Tribune HOUSE & HOME
PM TALKING TO CUBA OVER WORKERS’ PAY
Davis says they are looking to resolve concerns quickly
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Philip
“Brave” Davis said the government is working with Cuba to address concerns after leaked documents and mounting US pressure suggested that Cuban medical professionals receive less than a fifth of what The Bahamas pays for their services. The US has warned that visa restrictions could be imposed on foreign government officials involved in Cuba’s labour export programme. Leaked documents published by the Free Society Project (Cuba Archive)
NURSES UNION HEAD DENIES CLAIM SHE WAS REMOVED FROM OFFICE
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff
Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
TWO top officials in the Bahamas Nurses Union have been suspended, even as president Muriel Lightbourne fights off claims that she herself was removed from office.
Yesterday, Ms Lightbourne strongly denied reports that she was fired, calling the allegations a “personal attack” and insisting she remains president.
“I am the president of the union, and I did not suspend them. The Constitution mandated their suspension,” she said, referring to the Secretary General and
‘Issues of developing countries will play part in choosing Pope’
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
CATHOLIC Archbishop
Patrick Pinder said the concerns of developing countries, such as poverty
and the importance of family life, will play a major role in discussions among senior international clergy following the death of Pope Francis.
Typically, such matters are discussed during the
general congregations in Vatican City, the meetings held between the death or resignation of a pope and the start of the conclave to elect a successor. Cardinals,
Environment agency still reviewing $200m luxury resort in Exuma
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE government’s environmental agency is still reviewing a controversial proposal for a $200m ultraluxury resort in Exuma, which has stirred opposition from some residents and a nearby development.
The Rosewood Exuma Resort, proposed by the little-known Yntegra Group for development on Big Sampson Cay, would involve major dredging work, which critics argue could irreparably harm the area’s fragile marine ecosystem.
RESIDENTS and politicians alike are slamming as “absolutely crazy” the excessive commercial exploitation at one of the few waterfront New Providence sites dedicated for Bahamians and their families to enjoy.
Loretta Butler-Turner says the Montagu location has now become “a free for all” for multiple commercial uses which is threatening
Photo: Kemuel Stubbs/BIS
Day Two of the National Family Island Regatta, Class E series in George Town, Exuma on Friday. See SPORTS for more.
Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS
PM talking to Cuba over workers’ pay
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
OPPOSITION Leader
Michael Pintard is demanding the government explain why it is not renewing the contract of Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King, saying many are surprised by the decision to end his tenure at five years.
“He’s still a relatively young man, and we would
be interested in finding out what was the government’s motivation for the course of action since it does appear that he has a lot more to offer to the organisation, and we would wait to hear what that explanation is,” Mr Pintard said. Director of communications in the Office of the Prime Minister Latrae Rahming told The Tribune last week that a successor to Commodore King will be announced
within two to three weeks. Commodore King began acting in the role in October 2019 under the Minnis administration and was confirmed the following year. He succeeded Tellis Bethel. Mr Pintard said he hopes any new posting given to Mr King will allow him to continue serving the country and stressed the need for a seamless transition period to brief and guide his successor.
suspect allegedly pulled a sharp object and attacked one of the officers, stabbing and injuring the officer’s right hand. The man was shot and taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Meanwhile, police said a 46-year-old man died on Tuesday after a traffic accident on Carmichael Road West the day before. He was hospitalised following the crash but later succumbed to his injuries.
from page one
earlier this month suggest that while The Bahamas agreed in 2023 to pay thousands of dollars per month for each Cuban health worker, it also agreed for the professionals to receive monthly stipends ranging from $990 to $1,200, with the remainder going to Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, SA (CSMC), the Cuban state agency managing the deployments. To date, no Bahamian official has denied that Cuban professionals receive less than 20 percent of the funds paid on their behalf.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr Davis said:
“We are talking through that. I mean, we have been engaged in it. We understand what their concerns are and we are talking with the Cuban government as well about those concerns. And we see that this will be resolved very quickly, because we understand the concerns, and we too will be concerned when certain things are interpreted.”
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said last week that the figures in the leaked documents appeared “skewed” to make the playments to Cuban workers look low, saying he would compare them to
the agreements he signed. Since then, he has not presented evidence disputing the fundamental claims. The US government regards Cuba Archive as a credible source of information about abuses involved in Cuba’s medical missions programme.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish reiterated on Friday that the United States is closely monitoring the situation.
“Our concerns really are that the money is not going to the actual labourers themselves, and we want to adhere to international norms in terms of human rights and making sure that workers are paid fairly and not exploited by their government, and that’s our major concern, here,” she said. Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said the leaked documents were “purloined” and could be part of a broader effort to influence Bahamian public policy and undermine national sovereignty.
Ms Furnish responded the United States’ major concern is ensuring that workers are paid directly, retain their passports, and maintain their liberties, adding that this message was sent to every country as part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s broader focus on human rights practices.
OPPOSITION LEADER MICHAEL PINTARD
Davis criticises White’s comment that
FNM voters are only ‘sensible’ ones
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has criticised St Anne’s MP Adrian White for suggesting Free National Movement (FNM) voters are the only “sensible” ones, saying every Bahamian voter makes a deliberate, sensible decision.
“I would never say that persons who voted for the FNM are not sensible, because I would think that every Bahamian that goes to the voting poll would be deliberate in their decision, would take into account what they believe that will advance them and vote like that. That’s a sensible choice that any voter will make,” he said.
Mr Davis’ comments followed a backlash against Mr White, who, during a Love 97 interview, said: “Sensible people vote FNM. Every constituency has voted FNM except Englerston. Every seat has voted FNM, so every seat can be seen as a sensible seat.” Englerston MP Glenys
Hanna-Martin called the remarks offensive and demanded an apology.
“I think the member ––just my advice –– ought to consider making an apology to the people of Englerston,” she said.
“Because in his innuendo, either direct or indirect, is an assertion that the people of Englerston ain’t got no sense.”
Mr White later said that he did not intend to insult anyone, saying:
“All seats would qualify as sensible seats since at one time or another they all voted FNM, all except Englerston.”
Rejecting claims that FNM seats are blindly loyal, Mr White said:
“People have said you could run this creature or that type of creature and the people there would still vote FNM. To me, that’s insulting and a dismissive misconception.”
He also accused Ms Hanna-Martin of a racial attack during her House contribution.
“Politics is a rough game. You take your licks as well as you give them, and you move on with the other cheek,” he said.
Environment agency still reviewing $200m luxury resort in Exuma
from page one
Dr Rhianna Neely, director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), said her office has reviewed “several iterations” of the project and noted changes have been made, though she did not provide a timeline for a final decision.
The project has drawn criticism from groups such as the Save Exuma Alliance (SEA) — a coalition of local business owners and private island stakeholders — who argue the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) released in July 2024 failed to adequately assess the seabed dredging the development requires.
Staniel Cay Yacht Club president David Hocher, SEA’s leader, said the
project might be viable elsewhere but not on a cay as small and sensitive as Big Sampson.
“I think this project will be fine on an island like Guana Cay. They’ll be fine on greater Exuma. It would be fine on certain bigger islands but this small area where the boating and recreation is so important,” Mr Hocher said.
