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Bishop attacks ‘gutter politics’ Boyd ‘horrified’ Golden by practice of denigrating others girl

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net REVEREND Laish Boyd, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, has denounced the “gutter politics and venom” associated with the upcoming general election, charging that the practice could hinder upstanding persons seeking to offer themselves for public office in the future.

Bishop Boyd, in a pastoral letter to his parishioners and the nation over the current election cycle, said

he is “personally horrified” at the “terrible practice of denigrating and maligning others” by “unscrupulous opponents” in the political realm, which he said ultimately discourages “some decent people” from wanting to serve.

Bishop Boyd particularly lamented the gutter politics being “spewed around” in both mainstream and social media, further bemoaning how “fake news is propagated as facts” and how “so many of us are gullible to believe whatever we see that is negative or degrading about others”.

SEE PAGE SIX

visits Ranfurly children

lieved he was more mighty than God. Deviating from his prepared speech at a Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas event, Mr Christie said his comment was in “advocacy” to God not to let his speech come to an abrupt end, adding that he thought there had been a power failure while he was on stage speaking to supporters.

SEE PAGE SIX

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net POLICE in Grand Bahama have two men in custody in connection with the fatal shooting of a young man on Sunday night at an apartment complex in Caravel Beach, Freeport.

The murder took place shortly after 11pm on Amberjack Street. According to reports, police were called to an apartment complex where shots were heard. When officers arrived on the scene they discovered the lifeless body of a man on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

SYMONETTE DOUBTS SOME DISCLOSURES’ ACCURACY

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette yesterday shrugged off public discourse over his immense wealth, instead speculating over the accuracy of disclosures filed by other veteran candidates last week.

Singling out Prime Minister Perry Christie and Minister of Labour Shane Gibson, but also speaking generally, Mr Symonette noted that the intention of public disclosures was to prevent a gross increase in wealth while in public office.

SEE PAGE FIVE

PM EXPLAINS WHY HE SAID ‘GOD CAN’T STOP ME NOW’

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

DAYS after joking that “God can’t stop him now” during a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) mass rally in Exuma, Prime Minister Perry Christie sought to explain the context in which the comment was made and questioned how anyone could dare to doubt his faith or suggest that he be-

TWO HELD AFTER MAN SHOT DEAD IN APARTMENT

OLYMPIC gold medal winner Shaunae Miller-Uibo presents the children at the Ranfurly Homes For Children with a PlayStation 4 and video games during a visit yesterday. See Sports for more details.

Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

‘I DON’T RUN FROM ANY ISSUE’ SAYS CHRISTIE AS HE AGAIN AVOIDS FITZGERALD QUESTIONS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

AFTER days of being silent in the wake of the controversy surrounding Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald’s solicitation of contracts from Baha Mar while he sat in Cabinet, Prime Minister Perry Christie told The Tribune yesterday: “I don’t run from any issue.”

He made the statement after this newspaper asked him if he planned to address the scandal before the May 10 general election.

His comment to The Tribune came on the sidelines of an event commissioning a new ZNS broadcasting tower. Mr Christie offered no further response.

Earlier yesterday, he was flanked by bodyguards when he walked quickly past reporters, ignoring the

media’s questions about his government.

He was leaving an event at Enoch Beckford where he enrolled in National Health Insurance.

The Tribune asked Mr Christie if Mr Fitzgerald should have recused himself from Baha Mar related matters and another reporter asked him about revelations that Labour and National

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SEE PAGE THREE

PM SAYS CLAIM OF SON’S PAY IS ‘CRAZY’

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday denied allegations printed in a local tabloid that his son was allegedly paid millions of dollars in realtor commission fees over the sale of the British Colonial Hilton Hotel to China Construction America (CCA).

Responding to a report in The Punch, Mr Christie stressed that it is “crazy” to allege that his son, Steffan Christie, in “one swoop” could have amassed more money than he has earned in his lifetime.

SEE PAGE SIX

PAGE 2, Tuesday, April 25, 2017

PRIME Minister Perry Christie at the launch of NHI registration yesterday at the Enoch Backford Centre.

THE TRIBUNE

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

PM hails historic NHI phase

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday heralded the “historic” launch of the enrolment phase of National Health Insurance, expressing his delight in serving as the nation’s leader while “ushering in” one of the “most significant interventions in the history

of this country.”

With yesterday’s launch, Bahamians will now be able to choose their primary care physician from a list of over 60 doctors, which include family medicine practitioners, general practitioners, internists, obstetricians, gynaecologists and paediatricians.

The government ultimately plans to have between 140 and 150 primary

care providers (PCPs) incorporated into NHI, with plans to augment the private sector offering with the services of primary care providers in the public sector, the Department of Public Health and the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA).

Mr Christie, during a press conference at the Enoch Beckford Auditorium yesterday morning, just

moments after having been walked through the enrolment process by senior NHI officials, called the launch a “major step forward” in his government’s attempts to provide universal healthcare for Bahamians, particularly when taking into account “the major catastrophic illnesses affecting our people.”

Meanwhile, NHI Secretariat Permanent Secretary Peter Deveaux-Isaacs announced that the Christie administration is engaged in “contractual discussions” with Aetna Benefits Group to manage NHI’s public insurer, with plans to finalise the process by next week.

However, he said the discussions will not impede the scheme’s capacity to provide healthcare services to citizens.

“No, not at all,” Mr Deveaux-Isaacs said on the matter. “And they will be able to ramp up, if they do in fact get the contract, they will be able to ramp up in six weeks to provide services.”

Nonetheless, with NHI being one of his administration’s signature programmes, Mr Christie lauded his administration’s accomplishment of the country’s first enrolment for universal health coverage, calling it a “historic achievement for our country and more importantly for our Bahamian people.”

“I’m so happy today because Bahamians have been reaching out to me to tell me what this means to them personally,” he said.

“This is just the beginning.

My government is committed to ensuring that every Bahamian on every island has the healthcare they need, and my government will carry this change forward, and we cannot afford to stop our progress now.

“This is an historic day, and I told some of the young people who are now

engaged in registration and enrolment that one day when they themselves are adults and grandparents, people like myself will no longer be here. They will have a true appreciation of having been a part of establishing one of the most significant interventions in the history of this country.

One that will have great meaning for the people of our country on the most important aspect facing their lives and the lives of their children and their children’s children, and that is healthcare.”

He added: “I cannot in any way be more eloquent in saying this is a major step forward…I feel honoured and privileged to have been the prime minister at this point in our history to usher in this day and this period.”

To enrol, people will need their NIB smart card and proof that they have resided in the Bahamas for the last six months. Only Bahamian citizens and legal residents can be enrolled. In addition to in-person enrolment opportunities, online enrolment is also available at www.nhibahamas.gov.bs.

For persons with private insurance, they must provide their insurance group policy and member ID number.

Once enrolment forms are processed, those enrolled can expect to receive either their confirmation of their enrolment and primary care provider selection within 10 business days or be contacted for additional documentation. Confirmation notices will also provide the date when each person can start to access primary care services under NHI, officials said.

In the event an individual’s preferred doctor is not on the list of registered providers at the time of enrolment, those enrolled can either wait until the name of the physician appears on the list, or ask that physi-

cian if he/she has plans to register with NHI. The list of registered providers will be updated daily as more doctors sign on with NHI, according to officials.

Persons can change their doctor selection once per year. “The launch of enrolment for NHI Bahamas is an exciting development for our country,” Mr DeveauxIsaacs said. “We’ve had a positive response from the physician community and many have now signed up as primary care providers under NHI. “I encourage persons to enrol early so they can have first pick of their preferred doctor who they will soon receive primary care services from.”

NHI will exist in several phases. The primary healthcare phase will cover mostly basic services, diagnostic imaging and some medications prescribed by doctors. Top government officials concede that despite the benefits of primary healthcare, a challenge they will encounter will be managing the expectations of people who may not realise this phase does not cover all medical services.

The Christie administration has set aside money for selective catastrophic coverage, although the details about what will be prioritised in this phase have not been disclosed.

The final phase - full benefits coverage - will come on stream at a later date. Officials have said a new tax will likely be required to pay for the final phase.

The government has already missed several target dates for NHI. The primary care phase was initially expected to be launched last April. That date was pushed to January of this year.

When the January date was missed, Mr Christie said NHI services would be launched in the first week of this month. That also did not happen.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 25, 2017, PAGE 3

Smith criticises actions of both Fitzgerald and Maynard-Gibson

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Cabinet minister George Smith said Jerome Fitzgerald’s solicitation of Sarkis Izmirlian for Baha Mar contracts shows the extent to which this country has allowed the “bastardisation of the Westminster system” to take place.

Mr Smith, who considers himself an admirer of Mr Fitzgerald, said he is conflicted in the face of news of Mr Fitzgerald’s actions because while the Education Minister’s desire to “assist his father” might have been noble, there are clear Cabinet procedures that guide ministers of government.

“To the extent that we have permitted the bastardisation of this system, (his actions are) understandable,” Mr Smith, a member of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), said.

“We have to look at our standards. The bastardising of standards where we permit the lines to be blurred where ministers could get away here with things they shouldn’t get away with in a proper Westminster system is inappropriate. In a proper system, much of what people get away here wouldn’t happen.

“We got to get back to the point where when people run for the House of Assembly they play by the long established rules and conventions. The rules that govern Cabinet ministers are documented.

You shouldn’t pursue your private interests when you have accepted a position to pursue the public interests.”

In the wake of the scandal, some observers accused Mr Fitzgerald of a breach of the Manual of Cabinet and Ministry Procedure, which states in Clause 40b, a minister must not “solicit or accept any benefit, advantage or promise of future advantage whether for himself, his immediate family or any business concern or trust with which he is associated from persons who are in, or seek to be in, any contractual or special relationship with the government.”

Mr Smith also aimed criticism at Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson, one of the government’s negotiators for Baha Mar’s remobilisation.

