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VOLUME:118 No.35, JANUARY 14, 2021
OBITS OFFICIA
CL ASSIFIED TRADER: CARS, CARS, CARS & MORE CARS
INSIDE
‘WE’RE GETTING THE JOB DONE’
Attorney General hails conviction rate of almost 90 percent By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net THE conviction rate for serious offences has increased to almost 90 percent despite the challenges brought on by the global pandemic, Attorney General Carl Bethel said yesterday. Speaking at a ceremony held to mark the official opening of the new legal year, Mr Bethel said the conviction rate is 87 percent, up nearly ten percent from the 80 percent record in 2019. “The director of public prosecutions continues to improve the performance of his prosecutors and I’m
PAY UP FOR THE PIGS
proud to confirm that in 2020 the conviction rate increased from 80 percent in 2019, to 87 percent in 2020,” he stated. “Albeit, we know in the reduced circumstances caused by COVID, but I trust that the DPP will continue to exercise his wisdom and sound judgment to ensure that the gains of his prosecutors in 2020 will be repeated, if not exceeded in 2021.” Mr Bethel said 18 nolle prosequi (a stop prosecution order) were entered in 2020, three of which pertained to accused persons or defendants who had passed away. SEE PAGE TWO
ONLY five percent of juvenile cases were completed during the last legal year, alarming juvenile advocates. There were 1,348 juvenile cases in New Providence at the start of November 2019 and a net total of 386 new cases throughout the period ending on October 31. Only
73 cases were completed during the year. Juvenile cases had the lowest completion rate of all case types listed in the annual judiciary report, lower than civil, criminal, family, immigration, National Insurance Board and traffic cases. During the annual opening of the legal year event yesterday, Chief SEE PAGE THREE
L SOUR CE
MINISTER: BAHAMAS FIRST FOR EXEMPTION By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas is pushing “to be at the front of the queue” should the US introduce exemptions from its new COVID-19 testing policy that threatens to be “a significant deterrent” to tourism. Dionisio D’Aguilar, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, said this country and the rest of the Englishspeaking Caribbean were moving rapidly to make the case to US authorities that any exemption from tightened pandemic enforcement “should be offered to us” first as a region. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
ABACO NURSES ‘SICK OUT’ OVER CLINIC CONCERN
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net MORE than a dozen trained nurses in Abaco engaged in a “sick out” yesterday due to “poor” working conditions and safety concerns at the Marsh Harbour Clinic. In a letter written to health officials, obtained by The Tribune, the nurses voiced several grievances ranging from a lack of safety protocols to unsanitary conditions at the local healthcare facility and called for immediate action to address the long-standing issues. SEE PAGE SEVEN
ALARM AS NUMBER OF JUVENILE CASES DROPS By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
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TOUR operators have been urged to “show good faith and pay their way” by paying a newly-imposed fee to ensure the welfare of Exuma’s famed swimming pigs. The Government is fully behind the move by the pigs’ owners to levy fees on tour operators who brought visitors to Big Major Cay. The plan will see operators charged $10 for adults and $5 for children. For the full story, see Business.
DARK FORCES IN AMERICA
PAGE EIGHT
WELLS: ONLY WHO-APPROVED TESTS ALLOWED STATESIDE By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Renward Wells says his ministry will not make a move on approving any form of additional COVID-19 testing unless first receiving the nod from the World Health Organisation to which it is aligned. Oxford University’s RTLAMP Technology and CommonPass COVID
HEALTH Minister Renward Wells eApp, which has quick test results loaded to a person’s
cell phone within minutes of taking, is becoming more popular for use in airports and airlines around the world. So far the test is being used at Heathrow and Manchester airports in Britain and in airports in Hong Kong, New York, Singapore and Toronto. And, British Airways, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic have adopted the test. SEE PAGE FOUR
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
AMERICA’S HAD ENOUGH
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Thursday, January 14, 2021
‘We’re getting the job done’
THE TRIBUNE
ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel yesterday. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/ Tribune Staff from page one He also said a total of 87 defendants pleaded guilty to offences ranging from murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, rape, stealing, receiving and indecent assault last year. He said 2020 was an unprecedented year that he believes will be recalled as the “lost year”. He also spoke of the judiciary’s move to become more digital. “With regard to the judiciary, I note the move toward digitisation was not COVID induced movements. We were working assiduously in 2019 to bring about the move towards (an) improved (and) increased… fully digitised case management system. “The Court of Appeal introduced remote hearings by the Zoom digital platform and that has enabled them to dispose of both criminal appeals and civil cases and they have drafted practice directions which set out how these hearings should occur. The court’s website was also upgraded to allow access to audio transcripts.” Mr Bethel said the draft for the Court Services Bill has also been completed and laid in the House of Assembly. He said he anticipates the country to move towards the implementation of the Court Services Bill in short order. As it relates to the Law Reform Commission, Mr Bethel said the body successfully drafted several new laws that have been enacted in 2020. He added that 41 of the bills that have been passed were drafted by the commission. “Unfortunately, the Registrar General’s Department has suffered greatly in the pandemic,” Mr Bethel continued. “Prior to the start,
the recording of deeds was done in 14 days and they were aiming to lessen the time. But unfortunately, the Registrar General’s Office is a very enclosed office requiring a lot of physical contact with persons... so it became somewhat of a repeat hotspot and we had sequences of infections. Unfortunately one person, a most able officer, Wellington Smith, passed away.” Mr Bethel said like most businesses amid the pandemic, the Registrar General’s Department has implemented an email system for the submission of company and intellectual property applications. “In May 2020 it was discovered that one of the department’s systems that houses the civil and corporate registries had been breached since at least October of 2016, and in fact by one review, it is an ongoing system failure,” he said. In response to the attacks, court officials along with the RBPF immediately collaborated to improve security. “They reconfigured the existing hardware components, they removed 45 obsolete computers from their network and they have also upgraded all computers both here and in Grand Bahama,” he said. As it relates to the Industrial Tribunal, Mr Bethel stated: “The filing system of the Tribunal has been entirely digitised. By this revolutionary initiative, in the development of what has been called the first ‘Smart Court’ the president has thrust the Industrial Tribunal to the very forefront of the digitisation of legal services in The Bahamas and, indeed, the Caribbean region; which is now being pursued by the entire judiciary in The Bahamas.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, January 14, 2021, PAGE 3
THE PROCESSION as part of the start of the legal year yesterday.
Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
‘Judiciary modernising - but COVID-19 was a challenge’
By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net CHIEF Justice Brian Moree said the judiciary made significant strides in fulfilling its mandate to modernise and reform the court system, despite facing challenges brought on by COVID-19. During his address at a ceremony to launch the 2021 legal year, Mr Moree said as a result of the pandemic, 2020 proved to be a “difficult and challenging year” that delayed the timeline for the implementation of several projects. He noted the “takeaway” message the judiciary got from last year is best captured in the adage “necessity is the mother of invention”. “It is to state the obvious that our plans in 2020 for the courts were severely threatened by the pandemic,” he said. “But I can report that not only did our court system survive in 2020, we defied the (odds) by making significant progress in many areas as we remained laser focused on court reform and modernisation.” Mr Moree said despite the setbacks, the judiciary experienced a “productive and busy year” as it continued to fulfill the constitutional mandate of advancing the “components of the court modernisation and reform initiative”. “My plan for the court system in 2020 can be simply and succinctly expressed in three words: reform and modernisation. (So) as we move into a new year, we intend to consolidate our achievements in
CHIEF Justice Brian Moree. 2020 and advance the new components of the reform programme with focus, discipline and hardwork, in order to implement sustainable changes throughout the court system.” Mr Moree said through their initiative, the courts were able to introduce an integrated case management system which will be the “backbone” of the new information and communication technology platform for the judiciary. “Together with other customised subject matter applications in 2020, we completed the procurement process and signed the contract with the anchor group for the design and implementation of the ICMS… which is to be completed and installed within 12 months.” Mr Moree said the contract was signed with the successful vendor of the procurement exercise in December last year and members of their team are already in Nassau to commence work. “ZCOM will be responsible for digitising the court
records (and) covering the last 30 years (of cases). The in-house digitisation unit will (then) deal with documents and records going forward,” he explained. The chief justice said he was also pleased to report the automatic bail management system had been finalised after the initial pilot programme was launched late last year. “Its utilisation by members of the Bar at the moment is minimal, but this will change as we move to its mandatory use by the end of February 2021. This will completely automate the process of bail applications.” He added: “The court automated payment system is going to be introduced in the family court of the Magistrate’s Court which will automate the process of making payments and receiving payments pursuant to orders made in the Family Court. “With the listing office, the entire process from start to end with regard to obtaining dates has now been automated. Lawyers
no longer need to physically visit the listing office…now they can apply for dates using online forms.” Mr Moree said starting in February, the judiciary will be focusing on the reduction of the backlog. “This will involve the appointment of several acting justices for a period of time who will be given a portfolio of cases over a
ALARM AS NUMBER OF JUVENILE CASES DROPS from page one Justice Brian Moree acknowledged that “there are serious issues which must be addressed in the juvenile court”. “This court deals with the future of our country, young people,” he said. “I have indicated to the presiding magistrate in that court that I intend to work with her and with the chief magistrate during the first quarter of this year to make significant changes.” Chief Justice Moree said he might approach Attorney General Carl Bethel with proposed legislative changes that would enhance the court. “The fact of the matter is we have to do better in the juvenile court,” he said. “There are systemic, institutional issues, there are administrative issues, there are personnel issues, there are legislative issues and it is my intention to focus on the juvenile court in order to address some of these matters. “There is a significant backlog that must be
addressed. It is very possible that I will appoint a second juvenile court for a period of time although these are all matters which I will discuss with the chief magistrate and with the presiding magistrate as we move forward.” Tavarrie Smith, a child rights lawyer and head of Project Youth Justice, an organisation that defends children and youth in criminal justice and child welfare matters, said the challenges facing the juvenile court existed before COVID-19. “The juvenile court ought to have been one of the first and easiest courts to have made the pivot during COVID health regulations due to the fact that it is one of the few courts not ordinarily open to the general public,” he said yesterday. “It has always been the law that the juvenile court is held in camera. The fact that it could not transition during COVID means that we must examine the entire juvenile justice system as it currently exists so that impediments are
quickly addressed. The truth is, it is not a traditional court and until those in charge understand its uniqueness, it will continue to be challenged and fail in its obligations to meet the needs of our children and families.” Mr Smith said officials have not presented a plan forward for the court. “The result is that there are thousands of children out there with matters before the court who have no idea when or how or where their matters will begin proceedings,” he said. He said Senator Bethel promised new juvenile facilities which, if delivered, would ensure the court is not subjected to crowd controls and health protocols “to the extreme level which we see at the Nassau Street Complex.” “To date,” he said, “there is no plexiglass within the juvenile courts and those juveniles who are in custody still arrive in court shackled together. The reality is, the Nassau Street Court Complex is not a lawful or conducive environment for the adjudication of juvenile
matters as it violates a number of local and international laws relative to the rights of the child. “I know that the juvenile magistrate is more than anxious to resume matters and those of us who appear before her can vouch for her frustration at the delays facing her court.” Mr Smith said the juvenile court should be relocated to a standalone facility, the juvenile panel should be replaced with a single magistrate who is trained in child rights law, a Minors Advocate Office should be established and a Juvenile Justice Act should be introduced “to cure the numerous defects with Part X to XIII of the Child Protection Act.” “A failure to act and prioritize these issues opens the government up to liabilities for its failure to protect and enforce the rights of the child,” he said. “The failure to give juveniles a quick and speedy trial is a violation of his rights under the Bahamas Child Protection Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
certain period of time which we define as backlog. It’ll probably start with a cutoff period of five years and the acting justices will be asked to case manage and complete those trials within a nine-month period,” he explained. As it relates to the Court Services Bill, Mr Moree said he was pleased to report the bill had been tabled in the
House of Assembly during the fourth quarter of last year. “This bill is transformative and will deliver to the courts a higher level of financial administrative and operational autonomy over the affairs of the judiciary, while at the same time preserving the constitutional role of the minister of finance over the finances of the country.”
PAGE 4, Thursday, January 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
SANDS: WE MUST EDUCATE PUBLIC ON VACCINE By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands says a successful coronavirus vaccination programme hinges on the launch of a comprehensive public education campaign that addresses the concerns of Bahamians. Health officials will also have to drive home the fact that receiving a vaccine does not mean mask wearing and social distancing are not needed, he said in an interview with The Tribune yesterday. Following Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ announcement that Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis will chair a consultative committee to advise the Ministry of Health on a vaccination plan, the Elizabeth MP told The Tribune this is a step in the right direction. However, there are several elements that must be present to ensure
vaccines, when they arrive in the country, do not rot on the shelves. This includes proper analysis of safety data, which now only explores the 60 days following receipt of the vaccine to recipients in other countries. “I’m happy,” Dr Sands said of the formation of the consultative advisory committee. “I applaud the government’s decision to create such a think tank to help guide the process because there will be some controversial decisions that have to be made – who goes first, elderly people, healthcare workers. “How do you avoid some of the missteps of every other country who has tried to roll out their vaccination programme and incorporate the views of non-medical personnel is very important. “So, I am very pleased to see that this step is being taken and I don’t think that we could have asked
for a better leader than Dr Dahl-Regis.” Decisions that have yet to be spoken of publicly rest on which vaccine health officials are likely to choose. In his opinion, Dr Sands said it appears that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is better suited for The Bahamas. “For logistical reasons, it appears as if the AstraZeneca vaccine would be a better fit for The Bahamas and certainly based on mechanism of action the model that Oxford University and AstraZeneca chose, it would seem to be something that I am less leery of as compared to some of the others, but that committee will flesh out all of these things and I am sure they’ll make a recommendation. “What’s very important is as a sovereign country that you go through due diligence. Like Ronald Reagan said, ‘trust but verify.’ You have to verify that whatever our strategy is for
COVID is a good and perfect fit for the people of The Bahamas.” In the meantime, Dr Sands said the deep-seated concerns of many Bahamians need addressing. “There needs to be a very robust education campaign and that education campaign — and these are not my words I don’t remember the source — but ‘this is not about vaccines but vaccination.’ So, there can be all the vaccines in the world but if you look at countries like the United States many of them are staying on the shelf.” He continued: “You have a number of people who have vaccine hesitancy that are refusing vaccination and in part because they have deep seated concerns about the process, the over politicisation of the discussion, they have questions of trust and all of these things need to be considered in the conversation. “Let us talk with and educate the public, not speak
at, but speak with and I think if we acknowledge that people have reasonable concerns you are going to be able to move this whole process more speedily to successful resolution. “The other thing is to understand that vaccination is only one part of the approach to COVID. We still have to have the use of masks. We still have to use social distancing. Being in a closed space and partying with strangers is not a good idea and we need to incorporate ideas that will also lead to robust economic activity, but not result in some of the serious problems that we are seeing in other countries, like South Africa and so on.” Asked if he would be among the first to receive the vaccine, Dr Sands said to answer in the affirmative would be disingenuous. “I have made it very clear that I’d like to see more safety data. The data published on the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine show safety
data out to 60 days. To me that’s not very long and as we watch the accrued experience with the roll out of vaccination programmes around the world the more robust and longterm data will help me to make a decision on when I will be prepared to take the COVID vaccine.” He also said: “I think it would be disingenuous of me at this point (to say I will be first in line to take it). My position on COVID vaccines is a part of the public record. I have said what would be required for me certainly when we were talking about the Pfizer and Moderna iteration of vaccines. “I am looking carefully at every bit of information and literature published on the vaccines and I don’t consider myself to be anything other than a scientist. “I will be very honest with the public as to when I am prepared to take a shot,” Dr Sands said.
