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VOLUME:117 No.50, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

HEALTH: LEARNING TO LOVE THE SKIN YOU’RE IN

ATLANTIS SALE IS ABANDONED Owners take resort off the market and now plan to reinvest

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net ATLANTIS will not be sold “at this time”, it was revealed last night, with its owner instead deciding to unleash a “significant” three-year investment strategy despite receiving multiple offers.

An Atlantis spokesperson, effectively speaking on behalf of Brookfield Asset Management, told Tribune Business it was now focused on major renovations to the Paradise Island property that would include new restaurants

THE hotel union yesterday warned “another fight” is brewing over the decision

by Atlantis to switch from a weekly to bi-weekly staff payroll. Harrison Williams, the Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union first vice-president, told Tribune Business that it was an “abuse” for Atlantis

30 JOBS LOST AS JULIUS BAER CLOSES

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

OFFICER SUES OVER EXUMA ASSAULT CASE

SEE PAGE THREE

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

SEE PAGE EIGHT

MAJOR Swiss-owned financial institution Julius Baer yesterday revealed the closure of its Bahamas business with the loss of 30 jobs.

The company said the decision to close its Nassau “booking centre” was part of a strategy designed to slash its global cost base by 200 million Swiss francs, adding that The Bahamas terminations would be “staggered” during an orderly wind down with all staff receiving due severance pay and benefits.

and nightlife venues. “We have received a number of offers to purchase Atlantis, but have made a determination not to sell at this time,” the spokesperson said in response to this newspaper’s inquiries.

“Instead, we have decided to make a significant investment in a renovation of Atlantis which will take place over the next three years, and will include room renovations, additional nightlife venues, new restaurants, and other expanded indoor and outdoor activities.”

to seek the change when the union was in the middle of negotiations for an industry-wide agreement.

He argued that the resort was merely following the lead of its fellow Paradise Island resort, the Four Seasons-branded Ocean Club, which last year withstood the hotel union’s bid to challenge its own switch to a bi-weekly payroll.

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF DESPAIR AND SALVATION

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

...AS STAFF FUME AT SALARIES CHANGE

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

FACE-TO-FACE

TOP OF THE WORLD, MA BAHAMIAN Rashad Fenton has gone from working at a concession stand at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to becoming a Super Bowl winner at the same venue. The Kansas City Chiefs cornerback used to serve beers and make pizzas.

See Sports for the full story

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE senior police officer who allegedly punched two women in an incident in Exuma that went viral on social media last year is suing the government for “unlawfully” interdicting him for offences he claims he did not commit.

Inspector Christian Leon Leary, in an affidavit filed yesterday, is suing the Royal Bahamas Police Force for SEE PAGE TWO

EMBASSY REJECTS VIRUS TRAVEL BAN

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HAIGANG Yin, the Chinese charge d’affaires to The Bahamas, said China does not support the travel restrictions The Bahamas and other countries have implemented to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, insisting his country has the disease under control.

“We noticed the travel ban from the Ministry of Health of The Bahamas,”

HAIGANG YIN, Chinese charge d’affaires to The Bahamas he said when contacted yesterday. “We are currently talking about this

with officials from your government and we have reminded them that the methods taken by the government are not in line with the recommendations of the director general of the World Health Organisation and those methods have some influence on the travel plans of both Chinese and Bahamians.”

Australia, Indonesia, India, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE THREE

PETER YOUNG

AFTER BREXIT, LET’S NOT LOOK BACK IN ANGER

SEE PAGE TEN

PAGE 2, Tuesday, February 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

SANDS SAYS HANNA MARTIN CLAIMS ‘UNFAIR’

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands called Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin’s recent claims of people being denied healthcare “unfair”.

On Sunday, Ms Hanna Martin issued a statement noting she has heard “more and more personal accounts” from people in distress “meeting brick walls in accessing the social safety net of our country.” She also claimed people with catastrophic illnesses are facing barriers in the public health system and are “being turned away because they do not have the money.”

The former Cabinet minister suggested the country had a policy, since Majority Rule, of protecting the poor.

“While I understand the constraints of public finances, this must be a question of priorities,” the Progressive Liberal Party MP said. “It was never intended from January 10, 1967 that suffering humans would have doors shut in their faces in the midst of their desperation.

“This is not who we are as a people. It has always been the position of these institutions, so far as is possible, that the weakest amongst us would not fall between the cracks in accessing assistance.

“The minister of health and

the minister of social services must confirm this government’s commitment to this age-old policy position and, if not, disclose to the Bahamian people a departure from established policy.”

Dr Sands said yesterday he had seen Ms Hanna Martin’s statement and assured the public the government tries its best to help those in need with accessing healthcare.

“The position of this government and every government has been that we provide the best possible healthcare within the constraints within the government’s ability. That is the way it’s been under this administration. That’s the way it’s been under multiple other administrations,” Dr Sands explained.

“There are circumstances where there are no beds in the hospital – we’ve spoken about that. We’ve had to cancel elective surgery, so is that denying care?

“I would wish that specific instances are reported and you know we can see what the circumstances are to see whether there’s been any unreasonable approach, but to simply say that people have been denied I think is a bit unfair,” he added.

Attempts to secure comment from Ministry of Social Services officials were unsuccessful up to press time.

ENGLERSTON MP Glenys Hanna Martin

Officer sues over Exuma assault case from page one

interdicting him on half-pay two weeks after the alleged offences in question on August 4.

Insp Leary asserts he is innocent of claims he punched the two women in their faces while they were traveling home from the Rolleville Homecoming Festival & Regatta.

Images purported to show blood streaming from one of the women’s gashed eyelid were subsequently shared hundreds of times on social media, horrifying users.

However, Insp Leary said in his affidavit: “I will defend against them and I am confident that I will be exonerated of the offences for which I am charged.”

Concerning his August 27 interdiction, Insp Leary said Acting Deputy Commissioner Paul Rolle, who was acting as commissioner at the time, lacked the jurisdiction and authority to interdict him, and did so in contravention of

the Police Force Act. He further asserted that Mr Rolle first needed to have the “proper instruments” to have wielded the “power of the office of the commissioner of police”, and that in any event, an acting commissioner of police is not a “substantive office holder”.

Insp Leary charges that because of his senior rank, the governor general acting in accordance with the advice of the Police Service Commission after consultation with the prime minister, should have exercised disciplinary control over his situation.

However, Insp Leary says he was never brought or taken under the disciplinary procedure set out by the Police Service Commission.

He asserts that because of his interdiction, he has received only one-half of his salary, which has caused him “undue hardship and economic loss” including the “inability” to make payments on his outstanding loan at the Bahamas Law Enforcement Credit Union.

The other half of his salary is “automatically deducted” from his account to satisfy his ongoing mortgage payments at Bank of the Bahamas, he said.

Insp Leary asserts that if he continues to be paid just one-half of his salary, he will continue to suffer “significant economic loss and hardship” and could also face legal action from the BLECU over “outstanding arrears”.

Insp Leary further charges that he is unable to provide for himself or his family, and neither can he pay his utility bills or other “miscellaneous expenditures”. He says that “from time to time”, he resorts to seeking assistance from his mother to assist in paying for his 17-year-old son’s school fees.

He said as a result of the interdiction, he was prohibited from participating in the RBPF’s 2019 promotion exercises.

He wants the Supreme Court to order the government to compensate him for one-half of his loss

of earnings from August 27—the date of his interdiction—to the present date and that “effective immediately” he be assigned to police duties and receive his full salary.

Insp Leary also wants the court to declare that any decision made and endorsed with Mr Rolle’s signature is “of no effect”, and that Mr Rolle’s decision to interdict him was “unlawful” and “void”.

According to the affidavit, which is in support of a motion for constitutional relief, Insp Leary was employed with the RBPF since July 13, 2000.

On August 5, 2019, he was stationed at the Exuma Division when he received a RBPF discipline notice and report stating that a complaint had been made at the Complaints and Corruption Branch against him and that an investigation was being conducted.

Weeks later on August 27, via letter from Mr Rolle, he was suspended from police duties with effect from that date on the

grounds he was charged with four “major offences”, namely two counts of use of unnecessary violence to a person in the execution of duty; and two counts of conduct of a major nature, which is contrary to discipline, good order and guidance of the RBPF. The letter also stipulated: “During the period of interdiction, you will receive one half of your normal salary together with the full amount of any other allowances and other emoluments to which you may be entitled.”

The officer said after consulting with his attorney Bjorn Ferguson, a former police officer, he is of the firm belief that his “fundamental and constitutional rights and freedom under the constitution of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas have been violated”.

He also lamented the impact being interdicted has had on his financial obligations. “…I have several monthly expenses in respect of myself and my

17-year-old son such as a mortgage with Bank of the Bahamas (for my home), an outstanding loan at (BLECU), school fees, utilities such as electricity, water, cable, internet, telephone, gas (vehicle and home), groceries and other miscellaneous expenditures,” the 38-year-old said.

“This unlawful interdiction is causing me undue hardship and economic loss including the inability to make payments on my outstanding loan account at (BLECU),” Insp Leary said. “I am also unable to provide for myself and my family and pay my utility bills and from time to time I have to seek assistance from my mother to assist with paying for my son’s school fee. “…If I continue to only receive one-half of my salary I will continue to suffer significant economic loss and hardship and I could also face legal action against myself from the (BLECU) for outstanding arrears due and owing by myself.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 4, 2020, PAGE 3

Owners take Atlantis off the market and plan to reinvest from page one The statement confirms information reaching Tribune Business from multiple sources that the Atlantis sales process, initiated last year, had come to an end with no preferred bidder or buyer selected, and no suitors left in negotiations with Brookfield Asset Management.

The sales process, which had been run on the $330bn Torontoheadquartered asset manager’s behalf by Citibank, was disclosed last July in a report by Bloomberg. That development came after this newspaper revealed in February 2019 that a potential deal with a New York-based real estate investor, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which was backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, had also fallen through.

Brookfield and Atlantis made no mention of how much will be invested to upgrade and refresh the Atlantis product over the next three years, but the statement indicates that the former will now continue into its eighth year of owning the Paradise Island resort property.

