to God for the blessings bestowed upon her” as her key opened the door of
a new 2016 Hyundai Accent as the winner of the Wendy’s, Coca-Cola and Automall summer promotion on Saturday.
Ms Neilly, who recently retired from the public service, had bought her lucky ticket within minutes of the “Upgrade my ride n’cash
promotion beginning at the Wendy’s Thompson Boulevard location. She said her strategy was to enter as many times as possible to increase her chances of winning the competiton, which rewarded Wendy’s customers upgrading their combos to a large with the chance to enter to win cash and a brand new Hyundai Accent. On Saturday, at the Wendy’s Mall at Marathon outlet, Ms Neilly, was the fourth of seven car finalists to step forward and try her key in the door of the Hyundai. Ironically, she had been experiencing troubles with her old 1997 car that day and her face lit up as the key turned to unlock the door of her new prize. It was her first-ever win in a Wendy’s/Coca-Cola promotion. During the three hour grand finale, customers had the chance to upgrade their combos, and become the final, fast-tracked car finalist. The event featured a live radio remote and family fun day, a spin the Coca-Cola Prize Wheel and giveaways including t-shirts, bags, tumblers and notebooks. In addition to Ms Neilly claiming the car, 42 Wendy’s customers across Nassau and Freeport won over $5,000 in instant cash from the popular “Cash-Grab Wind Tunnel” sponsored by Cash N’ Go. Children were treated to free face painting and a bouncing castle The finalists in the car giveaway were Perry King, Leoubin Augustin, Ewan Wells, Melita Evans, Jade Moss and Perron Adderley.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 5, 2016, PAGE 3
‘Barefoot Bandit’ expects early release from prison By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net AFTER six years in state prison, legal counsel for Colton Harris-Moore, the infamous serial thief better known as “The Barefoot Bandit”, is anticipating an early release. According to international reports, Harris-Moore’s attorney John Henry Browne confirmed that he could be released from Stafford Creek Corrections Centre to a halfway house as early as this week. Upon release, Mr Browne said the 25-year-old Washington state native will be given a clerical job and answer telephones at his law office at Pioneer Square, Seattle. According to The Seattle Times, Mr Browne said he and Harris-Moore agreed years ago that the latter would work part-time at his law firm at Pioneer Square, Seattle, while looking for a full-time job and eventually going to school. Harris-Moore’s formal early release date is listed as January 17. “He’ll be looking for fulltime work and will eventually be going to school,” Mr Browne reportedly told the Seattle Times on Wednesday. Harris-Moore, who is reportedly serving a sixyear sentence, earned the nickname “The Barefoot Bandit” for stealing cars, boats and planes during a two-year crime spree in the northern United States, during which time he left chalk drawings of his bare feet at 39 crime scenes, along with the word “C’ya.” His ability to constantly elude law enforcement further added to the folklore surrounding his alias. But his crime spree came to an end in 2010, after a $620,000 single-engine Cessna Corvalis 400 plane he allegedly stole from Monroe County Airport in Bloomington, Indiana, crash-landed in marshes near Sandy Point, Abaco.
‘BAREFOOT BANDIT’ Colton Harris-Moore, above, and, right, after his detention in The Bahamas. He was later captured and arrested without incident by Bahamian police after leading authorities on a brief boat chase in waters leading to Whale Point, Eleuthera. Prior to his capture, it was alleged that HarrisMoore broke into several stores and homes in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, before stealing the boat and heading to Eleuthera. According to local reports at the time, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said than the then 19 year old would be arraigned in a Bahamian
court, facing numerous charges for the alleged crimes he committed in the Bahamas. However, despite those declarations of Commissioner Greenslade, HarrisMoore was only charged with illegal landing and fined $300 on July 13. He was then deported to the United States, where he was later reportedly sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison by a federal judge. Nonetheless, by the time he was captured, and possibly well before, HarrisMoore and his daring exploits, though criminal in
nature, had attracted both local and international attention. Bahamian music artist “Puzzle” has since come out with a song called “The Barefoot Bandit,” a song about Harris-Moore’s exploits and subsequent capture in the Bahamas. Additionally, HarrisMoore has reportedly sold the movie rights to his life story to 21st Century Fox for $1m. However, that fee was reportedly to pay restitution he owed for damage to stolen cars, planes, amongst other things as a result of his crimes.
THIRD SUSPECT ACCUSED OVER INVASION OF DR DAVID ALLEM’S HOME By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
A THIRD suspect was arraigned in Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon in connection with the recent home invasion and gunpoint robbery of a well known psychiatrist. Trevor Bethel, 20, was flanked by armed policemen and escorted into the
Nassau and South Streets complex to stand before Magistrate Constance Delancy on charges of housebreaking, armed robbery and receiving. It is alleged that he, along with Leonard O’Brien, 19, and Wilson Lacroix, 20, broke into Dr David Allen’s West Bay Street home around 6.30am on July 26. Dr Allen’s daughter and
grandchildren were also at home during the invasion, however no one was physically harmed. It is alleged that they, with a handgun, robbed Dr Allen of a $1,500 gold Cuban link chain, a $200 gold Seiko watch and a 32-inch TV set valued at $250. The men are also accused of robbing Marie Allen Caroll of $100 cash, an American passport, a Land
wallet that contained bank cards, her Bahamian driver’s license, a PlayStation 4 gaming console and assorted games worth $650, and $1,200 Mac Book Pro laptop and two jewellery boxes that contained $300 worth of assorted jewellery. Concerning the lesser charge of receiving, it is alleged that the stolen jewellery boxes were found in
BAIL GRANTED TO SUSPECT ACCUSED OF MURDER By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN awaiting trial on a murder charge was granted bail in the Supreme Court yesterday. Axanthio Thompson, 28, appeared before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs for a bail application that was argued by his lawyer Wayne Munroe, QC. Thompson awaits prosecution concerning the November, 2014, murder of Loren
Jermaine Rolle, who was shot and killed in front of a home in Yellow Elder Gardens. Thompson, who maintains his innocence, had applied for bail before initial trial judge Justice Bernard Turner in September, 2015. However, the court had rejected the application on the grounds that there had been no unreasonable delay in his case that was to be heard on May 23, 2016. Mr Munroe yesterday said that his client’s case did not commence on that
date and has since been adjourned to October, 2017, nearly three years after his initial arraignment in connection with the matter. The veteran attorney said there was no danger or concern for his client interfering with witnesses in the case as the Crown was only relying on one whose identity has been sealed by the courts. Ambrose Armbrister, objecting to the application on behalf of the Crown, said there had been no material change in circumstance to
MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER AND ROBBERY By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
A 25-YEAR-OLD Eight Mile Rock man was charged with murder and armed robbery in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Sheldon Bodie, a resident of Pinedale, appeared before Magistrate Debbye Ferguson in connection with the murder of 21-yearold Dexter Bellamy on May 28. He was also charged with three counts of armed robbery.
Bodie pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded to the Department of Correctional Services until October 10, when a preliminary inquiry will be held. In a separate matter, the accused was also charged with assault with a deadly instrument. He pleaded not guilty and the matter was also adjourned to October 10 for trial. Bodie was then taken to court two, where he appeared before Magistrate Charlton Smith to answer to firearm and ammuni-
tion possession charges. He pleaded not guilty and the matter was adjourned to October 11 for trial.
warrant the grant of bail. He also said that the new trial date fell within the 36 months range set by the amended Bail Act for what range constitutes trial within a reasonable time. Senior Justice Isaacs said he would exercise his discretion to grant bail in the sum of $20,000 with a suretor. In addition to reporting to the Airport Police Station twice a week, Thompson also will be electronically monitored, a condition to which he did not object.
their possession. As O’Brien and Lacroix were told a week ago, Bethel was informed that the matter would be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court for trial when he returns to court on August 30. Magistrate Constance Delancy said Bethel would only be allowed to enter a plea to the allegations when he is formally arraigned before a Supreme Court
judge. In the interim, she added, he will join his alleged accomplices on remand at the Department of Correctional Services without bail. However, Bethel was informed of his right to apply for a bond to the higher court if he desired pre-trial release. Bethel has retained attorney Bernard Ferguson to defend him.
