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VOLUME:117 No.71, MARCH 4TH, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

ALICIA WALLACE: IT’S TIME TO PUT OURSELVES FIRST

Ex-minister and son deny $1.2m fraud

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Cabinet minister and her son were charged in the Magistrate’s court yesterday with defrauding the Ministry of Tourism of $1.2m.

Former Free National Movement Senator and Minister of State for Immigration Elma Campbell, 64, and her son Che Chase, 37, were charged before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, with fraud by false pretenses and 18 counts of money laundering.

Chase was also charged with being in possession of a forged document and uttering the same.

Both individuals pleaded not guilty to all of the charges brought against them. Their case was

adjourned to March 30 at 10am.

Campbell, who is also a former Bahamian ambassador to China, and Chase were arraigned with Damalus Curry, 38, and Leah Davis, 39, who were charged with one and two counts of money laundering respectively. They also pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

Curry, a businessman, was charged with acquiring $465,000 knowing that it represented the proceeds of crime. His case was adjourned to today at 10.30am. Davis, a marketing executive, was also accused of acquiring $24,000 and $20,550 in September last year during her arraignment.

SEE PAGE TWO

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party incumbents have been guaranteed nominations in the 2022 general election, a move that blocks a daughter of Sir Lynden Pindling from challenging South Andros MP Picewell Forbes for the party’s nomination in his constituency.

For months, Monique Pindling has been testing the waters in South Andros and weighing a run.

However, PLP chairman Fred Mitchell, during a press conference yesterday, said the party has formally decided to renominate

Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP Philip “Brave” Davis, Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin and Mr Forbes. He said this is because “they are the ones who withstood the tsunami in 2017”.

Multiple people in South Andros have told The Tribune Ms Pindling has expressed serious interest in vying for the seat.

One community leader said former Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling called him to assess interest in her daughter’s possible run.

SEE PAGE SIX

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ROYAL Caribbean will invest around $50m to develop its Royal Beach Club project on Paradise Island, its chief executive has revealed, having set a late 2022 target date for its opening.

Michael Bayley, who is also the cruise line’s president, told Tribune Business while in Grand Bahama on Monday that all employees who work there will be Bahamian although he gave no figure for the number of likely hires.

“We are still working through all of the details of the Royal Beach Club, and the investment will be at a minimum at $50m, and that’s not including the cost of acquiring the land. So, it is a fairly significant project,” he said.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

...AS PLP LEADER SAYS DEAL ON GRAND LUCAYAN DOESN’T ADD UP

PINDLING DAUGHTER LOSES OUT IN ANDROS CHALLENGE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CRUISE LINE CONFIRMS PI PROJECT TO COST $50M

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER FNM Cabinet Minister Elma Campbell outside court yesterday.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

OFFICERS SHOOT DEAD ANOTHER SUSPECT

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net OFFICERS shot and killed a man in Sea Breeze Estates who allegedly pointed a gun at them yesterday afternoon, the third fatal police-involved shooting in a little over a week.

Police did not release his identity, however Superintendent Shanta Knowles said the man was

STEVE VOLTAIRE, who was shot and killed by police yesterday. known to police and was being electronically monitored. Family members

on the scene identified the deceased as Steve Voltaire.

Voltaire was arraigned on a murder charge in February 2018.

At the scene, Supt Knowles told reporters that the incident took place shortly after 1pm when Mobile Division officers were patrolling the Sea Breeze community and noticed a male on a moped.

SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said the Grand Lucayan’s sale to foreign interests signifies a loss of tens of millions in taxpayer dollars, vindicating the party over its long held position that government should not have purchased the property.

Mr Davis’ point of contention is that government purchased the resort from former owner Hutchinson Whampoa at a cost of $65m in 2018, but sold it to Royal Caribbean International and ITM Group for $50m. This, he said, was in addition to millions more already spent in operational costs.

“On the face of it, it would seem that we have gotten swing again,” Mr Davis said yesterday at his SEE PAGE SIX

TECHNOLOGY

EXHIBIT PUTS VISITORS EYE TO EYE WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CHE Curry outside court yesterday.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

Ex-minister and son deny $1.2m fraud from page one However, hours later she returned to court and the prosecution withdrew the charges against her.

It is alleged that Campbell and Chase, with intent to defraud, obtained $1.2 million from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) with a forged cheque in the name of the Ministry of Tourism, making the amount payable to

Campbell-Chase Law. It is also alleged that the two transferred $512,000 from their law account to a private RBC Finco account in both of their names and then transferred another $24,000 from the same joint account to an RBC account belonging to Leah Davis, among other transactions.

These include transferring $17,500 to an RBC account in the name of Michelle Thompson; converting $27,000 to a RBC bank draft in the name of

Adrianna Fox; and converting $15,000 to a RBC bank draft in the name of the Public Treasury.

The pair were also accused of withdrawing $200,000 from their joint account; using another $34,650 from their joint account to purchase a grey 2020 BMW vehicle; and transferring $20,550 from their joint account to Davis.

It is alleged that the mother and son also transferred $604,500 from Campbell-Chase Law to

LEAH DAVIS, whose charges were withdrawn after her initial appearance in court.

their joint account and transferred $465,550 from that same account to Bahamas Outdoor Media.

Both Campbell and Chase applied for bail in the Supreme Court yesterday.

Campbell, an attorney, served as ambassador to China from 2008-2012 during the last Ingraham administration. She also briefly served as minister of state for immigration after the Free National Movement won the 2007 general election.

FORMER FNM Cabinet Minister Elma Campbell outside court yesterday.

DAMALUS CURRY

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 4, 2020, PAGE 3

A BODY is taken from the scene after a police-involved shooting at Sea Breeze Drive.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Officers shoot dead another suspect from page one “When the male recognised the officers, he attempted to conceal something into his waistband,” Supt Knowles said. “The officers continued to watch him, at that time they realised that the man was in possession of a firearm. He pointed the weapon at the officers who in turn drew their service weapon and fired into the direction of the man fatally wounding him.”

Supt Knowles said a weapon was recovered from the scene.

Three suspects have been shot dead by police in a little over a week. On Monday, February 24, police said they received intelligence that a robbery was going to occur at Royal Bank of Canada on Mackey

Street. Police went to the scene and saw a car which fit the description of their intelligence. Police said one of the men fired at police, prompting officers to return fire, which resulted in officers fatally shooting one suspect and wounding another.

On Saturday, police officers shot and killed a man around 11pm while on routine patrol on Washington Street. Police said in that incident, a man emerged from a car police had stopped and pointed a weapon in officers’ direction, prompting police to open fire. Police said a 9mm pistol was recovered from that scene.

Yesterday, Voltaire’s loves ones questioned the use of fatal force, but Supt Knowles defended the actions of the officers.

She said: “We know

that our officers are well trained. They act in a professional matter. We know that they are committed to protect the good people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and they will not back down from that.

“So we want to tell those in the community that we will continue to protect the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Of course there will be people who oppose what we do but we will not let that cause us to lose focus. We will continue to serve the people of The Bahamas to the best of our abilities.

“We appreciate that the officers were brave enough to respond and has responded to what could’ve been worse than what we have here today.”

