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VOLUME:116 No.91, MAY 6TH, 2019

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PA GE S SPORT: BIG NAMES AT NATIONAL TRIATHLON CHAMPS

Smash and grab raid in Baha Mar

Robbers strike inside hotel and target John Bull

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

TWO men are wanted by police following a “brazen” smash and grab robbery at the John Bull store at Baha Mar yesterday afternoon.

The daring robbery means the hotel’s officials will now have to “rethink” the resort’s security plan, Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar told this newspaper.

According to police, the duo entered the store located near the resort’s western entrance around 3pm yesterday, smashed

several showcases and stole an assortment of watches and jewellery before fleeing the Cable Beach property on foot.

The men were said to be unarmed, or at the very least not brandishing weapons.

There were no injuries reported, police said.

When The Tribune visited the scene yesterday, roughly two hours after the ordeal unfolded, security personnel declined comment and said any updates on the matter would come either from police or the resort’s public relations team.

SEE PAGE THREE

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis painted the Progressive Liberal Party as a corrupt group that believes it “owns” this country, as he urged members of the Free National Movement not to take the public’s support for granted.

While outlining his government’s achievements since the May 2017 general election and plans for the country’s further

improvement, Dr Minnis sought to draw distinctions between the FNM and the opposition party.

“For a quarter century, the PLP ruled under a cult of personality, a sense of entitlement and mass corruption and widespread victimisation,” Dr Minnis said at a service at Cousin McPhee Church celebrating his administration’s second anniversary in office.

“They kept rigid control of the broadcast media so they could spew their SEE PAGE FIVE

TOURIST VICTIM OF PI SEX ASSAULT

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating the reported sexual assault of a female tourist at a Paradise Island beach on Saturday.

According to reports, shortly after 11am the woman was at the property when she was sexually assaulted by a 34-year-old Bahamian male, who was later taken into custody and is assisting police with their investigation.

Police declined to give any further details on the incident, telling The Tribune the investigation is ongoing and once a conclusion is reached the case will move forward with the relevant authorities.

SEE PAGE THREE

SECOND BROTHER DIES IN SHOOTING

MINNIS - PLP ARE THE PARTY OF CORRUPTION

By TANEKA THOMPSON Tribune News Editor tmthompson@tribunemedia.net

HOME

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

DANCING IN THE STREETS

THOUSANDS of people turned out to enjoy the Bahamas Carnival at the weekend.

More pictures - Page 10 Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

POLICE are investigating the country’s latest murder after a man was shot dead outside an abandoned building on Hospital Lane early on Saturday morning. The killing brought the country’s homicide count to 23 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.

Reports are that shortly after midnight, a group of persons were sitting in front of an abandoned building when they were approached by a lone gunman who opened fire in their direction. He shot one man before running away.

SEE PAGE THREE

FOULKES DEFENDS SHANTY TOWN STRATEGY INSIGHT

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE reality that the majority of people impacted by the government’s crackdown on shanty towns have Haitian ethnicity is a matter of arithmetic, not discrimination, according to the affidavit of Labour Minister Dion Foulkes.

Mr Foulkes, head of the Shanty Town Action Task Force (SATF), defended the

A SHANTY town government’s motivations for the “Shanty Town Project” and shot down claims

of constitutional rights violations in a 200-page affidavit filed last week.

Mr Foulkes said the project was intending to eliminate unsafe and unsanitary living conditions associated with those buildings and, in turn, regulate and elevate the living conditions of people living in those unregulated communities.

“To the extent that a large number of such persons

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE 11

CHURCHES OUT OF TOUCH WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED

SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Monday, May 6, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

ACTIVISTS QUESTION DISNEY SUSTAINABILITY PLANS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL local environmental groups have written to Walt Disney’s top senior sustainability officer, raising questions about the adequacy of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) now underway for Disney Cruise Line’s proposed Lighthouse Point project.

The collaborative letter, penned to Elissa

Margolis, The Walt Disney Company’s senior vice president for enterprise social responsibility, by the directors of BREEF, EARTHCARE, reEarth, Save The Bays and Waterkeepers Bahamas, notes the recently released Heads of Agreement (HOA) for Lighthouse Point describes a project “far larger than anticipated”.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has again defended the Disney deal from push

back, telling supporters at a church service celebrating his administration’s second year in office that he needed to clear up some “misinformation” surrounding the project.

Dr Minnis said while his party will ensure high environmental standards are met with any project

by Bahamians or foreign investors, the Disney project is a model of “careful development”.

“My fellow FNMs, let me clear up some

misinformation that is going around. Every government has to balance economic development and environmental protection and preservation,” he said yesterday. “The new project in South Eleuthera is a model of careful, balanced development. The PLP also does not support this development. The PLP and some of the private interests don’t care about the needs of the people of South Eleuthera who have been suffering and in need of jobs [and] opportunities for a long time.

“When I hear some people complain, it’s like they want the islands of The Bahamas for their own private playground. They want to keep everybody else out, it’s as if some people don’t care about the needs of the majority, especially those who desperately need jobs and economic opportunities to care for themselves and for their families.”

The prime minister added: “The FNM is the party that doubled the size of the national park system.

The FNM is the party that instituted environmental impact assessment studies, in this spirit we will remain faithful stewards of our environment. We will ensure high environmental standards and safeguards with investment projects

by Bahamians and international investors.”

In the activists’ letter, the groups also pointed out that the details of the project outlined in the HOA depicts a much greater risk for potentially negative impact on the environment, while promising “far fewer and more restricted economic benefits.”

The groups, most of which were associated with the initial ‘Save Lighthouse Point’ push, also noted the natural and culture significance of the property, raising issue with Disney’s proposed construction and its effects on the surrounding seabed.

LETTER signed by the activists.

Given the size and scope of the proposed project — the vast physical infrastructure and a potential human impact of up to 20,000 visitors per week — the groups questioned why Disney Cruise Lines has released no public information regarding the project’s EIA. According to the groups, The Bahamas lacks the capacity and resources to analyse and manage environmental impacts of such a large project.

As such, they urged Disney not to interpret these shortcomings as a licence to exploit the situation, but rather use its position to “raise the standard in regard to environmental protection, as well as cultural preservation and economic opportunity” in The Bahamas.

In line with this, the groups called on Disney to be “consistent” with US and international best practices and produce an EIA inclusive of consideration of alternatives including a “no-build” option and location of the proposed cruise port at another site.

The groups also praised the recent visit of Waterkeepers Alliance President Robert F Kennedy Jr, and his comments on Disney’s acquisition and proposed development of Lighthouse Point.

Mr Kennedy last month claimed that companies do not have the right to destroy something they can’t create.

“God created Lighthouse Point and He created it perfectly. Disney needs to show that they are going to protect it and not degrade it,” he said during a guest lecture the Regency Theatre in Grand Bahama last month.

The government and Disney Cruise Lines signed the Lighthouse Point HOA during a closed-door ceremony in early March.

The deal, which was announced formally by Dr Minnis during a town hall meeting in Eleuthera, allows for a $250m to $400m cruise port and entertainment facility at the property and for the conveyance of 190 acres of land along the southernmost point of the property — a $6.29m value — to the government for establishment of a national park.

Under the HOA, Disney has ensured a minimum of 120 Bahamians will be employed directly during the construction of the project.

Disney also has committed to aim for an overall ratio of 80 percent Bahamian workers to 20 percent non-Bahamian workers during the life of the construction phase of the project.

However, this element would be subject to qualified labour being available, as there is a “need to ensure the highest level of technical compliance with international standards.”

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 6, 2019, PAGE 3

FEMALE TOURIST VICTIM OF SECOND BROTHER PARADISE ISLAND SEX ATTACK DIES IN SHOOTING from page one

Police yesterday also confirmed that they are closing in on a suspect in connection with the sexual assault of two elderly women in eastern New Providence between last December and April.

