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Volume: 113 No.29

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2017

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PM: Sears has had a fair shot Christie rejects concerns over leadership vote

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Perry Christie said that former Attorney General Alfred Sears has been given a fair shot to lead the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), despite concern that the party’s late convention may discourage delegates and party stalwarts from approving a change of leadership so close to the next general election.

The PLP’s convention will be held in the final week of this month. It was postponed several times, most recently from November because the staging of a major political event so soon after the passage of Hurricane Matthew was a

concern to some members of the party.

Some have criticised the PLP for the convention’s postponement, believing it encourages members to rubber-stamp Mr Christie as leader out of fear that choosing a new leader now will bring too much disruption to a party that plans to portray itself this year as the only stable party in the country.

When asked yesterday if the January convention is fair to his challenger, Mr Christie said: “I know he’s done a lot of work. I know he’s covered a lot of areas, I know he’s called people over and over again, so he’s had a fair opportunity to sell himself and make his case.”

SEE PAGE FIVE

PROPERTY GUIDE INSIDE

FIRST MURDER OF YEAR AS MAN RIDDLED WITH BULLETS

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE first homicide of 2017 was recorded in the capital mere hours into the new year when a man, whose body was riddled with gunshots, was discovered by a group of friends in an efficiency apartment on Dabloon Drive, off Faith Avenue on Sunday.

SEE PAGE SIX

Valley victory

NOTTAGE: PLP IS BEST FOR POLICIES TO FIGHT CRIME

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WHEN Bahamians ask themselves which political party has the best policies to fight crime and improve people’s lives, they will say the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) does, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage claimed yesterday.

Stressing that last year’s decrease in murders compared to the previous year

- from a record 146 in 2015 to 113 - was due to strong police work and Urban Renewal, Dr Nottage said officials cannot be satisfied because there is still more work to do to combat violent crime.

His comments came on the sidelines of the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade.

“I think when you look at the whole broad spectrum and public policy and the SEE PAGE SIX

A DANCER with the Valley Boys as the group marched to victory during the New Year Junkanoo. For more photographs, see pages nine to 15 inside.

Photo: Terrel Carey/Tribune Staff

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Valley Boys recovered from a humbling fifth place finish on Boxing Day to win their fourth consecutive New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade, according to unofficial results announced last night.

With a circus theme, the group received 80.23 points, finishing ahead of the Boxing Day winners, One Fam-

ily, who received 78.91.

Shell Saxons Superstars were third with 77.17 points, Roots fourth with 76.58 and A category newcomers, Genesis Warhawks, received 67.96 points.

Penalties proved decisive in determining the results, Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) Chairman Silbert Ferguson said, although the penalty scores were not released before press time last night.

“I’m a little bit disap-

pointed that we didn’t read the penalty scores,” he said. “In a parade as tightly contested as these last two parades, especially (the) A category, one penalty, which is one person in a cloth costume, they can destroy your group. As we have tightened the scores in these parades over the last three parades, we recognise how important these penalties are. The penalties played a major role in the final results.”

Valley Boys won the best music, banner, free dance, off the shoulder and overall performance categories.

Roots won the step down, group costume and the Shirley Street performance categories while One Family won the lead costume and choreograph categories.

In the B category, Colours continued their domination of the parades, winning with 76.53 points.

SEE PAGE NINE

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FREE National Movement Chairman Sidney Collie was adamant yesterday that he “doesn’t put anything past” the Progressive Liberal Party led gov-

ernment, while suggesting that it was operating a form of “voter suppression” ahead of the 2017 general election.

Amid reports that some women have been turned away from registration sites because of “improper” attire, Parliamentary Com-

missioner Sherlyn Hall last week defended the right of his staff not to process people because of their clothing, telling The Tribune women registering to vote with “half their breasts out” is not permitted.

In response, Mr Collie said the practice flew in the

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face of both the Bahamas Constitution and the Penal Code.

Neither of these, Mr Collie said, gives any government agency claim to deny a Bahamian citizen the right to exercise their rights.

SEE PAGE SIX

PAGE 2 , Tuesday, January 3, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham with his wife, Delores, at Lyford Cay Club.

Photo: Peter Ramsay/BIS

SMILES FOR THE NEW YEAR AS DELORES INGRAHAM RECOVERS FROM ILLNESS DELORES Ingraham and her husband, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, saw the new year in at the Lyford Cay Club on Saturday and showed she had recovered from the seri-

ous infection which had hospitalised her in the autumn.

Mrs Ingraham, 68, was admitted to Doctors Hospital in late September and treated in the Intensive Care Unit suffering from a high

fever. She was subsequently taken to the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, for further diagnosis of an infection.

She is a veteran educator and former principal of C C Sweeting High School.

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Tuesday, January 3, 2017, PAGE 3

THE PROTEST march to Rawson Square on Black Friday.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Henfield: Gangs told to recruit marchers to join PLP parade RANARD Henfield, lead organiser for the We March Bahamas group, has claimed that he was approached by two “gang leaders” on Sunday who allegedly told him they were asked to “convince the streets” to march with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) on Majority Rule Day instead of the activist group.

He made the allegation in a Facebook post on Monday. He also posted an open letter to PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts, suggesting that the two groups march side-by-side from Clifford Park to Bay Street.

Mr Henfield wrote that his group is certain Mr Roberts would put “country over party politics” and accept the invitation to march together for a “common loftier goal.”

We March Bahamas and the PLP have conflicting

marches planned for next Tuesday, which is Majority Rule Day. “I pray about everything,” Mr Henfield wrote on Facebook. “Most times, God says ‘stand firm but remain humble!’ One of my biggest concerns is keeping the We March supporters safe. The next is to give a voice to the voiceless, then raise awareness to their plights and help them bring about change.

“On Sunday, I was approached by two different gang leaders at two different places, both of whom advised me that they’ve been asked to convince the ‘streets’ to march with the PLP instead of with We March. Both of them have chosen to stand with the people and have issued their orders on the streets that the people must stand up to government,” he alleged.

“While I understand that some supporters of the status quo are trying everything possible to muzzle the people’s voice, let us stand firm for one more moment then begin our journey towards a better Bahamas for all!”

Last Wednesday, in a Facebook post Mr Henfield revealed that “after several weeks of back and forth” the Cabinet Office rejected the group’s application to protest in Rawson and Parliaments Squares because the “event conflicts with another event” already booked for that date.

