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VOLUME:116 No.25, JANUARY 30TH, 2019
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
ALICIA WALLACE: JOBS ARE NOT THE ONLY ISSUE WE FACE
New health tax cut after review
CAYS FIRE DESTROYS RESORT BUILDINGS
By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
CRUISE ships are being diverted to Half Moon Cay for the foreseeable future after a fire destroyed four buildings on Princess Cays late on Monday night. SEE PAGE THREE
Workers to now pay 1.5% towards insurance scheme By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
THE National Health Insurance Authority has shaved down its proposed salary tax to fund universal healthcare by a half percent in its updated policy paper on the contributory scheme. The new proposed policy removes the 50 percent cap on employee contributions, and also raises the threshold for small businesses required to participate in the scheme by $150k, according to an NHIA statement obtained by The
Tribune, which announced the proposed contribution rate has been reduced to 1.5 percent of monthly income. It also proposes to expand its standard health benefits package to include paediatric cancer. The changes will now be presented to Cabinet for review. Fielding questions from reporters on the matter yesterday, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said: “There has been a number of very very good suggestions. I am not minded to reveal what those suggestions have been at this point. SEE PAGE SIX
GOING SOMEWHERE, ‘PM’S SPEECH GAVE MR NYGARD?
PUBLIC NO HOPE’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ national address on Monday night fell flat and avoided important issues, according to Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis. “A PLP administration would have announced the airport had been started in Exuma, the school in Black Point and its clinic fixed and
functional, and announced a buyer and operator for the hotel in Grand Bahama complete with the requisite supporting airlift,” said a statement by Mr Davis. “Further, Ragged Island would be well on its way to being back on its feet again; the construction of a new runway at the Lynden Pindling International Airport would be well underway. The PLP would have said something to give people hope in other words.” SEE PAGE THREE
IS Peter Nygard planning a break from The Bahamas? Less than 24 hours after a warrant was issued for the fashion mogul’s arrest, observers spotted his famous bus and Humvee being transported from his luxury compound, sparking speculation he may not be returning any time soon. Mr Nygard, believed to be in the US, has failed three times to appear in court to be sentenced for contempt after breaching an order prohibiting him from engaging in illegal dredging near his Lyford Cay home.
MURDER WITNESS REFUSES EVIDENCE By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
A RELATIVE of one of three men charged in connection with a murder plot executed in 2016 yesterday refused to give evidence against the accused. Carlderon Brown declined to give evidence on the advice of his lawyer
Geoffrey Farquharson against his cousin Jahmaro Edgecombe, as well as Daran Neely and Sean Brown aka “Fire”. Mr Brown, a key Crown witness, also said he could not recall the events that took place in June 2016, the month Kenyari Lightbourne was allegedly SEE PAGE FIVE
CORRUPTION BATTLE ‘FALLEN OFF AGENDA’
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas is “stagnating” in the fight against corruption, Transparency International’s representative Lemarque Campbell warned yesterday, after this nation again slid in the global rankings. Mr Campbell, of Citizens
for a Better Bahamas, told Tribune Business that The Bahamas’ fall to its lowest-ever spot in the organisation’s Corruption Perception Index reflected the Minnis administration’s failure to deliver on promises that were a key feature of its 2017 election campaign. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
SUPERMODELS ORDERED TO FACE FYRE GRILLING By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
SUPERMODELS and social media influencers will be forced to disclose information about the payments they received to promote the ill-fated Fyre Festival. A New York judge granted an ex-parte
order on Monday morning seeking subpoenas for celebrities who helped to
build up the hype around the failed festival. The celebrities include models
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and Emily Ratajkowski. Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland, organiser of the festival, raised $26m from investors and officials are trying to determine how that money was spent. Netflix’s documentary, SEE PAGE TWO
PAGE 2, Wednesday, January 30, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
By RIEL MAJOR DEBBIE Ferguson was delighted when she was presented with the best kept yard award by the Bahamas National Pride Association yesterday. The 62-year-old Bain Town resident said she has enjoyed cleaning her yard and her corner each morning for about 18 years. “Every morning around 6.30 I get up and clean my yard and when I’m done, I go and clean the road,” she said. “I like to be clean, I like to feel clean and I like everything around me to be clean. I always felt like I can’t clean my yard and not the road because the dirt from the road will blow in my yard. “I can’t go out looking clean and (where I’m coming from isn’t clean), your home is your pride. Just how you have pride in yourself, have pride in the environment.”
WINNER: Debbie Ferguson Joanne Johnson, BNPA director, said she was in disbelief when she first saw Ms Ferguson’s home. “It’s so beautiful and we congratulate Ms Ferguson,” she said. “We understood she cleans the entire street and she paints the wall at the end. She usually weeds the grass on the sides of the street and plants all of the plants, so we just want to encourage this sort of environmental effort in this country.” Ms Johnson said she wants Bahamians to be “environmentally
Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
DEBBIE, QUEEN OF THE YARD conscious of our country”. “We want residents to try so we noticed some of our areas are really getting distressed and we want residents to just take this on. We want to encourage because we noticed when we put signs, everyone starts cleaning up, so it’s an effort for everybody to keep the environment clean. This is like environmental tourism…we need her, we need people like her. We like 1,000 more persons like this to do this, so we congratulate her, she has done an exceptional job.” Barbara Evans, co-pastor of Fellowship of Word and Discipleship Centre, said many people are celebrating with Ms Ferguson. Mrs Evans said: “I have known her for many years and Ms Ferguson is one who loves to keep her surroundings clean, not only her surroundings but the entire neighbourhood.” Editorial Comment - Page 4
Supermodels to face Fyre grilling from page one
MODEL: Emily Ratajkowski. Inset, right, model Bella Hadid.
“FYRE: The Greatest Party that Never Happened”, exposed the murky world of social media influencers and how money influences their decision to promote projects and products they may otherwise have no connection to. The documentary disclosed how Ms Jenner was paid $250,000 to promote the festival on Instagram. Supermodels were similarly paid to participate in videos promoting the festival and to promote the event on Instagram. At the time of the postings, they did not disclose that they were paid to promote the event. According to Billboard, McFarland paid out $11.3 million in the weeks and months leading up to the doomed festival. George Messer, the trustee overseeing the bankruptcy of Fyre Media, requested the subpoenas for models and social media influencers. McFarland is serving a six-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to multiple counts of fraud. The UK Daily Mail reported that Mr Messer is requesting to subpoena artists who were paid to promote the Fyre Media app, “which was intended to allow fans to book celebrity and musician appearances directly, cutting out the booking agent middle man.”
Fyre Festival was intended to promote that app. “(Mr Messer) is specifically looking into a $115,000 payment to Soulja Boy in August 2016 and a $150,000 payment to Wake Flocka Flame around the same time,” the Daily Mail reported. “United Talent Agency, which was paid $90,000 in February 2017, is expected to be subpoenaed along with cruise ship charter company Laundry & King, private aviation Aircraft Services and (Bahamian) pastry chef Ellis Duff.” Tribune Business reported on Monday that a Bahamian law firm and the National Sports Authority’s former chairman are among the local persons and companies being targeted for examination by Fyre Festival investigators. CF Butler & Associates, the law firm headed by attorney Craig Butler, who once unsuccessfully sought the PLP’s Nassau Village nomination, and LeRoy Archer, ex-NSA head and former managing director of BISX-listed Commonwealth Brewery, have been named among those that the Fyre Festival’s Chapter 7 trustee wants court permission to interrogate. On Monday, Mr Butler told Tribune Business his firm has “nothing to hide” and “will do everything to clear our name” in relation to its involvement with the Fyre Festival debacle.