No explanation or reason was given for why all bids were rejected. Nor were the identities of those behind the offers revealed, although former prime minister Perry Christie last year said he was representing one of the interested parties.

Editorial View - Page 4 Full story - See Business

Embassy rejects travel ban from page one and the United States are among the many countries that have implemented travel restrictions because of the new strain of the coronavirus, which has killed 425 people and infected 20,438 others up to press time.

The Bahamas is denying entry to non-residents who visited China as of January 11. Returning residents will be quarantined for an incubation period of 14 days.

The WHO declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern last week. At a press conference announcing that decision, Professor Didier Houssin, chair of the emergency committee of experts, questioned countries’ decision to impose travel restrictions.

He said: “Why have you taken this decision? What

is the science supporting this decision? Could you reconsider this decision?

And we suggested to WHO that WHO should inform the world about transparency concerning these measures which should not constitute an example to follow but a decision to reconsider.”

Fears have nonetheless risen that the coronavirus could become a pandemic.

Even Hong Kong has tightened movement of travelers from mainland China across its border.

Mr Yin said a number of people impacted by the restrictions have reached out to the Chinese embassy, including Chinese nationals with relatives here or Chinese nationals with permits to work here.

Some Bahamian residents have been banned from flights traveling through the US as that country denies entry to people from China.

VIRUS RUMOURS HIT RESTAURANT TRADE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CHINESE restaurants have experienced a drop in business which they attribute to rumours about the coronavirus, according to Brian Wong, president of the Chinese Community Association of The Bahamas.

He said yesterday: “The rumour I heard is, ‘don’t go to Chinese restaurants because the staff might have visited China and they may have come back with the disease because they went to celebrate the Chinese New Year’.”

Mr Wong said the Chinese New Year celebrations would not have started until January 25, meaning residents who travelled for the festival would either be denied entry to the Bahamas because of recently implemented travel restrictions or be quarantined upon arrival here.

The 70-year-old said rumours about Chinese people have always impacted Chinese restaurants, but the impact has intensified in the social media era.

He noted that unsubstantiated fears that

Chinese restaurants were using gutter oil––oil recycled from waste oil–– significantly impacted Chinese food businesses in 2018. “With social media, the rumours hurt more than ever before,” he said.

He said it will take a few more weeks to better determine how much coronavirus fears have impacted Chinese businesses.

“We have noticed a downturn in business because of these rumours.

We’re still awaiting further feedback but the people I have spoken to believe there has been a drop,” he said.

The drop in business is also being experienced at Chinese establishments abroad.

The BBC reported that as fears about the deadly coronavirus intensify, restaurants in London’s Chinatown are seeing a downturn.

“It’s a hard time,” Martin Ma, general manager at the Jinli restaurant in London, told the BBC. He told the BBC that confirmation of the first cases of the new coronavirus in the UK on Friday brought “immediate cancellations” with diners citing the virus as the reason.

Mr Yin said: “We have talked with officials about providing assistance to passengers affected and the embassy has advised the Bahamian side to lift the travel ban once the situation in China is contained. The Chinese government with the support of the Chinese people are taking strong and effective measures to contain the virus. This situation is improving. We are confident that this virus will be contained and eradicated.

Also, the Bahamian side has commended the measures taken by the Chinese government and is also confident about the efforts of the Chinese side in containing the virus.”

Coronavirus fears have fueled xenophobia in some parts of the world, according to reports. Brian Wong, president of the Chinese Community Association of

the Bahamas, said yesterday that Chinese restaurants have experienced a decline in business which they attribute to rumours about the coronavirus.

Mr Yin said the local Chinese embassy has received no complaints of rising antiChinese behaviour.

“I have heard rumours of that in other countries and Europe, but I have never heard anything happening in the Bahamas. At this moment, all from the press and the Bahamian society is that there is a regret for what is happening in China and their is support to the Chinese people. I haven’t heard any anti-Asian or anti-Chinese sentiment.

We understand that many countries are taking some precautionary measures to protect their borders but we believe the measures should be reasonable and should not affect the

normal people-to-people movement.

Otherwise, those governments should follow the situation and review their policy and lift their measures as soon as possible once the situation improves,” he said.

The New York Times reported yesterday that the number of deaths from the coronavirus in China has exceeded that of the SARS outbreak. Three hundred and forty nine people died

in mainland China from SARS between 2002 and 2003. That disease killed 774 people overall, with most other deaths happening in Hong Kong. The New York Times reported that a number of people have recovered from the coronavirus in recent days, with the disease having a mortality rate of about two percent compared to SARS’ death rate of 9.6 percent.

Since 1892 Bahamians have been protecting the environment with the passage of the Sea Gardens Protection Act, which prohibited dredging or removal of coral, sea fans or other organisms from the seabed.

Donate today to BPAF | 242-698-1152 or 437-2168 | www.bahamasprotected.com

PAGE 4, Tuesday, February 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Brookfield here to stay - so work together for a brighter future THE future of Atlantis has been up in the air for a long time – but now it is off the market.

Whether that’s because the owners, Brookfield Asset Management, didn’t receive the right offer or whether they have decided to recommit to the property over the long-term, the important thing is that Atlantis is now going to get a shot of investment that will be warmly welcomed.

Long the biggest private employer in The Bahamas and now with Baha Mar as a rival, the investment will hopefully help to keep both properties on their toes as they seek to attract the world to our doorstep.

A number of bids for Atlantis were reportedly rejected – with former Prime Minister Perry Christie even saying he was representing one bid – and it’s easy to see why it would be a tempting purchase. Land, reputation and location are all prize assets for Atlantis.

So what comes next for the resort?

Well, Brookfield did not reveal how much it is investing, merely saying a “significant” sum. How significant we shall see, but the talk is of renovations, new nightlife venues, new restaurants and more activities. That won’t come cheap – but will be a boon for tourists and Bahamians alike.

What doesn’t help Atlantis, however, is some grumbling from the hotel union about changes to its pay schedule. Atlantis is swapping from a weekly to a bi-monthly pay schedule – and you can see the reasons why.

There’s a lot of duplication of effort in putting out pay slips every week, running payroll to make sure it is correct, and so on. Why not have it fortnightly?

Or even monthly? It’s the same money coming into workers’ accounts, but streamlining the process can save time and effort – and as any business knows, that means saving money along the way.

We would also note that the union is stomping its feet despite admitting it hasn’t “had a conversation with our members”. Even so, union vice-president Harrison Williams says it is “going to be another fight”. A bit presumptuous there, Mr Williams, if you haven’t talked to your members. And if employers are paying out the same money, as long as there’s a smooth transition to the new system, you can’t complain about banks charging workers late fees if that’s just down to the workers’ own money management. You manage your own account, the employer doesn’t do that for you.

Not everything in business needs to be a fight. But if you fight everything, you can’t complain that you feel management isn’t on your side.

But as Brookfield commits to a longerterm future than was expected, workers had best get used to this management – and pulling in the same direction will take us all further.

We look forward to seeing more details of the plans for Atlantis – and how its owners see the future of one of The Bahamas’ best and brightest assets.

Watch for fake news EDITOR, The Tribune THE Bahamas’ very own Muhammadan apologist, The Graduate, has fallen into the same egregious error as former US President George W Bush, when he mischaracterised Islam, the second largest religion in the world, as a religion of peace. I recall Bush bending over backwards to accommodate Muslims living in the US following the 9/11 attacks on America by Al-Qaeda terrorists. Assuming The Graduate is either Catholic or Anglican, he would undoubtedly have some knowledge about the Battle of Tours in 732, between the Frankish and Burgundian forces of Charles Martel and the Islamic forces of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Had the latter prevailed, all Europe and Western civilisation would’ve been Islamised. There would’ve been no “Great Satan” for Bahamians to travel to.

Worse still, there would’ve been no Bahamas.

According to a 2015 census, Islam claims a membership of 1.8 billion adherents, with approximately 1.5 billion or 85 percent belonging to the Sunni denomination.

Between 240 - 340 million Muslims are Shiites. When an informed non-Muslim expresses grave misgivings about Islam, he isn’t necessarily seeking to tar every Muslim with the same brush as he would a terrorist. Indeed, I believe that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful people, in spite of Islamic theology. What informed non-Muslims are saying is that Islamic terrorists and terrorist organisations,

such as Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Muammar Gaddafi, Yasser Arafat, Boko Haram, the Taliban, ISIS, Indonesian Mujahedeen Council, Hamas, Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Muslim Brotherhood, to list a few, have simply carried out Islamic ideology and its attendant dar al-harb sectarianism to its logical conclusion. Consequently, the non-Muslim, while in some cases is relegated to dhimmi status in some Islamic countries, is considered an “infidel” by all Muslims, be they peaceful or otherwise. At the risk of offending the sensibilities of The Graduate and Bahamian Muslims, the Osama bin Ladens of the Islamic world are drawing their inspiration from the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad. No credible historian of Islam would deny that Muhammad was a man of war, especially during a time of peace.

Sura 9:5 reads, “When the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists (nonMuslims) wherever you find them. And capture them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayers, and pay the alms, then let them go their way. Allah is most forgiving, most merciful.” Sura 61:4 says that Allah loves those who fight in his cause. Of the 114 suras in the Qur’an, sura 9 is one of the the most violent.

Of particular note to human rights organisations is sura 4:34, where Muslim men are given divine permission to beat their wives. Muslim apologists have attempted to explain this verse away

by clumsily arguing that the word “beat” in the original Arabic simply means to tap lightly on the wrist, which is laughable. And not to be outdone by the Qur’an, the Hadith, the other authoritative source in Islam, says in volumes one and eight that Muhammad tortured people.

The Graduate accused me of casting aspersions on the founder of Islam for alluding to his little-known racism which has incredulously escaped the notice of many students of comparative religion. While black people are assigned to hell on the basis of their skin colour in sura 3:106, white people are assigned to paradise because they’re white in sura 3:107. What’s more, while the Hadith goes to great lengths in declaring that Muhammad was white, black people are derogatorily labeled “raisin heads” in volumes one and nine and as “slaves” in volume nine.

Additionally, Muhammad, according to the Hadith in volume six, owned black slaves -- something most Nation of Islam adherents are not aware of. In fact, while close to 11 million Africans were enslaved by the Europeans during the Transatlantic slave trade era between the 16th and 19th century, Arab Muslims had enslaved a staggering 17 million East Africans during the same period.