Late last year, Mr Roberts announced that the PLP had also planned a march to mark the 50th anniversary of Majority Rule.

We March Bahamas had planned to protest on Monday, January 9 - the original

observance date announced for Majority Rule Day. However, in early December it was announced in Parliament that the holiday would be observed on the actual date of the historic event, Tuesday, January 10.

The change in the public holiday calendar has been perceived by many as an attempt by the government to strike a blow to the success of a second event by We March Bahamas.

Representatives from the group have said they are going ahead with their plans for a march despite the rejection from the Cabinet Office for use of the areas they had requested.

In his letter to Mr Roberts posted online on Monday, Mr Henfield wrote that he was concerned about the perception of animosity between his movement and the PLP.

“We March is not antiPLP, anti-FNM or antigovernment,” Mr Henfield wrote. “We March is a movement of the Bahamian people that want to see an end to petty politics and have government focus on fixing The Bahamas. You and I can agree that there are a lot of changes to be made to benefit our people. “. . . It would be in the best interest of our people that we, the PLP and We March organisers, publicly state that both sides want the same thing, a country where the Bahamian people can freely, peacefully and respectfully voice their concerns and mandates on any administration. It’s in the best interest of all Bahamians that we both publicly state that we want to put an end to political victimisation and oppression.

“Further, that we both want the administration of

the day and any other that will follow to listen to the people and follow the people’s will. It is in this spirit of ‘love and unity,’ ‘pressing onwards, marching together’ that I propose that we march side by side in black on January 10 from Clifford Park to Bay Street and that we publicly and immediately ask the Bahamian people to stand united on Majority Rule Day rather than be divided by petty politics, egos, political agendas and misunderstandings,” Mr Henfield wrote.

We March Bahamas staged a massive protest on November 25, 2016, where more than a thousand people marched from Arawak Cay to downtown Nassau.

A large group of protestors also occupied Rawson Square for 12 hours as part of the demonstration against the government and the status quo.

LLOYD DEMANDS TO KNOW WHY SUPPLY TEACHERS HAVE NOT BEEN PAID FOR MONTHS

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement South Beach candidate Jeffrey Lloyd yesterday demanded an explanation from the government for failing to pay around 200 “supply” teachers across the country for the last several months.

This, the talk show host said, sends a clear message that the teachers “do not matter” to the Christie administration. He said the government was more concerned with “Christmas decorations” and Junkanoo Carnival, which he branded an “explicit dance party”.

Last week, Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) officials confirmed that about 160 supply teachers have not been paid for months.

The supply teachers are mostly retirees who were re-engaged by the government because of shortages across the country, The Tribune was told.

A male teacher at a public institution, who did not want to be named, told The Tribune last week that his wife who is a supply teacher at another government

school had not been paid for three months.

Mr Lloyd said he was saddened to learn of the situation as teachers formed the necessary foundation in our youth that becomes the bedrock of our society.

“Without the sacrifices of these men and women who left retirement to come back to a profession many have devoted their entire life to, many of our young people would be subject to impossible learning situations,” Mr Lloyd said in a press statement.

“How have we repaid them? We have shouted from the tops of our lungs that they simply do not matter. We have expressed to them that we care more about Christmas decorations, and explicit dance parties than we do about them.

“We have allowed them to be mistreated along with countless others by this worthless government, and I cry shame on the blaring silence from the ministers responsible for this blatant display of disrespect.”

He added: “The public demands to know why these educators have gone for months without payment,

and the minister of education is once again silent when he should speak.

“It is my hope that with a new year, this government will at the very least do what is right and just by these educators, and ensure that they are paid.”

Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald could not be reached for comment up to press time yesterday.

Last Thursday, Joan Knowles Turnquest, the acting president of the BUT, confirmed the problem, saying: “What would happen if the supply teachers say they won’t teach any more on top of the shortages we already have?”

Ms Turnquest said it is not just supply teachers who have not received salaries.

Union dues have not been taken from the salaries of teachers and paid to the union as well, she said.

“Staff and officers of the union have not been paid,” she said last week. “We have called the prime minister countless times. We have called Simon Wilson (the financial secretary) countless times. Either they are ignoring us or they feel they don’t have to worry about people who are not being

paid. We want them to pay the late fee for every worker who has not been paid and cannot pay their mortgage and is encountering the fees the bank is putting on us.”

Regarding supply teachers, one source within the BUT said last week: “A lady just quit in Inagua because they sent her there, promised her rent but didn’t pay for it.

“It is very unusual because the supply teachers are paid from a budget the director of education has, not from the Ministry of Education. This is the worst I’ve seen it. Also, there are teachers in the Family Islands who are afraid to face their landlords because government hasn’t sent them money. The supply teachers hired in August haven’t received their money since August. They call us every day to complain and unfortunately we don’t have the right to bargain for them because they don’t pay dues

as they’re retirees.” teachers this year.

The source said educaHe said 119 teachers aption officials have blamed plied for early retirement, the problem on the Treas- which he said was a “big ury Department. number” by the ministry’s In August, Mr Fitzgerald standards. expressed concern over the He said at the time that “unexpected” applications the ministry would likely for early retirement employ Tuesday,from 3rd January 2017 some 30 supply more than 100 public school teachers to fill vacancies.

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PAGE 4, Tuesday, January 3, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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Las Vegas and the Bahamas Cabinet THE Cabinet of the Bahamas and Las Vegas have a lot in common.

Just as in Las Vegas, what happens in the Bahamas Cabinet stays there. And that may be a very dangerous thing.

Unlike Las Vegas, the work of the Cabinet of The Bahamas is not about fun and games. It is about the people’s business. Not the government’s. The people’s. We believe that politicians get so used to thinking of themselves as the government, which they are not, that they forget the business they are conducting is the people’s business.

Look at recent issues that have been secretly negotiated and approved by Cabinet or worse yet, hushed up like the Rubis oil spill because revealing it could have cost a Cabinet minister his standing in the secret society. Matter after matter have been treated like they were the property of the Cabinet rather than the business of the people.

Count them. The Baha Mar deal. The Letter of Intent for Stellar Energy. The contract for management of the New Providence dump. The management contract for BPL. A BPL business plan that was allegedly prepared but never revealed.

There is hardly a person in the nation who is not affected by one or more of those decisions, yet there was never a public hearing nor even a debate on the floor of the House of Assembly. These were allimportant national decisions made in secret by a handful of elected officials who no longer feel a need to consult with or seek and listen to the opinions of the people who elected them and are going to be impacted by the decisions they make.

