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PM’s election wait for voters Christie wants rise in registration before naming 2017 poll date By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
WITH the country set to move into an election year in the next few days, Prime Minister Perry Christie has indicated that a potential election date could hinge on voter registration in the coming weeks, implying that he could make a determination as early as February “if we get the numbers right”. The next election must be called by May 2017. Mr Christie, speaking to voter registration numbers on the sidelines of the 2016 Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade, admitted to The Tribune that the process has been “a struggle” for his administration, push-
ing officials “back to the drawing board” as they look for ways to encourage voters to “support the process”. According to Parliamentary Commissioner Sherlyn Hall, a slight increase in registration in late November placed the registered voter count to just around 67,000; roughly half of what it was at the same point in 2011. Mr Christie told The Tribune that “surprising forecast” has led his administration to steer “tremendous resources” towards voter registration with the hopes of “convincing eligible voters to first register and secondly, take part in this vital process”. SEE PAGE FIVE
TWO DEAD, FOUR HURT IN HOLIDAY SHOOTINGS
By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net ONE MAN is dead and four others - including three women - are in serious condition in hospital after they were shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting on Boxing Day. And last night another man was found shot dead at Millennium Gardens. SEE PAGE FIVE
A MAGICAL NIGHT FOR ONE FAMILY
GOVT ON ‘COURSE OF CORRECTION’ AFTER DOWNGRADE ANNOUNCEMENT By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE
government is charting a course of correction and fiscal responsibility, Prime Minister Christie insisted earlier this week as he cautioned those who may be alarmed over the recent decision by international credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) to downgrade the country’s credit rating to “junk” status. In an interview with The Tribune during the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade, Mr Christie called for calm
amidst the concern that has arisen in the wake of S&P’s announcement. He said his administration “sits comfortable” with the move as it sees it as a “simple misunderstanding with timing”, contending that S&P sees positive economic growth on the horizon for The Bahamas, but not until 2018. Mr Christie said: “Our detractors will push the doom and gloom message, but when we look closer at this, it comes down to a difference in timing. “Standard and Poor has, SEE PAGE FIVE
A STUNNING costume inspired by Disney as part of the One Family Junkanoo parade. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net MAGIC was certainly on the side of the One Family Junkanoo group during the 2016 Boxing Day Parade, with the group capturing its first parade victory since 2014 under theme, “Disney - Let the Magic Begin”.
The group finished Monday’s parade with an overall score of 80.85 points, beating out second place finishers, the Shell Saxon Superstars by .82 points. Roots finished third with 78.10 points, category A newcomers Genesis Warhawks took fourth with 76.82 points, and the Valley Boys, winners of the last three ma-
jor Junkanoo parades, closed out the category with 74.95. Chairman of One Family Christina Fernander said Monday’s victory was special for the group as it marked the first win since she was named chairman this past spring.
FNM ‘WILL PRIVATISE CARNIVAL AND INVEST IN JUNKANOO’ By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday that his party will “privatise carnival” and invest the coun-
try’s money into Junkanoo and other cultural events if elected in the next general election. In an interview with The Tribune, Dr Minnis said the FNM will not cancel the controversial event but rather “take it out of the
hands of the government” and turn it over to the private sector. He said he will focus on “advancing our own identity” and letting someone else “throw a big party”. SEE PAGE THREE
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SEE PAGE TWO, PICTURES ON P6-10
19 BRAZILIANS FEARED DROWNED OFF THE BAHAMAS AT LEAST 19 Brazilian migrants are feared drowned off the Bahamas as they tried to cross illegally to the United States, officials in Brasilia, the capital, said on Monday according to a report by Agence France-Presse. SEE PAGE 12
PAGE 2, Wednesday, December 28, 2016
SCENES from the Boxing Day Junkanoo parade as One Family marched to victory with their Disney theme.
A MAGICAL NIGHT FOR ONE FAMILY from page one
Her ascension to the group’s top post is histor-
ic, as she became the first woman to ever lead a major Junkanoo group. She told the reporters Monday evening: “It was
said that with a female we could not do it, but we showed them this morning that it could be done. Not only are we led by a female,
~ Celebrate ~ at
THE TRIBUNE
Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
but this theme this morning was chosen by another female, Latoya Rolle. “That is why it is all about teamwork,” she added. One Family fielded two costumes in the top 10 of the “Free Dancers” category, three in the top 10 of the “Off the Shoulder” category and three in the top 10 of the “Step Down” category. Additionally, One Family captured top two finishes in all other remaining categories except music, placing third behind the Genesis Warhawks and the Roots. Standing in support of One Family and Ms Fernander was immediate past chairman, Darren Bastian, who told reporters that the group had endured several hardships over the last three years, often times losing parades they felt they should have won. He insisted that Monday’s victory came as a result of
hard work and dedication. “All I can say is God is good. We have worked for years to secure a victory. There have been years when we knew we should have won and we didn’t get it. I have to give a shout out and congratulate the team - the work was yeoman’s task. Thank you Bahamas, thank you One Family.” On Bay Street early Monday morning, One Family brought to life dozens of Disney characters, merging many of them with iconic Disney songs and images. The highlight of the group’s performance was the ability of its choreographed dancers to re-enact several key scenes from the Disney Toy Story franchise, all while dressed as the franchise’s two lead characters, Buzz Lightyear and Woody the Cowboy. Those in attendance stood to their feet and sang
along to the group’s melodious tunes. The Prodigal Sons, who were supposed to be the third group out on Monday, never made it to the parade route. The group was disqualified from both parades last season because it did not have enough participants to conform to A Group standards. The group’s intended theme for Boxing Day was “Flights of the Lepidoptera - The Incredible Spirit of Bahamian People”. In category B, the Colours Junkanoo group returned to the top spot in the category. With the move of Genesis to category A, Colours secured top finishes in every individual category except the best banner. • Full results on page six and more photographs on pages six to ten.
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THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, December 28, 2016, PAGE 3
FNM ‘WILL PRIVATISE CARNIVAL AND INVEST IN JUNKANOO’ from page one
DR HUBERT MINNIS, leader of the FNM.
Dr Minnis said the millions wasted on Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival could be utilised to increase the seed money and prizes offered for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parades. Since its roll out in 2015, Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival has faced backlash from critics about the amount spent on the festival compared to the financial return. Some have also accused the government of adopting other countries’ culture, instead of investing more funding into the Bahamas’ premier cultural event, Junkanoo. In September, the Bahamas National Festival Commission (BNFC) revealed that the total cost for the 2016 Junkanoo Carnival was $9.8m with a government subsidy of $8.1m. Last year, the government spent $11.3m on the inaugural festival, going over its initial budget of $9m, with the total cost of the first carnival $12.9m, with the rest covered by sponsors. “We will have a Ministry of Culture so we can look at our culture and what Bahamians are capable of doing, including with our own music industry,” Dr Minnis said. “We will ensure we have incentivised grants to make our own Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff cultural experience one that will be envied not only in the Caribbean but all over the world. There will be a complete cultural explosion under the FNM. The FNM will not just look at Junkanoo in its isolation it will be a part of the explosion. “We will ensure that new Bahamian entrepreneurs will be brought forth into this Bahamas and take part in this new cultural explosion. We will ensure that the knowledge that the young people have and the skill will be cratic National Alliance (DNA) showcased. When the world sees Leader Branville McCartney to Junkanoo, they will know it is the be the leader of opposition busi- Bahamas. We will privatise carnival; it is not ours and the governness in the Senate. When asked about the Senate ment does not need to be funding appointments, Dr Minnis said: it. It will be someone else’s party to throw. Our money will be in“They are not FNM senators.” “I am the leader of the FNM. vested in something that is our I never selected them. They are own.” The government has been not FNM senators. I am not conhighly criticised for hosting the cerned about what they are doing. I am concerned about what is hap- event and not making a profit. Earlier this year, BNFC Chairpening in the country, unemployment, crime and the economy. I man Paul Major said the festival am not concerned about that side- has never been and will never be about turning a profit on investshow.” Dr Minnis once again urged Ba- ment, contending that no variahamians to “get out and register to tion of the event hosted around vote” to rescue the country from the world has generated a profit the “inept PLP, a regime that has for the host nation. He said the success of the fesbeen responsible for bringing this country to the brink of disaster tival must be measured by the thousands of persons that benefit and financial ruin”. Wednesday, 28th December 2016 from the event indirectly.