WELLS: ONLY WHO-APPROVED TESTS ALLOWED from page one
This test was presented to the government for approval to be used in Bahamian airports, however, it has not been given the greenlight. An advertisement appearing in The Tribune on January 7 calls out the minister of tourism for not having the tests at airports and asks him if he has “a better idea”. The advertisement also quotes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as saying the rapid antigen tests, currently used in The Bahamas to test travellers in the country for more than five days, fail to detect up to 70 percent of COVID-19 asymptomatic cases. The government mandates a negative PCR test for entry in The Bahamas, which is a more reliable form of testing. Mr Wells said: “In general, the government of The Bahamas doesn’t move forward with any form of testing technology, kits or platform that has not been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Ministry of Health is a very conservative body and the Bahamian people need to understand that. “Even though we have the very best and brightest minds in The Bahamas in this ministry, what this ministry does is basically cover itself in the protection of the WHO and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) in regards to recommendations. “Rapid antigen tests were out in the market for months before the Ministry of Health (approved) its use and when it did so it only approved two of the tests that were approved by the WHO. The Ministry of Health, when others were saying we should accept the rapid antigen
TOTAL CASES TOTAL DEATHS
8,011 175
NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES WEDNESDAY 7 CASES NEW PROVIDENCE
TOTAL TESTS
55,503
7
HOSPITALISED
5
test for travel across borders, recommendation was simply the RT-PCR test would be the only test that the government would recommend as the test requirement for coming into the country.” Asked if he thought the WHO and PAHO were archaic in their dealings in the health industry when compared to the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration, Minister Wells explained his thoughts on those entities. He said: “The WHO and PAHO are forward leaning technologically in regards to research, but they are very conservative with recommendations. Because we do not have a regulatory regime in country, we depend on the regulatory regime of the WHO and PAHO to approve platforms, protocols and procedures for us in regards to how we are moving forward with COVID. “We tweak some things as we go along obviously. When
CASES IN ICU
0
RECOVERED
6,351
we apply protocols and when we have a mask mandate – those kinds of things were the decision of the government of The Bahamas based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Health. To put it in a nutshell, the Ministry of Health really only moves forward with recommendations from WHO and PAHO.” He further explained that the CDC basically covers the ambit of the United States and was more the focus for Americans when outgoing President Donald Trump pulled out of WHO, removing the presence and funding of America. Mr Wells is confident that with President-Elect Joseph Biden soon taking the reins, the United States will rejoin WHO and PAHO. Not making any promises that the RT-LAMP test would be approved, Mr Wells expressed joy in seeing the country’s COVID numbers drop. He attributes this to the excellent work of the country’s health professionals.
HEATHER MATURIN, Ochsner BR phamacy director, unpacks the vials of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be used into the refrigerator at Ochsner Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last month. Photo: Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP
COLD STORAGE EQUIPMENT FOR VACCINE TO ARRIVE SOON By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net COLD storage equipment to facilitate COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in The Bahamas shortly, Health Minister Renward Wells told The Tribune yesterday. Mr Wells, elated at the drop in the country’s COVID infection numbers, also promises that the Vaccine Act, which came into effect in the mid-1800s, will be amended in Parliament to make it more suitable for modern times without losing its structure. Mr Wells said: “We have not selected a particular vaccine as yet, but we are looking to move with the approved vaccines by WHO and the CDC. There are three of them that have been approved – Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. It’s among those. We are also looking at the Johnson and Johnson vaccine that is the final clinical trial stages. We assume over the next week or two weeks that will be approved. “So we are going with approved vaccines. Pfizer has a cold storage issue and the government has resolved it. We will be having our cold change storage equipment in (the) country very soon. The Vaccine Act was passed on April 12, 1860. It’s an Act that simply says that only the minister can appoint
vaccinators. It was really to address the Smallpox vaccine at the time. Even though the Vaccine Act needs to be updated, the structure of the Act is still quite sound.” On the subject of the Vaccine Act, the idea Mr Wells said, is to not only to make it modern, but to use it to protect citizens who will be receiving the vaccines, cutting out unauthorised people who would want to weigh in on the distributions for whatever reasons. The positive thing for Bahamian citizens, the minister said, is that receiving these vaccines will not be mandatory. He continued: “In regards to the Act, we still want to ensure that it’s only the minister of health who can appoint vaccinators. You don’t want to have anyone purchasing vaccines from anywhere around the world and someone just getting a syringe and giving someone a shot. So it’s only approved persons who are trained in giving vaccines would be able to vaccinate persons. “It’s just the updating part of the Act with the penalties side, bringing it more into the 21st century in regards to the other vaccines that have come on stream and the government’s position on vaccines. And, as we said to the Bahamian people it is voluntary to them and it’s free to them. The government has not made any other
vaccine mandatory and we are keeping with that particular policy.” According to Minister Wells, the Ministry of Health will not only deal with the World Health Organisation and the Pan American Organisation in obtaining vaccines, but it has also been in direct talks with pharmaceutical companies that are manufacturing the vaccines. It has been previously reported that a down payment has been made for a vaccine. He said: “We are speaking directly to manufacturers of the vaccines. We have been doing so since December. From Pfizer and Moderna were approved in the United States we have been speaking directly to them seeking to be able to obtain the vaccine. That work is in progress. “While we are going through WHO, we have put a down payment on WHO/ PAHO vaccine, we are also going directly to the manufacturers as well. The government of The Bahamas will do what it needs to in regards to paying for the vaccine. It is important to us to be able to have that vaccine and to have it deployed in order to open up our economy so that we can get people back to work.” On several occasions, PAHO has promised vaccines will arrive in the region by March of this year.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, January 14, 2021, PAGE 5
Davis: National address just a campaign speech By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis slammed Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ national address on Tuesday night as a “campaign speech” that did not provide a way forward for the country. In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Davis said “only a prime minister profoundly disconnected from the reality facing Bahamian families would give a national address like the one we saw last night. “It was a campaign speech, not a plan for the way forward,” he added. The PLP leader said the country cannot afford Dr Minnis’ “formula of more job-destroying, economyshrinking lockdowns” but said the nation needs new measures to prevent a third wave. He said people wanted to hear about other matters such as the government’s preparedness against the new, more transmissible variants of COVID-19 from circulating around the world. “We have heard enough talk about plans in development, somehow always ‘a few weeks’ away from being announced. It is time for decisive action and a comprehensive approach to meet the economic and public health needs of the Bahamian people,” Mr Davis said. “What the Bahamian people need is a clear vision for addressing the current crisis and realistic plans to implement that vision. “People wanted to hear how the government will fix its own testing policies, as it was revealed that more than 20,000 travellers have failed to comply with the five-day travel testing protocols that are supposed to protect Bahamians. “People want to know how they can survive the coming months, and how the government will revitalise the economy so that
LEADER of the Opposition Philip Davis. their need for government assistance can come to an end.” The prime minister’s speech on Tuesday highlighted the government’s spending in 2020 and the handling of the COVID19 crisis. With the millions spent, the opposition leader said Bahamians living in truly desperate circumstances wondered how so little assistance had come considering all the tax dollars doled out and debt added to the country’s balance sheet. “The prime minister said the country had spent $17 million on food assistance for 100,000 Bahamians,” the PLP leader said. “That totals $170 per person, during a severe economic crisis that has stretched
from last March through now. Does the prime minister believe the government has done enough? “The boasts about NIB are infuriating; the FNM opposed the National Insurance Act that created NIB, and the prime minister is not doing Bahamians any special favours when he returns to them their own contributions. “Unemployment assistance will extend to the end of January, and food assistance through the end of March, Minnis announced. If this was intended to reassure, it had the opposite effect, striking fear into the hearts of the many thousands of Bahamians still out of work and already struggling to survive on the little assistance provided.
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff “People are facing eviction notices for unpaid rent and mortgages. Many do not know where their next meal or dollar will come from,” Mr Davis said. On Tuesday, Dr Minnis highlighted his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and detailed how taxpayer dollars were spent during the pandemic. He said $177m was spent through the end of October 2020 in response to COVID-19. “To help support businesses and workers, we offered $44.4m in tax credit/tax deferrals which funded the payrolls for nearly 7,000 private sector employees,” he told the nation. “To protect nearly 4,500
jobs in the small business sector, $47.3m was made available for small business grants and continuity loans, through the Access Accelerator Small Business Development Centre. “The government provided $45.5m in unemployment support, administered by the National Insurance Board. This included the extension of NIB’s existing benefit programmes, as well as support for Bahamians in the hospitality sector and selfemployed individuals. This has been the largest distribution of unemployment benefits in Bahamian history.” Dr Minnis also said between March and October 2020, $17.2m was spent
on food support, providing food for about 100,000 people. He added that in New Providence, $9m has been spent improving Princess Margaret Hospital and areas of Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre while in Grand Bahama, $21m has been allocated for a phased redevelopment of Rand Memorial Hospital. He also announced that Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis will chair a consultative committee to advise the Ministry of Health on a vaccination plan. After his speech, some on social media criticised him for not revealing when additional COVID19 restrictions will be relaxed.