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PAGE 4, Friday, August 5, 2016
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Trump conflict overshadows attacks on Clinton’s foreign policy PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Donald Trump’s warning that the November election might be rigged is “ridiculous,” President Barack Obama declared on Thursday, wading deeper into the 2016 campaign. Anxious Republicans, meanwhile, struggled to move attention from their own infighting to Democratic foe Hillary Clinton. The feud between the GOP’s presidential nominee and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan again overshadowed Trump’s Clinton criticism, underscoring the rising concerns from party leaders over the New York billionaire’s unorthodox candidacy and its impact on the future of the party. Facing sinking poll numbers and campaign morale, Trump has questioned the integrity of the nation’s election system in recent days. “I never heard of somebody complaining about being cheated before the game is over,” Obama said during a Thursday press conference. “My suggestion would be: Go out there and try to win the election.” Trump, meanwhile, refused for another day to endorse Ryan, his party’s top elected official. The Republican speaker has declared his support for Trump, but he said such endorsements aren’t “blank cheques” and pledged to speak out against the businessman’s divisive positions if necessary. Most recently, that means Trump’s sustained criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, US Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq. “I don’t like doing this,” Ryan told a Wisconsin radio station. “I don’t want to do this, but I will do this because I feel I have to in order to defend Republicans, and our principles, so that people don’t make the mistake of thinking we think like that.” Campaign chairman Paul Manafort insisted Trump would work with Ryan if elected, but he conceded the endorsement question had sparked tension inside Trump’s New York campaign headquarters. The day before, vice presidential nominee Mike Pence broke with Trump and endorsed Ryan. A Pence spokesman on Thursday issued a blanket endorsement for all Republican congressional incumbents seeking re-election, even as Trump withheld endorsements for Arizona Sen. John McCain and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte as well as Ryan. Addressing Maine voters later in the day, Trump was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, including some who were ejected after waving copies of the US Constitution in the air — a reminder of Trump’s criticism of Khan’s father, who waved his own copy of the Constitution as he criticised Trump at last week’s Demo-
cratic National Convention. The businessman directed his own criticism at Clinton on Thursday, while briefly addressing the tension with Ryan. He said he had given Pence permission to endorse the speaker the day before. “I say, ‘Mike, you like him? Yes. Go ahead and do it, 100 percent,’” Trump recalled of his conversation, interrupting his audience when they began to boo Ryan. “Paul Ryan’s a good guy, actually,” he said. As the infighting continued, Trump and his allies lashed out at the Democratic presidential nominee’s foreign policy record. Specifically, they contended that Clinton was responsible for negotiations that led to a $400 million US payment to Iran earlier in the year. Trump and some other Republicans have described the money as ransom payment for four Americans detained in Iran days before the money was delivered. “It’s so sad, so disgusting,” Trump said of the payment. At his news conference, Obama strongly rejected the idea of a ransom. “This wasn’t some nefarious deal,” he said of a payment that was part of a decades-old dispute over a failed military equipment deal. As Trump used the issue to assail Clinton, he faced new questions about his description of a video he suggested was taken by Iranian forces removing bags of money from a plane. Several senior US officials involved in the Iran negotiations said they weren’t aware of any such video. A campaign spokeswoman acknowledged that the video in question was unrelated footage Trump watched on television. Yet the Republican candidate cited it again during his Maine appearance, insisting that the Iranian government released the footage to “embarrass our country”. At the same time, Clinton criticised Trump for outsourcing at his companies the very jobs he’s promising to create back home. “Everything he’s made he’s made somewhere else,” she said as she toured a Las Vegas electric manufacturer Thursday afternoon. “I’ve met people who were destroyed by Donald Trump, so take a look at what he’s done, not what he says.” Trump’s missteps have caused widening ripples of anxiety among Republican officials with the election just three months away. Concerned congressional Republicans are asking about Trump “hourly and daily,” said Rep Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a leading Trump emissary on Capitol Hill. By Steve Peoples and Jill Colvin of the Associated Press
Wrong to apologise EDITOR, The Tribune THE haste with which Mr Richard Lightbourn retracted his statements regarding ‘tubal ligations’ was unwarranted and so are the attempts to eviscerate him in the media. It is clear to me that his detractors completely missed the premise of his statements. Who among those championing ‘women’s rights’ would deny that there are responsibilities associated with those and all ‘rights’? It is those dalliances with
multiple partners producing multiple neglected children in households that can ill afford them that was the focus of Mr Lightbourn’s argument, if I am not mistaken. Giving a person who considers themselves an adult ‘rights’ does not make them responsible. The state constantly takes away certain ‘rights’ of individuals when laws are violated. The seeds of criminality are sown in homes where children are neglected and abused emotionally and not provided for materially.
Virtues cannot be inculcated into impressionable children by adults who have none. It is these consequences of sexual irresponsibillity that may need the states ‘guidance’. Mr Lightbourn should not have apologised for his remarks, in my opinion, but should have used the uproar created to draw attention to the real and vexing problem of social decay caused by sexually irresponsible adults.
ment its services as an Independent Practice Association (IPA) to administrate parts of the government’s NHI proposed scheme. Really? Be transparent and disclose the Partners in the Partnership of Healthcare Providers. Perhaps if we were more astounded by the statement that there is at least a
$100m wastage in the public system, and we demand accountability and transparency, we would stop the cycle of sins that these “learned” men continue to try to perpetrate against this country and its people. Shame!
JOHN BOWMAN Nassau, August 4, 20126
Only in The Bahamas! EDITOR, The Tribune. THE audacity of the cronies in our Bahamas is astounding! Only in the Bahamas would a leading physician in the Ministry of Health in conjunction with some politicians have the audacity to be a partner in a physician group which has presented a proposal to provide the govern-
SMH TINKER Nassau
A chance to clarify privilege RE: THIS RULING IS LONG OVERDUE EDITOR, The Tribune. The recent landmark ruling by Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles against Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald for leaking private emails in the House of Assembly sounds so familiar. It mirrors the screaming from the Republicans against Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton about her using her private server to allegedly send and receive classified emails. . The FBI spelled out the seriousness about the emails, but while he stopped short of indicting her, he stressed how serious it was. Since time immemorial, cowards in the House of Assembly used what they perceived to be an “above the law” privilege to be able to call anyones name, whether true of false without any recourse. They cowardly talked about innocent people who otherwise had no way of defending themselves. No one challenged them because we all thought that nothing
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net could be done. MPs use the “bully pulpit” to malign and impugn anyones character with the full approval of all MPs. No political party is immune from these criticisms. One would wonder, where is the line drawn between the MP destroying a person’s character and proper and just renumeration for the unassuming victim. Some MPs believe that they can hide under the gown tail of the parliament to launch their vicious attacks. I wondered who would put a stop to this. I often ask, who is looking out for the weak, when the politically powerful can do whatever they wish without any repercussion whatsoever. What kind of country is this? Too much advantage has already been taken. This is epic! We have turned the corner where the bulldozer is making an attempt to levelling the playing field. I am sure there will some hard rock to break up, but the tractor must continue grading the
ground. Not all politicians are guilty of actually saying it, but those who pretend to have high morality, cannot object to “all men are created equal!” Where is the golden rule? Both parties are guilty either by commission or omission. The fact that the powerful and politically connected can do what they wish and nothing happens and the ordinary people are picked up for trivial matters and made to suffer are some of the reasons why there is such a serious rebellion on the streets right now. We could bury our heads in the sand all we wish and pretend that none of the things mentioned above does not exist, the harvest that we will reap will be very sour. We have an opportunity to begin to make some correction now. A word to the wise is sufficient. My fear of God, strengthens me. IVOINE W. INGRAHAM Nassau, August 14, 2016.