MODEL: Kendall Jenner
THE TRIBUNE from page one Dr Minnis’ national address was broadcast on more platforms than usual for such addresses as it was carried by ZNS, Our News, JCN and Eyewitness News. The hype beforehand convinced some in the PLP that Dr Minnis’ address could serve as a turning point for the administration, The Tribune understands. However, the prime minister made no major announcements and largely rehashed economic figures and summarised tourism projects that are in the pipeline. Mr Davis said: “Bahamians were treated from their prime minister to a litany of non-performance. What a travesty this address was. A nothing burger trying to pass for sensible policy and accomplishment. Mr prime minister, after 20 months in office you must surely know you cannot simply pronounce something as truth––that which is clearly false. You have fallen short. “The prime minister stapled together every piece of paper he could to try to make the government look ‘busy’. It’s the kind of thing that children do when the teacher walks into class. But nothing that he said (on Monday night) can hide the fact that his government is failing. Some of what he prompted as successes, are simply processes. For example, we hardly need a plan to clean up Bay Street. It simply needs to be done. Just clean it up.” Dr Minnis noted unemployment on Grand Bahama has declined according to the latest labour force survey. Mr Davis said this was “a selective story” but he did not refute the Department of Statistics’ survey. “In any event the figures show that unemployment is up in the country at large,” he said. “This is simply breathtaking and inexcusable. How can you
Wednesday, January 30, 2019, PAGE 3
PLP LEADER PHILIP DAVIS ON PRIME MINISTER’S TV PERFORMANCE
‘What a travesty this address was. A nothing burger trying to pass for sensible policy and accomplishment’
LEADER of the Opposition Philip Davis, right, with Prime Minister Hubert Minnis at the official ground breaking at Hurricane Hole last Friday. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
fire thousands of people, hire your cronies, then claim that unemployment is down? I do not want to belabour the point. Suffice it to say, the Hubert Minnis and his administration have been disaster for the country. The facts show it. Everything is going in the wrong direction. Most of all, there is no feel good factor in the country for him and the FNM. The misery index is up in The Bahamas.” For his part, PLP chairman Fred Mitchell said he was not surprised Dr Minnis address “was as dull as nails.” “Forty-four minutes of drivel,” he said. “The tone of deafness is not surprising but interesting, particularly as it relates to the pain and suffering all their cutbacks have caused this economy and the reliance on statistics to the exclusion of real life experiences.” Jamaal’s View - Page 4
CAYS FIRE DESTROYS RESORT BUILDINGS from page one
FIRES burning at Princess Cays on Monday night.
ONE MAN SERIOUS, TWO MORE STABLE AFTER TRIPLE SHOOTING
POLICE are investigating a triple shooting that occurred in the Milton Street area late Monday. According to police, shortly before 8pm, a group of men were at the rear of a building when they were approached by a gunman. The assailant opened fire in direction of the men, injuring all three of them before escaping the scene on foot. The injured men were transported to hospital, where up to press time, two of them were listed in stable condition and the other in serious condition. Police are appealing to members of the public who may have information that can assist in solving this incident to contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.
Yesterday, Central and South Eleuthera MP Hank Johnson told The Tribune about the events at Princess Cays, a private port and resort at the southern tip of Eleuthera owned by Princess Cruise Lines. Police confirmed the fire yesterday, with Mr Johnson noting there were no injuries nor fatalities. Chief Superintendent Walter Evans, head of Police Fire Services, also told The Tribune that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. “There’s no injuries and there’s no loss of life,” Mr Johnson said. “And they’ve lost some equipment and four of their little buildings out there.” When asked about a potential cause of the fire, Mr Johnson replied: “We don’t have any idea at this point. The fire department from New Providence is doing their investigations as we speak.” He also said: “It’s a cruise ship terminal, where
the cruise ship comes in. And they come in several times out of the week, and the passengers will exit and spend the day at that place.” Mr Johnson added a cruise ship was scheduled to dock at Princess Cays today and “several” were scheduled for Sunday. When asked what will happen to those ships, Mr Johnson said they will be diverted. “The arrangement for tomorrow (Wednesday), according to the manager
A RESORT at the Cays.
on site, the ship tomorrow will be diverted to the Half Moon Cay tomorrow. “Most likely, most of their ships probably will be diverted there for the next few days or maybe another few weeks, until they get the operations back up and running.” In a statement released yesterday, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said: “Police on the island of Eleuthera are investigating a fire that has destroyed a number of buildings at a major tourist destination, Monday, January 28. “Shortly after 10pm, police responded to… Princess Cays on the southern end of Eleuthera, and discovered four wooden buildings engulfed in flames. Police and community fire service volunteers made efforts to extinguish the fire; however, the buildings were totally destroyed. “Fire Services officers from New Providence are on Eleuthera to continue investigations into this matter.”
Princess Cays Resort Manager Janice Strachan yesterday told The Tribune the four buildings destroyed were “warehouses and workshops.” Princess Cruises public relations specialist Alivia Owyoung also provided The Tribune with a statement on the incident yesterday. “The fire encompassed several buildings on the south side of the island,” the statement noted. “It was fought by local firefighters and island staff for approximately one hour before it was extinguished. “There were no guests at Princess Cays at the time, and no injuries have been reported. No guest-facing facilities were impacted except one of several public restrooms. “The cause of the fire is currently unknown and under investigation. “The safety of our employees and guests is our number one priority. Any impact to future Princess ship calls is currently being assessed.”
PAGE 4, Wednesday, January 30, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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Time to make Debbie proud TAKE a walk downtown and you’ll be far removed from the paradise idyll The Bahamas is famed for worldwide. Look down side alleyways and you’ll find them clogged with trash and rubble. Were you to come off a cruise ship and turn left rather than right as you leave Prince George Wharf, you’ll find a wealth of empty shops, and rundown buildings. There is even one building where part of one side has fallen off, revealing a toilet inside. A loo with a view, indeed. The situation is improved if you turn right, but there’s still many a building that could do with a bit of sprucing up, and a good deal of making the place neater and tidier if we are to show off the gem that is our home. In his national address this week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has given a glimmer of hope. He has directed tourism officials to come up with a short-term plan to clean up downtown. At last, we say. About time, we cry. We’ve heard promises before about cleaning up downtown, we think. Dr Minnis wants a plan “as soon as possible to begin to immediately beautify and clean up Bay Street” and says that many Bahamians are appalled by the state of downtown. Quite right, and he should be appalled too. The Downtown Nassau Partnership should join the list of those who are appalled – though they seem to have been busily doing nothing about it for a
long time now too. The same alleys are as crowded with rubbish now as they were under the PLP and under the FNM before them again. So if we’re going to set about cleaning up downtown, and putting on our best face for both ourselves and the world, where do we look for inspiration? Step forward Bain Town resident Debbie Ferguson. Turn to page two today and you’ll read about the well-deserved award she has received for making her yard the pride and joy of her local community. For the past 18 years, she has made sure her yard and corner are clean and tidy. The association presenting the award were impressed by how she cleans the whole street, weeding the grass, planting plants – even painting the wall at the end. She says she can’t go out looking clean if where she’s coming from isn’t clean. “Your home is your pride,” she says, “Just how you have pride in yourself, have pride in the environment.” We have ample reason to be proud of Ms Ferguson – but as we applaud her let’s ask if we can’t do a little more on our own, like her, to make our country a better place. Can we sweep out the street before our business as we clean up at the start or end of the day? Can we organise a litter pick to clear out those dirty alleyways or on local beaches? Is there a lick of paint we can add to a building whose glory might be faded?