He noted the EIA mentioned the excavation of pond material to create two marinas but failed to specify how much dredging would be done in the ocean or where it would occur.
Despite the strong pushback, Dr Neely cautioned that not all residents share the same views.
“That is a very subjective statement and not all residents have that same
view,” she said of the view that the project should move to a bigger cay.
“The department is working with the developer to ensure that whatever is approved in the final analysis is done in an environmentally sustainable manner and is consistent with any activity that we would approve elsewhere,” she added.
A formal petition previously called on the government to deny environmental approvals until a more comprehensive study is conducted.
SEA’s members include the owners of Hattie Cay, Over Yonder Cay, Wild Tamarind Cay, and Bob Coughlin, developer of Turtlegrass Resort and Island Club. The alliance also includes Makers Air, a charter service company serving the Exuma area.
Prime minister PhiliP ‘Brave’ Davis
st anne’s mP aDrian White
Big samPson Cay, Exuma.
Chester Cooper pictured with Rosewood Exuma project representatives at the HOA signing in August 2024..
‘Issues of developing countries will play part in choosing Pope’
from page one
who serve as high-ranking advisors to the pope, use these gatherings to prepare the pope’s funeral and organise the conclave.
“I believe there is reflection,” Archbishop Pinder said of the general congregations on Friday. “There has to be some deep, deep reflection on just what the real needs in the church are, what its role in ministering to the world as a whole is, and those are the kinds of things. That will concern the cardinals.”
As for needs in The Bahamas, Archbishop Pinder said local challenges mirror those in other developing countries.
“Today, the church’s greatest growth is in the developing world. So certainly concerns like poverty, issues like the importance of family life and all those sorts of things, I think those are
kinds of things that certainly will play very, very much in the discussions,” he said.
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass is scheduled was held on Saturday outside St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Archbishop Pinder said The Bahamas’ nonresident ambassador to the Holy See was expected to attend the service.
The death of Pope Francis, known for his progressive stances on several church issues, has fuelled speculation about whether the cardinals will elect a successor who continues his reforms.
Archbishop Pinder noted that Cardinal Kelvin Felix of Dominica, the region’s representative, died last year at 91. Cardinal Felix would have been too old to participate in the conclave, as only those under 80 are eligible.
• See PAGE 14 for more coverage of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Police reservist charged for possession of unlicenced gun
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
A POLICE reservist was granted bail on Friday after he was accused of possessing an unlicenced firearm and a magazine in New Providence earlier this week.
Macquez Alexander
Porter, 21, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley on charges of possession of an unlicenced firearm and possession of a component of a firearm.
Prosecutors allege Porter was found with a black Glock .40 pistol and a black 9mm magazine on 22 April. He pleaded not guilty.
Bail was set at $5,000 with one or two sureties.
Porter must sign in at the Elizabeth Estates Police Station on the second and last Friday of each month under the terms of his release.
He is scheduled to return to court for trial on 15 July. Inspector Deon Barr prosecuted the case.
Prisoner recaptured Sunday after escaping custody while at hospital
A PRISONER escaped from custody while receiving medical care at Princess Margaret Hospital - but is now back in custody.
The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services reported that Cyril Saltau had escaped from the hospital on Sunday, at about 6.03am, while under the supervision of correctional officers. Saltau had been sentenced on February 25 this year to imprisonment over charges of overstaying and attempting to escape lawful custody. He had been sentenced to a fine of $2,500 or six months jail on the overstaying charge, and six months jail for the second charge. He also had a remand
warrant on two counts of armed robbery.
Officers said a search team of corrections officers was sent out, leading to Saltau’s capture at his last known residence. He has been returned to custody.
An investigation has been launched into the escape, and the matter has been referred to the police for further action.
Twenty migrants plead guilty to overstaying and illegal landing
TWENTY migrants were convicted this week after appearing in Magistrate’s Court for overstaying and illegal landing.
On April 22, nine Haitians and four Indians pleaded guilty before Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville. Two days later, six Haitians and one Jamaican pleaded guilty to similar charges before Senior Magistrate Kendra
Kelly-Burrows.
All were ordered to be turned over to the Department of Immigration for deportation after paying fines or serving custodial sentences.
The coffin of Pope Francis makes its way to St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday.
Photo: Luca Bruno/AP
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Simple enough to clarify Cuban wage concerns
THE situation with the employment of Cuban workers in The Bahamas continues to show a lack of clarity when everything should be very simple.
It all comes after the United States issued a very general warning – to all and sundry rather than The Bahamas specifically.
The visas of government officials could be at risk, the US warned, for any nations involved in forced labour, a form of human trafficking.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that foreign government officials involved in Cuba’s labour export programme, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions, could face visa restrictions.
Elsewhere in the region, some leaders spoke out firmly about the action.
In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said her country does not employ Cuba medical professionals, but credited Cuban doctors and nurses with helping the country navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the country could not have managed without them.
In Trinidad and Tobago, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, leaders also rejected the US characterisation of Cuban missions as forced labour.
SVG Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said: “If it is determined that you have to take away my visa, I want to say this publicly it will be reported… The haemodialysis, which we do in St Vincent at the Modern Medical and Diagnostic, without the Cubans there I would not be able to offer that service.”
Mr Rubio says the “forced labour” scheme enriches the Cuban regime, and deprives Cubans of medical care in their home country.
The Bahamas has welcomed Cuban workers as both teachers and in the medical field under successive administrations.
When questioned in mid-March about the situation, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell declined to comment.
Then, last week, The Tribune reported on documents leaked by the Free Society Project (Cuba Archive) suggesting that while The Bahamas agreed to pay thousands of dollars per month for each Cuban health worker, the workers themselves only received monthly stipends of $990-$1,200. The rest of the
payment – between 84 and 92 percent of the total – appears to have gone to the Cuban state agency that manages overseas deployments.
Health Minister Dr Michael Darville said he planned to compare the leaked documents with the ones he signed to determine their accuracy, but has not yet reported back. Mr Mitchell blasted out a voice note about “purloined documents”, but again their authenticity or otherwise has not been clarified.
Now Prime Minister Philip Davis is apparently going to talk to the Cuban government about the situation.
In terms of the payments, it is very simple. Either we did or did not agree to these payments. Mr Mitchell described the documents as purloined – stolen –but not faked. We have the contract we signed, it ought to be a very straightforward process to confirm if they are genuine.
If they are, and we are paying as much as $12,000 a month for a worker who only receives a tiny fraction of that sum, then this may well fall under the eye of the US concerns over the Cuban regime lining its pockets. And to be clear, our government can duck the questions as much as it likes with the Bahamian public – although it should not, that is our money – but it is unlikely to get away with such manoeuvres with the US government.
If the leaked papers are fake, if the Cuban staff members are not working for a pittance, then it would be very easy to demonstrate otherwise by releasing the real figures.
It is unclear what exactly the prime minister would need to talk to the Cuban government about – a contract is a contract. Whatever we have signed up to, that’s the deal.
The Cuban workers in their various fields have proven to be a real benefit to The Bahamas – helping out in our hospitals and in our schools. They certainly deserve to be treated fairly, and they do not deserve to be caught in a game of political tug-of-war. But a fair wage for a fair day’s work is the least anyone can expect.