Responsible parenting EDITOR, The Tribune NOW THAT we have accepted that women are free to have as many children as they wish or they can bear, and we have excoriated the hapless Richard Lightbourn for his unwise, unfortunate and offensive remarks at the FNM Convention last week, perhaps we can use some of that passion positively to effect change to a problem which we have been ignoring for decades - responsible parenting.
I suggest that we take the opportunity while the topic is fresh on our minds to consider several aspects of this problem including: 1. Finding a way to censure men who spread their seed indiscriminately and then ignore the fruit of their loins. 2. Giving consideration to having stiffer penalties for fathers who do not maintain their children and ignore maintenance orders from the courts. 3. Being more diligent in prosecuting more men who
impregnate underaged girls (in this connection facilitators should also be included). 4. Giving consideration to a less humiliating and more effective way for mothers to enforce maintenance orders. 5. Having judges experienced and knowledgeable in family law hearing family matters. JEANNE I THOMPSON Nassau, August 4, 2016.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 5, 2016, PAGE 5
FROM left, Arnold Forbes, Leslie Miller and Dion Smith at last night’s ratification meeting, to announce their candidacy in the next election.
Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Forbes, Smith and Miller ratified as PLP gets ‘war ready’ for election from page one declared that under his tenure Mount Moriah had grown to be one of the premier constituencies in The Bahamas. Touting the establishment of the Mount Moriah institute, Mr Forbes stated that his efforts in the community ensured that hundreds of residents were able to improve their job skills and subsequently secure employment opportunities. He claimed that many of his detractors would argue that his tenure as MP has resulted with a dismal record. However, firing back at those assertions, Mr Forbes challenged those doubters to walk the streets of his constituency and listen to the stories of those residents. Mr Forbes, in addition to his representation of Mount Moriah, serves as Minister of State for Works and Urban Development. Prior to that post, Mr Forbes served as Executive
Chairman of the Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), a corporation he said, through “pure will and strength took from the ashes to one of the best government managed facilities” throughout The Bahamas. The current executive chairman of BAIC, Dion Smith was the second candidate ratified last evening. Mr Smith, one of those candidates touted as a new generational leader in the build-up to the 2012 general election, last night insisted that he was “more than prepared” to contest the Nassau Village constituency once more. He explained that duty entrusted to him by the voters in the area is not completed, vowing that once the election bell is rung he will deliver the Nassau Village area back to victory column for the Progressive Liberal Party. He said: “Mr Prime Minister, as you can see, me and my people are ready to work. And we are ready now. Our marching orders
are still no retreat, no surrender. We have come too far to turn back now, too far to get weary, too far to fade, too far to worry about the naysayers – and we know we have a whole lot of them. But we know, oh too well, that the race is not for the (weak), but for those who can endure to the end.” The final candidate announced last evening, Leslie Miller, spoke very few words. Indicative of the “Potcake” moniker praised by the Prime Minister in his introduction, Mr Miller vowed that he was “ready for the fight”. Reframing the historic views of boxing great Mohamed Ali prior to his ‘Thriller in Manila’ match, Mr Miller took a swipe at all of his challengers In the Tall Pines constituency. He paraphrased: “When you see me in a fight with the bear, don’t pray for me, pray for the bear.” Mr Miller went on to reiterate his love and longstanding commitment to the PLP, stating that he was
there from 1962 and had no plans to leave. To date, the party has ratified seven candidates. The PLP also announced last night that Senator Keith Bell was officially granted the opportunity to campaign in the Carmichael constituency, an area left vacant within the party following the announcement by current MP Dr Daniel Johnson that he would not seek the constituency’s nomination. In addition to Senator Bell, Prime Minister Christie also pointed out the former FNM Grand Bahama candidate, Norris Bain, and former DNA Mount Moriah candidate, Attorney Wayne Munroe, had given the party notice of their intention to seek nominations. However, it wasn’t made clear last evening which constituencies each would seek. The party is now set to move on to Grand Bahama with a view to ratify several candidates on the island within the month.
PLP supporters wearing Straight Outta Nassau Village shirts.
PRIME Minister Perry Christie and fellow party leaders at the event.
NEILLY MAKES NO FIRM COMMITMENT OVER HIS PLANS FOR CANDIDACY IN NEXT ELECTION By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
SOUTH Eleuthera MP Theo Neilly was yesterday noncommittal on whether he will offer himself as a candidate for the Free National Movement in the next general election. He explained that it was too early for him to give any confirmations as he remains in talks with his family and representatives of the constituency association. Asked is he could reveal when he would be ratified as a candidate for the FNM, he said: “No. I will say straight forward that I am going through a process now of meeting with my family and my association
and together we will make a decision on what happens and the way forward. So as it relates to ratification there is a process regardless of what happens. “I know the process of the FNM. Firstly an individual decision has to be made then you go to the association which is the ground and the foundation of the party and they put their recommendation forward on whether the person should be who it should be and who they wish to be the candidate. From there you go to the council, the executive council, the candidates committee before ratification. “So ratification is the last step when we haven’t started the first step. So I
can’t say no ratification regardless of what happens it won’t be immediately.” He continued: “I don’t want to be a dictator and say yes. My family is a different regard but as it relates to the association I don’t know what their feelings and thoughts are. “I don’t want to say without meeting with them and my family is a big factor in that as well so that would be the first step and then go to the association from there and figure out what their thoughts and feelings are.” Mr Neilly was elected in the May 2012 general election with 1,781 votes, defeating the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) candidate at the time Clay Sweeting who secured 1,686 votes.
FORMER DATA COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCES PLAN TO RUN AS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FORMER Data Commissioner Sharmie Farrington-Austin announced yesterday that she intends to run as an independent candidate in the next general election. Under the tagline “For The People in 2017”, Mrs Farrington-Austin issued a short press release that spoke to her active involvement in politics and focus on helping residents in South Andros achieve a better quality of life for the past 25 years. She underscored that her campaign platform will focus on economic diversification, scholarship investments, and community development. “When representation is for the people, they will be-
SHARMIE FARRINGTON-AUSTIN come empowered and have access to their government which will become peoplecentred and people-driven,” she said. “When my young daughter Asia and her generation ask the question, what did you do to make a difference for us, I want the record to
reflect that I answered the call to service and that I stood tall.” Referring to Mrs Farrington-Austin as the “former outspoken Data Commissioner”, the release outlined her academic background: “An Associate’s degree in History and two Bachelors degrees in Public Administration and Law from the University of the West Indies”. The release furthered: “She is an attorney at law. Sharmie has sat under the tutelage of the late Dr. Myles Munroe and has completed studies in Pentecostal Assemblies of the World’s Transformational Leadership programme.” An official launch is scheduled for Sunday.
PAGE 6, Friday, August 5, 2016
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College shuts amid legal row from page one It is also unclear just how many students are affected by the campus’ closure. Nonetheless, Mrs Moxey-Ingraham’s statements coincide with the particulars of a letter purportedly from Sojourner-Douglass (Bahamas) officials to “Bethune-Cookman students” dated August 2, 2016, and obtained by The Tribune. The letter, which revealed that the campus officially closed its doors as of July 29, 2016, for unspecified reasons, advised
students that as SojournerDouglass was not “certain of the exact time BCU will be in place,” adding that the campus would not conduct another semester until the transition was complete. As such, Sojourner-Douglass (Bahamas) suggested that students continue their education at other institutions, if they choose to do so during that “interim period”. The letter informed students that school officials have had conversations with Southern College (Bahamas) and that officials from that institution will “work
arduously” to ensure that their credits are transferred to that college. Additionally, the letter said Southern College’s director of admissions will ensure that students have a “smooth transition” to Southern College should they opt to enrol there. Last month, an article in the Baltimore Sun stated that Sojourner Douglass’ main campus was not scheduling classes for the fall semester because it was engaged in a legal battle to regain its accreditation. According to the article, the Middle States Commission on Higher Educa-
tion (MSCHE) reportedly revoked the school’s accreditation in 2014, citing the school’s financial struggles at the time, and denied SDC’s appeal of the revocation in June of last year. The commission reportedly warned SojournerDouglass in 2011 that it was in danger of losing accreditation because it lacked adequate financial resources. The commission reportedly gave the school three years plus a one-year extension to resolve its challenges. But commission officials reportedly said the finances remained unstable and that college officials had not sat-
isfied the commission’s requirements. Without accreditation, the institution is ineligible to receive the federal funding it needs to stay open, the article said. The article also noted that the decision not to schedule classes for the fall semester (in 2015) would affect roughly all of SDC’s satellite campuses, The Bahamas’ included. When questioned for an answer as to the campus’ closure, Mrs Moxey-Ingraham said: “The academic operations has closed and will not resume until the beginning of the new year. That much I can tell you.