We must forget this obsession with courtesy titles in public EDITOR, The Tribune WE HAVE become seemingly obsessed with the proliferation of honorific and courtesy titles in public life, particularly when applied to current or former public servants. Professional journalists the world over have adapted their craft to a set of guidelines over how to use these superfluous titles some of which come across as pompous buffoonery. Radio and TV journalists (with those at the public broadcaster ZNS being the biggest abusers) trip all over themselves to pay homage to politicians. There are very few people in this country who don’t know who the current Prime Minister is. And even fewer of them care that he is (a) a Doctor, or (b) not merely honourable but most honourable or even (c) that his name is Hubert Minnis. But yet some news readers persist in constantly trotting out all of his honorific and professional titles which have absolutely nothing to do with qualifying what the man has to say. He is not speaking to us as our doctor. When he is not in the House of Assembly, we don’t care who thinks he is honourable. We don’t even much care that his mother named him Hubert. He is our Prime
Minister and it is in that capacity that we wish to hear from him. How about the journalists drop their preoccupation with the use of honorific titles which comes across sometimes as sucking-up? If someone is addressing a letter to the Prime Minister, then they can use as much verbiage as they wish. And if a civil society group has invited him to speak, then they can recite his resumé and his titles to their heart’s content. But on the radio, just call him “the Prime Minister” or “Prime Minister Minnis”. Some presenters even undertake the ultimate tongue twister of attempting to pronounce the multisyllabic name of politicians in far-away lands, as it matters to their listeners. In the UK, their Prime Minister is officially styled the Right Honourable, but when last did you hear any British journalist call her that? And we all know that the Sovereign (theirs and ours) has a list of titles that would stretch the length of Farm Road. She is Her Britannic Majesty, by the Grace of God Queen of The Bahamas and of her other Realms, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, aka Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. But most journalists
shorten that to just “the Queen” and we all know who they mean. It doesn’t demean her one bit to have her long form title confined to high official occasions. For goodness sake, the woman’s own signature is short and sweet: Elizabeth R. Our journalists could do well to acknowledge that short titles go in front of a person’s name. Longer titles go after the name. For example, they can report the recent news concerning Parliamentarian Reece Chipman. But when they plunge into details as to who he is or what he does/ did, then the accepted style is: Reece Chipman, Member of Parliament for Centreville and former member of the Public Accounts Committee. Those of us who strain to follow radio and TV news would appreciate this subtle difference. It makes the news easier to follow. To avoid running the risk of mashing even more sensitive corns it is best to not even mention the complete dog’s breakfast that our journalists make when kowtowing to the religious elite and the many titled self-sanctified posers who feel they belong to that fraternity. THE GRADUATE Nassau January 29, 2019
PM playing the Pied Piper game EDITOR, The Tribune THE so-called national address by the embattled Prime Minister was straight from the Twilight Zone. His body language was extremely uncomfortable and whatever he did utter bordered on the sublime to the ridiculous. Most Bahamians, myself included, want the PM of our wonderful nation to survive because we are all in this boat called The Bahamas together. Our future, at least here on Earth, depends on the success or failure of the administration of the day, regardless of politics. To put it, pure and simple, the FNM during the electoral campaign in 2017 fooled the masses who were sick and tired of the antics of former PM Christie and the then disjointed PLP. Many thought that Minnis and crew would have made a difference, positively, in our lives. Their promises and election manifesto sounded like the real deal. The alleged cronyism and corruption under that regime had become too much for the average Bahamian to deal with so, in droves, we voted them out. Please keep in mind that I have always been a firm member and supporter of the PLP from the days of the late great and deeply lamented Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling. Under the latter dispensation of Brother Christie we had lost focus and dropped the proverbial
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net ball. The FNM waltzed its way into power and the abject cries of the unwashed masses have gone up to the heavens. Unemployment and under employment have gone up dramatically under Minnis’ regime. Known FNM supporters and overt cronies are now, allegedly, securing huge contracts from the administration, including, some say, of collecting garbage. In fact, in the Stapledon Gardens Subdivision, the garbage has not been collected for weeks, without a word from Environmental Health or our esteemed Minister of Health. What happens when a ‘health crisis’ breaks out as a result of the uncollected mounds of garbage ? FNM cabinet ministers, with two stark exceptions, continue to strut around just like the Adrosian hogs depicted in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. I am not sure who is Boxer or who is Squeeler but they are all creased up in farmer Brown’s house’ walking upright; dressed in human clothing; drinking wine and, yes, glory be to God, eating pork! When I last peeped through the window, several of them were even dancing to the beat of one of my brother’s song.........’ Just cause she fat........’ Tens of thousands of
Bahamians are, in my view, worse off today than they would have ever been under clueless Brother Christie. At least, with all due respect to him, under his watch the average Joe Blow could eat some bread from Community Bakery or Purity Bakery. Now, under the isolated watch of Minnis and his wrecking, many have been relegated to eating cake, if they are able to afford it. Minnis danced the night away at the recent Red Cross Ball, while tens of thousands of Bahamians, throughout the nation, but especially over in Grand Bahama, also known as ‘FNM Country’ are picking peas out of shaving cream. The PM said nothing new or of any value. As usual, he’s playing the Pied Piper game. This intellectually challenged game is no longer workable. Almost nothing that is going on nationally, in terms of development, was started under this bogus administration. Brother Christie, in his latter years, was a bad captain but, at least we had the Hon. Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, QC,MP; Hon. Kallis Rolle and the Hon. Shane Gibson in place. The FNM and the PM have failed us miserably and they will pay a very heavy price in due course. To God then, in all things, be the glory. ORTLAND H. BODIE, JR Nassau January 29, 2019
Crime in The Bahamas does not affect tourism EDITOR, The Tribune EDUCATED statements of Ministers are supposed to be the norm, but week after week, we hear what can only be described as political mumbo-jumbo – verbal rubbish unfounded and unsupported by facts. More crime means less tourism – totally unfounded, just look at Jamaica, which has declared very openly emergencies in many districts, across their island and Jamaica Tourism has boomed.
Look at Mexico - horrific fights between rival drug cartels - brutal killing of police and officials. Mexico has an exceptional tourism! Doesn’t the Ministers know the profile of the usual visitor? The highest number head to Atlantis or Baha Ma on a Thursday and leave on the Sunday or Monday a 3-4 days visit…rarely will they leave those mega resorts - crime has not and cannot affect their great success, The family islands, the same where more and more stay in private villas
and apartments through AirBnB and similar services…no problems. Crime in The Bahamas does not affect tourism… crime does affect us who live here and are tired of the norm of the Police. This is an island 21x7 and the police cannot keep crime down to an acceptable level the old fashion way. You know where the criminals are! Go get them! ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau January 27, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 30, 2019, PAGE 5
By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE ongoing crisis in Venezuela poses serious health threats for the region, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands, who yesterday raised concerns about the resurgence of vaccinepreventable diseases. The collapse of the South American country’s public health system - amid a wider humanitarian crisis due to severe political and economic challenges - has reportedly led over the last two years to high incidences of infectious diseases preventable by vaccines like measles, malaria and diphtheria. “I think we have to be concerned not only with what is happening in the US but more importantly what is happening in Venezuela,” Dr Sands told reporters. “Given the collapse of Venezuela, there has been a huge problem with its public health capacity and so we now see serious threats to the region. “So the government recognises that we have to go back and look at strategies to increase our immunisation coverage not just for measles but for a number of other vaccine preventable illnesses given the collapse of the
Venezuelan crisis poses health risks public health system in a huge country in South America.” Dr Sands highlighted regional health concerns in an interview with media outside the Churchill Building. He was responding to a question about a US measles outbreak in Oregon and Washington, in which some 35 people have been diagnosed this month. Echoing American public health officials on the outbreak, Dr Sands underscored the impact of unvaccinated children on the resurgence of the disease. “Measles is certainly now back with us,” Dr Sands continued, “we are also seeing other vaccine preventable illnesses that are making a resurgence. So when you see persons who believe for one reason or the next that vaccination is neither fashionable or safe
HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands.
