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Leader doubts any damage to party’s image

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net  DESPITE two Free National Movement candidates abandoning their 2017 election campaigns and reported continued friction behind closed doors of the organisation, FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis told The Tribune yesterday that he doubts any of this has damaged the party’s image.

Two sitting FNM MPs North Eleuthera MP Theo Neilly and Central Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant have also said they would not be seeking re-election. “The FNM is a very stable party and is an organisation that is getting itself organised to remove the Progressive Liberal Party

HOBBY HORSE HALL BOOK OFF TO A FLYER

(PLP),� Dr Minnis insisted yesterday. “We are organised to remove the PLP and every one realises how ineffective the PLP is and how they are destroying our country.�

In fact Dr Minnis said evidence of his party’s strength would be seen when the party ratifies additional candidates on Thursday. However, when asked to reveal these persons, Dr Minnis declined to do so, only saying that once ratified, the candidates would present their platforms.

It has been rumoured for weeks that the party intends to ratify prominent public figures including Superwash Laundromat CEO Dionisio D’Aguilar, former Deputy Commissioner of SEE PAGE SIX

ROLLINS ‘WOULD CONSIDER’ RUNNING IF FNM OFFERED HIM NOMINATION

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

TEENAGER IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER OF PM’S BODYGUARD

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A TEEN was denied bail and remanded to prison yesterday after he was arraigned in connection with the recent shooting of a bodyguard attached to Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Jorel Augustine, 18, of Taylor Street, was flanked by police as he was escorted into the Magistrate’s Court complex to stand before Magistrate Constance Delancy to face a charge of attempted murder.

His alleged victim is Sergeant Brent Dixon who was shot on Monday, September 5.

According to initial reports from police, Sgt Dixon had just pulled into the driveway of a home on Olde Corner when two men with handguns approached and demanded cash. A struggle followed and the officer was shot.

He returned fire and shot one of the suspects while SEE PAGE SIX

AGREEMENT REACHED WITH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

IVAN JAMES, author of “The Life and Death of Hobby Horse Hall Race Track�, paid a courtesy call and presented a copy of the book to Governor-General Dame Marguerite Pindling at Government House yesterday. The book focusses on the historic importance of horse racing in the Bahamas. SEE PAGE TWO PHOTO: Tim Clarke/Tribune staff

AFTER saying he would not offer himself for re-election on the Free National Movement’s ticket, Dr Andre Rollins suggested yesterday that he would consider and potentially accept a constituency nomination if offered one by the FNM’s recently re-elected Leader Dr Hubert Minnis.

The Fort Charlotte MP, who appeared as a guest on the Ed Fields Live talk show, made the admission when asked about his political future.

This comes after he and five other FNM MPs pushed for Dr Minnis to call an early convention or face being removed as leader of the Official Opposition.

BRAN: ONLY PM, CHINESE OFFICIALS WILL BENEFIT FROM BAHA MAR DEAL

SEE PAGE SIX

DNA Leader Branville McCartney

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter abrown@tribunemedia.net  DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney said yesterday the only people that will benefit from the government’s “new Baha Mar deal� are Prime Minister Perry Christie and officials

from the Export Import Bank of China (CEXIM) and China Construction America (CCA).

Last month, Mr Christie said that all Bahamian creditors would receive a substantial portion, if not all, of outstanding payments they were owed now that a new agreement has been made between the SEE PAGE SIX

GOVT’S CLAIMS COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT ‘LIMITED’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Christie administration’s involvement with the Claims Committee it established to administer Baha Mar payouts is limited, committee Chairman James Smith said yesterday, highlighting the independence of the group.

The extent of the government’s influence

is limited to having appointed two of the five members on the committee and to giving broad and specific directives, including a mandate to “take care of Bahamians,� he said.

Mr Smith, who served as state minister of finance in the first Christie administration, said the committee will periodically report to the government and to the press, noting that both will be eager for informaSEE PAGE SIX

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

AFTER a weekend in which protest efforts by members of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union forced several flight delays and at least two cancellations, the group has come to an agreement with aviation officials that would maintain current security measures at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

The current measures will remain in place until a Security Risk Assessment is completed and reviewed.

The announcement came by way of a joint statement released by the union, the Department of Civil Aviation and the Airport Authority.

The statement read: “The public is informed that the Ministry of Transport & Aviation, including the Department of Civil Aviation and the Airport Authority, met this morning with the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union, and it was agreed that the members of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union are committed to preserving the integrity of the airport security function. “It was also agreed at that meeting that the exSEE PAGE SIX

PAGE 2, Tuesday, September 13, 2016

‘A steadfast defender of press freedom who exemplifies integrity and courage’

Eileen Carron, the long-serving Editor and Publisher of The Tribune, is the recent subject of the News Media Alliance industry spotlight feature HER accomplishments reach beyond journalism; she is an artist, lawyer, pilot and philanthropist.

Eileen Carron is recognised as the longest currently-serving editor and publisher.

She is the woman behind The Bahamas’ newspaper, The Tribune. She has held this post for more than 53 years. She steadfastly defends press freedom and exemplifies integrity and courage. She was the first Bahamian woman to graduate from Columbia University, the second women to ever be called to the Bahamas Bar in 1962, the first CEO of the 100 JAMZ radio station in the Caribbean, and the only Bahamian to ever have an editorial read into the United States Senate record.

She took over The Tribune after her father. It was a responsibility she did not originally want.

“No I didn’t want the burden. My father

didn’t want it either, neither of us wanted it, yet it was thrust upon us. It was a duty.

My father was brought up never to shirk the duty, whether we liked it or not we did it,” she says.

The motto of The Tribune is “Being Bound to Swear to the Dogmas of no Master”. To Eileen, this means following her conscience and not being bullied - not that the government hasn’t tried.

She was left in charge of an untrained staff, denied the work permits to bring in more qualified reporters. It was a newsroom of young people straight out of school.

“They kept business from us, but we just tightened our belts and moved on; no matter what happened, we didn’t buckle,” she says.

Her father fought for civil rights in 1956, demanding citizens of all colour and religion be allowed to enter public places. Fol-

lowing in his activism footsteps, Eileen is credited with affecting change, making the difficult decision to support the opposition in the 1992 election.

The government tried to make her job impossible, to force the paper to close. She says one day she dug her heels in and decided she would leave when she wanted to leave. “I was a trail blazer in my day,” she laughs. Her motivation has always been keeping the doors of The Tribune open, but in her care, it has grown into a tremendously respected institution.

“You have to get worked up over a crisis, at least I do,” she says. “If I see someone being wronged, I can’t kick up my feet. We have to fight it. It keeps you alive … it’s an exciting profession if you really believe in what you’re doing and aren’t doing it for a paycheck. We did it because it was right and right for our island. That is what moved us and kept us going.”

Now at 86 years old, she looks back on her time there.

“I felt we have done good for the country, I feel we’ve been honest citizens, we’ve done our best; I think the fact that we’re

THE TRIBUNE

EILEEN CARRON here and everybody is on an equal footing, they have equal rights, I think we’ve accomplished a lot,” she says.

She never lost her passion for the paper and describes each day as a crisis.

Her advice to journalists is to get the truth and let people make up their own minds. “Journalists can do a lot of good if they don’t shave their stories. Just keep it straight and let the public make up their own mind.”

Article by Kirsten Ballard, the Social Media and Blog Editor at the News Media Alliance, a Washington-based non-profit which represents nearly 2,000 diverse news media organisations in the United States and Canada.

HORSE RACING BOOK IS A WINNER DENIAL OF APPLICATION FOR FOREIGN WITH THE GOVERNOR GENERAL LAWYER DEFENDED BY BAR ASSOCIATION

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net TWO YEARS of research into the historic importance of horse racing in the Bahamas received the seal of approval by Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling yesterday.

A collection of memories often shared by former hotelier Ivan James during everyday conversations and speaking engagements was recently compiled in a book - “The Life and Death of Hobby Horse Hall Race Track” detailing nearly 200 years of the “forgotten horse racing culture” of the Bahamas.

Shortly after presenting a copy of the non-fiction publication to Dame Marguerite, the 78-year-old told The Tribune of how fate led him to pen the book back in 1999.

“Someone heard that I had scores of pictures of horse racing and asked to see some,” he said.

“My passion for the topic led me to fly to Miami to get some footage edited. On my way back to New Providence, on the flight (I decided) that I had

THE LIFE and Death of Hobby Horse Hall Race Track (above) focusses on horse racing in the Bahamas (above right).

to do more to document this forgotten part of the country’s history and culture.

“I started in 1999, after nearly two years of research, I compiled so much information, some that I had forgotten over time and it all went into this book,” he added.

“When you look at it, the Hobby Horse Hall race track was the first sporting seat of the Bahamas (there was) no Junkanoo, very little football and there was some cricket.

This was an industry and it

is interesting to know that most of our royal governors played an integral part in this industry.”

Mr James, the lead official of the Arawak Downs Race Course Company, a group dedicated to the revitalisation and re-establishment of horse racing in the Bahamas, said his presentation of a manuscript of the book to former Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest spurred the end product.

“That is what is interesting here.

“Horse racing was so important to our country; the story of our nation is almost predicated on the story of horse racing. If you are a history buff, a culture buff or a horse racing buff; this is a book for you,” he said.

“That is in keeping with the immigration policy, that’s what work permits are about.

