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VOLUME:116 No.44, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2019

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SPORTS: MYSTIC MARLINS WINS 37TH CLASSIC TITLE

FBI secret tapes expose visa scam Recordings reveal how ‘fixer’ worked with Immigration

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE US Federal Bureau of Investigation claims it has more than six hours of audio recordings between Haitian-Bahamian Edward Israel Saintil and an unnamed immigration officer discussing bribery payments made to senior officials to secure permit approvals.

The bribes ranged from $400 to $2,500.

US Attorney Jessie Liu has recommended a prison sentence of six months for Saintil, who was convicted last year after an explosive FBI undercover

operation into US visa fraud in The Bahamas.

In supporting documents, Ms Liu submitted an updated declaration from FBI special agent Kevin Gounaud summarising audio recordings obtained from a forensic audit of Saintil’s cell phone, which was seized and searched as part of his plea deal.

The recordings represent “hundreds of voice notes” sent between Saintil and the unnamed “mid-level, clerical-type” official (referred to as IO#1) from May 2017 up until Saintil’s arrest in September 2018.

SEE PAGE THREE

PINERIDGE MP Frederick McAlpine hit out at Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday, likening the nation’s leader to a coach keeping a “good player” on the bench due to “personal or petty” reasons.

During a wide-ranging press conference at his office yesterday - three days after not attending a

meeting Dr Minnis held with supporters in Grand Bahama – Mr McAlpine also expressed scepticism his party would win the next general election.

He also said he did not agree with politicians going around calling other parties corrupt, as Dr Minnis did to the Progressive Liberal Party on Friday.

Despite his evident frustration with the FNM, Mr McAlpine did not say he SEE PAGE FIVE

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

TRAFFIC police in New Providence are investigating an early morning hit-and-run incident that left a woman dead and a man in hospital.

According to police, shortly after 6.30am yesterday, a man and a woman were walking along the southern side of Sealink Drive, South Beach when they were hit by a Nissan Cube that drifted out of the eastbound, northern lane.

Chief Superintendent Craig Stubbs, officerin-charge of the Traffic Division, said paramedics responded and pronounced the woman dead at the scene. She had reportedly suffered “significant head trauma”.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

MOODY’S GLUM ON HITTING DEFICIT

MCALPINE: DON’T BE SO PETTY, DR MINNIS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER HELD AFTER FATAL DAWN CRASH

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SPIKE’S G-LEE (BUT NOT FOR LONG)

SPIKE LEE’S first-ever competitive Oscar award turned Sunday’s mostly staid ceremony into one with joy and passion, but that later gave way to frustration.

Full coverage - Page 11

MOODY’S is urging further “restraint” in public spending while predicting the government will miss the 1.8 percent deficit target set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act for 2018-2019.

The credit rating agency, in an update that accompanied its upgrading of The Bahamas’ outlook from “negative” to “stable”, warned that the government’s $237m deficit objective was still “attainable” but would likely require further spending curbs between now and end-June to hit target.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

INSIDE THE NEW WORLD OF PORT NASSAU

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

GLOBAL Ports Holding’s goal for Prince George Wharf is to transform the area into a “state-of-the-art port and waterfront destination” that will feature a Junkanoo museum, open air amphitheatre, and laser light shows.

The government has selected the company’s $250m bid to redevelop Prince George Wharf.

HOW the port will look.

Global Ports Holding has recently released a nearly ten-minute long video

depicting the company’s vision for the area.

Of the decision, Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants president Gowon Bowe said yesterday private management is “certainly a positive” thing, noting the Lynden Pindling International Airport is a “successful model” of what can occur when the right team is deployed to “run an effective” transportation port.

“This project marks SEE PAGE TWO

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

WOMAN

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START AGAIN

PAGE 2, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Vision for the future

OUR MISSION IS TO TURN THE PORT INTO A WORLD-CLASS WATERFRONT from page one

the beginning of a new Bahamian success story,” Mehmet Kutman, chairman of Global Ports Holding said in a press release.

“We have a shared mission – to turn the port and downtown Nassau into a popular, world-class waterfront destination for visitors and Bahamians to enjoy,” he continued, underscoring the importance of Bahamians benefiting from the cruise industry.

The video depicts a modern and technologically advanced gorgeous vision of the area, which has been dubbed “Port Nassau” and “a cruise destination unlike any other.”

“From the moment (visitors) arrive they will experience bright, unique, and modern design… and a fantastic modern waterfront to rival any, anywhere,” the video states.

“Large, LED digital signage promoting the Bahamas and all it has to offer. Wonderful, open, upscale restaurants. It will have unique architectural features that will make Port Nassau iconic as a cruise destination.”

Kiosks will be created for current vendors while a Junkanoo museum will be established “that can showcase the history and culture of The Bahamas with its own multimedia show,” it was noted.

Another feature will be a large open air amphitheatre which will feature local and international activities, concerts, and shows, all of which “will create special incentives for the cruise lines to stay in port longer.”

A tram service also will be included that will improve the trip into and out of the port. “Nighttime is a special time at Port Nassau with laser light shows, illuminated

structures, walkways, activities, and will be something passengers will not want to miss and cruise ships will want to offer,” the video continues.

The video also highlights the intended impact the port will have on Bay Street. “Bay Street itself will be revitalised, with new lighting, landscaping, and monumental structures linking Bay Street to its waterfront and will be

part of an enhanced port design,” it says.

Laverne Crawley, VP of the Straw Business Persons Society, pictured above, noted this will allow for stores downtown to be open “until even if it’s midnight.”

“I think that’s exciting and that can do more for the economic development of our country,” she said.

While Mr Bowe described the video as a public relations effort, he underscored the technical work which was done. “I think ultimately we know that there was an actual request for proposals with several responses coming in,” Mr Bowe said. “And looking at the press release by the minister, it appears that what they have done

is considered the technical capabilities as well as financial aspects of the project and sought to engage the most attractive along those two lines.

“I think when we look at the actual cruise port in its current form and shape, we know that there’s not a choice but to effectively advance its development and effectively bring a tourism product that is worthy of what we call the Bahamas as it was once known.

“And so from that perspective, looking towards private management is certainly a positive because we’ve seen challenges in areas where government, which is really not tasked or skilled to manage…most

enterprises of the like, certainly will be a benefit to the actual cruise port.

“And when we look at the airport, in terms of the Lynden Pindling International Airport, there’s already a successful model and depiction of what can take place when the right skills and team is deployed to actually run an effective transportation port.”

Mr Bowe also said it will be important to understand the basis upon which negotiations are taking place. “There was mention of 25-year concessions, and we would want or wish to know if this is a management contract, why would there be the need for concessions or what are the nature of concessions effectively if the port remains owned by the government of The Bahamas and ultimately the people of The Bahamas (then) any concessions as it relates to capital acquisition and purchases would remain with the actual government and the people.”

Mr Bowe also called for the government to “mediate” the standoff between the cruise lines and cruise port operators. “Because ultimately both are key stakeholders that are going to be necessary to the successful progress or the successful implementation of this new port design.”

WATCH THE VIDEO NOW AT TRIBUNE242.COM

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, PAGE 3

THE FBI TAPES

from page one “These conversations in general related to Saintil attempting, through bribery of IO#1, to obtain faster service for his immigration business customers, who are typically Haitian nationals residing in Bahamas, or in Haiti and seeking to come to Bahamas,” read the declaration.

“In many conversations, Saintil and IO#1 reference payments made to IO#1, which are in turn paid to other officials in the Immigration Department.

There are numerous references as well to payments made to officials to overlook deficiencies in certain applications, or to avoid ‘verification’ of certain applicants, ie avoid verification of the character of the immigration or sufficiency of certain aspects of the applicant’s file.”

According to Mr Gounaud, Saintil contacted the immigration officer to expedite approval for two residency permits on June 12, 2017, offering an initial amount of $400.

The officer reportedly agreed to assist Saintil but explained multiple immigration officials would need to be paid, including the officer’s supervisor.

The declaration read: “Regarding his supervisor, IO#1 stated, ‘The only way the file move out of her office if, you gotta pay for them two file...so if you ain’t coming talking the right thing to her, ain’t nothing happening papa...$400 ain’t no money to do that, you know that. That’s a joke.’”

It continued: “IO#1 further advised Saintil that he could not give him a specific price yet without checking with several different officials in the approval chain.”