WARNING TO PREPARE VACCINATION PLAN By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A PAN American Health Organisation official said countries in the region should start preparing for the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine and focusing on the prioritisation process ahead of its arrival, as full vaccinations of their citizens “will not happen overnight”. Speaking during PAHO’s first briefing for the year, PAHO Director Dr Carissa F Etienne urged countries to get ready and plan properly until a vaccine becomes available for their citizens, while noting she believes the next two years will be “critical” in helping to achieve population immunity. The agency expects to begin distributing vaccines to the region by the end of March. She said: “We need to plan very well, we need to use this interim period to make sure that every country is ready and we need to begin the prioritisation process because we won’t have all the vaccines that we need immediately.” Her comments come as several countries continue to face challenges with the roll-out of the vaccines, with some being criticised for the slow pace of the vaccination rates. However, Dr Etienne warned nations to not have unrealistic expectations once a vaccine becomes available in a country, as the process will not be an easy and quick one due to availability restraints among other things. As a result of these challenges, she also advised countries not to rely on
vaccinations “to flatten the pandemic curve.” This focus, she added, should instead be redirected to the most vulnerable and at-risk groups. She said: “Let’s just reiterate that already a few countries in our region have started vaccinations albeit with limited doses and having to prioritise the more vulnerable population, including health care workers. “Now, we need to understand that the availability of the vaccine in the early days will be limited given manufacturing and distribution timelines and, of course, because some high income countries have already bought millions and millions of doses. “So, I think that the next two years are going to be critical as vaccination of a majority of the population will not happen overnight and I think we have to manage those expectations. If there are not enough vaccines to stop the transmission, then our initial strategy must be to use those vaccines to save lives by prioritising those at higher risk.” During a Ministry of Health press conference last week, health officials revealed that a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available in The Bahamas in the first quarter of this year. Yesterday, Dr Etienne said officials are still hoping to distribute the vaccines by the end of March. “COVAX is going to offer vaccine access to a basket of some 15 vaccines and we believe that distribution will begin by the end of March and it will target at least 20 percent of the
population with a focus on the vulnerable groups,” she said. “The situation should also improve once more vaccines are approved by national regulatory authorities and this include vaccines that have already completed…clinical trials. “Today, we have more than a pipeline of more than 190 vaccine candidates and we’re not sure that all of them are going to be approved, but it is encouraging to see that so many vaccines are in development and so we’re working as quickly as possible.” It is not clear which vaccine the government will choose for The Bahamas, with Health Minister Renward Wells recently telling reporters officials are keeping their options open as discussions with several vaccine distributors are continuing. This week it was revealed that health consultant Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis will chair a consultative committee to advise the Ministry of Health on a vaccination plan. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced on Tuesday the committee “will report at the appropriate time on the rollout of a vaccine in The Bahamas”. Until such time, Bahamians are expected to continue following all the health protocols to minimise potential COVID spread. “Our collective ability to keep up with these measures has the power to determine the trajectory of this year,” Dr Etienne stressed yesterday. “If we remain diligent, we have the power to control this
virus; if we relax, make no mistake: 2021 will be far worse than 2020.” Last week alone, the Region of the Americas reported 2.5 million new infections – the highest weekly cases since the virus first reached the region. This comes against the backdrop of new, more infectious COVID-19 variants which continue to spread in parts of the world. Dr Etienne said while there is no data to suggest
that the strains are more deadly, they still have the capacity to further strain healthcare systems. “At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that these variants affect patients differently, but early data does suggest that the virus can spread more easily, accelerating the threat to our health systems, at a time in which they are already close to capacity,” she noted. “That’s why the public
health measures we’ve been urging from the start – such as practising social distancing, wearing masks in public and washing hands often – remain our very best bet to help control this virus right now, in all its forms.” As of Tuesday, COVID19 cases in the country stood at 8,011 after seven additional cases were reported. One hundred and seventy-five people have died locally from the disease.
PAGE 6, Thursday, January 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
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Building for a future after COVID IT is difficult to assess the past year in comparison to other years – and that holds true in the court system too. Even the Attorney General, Carl Bethel, while hailing the increase in the conviction rate up to 87 percent, acknowledged last year was an unprecedented one, saying he thinks it will be remembered as the “lost year”. That’s an honest assessment – and while we may not have been prepared for the pandemic that has caused so much upheaval around the world – there are signs that it might have started the ball rolling for muchneeded changes in our justice system here at home. The increase in the conviction rate is welcome, though Mr Bethel himself notes that it is “in the reduced circumstances caused by COVID”. Against that is set the alarming drop in the number of juvenile cases – brought on by issues that can not all be blamed on COVID-19. Still, there have been moves that will be useful for a future beyond COVID19, not just in the circumstances we face now. The use of Zoom calls for remote hearings may have been necessary to allow cases to proceed safely now – but why should they not remain in use in the future, which may be particularly useful for witnesses from Family Islands to be able to testify without the disruption of coming to New Providence. The move to use more digital technology had already begun, and was long overdue. A digitised case management system is now in place, and audio transcripts can be accessed on the court’s website.
There have been other steps, such as the filing system for Industrial Tribunals being made entirely digital, a development dubbed a “Smart Court”. We hope that measures that have made life easier during COVID-19 continue to be in place in the future – and built upon. The more easily accessible justice is, the more it serves the people of the nation. Have there been problems the courts have faced during the pandemic? Without a doubt. But these measures show our future can take us forward.
Swimming pigs Bring home the bacon for the Exuma pigs! We would like to applaud the initiative to make sure that one of our country’s most popular attractions – the swimming pigs of Exuma – actually brings in some money to support the care of the pigs themselves. Adding a $10 levy per tourist, or $5 for children, for trips to see the pigs is a simple, but effective solution. After all, many tourists are already paying substantial sums to go to see the pigs – and having a little extra to ensure the pigs remain in future, and in good health, is a sensible decision. The government is fully behind the measure, and we hope this ensures a bright future for the pigs. During the dip in tourism from the pandemic, we have featured in The Tribune stories that raised concerns over how well the pigs were being fed. Tourism may not be back in full force yet, but we welcome this extra step to keep one of our famous attractions well fed indeed.
Georgia win for Warnock EDITOR, The Tribune. THE ability of our kind for self deceit and hypocrisy never fails to astound me. I am referring to Kevin Evans’ letter in The Tribune of Wednesday, January 13. Evans’ letter berates a black Reverend Warnock for winning a senate seat in Georgia, USA. Why? Let’s examine Evans’ reasons. Warnock is pro choice, ie the right to an abortion. Why should any politician have the right to stop any woman from deciding what she does with her own body? Why should a bunch of fat cat politicians dictate to a woman, say who is pregnant incestuously, from aborting? Warnock is pro homosexual. Poor use of the English language, Evans. What Warnock believes in as the vast majority of the educated human race is freedom of choice for all people regardless of race, religion or sexual preference.
Homo and bi-sexuality have been around for thousands of years and will be for thousands more. No amount of berating/legislation or Bible quoting is ever going to change this. Warnock supports the Marxist Democratic Party. Classic oxymoron. Marxism and democracy are mutually exclusive, please read and study, Evans. The US democratic party, Biden and formerly, Obama believe passionately in capitalism and the free market. The only slight difference between the two US parties is the Democrats will give the working and middle class a larger slice of the economic pie and some affordable health care. As with all his letters Evans quotes the Bible ad nausea, you can interpret various Bible quotes anyway you like. The Bible is full of contradictory quotes, eg an eye for an eye, and vengeance is mine saith the Lord.
If you study the teachings of Christ he was politically on the left and berated the money grabbers constantly. Politically Christ was far closer to the Democrats than the Republicans. Evans constantly defends that pillar of morality and Christianity the serial adulterer Donald Trump. Yes, Donald who had to pay off a porn star to keep her silence, the same Donald who was recorded saying of women – I just grab them by the p—s. Yes, that Donald I have a feeling Christ has a nice warm spot for Donald and no harp as you pass “Go”. I should imagine Trump would be as welcome in heaven as Jeffrey Epstein would be on a bouncing castle. If, Evans, you don’t get this allegory – well God help you. THE REALIST Nassau, January 13, 2021.
Legal blunders EDITOR, The Tribune.