If you have a qualified BahaBAHAMAS Bar Associamian to do something then tion President Elsworth Johnyou allow that Bahamian to son yesterday defended the do it.” self-regulating body against Last week, The Tribune criticisms of its decision to reported on the Bahamas deny an application by the BaBar Association’s rejection hamian law firm representing of an application to import Sarkis Izmirlian to bring in a a foreign Queen’s Counsel foreign lawyer to join their leto join Mr Izmirlian’s legal gal team. team.

Mr Johnson explained that However, the lawyer, Tim all decisions were made after Prudhoe, is a British barrisa thorough review of the appliter and not a QC. cation by the Bar Council and A copy of the letter - sent ultimately hinged on whether to the association by Ferron the expertise being sought THE BAHAMIAN law firm Bethell of Harry B Sands, representing Sarkis Izmirlian Lobosky and Co, who is legal could be locally sourced.

Insisting that the Bar was (above) had applied to bring counsel for Mr Izmirlian and not a “closed shop”, he said in a foreign lawyer for their his firm Granite Ventures that he found it concerning team.

Ltd - was obtained by the that sensitive information Tribune. from the organisation was In the letter, Mr Bethell alpublished in a manner that jaundiced the leges that the application was rejected verrole of the Bar Council and its work. bally by Mr Johnson on August 25 as “not “Speaking generally,” he said, “if one in the interest of justice”. finds that there are senior persons, who Mr Bethell wrote: “In the premises, I pay bar dues, who are committed to the would respectfully request that the Bar Bahamas, who are prepared to conduct Council as a matter of urgency provide me themselves in the best interest of justice, with written reasons as to why the applicathen you don’t allow others to come in. It tion was rejected. doesn’t make sense.

“Additionally, I hereby put the coun“As long as the Act remains as it is, if we cil on notice to preserve and keep in safe have qualified senior Bahamians who can custody all minutes and other documentado the work then that’s it, the applications tion pertaining to this application and its will be denied. resultant rejection.”

“If the expertise is nonexistent in the Yesterday, Mr Johnson underscored that Bahamas you can have someone called, he did not make decisions on behalf of the sometimes you do have the expertise but in council, adding that a new application has the interest of justice you may have some- been made. one like a Queen’s Counsel called to do a Mr Izmirlian is the original developer of case. mega resort Baha Mar.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, September 13, 2016, PAGE 3

Bran: DNA will not form coalition with the FNM

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE several requests from senior Free National Movement members and “private citizens not affiliated with any political party,” Democratic National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney said his party will not be forming a coalition with the Official Opposition.

During a press conference at his law chambers, Mr McCartney said the FNM is a “broke and sinking ship” and a union between the two groups would help the FNM but hurt the third party.

“We are done with that,” Mr McCartney said. “The FNM is in the worst state that they have ever been in their political history. They seem to be losing people everyday; there is still a lot of infighting. One person is saying one thing and another person is saying the next thing. The FNM seems to be very wanting, their role as an opposition party has been dismal at best.

“They have lost a significant amount of support in this country and although you may have a number of persons wanting to see some type of union, going and dealing with the FNM is like changing decks on the Titanic. That would not benefit the DNA. It will benefit the FNM. When the DNA fist started, the FNM was the government. At the time the FNM had a leader by the name of Hubert Ingraham and they were the government. They had the public purse and they had some finances behind them. Today the FNM is the opposition, they are led by Dr Hubert Minnis, they have lost a significant amount of support, their finance committee has (reportedly) left them and people continue to leave the party everyday.

“The FNM is in the worst state that they have ever been in their political history. They seem to be losing people everyday; there is still a lot of infighting. One person is saying one thing and another person is saying the next thing.”

Branville McCartney “There is mass confusion within the party,” he added.

“Who would benefit from any coalition?

The FNM cannot get into power with the state they are in today.”

In May, Mr McCartney confirmed he had been approached “several times” by senior members within the FNM, as well as sitting FNM MPs, to join the Official Opposition.

He said at the time that while the DNA will never “fold up” and join a “sinking FNM,” he proposed for the two parties to “join forces and work together” to oust the Progressive Liberal Party government.

However, Mr McCartney said FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis “is so full of himself and bad at politics” that he refused the offer unless the DNA disbands – something the DNA leader said “will never happen”.

Dr Minnis in turn said that he was “open” to forming a coalition with the DNA, but said he is “turned off” by Mr McCartney’s arrogance.

When asked about talks with the DNA about a coalition yesterday, Dr Minnis said he could not comment.

BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT DENIES HE’S SEEKING FNM NOMINATION

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Bar Association President Elsworth Johnson yesterday denied reports that he was seeking a nomination from the Free National Movement.

Mr Johnson noted that while he has been approached by a political organisation, he was not considering a bid in front-line politics “at this time.”

He underscored the critical need for him to be independent and objective as head of the regulatory body that governs the country’s legal professionals.

“The only thing I’m trying to ratify myself into now is heaven,” he said.

“Being Bar president requires me to be independent and objective and when I decide that I am going to run, or place myself to run and accept a nomination, one of the first things I will do is resign. Until then no I haven’t accepted anything.”

ELSWORTH JOHNSON Mr Johnson added: “If I decide that I’m going to run for the Free National Movement or Progressive Liberal Party, if they make that approach and today I decide I’m going to take it, then once I make that decision the next thing I have to do is bring that to the attention of the Bahamas Bar Association and Bar Council and say farewell, and then I make my announcement.”

Mr Johnson was said to be vying for a nomination in the

TRIBUTES PAID TO VETERAN EDUCATORS TWO veteran educators who pased away recently Juliet Barnwell and Darnell Adderley - have been paid tributes by their peers and communities.

The Director of Education, Lionel Sands, who was taught

by Mrs Barnwell in 1968 at the Harold Road Secondary School, described her as a fine educator. “She was always an excellent teacher whose desire was to see all of her students succeed,” Mr Sands said. “She was an exemplary educator who served with passion and distinction to the time of her demise.”

The Ministry of Education also extended condolences to Mrs Adderley’s family and the staff and students of the L W Young Junior High School.

Ms Adderley was a Senior Mistress whose education career spanned more than three decades and the Ministry described her as “a stellar educator who served with zeal and loyalty to her profession and country”.

Mrs Barnwell was a pioneer of the Bahamian school board movement and served as the Chairman of the National School Board as well as the Chairman of the C R Walker Senior High School School

Board, named after her father Claudius Roland Walker.

Assistant Director of Education, Paulene Adderley, a former principal of C R Walker, remembered Mrs Barnwell - an avid reader - and shared a few of her common phrases: “Treat people well; always treat people well” and “You must love children”.

The Bain Grants Town Advancement Association also paid tribute to Mrs Barnwell, a life-long resident of Bain Town who was affectionately referred to as the “Queen” of Bain Town by the Association.

“Her support for and participation in the wider Bain Grants community has left an indelible impression on the people of this historic district known as the Heart and Soul of the Bahamas,” said Rev Dr C B Moss, President of the association. “We are very proud of her and the entire family.

She will be sadly missed.”

Yamacraw constituency on the FNM’s ticket in an article published by the Bahama Journal last Friday.

The party is expected to ratify a handful of candidates on Thursday.

Yesterday, Mr Johnson said: “Advancements have been made, but at this time I’m not minded. The day I decide to do that, the proper and correct thing would be to resign. What I am encouraging people to do, whether in a party or not, the time for committed patriotic service to this country has passed it’s time to do it.

“Whatever situation you find yourself with, fishing, teaching, media, do whatever you can. I’ve decided that my service, in terms of leadership in this country, is by way of the Bar Association and leadership of the Bar,” he said.

Speculation over the pace of FNM’s rollout of candidates has heightened after ratified candidates Leonard Sands and Howard Johnson, for the Bain and Grants Town and South Beach constituencies respectively, ended their campaigns recently.

DNA LEADER Branville McCartney

PAGE 4, Tuesday, September 13, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

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

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China, Russia launch South China Sea naval war games BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese and Russian navies launched eight days of war games in the South China Sea on Monday, in a sign of growing cooperation between their armed forces against the backdrop of regional territorial disputes.

The “Joint Sea-2016” manoeuvres include ships, submarines, ship-borne helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with marines and amphibious armored vehicles who will conduct live-firing exercises, according to a Defence Ministry statement Sunday.

Tasks will include defensive and rescue drills, anti-submarine exercises and the simulated seizure of an enemy island by marines from both sides.

The exercise is part of an annual programme that “aims to consolidate and advance the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and deepen friendly and practical cooperation between the two militaries,” Chinese navy spokesman Liang Yang was quoted as saying.

“It will also improve coordination between the two navies on joint defence operations at sea,” Liang said.

China’s South Sea Fleet will make up the bulk of the forces, along with some elements from the North and East Sea fleets, Liang said.

The ministry didn’t say exactly where the drills would be held in the South China Sea, the site of heated territorial disputes between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours. However, the official Xinhua News Agency said the Russian ships arrived early Monday in the Guangdong province port of Zhanjiang and the exercises would be held off the Guangdong coast, apparently in waters that are not in dispute.

Joint Chinese-Russian drills have become increasingly common in recent years — this week’s exercises are the fifth between the two navies since 2012 — with the countries joined in their mutual suspicion of the U.S. and its allies.