In another recording on October 24, 2017, Saintil contacted the officer concerning approval of a long-term work permit for one of his customers, a Haitian national living in the Bahamas. Saintil reportedly advised his customer was “willing to pay 2.5” to get his permit approved.

“In context,” the

Recordings reveal The Tribune how ‘fixer’ worked with Immigration FBI briefing over ‘visa fraud’ sting A1MAIN

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VOLUME:115 No.245, NOVEMBER 14, 2018

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ALICIA WALLACE: IF THE SYSTEM IS WRONG WE NEED TO CHANGE IT

• ONE of the

FISHERMAN people he was KILLED IN inside paying ANDROS BOAT the Immigration Department to EXPLOSION advance this file was getting TRAGEDY struck paid $500 Andros yesterday morning and when a 53-year-old man was killed in a fishing boat not IO#1 was explosion off Morgan’s Bluff.making enough SEE PAGE THREE money once the other official had been paid.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

Dames promises to act if laws broken but ‘no evidence yet’

By AVA TURNQUEST

broken, and take the neces-

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

“We have had some initial discussions with the US,” Mr Dames said before heading into a Cabinet meeting.

“The FBI is now working in consultation with the Royal Bahamas Police Force, who will receive a further briefing on the information they (the FBI) may have at their disposal, and we will determine from that information whether any laws in The Bahamas have been broken.”

TribuneThe ChiefTribune Reporter reported sary measures.

HOW the story on November 14 last year NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames told reporters yesterday the Federal Bureau of Investigation is expected to fully brief Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson this week on the findings of its two-year undercover investigation into an alleged visa fraud at its Nassau Embassy.

He said local law enforcement will then make a determination on whether any Bahamian laws were

declaration

read,

“this

inside

the

Immigration

• IO#1 further advised Saintil that he could not give him a specific price yet without checking with several different officials in the approval chain.

The only way is a reference to paying Department to advance this $2,500 above and beyond file was getting paid $500 the file move out any normal costs associ- and IO#1 was not making ated with obtaining a work enough money once the of her office if, other official had been paid. permit.” you gotta pay for “IO#1 also noted he was Between July 18 and 19, 2018, Saintil and the officer giving Saintil a significant them two file... discussed several pending discount, and that IO#1 so if you ain’t SEE PAGE FIVE would typically make ...two jobs. and three thousand dollars According to Mr Goucoming talking ARE YOU SITTING on these files.” naud, Saintil complained COMFORTABLY? MINNIS’ PRAYERS FOR the right thing to Saintil pleaded guilty to the officer was acting too PRIME Minister Hubert Minnis and Cabinet members enjoyed a tour of the Fusion Superplex, the $50m entertainment facility is due to open next month.

Full story - Page one2. count of encouraging Photo: Donavan McIntosh slowly, thatwhile the officer MISSING her, ain’t PILOT’S nothing FAMILY • IO#1 also and inducing an alien to noted Saintil was collecting

By MORGAN ADDERLEY critiques that relatives are Tribune Staff Reporter dissatisfied with the way noted he was happening come to the United States “thousands of dollars” as a madderley@tribunemedia.net officials have conducted the VICTIM WAS TRYING SANDS WE’LL MAKE for the purpose of commersearch and rescue result efforts of their partnership. giving Saintil PRIME Minister Dr for Mr Ferguson, as the papa...$400 orOFFER privateTO DOCTORS “IO#1 complained that cial advantage Hubert Minnis yesterday investigation is continuing.

TO ESCAPE VIOLENCE FAIR a significant extended his prayers to Bahamas Air Accident last year.

SaintilBYwas in general not financial gain ain’t the family ofno Byronmoney Fergu- Investigation Department RIEL MAJOR on Monday, a man was BY RIEL MAJOR if patients find themselves son, the pilot whose plane Operations discount, He was arrested in late paying enough, and needed Investigator walking on Watlins Street in a situation where centraland crashed into the waters of HEALTH Minister Dr care is withdrawn. When THE family of the man off Andros Avenue when to do that, you Kendal Dorsett Jr also conNirvana Beach on Thurs- firmed yesterday evening September after the FBI to charge one Duane Sands said yesterday fatally shot whileparticularly walking he was approached by a he was askedIO#1 about the would that day night. on Watlins Street is reel- male with a firearm who the government is negotiat- doctors’ threat yesterday, that, contrary to previous problematic customer more allegedly recorded conknow Dr Minnis that. encouraged reports from officials, Mr ing after his death, with opened fire before running ing in good faith to present Primetypically Minister Dr Hubert make the family to always “live Ferguson did file amoney,” and fairhim offer Minnis said he believed the 19-year- away. flight one relative versations a reasonable between thesayingdeclaration with hope” as the search plan before leaving West old Stantavio Ramsey had The victim was shot and to public health physicians dispute stemmed from comThat’s joke.’” for the missingapilot and Palm Beach airport ...two and and paid informants over read. for recently moved out of a transported to the hospi- who have threatened indus- munication issues, stressing three aircraft continues. How- Nassau on Thursday. area to make some- tal by paramedics but later trial action. that to a doctor, patient “In violent reference file, several months, ever, he said he could not Calling in the which situation care is thing of his life. to this died. thousand dollars paramount. comment on the family’s SEE PAGE THREE “disappointing”, Dr Sands According that to police he falsely represented IO#1 reports, noted one of shortly after 5pm SEE PAGE SEVEN said it would be a tragedy SEE PAGE 10 on these files. the people he was paying himself as a justice of the

TOO MUCH HOT AIR DELAYS SMITH HEARING

peace; boasted of close relationships with both current and former top Department of Immigration officials; claimed a capacity to obtain fraudulent bank statements to support US visa applications; and also offered to smuggle persons into the US by boat and arrange fraudulent marriages.

In one instance, Saintil obtained a labour certificate and work permit for one Haitian national, who, he said, was employed as a handyman for his company, Saintil’s Painting & Cleaning Services.

Both former and sitting Department of Immigration directors have denied any impropriety on their parts, and The Tribune has withheld the name of an immigration official named in earlier documents who signed an approval of a work permit for Saintil.

In November, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said a team of investigators from the Royal Bahamas Police Force and an attorney from the Department of Public Prosecutions were headed to Washington to meet with the FBI to discuss the findings of the undercover investigation.

At the time, Mr Dames said local law enforcement will then make a determination on whether any Bahamian laws were broken, and take the necessary measures.

PLEA FOR SAINTIL TO BE TREATED LENIENTLY

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

IN a plea for leniency from a US court, an attorney for HaitianBahamian Edward Israel Saintil portrayed him as a diabetic father of five who has been unable to access insulin since his arrest in September due to high medical costs in the US. US Attorney Jessie Liu accused Saintil of operating a “one-stop shop for immigration fraud” as she recommended a six-month prison sentence for his conduct.

Saintil, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of encouraging and inducing an alien to come to the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain last year.

For his part, Saintil’s lawyer Donald LaRoche is appealing to the court for a sentence of time served taking into consideration his health and family circumstances.

He further suggested Saintil was not aware of his actions, and made a mistake in judgement when he sought to help someone gain employment in the Bahamas. “(Saintil) regrets anything that he said that would mislead anyone to believe that he would assist someone to illegally enter the United States,” Mr LaRoche said.

Mr LaRoche continued: “He recognises his mistake of judgment, and his family and friends fully support him in the very unfortunate circumstances in which he has landed.

“His community in The Bahamas have been completely astonished and dismayed by the accounts stated in the local media as they do not know Mr Saintil to ever be involved in such actions. Recognised and reputable members of the community who know Mr Saintil very well have submitted letters of reference as to his good character,” he said.

Mr LaRoche added: “Given his age, his lack of any prior criminal record, and his family needs and circumstances, plus all other applicable factors the court will consider, Mr Saintil respectfully moves this court to impose a sentence of time served that is ‘sufficient but not greater than necessary’. . .There is little possibility of his repeating this offence or posing a threat to the public safety in any way.”

Saintil was arrested in late September after a two-year undercover FBI investigation that recorded conversations between him and paid informants over several months.

In those recordings, Saintil falsely represented himself as a justice of the peace; boasted of close relationships with both current and former top Department of Immigration officials;

FORMER PLP Senator Frank Smith’s bribery

door to the Central Police Station and near the other Supreme Court buildings.

Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt was forced to secure the new venue after fielding submissions from lead Crown attorney Edward Jenkins, QC, that proceeding in her courtroom would be “unfeasible” and that he would struggle to concentrate on the trial because of the heat and humidity.

and extortion trial had to claimed a capacity to obtain St Fleur, along with be relocated yesterday due to abank three-week-long fraudulent statements two other Haitians and a air conditioning failure FRANK SMITH to support US visaCourt applicawoman, were at the Magistrate’s utilised by Bahamian the Industrial Tribunal, located in the tions; complex. and also offered to Justice” also building indicted in a sepaThe matter will now com- “Swift mencepersons in the courtroom East Street north, case next smuggle into onthe rate for allegedly US by boat and arrange conspiring to commit visa fraudulent marriages. fraud.

The FBI’s undercover While Bahamian Pauline operation kicked off in Pratt has been sentenced 2016 after agents were and deported, and Haitian tipped off to claims a Hai- Johnlee Paul is under house tian national living in the arrest awaiting trial, HaiBahamas - Edna St Fleur tians Kevin Desir and St - had obtained a US visa Fleur are reportedly still at fraudulently.Nassau & Bahama Islands’ large.

Leading Newspaper

Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt, whose courtroom was stocked with several oscillating fans to mitigate against the heat, suggested her agreement with the English attorney’s sentiments by stating that she was not accustomed to dealing with matters in such conditions.

Smith’s lead attorney, Keith Knight, QC, meanwhile, said while he SEE PAGE 10

The government took issue with Saintil’s statement, according to Ms Liu, who stated “there is no reason to think that (Saintil) was making up his ability to smuggle individuals and arrange marriages”.

Ms Liu argued his conduct is “extremely serious” as it appeared he was using his business in the Bahamas as a means to fraudulently obtain work permits.

“He operated a onestop shop for immigration fraud,” read the US attorney’s sentencing memorandum.

“He offered multiple options for individuals to subvert our immigration laws. He was in the business of assisting aliens to illegally enter the United States.

“The seriousness of (Saintil’s) conduct warrants imprisonment,” she added.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

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C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

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It might be a painful journey but what an opportunity THE announcement that Global Ports Holdings has been chosen to manage the Nassau cruise port is big news for the country – but how will it change the waterfront?

We urge readers to visit our website – www.tribune242.com – to take a look at the video provided by Global Ports to back their bid.

Slick promotional videos are par for the course in such bids, of course, but this one has substance.

It gives a real look at how the redeveloped area would look, complete with trams to ferry ship passengers to the dock to save them a long walk, stylish new-look cabins for vendors, areas where taxis would be able to pick up fares and more.

There seems to have been a great deal of thought put into revitalising an area long in need of a fresh look.

Gone will be the battered wooden cabins and forbidding metal gates – in will come a more welcoming experience for visitors and an introduction to The Bahamas that will hopefully be both more memorable and enticing.

One thing in the video stands out, however – and it’s a matter you only need to take a late-night walk through Downtown to recognise.

Down come the shutters, up go the gates – why does Downtown shut down so early? Where is the nightlife that Bay Street used to be famous for – places such as Blackbeard’s Tavern or Dirty Dick’s? Our paltry offering is why the ships sail aways as the sun sets. Why

forgo the passengers’ income - as Global Ports intend we must revive the heyday of Nassau but with new names for the nightspots that will become legends in future years.

It’s one of the parts of the video that stands out most – that by shutting down early, we are leaving money on the table rather than capitalising on a market seeking fun, laughter and entertainment.

The presence of a new concert venue on the waterfront is also enticing – what better to have music under the stars with the lights of the cruise ships twinkling nearby? Even better if the concert venue can offer a mix of local talent and big names from overseas.

There is genuine potential to be had in what Global Ports is offering – while some questions also remain. Will the new-look waterfront be the end for the horse and cart tours, which don’t seem to have an obvious home in the new setup? How well will taxis be able to access those pick-up sites? How much space will there be for local vendors and what will be for sale inside those fancy new arrival and departure buildings instead?

It is going to take years before the dream becomes reality and - when the building work begins there are bound to be countless complaints as people are forced to surrender to a new reality.

But the early signs are very promising – if Global Ports succeeds in everything they are aiming for, it could be the catalyst for revitalising the whole of Downtown. That would be a very welcome outcome indeed.

Arinthia following in impressive footsteps WE SALUTE Arinthia Komolafe, the newly elected leader of the Democratic National Party – and the first woman to lead the organisation.

She follows in the footsteps of other women to take leading roles in political positions around The Bahamas – including Janet Bostwick, the first woman to serve in the House of Assembly and the first woman to be Attorney General; Loretta Butler-Turner, the first woman to lead the Opposition; S Ali McIntosh, leader of the Bahamas Constitution Party; Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister, the first woman to take on the mantle of leading the nation in that role; Dame Doris

Sands Johnson, first woman president of the Senate; and through to Dame Marguerite Pindling, the incumbent at Governor House.

Whatever the future brings for Komolafe personally and the DNA as an organisation, each of these achievements are building blocks for those women who follow them.

As she points out, around the region, other nations have elected women to lead their countries. When the time comes for a woman to be named Prime Minister of The Bahamas, it will be thanks to so many others who paved the way. We wish Arinthia Komolafe luck as she helps to create that pathway.

Kudos to the minister for Nassau port decision AFTER the government selected Global Ports Holding as Prince George Wharf’s preferred operator/ manager, readers gave their reaction on tribune242.com.

TheMadHatter was delighted: “Amazing. This is the first serious piece of good and sensible news out of this government. Congratulations and kudos to the Minister. My face gah hurt by tonight though, cause I gah be slapping myself all day to make sure i’m awake and not dreaming.”

MaryMack53 agreed: “This is the best news we’ve heard all year. Great investment, good track record, and proven success. Our government is truly locking a deal for our future generation. This is what I call sustainability.”

But John was cautious: “Just hope that no measures will be implemented to further restrict the access/ use of the downtown/port area by Bahamians. And hopefully, the plans will

incorporate the local ‘peddlers, hair braiders, etc in a regulated and controlled manner that is complementary to the transformation that is expected to take place and not exclude Bahamians to the contrary.

As ships grow larger and larger and become more self-sustaining, efforts must be made to not only draw more passengers off the ships but get them to spend more and ensure that The Bahamas and the Bahamian peoples dem benefit from these thousands of voyages to the country every year.

An industry that is putting billion$ in other people’s pockets.”

Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest cautioned that The Bahamas’ “hasn’t arrived yet” despite

Moody’s “outlook” upgrade indicating the Government has regained some of its fiscal credibility.

That prompted this response from Birdiestrachan: “The Bahamas has not been upgraded. What is of uttermost importance is how the FNM party, Doc and Turnquest spoke about how very bad VAT was for the poor. They have increased VAT 60% and boast of how much they have collected.”

John had this to say: “If all the revenue streams that are in the pipeline come on stream and government continue to plug the holes that cause revenue loss (corruption, tax evasion, outright theft) then it may be possible for government to have a surplus budget in the short term. But be mindful that both US and Chinese economies are showing signs of slowing.

Don’t miss your chance to join the conversation on tribune242.com.

Dionisio, a shining light in the gloom EDITOR, The Tribune ON A personal level I admire and deeply respect Ministers Duane Sands (Health) and Marvin Dames (National Security).

Despite my being a PLP, to this very day, I could not support the former MP for Mount Moriah and, as a part of my civic duty, I supported and voted for Dames. In the case of Sands, I was an adviser and semi-confidant. In fact, during one of my radio talk shows, I privately told him to seek a reconciliation with the then leader of the fractured FNM, Dr. Minnis.

He apparently listened to that advice and, today, he is creased up in Elizabeth (after multiple rejections at the polls) and a cabinet minister to boot with one of the largest budgetary allocations, second only behind Education.

Dames has been a very successful member of the Royal Bahamas Police force back in the day. He’s benefited from expensive educational and training exercises paid for by the Bahamian taxpayers. He is, in my view, highly intelligent and possesses a degree of commonsense. As I stated above, I actually supported Dames in his quest to enter the halls of parliament through the great constituency of Mount Moriah. So, no sensible Bahamian is able to deny that I was instrumental, in whatever way, in getting these two members into the House. They are challenged to refute this, if they dare.

Brother Sands, God bless his soul, based on constitutional conventions, along with Brother Dames must offer their respective nominations or be fired from cabinet. It is as simple as this. Individual ministerial responsibility is crucial.