In the first incident, an elderly woman in her mid-80s was reportedly held at bay, robbed of cash and sexually assaulted

before the assailant fled her home just off Eastern Road. At the time of the offence, police believed the incident was random and not connected to any other instance of sexual assault.

However, on April 11, a 60-year-old caretaker was sexually assaulted during a home invasion at the San Souci residence of her employer. Police said the two women were tied up by the intruder, who then

sexually assaulted the caretaker before leaving the home.

According to police statistics released in January, incidents of reported rapes rose six percent in 2018, from 52 cases in 2017 to 55 last year. Anyone with any information on any of these cases is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328TIPS (8477).

from page one

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

While police have not formally identified the victim, The Tribune understands he is Barron “Jam Dawg” Roberts, the older brother of 19-year-old

Terrance Rolle Jr, a teen shot and killed shortly after 11am on January 1.

Rolle Jr’s murder marked the country’s first for 2019.

Police are appealing to members of the public who may have information that can assist with this investigation to contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.

John Bull the target in Baha Mar smash and grab

from page one

Subsequently, Robert Sands, the resort’s senior vice president, in a brief statement yesterday confirmed the incident, saying the matter was now a police investigation and that no further comment would come from the resort at this time.

Following the incident, a number of unsubstantiated reports of the incident were circulated across social media - most of which suggested that the two men were of slim build with dark complexions.

One of those reports said the men were dressed in orange t-shirts, one with a blue fisherman’s hat and the other in a dark tam, with both sporting sunglasses.

When asked if these descriptions fit the suspects being sought, police yesterday declined to comment.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar called the ordeal “most unfortunate and reprehensible”.

“A situation created a crime of opportunity today, and two robbers took advantage of this lapse and perpetrated a brazen act. As it stands, the hotel will now have to rethink its security plan, as police look to bring this matter to a close,” Mr D’Aguilar said, when made aware of the incident.

“It breaks my heart that in pursuit of a short-term

gain, these men directly jeopardised the economic impact this hotel has had on the lives of so many Bahamians. I Implore the community to work to identify these men and turn them over to the authorities,” he added.

John Bull has been a target for brazen thieves in the past. Last August, two New Providence men were charged in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court in connection with a robbery at

MAIN picture: The Baha Mar resort and, inset, inside the John Bull shop.

FRIENDS OF CONVICTED DRUGS SMUGGLER APPEAL FOR LENIENCY

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FAMILY and friends of convicted drug smuggler Austin Knowles are appealing for leniency in his sentencing after he pleaded guilty to a 2002 conspiracy and drug trafficking scheme.

Knowles was extradited to the US in May 2018, ending a more than decadelong court battle fighting against removal from this country, and pleaded guilty in a South Florida court the following month.

He is facing a sentencing guideline range of 20 to 30 years imprisonment, and has requested a variance or “extra credit” based on the incarceration conditions of the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services while awaiting extradition.

Knowles was admitted to the BDCS in December 2002, and released by the court in March 2005. He was readmitted in October 2017, and extradited to the United States last year.

He was accused alongside Nathaniel Knowles, Edison Watson, Ian Bethel and Sean Bruey aka Shawn Saunders of alleged drug trafficking and conspiring to import cocaine into the US. Knowles submitted 15 character references from relatives, religious leaders, and close friends, including his wife Cassandra

Newton-Knowles; his pastor and former Central Eleuthera MP Phillip Bethel; Family Island Administrator Gilbert Kemp; his ex-wife, and the mother of his children.

The references by loved ones, most of whom purport to have known Knowles for most of his life, attested to his strong ties to the Eleuthera community and good moral character.

In her letter, Mrs NewtonKnowles recounted their courtship and the moment she first felt romantic feelings towards Knowles, adding that despite their relationship challenges he never disrespected her.

“Austin has made some mistakes in his life,” she wrote, “but he is working hard now to make amends.

For more than 15 years my husband has changed his life and never once looked back. Instead he works to provide a better existence for his family.”

Mrs Newton-Knowles said: “Keeping him away

from me and his children will only serve to keep a good man away from his family because me and all his children need him around, especially lil’ Austin who is his last child.”

She continued: “Honourable Judge, let me assure you that my husband is a changed man. The life he once lived is in the past forever. I encouraged my husband to surrender himself because it is the only way he can start a new life without fear.

“Notwithstanding he has to set an example for his seven children, all of whom he has an intimate relationship with.”

For his part, Mr Bethel spoke of Knowles’ integrity and belief in hard work and goodwill towards others. As the senior pastor at People’s Restoration Baptist Church, Mr Bethel said he witnessed Knowles’ spiritual growth over the years as an active member of the church and

“excellent role model” that was well respected and loved.

Mr Kemp, a high school classmate, said: “Personally, I know that he’s a loving and kind father, civic and community minded and extremely generous to whomever and whenever there is a need of assistance.”

the luxury store in Grand Bahama.

The men were charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. It is alleged that on July 23, 2018 the accused with others, who were unknown, conspired and stole 35 men’s and women’s Rolex watches and two Breitling watches valued at $427,000.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to initial reports, two men disguised as women, wearing long wigs, entered the John Bull Store at the Port Lucaya Marketplace on the morning of July 23, 2018 and smashed a glass display case stealing a number of high-priced watches and escaped in a stolen vehicle.

Police later said the stolen merchandise was valued in excess of $900,000.

PAGE 4, Monday, May 6, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

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Two years down - and the election battleground is clear IT may seem a long way away – but if there were any doubt that we are on the countdown to the next election already, listening to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis as he marked his second anniversary in office will have put an end to that.

It seems fairly clear the ground he’s marking out – new contracts for developments to bring jobs, and calling the PLP out as corrupt.

There are problems with both plans, of course – let’s start with the new contracts side. It’s easy to hold a shiny ceremony, line up heads of agreement to be signed and roll out the cameras – but the fine detail doesn’t always live up to the photo opportunity.

First of all, there was the Oban Energies debacle, where questionable track records of those involved hadn’t appeared to be uncovered, showing a lack of some very basic checks. Ask the prime minister today what he thinks of the Oban deal and he’s more than likely to run away from the question.

It’s not just Oban, either, but its clumsy execution has coloured our view of other projects. The proposed development in Harbour Island, for example, has its own question marks hanging over it, such as over the project manager who doesn’t appear to have a track record in this kind of development and his own uncertain history – but our view is not

helped by the failure of the prime minister to table the heads of agreement as promised or the failure to publicly release the environmental impact assessment. Even the much-lauded Disney deal has people looking through it and asking “is this all?” when it comes to benefits for Bahamians.

Meanwhile, when it comes to claims of corruption, those are easy to make – but to be said with conviction, it needs convictions. The PLP can point to the absence of guilty verdicts in the courts and ask where is the proof?

And when vowing to shed light on misdeeds of the past, the government should also be clear about things happening right now. Why hasn’t the Harbour Island heads of agreement been tabled? Why weren’t companies named in the sports audit? Why is it that we hear of contracts being handed out without proper advertising?

If the battleground is on jobs, then the Bahamian voter will have to feel the effect of the improving economy in their pockets if the FNM is to win their vote.

If the battleground is on corruption, then people are going to have to see results – and a commitment to make sure it’s not just clamping down on what the other side has done.

Happy second anniversary, Prime Minister. You’ve still got a way to go.

Keep politicians in the pew EDITOR, The Tribune THE politician’s place in a church is in the pew - time and time again, successive Prime Ministers-Governments accept invitations to speak at Church Conventions - wrong actually very wrong and politically stupid.

As if the politician didn’t know at least 50% of the people in the pews hate the hell out of you and all

you do by speaking is to aggravate their position of opposing the party in office.

Bishop Wallace’s church, the good Bishop well known as an FNM supporter - Pastor to the Prison seemingly PM sent out a directive all Cabinet and as many FNM MP’s must attend… they were lined off!

You know more and more, many more people are realising that the FNM

did not win 2017 on merit, but totally by accident.

We must keep the politicians in the pew - it is God’s house, not the House of Assembly.

