Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 1 © BahamasUncensored.Com
13th July, 2003
20th July, 2003
27th July, 2003
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| 'I'll outdo those [other] youngsters!' - Was that Ron Pinder the Member of Parliament for the Marathon Constituency and Parliamentary Secretary for Health in the bushes of the old Clifton Plantation in western New Providence with gloves on his hands cleaning up trash? It certainly appears so in a picture that was taken by Vision Photography and published in The Tribune on Tuesday 1st July. It didn't say how it all came about but the students of the New Providence Community Church Ocean Camp joined in the effort with the MP said to have been organized by Senator C.B. Moss head of the Coalition to Save Clifton. We think clean up campaigns are fine but the fact that New Providence is a filthy island, the city of Nassau is unclean shows that clean up campaigns have obviously failed. There is something systemic at work. First there is the endemic nastiness in the culture. Secondly, it is the inability of private and public services to keep up with the demand for the removal of garbage. Nevertheless, it was engaging enough to be our photo of the week. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
MAN OVERBOARD
Potter’s
Cay is no longer seen as a cay, the word for a small island near a bigger
one. It has been joined by a bridge to the mainland of New Providence
longer than most Bahamians can remember. It was more recently, yet
still a long time ago filled in to expand its girth. It has also
grown up like Topsy with a mishmash of commercial enterprises including
fish vendors, vegetable and fruit vendors, the Produce Exchange, the site
for the docking of the Family Island mail boats. The waters around
it are a general pot in which to throw everything imaginable.
The area like most of New Providence was not properly planned. The popularity of the area in the night where people go with their families and friends to drink beer, or to buy fresh and cooked fish and conch has overwhelmed the ability of the resource to cope. People have died over the years by driving overboard. Some have done it deliberately to end their lives. Most have mainly fallen overboard by missing the road. And so it was that this week on Tuesday 1st July three persons were killed. Four were in the car. One escaped. It appears that they missed the road.
The Government immediately came under fire for not doing something about it. But it is like most things in The Bahamas, we don’t seem to take note of a pattern and then even when we do, we simply do nothing about it through inertia. It doesn’t happen enough to affect our daily lives.
This
time seems to have been the one that took it over the top. A religious
leader and his family perished. The whole thing seemed senseless.
It appears that if a simple barrier had been put up to prevent the cars
from missing the road then that would have stopped the needless deaths.
The Minister of Transport Glenys Hanna Martin spoke to the newspaper and said that there is a plan to do something about it. It would seem that the onus is on her Ministry and the Ministry of Public Works to get the issue solved.
As for Potter’s Cay, it seems to us that it has developed nicely as a centre of commerce. It needs some order to be put into it so that parking is easier and the flow of the traffic is better on the dock. There needs to be some rationalization of the various uses to which the area is put. But the idea must not be to stop the commerce but to simply improve it. Because that is the next thing we like to do when the officialdom comes in to try to solve a problem. We want to go in with a sledgehammer and stop it. We do not support that but we do support simple barriers along the waterfront to stop the senseless deaths like those that took place in a car this week.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 5th July 2003 at midnight: 18,640.
Number of hits for the month of June up to 30th June 2003: 97,481.
Number of hits for the month of July up to midnight Saturday 5th July 2003: 13,244.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 5th July 2003: 682,648.
Our servers were malfunctioning for most of Monday 30th June. We apologize.
INDEPENDENCE
DAY IS TO BE CELEBRATED
This week The Bahamas celebrates its 30th anniversary as a nation.
This is no mean accomplishment for a country that really fashioned itself
in its present image in the last fifty years. Prior to the 1942 Burma
Road riots, and perhaps as late as 1953 when the PLP was formed, there
was said to be little public opinion about Bahamian public policy.
There was a white merchant class that ran the country. Their families
had in the main been here for several generations. That is how it
was thought it would always be. That turned on its head with the
Riots of 1942, the formation of the Progressive Liberal Party in 1953,
the General Strike of 1958, Internal Self-Government in 1964; majority
rule in 1967 and then independence in 1973.
The country was built off immigration and it was the sons of those 20th
century immigrants from the southern Caribbean that crafted the modern
Bahamas. We have now come 30 years later and we are still seeking
to redefine ourselves. The problem of Haitian migration is still
with us. We raise that because within the next ten years, The Bahamas
will have to reverse itself on the definition of citizenship and allow
anyone born in The Bahamas to be a citizen of The Bahamas by birth.
The flags have come out for this anniversary.
This has been a spontaneous event. One must say that if it weren't
for that spontaneous event, we would not know that there was independence
in The Bahamas. The official organization has gone wanting, and carries
with it no special ingenuity. But independence is a matter of celebration
for the people of The Bahamas, and we think that they like the idea in
the main.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BAHAMAS! Summer student
selling flags in the street; wooden castle being built at Clifford Park
by Tribune's Dominic Duncombe.
CARICOM
IS 30 YEARS OLD
At the time that the founders of Bahamian independence were getting ready
to let the Union Jack down, the original founders of CARICOM were getting
together. On 4th July 1973, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago
and Barbados were the ones who led the way. The idea was one of a
number of incarnations of Caribbean unity and it is certainly the most
enduring. The Secretary General of CARICOM said that the organization
has the distinction of being the longest inter regional body of nations
in the developing world.
CARICOM has some sound ideas on trade liberalization
on geopolitics. It tends however to get a bit grandiose in its aspirations
and snowed under in paper work and bureaucracy. Nevertheless, it
is a source of great pride to Caribbean leaders and peoples that the 15
countries including now Haiti and Suriname are able to get along and try
to create one space in which to work and develop. The most testy
relationship, the one that should be the most easy, is that with the United
States. The present leadership in Washington is hostile to the aspirations
of CARICOM and so there is a tough road to go.
The latest salvo is the US President putting six
Caribbean countries on the list of countries that will not receive military
aid from the US because they have not signed on to an agreement that will
exempt US citizens from the jurisdiction of the international criminal
court. The decision by the US must be roundly condemned as selfish and
short sighted. Caribbean countries immediately started to buckle.
They should not. As Margaret Thatcher the former British Prime Minister
told George Bush, the father, once, this is no time to go all wobbly. Prime
Minister Christie is shown at centre among Caribbean Prime Minister at
the 24th Caricom meeting in this AP Photo by Andres Leighton. From
left are P.J. Patterson of Jamaica, Lester Bird of Antigua & Barbuda,
Mr. Christie, Owen Arthur or Barbados, Said Musa of Belize and Pierre Charles
of Dominica.
UNION
CHIEF’S ULTIMATUM
John Pinder is the President of the Bahamas Public
Service Union (BPSU), the union that represents the public servants.
He promptly left a meeting on Friday 27th June with Public Service Minister
Fred Mitchell to announce to the public that if the Government does to
not pay, the Government will face mass demonstrations. He was talking
about the proposal that the Government made to postpone the payment of
the increase in salary due on 1st July to the December pay packet.
Mr. Kingsley Black of The Bahamas Union of Teachers
has been the most vocal spokesman for the public service unions.
The teacher’s leader has also been radical in his approach. His view
is that the Government must pay or offer something in exchange for not
paying. The result right now is an impasse. The Minister seemed
calm in the face of it all. He has long taken the public position
that The Bahamas belongs to us and we can break it up if we want to do
so. That is not likely to happen.
Despite Mr. Pinder's threat of demonstrations, the
question is the whether public servants support his tactics or whether
in fact he even has the support of his executive for his actions.
We shall see but a dispute in the public service today would only cause
the Prime Minister ultimately to take a certain course to decide whether
or not the Government runs the country or whether it is run by one section
of it wedded to some narrow interests and perspectives.
BUTLER
STATEMENT ON THE PUBLIC SERVICE
Craig Butler writes a column in the Nassau
Guardian. From time to time, he has some interesting bits that are
worth repeating. He wrote a column on Tuesday 1st July under the
headline SENATOR BANNISTER’S SALARY. Mr. Butler, who is a grandson
of the first Bahamian Governor General Sir Milo Butler, was attacking a
suggestion by Senator Desmond Bannister FNM that Parliamentarians give
up their salaries as a sacrifice for civil servants. Mr. Butler thought
that the Senator was simply grandstanding. Here is what Mr. Butler
said in his own words:
“It might appear as though the good senator has
made a grand gesture, but let us look closely at what was really said.
“Firstly let us do some simple bookkeeping.
There are 16 Senators and 40 Members of the House of Assembly… the month’s
salary for all of them would total $110,000 well eight cents short to be
exact.
“So this gesture would compensate exactly 55
of those hard working pubic servants, leaving the other 19,000 plus to
wait…”
BAHAMAS
DOWNGRADED BY MOODY’S
The Bahamas is about to go to the market to sell 200 million dollars worth
of bonds. Everyone in the country involved in public policy, finance
and who cares about these things has finally managed to get themselves
sorted out about what is really being borrowed. The Bahamas Democratic
Movement (BDM) and its leaders weighed in cussing the Government out for
additional borrowing. But they gave no alternative and got their
facts wrong in some respects. So we are all off to the bank to borrow.
But then came the news that Moody’s has downgraded The Bahamas financial
outlook in the future with the prospect of its economy described as stable
as opposed to positive. Banner headlines in The Tribune!
It turns out that the credit rating remains at A3
so that won’t materially change the cost of borrowing. But Moody’s
said that because of the fact that tourism receipts have been anaemic and
there does not look like any immediate fast growth, they did what they
did. Minister of State for Finance James Smith (pictured in this
Tribune photo) was sanguine about it. He said that he was not surprised
at Moody’s position because the facts on the economy are obvious.
He said that there will be no problem raising the money and it will be
oversubscribed. The economy saw positive growth in 1999, 2000 but
went into negative growth during the last year of the FNM. The first
year of the PLP saw a slight positive growth and this fiscal year it is
expected to be about .9 per cent. Hmmm!
SPECULATION
ABOUT NEW US ENVOY
The spokesman for the US Embassy Brian Bachman told the Nassau Guardian
on Wednesday 2nd July that no early replacement for the outgoing US Ambassador
was expected soon. In the meantime he said that the Deputy Chief
of Mission Robert Witijewski would act as charge d’affaires until the new
person arrived. Mr. Bachman went to great lengths to explain the
way the process works including background checks, Senate confirmation
hearings. Mr. Blankenship ended his tour of duty about a year and
a half before the time saying that he wanted to go back into the Bush campaign
and to private life. Mr. Bachman was asked to comment on the stories
that Mr. Blankenship had been fired. The US Embassy’s spokesman Brian
Bachman told the Nassau Guardian: “Rumours are rumours and we don’t comment
on rumours.” Mr. & Mrs. Blankenship are shown with Governor General
Dame Ivy Dumont and Mr. Dumont along with US Naval Commander Zane Thomas
cutting a cake at US independence celebrations in Nassau. Guardian
photo by Patrick Hanna.
WAS
BLANKENSHIP RIGHT OR THE PM?
Most people thought that J. Richard Blankenship
the outgoing US Ambassador would simply have gone quietly into that good
night. But he has been in the press twice since the announcement
of his imminent departure, giving statements that were troublesome and
not accurate or so it appears. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did
not respond to the first one in which he said that there was a requirement
for the Deputy Prime Minister to attend the Joint Task Force meeting of
27th June. But the last one elicited a response from the Prime Minister
Perry Christie who was in Jamaica for the Heads of Government conference.
In a statement published in The Tribune, and on
the
heels of a decision by the US Government to stop military aid to six Caribbean
countries because they refused to sign waivers for US citizens for the
International Criminal Court, Mr. Blankenship told The Tribune that since
The Bahamas had not sent a diplomatic note before the deadline of 30th
June, The Bahamas would lose the money for the lighting of the runway in
Inagua. The 30th June is the deadline for sanctions to kick in under
the legislation for sanctions on the ICC. The Prime Minister said
that he was advised that the statement was factually incorrect. He
said that the Government had communicated its views about the use of the
monies supplied by the US, some $300,000 last year, and again at the Joint
Task Force meeting on 27th June. He said that he was advised that
the time in which to accept the money went beyond 30th June. You
may click here for a summary of a press conference
with the Prime Minister in Jamaica on 2nd July.
MAN
SENTENCED FOR STRAW MARKET FIRE
Courtney Gardiner who was convicted of burning down the Straw Market on
4th September 2001 who was up to the time of his sentencing on Wednesday
2nd July considered mute by malice finally spoke up. He said that
he didn’t do it. That did not pull much sway with the Judge who promptly
sentenced him to 12 years in imprisonment. All during the trial and
despite the best efforts of his lawyer, Mr. Gardiner was silent, refusing
to talk even to his lawyer. Instead he kept mumbling to himself.
In the old Bahamian way, he was clearly playing crazy. All to no
avail! He must now go to jail to begin his sentence. The request
by his attorney to serve his sentence at Sandilands, the place for psychological
and psychiatric cases was denied by the Judge.