Unprompted, he said: “When I hear that a minister is involved in a discussion or negotiation and the minister’s family has interest in that particular establishment being negotiated with, the excuse someone used one time

was, ‘I told the Prime Minister.’ Well, that doesn’t justify it.”

He was referring to Mrs Maynard-Gibson’s past statement that before she led negotiations on Baha Mar, she told Mr Christie about her family’s businesses at the resort.

“It doesn’t matter if she told him and (the Prime Minister) still chose her,” Mr Smith said. “I know what my responsibility is, which is not to defer the decision to someone else.

I can’t say ‘Rashad, I going to shoot somebody’ and if you say go ahead, I then do it.

“If the rules say I can’t pursue the private interests and still pursue the public interest, then you can’t do both. Doing so you’re bound to be either in a direct conflict of interest or you create the appearance of a conflict of interest. The burden is on the individual.

As much as one sympathises with motivations and all that, at the end of the day, Cabinet ministers must realise that they don’t have the luxury of being able to pursue both interests as part of their Cabinet appointment.”

Mr Smith broadened his critique to include other politicians, including Free National Movement (FNM) candidates.

He said Dionisio D’Aguilar’s admission on Sunday that a broker created fraudulent invoices for washing machines imported into The Bahamas doesn’t absolve him of responsibility.

“D’Aguilar can’t blame the custom broker fella for something that was done in his name,” he said. “He has a responsibility to make sure the fella did the right thing because that fella did something for him.”

Attorney Wayne Munroe was also criticised for his language and gestures at a PLP rally last week.

“That crude and unruly thing Munroe did, that’s on him,” Mr Smith said. “If there is any condemnation it ought to be attributed to him for doing what is not expected of them.”

Mr Smith also criticised Dr Hubert Minnis as part of his broader point of restoring standards in public life.

“It is difficult for Minnis to say I don’t have a contractual relationship because he did have it with the government as minister of health renting from his own private business,” Mr Smith said. “All of this is wrong and we have to stop burdening our people with all these heartaches.”

Mr Smith, a former Exuma MP, served in the Pindling Cabinet.

GEORGE SMITH

‘I DON’T RUN FROM ANY ISSUE’ SAYS CHRISTIE AS HE AGAIN AVOIDS FITZGERALD QUESTIONS from page one

Insurance Minister Shane Gibson received $94,000 from Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard for what Mr Gibson claimed were campaign donations and funding for constituency initiatives.

For a leader who has often expressed irritation at narratives of PLP impropriety, some observers believe his reluctance so far to address the actions of members of his administration

may undermine his credibility.

His silence comes as he has made a habit on the campaign trail of criticising Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis’ “failure” to demonstrate that he can answer questions and speak to issues affecting the nation.

Last week, Mr Fitzgerald released a statement admitting that he had solicited Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian on behalf of his then sick father. His comments came after The

Tribune published a chain of emails from Mr Fitzgerald to Mr Izmirlian where he pushed for his family’s businesses to receive lucrative contracts from as early as 2013.

In his statement, Mr Fitzgerald said his father had engaged in business with Baha Mar before falling ill, and he said he was just following up on these earlier talks.

His statement did not address the matter completely, however, and he has so far avoided addressing some of

the other issues raised.

Although his father’s business was Bahamas Cargo & Logistics (BCL), for instance, Mr Fitzgerald has not explained why he was also soliciting business contracts relating to limousine services.

“Prior to my father’s illness he had engaged in discussions with Baha Mar to get some work,” Mr Fitzgerald’s statement said.

“After my father’s illness I wrote to Sarkis to follow up on those discussions and seek his assistance. Nothing

came of it and that remains the case today.”

Last week Mr Fitzgerald said he has no contract with Baha Mar and its affiliates.

He also said he owns no shares in Bahamas Cargo & Logistics (BCL), a company he said was formed by his father years ago.

In another of the emails published by The Tribune last week, Mr Fitzgerald refers to supposed “promises” made to him by Daniel Liu, China Construction America’s (CCA) vice-president.

At least two PLP officials

who spoke to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity have said this may the most damaging part of last week’s revelations, because Mr Liu is an official in a state-owned company and Mr Fitzgerald later participated in negotiations with CCA when Mr Christie appointed him one of the lead negotiators for Baha Mar. “He completely compromised himself,” said one of the officials who The Tribune understands is considering releasing a statement concerning the matter.

NYGARD PAYMENTS TO SHANE GIBSON ‘ANOTHER INEXCUSABLE SCANDAL’

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

family connections to businesses at the resort as matters of concern.

“While Bahamians strugFREE National Move- gle to put food on the table, ment Chairman Sidney Shane Gibson is receiving Collie yesterday labelled re- payments from an eccenports that Labour and Na- tric foreign billionaire,” tional Insurance Minister Mr Collie said, adding Shane Gibson received pay- that Prime Minister Perry ments totalling $94,131.10 Christie should fire his over an 18-month period whole Cabinet. from fashion mogul Peter He added: “Although Nygard as another “inex- the prime minister will cusable” scandal from an do anything to shelter amoral administration. himself and his frauduIn a statement released lent Cabinet members Monday, Mr Collie said the from scrutiny, corruption ongoing “protection of cor- remains on the ballot. ruption” displayed by the If Christie does not act Progressive Liberal party at once, this is the final should alarm voters, la- straw for his leadership.” menting that every day the Documents obtained by Christie administration has The Tribune and published proven just how much they Monday appeared to be have pillaged the trust of records belonging to Mr the Bahamian people for Nygard, a Canadian fashpersonal gain. ion mogul who resides in Referring to media re- the affluent community of ports in which the incum- Lyford Cay, or to his assobent Golden Gates MP ciates. claimed the funds received The documents show that were being directed to be deposits were made once used as a contribution to his per month in $5,000 tranch2012 election campaign and es between August 4, 2011, for community initiatives in when Mr Gibson was an ophis constituency, Mr Col- position parliamentarian, lie said the revelation was to January 8, 2013, when just the latest in a long list Mr Gibson was a substanof wrongdoing on behalf of tive Cabinet minister. the PLP. Eighteen of Mr Nygard’s He also referred to Edu- payments to Mr Gibson cation Minister Jerome were listed as being for Fitzgerald’s admission that “professional services,” he solicited lucrative con- though one of $4,131.10 was tracts from Baha Mar de- listed as being for “travel” veloper Sarkis Izmirlian from Nassau to Miami. while a Cabinet minister In a statement Sunday and Attorney General night, Mr Gibson explained Allyson Maynard-Gibson’s that 2017 the “contributions” Tuesday, 25th April

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made by Mr Nygard enabled him to pay off debt incurred during the campaign season and was also used for scholarships and community initiatives.

In the absence of campaign finance legislation or regulations for money donated to constituencies, Mr Gibson is not prohibited from receiving any amount of money from a person.

Last week, both PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts

and Mr Collie remained vague on how their parties were spending and raising money for this election.

Mr Roberts, for his part, said his party was expected to spend millions. This figure, he added, would cover political items, media content, rallies and other “necessary line items.”

Mr Collie was more tightlipped when asked about his party’s campaign spending, leaning on the lack of

campaign finance laws as the reason he did not have to present details.

“There is no such law to prohibit what we do, how we do it and/or why we do; so we will continue on doing what we deem necessary to place us in the best position,” Mr Collie said last week in response to questions from The Tribune.

Citizens for a Better Bahamas (CBB), a civic organisation advocating

for, among other things, campaign finance laws, has appealed to the Christie administration to start bipartisan talks with the Free National Movement for some time now.

CBB’s lead representative Lemarque Campbell, a lawyer, has argued that neither party is “truly serious” about addressing the matter because they have benefited from the present manner of campaign financing.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, April 25, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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When power is uncontrolled, tragedy awaits TWO WEEKS before voters go to the polls to determine the course of history for the Bahamas for the next five years, the governing Progressive Liberal Party is throwing rallies, dancing in the streets, passing out t-shirts, food and promises, ignoring the reality that should be hitting its supporters smack in the face.

The PLP is unravelling, a political party out of control headed by a Prime Minister who has held power for so long that he has developed “disinhibition”.

Disinhibition is a condition psychologists often associate with aging. An elderly person who no longer feels constrained believes they can get away with doing or saying just about anything. Someone labels them a curmudgeon and with a knowing nod, accepts that age has made them cantankerous.

But there is a far more dangerous side to disinhibition and that is what occurs when power leads to a feeling of being supreme, above reproach, all-knowing and essential. Power is an aphrodisiac like none other. Its properties are phenomenal, imbuing the powerful with god-like beliefs, filling their heads with deep-seated convictions about their own importance, the wisdom of their decisions, the feeling that no one can make the important choices but themselves, nothing can stop them and everyone needs them.

We have seen the impact of bloated self-belief in world leaders in far too many places and over too many centuries, from a Machiavelli 500 years ago to North Korea’s Kim Jong-un today.

But never have we felt it closer to home than we have recently and we find it frightening.

The trend began more than two years ago when the government blatantly refused to abide by a judge’s rulings in the unregulated development case of Blackbeard’s Cay. Later when Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald was ordered by the court to cease and desist from reading private e-mails, he said the court could not tell him what to do. When the same minister revealed he knew of the dangers of the Rubis fuel station oil leak that could be causing irreparable harm to the health of his constituents in Marathon, he said he could not reveal that information because it could have caused him his standing in the Cabinet where all information is to remain private.

The lack of inhibition continued when the very same Jerome Fitzgerald defied a court order to pay $150,000 in fines and legal costs in a case involving his reading of private e-mails in the House of Assembly, declaring he found the e-mails in his

“political garbage can”.

The lack of understanding that such actions demanded accountability led to total inaction. Not once did the Prime Minister face such outright arrogant and outrageous behaviour by dealing with it head-on, instructing the Cabinet minister to pay the fine or submit his resignation.

Now that same minister has been caught red-handed, a series of his e-mails begging for work for his family from Baha Mar’s then-developer Sarkis Izmirlian and again, there has been no demand for resignation or a suggestion that he not seek another term.