The coroner will continue investigations into this incident.

A MOPED at the scene of the shooting yesterday.

TEARS from onlookers at the scene of the shooting.

MAN STABBED IN PINDER’S POINT ROW

BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A GRAND Bahama man is in hospital in serious condition after being stabbed multiple times following an altercation in

the Pinder’s Point area on Monday.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder reported that police were called to an incident in shortly before 1pm at Pinder’s Point where a male was discovered with stabs

wounds about the body.

She said investigations revealed that the victim and another male were involved in an altercation.

EMS personnel rendered medical assistance to the victim and transported him to Rand Memorial

Hospital, where he was treated by doctors.

ASP Pinder said the man’s condition is listed as serious, but guarded.

She said police have taken a man in custody who is assisting them with their investigations in the matter.

CONVENIENCE STORE CASHIER ROBBED POLICE on New Providence are looking for the suspects who robbed a convenience store cashier in one of two armed robberies reported on Monday.

Shortly before 2pm, an armed male entered a

convenience store on West and Meadow Streets and robbed a female cashier of cash before escaping on foot, police said.

In the second incident, shortly before midnight, a group of people were sitting outside a residence

on Sea Beach Drive, West Bay Street, when they were approached by four men, three of whom were armed with handguns.

The men robbed a woman in the group of a wallet containing cash and other personal effects, before

escaping on foot.

Anyone with information on these incidents or any other crime is asked to contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

PAGE 4, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Are parties ready to pass baton?

THE move by the PLP to block Monique Pindling from running in her father’s seat in the next election gives a glimpse inside the party mechanism.

At first glance, it seems a straightforward decision – Ms Pindling may want to take up her father’s mantle, but Picewell Forbes retained that seat for the PLP when all around his fellow party members were losing theirs.

Indeed, it seems odd that when there are so many seats to contest for the PLP that Ms Pindling should choose one of the few seats already occupied by a fellow party member.

For what reason? Vanity, perhaps?

No one owns the votes of any section of the community, and even more so no one owns people’s votes out of a sense of legacy.

No, Ms Pindling must forge her own reputation in the eyes of voters, not just rely on her father’s history, so she should find a seat to run in and make her own legacy.

Even Fred Mitchell, who seldom admits a flaw in the PLP’s armour, admits that there was a “tsunami” that swept away the PLP in 2017. Alas, no meditation from Mr Mitchell on what it was about the previous PLP administration that caused voters to turn so forcefully away from the party – or what the current incarnation is doing to show it is different from the administration led by Perry Christie.

And yet in all of this, the presence of Ms Pindling does prompt questions about when our political landscape will change.

Hers is a younger face in a political landscape dominated at present by two older men – PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis is 68 and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is 65. Behind those two are the long shadows cast by former leaders Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham.

So what is each party doing to find a place for the next generation of leaders, the future prime ministers of The Bahamas?

After all, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames has spoken often lately of the need for succession planning – where is the succession planning to cultivate our leaders of tomorrow?

In doing so, parties cannot keep leaning on the old, familiar faces – you know them well, the ones who never seem to give up running for office no matter how roundly they have been rejected by the electorate.

Those same parties cannot easily claim to be offering a bold, new vision if its candidates are part of a stale, old slate judged to have failed before.

So we look forward to an age with younger candidates with new ideas – it’s time for them to earn their own place, and make their own legacy in a new era of Bahamian politics.

Shame on govt EDITOR, The Tribune.

MY NAME is Bianca Smith and I am an eighteen-year-old Bahamian student, studying in an international school abroad and I am the daughter of Mr Toby Smith, the future lighthouse keeper for Paradise Island Lighthouse and Beach Club.

I am completely and utterly ashamed of the way that my dad has been treated over the past eight years at the hands of various government offices.

You are someone that should be a leading example and a role model for Bahamian children. However, how am I supposed to want to come back and live in the Bahamas if I am constantly seeing examples of ambitious Bahamians being stopped and instead foreign entities are benefitting from what is rightfully ours? Many of my friends also do not want to come back home and create their lives because it is frustrating that the government seems to have ulterior motives other than helping and promoting Bahamians to follow their dreams. Foreign milliondollar companies should

not be prioritised over Bahamians.

I think that it is unfair that my dad has been trying for so long to restore the Paradise Island Lighthouse and create a beach club which will only benefit people, including Bahamians. My dad has been an active member of society, including restoring Steve Burrows’ conch shell and pigeon, creating Ringo the Flamingo, participating in countless beach and city clean ups and being an active member in hurricane relief efforts. My dad is a very kind and compassionate man who for as long as I can remember has told me that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to.

He has been resilient and enforced his message to me and the government that he does not give up. I think that he is setting a very positive example for me and various other people who have been a part of this dream.

I am a person who stands up for what she believes in, for example, on February 28th, 2020 I went to a climate change protest in Bristol where Greta Thunberg was. I marched to raise awareness about climate

change. I was also elected as a leader for the upcoming International Women’s day because I am very vocal about my beliefs on equal rights and fair treatment of all individuals. My belief in expressing myself has led me to write this letter to you as I am in awe at how discouraging the government has been towards my dad’s project. I think that this is a great opportunity for Bahamians, tourists and nature to co-exist.

I am also very familiar with my dad’s plans for the Lighthouse and Beach club, as I have seen him try every day to achieve his dreams.

He has also made sure to teach me about business and the economic side of things. I am fully prepared to carry on his legacy and help him in this project. I think that my dad’s project will be nothing but beneficial for everyone concerned. I hope that the government will do the right thing and support my father who has been resiliently trying to create something positive for the past eight years.

BIANCA SMITH Nassau, March 2, 2020.

Let me get this right EDITOR, The Tribune.

A BAHAMIAN investor receives a lease agreement from government for Crown land on Paradise Island.

He will create a beach club for locals and visitors under a public private partnership with Antiquities and Monuments. He will restore the historic lighthouse, which the government has allowed to fall into shameful disrepair.

He signs and seals the lease as requested. The government does not sign.

The government then reneges on its offer by trying to take away the portions of land that are crucial to the project’s success.

The government wants Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to have this portion of the land. RCCL already owns significant prime property in the area.

And the BAHAMIAN, who has worked towards the lighthouse restoration/

beach club project for eight years and has already invested in it based on government’s WORD, is now being called “extremely selfish?”

You can’t make this kind of thing up.

Shades of Lighthouse Point.

Only worse. This is Crown land, aka the PEOPLE’S land.

ATHENA DAMIANOS Nassau, March 3, 2020.

Beware of fake progress EDITOR, The Tribune.

LESS than a generation ago, a (male) candidate for the US presidency who proudly referenced his husband at every opportunity would have been seen as a radical departure from the mainstream, to say the very least.

On the other hand, a generation ago, the idea of universal healthcare in the sense that today prevails across the developed world was, in US politics, so mainstream and non-radical a notion that its adherents included Richard Nixon.

How things have changed. Or have they?

Today, Pete Buttigieg, who needlessly publicises his private life by kissing his husband on stage, yet who opposes universal healthcare, is constantly and mind-numbingly referred to as “moderate” by the corporate-owned media, while Bernie Sanders (of whom I know and care not the identity, much less the gender of his spouse) is deemed “radical” for suggesting a health system that covers all taxpayers without additional expense.