When Mr. Gardiner goes to prison he will meet one
of the straw vendors there if the vendor hasn't already been let out on
bail. Luke Small, who is charged with breaking up twenty one windows
on Bay Street following an angry confrontation with the authorities at
the Straw Market, was remanded by the Magistrate to jail where he will
sit until his trial begins. Perhaps the two can have a good
talk. Courtney Gardiner is pictured in this Dominic Duncombe Tribune
photo.
PM
ON SINGLE MARKET AND ECONOMY
The Prime Minister Perry Christie told his peers at the 24th annual Heads
of Government meeting in Jamaica that he is still in the midst of a consultation
process on the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). He did
not believe that the country was sufficiently in tune with the problems
that had been identified and that there was sufficient consideration being
given in the country to the issues. The paper presented to him by
the Trade Commission appointed to look into the issue was inconclusive
and not very helpful to the process, he said.
What Prime Minister Christie can crow about is the
fact that Bermuda has now formally joined CARICOM as an associate member.
Jennifer Smith, the Premier of Bermuda pictured with P.J. Patterson, the
Jamaican Prime Minister and Edwin Carrington Secretary General of CARICOM
took time out from her political campaign to sign the formal agreement.
She headed back to campaign. The Bahamas has been instrumental in
seeking to persuade Bermuda that this was the right thing to do.
Some merchants expressed disappointment that The
Bahamas has yet again left its feet half out the CARICOM door. To
them the only way that is obvious is the way fully into the Caribbean Single
Market and Economy. On the 21st July, Owen Arthur, the Barbados Prime
Minister, will a have a chance to speak to the Bahamian public on the subject
and to brief the Cabinet in The Bahamas. Let us hope that this takes
the process further. Photo from www.trinidadexpress.com.
FURTHER
COMMENT ON HIGH SCHOOL PROMS
One of our readers responded last week to the picture
of the week, the children watching the prom activities of the St Augustine’s
students in Nassau. There was absolute wonderment in their eyes.
The reader got the impression that in highlighting the photo we were supporting
the activities. In fact the view is quite the opposite. The
fact is, though, this is a cultural coming of age that has become more
and more prevalent, as prevalent as graduation ceremonies with robes for
children even in kindergarten in The Bahamas. Our view is that it
is a shameful expense, the manner in which these proms are now done today.
It is part of the skewing of values in the wrong direction. Some
parents went completely overboard with the process managing to spend one
thousand dollars for one night for kids who should really be preparing
to spend monies at College. But it is important to recognize the
fact that this phenomenon exists. We hope parents take note.
But one suspects that nothing will change with this any time soon.
You may see the letter of the reader below.
READER’S
REACTION ON PROMO PHOTO
This (see related story above) from reader Christine Green:
"It was interesting that you chose the 'prom-watching'
Tribune front page picture as your photo of the week. As I read that
day's paper, my eight year old niece passed by and seeing the picture called
out to me, "What those children doin' in jail?" Of course I immediately
responded that they were not in jail, but watching proms. I then
had to explain what proms were. On reflection, I am not so sure that
while these children were not in a physical prison, they are not in fact
imprisoned by our seeming inability to do things in moderation and with
good judgement. I'm happy graduates; parents, relatives and friends
enjoyed themselves during prom season. However, the excess expenditure
and in some cases the competition for the most ridiculous arrival (as in
the case, related to me, of a prom goer in Grand Bahama who arrived in
a coffin by hearse) leave something to be desired.
"PS: May I take this opportunity to encourage
your column."
COLLECTIVE
RESPONSIBILITY, COLLECTIVE VOICE
From time to time Ministers of the Government are
being attacked by their friends and allies who knew them just last year
as ordinary mortals for not returning phone calls and not engaging in the
same detailed dialogues that used to be before they were ministers.
There is the charge that these men and women have forgotten themselves.
There is also the charge that their voices on the issues can no longer
be heard like they were before. No doubt some of this is accurate.
But there is also the fact that over time all things and people change
including the very persons making the assertions. There is nothing
wrong with the assertions on their own but perhaps there could be a bit
more indulgence or charity. The fact is that certainly for those
who serve in the Cabinet, they have no more individual voice that can be
heard out in the country. Theirs is a collective voice. Collective
wisdom is different from individual wisdom. Secondly, there is a
national interest to serve that is seen from a different perspective and
with different information available including that of old friends and
allies. All of it is taken into the mix. The final complaint
is that telephone calls are not returned and people are hard to get.
Again, a bit of charity. Some times systems don’t work as they ought
to but it is certain that no person who calls you friend would deliberately
snub you, and if something goes amiss then it is probably inadvertent.
So let’s have a little charity on all sides. We bet those sixteen would
all appreciate it.
JONES’
NEW BOOK
Prime Minister Perry Christie was presented at a
book launch for the work of Jones Publication Ltd. The book is called
The Bahamas: Independence 30 years and beyond. The book is a collaboration
of Wendall Jones and The Bahamas Government. The Prime Minister said
that the book captures the essence of the country’s history and national
life. He was present for the occasion with Mr. Jones on Monday 30th
June. Photo from the Bahama Journal by Otis Forbes.
OIL
IN THEM THERE SEAS
The Bahama Journal reports that nine oil and gas
leases have been given to Kerr McGee Corporation to explore for oil and
gas in The Bahamas off Grand Bahama. The exploration will take place
in the Blake Plateau some 100 miles north of Grand Bahama. The water
varies in depth from 650 feet to 7000 feet. It covers some 6.5 million
acres. The exploration period is 12 years and a drilling period of
30 years. We don’t believe for a moment that The Bahamas has any
oil or gas reserves but one supposes that you can fantasize about things
like this.
SORRY
TO SEE ROGER SMITH GO
Roger Smith, the tennis pro, who first put The Bahamas on the map with
his surprising defeat of Ivan Lendl, is leaving The Bahamas again.
He has had an up and down fight with The Bahamas Lawn Tennis establishment
that first wanted him to run the National Tennis Centre; then they booted
him out. He then ran his own programme and latterly worked as the
pro at the Nassau Beach Hotel. He is leaving now because of an offer
he couldn’t refuse. He has been hired to train the United States
Lawn Tennis Association’s juniors. So our loss is the US’ gain.
Tears were all around as he said farewell at a party at Port New Providence
Monday 30th June. Good luck Roger!
FOX
HILLIAN AMONG THE HONOURED
Sunday 6th July saw the Sir Lynden O. Pindling Legacy ball during which
several Bahamians were honoured with Medals of Excellence for their contributions
to Bahamian Independence. Among those so honoured were the Reverend
Dr. Phillip Rahming, a noted Fox Hillian and former President of the Bahamas
Christian Council. Rev. Dr. Rahming is the author of the National
Pledge. Also among the honourees was Dr. Hervis Bain who designed
the national flag and the coat of arms. Both are pictured at the
ball with Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell.
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
This week, with Parliament on summer recess and not many political activities
going on, most Grand Bahamians thought to reflect on the thirtieth anniversary
of Independence, so News From Grand Bahama has put together a hope list
for our future.
BaTelCo
No Foreign 'strategic partner' is going to buy a
49% stake in our telephone company and then invest in the sparsely populated
islands when upgrades are needed. We need only look at Cable Bahamas.
Given that example, do we think it will be any different when we sell off
our interest? We say if we must sell, sell 75% of BaTelCo, but to
Bahamians.
Bahamasair
Outsource if you must, the less profitable routes
to private air charters. We see that as true empowerment and strengthening
of our economy, but stay away from the Laker Airways deal. That is
a pig in the bag. We wonder why Laker would want to sell of such
a lucrative deal.
Banking
For better or worse, banking as the second pillar
of our economy has been uprooted and destroyed. No amount of wishful
thinking will bring it back. We as a people were not prepared to
stand and defend our sovereign rights. Instead, we simply surrendered
this sector of our economy to international attack. Not just Parliament
can be faulted for the surrender, but the very people affected such as
the lawyers, the accountants and the bank workers themselves. We
must use this as an example of a moment when our people were less than
courageous.
ZNS
ZNS is too great a temptation for any government
so it is in the public interest for the station to be chopped up into various
sections and sold off to the highest bidder. It is in the democratic
interest of our country for this to be done.
Think Bahamian
Bahamians will have to build this country.
Our long range future for the development of the country is not be found
in Kerzner International or Hutchison Whampoa. These are just stop
gap measures and these investments are not solid foundations on which to
build a country. They are subject to geopolitical considerations
and they put The Bahamas in a very vulnerable state.
As we look to the future, we must look to the development
of Andros, Abaco, Long Island and elsewhere in our country where Bahamians
become stakeholders in the development of our own country, not just mere
workers in someone else's vineyard. We must think Bahamian for we
cannot expect others to come into our country and not exploit it for all
that is good and then walk away when things turn. These are the realities
of life.
It is left to us Bahamians then, to appreciate that
no one would love this country more than we ourselves.
Happy Independence, Bahamas.
BS Tribune photo of flag banners on a residential wall.
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Both the major morning dailies led with what appeared to be the same photo. It was a photo of the spectacular fireworks display on the eve of Independence, following the flag raising ceremony on Clifford Park in New Providence on 9th July. Independence Day was celebrated in The Bahamas for the 30th time. It was celebrated with the greatest relish since the actual Independence Day itself. There were block parties, open houses and official ceremonies. Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the Government in Marsh Harbour, Abaco where in 1973 many residents wanted to secede from The Bahamas and tried to stop it with violence. Senator Edison Key was one of the patriots of the white Abaco community who stood with the PLP from that time to this. He too was part of the Abaco ceremony. Our photo of the week is by David Ralph of The Abaconian newspaper showing Minister Fred Mitchell inspecting the police parade in Marsh Harbour, in the early morning of Independence Day as Corporal Dwayne Solomon stands motionless at attention. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BLOWING UP THE PARLIAMENT
When you are a national leader, you have to be extremely careful
how you say what you say, and to understand the meaning of your words and
their consequences. It is difficult to slip into the mode of an Opposition
politician who can say: “I don’t care”, as he says the most irresponsible
things. That is an accusation often made against Hubert Ingraham,
the former Prime Minister. He is always saying that what he says
and their consequences don't matter to him.
Bishop Sam Greene, the Superintendent of the Zion Baptist Mission in The Bahamas, the Pastor of Zion Yamacraw in New Providence and the President of The Bahamas Christian Council used the occasion of an ecumenical Independence Service at the Zion Mother Church on Shirley Street to launch an attack against the passage of a law in The Bahamas to facilitate same sex marriage. The fact that no one in this country had raised the issue did not seem to matter to him. It is not an issue in The Bahamas. He said that if the Parliament passed the law he would be the next Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes was a plotter in 17th century Britain whose plot to blow up parliament was foiled. It was strange for a preacher to be using a public platform in support of violence against the legitimately elected Government of the country.
The reaction was immediate and furious. But the Bishop was proud of what he had said and stuck by his guns, dividing the nation's opinion at a time that called for national unity. We do not enter the debate about the subject matter because in a way that is irrelevant. The Bishop can have his views, theological and doctrinal on the subject of marriage but what has to be asked is whether it is appropriate or not for any responsible leader to indicate that if a Parliament, duly elected, passes laws which is within its competence to pass, whether the way to deal with your disagreement with that Government is to blow the Government up. That some would argue is seditious and is a serious and most unsuitable message to tell children of The Bahamas. There were calls for the Bishop to apologize and retract his statement.
The other issue that was raised in the homily was a strong message of jingoism. It was the Bishop's view that the Haitians, Jamaicans and others in the Caribbean ought to stay where they are and not be allowed to come to The Bahamas under the regime of the free movement of people of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. He attacked the Haitian Government for passing a law that officially raised voodoo as a religion of Haiti.
Taken out of its context that might seem fine as well. But the fact is that we face a couple of hard cold facts in The Bahamas. In the first place, there is no escaping the fact that The Bahamas does not have the labour within its borders to do all of the work that is demanded within The Bahamas. In the second place, the Bahamian of today is in fact largely the result of immigration to this country in the twentieth century. The fact is that there are no indigenous Bahamians. They were all wiped out shortly after Columbus, so the argument that God gave this land to The Bahamas comes off as specious.
What that comment caused was a lot of irresponsible commentary in The Bahamas about Haitians and inflammatory remarks about removing them by violence from the country. Again one has to be careful how these issues are addressed in public for fear of unintended consequences.
We urge restraint throughout this community as we deal with these delicate problems. The Government intends to take strong measures to deal with the problem. The fact is, though, jingoism and threatening to blow up Parliament will not be helpful in trying to send the right message. It sends the wrong message, and cannot be supported. We must be disciplined. That is what Bahamians in the main are failing to do. What they want to do is flap up their gums about a situation but do not have the national will nor discipline to bring about the changes that are required to bring the situation back into kilter.
Bishop Sam Greene has been a responsible voice for so many years, these remarks are out of character, and in retrospect might be seen as an error in judgement, rather than a serious public view, when taken against a background of his larger public service.