Those are issues of a national scale power supply, waste management, the largest resort development in the region.

Other decisions made at the Cabinet level have the power to turn communities upside down and forever alter life as it was.

It happened in Bimini and now is threatening to happen again in Little Harbour, Abaco. It has been reported that every one of the 70 or so homeowners signed a petition rejecting the plan for developers at nearby Winding Bay to use the harbour that is an integral part of their daily lives and adjacent land to build a large marina and put in retail shops and restaurants. No

one knows why approval was given for a large sophisticated money-making development when there is total resistance by the people on whom it is being imposed, many of whom will now sell their homes if they can and seek a simpler, quieter life elsewhere, displaced from their dreams by a handful of politicians making decisions for them rather than with them.

What happens in Cabinet stays in Cabinet and the lives of those who sought peace and quiet and tranquility on a little bay in Abaco could forever be uprooted.

At the root of what binds the Bahamas Cabinet and Las Vegas in principle is secrecy.

In Vegas, secrecy may cover for an illicit affair, a little too much to drink, a night that the partygoer may regret in the morning. But in Cabinet, it carries far more weight and can impact national interests, the economy, the environment and The Bahamas future generations will inherit.

It is said that secrets get heavier as you carry them around, that enough secrets can weigh you down whether they are your own or secrets you are holding for others.

While that is allegorical, there is recent scientific evidence that keeping secrets is actually harmful to your health and can slow down learning and performance. The cingulate cortex in the brain is wired to do the expected, telling the truth and acting in a predictable manner. When this pre-frontal cortex, also known as the logical lobe, is clogged by lying and secrecy it slows down, affecting learning and performance.

That simple explanation sheds light on why any of us who has ever kept a secret, whether ours or a friend’s, acts and reacts differently when that secret comes to mind.

What happens in Vegas can stay right there. But the people of The Bahamas have a right to expect better when it comes to what happens in Cabinet. The time for transparency was yesterday. It can no longer be delayed. It is time to have public debate on issues affecting the public, to send notices when zoning or town planning changes are going to be considered and to have open hearings.

We don’t much care what happens in Vegas. But we do care very much what happens in The Bahamas and it is time for the people to have a say in what happens to them.

Credit downgrade EDITOR, The Tribune I WAS was just reading up on the Moody’s and S&P’s downgrade from their official website.

In my honest opinion, I feel like the Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis and the Financial Secretary Simon Wilson should resign.

In any other country this would be unacceptable.

I read several articles and listened to a few talk shows and they are basically saying (including former Governor of the Central Bank James Smith) that the downgrade was unfair and to paraphrase, that it was just the credit rating agencies’ opinions. Well guess what? It’s their opinion that actually matters. Unlike the opinions of the Bahamian people, you just can’t dismiss them or shut them up or victimise them. You have to actually address the issues.

The Financial Secretary was heard on Guardian Radio saying that the downgrade was unfair and all economic indicators are looking up. I am so tired of these political appointees, the Department of Statistics and politicians trying to insult our intelligence. What economic indicators are you referring to Mr Wilson?

Unemployment is at an alltime high. Non-performing loans in the banking system is at an all-time high. Debt to GDP is at an all-time high despite the implementation of VAT. Oil prices and energy cost are high. Government expenditure is high.

Tourism and foreign investments are down. So please explain to me which ones are looking up?

Minister Halkitis, unlike the rest of your Cabinet Ministers, you are seemingly qualified for the job. You hold the prestigious title of

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). The fact that after millions in revenue have been collected at the expense of the Bahamian people, you were unable to devise a plan to reduce debt, raise unemployment and pay the Bahamian people what is owed to them (teachers salaries, Police overtime, hazardous allowance, etc) you need to go as well.

PS: You can’t deny Moody’s a spot on Rawson square or take S&P off the air. You can’t terminate their contract. You can’t give them $50 and a free tshirt. You can’t feed them empty promises. You can’t offer them a job or give them a political post. All of your tactics just won’t do.

Put in work!

KAMARAH FRANCIS Nassau, January 1, 2017.

Obama’s foreign policy EDITOR, The Tribune.

The US abstains in the UN Security Council on the Resolution on Settlements in Israel.

What a parting gift from outgoing President Obama to the Israeli people UN Resolutions are exceptionally difficult to be removed or changed.

Was this a slap in the face to Israel’s Prime Minister?

Probably and oh so stupid.

One thing is for sure if Madam Hillary had won, President Obama would never have done this he

Jamaal Rolle is on holiday

would have instructed the US UN Ambassador to use their Veto as they always have in the past.

The legacy of the outgoing President Obama as it relates to the Middle East is incredibly negative - we cannot forget immediately after winning he flew to Egypt and spoke what was to be a defining speech at Cairo University.

Obama’s foreign policy position weakness in matters concerning Iran, Iraq and Syria have left a lot of work for the incoming US President to change

through a more understanding policy.

As we look forward to 2017 and beyond we hope the US foreign policy will not be tempered with silly childish acts, but strong logical policy.

The recent signing of the so-called Caribbean Initiative by President Obama is very much too late....Why is it that the US prefers to scold the Caribbean rather than being a good neighbour?

W THOMPSON Nassau, December 24, 2016.

Show me that I am wrong EDITOR, The Tribune.

OPEN response to Branville McCartney’s “It cannot be business as usual” for country’s finance woes.

As reported in Tribune 242, December 20, 2016.

Mr McCartney, I would expect your concerns regarding our country’s finances to be well received. Yes, the Dept of Inland Revenue, Public Treasury and Ministry of Finance all need to be brought up to this century’s standards. A wholesale house shuffling is in order.

Jobs should go to those qualified to do the job. I am in full agreement that transparency is essential.

Even simple computers, available anywhere, could effectively halt the accountability problem.

However, your statement, “We need to look at anti-corruption legislation where persons who think they can significantly benefit from corruption are penalised” somehow rings hollow to me.

The Bahamas already has legislation against corruption, theft, and the host of other ethical ills which utterly plague this society. The problem is, for the most part, that there are no consequences for bad behaviour in The Bahamas.

Therefore, criminality has infected what seems to be, a majority of the population. Remember the part about punishment being a deterrent to crime? Well, what we have here is the result of many decades of getting away with almost anything in this country; from violent crime, to bank fraud, to stealing from Road Traffic, taking bribes, to you name it. Therefore, it appears that what is really needed is a judiciary that does it’s job. No politics, no outside influence.

