Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames...  Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.

Volume 9 © BahamasUncensored.com 2011

5th. August , 2012 Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com   How do you do today?  It's great to have you as a reader.  We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas! Please tell all your friends about us.
BROKE WRIST IN THE HOUSE	PICEWELL IS THE NEW AMBASSADOR
BONEFISH FOLLEY DIES	THE RECORD OF THIS DPP WE HAVE
MOODY’S OUT OF ORDER	MITCHELL AT THE OAS
RONNIE BUTLER SINGS THE BURMA RD CLASSIC	POLICE RESERVE VETERANS
THE BAHAMAS AT THE OLYMPICS	MINISTER OF EDUCATION TEACHES OPPOSITION LEADER
GILBERT MORRIS WRITES ON SMALL NATION STATES AND THEIR ADVANTAGES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	IN PASSING...
Fred Mitchell Launches 3rd Edition of 'Great Moments In PLP History...	Fred Mitchell's 56th Birthday Party In Support of the 'Mission Fund'...
The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PhilipBraveDavis.com...	Interesting Places...
JeromeFiztgerald.org	Bahamas Government Website
KendredDorsett.com	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...	Bahamians On The Web
How & Why The PLP Lost in 2007 - The Greenberg Report...	BahamasIssues.com
	BradleybRoberts.com

 

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK:  Fred Mitchell the Foreign Minister travelled to Washington D.C. to give the government’s formal response to the report of the OAS observers who overlooked the general election in The Bahamas on 7th May.  Mr. Mitchell said that the government took the unusual step of sending him because that was the first time that the observers had come to Nassau.  Mr. Mitchell said that the government accepted the report without any reservations.  While in Washington he also took the opportunity to meet with officials of the United States government at the State Department. Our photo of the week is that of Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister, addressing the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States on Wednesday 1st August in Washington D.C. You may click here for the full statement of the Mininster

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Broke Wrist In The House

Just when you think that you have seen and heard everything, something new always comes along.    The Free National Movement under Hubert Ingraham really descended into one nasty organization.  The lowest form of insult in The Bahamas is to play to the homophobia of Bahamians and call a man a sissy or some other diminutive which calls into question whether he is a “real man”.  It is a habit which you find around every basketball court in The Bahamas.  Young males routinely all each other “sissy” on the basketball court and shout out “you like man eh?’ from the safety of the sidelines.  The only question was when was this stuff going to reach the House of Assembly.

Last week, it did.  What was surprising was the man who did it was not Hubert Ingraham, who is close to being past history, but his successor Hubert Minnis, the now Leader of The Opposition?  This is the man who is supposed to be the new generation of FNM leader, who is to lead us into an ear of enlightenment.  It turns out that he is just like all the rest.  At a moment in the debate, the Leader of the Opposition of The Bahamas a trained physician, whose oath tells him that he is to treat all without prejudice and distinction accused another member, a PLP Member of having a “broke wrist”. 

Broke wrist is an expression used in The Bahamas as a slur of homosexuals. It adopts the stereotype that gay men drop their hands at their wrists like women are said to do.  The idea in the use was to try and silence the other members of parliament by calling him gay.  Whooo!

The Speaker of the House forced the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw the remark and had it expunged from the record but the damage is done.  The Leader of the Opposition
has lowered himself to a level where no other has gone.

The word is also that another of his members, his Deputy Leader Loretta Butler Turner added to this by accusing someone of being a pedophile and adding from her seat the question: aren’t the police looking for you? The fact is the police was looking for no member of the house on an such charge but in the run up before the election the FNM had spread a set of rumours around about a PLP candidate which were simply untrue.

These are supposed to be intelligent people.  They are supposed to be leaders.  Yet this is what they have brought us to.  Fortunately, the individuals against whom these slurs were cast are quite solid in who they are.  But this is tiresome that in a country where the economy is the number one problem, people are out of work.  The government is working overtime to get people back to work in a situation where the previous administration has left the country’s economy in an absolute shambles, the Leader of the Opposition chooses to cast his net with nastiness and homophobia.  What a great pity that he has shown that he is not fit to lead by attacking a group which is a minority in the country which he should pledge to defend.

Dr. Minnis obviously forgets that it was his government that passed the law that decriminalized homosexual conduct in The Bahamas between consenting adults.  Does that by that measure mean that he has a broke wrist? Chil’ please.  That’s what his former Leader Hubert Ingraham used to say.

All of this is a descent into the pit and we decry it as foolish, ill-considered and stupid in the extreme.  This country has much more important things on its agenda than this nonsense.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 4th August 2012 up to midnight: 57,664
Number of hits for the month of July up to Tuesday 31st July 2012 up to midnight: 530,002
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 4th August 2012 up to midnight: 4,725,173

PICEWELL IS THE NEW AMBASSADOR

Picewell Forbes, MP for South Andros, was appointed on Tuesday 31st July as the Ambassador to Caricom and High Commissioner to the Commonwealth Caribbean States.  Mr. Forbes’ appointment was announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday 31st August at the House of Assembly.  The new Ambassador was joined by his wife for the occasion and his constituents.  The Prime Minister said that in making the appointment, he was conscious of the fact that Mr. Forbes as a student at the University of the West Indies was able to win election as the first and so far as we know the only Bahamian to serve as the president of the Guild of Undergraduates at the University of the West Indies.  He said Mr. Forbes therefore brought that network with him to the job. 

BONEFISH FOLLEY DIES

The song writer from West End Phil Stubbs sings in his ballad “ Bone Folley, he’s my one and only”.  The song immortalized a man who loomed larger than life over the West End community in Grand Bahama.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell recalled that Bonefish Folley whose real name was Israel Rolle was in the truest sense of the word an Ambassador of goodwill for The Bahamas.  Mr. Mitchell recalled how John Rood, the American Ambassador to The Bahamas at the time asked him to join him in making a trip to West End to relive the memories of his ( Mr. Rood’s) childhood.  As a child Mr. Rood used to come to The Bahamas to fish with his father and Bonefish Folley used to take them out.  He never forgot the experience and when he came back as Ambassador he went to West End and rebuilt Mr. Rolle’s home for him after it was destroyed by the hurricane.   Mr. Rolle was 91 when he died, just a week or so shy of his 92nd birthday.  RIP Bonefish Folley.

THE RECORD OF THIS DPP WE HAVE


We keep asking the question why do we still have the imported Director of Public Prosecution in The Bahamas when we have little to show for her supposed prowess.  It was a mistake bringing her here and a mistake to keep her here.   Viz the apparent embarrassment maybe even defeat of the Director of Prosecutions Vinette Graham Allen at the Court of Appeal.  Andre Birbal who amidst great public fanfare was convicted of molesting little boys at the school he taught at in Eight Mile Rock was convicted and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment.  He appealed.  He fired his lawyers because they could not agree with him how to prosecute his appeal.  He is representing himself.  The newspapers at first reported that the DPP conceded that the direction of the judge in the case at first instance where corroboration was not addressed properly was fatal and that the matter had to be remitted to the court below for retrial in Nassau.  Perhaps we thought Freeport was too prejudicial a venue for a retrial.  The press said that the Court reserved its judgment.  Then last week we found that the DPP was back in court again, this time saying that what she said the first time was not right, that in fact the conviction should be protected and the sentence affirmed.  Interesting.  The court reserved its judgment and no report as to how the matter got back before the Court of Appeal since they had already reserved judgment.  If that was not enough, there was the case of the man who was charged with molesting a young boy whose case was dismissed because he was charged under a statute which no longer exists.  The lawyer said that he pointed this out to the police and to the AG’s prosecutor to no avail.  Result the case was dismissed.  In the first case, a lousy prosecutor appears with all her expertise to have been defeated by the unrepresented defendant.  In the second case, inexplicable. Unbelievable! Unthinkable!.  Wah going on here?

MOODY’S OUT OF ORDER

Michael Halkitas is absolutely right.  The Minister of State was following up on comments made by a Vice President of Moody’s the discredited rating agency that they could not quite figure out how the Bahamas government was going to pay for the retaking of the BTC shares for majority control.  Moody’s went on to say they could not figure out the reason for the policy.  The Minister’s comment was that Moody’s was uninformed.  Moody’s should be embarrassed at such a patently stupid comment made by their spokesman in the face of all the public knowledge about the PLP’s position on this matter.  Then to add insult to injury comes Winston Rolle, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, who was busy trotting out the mantra of the British that to buy back control of BTC would  mean that investors cannot trust the words of the governments of The Bahamas.  Mr. Rolle conveniently forgets that the now Prime Minister then Leader of the Opposition said the following on the eve of the  BTC transaction: buyer beware.  Do not proceed with this. You know the PLP’s position.  Nothing in the sector policy has changed or will change with regard to competition except for the bit about regaining control of BTC as a majority shareholder.  We believe that the Prime Minister ought to make it clear that this means  taking back management and control of BTC.  The PM’s words are being used by Cable and Wireless to suggest that after the government takes back the majority shares they are going to continue to manage the company.  That cannot be.  Management and control must return to the people of this country.  Hubert Ingraham’s decision must be repudiated and rebuked.  Then we can proceed from there.

MITCHELL AT THE OAS

Fred Mitchell MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Assistant Secretary General for the Organization of American States (OAS) during a visit to Washington on Wednesday 1st August. 

RONNIE BUTLER SINGS THE BURMA RD CLASSIC

Burma Rd, now known aas Blake Rd, was a song sang in the 1942 riot by the workers as they marched to Bay Street from the then Windsor Field now the Lynden Pindling International Airport. It begins with the appellation: Don't mind Livingstone, Josiah the JP. Inother words, don't let Livingstone fool you, becasue Josiah is the JP. He was singing about Josiah Rahming, a JP from Fox Hill who was the grandfather of former Fox Hill MP Juanianna Dorsett.

POLICE RESERVE VETERANS

This engaging photo of former police officers who have been called back to serve their country and help fight crime appeared on Facebook.

THE BAHAMAS AT THE OLYMPICS

We want to say congratulations to Arianna Vanderpool Wallace who made the finals of the freestyle fifty metre race in swimming.  She was the lone Bahamian swimmer at the Olympics.  She placed eighth overall.  The country was enthralled and sent congratualtions toher on a job well done.  The eyes of the country now shift to the men and their races scheduled as we upload.  Derek Atkins, Chris Brown and Demetrius Pinder all made it to the semis and well we hope and pray.  Then there is the relay which comes later.  We will keep you abreast.

