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THE PRIME MINISTER IS ADVISED: this was the scene in the Cabinet the day after the infamous vote to deny freedom to the people who want to gamble in The Bahamas. The Prime Minister surrounded by his Minister for Gaming Obie Wilchcombe and his Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson was about to issue the statement which said that the result of the referendum would be discussed at the Cabinet during the course of the day and the country would be advised of the position. Hubert Minnis, the Leader of the Opposition, could not wait and scheduled a national address, circulated in advance, in which he castigated the government for not acting to shut the shops down immediately. He spoke too quickly because by 7 p.m. the Prime Minister had acted at the end of the Cabinet day. Our photo of the week is that of the Prime Minister and his advisors in the Cabinet room on Tuesday 29th January, the day after the no voters won the day. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
WHAT PART OF NO DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND
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| The photo shows Clifford Park looking abandoned on the night of 28th January. The yes voters were supposed to be celebrating. Unfortunately, no celebrating. |
We have to repeat what we have often said on this site. This is an interesting country. The people of the country stupidly on 28th January voted to limit their freedom by saying no in a referendum put to the country which would have regulated the local gaming industry and added more tax revenue to the public treasury at a time when it could use every penny it could get. It was not just a stupid decision. It was a bad decision.
The turnout in the referendum was under 50 per cent. Twenty per cent of the actual electorate voted against regulating local gaming. Most people do not support that view. Put together those who stayed home and those who voted no and this shows that there is a majority who supports the view that surely in this day and age Bahamians ought to have the right to gamble lawfully. The no voters were led by a set of rich, duplicitous pastors who can content with having stopped the tide of immorality now jump on their private jets and repair to their speaking engagements around the world, collecting their fat fees.
In the meantime, poor black men and women will lose their jobs. They have children to feed. They have done nothing wrong, simply run afoul yet again of a system that is designed it seems to keep them where they are. It was small comfort to hear Rev. Rainford Patterson, the head of the group of local mullahs, chief of the morality police, saying that the church is not happy that people are losing their jobs. We wonder what will be their state when the take at the collection plate starts to shrink because their members have no jobs and so no money to give.
Their arguments were stupid, short sighted, myopic and driven by a hunger for power. And to prove what point: thus said the Lord?
If their actions end up hurting this country, hurting the people in it, how could that possibly be in the best interests of the country. No amount of quoting from the Bible can support this. The Bible is a book which is unfortunately used in too many cases as a convenient foil for the inventions of man. One female pastor, hair nicely coiffed, fresh from the beauty parlour, nice new frock, appeared in an ad paid for no doubt by the generous donation from Sir Durward Knowles, the man who has apologized four times to black Bahamians for the way his fellow whites treated them, claimed in the ad that the Bible is against gambling. Her proof she said was that the Bible said by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread. What nonsense. What a stretch. The Bible says nothing at all about gambling. These pastors made up the whole bloody thing, and fooled an ignorant population.
The intellectuals also have to bear some responsibility for this. The government fulfilled its promise to hold the referendum. If it didn’t that would have been another story. They now say it’s the Prime Minister’s fault. He talked too much. Then he didn’t give the details: which means he talked too little. Then they say it’s the process. The result is they confused a whole lot of people. But they say that is the government’s fault and a black eye on the PLP. What utter bull shit!
We start where we began. An interesting country. The people of the country have voted against their own interests. The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways. The yes voters, the gaming Bahamians, have now gone to court. The court system is peopled by nominees of the Hubert Ingraham administration. The only hope we would suggest is that ultimately the matters have to go to the policy court for resolution. But at least one judge had the cajones to put in place a conservatory order to stop the government from acting against its best interests and employing the resources of the state in a wasted effort to stop web shop gaming.
Boy oh boy! Damn these no voters. Mostly damn these foolish preachers. Who will rid us of these bothersome preachers? Stupid! Foolish!
Number of hits for the month of January up Thursday 31st January 2013 up to midnight: 800,701
Number of hits for the year 2013 up to Saturday 31st January 2013 up to midnight:832,171
The Free National Movement played a role in sabotaging the right of the Bahamian people from enjoying greater freedom. For that they deserve the utter contempt of the Bahamian people. Each one of them is well trained and well educated, yet with the exception of Edison Key, who is not a lettered man not one of them has a dime’s worth of sense in their heads. They joined the babble of some nutty preachers who want to implement a system of the morality police in this country and caused poor people to vote against their own interest. It is cynical and the stuff of pure politics at its worst. Never miss an opportunity to sabotage a government, even when the government’s work and decisions is for the betterment of the people. The FNM is rudderless at the moment. Dr. Hubert Minnis is not supported by his former leader Hubert Ingraham. He announced that the era of Ingraham was over. That was an unpardonable sin. Mr. Ingraham is waiting in the wings to displace him. This is the plan. They no longer believe that they can get Edison Key to step down from the South Abaco FNM seat. They think he is going to join the PLP. But they believe that Hubert Chipman in St. Anne’s is in a safe seat for the FNM. They plan at the appropriate moment for Mr. Ingraham to replace Mr. Chipman in St. Anne’s in a bye-election and come back to lead the party. In the meantime, Mr. Ingraham with the no vote having succeeded and boasting that it was his intervention that made the difference in that vote, has started calling the troops together. The first of the forays is his annual start of the year party which he will hold on the coming weekend. He has sent out the call far and wide for the supporters to come there. We have not learned whether Hubert Minnis, his successor as FNM leader, will be invited. Stay tuned for a full report next week.
THE PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT TO CLOSE
The following statement was issued by Perry Christie, Prime Minister, following the vote by the people of The Bahamas to stop any attempt to regulate web shop gaming. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services and was taken in the Cabinet Room. The statement was issued on Tuesday 29th January, the day after the vote:
In keeping with my Government’s commitment to abide by the will of the electorate as expressed on Monday’s referendum, it has now become necessary to effect the closure of all web-shop gaming operations in The Bahamas.
Accordingly, all offending web-shop owners and operators are placed on notice that all their gaming operations, including all online gaming and the numbers games, must cease with immediate effect. Failure to do so will leave all such web shop owners, operators and web shop gaming patrons exposed to arrest and criminal prosecution without further notice or warning.
While web shop owners and operators must cease and desist from gaming operations immediately, they are not required to close the door on their employees and those persons with whom they have lawful commercial relationships. This includes relationships with landlords throughout the country, as well as relationships with utility and service companies, supplies of goods, and other third-party creditors.
The Government expects that all web shop owners and operators will cooperate in giving effect to what I have just outlined so as to thereby eliminate the need for the relevant law enforcement authorities to take coercive action to compel the necessary result.
BRADLEY ROBERTS STATEMENT ON THE VOTE
The following statement was issued by Bradley B. Roberts, the Chairman of the PLP, following the declaration that the vote to regulate gaming in The Bahamas had failed. The statement was issued on the evening of Monday 28th January:
The PLP thanks the people of The Bahamas for a wonderful display of democracy in today’s Referendum on whether or not Bahamians want Web Shop Gaming regulated and taxed and the establishment of a National Lottery.
As the world looked on, the Bahamian people conducted themselves peacefully and with great respect for others as the Referendum was held without incident.
The Prime Minister was clear that his government would be guided by the results of the Referendum and the will of the people. The people have spoken and have rejected the regulation of Game Shops and the establishment of a National Lottery.
The Prime Minister is commended for his leadership in this exercise and for demonstrating great strength, focus and discipline in the face of harsh and in some cases misleading and unfair attacks. He was consistent in his position and never wavered when others have flip-flopped on this issue.
As Web Shop Gaming is currently illegal under Bahamian law, we expect that the government will allocate the necessary resources to enforce the law.
END
THE ANGLICAN BISHOP ON GAY RIGHTS
Last week there was an extensive commentary on this site about the need to protect the rights of gay people in The Bahamas. Please click here for last week’s comment. The commentary was based on the fact that the government of The Bahamas appeared in Geneva to defend the country’s human rights record and indicated there that there was no positive discrimination against gay people in The Bahamas. It left open the question of other forms of discrimination. The under the breath kind and those that prevent people from moving where they wish in the country without the fear of prejudice or physical attack. We pointed out that the preachers in this country have been lining up to seek an amendment to the constitution which would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Then we said the only person who had appeared before the Constiutional Commission to say that there should be a constitutional amendment which would ban discrimination against gays was Ernesto Williams, the President of the College of The Bahamas Union of Students. Well no more. Mr. Williams now has exalted company. The Anglican Bishop Laish Boyd appeared before the commission on Friday 1st February and said that the constitution ought to be amended to include a prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation. This is a major step forward and we applaud him for it. In this he breaks with his predecessor the retired Archbishop Drexel Gomez who was a strong anti-gay messenger. This is what we want to see in a church, not the rabid kind of nastiness in which these false prophets have engaged over the past year seen most notably in their fatuous arguments over gambling in The Bahamas. Bishop Boyd also said that the death penalty should be abolished. We agree as well. Congratulations to the Anglican Church and the Bishop. Well said and well done.
Shortly after the results became clear and the government had to make a decision to advise the web shop owners that they should cease all gaming activity in their shops, the lawyers for the web shop owners started meeting. Their first salvo was a letter to the government asking for their forbearance in carrying out any effort to shut the shops and threatening action in the courts if the government did not comply. It was of course the logical thing for the government to do given the vote and that was to order the shops to cease and desist. It was also necessary for the lawyers to do what they did in what is called by attorneys a letter before action. The government’s answer we do not know but the next thing the public heard was the statement from the Prime Minister that the shops must stop their activities. Presumably based on this, the Judge in the court ordered that the status quo be preserved and that the lawyers must file papers so that it can be properly adjudicated by a judge. That hearing judge would have to decide whether or not to extend the conservatory order for a few more days or whether to simply hear the substantive motion tomorrow. The Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett is now said to have carriage of the file. The case was brought to court on Wednesday 30th January even as the Prime Minister was reading his advice to the House. Now come the anti PLPs and all they could say was how this made the government look like a laughing stock. Hubert Ingraham, the disgraced FNM leader, was with his boys in a restaurant, smelling himself and charged the government with being a joke to Ryan Pinder. Those stout hearted flip-floppers in Dr. Hubert Minnis and Darron Cash, the FNM Leader and Chair respectively, went to press to say that the Attorney General Allyson Gibson should resign. Resign for effen what, pray tell us. Anyone can take a matter to court and citizens do it all the time. What would she have done that called or rose to the occasion of resignation? The FNM got to eat its cake and have it too on this one. They wanted web shop gaming but wanted to give the PLP a black eye. So they were able to say they supported the vote but then change their minds and publicly denigrate the vote, blaming the process. They and their intellectual friends even attacked the government for not being democratic when in fact the referendum was an exercise in democracy. You have never heard such foolish arguments all week. We hope that the web shop owners succeed, although we do not give them much hope that the Judiciary will support their claims. It seems clear to us that looked at fairly and squarely you cannot have government grant a licence as was done in 130 cases of web shops under the FNM, negotiate with them a tax and legislative regime, then close your eyes to what people are doing, then say they did not know and then try to shut them down after all these years. Surely there is a legitimate expectation and squarely there is an estoppel by acquiescence involved in this. No doubt this is a matter which will have to go all the way up to the policy court the Privy Council. Hopefully the Englishmen will get it right and then you will have the cry that we should get rid of them and go to the regional court for justice. The Lord has been doing a lot of talking to mortals in The Bahamas over the last few months so maybe it is again true that we will get off the Privy and get our own court with the Lord working in such a mysterious way.
AG ALLYSON MAYARD GIBSON SPEAKS
The following statement was issued by the Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson explaining what the status of the legal challenge was to the vote no result in the referendum. The statement was issued on Wednesday 30th January.
This morning, an oral application was made before Senior Justice Jon Isaacs by attorneys Wayne Munroe and Alfred Sears, representing certain web shop operators, for a Conservatory Order to maintain the status quo with respect to the operation of web shops pending the filing of documents commencing a formal legal challenge.
The Judge granted the Conservatory Order on the undertaking by counsel for the intended applicants that they file documents on or before Monday, 4th February 2013, commencing the application. Messrs. Munroe and Sears did not file any documents for today's hearing upon which the Court could deliberate on any substantive issues. The Conservatory Order is only to stand until the applications can be heard and any further order is made by a Judge. What this means , is that the relevant Government and law enforcement officials may not take any action to close down web shops or prosecute web shop operators and patrons pending the hearing of the matter by the Court.
The matter was transferred to the Hon. Chief Justice for assignment to a Judge for the hearing of the intended applications.
The matter will continue after Messrs. Munroe and Sears have filed their documents on Monday per their undertaking, the Attorney General Office has had time to consider them and to file documents in response, if necessary and the Court is available for a hearing date.
The Parties to the intended application represented by Mr. Munroe are: Pete Deveaux (D/B/A Percy Web Cafe), Sebastian Bastian and Adrian Fox (Island Luck), FML Group of Companies Ltd., Jarol Investment Limited (D/B/A Chances Internet Services), Aspera Co. Ltd. (D/B/A What Fall) and Kevin Dean/Kenneth Fountain/John Stuart/Barry Kemp and Ty Wells (T/A A-Sue Draw.) Mr. Sears represents Paradise Games Limited (D/B/A Paradise Games).
Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the Prime Minister and the Caribbean and Latin American summit with the European Union called CELAC/EU on 24th January to 27th January in Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The statement was delivered on Friday 25th January. Mr. Mitchell defended the financial services sector in The Bahamas and the region.
The Bahamas is pleased to be at this forum.
It provides a rare opportunity to interact in the multilateral context and in the bilateral context with nations with whom we might never otherwise interact.
The experience is enriching.
I hope it leads to a greater understanding of what The Bahamas is as a country and a greater understanding of the region.
There is a difference between Latin America and the Caribbean, even though we are treated as one region.
With the exception of Trinidad and Tobago and possibly Cuba, the economies of the Caribbean, certainly the Anglo Caribbean are almost entirely services driven.
There are two services in the main: Tourism and Financial Services.
The first is widely recognized and accepted as appropriate to the region.
I fear that the second is misunderstood and there has been an unprecedented assault upon that sector, with rules often changing and the impression being given that there is an environment of loose regulation and a haven for the unsavory.
Further, some often suggest that there is some negative moral element to the maintenance of a financial service sector.
We do not accept this. If the world at large believes in free trade and in private wealth accumulation, then the financial services sector is just another aspect of free trade and honest competition. You cannot believe on the one hand in free trade and then reject financial services as anathema.
Our argument is that people who have wealth, have a lawful right to secure that wealth and to protect it in privacy in a transparent and well regulated jurisdiction that is not a criminalized environment.
That is what is offered in our region and certainly in The Bahamas.
Financial services help to drive the sub region’s development. It is an adjunct to the tourism business at which we have been so successful.
In fact, most of the institutions that run the sector are in fact banks and companies from the developed world. The rules that are applied are rules in the developed world. The governments of the countries in the region seek to ensure that the rules are followed, and we participate in all of the regulatory activities to ensure the existence of the latest and up to date regulatory environment.
But there needs to be an understanding that these accumulations of wealth in our sub region ultimately help the developed world. The money does not disappear down a hole and in fact forms pools of capital for lending around the world and to facilitate the developments around the world and in the developed world itself. There is no down side. This is a win, win situation.
In the scheme of things, the markets of the Caribbean are small. In fact without Cuba and Haiti as part of the market, it is even smaller.
For this reason, efforts have to be made to ensure that Haiti’s development advances so that its people can enjoy the wealth that they so richly deserve, having in historical terms paid the price for the freedom of us all. The region is dedicated to that.
But we struggle with how to pay for this. We struggle in international fora with the invidious use of the GDP per capita which prevents development assistance. We have populations which hunger for education, require education, but struggle with the means to pay for it in an environment again where the level of income assistance is either not available or not where it should be.
Many are aware of the struggles we face with violent crimes and the subversion of our societies that are constant threats by drug cartels, driven largely from the south of us by demand from the north of us.
These are not complaints. They are facts.
Our male populations in many cases have for some reason lost the will to compete in school. This saps the energy of our societies, but we do not complain. We use our energies to succeed and succeed we will but it must be on a level playing field.
This then is a useful forum to make that point. It is important to engage with the Caribbean and for us to engage with the wider CELAC and EU processes.
I have only then to thank our host the President of Chile for the arrangements which have made our stay a good one.
THE SUN KINGDOM SENDS ITS AMBASSADOR
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| For Immediate Release January 31, 2013 Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie welcomes His Excellency Yasuo Takase, the non-Resident Ambassador of Japan to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, during a January 31, courtesy call |
NASSAU, The Bahamas -- His Excellency Yasuo Takase, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, presented his Letters of Credence to Governor General His Excellency Sir Arthur Foulkes at Government House, Thursday, January 31, 2013.During the ceremony, the Governor General extended personal condolences and that of the Bahamian people for the loss of lives and infrastructural damage resulting from the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami of 2011. “It is our hope that your country will make a full and speedy recovery.”The Governor General noted the importance of forging closer ties between Japan and The Bahamas, particularly as they are both island nations and face similar challenges with the preservation of their environments, and the use of renewable energy sources to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and vulnerability to the effects of climate change.The Governor General told the country’s newest Ambassador that The Bahamas has an outstanding record in tourism and is now expanding its eco-tourism sector, as the islands are diverse in nature and culture.“I wish to encourage your countrymen and women to visit The Bahamas in greater numbers, and perhaps during your tour of duty there will be dialogue as to how this can be best accomplished.”His Excellency Takase passed on the greetings of His Majesty Akihito, Emperor of Japan. He also said it was important for ties between Japan and The Bahamas to continue to be strengthened, and he will work closely with the Government and people of The Bahamas during his tenure as Ambassador.
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.Ambassador Takase had earlier in the day presented his Letters of Credence to Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes at Government House. (BIS Photo / Peter Ramsay) |
January 31, 2013 Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell greets His Excellency Yasuo Takase, the non-Resident Ambassador Designate of Japan to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, January 30, during a courtesy call and presentation of the Copie d' Usage of the Letters of Credence. |
His Excellency Takase's career service includes numerous diplomatic postings to the USA, Canada, Zambia, Norway, Nigeria, and Tonga. Additionally, he has held the posts of Deputy Director-General and Director for Fisheries and Ocean Affairs, Economic Affairs Bureau- Tokyo, Director-General, Scientific and Technological Cooperation Department, Interchange Association of Japan (Tokyo office). He also served as the first resident Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Tonga from March 2009 to October 2012. On Wednesday, December 5, 2012, His Excellency Takase became the Permanent Representative of Japan to the International Seabed Authority.
The story was written by Llonella Gilbert of the Bahamas Information Services
Stan Burnside the Guardian cartoonist was able to display the interesting bits about the recent vote on web shop gaming. Attorney Wayne Munroe obtained a conservatory order to preserve the status quo until such time as the court can adjudicate the matter. The lawyer has until tomorrow to file papers. Enjoy the cartoon. We also quote with approval, the statement made by Mr. Munroe about these so called Christian religious leaders we have:
“In this country, we’re not very Christian in thinking about other people, what’s happening and affecting other people. Being your brother’s keeper does not mean putting your foot on his neck and pressing down. It does not mean putting him out of a job. Does not mean taking what he has; does not mean reducing him to despair. The only command of Christ was to love. I do not know how you love somebody by making them unemployed.”