In light of the foregoing, if there’s anyone who should get their “facts straight lest he becomes a purveyor of the same kind of fake news and misinformation that passes for fact,” it is The Graduate.

KEVIN EVANS Grand Bahama January 29, 2020.

Our PM has done nothing spectacular since the start EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Most Honourable Prime Minister has announced the launching of the FNM’s campaign for re-election. Following closely on this was an editorial letter by operatives of that entity lauding the so-called accomplishments of the regime, to date. Mind you, nothing spectacular has been done, in my view since day one of their elevation to high office. It is generally agreed that they came into office unexpectedly and totally unprepared. One would have thought, however, that they would have been quick learners and easily adaptable.

Governance, I guess is not as easy as some imagine it to be. It is a complex form of human endeavour and involves numerous facets.

A leader in my opinion is an individual who has a vision, rightly or wrongly, and is able to get people to follow him/her in carrying out that vision, man manufacturer or gifted by God Himself.

Several campaign promises were made by the incoming FNM during the campaign trail. In fact, so many of them were made that some ministers in the regime either are unable to recall them being made or they say, like the Most Honourable, that there are five or more years to bring them to fruition. Some of them were patently bogus in the extreme and are unlikely to see the light of day in this generation.

Campaign Finance Reform and the recall of MPs are doomed to die on the proverbial vine. Why? No political aspirant or entity, much less potential donors, would ever want the unwashed masses to actually know who gave what and how much. Dracula fears the light but our politicians, et al, fear it

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net more. If a particular party were to lose do you think that donors would want to be publicly identified with it? In our system, to the victor goes the spoils.

Insofar as recalling MP’s is concerned, I do not, as a constitutional scholar subscribed to this nebulous concept. Here is why.

Members of the House are elected by voters after electoral campaigns and an opportunity to vet them.

The voice of the people has been said, erroneously, to be the voice of God. As such, votes have long been considered almost as sacred. Once someone would have been elected fairly and squarely, how and why would she/he be recalled? Under our Independence Order persons who are convicted of a serious criminal offence or declared a bankrupt by a competent court, they are obliged to vacate their seat or to have it declared vacant by a House Resolution. Remember the Sidney Stubbs matter?

The above two items will never, realistically, be supported or placed before parliament any time soon. No problem.

What the FNM should be concentrating on are: successfully disposing of Our Lucaya; the reopening of the Freeport International Airport; resurrection of the Ginn Project over in West End, Grand Bahama; getting shovels in the ground over in Eleuthera with the Disney Complex; the sale and reopening of South Ocean Resort and/or the awarding of the dormant casino licence attached to that property to a deep pocket investor group like Albany or the Lyford Cay Club.

The refurbishment of major roads here in New Providence such as East Street; Nassau Street North and large portions of Village Road; a declared policy on taxation issues and, of course, the long awaited roll out of National Health Insurance; A coherent immigration and migration policy and, last but not least, transparency and fiscal responsibility. A tall and a long list but one that is doable if these politicians start to think outside of the box.

The perceived arrogance of the Most Honourable is becoming legendary. I fear that he is being manipulated, right left and centre.

The FNM comes across as petty; clannish and out of touch. If they really believe that they are poised for reelection, I am the brother of Samson. The Progressive Liberal Party and its leadership cadre, however, must start to come up with alternative solutions and public policy initiatives. Their continued reactionary approach will not guarantee them the elections or even an increase in parliamentary seats.

For instance, the PM told the people up at Her Majesty’s Correctional Centre to be prepared to release people convicted and sentenced for small quantities of marijuana. A first year law student could have told him that ONLY the courts are able to order an early release and not the executive save in cases of the prerogative of mercy.

To suggest otherwise is an affront to the separation of powers. The PLP should have seized on this by now and pronounced its own public policy initiatives. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

Jr

ORTLAND H BODIE Nassau, January 27, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 4, 2020, PAGE 5

OFFICIALS TARGET MID-FEB FOR GRAND LUCAYAN SALE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIALS are eyeing a mid-February deadline for the completion of the sale of the Grand Lucayan resort in Grand Bahama.

According to Michael Scott, chairman of government’s special purpose vehicle that owns the resort, the agreement on the final transaction documents is the final step to the process.

He told The Tribune the sale had been somewhat delayed by deadly Hurricane Dorian. The storm also damaged the hotel.

“We are hoping to get the final transaction documents

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net ORGANISERS of the Last Chance for Lighthouse Point campaign are calling on Disney Cruise Line to collaborate with local non-profit organisations to create a “sustainable alternative” to its private cruise port that would protect the environment and boost economic activity for Eleuthera.

Yesterday the campaign hosted Disney after Dorian, a conference which featured a string of local and international environmentalists, who highlighted the importance of sustainable development in the wake of climate change and the devastation wrought on Abaco and Grand Bahama

by Hurricane Dorian.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, was the keynote speaker.

Calling nature the “infrastructure of communities,” Mr Kennedy said his experience as an environmental attorney has made him realise that people fight for the environment because they “recognise that nature enriches” everyone “economically, aesthetically, spiritually and culturally.”

“These coral reefs, these beaches, these waterways are the infrastructure of Eleuthera,” he said.

“If we want to meet our obligation to provide community and give our children the same opportunity for dignity and enrichment and prosperity and good health as the communities our parents gave us, we’ve got to start by protecting our environmental infrastructure.”

Gail Woon, founder of Earth Care, also said the country is “living and dying proof” of the severity of the current climate crises.

“We must adapt, be resilient and draw down this climate crisis,” she said.

“Learn all that you can and do all that you can to teach your fellow men and

agreed by the middle of February,” Mr Scott said.

Asked about damage sustained to the hotel from the storm, Mr Scott said: “We are trying to settle the insurance claim now with the adjusters and underwriters.

“At the end of the day, we may have to decide whether or not we give Royal Caribbean credit for any insurance recovery we get so that’s still not decided yet.”

However he referred this newspaper to Finance Minister Peter Turnquest over questions as to whether government would see a financial return from money it has earmarked for the resort since purchasing it in 2018.

Last week, Mr Turnquest announced that government had budgeted $16.1m for Lucayan Renewal Holdings as he identified a number of non-hurricane related spending initiatives which totalled $119.9m for fiscal year 2019-2020. He said the Minnis administration considered these imperative for orderly, stable, sustainable and resilient governance.

At the time he was defending government’s intention to borrow $587.9m post-Hurricane Dorian, insisting the Minnis administration had the “appropriate response” to rebuilding the affected

islands and revitalising the economy.

In December, Mr Scott told Tribune Business the government was aiming to close “fluid” negotiations for the Grand Lucayan’s sale by the end of 2019 as he hit out at the “shocking” state of Grand Bahama’s main airport.

At the time he compared the facility’s appearance to a “Red Cross relief shelter”.

He said at the time that the absence of meaningful airlift was impacting occupancies and business prospects for the Grand Lucayan, as well as other Freeport resorts that have opened post-Hurricane Dorian, although the

property’s performance had been “significantly” better under the government than former owner, Hutchison Whampoa.

“We’re trying to get a signing of the documents by the end of the year, within the next two weeks,” Mr Scott said in December regarding the ITM Group/ Royal Caribbean joint venture.

He continued: “There’s a lot of things that are fluid right now, so I can’t say too much. The aim is to get everything done by the end of the year.”

The Royal Caribbean/ ITM project, which involves the creation of some 2,000 jobs via a $195m first phase

investment that includes the resort purchase price, is among the projects Minnis administration is banking on to revive the Bahamian economy post-Dorian and return it to 2.1 percent growth by 2021.

Selling it will also reduce its contingent liabilities by some $35m, Tribune Business reported.

While the $65m purchase price may not recover the government’s entire Grand Lucayan outlay upfront, it will be hoping that the increased economic activity and extra employment created by the Royal Caribbean/ITM project will more than offset this on the back end.

Activists calling on Disney to help create ‘sustainable alternative’ to private port

ROBERT F Kennedy Jr, president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, speaking yesterday.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff women and children that our actions contribute to the problem.”

She insisted the “climate emergency” needs large corporations like Disney to “figure out a new model, work with NGOs and

establish research centres that focus on adaptation, resilience, food security and marine protected areas.”

“Disney could restore areas that have been degraded already and become the model for

eco-educational tourism working with all communities restoring marine protected areas and coral reefs and not destroying them for a cruise ship terminal,” she said.

Danielle Gibson, a health

inspector at the Department of Environmental Health Services, also asked Disney to consider constructing “another type of development” that would have “less of an environmental impact” on the country’s “fragile ecosystem.”

“When we look at the destruction that (was) just endured by our neighbours in the north both in Abaco and Grand Bahama, and with all the knowledge that we have on climate change and the vulnerability of small island nations like this one and low-lying islands like mine, we ask Disney to reconsider the type of development that is within (their) capacity to construct,” she said.

“We have said before and we continue to plead for sustainable development.

As a young Bahamian I implore the government to listen to all of the voices of all of the people. The future of our country depends on the decisions that we make today.”

Nikita Shiel-Rolle, a conservation biologist, said Hurricane Dorian has changed the country forever.

“Our life post Dorian is scary especially if you really understand climate change and you understand that our sea levels are rising and that the waters are getting warmer and these hurricanes are getting stronger,” she said.

“We must create a new narrative and there’s no one better to co-create this narrative with than Disney, who has the ability to tell stories and impact and move the hearts of millions –probably billions all around the world.

“Disney, according to Forbes, is the 13th most recognised brand in the world… that means there is no one like Disney who has the ability to work with us as we rewrite this global narrative of what a world of opportunity looks like...when we take climate action and we inspire everyone to act.”

In response to the requests of the environmentalists, Disney Cruise Line said its representatives “welcome conversations that are productive, reasonable and based on fact.”

Still, the company said it does not believe the Last Chance for Lighthouse Pointe campaign fits that criteria.

“Time and again, this group has shown that is not their goal,” a company spokesperson told The Tribune.

“We are grateful for the significant support from many Bahamians in Eleuthera and beyond and will continue to work with them to provide sustainable economic opportunities for Bahamians, protect the natural beauty of the site, celebrate local culture and help the strengthen the community in Eleuthera.”