All Bahamians know that I support the Hon. Minister of Tourism 150% out of 100%....so you understand that my political support for Dionisio transcends mere politics. He was/ is dead wrong, constitutionally speaking, with his public utterances in support of his embattled colleagues.

While I am able to

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net appreciate friendship and political loyalty, when it comes down to the observance of our constitution and its traditionally binding conventions, as a trained lawyer who would have specialized in constitutional studies, both Dames and Sands, as much as I love them, must fall on the proverbial sword.

In the 1960’s, over in the UK, a senior politician and cabinet minister, John Porfumo, was obliged to resign from the House of Commons and the then cabinet led by then Prime Minister Harold McMillan. It was publicly disclosed that Porfumo was having a sexual affair with a woman who later turned out to be a prostitute who was engaged in an side affair with a Soviet Naval Attache at the same time. Porfumo fudged and later confessed to knowing and being with the woman. He was duty bound, via constitutional conventions, to resign office.

In both Sands and Dames cases, it is not that they would have lied but rather the apparent and gross “involvement” with the initial stages of the now infamous Barbara Hanna complaint. Dames is a politician and no longer a police officer so, in my opinion, he should never have interviewed or interacted with a complainant in a potentially criminal case with political overtones. His involvement sent, according to the trial magistrate, a chilling message, whatever it might have been.

Sands, as minister with responsibility for health matters and facilities, again in my opinion should never have, unilaterally, according to some sources, awarded am enhanced cleaning contract to Barbara Hanna while the police were investigating certain issues. Sands should also have recused himself from all involvement with Hanna so as to abide by the Latin maxim: ‘Not only must

Caesar’s wife be clean, she must appear to be clean...’

Hanna, according to Sands, was a financial donor to his campaign in Elizabeth. One of her sons, actually campaigned for Sands, by his own admission.

And so, my favorite FNM cabinet minister and member of Parliament, bar none, the Hon. Minister of Tourism. while being the smartest and most savvy individual that he is from a business point, is dead wrong to suggest that neither of his embattled colleagues did anything that would warrant resignations or terminations. What else could he or any other member of this cabinet be expected to say? Remember Jerome ‘Moon Beam’ Fritzgerald? ‘When you touch one, you touch all...’

Today nothing has changed. The Most Hon. Prime Minister, is incapable of digesting much less understanding what constitutional conventions are all about. Remember the facilities up at Nassau and Delancy Streets? The Hon. Leader of the iconic PLP and government in waiting, must latch onto this issue like white on rice and not let go. Constitutional Conventions have the force of law in the UK. Here in The Bahamas, however, they are observed more in the breach than in observation.

My leader, Brave, is a learned barrister and Queen’s Counsel, the law that he has forgotten 99.5% of this FNM regime, inclusive of legal eagles like Carl Wilshire Bethel and Elsworth Johnson (another FNM whom I counselled and advised during the 2017 general elections) will never know. My boy, Dionisio, is the best Minister of Tourism, ever, be his a natural immovable rock when it comes down to law; parliamentary procedures and constitutional conventions.

To God then, the Divine Originator of the first constitution, the Bible, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H. BODIE, JR. Nassau, February 23, 2019.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, PAGE 5

PM’S COMMENTS IN GRAND BAHAMA ‘A SAD MENU OF FAILURE’

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell blasted Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis for his attacks on the opposition party in Grand Bahama last week.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Mitchell branded Dr Minnis’ comments to supporters in Grand Bahama as a “sad menu of failure”.

He insisted Dr Minnis opted to attack the PLP to deflect attention away from the fact that many of the plans he was presenting were initiated by the former Christie administration. “All the folk in

Grand Bahama know, except those few FNM souls that showed up to the PM’s rally, that the FNM has done nothing since they came to power which has staunched the economic decline,” Mr Mitchell said. “Everyone knows the FNM has wrecked Grand Bahama’s economy. Go to the dock in Freeport every Friday and see people packing up and moving to Nassau.”

Mr Mitchell added: “It is one thing for the prime minister to tell the untruths that he spoke in Freeport but it is quite another thing for otherwise sensible people to get up and clap for nonsense. Every project that he announced (recently) was a PLP project: Smith’s Point Road,

PLP chairman Fred Mitchell Fishing Hole Road and the cruise port. All were started by the PLP. “As usual the prime minister

came with old story time, with a set of personal attacks on the leader of the PLP. But while he was spinning his stories about corruption, he forgot the contract given to his minister for immigration to build the Post Office in his building.

“He forgot that two ministers stand judicially condemned for their conduct in the Frank Smith case,” he said.

Mr Mitchell added: “We do not need to hear the idle chatter that the prime minister spun this night.

Come again prime minister. Take another tack. You should count your reign in days. No second term for you.”

Last Friday, Dr Minnis declared

Grand Bahama was “at the beginning of wonderful new things”.

Pointing to the PLP’s past failures on the island, Dr Minnis said: “The PLP promised you plenty things, but they let you down, over and over and over again. They would have failed you again.”

Alluding to an ongoing court case involving a former Grand Bahama official, he said: “Those who used to be in charge and thought they were in charge, are in charge no more.

“Of course, the PLPs still believe they are above the law.

The only rule they like is to rule you and your family.”

Dr Minnis also said the PLP was the very definition of corruption.

McAlpine: Don’t be so petty, Dr Minnis from page one was leaving the party or is considering joining the Official Opposition but added he had “options.”

Dr Minnis, who indicated that he intends to retire after serving a second term as prime minister, on Friday called on supporters to support the four other parliamentarians in Grand Bahama and others to carry on the leadership, but did not mention Mr McAlpine.

“If you don’t want me on the team, trade me, but don’t have a good player sitting on the bench and then saying he is not a team player when the coach just don’t want to play him because of personal or petty reasons,” Mr McAlpine said. “Obviously, I don’t know what it is. But when you are in leadership you really can’t be petty, and as a MP I can’t be petty for him not calling my name.

“So if you tend to be a leader you got to lead by example. I was not there, and perhaps because I was not there or in his view (I was not mentioned).

But at the end of the day, my responsibility is to the people of Pineridge and my responsibility is to make sure they get due representation, and by extension Grand Bahama.”

When asked he if thinks Dr Minnis was excluding him, Mr McAlpine said: “He can exclude me from whatever he wants to exclude me from. As long as the people of Pineridge and the people of the Bahamas do not exclude me, I am in good standing. I want

IF you don’t want me on the team, trade me, MP Frederick McAlpine tells his boss. to be in good standings with the people of the Bahamas rather than a political organisation.

“It might break me down with members of the party, but it sure lifts me up with the people of Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” he said.

Expounding on why he did not attend Friday’s FNM meeting, Mr McAlpine, who is a reverend, said he had a previous church engagement.

“This was not a meeting of importance, it was not a town meeting. If it was, it should not have been held at the FNM headquarters in the first place. If it was held someplace else, other than the FNM headquarters, then it might have warranted me being there.

This was more a meeting for party supporters rather than the people,” he said.

Mr McAlpine said the FNM today is

unrecognisable and seems to have a United Bahamian Party “spirit”.

Asked if he is considering joining the PLP, he responded: “I am a Bahamian who is pro-people and I support anybody who supports the Bahamians people.”

He added: “I still feel like I have options, and it is still time for me to take an introspective view and continue to listen – I am for the people.”

The outspoken MP also referred to Dr Minnis’ failure to address calls for the resignations of Health Minister Dr Duane Sands and National Security Minister Marvin Dames as he indicated he would. A judge called their conduct relating to Frank Smith’s bribery and extortion trial “egregious”. Mr Smith was acquitted of the charges.

“I think what is even more important than what

the PM has said is the fact that people are still waiting for an explanation. You fire three persons because of the Westminster system. I think the greater problem is this, the PM said that when he would have held this meeting he would address the issue as it pertains to his ministers. He did not do that.

“These are the kinds of things the cause leadership and the governing party to seem to lack integrity. That should have been priority; if you tell the people you are going to do something, then people expect to hear from you.

“The Bahamas is waiting to hear the PM’s take on what the chief magistrate had to say concerning his ministers in the trial of corruption that was held as it pertains to the Frank Smith case.”

At Friday’s meeting, Dr Minnis also said that the PLP is the very definition of corruption, an assertion Mr McAlpine took issue with.