Archdeacon Ranfurly Brown welcomed the Bishop of the diocese Laish Boyd to St. Agnes for its annual patronal festival on Sunday the 27th January. The church was packed to capacity for the annual procession sermon evensong and benediction. There was a repast afterwards. The ladies hats were much in evidence. A grand time was had by all. The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
CONSTITUTION COMMISSION HOSTS RELIGIOUS LEADERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3rd February 2013
Constitutional Commission hosts Religious Symposium
By
Elcott Coleby
Bahamas Information Services
NASSAU, The Bahamas – In its attempt to ensure the widest range of consultation practicable on constitutional reform, the Constitutional Commission held a Religious Symposium at the Governor’s Ballroom of the British Colonial Hilton on Friday, 1st February 2013. Heads of all Religious Denominations were invited to address The Commission on recommendations for constitutional reform.
Presentations were made by The Rt. Rev’d Laish Z. Boyd Sr. of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands; Bishop Dr. Roston L. Davis of The Bahamas Network of New Apostolic Churches; Elder Francis Carey of The Assemblies of Brethren; Pastor Sam Bootle of the Lutheran Churches of Nassau and Rev. Dr. Anthony Carroll of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention.
There are strong and unanimous agreements within the religious community that the Constitution’s foundational reference to “Christian values” in The Preamble must not be changed.
Bishop Laish Boyd summed it up this way: “Christian values were the principal backdrop in the environment where our Constitution was born. Therefore, I would not be in favour of removing “Christian values” from the Preamble because it is a statement fixed in time, reflective of the predominant and fundamental principles of that moment in history.”
On behalf of the Network of Apostolic Churches, Bishop Dr. Roston L. Davis recommended a constitutional entrenchment allowing for National Youth Service. According to Bishop Davis, social partnerships between the Church and the Government should be established to initiate two National Programs – one for training Youth Leaders and the other for the training and discipline of “at-risk” youths.
Bishop Davis believes that “young people with the potential of leadership should be identified early and given the skill to lead their peers.” As for interventions regarding at-risk youths, the Bishop feels that “training and discipline for ‘at-risk’ youth should be given priority.” He went on to say that “a National Youth Service should be initiated to encompass both Youth Leaders and ‘at-risk’ youth. One program would be preventative and the other corrective. These initiatives should be on different tracks for both males and females.”
Elder Francis Carey called for a radical restructuring of our Parliament; he proposed the abolition of the Senate in its present form and the establishment of “The House of Governors” as its replacement - an elected body that will not only “debate and validate” legislation passed in the Lower House, but will perform the functions of the existing Family Island Councils and appointed Family Island Administrators.
“The Senate should become “The House of Governors” comprising elected persons representing each island not by population, rather prorated by islands, who will serve in the Governors Offices on their island/s with responsibility(s) for all government administration and business.” The House of Governors, according to Elder Carey, “will debate and validate House of Assembly legislation.”
Regarding the freedom of information, Pastor Bootle of the Lutheran Church acknowledged that the Parliament has passed a Freedom of Information Act that is yet to be gazetted and enacted into law. He however recommended an amendment to Article 23 (1) of the constitution to guarantee access to information held by the state or another person if access to this information is in the public’s interest.
Pastor Bootle recommended to the Commission, that “Article 23 be expanded to include the Freedom of Information as does the constitution of countries such as South Africa which explicitly guarantees the right of access to information held by the state or held by another person if it is required for the exercise or protection of any rights.”
Among his 14 recommendations made to the Commission, Rev. Dr. Anthony Carroll called for an independent Director of Public Prosecutions. “There is to (be) an independent body not within the employ of the Attorney General as is the case of the Court of Appeal” said Dr. Carroll.
When questioned about two chief lawyers representing the state, the Commissioners weighed in on this point. Chairman McWeeney pointed out that The Bahamas was probably the only country in the Caribbean that does not have an independent Director of Public Prosecution. He clarified a general misconception in the public domain that a “nolle prosequi” is a decision made independently by the Attorney General. In fact, he pointed out, this decision is based on recommendations from government lawyers and is rooted in the law. It is a burden Attorneys General carry because they are politicians and have constitutional responsibility for criminal prosecutions; this sometimes raises the question of political interference, the Chairman said. Commissioner Carl Bethel concurred with the Chairman that there is no public concern however, about political interference with the Attorney General presiding over civil and commercial cases on behalf of the Government.
The Constitutional Commission begins its public consultations with 4 Town Hall Meetings scheduled for Grand Bahama on Friday, 8th February 2013. Public meetings are planned for West End, Eight Rock, Freeport and High Rock. The meeting venues will be advertised in the coming days.
Prime Minister Perry Christie took time this week to wish Lilith Adderley, the widow of the late Paul Adderey, former Attorney General, a happy birthday at Luciano's of Chicago during a lunch to mark the occasion.
(The following comment was contributed by Bradley Roberts Chairman of the PLP:)
Trevis Demeritte and his Mother Bronell Humes of Dignity Gardens and Patrick Rolle of Bellot Rolle on Trial in Magistrate Gun Court in connection with the seizure of
16 guns and 867 rounds of
ammunition at Potter's Cay Dock on August 18th 2011 which were smuggled into the Bahamas via Bimini.
This very serious matter if UN-detected could have resulted in the loss of many lives if not uncovered by the Police. Yet the trial is only carried on page three of Saturday February 2nd 2013 Edition. Contract this with the case involving:
Carlos Lamm a former FNM supporter and his freind Latashia McKenzie who were charged in connection with alleged possession of 3 LBS Marijuana.
Every time this matter comes up for hearing and adjournments its front page news in the Tribune, Guardian and Cable 12 News simply because Lamm campaigned for Jerome Fitzgerald in the 2012 General Election.The reason should be very obvious to all. The Tribune, The Guardian and Cable 12 must cease to be puppets for the Free National Movement etc. Is the expose of a major gun smuggling substantially more noteworthy and of great importance that Lamm case? There are other glaring example to come.
Forrester Carroll writes this week from Freeport on the flip-flopping as he describes it of Hubert Ingraham on the referendum question. He questions the integrity of the FNM and its new Leadership in connection with their vote no campaign, given that during the time they were in office they supported the programme to legalize web shop gaming. Further, he suggests that Mr. Ingraham changing his vote to no was opportunistic because he intends to become leader of the FNM again.
Aren’t we all tired of the official opposition, Free National Movement, flip-flopping along purely partisan political lines, on every issue, no matter how minute the issue is and how glaringly wrong they are?The display in the exercise of the ultimate in democracy, with the vote taken recently on the question of web shop waging in the country, revealed a most despicable degree of FNM hierarchy members talking out of both sides of their twisted mouths. No one can tell me (as yet) what exactly was the FNM’s gripe, with the PLP government, for simply allowing the majority of the Bahamian people to decide the question of whether to decriminalize this activity, in the country finally, or not. The FNM they took very strong exception to the exercise and I have not been able to find a single one of them to account, to me, for their reason (s) for opposing the measure. The FNM has always prided itself (they say) with supporting the involvement of Bahamian decision making at the very highest level in our governance; as a matter of fact it was their intentions (as it was the PLP’s stated position during the political campaign) that should they have won, in the general elections, they would have put the same questions, to the Bahamian people, in a similar referendum; this for the express purpose of ascertaining the Bahamian people’s approval or disapproval; what has changed, may I ask, since May 7th 2012?
Since we are not privy to the minutes of cabinet meetings I should like to point out, however in all fairness to the now leader of the opposition, that Dr. Minnis may have indeed voted (in cabinet) against the idea of decriminalizing web shop betting, when it came up for serious discussions during the Ingraham Administration, but of course we wouldn’t know that for sure. On the other hand, however, since there is a thing called “collective responsibility” when it comes to cabinet decisions Dr. Minnis knows that, as a cabinet minister in the immediate past FNM government, he did in fact agree to and approved (along with your cabinet colleagues) the proposed legislation; its regulations and the fee structure for the licensing of the proposed web shop gaming industry in the Bahamas. The now prime minister was obliged to remind Dr. Minnis of the same when he pretended to be so adamantly opposed to the recent amendment, to the gaming act, brought to parliament by the PLP government. The former FNM cabinet ministers, including Dr. Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner, acted as though they were hearing about this thing for the first time when in fact they agreed and committed (as I said earlier) to the implementation of the same were they successful in winning the national poll on May 7th 2012. I ask then, is the reason for the FNM’s now posture because it’s the PLP (and not the FNM) who has the option of making history with this landmark decision?
The Prime Minister tabled the cabinet documents which detailed what the FNM had agreed to before being booted out of office on May 7th without revealing those details due to cabinet rules of secrecy; somehow though the Nassau Guardian was able to secure information on certain aspects of their drafted proposed legislation which they promptly revealed in a press story appearing in their January 21st edition; I found the details very interesting reading.
“FNM GAMBLING BILL REVEALED” should have been the guardian’s headlined story, on Monday 21st January, but instead the headline they chose to use was “PLP FLIP-FLOPS.” What the publishers should have been banging on (on that advance poll day) was the FNM’s 180 degree, flip-flopping (right about turn) in their position on the question of legalizing web shops in the country; instead the paper chose to bang on the PLP’s chairman’s remarks delivered, in a private setting behind closed doors, at a PLP women’s branch meeting. The country would have heard the PLP’s Chairman, weeks prior, confirm that he was supporting the “YES” vote so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone (nor was it news worthy) to hear the Hon. Bradley Roberts, in a PLP women’s branch meeting setting (as I said earlier), urge those women to vote “YES;” he, as chairman of the party, has the right to campaign among PLP members if he pleases. Our prime minister, who is responsible for party policy, made it quite clear from the outset that persons should vote their conscience and that there was no whip of any kind put on PLP members, no matter how high up in the party leadership structure, they were; with that he meant we could campaign our conscience, freely, as well. It was interesting that the Nassau Guardian hid the small lettered sub-headline (about the revelations) of the details of the “FNM GAMBLING BILL” at the bottom left of the front page hoping (I guess) that few people, if any, would spot it.
Let us examine, though, some of the juicy details, of the FNM’s proposed Bill, as revealed by the Nassau Guardian and see exactly what these deceivers (Dr. Hubert Minnis, Hubert Ingraham and Loretta Butler-Turner) had in mind for web shop operations and the country. Seeing that Hubert Ingraham had so much to say, recently (to the media and country), on the subject of gambling and the referendum, I am obliged to include him (as well) among the deceivers-he being the architect of his government’s proposed draft legislation left in the files (of the cabinet office) when he and his FNM government were run out of office on May 6th 2012.
Included in Ingraham’s draft Bill (as revealed by the Nassau Guardian), under his FNM government, web shop licensees would have been required to lodge a cash bond of between $2 million and $5 million depending on the amount of gross revenue generated annually; $2 million for up to $100 million per year generated and $5 million for amounts in excess of $2 million. Persons under the age of twenty-one (21) would have been prevented, and even barred, from waging bets; they would have been prevented, as well, from even visiting premises on which web shop gaming activity was taking place (however I don’t know how that exclusion would have panned out, if challenged in a court of law, against the constitution where a citizen has certain inalienable right of movement and assembly). Background checks would have been required on all employees and the licensee would have had to inform the licensing board of the names of proposed employees before such employees would be approved to be engaged (no problem there) and credit cards would have been banned as payment for bets wagered (I don’t get that clause). Annual license fees, numerated in the draft bill, were stipulated at $50,000.00 per license issued and each licensed agent would have been required to pay an annual fee of $1000.00. At the end of each month each licensed business would have been levied taxes of 15% on the gross intake. These were all well thought out proposals and they show very plainly that, notwithstanding their crocodile tears, Hubert Ingraham was well prepared to bring the legislation to Parliament, during his first sitting and, autocratically, pass the amendments into law notwithstanding the people’s outcry. Ingraham told a deliberate lie when he said that persons in his office drafted the bill and pretended he knew nothing about it; he is a damn LIAR; his AG (Mr. Delaney) drafted the damn bill on his instructions-no question about it. Speaking to the press it was interesting to see how, all of a sudden, this loggerhead jackass appears to now have so much respect for the Christian community. Let us not forget how the bruiser insulted Archbishop Gomez when the Archbishop took issue with some matter involving him (Ingraham) a couple years ago; Ingraham insulted the Archbishop telling him to mind the church’s business and stay the hell out of the business of the State; to quote Ingraham precisely he told the Archbishop, “you run the church and I (Ingraham) will run the government;” unquote. Clearly the man is on the political come-back trail and wants now to cozy up to the church for its support; he cares not for Hubert Minnis and whoever else now runs the FNM; a wolf in sheep’s clothing and a rattle snake of the worst kind is being too kind to him.
Where Minnis and his crew lost all credibility, on this issue, is when after being a part of a government which issued no less than 130 licenses, for web shop operations in the country, to now come pretending to have been innocent bystanders when as a cabinet, with collective responsibility, agreed to legalizing the numbers business. Both Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner know quite well that if the FNM had won on May 7th 2012 they had no intentions of getting the people’s views but (as Bishop Simeon Hall suggested) intended to autocratically legalize the industry and not give a damn what the people thought of it or them. It is unbelievable-unthinkable-that both he and Loretta Butler-Turner, who took part in all those discussions (and agreed this proposed legislation) would come now pretending as though they never agreed with Ingraham for the implementation of the same; they are simply a bunch of hypocrites who are now thinking that they have an issue, a horse to ride if you will, where they think they can gain some political mileage and support for their struggling FNM party. Ingraham (the ass) spoke (as well) as though he never engaged his cabinet on this document; that the matter is somehow new to him and as if this idea is a PLP thing which the FNM never considered; in the general election campaign, though, they promised to do the very same thing the PLP promised i.e. to bring the matter, in a referendum to the people; the suckers have no shame.
Hubert Ingraham, who as I said was the architect of the draft legislation in question here, paid NB12 news (I suggest) to convene that recent interview with him so that he could make the claim, among his other lies, that he never intended to table those documents and that bringing the now rejected referendum to the people was an idea conjured up by the PLP; he claimed, in an earlier impromptu interview with the press, that he would not vote; he claimed he wanted no part of the PLP’s charade however what a difference a day made; he changed his mind a day later in the arranged interview with NB 12 News, which I am alleging he paid to have aired, that he changed his mind and that he would go to the polls, after all, and vote “NO;” why did that not surprise me of him? Accounting for his flip-flopping Ingraham said that the brazenness of the web shop operators (he licensed mind you) who, although operating illegally for years, to converge on Bay Street as they did and not be arrested by the police and taken to prison was too much for him to bear; that was what he said motivated him to change his mind in deciding to go to show up at the polls after all. Can you imagine this clown suggesting that the police should have arrested those peaceful demonstrators? For what crime (jackass) were they to be arrested? They had a valid permit, from the police, to march peacefully you FOOL. Here is the man, himself, who was the damn dictator prime minister (only a short eight months ago) when his government drafted both legislation, regulations and the fee structure for the projected revenue to be derived, from the activity, and now he tells the nation that he and his government never intended to table the draft bills? What a damn LIAR; It might be that they never intended to allow the Bahamian people to express their views but they surely intended to pass the damn thing and make the business legal.
It is my view that the piss-head (Hubert Ingraham) has gotten over that shellacking he received in the general elections and is now headed for a come-back. Dr. Minnis had better stop him before he goes too, too far; lest they all forget how he bamboozled and ran amok on the little pea brain Tommy Turnquest; how came out of his so called retirement and undermined Tommy for the leadership of the FNM. The animal emerged from the den, where he has been hibernating since the general elections, to dare speak to the press criticizing the Christie Administration, for claiming it will have to borrow more money, in the 2013/2014 budget, essentially to pay bills left by he and Laing unpaid. The PLP should have reduced expenses, he said, when it came to office; what he didn’t tell the press is that the money the new government find itself having to borrow is to paid the unpaid bills left by the FNM. Something else Ingraham never disclosed to the press; he never told them that when he came to office in 2007, and assumed the portfolio of minister for finance, he increased the country’s overdraft, at the bank, from the $100 million it was, under the previous Christie Administration, to $200 million; he didn’t tell us, before being kicked out of office, that he recklessly squandered and used up (for God knows what) $190 million of that $200 million overdraft; the man hid this little bit of information from the PLP as well; no one knew of the matter of this extra $190 million of unpaid bills left by this country wrecker. The new PLP government is trying its best to clean up the mess Zhivargo and Ingraham left and they ought to be ashamed to appear in public. Don’t know about you guys but I am personally sick and tired of Ingraham’s and Laing’s damn deceptive utterances. If I were either of the two bombs I would go and hide myself, never to be heard from again; they both are shameless scoundrel traitors. It is very obvious that Ingraham’s reason for opposing the referendum, I submit, was because he felt the potential revenue stream, from a regulated and taxed web shop operation, would have assisted the PLP government, tremendously, in bringing the national debt under control; the FNM on the other hand objected because they are prepared, at all times as a matter of their policy, to oppose whatever the PLP brings to the table; they are all phonies.
Is the FNM not aware that all these mindless positions they are taking (flip-flopping all over the place) are being recorded in the annals of Bahamian history? Do they not care, even, what history will say of them and their tenure? What will their inheritors think of them a century from now? Do they even care how history will judge them?
Catch yourselves (Dr. Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner) before it is too late; future (unborn) generations will stand (one day) in judgment of your actions guys (in your roles) as Her Majesty’s loyal opposition here in our little Democracy; history I suspect may not be too kind to you knuckleheads.
Having said all the above I wish to suggest that the poll taken on January 28th ought not, in the least, to be binding on a sovereign government; why would I dare say such a thing? Because 35000 persons, showing up to vote in favor of an issue, out of a possible 180,000, is certainly no kind of mandate whatsoever; I will leave that there and say no more on the subject.
Thank you.
Forrester J Carroll J.P.
Peter Ramsay Chronicles The Ministers
We thought for your enjoyment or amusement you might like to see the photos of the other Ministers of government just before starting time of the Cabinet on Tuesday 29th January, the day after the infamous vote to stop people from exercising the right to gamble. The first photo is that of Ministers Michael Darville, Jerome Fitzgerald, Ken Dorsett, Fred Mitchell and Michael Halkitis and the other photo is that of Melanie Griffin, the Social Services minister arriving for work at the Cabinet office. Don’t look too worried to us.
Elections In Barbados
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart of the Democratic Labour Party has dissolved Parliament and general elections are to be held on 21st February in Barbados. This was long anticipated since the mandate for the party would have run out on 12th February. Mr. Stuart is the plodding Deputy Prime Minister who succeed the dynamic David Thompson who died from pancreatic cancer in midterm on 23rd October 2010. He is being challenged by former Barbados Labour Party Prime Minister Owen Arthur. People are predicting a comeback for Mr. Arthur. Meanwhile down in Grenada, there is an elections scheduled for 19th December. Dr. Keith Mitchell is expected to make a comeback as Prime Minister after being out for one term and defeat George Tillman who has had problems keeping his party together. If that happens, then it will complete the political comebacks that happened in the region with The Bahamas, Jamaica and St. Lucia.Jamaicans Gets Lucky With Ad from Volkswagen
Jamaica has a lot of bad luck what with the poverty, crime and problems with the IMF and their budget and balance of payments. But they are also quite lucky sometimes. Get the opportunity which fell into their laps with the Volkswagen ad which is to be played in today’s Super Bowl. Remember the publicity they got out of the movie Cool Runnings, the story of the Jamaican bob sled team at the Winter Olympics. Have a look at the ad. Jamaica gets all that for free today. Compare the fact that the ad by The Bahamas featuring Rick Fox will cost us a million dollars.
Privy Council On Recording Documents
The Privy Council has ruled in the case involving the lots at Oceana in Exuma that is the source of public controversy. The details of the case are quite factually complicated but the importance of the ruling is that under section 10 of the Registration of Records Act you can record your agreements for the sale of land. If you do and they are recorded before a conveyance to someone else of the same land, the subject of the contract, the contract will take priority over the subsequent conveyance to someone else and you will have to convey to the person in the contract. If you have conveyed the land to someone else before the contract was completed, it appears that the conveyance will be void. This is an important ruling.
