Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames... Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 8 © BahamasUncensored.com 2010
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| LAWRENCE ALOYSIUS BURKE wasArchbishop of The Bahamas when he left to return to his native Jamaica to become Archbishop there. He arrived in The Bahamas in 1981 and served for 23 years. He was a soft spoken man but a direct man. He was a builder, a moral beacon and a fighter for social justice. Archbishop Patrick Pinder, who succeeded him, said in his homily that although at first there was some resistance to a Jamaican heading the church here, by the time left Archbishop Burke left, he had won the hearts and minds of the faithful. The sign of that affection was the 90 pilgrims who boarded at their own expense a Bahamasair chartered jet and flew to Jamaica for his funeral on Thursday 4th February in Kingston. There is a photo essay below. The two leading political parties in the country were represented at the funeral: the Free National Movement by the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham who also led for the country and the PLP by its Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Fred Mitchell. The photo at the funeral of Mr. Mitchell and the Prime Minister in the Kingston Cathedral is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
RYAN IS A GOOD CANDIDATE
Perry
Christie, the Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party, speaking at his
rally on Wednesday 3rd February to promote Ryan Pinder, said that the more
experience he gets working with Ryan Pinder (PLP), the candidate for Elizabeth,
the more he is pleased. Mr. Christie said that he had been a hugging,
kissing political leader all his life and that Ryan had fit right into
that mould.
The
PLP appears to be confident, with fire in the belly. The troops are
all rallied up and they are in the streets night after night. Shane
Gibson, the Golden Gates MP, almost sleeps in the constituency. He
wants this one bad. The Fox Hill delegation headed by Charlene Marshall
is out every night beating the pavements. Melanie Griffin, whose
responsibility is the Elizabeth Estate proper is working day and night.
Hubert Ingraham must be beat.
The fact is the PLP has the best policies. Hubert Ingraham, trying to plead the economy, did a public address on the radio on Thursday 4th February. In it, he gave one excuse after another as to why the economy is in shambles. He did not blame himself, as he ought to. His stop, review and cancel programme was the single greatest factor in why this economy is the way it is. The Leader of the PLP is expected to respond to Mr. Ingraham with a public address to the nation on Monday 8th February. In it, he should tell the story of the perfidy of Hubert Ingraham and how his government wrecked this economy.
The PLP offers help and hope.
Ryan Pinder (PLP) is simply a better candidate. 
Duane
Sands is ducker and dodger. His party won’t even let him enter the
debate against the other candidates in the race. Ryan Pinder has
agreed to enter the debate that will take place on TV14 on Tuesday 9th
February. Duane Sands is now known around Elizabeth as ‘Ducking Doc”.
His innermost thoughts suggest that he thinks that voters are greedy.
He is out of touch with their thoughts and dreams. He did not realise
the poverty in the country. Making half a million dollars a year
in income (see story below), we can see why.
What we keep asking is why would a man who has a singular skill to offer the Bahamian public want to waste that skill to go into politics? He is a good surgeon, so we say stick to surgery where your skills are needed. There is nothing in the way of public policy that requires his presence in the House of Assembly. We are confident that the people of Elizabeth will see that Ryan Pinder (PLP) is the best man for the job. Let’s try Ryan.
Ryan Pinder has the plan for Elizabeth’s development. He plans to be a local hands on MP. That is the kind of man we need for Elizabeth. He is the right man for the job.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 6th February 2009 up to midnight: 105,940.
Number of hits for the month of January up to Sunday 31st January 2010 at midnight: 811,847.
PLP
CHALLENGES INTEGRITY OF VOTERS LIST
Dr. Bernard Nottage MP, election co-ordinator for
the Elizabeth bye-election for the PLP held a news conference Sunday.
He charged that the integrity of the voter’s list now certified by the
Parliamentary Commissioner is in doubt, and says the Prime Minister is
seeking to distance himself from the responsibility for its integrity.
Dr. Nottage says that the broadcasting regulatory authority, URCA and the
Broadcasting Corporation are refusing to allow equal time for the
Leader of the Opposition to respond to the Prime Minister’s national address
on the economy. He says that PLP posters are being defaced and pulled
down by the FNM in an attempt to intimidate voters. You may click
here for Dr. Nottage’s remarks.
HAITIANS
INTERDICTED
Hard on the heels of the interdiction week before
last of 56 Haitians just outside of the Coral Harbour base of the Royal
Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), the RBDF has now interdicted over 100 Haitians
on Saturday 6th February on the seas in the Exuma Cays. RBDF got
all of them because they were caught on board the boat. This is the
beginning of another rush of migrants here to The Bahamas in the face of
the Haitian troubles since the earthquake on 12th January.
CONFLICT
OF INTEREST: DUANE SANDS
Duane Sands, the FNM candidate in the Elizabeth bye-election owns a company
that does business with the government. It is a business that supplies
health services to the Bahamas Government. Rodney Moncur, the Worker’s
Party leader, says that this is a conflict of interest. He says that
because Sands did not disclose this prior to his nomination by virtue of
the provisions in Article 48 (1) (j) of the constitution which reads: “No
person shall be qualified to be elected as a Member of the House of Assembly
who-- … is interested in any government contract and has not disclosed
the nature of such a contract and of his interest therein by publishing
a notice in the Gazette within one month before the day of the election.”
Duane Sands denies there is a conflict. We
are sure his answer will be that it is his company that has the contract
and not him. Of course, the company is nothing without his personal
services connected with it.
PLP supporters take another tack. They say
after the public declarations from the candidates in the Elizabeth bye-election
about their personal finances and business interests, it is clear now that
Duane Sands is headed for a conflict between his duties as a public official
and his business interests. This in the wake of the PM’s revelation
that win, lose, or draw, Duane Sands will become the next Minister of Health
in the FNM government.
The PLPs argue that the medical company in
which Sands has a significant financial interest also provides cancer treatment
services for patients referred to them by the government. This means
that if Mr. Sands becomes the Minister of Health as promised, he would
be essentially negotiating rates for health services with his company.
This would give him an unreasonable advantage by virtue of his position
as Health Minister beyond the scope of his salary and emoluments.
This represents a clear conflict of interest and should be raised by the
PLP in the public interest.
We have a precedent within the PLP.
As Minister of Works with responsibility for BEC, Loftus Roker fired the
law firm of Christie, Ingraham and Co. as legal counsel for BEC on the
grounds that two of the principals of the law firm sat in the House of
Assembly and that presented a conflict of interest even though BEC is not
strictly speaking the government as the constitution outlines. The
argument was that these MPs should not be put in a position to debate and
decide on public policy regarding BEC if the policy would adversely affect
the relationship or interest they had with BEC.
Our hope is that this is an argument we won’t ever
have to make since the PLP will defeat Dr. Sands and send him packing back
to the hospital where he belongs.
Sands with FNM Chair Carl Bethel and campaigners - photo/bahamaspress
CHARGES
AND COUNTER CHARGES ON THE REGISTER
Notwithstanding the charges and counter charges about the padding of the
register, the Parliamentary Commissioner on Friday 5th February certified
the register for the Elizabeth by-election. This bye-election is
not without its bizarre moments. Amongst the most odd was the press
conference called by the Minister responsible for National Security, the
man who is responsible for the Parliamentary Commissioner’s office.
Tommy Turnquest called a press conference on Wednesday 5th February to
say that the PLP had been padding the Register. Say what?!
This is the same party that said that the problems
of the last register were for the PLP’s account because the PLP was the
government. So what is the story now? The FNM of course change
their tune now, because the shoe is on the other foot. How
in God’s name could the PLP pad a register when they had no idea a bye-election
was coming? The whole thing, this bye-election, was plotted and concocted
by Hubert Ingraham. So they broke it, let Hubert fix it.
The press conference of the Minister was laughable.
He fixed on the notion that there were three Ricardo Smiths on the register.
There is a PLP named Ricardo Smith. He is campaigning actively in
Elizabeth, but unfortunately for the Minister that Ricardo Smith lives
in Englerston and still has an Englerston voter’s card. Bradley
Roberts, the PLP’s Chairman held a press conference to repudiate the Minister.
Tommy Turnquest now has egg all over his face.
There is a problem now in the FNM with his leadership
chances, given what happened in the past. Now in a desperate attempt
to get his cousin Duane Sands elected to office, he settles on the
strategy of seeking of absolve his party of the problem for the mess that
things are in. Sorry Bud! Not this time.
PLP Chair Bradley Roberts and Englerston voter Ricardo Smith address
the press - screen capture www.myplp.com
THE
DISGRACE OF ETIENNE BOWLEG
Quite simply Etienne Bowleg, the Anglican Archdeacon
should be thoroughly ashamed of himself. Here he is taking the Anglican
Church to court to stop them enforcing the code of the church, which says
that you must retire at age 72. The headlines in the press over the
past week reported the fact that he had obtained an injunction to stop
the church from retiring him. His argument is that the regulations
were not gazetted which say that he must retire at 72 and so he can stay
on perpetuity.
Before this latest tack, his first tack was to try
and say he was younger than he is. In doing so, he filed an affidavit
in which he sought to get the court to declare that his age was not what
it is but 7 years younger than he is. The hearing was ex parte on
that matter and it was sustained in that hearing but was later withdrawn
when the Attorney General’s office intervened. His own family does
not support his claim to be younger than he is. The whole thing comes
off as a tissue of lies and only this side of an outright fabrication.
Now Rev'd Fr. Bowleg is seeking to rely on a legal
technicality to get around what he must know is right: it is time to go.
What a thing? His case is utter rubbish. How does a man who
is supposed to be saved in the blood of Jesus Christ get himself in such
an unmitigated mess? The fact is it is time to go and the time is
up. He has had enough time to tidy up his affairs.
But the Reverend Father was able to get a judge
of the Supreme Court to restrain the church from removing him until it
could look at all the facts of the case. The church has agreed to
abide by the injunction. But court case or no court case, this is
thoroughly disgusting, and how at the end of your life as a heretofore
distinguished churchman you could fall into such a grave error is unbelievable.
This from a born again believer. He should be ashamed of himself.
The church is not going to suffer. The only one to suffer will be
this man and his reputation. We ask him to withdraw this matter,
give it a rest, and go quietly into that good night.
Rev'd. Fr. Etienne Bowleg, file photo; Bishop Laish Boyd and Archbishop
Drexel Gomex (ret.) outside the Supreme Court; Bahama Journal/Torrell Glinton
DISCLOSURE
SILLINESS
The law requires that when you nominate you must show
that you are not bankrupt which means essentially that the assets that
you have must outstrip your liabilities. The whole thing is so subject
to interpretation as to what your assets are that the entire exercise is
a cross between titillation and meaninglessness. So every time the
election comes up, the public is amused and entertained by who supposedly
has what and who is the richest and who is the poorest.
The poor man this time is Rodney Moncur, the head
of the Workers Party. One supposes that is what it should be for
the head of the Worker’s Party. He claims that he has an income of
$615 per year. What a load of codswallop. Who believes that?
His assets include $356 in fruit trees.
Then there’s the richest. Well that too you
would guess would be from the businessman’s party, the inheritors of the
United Bahamian Party, the FNM and Duane Sands. All that heart money
adds up, with $465,000 in annual income and a net worth of just over 3.6
million dollars. But you know there was once an MP whose net worth
was 23 million dollars but he could not write a cheque to get his car out
of Customs for $10,000.
So what does it all mean? In between are Ryan
Pinder (PLP) whose net worth is three quarters of a million on an income
of $220,000 and Dr. Andre Rollins, the dentist, at a net worth of $142,000
(obviously he’s not been pulling many teeth).
No net worth was listed for Godfrey ‘Pro’ Pinder,
who, although he says he is on the ballot, we are not sure. In any
event, since he wrote a cheque for the $400 for the election deposit, maybe
he has at least $400 in cash to pay the deposit. Writing a bad cheque
is an offence.
The big joke though is Cassius Stuart (he has a
lean and hungry look), leader of the BDM, who most people accuse of not
having a job, a pot to do you know what in. Well, Mr. Stuart claims
to be worth over a million. How he gets to that is that he claims
to have a life insurance at $500,000. We’re willing to bet that too
is codswallop. He has put down the face amount as the cash amount
and thus inflated his net worth. He says that he earned $140,000
in income. Not bad for a fellow who does not have a job.
But to us, all you need is to have one dollar more
than your liabilities and you fulfil the law. The rest is up to the
content of your character and the policies of you and your party.
All else is vanity.
From left are Ryan Pinder, PLP; Rodney Moncur, Workers Party; Andre
Rollins, NDP; Duane Sands, FNM; Cassius Stuart, BDM; and Godfrey 'Pro'
Pinder.
PROFESSOR
REX NETTLEFORD DIES
Ralston Nettleford aka Rex Nettleford was born in
the country town of Falmouth, Jamaica. He rose to become head of
the University of the West Indies and decorated with 32 honorary degrees,
earned a degree from Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and was at the
end of his great life known as the quintessential Caribbean man.
It is simply difficult to describe just what a valuable
man he was in the development of the ethos of the Caribbean region.
He coined the phrase for the region: “the rhythm of Africa with the melody
of Europe”. Professor Nettleford died on 2nd February, one day short
of his 77th birthday after suffering a heart attack in Washington DC.
The collapse came at a fundraiser for the University in Washington.
The report says that the ambulance took too long to come and he was probably
brain dead by the time help arrived. When it arrived, they did not
have the equipment to deal with the emergency.
His family decided to withdraw life support on the
evening of 2nd February and he died an hour later. Tributes came
from across the region including from the Progressive Liberal Party through
its spokesman on Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell. Click
here for the full statement. The funeral service will be held
in Jamaica on Tuesday 16th February.
Professor Rex Nettleford - file photo
TOMMY
THE HANGMAN
The Free National Movement wakes up every day to the dreadful headlines
that yet another Bahamian has been murdered. There are ten so far
this year. Two people were shot dead early Friday morning 5th February
in Bain Town. Two women are assisting the police in their investigations.
As
we go to upload, this story has to be updated to account for a body found
Saturday night burnt beyond recognition in a car, also burnt, in Step Street.
The police suspect homicide, which would bring the count of people murdered
to eleven for the five weeks of 2010.
Last year was a record-breaking year for murders,
the second record-breaking year on the FNM’s watch. So desperate
are the FNM for a solution that they are moving quickly to try and hang
someone. So with great fanfare but without revealing the name, they
leaked to the press that the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy which
Tommy Turnquest, the Minister of National Security heads was going to meet
to consider someone’s fate. That person had not yet appealed to the
Court of Appeal. So to spur him to get on with it, the Committee
decided that they would order his hanging.
In fact, even though it says it’s a committee, it
is the Minister in law who is responsible for making the decision and it
is his alone. Mr. Turnquest has declared himself to be a hanger and
a flogger. The writ is to be read to the poor wretch in the Fox Hill
prison and then hopefully his lawyers will get on with the appeal.
The idea is that Hubert Ingraham, Tommy Turnquest
and the rest of the guys will have their pound of flesh before the next
election, so they can boast: “see what we have done to fight crime, we
hanged a few people.”
THE
BURKE FUNERAL IN JAMAICA
Archbishop Patrick Pinder said that the motto of
his predecessor Archbishop of The Bahamas Lawrence Burke was ‘Jesus is
Lord’. He says that Archbishop Burke lived that creed and never complained.
The funeral was impressive in Jamaica on 4th February. Bahamians
flew there to participate in the event and to pay respects to the man who
helped to build the Roman Catholic church in The Bahamas. Below,
The Bahamians stand at the funeral service and are recognised by the the
Bishop of Kingston Donald Reece; Mr. and Mrs. John Issa hosted a lunch
for the Bahamian delegation to the funeral of Archbishop Lawrence Burke
at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica on Thursday 4 Feb. From left Deangelo
Ferguson, pre med student at University of the West Indies; Fr. Reginald
Forbes, Roman Catholic Church; Fred Mitchell MP, Mrs. Issa, John Issa,
Sen. Lynn Holowesko (FNM), President of the Senate; Alfred Sears MP PLP;
Joseph Whyms, contractor; Henry Wemyss, CEO Wemco Securities and Anthony
Gibson, owner of Apex Awards. Bottom, Knights of Columbus.