PAGE 6, Tuesday, February 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Bishop Hall backs PM’s stance on expunging criminal records for minor offences

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

BISHOP Simeon Hall said he supports the prime minister’s stance on expunging records for people convicted of minor offences, stating yesterday everyone deserves a “second chance”.

Bishop Hall spoke a day after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told The Tribune he wants a “complete overhaul of the rehabilitation process” for prisoners, which would see the Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee work towards expunging the records of persons convicted for being in possession of small amounts of marijuana as well as first time offenders with minor offences.

“I wish to say the prime

minister’s decision on this particular issue is in my opinion an answer to prayers,” Bishop Hall told The Tribune.

“All the churches in The Bahamas pray for prisoners. If you listen to their intercessions on Sunday or on their Sabbath, they pray for the prisoners.

“I think what the prime minister is seeking to do is an answer to prayer in terms of (setting) the prisoner free.”

Bishop Hall, a prominent religious leader, said the country has “scores of young men” that have been locked up for being in possession of small amounts of marijuana or other “petty crimes.”

He said the country should work towards improving their positions because everybody deserves a second chance.

“Some people need another chance and to give these young black men another chance is the right thing,” he insisted.

“It is the right thing to do to give these young men and women a fresh start to expunge their records and let them go.”

Bishop Hall said although there are some people who are “questioning Mr Minnis’” motives, he does not care whether the Killarney MP’s position is politically motivated.

He told The Tribune he is calling on churches to “join in the fight”.

“If Mr Minnis, through the legal set up could help some of these young men and women sentenced on probation to work with churches, the church could pick up the ball and help these young men,” he said.

Celebration of Life Service for SIDNEY ANTHONY ALEXANDER BURROWS, 79 of Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, will be held on Sunday, February 9th, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at Receivers Beach, Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.

Cremation was held.

Left to cherish his memories are his Wife: Kathleen Burrows; Daughters: Susan (Carl “Teddy”) Charlow, Sarah (Israel) Gonzalez and Stephanie (Jonathan) Mariscal; Grand Children: Kennedy and Chloe Rolle, Caiden Spence, Carson Charlow, Isla and Ava Gonzalez and Hugo Mariscal; Sisters: Angela Rankine, Inez Cooper, Eve (Maxwell) Poitier, Dawn Arnold, Eula (Godfrey) Bourne, Dr. Coralee (Jeremy) Kelly, Faith (Dr. Steve) Lochan, Hope (Cardinal) McCardy; Brothers: Stephen (Shirley) Burrows (pre-deceased), Leige (Thelma) Wilmore “Bill” (Janet), Andrew (Theresa) Gregory (Barbara) and Richard Burrows; Uncle: Arthur (Shirley) Rolle; Nieces & Nephews: Wendy Dumont, Steve, Kelsey and Denward Rankine, Freda Ferguson, Nora Knowles, Pecola Forbes, La Vern (Endric) Deleveaux, Linda (Steve) Mackey, Stephen (Randa) Burrows, Lisa (Antoine) Bastian, Laurell, Faye and Felice Burrows, Michael and Elaine Cooper, Nancy Brown, Leigh Watkins, Carla Rolle, Johnathan Burrows, Nadia Carey, Cindy Burrows, Tammy Rolle, Tripoli and Holly Burrows, David Arnold, Adjuah Cleare, Anissa and Maxwell Poitier, David, Dwayne and Dale Bourne, Elizabeth Bryan, Cala Oliver, Candace Taylor, Gem Austin, Ternielle Burrows, Danielle Sands, Lydia Adderley, Ivan and Nathan Lochan, Kristi Collie, Rashad, Nicole and Adria McCardy; Cousins: Vernal, John, Jimmy, (Pastor) Shirley, Audrey, Lee and Lilly Burrows, Joyce Colebrooke, Rosy Newry, Doyle Burrows, Swithen, Cleveland and Christine Burrows, Cleome Parker, Philip, (Pastor) Dave, Shervin and Terrance Burrows, Ona Mitchell, Nell Thompson, Shelley Burrows, Marilyn Gool, Doris Russell, Vinola Mullings, Edith, Eloise, Roxanne, Richard, Kennedy, Xavier, Roscoe, Julian, Byron and Ron Rolle, Michelle Lockhart, Mark, Janet and Lorraine Rolle, Carolyn Dorsett, Olga Brown; Other Family and Friends: Gloria Fernandez, Jonathan and Mayra Mariscal, Sonia and Sean Charlow, Chevette and Revello Williamson, Carlette Flowers, Velma Burrows, Larry and Maureen Fernander, Juliet Lindo, Charmaine Curry, Wanda (Wonderful One) Bissainthe, Linda Petit-Fere and Family, Annie Culmer, Rhonda Rolle, Agnes Bethel and Family, Dwight Pinder, Joseph and Freda Deal, Paul and Judy Simmons, Tommy and Joyce Pinder, David Hepburn, Nurse Debbie Deal, Myrlene Theme, Joseph, Eric and Naomi Johnson, Edgar and Adena Pinder, Mark and Winifred Thompson, Mae Culmer, Shauna Knowles, Brian Clarke and family, Brianna Pyfrom, Rosie Cadet, Johnny and Nancy Gaitor, Jerry and Margaret Seymour, Zina Knowles, Shantell and Sherice Sands, Claudia Davis, Sheila Sands and family, Andrew Sands, Michael Bethel, Anthony and Ella Thompson, Birdie Cartwright, Jamasies Isaacs, Solivia Fox, Gloria Cooper, The Gaitor Family, The Giersewski Family, Chico and Adlene Johnson, Brenda Johnson and Family, Christine Ficien and Celamise Jean, Dewitt Fernander and Family, The Sands Families, The Gardiner Family, The Bacchus Family, Lawrence Griffin and family, Cyril and Carol Griffin, Brent Spence, Clarence and Elizabeth Stubbs, Marvin Thomas, Brent Petty and Family, Bishop and Velma Petty, The Petty and Davis Families, Stephanie Bethel, Paula Bethel and Sandra Young, The Burrows One Stop Family, all the children of Governor’s Harbour and the entire Governor’s Harbour community.

“I believe that we should seek to reach these young men, give them another chance to get their social life together and to go on. I support this one unequivocally and I believe it is the right thing to do.”

Bishop Hall, co-chair of the Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana, insisted any pardon should only be extended to those with minor offences.

“We’re not even looking at persons who bring in huge amounts of marijuana, they should go to jail and they should stay in jail. I have no pity for them,” he said.

“What I’m saying is for those young men who are with small amounts, they should be given a second chance.

“This is what makes our nation Christian, when we could give sight to the blind, when we can give a second chance to those who break the law, this is what makes us Christian.”

He insisted he is not interested in what motivated Dr Minnis’ call for prison reform, but said he

BISHOP SIMEON HALL, above, and (inset) Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis

believes it is the right thing to do. “The next time you go to church, listen,” he said. “They pray for the prisoners and many of our churches have prison visiting ministries. This is a practical answer to that kind of intercession.”

On Friday, Dr Minnis met representatives of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee, which has the power to expunge records of young people and first time offenders who meet criteria. The committee’s work is a part of a package which officials hope will eventually include a parole system that would allow some prisoners to receive early release from prison.

“We want to give our countrymen a freedom and a future they have been deprived of because of minor offences and in some cases, decades old offences,” Dr Minnis said on Sunday when asked yesterday about wider rehabilitation reforms.

“We need to reform the whole system so they can have a clean slate and their lives can begin again.

We are a government of expanding freedom and creating better futures.”

He also said: “I met with members of the committee.

It was just established by the FNM and despite what the PLP has talked about, they didn’t bring the committee forward to do what is necessary. We spoke about the progress they’re making and how they’re focusing on young people and first offenders. We promised them that we want to move forward not only with expunging records of people with marijuana, but many young people and first offenders with minor offences.

“The government will provide all the resources necessary for them to work: a secretariat, adequate staff, etc. There will be town hall meetings. We want to expunge the records of these young people so they can have a clean slate and get back into society and travel, find jobs, qualify for visas, etc. I am told this will impact thousands of young people and thousands of homes.”

Bahamasair addresses recent delays

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

RECENT Bahamasair mechanical troubles were due to issues with the landing gear, a fuel pump, and loading on several planes, said the airline’s managing director Tracy Cooper.

In a press statement released on Friday, the airline informed customers of mechanical delays with three planes resulting in “extraordinary delays”.

When contacted, Mr Cooper said yesterday: “We had some problem with I think it was one of the jets

and two of the ATRs and they were matters that I can’t speak specifically to them because it would be too technical, but matters we tend to see from time to time with mechanical issues with aircrafts. Typically you wouldn’t have them two or three at a time that would cause your schedule to be that disrupted, but really aircraft are mechanical things so we do have mechanical issues on the aircraft periodically.”

When asked about the mechanical issues, the airline’s chairman, Tommy Turnquest, was mum on what the issues were, but

stressed that Bahamasair was back up and running on Saturday. “I don’t wish to say anymore than that. We just wanted to advise the public that we did have some difficulties on Friday which is not unusual for an airline like ours. We’ve got a fleet of nine planes and sometimes these things happen unfortunately,” he said.

“We were able to get everyone to their destination….. if we’re over a certain amount of time outside of weather-related that we feed or accommodate passengers as required and we’ve fulfilled our obligation.”

THE TRIBUNE

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE attorney for one of three men charged in connection with the 2013 Fox Hill mass shooting yesterday asserted that the scene of the crime was tampered with before investigators could process it.

Geoffrey Farquharson, attorney for Justin Williams, asserted that some unknown person or persons moved the body of one of the deceased victims sometime after he and nine others were sprayed with a hail of bullets in December 2013.

This, Mr Farquharson asserted, was because although all of the victims were said to have been shot while in the confines of the Fox Hill park, the body of the only victim who died at the scene was found outside the perimetre of the park.

And not only was the deceased man found beyond of the park’s perimetre, Mr Farquharson asserted, but his body was “draped” in yellow tape used by police to cordon off crime scenes to prevent contamination of the area for investigative purposes.