You may click here for the full ruling by the Privy Council.
A Commentary On Dan Marino Fathering A Chill Out Of Wedlock
The U.S. and some other Anglo-Saxon based typed countries have an interesting morality. They get themselves into a twist over people’s personal lives. Dan Marino is a football player. He is not a saint, nor a priest, nor was he to be an example of moral or ethical rectitude. He was as a quarter back of the Miami Dolphins a hero to many and no doubt he attracted many women. That continued after he left the game. So no doubt as it is human to do, he had sex with many women no doubt outside his marriage. One of the consequences of sex with heterosexual couples is that you can get a pregnancy out of it. That happened. He wanted the matter kept private. He paid to support the child. The woman got married to someone else. She and her husband are all a happy family. Mr. Marino and his wife are a happy family despite the news. So how is it anybody’s business? Now that has become the fodder for the press. He made a statement admitting it and saying he had nothing more to say. As for his employers the CBS television station, thank God no moral rectitude and tut tut there. They said he will appear on the programme as a commentator as usual today when the Super Bowl is broadcast.
Students From L W Young
Students from the L.W. Young Junior School were addressed by the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes at Government House on for their success in their academics. The photo appeared on Facebook.
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Eliot Greene Gets Cacique Award
We congratulate Eliot Greene from Mangrove Cay for his Cacique Award in Tourism which was presented by Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe. Mr. Greene is the preeminent hotelier in his native Mangrove Cay. The award was presented in a ceremony held last Sunday.
Dr. Hubert Minnis Under Siege
The person who writes the column Front Porch for the Nassau Guardian is close to Hubert Ingraham. She is one of the female amanuenses that he gathers around him to do his bidding and they follow his every word. It was interesting therefore to read the Front Porch last week in the Nassau Guardian. It threw in Perry Christie for good measure but really the article was about savaging Dr. Hubert Minnis, the now leader of the FNM and successor to Mr. Ingraham. Meanwhile over at Jeff William’s place on the waterfront, the fellows were gathered, all Ingraham supporters and they confirm that Mr. Ingraham has issued an instruction that he is withdrawing all support from Dr. Minnis and the attack dogs are to do their worse. So you can see Front Porch, the fellows at Jeff’s and Sharon Turner all turning their guns on poor Dr. Minnis. Mr. Ingraham is on the comeback trail.
PM’s Brother Dies
Percy Gladstone “Smokey” Christie, an older brother of the Prime Minister Perry Christie was buried on Saturday 2nd February in the church cemetery of St. Matthew’s Church. The Prime Minister is pictured viewing the remains. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
The Constitutional Commission
Chairman of the Constitutional Commission Sean McWeeney has told the Nassau Guardian published on Saturday 2nd February that he believes that given the comments made about the referendum of 28th January last, it may be advisable to postpone the constitutional referendum promised for this year until a later date. He said it appears people need more time to digest complex matters.
Zhavonne Cambridge New DGM of BEC
Congratulations to Zhavonne Cambridge who has been appointed the new Deputy General Manager of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation. He succeeds the late Anthony Forbes in that position. What a difference a year makes. Mr. Cambridge was dismissed unfairly from the Corporation by the last Chairman Michael Moss for reasons unspecified and in what seemed like an FNM vendetta against him. Now a year later he is where he belongs. Congratulations again.
PJ Patterson Defends Caricom
The former Prime Minister of Jamaica P J Patterson was in Guyana to speak at the Rotary Club there on the question of the survival of Caricom on 28th January. The Prime Minister whose voice is well respected in the region said that the ingenuity and creativity of our people should be promoted and that our regional links should grow stronger.
You can click here for the full speech by the former Prime Minister.
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COMMISSION MEETS HARVEY TYNES Q C AND MAURICE GLINTON. The Constitutional Commission headed by Sean McWeeny QC, is continuing its work. In Grand Bahama on Friday, 8th February 2013 it hosted four simultaneous Town Hall Meetings on Constitutional Reform. While there, the Constitutional Commission called on two distinguished Bahamian Jurists Harvey Tynes Q.C. and Maurice Glinton. That is our photo of the week, the picture of Maurice Glinton and Harvey Tynes in the same room with the Commissioners on the constitution. Pictured with the Commissioners are Mr. Harvey Tynes, to the left of Commission Chairman, Sean McWeeney QC (center) and to the right of the Chairman is Mr. Maurice Glinton.
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COMMENT OF THE WEEK
The Mullahs of The Bahamas are still feeling themselves, smelling their top lips as we would say in the matronly parlance of The Bahamas since the no vote succeeded on 28th January and thus put a stop for now to the effort to allow Bahamians to gamble in a legalized, regulated framework. Such a framework would actually allow the government to collect taxes and then be able to put those taxes to use for and on behalf of the Bahamian people. The no vote has caused the country untold damage.
On Wednesday 6th February Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill led a blistering attack on the critics of the government and the Prime Minister. You may see the video of the presentation in the House below. Mr. Mitchell said that this country is s secular state not a theocracy and that he was fighting to maintain this country as a liberal democracy.
The leaders of this fight against gambling have turned out to be so dogmatic that it is frightening. The latest lobby is they now are stretching themselves and their new found clout to use the constitution not to eliminate the discrimination against people but to increase it by insisting that the constitution be amended so as to define marriage as between a man and woman.
This is patently stupid. It has little to do with morality, nor with the fact of whether we are a Christian nation or not which is what they say they want to protect. It is simply prejudice and religious bigotry at work.
These folks do not even understand what Christian values are. Christian values are for tolerance, understanding and letting people of all types, shapes and sizes come to Christ. These folk would simplydrive people away. Someone described them as the Pharisees of our day.
It isa real shame that these pastors do not understand that it is simply wrong to argue for a document to limit the freedom of people as opposed to liberating them.
Our guess is that one day, these preachers will go too far and overreach; at which point they will be shut down by the country at large for taking themselves too seriously and interfering in things which are not their business. They really should understand that they have a stake in making things more free than less free.
Our view is that if these right wing mullahs are going to continue to have sway over this process disproportionate to their numberin thecountry then the whole thing with the ConstitutionalCommission should be shut down. We would rather leave the constitution just as it is and not fool with it all as opposed to trying to making sensible changes only to have it high jacked by these unintelligent, half-witted twits who call themselvesreligious leaders, foisting their ignorance and religious bigotry upon us all.
We agree that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the current thinking of today's society. But you have to have a Constitution which is flexible for all the ages. So what you want to do is not tie the hands of future generations and leave such matters to the statute law. The constitution is meant to deal with the broader wider issues not be a frontier for an ideological fight which might hamper good governance.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 9th February 2013 up to midnight: 130,272
Number of hits for the month of February up to Saturday 9th February 2013 up to midnight:161,742
Number of hits for the year 2013 up to Saturday 9th February 2013 up to midnight:962,443
PRESS RELEASE
2012 LABOR FORCE SURVEY - NOVEMBER
The following statement was issued by the Department of Statistics on Friday 7th February about the unemployment situation in The Bahamas.
The Department of statistics releases the results of its Labour Force and Household Income Survey which was conducted in November of last year. The survey provides information on the labour force as it existed during the reference period of October 29 – November 4, 2012.
The results of the survey which covered a six months period indicate that there was minimum growth in the labour force (less that one percent) since the last survey conducted in May of 2012. The labour force now totals 192,205 persons.
In New Providence females in both the labour force and the employed labour force was slightly higher than males. However, In Grand Bahama the traditional pattern prevailed; men outnumbered women in both the labour force and employed labour force and were fewer in number among the unemployed.
The data further show that there was an increase in the number of employed persons (1,925) and a decrease (1,175) in the number of unemployed persons resulting in a decline of .7 percentage points in the unemployment rate, which now stands at 14.0% for the country. New Providence also experienced a decline in the unemployment rate which fell from 14% in May to 13.1% in November. However, the unemployment rate in Grand Bahama increased from 17.3% in May to 18% in November.
The unemployment among youths (15-24 years) on both islands continued to be considerably higher than any other age group. The overall rate was 30.7%, a slight increase the May figure.
Further, of the nine industrial sectors, three experienced decline in employment with the decline being greatest in the “Construction” sector (20%) over the six months period. The “Community, Social and Personal Service” industry which includes the civil service, police and domestic service continued to be the country’s largest industrial sector accounting for 30% of the workforce.
Workers employed in the “Manufacturing” sector experienced the largest increase in employment (22%) over the period.
The discouraged workers in the country declined 8% over the period. When examined by sex, the decline was greatest among women, 16%, and was considerably lower for men whose number decreased by 1%. New Providence experienced a decline of 11% in the number of discouraged workers while the reverse was the case in Grand Bahama where the numbers increased by 15%. These persons, according to the standard definition of the International Labour Organization (ILO), adhered to by The Bahamas and most countries including those of the Caribbean, United States and Canada, are not considered unemployed as they did not meet the three criteria of unemployment namely i) seeking work, ii) willing to work, and iii) able to work.
These results will be immediately available on the department’s website (statistics.bahamas.gov.bs).
BAHAMAR LAYS OFF PEOPLE
Somewhere in the back of the history books about the Cable Beach project called Bahamar, there is a report that when this construction project got off the ground there would be no layoffs at the property. The idea was that the people would keep their jobs through the orderly construction and demolition process. Things have not worked out that way at all. People have been laid off in droves. The latest layoffs came with 140 people laid off in apparent violation of the agreement with the union on Friday 6thFebruary. Bahamar could have not chosen a more inopportune moment. They let the people go on the same day the government was announcing that the unemployment picture had improved to a slight degree and the unemployed numbers were down. ( see story above). The Minister of Labour Shane Gibson was furious saying the company ignored his advice. Sarkis Ismerlain who is the principal behind the projectwould seem to be in deep trouble with the government, judging from the Minister’s statement. People are now openly speculating about whether his company has the ability to finish this project and there appears to bedisappointment at the benefits accruing to the Bahamian economy. Someone wrote if they cannot keep this small project going how can they manage a bigger project. What we found somewhat perplexing was the march on the government's offices by the workers, seeking to barge in on the Prime Minister and confronting the Minister of Tourism. What precisely was that about?
The new Ambassador from the Republic Of Zambia Bobby Samakai presented his credentials to the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes on Thursday 7th February at Government House. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell attended the ceremony with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Philip Miller. The female with her back to the camera is the Governor General's Secretary Irene Stubbs.
The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
FRED MITCHELL ON SUPPORT FOR MPS
Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, led the debate on a Select Committee Request to look into the building of a new Parliament and the provision of the benefits rights and privileges of Members of Parliament and Senators. The video was captured by C. Allen Johnson. Mr. Mitchell said that he did not like the House of Assembly building and thought it was inadequate and needed to be replaced. He gave a ringing defence of the PLP and the Prime Minister in the referendum. You may click here for the full statement
THE CARTOONS ON MITCHELL”S SPEECH
The cartoonists in the Nassau Guardian and The Tribune recorded their impressions of the speech delivered by Fred Mitchell MP in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 6th February. Stan Burnside of Sideburns in the Guardian of 8th February and Pushin The Envelope by Jamaal Rolle of the Tribune 8th February. See the video of the address above.
ALMA ADAMS PRESENTS HER CREDENTIALS IN CUBA
On Wednesday, January 16, 2013, Alma Adams had the honour of presenting her credentials to Gladys Maria Bejerano Portela the Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba. After the ceremony and formal meeting she laid a wreath at the memorial of Jose Marti. The photo shows the Ambassador with the Vice President.
JUSTICE ALLEN APPEARS BEFORE COMMISSION
NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS 7th February --“I suggest that the time has come to bring finality to this issue in The Bahamas, and to give our citizens the opportunity to decide whether the death penalty should be retained as a mandatory, or as a discretionary punishment, or whether it should be abolished. I encourage you to include the appropriate question on any Referendum you may recommend,” said President of The Bahamas Court of Appeal, the Hon. Mrs. Justice Anita Allen, in her presentation before the Constitutional Commission on Thursday, February 7, 2013.
Justice Allen said The Bahamas is not alone in dealing with this “legal conundrum” and that some CARICOM countries, namely Barbados and Jamaica have amended their constitutions to retain aspects of the death penalty. Barbados, said the Justice, “has gone as far as to expressly provide for the imposition of the mandatory death penalty, and made the CCJ (Caribbean Court of Justice) its final Court of Appeal.”
The Appeals Court President however, made mention of the fact that the Bahamian penal code has been amended to provide for specific category of cases to which the death penalty should apply, but stopped short of further commentary on those legal amendments because in her words, “the law has not been tested.”
What has been tested, according to Justice Allen, was the Max Tido murder case and the decision rendered by Lord Kerr on behalf of the Board (of the Privy Council). Lord Kerr opined that even though Tido’s crime was “dreadful” and “appalling,” is was “not one that warranted the punishment of death” as it did not satisfy the criterion of “worst of the worst” and “rarest of the rare” even though the school girl who Tido lured from her home was so tortured and bludgeoned that “her brain tissue was spewed outside of her body.”
This test, Justice Allen said, “caused much consternation in the ranks of Legal Scholars and Jurists alike. It is difficult to apply, in as much as it is like a moving post.” She continued that because of these conceptual difficulties arising from the Privy Council ruling, “there will always be a worse or rarer case than the case being considered, and the practical effect of these decisions is the abolition of the death penalty in The Bahamas.”
Her recommendation to decisively address this vexing, divisive and controversial national issue is for the Bahamian people to decide once and for all, by Referendum, whether or not they want the death penalty in this jurisdiction.
In addition to forcefully addressing the legal conundrum of the death penalty, Justice Allen focused primarily on what she termed “the fundamental rights and freedoms provisions of The Constitution,” including the constitutional provision for trial by jury, equality before the law and the right to counsel. Her focus centred on Article 20 of The Constitution
In stark contrast to the legal opinion held by former Chief Justice Sir Burton Hall on the matter of jury trials, Justice Allen believes that even though that system is “less efficient and more costly than bench trials,” she reiterated her conviction that “the right to trial by jury is a fundamental feature of the right to a fair trial which is a noble and realistic goal.” For that reason, among others, the Justice believes that “trial by jury should continue to exist as a constitutional right for serious offences, and that Parliament should not be given the authority to enact laws which limits that right.”
Even though The Constitution guarantees certain personal freedoms and rights, Justice Allen pointed out that equality before the law is noticeably absent from The Constitution. “Namely the right of all persons to be equal before the courts or other adjudicating authority, regardless of socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, race, politics, or religion” said the Appeals Court President. To this end she called for a constitutional provision assuring that equality under the law is “one of our fundamental rights and freedoms. This would clarify any ambiguity that may exist in the mind of the public that everyone stands equal before the law, no matter who they are.”
Citing the United States Supreme Court decision, that of “Gideon v Wainwright,” as her foundational argument, Justice Allen sought to make the case that the right to counsel is essential to a fair trial in criminal proceedings. In doing so she pointed out that in paragraph 2(d), the constitution “expressly delegates, the assurance of this essential safeguard for indigent criminal defendants to Parliament.”
She went on to say that the law leaves the assignment of counsel up to the discretion of the trial judges in the Supreme Court and only persons convicted of capital offences have the right of legal counsel in the Court of Appeal. Further, in non-capital cases, she said that “the court decides whether it is in the interest of justice to assign counsel or not.“ Notably, the Justice said, Magistrates have no power under the law to assign counsel and criminal defendants appearing before them cannot request legal counsel until after the defendant would have appeared before The Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal. A request, she added, the Magistrate Court may not be able to accommodate.
Having laid out the shortcomings in the legal system that could prejudice the indigent defendant in his right to counsel, Justice Allen submitted that the ultimate protection (of the defendant) is perhaps afforded in a constitution amendment, specifically to Article 19(2). This amendment will afford rights to all persons arrested and detained to be permitted to “instruct and retain counsel of his choice, and more over to hold private communication with him without delay.” This amendment is intended to afford legal counsel to all defendants, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Constitutional Commission is scheduled to host four Town Hall Meetings in Grand Bahama on Friday, the 8th February 2013 as it continues with its consultative process on constitutional reform.
(This story was written by Elcott Coleby of the Bahamas Information Services)
RYAN LAYS OUT A FINANCIAL SERVICES STRATEGY
BIMINI, The Bahamas 6th February – Minister of Financial Services the Hon. Ryan Pinder said that his newly-recreated Ministry has an “awesome responsibility”, during the launch of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan and unveiling its 10-year strategy, at the recent International Business and Finance Summit, at Bimini Bay, Bimini.
“As the second industry of The Bahamas, behind tourism – and one day we hope will rival and surpass tourism – the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie) recognised the important need to have a specific, separate entity with cabinet level leadership overseeing the development of this sector,” Minister Pinder said.
You may click here for the full story written by Eric Rose of the Bahamas Information Services.
RYAN PINDER ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
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| Pictured from left to right are Mark Sills, International Trade Lawyer and Consultant to the Financial Services Ministry, the Hon. Ryan Pinder, Minister of Financial Services, the Hon. Damian Gomez, Minister of State for Legal Affairs, Malcolm Spence, Sr. Coordinator of IP, Science & Technology (CARICOM), Obie Pindling, Chairman of CR Tribunal, and Viana Gardiner, Director of Trade and Industry Ministry. (BIS Photo / Gena Gibbs) |
Nassau, The Bahamas -- Establishing the relationship between The Bahamas Government and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) would protect the Intellectual Property Rights of Bahamian inventors and Bahamian manufacturers wanting to participate in global trade, said Minister of Financial Services the Hon. Ryan Pinder at a January 17 Public Forum in the Windsor Room of the British Colonial Hilton.
Also participating in the forum to attract international business to the Bahamian shores as well as protect Bahamians wanting to participate in expanding their business abroad was the Minister of Legal Affairs the Hon. Damian Gomez
"We have in the Ministry of Financial Services taken the position that, especially in the context of industry that, we have the ability in The Bahamas to leverage new types of industry," the Minister said, noting that a creative industries council has been formed, which includes the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, as well as private sector personalities.
Please click here for the full story written by Gena Gibbs of the Bahamas Information Services.
UNHCR REP APPEARS BEFORE COMMISSION
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| Mr. Vincent Cocheter, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Representative for The United States and The Caribbean addresses the Constitutional Commission on Monday, 4th February 2013 at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. Mr. Cocheter, fifth from left, poses with commissioners. Also pictured is Mr. Dion Hanna. |
NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS-- The issues of the repatriation of economic refugees and citizenship, especially of people of Haitian descent, were extensively discussed during this public meeting of the Constitutional Commission held on Monday, 4th February 2013 at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel.
“We don’t have any problem with that,” said Mr. Cocheter about the fact that the vast majority of illegal Haitian migrants reaching Bahamian shores, economic refugees, are returned to Haiti under existing bi-lateral agreements. He further stated that other economic refugees who enter the country undetected “ should also be subject to immigration laws unless they have any specific claim for protection as a refugee that has been victim to trafficking or under Article 3 of the (United Nations) convention.” Over all, the UN High Commission’s Regional Representative had high praise for the Department of Immigration, pointing out that “considerable progress has been made” in the screening and processing of detained illegal immigrants by that department.
On the issue of statelessness, the UN official had some recommendations for the Commission: Conceding that under Article 1 of the 1961 UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, The Bahamas has no legal obligation under International Law to grant automatic citizenship to a child born in The Bahamas to non-Bahamians, Mr. Cocheter recommended to the Commission that Bahamian nationality should be granted if the child would otherwise be stateless. This citizenship should be granted at birth or upon application shortly after birth.
