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

Volume 1 © BahamasUncensored.Com

9th February, 2003
16th February, 2003
23rd February, 2003

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The photo of the week is a picture of Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with the delegation that traveled with him from Fox Hill to the Altadena United Methodist Church in California.  Last Sunday 26th January.  Mr. Mitchell delivered the homily at the Methodist Church.  The Pastor is Rev. Yvonne Boyd.  The members of the delegation were joined in front of the church by Ambassador to Japan for The Bahamas Sidney Poitier.  You may see a full picture spread in this week’s edition of bahamasuncensored.com.  You may click here for the address of the Minister to the church.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

MOTHER LAYS DOWN THE LAW
Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, the Deputy Prime Minister got a late start on Thursday 30th January as she officially opened the meeting with civil society to conclude the National Drug Control Strategy for The Bahamas.  When she arrived you could see that her face was set for a serious task.  And the speech turned out to be a winner.  She set her face firmly and delivered her message directly.  She was talking to the Americans and to the American Ambassador.  She never called either name.

The US Ambassador who on 6th December 2002 forced The Bahamas to adjourn the Joint Task Force Meeting with The Bahamas was not present.  There were several representatives of the US Government there and no doubt the message would have been carried by them, although the speech received wide publicity throughout the country.  It was a message of: “I am sick and tired”.

The Deputy Prime Minister laid the groundwork early in her speech by telling her audience that the drug problem was principally an American problem.  The demand for drugs came from the US and the supply came from outside The Bahamas.  The drugs were passing through The Bahamas and we were suffering because of that.  She defended the Defence Force that had been unmercifully and unfairly sandbagged by the US Ambassador on 6th December and accused of being corrupt.

Mrs. Pratt said of the US Ambassador’s remark that the US was willing to forgive the Defence Force for the events in 1992 when a boat named HMBS Inagua was allegedly involved in removing drugs from a controlled bust, that she did not want nor did the Defence Force want forgiveness.  She said that she would cause an investigation to be done that was open and transparent and that if wrongdoing was discovered it would be punished.

She said that what the US was doing to the RBDF amounted to discrimination because of an incident that had not been brought to official notice.  According to Mrs. Pratt: “Our efforts in this regard [to find out why the RBDF was considered corrupt by the Americans] both formal and informal, were met with stony silence.
She repeated the words “stony silence” about four times.

Mrs. Pratt said that the law enforcement agencies in The Bahamas suffered only from lack of resources.  She said that no one could say with truth that The Bahamas was not doing all that it can to fight the scourge of drugs.  And then she added to loud praise from her audience: “Those who want The Bahamas to do more should put us in resources with which to do more”.

As for the comment by US Ambassador Richard Blankenship 6th December that The Bahamas was a beggar nation to the US for money to fight drugs when it had money that had been confiscated under its control, Mrs. Pratt was direct again.  Mrs. Pratt said that The Bahamas Government has been in hot pursuit of an agreement on the use of those funds from the United States but she added “Our efforts have been met with silence and lack of resolution.  The criticism is particularly irksome as its effect results in deception of the Bahamian public”

We congratulate Mrs. Pratt for her frank address.  This is the first Bahamian Minister of the Government to publicly support the position taken by the Foreign Minister on 6th December when the insulting remarks of the US Ambassador led to the adjournment of the joint task force meeting.

This is how a country is supposed to act, not ducking and hiding behind corners.  Of course the United States is more powerful.  If they want to they can send in their army and take us over within a day, but not without a fight for our way of life.  We have no enemies.  We have no fight with anyone.  What is inexplicable to Bahamian citizens is why a US Ambassador chose to embarrass and attack our country in the tone that he did on 6th December.   It is time the record was set straight.

Mrs. Pratt said: “I give you my assurance that I have the full support of the government of The Bahamas in this.”  You may click here for the full remarks of Mrs. Pratt.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 1st February 2003 at midnight: 23,364.

Number of hits for the month of January: 91,033.

Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 1st February 2003 at midnight: 92,340.

HOW THE US RESPONDS TO MRS. PRATT
    Since the remarks of the US Ambassador on 6th December that attacked The Bahamas, many Americans have sent messages both written and oral but always private apologizing for the manner and tone of the remarks.  Many said they were embarrassed that a US Ambassador could create such a climate of hostility.  The problem is that you had fifth columnists like those who run The Tribune who were giving aid and comfort to the thought that The Bahamas is some rinky dink country that should be insulted in the way it was.  Mrs. Pratt is not quite the lightning rod that the Foreign Minister is and it will be interesting to see how The Tribune reacts to the statements by the woman who has up to now been the darling of the media set.   It is clear that Mother does not play.
    The US issued a press statement following the statements by Mrs. Pratt and they were mild as a pussycat.  They welcomed everything that she said.  They not only welcomed the remarks but also welcomed them warmly.  This is a strange turn around from the threats and mayhem that came from the US Ambassador following the meeting of the 6th December 2002.  You may click here for the full statement of the US Embassy.  The only slight controversy that they could muster was to say that they did not discriminate against the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.  They said that the only reason the go fast boats they gave to The Bahamas last year were given to the Royal Bahamas Police Force was because they had to be limited to the fight against drugs.  They said the RBDF could not accept that limitation.  That is exactly the opposite of what they had been saying up to now.  Up to now they had been saying that it was matter of the Defence Force being corrupt.
    If the statement of the US is anything to go by, let us hope that we have achieved a more normal relationship and that the US Ambassador will now start to conduct his country’s affairs in a manner that is like all the other resident envoys in the country.  We will see.
 

NOTTAGE RISES FROM THE GRAVE
    Dr. Bernard Nottage, the leader of the defunct Coalition for Democratic Reform, had a chance to get on the front page of the newspaper on Friday 31st January.  It must have been a slow news day.  Dr. Nottage said that he was furious at the remarks of Prime Minister Christie when he spoke about threats of death that had been made against him and his family.  (See story below)  Dr. Nottage was speaking at a Rotary West meeting in Nassau.  Dr. Nottage said: “I have never been as angry with a politician – and this is not personal – as I was with the honourable Prime Minister on Monday evening (27th January) as I watched his dramatic monotribe at the Woods Alley function.  In that statement, I believe that he did more to alarm the public than anything I have heard from a public official in a long time.”  Dr. Nottage also said that since the PLP had come to power it had done little to fulfill its promises.  He said that the PLP had not announced one single new initiative for diversifying the economy.  He added that despite the fact that there was a Financial Services Ministry investors had been handled very poorly.  Would that you were there Dr. Nottage? Would that you were there?
    We are certain that now that Dr. Nottage has gotten this off his chest, we won’t hear from him for another few months.  Further, the Prime Minster has every right to discuss threats against him.  The fact is that the police heightened the alert around his family and home.  This is not something that would have passed without notice of the public, and so it should be told to the public.  The problem is the credibility of the threat and it was revealed later in the week that it was an unsubstantiated threat by a lawyer who may for other reasons have wanted to create a smokescreen from something else.

DEATH THREATS ON THE PRIME MINISTER
    The Tribune reported on Tuesday 28th January that armed police threw a tight security cordon around the home of Prime Minister Perry Christie over the weekend after death threats were made against his wife and family.  His children were reportedly under police guard as well.   The officers were armed with sub machine guns, and they were guarding the house because of a report that someone had threatened to shoot up the home of the Prime Minister.  The Prime Minister himself spoke about the fact that he came home one evening that weekend to find that the police were there with submachine guns.  Mr. Christie said: “Well the next morning, I went out and declared war.  Why should that happen in any country and why should we as citizens tolerate that?  Who has the right to threaten my life without feeling that he won’t be punished?”

THE POLICE SAY THREATS TO PM IDLE
    The Commissioner of Police called a press conference on Thursday 30th January to disabuse the public’s mind of the seriousness of threats against the Prime Minister Perry Christie. (See story above) Paul Farqhuarson, the Commissioner of Police said that on Thursday 23rd January, his officers were placed on high alert after a local attorney reportedly received a telephone call from a reputed Bahamian drug dealer in Jamaica warning of reprisals following an unfavourable Appeal Court ruling against Samuel ‘Ninety’ Knowles.  As a result of the report, there was an increased police presence.  But Mr. Farqhuarson said that the investigations by the police showed that the threat was unsubstantiated.  The problem with this kind of stuff is that you have to take every threat seriously.  The information given to the police was that the homes of Philip Brave Davis MP for Cat Island and Roger Minnis and Prime Minister Christie were to be riddled with bullets.
 

THE PM’S SECURITY
    If the PM’s trouble were not enough this week on crime and threats to his family, the police officers themselves thought to sandbag him with a front page story in the new Punch/Tribune format that The Tribune has become saying that the policemen who guard his house were not being properly housed.  How this falls at the feet of the Prime Minister is an interesting twist of logic.  The officer said that police officers have to sit out in the car all night guarding the PM's home.  The Tribune then went on to give a litany of complaints against previous  PLP Ministers who had police guards.
    The police ought to learn this.  The security of the Prime Minister and other Government officials is the job of the police, not the job of the Prime Minister.  This includes the housing arrangements for the police who guard the Prime Minister.  The police found that out when they visited the Commissioner of Police to make a formal complaint and the issue was said by week's end to have been resolved by the Commissioner of Police satisfactorily. Obviously, this was some FNM policeman trying to make headlines.

ATMOSPHERE OF CRIME AND THE WILD WILD WEST
    If you were to read the Bahamian newspapers during the past week, you would get the impression that this is a very wild place indeed.  There was an attempt to rob the Bank of The Bahamas by six men on Monday 27th January.  That failed and the men were caught and charged (see Tribune photos).  Over the weekend of 26th January, a tile layer was seriously injured at the office of Algernon Allen in Dowdeswell Street, shot by a gun.  Two other persons were shot in armed robbery attempts that same weekend.  You add this to the threats of harm against the PM and other public officials.  You add that to the murder toll of 7 for the year.  It is all very grave indeed.
    Under the gun (pardon the pun) is the Government.  The response was a declaration by the Prime Minister that something had to be done to fight crime.  The Deputy Prime Minister too was angered by what was happening with crime.  The Cabinet and the backbench met in conclave to be briefed by the Attorney General's office and the police on matters ranging from the Privy Council, executions, the law on bail and what new if any police powers were needed, what handicaps the police have.  With the greatest of respect to all, that is very nice but it does not get us very far at all in the fight against crime.  The Bahamian people and its public officials seem every time there is some spate of crime to rise up in a kind of spontaneous spasm of let's hang, let's put them in jail, let’s tighten the bail laws.  They are aided and abetted in this shortsighted public policy by the United States on the point.
    Some have argued that we need three strikes and you're out like many US states, even though the law is totally discredited as discriminatory.  Further, some have argued for mandatory minimum sentences, even though they too have been discredited and we had a Crime Commission that indicated that they should all be scrapped and we just passed a law last year to scrap them.  We think that engaging in a public dialogue on this is a waste of time right now.  The government simply needs to commit its resources silently and efficiently and right now to curtailing the problem and that is the criminal factory of our school system that is spitting out little boys who come out and go on to commit crime. When we are willing to invest in these little boys who obviously need a lot of help then we will see a turn around in the crime statistics.  Until then, we will continue to have the flapping of gums and angry words of all kinds but no resolution of the problem.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
    Alleged bank robber of the Bank of The Bahamas (see story above) as he was being charged with his five co-defendants in Magistrate’s Court on Friday 31st January: “Tell mum put up the house.  Thug for life, it’s like nothing.”
 