based on a lot of disinformation that is circulating on the internet, bear in mind that this could pose a clear and present danger to the health of our children.” The government last week announced it did not recognise the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro’s presidency in Venezuela and had sided with Organisation of American States (OAS) countries recognising Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly, as interim president. Pointing to critical economic and social challenges, the government’s statement noted deep concerns for the welfare of the people of Venezuela, as well as the migration challenges faced by its neighbouring countries. Some three million Venezuelans have reportedly left their country to seek refuge in neighbouring countries in Latin
American and the Caribbean. In June last year, the OAS General Assembly declared Venezuela’s May 20 election lacked legitimacy and failed to comply with international standards. A January 10 resolution highlighted the alleged illegitimate electoral process, and deep concerns about the “worsening political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela resulting from the breakdown of democratic order and serious human rights violations in that state.” Progressive Liberal Party Chairman and Senator Fred Mitchell has been critical of The Bahamas’ stance, noting the country typically abstained from this type of resolution as it is generally viewed as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country.
MY SON’S BEHAVIOUR CHANGED AFTER ATTACK - MOTHER
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THE mother of a 14-yearold boy who has accused a Grand Bahama man of unlawful sex said her son’s “bubbly” behaviour changed in late 2016 when the alleged assault began. The alleged teenage victim in the unlawful sex trial of Fred Williams also gave testimony before a Supreme Court jury yesterday morning. However, as the minor entered the witness box, the prosecution requested he be allowed to give evidence in camera - without anyone present in the public gallery. Senior Justice Estelle Gray Evans granted the request and the courtroom was cleared. Only the nine jurors, the attorneys and the accused remained in the court.
Williams - who is on bail - is charged with having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor of the same sex between October and November 2016, through February 2017 and November 2017. He was arrested and charged with the offence on December 11, 2017. When she took the witness stand, the boy’s mother told the court she noticed her son’s attitude had changed in late 2016. According to the mother, the boy was a “happy and bubbly” teen who became withdrawn. “He became quiet and spent more time to himself,” she testified. The mother said that on November 30, 2016 she received a telephone call at work from the mother of her son’s best friend and became concerned. After leaving work at 4pm, she called her older son and
told him to pick up his brother from track practice and bring him home. When the boys got home, her older son handed her a white paper and she asked her son - the alleged victim - to come and see her in the bedroom. “I was sitting on the bed with the paper in my hand and asked him if he needed to tell me something, and he pointed at the letter. I began to read it, but I did not finish,” she said. The mother said the older son started to speak to his brother whose emotional response made her sick to her stomach and caused her to bolt from the room. “His response came so emotional to me at the time I could not stay in the bedroom; I ran out the room and screamed,” she said. She said she became ill to her stomach and started
vomiting in the bathroom. After she was able to compose herself, she said she called her friend and police officer Corey Rolle who came to the house and they gave him certain information. She said Officer Rolle then escorted them to the police station where they gave a statement. They then went to the Rand Memorial Hospital where her son was examined by a doctor and later met with a social worker at the hospital. Prosecutor Erica Kemp asked the witness if she knew her son to keep friends older than he was, and she replied, “No”. During cross-examination, the accused’s attorney Carlson Shurland asked the boy’s mother if she had read what was on the paper. “Not fully,” she replied. When pressed further by Mr Shurland about the letter, she
said the letter had no date on it and she could not say when it was written. Mr Shurland asked her if she had mentioned that she noticed a change in her son’s behaviour in her statement to police. She said that she did not mention it in the statement. He asked: “Did the change in his behaviour affect his grades?” The boy’s mother replied ‘yes’. Mr Shurland asked the witness when she left the hospital if anything was physically wrong with her son, to which she said no. The lawyer then asked the witness whether her son had seen a psychologist. She responded that her son saw a counsellor/social worker at the hospital. Mr Shurland asked: “As a loving mother were you concerned about what was in the report?” The witness
said that she was concerned but she was not given a report from the social worker. “You never told police he saw a counsellor?” Mr Shurland asked. “No, sir,” she said. “He goes to hospital for an exam, it leads to a mental evaluation and you never told police?” “No, sir,” the witness repeated. Mr Shurland asked the witness if she knew Williams. She said she did not know the accused. He then asked: “You tell the police you don’t know Fred? How you know Fred was a friend of your son?” “I was told that by one of my kids,” she replied. When questioned about her relationship with Officer Rolle, she said he was a friend so she called him and he took them to the police station. The trial continues.
COUSIN DECIDES NOT TO GIVE EVIDENCE IN MURDER TRIAL
from page one
shot to death by Edgecombe at Neely’s behest. “On the advice of my lawyer I wish to not answer any questions,” Brown said twice from the witness stand as Crown attorney Racquel Whymms sought to question him. His statements ultimately prompted Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson to discharge the jury on a point of law and adjourn the matter to today. On June 21, 2016, Lightbourne was shot multiple times while walking through his Woods Alley neighbourhood off Market Street. He died at the scene. Neely and Edgecombe aka “Bingy”, the alleged gunman, were arraigned within months of each other in 2016 in connection with Lightbourne’s death. A third individual, Sean Brown, was charged with accessory after the fact. A month prior to the date the trial was initially due to commence, Sean Brown, a key witness, was charged with perverting the course of justice after he claimed his statements to police were given by force. In a video on social media, Brown, of Spice Street, Pinewood Gardens - and whose identity was protected by an anonymity order at the time - claimed police beat him and forced him to give a false statement to implicate Edgecombe and Neely. Police allege this occurred sometime between December 15, 2016, and July 19, 2017. During previous
proceedings, a witness testified how Lightbourne had just bought tobacco products from a local tuck shop before he was shot dead in the Woods Alley neighbourhood as part of the alleged murder plot. Neely is represented by Wayne Munroe, QC, and Jomo Campbell, David Cash represents Edgecombe, and Nathan Smith represents Sean Brown. Al-Leecia Delancy assists Ms Whymms in representing the Crown. A relative of one of three men charged in connection with a murder plot executed in 2016 yesterday refused to give evidence against the accused. Carlderon Brown declined to give evidence on the advice of his lawyer Geoffrey Farquharson against his cousin Jahmaro Edgecombe, as well as Daran Neely and Sean Brown aka “Fire”. Mr Brown, a key Crown witness, also said he could not recall the events that took place in June 2016, the month Kenyari Lightbourne was allegedly shot to death by Edgecombe at Neely’s behest. “On the advice of my lawyer I wish to not answer any questions,” Brown said twice from the witness stand as Crown attorney Racquel Whymms sought to question him. His statements ultimately prompted Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson to discharge the jury on a point of law and adjourn the matter to today. On June 21, 2016, Lightbourne was shot multiple times while walking through his Woods Alley neighbourhood off Market
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Street. He died at the scene. Neely and Edgecombe aka “Bingy”, the alleged gunman, were arraigned within months of each other in 2016 in connection with Lightbourne’s death. A third individual, Sean Brown, was charged with accessory after the fact. A month prior to the date the trial was initially due to
commence, Sean Brown, a key witness, was charged with perverting the course of justice after he claimed his statements to police were given by force. In a video on social media, Brown, of Spice Street, Pinewood Gardens - and whose identity was protected by an anonymity order at the time - claimed police beat him
and forced him to give a false statement to implicate Edgecombe and Neely. Police allege this occurred sometime between December 15, 2016, and July 19, 2017. During previous proceedings, a witness testified how Lightbourne had just bought tobacco products from a local tuck shop before he was
shot dead in the Woods Alley neighbourhood as part of the alleged murder plot. Neely is represented by Wayne Munroe, QC, and Jomo Campbell, David Cash represents Edgecombe, and Nathan Smith represents Sean Brown. Al-Leecia Delancy assists Ms Whymms in representing the Crown.