“And I can tell you that we are now in the middle of negotiations with another American institution for affiliation. And that’s about as much as I can say right now because I’m not at liberty to say their name or anything at this time.” Sojourner-Douglass (Bahamas) has been in operation since 1988. The college also has satellite campuses in other areas in Maryland, namely Owings Mills, Lanham, Cambridge, Annapolis and Salisbury. The school is named after two African-American abolitionists - Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass.
PAIR JAILED FOR 18 YEARS FOR ROLES IN TRIPLE KILLING from page one
Knowles and Saunders, which did not indicate different levels of culpability, I am unable to impose different sentences as suggested by counsel for Saunders.” The judge proceeded to sentence Knowles to 18 years in jail for each of the three counts of manslaughter to run concurrently and three years for each count of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition to run concurrently. Knowles’ 18 year sentence was reduced to 17 after receiving credit for time spent on remand awaiting trial. Saunders was also sentenced to 18 years in jail for the killings and his sentenced reduced to 14 for his four years spent on remand prior to trial. “The date of commencement of the sentences is February 23, 2016, the date of conviction” the judge ruled. The Crown alleged that the killings were in retaliation for the July 12, 2011, murders of Kevin Forbes and Alwayne Leslie at a Haitian village off Montgomery Avenue.
Ward was pregnant with the child of Serrano Adderley, the 30-year-old man charged with the deaths of Forbes and Leslie. Knowles is the nephew of Forbes. The victims were asleep in a one-bedroom apartment when an intruder, who the prosecution alleged to be Knowles, forced his way inside by blasting the locks with a shotgun. Once inside, he shot the woman in the head and Braynen in the back using a shotgun. Saunders was outside as the shooting occurred. Four young children inside the apartment were found unharmed by police. Saunders’ lawyer, Lennox Coleby suggested that associates of Leslie committed the murders. Knowles’ lawyer, Romona Farquharson-Seymour, said there was no evidence – fingerprint, footprint impression or DNA – linking Knowles to the scene of the killings. Though the jury’s 8-4 guilty verdict for three counts of murder were not acceptable in law, they found Knowles and Saunders guilty of manslaughter by provocation on the same count.
TIMOTHY SAUNDERS, 36, and Shawn Knowles, 43. The jury also returned a wide” the judge said yesterguilty verdict of 8-4 on the day. “I am obliged to underremaining charges of possession of ammunition and line the circumstances of two counts of possession of the offence as presented by an unlicensed firearm, for the Crown. Even though 25 which Knowles was sepa- witnesses were called for the prosecution, the entire case rately charged. “The latitude which is turned on two statements, afforded the court on sen- the first given by Saunders tencing for manslaughter is that he stood outside the apartment while Knowles went inside to shoot the occupants. Saunders strenuously denied that the statement was made voluntarily. A second statement given by Knowles indicated that two men whom he named, brought two guns which he hid in bushes near his house the day after the incident. He too strenuously denied that the statement was made voluntarily.” Justice Isaacs said: “These statements were put before the jury. The jury rejected medical evidence that both Knowles and Saunders presented with bruises and traces of blood in their urine and accepted these statements as being made voluntarily. The jury also rejected two alibi witnesses for Knowles – his aunt with whom he lived and a stranger who was at his aunt’s gate – both of whom said that the police took him from
Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff inside the house and not ceased. He also noted that in the street as they stated, Knowles did not breach any after he did the firearms of the prison rules and was and ammunition and was described as mannerly and crossing the street to re- cool, even though he had a turn home.” rough upbringing. “The jury also rejected As for Saunders, the evidence of two alibi wit- judge said, from the evinesses for Saunders, both dence accepted in the form of whom placed him at the of his statement, he was Haitian dance at the mate- present at the scene but did rial time.” not shoot anyone according “Given the evidence pre- to his statement. He did not sented, eight jurors were left breach any prison rules and with no reasonable doubt was described as quiet and and were sure Knowles and mannerly. Saunders committed the of“The aggravating factors fences of manslaughter and for both Knowles and Saunthat Knowles committed ders are the seriousness of the firearm offences. the offence which resulted He said: “I have cited the in the deaths of three perevidence above merely as sons, one of whom was part of the overall circum- pregnant.” stances of the offences, as “The injuries were shotthere is no eye witness and gun blasts to the head of no forensic evidence con- both women, and the back necting either defendants of the arm of the man. to the scene of the deaths Knowles has a conviction or to the firearms and am- for manslaughter for which munition and police wit- he was sentenced to 10 years nesses who described the in 2003 (while) Saunders arrested of Knowles for the has convictions for minor firearm offences have been offences in 2001 and 2003.” impugned by Knowles’ alibi Knowles and Saunders witnesses.” can appeal the convictions Senior Justice Isaacs and sentences to the Court said that the mitigating fac- of Appeal. tors for Knowles were that Cordell Frazier, who he was provoked by the prosecuted the case for killings of his uncle and the Crown, can appeal the the attempt to kill him by sentences imposed by the the lover of one of the de- court.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN Follow the Rio Olympics in The Tribune in words and pictures as ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ runs for 17 days in Brazil. Senior Sports Reporter Brent Stubbs – a veteran of six Olympic Games - will follow the fortunes of the Bahamian team on the track and in the field, in the swimming pool and on the rowing lake. Plus a daily guide to what events to watch and when, how the medals table is shaping up and the global highlights of each Olympic day. Get regular updates on the Tribune’s website – tribune242.com – as the world’s best sportsmen and women create golden moments in Brazil.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 5, 2016, PAGE 7
SAVE THE BAYS: IS OUR PRIVACY STILL UNDER THREAT? ENVIRONMENTAL action group Save The Bays (STB) yesterday questioned whether its privacy and personal information were still under threat after Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald claimed that the group had spent nearly $1m on legal fees for their constitutional challenge against him. STB director Fred Smith appealed for Mr Fitzgerald and his colleagues to “cease and desist from seeking to terrorise STB and violate
our rights, merely for the sake of their own narrow political ends”. Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles ruled on Tuesday that Mr Fitzgerald, Marathon MP, infringed on the constitutional rights of Save The Bays’ members when he tabled private emails and discussed financial information allegedly related to the group in the House of Assembly in June. In response to the ruling, the Marathon MP told
The Nassau Guardian that he found it interesting that an environmental group would spend so much money and time in a bid to silence him. “And I know they had to pay their lawyers close to $1m in order to bring this case to where it is,” he said. In his statement yesterday, Mr Smith underscored that Justice Charles’ ruling permanently banned him from further disclosure and publication of any further material belonging to Save
The Bays and that he was ordered to delete all electronic and hard copy material within 14 days. He also pointed out that although the matter was stayed pending appeal, the injunction against disclosure was to be enforced. Mr Smith said: “Clearly, the question arises: are senior members of the government continuing to unlawfully access the private, personal information of STB members and directors in blatant defiance of
the court’s order and despite the clear and present danger that their reckless and unconscionable behaviour has posed to our treasured Financial Services Industry?” “Let me assure Fitzgerald and his colleagues that the world is watching – the international press as well as human rights organizations and the global financial services industry. I ask them to cease and desist from seeking to terrorize STB and violate our
rights, merely for the sake of their own narrow political ends.” Mr Smith said: “After failing to produce a single shred of evidence in their defence during the trial, the government will soon have an opportunity to try and overturn STB’s victory in the Court of Appeal. We welcome the challenge, and urge Fitzgerald et al to try and exercise some patience, restraint and common decency in the meantime.”