SIR ORVILLE TO FIGHT THE PROSTITUTES
    The tile layer who got shot on the premises of former MP Algernon Allen has caused Sir Orville Turnquest, the former Governor General who also has an office in Dowdeswell Street to come out of retirement.  This time he is to lead the fight with Mr. Allen to bring an end to the red light district that he says Dowdeswell Street, in New Providence has become.  The Tribune of Tuesday 28th January 2003 said that Sir Orville called a meeting together of business people in the Dowdeswell Street area to see what they can do to clean up the street.  According to Mr. Allen in that same paper, the area becomes a red light district every night and is full of  “pimps, prostitutes and drug users”.  Sir Orville agreed with Mr. Allen and said that the atmosphere on Dowdeswell Street changes after dark.  In the sunshine, Sir Orville said it is busy and professional with lots of traffic.  But as offices close the area reverts to an atmosphere for which Dowdeswell Street has become fairly infamous.  Sir Orville said that the street is known as a red light district where criminals and ne’er do wells congregate.  Sir Orville told The Tribune that Dowdeswell Street has been that way his whole life.  Now remember this is a place that he said was residential up until fairly recently.  Persons like Lady Patricia Isaacs grew up there.  How do you think that would make her feel?
    The Tribune said that they were told by Sir Orville that as far as he knows both prostitution and drug elements are part of Dowdeswell street’s nightlife.  He added: “I really don’t know because I make it my business to get out of this area before nightfall and I never come back to my office at night."  But the people of Dowdeswell Street should never fear, one of Her Majesty’s knights Sir Orville is coming to the rescue.  He said he wants to change the perception of Dowdeswell Street that it belongs to the criminals after dark.  He wants closed circuit television and patrols by security guards after dark.
    Assistant Commissioner of Police Ferguson said that the police were willing to help.  But we could not help thinking back to the Italian dictator Mussolini and the way he dealt with the prostitute problem in Italy.  The streets were clean during his time as leader of the country.  He just made sure that the prostitutes were kept safely indoors.  He didn’t stop their work.  You simply could walk the streets without seeing them.
 

NO RESOLUTION ON SIDNEY STUBBS
    Despite all the high drama of the week before this one past about  the Prime Minister having to make a decision between Sidney Stubbs MP and Chair of The Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation and the Minister for Trade and Industry Leslie Miller, no announcement has been made on either person.  And so the stage continued this week.  The week started off on Tuesday 28th January with yet another speculative story by the new Punch/Tribune combination that The Tribune has become.  It said that the Parliamentary group was in full revolt against the Prime Minister and were refusing to allow Sidney Stubbs to accept transfer to a new area.  No response from the Government.

THE QUEEN’S PANTS SUIT
    Last week we ran a story about Glenys Hanna Martin’s one woman campaign to change the practice of the House so that the rules would allow women to wear pants suits in the House of Assembly as a member.  The Queen was recently seen sporting a pants suit as she left hospital in the UK following knee surgery.  No doubt Mrs. Hanna Martin would not be able to afford that pants suit that the Queen had on but it’s a start.  We urge the women to fight the power and all join in with the pants suit revolution.  Picture Her Majesty our Queen.  How much do you think that suit cost?

 
 
 

THE STRAY DOG PROBLEM
    The Tribune reported on Wednesday 29th January that stray dogs in Harbour Island along the beach attacked a tourist and according to them ruined the Canadian tourist's vacation.  This setoff a whole round of discussions in the country about stray dogs and what the country is going to do to get on top of this problem.  The fact is that this is yet again another problem that we have been flapping our gums about but not doing very much about it.  Most Bahamians take it for a joke.  But the town is full of filthy, mangy dogs going around in packs and there does not seem to be any organized effort to stop it.  The problem appears to be getting worse with the report of the Canadian couple’s vacation attack, and then the previous report of a young girl in Fox Hill being attacked.
    The former MP Lester Turnquest had tried to get legislation to ban pit bulls, but to no avail and it is time to ban them.  But more importantly is the pack of mongrels that rove around New Providence and the other islands simply upsetting the garbage, making noise at night and attacking people who are unable to defend themselves.  There is a laudable effort by the Ministry of Agriculture’s canine unit, the Humane Society and Advocates for Animal Rights to spay and neuter dogs.  The US Ambassador’s wife to her great credit has been instrumental in helping out with this.  She is a trained and active veterinarian in the US.  At week’s end, the Minister of Tourism had gotten into the act saying that the stray dog problem was affecting tourism in The Bahamas.

 

THE CENTRAL BANK REPORT
    The Central Bank’s quarterly report has indicated that the national debt of the country has grown in the first fiscal quarter from July to September by 3.3 per cent to 2.155 billion dollars.  The report also indicates that the Government’s budgetary operations for the opening quarter (July to September 2002) showed an increase in the overall deficit to an estimated 34.2 million dollars from 2.4 million dollars in the same period during the last financial year.  This shows we are still on track for the most massive deficit in the county's history.  With the US engaged in the madness of war, we are in for more trouble and further drops in revenue.  The country needs extensive investments in infrastructure.
    The Central Bank report does not show a flattering picture but we wonder a couple of things.  First, why does the first quarter report take so long to be published?  And finally, the Central Bank has to ask itself why increasingly it is being criticized for its role in shutting down the financial services sector in The Bahamas by what is believed to be extra statutory powers of regulation.  There is said to be a huge flight in capital still going on in The Bahamas,  result of the failure of the Government to effectively curb the power of the Central Bank and to review the financial services laws.  It was interesting to note a report last week that the British Government was said to have planted a spy in the financial regulatory agencies of the Cayman Islands.  Do you think they might do the same thing here in our Central Bank?

 

GOING TO WAR— A RESPONSE FROM LAST WEEK
    Last week we got a note from one of our readers who appreciates the column for what it is and he made a point, which we think, bears repeating.  He said that we did not carry the whole story about going to war.  We need to more fairly represent the Bush administration’s point of view and why there needs to be a war.  We don’t accept that there needs to be a war.  It is clear that the evidence is not there for it.  The war in Iraq is not likely even to be a war.  It will simply be an unprecedented remote control bombing assault on a people who have no technological means to fight back, after being systematically stripped of the right to fight and control their own country for more than ten years.  It is simply big power politics to get control of the oil revenues of Iraq.  Those aside, however, we agree with our letter writer that we can’t really depend on France, Germany or China.  They are all saying now that there is a need for more time for the inspectors and that there must be another UN resolution.  France and Germany have said that they are against the war.  But in the end we believe the letter writer is right, we can’t depend on France and Germany to stick it out.  When they see the others lining up they will want to get into the act as well so they can sell their equipment to the new regime that will be propped up by the Americans when they have laid flat the present Iraq.  This is the modern version of Pax Romana, now Pax Americana.

 

FOOTNOTE TO HISTORY
    Theresa Moxey Ingraham has been installed as the executive director of the Sojourner Douglass College campus in Nassau.  She is the first Bahamian in the 13 year history of the campus to so serve.  Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell spoke at the installation.  He congratulated her on her appointment.  You may click here for his address.

 

MITCHELL AND HEPPLE IN SOCCER TRAINING

The Tribune reports that Demont Mitchell was one of two students who will travel to the United Kingdom to be reviewed by soccer authorities there about the suitability of the young Mitchell for professional soccer.  He and another youngster Hepple are said to be the first Bahamians to have such an opportunity.  We wish them both well.  Demont is the nephew of Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, son of Matthew Mitchell his younger brother.

THE SHUTTLE DISASTER
    The Prime Minister has issued a statement expressing condolences of the nation on the explosion of the Shuttle Columbia from the United States, which appears to have suffered a tragic accident in reentry into the United States after 16 days in space.  The Prime Minister while attending the funeral of PLP general Kenneth Rolle in Staniel Cay, Exuma offered condolences to President George Bush and to the President of Israel.  The crew consisted of six US citizens, one of whom was Indian born.  The other crew member was Israeli.  You may click here for the full statement of the Prime Minister.  We express our condolences.  Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said that the Foreign Ministry had communicated to the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US the expressions of concern and sympathy of The Bahamas government.  The editors of this site join the Prime Minister, the Minister and the country in expressing our condolences.

CALIFORNIA PHOTOS
    Last Sunday 26th January, Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell travelled to California to deliver the homily at a church service there.  Mr. Mitchell was accompanied by a group of Bahamians and hosted many other Bahamians resident in the greater Los Angeles area.  Here are some of the photographs from that visit... first at a reception held for Bahamians, please click here, and at the church service itself, please click here.

 
 

B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA

Congratulations - to Reginald and Annie Minnis of Long Island.  In a memorable and touching special service at the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd in Pinder's Point on Saturday 1st February, the couple celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a renewal of marriage vows.  They were attended by their children Reg jr. and daughter Ms. Denise Minnis who is an avid reader of this site.  Again, we offer our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Minnis along with the wish that the loyalty and dedication of their union may serve as shining example to all.

FNM Branch Elections
    This past week, the Pineridge and Marco City branches both held elections of officers for the 2002/2003-year.  After our story last week, FNMs all over the island of Grand Bahama sprang into action.  One FNM told us “Tommy T must be given a fair chance to lead so all the plotters and schemers might as well get used to Tommy because nothing will change at the convention.”
    We are informed that the rebellion against Tommy in Grand Bahama has been crushed.  We are further informed that in one constituency the rebel forces were beaten three to one in Tommy’s favour and in another constituency all but one of the existing officers were returned.  Another informant asked us “Where was Iron Mike with his rod of correction?”  They told us that our Mike Edwards needs to “learn a little humility” and maybe then he might become a leader one day.  Another source told us to ask Iron Mike what happened to him and his Marco City boys?  “Tell him ‘take that’.”

Senior FNM MP Ken Russell
    Reports have reached News From Grand Bahama that MP Ken Russell who like to refer to himself as the senior MP on Grand Bahama has denied speaking to us.  We stand by every word that was written because it was spoken in the midst of Maurice Glinton, Rawle Maynard, Forrester Carroll, all upstanding and honourable members of the Grand Bahama business and professional community.  In part two of that interview, Mr. Russell suggested that the FNM move to expel Tennyson Wells from the party if not he believed that Wells “would offer himself for leader of the FNM”.
    On the subject of his performance while in Cabinet during the previous FNM administration, Mr. Russell told us that former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s first impression of him (Russell) was that he was ‘another Maurice’ but that Ingraham later came to like him (Russell) after he saw that Russell was a man that could get things done and that Russell didn’t “bite his words”.  Things that make you go, hmmmm!

GB Power Hike Electricity Costs
    The Grand Bahama Power Company in has announced a two percent increase in the cost of electricity.  The ‘senior FNM MP’ was quick to respond to the company’s announcement saying that it was a bad time for the company’s increase to take effect with so many people in Grand Bahama working only two or three days a week.  We agree with that, but then he went on to chastise the Government for not letting the Public Utilities Commission (PUC)investigate the increase.  This is the height of hypocrisy, because not more than eighteen months ago, the Coalition for Democratic Reform asked the same question of the FNM administration in which Mr. Russell sat as Cabinet Minister.  The only response at that time was that the Government had not given the PUC any jurisdiction (we believe wrongly) to police the power company.
    News From Grand Bahama was told by other sources that the FNM administration had given the Power Company the authority to raise the power bills as they see fit if they were able to electrify the whole island of Grand Bahama.  As a Cabinet Minister and Minister responsible for Utilities, Mr. Russell would have known about any agreement.  Now that Russell and the FNM have been tossed out of office, he is suddenly able to see the wisdom in having the PUC police the cost of all utilities.  On that basis, we feel that he was being disingenuous to the public; trying to score cheap brownie points.  Shame.

Prime Minister Christie
    The Prime Minister is the commander-in-chief; the buck stops with him.  He should never be seen to be causing hysteria or alarm.  He should be the calming influence on his people.  We believe that it was wrong to make public the fact that there were threats of harm made against him.  The only people who should have known were those affected by the threat and of course the police.  As a tourist destination, we have unwittingly given ourselves a black eye.  As a Prime Minister, sometimes one has to make unpopular decisions and these things happen, they go along with the office of Prime Minister.
    On the other hand, there seems to be in the print news media, elements that have not come to terms with the defeat of the FNM on May 2nd and seem hell-bent, even at the expense of scuttling the whole ship of state, on seeing our Government fall.  So the Prime Minister and his advisors must not allow themselves to fall into the trap of unduly causing alarm.  This government, after all, was given a five-year mandate, so it should pace itself and remain focused to the job at hand, leaving the hysteria to those who do not wish you and our country well.
BS

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The photo of the week is a picture of a Bahamian soldier who is a part of the British Army fighting in Afghanistan.  He is Adam Goldsmith of Grand Bahama.   He is part of the United Nations Special Peace Keeping Forces.  He has seen duty in Kosovo and is now in active duty in Afghanistan.  Adam Goldsmith is a Lance Corporal in the British Army.  His parents are Terry Goldsmith, a former teacher originally from Britain but now a Bahamian citizen and his mother Dorothy Goldsmith who though born in the Turks and Caicos, grew up in Pineridge and is now herself a Bahamian.   Mr. Goldsmith is today the Director of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Grand Bahama.   We congratulate Corporal Goldsmith for his accomplishments and wish him well.  He is an excellent role model for young Bahamians.  The photo shows Corporal Goldsmith, his fellow soldiers in the desert of Afghanistan with the Bahamian flag flying.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

WHAT’S A PRIME MINISTER TO DO?
The slow bleed of negative public opinion continues, and the public is wondering why it is taking so long to deal with the matter.  Once again, the lurid headlines could be seen in the newspaper of Sidney Stubbs MP either attacking or being attacked.  This time, it seemed a little clearer that someone at a high level might be behind the whole saga of information that is being dispatched about what is being alleged at the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation.