Russia has been the only major country to speak out on China’s behalf in its demand that the U.S. and other countries stay out of such arguments. That came as an arbitration panel in The Hague, Netherlands, issued a ruling invalidating China’s claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a result that Beijing angrily rejected as null and void.

Following the ruling, China vowed to

continue developing man-made islands in the disputed Spratly island group and said it would conduct regular aerial patrols over the strategically vital sea through which passes an estimated $5 trillion in trade each year.

While China says the drills do not envision specific enemies or target any third parties, their location in the South China Sea has drawn criticism.

During a visit to China last month, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Scott Swift, said “There are other places those exercises could have been conducted.”

He described them as part of a series of actions “that are not increasing the stability within the region.”

Xinhua rejected such sentiments in a commentary Monday, saying those viewing the exercises as threatening were “either ill-informed ... or misled by their prejudice about China and Russia.”

“A logical guess is that, for those who have bought the sensational claim regarding the drill, they probably only see words like ‘island seizing’ and ‘South Sea Fleet’ and start to imagine a war in the South China Sea,” Xinhua said, blaming sensationalistic Western media reports that it did not further identify.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the U.S. did not view the exercises as a threat. He told reporters that as long as the exercises were not threatening or provocative and were conducted in accordance with international law, “there’s nothing that precludes them from doing that.”

Russian news outlets said 18 ships, 21 aircraft and more than 250 marines from both sides would take part in the drills.

The ships include destroyers, cruisers, a Russian battleship, amphibious warfare ships and supply vessels.

However, Xinhua said the Russian component would include three surface ships, two supply ships, two helicopters, 96 marines, and amphibious armored equipment.

China’s navy would contribute 10 ships, including destroyers, frigates, amphibious ships, supply vessels and submarines, along with 11 fixed-wing aircraft, eight helicopters, 160 marines and amphibious armor, it said.

(This article is by Christopher Bodeen of Associated Press)

Change needed atop PLP EDITOR, The Tribune.

SINCE 1997 Perry Christie has been leader of the PLP. Mr Christie has had one hell of a run.

He has been in the parliament for more than 40 years. He has beaten Dr Bernard Nottage three times to attain and remain party leader.

He has been prime minister twice. At 73, Mr Christie has done it all in his political career.

What is noticeable now, however, is that he is in decline.

The prime minister falls asleep in public. He finds it difficult to finish matters – let’s take NHI, Baha Mar and BEC reform as examples.

He has difficulty staying focused. If you watch him at a speaking event he almost never reads the prepared remarks.

He just rambles on with random stories and reflections and tries to make the audience laugh.

Mr Christie is a shell of himself.

He used to be sharp,

eloquent and charismatic.

These days people smile to be polite and respectful but they know he is way past his prime. It is sad.

The PLP should move on from Mr Christie before the Bahamian people send him and the rest of the party home in an embarrassing general election loss.

Alfred Sears is a good option for the party as leader. He’s smart and has ideas for the future direction of the party and country.

The PLP needs revitalisation. The same old heads from Sir Lynden Pindling’s time are still getting the contracts.

They are still running the party. Mr Christie dare not challenge them.

Young people need to be brought in to the party and allowed their time to shine.

And by young people I mean more than just the children of the PLP elite.

The PLP used to be the party of ideas.

It used to be the party of the under-class. Under Mr

Christie it has become the party of the PLP elite and the party of scandal and confusion.

Bahamians no longer have confidence in the prime minister.

For the party to have a successful future, transition is needed now.

The country faces difficulty in the areas of crime, the economy and education.

We need good creative leadership. Mr Christie cannot provide that.

We are a democracy. We should not just leave leaders in place for life.

Mr Christie has made his contribution and should be commended for that. He is now finished, however.

There is no more in him to give to the party or country.

Sears is the way forward. PLPs should embrace what he is offering.

M ARTHA S GREENE Nassau, September 9, 2016.

The Wells FNM farce continues

EDITOR. The Tribune.

If you needed proof that politics in the Bahamas is farce, look no further than the saga of Tennyson Wells and the FNM. The party had their convention in June and concluded that they should all sing kumbaya and make nice for the cameras. The pretence was upheld for a short while until the grand wizard of lost causes, the oligarch Mr. Wells decided to stick his foot into party business that simply doesn’t concern him.

Tennyson was sidelined during the convention because the optics of him, a former PLP sympathizer, as puppet master didn’t look good for the supreme leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis.

This week Tennyson decided it was time to pounce in a vainglorious attempt to recapture the headlines.

He still has a thing for Long Island and an even bigger beef with the FNM’s representative for Long Island, Loretta Butler-Turner. Maybe she refused to genuflect when he entered the room, or she didn’t kiss his ring, or something petty like that, but Tennyson is a man who can never let bygones be bygones.

If he were a true-true FNM then maybe he would be worth listening to. But this man is a political opportunist who has no loyalty except, in my opinion, to the almighty dollar and he will always prey on weakness and fecklessness.

Last week, fresh off an attempt by Minnis, the Lord and Master of the new and degraded FNM, to show that there was unity in the party, Tennyson gave an interview that can only be seen as a rebuke of Minnis and a brazen attempt to usurp the power that the delegates had again vested in the self-proclaimed champion of the small man, the multi-millionaire gynaecologist cum Opposition Leader cum wannabe Prime Minister.

Tennyson saw it as his job to publicly spank ButlerTurner or having the audacity to “humiliate” Minnis in public. Never mind that Minnis humiliates himself all the time and when he gets tired he has Bobo and Toggie to do it for him.

Butler-Turner’s great sin

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net was in smelling herself and thinking for a brief moment that she was a democrat in a democratic organization; that she could follow the democratic process and challenge Minnis for the leadership of the party.

Let’s leave to the side the spectacular manner by which Butler Turner ended her bid to challenge the king of the FNM jungle, and concentrate on her absolute right so to do. In so doing she actually made Minnis a better opponent for Prime Minister Perry Christie in the general election.

But that’s not how the great oligarch saw it. To him she was an uppity spoiled brat who needed to be brought down a peg.

Tennyson implied to reporters that he gives the orders to Minnis, not the other way around.

It was he who gave the order to draft a petition to deny her a nomination in Long Island. Tennyson has his navel string buried in Deadman’s Cay and he feels that gives him the right to lecture leaders of the FNM on who their MP should be.

Tennyson’s penchant for self-delusion runs deeper than Dean’s Blue Hole just outside of Clarence Town.

But his motives are not as pure.

Were he alive today the founding leader of the FNM, Sir Cecil WallaceWhitfield, would probably say his greatest failing was in trusting Tennyson back in 1977.

Tennyson was a rookie lawyer who mastered the art of blowing smoke and he did it so effectively that it blinded Sir Cecil. He thought he could defy the staunch wishes of the voters of Long Island and impose Tennyson on them. It was a moment of careless and unnecessary bravado that tested the young party and brought it to its knees.

Long Islanders stood up to Sir Cecil and soundly rejected Tennyson, which led to the annihilation of the opposition in the general election and the rise of the Bahamian Democratic Party which, though defeated, surpassed the FNM to be-

come the official opposition that year.

This was a direct result of Tennyson’s meddling and his messianic hold over the leader. Fast-forward 39 years and history is about to repeat itself. The forkedtongued prophet of doom was at it again.

The people of Long Island apparently still love Butler-Turner. They want to see her continue to represent them in parliament.

Tennyson, of course, is plotting behind Minnis’ throne to replace her with someone else, most probably him.

The branch chairman called it for what it was, pure unabashed mischief making by Tennyson. No doubt grateful for ButlerTurner’s leadership after last year’s hurricane, the majority of the Long Island branch wants her to stay.

That might just be good politics on their behalf.

Having challenged the leader and then throwing her support behind him, their MP stands a good chance to be highly repaid by Minnis if he is asked to form the next government.

It was amusing to see that Tennyson, who abhors anonymity in letter writing, chose to keep those he says oppose Butler-Turner a big secret in his phony petition.

Could the invisible signatories be figments of his imagination?

What was especially shameless about Tennyson’s muck-raking was his recourse to Donald Trump style birtherism. According to him, to qualify to run for Long Island you must be a native born Long Islander.

That policy would have kept Sir Lynden Pindling out of Andros, and it should have kept Tennyson out of Bamboo Town years ago.

In a rare show of leadership Minnis gave Tennyson his comeuppance by publicly throwing his unqualified support behind ButlerTurner’s re-nomination.

Chastened but unshamable, it remains to be seen if Tennyson sings the leader’s tune.

No doubt he is already plotting his next menacing move. Rest assured it is likely to be more farcical than this one.

THE GRADUATE Nassau, September 12, 2016.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, September 13, 2016, PAGE 5

POLICE at the scene on Friday (above) after Marisha Bowen (right) was found dead.

SECOND MAN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN CONNECTION WITH TEACHER’S KILLING

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have taken a second man into custody in connection with the homicide of Marisha Bowen, the 35-year-old C W Saunders School teacher whose body was discovered by police at her apartment on Friday morning, The Tribune was told.

According to police sources, the man was arrested yesterday and was known to the victim, who is a native of Guyana.

She was not only mother to a son and daughter, but was three months pregnant at the time of her death.

On Sunday police confirmed that an African man was assisting them with investigations. At the time, authori-

ties were also said to be questioning a woman in relation to this case.

Police sources told The Tribune that an apparent love triangle was being probed as a possible motive for the teacher’s death.