MINISTER OF EDUCATION TEACHES OPPOSITION LEADER

The House of Assembly is supposed to be the place of the highest debate, not  place for cheap shots and wallowing in the muck and the mire.  Hubert Ingraham as Prime Minister dumbed down the House of Assembly and it looks like his successor Hubert Minnis who should know better does not.  Dr. Minnis sent a Parliamentary question to the Minister of Education Jerome Kennedy Fitzgerald about a contractor who got contracts from the Ministry of Education for repairing schools.  The contractor JFK not JKF.  Dr. Minister did not check and immediately thought that he was on to something, some corruption.  You know the FNM specializes in trying sully people's names.  Never let the facts interfere with a good story.  The Minister answered the question on 1st August but told the Leader of the Opposition that in his position he should know better.  The Minister laid out an enviable record of the new PLP administration in awarding contracts to some firms that had not had a government contract in the five years of the FNM administration.  Shame on you Dr Minnis. Shame on you.  


You may click here for the full statement by Minister Fitzgerald.

GILBERT MORRIS WRITES ON SMALL NATION STATES AND THEIR ADVANTAGES

Here is a major lecture commissioned by Fortis - the Canadian Finance Fund that runs Power Companies. The lecture was attended by leaders in the business community, and Turks and Caicos government advisors. The lecture focuses on the cultivation of strategic advantages by small nations through their development options. Gilbert Morris lives in the Turks and Caicos Islands and is a regular contributor to the public debate here in The Bahamas on economic and political matters.

Click here to view the statement

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport this week about the legacy which Hubert Ingraham will not leave as former Prime Minister of The Bahamas. The article is in two parts.  This week we publish part one.

A legacy is what one leaves behind when one passes off the scene. Abraham Lincoln left behind his abolishment of the slave trade; Adolph Hitler his Holocaust; Sir Lynden Pindling his Independent/ majority rule Bahamas; and Hubert Ingraham? Well what will this second prime minister (in an Independent Bahamas who never believed in its citizens) leave behind him on the “sands of time?” What will be his Legacy?

For ninety-five per cent of the Bahamian population a metamorphosis began in 1967, with the advent of majority rule; it continued through the years to 1992 when Sir Lynden’s PLP government (which laid the foundations and pillars of the modern Bahamas and brought into existence all the meaningful programs and changes we see today in our country) was defeated at the polls by Hubert Ingraham’s/ Bay Street’s UBP/ Free National Movement party.

Prior to 1967 the 95% population, referred to above, lived practically in squalor-a subservient life style which the 5% mercantile-Bay Street-elitist governing group ensured was maintained for their purposes. The 5% white group ruled the 95% black and poor white majority, relentlessly, with an iron hand and maintained the status quo by ensuring that essentially only they voted in those rigged elections to 1967; they ensured, by suppressive means, that the majority population couldn’t access a higher than a limited primary education; that we (without exception) were, by their law, forced  to leave school at 14 years of age no matter our potential to be geniuses; that we couldn’t go into our own businesses and generally that we couldn’t enjoy the freedoms, privileges and the amenities they enjoyed. The 5% were the MASTERS and we (the 95%) were their SLAVES. They liked it that way and would have done anything to keep life in the Bahamas that way; they opposed an Independent Bahamas and went to great lengths to thwart the new PLP government’s efforts at securing Independence. The slaves however rebelled in 1967 (left the plantation) and stood their ground in sufficient numbers to muster up a numerical win at the polls (with the help of Sir Randol Fawkes and Sir Alvin Brennen) and a historical win for majority rule. Part of Sir Lynden’s Legacy, as well, is the fight he led (along with others prior to 1967) and the successes he achieved in getting the “one man-one vote” and the vote for the Colony’s women agreed by our Colonial Masters.

The Legacy Sir Lynden left behind for us was achieved over the entire life span of his extended political career. Although in 1967 the majority population began its rule there was so many other parts of the puzzle-the equation if you will-to be put in place before real liberation, of the masses, could be achieved. The foundation of our modern education system had to first be laid for we were essentially an uneducated population except for one or two of us who somehow escaped the oversight of Bay Street’s racist’s regime. The system, you see, was designed to give blacks, generally, and poor whites enough education to enable them to barely read and write but not to allow them to achieve any higher levels of academics. Many of the few (including Sir Lynden) who went on to achieve greatness, in academics (thanks to their parents who saw the wisdom and need to prioritize the education of their children above all else and sacrificed to send them off to Institutions abroad), returned to take up the mantel for the fight for real and expanded change.

More of the country’s resources (budget) were sunk into the education system because of Sir Lynden’s government’s view that all else was futile unless the nation’s children were afforded a better standard and quality education. What we didn’t achieve between the ages of five and fourteen years (9 years) tough titty. As the education system advanced (exposing our children to more and more opportunities) successes at all stages of academics became almost common place. The Government of Sir Lynden Pindling then turned its attention to the improvement and empowerment of the masses, economically. Success in this regard would prove more of a challenge than may have been expected at the time. The PLP government, however began to, carefully and meticulously, remove the roadblocks faced by ordinary everyday Bahamians who wanted to pursue careers in business. We were blocked from every side by Bay Street’s elitist mercantile government; they monopolized and controlled all aspects of business. They had the system so rigged and designed that only the few white members of the legislature families owned and operated all the wholesale/retail and shipping enterprises. Sir Lynden knew what the challenges were but aimed, nonetheless, to remove the roadblocks in our way. He had to do so very carefully and civilly; he couldn’t go breaking down everything, suddenly, like a bull in a china shop as I imagine Ingraham would have done if it were he and not Sir Lynden. In that so-called “free and democratic enterprise system” the government couldn’t just walk in and take business away from the Bay Street Boys, willy-nilly, and give it to others but in the final analysis a way was found to expand business ownership opportunities to include those formally excluded; the government decided that if one was a wholesaler that one wouldn’t be licensed to retail as well and business began to expand to include a wider array of ordinary Bahamian entrepreneurs. Bay Street didn’t mind if blacks and poor whites operated the little mom and pop stores, in their little communities in the Family Islands, so long as they had to purchase the items, they retailed, from them. They held the franchise on all name brand products and so if one wanted carnation cream one had to purchase it from them. They not only had those monopoly franchises for the Bahamas but for the entire region in most cases.

While all these new policies were taking effect, positively, more and more children from poor white and black families were advancing in their education. Many were going abroad with the assistance afforded by the scholarship program instituted; notwithstanding the depressed economic state of their parents. Other Institutions in the country were expanding and improving simultaneously as well; careers in medicine, engineering and other professional opportunities were becoming available to those who were qualifying themselves abroad and returning home to serve our population. Another real area of social concern for Sir Lynden was the question of a safety net for the sick, unemployed, the retired and the infirmed.

There were no real benefits or protections for our people when they were sick, unemployed or retired so Sir Lynden’s government eventually introduced the National Insurance Scheme. They did this in the face of overwhelming objections from Bay Street’s elitist political party (the UBP). It was too expensive they shouted; it would never work (they said) but Sir Lynden, to his credit, ignored their shouting and stayed his course. One thing led to another and as the need to protect our boarders manifested itself the idea of a defense force was introduced and all hell broke loose. Pindling wanted his own army they shouted; it would be too expensive they said; we didn’t need a military service they argued but Sir Lynden, and his PLP government, remained focused. In retrospect, though, Sir Lynden regretted acquiescing to the naysayers when he failed to introduce the “national service” scheme which was also objected to and shouted down by the same UBP grouping. We’ve lived to regret that decision to this day. Sir Lynden admitted as much during one of his last interviews, with Mr. Wisdom, before his passing.

Thank you.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
July 2012

12th. August , 2012 Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com   How do you do today?  It's great to have you as a reader.  We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas! Please tell all your friends about us.
THE GOLD RUSH	THE STAN BURNSIDE CARTOON
LORETTA’S RANT IN THE HOUSE	BIMINI’S INFRASTRUCTURAL ISSUES
EMANCIPATION DAY IN PHOTOS	THE GLENDA’S ROAD RACE
HERE’S ONE FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING	THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK
MITCHELL AT OAS	HAPPY 50TH TO JAMAICA
SANTANA AND RAY MUNNINGS TO PERFORM	SCENES FROM THE GOLD REACTION
VIDEO OF MEDAL PRESENTATION	MITCHELL ON THE SPOUSAL PERMIT AND IMMIGRATION
MITCHELL ON THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ACT	CONDOLENCES TO PHILIP MORTIMER
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	IN PASSING...
Fred Mitchell Launches 3rd Edition of 'Great Moments In PLP History...	Fred Mitchell's 56th Birthday Party In Support of the 'Mission Fund'...
The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PhilipBraveDavis.com...	Interesting Places...
JeromeFiztgerald.org	Bahamas Government Website
KendredDorsett.com	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...	Bahamians On The Web
How & Why The PLP Lost in 2007 - The Greenberg Report...	BahamasIssues.com
	BradleybRoberts.com

 

Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.

THE FIREMAN WINS GOLD. Whatever you want to say about our young Black men in The Bahamas, they surely made us all proud on the afternoon of Friday10th August.  Boy oh boy!  Paul Turnquest, The Trib reporter, was just over the moon.  He kept talking about what a brilliantly executed race it was.  The Prime Minister could hardly talk.  He was so excited. The whole country really! Prime Minister Christie issued a statement right away congratulating the winners of the gold at the 400 metre relay race in London at the 30th Olympiad.  Just when it looked bleak and dreary and we were looking very much like also rans, the boys came out and performed.  It was a series of mishaps before then.  Michael Mathieu getting kicked out because he jumped started. Levan Sands it appears seriously injured leg in his last jump. Debbie Ferguson didn’t even get into the final.  What next?  What came next was pure poetry.  Ramón Miller ran a most intelligent race.  He was simply brilliant in the last leg.  And the great old United States runner of the last leg, was bent over at the end in exhaustion and disbelief  Yep. You got the silver.  For The Bahamas it was the gold.  Our photo the week is that of the winning team for The Bahamas, the now golden boys

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

THE GOLD RUSH

The photo shows from left athletes Ramon Miller, Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder and Michael Mathieu with their gold medals in London at the 30th Olympiad.

This magic moment could last forever. Those words come from a love song from the 1950s and the older and mature Bahamians who remember the 1950s as a golden era must be basking in the moment as they watched the next generation go into a world where they had never been before.  We’re talking about the race to end all races that of the performance of Chris, the fireman, Brown, Michael Mathieu, Ramon Miller and Demetrius Pinder, the Olympic four hundred metre relay.  That was Friday 10th August.  Chris Brown is at the end of his career and was the lead off leg.  He got his gold medal.

Pure gold. Going gold. Gold rush.  The PLP’s slogans from the just past general election, got resurrected as people screamed and hollered, and laughed and cried.  The boys did it.  Not the girls or women really.  It was the men that did it.  These same young Black men (their generation that is) so reviled and depersonalized, criminalized, jailed, victimized under achievers in academics.  That same crew: won the gold medal at the Olympics.  It was incredible.  We hope that all those other little black boys who are sitting out there in The Bahamas, will snap out of their moments of despair by seeing people who look and talk like them on TV and on the world stage and say to themselves one day that is going to be me up there and work towards it.