Tired of this practice Pindling was wrong using it - Christie was wrong and Minnis is wrong…

in her having five more children. One each year for five years. I grew up in a neighbourhood where anything goes. And being exposed to drugs, alcohol and illicit sexual activities at an early age it was not hard for me to become a product of the environment. It all started at the age of ten with me stealing foodstuff from the petty shop to feed my brothers and sisters. It all seemed so easy so I started shop and housebreaking and at a very young age I was sentenced to prison.

Prison is no place to be and after I was released I promised never to go back.

But that promise was short lived because once you’ve been to jail people treat you like you’re nobody.

No one wants to give you a job and if they do once they found out you’re an ex they either fire you or put on pressure that would cause you to quit. So I wound up going back to prison for petty theft. So you see why there are so many repeat offenders. I don’t care what no one says once you’ve been to jail the only ones that accepts you are people whose lives are the same as yours. Well not everyone, but the majority.

They will tell you that’s not true, but I know better.

Why do you think me and my girl is out here with our princess picking up bottles.

Do you believe we enjoy doing this? We get two dollars a case barely enough to put food on the table. But we have to eat ,as you can see both my girl and our daughter is handicapped.

But you know what I’m not going back to prison because I believe there is a God and I believe my ship is going to come in and once it does I’m going to take my mother and my brothers and sisters out of that environment. I have a job interview next week.

This might be the break I’m hoping for. Please pray for me.”

I haven’t seen him in awhile but he used to be on South Beach by the pools with his child who is handicapped along with his fiancée who is also impeded with a limp from birth collecting bottles. I’m praying for them, praying that job interview came through for him. Will you please pray with me.

ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau May 1, 2019

Family deserving of all our prayers EDITOR, The Tribune I MET him at the South Beach pools. This is his story.

“I keep telling myself not to give up hope to be brave and stay strong because I believe there are people out there who will believe in me and will help me through hard times. When I look back over my life.

I believed I would never amount to anything. As a child there was never a positive role model in my life.

My mother whose family is well off was disowned by her parents when she got pregnant with me at the age of fourteen by an eighteen-year-old high school dropout.

For all its worth I believe I was born under what is called an unlucky star.

From birth I was off to a rough start. My dad left my mom shortly after I was born. Up to this day I don’t know who he is. After being kicked out by my grandparents, she moved in with a cousin and from there on it was a downward spiral for her. Shortly after giving birth to me she got hooked on crack and was in and out of relationships with lots of men. Resulting

ANTHONY PRATT Nassau April 6, 2019

One from 10 equals 0 EDITOR, The Tribune IN 1962 as the nascent Federation of the West Indies struggled to find relevance, Dr Eric Williams, then Premier of Trinidad and Tobago uttered five words that still reverberate around the Caribbean – one from ten equals zero.

The issue was what the Trinis call the big bacchanal over where to put the capital of the new Federation.

The actual members of the Federation unanimously voted for Chaguaramas in Trinidad.

As high ground, Chaguaramas commands the northwest peninsula of Trinidad. So strategic was the location that in 1940 the United States bargained with Britain to lease the entire area under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, better known as Lend/Lease.

Today it is the headquarters of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.

After the UK Parliament voted for the British Caribbean Federation Act in 1956, it was agreed that Grantley Adams of Barbados would be the Prime Minister. In 1962 it was further agreed that Chaguaramas would be the capital city.

But then the US forcefully objected and, many feel, injected their tentacles into the plan to form one big English-speaking Caribbean neighbour out of many small island colonies.

With the two powerhouses of the Federation, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago solidly backing Chaguaramas, it looked like a done deal until the US pressured the UK which in turned pressured Mr Adams who unilaterally acquiesced and, as Prime Minister, blocked the move.

So, incensed by this affront was Jamaica’s Premier Norman Manley that he put the issue of Jamaica’s continuation in the Federation to a referendum. Fifty-four percent of Jamaicans voted to leave triggering Dr. Williams to proclaim a new math theorem: “one from ten equals naught”. In other words, with Jamaica out, the dream of Federation was dead.

The Federation’s failure

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net paved the way for Caricom as we know it. It is an experiment that is largely successful. But today it is under threat as some of its members bend a knee to the US, just as surely as Adams did in 1962.

The issue this time is Venezuela, just six miles due west of Chaguaramas.

US President Donald Trump has demonstrated no respect for the principles of multilateralism.

He despises the United Nations, disparages NATO, has ripped up the Paris Agreement on climate and even the nuclear disarmament agreement the US and other countries signed with Iran.

It is highly unlikely that he of s-hole country fame knows or even cares much about Caricom’s core principles. So, it was no surprise when he used Venezuela to divide Caricom. He peeled off four members – Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Haiti, and got them to support the far-right leader of the opposition who declared himself interim President of Venezuela.

The rest of Caricom retreated to their founding principles which are noninvolvement in the internal affairs of other countries and their desire for a peaceful resolution to the impasse in Venezuela. Caricom’s official position is that both sides should negotiate a political resolution.

As thousands of refugees continue to turn up in Trinidad, Caricom made their Prime Minister point man on the issue.

The four members who honored an invitation to meet with Trump have tried unsuccessfully to square the diplomatic circle by attempting to convince both the US and Caricom of their unqualified support. Fish and fowl at the same time.

The Americans are not content with just driving a scooter through Caricom. They revved up an 18-wheeler and are slamming it into the heart of the Treaty of Chaguaramas,

with the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia happily onboard as if it were a carnival big truck blaring soca music.

The Americans have accepted the nominee of the leader of the opposition as Venezuela’s Ambassador to the US. Then they stomped all over a planned meeting in China of the Inter-American Development Bank because the Chinese stood firm and refused to give a visa to the delegation of the opposition leader.

Recently it was the turn of the Organization of American States (71 years old this week) to roll over and play dead. The US wanted the opposition leader’s candidate recognized as the permanent representative of Venezuela.

A resolution was put and passed over the strong objections of eight Caricom members who joined Mexico to vote against it.

Trump’s fav five (including Dominican Republic), did not vote with Caricom and the Bahamas didn’t even have the diplomatic bearing to at least abstain.

So incensed was Caricom that when the opposition leader’s candidate gave his maiden speech, the Ambassadors of Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago got up and left the chamber.

If you hold your breath and squint out of both eyes it could almost make you long for Fred Mitchell under whose watch at the Foreign Ministry we never would have been so pliable.

The late Paul Adderley would probably still be mumbling “hell-to-theno” for months after being asked to sign on to such a myopic foreign policy.

Prime Minister Minnis made Caricom a focus of his foreign policy but the deeds of his Foreign Ministry haven’t matched up to his sweet talk to Caricom in Grenada in 2017.

You can almost hear Dr. Eric Williams reworking his math and ominously warning Caricom that “four from 13 is also naught”.

THE GRADUATE Nassau May 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 6, 2019, PAGE 5

NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT ROLLE PROMOTION, COMPLAINS DAVIS

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net OPPOSITION leader Philip Davis said he was never consulted on the promotion of former Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle to acting deputy commissioner of police, as mandated by law. The Royal Bahamas Police Force announced the appointment on Thursday evening, stating the promotion had been approved by the governor general following a recommendation by Prime Minister Hubert Minnis after consultation with Mr Davis.

In a press statement on Friday, Mr Davis, pictured right, said: “It has been brought to my attention that a public notice is circulating purportedly signed by the Commissioner of Police Anthony

Ferguson that indicated the appointment by the governor general of an acting deputy commissioner of police.

“The announcement says that the appointment was made after consultation with the leader of the opposition. Please be advised that no one consulted me at any time on this appointment.”

Mr Davis’ statement comes as the party continues to clash with the governing party over allegations that the Progressive Liberal Party politicised the police force during previous terms.

At an event billed as a town hall meeting for Fort Charlotte, Centreville, St Barnabas, Bain and Grants Town, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said: “The FNM does not appoint senior police

officers based on their political affiliation. Apparently, this is what the PLP does.”