The government has had ample time to clarify the situation to the Bahamian public. They can choose to do so at any time. You may draw your own conclusions from why they have not.
Thoughts on Bahamasair rate hike
EDITOR, The Tribune.
BAHAMASAIR
Customer Service announcement on their increase of fees for baggage... first surely Bahamasair could have waited til after Easter? The explanation and reasoning and consequence is hilarious... increasing the fees Will Improve The Quality Of Services! Press releases who checks them?
Billboards... too many now all of the place… unnecessary as the vast majority rely on their cell and electronic promotions...
some roundabouts six-eight plus Saunders Beach run out of space new ones block old ones. Who is in charge give the PR and advertisers 60-days to remove all no exemptions. Example why should Aliv have a billboard in the Love Beach area?
Road from Old Fort to Love Beach… High speed bumps clearly not government the usual blob of asphalt these are rubber short and high! Who lives in this area is my question? Please remove, use asphalt not so high.
Picture of the day
2025.
Love Beach before Sebas Townhouse development - boundary wall at least 10-15ft high... thought 4’6” was the max height external boundary wall? Planning if this is allowed you will not be able to see any of the water front. Sirens...speeding...Who is allowed to use sirens? Emergency vehicles are required to maintain the speed limit of the road they are on...correct?
D ROLLE Nassau, April 18, 2025.
EDITOR, The Tribune.
LET’S formalise the Rideshare industry.
The Ministry of Energy and Transport has sent out a public notice to warn residents that Ride Share apps are illegal. It is not the first such notice.
However, in addition to these period advisories, it is well past time for us to regularise what is both an established industry around the world, and so desperately needed in The Bahamas.
Many Bahamians are fortunate to have travelled abroad to places near and far. Every city we visit of comparable size to Nassau has domestic taxi service or ride share apps or both.
Bahamian taxis – at least
Formalise rideshare industry Only
in New Providence - cater primarily to the lucrative tourist markets. They are not interested in providing domestic taxi service other than perhaps rides from the airport. It has been this way for decades since the demise of the once popular meter cab services.
The situation has left a massive gap in our public transportation system that for years has been filled with scores of ‘hackers’ and now the electronic app-based ride shares services. Given the persistent demand, there will be those who will step in to fill it.
As a country we should be taking concrete steps to engage all relevant stakeholders – of course including the existing taxi plate holders – to forge a way to introduce a properly regulated and licenced ride share service industry. It would require proper insurance, verification of driver suitability and protocols for addressing customer complaints. It would also provide caveats to protect the interests of current taxi plate holders from intrusion into their core market. There is a way to get this done to the benefit of all involved.
MARLON S JOHNSON Nassau, April 25, 2025.
EDITOR, The Tribune. WHEN we make people sort of national heroes, shouldn’t they be Bahamians? Who is a Bahamian? Legally carries at minimum a Bahamas Passport which signifies the person has the Constitutional right to be called Bahamian.
A person born in Michigan I really question if that person unless naturalised and not a holder
of another citizenship is Bahamian...But we do make them a hero…When clearly another known born in Miami awarded a high award of another country which confirms he was not a Citizen of the Bahamas as that award was ‘honorary’... but for years we have made him a hero. Remember folks, Bahamian citizens may note take the citizenship of another
country... you Bahamian dats it… yes we agree hundreds hold US-Canada-UK and other citizenships but that is like President Trump would say... you illegal. We see the misnaming in many fields…Immigration-Nationality Act says different, Editor…Can’t we stop abusing our laws?
T ALBURY Nassau, April 18, 2025.
Devotees attend a Requiem Mass for the late Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Saturday, April 26,
Photo: Firdia Lisnawati/AP
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN previously accused of the 2021 fatal shooting of a 20-year-old in Montell Heights was informed last week that his trial had been discontinued.
Enelus had been accused of fatally shooting Carlyle Johnson while Johnson and others gathered outside a yard on January 5, 2021.
On that same date, Enelus was also accused of putting Alvin Morley in fear with a handgun. Keith Seymour represented Enelus.
Anthony Enelus, 26, was told by a Supreme Court justice that prosecutors had entered a nolle prosequi, meaning the case against him would no longer proceed.
m a N waitiNg trial for violeN t robbery fiNed for bail breach
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN on bail for a vio-
lent 2021 airport robbery that nearly killed a woman and a police officer was fined in court on Friday for breaching his curfew.
Marvin Tilme, 33, was arraigned before Senior Magistrate raquel Whyms on a charge of violating bail conditions.
Justice darville Gomez previously granted him bail on a raft of charges: possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of ammunition, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of abetment to commit attempted murder, two counts of attempted murder, and three counts of
abetment to commit armed robbery.
Tilme and his accomplices allegedly robbed Karen Bain at lynden Pindling International Airport while she was assisting a business establishment with a deposit on October 2 2021. They reportedly stole $3,354 in cash, a $200 cellphone, and $500 Coach glasses. during the incident, a suspect allegedly shot Corporal 1964 when he attempted to intervene.
Tilme had previously been fined $500 in January 2023 for breaching his curfew on december 27 2022.
He reportedly breached his residential curfew again on April 20.
Tilme pleaded guilty to the latest charge and accepted the facts of his case. He was fined $1,000 or face six months in prison.
seveN -moN ths seN teNce for posessioN of six hemp pla N ts
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 38-yEAr-Old man was sentenced to seven months in prison on Friday after admitting to having a significant quantity of marijuana and six plants.
Omar Williams was arraigned before Senior Magistrate raquel Whyms on charges of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply and possession of dangerous drugs.
On April 24, police reportedly found Williams with 19 grams of marijuana and six marijuana plants in New Providence, which they suspected he intended to sell.
Williams pleaded guilty and accepted the facts of his case. He was sentenced to seven months at the Bahamas department of Correctional Services and informed of his right to appeal.
Sergeant 2257 Wilkinson prosecuted the case.
Police investigate shooting
POlICE are investigating a shooting in the lily of the Valley Corner area involving a male victim. The wounded man was transported to hospital for treatment. There were no further details available up to press time.
Nurses union head denies claim she was removed from office
from page one
First Vice President.
Ms l ightbourne said the suspensions followed union rules and were not motivated by personal grievances. She explained that after an executive meeting on April 22, 2025, the union planned a general meeting for April 29 to update members. However, she believes misinformation was deliberately spread before she could address the membership.
“I guess the urgency for them to try to throw that out into the public before I reach to the general members with the actual facts is what they try to do,” she said.
Addressing personal criticism, she added: “The personal attack against me is not warranted. However, if they choose to attack me as an individual, that’s fine, but when you’re going to shake the foundation of the Bahamas Nurses Union, that’s when I kind of get little upset, you know, that’s what bothers me.”
Ms l ightbourne said the suspension of the First Vice President stemmed from legal
action initiated by members, requiring action once a judgment was delivered.
“When we got the judgment, we had to go to the Constitution. The Constitution mandated a suspension,” she said.
As for the Secretary General, she said members had long voiced complaints.
“Membership was tired of that, and that constituted the Secretary General being removed,” she said, adding that the
executive board voted on the matter.
r ejecting claims that the union is in disarray, Ms l ightbourne said: “There’s no loss of control. I am focused,” quoting a biblical passage: “Just like the tree planted by the rivers of waters, I will not be moved.”