On House day Wednesday 5th February, the Member of Parliament for South Andros Whitney Bastian launched a bomb at Sidney Stubbs, the embattled Member of Parliament for Holy Cross and Chair of the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation.  No one can quite figure out how this unimportant Government Corporation, that loses money hand over fist, and does virtually nothing except hire some people, has suddenly come into the limelight as such a political hotspot and the Government appears helpless to stop the bleed.

Mr. Bastian made serious allegations; that Mr. Stubbs ran up a $15,000 credit card bill at the Corporation.  The implication of the allegation was that this was some how improperly done or done in the manner of a spendthrift.  Then there was the suggestion that the Corporation's monies were spent to pursue the “carnal lusts” of Mr. Stubbs.  Then there was the allegation that a consultant to the Corporation Earlin Williams had been paid some $40,000 for public relations work that was somehow not justified.

No one from the PLP's side in the House objected.  In a response the next day Mr. Stubbs complained that his privilege had been breached and he said that he was not comfortable with the fact that his colleagues seemed to take delight in the allegations being made against him.  He said that he wanted the matters referred to the Committee on privileges.  He denied any wrongdoing and said that his conscience was clear.

Some were wondering what privilege had been breached, since there are only two recognized privileges of the House.  One is the freedom from civil arrest also known as the privilege of access to the House.  The other is the privilege of free speech.  How those were breached by Mr. Bastian’s allegations is beyond most, but anyhow.

At week’s end the matter was still not dead.  The Speaker of the House reserved his ruling on whether or not the matter was a breach of privilege.   But there was further attack reported in The Tribune on Saturday 8th February.  The Tribune reported that the Board had met and stripped Mr. Stubbs of his signing authority and of the day to day running of the Corporation.  It was also reported that he can no longer sign cheques.  The staff has been told that the day to day running of the Corporation is to be left to Deputy Chair Godfrey Eneas.  This is a strange turn of events.  Is this lawful?

One hopes that next week, the PLP will be proud to say that this matter has been put behind us and that we can move on without this distraction.  It is a great shame that there will be damage all around on everyone, the parties involved and the wider party.  It should not have come to this.  One thing that seems certain is that a young man has allowed himself to be pilloried unfairly but it seems a pillorying exacerbated by his own deeds, which normally would have called not for a combative defence but a quiet easing of oneself out of the picture.  But that is the past, we can only hope for the future.

The number of hits up for the week ending Saturday 8th February 2003 at midnight: 32,343.

The number of hits for the month of February up to Saturday 8th February 2003 at midnight: 33,680.

The number of hits for the year up Saturday 8th February 2003 at midnight: 124,713.

LACKING THE POLITICAL WILL
    Brent Symonette, the scion of the UBP in the House of Assembly, seems once again an impassioned fellow.  He is little too sensitive about race and until he can get over that, his future as a possible Prime Minister of The Bahamas is very much in doubt.  Nevertheless, he is trying to make a go of it.  On Wednesday 5th February he attacked the PLP saying that it lacked the will to carry out its political mandate.  He was speaking on the compendium of e-commerce bills that the government hopes will become law within a month’s time.  The bills will bring The Bahamas in from the dark ages on e-commerce and set the legal framework and protections for electronic business including digital signatures.  Mr. Symonette made the point that passing laws is not enough.  He said what is needed for example is the Bahamas Electricity Corporation should have a reliable supply of electricity and that was not the case.  He said that BaTelCo should be privatized and the Government has been dragging its feet on the issue.
    We think that the Government is moving too slowly: that is clear for all to see.  The din of the disgruntled supporters of the PLP is loud and clear.  Too many decisions just seem to be bogged down in endless hand wringing.  But given the record in its last term of the FNM’s  launching off half cocked and the many mistakes made, there is  a strong case to be made for caution.  BaTelCo’s privatization was promised in 1998 by Hubert Ingraham the last Prime Minister.  When he left, he left the job incomplete.  To be fair half of the PLP wants nothing to do with the privatization of BaTelCo.  The other half fears only that if we don’t go forward, critics will attack the PLP and so are maintaining an FNM policy simply for the sake of peace.  The BaTelCo privatization is of doubtful success anyway, since it is unlikely in this market that the proper price will be fetched for the corporation.
    We think that the privatization should be stopped dead in its tracks.  It is a failed FNM policy and should be rethought so that Bahamians can buy the company.  Then there is the question of BEC.  Under the FNM, BEC squandered its resources.  It bought a bad generator that has taken months to install and is difficult to get started.  So there is a deficiency in the capacity that is available.  The then Opposition Member Bradley Roberts (now MP for Bain and Grants Town and Minister responsible for BEC) made the point that the machine that was being purchased could not do the job.  Mr. Roberts reminded the FNM of that in the House again on Wednesday.  The machine is still not up and running.  And so it is clear whose fault BEC is.
    And so Brent Symonette, the scion of the UBP, ought to be careful as he launches his attacks.  In this day of scud missiles, it may well be that the scud will come back on him.
 

WHY DUPUCH AND WELLS LEFT THE FNM
    The two independents who now sit in the House of Assembly and who were former Members of the Free National Movement explained on Charles Carter's Radio programme Parliament Street why they left the FNM.  Tennyson Wells, the MP for Bamboo Town (left) and Pierre Dupuch, the MP for Shirlea (right) said that they both left because of corruption and their discomfort with their relationship with former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. Their remarks were made on Sunday 2nd February.
    Mr. Wells said that there was no doubt in his mind that there was corruption during the ten year term of the Free National Movement.   Mr. Wells also compared and contrasted the style of leadership of the late Sir Ceil Wallace Whitfield to that of Mr. Ingraham.  He said that there was room for independent thought under Sir Cecil but not under Mr. Ingraham.  He said: “Everybody was not like this and unfortunately for the FNM, when Sir Cecil died, the former Prime Minister Mr. Ingraham came in and it was handed to him on a silver platter, no argument or contest.  He was not the kind of leader that Sir Cecil or Sir Kendal was, in the sense that if he was opposed to you, or he thought you had a different view from his, you were a threat.  This was unfortunate. (Mr. Ingraham) could not take criticism, and it had to be his way or no way.”
    Mr. Wells added that the FNM’s entire machine was corrupt.  He said that the country is now progressing, and despite criticisms of the pace of Perry Christie’s government, Mr. Christie should be given a chance to prove himself in office as eight months in office is too short a time to decide on whether his administration is a success or failure.  “There is a lot of criticism already, but what he is doing is something that is new and it may be beneficial to the country in the long run.  I do not know yet but the style of the former Prime Minister Ingraham had was certainly in my opinion detrimental to the country.”  Well said, Mr. Wells!

JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!
    PLP MPs are screaming out for help on the hustings.  The number one complaint is that with the construction industry having shut down virtually in New Providence, and Grand Bahama’s economy dead as doornail the people are without work and seem to have no prospect of help.  There is still a great deal of patience reposed in many PLPs over this issue, but as MPs and other PLP leaders go into their constituencies they are no longer sure what to say.  They complain to Ministers and it is reported that many Ministers complain that they feel frustrated over their inability to do some things for PLPs.  The situation is so dire that it may be that it is important for there to be some further deficit spending in order to provide for public works jobs through private sector initiatives to get some people especially the young men of the country back to work until the construction projects kick in again.

PM RECOGNISES PROBLEMS WITH PLP
    In a nod to his critics, Prime Minister Perry Christie told the Bahama Journal's Candia Dames on Monday 3rd February that there is impatience on the part of Ministers and on the part of the voting public about the pace at which the Government is moving.  Here is some of what he had to say in his own words:
    “There is impatience on the part of the voting public.  There is impatience on the part of Members of Parliament.  There is impatience on the part of Ministers.  But I happen to be the chief executive of the nation and I have to be realistic and sensible and I believe I have laid the infrastructure for the transformation of our country.
    “I must be the one to absorb the impatience and to be encouraging to people, to say that the things we are doing are so necessary to the future of our country…
    “We have been faced with the prospect of a slowing down of the economy, of the need to borrow substantial sums of money and in fact, a construction industry that is not as dynamic as it has been previously.  And so therefore, unemployment is a significant factor.  The levels of anxiety and frustration on the part of persons have not decreased and in fact may have increased and so, therefore, the challenge for our Government is even more profound that it has been…
     “When I do act, you will see why I waited and you will see the basis of the changes I make…"
    In answer to his critics that he over consults, Mr. Christie said:
    “I have created what I consider to be a resource bank for the Government of The Bahamas by involving hundreds of Bahamian professionals, Whites, Blacks, FNMs and PLPs where I’m able to access them for ideas which are being implemented.  That’s the process that I’m trying to encourage in this country.”
 
 

WHITNEY BASTIAN’S ACCUSATIONS
    Whitney Bastian, the MP for South Andros used the occasion of the House of Assembly’s debate on the e-commerce package of legislation on Wednesday 5th February to launch an attack on Bahamas Agricultural & Industrial Corporation Chair Sidney Stubbs and a number of other Government agencies.  Here is what he said in his on words.  This is based on a report from The Tribune of Thursday 6th February:
    “Can you imagine the Chairman of BAIC (Sidney Stubbs MP) paying this so-called consultant (Earlin Williams) last week another $6,950 in pursuit of immoral carnal lust and delights?
    “Mr. Williams was paid some $40,000 for two for three months work… I see why we can’t get anything done for South Andros. I see why we can’t get any road fixed.  I can see why we are in short medical supply because they are just wasting taxpayers’ money in the name of BAIC”
    “Mr. Williams was paid $1500 to speak to a gathering in West End, Grand Bahama.
    “Mr. Stubbs has run up a bill of almost $15,000 on the company’s credit card…
    “BAIC has incurred a debt of almost one million dollars. “
    “Public funds are being spent at a foreign company then being funneled to a Nova Scotia Bank account in the form of kickbacks…
    “The Minister of National security and the Commissioner of Police have failed to deal with police officers in my constituency who are guilty of facilitating the drug trade in South Andros. ”
    “One of these Ministries is the Ministry of Health [involved in the kickback scheme] where you have a hospital administrator who has a house in Grand Bahama, who has a house in Nassau but who is paying himself $30,000 housing allowance. That money can be used to buy medical supplies for the people of South Andros.”
    [Editor’s Note: The Prime Minister told the House that he was aware of the allegations made about the Ministry of Health in connection with the purchase of surgical supplies but cautioned Mr. Bastian on the manner in which that he was making his attack without an investigation.   He was also aware of the complaint about the housing allowance.  The House was suspended for fifteen minutes because Mr. Bastian refused to adhere to the rule on relevance and adhere to the Speaker's admonition to desist from casting aspersions on persons who were not members of the House and unable to defend themselves… Sidney Stubbs MP got to his feet to deny all the allegations made by Mr. Bastian.  He said that the credit card bill was not what Mr. Bastian said.  He said Mr. Williams gave value for money.  He said that the overdraft was considerably higher when he came and under his leadership it had been reduced substantially.] Tribune photo of Mr. Bastian in the House of Assembly during the e-commerce bills debate.