Ms Bowen was found shortly after 8am on Friday in her apartment by other tenants of a complex on Read Sea Road, off Sumner Stree. She was suffering from a single wound to the body, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The wound was described by sources as a slit to the victim’s throat.

Neighbours were said to have heard screaming from her apartment and it is believed to have led to the discovery of her body, sources told this newspaper.

On Sunday, a relative of the vic-

tim said he remained shocked and heartbroken as he questioned how her 16-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter would cope with the sudden loss. She was three months pregnant at the time of her death, the relative confirmed.

“We are very shocked and hurt by this,” the relative said. “She was loving and caring and this was very unexpected. She will be missed.”

On Friday, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in a statement released just hours after the discovery by police, said school was dismissed early and urged parents to immediately collect students from the school “due to the untimely death of a teacher.”

She had taught at C W Saunders School from 2014.

DEFENCE FORCE MARINE RESCUED AFTER FALLING OVERBOARD

A ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force marine was rescued by fishermen in the area of Coral Island, near Arawak Cay on Sun-

day morning after reportedly falling overboard from HMBS Rolly Gray.

According to a statement from the RBDF, Marine

Seaman Neville Dorsette was eventually turned over to RBDF personnel who took him by ambulance to Doctors Hospital for a

MAN CONVICTED OF ARMED ROBBERY HAS TO CONVINCE COURT APPEAL SHOULD BE HEARD

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN convicted of accosting an elderly man at gunpoint was told by the Court of Appeal yesterday that he would have to convince the court that his appeal should be heard notwithstanding that it was filed late.

Jocelyn Similien, 28, appeared before Justices Dame Anita Allen, Stella Crane-Scott and Roy Jones for a hearing concerning his appeal against conviction for an armed robbery that occurred on May 26, 2012 at the residence of Reuben Sears.

The hearing could not proceed because the Crown respondent had an emergency and the matter was adjourned to October 25.

Similien, however, was told by appellate President Dame Anita that he would have to inform the court of the reasons for the two month delay in the filing of his appeal, the reasonable prospects of the success of his appeal and if there were any prejudice to the Crown in allowing the appeal to be heard.

The appellant said he understood and requested a copy of the transcripts from pro-

ceedings in the Supreme Court.

On the evening in question, at about 8.10pm, Mr Sears was taking trash to his garbage bin at the front of his home when he saw two men walking west along the northern side of the street.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Sears felt an object against his neck.

He turned and saw the two men that he had seen now in front of him.

The taller of the two said: “Give me your wallet.”

While the shorter assailant held the gun, the taller man put his hands in Mr Sears’ pocket and took out a wallet containing $95 and other items before both fled.

Four days later, Mr Sears attended an identification parade and Similien was picked out as the person who fit the description of the person who robbed him. Similien was sentenced to 10 years in jail that took effect from September 9, 2014, the date of conviction.

The penalty was subtracted by 10 months spent on remand.

Vernal Collie and Bradford McKenzie appeared for the Crown in yesterday’s hearing.

TWO FOUND WITH ‘FIREARM, AMMUNITION, DRUGS’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were arrested in Abaco after they were allegedly found in possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition and a quantity

of dangerous drugs, police reported.

Assistant Superintendant Loretta Mackey reported that police were on mobile patrol in the Marsh Harbour area when they spotted two men drive off at a high speed.

She said the officers gave

chase and caught up with the driver.

The male passenger attempted to flee. During a search, police discovered drugs, an unlicensed firearm, and a quantity of ammunition.

Investigations are continuing into the matter.

MAN TO APPEAL NEW SENTENCE FOR MURDER FROM 25 YEARS AGO

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER death row inmate will return to the Court of Appeal in October to contest a new sentence imposed on him for a murder that occurred 25 years ago.

Cyril Darville, 54, appeared before Justices Dame Anita Allen, Stella Crane-Scott and Roy Jones for the expected substantive hearing concerning his appeal of a 55-yearsentence imposed on him by then Supreme Court judge Justice Jon Isaacs for the 1990 murder of Anthony Feaste.

However, Darville’s lawyer, Jerone Roberts, requested additional time to properly prepare and argue his client’s appeal.

With no objection from the Crown re-

spondents, the appellate court further adjourned the matter to October 25.

Darville was initially sentenced to death in August 1992 for a shooting homicide in 1990. His appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed on October 4, 1994.

He was to be hanged in March 1996 after the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy found that clemency should not be granted in his case.

However, his execution was stayed. In June 2013, the matter came to a judge but was adjourned to August of that year for a new sentencing hearing.

Darville was later resentenced to 55 years imprisonment from the date of conviction.

Vernal Collie and Bradford McKenzie appeared for the Crown in yesterday’s hearing.

medical evaluation. Following brief observations, the marine was released and is now with friends and family.

An investigation into the

circumstances surrounding the incident is continuing and the general public will be informed accordingly, the RBDF said.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, September 13, 2016 FROM PAGE ONE Police Marvin Dames and former Democratic National Alliance Chairman Mark Humes.

Last week, Mr Dames confirmed to The Tribune that he was approached by the FNM over a possible candidacy.

At the time Mr Dames did not reveal the constituency he was being considered for, but it has been speculated that the FNM intends to ratify him for the Mount Moriah seat.

Party insiders have told The Tribune that the former high-ranking police officer would be a good pick for the party as the constituency is home to one of the capital’s most challenging crime hot spots for the police – Yellow Elder Gardens.

However, Mr Dames said while the FNM’s interest in him has stirred much debate, he has yet to accept any position and the party hasn’t made him any assurances.

A possible run by the former police officer has been speculated for weeks, but was the subject of discussion on Tuesday after Mount Moriah Constituency Association executive Collin Ingraham expressed anger over an apparent snub concerning his candidacy for the constituency.

It came to light in a message sent by messenger service WhatsApp in which Mr Ingraham expressed displeasure over reports that despite promises he was slated to be the party’s pick in the next election, Mr Dames had been chosen.

“I have not committed to anything nor has anyone told me that I have been nominated for any position,” Mr Dames said when he was contacted

by The Tribune last week.

He added: “In an answer to your question, yes I have been approached by the FNM and I have

FROM PAGE ONE Though he maintained that he will do the honourable thing and not seek or offer himself for nomination, Dr Rollins admitted that he is open to considering “and possibly” accepting a constituency nomination he does not expect Dr Minnis to give.

“I believe that it was important, having gone against the wishes of the leader and forcing an early convention, that I do the honourable thing and say that I will not offer, or seek a nomination, do not expect one and I still hold that position,” said Dr Rollins.

“The reality is, I want to see the FNM win the next election. Even after the convention (I’ve said) that I want to see the FNM win. I would like to see that Dr Minnis be successful in carrying the FNM to victory. Now whether he offers me an opportunity to participate in the FNM, I can’t say at this time that I would refuse it.

“There’s a very strong possibility that if given that option I would consider it and possibly...who knows, who knows,” Dr Rollins added.

In June in a series of press statements, Dr Rollins openly criticised Dr Minnis and his supporters, stating that the leader had no substance or vision for the country.

That same month he made the pledge not to seek reelection on the FNM’s ticket if Dr Minnis was re-elected leader, explaining that he could not expect to campaign alongside him given his critique of Dr Minnis and his role in the push for an early convention.

Six of the Opposition’s 10 MPs – Loretta Butler-Turner, Hubert Chipman, Neko Grant, Richard Lightbourn, Theo Neilly and Dr Rollins – threatened to petition Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling to remove Dr Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition unless

‘FNM IS STABLE AND READY’

FNM leader Hubert Minnis.

been approached by people in other parties as well.

“You know people are driven to politics for any number of reasons (including) their own selfish gain, the power (and) the prestige of it. But I would say this, if or whenever that day comes and I decide to run in front line politics, it’s going to be for all the right reasons.

“Principle among those reasons would be to give all that I can give to ensure that this country gets on the right track and that’s all I have to say.”

This comes after a faction in Long Island drafted a petition to oust that constituency’s MP Loretta Butler-Turner, reported uncertainty over Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn’s future with the party, and confirmation from FNM member Howard Johnson that he was dropping out of the race for the South Beach constituency.

FNM member Leonard Sands, who was slated to be the party’s candidate for the Bain and Grants Town constituency, also announced last month that he was dropping out of the race.

ROLLINS ‘WOULD CONSIDER’ RUNNING IF THE FNM OFFERED HIM NOMINATION the initial November date was brought forward.

In making their case against their leader, the MPs also highlighted a myriad of inefficiencies in a letter to the party’s Central Council, including his failure to take command of the party “at almost every turn” despite their repeated efforts to support him.

Last month, Dr Rollins said he “stands by” his decision to join some of his parliamentary colleagues in calling for an early convention and he takes full responsibility for his actions.

However, Dr Rollins said he would not take responsibility for the “decision of others to undermine the party’s leader, and by extension the party” by releasing the “blistering letter to the council, enumerating the perceived deficiencies and failings of Dr Minnis.”

At the time, Dr Rollins accused Mrs Butler-Turner of writing the letter and said he was not consulted about it, even though his name was on the document along with the five other MPs. In early August, Dr Rollins again stressed that he would not seek a nomination from his party in the aftermath of Dr Minnis retaining control of the FNM. The Fort Charlotte MP was asked yesterday about his relationship with Dr Minnis post-convention and Dr Rollins described it as “welcoming.”