Moss calls on ‘patriotic Bahamians’ By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net GREGORY Moss, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), is calling on “all patriotic” Bahamians who want to see the country advance and progress to join the fledgling party. “Your country needs you,” Moss declared in a press statement this week. The MP for Marco City, who resigned as a member of the governing Progressive Liberal Party and formed the UDP party last year in Grand Bahama, said that Bahamians are worse off now than 20 years ago. Although Mr Moss indicated that the UDP intends to contest every seat in the 2017 general election, the party has not yet announced the ratification of any candidates, nor has it held its convention planned for July 31. In a statement released on Monday, the MP said both the PLP and Free National Movement politicians continue to play politics while poor and middle class Bahamians continue to suffer. “These are sad times. But this is also a time for progress,” said Mr Moss. “As Leader of the United Democratic Party, I call upon all patriotic Bahamians who are sick and tired of the politics of corruption, incompetence and impoverishment, and who want to
GREG Moss in the House of Assembly on Wednesday. see our country advance, to ing poor and middle class, come together for the good and to effect freedom of inof our people.” formation legislation which He said: “It is time for us would allow the people to to honestly look within our- bring corrupt politicians to selves to decide the kind of justice. Bahamas that we want for The Grand Bahama MP ourselves, our children, our said the majority of the grandchildren and others politicians, together with and to have the courage to their families, friends and be the change that is neces- cronies, have prospered alsary to bring that Bahamas though they have no visible into being.” sources of income, or have Mr Moss stressed that sources of income which politics continues to take are clearly not sufficient precedence over progress in to account for the wealth the actions of the PLP and which they have accumuthe FNM, adding that both lated. parties have only paid lip He stated that the Baservice to equitable income hamian people are in “detax laws to tax the rich and spair” at the return of the bring tax relief to the work- “business as usual” politics
under successive governments. Pointing to the unpreparedness of the FNM to successfully challenge the PLP in the next general election, and the FNM’s dissatisfactory previous term, Mr Moss said governance of the country is in a “state of despair” at the prospect of another five years of governance with either party. Mr Moss believes that the Democratic National Alliance party is also a disappointment. “It has, sadly, shown itself to be a very small grouping of people who believe that control of a coalition government will fall into their laps by default.” Mr Moss claims that the DNA party is hoping to force a coalition with either one of the two majority political parties, knowing it cannot win the election but hopes to win enough seats to force either the PLP or FNM to form a coalition with them to form the next Government of the Bahamas. Mr Moss also talked about many opportunists who have formed undeclared political parties, masquerading as civic organizations. If elected to office, Mr Moss said the UDP will repeal Value Added Tax, and the Grand Bahama (Port Area) Investment Act, if the Bill is enacted, and will enact laws to protect the country and to empower
the Bahamian people. Mr Moss noted that some $764 million has been stripped from the working poor and the middle class between 2014 and 2016 with implementation of (an FNM drafted and PLP enacted) Valued Added Tax. He said it is projected to take another $2.03 billion from between 2016 and 2019. He said: “The PLP, with the support of the FNM, now wants to enact the Grand Bahama (Port Area) Investment Incentives Bill which will have the effect of giving foreign businesses in Freeport a tax break of at least $2 billion over the next 20 years in return for the Grand Bahama Port Authority and Hutchison Whampoa agreeing to do nothing more than what they are already obligated to do under existing agreements with the Government.” Mr Moss said that what the Government is claiming as a good deal is, in fact, nothing more than a continuation of the same problems that have stagnated Freeport and the rest of Grand Bahama over at least the last 20 years. He noted that since the imposition of a Real Property tax would not have any affect on businesses owned by Americans, Europeans, Canadians and other foreign persons from democratic countries, a real
MEDICS WERE ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY NHI TABLING from page one
Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez had said on Wednesday that the NHI Secretariat engaged all relevant stakeholder groups, seeking their input and comments on the bill. “As a result, this NHIA Bill which is now being presented to the Parliament is a fully informed Bill,” he said. However, the United Healthcare Reform Alliance (UHRA) appeared to disagree with this characterisation of its role in the process. While numerous stakeholder groups were indeed consulted, UHRA suggested the consultation was insufficient. In a statement, the group said the feedback stakeholders gave to the NHI Secretariat was compiled in a report that was released “a mere 17 hours before the landmark legislation was presented in Parliament.” “The move is a latest in a very one sided process,” UHRA said. “The government has a fixed idea of what it wishes to achieve and will not recognize the flaws in the legislation which are obvious to everybody but themselves. “The process moves ahead without proper checks and balances, prudent adherence to counsel offered by qualified local and international healthcare experts, a sound plan for funding the programme, and regulations to ensure proper interpretations of the Bill. “The revised Bill as made available on the NHI Secretariat website hours after it was tabled and the NHI policy has still not been formally shared with stakeholder groups. It is, therefore, possible that the draft legislation still retains technical flaws which, if adopted, would place our country’s ability to provide quality healthcare to its citizens and residents in great-
er jeopardy. “Stakeholders are also now more acutely aware that the government intends that the UHCSAC to act only as a rubber stamp. It is becoming clear that the government has no intention of engaging in a true partnership for the delivery of healthcare to The Bahamas.” The frustration of stakeholder groups over the way the government has pursued NHI has been a persistent feature of the project even though the secretariat has made efforts to address their concerns. The NHI Advisory Council was formed in June by the NHI Secretariat, for instance, to aid the secretariat as it seeks to implement NHI and to assuage concerns that stakeholders were being left out of the process. That council group involves more than a dozen stakeholder groups from UHRA that mainly represent insurance companies and medical professionals. The problem may be that while the secretariat has made strides in enhancing its engagement with stakeholders, it doesn’t have a central role in making the decision on certain key concerns of stakeholder groups since many such issues are decided at the cabinet level. This was underscored by a chart the secretariat published featuring the feedback of stakeholders on the original NHI draft bill and the response of the secretariat. In response to some of the stakeholders’ concerns, the secretariat said the matters were a “policy decision,” meaning they could only be addressed by Cabinet. One of the chief concerns stakeholders have is that the minister responsible for NHI––a still unidentified individual––will have too much power to influence the affairs of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). With respect to the origi-
nal NHI draft bill, the government’s lead consultant, KPMG, shared this view. “The (NHIA) is structured like a traditional government corporation and does not offer any modern transparency measures,” KPMG said about the original bill. “The structure allows for heavy political control, with board appointments, staffing decisions, and other key decisions being ultimately at the direction of the minister. This will create immediate distrust with providers, insurance companies and administers and that the entity will be politically managed. Powers of the minister should be largely removed, except as relates to the establishment of the national healthcare policy with the input of the NHIA.” The Tribune’s review of the newly tabled bill shows that the powers of the minister have been curtailed in some areas but not all. One key area of change relates to audits. Whereas the original bill mandated that an independent auditor be hired by the Authority to conduct annual audits on the approval of the minister, the newly tabled bill does not mandate that the minister have a say in determining who the board selects to be its independent auditor. In fact, compared to the original bill, the newly tabled bill puts greater demands on the Authority to be transparent and accountable in the pursuit of its objectives. Nonetheless, in some other key areas, the minister’s power remains intact compared to the original bill. For instance, against the wishes of stakeholders and the government’s KPMG consultants, the bill gives the minister responsible for NHI the power to approve investments without ensuring that it necessarily subscribes to a policy established by the Board. The bill also grants the minister apparently unilat-
eral power to create regulations for numerous key issues, like the rate and mode of payment of contributions by beneficiaries and employers that are part of the plan, something some fear could become subjected to the political whims of politicians. Damara Dillet, a legal representative for the NHI Secretariat, defended the role of the minister in the NHIA framework, noting that in the Westminster system responsibility for im-
portant matters ultimately lies with the minister. Wednesday’s tabled bill is a landmark moment in the process of realizing one of the Christie Administration’s highest priorities. However, key issues relating to the NHI scheme will remain unknown until regulations are established. For instance, regulations will specify the procedure to follow for people looking to enrol in the scheme and to select administrators and primary care providers.