Photos/Peter Ramsay
IN PASSING
Air Jamaica Suspending The Route
We reported earlier on this site that the Jamaican national airline
Air Jamaica was in deep do do in its finances and was selling to the Trinidad
government’s Caribbean Airlines. We said that they planned to drop
the Nassau to Kingston route. They have now confirmed that they will
drop the route. One report says 9th March, another says 12th April.
Fred Mitchell MP, Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs told The Tribune
that this would be a disaster. He said that this means that those
who cannot get US visas will have no way of travelling on a commercial
aircraft to the Caribbean. He said that he hopes that a Bahamian
airline would seek to pick up the route.
Francita Neely Retires
The administrator in PLP MP Picewell Forbes’ area Francita Neely, who
is a home girl of South Andros, has officially retired from the public
service. On hand to say farewell was the Minister of State for Local
Government Byran Woodside and her representative Picewell Forbes MP.
The official handover took place on 10th January 2010.
Francita Neely with husband Lofton Neely and Picewell Forbes MP
at left and Minister of State Byran Woodside at right.
Mitchell Speaks On Haiti
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill and the Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign
Affairs and Foreign trade spoke to the Rotary Club of West Nassau on 28th
January. Mr. Mitchell spoke about the history of migration from Haiti to
The Bahamas and what the policies of the government ought to be in light
of the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Please click
here for the address.
Getting Rid Of Lion Fish
The environmentalists are saying that the lionfish, which is an alien
species to these waters, are so pervasive that it is unlikely that they
can be eliminated. The Minister of Marine Resources Larry Cartwright
was in the press last week announcing measures to study the fish that has
become prolific in the island’s waters in the absence of natural predators.
One way they have been seeking to eliminate it is by encouraging the fish
to be caught and eaten. Another, said the Minister, is to see if
predators can be introduced, which will kill it but he added that in the
long run they would be unable to eliminate the fish completely.
Malcolm Adderley Sued
Malcolm Adderley, the former PLP MP, who resigned in a huff from the
House of Assembly precipitating a bye-election in his former seat Elizabeth,
is now the object of a lawsuit filed by a former client who alleges professional
negligence. The newspapers were speculating that this might stop
his chances of becoming a judge of the Supreme Court. It is unlikely
that this alone would do so because anyone can file a suit and it does
not have to have merit, but it does not help his case for a judgeship,
which is already being heavily criticized by politicians as the inducement
offered by the government to leave the House of Assembly.
The School Saga In North Eleuthera
Parents have sent their children back to school in North Eleuthera.
The Minister refused to meet with them until the children were back in
school. It appears that the Ministry and the Minister have won the
round despite the protests. The teachers whose transfers sparked
the protests remain out of the school. The Minister did not apologize
for making a statement that gave the impression that the removed teachers
were involved in sexual misconduct. In a related action, another
faculty member asked to be transferred out of the island to another school
for fear of her life. The guidance counsellor reportedly informed
the ministry about the allegations of sexual impropriety at the school
and feared for her life as a result of it.
Miss Full Figure
Ms. Full Figure Bahamas recently held its annual Pageant at the Rain
Forest Theatre. Nine Beautiful, voluptuous women battled for the
crown, but Ms. Brittany Williams would win the hearts of the judges. She
is now preparing to compete in The International Ms. Bold and Beautiful
Pageant in Puerto Rico.
Jamaica On The Edge
The financial situation in our Caricom neighbour Jamaica is so precarious
that the government there has been living for the last months on advances
from the Bank of Jamaica, which means they are living off money without
any value, simply being printed to support the government. The country
is in the middle of negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
to get 1.8 billion dollars US of cash support. So cash strapped are
they that the government signalled to the Caricom partners that they were
unable to continue to keep their troop contingent in Haiti. The Caribbean
Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA) have given them a cash infusion for
the time being to keep the troops. Other governments have been asked
to contribute and The Bahamas is one of them considering doing so.
Utah Taylor To Marry
The star of stage and screen Utah Taylor- Rolle, one half of the Controversy
TV duo with Lincoln Bain, is to marry Valarina Ann Nottage on 13th February
at Mt. Nebo Union Baptist, the church of Mr. Taylor’s newly found father
Rev. Charles Rolle. Good luck to the couple.
Sonny Martin Out Of ICU
Grand Bahama businessman Elon 'Sonny' Martin has been released after
a week in the Intensive Care Unit of the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
Mr. Martin is convalescing at home. We wish him all the best in his
continuing battle with prostate cancer.
Chippy Released
Famous drummer John 'Chippy' Chipman was released by a magistrate last
week after appearing in court with relatives on a drug charge. A
son of Mr. Chipman pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing the drugs
in question, with the intent to sell. He was sentenced to two years
in prison. When asked, why, he said that it was the only way that
he could make money.
Chicken Pox Going Around
There is an expression that comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet:
“a pox on both your Houses”. They were probably talking about small
pox, but in this day it’s chicken pox that we have to worry about.
Most people get it as kids, but every winter and spring the season of chicken
pox begins with its bumps and itching. People run for the sage bush.
The season has started now and the most famous of those who has gotten
it as an adult is Paul Turnquest, the writer at The Tribune. His
Facebook page reports that he is almost better after bathing in plenty
of sage. Get well soon!
The Campaign Gets Personal
The also rans in the race for Elizabeth are the ones who are doing
the nasty dirty work in election campaign. Andre Rollins, the dentist
from the NDP, is saying that Ryan Pinder, the PLP candidate, is in a conflict
of interest because he works for a US firm and that he is being elected
to fight for that firm’s interests in The Bahamas. Hogwash!
Rodney Moncur from the perennially also ran Workers Party is on his soap
box about Ryan’s dual nationality, his US and Bahamian citizenship.
Mr. Moncur may be in for a surprise on that one. Mr. Moncur has also
been attacking the FNM’s Duane Sands saying that he has a contract with
the government and has not disclosed it and therefore is not qualified
to run. Mr. Sands answer is that his company has the contract with
government not him.
Lincoln Bain VTV
On Wednesday 3rd February Lincoln Bain, the other half of Utah Taylor
in Controversy TV, announced that URCA, the broadcast regulatory authority,
has given him a licence for the television station that he will call VTV.
He made the announcement at a reception at the British Colonial with the
press in tow. Mr. Bain said that he would provide an outlet for dramas
and comedies, written and produced by Bahamians. Good luck to him.
He expects to be on the air by March. Fred Mitchell, Opposition spokesman
on Foreign Affairs was present for the occasion and congratulated Mr. Taylor.
The photo shows Mr. Mitchell with Mr. Bain at centre and Charles Maynard,
the Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture.
Photo/Damarion Almanzar
Ingraham Campaigning
The results are going so badly for the FNM that they have now put their
heavyweight into the field. Hubert Ingraham was actually campaigning
door to door in Polling Division 6 of the Elizabeth constituency on Monday
8th February. Within the last week, he has also paved all the roads
that were unpaved. This is an old UBP tactic.
Godfrey ‘Pro’ Pinder Still In The Race He Says
He arrived two minutes before nominations were to close at 12 noon
on 29th January. He did not bring $400 in cash, nor did he bring
a certified cheque. Instead, he brought his personal cheque for $400.
This was disallowed by the presiding officer and so we were told that he
was not validly nominated. Mr. Pinder says that he has obtained a
court order that he can nominate and that he will be on the ballot.
We will see. Mr. Pinder says that the law does not stipulate how
it should be paid. We think he is right and there is no difference
between a certified cheque and a personal cheque. The fact is they
are both bills of exchange in law, which, until dishonoured, are as good
as money, provided they are cashable on the day presented and that they
match up with the date written on the bill of exchange.
PLP Rally
The next rally for the Elizabeth bye-election will be held on Wednesday
10th February at the headquarters of the PLP on Prince Charles Drive beginning
at 7:3 0 p.m. It will be heard on GEMS radio and Love 97 and also
streamed live on video through the PLP’s web site, www.myplp.com.
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COMMENT OF THE WEEK
MISSING IN ACTION
Okay, we are at the finish line now and it comes down to this.
The PLP must get the votes into the ballot box. The shouting match
is almost over. It is time to get people mobilized and into the polling
booth and have them mark their X for the PLP. It will of course be
a magnificent accomplishment for the PLP, its Leader, but mainly for Leo
Ryan Pinder, the PLP's candidate to pull this off. It will be nothing
short of a miracle to defeat the government’s juggernaut. We believe
it can be done.
There is no question that the case for reform looms large. The Parliamentary Commissioner cannot certify a good and proper election list. We are going into an election with a flawed election list. The Prime Minister is, as usual, blaming the PLP, although he is the one in charge of the list now.
The case for public financing of campaigns is also important. The PLP stands the most to gain in a system where the Free National Movement has engaged in outright attempted bribery of voters. Every rocky road in the Elizabeth constituency has been paved. Perry Christie, the PLP’s leader, reported on Tuesday night that one woman who had been trying to get street lights in her area for the 38 years she has been living at her present address was called by her neighbour one day last week at midnight to say that BEC, the power company, was busy installing street lights in the neighbourhood. The woman’s residence borders Elizabeth but is in another constituency. The installation of the lights ended right at the border of Elizabeth.
At his rally on 11th February in Elizabeth, the Prime Minister claimed that paving was being done in constituencies through the country and that the paving in Elizabeth has nothing to do with the bye-election. Why would someone tell such an outright lie from the public platform? But Mr. Ingraham’s administration persists in lying, one time after another. Their view of life is to simply say it and it is so, even if the evidence is incontrovertibly and visibly in the next direction.
Nothing demonstrated this more than Dr. Duane Sands’ assertion in the newspaper during the week that, contrary to what we all saw and heard, he supported National Health Insurance. Blow us down! When and where? Dr. Sands was the main opposition force at every turn against National Health Insurance. Now in his FNM guise, he says he is for National Health Insurance. Let us get this straight. Dr. Sands opposes National Health Insurance and no amount of FNM double speak can change that fact. For that fact alone, he should not be supported in Elizabeth.
If your read this piece contributed to Rotary Club of East Nassau on the 17th March 2006, you will see that Dr. Duane Sands in his own words opposes National Health Insurance.
It is a pity that journalists in this country either don't do their job, or are just not capable of being journalists, because this was found with much ease on Google. Here is the speech and the link to the website from which it was retrieved. http://www.nassauinstitute.org/articles/article590.php
But what is amazing however is that here you have a competent and singularly well-trained heart surgeon who is needed for heart surgery in The Bahamas and he wants to leave where he is needed to go where is he is not needed. Hubert Ingraham has one too many flunkies already. What we do not need is another highly trained, expensive flunky for the Prime Minister. This is surely below Dr. Sands' dignity and education.
So the people of Elizabeth will do him a favour on Tuesday. They will save him a lot of money and heartache and grief, and do the country a favour by sending him back to the hospital where he belongs.
This same Duane Sands who refused to come to the debate and answer the questions put to him by the public. Everyone else was there but he refused to come, yet he wants people to vote for him, while he was missing in action. That kind of ghost move did not go down well.
We support Ryan Pinder in Elizabeth and we want to encourage all who can to vote for him on Tuesday 16th February.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 13th February 2010 up to midnight: 168,792.
Number of hits for the month of February up to Saturday 13th February 2010 up to midnight: 316,283.
SCENES
FROM THE RALLY ON TUESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY
The Ryan Pinder Express just keeps on coming. Click
here for the photos from myplp.com courtesy of Joette Penn of the PLP’s
rally for Ryan Pinder as the candidate for Elizabeth. On Saturday
13th February, the party delivered yellow roses to each household in Elizabeth
to mark Valentine’s Day.
MITCHELL
SAYS FNM IS CONFUSED
Fred Mitchell, the MP for Fox Hill, spoke at the
PLP’s Block Party at Ryan Pinder’s Headquarters on Joe Farrington Road
on Thursday 11th February. He answered the Prime Minister's comment
about the PLP being confused. Mr. Mitchell said the PLP is not confused.
He said the only party in the race that is confused is the FNM. You
may click here for his full statement.
RYAN
RENOUNCES CITIZENSHIP
Bradley Roberts, Chairman of the Progressive Liberal
Party, confirmed to The Tribune on Friday 12th February that Ryan Pinder,
the PLP’s candidate for Elizabeth is not a dual national. Mr. Roberts
told The Tribune that Mr. Pinder had renounced his US citizenship prior
to his nominating for the Elizabeth seat. Mr. Pinder was born to
an American mother and so became a citizen of the US by birth. We
do not believe it was necessary to renounce his citizenship, but it does
remove an irritant from an good campaign.
FRED
MITCHELL’S APPEARANCE ON CITIZEN’S REVIEW
It was the inaugural
show of Erin Ferguson’s Citizen’s Review on JCN’s channel 14 on Thursday
11th February. The programme in its final segment had a faceoff
between Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill, the Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign
Affairs and Michael Turnquest, Vice Chairman of the Free National Movement.
Enjoy!
BETHEL
IS CONFUSED ON LOAN SCHOLARSHIPS
Can you figure where Carl Bethel, the Chairman of
the FNM, was coming from? He was angry because of a PLP ad that said
that the FNM cancelled the scholarship programme. He told the Nassau
Guardian on Friday 11th February that the claim of the PLP was unfounded.
In a PLP radio advertisement for the Elizabeth constituency,
the party criticized the Ingraham government for not doing enough for the
Bahamian people. During that ad, a woman can be heard saying: "My,
my Mr. [Hubert Ingraham] my lights [are] off. I can't find [a] job.
[There is] no food in my cupboard. I can't find money to pay the
children school fee. Fire, fire? You cut out the student loan
program and give them children cutlass to cut bush."
Here is what Mr. Bethel said in response: "The government
suspended new loans. But last year September, the government lent
the existing students in the loan program more than $7 million. Further,
in the second instalment in January of this year the government lent a
further $2 million for over $9 million in loans that have been guaranteed
by the government under the existing loan program - this year when the
PLP say we cancelled it."
Then Mr. Bethel told the Guardian that huge sums
of unpaid money (last count 50 million dollars) has forced the government
to suspend the program and more than 300 new applicants will have their
loan applications denied this year. Bottom line, the kids are being
denied the scholarships. So what is he making the fuss about?
Carl Bethel is confused.
INGRAHAM
ON EVERYTHING
If you take a drive through the Elizabeth constituency,
you would swear that Hubert Ingraham is the candidate. His picture
has equal billing or dwarfs the photos of his candidate Duane Sands.
This is what we have come to, a man so megalomaniacal that he cannot stop
for even a week without thinking that everything revolves around him.
He has now appended to himself the ridiculous appellation “Papa”.
It of course it reminds Bahamians of Papa Doc, the Haitian dictator and
some wonder if in order to win this election in Elizabeth, he is preparing
to work obeah.
Mr. Ingraham started the week by saying that the
PLP was responsible for the state of the voter’s register. He claimed
that when the next general election is held, he will have a clean register
and he will do so by hiring people who are neither PLP nor FNM. We
wonder, where is he going to find them? They don’t exist, particularly
since his purge of the civil service in which over the past two and half
years, he has tried to fire every civil servant who is PLP. The people
he hires will all be FNM. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
Then there is the vote buying that is going on this
bye-election. Every street that was unpaved is now paved. A
woman told the former Prime Minister Perry Christie that she had been trying
to get lights for 38 years and then one night she was awakened by a neighbour
who told her to look outside and low and behold BEC was installing lights.
What was most ridiculous however was Mr. Ingraham seeking to absolve himself
all week long of every ill that has befallen the country since he came
to office. It was the PLP’s fault. Not one thing would he take
responsibly for.
Bradley Roberts, the Chairman of the Party, fired
off a broadside showing the hypocrisy of the Ingraham diatribes.
You may click here for the full statement
of Mr. Roberts. As for Ryan Pinder, he continues to do
well. Steady as she goes. There is rally on Monday 15th
February to put a cap on a well run campaign. We wish him well.
INGRAHAM
FLIP FLOPS ON HAITIANS
No one, including his Ministers responsible for
immigration can quite figure out what Hubert Ingraham’s policy is on illegal
migrants from Haiti. The confusion started just after the earthquake
of 12th January in Haiti when the Prime Minister announced that he was
letting all the captured Haitian migrants out of the detention centre and
setting them free for six months. He also announced that repatriations
to Haiti would stop forthwith. This set off a firestorm in the country
and even his Minister of State for Immigration Branville McCartney could
only helplessly say to the press that the orders came from the top.