WHAT SIDNEY STUBBS SAID
    After the attack of Wednesday 5th February, Sidney Stubbs the embattled Holy Cross MP, came armed with a communication to Parliament to ask for the matter to be referred to the Committee on Privileges.  This is the House Committee that examines the complaints of Members on abuse of privileges of the House and recommends action.  Curiously, no Member of Parliament from the PLP side stood up to defend Mr. Stubbs against the allegations on that Wednesday.  What were raised were procedural objections to Mr. Bastian's presentation.  There was no denial of the substance.  Here is what Mr. Stubbs said in part in his own defence and in his own words.  This is taken from a report in The Tribune:
    “Yesterday, here in this Honourable House, I was the subject of scurrilous innuendo, vicious allegations, half truths and just plain down right lies.  I am of the opinion that my privilege was abused… the Member for South Andros has allowed himself to be used as a pawn to pursue an agenda that has caused me, my family and friends constant anguish, unfair notoriety and political harm… I have a duty to protect my reputation and my image as thousands of voters in my constituency look to me and the PLP for help and hope…
    “Powerful forces within and without my own organization have aligned themselves in a constant battle to dislodge me as executive chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation… It does not give me any pleasure to observe my own colleagues relishing the amusement of my perceived downfall… All I can say is that no man is an island. Every man is a part of the whole.  So don’t ask for whom the bell tolls.  It tolls for thee…
    “Persons who have never even been suspected of a crime should not be cannibalized in this fashion… I have a duty to defend and protect those persons…
    “Despite objections from me and the Honourable Prime Minister, today these salacious comments are plastered over the front page of a desperate and irresponsible press.  My privilege has been viciously abused.  I have been attacked in my personal life and my public life.  The attack for the most part being of a personal nature was completely unparliamentary.
    “The record will show that Mr. Williams contrary to the reports of being paid $40,000 was paid less than $25,000 over the last six months for work at the corporation that elsewhere would have cost more than $100,000.   The Member for South Andros said that I had amassed a credit card bill in excess of $15,000.  That is a lie.  The press is having a field day at my expense and at the expense of BAIC, the PLP government and some of the fine stellar citizens of our country.  The House was misled by the Member for South Andros.
    “I have nothing to fear.  I have done nothing wrong.  My conscience is clear.  I am at BAIC to do a job and I will not be deterred.  These attacks have only strengthened me.  If this is the price that I must pay, then I bear it gladly but history will show that those who seek to dig a grave for others would do best to dig two.”
    [Editor’s Note: When a Member of Parliament has to make as statement of this kind, it appears that something is fundamentally at odds between himself and his party and a resignation should follow from his post as Chairman of the Government Corporation.  This is not now a question of what was done right or wrong or whether he did wrong.  There is a conflict that obviously cannot be resolved between himself and the Government.  The proper thing by convention to do is to go quietly into that good night and allow the Prime Minister to fix the matter, which he can if he would just be allowed to do so.  There is no doubt plenty of blame to go around both sides.]

THE TROUBLE WITH WHITNEY BASTIAN
    There was the Prime Minister appealing to the proper sense of judgment, decorum and the rules to the Member of Parliament for South Andros Whitney Bastian as he launched his attack on the Government on Wednesday 5th February 2003.  Such an appeal was bound to fail.  Mr. Bastian has made his life off operating outside the rules.  He has gotten to the House outside the established parties.  Neither one wants to have anything to do with him.  Society generally does not accept his legitimacy because of the previous allegations of drug trafficking.  Yet despite all that he is elected a Member of Parliament.  It is a quirk of democracy.
    It is a blessing of democracy and also a curse that people who are not generally acceptable can end up being a part of the establishment and there is little one can do to stop it.  And to appeal to conscience is no appeal to him.  It goes in one ear and out the other.  He has to play by his own rulebook.  The sooner the PLP remembers that, the better.  The response is much too soft and impotent, and it should be brutal, frank and direct.  One has to act quickly to cut this thing off at the pass.
    What profit will it be to the Member of Parliament for South Andros to play by the rules?  He can get nothing done in his constituency by being quiet.  That is his complaint.  He is ignored by the Government and is unable to travel to the United States.  He cannot even carry out some of the basic functions of his job as an MP.  His only recourse then is to embarrass the establishment.  How does one come to terms with this?  There is no middle ground.  We had better understand that.  It is certainly going to get worse if we don’t understand that fact.
 

PLP’S REPORT VICTIMIZATION IN FREEPORT
    PLPs in Freeport report that they are still the victims of intimidation and victimization in Grand Bahama.  They are asking the Party’s leaders to come and visit and help them in their difficulties in Grand Bahama.  Some are displeased that they do not hear from the leadership.  But they were pleased that the Prime Minister visited the funeral of a popular figure in east Grand Bahama last Sunday.
 

E-COMMERCE BILLS
    The Government has debated a compendium of e-commerce bills to bring the laws of The Bahamas into conformity with modern legislation to protect commerce over the Internet.  But that is not enough.  Much has to be done to educate the Government itself on what e-commerce and e-government actually means.  A start would be MPs themselves learning how to operate e-mail addresses and using them to connect.
 

WESTIN BRAND IN FREEPORT
    The news is good that the Westin brand has now been added to the Our Lucaya product in Freeport.  But the results on the first day were not good.  It took forty five minutes to one hour in the queue for checking in and check out. And the maid service was miserable.  Westin had better act fast to correct this.

 
 

ANGER AT THE POLICE
    Anger has exploded in urban neighbourhoods in New Providence at police shootings and the way police deal with persons who are arrested.  There was almost a repeat of the incident in Kemp Road New Providence (see file story here) when there was a riot that damaged the eye of a police officer and six police cars.  The riot squad had to be called.  A police officer shot a suspect this past week and the crowd said that there was unnecessary use of force since the person had already been handcuffed.  No doubt an investigation will follow.  But there is too much of this stuff being reported.

 

GOING TO WAR
    The war drums continue to be beaten by the US Administration, pressure is being put on countries around the world to line up with the likes of Israel, Latvia and Estonia to support the so called coalition of shared values to invade Iraq against such low lifes as France and Germany.  To his credit US Secretary of State Colin Powell tried hard to put a case on the merits before the world at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday 4th February.  But the case failed miserably.  It was not impressive, but was simply ‘it is so because I say it is so’.  No cogent and definitive case has been made for the world to go to war.  But it does not matter anyway to the United States what anyone says or does.  They will invade Iraq anyway.  They intend to plunge the world into a war.  They intend to rain down mass destruction on the Iraqi people in the name of getting rid of a dictator but they act without thinking of the long term consequences.  Within three weeks we shall know if they are right as they march into Baghdad.
    The US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that the war will only last six days.  Then no doubt they are on to North Korea to stamp out the nuclear threat there.  The more they talk, the more the world's angst continues, that we are not really safe with the authority and power in the hands of the present person in control of the United States.  This is a sad fact.  All The Bahamas can do is sit and watch.  Surely this is madness.  And the British should be ashamed of themselves!

 

COMPANY OVEREXTENSIONS & LOSSES
    It appears that a number of publicly traded companies are now undergoing huge problems because they got drunk with their spending power and the acquisition fever of the latter years of the Ingraham administration.  There are many examples of it.

Abaco Markets
There is Abaco Markets who expanded into everything that they could see and buy.  They announced last week that they are looking for a buyer for Bellevue Stationers.  This is because the business market for office equipment and supplies has gone dead and they now want to off load the company.  Their stock price like those of all the publicly traded companies is depressed.

Doctors Hospital
Then there is the story of Doctors Hospital that was forced by financial circumstances to stop honouring the claims of those who were going to have their expenses paid by National Insurance.  National Insurance owed them over one million dollars.  The claims were settled but it left a bitter taste in the mouth of National Insurance.  And it left the company looking shaky and it was not helped by reports that the company must be looking for further relief from the Government soon if it is survive.  Its stock price is depressed.  Further, it is said that Doctors Hospital made a bad decision by expanding into the facility into western New Providence.  The money appears to have been a wasted investment. The facility is seriously underutilized.  Some 30 nurses have been laid off by Doctors.

Colina
People are quite concerned about the fact that Colina and its investors seem to be expanding into all sorts of areas.  The latest acquisition is The Nassau Guardian, Nassau’s oldest daily newspaper also in a losing position with no prospect of any early turnaround.  The paper has editorially deteriorated even further since they bought it, and The Tribune reported that the staff feels that the paper is now back into the hands of the UBP and its friends who originally owned it.  The paper is now headed by Colin Callender, a lawyer and Emanuel Alexiou another lawyer.  James Campbell and Anthony Ferguson are the other Bahamian shareholders in the new company.  As if to prove the point about the newspaper being in the hands of the UBP, the paper praised a speech by Sir Geoffrey Johnstone, the last Chairman and Leader of the Opposition under the United Bahamian Party (UBP) in its edition of Monday 3rd February.  The scuttlebutt is that the paperwork is reportedly not done on the acquisition by this group for the Colina assets and the group is now stretching its resources thin to buy the Guardian.  The Guardian appeared all this week without any names on its masthead as to who are the editor and publisher.  Pat Walkes and Elijah Knowles, the Publisher and Financial Head respectively announced their resignations last week.

Family Guardian
But the coup de gras to all this bad financial news is the fact that Family Guardian Insurance an heretofore rock solid company has announced that for the first time in its history it will to be unable to pay a dividend to its shareholders.  They have announced a 2.9 million dollars loss.  The industry is saying that this too is due to over expansion.  It is believed that they paid too much for the Star Insurance Company when they purchased it.  It is also believed that with the economic downturn, their business of low end life insurance has taken a dive with people lapsing their policies. Further, they reportedly rushed into a health insurance product that they had little experience with and made a tremendous loss.  But help and hope is on the way in the form of the woman who once headed Global and was forced out when it was acquired by Colina. Patricia Hermanns has an excellent reputation and if she can do it any one can.

More Trouble On The Way?
And so we brace for more trouble with the publicly traded companies.  Already the approval of the merger of CIBC and Barclays has resulted in criticism of weak regulation of publicly traded companies in The Bahamas.  On the other hand, the Bank of the Bahamas, which is not publicly traded, announced that it is declaring a dividend of ten cents a share to shareholders of record.  This follows the news that Commonwealth Bank has declared a dividend as well.

BUDGET DEFICIT NARROWS
    The Bahama Journal of Tuesday 4th February carried a story that says that the revenue collection for the Government of The Bahamas was more than 30 million dollars above projections in the last three months.  This compares favourably to the position in the first fiscal quarter from July to October 2002.  The revenue was behind projections by about 60 million.  The Minister of State for Finance James Smith spoke on the issue to the Journal.  He said that the Government expects each month to collect approximately 60 to 75 million dollars.  If those projections are not met then the Government has to borrow to meet the projections.  At last count the Central Bank of The Bahamas was predicting a 200 million dollar deficit for fiscal 2002/2003.

 

VISIT TO MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES

    While in Los Angeles, the Minister of Foreign Affairs went to Altadena United Methodist Church to speak.  You may click here for his homily at the church on Sunday 26th January.  But he also paid a courtesy call on the Mayor of Los Angeles James Hahn.  With him was Ambassador Sidney Poitier the Ambassador for The Bahamas to Japan and soon to UNESCO.  The Minister presented a gift from the people of The Bahamas to the Mayor.  From left: Mayor Hahn, Foreign Minister Mitchell, Ambassador Sir Sidney Poitier and Ms. Janet Johnson, head of the Bahamas Tourist Office in Los Angeles..
 
 

ALBERT MILLER IN HOSPITAL
    Sir Albert Miller, Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, had a successful operation in hospital in Miami on Tuesday 4th February.  He had a benign lesion removed from his lung.  He told The Tribune that he feels well and is no pain.  He is expected to remain in Florida for a further week.  We wish him well.