Few words are value neutral, as the manufacturers of US public opinion are

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net fully aware. When Americans are told constantly that someone or something is “moderate”, it increases its palatability. The opposite is true for something branded as “radical”, even where it clearly is in the interests of the majority.

In deft fashion, using the media, the corporate masters of the US political system have completed their takeover of both parties and claimed the “centre ground” of politics in part by shifting radically on red flag yet relatively superficial social and cultural issues while normalising the flawed fundamentals of an economic system that has benefited the few at the expense of the many.

The key has been to separate superficially “progressive” issues from fundamental ones and use highly visible progress on the former to distract from actual regression on the latter. The result has been a political slideshow marked by high profile “accomplishments” (a black president, a gay

candidate, almost a woman president – never mind that she was a corrupt corporate warmonger who giggled over the sodomising and murder of a foreign head of state under NATO auspices). But behind the mask of progress is a society marked by increasingly unsustainable wealth gaps, virtually non-existent social mobility and a lack of basic protections, such as universal healthcare.

Sadly, here in The Bahamas, a similar game is at play. A government that has doubled down on a tax system that transfers wealth from the poor to the rich, drastically increased the cost of living for the middle and lower classes and at the same time resisted a rise in the minimum wage (on the basis of thoroughly debunked nonsense) now chooses to prioritise the legalisation of marijuana as a focal issue. Wow! Maybe the FNM is hoping we will all be so high on the next election day that we won’t recall the disastrously misguided policies they have imposed on this country.

ANDREW ALLEN Nassau, March 2, 2020.

LPIA arrivals EDITOR, The Tribune.

THIS is a letter to the Minister of Tourism about arriving passengers going through immigration at the airport. Arriving off British Airways on Friday afternoon my wife and I were met in the pre-immigration area by a vast crowd waiting to go through immigration which filled the whole area to overflowing. There was hardly enough room to stand. As we went through the Permanent Residents line with a handful of other passengers we were okay, but a Ministry of Tourism official was warbling away to the crowd - “Welcome to the Bahamas” and “We

welcome you to Paradise, it’s Better in the Bahamas” and so on. If I was a tourist at the back of the Immigration queue, I would not be happy to hear all that probably 10 times, especially if I had elderly parents or children with me. The queue did not appear to be moving very fast.

It is understood that the Bahamas has to watch who it allows into the country but there has to be a better way than what we witnessed on Friday and if as the papers suggest today we are gong to have an additional 3.5m tourists coming – they will be queuing on the tarmac.

Of course, the other

downside of the big queue was that the baggage carousels were overflowing with luggage waiting for passengers to clear immigration.

Until they took all the bags off the carousel the BA bags we were looking for were stuck somewhere outside so we had to wait.

Maybe a solution is in the works but if not there are going to be a lot of unhappy tourists. Of course we do understand it is the same going to the US without pre-clearance, but let’s be Better in the Bahamas.

PATRICK THOMSON Nassau, March 3, 2020.

H

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 4, 2020, PAGE 5

Minister says Valley will march - but group says not under JCNP

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net ALTHOUGH Minister of Culture Lanisha Rolle said the Valley Boys will be participating in Junkanoo parades, the group still maintains it will not be a part of those managed by the Junkanoo Corporation New Providence (JCNP).

After the group’s shock resignation from the JCNP in January, Mrs Rolle said her ministry would work to bring all groups together for a discussion to resolve ongoing issues. She told reporters outside of Cabinet yesterday that she had the opportunity to meet with the Valley Boys.

“They came and visited the ministry which is very, very good and just to express they will continue to be a part of Junkanoo parades and so everyone can be relieved,” she said.

“They have the culture, the Junkanoo at heart and that’s never going to cease. However, they would’ve shared concerns as to how we can sort of bring it all together. Bring more transparency to the process….”

However Brian Adderley, Valley Boys chairman, told The Tribune via email the group’s reasons for resigning and plans for the

year were discussed at the meeting but the members did not say they would be a part of the JCNP’s parades.

“We gave recommendations on how future annual parades can be improved,” Mr Adderley said. “And we reiterated our call for new parade management for the annual parades.

“Our position has not changed, we have not quit Junkanoo, we just will not be participating in future parades (managed) by the JCNP.” In response to the Valley Boys, the downtown community and other Junkanoo stakeholders, the ministry will host a Junkanoo conference with all groups, including those not involved with the JCNP, on March 23 to bring resolutions forward.

Mrs Rolle said: “At the end of the day, we want a smooth parade and want to see the growth and development of our Junkanoo product.”

Mr Adderley confirmed the Valley Boys will be attending the conference.

Mrs Rolle also made it clear she would never to try involve herself or the government in the JCNP’s operations as the corporation is an independent body.

However, she said ministry officials will do what they can to work with the JCNP.

THE VALLEY Boys in action during the New Year parade.

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF RAPES DURING HOME INVASIONS

ANTHONY McKenzie outside court yesterday.

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN was charged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with armed robbery and allegedly raping two women earlier this year.

Anthony McKenzie, 26, was appeared before Senior Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, charged with three counts of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and two counts of receiving stolen property.

McKenzie was also charged with raping two women on January 14 and February 4.

In the first incident, a woman was sexually assaulted during an early morning home invasion on Marshall Road.

In the second incident, another woman was sexually assaulted during a home invasion in Coral Harbour.

In relation to the armed robbery charges, it is alleged that McKenzie robbed a man of $200 at a Rubis Gas station on November 17, 2019.

It is also alleged that on the same day McKenzie robbed a woman of a

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

$20,000 car, an iPhone, two piggy banks, two watches, jewellery and a wedding band valued at $4,000.

He was also accused of stealing a 2008 Mini Cooper, valued at $7,500, a 2008 Mercedes valued at $13,500, a Pandora chain and $300 cash from another woman on December 23, 2019. McKenzie was not required to enter a plea to the charges.The case was adjourned to April 20 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment.

• In a separate case, Mr McKenzie pleaded not guilty to robbing a John Bull jewellery store on Paradise Island after being arraigned in Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Mr McKenzie appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, charged with stealing from a shop and knowingly receiving stolen property.

According to initial reports from police, shortly before 11pm on Saturday, February 15, two men entered a jewellery store on Paradise Island.

The two suspects smashed two showcases in the store and stole an assortment of Rolex

watches before escaping, police said.

McKenzie was arraigned with Carlicia Culmer, 18, Paron McKinney, 22, and Derek Allen, 19, who were also charged with receiving stolen property.

It is alleged that McKenzie and another individual stole 14 Rolex watches valued at $541,850.

He with Culmer, McKinney and Allen were also charged with receiving an 18ct rose gold diamond bracelet valued at $117,600.

While McKenzie pleaded guilty to the charge, all of the other accused pleaded not guilty.

