Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames... Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 8 © BahamasUncensored.com 2010
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| THE QUEEN IN HALIFAX: - There is a big question going about in Canada where the Queen of The Bahamas Elizabeth II is also Queen of Canada. Is it time for the monarchy to go after she leaves the scene? Don’t count on that being anytime soon since she is in her eighties and her mother lived to be 101. The point is the lady is wildly popular in Canada, but after she goes many people think that the monarchy must end. But the point of our photo of the week is not to hanker for monarchy or to get sentimental about a Queen’s visit, but rather the fact that the Lieutenant Governor of the province of Nova Scotia where the Queen first set down in Canada last week is of Caribbean origin. She is Mayann Francis and she is the first Afro Canadian to serve in that post. Canada also has a Haitian Governor General. Our photo of the week then is Queen Elizabeth II on a state visit to Canada being escorted by her representative in the Province, Mayann Francis of Antiguan and Cuba ancestry (click here for the bio of Mayann Francis). Photo: Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prince Philip and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Mayann Francis, walking on the grounds of Government House before a tree-planting ceremony in Halifax. The Queen also visited Ottawa for the second part of the royal couple’s nine-day visit to Canada. (AP Picture) |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
PAPA PARTYING IN SOUTH AFRICA
Papa! Papa! Welcome home. Papa, the appellation that
the tired, bedraggled and worn out Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, now
applies to himself is back home after ten days of partying with his Ministers
in South Africa as the guest of Sol Kerzner. He is pictured at right
with famous South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We hope he got
a good rest because he is fitting for a good cut ass having landed back
in The Bahamas. While he was away, the country descended further
into chaos and debt. His lieutenants tried their best, but their
best just was not good enough. But never mind; as Papa likes to say:
“We gat the money”. No doubt that is what the trip to South Africa
was all about, securing a donation to the FNM for the next election.
The PLP must be kept out at all costs.
The
murders have now risen to 47. At one time there was a murder per
day. More people were laid off from their jobs while Papa was away.
We also found out that Papa awarded a contract to one of his friends and
is now backtracking like crazy to say it was not so (see a
copy of the Ministry of Works memo and the
story below IN PASSING).
Then while Papa was away, his lieutenants were busy trashing the reputation of a Bahamian daughter who works in the Office of the Attorney General. She did her best, but we guess her best was not good enough for Papa and so one is to come in from the outside to rescue the department in which she works. The only problem with it is that the evidence shows that the lady who is coming in does not know what she is doing and is not a fit and proper person for the job (see story below).
While Papa was away, someone stole the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. There was no official statement from the government on the matter just a bunch of smarmy talk from the Minister of State Zhivargo Laing who is just a lost soul. The fact is the government’s data is missing. Mr. Laing tried to make excuses for it saying that the website was actually Fred Mitchell’s website.
While Papa was partying in South Africa, the people who have businesses in Baillou Hill Road and Market Street were crying because they were all losing their shirts. Their businesses are on the verge of closing down because of the reversing of the traffic flow on those roads. Papa’s government provides no relief.
While Papa was away 250 people were terminated from The Bahamas Government and told go away. Papa says he can’t afford them, but Papa’s government allocated 20 million dollars to buy an old dock from the Kelly family, one of his main supporters. Papa’s government shows a clear double standard. If you are poor you suffer, if you are rich and from Bay Street, he is all for that.
This is not how a Papa should be: kind, compassionate, caring. This is not what Mr. Ingraham is. He is mean, spiteful and vindictive. He has a pathological hatred of the people whom he leads, who, in their innocence, elected him and the FNM to bring us to a better day. Instead, the people are crying because Papa has heaped taxes upon taxes on them. There were long lines at the car licensing bureau because it is now more expensive than ever to licence your cars.
This is life under Papa. Papa, can you see us? Papa, can you hear us? We hope the Bahamian people have learned their lesson.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 3rd July 2010 at midnight: 140,397.
Number of hits for the month of June up to Wednesday 30th June 2010 at midnight: 699,703.
Number of hits for the year 2010 up to Saturday 3rd July 2010 up to midnight: 4,683,707.
IT’S
NOT THE DETECTION WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT
The number of murders in The Bahamas stands sadly
at 47. This means according to Brent Dean of the Nassau Guardian
that the number is trending toward a new record in murders for this year,
which will mean the country ends up with near 100 murders. According
to Mr. Dean's research published in the Nassau Guardian on Tuesday 29th
June, the number of murders in The Bahamas should be some 18 per 100,000
instead of what it is today at 27 per 100,000. At that rate, there
should only be 5 murders per year in The Bahamas. Given this information,
the stark statistics show a country that is violent indeed.
It is getting to the point where you even have Sir
Jack Hayward, the owner of the Grand Bahama Port Authority saying in the
press that the violence must be brought under control or the country is
going to suffer. No one is going to want to come to a violent country.
Not to be outdone, and typical for the head-in-the-sand
approach of the Free National Movement government and its ministers, Tourism
Minister Vincent Vanderpool Wallace told the press that there was no evidence
that the violence in the country was affecting the tourism product.
The people you lose to this phenomenon you will never know; it is something
like trying to determine what the opportunity cost is. It is intangible,
but you certainly must know and intuitively so that Jack Hayward must ultimately
be right about this.
Now the matter of the murders was again handled
by the Police. The Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade was
quick to do a walkabout in the affected areas, with high profile visits
to the people in the areas assuring them that the police have the situation
under control. Such an assurance is good for the cameras, but does
it really do anything? The fact is people still feel unsafe.
The Commissioner said that the police have been
quick to detect the crimes. That is true, but it is not the detection
that is the problem or what we worry about. The problem is the murders
themselves. There are simply too many of them and they need to stop
or to be stopped. No one seems to have a handle on that. What
is clear is that this is not solely a police matter. The police may
be part of the solution, but it is important for the Commissioner of Police
to know that the society does not expect him to solve crime, nor to take
that burden on his shoulders, capable though they are. The man who
ought to be front and centre of the crime debate and issue is Hubert Ingraham,
the Prime Minister. He is front and centre, the one who should be
addressing this issue. Not that we expect him to solve it either,
but he is the one to take the leadership of it, and so far his administration
is an abject failure on the point.
You may link
here to Mr. Dean’s analysis from the Nassau Guardian of Tuesday 29th June.
MINISTER
LAING IS A LOST SOUL
Zhivargo Laing is one contentious, quarrelsome fellow.
He just can't help himself, always rowing about something and always, it
seems, 100 percent wrong, defending the indefensible. In the latest
foray into the public domain, he was busy rowing about the loss of the
government’s information on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the address for which is mfabahamas.org. The website has been a national
disgrace since the departure of former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell in
2007.
During the past week, two clever sleuths, Lincoln
Bain, the talk show host, and C. Allen Johnson, the IT specialist, engaged
in some civil disobedience of the kind that Carl Bethel says is not a good
idea. They bought the domain name of mfabahamas.org for which the
Ministry forgot to pay for the princely sum of 2 dollars.
The other problem is not just the Ministry’s purloined
website, but the government’s general website bahamas.gov.bs. It
is hopeless. It is slow and the platform on which it operates cannot
meet the demands that are put on the system. It is so bad that some
officers of the government who have been banned from using other sites
have resorted to going home to do their public work because the system
of the government is so inadequate. But Mr. Laing was on the radio
on Thursday 1st July defending away, saying that the bit about the government’s
website was the truth according to Fred Mitchell and that the government’s
website was really a Fred Mitchell creation.
This is the height of stupidity. How and why
would mfabahamas.org be a Fred Mitchell site and have Brent Symonette,
the present Minister's speeches and pictures on the site? Mr. Mitchell
issued a statement on Thursday 1st July calling for heads to roll for the
shocking negligence that allowed the government’s information to be stolen
from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. We agree. You
may click here for Mr. Mitchell's
full statement.
AN
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DEBBIE BARTLETT
CONTRIBUTED: Gaithersburg MD - The Grigsby Group, LLC
and Baron Capital Partners, ("TGG/Baron"), financial services consulting
organisations, today announced they have partnered with a team of marketing,
media and public relations professionals headed by Deborah Bartlett, president
and founder of CEO Network.
Ms. Bartlett and company will operate from Nassau,
Bahamas, working with TGG on behalf of TGG/Baron clients throughout the
Caribbean, covering a broad range of financial and economic sectors, in
an effort to meet the funding challenges of small businesses and midsize
corporations.
You may click
here for the full release.
CHERYL
BETHELL IS AN ARGUMENT THEY CAN’T WIN
Perhaps, if we make one more reasonable and sensible appeal on this matter
before the court actions are filed by Cheryl Grant Bethell in the matter
of her appointment to the post of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions,
the FNM, its leader and his minions may resile from the foolish and obstinate
position that they are taking on the matter of who is to be Director of
Public Prosecutions.
First, the latest events. The press reported
last week that Cheryl Grant Bethell is being forced out of her office without
an official letter of appointment. Mrs. Grant Bethell (below, right)
was sent a letter by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission appointing
her to the post of Deputy Law Reform Commissioner. This is not the
usual way an appointment is done and she has refused the appointment, which
she is allowed to do according to the regulations of the public service.
Notwithstanding that refusal and the basic laws of contract, the Attorney
General John Delaney has told her that as of Wednesday 7th July, this week
she is to vacate the office. During the last week, they were not
even waiting on that day to come, they were found in her office going through
her private papers with the assistance of one of the lawyers in the office
and a police officer standing watch.
So the point now is that it has reached the position where Mrs. Grant Bethell
is being physically threatened by the leadership in the Attorney General's
office to leave or be moved. In the meantime, the stories on the
web are getting more salacious about where this whole matter is going to
head. What we do not understand is why the FNM is being as obstinate
and stupid as they are about this. Their position is to scorch the
earth, to slash and burn so certain it is that they are correct.
The FNM do not seem to remember the case of Elizabeth
Thompson, who now supports them and who was appointed under the PLP to
the position of Registrar General and then was relieved of that post.
She went to court and won the case and the government ended up having to
pay out her entire contract in order to get rid of her. We thought
it was bad law then and the removal was certainly justified. We thought
that the decision by then Justice Hugh Small was a bad decision as well,
but the fact is the PLP lost the argument. They lost the argument
in court of law and they lost the argument in the court of public opinion,
the more important court. That is the warning that we give these
FNM people.
We see for example John Delaney again in the press
on Saturday 3rd July defending the decision to bring in the new Director
of Public Prosecutions from Jamaica, Vinette Graham Allen (pictured).
She may well be a good person, we don’t know, but she was trashed for her
work in Bermuda where she served before. You may click
here for a report from Bermuda on her performance. Mr. Delaney
said that notwithstanding the bad report from Bermuda, the new DPP was
highly recommended and was just what the doctor ordered for shaking up
the management of the staff of the office of Director of Public Prosecutions.
We shall see. All we know is that the FNM is on a losing political
wicket on this one. They cannot win it. The Bahamian people
are against them on this and they need to settle this matter with Mrs.
Grant Bethell and go quietly into the good night. Carl Bethel, Michael
Barnett and John Delaney should not let Hubert Ingraham run them up on
brakes on this one. They still have a future. He does not.
CAR
LICENCES GONE UP - DRIVES PUBLIC CRAZY
There is nothing that bites the public in the behind
more than taxes when times are tough. It is difficult to fathom how
a government comes to the conclusion that in a time of austerity, they
ought to raise taxes and fees. Nevertheless, Hubert Ingraham in his
wisdom along with his financial advisors has decided to do so and it is
having the predictable political effect. During the past week as
the 1st July came upon us, people had to line up to licence their cars.
Those who were born in June and missed the deadline had a problem.
No licence and so the new fees applied. They howled to the press
about the cost and the lack of notice.
The new rates are based on the weight of the car
not on the size of the engine as it was previously. The lawyer Wayne
Munroe offered to give free legal services to anyone who wanted to test
the new law asking how could an individual accept what his car weighed
without having it checked before he or she paid? That is a novel
one. Mr. Munroe told the press the response to his offer was overwhelming.
The new fees came into effect on July 1 and are based on the manufacturer’s
curb weight of a vehicle. Vehicles will not be weighed at the inspection
site.
Separated into classes of A, B, and C, the fees
will rise from $135 to $150 for vehicles weighing up to 5,000 lbs, $550
for vehicles 5,001 to 15,000 lbs, and $700 for any vehicle more than 15,001
lbs. The Hyundai Accent, Ford Fiesta, and Dodge Neon weigh less than
3,000 lbs. Ford’s E150 and Expedition weigh more than 5,000 lbs,
as does a Dodge Ram or Durango vehicle. Larger vehicles like a Hummer
H2 or H1 Alpha model could weigh in at more than 7,000 lbs. Dump
trucks and tractors are predominantly vehicles weighing more than 15,000
lbs.
Tribune photo/Felipe Major
SIR
ARTHUR’S ADDRESS
Last week, we featured photographs of the Governor
General Sir Arthur Foulkes as he spoke on the history of the Catholic Church
in The Bahamas. This week, we present
the entire statement by the Governor General, who is a Roman Catholic.
Sir Arthur delivered the lecture on Friday 25th June at the St. Francis
Xavier’s Cathedral in Nassau.
A
VISIT TO MANGROVE CAY
Picewell Forbes, the MP for South Andros, accompanied
by Fred Mitchell MP of Fox Hill visited Mangrove Cay, one of the islands
in Mr. Forbes’ constituency on Wednesday 1st July to give a donation to
a family that lost their home in a fire and to inspect various public works
problems in the area. In the photograph above, MP Forbes and Mr.
Mitchell are pictured visiting the home of the fire victims in Mangrove
Cay. We present a photo spread of the visit with photos by Pastor
Christopher Smith. Below in the first row from left: Fred Mitchell
MP and Picewell Forbes MP looking at the new landing dock in Mangrove Cay;
inspecting the hole at the public dock in Mangrove Cay, which the FNM Government
has failed to fix. In the second row: with Island Administrator Gilbert
Kemp; the MPs visit the home of a senior citizen; and in the third row:
inspecting boat building in Mangrove Cay; and inspecting the basketball
court at the Mangrove Cay High School, which needs repair.
US
INDEPENDENCE DAY
US Ambassador Nicole Avant and her husband Theodore
Sarandos hosted the reception for the 234th anniversary of the independence
of the United States of America on Thursday 1st July at the residence of
the Ambassador called Liberty Overlook in Nassau. The party draws
a huge crowd of people from all walks of life to the Ambassador’s yard
and this year was again a smashing success. Governor General Sir
Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes represented the Bahamian people at the
event, together with Brent Symonette, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
of Foreign Affairs and Mrs. Symonette. Fred Mitchell, Opposition
spokesman on Foreign Affairs, represented the Progressive Liberal Party.
IN PASSING
John Kenning Dies
John Kenning has died following a long illness. Mr. Kenning was
married to the inheritor of Trevor Kelly's Kelly Lumber Yard's wealth.
Betty Kelly Kenning predeceased him. He was the manger of Barclays
Bank and came originally from the UK. The couple donated funds for
the construciton of the Olympic-size government swimming pool at the Q
E. Sports Centre complex and were active in animal rights matters.
Toure Holder To Run RBC In TCI
A Bahamian bank manager with the Royal Bank of Canada is to become
the new country head for Royal Bank of Canada in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mr. Holder previously served in St. Kitts and Nevis as Country head for
RBC.
GBI Port Deal Settled
Sir Jack Hayward insists that the Port deal is settled between himself
and the Estate of the Late Edward St. George. The newspapers were
reporting that the Court of Appeal had summoned the parties to hear where
the matter now stood before they issued their rulings in the processes
before them. But Sir Jack insisted to the Nassau Guardian that this
was all unnecessary because the deal is done. He told the Guardian’s
Candia Dames on 1st July that he and Sarah St. George work side by side
in the Port’s offices. He said that the respective parties in the
litigation had each made the lawyers in the matter rich, providing new
offices for them in Lyford Cay and in Freeport from the fees they paid
to them. He also added that the growth industry in Freeport was electrical
generators. Presumably this is because of the power failures that
are plaguing the city.
Fayne Drops Out
Speculative stories continue in the newspaper about who is running
for the PLP. Brent Dean of the Nassau Guardian said in a story dated
30th June that Fayne Thompson, son of former Permanent Secretary Vylma
Thompson Curling has withdrawn from the race for the PLP in South Beach
with attorney Myles LaRoda leading the race there with Cleola Hamilton,
the Nurse’s Union President also emerging as a potential candidate.
The speculation is also that Dr. Daniel Johnson, son-in-law of the late
Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling is leading in the fight for the Carmichael
constituency.
A Tit For Tat Murder
Former murder accused Bradley Ferguson was the man gunned down outside
a Pinewood Gardens club on Saturday evening. Mr. Ferguson had recently
been released from custody after spending eight years in prison.
He was acquitted earlier this year on appeal for the 6th March 2002 murders
of a pregnant Rosemary Bennett-Wright and her son Jakeel Wright of Fox
Hill, as well as the attempted murders of Devonna Brown and Omega Fox.
Mr. Ferguson became the 46th murder victim for 2010 when he was shot multitple
times around 7:15 p.m. outside the club, which is located on Sequoia Street
in Pinewood Gardens.
Just As We Said - Air Jamaica Is Back
Last week we reported that Air Jamaica under its new owners Trinidad
and Tobago Government’s Caribbean Airlines had reversed its decision to
stop the service between Kingston and Nassau. As of 1st July, it
is official; Air Jamaica is back with the big jet. This must be a
great blow to Western Air with their 33 seater Saab aircraft and 400-dollar
round trip airfare. Western has been developing the route since Air
Jamaica dropped out on 1st May and recently added Montego Bay. But
the big bird is now back and it is hard to see how Western will survive
with Air Jamaica selling tickets at $145 each way. Air Jamaica is
using the Air Bus A320, 150-passenger jet which now operates every
day but Tuesday and Wednesday, with flights scheduled to leave Montego
Bay at 9.35 a.m., depart Kingston at 1.10 p.m. and arrive in Nassau at
1.10 p.m. The flight will then leave Nassau at 2.10 p.m. and arrive
in Kingston at 2.35 p.m. before returning to Montego Bay.
New BUT Executive Council To Come
The entire executive council of the Bahamas Union of Teachers was removed
by a no confidence vote in that executive. We reported that last
week. Not to worry however. Belinda Wilson, the president,
introduced last week the new slate of officers who will run with her and
presumably win in fresh elections scheduled for September. Mrs. Wilson
said that the vote of no confidence was necessary because the team could
not get along and the only way to get the matters resolved was to clean
the slate and start afresh.
COB Student Wins Michael Manley Essay Competition
Congratulations
to Christopher Worrell of the College of The Bahamas, the 18-year-old student,
who recently won the Michael Manley Essay competition. The late Mr.
Manley was Jamaica’s fourth Prime Minister. Mr. Worrell won the 7th
Michael Manley essay competition for undergraduate Students in tertiary
institutions with an essay on self-reliance, equality and democracy as
objectives for a just society. An economics major at the COB, Christopher
had only completed one semester when he wrote the winning essay and submitted
it in January, eclipsing other entries by sophomore, junior and senior
college students from around the Caribbean region. He was awarded
$1,000 and a certificate at a ceremony at the Jamaica Confederation of
Trade Unions in Kingston, Jamaica. Students who entered the essay
competition were asked to discuss a statement made by Mr. Manley - Jamaica's
fourth prime minister - in his first book, The Politics of Change: "Self-reliance,
equality and democracy are the objectives towards which we must strive.
Without these we cannot build a just society." In his essay, Christopher
called Mr. Manley's statement "revolutionary and meaningful." However
he argued that while these objectives may give a guideline that would ideally
lead to a just society, humanity's inherent imperfections may make this
goal unattainable. Home-schooled by his parents through Lighthouse
Christian Academy, Christopher was overjoyed when he received the recent
e-mail indicating that he had won the competition. "At that moment
I stopped reading, I was thoroughly shocked. I really couldn't believe
it. I thought ‘No way, there has got to be a mistake, because it
took them so long to get back to me.’ So I read it again and it confirmed
my first interpretation. I felt like this was an unbelievable accomplishment,"
he said. "I thought, 'Out of all the people in the Caribbean and
West Indies I won!' My hard work in research and writing, sacrificing
Christmas break had finally paid off," the excited student exclaimed.
Christopher Worrell is pictured with Glynne Manley, Michael Manley
s widow in this Tribune photo.
The Floyd Wilmott Contract
The Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has been unmasked in a burgeoning
scandal in and around the Free National Movement of awarding contracts
to selected FNMs without going out to tender. News reports indicate
that Floyd Wilmott, the FNM contractor, who got the eight million dollar
deal to build a ward at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, was also
awarded a contract for 300,000 dollars to refurbish the official home of
the Commissioner of Police. The press was able to obtain a letter,
which showed that Mr. Ingraham directly intervened to give the contract
to Mr. Wilmott. It appears that when the matter was challenged, Mr.
Ingraham got cold feet and the matter was put to tender. Mr. Ingraham
claims that it was put to tender because he discovered that the repairs
were going to be more than the $50,000, which the Ministry of Works could
award without having to go to Cabinet for approval. No one believes
Mr. Ingraham’s story. Floyd Wilmott is a favourite of his for giving
contracts. Click here for a copy
of the Ministry of Works memorandum.