PAGE 6, Wednesday, January 30, 2019 from page one Suffice it to say, it’ll be presented to the Cabinet of The Bahamas and then after that discussion, we’ll have an opportunity to present it to the public.” Dr Sands added: “We are going to be open and transparent but I would rather not preempt the Cabinet of The Bahamas and its deliberations with a little snippet here, a little leak there, etc. We will be very open with the recommendations, the changes suggested, the timelines the costs, the benefits package, etc.” The contributory scheme, initially announced by the NHIA last October, called for all working Bahamians to contribute two percent of their salary or 50 percent of the premium - whichever is lower - to purchase the scheme’s Standard Health Benefit (SHB) or minimum level of coverage. Under the old proposal, monthly contributions for those legally in the Bahamas earning $30,000 or more were expected to be capped at $42. The SHB package’s initial “regulated premium cost” of $1,000 per year remains unchanged.
THE TRIBUNE
New health tax cut to 1.5% after review The NHIA has scheduled a press conference concerning policy changes for Thursday, and the statement obtained by The Tribune is dated January 31. The NHIA statement read: “The new proposed policy changes will include a reduction in the contribution rate. More specifically, employers will be able to collect 1.5 percent of monthly income, lowered from two percent up to the standard premium rate with employers paying the balance. “This will be combined with a removal of the 50 percent cap for contribution by employees towards their premium cost, which will see higher paid employees to contribute more and reduce the burden on businesses. The standard premium rate has not
DR Robin Roberts, chairman of the NHIA board
changed and is expected to be $1,000 per person per year. “In addition,” the NHIA statement read, “we propose a reduction in the number of small businesses required to purchase health insurance on behalf of their employees by increasing the revenue threshold from $100,000 to a higher amount, $250,000. These policy changes overall mean that we have reduced the burden on both individuals and businesses. “The new direction proposes to expand on the benefits package by increasing the standard health benefits to include paediatric cancers, a recognised concern among the stakeholders.” The scheme’s SHB launch is slated for April to July 2019; July 2019 for a sugary drink tax and national
wellness programme; a January 2020 launch of the employer mandate/two per cent deductions for businesses with 100 or more employees; and January 2021 employer mandate expansion for all employers and deadline for all grandfathered private insurance plans. The changes reflect feedback collected during stakeholder consultations, in which there were 14 town hall meetings hosted throughout the country. The NHIA team reportedly met with more than 500 participants, and some 80 individual stakeholders, Dr Sands said yesterday. There was also an online consultation survey for persons who reviewed the policy paper online to give feedback, and a total of 33 forms were submitted.
SYSTEMIC LAND INJUSTICE IS THE PROBLEM - JOHNSON
By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
AFTER he was criticised for suggesting Bahamians should “build out of your pockets” instead of going to a bank for a home loan, State Minister for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson said yesterday
the recommendation was taken out of context and was meant to address systemic land injustice. Addressing the fallout from his presentation in the House of Assembly last week, Mr Johnson yesterday claimed the “nihilistic attitude” of many Bahamians led to the misrepresentation of his call
to aid in the toppling of a system he said was at the root of many of the country’s woes. “(Fixing this) will address some of the historical, social and economic injustices preyed against (us),” Mr Johnson told reporters. “You can imagine you have, let’s say, 500 acres
on the island and they (banks) say that’s generational property and that it’s worth nothing because you don’t have the documents to it. And then on the other hand, you have a group who goes throughout the islands and quiets chunks,” he added, referring to the Quieting Titles Act. “And you got your court saying, the present Court of Appeal, one of the justices saying I am concerned to give certificates of titles in some of these matters because we may be an unwitting participant in a fraud against people. “And to hear, when I’m trying or when we are trying to put something that recognises us, our struggle and what we ought to be doing here today as Bahamians, to hear it twisted and turn like that; we have a lot more to do,” Mr Johnson said. When speaking last week on a resolution for the conveyance of 1.2 acres of land in Fox Hill for the government’s serviced lots initiative, the Yamacraw MP suggested people should enlist the help of their friends to assist with building their homes. “If I had it to do again, and I do have it to do again, never go to a bank unless it’s the purpose of a significant investment, not to purchase a home, you could build that. When I was told that, I thought the person who told me that was crazy, you can get together and do that. It has been done, it has been done by our people,” he said last week. “And you have the opportunity to get a piece of property that you can own, that has good and marketable title, you can get together and you can build. And if you do decide to go to the bank, just be sensible.”
MP ELSWORTH JOHNSON Expounding on that view yesterday, Mr Johnson suggested the lack of collateral often limits what is offered to young Bahamians. He said this reality often meant that, for past generations of Bahamians, the only option would have been to build in fledgling communities using the same generational plots of land deemed useless by the bank. “Let’s just presuppose that you can get a piece (of property form the bank) … (if) you are able, and this is how it was done in the past because they don’t have title to land in Cat Island and other places, they build it (out of pocket),” Mr Johnson said. “It takes some time, (but they build it),” he added. “You can decide, and I am talking in that context, you can decide whether or not you are going to spend 25 to 30 years and pay three times the amount ... or you get together as a group. “I did not say that you should not go to the bank, you know, I said if you go to the bank, do sense. “That means you have to look at the interest rates, you have to look and see when they will take that money out of your account because if the take it at the middle of the month
and not at the end of the month, what it does, it runs interest right. These (are the) little things we don’t think about,” Mr Johnson said. Mr Johnson alleged that there are people in both the Free National Movement and the Progressive Liberal Party who have worked to stall proper land regulation. “I went on and spoke about the old ladies in Cat Island who went to prison, and if you get the document from the House of Assembly you would see that when they applied to the Privy Council their files went missing, and I was just speaking to this … a baton was passed to us and we have to come together more than to just have these little social things or this interview. “You have to do business with me, I have to do business with you. I have to look out for you and you have to look out for me. And as I said before, and I make no apologies, there are some powerful individuals in this country who don’t want to see land reform.” Mr Johnson added: “So after saying all of those things that recognise the social, human and economic injustices portrayed against The Bahamas and its people, the only thing you would hear, and this is what concerned me and Cornel West spoke about nihilistic attitudes that pervade us, the only thing I heard is that ‘Johnson said to build your house out of your pocket’ after focusing on that piece of legislation.” Mr Johnson also said consultation is underway on the government’s land policy white paper proposal, a process he implored all Bahamians to participate in.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 30, 2019, PAGE 7
LLOYD: ISSUES AT BLACK POINT BEING ADDRESSED By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
EDUCATION Minister Jeffrey Lloyd said yesterday issues at the Black Point All-Age School are being addressed. Mr Lloyd said it was “very unfortunate” the situation in Black Point was allowed to fester for so many years. The school has received national attention after various concerns raised by residents of the community went viral on social media, prompting statements by both Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper and Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson. Photos circulating on social media showed dilapidated faculty and student restrooms, overgrown grass and a library that appeared also to be used as a messy storage room. In a statement on Saturday, Mr Cooper said it was an outrage Black Point All-Age School remains in a state of disrepair five months after the start of the
2018-2019 academic year. He pinned blame for the issue on the Minnis administration’s decision to give oversight of school repairs to a new contractor who, despite giving assurances for more than four months, has not completed the work as contracted. “I am trying to determine exactly why this has happened,” Mr Cooper said. When made aware of Mr Cooper’s claims, Mrs Wilson said it was ridiculous that a politician would attempt to misrepresent the failures of his own party. She insisted that it was she and other senior school staff who pressed both the past and present administration to address the issues at school. “I am not interested in any comments that the PLP has made in reference to the Black Point All-Age School because the conditions were the same when the PLP was the government,” she pointed out. Mrs Wilson said officials on both sides of the political divide have refused to address the matter.