The matter was adjourned to March 4 and all of the accused were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Antoin Harvey, who was previously charged in connection with the robbery, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to one count each of stealing from a shop and causing damage stemming from the February 15 incident. He denied a single count of conspiring to steal from a shop, however, and will stand trial on that charge.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

PINDLING DAUGHTER LOSES OUT IN ANDROS CHALLENGE from page one

Ms Pindling, whose father represented the constituency for many years, declined to comment yesterday. On Monday a flyer bearing her image was circulated and caused rumbles in the party. It announced a meet and greet event on Andros featuring her with the caption: “Let’s talk about the future of South Andros.”

Yesterday, Mr Forbes welcomed the PLP’s decision to renominate all

incumbents. He said after seeing Ms Pindling’s flyer, many people reached out to him.

“They expressed their concern, especially over this one person who has had this angst to be on the ticket in Andros,” he said. “Some of my former colleagues in Parliament called me and said ‘this can’t be happening, we need to put a stop to this,’ and lo and behold today I went to the press conference and the chairman at the outset made it known that the incumbents will not be contested.”

Mr Forbes said he is perplexed why anyone would want to challenge him, considering his loyalty to the party and the fact that he won his seat in the last election. “. . .The leader is there, the deputy leader is there and the member for Englerston is there. Nobody who is known in the body politic of the party is upping to go against them so I think that’s what created quite a bit of a stir for those who know me as simply the hometown boy, one who has been there through the

thick and thin and when offerings were made to me I stuck to the process, took the blows and been through the vicissitudes of it all.”

Mr Forbes said he expects a Cabinet post if he is reelected and the PLP forms the next government, insisting only then could he help his constituents as much as he wants.

“I believe I could be better assessed if I could be given that one opportunity to serve at the ultimate level, which would be the Cabinet level where I could better deliver the basics my

people have been asking for,” he said. “The pie is only so big and it is very difficult when you’re not in Cabinet. You have to be almost servile, asking ministers for assistance and going back over repeatedly with them, whereas those who sit at the table have more access than you as a backbencher.

Sometimes it can be almost frustrating and it feels almost humiliating being a backbencher because you have to send letters to the ministers and their permanent secretaries and some get personal,

according to the tone of the letter and the kind of day they are having.”

Mr Forbes insisted he has earned the confidence of South Andros residents by being a “straight shooter,” not by “making promises” he can’t keep.

He is eying several landmark achievements for his constituency, he said, including redoing the administrator’s complex, improving docking facilities and providing greater education opportunities to reduce brain drain on the island.

Davis: Sale proves govt should not have bought Grand Lucayan from page one party’s headquarters on Farrington Road.

For his part, PLP Deputy Leader Chester Cooper said he was concerned about the financial aspect of the sale and questioned the concessions that may have come along with it. Mr Cooper told reporters yesterday it was his suspicion that when the full details are revealed, Bahamians will be left disappointed.

The purchase deal for the Grand Lucayan resort was signed Monday. This will set in motion plans for a $300m investment development by RCI and ITM to transform Grand Bahama and revive its beleaguered economy.

“From the prime minister’s statement the true sale price to RCCL remains a mystery and the total cost of this hotel purchase from Hutchinson Whampoa to the Bahamians taxpayers is also a secret,” Mr Davis said.

“All we know is that the government paid $65m for the hotel and tens of million more in maintenance and operational costs. “…It vindicates our

THE SIGNING of the Grand Lucayan Heads of Agreement. recommendation that they ought not to have purchased the hotel, but rather they ought to have just funded the losses as they were doing, which was in the neighbourhood of about $1m per month, meaning that for over the past 24 to 30 months the

most we would have funded would have been about $30m and so you will see the numbers.”

Mr Davis said the government needed to “come clean” on the deal.

When he spoke about the sale, Mr Cooper said he had concerns about the

numbers that had been presented by the Minnis administration. He further questioned what officials had given to RCI and ITM in concessions.

“We’re happy for Grand Bahama,” Mr Cooper said, “Lord knows they need a break. They still have

saltwater coming out of their taps that they are paying for. They have an electricity surcharge so any good news for Grand Bahama is a good thing.

“But I am concerned about the numbers. The government has been less than transparent. They paid $65m for a $40m appraised hotel. I estimate that they’ve spent more than $100m (and) now they are selling the property for $50m.

“In simple math that’s a loss of $50m, so that’s the first point,” he estimated.

“The second point that I want to examine is that the heads of agreement will lay out what rebates (and) what concessions the government has given, so $50m comes through the front door. I want to know what’s going through the back door?”

Mr Cooper continued: “I suspect that the number is significant in terms of actually hard currency payments back to the developer for whatever reason, but I expect that there will be some of those.

“I am concerned about the concessions that may not be in hard dollar terms, but generally we see a government desperate for good news and desperate people do desperate thing.

Desperate people make bad deals.

“We see the government

consistently made bad deals. We said it was a bad deal initially. They consistently make bad deals. They are desperate to give the people of Grand Bahama some hope and some relief.

“I hope that it’s real but I expect that when we look at the details of the heads of agreement we will be extremely disappointed by the deal that this government has cut.”

The PLP is also questioning whether this deal is tied to controversy surrounding a $2m Paradise Island project.

Toby Smith, principal of Paradise Island Lighthouse & Beach Club Company, told Tribune Business he was being “pushed into a corner” by the government following a Thursday night meeting at which he was urged to accept an “inferior” site for a development intended to provide jobs for 40 Bahamians.

He argued that his interests and plans, which he has pursued for eight years, are suddenly in danger of being sacrificed to ensure Royal Caribbean completes the Grand Lucayan resort’s purchase and redevelopment.

Through this Grand Bahama mega-investment, some 3,000 direct and indirect jobs would be created for Bahamians, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

‘RAGGED ISLANDERS ANGERED BY PM’S 60 MINUTES SLOT’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net RAGGED Island MP Chester Cooper said yesterday his constituents were angered by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ appearance on American television show 60 Minutes.

He said since Hurricane Irma devastated the island in September 2017, residents felt very little has been done to return them to normal life.

On Sunday, Dr Minnis made an appearance on 60 Minutes where he told journalist Bill Whitaker that the goal still remained to convert Ragged Island into a sustainable “green” community. He said government also intended to expand the effort.

Dr Minnis’ presence on the show was nothing more than a public relations exercise, Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis claimed.

“I think his discussion on Ragged Island was quite shameless, quite frankly,” Mr Cooper said yesterday.

“I don’t know that it was much of an interview per se.

It appeared to be more of a promo to sell solar panels.

“We still don’t know a lot about Salt Energy LLC, the company who is doing the project in Ragged Island.

I would certainly like to know more about them and I ask the government to do is provide us some more details with respect to this company who has been contracted to do the project.”

He continued: “The people of Ragged Island were very annoyed by the prime minister’s comments in relation to Ragged Island. They still don’t have a school. They don’t know when there will be a teacher. They don’t know whether school will be open for them in September.

They don’t have a clinic.

They don’t have a nurse.

“Some construction has started on the school which is of great concern to me as the member of Parliament (for the area) because as construction goes on, there is still no nurse. Someone can get hurt very easily.

Someone can die unnecessarily so I have raised this matter with the minister of health. I have raised it with the minister of works.

I urged them to get a nurse on the ground.

“I, along with the residents, repaired a house in Ragged Island that might be used as a temporary clinic,” he also said. “This must be done as a matter or urgency and as a matter of public concern.