Olga Nash Is Buried
When she died she was 92 years old, having been born in a very different
Bahamas in 1917. Olga Bosfield Nash, the widow of the late H.O. Nash,
the teacher, was buried following a service of thanksgiving at her beloved
St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church. The funeral service began with
her favourite ‘Christians Awake’ hymn, which she first heard at Christmas
midnight mass at St Mary’s when she was 12 years old. The funeral
was a great retrospective and must have been a comfort to her children
Garth Nash, who himself is known as H.O. even though he is not named after
his father and Arlene Ferguson, the former headmistress of St. John's High
School and a consultant on Junkanoo in the country. Mrs. Ferguson
spoke of her mother and the period of 60 years they spent together as the
period of Olga. Her talk about her mum was humorous and touching.
One story she told was how Mrs. Nash pitched in to help the late Jane Bethel
run the Bethel Brothers Mortician service. Times were tough after
the late founder Marcus Bethel was lost in an air crash in November 1967.
Mrs. Nash would commiserate with a fellow worker about how there were only
two funerals in a particular week. Her daughter said that Mrs. Nash
could be heard saying over the phone “Don’t worry, the Lord will provide.”
The next week, said the daughter, there would be five funerals. Mrs.
Nash could be overheard saying, “I told you so.” This story brought
down the House.
Photo/Peter Ramsay
Beating The Retreat
By the time that this column appears next week, if the Lord should
tarry, The Bahamas will have celebrated its 37th anniversary as a nation,
the 10th July 2010 being that anniversary. The Royal Bahamas Police
Force marks the occasion with the beating of the retreat on Bay Street
and this year they did so on Saturday 3rd July.
Carl Treco Buried
Last week, we reported the death of well-known contractor Carl Treco,
a faithful member of the Christ Church Cathedral of the Anglican Church
in Nassau. Mr. Treco who died at the age of 86 was buried following
a service of thanksgiving at the cathedral on Saturday 3rd July.
The Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham attended the funeral. This was
a Long island funeral with representatives attending from every Long Island
clan. He was a major leader of those who hailed from that island
who live in Nassau. The preacher was a Long Island favourite son
Archdeacon Keith Cartwright.
BIS photo/Peter Ramsay
We Support Bradley Roberts
There was a speculative story, without a named source by Paul Turnquest
in The Tribune Tuesday 29th June. The story said that a group of
PLPs were against the chairmanship of Bradley Roberts and described him
in some pretty unflattering terms. Let us make it clear; we support
Bradley Roberts, who has given voice to the PLP where there was none before
and put some fire back in the belly. We think that stories of that
kind are simply counterproductive at this point.
Antigua Court Case
The decision of the Court of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean has been
reserved in the case of the Prime Minister of Antigua's appeal against
the order of an election court to vacate his seat and those of two of his
other ministers because of election irregularities. The respondents,
Lester Bird's ALP, have been asked to reply to a question within seven
days and then a decision will be rendered.
Caricom Meeting Begins
The Heads of Government of Caricom begin their meeting in Montego Bay,
Jamaica today
Police Head's Accusations In Jamaica
A former Commissioner of Police has accused the government there of
links to Christopher ‘Dudas’ Coke, whose extradition to the US caused a
state of emergency to be declared in Jamaica. The former COP said
that when he notified the Minister of national security in Jamaica of the
request for extradition, within fifteen minutes Mr. Coke was aware of the
request and fled to his redoubt in Jamaica. This is explosive news.
The Minister is looking at the Official Secrets Act to see if the former
COP has violated any laws and has said that the former COP is simply trying
to cover up his failure as a Commissioner of Police.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THIRTY SEVEN YEARS LATER
Many people may not remember how we celebrated the first anniversary
of our independence. After the euphoria of 1973, the great occasion
of the actual independence itself, the time went quickly. It almost
seemed that people forgot that it was something that you had to do every
year. It came so quickly upon us and the times were hard. Full
of austerity and government cutbacks. The signature piece that year
was the planting of a citrus tree by the then Prime Minister’s wife now
Dame Marguerite Pindling. We wonder what happened to that tree.
Is the 37th anniversary destined to go down in history with the same ignominy?
It seems to us that the Free National Movement does not take independence seriously as a national celebration. They treat it very much as an afterthought. Something we have to do but one of those celebrations in which you engage with the question: do we have to? Not again!
But the answer is yes, we have to and we have to do it over and over again. There is a symbolism, authenticity and integrity built into repeating the obvious with a new twist, but with same ideals every year. It is how the young are trained and it keeps the borders more secure than guns can ever do. The fact is we are a nation in part because of the consent of the governed, not because we are forced together by military might.
Why else would people who live in Abaco and Grand Bahama who could easily spin off on their own, ‘agree’ to continue to see Nassau as the centre which holds us together? There is a spirit and a tie that binds, which is cultural, voluntary and is not through coercion or law.
So The Bahamas Government should not treat the independence celebrations as an afterthought. This year, they claim that the country is in a recession and so the money has been cut all around. If you ride around the island on which the capital city sits, some of the areas that used to be festooned with decorative bunting and flags, like Fox Hill for example, have none. There is simply very little evidence that this is the month of the country’s independence. Just visit Barbados in November when they celebrate the independence of their country and see the contrast and the evidence of the event.
So much about the FNM administration is wanting, but the neglect of our culture, their disregard for the ethos and sprit of the people of The Bahamas is a most egregious wrong on their part. Recession or not, the anniversary should be taken seriously and planned with precision.
The theme this year is seeing the anniversary through the eyes of the young. We wonder what they must really think. Not the practiced addresses that they give on stages about what a wonderful place it is, but against the backdrop of no scholarships, no jobs and the endless talk about how no good they are. That is the FNM and that is how they treat independence. What a shame on this 37th birthday.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 10th July 2010 up to midnight: 126,420.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 10th July 2010 up to midnight: 173,404.
Number of hits for the year 2010 up to Saturday 10th July 2010 up to midnight: 4,824,067.
PERRY
CHRISTIE'S INDEPENDENCE MESSAGE
We present the official message from the Leader
of the Progressive Liberal Party, the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie MP on the
occasion of the 37th anniversary of Independence. Mr. Christie reflects
“on our journey of nationhood with both patriotism and pride …proud that
the instrument of Independence has enabled our people to make our own laws,
shape our own destiny as a country, and define the Bahamian identity on
the global stage.” You may click
here for Mr. Christie’s full message.
FRED
MITCHELL CALLS FOR A REPUBLIC
We present a signed article by Fred Mitchell MP
which first appeared in the special supplement produced by the Progressive
Liberal Party to mark the 37th anniversary of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
In the article, Mr. Mitchell’s retrospective ‘PROTECTING THE LEGACY OF
SOCIAL MOBILITY’, he calls for the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment
of a republic of The Bahamas.
“…Could The Bahamas survive as an independent
country? That was the question of the day. Instinctively, we
believed that the answer was yes. Time has shown that we were right…
“What thoughts do the 17 year olders have
in their heads about where The Bahamas should be?
“…the story of Bahamian Independence for
me (is) the social mobility which allowed people of poor beginnings to
rise up to be at the commanding heights of the economy.”
You may click
here for Mr. Mitchell’s retrospective.
INDEPENDENCE
PHOTOS
Independence through the eyes of young people was
the theme of this year's Independence celebrations. We present a
Peter Ramsay photo essay on the official happenings of Independence 2010.
BIS photos/Peter Ramsay
'BAREFOOT
BANDIT' CAUGHT IN ELEUTHERA
The Associated Press in a signed article by Bahamian journalist Juan McCartney
of the Nassau Guardian reports as follows:
NASSAU, Bahamas – The teenage "Barefoot Bandit"
who allegedly stole cars, boats and airplanes to dodge U.S. law enforcement
was nabbed Sunday as he tried to make a water escape then brought handcuffed
— and shoeless — to the capital to face justice, abruptly ending his two-year
life on the lam.
Colton Harris-Moore was arrested before dawn
in northern Eleuthera, said Sgt. Chrislyn Skippings, a spokeswoman for
the Royal Bahamas Police Force. A contingent of high-ranking officers traveled
to the island and took the suspect to Nassau, the country's capital, where
he faces possible extradition to the United States.
True to his nickname, the 19-year-old suspect
was barefoot as he stepped off the plane. He kept his head down and ignored
questions shouted by reporters. Escorted by six police cars and SUVs, the
teen had close-shorn hair and wore short camouflage cargo pants, a white
long-sleeved shirt and a bulletproof vest. Police blocked traffic on the
route to the Central Detective Unit where he was taken for processing.
Island police had been searching for the wily
fugitive since he allegedly crash-landed a stolen plane a week ago on nearby
Great Abaco Island, where he was blamed for a string of at least seven
break-ins.
Authorities caught Harris-Moore on a boat near
Harbour Island, a small tourist destination just off mainland Eleuthera,
said a senior police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to discuss the case. He said Harris-Moore initially
attempted to flee but police shot out the engine on his boat.
Harris-Moore, who has been running from American law enforcement
since escaping from a Washington state halfway house in 2008, gained fame
and thousands of fans who admired his ability to evade arrest. He is suspected
of stealing cars, boats and at least five planes — including the aircraft
he allegedly lifted in Indiana and flew more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers)
to the islands off Florida's coast, despite a lack of formal flight training.
The teen is a skilled outdoorsman who honed his abilities growing up in
the woods of Camano Island in Puget Sound about 30 miles (50 kilometers)
north of Seattle.
Island police picked up his trail in Eleuthera
after recovering a 44-foot (13-meter) power boat stolen from a marina on
Abaco, 40 miles (65 kilometers) to the north.
Burglary victims in Eleuthera told The Associated Press on Saturday
they had little doubt the lanky, 6-foot, 5-inch (1.9-meter) fugitive was
on the island.
Ferry boat captain Freddie Grant said he was
returning from Harbour Island on Wednesday evening when he saw a tall,
white teenager bathing or swimming in an inlet near the ferry landing.
Ferry service employee Stan Pennerman also said he saw Harris-Moore lurking
in the woods the same day.
Neither man thought much of it until they noticed
the next morning that somebody had damaged the ignition system on three
of their boats.
A bar at the ferry landing was also burglarized
Wednesday night by a thief who cut a screen to break in, dismantled a security
light, and moved the television's remote controls, said Denaldo Bain, the
30-year-old manager of Coakley's International Sporting Lounge.
"He was watching television. He was just chilling,"
said Bain, who also said he saw the teenager in the inlet.
Sightings were later reported elsewhere in Eleuthera,
including at a bar in Governor's Harbour, 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the
south, where one witness said Harris-Moore bought drinks for a girl. Others
claimed to see him driving a rental car around the island Saturday.
Harris-Moore's mother, Pam Kohler, has said that
he had a troubled childhood. His first conviction, for possession of stolen
property, came at age 12. Within a few months of turning 13, he had three
more.
But Kohler also has publicly defended her son,
saying the allegations against him are exaggerated. She has told the AP
that she hoped he would flee to a country that doesn't have an extradition
treaty with the United States.
Reached early Sunday at her home on Camano Island
in Washington state, she said she'd heard the news about the arrest but
had no comment.
Harris-Moore was sentenced to nearly four years in juvenile detention
after being caught in an unoccupied home in 2007, but he did well enough
there that he was transferred to a group home, where he sneaked out of
a window more than two years ago.
He was dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" for allegedly
going shoeless during some crimes and once allegedly leaving behind chalk
footprints as a calling card.
Harris-Moore has nearly 58,000 fans on Facebook, some of whom on
Sunday posted disappointed messages or promoted T-Shirts and tote bags
with the words "Free Colton!" and "Let Colton Fly!"
Tribune photo of Colton Harris-Moore disembarking aircraft
CHARLES
MAYNARD ATTACKS BRAVE DAVIS
Charles Maynard who spent nearly 20,000 dollars
partying in South Africa with Sol Kerzner and did not hit a lick for the
Bahamian people while he was there over the last two weeks was in the press,
The Tribune to be exact, making an allegation against the PLP’s Phil Davis.
Mr. Maynard suggested that certain allegations of corrupt behaviour made
against him and this father on the web were inspired by Mr. Davis through
operatives working for Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis denied it.
This is part of the continuing effort by Mr. Maynard
as an Ingraham operative to sully the name of the PLP’s Deputy Leader.
Mr. Davis is a lawyer by profession and Mr. Maynard’s first salvo in the
House of Assembly was that Mr. Davis was among the lawyers who helped to
bog down the process of the courts. It was a ridiculous assertion
and without foundation but off the press went running with it.
Mr. Maynard thinks that every time he attacks Mr.
Davis, the allegations of corruption against him and his father show up
on the web and he puts that to Mr. Davis’ account. Mr. Davis said
quite apart from it being untrue and not being his modus operandi generally,
Mr. Maynard should ask himself why he feels the need to attack him (Mr.
Davis) personally in order to get ahead. The answer is of course
that it pleases his master Hubert Ingraham. Jump! How high?
OSWALD
BROWN AND TRIB IN A WAR
How, in the blessed name of heaven, did bahamasuncensored.com
get mixed up in a row between FNMs over who said what? As strange
as that seems that is exactly what happened last week as The Tribune published
a letter from Oswald Brown, the FNM Editor who was fired from the Freeport
News and is now anti Hubert Ingraham. We published the letter by
Mr. Brown, which criticized Mr. Ingraham for taking a trip to South Africa
to party with Sol Kerzner while the country is going to hell in a hand
basket. We appended an editorial note of support, correcting the
grammar and syntax from certain comments made on bahamspress.com.
It turns out that whoever supplied the letter to
The Tribune attached the comments from bahamaspress.com without saying
that the comments were not those of Mr. Brown. The Tribune published
everything, adding the comments that appeared on bahamaspress.com as a
postscript. Mr. Brown was livid and threatened to sue. Now
the funny part. The Tribune’s editor Eileen Carron claimed that the
letter came from bahamasuncensored.com and that it was Bradley Roberts,
the PLP Chairman, who sent the letter to them and appended the postscript.
Mrs. Carron then suggested that Bradley Roberts is now the editor of bahamasuncensored.com.
Congratulations, Mr. Roberts! Things get funnier and funnier.
Mrs. Carron told Mr. Brown not to waste his time suing The Tribune.
She said that it was better for him to talk to Mr. Roberts. What
would he say to him? You know the story though; when FNMs and rascals
fall out, look out.
BRADLEY
ROBERTS ON THE STATE OF HEALTH CARE
The Minister of Health Hubert Minnis has said that
the facilities for dialysis in the public hospital are operating normally.
He was responding to a press statement by the PLPs Chairman Bradley Roberts
on complaints about the facility. Mr. Roberts issued a statement
on 7th July saying that the facility was understaffed was out
of certain medications and was a danger to patients. You may click
here for the full statement.
Later in the week, Mr. Roberts followed up with
a further allegation that the labs at the public hospital were not up to
scratch because of shortages in equipment and issues with the air conditioning
in the facility. You may click here
for that full statement.
CATHOLICS
CELEBRATE 50 YEARS
To mark the occasion the establishment of the Diocese
of Nassau as a Roman Catholic diocese 50 years ago, Monday 5th July, Roman
Catholics gathered under the guidance of their first Bahamian Bishop and
Metropolitan Patrick Pinder in a concelebrated mass of thanksgiving at
St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. The Papal Nuncio who lives in Trinidad
and Tobago concelebrated the service, as did the Archbishop of Jamaica.
In his homily, Archbishop Pinder
paid tribute to his predecessors in the office Leonard Hagarty and Lawrence
Burke. Attending the mass were public officials from the Commonwealth
including Dion Foulkes, the Minister of Labour representing the Prime Minister
and Frank Smith MP representing Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie.
Fred Mitchell MP and Alfred Sears MP for the PLP also attended along with
Loretta Butler Turner, the Minister of State for Social Services as well
as Sir Michael Barnett, the Chief Justice. We present a photo essay
by Peter Ramsay, himself a lifelong Roman Catholic.
Peter Ramsay photos
ALEX
CHRISTIE SIGNS A CONTRACT
There was joy in heaven and the Christie household,
that is of Perry and Bernadette Christie, mother of Alex as she signed
her first international recording contract with Isoscope Records on 6th
July. The signing took place in Atlanta, Georgia where the younger
Christie has been living for the past year with the active support of her
father and the chaperoning of her mother. Her producer is Dallas
Austin. The hope is that Alex will succeed in the way that Barbadian
star Rihanna has succeeded across the world. We wish her well.
Photo/Andrew Burrows
MITCHELL
AT US INDEPENDENCE
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill and the Opposition’s
spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade attended the ceremony and
reception on behalf of the Progressive Liberal Party hosted by US Ambassador
Nicole A. Avant on Thursday 1st July held at the US Ambassador’s home Liberty
Overlook on Prospect Ridge in New Providence. The photo shows Mr.
Mitchell being greeted by the Ambassador and her husband Ted Sarandos.
BIS photo/Patrick Hanna
CRABS
FOR COMPUTERS
Gilbert Kemp is the Family Island administrator in Mangrove Cay, appointed
pursuant to the Local Government Act. This means that for all things
official, he is the link to the central government for the people of Mangrove
Cay. He has taken up a special mission in that role as administrator
seeking to ensure that the children in this area keep up to date with modern
life and access to the information that will help them develop. Andros
is an area known for its crabs and as this is crab season, a commodity
in demand in New Providence, he has come up with a plan to swap crabs for
computers. The article is contributed from Mangrove Cay:
The students of the Mangrove Cay, Andros community
are pleased to announce the start of "The Crabs for Computers Summer Initiative".
This program, the brainchild of Island Administrator Gilbert Kemp, was
designed to help the students of the Mangrove Cay community purchase laptops
for themselves. Mr. Kemp, in speaking about the program, explained
the multiple objectives which are expected to assist the local students
and community in a very positive way.
"We are getting the students of Mangrove Cay
involved in positive initiatives this summer. The "Crabs for Computers"
program invites every student in the community to participate by going
out and catching crabs which will in turn be sold to buy laptops for participating
students.
"We expect that this program will be beneficial
as it teaches our children that there is reward in hard work, while at
the same time gives them an opportunity to secure one of the most valuable
commodities of our time, a personal computer.
"We are looking to train and prepare our students
for the global and technological environment. We don't want and won't
allow the kids of the Mangrove Cay community to be left behind. It
is so refreshing when early in the morning some of the students would come
shouting out excitedly,
"Commish, Commish! I have two dozen crabs!"
We recognize that there are challenges with respect
to each household having its own internet supply, so we have arranged to
have WiFi hotspots placed around the island so that everyone can connect
to the internet with their new laptops at no additional costs to their
already financially pressed families.
"We have a vital need. We are looking for
a hand up, not handouts. The crabs will be sold at a very competitive
rate of $25 per dozen. The lowest price anywhere! We will ship
them to you, just pick up your box from the boat."
Mangrove Cay is a quaint island community with
no major hotels or large businesses. The hard working and industrious
residents live mainly off of the sea. They are peaceful and hard-working,
a trait that can be seen in the children who each year sell crabs to help
support their families.
All Bahamians with an interest in the advancement
of our children and youth are asked to support this venture. Orders
can be placed by calling 225-1837, 225-9041, 225-7263 or 556-9591.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Allyson Maynard Gibson
…on the death of John Kenning
The country notes with sadness and a very heavy
heart the passing last week of Mr. John Kenning O.B.E., a Bahamian with
a big heart and an unquenchable desire for excellence and making a positive
difference in people’s lives.
The Kennings (John and Betty) were well known
Bahaman philanthropists. Both were animal lovers and they were largely
responsible for the existence of the Bahamas Humane Society as we know
it today, a world class organization. The Kennings were also largely
responsible for the construction of the Betty Kenning Aquatic Centre, a
world class swim training centre in The Bahamas. The late Mrs. Betty Kenning
O.B.E., was an avid swimmer (at world class level in her youth). She had
and pursued a vision for young Bahamian swimmers achieving their full potential
on the world stage. With much reluctance, she allowed the national aquatic
centre to bear her name.
Mr. John Kenning was a banker par excellence.
He was an advisor to many Governments, in which capacity he generously
gave his time and talent. He never allowed artificial barriers, such as
politics, to interfere with his friendships nor his philanthropic efforts.
For as long as he was in the financial services sector, he was determined
that The Bahamas should be seen to be a jurisdiction of excellence: a blue
chip jurisdiction. In his view, all financial services required a strong
retail banking sector. He was a proud “Barclays Man”.
Mr. John Kenning took pride in his ability to
spot, nurture, mentor, invest in and otherwise develop Bahamian talent.
Many of the nation’s top bankers and business people are protégées
of John Kenning. He was a highly principled and conservative man. Excellence
was his watchword.
Mr. John Kenning felt the need to foster Bahamian
entrepreneurship. At a time when banks were oriented to consumer loans
for the ordinary Bahamian, he took seriously and examined carefully the
business proposals of many ordinary Bahamians who wanted to venture into
their own business. Many a story has been told by people who never would
have received a business loan, but for the fact that John Kenning “knew
his customer”. They, grateful to be afforded the opportunity to pursue
their dream, did not let him down. Those businesses, and through them John
Kenning, helped to create a significant middle class in The Bahamas.
Innumerable Bahamians have been the recipients
of the Kennings’ quiet generosity, whether from enabling their freight
to come to The Bahamas either free or at a substantial discount, receiving
a scholarship, receiving building materials either free or at a substantial
discount and many other examples. The Kennings gave freely without looking
for an earthly reward. Many religious communities have also been recipients
of their bigheartedness.
Many people will recall his personal discipline.