Lack of accountability permeates this government.

A minister of state given the opportunity to explain where $1.4 billion in Value Added Tax has gone answers feebly, then explains he only had 10 minutes on the stage. A Prime Minister who tries to help him and says only $191 million of it may be missing. The same Prime Minister flips the finger in a gesture carried round the world by social media. A Cabinet minister jets back and forth to China as lead negotiator on a new ownership deal for Baha Mar with a company whose multi-billion dollar empire includes a vast jewellery component that stands to benefit her own family businesses.

The conflicts of interest are voluminous.

Yet, this weekend, the Prime Minister seemed so oblivious to what is going on that he utters a statement that things are going so good even “God can’t stop us now”.

Headline after headline should be sending shock waves through the party.

There is only one explanation for why they are not feeling the heat. They are bathed in the belief that nothing can stop them because the Bahamian people since the days of Sir Lynden Pindling identify with the PLP. They believe the love is unconditional.

Puppies love unconditionally. Maybe the Bahamian people once did. But the adoration that the parents and grandparents felt for the party that carried them out of the age of the United Bahamian Party is fast evaporating in the face of arrogance so unmistakable it insults the very people it once tried to please.

Today’s voting population is a very different one from the voters who put the PLP into power. They demand more.

They expect accountability and they want transparency. What they will not tolerate is disinhibition at the highest level because when power is uncontrolled, tragedy awaits.

Leadership EDITOR, The Tribune.

TODAY it is a story about Leadership. A few years ago I went to a lunch in Florida and the speaker was General Schwarzkopf or “Stormin’ Norman” as he was called when he led the US troops in the first Iraq war.

His talk was entitled leadership and during his speech he said true leadership is if I, not me the General, can persuade 100 soldiers to charge an enemy position across an open

space with no protection knowing the enemy has machine gun posts at the other end of the open space.

He said that is true leadership and he then added no politician in the US that he knew had that quality and I surmise he knew a few.

Shortly, The Bahamas elects its leaders and how many of them come close to the definition above except perhaps in their own minds.

So on May 10th elect whoever you think in your constituency comes closest to the leadership defini-

tion as we desperately need leaders to guide us through these difficult times. And that applies not only here but in the world as a whole although we can only influence The Bahamas.

Empty promises and buying votes is not leadership!

As a PS, I would add the present Fitzgerald fiasco does not give a sense of good leadership.

pecially out of it for a seasoned politician and Mr Jeff Lloyd (South Beach) came across as an uptight RC school teacher.

Mr Brent Symonette (St Anne’s) spoke as if he assumes he has already won the seat. They all need a little less eloquence and a lot more Holy Ghost Fire.

A word to the wise; whoever is coaching Ms Rolle needs to coach the rest of the FNM team.

As for Dr Hubert Minnis,

party leader, I liked him better during his BRUGGERDOMBRAM! phase. I sure hope he isn’t going to let his financial backers turn him into “Mr Eloquence Personified”. That would be too wrong. (Ten points for his entrance though).

Bottom line; less eloquence, more fire and brimstone gospel vibe please.

PATRICK H THOMSON Nassau, April 22, 2017.

FNM rally experience EDITOR, The Tribune.

WOW! Was at the FNM rally several days ago. Must admit the FNM candidate for Sea Breeze, Ms Lanisha Rolle, was phenomenal.

She had that “fire and brimstone gospel wibe” that makes or breaks a political campaign.

As for the rest of the candidates, too much time wasted being “eloquent”.

Mr Desmond Bannister (Carmichael) seemed es-

NINO ESTEBAN Nassau, April 24, 2017.

Politicians who have nine lives EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHATSOEVER a man sows that shall he reap, said St Paul to the Galatians. Jerome Fitzgerald is learning about this reciprocal principle firsthand.

He sowed reading the private email correspondences of Save The Bays members in the House hiding behind the cloak of parliamentary privilege.

It was a move to intimidate and frighten members of that organisation, with the aim of convincing Bahamians that they were engaging in treasonous activities in an attempt to destabilise the PLP government.

The constitutional rights of Save The Bays members were trampled on in an arrogant and defiant manner.

Fitzgerald reaped his deed when The Tribune published his private email correspondences to Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian.

Thousands of Bahamians got to read his own words begging Mr Izmirlian for hefty contracts for his father’s business enterprises.

It was a clear violation of the ministerial rules. He should resign.

But Fitzgerald won’t resign. Nobody in PM Perry Christie’s slack administration believes in doing the honorable thing after having violating ministerial protocol.

Fitzgerald should be given his pink slip. But for some reason or another Christie seems to be of the view that he lacks the moral authority to fire his senior Cabinet ministers.

The PM runs a very slack administration, as has been shown in this government as well as in his first government.

He never shuffles his Cabinet or fires senior PLP ministers. Those within his clique are invincible. The only ones to feel the brunt of his wrath are the small minions.

Had this been former PM Hubert Ingraham’s Cabinet, Fitzgerald and Allyson Maynard-Gibson would have been fired years ago.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Fitzgerald will probably argue that he is not a beneficiary of any of his father’s business enterprises.

This argument would be similar to the one used by Maynard-Gibson, who told the Bahamian people that her close family’s business at Baha Mar does not compromise her position as the government’s negotiator for Baha Mar. If there is one thing I have learned from Christie those is that they take the Bahamian people for fools.

Whatever one makes of this Baha Mar debacle, it is beginning to look like Fitzgerald and co elbowed Sarkis Izmirlian out of the way in petty retaliation for not acquiescing to their personal requests and demands.

The Fitzgerald leaked emails gives the Bahamian people an inside clue as to probably why these people fought Izmirlian tooth and nail to prevent that bankruptcy hearing in a US court.

Every single deal would have been laid bare for the whole world to see.

It was never about this country’s national sovereignty, for as Hubert Ingraham stated, Atlantis developer Sol Kerzner filed for bankruptcy in the US before, and no Bahamian took umbrage to him doing so.

Precedence in this regard had already been set. Furthermore, if PM Christie is so concerned about this country’s sovereignty, why does he along with his government hide behind the cloak of the Privy Council when the issue of the death penalty arises?

The Privy Council is a foreign court dictating to this country that it cannot execute convicted murderers, despite the fact that well over 1,100 murders have taken place in this country over the last decade.

The members of that foreign court do not live in our

Nassau communities which have been taken over by dangerous criminal enterprises.

The PLP sacrificed 2,000 Bahamian jobs on the altar of political expediency.

They didn’t care about the thousands of families who would suffer needlessly because of their decision.

Two-thousand Bahamians left jobless. But Fitzgerald gets to keep his soft paying job. Maynard-Gibson also gets to keep hers.

Those with good memory would recall that MaynardGibson was instrumental in destroying the once promising political career of former PLP MP Pleasant Bridgewater during the John Travolta saga on Grand Bahama.

Maynard-Gibson showed no mercy to her former political protege and ally.

Fitzgerald has survived the Rubis oil spill debacle.

He has survived the nolle prosequi saga.

He also was seen along with some PLP ministers in a video at Nygard Cay with Massa Peter Nygard.

Nygard was congratulating them on defeating the FNM. The calls for their dismissal fell on deaf ears.

Any calls for Fitzgerald to stand down will also fall on deaf ears. PLPs are already defending him, even though it does not make one bit of sense to do so.

Fitzgerald, like MaynardGibson, has nine political lives just like cats. No matter how many political deaths they suffer, they keep coming back to life, because their party keeps resuscitating them.

Nothing will come of this latest scandal. Nothing ever does.

Any further calls for the dismissal of Fitzgerald and Maynard-Gibson might incur the middle finger from the PM. Thankfully, the general election is just days away, so the Bahamian people will have the opportunity to do what the PM should have done years ago.

THE WHISTLEBLOWER Nassau, April 23, 2017.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 25, 2017, PAGE 5

DNA defends candidate over pictures with gun

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Democratic National Alliance (DNA) yesterday defended its Nassau Village candidate, after pictures of Mario Lockhart brandishing a handgun and posing with scantily-clad women went viral on social media over the weekend.

Mr Lockhart, the former chauffeur of Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Nassau Village incumbent Dion Smith, was ratified by the DNA in March.

At the time, he accused the government of not caring for the people and said his campaign to win the Nassau Village seat will be honest and will cater to the needs of area residents who have been neglected.

Pictures of Mr Lockhart, taken from his Facebook page, went viral over the weekend. In one of the photos, Mr Lockhart is seen sitting in a car with a gun in his left hand. In another photo, the DNA candidate is seen hugging two women wearing lingerie in what

seems to be a gentleman’s club.

Mr Lockhart’s Facebook page has since been deactivated.

The photos prompted outrage on social media, with many questioning if the DNA and its leader Branville McCartney “properly vetted” its candidates before they were nominated.

However in a statement yesterday, the DNA said the pictures were a year old and taken while Mr Lockhart was in the United States on vacation, long before he “even considered becoming a candidate”.

“As expected during this season however, the release of these private photos was obviously done with malicious intent and are an attempt by political operatives to not only paint Mr Lockhart in a negative light but to also distract voters from the truly offensive behaviour perpetrated by members of the governing party in recent days,” the statement said.

“The Democratic Na-

tional Alliance wishes to make clear that Mr Lockhart has not broken any laws. As the former proprietor of his own security firm and his work as a personal bodyguard, Mr Lockhart has a clean police record and has never been convicted of any crimes in any jurisdiction.

“The firearm which appears in the photo is a legal and licensed firearm belonging to a long-time friend of Mr Lockhart who currently resides in Florida.

It is also important to note that even in the Bahamas it is possible for Bahamians to apply for, and in some cases, receive permits to carry handguns based on the nature of their professions.

“It is completely unfair to attempt to paint this Bahamian - who also previously served as the driver and aide to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly simply because he is from the Nassau Village community.”

The statement said the pictures do not change how the DNA feels about Mr Lockhart.