We hope, however, that what is remembered during this Independence day (The Bahamas at 30) is that the message of Independence is just that: tolerance and decency and not jingoism and violence.
The
number of hits for the week ending Saturday 12th July at midnight: 24,993.
The number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 12th July at midnight: 38,237.
The number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 12th July at
midnight: 720,885.
CELEBRATING
INDEPENDENCE
It has been thirty years since the flag of the British was hauled down
over The Bahamas and the new flag of The Bahamas was hoisted. The
colours were strange at the time: black, gold and aquamarine. The
flag was designed by Hervis Bain who was honoured in a ceremony by the
Pindling Foundation on Saturday 5th July at Paradise Island at the Legacy
Ball. The
photo is shown of The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell at the
ball with Rev. Dr. Philip Rahming who wrote the national pledge and Dr.
Bain.
There was a spontaneous outpouring of affection
for the country that took its leaders by surprise. The reports are
that some 80,000 people turned out at Clifford Park on 9th July to witness
a cultural celebration that included Lenny Kravitz, the rock star whose
mother had Bahamian roots, and other Bahamian musical groups and dancers.
At midnight the ceremony commemorating the lowering of the British flag
and the raising of the Bahamas flag took place in Nassau. Peter Ramsay
provided this range of pictures for our viewers of the events of Independence
Day.
THE
LEGACY BALL
For the third year running the Pindling Foundation
hosted the Legend Ball on 5th July 2003. The ball had the who’s who
of Nassau there, and Lady Pindling was her usual gracious and charming
self at the ball. The Prime Minister and his wife Bernadette were
there. So was Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services who
took this picture of Lady Pindling being escorted by the Prime Minister..
INDEPENDENCE
DAY IN ABACO
The local Abaco Committee invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred
Mitchell to come to Abaco for the Independence parade and march past.
Last year the Minister spent the day in Exuma celebrating Independence
Day there. As it turns out the same two Local Government Administrators
were in Abaco that were in Exuma last year. The Administrators were
Senior Administrator Alexander Williams and Administrator Jolton Johnson
along with Administrator Gary Knowles. There are three districts
in Abaco.
The ceremony began with an ecumenical service at the Central Abaco Primary
School in Marsh Harbour. This was followed by the striking of the
flag at midnight and march past with an inspection of the Guard by the
Minister representing Government. The Prime Minister's message was
read by the islands’ number one patriot Senator Edison Key whose plane
was shot up and threats against his life were made in 1972 when he was
the one white Abaconian of public note who supported the PLP openly and
the question of Independence. But the celebration was a good one
for Marsh Harbour, a unifying one and people turned out in force.
David Ralph of The Abaconian took pictures of the event. Top - Leading
Abaco citizens Everett Archer, left and Bill Swain, second from right,
join in the official Independence celebrations at Marsh Harbour, Abaco
with the Honourable Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs & the
Public Service, second from left; Senator Edison Key, third from left and
Abaco MP Robert Sweeting, right. Right; Full ceremonial dress is on display
as ASP Clarence Russell (left) and Detective Inspector Cleophas Cooper
(right) stand at rigid attention. Bottom left; LITTLE DRUMMER – Inspector
Gregory Barr holds his ceremonial sword and looks on as Minister Fred Mitchell
inspects the Young People’s Band of Grace Baptist Church during Abaco’s
official Independence celebrations. The band joined members of the
Royal Bahamas Police Force regulars and reserves in the island’s Independence
parade. Bottom right; CEREMONIAL SWORD - Inspector Gregory Barr holds
aloft his ceremonial sword as he leads Foreign Affairs & the Public
Service Minister Fred Mitchell on and inspection of the Honour Guard at
Abaco, followed by ASP Clarence Russell and Detective Inspector Cleophas
Cooper.
THE
OPENING OF THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY
One of the most important events of the week of Independence was the opening
of the National Art Gallery. The Prime Minister gave the principal
address on Monday 7th July and the Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont cut
the ribbon. The Cabinet turned out in force and the Leader
of the Opposition Alvin Smith and former Minister of Finance Sir William
Allen were also there. The Tribune showed a photo of the opening
on Tuesday 8th July. From left were Sir William, Glenys Hanna Martin,
the Minister of Transport, the Prime Minister, and the Governor General,
the Minister of Education Alfred Sears under whose portfolio the Gallery
comes.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Hubert Ingraham,
his predecessor whose idea it was to use Villa Doyle, the nineteenth century
home of a former Bahamian Chief Justice for the Gallery. The architect
was Anthony Jervis seen behind the Governor General and Minister of Housing
Shane Gibson. To the left of Mr. Jervis and behind Minister Hanna
Martin is Hervis Bain, the designer of the Bahamian flag and the National
Coat of Arms. Tribute was also paid to the curators Dr. Krista Thompson,
Dr. Petrine Archer Straw and Ms. Erica James. Dr. Gail Saunders was
the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the development of the Gallery.
The admission charge is three dollars. The Gallery is open from Tuesday
to Fridays from 11 a.m. It will take several days to go through and
enjoy so you should plan several visits. Vision photography photo.
US
AMBASSADOR DEMITS OFFICE
This week is the last week for US Ambassador J.
Richard Blankenship in post. Mr. Blankenship will leave The Bahamas
on 18th July. He is to be succeeded in the first instance by the
Charge D'affaires Robert Witijewski. There is no word on a successor.
MAILBOX
This week, letter writer C. Askew has some thoughts
on Caricom, nationality and national pride:
"Just allow me a moment to vent my feelings with
respect to The Bahamas being a part of Caricom vs. the USA component.
"First, let me say that I am a proud Bahamian whose ancestors came from MICAL, Barbados, Jamaica, and Haiti. Each group has made tremendous contributions to the building of up of The Bahamas. I am therefore highly offended by persons who insist that we have no connection with the Caribbean.
"May I point out that in the grand scheme of things, we are all NORTH AMERICANS!!!! The Bahamas and the rest of the Caribbean are a part of the North American Continent. Therefore The Bahamas has no more exclusive right to the USA than any other island of the Caribbean. As a matter of fact, I wish to make it known that geographically both Bermuda and Canada are equally as close to USA. Bermuda is about 100 miles from the Carolinas and Canadians have the great fortune [or misfortune depending on your point view] of commuting daily either from Seattle, Washington to Victoria, B C. or vice versa to work. This happens on all the provinces that border the USA. Like The Bahamas, Canadians use the US$ daily. They are even allowed to hold US$ accounts without exchange control. The Turks & Caicos Islands though still a dependent of the United Kingdom use the US$ exclusively as their currency. Another fact to remember is that while we love to talk about the persons who came here from the USA during Americas break from Great Britain, kindly note that AMERICA did not exist until after the war. The loyalist left before that happened because they wanted to remain British. I say all this to remind Bahamians that not everyone shares the loyalist history.
"It is significant to understand that Caricom and The Bahamas share 30 years together. They need us and we need them. We can all learn from one another. Yes, the USA is close to us and they are a good ally to have, however don’t discount the value of the neighbours to the South of us. Our names our Ifill, Grant, Roach, Murray, Huggins, Edwards, Trotman, Fields, Greaves, Worrell, Dumont, Jones, Cumberbatch. We all have our roots in the Southern Caribbean and we are no less Bahamian than you who claim the loyalist ancestry. Just as a matter of fact, Sir Lynden Pindling’s father was a Jamaican; Sir Clement Maynard’s father was a Bajan. The Archbishop of Nassau, Rt. Rev. Laurence Burke now a naturalised Bahamian hails from Jamaica. One of the most prolific artists was Meta Cumberbatch, [the grandmother of the Minister of Financial Services and Financial Affairs] who hailed from Trinidad. She helped us to embrace our Bahamian culture. So please consider the welfare of those of us whose ancestry lies to the South of The Bahamas and who love the fact that The Bahamas is a part of Caricom. Thank you for allowing me to vent.
"A proud Bahamian of Caribbean descent."
C. Askew
BISHOP
GREENE IN HIS OWN WORDS
Bishop Sam Greene is the President of The Bahamas Christian Council and
he kicked off a firestorm of controversy following his remarks at the ecumenical
service at Zion Baptist Church, East Street on Sunday 8th July. He
said that he had learned that Canada had passed a law that allowed same
sex marriages. The Bishop said that he was opposed to such marriages.
Here is what he had to say in his own words as reported by The Tribune:
“The day The Bahamas Parliament decides that
they will do likewise and make a law so that a man can marry a man, and
a woman can marry a woman, I will be the first live Guy Fawkes. Whereas
the first Guy Fawkes failed, I will succeed.
“Canadians are educated people. The law
reminds me that there is more to life than education…
“Jesus had urged people to be fruitful and multiply.
But there is no way men with men and women with women could multiply… This
is a plan by the devil to destroy the family. As goes the family
so goes the nation. Under no circumstances should the people of God
allow such a thing to happen.”
(Editors’ Note: The Tribune pointed out that
Guy Fawkes was the gunpowder plotter who tried to blow up the British parliament
on 5th November 1605, in a bid to kill King James 1. The scheme was
foiled when Fawkes was found in the cellars about to light the fuse.
He and his fellow plotters were hanged, drawn and quartered in a series
of public executions in London. Bonfire Night on 5th November still
marks the event. We point out that the 5th November is normally marked
here in Nassau with the burning of Guy Fawkes on Ft. Charlotte.)
RESPONSES
TO BISHOP GREENE
Helen Klonaris is a writer and a woman’s activist
in The Bahamas. She wrote this letter to the Bahama Journal and The
Tribune in response to the comments of Bishop Sam Greene. Here is
what she had to say in her own words:
“In this age of heightened global violence, your
threat of terrorist action against parliament if they should dare pass
a law supporting gay and lesbian human rights is disturbing and completely
unacceptable. I am disturbed, sir, by your need to make such a violent
statement at all, drawing upon the example of Guy Fawkes, and further disturbed
by your hysterical remarks that equal rights for gays and lesbians is a
“a plan of the devil to destroy the family...
“How is it that out of a history of slavery,
of hate and violence, knowing what hatred and violence can do, we are so
ready still to hate and do violence to yet another group of human beings
who want nothing more than the same human rights you have to live, to love,
to work, to make families, to dream, to shape a life, their own. How indeed?
“Yes sir the devil is afoot. But not where
you say he is. The devil is present among us and smiling each time
we build a fence, a wall saying you are too black, too poor, too gay to
be a part of my world, my dream… The devil gets really excited when whole
nations rise up against other nations because one people are too Muslim,
too Jewish, and too Catholic. The devil is fed when bombs fall and
bullets rain down instead of water. The devil is fed when we believe
that peace is not possible…
Bishop Greene, I pray that you and all others
like you will meditate long and deeply on what you think is righteous.”
DR.
GILBERT MORRIS RESPONDS TO BISHOP GREENE
This letter appeared in the Nassau Guardian on Saturday
12th July calling for Bishop Greene to apologize to the country.
You may click here for the full comments
of the commentator Dr. Gilbert Morris.
IS
THE PUNCH EDITOR MARRYING?
For the second time within two months, Ivan Johnson
who is a second cousin to Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell and who is also
the Editor and publisher of The Punch has included in his paper speculation
about the supposed marriage of the Foreign Minister. This time Mr. Johnson
has gone further to name the daughter of an Anglican cleric in the East.
One supposes that one of Mr. Johnson’s old girlfriends from the UK must
have come calling lately and is set to pop the question is the reason why
this recent engagement of his in a silly season.
We find this cowardly and voyeuristic problem that
Mr. Johnson has to be curious. What is even more curious is the preoccupation
of Bahamians with trivia and nonsense. Here you have country that
is on the brink of economic disaster because of serious problems of political
mismanagement in the last administration. Daily, the Government struggles
to try and set things right. One supposes that this is the way people
deal with stress, they instead concentrate on nonsense and try to make
sense of things by engaging in trivia. But what it is really doing
is making a man with a curious and difficult psychology very very rich,
while he hurts many many people in the process. The Bahamian people
who read the paper and buy it are the agents to that hurt, and they don’t
seem to care.
Just for the record we say, anything read in that
paper must in our view be untrue. If it is in the Punch it is ipso
facto (as the lawyers say) a lie.
A.D.
HANNA IN HOSPITAL
On the eve of the 30th anniversary of Independence 9th July founding father
of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas A.D. Hanna was not feeling well all
day. He insisted however that he was going out to receive the flag
at the special ceremony on Clifford Park. And he did. Shortly
after returning home in the early hours of 10th July, he fell ill and was
taken to hospital. It appears that he has a bleeding ulcer and it
required an operation to stop the bleeding. On Saturday 12th July,
the doctors said that it appeared that he was doing well and was to be
returned to the ward from the Intensive Care Unit. We wish
Mr. Hanna and his family well. Nassau Guardian photo by Patrick Hanna.