“There have been people in the PLP that we might have somehow thought that their behaviour might have been considered corrupt . . .(those allegations) have yet to be proven in a court of law, but you cannot say that. Just how we can throw stones at the PLP, stones can be thrown at the FNM with similar allegations.

Does that make the FNM a corrupt group? I don’t think so.

“So I can’t go around calling any political organisation as corrupt. Some people may see us (the FNM) as corrupt.”

PAGE 6, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

FROM left, Christopher Mortimer, Branville McCartney, Arinthia Komolafe, chairman-elect Omar Smith, and deputy leader-elect Buscheme Armbrister.

By RIEL MAJOR ARINTHIA Komolafe says she is focused on moving her party forward and recruiting viable candidates after being elected by the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) as the first woman to lead the political party.

The election took place at the third party’s convention on Friday night at the Courtyard Marriott.

Mrs Komolafe beat Kendal Smith in a landslide receiving 66 votes against Mr Smith’s 14 votes.

Buscheme Armbrister was elected as the party’s deputy leader and Omar Smith as the national chairman.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mrs Komolafe said she hasn’t spent much time focusing on winning the position but is overwhelmed by the support given by the delegates of the convention and is focused on the way forward.

She said: “At this time, I’m still locked into the way moving forward and what it is we are going to do to achieve our goals of ascending to governance...I haven’t really had the time to let it all (sink) in.”

Mrs Komolafe said over the last several months the DNA has been working on rebuilding and restructuring the organisation.

We’ll have viable candidates, says Komolafe after she becomes new leader of DNA “We will continue to do that now moving forward,” said Mrs Komolafe. “But we will also supplement that with strengthening our ground game so that we will be able to knock on the doors of the Bahamian people listen to them, hear their concerns and wherever we can provide tangible support we will be able to do that.

“As we have been doing, we have been putting social initiatives on the ground by providing aid for persons who need help for various reasons and so we will continue to do that.”

The newly elected leader said party officials are planning to start the recruitment process of candidates early and is encouraging persons interested in running in the next general election to reach out to the DNA. She said: “We want credible candidates that can get into the communities now

ARINTHIA KOMOLAFE leads the Democratic National Alliance to meet the constituents there. We do not want to wait until the last minute to do this and so we will be sending out a call for

persons who are interested to run on the ticket of the DNA in the next general election to come and interview with us.”

Mrs Komolafe said the attention towards her gender is not unusual because the Bahamas has never had a woman at the head of a major party or a female prime minister.

Mrs Komolafe said: “As a region, all Caribbean counterparts have been electing women to head their countries. We’ve seen this in Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and we’ve seen it in Dominica and Bermuda. This is not an unusual concept within our region. I think it’s gathering a lot of attention because we have not yet achieved this peak.

“I think it’s good, it starts the conversation and it’s really increased the dialogue between parties but really and truly I tell persons that competency is not narrowed down to gender.

When you look across the country women are really leading the country. They

hold a lot of senior positions across the public service as well as the private sector. I think it’s getting a lot of attention because we have yet to have a CEO at the executive level of a country.”

She added: “We want persons to acknowledge, yes this is a female making a bold step but at the same time let’s question is this female competent to lead us to the path where we feel we need to go as a people, and I think that should be the main focus.”

DNA founder Branville McCartney led the party since its formation in 2011 until 2017. Mr McCartney resigned in 2017 after the party’s dismal results in that year’s general election.

Chris Mortimer, the DNA’s former deputy leader, served as interim leader after Mr McCartney’s resignation.

NOTICE Please note that effective Monday, February 25, 2019 the offices of Royal Fidelity Merchant Bank & Trust have relocated to: Providence House, East Hill Street, Nassau, The Bahamas Should you have any questions, please call 356-9801.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, PAGE 7

from page one

Hit-and-run driver held after fatal dawn crash

Meanwhile, the male victim was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital where he was listed in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit. The vehicle involved in the crash did not remain stationary, fleeing the area travelling eastbound toward East Street.

CSP Stubbs said a resident of the area who witnessed the incident gave chase, communicating the vehicle’s movements to officers back at Police Control Room.

The driver of that fleeing vehicle - a woman reportedly between 25 and 30 years of age - subsequently crashed in the area of Bougainvillea Boulevard, South Beach before getting away on foot.

CSP Stubbs, who spoke to reporters at the scene of that second crash, added: “As you can see here, this was the vehicle that was being driven. We know that at about 8am, or thereafter, based on the information that we received from the vehicle (involved in the hit-and-run), we were able to contact a relative of the driver, and I can say that police took into custody a female driver of this vehicle.”

CSP Stubbs said the woman, despite reporting injuries of her own, is now assisting police with their investigations.

When asked by reporters what factors may have contributed to the initial crash, CSP Stubbs said it appeared that the driver was distracted. To that end, he appealed to members of the public who may find themselves in a similar situation, pleading with them to remain stationary at the scene, instead of fleeing.

“We have seen in the last year, and more so in this year, we would have seen what we call hit-and-run accidents have increased; where a person would get involved in an accident and fail to remain stationary. It is an accident,” he said.

CSP Stubbs continued: “Yes, it is an accident as a result of a driver’s error. It

CRAIG STUBBS, Chief Superintendent of the Road Traffic Department, above, talks to the media about what happened. Left: the damaged car.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

can be driver’s error (or) it can be any other mitigating factors as it relates to the accident.

“But we appeal to motorists, please stop. It is an

accident. Allow the police to come to the scene and do the investigation and determine who is at fault for that accident. In some cases, you may not be at fault. But

it is paramount that you remain on scene. Remain stationary and allow the investigators to come in and do the investigations.”

The victims of yesterday’s

incident have not been identified.

Police said according to the preliminary information gathered, they believe the victims are residents of the South Beach community and often walked the route as a part of their exercise regimen.

Residents of Sealink Drive are now calling for the erection of additional speed bumps along the street,

claiming motorists who traverse the area in the early morning and late at night, often do so at high rates of speed.

One resident, who lives a short distance from where the two victims were struck, said the lack of a speed bump for up to 150 yards often “gives (drivers) the idea that they can go as fast as they want.”

“We really need a speed bump somewhere in that section. It gets really bad sometimes and people operate as if they are on a highway. That will never end well,” the concerned resident told The Tribune.

Monday’s traffic fatality was the second since last Friday.

A man in Eleuthera died last week when he lost control of his grey 2007 Nissan Note and collided with a tree on Queen’s Highway, Rock Sound, in the area of the airport.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

I

T’S A topic not often discussed in Bahamian relationships, but one that is prevalent and could be wreaking havoc on families – narcissism. Could nipping this potentially destructive personality trait in the bud be key to creating more successful, happy families and relationships?

Dr Ivy Campbell hopes so.

She has put her efforts into a book, My Escape from Narcissist Hill, which shares the story of a couple whose marriage breaks down on the basis of narcissism. The story is set in a Bahamian scene and the familiarity of scenarios she relates helps to bring home the point that it is happening right here, all the time.

“My purpose for writing the book is to share with young people and adults that there are specific problems that do exist involving intimate relationships in the Bahamas,” said Ivy. “These problems are perpetuated by family dynamics and brought to light during adolescence.

Statistics reveal that thousands of relationships are doomed each year because of insecurity, suspicion, brainwashing technique such as gas lighting, mental and physical abuse.”

“Narcissism is pervasive in our land. They come from all sectors of society.

Statistics indicate that the percentage in any given population is 6.9 percent; of which 75 percent are men and 25 percent are women.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder affects many people in our country, more than we realise. Co-dependents are usually the recipients of narcissistic abuse. They go together like horse and carriage, or the hand and glove phenomenon.”

A narcissist is defined as a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves.

Traits can include: lack of empathy; exaggerated sense of self-importance; selfishness in relationships; enviousness and suspicion of other people’s motivations; a need for excessive praise and attention, being arrogant and judgmental in attitude.

If someone hasn’t realised they display co-dependent behaviour, it would be even more difficult for them to ward off potential narcissists from coming into their lives. Some signs of co-dependency include: having difficulty making decisions in a relationship; having difficulty identifying your feelings; having difficulty communicating in

LEFT: Ivy with her pastor, Mario Moxey at her book launch at Bahamas Harvest Church; right: Ivy with her daughter Felicia Carey (head of Teen Life Skills) and granddaughter Zuri Carey.