“So three years after Hurricane Irma very little has been done and the residents of Ragged Island are very angry about it. They say that they wish the prime minister would keep the name of Ragged Island out of his mouth.”

He said residents were very dismayed by the lack of progress and were urging the government to expedite the response to provide temporary solutions for the school and other essential services.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 4, 2020, PAGE 7

$1m bill for gym and Family Island repairs

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE government has allocated $1.2m for Hurricane Dorian related restoration efforts that fall under the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, including clean up of the Kendal G L Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Yesterday, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle said the clean up provisions were made through a supplementary budget. She said repairs are needed as the gym sustained “wear and tear” due to being used as an emergency shelter to thousands of displaced storm victims for months after the storm.

THE KENDAL GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

Sterilisation has started and an inspection is scheduled by the end of the week.

“I will be there inspecting along with the chairman of the (National Sports Authority) NSA and along with other authorities,” Mrs Rolle said. “We will be there so that we see exactly firsthand what is going, what is the state of facilities and what we need to do to move it forward.

“They have presented some of their information but we just want to see it for ourselves what state is it in and how quickly from there we will know how quickly were able to have everything up and operational again.”

The budget she added is also to repair the ministry’s Family Island offices, in particular the Grand Bahama office that was “totally demolished” and left under water due to the hurricane.

She was not able to give a timeline for the restoration, saying she would give one after the inspection of NSA facilities.

The Department of Environmental Health Services, Pan-American Health Organisation and an accompanying vector control team carried out the inspection of the Kendal Isaacs Gym last September and found conditions at the facility were unsatisfactory at the time.

COCO CAY TOPS DESTINATIONS FOR ROYAL CARIBBEAN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

COCO Cay in the Berry Islands is number one of 500 cruise destinations in the world for Royal Caribbean International, a cruise line executive said this week.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International (RCI), said the destination is “hugely successful” with the highest guest satisfaction rate of all other destinations to which the cruise line sails.

He said that the cruise line is pleased for the opportunity to be a part of the rebirth and transformation of Grand Bahama to a “world-class premier attraction.”

“RC understands that great destinations are an important part of the recipe to delivering unforgettable experiences and that is what we do,” he said.

“We delivered on the Berry Islands with a hugely successful day at Coco Cay; it is now our number one destination in the world, and it rates as the highest guest satisfaction destination of all 500 destinations that RC takes our guests to.”

While in Grand Bahama on Monday for the signing of the purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort

by RCI and ITM Group, the cruise executive indicated that cruise line executives are committed to ensuring that Grand Bahama becomes a worldclass destination.

In addition to the sales agreement signing, a heads of agreement was signed with the government approving a $300m project investment to redevelop the resort and Freeport Harbour by Holistica Destinations, a joint venture formed by RCI and ITM. The development calls for a water theme park, a shopping village, convention centre, casino, and other amenities for family entertainment. Three additional new berths will be developed at the harbour, as well as a harbour village, comprising restaurants, shopping outlets, beach and wellness areas.

“We want visitors to come back to Grand Bahama again and again. And that is why Holistica is committed to undertaking the extensive development together with phenomenal support from the Bahamian government to truly transform the property into an unparalleled, world-class premier attraction within the Caribbean and the region,” said Mr Bayley.

The Grand Bahama tourism sector has been on the downturn since October 2016 following Hurricane Matthew, which caused devastation on the island, and significant damage to the resort, forcing its closure.

The government purchased the property in September 2018 from the previous owners Hutchison Whampoa for $65m and reopened the resort. Last March, RCI signed a letter of intent to purchase the property from the government for $65m.

In early September, superstorm Dorian caused further devastation to the island’s tourism industry, and also delayed the RCI/ ITM purchase deal.

At Monday’s signing, Mr Bayley said: “We know that we have to be measured with our expectations and not assume that this project is the solution to every issue in Grand Bahama. It would be important to pace ourselves, and we request we are provided the time to work with everybody in the community.

“The size and scope of this project make it ideal to embrace the distinctive Bahamian culture, as well as offer a wide range of entrepreneurial opportunities for locals,” he explained.

He said that RCI values the Bahamas, and believes the partnership with the Bahamian government and Holistica is a winning one.

Mr Bayley is assured that Holistica Destinations is determined to reinvent the property as a showcase for land-based visitors arriving by air, and cruise and ferry.

“Getting to the finish line means bringing more ships and guests to Freeport,” he said.

Mr Bayley also believes that the newly reimaged destination experience will encourage local residents displaced by the “horrific impact of Dorian” to return to Grand Bahama.

“It means so much to Royal Caribbean to be able to be part of that story of rebirth. And it is with that hope that we are determined to make the many steps in the process of the journey to get us there,” he added.

He said that training is key to delivering on a world-class destination.

“We have trained hundreds of Bahamians to work at our private destination Perfect Day and to work onboard our ships.

With this project we will look for opportunities to establish additional training programmes with a focus on careers in hospitality and tourism,” he said.

CHILDREN playing at CocoCay.

Photo: Charles Sykes/AP Images for Royal Caribbean International

PAGE 8, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

We need to wake up and put ourselves first WE ALL want the best for ourselves. We want to make enough – or more than enough – money. We want good health. Mobile devices, internet and food delivery are more common than they have been in past years. As time goes on, our “bare minimum” list gets longer. We are quite certain that we deserve it. There are times, however, when it seems we do not believe we deserve the best, but other people do. However unintentionally, we frequently elevate the opinions and comfort of others above our own.

One of the most disturbing occurrences for me is witnessing a Bahamian note something that needs to be improved and being prepared to fully agree with them until they try to qualify their statement. It is a shock and a disappointment to realise they do not want the improvement for us. They are motivated by something else.

“Tourists gotta see that!”

People talk about the need to not only stop littering, but be more intentional in the general upkeep of, for example, roundabouts and verges. Many of them become overgrown and stay that way for long periods of time. We would be justified in saying they look terrible and the department responsible needs to take it seriously, schedule maintenance and monitor it.

We, residents of The Bahamas, use the roads every day.

We use the same roundabouts over and over again, sometimes multiple times per day. We drive alongside medians and verges.

Pedestrians have to navigate disappearing sidewalks

By Alicia Wallace

and try to make themselves as small as possible to walk on streets that have enough space for sidewalks, but are being completely used for vehicular traffic. In some cases, overgrown bushes make the side of the road unusable for pedestrians.

These are issues we encounter every day. We have to figure out who to call about derelict vehicles in our neighbourhoods and how to compel them to take action. We have to try to ignore unkempt spaces or figure out who to call about that too.

We get up, get through traffic, put up with whatever we must at work, make a one-hour lunch break work for school pick-up, rush back to work to put in another hour or two, get back home to deal with homework, plumber calls and whatever else had to wait, and then prepare to do it all again the next day.

After all of this, when we get back to spending too much time in the car or on the bus, when we take notice of things that just are not as they should be, our first thought is the tourist who will be here for six days.