A PHOTOGRAPH of Mario Lockhart circulating on social media.

LLOYD CONDEMNS ‘CULTURE OF CORRUPTION’

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement South Beach candidate Jeffery Lloyd yesterday contended that a “culture of slackness, dishonesty and corruption” has manifested the ranks of political elites in The Bahamas, insisting that the culture had now infected and hampered every aspect of the Bahamian society.

“What is so pathetic, unfortunate, even tragic, is that those who are charged with the sacred guardianship of these noble and sovereign boundaries, are in fact their prime violators,” was how the noted radio personality and lawyer characterised the alarming number of politicians being accused of financial impro-

JEFF LLOYD, FNM candidate for South Beach.

Photo: Yontalay Bowe priety.

Reflecting on the revelations that fashion mogul Peter Nygard sent thousands of dollars per month to a Bank of America account belonging to Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson between August 2011 and January

2013 and Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald’s admission to seeking contracts worth millions from Baha Mar for his family’s business, both instances uncovered over the last week, Mr Lloyd stated: “No wonder our people’s respect for the traditional

mores of decency, fraternity and authority has witnessed such a decline in recent generations.”

He told The Tribune: “In 2000, the Bahamas’ Commission on Crime fingered a reality about our people that was stark and disturbing: ‘It stated: (paraphrasing) that we as a people are not beset by crime in the usual sense, but, rather, by a culture of slackness, dishonesty and corruption’.”

He added: “The recent media revelations surrounding the actions of Minister Fitzgerald and others identify the tragic manifestations of this culture at the very top of Bahamian society.

“And it does not end there. In almost every subdivision of national life, Bahamians have been con-

tinuously assaulted by an advancing decadence in our social, moral and legal foundations.”

To that end, Mr Lloyd said his party aims to present “a new day” in national governance. He said the incoming FNM administration is committed to restoring and ensuring a system of accountability, transparency and discipline to national and community life.

Mr Lloyd said that all Bahamians, especially those privileged to serve on a national stage, will come to appreciate that under an FNM administration, “slackness and moral turpitude will not be tolerated”.

The Christie administration has been dogged by scandals concerning several of its most senior members,

with the last week the most tenuous period for the administration.

The latest allegations and reports have resulted in several calls for resignations and firings.

Prime Minister Perry Christie on Friday several times refused questions from reporters over whether he would fire Mr Fitzgerald or demand his resignation as the Marathon candidate.

He also refused to address the issue when questioned yesterday.

Mr Christie is seeking his third non-consecutive term as prime minister and ninth term as member of Parliament for Centreville - inclusive of its incarnations as Farm Road. His first term as prime minister was also marred with controversy and scandal concerning government officials.

SYMONETTE DOUBTS SOME DISCLOSURES’ ACCURACY from page one

He suggested that there would be greater public confidence in the Public Disclosure Commission if its chair was not a political appointee, and stressed that any investigation into one candidate would have to be conducted on all.

“The intention of the Public Disclosure Act is that you do not make a considerable amount of money while you’re in office,” he said.

“Now, mine increased, I was out of office. Look over the last 35 years; look

at a lifestyle that does not reflect what happens on paper, that’s where I don’t feel comfortable. If this was an issue of an independent body that could look at it and be confidential, we’d have more confidence.”

Mr Symonette added: “But the man in the pulpit and the radio carries on about me. If rich people aren’t supposed to be in politics, then that is a sad day for The Bahamas.”

Mr Symonette, the Free National Movement’s candidate for St Anne’s, reported a net worth of $156.4m - nearly $100m more from his 2011 disclo-

sure of just over $65m.

“I have been out of politics for five years and my wealth increased. I’m quite comfortable,” he said.

“You look at Perry Christie and see he’s only worth some $2m. They’re looking for hullabaloo, check out (PLP Golden Gates incumbent) Shane Gibson. I don’t have a bank account in the US that I use to accept payments of some $94,000.

“I don’t know what the hullabaloo is about. I’m a businessman, I’ve disclosed my wealth over the past 20 years, I’m comfortable with my declaration. I’m not too

comfortable that everyone can be as comfortable as I am with the accuracy of the reporting.”

Mr Symonette underscored that he was not suggesting that there were inaccuracies in either candidate’s disclosure; however, he noted that Mr Christie’s net worth has hovered around $2m over three consecutive terms.

His comments concerning Minister of Labour Shane Gibson are a nod to revelations that Mr Gibson received payments of $5,000 month to his US account from Lyford Cay billionaire Peter Nygard. The

READERS RESPOND TO SHANE GIBSON STORY THE NEWS that Peter Nygard had sent thousands of dollars per month - totalling $94,131.10 - to a Bank of America account belonging to Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson prompted a lively response from readers on tribune242.com.

DDK said: “WOW! To think this is just the tip of the iceberg! Have any of the ‘scholarships’ been verified?”

Concernedcitizen asked: “If he wanted (it) for campaigning and scholarships, how come he was getting it in a US bank account?

DUH.” Sp1nks had this to say: “Another demonstration of blatant corruption permeating the government.

So, why is it that campaign contributions need to go to a US bank?”

DonAnthony wondered: “Are we sure these funds were spent as Minister Gibson said they were, where is

his proof? Our country desperately needs campaign finance regulations, which includes a ban on foreign sources of funds. These politicians are for the most part no more than employees of these contributors.”

OMG said: “So the money is paid into a US account, but Nygard has a foreign currency account in The Bahamas. So there has to be a paper trail of the transfers of money from the US to The Bahamas with the accompanying fees. Additionally, ask him to specifically name the recipients of the cash donations.”

TalRussell also raised the question of the US bank account: “Why in the hell would you set up a US bank

account to accept monthly constituency donations from a status resident living in the Bahamaland? Comrades, this is NOT 2012 period - so lets see whether the good constituents are willing to take one on the chin for their Member of Parliament.”

Documents obtained by The Tribune showed that Superwash Limited, the company owned by FNM candidate for Free Town Dionisio D’Aguilar, submitted three false declarations to the Bahamas Customs Department in 2014 which would have cost the government more than $35,000 in unpaid duty. Readers gave their views.

Viewersmatters responded with: “It’s a low damn shame to see the level of maturity being played by these supposed to be leaders. Who cares about Superwash and their dealings - the main thing is they got caught. They were later

prosecuted by the law of The Bahamas then made to pay what they owe customs and fined. What’s so surprising is we, the hardworking people of The Bahamas, are slaving to make a dollar just to pay Government taxes and expenses, just to have those tax monies stolen and misused - millions and millions of dollars went missing in every department under the PLP and not a single person has faced the court or (been) charged and Roberts has time to focus on 35,000 dollars!”

Jus2cents had a similar view: “This is just Roberts trying to get people to focus on someone other than the PLP’s corrupt cronies.

The whole Bahamas would be a lot better off if more businesses were managed as properly and ethically as Superwash!”

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

transactions were made prior to the 2012 general election, and continued in 2013 when he was a minister.

Mr Gibson has explained that the money was used as a contribution to his 2012 campaign, and for community initiatives in his constituency like student scholarships.

“Christie has a very nice house,” Mr Symonette continued, “right next to the largest hotel in The Bahamas and he has properties.

I’m not saying it’s (the disclosure) not accurate, the house may not be owned by him. That’s why I’m saying that I’m comfortable. It’s a

criminal offence if you can’t (support disclosures).”

“I think the problem with public disclosure is it’s not just potential MPs but senior government officials also have to disclose,” he said, “and we never know, and so we never know if it’s accurate. The head is an appointee of the current government so it’s a political appointment.

“If you appointed me you think I’m going to come and look at your accounts? That just ain’t (going to) happen.

And if they come and look at one person, they have to look at all,” Mr Symonette said.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, April 25, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Bishop attacks ‘gutter politics’ from page one Rather than “demonise” political candidates, Bishop Boyd called on voters to “discuss the issues,” adding: “We cannot allow our children to believe that the vast majority of persons serving or desirous of serving in political office do not have integrity or good character.”

Bishop Boyd’s letter, released yesterday, comes amid an election cycle that has already been marred by verbal jousting between political parties, and at least one confirmed physical altercation between supporters of two of the country’s major political parties, the PLP and the FNM. There has also been name-calling. In March, FNM Leader Dr Hubert

Minnis dubbed Prime Minister Perry Christie “Cotton Candy Christie” while insinuating that Mr Christie’s soft policies have contributed to Grand Bahama’s economic hardships. He has repeated the nickname over the past few weeks.

In January, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts criticised Dr Minnis’ and the FNM’s new slate of candidates to contest the upcoming election, charging that Dr Minnis’ selection of “hapless, perennial losers and visionless personalities” gave the impression that he rummaged through former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s “political junkyard or graveyard” to salvage what he termed a “political scrap gang.”

Despite also calling those FNM candidates “bad and

unfit” to run in the impending election, Mr Roberts later called for “peace and calm” during this election season, adding that “we can disagree without being disagreeable or insulting”.

Venom “I am personally horrified at the level of ‘gutter’ politics and venom that I see and hear being spewed around even in conventional media,” Bishop Boyd said in his letter. “In social media it is even worse, and so often there is little regard for truth. ‘Fake news’ is propagated as fact and so many of us are gullible to believe whatever we see that is negative or degrading about others.

“This must stop. Let us discuss the issues and not demonise the candidates.

“Unfortunately,” Bishop Boyd continued, “this terrible practice of denigrating and maligning others has the result of discouraging some decent people from wanting to serve in public life; too much is at stake, and a good name that one might have built up over the years is suddenly dragged through the mud by unscrupulous opponents.

“We cannot build a country like this, and we definitely cannot allow our children to believe that the vast majority of persons serving or desirous of serving in political office do not have integrity or good character.”

Bishop Boyd also called on voters to “be informed” and “take an interest in the national landscape,” adding that voters should attempt to get “a wide sampling of

what is going on” in the country in the lead up to May 10.

“Do not follow conventional media only: read online and read social media where possible,” he said.