Think that is the case here? If there are no repercussions for criminal behaviour, laws that are already on the books, as has been the case, what do you really expect? More laws are not the answer. You want an easy political fix, it seems to me. The real fix, the real solution, is to raise and educate children to not go along with the status quo.

This will take a generation, at least. Yes, the status quo is the problem. Isn’t it obvious that the unending slew of theft, graft and corruption that is highlighted over and over again on the front pages of our newspapers, are part of our culture? Do you really think, Mr McCartney, that the dire fiscal situation here is due to a few bad politicians and a handful of government employees? I maintain that the problem is an epidemic in this country.

The culture must change.

Secondly, the Tribune article states that you said “that the numerous high net worth individuals living in The Bahamas as permanent residents provided a ready source of advice and expertise upon which the Government could draw.”

Mr McCartney, I suspect that the majority of high net worth individuals who have “permanent residency” in The Bahamas, do so specifically to avoid paying taxes in the countries where they are from. If you looked clearly at the statistics, you would understand and agree that the world is favoring, in no uncertain

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net terms, the high net worth individual, and totally ignoring the vast majority of humanity. This is not up for debate. It is a fact. Not to see this, and to suggest that these same people who have manipulated the system with their high paid lawyers and accountants to not pay taxes, who make cash contributions to politicians, that these are the people we should be taking advice from, is simply crazy.

Like you, I am also a business person. However, it is crucial to understand the difference between running a business and running a country. Yes, there is a difference. A great difference.

Currently, if you look around the world, including The Bahamas, you can’t help but notice the disparity of wealth between those who rule, and the rest of the population. How do you explain this, Mr McCarthy? Are you suggesting that having money confers on someone the ethics, the ability to be policy makers, or the good leadership qualities required for running a country? I would argue the opposite. From my reading, most rich people inherited their money.

Those who “made” millions and billions of dollars most often “made it” in the finance sector of the economy, which produces nothing of value except by making money on money and by the continued squeezing of the hard working, tax paying people.

I believe, having money changes the way people think. I find it curious that so many business people claim to be Christian. For, if we were honest about the message of Jesus, we would understand that our social behaviour is about as far away from Christianity as imaginable. Jesus’ only known act of violence was in turning over the tables of the merchants and money changers in the temple. Jesus was a radical. He wasn’t liked. Very few people would have voted for him.

He spoke the truth. So, he had to be crucified. If he came back to The Bahamas tomorrow we wouldn’t recognise him. Nor, would he recognise this so-called Christian nation.

One statistic Mr McCartney. 85 people in the world own more wealth than the bottom half of the world’s people, nearly 3.5 billion people. What would Jesus have to say about that?

Yes, answer the question honestly, Mr. McCartney.

The United States just elected a high net worth billionaire businessman to lead their country. Let’s see how that turns out for the citizens of the US and the rest of the world.

Until we realise that we must unite against the true reasons why the vast majority of humanity remains forever oppressed we will continue to get more of the same. It is beyond politics.

It is about enlightening oneself so that we can cut through the utter nonsense that each five years brings us.

The ultra rich now control the world and it’s leaders.

No different here. The numbers house guys, the bankers, the Bay Street boys, the high net worth in-

dividuals call the shots.

They call the shots, even though they have no particular statesman-like qualities. We can only say that they are good at making money. They may treat their families like crap.

They may speak bad about dark-skinned or light-skinned people. They may treat women as sex objects, or joke about beating them. They may overcharge for essential life saving medicines. They may make their fortunes building land mines and bullets and bombs. They may make their money by having a numbers house and fleecing the poor. They may have squandered millions from the Public Treasury.

They may have bled Bank of Bahamas dry. They may have overcharged consumers for gas. They may have made millions from a country’s natural resources, while the true owners, the citizens, get nothing. They may have made millions as an MP doing deals and getting a cut of the action. Am I wrong, Mr McCartney?

Are these the people we should hold in high esteem, allowing them to run our affairs, because they are high net worth individuals?

The world is in the sorry state it is in, with the vast, vast majority of the world’s people suffering and starving and struggling to pay their bills, not because they didn’t fulfil their roles as good citizens by working hard and paying taxes, but precisely because the rich have made the rules and gamed the system to favour themselves.

If you don’t understand this, or refuse to acknowledge that this is how the world works, then you are not being honest, or are ignorant of reality.

There is more than enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. Until we understand, and get rid of this fallacy that the rich create the jobs, we are doomed.

The reality is that the rich have made their money due to the hard work of those around them, by working the system with opportunist lawyers and paying off politicians. Why do we continue to revere and pander to the rich, giving them permanent residency, giving away the people’s Crown land, allowing them opportunities we are unwilling to give our own citizens of The Bahamas? These are the questions many Bahamians are asking. These are the realities which need to be challenged and changed by those with the wisdom, intelligence, honesty and courage to speak out against and fight against the sorry state of affairs that presently exist in the world today.

There are no quick fixes.

There are no magic bullets. The people have lost their faith in the system, Mr McCartney. Don’t take it personally if people are no longer interested in politics. They may just be catching on. Realising that after listening to the drivel coming from the politicians lips every election season, the people will still get swung. It happens year, after year, after year. Show me I am wrong, Mr McCartney.

NORMAN TRABULSY JR Mangrove Cay, Andros December 21, 2016.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, PAGE 5

‘PLP offers stability as FNM split by in-fighting’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie said yesterday that the changes within the Free National Movement (FNM) that have resulted from infighting in the party have “raised a big question mark for the country”.

Mr Christie was referring to whether the party can galvanise voters ahead of the next general election and present a formidable challenge to the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

“I think people in a country like The Bahamas, with the challenges that we have, must chose the greatest care when choosing the government,” he told The Tribune on the sidelines of the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade.

“If you can see opposition, one to another, in a political organisation, then you have to be very careful what that means to the general good order of that in terms of a government. You want to be careful as you look at the level of stability of the organisation that represents itself as being able to govern this country.

“We believe that, notwithstanding the fact that Alfred Sears will run against me at the upcoming convention, we are a stable organisation capable of absorbing change.

We have demonstrated the capacity to do unpopular things and to always do those things that are in the best interest of the country, to do sensible things when we must consult the private sector.