PLP chairman Fred Mitchell renewed the party’s call for the resignation of Minister of National Security Marvin Dames, and Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands in a press statement on Friday.

The PLP has called for the dismissal of the two Cabinet ministers over their involvement in the trial of former PLP MP Frank Smith on bribery and extortion charges.

Mr Dames and Dr Sands were criticised by Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt as she gave her reasons for acquitting Mr Smith of all charges on February 1.

The chief magistrate criticised

the ministers for the “egregious” way in which they interacted with complainant Barbara Hanna prior to a police investigation into her claims, charging that their conduct gave the appearance of a “political favour to a curious bystander”.

The government has appealed the matter.

Mr Mitchell said: “This same Dr Minnis who loves to point the finger, has done nothing to address this issue that hovers like a dark cloud over his administration and is an albatross around his neck. He wishes this to go away through deflection so the prime minister lacks credibility on this score.

“The prime minister obviously bit his tongue when he told the media that the PLP politicised the police force.

“If Dr Minnis has a short memory, we are happy to remind

him that it was the FNM who sent multiple police officers brandishing weapons to BAIC for no other reason but to intimidate BAIC employees and its executive chairman.”

Mr Mitchell was referring to the 2017 arrest and release of former Nassau Village member of Parliament Dion Smith and several Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation employees in connection with a police probe into “theft by reason of employment”.

It was alleged police officers visited the government agency with guns drawn to investigate allegations made against workers and Mr Smith, who served as its executive chairman.

At the time, Dr Minnis denied any government interference.

No one was ever charged in that matter.

Minnis paints PLP as party of corruption from page one propaganda and limit our freedom of expression.

Then, as now, they believe that the rule of law does not apply to them. They believe they can engage in corruption without consequences. They turn a blind eye to reports of the auditor general, they demonise the Royal Bahamas Police Force when it serves their interests.

“The PLP believes it owns this country and they are entitled to steal and plunder with zeal. The FNM, we are different.

We cherish the name ‘free’ because we are committed to the cause of expanding and protecting freedom in the nation. We are guided by the values of equality, the rule of law, social justice and opportunity for all,” Dr Minnis said.

Earlier in his speech, Dr Minnis said while the FNM has significant support, its members must continue to work to earn the public’s favour. “The over 600 FNMs at the town hall meeting this past Wednesday was a demonstration of the enthusiastic support for our mission to turn around our country from what was one of the worst governments in an independent Bahamas,” the nation’s leader said.

“But let us remember that we can never take any support for granted. We must continue to earn the support of the Bahamian people and of our fellow FNMs. We must continue to rekindle the torch in every constituency and among our young people.”

He said the party still has a lot of work to do to fulfill its “overwhelming” mandate for change, but added the country is moving in the right direction. “The people’s turnaround has begun.

We put a stop to rampant corruption, we put a stop to waste and stealing of the people’s money. We put a stop to the descent into economic collapse. We put a stop to the never-ending

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, far left, speaking at a service at Cousin McPhee Church to mark his administration’s second anniversary in office.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff downgrades; our economy is growing and getting stronger and healthier. But we still have work to do, for more Bahamians to feel the recovery in their pockets and in their bank accounts.”

He noted a “phenomenal” growth in tourism numbers and new ports slated for New Providence and Grand Bahama that will bring short-term and long-term jobs. He said for the “first time in decades,” the revitalisation of Grand Bahama is on the way, again defending his administration’s decision to purchase the Grand Lucayan resort last year to save jobs. The government has since

signed a letter of intent to sell the resort to Royal Caribbean International and the ITM Group.

“Grand Bahama will not soon forget the utter neglect by the PLP while they were in government and their contempt for Grand Bahama while they are in opposition. From Abaco to Long Island to Eleuthera, to Exuma to Andros to Mayaguana and throughout the Family Islands, we are seeing new investments, new jobs. . .”

Noting plans to reform the New Providence Landfill, he said the “nightmare” at that site is coming to an end. “We promised to fix

it, we are delivering on that promise. Remember, the last big fire at the landfill, with fires threatening homes and dark clouds of black smoke all over New Providence – this was a perfect symbol of what was wrong with the PLP government on many levels,” Dr Minnis said .

The Waste Resources Development Group/Providence Advisors consortium was selected as the preferred bidder to take over the landfill’s operations — and effect a $130m transformation of the site — in late August 2018.

Editorial View - Page 4

PAGE 6, Monday, May 6, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

We want to improve, says Carnival after yet another dumping

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net ONE of Carnival Corporation’s cruise liners.

IN the wake of yet another report on its illegal ocean activities, Carnival Corporation says its focus is on “full transparency and continuous improvement”.

The company, in response to a recent Tribune article which detailed how one of its bridge officers offered to cover up the prohibited dumping of 66,000 gallons of ballast water in the Bahamas by its Carnival Conquest ship last November, said it “self-reported” the case.

The incident was first reported as a part of the latest court-mandated reports of Carnival’s ocean activities, and subsequently covered by The Tribune last week.

Court appointed monitor Steven Solow, in his review of a Carnival report on the incident, noted a bridge officer “offered to cover up the occurrence and change the time and location of the discharge to indicate it had occurred in a permitted area.”

He said the report also noted Carnival attributed the incident to the failure of the watch-keeping engineer to attend a meeting with the bridge, “to follow the instructions provided by the bridge during the briefing at the start of the watch as well as the chief engineer’s standing orders,” or “to inform the bridge before

conducting the discharge operation.”

This report follows a 2017 report which revealed Carnival ships dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated sewage and more than 8,000 gallons of food waste within The Bahamas’ archipelagic baseline.

Responding to this latest situation, Carnival Corporation Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer Roger Frizzel said the situation was one of “human error” by a member of its crew.

He said the company “sincerely regrets” the occurrence and issued a formal apology for the “mistake”.

Meanwhile, Carnival Corporation said the ballast water in question was released “far from shoreline in deep water”.

Carnival said the release should have “absolutely” no impact, harm or damage to the Bahamian marine environment.

“Our company’s checks and balances, which includes focused efforts on education and training, and commitment to self-reporting of all incidents — even potential incidents — is designed to identify and prevent lapses in judgment and areas of improvement,” the cruise line said.

“The important thing is that [the bridge officer] realised what he said, he immediately corrected himself, and we self-reported this in our goal of full transparency and continuous improvement,” it added.

The release of untreated ballast water could introduce invasive species into an environment, devastating local ecosystems. It is not clear if the ballast water released in local waters was

treated. In December 2016, the Princess Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of a Carnival Corporation, pled guilty to seven felony counts related to vessel pollution and efforts to conceal that pollution, one count of conspiracy, four counts of failure to maintain accurate records and two counts of obstruction of justice.

The cruise line had to pay a $40 million criminal penalty, the largest ever for deliberate vessel pollution. A five-year term of probation was applied that requires all ships from eight Carnival cruise lines to participate in a supervised environmental compliance programme.

The company is required to retain an outside independent third-party auditor and to fund a court-appointed monitor.

A US federal judge recently threatened to stop Carnival Corporation from docking its ships in American ports as punishment for its possible probation violation. Court filings show Carnival Corp sought to avoid unfavourable findings by preparing ships ahead of audits and by falsifying records, among other things.

At a scheduled June hearing, US District Judge Patricia Seitz is expected to decide whether to revoke Carnival’s probation and punish the company.

In February, Carnival announced plans to develop the world’s largest cruise port in East Grand Bahama. The facility would be able to accommodate two of their largest ships at the same time.

The company is leasing 329 acres of land in an area known as Sharp Rock in East Grand Bahama, which is known as an eco-sensitive zone.

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

upper or lower house regarding the cruise line.

Yesterday, Mrs ForbesSmith pointed out that most, if not all, previous Senate presidents were attorneys who worked full time. She noted she did not participate in debate as Senate president.