He further recommended a limitation on the discretionary powers of the Government Minister with responsibility for Nationality and Citizen matters. Referring to the 1972 Nationality Act, Mr. Cocheter explained that the appellate process is not “explicitly regulated by the constitution” and under this law the Minister has quite a bit of discretionary power.
Under Bahamian law the Minister responsible is not legally bound by the recommendations of the Inquiry Committee upon review of a rejected citizenship application.
“Therefore, the UNHCR questions the effectiveness of such appeal rights,” noted Mr. Cocheter. He recommended a finite response time period for the Minister in these citizenship application matters. “You need to have a process that is a bit more predictable. The current process is very discretionary and people have no idea as to where their request ends – when they will get a reply as there is no time limit.”
Another recommendation offered by Mr. Cocheter was, consistent with the standards of UN 1961 Convention, applicants for naturalised Bahamian citizenship should not be required to renounce their current nationality before they are considered for a Bahamian citizenship as is the current legal requirement. This process creates undue inconvenience because if the application is rejected by The Bahamas, this stateless person must seek to reacquire his or her previous citizenship and that might not be possible.
As The Bahamas has not joined either the 1954 Convention on Statelessness and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, Mr. Cocheter recommended that The Bahamas join both UN Conventions.
The story was written by Elcott Coleby of the Bahamas Information Services.
However, as of March 7, scratch cards and PIN numbers currently required to make a visa appointment will be phased out and will no longer be valid.
The U.S. Embassy strongly advises all visa applicants who have purchased a scratch card but have not scheduled an appointment, to use it to schedule an appointment before the card expires on March 7, 2013.
Visa applicants who plan to apply for a visa on March 11, 2013 or after should wait to use the new web-based system. Specific details on the new web-based U.S. visa application and payment system will be announced prior to the official launch on March 11, 2013. The implementation of this new system is part of our efforts to continually improve our services for our visa applicants.
For the most up-to-date information on how to apply for a visa, visit
BAHAMIANS FIRST SAYS IMMIGRATION MINISTER TO GBI INDUSTRY
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From left are Mr. Lionel Morley of the Industrial Union, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister for Grand Bahama and the Hon. Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.(BIS photos/Vandyke Hepburn)
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NASSAU, The Bahamas – In Grand Bahama on Friday to meet with Immigration officials, Minister Fred Mitchell reiterated the government’s commitment to putting Bahamians first in the execution of its immigration policies.
He was speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Grand Bahama in connection with a long standing labour dispute between the management of Quality Services and its unionized employees.
“There is a feeling developing in Grand Bahama that Bahamians are looking through a glass at other people being prosperous who are not from The Bahamas but were enjoying the benefits of the economy while Bahamians suffer,” said Minister Mitchell.
While the Bahamas government does not begrudge the profits earned by foreign investors because they were invited here and the government thinks The Bahamas is a good place to do business, the Minister pointed out that “you cannot have a situation where Bahamians feel that they are being left out of the benefits of their own economy. And so our job is – led by what is the center of power in Grand Bahama for the government, the Ministry of Grand Bahama and this Minister’s job is tasked – we are all tasked to support the power center in Grand Bahama, (the) Ministry of Grand Bahama to ensure that the benefits of this economy will go to Bahamians first.”
Calling Immigration Policy a “blunt instrument” without subtlety and its use “a delicate balance”, Mitchell called lingering labour issues involving foreign workers and the displacement of duly qualified Bahamian workers “a law enforcement issue, but it is also a social policy issue.”
He pointed out several times that the PLP ran on an election platform of putting Bahamians first and they have not forgotten the plight and complaints of many Bahamians. Commenting on the history of the PLP, the Minister recounted when in 1969 Sir Lynden addressed the social order in Freeport as untenable, indicating that it will have to be broken if it did not bend. Again in the 1980’s the PLP picketed BORCO in support of the protection of the upward mobility of Bahamian workers. Clearly the PLP always saw the agreement between Bahamian workers and their employers as a social contract.
There are several companies that are on the radar of the government based on reports coming to the attention of the government, said Minister Mitchell. He listed the Grand Bahama Ship Yard, the Power Company, Club Fortuna, Quality Services and supply companies that serve BORCO as some of the companies of concern. He said while this list is not exhaustive, the Ministries of Immigration and Labour “have been asked to look through a microscope at the policies of these companies and the availability of jobs for Bahamians” by these companies.
Minister Mitchell announced that the government expects to hear from the management of Quality Services by Monday, 11th February 2013 where a meeting with the Grand Bahama Minister will convene and the Minister of Grand Bahama will report the results of this meeting to cabinet in Nassau. (The story is written by Elcott Coleby of the Bahamas Information Services.)
STALWART B REPORTS ON INGRAHAM PARTY
STALWART COUNCILOR B WRITES FROM FREEPORT
(UPDATE ON THE INGRAHAM PARTY)
DR. HUBERT MINNIS FIGHTS OFF HIS REAR GUARD
“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” MacArthur
Dr. Hubert Minnis is in the political fight of his life as he fends off his detractors. His brethren in the FNM, says that he does not speak well, he does not dress well; or, deport himself like a leader. All of this is coming from the Hubert Ingraham faction of the FNM.
At the end of the Abaco bi-election campaign, Dr. Minnis declared that the Ingraham era was over and there could be only one leader at a time. From that moment onward, Dr. Hubert Minnis has not had a moment’s rest.
On Saturday, 9th February, 2013, Hubert Ingraham’s general Anton held a party in Mr. Ingraham’s honor. Dr. Minnis as leader of the FNM was invited to attend but it was expected by all that he would beg an excuse and not show up. Dr. Minnis had gotten wind of all the plotting and scheming and was advised by his advisors to go and face these political hyenas. We are reliably informed that Dr. Minnis, although alone, made the whole affair very uncomfortable. In fact, the entire evening was a very uneasy one for the Ingraham faction; only Tommy Turnquest and Brensil Rolle were brave enough to stand with Ingraham during the evening.
Hubert Chipman was the only M.P. that showed up because we were informed that he had no idea of the intrigue taking place. Dr. Minnis for his part seemingly had a very nice evening. Sources tell us that a lot of the conspirators left the party early while others did not show up at all once they realized that Dr. Minnis was not leaving. Sources further tell us that Dr. Minnis has most of the MCM STALWARTS supporting him. In Grand Bahama, Dr. Minnis has secured the support of the old FNM guard, and is comfortable in his leadership.
A high-ranking FNM supporter has confirmed that Ingraham’s comeback bid will fail miserably because Ingraham should not have resigned his seat. He should have stepped down and leader, and remain as an M.P., and allow for a much smoother transition.
For the time being, the deputy leader, Loretta Butler-Turner, has decided to take a neutral position, but in the coming days, will have to choose sides. The FNM supporter told us that Dr. Minnis is well on the way of clearing up the party’s election debt and will soon turn his attention to smoking out the conspirators. In the end, Mrs. Butler-Turner, will do well to remember the old saying, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”.
Stalwart B
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport a scathing review of the performance of Darren Cash, the Chairman of the Free National Movement. Mr. Carroll said he had hoped that Mr. Cash would have been a different kind of FNM but that he is proving to be more of the same.:
I fully expected that (in time) the new chairman, of the FNM, in trying to find his way and establish himself firmly at the helm of his party, would end up making a damn fool of himself eventually; however I didn’t think that, given the young professional’s abilities at doing other things, he would end up so quickly (on his first outing on the job) making a damn fool of himself. I am told it’s a paid position but would he condescend, to such a low level to compromise his values, at any price?
I might be mistaken but I don’t think that Darron Cash’s mind is legally trained; is it? Well, if it is not, then on what authority(on what basis)may I ask then, does he purport to judge the credibility of legal advice (if any)given the Prime Minister, and his government on any matter, by the country’s AG and or her minister of state, for legal affairs, the Hon. Damian Gomez?
This little twit had the audacity to suggest recently (as was reported in a press release given through the Nassau Guardian and published on Thursday 31st January 2013) that the Hon. Minister, and her Minister of State, should resign their portfolios immediately for (as he put it) their giving the prime minister bad advice on the procedure followed in the recent referendum exercise; surely you jest Mr. Chairman- surely you jest Sir; may I ask, is this a new found “standard of operating procedure” within the Free National Movement or just a haphazard move on the part of Chairman Darron Cash to see if he can jump start some kind of forward thrust to his “retreating to the doldrums/to the dung hill if you will” FNM party?
I asked, this question, whether the standard that the new FNM chairman now espouses is something new, in the FNM, because for the 15 years (and especially the last five years of their governance) they have governed the country I have not known this ethical standard to be any benchmark standard in their governance. As a matter of fact under the FNM none of their ministers ever did anything wrong, from their perspective, that they would admit to and this even in the face of irrefutable evidence that they have; a number of their former cabinet ministers now come to mind very vividly. The FNM’s record of sweeping the misbehavior of their ministers and parliamentarians under the proverbial rug is unmatched. If this is so, and I challenge the new chairman to credibly deny it, I can only conclude, then, that Darron Cash is no damn different from any of the other FNM former spokespersons; he is obviously prepared to glaringly continue to practice this double-standard (one standard for their FNM party and another for the PLP or whoever else opposes them) just like all the others who’ve gone before him; and don’t challenge me, Sir, to name all the cabinet ministers, from 1992 through to
2012, who have skeletons still housed, safely tucked away, in the FNM’s closet (I will name a couple further down in this article however).
In his press release it was obvious that Mr. Cash took care in crafting and articulating his statements and he did so verbatim from the pages of the FNM’s textbook, I presume, as put together by that deceiver of all deceivers-Hubert Alexander (come-back) Ingraham. The new FNM chairman seems right on course in his development of the FNM’s art of using loosely and irresponsibly sentences to apply to situations to make them appear as if the FNM is a Saintly Organization and their opposition is weighed in the balances and are found wanting. If you listen to his message and forget, for a moment, who it is delivering that message you would be fully convinced that our country’s savior has come. Let us not forget though that these are the same snakes (wolves in sheep’s clothing) that only ten months ago (after governing for five whole years) had this country, on the brink, over the Cliff of economic ruin; we were in the doldrums of criminality without any hope of recovery. These are the same snakes (don’t forget) who managed this country (2007-2012) through five consecutive years of record-breaking heinous crime statistics-their fifth year (2012) being the most gruesome of them all; in that year (2012) we recorded the highest murder rate (127) ever in the country’s history; record unemployment stats being their hallmark at 16% nationally; 22% in Grand Bahama and 34% among the youth nationally. Degradation, everywhere, all around us with mortgage defaults at around 80% and a rapidly increasing national debt; having added almost $3 billion to the country’s debt in the specified five years. I am shocked that this young chairman, who condoned and sanctioned fifteen (15) years of Ingraham’s reckless governing and who never once, that I can recall, condemned him or demanded his or any of his team’s advisers’ resignation, would now come pretending that he and his party care so much for good and responsible governance; he never demanded Neko Grant’s resignation for his screw-ups in tourism and the road works program which saw a doubling of its original contract/which cost overruns remain unaccountable for (to date); he didn’t say a damn word in condemnation of Zhivargo Laing for his (Laing’s) admitted role in the “Mona Vie-Nepotism” scandal nor did he bother to demand his resignation; he didn’t demand Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace’s resignation, either, for his alleged scandalous role in the phony tourism promotional contract which has now been turned over to the Attorney General’s office for possible criminal action against him? The country became practically a failed state under FNM rule and Darron cash never once required the Ingraham Administration to account, to the Bahamian people, for their recklessness; he condemned none during 15 years of miss-rule but now he comes, on the scene, with his holier than thou stinking attitude making these nonsensical demands of the PLP for putting a matter to the people for their approval or disapproval? Well I’ll be damned, I’ve heard it all. We, who are easily swayed, with mere words, must take the added precaution and consider the source of those words. The FNM may have new spokespersons but they are the same old tired, borrow and spend, organization (created and shaped by that losing Abaco Dragon) which owns the distinguish record (in this country) of wrecking our economy and, by extension, the lives of the Bahamian people; not once, they did this, but twice (1992-2002 & 2007-2012).
Darron Cash in his statement said that quote; “After more than a million dollars down the drain and a national DISTRACTION from the core issues of JOB-CREATION, OUT-OF-CONTROL CRIME, EDUCATION and IMMIGRATION reform and YOUTH DEVELOPMENT the persons in the Christie Administration most directly responsible for this royal referendum MESS ought to be held accountable,” unquote. Have you ever heard of such utter, unadulterated, mumbo-jumbo bull crap emanating from a so-called intelligent young professional in your born days? Not in my lifetime I haven’t; I warn you, please, not to seriously consider the message before considering who the damn messenger is delivering the message. If my memory serves me correctly it was this same Perry Christie government, back in 2002, which came on the scene and rescued the country, then, from the FNM government’s recklessness. It was then that Perry Christie, along with his team, carefully and meticulously maneuvered the country out from under double-digit (16%) unemployment; stunted growth; GDP in decline; mortgage default rate of around 50%; revenue non-performance; a rapidly climbing national debt (with Debt to Ratio far beyond the 43% permitted) and had us on the road to full recovery (in just five years 2002-2007)attracting to the country, during that period, foreign capital inflows of almost $20 billion and creating 22,000 jobs in the process. When this same Perry Christie, whom Darron Cash is now attempting to malign, left office in 2007 unemployment was at 7.6% (down from the 16% he inherited from Darron Cash’s government); growth, in the GDP, was projected for around 4-5% and FULL EMPLOYMENT was expected by 2008. That is the kind of economy Christie turned over to the wrecker (Hubert Ingraham) when he left office in 2007. I have already outlined above how recklessly Ingraham spent the fortunes left to him by Christie in 2007 and now here is Christie again working tirelessly at cleaning up the mess Ingraham and Cash and Minnis and the boys (and girls) left to him in 2012; and Cash has the nerve-the audacity-to make these bold, bare-faced and stupid political demands? Don’t you have any shame you little four foot midget?
Change your tactics little boy (Darron Cash) before you end up on the political dunghill for rejects just like all those others who’ve gone before you; Ingraham, Laing, Foulkes, Symonnette, Carl bethel, Tommy and all the rest; you will find them all there nursing their political wounds and hoping for another opportunity to redeem themselves which will never come.
Thank you
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
February 2013.
Latrae Rahming is a member of the Progressive Young Liberals who contributed this piece on the role of young people in the body politic over the web distribution:
Friend –
Educate – Organize – Transform
As a political organization, the Progressive Liberals Party can not undermine the mere importance of the institution pertaining to political activism. The way in which ordinary citizens participate, the processes that lead them to do so, and the consequences of their acts. One of the profound responsibilities of a citizen beyond participating in their constitutional duties of voting is a sustained and committed assistance in helping the government govern. This current administration must understand the significance of a mobilize movement centered on political activism in favour of Christie’s legislation or the considered well defined “Charter of Governance” and its committed goals. As a party it’s rather imperative that we focus on the role of activism as organizers who people together to create political strategies for social change and to forge new human relationships based on mutual respect and solidarity.
We cannot distort neither ignore the truth that individuals have lost faith in the ability of our party to govern due to past unforeseen events and as members of the party we are guilty of that very same sin. The country we seek to govern as a political party is filtered with arrogant polarization and a controlled cynicism aimed to derail the agenda of the government. We cannot neglect that we are victims of our own mistakes; “we don’t fear public scrutiny of our programs. For from that scrutiny fosters understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition”.
In a fundamental manner through a well defined system we should challenge our members and citizens in becoming activist-educators in our communities about government’s policies and its agenda.
The ideas of social change are an evident translation through discussions amongst others. We can assist in turning government’s ideas into action, from a direct and effective action emerging from the collective efforts that involves large numbers of people at the grassroots level. We should create a PR agenda that bilaterally reflects and educate the public at large on the achievements and business of our government in a strategic and effective manner.”Strategies for political change are strategies for political organizing”. We should create a political activism body translated through government that protects and favours government’s agenda through preserving the support of party members and the electorate simultaneously. Let’s create a system within government that focus on uniting all who can be united around common goals and new human values
Lastly there are those within in the party wishing to assist, asking nothing in return but to be part of good governance. We have to utilize the talents and skills within our country and our party taking the way we govern to the 21 century.
LatraeRahming
Yours etc.;
URCA Allows Cable Bahamas Increase
The Utilities Regulatory Competition Commission has agreed to allow the fees of Cable Bahamas for its basic service for television to increase. Cable Bahamas gives bad service to the public and it should have been refused. The Commission as with many Bahamian institutions simply swallow lock stock and barrel what they are fed by the sector they regulate. The public’s interest be damned.
Chris Brown
One Bahamas
We thought that with the return of the PLP the One Bahamas observances would fall away into history but even if it seems like death throes the thing is continuing. On Wednesday 6th February the observances began, seemingly incorporated into the 40th anniversary celebrations of the country’s birth. The One Bahamas celebrations began under the FNM administration as the FNM’s answer to the PLP’s independence observances. This year the Prime Minister Perry Christie, the Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis and the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes came together at the Churchill Building’s portico to mark the occasion and to announce a One Bahamas early morning walk on Saturday 23rd February. The photo shows former Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest, the Governor General, the Speaker of the House Dr. Kendal Major and the Prime Minister.
The Randy Curtis Wedding
Randy Curtis is a young public officer and he was also a young activist in the Progressive Liberals. They are all growing up now and choosing life’s paths. Mr. Curtis who is the son of the Funeral Director of the same name got married on Saturday 2nd February. Best wishes to them both in their new life.
Ingraham Soon To Get A Message From The FNM
All is not what it seems. The barbs are out as the party is disintegrating into an all-out slanging match to make sure that the former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham remains a political corpse. Mr. Ingraham in a totally opportunistic move joined the No vote campaign in the referendum of 28th January and is now taking credit for that decision even though it was the FNM’s leader Dr. Hubert Minnis who crafted the Party’s position. Sources are telling us that the party held by Mr.Ingraham on Saturday 9th February was a gathering of all the Ingraham troops, a call to arms, with Mr. Ingraham now saying that he is on sabbatical as opposed to being retired.
The Constitutional Commission
The Constitutional Commission headed by Sean McWeeney QC held hearings in Grand Bahama on Friday 8th February. The Commission and its staff held four hearings throughout the island. There was a session in West End, East End and in Eight Mile Rock and Freeport. The sessions were well attended, with people complaining that there was not enough publicity so the turnout would have been higher. Nevertheless, the themes are emerging with the preachers feeling emboldened now that the referendum succeeded in a no vote on gambling led by them. They led the cry for marriage to be defined in the constitution as between a man and a woman and for there to be a vote on retaining the death penalty. We have to be careful that this kind of right wing nonsense does not succeed.
Ian Strachan’s Comment In Part
The man Ian Strachan who is being promoted by some to be the next President of the College of The Bahamas has not quite gotten it, the need to move from iconoclast pouring and heaping scorn on all the country’s institutions to becoming an institutional man, comfortable in a coat and a tie. So he was engaged in a rant again which earned him the criticism of the Foreign Minister in Parliament on 6th February who told him to go get a life. Mr. Strachan was decrying after the results of the referendum on 28th January all the political parties in the country were no good and that the Prime Minister was a failure as was the Leader of the Opposition. Time to grow up. The photo shows Mr. Strachan seated in the open collar at the College of The Bahamas ceremony in Freeport last week.