IT’S UNFORTUNATE that we have the burden of an Attorney General and his staff both of whom appear to be clueless and possibly inept. It was recently announced by the learned Attorney General that The Bahamas had been black listed on at least one occasion by European financial watchdogs because functionaries within his office and other governmental agencies had supplied them with the wrong email site ! Is this believable, fellow Bahamians, in this day and age? In my opinion this is nothing short of gross negligence: ineptness and managerial input. The blacklisting has caused our country to look like a third world nation and negativity impacted our international credit ratings.
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net The AG appeared to be so casual and flippant about this error! He did not even accept direct or personal blame for whatever went down. Why am I not surprised?. This seems to be yet another example of the modus operandi of this legal phenomenon. When the FNM came to power they went after three senior members of the former Christie administration with great fanfare. The AG imported some Queen counsel from the United Kingdom to lead the prosecution. Two of the cases have been disposed in favour of the accused. The AG has yet to tell us the legal costs incurred by taxpayers in funding cases that I told them
were doomed to fail. Why the secrecy? Any government must be fiscally accountable. The AG probably will not be shuffled at this late stage, but, it is my opinion that he and his team have not served the nation well. Where is the fabled Freedom of Information Act? What’s happening with scores of outstanding claims by Bahamians for compensation for land compulsorily acquired by successive administrations? We have lost several high profiled human rights court cases and the administration has been ordered to pay out multiple millions to former inmates and other litigants. In my view this has been the worst of the worst. ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr Nassau, January 12, 2021.
Travel woe EDITOR, The Tribune.
I OPERATE a travel agency in Columbus, Ohio, and have sent clients on a regular basis to Nassau for many years both to hotels and on cruises. The Bahamas was always a popular destination. Regularly I read your newspaper online to keep up to date on travel news. Since you introduced some of the harshest entry requirements in the whole world our business to you has collapsed. We cannot understand why your Tourism Ministry could have designed rules which are so cumbersome and expensive and then still expected visitors would want to come. When we have to explain all the rules and the short five day entry rule from test date they automatically reject booking to Nassau. They do not have the time
nor want to put funds down because of all the uncertainty. Your article about the port restructuring for cruise ships sounds positive. However those undertaking these renovations do not seem to realize that tourists must be willing to book cruises to make it a success. I cannot imagine for a moment that cruise passengers would ever agree to fulfilling all the entry requirements plus more tests and daily online questions any more than hotel visitors. It is ridiculous to expect such short term cruise visitors would be at all interested. There are far too many other destinations these days for both hotel and cruise holidays. I just cannot believe that your hotel owners, port authorities and local business people have not joined together and expressed a
justifiable alarm that your whole economy is in serious jeopardy if these onerous rules are not changed. We are sending our clients to other areas who formerly loved Bahamas holidays. These destinations like Mexico want tourists and are taking all and more precautions at the resorts. There are no difficult Health Visas and so far everyone has come back with glowing reports. Such an unnecessary loss of vital business for The Bahamas. As I have come regularly to Nassau I feel very badly about the current situation for which your authorities have been responsible. Our clients are well as are most people here and like to travel. How unfortunate it is not to the beautiful Bahamas. HOWARD J THORPE USA. January 8, 2021.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, January 14, 2021, PAGE 7
Police want to reduce traffic deaths to zero By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net AFTER a string of fatalities towards the end of 2020, Grand Bahama police have rolled out a traffic safety initiative aiming to have zero traffic deaths this year. Supt Jeremy Henfield, the officer in charge of the Traffic Division in Grand Bahama, is pushing for the target after road deaths in Grand Bahama reached double digits last year. Supt Henfield said police are concerned about the lives lost on the streets. The new initiative, which
includes monthly islandwide road checks and speed checks, will save lives and ensure that streets are safe, he believes. “Our push this year is to have no fatalities in 2021 – none,” Supt Henfield said during the recent official launch at the roundabout at Coral Road and East Sunrise Highway. “This morning we are out here to initiate our first road traffic safety initiative for 2021. This comes on the heels of a number of fatalities we had in the past year of 2020 and…this is of grave concern to us – we are losing too many persons to our streets.
“In the last five fatalities, we lost five young men all under the age of 30 years old. So, this is a serious matter. We are here on serious business to say to the motoring public to slow down because speed kills.” Supt Henfield added: “We are rolling out one initiative every month for the entire year. This is a major island-wide operation. We are taking it very seriously; we can’t afford to lose any more of our young people to the streets.” The initiative will also take place simultaneously in Bimini and Abaco. He also said with the
COVID-19 emergency orders still in place, licensing of vehicles has been extended. He noted that motorists using extensions while awaiting licensing of their vehicles should have valid insurance coverage, a valid driver’s licence, and certificate of title for their vehicles on hand if they are stopped by officers during road and speed checks. He said police visibility will be high on the streets. “We ask drivers to bear with us as we try to save as many lives as possible,” Supt Henfield added. “We are not going to hold you up long, we just want to
check your documents and you will be on your way.” Supt Henfield reported that speeding is still a major issue on Grand Bahama streets. “We did speed checks and I can tell you last week alone, we recorded 300 plus persons for the week – that’s 300 in one week,” he said. Supt Henfield said the speed devices that are being utilised by traffic police are very accurate. “People have concerns about the devices picking up two vehicles at the same time,” he stated. He is appealing to people to bear with the police
during the road check operations. “We have been doing this for a while and this is nothing new, and I am saying that these checks we are making will save lives. When the commissioner speaks, you will hear just how many weapons were taken off (the street), how many cases were solved through these same checks. People are complaining, but it works.” Supt Henfield said that they are also looking at ways to reward good drivers. “We will launch a good driver award to reward those good drivers on our streets,” he said.
CLEAN-UP AFTER BLAZE AN ABANDONED building that burst into flames, killing the man who slept inside has led to a community effort to clean up the area. Members of the Bain Grants Town Advancement Association (BGTAA) came together to clean up the building after the death of Antonio Francois
touched community members, and a decision was made to get together and honour his life, as he had no known relatives to do so. He died in the fire on October 3, and BGTAA members collected funds for the clean up and got together to carry it out. It is said that Francois lived alone in the building on Meadow Street. Neighbors reportedly ran out of their houses to inspect the smell of “something burning” in the air and were greeted with heavy smoke. The Rev CB Moss, in partnership with other members of the community, decided to take responsibility for Francois’ remains. A memorial service was held on December 29 at the Mt Olive Baptist Church. BGTAA arranged for a demolition of the building on December 30, with volunteers showing up to assist.
ABACO NURSES ‘SICK OUT’ OVER CLINIC CONCERN from page one “It’s been over a year since Hurricane Dorian has hit Marsh Harbour and we are still awaiting security protection,” the nurses wrote. “There have been many instances where persons have gained access to the clinic because the doors were not secure. A locksmith advised for the door to be changed and that has yet to happen. “The lives of nurses and medical staff are placed in jeopardy every day due to the lack of security on the premises. When patients become irate, we have to play the role of security which is (not) safe…Inadequate lighting around the clinic and in the parking lot also poses a great risk to the staff.” This comes as the island continues to see increased theft and other crimes, with some residents considering the issue a new reality for the storm-impacted community. The nurses said the situation has left them in fear of their lives. And, according to the healthcare workers, the police officers on the island are not a big help for the problem.
The nurses said there have been instances where officers have taken “from 30 to 45 minutes” to respond to their calls for help despite being located nearby. Pointing to a recent incident that resulted in officers being called, the staff said: “On December 4, 2020, an irate gentleman tried to enter the clinic with a crowbar and the nursing staff felt helpless, unsafe and feared for their lives. The Royal Bahamas Police Force was called three times and even though we received a response that night, the response was not timely. The individual was not able to access the clinic, however, what if he had? Would we be mourning our fellow colleagues today?” The medical workers also cited cleanliness concerns at the health facility, claiming the building is not being properly sanitised and cleaned due to negligence. “We have observed their staff going missing for an entire shift or only present at the beginning of the shift to change the garbage bins,” the nurses wrote. “There are also issues with the toilet not flushing and the water running. We are
still running daily clinics in these conditions, which are very unsanitary.” When contacted for comment yesterday, Bahamas Nurses Union President Amancha Williams said the union was made aware of the nurses’ concerns nearly a month ago and has since contacted the relevant authorities about it. “Me and the minister discussed (these concerns) before the Christmas season. We discussed it with (the lady) who’s in charge of administration at the clinic. The minister informed me that he was going to deal with that,” she told this newspaper. “Our members have the right because it’s a health and safety hazard. What you have is the sewage coming up. They know that there is an issue, that there is a sewer problem.” Ms Williams said there needed to be a better appreciation for healthcare workers and adding the government has an obligation to ensure safety and cleanliness in the workplace. “At the end of the day, these nurses have sacrificed a lot,” she said. “They leave Nassau to come to a place that’s under-developed
and they were at one point living in the clinic, showering. They had nowhere else to go just to care for the people during COVID while other things were
surfacing. “So that’s what’s happening in Abaco and we’ve addressed this issue and I’ve been up there and sat in the minister’s office.