“We want to get as total a picture as possible. Often, there is one conversation in the conventional media, and another, broader, more representative discussion can be seen in social media.

This is the modern reality.”

He added: “Obviously, some persons will have difficulty with reading for a variety of reasons, and we understand their circumstances. However, too many of us who have ability and opportunity do not read because we are lazy or undisciplined. It is far easier for us to look at a screen or to listen to something.

“This is a bad thing. It hurts us. It weakens the country. We have to do better.”

In March, Bishop Simeon Hall, pastor emeritus of New Covenant Baptist Church, renewed calls for “level-headed” political behaviour.

At the time, Bishop Hall cautioned major political parties over the tense nature of ongoing campaigns, insisting that violence of any kind - verbal or physical - would only offset the years of peaceful political process enjoyed in the Bahamas.

Bishop Hall said it is incumbent on all major political parties to set the tone of level-headed political behaviour during their campaigning activities, as their actions would direct their respective bases.

PM EXPLAINS WHY HE SAID ‘GOD CAN’T STOP ME NOW’ from page one

A passionate Mr Christie seemed to attribute the immense backlash he received over the remarks to politics, saying it has become clear that both the PLP and the Free National Movement (FNM) will compete in a way that is not helpful to the country.

However, he said through it all he has tried to “keep dignity and order” because as Prime Minister, he had an obligation to recognise that despite the “lies” told, people outside the country were watching.

He said: “When a Prime Minister like myself could go to St Paul’s Baptist Church just before flying to Exuma for the funeral of Tom Bastian’s son, the iconic union leader, and in that church speak to faith and the meaning of faith and quote verses from the Bible supporting faith, a verse that I am known to quote that the shield of faith in Ephesians chapter six will

omnipresence. I believe that the true inheritance or the framers of the Constitution tried to enshrine or push the basis of Christian spirit and make us connected. As we sit here in this place commissioning this wonderful station, the God that I believe in is present with us because He is omnipotent in making it happen here, omniscient - all knowledge and omnipresent here with us,” Mr Christie also said.

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff protect you notwithstand- church saying that, hours the training of adults giving what they throw against before I spoke in Exuma ing adults who missed the you, will protect you against and I said the only way that opportunity to have educathe fiery darts and arrows, I know how is through a tion, to be retrained. I said start by putting on the full personal commitment to it’s going to help us bring armour, so when the day of faith. about a magnificent … and “I fly to Exuma and I the microphone went out. I testing comes you are able decided to tell the people tapped it (and) I said ‘Lord to stand your ground.

“I then told them that I of my story of overcom- you can’t do this to me. I’m have this overriding com- ing the odds of education in full flow in making a pelling feeling to see my (and) telling them the Pro- speech and look at that, a mother again, my mother gressive Liberal Party will power failure’.” who is deceased. I am in issue a new programme of He continued: “And then somebody dared to question my faith, saying that I believe I am God or mightier than God. What they didn’t understand is we had the religious leaders there in that audience.

Some of them praying for us that day and all of them heard me in advocacy (say), ‘Please God, I am talking to people who are constituents of mine, do not let this stop now.’

“How many times (do) I have to quote John 3:16 to let them know that I been to Sunday school? ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son’; how many times do I have to do that?

“But how can you ever believe that someone with my experience, with people who are church leaders in my family who I have said in the national Parliament that I made a mistake that I owe to them an apology because I have always guided my life by making them proud of me. Who took me to Sunday school and you question whether I understand God?” “And so that there is not doubt in what I say like you, I believe in God. I believe in the omniscience, the omnipotence and the

Faith Mr Christie told those gathered that had they known he spoke to faith before the mass rally then it would have been harder to question his relationship with God. “I am happy we have a Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas. Praise the Lord. I’m serious. I just want to be able to say that I have chosen to speak to the issue of truth because I understand too clearly that the only way I may be able to see my mommy again is through faith and through an enduring faith and so that you know that very same day I said to the people in my speech and that speech was recorded for broadcast, that we supposed to pay for, because in that speech I spoke to the redemptive power of second chance.

And I said to the people of Exuma that, for too long, you have not been participating in the economy of your country. I said look at my life where I was put out of school and had to fight my way back. God is good.

I said God is awesome. I said that right in the same speech.

“I say these things only to say that I have the privilege of being Prime Minister and speaking to an audience of the Bahamas through the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. Sometimes it’s very difficult in all that you do and say when we are engaged in the political arena.

“But what is very clear now is that both sides will be competing in a way that is not helpful to this country.

“I have tried my best to keep dignity (and) order and will continue to because

as Prime Minister I have an obligation to recognise that notwithstanding the lies that are told about people, people outside this country are watching. We are defining ourselves as a nation on what we say and what we do about each other.

“I may be a calm and peaceful person, but I have a duty to advise and hopefully influence all who are a part of my leadership.

But we have to be so careful that we do not divide so strongly that the division is permanent and harmful and involves hatred and dislike.

“We must be so careful as custodians of our democracy as to recognise that we have had wonderful battles in public life (and) wonderful elections where we have been able to peacefully transition from one party to the next. It is my hope that the spirit that binds us together, that Christian spirit, will enable us to continue to enjoy that.”

Mr Christie’s remarks in Exuma caused a backlash after video and audio of his comments went viral on social media.

“We are going to in this next term, turn Exuma into a fine example of what should happen,” he said, as his microphone cut out before scores of supporters at the Exuma rally on Saturday night.

“Listen, it going so good, God can’t stop me now,” he continued, after tapping the microphone, to cheers and laughter.

But away from the rally, Mr Christie’s “blasphemous” comment brought scorn, with Branville McCartney saying on Sunday night the remarks were “indicative of the lack of deference which he and other members of his government give to the Almighty” in a nation founded on Christian principles.

“The country has watched, many of us in utter disbelief, as the Prime Minister’s arrogance, and outright disdain for all things spiritual has ballooned to match the incompetence of his administration,” he said, making reference to Mr Christie’s middle finger gesture at a PLP rally last month.

PM SAYS CLAIM OF SON’S PAY IS ‘CRAZY’ from page one

Yesterday, it was reported that Mr Christie’s son was the real estate agent for Cross & Mosko Real Estate and Development Company when CCA acquired the Bay Street hotel. The report further alleged that Steffan Christie and another employee at Mosko Realty negotiated the sale and split the commission fee when the transaction was final.

“In today’s Bahamas, you have to be very careful,” Mr Christie said as he began remarks at a ceremony to commission the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas’ new 300ft transmission tower. “I belong to one of the most dangerous professions.”

He continued: “In today’s Bahamas, where there is an incredible amount of fake news it is more important

for the Broadcasting Corporation to reach its standards and adhere to standards where they can say if I am looking for truth I know who to look to.

“It took me 42 years in public life and 43 years of marriage to earn a worth of what it is today. And then the press could allege that my son in one swoop could have three times the amount of money that I earned in 40 something years or 70 years of my life?

“But this is crazy. That is why I advocate this morning for there to be standards that even when we are down, mired in the depth of politics, we must not leave the standard that is required of a national broadcast corporation.

“You must not lower it.

You must protect (it) because it is what is owned by all of the people of the country.”

Prime Minister Christie, the PLP’s incumbent for Centreville, is among a long list of millionaires and wealthy candidates who are vying for seats in the House of Assembly, according to financial disclosures submitted to the Parliamentary Registration Department.

Mr Christie, according to these disclosures, listed his net worth as $2,029,151, which is roughly the same amount he declared in 2012. He was worth about $2.2m according to his declaration in 2007.

According to the latest declaration, of his assets Mr Christie listed $226,435 in savings accounts, $27,375 in current accounts and $10,000 in securities. He listed $69,878 in accounts receivable and said his home is worth $700,000. He listed a salary of $139,000 with other income as $11,860.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 25, 2017, PAGE 7

New tower installed for free to air TV channels

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) yesterday commissioned a new 300ft transmission tower which will enable everyone to watch ZNS TV 13, the Parliamentary Channel and a third community announcements channel free of charge via “Free 2 Air”.

Viewers no longer need Cable Bahamas’ TV services or BTC’s Flow TV to view these three channels, officials said.

During the commissioning service at the Harold Road site, Prime Minister Perry Christie said it would increase the capability of the BCB, as he insisted

that ZNS is there to turn to when all other sources fail or falter.

ZNS General Manager Diana Swann added that the tower signified the fulfillment of a long-standing dream for those at the corporation, despite it being “well over budget.” She declined to reveal this to the small group gathered for the ceremony.

Following the commissioning, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage was asked about the cost of the tower, but said he did not know and directed The Tribune to the corporation’s general manager.

She declined to comment, but explained why the project had gone over budget.

Ms Swann said: “When

we first started construction because as you can see behind there is an old tower that we had to take down, we had to go a few hundred feet more into the ground as for the specification for the company that actually constructed the tower. We had to go deeper than we had anticipated.

“We also had more shipping costs. When we did all of our figures for shipping we left off some things. We didn’t realise that it was going to take so many packages of cargo.

Then we had to pay environmental fees, the shipping, the crane and all of that to come out. We didn’t actually add all of that in so we went over budget - not by much, but we were a little over budg-

eted for the tower, but it was well worth it.

“Right now 107.9 and 104.5fm has been enhanced.

‘Free 2 Air’ is there. This is a TV and radio tower and so we are pretty much happy. It can withstand winds of hurricane three to four force, so we are pretty happy.”

She added: “We were actually completing this when (Hurricane) Matthew came along. It was almost completed or it was completed, but we had to send the riggers back up and take off the accessories you see there because we didn’t want to lose any. So it withstood Hurricane Matthew.”

She said the work began between June and July, 2016, and was completed between February and

March this year.

Mr Christie said this was another advancement for the BCB. “This is another technological and engineering advancement that has been made by the Broadcasting Corporation in over 80 years of existence and service to the Bahamian people. I like to point out in these types of occasions that this new infrastructure represents a significant investment in this project. It is necessary to point this out because there are some people who seem not to appreciate what it takes in the total scheme of things to manage and run the government.