“VAT is a perfect example where we did not do it ourselves; we arrived at a decision by ourselves and let the private sector help us implement it. I think

PRIME Minister Perry Christie chatting with Patricia Minnis, wife of FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis at the New Year Junkanoo parade on Bay Street yesterday morning.

Photo: Peter Ramsay/BIS the Progressive Liberal about corruption and again through the changes that FNM parliamentarians up- dropped out of the acrimoParty when the people one must look on record to have taken place, has raised set with Dr Hubert Minnis’ nious race hours before delhave to decide what are see where the certifiable is- a big question mark for the leadership. egates were set to vote.

Last year, six FNM MPs the issues they have to sues of corruption have tak- country. And that question However, in early Demake a decision about, it en place, where the courts mark has to be set and an- gave the party an ultima- cember, the six MPs, now is whether the FNM or the have taken place, and who swered and it’s going to be tum: hold a convention joined by Central and South DNA has demonstrated has alleged all of the allega- very important for the or- earlier than the planned Abaco MP Edison Key, exa capacity to govern this tions that have come out of ganisations represented by November 2016 date or the pressed no confidence in country on the basis of the FNM convention about those parties to understand group would petition Gov- Dr Minnis through a letter knowing the country, hav- propriety and good order that they are inviting people ernor General Dame Mar- to Dame Marguerite. Mrs ing programmes that have and decency. Some of the to support them for the next guerite Pindling to remove Butler-Turner was sworn in been tested, that having comments border on allega- five years and in charting a Dr Minnis as leader of the as leader of the Official Opcourse for this country that Official Opposition. people who are now tried tions really of wrongdoing. position days later.

“We have a dynamic should take it upwards, onTo avoid this, the FNM and tested with the capacA tribunal has been apdemocracy. We’ve always wards, together.” held a convention in late pointed to look into the acity to do the work.

The FNM has been July, where Dr Minnis was tions of the seven MPs, who “My final point is, there’s credited our country as one always this tendency on the that can absorb change from plagued by infighting for unopposed, as challeng- face expulsion, suspension part of persons to speak one to the next. The FNM, several years, with many er Loretta Butler-Turner or a fine from the party.

PM: SEARS HAS HAD A FAIR SHOT from page one

Mr Christie added that Mr Sears’ challenge to his leadership of the PLP raises constitutional issues since his rival is not a member of Parliament.

“I have a view as to how people react to these things,” he said. “I have a view as to the constitutional implications if someone tries to run when they’re not even a member of Parliament. The Constitution clearly governs the process and he doesn’t qualify as a member of Parliament to be a leader in the House of Assembly. The fact of the matter is he’s tried to

YOUR

explain it. I have not commented at all on his candidacy. I will in fact be engaged in the coming week before the convention to ensure that I give the people the benefit of knowing who I am and knowing what I stand for, lest there be some doubt as to who I am and what I stand for.”

This is not the first time Mr Sears’ absence from Parliament has been cited as a hindrance to his ambitions.

In 2016, Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald said Mr Sears would find difficulty receiving support from PLP parliamentarians who would be apprehensive about someone who is not a

sitting MP. The Constitution mandates that the Governor General appoints as Prime Minister the member of Parliament who “is the leader of the party which commands the support of the majority of the members of that House”.

It adds: “If it appears to him that party does not have an undisputed leader in the House or that no party commands the support of such a majority, the member of the House of Assembly who, in his judgment, is most likely to command the support of the majority of members of that House, and who is willing to accept the office of Prime Minis-

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

ter” will be chosen.

When contacted by The Tribune yesterday, Mr Sears insisted his challenge raises no constitutional concerns.

“The constitution of the PLP controls the party and the constitution basically lays out who is eligible to run for any position in the party,” he said. “The convention is controlled by the constitution of the PLP. I’ve read that constitution nu-

merous times and there are no disabilities that would prevent me from contesting for the leadership.”

If he were to win the race, Mr Sears said Prime Minister Perry Christie would still continue to lead the government inside Parliament. “Things would still be as normal,” he said. “Throughout the Commonwealth we’ve had ruling parties change leadership while holding gov-

ernment.”

As for his bid to unseat Mr Christie, he said: “The preparations have been going better than I could ever imagine. It’s been very encouraging.”

PAGE 6 , Tuesday, January 3, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

FIRST MURDER OF YEAR AS MAN RIDDLED WITH BULLETS from page one

According to Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander, officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit, police responded to the scene shortly after noon, after one of the victim’s friends called to report the gruesome discovery.

He said yesterday that police have not taken anyone into custody and did not have a motive for the killing. Authorities expect to officially identify the man today, Chief Supt Fernander said.

The incident happened several hours after two men were killed in separate incidents on Saturday, clos-

ing out a bloody year. The homicides brought the murder toll to 113, according to The Tribune’s records.

According to reports, at around 2.30am on New Year’s Eve, a man had just left Club Luna at West Bay Street in his vehicle, when someone fired several shots at him. Police have yet to release his identity.

“The male lost control of his vehicle, sending it into the water at Saunders Beach,” police said. “Shortly thereafter, the lifeless body of the male was pulled from the vehicle by bystanders and taken to shore where he was pronounced dead.”

Onlookers said police were snorkelling in the shallow area of the beach

and had blocked the road in both directions after the incident. They watched as officers escorted a tow truck with a black car covered in sand away from the scene.

On Saturday night, a man was killed and three others shot in an incident on Sandilands Village Road. Police said the victims are in hospital recovering.

Last year was the sixth in succession that The Bahamas has recorded 111 deaths or more. The worst year on record was 2015, when 146 murders were recorded.

Under the current PLP administration, more than 570 homicides have been recorded since they came to power in May, 2012.

Nottage: PLP is best for policies to fight crime from page one impact that it has had on the quality of life in our country, there’s no doubt that the only party that has a plan, a strategy, projects, policies that have been benefiting people is the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and I think anybody taking a fair look at the progress of the country over the last four years would admit that the PLP is well suited to see its policies through over the course of the next five years,” Dr Nottage said.

He may have been referring to the government’s broad policies; however, his comments came after he was asked by The Tribune to reflect on how crime and the Christie administration’s efforts to combat it should weigh on people’s minds in an election year.

In opposition, the PLP infamously erected billboards around New Providence, emphasising the number of murders that took place during the Ingraham administration, which was in office at the time. The billboards declared that under five years of the Free National Movement there had been more than 490 murders.