The Incorrigible Eileen Carron
Fred Mitchell MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs speaking in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 6th February accused Eileen Carron, the Publisher and Editor of The Tribune of engaging in a nasty and unseemly attack on Michelle Reckly, the head of the Urban Renewal programme in Freeport in her editorial of that day. Mrs. Carron made fun of Mrs. Reckly because she was a cook. He said that Mrs. Carron’s pattern of behavior in writing about Mrs. Reckly in that way was part of a pattern of behavior with her demeaning the personhood of the individual. Mr. Mitchell said on previous occasions people connected with the PLP have been called by her: monkeys, skunks and crabs. Mrs. Carron in her editorial reply said that he did not remember using those words and even if she did if the cap fit then wear it. It is that kind of unrepentant racism to which Mr. Mitchell was referring.
Dermont’s Progress
Dermont Mitchell is the son of Matthew Mitchell, himself the younger brother of Fred Mitchell MP. Dermont banged himself up pretty badly in a traffic accident last year and is in rehab at the Jackson Memorial rehab facility in Miami. His father keeps friends up to date with his progress. The accident has brought out interesting gifts of love and mobilization by his young friends. Dermont was a great soccer star in his days at high school and college. His buddies held a fundraiser for him one Saturday and the firm with which he used to work Baker Tilley Gomez headed by accountant Craig Gomez held another recently. His father reports some progress but says the younger Mitchell suffers from recurrent seizures which are normal for his kind of injury but is difficult as a parent to experience. He asks for prayers.
Bimini Bay Ferry
Bimini’s MP Obie Wilchcombe stepped in and corrected what promised to be a disaster in Bimini with the plan to take the new fast ferry service from Miami direct into the Bimini Bay project. The Bimini Bay project is developing a reputation in Bimini similar to that of Sandals in Exuma where it does not connect with the local community. Long story short, the ferry service now lands at the government dock in Bimini. That is the right thing. Some tweaking needs to be done because the people are hustled onto taxis and taken direct to Bimini Bay. They don’t get the chance to mingle with the natives. The first boat arrived on Friday 8th February.
Michael Misick Is Out On Bail
There are conflicting reports about what the fate of Michael Misick is with regard to his fight with the British and their attempt to prosecute him for alleged corruption offences in the Turks and Caicos Islands while he was Premier. Mr. Misick says he did nothing wrong but even if he did, the matters were signed off by the Governor at the time and so were condoned by the British. No one from Britain has been charged with an offence only local people from the Turks. The whole matter comes off as a British persecution. Mr. Misick was arrested in Brazil last year and has been languishing in jail awaiting the British extradition request. Now comes word that Mr. Misick is free but there is a dispute over on what terms. Mr. Misick'ssupporters in The Bahamas says he is out absolutely with his asylum claim accepted. The British say not so, he is out on bail. The release of Mr. Misick came on Friday 6th February.
Seat Voided In Turks And Caicos Islands
There are three seats being questioned by the Opposition in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the courts following the general election held there last year which resulted in a one seat majority for the party of Premier Rufus Ewing. Now the court has voided one of the elections because the third party candidate who got 48 votes was a US citizen and did not renounce his U S citizenship before nominating. The judge said because this could have changed the result, she voided the election and a bye-election is to be held. Two more rulings will come next week.
Hubert’s Party To End All Parties
A great time was had by all at the party to end all parties. Hubert Ingraham is again signaling that he is back in the political fray and wants his troops be on stand-by. The party was held on Saturday 9th February. Happy birthday to Anton Saunders on his 49th birthday.
Tyrone Fitzgerald Jr. Resigns
A brief announcement from the Grand Bahama Port Authority said that Tyrone Fitzgerald, the General Counsel of the Port has resigned. No word on why.
The New Bahamas Ad
New Canadian High Commissioner
Our Man In London
OUR MAN IN LONDON: Bahamas High Commissioner to the Court of St. James Ed Bethel meets His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at a reception for Realm High Commissioners at Clarence House in London on Thursday, January 24, 2013. From left are: The Prince of Wales; His Excellency Ed Bethel; Mrs. Dawn Bethel; His Excellency Dr. Carl Roberts, High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda to the Court of St James; and Mrs. Pauline Roberts
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THE PM ANNOUNCES THE DIPLOMATS: Prime Minister Perry Christie came to the pavilion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to announce the next group of diplomatic appointments. As heads of mission he announced Elliston Rahming as Ambassador designate to Washington D.C; Godfrey Rolle as Ambassador designate to Haiti and the Dominican Republic; Rhoda Jackson as Ambassador designate to the United Nations in Geneva and to the World Trade Organization and Calsey Johnson as High Commissioner to Canada. He also announced the Consul General for Washington D.C. Paulette Zonicle and a press and cultural attaché Oswald Brown. The photo of the week then is the Prime Minister with the newly announced heads of mission at the pavilion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday 13th February. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
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COMMENT OF THE WEEK
Last week on the web, there was a notice from Ian Strachan, the Professor at COB’s web page that the government had mandated a ten percent cut back at COB. Not quite true. The government sent out a notice to all its agencies asking them to remember the constraints on public spending and seeking an outline from them of areas where expenditure can be cut.
By the way the intellectuals at the College were howling, you would think that they are just like the Bahamians in the lower socio economic groups who seem to want everyone to work for the government. We need a government job is the cry. Everyone from top to bottom wants to work for the government. There is simply a great air of unreality.
We think that there will not be any light at the end of this tunnel until the year 2015. There is nothing magic about that year but it appears to us that these things are cyclical and it will take that long for the cycle to start going again. The question is whether or not the people who advise us on these financial matters and we ourselves are being as inventive as we can in this day and age. There is a mindset which infects us from a cultural point of view which drags out the most simple decision making to the point where we throttle growth.
The government has at last decided that we will begin the public discussion on value added tax (VAT). Quite frankly just as we believed that the referendum should never have been held and we should just implement new gaming laws, so should we with value added tax. Just impose it and move on. But everything is so painfully slow.
It should also consider the creation of some tax free, regulatory free zones in the country which will allow people to come and set up with a minimum of interference from the government with the provision that they must hire Bahamians to do the work. One such domestic zone might be a place where gambling can take place for Bahamians without intervention from the state.
We cannot provide an exhaustive list but what you know is when a store has a problem getting sales, they have a sale and cut prices. This should be done with taxes and fees to encourage people to spend and spend now.
The looking at cutting back at spending is tiresome. The needs of the country do not diminish. Inevitably when you cut back it will be the poor who suffer. How about us ignoring this spending business and cut backs there and simply concentrate on getting the money to pay for the spending without recourse to borrowing.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 16thFebruary 2012 up to midnight:118,449
Number of hits for the month of February up to Saturday 16th February 2013 up to midnight:280,191
Number of hits for the year 2013 up to Saturday 16th February 2013 up to midnight:1,080,892
You can click here for the link to the government's statements of Jamaica.
You click here for Michael Halkitis’ on the way forward in finances given to Rotary last week.
THE SIDNEY POITIER FILM FESTIVAL AT COB
CARICOM/US STRONG AS EVER SAYS CARICOM SG
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CARICOM Secretary-General, His Excellency Irwin Larocque, responds to a question during his dialogue with members of the Bahamian media Thursday, February 14, at the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (BIS Photo/Kristaan Ingraham) |
NASSAU, The Bahamas ---- The relationship between the 15-Member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United States of America remains strong despite differences of opinions “from time to time,” the Caribbean Community’s Secretary-General said.
CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin Larocque also applauded The Bahamas for its role in CARICOM.
“Friends and family can disagree amongst themselves without necessarily straining a relationship and that is how I would characterise the relationship between the United States of America and CARICOM,” Ambassador Larocque said.
“The relationship between the United States of America and the Caribbean Community has always been a strong one and it is because of that strength that it allows for – from time-to-time – differing of opinions about certain issues.”
Ambassador Larocque said one can only look to the many partnerships formed between the United States and the CARICOM Community – be it U.S. assistance in crime, particularly transnational crimes such as drugs, guns and human trafficking; anti-terrorism initiatives, HIV/AIDS and education, etcetera – as proof of the “positive relationship” that has been developed and sustained by the two groupings.
He said the United States just last December committed to extending the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Partnership Agreement with Caribbean States. The commitment was made during the third Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue in Trinidad.
A Joint Statement issued at the conclusion of the Trinidad Meetings said the United States and CARICOM have “recommitted to the priorities” of substantially reducing illicit trafficking, advancing public safety and security and further promoting social justice as outlined in the Caribbean/United States Declaration of Principles.
The United States and CARICOM states have also declared their intent to strengthen their cooperation in the period 2012 to 2013 by recognising, among other things, the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security as the primary entity for the coordination of all regional security programmes. In addition, CARICOM and the US plan to enhance mechanisms for training and counter narcotics coordination and operations.
The US and CARICOM have also agreed to promote social justice by instituting Youth Workforce Development programmes in the Caribbean to focus on life skills training, technical and vocational training - based on market needs - and private sector assistance with internships and job placements.
“And if you were to recognise the levels of engagement that have taken place over the years including meetings between the Presidents of the United States of America and the Heads of Government of CARICOM, most recently President Obama meeting with our Heads in Colombia; the somewhat regular meetings between United States Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Caribbean Foreign Ministers and other engagements at the senior level, they all tell you that our relationship is a good one, a strong one,” Ambassador Larocque added.
Ambassador Larocque said he anticipates that there will continue to be issues upon which the United States “disagree with us and issues upon which we disagree with them from time-to-time, (but) I think it (the relationship) is strong enough for us to do so.”
Ambassador Larocque’s comments came while “dialoguing” with members of the Bahamian media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of his Official visit to The Bahamas. That visit comes as CARICOM celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
His Excellency said dialogue with the media “as Caribbean stakeholders” was a very important part of his visit to The Bahamas.
“The media a very important part of our community without whom it would be almost impossible for me to do my work effectively in the sense of being able to communicate with the public at-large,” Ambassador Larocque added.
(This story was written by Matt Maura of the Bahamas Information Services)
Last week as the House of Assembly met, there was a crowd of hotel workers mounting a demonstration in front of the House of Assembly. The Secretary General of Caricom Irvin Leroque had to run the gauntlet of the demonstrationin order to get into the House where he was meeting with government officials. Just what the demonstrators wanted the government to do, we are not certain. Their Union leaders including Nicole Martin, head of the hotel workers union, were there demanding to see the Prime Minister. What could he tell them? It appears that Bahamar paid them all the severance required by law. So what else should he do in what is essentially a private dispute? But this is a well worn path with all roads leading to Bay Street and the government must do something or so it is argued. This is not to say that we take the side of Bahamar in this. We do not. The Union's leadership has demonstrated a lack of ability to manage the issues which face the industry but the deficits of the union leadership do not excuse the bad faith of the Bahmar project which has not produced for the Bahamian public the benefits expected. The hiring of Bahamians is nil and the prospect of hiring Bahamians is also nil. It appears that there is a tortuous route to dealing with Bahamar which does not bode well for when the project is actually complete and whether or not they will actually hire Bahamians to run the hotel project. There is trouble coming down the road. For Bahamar to lay off 140 workers was an act of bad faith and the government and its agencies must now monitor with greater scrutiny that investment as it goes forward.
CARICOM SECRETARY GENERAL IN NASSAU
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| CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin Larocque (left), met with Youth Ambassadors in a luncheon meeting on Friday, 14th February at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. This is part of a tour of CARICOM countries to promote the work of CARICOM and to foster stronger relationship ties with member states. He was joined by the Hon. Dr. Daniel Johnson, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture (center) and the Director of Youth, Darren Turnquest. After delivering brief introductory remarks, Mr. Larocque met with the Youth Ambassadors in a closed session. | D'Shante Beneby, chair of the Progressive Young Liberals, left, one of the country's Youth Ambassadors was in attendance. |
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| Later on Friday, the Secretary General hosted the media. He discussed
a wide variety of regional issues including greater media interaction
with the work of CARICOM; transnational criminality involving the
trafficking of drugs, humans and firearms; the regional fight against
HIV/AIDS; the original and appellate jurisdictions of the Caribbean
Court of Justice; CSM&E and the seamless travel of CARICOM nationals
around the world. The Secretary General is seen greeting The Bahamas
Ambassador to CARICOM, HE Picelwell Forbes. (BIS Photos/Elcott Coleby) |
THE IOM VISITS THE SOCIAL SERVICES MINISTER
Representatives from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) pay courtesy call on Minister of Social Service the Hon. Melanie Griffin, February 11, at the Ministry's conference room, East Hill Street. Pictured from left: Under Secretary, Alan Strachan; Minister Griffin; IOM Regional Director, Robert Paiva; IOM Rep. Keisha Livermore; Director of Social Services, Mellany Zonical; and First Assistant Secretary Bureau of Women Affairs, Christine Campbell. (BIS Photo / Raymond A. Bethel) The IOM is a specialized agency of the United Nations which deals with migration issues around the world. They have given and offered technical assistance to The Bahamas on the issue of Haitian migration to this country.
THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS APPOINTMENTS
Prime Minister Perry Christie was at the Foreign Affairs Pavilion at East Hill Street on Wednesday 13th February to announce the Foreign Affairs appointment of diplomats who will represent The Bahamas abroad. He was welcomed to the Ministry by Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell.
Here is what he had to say about each:
Dr. Elliston Rahming
The search for an Ambassador to Washington was an exhaustive one. This is without doubt our most important relationship. In looking for an Ambassador I wished to have someone who understood our policies and philosophy of governance; who had the understanding of the United States and its government; who understood government and public policy in The Bahamas; who had distinguished himself in public service prior to his appointment.
The Foreign Minister advanced several names because the post has usually been filled by former Ministers of the government or high level retried civil servants. When I honed upon Dr. Rahming's name, the Foreign Minister reminded me that Jamaica had appointed to their Ambassadorial post in Washington an academic with three a Ph Ds. That sealed the deal. Dr. Rahming fits the bill in every respect.
I know he will bring his tireless energy to the job. I know of his devotion to duty having worked with him when he was my special assistant when I was Prime Minister last time. I appointed him to the post of Superintendent of the Prison and I know of his reforming work there. I am therefore pleased to nominate him.
Ms. Rhoda Jackson
To lead our most-recently established Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, Ms. Rhoda Jackson brings a wealth of professional experience which more than effectively advances Bahamian interests at the various United Nations specialized agencies, as well as to the World Trade Organization, as we seek to conclude our accession process. She was specifically chosen by me because of her extensive knowledge of the Foreign Service rules and procedures; and so, will be key to establishing a new mission.
Most recently serving as Consul General in Miami, she is a career diplomat with over twenty-four years’ experience in the Bahamas Foreign Service. In London, she focused on the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, a group in which we actively participate under the European Union’s Economic Partnership Agreement and CARIFORUM, which will greatly enhance The Bahamas’ trade capacity and our role as an international trading partner. Her exposure to the intersection of social and economic matters in both Washington, DC, and at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations has acquainted her well to represent all facets of our country to the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and position us strategically to identify and request the assistance we need for national development.
Commander Godfrey Rolle
Commander Godfrey Rolle will return to Haiti, this time as Ambassador. It is a role for which he is well prepared. He worked there as a Defence Force officer and as a diplomat before. He goes to a land which will require a lot of work to ensure that our relationship remains on even keel given that the main issue which arises between our two countries is illegal migration. It will be his task to broaden the relationship and to ensure that the migration problem is also properly managed. In addition he will have the responsibility of managing the relationship with the Dominican Republic with which we have been working to resolve poaching in our seas. He will be joined by his wife who will work with him in the Mission seconded from the Ministry of Tourism. He comes to the job with a background of distinguished service in the military and in the fight against drugs which is his most recent job in the public service.
Mr. Calsey Johnson
I want to welcome Calsey Johnson to the diplomatic corp. He will serve as the High Commissioner to Canada, one of our most important trading partners. In this connection, we are seeking to settle a trade agreement with Canada within the Caricom context. He will be working with our Minister of Trade in seeking to develop this pact. He will also have the responsibility for relations with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which develops the rules and practices in and around international airports and in civilian travel. The most contentious issue that we have with Canada is that of the treatment of our students who apply for visas to study in Canada. At last count, we have almost 500 students from The Bahamas studying across Canada. We believe that it is vitally important that Canadian student visa procedures for Bahamians be expedited and with dispatch. Relations with the student community will be most important in Canada. It may be that at some stage a Consul General will have to be added to your support team given the number of students there and the fact that many of them go to school in Atlantic Canada far away from our office in Ottawa. Mr. Johnson comes to the job highly qualified having worked as a senior broadcasting executive at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas and then working in the insurance field as a senior executive in his years since he left the Corporation.
Mrs. Paulette Zonicle
Former Senator Paulette Zonicle brings considerable talents to the job of Consul General. She too comes from a background in broadcasting, having worked at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. She knows our philosophy of Bahamians first. She is being sent to Washington to help with the organization of the Diaspora in that jurisdiction. Bahamians in and around Washington are a small but important community there. Many of them work in the professions and in industry. They have been asking for us to pay some attention to their concerns, mainly a wish to be further engaged in the work of The Bahamas abroad and to lift up The Bahamas and its interests where they work. That will be her job to organize the Bahamian Diaspora and to assist the Ambassador in the political work of the mission. We expect great things from her.
Last year we did not even have a formal celebration by our embassy to mark our nation’s independence. I do not want this to happen this year…
The FNM can have no complaint about political appointments
The FNM when in office appointed C A Smith, Maurice Moore, Anthony Rolle, Frank Rolle, Kay Forbes Smith, Elma Campbell Chase, Calvin Johnson all former FNM MPs and Senators as Ambassadors and Consuls General. How then does the fact that one of the Prime Minister’s appointees is a PLP and former Senator disqualify her for an appointment to office?
Mr. Oswald Brown
The Ambassador will also be joined by a veteran of journalism Oswald Brown. Mr. Brown is a former editor of the Freeport News and The Nassau Guardian. He has a long history of public commentary and activism. He will help to make the story of The Bahamas known abroad, to assist the Ambassador and the Consul General in their work in pursing Bahamian interests abroad and to ensure that the story is told at home. I am happy to welcome him to the team.
P ANTHONY WHITE ON FRED MITCHELL
This column first appeared in The Punch on Monday 11th February 2013 by P. Anthony White:
THE WHITE FILE
Fred Mitchell – the man who would be PM
by P. Anthony White
For a number of years it has been obvious to astute observers of the passing scene that the ardent desire, ambition, and mission of Fred Mitchell, the Member of Parliament for Fox Hill, is at some point to become prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
He is certainly capable and well-deserving. But leave that for now.
Two weeks have passed since what might be considered the greatest political and national challenge prime minister Perry Christie has been called to face in and out of government, in almost four decades on the front line of politics in this country.
Ever since the failure of the gaming referendum on 28 January, Mr. Christie has been the subject of political and other slings and arrows from every direction. Yes, even from some close within his own political bosom.
During the campaign for that damnable referendum the official opposition Free National Movement and its leader Dr. Hubert Minnis spoke out loudly in support of a NO vote, when it was obvious that the success of a YES vote would have been most beneficial to the country in these challenging economic times, and would have brightened the political image of the prime minister and his PLP government.
Near the end of the campaign even the former prime minister and FNM leader, Hubert Ingraham, thrust his hat into the NO ring, along with the church and others who apparently wanted to see the government fail in a race in which Mr. Christie said he had 'no horse”, even though many in the country were accusing the government of siding with the YES campaign.
If truth be told, the fact is that prime minister Christie did indeed suffer an embarrassing political defeat with the failure of the referendum, and the further truth and an even harder fact is that far less than a goodly number of his supporters, parliamentarians, and even cabinet ministers have since that time come forward to defend their leader caught in the political trenches.
WHITE FILE . . . 2
Then in Parliament last Wednesday there arose a voice of loud and persistent and strong and indignant and defiant and fearless defence of Perry Christie as an embattled, and politically wounded PLP leader and prime minister who well deserves the support of his followers and even well-meaning Bahamians who may not be PLP supporters.