“Today you are looking at one such service that has been provided by the gov-

ernment to one of its corporations. The ZNS network is there to turn to when all other sources fail or falter,” Mr Christie added.

He said more than ever in this age when anything goes as news or opinion, the country needed the BCB to maintain the higher standard.

“To the staff, yours is a special responsibility, a special mandate and it demands more of you than your competitors. I want you to reach that point as I have indicated and I’ve stressed it where the public will have to ask ‘Did you hear that on ZNS?’ More is expected of you by your listeners. You must not fall into the trap of following your competition. Let them match your standards.”

TWO HELD AFTER MAN SHOT DEAD IN APARTMENT from page one

A short while later, police arrested two men in connection with the shooting death. Police have not identified the victim but The Tribune understands he is Khali Fox. Investigations are continuing.

The latest killing takes the country’s murder count to 49 for the year and marks the fifth homicide since Thursday, according to The Tribune’s records.Meanwhile, police in the capital are appealing to the public for help in solving three of New Providence’s recent homicides.

A man was killed around 10pm on Saturday - the third murder for the weekend.

According to reports, police received information that a man was shot in front of a home on Knowles Drive, off Tonique Williams-Darling Highway.

When officers arrived, they found the lifeless body of a man lying on the ground. The victim had been shot several times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another homicide took place shortly after 10pm on Friday off Augusta Street.

According to reports, a

POLICE at the scene of the shooting in Freeport. man was driving his vehicle in the area of Bola Alley and Augusta Street, when two men armed with handguns approached his vehicle and fired several shots at him before fleeing the area on foot.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

A few hours earlier,

shortly after 4pm, police were on the scene of another homicide, this time in the Market Street area.

Police said a group of men were standing in front of a car wash on Market Street, near Palm Tree Avenue, when the occupants of a dark coloured vehicle pulled up and fired several

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn shots at them before speeding off. Two of the men were shot and taken to hospital. One of the men died shortly after his arrival and the other is listed in serious condition.

Officers chased the suspects into the Ridgeland Park area, where the three men fled on foot from the

getaway vehicle.

Officers chased the men again and caught the three suspects near a bushy area.

Police discovered a tech 9 automatic firearm and a .40 pistol along with several rounds of ammunition on the men.

Police believe the three suspects are responsible

for several homicides and armed robberies.

Police have no motive for any of the homicides.

Anyone with information on any of these homicides is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.

FIVE TAXI DRIVERS AND WATERCRAFT OPERATORS ARE ACCUSED OF SUPPLYING COCAINE ON PARADISE ISLAND

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

FIVE taxi drivers and watercraft operators were remanded to prison yesterday after being accused of soliciting patrons and supplying cocaine on Paradise Island.

Shanthron Sawyer, 24, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney facing a charge of “soliciting persons for the purpose of selling drugs” in contravention of the Dangerous Drugs Act. It is alleged that on April 6, while at Paradise Island, he solicited Jasmin Garcia and Lexlly Rivera

for the purpose of selling drugs.

Garcia and Rivera are US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials who were conducting a sting operation with local law enforcement at the time.

The watercraft operator denied the allegation when called on to answer to the charge.

A similar allegation was levied against a colleague, 30-year-old Aaron Curtis, who pleaded not guilty to soliciting Garcia and Rivera on the same date. He further denied being in possession of dangerous drugs and a third charge - supplying dangerous drugs - on the

date in question.

Marcel Flowers, 50, Taurus Farrington, 43, and Brian Evans, 27 - all cab drivers - were also accused of soliciting Garcia and Rivera, as well as being in possession of and supplying cocaine.

They also denied committing any crimes.

They are set to appear before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes on May 2 for a fixture hearing where they will receive a date for trial.

They were remanded to the Department of Correctional Services in the interim. However, they have the right to apply for bail in the Supreme Court.

MONTH-LONG DELAY FOR TWO US MEN ACCUSED OF MANSLAUGHTER

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE CASE of two Americans facing trial for manslaughter has been delayed by at least a month.

Tyler Valles and Robert Schwarz appeared before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs yesterday for the expected start of their trial in connection with the killing of a fellow countryman in Bimini.

However, Wayne Munroe, QC, lawyer for Valles, indicated that he intends to be heard on a constitutional

motion before the start of prosecution against the pair and said he expected to file the necessary documents within two days.

As the motion has to be heard before trial can proceed, the matter was further adjourned to May 24.

Valles, 21, and Schwarz, 64, are charged with the March 14, 2014 manslaughter of 45-year-old Carl David Yerder, in which it is alleged that they are criminally liable for Yerder’s death.

Yerder, of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, was found

lying in the grounds of a hotel with stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accused men were each granted $30,000 cash bail when arraigned in Magistrate’s Court five days after the victim’s death.

They pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge when formally arraigned in the Supreme Court.

Mr Munroe represents Valles while Jomo Campbell represents Schwarz.

Cordell Frazier and Anya Allen appear for the Crown.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, April 25, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Arrogance, avoidance and achievements - a voter’s guide J

EROME Fitzgerald’s response to reporters on Nomination Day, after The Tribune article which revealed emails he sent to Baha Mar developer Sarkis

By NICOLE BURROWS Izmirlian: “I’ll respond to that later. what he’ll do to absolve Any other questions? himself. After all, we are Ok.” just sinners who repent eveThe arrogance was and is ry day, right? astounding.

Fitzgerald totally missed In other words, ‘Yeah, I - or ignored, more probably said it. I wrote it, I sent it, so - the point about his eventuwhat? Y’all know y’all was al statement that there was ga do it, too. Don’t study nothing incorrect in The the noise, we still run tings. Tribune’s publication of his PLP on erryting. So lick dat email requests to Izmirlian. drum again, lemme dance The public with a consome more, cuz das what science would like Fitzgery’all fools like ... dancing ald to know it doesn’t matand drinking ... not think- ter if you supposedly don’t ing. Watch dis ... looka dis benefit now from what foot work. Perry can’t test you requested in emails to me.’

Izmirlian back then. The Nomination is for repre- fact that you asked in the sentation. You nominate first place is the problem! who you think best repre- Slick and unapologetic. sents you in government/ Moral of this story: vote Parliament. What does that for someone other than Jetell you about too many rome Fitzgerald.

Bahamian people In response and the degree to questions by ‘Avoiding the of concern they reporters about give to who repre- question. his Cabinet minsents them? They Ignore it ister’s contract don’t give a crap; solicitation to and it’ll go if you’re loyal to Baha Mar, Prime them, they’ll sup- away long Minister Perry port you even if enough to Christie said: your behaviour is “Thank you very not matter to contemptible or much, thank you people they corruptible. very much, thank Then, after the can easily you very much ...” fancy foot display, and once or twice brainwash, Fitzgerald added, more. Avoiding “God willing, vic- bully, or bribe the question. tory will be ours.” to vote for That’s the anBecause he’s swer?

Ignore it not being per- them.’ and it’ll go away ceived as rightlong enough to eous, invoking what the not matter to people they masses perceive as a higher can easily brainwash, bully, power should make him or bribe to vote for them. appear to them to be more Sadly, this type of thing righteous ... turn his dark- - inappropriate solicitation ness into light. So that’s - is appealing to many Ba-

hamians. How much you can get away with and how much you can get done on the side is almost a badge of honour in this corrupt little town.

The same day he gave no comment about begging Fitzgerald, Christie also chose to announce that this upcoming general election is, supposedly, the last time he will be nominating as a candidate for the Centreville constituency.

But why we might believe him now? He’s said as much many times before and yet still he’s here nominating in 2017.

In the same interview tired Christie gave, he referenced John ‘Chippie’ Chipman, the grandfather of his Free National Movement (FNM) opponent in Centreville, who he believes is on his side, saying “This is a man after whom a street was named.” So friggin what, Christie? What the hell does that have to do with anything? Apparently, “it’s an extraordinary statement of support for my legacy, really ...”

Yes, it is always about Christie’s legacy.

After 40-plus years and a horrible record in public service, Christie is, unsurprisingly, still caught up in himself and still talking about his legacy. Mr Christie, your beloved ‘legacy’ is not what you want it to be, it really just is what it is. The nothing we see before us is what we’ll remember you for.

Memorial Service For Mrs. Goldie Devetta Brown-Munnings, 63 a resident of Leeward East, and formerly of Thaxton Virginia, will be held on Thursday, April 27th, 2017, 5:00 p.m., at The Chapel of Cedar Crest Funeral Home, Robinson and Baillou Hill Roads. Officiating will be Rev. Fr. Dr. Roland Hamilton.

Goldie Brown-Munnings the ninth of thirteen children was born on May 10, 1954 in Thaxton, Va under an apple tree to Mary and Pierce Brown. She moved to New Jersey in 1982 to start a new life with her husband and 2 children. In 1983, she graduated from Wilfred Academy of Beauty and went on to open several of her own businesses, Goldie’s Hair, Skin and Nails (Montclair, NJ), Colours of Beauty (West Orange, NJ) and Divine Hair Studio (Bahamas). Goldie moved to the Bahamas in 1997, where she married Ernest Munnings (Bahamas). She is a lifetime member of the NAACP. She also loved to entertain and was very much into fashion and the latest beauty trends. She frequented many hair shows throughout her career, and used this additional knowledge to always make others look and feel beautiful. She was an extremely gifted Hair Dresser.