He used to run on the Cable Beach strip every morning. He was an avid and
very competent golfer. During his wife’s illness, he saw to her every need
and desire for as long as he could before he too became ill. He was a loving
husband.
Thank you Mr. John Kenning O.B.E., (born in Ireland)
for choosing to make The Bahamas your home and for so richly enhancing
the Bahamian tapestry.
May his soul rest in peace.
Allyson Maynard Gibson
Elcott Coleby on The Tribune
I make reference to a recent Tribune article,
editorial, and cartoon sketch. Have the laws of the Bahamas been
recently changed to legally empower the opposition to spend money from
the public treasury? I ask this rhetorical question because during
the committal stage of the budget in the House, The Hon. Carl Bethel was
seen and heard quoting from the constitution to argue that the resolution
tabled by the Member from Fox Hill to increase government financial support
for the burial of loved ones of the poor was unconstitutional.
The owner of the Tribune used that newspaper
as a platform to imply that Opposition Leader Christie actually had the
legal authority to spend the $200,000 allocation for his constituency.
The cartoon sketch in the Tribune showed Christie with a big bag of money
on his shoulders, clearly creating the impression that he was legally empowered
to spend the money.
The fact is that only the government can
authorize expenditure of public funds and it has to be approved by The
Cabinet and executed through the Ministry of Finance, with or without the
sanction of the opposition. In the case of the constituency allowance,
the MP can only make a request and the government either honors the request,
or not. In the case of Centerville and Farm Road, the request made by the
MP was not honored by the government (for what ever reason).
The Tribune article, editorial, and cartoon
sketch was interpreted and came across as the FNM government stabbing Christie,
them blaming Christie for bleeding. This proverbial shot was decidedly
cheap and well below the belt. It was a classic case of not allowing the
facts to get in the way of a good salacious story, a good political spin,
or a good old fashion political smear, all to accrue some political benefit
to the FNM.
This is unfortunate for a newspaper of note,
given the role of the Fourth Estate as the official gate keeper in a free,
modern, democratic state such as ours.
Elcott Coleby
Forrester Carroll - Living It Up In Sin City…
Within the last 48 hours six more murders were added to the growing list
of 41, recorded for the year thus far, bringing the year-to-date total
to 47. This was the tale-of-the-tape for the week ending 26th June
2010 and all this going on while the man charged with responsibility for
the country's national security matters, hob-knobs with Sol Kerzner (sorry;
Sir Sol Kerzner) as his guest on a pleasure trip to Sin City in South Africa.
Amidst the heinous acts of gruesome murders occurring in the capitol this
past six-day week armed robberies, drug arrests, housebreaking and stealing
too numerous to mention, were rampant and the police force, while doing
the best they can, of course, seems overwhelmed and helpless to stem the
tide of crime generally, in the country. All this, I say again, happening
while the man, charged with responsibility for the country's national security
matters, hob-knobs with Sir Solomon Kerzner as his guest on a pleasure,
all expense paid, trip to Sin City in South Africa.
The minister of finance, as well, whose charge
and responsibility it is to create and maintain a favourable investment
climate, to facilitate job creation, in the country, is also (at this time
and has been for a week with another week to go) hob-knobbing with Sol
Kerzner as his guest on this aforementioned all expense paid pleasure trip
to Sin City in South Africa. It should be noted that while Hubert
and Tommy and Charles and their entourage are living it up in Sin City,
the minister for the environment was, on Friday 25th June, issuing pink
slips to 250-300 government workers and sending them home with no hope
of finding alternative employment any time soon. In addition, while
the minister was carrying out that act, about 100 persons were let go in
Freeport, Grand Bahama, from two businesses which closed their doors and
another which scaled back their operations by letting 12 of their valuable
employees go, citing lack of work for them to do. I say valuable
employees because one of the workers, among the 12 terminated, was employed
by the company, fresh out of school, more than 40 years ago; she was a
forty year plus, veteran employee. It truly saddens my heart to see
what is happening in the country but especially here in Grand Bahama where
career employees, with this many years on jobs, are let go from these companies.
The government, of Hubert Alexander Ingraham, should be ashamed of themselves
for what they have done to ordinary struggling Bahamians in this once tranquil
and prosperous Bahamaland.
What are these three cabinet ministers, including
the prime minister of the country, doing socializing at the people's expense
half way around the world, at a time like this, while Bahamians suffer
under the most strenuous of economic conditions created by the great economic
architect, Hubert Alexander Ingraham, himself? Shouldn't they have
cancelled this and all other unnecessary trips, and view this crisis as
a disaster requiring their constant attention? Shouldn't they have
exercised more common sense and saw that they needed to be more sensitive
to the current misery index in the country? Do they care what hardships
Bahamians are confronted with on a daily basis (and have been for the last
three years that the FNM has been in office) in their homes and on their
one or two-day a week jobs, if they are the lucky ones to have a roof over
their heads and a two day a week job to go to? But you know what,
after all is said and done? We are to be blamed and I'll say again
for emphasis that, we get the government we deserve and we deserve the
leaders we elect. There was once a choice between the Lord Jesus
Christ and Barabbas; we chose Barabbas.
Newspaper headlines and photographs coming out
of Sin City Africa show Ingraham and the boys laughing it up and having
a good ole time while murders, armed robberies and other crimes threaten
to engulf us, here at home. The murders, I referred to above, for
the most part, were calculated and not random killings; and to have had
six of them being committed in six days, tells us a lot as to where the
country is in terms of getting this menace under control. Nothing
seems to be working, notwithstanding the best efforts of the commissioner
and his police officers. I must remind my readers that Urban Renewal
- (Perry Christie's, that is) - was having a very positive impact on the
level of criminal activity in the country, before Ingraham came to office,
but for purely silly political reasons he dismantled the program and resorted
to the watered down, ineffective, version it is today. The FNM has
turned this extremely effective three-time, international award-winning
social outreach program, into merely a shell of its former status and a
jobs program where FNM cronies, who are unable to hold down jobs anywhere
else in the country, are dumped and paid salaries from the public treasury
for just hanging around.
The impact of Ingraham's 2010-2011 budget is
already being felt throughout the country. The long lines at the
road traffic department, both in Freeport and Nassau, on the last two days
in June showed just how desperate persons were to save on the outrageously
high increases (in some cases around 200-300%) in the licensing of their
vehicles before the new rates became effective on 1st July. I am
told that on the very last day (June 30th) there were persons who frantically
ran to their banks to withdraw funds and stood in line for hours, when
they found out what the increases would be, effective July 1st, to have
their vehicles licenses renewed. Some have opted to license their
vehicles as far in advance as two and in some cases three months.
All this going on while Ingraham, Tommy, Charles and their entourage, with
their dry martinis in hand and at the expense of the Bahamian tax payers,
hob-knob with Sir Sol Kerzner and those dancing African girls in their
scanty outfits. Are these guys for real? Is this the trusted,
caring government you folks elected in 2007? Is this what you bargained
for? Can these guys, honestly, claim that they really care for Bahamians
and what they are going through? I have my doubts and certainly,
I am not convinced.
They will return this week, we are told; what
benefits will they bring from South Africa for the Country? Will
they bring some financial assistance for the increasing numbers of poor
and needy among us, or will they bring only the pay off (as told me by
a friend) from Sir Sol Kerzner for the Knighthood that Ingraham gave him?
They tell me that Sir Sol paid big bucks for that honour, given him by
this Ingraham FNM government, and that this trip, by the boys, was only
a part of his show of gratitude for the honour bestowed.
I am convinced that Ingraham is doing exactly
what he did, in 2000, when he realized that it was very likely that he
would have lost the 2002 general elections. He started travelling
as much as he could. He and his entourage attended all events the
country was invited to and spent up all the country's resources in his
effort (I was convinced at the time) to leave the public treasury completely
broke, which he did, for when the PLP took office. His modus operandi
now, I am convinced, is the same as it was in the year 2000; spend what
the country doesn't have and leave nothing for the incoming PLP government
to work with.
A prominent lawyer opined to me recently; "But
Mr. Carroll," he said, "these guys have two loaded 45 calibre guns at our
heads and there is nothing we can do to get rid of them for another two
years short of a coup, which is not our style.” This, I believe,
sums it up and best describes the current mindset of the majority of Bahamians,
including many traditional FNM supporters.
We can't wait; we need change.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
9th July 2010
IN PASSING
Sonny Martin Buried
Farewell to our friend Elon ‘Sonny’ Martin who was buried in his beloved
West End following a ceremony at the Anglican Pro Cathedral in Freeport,
Grand Bahama on Saturday 10th July. Mr. Martin is survived by his
wife Sheila; children Stephanie, April, Tiffany and Ricardo; a brother
Dennis and the Consul General in Atlanta, Kay Smith, a niece. Speaking
at the funeral were Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, former Governor General
Arthur Hanna; former Speaker Sir Arlington Butler and his brother Dennis
Martin. Perry Christie PLP Leader and Philip ‘Brave’ Davis Deputy
Leader attended as well.
Fred Mitchell In Exuma and Long Island
Each year at this time, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell joins the people
of the Exuma constituency and their MP Anthony Moss to celebrate Independence
Day. Mr. Mitchell celebrated again this year on the Regatta Park
in Georgetown along with his sister Carla Seymour and her children Carlton
Jr. and Celine. The family then went on to Long island on Sunday
11th July to visit with PLPs in Long Island.
Sir Orville In Car Accident
Former Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest and driver are said to
be well following a road traffic accident on Friday 2nd July that totalled
his car. He was being driven by his chauffer when someone was overtaking
cars and wandered into his lane. There was a head on crash despite
the best efforts of his driver to avoid the crash.
Container Report Investigation Ready
Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes says that the report by the International
Labour Organization’s (ILO) investigator into the events that led to the
death of three people at the Freeport Container Port following a tornado
there on 29th March has been presented to the government. He said
that the government is reviewing it findings. No word on when the
report will be made public. In the meantime, the government is still
trying to fire the met officers who they say did not issue a timely a warning
to Grand Bahama. This is to seek to put the blame on them when the
real problem is the government's failure to open a met office in Freeport
to deal with Grand Bahama's weather issues once the weather station supplied
by the Grand Bahama Port Authority closed.
Moody’s Report
Moody’s has maintained the current credit rating for The Bahamas citing
the recent moves by the Ingraham administration to cut the deficit and
raise taxes.
Indie Irie Performs At Girls Industrial School
The American performer Indie Irie was a special guest of U.S. Ambassador
Nicole A Avant for the US Independence Celebrations. While in Nassau,
she took time out to give a special performance with the children at the
Girls Industrial School where young women under the age of 18 who are sentenced
to jail are housed.
Fox Hill On Independence Day
The people of Fox Hill will mark the occasion of the 37th independence
of The Bahamas with a special flag raising ceremony on Saturday 17th July.
The ceremony will be led by Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell on the Fox Hill Parade
and is open to the public. These ceremonies were begun in 2006 at
the request of the then Committee for Independence Celebrations headed
by the late Winston Saunders who asked local communities to find ways to
mark the occasion.
Independence In Miami
The Bahamas will mark the occasion of the Independence of The Bahamas
in Florida at the St. Agnes Anglican Church in Overtown, Miami on Sunday
18th July at 3 p.m. Fred Mitchell, Opposition spokesman on Foreign
Affairs, will attend for the Progressive Liberal Party.
Stella Maris Corrects Adrian Gibson
Adrian Gibson, the writer for The Tribune, who is known for his anti
PLP columns, wrote a column in which he made certain accusations about
Stella Maris, the Long Island hotel. He said that the resort paid
people 100 dollars per week for a full week’s work. The owners of
Stella Maris wrote a letter to the editor of The Tribune in which they
denied any such thing. They said that they were proud of their record
of keeping everyone on in a recession and for paying wages in accordance
with the wage laws of The Bahamas. One hundred dollars per week would
be in violation of those laws.
Crawfish Must Now Be Certified
Now in order to send crawfish from The Bahamas, it has to be officially
certified through a government-approved process that shows it was caught
in an ecologically sustainable way and in conformity with the law.
The Fisheries Department has initiated the first of the training programmes
for this in Abaco. The rule now is that unless the certificate accompanies
the crawfish, they will not be allowed into the European markets.
Interesting, now that we have free trade access because of the Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europeans; this certificate on sustainable
practices, anon tariff barrier to trade. The Bahamas exports some
60 million dollars of crawfish to Europe every year.
Babak To Be Investigated
With the collapse of Freeport Concrete and the dismissal of 60 workers
in Grand Bahama, some in Freeport are calling for the Securities Commission
to investigate the related business practices of Freeport Concrete that
had the company renting from its largest shareholder and that shareholder
then refusing to put more money into the company so that it could survive.
The main shareholder was Hannes Babak and when called upon to rescue the
company, he refused and let it go under, with the company owing him money
for rent.
Bahama Rock Looking To Andros
There was a town meeting in Freeport on Thursday 1st July in which
the Minister of the Environment and the Members of Parliament for the Grand
Bahama Island met with residents of Eight Mile Rock who are fed up with
the blasting and cracks that come from Bahama Rock excavating aggregate
from the sub soil just the other side of their homes. Smooth assurances
came from the Minister that all is well. Troy Garvey, the community
activist, was not satisfied. But what is interesting is the talk
that as the situation becomes more troublesome in Grand Bahama, Bahama
Rock may be looking to move their operations to Andros. Scouts from
the company are said to have made a trip to Andros looking at possible
sites to excavate. Now that would be a disaster, given the sensitive
ecological nature and importance of Andros to The Bahamas.
Troy Garvey Leaves The PLP
Troy Garvey, the civic activist from Grand Bahama who made a name for
himself as a leader in Eight Mile Rock during the uproar over the allegations
of molestation of young boys at the high school there, and who most recently
applied for a nomination from the PLP, has left the PLP and is now a member
of the National Democratic Party.
Melissa Sears
Melissa Sears whose light shone bright at the PLP convention following
the general election in 2007, who was the moving force behind the PLP activist
group the PLAN, was a party Vice Chair and was central to the organizing
of the Young Liberals in Freeport, appears to be in some difficulty.
You may remember that she resigned her position as Vice Chair with a cryptic
note citing personal reasons. This lead to considerable and salacious
speculation in both the mainstream press and on the web. This column
defended her as she was attacked by some PLPs who suggested disloyalty
to the PLP. That storm seemed to pass and it appeared that there
was a family split and divorce in the works but things seemed to be, in
the circumstances, on even keel. Last week, however, came the front-page
news that she had resigned her job and from the words of the head
of her former insurance firm it appeared that she had been forced out.
The story then begins to get dangerously complicated and is not yet confirmed,
but it appears that other difficulties are on the way.
Political Prisoners In Cuba
The Cuban government has relented in the face of criticism of the practice
of locking up those who dissent in Cuba. It has agreed with the Roman
Catholic Church and the Spanish Foreign Minister to what is reportedly
the largest ever release of political prisoners. This ended the hunger
strike of the leading dissident Guillermo Farinas who was said to be getting
dangerously ill after 130 days of not eating in protest against the Cuban
government’s continued detention of political dissidents that the government
there called American mercenaries.
AG Says Law To Change For Elections
If it were not serious, it would be laughable. John Delaney,
the Attorney General, says that he has completed his review of the ruling
of the Election Court that decided that Ryan Pinder was duly elected to
the House of Assembly based on the protest votes cast. The Prime
Minister had ordered the review because he objected to the votes being
handed to Mr. Pinder by amongst others a voter who was not registered
in the constituency and simply turned up to vote because she was resident
in the constituency. The Prime Minster said that they were looking
to an appeal to the Privy Council and or changing the laws to clarify the
rules on residency. No mention by the AG in his latest intervention
of the Privy Council, which seemed ludicrous on the face of the clear prohibition
in the Constitution on any such appeal. But the AG now says that
they will proceed with an attempt to change the law to clarify the residence
requirements for electors.
Ingraham Has A Head Problem
Sources within the FNM say that they are becoming increasingly concerned
about the erratic behaviour of the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and whether
the behaviour may have some clinical implications. They say that
it is difficult to predict what he will do or say from day to day and the
government is increasingly being held hostage to his wild mood swings.
Ingraham A No Show At Caricom Meeting
The partying with Sol Kerzner must have been too much for the man.
Back from ten days of an all expense paid trip to South Africa at
the expense of Sol Kerzner, the owner of Atlantis, Mr. Ingraham did not
attend the Heads of Government meeting of Caricom in Montego Bay, Jamaica
from 4th July to 7th July. He sent instead his Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette.
Paul Moss Doesn’t Like Entertainment
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill was asked by The Tribune to comment on
the future of Andre Rollins, the former NDP candidate in the Elizabeth
bye-election who is said to be contemplating joining either the PLP or
the FNM. Mr. Rollins has spoken to the leaders of both parties.
Tough spot to be in, but Mr. Mitchell made it clear that he hoped that
Mr. Rollins would join the PLP. He said that he has the look and
is a smart guy. He said that his own view was that third parties
are really entertainment for the Bahamian population and the point of anyone
in a third party who wants to make a difference is to get into one of the
main parties and cut a deal as soon as you can. He said he gave that
advice to Mr. Rollins. Not to be outdone, Paul Moss, who ran unsuccessfully
for leader of the PLP and who managed within the space of three years to
move from potential nominee for St. Cecilia to bitter outcast, took umbrage
at Mr. Mitchell's statement. Mr. Moss' response was humourless. He
said he wanted to assure Mr. Mitchell that third parties were not entertainment
and that he in the NDP would be making a serious challenge to bring about
change in The Bahamas. Of course, since he is the one with the money,
he would be a most valued asset to his new party and he ought to be careful
about that road he is going down if only for that reason. No doubt,
he is serious, but the point is not whether the people in third parties
are serious, it is whether they provide anything more than entertainment
for the Bahamian people. And yet again, by his own statement in the
press we were entertained.
Lament And Praise For Lebron James
Lebron James is a basketball player, seven years into his career, having
joined the American National Basketball league at the age of 19.
There was a great show on television and in the press about whether or
not he would stay on with the team where he has won the Most Valuable Player
(MVP) award in the dead rust belt town of Cleveland or move to a more exciting
city like Chicago, New York, Miami and try to get on a team with other
players who can in combination give him a championship ring. The
Cleveland owner thought that he would stay and told him how much they loved
him. That love turned to hate on Thursday 8th July when James
announced in a one-hour show on ESPN TV, proceeds of which went to the
Boys and Girls Club of America, that he was indeed joining two other highfliers
taking less money and moving to Miami. He said it was the best shot
to get a championship ring. His old team’s owner was vicious, calling
it a cowardly act. Nonsense. Here you have a young man who
is breaking up his young body for the entertainment of people. The
owners make millions off him. If he failed they would dump him like
nobody’s business. He makes a business decision in his best interest
and now he is suddenly cowardly. When his years as a player are done
and he is left with all the aches and pains and the salary has dried up,
what then? That is why we have no difficulty with these young athletes
loading up on the cash in their early years because when they are finished,
they are finished. Here, though, is what our friend had to
say on her Facebook page: Allyson Kali-Marie Smith - Lebron will
go down as one of the greats, no doubt. But will never go down as
one of the greatest. In the future when they talk about Lebron's
legacy it will be impossible w/o mentioning Wade or Bosh. He is no
Jordan. He is no Kobe. Never was, never will be. Who
wants to root for a purchased dynasty? I don't mind if King James
destroys his crown, but did he have to take the league down with it?
Sir Michael Rules
Trinity Insurance, the broker and agents out of Freeport, have lost
the first round of their battle against Security and General Insurance.
Security and General had seized the assets of the company and the personal
assets of the directors of Trinity in a dispute over fees and income.
Sir Michael Barnett has ruled that Trinity owes Security and General 835,000
and that the principals of the company who signed personal guarantees owe
$150,000 each. The case is being appealed.
Signing The CSME
Many will remember the double cross by Hubert Ingraham and the FNM
on the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). After assuring the
PLP that they supported the policy back in 2005, when the public reacted
adversely, they abandoned their position even though the policy clearly
was the best for the country. Things have a way of turning out.
The talk is now that the government has signed a Tax Information Agreement
(TIEA) in which The Bahamas is to get the benefit, like Barbados, of a
double taxation treaty with Canada. The government was touting this benefit
as it signed away for the TIEA with Canada. Hold on second.
The lawyers in Canada have been checking the fine print with the lawyers
in The Bahamas and it turns out that those benefits only accrue if The
Bahamas is a part of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Duh!
Murder! Murder! Murder!
We are now at 49 murders for the year. Last one was a prison
officer stabbed to death in a row outside a bar in Carmichael Road over
the weekend.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
INGRAHAM SAYS HE WAS
NOT PRIME MINISTER
Shakespeare’s
Hamlet in one of his soliloquies says this: “Why what an ass am I?”
This could very well apply to the Prime Minister, who continues to make
an ass of himself by one asinine statement after the other. The latest
was his attempt again to defend the indefensible, his pleasure trip to
South Africa in the middle of the recession, which has rankled the population
and has caused people to question his support of the BahaMar project to
build a new hotel on Cable Beach. He granted an exclusive interview
with The Tribune in order to defend the policy of stop, review and cancel
that has our economy in a twist.
Here is what he said in his own words: “I went to South Africa at my own expense. My personal expense. Bought my own ticket. I did not go to South Africa as Prime Minister of The Bahamas.