“I’ve sent him emails from time to time (and) it’s not a matter of it being favourable (but) he’ll respond based on something I put to him and he’ll let me know what he

thinks about it. I sense that he’s welcoming,” Dr Rollins said.

Dr Rollins admitted that he anticipates a possible backlash from his constituents and others if he were to accept a nomination offer given his track-record for switching allegiances to various political parties since coming onto the political scene in 2010 as a member of the now defunct National Development Party and his four year stint as member of the Progressive Liberal Party.

“It’s a very real concern,” Dr Rollins said.

“I want people to know that I don’t have any intention of joining any other party in life. The FNM is where I want to be, where I intend to remain. The problem is that going back to a point that was raised earlier, I just want to see change happening in this country where we can begin to have pride in our country and I think Bahamians are losing pride in our country simply because the leaders that we have are failing our country and not giving us reason(s) to be proud to be Bahamian,” he stressed.

“Yes you have athletes that are making us proud to be Bahamian. You have private citizens who are making us proud to be Bahamian.

You have pride in the fact that this is your home, you want to see the best for your country but when you look at what’s happening as far as leadership quality that we have, you’re not proud of that, and if they are who represents you abroad and international circles, then I would argue that we deserve much better.”

THE TRIBUNE

FROM PAGE ONE ecution of that function is a matter of concern.

“Pursuant to that concern, it has been agreed by both the ministry and its agencies, and the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union, that all parties will await the results of the Security Risk Assessment being undertaken on LPIA, with a view to determining whether the current measures may be revised without compromising airport security.

“It was therefore agreed that the current security measures will be maintained, until the Security Risk Assessment is completed and reviewed,” the statement concluded.

When contacted on Monday for clarification on the union’s decision to soften its stance, BATCU President Hinsey McKenzie deferred all comments, opting for the joint statement to stand as the union’s official stance on the matter.

BATCU last week took issue with a new security measure that stipulated that its members would have to adhere to the new protocol that mandates controllers undergo extensive personal searches at security checkpoints.

The government has maintained, through a statement released by Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin, that it would not com-

FROM PAGE ONE government and CEXIM to remobilise the resort.

However, the DNA leader said the truth is “no one is guaranteed payment” and those who will get paid will get “pennies” on the dollar.

“On Friday, September 9, many of you would have seen that the bank, via the Claims Committee has released a new set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on their website. These answers they gave on this website are a complete contradiction of what our prime minister promised us on August 22,” Mr McCartney said.

“Mr Christie promised the Bahamian people that all Bahamian creditors, including former workers, contractors and vendors had been protected, and would receive the majority, if not all of their outstanding claims. Well, the bank is now saying that no one, I repeat, no one is guaranteed a payment. And worse, they make it clear that any payment to any Bahamian creditor will be dependent upon the size of concessions offered to them.

“I want the Bahamian people to understand me clearly, the EXIM Bank will walk away with hundreds of millions in incentives while we the Bahamian people, who this government claims to represent, will receive pennies, if anything at all. And the government cannot lie to us any longer that this was the best deal they could come up with after a year of negotiating.”

Mr McCartney said it is clear that the government has been “bought, hook, line and sinker,” by the Chinese.

“What Baha Mar has truly exposed is how much a foreign government, no less the Communist government of China, is controlling the economic and political future of our country for its own ends,” he said. “This prime minister and his Cabinet have deceived the Bahamian people either because they have allowed themselves to be FROM PAGE ONE tion about its progress.

“The formal government would have stepped back once they came to an agreement reduced to the document signed between itself and the Export Import Bank of China (CEXIM), which discussed the amount of payment, categories of payment and timeframe,” he said.

Mr Smith said the committee will release information later this week informing Bahamians about where they can go in person to discuss the claims process with staff of the committee.

“Either today or the next day a notice will go out to staff about where they can come and physically meet and discuss queries and return their forms,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Smith said while the process for depositing money into a bank account that the Claims Committee will access has begun, the money has not yet arrived.

“The EXIM Bank might

AGREEMENT REACHED WITH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS promise on the security at LPIA. The department also indicated that the screening of air traffic controllers is a “direct mandate” by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), which has advised the government of its “imminent intent to post globally” that this specific deficiency made LPIA a “vulnerable aerodrome” as it relates to security.

According to Mrs Hanna Martin, government officials were told that the issue “would seriously and negatively impact the economy and reputation of the Bahamas” if not corrected.

Before the policy, controllers were only required to show their work identification card.

Mr McKenzie told The Tribune on Sunday, that events on Saturday were the result of a lack of communication with the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), the Airport Authority and the union over the new policy, which he said the relevant parties previously agreed to review and discuss for 120 days after its implementation.

BRAN: ONLY PM, CHINESE OFFICIALS WILL BENEFIT FROM BAHA MAR DEAL continually misinformed, or, worse, have sold themselves to the Chinese to maintain their own status quo.”

Mr McCartney said Mr Christie should hang his head in shame, ask the people for forgiveness and “demit office”.

Last Friday, the Claims Committee responsible for administrating payouts to former employees and creditors of Baha Mar updated its website with additional information about the claims process, including a warning that no one is guaranteed to be paid.

In the updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the website, claimsspv.net, the committee states: “There is no assurance that you will receive any payment at all. No creditor has any legal entitlement to the funds being administered but the committee. However, the committee has been formed to review claims and offer payments for valid claims at the committee’s absolute discretion. Priority will be given to Bahamian creditors on the basis that the fund has been provided in consideration for concessions and consents from the government which must benefit the Bahamian people.”

James Smith, the former state minister for finance who heads the Claims Committee, said these statements are made to emphasise that pay outs are being made on an ex gratia basis, meaning outside of any formal court-supervised liquidation process because the money is a gift from CEXIM. The statement is also being made to emphasise that regardless of what one is owed, the amount of money legitimate creditors receive will be determined at the discretion of the Claims Committee, he explained.

GOVT’S CLAIMS COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT ‘LIMITED’

have to send the money from four different accounts from different countries,” he explained.

“So they have their work to do and we have our due diligence processes to go through on this end, such as providing Know Your Customer information, NIB numbers, signatures, etc. People have to be assured that the money won’t go missing.

“Nothing brought to my attention so far is really out of the norm in this process,” he continued. “But we’ll need to look to the end of the month to see what the performance is against the projections.”

Mr Smith said he is aware of the specific date when the money will be deposited, but he declined to disclose this detail with The Tribune.

Instead he said: “If we are going to meet the (September) 30th deadline (to pay out money to former employees of Baha Mar) then the money has to be there before that.

FROM PAGE ONE the other fled the area on foot, police said.

Both Sgt Dixon and the injured suspect were taken to hospital for treatment.

Augustine, who was not represented in yesterday’s arraignment, was told that he would not be allowed to enter a plea to the charge until he is formally arraigned before a judge in the Supreme Court.

He was told that upon his return to Magistrate’s Court on November 8, he would be presented with a voluntary bill of indictment that would facilitate the transfer of his case.

Augustine was also informed that he would have to apply for bail in the Supreme Court as the magistrate could not consider or grant a bond due to the nature of the charge.

The teen was remanded to the Department of Correctional Services to await trial.

Armed robberies Three men were also remanded to prison yesterday after they were separately arraigned before Magistrate Delancy concerning separate armed robberies.

Richard Mills, 20, faced a charge each of armed robbery, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of a firearm with intent of committing an indictable offence concerning an incident on September 6.

It is alleged that he, while armed with a black Taurus Millennium .45 pistol, robbed

“It has to happen so we have sufficient time to sign off on claims forms and to check the Baha Mar employee list to see who is on it and what they are owed.”

A source close to the committee said the amount of money to be deposited is “around $100 million”.

The government has said it hopes former workers of Baha Mar will be paid money owed to them by the end of this month while Bahamian creditors are expected to be paid by the end of the year.

In August, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced that a deal had been reached between the government and CEXIM to remobilise the stalled resort during a nationally televised address.

He said former employees would be paid monies owed to them and Bahamian creditors and contractors with claims would get a substantial portion, if not all, of what was due to them.

TEENAGER IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER Peter Cox of $44 cash and a set of keys valued at $50.

His case is scheduled to be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court on November 8.

Mills was further charged with stealing and receiving from a separate incident that allegedly occurred on September 3.

It is claimed the he stole and/or dishonestly received $2,000 from the home of Calvin Dawkins.

Mills pleaded not guilty and will stand trial on September 29.

In the next arraignment, 21-year-old Julian King was accused of accosting Aaron Martins and robbing him of an iPhone 6 valued at $700 and black sunglasses worth $30 on August 17.

He returns to court on October 20, along with accused accomplices 25-year-old Tamiko Deveaux and 21-year-old Shaquille Burrows for the matter to be transferred to the higher court.

In the last of three armed robbery arraignments, Lucson Paul Jr, 19, was accused of robbing Elvis Hanna of a Blu brand cell phone and $240 cash on July 5 of this year.

He, too, will have his matter transferred to the Supreme Court at his next lower court appearance on November 8.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, September 13, 2016, PAGE 7

Former MP says consult residents before making boundary changes GEORGE SMITH

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net FORMER Exuma MP George Smith yesterday urged members of the recently appointed Constituencies Commission to consult residents before making any formal recommendations for boundary changes ahead of the 2017 general election.

Mr Smith, a Pindlingera Cabinet minister who has expressed interest in reviving his political career, insisted that while the five-member commission boasts the “wherewithal” to make needed changes to constituency boundaries, the electorate should be “adequately consulted” in the interim.