“If there is blame to be placed, I’ll like to place blame squarely on the former minister, permanent secretary and director; and then also to place equal blame on the present minister, permanent secretary and acting director,” she told The Tribune on Sunday. Addressing the controversy yesterday, Mr Lloyd told reporters that the issues highlighted were being addressed “as we speak”. “It is being undertaken by our Deputy Permanent Secretary Donovan Turnquest and the team from the Ministry of Works,” he said. Mrs Wilson on Sunday urged Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to place both the Ministry and Department of Education under a “microscopic view,” claiming that unskilled and misplaced personnel are presently stalling major advancements in the sector. She ultimately called for restructuring of both units, claiming that it was the only way to guarantee Bahamian students “the best chance or opportunity to get a 21st century education so they could be productive citizens.”
PROBLEMS at Black Point All-Age School.
No threats to safety at our schools, says education chief By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net JEFFREY Lloyd, the Education Minister, yesterday stressed there were no threats to the safety and welfare of teachers at public schools across the country as he committed his ministry to swift action after a teacher at CV Bethel Senior High School was reportedly beaten by students Mr Lloyd told reporters outside Cabinet yesterday he was waiting on the findings of a police investigation into claims a marine biology teacher was injured during an altercation with two male students last week. “Nobody deserves to be put in any way in a compromised position with regard to their safety and welfare,” Mr Lloyd said, “and that of course is something that I am most passionate about in terms of making sure they are protected, teachers and students and anybody else who happens to be on a campus, administrators and so on. “So, nobody’s life is being compromised in any fashion or form because we are very serious about making sure that our teachers are protected and safe and our students are protected and safe, and that’s why I cannot wait for this report so that we can take whatever measures we need to take. “As I am to understand there is nobody’s life at CV Bethel or anyone else on our campuses around this country, 172 schools, whose lives are in jeopardy or whose safety or whose welfare are threatened. I know of nobody else.” The incident took place on Monday, January 21, according to Bahamas Union of
ABOVE, CV Bethel Sr High School; left: Education Minister, Jeffrey Lloyd. Teachers President Belinda Wilson, who confirmed teachers at the school sat out of the classroom for the remainder of the week, returning on Monday. In response to the sit-out, Mr Lloyd said if reports are true, then it was an illegal action that contravened their industrial agreement. “When I have that report
in my hand then we will take whatever steps may be necessary. I am advised that the teachers have not been going to class, of course I am following up very closely on that and if that is so and I certainly have no reason to doubt the sources of my information, then the teachers need to be in classes now,” Mr Lloyd said.
“This action by them is illegal. It is contrary to the industrial agreement and they need to be in the classes teaching our students who have the right to an education, and have a right to the professional guidance that teachers provide. “The union can say whatever the union wishes to
say,” he continued, “the union can have whatever rights the union has, my concern as the minister of education is the education of our children, the safety of our children and our teachers. “That is my fundamental obligation and concern and I am taking that very seriously,” Mr Lloyd added.
PAGE 8, Wednesday, January 30, 2019
J
OBS. That seems to be the magic word - and politicians know it. “More jobs” is the promise of all promises and we hear it often, especially during election season and when the electorate is dissatisfied. It was no surprise when this was a major focus of the prime minister’s national address. It became clear this plan depends heavily on the tourism industry. Hotels and marinas are at the root of his plan to create more jobs. The Bahamian economy is already overly dependent on the tourism industry and we have already seen the effects of an economy that is not diversified. Because vacations are optional and choices and destinations plentiful, tourism is a fickle beast. As we continue to push sun, sand and sea along with resorts many do not bother to step outside of once they’ve arrived, travellers are seeking adventure, health care, education and any number of other experiences elsewhere. If we are going to continue to depend on tourism for the vast majority of the country’s income, we need to expand our offerings, improve the product and safeguard it against unexpected events including hurricanes, US economy downturns and hard-hitting incidents of the 9/11 variety. The running joke for two decades has been the Bahamian dream is partly made of a job at Atlantis — the second largest employer in The Bahamas. Many young people have chosen to study hospitality management because they have been led to believe that, because tourism is the largest industry, it will be easiest to get a job in that space. Of course we also have large numbers of students sticking to the old faithfuls including medicine, law and accounting. Meanwhile, we are in desperate need of development in other areas and students are not being made aware of those opportunities. They get the same degrees with the same majors and compete for the same small pool of jobs. How are we exposing young people to other opportunities, or making them aware of what they can do for themselves when they have the right education, training, and skill set? There is no reason for job creation to be concentrated in tourism. The Bahamas is an archipelago. There is an abundance of water all around us. How are we exploring marine life? What has been our response to the lion fish crisis? What will we do about the depletion of conch? How can we use the ocean to produce energy? How is The Bahamas working toward Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water, where we could be leading the way? Those of us in densely-populated Nassau often forget about the Family Islands, so we do not often think about the potential of the agriculture industry. There is very little conversation about food security, even as we complain often about the cost of imported goods. There needs to be space to explore and discuss these real and pressing issues and viable opportunities at multiple
THE TRIBUNE
Jobs, yes, but so much more needs to be addressed
THE BAHAMIAN economy is already overly dependent on the tourism industry. levels. There are often non-governmental organisations struggling to spark conversations about these issues and promote underdeveloped industries and the jobs that can be created, but they do not have the resources to sustain their work. There is a need for support from the government to increase their reach, create infrastructure and let the Bahamian people know about emerging opportunities. We are well past the time to move beyond the jobs-in-tourism promises. Beyond jobs, business owners continue
Funeral Service For Coral Louise Gooding, 67 a resident of Huyler Street, Black Village, will be held at Centreville Seventh-day Adventist Church, Fifth Terrace Centreville on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Officiating will be Pastor Peter Joseph, assisted by Elder Harrison Moxey. Interment follows in St. Agnes Cemetery, Nassau Street. She is survived by her Husband: Ralph Gooding; Mother-in-law: Vera Cole and Mrs. Ralph Gooding; Children: Carla, Sally, Christian, Jamie, Gina, Domenica; Grandchildren: Narjie, Donovan, Alvanique, Alexus, Genna; Sister: Verdell; Aunts: Berthamae Armbrister, Dolores Hanna, Martel, Melvina, Geneva, Vernal; Uncles: Leroy Armbrister; Sister-in-law: Portia, Miriam, Patricia, Playdel, Judy, Stephanie; Brotherin-law: Arnold, Noel, Timothy, Dion, Godfrey; Nieces: Doreen, Cecilia, Okia, Jareen, Christine, Rima, Harita, Krystal, Latisha, Tamika Cole, Antonique, Antonisha, Rajae, Eden, Nadia, Arianna, Alana, Mara, Trinity, Trinena, Chaztanique; Nephews: Reno, Kamalar, Komar, Justin, Meko, Vado, Stanley, Devado, Michael, Bobby, Justin, Raymond, Noel Jr., Dion Jr., Reggie, Orlando, Emory, Vance, Vanron, Thomas, Kenny, Shaka; Cousins: Cyril, Henry, Vanrea, Marjorie, Beres, Marcia, Ivan, Gina, Gail, Terry, Marcelle, Gilbert, Kevin, Elizabeth (Betty), Yvonne, Kartis, Anthony, Jevon, Janique, Jessie, Tamara & Dion, Johnny, Claudia, Henry, Precious, Blu, Benji, Sean, Mary; Godchildren: Marvin, Jermaine, Tony, Anwar, Rochelle, Dama, Angelo, Kevi, Tamia, Tashae, Alia, Ariel, Licia, Shanell, Lil John, Hailey and numerous others; Other relatives and Friends: Dorothy Gill and family, Stephanie, Abba, Vanessa, Iness, Betty, Ms. Floris, Christina, The Jennings family, The Brown family, the Capron family, The Stubbs family, The Young family, The Entire Black Village Family, The Entire Fort Charlotte Team, Persis Rodger’s Family, The Pinder Family, The Dames family out of Sandy Point Abaco, The Spence family, John Williams and family, the Gibson family, Doctor Charles Johnson, and Doctor Gray. Friends may pay their last respects at Demeritte’s Funeral Home, Market Street, from 12-6:00 p.m. on Wednesday & on Thursday at the church from 9:00 a.m. until service time.