“FIFA provided us with accommodation. Mr. Kerzner’s hotel. The South African government provided us with all ground transportation while we were in South Africa and appropriate security. Mr. Kerzner had a private dinner for us at his hotel with his management and the Mayor of Cape Town. At the dinner, was Desmond Tutu, which was in the newspaper.”
It is possible to rip these statements apart. Hubert Ingraham, last we checked was the holder of the office of Prime Minister of the Bahamas, that was still so when he went to South Africa. What foolishness! He did not travel to South Africa as Prime Minister. Nonsense. The office goes where he goes.
He certainly did not think that FIFA invited him there because he was Hubert Ingraham. He certainly did not think that Sol Kerzner had a private dinner for him because he was Hubert Ingraham. He certainly did not think that the South African government provided appropriate security because he was Hubert Ingraham. Presumably, his police bodyguard accompanied him from Nassau. He certainly did not think that the bodyguard went with him because he was Hubert Ingraham. All of those were provided because he was the Prime Minister of The Bahamas.
We reported in this column last week that people in Mr. Ingraham’s party are getting quite concerned about him and his erratic behaviour, thinking that this might have some clinical implications. That is a polite way of saying you know what about him, but the more you look at his decisions, the more you think of the expression those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.
In the same interview, Mr. Ingraham said of the BahaMar project when the question was put to him about his statement that BahaMar and Atlantis Phase four could not coexist, it had to be one or the other, and whether he made a deal with Mr. Kerzner in South Africa to scuttle the BahaMar deal: “We have said to them (BahaMar) that we are still supportive of their efforts and they have now told us that they have some financing arrangement with the Chinese government and the Chinese government through its embassy, said that this was so and that they had to have it formally approved by various entities in China and they are working through the process. We wait for a definitive vote from the Chinese government one way or the other. We have said that if the Chinese government approves the project then we will take it to the House of Assembly and finalize the arrangement.”
You heard it. The weeks and months before, Mr. Ingraham was busy talking down the project. He would not have approved it. He had no faith in it. Now he is supportive of it.
That’s fine. He should support it. His government ought to approve it. His government and he ought to show leadership and tell the Bahamian people why it is going to allow 5,000 Chinese to work in The Bahamas to build that project. That is his job.
So Mr. Prime Minister. Stop talking nonsense and accept what you are for the remaining months in the job. Although truth be told, we will all be happy to see the bloody back of you.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 17th July 2010 up to midnight: 153,151.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 17th July 2010 up to midnight: 341,107.
Number of hits for the year 2010 up to Saturday 17th July 2010 up to midnight: 4,991,770.
BAREFOOT
BANDIT OVERDRIVE AND OVERKILL
There must have been a set of silly pills taken in The Bahamas over the
past week. There was this frenzy of activity over a young American
who was known as the Barefoot Bandit. The American media descended
upon The Bahamas as the young man Colton Harris-Moore was arraigned in
a Nassau Court, charged for illegal landing, given a fine of $300 and deported
from The Bahamas Tuesday 13th July. This was done after a full court
press by the police to find the man, who came to The Bahamas in a stolen
plane, fired shots at the police, broke into establishments in Abaco and
in Eleuthera and stole a boat.
The Bahamas was outraged by the stupidity of its
government. The first one to get into the fray of explanations was
the Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade. The press said that
he thought it was best to get the man out of the country to protect the
country’s reputation. Even press people have asked why the Commissioner
feels the need to get involved in these things. Sometimes it’s better
to remain silent and this is one of those times. The government ought
to take the heat for the decision, since everyone knows that such a decision
could not have been made unless the Government signed off on it.
Later in the week, Attorney General John Delaney
showed up with his blandishments about the practice of allowing the jurisdiction
with the greater crimes to prosecute. On that basis, the government
thought that the expeditious handling of the matter and allowing him to
leave the country would be best. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill at
his press conference on Thursday 15th July called this reasoning foolishness.
Mr. Mitchell said at the very least, the man should have been made to pay
the costs of the substantial police effort to get him.
Raynard Rigby, the former PLP chairman, has a contrary
view. He said on his Facebook page that he did not know what all
the fuss was about, joining commentator Oswald Brown. He said that
The Bahamas could not prosecute crimes in a timely fashion for Bahamians
so the better thing was to get the man out of the country.
Whatever the arguments for it, they did not go down
well with the public, with Mr. Mitchell expressing it this way; the feeling
that there is one standard of justice for those who look like us and another
for those who do not look like us. PLP leader Perry Christie joined
the argument, calling the decision by the government a national disgrace.
We agree. It sends a bad signal and it shows how simply out of touch
the FNM is with the people they govern. The reputation of the police
has suffered in this and the Commissioner’s as well. The whole idea
of every policeman and his brother downtown on arraignment day as if they
were all mugging for shots on American TV. The country simply came
off as a banana republic and the police as the keystone cops.
Nassau Guardian photo/Tony Grant Jr.
TURNING
UP THE HEAT ON CHERYL BETHELL
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill said at his news conference
on Thursday 15th July that the PLP means at the next session of Parliament
to press the Prime Minister on what it is that he knows that are good and
valid reasons why Cheryl Grant Bethell should not be the Director of Public
Prosecutions. Mr. Ingraham made the statement when the House last
met.
Mr. Mitchell told the Nassau Guardian that Mrs.
Grant Bethell does not fear any disclosure because there is nothing there
to disclose. He said that he believed that the reason why Mrs. Grant
Bethell was forced out of her office (see photo of
the week) was a pure power play on the part of the government.
He added that he had received information from third parties to warn Mrs.
Grant Bethell that if she fought back, she would be destroyed and that
what the government was now doing was attempting to destroy Mrs. Grant
Bethell. There is an adage: dig one grave, dig two.
PLP
ON BAREFOOT BANDIT
PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts issued the following
statement on the actions of the government on the so called “Barefoot Bandit”
who was released from Bahamian custody on Tuesday 13th July and deported
to Florida after being fined a measly 300 dollars for illegal entry:
14th July 2010 For Immediate Release
The PLP congratulates the Royal Bahamas Police Force on the arrest
of Mr. Colton Harris-Moore, aka “The Barefoot Bandit”.
The PLP notes with regret the failure of the
Attorney General, The Minister of National Security and others in charge
of the administration of justice to indict Mr. Harris-Moore on the numerous
serious criminal offences he committed while in The Bahamas.
No person is above the law. If any young Bahamian
male, or any other Bahamian, had been accused of stealing a plane, stealing
several motorboats, illegal possession of a firearm, threatening a person
with bodily harm, using that illegal firearm or any other firearm, threatening
law enforcement officers, resisting arrest, and any of the other offence
alleged to have been committed by Mr. Harris-Moore, that young Bahamian
man or other Bahamian would have been hauled before the Courts, charged
with those serious offences, and prosecuted to the extent of the law. Law
abiding citizens and other right thinking people would expect that any
one accused of committing those serious criminal offences in The Bahamas
would be charged before the Courts in the Bahamas.
The fact that Mr. Harris-Moore was not charged
with these serious offences, but instead was charged with a minor offence
and was given what amounted to "a slap on the wrist" indicates to all Bahamians
that justice is not equally applied in the Bahamas. This is a national
disgrace.
The PLP condemns the Attorney General and the
Minister of National Security for allowing the Bahamian system of justice
to be brought into disrepute and for participating and aiding and abetting
the mockery of the Bahamian system of justice.
DR.
ALLEN ON PERVASIVE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE
Politicians in The Bahamas increasingly have a tiger by the tail with regard
to winning elections and it appears in obtaining nominations. It
is summed up in the expression: who controls the streets. It means
that increasingly, in order to succeed in politics, you have to have control
of a wild bunch of young male miscreants, feeding their drinking and marijuana
habits. The conventional wisdom is that the failure to do that sank
Allyson Maynard Gibson in her fight with Byran Woodside for the Pinewood
seat in 2007.
It is a serious issue: no one is interested in issues
or how to solve national problems, but in who can order the most drinks
and smokes and intimidate their opponent by use of force real or implicit.
Around political camps, increasingly, are hordes of young men who drink
themselves into oblivion and are constantly asking to borrow money, in
the political lexicon called “taxing the representative”. This came
to mind as Dr. David Allen’s comment appeared in The Tribune on 14th July
at a public forum.
Dr. Allen is not the PLP’s favourite person, since
he savaged the Urban Renewal Programme that he helped to build, as soon
as the FNM came to power in 2007. But Dr. Allen said after three
years worth of research into the root causes of crime in The Bahamas, there
is an “ominous and pervasive culture of violence and destruction” taking
over the country. He was speaking at Bahamas Forum, a public discussion
initiative that was launched in co-ordination with Commissioner Ellison
Greenslade and Bamboo Town Member of Parliament Branville McCartney week
before last.
The doctor presented findings from his study that
included interviews with families of murder victims, students involved
in violent disorderly behaviour, chronic drug addicts, public and private
psychotherapy groups, confidential interviews with children, and other
sample groups. The story was written by Noelle Nicholls and published
on 14th July.
Dr. Allen said: “We found a powerful sense of
anger amongst us Bahamians. Throughout the three-year study, participants
talked about outing, which was the word for killing; poisoning, women particularly,
and suicide.
“A few months ago we had a young girl commit
suicide. We have five of her friends right now who want to do the
same thing right now. Their argument is, ‘Doc, life is in the body.
When there are no good things for you, you can’t wear Nike and designer
clothes, you can’t have the right weight, you might as well die.
They believe life is purely in the body.
“Bahamians act based on destructive anger patterns,
instead of constructive anger patterns that are fostered by grieving, forgiveness,
gratitude, and compassion, among other factors. The destructive anger
breeds resentment, bitterness, grudgefulness, lack of inhibition and a
hardness of heart.
“Bahamians are saying I don't feel the murders
anymore; it’s just what is supposed to happen. They build a wall
in their heart. Most disturbing is we found a number of young girls
who had no compunction about giving their bodies for money. They
pay for their education, but they also pay for their parents’ air conditioning,
refrigeration and also their cable. The point is they had no feeling
about it. They said, ‘Doc that is what you call survival in the Bahamas.’
That was very, very disturbing.
“Nearly every person who was involved in a serious
crime interviewed had some severe abuse, physical or sexual. We have
a chronic child abuse problem in our country…
“The culture of crime and violence was creating
a large network of people suffering from trauma. The symptoms of
this trauma were a deep desire for revenge, insecurity, upside down values.
“Young men and women join gangs for affirmation,
safety, protection, connection and empowerment. This is a growing
phenomenon and a serious one, because the herd instinct psychologically
is the most violent aspect of human nature. For God ’s sake, we have
to stop this now. Property is not respected. With a gun, what
is yours is mine. As they say in the hood, with a gun, even if you
lose a dice game, you still win.
“In a group of 10 to 15 year olds, they don’t
expect to live long, as a result (they think) you do what you can, get
as much money and then if you get killed or kill somebody that’s it.
One guy said if I kill somebody, the most I’ll get is six months, then
I'll get on bail. That is 15 year olds talking. There is a
modelling process happening. And then, of course, they think violence
is cool. It’s power to kick somebody, to stab somebody and see that
blood ooze out…
“Drug trafficking continues creating fear because
of executions, empowering drug lords in turf wars. Even though there
does not seem to be an increase in new coke addicts, there is a growing
chronic marijuana epidemic among our children from 10 years up…
“The challenge is for Bahamians to increase our
awareness because if we don’t we’ll use the same old ways to do the same
old things expecting a different result, and that is the definition of
insanity. We need to find a new way for looking at things, a new
way of thinking, because if we don't we will repeat the same old, the same
old, the same old.”
ARNOLD
FORBES CHOSEN FOR MT. MORIAH
On Thursday 15th July, the National General Council
of the PLP unanimously approved Arnold Forbes as the PLP’s standard bearer
in the Mt. Moriah constituency. The nomination was moved by Keod
Smith, the former MP of the area who was defeated in the 2007 general election
by National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest. Mr. Forbes is an attorney
who began as a clerk, having been born in Kemp Road and raised in Yellow
Elder Gardens. Mr. Forbes promised to be a supporter of the cause
of the downtrodden. He is pictured shortly after the Council meeting
at Gambier House in Farrington Road, New Providence with the party’s leaders.
From left; Chairman Bradley Roberts, Mr. Forbes, Philip ‘Brave’ Davis,
Deputy leader and Leader Perry Christie. Good luck to Mr. Forbes.
FOX
HILL FLAG DAY FOR INDEPENDENCE
In 2006, the late Winston Saunders, then Chair of
the Independence Celebrations Committee, asked for local communities to
celebrate independence in their own way. In Fox Hill, the tradition
started of holding a flag day to mark the occasion in Fox Hill. This
year, the Flag Day was held on Saturday 17th July and the people of Fox
Hill turned out to mark the occasion, seeing Independence through the eyes
of our youth. The Scout Troop of St. Anselm’s Church did the flag
raising, trained by the Royal Bahamas Police Force; two young people gave
addresses on the meaning of independence to the young; Charlene’s Angels,
a troupe of young dancers performed. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill
welcomed the guests to the ceremony, recalling that independence was hard
won. Pastor Shirelle Saunders of the Church of God preached the sermon
and writer of the pledge Dr. Philip Rahming and Pastors Carl Rahming, David
Johnson, Leonard Roberts and Apostle Douglas Cleare also participated in
the service. Afterward there was the cutting of the independence
cake by the community leaders and a Junkanoo Rushout by the Original Congoes.
Photos/Tim Clarke
MITCHELL
ON ADVOCATE GENERAL FOR CIVIL SERVICE
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill and the Opposition’s
spokesman on the Public Service held a news conference on Thursday 15th
July at the Committee Room of the House of Assembly to promote the idea
of the establishment of the office of the Advocate General to deal with
labour complaints from public servants. Mr. Mitchell said that the
complaints of abuse of public servants are piling up under the FNM administration
and that some mechanism needed to be found if the PLP came back to power
to deal with those complaints. He named the air traffic controllers,
retired prison officers and police officers as amongst those who had outstanding
complaints. The Advocate General would exist within the office of
the Attorney General and would be able to advise the public service commission
on how to settle complaints made by civil servants. You may click
here for the full statement.
Tribune photo/Tim Clarke
THE
EXUMA CLINIC IN BAD SHAPE
The PLP continues to voice its concern about the
health facilities in the country, the latest being a set of photos and
commentary from the people of Exuma who are PLP supporters in this article
contributed by the Progressive Liberal Party Press
Drastic and Deplorable Conditions in Exuma Clinic
Our correspondent submitted this disturbing new
report on the deterioration of conditions at the George Town Community
Clinic on the ground in Exuma. The Minister of Health Dr. Hubert
Minnis is again caught asleep at the wheel. It was his FNM Government
who under its STOP, REVIEW and CANCEL policy cancelled the new Mini Clinic
that was already approved by the Christie administration for the people
of Exuma.
All the responses thus far from Dr. Minnis on the
critical conditions on our public health system and facilities are all
empty excuses and the Bahamian people deserve better than this. You
would recall Dr. Minnis’ statement on the dialysis unit at PMH a few days
ago but we can report that the water system at the dialysis unit has malfunctioned
four times within the last 36 hours. Patients on dialysis had to
have their treatment suspended. This is unacceptable and has very
serious implications for those who depend on the consistency of this unit
for their continued existence.
One may ask: Does the former FNM Minister of Health
Dr. Ronald Knowles’ privately owned dialysis unit on West Bay Street encounter
the same issues as those of PMH? Should not standards of PMH dialysis unit
be on par with that of the privately owned unit?
Will the Honourable Dr. Minnis give a definitive
commitment to the Bahamian people that the standards at PMH’s dialysis
unit will be brought in line with that of the privately owned?
In the photos below; the ceiling leaks in the emergency/treatment
room. Buckets are placed to collect the water which even drips on
top of the table where the patient would be treated; there's a broken step
at the entrance of the clinic which is very dangerous to the public; and
the one-room maternity and one-room ‘Ward’ shares a bathroom, which has
been out of order for quite sometime. Only one out of four bathrooms
in the whole clinic works.
WILLIAM
OF GRANTS TOWN
The Anglican parish of St. Agnes has been celebrating
the feast of William of Grants Town. This is a local service of thanksgiving
for the late parish priest of St. Agnes, Archdeacon William Thompson, who
was murdered in the church’s rectory in 2000. Each year there are
special services and a lecture to mark the occasion. This year, the
lecturer was Dr. Errol Miller of Jamaica who spoke about the marginalization
of men in the community. The brother of the late Archdeacon, Bishop
Gilbert Thompson, attended the lecture.
Photos/Peter Ramsay
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Bahamas Press writes to correct the record on Oswald Brown footnote
(click
here last week’s story)
We never printed any footnote on the Oswald Brown letter.
Please correct.
BP
Denouncing the treatment of the Barefoot Bandit
[Jeremy Sweeting, a PLP activist and local government councillor
in Abaco wrote this letter denouncing the treatment of the Barefoot Bandit,
which was published originally on Bradley Robert’s Facebook page. - Ed.]
I observed in dismay and absolute unbelief of
the unfolding events following the arrest of the infamous Colton Harris
Moore, a.k.a. "The Barefoot Bandit".
Like everyone else, after learning the news of
his capture over the holiday weekend, my heart with filled with pride and
a sense of nationalism, as our Royal Bahamas Police Force officers, sought
after and apprehended this wanted teenage criminal.
I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate
and commend the Royal Bahamas Police Force on the apprehension and arrest
of the mentioned culprit. Within a week after the bandit’s unwelcomed arrival,
‘our boys’, the RBPF and other undercover crime fighting personnel, accomplished
what international law enforcement agencies couldn’t do over a span of
two years.
All of this coming on the heels of our independence
celebrations, a time when our patriotism was already turned up a few notches.
It was a time to be proud of what our little country had achieved for 37
years, along with this recent plus of the bandit’s well publicized arrest.
The Commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police
Force, Ellison Greenslade, made public the numerous criminal offenses that
the fugitive would face.
On the day of his arraignment, The Barefoot Bandit
was only charged with illegal entry into this country, and fined a minimal
$300 dollars, with immediate deportation. That sentence was beyond ridiculous.
Let’s see, he did enter the country illegally
on a stolen aircraft. He broke into several business establishments on
Abaco, stealing various items. He stole a boat and fled to Eleuthera. He
then stole another vessel in Eleuthera, resisted arrest, and was in possession
of an illegal firearm. A 300 dollar fine!!! That amount would not pay the
fuel bill that our officers used on their week long search!!! Who will
foot the rest of the bill??? ME & YOU!!!...the Bahamian taxpayer!!!
But beside that fact, what message is this sending
to criminals here domestically or abroad? Crime is presently at an all
time high, and this sentence is not in any way discouraging these actions
of ill repute. Stiff penalties must be handed down to show to criminals
that we mean business in fighting this war on crime.
But I believe this issue of lenience with this
fugitive goes much deeper.
What changed from one day with the Police Commissioner
speaking of the offences he was going to be charged with, to the next day
with the judge tapping the bandit with a feather?
Can our courts now be pressured by foreign authorities
for swift extradition and if so are these authorities going to foot the
bill for the damage incurred by the ‘Barefoot bandit’ to private businesses
and individual properties, and also the expense involved in the intense
manhunt?
Why wasn’t the teacher who allegedly molested
students in Grand Bahama extradited back to our shores in the same swift
manner?
Criminals far and near whom commit crimes similar
to that of the bandit will expect the same sentence and I am sure the lawyers
will remind the courts of this incidents. Boat thefts in Abaco have been
an issue of grave concern, and are a growing threat to our local tourism
industry. In this case, we have an individual caught red-handed, personally
stole two vessels and he was not even charged with this serious offence
in our courts. If our judiciary would have handed down a charge, along
with a serious penalty, this could have been the opportune time to send
a strong message to other boat thefts, given the huge publicity in this
particular case.
This was a serious mistake and the repercussions,
I am afraid, will not prove positive. To the leaders of both of our political
parties: YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!!! This country is on a perilous course, with
regard to crime and a series of other pressing issues, and if action is
not taken in the not too distant future, we will be in for some tough years
ahead.
Tired and Fed up,
Jeremy Sweeting
Abaco Bahamas
Forrester Carroll - …on conflict of interest and Hubert Ingraham
appointing his sister-in-law Permanent Secretary:
In June Hubert Ingraham declared, in parliament, a moratorium on all hiring,
all promotions, and the suspension of all increment payments, in the civil
service, for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, but in July he promoted Nicole
Campbell, his sister-in-law; Is this nepotism or not? Why in the
hell would we, Bahamians, continue to accept and allow this man to get
away with killing every one of the rest of us, daily, while he takes good
care of his own family members at our expense?
Taxes paid, by all of us, which go into the consolidated
fund, are to be disbursed by the government for the benefit of all of us
taxpayers; not just Ingraham’s family members and cronies. If that
were Perry Christie who was caught red handed committing similar acts of
nepotism as was done in this case with Hubert Ingraham, the press (especially
the Tribune) would have had him for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for at
least a week of front page headlines.
I interpret a “moratorium” as meaning a complete
stop to additional spending for a specified period; as meaning making no
moves which would cost the public treasury additional spending for that
said period and, further, as meaning (and for further emphasis) hold the
line on all additional and unnecessary expenditure. But, obviously,
the word has some other meaning to this prime minister.