Then we all know about the time the Prime Minister, his Deputy Brent Symonette
and the Minister of State were caught tripping over one another in the
face of the intrepid Candia Dames who asked them just what the policy was
on repatriating the Haitians who have breached the country’s borders.
Mr. Ingraham is apparently the only one who is not confused on this and
took issue with a Tribune story on the point to set the record straight
(see below). Everyone is out of step except our Prime Minister.
At the end of the day, the country is still confused but maybe that is
the point.
EDITOR, The Tribune.
THIS letter is in response to the article by
your reporter Alison Lowe appearing in this morning's edition of The Tribune
(Tuesday, Feb. 9).
When the terrible earthquake struck Haiti's capital
city on January 12th, I announced on the following day that in light of
conditions in that country in the immediate aftermath of the quake, the
Bahamas Government would suspend its programme of apprehension of illegal
Haitian migrants living in the country. As reported in the press, I said:
"The Department of Immigration will release from
the Detention Centre those Haitians who are currently there and give them
some temporary status until such time as things have changed."
I went on to say "If new Haitians come and we
apprehend them before they arrive in The Bahamas or otherwise, we will
have a different position to take."
I also reported that all repatriation exercises
had been suspended.
As a result some 102 illegal Haitian immigrants
awaiting repatriation from the Carmichael Detention Centre were released
and given temporary status allowing them to remain in the country for up
to six months.
When I addressed a news conference on the January
17th, I reaffirmed my Government's decision to suspend apprehension, detention
and repatriation of Haitians found living illegally in The Bahamas. And,
I noted that other countries like the US had done the same and were granting
illegal Haitian nationals special temporary status. I also said the following:
"They (the US) have also, like us, (my emphasis)
made it clear that no new immigrants from Haiti will be allowed in. The
American and international media have already taken note of our decision."
Hence, when 49 new illegal immigrants landed
in the vicinity of Coral Harbour on January 26th, they were arrested, charged
before our courts and subsequently convicted and sentenced to six months
incarceration at Her Majesty's prison.
According to press reports, the men are confined
at the prison in Fox Hill; the women and three minor children are being
detained at the Carmichael Detention Centre. It can be expected that they
will all be repatriated to Haiti.
Most Bahamians will be aware of increased surveillance
by both Bahamian and US authorities aimed at detecting boats seeking to
depart Haiti since the earthquake with the intention of transporting illegal
migrants to foreign countries. These increased surveillance efforts are
meant to assist in containing the flow of undocumented migrants from taking
to the seas on unseaworthy vessels and exposing themselves to still more
danger.
When such boats are detected, they are escorted
back to their home ports without them ever reaching a foreign port.
That was the case with the 78 Haitians detected
by a RBDF patrol vessel while they were travelling on a Haitian sloop in
waters off the Exuma chain last Saturday. Because their vessel was unseaworthy,
the migrants were transferred to a RBDF vessel and they are being returned
safely to their Haitian port. The US Coast Guard is assisting in this matter.
Nothing in the handling of this latest group
of illegal immigrants is in any way contradictory to announced Government
policy on the treatment of Haitians found in The Bahamas following the
events of January 12, 2010.
Clearly, as events evolve in Haiti the response
from The Bahamas will be adjusted to take changes into account.
I also attach a copy of the press release issued
by the Ministry of National Security yesterday.
PRIME MINISTER HUBERT A INGRAHAM
Nassau, February 9th, 2010.
Ministry of National Security release: Haitian Immigrants returned to Haiti
[Again, everyone is out of step except our Prime Minister.
At the end of the day, the country is still confused but maybe that is
the point. - Editor]
BRITISH
AMERICAN CELEBRATES
Exactly three years after the buyout agreement which made British American
100% Bahamian-owned, the company announced a re-brand to a new name, BAF
Financial & Insurance (Bahamas) Limited “BAF”. BAF is owned by BAB
Holdings a wholly owned subsidiary of BAF Global Group Ltd headquartered
in Nassau, Bahamas.
BAF is the acronym for Bahamas Assurance Financial,
however the company will simply be known as BAF.
“We are very excited about the new name and brand
because it allows us to continue to build our business in the Bahamas and
expand into new territories with a unique identity of our own that meets
and matches our mission, our core values and global standards,” said President
& CEO of BAF, I. Chester Cooper. “We are also very proud of our three
years as a wholly Bahamian-owned company. That of course was the first
step in our long-term expansion strategy. The unveiling of the BAF brand
is another exciting step in the unfolding.”
The name change will not impact the company’s staff
or clients. All rights and entitlements will continue. The company will
continue to offer its full range of insurance and investment services including
Life & health Insurance, Mortgages, Financial & Retirement Planning,
Annuities, Mutual Funds, Personal and & Corporate Pension Plans.
“Our business has grown tremendously over the past
three years and we are extremely grateful to our clients and the general
public for their overwhelming support” said Cooper.
To support the new name global direction, BAF will
also unveil its new website, www.mybafsolutions.com and its latest advertising
campaign celebrating its new name while expounding its virtues as the “same
great company since 1920.” As the oldest insurance company in the Bahamas,
BAF has served generations of Bahamians. “It is because of our rich heritage
that we have blended elements of the old name with the new look and feel.”
said Mr. Cooper. “We cherish our legacy as the oldest name in insurance
in the Bahamas and as we celebrate the company’s 90th anniversary later
this year, we will be sure to send the message that although we have made
many improvements, our core values remain the same.”
With the recent opening of an independent BAF office
in Cayman, the BAF brand has moved beyond the Bahamas and according to
Mr. Cooper, will continue to look at other territories for expansion as
we innovate and grow.
BAF Financial operates three offices in Nassau including
its head office at Independence Drive; full service branches in Freeport,
Exuma, Abaco with representative agents in all of the family Islands. We
provide Financial Solutions for Life!
INGRAHAM
ADMITS HE DID NOT DISCLOSE
“This morning The Nassau Guardian's editorial
called for me to apologize to the Bahamian people for my omission.
I do so now. I offer no excuse. I blame no one for my not having
done so. I'm sorry and I will correct this situation forthwith."
These were the words of Hubert Ingraham, the Prime
Minister seeking to make amends for not complying with the law on public
disclosure. They were reported by the Nassau Guardian on Friday 12th
February and were spoken at a public rally of the FNM in the Elizabeth
constituency the night before, a rally that was broadcast live on radio
in violation of the broadcast rules that the Prime Minister said his party
would follow.
The Attorney General must now do his duty and prosecute
the Prime Minister forthwith. He has a confession with which to go
to court. It is as simple as that: no more no less. The law
requires there to be public disclosure for Members of Parliament.
There is a two-year jail sentence with an alternative fine. Mr. Ingraham
admits he did not do it. He admits that he committed a crime.
Now we will see whether his Attorney General has the guts to do what he
ought to do.
BAHAMAS
MARATHON
The runners were off from their marks for the first
Bahamas Marathon at six this morning. The marathon is aiming to become
one of the signature sports events for the country, attracting runners
from around the world. This first year is important to its long-term
success. Several major hotels, including Atlantis, the Sheraton and
Breezes are on board as sponsors. The runners headed west along East
Bay Street, over the western bridge to Paradise Island and returning over
the eastern bridge to Shirley Street; west on Shirley Street, down Marlborough
Street to Bay Street, west on Bay through Cable Beach on to Old Fort Bay,
before looping back on the same road to end at Arawak Cay.
The Race committee provided bus transportation for
runners from the Cable Beach area and the Atlantis Resort to the start.
Buses took runners from the finish at Arawak Cay to Cable Beach and Atlantis
following the event. Chairman and founder of the event is Franklyn
Wilson who is also Chairman of Arawak Homes. Mr. Wilson is shown
at left during the expo and welcome ceremony. More photos from the
event itself next week.
Photo/Tim Aylen
TRIBUTE
TO REX NETTELFORD
Rex Nettleford, the Jamaican and Caribbean intellectual,
scholar, dancer, administrator, died on 2nd February 2010 after suffering
a heart attack in Washington DC. There has been an outpouring of
affection for the man who dominated the Caribbean’s cultural life for a
generation. He was born in the remote village of Falmouth, Jamaica
and rose to become Rhodes Scholar and the Vice Chancellor of the University
of the West Indies. His successor Nigel Harris accompanied his ashes
back to Jamaica and the funeral service will be held in the chapel of the
University on Tuesday 16th February. You may click
here for a tribute contributed to the press by Honor Ford-Smith of York
University. It sums up what most people experienced in their
interactions with the late professor.
FUN
IN THE CALIFORNIA SNOW!
Friends of Fred Mitchell, the Fox HIll MP sent this
photo of snow in California.
“Although we enjoyed a much welcomed 76 degrees
day here in Southern California today (with no clouds ), it does not mean
that we cannot empathize with the chilled weather on the right and south
coasts. This is of our west coast contingent on Thanksgiving weekend
2009, when we got caught in the snow in the mountains of greater Los Angeles
- Lake Arrowhead. This is how we looked in sub-freezing weather and
about 10" of snow.
The folks are: (left to right, back row, adults)
Nia Harris Bailey, Aziza Harris Johnson, Imani, me, Pamela, Brian Bailey,
Shani, and Troy Johnson. Front row kids: Maya Bailey, Noni Johnson,
Taj Bailey (back), Jai Bailey (front), Hasan Spencer, and Asha Bailey.
Mr. Mitchell attended the wedding of Aziza Harris
Johnson and Troy Johnson in Pasadena last year.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll... It's All Ingraham's Fault
It
is your fault, Hubert Ingraham; yes, it is your damn fault that the Bahamas’
economy is wrecked; that crime has spiralled out of control; that students
are stabbed in their school settings almost on a daily basis; that
children are being molested in school at an alarming rate; that 9000 Bahamian
households have been experiencing intermittent loss of utilities, due to
their inability to pay; yes you are to be blamed for the high unemployment
rate in the country; for the massive loss of assets Bahamians have been
and are suffering during these past three years now under your lousy leadership;
for the $1.09 billion worth of mortgage defaults; for the 14%($139 million)current
fiscal deficit; for the screw-up with the Bah mar, cable beach strip, project;
for the high murder rate; for taking away customs and Immigration officers
overtime and leaving most of them in danger of losing all their assets
to the mortgage man; for the cancellation of the student loan program;
for the massive increase in Customs Duty rates on imported goods; for the
hundreds of civil servants sent home, in early retirement, and not paid
a dime of their benefit packages as yet; for the almost $4 billion national
debt; yes, you are to be blamed for all the economic and other hardships
which we Bahamians have been enduring these past months. You came to office
in 2007 and proceeded, like a bull in a china shop, to wreck our economy
with your "stop; review and cancel policy." Yes, Ingraham; yes Hubert,
we blame you and you alone for the damn mess we are in, no question about
that.
In canvassing the Elizabeth constituency, I met a fairly young couple who told me a very sad story. They mortgaged the construction of a two-storey apartment complex adjacent to their dwelling home, which was mortgaged, as well. Both she and her husband fell on hard times within the last 12 months and have lost the apartment complex to the mortgage company. They are now in the process of being evicted, as well, from their dwelling home for defaulting on their mortgage payments. Their power bill to BEC, needless to say, is sky high (more than $4000) and their other bills are too numerous to list here. Her husband is a mason by trade but simply cannot find enough work. She told us that they couldn’t even find the means to purchase a little gas sometimes to put in the truck to facilitate them in getting around to look for work. These stories are multiplied, hundreds of times over, in "Lizzy" and I am quite sure all New Providence and Grand Bahama, especially. Yes, Hubert Ingraham, you are to be blamed for this mess we are in and there is no question about that. I gathered that the majority of the dozens of Customs and Immigration Officers, who have now been deprived of the means of earning that extra $1500-$2000 per month in overtime, are in danger of losing their homes, apartments and cars etc. They, anticipate having problems paying their normal household expenses, simply because they have overextended themselves and their salaries, alone, cannot now sustain their lifestyle. When one is accustomed to earning an extra income of $1500-$2000 per month, consistently, for years, it is difficult not to claim that income as an extra salary and therefore use it to secure loans, mortgages etc. I know there are those who would disagree with me on that score, but they would disagree only because it is not them in the predicament.
I am told of an immigration officer whose monthly expenses for mortgage and child support payments exceed his salary by $700; he pays out $2700.00 monthly but earns only $2000.00 per month. He depended heavily on his $1500-$2000, per month overtime earnings. A customs officer, as well, who is affected adversely by Hubert and Laing’s decision to introduce a shift system and thus removing the means of them being able to earn the extra money in overtime, reminded me about the reason Ingraham and Laing said they were changing to a shift system. He reminded me about the time when Ingraham told the nation that air and sea carriers into the country were complaining about the high cost of charges they are required to pay when servicing our ports. The officer said that Ingraham’s and Laing’s decision to put them on shifts, effectively eliminating the overtime charges, was to reduce the cost, they said, to the carriers servicing the country. The customs officer told me that Ingraham and Laing lied, because what is now happening in practice is that the carriers are still being charged a fee, which they are now calling a user fee, but it amounts to almost four times as much as the carriers would have paid under the overtime system. The officer told me that where they would have given a carrier a bill for $8000 prior to the shift system going into effect, the amount of that same bill is now $27,000. The user fee, said the very angry customs officer, is now $50 per hour and for as long as a ship is in port. What Ingraham and Laing introduced he said was, in fact, a revenue enhancing measure; not a measure to reduce the cost to carriers into our ports. They lied, said the officer, and "we (customs and immigration officers) have been made the FNM’s scapegoats;" unquote.
A 26-year veteran police reservist was complaining about a story from the Caribbean News section, appearing in the "Punch," where he read that Ingraham had agreed that the Bahamas would pay the cost to maintain Jamaica’s contingent of Defence force officers and nurses in Haiti through March 5th. He said that Jamaica’s prime minister had announced that Jamaica could no longer pay the $100,000 per day cost and that the Bahamas government had agreed to pick up the tab until the stated date above. The police officer was wondering how it was that Ingraham could find money to pay for the Jamaicans to remain in Haiti through March 5th when, in fact, he had not been paid his salary for December and January and this month (February) is all but finished. "Three months they owe me and can’t pay, but they can find money to pay for that nonsense? He questioned." We are certainly in a mess and you are to be blamed for all of it, Ingraham.
I read the most recent Central Bank’s report and it is astonishingly
grim. The deficit for the first five months of the current fiscal period,
2009-2010, Budget year has expanded by 14%, increasing the amount to $139
million. One out of every six loans, of the total loan portfolio in the
country, is in default, while non-performing loans grew, in 2009, by 57%
or some $209 million, bringing the total to some $576 million. The system
cannot, in my view, sustain itself under these adverse conditions and survive
much longer. Ingraham with his FNM band of misfits have wrecked our economy;
wrecked the lives of Bahamians; wrecked our children’s chances of ever
settling our national debt, which is approaching the $3.8 billion mark
and climbing. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how
loudly Ingraham howls and we all know well he howls.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
14th February 2010
On First Caribbean Bank
In recent days, a particular commercial bank
has been advertising for the post of management director. From all
indications, this is a big joke. Insiders know that the retired managing
director has fully exploited her close ties to the FNM government to ensure
that the work permit needed to bring in the great white hope from Canada
is already in the bag. Sadly, once again the FNM has demonstrated
that it is good at lip service, but they are not really into us when it
comes to promoting Bahamians. So the advertisement is nothing more
than a farce.
This particular bank happens to be one of the
worst commercial banks in the country and may be even in the region.
Sadly, the smoke and mirrors exercise is very typical of Canadian banks.
The presence of a Canadian leader for every Bahamian manager is not unique.
While the occurrence is not as bountiful as snow in Nova Scotia, observers
of the Royal family know it is happening in other places as well.
In the case of this First Caribbean Bank, it
has demonstrated the uncanny ability to fool the public, whether they are
fooling government or whether government is complicit is another matter.
Anyway. Firstly, it denies downsizing and then systematically sets
out to quiet all the rebellious Bahamians with respects for advancement
or who speak out about the dysfunction. Now that the rebellion has
been quelled, the bleaching efforts are underway. The word is that
the Bahamian management team no longer bothers to raise questions and objections.