Happy families - not if you’re in love with yourself a relationship; valuing the approval of others more than valuing yourself; lacking trust in yourself and having poor self esteem.

It is also referred to as “relationship addiction” and can include having a hard time saying “no”, having a need to be liked by everyone, confusing love and pity and always feeling the need to take care of people.

According to Ivy, intimate love between a narcissist and co-dependent

Employment Opportunity Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) is recruiting highly qualified and reflective employees with vision, creativity and passion in the following area:

• Principal Successful candidates will: • Manage the day-to-day operation of the school • Work closely with the Board to determine the school’s aims, policies and strategic vision • Promote the school vigorously and effectively ensuring it remains a first choice for students in the area • Create a dynamic learning community of professionals who discuss pedagogy, invests in professional development and encourages discerning collaboration and innovation To apply, please send a résumé and cover letter explaining why you are a match for LCIS to jobs@lcis.bs by Friday 1 March. To learn more about our school and the position above, please visit www.lcis.bs

is strong: “When they meet each other, they are swept up in a dream of love. Neither one would think that they would be ignored, marginalised, or abandoned.

Co-dependents are attracted to confident, assertive, arrogant, boastful, strong, domineering, sexy mates. It is usually a narcissist with whom they desire to be, little do they realize that it will be a dysfunctional love affair or chemistry.”

Through her own personal experience, Ivy took it on as a calling to help as many people get out of narcissistic relationships and into as many healthy ones as possible.

“I lost my house, I lost my children and I hit rock bottom,” Ivy revealed.

“Due to stress, I was hospitalised for weeks. I was brainwashed and manipulated. This happens because narcissists are attracted to co-dependents who trust and give of themselves in the name of love. Having experienced this trauma, I had to put on the armour of God and fight spiritually.

Faith, forgiveness, and finding myself firstly was task number one.”

After ‘finding herself’, Ivy thought it important to help others free themselves from the chains and the confines of this destructive type of relationship. She is a certified volunteer of the Crisis Centre and in January 2017, she earned her PhD in Covenant Leadership. In May of 2017, she completed a course in Vienna, Austria led by pioneer doctor Sam Vaknin in Cold Therapy Treatment for Narcissists. These strategies were borrowed from child psychology treatment modalities used to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The adult patient successfully tackles this second round of hurt and thus resolves early childhood conflicts and achieves closure.

Ivy says of her PhD: “I became interested in the area of personality disorders five years ago, due to the many encounters with deviant personalities in students, families and intimate relationships. This course of Christian Education, led me

to research extensively (by dissertation), the causes of personality disorders and to show the connectivity to domestic abuse.”

She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education from the University of Miami in Florida, and her Teacher’s Certification from Bahamas Teachers College back in 1974. It was at this school that the principal, “Ms Junita Butler, daughter of the first black Governor General of the Bahamas, and Mr Eris Moncur, who ruled the school with strict discipline, imparted such nuggets as education, punctuality, and honesty along with interpersonal skills of unity and togetherness”.

Prior to her tertiary education, Ivy graduated from Highbury High with schoolmates like Melvin Seymour, former Family Island Commissioner; Rodney Bain, retired mathematics professor of the University of The Bahamas; and Canon Crosely Watkins, the present rector of St Matthews parish. She is a descendant of Exuma (on her father’s side) and Long Island (on her mother’s side). She is the eldest of twelve brothers and sisters. She grew up in eastern New Providence, mainly on Claridge Road. Having come from a Catholic background, she attended Sacred Heart School on Shirley Street before moving into the Public School System.

Since November 2014, she has served as the Supervisor of the Elisabeth Estates Public Library.

Through her involvement with the Special Olympics, Ivy expanded her knowledge by attending local and international courses to help her in her quest to help persons with disabilities and mental illnesses.

Having done several marathons during her lifetime, she enjoys exercising, as well as cooking and reading.

She currently attends Bahamas Harvest Church where she serves in Family Life and is one of the church’s

Professional Partners in the mental health department, with a focus on narcissism.

“A Bahamian narcissist usually treats his co-dependent mate in ways that she may find that she is continuously stressed, that she is made to feel inadequate, crazy, dumb, lousy, and problematic,” she points out.

“In spite of her giving, pleasing, fixing, doing without; she cannot satisfy her narcissistic mate because he wants more and more of her time, her energy, her resources, and most of all, he does not care about her needs. A Bahamian narcissist is selfish, greedy, distant, promiscuous and most of all he tracks her movement and finds faults with her friends and family members. He eventually isolates her from her loved ones because his ultimate aim is to use brainwashing tactics like gas lighting so that she would depend on him heavily. Additionally, he will make his mate feel that she needs him more than ever because without him, she is ‘crazy and unfit’.

The Bahamian society, like others around the world, admires narcissistic personalities like some politicians, celebrities, professionals, principals of schools or the musician type, and so on.”

With her personal experience, educational background and awareness of the prevalence of narcissism in The Bahamas, Ivy released her first book this month at Bahamas Harvest church with the blessing of Pastor Mario Moxey. The book is divided into two parts. Part one is about “episodes of an unhealthy relationship between two hurting individuals”. They both are part and parcel of painful family dynamics; mainly experienced during childhood rearing.

The young girl, Tammy, a person deficient of self love, a codependent, has suffered under narcissistic parents who neglected her emotionally. Therefore, she longed

FRIENDS support Ivy at her book release.

to find real love, respect, and care during adolescence. As a result, she falls deeply in love with a want-to- be-politician who promises her the world on a silver platter. After getting into her life and sealing the marriage vows, he changes abruptly and uses brainwashing techniques like in order to change her reality. A timid young woman, she experiences a rocky relationship in spite of her going out on the limb to make things work. Eventually, she becomes very ill.

Part two is about healing after narcissistic abuse from a spiritual perspective. Following the steps of Jesus Christ, Ivy shows how “the greatest teacher of all time will awaken abused individuals - men and women to seek faith and forgiveness”.

“Coming to the realization that we are wonderfully made will motivate us to step into our purpose; that is our gifts, our talents, and our passion,” Ivy said.

“We must come to terms that how we get there is a mystery sometimes, but we do get there in spite of rough seas. Jeremiah 29:11 says ‘I have a plan for you, to prosper you and not to harm you’.”

“It is my hope that parents and caregivers will realise childhood is the most crucial stage of any human being. Also, that it is the point at which our personality is set, and that personality lasts for a lifetime. If it is a secure attachment, it will help individuals to participate adequately and normally in society and thus treat their significant others with love, care and respect during adolescence. On the other hand, parents must be aware that insecure attachment like slaps, kicks, parental absence, and inconsistencies are reasons why children will feel unloved and will look for ways to attain it elsewhere.

Examples: the gang culture, high rate of recidivism, pornography, behavioral problems in schools and the community at large. They do this because the pain and shame during childhood is unbearable and they cover it up through defense mechanisms.”

To reach out to Dr Ivy Campbell or purchase a copy of “My Escape from Narcissist Hill”, email her at: drivycsmpbell4@ gmail.com. One can also visit her at the Elisabeth Estates Library for a copy ($15), Mondays through Saturdays.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, PAGE 9

FALSE ALARM AS MOTHER WORRIES SON HAS BEEN TAKEN

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A MOTHER’S plea for help finding her son yesterday turned out to be a false alarm.

In a Facebook post around 1pm, Diia Smith said her 4-year-old son was missing. The post was shared more than 2,000 times, receiving scores of comments. The

heightened attention came after a three-year-old boy, Shavar Bain Jr, was kidnapped on February 16 while riding his bicycle outside his South Beach Estates home.

Around 5.30pm yesterday, Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dean said the child was not missing as reported.

“It was a miscommunication between relatives,” he said.

“The child was left home alone

unattended by a relative and was taken from the residence by another relative who discovered him home alone. Police and social services personnel are investigating this matter.”

Ms Smith later posted on Facebook: “Thank you for all your concerns, Kendel is safe and found, thank you for all the prayers.”

Earlier, a godmother of the

child, Jeaneka Russell, claimed to The Tribune that the mother was in the bathroom when someone came and took the child from inside the house.

Asked how the person got into the home, she couldn’t say, noting there was no forced entry. She spoke to The Tribune from inside the Central Detective Unit where the family went to file a report.

Meanwhile, police are still

CUSTOM Care Center donated an HP Laptop computer to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers Program to assist with the development and training of the Rangers Media Team.