She pledged her continued service to union members, stating: “I’m elected to serve. Serve is what I do. As long as I’m the president of the Bahamas Nurses Union, I will serve my members.”
A letter dated April 23 2025, titled “Notice to Vacate Office,” accused Ms l ightbourne of breaching Articles IV, VI, and IX of the union’s constitution, which relate to dues, general officers, and the executive board. She dismissed the letter’s legitimacy, declaring: “Nothing any of the distractors try to do will deter me.”
She has urged all members to attend the general meeting on April 29.
“I will bring the nurses, the membership of the union, up to speed with what is happening,” she said.
Bahamas Nurses Union president Muriel Lightbourne.
Solutions and EMTs needed
By MalcolM Strachan
ONE of the less heralded jobs of government is to connect the dots – the management of resources.
When things don’t quite connect up, you end up with inefficiency, wasted expenditure – and situations such as the current one where a debate surrounds police officers being asked to pull double duty as ambulance drivers in the Family Islands.
The move comes as part of an initative launched by the Public Hospitals Authority, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
The problem is a shortage of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the Family Islands. The solution that has been put forward is police officers taking on duties where EMTs are not available.
Let’s look at some of those dots to connect.
First thing first, it is great that ambulances are available – especially given the concerns there have been over fire engines on various islands over the past year.
But when those ambulances are being purchased, equipped and deployed, there has to be the question of who will drive them, where will they be based and what does it take to have the unit fully operational.
A police officer is not a medical technician. Consider it this way, would you ever imagine EMTs being asked to pull double duty as police officers? Absolutely not – they are very separate professions with very different skillsets.
Former National Security Minister Marvin Dames got straight to the point when he said: “The real issue is: why aren’t there enough EMTs? Why are we calling on police now to do this work with no clear timeframe or exit strategy? These officers are already doing more than what their jobs require. This just adds another burden.”
Think about that burden for a moment.
Ambulance service is a 24/7 service – one never knows at what hour of day there might be a traffic accident, or at what hour of night a
“You’re putting a Band-Aid on a systemic issue.” - Marvin Dames
resident might be taken ill at home. This is one of those management of resources issues – if a police officer already has a full-time job, then is running ambulance duties on their off-hours, how do you manage those extra working hours? Do they get time back – even when a 24/7 service still has to be provided – or do they get paid extra? And if so, what extra financial burden is that overtime on the public purse, and how does that compare to simply hiring the EMTs in the first place? Mr Dames called the plan “short-sighted”, adding: “There has to be something more to this than just cross-training police officers to drive ambulances.”
As he said: “You’re putting a Band-Aid on a systemic issue.” His comments have certainly not been welcomed by his successor in the ministerial role, Wayne Munroe, who said Mr Dames’ comments were
“petty, bitter and dripping with resentment”, claiming Mr Dames was “speaking like a man who was wrongfully denied a throne”.
That hardly helps to discuss the issue itself. He went on to say: “When Mr Dames attacks a policy that puts ambulances on the road and officers in a position to save lives, what exactly is he criticising?”
And here we’re back to connecting the dots. Why were the ambulances not in a position to be on the road in the first place? When purchased, what was the training and recruitment package in place for those who have to drive them and who first respond to scenes of violence, murder, accidents, illness and more?
Last year, as a donation was made of ballistic vests to emergency responders, concerns were raised about the effect of the crime rate on health staff.
National Emergency Medical Services Director
Kevin Bell said: “We are a very busy high-volumne emergency response team and to add to the burnout, the normal burnout of our staff, is these murder scenes, these gunshot calls, it’s having a tremendous impact on our staff members mentally.”
The vest donations were to protect EMTs as they went in to treat people in areas of possible danger – not the “hot zone” as donors put it, but the “warm area”.
In practice, this means areas after, say, a shooting, where police officers have already gone in to secure the area with EMTs following soon after to treat people injured at the scene.
Mr Bell said: “What would happen is, when we get a call for a gunshot wound, our crew members would stay a distance away from the scene. Perhaps two corners away from the scene, and await the arrival of the police on the scene and then the police would confirm from
their control room, where the dispatcher sits, that the scene is now safe and they can enter. And so our dispatchers will radio to the ambulance and say, okay, police are on scene, you can proceed.”
That all sounds very logical – but what happens when a police officer is having to pull both of those duties?
Who treats the person if the police officer has to secure the area? Who protects the police officer if they have to treat the wounded?
Let alone the fact that the police officer, whatever training they may be given, will probably not have the level of expertise in medical training that an EMT may have.
That’s not their fault, they signed up to be a police officer not a medic – but if you are the person lying on the floor bleeding, you want the best help possible.
And one would imagine the Police Staff Association might want to know if
their officers are having to do two jobs instead of one whether they are going to be paid for two jobs.
Again, if this is a shortterm fix, that’s one thing – but how did we get into the position of having ambulances in place without having the staff to operate them?
Overly defensive comments do not get us anywhere. That suggests that this is actually just fine, and Family Islands should just expect to have a lesser life-saving service on a prolonged basis –and that should not be the case. I don’t care who is responsible for the lack of connected thinking – which party ordered the ambulances, which party failed to deliver the trained personnel to go with them, I just want people to get the care they deserve. So join the dots. Tell us how long this will be for. Tell us when the EMTs will be hired and trained and in place.
‘CAPAS: A stepping stone to a glorious career’
By Ian Po It Ier
CaPaS Project Lead
In the previous two articles, we considered why there is such an overwhelming need for a new ‘Creative and Performing Arts School of The Bahamas’ (CAPAS), examined the many benefits to be had from this new cultural and economic sector, and considered what a ‘Life in a Day at CAPAS’ might look like.
But, like every training institution, CAPAS is not an end in itself.
CAPAS will exist in an ecosystem where, before training, potential students will have invested to some degree in their talent, and unlocked a passion that will push them towards exploring a fulltime career.
Mindful of the need to support and develop the entire ecosystem, even now, while CAPAS is being launched, much time and care is therefore being taken to secure opportunities before and after CAPAS.
Life before CaPaS
The performing arts are one of the few areas in life which offer ‘cradle-tograve’ opportunities.
Even though the minimum age for entry into
CAPAS is 18yrs, there’s no need to wait to start training or to begin to participate in the performing arts.
For those in primary or secondary school, there are a number of classes and clubs available which can help to nurture and develop your talent.
The school syllabus has been updated to weave the performing arts into the curriculum.
And we will develop pathways for those who
participate in the n ational Arts Festival, who may be considering a professional career.
There is no upper age limit to be enrolled into CAPAS.
For those who have left school, perhaps even some time ago, training and participation is still available.
There are a number of choirs and community theatre groups (such as The Dundas) which provide opportunities to
participate in productions, and CAPAS is exploring ways to support them.
Career paths after CaPaS
After mastering the various skills in the creative, production and performing arts, we expect that CAPAS graduates go on to enjoy glorious careers in the creative industries at home and around the world.