The prime minister deserves that support from his followers not simply when he goes forth and leads his party into election victory, but also when friend and foe alike put their heels upon his neck and presses, as if for the political kill.
It was the Fox Hill MP and cabinet minister Fred Mitchell who burst forth in Parliament in that salvo of defence of his leader, and his tones and inflections left little doubt that he was aiming his guns to a great extent at his own political colleagues, who obviously did not quite understand and accept that they had a responsibility to support and openly defend their leader.
The exercise was vintage Fred Mitchell through and through.
About this Fred Mitchell. Over at least the past four decades or so in The Bahamas it has been extremely rare that an elected Member of Parliament has had the testicular fortitude to stand boldly and fearlessly to declare his belief that in the matter of the referendum the voters of this nation have made a bad, stupid decision.
We first met young Fred Mitchell back in about 1969, when we were not yet 30 and he a young student who expressed a burning desire and deep personal commitment to becoming a journalist of worth and value in this country.
We had just returned home from studies in New York, and as a member of the staff of the Bahamas News Bureau, one of our ongoing assignments was as a permanent speech-writer and aide to the late Dame Doris Johnson, then Minister with responsibility for Transport and Communications.
During that period, we had occasion frequently to come into contact with Dr. Johnson's secretary and chief assistant, Mrs. Lillis Mitchell, who was familiar with our family roots and ties, and who so often spoke with great pride about her son, Fred.
Through the years Fred insinuated himself pridefully and purposefully on the front line of politics and public affairs in The Bahamas, leaving no doubt whatsoever that in due course he fully expected to be an effective part of the front-line decision-making process of the nation., once he completed his studies abroad
WHITE FILE . . . 3
Following the 1984 Commission of Inquiry in to Drug Trafficking Through The Bahamas, when cabinet minister Hubert Ingraham was fired from the cabinet, he, Ingraham, operating an independent, and organised what came to be known as the Third Force which published a newspaper called The Beacon.
Apparently Mitchell became part of that political effort, and in 1992 when the Free National Movement became the government, the new prime minister, Hubert Ingraham, effected the appointment of Mitchell as an independent member of the Senate. Following the 1997 election which the FNM also won, Mitchell continued as an independent senator, with the acquiescence of opposition leader the late Sir Lynden Pindling.
Yes, Fred Mitchell was entirely in charge of his own political mission all along, and he knew right from the outset that the mission was eventually to become the prime minister of The Bahamas.
In that he was here and there to have a rocky way to go and on that journey, shamelessly to paraphrase Rudyard Kipling, Fred was to wrestle fiercely with political kings and yet not lose his political virtue.
Following the 2002 general elections and until 2007, Mitchell, elected to Parliament for Fox Hill, became Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service. He had already studied law at the University of Buckingham and called to the English and Bahamas Bars.
Fred, an Anglican and faithful member of St. Agnes Parish in historic Grant's Town, has through the years been the consummate Bahamian politician, through the years successfully beating back political and other foes as he strove to maintain his political standing in the community.
He came to be known as a PLP who, as far and as often as possible, believed steadfastly in the need and the duty to follow and defend and protect and support the political directorate of his party, and his government. Yes, at one point he was publicly at odds with the late PLP leader Sir Lynden Pindling. But that was then, as it is now, par for the course.
A demonstration of fidelity to that belief and support and defence of his party's leadership came last week when Fred Mitchell in Parliament spoke on a resolution for the appointment of a select committee to deal with parliamentary matters. Yet Mitchell, who moved the Resolution, spent much of his time defending the prime minister in connection for the referendum, for which he deserves great credit.
WHITE FILE . . . 4
In the face of the overwhelming criticism of Perry Christie with regard to the referendum process, Fred Mitchell said that the only thing of which the prime minister can be accused is being consistent and keeping his word. Speaking of Mr. Christie's stance, this what Fred Mitchell told the House:
“He (Christie) said it would be a matter of conscience and he stuck by it even though there were many of us saying get in the race . . . but this is his government and he ran it as he wished with leave and support. And there is nothing about this exercise of which I am ashamed, nothing.
“I'm proud of him, proud of my colleagues and proud of the Bahamian people even when I disagree with them. I am proud of them.”
Fred Mitchell, God willing, will mark his 60th birthday later this year. He has spent more than half his life maneuvering though the political waters of the land, and has during that time come to know intimately the location of every treacherous rock and shoal.
He would have learnt where and why each leader has stumbled, some of whom actually fell, and today in so many words, practically every day he tells The Bahamas that he is unafraid and resolute and willing and ready to face and defend himself against all critics and detractors, no matter what the nature of their thrust.
Prime minister Perry Christie will be 70 this year, and in all likelihood he will elect not to carry on as PLP leader. His second-in-command as party deputy leader and deputy prime minister is a very capable, affable, and apparently effective Philip “Brave” Davis.
Yet chances are none of this will deter Fred Mitchell from his mission, practically from boyhood”, someday, some way to sit as prime minister, as Head of Government in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
It will be quite interesting to see exactly how he accomplishes that mission.
WHITE PAPER ON VALUE ADDED TAX
Prime Minister Perry Christie, the Minister of State for Finance announced in the House of Assembly and laid onthe table of the House for public review the white paper on bringing value added tax to The Bahamas. The starting date for the new tax is to be 1st July 2014. The government is gearing up to centralize revenue collection and to centralize debt management. This is all part of the necessary reforms to make the country more modern and efficient. Already the voices of doom and gloom and ignorance are spinning their yarns. This means that the government ought to get on its bicycle in order to sell this programme to the Bahamian people. The thing about value added tax is that it will bring services into the net of the tax man which now escapes largely any tax. It will also take the burden off the merchants and the poorer consumers for the macro tax bill. You may click here for the white paper.
MITCHELL ON HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO WORK
(the tail doesn’t wag the dog)
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell, told newly-appointed diplomats that they must remember that that the capital (Government) is the source of their power and instructions.( You may click here for the full statement by Mr. Mitchell)
“Wherever we are, we are the agents of the capital and do no act without their leave or authority,” Minister Mitchell said, during the Formal Announcement of Heads of Missioner and Consular Officers, at the Foreign Affairs Pavilion, East Hill Street, on February 13, 2013. “We must be sure that we have it before we act.”
“Similarly, once we have given our advice and our principals have decided the policy then we are to act strictly in accordance with those wishes,” Minister Mitchell added. “Our personal views have no bearing. When personal views get to the point of being so fundamentally opposed to policy then the result is simple: resignation.
“That is how I propose to run the affairs of this Ministry and Department.”
Among those appointed are as follows: Dr. Elliston Rahming as Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States; Mr. Calsey Johnson as High Commissioner to Canada; Captain Godfrey Rolle as Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic; Ms. Rhoda Jackson as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and Ambassador for Trade; Ms. Paulette Zonicle as Consul General, Washington D. C.; and Oswald Brown as Press Attaché, Washington, D. C.
Also present at the event were Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Minister of Tourism the Hon. Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Financial Service the Hon. Ryan Pinder, Minister of Transport and Aviation the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin, other Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials, church and civic leaders, foreign affairs stakeholders and the families and friends of appointees.
Minister Mitchell said that there will be times when some matters will have to be acted upon in the “deliberate judgment of the heads of mission”; but, in matters of policy, it is always best if there are no instructions to defer until one gets instructions.
“In a time of scarce resources, you will be dispatched to a foreign land with another and more imposing remit,” Minister Mitchell said. “The Ministry of Finance will be looking with added scrutiny on how we follow the spending instructions they give us, so that missions do not fall into error by spending monies on what they want and not what has been approved by Parliament.”
Minister Mitchell added that one would also see that there is now, at last, have a Shadow spokesman on Foreign Affairs in the Opposition Mr. Hubert Chipman, who appears to be engaged and as such “you can expect added scrutiny of our work”.
“You will know that he is to be afforded the courtesies of office when he calls for enquiries and should he determine that he wishes to visit or call upon our offices overseas,” Minister Mitchell said. “I can assure the Opposition’s spokesman that we will not flinch to answer any inaccurate criticisms of our work.”
To help the Heads of Mission with their work, Minister Mitchell said that the Deputy Chiefs of Mission will be sent and they will have an opportunity to say whether or not the person is someone who meets their approval.
“The Cabinet has also decided that there is a need for press and cultural attachés to help you with your work and in particular to assist with the organisation of the Bahamian Diaspora in your various jurisdictions,” Minister Mitchell said.
(This story was written by Eric Rose of the Bahamas Information Services and the photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services)
Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Perry Christie and Foreign Affairs Minister the Hon. Fred Mitchell are seated during the formal introduction of newly appointed diplomats February 13 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, east Hill Street. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)
HUBERT’S GUNS COME BLAZIN AT MINNIS
Last week, we reported in this space about the ongoing internal war which is taking place within the Free National Movement over the leadership of Dr. Hubert Minnis. There was nothing that demonstrated that more than the column which appeared in the Nassau Guardian last week by Front Porch, one of the voices that Hubert Ingraham uses in the press. The column savaged Dr. Minnis saying that he was an embarrassment that he was bad on his feet in the House and every time he got up to speak people cringed. Indeed they characterized him as the best form of insurance for Perry Christie as Prime Minister. The problem is this as we understand it. Mr. Ingraham wants to come back and be Prime Minister again. He has a playbook with all the ingredients in it which includes the usual spies and silent soldiers planted in the public service to sabotage the PLP government. They are waiting in his orders in the service and in in the party. Trouble is in the party, they had enough of him. People are still pissed off at him for leaving them high and dry after the general election. They are sick of his petulant ways and would like to see the back of him. Mr. Ingraham was shocked at the frosty reception he received at the Anton Saunders' party for him but he is undeterred. A comeback is what heis plotting and a comeback is what he wants to get.
In the Roman Catholic tradition Wednesday 13th February was Ash Wednesday. The Anglicans having divorced themselves from the Romans but keeping the tradition also hold Ash Wednesday services. The Pope allows the two churches to join in joint services for Ash Wednesday, using the ashes from the palms used in service on Palm Sunday last to make the ashes. St. Francis Xavier's and St. Mary's Anglican Church had a joint service on Wednesday 13th February to mark the period of time when Jesus was preparing for the end of his ministry and his death. The photos showing Fr. Dwight Bowe ( St. Mary's) and Fr. Glen Nixon ( St. Francis ) and a young parishioner of St. Francis are by Peter Ramsay.
ANOTHER OIL SPILL OFF GRAND BAHAMA
The following statement was issued by the Ministry of Transport and Aviation:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16th February 2013
Oil Spill reported off Grand Bahama
Ministry of Transport and Aviation
The public is advised that on Saturday, 16th February, 2013 at approximately 1:15 p.m., officials from BORCO reported that an oil spill had occurred in the vicinity of Pinder’s Point, Grand Bahama. In response to the spill a team comprising officials from BORCO, the Port Department and the Department of Environmental Health Services immediately mobilized to commence clean-up operations and assess the extent of the oil spill. The clean-up operation is on-going with constant monitoring from BORCO and the National Oil Spill Advisory Committee. The oil slick has now diminished and is not visible.
Officials from BORCO report that the pipeline, which is believed to be the source of the spill, contained oily residue as a result of the decommissioning of several pipelines. Bunker C Heavy Fuel Oil was originally pumped through the pipelines.
BORCO reports that approximately three-weeks ago, the petroleum company commenced repairs at a section of the jetty and they closed down seven pipelines and blew-out the lines with water. BORCO further reports that the procedure removed about 95% of the oil from the lines, leaving some oily residue in the pipelines. This will be carefully monitored.
Due to adverse weather conditions, the response team was unable to complete the assessment and clean-up operations; however, an emergency response team including divers is on stand-by to respond as soon as the weather permits. Safety must be the focal point of all operations.
A fly over is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday 17 February, 2013 by members of the National Oil Spill Advisory Committee. It is anticipated that weather conditions will subside by Monday 16 February, 2013.
The National Oil Spill Advisory Committee convened a meeting at approximately 4:00 p.m. today to review the situation and to ensure that mechanisms were in place to adequately respond to this latest incident. The Committee is on stand-by reviewing all actions taken in response to this incident. A full investigation has been launched by the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport about the exercise by the Attorney General of the power to stop a prosecution under the constitution. He takes issue with the Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis who questioned the right of the Attorney General to do so in a recent case. Mr. Carroll recalls the exercise of the right by former Attorney General Sir Orville Turnquest to stop a prosecution in a homicide charge against a white Bahamian who had shot a black Bahamian down in cold blood and which looked like a racist attack.
Months prior to the Free National Movement winning the general elections on August 19th 1992 (their first win after five unsuccessful attempts and 25 years in the political wilderness), a young WHITE boy from a prominent eastern road Bahamian family, of Greek origin, allegedly took his shot gun, ran down a BLACK man who he allegedly observed walking through his white neighborhood without first obtaining permission (I guess) to do so, and shot him to death-no questions asked. He shot the black man (it was revealed later during the police investigation) for daring to walk through an area in Nassau New Providence Bahamas, would you believe, which was apparently off limits to blacks. The boy’s parents, we were told, ultimately ushered him onto an airplane and sent him into exile, out of this jurisdiction, to live abroad before the case could come to trial. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest. This all happened while the PLP was still in office and just months, as I said earlier, before the FNM (led by Hubert Ingraham) won in the 1992 general elections and became the government.
My memory does serve me quite well as I recall that just after taking office the new FNM Attorney General (now former Governor General), in the early times on the job, ordered that all proceedings against this “alleged killer in exile” cease which meant that he could return home to Bahamaland without fear of being prosecuted, jailed and or hanged by the neck until dead; all investigations, in progress (and I mean all) were ordered stopped and the bench warrant which had been issued by the judge fell away. In effect this alleged white boy murderer was declared, by the FNM Attorney General now former Governor General with a stroke of his pen, innocent of all possible charges of killing that black man in cold blood. Sounds to you very much like those good old days in the southern United States when Mr. Willie Lynch was king does it? Yes, indeed, it did happen right here in this Bahamas in 1992 under the very first FNM government. I recall now, very vividly, how astounded and shocked I was when learning what it meant when the newspapers’ headlined story read that the new AG, in the new FNM government, had issued a “nolle prosequi.” We didn’t know what the hell a “nolle prosequi” was at that time; we never heard of such a thing happening before (then) so why would we have known what this foreign language legal term meant? I must confess that when I read the headlines my first thoughts were that they must have been referring to some French dish on the menu of an exclusive French restaurant somewhere in the world but alas it wasn’t; it was the FNM government exercising its muscle in exonerating that Greek/Bahamian white boy, from that prominent white family on the eastern road, for killing a “nobody” black unmarried man (that’s all) no big deal. We all learned very quickly that under the law the AG could do that sort of thing without having to account to anyone in the country; they are protected under the law against having to account to anyone (including NOT to the cabinet and or the PM under whose pleasure and authority they serve) and so it was what it was. The law, we discovered, is in place for the attorney general to be able to act alone in the event a case is before the court which if certain facts are revealed could compromise the national security of the nation. The thing we couldn’t figure out at the time, however, was what was there in this particular case that if allowed to go to trial could have possibly compromise the country’s national security; but it was what it was and history will not escape the facts. The AG’s order stayed the police investigations and squashed the bench warrant, as mentioned earlier, allowing the alleged killer to emerge from exile and return home to his eastern road residence a free man; this could only have happened, in a Bahamas at that time, under a Bay Street driven and dominated FNM government. The white boy allegedly took his twelve-gauge shot gun and ran after the BLACK man and shot him to death, was now free as a bird to board the next plane out from where ever he was hiding in exile and return home to his racist Bahamas never to suffer, in this life, for killing that eight (8) year old little girl’s father.
That Eastern Road family like most of them living in that area at the time and now has always had a long tradition of, politically and financially, supporting Bay Street’s UBP/FNM party; they hated the PLP’s guts. They are still, and have always been, great and loyal supporters of the FNM. We concluded, at the time of the issuance of the “nolle prosequi” by the FNM that it was a campaign commitment, made to the family by the FNM. It was a fair comment on the events leading up to the surprised issuance of that “nolle prosequi”. The new FNM government didn’t care that the BLACK man, who the WHITE boy allegedly shot to death, left behind an 8 year old daughter who was now fatherless. The country had all the reasons in the world to believe that the new Ingraham government pledged to the white Eastern Road family that should the FNM win in that election they would arrange to set their nice lily white innocent boy free; after all it was only a worthless BLACK man he allegedly murdered-no big deal. The WHITE boy did in fact return home, immune from prosecution and protected by the FNM government, to live happily ever after? I doubt seriously that he lived (or is living) happily ever after; if he is not as yet dead, but still alive, I am quite sure he has had many years of sleepless nights thinking of how he killed that innocent man in cold blood, for doing absolutely nothing, leaving his eight (8) year old daughter fatherless .
I read, with much disgust, an article in the Nassau Guardian published 6th February 2013 and written by reporter Travis Cartwright-Carroll headlined; “Unable to review file related to nolle prosequi, says Minnis.” This headlined story was in connection with that “Cry Baby” FNM leader’s (Dr. Hubert Minnis) griping and publicly expressed concerns over the decision taken recently by Actg. AG, the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald, in the absence of the Hon. Allyson Maynard-Gibson (who was overseas on the country’s business at the time) to issue a “nolle prosequi” declaring that one George Hayles and his wife Janice, who had been before the courts in connection with an unlawful/unlicensed gun possession charge against them, had “no case to answer.” This silly doctor/leader of the FNM had his day in parliament when the matter was addressed (at length by the prime minister) and when he was lectured fully on the law governing how such matters are dealt with; Minnis should have left the parliament that day quite ashamed of himself for not knowing the basic protocols which are in place where an Attorney General, in law, has the exclusive discretion (as they see fit) to issue such an order for whatever reason and that they are accountable to no one for his/her actions; including, I might add, NOT to the Prime Minister, any of his/her Cabinet colleagues and especially not to the official opposition for sure. This fact was drilled into this lame brain opposition leader (we thought) in the parliament, and on that day, when he himself stupidly brought it up for discussion; he was bust down and made to look like the proverbial “DANCING GOAT ON THE WOODEN FLOOR.” This guy either has a very short memory, a serious double-standard mindset or thinks we, who are on the opposite side of his party’s messaging, are just as stupid as he is.
Has Dr. Minnis really forgotten the Eastern Road family affair of 1992 or is he suggesting that only under an FNM government is it alright for a “nolle prosequi” to be issued and not be made into a political issue? Tell me, Mr. Leader, what part of “It’s not your damn business” don’t you understand? When this ASSY FNM Leader broached the government with the matter in the parliament he was told then that it was the AG’s business and the AG’s business alone and that under the law the AG owes no one, including his or her cabinet colleagues and government, an explanation or an accounting for the action taken but this ASS (who could never leave well-enough alone) must always continue on a theme until he makes a complete fool of himself; his own supporters even, I am told, are not paying him any attention; he seems never to know when to quit while he is ahead of the game. “Wolfgang Von Goethe” once said that “There is nothing in which people more BETRAY their CHARACTER than in what they laugh at;” unquote. I am convinced that behind closed doors, in the chambers of the FNM, Dr. Minnis tries to convince his team (and has himself a good laugh) that he has scored one up on the PLP; the man just doesn’t know how to avoid looking stupid.