THE
TRIB WRONG ON ICC
The Tribune has run a series of articles on the
International Criminal Court in which it asserts that The Bahamas should
not risk the wrath of the United States by ratifying the Statute of Rome,
which creates the Court. Let us be clear. The Tribune is wrong.
This is part of the same fawning and obsequious behaviour that comes from
that quarter that must be rejected. The fact is The Bahamas was one
of the original sponsors of the Court and The Bahamas should stop the delay
and ratify the statute creating the Court. The Court is a useful
instrument in situations where the domestic systems of a country are unable
to cope with crimes against humanity.
At the moment, the Government has said that there
are no consequences for The Bahamas signing or ratifying the ICC statute.
We should go ahead and sign. The United States has been pressuring
countries to sign so called non surrender agreements to exempt all US citizens
from the strictures of the Court. This would defeat the purpose of
the Court and should not be supported. The Miami Herald wrote in
its Editorial of Saturday 12th July “Suspending aid for 35 countries that
haven’t ceded to US demands for blanket immunity for Americans isn’t diplomacy;
it’s the kind of strong-arming that backfires when the United States needs
friends to support its counter terrorism free trade or pro democracy policies.”
SOLOMON
MINES FOR SALE
Ray Scott, Chief Executive of the Solomon's Mines Group that last year
merged with Norman Solomon’s Solomon Group of Companies, has said Solomon's
Mines is set to be sold. The Tribune reported on Tuesday 8th July
in its Business Section that Burns House parent company, ABDAB is set to
buy and is presently doing due diligence. ABDAB is principally owned
by the family of Garret ‘Tiger’ Finlayson. If this merger is concluded
it will mark a major transition from a white merchant business to a black
business holding in the country. Burns House, the liquor company,
was also one of the original white merchant companies. The market
is said to be soft for luxury jewellery and the market extremely competitive
but the speculation is that Burns House believes that its duty free liquor
business will have a neat fit with the jewellery business, one of the commodities
that tourists to The Bahamas generally buy. Tribune file photo.
COLINA
BUYS GLOBAL
The Colina Investment Group, which recently bought
the business of Global Life in The Bahamas, is now to buy Canada Life.
Colina has also recently bought the Nassau Guardian. Colina itself,
in its present investment composition, is a relatively new investment company.
We ask the question, is this expansion too rapid? And are the regulators
watching the composition of the investors and whether they have the ability
to manage the investments that they have under their control, both insurance
and non insurance assets? This must be particularly so since Colina
is a publicly traded company with people’s pensions tied up in it.
The regulators have to be especially careful in approving these acquisitions
by an insurance company, against the background of what has happened to
Doctors Hospital with its over expansion and to Abaco Markets.
THE
UBIQUITOUS RON PINDER
Clearly this is a man with a mission. Last week Ron Pinder, the Parliamentary
Secretary of the Ministry of Health was pictured in action at Clifton picking
up trash. This week, The Abaconian, the weekly newspaper of the people
of Abaco showed a picture of Mr. Pinder in Abaco inspecting the dump.
He is everywhere and on the job. He is amongst the most popular of
the Members of Parliament. No controversial statements, just seen
as a decent hard working and diligent guy. The photo is by David
Ralph of the Abaconian.
THE
MIAMI HERALD CARTOON
We thought that as there appears to be a slow unravelling
of the Bush rationale for the war in Iraq, and as the toll of dead US soldiers
mounts to our great chagrin and regret, you might appreciate the humour
in this cartoon published in the Miami Herald on Saturday 12th July.
BUSH
IN HAPPY HAPPY AFRICA
George W. Bush, the US President has ended his tour
of Africa and we are happy that so far he has refused to put US troops
in Liberia. What a curious turn of events. You first have country
after country including most black nations criticizing Mr. Bush for interfering
in their internal affairs including the interference in the internal affairs
of the Iraqi people, yet now they are pleading for US troops led by Mr.
Bush to go into Liberia to bring order out of chaos. Seems like a
lot of foolishness to us.
What happened to Africa’s vaunted ability to carry
out its own manifest destiny? Let Bush keep his troops at home and
let Africa solve its own problems. The tour has been dismissed by
many critics as being a cynical attempt to win the African American vote
in the next election. But the money for fighting AIDS is needed and
a good thing if it brings new resources to the fight. What we also
thought was curious was the fact that Kenya and Tanzania that suffered
with bombing of US Embassies were passed over by the Presidential visit.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO DEFENCE FORCE OFFICER
Sub Lieutenant Glenn McPhee received the prestigious Admiralty Binoculars
from the United Kingdom’s Training Establishment on board the HMS Iron
Duke in port for the Independence Holiday in The Bahamas. The officer
won the highest award while in training in the UK. He was unable
to stay to accept the award and so the award was conferred here.
The British High Commissioner Rod Gemmell made the presentation.
The High Commissioner said that the Sub Lieutenant had excelled at Dartmouth
Naval College so much so that the Commodore of the College recommended
to Her Majesty the Queen that he be presented with the special award.
Congratulations to him. Nassau Guardian photo by Patrick Hanna.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO NEW FEMALE PRIEST
The Anglicans have now ordained a third female priest.
Joining the ranks of the Rev. Angela Palacious, and the Rev. Beryl Higgs
is Rev. Willish Shantish Nottage. She is currently the Chaplain of
St. Anne’s High School and is the daughter of Barbara and William Nottage,
both deceased. The Nassau Guardian photo shows Rev'd. Nottage
prostrate before Archbishop Drexel Gomez at the ordination.
ALANA DILLETTE
The Nassau Guardian headline read 'Alana Dillette
tops Nationals'. Dillette continues to star at the National Swim
Championships going on this weekend at the Betty Kenning Centre in Nassau.
She has broken the record in the girls over 15 long course backstroke.
She broke the record of Anne Laure-Virgel’s set in 2000. Congratulations
to Alana. Alana, left, is shown with team-mates Amanda McPhee, Nikia
Deveaux and Jodi Curtis celebrating a recent regional gold-medal relay
win wiith a special national flag in honour of The Bahamas' thirtieth anniversary.
SUGAR
CANE LANE AND INDEPENDENCE
Members of a Foxdale Neighbourhood Association in Sugar Cane Lane, Fox
Hill held an Independence celebration boilfish breakfast and brunch Independence
Day, Thursday 10th July. The group is spearheaded by Mrs. Lillian
McPhee and the event was hosted at the home of retired Police Officer and
Court Prosecutor Ezra Curry and his wife Sheila Curry in Foxdale.
Before grace was said and boilfish served, the neighbourhood waited for
the arrival of Fox Hill MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public
Service Fred Mitchell who was representing the Government at official Independence
ceremonies in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Each neighbour brought a different
dish of food to the celebration, which continued throughout the day and
into the afternoon and evening. Mr. Mitchell told the residents that
theirs is an example of how neighbourhoods should come together in the
old fashioned way. “I am very encouraged by the spirit of neighbourliness
and community here in Foxdale”, said Minister Mitchell, “where everyone
truly functions as his brother’s keeper.” The Fox Hill MP lauded
the group for its efforts and noted that the Independence event, which
included people from all walks of life in the neighbourhood of Foxdale,
was “…a welcome reminder of all that is good in The Bahamas.”
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
MAX DEAN, UNSUNG BAHAMIAN PATRIOT
Max Dean is a ZNS 810 Radio Announcer in Grand Bahama that filled the 2-6
p.m. time slot until recently when some programming changes were made to
accommodate the DRIVE TIME TALK SHOW from 4-6 p.m.. So, we now have
an abbreviated version of the afternoon show with Max Dean.
We have witnessed over the past month an outpouring
of patriotism that has been displayed throughout the length and breadth
of The Bahamas. This week, NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA would like to take
this opportunity to pay tribute to Max for his unwavering stance on playing
and promoting Bahamian artisans and their music. It was Max who stayed
the course for promoting things Bahamian when he introduced to his afternoon
show TRIVIA on the Bible, The Bahamas and its geography.
What we consider Max’s most outstanding accomplishment
is when he took the time to interview leading citizens from every major
Bahamian island. As they told us some of the folk stories and
things indigenous to that island; we believe that these shows produced
by Max helped Bahamians to become more appreciative of their heritage and
things Bahamian. So today, whilst the rest of The Bahamas is
now beginning to appreciate that we have a proud heritage and have caught
up with Max Dean, we say THANK YOU for your unwavering stance and your
work has not gone unnoticed.
INDEPENDENCE RALLY
This past Tuesday saw hundreds of Grand Bahamians
turned out at the Walter Parker/Independence Park to celebrate the 30th
Anniversary of Independence with a Flag Raising and Police Tattoo.
The turn out in such large numbers caught most of the vendors by surprise
because by 9:30 p.m., all the vendors were sold out. Senator, The
Honourable Marcus Bethel presided over the ceremonies and inspected the
Guard of Honour as hundreds of young people stood spellbound as they watched
the police perform various stunts on their motor bikes, the fire department
and their demonstration, and finally, the Royal Bahamas Police Force band.
A SCHOLAR IN THE MIDST OF MACK TOWN SETTLEMENT
Lionel S. McIntosh, Jr. accepted membership in the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars and is to be honoured during a
campus ceremony this fall at the Johns Hopkins University. The National
Society of Collegiate Scholars is a highly selective non-profit honours
organization. Founded in 1994, NSCS recognizes first and second year
undergraduate students who excel academically. The society was established
on the principles that with scholarship comes responsibility to develop
leadership and a duty to perform service. Lionel is presently studying
Neuroscience. (Taken from the July 12th, edition of the Freeport News.)
He is the son of Lionel and Sharon McIntosh who presently resides in the
settlement of Mack Town, Grand Bahama. We thought it only fair that
we salute a local high achiever from a local settlement.
BS
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The United States Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship left The Bahamas on Friday 18th July after 18 tumultuous months in office. The most contentious point was when the Joint Task Force meeting between The Bahamas and the United States on anti drug matters was adjourned because of certain public statements made that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell considered an insult to the country. The country was tired of the public interventions that came off like a provincial governor of the United States lauding it over the country. The Minister said that he was acting like a satrap lecturing to a colonial dominion. The press predicted doom and gloom in the larger US/Bahamian relationship but that never happened. It was quickly patched up and the last joint task force meeting on 28th June went off without notice and nary a word in the press. The Ambassador was treated to a farewell reception at the Hilton British Colonial on Wednesday 16th July by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Derek Smith of the Bahamas Information Services took our photo of the week with the Minister and the Ambassador laughing over the gift. The Ambassador was heard asking the Minister: “There’s nothing ticking in there, is there?” |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BOTH SIDES MISSING THE POINT
Last week in the editorial comment we made the point in this column
that it was improper for a Bishop of the church and no less a person than
the President of The Bahamas Christian Council to make threats of violence
against the Government, either implicitly or explicitly. The comments
were made in connection with statements made at a church service on Sunday
6th July to commemorate the Independence of our country. The Bishop
said that if the Parliament passed laws allowing same sex marriages then
he would be a live Guy Fawkes and complete the job that Guy Fawkes did
not complete.
Guy Fawkes was the unsuccessful plotter who was hanged in Britain for plotting to blow up Parliament in 1605. The statement was clearly irresponsible. Some have now called for his resignation. Some have said like us that an apology was needed. Bishop Greene has done neither and has said that he will do neither.
Some pressure was mounting in the society for him to retract his statement. He has said that he will not. The unintended consequence of his statement was that it has now given a platform to the gay and lesbian Rainbow Coalition in The Bahamas to discuss publicly what had been a dormant subject in the country. The Rainbow Coalition has now formally called for legislation to sanction gay marriages. They have also said that they want the Government to comment or act against Bishop Greene for his threats of violence against the state. They then went on to overstate their case on the subject of gay and lesbian relations. In that respect both they and Bishop Greene have gone over the top.
The first point we wish to make is that both sides have missed the point in this issue. The issue is not in our view whether or not Bishop Greene supports gay and lesbian marriages or relationships. He is entitled to his view. He can say that as forcefully as he wishes. What he is not entitled to do is to advocate violence against the state when clearly there is no such deterioration in society to require it. A man of God (in fact no man) should be preaching violence.
As for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance while it speaks well of this society’s freedom of expression that there is now a dialogue on what has been a taboo subject, if they hope to get any public support or sympathy, they can’t go around saying over the top and silly things. In a story below, we quote an example this week of something that we think was a bit over the top about “half of the ministers of religion being homosexual and a significant proportion of Parliamentarians”. It is that kind of unrestrained rhetoric that is over the top. No doubt they would argue that you need that kind of over the top rhetoric to shock the sensitivities of Bahamians into thinking about these issues. We think it simply sinks their case.
The question then is simply one of violence and whether or not the call to blow up parliament for passing a law within its competence to pass is the right call to make. There is no defence for it. There must and should be an apology. If there is not one, then the good Bishop has given his critics a stick which forever can be used to whip him with in his future service as a Minister of religion.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 19th July at midnight: 43,957.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 19th July at midnight: 82,175.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 19th July at midnight:
764,842.