B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA

Attempted Local Government Coup Fails
The city of Freeport Local Government Council is made up of nine members.  It is an open secret that seven of the nine members are supporters of the FNM.  So after the July elections last year, Ms. Marva Moxey who is believed to be an FNM supporter was elected Chief Councillor with the help of the two PLP Council members.  From that time to this, she has not had one week of peace from her FNM brethren, but this week, it all came to a head when a vote of no confidence was moved against her.  Her brethren later found out that there was no basis in the Local Government law for the removal of the Chief Councillor by this means and Ms. Moxey pointed out to her fellow councilors that the only basis for having a Chief Councillor removed was for insanity or bankruptcy.  Now, because of their constant attacks on Ms. Moxey, FNM mover and shaker Earl Godet has come to her defence and sent us a ‘tell all’ letter.  Our editors now have the letter in verification and we expect to upload it Monday evening.  Stay tuned.

FNM High Rock Branch Election
All hope of mischief to the leadership of Tommy T from High Rock was put to rest on Monday 3rd February when the High Rock branch of the FNM held elections of officers.  Only two of the anti-Tommy faction were elected to hold office and be eligible to vote in the upcoming FNM convention.  An anti-Tommy member told News From Grand Bahama that they will back off and “allow Tommy to remain as leader” because elections are at least three and a half years away.  So, they said, they would be prepared to allow Tommy to “remain as caretaker for the time being”.  A Tommy supporter - on the other hand – declared “tell them put that in their pipe and smoke it.”  So it seems that the bulk of the Grand Bahama delegates to the next FNM convention will in large numbers support Tommy T, the current leader of the FNM.

Ingraham Visits GB
Notwithstanding all the talk about Tommy T as now and to remain leader of the FNM, there is apparently still some movement (no pun intended).  Late word is that former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was in Freeport for a day this past week meeting with a senior FNM MP who has suffered recent setbacks.  Other FNM MPs and supporters reportedly feel slighted at being excluded.  The meetings between the two reportedly lasted for so long during the day visit that they broke bread together twice.  Things that make you go, hmmmm!

End Justify Means Logic
    We would like to turn the attention of our readers to a story in the Jamaica Daily Gleaner (www.jamaicagleaner.com) date 2nd February 2003 under the heading 'Who Signed The Search Warrant'.  The story tells of a lawyer's office raided and confidential clients' files confiscated to be used against an accused as evidence.  We believe that these actions have far reaching implications for The Bahamas and the principle of lawyer-client privilege, which stands at the foundation of law.  We would like to know from our readers what their views are in this matter.

News From Grand Bahama is negotiating with a high-level FNM supporter in Grand Bahama for a bi-monthly column.  We ask our readers to stay tuned for the surprise...
BS

16th February, 2003 Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com
STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN NASSAU...	SPEAKER RULES AGAINST SIDNEY...
FOREIGN MINISTER IN TRINIDAD AND HAITI...	HAITI MISSION SCRUBBED...
WAR IN IRAQ GETS CLOSER...	THOUGHTS FROM US SEN. ROBERT BYRD...
PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS ON FOREIGN PREACHERS…	ALGERNON ALLEN OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED...
FIRST CARIBBEAN RIGHTS ISSUE...	MEANWHILE ABACO MARKETS...
GEORGE WILSON FREED....	A BITTER WEBSITE...
CONGRATULATIONS TO BRADLEY ROBERTS...	B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S FREEPORT…
PLPs On The Web...	Interesting Places...
Bradley Roberts / PLP Grants Town	Bahamas Government Website
Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte	Bahamians On The Web
Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw	Bahamian Cycling News
John Carey / PLP Carmichael	FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...
Grand Bahama PLP

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The Nassau Guardian carried this photo under the headline A CRASH OR A HOAX.   The picture was taken by their photographer Donald Knowles as scores of Nassuvians gathered at McPherson’s bend, on the eastern end of New Providence responding to a report that a Bahamasair plane had gone down in the waters off the north coast of New Providence between Nassau and Eleuthera.  It turned out to be absolutely untrue, even though several people swore that they had heard something and seen something.  The DEA helicopter was called out, and the police searched in their go fast boats.  Nothing was found, but that did not stop the crowd who should all have been at work at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday 11th February from gathering at the foreshore.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON…DEATH IN THE MORNING
The Prime Minister cancelled his trip to the Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago from the 13th to the 15th February because of urgent state business.  The urgent business was the fact that there had been two high profile murders within days of each other of two white businessmen.  The murder total within the first two months (not quite) of the year is now ten.  As we have said earlier that if it keeps up this pace, the murders will amount to 90 this year, surpassing the highest total ever in the year 2001 under the FNM administration.

The first was the death of James Bethel (pictured left), who was a young father.  It was in the afternoon at about five p.m. Saturday 9th February.  Mr. Bethel, who ran an advertising firm and was quite good at his job, was going into a plant store on Village Road when he was accosted by an armed robber.  Things went relatively smoothly as these things go but he had his young daughter in the car.  When the robber asked for the keys to his car, the report is that Mr. Bethel put up a struggle because he thought that the robber was going to kidnap and kill his daughter.  In the struggle he was shot and died.  Senseless and in broad daylight.

Before the community could absorb that shock, there came another one.  This time it was Sunday 9th February in Freeport.  Danish born Bahamian businessman Arne Pedersen (pictured right), who was well respected and liked in Freeport, was in his bed relaxing with his long-time Bahamian woman.  He was a man who loved this country, whose economic partner was former Transport Minister C.A. Smith.  He was gunned down in his bedroom at around 8 p.m.  It was senseless.  Mr. Pedersen was a significant investor in Freeport and with C.A. Smith was said to be the new owner of the Las Palmas Hotel in South Andros.

People had all sorts of explanations.  They had all sorts of outrage.  The Government was mainly silent and does not seem to know what to do. And so it was left for the media to paint a picture of a country that they said was reeling in national crisis.

There is no national crisis.  There has been this sort of spate of murders before.  And each time the society responds with the same impotent rage.  One gets sick of it as more and more people get gunned down.  Let’s start hanging these people, they say.  They forget that you have to catch someone before you can hang them.  Let's start flogging these people, they say.  The same thing applies.  Let’s start changing the bail laws.  Let’s start locking them up –three strikes and you’re out.  Let’s start searches home by home.  Let’s have more roadblocks.

All of it is of course a police strategy.  The police are the first to be leaned on.  The police have their place in it all but they cannot be the ultimate place.  They have to be led in this by society generally.

The fact is that any study of what is actually happening on the ground will show that the crime is being committed by a certain group of people. That group is the male population between the ages of 18- 35.  The question is why is it that this is the group that is involved in the crime.  We suspect the little boys are in big trouble: frustrated, under motivated, under educated and under socialized.  This is not to excuse their behaviour nor to say that anyone should go unpunished but we have to start tackling the crime factory that is spitting out little boys who become men that don’t have any sense of worth about themselves or anyone else.

When this society decides to implement a plan to deal with the dysfunction amongst young men, then we can feel satisfied that it is worth listening to what the public at large has to say on the point. Until that time, flapping up our gums while people large and small get gunned down does absolutely nothing.

We mentioned that these men were white.  This has no significance other than the fact that most tourists that come to the country are white.  As long as its black people being killed there is outrage but when you start talking about white people being killed that is a whole new kettle of fish for public policy.  Strange as it may seem that's the way it is.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 15th February 2003 at midnight: 23,273.

Number of hits for the month of February up to Saturday 15th February 2003: 56,934.

Number of this for the year up to Saturday 15th February 2003: 147,967.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN NASSAU
    It began around Nassau, sometime after 8 a.m. on Tuesday 11th February. The first reports came not from the official radio or press sources but from the telephone contacts one person to the next.  The report was that a Bahamasair plane had crashed over Fox Hill.  And so people must have jumped into their cars on the strength of the news and headed in the direction of the supposed plane crash.  The fact that the police had not had any official report did not move the crowd.  The fact that the Bahamasair was reporting that all of its planes were in, did not move the crowd.  The news spread like wild fire.  People insisted that they knew someone who had seen a fireball in the air and had heard a plane over the area, that it was clear that the plane was in trouble and that it went down.
    The Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell in his official car was later seen surveying the crowd of people that had gathered at McPherson’s bend to check out the story.  It was quite an incredible scene.  There were grown men and women out on the waterfront, looking out at sea to see exactly nothing.  There was nothing in the harbour, no smoke, no signs of activity, nothing.  Yet people were there.  The press was there looking and insisting that there had been a plane crash.  When the Bahamasair rumour did not prove to be a truthful story, they then made up another story about a private pilot whose plane had exploded in the air after taking off from North Eleuthera.  Some pilots claimed to have seen the plane go down.  They had a name and a registration number.  They said that the reason the tower did not know was because it was travelling under the radar.  The man later turned out to be fit and well and his plane safely parked on the runway.
    Nassau is just like that sometimes - a place for rumours that move the crowd to an unexplained frenzy.  There was the woman in Collins Avenue who in 1979 claimed that sprits were occupying her cottage in Ninth Terrace.  The people turned out in the hundreds to see, exactly nothing.  It required police officers and at one point fire engines to hold the crowd at bay.  A generation earlier, there was a church in Kemp Road that reported seeing the face of Jesus on the wall. Again the crowds went out in droves.  We were trying to think what causes what is supposed to be a sophisticated society to get into these kinds of frenzies – your guess is as good as ours.  But we think Sideburns, the Tribune cartoonist probably gave the best guess in his cartoon of Wednesday 12th February – a chance to duck work.
 

SPEAKER RULES AGAINST SIDNEY
    The saga of Sidney Stubbs MP for Holy Cross continues without abatement.  It turns out that the Speaker did not accept the complaint of Mr. Stubbs that his privilege had been breached.  The matter was not referred to the Committee on Privileges.  If you remember last week, we reported that Sidney Stubbs claimed that his privilege as a Member of Parliament had been breached because of certain stories told about him on the floor of the House by Whitney Bastian, the MP for South Andros.  We pointed out at the time that even on the face of it an attack on one's reputation is not a breach of the privilege of the House of Assembly, and it was simply a device used in the past by the FNM to quiet its critics in the House. The famed Committee on Privileges never met once during the entire ten years of the FNM’s term.
    There are only two recognized privileges in today’s Parliamentary practice – one is the right of access or freedom form civil arrest.  The other is the privilege of free speech.  None of those were breached by Mr. Bastian.  A contempt of Parliament may have been closer to the mark but the Speaker ruled that Mr. Bastian did not cross that line either.  And so all that Mr. Stubbs can get presumably is the fact that he was able to vent his frustration.
    Mr. Stubbs was reportedly stripped of the power to sign cheques in the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation (BAIC) by the Board.  He is also said to be no longer running the day to day affairs of the Corporation, and his friend Earlin Williams whom he hired as a publicist was reportedly fired by the Board.  No word from the Prime Minister on what is to be done to solve the ongoing saga.  Mr. Stubbs and Mr. Williams were said to be travelling with two Korean businessmen in Cuba and had not returned to Nassau up to the time of the writing of this piece.

FOREIGN MINISTER IN TRINIDAD AND HAITI
    Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell left Trinidad and Tobago for an overnight stay in Miami on his way to an Organization of American States Mission to Haiti from 17th to 19th February.  The mission follows three days of meetings at the semi annual Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad.  Mr. Mitchell represented the Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie at the meeting who could not attend due to urgent business at home.
    Mr. Mitchell said that the meeting in Trinidad was a comprehensive meeting that dealt with a number of important issues for the Caribbean.  The meeting also dealt with the potential attack by the United States and its military allies on Iraq.  It called for respect for the United Nations processes.  It said that Iraq must comply with all the relevant UN resolutions and the arms inspection regime of the UN.  It also said that the United States should refrain from unilateral military action and urged careful consideration of any such move that would devastate Caribbean economies.
    The Caricom heads also considered the International Criminal Court and a request by the United States government to exempt their military personnel and citizens from the provisions of the court.  Caricom agreed to defer their joint decision until a further report on the issue from their Foreign Ministers.
    The next meeting of the Heads of Government takes place in July of this year.

HAITI MISSION SCRUBBED
    The Haiti mission has been scrubbed because of a snowstorm in Washington, said to be the worse to hit that area in fifteen years.  The US part of the delegation could not make it because all airports in DC are closed.  The delegation was to have included President Bush's special envoy Otto Reich.  The mission is now off until mid March.
 