It is sad that this is what life has come to in The Bahamas.
Those of us on the front line who serve customers
everyday fully appreciate the embarrassment of working here but what do
we do? We need to feed our families. The abuse about how bad
we are never seems to end. We get shafted from both ends. Perhaps
the great white hope will be our best chance for turnaround. The
retiring boss certainly did little for us. Maybe she will make a
difference in the Ministry of Finance.
Front line witness to injustice
28th January 2010
--------------------
Young Liberal Comment
Elizabeth, you know, they hoped and prayed this
day would never come. They hoped that our party was too divided;
too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.
On this February night – at this defining moment in history – you have
done what the FNM & their rag sheet The Tribune said we couldn’t do.
Elizabeth, in 5 days you have the opportunity to truly prove to them that
in this decade in this century change does not come from Parliament, change
is coming TO Parliament. In yellow shirts & jackets that stretched
as far as the eye can see in our motorcades and rallies; you came together
as free independent people to stand up and say that we the PLP are back!!!!
Last night and tonight, with your mere presence
Elizabeth, you sent a clear message to Papa & Duane Sands that the
time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and victimization
that’s consumed this country; to end the political strategy that’s been
all about division and instead make it about addition – to build a new
government that has a strategy not only to win but also to govern.
Because that’s how we’ll win in 2012 and that’s how we’ll finally meet
the challenges of this 21st century.
Elizabeth it’s time we begin choosing hope over
fear. It’s time we begin choosing unity over division, and the time has
come for us to tell not only the FNM but the world that real meaningful
change is coming to The Bahamas. Elizabeth your united voices have
spoken and have shown the Bay Street Merchants who think their money and
their influence speak louder than our voices that they don’t own this government,
we do; and we are here to take it back.
The time has come for a Prime Minster and a government
who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will
listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won’t just
tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know.
Elizabeth, if you give our young Ryan Pinder and the PLP the same chance
that you gave Malcolm nearly 3 years ago; we will be that Government for
you.
Watching this campaign, we’ve all had the privilege
to witness what is best in Elizabeth. We’ve seen it in the lines
of voters that stretch around Thelma Gibson school at nomination day and
the huge chorus of young people who are prepared to cast their ballot for
the very first time; and the not so young, who are getting involved again
after a very long time. We continue to see it in the faces of men and women
in all the rallies and town halls across the country that we’ve had.
Men and women who speak of their struggles but also their hopes and their
dreams.
It’s what led so many of you who have lost so
much to march and organize and stand for your freedoms, and cry out, that
although it may look dark tonight, if I hold onto hope, tomorrow will be
brighter. That’s what this election is about!!!!! That’s the
choice we face right now!!!!!
To our youth who are attending the rallies, we’ve
got to have every single one of you voting, and you’ve got to grab five
more. All of you have got to vote. All of you have to dig down
deep. All of you have to help us make history. This is our
country, this is our home, this is our moment this is our time; to unite
in common purpose, to make this century, the next Bahamian Century!!!
So once again Elizabeth like I always say, if
you’ll knock on some doors for us, if you’ll make some calls for us, if
you’ll talk to your neighbors and convince your friends, if you will stand
with us and fight with us and give us your vote. We promise you,
we will win this bye-election, we will win the general election and, forward,
upward, onward, together, we will change this country and make it the best
in the world.
Let’s Go to work!!!!!
K. Renaldo Collie
--------------------
Oswald Brown Cries Foul (From Bahamas Press)
It is widely known in this country that I introduced
the National Spelling Bee to the school system of The Bahamas to select
a student to participate in the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee
held annually at the end of May in Washington D.C.
The Washington Informer, the paper that I worked
with in Washington, D.C., as news editor for twelve years, is the sponsor
of the District of Columbia Spelling Bee. After attending my first Scripps
Bee in 1982, I promised myself that whenever I returned to The Bahamas
I would do whatever I could to get The Bahamas involved in this competition.
I returned to The Bahamas permanently in 1996, and when I became editor
of The Nassau Guardian in 1997, I discussed my plans with the then Minister
of State for Education Dion Foulkes, who wholeheartedly embraced the idea
and an application was sent to Scripps National Spelling Bee for The Bahamas
to be accepted as a participant, with The Guardian as the principal sponsor,
given the fact that Scripps’ policy at the time was that contestants had
to be sponsored by a newspaper.
The winner of the first Bahamas National Spelling
Bee held in 1998 was Dominique Higgins of Jordan Prince William High School,
and he performed very well competing against more than 250 spelling champions
from across the United States, Europe, Canada and as far away as American
Samoa. Young Higgins made it to the fourth round before being eliminated.
Undoubtedly, the study habits he developed while preparing for the Bee
in some respect accounted for the fact that he graduated from Jordan Prince
William with an “A” in ten BGCSEs, and went on to graduate from Stanford
University in California with a degree in neurobiology and is currently
studying to become a neurosurgeon.
There is no question that the National Spelling
Bee has had a tremendous positive impact on the educational system of The
Bahamas. Like Higgins, all of the winners over the years have excelled
in their educational pursuits as a result of the study habits they developed
while preparing for the Bee. Indeed, Minister Foulkes once described it
as the most important educational initiative to be introduced in the school
system in many years. It is one of the accomplishments in my life that
I am extremely proud of.
I have provided this background information to
underscore my disappointment over the fact that the organizers of the Grand
Bahama District Spelling Bee, which was held last week, for whatever reason
decided not to invite me to participate in the opening ceremony, considering
the fact that every year since I moved to Grand Bahama in 2002, I have
participated in this ceremony, bringing brief remarks or presenting some
of the trophies. The only reason for this disgraceful decision that that
I can think of is that some educational official in Grand Bahama, quite
possibly out of fear, decided that I should not be invited because
of my open criticism of the direction in which Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham
is taking this country. If this is the case, this is the kind of “fear”
that Hitler used as a potent weapon to become a tyrant in Germany and,
closer to home, Papa Doc Duvalier used to establish himself as a dictator
in Haiti.
I know Hilliard Clarke’s grandson, Desmond Bannister,
the Minister of Education, very well. We both come from Stanyard Creek,
Andros, and his parents, Horatio and Joyce Bannister, both at some point
in time taught me as monitors at Stanyard Creek All-Age School. Therefore,
I am certain that he would not have sanctioned such political mischief,
if this is indeed the reason why I was not invited to participate in the
Grand Bahama District Spelling Bee opening ceremonies. But time will tell.
The National Spelling Bee is due to be held in March, and with the exception
of two years after I left The Guardian in 2001 when the then management
of
the paper chose not to invite me to the nationals, I have brought remarks
and served as commentator for the live national broadcast. I would expect
an invitation to continue in this capacity to be forthcoming from the Ministry
of Education; otherwise, my suspicion that the Bee has been politicized
would have been confirmed.
Oswald T. Brown
Freeport, Grand Bahama
February 8, 2010
--------------------
IN PASSING
Utah Taylor Rolle Marries
Utah Taylor-Rolle, one half of the ‘Controversy TV’ team, married his
long time friend Valarina Ann Nottage on Saturday 13th February at Mt.
Nebo Union Baptist, the church of Mr. Taylor’s newly found father Rev.
Charles Rolle. The reception followed at Breezes. Fred Mitchell
MP Fox Hill PLP, Charles Maynard, Minister of Culture (FNM), Desmond Bannister,
Minister of Education (FNM) and Senator Anthony Musgrove (FNM) attended
the double ring ceremony.
Bitter And Old
Eileen Carron, the decaying publisher of The Tribune, gives old age
a bad name. She sits at her computer every day spewing out bile at
the PLP in her post 70 years, instead of thanking God for each day of life.
She is still nursing old grudges. Pindling beat her and her father
in both their lifetimes. Get over it. You can’t change that
fact. The racism is so ingrained her that she can hardly think straight.
Her main focus in life now that she has no husband to take care of is to
make up stories about the PLP. The latest edition is that the PLP
held a secret meeting with the Haitian community in Elizabeth and promised
to change the citizenship laws to benefit them. “Hogwash”, said PLP
spokesman Fred Mitchell to The Tribune on Friday 12th February.
Francis Still Fighting To Be Pastor Of First Baptist
The Tribune reports that an appeal has been filed against a court ruling
that overturned the appointment of Rev. Diana Francis as pastor-elect of
First Baptist Church. The ruling was handed down by now retired Justice
Cheryl Albury last December. First Baptist Church Incorporated, Rev.
Earle Francis and his daughter Rev. Diana Francis are listed as the appellants
in the appeal. Rev. Harold Bodie - one of the founding members of
First Baptist Church on Market Street South - is listed as the respondent.
Rev. Diana Francis, host of the show ‘U Gat Issues’, was installed in the
position of pastor-elect in December 2007 by her father, the Rev. Earle
Francis, head pastor of First Baptist Church. Rev. Earle Francis
is the father of Junkanoo king Percy ‘Vola’ Francis.
Cheryl Albury Retires
Justice Cheryl Albury retired from the Bench on Friday 29th January.
She was 65 and Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham refused to extend her time
because he believes that she is a PLP. At the time of her retirement,
she was the Justice overseeing the liquidation of CLICO Insurance Company.
Kenyatta Gibson Marries
FNM Member of Parliament Kenyatta Gibson married Tina Maude Goodman
at Believer’s Chapel on Prince Charles Drive on Friday 12th February.
The bride is a resident of the Fox Hill constituency and is the niece of
former PLP MP Philip Bethel of Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.
New Show For Erin Ferguson
Erin Ferguson has a new show called Citizen’s Review, structured like
THIS WEEK on the American Channel ABC on Sunday mornings. The Bahamian
show airs on Thursday evenings at 9 p.m. on JCN Channel 14. Mr. Ferguson
is the son of the late Eldin Ferguson Jr., the founder and owner of the
former Coconuts Restaurant who died suddenly last year. He has been an
occasional commentator on various news programmes on radio and TV.
Betty Kelly Kenning Dies
Betty Kelly Kenning, the only daughter of one of the leaders of the
United Bahamian Party, and a major contributor to the sport of swimming
and the Bahamas Humane Society died on Saturday 6th February at the age
of 85. Mrs. Kenning inherited great wealth from her father Trevor
Kelly who was the UBP’s Maritime Affairs Minister. The island now
called Arawak Cay was named after him as Kelly Island but was renamed after
the PLP came to power in 1967. Mrs. Kenning was not involved in politics
herself on the front line but actively supported FNM causes. The
FNM named the country’s Olympic Swimming Complex after her. She was
a champion swimmer herself in her youth and gave the major contribution
for the construction of the facility. Mrs. Kenning was married to
the former Barclay’s Bank Manager in The Bahamas John Kenning. She
is survived by Mr. Kenning. Her father owned Kelly Lumber Yard, was
a big importer, shipper and lender of monies for housing construction.
He left his immense wealth to her. He was affectionately called “Uncle
Trevor” by his nephews David (owner of Kelly’s Hardware); Godfrey, former
Minister of Education in the UBP and an attorney and Basil Kelly, a former
UBP MP for Crooked Island and a businessman. Mrs. Kenning’s funeral
will take place on Wednesday 17th February at the Presbyterian Kirk on
Princes Street in Nassau.
David Thompson Defends Not Extending The Barbadian Chief Justice
The Bahamas is not the only country where a Chief Justice appointed
straight from the cabinet by a friendly Prime Minister is a problem.
In Barbados, Sir David Simmons was made Chief Justice after he served in
the cabinet of Prime Minister Owen Arthur as Attorney General. The
Opposition then in Barbados did not agree. Sir David’s time ran out
and the then Opposition leader is now Prime Minister David Thompson and
it was his decision as to whether or not Sir David’s tenure would be extended
beyond the normal retirement age. He told Sir David he had to go.
Mr. Thompson told the Barbados Nation that he still held the firm belief
that Sir David's original appointment in January 2002 was wrong since it
had been made after he was part of the executive or a former Government.
“The circumstances of his appointment were wrong, and I don't think you
can cure it because you are a good Chief Justice”, Thompson added.
“The same people who are telling me I should follow the current procedure,
were telling the previous Prime Minister he should follow the current procedure
too, which by their estimation, would have disqualified Sir David,” the
Prime Minister said.
Jet On Which PM Travelled Searched For Drugs
The jet owned by the hotel chain ‘Sandals’ that took Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham to the funeral of Archbishop Lawrence Burke of the Roman
Catholic Church in Jamaica and flew him back to Nassau on 4th February
was searched by Bahamian customs officials in Exuma after it dropped off
the Prime Minister in Nassau and stopped in Exuma to pick up passengers
to take them to Puerto Rico. The Jamaica Observer reports that a
tip was received from Jamaican officials after the takeoff of the airplane
from Jamaica saying that drugs might be on the plane.
Godfrey Sawyer To Be Hanged
The hanging party is gathering. Tommy Turnquest, the Minister
of National Security, that well-known hanger and flogger, has announced
that the death warrant is to be read to Godfrey Sawyer who was convicted
of killing someone last June. He has not appealed to the Court of
Appeal so this reading of the warrant is to get him to move on with it,
so they can find him guilty and then hang him.
The Duane Sands Picture
What is wrong with a picture where a man wants to give up a $465,000
per year job, a job that repairs wounded hearts and gives the satisfaction
of saving lives for one that pays $28,000 per year and will give the heart
surgeon only heartaches? Something is wrong with that picture.
Elma Campbell Chase
Reports are circulating that the Ambassador to China for The Bahamas
and the FNM’s candidate in the last general election for Elizabeth was
flown in at government expense to speak at the FNM’s rally in Elizabeth
on Thursday 11th February. No comment from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to deny or confirm.
Duane Sand’s Green Card
The FNM has been jumping up and down about the fact that Ryan Pinder
is a dual national, which is now longer the case (see
story above). But reports are circulating that Duane Sands, their
candidate for Elizabeth, may be a green card holder; that is he has the
right to reside permanently in the United States. No comment from
him. Sitting in Parliament of The Bahamas would disqualify him from
holding the permit and also would confirm that he is not a resident of
The Bahamas and so is not qualified to sit in Parliament here.
Ingraham Calls For Mortgages
Reports are circulating that in a desperate attempt to intimidate the
voters in the Elizabeth constituency, the Prime Minister has called the
Bahamas Mortgage Corporation for the files of all people who are mortgagers
in Elizabeth. He wants to find out who is behind in their mortgages
and remind them of their obligations or perhaps promise them relief, in
exchange for what do you think? No comment from the Prime Minister
who spent his last rally on Thursday 11th February shilly shallying about
the place, saying that he had no responsibility for what is going on in
the country.
Tommy Using Insider Information
He is the Minister for Broadcasting and he was up on the platform in
Elizabeth on Thursday 11th February shouting from the rooftops about the
fact that the PLP should pay its bills at ZNS. He claims the debt
is $236,000. This is the only country in the world or certainly one
of the few where a public facility is paid by the major political parties
to broadcast its conventions. If this debt is such an issue, why
not sue the PLP for it? Party Chairman Bradley Roberts has said that
legitimate debts will be paid. The emphasis is on legitimate.
The point here is that the FNM will stoop to any depth in order to get
a political advantage. What has debt to ZNS got to do with Elizabeth?
Texaco Station At The Harbour Closed
Doyle Fox, the formerly hugely successful Texaco dealer, who was hated
by Texaco simply because he was outspoken, must be laughing in his heart
of hearts. Simply because Texaco did not like him, they ran him out
of the station. He was head of the Bahamas Petroleum Dealer’s Association,
the body of all dealers that fought for the rights of dealers. The
Texaco station, which was reportedly given to a company owned by former
Finance Minister William Allen, is now closed. Before it closed,
it was constantly running out stock and out of gas. Now it is empty
all together.
The Press And Politicians
The bahamaspress website printed this photo of Minister Branville McCartney
and Jerome Sawyer the ZNS news anchor at the FNM rally on Thursday 11th
February. There has been criticism of the approach that ZNS takes
to balance in the news.
Winners And Losers
The great debate with the candidates for Elizabeth had the public fascinated
with them on the night of 9th February. Many people thought the clear
winner was Andre Rollins, who seemed comfortable and fluent and attractive.