Peter Philips, the Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica, once commented, that for many people in Jamaica, the Jamaican independence movement the nationhood was a middle class and society elite experiment or project.  It did not mean much to the ordinary man or woman of Jamaica.  He said that the idea of nationhood though congealed, for what was perhaps the first time, when Usain Bolt won the gold medal.  Mr. Philips remarked he had never seen the country Jamaica come together as when Bolt won the first of his gold medals in that Olympics in Beijing four years ago.

This year the Bolt race was scheduled and was run on Sunday 5th August at about 4:50 p.m. eastern daylight time.  The Jamaicans in Nassau were in the Christ Church cathedral for their independence service, marking 50 years.  When the news came in the middle of the service, the church, that staid old cathedral erupted into wild cheers and applause and drum beats. What a thing.

The same can be said for The Bahamas with these young men.  It came at the end and it looked mighty bleak for us coming against the backdrop of a country used to winning at least one medal at the Olympics.  And the fellows did it.  The Prime Minister was elated.  The people took to the streets in a spontaneous motorcade in Nassau.  Imagine when they come home.

Grenada won its first gold medal at these games.  Jamaica’s Bolt did it again.  He had the tools for the job.  And The Bahamas got gold.  The region must be pleased.  Ramon Miller is the hero of the piece.  This young man made running that forty or so seconds in the last round seem easy as pie.  The big boy from the United States was simply run down and passed with plenty of room to spare.

It was quite a race.  The big American was bent over at the end.  He could not believe it. But yes, it was silver for the USA.  The Bahamas got gold.
The NBC commentator remarked that when you come into the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, you see pictures of the Golden Girls, the team that won the gold medal in the relay in the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.  He said now they have to put up the pictures of the golden boys.  How can you pay for that publicity?
Young men you have done us proud.  How do you say it?  Well we say it simply Congratulations!  The nation is proud of you. Amen.


Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 11th August 2012 up to midnight: 42,174
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 11th August 2102 up to midnight: 99,838
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 11th August 2012 up to midnight: 4,825,010

THE STAN BURNSIDE CARTOON

As usual the cartoonist Stan Burnside captured the national mood in response to the victory by Our Boys in Gold.

LORETTA’S RANT IN THE HOUSE

Fred Mitchell MP said to Loretta Butler Turner MP: my friend the late George Mackey used to say “not only one woman born a crazy child and if you can play crazy, I could play crazy too.”  The big lady was in the smoking room of the House where the tuna fish and grits are served.  She interrupted her repast, ran back into the House of Assembly and demanded that the Minster take it back.  He called me crazy Mr. Speaker.  People laughed.  She ran on.  She was angry she said.  No one was going to call her crazy.  Of course I am angry, she said.  She mumbled, grumbled and ranted and raved from her seat, on her feet.  She protested.  But what was she protesting.  She could not admit that the defence of the rights of women during the day of the House’s proceedings was less than stellar.  She has said that we have to be careful that women are not married by men in situations of marriages of convenience. That was the mantra of the FNM as they sought to panic the country over the issue of spousal permits which the government wishes to give the minister the power to grant for an indefinite period.  It will fall away unlike citizenship or permanent residents once the marriage no longer subsists. In every way it is better for the spouses of Bahamians.  But you know opposition parties have to oppose so the FNM opposed it and then abstained at the voting time.  In the meantime, it was quite a performance by the big lady.  Perhaps, because it came at meal time, she had a low sugar moment and so it caused her to fly off the handle. Whatever it was, it didn’t look good and it didn’t sound right. But such is the amplified volume of debates in the House of Assembly. The House passed the bill and it went on to the Senate where it will be considered on Monday 13th August.

BIMINI’S INFRASTRUCTURAL ISSUES

This past weekend was a big tourist weekend for Bimini.  A little known fact is that Bimini has 800 hotel rooms and has the highest repeat vistor factor in the country some 79 per cent of the visitors being repeat visitors.  It is a small place with a small population.  Everyone is related to each other.  It presents special challenges because it is 52 miles away from the the United sates.  The people of Bimini see the United States as their back door.  They are able to travel there by fast boat in three hours.  At night, you can see the glow of Miami from its western shore.  There are huge developments coming to Bimini with the expansion of the Bimini Bay project which will bring a casino and an upscale hotel and hundreds of additional rooms.  On 1st October a catamaran service is scheduled to start which threatens to bring 400 additional visitors to Bimini per day.  The Bimini Bay Hotel is about to conduct a job fair in Grand Bahama to try and recruit 150 workers in anticipation of this expansion in Biminis economy.  With every benefit however is a burden.  Crime is not now a serious factor but there was an armed robbery last week which has not yet been solved.  The police are aggressively trying to get on top of this.  Bimini has a free and casual atmosphere which must be preserved.  Service is now a problem.  There are long waits in some restaurants, credit cards are not generally available for use in ordinary stores in Bimini, liquor stores are closed on Sundays, idle post adolescent youth wander up and down the streets of Bimini at all hours of the night. Some complain that there is too much cursing and aggressive social behavior toward the visitors to the island. The island needs a cleanup and paint up.  The power is not sufficient to handle what is in Bimini now.  We started off talking about the weekend.  180 boats were in the Bimini Bay marina and the hotel was full for the weekend.  The Big Game Hotel was also full.  The power went off in Bimini at midday on Friday 10th August and was off in the main town for five hours and at the Bimini Bay resort until 9 p.m. on Saturday 11th August.  The tourists were furious, some of them had come there for the first time. It was a hot miserable experience.  Bimini residents say the water goes off routinely because there is not enough water produced to supply the town and the power loss is frequent.   Then the town needs s general sprucing up and cleanup.  There is garbage everywhere.  The proliferation of carts and cars needs to be better regulated.  Police and immigration have to improve. The docking facilities must be built to meet the sterile conditions which the catamaran will require.  The airport needs to be expanded and upgraded.  There are challenges and opportunities.  There are befits and burdens.  Bimini is certainly a fascinating place and the PLP sees much in its future.  However, we must not allow the Bahamian to be planned out of Bimini's future. These youngsters who are roaming the streets and are idle have to be engaged in useful work.  They must know that the loud and aggressive behavior is counterproductive to their survival and it must be brought to heel.  The economy must make sure that the Bahamians get the first bite of the cherry.  The fishing for example which is being taken over by charter businesses from the United States must be stopped. The PLP will make it happen we think.  The people of Bimini are good and industrious So there is much work to be done in the great island of Bimini

EMANCIPATION DAY IN PHOTOS

Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill led the official celebrations in The Bahamas to mark the 178th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.  Slavery was abolished in the then British Empire of which The Bahamas was a part in 1834.  Joining the Fox Hill community for the celebrations were Dame Marguerite Pindling, Deputy to the Governor General.  The celebrations end in Fox Hill on Fox Hill Day, Tuesday 14th August.  The photos are by Peter Ramsay and Derek Smith both of the Bahamas Information Services.  Mr. Mitchell said that the day of the abolition of slavery was one which made Independence Day possible.   You may click here for the full address. The photos show Maurice Tynes, Chair of the Fox Hill Festival Committee; Rev. Sebastian Campbell, Chair of the National Heroes Day Committee; Rev. Carrington Pinder, Pastor of St. Mark's Fox Hill who preached the sermon; and Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill and Dame Marguerite in a walkabout and on the stage.

THE GLENDA’S ROAD RACE

Glen Rolle’s daughter Glenda was born 45 years ago.  As a memorial for her birth her father nicknamed in Bimini The Sheriff started a road race from the government clinic at the then northern end of the settlement to the Chalk Ramp and then back to his property in Bailey Town.  It is called Glenda’s Road Race.  Mr. Rolle died in 2002 but the race has continued and each year the MP for Fox Hill Fred Mitchell comes to Bimini to participate in the race.  Mr. Mitchell was Mr. Rolle’s friend and attorney.  The race is about three miles and today it attracts the young and the old, the Bahamians and the visitors.  The photos show the Glenda’s Road race, its forty fifth edition supported and organized by Leonard Stuart, Dexter Rolle, George Weech and Pastor Ellis.  The children participate. The race was won by a dive instructor from Guatemala who works at Bimini Bay.
Photos by Anthony Stuart . 

HERE’S ONE FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING

U.S. Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, Florida came to town on Tuesday 7th August to be part of the launch in Nassau of the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaque Project.   The project is supported by the Frisch family of Jacksonville, one of whom Ben, runs Bahamas Food Services in Nassau.  The project is to unveil and mount in Bimini in honour of the 50th year of the I Have A Dream Speech delivered at the monument in Washington D.C. by Dr. King, a plaque and bust of Dr, King in the Mangroves of Bimini.  Ansel Saunders, the bonefish man, tells the story of how he took Dr. King out into the mangroves of Bimini to think and meditate.  Dr King wrote his acceptance speech in the mangroves for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.  He also wrote three days before he died the notes for his speech to the Sanitation Workers in Memphis in those mangroves.  Dr.  Richard Danford and his wife        are spearheading the project and there is to be a special celebration and ceremony on the weekend of 5th October to 7th October in Bimini.  At that time, they will launch a fundraiser for a scholarship in honour of Dr. King for a Bahamian student at the Edward Waters College in Jacksonville.  The photo shows the press conference announcing the project at the House of Assembly on Wednesday 8th August.

THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

Some photos taken at the House of Assembly are shown where Fred Mitchell MP spent the day first moving the act to amend the Immigration Act and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Act on Wednesday 8th August.

MITCHELL AT OAS

The video of Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill and Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Organization of American States (OAS) as he delivered the response of the Bahamas Government to the report by the OAS of its observer mission to The Bahamas for the general election of 7th May 2012.

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HAPPY 50TH TO JAMAICA

Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the government of The Bahamas at the special 50th anniversary service held to mark the independence of Jamaica.  He called Jamaica “our older sibling”.   The service was held on Sunday 5th August at the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral.  The Very Reverend Patrick Adderley presided at the service and preached the sermon.  You may click here for the full statement by Mr. Mitchell.  The photos are by Derek Smith of the Bahamas Information Services.

SCENES FROM THE GOLD REACTION

First we show the race itself with a commentary by former athlete Iram Lewis form his Facebook page and then some reaction as the race unfolded in one of the local banks..

SANTANA AND RAY MUNNINGS TO PERFORM

Funk Nassau is a song that is over 40 years old, having been released in 1971. It was originally performed by Raphael Munnings and his cousins in a group called the Beginning of The End. It was a staple of college music in the 1970s. It was a million seller, in those days a gold record. It was covered by Erika Badyu in the film Blues Brothers 2. Now we have a video clip of the song being performed by Santana, the great Mexican American artist. And we have learned that Raphael Munnings, one half of the duo that wrote the song (the other one being the late Dr. Offff, Tyrone Fitzgerald Senior) and its original performer is to join Santana on stage on 24th or 25th August at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Florida.