“I chair the meetings,” she said, “I don’t give comment on any law. My role is to chair the Senate chamber and to make sure the opposition and government senators are all conducting themselves in the way a senate should operate.

“There would be no conflicts,” she added.

Carnival has come under heavy scrutiny following reports that the cruise giant’s ships unlawfully dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated sewage and more than 8,000 gallons of food waste in Bahamian waters in 2017.

Government officials have launched an investigation, and the cruise line has maintained the dumping was not intentional and the result of human error.

I HAVE RIGHT TO WORK FOR CRUISE LINE, SAYS SENATE PRESIDENT SENATE President Kay Forbes Smith yesterday defended her right to private practice as she confirmed her engagement with Carnival Cruise Line as a local consultant and advisor.

Mrs Forbes-Smith, pictured below, confirmed she was retained last year as a part of a team of people. “As the president of the Senate, I have every right to work being president,” she said.

“I’ve always been working in PR and comms [communications] strategy. I would not take a contract with any government entity, I think that would be a conflict. But anything I do in my private life in the private sector is different.

Attorney General Carl Bethel told The Tribune on Friday there was no law stopping a parliamentarian from continuing their private practice.

He added it is unlikely there will be any bills or relative debate in the

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

Voices in the wilderness increasingly out of touch

By Malcolm Strachan

C

ARNIVAL would not be Carnival if our selective Christian-ness did not emerge to the forefront of discussions in the week leading up to the event’s festivities. While event organisers, band members and other enthusiasts would have been finalising their preparations for the weekend, the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) released a statement mid-week that ripped the cast off the fractured opinions towards the event.

BCC president Bishop Delton Fernander’s diatribe, plastered across headlines last week, emphatically denounced carnival and characterised the event as having “the potential to lead to sexual violence, rape and other violent confrontation”.

He said: “We strongly condemn this open display of sexuality, nudity, open consumption of alcohol and indecency associated with this event.

“We also further state our deep concern for the safety of our young people, especially our young women during these carnival events.

“With a mixture of men and women flaunting near naked bodies engaging in sexual contact with event participants and the open flow of alcohol, we stand with others who believe this event has the potential to lead to sexual violence, rape and other violent confrontation most especially between our young men who may not be able to handle seeing their female friend in sexual contact with other men on the streets,” said the council’s president.

Within hours, a statement was released from

the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association (BCBOA) president Rafel Dean who expressed disappointment in Bishop Fernander’s statement.

Refuting the claims, Dean questioned how the Christian body could make those types of claims without either statistical proof or evidence that any such issue has taken place since Bahamas Carnival’s inception five years ago.

This has undoubtedly resulted in intense debate - with those in support of carnival and adversaries to the viewpoints of the BCC making their opinions known in public forums.

One gentleman, in a Facebook group, said of the BCC: “Many of these so-called religious leaders are nothing more charlatans who use their positions in the pulpit as a means of providing a comfortable lifestyle for themselves at the expense of their church members, most of whom struggle to keep their heads above water financially.

There is a special furnace in hell reserved for these religious imposters after their sojourn here on earth.”

Very strong sentiments, but views held by many within our community with regard to the Christian Council. However, the issue at hand is perhaps being lost in the fray.

Unfortunately, in a “Christian” nation, the organisation at the forefront has a reputation of garnering divided perspectives. While one can understand their stance, because they’re the messenger it comes across as a judgmental statement, particularly without proof of their claims.

They will not be the first to find themselves in such issues. Former mayor of Trinidad and Tobago – a country with a deeply rooted history in carnival – made remarks after the

death of a female Japanese musician during carnival three years ago.

Former mayor Raymond Tim Kee alluded to the young lady’s involvement in carnival as the reason for her death and sparked countrywide outrage. The sentiments in the wake of Asami Nagakiya’s death - that what she wore (a carnival costume) – perhaps, along with her killer’s consumption of alcohol - would have played a role in her death.

Kee may have very well dug his own political grave with those statements, and likewise, the Christian Council’s message continues to grow more and more out of touch, unless you’re a bible thumping, jumpingoff-the-pulpit Christian.

Rather than engaging people from a moral standpoint, the BCC just looks like an organisation that cherry-picks its battles based on personal views.

While one can understand they may not want their liberties infringed upon, the same can be said for those who enjoy carnival. Remember we all live in a free society and freedom of expression is a right we all have.

Furthermore, what could have been a conversation to address the societal issue that underpins this argument will instead be drowned out by soca beats, hurling from too much alcohol consumption and the sweeping opinions of those who refuse to have the BCC speak for them.

Unfortunately, the message that should have been conveyed has beenn lost and that is one of respect.

While there are many Bahamian men who treat women with the respect they deserve, we would be ignorant to believe there is not a segment of society that make lewd remarks, grope and sexually assault women.

PHOTOS: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Have you ever walked through a crowded corner during Junkanoo with a female companion? A woman could be wearing a hazmat suit and yet still risk the chance of being violated. Have you ever witnessed a woman walking along the street being subjected to disrespectful sexually suggestive remarks directed at her but somehow meant to be a compliment in the mind of her suitor?

Look no further than the 12 percent increase in rapes from 49 in 2017 to 55 in 2018 as evidence of this problem.

Organisations

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019

on the frontline like the Christian Council send a poor message when a seemingly anti-carnival agenda is what emerges when such issues have much deeper roots.

All that will happen now is the BCC will be met with more dissenting views in the future. The men that disrespect women in our society will likely continue to do so. Women will continue to be victim-shamed.

And most certainly, carnival will go on.

It surely could have taken less effort, time and energy to make a few more enemies.

Unfortunately, as we are living in a time when the Bahamas Christian Council’s voices are most needed, their approach is again creating a distance between them and the citizenry.

Hopefully, after another failed attempt to affect the morality of our nation the Christian Council will ponder this: what good is an echo chamber full of Christians if the sinners are the ones who stand to benefit the most from salvation?

Hopefully, at some point, they will dismount from their high horses and speak the language of the people they’re trying to reach.

PAGE 8 MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019

I

T’S no secret that the countries of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) are divided over the response to the situation in Venezuela.

Detractors of the CARICOM project and Caribbean integration have seized upon the obvious cleavage in the grouping to advance their view that not only is Caribbean integration not possible, it isn’t even desirable.

It might surprise these detractors to know that CARICOM is not the only group of nations in the Organization of American States (OAS) in which division over the response to the situation in Venezuela exists. There is similar division among the members of the Central American Integration System (SICA), comprising eight countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic, as well as among the members of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), consisting of 11 independent countries in South America (except Guyana and Suriname) and Mexico.

For completeness, we should note Belize is uniquely a full member of both the 14-nation CARICOM group and SICA. The fact of a different national position on elements of the Venezuela situation is no indication that integration in CARICOM or any other group of countries is fragmenting, or on the verge of collapse.

Each of these groups are made-up of sovereign states. They have the right to act as their governments at the time deem to be in their national interest.

While it is wholly desirable - and to their benefit - for all countries in these groups to seek the greatest coherence and unity of action in conducting their external affairs, nothing legally binds them to do so.

In CARICOM’s case, the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (CARICOM Treaty) states among its objectives: “enhanced coordination of Member States’ foreign and [foreign] economic policies”.

The obligation is not for harmonization; it is for “enhanced coordination” which does place an obligation on governments to organize different elements of activity so as to enable them to work together effectively. But, in the end, it does not require them to act in exactly the same way.

The Treaty also

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

CARICOM divide must be bridged provides for the actions of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR). The relevant clauses of the Treaty require Foreign Ministers to: “seek to ensure, as far as practicable, the adoption of Community positions on major hemispheric and international issues; and to co-ordinate the positions of the Member States in intergovernmental organisations in whose activities such States participate”.

In the final analysis, each CARICOM government of the day – like every other government in multilateral and international organisations – acts in accordance with what it considers the national interest as it sees it. The factors that influence what action a government takes in inter-governmental organisations are many.