Ryan Pinder of the PLP held his own. Rodney Moncur entertained the
crowd. The big loser was Cassius Stuart who showed up at a power
forum in a light coloured suit with a pink tie. Who was his dresser?
The other big loser was the ghost candidate Duane Sands of the FNM who
did not show up to the forum at all and is now known as Duckin Duane.
St. Agnes Patronal Festival
Sunday 31st January was the patronal festival day of St. Agnes Church,
the Anglican Chapel that has been serving the people of Grants Town since
the mid nineteenth century. Under its dynamic rector Archdeacon Ranfurly
Brown, the parishioners paraded through the streets as they have done forever
hundred years bearing witness other faith.
Peter Ramsay photos
Calvin Lockhart Dies
He always took a bit of teasing because he carried the same name as
that of a well-known actor who was also a Bahamian. That actor predeceased
him so he got his name back in one sense. Now the widower of the
late Gloria Lockhart has died. Mr. Lockhart died on Thursday 11th
February. He is survived by two children, including Gail Lockhart
Charles and a stepson Greg Barrett. Mr. Lockhart was a Stalwart Councillor
of the PLP and went to his grave believing and fighting for a PLP to win
the Montagu seat, which has been since its existence a safe FNM seat.
No funeral service has yet been announced. His wife was the daughter
of Meta Davis Cumberbatch, a cultural icon in The Bahamas. Mrs. Cumberbatch’s
other daughter is Lady Zoe Maynard, wife of the late Sir Clement Maynard,
the former Deputy Prime Minister.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
RYAN PINDER’S CITIZENSHIP
RED HERRING
The Free National Movement having been fought to a standstill on
Election Day Tuesday 16th February is now contemplating seeking to disentitle
Ryan Pinder by bringing an action in the courts to say that he is not able
to sit as a Member of Parliament because he is a dual national. Hubert
Ingraham, the Prime Minister, made one of his veiled threats when he claimed
that Duane Sands was the winner and that he was qualified to sit but he
could not speak for the other man (Ryan Pinder). This was reported by his
Guardian mouthpiece Candia Dames as pointing toward a possible court challenge.
This citizenship matter is a red herring.
On the night before the election, Tommy Turnquest using information obtained as Minister of National Security announced that Ryan Pinder had never voted in The Bahamas before but that he had exercised the vote in the United States. This suddenly became an issue (see link in citizen’s review below). Again, this is a red herring. The PLP pointed out that Arthur Hanna, Lynden Pindling all voted in British elections before voting in Bahamian elections. The circumstances of life being what they are, Mr. Pinder was not able to exercise that franchise in The Bahamas. In any event, what turns on it? Absolutely nothing.
The FNM turned the US National Anthem into a protest song by singing it when Ryan Pinder arrived at the ballot recount on Wednesday 17th February. Their leaders told them that this was a stupid thing to do and they ultimately desisted, but on their web sites, this continues to be used as a protest tool. Tommy Turnquest said from the platform that he had nothing against Americans; he just did not want them running this country.
That must surely be a joke. This from the party that says that the United States can do no wrong. This from the party who opposed the independence of the country and now they seek to wrap themselves up in the Bahamian flag.
Ryan Pinder is a born Bahamian. He was raised in The Bahamas and went to school in The Bahamas. He became a United States citizen because his mother is American. That is an involuntary act, not something he chose.
What the FNM is relying on is a case in Jamaica where because the Minister of Information Douglas Vaz used an American passport when he turned 18, this meant that he swore allegiance to another state and so the court ruled that this was in violation of the constitution of Jamaica and ordered his seat in the House there vacated. The provision is similar in The Bahamas save that there is a specific provision allowing for where you do not acquire the citizenship voluntarily which in our view is different from the Jamaican situation and distinguishes the Jamaican case.
Suddenly this is an issue all over the Caribbean. The Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit, who is serving his third term, newly re-elected as Prime Minister is now going to be the subject of a court case because he acquired a French passport when he was a child by way of his parents who moved to Guadeloupe.
This is all silliness. The FNMs who advance it should have their heads examined.
If their argument holds water, it means that the thousands of Bahamians who have their children born in the United States for medical reason or by choice are not able to run for office in The Bahamas if they get a US passport and use it after they reach 18.
The policy of our constitution suggests otherwise. Commonsense certainly suggests otherwise, and The Bahamas does not want to go down that road.
Anyone who has read William Faulkner’s Emperor Jones would be wary of this in these small societies where some crackpot can become the Prime Minister and you have to run to live elsewhere. We have a situation almost like that in The Bahamas today. Just ask Oswald Brown who was recently fired by the Nassau Guardian because he dared to criticize the Prime Minister. Parents know the fate of these societies and their economies and make choices to help their children. Just go up to Marsh Harbour, Abaco or over to Bimini. In Abaco, many have second homes in Palm Beach and their children are born in Palm Beach. That does not mean that they should not be able to run for office in The Bahamas.
Anyway, the issue is to be joined by Mr. Ingraham and his people. Mr. Pinder announced that he had given up his citizenship of the US just before the bye-election. The Tribune says that there are no details about the renunciation but they suggest Mr. Pinder did all that was necessary to do to renounce citizenship but some argue that there may be some administrative acts that the US has to do in order to make it final.
In any case, we think that the Jamaican case is wrongly decided. When the constitution states that you owe allegiance to another state, it seems to us that it means in plain and simple words that you actually swear allegiance to that other state. It is a positive act, not something that operates as matter of law.
Mr. Ingraham is someone you can’t trust though. Although he said he won’t go to court, you can bet if he can stop the PLP, off to court he will go: the same court of which he is so contemptuous.
As for the Court where the ballots are now headed (see story below), we are concerned that the FNM having packed the court with former FNM politicians and FNM operatives, the PLP will have to walk a minefield to get judges that will be able to make a fair decision with the PLP on one side of the debate.
We await the effluxion of time.
HUBIGGITY’S
PRESS CONFERENCE
Instead of being gracious in defeat, Hubert Ingraham
has the most extraordinary press conference on Sunday 21st February.
You may click here for the full text.
It was the usual: blame the PLP syndrome.
The man who says that he will not go to court because they win elections
on the ground is intimating that he will in fact go to court. He
claims that Duane Sands won the votes on the ground but what does one say
to voters who showed up with their legitimate voter’s cards, having voted
in the 2007 election; who are still ordinarily resident in a constituency
and yet they were not allowed to vote on white ballots?
The law that Mr. Ingraham was busy quoting in his
press conference is clear on this point. They are allowed to vote
on a coloured ballot and when the result is so close that they together
with the white ballots outnumber the other side’s white ballots, then the
court can determine whether or not they should have been on the register.
So what then is his issue? That is the lawful right of those voters
and of the PLP’s candidate.
Then Mr. Ingraham turns to another red herring that
of court costs and whether the PLP will pay its court costs. First
of all, the PLP has no court costs. The PLP does not owe the FNM
one dime. Only the individuals involved on those cases owe money
if any. Mr. Ingraham knows that. And what does the ability
to pay have to do with justice? That is the problem which exists
in Hubert Ingraham’s Bahamas; money is everything. If Mr. Ingraham
believes that the PLP owes money and won’t pay, why won’t he try to enforce
it against the PLP. Good luck to him.
In short, we found the mantra of Hubert Ingraham
at his press conference to be tiresome. He did not deal with the
issues. The issue is the economy and the ability to create jobs for
the thousands of Bahamians who are out of work under his government.
All of this is coming from a man who broke the law by not adhering to the
public disclosure act for which he is liable to a fine of $10,000 on each
count in addition to years in jail.
INGRAHAM
ON VIOLENCE
Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister, reportedly
said at his press conference that he will be speaking to Perry Christie,
the Leader of the PLP about the level of violence emanating from the PLP’s
campaign. He claims that he will ask Mr. Christie to be careful about
the people he around him. This is absolute nonsense. Mr. Ingraham
should be ashamed of himself. This is again part of an FNM campaign
to make people who are PLP look uncivilized. This is pure propaganda
and should be condemned.
THE
ELECTION RESULTS
As of this upload, the Elizabeth bye-election results
have not been officially published. The final count when the recount
ended in the early hours of Thursday 18th February was 1501 for Duane Sands
of the FNM and 1499 for Ryan Pinder. Those were all the white ballots.
Jack Thompson, Retuning Officer for the count refused to accept the arguments
put by the PLP that two additional white ballots that had the name Ryan
Pinder written on it were also good ballots. This would have evened
the vote tally of regularly cast ballots. The case law is clear on
the point but he refused.
Then there is the question of the five coloured
ballots that are called in law protest votes. These are votes by
voters all cast for the PLP that were not counted because the names of
the voters were not on the register. They were not on the register
because of an administrative error. It appears that they registered
and are qualified as residents of the area but did not appear on the voter’s
list. The Election Court is the only body that can say whether they
are eligible to vote. If their votes are accepted then they will
put Ryan Pinder over the top.
The PLP followed Section 69 of the Parliamentary
Elections Act, which says that if the coloured or protest ballots and the
white ballots would outnumber the other side's white ballot count alone
then you can indicate in writing to the returning officer that you object
to his certifying the election result as final. You must object immediately
after the count is finished. This was done. The PLP then has
ten days to take the matter before an election court. At that point,
the court will then look at the eligibility of the five voters and if the
court finds that they are qualified and eligible to vote then the Court
will order the correction of the Register and the votes will be counted.
Let us hope that the FNM concedes this election but we doubt it.
CHRISTIE’S
STATEMENT
Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party Perry Christie
was on the scene of the Elizabeth bye-election recount for the full 41
hours of the recount starting on Wednesday 17th February. He sat
in his vehicle or was on the grounds of the Thelma Gibson Primary School
getting updates on what was happening and making decisions about what to
do next. Valentine Grimes, Randal Dorsett and Philip ‘Brave’ Davis
MP were the primary lawyers leading the fight for the ballots for Ryan
Pinder.
As the evening of Wednesday 17th February approached,
two new lawyers showed up: Damien Gomez and Wayne Munroe. With them
they had a Bahamian case which showed that when someone wrote the name
of the candidate on the ballot instead of marking an “x” that the ballot
was a good ballot for that candidate. The Retuning Officer Jack Thompson
refused to accept those ballots. If those ballots had been accepted
there would have been an equality of votes and the whole election would
have had to be held over again. The party ought to have gone to court
immediately to order him to accept the fact that the ballots were good.
Mr. Christie issued a statement in the early hours
of Thursday 18th February when the Returning Officer made his final count
in which he outlined what the party proposed to do. The PLP intend
to seek their rights under Section 69 of the Parliamentary Elections Act
to have the coloured ballots counted. There are five of them, so
called protest votes and all are for Ryan Pinder, the PLP’s candidate.
Please
click here for Mr. Christie’s statement.
Perry Christie - Nassau Guardian photo
CALL
FOR FNM TO CONCEDE
We join the call of Bradley Roberts, the Chairman
of the Progressive Liberal Party to the FNM to concede the Elizabeth by-election.
When all the protest votes are counted with the regular ballots, Ryan Pinder
will win by two votes over Dr. Duane Sands. The FNM is aware of the
facts in these matters and should now concede the election instead of drawing
this thing out unnecessarily into a court action. You may click
here for the full statement by the PLP Chairman.
FRED
MITCHELL ON CITIZENS REVIEW
On Thursday 18th February, PLP MP for Fox Hill Fred
Mitchell and FNM Senator Anthony Musgrove were guests on Erin Ferguson's
'Citizen's Review' aired at 9.00 p.m. on JCN14, as well as at www.citizensreviewtv.com.
In the FNM, fate is spelled “H-U-B-E-R-T”; so says
Mr. Mitchell who engaged with Mr. Musgrove in a debate regarding the election
results and the next step forward for their respective parties. "Both
men defended their parties admirably", said the site, "but ultimately
it was the Bahamian people who contributed most through their deafening
silence at the polls during Tuesday’s election."
Here is the
link to this week’s episode.
ASH WEDNESDAY
The Roman Catholic and Anglican Communities in The
Bahamas began to mark the season of Lent on Wednesday 17th February with
the ceremony of Ash Wednesday. The faithful gather at church and
the sign of the cross is placed on the head with the words issued by the
Priest: “Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.”
Peter Ramsay was there at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral for
the ceremony conducted by Archbishop Patrick Pinder.
TOMMY’S
ROLE AND THE CRITICISM
If the PLP had the resources, they ought to have
gone to court during the recount at the bye-election and get an order restraining
the Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest from sitting in the recount
room. Mr. Turnquest as a Minister of the government is in law the
Minister responsible for the Parliamentary Commissioner’s office, the ultimate
boss of the Returning Officer who was Jack Thompson, the Director of Immigration.
Outside the room was Brent Symonette, the Deputy Prime Minister marshalling
FNM forces. Jack Thompson, the director of Immigration reports to
him. The FNM saw nothing wrong with this. Tommy Turnquest saw
nothing wrong with it. It took a statement from the PLP demanding
that the Prime Minister order him out of the room to cause him to remove
himself out of the room and sit on the outside, but even sitting there
was wrong. In fact, the whole presence in this election of government
Ministers leaving their day jobs to intimidate the officers at the recount
is incredible. The Cabinet did not meet last week because all of
the ministers were busy counting votes in Elizabeth. They owe the
country an apology and compensation. Bradley Roberts, Chairman of
the PLP issued a statement demanding the withdrawal. Click
here for the full statement.
Bradley Roberts and Tommy Turnquest - BahamasPress photo
INGRAHAM
AND THE THUG CULTURE
On the morning after the FNM’s defeat in Elizabeth,
the Nassau Guardian carried a photo of a portly Prime Minister on stage
in his red FNM costume with his cap on backwards. While this may
seem to him to be a sign of his identity with the young, it is an example
of exactly what is wrong in this place. How can the country complain
about youngsters now turning their caps backward or wearing their pants
below their hips when the Prime Minister is there on the public stage dressed
like a thug? Part of Mr. Ingraham's success has in fact been identifying
himself as the ultimate thug and promoting the thug culture in the country.
So it is now there in living proof. Stan Burnside, the Guardian cartoonist,
seemed to take the point in his cartoon of Thursday 18th February (see
below).
Bahama Journal photo
 |
BETTY
KENNING’S FUNERAL
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was among those who
filled St Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk on Wednesday 17 February to attend
the funeral service for Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Kelly Kenning OBE.
Former Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont, Senator Lynn Holowesko, President
of the Senate; Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator Allyson
Maynard-Gibson and Max Gibson; Sir Geoffrey and Lady Johnstone were among
those who also attended the service. Please click
here for the statement by Mr. Ingraham on the passing of Mrs. Kenning.
BIS photo/Peter Ramsay
THE
MARATHON BAHAMAS
Franklyn Wilson, the Chairman of Arawak Homes and Sunshine Insurance,
who put together the team to organize and promote the Bahamas Marathon
last Sunday 14th February should be pleased. The event was a stellar
success. The date is set for the next one for 16th January 2011.
Some 500 people participated in the full marathon, the half marathon and
the relay race. The first three winners overall for the males were:
Delroy Boothe, Sidney Collie, and Keithlin Hanna. You may click
here for the full results on marathonbahamas.com. The photos
of the start last Sunday 14th February at 6 a.m. are by Craig Lenihan.
Amongst those spotted in the crowd were Senator Allyson Gibson and former
MP Leslie Miller.
CHEF
CHEA’S NEW BISTRO
It is located at the corner of Armstrong Street
and Dowdeswell Street. An e-mail from Bernadette Christie, the wife
of PLP Leader Perry Christie, was encouraging people to go eat there.
Chris Chea has been in the business for a generation and has worked for
others producing fine foods and great dishes. Now he is working for
himself. He is open for lunch and for dinner and he is there on the
scene himself, paying attention to every detail. A fine dining experience.
People rave that that he cooks the finest conch chowder in the country.
You can call for reservations (although none are needed) by dialing 323-3201.
Photos/Peter Ramsay
MINUTE
BY MINUTE WITH THE TRIBUNE
At last there seemed to be an understanding of the
power of the web and what it can deliver in terms of information.
The Tribune decided to have an update from hour to hour on the recount
in the Elizabeth bye-election. The reporters Paul Turnquest and Chester
Robarts were on the scene, calling in regular reports so that the public
was able to know exactly what was happening and when. Kudos to them.