VIDEO OF MEDAL PRESENTATION

MITCHELL ON THE SPOUSAL PERMIT AND IMMIGRATION

MITCHELL ON THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ACT

CONDOLENCES TO PHILIP MORTIMER

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport this week in part two of his series on the legacy of Hubert Ingraham and how during his time dismantled what the PLP put in place to protect Bahamians and put us back to where we were as a country prior to 1967.

As we continued to move along, in our nation’s development, during those embryonic years post majority rule (1967), it was obvious that Bahamians were still getting the short end of the stick when it came to job and business opportunities. Eventually (without going into much detail) the PLP government was obliged to compensate, the situation, by introducing its famous “Bahamianization policy.” This was done to ensure that employers would be required to consider qualified Bahamians for jobs and positions in their companies before Immigration would entertain applications for foreign help. The government found it necessary as well to ensure that certain business opportunities were reserved EXCLUSIVELY for Bahamians. To that end a policy was introduced to require that all business opportunities, in the touristic, wholesale, retail and shipping sectors, up to a capital investment of $3 million be RESERVED for Bahamians exclusively. No foreign involvement, whatsoever, would be permitted or tolerated in those sectors. All these things and more (too many to list here in this one article) were put in place by the PLP government, under the leadership of Sir Lynden Pindling, during those first 25 years to benefit ordinary Bahamians. Then the PLP lost the general elections of 1992 and Hubert Ingraham came along. I am saddened to say but it was then that we began our decent into this abyss-this cesspool of being second class citizens (again) and slaves under conditions much like those which prevailed before 1967. Ingraham, and his FNM government (as it turned out), represented in all aspects of his governance the old mindset of the defunct UBP/Bay Street elites; a mindset which oversaw the re-introduction of a policy which, in effect, said to the Bahamian nation “Bahamians need not apply.” There are good and bad Legacies; the Bible speaks of blessed men who leave Legacies (inheritance) for their children; cursed is the man (it implies) who fails to do so. Now that Hubert Ingraham has (as he said) passed off the scene let us examine, in a nutshell, his 15 year tenure and determine, as best we can, what his Legacy might be.

Immediately after taking office, in 1992, Ingraham repealed Pindling’s “Immovable Properties Act;” this was a piece of Legislation put in place to protect against foreign speculators purchasing large plots of Bahamian land, sitting on it until the price went up and then reselling for big bucks. This was his first act of sabotage of the rights of Bahamians. This decision was his fulfilling a promise he made to those Bay Street mega white Real Estate Barons for their support of him and his FNM party. He gradually, and meticulously, dismantled and abandoned the PLP’s “Bahamianization Policy” which was (as was said earlier) designed by Pindling and Hanna to protect jobs and business opportunities for Bahamians first and foremost. The PLP’s policy of “no foreign involvement” in certain businesses (reserved for Bahamians) Ingraham also abandoned and he refused to implement the National Insurance Scheme which would have provided full comprehensive national health insurance for all Bahamians. He gave away BTC to foreigners, despite the fact that Bahamian applicants were willing and fully able to purchase and effectively run the entity. The FNM prime minister displayed a rare disdainful attitude toward those Bahamians who wished to apply telling them that they “need not apply.” When the Cable TV Franchise was proposed by his government (knowing in advance that he (Ingraham) had plans to award the franchise to a foreigner) the PLP brought a “Resolution” to parliament asking Ingraham’s government to vote with it for the franchise to be awarded to a Bahamian entity ONLY; Ingraham and his government (with the exception of cabinet minister Pierre Dupuch) refused to vote “YES.” This was when Mr. Pierre Dupuch distinguished himself and broke away from the pack. He established himself as a true Bahamian patriot, that day, when he showed willingness, and tenacity, in protecting the rights of Bahamians. Pierre Dupuch began that day to impress me and to establish his own Legacy as a true Bahamian patriot. It must be remembered that Dupuch was a senior member in Ingraham’s cabinet and he did the unthinkable; the unbelievable when he cast his vote against his own government and in favor of the Bahamian people. It later turned out that the Ingraham government planned, allegedly, all along to give the cable franchise to his daughter’s husband’s father. Bahamian applicants (for the franchise) didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting the monopoly although many of them applied and were in a better position, financially, than Mr. Keeping. To make matters worse for Bahamians, and to discourage them from even making application, Ingraham made it a condition that all applications must be submitted with a $10,000.00 non-refundable (certified banker’s cheque) deposit. He was sure that under those conditions no Bahamian would apply, and he would be home free to give it to his foreigner friends and family (allegedly), but he was sadly mistaken. Nonetheless the Canadian was given a very lucrative 15 year monopoly which, by the way, doesn’t seem to be able to come to an end. 

Ingraham dismantled the structure which was put in place by the PLP government, for the advancement of ordinary Bahamians and he adopted policies which in effect disenfranchised us at every turn. In all of his fifteen years we are hard pressed to find even one decision he and his government took which could be said to promote the interest of Bahamians. His chickens have now come home to roost, though, and his Legacy sealed. Pindling bahamianized the management of all government departments; Ingraham came and replaced them all with foreigners. His legacy of preferring foreigners over Bahamians (like he did in Mrs. Cheryl Grant-Bethel’s case) will live on to qualify him as a hater of all things Bahamian. Like I opined earlier every human being leaves a legacy only, in Hubert Ingraham’s case, I don’t think even his children would be proud of his.

 I saw him with his gathering of stooges today, (19th July), using the minority room at the House of Assembly to speak to the press on what was supposed to have been the occasion of his (Ingraham’s) departure from politics. As he sat there with Zhivargo Laing and Charles Maynard (two of his staunchest supporters) capping off his legacy, I was reminded of the Biblical account of a couple of rascals, known as Hophni and Phinehas, whose father was Eli. They were priests, in the temple of God, who refused to adhere to their father’s advice and kept on abusing their priestly privileges. They kept the choicest parts of the meat of the animals (offered by the people for their required sacrifices) for themselves and had their way with all the ladies who worked in the temple. They were no good rascals whom the Bible designated as the “sons of Belial.” When their father stopped admonishing them he was warned by the Prophets that doom would befall his household; that both his sons and himself would die on the same day; so it was that they all did die as the Prophets foretold; as well the wife of Phinehas who gave birth to his son on the day of his death and she, as well, died in childbirth; God’s judgments are very sure. This story is a very close narrative to Ingraham’s 19th day of July 2012 story-he being Eli along with his two rascal sons Zhivargo Laing (Hophni) and Charles Maynard (Phinehas). Like the Biblical trio, in the story, they have all perished this day; today (19th July) the three of them have died politically. Sadly, in the land of the FNM blind, one-eyed Hubert Ingraham is still King.   

He has now gone off the scene (I suppose) into the political wilderness (in despair) disgraced and with his tale between his legs (as it were) like a dog. His Legacy (in a nutshell) being that of the dismantling and removal of all the gains Bahamians have made since majority rule and so I say-good bye and good damn riddance.
Thank you.

Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
July 2012.

19th. August , 2012 Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com   How do you do today?  It's great to have you as a reader.  We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas! Please tell all your friends about us.
WELL CHARLSIE IS REALLY DEAD	FNM IN CRISIS
BRAVE DAVIS AT ST. MARY’S CAT ISLAND	PLP’S STATEMENT ON CHARLES MAYNARD
FOXHILL DAY PHOTOS	THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS VISIT THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
NO CUFFIN	CHRISTIE ON THE REFERENDUM
WE ANNOUNCE THE DEATH OF LEROY " DUKE" HANNA
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	IN PASSING...
Fred Mitchell Launches 3rd Edition of 'Great Moments In PLP History...	Fred Mitchell's 56th Birthday Party In Support of the 'Mission Fund'...
The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PhilipBraveDavis.com...	Interesting Places...
JeromeFiztgerald.org	Bahamas Government Website
KendredDorsett.com	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...	Bahamians On The Web
How & Why The PLP Lost in 2007 - The Greenberg Report...	BahamasIssues.com
	BradleybRoberts.com

 

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WELL SOMETHING GOOD SHOULD BE DONE to reward the four young men Michael Mathieu, Chris Brown, Ramon Miller and  Demetrius Pinder for bringing such joy to The Bahamas from the Olympics on 10th August by simply running a race.  All the pomp and pageantry of formal office, all the representations by the Ministry of Tourism, all the pledges delivered at the opening of school, none of them delivered the unity of the nation like these four men did when they ran and won that race.  They were to arrive at the airport on 14th August at 6:15 p.m. There were crowds and there was a reception and parade planned.  Alas that was not to be.  They actually arrived at 11:15 p.m.  By that time, it was only the Prime Minister and a hand full of officials.  But that was good.  The PM was ecstatic when they won.  He still is.  The country then invited them to visit the House of Assembly where one by one MPs lionized them for their accomplishments, mugged for photo shoots.  So our photo of the week then must inevitably be that of the visit of the Golden Knights to the House of Assembly and their formal shot with members including the Prime Minister at the steps of the House of Assembly on Wednesday 15th August through the fisheye lens of  Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

WELL CHARLSIE IS REALLY DEAD


Lynden Pindling was speaking at a gathering of the home of Ervin Knowles, the then MP for Cat Island.  It was just after the funeral for the late Shadrach Morris the then Grants Town MP.  “Well,” he said, “ one thing about Bahamians.  They sure know how to bury you.  Talk bad about you during your life.  Treat you bad. But they sure know how to bury you.”
He was speaking about the rather fulsome praise that was heaped upon the late MP at the funeral.

That was the sentiment that could be expressed as the Parliament went into overdrive on the death of Charles Maynard, young and unexpected, on the side of the street in Abaco on the way from Crown Haven to Treasure Cay in the wee hours of Tuesday 14th August.  He and Michael Foulkes, the Secretary General of the party were on their way home. It was about one a.m. from a campaign meeting.  There are lots of stories about how that went, but the bottom line is the night ended badly with Mr. Maynard collapsing, being taken to a clinic and pronounced dead.
The news spread quickly with the Prime Minister being informed just about three a.m. that morning.

There was a popular Mayor of Miami called Robert King High.  He died of a heart attack when he was the age of 43.  Miami came to a stop and the radio stations and TV stations gave blanket coverage to his death and funeral.  It is simply a surprise to see a young man cut down in the prime of his life.  No matter what you say or do, there is nothing you can do about it.  Death is final. That’s it no matter what blandishments we manage to mumble to the family.

That is not to say it is not appreciated by the family.  The way the human mind works, time eases many things and what people say and do to comfort the family during the time of stress is quite important to how quickly one recovers from such a devastating loss.