They’ve known about this for months.” Attempts to reach Health Minister Renward Wells were unsuccessful up to press time.
PAGE 8, Thursday, January 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Dark religious and political forces in America
THERE is a disturbingly iconic image from last week Wednesday’s violent invasion of the US Capitol Building of a man clad in black abseiling from the public gallery to the floor of the United States Senate. One of his legs is in midair with the other foot pressed against a door at the entrance of the chamber. Behind his outstretched dangling right arm holding on to the base of the balcony as he drops to the floor is an inscription in Latin engraved in stone above the doorway: “Annuit cœptis”. According to CBS2 News in Idaho, the man in the photograph is Boise resident Josiah Colt, who later released a statement on the incident which read in part: “[I] sincerely apologize to the American people. I recognise my actions that have brought shame upon myself, my family, my friends, and my beautiful country. In the moment I thought I was doing the right thing. … My intention wasn’t to put a stain on our great Country’s Democratic process.” He stated that he was sitting in the chair of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, though he was actually in the upper chamber in a chair reserved for Vice President Mike Pence. Whether or not Colt is sincere in his apology is an open question. But he was likely unaware of the chamber he was in, a telling fact.
And he was likely unaware of the meaning of Annuit cœptis. The term translated to English is: Providence (or God) favours our undertakings, which is also inscribed in the Prayer Room in the Capitol. The inscription evokes the founding boast of American exceptionalism, a mythology deeply ingrained in the insurrectionists malevolently storming one of the three branches of the U.S. Government as they attempted to overturn an election in favour of a president who inspired and encouraged their assault on the Capitol Building and on the democracy they ferociously claimed they were defending as patriots. In their twisted conception, those they came to assail, abduct or perhaps assassinate were decidedly unpatriotic and irreligious heathens. Despite the genocide of native peoples, the pernicious evil of slavery and the subjugation of women at America’s founding, and the subsequent vicious mistreatment of immigrants and brutality unleashed on other countries through American imperialism, the conceit of America as, literally, God’s gift to the world, remains a cardinal belief in the country’s mythology and self-understanding.
UNSETTLING
It is unsettling to listen to many around the world, including in the Bahamas, who have drunk this mythological Kool-Aid, spiked with some sort of historical amnesia-inducing narcotic. Many refuse to more fully appreciate that America, while sometimes a city on a hill and a light to some in the world through its history, is as often a bastion of some of the most brutalising racism in human history, often a dark place where vast economic inequality and hunger is commonplace in the richest nation in history. In an article in The Atlantic on the day of the rampage entitled, “Mass Delusion in America”, Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg detailed his impressions of the mob in which he was embedded for several hours. “What I do know, after spending hours sponging up Trumpist paranoia, conspiracism, and cultishness, is that this gathering was not merely an attempted coup but also a mass-delusion event, not something that can be explained adequately through the prism of politics. “Its chaos was rooted in psychological and theological phenomena, intensified by eschatological anxiety. “One man I interviewed this morning, a resident of Texas who said his name was Don Johnson (I did not trust this to be his name), told me that the country was coming apart, and that this dissolution presaged the End Times. ‘It’s all in the Bible,’ he said. ‘Everything is predicted. Donald Trump is in the Bible. Get yourself ready.’ “The conflation of Trump and Jesus was a common theme at the rally. ‘Give it up if you believe in Jesus!’ a man yelled near me. People cheered. ‘Give it up if you believe in Donald Trump!’ Louder cheers.” Listen to many of the Bahamian supporters of Trump and you will hear the same religious fulminations and fundamentalism, including rationalizations such as: “He’s opposed to abortion”, which should not be a singular moral concern outstripping other ethical questions. Other rationalizations include: “God can use a
JOSIAH COLT, pictured top left and, above, as he was pictured on the front page of The Tribune, after the storming of the US Capitol. man with Trump’s lifestyle and past to do His work!” The degree of rationalizing of Trump’s racism, crude behaviour and incitement of violence by people of faith, says more about them than about Trump.
OBLIVIOUS
As the insurrectionist intruders raced through the Capitol passing under its cathedral-like dome, many in the crowd were likely oblivious to the impressive fresco in the rotunda painted in 1865 by the Greek-Italian artist Constantino Brumidi, who also worked for a few years at the Vatican under Pope Gregory XVI. “Visible through the oculus of the dome in the rotunda” is The Apotheosis of Washington. It is an idealized image of George Washington, the country’s first president and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. “The Apotheosis of Washington depicts George Washington sitting amongst the heavens in an exalted manner, or in literal terms, ascending and becoming a god (apotheosis). “Washington is draped in purple, a royal colour, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the Goddess Victoria (draped in green, using a horn) to his left and the Goddess of Liberty to his right.” E pluribus unum, “Out of many, one”, the motto of the United States of America, appears on one side of the country’s Great Seal. The other side contains Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo decorum or “New order of the ages”. To begin to grasp the fervor and motivations of the true believers who stormed the Capitol, what many have referred to
as the “sacred temple of democracy”, is to appreciate the religious roots and theology of America’s founding, which is partially captured in the Latin phraseology found on America’s civic symbols. To better understand America, is to appreciate both the virtuous aspirations and the virulent demons of the country and the struggle between both, or as one American writer observed, “the gap between our founding promises and our current reality.” President-elect Joe Biden is correct when he speaks about the battle for America’s soul. But he is naive and given to romanticism in saying that the assault on the Capitol did not represent America. The attack showcased America’s demons. The response to the insurrection by many showcased the country’s better angels. But the struggle between both is as old as the Republic and is a struggle without end. A vast number of Americans are wholly ignorant or oblivious of revealing details of American history, religion, government and society, So too are many Bahamians, who opine on America with precious little understanding of the dark and violent recesses of our neighbour, whose influence is embedded in our history and psyche in ways many of us barely appreciate.
COLONISED
Socially, culturally and intellectually, we have been inspired by the United States, even as our minds are colonised and corrupted by its worst excesses. While Donald Trump is a man of limited intellect, not well-read, one of the more ignorant and incompetent presidents in American history, he possesses a geniuslike hucksterism, capable of manipulating America’s darkest forces including: white supremacy, religious fanaticism, nativism, isolationism and the worst excesses of American capitalism. A huckster is defined as: “anyone who sells something or serves biased interests, using pushy or showy tactics.” He has brilliantly used various media, including social media to rile, excite, inspire, motivate and unleash his supporters, culminating in the events of last week, with likely more to come. Trump is not a religious man, except when it comes to his feverish cult of personality. But he knows how to manipulate people of faith and religious fundamentalists. He blends the religious and civic features of
American mythology in pursuit of his narcissistic ends, including utilizing the powerful media and influence networks of some American evangelicals, who happily do his bidding. The Latin inscriptions on the Great Seal combine the intertwined civic and theistic religiosity that is the basis of the great mythologies of America, which contain clanging and unresolvable contradictions and meta ironies. Those Bahamians who have given Donald Trump a pass and who simplistically believe that he and the Republican Party are reflexively good for our economy, fail to appreciate, despite the noisy evidence of the past four years, the greater danger of the most anti-democratic president in modern America. Through sheer luck, the quick action by some security officials, insufficient coordination by the insurrectionists and other factors, America last week, barely avoided many more deaths, a hostage standoff, the possible assassination of some of its leaders and spiralling violence throughout the country. During last year’s impeachment of Trump, Congressman Adam Schiff pleaded with and warned his colleagues: “You cannot constrain him. … Decency matters not at all. … Do impartial justice and convict him.” It is startling, the number of Bahamians who fail still to appreciate the depth of what happened last week. Those who never thought such violent and seditious mayhem was possible in America, must reckon with their consciences for supporting an authoritarian who incited his supporters to insurrection Though many who support Trump would not have been a part of the Capitol mob and are horrified by the events, they should recall the historical lessons of supporting autocrats and diabolical and pathological liars like Trump, which often ended in foreseeable events. It is not enough to say, “We could not see this coming.” What did those who supported Trump feel about the white supremacy, misogyny, religious fanaticism and hatreds of his supporters? Why did it take bloodshed for many to somewhat or finally distance themselves? Like those in the mob Jeffrey Goldberg described as delusional, there are those here at home who were also ensnared in a sort of mass and often willful delusion about Trump. This includes those who supported him in the name of God. • More next week.