See
the transcript.
Bradley Roberts - Tribune photo
CONGRATULATIONS
NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR
Patron Arthur Hanna, the Governor General and Fred
Mitchell MP Fox Hill were among the special guests at the opening event
to mark the 20th anniversary of The Bahamas National Youth Choir founded
by Cleophas Adderley in its second version in 1990. The first stab
at it came in 1983 to celebrate the tenth year of Bahamian Independence.
The choir has gone from strength to strength and Mr. Adderley its founding
conductor listed a host of people who have passed through the choir and
gone on to successful careers in the country at large.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Thoughts On Elizabeth
“The only thing necessary for the triumph
of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke – 18th Century Political Philosopher
Apart from the fact that the Elizabeth Bye-Election
will go down as one of the biggest heist since the days of Bonnie and Clyde
(Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow”, of which there is much to consider and
discourse upon, the other disquieting aspect of the election was the 1700
or so non-voters. This was nothing short of a disgrace, nationally
and internationally, and does not bode well for a young democracy.
Without appearing to be too critical of the political
and social culture of The Bahamas, the Elizabeth election has the definite
mark of a political culture in decline. It is baffling to think that
more persons chose not to exercise their franchise and sat out the election
than any one of the two top voters received in terms of total votes (1500
and 1502). The right to vote is one of those sacrosanct rights and
privileges, right up there with freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
For those too young to remember, the right to vote as a Bahamian was a
hard won right which our fathers and mothers, and those before them,
struggled to attain against an oligarchic system, now parading as the driving
force of a political party which is busily vindicating this disgraceful
epoch in our country’s history. Women were not allowed to vote until
1962. It was this same PLP that gave eighteen year old the
vote in 1972. All this is now taken for granted.
It is bewildering and shameful that 1700 registered
voters gave up this long fought for right as a citizen of The Bahamas.
People in many nations, some of them modern states, would die and in fact
are dying daily for this privilege, even in these present times.
Had 50% of the number of non-voters bothered to cast their votes the outcome
might have been different; at least it might have been a decisive election.
So, what’s wrong? Any number of reasons.
The first might be a general disgust over the political process.
Also, one would not rule out an element of fear and intimidation.
Another might be a sense of “conceit” and selfishness, that is, “none of
them have or will do anything for me, so why bother; what is in it for
me?” Aligned with this latter point is the “draw bridge mentality”,
which is, “I am in my comfort zone, have a secure and well paying job,
have a house and car and food and drink on the table” why involve myself.
As the Good Book says, “Thou Fool!”
This is serious business and the media, especially
the destructive kind, which in my view, has contributed to this malaise
and Talk Radio should realise that they have a moral responsibility to
change this negative direction and to build up and not to destroy.
Things might appear sunny and bright on the surface, but underneath, I
see lurking evil forces which if not crushed now can bring Burke’s aphorism
into reality. It will be a sad dawn for our beautiful Bahamas
Signed “XENOPHON”
---------------------------
Forrester Carroll... Ingraham's Confession
I
am told that for failing to disclose his assets/liabilities/income/expenditure-as
a member of parliament and cabinet minister no less-the penalty, as provided
for under the law, is a two-year stint, as guest of Her Majesty, at Fox
Hill prison or a fine or both. Well why in the hell hasn’t Hubert Ingraham
been taken into custody, questioned and charged (as yet) with that offence,
to which he has already publicly, confessed? He talks about "trusted leadership"
yet we can’t even trust him to discharge his legal obligations to the state,
under law, as a government minister? What double standards.
As prime minister, for 13 years so far, don’t
you think that Ingraham’s yearly disclosures should be a routine matter
at this stage? If he failed to disclose for one year, we can reasonably
be expected to overlook and forgive him, but not to disclose for four years
or more? Give me a break; this tardiness has obviously become a bad habit,
of his, and a bit much to ask the nation to forgive.
The Attorney General should, now, do his duty
and cause justice to be served by throwing the book at this law breaker,
who calls himself prime minister. What valid reason can Ingraham possibly
give, for neglecting such a vital obligation, as a public servant?
Justice is said to be blind and it requires penalties
to be imposed, on all law breakers, without exception. No excuse offered
(in the absence of judgment by a court), even if it were an apology from
a sitting prime minister, would ever suffice to exonerate a law breaker.
This is a very serious breach of the law, committed by Hubert Ingraham,
to which he has admitted his guilt and for which he should have been, already,
handcuffed, brought before a judge and made to pay the full consequences
provided by the law.
There is one reason, at least, that I wish to
advance which I am convinced-partially if not fully-accounts for Ingraham’s
failure (intentionally, in my view)) to submit his financials regularly,
in recent years. We all remember, very well, the big break down fight the
PLP government had with Ingraham, while he was in opposition, over his
receiving both his MP salary and his prime minister’s retirement pension
benefits simultaneously. He was accused-and rightfully so by the Hon Fred
Mitchell-of being a greedy double-dipper. He was, in my view,(and still
might be?) double-dipping, from the public treasury, when he claimed his
prime minister’s retirement benefits, when he was no longer prime minister
after the elections of 2002, but never really retired; and continued receiving
his salary as a sitting member of parliament, as well. Ingraham, in effect,
by accepting both salary and pension, at the same time each month, was
committing at the very least, a moral crime.
My questions to this "double-dipper" are; are
you still receiving both salary and pension each month? What really did
happen to all that pension money you were getting and which you said you
didn’t want? Mr. Pierre Dupuch, to his credit, challenged you on several
occasions, as I recall, to donate the money to a charity of your choosing
if, in fact, you claim you didn’t want it but, did you give the money to
charity, you damn double-dipper? Did you give it back to the public treasury,
you double-dipper?
I commend Juan McCartney, of the Nassau Guardian,
who I am told did the investigating and broke this story and while I commend
the Guardian for calling, in its Editorial, on Ingraham to apology, I don’t
believe the editorial writer went far enough. What the writer should have
called on Ingraham to do was to resign forthwith and he/she should have
insisted, as well, that the Attorney General do his duty and bring the
appropriate charge(s) against the country’s chief minister for this
offense, to which he has already admitted guilt. If it were any other citizen,
especially if he/she were a known PLP supporter, committing such an offense,
the book would have been thrown at them already. I call, now again, on
the country’s Attorney General to levy the appropriate charges against
the "double-dipper."
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
20th February 2010
IN PASSING
URCA’s Ruling On Political Broadcast
Talk about sophistry. The Utilities Regulatory and Competition
Authority (URCA) issued a ruling last week to the challenge by Dr.
Bernard Nottage over the refusal of ZNS to allow Perry Christie, the leader
of the Progressive Liberal Party to broadcast a reply to the Prime Minister’s
annual New Year’s broadcast which came in the middle of the Elizabeth bye-election
campaign and was clearly directed at influencing that result. Not
surprisingly, URCA ruled against the PLP, saying that the PM’s address
was not a political broadcast and that ZNS was right to refuse it.
The PLP should abolish URCA when it comes to office. Certainly any
rules about political broadcasts should be abolished and the market should
reign in connection with them. The URCA ruling was predictable but
what you love about it is all the verbiage they use to get to the simple
conclusion that they don’t agree with the PLP. Sophistry at its best.
But boy what beautiful words to write such utter foolishness and reach
such a perverse and politically tainted and suspect conclusion. Click
here to read the ruling.
Uncivilized People
The FNM was busy with their Tribune fellow travellers spinning the
yarn that the PLP is a wild bunch of ignorant people. The examples:
as the PLPs in their hundreds swept through the gates at nomination day
29th January, while the FNM supporters were restrained by the Police, one
FNM woman shouted: “These people, they are so uncivilized”. One step
further the press claimed that a PLP supporter slapped the Deputy Prime
Minister Brent Symonette on the day of the recount for the Elizabeth bye-election
on Wednesday 17th February. Not true. The facts: Brent Symonette
tried to put his hand on Laura Williams and she brushed it away.
Neither act was meant in a violent way. That was the end of the matter.
The Deputy Prime Minister did not complain but suddenly that act became
an act of violence by the PLP in FNM lore. Then on the night of the
recount Wednesday 17th February just about 10 p.m., PLP supporters noticed
that FNMs were streaming out of the school grounds. It later transpired
that the police informed the FNM leaders that they ought to remove the
women and children and most FNMs to their headquarters because if the result
did not come out in favour of the PLP, the police claimed that FNM supporters
would be attacked by PLPs. So the FNMs withdrew their supporters,
turned tail and ran back to the HQ. The press also said that the
police then increased the guard around the school and particularly around
cars with FNM material on it because they expected the PLP to attack the
cars if Ryan Pinder lost. Where do people get this nonsense?
Nothing said though about the fact that one policeman because he did not
like the way a PLP talked to him, refused to allow the PLP truck to come
in to deliver tables and chairs and refreshment. It took intervention
at the Superintendent level to correct the problem.
Rex Nettleford Funeral
It was a most moving service, a combination of music, good communal
singing, pageantry, drumming and oh yes the speeches. The Jamaican
government put on quite a show for the man variously described as the black
prince and a man of extraordinary talent. He was a Rhodes Scholar
and that was the only time that he lived outside of Jamaica in his 77 years
of life. His life was dedicated to this country and his region.
The Hon. Ralston Milton (Rex) Nettleford was buried in Jamaica on Wednesday
17th February in a private service with his mother’s ashes put nearby on
a spot on the University of the West Indies grounds. This interment
followed a public official funeral that attracted leaders from throughout
the region at the chapel of the University on Tuesday 16th February.
Attending the service from The Bahamas were the Deputy to the Governor
General Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes, from the Opposition Fred Mitchell
MP, Spokesman on Foreign Affairs; Lowell Mortimer, College of The Bahamas
Council; Dr. Keva Bethel, President Emerita of the College of The Bahamas,
Dr. Gail Saunders, Scholar In Residence, College of The Bahamas; Nello
Lambert and Claudette Allens.
Jamaica Gleaner photo/Ricardo Makyn
Sidney Poitier Film Festival
The College of The Bahamas will hold what it is billing as the Sidney
Poitier International Film Festival. College president Janyne Hodder
along with Associate Professor Ian Strachan announced the Festival which
will be held on 23rd and 27th February at the College. Over the two
days, the films of the Bahamian actor who is also a US citizen will be
shown and discussed by experts from at home and abroad. The
total cost is $250 for the two days. You can get a $100 day pass.
Students pay $100 for the total event. Sounds like it will
be fun.
Automatic Clearing Of Cheques
Well it has finally arrived. Banks will now stop fleecing
their customers of their money because they supposedly take 5 working days
to clear a cheque when you deposit B dollar funds. Now the clearing
will be on the second business day after the deposit. It should in
fact be instant if their system works properly. The banks have sent
out a notice saying that no longer will there will manual exchange
of cheques, It will all be electronic. No more enclosing cancelled
cheques in the statement, you will get imaged copies. They
warn that people should have money in their accounts because the clearing
will take place automatically and if the funds are not there, they
will be returned. They also say that employers will be able to deposit
money through the bank machines and employees will have their
money right away so no need for tellers. We will see how this works.
New legislation will probably have to be passed. The banks
who are part of the system: Bank of The Bahamas, Citibank, Commonwealth
Bank, Fidelity Bank First Caribbean Royal Bank and Scotiabank.
Enumerators Needed For Census
The Bahamas government is looking to recruit people to become enumerators
for the census that is due to be carried out this year. A census
of the entire population of The Bahamas is carried out every ten years
at the beginning of the decade. At the last census, the population
was just over 310,000 people.
Bruce Souder Dies
Bruce Souder was the General Manager of Bahamas Supermarkets Ltd. for
23 years. He was married to a Bahamian. He was an American.
He left the company in less than happy circumstances, but there is no doubt
that during the time he was there the company made money and paid dividends
on a regular basis. That cannot be said about it now with its brand
name City Markets suffering because of bad merchandizing and increase competition
from other stores and too much corporate debt. The company has not
been profitable for years and can’t seem to get on the path to profitability.
Mr. Souder died on 31st January. A memorial service was held in Nassau
at the New Providence Community Church on Friday 19th February.
Hilary Clinton On Iran
We share the concern of the US Secretary of State that Iran is becoming
a military dictatorship. The increasingly erratic and bellicose rhetoric
aimed at its own people, and the apparent reliance on the military to suppress
dissent is worrying.
Poor Tiger Woods
We
have never seen such a ridiculous spectacle as the one that unfolded on
Friday 19th February in front of the television cameras. Tiger Woods,
a golfer, apologizing for his conduct. The conduct for which he is
apologizing is a so-called sex addiction, which led him to be a serial
sweethearter. He showed up after 40 days of silence on the sweethearting
issue, to deny that his wife had attacked him with a golf club when she
found out that he was sleeping with others on the side. He also was
full of apologies. It came off in our view like a total commercial
job, done for the cameras and to save those all important contracts.
This seems like a peculiar American ritual where everyone knows that a
vigorous 34 year old man will travel especially given all the money and
fame he has. His sin really was being unable to keep his life and
extracurricular activities in proportion. The ritual in the US calls
for this kind of mea culpa and public sackcloth and ashes. Everyone
then weighs in about whether it’s genuine or not. He returns to rehab
to save his marriage. What was also a big joke was that at the same
time he was delivering his mea culpa, one of the sweethearts, the broken-hearted
woman who was lied to by a married man (now there’s a novel proposition)
was on TV crying that Tiger was so selfish. “He lied to me,”
she said. (Did he really?) She broke down in paroxysms of tears.
She had to be comforted by her only too eager lawyer who said that she
(the lawyer) would, unlike Tiger, be happy to answer questions (You can
be sure about that). After the storm, he will no doubt emerge again
with the contracts and endorsements virtually intact, free of his sex addiction,
in love with his wife and… well, let’s hope that he is more careful next
time around. But wait a second; this is an athlete for God’s sake,
not a priest. Give us a break!
 |
| THE TROIKA: What a difference a month makes. Ryan Pinder, the candidate for the PLP in Elizabeth is now at the front and centre of the PLP’s campaign to remake itself. The Leader of the PLP seems to have gotten a second wind and in putting together with his new Deputy Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, he and Ryan Pinder fought the juggernaut to a standstill in Elizabeth. Mr. Pinder showed up with the two gentlemen in Bimini for the funeral of a Stalwart Councillor on the weekend. But we thought that this engaging picture of the three men outside Gambier House on the Council night (see story below) should be our photo of the week. A job so far well done. The PLP is energized and the base is excited. One cartoonist suggested that the PLP has the high ground for the first time in a long time. Let’s hope so and that the PLP keeps at it and does not go fast asleep. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
SLACK MOUTH DISEASE
Hubert
Ingraham, the Prime Minister, is getting the reputation of having a slack
mouth. Indeed, the Prime Minister’s press conference last Sunday
this time was adequately described by PLP Party leader Perry Christie as
bizarre. Mr. Christie said that he is becoming increasingly concerned
about the bizarre and erratic behavior of the Free National Movement.
In their attempt to escape responsibility for all the pain they have inflicted
on this society, their mantra is blame the PLP for everything.
Examples of the slack mouth of the Prime Minister are seen in his statement last Sunday in a press conference. He was all over the place.
The Prime Minister was wrong to suggest that the PLP owes Election Court bills. Mr. Ingraham knows that individuals owe court costs. Any monies are not owed to the court; they are owed to the individuals involved in the litigation. So no moneys are owed to the courts. But in any event it is the individual member who brought the litigation that owes money to the other side, not the PLP.
Mr. Ingraham said that the PLP should have to pay security for costs, which means that money would have to be put up by the PLP before the Ryan Pinder election court case could proceed. Mr. Ingraham is not a junior lawyer. Any junior lawyer could tell him that security for costs does not arise for a Bahamian citizen or resident. This only arises when a foreign national is involved. In any event, Ryan Pinder does not owe anything to the court or to the FNM, nor does the PLP so the question of paying the bills by the PLP does not arise.
Hubert Ingraham also says that Ryan Pinder will have to prove that he is a Bahamian citizen who does not owe allegiance to the United States. We report today that that baby has been put to bed with the confirmation that as at 20th January 2010, Mr. Pinder was no longer a citizen of the United States of America.