I predict, notwithstanding, that by October 1st,
when the second quarter of this fiscal period begins, the country will
witness another shortfall of at least 10% of the revenue projected and
budgeted. It is bound to happen, given the difficult times and the
huge increases in customs duty rates and vehicular licensing, among other
things. I was in conversation, recently, with a heavy equipment operator
who informed me that his company has a fleet of 17 dump trucks. He told
me that at last year’s licensing period, his business had declined to such
an extent that he needed only to renew the licenses of 10 of those 17 vehicles;
this year, he said, he will probably need only to renew the licenses of
3 of those 10, as his business has gotten progressively, and far, worse
since last year.
The revenue which Ingraham expects to take in
from all the vehicles registered, to date, on the books at road traffic,
will not be realized because, I further predict, many thousands of automobile
owners will find, when the time comes around for them to license their
trucks and cars, that they simply cannot afford to pay the huge increased
fees and they will opt (forcibly) to leave the vehicles unregistered until
they can find the financial means to do so. Many will, out of necessity
I am quite sure, take their chances in driving their unlicensed vehicles
sometimes; in the process creating a dangerous hazard on our streets.
I am amazed and grieved at the same time at how
Ingraham can simply declare that the struggling janitresses who are employed
in the government service will not be getting their increments this year
and, like the dictator he is, he clarified the point by telling them that
they will not be getting this year’s increment ever; “hear me good” he
said, “I will not owe you the increment; I said you will not be getting
it” said the dictator. “The government will not owe you anything
and that’s that.” While he was taking these peanuts from those Janitresses,
he was, at the same time, promoting his sister-in-law from her position
as under secretary at the ministry of works to acting permanent secretary
at the ministry of youth, sports & culture, with a huge increase in
her salary.
It seems to me that Ingraham has an unremorseful,
ingrained, bad nepotism habit that he practices at will.
Given the examples of favouritism and nepotism
by this FNM Administration, how does Ingraham explain his disgraceful behaviour
in his handling of Cheryl Grant-Bethell’s matter? After all those years
working, diligently, her way up the ladder to within one promotion from
the top position in her department, she is being humiliated and treated
like a dog. To punish her for being the wife of a former cabinet
minister in the PLP government (I submit) is a shameful and despicable
act, especially after promising her the post. Ingraham declared in
parliament that he had good reason for changing his mind and breaking his
promise to her and that a female Jamaican lawyer will now be given the
substantive post of DPP in the Attorney General’s office, effective 1st
August.
Mrs. Bethell has now been locked out of her office
and relegated to some clerical post, purportedly, to review laws that are
already on the books and which might need some fixing, thus clearing the
way for this Jamaican female to move in. What would you call it,
if after acting in the substantive post for months, and doing a great job
in the position, it is then snatched away from her and given to a foreigner?
And then to add insult to her injury, she was actually locked out of her
office without being given the courtesy of some time to clean out her desk.
I suggest that Ingraham, being the spineless, spiteful, selfish grizzly
beast that he is, planned her demise all along and went out of his way
to humiliate this career civil servant. Sadly, it will be the taxpayers
who will end up obliged to pay the damages that the courts will award her,
I submit, for Ingraham’s nonsense. Ingraham should be made to pay
personally for his recklessness. I would like to see this “house
nigger” pay for all the damage he has done to the civil service and the
many Bahamian lives he has destroyed. He is, without a doubt, a very
sick individual.
This man has wrecked the civil service and the
country, but rest assured that the time will come - and it ain’t long now
- when civil servants and all other voters in this country, in 2012, will
exact their vengeance from this lousy Free National Movement Government
of Hubert Alexander Ingraham.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
17th July 2010
IN PASSING
The Carroll Reunion In Long Island
The Carroll family of Long Island, including former Justice Norris
Carroll and contributor to this column Forrester Carroll and Freeport based
photographer Derek Carroll held their family reunion in Long Island, the
home base of the family at Deadman’s Cay over the Independence holiday
weekend.
50 Murders
Veronica Knowles is the latest homicide victim in The Bahamas in, of
all places, the remote and quiet island of Long Island. Mrs. Knowles
went missing on Monday 12th July. A search by the population there
ensued and her body was found at about 2 a.m. on Tuesday 13th July.
Death came from a blow to her head and she was found naked. Police
are holding someone for the murder. No word on the motive.
A 51st murder was recorded in Nassau since this was written.
Shenique Miller
It is being reported that the ZNS news anchor has been suspended from
working at ZNS because of a story that she ran about abuse at the Elizabeth
Estates children’s’ home, which was later retracted by the individuals
who gave the story.
Plane Crash In Exuma
Performance Air is one of these young, private carriers that have sprung
up in the past five years to ferry passengers across our islands.
They generally serve the Nassau to Andros market and have a reputation
for on time performance. But the planes of many of these private
carriers tend to be old, and the pilots who work for them say that they
(the pilots and the planes) are often being pushed beyond endurance.
In this case, the plane was put down in water just short of Staniel Cay
in Exuma on Thursday 15th July and shortly after takeoff. These crashes
are happening with increasing frequency and the question is raised whether
or not the safety of the flying public is being protected. No one
died in this crash but everyone on board; all six were hurt — five Bahamians
and one American. We hate to think of what could happen next time.
We again ask the government to review these matters.
The Ambassador To China
It appears that the Ambassador to China for The Bahamas may have a
new assignment, this time in South Africa. Officials at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs are already said to be quietly concerned that the Ambassador
spends so much time off post and in Nassau for one thing or the next.
Now comes a report that she paid a courtesy call on officials in South
Africa during the recent visit of Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his
ministers Tommy Turnquest and Charles Maynard to South Africa. So,
is a new posting on the way?
Jiffy Cleaners To Close
Ethric Bowe, the civic activist, carried this as news on Roy Bowe’s
Jiffy Cleaners. Mr. Bowe (Roy) has been a household name in the country
from Pindling’s time as a black man who made good. Sadly, the demise
of his business during the FNM demonstrates the oft-made claim that the
middle class is being destroyed under the FNM. Here is what Mr. Ethric
Bowe reports:
“Jiffy Cleaners has been in business for more
than 40 years. It is a Bahamian family-owned business. Because
of the traffic direction change on Blue (Baillou) Hill Rd. Jiffy Cleaners
will close. Not only will the Blue Hill Rd. operation close - All
the New Providence operations will close.
“30 Bahamians will be out of work on Saturday
17th July. Like Neko Grant says, they can now get help from Social
Services to pay their electricity bill, their water bill, their phone bill
(?), their mortgages, etc. We shall see.
“We go to court over the roads today. Jiffy
Cleaners is one of several enterprises that have closed as a result of
the road change. Does the government care? Will the press even
report it honestly? Will the press investigate?
“There is a serious threat to democracy in The
Bahamas. There is a serious threat to the Bahamian ownership class
in The Bahamas. Bahamian jobs and lives are being destroyed daily.
Let’s watch how this will be reported.”
Loretta Butler Turner Answers The Critics About Her Size
Loretta Butler Turner was the subject of quite withering commentary
on Facebook on her work as a Minister. It got too personal she thought
and she responded at the end of a long thread with these words on 12th
July:
“Fact: I am who and what I am…, BIG, FAT or whatever
disparaging descriptives one chooses.
“It does not truly matter because I possess the
self-esteem and dignity to be comfortable and at peace with myself, my
friends and my foes.
“I stand firmly in my beliefs and those components
of my personal experiences that heightens and magnifies my life goals and
self-actualization. Vitally important to me is help others in that
process.
“Those who disagree with my politics that is
simply too sad that you seek to demean me to achieve an end. However
we do live in a democratic country where each individual has the inherent
right to express and associate freely. We also have the right to
serve our beloved country if we feel so inclined and if we are able to
capture the support of the electorate; both of which I am privileged to
have achieved.
“To you my detractors remember that you too have
that RIGHT. So rather than attacking my physical appearance come
forward and join the front-line to serve your country. It is easier
to be a spectator and commentator from the sidelines.
“My service to our country is not about me it
is about all of us as Bahamians. I could also choose to live a very
privileged life outside the glare and stares of public life, but like those
before and those who will follow I have chosen to serve for this season
of my life.
“So to people like you (name deleted), (and the
others) whom I’ve known for many years and whom I have also served in my
professional life I am truly surprised at your personal attacks in this
thread, however c’est la vie…! Be at PEACE.”
Bran McCartney To Take On Ingraham
Increasingly within the FNM, there is the expectation that Branville
McCartney, the Minister of State who resigned his office earlier this year
saying that he was frustrated in the Ingraham Cabinet, will challenge Hubert
Ingraham at the next FNM convention. Mr. McCartney is busy ramping
up his profile as a backbencher with a visit to the dump to feed the scavengers
there being one such example. Last week, he spoke to Rotary about
independence saying that we have not freed our minds of colonial syndrome.
Fellows say that they don’t think he can take Mr. Ingraham out, but he
can wound him mortally. Stay tuned!
Tommy Turnquest An Embarrassment
You should be quiet and be thought a fool rather than open your mouth
and have people convinced that you are one. The Minister of National
Security O.A.T. ‘Tommy’ Turnquest was at it again, defending the indefensible
- the release of the so-called Barefoot Bandit and attacking his cousin
Perry Christie for putting the government’s feet to the fire. His
claim in The Tribune Saturday 17th July was that the PLP’s leader was pandering
to racist elements in the PLP. Pray tell where are those elements?
What we know is that the benefits of the FNM go to a certain group and
that group is easily identifiable. You whistle and we will point
to every one of them. We wonder if that is not pandering to the racist
elements in the FNM. It shows again how these people are so out of
touch with the mood in the country. Another dimension of this issue
is why Tommy Turnquest and those in his generation of FNM leadership continue
to do Mr. Ingraham’s dirty work. Here it is, the Leader of the Opposition
makes an intervention, only to have a second level official respond.
Personal to Mr. Ingraham: “Never send a boy a job to do man’s job!”
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
CHERYL GRANT BETHELL’S EXTRAORDINARY COURAGE
Congratulations to Cheryl Grant Bethell for standing up to the beast and striking at its heart. It is difficult for us to write that because we are not sure that he has a heart.
On Thursday 22nd July, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, who has been in the news on and off for the past month, finally filed an action in the courts that will put the question to the government and cause them to defend the decision that they made with regard to the choice of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
There is one paragraph that we would like to draw to your attention from the supporting affidavit of Mrs. Grant Bethell in the judicial review application that she filed to quash the decision not to appoint her to the job of Director of Public Prosecutions.
You may click here to see how it reads.
This is real hot stuff, dynamite.
The Prime Minister issued a statement in which he denied that he issued a threat and he denied that he offered her an ambassadorial appointment.
We do not believe him. We believe Mrs. Grant Bethell. The truth is not in him and he deceives himself.
What more can we say than well done to Mrs. Grant Bethell for the extraordinary courage which she has shown in the case of the most severe provocation. The action was filed fortuitously on the same day of the anniversary of the death of her husband the late Minister of the government Peter Bethell. The Prime Minister must now answer for his sins.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 24th July 2010 up to midnight: 109,917.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 24th July 2010 up to midnight: 451,024.
Number of hits for the year 2010 up to Saturday 24th July 2010 up to midnight: 5,101,687.
TOMMY
TURNQUEST THROWS UP HIS HANDS ON CRIME
One thing about the FNM, they know how to describe a problem.
We make this observation about them all the time. They do not know how
to solve anything, but boy they can tell you what the problem is. So it
is with crime. We are now up to murder number 52 for the year, and what
is Tommy Turnquest doing about it? He is after all the Minister of National
Security. He is doing f. a.. But he was in the press last week saying
that the reason there is so much murder and crime is because of the drug problem.
Yes, Minister, that may be so, but since you know so much about it, why the
hell aren’t you doing something about it? Get it? No, obviously
you don’t get it. Shane Gibson always says it. They are clueless.
PLP ON POWER
FAILURES
This has been a week of we have had enough of power cuts.
In every corner of the land, from tiny Farmer’s Cay to Harbour Island to Marsh
Harbour, Abaco to New Providence, the cry was the same: power cuts. PLP
Chairman Bradley Roberts issued a number of statements during the week that
spoke to the hopeless situation in which the Bahamas Electricity Corporation
now finds itself.
22nd July
FNM Government Drives BEC to a Disastrous Collapse
Fred Gottlieb resigned as of December 31st 2009 ten months
after making the bold prediction of coming within $1-2 million of their ‘break
even’ goal for the BEC’s financial year-end of September 30th, 2009.
Jr. Minister Phenton Neymour recently told parliament
that BEC’s losses for the year ending September 30th 2009 were some 20 million
dollars. There has been no explanation as to why BEC’s losses exploded
from $1-2 million to $20 million. But the tragedy has further escalated.
The new executive chairman Michael Moss, joining in the comedy of errors, noted
in Wednesday’s July 21st 2010 Tribune: “The Bahamas Electricity Corporation's
(BEC) net loss for its 2009 financial year is likely to “be closer to $30 million”.
This represents a whopping 50% increase over what the
Jr. Minister Phenton “Clueless” Neymour had disclosed less than two months prior
and a staggering 1400% increase over the loss projected by former chairman Fred
Gottlieb.
This scenario is currently playing out under the political
watch of Hubert Ingraham, Earl Deveaux and Phenton “Clueless” Neymour.
Who will they be so bold to blame for this unbelievable, shocking, disgraceful
and colossal mismanagement of a public corporation like BEC. They have
collectively pushed BEC to the brink of a disastrous collapse.
What is sad about all of this is that they are shameless
and arrogant. The Bahamian taxpayers are now being forced to pay for their
collective ineptitude by way of the heavy increase in electricity rates.
23rd July
Farmers Cay without Electricity since yesterday afternoon
We take no pleasure in bringing to the Public's attention
that Farmers Cay has joined the list of Family Islands who are being adversely
affected by the failure of BEC to carry out timely maintenance of generators.
Last month one of BEC's generators on Farmers Cay was destroyed by fire.
The sole remaining Generator was not operating up to par. It has shut
down completely yesterday.
GM Kevin Basden warned the Bahamian Public that BEC was
broke and did not have the funds to effect critically needed maintenance of
its generators.
Yesterday in Parliament Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham
acknowledged that BEC's Abaco Station ran out of oil, a basic staple item for
a power station and as a result, the people of Abaco are bitterly suffering
at the hands of the FNM Government and have been doing so for months.
Will Jr Minister Phenton Neymour and MP Brensil Rolle,
native sons of Exuma, come to the rescue of Farmers Cay or will they once again
blame the PLP?
CONGRATULATIONS
TO MAGNUM ROLLE
Once again, the little Bahamas as we like to call ourselves and be known, has
a star in the making in the American National Basketball league. Magnum
Rolle of Freeport, Grand Bahama, standing 6 feet and 11 inches tall now joins
Michael Thompson, Rick Fox in Basketball as part of the NBA and then there is
D’Brickashaw Ferguson who plays football with the New York Jets. By most
accounts, this is a good kid and we wish him well. The PLP’s Chairman
Bradley Roberts joined with many Bahamians in wishing him the best in his career.
Press Statement by the Progressive Liberal Party - July
22nd 2010: PLP salutes Mangum Rolle on being drafted by the NBA
The PLP notes with great pride the exceptional accomplishments
of Magnum Rolle, a young talented 6’ 11" 225 lbs Basketball player from St.
Georges High School Grand Bahama. Magnum was drafted 21st in second round of
the recent NBA annual draft by the Oklahoma Thunder, and then immediately traded
to the Indiana Pacers.
The 24-year-old Bahamian played centre for Louisiana Tech
and average outstanding numbers during his senior year 2009 -2010.
We had the privilege of watching Magnum play during a
recent NBA Summer Basketball tournament in Orlando, Florida on NBA TV earlier
this month. Not only were all Bahamians watching impressed with his outstanding
defensive as well as offensive abilities, but so were the many TV analysts broadcasting
the games, his head coach who boasted of his impression of Magnum’s play as
well as attitude and knowledge of the game, but most impressive was the comment
of team GM and legendary superstar Larry Bird. Bird who said that he was
very impressed with Mr. Rolle from college and wanted him in Indiana; said that
the kid has great potential and would be in the NBA All Star one day once he
continues to focus and work hard.
We in the PLP warmly salute Mr. Rolle for this accomplishment,
but know that this is just the beginning of bigger and better things to come.
We also wish to congratulate his parents for raising such a decent and focused
young Bahamian man. We wish to congratulate his local high school coach
Mr. Sears and the staff of St. Georges High School, and anyone who would have
positively influenced his journey in any way.
Finally, we want to say to all young men in this great
Bahama Land, you should all be full of pride, as one of your own has made it
to the highest level of professional Basketball. However, you must also realize
that Magnum is no different than anyone of you. He was not born rich,
and mighty, rather he had a goal, he had a dream, and he has the belief that
God was on his side. Magnum was dedicated, disciplined, and determined
to succeed. You too must inspire to dream that you can be world class, you too
must set your own goals for your life, and you to must know that God is on your
side all you have to do is try. We in the PLP believe that every Bahamian
has the potential, and the gifts to be world class, and we encourage all our
young people to be the best that they can be.
Go Magnum Go.
BRAVE
DAVIS ON THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN
Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, the Deputy Leader of the PLP, spoke
in the House of Assembly on Thursday 22nd July during the debate on the drug
prescription regulations. The PLP supported the regulations, but there
was a qualification. The drug prescription plan, which uses the National
Insurance Board to fund the provision of a set of drugs for people with diabetes,
hypertension, breast and prostate cancer and other chronic non-communicable
diseases at no cost, falls far short of the need for comprehensive health care.
The PLP supports National Health Insurance. The FNM says that the country
cannot afford it. So Mr. Ingraham came up with this cobbled up plan to
make it seem that he is doing something for the poor and dispossessed.
No one should be fooled.
Dr. Bernard Nottage, who is the PLP’s spokesman on Health,
told of the myriad problems with the scheme. He said that it is fine to
be able to say you will provide the drugs but the problem is the government
can give no assurance that the drugs are going to be available at the community
clinics when they are demanded. He said that right now the facilities
are from time to time out of the drugs that are needed and demanded. Dr.
Nottage said that the pharmacies and pharmacists have been slow to sign up for
the programme because many of them are still not satisfied that they will be
paid at a fair rate and on a timely basis. The Prime Minister had no answer
for all of this.
You may click here for the
full statement of PLP Deputy Leader Philip Davis.
DEMONSTRATION
IN ABACO
Our photo of the week tells the story
in part about the power problem in Marsh Harbour, Abaco and its environs.
Former Works Minister Bradley Roberts who is also Chairman of the PLP was quite
active this week in telling the story of the power problems throughout the country
in Farmer’s Cay and in New Providence. The country faces blackout after
blackout even as the Bahamas Electricity Corporation is raising the price of
power as of 1st August just over five percent.
We present another picture and a story from a correspondent
in Abaco.
Try as they might ‘blame the PLP’ is not going to work this
time. It is Hubert Ingraham’s fault. Mr. Roberts (see
stories above) said that if Mr. Ingraham had not stopped, reviewed and cancelled
the power plant that the PLP had for Abaco when they left office, the power
plant would have been opened and functioning by now. But do you think
that the people of Abaco get it; and will they vote for the PLP in the next
general election? Who knows? The problem is right now they are cussing
Mr. Ingraham but ask them to vote PLP and that’s a whole other story.
Now for our Marsh Harbour correspondence:
As with the rest of The Bahamas our economical survival
(in Abaco) depends on TOURISM and because of the inadequacies and mis-mamangement
of BEC, we have had NO power 80% of the time for the past 2 months, the result
being, the tourists are packing up and running out of here, vowing never TO
RETURN. BETWEEN THE 50 PLUS UNSOLVED FOREIGN & BAHAMIAN BOAT THEFTS
FROM LAST YEAR AND NOW THIS YEAR's BEC'S NON-EXISTENT POWER SUPPLY,
ABACO IS DOOMED.
This is a very serious situation and we need to be heard
by the powers that govern, or should I say lack of governance.
Parliament has meet this week and NO-ONE even mentioned
the problems we are experiencing here in ABACO, INCLUDING BOTH OUR M.P.'s,
THE RT. HON. HUBERT INGRAHAM MP FOR NORTH ABACO AND M.P. FOR SOUTH ABACO, EDISON
KEY, and now we are hearing back peddling by the government, and the nerve of
the Prime Minister to say on the news he was not aware of the current situation
in Abaco. However, this is nothing new to Abaco, we experience power
outages every summer. When Bradley Roberts was Minister of Works he had
the common sense to plan in advance for these expected outages, by leasing and
having back-up generators sent to Abaco.
I am actually on the phone to the manager of my rental
property in Man-O-War Cay, and she has said that she was just told by one of
our guests that she will never recommend our property to anyone, because we
do not have a backup generator, which would cost $100,000.00 to purchase and
install. To be honest I can't blame the tourist, how many Bahamians would
save all year to go on vacation in Disney World, to find out when we got there
we would actually be camping out with no Water & NO Power for our weeks
vacation?
Bearing in mind that BEC also announced on the news this
week that our power rates will be going up 5%… How could they have the nerve
to even think about making such an announcement?
I could go on and on, the bottom line is that the BEC
situation is very serious and needs URGENT attention, and solving, not the Government
playing the Blame Game, we are much more intelligent than that.
CA MARI
MAGAZINE LAUNCH
On 17th July ‘Ca Mari’, a new style magazine was launched.