property tax exemption will not adversely affect businesses owned by them. He explained that “those real property tax breaks will only be a benefit to foreign companies from non-democratic countries, such as the ownership by the communist Chinese in the Freeport Container Port, the Freeport Harbour Company, the Grand Bahama Airport Company, the Grand Lucayan Resort and the Grand Bahama Development Company (which owns the vast majority of all land in Grand Bahama) since they will have to pay those taxes in The Bahamas even where they are not required to pay them in their undemocratic countries.” Mr Moss stressed that the purpose of the Grand Bahama (Port Area) Investment Incentives Bill is to give a tax break to the Chinese and to allow the Chinese to artificially keep the price of land in Freeport beyond the reach of most Bahamians. “They would not have to pay real property taxes on such land and, therefore, would be able to continue to hoard Bahamian land at no cost to them,” he said. “These kinds of things need to be stopped.” Mr Moss said that there is no doubt that the Bill will be enacted under a PLP and FNM government, if elected.
Regulations will specify applicable benefits for different groups of people as well as the “rate and mode for the payment of contributions by beneficiaries and employers.” Regulations will also prescribe the procedure for resolving grievances. Peter Deveaux-Isaacs, Permanent Secretary for the NHI Secretariat, told The Tribune yesterday that he expects the regulations to be completed by the first week of September.
PAGE 8, Friday, August 5, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
FNM learns harsh lesson in how not to stage conventions A Comic’s View
By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA
L
AST week, the Free National Movement (FNM) hosted one of the most uninspired and downright laughable conventions in recent memory. After months of internal squabbling and threats to run - letter in hand - to the Governor-General, the only thing that came out of the convention was a few insane sound bites. Shall we begin?
THE UNCONVENTIONAL CONVENTION For attentive spectators, it was a foregone conclusion that the FNM’s hastily thrown together convention would be a mess: how could it not be? Anyone who’s ever tried (and failed) to put a party together a few days before the event knows that things don’t always go as planned, especially when there is precious little actual planning to begin with. Because the FNM ran their convention the way the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) runs the government, we were treated to hard to watch moments in the form of overlong speeches, politically incorrect speeches, chastising speeches, vacuous speeches and (my favourite) dancing speeches. It’s a good thing there is more to conventions than
speeches, such as voting and electing leadership. Except, by the time the supposed main point of the threenight event rolled around, the main contenders for the top three leadership spots had already withdrawn their names from contention, leaving thousands of Bahamians left wondering what, exactly, was the point of the highly publicised affair. Dr Hubert Minnis is still the leader of the FNM. K Peter Turnquest is still the deputy leader of the FNM. Sidney Collie is still the party’s chairman. They may have all won re-election, but since Loretta ButlerTurner, Dr Duane Sands and Alvin Smith all decided to ‘dip out’ in the dead of night (or in Smith’s case the dead of daylight) we will never know how badly they lost this long, protracted battle. Some will argue that the FNM at least came out of their convention united. But if accusations of fraud and underhandedness is ‘unity’ then give me chaos any day; I at least know it when I see it. (Thanks, PLP.) Honestly, this column isn’t long enough to go through all the missteps made by the FNM last week. In fact, this whole newspaper isn’t long enough. There is enough room, however, to highlight the top five lowlights from ‘convention week.’ Or as I call it, ‘Three days and three hundred
DR Hubert Minnis pictured dancing with Loretta Butler-Turner on stage during the FNM convention. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff thousand dollars worth of foolery’.
5 THE DANCING DOCTOR Everyone saw the wouldbe Prime Minister of this
country do a step around real issues just like our current PM Perry Christie often dances around real solutions, right? Enough said. Though Dr Minnis did manage to deliver a more thoughtful (by his standards) address on the final night, the damage had been done and the memes born. (Facebook and Instagram send their thanks, Doc.)
4 LONG-WINDED LORETTA The main thing writing two weekly columns has taught me is that the average Bahamian has an attention span as short as a first grader. I believe the honourable MP from Long Island didn’t realise this until she entered her fortieth minute of speaking, only to be unceremoniously shouted down from the stage by overzealous Minnisites chanting “Roc wit Doc” at the top of their voices. Yes, it was rude. Yes, it was unnecessary. Yes, it’s what happens when midnight approaches at an event that doesn’t have free food or drinks. Uncivilised? Sure. Unexpected? No. Even if Mrs Butler-Turner had paid a million dollars for her speaking slot (instead of the cut-rate deal of $100,000 she did pay), the same thing would have happened ... because of short attention spans.
3 SOLD OUT AND CHEWED OUT There was a moment at the end of Mrs Butler-Turner’s speech where she could have ended on a high note. Alas, it was not meant to be. Over high-volume chants by supporters of her opponent, Butler-Turner mustered the courage to finish her speech strong and then beckoned her other parliamentarians (some say plotters) to the stage. After years of ‘jinxing’ her to make another play at the leadership post, every last one of those ‘honourable’ members of the socalled ‘Gang of Six’ refused the call. Richard Lightbourn refused the call. Neko Grant refused the call. Hubert Chipman refused the call. Theo Neilly refused the call. Andre Rollins refused the call. I couldn’t help but think, “Where was Lady Lyanna Mormont from Game of Thrones when Loretta
needed her?” And cowards. I couldn’t help but think of cowards. Aside from Dr Duane Sands, there were a lot of yellow bellies in the room that night. The only thing that made things worse for ButlerTurner was being scolded from stage by Peter the Preacher, who lambasted her for going long. In the name of Jesus and unity, of course.
2 WHITE FLAGS EVERYWHERE By daybreak on day three, there were so many white flags in the air I thought it was a Soca party. Both Loretta ButlerTurner and Dr Duane Sands surrendered before their official defeat. Alvin Smith had done so early on, no doubt sensing impending defeat as well. Not only were their supporters left high and dry (Loretta was a no-show on night three) but they were also left confused. What was the point of years of Facebook scraps and hard words exchanged with Minnis supporters if their candidate could walk away from the movement so abruptly? Besides electing a few new faces to the lesser regarded posts, nothing - and I mean nothing - was really accomplished by the convention. And now their opponents in the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and PLP have months to prepare to put on a better show. Which shouldn’t be that hard, quite frankly.
1 RICHARD LIGHTBOURN The only story more scandalous than the convention itself was Richard Lightbourn’s speech. Women who are unmarried should be sterilised after their second child, he suggested. That will help save the government money, he suggested. (This shocking policy position, delivered almost in slow motion to a silent audience, neglected to address what would happen to widows or divorcees, but I digress.) Somehow, some way, a party led by a gynecologist (no less) allowed a speaker (a parliamentarian, no less) to ascend the stage and drop that pile of hot, smoking rubbish aka the ‘Two-
Chirren Policy’ into the laps of Bahamians everywhere. His speech was not vetted, apparently. And in the land of ‘all buck up goes’ why would it be? His apology notwithstanding, now is probably a good time for Mr Lightbourn to take a break from politics. A very, very long break according to social media.