According to The Tribune’s records, there have been 572 murders since the Christie administration came to power in May, 2012, with promises to solve the problem.

However, killings decreased last year compared to 2015, which saw a record 146 homicides. There were 113 homicides in 2016, according to The Tribune’s records, a 22.7 per cent decrease.

The murder rate increased significantly in the final quarter of 2016 after a quieter period in the summer raised hope that the country would record its lowest number of murders since 2010, the last time the murder tally failed to reach the three-figure mark.

Instead, 2016’s tally was the lowest since 2012, when 111 people were killed.

November and December were the bloodiest months of last year, with 14 and 15 murders respectively.

Dr Nottage said yesterday that 2016’s decrease was a result of policing strategies and help from the public.

“It’s not a natural ebb and flow,” he said. “It’s a mixture of strategies introduced by the police force and due to the assistance we’ve gotten from the public and Urban Renewal police officers who concentrate on community policing. I am pleased with the performance of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) with respect to fighting crime. Crime decreased significantly through the course of the last year but I’m not satisfied. So long as we have crime, particularly violent crime, we cannot be satisfied because there’s lots of work to do.”

FRIENDS NAME MAN KILLED IN THURSDAY SHOOTING

COLLIE SUGGESTS TURNING AWAY WOMEN REGISTERING TO VOTE IS SUPPRESSION

FRIENDS have identified a man killed Thursday night as Asher Clarke.

Clarke was one of six people killed last week in separate incidents, bringing a bloody end to the month of December.

He was found shot to death in the Jubilee Gardens area around 8pm on Thursday.

On social media, family and friends described Clarke as a peaceful person, who was “full of life” with a “good heart.”

Earlier on Thursday, police found the body of another man, who has not been identified, apparently beaten and wrapped in a blanket on a service road near Tom “The Bird” Grant Park in Yellow Elder Gardens.

According to The Tribune’s records, there were 113 homicides in 2016.

Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade is expected to present the police force’s official crime statistics this month or in early February.

POWER OUTAGE

RESIDENTS of western New Providence reported power outages that lasted for hours on Friday.

In a statement, Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) blamed the problem on a faulty cable, saying: “BPL customers resident in Sandyport, Delaporte and some areas of Cable Beach are currently experiencing generation challenges due to a cable fault.”

It was unclear what time power was fully restored to the affected areas.

DR BERNARD NOTTAGE, MP for Bain and Grants Town.

from page one

And while Mr Hall should handle the affairs of his office independently, Mr Collie asserted that this has not been the case as politicians direct him.

“Now when it comes to the motive of the PLP I won’t put anything past them,” Mr Collie told The Tribune during an interview yesterday. “So I wonder why the parliamentary commissioner’s staff would turn away female voters who they say are exposing too much breast.

“Under the Constitution and under the Penal Code, a woman could dress any way she wishes unless it offends public decency. If it offends public decency, it is for the police or the court.

Now the court will say to a woman if she comes in or even to a man you are not properly dressed to appear in this court go and cover up. “But no government agency has any constitutional or penal right to deny a Bahamian citizen the right to exercise their franchise and that is what it amounts to. Denying the female gender the right to register in order to exercise their free will franchise and that’s definitely a no, no and can’t be tolerated.”

He also touched on low voter registration.

“In the last election, 170,000 persons registered, but right now we are at a deficit of 100,000 persons as just around 75,000 people are now registered at this point,” Mr Collie said.

“We have a few months to go and you are going to tell

FNM chairman Sidney Collie. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff me you are going to turn people away because they dress a certain way and it isn’t even within your legal authority to turn them away? It doesn’t make any sense at all.”

In a statement released on Friday, Mr Collie also called the situation “disgraceful”.

He said the fact that women were being turned away because of how they

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

are dressed is unethical and very possibly illegal.

“This is disturbing and the government owes this country and the women being disenfranchised an apology. We call on (Prime Minister) Perry Christie and his government to clearly apologise at once and publicly address how they plan to fix this issue,” he said in a press release at the time.

“The Free National Movement wants a free and fair election that is free of any suspicious activities and that all eligible Bahamians are registered to vote.

“The Bahamian people are ready to rid themselves of this inept and corrupt PLP government and they should be given every chance to register to do so.

The FNM continues to encourage every Bahamian to register to vote so that they have the opportunity to vote when the election is called,” Mr Collie said.

This came after a pregnant woman who did not want to be identified, told The Tribune she was told by registration officials at the Elizabeth Estates Post Office that she would not be allowed to register to vote on separate occasions because of what she was wearing at the time.

On her second attempt, she went into the post office wearing an ankle length maxi dress, but was still not permitted to begin the process.

Returning for a third try, the expectant mother wore a jacket and was still told that she was too bare, so she had to put on a scarf in order to be registered.

The Parliamentary Elec-

tions Act makes no mention of dress code.

Questioned about this last Thursday, Mr Hall suggested that people may have been turned away and pointed to the public service having a “dress code” for how people are to present themselves in public.

“Because you have to take photographs, so if someone comes with half their breasts out and cleavage showing, this isn’t permitted,” Mr Hall said.

“This has been around not just under my administration but other previous ones where we ask people to dress in decency and in order. So if my people feel that someone is not properly dressed for the photograph, we ask them to kindly put on the proper attire.

That’s not out of order. It’s trying to help them. So it’s not to be rude, it’s to make sure that things are done in decency and in order,” Mr Hall added.

For her part, Official Opposition Leader Loretta Butler-Turner on Friday rebuked Mr Hall for defending “nonsensical,” “wrongheaded” practices, which bordered on illegal.

She further demanded that Mr Hall explain the provision in law governing the enforcement of a dress code being used to hamper and obstruct the democratic right of a citizen to freely register to vote. This, Mrs Butler-Turner said, is highly arbitrary and undemocratic.

When he was contacted yesterday, Mr Hall refused to answer any questions regarding the dress code being enforced by his office.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, PAGE 7

Man accused of stealing phone and causing harm

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN will stand trial in Magistrates Court next month in connection with an midday attack and cellular phone theft from a minor.

Patrick Forbes, 19, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on Friday facing a charge each of

causing harm and stealing concerning an incident that occurred in a park on December 28.

It is alleged that Forbes, at about 12.20pm in the area of Howard Street, intentionally and unlawfully caused harm to Theo Alphaus Miller. It is further alleged that he stole a black Alcatel Pix cellphone with an orange case together valued at $74.18.