Minnis: FNM will be next government By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said he is “confident” that the FNM will be the next government of the Bahamas despite the party’s internal struggles. Speaking with The Tribune on Tuesday, Dr Minnis said the FNM will not be “distracted” or “deterred” by sideshows and “those who do not want the best” for the Official Opposition. Dr Minnis said the FNM is concerned with one thing: rescuing The Bahamas from “Hurricane Christie”. Last Wednesday, the FNM appointed a three-person tribunal to decide the fate of Long Island
MP Loretta Butler-Turner and the six other members of Parliament who ousted Dr Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly earlier this month. The party accused the group of MPs of bringing the party into “disrepute, division, rancour and dishonour” as well as signing, delivering and causing a letter expressing no confidence in Dr Minnis to Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling to be read in Parliament. The FNM’s council has also withdrawn Mrs Butler-Turner’s candidacy for Long Island and ratified Adrian Gibson, 32, an attorney and Tribune columnist, for the seat. “Of course the FNM will win, I am still confident that we will be
the next government of The Bahamas,” Dr Minnis said yesterday. “We are focused and we are determined and we will move the PLP and rescue The Bahamas from Hurricane Christie and the devastation of the PLP. The people like us, they know we are focused and they believe in us. We will remain focused. Those other people are the least of our concerns. We do not get involved in sideshows. We are a serious organisation and a serious political party.” After becoming leader of the Official Opposition, Mrs ButlerTurner appointed talk show host Rodney Moncur, along with former Senator Monique Gomez and political newcomer Jude Knowles to the opposition’s Senate bench. She has also appointed Demo-
COLLIE: BUTLER-TURNER CAN DO WHAT SHE WANTS By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net FREE National Movement (FNM) Chairman Sidney Collie said Long Island MP Loretta ButlerTurner “can do whatever she wants” because the party is not concerned about “career politicians and back room deals.” Mr Collie told The Tribune on Friday the FNM is focused on the 2017 general election and will not be distracted. A day earlier, Mrs Butler-Turner had said there is no need for her to appear before the FNM’s disciplinary tribunal because the party’s “trumped up” accusations against her are bogus. Last Wednesday, the FNM appointed a threeperson tribunal to decide the fate of Mrs Butler-Turn-
er and the six other members of Parliament who ousted FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly earlier this month. The party accused the group of MPs of bringing the party into “disrepute, division, rancour and dishonour” as well as signing, delivering and causing to be read a letter to withdraw support for Dr Minnis. They were given seven days to write to the Executive Committee of the FNM to attempt to exculpate themselves. However, Mrs ButlerTurner said she has no reason to appear before the “kangaroo court” and if the party took their “charges” to a real court, they would not have a “leg to stand on”. “She can do whatever she wants,” Mr Collie said. “The FNM is focused on
the 2017 general election. We are concerned about getting candidates ready ratified and rolled out and getting our message out. We are not concerned about career politicians back room deals. I am not following her around, she can do what she wants.” Mr Collie said the party will ratify another set of candidates in the first week of January. Last Wednesday, young candidates Adrian Gibson, 32, and James Albury, 23, were ratified for Long Island and Central and South Abaco respectively. Last Thursday, FNM MICAL candidate Walt Saunders withdrew his candidacy for the 2017 general election amid health concerns, according to Mr Collie. He is the third ratified FNM candidate to withdraw from the race.
TURNQUEST: PM CONCERNED ABOUT FNM CHALLENGE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement (FNM) Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said Prime Minister Perry Christie’s recent remarks on opposition parties shows “he’s concerned” about the challenge the FNM poses. He also claimed that the FNM is more united than ever despite the drama and infighting that has rocked the party recently. During an impassioned speech in Grand Bahama last Thursday, Mr Christie suggested that the “meltdown” of opposition parties in the Bahamas is a reason to support the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in the next general election. “Watching what’s happening in the politics,” Mr Christie said, “the meltdown of opposition parties,
the instability that is being institutionalised, the hatred politically that is being manifested, should (make people) watch the PLP to once again conclude that you don’t roll the dice with governance but you make conscious, considered decisions at how best to protect future generations of Bahamians (and) how best to manage the challenges of the day.” Mr Christie’s comments gave an insight into how the PLP may frame next year’s election, one in which an experienced leader of a party united under his leadership will be challenged by a party rocked by infighting and divisions. Reacting to this during a recent interview, Mr Turnquest said the FNM is “more united now than it has been in some time,” following the decision of seven parliamentarians to oust Dr
Hubert Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament. He said: “We have dealt with our issues and we are focused on regaining the government. Mr Christie would like obviously to play up the fact that we have some members who decided to separate themselves from the majority of the party in a most peculiar manner. “But we remind him of his issues. Three members defected in recent years. If you look at his grouping, there are any number of disenchanted members who are causing him concern. Let him worry about his issues and the Bahamian people have the choice to make. “His statements say more about him and his insecurity and his party’s position today and it says his real fear is the FNM.”
However, Mr Collie said last week that at least five persons have already applied for the MICAL constituency.