BISHOP
GREENE SAYS NO APOLOGY
Bishop Samuel Greene, the President of the Bahamas Christian Council, responded
in fury while speaking to The Tribune about calls for an apology on his
anti gay and lesbian rhetoric. Here is what he told The Tribune on
Tuesday 15th July in his own words:
“It’s [homosexuality] an abomination, it’s ungodly,
it’s wicked and it’s against the word of God…
On charges that he was fomenting violence by his
remarks:
“If they regard it as that then that’s up to
them, but let them all know that as long as they stay in the closet, I
have no problem, but they will not come out and influence Bahamians to
undermine what has been the law of this country. It will not happen
in The Bahamas, I don’t care what they say.” Tribune photo of
Bishop Greene.
RAINBOW
COALITION QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Helen Klonaris of the Gay and Lesbian support group
Rainbow Coalition in her own words spoken on Love 97’s Issues of Day on
Thursday 17th July with host Jeffrey Lloyd:
“None of us [Bahamian gays and Lesbians] is allowed
to walk down the street in public holding our partner’s hands. We
are not allowed to speak openly.
“If that were so I would venture to say that
perhaps half of the church leaders in this country would be openly gay
men. I would venture to say that a significant proportion of our
parliamentarians would be openly gay.”
A
CARTOONIST’S VIEW OF BISHOP GREENE
'Sideburns' from the Tribune of Wednesday 16th July and Thursday 17th July,
2003.
MYLES
MUNROE ENTERS THE GAY DEBATE
The Tribune of Saturday 19th July carried a front page story of comments
by Dr. Myles Munroe, head of Bahamas Faith Ministries (BFM) about the gay
debate going on in The Bahamas. He had a different tack. He
asked the Government to clarify its stand on the question of gay marriage.
He also urged the press not to sensationalize the whole matter. This
is not quite as straightforward as this would seem.
First, by his entering the debate the way he did,
Dr. Munroe feeds the press frenzy on this issue and so defeats the very
thing that he says he supports which is not to sensationalise the issue.
Secondly, there is no need for the Government to explain anything.
The question of gay marriage was nothing but a figment of the imagination
of one man Samuel Greene, the Bishop of Zion Baptist Church and President
of The Bahamas Christian Council. Privately, members of the Council
are backing away from his public comments. No one else was even talking
about it. So in one sense it is not an issue. Except now it
has become an issue because Sam Greene opened the Pandora's Box.
As with everything, the law of unintended consequences
kicks in. Dr. Munroe put his finger right on it when he said that
the media must be careful that it does not give the impression that gay
life is the normal thing in The Bahamas. We say it in a different
way. The unintended result of Bishop Greene’s intervention, which
presumably was meant to suppress support for gay life in The Bahamas, has
now made it possible for gay people to appear on radio and discuss the
mater. This in fact promotes the ideas of gay life. So the
clergy ought to find a way to put this genie back in its bottle.
What many are asking about Dr. Munroe is why does
he not condemn the call to violence by Bishop Greene?
Pastor Cedric Moss while disagreeing with same sex unions has decried
the call to violence. So has the President of the Christian Council
of Abaco. All other clergy have so far been stony silent on the question
of violence against the state. Tribune photo of Dr. Munroe by Dominic
Duncombe.
TAXATION
WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
The Bahamas Government is short of ideas on how
to raise money and short of money. The way things look now some of
the financial experts are predicting that if things don’t switch with its
tax system and soon, The Bahamas will be looking at ten years or more of
red ink in its Government budget. The taxes now collected through
customs duties cannot support the demands of the Bahamian public.
There is also a culture of tax non compliance.
One way that the Government can raise revenue is
to tax the tourism sector. It seems relatively painless in that this
is a transient group that is in a spending mode and so don’t really care
how much. They simply pay. The theory is that this is also
a way to extract the cost of the use of Bahamian resources by tourists.
With that in mind, the Treasury proposed and had the Prime Minister execute
a rise in tax for boaters to come to The Bahamas and cruise The Bahamas.
The Government had the objective of raising more revenue, but also wanted
to find some way to pay for the environmental costs of the boaters coming
into The Bahamas, who for 100 dollars were getting a cruise permit that
allowed them to take fish out of the waters in droves and dump their garbage
with impunity. Some from the South Florida area are said to have
been illegally engaged in commercial fishing operations using these permits.
The new tax was announced in the Budget Speech of
the Prime Minister. The response was immediate. You would have
thought that it was the Boston Tea Party all over again. E mails
to the Minister of Tourism from the sector and from boaters overseas.
They said The Bahamas should roll back the tax or they would boycott The
Bahamas. The usual recourse to an anti Bahamian website was employed
like the German twit who is on a one man campaign against Bahamian lawyers.
The Government at first suspended the tax and then changed its mind that
there should be a 150 dollars for cruise permits for boast up to 30 feet
and thereafter 300 for those beyond 30 feet. But still the threat
came. They started putting pressure on the marinas.
The whole matter is being reviewed by the Government.
Our view is simple, hard luck on them. If they want to boycott The
Bahamas do so but if they come then pay the tax.
THE
AMBASSADOR LEAVES
Those who attended the farewell for the United States Ambassador J. Richard
Blankenship said that it appeared that he was on the verge of tears as
he spoke about his time in The Bahamas and leaving office. He said
that despite what appeared to the public, the relations between the United
States and The Bahamas were good and so were relations between himself
personally and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
You may click
here for the Foreign Minister’s remarks at the farewell reception for Ambassador
Blankenship.
Mr. Blankenship resigned from office after only
18 months. It left the lingering suspicion in the country that he
may have been asked to cut short his term. He has persistently denied
that allegation. He said that he is returning to private business
and into the Bush For President Re-Election Campaign. He gave extensive
interviews with the media before he left including a press conference on
Thursday 17th July and a live radio talk show interview with Steve McKinney.
The Tribune reported a story on Friday 18th July
under the headline: BLANKENSHIP’S REGRET. In the story he said that
remarks made at the College of The Bahamas graduation about the ability
of the justice system in The Bahamas to cope with drug trafficking should
have been spoken earlier. He said that when he spoke them, just weeks
into the PLP's term the remarks were interpreted politically as being an
attack on the PLP. That is as close one supposes that the Ambassador
will get to an apology for conduct that many Bahamians felt was too intrusive
in the affairs of the country. But all is well that ends well in
this matter and we wish the Ambassador well in private life.
The Ambassador said that he will likely be returning
to The Bahamas, probably one of the Family Islands soon. BIS photo of
Prime Minister Christie accepting a courtesy call of farewell from US Ambassador
Blankenship by Derek Smith.
CARTOONISTS
VIEW THE AMBASSADOR’S DEPARTURE
'Shuteye' from the Bahama Journal and 'Sideburns' from The Tribune, both
of Friday 18th July, 2003.
CONSTITUTIONAL
REFORM
Paul Adderley, the former Attorney General who will not take the honour
of being Queen’s Counsel and Harvey Tynes who has taken the Honour of Queen’s
Counsel, are the head and deputy of the Constitutional Review Commission.
The Commission was appointed by Prime Minister Christie to review the Constitution
and make recommendations about changes. It published a booklet in
which it asked questions of the public and society’s leaders about how
the constitution could be amended. We hope that this leads to The
Bahamas becoming a republic. That would be the next significant change
for us. The Queen is anachronistic and has no relation to us so its
time to do away with the Monarchy. Not everyone, of course, shares
this view. See our Mailbox feature below.
Mr.
Adderley, left and Mr. Tynes are shown addressing the media in this photo
by Otis Forbes from the Bahama Journal.
PLANE CRASHES
There were two plane crashes in The Bahamas within a week. On Sunday 13th
July as we were putting up last weeks edition, an Air Sunshine plane out
of Ft. Lauderdale with ten people aboard set off for Treasure Cay, Abaco.
They never made it. They ditched in the water after engine failure.
Two people died. Then on Wednesday 16th July Captain Richard Reinhart,
a resident of Grand Bahama was taking off from Freeport’s International
Airport. He reported engine failure and then dropped nose down into
the pine fields. He died. Captain Pat Rolle of the Flight Safety
Inspectorate of The Bahamas said to the media that the safety of commuter
airlines is being reviewed. Firefighters hose down the wreckage
of Captain Richard Reinhart's single engine Cessna in the pine forests
of Grand Bahama in this Bahama Journal photo by Sharon Williams.
ANOTHER
CUBAN HIGHJACKING
There was a full court press by the press of The
Bahamas and the international press about the highjacking or stealing of
a Cuban vessel. The Cubans told The Bahamas Government that the boat
was headed our way. The Bahamas did not have the assets to be able
to know where the boat was, and at one point it seemed like a comedy of
errors when no Bahamian authority could seem to find this boat. That
reminds us of the times that Haitian vessels travelling at 4 knots can
make it up right into New Providence without being detected. All
of this raises the issue of the security of our country. We do not
have the resources to patrol the waters. Sometimes we can't even
effect simple search and rescue. For too many things we have to depend
on the Americans for help. The boat eventually passed into international
waters.
THE
PM’S SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMISSION
Prime Minister Perry Christie has a son who is autistic. That fact
features in many of his pronouncements from a public platform, and he is
visibly moved and identifies with parents who have to face the same problem
that he does. One of his preoccupations is that there should be some
system available through the Government to help with the raising of such
children. He worries aloud what will happen to his son Adam when
he and his wife are no longer on the scene. To help address the situation
at least from the aspect of education, he has now appointed a commission
to investigate the special education needs of the country and to report
back with recommendations on the subject. The Commission includes
such traditional leaders of the disabled community like Sir Durward Knowles
and Sheila Culmer. We hope that this Commission is able to make a
quick report and recommendations that are sensible and can be implemented.
BIS
photo by Peter Ramsay.
BAHAMIAN
ON HUNGER STRIKE IN CUBA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that
a Bahamian in a Cuban jail has gone on hunger strike. The prisoner
had earlier requested to be transferred under the treaty between Cuba and
The Bahamas to serve his sentence in The Bahamas. He later changed
his mind. The Ministry is said to be awaiting an urgent update.
Some Bahamian prisoners change their minds because there is a practice
in Cuba where after you have served half your sentence, you may be paroled
and expelled out of the country. When it turns out that this is not
the case, this often causes families and the prisoner distress.
What is not generally known is that under the terms
of the treaty with Cuba, if you transfer to The Bahamas to serve your sentence,
Bahamian authorities have the power to lessen the sentence upon the requisite
application to the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
BAHAMIANS
ARRESTED IN JAMAICA
Three Bahamian men were arrested in Jamaica on Thursday
17th July according to a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The three were said to be Anthony ‘BJ’ Johnson, Carrington Brown and Darrington
Knowles. They were charged with violations of the Aviation Act of
Jamaica and of discharging a weapon with intent. Increasingly Bahamians
are getting into trouble in Jamaica and Haiti in circumstances that give
rise to a belief that they are involved in drug smuggling.
A
HAITIAN ARMADA ARRIVES
The question of what to do with the incursion of illegal Haitian migrants
in The Bahamas seems to be more and more complicated every day. The
Government of the country wants to be sure that legitimate commerce is
protected while at the same time illegal immigration is discouraged.
It is difficult to do particularly in the face of this latest dimension
of the problem. Some 22 Haitian sloops set to trade in Nassau Harbour
came into the Harbour on Wednesday 16th July. The reports said that
the flotilla of ships was able to sail right into Nassau Harbour unimpeded.
This again raises the question of enforcement in The Bahamas.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Immigration
Department acting on information boarded the ships and arrested a number
of those on board. Some were charged and were imprisoned when they
were unable to pay their fines. It sent a panic through Bahamians
that there was this unimpeded flow of immigrants to The Bahamas. According
to the Nassau Guardian, the vessels had 100 persons aboard, 20 of whom
were without proper visa documentation. Three captains were fined
$500 a piece with each crew member being fined $300 and the vessels $500.
The law of The Bahamas requires all boats that come
from ports in Haiti to clear at Matthew Town, Inagua. The enforcement
of this is not vigorous. The picture of all those sloops in the Harbour
is bound to increase the pressure on the Government which some times reaches
hysterical levels to use draconian methods to decrease the Haitian illegal
migrant population in the country. Some of the 22 seized Haitian
sloops pictured at Prince George Dock in this Nassau Guardian photo.
COLINA’S
PLANS
It was reported last week that Colina Insurance has bought the business
of Canada Life Insurance in The Bahamas. We expressed the view that
this ought to be reviewed most carefully by the regulators given the rapid
expansion that the Colina group has been engaged in over the past years.