America’s had enough
THE TRIBUNE
THE man with the political death wish may have finally been granted that wish. After at least five years of his speaking and acting outrageously, it is beginning to look as if America has finally had enough of Donald Trump. Trump’s brazen incitement of a mob of his supporters who last week broke into the US capitol building, vandalised several offices and caused the deaths of at least five persons seems to have been the last straw. Displaying none of the hesitation for which she was criticised during Trump’s first impeachment little more than a year ago, Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved rapidly to bring the action against Trump. In taking this action, the US House of Representatives added to his distinctions by making Trump the first American president to be impeached twice. “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” according to the four-page impeachment article. “He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.” The House impeachment article says his behaviour was in line with his prior efforts to “subvert and obstruct” the results of the election and includes a reference to his recent call with the Georgia secretary of state. During that call, Trump urged the official to “find” the votes he would need to give Trump a win in Georgia.
Thursday, January 14, 2021, PAGE 9
STATESIDE
with Charlie Harper
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders was asked by reporters why impeach the president again so close to his departure from office. “The answer: Precedent,” Sanders said. “It must be made clear that no president, now or in the future, can lead an insurrection against the US government.” And, by the way: If the Senate eventually musters the two-thirds majority it would need to convict Trump, he would be barred from ever running for political office again. During the week just past, Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, the third highest ranking Republican in the House, said she would vote for impeachment. Some other GOP congressmen said they would join her. Senate (for now) Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed through leaks that he is glad the House is moving toward impeachment and that he would leave their votes in an eventual Senate trial up to his caucus members to determine individually. This is in stark contrast to his loyalty to Trump during Impeachment One in late 2019. Even determinedly loyal vice president Mike Pence was harshly criticised by the mob last week, and there
were numerous reports of fractiousness between him and boss Trump. Many observers speculated that this rift might spell the end of Pence’s presidential aspirations for 2024. Democrat congressman Tom Malinowski of New Jersey may have said it best: “We Americans routinely denounce foreign leaders who use violence and intimidation to interfere in peaceful democratic processes and override the will of their voters. It is critical that we communicate to the world that in our own system, no one — not even the president — is above the law or immune from public criticism.” As always in politics, though, money talks. Here, too, the tide was ebbing on Trump and his congressional enablers who promoted a nonsensical effort to hold up Capitol Hill ratification of the November election results – and provided a cause for the Trump mob to rally behind. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas were the ringleaders of this misbegotten charade. Among the large US corporations publicly withholding future campaign contributions from them and their allies were AT&T, Marriott, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, American Express
and Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards. Such Wall Street behemoths as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase made similar if even broader announcements, as did cable giant Comcast and Big Tech titans Facebook, Google and Amazon. Twitter’s shutting down of Trump’s account last week in the wake of the riots spared the world more of his mendacious blather. Thus emboldened, other internet hosts banned several sites where the mob had planned and plotted its insurrection for weeks beforehand. It is important to recall that the reason the US Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in the case known as Citizens United remains so significant is that it lifted most restrictions and limits on the ability of corporations to contribute to political campaigns and the amount of those contributions. That has led to greatly increased corporate influence of US politics and politicians’ resulting dependence on corporate donations. Heartening as is all this news for liberals and good government advocates, a glimmer of reality was delivered this week by a former Trump administration official when he was asked about corporate giving in the future: “The
NFL MAKES SURE SEASON IS COMPLETED WHILE many Americans have been glued to their televisions as the Capitol building was attacked and occupied for the first time since 1814, the National Football League finished its 2020 season in its entirety. All 32 teams played their mandated 16 games, sometimes on Tuesday or Wednesday, but they all got played. That’s better than Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association or the National Hockey League could manage during these pandemic-plagued times. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed altogether, for at least one year. And the Miami Dolphins were the only team with a winning record to miss the expanded 14-team playoffs, while the 8-8 Chicago Bears and the 7-9 Washington Football Team
(formerly Redskins) both advanced to the postseason. Much blame for Miami missing the postseason is being directed at heralded young quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the rookie from Alabama who has looked alternately good and not so good as he acclimates to the speed and intimidation of the NFL. Some pundits are even suggesting that Miami needs to draft Tua’s replacement this year. Under the able leadership of the NFL’s only black general managerhead coach tandem, however, the Dolphins are building a winner. To move on so soon from Tua wouldn’t be wise, and the team’s GM has confirmed his commitment to Tua. As for the teams that did reach the playoffs, Green Bay and Kansas City clinched top seeding and did not play
on “Wild Card” weekend. Everyone else did, with three games on Saturday and three more on Sunday distributed among various networks. On this famously unpredictable first football playoff weekend, the only home teams to win were Buffalo and New Orleans. They will face the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively, this weekend. These figure to be the most competitive contests. In the other two games, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Cleveland Browns, who shocked everyone by blitzing Pittsburg on Sunday night. The Green Bay Packers will host the Los Angeles Rams on legendary Lambeau Field, where it might be chilly. Both top seeded teams are expected to win comfortably.
vast majority of these (corporate) guys will be back at the table, likely with very little fanfare,” he told reporters. “When they see policies that affect their businesses, they will have to be back in the donations game.” Still, some of the reactions to Trump’s nefarious acts have to sting. The American Professional Golf Association announced that it would move its 2022 PGA Championship away from the Bedminster, New Jersey Trump golf course to which he returns so frequently for some relief from the burdens of his office. His native New York City has loudly cancelled $17m worth of annual contracts with the Trump Organization to provide services such as operation of a Central Park carousel. And legendary New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a well-known Trump supporter, told reporters he would spurn Trump’s offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
the highest American civilian award, because of the president’s involvement in last week’s riots. Although Trump has granted these honours to numerous, disreputable opportunistic supporters such as congressmen Devin Nunes of California and Jim Jordan of Ohio and the notorious radio instigator Rush Limbaugh, most of his awards have gone to athletes whom he admires or who have supported him – or both. Things do look bleak indeed for the president and his adopted Republican Party just now. But Trump, and the Republicans, have been written off before. A wise person might say: Not so fast. The next general election is 22 months away. American political memories are notoriously short. There’s plenty of time for reloading of political messages and rehabilitation of the reprobates so widely vilified today.
TEMPLE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
ENTRANCE EXAMINATION 2021-2022 Temple Christian High School will hold its Entrance Examination on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at the school on Shirley Street from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon for students wishing to enter grades 7, 8, 9 and 10. Application forms are available at the High School Office. The application fee is twentyfive dollars ($25). Application forms should be completed and returned to the school by Friday, January 15, 2021. For further information, please call telephone number: 394-4481/394-4484.