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Japan’s Abe shows sympathy at Pearl Harbour PEARL HARBOUR, Hawaii (AP) — Under a warm Oahu sun, with the tranquil, teal waters of Pearl Harbour behind them, former enemies came together Tuesday to acknowledge the tremendous loss caused by the Japanese attack on US military installations in Hawaii 75 years ago. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama made an historic pilgrimage to the site of the devastating surprise attack that sent America marching into World War II. “As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place,” Abe said. He did not apologise for the attack but said “we must never repeat the horrors of war again”. Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbour before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona. There, he and Obama placed a pair of green-and-peach wreaths made of lilies and tossed purple flower petals into the water. The rusting wreckage of the ship where more than 1,000 American service members are entombed can be seen just under the water’s surface. Obama and Abe closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments. Afterward, they spoke at nearby Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, where Obama called the harbour a sacred place and said that “even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace”. “As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heaven’s rails for all eternity,” Obama said. In likely the last time he will meet with a foreign leader as president, Obama said the two countries are bound by shared interests and common values and their alliance is “the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and a force for progress around the globe”. The two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd, shaking hands and hugging some of the men who fought in the battle on Dec 7, 1941. The visit is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war, Japan’s government has said. It’s also a bookend of sorts for Obama, who nearly eight years ago invited Abe’s predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House. For Abe, it’s an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Obama became the first sitting US president to
visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the US dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war it entered after Pearl Harbour. “This visit, and the president’s visit to Hiroshima earlier this year, would not have been possible eight years ago,” said Daniel Kritenbrink, Obama’s top Asia adviser in the White House. “That we are here today is the result of years of efforts at all levels of our government and societies, which has allowed us to jointly and directly deal with even the most sensitive aspects of our shared history.” In the years after Japan’s attack, the US incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. Obama did not apologize at Hiroshima in May, a visit that he and Abe used to emphasise their elusive aspirations for a nuclear-free future. Nor did Abe on Tuesday. No apology needed, said 96-year-old Alfred Rodrigues, a US Navy veteran who survived what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a “date which will live in infamy”. “War is war,” Rodrigues said as he looked at old photos of his military service. “They were doing what they were supposed to do, and we were doing what we were supposed to do.” Abe’s visit is not without political risk given the Japanese people’s long, emotional reckoning with their nation’s aggression in the war. Though the history books have largely deemed Pearl Harbour a surprise attack, Japan’s government insisted as recently as this month that it had intended to give the US prior notice that it was declaring war and failed only because of “bureaucratic bungling”. “There’s this sense of guilt, if you like, among Japanese, this ‘Pearl Harbour syndrome,’ that we did something very unfair,” said Tamaki Tsukada, a minister in the Embassy of Japan in Washington. “I think the prime minister’s visit will in a sense absolve that kind of complex that Japanese people have.” Since the war, the US and Japan have built a powerful alliance that both sides say has grown during Obama’s tenure, including strengthened military ties. Moving beyond the painful legacy of the war has been easier for the two countries than for Japan and its other former foes, such as South Korea and China. As Abe arrived in Hawaii, Beijing dismissed as “wishful thinking” the notion that Japan could “liquidate the history of World War II” by visiting Pearl Harbour. “Japan can never turn this page over without reconciliation from China and other victimised countries in Asia,” said Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman. By Josh Lederman and Caleb Jones of the Associated Press
Silly season EDITOR, The Tribune. TWO momentous seasons are upon us - the restive season and the festive season. I refuse to be defined by the divisive and restive season that promotes adversity and retards diversity. I readily embrace the divinely profound influence of the festive holiday season! The Restive Season being The “Silly Season” and The Festive Season being The “Christmas Season”. I, Bradley L Armbrister, being of sound mind, and joyous spirit (Hennessy enhanced); declare that I do not hate PLP supporters. Every citizen of this Great Commonwealth has the constitutional right to support the party and/ or candidate of his or her choice. As my years on planet
earth increases, my circle of close friends decreases. Yes, among my small circle of friends are PLPs. In fact my best friend happens to be a PLP. When I had the privilege to serve in the Family Island as a Government Administrator, I made friends with a number of PLPs. For some reason, V Alfred Gray always made sure I was transferred to a PLP district. Inadvertently, he did me a favour as I made friends with several prominent PLPs, especially in Exuma and Mangrove Cay. It appeared that the FNMs were too timid to reveal themselves. The most reticent of the lot were my former colleague administrators. My issue is with the hierarchy of the PLP. That
motley crew and their epic odyssey of: unaccountability; obscene corruption; victimisation; and gross incompetence. PLP leaders who enrich themselves; family; friends and lovers; and placate their disenfranchised and destitute supporters with empty rhetoric. They are no more than pusillanimous portals of platitudes. It is time to banish these glorified parasites from power! My solemn mission is to assist in any way that I can, in removing this undeserving regime from power in 2017 and to keep their sorry behinds out! And Thereto I Pledge Thee My Troth! BRADLEY L ARMBRISTER Freeport, December 20, 2016.
Shock and awe or lunacy? EDITOR, The Tribune. AS a progressive Bahamian I am deeply shocked and awed by the demonstration of pure and unadulterated political lunacy by the newly ‘appointed’ Cinderella. There are some people who still have faith in the judgment of Loretta ButlerTurner I am not one of them. This woman was offered a chance, on a silver platter, to become the leader of a major party and to become, worrisome but possible, the first female Prime Minister in her own right. What has she done so far to instil confidence in her leadership capacity since being coronate, uselessly it now seems, as leader of the opposition? Her appointments to the Senate are despicable and deplorable. She has, again, demonstrated extremely poor judgment. At the Mickey Mouse convention of the FNM a few months ago, Loretta and her “medical poodle” declared that they were “ready now” to challenge Minnis. Lo, and behold, they chickened out and the delegates “rocked with doc”. Loretta embraced Minnis on a public platform and stated that “Doc is my leader”. They even shared what Loretta termed “a wedding cake” to signal that they were one, again. That was not to be, however, and she plotted to force him from office even while the cake was still being digested. To her credit, she did indicate that some of her senate picks would “shock and awe” many Bahamians. Rodney Moncur is, I am sure, a “good” Bahamian, even if some of his public utterances and behaviour might be ridiculous in the extreme. He is entitled to his views, even if some or all of them are
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net lunacy in livid colours. He asked us to “pray” for him but I urge you to “pray” for The Bahamas! He was a bad choice and I am persuaded that Moncur was forced upon Loretta, without her consent, by the hidden hand that still controls the FNM and the faction led by Loretta. You all know just who he is. He brings nothing new to the table and does not represent the change in public policy and personalities. It is perhaps too harsh to blame Loretta for this poor selection but do not forget that back in 2012 Moncur ran as a candidate for the DNA!! They are now all together. Loretta was considered an Ingrahamite. The dimpled one, before he left cabinet in a huff and puff, was also with Ingraham. In fact, both he and Loretta owe their political careers to Ingraham. Moncur, a gadfly of the highest order, by his own admission, which has never been refuted or denied by Ingraham, is a surrogate for “Papa”. Is it possible that “Papa” is behind all of this and is, actually, pulling the strings? Ingraham, God bless his soul, was also instrumental in having Moncur appointed a Justice of the Peace. The clan supposedly led by Loretta will prove toxic for the people of The Bahamas. The puppet master will be exposed for the political coward that he is. If he is so bad why did he not offer for leadership again? He was, so they say, afraid of a public humiliation by Minnis. Loretta and Sands also saw that they could not beat Minnis in convention.
Realising that, what did they do instead? They did as instructed. Minnis must realize that he was outflanked by those who still cling to “Papa” as their real leader. The Ingraham era, apparently, while submerged, is far from over. That of Minnis, however, is on life support and getting dimmer by the minute. Lunacy in politics is sometimes helpful, reference President Elect Donald J Trump over in the USA, but Moncur’s appointment is madness and will not entice more than one handful of sensible and rational Bahamians to travel on the political bus with this disjointed crew. Yes, Loretta is the putative driver but it is the conductor, a bull frog dressed up in soldier’s clothes, who is behind it all. The PLP will now romp to electoral victory. It was not my intention to submit another editorial until the New Year but upon hearing of the senate appointments that were designed to “shock and awe” I was obliged to go back to the keyboard. The Bahamian people are now able to see both the FNM, led by Minnis, and the FNM led by Loretta. There are two drivers, one in the front and one in the back, but the bus has no wheels and, for sure, no engine. These people are joking and playing the people of this wonderful nation for fools. Lunacy is being demonstrated by these people and their supporters before our very eyes. We may as well stick with the imperfect PLP. Again, have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. To God then, in all things, be the glory. ORTLAND H. BODIE JR. Nassau, December 21, 2016.
NIB benefits EDITOR, The Tribune.
ACCORDING to Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson, “the clock is ticking” for the Government to decide to either increase the amount of NIB contributions or decrease the benefits.
As one who is approaching retirement age and having contributed religiously to NIB for almost fifty years, am I now to see my long awaited and hard earned pension reduced to junk status? The thought of being made to pay more or receive less because our pen-
sion funds have over the years been pissed away because of NIB’s long history of questionable and dubious “investments”, such as Bank of Bahamas, makes me sick. IAN MABON Nassau, December 21, 2016.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, December 28, 2016, PAGE 5
PM’s election wait for voters
TWO DEAD AND FOUR HURT IN HOLIDAY SHOOTINGS
Mr Christie said: “We have to have at least the number of people who registered the last time and who voted last time. “I expect that with the resources we are now dedicating to this venture, that is registration - we have added staff, we have added resources - so we will have a greater capacity to register people beginning in January. So by February, we are looking to have many people registered and for us to, sort of believe that we are on the right path. “So what I will suggest to you is watch the registration, see how that goes, and see how the numbers are increasing and once that reaches a certain level we will go ahead. When elections are called will be greatly influenced by the rate of registration.” Mr Christie also clarified his party’s plans heading into 2017, a year in which the Progressive Liberal Party plans to hold its first convention since 2009 and contest a general election. The party is expected to hold its convention in late January, a convention from which Mr Christie said he is confident he will emerge victorious. Addressing both events, Mr Christie said the PLP is and has always been a formidable political organisation, adding that the party is “more than capable” of managing a convention and preparing for a general election within months of each other. “There are several things we are focused on as a party. This is what is key here,
The first murder took place shortly after 3am on December 26, while the second occurred last night as The Tribune was going to press. The deaths bring the country’s murder count to 109 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records. Police have not identified the victim of the first killing but The Tribune understands he is Darron “Polly” Taylor, of Sunset Park. Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the victims were travelling in a vehicle on Tonique Williams Darling Highway, when they were attacked by several men. “Around 3am, police received reports that three females and two males were on the highway, when the occupants of a white vehicle pulled up on the side of them and fired several shots into the car before speeding off,” ACP Dean said. “All five of the victims were shot and rushed to hospital where one of the males died of his injuries. The other four victims are listed in serious condition.” ACP Dean said police currently have no one in custody for the homicide. Last night’s shooting was at Millennium Gardens off Bethel Avenue, where a man was found dead by officers. This year, the country may still record its lowest murder total since 2010, when 94 people were killed. In 2011, 127 people were killed, 111 in 2012, 119 in 2013, 122 in 2014 and 146 in 2015. Anyone with information any of these homicides is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS. Investigations into both matters continue.