From left: Petty Officer Rhoda Clare; Latoya Miller, Retail Store Manager; RBDF Rangers Kishon McSweeny, Tara Bain and Palazia Saltelli; Tammie Johnson, Sales Manager and Chief Petty Officer Pedro Bain.

HENFIELD REPRESENTS BAHAMAS AT SPECIAL CARICOM MEETING

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Caribbean foreign ministers met ahead of today’s official start of the 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government in a special meeting of the Community Council of Ministers.

Foreign Affairs Minister.

Darren Henfield represented The Bahamas at the Tenth Special Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers.

The agenda centred on updates related to reform in the Caribbean Community, CARICOM’s participation in Beijing Expo 2019 and negotiations for a PostCotonou Agreement, which seeks to renew a framework for the future partnership between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

“Today’s meeting was productive and provides an opportunity for CARICOM member countries to update the Community on

YOUR

important matters discussed at previous meetings,” said Minister Henfield.

The Embassy of The Bahamas in China is the lead agency for coordinating participation in the Beijing Expo.

The Expo is scheduled for later this year under the theme “Experience the Caribbean – Many Countries – One Tropical Paradise.”

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis joined other Caribbean Heads of Government today for the Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Over the next two days Caribbean leaders will discuss matters related to transportation, including air and ferry services; funding for security institutions and challenges faced by international financial centres in the Caribbean.

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

searching for suspects in Shavar’s abduction. A witness to the kidnapping said the toddler was taken off his bicycle by two women who put him in their silver coloured car and sped away.

Roughly 13 hours later, the child was dropped off outside a Sunrise Washhouse on Fox Hill and Joe Farrington Roads.

The child had no visible injuries but was frightened, police said.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Pair accused of murder claim they were beaten in custody by police

STEFFEN ROLLE, 23, left, and Owen Williams, 18, yesterday.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net TWO men accused of murder alleged yesterday they were beaten and suffocated by police while in custody to admit to a crime they say they did not commit.

Owen Williams and Steffen Rolle made the claims before Acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain as they faced a single murder charge concerning

the February 12 death of Richard Fowler in Fox Hill.

Rolle claimed he was suffocated by having a fish bag placed over his head, and when he managed to bite a hole in that one to breathe, the officers doubled the bag. He also said he was beaten about his head with a heavy book, which he surmised was a phone book, and was forced to admit to things he didn’t do.

He also accused the police of wrapping his wrists with newspapers

and placing handcuffs on him in a very tight manner.

Rolle further claimed that as a result of the alleged beating, he has suffered headaches and shortness of breath.

Williams, meanwhile, said he was also fish-bagged, and also claimed an officer placed his hand over his mouth so he couldn’t breathe. Williams further claimed that one of the officers continuously dropped a 2x4 piece of wood on his chest. He

also claimed newspapers were placed around his wrist before being handcuffed, and that he was forced to admit to things he didn’t do.

Williams also claimed he went to the hospital on two occasions while he was in police custody. On the first visit, he said the officers didn’t allow the doctor to see him, and instead met with the physician in a room in his absence. Afterwards, he claimed the doctor merely signed something.

He said on the second visit, he was examined by doctors, but the police officers did not wait on his medication.

Act Dep Chief Magistrate Swain took notes of their complaints and subsequently remanded them into custody. They have a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

According to reports, shortly after 8pm on February 12, police responded to an area near the community park in Fox Hill after receiving reports of gunfire in the area. The officers subsequently made a check of a vacant lot on Bernard Road, just west of the park and discovered a male with injuries to his body.

Paramedics were called to the scene and attempted to revive the man but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The murder arraignments

were almost derailed yesterday after revelations that there were no witnesses of fact listed on the charge sheet.

Rolle’s attorney Bjorn Ferguson noted that no eyewitnesses were listed on the docket; only “formal” witnesses inclusive of police officers and pathologists.

That issue, Mr Ferguson submitted, meant the witnesses listed could not properly make out the offence of murder because they are “authorities” as opposed to accusers, an inherent problem since his client has a right to know who his accuser or accusers are.

And those submissions came moments before both accused men told the senior magistrate that they were abused while in custody.

According to Mr Ferguson, yesterday’s charge sheet bore some six to seven police witnesses and about two doctors. The evidence of those witnesses, Mr Ferguson submitted, are “corroborative” in nature and do nothing to substantiate the murder charge against his client and his co-accused.

Thus, he submitted the Crown had not made out the murder charge against his client, something he said needed to be done if the court was to proceed with the arraignments.

Mr Ferguson further

submitted that if that is the case, his client should be released immediately, as he would have been in police custody since Monday or Tuesday of last week.

Mr Ferguson further considered the possibility that the names of the witnesses may have been suppressed via anonymity order, but said he has not been served with any anonymity orders to date.

The senior magistrate agreed with Mr Ferguson’s submissions concerning the lack of witnesses on the charge sheet, asserting that the situation was “just not right” on the face of it, and could potentially form the basis of a human rights abuse claim. She also agreed that both Rolle and Williams have a right to know who their accusers are.

The senior magistrate ultimately decided to arraign the pair, but stipulated that by the time their voluntary bills of indictment (VBI) are served on them, the names of the witnesses as well as their statements would be included in the bundle.

She also gave them a “quick date” of April 12 for them to return to court to be served with their respective VBIs, which is essentially a bundle containing the Crown’s case against them.

COCAINE ARREST IN COCO CAY A MAN was arrested at Coco Cay, Berry Islands after he was found with nine packages of cocaine, police said.

Shortly before 2pm on Sunday, officers from the Berry Islands searched a foreign man and allegedly found him in possession of the drugs. He is expected to be arraigned in court sometime this week.

Police also reported that a man and a woman were arrested at Lynden Pindling

International Airport on Sunday for illegal firearm possession.

Shortly after 5pm, officers from the Western Division, acting on intelligence, conducted a search of a carry-on bag at LPIA’s domestic terminal and uncovered a .32mm pistol. A man and a woman were taken into custody in connection with this matter and are expected to appear in court this week to be formally charged.

TWO ROBBERIES INVESTIGATED POLICE are searching for the suspects behind two separate armed robberies in New Providence.

Shortly before 10pm on Sunday, a man was walking on Fire Trail Road when he was approached by two men armed with a handgun who robbed him of cash and other personal items. The men left the area on foot.

The second robbery happened shortly before 2am yesterday. Police said a man had just arrived at his home located on West Bay Street and was robbed by two males armed with a handgun.

The thieves stole the victim’s cash and an iPhone 8 before leaving the area on foot in an unknown direction.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, PAGE 11

TRIUMPH AND DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SPIKE LEE AT OSCARS

LOS ANGELES, Associated Press

SPIKE LEE’S first-ever competitive Oscar award turned a mostly staid ceremony into one with joy and passion, but that later gave way to frustration.

Lee, who captured the best adapted screenplay trophy for “BlacKkKlansman,” jumped into the arms of presenter, longtime collaborator and close friend Samuel L. Jackson when he took the stage to accept his award with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott. But

Lee’s mood appeared to turn sharply when the trophy for best movie went to competitor “Green Book.” Seated in the audience, a visibly angry Lee waved his hands in disgust and appeared to try to walk out of the Dolby Theatre. He made his way back to his seat and later backstage to answer questions.

“This is my sixth glass, and you know why,” he said, smiling and holding a champagne flute aloft when he met with reporters. He briefly touched on his reaction to the “Green Book” win.

“I’m snake-bit. Every time someone’s driving somebody, I lose,” Lee said. He was drawing a parallel between “Green Book,” about the real-life Southern journey of a white man driving African-American pianist Don Shirley, and the 1989 best-picture Oscar winner “Driving Miss Daisy,” about a wealthy white woman and her black chauffeur.

“Green Book” has been lauded by its makers and cast as tribute to racial tolerance, but critics have condemned it as sentimental and outdated.

Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” was a best original screenplay nominee and not in direct competition with “Driving Miss Daisy,” he noted, wearing rings bearing the words “LOVE” and “HATE” on his left and right knuckles, recalling a key prop from “Do the Right Thing.”

The veteran filmmaker had waited a long time to be recognized by his peers in the movie industry beyond the honorary Oscar he received in 2016 for his contributions to movies, earning his first Oscar nod for his 1989 film.

THE OSCAR HITS ...