It is fine to want to look good to other people. It is fine to acknowledge we are dependent on the tourism industry. It is fine to do our best to ensure tourists have a positive experience, tell others about it and

plan to come back. It is far from fine to consider tourists better than us, or more deserving of an enjoyable experience in The Bahamas than the people who actually live here.

When the prime minister asked the question “Who is The Bahamas for?” it gave me pause. I wondered if he heard his own words. I wondered if he considered anyone outside of the group he was targeting and the Bahamians to whom he was trying to appeal.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can all admit The Bahamas is not for Bahamians, nor is it for the people so many of us see as a threat. It is for tourists.

We do not get far in any conversation before tourists are brought up and not just as people who matter, but as primary interests.

The same goes for second home-owners.

We want them to come.

We want them to spend.

We want them to keep the economy afloat. That is fine, but we cannot design our country for them any more than do so for anyone else.

If The Bahamas is to truly be “for Bahamians”, it does not depend on the heavy-handed approach to immigration (which is, of course, reserved for certain people). It requires us to change the way we think about ourselves.

A POTHOLE pictured on East Bay Street in 2018 - but when it comes to fixing the country’s problems around us, are we fixing it for visitors or for ourselves?

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2020: MY BODY, MY CHOICE INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day is on Sunday, March 8, and Equality Bahamas is hosting two events to celebrate, commemorate and agitate.

Our focus is on bodily autonomy this year and our planned events lead up to the launch the #Strike5ive campaign for the criminalisation of marital rape. There has been silence on the issue since it was put on the backburner while financial bills were prioritised.

The next time we heard about it was in a ridiculous comment from the Speaker of the House which spurred jokes about “spiritual rape”.

The Sexual Offences Act needs to be amended

and there is no reason for delay.

Tonight, Women’s Wednesdays: Bodily Autonomy will be held at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas on West and West Hill Streets at 6pm. It is free and open to the public and we will be giving particular attention to the issues of marital rape and abortion.

On Saturday, we will hold our annual International Women’s Day March and Expo. The march will begin at 9.20am from Eastern Parade and end at The Dundas on Mackey Street where the expo will be held. Bahamas Crisis Centre, Bahamas AIDS Foundation, Dignified

Girl Project, Reparations Committee, Bahamas Psychological Association, and The Empowerment Group will be among the organisations participating in the day’s events.

There will also be free yoga session, self-defence demonstrations, Create Space art sessions by National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, and a storytelling workshop by writers Sonia Farmer and Yasmin Glinton as a part of the Illiterati workshop and story slam series. It is a fun, feminist, family-friendly event that centers women and girls, and the general public is welcome to attend. There will be food, drinks, and Pop Stop popsicles available for purchase on site.

CIVIL SOCIETY IS NOT THE ENEMY IT IS unfortunate that non-governmental organisations – often tasked with picking up the slack of the government – struggle to engage government agencies and actors. It is as though we have to beg to be seen and heard behind closed doors. I know it is frustrating to see people bantering back and forth in the media and wonder: “Why don’t they just talk to each other?”

In many cases, one party has made an attempt and has been ignored or outright denied the opportunity. The only way to get a response, then, is by making public statements. We send press releases, hold press conferences, organise marches and start petitions because we are not being respected by

decision-makers. This needs to change. We should not have to go to these lengths when a conversation would be more productive.

The Department of Gender and Family Affairs should welcome the opportunity to meet with non-governmental organisations that have existed longer than the department itself and have engaged in advocacy and community programming in meaningful ways. The Minister of Social Services and Urban Development should want to hear from organisations that have been engaged in hurricane relief. It should want to received feedback from organisations and advocates that were present for their appearance before the Convention on the

Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women Committee.

Government agencies should welcome the opportunity to engage with organisations and people with not only expertise, but critique that can lead to vast improvement when put to good use.

A part of the problem we have may be government actors think of themselves as powerful outside of the people who allow them to hold their positions and we, the people, do not correct them.

The power is the people.

The people are the power.

They would do well to understand that and act accordingly. People move, power shifts and it does not have to take five years.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis during a press conference on the government response to coronavirus.

Govt ‘not proactive enough’ in response to coronavirus

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis believes the government has not been sufficiently proactive in handling the country’s COVID-19 preparedness.

According to Mr Davis, the government has been “too general and too generic” with its strategy.

He said by now, officials should have already formed a task force with protocols in place to prevent the new coronavirus’ entry and spread in The Bahamas.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan said in a statement yesterday that a laboratory with capacity to test for the virus was established last week at the National Reference Laboratory in New Providence.

During a press conference on Sunday, Dr McMillan revealed that plans were put in place to establish a task force made up of key personnel from various government agencies, including the Departments of Customs and Immigration, the Port Department, the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the

police and defence forces.

However, no date was given as to when this task force would be active.

At the time, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis also declared his administration would take no chances and spare no resources with this situation.

To date there are no reported, suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas. However, there remain two people in quarantine.

“The prime minister was too general and generic in his official response to the looming health crisis,” Mr Davis said during the PLP’s monthly omnibus press conference yesterday.

“The prime minister did not reveal the level of resource allocation and how it will be spent and allocated. We are concerned that at this late stage he has only indicated the intention of the government to set up a national coordinating committee to focus on the issue. There are inadequate or non-existent safety and health protocols for international flights.”

Up to press time, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide stood at 92,303 with more than 80,000 of these in mainland China.

While there have been 48,189 recovered cases worldwide, there have been 3,132 deaths.

Asked what he thought the Minnis administration should be doing given the global picture, Mr Davis said he believed there needed to be some immediate steps taken.

“I think anyone who is coming in from an international flight, their travel itinerary should be inquired into,” Mr Davis said. “For example if I come from Miami, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where my trip originated. My trip may have originated from Washington State in the United States where you know they (have a number of) deaths.

So if I know you come from Washington State then perhaps you ought to be tested or quarantined.

“Those protocols have to be put in place at the airport right now if they are not in place.”

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands told The Tribune yesterday all visitors are currently having their itineraries scrutinised.

Mr Davis added his party stood ready to offer assistance in any way to strengthen the country’s readiness for potential cases.

LEADER of the Opposition Philip Brave Davis.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

DOCTOR TELLS FOX HILL SHOOTING CASE OF TREATING VICTIM

By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net A MEDICAL expert yesterday recounted the moment he examined one of the survivors of the 2013 Fox Hill mass shooting and

how he gave treatment to prevent further loss of blood from the victim’s neck, shoulder and mouth.

Dr Sergio Kerr, taking the witness stand before Justice Deborah Fraser, said it was 6pm on December 27, 2013

when he first examined one of the victims from the deadly shooting.

Dr Kerr said after the patient came to the Princess Margaret Hospital, he conducted an examination and found injuries to the

left side of the patient’s neck and shoulder and also within the roof of the patient’s mouth.

“These wounds were actively bleeding. Compression was applied,” he said.

Dr Kerr said while the

injuries were serious, he didn’t think they were life-threatening due to the treatment provided at the time.

“He received suctioning and oxygen therapy for treatment. Short time later, the patient felt better in terms of breathing and vital signs,” he told the court .

“We were able to control the bleeding and the patient improved.”

While testifying, Dr Kerr said based on the treatment given, he made a notation on a document provided by police, indicating the injuries were not likely to be fatal.