Among them would be: standing up for principle; adhering to international law and norms; respecting the rules and procedures of organisations; and responding to pressure or forms of encouragement from other countries that are capable of punishing or rewarding them.

Those are the facts of life. Undoubtedly, each, or all, of these factors were evaluated by individual CARICOM governments when they adopted positions in the OAS in the debates and votes related to Venezuela. For some governments, being punished or rewarded by powerful countries may have weighed more heavily than other considerations.

In the event, in each of the ballots that have taken place over the last three years in the OAS at the levels of the General Assembly, the Meetings of Consultation of Foreign Ministers and the Permanent Council, CARICOM countries voted differently.

The differences continue now. However, what is at stake in the current OAS situation is no longer Venezuela by or of itself. The issue now directly relates to a movement away from consensus, which has traditionally guided decision-making, to one of imposition of the will of a simple majority. In this circumstance, any 18 of the 34 countries in the OAS can discard rules, procedures, norms and even international law, to achieve their own objectives, and that, regrettably, is what has been happening.

The most blatant manifestation of this troubling development is that the Permanent Council of the OAS, which has no such authority under the Charter of the Organisation or by its own rules, was made by a group of 18 countries to unseat the representative of a government, still in effective control of a country, and to seat the representative of another group proclaimed to be the legitimate government.

It takes two-thirds of the OAS member states to adopt the Organisation’s budget. But a simple majority imposed a decision on what faction in Venezuela is the legitimate government and who the representative to the OAS should be.

That, of itself, is alarming.

This development was sharply criticised by 15 member states on procedural and jurisdictional grounds. Among the objections to the vote were that: the Permanent Council acted beyond its authority; the decision should have been handled by either an existing Meeting of Foreign Ministers or the General Assembly; and it violates the OAS Charter and its instruments.

México, and nine

AN OPPONENT to Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro shouts slogans outside the Navy’s headquarter in Caracas, Venezuela at the weekend.

CARICOM countries have formally written to the President of the Permanent Council, pointing out glaring inconsistencies in the appointment of Mr Juan Guaido’s agent as Venezuela’s Permanent Representative and to non-conformity with international law and the

normative framework of the OAS. In the case of the nine CARICOM countries, they have requested the existing Meeting of OAS Foreign Ministers review this development.

In taking the action, the nine CARICOM countries are standing-up for adherence to international law and norms, and for the Charter and rules of the OAS, for, without them, the rule of the jungle prevails. And that affects every CARICOM country, because they are each too

powerless to defend their rights on their own.

That is why, whatever factors determine the position of CARICOM governments, they should all be very cognizant that, in international politics, today’s allies could be tomorrow’s adversaries, but standing-up for principles and the law are permanent and constant values. Those are the shields and swords of small states; they are the factors over which they should cohere in their own interest.

Death Notice For

William Leonard Martin , 71 affectionately called

“Billy”

of Treasure Cove passed away peacefully at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Wednesday May 01, 2019.

He is survived by his wife: Doreane Martin; children: Nadia Storr, Dawit, Jeremie and Anna-Mirelle Martin; Mother of his children: Brenda Martin Grant; son-in-law: H. Alexander Storr; adopted sons: Rev. K. Brian Sands, Geno Adderley, Kyle Charlton and Candin Moss; grandchildren: Alexandra, Alexander and Alyssa Storr. Tyria and Breanna Martin; great grand: Jamiliah Taylor, Eissa Abdelkawy; seven sisters and four brothers and a host of other relatives and friends.

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2019 PAGE 9

How smart phones have taken over our lives

By Ashley Whillans Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

W

E’RE squandering increasing amounts of time distracted by our phones. And that’s taking a serious toll on our mental and physical well-being.

Perhaps ironically, software developers themselves have been on the forefront of efforts to solve this problem by creating apps that aim to help users disconnect from their devices. Some apps reward you for staying off your phone for set periods of time. Others “punish” or block you from accessing certain sites or activities altogether.

But over the past year, Apple has been removing or restricting some of the top screen time or parental control apps from its App Store, according to a New York Times analysis. At the same time, Apple – which cited privacy concerns for removing the apps – launched its own screen-time tracker that comes pre-installed on new iPhones.

Limiting iPhone users’ access to other types of apps is a bad thing because certain ones may work better for some people than others. And research by myself and others shows that excessive technology use can be problematic. In extreme cases, it is linked to depression, accidents and even death.

But what makes some apps work better than others? Behavioural science, my area of expertise, can shed some light.

Why we need help Technology is designed to be addictive. And a society that is “mobile dependent” has a hard time spending even minutes away from their app-enabled smartphones.

In 2017, US adults spent an average of three hours and 20 minutes a day using their smartphones and tablets. This is double the amount from just five years ago, according to an annual survey of internet trends. Another survey suggests most of that time is spent on arguably unproductive activities like Facebook, gaming and other types of social media.

This addiction has consequences.

The most serious, of course, is when it leads to fatalities, like those that result from distracted driving or even taking selfies.

But it also takes a serious toll on our mental health, as my own research has demonstrated. One experiment I conducted with a colleague found that looking at Facebook profiles of people having fun at parties made new college students feel like they didn’t belong. Another study suggested that people who spent more time using social media were less happy.

Ultimately, our phones’ constant connection to the internet – and our constant connection to our phones – means that we miss out on bonding with those that we care about most, lowering everyone’s happiness in the process.

Trying to unplug The good news is that most of us aren’t oblivious to the negative effects of technology and have a strong desire to disconnect.

As you might expect in a market economy, businesses are doing their best to give us what we want. Examples include a Brooklyn-based start-up selling bare-bones phones without an internet connection, hotels offering families discounts if they give up their mobiles during their stay, and resorts creating packages built on the idea of creating sacred spaces where consumers leave their devices at home.

And app developers have also risen to the challenge with software aimed at helping us use our phones less.

Goal setting is key Apple’s screen-time app is a good first step because it shows you how much time you are spending on apps and websites – and possibly raise some red flags.

However, many apps go much further.

Research suggests you should download applications that ask you to set specific goals that are tied to concrete actions. Making commitments upfront can be a powerful motivator, even more so than financial incentives.

For example, Moment asks users to set specific technology-limiting goals tied to their daily actions, such as setting up an alert when you pick up the phone during dinner time. Offtime prompts users with warnings when they are about to exceed the limits for an online activity they’ve set.

Flipd takes it a step further and actually completely blocks certain phone apps once users have exceeded pre-determined targets – even if you try to reset the device – making it the ultimate commitment app. Similarly,

Cold Turkey Blocker prevents users from accessing literally any other function of their desktop computers for a certain period of time until they have completed self-set goals, like writing. While this might not affect phone use, it could help you be more productive at work.

Defaults are your friend Another helpful trait in an application involves configuring default settings to encourage less technology use. In their awardwinning book “Nudge,” Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler and Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein showed how adjusting the default for a company’s retirement plan – such as by requiring employees to opt out rather than opt in – makes it easier to achieve a goal like saving enough for your golden years.

Your phone’s applications can take advantage of that technique as well. Freedom, for example, is an app that automatically blocks users from visiting “distracting” apps and websites, such as social media and video games. Unfortunately, it is one of the apps that Apple removed from its store.

Ransomly alters the default setting of a room – such as the dining room – to be phone and screen free by using a sensor and app to automatically turn off all devices when they’re in the vicinity.

Rewards and punishments Offering rewards is another strategy that is grounded in behavioural research. We tend to highly value rewards earned through effort, even when they have no cash value. Indeed, smartphone software frequently

takes advantage of this idea, such as in various apps that offer “badges” for hitting certain daily fitness milestones.

Productivity apps incorporate these rewards as well by providing users with points for prizes – such as shopping discounts and yoga experiences – when they meet their screen-time goals. Since static rewards become demotivating over time, choose an application that provides uncertain and surprising rewards.

An even more powerful motivator than earning rewards can be losing them. That’s because research shows that losing has a larger impact on behaviour than winning, so if you’re serious about changing your behavior try an application that incurs critical costs.