Interest In August, Mr Smith officially requested to be the Progressive Liberal Party’s candidate for a proposed North Exuma seat, expressing his interest in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Perry Christie, who also serves as the chairman of the PLP’s Candidates Committee.

He inferred on Monday that the commission,

which consists of Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, Free National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest, and is chaired by House Speaker Dr Kendal Major and Senior Supreme Court Justice Stephen Isaacs, could “overlook the need for adjustments to several seats.”

“The voice of the people has to be considered,” he told The Tribune.

“The commission doesn’t have to consider the electorate in this regard, but they should.”

According to Mr Smith, despite constituencies like Exuma not exhibiting qualities for expansion on the surface, “a closer look and consultation with the residents” would show the potential for adjustments.

“Talk to the people in Exuma, they would explain to you the heartache of having to work with a MP’s schedule, with that member having to traverse miles and miles, islands and islands in a small window of time,” Mr Smith said.

“Exuma has grown in population and economy.

In order for those residents to receive proper representation, a second

seat is essential. This size, geography, population and economy all point to a split in that constituency somewhere near Farmer’s Hill or (the) Forest.”

Roughly 2,700 voters participated in the 2012 election in Exuma; a number Mr Smith suggested could increase by 50 per cent by next May. “That is why I am pleading with the commission,” Mr Smith added. “Look at Abaco, there is a need for a third seat.

“That is also the case in Eleuthera. There are issues with Bimini, Berry Islands and Grand Bahama.”

Consultations “The prime minister has indicated that he is aware of these constituency issues, and that is good.

But, at the same time, if there are no consultations done we could end up with more situations like the ones we have in Montagu and St Anne’s, where residents from two vastly different sectors of society are meshed together and made to co-exist.”

Montagu is composed of the Kemp Road and the Blair communities.

THIS Accuweather map shows the projected route of Tropical Storm Ian.

Tropical Storm Ian ‘not a threat to land’ TROPICAL Storm Ian formed over the Atlantic Ocean yesterday morning but is not currently a threat to land.

The US National Hurricane Center says Ian was still far out to sea, more than 1,000 miles southeast of Bermuda. It is moving northwest at about 13mph.

“Despite becoming a tropical storm, increasing wind shear will limit strengthening as the week continues,” AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.

Mr Kottlowski said he expects Ian to continue on a north-northwest track along the periphery of a large high pressure area south west of the Azores. “On this projected path, Ian will remain in the central North Atlantic far removed from land,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Basin, two other areas of disturbed weather are being monitored.

One area of thunderstorms near the central Bahamas is expected to continue on a west-northwest path over the next few days.

The system’s movement across an unfavourable environment is expected to inhibit the system from developing, Mr Kottlowski said.

However, the disturbance is expected to enhance showers and heavy thunderstorms across the Bahamas and Florida early this week. The second area being watched is a tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands and will be monitored for development toward the end of this week.

CARIBBEAN NEWS

CUBAN DISSIDENT COCO FARINAS ENDS HUNGER STRIKE HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban dissident says fellow activist Guillermo Farinas has ended a nearly two-month hunger strike in response to an apparently false report about the European Parliament taking up his case.

Dissident Jorge Luis Artiles told The Associated Press on Monday that

Farinas ended his protest because the European Parliament had taken action to condition ties with Cuba on the country granting dissidents more rights.

European Union officials said they had no information about the supposed “Farinas Amendment,” and a Mi-

ami-based Cuban-American group said the report had originated on a blog that was taken down by Monday evening.

Artiles said he and other dissidents had been asking Farinas to abandon the hunger strike that began July 20, his 25th such action demanding greater civil rights in Cuba.

DEPUTY Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald and Free National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest are all members of the Constituencies Commission.

Meanwhile, ahead of the last election St Anne’s was moved further east, tying together much of northeastern New Providence and portions of northern and western Fox Hill.

Mr Smith claimed that the clear social and economic divides in these constituencies will force representatives to “forsake” sections of their constituency in favour of improving areas that need more help.

In May, The Tribune reported that flyers bearing Mr Smith’s face and

the slogan “Progress Together” were being posted across Exuma.

When contacted at that point, Mr Smith said his mind, body and heart were all in agreement that he “can again serve the will of the people”.

Mr Smith added that successive politicians representing Exuma have failed in their attempts to end the social and financial “upheaval” that has crippled the once great community.

Mr Smith, a native of Exuma, said if the Con-

stituencies Commission approves the second seat on the island, he foresees himself and BAF Financial Bahamas CEO Chester Cooper as the candidates ratified for the island — Mr Smith in the north and Mr Cooper in the south.

Anthony Moss, a member of the PLP, has represented Exuma since 2002.

The party has not commented publicly on Mr Smith’s request to represent a new constituency in Exuma.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, September 13, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

The dearth of leaders in waiting LEADERS IN WAITING? Prime Minister Perry Christie and his Cabinet on the way to the House of Assembly.

I

’M HAVING one of those days again.

In spite of the many news headlines coming out of the Bahamas, I am finding myself disinterested in discussing any of them. I believe this feeling is a cross between being numbed by the content of the news and being fed up with the same old nonsense.

I don’t want to talk about the newborn baby abandoned and left in bushes after the mother gave birth to him there, as evidenced by the bloody pants and underwear on the scene.

I don’t want to talk about what kind of a person would do that. I don’t want to talk about what would make a woman feel she had no other choice but to do that.

I don’t want to discuss whether or not she was in her right mind in the first place, or if she was someone mentally unfit who ended up impregnated by some random man who wanted a joy ride.

I don’t want to hypothesise about whether she was a good girl afraid for anyone to know she was pregnant.

I don’t want to talk about what kind of country we must be when women take to the bushes to have babies as if it was a cotton plantation in the 1850s.

I don’t want to talk about why people close to the Prime Minister stay getting shot at. Or

iel Johnson (very confident, easy talker, perhaps overconfident … and talks lone BS).

These are the people who, when they speak, I might listen just to see what they’re going on about.

By NICOLE BURROWS

“Cabinet ministers are stage performers.

They put on a show for the camera and they believe they have earned the right to be untouchable in their performances.

Their leader allows them to maintain this belief.” the murder of a pregnant foreign teacher. Or why Hubert Minnis can’t seem to get it through his thick skull that it doesn’t matter how nice he seems to play with Loretta ButlerTurner, many Bahamians think the Free National Movement (FNM) has lost its cotton pickin’ mind and can’t in their wildest imaginations scare up the same number and/or quality of voters it once could have.

What I did want to talk about was the lame group of cabinet ministers meant to be working in the Bahamian people’s best interest.

I wanted to rate them all on a dozen characteristics, but then I realised most of

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that MARC JUDNOR CHARLES of Washington St., P.O.Box GT2658, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 13th day of September, 2016 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

them would rate poorly so why even waste my time.

Knowledgeability: most of them have displayed little clue or intelligence in their roles thus far and it’s hard to tell if the bit they do know has anything to do with what they should know, so it’s probably not even appropriate to rate them on their possession of knowledge.

Suitability for the portfolio … only the universe knows why some are picked to lead certain government ministries, particularly with no background in the work that’s required, and maybe the only reason they fit a role is because they are loyal or bothered to show up at roll call.

Respectability: at some time or another they have all earned and lost the respect of the public. Where they stand now can change tomorrow, so why waste my time or yours on grading them in this respect.

Sincerity: it’s a recurring case of wolves in sheep’s clothing. What you see as genuine, I may not see, and for different reasons. We will follow what we think is our instinct anyway, so let’s just skip this rating category.

Believability: any showman can make you believe something they really want you to believe and they continue to do this. I believe the worst version of it is called lying.

Likeability: when she/ he is personable or charismatic or popular. But they all have their followers.

One leader may be void of personality but may be

ATOP THE COMMUNICATORS LIST: Prime Minister Perry Christie.

laden with answers, but will never get anywhere because they have no mass appeal.

Conversely, another of them may have great appeal but not two sound thoughts to knock together, as it so often seems to be the case.

So really, consider likeability when the fundamentals are locked down, but it’s no criteria to choose a leader.

Did you ever like your meanest, most effective teacher?

Cabinet ministers are stage performers.

They put on a show for the camera and they believe they have earned the right to be untouchable in their performances.

Their leader allows them to maintain this belief.

But I decided that instead of showing how each of the showmen and women stacked up against one another in leadership traits, maybe it would be more beneficial to you to zero in on a handful of characteristics I think you need to pay most attention to in order to get you interested enough to get out there and vote in 2017.

YOUR GOOD LEADER SHOULD: Have vision This is primary, as far as I am concerned. You want your leader, any leader, not just leader of a party, to have a clear vision … clear in her/his mind and clear to the people.

Your leader has to have an actionable plan and goals that make sense to more than just self or a handful of people.

You don’t want someone who is just winging it or riding on the tail end of someone else’s ideas - old or new - from one moment to the next.

Sure, the ability to wing it is helpful when you find yourself in a jam, but anyone who just floats from one day to the next winging it in leadership is not someone you ever want

With their present track record and continuing along their current trajectory, I don’t know that any of the existing cabinet ministers really come across as so effective at getting things done. to follow. When forced to select, the only cabinet ministers I could say have demonstrated any type of vision are probably Melanie Griffin, Glenys Hanna Martin and, maybe, Frederick Mitchell.