And devastating is the word.  His first cousin Allyson Maynard now Gibson  is a senator for the other side, the PLP, the side of his grandmother, his paternal uncle, and up until 1992, the side of his father and his side went up with her Uncle, his father Dud, to retrieve the body.  Sometime after 1997, there was an epiphany and change came. He joined the Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR) with Dr. Bernard Nottage (now a PLP minister) and left the PLP.  Mr. Maynard never returned and was won over by Hubert Ingraham and the FNM.  So all that youthful energy and training he got from his ancestors in the PLP, and by running around with his father in the PLP, went over to the FNM.   The big tent was simply not big enough.

With it, he and his family took a visceral dislike to the Prime Minister.  The viciousness of it is never quite understood and the longevity of the hatred is not understood but that is what it was.  Mr. Maynard had a talent for turning a vicious phrase. He was in more than one tangle with Glenys Hanna Martin, the now Minister of Transport over his antics and views about life and the Bahamian people.   He was no respecter of persons.  Perry Christie after all was a grown man to him but Mr. Maynard practiced scorched earth and took no prisoners.

The FNMs of course thought he was just great.  Hubert Ingraham used him to say the nasty and vicious things about Perry Christie and the PLP which he himself could not bring himself to say in public.  No one could quite understand how the son of Dud, the longest serving PLP Chairman ever, would allow himself to be used in that way. But he did it.

The FNM speakers in the House on Wednesday15th August, led by a blubbering Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis said that Mr. Maynard will be missed.  Loretta Butler Turner, an undertaker in real life, had not time for tears, crying over a dead body.  Instead, she viciously laid into the PLP in her so called grief to say that she was not coming to listen to any ministers give communications . She believed the House should have suspended its normal business so tributes could be given to Charles Maynard at the top of the agenda. 

Here we go again.  Who the hell is in charge here?  The fat lady needs to sing.  In other words, cut it out.

If you listened to some of the commentary, you would think that Mr. Maynard was a candidate for sainthood.  Let's call the Pope and tell him skip beatification and canonize him straight away.
Then there was the unseemly stuff on Facebook about how he died.  And the reasonable inquiries of whether it was a heart attack or some other cause.  All this is a part of the death ritual in The Bahamas.
They said in the Lion In Winter: you never heard a corpse complain about how it got so cold. Translation: the bottom line is you are dead and the reason matters not.  Dead is dead.

The government will no doubt grant if asked the privileges of an official funeral.   MPs will all walk behind or beside the coffin if allowed. The funeral is to be held at the Christ Church Cathedral on Friday 24th August.  Tomorrow the sun will still shine.  His wife and children and his parents will miss him.  This was the apple of Dud Maynard’s eye.  This boy had become all that Dud could ever have wanted. Izzie his mom protected him fiercely. Nina battled for him. Alas, all now gone.  Charlsie, as he was known in his childhood is unfortunately really dead.  Rest In Peace brother.  One of the stars has just gone out.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 18th August 2012 up to midnight: 125,083
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 18th August up to midnight: 294,663
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 18th August up to midnight: 4,962,172

 

FNM IN CRISIS

The most Machiavellian, twisted politician in the country today is none other than Dion Foulkes, son of the Governor General, former Minister and MP and Senator.  The line from the Lion In Winter: you are so deceitful, you can't ask for water when you’re thirsty comes to mind.  Mr. Foulkes who launched a vicious campaign of lies against Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill just before the last election has been defeated on three occasions after shifting from seat to seat.  He is this generation’s seatless wonder.  Yet that has not stopped him from seeking to plot and scheme, even plot and scheme against his own.  The word from his friends is that he is hard at it trying to ensure that Hubert Minnis, the Leader of the Opposition, who succeeded Hubert Ingraham, does not succeed.  Mr. Minnis broke down crying in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 15th August in a tribute to the late Charles Maynard.  He said that he was in Abaco but regretted that he was not on the scene.  He said his presence might have made a difference.  This was real tears and crying.  Some thought it was theatrical to show the party that he cared. Mr. Foulkes was reportedly derisory saying that Dr Minnis had made a big mistake crying in parliament and had embarrassed the party by crying.  Contrast that to the harsh and manly tone of Loretta Butler Turner who laced into the PLP even in the midst of her grief.  Some complaint about being allowed to express their grief at the top of the House agenda.  Charles Maynard’s body was not cold yet but the vultures were out. Mr. Foulkes was leading the way.  Even as Mr. Ingraham refused to come back to the House to bid farewell to Charles Maynard, he was asking Dion Foulkes to be Chair of the party.  It is not to be either Darron Cash or Dr Duane Sands who are now the Party’s Vice Chairs. Mr. Foulkes  declined because his brother is the Secretary General and even Mr. Foulkes thinks that would be questionable. Mr. Foulkes’ friends have been saying that the day before Mr. Maynard’s death there was a big blow up between Dr. Minnis, the new leader and Charles Maynard about how the bye-election was being run in Abaco. But Mr. Foulkes’ friends forget to mention that it was their man Dion who added to the woes of Mr. Maynard by the letter he wrote to The Guardian attacking his own leader.  Mr. Foulkes in a letter to the Nassau Guardian on Monday 13th August publicly took issue with Dr. Minnis for saying that there was FNM victimization.   Bottom line is that the FNM is in crisis.  Bad luck with Charles Maynard who had the fire in the belly on the political front.  Mr. Foulkes doesn’t have the integrity for the job.  His logic is as crooked as a corkscrew and his tactics as well.  Mr. Ingraham in his half way resignation is still in control of the party. He is reportedly disappointed in how Dr. Minnis is running the party and as much as he did not support Loretta Butler Turner as the alternative, she is looking much better in his eyes.

BRAVE DAVIS AT ST. MARY’S CAT ISLAND

Last week on 12th August, the Anglican Church led by Bishop Laish Boyd dedicated and consecrated the newly refurbished St. Mary’s Church in Cat Island.  The service was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and his wife Anne.  The photos appeared on the Deputy Prime Minister’s Facebook page.

PLP’S STATEMENT ON CHARLES MAYNARD



The following statement was issued by the Progressive Liberal Party on the death of Charles Maynard, former MP and Minister of Sports


Charles Maynard

The Progressive Liberal Party would like to formally extend its condolences to the family of the late Charles Maynard, former Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Free National Movement on his untimely passing.

The PLP recognizes the contribution Mr. Maynard made to the national development of The Bahamas as a member of the political fraternity, having started his journey as a member of this party, moving on to assist in the formation of the Coalition for Democratic Reform and ultimately winning a seat in the Parliament as a member of the Free National Movement.

We extend our sympathies to his wife Zelena, and three daughters, his siblings, his parents Andrew “Dud” and Isadora Maynard and his extended family, including Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson.

FOX HILL DAY PHOTOS

The people of Fox Hill have celebrated since the 1880s what is called Fox Hill Day.  It is the second Tuesday in the month of August.  Fox Hill Day this week was Tuesday 14th August.  This time as with every year since 1998, the Prime Minister has come to Fox Hill for the occasion.  He visits all the Baptist Churches that sponsor programmes and recitations by the children from the Sunday School classes.  The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.

THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS VISIT THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

They are called the Golden Boys by some but they we are told prefer the Golden Knights.  By whatever name, they are the winning team of the men’s 400 metre race at the Olympics on Friday 10th August, the gold medals hang around their necks.  They visited the House of Assembly following their arrival in town on 14th August.  The Prime Minister Perry Christie was there to greet them at the airport and also at the House.  MPs were mugging it up for the cameras with the young men who are very much the heroes of the piece.  The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.

NO CUFFIN

CHRISTIE ON THE REFERENDUM

WE ANNOUNCE THE DEATH OF LEROY " DUKE" HANNA

The old era passeth away.  Yet another stalwart from the Pindling era of the politics of The Bahamas has passed away.  The announcement was posted on Bahamas Press' webesite as follows:

Leroy “Duke” Stephen Hanna was born to Mrs. Hester Stevens.

Duke’s recognition of the value of the talent and culture which is inherent in our Bahamian resources, and the potential rightful contribution that should play in the development of our country, coupled with his own experiences and the blatantly unjust treatment of the Bahamian musicians and entertainers in their struggle to earn a reasonable wage, took Duke into his second life-long profession as a Trade Unionist and a workers advocate.

He became active in the Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union and in 1970 was elected to the post of Vice President which he held for two years before he was elected President in May 1972. Until his death, he held the post of President Emeritus, sat on the Trustee Board and was a member of the Executive Board. Duke was one of the longest serving Union Presidents of a Trade Union in the Bahamas.

As a Trade Unionist, Duke was also a founding member and Vice-President of the Trade Union Congress. In his position as Vice-President, on behalf of the workers of the country Duke was instrumental in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the TUC and the PLP. His lobbying on behalf of workers also helped to win for Bahamians the constitutional right to join a Trade Union of their choice when this was enshrined in the Bahamian Constitution in 1973. His signing of the Reciprocal Exchange Agreement between the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada made it possible for Bahamian musicians and entertainers to perform in the United States and Canada without hindrance.

In 1995 Duke became a founding member and first President of the National Congress of Trade Unions. He held that post for six years, completing his constitutional requirement in November 2001. He received the honor of President Emeritus.

His work on behalf of Bahamian workers also took him into the international arena. He was the Workers Delegate from the Bahamas twice at the ILO Convention in Geneva, Switzerland. He has obtained many special citations for his contributions to the Trade Union Movement in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. As President of the NCTUB he formed alliances and affiliation with the Cuban Labour Congress in negotiating a reciprocal agreement and signed a reciprocal agreement when representing the Bahamas at a Canadian Labour Congress Convention in Toronto, Canada in 1999.

He and his wife Joan owned and operated the famous Traveller’s Rest Restaurant.

May he rest in peace.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport about Hubert Ingraham being a spoil sport.  He says that you cannot believe Mr. Ingraham when he says that he is going to resign.  He says that Mr. Ingraham likes the idea of being called Prime Minister.

Like the Hon. Foreign minister I am convinced, as well, that the “on again; off again” retiring former prime minister doesn’t intend to retire at all. I am convinced that he appeared in parliament, on the 25th July, intending to (subtly) appeal to the few persons (he thinks still support him) who he think may wish him to remain and not retire. Like the Hon. Foreign minister I’ll believe he is gone when I see he is gone, and not before, and like the Hon. Foreign minister I  take nothing for granted (or on face value) when it involves this proven pathological lying, Christie-retired, Ex-Prime Minister.