What make matters so adverse, politically, for Dr. Minnis and the FNM (that he leads) to the point where they are now the scorn and laughing stock of the country, is when they volunteer these asinine statements to the press like the ones attributed to the leader in the Guardian’s story referenced in this writing; in one of Minnis’ statements, in connection with the “nolle prosequi,” he quite seriously opined that; “ My colleagues and I, in the Free National Movement, are greatly concerned that the prime minister is grossly underestimating the extent to which this matter continues to significantly erode the reputation of the Bahamas’ judicial system in the international community, in general, and the public’s confidence in his government in particular” unquote; hey Dr. Minnis, the only erosion to our judicial system, by this “nolle prosequi,” is in your little teeny-weenie empty brain; why, Sir, don’t you desist from talking nonsense? Are you telling the country (and the world because the world is monitoring you) that when the FNM, in 1992, excused that white boy from even being prosecuted for the crime of murdering that helpless black man that that didn’t have a worse affect (by your standard here) on our reputation, internationally and, as well on our judiciary but this one issued by the PLP does and will? Why do you, Sir, feel there is a significant difference between the two? Could your attitude be, exactly what it seems, that because all the “UNCLE TOMS” in your party felt (and you still do) that because it was a WHITE boy, from an elite Eastern Road family, who was the accused killer of an insignificant BLACK man that it was alright for the FNM to let him go free, Is that it Dr. Minnis? Both “nolle prosequi” were issued under the same law and with the same authority; are you then telling the Bahamas that as far as the FNM are concerned the WHITE boy killing the insignificant BLACK man is more acceptable a case for a “nolle prosequi” order than the PLP’s in this matter? Unlike us who, at the time, knew very well all the circumstances surrounding the case (in point) in 1992 and knew for sure, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the “nolle prosequi” issued by the then FNM AG was a tragic happening in the country you, on the other hand Dr. Minnis, know quite well that this case, involving the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald, is a totally different matter which could never compare with the case involving the FNM in 1992 and is a far more palpable case for the AG’s decision.
According to the newspaper report Dr. Minnis went on further in his diatribe saying “He (meaning the PM) has yet to give the officials within the cabinet office approval to accommodate my (meaning him) review of this file for the purpose of determining whether the opposition can support the conclusions arrived at by the attorney general and or the acting attorney general” unquote; who in the hell told you (you foolish man) that the legal protocols in our system provide for a review of the files, by the official opposition, in such circumstances; and who in the hell told you that your approval, and or that of your opposition group or party, is needed or sought after to validate the decision? If this disease (this plantation disease that “white is right”) you are struck with (and suffering from) wasn’t so damn serious I would be laughing my head off you damn “UNCLE TOM FOOL.” For the sake of the general public though, by way of explanation, a “nolle prosequi” is issued, usually, when it is determined, by the country’s Attorney General alone without regard to the cabinet the opposition or anyone else, that the NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE NATION could be compromised if a case, (whether it is in process or not) goes forward in the courts; the leader of the official opposition though, who is said to be the prime minister in waiting, should know these basic things if he is truly desirous of one day leading this nation.
The Bahamian people are NOT so deeply suspicious about this matter (as you have determined Dr. Minnis) and the prime minister neither seeks nor wants no damn advice (as you suggest) from the likes of a dummy like you; you knuckle head.
Thank You.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
February 2013.
Myles Munroe Throws Down the Gauntlet
It appears that the comments of Fred Mitchell the Foreign Minister in the House of Assembly on February have gotten the attention of the charismatic preacher Dr. Myles Munroe. The statement by the Minister with which the preacher took exception was the praise for the Anglican Bishop in defence of gay and lesbian people and their right not to be discriminated against in their own country. Dr. Munroe takes exception to that. In the process, he indicated that the statement by Mr. Mitchell makes him suspicious of everyone in the House of Assembly as being gay, save and except for Dr. Kendal Major who is a member of his church. He also said that 25 members ought to volunteer to run for the House of Assembly.
PM To Heads of Government in Port au Prince
Prime Minister Perry Christie will lead a delegation to the Heads of Government conference of Caricom from Monday 18th February to 19th February in Port au Prince, Haiti. Mr. Christie will be accompanied by the Minister of National Security Bernard Nottage, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, the Minister for Trade Ryan Pinder and the Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe with Caricom High Commissioner Picewell Forbes. The meeting is expected to receive a briefing on National Security matters from their ministers and a briefing from the new Premier of the Turks and Caicos’ Islands on the internal situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Barbados Elections
The general election will be held in Barbados on Thursday 21stFebruary. The former Prime Minister Owen Arthur retook his party during the break from power and is leading it again. He is expected to defeat the successor to David Thompson, the low key Freundel Stuart.
Grenada Elections In Grenada
Dr. Keith Mitchell who used to be Prime Minister of Grenada and is now Leader of the Opposition, is on the comeback trail. General Elections are to be held in Grenada on 19th February. George Tillman, the now Prime Minister , had a serious split in his party during the last five years and has been operating without Parliamentary support for almost a year. He is expected to be defeated by Dr. Mitchell’s party.
Turks And Caicos Go After The British
Turks and Caicos Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing has asked the United Kingdom to recall Governor Ric Todd, Attorney General Huw Shepheard and CFO Hugh McGarel Groves from office.
In a letter to UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, Ewing, who is currently Premier in an evenly-split House of Assembly, criticized what he alleged were “atrocities and wrongful acts” being committed by the Governor and UK officials on the island. The new government in the Turks is at loggerheads with the Premier over taxation and about the conduct of the prosecutions that the British have been conducting against Turks and Caicos Island citizens including that against former Premier Michael Misick recently freed in Brazil to prosecute his asylum claim in Brazil.
The Wrinkle Jail Sentence The Straw Vendor
Bahamians got a real shock we think last week on 12th February with the picture of a white Bahamian in handcuffs being taken to prison for the stealing of electricity. The Magistrate in a sentence which was clearly excessive and wrong sentenced the man to one year in jail with another year if he did not pay a five thousand dollar fine. Consider this: BEC is out of its money allegedly some $15000 but the Magistrate decides no restitution but to send the man to jail where it takes the state an average of $13,000 to take care of each person. How stupid is that? The matter is being appealed. The Magistrate in question is known for being overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Wilchcombe At The Heat Game
The Bahamas Minister of Tourism, The Honourable, Obie Wilchcombe and the Bahama Knights, the Olympic gold medal 400/4 (m) relay team, were hosted by the Miami Heat Organization, court side Sunday, 10thFebruary for Heat vs. Lakers Game at the American AirlinesArena
Constitutional Referendum Postponed
The Constitutional Referendum which was scheduled to be held this year in June prior to the 40th anniversary for Independence of The Bahamas so that the forms of discrimination against women could be eliminated is to be postponed to November. The Constitutional Commission’s Chair San Mcweeney Q C wrote a note to the government asking for its postponement. The new deadline for the completion of the Commission’s work is 30th June.
Irish Consulate Opened
On Monday 11th February, the government of Ireland led by its Ambassador to The Bahamas Ray Bassett opened a consulate in Nassau. The Irish Honorary Consul who will man the office is Brain Quinn. Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs attended the opening. The photo is by Kris Ingraham.
The Vice Admiral Comes A Callin
U.S. Vice Admiral Clarke in charge of the Coastguard Atlantic area was in The Bahamas to discuss with his officials and Bahamian officials matters involving Coastguard work in The Bahamas on Friday 15th February. He was joined by U.S. Head of Mission ad interim in The Bahamas John Dinkelman. The photo is by Kris Ingraham.
Photographers Discuss Their Issues With Immigration Minister
The Bahamas Photographers Association paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Immigration Fred Mitchell with regard to their issues on immigration on Friday 15th February 2013 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The photo is by Kris Ingraham.
Darron B Cash Says Bring It On
Interesting what happens when you get into front line politics. Darron B Cash is now Chairman of the Opposition FNM. The quiet, reflective Mr. Cash has now decided to be red rags to the bull in challenging the PLP Leader’s assertion that there is to be a Select Committee of the House of Assembly to look into the matter of the sale of BTC. “ Bring it on “ said Mr. Cash, This is the same Mr. Cash who in his other life opposed the sale of BTC by Mr. Ingraham.
Persis Rodgers Dies
The lady after whom the Persis Rodgers Homes for the Aged was built has died. the PLP issued the following statement upon her demise:
On the passing of Nurse Persis Rodgers (nee Roberts)
Progressive Liberal Party
The Progressive Liberal Party is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Nurse Persis Rodgers (nee Roberts) on 16th February.
A long-time resident of Fowler Street, Nurse Rodgers was a pillar of the Grants Town Community. The Persis Rodgers home for the aged was initially constructed by the Rotary Club of West Nassau and opened its doors on November 14th,1973. This privately operated facility was managed by Mrs. Frances Ledee and was also the residence of its founder, Nurse Persis Rodgers until her death.
Nurse Persis Rodgers was a strong advocate for the elderly; she was our “Mother Theresa” and was blessed by her Maker with the gifts of love and long life. She used those gifts in the selfless service of others, in many cases lifting up the most vulnerable and the weakest among us. Our country is more civil because of her life and we suffer a great loss in her passing.
The PLP salutes this great Bahamian Lady for her long and dedicated service to the people of The Bahamas.
Our heartfelt condolences are extended to her family, both local and in Florida, her extended family at the Persis Rodgers Home for the aged and her many friends.
May her soul rest in peace.
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THEY CALLED IT A TOPPING OFF CEREMONY: the buildings which are to form the nucleus of the new Bahamar project on Cable Beach have reached their full height of 25 floors. Upon reaching that ultimate height, there is usually a ceremony in The Bahamas. The building is two stories higher than the Atlantis Royal Tower and twice as high as the last Crystal Palace which it is replacing. Although it is bigger than Atlantis it remains to be seen whether operationally it will be as good as or better than Atlantis. The rumblings reached the public’s ear at the topping off ceremony with the Prime Minister hinting at disagreements with the developer about the progress and impact of the project on Thursday 21st February when he appeared at the topping off ceremony. The quotes appear below. The picture that appeared in The Tribune the morning after seem to say a thousand words about the state of things. Thus our photo of the week, the Prime Minister Perry Christie next to the developer SarkisIzmirilian at the topping off ceremony on Thursday 21st February. The Prime Minister does not look very happy at all. The photo is from The Tribune.
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COMMENT OF THE WEEK
In this column we have made the point over the past weeks that there is a concern about whether or not the Bahamar project is being properly managed and whether the people who manage it have the wherewithal to be able to bring the project to conclusion and to manage it properly. The questions now loom larger than ever with the comments made in the press by the Prime Minister Perry Christie, who was speaking at the topping off ceremony of the new Cable Beach project in New Providence on Thursday 21st February. There is a lot riding on the new project which it is said will hire 7000 people to run it when the 3.5 billion dollars are spent on the project at its completion.
The Prime Minister said this according to The Tribune: “Sarkis Izmirilian and I have had many disagreements, we are going to have more but I think as the Minister of Tourism said to him ‘You two started off together and you owe it to yourselves and the vision to overcome any divisions that materialise’.
“This is about the people’s stake, clearly this is not about Sarkis and Perry Christie, this is about something much more meaningful, something that ties up and gives us a path to securing our future
“Many times I wondered whether I was right when I persuaded my friend Phil Ruffin to sell.
“There is a whole story behind that. Ladies and gentlemen the real challenge though is how we prepare going forward.
“Now is the time and this is the call I make this afternoon, to ensure that you and Perry Christie have a relationship that will enable us to cut through some things that happen on this site that shouldn’t and that will prove to be to the enduring benefit of the Izmirilian family and the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. I believe that. It is important that we make sure, and I say it again, we make sure that people understand the value of your contribution to this country. That is important, particularly because in hard times people are anxious and we are still in hard times and I thought I would make this public appeal to you because you understand me and I understand you and going forward now, beginning tomorrow we should have a full agreement on this training programme that you have and how it is going to unfold and be for the benefit of the people of our country.”
So now when you cut through all of that, what does it mean?
There have been disagreements between the government and the developer at what is happening at the project. It would appear that the optics of what is happening at the site, including most recently the layoff of 140 people are not right. It would appear that despite the fact that the facility is almost within sight of completion, the training of the work force that will be needed is not underway.
We mention these three things because the Bahamian public remembers acutely the work done by Sol Kerzner at Atlantis and the work they continue to do at Paradise Island, despite their financial troubles. Atlantis continued with its work force while the construction went on. Atlantis has a training institute which trains Bahamians for the work which they will do on the site. Atlantis ensured that the Bahamians who worked on the construction site learned from the foreign people who were brought in to work on the construction site. The developer at Bahamar seems obtuse and impervious to it all.
Perhaps it is time for The Bahamas government if things do not improve to complain directly to the Chinese government on these matters since they are after all providing the financing for this project. This is as much a project of importance for China as it is for The Bahamas, not just for the private developer.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 22nd February 2013 up to midnight: 114,521
Number of hits for the month of February up to Saturday 22nd February 2013 up to midnight: 407,929
Number of hits for the year 2013 up to Saturday 22nd February 2013 up to midnight: 1,208,630
MINISTER RESPONDS TO THE STUDENTS
We have traced many times in the past week, the brouhaha over the supposed letter which was written to the College of The Bahamas on the question of cutting back on government’s subvention to the College of The Bahamas. The fault begins with Ian Strachan, the College professor who wants to be President, who posted a false statement on his Facebook page that they at the College had been mandated to cut the budget of the College of The Bahamas. Not to be outdone, the President of the College Betsy Boze went to Grand Bahama and told the students from a public platform that the government had mandated cuts to the budget of COB. We attach the letter actually issued by the government. The rest is history. The students were out in the streets claiming that the government was going to cut subventions and raise fees. Ernesto Williams, the College of the Bahamas Union of Students president was in full flight. The PLP and the government finally caught its breath and began to fight back, with a Facebook post first from Ryan Pinder, the Trade Minister and then ultimately from the Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald. The problem with this stuff is the truth doesn’t interfere with a good story and even though some balance was brought back to the end of the equation at the end of the week, the bad news got the better of the PLP last week, came off as the party was a bit flat footed in dealing with these various forces. The students clearly did not know what the hell they were talking about. But great pictures of them marching to the minister’s office. Thank God they actually believe in something. Judging from what usually happens, you would think they don’t believe in anything except what is the next smart phone they can buy. The COB President seemed to not get it right even after the minister clarified the issue.
She simply seemed lost in space. We provide the minister's clarification as well.
The governments says, they sent a letter to the school to indicate that they needed a frame work to see where cuts could be made because things are quite tough at the moment. The College President without sharing the actual letter with the students made announcements that cuts had to be made. Now the students are the faculty are calling for her head.
You may click here for the Minister of Education’s full statement.
THE CHIEF JUSTICE AND GAY MARRIAGE
It has become the topic du jour for the newspapers. It sells newspaper, the question of the rights of gay men and women in The Bahamas. On the front page of the newspaper no less than three times last week, the subject continued to arise. It started off at the start of the week on Monday 18th February when the Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett was quoted as saying the following one paragraph statement in an otherwise innocuous speech on the connections between the US and Bahamian legal systems at a luncheon held for US lawyers visiting the country “ I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time when the courts of The Bahamas will address the issue of same sex marriage. I also have no doubt that in deciding the issue we will have respect for the decisions that emanate not only from Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia, but also to the decision of the courts of the United States of America.” That paragraph made it the top story of the day for the Nassau Guardian. We would not be surprised if the banner headline at the top of the fold of the daily did not frighten the Chief Justice to the point where he would ask: did I actually say that. But indeed and yes he did say it and there is nothing wrong with saying it except in a country that won’t get with the programme. All around us, the walls on this subject are collapsing and The Bahamas should not live in isolation removed from reality. The report of the Chief Justice’s speech was followed in rapid succession with a story about Mindell Small who used to be a reporter for the Nassau Guardian who now lives in Canada says the story and is married to man and he says that because of the prejudice in The Bahamas he will not return. Then there was story from Pastor Cedric Moss who said that he would not conduct same sex marriages. He said it should not be a matter for the courts or for the legislature but should be put to the people in a referendum. He added that if it passed he would then accept it. He was adamantly opposed to the idea. Then there was Bishop Simon Hall in The Tribune who said that people were gay because they had suffered abuse when they were small. Interesting country: a mix of ignorance and fear and political baiting. This is all designed to get the PLP involved in a fight with the church and to smear the PLP on something which is not a real issue. So with the church teaching a code of no adultery, the births out of wedlock over seventy per cent, with murders out of control, violence against women at an epidemic proportion, we are to be condemned because some people want to have the right to equality and freedom for their lives. Lord help us.
You may click here for the full statement by the Chief Justice
PRIME MINISTER ON THE PASSING OF B K BONAMY
The former Commissioner of Police Bernard K. Bonamy died on Friday 22nd February. The Prime Minister Perry Christie issued the following statement upon his death:
Bernard K. Bonamy Sr. LVO, QPM
I was very saddened to learn of the passing earlier today of former Commissioner of Police, Bernard Bonamy, better known as B. K. Bonamy. A proud native of Cat Island and one of that island's most illustrious sons, Mr. Bonamy gave distinguished service to our nation over many years, initially in law enforcement, later as Secretary to the Gaming Board, and in more recent times as a practicing member of the Bahamas Bar. It was, however, as Commissioner of Police that Mr. Bonamy made his most important contribution to national development. He ascended to that high office during the extremely difficult years when narcotics trafficking and associated criminality were at their height. However, he brought to the fight against these menaces an uncompromising integrity and incorruptibility which set the standard for law enforcement officers of the time. He was a no-nonsense police chief who insisted on discipline, professionalism, and service with honour at all levels of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Mr. Bonamy also claimed the twin distinctions of being one of the youngest Police Commissioners in our nation's history and the very first Bahamian Commissioner trained in the academic discipline of the law, having earned an LL.B university degree while serving on the Police Force. Mr. Bonamy will also be remembered for being a sound and innovative thinker and law enforcement strategist. Along with the Minister of National Security at the time, the late Hon. Paul L. Adderley, Mr. Bonamy was particularly instrumental in expanding and
consolidating the international working partnerships between Bahamian law enforcement and their foreign counterparts, notably with the U.S. and British law enforcement authorities, and on the global level, with INTERPOL. Mr. Bonamy always conducted himself with great dignity.
He was a model policeman whose intelligence, leadership skills, and outstanding sense of honour earned him the admiration not only of his subordinates on the Force but the general public as well. Mr. Bonamy was a good and faithful servant of the Bahamian people whose many fine contributions and outstanding example have secured him a lasting place of respect among the nation-builders of the modern Bahamas.
On behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas, and on my own behalf, I extend condolences to Mr. Bonamy's widow, children and family. May he rest in peace.
The Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes led a delegation to Matthew Town, Inagua for the unveiling of a memorial to the Cuban national hero Jose Marti whose last stop before returning to Cuba to lead the revolution against Spanish rule was Inagua. The Cuban Ambassador Ernesto Soberon and the Cuban Deputy Culture Minister were present for the occasion. Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell attended the event representing the government of The Bahamas as did V. Alfred Gray, the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources and the MP for the Island of Inagua. The ceremony took place in Matthew Town on Saturday 23rd February.
PM IN HAITI FOR HEADS OF GOVERNMENT
Prime Minister Perry Christie joined his fellow Heads of Government of the Caricom countries in Port au Prince, Haiti on 18th and 19th February for the half yearly get together of the Caricom heads. Front and centre on the agenda for the meeting was national security and a paper was led on the subject by the Minister of National Security for The Bahamas Bernard Nottage. Mr. Nottage called on behalf of the members of the council of national security ministers for a tax of one dollar per passenger to pay for an intelligence sharing system for the region which at present is used but not adequately funded. The Bahamas demurred but some other countries will go ahead. The photos of the Prime Minister, his delegation and with other Heads of Government are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services. The Prime Minister’s delegation included in addition to Dr. Nottage, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, Trade Minister Ryan Pinder and Caricom Ambassador Picewell Forbes.