There was a launch party and lots of pictures on Facebook. All the beautiful
young people were there. Alas, magazines do not have a good track record
in The Bahamas. Typically, they last for a few editions and then they
are in the tank. Ask Karen Duncombe and Jerome Sawyer. They are
too expensive and the revenue just isn’t there to keep them going. We
would think that there is an additional problem and that is, in these days with
the web being able to compete at such a cheap level, is there really room for
a magazine. Well nothing beats a try of course, and no doubt, just like
people keep trying in the political arena to form this mythical third party
that will slay the existing giants, there will always be young smart and pretty
people who will try to start a magazine to end all Bahamian magazines.
If the photos and the design are anything to go by then it is an auspicious
start. Starting is one thing. Let’s see how it ends up.
HANNA MARTIN’S
DONATION
Glenys Hanna Martin MP for Englerston has released a statement on her donation
of $10,000 towards feeding the hungry:
Statement by Glenys Hanna Martin, Member of Parliament for Englerston at
Joint Press Conference with the Englerston Pastoral Association, Friday 16th
July, 2010 -
“Thank you to the members of the Press for their attendance
at this press conference.
“I wish to acknowledge the presence of members of the
Englerston Pastoral Association, a membership body of churches of varying denominations
with churches across the length and breadth of this constituency which has come
together to be a responsive body of Christian faith.
“The present economic crisis has severely impacted many,
many Bahamians with thousands of people across this country losing their jobs
and now facing dire circumstances. We are in unfamiliar territory as a people.
“It is at times like these that we must bind together
and create a solid wall of protection for our brothers and sisters who are most
vulnerable to the ravages of this economic storm.
“In the Englerston community I have seen firsthand the
hardship that has been imposed by this economic disaster on so many people.
Many homes are without electricity and families are struggling under very stressful
conditions to meet basic needs. I have seen, however, incredible courage and
resilience under very distressing circumstances.
“We have also seen in this community what appears to be
a significant increase in violence in particular amongst young people.
“It is our duty to do all that we can to address these
issues and to do so effectively requires us to develop alliances and partnerships
and to combine our efforts
“I am proud to announce that as Member of Parliament of
the Englerston constituency I have partnered with the Pastoral Association to
create and develop what is intended to be a sustained programme of food distribution
throughout the community.
“In this regard the sum of $10,000 has been donated from
constituency funds towards an initial fuelling of this effort and for other
outreach programmers currently undertaken by the church.
“This project is to be a structured, unified and coordinated
initiative.
“In this regard I have additionally liaised with a number
of commercial warehouses to seek their assistance in these objectives. The response
has been favourable and donations of food have already been committed for immediate
distribution.
“In Englerston we shall be aggressive in our response
to the needs of the community during this crisis until some level of normalcy
is arrived at.
“We are undertaking a number of other initiatives which
will be disclosed in the near future.
“I want to thank the Pastoral Association for their leadership
at such a time as this and for displaying in real terms the practical significance
of the Church.”
WHAT
SIR JACK HAYWARD HAD TO SAY
Sir Jack Hayward and company, who own one-half of the Grand Bahama Port Authority,
are back in court on Monday 26th July to settle the order that the Court of
Appeal will give to end the dispute between the St. George faction and the Hayward
faction. The last time we heard from Sir Jack, he was claiming that
the two sides were getting on like a house on fire and that they had to settle
the dispute because all they were doing was making the lawyers rich. Now
he is talking again, and as always, you can never predict what the 85-year-old
eccentric has to say. True to form, he came up with some doozies.
The interview was published in The Tribune Business section.
Sir Jack claimed that although the families had decided to
sell their shares in the port and brokers J.P. Morgan are to do the marketing,
they could be effectively flogging a dead horse. The interview went downhill
from there. We find a problem with Sir Jack and his interventions.
He does not accept that he is in any way to blame for what is happening and
has happened in Grand Bahama. It is everyone else’s fault except his own
and the petulant behaviour he has exhibited over the years finds its way into
his monologues into the press. That is something we hope he corrects before
he meets his maker. The people of Freeport are suffering in part because
of the actions of Sir Jack and the decisions he made, including supporting Hubert
Ingraham for Prime Minister. When the election comes around, let us see
whether he gets the point. It is the same point that we made with regard
to the people of Abaco and whether or not in light of their power problems,
they will make Hubert Ingraham pay the price and vote PLP.
Here is what Sir Jack had to say in his own words:
“[We are likely] to appoint J P Morgan to search for a
purchaser for [our] respective 50 per cent stakes in the GBPA. [They are]the
front runners…
“[I] …doubt …whether J P Morgan [will] have much success
in the current climate. … [It is]a difficult sell due to numerous factors… [in]
The Bahamas [including the ]current crime problem and judicial system woes.
“… apart from its [government’s] refusal to renew the
permit of chairman Hannes Babak, … [the Grand Bahama Port Authority is] now
having difficulty in obtaining the necessary documents for the expatriates it
had identified to supervise construction of the bridge across the Grand Bahama
Waterway.
“The failure to renew Mr. Babak's work permit has left
the GBPA leaderless. [We have] had [to] place numerous projects [Mr. Babak]
was working on - liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Freeport, a 90-room hospital,
another oil refinery and concrete plant - into limbo following his departure.
“It's not going to be an easy sell… We haven't at the
moment [chosen a broker]. We're considering it, but I think they're flogging
a dead horse.
“They're [J.P. Morgan] the front runners. You're quite
right. They've already helped the St Georges sell their power company shares
for $41 million. In the brief they had, they visited Freeport, did a lot of
work and got a head start by visiting here and looking at the place. They're
an excellent firm with a good reputation.
“J P Morgan would want a finder's fee and retainer to
kick start any buyer search… They will have a very difficult time to find the
right purchaser...because of everything that is not going on…
“The ideal purchaser would be someone of the ilk of British
merchant banker Roddie Fleming, who together with attorney Geoffrey Richards
appeared on the scene with a deal to buy the Hayward family trust's shares at
the height of the battle with the St Georges.
“It's simple. The Flemings were a wonderful deal. They
were going to invest huge sums of money, make Freeport a centre for this, that
and the other, including a fixed base operation for private aviation.
“Unfortunately, the recession came and they ran out of
money, but what we want to do is find another Fleming to carry the place forward
like I did for 55 years, and Edward did for 35 years. Money is not everything.
We want to find good successors.
“We're open. People are coming out of the woodwork, but
at the moment there's still the hurdle other purchasers have faced in the past.
We have had no one with the money or proper desire to run the place.
“It's not the money we're looking for. Fleming had the
right ideas, but they ran out of money. We want the right people to progress
Freeport, Grand Bahama and The Bahamas, but are not finding them at the moment.
“It's been a baby for me. I've put a life's work into
it. I don't want it squandered by a complete phony and fly-by-nights. There
are a lot of them wanting to get into an agreement, and then they try and flog
it to someone else.
“Many parties who had previously approached [me] over
the GBPA's purchase appeared to be engaged in deal shopping, looking for someone
else to come in and fund the purchase once they had secured a preliminary sales
agreement with him…
“I don't think [Temasek, the Singapore sovereign fund]
they're out of the picture. What we want to hear from is Temasek themselves,
or Singapore.
“At the moment, we've got plenty of people saying they
represent Temasek, but when we ask: 'Can you prove it?', they can't produce
a single letter proving who they are."
“What is devaluing it is the present situation in the
Bahamas - crime, the judicial system is in a state. In no particular order,
the Grand Bahama Power Company, problems over work permits, the "one a day"
murder rate and the judicial system.
“There was a deal] to sell a Freeport apartment to the
family of a secretary who had given him 42 years of service, so her heirs and
beneficiaries could benefit, the relevant documents were all set for signing
in Florida when someone expressed concern about the state of this nation's legal
and judicial system, and that it was becoming another Zimbabwe.
“That's the kind of attitude that's prevalent in the States;
another Zimbabwe…
“We've been refused Hannes Babak's work permit with no
explanation, so at the moment we have no leadership. I don't know what the Government's
got against him. We were partners with him or were. He was a very valuable colleague.
“Mr. Babak has gone a very long way to bringing LNG to
Freeport, both for export to Florida and use in Grand Bahama's own power supply,
having visited LNG plants in Texas to this end.
“He had also made progress on construction of a new 90-room
hospital in Freeport, plus development of another oil refinery and a concrete
plan, the latter in conjunction with a Florida-based firm…
“We can't promote industry with the high charges and frequent
outages," Sir Jack said. "I don't know what we can do. They've got a monopoly,
and whether the president and the Port Authority can take them to court, I don't
know. We [himself and Mr. St George] sold to a good group in the US.”
TOURISM
COMPETITION FROM THE US
The press carried a story last week, which shows why The
Bahamas and its tourism product is in trouble. Minister of Tourism Vincent
Vanderpool Wallace is a good guy, a smart guy, but tourism has been singularly
unsuccessful thus far in the FNM administration. Whatever it is, there
is no vision for tourism and the competition is getting stiffer. You only
have to read the report below which shows that no one is standing still.
That is why it was so foolish of Hubert Ingraham to say that both an Atlantis
Phase 4 and the Bahamar project at Cable Beach could not go on at the same time.
The competition is not standing still as the report below by the Nassau Guardian's
Inderia Saunders from Miami shows:
Watch out Bahamas tourism, the U.S. is on its way as President
Barack Obama rolls out a new travel initiative that will see the country strengthen
its tourism product - a plan not only centred on going after the same target
market as The Bahamas, but maybe Bahamian travellers themselves.
It's a project that could put a dent in Ministry of Tourism's
latest efforts to increase domestic tourism.
And it comes as the U.S. - particularly Florida - aims
to offer many of the same sorts of attractions as The Bahamas, supplementing
its beaches with a huge expansion in casinos and gambling and with Atlantis-style
water parks in the works.
According to the Senior Advisor and deputy Chief of Staff
to the Secretary of Commerce, Rick Wade, the competition is definitely on the
way.
“Our goal obviously is to bring more tourists into the
United States and tourism is a major export and an important part of our sector,"
he told Guardian Business. "We want to expand that to the extent where we can
bring more visitors in. We only create more jobs here and that's the ultimate
goal of the President's initiative.”
It's a Travel Promotion Act that requires U.S. officials
to promote America as a tourism and travel destination all over the world, with
a focus on the international strategy, said Wade. The program is a part of an
Obama goal to double exports in the next five years, with that government waiving
visa requirements from participating countries to encourage U.S. travel.
“We want more visitors from other countries to visit the
United States,” he added. "That impacts the hotel industry and every other industry
in the tourism cycle and that’s good for America.”
But therein lies the issue: What's good for America -
boosting its tourism dollars - is not good for The Bahamas. This country already
relies heavily on tourism for revenue and increased competition from one the
world's largest power houses may not bode well for an already-struggling tourism
product.
At the moment, Tourism is aggressively going after those
domestic travel dollars, with a companion fly-free program centred on showing
locals the luxuries of vacationing at home.
However, the long-standing complaint of The Bahamas just
being too expensive to stay at home still stands, with Guardian Business analysts
asserting more needed to be done in the way of lowering costs.
Still, one saving grace for The Bahamas may be that as
the U.S. lures international travellers to its destination, this country is
still heavily focused on drawing more visitors from North America.
YOUNG
LIBERALS SUPPORT PLP CHOICES
The Chairman of the Progressive Young Liberals, Aarone Sargent,
has issued a statement of congratulations to the PLP for its selection of young
candidates to run in the next general election.
Mr. Sargent spoke of businessman Arnold Forbes and Dr Kendal
Major for the constituencies of Mount Moriah and Garden Hills respectively.
He said “the Progressive Young Liberals (PYL) fully support the party's efforts
to find talented and motivated young individuals to lead the charge to recapture
and resuscitate our ailing country from the hands of the Free National Movement.
“The Free National Movement's youth arm, the Torchbearers,
claim that their party is the trailblazer in paving the way for youth.
“If one were to take a look at the so-called Torchbearers
in Cabinet, none really has substantive say in the development of this country
as the government is run by one man, Hubert Ingraham, as stated by him.
“The collective ideas of youth within the FNM evidently
all seem to go to waste as we can see the mess our country is in and the lack
of vision thereof.
“We congratulate the most recent selection of businessman
Arnold Forbes for the Mount Moriah constituency.
“This was an excellent choice, a man of character and
youthful vision. We feel that he fits the profile of the visionary modern Member
of Parliament that the youthful electorate of the country seeks to support.
“The Progressive Young Liberals plan to aggressively campaign
for all of our candidates, specifically trying to galvanise the support of the
younger voter.
“The youth of the nation will be watching this next general
election with keen interest, and will no longer be swayed by the parties and
the T-shirts.
“The youth of this country will be demanding solutions
and vibrant initiatives that will affect the development of our country for
years to come.
“We, the youth of the PLP, are a part of that master plan
to create a sustainable vision that will dictate.”
IS
IT PROSTITUTION? EXPERTS DISAGREE
On Friday, 23rd July, 2010, The Tribune carried a story with
the headline: Adult men 'exploiting teenage girls'. In the story, there
was a disagreement among the experts on the question of teenage girls who give
sex for material things. Dr. David Allen says it is prostitution.
Dr. Sandra Dean Patterson says that it is not prostitution, but rather transactional
sex. Hmmm! According to Dr. Patterson, it is not accurate to say
teen prostitution is common among Bahamian youths, because teenagers under the
age of 16 cannot consent to sex. She believes that as victims of adult
predators, it is key not to blame the teenagers. Teenage girls being exploited
because of their vulnerability: that is what the real problem is.
“The behaviour that people may see as fresh girls or girls
selling their bodies in return for gifts is really symptomatic of their violation
early in life. There is an increasing number of girls who are raped, sexually
assaulted, molested, forced into sex, which are indicators of this kind of behaviour.”
In Bahamian law, any male over the age of 14 who has sex
with someone under the age of 16 can be charged with statutory rape. According
to the police who investigate these matters, most incidents go unreported.
When reports do come in, it is usually from parents, said a police officer.
“If we get permission from the parents the child has no say
about whether we do a physical examination,” said the officer.
Police investigations include physical exams, witness testimonies
and statements from the victim. The officer said sometimes teenagers do
not want to “incriminate” their partners, but the police often have other means
of investigating.
Dr. Patterson describes prostitution as usually an “organised
activity”, involving individuals having sex with a “series of persons in order
to make a living”.
She said: “Persons who are in relationships with one or several
persons and using those relationships to fulfil material needs that would be
more transactional sex, but that is not prostitution. In either case,
with an underage teen, it is “exploitation”.
Dr. David Allen seems to have a contrary view. “In Bahamian
society, there has been a normalisation of behaviour that is tantamount to “prostitution”,
said psychiatrist Dr David Allen, based on his research over the past three
years.
AT
THE GOVERNOR GENERAL’S HOUSE
Ian Strachan, the Assistant Professor of English at the College
of The Bahamas, has the political bug. That much seems clear after years
of suppressing it. Secondly, he is a friend of Peter Ramsay, the photographer.
Mr. Ramsay is among the most well connected Bahamians and associates himself
with smart and brilliant people. Peter Ramsay is also a friend of the
Governor General Sir Arthur and Lady Foulkes. The GG had a lunch for the
visiting High Commissioner for Sri Lanka. To help welcome the new Ambassador,
the brilliant Professor Strachan and his wife were on the guest list dressed
to the nines and we have that photo of the occasion and then there was the official
photo with the Governor General and the High Commissioner.
BIS photos/Peter Ramsay
INDEPENDENCE
IN MIAMI - PHOTOS
The Bahamas marked the occasion of the Independence of The
Bahamas in Florida at the St. Agnes Anglican Church in Overtown, Miami on Sunday
18th July at 3 p.m. Fred Mitchell, Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs,
attended for the Progressive Liberal Party.
Above, the clergy is assembled for the celebrations.
Below, first row from left, Canon Richard Marquis Barry,
the rector of St. Agnes Church in Miami, addresses the congregation, Fred Mitchell,
Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs with Bahamas Consul General Gladys Johnson
Sands and Mr. Sands; Fr. Denrick Rolle, Priest-In-Charge of the Churches in
South Andros and Mangrove Cay and a likely successor to Canon Barry at St. Agnes
in Miami. Fr. Rolle was the guest preacher at the Independence anniversary
service.
Second row, from left: Dr. Timothy McCartney, psychologist
and lecturer, professor at Nova Southeastern University (photo at left) and
Rev. John T. Roker (photo at right) were presented with special awards from
the Florida Senate for their contributions to The Bahamas and Bahamians in Florida
Senator Diane Wilson with Consul General Gladys Sands; and final row, ladies
of the Church.
Photos/Don Parchment
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
A writer complains about the policy of allowing non-Bahamian companies to
drill in Abaco:
It came to my attention yesterday, July 15th 2010, that
there is an American drilling company drilling wells on Abaco. They are
currently trying to drill wells at the Wilson City BEC power plant. I
find this quite disturbing as there are many suitably qualified Bahamian drilling
companies including mine. What makes this even more frustrating is the
fact that MAN Diesel, the company installing the infrastructure at this plant,
has breached a contract with my company and still to date owes me a considerable
sum of money. Further to this, they had another Bahamian drilling company
that has since been let go.
As I stated before there are several other drilling companies
throughout the Bahamas capable of performing this work. However, The American
company is not. I base this statement on the fact that this company "Rowe
Drilling" approached me on the above mentioned date in order to procure my equipment
to complete the job. The gentlemen who approached me stated bluntly that
the equipment they brought here is not capable of doing the prescribed work.
Competition in any market place is good. However,
the competition must be fair and all applicable dues should be paid. As
a Bahamian operating a drilling company in the Bahamas I am at a serious disadvantage
when it comes to direct foreign competition. Whenever I import equipment,
I must pay government duties (+60%). I also have pay licensing and inspection
fees as well as Bahamian business license fees and national Insurance etc.
These Americans simply place a duty bond on their equipment which they are able
to retrieve upon repatriating their equipment. I however must commit these
expenses as the cost of doing business in my own country. None of the
above mentioned fees will ever see their way back into my company’s pockets!
How as a Bahamian business person am I to survive?
When should we expect decisions made by The Bahamian government will be for
the betterment of ALL Bahamians? What do I tell my numerous employees
who haven't been able to make a full week’s wages in over a year?
We need better! We need help now!
Jeremy W. Wong
Well Done Drilling Services
Rick Lowe is the master of divide and conquer and most of all disingenuous
to the point of being politically dishonest:
I was recently involved in a matter whereby a PLP Senator,
Jerome Fitzgerald, stated in the Upper Chamber of Parliament that the company
I work for "committed an egregious offense against the Stamp Tax" Act.
In a nutshell, we submitted an entry on May 25, 2010,
for goods that arrived on May 24, 2010. The entry was approved on May 25, 2010,
according to the Bahamas Customs stamp on it, and the government announced a
new tax rate on May 26, 2010.
On May 27 we paid the approved entry, after getting a
manager's check from the bank as usual, and collected the product off the dock.
Eighty-three percent of it was subsequently sold.
Almost a month later Mr. Fitzgerald took advantage of his lofty position
of power and made his comments described above.
To make matters worse, Bahamas Customs rescinded their
original approval and charged the higher rate of duty based on an antiquated
and unjust law that allows them to make changes retroactively.
The Comptroller of Customs, after initially suggesting
we did something unscrupulous, apologized in the press. See the newspaper story
here (http://bit.ly/bxxN3g). Fitzgerald was asked to do the same but refused.
That aside, he attempted to make it a racial issue, seemingly
a PLP tradition, by suggesting that so many other Bahamians had to pay the higher
rate so how could we get away with what in his view was a crime.
The real story here though is a pattern by many within
the PLP of turning things into racial, or perceived rich man/poor man issues,
when they know better. Then they hide behind the libel laws that let them get
away with these things in Parliament.
All this leads me to the substantive point. And that is
the PLP's divide and conquer rhetoric.
They often refer to the control that the "Bay Street Boys"
exert over the Nassau Economy, inciting the race issue each time, yet they ignore
the islands where PLP hard liners "control" things.
Take Kemp's Bay, Andros for example.
I had the opportunity to go pigeon shooting there many
years ago and stayed in a motel/apartment complex owned by a Mr. Norwood Rahming.
An extremely nice gentleman by the way.
Needing supplies we went to the food store, also owned
by Mr. Rahming.
Parked nearby were a couple of school buses for Mr. Rahming
to fulfill his government contract to ferry school children back and forth.
Across the street was the gas station and church. Also
reportedly a part of the Rahming enterprise.
Wanting to send packages back to Nassau, we went to the
mail boat, and guess what? It too was apparently part of Mr. Rahming's empire.
In other words, there was very little of the Kemp's Bay
economy Mr. Rahming did not control.
Now was/is the silence of the PLP on issues like this
because it is their guy in control, or more specifically, Sir Lynden's point
man in the community when he was the MP for the area?
What is wrong with those with ability and foresight like
Mr. Rahming and the "Bay Street Boys" making the most of their talents as long
as they do it within the confines of the law of the day?
The double standards are amazing. And each time I start
to believe the PLP could be moving into the modern era of race relations, "honorable"
Parliamentarians like Fitzgerald do their divide and conquer routine. It's now
very predictable and dated in the 21st Century.
I keep reminding myself we could be so much better as
a country without these cheap attempts to sway voters. I honestly believe this
is because there is far too much government.
Local government has to be made real, where people in
their community control their own destiny.
Laws, whereby a parliamentarian can libel someone without
fear of the consequences of his actions must change.
Laws that allow Bahamas Customs to rescind, or back date
approvals already granted in this manner must change.