Examples include Beeminder, which takes US$5 from your credit card for every goal you don’t meet, and Forest, which provides you with the chance to grow a beautiful animated tree – or to watch it slowly wither and die – depending on whether you meet your technology goals.

Persistence pays Persistence is one of the hardest parts of accomplishing any new goal, from losing weight to learning how to cook. Research suggests that capitalising on social motivations – like the need to fit in – can encourage persistent behavioural change.

Constant connection to technology undermines happiness, relationships and productivity.

Applications that take advantage of the latest insights from behavioural science can help us disconnect and get on with living our lives. theconversation.com

PAGE 10, Monday, May 6, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Bahamas Carnival hits fever pitch

PHOTOS: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 6, 2019, PAGE 11

from page one

Foulkes defends govt shanty town strategy

may seem to be affected is a simple question of arithmetic,” the affidavit read, “and the respondents deny any attempt to target any group”.

Mr Foulkes also noted the SATF’s survey illustrated shanty town residents are not exclusively of Haitian ethnicity.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, Attorney General Carl Bethel, Mr Foulkes, Public Works Minister Desmond Bannister, Bahamas Power and Light, and the Water and Sewerage Corporation are listed as the respondents in a judicial review application against their “eradication policy”.

Mr Foulkes said he did not intend to address all of the allegations put forward by the applicants’ affidavits because many of their paragraphs contained narrative and rhetoric that were irrelevant to the legal challenge, and sensationalised and politicised certain immigration issues and themes.

Mr Foulkes underscored any interference with rights to possession and enjoyment of property would be in accordance with laws relative to the enforcement of planning control.

“There is no policy of eradication in the sense that has been painted by the applicants,” his affidavit read.

“The government’s reform initiative is designed to result in the removal of unregulated structures in these communities that are not compliant with planning and development laws.”

“Obviously,” it read, “the natural consequence of any action to remove illegal housing, pursuant to the exercise of statutory powers would be to displace persons, if their houses are found to have been illegally constructed.

It cannot be denied that the unregulated housing and living conditions pose obvious and inherent dangers both to residents of these shanty towns and indeed to the neighbouring and wider community.”

The government announced plans for a comprehensive initiative to remove illegal, unregulated, and unsafe buildings located in shanty towns in January 2018.

The SATF was formed as an inter-ministerial working committee with representation from a cross section of 16 entities from government departments, private and public utility providers and NGOs.

ONE of the shanty towns in The Bahamas.

Mr Foulkes claimed it was always understood that the committee had only an advisory role, with any executive action to be carried independently by statutory bodies with the power to carry out respective functions.

He rejected claims that authorised decision makers were taking orders from himself or the SATF, and furthered Building Regulation Act notices given to shanty town residents were issued by the relevant decisions makers pursuant to their statutory powers.

Mr Foulkes said the SATF developed timelines for conducting research and gathering data on shanty towns across the country, taking action to address unregulated housing, and any collateral action: New Providence on August 10, 2018; while there were plans for the same on Abaco on July 31, 2019; and Eleuthera and Andros on August 17, 2019.

Mr Foulkes said the action

timelines were set as far back as possible to minimise impact on affected persons, and during summer months so as not to disrupt students during the academic year.

Shanty towns have a long history of unregulated construction and substandard, unhygienic and dangerous living conditions, according to Mr Foulkes, who referenced a 2013 report from the Department of Health Environmental Services in his affidavit.

Mr Foulkes said the unsanitary and deplorable conditions exposed by the 2013 DEHS report were confirmed in more recent inspections by the SATF teams.

He noted the substandard conditions were also acknowledged by the applicants.

In addressing humanitarian concerns, Mr Foulkes said it was appreciated by the government that the action of removing or tearing down structures or homes

that were unlawfully constructed might result in the dislocation of people.

The SATF’s Alternative Housing Committee had prepared a report that identified more than 168 apartments and other housing complexes, he said, including several government complexes along with contact information for property owners and applicable rental rates and conditions.

Mr Foulkes and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis in public statements have suggested the government intends to take possession of the land to develop subdivisions, and that the government had an immediate right on the basis the land is crown land.

In his affidavit, Mr Foulkes said he did not think those statements constituted evidence the government was motivated by a desire to regain possession of the land.

He pointed out the majority of the communes were located on

crown land that was leased by the government for specific agricultural and not residential purposes.

If the government wanted to regain immediate possession, he said, it could simply revoke those leases. Mr Foulkes noted the government also had the ability to compulsorily acquire land, and this statutory process could have been invoked.

On the matter of consultation, Mr Foulkes acknowledged he made public statements indicating there would be a consultation process, and town hall meetings. However, he said he did not consider they could have founded any legitimate expectation by residents that they would be specifically consulted before the exercise of powers of the Ministry of Works or other decision makers. He explained his comments suggesting there was a “consultation process” were simply alluding to a general process of consulting with stakeholders and resource persons to ensure the team had the relevant representations and information to properly execute the project.

And as for the proposed town hall meetings, Mr Foulkes said while his statements demonstrated “an intent or hope to hold certain meetings” - there were “no specific promises” made.

He said any expectation that shantytown residents would be consulted was fulfilled by meetings with various interest groups, and outlined 11 meetings with the League of Haitian Pastors, the Haitian Embassy, United Haitian Bahamian Association, Rights Bahamas, Organisation to Teach and Assist Haitians, the Christian Council and various religious denominations.

He also knocked the applicants’ claim there was differential treatment between shanty towns and the government’s plan for the regeneration of Over-the-Hill communities. He argued there was no evidence that the communities shared enough similar attributes to draw a comparison.

PAGE 12, Monday, May 6, 2019

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE Free National Movement attacked Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin for her recent criticism of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, with the party stating the former Cabinet minister has a reputation for being “indecisive” and will likely never be elected to lead her party.

The stinging statement came days after Mrs Hanna Martin lashed out at Dr Minnis for comments he made about her at a town hall meeting last Wednesday.

At the meeting, Dr Minnis said Mrs Hanna Martin was “plenty talk and no action just like most PLPs”.

“She spends all her time in the House [of Assembly] rowing morning, noon and night and not making much sense,” Dr Minnis said.

He claimed her attitude in the House is geared towards “getting rid of” Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis.

THE TRIBUNE

Hanna Martin will never lead her party, says FNM In response on Friday, Mrs Hanna Martin dubbed the nation’s leader a “dummy” and claimed Dr Minnis had “secured his position as lousiest PM in Bahamian history” notwithstanding his short tenure as prime minister.

Yesterday, the FNM pushed back, calling Mrs Hanna Martin’s statement “obscene”.

“It would be easy to respond in kind to her personally abusive outburst but we know our leader will not do that and neither will we,” the FNM noted in a press release.

“The lady only reveals how deeply she has been stung by the truth.

“Mrs Hanna Martin had a lot to say in response to the prime minister calling her and the PLP out for their

GLENYS HANNA MARTIN miserable failure to deliver results for the Bahamian people but, unsurprisingly, she did not refute the prime minister’s message.

“The PLP’s talk has always been cheap, but the actions in government of Mrs Hanna Martin and her PLP cohorts cost all Bahamians dearly. We are still paying for the PLP’s misfeasance and malfeasance

in office. Prime Minister Minnis has achieved in three terms in the House of Assembly what Mrs Hanna Martin never achieved in four terms, and will likely never achieve. He became leader of his party and prime minister.

“It is unlikely that she will ever become leader of her party or prime minister because she lacks the support in her party and the wherewithal and temperament to be leader. They know her all too well.”

The FNM claimed Mrs Hanna Martin failed to achieve re-election as the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party after her stint in 2008 “because her party no longer wanted her in that position.”

The FNM also claimed: “She also failed to get a

more senior ministry after the PLP was re-elected in 2012. She had a welldeserved reputation for being indecisive. . .The PLP are consistent in one thing and that is pushing their revisionist history so as to not be reminded of their historic failures of leadership including during the abysmal years of two Christie administrations in which Hanna Martin participated.”