While it is not for the government (or anyone
for that matter) to guarantee anyone’s career, the Government of The Bahamas is committed to developing the cultural and creative infrastructure to allow opportunity to flourish.
negotiations are already well-underway to bring international TV & Film productions to The Bahamas, to offer meaningful roles and positions to trained Bahamians.
In fact, CAPAS students will have access to their first international production in The Bahamas as early as Spring 2026.
Plans are already being developed for a purposebuilt national Centre for the Performing Arts.
The Centre will be home to a number of professional resident companies – acting, dancing, singing, instrumental – who will offer repertory seasons, and tour nationally and internationally.
In order to support longrunning and short-form TV and film productions, consideration is being given to building TV & Film studios, supported by a production village, to provide accommodation and facilities for cast and crew of several hundred people. A Production Fund is being explored to provide funding for Bahamian productions on stage and screen. Entrepreneuriallyminded graduates will be encouraged to set up production companies, to mount productions for residents and visitors. These might take place in formal spaces, or have more socially-minded objectives, and perform in churches, schools, hospitals and correction facilities.
For those who wish to follow other paths, the performing arts shape skills that are gold in commercial and public life: impactful communication, confidence, emotional intelligence, timing, storytelling etc.
The benefits of a professional training in acting offer so much more than just “dressing up and pretending”.
To train to be a professional actor is to embark on a deep enquiry into the reality of what it’s like to be human, and then to recreate that reality to the extent that others recognise it as an observed and credible truth.
To write or direct or produce is to be constantly manufacturing and marshalling ideas in a “creative factory”.
To use technical skills in lighting and sound, or hair and make-up, and take them into specialized story-telling, is to create spectacle and a kind of magic.
Many international figures - Presidents and Prime Ministers, Governors, Mayors and Parliamentarians
- started life as actors.
The current President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and former US President Ronald Reagan, immediately spring to mind. Their performance skills provided a powerful foundation to their eventual lives in public service.
We cannot say exactly what the future holds, but we can confidently predict “A Great Flourishing” in our country, one which will enrich our souls, our pockets and our culture. the worst thing and the best thing that could happen
So what happens now?
Auditions for entry into CAPAS will be held from mid-May. Specific dates and other information will be announced later this week.
If you – yes YOU! – think that a year’s foundational training at CAPAS can unlock the door to your passion and your dreams, then come and audition.
If you know someone who you think would benefit from professional training in the performing arts, then encourage them to audition.
The worst thing that could happen is you spend 90 minutes meeting a bunch of like-minded people, passionate about acting, singing and dancing.
If the audition panel think that you’re not quite ready for intensive training, then they will guide you on how to prepare yourself further before coming back to the next round of auditions.
But the absolute best thing that could happen is that your audition provides a stepping-stone to your starting training in a few months’ time in September 2025.
And….. The Government of The Bahamas will pay for your tuition!
So… start preparing for your audition now.
Learn a 2-minute acting monologue.
Prepare to sing 2 minutes of a song.
Get into shape so that you can dance (if you’ve had training) or move (if you’ve not) to the best of your ability.
The audition panel will be made up of experienced Bahamian and international creatives, who are willing you to succeed. Full details will be announced shortly.
Be among the first to start this new adventure in the Bahamian cultural and creative economy. In a time when the world seems to be turning upside down, when life seems to throw at us more questions than answers, in this time, you can still respond to the whispers in your heart.
Dreams really can come true.
For more details go to Capasbahamas.com.
CAPAS ProjeCt LeAd IAn PoItIer
Without fear or favour
How curiosity, a crusading spirit and a calling gave rise to the TCI’s oldest newspaper
By Gemma Handy
The front page headline has been lost to the archives of time but the date is recalled with the speed of artillery fire.
Life-changing events tend to have that effect. And the publication of the very first edition of the Turks and Caicos Weekly News – the culmination of a decadeslong dream – was one such moment.
Consequently, July 7, 1982, is a date W Blythe Duncanson will never forget. Likewise, the two cardinal incidents that inspired the newspaper’s creation – and the legendary Bahamian journalist whose searing observations stirred his soul.
Duncanson’s appreciation for the power of the written word was ingrained in childhood.
“My mother Cecilia was an avid reader and a great bibliophile. She introduced us to books,” he says.
But there was one thing in particular that captivated her.
“The editorials in the Nassau Tribune were riveting. People would wait for it to come out each evening. My mother would not go to bed until she had read it,” Duncanson smiles.
The family had moved from Bottle Creek, North Caicos, to The Bahamas when Duncanson was eight years old. Duncanson’s father William was among many Caribbean men to sign up for farm work in the US after the Second World War caused a shortage of labour.
When his contract in Florida ended, William opted to plough the nest egg he had saved into opening a small store in Nassau, and sent for his family to join him.
“My mother was a teacher. She told my father she would come on one condition: that he found her a teaching job because she wasn’t going to do anything else,” Duncanson says.
It wasn’t long before Duncanson too was enthralled by The Tribune’s editorials. editor etienne Dupuch’s commentaries on racial discrimination and the ignominy of segregation still rife at the time “struck a chord”.
“I was so curious about this man who published this paper and who could command such interest. I was determined to be like him,” he continues.
Dupuch would later be knighted by three different countries for his work fighting social injustice, while his 54-year Tribune tenure earned him a slot in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s longest serving editor.
When the time came to leave high school, Duncanson turned down a position at the Customs department, arranged for all graduating boys by the headmaster.
“I was the only one who said no, because I was going to work for the Tribune. I didn’t have a job there; I was just convinced I wanted to work for the paper.”
Armed with a winning composition from an interschool essay competition and a selection of drawings from GCe art, earned with a distinction, he headed for the Tribune’s offices.
The recent hiring of two trainees may have put the brakes on his aspirations had it not been for his artwork.
“I was sent to the printing department, which at the time was transitioning from letterpress to offset. They asked me where I learned to draw and hired me on the spot,” Duncanson recalls.
“They also asked me what I wanted to be paid. I said I had no idea, I was just out of school. So they said they would start me on 10 pounds a week.”
With his former school pals at Customs earning a third less, it was a decent starting wage and Duncanson would remain at the
Tribune for eight years as a graphic designer. But it meant his calling to write would have to wait; his value to the newspaper’s graphics saw his requests for a transfer to the editorial department rebuffed. eventually, Duncanson landed a position at the Bahamian Review, a monthly news publication. With a team of accomplished journalists at the helm, it was there Duncanson learned to write.
Another serendipitous occurrence was to follow.
“One day I was sent to get a US visa for one of the editors. I met the ambassador and asked him what I needed to do if I wanted to go to the US too. I told him I wanted to get some more experience.
“I was given a form which I filled out and forgot about. Three years later I went to the post office and there was a letter saying I had been given a green card.”
By then, Duncanson was married to Stephanie who he’d met during his Tribune years. Their two children, Beryn and Brochelle, were aged just six and five. The move would be momentous.
A job was secured as a graphic designer for an ad agency and the family upped sticks. It was while working at the agency that a client came in one day with a magazine from the Cayman Islands. It was entitled the Nor’Wester, both in tribute to the storms that afflict the territory and the rapid-fire pace of development it was experiencing at the time.
“I looked at that magazine and I said to myself, if Cayman can do something like this, maybe I can do one for Turks and Caicos,” Duncanson remembers.