The coup de grace however was Mr. Ingraham’s assertion that the people who cast their five protest votes would have to come to court and swear on the Bible and say that they were entitled to vote in Elizabeth. The fact is that it may not be necessary for anyone to appear in court because on documentary evidence, it can be established that these voters were entitled to vote on white ballots. But even if they were called, you do not have to swear on the Bible, you can affirm the oath to tell the truth. This was Hubert Ingraham lashing out to scare people.
What then is left from this Prime Minster as he thrashes about trying to lash this one and the next? The fault dear Brutus is in ourselves and not in the stars. PLP leader Perry Christie in his response to Mr. Ingraham the next day said to the Prime Minister: “Physician heal thyself!” We agree. It is the only way to heal the disease of a slack mouth.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 27th February 2010 at midnight: 126, 302.
Number of hits for the month of February up to 27th February 2010
up to midnight: 606,882.
CABINET
MINISTER RESIGNS
Branville McCartney, Minister of State for Immigration, has resigned from
the Cabinet. Mr. McCartney apparently felt that as a Minister he
was unable to maximise his political skills and potential. The former
Minister will presumably continue to represent his constituency as Member
of Parliament for Bamboo Town from the backbench.
McCartney, however, was outflanked his boss the
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who accepted his resignation and released
the letter of resignation before McCartney had a chance to make his own
decision public. Then Minister McCartney was recently caught in a
politically embarrassing position, having given a different answer to the
media than his Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister over the policy
on Haitian migrants after the earthquake in Haiti.
Of late, politicos have been commenting that Branville
McCartney's public political profile within and outside the FNM began to
rival that of his leader; always a tricky proposition in politics.
Here is the statement issued by the Prime Minister:
"The Hon. W. A. Branville McCartney, Minister
of State for Immigration, today informed me by letter of his resignation
from the Cabinet. Mr. McCartney was also kind enough to share with
me a copy of a press release he intends to issue with regard to his resignation.
"While the resignation of a Minister or Minister
of State is always regretable, I cannot say that I am completely surprised
by Mr. McCartney’s decision.
"Each of us in politics are bound to follow what
we believe to be the best course of action in the interest of the people
we are privileged to represent and in accordance with our own convictions
and perceptions at any given time. I have no doubt that Mr. McCartney,
as he indicates, has given serious consideration to the action he has taken.
"I regret that in the forefront of his considerations
leading to this decision are, as he put it, 'my feelings of stagnation
and the inability to fully utilize my political potential at this time'.
I should only like to remind him of what he himself says in his press release,
which is 'that in life nothing comes before its time'.
"I thank Mr. McCartney for his service to the
Bahamian people and to my Government. My colleagues and I look forward
to working closely with him in the best interest of the people of the Bamboo
Town Constituency and the country as a whole."
The PLP immediately issued its own statement:
"The resignation of Branville McCartney as Minister
of State for Immigration is a source of serious concern for the country.
Mr. McCartney was responsible for driving the immigration policy of the
government. In the midst of a crisis in Immigration, the Minister
resigns. The Prime Minister must give a full and frank explanation
for the comment of Mr. McCartney that he believed that he was being stagnated
within Mr. Ingraham's Cabinet and could not fulfill his full potential.
"Mr. McCartney’s comment is a serious indictment
of Mr. Ingraham's government. His resignation has exposed the truth
of how Mr. Ingraham governs the country and his party. The PLP believes
that the country is not well served by the conduct of public affairs led
with bombast, harsh words and disrespect as a hall mark of governance.
We warned against it from the day Mr. Ingraham first took office.
Now the FNM has turned on one of its own. The country must be told
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth on this matter."
Branville McCartney/file photo
MORTGAGE
CORPORATION SCANDAL
PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts (pictured) has uncovered
a scandal at the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation where, without apparent reason,
the highest bidder was chosen to perform work at the Corporation.
The work given to a firm headed by an unsuccesful FNM candidate in the
2007 election.
Said Mr. Roberts in a Sunday afternoon news conference
at the PLP's Gambier House, "The award of this contract is a scandalous
abuse of the Public Purse. Further, it is a slap in the face of and an
insult to the principle of meritocracy; it is also a clear case of Political
Patronage, cronyism, and a grave injustice against persons and institutions
not connected to the FNM elite. Additionally, it comes at a time when the
Mortgage Corporation of the Bahamas is severely fiscally challenged, the
budgetary deficit continues to grow, the National Debt is just under a
record four Billion Dollars, and the Government is struggling to deliver
the necessary and requisite public goods and services that provide for
the basic essentials items of food and water for Bahamians.
You may click
here for Mr. Roberts' full statement.
ELIEZER
REGNIER FOUND DEAD
Eliezer Regnier, a high-profile lawyer of Haitian
ancestry who was prominent in the community for advocacy for Haitian migrants,
has been found dead. Reports are that the police do not suspect foul
play. Mr. Regnier had been expected in court tomorrow (Monday) to
defend against charges of receiving stolen goods. Police faced criticism
at the time of the initial charges in July of last year for parading Mr.
Regnier to the court in front of the cameras in handcuffs.
Eliezer Regnier/file photo
HOUSE
OF ASSEMBLY MEETS
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham arrived late at the
House of Assembly for the reading of his mid-year budget statement on Wednesday
23rd February. All the king’s men filed in after him. He did
the usual walk across the square. But this time they showed the defeat
on their faces. The Prime Minister looked like a beaten and tired
warrior, whose heart was not in it. Gone was the long flowery speech
of the past and this time, within an hour, it was over.
Hubert Ingraham did not have much to say.
Indeed, what can he say? He certainly can’t admit that he has buggered
up the works. He is a failure in the economy, a failure in public
management and just recently he failed in getting his man elected to office
in Elizabeth. Just think about it. Just before the House of
Assembly adjourned in January to come back a month later, there was all
bluster from the Prime Minister. He had induced Malcolm Adderley
to resign. He had created a bye-election in Elizabeth. He expected
to win hands down. He arranged it so that there would be maximum
damage on the PLP. Then he went out and spent the country’s money
to pave every road in Elizabeth, hire hundreds of people in Elizabeth and
still he could not pull off the victory.
No wonder that he looked so beat down and defeated
in the House when it met on Wednesday 24th February. As soon as he
was finished his speech, he left the chamber and disappeared. You
may click
here for the full mid-year budget statement from the government's website.
Prime Minister Ingraham, with Cabinet members, walks to deliver
mid-year budget/Nassau Guardian photo; PM in House - Tribune photo/Tim
Clarke
OPPOSITION’S
RESPONSE
Perry Christie, the Leader of the Opposition issued
a statement immediately, condemning the Prime Minister’s statement.
He called it lamentable and inadequate; a tale of woes with too much self-promotion.
He said the statement did not address the human suffering that the FNM
had imposed on the country. Herewith the full statement:
“The Prime Minister’s budget statement is noted
for what it did not say. It is a lamentable and inadequate tale of
woes with too much self-promotion. Beating the chest to say ‘what
a good government am I’ does not change the fact of the human suffering
that this government has inflicted on the country.
“We do not believe that the budget statement
adequately addresses the issue of human suffering in the country, nor does
it appreciate the level of unemployment in the country or say what the
government intends to do to deal with an economy that continues to contract
or crime which continues to rise.
“The Prime Minister is expert at describing the
problem but no solutions arise.
“We believe that there is still a need
to commit government resources to providing considerable support for the
thousands who are unemployed and under employed and who stand to lose their
homes. The social safety net was also not addressed in this statement.
It is a glaring gap in the statement.
“The statement is long on promises and
on self congratulations but short on delivery and answers to the woes to
this country.”
NATIONAL
YOUTH CHOIR
The National Youth Choir launched its 20th anniversary on Friday 19th
February with a special exhibition of photos of the Choir over the years
by photographers Peter Ramsay and Donald Knowles. The patron of the
Choir is the Governor General Arthur Hanna. He joined them on Friday
19th February at the official launch in the Central Bank’s gallery.
Joining him on that occasion were Sir Durward Knowles, Bahamian Olympian;
Charles Sealy, now of Doctor’s Hospital but at one time a singer in the
choir; Fred Mitchell, Fox Hill MP. The Bahamas National Youth Choir
was founded by Cleophas Adderley (pictured at right in the centre) in its
second version in 1990. The first stab at it came in 1983 to celebrate
the tenth year of Bahamian Independence. The choir has gone from
strength to strength and Mr. Adderley its founding conductor listed a host
of people who have passed through the choir and gone on to successful careers
in the country at large.
Photos/Donald Knowles
DEFENDING
SIDNEY POITIER FILM FESTIVAL
Celli Moss appeared on a television show with Wendall Jones and Godfrey
Eneas on Wednesday 24th February. He attacked the Sidney Poitier
Film Festival and attacked Sidney Poitier. He said that Mr. Poitier
the American born actor with Bahamian parents, who spent his first 15 years
in this country, gave nothing back to the country. There are none
so blind as those who cannot see. This is terribly short-sighted
on his part, and ill-advised. He is simply wrong.
Ian Strachan, the organizer of the Festival at COB,
rightly took umbrage and took issue with the matter. Mr. Moss ought
to think again and think about an apology to Mr. Poitier for these ill-advised
remarks. There is something about this country that suggests that
the only way a man can make a contribution is somehow to go into his pocket
and give it away. It is a disease that affects the country as it
relates to politicians. Everyone is always trying to find way to
spend other people’s money.
Mr. Poitier’s life is an example and a contribution
to The Bahamas. He needs to do nothing else. He grew up dirt
poor and rose from that dirt poor beginning in Cat Island to become the
most well known Bahamian. He need do nothing else. But as Mr.
Strachan was able to point out, he did in fact do much, much more including
his fight to help the PLP gain power and majority rule, his contributions
to various charities in the country and giving a push to Bahamians who
wanted to get into the business.
Our view is that Sir Sidney's life itself is an
example to Celli Moss and the countless others who can see that your beginnings
have nothing to do with where you end up. Mr. Moss, who is seeking
to make his way in the world as a filmmaker ought to think again.
The remarks are most unfortunate. A young man disrespecting someone
who is an icon around the world and symbol of what Bahamians can be.
Quite shameful really!
The real issue is the public policy in The Bahamas
for culture. How, for example, can Mr. Moss find money and support
for his films? There is no profit in attacking a retired star and
an international icon. There is profit in seeking to find ways to
find money and to get support for expertise and money. That is the
problem, not Sidney Poitier and his already finite and established body
of work. But Mr. Moss’s intervention added some excitement to it
all and Ian Strachan in his response came into his own. He is now
fully a part of the establishment.
Here is some of what he wrote:
“I could easily dismiss the activities of Celli
Moss as rank opportunism, as a classic example of someone believing that
any publicity is good publicity, no matter how foolish the cause, but I
have run into people who make me think otherwise.
“We believe 'Bahamianess' is one thing and one
thing only. I am saddened by the artists who wish we wouldn’t have
this event. Their outlook stinks of a ‘what have you done for me
lately’ attitude.
“What they are basically saying is that despite
the fact that Sidney Poitier helped change the world for all black people,
he is not worth remembering, honouring or studying because he didn’t do
some specific things for this community that they think are paramount.
“Sir Sidney helped fund an infant Progressive
Liberal Party, was part of the movement fighting to end segregation and
racism in America, gave scholarships to Bahamians, and has cast a number
of Bahamians in his films.
“In 1971, his film ‘Buck and the Preacher’ had
its world premiere in Nassau with proceeds reportedly aiding the building
of the Jordan Prince William High School. Another film, ‘Uptown Saturday
Night’ premiered in The Bahamas in the 1970s with the Stapledon School
for Children the beneficiary of the premiere.
“Still, to many this is not enough because it
seems he didn’t help today’s struggling Bahamian artists directly, monetarily,
by ‘putting in a word’ or by showing up every summer and teaching a class
in method acting.”
The photo is at the opening night of the Festival
Tuesday 23rd February; from left: Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill, Dr. Gail Saunders,
Scholar-In-Residence COB; Dr. Keva Bethel, Scholar-In-Residence COB; Dr.
Manthia Diawara, Director of African Studies, New York University who spoke
on ‘Poitier and the African Imagery of Modernity’; Dr. Ian Strachan, Associate
Professor, College of The Bahamas and the organizer of the Sidney Poitier
International Conference and Film festival; and Dr. Leon Higgs, former
President of COB.
Photo/Donald Knowles
ELECTION
COURT PETITION FILED
Ryan Pinder’s attorney Philip ‘Brave’ Davis has
filed a petition before the Election Court to count the five ballots that
were cast as protest votes on coloured ballots. In law, pursuant
to Section 69 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, the Court has to determine
whether or not these votes can count, and if they do then Ryan Pinder should
emerge the winner.
There is also the issue of the regular white ballots
that the Presiding Officer did not count, which ought to have been counted.
Two of them had the name of the candidate written on the ballot.
This is a good ballot according to precedents established in the Cyril
Fountain vs. Philip Smith case and another where the voter marked an
“X” for Ryan Pinder with the indelible ink instead of the pencil provided
in the booth, is also considered a good ballot.
If those three ballots had been counted, Ryan Pinder
would have been declared the winner on the white ballots alone. The
report is that the Presiding Officer was intimidated by the presence of
Tommy Turnquest in the hall when he had to make his decision and he refused
to accept the law on the point.
You may click
here for a look at Ryan Pinder’s petition before the courts.
ELECTION
COURT JUDGES APPOINTED
Anita Allen and Jon Isaacs have again been chosen
to be the judges in the Election Court case of Ryan Pinder against Duane
Sands. The two were the judges in the last Election Court cases involving
Allyson Gibson (PLP) against Byran Woodside (FNM) and Pleasant Bridgewater
(PLP) against Zhivargo Laing (FNM). The PLP lost both of those cases,
but the cases revealed shocking inadequacies in the registration process.
The same issues appear to be involved in this case. This will remove
any possible objection that the PLP might have to the four FNMs who were
recently appointed to the bench hearing the case. The talk is that
one of the minority candidates may still object to one of the judges.
This remains to be seen.
SCENES
FROM THE COUNCIL MEETING
With the PLP in buoyant mood since it fought Hubert
Ingraham’s FNM to a standstill in the Elizabeth bye-election on 16th February,
the PLP’s National General Council met in a sober but ebullient session
on Thursday 25th February. Above, some pictures from the night.
TOURISM
EXIT REPORT
There is a decline in the tourist numbers.
Fewer people are coming to The Bahamas to visit and spend the night.
This should be a cause for concern. Tourists in the main still come
from the United States with the balance coming mainly from Canada.
The outreach to Europe does not appear to have borne any fruit, nor is
there any outreach to Asia. The tourism exit survey issued by the
Minister of Tourism is an interesting read. You may
access it here.
CHAMBER
PRESIDENT SPEAKS AGAIN
Chamber President Khaalis Rolle told the press last
week following the launch of the Chamber Institute that The Bahamas was
in danger of becoming a lost society if it did not act quickly to address
the deficit in educating its citizens. These are stark words from
the Chamber President who has developed a reputation for speaking out on
controversial issues.
The Chamber Institute is an initiative designed
to counter the fact that too many Bahamians come out of high school without
the requisite skills to enter the work force. Click
here for Mr. Rolle in his own words.
Khaalis Rolle - Tim Aylen photo
CUBAN
PARTY OFFICIAL PAYS A CALL
Otto Morrero Nunez, of the Cuban Communist Party,
paid a call on the PLP’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Foreign trade
on Wednesday 24th February at the PLP’s headquarters Gambier House in Nassau.
The officials also met with party Leader Perry Christie, Deputy Leader
Philip Davis and Party Chairman Bradley Roberts.
The photo shows from left: Philip Smith, former
High Commissioner to Canada; Ryan Pinder, Co-Chair, Committee on Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade; Juan Luis Ponce, Cuban Ambassador; Fred Mitchell
MP, Co-Chair, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Otto Morrero
Nunez, Cuban Communist Party official; former Ambassador to Haiti, Dr.