Loving memories will remain in the hearts of Brothers: Leroy Brown, Charles Brown, Anthony Brown, William Brown and Phillip Brown, Eugene Terry (Fannie) of Forest, VA; Sisters: Blanche Kasey, Louise Poindexter, Lillie Hughes, Ennis Graham (Jerry) both of Roanoke, VA and Cynthia Page of NJ; Daughters: Teresa Brown of NJ and Julia Saunders (Joseph) of Charlotte, NC; 6 granddaughters: Chantea Brown of NJ, Kourtney Ray (Alan), Kiara Saunders, Kamirah Saunders, Kamillah Saunders of NC and Zulimah Sawab of NJ; Great-grandchildren: Khalil Saunders, Jahlil Saunders, Josilynn Brown and King Harper. A host of nieces, nephews. Friends: Beth Burrows, Nicola Sweeting, Amos Dames Jr., Blair Sweeting, Eva Hilton, Maggie Moss, Troy and Sharene Oliver, Father Roland and Mrs Ramona Hamilton, Jane Gorman, Amos Dames Sr., Carla Mc Combe and the staff at Windermere Beauty Salon, The Director and staff of BTVI, Milton Mosko, Sophia Walker, Anthea Cox, Tanya Astwood, Tanya Smith, Kenneth and Karen Walcott, Janet and Lisa Bostwick, Aliyah Allen, Debbie Smith, Bethsheba Haven, Sissily Johnson, Melanie Hilton, Mesha Bastian, Michilyn Watson, Sancha Bain, Brea Brennen, Nadia Wright, Tanya Ingraham, Mikayla Budai, Nicole Watkin, Suzette Constance and Vanessa.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Cedar Crest Funeral Home and Crematorium Ltd, Robinson and Baillou Hill Roads.

Moral of this story: vote we move along, with him to the Bahamian people in THE PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party candidate for Marathon, Jerome Fitzgerald, on his way to being nominated at CI Gibson High School.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff for someone other than Perry Christie.

In the other corner, we get a news story that the FNM is more favourable amongst surveyed Bahamians, in a FNM-commissioned survey. Okay, then. Forgive me if I take the results of said survey paid for by you that favours you, with 10,000 grains of salt.

Hubert Minnis, meanwhile is talking about his “manOfesto” and “the various different things” in it and how some part of it “were certain information” but, as for other information, “those information” could not be included in the “manOfesto”. Yeah. That’s a potential leader of the Bahamas. Well, I suppose he really would be representative of Bahamians.

Minnis also lost his mind in the same interview and dared to say something works in Freeport.

He says his idea of creating tax free zones in the inner city was done in Freeport and it improved the quality of life for the people in Freeport. Hold up. Created opportunities for the people of Freeport? What planet is Minnis from? He mussy been inhaling too much of that dump smoke drifting over to Killarney. And as

stepping on his own tongue every time he speaks, the people lifting him up are probably still telling him he’s like Moses and Turnquest could be his Aaron.

Moral of this story: vote for someone other than Hubert Minnis.

And Obie Wilchcombe... the story just wouldn’t be complete without him, would it? Wilchcombe says “we’re gonna be transforming” West Grand Bahama and Bimini!

Still, Obie? You still transforming West Grand Bahama and Bimini these humteen a years later?

But ain’t not a damn thing changed there that can be perceived as positive transformation. And you still singing dis same ole tired song?

Moral of this story: vote for someone other than Obie Wilchcombe.

Philip Galanis, former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Member of Parliament, shows up to the microphone again with some very intelligent foolish comments, presumably in support of the PLP? It’s really hard to call it support.

Galanis says the PLP government has made achievements that they themselves have not properly marketed, not communicated

a way they can understand what the PLP has done.

These achievements are: 1 The PLP “effectively introduced Value-Added Tax” (VAT), which is “a very positive development for the country”, but the PLP has provided “insufficient reporting of where the VAT money went”.

2 The PLP has delivered on the web shops; they “said they’d do something about web shops” and they did, “even though it went against the will of the people”.

3 The PLP said it wanted to do something about National Health Insurance (NHI), it “had a clearly defined vision, though it was not implemented”.

I’m confused. Is Galanis arguing for or against the PLP? Because if he’s arguing in their favour he is doing them no favour.

It sounds like these socalled achievements are of little or no real consequence.

Moral of this story: don’t vote PLP. • You can watch and listen to Nicole Burrows talking through this article and other thoughts on fb.me/ PolitiColeTV. Comments and responses to nburrows@tribunemedia.net

WHY THE SILENT MAJORITY WILL DECIDE IN 2012, I voted for the Free National Movement (FNM). I voted for the FNM in every election I’ve ever voted in ... and then I woke up from my long slumber.

The crowd at the FNM rally on Fort Charlotte in 2012 was gigantic and impassioned. The PLP crowd the same week in 2012 was

comparable. In my mind, based on supporter crowd size, the FNM should have won the 2012 election. They did not.

I failed to take into account, at the time, the presence of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), who no one thought would make the slightest dent in the returns, and whose

Funeral Service BERNARD GREGORY LOCKHART, 79 of Glinton Square, and formerly of Gregory Town, Eleuthera, will be held on Thursday, 27th April 2017, 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Boyd Road.

Monsignor John Johnson will officiate. Interment will follow in the church’s cemetery, Tyler Street.

Bernard is predeceased by his daughter, Donna Smith.

He is survived by five grandchildren: Sophie, Patrick, Dominique, Lakeisha Smith and Lashawn Turnquest; nine great-grandchildren: Shelayah, Shannon, Doniqua, Kennedy, Warren, Janiah, Brianna, Lashawn II and Joshua; three sisters: Sister Agnes Johnson, O.S.B., Carolyn Moxey; aka rita and Cynthia Neely; thirteen nieces; sixteen nephews; other relatives including: The Thompson, Johnson, Petty and Cambridge Families, Monsignor John Johnson, Lewis Street community, the entire community of Gregory Town, and other families and friends too numerous to mention.

Friends may pay their last respects at Bethel Brothers Morticians #34 Nassau Street, on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and at the church on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until service time.

crowd size I had not seen and whose supporters I did not understand.

But more than that, I didn’t realise the DNA crowd size was something that was hard to see. The people who voted for the DNA were not people who went to rallies. The people who voted for the DNA were people I knew, people who took me by complete surprise when I later found out they had voted for the DNA. None of them would ever have attended a rally.

They are the people who support silently ... who we refer to as the silent majority of voters. They are also a large part of the group we call the swing voters.

And when they vote again, you won’t know how many of them there are until the returns are in on Election Day. It is hard to project whether the DNA or FNM will gain more votes in the 2017 general election, but I have enough reason to believe that, unless the PLP fully and relentlessly engages bribe-making and votebuying and obeah, the PLP will not be the party to gain the most votes. Because, I also believe, the PLP has lost more supporters to the DNA and to the FNM than either the DNA or FNM has lost to the PLP. The only real question is how many times larger is that group of silent and swing voters now, in 2017, after five years of PLP nongovernance?

• You can watch and listen to Nicole Burrows talking through this article and other thoughts on fb.me/ PolitiColeTV. Comments and responses to nburrows@tribunemedia.net

THE TRIBUNE

Nassau Village ‘has been let down’ says BCP candidate

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net REGISTERED voters in the Nassau Village constituency have been urged by a fringe political party official to select a representative from their community who will represent their interests.

Aaron Cox, administrative chairman of the Bahamas Constitution Party (BCP) and candidate for Nassau Village, told The Tribune yesterday that the successive administrations of the two major political parties have let down Nassau Village.

“It is my solemn desire to represent the Nassau Village constituency in the House of Assembly,” Mr Cox said.

“I want to work for you.

I want to represent you. I cannot do that without your support and your help. By both of us working together we can make a stronger community, a viable community and a more healthy community for us to live,” he said in a plea to his community.

In the 2002 general election, the tour driver failed in his bid to win the Golden Isles constituency for the now disbanded Bahamas Democratic Movement, which won only 414 of 130,000 votes cast that election year.

The BCP won 96 votes of the 155,000 plus votes that were counted in the 2012 election after a decade’s absence when it won 12 votes in 2002.

In the 2012 election, Dion Smith, on the Progressive Liberal Party ‘s (PLP) ticket, secured the Nassau Village seat with 2,262 votes from the Free National Movement’s (FNM) Basil Moss, with 1,518, and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Deputy Leader Chris Mortimer, who won 834 votes.

Though Mr Cox initially supported the DNA bid to defeat the two main parties in the 2012 general election, he joined the BCP in 2015 after receiving no reply from the DNA on becoming a candidate for it in his community.

While Mr Smith was rati-

fied by the PLP, the FNM and DNA have selected Halson Moultrie and Mario Lockhart respectively to vie for the constituency.

“I’ve been a resident of Nassau Village for the past ten years,” Mr Cox said yesterday.

“I’ve seen the decay in our country. I’ve seen the decay in our community and I’ve seen the decay in my neighbourhood. I want to help represent you in Parliament. Working together as a team I believe that we can make a stronger community that works for us. We live here.

“We’ve given the FNM and the PLP an opportunity to run our community and they have not done it properly. Let’s not rely on them anymore. Let’s work together as a team and let’s build a stronger community, you and I. Let me take your concerns to Parliament. Let me take your fears, your dreams, your goals, what you want to happen for your community (to Parliament).

“The time is now,” Mr Cox concluded. The election is May 10.

BAHAMIAN artist Andret John with the bust of the late Sir Lynden Pindling, the first Prime Minister of the Bahamas, after it was unveiled in the Hall of Heroes of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on April 20.

BUST OF SIR LYNDEN PINDLING IS UNVEILED IN WASHINGTON A MARBLE bust of Sir Lynden Pindling, the first Prime Minister of The Bahamas, has been unveiled in Washington, fulfilling a dream for one Bahamian sculptor.

Andret John, who was born in Eleuthera in 1973, the year that Sir Lynden led the country to independence from Great Britain, was present to see his handiwork unveiled last week in the Hall of Heroes at the Organisation of American States (OAS). Mr John, who was born in Eleuthera in 1973, the year that The Bahamas attained independence from Great Britain under the leadership of Sir Lynden, said he was “beyond excited when I got the news of being commissioned to sculpt the bust of Sir Lynden”. He said it was a dream of his “for many years to sculpt this national hero”.