WAR IN IRAQ GETS CLOSER
    The American and British full court press continues to beat the drum toward war in Iraq.  This is of course a misnomer.  There is not going to be a war in Iraq.  This will simply be a unilateral shellacking of a country that has not the means to defend itself against a technological giant.  The morality of the American and British case has not been established.  The coalition of those two countries has everyone who is anyone against them—the Pope, Nelson Mandela, the German and French Governments along with Belgium.  The British people are opposed to it and so is a significant group of American people.  The Caribbean Prime Ministers met in Trinidad and issued a communiqué in which they expressed concern about the war.  Patrick Manning, speaking for many of his fellow Prime Ministers, said that the people of Trinidad and Tobago could not support the idea of a war.   But all of this does not move the US authorities.  They want to use their technological might to bomb Iraq into the dust, then withdraw and leave the country to fend for itself, after killing innocent civilians and destroying the country's leadership.  The problem is that there are bad people all over the world, bad leaders.  The question is and they have not satisfactorily answered it, is what compelling evidence is there that the regime in Baghdad represents to the United States, not to say the world any danger at all.  The answer is that there is none.  This is a simple case of bloody mindedness by the US.  Miami Herald photo of US President Bush aboard an American warship by Tim Sloan/AFP.
 

THOUGHTS FROM US SEN. ROBERT BYRD
        An e-mail has been circulating, entitled 'A Politician Finally Speaks the Truth'.  It features an eloquent and compassionate speech by US Senator Robert Byrd.  We thought it was worthwhile.  Please click here.
 
 

PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS ON FOREIGN PREACHERS
    Bishop Neil Ellis, the Pastor of the Full Gospel Fellowship Church in The Bahamas called Mt. Tabor has a religious nemesis.  That man appears to be Apostle Cedric Moss, Pastor of Kingdom Life World Outreach Centre.  Apostle Moss called a press conference to lead the charge against the appearance of an American Minister Dr. Juanita Bynum.  According to Apostle Moss, Dr. Bynum received a total of 150,000 dollars between two separate occasions for speaking engagements in the country. He said that the amount is said to represent fifty per cent of the offerings collected at the gathering at which she appeared.  It appears that Apostle Moss is opposed to Dr. Bynum’s visit and the collections by a foreign preacher of funds.  He said that there should be a zero collections policy.  He said that he told Bishop Ellis of his concern about the collections policy.  He said he had also complained to the President of the Christian Council Bishop Sam Greene.
    This is not new in The Bahamas, division between pastors over the visit of well heeled US pastors.  It is also not new the criticism of Bishop Neil Ellis by Apostle Moss.  During the general election Apostle Moss attacked Bishop Ellis for going too far into politics by announcing from the pulpit the fact that he was supporting Perry Christie and the PLP for Prime Minister.  Many people have argued that the Prime Minister has now been made a captive of the religious lobby in The Bahamas as a result of the patronage by the religious leaders before the election.  The Prime Minister has studiously ignored the criticism and continued to appear on preaching platforms and even travelled to the United States since he became Prime Minister to do so.

ALGERNON ALLEN OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED
    They are all rising up from the grave now.  This is a sure sign that the beating that they got in the 2002 election did not convince them that it was time for them to pack up their georgie bundles and go home.  Two weeks ago it was Dr. Bernard Nottage who was featured in this column as rising from the grave, now this week it is Algernon Allen, the mercurial former Minister of Youth who we used to call Mr. Machiavelli or the Minister of Idle Poetry.  No amount of sweet words though can get him out of this serious misstep.  Mr. Allen has now attacked Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt as unfit for the job as Minister, not because of her abilities or the lack thereof but because she is a woman.  That must be implicit in his exclusive statement to The Tribune that the National Security Minister Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt ought to be replaced by a determined “strong man”.  Now that is an outrage and an attack on all women because of their gender.  Late in the week, Glenys Hanna Martin, Minister of Transport and one of the leading women of the Progressive Liberal Party came strongly and passionately to Mother Pratt's defence.  More on that next week.
    Mr. Allen, known for his attempt to turn a clever phrase, probably thought that this was another one.  But the plain fact is that it was a stupid thing to say.  He can criticize Mrs. Pratt for not being effective as a Minister of National Security for some objectively neutral reason but not for the fact that she is a woman.  Can Mrs. Pratt choose her gender?  It was an inappropriate thing for him to say.  The overall statement to The Tribune reported on Wednesday 12th February was condescending and sexist.  Here is what he had to say in his own words:
    “National Security Minister Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt ought to be replaced by a determined strong-man in the fight against crime.   Mrs. Pratt has neither the image nor the temperament for the tough job of beating the rising tide of villainy in the country…
    “We need someone who exudes fire and spits blood – and the only man who comes to mind, God forgive me, is Bradley Roberts.  I believe the Deputy Prime Minister is well-intentioned and a good Christian lady, but I believe she would be best suited at the Ministry of Education or Social Services.  I think we need some other personality who would bring to bear the conviction and commitment needed in the assault on crime.
    “It is absolutely necessary now that the public has faith in the ability of the Government to restore peace…
    “Mrs. Pratt’s posture and thrust would be better suited to education or social services.  What we need is a strongman, someone who really means business in coming to terms with a national crisis.”
    We condemn Mr. Allen for his sexist statement and ask him to beg his pardon of Mother Pratt and all the other women in the country.  And to think that this is a man who wanted to be Prime Minister of the country, and head of the party the FNM that said that its stands up for the rights of women.  Good thing that he isn’t!

FIRST CARIBBEAN RIGHTS ISSUE
    The Tribune reported this week that First Caribbean Bank, the newly merged product of Barclays and CIBC in The Bahamas is to have a rights offering in an attempt to mollify the minority shareholders of the new entity.  The shareholders have been complaining that as a result of the merger between the two companies the value of the shares was almost halved from $10.50 to $6.10.  At the time, this column opposed the whole merger as anti competitive.  The lowering of the share price just seemed another bad deal for consumers and workers, but this time its clear that the shareholders got a bad deal.  Some said that this all happened because we do not have a proper Securities and Exchange Commission that would not have allowed the merger to take place and the share price to drop in that manner.
    Julian Brown, the financial analyst and investor, told The Tribune on Wednesday 12th February that he is looking for full disclosure from First Caribbean on the new rights offering.  Well said.  We remain suspicious of that merger.  We still think that it was a bad idea for shareholders, a bad idea for consumers and that the Government should not have approved the merger.
 

MEANWHILE ABACO MARKETS
    Last week in a summary of the events in the stock market of The Bahamas we revealed that Abaco markets is suffering from a cash crunch and low share values, a result of the over expansion during the last days of the Ingraham regime.  The President of the company David Thurlow says that Abaco Markets is now going to concentrate on its core business.  He said that there is going to be debt reduction and that they plan to raise money by a rights offering said to be aimed a raising 3.5 million dollars.  They plan to raise most of that money from the directors.  Mr. Thurlow revealed that in the third quarter of last year, Abaco Markets suffered a $11.552 million loss or $1.10 per share.  He said that this seems worse than it is since some of it was a write down exercise designed to clean up the books. Abaco Markets is said to have its Bellevue Stationers division up for sale as a result of falling demand for office equipment and supplies.
 

GEORGE WILSON FREED
    Bahamian businessman George Wilson's sentence of twenty years for insurance fraud has been vacated.  This was a decision of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal reversing a decision of a jury and a lower court.  The Court ruled that the charges brought against Mr. Wilson were statute barred.  This once again shows the rough nature of US Justice.  Mr. Wilson’s family said they are happy.
    You may click here for previous stories about George Wilson’s problems.  He had served three years of the twenty year sentence.  We support Mr. Wilson’s view that the US Justice system is racist and it was only because he was foreigner that he ended up in the predicament that he is now in.  There is no justice in the US for black men and for foreign persons.  We hope that this is an end to the matter and Mr. Wilson will be returned home shortly to where he belongs.  The decision came on Wednesday 14th February.
 

BITTER WEBSITE
    A number of persons have e-mailed us about a new web site.  This is a website put together by a bitter German called Fuhrmann who believes that his ex wife and her brother did him some kind of wrong.  He has refused to take the matter to court and has turned on The Bahamas, calling us all corrupt and putting a skewed picture on the website.  Bahamians should get upset but the web is a free medium and anyone can put what he or she wants.  Its seems to us that we are simply feeding this stupid man's evil intent by passing the site's address around and visiting it.

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRADLEY ROBERTS
    Bradley Roberts has presented a cheque to The Bahamas Truckers Association to settle their outstanding claims that came with the collapse of the Associated Asphalt Company that was paving the roads of New Providence in the New Providence Road Corridors Project.  The cheque was made up partly of funds from the Government and from the contingency funds of Associated Asphalt.  The presentation as made on Wednesday 15th February. The PLP should be proud of the number of matters it has settled and is seeking to settle.
 

B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA

A Week of Death in Grand Bahama
Sunday morning started off with what the police describe as the "suspicious death" Desi McIntosh, a young man who was found dead on the Grand Bahama Highway leading to east Grand Bahama.  Reports are that he was run over by at least two cars, none of which stopped because the road is dark and deserted at night.  On the heels of that suspicious death was the Sunday night murder of naturalized Bahamian businessman Arne Pedersen, followed Monday evening by the brutal slaying of Donahue Ferguson, who was involved in an altercation with two men.  And finally on Thursday evening, there were reports of 19 year old Amald Swann who was said to have been crushed by a block making machine on the job at Queens Highway.  This all left the Grand Bahama community somewhat edgy and the question is being asked, what is going on?  The police were quick to say that they were investigating all of the incidents with a view to bringing charges wherever applicable.  Friday, two men were charged with the Ferguson murder.  In the death of McIntosh, the family criticized police with charges that the case was not receiving equal attention and that police knew more than they are saying.

PUC Visits Grand Bahama
The Public Utilities Commission held two days of meetings in Grand Bahama this week.  This angered observers all over the island because the PUC came for meetings on radio station licences, while most people see the real issues in Grand Bahama concerning the PUC as the rise in water and power rates.  In addition, many Grand Bahama residents believe that they are being overcharged by the cable and telephone companies.  The trip was a waste and abuse of the taxpayers' money.  No one was amused.

Stubbs Still Here
In political dialogue all over this week, the PLP came in for harsh criticism when none of its generals could defend the position of why, after so many weeks of controversy was the subject of BAIC and Sidney Stubbs still ongoing.  Many are now pointing to what they believe is a weakness in the leadership of the PLP, with most observers saying that Sidney Stubbs must "have something on the Prime Minister" as a way of explaining why he has not yet fired Mr. Stubbs.  PLP observers, we were surprised, were basically agreeing with the general view that the situation was allowed to go to far and that there might be some truth to those beliefs.

War & Human History
God commanded man to have dominion over the earth and the beasts of the field.  Man was not commanded to have dominion over humankind.  We were not put here for the strong to dominate the weak, but after two world wars and fifty years, we have not learned how to settle conflicts.  One cannot call the impending conflict between America and Iraq a war because it is really no competition.  One American military officer can easily sit behind his computer in the Pentagon and vanquish the country and the people of Iraq with the stroke of one button.  It would be simply the take-over of a country and we believe it has more to do with the Iraq's rich oil fields than weapons of mass destruction.   We further believe that for America to go ahead with this coming invasion of Iraq has the potential of setting the stage for a Moslem holy war where the values of the Moslem peoples will be pitted against all others.  In that scenario, countries like The Bahamas and our Caribbean neighbours could very well face the wrath resulting from a problem with which we had nothing to do. Diplomacy still can and should be given the opportunity to work.
BS

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The Bahamas Cancer Society has been labouring in the vineyard of the anti-cancer fight for decades in The Bahamas.  They have now made a giant leap forward with the start by groundbreaking for their new ten room hospice for cancer patients.  It will be a one and half million dollar facility.  Ron Pinder the Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Health officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday 18th February.  The Nassau Guardian showed a photo by its staff photographer Donald Knowles of Mr. Pinder signing the shovel at the groundbreaking ceremony with Susan Roberts, a founder of the Cancer Society, Building Contractor Brudinell Kelly of Bro-Kelly Construction and Judy Ward-Carter, President of the Cancer Society.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

THE POLICE GET THEIR MEN?