Lady Gaga in Alexander McQueen

Regina King in Oscar de la Renta

Helen Mirren in Schiaparelli Haute Couture

KARIN says: “While there was no true show-stopper at this year’s awards, this was certainly the most regal, the most elegant. I even love the the nod to 17th century side hoops.

While I was hoping for something colourful, I have to say this dress really spells it out: a star is born.”

KARIN says: “Like Gaga, Regina kept it simple and elegant; that simplicity can be deceptive though. Just look how masterful the dress is pleated and folded at the hip to give us that high, sexy slit. It fits her to perfection and just makes her look bright and radiant.”

KARIN says: “This is so much fun, so feminine and flirty. I absolutely love it! Pink was most definitely the colour of the night, and this is probably one of the best examples of the trend. I’m glad when our more mature actresses go all colourful. And the gorgeous Harry Winston diamonds didn’t hurt.”

CARA says: “After wearing white for most of the awards season, Gaga just cemented her movie star status with an amazing dress and $30 million worth of Tiffany and Co diamonds originally worn by Audrey Hepburn (that was so amazing to me.) She looked perfect; everything was just flawless.”

CARA says: “Regina has come such a long way from her days on the ‘227’ steps. It’s not an original style or colour choice, but her happiness and excitement about the dress just made her look lovely. It’s simple and fabulous, and after all, she had the best accessory of the night – an Oscar.”

CARA says: “If there were an award for most consistent fashion hits on the red carpet, it would go to Helen Mirren.

She always looks so elegant and fabulous. I just love her. This colour, the simple style and necklace just look so, so awesome on her.”

Olivia Colman in Prada

Danai Gurira, Brock Collection

Rachel Weisz in Givenchy Couture

KARIN says: “I love Olivia, loved her in the film and loved her sweet acceptance speech, but this is a complete and utter disaster. It has apparently been a years-long dream of hers to wear Prada, but this is just so dour, so depressing. That wrap/sleeves/train thing makes it look completely funereal.”

KARIN says: “Danai normally looks stunning on red carpets, and this was the night for her to look extra fierce. But something went terribly wrong here. I just do not like the high waist on her. The black bands as well the gold material look cheap.

And I’m kinda missing her short hair.”

KARIN says: “OK, it takes some nerve to wear latex to the Oscar’s, so kudos (we always like when people shake things up), but sadly it’s just a complete fail. And it’s not even the latex capelet’s fault. The whole thing just looks like a kinky cardinal’s outfit.”

CARA says: “I hate to say this as a fan of ‘The Crown’, but this is the most hideous red carpet gown ever. The designers at Prada need to beg for her forgiveness for the grave injustice they did to the Best Actress of 2018. She looks like a half-stripped Christmas tree.”

CARA says: “The fabric of this dress is a lot. It looks like a bedspread, the one in the spare room you aren’t allowed to even breathe near. Danai basically took that bedspread and wrapped it around herself with black electric tape to hold it up. This is the worst she has worn this season.”

CARA says: “I am not a fan of mixing textures just for the fun.

You end up with an outfit that could have been fine but now just makes no sense. The capelet is just so shapeless and unflattering. She basically wore a red rain coat to the Oscars.”

... AND MISSES

PAGE 12, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

SINGER R. KELLY ENTERS NOT-GUILTY PLEA IN SEX ABUSE CASE CHICAGO Associated Press

R. KELLY pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that he sexually abused four people dating back to 1998, including three underage girls, and the R&B star posted $100,000 bail that will allow him to go free while awaiting trial.

Kelly walked into a Chicago courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit after spending the weekend in the city’s 7,000-inmate jail.

He said little during the brief arraignment, telling the judge only his name. His lawyers spoke on his behalf.

The singer-songwriter was arrested on Friday on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. A judge on Saturday set bond at $1 million, meaning Kelly, pictured right, had to post 10 percent of that amount to be released. A spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said the money was posted late Monday afternoon, and Kelly was expected to be freed by early

evening. He will be forbidden from having any contact with females younger than 18.

The recording artist has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves. Kelly has consistently denied any sexual misconduct, and he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.

Attorney Michael Avenatti, who said he represents two Kelly

accusers, said his legal team gave prosecutors a second video yesterday that shows Kelly sexually abusing a minor. Avenatti previously gave prosecutors video evidence that he said showed Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

Avenatti said the second video involves a 14-year-old girl. He said the footage from 1999 or 2000 is about 55 minutes long, but he did not say if it was the same 14-year-old girl seen in the

first video he turned over to the authorities. “The conduct in the tape can be described as nothing short of outrageous, illegal. It leaves no question as to Mr. Kelly’s guilt,” Avenatti said.

Avenatti said he is aware of a third tape, but he did not provide details.

Defence attorney Steve Greenberg reiterated at a news conference that Kelly has done nothing wrong and said no one has shown him any evidence to the contrary.

Trump still optimistic as he heads to Kim summit

WASHINGTON Associated Press

PRESIDENT Donald Trump headed to his second meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un yesterday, determined to dampen expectations that he’ll achieve big strides toward denuclearizsation.

Yet he was still eager to claim an attention-grabbing victory to offset the political turmoil he faces at home.

Trump laid out ultimate goals for both the US and Kim in an appearance before the nation’s governors before boarding Air Force One to fly to Vietnam: “We want denuclearisation, and I think he’ll have a country that will set a lot of records for speed in terms of an economy.”

Worries abound across world capitals about what Trump might be willing to give up in the name of a win, but there seems less mystery about his North Korean counterpart. Survival of the Kim regime is always the primary concern.

Trump was the driving force behind this week’s summit, aiming to re-create the global spectacle of his first meeting with Kim last year.

But that initial summit in Singapore yielded few concrete results, and the months that followed have produced little optimism about what will be achieved in the sequel.

Trump is publicly unconcerned.

He once warned that North Korea’s arsenal posed such a threat to

DONALD Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018. humanity that he might have no choice but to rain “fire and fury” on the nation. However, in the leadup to the new summit, he’s proclaimed himself in no hurry for Pyongyang to prove it is abandoning its weapons.

“I’m not in a rush. I don’t want to rush anybody, I just don’t want testing. As long as there’s no testing, we’re happy,” Trump told the governors on Sunday.

In fact, he is ready to write himself into the history books before he and Kim even shake hands in

Hanoi. “If I were not elected president, you would have been in a war with North Korea,” Trump said last week. “We now have a situation where the relationships are good — where there has been no nuclear testing, no missiles, no rockets.”

While Trump was airborne, Kim’s armored train was on the move in China, bound toward Vietnam’s capital. Vietnamese officials promised security at “the maximum level.” Reporters from 40 nations were expected to transmit the story to the world.

Kim inherited a nascent nuclear program from his father, and after years of accelerated effort and fighting through crippling sanctions, he built an arsenal that demonstrated the potential to rocket a thermonuclear weapon to the mainland United States. That is the fundamental reason Washington now sits at the negotiating table.

Kim, his world standing elevated after receiving an audience with a US president, has yet to show a convincing sign that he is willing to deal away an arsenal that might provide a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could provide. The North Koreans have largely eschewed staff-level talks, pushing for discussions between Trump and Kim. Though details of the summit remain closely held, the two leaders are expected to meet at some point one-on-one, joined only by translators.

The easing of tension between the two nations, Trump and his allies contend, stems from the US president’s own unorthodox and unpredictable style of diplomacy.

Often prizing personal rapport over long-held strategic interests, Trump has pointed to his budding relationship with the young and reclusive leader, frequently showing visitors to the Oval Office his flattering letters from Kim.

AMERICA TO IMPOSE NEW SANCTIONS ON MADURO BOGOTA, Colombia Associated Press THE Trump administration announced new sanctions yesterday on allies of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro as it struggles to find new ways to boost his opponent after an effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the economically devastated nation faltered amid strong resistance from security forces loyal to the socialist leader.

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in the Colombian capital for an emergency summit of regional leaders to discuss the deepening crisis and immediately met with Juan Guaido, the opposition leader the US and 50 other nations recognise as Venezuela’s rightful president.

In a speech, Pence urged regional partners to freeze oil assets controlled by Maduro, transfer the proceeds to Guaido and restrict visas for Maduro’s inner circle. He said the US was imposing more sanctions on four pro-government governors, including a close Maduro ally who negotiated the release of an American jailed for more than two years.