Not to be deterred the intrepid investors in Colina have indicated through
Chairman James Campbell that they intend to go out looking to buy even
more insurance business. There are some who suggest that this is
good for The Bahamas. They think that there are too many insurance
companies in the country. They say that Life of Barbados is next
on the list. We think again that it is necessary to make haste slowly
on this matter and that regulators ought to be sure that the best interest
of the country and the public is served. Nassau Guardian photo
of Mr. Campbell by Donald Knowles.
CHANDRA
NEAR A GIANT GOAL
Bahamians are watching with great admiration the work of Chandra Sturrup,
one of the country’s ‘Golden Girls’ at the last Olympics. The Bahamas
athlete is said by the Nassau Guardian to be the world’s leading sprinter.
The Guardian reports that this is the first time that a Bahamian sprinter
has been in this position. Friday 18th July Chandra won the third
leg of the International Association of Athletics Federation Golden League
series. She now needs to win the next three legs of the Golden League
series, win at the Pan Am games and the World Championship to cement her
status and replace her training partner Marion Jones as the top ranked
female sprinter in the world. File photo.
THE
KOBE BRYANT STORY
The Los Angles Lakers Basketball star Kobe Bryant is to face formal charges
of rape on 6th August in the state of Colorado in the United States.
Mr. Bryant, if convicted, could face 4 years to life imprisonment.
He admitted adultery in a tearful news conference in which he said that
he felt angry at himself. His wife was by his side.
The importance for us is that everywhere in The
Bahamas you go, there is a raging debate amongst the young men and women
about did he or did he not. Of course, rape is more than just a physical
act, there is also a mental element to the crime, and it turns on the issue
of consent. Typically there are only two people there, and in some
countries like The Bahamas in order for there to be a conviction there
has to be corroboration. Mr. Bryant has provided some corroboration
by saying that he had sex with the woman but he claimed that it was consensual.
Now it will be up to a jury to decide.
The organization that he works for said that they
refrain from making any judgment on the matter until the judicial process
is over. But clearly this is a serious matter for a handsome young
man, with an infectious smile who has been a role model for black young
kids and other children in his country and around the world and a money
making machine for himself based on his good guy reputation. Ironically
some now say that he has even more money making currency with this bad
boy image because of the rape charge. It was a big disappointment
amongst many that he would even get himself involved in such a situation.
But the guy is human. He is still a very young man, thrust into a
world of richness with everything including women at his beck and call.
It is a constant act of discipline to be on guard twenty four hours a day
to avoid being taken advantage of, where someone who pretends to be willing
suddenly goes sour and says it wasn't so.
Our hope is that Kobe Bryant is found not guilty.
We believe that he is innocent of the charge of rape, and we know that
most Bahamians wish him well even though we don’t even know him.
MAILBOX
Abolishing The Monarchy?
This contribution from Jeremy Sweeting in Abaco:
"I believe I wrote a letter to you sometime ago
on this matter. I am very passionate regarding this issue.
"I am from Abaco. Believe me, you will
not find a more prouder, more patriotic, Bahamian (I don't believe) in
our country. I enthusiastically celebrated our nation's 30th birthday.
I had black, gold, and aqua balloons flying on my vehicle along with a
couple of Bahamian flags. I went riding in my vehicle Independence
night playing Phil Stubbs " I'm Proud to be a Bahamian" song!
"Despite all of this, I think is would
not be a positive move to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic.
For one, the pomp and pageantry that the monarchy provides at celebrations,
such as the opening of parliament, etc. would be lost. The monarchy/Governor-General
has been an historic establishment. The history that it provides
is monumental, political giants such as Milo Butler and Gerald Cash have
held the office of Governor-General! We can't go and abolish this
office!
"Believe me, if the Queen had some influence
in our decisions, I would not be for it! But she doesn't, she is
just a figurehead and besides, being a member of the Commonwealth is a
big plus. I think the government and the Bahamian people better look
this over good before making any changes!
"Thank you,"
Jeremy Sweeting
BAHAMAS
INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS IN FLORIDA
Bahamians in Florida organised celebrations at the
weekend in celebration of the country's thirtieth anniversary of Independence.
Among the celebrations was a gala banquet held at the Broward Convention
Center in Fort Lauderdale, which featured Prime Minister Perry Christie
as its keynote speaker. You may click
here for the Prime Minister's address.
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
PASSPORT OFFICE
Summertime is said to be the busiest time at the local Passport office,
located in the National Insurance Building, Downtown, Freeport. The
office itself is unsuitable for the Passport office. There are files
all over the place and there is simply not enough space to accommodate
its staff and the public whom they serve. So this week without notice,
staff members called in sick, which left the office in chaos. The
local manager was not prepared to admit that an industrial action was underway,
but a later statement from Nassau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed
the sick out. They quickly dispatched two additional persons from
the head office in Nassau to assist the shortage of staff in the Freeport
office.
For the time being that should alleviate the long wait; but a more fundamental decision has to be made on relocating the office where handicapped citizens can be accommodated, more rooms to conduct interviews because at present the process is said to be taking as much as a full day. We hope the Ministry and the Minister would give their immediate attention.
CHANDRA STURRUP AND THE BLACK CRABS
On
Friday evening, viewers watching the ZNS news sports report were shocked
to learn of a threatening letter that was sent to Bahamian sprint sensation
and Golden Girl, Chandra Sturrup instructing her that she would be required
to run in the 100m, 4X100m at the upcoming Pan Am games. She is further
required to report to a training camp for practice. Under normal
circumstances that would be a reasonable request; however, this year things
have gone extremely well for Sturrup and she has recorded the fastest time
in the world this year in the 100m. She is just three wins away from
winning the one million dollars jackpot on the golden league professional
athletic circuit; and with Marion Jones sitting out this track season,
there is a strong possibility that Sturrup could win the three remaining
races in the series. There is a slight hitch in scheduling that might
cause her to choose between running for The Bahamas, or the million-dollar
jackpot.
We believe that this should not pose a problem for Sturrup because The Bahamas is a free and democratic state. This is not Cuba where the rights of the individual are trampled, but in The Bahamas, we believe in market forces, and the rights of the individual to excel and succeed, or so we thought.
Having regard to all the public relations and good will Sturrup has brought The Bahamas in her track exploits; Sturrup should have been given a pass if any schedule conflicts would have prevented her from pursuing her golden league championship winnings. It would have been the honourable thing for a grateful sporting association to do; but sadly, this was not the case. Instead, the association sought to revert to its old vestiges of what we call in the Bahamas "THE BLACK CRAB SYNDROME" that would prevent or obstruct any individual from winning a million-dollar jackpot. Our country will never achieve its full potential if we as a people will not distance ourselves from our old slave past and its thinking; we call upon the relevant sporting association to take the high road and do right by our countrywoman, Chandra Sturrup. If they find that too difficult a task, then they should do the honourable thing and hang their head in shame and turn themselves in. Cartoon 'Sideburns' from The Tribune of Saturday 19th July, 2003.
FNM and JOBS PROGRAM
Independence week would have been a picture-perfect week in Grand Bahama
when all the attention was turned to celebrating 30 years of Independence.
That was not to be when the island’s three FNM members of parliament accused
the government of playing political football with the summer youth job
program. The accusation levied was that applicants were asked to
underline the constituencies where they lived. While others complained
of calling the office and inquiring about the program only to be told that
all the applications were given out and spots were filled and the others
were given the good old kiss off. News from Grand Bahama was surprised
that no formal release was given by the PM's office disclaiming the FNM's
charge.
We believe that Grand Bahama deserves to know how many students are
to be hired and for which period and the dollar amount allotted to the
summer program. We, further, believe that any politician who engages
in unfair practices of tribalism will be dealt with severely by the voting
public. A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT.
BS
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - This week on Thursday 24th July, the Progressive Labour Party of Bermuda headed by Jennifer Smith was elected to a second term in office. It was considered a great triumph since they were elected to office for the first time in November 1998. That was the first time in government since the party was founded in 1963. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell was in Bermuda and witnessed history in the making in 1998 and now again in 2003. Bermuda has a form of Junkanoo that they call Gombey, and the Royal Gazette newspaper in Bermuda had a picture of one of its figures on the front page as Bermuda showed off its African culture at a Scottish Festival. Back in Bermuda on election night even though the PLP won, dark clouds of discontent were gathering. Twelve MPs gathered away from the official party celebrations and seemed to be calling for Premier Jennifer Smith to step down. The Premier won her seat on a plurality, polling 423 votes to the UBP’s 415 and the Gombey Liberation Party’s 16. Her opponents together got the fifty per cent plus one with a combined 431 votes, so Ms. Smith squeaked by with eight votes. As we went to press events were still unfolding. The photo of the week though is the figure of the Gombey of Bermuda so that Bahamians can see how close we are not just in the economic sense but also in the political sense. Photo by David McNie. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
SENSE NOT NONSENSE
The old saying where ignorance is bliss ‘tis folly to be wise comes
to mind as one reviews the comments of the official Opposition Free National
Movement on the question of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
The Free National Movement left office last year over the question of pushing
ahead on Government initiatives without consultation. The PLP is
involved in the consultation that is necessary to decide where we go with
our CARICOM relations. Both parties have the same view. We
wish to join CARICOM but with conditions.
The Free National Movement never consulted anyone on anything, much less CARICOM. The last Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham went down to the Caribbean and agreed to sign us on to pay the costs of the Caribbean Court of Justice even though we would not subscribe to the court as our appellate court in substitution for the Privy Council.
Owen Arthur, who is the Prime Minister of Barbados and the Prime Minister with lead responsibility for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy spent three days in The Bahamas from Sunday 20th July to Wednesday 23rd July. His job was to explain to the Bahamian public and engage in a discussion on whether The Bahamas should join the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. His suggestion was a qualified yes, and he has agreed to advance the notion of special consideration for The Bahamas.
Enter into the mix the Opposition spokesmen on the issue Zhivargo Laing (a disappointment if we ever saw one) and Carl Bethel (nothing he does surprises us). Both are former and recently defeated young turks of the Free National Movement. Mr. Laing is a newspaper columnist and Mr. Bethel is an attorney in private practice. Both have now attacked the PLP for the initiatives on CARICOM and we report on them below. They are the truest example of where ignorance is bliss ‘tis folly to be wise. One is forced to ask the question how intelligent people can come up with the pure disingenuous drivel that they produce and expect to be taken seriously. They play on ungrounded fears and play to the lowest common denominator.
But the case for CARICOM is clear. We have been members since 1983. We need to be part of a group in order to meet the world. We cannot stand alone, and it is unrealistic to think that we can stand with the US. They have no interest. Our markets are too small. Our friends in the lower Caribbean are the ones with whom to join. We can write our script to join. But join we must. There is nothing to fear. Changes in our tax laws and our trade relations are coming whether we like or not, so we should be at the table to help define and protect our interests. We report in detail below. We think of all of the press, the Bahama Journal was the only one who got it right on this, but we are indeed cautious because we know if the Bahamian people are misled on this and the public is prone to be misled, the PLP has a real political fight on its hands.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 26th July 2003 at midnight: 29,091.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 26th July at midnight: 111,266.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up Saturday 26th July 2003: 793,933.
ANALYSIS
OF BERMUDA’S POLITICS
The Progressive Labour Party of Bermuda is in crisis. They should
not be. Having been elected to office on 24th July, just last week
they ought to be in a happy mood. But in Bermuda, all is not as it
seems. Within a society where 60 per cent of the population is black
and feels oppressed by the 40 per cent whites, you are bound to have some
problems.
The PLP came to power for the first time in its
history in November 1998. Leading them to power was Jennifer Smith,
who has now served as Premier for almost five years. During her term
in office, she developed a reputation for being haughty and indifferent
to people, some say even rude. Not speaking to people. The
net result is that most people in the society feel that Bermuda should
have a PLP government; they just didn’t like the idea of her. That
seemed to be reflected in the latest election poll where for the first
time of single member constituencies, where her Government chose the boundaries,
she found herself winning only on a plurality. In other words, she
got less votes than her combined Opposition opponents. She got 423
votes, the UBP 415 votes and the Gombey Liberation Party 16 votes.
In a developed society she would have immediately
resigned as leader of the Party. Instead she went off to celebrate
with the faithful. 
The
only thing is 12 of her newly elected MPs didn't show up and it is believed
that they have decided on a policy of non co-operation. This is a
very dangerous time for the African movement in Bermuda. The
people of the country cannot lose faith in the ability of black people
to govern without fighting. But at the same time, many observers
say that the solution is simply for the Premier to step down. They
argue that if she steps down, the way will be paved for the best PLP government
and the best Government in the history of Bermuda.
Late word from Bermuda is that Jennifer Smith has
agreed to resign and that party delegates are to choose a new leader.
The current thinking is that the choice is likely between Alex Scott and
Ewart Brown, the Minister of Transport. Photos from the Royal Gazette
in Bermuda.