The argument about the deceased victim’s body came during Mr Farquharson’s cross examination of Inspector Lavardo Sherman, a crime scene investigator who processed and took photographs of the scene as he met it on the date in question.

Insp Sherman’s interrogation came during the second week of trial before Justice Deborah Fraser concerning the Freedom

Tuesday, February 4, 2020, PAGE 7

Crime scene may have been tampered with after Fox Hill mass shootings, court is told Park mass, drive-by shooting on December 17, 2013.

Williams, Peter Rolle, and Jermaine Curry are the accused. It is alleged that the trio murdered four people - Claudezino Davis, Shaquille Demeritte, Eric Morrison and Shenique Sands. They are also charged with the attempted murder of Chino Davis, Janet Davis, John Davis, Samuel Ferguson, Jermaine Pratt and Leroy Taylor.

According to initial reports, around 6pm on the date in question, occupants of a small, dark vehicle opened fire “with a variety of weapons” in the area just behind the basketball court where several people were gathered awaiting Junkanoo results.

Davis was pronounced dead at the scene while ten others were taken to hospital in private vehicles and an

ambulance. Demeritte, Morrison and Sands later died in hospital of their injuries.

Previously, Insp Sherman testified how he observed the lifeless body of one of the three men killed during the shooting when he arrived at the scene sometime around 6:20pm on the date in question.

Insp Sherman said the man, who was clad in a short-sleeved blue t-shirt and short, dark pants, was lying face up on the ground in a pool of blood, and with various abrasions to his face on the outside of the basketball park’s perimeter wall near to Reeves Street.

Insp Sherman said he had the opportunity to see that same man’s body in the morgue days later on January 6, 2014, as well as those of the other two male victims and a female victim, all of whom had noticeable injuries.

REMAINS OF ANOTHER TWO PEOPLE FOUND ON GRAND BAHAMA

By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE in Grand Bahama are continuing their search for missing storm victims after the human remains of two people were recently discovered on the island.

According to Superintendent Brian Rolle, head of Grand Bahama’s Central Detective Unit, officers were alerted by residents to the discovery of two sets of human remains in the Pelican Point area last month.

“The first one (was discovered) on Sunday the 26th of January and persons in Pelican Point area near the beach found some human remains — skulls, parts of a rib, spine and femur bone, etc…

“These particular bones were pretty decayed, so we are thinking this may be related to some graveyards that used to be in the area…

But, I don’t want to say or prejudge the situation, but just looking at it, that’s the impression it gives.”

Four days later, Supt Rolle said, police officers were alerted to another set of human remains at the same beach.

“In the same beach, but not in the same area, on Thursday the 30th, another set of human remains were found. These ones were more in line with a little bit of tissue of other human’s decomposed tissue matter

(which) was still attached to these bones.”

Supt Rolle could not confirm whether the human remains discovered were hurricane victims, or were deceased before the storm, but noted that DNA testing will be conducted to identify the bodies.

“It will be some time before we can ascertain for certain, maybe a month or two,” he said.

“However, these bodies were still removed and taken to the morgue (in Grand Bahama) to successfully assess the DNA done to choose and to be compared to the DNA bank that we established for persons who would’ve lost loved ones.”

After Hurricane Dorian ravaged Abaco and Grand Bahama in early September, officials initially reported over 2,000 people to be missing following Dorian’s passing.

Those numbers, however, have since dwindled in recent months with less than 60 people currently listed as missing in Abaco and Grand Bahama, according to Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson.

In January, the commissioner told a local daily that 54 people were reported as missing on the storm impacted islands.

As it relates to Grand Bahama, Supt Rolle said 22 persons are still listed as missing in relation to the

storm. However, he noted that the count could possibly be reduced once DNA test results on the remains of two persons found by police in October have been concluded.

“Two are still waiting ID…These were the two that was found last year. It was a Jane Doe and a John Doe and if the two of them are positively identified to a date of birth, those numbers will then be reduced from 22 to 20,” he told The Tribune.

Still, Supt Rolle said police are committed to bringing closure to as many families as possible who have reported their loved ones missing.

“It’s slow, it’s tedious, time consuming, but we have to stretch it out as much as we can. It’s not like in the early days like you maybe might’ve smelled something or seen some birds circling around or saw some clothing.

“But, it’s so much debris and they’re pretty high, but we are continuing to put in the time.”

The official death toll from Hurricane Dorian currently stands at 71, according to police, with 11 confirmed deaths in Grand Bahama and 60 in Abaco.

Officials have previously said that the death toll is expected to grow as crews continue to clean up debris from the affected islands.

‘WE’RE NOT MOVING AWAY FROM OIL AND GAS’ AFTER the Bahamas Petroleum Company said it will drill its first exploratory well in Bahamian waters in April 2020, readers posted their reactions on tribune242.com.

One had this to say: “I see no major shifts in our society away from oil and gas. If we opposed this for environmental reasons we should also oppose electricity generation via oil and gas. Also transition to electric vehicles.

Otherwise we’re consuming the same amount of oil and gas except buying it from other countries.

Our environmental impact

remains unchanged; this is an economic change.”

That prompted this response from Porcupine: “Agreed. Is the educational aspect of keeping up with the emerging science at more than a second grade level here?

No, it is not. Not even from our supposed environmental watchdogs such as BNT, BEST and our

Environment Ministry. We are swaying in the political wind, with not an inkling of what responsibility we should have. The links between air pollution and health have been overwhelming these last few years alone. We remain stuck in archaic thinking, failing to acknowledge the personal and global consequences of buying the lies being told to us, over and over and over again by our politicians and their moneyed masters. The country is adrift from a moral, social and intellectual perspective. Pretty sad with all the potential we had.”

Insp Sherman also said the scene at Fox Hill was littered with numerous cartridge casings of various calibres, including that of .223 ammunition which are used in AK-47 assault rifles or “similar weapons”.

Besides the multiple fired rounds of .223 ammunition he took photographs of, Inspector Sherman said in total he observed 16 fired 9mm rounds; 10 fired 7.62 rounds; and one fired .40 round of ammunition.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Mr Farquharson referred to the photographs Insp Sherman took of the scene, particularly those of the deceased male he saw that day. In doing so, the attorney asserted that Insp Sherman could not have done his job effectively because the scene had already been tampered with prior to his arrival.

Mr Farquharson asserted that although the victims were shot within the confines of the park’s perimeter wall, the photographs he took showed the body of the deceased man positioned outside of the wall with yellow caution tape wrapped around it.

Mr Farquharson observed that the yellow caution tape would have been placed at the scene subsequent to the shooting and after the victim had died. He directed the senior officer’s attention to a photo showing a strip of crime scene tape situated on the wall next to the deceased man’s body.

Thus, he asserted that the only logical explanations were that the deceased man was “running around in Fox Hill with crime scene tape on him” when he was shot; that the deceased man ran

through the tape before his death; or that the scene was tampered with.

Insp Sherman, in response, said he could not speak to what may have happened at the crime scene prior to his arrival.

He maintained that all he did was process the scene, placed evidence markers near the cartridge casings for investigative purposes, and photograph it “in situ”, or as he met it.

Insp Sherman conceded that the body at the scene could have been due to the actions of medical personnel seeking to render assistance to the victim.

However, the officer insisted that he could not speak to that in a conclusive manner in any event because he was not there at that time.

The matter continues on Thursday.

www.ub.edu.bs

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Suitably qualified candidates are invited to apply for the following career opportunities at University of The Bahamas, Oakes Field Campus: Electrician II in the Physical Plant Department required to install, inspect, repair, control and maintain all nature of electrical components in a safe manner. Knowledge of electrical codes, standards, and practice is required as well as the ability to interpret blueprints and create and interpret sketches/wiring diagrams for work assigned. Duties and responsibilities include diagnosing and repairing malfunctioning systems, apparatus, and components using appropriate methods; inspecting/testing electrical systems, equipment, and other components to identify hazards, defects using appropriate technology and devices and constructing and fabricating parts as needed, reporting on the status to the supervisor.

Assistant Director, Utilities III in the Physical Plant Department responsible for the management, direction and coordination of the activities, operations and maintenance of utility systems at all campuses of University of The Bahamas, as well as assisting with the overall operations of the physical plant, facilities maintenance, supervision of staff and performance reviews. Duties and responsibilities include managing and project administration of minor construction/ renovation projects; planning and directing the operation and routine maintenance programme of the university’s facilities and establishing preventative, predictive and replacement maintenance measures.

Significant work in the area of energy conservation is required.

Nurse, responsible for supervising the health centre’s day-to-day service operations and staff including assisting with the development of policies, procedures and work standards for health care services; working closely with the nurse administrator in supervising support staff; monitoring compliance of school health programmes with local laws, regulations and policies and preparing health reports for the administrator and Dean of Students. Additional duties include providing first aid care and medically prescribed services; maintaining security of medical and surgical supplies; serving as a resource person on health issues; and recording immunizations, health findings and other relevant health data.

Detailed position announcements are accessible online at: http://www. ub.edu.bs/about-us/career-opportunities/.

Interested applicants should submit the following to the Human Resources Department via hrapply@ub.edu.bs (Attn: Vice President, Human Resources) by Friday, 7th February, 2020: • A cover letter of interest highlighting work experience and accomplishments relevant to the position; • Completed UB Employment Application Form (www.ub.edu.bs/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Applicationfor-Employment-Staff.pdf) • Current curriculum vitae or resume; • Copies of relevant qualifications and certificates; • Copy of the relevant pages of a valid passport showing passport number, photo identification and expiration date; • Copy of N.I.B. Card; • Copy of valid driver’s license; • Copy of voter’s card • At least three (3) written, professional references.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, February 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

T

HE year was 1973 – the glorious year of Independence for The Bahamas. There was a lot to be proud of. There was such a sense of pride in being Bahamian; having a flag of our own, a national anthem and a pledge. The people of The Bahamas were committed to moving forward, upward and onward together. Bahamians were making their presence felt in the world in many disciplines; among them - athletics.

Bahamians who recall this time in our nation’s history know the story of The Jackson Five well. There were five teenage boys attending Miami Jackson Senior High School who were the starters on the basketball team, the Generals. Their prowess in the sport was so great that news of them spread through the country, across the United States and the Caribbean.