to complain about the difficulty in doing business in The Bahamas. While changes have been made to make the process easier to apply for and renew business licences, there are still a number of challenges to address. Taxation is a major issue. It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract or retain customers when cost is so high that no-one wants to pay the price. Customs duties and VAT drive cost up, electricity bills are high with unreliable service, bad roads deter customers and online shopping is quicker and easier than ever before. This is all related to the job market. These costs directly affect employment. How many people are employed? What is their salary? How long before they will be let go? These are determined by many factors not mentioned here, all of which need to be addressed. They may not fit neatly into a national address specifically focused on the economy, but they impact employment and the economy.
T
HE plan for The Bahamas to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) deserves more focus than it has received thus far. This largely due to the lack of knowledge about the WTO and the effects accession would have on The Bahamas. No-one has properly explained it, much less the pros and cons. The conversation quickly devolved into for and against arguments and they, for the most part, do not make much sense because there is no base of understanding. This would have been a useful addition to the national address focused on the economy. Trade liberalisation strikes fear in people, and understandably so. It removes barriers, including taxes and quotas, to exchange. It can result in higher efficiency, lower prices, lower quality and increase competition.
Trade liberalisation affects employment as it can change the demand for labour. Will The Bahamas be able to adapt? Does the workforce have the education and skills to meet new needs? We have seen the effects of these kinds of agreements on other countries in the region, and this is definitely a good reason to give more careful consideration to the proposal. We are already talking about the VAT and duty exemptions extended to foreignowned entities. We cannot pretend there is no issue with our taxes increasing while these exemptions are offered to large companies and for little in return. Yes, they may employee some Bahamians, but look closely. How many? In which positions? At what rate of pay? What is the overall composition of labour? What is the ratio of Bahamian workers to foreign workers? This should be included in discussions about the economy and job creation. We need to know how much more of this to expect. The national address on the economy was nothing groundbreaking. We got a review of what we already know and a few vague promises. We are likely to cling to the promise of job creation. It sounds good. It is necessary. Unfortunately, it cannot begin and end with tourism and have the impact we desperately need. It cannot be limited to the literal creation of jobs. Young people need to know about emerging industries and be able to explore the ways their competencies and interests align with the possibilities. Particular attention needs to be put on vulnerable communities. We still need to look at the gender wage gap, how gender and unemployment are related and the ways Bahamians are disadvantaged by existing systems and those to come. We need to address the difficulty in raising capital to start new businesses or to expand existing businesses. We have to go beyond the magic word. We need more than just jobs. IT was no surprise that ‘more jobs’ was a major focus of the prime minister’s national address.
THE TRIBUNE
OLYMPIA Associated Press THE future, it turns out, makes a quiet whirring sound. With little more fanfare than the soft buzz of its motor, a new kind of vehicle rolled down a concrete ramp in front of onlookers at the Washington state Capitol Monday: A delivery robot designed for carrying packages to consumers’ doors, among the first of its kind in the state. The devices are kicking off debate over regulating the latest frontier of automation in the state, even as online retail giant Amazon has already begun testing them. A bill up for a hearing on Monday would restrict the weight of the robots, limit them to sidewalks and crosswalks, and require both insurance and active monitoring by a human, filling in what the bill’s sponsor called a gray area in state law. “What would you define this as? Is it a motor vehicle, is it a pedestrian? We don’t have, currently, rules that would define the behaviour of this,” said Democratic Rep Shelley Kloba, gesturing to the robot at the demonstration. Amazon is ahead of lawmakers, however, and has already begun taking steps to replace delivery staff with robots in the state. The company announced last Wednesday that it had begun testing autonomous delivery vehicles in Snohomish County, just north of Seattle. The company posted on its website that it was starting with six of the devices,
Wednesday, January 30, 2019, PAGE 9
Washington lawmakers ponder rules for delivery robots
the device showcased on Monday came from Starship Technologies, a company that already operates in other states. Employees usually monitor several of the devices at a time, with the ability to jump to any one of them should a problem arise, said David Catania, a Starship representative. But, Catania added, the units typically remain in autonomous mode “90-plus” percent of the time. While the robots can’t climb stairs, Catania added, they are able to raise their front wheels to mount curbs, and can carry the equivalent of about two bags of groceries. Kloba said she was still seeking input from disability rights advocates about the safe top speed of the devices on sidewalks, and that her bill wouldn’t stop local jurisdictions from imposing their own licensing rules or quotas.
DAVID Catania with Starship Technologies, left, talks with Rep Steve Tharinger, D- 24th District, about the capabilities of a delivery device outside the Capitol campus in Olympia, Wash, on Monday. Photo: Rachel La Corte/AP each about the size of a cooler with six wheels and a shiny blue case. They will be accompanied by an
employee on their routes — at least to start. Visually similar to Amazon’s six-wheeled cube,
A DELIVERY device drives down a sidewalk outside the Washington Capitol.
Toshiba unveils robot to probe melted Fukushima nuclear fuel YOKOHAMA, JAPAN Associated Press
TOSHIBA Corp unveiled a remote-controlled robot with tongs on Monday that it hopes will be able to probe the inside of one of the three damaged reactors at Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant and grip chunks of highly radioactive melted fuel. The device is designed to slide down an extendable 11-metre long pipe and touch melted fuel inside the Unit 2 reactor’s primary containment vessel. The reactor was built by Toshiba and GE. An earlier probe carrying a camera captured images of pieces of melted fuel in the reactor last year, and robotic probes in the two other reactors have detected traces of damaged fuel, but the exact location, contents and other details remain largely unknown. Toshiba’s energy systems unit said experiments with the new probe planned in February are key to determining the proper equipment and technologies needed to remove the fuel debris, the most challenging
TOSHIBA Corp’s energy systems unit group manager Jun Suzuki shows a remote-controlled melted fuel probe device at its facility in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Monday. Photo: Mari Yamaguchi/AP part of the decommissioning process expected to take decades. The three reactors at the Fukushima plant suffered core meltdowns after a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami damaged key cooling systems. In last year’s probe, a camera developed by Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp and the International Research Institute
for Nuclear Decommissioning found large amounts of deposits in that area, including parts that resembled pebbles or gravel. The 30-centimetre long robot unveiled on Monday will carry a radiation dosimeter, thermometer, LED lights, a camera and a pair of tongs as it slowly slides down from a pipe. The probe, attached by a cable on its back, is to dangle from
the pipe and descend to the bottom of the reactor vessel’s pedestal, a structure directly below the core from which the melted fuel fell. Toshiba plans to use the new device to touch and grip the deposits with the tongs, which can hold a lump as wide as eight centimetres weighing up to two kilogrammes, to investigate its hardness and other details, said Jun Suzuki, a Toshiba
ESS group manager for the project. “Until now we have only seen those deposits, and we need to know whether they will break off and can be picked up and taken out,” Suzuki said. “Touching the deposits is important so we can make plans to sample the deposits, which is a next key step.” The probe will mainly examine the fuel debris’ physical condition rather than its radioactive components or other details which require actual sampling and safe storage. “We are taking one step at a time,” said Tsutomu Takeuchi, a Toshiba ESS senior manager for the Fukushima decommissioning project. “First we’ll find out if those deposits can be picked up.” If the device is unable to lift anything, that’s also a key finding, he said. In that case, they will need a cutting device to tear off a sample piece. TEPCO and government officials plan to determine methods for removing the melted fuel from each of the three damaged reactors later this year so they can begin the process in 2021.