BERMUDA/BAHAMAS
LINKS
The Progressive Labour Party (PLP) of Bermuda and the Progressive Liberal
Party (PLP) of The Bahamas have close ties. Sir Lynden Pindling the
first PLP Leader and first Bahamian Prime Minister went to school with
Lois Brown Evans, the founder of the PLP in Bermuda. They collaborated
through the years of the PLP in Opposition and in Government in Nassau
and in Bermuda. Sir Lynden was relieved to learn that the PLP in
Bermuda had finally won the Government under Jennifer Smith.
The interesting thing is that Bermuda’s racial and
economic make up was and is similar to The Bahamas. The white population
is larger as a percentage in Bermuda than in The Bahamas but the dynamics
are the same. A white minority ruling a Black majority for a long
time, the Bay Street Boys of The Bahamas and the Front Street Boys of Bermuda,
both controlling the merchant commerce and the politics of the country.
For a time, we had the same initials for our Opposition parties as well.
The United Bermuda Party (UBP) of Bermuda and the United Bahamian Party
(UBP) of The Bahamas. And the white merchants of Bermuda invested
in The Bahamas and vice versa. And so it is interesting to watch
events unfold in Bermuda, given these close ties. Bermuda has now
joined CARICOM and The Bahamas was one of the main supporters of the decision.
BARBADOS
PM COMES A CALLING
Owen Arthur, the Prime Minister of Barbados is a name that is fairly well
known in The Bahamas. For three days last week, he was the guest
of honour at various fora hosted by The Bahamas Government. He was
in Nassau to explain what the Caribbean Singe Market and Economy (CSME)
is about. By most accounts he did a good job. But what was
interesting is despite all that he said and did; Bahamians in the main
had a negative reaction to the whole idea of joining the single market
and economy. It appeared that most Bahamians were not prepared to
listen to the facts. And in the end when faced with the facts that
this is a plus for the country, with very little if anything on the down
side, the response was “you can’t trust those West Indians”. So what
we are dealing with is prejudice. It is a prejudice that suggests
that The Bahamas is an American country. That is true but it is also
a Caribbean country, and the two can coexist and operate side by side.
It has been and is an African country and a European country. The
two have not easily mixed but mixed they have. We all have to get
along.
The Bahamas first joined CARICOM in 1983.
At that time, it signed on only to the functional co-operation. It
was possible under that treaty to do so. This meant that there was co-operation
in foreign policy and in the institutions of the Community like the University
of the West Indies. The rest of the Caribbean took the issue one
step further with a new Treaty of Chaguaramas, named after a town in Trinidad.
The idea was to have no tariff barriers between CARICOM states, and a common
external tariff against the outside world. That common tariff ranges
from 20 per cent on consumptive goods to zero percent 
on
manufacturing inputs. The Bahamas has not agreed to sign onto
the new treaty and continues to co-operate functionally with CARICOM until
the single market and economy is set up which will then mean we will have
to choose in or out. But no one in the Caribbean is forcing The Bahamas
to choose.
What is being said is that given the fact that the
world trading arrangements are becoming entirely rules based, given the
fact that we have applied to join the World Trade Organization which will
require the lowering of tariffs, given the fact that Caribbean trade is
only one half of one per cent of The Bahamas’ total trade, the choice of
CARICOM and the single market and economy should be a no brainer.
That logic does not work in The Bahamas. Instead, you have had adverse
reactions of every kind, fed by a dishonest Opposition. The fact
is that in joining CSME most Bahamians would see very little immediate
change. What must change is our tax system but our own experts are
saying that it is going to have to change anyway, because it simply is
not paying our way at the moment. If we stay the way we are, we are
looking at ten years of red ink in the future. Barbados Prime Minister
Owen Arthur faces the media (top) in a Tribune photo by Dominic Duncombe;
at right, Mr. Arthur is shown addressing members of parliament in a Bahama
Journal photo by Otis Forbes.
BAHAMIAN
PM ON CSME
Prime Minister Perry Christie is cautious by nature and will not commit
to a political event or decision until all the ‘t’s are crossed and ‘i’s
are dotted. Thus it is with the question of the Caribbean Single
Market and Economy. At the final press conference with the Prime
Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur at the Nassau International Airport, Mr.
Christie suggested that with the proper reservations The Bahamas could
well sign on to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. That is
the right thing to do. We need to advance in this matter. It
has dragged on for too long. The trip of Mr. Arthur to The Bahamas
provided the basis upon which the Prime Minister of The Bahamas could make
such a statement.
The fact is that there was a mish mash of inaccurate
information about CSME floating round. The Opposition was playing
cute even though they are in part the architects of the present policy,
and it is one with which the PLP is fundamentally in accordance.
It is in the best interest of the nation. And so we congratulate
the Prime Minister on bringing Owen Arthur to The Bahamas. It is
now time to get down to the language of the specific proposals for Bahamians
to consider as this matter moves forward. Most disappointing of all
though was Zhivargo Laing, the former Economic Development Minister who
completely misrepresented the visit of Owen Arthur as an attempt to convince
the Bahamian people to sign on to CSME. Mr. Laing is being politically
and intellectually dishonest. In the same breath, after a rambling
and largely incomprehensible column in The Tribune last week, he agreed
that CSME is the right way to go. Sheesh! Make up your mind!
Tribune photo by Dominic Duncombe shows Prime Minister Christie and
Arthur at Nassau International Airport.
OPPOSITION’S
VIEWS
It is silly season again. There is no better example of it than Carl
Bethel’s statements to the press on the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.
Mr. Bethel is the Chairman of the Opposition Free National Movement.
He attacked Prime Minister Perry Christie for not having a position on
the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. He said that Owen Arthur
should not be relied upon to do Mr. Christie’s work. He said that
the Prime Minister must tell the nation what his position is on the CSME.
This is stupidity in the extreme and not a little doltish.
First, the Prime Minister made it clear that The
Bahamas is not ready to sign onto CSME because the Government nor the public
were sufficiently informed about what the matters were about. That
is crystal clear, and Mr. Bethel must be in the only one in Nassau who
does not understand that. That is in fact the same position of his party
when it was the Government. Secondly, the visit of Owen Arthur was
not designed to take the place of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas having
a position but to inform the Bahamian public and the Opposition about the
matter so that an informed decision could be made. That was
crystal clear to everyone in the country except Mr. Bethel.
Mr. Bethel also knows that the PLP’s view and the
FNM's view is exactly the same. We both think that it is a good idea
but we want certain reservations and conditions worked out before we sign
onto it. The Prime Minister of Barbados has said that this is possible
and has committed to working with us to get it done. So what is the
confusion about that? The confusion is only in the mind of Mr. Bethel.
Perhaps he and the other confused young politician Zhivargo Laing (pictured)
should go sit together and knock heads to see if by knocking their heads
together they can understand what is going on.
CARL
BETHEL IN HIS OWN WORDS
The report on Carl Bethel and the CSME is taken from The Tribune of Friday
25th July. Here is what he had to say in his own words:
“It appears to us as if the government is instead
relying on a foreign Prime Minister to come to The Bahamas to tell the
Bahamian people what they should be hearing from their own Government.
“We don’t need to have, with all due respect
to Mr. Arthur, who is a Prime Minister of renown in the Caribbean and who
already has a tremendous impact on the shaping of Caribbean policy and
continues to do so, but with all due respect to him, his job isn’t to do
Perry Christie’ job…
“Owen Arthur cannot do Perry Christie’s job.
Perry Christie should do his own job and take time out to explain to the
Bahamian people what is the real deal…
“We are not only concerned about the free movement
of people aspects, what about the question of monetary union and how an
economy like The Bahamas that imports 90 per cent of its needs in US dollars
can get into a monetary union, with other economies that are not based
on the same principles…
“The Bahamas may well be in the position where
the only way we can get the kinds of exemptions in order to participate
meaningfully in an international Free Trade Area or the World Trade Organization
(WTO) is by virtue of being a member of a larger trading bloc…”
(What is clear is that Carl Bethel is engaging in intellectually
dishonest waffle. He knows that the FNM has committed to CARICOM
and that the PLP and the FNM take the same position on the matter; we should
enter with conditions. Indeed his leader Senator Tommy Turnquest
earlier in the week published an extensive set of proposals, which indicated
the FNM’s willingness to join CSME with conditions. The comments
therefore are idiotic and designed to mislead. His former leader
Hubert Ingraham committed The Bahamas to pay for the costs of the Caribbean
Court of Justice that is to replace the Privy Council even though we are
not going to use it. Mr. Bethel was part of the Government that made
that decision. He also knows and his MPs who were there can tell
him that monetary union is no longer a part of the CSME arrangements.
That is a dead issue. Shame on you Carl Bethel for seeking to mislead!
– Editor)
BEC
ON STRIKE ALERT
The trade unions at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation
have been up in arms for some time, quietly simmering over one disappointment
after another at BEC. Their appeal for political help and support
seemed to be falling on deaf ears. The management of BEC seemed to
be able to defy with impunity both the letter and the spirit of their contracts
of employment and of any instructions given by the Government. Now
the latest saga has burst into public view with the reported dismissal
of Timothy Moore the president of the management union. The line staff
were said to have been outraged and reported to the press that they were
on strike alert. The Minister of Labour Vincent Peet intervened and
at week's end there was some suggestion that the matter may be settled
without recourse to industrial action. It is interesting that
a Government that came to office with a labour friendly moniker now finds
itself in the position of having to defend the dismissal of a union president.
DRILLING
FOR OIL
Don’t count on it, but the bigwigs of Kerr-McGee
the oil exploration company were in town on Tuesday 22nd July in order
to officially launch their licence for oil exploration in waters some 100
miles to the north of Grand Bahama. Their spokesmen seemed convinced
that there is oil in them there waters. We will of course believe
it when we see it. For the moment, the big show complete with cocktail
reception gave a good impression. It would be wonderful if we find
commercially viable quantities of oil but chances are with our luck as
a country when we find it, the developed societies will have found some
other way to run these engines that we have. Oh well we can always
dream on! Prime Minister Perry Christie is shown at right with David
Christian, Vice President of Kerr-McGee in this Tribune photo by Dominic
Duncombe.
THE
CASE FOR CONSULTATION
If you cast your mind back to conditions in the
country’s politics just about February of last year, you will remember
that the atmosphere in the country was polemical and fractious. People
were sick and tired of public policy by fiat, without consultation, being
thrust down their throats. That was the main reason in our view that the
request to amend the constitution was rejected by the Bahamian people.
The Christie Government vowed to solve that problem by not proceeding without
the widest consultation. That clearly is the better way. The public
should be allowed to have a say and exchange ideas with their elected leaders
so that informed and evidence based decisions can be made on both sides.
Now the hue and cry is that the PLP must go ahead and make a decision.
That is the thrust of what Carl Bethel, Zhivargo Laing and the motley crew
who run the FNM have to say. But we should not be surprised.
They are the same ones who would not restrain their leader Hubert Ingraham
as he ran them up on the rocks. Now that they are hearing the dialogue
and benefiting themselves from the fruits of consultation they think that
consultation is a bad idea. There is a case for consultation.
It is the better way, and we commend the PLP for doing so.
CHANDRA
STURRUP’S BEST INTERESTS
The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations
(BAAA) has responded to the pressure from the public and will not stand
in the way of Chandra Sturrup, the Bahamian sprinter, as she continues
in her quest to win a million dollar prize on the running circuit.
This is a good thing and BAAA was getting a bad reputation for being niggardly
in insisting that she run in the Pan Am games, or else.
NEW
ANGLICAN PRIEST
Ian Vincent Claridge a former Atlantis Sous Chef
has been ordained an Anglican deacon after graduating from the Codrington
College in Barbados. He was ordained at St. Margaret’s Church in
Kemp Road in New Providence.
PUBLIC
SERVICE NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
The public sector unions have been in the press
several times over the past week in The Bahamas indicating what they describe
as a stalemate in the talks between the Government and themselves over
the proposed postponement of the salary increase that had been negotiated
by the Ingraham government that should have kicked in on 1st July.
The Government has indicated publicly that it wishes to postpone the obligation
until December 2003. The Unions say that they want the Government
to agree to pay part in October and then another part in December.
It appears that there are no other issues left except that one. This
means that the parties are back where they started.
The union presidents said that they wanted to speak
to the Prime Minister. John Pinder, the BPSU President, seemed to
suggest that they believed that Public Service Minster Fred Mitchell did
not have the authority to make a decision on the matter. The Minister
came back to say that the Cabinet was quite firm that the decision should
be postponement to December. The unions were free, he said to speak
to the Prime Minister, but it was unlikely that anything would change with
the Government’s position. The parties are scheduled to meet on Monday
28th July to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister.