Each week, PLP MPs and for all we know FNM MPs meet their constituents in their government supplied offices. Sometimes they meet on the streets. Doesn’t matter where they meet, they are met with the cry that there is no work and there is no money; sometimes the power is off, no food to eat; the rent is not paid, they are about to be expelled from their homes. There is no money in this economy and it appears that there is none on the horizon. It seems to us that part of the reason there is so much hostility to the Bahamar project is that the project has been a colossal failure in bringing economic benefits to The Bahamas. There it is this big project going up on the beach but nothing appears to be materializing for the Bahamians public. The developer is insensitive to anything but his own requirements and needs and it is not even clear that the developer has any plan to do anything other than to run the facility himself and not run it with a competent staff that knows anything about marketing. Since the developer has taken over the running of the hotel, there has been one down grade after the next, with the product deteriorating and shrinking and not having an impact on the society at large. Lately, they have begun firing Bahamian professionals it appears at a whim. Bahamar is just one part of the story. Another part is exemplified by the story from Grand Bahama by Stalwart B this week from Freeport. It appears that left to their devices people would plan Bahamians out of Freeport and out of The Bahamas. What a fundamental irony that while the country is at face value more prosperous than ever before, the masses of our people now have to struggle to not just maintain their lives but to establish their bona fides to the foreign investors who come to the country. The result is that throughout the country, the immigration policy must get tougher and a show of strength made on this matter. The question is whether the government has the stomach to stick up for its people. Right now more than ever there is a need to take a firm stand on this issue in favour of the Bahamian people. If we do not do so, then the consequences will not be good for the country.
STALWART COUNCILLOR B WRITES ON IMMIGRATION
IMMIGRATION – THE PARTY IS OVER
“If the department of Immigration is left alone, it will sink us all.”
Sir Lynden Pindling, A.D. Hanna, Sir Clement Maynard all believed in the Bahamas and by extension believed in Bahamians. These men all blazed the trail shortly after coming to power in 1967. To this end, scores of Bahamians were given scholarships to universities in Canada, United Kingdom, the Caribbean, and the United States. Bahamians were because of this government’s policies trained in all disciplines with a view of making Bahamians the actual managers and full participants in the running of the Bahamas.
In Grand Bahama, Bahamians were placed on a path to management roles in the industrial sector and by the 1980’s Bahamians held managerial posts in all aspects of the industrial complexes, namely Syntex, Borco, and the Port Authority. This was brought about by the Immigration department keeping a watchful eye on the career path of qualified Bahamians. This came to be known as the Bahamianization policy; and so, by the 1990s 95% of the management jobs held in Grand Bahama were by Bahamians. The PLP administration was the architect of this policy.
In 1992 when the FNM administration took the reins of government they held the line at least for their first five years. All went well. In 1997, the policy suddenly changed; the government through its Immigration department began to see the department as a means of generating revenues to the detriment of Bahamians. This has had drastic consequences for Bahamians in managerial levels the length and breadth of this county. Nowhere has it been more damaging than in the industrial sector in Grand Bahama where qualified Bahamian professionals have been displaced.
Today instead of Bahamians managing these major companies, they are being let go and replaced with foreign workers. We are informed that among some of these companies that are having reversals, Borco seems to lead the way with GB Shipyard where after 13 years of operating Bahamians have been reduced to tokens and the path to meaningful management have become a dream. The government must now as a matter of urgency summoned the management team at Borco and GB Shipyard to get a handle on this seemingly unfair treatment of its workers. We understand that workers are being brought in using the loop hold as temporary workers and then transitioning to full time employees. This way, the company is able to circumvent the vigorous vetting of the work permit process. It now falls to this government to revisit the work permit process and reclaim the ground that was willingly surrendered by the former administration.
The baton of Pindling’s era has now passed on to Christie’s administration, and I pray, that this administration will not shrink from its responsibility to its citizens. If Bahamians cannot be first in their own country, where else can they be first?
Stalwart B
Forrester Carroll writes this week from Freeport about the failure of the Grand Bahama Port Authority under the FNM to produce one single new investment in Freeport. He blames them for the dire state of the city today. He goes after Ian Faire, the Chairman of the Port, for his behavior toward investors and gives the story of particular investor who claimed that Mr. Faire made an uncouth remark to him when he came to bring a proposal to the Grand Bahama Port Authority.
The Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd is failing (some would even say has failed completely) Freeport (and by extension Grand Bahama although it has no fiduciary oversight responsibility for areas outside of Freeport), by the day. Since the demise of its former chairman, Mr. E.P St. George, its operations have come to a virtual standstill; before the said chairman’s death (even) the company’s oversight of its area of responsibility on Grand Bahama was a huge disappointment; Hutchison Whampoa was a mistake, in my view, and the selection of successive (high-salaried) Chairpersons has been a colossal failure-Ian Fair (its current chairman) being the second worst of them all with Julian Francis being the worst.
The five-year lull, between 2007 and 2012, when the FNM government (led by Hubert Ingraham) came to power and adopted a “no communication, hands-off, no cooperation, silent treatment” posture (with the Port) during Hannes Babak’s Chairmanship did not help any either but rather exasperated the situation; it did so to the extent that literally not one single investor (and I mean not a single one) showed any interest in doing business in Freeport (with the Port Authority) while Hubert Ingraham remained at the helm of power. It would be fair of me to say that there was strong evidence that during Hannes Babak’s stint, as chairman, we would have seen the licensing of a number of new business investment initiatives were it not for Hubert Ingraham’s personal feud with Chairman Babak which resulted in his and his government’s negative attitude in all matters involving the Port. Ingraham’s gripe with Babak (which is well known having been vetted thoroughly in the newspapers over the years) stemmed, allegedly, from a very personal matter involving a lady employee of the Port Authority who was said to be a very, very, very close friend of Ingraham’s; the raw details of this highly unusual friendship remain undisclosed, to a large extent, to date; the strained relationship between Ingraham and Babak, though, had little per se, if anything, to do with official Government/Port Authority matters.
Under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement (HBCA), which governs all matters within the port area, the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd was granted a wide ranging latitude in the development of the country’s second city (outside of Nassau) to be known as Freeport. In the agreement they were mandated to develop (and maintain) all infrastructure, an Airport and a deep water harbor. The infrastructure proposed to include roadways, bridges (where necessary), water mains, electricity and all other necessities required for the functioning of a modern city. This unique agreement created in effect a government within a government, with the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd having fiduciary responsibilities; the land mass, as I understand it, involved a total of 166,000 acres (eventually) comprising crown lands and other private plots acquired, on its own, by the said Port Authority Ltd from private owners in the area. The agreement charged the Port Authority further with ensuring that all other essential services, as well, which would be a normal and ordinary function of the central government, be installed and maintain to quality standards for the convenience of its Licensees. To compensate for expenditure and maintenance of all the infrastructure the Port Authority was granted the unique privilege of levying and collecting certain fees and taxes, which would normally be collected by the central government, to aid them in the continued financing of the growth, development and maintenance of the new city; those taxes include, primarily, business license fees, real property taxes, service charges etc; other central government collectable taxes, such as customs duties on certain imported goods the use of which would be restricted for the operations of Freeport (and its licensees by extension), were all exempted under the said Agreement, from payment to the central government, for the life of the Agreement (99 years).
Implied, in the Agreement, is the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd’s responsibility for building and maintaining a viable economic climate so as to ensure the attraction, establishment and continued growth of business enterprises within the area. While it can be agreed that the Port did a remarkable job these past almost six decades, with the infrastructural development and maintenance of the same, a couple years prior to and ever since the demise of Mr. Edward St. George they have failed to maintain the standard-stated and or implied-terms of the HBCA in that regard. As I said earlier, had it not been for the FNM government’s belligerent attitude and hands-off approach when dealing with Grand Bahama Port Authority matters, between 2007-2012 especially when Hannes Babak was in the mix, indications were that Babak’s chairmanship would have made some in-roads, and a huge difference, in advancing the growth and development of the city; there were several huge projects on the Port’s drawing board, during Babak’s very short and highly volatile tenure, which were literally frustrated by Hubert Ingraham because of his personal dislike for Babak; Ian Fair, on the other hand, has been a failure, of colossal proportions, to date.
Mr. Fair was selected eventually, after the FNM’s prime minister refused, insistently, to grant Hannes Babak a renewal of his work permit; (I suppose) because he was seen as the best possible candidate available, at the time, who would have been able to get Freeport’s economic engine going again; sadly though, after the years he has been in the position (collecting a huge salary am sure), he has achieved nothing to date and (my) branding him a colossal failure is being too kind. There is irrefutable evidence that his bad bedtime business manners might be a reason, if not the singular reason, for the lack of success he has had to date in being able to sell the business virtues of Freeport to even one single investor; his uncouth (coarse and abrasive) way of approaching potential investors just might be the major reason for his total failure as Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd all these years; there is no disputing the fact that he has failed for the simple reason that not one single investor has come to the island; I am told it is not because there weren’t potential investors, about during his tenure thus far, for there were many who were turned off after meeting with Mr. Fair and his team; the story of one such example follows.
A very prominent Freeport Businessman, here in Freeport, came to see me at my office recently; his reason, as I ascertained almost immediately, was to lament about what he termed was his disgust at the lack of genuine interest displayed by Executives, at the Port’s office, in pursuing-vigorously going after-business investments for our city. He claimed that he had several, very keenly interested, investment groups, over a period, seeking to very seriously establishing business in the Port area but, without exception, all were totally discouraged, and turned away, by the nonchalant attitude of Port Authority Executives after they would have met with them for the first time. His latest encounter, he told me, was with a group which was completely turned off by the attitude displayed by the Port’s Execs after meeting with them; he promised, then and there he said that he would not ever again take another group to meet with Ian Fair. He decided, immediately he said, that he would take his complaint to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister/the Hon. Ryan Pinder/the Hon. Kaalis Rolle after complaining to Sir Jack to no avail.
The story he told me was shocking, to say the least, which caused me to step back and take another long look at those wannabe aristocrats-pretentious plutocrats if you will-down there at the pink building on the mall, in Freeport, and my conclusions? They are devoid of any sense of urgency for the economic recovery of our city, plain and simple. The businessman related the facts as experienced by his latest group of investors from the outset of their scheduled meeting with Port officials. After an extensive tour of Freeport’s industrial area, prior to their scheduled meeting time with Ian Fair and his team of Executives, the group expressed a keen interest (the businessman continued) in the possible acquisition of the once very famous International Bazaar and the old Uniroyal Chemical plant situated on west sunrise highway; they were interested in acquiring the Bazaar for it’s obvious potential of relocating numerous ethnic businesses from the mid and far eastern countries and their interest in the Uniroyal Plant was specifically for the production of tires primarily for export to the USA market. “We arrived for our meeting several minutes before scheduled and was seated, by the receptionist, in a waiting area and assured that Mr. Fair would be with us shortly.” He went on to tell how they chatted, in the meantime, about the many possible things they could do (investments wise) in Freeport. After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting “we realized,” he said that their scheduled time had come and gone and that there was no word of apology for the lateness of their meeting and or reassurances, by the receptionist, as to when the meeting would be convened.
*****
After waiting some more (well after the appointed meeting time) finally the Executives began trickling in one by one (not all at the same time) and then “we were called into the meeting” said Mr. Businessman. What shocked my storyteller (to the point where he was so embarrassed and disappointed that he prayed for the floor of the building to open up so he could fall through and disappear) was when Ian Fair, after the usual boring introductions and small talk (without even an offer of a cup of coffee) was done away with, while still on his feet rubbing his two hands together asked the potential clients; “NOW WHERE IS THE MONEY;” my informant said that they were so taken aback, with the Port’s Chairman’s very unwise, uncouth, stupid, cynical and very suggestive question, that he prayed for and wished that the floor of that third floor office in that pink building, on the mall, would open up so that he could fall through and disappear. The businessman opined that Ian Fair seemed very serious as if he was a little tired of persons coming to see him with briefcases full of nothing but questions and pie-in-the-sky ideas but no money to invest; little did Mr. Fair know (though) that his people were fully prepared to invest with liquid recourses amounting to around $1.5 billion, available to them; and that they were fully prepared on that trip to make serious offers to acquire both the International Bazaar and the old Uniroyal Chemical plant as initial investments. The lead man in the group responded to Mr. Fair’s asinine conduct/question by telling him; “Mr. Fair, Sir, we came today simply to determine whether we would wish to do business in your city or not” and with that the meeting ended; needless to say they left the island as soon as it was possible to so do never to be heard from again. The opinion of my informant was that the Port Authority Ltd is their own worst business investment enemy and actually the major obstacle to investors wanting to relocate their businesses here; he claimed that this was not the first group of investors whom he introduced to the Port’s Executives and whom they discouraged and turned away; he assured me, though, that they were the last and that he had reported this and the other incidents to Sir Jack Hayward with apparently no change in Ian Fair’s deportment and business acumen. After this final straw, which broke the camel’s back, the man told me that he requested and held subsequent meetings with the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister; the Hon. Ryan Pinder and the Hon. Kaalis Rolle to brief them on his latest encounter, and turn-off, at the Port; they agreed together (he said) that any future potential investors, identified by him for the Freeport area, he would bring them to the government first and then the government would in turn organize the introduction to the Port. For sure, I believe, something needs to be done to correct this bad situation, at the Port Authority, which now seems to plague those Port Executives-wannabe aristocrats; plutocrats if you will-who have been sitting on their backsides, down at that pink building for years now, twiddling their fingers and acting as though their only role, at the Port, is that of a landlord; they are a high-salaried worthless bunch who should be removed forthwith for the good of the Island. I am reminded (and wish to remind you guys) that it was none other than the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, while in opposition just before the general elections took place, who advised Sir Jack Hayward not to agree and appoint Ian Fair when he did; the PM asked the Port’s owner to wait, until after the outcome of the general elections, to select a Chairman (and for good reason obviously) but Sir Jack refused to listen and now the city of Freeport is stuck with a nincompoop for a Chairman.
Are we really stuck with this crew for much longer? I hope not for Freeport and Grand Bahama’s sake.
Thank you
Forrester J Carroll J.P.
Freeport, Grand Bahama
February 2013.
Had You Not With The Crows Been Found
The President of the Bahamas Christian Council Rev. Rainford Patterson pictured with the leadership of the Free National Movement when they visited his church. What a lovely and revealing photo. Looks like they went to Church on 10th February.
Fred Mitchell Sr’s Birthday
22nd February would have been the birthday of Fred Mitchell Sr. had he still been alive. Mr. Mitchell Sr., the is late father of Fred Mitchell, the MP. He was born on 22nd February 1919 and he died on 23rd May 2001. He would have been 94 this year.
The Grenada Elections
The general election took place in Grenada on 19th February and as expected the former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition Dr. Keith Mitchell is back in power. No one predicted that there would however be a complete wipe out. The former Prime Minister George Tillman who had won the government five years ago 11 to 4 was defeated 15 to 0. Video from the winning side’s rally.
The Barbados General Election
The general election in Barbados did not turn out as the polls had predicted. The polls were saying that the election held on Thursday 21st February would have usheredformer Prime Minister Owen Arthur back to power. He lost in a squeaker with the governing party headed by the dull Freundel Stuart having 16 seats and Mr. Arthur’s party 14. We hope that this sees the back of Mr. Arthur. He did dirty tricks to his appointed successor Mia Mottley when they were in Opposition deposing her from office in a nasty way. This is his comeuppance. He struck many as a bitter man with revenge on his mind in a manner similar to that of Hubert Ingraham in The Bahamas. Perhaps Mr. Ingraham will now get the message and say good-bye to thoughts of a comeback.
Ingraham Still On The Come Back Trail
There was a gathering of the clan of Ingrahamites last week raising funds for the Bahamas National Trust at the home of a wealthy lawyer on the South West Road in New Providence. The PLP be warned, the man is on the comeback trail.
Prime Minister Ignores Ian Faire, Port Chairman
Tongues were wagging at the opening of the investment conference officially opened in Freeport on Wednesday 20th February by Prime Minister Perry Christie. Mr. Christie in his remarks mentioned various people in the audience and on the platform but never once mentioned Ian Faire, the Port Chairman. Instead he made a point of addressing Sarah St. George, who is the Vice Chairman of the Port and asked her to do what she can to encourage the Port to do its job. The remarks gave support to the rumours going around Freeport that the Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority is unable to get an audience with the Prime Minister. If that is true, how effective can you be? Read Forrester Carroll’s article this week for more on Ian Faire.
Mitchell and Nottage Visit Aristide
Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister and Dr. Bernard Nottage, the Minister of National Security visited the former President Jean Bertrand Aristide during their visit as part of the Prime Minister’s delegation to the Heads of Government conference in Haiti on 18th and 19th February. Mr. Aristide who was deposed by a US led coalition in 2006 is living with his wife in Port au Prince and is now running a medical school.
Bahamian Running For School President U of Nebraska
Moses Moxey is from Grand Bahama. He is the grandson of Bonefish Folley, proper name Israel Rolle who died last year. Mr. Moxey is running for School student President at the University of Nebraska at Kearney on 6th and 7th March. His campaign poster is shown.
The Bad Bad BTC Deal
Franklyn Wilson, the Chair of the negotiating committee to get the majority shares of BTC back for the Bahamas government has been going public with his view that there ought to be a Select Committee of The House to investigate what he describes as a bad deal, the purchase of BTC, the phone company by Cable and Wireless, the British company. Mr. Wilson supports the Prime Minister’s view that one should come. The Tribune and the FNM Chairman Darron Cash have been doingtheir best to forestall it by shouting and screaming that the PLP is wasting time. We will see. We support it.
Sheila Culmer Wins Golden Heart Award
Mrs. Sheila Culmer is this 2013 recipient of the Golden Heart Award, presented here by Mr. R.E. Barnes. In presenting the Golden Heart Award to Mrs. Culmer, Heart Foundation Chairman R.E. Barnes said, “It is abundantly clear that she has always been a person who sees the challenge in front of her and works her utmost to try and rectify the wrong before her. She is a doer with a golden heart and we are all so much better for her efforts”. Mrs. Culmer has spent a lifetime in assisting the mentally disabled and physically challenged. Congratulations. The award was presented at the Heart Ball on Saturday 16th February.
R Kelly Visits PM
He gave a concert for 3000 fans, advertised as his first in Nassau, The Bahamas. The man who was charged with liking 15 year olds but who sings like an angel was in Nassau in Saturday 23rd February for a concert on the beach. He met with the Prime Minister on Friday 22nd February and the photo which you see above drew negative criticism on Facebook saying that the singer simply didn’t have the proper manners and protocol to come see a Prime Minister in shades and headphones. Oh well That’s the sign of a victory.
Prime Minister Walks For One Bahamas
It was called the unity walk and sponsored by the One Bahamas Foundation to demonstrate just that: One Bahamas. For many it dispelled the rumours about health issues and the Prime Minister. A healthy walk and a healthy lifestyle: mind and body together. The walk took place on Saturday 23rd February and the photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
R. Kelly Shows But Beres Hammond A No Show
The concert by R Kelly was said to be a smashing success although the capacity crowd they expected did not show at Arawak Cay. But the important point is that he showed and the crowd including the comical Celli Moss, the activist and film director, enjoyed the show. Compare and contrast that with the fact that the night before the audience left without their monies' worth when Beres Hammond did not show for his concert. Rumour has it the organizers didn't pay Mr. Hammond his money so he didn't show. Don't blame him we guess . Reminds us of the time Aretha Franklin, the US soul singer, got stiffed by promoters here in the 1960s. The moral of that story for all singers is get your money up front or don't show.