The Miami Jackson Generals were such a force to be reckoned with they were nicknamed The Jackson Five. They dominated the basketball court – and four of them were Bahamians.

By the time they came home to see the black, aquamarine and gold flag hoisted for the first time on July 10, 1973, they received a heroes’ welcome. The four teenagers included Mychal “Sweetbells” Thompson, Osborne “Goose” Lockhart, Cecil Rose, and the subject of today’s Face to Face – Charles “Old Cowheeler” Thompson. The fifth star team member was Julio Gonzalez, a Cuban refugee.

“The Jackson Five was one of the great teams in the country (USA) of all time,” said coach Jake Caldwell, who led the Jackson Generals and is noted as one of Florida’s most successful basketball coaches.

Coach Caldwell made his way to Nassau in 1972 to recruit Charles Thompson.

He was already coaching Bahamian youths Osborne Lockhart and Copie Conyers who enrolled in the school a year earlier. Cecil Rose went over that summer to hang with them. They ended up telling coach Caldwell about Charles because he had the height and the girth to play basketball.

Back then, the schooling system in The Bahamas went by “forms” and not “grades”. Charles was 15 and he had already completed form 5, which signalled the end of his high school career at Jordan Prince William in Nassau.

However, in America he could continue high school and graduate at the age of 18. Coach Caldwell invited Charles to come to Miami Jackson. He also found the gifted Mychal Thompson at Queen’s College and together, they enrolled in Miami Jackson by the fall.

In their junior year, The Jackson Five had 24 wins and just three losses. During the year of Independence, their success was being reported in sports news throughout the region, and Bahamians were proud. By 1974, the Generals had 33 wins and no losses, and they won the state championships. The boys received a plethora of trophies and accolades, and received commendations from the county and the mayor. To date, they are still the most highly recognised high school basketball team to ever play in the state of Florida.

After graduation, it was time to say goodbye to their beloved coach and take advantage of the scholarships offered them for tertiary education. Charles and Cecil went off to the University of Houston, and Mychal and Osborne went on to the University of Minnesota.

Charles performed well at the University of Houston.

He and Cecil were naturally starters on the basketball team there. They were in the top ten in terms of scorers at the school for many years and even now, are still in the top 15. At one point, Charles was the 8th top scorer of all time at UH.

MAIN picture: Jackson Five reunited (l-r) Roberto Gonzalez, Mychal Thompson, Coach Jake Caldwell, Osborne Lockhart and Charles Thompson all with their reunion rings.

INSET: (l-r) Charles Thompson, Coach Jake Caldwell, and Mychal Thompson.

A rollercoaster ride of fame, despair and finally salvation As seniors, the Bahamian pair made All-Conference.

All four Jackson Five allstars from The Bahamas successfully graduated from university, then eventually went on to be drafted by the NBA. Mychal Thompson made it furthest. He became the first basketball athlete from Miami to become the first overall draft pick, which happened during the 1978 draft. He played 14 seasons in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and eventually the Los Angeles Lakers, where his team won two NBA Championships.

Charles ended up being drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 6th round. He didn’t make it to the final round, but he played professional basketball all around the world. He played in several

countries including Italy, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Charles also played in the CBA (Continental Basketball League) and he was leading the league in scoring. He was scheduled to join Kansas City’s team but the same year, he ended up suffering a back injury. After the injury, Charles decided to returned to the University of Houston.

There he took up graduate studies while serving as assistant basketball coach.

Once he completed his degree, Charles moved back to Miami where he is still considered a hero in the sport. He entered the Dade County public school system as a teacher.

He enjoyed an illustrious career in which he became a mentor to thousands of Florida kids in education and athletics. After more than a decade of teaching, he continued to be promoted and became an administrator. But his life

took a devastating turn. He was introduced to drugs and eventually, it took tragic possession over his life.

“Drugs are something I can tell you – as strong as you are, as intelligent as you are, it can take over you,” he shared. “I just couldn’t get a grip on it. I got so desperate on drugs I even tried to commit suicide. I went to 17 different treatment centres. I even went to a homeless treatment centre.

I would leave my home and walk the street for drugs. I remember one time things got so bad I ate out of the garbage. I was desperate.

“I had already been to one of the best treatment centres in the United States; it’s in Mississippi and top lawyers and doctors go there for rehab. My roommate was one of the top heart surgeons in the country. The professionals there – they were still not able to keep me off drugs.”

Charles’ wife of 21 years, Francina is a teacher. She met him while he was an administrator in the school system. He was a single man (a divorced father of six) and was living his best life.

“I was a supervisor in the job corps,” he said. “It’s a second-chance school where kids come and learn a trade when they fail high school. I

APOSTLE Charles Thompson with his wife Francina and daughter Charmayne

was there for eight or nine years. So, I actually had two middle class salaries. I had a nice house with a Lexus and a Blazer in the garage.

All my neighbours were white. I was being primed to become a principal and I was one of their best candidates. I had a great life.

“She watched me go from that powerful administrator, her boss, to someone walking the streets with no shoes on.”

He reached a point of despair and hopelessness, but he knew he wanted something more.

He wanted to get his life back.

He wanted to be back in his children’s lives. It meant everything to him. He made a decision to turn to the Bible. A preacher had given him some scriptures. He looked up the scriptures.

They were speaking of deliverance.

“I was studying the scriptures, and I went to God and asked him to deliver me because everything else had failed,” he said. “God had spoken to me before, and for me not listening, I went through four hard years of drug addiction. I was humiliated, embarrassed and fired from both jobs. I went to Him sincerely and I put His word to Him. I said, ‘God, this is what You said in Your word’. I would take it to Him three to four times a day. I picked up a yellow pad. I would break down the scriptures and go back to praying and writing. It was like a job for me.

I did it every day for four months and I found all the scriptures on deliverance. I did it because I had nothing else left.”

Nineteen years later, he is now Apostle Charles Thompson and leader of a growing flock in Miami. His church, Genuine Love Ministries is a testament of his walk from trial to triumph.

I was able to attend a service recently and his sermon was so real, so inspirational and so moving that it got me up out of my seat, clapping my hands as he shared his testimony with the congregation. Members told me that every week, their pastor is so relatable and so real, without false pretences, that it makes them want to come each week to hear more of God’s word. They confide in him and they trust him, and he shamelessly lets them know about his own mistakes and shortcomings so that they would be confident that they, too, could overcome and make the best of themselves.

“All of the crying and tears, the embarrassment and degradation – everything I went through was for me to be doing this now,” he said. “It was all for me to be able to help people.

People come to my church and they are not judged, no matter what they may be going through. People have come to me whom the world said they were done. Three months later, their lives are completely changed for the better and people don’t even recognise them. I get excited about it because it’s a big deal for me. It’s amazing what God has done in my life and is allowing me to do in the lives of others.”

T

HE journey to becoming a pastor included Charles and his wife hosting marriage seminars to share their story and to show and prove that marriages can survive what may seem like insurmountable obstacles. The seminars were wildly successful. He and his wife were attending another church at the time and they were blessed with a daughter, Charmayne. Charles even authored his first book. But, he felt there was an even greater calling on his life. He called his brother in Nassau, Rev Dr William Thompson (former president of the Bahamas National Baptist Council and current vice president of the World Baptist Council) and told him he felt the call to ministry. His brother prayed on it and came back with the word that he should start immediately. On September 12, 2001, Genuine Love Ministries was born after he was ordained by Rev Dr Iris Troy. His big brother travelled to Miami not long after to officially bless him and the church.

Apostle Charles comes from a religious background. He was raised in a “strict, Godly house” by parents Lloyd and Lorana (nee Evans) Thompson.

They made sure that church was a “non-negotiation” for their children William, Vernamae, Margaret, Harrison, Rubyann, Charles, Anthony and David.

“What I am doing takes all of me,” said Apostle Charles, who devotes his time to dutifully ministering to his members. “There is a big picture for Genuine Love, and it will impact the world.”

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By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net DWYANE Belizaire yesterday vehemently denied murdering his godmother but could not explain how his DNA was found under her fingernails and inside a condom police found in bushes behind the the victim’s home.

Belizaire, 33, took the stand yesterday morning after the prosecution closed its case, giving sworn testimony from the witness box.

He is accused of killing Margaret Smith, who was found dead at her residence in Seagrape, Eight Mile Rock, three years ago on Valentine’s Day. She had been strangled and immersed in water.

Belizaire claimed he would never hurt his godmother because he had no reason to harm her.

“I would never in a million years hurt my goddie. I had no reason or intention to hurt her because she was a close personal friend of the family,” he said during cross-examination by Prosecutor Erica Kemp.

When asked by Ms Kemp why his DNA was found under the deceased’s fingernails, the accused replied: “I have no idea how it got there.”

Belizaire told the court that on the day in question - February 14, 2017 - he got up that morning and headed to his mother, Carolyn Outten’s house, which is not far away from where he lived at Mabel Taylor’s House.

He said he walked the track road behind Margaret Smith’s house, where he saw the deceased standing outside.

While passing by, he wished Smith a happy Valentine’s Day. She nodded, and he continued walking to his stepmother, Juliet Hall’s house, before proceeding to his mother’s house to extend good wishes to his sister and mother.

After staying there for a while, Belizaire went back through the track road near Smith’s residence and sat in an old car next to an

Tuesday, February 4, 2020, PAGE 9

Accused can’t explain how DNA was found near victim’s home

abandoned building where he and his friends would frequently hang out “to shoot the breeze, smoke, and talk.”

He then walked to Lula Hall’s house to pick-up a WiFi signal to download movies on his cellphone and dozed off to sleep.

Belizaire got up and went back to Mable Taylor’s house, and then to his friend Leonard Black’s residence in Pine Forest, where they played video games and smoked “a joint”.

The defendant said he stayed there until Black’s little brother and sisters came home from school, then he went to play basketball before returning to Seagrape.

When he arrived home, Mabel and another woman told Belizaire that Margaret Smith had fallen in the tub and was taken away in an ambulance.

Belizaire said when he went to the track road he saw police caution lines and saw a lot of people were standing outside in the area.

The defendant said he went out on a date with that night to the movies.

Attorney Jethlyn Burrows asked Belizaire if he had seen the deceased any other time later in the day.