Video games: Mississippi’s new high school sport STARKVILLE Associated Press WHEN Lucas Rader, 14, downloaded the video game League of Legends, he never imagined he would end up playing it on a school-sanctioned team. Rader, along with 21 other Starkville High School students, will compete this year in Mississippi’s inaugural video game sports season with Mississippi High School Activities Association. Like any other sport, SHS will complete a regular season schedule in hopes of making it to the state championship. “I don’t really know how good other schools will be,” Rader said. “But I don’t really know how well we will do either. Everyone on the team I’m basically going to have to teach. I thought it would be pretty cool to play for school though.” For the past two years, Rader said he’s become virtually addicted to League of Legends, playing nearly 30 hours a week on his computer. The video game is strategic war tactic game, where two teams of five players each attempt to destroy each other’s “base”. Each competition day, students will play two matches, which could last up to an hour each. In 2018, MHSAA announced its interest in creating a video game team sport. The organisation partnered with PlayVS, an online video game provider to connect high school students throughout the state. Starting in February, teams will begin competing League of Legends on Tuesdays and Rocket League on Thursdays, the latter of which pits two teams of three players each against one another. The players drive different types of vehicles in the arena, and try to hit a large ball into a goal. Rocket League games last ten minutes and will be played in a best-of-five format, meaning the first team to three wins secures the match victory. Practice for the Yellow Jackets starts this week. That gives them less than a month before they gather in the computer lab, grab their keyboards and headsets, and compete in a virtual setting with real teams. Rader said, with League of Legends at least, learning to communicate with your teammates is the key to winning a match. “If you can get the strategy and communication down, you’re good,” Rader said. “It’s very complex and there’s always room to improve. Every game is just drastically different. I’ve probably played 1,000 games and every single one of them has been different. The complexity is really what drives me.”
PAGE 10, Wednesday, January 30, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
May buys more time over Brexit LONDON Associated Press BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday won a few weeks to salvage a Brexit deal but headed toward a clash with the European Union by promising to overhaul the divorce agreement she spent a year and a half negotiating with the bloc. Trying to break the Brexit deadlock, May got Parliament’s backing for a bid to change an Irish border guarantee in the withdrawal deal — a provision May and the EU both approved, and which the bloc insists cannot be changed. The Brexit process has grown increasingly surreal since Parliament rejected May’s divorce deal two weeks ago, leaving Britain lurching toward a cliff-edge “nodeal” departure from the bloc on March 29. A series of Commons votes Tuesday on next steps submitted
by both pro-Brexit and pro-EU legislators ended up sending starkly mixed signals, as lawmakers backed a call to renegotiate the deal, and also approved a rival motion ruling out a no-deal exit. Parliament’s response to May’s call to “send an emphatic message” to the EU is likely to leave the bloc even more confused about British aims. May vowed after the votes that the government would “redouble its efforts to get a deal that the House can support.” But EU leaders have ruled out reopening the Brexit deal. The European Council said the current deal with the UK remains the “best and only way” for an orderly Brexit. French President Emmanuel Macron said the agreement — 585 pages of legally binding text — “is the best accord possible. It is not re-negotiable.” Parliament nonetheless backed, by 317 votes to 301 votes, a call for the border measure to be
replaced by unspecified “alternative arrangements.” May acknowledged that the EU had “limited appetite” for changing the Brexit deal. But she believes her agreement can still win Parliament’s backing if it is tweaked to alleviate concerns about the Irish border measure, known as the backstop. The backstop would keep the UK in a customs union with the EU in order to remove the need for checks along the border between the UK’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Britain leaves the bloc. The border is crucial to the divorce deal because it will be the only land frontier between the UK and the EU after Brexit, and because the free flow of people and goods underpins both the local economy and Northern Ireland’s peace process. Opposition to the backstop by pro-Brexit lawmakers — who fear it will trap Britain in regulatory
THERESA May addresses the House of Commons yesterday. lockstep with the EU — helped sink May’s deal on January 15, when Parliament rejected it in a 432 to 202 vote. May backed a proposal from a Conservative lawmaker yesterday calling for the Irish backstop to be replaced. She said it was a chance to “tell Brussels that the current nature of the backstop is the key
reason Parliament cannot support this deal.” She vowed to go to Brussels and seek “significant and legally binding change” to the backstop. May’s office said that might include an end date to ensure it is temporary or an exit clause for Britain. Both those ideas have been repeatedly rejected by the EU. Ireland’s European Affairs Minister, Helen McEntee, said British politicians needed to show “a bit of realism.” “There can be no change to the backstop. It was negotiated over 18 months with the UK and by the UK,” she said. May’s approach drew praise from “hard-Brexit”-backing lawmakers who have often opposed her. Conservative lawmaker Steve Baker, a member of euroskeptic faction the European Research Group, said the group had agreed to back the amendment “to see if the PM can land a deal that will work.”
ACTRESS GWYNETH PALTROW SUED OVER UTAH SKI CRASH
BILL CLINTON PLEDGES HELP FOR CARIBBEAN AFTER ‘17 HURRICANES
SALT LAKE CITY Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Associated Press
A UTAH man filed a lawsuit yesterday accusing actress Gwyneth Paltrow of seriously injuring him during ski crash at a Park City resort in 2016. Retired doctor Terry Sanderson said in the lawsuit that Paltrow was skiing out of control and smashed into him from behind, leaving him with a concussion and four broken ribs. The alleged incident occurred in February 2016, on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort. Paltrow denied the claims through spokeswoman Heather Wilson, who said in an emailed statement: “This lawsuit is without merit and we expect to be vindicated.” Sanderson’s lawsuit claims Paltrow left him injured on the mountain and didn’t send for help. A Deer Valley ski instructor skiing with Paltrow and her family and friends filed a false incident report saying
FORMER US President Bill Clinton has announced dozens of projects aimed at helping Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands recover from a deadly 2017 hurricane season as part of a two-day conference in the US territory organised by his foundation. Yesterday’s announcement comes as the region struggles to rebuild more than a year since hurricanes Irma and Maria caused billions of dollars in damage in Puerto Rico, Dominica, the US Virgin Islands and other spots. More than 550 people representing more than 400 organizations attended the conference of the Clinton Global Initiative, which Clinton created to help raise attention and money for causes worldwide. Those present pledged to help provide clean water in the event of another disaster and deliver several solar projects, among other things.
ACTRESS Gwyneth Paltrow Paltrow didn’t cause the crash, the lawsuit alleges. Deer Valley Resort spokeswoman Emily Summers said the resort can’t comment on pending legal matters. The resort is also being sued. Sanderson said at a news conference in Salt Lake City at his attorney’s office that it took him nearly three years to file a lawsuit because he dragged his feet, ran into problems with previous attorneys and was dealing with inability to function properly because of the concussion.