It was 1979. Duncanson had not set foot in the land of his birth for more than 20 years.
“I decided to come to TCI on a scouting trip to see whether it could sustain a magazine like that. I booked a flight to Grand Turk. On the plane, I was amazed to see all these white people; there were only a handful of Black people on board.
“I assumed the plane would drop us off and continue on to Puerto Rico or somewhere. But when we landed in Provo, all the white people got off too. I asked someone where they were all going and she said to hotels. I said, we have hotels here?”
Back then there were just a few – the Third Turtle Inn, the Island Princess and the erebus.
“It was very obvious this island was on an upward trajectory,” Duncanson continues.
“While I was there I saw a cover feature in Town & Country magazine describing Provo as the ‘jet-set island’, despite the fact the roads were not even paved then and you had to travel by boat to get from Blue hills to Five Cays.”
Grace Bay’s pristine stretch of beach had already captured the attention of American developers like Fritz Ludington. Club Med would follow in 1984, along with an international airport.
“The rest was magic,” Duncanson says. “I saw the opportunity was ripe for me to launch a magazine.”
In May 1980, the TCI’s first chief minister Jags McCartney was killed in an airplane crash. That November, the opposition PNP won the general election by a landslide, with voters wary of the ruling PDM party’s quest for independence at the time.
The inaugural edition of Duncanson’s monthly periodical ‘The Turks & Caicos Current’ appeared in TCI stores in 1981. Its aim was to harness the nascent intrigue the Islands were garnering among the world’s hautmonde and help lay the path to a prosperity boom.
Newly installed chief minister Norman Saunders
and commerce and development minister Stafford Missick appeared on the front page with a caption describing the TCI as “the last Caribbean frontier”. It became an instant success.
Still, Duncanson remained living in Miami for several more years, producing the paper remotely with help from a local team based in Grand Turk, until he moved back home permanently in 1986.
“Two things happened that made me realise Turks and Caicos needed a newspaper,” he says.
Ruthless killings and torture of haitians by dictator Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier had been causing alarm across the region.
“Duvalier had been ruling haiti with an iron fist, and executed a lot of people. There was a move to assassinate him by a group from Florida headed by a haitian living there,” Duncanson explains.
“They hired a plane, loaded some mercenaries on board, and landed in South Caicos to refuel. They were going to sneak into haiti that night, land on Tortuga and take a boat to Port-au-Prince. Then they were going to commandeer the radio station, announce that haiti was under siege and give Duvalier a few hours to leave.”
Duncanson was entrusted with a tour of the plane, replete with weapons and ammunition.
“I met the broadcaster who was going to take control of the airwaves and tell the people that haiti was free. They had rehearsed the whole thing.
“But someone snitched and told Duvalier they were coming. When the plane got to Tortuga that night, Duvalier’s Leopard Corps were there waiting for them. They killed everybody.
“I had met these people just hours before.”
Duncanson’s monthly publication established to promote the TCI was not the forum to publish such a story, however insistently his journalistic inclinations thrummed.
“Two years later another group, headed by a revolutionary who had a bakery at South Dock in Provo, told me they were going to invade Cuba at Guantanamo Bay.
“Again they came and looked for me. They would not allow anyone else to inspect their equipment and guns. They trusted me because I was a fellow islander.
“Again, I could not do anything with the story.”
The plot did not come to fruition but it was enough to inspire Duncanson to reach out to an old associate from Bottle Creek who was working as a journalist in the US. Duncanson was able to convince him that TCI was in dire need of a newspaper and that he should move back home
and start one, which he did.
But fate had other plans and the new venture quickly died.
“So I said, I have to do it. I went to Barclays, I opened an account called ‘TC Weekly News’ and said, I will do it myself.
“The first edition came out on July 7, 1982.”
One of the fledgling paper’s first and most significant stories was a campaign it spearheaded to prevent a US company from dumping sewage sludge on West Caicos.
“The government was going to be paid millions of dollars. We launched a crusade against it which went global.”
The plans invoked the ire of long-time local environmentalist Chuck hesse and eventually caught the attention of Greenpeace.
“Can you imagine a beautiful island like West Caicos being used as a dumping ground?” Duncanson says, as incensed today as four decades ago.
“Once it got international interest the UK put an end to it.”
Technology may have undergone tremendous evolution over the years but the paper’s commitment to the pursuit of truth, along with its status as a bastion of independent thought and free speech, remains firmly in place.
Duncanson smiles as he relates the logistical hurdles of ensuring it made it to print in the early days. Transporting its paperand-pencil outline to Miami was a feat all of its own.
“There were no computers around when we launched, so someone had to go to the airport every Friday to find someone to deliver the paper to the printer.
“Many times the paper never reached. One time a lady took the paper all the way to London. She forgot to deliver it. Now we only need to upload it; an amazing difference.”
This summer, the Islands’ oldest newspaper will mark its 43rd anniversary.
“As I look back, I am amazed that it has survived,” Duncanson says.
“When I started out, I didn’t know what success meant. All I knew was I was committed to doing this job. I felt somehow I was called to it.
“While working for The Tribune, a man called John houseman was publishing the TCI’s first paper, the ‘Conch News’, on a hand-cranked mimeograph machine. People were hungry to read what was happening in the Islands and that was the only form of information they had.
“I used to say, one day I will do a real paper for this country.”
These days and with the media scene now expanded, the TC Weekly News is the only paper still in physical print, despite having an online version for the last 18 years.
“I think people see us as the authority voice because we are the oldest and also because we don’t side with any party.
“Some people like to call us PNP, some PDM,
depending on what we carried the week before, but we have no allegiance to any party and I think that’s the reason why the Weekly News is respected,” Duncanson says. he recalls Christopher Turner, Governor of TCI in the mid-80s, being “amazed at the standard of journalism our paper produced”.
“Over the years, we have published continuously while maintaining that standard we started out with, if not surpassing it.
“It gives me great satisfaction that the Weekly News is a reliable, dependable, trustworthy vehicle of communication.”
As for where it’s going next, with Duncanson now well into his 70s, that remains to be seen.
“It’s something I ponder about,” he admits. “Whoever takes it on needs curiosity and drive; that crusading spirit you get in your gut when causes need to be championed.”
There’s one thing, however, that he’s sure about.
“I don’t see myself retiring; I will work until I drop,” he laughs.
“And I would be quite satisfied with that. I would have made my contribution to the growth and development of my country, and to small island journalism.”
• Blythe Duncanson was to be recognised as a pioneer in journalism in the Turks and Caicos Islands yesterday. This article was provided to note his history, inspiration and contributions
Blythe Duncanson
How we die is less important than manner in which we live
Following the recent death of Pope Francis, google queries related to the process of selecting a new pope and all the activities and personalities around it have soared. This interest, i suspect, is fueled in part by the love of the former Pontiff and even more so by an insatiable curiosity of the unknown; particularly, the unyielding public fascination with hierarchical and religious traditions. other queries more specifically pertaining to what happens to the soul following death are also searched quite often but at no time more frequently than during the CoViD-19 pandemic.