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PRIME Minister Perry Christie during Boxing Day Junkanoo with members of the One Family parade. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff Last week, he insisted the ability to work on these dence, I have said and will towards finishing the coninitiatives at the same time. continue to say I am confi- vention and into a general that the “meltdown” of opWe in the PLP are moving dent on all fronts,” stated election that I am also con- position parties in The Bafident that we will emerge hamas was a reason to have towards a convention in Mr Christie. “The answer is yes, I am from it as the next govern- confidence in the PLP movJanuary. By the time we go to convention, we will have confident that I will go into ment of The Bahamas,” Mr ing into the upcoming general election. all of our candidates named the convention and emerge Christie added. “The PLP is focused on This was later slammed and ratified. So we are pro- as leader,” he said, respondgressing with that and a ing to a question from The demonstrating to the peo- as political deflection by Tribune. “I have indicated ple of this country that we Free National Movement general election. “We are looking at those that a long time ago and are the stable organisa- Deputy Leader Peter Turnconstituencies that we have when I first indicated that I tion, we are the organisa- quest. Mr Turnquest said the left, ensuring that we have didn’t know if there would tion with a vision, that we the best possible candidates be a candidate against me, are the organisation with FNM is “more united now in line for those communi- now that I know that there safe and secure hands and than it has been in some ties. Our eyes are also fo- is a candidate, I remain sat- that we are not in crisis as time,” even after the decicused on what the (Constit- isfied that I will emerge as a party, we are not agitat- sion of seven parliamentaruencies) Commission does, leader of the Progressive ing and split and we are ians to oust party Leader not wrenting ourselves Dr Hubert Minnis as leader as we may get one or two Liberal Party.” PLP Ft Charlotte candi- asunder and that we are a of the Official Opposition. new seats. We wait because Mr Turnquest added that there is still a determination date and former Attorney stable force with a vision,” Mr Christie’s statements to be made with respect to General Alfred Sears has he said. Mr Christie has previ- say more about him and that by the Constituencies announced his plans to challenge Mr Christie at the ously pitched the PLP as a his insecurities as a leader, Commission. force of stability compared adding that Mr Christie’s “When asked about our convention. “Thereafter we will move to its alternatives. real fear is the FNM. confidence, or my confi-
GOVT ON ‘COURSE OF CORRECTION’ AFTER DOWNGRADE ANNOUNCEMENT from page one
in the recent past, indicated that The Bahamas is moving from a negative to a stable outlook. So I am satisfied with that. The disagreement that exists between Standard and Poor and the government has to do with timing. “Standard and Poor believes that there will be a positive outcome but they think so in 2018 as opposed to 2017. The government has been incentivised by Standard and Poor to demonstrate to Standard and Poor that their uncertainty about timing and Baha Mar is just that, their uncertainty. “We are not uncertain, we are confident that Baha Mar will hire 1,500 people in the month of January, going to 3,500 or there abouts in the month of August, opening the hotels by April, being able to have more Bahamians employed and therefore impacting the economy positively. “We believe that all of that is going to happen, we are working to make that happen,” he said. According to Mr Christie, proposed investment opportunities in several Family Islands are on the horizon. Moreover, concern for Grand Bahama has been tempered by recent meetings in Hong Kong between the Christie administration and investment group Hutchinson Whampoa. Mr Christie indicated that the investment group will play a leading role in the revitalisation of Grand Bahama’s economy; ensuring that major employment bases such as Grand Lucayan Beach Resort,
Memories Resort and the Freeport Container Port will all reopen in the coming months. “That is where the talk of timing comes from. We were put off course by an act of God,” he said, referring to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Matthew in October and Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015. “We had two years, two major storms, but we are working our way through this together,” said Mr Christie. “The Bahamas is on a course of correction and fiscal responsibility, myself and the PLP are the best hands; the most safest and prepared hands to chart such a course. “We are concerned with Grand Bahama, it is our second economy, with Lucayan Beach closed, Memories closed, the (Freeport) Container Port closed; but we have been working. But we have had a delegation go to Hong Kong to meet with Hutchinson Whampoa and we have had meetings and we are working towards putting in place the process towards having those places open and the economy in Grand Bahama restored. “With that said, we have in the meantime been employing people in the construction, repair and restoration of people’s homes. “Again, by and large, we want to ensure that with the unemployment numbers having dropped, when we came to office it was 160,000 people employed, there are 192,000 people employed and so we feel confident of the fact that we have been on the move and doing the right thing. “That is going to be the thing at the end of the day, us being able to cause for
MAN’S BODY FOUND FLOATING IN WATER ON CHRISTMAS MORNING By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net POLICE in Eleuthera are investigating the death of a young man, whose body was found submerged in waters in Gregory Town on Christmas morning. The discovery was made shortly after 9am. According to reports from police, officers received information that a body was floating in waters near the public dock. When officers arrived on the
scene, they found the lifeless body of an adult male in waters near the shore. The body was removed by the police and community volunteers. The victim was pronounced dead by the island’s local doctor. Police declined to say whether foul play was suspected. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.
the Bahamian people to know that their security and the safety of their economy is in the right hands and we are taking the right steps to bring about normalcy and full restoration.” Global credit rating agency S&P has justified the downgrade to BB+ (speculative or “junk” grade) from BBB- (investment grade)
on the basis that it is now projecting the Bahamian economy will only grow by 0.3 per cent this year, down from its 1.2 per cent estimate in April. Echoing the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recent warnings, S&P said government spending was still outpacing revenue despite the introduction of
value added tax (VAT), with Hurricane Matthew restoration costs set to inflict “further pressure” on expenditure in 2017. Lower gross domestic product (GDP)/economic growth would also negatively impact the government’s tax revenues and fiscal consolidation plans, the agency said.