Two terms were enough for any one Bahamian mother’s child (to be prime minister), he said back in 1997. He made the statement (back then) obviously to appeal to the Bahamian electorate for their sympathetic support. The statement, he thought, would have made him look honest in the eyes of Bahamian voters; little did we know, at the time, that “honesty” was not a character trait of his; nor did we realize that he was just another subtle charming snake of an individual. On the verge of completing his two terms in office (though) it was obvious to all, from all his little innuendoes and the things he was saying, that he did not want to go; he didn’t want to quit and had no intentions of doing so; he didn’t want to give up the sweet power of being “Mr. PM.” After being urged by the party’s (FNM) prominent supporters, however, to keep his word and leave office, as he promised he would, he reluctantly resigned as party leader opening up the way for one of the three aspirants (Algernon Allen, Tennyson Wells and Tommy Turnquest) to take over. His personal choice was spineless Tommy Turnquest, of course, and for good reason. He knew that Tommy was the weakest of the three aspirants (for leader) and if what he had in mind were to succeed i.e. for him to sneak back, through the proverbial back door, and take over the leadership of the party, from Tommy at some opportune time, he would need to ensure that the weakest of the three aspirants become the party’s interim leader and so spineless Tommy Turnquest was his choice. Tommy, though, couldn’t see what Hubert was planning for him; the ultimate in gutter politics and he (Ingraham) is a master at the dirty game.

Ingraham proceeded to use his abundance of influence (within the ranks of the party) to have Tommy installed. He perceived (and rightfully so) that Tommy was a push over (but not Wells and or Allen) and so it was that Tommy was the selected scape goat, for this deceiver’s plans and plot to return to power. This time (after getting the worse political cut behind of his political life ever) he now says again that he is retired. Someone reminded me recently of a saying that Stalwart Councilor Austin Grant (God rest the dead) used to remind often; “every shut eye ain’t sleep and every goodbye ain’t gone.”

 If we examine his deportment during this, his most recent, spat of resignations we would see clearly a pattern of confusion; we would see a character who hates to lose; a bully who must be in control at all times and one who cannot bear the thought of waking up in the mornings and finding that he is not “Mr. Prime Minister” anymore; he is Livet to think that he has to address someone else as “Mr. Prime Minister” and that thought is killing him. He resigned, on the night of May 7th, and said he would not take his seat in parliament. He took the hasty decision within minutes of realizing that there was no way in hell he could win the elections. A  couple days after, however, when he composed himself and realized the hasty decision he made he changed his mind and proclaimed to the nation that he would, instead, resign on the 19thJuly which date would have marked the 35th anniversary of his first being elected to the parliament. But July 19th  came, as it surely would, and no resignation really; what in fact he did do, at his press conference, was to tender a document which in essence turned out to be a promissory note to resign on the 31st August. So now we wait to see what transpires on the 31st August; our skepticism is completely understandable given what we’ve seen so far over the years. In any event I will not hold my breadth and I would advise you all not to either; we should just wait for an actual resignation.
If you were to add up all the times this creature said he was resigning, during his political career, you would need a calculator and a full roll of machine tape to keep an accurate tally. Someone compared Ingraham, recently, to a damn vampire who is impossible to kill unless you have a cross and a silver bullet to do the job; the man has more political lives, opined another, than a damn cat.

The piss-head, when you think deeply about his deportment, could only be classified as a total disgrace. He came to parliament on Wednesday 25th July expecting what, may I ask? He has been in parliament for 35 years; 15 of which he was prime minister; he knows the rules of the house; he knows that any communication of this sort always comes under item “J” on the agenda; he knows that the Speaker, even if he promised him (which he didn’t) that he would allow him to speak first on the agenda, didn’t have the authority to make such a promise without the full agreement of the entire Assembly and so if he knew all this, and still acted like some spoil Brat looking for the undivided attention of his mother, it then begs the question, why? The sucker came (as I opined earlier) looking for sympathy from the public; he wanted his few supporters to feel sorry for him and maybe start a campaign to have him rescind his decision to resign after all. He knew he lied the first time, when he claimed the Bahamian people asked him to come out of retirement and resume where he left off, but he really wanted his few supporters, this time, to be heard calling for him to remain and that is the reason for his charade in parliament-oh the games that people play.  I know the man is an ASS (with capital letters) but I also know that he has some smarts, so what I’ve suggested here is perfectly possible. He didn’t really expect that a PLP government would agree to forego its agenda and allow him, (of all people), to hog up the spotlight I am sure; he really has more political smarts than that, especially given what he did to mother Pratt and all the other MPs who were retiring from active politics just four months ago. He didn’t allow her and or any of the others the same courtesies he now wants from the PLP governed Assembly. Why would, or how could, he expect a PLP government, under the circumstances, to bend over back for him? I admonish the sucker to take the same advice he gave Mother Pratt and the others; “go from door to door, in North Abaco, and say your good byes or better still go and stand on the street corners and as the cars go by shout and tell them good bye;” what is good for the goose is good for the gander so carry your behind down to North Abaco and do something you haven’t done in 35 years; go from house to house and tell your constituents that it was nice knowing them. This culprit should, right about now, be remembering the wrongs he did to Sir Lynden; funny how the things that go around come back around don’t they? They boomerang, it’s the law of nature; you spit in the wind it comes right back in your face; cast your savageness on the water and it will come right back to savage you; you sow to the wind (for sure) you will reap the whirlwind; you are reaping your whirlwind, you sucker, and you can’t bear the pain of this nation-wide rejection by the Bahamian people; these are the fruits of your dirty deeds catching up with you and there is no escaping their consequences; it’s the law of nature as I’ve said before.

I am quite sure that the piss-head didn’t expect to be treated like someone special so my conclusions are that he was up to no good; he was up to mischief and thank God the government gave the brute beast no quarter. He thought he would roll into the Assembly like some Mr. Big Stuff, steal the spotlight, talk his foolishness and then disappear like he usually does but the devil is a liar. I hope we’ve seen the last of this brute beast and to that I say good damn riddance.   

Thank you.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
August 2012

Mitchell At D.R Inauguration


Fred Mitchell MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the Prime Minister Perry Christie at the inauguration of the President of the Dominican Republic on Thursday 16th August at the Congress Hall in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.  While in the DR, he met with the new President Carlos Medina and raised with him the issue of illegal fishing by Dominican fishermen in Bahamian waters.  He also met with foreign minister Carlos Morales.  The two agreed that talks will take place on the issue in Nassau within the next 30 days.  Mr. Mitchell also met with Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly and the Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe to discuss the release of the Pineapple Air plane which remains in the custody of the Haitian government.




Bonefish Folley Is Buried


One of the most popular Bonefish men in Grand Bahama, 91 year old Bonefish Folley, Israel Rolle, was buried in his beloved West End on Saturday 18th August.  The service took place at the St. Mary Magdalene Church in West End.  He was buried in the public cemetery.  Bonefish Folley so impressed a young U.S. Ambassador John Rood that  when Mr. Rolle’s  home was destroyed by Hurricane Francis, it was rebuilt by the generous donation of Mr. Rood.   Fred Mitchell MP spoke at the service as did West Grand Bahama MP Obie Wilchcombe.

Dinner For Sidney Poitier

Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis will lead a delegation to Los Angeles, California where he will present a plaque at an invitation only dinner  at the Beverly Hilton in honour of Sidney Poiter, the Bahamian actor who was born in Miami and raised in Cat Island. The plaque will be presented on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to thank Sir Sidney for his work as Ambassador for The Bahamas as Ambassador to Japan and to the United Nations Education Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO).  Accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister will be Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Sir Sidney’s brother Reginald.  Bahamians in Los Angles have been invited to attend the event on Tuesday 21st August.


Butler Family To Honour Sir Milo

The event was previously planned for 11th August this year which would have made the former Governor General and National Hero 106 years old but it was postponed.  Now it is to take place on 20th September which is the anniversary of his first election to Parliament in 1938.  Sir Milo first ran against the millionaire Sir Harry Oakes and lost.  The next year when Sir Harry was elevated to the Legislative Council, the body that was the forerunner of the Senate and which gave a lifetime appointment, Sir Milo ran again and won serving until he was defeated in the 1949 general election.   A ceremony is planned in front of his bust in Rawson Square to launch a book written and commissioned by the Butler family.


19th August

Today is the anniversary of a date that will live in infamy.  The FNM was elected to office when the people of the country lost their good senses in 1992 and elected Huber Ingraham to office with the FNM for the first time.  We have not been the same since. The FNM says they are having a church service to remind us.

26th. August , 2012 Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com   How do you do today?  It's great to have you as a reader.  We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas! Please tell all your friends about us.
SIDNEY POITIER	THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED DAYS
THE CANONIZATION OF CHARLES MAYNARD	GOLDEN KNIGHTS ON PARADE
NICURAGUAN AMBASSADOR COME CALLING	PHILIP MORTIMER’S WIFE PAT ‘S FUNERAL
SIDNEY POITIER DINNER	I’LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU- BOYS TO MEN
HAITIAN MIGRANTS CAPTURED IN MANGROVE CAY
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	IN PASSING...
Fred Mitchell Launches 3rd Edition of 'Great Moments In PLP History...	Fred Mitchell's 56th Birthday Party In Support of the 'Mission Fund'...
The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PhilipBraveDavis.com...	Interesting Places...
JeromeFiztgerald.org	Bahamas Government Website
KendredDorsett.com	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...	Bahamians On The Web
How & Why The PLP Lost in 2007 - The Greenberg Report...	BahamasIssues.com
	BradleybRoberts.com

 

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TO SIR WITH LOVE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas hosted a dinner in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton for Sidney Poitier, to mark the end of his time as Ambassador for The Bahamas to Japan and to UNESCO on Tuesday 21st August.  Presenting the plaque was the Member of Parliament for Cat Island where Sidney Poiter who was given an honorary knighthood in 1986 was raised and the Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis MP.  His brother Reginald, now 92, attended the celebrations as well.  Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell described Ambassador Poitier as iconic.  Our photo of the week then is that of Sidney Poitier accepting a plaque from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his work as Ambassador for The Bahamas. The photo is by Redsky.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

SIDNEY POITIER

The video will show that Sidney Poitier at 85 still looks well.  He was deeply moved by the tribute paid to him by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas on Tuesday 14th August in Los Angeles.  The Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis flew to Los Angeles with the Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell and Sidney Poitier’s only living brother Reginald to present him with a plaque of thanks recognizing the contribution that he has made to The Bahamas by serving as Ambassador for The Bahamas to Japan and to United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Sidney Poitier was born in Miami to Bahamian parents who were farmers in Miami selling their tomatoes.  He was born prematurely and was not expected to live.  But live he did and he was taken home to Cat Island where his parents lived.  There he stayed until he was 11 and then moved to Nassau until he was 15.  Today he is 85 and will turn 86 should the Lord tarry on 20th February.  He lived in Ross Corner, a stone’s throw away from the late Sir Lynden Pindling. He has enjoyed enormous commercial and critical success in Hollywood as an actor, a producer and director.  In his latter years he has enjoyed success as an author; his autobiography Measure Of A Man was an Oprah Winfrey choice. He is doing well at 85 in his retirement out in California.  He has been married to his second wife Joanna Shimkus now for 44 years.  It is all so peaceful and idyllic now.  Time is the great leveler and the great healer.