Forbes said “I’m innocent

your honour” when asked his plea to the charges.

Miller was standing on a basketball court with his phone when he was attacked suddenly by a group of individuals. Moments later, he discovered his phone was no longer in his possession and went home and reported the matter to his parents, who contacted police.

Forbes was told that he

would stand trial on January 23, 2017, in connection with the incident and was granted $500 bail with a suretor.

“When your bail has been signed you will be released from custody,” Magistrate McKinney said.

Forbes was unrepresented at his arraignment. Police prosecutor Sgt Philip Davis will prosecute the case.

SEARS TO SPEAK ON ROLE OF THE PRESS FORMER Parliamentarian and Cabinet minister Alfred Sears will speak on ‘The Role of the Media in National Development’ at the Bahamas Press Club monthly meeting this evening at the British Colonial Hilton, downtown Nassau.

Tonight’s meeting starts at 7pm in the Harry Oakes Boardroom.

Mr Sears is the managing partner of the law firm Sears & Co in Nassau and will stand for election as the Progressive Liberal Party’s

candidate in Fort Charlotte, a constituency he won in 2002.

He is also challenging the Prime Minister, Perry Christie, for the leadership of the PLP at the party convention later this month.

A former Minister of of Education, Science and Technology from 2002 to 2007, Mr Sears also served as Chairman of the Council of the College of The Bahamas between 2012 and 2016.

POLICE seach the car wash on Carmichael Road, where they arrested a man after finding a pistol on Thursday. Photo: Valden Fernander

TWO ARRESTS AFTER GUNS FOUND

RUNNERS taking part in last year’s Marathon Bahamas.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

REGISTRATIONS UP 65% FOR MARATHON BAHAMAS REGISTRATIONS for the Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas (SIMB) relay next month are up by 65 per cent on last year, when the event was sold out.

In light of how quickly the 2016 relay sold out, organisers are urging residents to form their teams now and register in order to secure their spot at the starting line. SIMB offers three different endurance participant options: the marathon, half marathon and relay.

Marathon Bahamas will be held on January 15, a day after the seventh annual Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure 5km event.

The relay is a four-person team event with preset running distances of 6.2, 6.9, 5.6 and 7.5 miles.

The exchange points are at Dunkin Donuts (Bay Street), Delaporte (east of the Sun Fun Resort) and Caves Heights. At the relay exchange zone areas, team members will be directed

through the chutes by an official of Bahamas Association of Certified Officials where they must pass the timing mat, make an official exchange via a baton and receive their finisher’s medal.

Only the last leg participant will receive his/her medal at Marathon Bahamas’ finish line. The relay course mirrors the marathon course and is open for six hours, which makes it runner/walker friendly.

Teams can be registered

as a male, female, mixed (two females and two males) or student group and vie for overall team awards.

Marathon Bahamas is sponsored by Sunshine Insurance, the Ministry of Tourism, Atlantis, Focol, BTC, Arawak Homes, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cleveland Clinic, Dasani (CBC Bahamas), NAD, Royal Star Assurance, Scotiabank and Subway among many others.

To register for Marathon Bahamas, visit www.mara-

POLICE in New Providence took two men into custody following the seizure of two illegal firearms in separate incidents on Thursday.

In the first incident, around 9am, officers from the Mobile Division, acting on intelligence, searched a Honda Accord occupied by man at a car wash on Carmichael Road, where

they uncovered a 9mm pistol with eight live rounds of ammunition. The suspect was arrested.

Shortly after 9pm, officers from the Selective Enforcement Team, acting on intelligence, searched a man at Higher Drive, Flamingo Gardens, and discovered a .45 pistol with three live rounds of ammunition.

The suspect was arrested.

EX-HAITIAN COLONEL, WHO PLOTTED AGAINST DUVALIER, DIES KERN Delince, a former Haitian Army colonel who participated in a failed 1963 coup against dictator Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, has died. He was 93.

Family members said Delince died on Friday at his New York home after battling Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer. He had lived in the United States since 1965 and wrote four books on Haiti’s political

and military history.

Delince dodged a death sentence after the failed coup by seeking asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Haiti. He spent 20 months there with seven other coup plotters before they were taken to Brazil and jailed in an island prison. Delince escaped and sought political asylum in the United States.

He is survived by his wife, a sister and four children.

PAGE 8 , Tuesday, January 3, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

MICHELLE Obama talked to Oprah Winfrey about what the past eight years have been like for her and what it meant to her and to America when her husband came to office, campaigning on the theme of a hopeful future.

Where is the hope for the Bahamas?

M

ICHELLE Obama gave what I believe was meant to be her last official interview before she and her husband and family leave the White House to Oprah Winfrey in recent weeks.

Mrs Obama talked to Oprah about what the past eight years have been like for her and what it meant to her and to America when her husband came to office, campaigning on the theme of a hopeful future.

I am not a Democrat or a Republican, as I am neither FNM nor PLP. I am tired of

By NICOLE BURROWS

picking sides. All I’d like to see is people who are capable of doing a good job in leadership do that good job, as I think America’s most recent president has done.

Whatever your political affiliation, I think you would be hard-pressed to say that the United States of America has ever had a better leader than Barack Oba-

ma. To my 40-plus-year-old eyes, there has never been a more stately, intellectually and emotionally intelligent world leader than Obama.

I believe if Donald Trump could be completely honest, he would say that, in Obama’s presence, he has felt some degree of inferiority, and that’s not because Obama is intimidating or

discriminating, as he is too Americans ... Bahamians ... humble and decent a char- what are we all hoping for? acter to ever look down What can be hoped for? upon a lesser person, in What is realistically within spite of her/his deficiencies. our grasp?

If Trump could ever admit We have leaders and potruth, he would agree it was tential leaders between our more than a humbling expe- two countries who cannot rience for him to share such understand the condition an important conversation of hopelessness the average with America’s outgoing citizen feels. Donald Trump and most well-rounded is up to bat, Perry Christie president to date. we wish would put the bat I’m not comparing met- down ... how can either one rics of accomplishments of these men inspire hope with respect to the econ- in their people? Trump has omy, the environment, preached hate to win his healthcare, education or place on the throne and even race relations ... none Christie is in denial half the of that. I’m simply refer- time and in mental absenring to the completeness tia the other half. Neither of the package has answers that that is Barack fix things ‘Perry Christie can Obama.