Eugene Newry; Elcott Coleby, PLP Leadership Council PLP; and Demathio Forbes,
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
Photo/Carlos Smith
US
CONFIRMS RYAN’S RECUNCIATION
Ryan Pinder renounced his US citizenship on 20th
January 2010. This was confirmed by a statement issued from the consular
section of the United States Embassy. This should put an end to the
idiotic campaign of the Prime Minister to confuse the issue about the qualifications
for Ryan Pinder to run and sit in Parliament. We believe that the
PLP should not have issued any such statement itself. We would have
waited until the matter got to the courts so the FNM could foolishly raise
it as a preliminary point, only to get slapped in their face with the truth.
He who asserts must prove. In any event, that one is put to bed.
The full statement reads:
“The government of the United States no longer considers Mr. Pinder
to be a US citizen. His US passport is no longer valid and has been
forwarded to the issuing agency within the US government.”
GG
HOSTS MALTESE AMBASSADOR
Governor General Arthur D. Hanna hosted a lunch
in honour of the Ambassador for Malta to The Bahamas (above, left).
The Honorary Consul for Malta is Jerry Wirth, pictured seated at right.
The luncheon was also attended by the Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs
Fred Mitchell MP, shown strolling at centre.
BIS photos/Peter Ramsay
PINDER
& SANDS ON CITIZENS REVIEW (Click below for the show)
FORMER
DPM’S SON ACQUITTED
Published: Wednesday February 24th, 2010 - The following article
was published recently by the Bahama Journal and was written by Rogan Smith.
The son of former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia
‘Mother’ Pratt was acquitted and discharged Monday of having sex with two
minors nearly three years ago.
Sergeant 2330 Juan Carlos Pratt, who was on trial
in Freeport, had been battling two unlawful sexual intercourse charges.
He was accused of having sex with the two teens – ages 14 and 15 – at his
home between May 5 and 6, 2007.
The girls lived at the Columbus House for Girls
at the time. Deputy Chief Magistrate Helen Jones presided over the case.
Mr. Pratt was represented by attorney Murrio Ducille. Valeria Pyfrom and
Lorna Longley-Rolle of the Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.
Last August, Mr. Ducille made a ‘no case’ submission on behalf of his client.
He claimed that the prosecution had failed to establish
a prima facie case against Mr. Pratt. However, in December, Magistrate
Jones ruled that the defence’s ‘no case’ submission had failed and that
a prima facie case was established against Mr. Pratt.
In an interview with the Bahama Journal yesterday,
Mrs. Pratt said she is happy that the entire ordeal is behind her family
and looks forward to moving on.
"We thank God that it is behind us but, it doesn’t
soothe the pain, the disappointment, the pitfalls that we had faced. I
know what parents feel and today we thank God that we were victorious,
but through it all we give thanks to God," she said.
Mrs. Pratt said she is grateful that the incident
happened when she was out of office. Her party, the Progressive Liberal
Party (PLP), had just lost the 2007 General Election when her son was charged.
"I thank God that I wasn’t [in office] because that would be another story.
This was never about my son. It was always about me. It was about embarrassing
me and disgracing me in whatever way they could. I will carry that to my
grave because that is what I believe," she said. The St. Cecilia MP said
her son was "inconvenienced, disappointed and devastated" by the ordeal.
She said he had a family to support and could not do so properly because
he could not get a job for three years. She told the Bahama Journal he
is now eager to get on with his life and has not ruled out returning to
the police force.
"I’m certain he would like to. He still maintains
that he is a police officer. He loves his work. So, he determines what
he wants to do, but he still wants to go back on the force," she said.
"What saddens me is that our country has come to a place where we seem
to be guilty until proven innocent instead of innocent until proven guilty.
That’s the sad thing. When your character has been stepped on and all you
represent has been stampeded on. It hurts. Especially when you’ve given
all that you can give your people."
"In our country anybody can allege anything. Someone
can allege that I went down the road and shot somebody and until we gather
the evidence I’m looked upon like a criminal only to find out later that
I’m innocent. But, by then my reputation [would have already] been tarnished.
I then have to prove to the Bahamian people that I’m not a criminal. It’s
unfair. I asked God, if he’s [Juan] wrong, then I’m not going to take sides
with my children. If he’s wrong, he deserves to be punished. If he’s innocent,
then vindicate him."
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll... Elizabeth - The Contest
Does
what the law says, mean anything to us Bahamians? Or does it mean
only what it says, when what it says just happens to line up with our own
narrow-minded political views?
After all the rancor-back and forth-and all the
minute detailed checking, of the more than three thousand ballots cast
in the recent polling in the Elizabeth Constituency, an official winner
could not legally be declared. Why, you may ask, couldn’t a clear
winner be determined, having regard to the fact that after all the regular
ballots were counted Sands, of the FNM, received two more votes than the
PLP’s Leo Ryan Pinder? Well it is quite simply this, that the law
says-and I wish to repeat; the law says-that for a candidate to be determined
the winner, he or she must poll more regular votes (white ballots) than
his/her opponent’s total number of regular votes(white ballots) and protest
votes(yellow ballots) combined. If he/ she doesn’t, then the protest
votes for all candidates must be officially added to their regular votes
and a judge, in an election court of law, would be required, then, to determine
the validity of those protest votes, after which a winner would be declared.
This is what the L.A.W provides for (in our wonderful democracy) and Ingraham
could cry; he could scream; he could shout at the top of his (angry always)
voice; he could jump up and down or piss in his pants (if he wishes) all
he wants but he cannot get around what the law says. As he seems
to like to say, always; it is what it is and there is nothing he or anybody
else can do about it.
Having regard to the above, and the fact that
while Sands received 1501 regular votes to Pinder’s 1499, it should not
be forgotten that Pinder, of the PLP, secured an additional five votes
which the FNM’s agents protested on election day. Should the courts
determine that those protest votes are indeed valid, and that they were
indeed cast in Pinder’s favor (both of which we (PLP) fully expect to happen)
it would follow then, therefore, that Pinder of the PLP would be declared,
by the courts at the end of the day, as having rightful claim to the seat,
having received 1499 plus five protest votes, which totals 1504, to Sands’
1501. Neither the courts, Hubert Ingraham, Tommy Turnquest, Carl Bethel
nor the FNM government can circumvent this law, and I thank God almighty
that the terms and conditions are written in plain, simple layman’s English
language. There shouldn’t be reason for a whole lot of high level
legal arguments-by high-priced lawyers as to the meaning of sections 68
& 69 of the Parliamentary Elections Act; chapter 7; for it says, plainly,
what it says.
Sections 68 & 69, of the Parliamentary Elections
Act chapter 7, are very clear on the position that the PLP has taken.
We are not impressed one bit by the posturing of the Free National Movement;
notwithstanding the ignorance that Hubert Ingraham displayed during his
press conference last Sunday (21st) in response to the outcome of the elections.
He knows very well what the law provides for, in these circumstances, and
there is no question in my mind-and it cannot be in anybody else’s,
for that matter-that Ingraham and his bewildered, demoralized FNM misfits
would have opted to go the same route, as the PLP is doing, had they been
in the same, now enviable position. We hear their foolish talk, and
we’ve read Ingraham’s statement, in its entirety, about how elections are
won on Election Day and not in court rooms, but we didn’t hear him or Carl
Bethel or Duane Sands or Tommy Turnquest talking like this or taking this
same position, when they challenged Mr. V Alfred Gray on behalf of Johnley
Ferguson, in the MICAL constituency after the 2002 general elections.
If the FNM has had a change of views, since the Johnley Ferguson challenge
(which they lost, by the way), that election courts are useless and unnecessary,
then maybe they should opt to repeal the act and get rid of it.
I am told, by sources within the belly of the
FNM, to never mind Ingraham carrying on like one of those wild Inagua Jackasses,
that he knows they have lost and that they have already prepared themselves
for and resigned themselves to the loss. In the meantime, though,
I am told, Ingraham will continue his showboating, posturing and flaming,
just to see if he could discourage the PLP from pursuing our day in court.
If the FNM cared about the welfare of our country and our electoral processes
(which are already in shambles and less than desirable) they would let
it go and concede the loss to the PLP and not wait for the courts to rule
it so. They are the ones who boasted, loudly, about being Democrats,
and Democrats only win or lose elections on Election Day and not in the
courts. That is the stated position of big mouth Hubert Ingraham.
Well, I can assure him that, we are prepared to go all the way, and to
do all it takes, to have those legitimate votes included as part of the
official count.
I say again, that if the government had the best
interest of the constituents of Elizabeth as a priority, as they say they
do, they would concede the seat to the PLP and save the taxpayers a bundle
of money.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
28th February 2010
IN PASSING
The Fire
A fire at the garbage dump in New Providence has been burning for three
weeks. The Fire Department and the Ministry of Environment are unable
to put it out. This is ridiculous. It smacks of the most shocking
negligence. How long are we to have to deal with these constant fires
and each time the excuses are the same? The entire island smells
of smoke because of the smoldering mess down at the city dump.
Tribune photo / Felipe Major
Bahamasair
Reports are that Bahamasair, the national flag carrier is about to
ditch the jets that they own once the current C check on the planes has
expired. The plan is replace the 737 jets with stretch Dash 8s, an
extended version of the prop plane that they currently use. The new
planes will hold 74 seats but there is a concern about baggage capacity.
Robbie Pleads Guilty
Biminis resident Robin Smith has pleaded guilty to the offence of importing
fish into the US without an import or export licence. No word on
the sentence in the Florida Court. This is most unfortunate and we
wish him well.
Pinder’s Point & Lewis Yard To Move
What Wallace Groves and Stafford Sands could not accomplish, it appears
that Hubert Ingraham is going to do. The Prime Minister says that
he is thinking about moving the communities of Pinder’s Point and Lewis
Yard to another area of Grand Bahama. He said this comes as a result
of the complaints from the community about the noxious fumes escaping from
the nearby industrial area of Grand Bahama. Those communities fought
hard to resist the push of the Grand Bahama Port Authority when the Company
first came into existence in 1955. Lewis Yard has a storied history
in the fight between the PLP and the FNM. It was at the Lewis yard
Primary School that PLP partisans attacked Cecil Wallace Whitfield, then
part of a dissident PLP group when they sought to hold a meeting in Lewis
Yard to build up support for his cause.
Catholic School In Bimini To Close
Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Pinder has informed the parents
and staff of the Catholic primary School in Bimini that the school will
close in June of this year. The school is reportedly costing
the diocese some $150,000 per year to run with only $50,000 coming
from fees and the expense cannot continue. This is likely to put
additional pressure on the Bimini school population which is already
under stress from lack of classroom space and lack of a public high school.
BTC Blackberry Service Down For Two Days
BTC, the telephone company, failed the Bahamian public last week when
its Blackberry service was off for two days. They have said they
will offer a ten dollar credit for the breakdown. No explanation
as to why the service was offline. There has been no further word
on the privatization of the company, which should have happened by last
year. The whole matter seems to have gone on ice. The PLP warned
the government that they simply could not get the price they had hoped
for since they delayed too long in the matter.
Stephen Dean Heads New Police Unit
Congratulations to Stephen Dean, head of the new Police Unit to fight
crime. Mr. Dean was the pioneer in the Force on the Urban Renewal
Project and under Reginald Ferguson as Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dean
was dissed and relegated to the routine. It appears that his fortunes
have now had a revival under the new Commissioner and his considerable
talents are being used to help people take precautions to stop crime.
Orthland Bodie Briefly Arrested Then Released
The headlines of The Tribune and The Guardian reported that talk show
host Orthland Bode was briefly arrested by the police on Wednesday 24th
February. His mouth got him in trouble. The Defence Force has
been trying to find a missing weapon. Some weeks ago, the whole crew
on board a vessel where the gun went missing was put on lockdown to get
the weapon. It was never found. Mr. Bodie in his exuberance
on his show said that not only could he get weapons if someone paid him
just $500, but he knew where the missing Defence Force gun was. That
led to his arrest as soon as the show was over. Turns out that he
did not know and in an abject apology to the public and the police the
next day, Mr. Bodie said that he had misspoken.
Celli Moss Demonstration
Celli Moss, the Bahamian filmmaker, led a two man demonstration in
front of the College of The Bahamas protesting the College’s seminar on
Sidney Poitier on Thursday 25th February. Mr. Moss objects to public
funds being used to support the study of Mr. Poitier’s work, saying that
Mr. Poitier has done nothing for The Bahamas (See
related story above).
Tony Williams Gets Radio Licence
The Disc Jockey and radio personality Tony Williams, late of ZNS and
Love 97 and now of Star 106, the station allied with the Nassau Guardian
has been awarded a radio licence by URCA, the broadcast licensing authority.
Star 106 has been in a dispute with its radio licence owner Ken Perigord
because of allegedly inadequate compensation being paid Mr. Perigord and
the speculation is that this is move giving Mr. Williams a licence could
allow Star to breach the contract of Mr. Perigord and use the new licence
granted to Mr. Williams instead of Mr. Perigord’s.
Barbados Needs New Model
Former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur in a widely reported speech
in Barbados called for a new approach and structuring of the Barbadian
economy to meet the exigencies of today’s climate in international trade.
A similar speech ought to be given to The Bahamas. Mr. Arthur said
that the government of Barbados has failed to adjust to the new realities
during the present economic crisis. Click
here for the report of his address from The Nation of Barbados.
Travolta Cooper’s Film On Stafford Sands
Congratulations to Travolta Cooper, the young Bahamian film director
and producer who had a showing of his Founding Father’s series, the Stafford
Sands movie in Freeport last week. Audiences seemed to like it as
good, down the middle treatment. We think that it was a good film,
but we think that Stafford Sands should not be lost in revisionism and
we must resist the temptation to rewrite history in the name of correctness.
That said, we don’t think that Mr. Cooper is guilty of that himself but
there are others who are seeking to use this study and opportunity to rewrite
history. One of the reviewers who was a panelist after the showing
said that it was travesty that Stafford Sands was taken off the ten dollar
bill. That it should be restored. Hogwash! Never!
Happy Birthday Eunice Deleveaux
Eunice Deleveaux had no natural children of her own, but she raised
Henry Miller of Colonel Hill, Crooked Island as her own and he begat amongst
others Darrold Miller, the broadcaster and Philip Miller, the diplomat.
Anyway, she celebrated last week her 101st birthday and though bedridden
has all her senses. In Britain when you reach such a milestone, the
Queen writes you a congratulatory letter. Happy Birthday Ms. Eunice.
New Leader Of The Opposition In Trinidad and Tobago
Kamla Persad-Bissessar became Trinidad and Tobago’s new leader of the
Opposition in a brief ceremony in Port-of-Spain at the official home of
the President of the Republic on Thursday 25th February. Ms. Bissessar
is the first woman to have such a position and is widely expected to give
incumbent Prime Minister Patrick Manning a run for his money, uniting the
fractious Indian population in Trinidad and also attracting blacks who
are fed up with the imperious governance of which Mr. Manning is often
accused. Mrs. Bissessar had to cool her heels after her convincing
win over outgoing leader Basdeo Panday. He refused to step down despite
being defeated 3 to 1 in the convention vote. He said that he would
not resign until the MPs in the House for his party told the President
that they did not support him. Mrs. Bissessar got the final vote
last week and was sworn in as the new Leader. Mr. Panday was not
gracious about it. As he went to the backbenches, he suggested that
there was a conspiracy afoot to get rid of him.
Basil Rolle Buried
PLP Stalwart Councillor Basil Rolle of Bimini was buried in Bimini
on Saturday 27th February. He was 66 at the time of his death from
a suspected heart attack. Mr. Rolle was eulogized by former Prime
Minister Perry Christie at the funeral service in Bimini. He is survived
by his wife Antoinette and two children. Mr. Rolle was a fixture
at the Bimini Bay Resort in Bimini. Employer and developer Gerrado
Capo was present for the service. Also attending was Bimini MP Obie
Wilchcombe, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, Ryan Pinder, PLP candidate for Elizabeth
and Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, PLP Deputy leader.
Congratulations To Guyana
Last week, Guyana marked the 40th anniversary of its establishment
as a Republic.
Congratulations To The Commissioner of Police
Reginald Ferguson, the former Commissioner of Police worked with the
government to send home scores of senior officers without allowing
them the dignity of an official departure. They were
sent home, told to pack their bags. Last week, the new Commissioner
of Police Ellison Greenslade tried to make amends by asking some officers
back and saying thank you and pledging to do more in the future.