“No,” he replied.

“Where do you live in relation to your (godmothers) residence?” she asked her client. Belizaire said he lived in the back of Margaret Smith’s residence, which is separated by a track road which he uses daily to get back and forth to his mother and stepmother.

Mrs Burrows asked the defendant about scratches to his body. He said they were made by his baby’s mother Juliet Williams during lovemaking and also during an altercation.

She asked the defendant to lift his shirt and show the injuries he was referring to.

“Did you murder Margaret Smith?” Burrows asked her client. “No Ma’am, I did not,” the defendant said. He said that he knew Smith for many years.

“Her and my mother is friends,” he explained.

Belizaire said the last time he was in Smith’s presence in her house was during the end of December and the beginning of January when she asked him to help lift a new fridge she had bought inside the house.

Under cross-examination, Prosecutor Kemp asked the defendant if he could recall what Smith was wearing when he saw her on the morning of February 14, 2017. Belizaire said he could only remember her wearing pajama pants.

The crown prosecutor suggested to the defendant the scratches he had received on his body were from Margaret Smith, and not from his child’s mother.

“That’s how your DNA came to be under her (Smith) fingernail,” Mrs Kemp suggested. “I disagree totally,” replied Belizaire.

The prosecutor suggested to the defendant after he left his mother’s house, he stopped at Smith’s

DWAYNE Belizaire at an earlier hearing Photo: Vandyke Hepburn house while she was having breakfast that morning.

“She was wearing her tank top, ‘Party All Night’ and for some reason, you came onto Margaret Smith and she rejected you,” suggested Mrs Kemp.

The accused rejected this assertion.

Belizaire denied Kemp’s suggestion that he became angry and took a knife and cut off Smith’s blouse and bra off, and cut her collar bone, and made punctures in her back.

He further denied suggestions he took a condom and used it on Margaret Smith to have sex.

Kemp suggested the defendant also bit Smith on the arm, and fought with her.

“You put your hands around the neck of Margaret Smith; your hands were around her throat until you fractured the bone,” the prosecutor said.

“I can’t remember, I

wasn’t there,” insisted Belizaire.

Mrs Kemp suggested the scratches to the defendant’s hands were made when Smith was trying to get them from around her neck. ”That’s how your DNA got under her fingernails,” she asserted.

“No Ma’am, I was not there at the house, I can’t tell you how it got there,” he said.

Belizaire also denied filling a tub with water and dunking Smith’s head in the water.

Mrs Kemp then questioned the defendant about a condom which was found in the bushes, along with several items belonging to the deceased, including a tank top with Party All Night’, a panty, keys to Smith’s home and a blouse.

She said forensic analysis conducted by police revealed that the DNA found in the condom was Belizaire’s.

Belizaire said he could not say how that happened, and denied assertions that he had discarded the condom, along with the items from Smith’s house in the bushes after killing her.

Mrs Kemp said no one knew his whereabouts between 10am and noon on February 14, 2017.

She asked Belizaire about the blood that Mable Taylor saw on his shirt on the day question.

Belizaire admitted Ms Taylor saw blood on his shirt and had asked him about it.

He said he told her it was from playing basketball.

Leonard Black, a friend of Belizaire, was called by the defence to testify.

In his testimony, Black said the defendant arrived at his house before noon on the morning of February 14, 2017.

However, Prosecutor Kemp produced cellphone text messages between him and the defendant that day which showed that Belizaire had not in fact arrived at Black’s house in Pine Forest until 12.44pm on the day in question. When confronted with this, Black changed his testimony.

“So, you cannot account for the defendant’s whereabouts during the morning hours of February 14, 2017?”

“No’ Ma’am,” replied Black.

The trial resumes today when the prosecution and the defence will bring closing arguments to the jury.

Acting Chief Justice Estelle Gray Evans is presiding over the matter.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, February 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

And finally... let’s not look back in anger WELL, folks, it has actually happened. Britain left the European Union on January 31. This has created enormous attention and extensive international media coverage and there have been huge celebrations in London and elsewhere in the country.

It has been described in Britain as the most significant moment in the nation’s modern history.

Feedback after my column on the subject last week has encouraged me to offer further thoughts about how things developed to the point where we are today and to explain what I believe was the inevitability of Brexit. It is said that history repeats itself. But, in this case, it is more a matter of the tide of history taking its relentless course.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the EU is not Europe. Britain has left the institutions of the EU but is not distancing itself from the continent of Europe.

This is a hugely varied collection of countries with different histories, cultures and languages which cherish their national sovereignty that in many cases was painfully acquired.

The EU is a political and economic federalist project designed to lead to a superstate as a global power on equal terms with the US, China and Russia. But its continuing drive towards ever-closer political union requires a diminishing of the independence of its member states – and, with the rise of Euroscepticism, it is becoming increasingly evident such unification will be hard to achieve.

The motives of the EU Founding Fathers to bring

The

Peter Young column about such unity after the horrors of the Second World War - the most destructive conflict in history - were admirable.

Churchill himself, surveying a continent ripped apart by the war, said in 1946 that in order to bring about lasting peace it was vital to build a United States of Europe; and, if the continent could be rebuilt and united, there would be no limit to its prosperity and development. But he and successive British political leaders meant by European co-operation and unity an alliance of independent sovereign states - what French leader Charles de Gaulle later called a ‘Europe des Patries’ – not a single federal state called Europe.

Britain could have been a co-founder of the European Economic Community by signing the Treaty of Rome in 1957 but declined to join what became known as the Common Market, partly because even at that early stage there were doubts about loss of sovereignty.

But, in the 1970s, it became apparent, with the withdrawal from empire and the domestic economy in poor shape, it made sense to trade on the best possible terms with Britain’s nearest neighbours in Europe. So, in 1973, a Conservative government signed up to the

EEC which was essentially a free association of nations.

This was followed by a referendum in Britain in 1975 which predictably produced a comfortable majority in favour of staying in the then Common Market, since that was clearly beneficial to the nation’s economy.

From the beginning, the UK’s membership was something of an awkward fit, with, for example, concerns about the EEC budgetary system and the wasteful Common Agriculture Policy that heavily favoured France’s farming sector and resulted in excessive production creating the notorious butter mountains as well as wine lakes.

While the core European countries were already pushing for deeper economic and political union, Britain wanted to be part of a wider, looser trading relationship, and negotiated many policy opt-outs and a large dues rebate.

Then, in 1992 the Maastricht Treaty brought about a fundamental change when the EEC became the EU and a path was set for creation of a single currency, the euro. The UK declined to join either the euro or the earlier Schengen Agreement that provided for a passport-free, borderless Europe. But it ratified the Maastricht Treaty, while

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday outlining his government’s negotiating stance with the EU after Brexit. eurosceptics opposed it on the grounds that it encroached on sovereignty, with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher saying it “conflicted with British democratic institutions and the accountability of Parliament”.

Later, I believe the dream began to sour, partly because the nation’s trust in the EU was damaged by the eurozone’s troubles and the refugee crisis, though for most Britons the EU project was anyway more of a pragmatic question than a love affair, and, for some time, the UK was on what could be called a different trajectory from other EU member states.

Increasingly, critics were calling the bloc authoritarian, protectionist, corrupt and a bureaucratic

nightmare. But matters did not come to a head until Britain’s 2016 referendum which was precipitated by the emergence of the UK Independence Party that reflected widespread public opposition to continuing EU membership. The result was a narrow majority in favour of leaving the EU. There followed three and a half years of bitter wrangling, with the political class attempting to subvert the democratic process until last December’s general election when the British public voted in substantial numbers to leave, and the issue has now finally been resolved.

Thus, the schism was a gradual but largely unstoppable process. There is insufficient space today to opine about the UK’s

future during the coming transition period or, indeed, about how the EU will fare without one of its main financial contributors. The UK/EU political declaration speaks of economic partnership and a trade deal. The next stage will be to negotiate the details - and Britain will also continue to co-operate with the bloc in everything from science and technology, climate change, education, tourism and sport to crime and the European Arrest Warrant, security and counter terrorism. So the saga is far from over.

In my own view, one of the most telling factors about Brexit - apart from the public pressure to limit immigration - was Britain lost control over its own laws because under the existing system official EU directives became part of its domestic law and the country came under the aegis of the European Court of Justice.

The EU considers the nation state to be obsolete and, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his address on January 31, it has evolved over the past 50 years in a direction that no longer suits Britain, so the judgment of the people has been to leave. But, while taking back the tools of self-government, Britain will collaborate with its European neighbours for mutual benefit while at the same time reaching out to the rest of the world including trade deals – and it is better equipped to do that, as a more confident, diverse, dynamic, prosperous and stronger nation than it was when it joined the EEC 47 years ago.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE’VE WOKEN UP TO A NEW THOUGHT POLICE IN December, I touched briefly on the new expression “woke” and return to the subject today after learning more about it because it seems to be a growing trend. I suggested it was loosely defined as being committed to social and political justice and not least being alert to injustice such as racism.

So, it was interesting to spot a recent article about the woke culture by Frederick Forsyth, pictured, the famed English novelist whose thriller The Day of the Jackal set him on his path as a successful author. He wrote what he called the idiocy of being woke and suggested that it seems to have overtaken and replaced political correctness. He explained it has already developed in to a kind of “thought police whose devotees have arrogated to themselves the right to be offended to their core by anything they disagree with”.

It appears anybody who decides he or she is offended by or disagrees with something they have read or heard because it is deemed to be non-woke can publicly denounce those concerned. The first

step normally is to post a complaint on social media and the likely result will be a stream of hysterical reaction from those who purport to be similarly outraged. So the issue escalates into mass condemnation.

If the people who are apparently responsible for causing the offence dare to answer back instead of issuing a grovelling apology and a retraction, they are publicly and mercilessly vilified.

Any notion of free speech or respect for the opinions of others does not enter the heads of those who claim to be offended. The woke thought process seems to have overtaken universities, in particular.

Divergent opinion is shut down in places of learning where differing views and the stimulation of genuine debate should surely not only be tolerated but encouraged.