Laws that say the private sector cannot charge the higher
price if two differing tags are on an item, even though the lower tag might
be wrong, must change.
When a system allows inconsistencies like this, and parliamentarians
are allowed to make fictitious charges without merit, is there any wonder people
lose respect for each other?
When a political party suggests they are out for "fairness"
and then condone practices like those of Fitzgerald and others, should they
be taken seriously?
They must be careful that those same tactics do not surface
within their party. Divide and conquer is a negative precept and is destructive
no matter where it is practiced.
Rick Lowe
------------------------
Fred Mitchell On Prime Rate:
I write to you following a a story which appeared in the
Nassau Guardian's Business Section on 19th July based on a press conference
that I held on Thursday 15th July at the House of Assembly. I did say
that I would ask for a resolution to be placed on the order paper for tomorrow's
session. I thank you for airing what has become a chorus asking for the
Central Bank to intervene and lower the prime rate as one public policy option
to lower costs.
I have asked for the matter to be stood down from the
order paper with the agreement of my colleagues to allow the debate on the Central
Bank Amendment Bill scheduled for tomorrow to be aired which should accomplish
the objective of bringing amongst other things the matter to the attention
of the public for airing. That is my sole objective. Legislators
have their role. The Central Bank has its role. In this, we mirror
the comments made about the secrecy of policy considerations by the Federal
Reserve Bank in the United States. The Central Bank can be acclimatized
to public opinion. They are not bound to act according to it but ought
to take cognizance of it.
I insist that it is in the best interest of the Bahamian
people for the prime rate to be lowered at this time.
The Members of Parliament have an obligation to make their
views known on this matter.
The reasons are compelling: it is a move that will lower
the cost of government debt; it will lower the cost of privately held debt including
for mortgagors of land and homes; it will stimulate demand but in a modest and
non-inflationary way.
I will unfortunately be out of the country during the
course of tomorrow's debate but I take the matter of my public role quite seriously
and appreciate the space to make the clarification so that there is no suggestion
of misleading anyone on this point.
I reserve the right to seek to raise the matter
again if there is not a sufficient airing of this matter.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
Forrester
Carroll takes up the case of the Barefoot American Bandit... IN PASSING
Mitchell & Sears In Caribbean Region Talks
Fred Mitchell and Alfred Sears, both PLP MPs, travelled to Barbados for a two-day
informal conference on governance issues in the region hosted by Mia Mottley,
Leader of the Opposition in Barbados from Wednesday 21st July to Thursday 22nd
July. Mr. Mitchell then travelled to St. Lucia before returning home.
PLP Delegation In Cuba
PLP MP Ryan Pinder led a delegation of PLPs for meetings in Cuba from Monday
19th July to Friday 23rd July. Mr. Pinder’s delegation included Randy
Rolle, PLP Vice Chair Family Islands; Carlos Smith, PLP Member of the Committee
on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Elcott Coleby, Member Political Committee
and Committee on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Members of the delegation
are pictured with Cuban officials.
Eugene Dupuch Law Students Lose Their Subsidy
The cutbacks continue under the FNM administration in education. Having
gutted the subsidies to the College of The Bahamas, the government has now without
notice withdrawn the subsidy of some $5000 per annum to students at the Bahamas
Law campus of the Council of Legal Education Eugene Dupuch Law School.
The school, which was put here at the instance of the FNM government, received
a subsidy from the government to pay for all Bahamian students. That means
that each student will now have to find some $5000 in September to continue
at the school. This has left many students in a quandary and are now forced
to withdraw from the programme because they simply cannot afford the fees. That's
the FNM for you.
Developers Held Up
When the House of Assembly debated the new Subdivisions Bill, the PLP warned
the FNM that they did not have the bureaucracy to support the bill. They
went ahead anyway. Now the implementation of the bill, which was supposed
to be 1st July is put off until September. The Minister, though, neglected
to say that there is no Town Planning Committee to be able to make decisions
on building applications and permits. Arawak Homes CEO Fanon Wilson spoke
to the press saying that their developments are being held up, no decisions
can be made and this at a time when unemployment is rising. Again, that’s
the FNM for you.
Greenslade Defends The Indefensible
Despite the unpopularity of the decision and the warning from these quarters
that it is better that the Commissioner of Police stay out of the controversy
over the Barefoot Bandit and the bad decision to send him back to the United
States with only a slap on the wrist from The Bahamas, the Commissioner Ellison
Greenslade was back in the press again defending the decision. We advise
him again to let this go. It was a bad decision and no amount of talking
can change that. What the consensus though is that there is a lesson to
be learned: not to take ownership of certain things or you will get stuck with
the problems afterwards. We think that is a wise lesson for the Commissioner.
Pinnacle Seekers Launch
Congratulations to Toastmaster Jason Springer who has now officially launched
the Pinnacle Seekers Toastmasters Club on Friday 23rd July. This is a
new club of upwardly mobile young people led by Mr. Springer whose idea it was
to bring them together. Minister of Housing Ken Russell was a guest of
honour as was the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes.
St. Georges Parish Fair 17 July
In the old days, back in the day, St. Georges Fair used to be the dominant social
event of the old Valley neighbourhood. That is why for old times’ sake,
when we saw Archdeacon Kingsley Knowles and his parishioners enjoying the day,
we thought for old times’ sake we thought for old times’ sake to show you how
we used to have fun.
Raynard's Kids Last Day At Summer Camp
The joys of fatherhood. When you look at former PLP Chairman Raynard Rigby’s
Facebook page, there is little about politics and more about the bliss of fatherhood.
His son Zayne celebrated his 1st birthday last week and the girls were starring
at the summer camp of the One Family Junkanoo group as this picture from his
Facebook page shows.
Ratio Of Foreigners To Bahamians In Banking
Here is more evidence that the policy of work permits and Bahamianization seem
to be a failure. Zhivargo Laing who made a complete a… no we will say
it this way. He is just such a know-it-all and does not know when in God’s
name to shut the hell up. Talks too much. So this is what he told
the House of Assembly on Wednesday 21st July as he was debating the new Trust
and Banking Regulations Act:
“The proportion of foreigners to Bahamians in the bank and trust sector of financial
services in the Bahamas remains virtually the same as it was almost 10 years
ago.
“In the year 2000, Central Bank of the Bahamas data showed there were 4,460
employed in the sector (4,223 Bahamians and 237 non-Bahamians) and in 2009 there
were 4,905 (4,602 Bahamians and 303 non-Bahamians).
“This equates to five per cent foreign employment in the sector in 2000, rising
to six per cent in 2009, or an 8.98 per cent growth in the number of Bahamians
compared with a 27.8 per cent growth in the number of non-Bahamians in the nine-year
period.”
Don’t you don’t think he ought to be ashamed of himself?
Philip Simon Leaves Chamber Job
The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce yesterday announced that Philip Simon will step
down from the position of executive director as at August 30, a position he
has held for the past eight years. While relinquishing day-to-day management
at the Chamber, Philip he will still play a role at the Board of Directors level.
President of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, Khaalis Rolle, said: “Philip Simon
brought the Chamber into the 21st century. When he came onboard, the Chamber
was a shell of a building with few functional programs.
“Through his hard work, dedication and tremendous personal sacrifice he is chiefly
responsible for modernising the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and giving it the
strong voice it enjoys today. I personally became involved with the Chamber
due to Phil's effort, and I have seen the tremendous transformation over the
years”.
Mr. Simon is moving to play a more active role in his private business interests,
which include a consultancy business and an emerging technology business.
Attorney James Thompson Dies
Well known Attorney James Thompson is dead. He died on Thursday 22nd July
after suffering from cancer. Mr. Thompson was a well known legal activist,
an expert in land quieting actions. He was born to the late Maxwell Thompson,
a founding member of the Citizens Committee, which formed to reverse the decision
of the then government to ban the showing of Sidney Poitier’s first film ‘No
Way Out’. Maxell Thompson was the man to whom Sir Randol Fawkes spoke
the words “the lips of Esau with the mouth of Jacob”, which led to Sir Randol
being charged, then acquitted, of sedition. Maxwell Thompson later served
as a judge but his son never entered public life of any kind. In his later
years, he saw one of his two sons who practice at the bar lose his right to
practice over a money scandal. But he was a good soldier and we wish his
family well at this difficult time.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
INGRAHAM SAYS HE COULD CARE LESS
Perry Christie, the Leader of the Opposition, posed the question to Prime
Minister Hubert Ingraham in the House of Assembly from his seat on Thursday
29th July: “What is the position on Bahamar?” Mr. Christie was talking
about the Cable Beach touristic project that threatens to spend several billions
of dollars in the Bahamian economy now in the doldrums and with the prospect
of 10,000 jobs for Bahamians.
Mr. Ingraham’s reply: “I don’t know and I could care less.”
This is the attitude of a pig. Shameful! But why would we want to talk
about shame when Mr. Ingraham is better described as shameless.
In the mean time, the Bahamas Contractors Association headed by Stephen Wrinkle
was holding a seminar for some 200 or so contractors who are hoping and praying
that the Bahamar deal will come through. They have no work now and there is
no prospect of any work, yet you have someone acting like a clown for a Prime
Minister saying he does not care whether the deal goes or comes. What a very
strange and disgusting characteristic?
The flurry of activity over the past week came after the Chinese Ambassador in The Bahamas notified the government of The Bahamas that the last Ministry in the Chinese government responsible for approvals had signed off on the project so the matter was a go, and that all that remained was the approval of the government of The Bahamas.
But the head of the Bahamas government says: “I don’t know and I could care less.”
By damn!
Number of hits for three week ending Saturday 31st July 2010 up to midnight:
113,407
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 31st July 2010 up to midnight:
578,922
Number of hits for the year 2010 up to Saturday 31st July 2010 up to midnight:
5,229,585
U.S. ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF STATE VISITS
Dr. Arturo Valenzuela, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere,
the top diplomat in the hemisphere for relations in the U.S. State Department
on a day to day basis with the region and hemisphere was in The Bahamas for
a visit on Monday 26th July as part of a region wide swing. He met with the
government, the opposition and with people from civil society including PLP
Young Liberals. Dr. Valenzuela stressed the U.S.' commitment to the region and
supported the view that there ought to be an effort toward regional cooperation.
The photo shows from left U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole Avant, PLP Deputy
Leader Philip “Brave” Davis MP, and the Assistant Secretary, PLP
Leader Perry Christie and Fred Mitchell Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs.
RYAN ON FISHING
The following open letter to the fishermen of The Bahamas was issued by Ryan
Pinder, a descendant of Spanish Wells, the nation’s fishing capital on
27th July, on the eve of the opening of the crawfish season which is today 1st
August.
My Dear Bahamian Fishermen:
August 1st is the opening of the crawfish season and this is my first opportunity
as a Member of Parliament to voice my concerns and opinions at the National
level for this important day in the life of our Fishermen. After my commitment
to my friends and constituents in Elizabeth who are obviously #1 with me, I
am committed to the Fishermen and Farmers of our Bahamaland, and who in my opinion
have for long been relegated to the bottom rung of the ladder in our economy.
You will have on several occasions heard me address your plight and you have
my commitment that I will continue to do so. I have addressed your plight with
the leadership of my Party, the Progressive Liberal Party, and I have their
commitment to take up your plight and pledge to stay with you until your fight
is won.
The PLP and I would like to wish all fishermen of the Bahamas a prosperous and
safe crawfish season and maiden trip as the crawfish season opens on August
1st. The PLP recognizes the importance of this industry to thousands of Bahamians
throughout our archipelago of islands, including Spanish Wells, Eleuthera, Abaco,
Long Island, Exuma, Andros and many others.
The Progressive Liberal Party wishes to emphatically remind Hubert Ingraham and the FNM that fisheries and the crawfish industry might be the most important industry to many in our family islands, and to our country as a whole. Under this Government, fishermen throughout our family islands have witnessed an explosion in illegal poaching during the off-season by foreign vessels, most noticeably from the Dominican Republic. This is destroying our fisheries industry, from crawfish, grouper, scale fish and conch. We need to be serious about protecting this fragile industry so Bahamian fishermen can have a future in it.
Most notably, however, is the danger that is posed to Bahamians on the water. There were numerous encounters during the summer months by Spanish Wells and Current fishermen with illegal poachers. Some of these instances have turned violent. There are reports that foreign poachers are attacking Bahamian fishermen with explosive devices and spear guns. These encounters have been reported to the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources without adequate response.
In fact, this summer a Spanish Wells fishing vessel had an encounter with illegal poachers from the Dominican Republic, and when they did not receive support from the Bahamian Government, they seized multiple fishing dinghies, hundreds of pounds of illegally caught crawfish and grouper and brought them back to port. It is my understanding that these illegal poachers, who exhibited violent actions against Bahamian fishermen have been returned back to the Dominican Republic without prosecution and likely fishing illegally again in our waters. The danger is that the inaction by this FNM Government will encourage vigilante justice in order for Bahamians to protect their livelihood. This must be prevented as it will only lead to additional violence and possibly loss of life and it can only be prevented by proper and persistent policing of our fishing grounds.
We find it inexplicable and inexcusable that this administration has no
answer for the protection of Bahamian fishermen and their fragile industry.
We find it inexcusable that concerns are not even addressed. I propose that
the Government do the following to ensure the protection of Bahamian fishermen:
1) Routine air patrols originating from South Andros over the southern banks.
2) Marine patrols along the southern most boarder of the Great Bahama Bank and
Cay Sal Bank.
3) The separation of The Royal Bahamas Defense Force patrol into two divisions:
a) Division for the protection of marine resources; and b) Division for drug
interdiction and illegal immigration. This would allow a focus specifically
on two different priorities of marine patrol.
4) A designated liaison of The Royal Bahamas Defense Force to interact on a
real time basis with Bahamian fishermen at sea.
5) Immediate apprehension and prosecution under Bahamian law of illegal poachers.
6) Publication of a security protocol and procedure for fisherman outlining
procedures for reporting poaching violations to better understand where the
illegal poachers tend to be.
The Progressive Liberal Party and I would like to wish the fishermen of the Bahamas a safe crawfish season and a bountiful catch.
CRABS FOR
COMPUTERS
Well as promised the Crabs For Computers programme came to the R.M. Bailey field
in Nassau on Friday 30th July. Family Island Administrator Gilbert Kemp led
the way with 30 children coming on the boat with Crabs for sale at 25 dollars
per dozen and the people turned out in full force to help the children of Mangrove
Cay buy their lap top computers. Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes was there
for the occasion and Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill joined them. The event raised
$4500 and there is a need for $1500 more. The photo is by Derek Smith of the
Bahamas Information Services.
PHOTO
ESSAY ON DUDLEY THOMPSON’S VISIT
The photo of the week is that of visit of former Senator Dudley Thompson of
Jamaica now 93 and a well know figure in the early life of the PLP in The Bahamas.
Senator Thompson was invited to The Bahamas as the special guest of Governor
General Sir Arthur Foulkes and gave a lecture at the Balmoral Club on Thursday
29th July. The photo essay is by Peter Ramsay.
Pictured left to right: Keith Davis Bisx and unidentified
female, Dr. Keith Wisdomof Cable Bahamas; Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Dr. Barry Russell, MP Sidney Collie,
Mr. and Mr.s Patrick Rahming
Pictured: Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell Gibson
Pictured left to right: Attorney Damein Gomez, Philip Galnis,
Senator Dudley Thompson,Cartoonist Stan Burnside
Pictured left to right: Paul MCweeney, Managing Director Bank
of The Bahamas; Godfrey Eneas of Love 97 and Mrs. Eneas; Deputy Commissioner
of Police Marvin Dames; Dr. Barry Russell
Pictured left to right: Philip Galanis, Senator Dudely Thompson
Dame Marguerite Pindlingand PLP leader Perry Christie.
Pictured left to right: Archbishop Drexel Gomez; Sir Arthur
Foulkes Governor General; Sir Orville Turnquest, former Governor General; former
National Security Minister Hon. A. Loftus Roker; Philip Brave Davis MP and Deputy
Leader of the PLP; Dr. Judson Eneas.
Pictured left to right: Mr. and Mrs Arnold Forbes,
Senator Dudley Thompson, Philip Galanis and Mrs. Tonya Galanis, Alpheus "Hawk"
Finlayson.
Pictured left to right: Senator Dudley Thompson.,
Sir Arthur Foulkes, Governor Generaland in a rar public appearance the Hon.
A; Loftus Roker, former Minister of National Security and former MP for North
Andros.
Pictured left to right: Dr. Judson Eneas, Dame Marguerite Pindling,
and TonyaGalanis, Principal Eugene Dupuch Law School.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Chuck Pinder writes from Spanish Wells on the state of the fishing industry:
I have sat back and waited all summer long to hear what this incompetent government is going to do about the illegal fishing by fishermen from the Dominican Republic. All summer long these foreigners which by the way Bahamas is the off season when crawfish spawn and reproduce these Dominicans have RAPED!!!!! In The Southern Bahamas. Numerous fishing boats out fishing for snapper or repairing traps (condos) have had interaction in which gas bombs were thrown and spear guns were held up at Bahamian Fishermen our own have been shot at by these invaders . In May a Spanish Wells fishing boat named the Comfort Zone had a battle with them 30 miles in over the southern banks of the Bahamas 5 Dominicans were captured by them and out of 12 dinghies which were seized by our fishermen 540lbs of crawfish and numerous under sized grouper and hog fish were taken with no clue what the big boat had AND THIS WAS IN MAY!!!!!!
These bastards were picked up by The Royal Bahamas Defense Force and carried to Nassau. And do you know where they are now Bahamas they have already been shipped back to the Dominican Republic and have probably been fishing our banks again before we can. These bastards should still be eating Amber Jack in Fox Hill Prison .This is an OUTRAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIME AND TIME AGAIN for years we the fishermen of Spanish Wells have passed on information to The Ministry of Fisheries and also The Ministry of Defense .Lately all Crawfish Season long for at least the past two years the sightings of Dominican boats have been increasingly seen all over our southern fishing ground . They are killing our Conch Beds our Grouper and our Crawfish and any other type of bottom fish they can get. To you our Fisheries Department WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!! You create laws that you can’t enforce. Take for example THE Grouper Season , you make laws stopping the Bahamian Fishermen from catching grouper and THE DOMINICANS ARE GETTING ALL THEY WANT EVERY YEAR EVERY SEASON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You listen to a bunch of people from foreign countries telling us that our marine life is in trouble. Well you know they are right but it’s in trouble because we allow foreigners to come into our country rape our marine life and then you start with your statistics telling us about the decline in this marine resource or that marine resource .The only problem we are having with our Marine Resources is that you either think you know it all or people in The Department of Marine Resources just don’t care .Maybe it’s time you start listening to the people that do and that would
be us the hard working fishermen of this country and I say that coming from the island of Spanish Wells where 95% of the income of our island in dependent on fishing and also it’s the same place when you come here for a Fisheries Meeting YOU TELL US THAT WE ARE TO BEST AT WHAT WE DO. And to The Ministry of Defense to the hard working Defense Force Officers that have chosen to serve our country I want to say thank you .But to the good Minister may I remind you that under articles of our Constitution you good Sir is mandated by law to protect the people and to guard our Bahamaland from people that wish to harm us poach our waters and also from people that infiltrate our country illegally. And so far This ADMINISTRATION has Failed MISERABLY. These men and women of our Royal Bahamas Defense Force can’t do their job with the Defense Force Boats parked at PRINCE GEORGE WARF .The Defense Force has to be vigilant and present in these areas, it’s does very little good to call in and have to leave from Nassau they need to be constantly patrolling the southern Bahama bank to get a grip on what’s going on. And to you the Government of the Bahamas as a whole you have done more damage to the fishing industry in this country than any other Administration in the history of our country. Just about every branch of government in this country falls in this category first a few years back BEFORE the recession came you took away our Duty Free Tariffs on parts for our fishing boats we used to pay 7% then you changed that to 10% then you took that away and now we pay 65% on parts thank you F.N.M Government. That was for the Ministry of Finance and now for the Ministry of
Immigration AGAIN there are fishing boats tied up to Potters Cay Dock that are fishing in this country that there crew are Dominicans . A Bahamian Fishing boat came in this summer with over 20 thousand pounds of skinned conchs all the crew was nothing but Dominicans; what a disgrace and you want to know why our conch beds are dying out. You can start your immigration clean up out to Potters Cay Dock. And again thank you F.N.M. Government for allowing this to happen. Wake up BAHAMAS it’s time to clean house as a born and bred Bahamian and proud of it for 43 years and a fishermen for 27 it’s time to rid this country of under the table politics F.N.M’s and P.LP’s alike need to see what we are becoming and that is a country with leaders that if it don’t affect them why bother. We are now being taxed to death by this government that in there last convention said WE GOT THE MONEY .And so I say to you like you asked former Prime Minister Pindling in 1992 WHERE’S THE MONEY ? This government is killing this country by taxing the very people that holds this country together THE MIDDLE CLASS. The poor can’t pay, the rich don’t care and the crooked is going to steal to get what they want, so who suffers THE MIDDLE CLASS. The hard working men and women of this country that struggle to send their children to school ,put food on the table , pay their light and water bill and just try to make ends meet .That who is going to end up suffering the most . And once you break the middle class it’s all over then. Once again thank you F.N.M. Government. I’m a hard working Bahamian Fisherman and I hate to see what our Fishing Industry is becoming , a lost jewel in this great country of ours millions of dollars worth of revenue lost by the Bahamian people stolen by illegal poaching, they come and take what they want when they want and however much they want . And this Administration does little to
nothing about it. It just kills me to think what is this country is coming to when we are not willing to step up and take hold of this serious situation .Along with this situation on the 28th and 29th of July is the U.S. mini lobster season and for years that have fished the North Western Bank . Rouge Bahamian Fishermen have been working in that area well before the season opens and very little is being done. You know Bahamas as you pass Fort Montagu Ramp as a little boy between the ages of 8 and ten years old I stood to the edge of the road holding bunches of fish to sell. .Summer time I would go net hauling with my grandfather Mr. Purcell Pinder a descendent from Spanish Wells who was the first man to start selling fish at Montagu Ramp. My other grandfather Mr. Horace Sands was from Abaco and at that same age every August I would go to Great Guana Cay and go spearing CONDOS and that is where I learned to spear crawfish. Yes Ministry of Fisheries CONDOS being used in the Bahamas OVER 30 YEARS AGO. To my friends and family in Abaco I hope you are reading this in the day or I hope you got a good flash light because I know you don’t have much electricity. Fishing is not just my job it’s in my blood and before I see it spilt for it, it’s high time that the government of this country do something about it. I hope you listening Mr. Christie because I feel sure that if you are listening and are willing to fix what’s broke all I got to say is IT AIN’T LONG NOW!!!!! Former leaders have come and gone. Former Opposition leaders have come and gone in my 43 years all I’ve got to say is I don’t care which party you are for if you don’t do your job IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO GO!!!!!!!! It’s time that we as a country stop playing party politics and keep the government on their toes. In my work place fishermen are suffering and we are suffering because of incompetence. I pray to the Good Lord that we find the people in this country willing to make a stand and say to whatever party enough is enough.