Today’s generation may not know how big a star Sidney Poitier was and how proud Bahamians of a certain generation are of him. His romances were big news on the world stage, such was his importance as a public figure. Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis said that when Sidney Poitier won the Oscar for Lilies of The Field in 1963, his father was drunk fro week celebrating at the High Noon Bar on Wulff Road. When Sidney Poitier slapped the white man in In The Heat Of The Night, it was the slap heard round the world.  The Bahamas government will need to do something to reinforce the iconic nature of the man who was honoured so simply last week.

He gave thanks to his parents Reginald and Everlyn Poitier: two simple farmers from Cat Island.  He said all that he accomplished was owed to them, people who could not read and write but who had a certain set of values which he emulated and which carried him throughout his life.

With him at the event was his 92 year old brother Reginald. 

Around the dinner table the next generation of famous Bahamians showed up to pay tribute: Mychal “ Sweetbells” Thompson, the first Bahamian to be drafted into the NBA and then win  NBA rings  with the Los Angeles Lakers; Rick Fox who followed Mychal to the Lakers was also there.  Both paid homage to the man. 

So we add our congratulations and thanks to Sidney Poitier for all that he has done.  You may click here for the full statement made by the Foreign Minister at the dinner.


Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 25th August 2012 up to midnight: 133,730
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 25th August up to midnight; 441,740
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 25th August 2012 up to midnight: 5,109,249

THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED DAYS

The first one hundred days since the election passed with little fanfare.  One thing is certain, the objectives of that first one hundred days were fulfilled in their entirety.  The FNM sought to make a big deal of it by suggesting that the PLP did not make the grade.  Problem is they did not read the party’s specific promises.  One thing is the Cabinet made certain that on day 100 what was promised in that document was delivered.  What the FNM can find no quarrel with, is that the country’s mood on crime has shifted.  We cannot say anything other than it appears that the PLP’s approach to the matter through the Urban Renewal programme appears to be having some positive effects.  The second major issue for The Bahamas prior to the general election was the economy.  There the picture is still stubbornly difficult but again the momentum is in a new direction.  There is unprecedented interest in investment in The Bahamas. The country needs to get its public policy straightened out so that it can deal with these matters in an expeditious way.  But we must remain concerned about the level of unemployment.  There are too many young men and women with nothing to do and no prospect of anything to do.  It is terribly important that these young kids be put to work and put to work fast otherwise we are looking at a time bomb and a problem not so distant.  Let us not forget them, even though the one hundred days are now gone.  Now more than ever we must work while it is day.  Night comes when no man can work.

THE CANONIZATION OF CHARLES MAYNARD

We said it last week and we repeat it this week: let’s send a note to the Pope where they keep the Pope and ask him to skip all the interim steps and let’s have Charles Maynard canonized and made a saint without any of the interim steps.  Such was the hyperbole and excess at the funeral of the fallen political leader who died at the age of 42 on an Abaco Road side.  The funeral took place in the Anglican cathedral on Thursday 23rd August. It was a typical Bahamian funeral, the pretence of order and the solemnity of ceremony but fighting at the door to get in, too many people packed into the space.  Too much side noise. Such is the official Bahamian funeral: full of rhetoric, excess and much too long.  This one lasted six hours.  Imagine in a modern country that  the public officials of the county would be hung up in a funeral for six hours.  Someone wrote on Facebook that since all the officialdom was in the church, the criminals would have field day in the country.  Perhaps the comments are unfair and may be judged as inappropriate at a time of grieving for family but there is no time like the present to point out that even in grief some things need to be in scale.  As Fr. Glen Nixon likes to say: the spirit controls the flesh, the flesh does not control the spirit. In scale then, here is our comment.  Each man’s death is a serious matter.  He is part of the whole and we grieve for him and his family.  There is no blandishment like he has gone to a better pace that can help.  No one has been to that so called better place and found out what it is like and come back to tell the tale.  Death is   lonely isolating, inexplicable, final.  It leaves a hole, a void.  There is no coming back.  But death is also normal.  We all die and that is the immutable fact of life.  Job writes: the Lord give and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.  Translation: we must accept it and move on as best we can.  But let’s not try to rewrite history.  It is shocking that a seemingly healthy 42 year old man simply drops down and dies.  Michael Foulkes, the Secretary General of the FNM expressed his shock  as he spoke at the memorial. One day he was there, the next minute he was gone. But in death we remember both the good and the bad.   Here’s what we think: he was a political figure that we expected to be around with his regular combative self for another thirty years.  That is what will be missed, a political figure who was a character on the Bahamian scene, not a saint.  That is now gone.   It is human to miss him but let’s not get carried away.  In the midst of life is death.  The funeral was a good old Bahamian long burying service.  The lodge brothers turned out and he was put down in style.  Rest In Peace dear brother.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS ON PARADE



The Golden Knights as they are increasingly being called, continued their victory lap around the country with stops on a street parade in Nassau, saying happy birthday to the Prime Minister on Tuesday 21st August and then on to Freeport, Grand Bahama and then the hometown of Chris “ Fireman” Brown who ran the lead off leg of the race: the four hundred metre relay at the Olympics on 10th August.  The photos appeared on Facebook.

NICURAGUAN AMBASSADOR COME CALLING

Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, has sent a new Ambassador to The Bahamas.  He presented his credentials to the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes on Thursday 23rd August in the presence of the Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell.  The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.

PHILIP MORTIMER’S WIFE PAT ‘S FUNERAL

The funeral service for Pat Mortimer, the wife of Philip Mortimer, former tourism executive and the campaign coordinator for the PLP in the Fox Hill constituency took place at Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday 22nd August in Nassau.  The service was conducted by the Dean the Very Reverend Patrick Adderley.  Peter Ramsay was there and captured the photos of the funeral.  The ashes were entombed in the Garden of Remembrance at the Cathedral just after the service.

SIDNEY POITIER DINNER

We present a panoply of photos taken at the dinner sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas to say thank you to Sidney Poitier,  film star, producer, director, writer, diplomat at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday 14th August.  The photos are by Redsky.

I’LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU- BOYS TO MEN

HAITIAN MIGRANTS CAPTURED IN MANGROVE CAY

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Forrester Carroll writes this week from Freeport in answer to a press statement released by former Minister of the FNM Dion Foulkes.  Mr. Foulkes who has been unable to win a seat in Parliament in the last three tries issued a statement which contradicted that of his own leader Dr. Hubert Minnis who has conceded that the FNM did victimize people.  Mr. Foulkes claimed that they did not.  The letter was widely believed to have been inspired by Hubert Ingraham working as he is now from behind the scenes to scuttle the leadership of Dr. Minnis.  We believe Dion Foulkes to be one of the slimiest politicians in the country if not  the slimiest, so no surprise to us.

To term it “selective amnesia” would be too kind, of me, if I were to use the phase in describing Dion Foulkes and what he had to say (in his press statement) regarding political victimization, or (as he maintains)the lack thereof, during the FNM’s three terms in office.

In a somewhat lengthy press statement, issued recently by Dion Foulkes(one obviously not authorized by his party), he took it upon himself to be spokesperson for the party when he castigated the PLP government (and cause it to be brought into public ridicule) for what he opined has been a “culture of political victimization,” over its 30-year history of governance, within the organization; as opposed, he said, during three terms of FNM governance when they (conversely) changed that culture to a more humane one of no political victimization at all. I should admit here that I must have been like rip-van-winkle-fast asleep, and dreaming, all those 15 years of FNM rule.

I wish to quote the following (very nice sounding) two paragraphs from Foulkes’ statement to show how disingenuously-bold this political loser has become since being driven out of the political game, after trying to win three different seats in the country, by the Hon. Melanie Griffin. The excerpted paragraphs read as follows; “our system works best (and is most vibrant) when the minority accepts the electoral victory of the majority and agrees to cooperate, though not always agreeing, with the majority in the service of the common good. Inherent in this acceptance (of the right and responsibility of the majority to govern) is a necessary reciprocity. This reciprocal responsibility (required of the majority) pre-supposes that the minority will be treated fairly and that their rights will be respected and not infringed upon,” unquote; Foulkes continued; “the FNM has always been (and remains) inextricably bound to the principals of good governance; accountability; transparency and fair play in government. The FNM has always “loathed” victimization and finds its practice abhorrent,” unquote. Well I’ll be dammed; don’t those statements sound good and comforting to the unsuspecting fool? This ass is some piece of work; if this guy really believes what he said here, he has certainly changed from the Dion Foulkes we all know who didn’t “loathe” victimization when it was reported that he used his, “in government,” influence, while the country’s minister of labour, to attempt to allegedly strong-arm the decision, manipulating the outcome of the customs and immigration union’s case (against the FNM government) in his favour; he certainly didn’t “loathe” the practice then. Not only that, but Foulkes’ government’s most trusted surrogates, on a face-book conservation between one Peter Carey, Margo Seymour and Ivoine Ingraham just before the general elections, admitted and bragged without apologizing,  about the fact (they said) that (you) the Foulkes’ faction was able to manipulate the process against the custom and immigration union (and in favour of the FNM government) to get the case rescheduled  for after the general elections when they expected to win and would fire the customs and immigration officers involved at the frontline of the union; what in the hell would you call that move Mr. Foulkes-Mr. Transparency? Your surrogates said it on face book, so that the whole world would know what a sleazy bunch you are, and you never bothered once to deny your involvement in those plans to frustrate the union and eventually to fire those officers had the FNM won. 

I am acutely aware that my repetitiveness, on this subject, may read monotonously, to some, when I remind readers of this column (and Dion Foulkes of course) once yet again of the many glaring acts of political victimization (too numerous to list here), of PLP supporters, under successive FNM governments- governments I might add-whom Foulkes claims, during their three five-year terms in office, abhorred even the remotest suggestion of such despicable acts. I feel obliged to risk possible monotony, however, for the sake of defending the PLP against this piss-head’s scurrilous attacks and to show the falsehood of his “holier than thou” claims about his own FNM Administration’s shenanigans in this regard. In the circumstances only a fool (like Dion Foulkes has proven himself to be) would deny their guilt given the indisputable and undeniable record of their practices, over their 15 years in office, in this regard. 

I’ve told repeatedly, on numerous occasions in a number of previous articles, how suspected PLP supporters were violently raped of their equal rights to jobs, contracts and positions, in the public service and elsewhere where Ingraham and the FNM had influence, over 15 years of FNM rule; and what was the crime for which these civil servants were tried, found guilty and hanged by the FNM government? They were all suspected supporters of the PLP. Phillipa Russell, Steve McKinney, the entire staff at Urban Renewal, Cheryl Grant-Bethel, Cecil Thompson, James Rolle, Patrick McDonald, Clarence Carroll (my brother), Sandra Edgecombe and her husband, Al Jarrett (may his soul rest in peace), the Nassau Straw Market contract, Carolyn Kinglocke, Immigration officers, police officers, customs officers, defense force officers, BTC and ZNS staff members; these are but a few of the causalities of the FNM’s war waged against PLP supporters during their tenure. Foulkes himself was one of the generals charged with seeking out and destroying the (quote, unquote) PLP enemy, so I don’t know what he’s talking about or where in the hell he’s coming from with his crap. And these are but few of the many who were brutalized by Ingraham, Foulkes, Kenneth Russell and the whole band of FNM political tyrants.  Actually Dion Foulkes should be damn ashamed of himself to be so bold as to broach such a subject given the 15-year bad record, on this score, of his party’s government. The FNM may not have started the whole dastardly practice, of political victimization, but I can most assuredly put my head on the block and declare that the FNM government, led by Ingraham and the boys, sure as hell perfected it.