While being cross-examined by defence attorney Geoffrey Farquharson, Dr Kerr was asked about the origin of the injuries seeing that he included gunshot wounds in the police form he had partially filled out.

However, Dr Kerr told the court he could not confirm the direct cause of the wounds.

“I can’t say what caused it, but only what the patient reported… no bullet was found,” he responded to Mr Farquharson’s questions.

Asked by Mr Farquharson if he knew the patient, Dr Kerr also said: “No, I am not friends. I never met him before.”

Dr Albury’s evidence came during the trial of Peter Rolle, Jermaine Curry and Justin Williams

concerning the December 27, 2013 shooting at Freedom Park.

He is not the first medical doctor who has appeared as a witness during the trial to provide an account of survivors’ injuries.

Williams, Rolle and Curry are accused of murdering four people – Claudezino Davis, Shaquille Demeritte, Eric Morrison and Shenique Sands on that date.

They are also charged with attempting to murder Janet Davis, Samuel Ferguson, Chino Davis, John Davis, Jermaine Pratt and Leroy Taylor.

According to initial reports from police, around the same time on December 27, 2013, occupants of a vehicle opened fire in the area just behind the basketball court near Fox Hill park where several people were gathered awaiting Junkanoo results.

One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene while several others were taken to hospital in private vehicles and an ambulance. Three later died in hospital of their injuries, according to earlier reports.

Curry is represented by attorney Murrio Ducille, Rolle is represented by Sonia Timothy, and Williams is represented by Mr Farquharson.

The case continues.

Half of world’s sandy beaches could disappear by 2100

THE TRIBUNE

UP to half of the world’s sandy beaches are at risk of disappearing by the end of this century if no action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s according to a new study, published in Nature Climate Change. Even assuming a better outcome for action on climate change, where global emissions peak around 2040, well over one-third (37 percent) of the world’s beaches would be lost by 2100.

Researchers had previously analysed satellite images showing shoreline change from 1984 to 2016.

They found that a quarter of sandy beaches worldwide had already eroded at a rate of more than 0.5m per year, shedding over 28,000 square kilometres of land to the sea.

The rate at which sea levels are rising is accelerating by about 0.1mm per year each year. But sea level rise won’t be even across the globe. The term “sea level” can be misleading – the sea surface is not flat. Much like the atmosphere, it has high and low pressure areas which create mounds and troughs. Some of these are created by major currents, so changes that will take place as the oceans warm will change the topography of the sea surface. Some areas will receive less than the predicted average sea level rise, but many will see more.

More than 60 percent of sandy beaches in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau may be lost to erosion by rising seas, while Australia is expected to lose nearly 12,000 km of sandy coastline. For small island states such as Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, losing 300m of land – as predicted for some – would be catastrophic.

Sandy beaches occupy

Wednesday, March 4, 2020, PAGE 11

By SIMON BOXALL Senior Lecturer in Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton and ABIY S KEBEDE Lecturer in Flood and Coastal Engineering, Brunel University London more than one-third of the global coastline and of all the different types of beaches, sandy beaches are the most heavily used by people. Many coastal areas have been built on, for industry, housing and tourist resorts.

These “softer” parts of the shoreline have always been at the mercy of ocean storms and the tides. But the predicted sea level rise on top of these daily inundations pushes the boundary between coast and sea inland, a process known as coastal retreat.

The build-up of people and concrete at the landward fringe of sandy beaches has created an abrupt barrier to coastal retreat, preventing beaches from moving inland as sea levels rise. Instead, sandy stretches of coastline are at risk of being eroded and washed away entirely.

Warming seas also promise more intense and frequent storms, which are capable of moving entire beaches overnight. Porthleven Beach in Cornwall, UK lost all of its sand during a storm in January 2015, to be returned by the tide a few days later.

Soft sandy beaches are continuously moved by waves and currents – depleting them in certain areas and depositing them in others. This transport of sand is normal, but the combined force of higher sea levels and stronger storms could spell extinction for many beaches.

All of this is very worrying for the millions of people who call these regions home. The world’s sandy coastlines tend to be densely populated, and are becoming more so over time. In other research, it was found that sea level rise by 0.8m could erase 17,000 square km of land and force up to 5.3 million people to migrate, with an associated cost of $300-1,000 billion globally. In Africa alone, up to 40,000 people per year could be forced to migrate due to land loss by coastal erosion if no adaptive measures are in place by 2100.

But it isn’t just climate change.

Humans are actively accelerating coastal erosion by removing sand from beaches in enormous quantities and at much faster rates than it can be naturally renewed. Gravel and sand is extracted from rivers and on beaches for use in construction – and at a faster rate than fossil fuel extraction in some areas.

Coastal ecosystems that bind and trap sediment, like mangrove swamps, are also being destroyed. The world lost almost 10,000 square kilometres of these habitats between 1996 and 2016. Meanwhile, sediment supply to the coast is also affected by building dams and irrigation systems upstream.

Mangroves are effective buffers against storms and help trap more sand around the coast. Ibenk_88/ Shutterstock Sea level rise is inevitable, but how bad it will be is still not certain. Replenishing the most endangered beaches by pumping sand onto them – a process called “coastal nourishment” – could cost $65–220 billion in total, but that’s still less than one-fifth of the economic cost of taking no action at all on sea level

AN AERIAL view of Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu, shows the airstrip of Vaiaku international airport. There is little space for the coast to retreat as sea levels rise.

rise. It could reduce land loss by up to 14 percent, lower the number of people that might be forced to migrate by up to 68 percent, and shrink the cost of forced migration by up to 85 percent by 2100.

Even “moderate emission mitigation policy”, as the new study calls it, in which global emissions peak around 2040, could prevent

40 percent of the landward retreat of shorelines by 2100. On average, this would save more than 40m width of sandy beach around the world, from an average loss of around 250m.

Coastal nourishment can have its own ecological problems, so it would have to be done with careful attention to the local environment. But much

of what needs to be done to save the world’s sandy beaches lies within our grasp already – if we can just reduce the rate at which we’re consuming sand and burning fossil fuels. By doing that – and expanding and protecting coastal habitats – the terrible predictions from this new research might never come to pass.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, and his wife Jill attend a primary election night rally yesterday.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Biden sweeps states but Sanders takes California WASHINGTON Associated Press A RESURGENT Joe Biden scored sweeping victories across the country with the backing of a diverse coalition and progressive rival Bernie Sanders seized Super Tuesday’s biggest prize with a win in California as the Democratic Party’s oncecrowded presidential field suddenly transformed into a two-man contest.

The two Democrats, lifelong politicians with starkly different visions for America’s future, were battling for delegates as 14 states and one US territory held a series of high-stakes elections that marked the most significant day of voting in the party’s 2020 presidential nomination fight. The winner will take on President Donald Trump in the November general election.

The other two high-profile candidates still in the shrinking Democratic field, New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren, were teetering on the edge of viability. Warren finished in an embarrassing third place in her home state, and Bloomberg planned to reassess his candidacy on Wednesday after spending more than a half billion dollars to score a single victory — in American Samoa.