And for their people when I consider is in denial half over the long what they’re los- the time and in term. ing as compared Where is the to what they’re mental absentia hope for Amerigetting, I feel the other half. ca? Where is the sad for America; Neither he nor hope for The I imagine that Bahamas? a leader like Donald Trump I’m not talkObama will be has answers ing about a sloa once-in-a-life- that can fix gan, but that time occurrence feeling that for them. And things for their makes people I’m sure there people over the eager to wake are many hateful long term.’ up every day people out there and put their in and beyond shoulders to the the US who, for one hateful wheel, knowing that whatreason or another, cannot ever they do diligently and wait to see the back of him. for good will prosper them But I wonder if they could in ways that mean so much ever understand what they more than mere financial had. success. In our modern exNo political agenda is istence, monetary reward perfect. No president is al- is a big part of gratification ways successful. It’s hard and hopefulness, because it to be the best to all people dictates almost everything and purposes. That’s an you’re able to achieve. And objective most people can when you can’t achieve never meet. And it makes what you need to achieve, me wonder how Obama there is a negative personal feels about the work he has impact that brings a hopedone or tried to do. The lessness from which some examples he has provided people can never recover. or attempted to provide all It pains me to see the these years. I wonder if he’s same type of news headsad to leave and what he lines this new year as we imagines will happen after saw in all of last year. I he does. I wonder if he feels physically removed myself any of that hope on which from the challenges of lost he based his presidential hope that anyone withcampaign. I, for one, can’t out money or connections say I do. Hoping for human- would experience living ity can often seem like one in The Bahamas. So many of the most useless things miles from the place I call in life. my first home, yet still I feel In her interview, Mi- a hopelessness exists there chelle Obama asked Op- that Bahamians cannot rise rah, “Without hope, what above. is there?” And that’s a difI’ve been very fortunate ficult question, because on my journey in the past there really isn’t an answer year - lots of generosity and it raises other questions from the most unexpected about the reasons anyone places and people - and ever does anything in life. it’s all helped me to keep What are we hoping for? my dreams and goals with-

TO ADVERTISE IN THE TRIBUNE, CONTACT 502-2394

in view and closer within reach. But what about back at home? How can I share hope in what I can plainly see from this far away is still the same as I left it? Nothing to look forward to except maybe the tenacity and resourcefulness of Bahamians to keep going. And maybe that’s the answer to hopelessness. There isn’t much at all to feel hopeful about or to look forward to with hope and anticipation, but as long as you remain resourceful you can get yourself closer to the place you want to be no matter what you’re aiming to achieve.

So maybe, in 2017, we should focus on preserving and maintaining what we do have, becoming more resourceful in more ways and repurposing things and ideas we were ready to toss out because we lost all hope. If we stick to what keeps us using the little we have to get what we want, we can bring our own hope and not wait for anyone else to inspire us or fill us with their hope, be it genuine or otherwise.

As President, Obama was authentic, a true motivator and inspiration. Trump is not and cannot be any of these things. Christie gives a great speech, but no one believes him because he has prevailed too long over hopelessness. Instead of waiting for any of these men or anyone else to create something to believe in, could we believe in ourselves more? Could we each believe in one other person?

No one ever understands your goals and dreams the way you do - believe me, I know. But they don’t have to. Maybe it would do us good to accept that as fact, without allowing it to influence our personal motivation to move in whatever direction we choose. People will always have opinions, suggestions, advice, but they can’t hope on your behalf for what you should hope for on your own behalf.

When Obama leaves office, America will inherit false hope ... the kind of false hope that stems from two world leaders who believe in playing with nuclear armaments ... the hope that presents as hope but is really a severe and pervasive insecurity covered by distractions from what is genuinely hopeful and could actually make humanity better.

When Christie leaves office - or gets pushed out because he refuses to walk away - Bahamians could inherit false hope from a group of people who have no real plans but keep promising them later, or they could have a flicker of hope generated by a handful of other Bahamians who still are willing to share what little hope they have to teach others how to hope for themselves.

Comments and responses to nburrows@ tribunemedia.net

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, PAGE 9

A MEMBER of the Valley Boys on the way to victory in the New Year Junkanoo parade.

Photos: Terrel Carey/Tribune Staff

Valley victory from page one Despite the impact of Hurricane Matthew - which damaged Junkanoo shacks, destroying tools and cos-

tumes - most Junkanoo groups were able to participate in what Mr Ferguson said were two of the bestattended parades on record.

The Boxing Day Parade was a sell out while 80 per cent of

tickets were sold for the New Year’s Day Parade, which is likely a record, he said.

“In my seven years, I have asked for the public support and they have truly responded,” Mr Ferguson

said. “They have supported us because they know every single person who purchases a ticket, that is how we pay our prize money.

“Our prize package we are faced with every year

is now $383,000 and we have to have enough people sitting in those seats to be able to pay these groups their prize money. “This year … we couldn’t ask for more. (The 80 per cent

ticket sales) is the highest percentage of sales that we have had for a New Year’s Day parade in my seven years (as chairman of the JCNP). Our average has been around 60 per cent.”

LEADER of the official Opposition Loretta Butler-Turner poses for a photo with Senator Rodney Moncur.

MEMBERS of Omega Psi Phi in action during the Junkanoo parade.

PRIME Minister Perry Christe (middle) with actor Emmanuel Lewis (right) from the 1980s tv sitcom ‘Webster’, along with Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis (left).

A PERFORMER from a fun group.

MEMBERS of the Sting group in action.

THE ROYAL Bahamas Police Force had no tolerance for any disturbance during the New Year parade.

MEMBERS of the Paper Boys during the New Year Junkanoo.

DJ Pencil keeps the crowd hyped.

PAGE 10 , Tuesday, January 3, 2017

ONE FAMILY

Photos: Terrel Carey/ Tribune Staff

COLOURS

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, PAGE 11

SAXONS SUPERSTARS

Photos: Terrel Carey/ Tribune Staff

FANCY DANCERS

PAGE 12 , Tuesday, January 3, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

GENESIS

Photos: Terrel Carey/ Tribune Staff

BODY OF CHRIST

PAGE 14 , Tuesday, January 3, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

ROOTS

Photos: Terrel Carey/ Tribune Staff

REDLAND SOLDIERS

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, PAGE 15

VALLEY BOYS

THE VALLEY Boys on their way to victory in the New Year Junkanoo.

Photos: Terrel Carey/Tribune Staff