I cannot imagine, quite frankly, what Foulkes’ statement (on this subject) was meant to achieve. As a matter of fact this loser holds no position in the party so what gave him the right, or authority, to issue such a statement on behalf of the FNM? The FNM (at the time) had a chairman; it has a leader, a deputy leader and a deputy chairman so why would this chronic loser assume to speak on behalf of the party? Are there no protocols being adhered to in that deflated, dying organization? Or is it anything goes, nowadays, and may the best man win? Really, though, I submit that Dion Foulkes could not have been trying, seriously, to convince anyone in the country that he and Ingraham, during their three periods of governance, did not victimized persons because of their opposing political views. As I said earlier the evidence, to the contrary, is overwhelming.

If Foulkes’ leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis, could admit that the FNM, in government, was certainly guilty of victimizing suspected PLP’s then who, in the hell, is Dion Foulkes to dispute his leader? Dion knows better than Dr. Minnis because he was one of Hubert’s hatchet men. I ask again, though, how is it that Foulkes, who holds no substantive position (or none at all for that matter) in the party, could feel so freely dispose, to the point, where he would take the initiative to make an official statement on the party’s behalf? In light of his statement, and the fact that it was designed to refute his party’s leader’s position (that the FNM did in fact victimized PLPS), we must at the very least consider this question; “was Foulkes, I charge at the behest of Hubert Ingraham, attempting to further undermine the leadership team of Dr. Hubert Alexander Minnis, Loretta Butler-Turner, Charles Maynard and Dr. Duane Sands? I do ask the question, but I do know the answer-yes there is a plot being meticulously executed here and the main snake behind it, allegedly, is Hubert Alexander Ingraham. To Dion Foulkes I quote, for his consideration, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “There is nothing in this world that’s more dangerous than CONSCIENTIOUS STUPIDITY” unquote.


Thank you.
Forrester J Carroll J.P.
Freeport, Grand Bahama 
August 2012.

The Government demonstrates leadership on the issue of gambling.

Dear Editor;
I wish to comment on the government’s handling of the proposed referendum on gambling to date.

Contrary to some of its detractors, the PLP government is leading on the issue of gambling by being responsive to the needs of the country. The Prime Minister is on record decrying a country that sits back and allows literally thousands of its citizens to engage in the unlawful activity of lottery or buying numbers and supporting what some call an illegal industry.

His government has led by taking action to regularize this industry through a referendum. Through this action the government is demonstrating the courage of its conviction where its predecessor failed; this is inherent leadership.

The Prime Minister’s decision to forego a parliamentary vote on the issue of gambling demonstrates not only his leadership, but his political maturity and wisdom. His government is simply facilitating an opportunity for the Bahamian people to exercise their free will on the issue of gambling– free from the pollution of partisan politics and its associated and sometimes irrational emotive rhetoric. The latter (irrational emotive rhetoric) sometimes causes the central and salient issues to be lost and cultivates a redundant descent into acrimonious political bickering. This debacle must be avoided at all costs.

The Prime Minister promised to cultivate an atmosphere that will encourage healthy and vigorous debate on the subject in the public domain. This too is laudable.

On the issues of general structure and mechanics, there is compelling evidence that the people of The Bahamas want the numbers industry de-criminalized, regularized and equitably taxed to further advance our national development and will vote in favour of de-criminalizing this industry; this is a reasonable expectation. The government was therefore proactive in its decision to engage the consultative services of a firm out of the United Kingdom to advise the Bahamas Government on the general structure and mechanics of a lottery program. This proactive approach further underscores the inherent leadership of this government.

I conclude by reiterating that the Prime Minister and his government are to be applauded for demonstrating leadership on two fronts: They demonstrated the courage of their conviction and they decided to make the referendum about the free will of the people and not about what Prime Minister Christie and his parliamentary colleagues think.

It is all about using the instruments of the state to facilitate the process on behalf of the people, making the process as efficient and more importantly, the public policy as relevant as possible; it is not about what the Prime Minister thinks. This is what people hire governments to do.

Yours etc.;
ELCOTT COLEBY
26th August 2012  

IN PASSING

More PLPs Than FNMs On The March

The comment was made that the PLP successfully converted what the FNM was seeking to make a jump off for their campaign to regain the Abaco seat into a PLP event.  We are speaking about the funeral of Charles Maynard, the fallen Chairman of the FNM and the former Minister of the government.  If no one else sealed that deal, it was his former Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR) colleague now National Security Minister Bernard Nottage who spoke at the Cathedral at the funeral service on Friday 24th August.  Dr. Nottage said that Charles Maynard was steeped in PLP politics.  Amen.   Then the comment was made later that as the march proceeded to the graveyard, there were more PLPs on the march than FNMs.  

B.J. PLPises Charles Maynard

Bernard Nottage, the now Minister of National Security, spoke about the politics of the country and how you are one way today and the next way tomorrow but relationships endure.  His address in the church was interesting for historians, was serious but had its moments of light heartedness and humour.  Bottom line is that at the end of Dr. Nottage’s speech, the FNMs in the room must have been disappointed that their Chairman was in fact a PLP down in his soul.  When do you think the FNM will get a real FNM to lead their party?


The Futility Of Politics

A political funeral is a veritable treasure trove of clues of what is happening in the political firmament and the recent rituals for Charles Maynard were no exception.  One of the more amusing moments is that of Irrington “ Minky” Isaacs, the Deputy Chairman of the PLP emeritus, as a server around the altar having to bring up to read his tribute the former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.  No love lost between the two but church is the great leveler. Another telling moment was the tribute paid by Apostle Valentino Williams who praised Mr. Maynard for his faithfulness in attending community and church functions in his constituency and making sure that community work and projects were done.  The irony of it all: for all that supposed work, he was promptly voted out of office in the last election.  So much for hard work.


Ingraham Shows Up In His Fishing Shirt At FNM Memorial

FNMs are still talking about it.  Hubert Ingraham, the former Prime Minister, is determined to control the agenda of the FNM, even as he claims that he is leaving office on 31st August, the day of his supposed resignation.  Mr. Ingraham was not scheduled to speak at the memorial service for Charles Maynard at the party’s headquarters.  But he showed up anyway, and showed up dressed in his fishing shirt not in the suit and tie that everyone else including leader Dr. Hubert Minnis was dressed in.  But FNMs deserve what they get, they let him speak anyway.


Ingraham Does Not Recognise the Leader Of The Opposition

Again from the treasure trove that the funeral of Charles Maynard presented for political clues: Hubert Ingraham gave an elaborate and long set of appellations as he started his speech in the church.  You know the drill:  Your excellencies, Prime Minister, etc.  He went down this list including the Chief Justice and all and sundry but did not mention the Leader of the Opposition, the head of his party.  Interesting.

More Cheers For Christie At The Funeral

Perry Christie, the leader of the PLP, was greeted with a huge cheer as he stepped out of his car and arrived at the church for the funeral of Charles Maynard on Friday 24th August.  People report that the cheer greeting him should be compared to that given Hubert Ingraham, the former Prime Minister which was subdued and muted.
Ingraham Tries To Arrange Cable Bahamas TV Coverage Hubert Ingraham’s hand is up in everything or so it seems.  Late word is that  Cable Bahamas was contacted by the Hubert Ingraham office to provide  coverage of the Charles Maynard funeral.  Under the present rules, official funerals (and these are the rules left in place by the FNM) do not get live TV coverage.   The FNM wanted to turn this into a political event and turned to their buddies in Cable Bahamas to deliver the coverage.   Nothing doing said the Prime Minister Perry Christie.  The service was a national service.  The government would not get into a row over TV coverage but if anyone was to do TV coverage of national service it had to be the Broadcasting Corporation.


Contrast Christie and Brave Against Ingraham And The FNM

You can tell the difference between the PLP and the FNM.  When the mother in law of the Prime Minister Perry Christie died, not one FNM official showed up at the funeral.  When Philip Davis’ father died, Brave Snr. , not one FNM showed up at the funeral.   Contrast that the PLP who Charles Maynard attacked and smeared but they had the grace and graciousness to turn up to the funeral.  They were led by their leaders Perry Christie and Philip Davis, dressed in their suits and not their fishing shirt.

12 Years Since Sir Lynden Left Us

Dame Marguerite Pindling was joined at the mausoleum of Sir Lynden Pindling, her late husband, for the laying of a wreath to mark the 12th anniversary of his passing away. 
The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.

Charles’s Special Friends

They say politics makes strange bedfellows. Those reading the printed service booklet at the Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday 23rd August for the late Charles Maynard could not help but notice the list of special friends that they listed. Not one listed is a person he would have met from having joined the FNM.  Not Minnis, the Leader of the FNM and not one with whom he served in cabinet. Interesting don’t you think.

Mitchell With The Golden Knights


Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill poses with the winners of the 400 metre Olympic relay race. The men are wearing the Gold Medals that they won in London on 10th August.   They appeared at the House of Assembly on  Wednesday 15th August.  The photo is by Patrick Hanna.

The Rigby Clan At Rest

Former PLP Chair Raynard Rigby has just returned from his annual summer holiday with the whole clan.  This picture appeared on Facebook of his girls at rest at the end of the day. Must have been a helluva holiday.  Wonderful that is what Daddies are for!

Happy Birthday Mr. Prime Minister


Prime Minister Perry Christie celebrated his 69th birthday on Tuesday 21st August with his wife at a private home and birthday party.  The photo appeared on Facebook.

 

Poitier Mitchell Poitier

Sidney Poitier, the distinguished Bahamian actor, director, producer and author, is shown at a private reception at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Monday 20th August in Los Angeles with Fred Mitchell, Foreign Minister of The Bahamas and Reginald Poitier is brother who is 92 years old.

 

Photo of the U.S. Ambassador

His name is Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the United States. He visited The Bahamas on 13th August for a meeting to express the concerns of the U S government on trafficking in persons. The Bahamas has been listed as a tier two country and faces US sanctions if the matter is not resolved within a year. The photo shows from left:Jack Thompson, Director of Immigration, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cleola Hamilton, the Ambassador, A. Missouri Sherman Peter, Head of the local TIPs committee, Philip Miller, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and John Dinkelman, Charge at the U.S. Embassy, Nassau.