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PAGE 6, Wednesday, December 28, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
FULL RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL) CATEGORY A OVERALL RESULTS 1) One Family - 80.85 2) Saxons - 80.03 3) Roots - 78.10 4) Genesis - 76.82 5) Valley Boys - 74.95 BEST MUSIC CATEGORY 1) Roots - 89.38 points 2) Genesis - 88.50 3) One Family - 87.56 4) Saxons - 82.44 5) Valley Boys - 78.88 CHOREOGRAPH DANCE CATEGORY 1) Saxons - 78.18 points 2) One Family - 77.96 3) Genesis - 75.62 4) Roots - 73.54 5) Valley Boys - 67.86 LEAD COSTUME CATEGORY 1) One Family - Costume #A45 - “Adventures” 2) Roots - Costume #A24 “The Queen” 3) Roots - Costume #A22 “The Bridge” 4) Genesis - Costume #A62 “Blast From the Past” 5) Saxons - Costume #A151 “The Lionfish” BANNER CATEGORY 1) Roots - 79.13 points 2) One Family - 76.75 3) Saxons - 76 4) Valley Boys - 75.63 5) Genesis - 73.13
ONE FAMILY
SHIRLEY STREET CATEGORY 1) One Family - 87.33 points 2) Roots - 87.17 3) Saxons - 84.75 4) Genesis - 81.92 5) Valley Boys - 77.42 OVERALL PERFORMANCE 1) One Family - 86.78 2) Saxons - 85 3) Roots - 82.89 4) Genesis - 82.22 5) Valley Boys - 76.89 points STEP DOWN CATEGORY 1) Roots - Costume #257 2) Roots - Costume #258 3) Saxons - Costume #552 4) Genesis - Costume #656 5) Valley Boys - Costume#155 6) Genesis - Costume #657 7) Saxons - Costume #551 8) One Family - Costume #459 9) One Family - Costume #458 10) One Family - Costume #453 OFF THE SHOULDER CATEGORY 1) Roots - Costume #205 2) One Family - Costume #447 3) Saxons - Costume #511 4) Saxons - Costume #515 5) Saxons - Costume#516 6) One Family - Costume #444 7) Valley Boys - Costume #104 8) One Family - Costume #446 9) Genesis - Costume #606 10) Roots - Costume #212 FREE DANCERS CATEGORY 1) One Family - Costume #496 2) Saxons - Costume #594 3) Genesis - Costume #674 4) Valley Boys - Costume #172 5) Roots - Costume #280 6) Genesis - Costume #677 7) Roots - Costume #269 8) Roots - Costume #266 9) One Family - Costume #497 10) Roots - Costume #278
Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, Wednesday, December December 28,28, 2016, 2016, PAGE PAGE 7 7
SAXONS
Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
REDLANDS SOLDIERS
FOX HILL CONGOS
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GENESIS
Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
COLOURS
BUSH WARRIORS
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Wednesday, Wednesday, December December 28,28, 2016, 2016, PAGE PAGE 9 9
ROOTS
Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
PAPER BOYS
BLACK SOULS
FANCY DANCERS
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VALLEY BOYS
THE TRIBUNE
Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
BODY OF CHRIST
SOUTHSIDE BOYS
THE TRIBUNE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, December 28th, Wednesday, December 28,2016, 2016,PAGE PAGEA9 11
EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY
TECHTALK
MUSEUMS CREATING NEW EXPERIENCES MUSEUMS are always looking for ways to make their exhibitions more exciting. Now, new technologies are making that easier. From 3-D scanning and 3-D printing, to virtual reality and special apps, these technologies are being applied in a multitude of ways. Still other technologies are being tested and developed as museums seek to ever broaden public access. “Where we used to have one way of visiting and experiencing a museum, people now expect a variety of ways,” said Catherine Devine, chief digital officer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. “It’s about exploring technologies.” A look at some of the ways museums are integrating and developing technologies to engage their audiences: NAVIGATING A BIG COLLECTION You can get lost in the giant American Museum of Natural History. Explorer, a new app, uses hundreds of Bluetooth hotspots to navigate visitors around its halls to artifacts that may interest them the most. “Instead of saying ‘turn at West 14th Street,’ it says ‘turn left at the huge mosquito, go through the green sign,’” said Devine. “From the app’s point of view, you don’t have to say where you are. Whenever you raise your phone, the thing you’re immediately in front of is at the top of the app.” Devine said the app can also can customize visitors’ tours. If a person selects “Really Big,” for example, the app might take them to the museum’s mammoth blue whale. Once there, layers of information are added, including animation, videos and fun facts like comparing the whale’s weight to 1.6 million slices of pizza. 3D PRINTING AND SCANNING Museums are still exploring the
many and varied applications of 3-D printing and 3-D scanning for their programing, research and gallery experience. Some are already using the latest 3-D printing technology to make replicas of historical artifacts to give visitors a new way to interact with the object without damaging the original. 3-D scanning tools also allow for detailed analysis of fragile specimens. An example of that is an exhibition traveling around the country called “Mummies: New Secrets From the Tombs” organised by Chicago’s Field Museum. It used a medical CT scanner to “unwrap” the mummies. Museumgoers can peek under the wrappings by manipulating large table-top computer scans placed alongside the delicate specimens to see their clothes, hairstyles and the jewelry they took to their graves. “The real power of 3-D scanning is that you have so many different potential outcomes,” said Adam Metallo, who, with Vincent Rossi, leads the 3D digitisation team at the Smithsonian’s 19 museums and nine research centers. You can make an exact replica of something for display or create a digital model for a touchscreen interactive that people can view outside the museum. “We’re interested in leveraging the technology to kind of take down the walls and provide unprecedented access,” said Rossi. VIRTUAL REALITY Virtual reality, which utilises special head gear to create the effects, can transport visitors to places they could never reach, like inside the human body or the bottom of the sea. At the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, visitors can explore a space shuttle and walk through the nuclear disaster site in Chernobyl with a virtual reality headset. At a recent special event at the American Museum of Natural His-
A VISITOR at the American Museum of Natural History in New York experiences ‘AR Shark,’ a prototype augmented reality program that overlays CT scan data on a Mako shark model in the Hall of Biodiversity. (AP)
THE reconstructed face of an Egyptian mummy known as the Gilded Lady is on display at the Natural History Museum, in Los Angeles. It is part of a traveling exhibition that used CT scanning to “unwrap” ancient mummies and is an example of museums working to present exciting and meaningful exhibits by increasingly relying on technology. (AP) tory, young visitors tested out virtual reality goggles that “shrank” them to the size of a beetle for a close-up view of the weevil’s anatomy. Virtual reality also extends museums’ reach beyond their walls: With just a smartphone and a Google Cardboard low-tech headset viewer, students can go on a virtual museum field trip from anywhere in the world. ROBOGUIDES “Telepresence robots” — screens mounted on two long poles on wheels — use videoconferencing technology similar to Skype to connect visitors to expert information
A VISITOR to the American Museum of Natural History uses the museum’s flagship app Explorer which acts like a virtual curator, teaching visitors about the surprising facts and stories, near the Willamette Meteorite. (AP) not quite available from a tour guide. The American Museum of Natural History tried it out recently at a special event inside its Northwest Coast Indians Hall to beam an indigenous member of the remote Haida Gwaii community into the museum to talk with visitors. And in the not-so-distant future, museum patrons will be able to ask questions to their smartphones about what to see and do during their visit. Associated Press
CHINA PLANS TO LAND PROBES ON FAR SIDE OF MOON, MARS BY 2020 CHINA vowed Tuesday to speed up the development of its space industry as it set out its plans to become the first country to soft land a probe on the far side of the moon, around 2018, and launch its first Mars probe by 2020. “To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly,” read a white paper setting out the country’s space strategy for the next five years. It says China aims to use space for peaceful purposes and to guarantee national security, and to carry out cutting edge scientific research. The white paper released by the information office of China’s Cabinet points to the growing ambitions of China’s already rapidly advancing space programme. Although the white paper doesn’t mention it, China’s eventual goal is the symbolic feat of landing an astronaut on the moon. While Russia and the United States have more experience in manned space travel, China’s military-backed programme has made steady progress in a comparatively short time. Since China conducted its first crewed space
GROUND crew check on the re-entry capsule of Shenzhou 11 spacecraft, which brought back a pair of Chinese astronauts from a monthlong stay aboard China’s space station, after it landed in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China vowed Tuesday to speed up the development of its space industry as it set out its plans to become the first country to soft land a probe on the far side of the moon, around 2018, and launch its first Mars probe by 2020. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP) mission in 2003, it has staged a spacewalk and landed a rover on the moon in 2013 — the first time humans had soft landed anything on the moon since the 1970s. Last month, two astronauts returned from a month-long stay aboard China’s Tiangong 2 experimental space station, the country’s sixth and longest crewed mission. A fully functioning, permanently crewed space station is on course to begin operations six years from now and is slated to run for at least a decade.