The problem is always in the execution of vision, as we’re still awaiting the turnover from some of their ideas.

Be communicative Once they have a vision, your leader needs to speak it coherently and communicate it with clarity.

Everything they communicate to you or others should be done with clarity.

Ideally, you want someone who can flex between being colloquial enough to engage the less well-spoken among us, and someone who can give a speech at the United Nations and be understood by people from around the world.

When forced to select, the cabinet ministers atop the communicators list would include Perry Christie (who isn’t as clear thinking or speaking as he believes he is), Frederick Mitchell, Kenred Dorsett (though laced with slick lawyer words), Jerome Fitzgerald (speaks easy, but rude and lacking substance … yes, I of all people called someone rude), Michael Halkitis (puppet language), Obediah Wilchcombe (slickster with news media experience so he can smooth anything over) and Dan-

Have presentability Your leader should be able to rub shoulders with other world leaders without being or looking awkward or out-of-place, and without causing you to feel ashamed that they are representing you.

If this person is a good leader, at least half of their job will be done outside the borders of the country, and every time they go somewhere they are showing the world what you look like and how you act.

When forced to select, the cabinet ministers with this trait might be Perry Christie (probably his best feature, except when he’s falling asleep), Obediah Wilchcombe, Allyson Maynard-Gibson (can we include her?), Glenys Hanna Martin, Frederick Mitchell, and Hope Strachan.

I’m reaching a little here, can you tell?

Be effective Your leader must be able to get work done. In fact, your leader should have a record of getting things done.

You need a leader who can get boots on the ground quickly and a leader who can also be boots on the ground … unafraid to get down and dirty in the trenches with the rest of us poor suckers trying to carve out a good life.

And by down and dirty I don’t mean going to a ground-breaking ceremony, bending forward with a shovel and then tossing dirt for a photo opportunity.

With their present track record and continuing along their current trajectory, I don’t know that any of the existing cabinet ministers really come across as so effective at getting things done.

I suppose, when forced to select, I would choose Melanie Griffin, Frederick Mitchell and Glenys Hanna Martin as boots-onthe-ground types, except I’m not too sure Mitchell will be getting himself too dirtied.

The rest of them in Cabinet present as ‘flammers’ of the highest order, and let this be a warning to them: most of you come across as doing nothing of great consequence.

If you are doing anything of consequence, your efforts are not resounding in the exhibition of results.

This is the sum total of our leaders and their connectedness with the people and with the purpose.

In short, slim pickins.

E-mail nburrows@tribunemedia.net, Facebook and Twitter @SoPolitiCole

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, September 13, 2016, PAGE 9

‘GRAND AGAIN’: MAJOR PROJECTS TAKE SHAPE ON GRAND BAHAMA

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville said Grand Bahama is on its way to becoming grand again through the initiation of several major government projects here on the island.

He noted that Prime Minister Perry Christie created his ministry specifically for Grand Bahama to ensure that residents, especially those living in the outlying settlements, receive maximum benefits from government initiatives.

“I had opportunity to travel from to east to west, and talk with many residents and listen to their concerns…and what they felt was necessary to make Grand Bahama grand again,” he said.

Dr Darville said the government is bringing long-term solutions

to age-old problems by constructing a new fire station; the Fishing Hole Road Bridge, a sea wall at Smith’s Point; and a new junior high school in West Grand Bahama.

“The signing and groundbreaking of the West Grand Bahama Junior High School is another example of the government’s promise to doubling its investment in education,” he said.

There are also plans for a new government administrative complex in Eight Mile Rock at the former Friendship Shopping Centre, where preparation work is now underway.

Other initiatives include the establishment of duty-free concessions in east and west Grand Bahama, as well as the provision of potable water in those areas.

Dr Darville also noted that government is renovating and modernising the West End and Eight Mile Rock Clinics.

ON THE MOVE – The Fishing Hole Road project continues as plans to transform the thoroughfare take form.

FUTURE SITE – Work crews are presently preparing the former site of the Friendship Shopping Centre in Pinedale, Eight Mile Rock for the construction of the first government complex for residents in the West.

PROUD MOMENT – As government pushes forward with its thrust to revitalise Grand Bahama, Prime Minister Perry Christie described the groundbreaking ceremony for a new junior high school in West Grand Bahama last week as a proud moment.

PROGRESS – The construction of a sea wall in Smith’s Point is making progress.

(Photos: Immerse Bahamas)

GRAND BAHAMA TO SERVE UP A TREAT AT CULINARY FUSION EXPO

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter

THE Culinary Fusion Expo 2016 will be held soon and organisers are gathering the best in the food and beverage industry to feature what Grand Bahama has to offer.

The event brings chefs, cooks, mixologists, breweries, bakeries and restaurants and hotels together once a year for a fusion of delicious eats and drinks.

“Meeting of Minds: Culinary Fusion Expo 2016” will take place at the Pelican Bay Hotel on November 5 at 4pm. This is its fourth year in Freeport.

According to a spokesperson, MOVE Marketing has partnered this year with Immerse Bahamas, BTC, the Ministry of Tourism, Pelican Bay, Petro Express, the Grand Bahama Port Authority and Bahamas Weekly to stage the finest food and beverage expo ever on Grand Bahama Island.

Karen Ferguson-Bain, Immerse Bahamas project manager, said last year’s event featured 40 vendors and attracted over 800 persons.

“We truly appreciate the support that we received last year,” she said, adding that those attending were wowed by the savoury dishes, desserts and cocktails.

“Attendees this year will experience the best dining Grand Bahama Island has to offer – all in one night.

“Equally important is the wonderful opportunity restaurants, cafes, bistros, bakeries, hoteliers and cocktail lounge owners have to showcase their speciality items to patrons, who may not be aware

ORGANISERS of Culinary Fusion Expo 2016 are gearing up for another exciting event at the Pelican Bay Hotel on November 5. From left are Ministry of Tourism representative Brooke Grant; event Vice President Jillian Lightbourne; event President Sean Johnson; Grand Bahama Port Authority Business Services Manager LaShawn Dames; and Immerse Bahamas Project Manager Karen Ferguson-Bain. (Photo: Immerse Bahamas photo) of the variety of offerings on the island.”

Jillian Lightbourne, Culinary Fusion expo vice president, is urging vendors to register early because the deadline for the event is Friday, September 19.

A new student competition component is being introduced this year, and invitations have been extended to the culinary departments in local high schools.

“What we’re planning is having a competition for the culinary departments of all the local high schools and the winner from

each school will be a participant of Culinary Fusion. We will also announce the overall winner at the main event,” Ms Lightbourne said.

LaShawn Dames, Grand Bahama Port Authority business services manager, said that the Invest Grand Bahama Small Business Bureau is pleased to be partnering with MOVE Marketing.

“It was a no brainer since the impetus behind Culinary Fusion fuels entrepreneurship in the food and beverage field. We’re excited that it is a great opportunity

for small businesses in the F&B field to get that added exposure, whether that is locally or nationally,” Ms Dames said.

The Ministry of Tourism said journalists from North America, including Canada, and Europe will be visiting and attending the event.

Brooke Grant, Ministry of Tourism communications representative, said the event has received positive reviews in the past and has driven culinary tourism dollars to Grand Bahama.

“The amount of attention the

articles published by local and international journalists have already drawn to the island, coupled with the exposure mileage the event derives from the ministry’s half a million-plus followers via its social media pages, Travel Bahamas and Tourism Today Bahamas, celebrity personality Tipsy Bartender and the local show, A Mouth Full, this year gives it an added dimension,” she said.

Tickets for the event will be available October 1 at Gizmos and Gadgets, The Seventeen Shop and Pelican Bay Hotel.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, September 13, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

RANFURLY HOMES FOR CHILDREN RECEIVES $13,000 DONATION THE Ranfurly Homes For Children has received a donation of $13,000 thanks to the generosity of G R Sweeting and its customers over the summer. The money will help go towards preparing the children for the new school year.

During July and August, at The Shoe Village and Clarks stores, customers were asked if they would make a donation to the Ranfurly Homes for Children at the time of their purchase.

By September, G R Sweeting had collected over $6,000 from the public and the company then matched that contribution, in total donating $13,072 to the worthy cause.

Lotoya Polacek, board member and chairperson of the Fundraising Committee at the Ranfurly Homes, said that partnering with G R Sweeting has meant a lot to the organisation.

“We are very grateful to G R Sweeting & Son Co Ltd. Through this partnership that started in July 2014, Ranfurly is able to continue to provide a stable, safe and loving home for abused, abandoned, and neglected children.”

The home currently offers a safe haven to 25 children, ranging in age from 12 to 17. Established in 1956, the home provides everything for the children residing there, including food, shelter, a private education and clothing. The home also provides professional counselling for all children.

It depends on the public (private and corporate) for 80 per cent of its income.

G R Sweeting thanked its customers for joining them in the endeavour and donating.

Gwen Burrows, G R Sweeting’s retail operations manager, said: “Without our customers this initiative could not G R SWEETING representatives Lakeisha Greene, Jasmine Woodside, Charlene Ritchie and Lacherra Coakley flank Ranfurly Homes have been successful. We are very thankful.”

The company looks forward to partnering with the Ran- executives Princess Burrows (Supervisor & Assistant to the Administrator), Latoya Polacek (Secretary to the Board of Directors) and Alexander Roberts (Administrator) at the presentation of the donation. furly Homes again in the future.