Those uncertainties aside, more than once i’ve been questioned about what happens to the human body following death. i suspect i’m often asked not only because i’m a doctor but also because i have an insatiable curiosity about life. People automatically expect me to know. The conversation is often instigated by discussing mysterious deaths on scripted shows or in real life where autopsies may be warranted. And while we all die, what happens to our body when we do is not often discussed. By the time i’ve broken down the step-by-step physiological processes involved, the listener is legitimately amazed. gruesome as some may find it, the process to a scientific and curious mind is in actuality quite fascinating. it wasn’t until i was on my surgical rotation during
and muscles throughout the body become increasingly more rigid. Blood then pools to the side of the body that’s closest to the ground (livor mortis). Understanding the timeline of what happens when and at one point rigor mortis begins, for instance, allows medical personnel to determine the approximate time of death, a critical factor in criminal cases when law enforcement, prosecutors and defense attorneys must act.
residency and saw a beating heart for the first time that i fully understood the awesomeness of the human body. But to truly appreciate life, we must also appreciate death and all the bodily processes entailed therein. i’ve spoken about this in brief in at least one of my previous reports. Truth be told, i’ve learned more about this process from patients employed as undertakers than i ever did in any of my anatomy classes. That being said,
i’ve come to realise that a lot of people are sheepishly curious about death. So, i wanted today’s report to provide a more in-depth focus on what happens to the very body that we spend our lifetimes trying to perfect when we’ve reached the end of the road and we take our final breath.
A person is legally considered dead when independent circulatory and respiratory functions have stopped (i.e. heart and lungs) or if there is
By Dr Kenneth D Kemp
no longer any brain activ-
ity. Cancer, heart attack, stroke, a gunshot, car accident or any other possible life-ending scenarios can lead to death. once you are dead, however, the following steps remain the same. within minutes, cells become deprived of oxygen and the body begins to decompose. This is the first (autolysis) stage. internal organs will begin to decompose within 24-72 hours post mortem. Children and people with a lower body fat in general will decompose more slowly. The body becomes increasingly acidic and the liver and brain are the first organs to break down. Damaged blood vessels spill out into the veins and capillaries and the outer layer of skin become loosened and discolored as skin blisters give rise to a glossy sheen appearance. not long after, the body temperature drops (algor mortis) until it eventually matches the surrounding temperature. Body temperature drops approximately 1.5 degrees for each hour after death so by subtracting the rectal temperature of the cadaver from the average human body temperature of 98.4 and then dividing by 1.5, you can estimate the approximate hour since death.
From there, rigor mortis begins. with this, the body becomes notably stiffened first in the eyelids, jaw and neck and then via a spasmic wave, the body and limbs follow suit
if the body feels warm and no rigor is present, death occurred under three hours. if the body feels warm and stiff, death occurred between three and eight hours earlier. if the body feels cold and stiff, death occurred 8-36 hours earlier and if the body is cold and not stiff, death occurred more than 36 hours earlier. it’s been estimated and universally accepted that over 38 trillion bacterial cells inhabit the human body. while some are beneficial to their human hosts, the role of many of them is still not well understood. The largest community of these bacteria reside in the gut. So, when we die and the immune system shuts down, these bacteria begin to move around freely and digest the intestines and surrounding tissues quickly moving to the liver and spleen, then the heart and brain and then the reproductive organs. How the microbiome changes throughout the body occurs in a consistent and measurable way and is another tool in which forensic scientists can estimate the time of death. As bacteria break down tissues, gases, liquids and salts are released inflating the abdomen. in the second (bloating) stage, the body size can double and the sulfur compounds released can cause a strong, unpleasant odor and attract insects to the site. This occurs three to five days post mortem. The size, and how developed the maggots are, becomes another tool to aid in the time of death estimation. Eight to ten days post mortem. as the abdominal gases accumulate, the skin is discolored further and after several weeks the nails and teeth loosen. Stage 3 is marked by active decay where the skin, muscles and organs liquefy and the body breaks down further leaving behind only hair, bones and cartilage. This occurs one month post mortem.
The timeline for the final (skeletonisation) stage is highly variable because it’s
dependent on environmental factors like temperature, humidity, oxygen availability, depth of burial and a wet environment. Higher temperatures, for example, speed decomposition rates while cooler temperatures or wet environments slow it down, mirroring the way they would impact other bodily functions. The process of embalming drains the blood from the body and replaces it with a formalin-based fluid that acts as a preservative to delay the decomposition process. in the end, to the person that’s dead, absolutely none of this will matter. But to the living, i hope that in learning about this process we realise that in death we literally have no control over our bodies. That is the true importance of knowing this process. Knowing that death will come, we can delay it all we want but once it occurs it is finite and we can’t control anything about it or the process that follows. This process, much like how we are born, is largely the same for all of us. To die feeling incomplete is a tragedy so making a checklist of things you want and trying your hardest to fulfil those dreams becomes more consequential. new York Times best-selling author, Mel Robbins says that the time you have with the people you love is like a melting ice cube. The time you spend with the people you love matters; the words you say to them matter. So, tell your loved ones how you feel at every opportunity. Pope Francis preached this often and his teachings reverberate in my mind this week more than ever before.
i know better than most that more prayers are embedded in hospital walls than church pews. How and what time we die won’t make any difference in the end. At the end of the road, how we lived matters more. So, live a life with no regrets because the unfulfilled desires of our decomposing bodies will always lie heaviest on the shoulders of the people who loved us.
This is The KDK Report.
• Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the Deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-vice chairman.
Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, kneeling right, presides over the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday.
Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
Recognising the spirit of excellence
The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) recently launched a suite of awards under its Accreditation Circle of e xcellence (AC e ) initiative, designed to honour and recognise outstanding faculty and staff who are making significant contributions toward the institution’s journey to accreditation with the Council on Occupational e ducation (CO e ).
As BTVI continues to solidify its role as a leader in technical and vocational education in The Bahamas, the awards celebrate excellence, innovation, collaboration and leadership across the institution. The awards,
GAIN AN EDGE
now in the third month, is held during a vibrant AC e Brunch and Benchmarks ceremony and will continue through the end of June.
BTVI president Dr Linda A Davis, said the awards reflect the institution’s deep appreciation for the dedicated individuals who are helping to move BTVI towards accreditation.
“Accreditation is not
just a goal; it’s a shared responsibility that requires commitment, creativity and excellence from every corner of our seven-site institution. This is a crucial institutional, yet national endeavour that undoubtedly will propel us to success,” said Dr Davis.
Among the five awards is the Spirit of excellence Award, which recognises a faculty or staff member
who exemplifies dedication, leadership and pride in BTVI’s accreditation journey, and the Star Administrative Professional Award, which honours an administrative professional whose organisational skills and operational support are critical to meeting accreditation benchmarks. The ACe Innovation Award acknowledges creative strategies, technological advancement or new processes that enhance the accreditation process and institutional excellence, while the Occupational Advisory Committee (OAC) Award, celebrates efforts to strengthen industry partnerships and ensure programme relevance and alignment with workforce demands.
The ACe Champion Award is the highest recognition in the ACe initiative. It is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to accreditation efforts and team motivation.
ACe Champion for
March was Dean of Student Affairs Racquel Bethel. She said receiving the award was a significant honour.
“I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues and the team that nominated and support me every day. Thank you. Being nominated by you is a high honour,” said Dean Bethel.