PAGE10. JanuaryXX, 14th,2021 PAGE 2 , THURSDAY, XXXDAY, XXXMONTH 2015
THE TRIBUNE THE TRIBUNE
Prenetics rolling out OxFord University RT-LAMP Technology & ePassport Encrypted App to Airlines |Airports Worldwide Five additional global airlines and the Airport Council International (ACI) World have announced they will join the ‘Common Trust’ Network to create “Safe & Clean” travel bubbles on flights in and out of New York, Boston, London and Hong Kong as of December 2020. By joining the network, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic join Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines who have already selected the World Economic Forum’s Common Pass -- ePassport App powered by Oxford University RTLamp technology which is being used by Prenetics at Heathrow, Manchester, Hong Kong, NYC, Singapore & Toronto Airports, BA, Cathay Pacific, United, JetBlue, Disney & per-
haps Carnival Cruise Line why don’t we also ask DiCommons Project Foun- onisio if he’d like to share dation CEO Paul Meyer the reason behind British said: “The members of Airways delayed the rethe Common Trust Net- launch of its LHR-NAS work are coming together segment; opting instead, to implement an inclusive to fly directly to Caymans global network designed and Turks & Caicos ....... to empower individuals with digital access to their health information so they can protect and improve their health, and demonstrate their health status to safely return to travel, work, school, and life while protecting their data privacy.” The pass was officially trialled in October on Cathay Pacific Airways and United Airlines flights between Hong Kong, Singapore, London, and New York. It enables passengers to demonstrate their Covid-19 status while protecting their data privacy. Notwithstanding the surge in mutant strain of COVID-19 in UK,
United regulatory and policy vice-president Steve Morrissey said: “We were proud to be the first US carrier to trial CommonPass on 21 October from London Heathrow to Newark. “Testing is a key component of our multi-layered approach to safely reopening travel and ensuring our customers’ wellbeing, and we look forward to using technology platforms like CommonPass to provide travellers and governments confidence in verified test results. ******
Minister of Tourism fails to respond to Bahamas Medical & Surgical Supplies FREE Trial of Prentiecs Oxford University RT-LAMP Technology & ePassport App Private and Confidential
xford RT-LAMP Near-Term Roadmap
Develop of RT-LAMP array using same sample to detect COVID-19, Influenza, Flu (Critical for Winter Season and for Fast Diagnosis in Hospitals and Clinics)
RT-LAMP Instrumentation as Point of Care Device and as Handheld Reader (see prototype on right)
Home / POCT COVID-19 Test Kit Using Gargling Mouth Wash (see below)
13
Prenetics Rapid nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) utilising Oxford patent-pending LAMP
FDA: Antigen Tests fail to Detect Up to 70% of COVID-19 Asymptomatic Cases The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last Wednesday that antigen tests are still not as reliable in detecting COVID-19, adding that the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test remains to be the gold standard. In a virtual media briefing, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said that like RT-PCR tests, an antigen test also uses swabs to collect a sample of mucus from a patient’s nose or throat. It is also similar to rapid antibody tests in yielding faster results, as it has a turnaround time of only about 15 minutes, he said. “It takes about 15 minutes, but it’s not as accurate as PCR),” The FDA chief cited a study by the World Health Organization which found that the accuracy of antigen tests varies from 34% to 80%. He says Antigen test haave an accuracy of about 30% for those who have no symptoms. Although the FDA alert did nt specify a test provider, they did seem to make recommendations about the cardtype kits sold by Abbott as well as the instrument-based assays from BD and Quidel. The instructions for all of the tests reinforce that if the provider does not follow the timings appropriately, they can cause false results. They also noted problems linked with processing multiple specimens in “batch mode” They also pointed out that any kit that has less than 100% specificity, which is almost all of them, will have large numbers of false positives when screening populations where a pathogen has a low prevalence. The FDA pointed out that with 98% specificity, ranges can go from 20% in a population with 10% prevalence to 96% in a population with 0.1% prevalence. In the U.S.,
according to the CDC, 7.1% of tested samples were positive. “People who receive positive results on an antibody test but don’t have symptoms of COVID-19 and have not been around someone who may have COVID-19 are not likely to have a current infection” and should “continue with normal activities,” they said. “However, the antigen test is like a smoke detector. The smoke detector doesn’t look at the fire itself. It just looks at the smoke that comes off
the antigen tests in use for people who are symptomatic, that have symptoms. Let’s just be clear. It is only cleared for use and approved for use among people who are sick.” Dr. Chang says. “When we use these tests outside of those parameters and test people who are not sick. This is where we run into problems.” It’s difficult to extrapolate the results to larger populations, since the people on board the ship were living in close quarters while entirely isolated from outside life for about a month. Even still, the results are a stark reminder of how likely COVID-19 is to spread within communities, and how difficult it can be to tell when it does. That’s a particularly important lesson to consider as states reopen and nice weather eats away at many people’s resolve to stay home. The virus can and does spread undetected—and an asymptomatic case can still cause serious illness if it spreads to someone else. Until a vaccine is available, the safest way to keep coronavirus from spreading is to keep your distance from others, whether you’re sick or not.
“ The WHO found the accuracy of Rapid Antigen tests varies from 34% to 80%....decreasing to 30% for those persons who are astymptomatic......” of the fire,” says Dr. Joseph Chang, chief medical officer at Parkland Hospital System. “The rapid antigen test, looks for bits and pieces of the virus- not the genetic material of the virus,” he says “It can be fooled in either direction. It cannot detect virus that’s there. But it can also falsely tell you that there is virus when there isn’t.” The rapid antigen tests are everywhere. The government sent millions of test kits to schools and nursing homes. “The FDA only approved
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THE PG TRIBUNE 11, MONDAY, JANUARY 4TH, 2021
Thursday, January 14, 2021, PAGE 11 THE TRIBUNE
$427M “ First-of-Its-Kind ”
Multi-Function Phased Array, Air Traffic Control, Climate,
Marine, Navigation, Severe Weather & Hurricane Ntwk Gets Cabinet Light !
The New ICAO designated ‘Meteorological Weather Authority’ for Intl. Air Navigation Services on behalf of a Contracting State to the Chicago Convention (1944)................
BAHAMAs AvIATION, ClIMATE & sEvERE Wx NETWORk shall stand up a Meteorological Watch Office (MWO) with the resources, systems and expertise to provide 24/7/365 continuous watch over Bahamas’ sovereign archipelagic baselines, territorial & contiguous seas; as well as, our nations’ exclusive economic zone.(EEZ)
Bahamas
BAHAMAS AVIATION, CLIMATE & SEVERE WEATHER NETWORK & RAYTHEON MEET WITH PM
j
DEPT OF METEOROLOGY
Director Basden & the Department of Meteorology team say that Bahamas Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Network’s System is “ ....the Answer to Their Prayers!!” In partnershIp and/or potentIaL coLLaboratIon wIth
department of Meteorology Commonweath of The Bahamas
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
PAGE 12, Thursday, January 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Trump becomes first president to be impeached twice WASHINGTON Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump was impeached by the US House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office. With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the US Capitol, egged on by the president’s calls for them to “fight like hell” against the election results. Ten Republicans fled Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a “clear and present danger” if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. Trump is the only US president to be twice impeached. It was the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in modern times, more so than against Bill Clinton in 1998. The Capitol insurrection stunned and angered lawmakers, who were sent scrambling for safety as the mob descended, and it revealed the fragility of the nation’s history of peaceful transfers of power. The riot also forced a reckoning among some Republicans, who have stood by Trump throughout his presidency and largely allowed him to spread false attacks against the integrity of the 2020 election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, imploring lawmakers to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign “and domestic”. She said of Trump: “He must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.” Holed up at the White House, watching the proceedings on TV, Trump later released a video statement in which he made no mention at all of the impeachment but appealed to his supporters to refrain
from any further violence or disruption of Biden’s inauguration. “Like all of you, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity at the Capitol last week,” he said, his first condemnation of the attack. He appealed for unity “to move forward” and said, “Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. ... No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement.” Trump was first impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted in 2020 acquit. He is the first president to be impeached twice. None has been convicted by the Senate, but Republicans said Wednesday that could change in the rapidly shifting political environment as officeholders, donors, big business and others peel away from the defeated president. Biden said in a statement after the vote that it was his hope the Senate leadership “will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation”. The soonest Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell would start an impeachment trial is next Tuesday, the day before Trump is already set to leave the White House, McConnell’s office said. The legislation is also intended to prevent Trump from ever running again. McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and considers the Democrats’ impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic president’s hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press yesterday. McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who demanded anonymity to describe McConnell’s conversations. In a note to colleagues Wednesday, McConnell said he had “not made a final decision on how I will vote”. Unlike his first time, Trump faces this impeachment as a weakened leader, having lost his own re-election as well as the Senate Republican majority.
SPEAKER of the House Nancy Pelosi gavels in the final vote of the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Photo: J Scott Applewhite/AP
MICHIGAN GOVERNOR CHARGED OVER FLINT CONTAMINATION LANSING, Michigan Associated Press FORMER Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was charged yesterday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The charges are groundbreaking: No governor or former governor in Michigan’s 184-year history had been charged
with crimes related to their time in that office, according to the state archivist. “We believe there is no evidence to support any criminal charges against Gov Snyder,” defence attorney Brian Lennon said Wednesday night, adding that state prosecutors still hadn’t provided him with any details. Lennon said on Tuesday that a criminal case would be “outrageous”. Snyder and others were scheduled to appear in court today, followed by a news conference by Attorney General Dana Nessel and prosecutors.