QUICK BITS Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald has been ordered by the Supreme Court to cough up $150K for violating the constitutional rights of Save the Bays and Zack Bacon by disclosing their private emails in parliament. ‘Jeromey the Homey’ has also revealed that it was he who begged Prime Minister Christie to stay on as PLP party leader. Basically, it was a week of bad judgement for the not too bright ‘future star’. I wonder what he will pull out of his political garbage can to camouflage his latest failures? Member of Parliament for Tall Pines, Leslie Miller, is offended that he is being compared to Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn because making a joke about beating your girlfriend and suggesting sterilisation for unwed mothers are two totally different things ... except to a misogynist. They’re probably neck-and-neck to a misogynist. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham appeared grinning on television to warn of a PLP victory if the opposition factions remain divided. Is he jinxing Christie to stay on? Hoping Christie loses? Laughing at the FNM and DNA (whose name he refused to even mention)? Who knows. One thing is certain, he sure is enjoying the show. The only thing missing from his desk was a bucket of popcorn. • Inigo ‘Naughty’ Zenicazelaya is the resident stand-up 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
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 5, 2016, PAGE 9
Survey reveals ‘alarming’ speeding by drivers By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SINCE the installation of several new radar speed monitors in Freeport, city officials have been able to gather some “alarming” but important information concerning the speed habits of motorists in Grand Bahama. They have learned that motorists travel at “a high rate of speed” between 8pm and 3am in Freeport, when most serious and fatal accidents occur. There have been six traffic fatalities already this year on Grand Bahama streets. Troy McIntosh, City Manager at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, said the speed monitors acquired by the company have been installed at five locations on East Sunrise Highway to promote road safety and reduce the number of accidents. “Since we installed them, it has been quite alarming to what we have seen from information gathered from the units,’ he said. “Motorists are speeding - no surprise - but a lot of the high rate of speed is happening after hours between 8pm and late as 2am and 3am in the morning.” Mr McIntosh said the information gathered from the speed monitors will help police with their road safety strategy. “So, the monitors have been very positive in that regard,” he added. The monitors have been installed at Churchill Drive and East Sunrise; Sergeant
Major Road and East Sunrise; opposite the BTC Exchange Building on East Sunrise Highway; near the Boulevard Service Station; and near Mary Star of the Sea Church/School. Mr McIntosh said the Port Authority, along with its partners at the Grand Bahama Road Safety Committee and Traffic Police, hopes with the help of the monitors to achieve a 30 per cent drop in the number of road accidents in three years. When drivers travel above the speed limit, the monitors alert them with a flashing amber warning to “slow down”. He noted that two of every three drivers do not look at the speedometer when driving. ASP Kenwood Taylor, officer in charge of Traffic Division, has warned that the number of traffic fatalities is too high compared to last year. Mr McIntosh noted that around 1,100 accidents were recorded on the streets last year. “We want to look over a three-year period, and we want to reduce those numbers and I think one way to do that is to have drivers more aware and conscious of what speeds they are traveling at,” he said. He noted that the speed monitors were placed in areas where they want motorists to be especially cautious and obey the speed limit. Mr McIntosh stressed that another issue that concerns them is distracted drivers. “We noticed a lot of distracted drivers who are on their cell phones or do-
THE SCENE of a crashed car in Grand Bahama last year. A survey has been carried out into the driving habits of motorists on the island, showing some alarming results. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn ing other things in the motor vehicle. Cell phone usage is increasing more and more and those numbers we don’t know,” he said. With the opening of the
new school year approaching, the city manager said that the limits on the monitors will be adjusted to 15mph during the school drop off between 8am and
9am, and after-school pick up between 3pm and 4pm. He noted that police will also be out during those times enforcing the speed limit in those areas as well.
While there are no plans to install additional speed monitors, Mr McIntosh said they plan to install additional traffic calming devices on East Sunrise Highway.
GRANT DENIES PRESSURE ON HIM TO QUIT POSITION from page one
Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner on Tuesday confirmed to this newspaper that the post of Leader of Opposition Business along with several other things were offered to her after she and former running mate Dr Duane Sands dropped out of the party’s leadership race against Leader Dr Hubert Minnis and Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest hours before delegates were due to cast their ballots last Friday. She was also offered a ratification for her constituency, a prominent role on the party’s general election
campaign team and a senior Cabinet post should the party defeat the governing Progressive Liberal Party in 2017. Meanwhile, Central and South Abaco MP Edison Key commended Mr Grant for resigning from both posts, suggesting that his recent actions had backfired giving him no choice but to step down. Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Key said while he does not condemn the Members of Parliament that were open supporters of Mrs Butler-Turner, their public dissent of the leader was wrong. He said this created a “divided house”. While Mr Key said he
hoped the FNM can pick up the pieces, move on and focus all of its energy toward winning the next election, he told The Tribune that he didn’t see the party coming together entirely. Mr Grant resigned from both posts on Wednesday during the morning session of the House of Assembly, pointing to relationship issues between himself and Dr Minnis. He said recent events demonstrated that Dr Minnis was “uncomfortable” with him and “not satisfied” with his performance. “I think Neko felt obligated to follow up what he did with his resignation,” Mr Key said. “The way he been
conducting himself he made it clear that his support was to Loretta and after that didn’t go through the way they wanted, I guess he felt his service or contributions weren’t needed anymore. “I think he did the right thing and I think he is justified. “I don’t want to condemn those persons who supported Loretta. Maybe a few of them might decide to come together and join Dr Minnis, but I don’t see that clearing up in the near future. I don’t see the party coming together because people’s minds are made up.” He continued: “They are not my enemies and I have nothing against them,
except that I felt it was the wrong thing to do in what they did because a house divided is a house that will fall.” Mr Grant is the longest serving member of the FNM, having first been elected under the party in 1992. In June, the Central Grand Bahama MP blasted Dr Minnis in an email over his performance in Parliament during the wrap up of the 2016/2017 budget debate. The Tribune exclusively obtained the scathing email, in which Mr Grant lambasted Dr Minnis criticising him over “abandoning ship” at 2.30am, leaving MPs to finish the work of
the House and insisting that the Killarney MP seemed to be ill prepared for the session. Earlier in April, The Tribune reported that Mr Grant was among those in the FNM’s parliamentary team who had threatened to petition Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling to remove Dr Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition unless an earlier convention date was set. This included St Anne’s MP Hubert Chipman, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn, North Eleuthera MP Theo Neilly, Mr Grant, Mrs Butler-Turner and Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins.
TURNQUEST REJECTS CLAIM OF RACE ISSUE IN CAMPAIGN from page one
He continued: “This not so subtle campaign against the haves and the have nots was clearly racially charged and directed at dividing FNMs against the white Bahamians who were perceived as supporting Loretta Butler-Turner.” Firing back as a caller to the show, Mr Turnquest challenged that it was Mr Cash’s camp – by extension Mrs Butler-Turner’s campaign – that have been race baiting in the lead up to last Friday’s convention. “I think that the course that he is on at the moment,” Mr Turnquest said, “and the course that this
campaign leading up to this convention has been on, is a very, very dangerous thing because they have been race baiting all along it is very very irresponsible of someone of his stature. “Never. Never has the FNM or its leaders said or done anything to encourage or to support anybody’s view that there are two separate classes of people in this country. I challenge him to prove it he cannot say at anytime that Dr Minnis or the FNM has had anything to say about race.” Mr Cash referred to The Nassau Guardian’s National Review editorial, which he said highlighted the vari-
BAHAMIAN WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN ATLANTA A BAHAMIAN woman has been shot and killed in an incident in Atlanta. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs last night issued a statement saying that Shanna Smith, a 24-year-old Bahamian working for Amazon in the city was shot and killed at about 5.30am yesterday morning. The incident took place in the Cascades neighbourhood, in south-west Atlanta. Smith was reportedly on her way home from work at
the time she was shot. Details of the shooting remain unclear, but police are investigating. The ministry statement added: “The Bahamas Consulate General in Atlanta is in close contact with Ms Smith’s mother, who is currently in Atlanta, and the Chief of Police of Atlanta. “This is indeed a very tragic occurrence and our heartfelt condolences are extended to Ms Smith’s mother, other family members and loved ones.”
ous times that the issue of race had been “injected” into the campaign. However, Mr Turnquest interjected: “You must be
careful now, you must be careful, you must make sure that you attribute any comments with respect to race to where you have tried to
attribute it.” Mr Cash also accused Mr Turnquest of inciting the crowd to shout Mrs ButlerTurner off the stage with
a chant of “Roc Wit Doc” when she over-ran her time on the convention’s second night, a claim that Mr Turnquest outright rejected.