The Royal Bahamas Police Force has charged 27-year-old Brendon Newland Barrett with the murder of businessman James Bethel (See Tribune photo by Omar Barr).  He was charged on Friday 22nd February before Magistrate Carol Misiewicz nee Munnings.  Mr. Bethel was brutally gunned down before his infant daughter on 8th February.   He was buried on Thursday 20th February following a church service at Trinity Methodist Church.  The eulogy was delivered by the Roman Catholic Deacon Jeffrey Lloyd.  And so that case appears to be closed save for and except that there is one other person that they are looking for.

The other murder that caused the country to shake was that of the Danish born businessman who lived in Freeport Arne Pedersen.  There has been no announcement about this, but the talk all around Freeport is that the police are questioning two young men from well to do families in Freeport for the murder.  And they seemed sure that they had their men, except late word came that the young men were released and now the police are looking in the direction of some alleged dope dealers in the Eight Mile Rock area who were known to associated with a former female associate of Mr. Pedersen.

Last week, there was the strange report of a kidnapping of a young woman on Saturday 16th February.  The story told by her boyfriend was a long and involved one about how he and she had been kidnapped from Jaws Beach in the early hours of the morning by four men.  He went to an ATM machine to get them money, the pin number failed.  He got away and while escaping he was shot in his arm.  He reported the matter to the police.

It took several days but on Wednesday 19th February, a truck and the girl were found in the pine yards in the area of the Bacardi plant.  And so with the finding of the body of Sharell Porter (shown, inset at left with pine yard crime scene in this Nassau Guardian photo by Donald Knowles), another murder victim joins the list of victims for the year.  It is said that the police are closely questioning the boyfriend.  Almost no one in Nassau believes or accepts his story as true.  The family of the girl commented to the press that the boyfriend ought to be more forthcoming.

And so when the charges are laid on the other matters, it means that the police will have a one hundred per cent record on concluding investigations of the murders that have taken place in The Bahamas this year.  It seems that many of them are the results of domestic quarrels.  Others are sheer bloody minded robbery.

Swift detection is the surest deterrent to crime.  But beyond that there is a need for the police to do preventative work.  And it is being said that the police have a number of secretive initiatives at work to restore public confidence in their safety and security.  In our view, this should include special units of police who patrol neighbourhoods looking for troublemakers.  It must include more undercover work.  It must include the community outreach that we have been talking about so that young boys stay out of trouble.

It is yet again interesting that all of the persons who have been arrested for murder this year and who will be charged are male.  And the age group continues to be that 18-30-age group.  Society must look at this and why it is happening and see what within the male population is raising cold-blooded killers who have no value for human life.  If we do not do so, we will be wasting our time because as fast as we look them up, there will be yet another there to take their place as a killer.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 22nd 2003: 24,119.

Number of hits for the month of February up Saturday 22nd February at midnight: 81,076.

Number of hits for the year 2003 up Saturday 22nd February at midnight: 172,109.

OBIE TAKES THEIR HEADS OFF
    As the Free National Movement moves closer and closer to their annual convention in May, the bodies that once were dead are coming to life.  We have seen an ever more active Algernon Allen in the press every week.  Senator Tommy Turnquest who is the Leader of the FNM outside the House has also been more and more voluble in the press.  Why we even saw Dion Foulkes, who had deep sixed himself after the election, showing his face.  Carl Bethel, the former Attorney General was also in the newspaper attacking the Minister responsible for the Registrar General's office but he should know why he is attacking since the reason the place is in a mess is because he left it that way.  But the problem with them all is that they can’t put a foot right.
    We have already dismissed Carl Bethel.  Algernon Allen got into trouble with women when he attacked Mother Pratt the PLP's Deputy Prime Minister.  But the one who takes the cake is Senator Tommy Turnquest.  He accused the Ministry of Tourism of sponsoring a cocktail party for $20,000 of the group here for the Trumpet Awards, one of which had earlier been given to the Prime Minister.  The PLP’s Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe was at his best when he lit into Tommy Turnquest.  He said that the FNM had lied to the Bahamian people about the party.  And he went on to say that when Tommy Turnquest was the Minister of Tourism he had authorized and held a similar party for the same group of people.   Poor Tommy was so flabbergasted that we heard nothing more.
    The official opposition Leader Alvin Smith sat with his colleague the Member for South Abaco Robert Sweeting in stony silence.  There was nothing that they could say in the face of the response of the Minister of Tourism.  Mr. Wilchcombe said that the Government spent $18,628.28 on the party.  The previous FNM Government spent $18,728.50.  The FNM produced these figures on its website last week.  But Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said that the Trumpet Awards party had spent in excess of $150,000 in The Bahamas.  He also listed a number of celebrity Black Americans including wealthy businessmen, movie and sports stars who came to The Bahamas for the event.
    Mr. Wilchcombe said: “As a former Minister of Tourism Tommy Turnquest should be ashamed of himself and he should apologise.  It’s disgraceful when they would choose to lie to the world just trying to score political brownie points.”  The Trumpet Awards are presented annually by the Turner Broadcasting System to honour African-American Achievement.
    The Prime Minister Perry Christie was seen accepting the award on TBS on Saturday 22nd February.
 

RIGBY SLAMS THE FNM
    PLP Chairman Raynard Rigby has issued a statement to deal with Tommy Turnquest's assertions on behalf of the FNM that the PLP had spent $20,000 on a cocktail party for the Trumpet Awards group. (See story above)  Mr. Rigby told the country that the comment of the FNM amounted to “cheap political shots that are indicative of the immaturity of the leadership of the FNM.”  He told the FNM’s leader out of the House that he ought to realize that “his political career is over.”  Mr. Rigby called for Mr. Turnquest to give an explanation to the public about how he gave a contract to a known political supporter of the FNM when he was Minister of Tourism and further he ought to explain the payment made for a party held at the Opposition leader's home during the contest for leadership of the FNM.  “Come clean with the public,” Mr. Rigby said.

AN FNM MISSTEP IN PARLIAMENT
    The Free National Movement is not very promising in Parliament.  Alvin Smith, the Leader of the Opposition has served in Parliament for almost 16 years – five in the Senate and ten in the House of Assembly.  He has served as a Parliamentary Secretary and now Leader of the Opposition.  But he still does not know how to ask a parliamentary question.  Mr. Smith violated the rules on two occasions during the House session on Wednesday 19th February.
    First Mr. Smith rose to ask questions of the Government when it was not that time on the agenda. Then at the end of the meeting when there was time on the order paper for notices for further meetings, he said he was asking a question but started making a statement about Senator Traver Whylly and how he came to be working for the Prime Minister and on what terms.  Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell immediately rose and objected to the method and manner of the question.  The Deputy Speaker ruled the statements out of order and said that the matter would be examined so that the Speaker could determine whether or not the question was appropriate.  It was pitiful to see as Mr. Smith stumbled and bumbled over the question.
    The question Mr. Smith must ask himself is whether he is not opening a Pandora’s box with this question?  He is asking how Senator Whylly got be hired and by what authority?  He must remember that the Prime Minister took certain steps to ensure that he has a special assistant of his choosing.  Does he know the legal authority for that?

THE MILLER/STUBBS SAGA
    There is no word again this week officially from the Government on what is to be done in the saga of the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation.  This is the first week, however, that the story has not been in the headlines.  The Minister Leslie Miller got quite positive press this week as he spoke out in favour of the new Unfair Contract Terms Act that was passed by the House of Assembly.  During the debate Mr. Miller (shown in this Nassau Guardian photo) warned consumers about second hand car dealers who bring in cars from Japan and do not stock the necessary parts, taking advantage of unsuspecting women customers in particular.  He also lambasted building contractors who take advantage of unsuspecting female customers and called for mandatory jails sentences to give teeth to the new consumer laws that he said were coming.  Mr. Miller also warned that there were certain stores in the country selling goods where the expiry dates had passed.  He added a special warning at the end of the session that some stores were selling prescription goods over the counter without prescriptions.  He warned consumers against this.
    But notably this week, there was no public animosity between Sidney Stubbs the MP and Chair of BAIC and Mr. Miller.  At week’s end, it was being said privately that the Prime Minister had settled the issue and that Mr. Miller may have patched things up with Mr. Stubbs and that both had pronounced that they could co-exist together.  If that is the case, then the Progressive Liberal Party has indeed solved a difficult problem.
 

KENNY CARTWRIGHT RESPONDS TO MILLER
    The second hand car dealers have taken exception to the remarks of Leslie Miller the Minister of Trade and Industry about their consumer practices.  Mr. Miller in the House of Assembly (see previous story) said that many unsuspecting females were being ripped off by salesmen and used car dealers who bring in Japanese cars and don’t stock the parts.  Mr. Miller said: “There are a lot of problems that we are going to deal with, with regard to Japanese automobiles.  I said it before and I will say it again.  Those persons wishing to bring those automobiles from Japan and elsewhere will now be required collectively to have those parts available to the public.”
    Kenny Cartwright, of KC Used Car Sales (shown in this Nassau Guardian photo) said that while it is true that some car parts cannot be found, it is possible to find most car parts by using a manual to check the types of cars exported directly from Japan but not sold in the US with the US sold brand names.  Mr. Cartwright said that he has to meet with the Minister to show the manual of compatibility.  The second hand dealers spoke and said that it is really a question of price for the consumer that causes persons to buy second hand cars from Japan.  However, there continues to be concern about the safety of these and other used cars being brought in from the US.  The Minister said that abandoned and wrecked cars would soon be banned from coming into The Bahamas from the US.
 

THE US AMBASSADOR AT IT AGAIN
    Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water says the line from the shark movie JAWS, it turns out you had better be careful.  We are speaking again about J. Richard Blankenship, the US Ambassador, the irrepressible US Ambassador who conducts all his diplomacy in the press.  The Nassau Guardian reported in bold headlines on Friday 22nd February that the US has security concerns about the Nassau International Airport that remained unaddressed and that he was unable to reach Glenys Hanna Martin, the Minister of Transport.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately asked the Ambassador to attend the Ministry to seek an explanation about the public statement.
    According to the Ministry the security concerns that the US Ambassador spoke about came to the Ministry's attention in the press.  The Ambassador was assured that security remains the first priority, that Mrs. Hanna Martin has been available to see him but that the Ambassador’s schedule did not permit the visit to take place.  The statement said that a security review had been conducted by the Bahamas Government by an Israeli expert and recommendations had been carried out and pronounced satisfactory by the US Transportation Safety Administration.  The Government however recognized that more work needed to be done and that the security review was continuing.
    The Ministry reminded the Ambassador that all Government officials are available to the Ambassador through the normal diplomatic channels and not through the press.
 
 

US AMBASSADOR ON IRAQ WAR
    Just what The Bahamas has to do with Iraq is not quite clear.  But according to the US Ambassador The Bahamas should side with the US in the event of war.  This was yet another comment of the US Ambassador reported in the Nassau Guardian of Saturday 22nd February 2003.  The Ambassador said: “It makes no sense why The Bahamas would want to turn its back on the United States and its biggest ally.  American tourists make up the largest percent of revenue for the country.  If terror is allowed to flourish and should some unforeseen remote and horrible event occur in The Bahamas, it will not be CARICOM who rushes to the Commonwealth’s side, it will be the USA.”  This is quite an incredible statement.
    First, The Bahamas has said that it does not see the issue of Iraq as a bilateral issue between the United States and Iraq, but as a multilateral issue that is being dealt with by the United Nations.  The Bahamas does not have troops or ships or materials for war so it does not get involved in these kinds of public conflicts.  It has said clearly that the United Nations mechanisms will have to be employed in the disputes over Iraq.  The question of war does not yet arise and when and if it does then our country’s top diplomats may have to look at the issue again.  But the fact is there is no war now, and the United States is not threatened and there is therefore no question about whether or not The Bahamas sides with the United States.  This is so obvious from public statements by The Bahamas, one wonder why the matter is even raised.
    If the US rushes to the side of The Bahamas in a terror attack, surely this would be above all else self-serving since any attack on The Bahamas is in fact an attack on the US.  Sheesh!