We are, of course, not talking here about legitimate criticism of those guilty of expressing views in an abusive manner or about slander

or defamation that are covered by the law, but simply individuals who have opinions on what might be controversial matters. Others may claim to be offended by those or disagree with them and, therefore, demand the right to bully the holders of contrary views into submission rather than engage in civilised debate when people can disagree without being disagreeable.

In a free, democratic society under the rule of law, one of the most precious rights is to be able to express oneself freely but within the constraints of decency and legality. A balance has to be struck, however, between the right to free speech and reasonable behaviour and courtesy in one’s dealings with others, including respect for religious, cultural and ethnic sensitivities. The trick is to know where to draw the line and, in determining what is reasonable, it has almost become a cliché that the rare commodity of common sense is so often the key.

THE WORLD’S GONE BARKING MAD...

ON A related subject to woke and political correctness, I have come across a story in the UK press which some may find amusing or perhaps regard as lunacy.

Most people would surely agree that cats and dogs on the whole seem happy to be fed, watered and generally looked after by humans who regard them as pets and call them that. But the head of an animal rights organisation in Britain known as PETA is now telling people it is derogatory to use the word pets. This is because using such a term suggests

they are merely a “commodity” or a “decoration” whereas they are living creatures with emotions and should not be treated as toys which is demeaning.

So, she tells us we should call them companions rather than pets - and, by the way, we should show them more respect by calling ourselves human carers rather than owners because the latter implies that we regard them as no more than a chattel or disposable possession.

I borrow from a customary expression of a famous

UK press columnist in saying you couldn’t make this stuff up. Foreigners will no doubt put it down to weird English humour. In amusing comments online, the good lady concerned is being labelled a numpty, a nut job and just plain daft.

Those attempting to be erudite say it is anthropomorphism gone mad. For our part, my wife and I will only stop calling our little shih tzu dog a pet when he tells us that he does, indeed, find it demeaning and he would like us to show him more respect!

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 4, 2020, PAGE 11

CROSS-EXAMINATION DRIVES KEY WEINSTEIN ACCUSER TO TEARS NEW YORK Associated Press

A KEY accuser in the New York City rape trial of Harvey Weinstein broke down in tears on the witness stand yesterday during an exhaustive cross-examination over the nature of her relationship with the once-powerful movie mogul.

The drama, which prompted the judge to send the jury home about an hour earlier than usual, came after the defence sought to paint the 34-year-old woman as an opportunistic manipulator who took advantage of Weinstein while pursuing an acting career,

even after he allegedly raped her. The woman said she “tried to make him my pseudo father” after a rough upbringing.

“I wanted him to believe I wasn’t a threat,” the woman testified. She added, “I was afraid of his unpredictable anger.”

Defence lawyer Donna Rotunno, a known #MeToo skeptic, sought to shoot down those explanations by zeroing in on the accuser’s admission that she also had non-coerced sexual encounters with Weinstein that she said only happened after “a long negotiation.” Even then, “I wasn’t happy to do it,” she said.

“You manipulated Mr.

Weinstein every single time, isn’t that correct?” Rotunno asked.

She responded: “I felt there was an aspect to the way I felt I needed to protect myself that had an element of manipulation.”

At one point, Rotunno shot back: “You made a choice to have sexual encounters with Harvey Weinstein when you weren’t sexually attracted to him. ... You liked the parties and you liked the power.”

The witness, who is to return to the stand today, had told the jury last week on direct examination that Weinstein trapped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013, and angrily ordered her to undress as he loomed over her,

and then raped her. The second attack came eight months later at a Beverly Hills hotel, where she worked as a hairdresser, after she told Weinstein that she was dating an actor, she said.

“You owe me one more time!” she said he screamed at her. She said she begged him not to take off her clothes, but he ripped off her pants before pushing her legs apart and raping her.

The witness was grilled yesterday about emails that continued after those alleged attacks.

From the emails, it appeared the witness was still cutting Weinstein’s hair in early 2014. In one January 2014 email, he wrote her:

“That’s the best hair cut and trim I’ve gotten. I’ve gotten a million compliments. Thank you.”

She wrote back: “Your the one who makes it look good with your smile and beautiful eyes!!

But thank you that makes me so happy to hear :)” Rotunno asked the witness whether she was trying to make Weinstein “believe that you cared about him.”

“I did want him to think that I was naive and safe and not a threat,” she responded.

“But you’re not naive, are you?”

“I’m observant but I’m not that smart,” she replied.

14 DIE IN STAMPEDE AT PRIMARY SCHOOL NAIROBI, Kenya Associated Press

DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at a caucus night campaign last night in Des Moines, Iowa

Biden claims success in Iowa despite vote delay DES MOINES, Iowa Associated Press JOE Biden last night claimed success in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses even though there was a delay in the results being released by the state Democratic Party. “We feel good about where we are, so it’s onto New Hampshire,” Biden said, adding that he’d “walk out of here with our share of delegates.”

The Iowa Democratic Party says the caucus results were delayed because of unspecified “quality checks.” They say, however, that the problem is a “reporting issue,” not a “hack or an intrusion.”

Biden has said he didn’t have to win Iowa to win the nomination, but he wanted to avoid a bad showing.

Several donors attending his Des Moines watch party said they want to see Biden finish in the top three in Iowa to boost confidence

ELIZABETH Warren last night going forward as the race moves to more diverse states where Biden is expected to be stronger.

For his part, Biden stuck to his usual argument, making President Donald Trump his target. “Each of us knows, deep in our bones, that everything this nation stands for is at stake,” Biden said.

Earlier, Elizabeth Warren said the results of the Iowa caucus were “too close to call” and instead used much of a speech at her caucus party to criticise President Trump.

The Massachusetts senator told hundreds who gathered to cheer her on in downtown Des Moines: “Tonight has already shown that Americans have a hunger for big structural change.”

Her White House bid calls for fundamentally remaking the nation’s economic and political system. Warren said, “A president’s values matters and the only thing Donald Trump values is Donald Trump.” She said the president believes “government is a tool to enrich himself and his corrupt buddies at everyone else’s expense.”

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was the first Democratic presidential candidate to address the delayed Iowa caucus results, saying, “We know one thing: we are punching above our weight.”

The senator built her campaign around a strong performance in Iowa. While the results are unknown, she says, “We are bringing this ticket to New Hampshire.”

Regarding the delays in revealing the vote, Iowa Democratic Party’s communications director Mandy McClure said that the party “found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results.”

She says the party were using photos of the results and a paper trail to “validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report.”

Des Moines County Chair Tom Courtney said technology issues appeared to be contributing to the delay. Courtney said that in his county, an app created for caucus organisers to report results was “a mess” and organisers were instead having to call in results to the state party.

A STAMPEDE at a primary school in western Kenya after students were let out to go home has killed 14 children and wounded 39 others, officials said yesterday.

The cause of the crush is not yet clear, but Kakamega area regional commissioner Anne Ngetich ruled out that a “scare” had sparked the stampede.

“I know there are people who might think these children always use the same entrance and exits, what might have happened today? Was there an explosion?” she said. “No there was nothing, nothing physical that we have established.”

Grief-stricken parents wailed and collapsed at the three hospitals where the bodies of the dead and injured were taken.

According to the school, the children were heading home when the stampede occurred. An investigation is underway.

UK TO END EARLY RELEASE AFTER TERROR STABBING LONDON Associated Press THE British government said yesterday it will introduce emergency legislation to stop people convicted of terror crimes being released after serving half their sentences, following two attacks in London by recently freed offenders.

The announcement came the day after an Islamic extremist who had recently been released from prison wounded two people in south London, despite being under police surveillance. Sudesh Amman, 20, strapped on a fake bomb and stabbed two people on a busy street before being shot dead by police.

THE SHAKIRA AND LOPEZ SHOW DRAWS PRAISE FROM LATINOS

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico Associated Press

WHEN the Super Bowl halftime show began, YolItzma Aguirre and her relatives watched with anticipation. The El Paso, Texas, family was curious how Colombian-born Shakira and New York-raised Jennifer Lopez, two of the world’s most popular Latino artists, would seize the stage.

The performance was draped in Hollywood tropes of female sexuality. But it also contained subtle political messages about anxieties shared by many Latinos in the US — children in cages, Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the urge to be heard.

Aguirre, 39, had to watch the performance again. “My sister was tearing up. We saw more things,” Aguirre said. “We stopped caring about the game.”

Across the US, Latinos took to social media to praise and dissect the show. Shakira paid homage to her Colombian roots by performing the mapalé — an Afro-Colombian style of dance from the country’s Caribbean coast. She also made a tongue expression called zaghrouta, a way to express joy in Arab culture. Her father is of Lebanese descent.

COLOMBIAN-born Shakira and New York-raised Jennifer Lopez in action during the Super Bowl on Sunday During her performance, Lopez brought out a dual Puerto RicanAmerican flag while her daughter sang the lyrics to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” Her daughter and other children with American flags on their shirts had emerged from what appeared to be steel cages.

“Let’s get loud!” Lopez sang as her daughter sang the Springsteen hook. Shakira hit some drums.

In the background, strobe lights crossed each other to form an image of a cage.

Latinos saw the juxtaposition as a call for them to vote, being mindful that American

authorities on the US-Mexico border separated migrant children from their parents and locked them up.

“It was brilliant,” said Aguirre, a writer who has toured immigration facilities holding children.

Others pointed out that Lopez held up a Puerto Rican flag

— once banned in 1948 — at a time of anger over how President Donald Trump has handled relief efforts after the island was hit by the hurricane and a recent earthquake.

The flag became a symbol of resilience and hope following the hurricane, which struck in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm. It caused more than $100 billion in damage and killed an estimated 2,975 people in its aftermath. The flag also became a symbol of resistance and justice last summer when massive protests over corruption and other issues led to the resignation of the island’s former governor.

Luivette Resto, a Puerto Rico-born poet who now lives in Los Angeles, said she felt conflicted about the use of the flag because of the island’s history.

“Puerto Rico is still a colony of the US.” Resto said. “We’re treated like property.”

But Resto said she was glad the appearance of the flag sparked needed conversations about Puerto Rico’s status.

Still, she was disappointed that more Afro-Latinos or Mexicans were not represented in the performance — a critique shared by many on social media.

PAGE 12, Tuesday, February 4, 2020

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