The white paper reiterated China’s plans to launch its first Mars probe by 2020, saying this would explore and bring back samples from the red planet, explore the Jupiter system and “conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life.” The paper says the Chang’e-4 lunar probe will help shed light on the formation and evolution of the moon. Associated Press
• THE WNBA is offering an assist to players trying to stay safe while traveling overseas. The league has partnered with LiveSafe, a safety communications platform, to provide a mobile security app to its 60-plus players competing in Russia, Turkey, China and other countries this offseason. The app debuted this week and players are already signing up. “This was a proactive effort to protect our players and secure their personal safety,” WNBA President Lisa Borders said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “Our partner in this endeavor is LiveSafe. It has multiple features and functionality. It’s a real-time way for our players to ask for help and receive help in dangerous situations or threatening environments.” The app will allow the players to communicate directly with the league and its security team. It also can send security advisories and notifications to players when they’re overseas, similar to what one might get from the state department. • THERE’S good news for Rudolph and his friends — an app is helping officials reduce the number of reindeer killed in traffic accidents in Finland. Some 300,000 reindeer freely wander the wilds of Lapland in Arctic Finland. An estimated 4,000 are killed every year through road accidents, officials say, and compensation to reindeer herders can be expensive. Most of the accidents occur during the dark winter months when the animals are hard to spot. Several methods to cut roadkill have failed, including spray-painting antlers with fluorescent colours, hanging reflectors on reindeer necks and using movable traffic signs to warn of reindeer as they wander through the lichen-covered fells. In their latest attempt, officials are using a smartphone app called “Porokello,” Finnish for “Reindeer Bell.” And it seems to be working — at least last month, when there were 300 less reindeer accidents on the roads of Finnish Lapland compared to the same month in 2015. • ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey last week welcomed the arrival of a fleet of Uber self-driving cars delivered via a self-driving truck that transported them from California. Ducey’s office says the governor welcomed the truck carrying the selfdriving Volvos at the State Capitol in Phoenix. Uber announced Thursday that it was shipping the cars to Arizona after they were banned from California roads over lack of required permits. Uber made the announcement after Ducey on Wednesday and Thursday promoted Arizona as an alternative to California for the ride-hailing company to test its self-driving cars.
PAGE 12, Wednesday, December 28, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
HAPPY scenes from the Tribune Media Group’s 2016 Santa Claus Christmas Committee party in the Crown Ballroom, Atlantis, Paradise Island, on Boxing Day. Volunteers get ready in ‘toyland’ to distribute presents to the children. Photos: Valden Fernander and John Arty
TOYS FOR TOTS MAKES IT A HAPPY CHRISTMAS FOR 700 CHILDREN SCREAMS of excitement, laughter and gratitude filled the air at Atlantis on Boxing Day as almost 700 less privileged children from inner city communities in New Providence enjoyed the traditional treat of the Tribune Media Group’s 25th Santa Claus Christmas Committee ‘Toys for Tots’ party. Two main groups were brought by bus to the Paradise Island resort, one of 340 children from the Centreville and Bain and Grant’s Town area headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean from the Royal Bahamas Police Force Urban Renewal Division in conjunction with the Church of God of Prophecy East Street Youth Outreach Programme, and the other of around 300 led by Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, the former Deputy Prime Minister, from the St Cecilia area from where the initiative sprang 25 years ago. Donations of new toys and funds came from corporate Bahamas and from the public, including over
300 toys from the students, young entrepreneurs and owners of Sweet Tooth, who sold cookies to fund the purchase, while more than 50 volunteers - including young children - helped out in the Crown Ballroom for over four hours, serving food and drinks, supervising the bouncey castle, dance floor and basketball hoops and helping the children choose their presents in Santa’s ‘toyland’. Mrs Pratt said she was delighted to be back at Atlantis on Monday and thanked the Christmas Committee and Robert Carron, president of the Tribune Media Group, who for 25 years have been putting on the party for the children from the Coconut Grove area. “I’ve been blessed since 1997 when I had a public life, and Robert came to my aid and every Christmas the Christmas Committee would treat our children with toys and give them a party,” she told The Tribune. “And as you can see today they are all excited, they are so grateful to be
here because some of them would never have seen Atlantis. Some of them, as a matter of fact, might not have been out of the area. “But today their dream has come true, that they can celebrate today. Thanks to the committee for all that they continue to do to bring a smile to the faces of many of our children who would ordinarily not have had it.” She was grateful that these “needy children” would have a toy that they could take home and enjoy themselves at Christmas time. Burton Rodgers - who with Mr Carron, Adam Darville and Philip Sands was a founder member of the initiative 25 years ago - told of how the event had grown in monetary terms, with over $30,000 donated and spent this year, and in the number of volunteers giving their time. “We’ve never had so many volunteers,” said Mr Rodgers, who cancelled a family trip to New Orleans to be at Atlantis on Monday. “The Santa Claus Christmas Committee shows ap-
preciation for the poor and less fortunate; the sense of joy that it gives you to see the expressions on the kids’ faces and the great pleasure it gives being able to see these kids - you don’t ever want to miss that.” He said that it was more important this year because of the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in October and emphasised the campaign reached beyond New Providence throughout the Bahamas. In addition to the event in Nassau, the Santa Claus Christmas Committee sent 500 toys to Grand Bahama for a similar party to be held there soon and some to Andros and Long Island. The Committee also provided food for 300 elderly residents and sick children who were unable to get out of their homes while 100 Jamz is continuing the Christmas campaign, partnering with Generali in the “I missed Santa” radio promotion. See Thursday’s Tribune for more photographs in a special supplement
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all our customers! Nassau Plastics, the Sign Post and Trophy Case will CLOSE for the holidays on December 28, 29 and 30, 2016 returning to normal working hours on Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Nassau Plastics
Parkgate Road, Nassau, Bahamas 393-1332
19 BRAZILIANS FEARED DROWNED OFF THE BAHAMAS from page one
The group went missing “during a purported crossing by sea from the Bahamas to the United States”, a Brazilian foreign ministry statement said. The migrants’ families have not heard from them since November 6, the foreign ministry said. “There are about 20 Brazilians (who have gone missing). So far, there is no information about their whereabouts, nor about the vessel that supposedly was going to take them to the United States,” the foreign ministry added. Brazilian media reports said there were also dozens of other migrants aboard the boat, which officials suspect went down while attempting the 50-mile crossing between the northern Bahamas and the Florida coast. The Brazilian embassy in
Nassau and the Brazilian consulate in Miami, Florida, are reportedly in contact with family members and authorities to try to locate the missing persons, officials said. The Brazilian foreign ministry said it was not ruling out the possibility that the migrants could be in prison or missing for other reasons. But silence from everyone in such a large group, known to have been being trafficked into the US, raises many concerns. Several Brazilian media outlets reported that family members of the missing migrants told them their kin paid thousands of dollars to “coyotes”, people traffickers who smuggle them into the US. The busiest such route was from Grand Bahama to the Palm Beach area of Florida; now it may include Bimini closer to Miami, or other Bahamian islands. The sister of one of the
Brazilians missing after allegedly traveling to the Bahamas told Brazilian news radio network station Globo that it was the third time he was trying to enter the US. He was deported in 2013 after living illegally in the US for eight years, she was quoted as saying. This time “we do not know who took him. There are a number of people. One takes them to Belo Horizonte. Another takes them to Sao Paulo. And then another on to the Bahamas,” she was reported as saying. Choosing the route to the US through the Bahamas is not common among Brazilians, Eduardo Siqueira, associate professor at the University of Massachusetts, who studies migration from Brazil to the US, told AFP. They usually enter by plane with a tourist visa and then stay on illegally, or enter by land across the border with Mexico. So this case, if confirmed, shows