ROTARY CLUB AND CITI HOST BACK-TO-SCHOOL JAMBOREE CHILDREN in Gambier Village returned to school this week supplied with all the educational tools they needed and fresh haircuts thanks to a event put on by The Rotary Club of West Nassau and Citi Bahamas.

Through the second annual Backto-School Jamboree initiative, the organisations together helped approximately 150 children with their back-to-school preparation, providing a “back-to-school kit” which included a new backpack, composition books, pens, pencils and other school supplies. At the event, the young boys also received fresh haircuts, and all of the children got free health and dental screenings. The day was capped off with music, burgers, hotdogs and drinks, and fun in the bouncing castles.

Margaret Butler, Citi Country Officer for the Bahamas, said her company was grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community as Citi’s sponsorship of the Back-to-School Jamboree is part of a larger initiative focusing on programs that help youth with confidence, educational goals, and ultimately, employment and entrepreneurship.

She said Citi builds enduring rela-

tionships with the community through events such as these with Gambier Village and the Annual Global Community Day, which they sponsor every June, the last one being the restoration of the Yellow Elder Community Park, in partnership with the Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority of the Bahamas, earlier this year.

The President of the Rotary Club of West Nassau, Craig Butler, said his organisation believes strongly in partnering with Corporate Bahamas to give back to the communities it is a part of, as all of its members are business and community leaders in their own right. “We chose to partner with Citi, as we view them as an organisation with similar values - a desire to give back to their community,” he said.

“We would like to thank the Gambier Village Association for the opportunity to work along with them in identifying children within their community who needed the assistance.

The Rotary Club of West Nassau views this as a signature event for us, and looks forward to partnering with other communities in the Western District each year to improve the lives of all in our communities.”

US ELECTION NEWS

ILLNESS HIT CLINTON CAMPAIGN STAFF BEFORE SHE GOT PNEUMONIA

MISS WORLD BAHAMAS VISITS ‘RUSH BACK TO SCHOOL’ EVENT MISS World Bahamas Ashley Hamilton paid a visit to the children of Bain and Grants Town at One Family Junkanoo Groups’ annual ‘Rush Back To School’ Jamboree at their practice site at Market Street and shared the importance of maintaining a good education while pursuing a career.

The event consisted of many activities for the children including face painting and a bounce house alongside food and music. The group also distributed school supplies and also gave a prize to those who had the highest Grade Point Average.

(AP) — An outbreak of respiratory illness swept through Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the weeks before she was diagnosed with pneumonia and fell ill at this year’s 9/11 memorial ceremony, campaign aides said Monday.

The Democratic presidential candidate abruptly left Sunday’s event after feeling “overheated.”

A video later posted on Twitter showed her staggering and eventually slumping forward before being held up by three people as she was helped into a van.

On Sunday, her campaign answered questions about Clinton’s health and whereabouts with two short statements, both issued hours after she left the memorial in lower Manhattan.

More than 20 hours later, her campaign gave a fuller accounting of the episode, which sparked a wave of bipartisan concern about her health and questions about her political transparency.

Clinton’s husband, former president Bill Clinton, said in an interview Tuesday with PBS’ Charlie Rose that Hillary Clinton is, “doing fine” after a good night’s sleep. He added that if there are more health problems

that caused her apparent weakness Monday, “then it’s a mystery to me and all of her doctors.”

He said that “on more than one occasion” over the years “the same sort of thing’s happened to her when she got severely dehydrated.”

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said the former secretary of state started to feel hot at the event, which took place on a muggy day in New York.

There was little shade where Clinton was standing alongside other dignitaries.

As family members of 9/11 victims read the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, she decided to leave and get a drink of water.

She was wearing a wool suit and had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, a fact her campaign had not made public.

In fact, campaign aides said Monday, a number of staff members at her campaign headquarters had been ill in recent weeks, including campaign manager Robby Mook.

“I probably came in a few more days than I should have over the last few weeks,” he told MSNBC on Monday.

“I’m still actually recover-

ing from the cough that I got through that.”

As Clinton walked to the motorcade, she began to feel dizzy and had to be helped into her van.

She never lost consciousness, Fallon said. Shortly after entering the air-conditioned vehicle, he said, she began calling aides and requested to go to her daughter’s Manhattan home.

At the apartment, she played with her grandchildren, even chasing them around the room, Fallon said.

Clinton exited the building on her own, wearing sunglasses and carrying a handbag.

She waved to reporters and said, “I’m feeling great.

It’s a beautiful day in New York.”

She was then driven to her home in suburban Chappaqua, New York.

The public was left in the dark about Clinton’s whereabouts for about 90 minutes, sparking widespread speculation about her condition.

That was a mistake, Fallon said.

“In those 90 minutes that elapsed, we could have gotten more information out more quickly,” he said in an interview on MSNBC.

“That’s on us and we regret that.”

Clinton’s doctor, Lisa R. Barback, later came to her home and conducted an examination.

In a statement released by the campaign eight hours after the incident, Bardack said the 68-year-old Clinton “became overheated and dehydrated” at the 9/11 ceremony.

By the end of the day, she was “rehydrated and recovering nicely,” she said.

Campaign aides said it was Clinton’s decision to attend weekend fundraisers and the Sunday ceremony, despite Friday’s diagnosis. Late Sunday evening, she canceled a California campaign swing scheduled for early this week.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton will headline some of her events, an aide announced late Monday.

Hillary Clinton is expected to be back on the campaign trail as soon as Wednesday.

“It was her decision to want to press on,” Fallon said in an interview on CNN. “But I think after yesterday’s incident, everybody was agreed that she should take a couple of days off the trail.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, September 13, 2016, PAGE 11

FIX MY STREET THE New Providence pothole plague, the scourge of motorists throughout the island, continues to anger and frustrate residents with some “craters” in the road causing damage to cars.

The Tribune has been out and about, responding to complaints from readers, and photographing the terrible state of the roads, some of which have been left unfilled after corporation works.

One area highlighted - the junction of Cowpen Road and Maria Drive where a huge hole had been left unfilled next to several potholes was fixed shortly after an article in The Tribune last week drew attention to it.

One resident of Breadfruit Street, Pinewood Gardens, complained that for the past few months, the Water and Sewerage Corporation has been doing work in the Pinewood area, which has forced residents to park on the main road and walk to their respective homes.

“I would appreciate if Water and Sewerage would do whatever they have to do at one time and stop continuously ‘re-digging’ the roads and the entire street needs to be stripped and repaved now,” the resident told The Tribune. “No government agency pays for brakes and shocks etc. We have to drive on this street every single day. The dust issue on that street is another story due to the continuous Water and Sewerage ‘re-digging’.

Other areas that have attracted complaints are Sisal Road, where it meets Blue Hill Road in Golden Isles, and in the Ridgeland area by East-West Highway.

There it is not just potholes but unfinished road repairs.

And not far from The Tribune’s office, a huge hole has

AFTER

BEFORE

ABOVE: The potholes fixed after The Tribune article.

PHOTOS: Valden Fernander

ABOVE: The hole and potholes visible towards the junction at Cowpen Road/Maria Drive. been opening up for weeks at the junction of East Bay Street and Deveaux Street which forces drivers to manoeuvre around it.

The Tribune has been drawing attention to areas that are being neglected, or are unsightly, unhealthy and being ignored by the relevant authorities, whether they be potholes in the road, uncollected garbage or abandoned cars.

THESE four pictures show road issues in the Ridgeland area by East-West Highway.

Photos: John Arty

• Email fixmystreet@tribunemedia.net to let us know your issues.

MOBILE

APP

Take us with you Everywhere you go!

PAGE 12, Tuesday, September 13, 2016

GAME NIGHT HELPS OAS STAFF TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS WITH the completion of their three-month term as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) set for September 30, Dr Elliston Rahming, Bahamas Ambassador, and Luis Alfonso de Alba, Mexico’s Ambassador, hosted a social event for OAS Permanent Representatives, their spouses and mission staff on Saturday.

Billed as “Game Night: An Evening of Fun, Food and Music,” the event took place at the residence of Paulette Zonicle, Bahamas Consul General to Washington, DC, in Fort Washington, Maryland. Board and table games were set up and it became apparent that the lively games were a great way to break down language barriers and make new friends. Guests also enjoyed a variety of Caribbean and Latin American food.

The event in essence was a fulfillment of a promise made by Dr Rahming when he said in his first address as Chair of the Permanent Council that he would invite Member States to participate in a domino tournament and “taste of The Americas” fete “as a means of promoting greater dialogue, espirit de corps and fraternalism among representatives of Member States.”

Dr Rahming, who is also the Bahamas’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, officially assumed the chairmanship of the OAS Permanent Council on July 1.

ABOVE: OAS Assistant Secretary General Nestor Mendez (right) gave brief remarks at the Game Night social event co-hosted by Dr Elliston Rahming, Bahamas Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS, on Saturday.

TOP: Chet Neymour, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the Bahamas, participating in a game of dominoes at the Game Night social event on Saturday with, from left, are Behlde Munoz, of Venezuela, Lourdes Anania and Jay Anania, OAS Secretary for Administration and Finance.

RIGHT: Rogelio Sotela Muñoz, Costa Rica’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS, was one of the winners of prizes, receiving his prize from Dr Elliston Rahming.

THE TRIBUNE