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER LEAVES
    Peter Heigl who has been the High Commissioner to The Bahamas from Great Britain for the past three and a half years leaves The Bahamas today.  He returns to London via Las Vegas where he will attend the wedding of his son, then a month long vacation in Australia, followed by two weeks in China and then back to London for his final debrief.  Mr. Heigl ended his diplomatic career here in The Bahamas.  The new High Commissioner James Gemmel will take up his posting shortly.
    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a farewell reception for the High Commissioner and his wife.  The Minister praised the High Commissioner for his assistance to the Bahamian people and said that he knows that the High Commissioner leaves with sand in his shoes.  The High Commissioner for his part said that he will miss The Bahamas but will try to stay connected to the country when he returns to Britain.  The Minister presented a gift to the High Commissioner from the Bahamian people.  We wish the High Commissioner well in his retirement and Godspeed.
    The BIS photo by Peter Ramsay shows the Minister presenting a gift to the High Commissioner of an Antonius Roberts painting at the reception.

ELECTION COURT RULES
    As is the case so many times with Bahamian courts, instead of getting clear rulings on matters, you get solomonic judgments that end up pleasing exactly no one.  The Election Court ruling in the case of Johnley Ferguson, the FNM candidate for Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island Acklins and Long Cay (MICAL) against the PLP’s declared winner Minister of Agriculture Alfred Gray was handed down on Thursday 20th February.  The result is that 29 voters were disqualified from voting because the courts said that they were not ordinarily resident in the constituency at the time of their registration.  These included the former representative for the area Vernon Symonette and his wife.  The court will enter the ballot box on Tuesday 25th February and take out the votes of those 29 persons and then recount.  One imagines that Gladstone McEwan the campaigner for the secret ballot should be seeking an injunction to prevent this until the Privy Council has pronounced on whether or not the ballot in The Bahamas is truly secret.  This proves that it is not.
    The PLP’s candidate says that if everyone holds to what he expects, then he should win after a recount by 2 votes.  The FNM privately think the same but are saying for the record that it will be a dead heat and that an election may have to be called to break the tie.  We shall see.  Minister Alfred Gray, the sitting MP for MICAL is seen in this Nassau Guardian photo by Patrick Hanna leaving the court with Raynard Rigby, attorney and the Chair of the PLP following the Election Court ruling.
 

WHAT TO DO ABOUT OECD
    The Government must become more aggressive in dealing with the demands of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which have virtually wrecked the financial services industry in The Bahamas.  The report is that during the recent visit to Paris by the Chair of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Alfred Sears (shown at left in this photo with a CFATF official), new demands were made on The Bahamas and other countries.  It appears that the OECD simply wants to close down the offshore sector.  We say not until hell freezes over.
    The problem is that the reports are that the US has virtually abandoned OECD.  We need in light of that to rethink all of this.  We need to protect our industry in particular the Central Bank laws must be revisited to prevent the very bank that is supposed to be protecting the industry in The Bahamas from shutting it down.  We must act quickly if we are not under the PLP going to further gut the Bahamian middle class.  The industry in The Bahamas is also saying that it is getting mixed signals between the statements and actions of the Attorney General and those of the Minister for Financial Services about the future of the sector.  Perhaps the Government ought to examine this.
 

FOOTNOTES TO HISTORY
Prison Reform Commission Reports
    The highly anticipated report on prison reform has been presented to the Government.  The Prime Minister accepted the report from the Commission headed by criminologist Dr. Elliston Rahming on Monday 17th February.  The report contains some 300 recommendations.  The report reveals that there is a serious leadership crisis at the prison and that there is an urgent need to address the sanitary and security conditions at the prison.  We hope that this is not just another report to sit on the shelf.

Labour Commission Appointed

    The Prime Minister announced the formation of a Labour Commission to review all the labour laws and report back to the Government.  Both the business community and the worker’s organizations are unhappy about the new labour laws that were passed by the last Government.  The PLP said that it would review the laws.  The Commission is to report within eight weeks.  BIS photo by Derek Smith shows from left former Director of Labour, now co-chair of the Labour Commission Charles Turnquest; Minister of Labour & Immigration Vincent Peet, Prime Minister Perry Christie and Donald Symonette, Under-secretary in the Ministry of Labour.

Crime Statistics

    Chairman of the Prison Reform Commission Dr. Elliston Rahming told The Tribune on Wednesday 19th February that major crime figures for January 2003 show there has been an increase in shop breaking, housebreaking, armed robbery and murder over the same period last year.  There were seven murders in January 2003, higher than any other time in three years.  Dr. Rahming said that there is no national crisis and no cause for alarm.  He pointed out that it was the fear of crime and the randomness of the crime that was the issue, not the actual figures.  Nevertheless the Government has already begun a number of secret measures to address the issues.

Bahamian Sentenced in Cuban Jail
    The Associated Press reports that a Bahamian Roberto Lewis has been sentenced to 25 years in a Cuban jail for attempted smuggling cocaine into the United States from Cuba.

Bahamas National Youth Choir in Miami
    The Bahamas National Youth Chair under the direction of Cleophas Adderley gave an excellent performance in Miami on Saturday 22nd February.  The function was under the patronage of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.  The event was organized by Consul General Alma Adams and a Council of Bahamian Organizations in Miami.  It was a job well done by the Consul General.

Backlog in the Courts

    Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said on the radio on Steve McKinney’s Drive Home Show: “I miss me”.  It was a political lament for the lack of an advocate for the kind of items that were on his agenda in Opposition.  One of them is the continued backlog in the courts.  Cases are still taking routinely four years to come to trial.  There is said to be a backlog of some 298 cases awaiting trial in the Supreme Court.  It is a disgrace.  Where are the advocates for the victims of crime?  In this flashback photo from January of 2002, now Minister Fred Mitchell is shown after his 12th annual Review of the Judiciary under the fig tree sharing the traditional toast with, from left Jamal Davis, Attorney; Calvin Brown, PLP Stalwart Councillor; Ron Pinder, now Parliamentary Secretary; Stan O. Smith; Keod Smith, now Ambassador to the Environment. Photo by Tim Aylen/VisionPhoto
 

WHAT ABOUT THESE COMMISSIONS ANYWAY?
    There has been some public criticism about the many Commissions that have been appointed by the PLP’s Leader Perry Christie.  It seems that we will soon have Commission overload it is being said in some quarters.  However we must remember how the PLP came to office.  The PLP came to office because the last Government was criticized for not listening to the people.  The Christie Government is attempting to answer that concern by the widest possible consultation and it has worked because people from disparate groups have come together in national causes.  The Commissions are therefore useful.  Just a word of caution, let us hope that these reports are executed and do not gather dust on the shelf.

ALLYSON DEFENDS MOTHER PRATT

    The Minister of Financial Services Allyson Maynard Gibson has come out strongly against Algernon Allen for his foolish remarks about needing a strong man for the job of fighting crime.  The Minister said that Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, the Deputy Prime Minister was the right person for the job.  She said that Mr. Allen's remark was almost like murder.  It was nothing short of despicable.  Mrs. Maynard Gibson told the Deputy Prime Minister that she had confidence in her and said: “You are the right woman for the job. Hold steadfast. Be encouraged.  The people of the country support you.”
 

MITCHELL SPEAKS TO PUBLIC SERVANTS
    Public Service Minister Fred Mitchell presented certificates to the leaders of the public service in Grand Bahama on Thursday 19th February.  The Minister said that the public service had to become more flexible and less hierarchical in its management style, otherwise it would not be able to meet the demands of the Bahamian public.  The seminar was organized by the head of the public service ministry in Grand Bahama Donald McCartney.
 

COMPLAINTS ABOUT GOVT. BOARDS
    The public is again complaining about the fact that the statutory boards that control the licensing of shops and liquor establishments and that of the taxi and bus plates has not yet been appointed.  The reports appearing in the press said that the whole system is in limbo.  The Licensing Authority Board expired on 31st December. The Road Traffic Authority expired on 30th June.  The word is that the appointments are to be announced this week.
 

SIR ALBERT RECUPERATING
    Chairman of the Port Authority Sir Albert Miler is recuperating at home from an operation to remove a benign lesion form his lung. He is resting comfortably and started short days at work.
 

TUT! TUT! RELIGIOUS LEADERS
    Talk about pique.  Talk about what the Christian spirit is.  No such thing in the ongoing row about the pay for preaching claim made by Apostle Cedric Moss (See last week’s story) against the group of preachers bringing in the Prophetess Juanita Bynum.  The comments of Pastor Moss were being ignored.  He took issue with the fact that the Prophetess was supposedly going to get 50 per cent of the take from a revival that the preachers are sponsoring here.
    The President of the Christian Council Sam Greene and Bishop Neil Ellis who are the sponsors did not take kindly to the remarks of Pastor Moss.  Bishop Greene said that Pastor Moss was a renegade and demonic.  Bishop Ellis was more measured.  He said that what was being alleged was not true.  Pastor Moss who defended himself well on the Radio Talk Show Jones and Co. last Sunday said that he had tried to deal with his concerns privately but he was ignored so he went public.  Now he has got his answer.  But Christian gentleman: “demonic”?  Things that make you: hmmm! Bishops Ellis (right) and Greene (left) are shown addressing a news conference in this Nassau Guardian photo by Donald Knowles.
 

B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA

Arne Pedersen Buried
    This week, hundreds gathered at the St. John's Jubilee Cathedral to mourn the death of Danish-born Bahamian investor Arne Pedersen.  A who's who among Grand Bahama residents were there, among whom were a large contingent from the FNM.  They were in deep grief, especially as Mr. Pedersen was known to be a generous supporter to that party on Grand Bahama.  However, there was broad and widespread shock at his murder.  Some among Mr. Pedersen’s business partners and political affiliates were seen sobbing openly.  His murder was a loss to the community.

Trouble At G.B. Airport?
    There is an apparent problem brewing at the Grand Bahama airport with one of the Hutchison managers there.  Word to News From Grand Bahama is that even though "he started off good, it now seems that he's gotten beside himself".  It is being said that the manager has "developed an attitude where he openly ridicules his subordinates" and behaves as if he is "untouchable".  Now the question is being asked "Why is it necessary to have a foreign manager at such a small airport?  Surely a Bahamian must be able to do his work."  Stay tuned.

Still No Peace in Local Government
    We have been informed by a Local Government Councilor that all that is needed for things to move forward is that Chief Councilor Marva Moxey steps down as Chief Councilor, "but she does not have to resign her seat" as Local Government Councilor "and all will be well".  If Ms. Moxey does not step down, one councilor has said "we'll stay away and the minute she does something contrary to the [Local Government] act, we'll take her and her administrator before the courts."

The Freeport Council and its Troubles
    Two weeks ago, in a story entitled 'Attempted Local Government Coup Fails' we reported the failure of a vote of no confidence in the Chief Councilor of the Freeport City Council, Ms. Marva Moxey.  FNM mover and shaker Earl Godet has now come to Ms. Moxey's defence in a ‘tell all’ letter, entitled 'He who wants to be King'.  Please click here for the letter.

Government Should Investigate
    There are some questions, now raised publicly, that need to be answered.  Why were the Local Government computers used in the FNM election campaign in Grand Bahama last year?  Who authorized them to be taken to the command centre of the FNM?  Was the leadership of the FNM aware of their use?  How far did the authorization for the use of these computers go up the chain of command?  We believe that an investigation is warranted by Parliament to ensure that Government's property was and is not used in partisan ventures and if necessary to recommend changes to prevent such a thing from happening.

Where Is Mr. B?
    Word is that our friend who is a hotel manager has been all over Grand Bahama telling people that he has decided to walk away and take a back seat in politics.  The real reason we believe that he has hidden in the tall grass is that his 'man' has not decided to go for the leadership of the FNM and also that our friend does not want to upset his political friends because of his Government Board appointment.

The Bleachers
    We believe as the Bible says that one ought not to rebuke an elder, but in the witness of two or three, that every word should be established.  News From Grand Bahama while in Nassau Saturday evening was asked to pose the question, are the Government's bleachers, including those that may have been 'left over' from Junkanoo, being used at this upcoming revival?  We believe it is a fair question.  We also ask, has the Government purchased any of the bleachers that were brought in, supposedly rented from Canada?
BS