Brazilians are finding other, new ways because the usual routes are becoming more difficult, he said. Suffering the worst recession in a century, Brazil has an unemployment rate of 11.8 per cent, affecting almost 12 million people and Mr Siqueira said the current crisis has caused an increase in Brazilian immigration to the US, especially among citizens with a higher educational level. “They come to look for what they cannot find in Brazil, they come to improve their lives, looking for jobs, income,” said the Brazilian professor who has been living in the US for almost three decades and who recently verified an increase in Brazilians seeking services at consulates in the US. The Foreign Ministry estimates the Brazilian community in the US tops 1.4 million people, based on consular data.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, December 28, 2016, PAGE 13
Housebreaking thief’s Christmas plea to see his daughter rejected By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A FATHER’S plea to be spared jail so that he could see his six-year-old daughter for Christmas was rejected on Friday by a magistrate who sentenced him to 24 months in prison for a home invasion and theft. Jemson Burrows, 25, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney facing a count each of “housebreaking” and “stealing” stemming from a December 8 incident in Nassau Village. It was alleged that he, being concerned with others, broke into the house of a woman with intent to steal. It was further alleged that he, being concerned with others, stole a Samsung 32” flat screen television valued at $1,035 and a 24” LG flat screen TV valued at $675. Burrows pleaded guilty. According to police prosecutor Sgt Philip Davis, the victim of the break-in resid-
ed in Nassau Village. She had left her home at 7pm and returned 45 minutes later to find that the back door was broken open and that the two televisions were missing. “She had not given anyone permission to enter her home” the magistrate heard. “She went to the rear of the church next to her home and found one of the TVs. Police were contacted and latent prints were found on the recovered television which were turned in and that lead to the discovery of this defendant,” the prosecutor added. Burrows, when arrested and interviewed in police custody, denied all knowledge of the offence. “He has no prior criminal convictions but he has been before your court before your worship,” the prosecutor concluded. The magistrate asked Burrows if this was the case. The accused accepted the
facts read by the prosecutor and said: “Seven months back you gave me community service for threats of death. “Your honour, you could give me community service again please? If I could get to see my li’l girl. This (is) the first time she came from Freeport in five years. I’m really sorry,” Burrows said. “Anything else to say before sentence is passed on you,” the magistrate asked. “I’d like to see my li’l girl. I’m really sorry for what I did. You could give me community service and I’ll pay for the things that were taken,” Burrows pleaded. “You’re back before the court again with an even more egregious offence and you think community service will help you?” Magistrate McKinney asked. “It’s just friends keeping me in problems. This will be the last time. I just need another chance,” Burrows said. “The court had given you
ROTARIAN ROY SMITH DIES, AGED 93 ROY Vivien Smith, a Rotarian and former businessman, died at his home in Blair Estates around 5.30am yesterday. He was 93 and had been suffering from heart failure, but remained active and alert until recently. Born in Watford, England, on July 31, 1923, his father (originally from Norfolk) was a chauffeur and his mother was the daughter of Italian immigrant shopkeepers named Grego. The Gregos had arrived in England from Amalfi in the late 1800s. Roy left school at 14 and got a job as an office boy at the Marconi Wireless Company in Hayes. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force when the Second World War began in 1939, and was eventually posted to the Bahamas as part of 250 Air Sea Rescue Unit. During the war, Oakes Field was used by the Royal Air Force as a training base for bomber air crews. Roy was a wireless operator on motor torpedo boats stationed at Lyford Cay (a mangrove creek at the time), Oakes Field, Fort Montagu, and Harbour Island. Their role was to rescue the crews of aircraft which came down at sea (about four or five a year), to co-operate with naval forces in the area hunting German submarines, and to tow bombing targets. Roy married Barbara Malone, daughter of Out Island Commissioner Ron-
ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force officials in the capital confirmed on Friday that several marines were injured when the HMBS Durward Knowles was damaged after colliding with a jetty at Prince George Wharf on Thursday night. According to reports, the vessel was in the process of docking when it began to experience a hydraulic
the Department of Correctional Services on the housebreaking charge. On the stealing charge, Burrows was ordered to compensate the victim for the $600 TV that was not recovered “or an additional six months in prison”.
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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AVP INTERNAL AUDIT & CREDIT INSPECTION Commonwealth Bank is the premier Bahamian Bank with branches located in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco. We are committed to delivering superior quality service, to training and developing our employees, to creating value for our shareholders and to promoting economic growth and stability in the community.
• Provide strong leadership and direction relative to all phases of Audits including planning, control analysis, testing and reporting. • Develop and conduct comprehensive audit programs to ensure compliance with the Bank’s policy, local laws and industry regulations. • Maintain a strong knowledge of the Bank’s credit and operational risk management practices and reporting requirements. • Drive the development of control oriented policies and procedures as well as new and enhanced technology platforms. • Perform fraud investigations and liaise with law enforcement where necessary. • Assist External Auditors during audits as necessary. QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE: ROY VIVIEN SMITH, who died yesterday. ald Malone (of Hope Town) and Una Higgs (of Spanish Wells), at the Harbour Island commissioner’s residence in December, 1944. They moved to England in 1945, when Roy was demobilised, but returned to Nassau in 1948, where Roy joined up with Wesley Sawyer and Bill Pemberton in a food processing and distribution company called Bahamian Whitecap. In 1955, after the partnership foundered, Roy and Barbara moved back to Britain with their two young children (Larry and Luanne), where they ran a succession of small shops around London. But during a family reunion in Nassau in December, 1961, they decided to return to the Bahamas for good. In 1963, Roy became manager of a fledgling car dealership called Nassau Motor Company in the East Bay Shopping Cen-
tre. He remained at NMC until his retirement in 1985, when he and Barbara moved to Spanish Wells to enjoy life. In the 1980s, they hosted a reunion at Spanish Wells for about a dozen members of the Air-Sea Rescue crew with whom Roy had served during the war. Several more reunions were held in England during the 1990s. Only one crewman survives today - Henry Morris, who is in a nursing home in Yorkshire. Roy was a past president of the East Nassau Rotary Club. His wife died in December, 2011, and his only sibling, Doug, in 2012 in England. Roy is survived by his two children (Larry and Luanne), a daughter-in law (Joanne van Sertima, of Guyana) three grandchildren (Aliya, Casey and Stefano), and a grandson-inlaw (Matthew Carey).
ERRINGTON WATKINS term in the House of Assembly representing Abaco. Mrs Butler-Turner added: “He also had an activist spirit, advocating for the
causes he believed in, including just recently at a demonstration in Rawson Square. Mr Watkins wrote many letters to the newspapers on the views and causes he espoused with passion.” Mr Watkins often said: “I did it my way.” The public viewing ahead of the funeral will be held today at police headquarters, the Paul Farquharson Centre, East Street Hill. The viewing hours are from 11am-6pm. Mr Watkins’ body may also be viewed at the church on Boyd Road on Thursday from 8.30am until service time.
MARINES HURT AS VESSEL COLLIDES WITH JETTY By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
an opportunity to walk the straight and narrow and you’re back before the court with an indictable offence,” Magistrate McKinney said. Though both offences carry up to seven years incarceration, Burrows was sentenced to two years at
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
FUNERAL SERVICE FOR ERRINGTON WATKINS THE funeral service for Errington “Bumpy” Watkins will be held tomorrow at St Joseph Catholic Church. Mr Watkins died at the age of 89, and was formerly of Deadman’s Cay, Long Island. He was hailed by Long Island MP Loretta ButlerTurner as a “colourful and larger-than-life figure who contributed to our national life over the course of many decades”. He was the father of 63 children, and had been a senior police officer in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, as well as serving a
a chance to see your family if you wanted but you blew that chance. It’s distressing for a homeowner to walk in and discover that their home has been broken into and not know if the intruder is still inside, particularly this time of year. You had
system malfunction. As a result, the vessel collided with a jetty, injuring several marines. Officials said the marines were transported to hospital via medical personnel as a precautionary measure, treated for “mostly minor” injuries and all discharged later that evening. An investigation is underway to determine precise cause of the incident. The HMBS Durward Knowles was one of three vessels commissioned in
March by Prime Minister Perry Christie as a part of fleet upgrading efforts. During the ships’ commissioning exercise, Mr Christie lauded the process as a testament to his government’s commitment to invest heavily in the safety and security of the nation. The government’s Sandy Bottom Project was announced in mid-2014 after the government tabled a resolution to borrow $232m to purchase nine new Defence Force vessels.