Dame Marguerite Pindling, the Governor General, unveiled the bust of her late husband while their son Obafemi, director of the Sir Lynden Pindling Foundation, described the memorial as ranking “if not at the

top, very near to the top of them all”.

“Over the years, my dad has received all manner of awards and honours both at home and abroad,” Mr Pindling told the audience of dignitaries and politicians.

“At home, it is somewhat expected that he would be shown love and admiration from those who support him. The cynics would say, ‘Well, what do you expect from his supporters?’ However, when the international community, especially an organisation as prestigious as the OAS, pays homage, and gives recognition to his achievements, it is overwhelming, to say the least. It gives an even greater sense of pride and appreciation as it lends credence to the old saying, ‘It’s not what you think of yourself; it is more important what others think of you’.

Recognised as “The Father of the Nation”, Sir Lynden was Prime Minister of The Bahamas from 1967 to 1992. Shortly after he returned from Law School in England, he joined the newly formed Progressive

Liberal Party (PLP) in 1953 and was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1956.

He became Parliamentary Leader of the party after Henry Milton Taylor, the then Chairman of PLP, was defeated in the 1956 general election and was elected the party’s Parliamentary Leader. He went on to win successive elections to the House of Assembly from 1962 to 1997.

On January 10, 1967, the PLP and the governing United Bahamian Party (UBP) each won 18 seats in the House of Assembly, but Randol Fawkes (the lone Labour MP) voted to sit with the PLP, and Sir Alvin Braynen, an independent MP, agreed to become Speaker, enabling Sir Lynden to form the first Majority Rule government in Bahamian history.

Sir Lynden went on to lead Bahamians to independence from Great Britain on July 10, 1973. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983. He retired from politics in 1997 and died three years later after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017, PAGE 9

PAGE 10, Tuesday, April 25, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

MONEY DONATED TO HELP WITH DRUG ABUSE PROGRAMME THE Bahamas Association for Social Health (BASH) recently received much needed assistance to offset the cost of operating its adult male drug abuse programme.

The latest donation came from regional bank CIBC FirstCaribbean whose District Manager Ericka Rolle said the bank made the donation to BASH because it recognises the importance of the programme for the treatment and prevention of those suffering from substance dependency.

“I think this donation is important to all of us because many Bahamian families have experienced the pain of having a loved one or a family member struggle with substance abuse, so hopefully this donation will help BASH provide treatment to those in need,” Ms

Rolle said.

BASH manages an adult male residential substance dependency treatment and rehabilitation programme.

Terry Miller, executive director at BASH, thanked CIBC FirstCaribbean for the donation, which he said will be used to support daily operations at the facility.

“It’s always an honour to receive a donation, which is a reminder that people still care about the work you are doing and to know that it is still important to society.

We are very grateful for CIBC FirstCaribbean’s donation,” Mr Miller said.

Mr Miller said that 20 men currently reside at the facility and are undergoing treatment.

He also noted that most of the men who enter into the programme do so of their own free will after

recognising that they have a problem, while others are brought into the programme by desperate family members with a desire to save their loved one’s life.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is that drugs are still a major problem in our country and a lot of people are still addicted and a lot of families are still hurting. For every person that comes into our programme, whether they get well or not during the period they are in the programme there is still some peace brought to their families while they are here,” he said.

“The government gives us five percent of our budget and we have to find the rest; we do a lot of work for ourselves, but we could also use help from other members of the community,” Mr Miller continued.

CIBC FirstCaribbean district manager Ericka Rolle (left) and business analyst Antoinette Fox (right) present BASH executive director Terry Miller (centre) with a donation to assist with the cost of operating its adult male drug abuse programme.

OSWALD INGRAHAM, deputy to the Governor General, and his wife cutting the ribbon as executives from Damen and Van Oord, Dr Bernard Nottage, Captain Tellis Bethel, his wife and senior Defence Force officers look on.

Photo: Marine Seaman Kyle Smith/RBDF

LANDMARK MOMENT IN SANDY BOTTOM PROJECT MEMBERS of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) have been celebrating reaching another milestone within the multimillion dollar Sandy Bottom Project Agreement.

Signed in 2014, the agreement between the government, VAN Oord, the Dutch dredging company, and Damen allocated funds not only for the provision

of nine new state-of-theart patrol and auxiliary craft but also for the improvement and creation of adequate jetties, docks and breakwaters that could house the existing and recently acquired craft in Coral Harbour, Ragged Island and Inagua.

The signing of the agreement ushered the Defence Force into a new era. Since

then, work has been progressing very steadily and Thursday night’s ceremony signified the ending of the project’s second phase.

The final phase of the Sandy Bottom Project has already begun and will see the completion of warehouses, ramps, an operations centre, workshops, ware house facilities, as well as continuation of in-

crease in Force strength.

Minister of National Security Dr Bernand Nottage spoke of the vision of Sir Lynden Pindling which was first made public in 1975. He revealed that it was the intent of his government to continue to ensure the Defence Force was properly outfitted and equipped to continue “guarding our heritage”.

Captain Tellis Bethel,

Commander Defence Force (Acting), told the history of the Coral Harbour Base, dating back to 1965, and highlighted comparisons of today’s fleet and port facilities to yesteryear.

Mark Roelofs, Area Director of Van Oord, outlinined the sustainable nature of the project, its environmentally-friendly components and the lo-

cal economic stimulation it brought to the community of Nassau, employing over 465 local staff.

The cake and ribbons were cut by the specially invited guests followed by a gun salute by the 105mm howitzer.

Guests were treated to a reception that culminated with live music by the Ira Storr and the Spank Band and a fireworks display.

SERVING UP AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY TENNIS AT BOYS CENTRE HOW often have we heard professional athletes, professional male athletes in particular, discuss how significantly a sport has impacted their life?

To many of them, their coaches are revered as teachers, mentors, disciplinarians and even father figures. Their teams some say are like family and their teammates like brothers.

Now, a select group of residents from the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys will have the opportunity to learn the sport of tennis in a three-month pilot programme, provided by the Gym Tennis Club, on Rugby Drive, Winton, in eastern New Providence. The instructional programme - which starts this week - is being funded by the Visiting Committee for the Boys’ Centre.

Appointed by the Government, one of the Committee’s main activities is to raise funds for programmes and services that will benefit the rehabilitation of the Centre’s resident population and improve discipline.

Committee Chairman Patrick Smith explained the pilot is geared towards “the training and rehabilitation of the boys”.

In the early days of the institution, whose target population is aged between 12 and 17, discipline was dispensed predominantly by punitive means. The

PATRICK SMITH, chairman of the Simpson Penn Centre (SPC) for Boys Visiting Committee, presents the Centre’s Superintendent Darrol Hall (centre, back) with a cheque for the three-month pilot tennis programme at the Gym Tennis Club (GTC). Also pictured are (standing, from left), Georgio Walkes, Supervisor/Supplies Officer, SPC; Brent Roberts, Treasurer, GTC; Anthony Burrows, President, GTC; Allington Hunter, Deputy Chairman, Visiting Committee SPC; Captain Henry Curry, Member, Visiting Committee SPC; and Orson King, Senior Supervisor, SPC. Seated from left are Coach Devlin Fisher, GTC; Valorie Rees, Director, GTC; and Everette Munroe, Director, GTC. 1990s however represented a critical transformational period for the then named Boys Industrial School. The renaming of the institution in 1998 to the Simpson C Penn Centre for Boys signalled its change to an institutional focus of discipline through rehabilitation.

Darrol Hall, Superintendent of the Centre, explained that in addition to providing discipline, he expected the new tennis programme to also be instrumental in helping to

keep participants focussed.

Supt Hall said he expects the programme to be an important morale builder for participants, giving the wider residential population something to aim for, as only a few will be selected to participate in the pilot initiative. He also sees tennis as a possible means of expanding opportunities for the boys.

“Basketball is usually the only sport that most young men have access to, so learning tennis will also

to some extent expand their horizon,” Supt Hall said.

Many of the young men at the Centre he believes are “diamonds in the rough”.

Gym Tennis Club member and tennis coach Devlin Fisher will run the pilot programme, which will take place twice weekly, over a three-month period. Coach Fisher believes the programme to be a particularly important responsibility for the Gym Tennis Club. “As far as our young men in society today, I think we’re

lacking leadership, and I’m looking forward to leading these young men,” he said.

“To help them grow and develop themselves, build morale and gain some direction in their lives.”

In addition to developing tennis skills, emphasis of the programme will also be placed on communication, effort, teamwork and learning to play together, he added. Teamwork is important so that participants learn “to not only look at themselves just as an individual, but also as someone who has a responsibility to contribute to a team”.

The sport, coach Fisher says, will also be valuable as a life experience “because it’s all on you. Once you get out there on the tennis court, it’s just you, so it teaches you self-esteem, and as you grow, you learn to take on more responsibility.”

When asked whether he will approach the programme any differently from other instructional programmes that he coaches, given the special circumstances of the boys, Coach Fisher explained, “I already approach each one of my students differently. As with any classroom, each student has different needs, so you approach students differently based on their needs. This programme won’t be any different. You have to be able to look at each person as individuals,

but you still need to be able to build them as a group.”

With a history dating back to 1928, hundreds of Bahamians learned and played the sport of tennis at the Gym Tennis Club, with members competing in USbased tournaments from as early as the 1930s. The club has a rich tradition of tennis in the Bahamas and this programme with the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys represents an important aspect of its community engagement efforts.

Other programmes, services and service providers that have contributed to the rehabilitative efforts of the Simpson Penn Centre have included Pathfinders, The Salvation Army, People Helping People Programme, One to One Mentoring, backyard gardening and community farming, the STEP Programme and group, individual and family counselling, in addition to other initiatives led by various churches and civic organisations.

“We’ve been doing programmes like this ever since we were appointed four years ago, and this is in keeping with that line of activity,” Mr Smith said. The tennis programme he hopes “proves to be very useful and very fruitful for the boys”. He emphasised that the Committee will closely monitor the progress of the programme.