Thank you for your time and may God Bless You and May God Bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Chuck Pinder
Spanish Wells, Bahamas
July 27th 2010
Dr. Lynwood Brown writes about Cable Bahamas:
The Editor of The Punch, Tribune, Nassau Guardian & Bahama Press
Farrington Road
Nassau, Bahamas
RE: Cable Bahamas
Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to shine the spotlight on
what I believe to be an unfair practice that has been perpetrated on
the good people of the Bahamas. Cable Bahamas has been operating in
this country for more than a decade now and has enjoyed a monopoly for
its entire time in operation yet it seems to have no compassion for
the people who have made the company such a success. For instance, if
your cable has been disconnected you would have to pay thirty dollars
reconnection. I say that this is outrageous. I watched the customer
service representative touch a few buttons and in a flash reports that
“Okay your cable is back on”….a few strokes on the key board
and
shazaam, cable back for THIRTY DOLLARS. This is shameful, especially
now when Bahamian people are struggling. Mr. Government, we ask that
you please do something to assist the Bahamian people.
My second grievance with this company is that prior its arrival, we
have enjoyed ZNS TV13 with very little static (well, that is people in
Nassau) but since Cable Bahamas’ arrival this is no longer the case.
If your cable is disconnected for lack of payment, you will have to
disconnect the cable to watch your national station. I say that this
too is wrong. Cable Bahamas has the ability to selectively block any
channel that it wants, remember B.E.T.? So why is it then, that if an
account has been disconnected that Cable Bahamas doesn’t just block
all other channels except ZNS TV13, allowing the customer to continue
to enjoy watching ZNS. It is almost criminal how the Government allows
a foreign company (well now that BTC, BEC and NIB own major shares in
the company that may not be the case) to take advantage of Bahamian
people is beyond me.
Please HELP Mr. Government.
My final point in this letter is the new digital box, this is the
biggest rip off of them all. In The United States of America, digital
TV was phased in but only to those persons who did not have a digital
television. I recently had to purchase a few of these digital boxes
and now that I have, my already “digital” television is no longer
able
to pick up any signals. Wow! But yet the cable company is telling
everyone that one of these boxes is required to watch cable TV. So I
asked the customer service representative what if I sourced my box
elsewhere, she said almost with a chuckle, “and watch Cable Bahamas?
No sir that is not possible”. So my question to Cable Bahamas is: is
the box a requirement or is it just another way to squeeze every last
cent out of the pockets of the Bahamian people?
Mr. Government, we need your assistance in stopping this injustice and
the blatant abuse of the Bahamian people, the people who have elected
you to protect them from this predatory-like behavior. We need action
from you Mr. Government and we need it NOW.
Dr. Lynwood Brown
A concerned Bahamian
Jerome Fitzgerald responds to Rick Lowe:
Just get over it.
Dear editor,
On the 20th July 2010, while I was on vacation, Mr. Rick Lowe, General Manager of the Nassau Motor Company, was kind enough to send me a copy of a letter he had written to you, which I understand was subsequently printed in your daily.
As you will recall on the 25th May 2010 the Prime Minister announced in the House of Assembly that drastic changes to the rate of duty on cars were to come into effect. The Protection of Revenue Act brought those changes with immediate effect thereby catching many Bahamians unaware. On the 26th May while in the Senate debating an unrelated Bill I took that opportunity to state that I understood the law, but thought it was wrong for Bahamians to be faced with what amounted in some cases to a 60% increase customs duty without any notice as I was aware of persons who had cars sitting on the dock and would be affected by this change. I thought in the circumstances it was unjust and wrong and asked the government to allow persons who had cars were either sitting on the dock or in route to pay the old rate of duty. My comments were carried in the Nassau Guardian on the 27th May.
In the same vain during my Budget contribution in the Senate three and a half weeks later on June 21st 2010 I produced a two customs entries with the customs cashiers stamp dated May 27th(2 days after the announced increase) showing that Nassau Motor Company had paid the old rate of duty. Just as I thought it was wrong for the government to increase the rate so drastically without notice I thought it was wrong for one company to pay a lower rate than everyone else. I did not make the law and stated in Parliament that in circumstances as this where there was a significant increase in duty on a particular item I did not agree with it. But that is the law and it applies to me, you and yes Nassau Motor Company. What Mr. Lowe appears unwilling to accept is that the relevant date is the 27th when payment was made and the cashiers stamp appeared on the entry and not the 25th when he claims customs approved the entry.
I gave this information by way of background, but the real purpose of this letter is to address a particular point raised by Mr. Lowe concerning me abusing my Parliamentary privilege by raising this matter in the Senate. I can only assume that Mr. Lowe is saying that had I said what I said inside the Senate outside the Senate Nassau Motor Company would have sued me. During the 3-4 minutes I spent on this topic in the Senate describing what I said above, I also said in closing that “an egregious offence has been committed against the Stamp Act”. This statement appears to have disturbed Mr. Lowe and Nassau Motor Company. I cannot understand why. The fact is that Nassau Motor paid the wrong rate of duty and they were subsequently made to pay the correct amount in accordance with the amendment to the Stamp Act on the 25th May 2010.
I therefore do not and will not apologize or retract what I said and for the sake of clarity, I will not say anything in Parliament I am not prepared to say outside Parliament and I state again; in the matter of Nassau Motor Company and Bahamas Customs that I raised in the Senate on June 21st 2010, an egregious offence had been committed against Stamp Act. I have now said it outside Parliament and Rick Lowe and Nassau Motor are now invited to pursue whatever cause of action they deem prudent. I appreciate his frustration and anger for having to pay the correct amount of duty, but I suggest that he has misplaced his time and energy by focusing on me for carrying out my duty and bringing this matter to the Government’s attention. I hope he will now leave well enough alone and get over it.
With regard to the issue of racism introduced by Mr. Lowe, I will not dignify his comments with a response as I find them most unfortunate in this context.
Senator Jerome Kennedy Fitzgerald.
August 1, 2010.
TERRAN
BROWN
Scharad, the photographer and the son of Deputy Governor of the Central Bank
Michael Lightbourne has a Facebook page in which he displayed a series of Bahamian
artists. Terran is one of them.
GO
SEE “FRESH” A CLARENCE ROLLE PLAY
NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR’S TOUR
A photo of the National Youth Choir during their tour of Italy under the direction
of Cleophas Adderley.
AN
ANALYSIS OF JOHN DELANEY’S BEHAVIOR
Political
activists Wallace Rolle and Ricardo Smith invaded the Senate on Thursday 29th
July and confronted the Attorney General on the question of the appointment
of the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Grant Bethel. They presented the
AG with a letter demanding an explanation for the perfidy of the government
on this issue. The AG’s response was that of Mr. High and Mighty. Some
of the statements that he gave to the press and our comments. The story was
reported by Paul Turnquest in The Tribune of 30th July.
“I have no idea what was included in the letter. I will look at it at some point.
“As a counsel of more than 20 years, I know that once the jurisdiction of a court has been invoked it is not the appropriate thing to be debating matters in a public forum – notwithstanding what I’ve been reading. I have not been served with anything, which I said to them.
“I read in the papers which appear to be extensive purported references to an affidavit which I have never been served with or any other proceedings. But I have to believe the press when they say that an action has been filed, and if that is the case then I must act appropriately not only as a lawyer but as the chief attorney being in my capacity as Attorney General I must obey the appropriate procedure and protocol.
“I am not concerned at all by Mr. Smith or Mr. Rolle’s remarks
that I will be in my last days as Attorney General.
“I believe you all know the identities of the individuals and you know
that they are persons who are activists or political type persons. So it is
obvious that this is being pursued by them in that vein. So I really say nothing
about it. I was not very impressed at all by the encounter. So I spoke to them
briefly and then quite quickly realised that it was no point in pursuing a discussion
with reason.
“I am surprised that such a claim can come from someone who happens to be a lawyer. I was quite surprised that he as a lawyer was unfamiliar with who has the legal authority to be making judicial and legal services appointments. It is not hard to find out who has this authority. It is in the very first legal legislative document, namely the constitution. The Attorney General has no such power. And so he was asking me about my appointments when I have no such power. So I just invited him as a lawyer, as a colleague, I tried to assist and asked him to refresh himself as to law.”
(It is very interesting that the AG takes this approach. It is emblematic of the kind of government of which he is a part. They are like ostriches with their heads in the sand and have complete and utter contempt for the Bahamian people. Here it is there is a raging battle in the news about their appointing a new DPP and he has not taken the time to even send for copies of what has allegedly been filed. He instead seeks to rely on the technical bit about the matter being before he courts so he cannot comment on it. But he was in the press not too long ago defending the decision. That is what makes it quite laughable for him to then claim in response to Wallace Role as a lawyer that he the AG does not make the appointment. So why was he in the press defending it? Such an unctuous man. There comes a point when it is better for some people not to be in public life because they simply do not know how to conduct themselves as public figures. What a shame? He had better get himself briefed on the Cheryl Grant Bethell case and quickly, because he is in for a rough ride.—Editor)
SUPREME
COURT OFFICE VANDALIZED
It is not certain what it is all about but from the way the authorities are
reacting, it must be something serious. The straights of the story are these:
on the night of Tuesday 27th July, someone broke into the Supreme Court office
of Justice Jon Isaacs and trashed the place. They reportedly wrote a sign saying
the FNM MUST GO. That never made it to the press, but the Attorney General John
Delaney in his usual indignant and unctuous style was busy saying how quickly
he had reacted to ensure that the security interest of the Judges were taken
to heart. The speculation is that someone was trying to send a message to Justice
Isaacs after some unfavorable decision. The Police Commissioner Ellsion Greenslade
said they were taking measures to beef up security around the courts. The PLP
said that this was all the more reason why there should be one Judicial complex,
that it would improve the ability to watch over the courts. When Richard Blankenship
was the U.S. Ambassador here, he made the observation that in The Bahamas there
was a systemic lack of appreciation for security concerns. That is true and
this mess with the Supreme Court certainly shows it.
LEEVAN
SANDS WINS GOLD AT CAC
And the winner of the gold medal at the XXI Central American and Caribbean (CAC)
Games in the triple jump is The Bahamas own Leevan Sands. Mr. Sands won the
medal at the games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
His jump of 17.21m finished ahead of Randy Lewis of Grenada who took silver with a jump of 17.20m, and ahead of Samyr Laine of Haiti who jumped 17.01m. The victory came on Thursday 29th July. The photo is a file photo of Mr. Sands in an earlier jump.
BAHAMAS
GOVERNMENT AND BLUEWATER SETTLE
The dispute between The Bahamas Government and the Bluewater company that wanted
to buy the telephone company BTC from the Bahamas Government has been settled.
The PLP left in place a decision to sell BTC for 260 million dollars, a decision
which the FNM cancelled and this led to a dispute and an arbitration in London.
The government backed down and agreed to settle at the last minute. You may
click here for the full statement. The PLP criticized the FNM for passing up
a good deal and now after ten years the company is still not privatized. It
is inexcusable and they will not get near 260 million for it. They have agreed
to pay 1.9 million for the cancellation of the deal with Bluewater. Click
here to read the full statement.
IN
PASSING
Shane Gibson Is Recovering
PLP MP and former Immigration Minister Shane Gibson is recovering in Florida
following surgery to repair a damaged shoulder. Mr. Gibson is an avid golfer.
Kelly Burrows Convalescing
Retired hotelier Kelly Burrows is said to be resting comfortably in Doctors
Hospital in New Providence following an operation there last week. We wish him
well.
Skullduggery In Lyford Cay
The tongues were wagging all week about the war going on between the billionaire
and the millionaire in Lyford Cay the ghetto of rich people who live out on
the Western Shore of New Providence. Louis Bacon worth in the billions does
not like they say Peter Nygard, the Canadian fashion designer worth in the mere
hundreds of millions. Mr. Nygard is considered new money and a bit crude and
boorish. He wants to rebuild his tree house and put some 50 million dollars
he says back into the property. The Lyford Cay old money that Mr. Bacon represents
will have nothing to do with it. They reportedly have the clout with the FNM
administration that they supported the last election. Mr. Nygard been accused
of running a brothel out on Lyford Cay, renting his former tree house estate
to people with wild parties of naked girls and guys swimming in his pool. Some
say in an attempt to bring this to heel some sound equipment was imported, a
type which is used reportedly by Israeli intelligence and has the affect of
cause you to get loose bowels. The police raided Mr. Bacon’s estate reportedly
and confiscated the equipment. Representatives of Mr. Bacon said the equipment
was harmless. Mr. Nygard’s estate was raided later in the week and equipment
was also taken. No word from the police on what the hell they are doing. It
looks like Mr. Nygard will not get his permit to rebuild the house that burned
down earlier this year or last year. To add to the mystery, there was a man
who drowned in Mr. Bacon’s pool who was suspected by the rumour mill of
actually burning down Mr. Nygard’s tree house. It gets curiouser and curiouser.
Aint the The Bahamas a great place to live.
N.I. B. Increases
The House of Assembly has proposed certain changes to the National Insurance
Benefit regulations and to the costs of National Insurance to the beneficiaries.
When the new rules come into effect, there will be some increases in pension
payments and in the future pension payments indexed to the cost of living. But
the wage ceiling for contributions now set at 400 dollars per week is being
raised in the first instance to $500 and then to $600 and eventually the actual
contribution rate will have to increase if the fund is not going to go broke.
The FNM that opposed National Insurance was busy wrapping it in their warm embrace
last week in the house saying they are good adoptive parents of the scheme and
they are the ones who took the hard decisions. Save and except that it was of
course the PLP who brought it into being and who made the decision to revise
the rules following the report of its Social Security Commission in April 2005.
As usual it was Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest along with the
idle Prime Minister who were spinning the propaganda.
Lincoln Bain Marries
His partner on Controversy TV Utah Taylor Rolle had to tell us that the talk
show host and TV station owner, what else, general all around activist, Lincoln
Bain has reportedly married and according to Mr. Taylor Rolle’s Facebook
page is off the market as of Wednesday 28th July. Not a word from Mr. Bain.
Al Jarrett To Appear
Alfred Jarrett Retired Banker and Former Chair of BEC and Bank of Bahamas will
appear on Island FM Parliament Street on Sunday August 1st 2010 at 4:00PM. Tune
In & Call In and hear Al Jarrett tell it like it is. The Bahamas can and
must do better!!
Marsh Harbour Airport Shut Down
Reports said Thursday 29th July the Marsh harbor airport was closed down to
U.S. airport traffic by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
because the fire equipment had broken down in Marsh Harbour. The Minister Vincent
Vanderpool Wallace said he was unaware of the details of the problems. Like
Shane Gibson likes to say: Clueless! The report was later denied by Director
of Civil Aviation Patrick Rolle.
Randol Dorsett Withdraws
The young lawyer Randol Dorsett who seemed a sure bet to get the nomination
for the Pinewood constituency for the PLP in the next general election, has
reportedly withdrawn his name for consideration for any seat in the next general
election. Mr. Dorsett appears to be on a fast track to better times in his law
firm Graham Thompson and Co. The branch was introduced to another prospective
candidate Cheryl Buzzard last week. Former representative Alyson Gibson has
said she will no longer be involved in public life as a representative leaving
the field open. The seat is a marginal seat and in a general election should
be within striking distance for the PLP should there be a swing toward the party.
Reportedly in the branch meeting held there last Thursday 29th July, one of
FNM MP Branville McCartney’s main generals.
Jerome Gomez To Get His Shot
Jerome Gomez, the businessman and financial consultant at Baker Tilly Gomez,
looks set to get his shot at a PLP nomination with a possible run for the Kilarney
seat in the next general election. Reports say he is the unanimous choice for
the branch and the Candidates Committee is looking favorably at him.
Not Guilty In Harl Taylor Case
The verdict in the murder trial of Troyniko McNeil for the death of designer
Harl Taylor came to a crashing end on Monday 26th July when after 3 hours of
deliberation the jury brought him not guilty by a 9 to 3 verdict. The first
trial ended in a hung jury. The three years of the young man’s life on
hold have ended. Mr. McNeil’s father who was the murder victim’s
business partner and special friend said that he was pleased with the outcome.
He said his son was innocent and that he did not like how Mr. Taylor’s
mother Beverly reacted to the events. Ms. Taylor was said to be distraught.
Given the nature of the evidence, it may be open to Ms. Taylor to sue the accused
for civil damages for the death of her son. Mr. Taylor was brutally murdered
in his apartments on West Hill Street, New Providence on 18th November 2007.
FNM Page Says Tinker Resigns
Dr. Keith Tinker is the subject of the FNM’s Facebook propaganda machine.
They reported that he was forced to resign his post as Executive Head of the
Museum and Antiquities Corporation. This had previously been denied by Dr. Tinker.
Mandela Turns 92
Congratulations to Nelson Mandela, the statesman, former President and international
icon on turning 92 on 18th July of this year.
The Order Is Signed In GBI
Halleluiah! Hallelujah! Was how the Nassau Guardian characterized the settlement
of the final order in the long running and tortuous dispute between the St.
George family and Sir Jack Hayward over the assets of the Grand Bahama Port
Authority and its group of companies. The order was signed in the Court of Appeal
on Monday 26th July bringing to an end the matter. The words came from judge
Christopher Blackmun who pronounced the issue closed and added the words Halleluiah!
Halleluiah! No word on what this will actually mean for Freeport where the economy
is as dead as a doornail.
The New DPP Arrives?
Vinette Graham Allen is to be the new Director of Public Prosecutions for The
Bahamas and was scheduled to arrive in The Bahamas for work on 1st August. No
word on whether she actually turned up. Political activist Wallace Rolle reportedly
spoke to her by telephone to warn her of the fire storm of controversy that
she is coming into when she arrives here. Ms. Graham Allen said that she was
unaware of the controversy. That is untrue but anyway. Then she was called away
from the phone and when she returned she had a new attitude. She said that she
was coming and she feared no one and that God is on her side. That is all we
need now is a messianic Director of Public Prosecutions. The scuttlebutt on
this whole thing is that she is desirable in The Bahamas because the Prime Minister
wants to prosecute a PLP MP before the next election and so far all the Bahamian
prosecutors have refused to cooperate.
Mitchell To Be On Jones & Co
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill will be the guest on Jones and Company on Sunday
at 5 p.m. on Love 97 radio and at 7:30 p.m. on Jones Communications Channel
14. He will speak about Project Bahamas a new proposal to build bi partisan
support for the general direction of the Bahamas.
Bermuda Premier Retires
Ewart Brown who led the revolt against two PLP Bermuda Premiers Jennifer Smith
and Alex Scott is to leave Parliament before the end of the year. The last sitting
of the Bermuda Parliament before the fall opening session took place on Friday
23rd July and at 2 a.m. Mr. Brown who has served in Parliament since 1993 delivered
his farewell address. You can link here to that address. The photo is from the
Royal Gazette, Bermuda’s daily paper. Click
here to read the full statement.
Fox Hill Festival Begins
The 176th annual Fox Hill Festival began on Friday 31st July with the opening
speech and ceremony at the Fox Hill Parade in Fox Hill. The Festival was officially
opened by Minister of Culture Charles Maynard. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill
spoke of the special nature of the event in the history of The Bahamas. The
Festival kicks off in earnest with Junkanoo on Monday 2nd August 1 a.m. and
later in the day there is an ecumenical service of thanksgiving to mark the
emancipation of the slaves on the Fox Hill parade. The Festival ends with Fox
Hill Day on Monday August 10th with the Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie
making his annual visit to the four churches along with the representative Mr.
Mitchell for their party day celebrations.
Bridge Collapse
A late report says that the Bridge in western New Providence near Snady Port
has collapsed and several people were hurt and had to be taken to hospital.