Engage the people at all levels and the country will grow Your Say By ROCHELLE DEAN IN AN era when information is at everyone’s fingertips, The Bahamas has created a culture that the people’s business is only for a significant few. The politically influential, political hopefuls, selected academicians and activists and the elite remain at the helm of national issues while the masses are left to limited and sometimes misinformed information and a lack of knowledge as to how to gain access to becoming fully informed and engaged participants in their own country. The government has placed itself in the position of being responsible for its nationals and must now encourage proper participatory engagement of Bahamians at all levels.
ROCHELLE Dean Participatory engagement creates a knowledgeable, engaged society with national interest for the country’s business and people who actively participate in positive community outcomes that promote progressive growth of the nation and a strong thriving
democracy. The Bahamas must begin to engage its nationals at all levels if the country is to be impacted by the diversity, creativity and competencies that its people possess. Participatory engagement goes beyond town hall meetings and community social events but also includes encouraging community projects supported, facilitated and carried out by skilled individuals who have an understanding of community development but also activates community leadership. This is the beginning of building a fully engaged society which participates in the national debate with knowledge, action and positive results. Interactive participation fosters people participating in joint analysis, which leads to action plans and
formation of new local institutions and the strengthening of existing ones. This involves encouraging multiple perspectives and the use of structured learning processes which allow for those engaged to participate in making local decisions and give the Bahamian people a stake in maintaining structure and implementing new ones. This fosters a spirit of inclusion and helps to keep leaders in touch with issues that they may not be subject to experience. The Bahamas must make participatory engagement of its nationals available to all nationals with the principle that there are stages to each person’s level of engagement. This does not stagnate growth but it encourages Bahamians to become informed and take the correct steps as they
engage in issues of national development. Education should never be used as the barrier to development but seen as the method that makes the educated do better. Participatory engagement gives all nationals from every walk of life access to knowledge that can promote good governance practices. It is the responsibility of the nation’s leaders to encourage participatory engagement for the people which gives the country accessibility to good ideas, removes cronyism and the ‘all for me, baby’ syndrome that continues to plague the country. Participatory engagement fosters inclusion and removes unmerited competition. As The Bahamas continues to grow as a nation, participatory engagement
is needed at all levels of society so that the Bahamian people can give the necessary support to organisations, become goal- and results-driven activists and champions for causes that will aid public-private partnerships and the government whenever necessary on matters that impact the country. Poverty alleviation begins with a plan to facilitate proper measures of participatory engagement. Rochelle R Dean is a Bahamian scholar, research fellow and peer-reviewer and a theory writer of economics presently completing a Bachelors of Science dual degree in economics and public administration with Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia. Comments to dean_rochelle@ yahoo.com
READERS REACT TO TURNQUEST’S ASSESSMENT ON PARTY UNITY AFTER FNM Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said he realises it “will not be easy” to unite the party after last weekend’s convention, readers gave their response on tribune242.com. DillyTree said: “No, Mr Turnquest, it will not. Your behaviour at the convention was reprehensible and not becoming of a leader . . . If you think a few dances on stage, hand-holding and lip service to unity is going to get you out of the hole you’ve dug for yourselves, you’ve got some rude awakenings coming!” Honestman agreed: “This farce of a convention was
proof positive that the FNM in its present state is unfit to govern this country.” Killemwitdakno had this to say: “Start with accepting that you made yourself the jackass because Joe Biden could never viciously lambaste and rebuke Bernie on stage just because his President backed Hillary. Quit being afraid to test for the best.” MonkeeDoo saw prob-
lems ahead for the FNM: “No need to worry ‘bout that. Two parties will now emerge and you will have the FNM to yourselves. After the general you and Bran can talk. But you won’t have a single House seat between you.” Truetruebahamian was highly critical of the party: “You are done, you have self inflicted a permanent injury. My support and that of my family and associates is finished under your watch. You are as much a scourge as is the PLP and will be considered to be cut from the same cloth. Your tactics disgust any forward
thinking and fair minded citizen of our once great country.” Readers also had plenty to say after parliamentarians reacted angrily to the ruling that Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald infringed on the constitutional rights of Save The Bays’ members when he tabled private emails in the House. CommonSense asked: “So basically, because you’re an MP you should be held above the law?” Sickened said: “What they are saying is they have more rights than the common man and that the constitution does not apply to
those in the House of Assembly.” BoopaDoop drew a comparison with the Opposition: “The difference between the PLP and the official opposition party FNM: These jokers stick together and protect their own even if they have a difference in opinion.” Tarzan offered this: “So the position of the ruling party is that a sitting Member of Parliament can come the House, and do or say anything he wishes, whether relevant to legislation or discussion properly before the house or not, and such member has a blanket im-
munity regardless of the law of the land? That is idiocy and there is ample precedent from Great Britain and other parliamentary democracies that such is not the case. This is typical of bullies faced with a courageous opponent. Make faces, scream and yell while cowering behind whatever bench or tree they can find handy. All this noise will simply ‘go away’ when they are rebuked in court decision after court decision. God save freedom and the rule of law!” • Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
Kiwanis Club of Nassau THE Kiwanis Club of Nassau AM Youth Services Committe assisted Breann with her Care Closet at The Mall at Marathon on Saturday, July 30. This back to school drive will provide assistance to those in need of the basic school supplies and uniform for the upcoming school year. Pictured from left is President Troy Rahming, Co-chair Roshann Miller, Breann Ferguson, Kiwanian Trayetter Maycock and Chair Santosha Williams.
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.
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CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 5, 2016, PAGE 11
Hurricane weakens at Guatemala HURRICANE Earl deteriorated into a weak tropical storm yesterday as it passed over northern Guatemala and headed towards southern Mexico. Overnight, Earl slammed into the coast of Belize with winds of 80mph, leaving the country battered, with some flooding reported. Earl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Belize City and was moving roughly westward, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. As it crossed northern Guatemala and entered southern Mexico, Earl had sustained winds near 40mph. It was expected to continue weakening to a tropical depression by last night. The NHC forecast that the storm would leave eight to 12 inches of rain over parts of Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico. Isolated areas could receive as much as 18 inches, causing flooding and mudslides. Much of Belize was with-
out electricity yesterday morning as residents began assessing the damage. Around the capital, some roofs were torn off, power lines were down and trees were uprooted. The rain continued and there was localised flooding. There was still some phone service, but television and radio stations were largely off the air. The country’s emergency management agency issued a statement declaring the “all clear” on the storm, but warned people near rivers to head to higher ground. It said all of the country’s dams were at flood stage. The statement said there was major infrastructure damage in the offshore cays, as well as in Belize City and Belmopan. It expected the international airport in Belize City to reopen late yesterday. Mexico discontinued all warnings associated with the storm and Belize replaced its hurricane warning with a tropical storm
warning. The storm was centred about 95 miles east of the Gulf coast city of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, and was moving west near 10mph. Authorities in the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo, to the north of the hurricane’s strike, reported some evacuations. Some people evacuated low-lying coastal areas in nearby Guatemala. The NHC said heavy rains would be a danger in southern Mexico through Saturday as Earl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula into the states of Tabasco and Veracruz. On Wednesday, Earl raked the northern coast of Honduras with heavy rain. Officials said a big wave capsized a lobster fishing boat in the Caribbean, but all but two of the 83 people on board were rescued. The navy was looking for the two missing. Authorities also rescued four families in the coastal city of Trujillo after a river flooded.
POWER lines collapsed by Hurricane Earl hinder traffic on the road from Flores, in Peten, the northern Guatemalan border state with Belize.
NEW POLICE OFFICERS LEARN ROAD TRAFFIC SKILLS
NASSAU, The Bahamas - Thirty-one new police officers (Squad 1) and senior officers were on West Bay Street, downtown, yesterday as the new officers were trained in Road Traffic laws and how to carry out traffic stops. Photos: Kemuel Stubbs/BIS