MEANWHILE
IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE UNION
There appears to be a disagreement afoot in the
Bahamas Public Service Union and the rest of its leadership. The
Union President was the subject of a story in The Tribune that was pinned
on an unnamed source that said that they disagreed with the way he was
conducting the Union’s business. The Union President responded with
a stinging rebuke. Now the Executive Vice President of the Union
has responded with a letter to the press published on Thursday 24th July
in The Tribune. Here is what the letter said:
“As the Executive Vice President of the Bahamas
Public Service Union I would like to express my regret for the remarks
made by the President in your daily, concerning the above, dated 24th June,
2003. Most of the officers are hard working, dedicated individuals
and deserve to be treated as such. The media is not the place to
disparage the character of any officer. If and whenever an officer
is found wanting, this should be dealt with internally. We are focused
and our greatest thrust is to enhance the welfare of our members.”
IMF
SAYS WE CAN’T COMPETE
The new International Monetary Fund report is now
up on the IMF’s website. You may click here
to read the full report. But of great importance is the fact
that the IMF believes that The Bahamas is losing out to its rivals in tourism
in the Caribbean - the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Cuba. We accept
the first proposition but not the last. We think that the main competition
for us is Jamaica, and if they ever solve the crime problem, The Bahamas
is in trouble. The Bahamas does not compete for the same down market
niche as Mexico, DR and Cuba. But on a larger point the IMF had this
to say about how to address our lack of competitiveness:
“Labour rigidities and inefficiencies in the
utilities sector risked undermining the Bahamas competitiveness in the
context of a fixed exchange rate…In this regard, the executive board supported
the steps taken to contain the wage bill and recommend additional spending
restraint, particularly with respect to transfers to inefficient public
enterprises. Directors also encouraged action to reverse the recent
decline in the tax ratio. They called for tax reform to broaden the
tax base and eliminate distortions in the tax system. Improvements
in revenue administration should be given high priority.”
THE
GREAT GAY DEBATE GOES ON
One wonders if Bishop Samuel Greene really understood
what he was saying and who he was addressing when he launched into a tirade
on Sunday 6th July against gays and lesbians in The Bahamas but more importantly
threatened to blow up the Government of The Bahamas. It appears that
he still did not get the point over the past week. He has refused
to back off his statement that he intends to blow up Parliament if a law
is passed which sanctions gay marriages. Marion Bethel, who is the
wife of the Attorney General Alfred Sears, felt moved to write the press
last week and the letter was published in The Tribune and the Bahama Journal.
Ms. Bethel is an attorney and poetess. She examined each of the issues
in turn. Here is what she what to say in part in her own words:
“Bishop Greene came from out of the “Canadian”
blue. As far as I am aware, there is no pending Bill before Parliament
in regard to the legislation of gay marriages nor has any sector of the
Bahamian public sought to lobby on this issue. There is, however,
a multitude of urgent and critical matters (national, regional and international)
that demand the full and careful attention of all of us as citizens of
this country. The legislation of gay marriages was not an issue for
the Bahamas up to this point…
“As a national religious leader Bishop Greene
is obligated always to come to the pulpit or the table with a compassionate,
tempered, honest and well-informed address or contribution. I believe
that we, the public, are entitled to such preparation and deportment from
our leaders and must consistently demand it. I was disappointed in
his address on that score…
“We may interpret Bishop Greene’s remarks as
an effective and definitive assault on the human rights of gay citizens
and even as a victory. But it is clear to me that the tide of time
is against those of us who seek to create a standard of civil rights different
to those that we grant ourselves. The road to majority rule stands
as a bold and enduring testament to that..."
[Bishop Greene said that he objected to homosexuality
because the Bible said to be fruitful and multiply and gays could not do
this in their sexual relationships. Ms. Bethel commented on that]
“The fruits of this earth, this life and this
living are many. Children are but one class of the fruits - the fruits
of procreative sex. There are the fruits of our labour, the fruits
of our love in action, the fruits of our capacity actively to love ourselves,
our families and other peoples; the fruits of our compassion, the fruits
of our parenting and nurturing; the fruits of our social justice; the fruits
of peace; the fruits of our prayers; the fruits of our faith; the fruits
of our hope; the fruits for our charity, our generosity; the fruits of
our country’s economy; the fruits of our leadership; the fruits of the
sea; the fruits of our struggle; the fruits of democracy; the fruits of
sex; the fruits of our differences. The categories are endless."
FR.
JOHN TAYLOR AND FELIX BETHEL
It has fascinated us the amount of copy that has
dealt with the remarks of Bishop Samuel Greene on Independence Sunday at
the Zion Baptist Church. Bishop Greene told the press in defence
of his remarks that he does not want any sissies deciding the future of
this country. He said this in defence of his threat to blow up the
Government if the Parliament passed a law on the issue of gay marriages
with which he disagreed. Felix Bethel is a commentator and pundit
who writes a column in the Bahama Journal. He visited the subject
and you may click here for the full column.
Similarly Rev. John Taylor, a retired Anglican priest made his own statement
in a column in the Bahama Journal. You may click
here for the column. Both articles appeared on Thursday 24th
July.
A
STRAIGHT GUY AND AN OLD MAN
Andrew Jones says that he is a straight guy with
HIV. He wrote this to The Tribune in the face of the remarks of Bishop
Samuel Greene to ban same sex marriages. And then there is the contrasting
view of former Senator (PLP) Alexander Maillis.
First Andrew Jones:
“I challenge the assertion that the gay community
is anti-family and that the pursuit of gay rights is a plot to undermine
the family. This is, in my view, an entirely spurious notion. Gay
people belong to families and they love them as much as anybody.
They are certainly my family and when they are attacked and demeaned I
consider that my family is under attack. No gay person has ever pressured
me to join the club. Gay people understand as well as anybody that
sexuality is a question of mutual consent and affinity. To the very
best of my knowledge there is no “gay Agenda” that seeks to persecute heterosexuals
or undermine the heterosexual community. The idea is absurd.
Gay people do not seek to take over the world; they only want what we all
want, love respect tolerance and understanding. They are not looking
for converts."
Then Senator Maillis:
“What man or woman would enjoy going into old
age without children or grandchildren, without heirs to enjoy what he or
she worked hard to leave them better off in life.
“As one who had reached “old age” with aches
pains and weaknesses sight, hearing and limbs, please believe me – the
only painkiller for old age negatives are those little ones scampering
around you and taking over from you as you fade into the inevitable end.
Rainbow Coalition don’t abolish happiness in old age. Rethink your
objections.”
THE
COURT OF APPEAL THROWS OUT A CASE
Maurice Glinton and Leandra Esfakis must be congratulated
for the steadfastness and fortitude in the face of a hostile Court of Appeal.
On Monday 21st July, the two appeared before the Court to argue for interlocutory
relief in a case that would bring to a halt the application of the Financial
Services laws passed in a rush and under international pressure by Hubert
Ingraham's administration. Sitting in the court was Sir Orville Turnquest.
Presumably, Sir Orville was able to see the dismissive way the Court of
Appeal dealt with arguments of Counsel and the discourteous manner in which
counsel were spoken to.
The matter of interlocutory relief before the Court
was dismissed. One can agree or disagree with judges’ decisions but
it is most important for a judge to hear both sides, and to exercise patience
and courtesy in dealing with those before the courts. In too many
cases, the litigants in a case before the Court of Appeal go away with
the impression that they have not had their cases properly aired because
of the way that judges speak to Counsel in the Court. This is a matter
that should cause someone to move under constitutional grounds to see whether
this is proper behaviour. Otherwise someone should seek legislative
relief to allow for some sort of sanction of judges who simply do not conform
to an accepted way of behaviour in the Courts.
PHIL
SMITH SPORTSCASTER GRAVELY ILL
The ZNS Sportscaster Phil Smith is in intensive
care at the Princess Margaret Hospital after being diagnosed with kidney
failure. He is believed to be gravely ill but Mr. Smith told The
Tribune that he is up to fighting to survive.
RALPH
HANNA SUPPORTS MAYNARD
OK, OK, the headline was just to get you here, but this historical
photo is worth a look, and a smile. It's been doing the rounds on
e-mail and we thought we'd share it with our readers. The young Hanna
is now all grown up and Sir Clement now an elder statesman.
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA -
Bannister & The BAAA
In the face of an unpopular decision BAAA’s President Senator Desmond
Bannister on his return to Nassau on Monday 21st July was apprised of the
mounting pressure from the Bahamian public about the letter that was sent
to Bahamian sprint sensation Chandra Sturrup requiring her to take part
in the Pan Am Games. The decision would have caused Sturrup some
scheduling conflict with her Golden League quest for a million dollar jackpot
should she win the next three races. In an uncommon display of leadership,
Senator Bannister called a news conference and took full responsibility
for the letter and made no excuses for his actions. He rescinded
his request to Sturrup and what was also noteworthy is that he did not
drag his executive into the debate. He told the public only that
there was no malice or ill will on the part of the BAAA when the decision
was made.
Three lessons can be learned here, the first: board chairmen or presidents are the ones to take the fire when decisions are made and acted upon and not the collective; second, members of any committee or board could be expected when controversy arises to hide themselves in the safety of the tall grass. Third, as a leader, when one takes responsibility for one’s actions and makes no excuse, life seems a lot simpler and controversy goes away a lot sooner.
Cool Reception To CSME
There is no force that galvanises Grand Bahamians as when they believe
their economic interests are threatened in any way. This was the
case when the Grand Bahama Port Authority hosted Prime Minister Owen Arthur
of Barbados to a luncheon at Our Lucaya. He was politely welcomed
and attentively listened to, but when he was finished the question of what
would the impact for the Freeport model if The Bahamas were to sign on
to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy was raised. Most in attendance
believe the question was not answered and felt that a lot more information
would have to be given before an intelligent answer could be given as to
whether CSME could be beneficial to this community. On the streets,
however, the opinion was less courteous.
Some observers who listened to Mr. Arthur’s town meeting admitted that some changes to our tax structure might have to be made in the future, but to become a part of the Caribbean market was of no benefit to us. On the other hand, one said, “We do little or no trade with the Caribbean so it is really trying to create a false market that doesn’t exist… our real trading partner is South Florida.” At Wendy’s, the discussion group said the only good thing about the idea is that Christie is Prime Minister and he isn’t going to rush into anything, so we don’t have to worry about that ever taking place because the people will ultimately decide and they aren’t convinced. So it would seem that the Government of The Bahamas has its work cut out in trying to convince the Grand Bahama community on CSME.
Grand Bahama Shipyard
This week the Grand Bahama Port Authority union was in the news when
they staged an early morning demonstration outside the entrance to the
Grand Bahama Shipyard on the Fishing Hole Road. The union said they
wanted to get the message to the company that they are unhappy with G.N.
Shipyard “not honouring our union contract when it comes to the layoffs
of employees”. Union spokesmen said that employees were laid off
without the union being notified. The company’s spokesman claimed
that they had suffered heavy losses and the plant is only operating at
twenty five percent of its capacity.
Out of the136 laid off only six were Bahamian. Employees feel that those Bahamians were laid off because of their union involvement. They further believe that the company is taking advantage of the foreign employees who, they say, will work under any conditions and for minimum wage out of gratitude for being in The Bahamas and able to send money back to their impoverished families. Ultimately Bahamians who work there, say the union, will suffer devaluation in the price of their labour. Union members were wondering along whether this is what they have to look forward to when globalisation comes calling.
Others have said that the unions should not push the company too hard
because there are other ports that would be happy to have a shipyard of
that magnitude relocate to their jurisdiction.
BS
A letter from attorney Rawle Maynard who weighs in on the question of utilities and the troubles of the parent company of Grand Bahama Power.
UTILITIES
Freeport is like a Condominium; there is individually owned private
property and there are community property and utilities held by the Grand
Bahama Port Authority Ltd. For the benefit of the individual property owners
who pay service charges to meet the expenses of maintaining the community
property and services. In place of Condominium legislation there
is the Hawksbill Creek Agreement made between The Government Of The Bahamas
and The Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd. Licencees and others have
rights under this Agreement, which it is clearly the duty of the Government
to enforce and protect.
Recently, during the FNM 's administration the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd., contrary to its obligation under the Hawksbill Agreement to operate Utilities for the duration of the Agreement, sold a majority of the shares in Freeport Power Co. Ltd. To Southern Electric Inc., a U.S.A. corporation, and transferred to the two principal shareholders of The Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd. Personally, the remainder of the shares.
The reasons given for this bold and unprecedented step was that the end would justify the means, i.e. the people of Grand Bahama would be better off for it. It was said that (1) Freeport would be extended to the rest of Grand Bahama; (2) that the purchasing power and influence of Southern Electric would bring economies to the acquisition of equipment and expertise and that as a result the quality of service would increase and the cost of electricity would decrease. Needless to say, these benefits have yet to be realised. However, cost has increased and quality of service decreased and it is reported that Southern Electric’s parent company has filed for Chapter 11 protection. Another Enron?
We hear the same reasons being given for the sale of BaTelCo; i.e.
that the bold and unprecedented, if not unlawful, means of sale will be
justified by the benefits which will accrue to the Bahamian people.
If the experience of Grand Bahama is any guide, dire consequences are likely
to follow any sale of BaTelCo.
Rawle Maynard