• Minimum of eight (8) years qualifications with a Professional Auditing or Accounting Firm. • Bachelors degree in Accounting from a recognized University Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification. KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCIES & SKILLS: Knowledge The applicant should be proficient in the following areas: • Accounting principles, techniques and auditing software. • Computer skills, with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications. Competencies The applicant should demonstrate the following: • Ability to Drive Engagement – create a climate where team members are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives. • Decision Quality – ability to make good and timely decisions based on analysis, wisdom, experience and judgement. • Business Insight – ability to apply knowledge of the business and the marketplace to advance the organization’s goals. • Strategic Mindset – ability to look, plan and move into the future with clear intentions and purposeful actions. • Drives Results – possess an achievement mindset and eagerness to take the initiative. • Customer Focus – ability to build strong customer relationships and deliver customer centric solutions. • Drive Vision & Purpose – ability to paint a compelling picture of the Bank’s vision and strategy that motivates others to action. • Cultivate Innovation – ability to come up with useful ideas that are new, better or unique. Required Skills • Effective written communications skills including the ability to prepare reports, policies and procedures. • Effective organizational skills. • Effective time management skills. • Stress management skills. Not easily overwhelmed. Able to multi-task in a fast paced working environment while maintaining efficiency and accuracy. REMUNERATION PACKAGE: Commonwealth Bank is a Great place to work! We offer an exciting work environment with the opportunity for growth and development. We also offer a competitive compensation package, reflecting the successful applicant’s experience and qualifications, including a performance based incentive plan, health, vision, dental and life insurances and a pension plan. Qualified individuals should complete an online application by December 30, 2016 at: www.careers.combankltd.com/careers “ Commonwealth Bank sincerely thanks all applicants for their interest in becoming a part of our team, however, only those applications being considered will be contacted.”
PAGE 14, Wednesday, December 28, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
THE REOPENED Lucayan Beach in Grand Bahama following restoration from the effects of Hurricane Matthew.
LUCAYAN BEACH ACCESS REOPENED AFTER HURRICANE MATTHEW By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
BEACH access at Lucayan Beach on Grand Bahama has reopened to the public and visitors following the clean up and restoration of the area in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. After the damage wrought by the October
hurricane, access to Lucayan Beach adjacent to the Grand Lucayan and Memories Bahama Resort properties was temporarily closed to visitors. The Ministry of Tourism said the closure was to ensure guests’ safety and to allow for appropriate restoration. On December 15, ministry officials were present when the locks were removed
from the gate. In the interim, guests were offered beach experiences on all beaches that were accessible and in good condition, including Taino Beach, Fortune Beach, Banana Bay and Gold Rock Beach at Lucayan National Park. Clement Pindling, of the Grand Bahama Taxi Union, was pleased that access has
been restored at Lucayan Beach. “We are happy to know that access is open again, especially for the drivers, vendors, Jet Ski operators, hair braiders, and everyone that is partnered with tourism.” The ministry said that while there is still work to be done in the area, and several hotel properties
remain closed, it is imperative to allow visitors continued access to the popular beach area but advised people to be aware that there is ongoing work taking place as homeowners nearby make repairs to their properties. “Appropriate signage related to the ongoing repairs will be erected. Residents and visitors are encouraged
to exercise caution when using the beach,” the ministry said. Elaine Smith, executive of product development at the Ministry of Tourism, thanked industry partners, particularly tour operators and transportation providers, for their co-operation in not transporting guests to the venue during the period of closure.
BNT chief backs move to rename Bahamian waters The Lucayan Sea BAHAMAS National Trust (BNT) Executive Director Eric Carey has added his support to the movement to name the waters of the Bahamas The Lucayan Sea. “Why have a country with a rich history and an array of magnificent islands floating in unnamed waters?” Mr Carey asked this week. His formal endorsement came as he met Captain Tellis A Bethel, acting commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force,
the author and historian who proposed giving the 100,000-plus square miles of open, unnamed waters a name that paid tribute to the indigenous people who first inhabited the islands. Capt Bethel spent decades plying the sea, first working aboard a cruise ship, later rising through the ranks of the RBDF. From the beginning, it troubled him that the waters - the most appealing and prominent geographical feature of the Bahamas - had no individual identity,
but were merely a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past 20 years, as he delved deeper into the birth of the New World and the role the Lucayan Indians and the Bahamas played in it, he became convinced the only proper name for the waters that would pay tribute to history and secure an identity for the future was The Lucayan Sea. “From the moment I heard about the idea, I was sold,” said Mr Carey who, like Capt Bethel, has spent
years on and around the waters, overseeing the Exuma Land and Sea Park and other marine resources. “Everywhere else you go, the waters have a name,” said Mr Carey. “The Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Pacific Ocean. The Caribbean Sea doesn’t touch any of our islands and here we are in the birthplace of the Americas with waters with no name, just part of a larger Atlantic. We should have our own identity.” According to Capt Bethel,
the initial declaration of The Lucayan Sea would cover waters 12 to 200 nautical miles from the outermost points of Bahamian landmass according to international law. The proposed sea would not include the national waters of the neighbouring countries of Cuba, the United States and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Capt Bethel presented Mr Carey with a copy of The Lucayan Story, his recently–published second book on the subject,
at historic Fort Montagu. “Among other features, we have the tongue of the ocean,” said Capt Bethel. “The purpose of a tongue is to help tell a story. We have a story to tell and it begins with the Lucayans.” Mr Carey’s endorsement is the latest in a growing list of notables that includes many marina operators, several civic organisations and the country’s first Olympic gold medallist and best-known sailor, Sir Durward Knowles.
CHRISTMAS DINNERS FOR THOSE IN NEED MORE than 1,600 Christmas dinner packages were delivered to families in need last week in time for the holidays thanks to a feeding initiative spearheaded by AML Foods Ltd. The company partnered with The Bahamas Red Cross in Grand Bahama and The Salvation Army, Hands For Hunger and the Bahamas Feeding Network in New Providence for the Feed Five Thousand Families project. The goal was to distribute 5,000 $40 dinner packages to families throughout
New Providence and Grand Bahama by Christmas Day. To inspire the giving, AML pledged $20,000 and challenged their staff, corporate Bahamas and the public to donate as well. In the end, the initiative raised over $63,500 and helped to feed some 1,600 families in need. “This project was important to us because we are committed to doing our part to help eliminate hunger in the communities that we serve”, Renea Bastian, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at AML Foods Ltd, said.
“Hunger does not take a holiday, and at Christmas we know that food is an integral part of celebrating the season, so we wanted to make it easier for families facing financial hardships to still gather together and enjoy a holiday meal. “Our loyal customers came through in a major way and supported the initiative in the stores. Our efforts were further strengthened by corporate partnerships with The Tribune and Radio House, who donated free newspaper and radio advertisements.
Additionally, Insurance Management and Summit Insurance donated $5,000 and Odyssey Aviation donated $4,000.” “I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported us, making this project a huge success, especially for the families,” Gavin Watchorn, President and CEO of AML Foods Ltd, said. “Even though we fell short of our initial goal of feeding 5,000 families, we are still very proud and happy that we were able to raise over $62,500 and help over 1,600 families.”