The new contours of a nomination fight pitting Biden against Sanders, each leading coalitions of disparate demographics and political beliefs, were crystallizing by day’s end as the former vice president and the three-term senator

spoke to each other from dueling victory speeches separated by 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) Tuesday night.

“People are talking about a revolution. We started a movement,” Biden charged in Los Angeles, knocking one of Sanders’ signature lines.

And without citing his surging rival by name, Sanders swiped at Biden from Burlington, Vermont.

“You cannot beat Trump with the same-old, same-old kind of politics,” Sanders declared, ticking down a list of past policy differences with Biden on Social Security, trade and military force. “This will become a contrast in ideas.”

The balance of Super Tuesday’s battlefield — with Biden winning at least eight states and Sanders four — raised questions about whether the Democratic primary contest would stretch all the way to the July convention or be

decided much sooner.

Biden’s strong finish punctuated a dramatic turnaround in the span of just three days when he leveraged a blowout victory in South Carolina to score sweeping victories on Tuesday that transcended geography, class and race.

And lest there be any doubt, he cemented his status as the standardbearer for the Democrats’ establishment wing.

The former vice president showed strength in the Northeast with a win in Massachusetts, won Minnesota in the upper Midwest and finished on top across the South in Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas — in addition to Oklahoma.

Sanders opened the night as the undisputed Democratic front-runner and was in a position to claim an insurmountable delegate lead. And while he scored the night’s biggest delegate-prize in California,

he scored just three other decisive victories, winning his home state of Vermont, along with Utah and Colorado.

Still, Sanders proved he could deliver in perhaps the greatest test of his decadeslong political career. His success was built on a base of energised liberals, young people and Latinos. And his conclusive win in California marks a huge reversal in a state he lost four years ago.

Biden racked up his victories despite being dramatically outspent and out-staffed. Moderate rival Bloomberg, for example, poured more than $19m into television advertising in Virginia, while Biden spent less than $200,000.

A key to Biden’s success: black voters. Biden, who served two terms as President Barack Obama’s vice president, won 60% of the black vote in Alabama, where African Americans made up more than half the Democratic electorate on Tuesday. Bloomberg earned 25%, and Sanders won about 10% of African American votes, according to AP VoteCast, a wide-ranging survey of the electorate.

The Democratic race has shifted dramatically over the past three days as Biden capitalised on his commanding South Carolina victory to persuade anxious establishment allies to rally behind his campaign.

Former rivals Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg abruptly ended their campaigns in the days leading up to Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden.

In Biden and Sanders,

“What is happening now in the United States may be the beginning of what is happening abroad,” said Dr Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noting that in China, where the outbreak began more than two months ago, older and sicker people are about twice as likely to become seriously ill as those who are younger and healthier.

The nursing home outbreak apparently seeded the first case in North Carolina, authorities said. A Wake County resident who had visited the Washington state nursing home tested positive but is in isolation at home and is doing well,

according to the North Carolina governor’s office.

In the nation’s capital, officials moved on a number of fronts.

A bipartisan $7.5 billion emergency bill to fund the government’s response to the outbreak worked its way through Congress.

The Federal Reserve announced the biggest interest-rate cut in over a decade to try to fend off damage to the US economy from the factory shutdowns, travel restrictions and other disruptions around the globe. On Wall Street, stocks rallied briefly on the news, then went into another steep slide, with the Dow Jones Industrial

Average losing 785 points on the day, or 2.9%.

“We have seen a broader spread of the virus. So, we saw a risk to the economy and we chose to act,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said.

Also, the Food and Drug and Administration sought to ease a shortage of face masks by giving health care workers the OK to use an industrial type of respirator mask designed to protect construction crews from dust and debris.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill expressed skepticism about US health officials’ claims that testing for the new virus should be widely available soon. CDC test kits

DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Sen Bernie Sanders.

Photo: David Zalubowski/AP

Democrats have a stark choice in what kind of candidate they want to run against Trump.

Sanders is a 78-year-old democratic socialist who relies on an energised coalition of his party’s far-left flank that embraces his longtime fight to transform the nation’s political and economic systems. Biden is a 77-year-old lifelong leader of his party’s Washington establishment who emphasizes a more pragmatic approach to core policy issues like health care and climate change.

Across the Super Tuesday states there were early questions about Sanders’ claims that he is growing his support from his failed 2016 presidential bid.

Biden bested him in Oklahoma, though Sanders won the state against Hillary Clinton four years ago. In Virginia, where Democratic turnout this year surpassed 2016’s numbers by more than 500,000 votes, Sanders’ vote share dropped significantly. And in Tennessee, Democratic turnout was up more than 30% from 2016, but Sanders’ raw vote total was only a few hundred votes greater than four years ago.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg was trying to look beyond the primary to the November election against Trump, who racked up easy victories in lightly contested Republican primaries across the country.

“We have the resources to beat Trump in swing states that Democrats lost in 2016,” he said Tuesday night while campaigning in Florida.

The billionaire former New York mayor, who threw more than a half a billion dollars into the Super Tuesday states, will reassess his campaign on Wednesday, according to a person close to his operation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Warren was also fighting to be optimistic.

Facing a roaring crowd in Michigan before news of her disappointing homestate finish was announced, she called on her supporters to ignore the political pundits and predictions as her advisers insist she’s willing to go all the way to a contested convention in July even if she doesn’t claim an outright victory anywhere.

“Here’s my advice: Cast a vote that will make you proud. Cast a vote from your heart,” Warren declared. She added: “You don’t get what you don’t fight for. I am in this fight.”

With votes still being counted across the country, The Associated Press has allocated 362 to Biden, 285 delegates to Sanders, 30 to Bloomberg, 20 to Warren and one for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The numbers are expected to shift dramatically throughout the night as new states, none bigger than California, report their numbers and as some candidates hover around the 15% vote threshold they must hit to earn delegates.

The ultimate nominee must ultimately claim 1,991 delegates, which is a majority of the 3,979 pledged delegates available this primary season.

delivered to states and cities in January proved faulty.

Authorities have said labs across the country should have the capacity to run as many as 1 million tests by the end of the week.

But testing so far has faced delays and missteps, and “I’m hearing from health professionals that’s unrealistic,” Democratic Sen Patty Murray of Washington state said at a Senate hearing.

The chief of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr Stephen Hahn, said the FDA has been working with a private company to get as many as 2,500 test kits out to labs by the end of the week. Each kit

should enable a lab to run about 500 tests, he said. But health officials were careful about making promises.

“I am optimistic, but I want to remain humble,” said Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC. In Washington state, researchers believe the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks. That has raised fears that there could be hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area.

But some people who want to be tested for the virus in the state are encountering confusion, a lack of testing options and other problems as health authorities scramble to deal with the crisis.

CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL IN US REACHES NINE SEATTLE Associated Press

TENSIONS over how to contain the coronavirus escalated yesterday in the United States as the death toll climbed to nine and lawmakers expressed doubts about the government’s ability to ramp up testing fast enough to deal with the crisis.

All of the deaths have occurred in Washington state, and most were residents of a nursing home in suburban Seattle. The number of infections in the US overall climbed past 100, scattered across at least 15 states, with 27 cases in Washington alone.