Meantime, Dean Bethel spoke of the significance of what BTVI is doing.
“The COe self-study process has prompted us to thoroughly examine the processes and policies of our entire institution. This has been a most challenging undertaking. I commend our president for her outstanding leadership; her drive and commitment have been inspiring,” said Dean Bethel.
The awards is the brainchild of BTVI accreditation liaison officer Dr Dorcas Cox, while the PR and marketing department created and drives the initiative. head of BTVI’s PR and marketing department, hadassah Deleveaux, said ACe is beyond a recognition incentive.
“When we hit the ground running, we built something truly special. It has been a pleasure celebrating the progress of our colleagues that focuses on our shared goal of
institutional accreditation. It’s really rewarding to watch colleagues be recognised for their efforts. Accreditation is an institutional-wide movement that unites the entire BTVI community. What we are seeking to achieve is a collective responsibility and the power of ‘we’ is evident,” said Ms Deleveaux.
BTVI’s marketing coordinator, Shacqeel Coleby, added that ACe is a strategic initiative that aligns with BTVI’s brand and mission.
“each ACe Brunch and Benchmarks event is carefully curated to showcase the people behind our progress towards accreditation. This is internal marketing of an initiative that is bigger than us. COe accreditation will benefit the institution, but it’s a national investment in quality education, workforce readiness and ultimately economic growth,” said Mr Coleby.
• “Gain An Edge” is a collaboration of Lyford Cay Foundations, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute and the University of The Bahamas aimed at promoting a national dialogue on issues surrounding education. To share your thoughts, email gainanedge@tribunemedia.net.
CAPTION: BTVI president Dr Linda A Davis (right) along with Accreditation Circle of Excellence (ACE) awardees for April including Jessica Moxey, Spirit of Excellence; Dion Gibson, ACE Champion; Denece Mackey, Star Administrative Professional and BTVI Vice President, Kevin Basden. Missing is Giovanno Rolle, who received the Innovation Award.
Photo: BTVI
World leaders bid farewell to Pope Francis at Vatican funeral
VATICAN CITY Associated Press
World leaders and rank-and-file Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral Saturday that highlighted his concern for people on the peripheries and reflected his wish to be remembered as a simple pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter’s Square, prisoners and migrants welcomed Francis’ coffin at his final resting place in a basilica across town.
According to Vatican estimates, some 250,000 people flocked to the funeral Mass at the Vatican and 150,000 more lined the motorcade route through downtown rome to witness the first funeral procession for a pope in a century. They clapped and cheered “Papa Francesco” as his simple wooden coffin travelled aboard a modified popemobile to St. Mary Major Basilica, some 6 kilometres (3.5-miles) away.
As bells tolled, the pallbearers brought the coffin past several dozen migrants, prisoners and homeless people holding white roses outside the basilica. once inside, the pallbearers stopped in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary that Francis loved. Four children deposited the roses at the foot of the altar before cardinals performed the burial rite at his tomb in a nearby niche.
“I’m so sorry that we’ve lost him,” said Mohammed Abdallah, a 35-year-old migrant from Sudan who was one of the people who welcomed Francis to his final resting place. “Francis helped so many people, refugees like us, and many other people in the world.”
Earlier, Cardinal Giovanni Battista re eulogized history’s first latin American pontiff during the Vatican Mass as a pope of the people, a pastor who knew how to communicate to the “least among us” with an informal, spontaneous style.
“He was a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone,” the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals said in a highly personal sermon. He drew applause from the crowd when he recounted Francis’ constant concern for migrants, exemplified by celebrating Mass at the USMexico border and travelling to a refugee camp in lesbos, Greece, when he brought 12 migrants home with him.
“The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open,” re said, noting that with his travels, the Argentine pontiff reached “the most peripheral of the peripheries of the world.” despite Francis’ focus on the powerless, the powerful were out in force at his funeral. US President donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Prince William and continental European royals leading more than 160 official delegations. Argentine President Javier Milei had pride of place given Francis’ nationality, even if the two didn’t particularly get along and the pope alienated many in his homeland by never returning there.
In an extraordinary development, Trump and Zelenskyy met privately
on the sidelines. A photo showed the two men sitting alone, facing one another and hunched over on chairs in St. Peter’s Basilica, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to russia’s war in Ukraine.
Francis choreographed the funeral himself when he revised and simplified the Vatican’s rites and rituals last year. His aim was to emphasize the pope’s role as a mere pastor and not “a powerful man of this world.”
It was a reflection of Francis’ 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to stress priests as servants and to construct “a poor church for the poor.” He articulated the mission just days after his 2013 election and it explained the name he chose as pope, honouring St. Francis of Assisi “who had the heart of the poor of the world,” according to the official decree of the pope’s life that was placed in his coffin.
The white facade of St. Peter’s glowed pink as the sun rose Saturday and throngs of mourners rushed into the square to get a spot for the Mass. Giant television screens were set up along the surrounding streets for those who couldn’t get close.
Police helicopters whirled overhead, part of the massive security operation Italian authorities mounted, including more than 2,500 police, 1,500 soldiers and a torpedo ship off the coast, Italian media reported.
Many mourners had planned to be in rome anyway this weekend for the now-postponed Holy Year canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis. Groups of scouts and youth church groups nearly outnumbered the gaggles of
nuns and seminarians.
“He was a very charismatic pope, very human, very kind, above all very human,” said Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru who said he had camped out all night near the piazza. “It’s very emotional to say goodbye to him.”
Francis, who was also the first Jesuit pope, died Easter Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke while recovering from pneumonia.
Even before he became pope, Francis had a particular affection for St. Mary Major, home to a Byzantinestyle icon of the Madonna, the Salus Populi romani. He would pray before the icon before and after each of his foreign trips as pope.
The popemobile that brought his coffin there was made for one of those trips: Francis’ 2016 visit to Mexico, and was modified to carry a coffin.
The choice of the basilica
was also symbolically significant given its ties to Francis’ Jesuit religious order. St. Ignatius loyola, who founded the Jesuits, celebrated his first Mass in the basilica on Christmas day in 1538. The basilica is the resting place of seven other popes, but this was the first papal burial outside the Vatican since Pope leo XIII, who died in 1903 and was entombed in another roman basilica in 1924.
Following the funeral, preparations can begin in earnest to launch the centuries-old process of electing a new pope, a conclave that will likely begin in the first week of May. In the interim, the Vatican is being run by a handful of cardinals, key among them re, who is organizing the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel. German Cardinal reinhard Marx, who will participate in the conclave,
said the outpouring of support for Francis at his funeral showed the clear need for the next pope to continue his legacy. over three days this week, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects while Francis’ body lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican kept the basilica open through the night to accommodate them, but it wasn’t enough. When the doors closed to the general public at 7 pm Friday, mourners were turned away in droves. By dawn Saturday, they were back, some recalling the words Francis uttered the very first night of his election and throughout his papacy.
“We are here to honor him because he always said ‘don’t forget to pray for me,’” said Nigerian Sister Christiana Neenwata. “So we are also here to give to him this love that he gave to us.”
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St Peter’s Square for his funeral, at the Vatican, Saturday. Photos: AP