In response yesterday, Mrs Hanna Martin defended her political career. “The FNM is correct, my temperament will never allow me to sit idly by and allow this to happen and I will fight for my country every step of the way,” Mrs Hanna Martin said yesterday.

“It is obscene that a PM

would seek to lure Bahamians to a so-called town hall meeting or community meeting only to display such divisive behaviour and partisan conduct with the meeting descending into nothing more than a tacky FNM rally. It is also interesting that the FNM cannot refute or deny any observation I made in my prior statement as it relates to PM Minnis as it is aware that each and every assertion accurately records the track record of the FNM and this PM who in less than two years has proven to be the lousiest PM this country has ever seen,” Mrs Hanna Martin said.

“As to my proven track record both ministerialy and as an MP, the record speaks for itself. Perhaps the FNM would dare to debate further?”

FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST CONFIRMS VICTIM DIED FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

A FORENSIC pathologist has confirmed that a 20-yearold man fatally shot by police in 2015 died from gunshot wounds to his torso and foot.

Dr Caryn Sands said the trajectory of Deangelo Bodie Wallace’s wounds were reflective of someone “moving” when hit as she gave testimony before Coroner Jeanine WeechGomez on Friday.

Dr Sands said Bodie Wallace, who is known by the alias “Fingers”, died from a gunshot wound to his back that travelled “back to front, right to left,” before exiting his left abdomen and the top of his foot.

The deviations between the entrance and exit areas of each of the wounds inflicted on Bodie Wallace further suggests, she said, that some degree of movement played a role.

Addressing specifically the bullet that struck the deceased in his back, Dr Sands explained that it travelled in a downward trajectory along his right psoas muscle before exiting from his left abdomen.

This, she said, reflects that the deceased had contorted his body in some way during the time he was shot.

Dr Sands said that there was no evidence of close

range discharge on any of the wounds sustained by Bodie Wallace, suggesting he was shot from a distance greater than two to three feet.

In testimony on Tuesday, Police Superintendent Dereck Butler, whose unit was first to arrive at the scene, testified that his men encountered Bodie Wallace and three others as the group attempted to chase down an unarmed man.

During the encounter, Supt Butler and his men - Assistant Superintendent of Police Alexander Pierre, Detective Constable 2790 Jara McPhee, Sergeant 771 Kenneth Greenslade and Police Constable 2823 Jahmal Rolle - were separated.

Despite this, Supt Butler described hearing an intense exchange of gunfire between his men and Bodie Wallace’s group. He said by the time he reconnected with his team, they had arrested two men and Bodie Wallace had been fatally shot.

Supt Butler and several scene investigators have testified that the exchange of gunfire moved along various locations around the Fort Fincastle and Mason’s Addition area.

The officers are represented by attorney K Melvin Munroe, while Anishka Missick sits as marshal in the inquest.

WOODS TALKING TO LAWYERS AFTER WSC COURT DECISION BAHAMAS Utilities Services and Allied Workers Union president Dwayne Woods told The Tribune on Friday that he and his legal team would “study the law” after he was told by a Supreme Court judge that legal action over the suspension of his salary was not a union matter.

Justice Keith Thompson adjourned the matter to May 10 and advised the union to give serious thought over the viability of its action and the matter of costs.

The action was brought by the union following the suspension of Mr Woods’ salary.

It follows a contentious war-of-words between Mr

Woods and WSC executive chairman Adrian Gibson, who revealed in February that the union president was paid approximately $60,000 a year despite being on “administrative leave” as he executes union duties.

According to Mr Gibson, the corporation decided last year not to renew his administrative leave, and ordered Mr Woods back to work.

In court on Friday, legal counsel for WSC argued for dismissal of the action on the grounds it was improperly brought, and that the union is barred from bringing an action to enforce an alleged private right of an employee.

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THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 6, 2019, PAGE 13

Families clash as marine charged with killing superior officer

TEMPERS flared when 35-year-old Able Seaman Jevon Seymour, above, was formally charged on Friday with the murder of PO Perpall.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE arraignment of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force marine charged with the murder of his superior spiralled into an emotional and chaotic scene at the Magistrate’s Court complex.

The families of Able Seaman Jevon Seymour and deceased Petty Officer Percival Philip Perpall clashed both inside and out of court on Friday morning.

Seymour, 35, was charged with the shooting death of PO Perpall, 52, and the attempted murders of two of his colleagues, Calvin Hanna and Ellis Rahming.

According to initial reports from police, the three officers were attacked while on duty at Government House.

They were said to be in a guard room when a lone assailant entered, and opened fire on them around 2.30am Sunday, April 28.

Seymour was not required to enter a plea to the charges and the case was adjourned to June 20 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) in the interim, and has the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

At his arraignment on Friday, Seymour was greeted outside of the court by cheers and words of encouragement from friends and family who urged him to stay positive.

The exchange angered family and friends in support of PO Perpall, and led to the first clash between the two sides.

The tension increased inside the courtroom when Chief Magistrate FergusonPratt allowed Seymour an

opportunity to speak to members of his family on a side bench of her court following his arraignment.

During the process, by way of his family members and other loved ones, Seymour asked to have an opportunity to speak with the family of PO Perpall.

The request was immediately and loudly refused

by PO Perpall’s family, with many of them screaming across the court at Seymour.

Officers quickly stepped in and guided PO Perpall’s family outside of the building.

Tempers flared again for a third time outside the court, with scores of RBDF and RBPF officers having to step in to separate the two groups.

Members of the deceased marine’s family took issue with the fact that Seymour was allowed to convene with his family and friends.

The scene became more dramatic as officers from the court escorted Seymour outside. A shouting match erupted between the two sides, with the family of PO Perpall condemning the accused, while Seymour’s supporters screamed words of encouragement.

It took officers nearly 15 minutes to bring calm to the scene.

Several lawyers and other visitors to the court took issue with the exchange, suggesting that police could have done more to contain the problem.

One attorney, who asked not to be named, suggested that police officers contributed to the chaos by “parading” the accused back on the outside while tensions were already high.

“It wasn’t smart,” the attorney said. “I don’t know who advised it, but this is something that should never happen.”

THEEE ARRESTED WITH MARIJUANA WORTH $1.6M THREE Bahamian men were arrested after they were found on a boat with 43 bales of suspected marijuana with an estimated value of $1.62m.

The men were on a white 27ft speedboat some 20 miles southwest of South Andros, according to Superintendent Jamuel Ferguson, officer in charge of the Drug Enforcement Unit.

“Individuals will be processed and charges brought sometime next week,” Supt Ferguson said. “They are

aged in the late 30s, early 40s. We know that one of the suspects would have been charged sometime last year with drugs. The others they are known to us.”

The arrests and drugs seizure at around 6.20am on Friday is the result of a joint law enforcement operation with the Drug Enforcement Unit, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Marine Unit and US law enforcement counterparts.

The total weight of the bales is 1,627 pounds.

PAGE 14, Monday, May 6, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

41 dead as Russian jet explodes into flames MOSCOW Associated Press AT LEAST 41 people were killed after a Russian plane made an emergency landing and burst into flames at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow yesterday.

Videos on social media show passengers using emergency exit slides to escape the burning Aeroflot aircraft. Two children and a flight attendant were among the dead, Russian media reports. One witness said it was a “miracle” anyone escaped the jet, which was carrying 78 passengers and five crew.

Aeroflot, Russia’s national carrier, said the plane was forced to return to the airport “for technical reasons”, but did not elaborate.

The aircraft, a Sukhoi Superjet-100, departed Sheremetyevo airport at 18:02 local time (for the city of Murmansk. The crew issued a distress signal when “malfunctions” occurred shortly after departure.

After making an emergency landing at the airport, the plane’s engines caught fire on the runway, Aeroflot said in a statement. The crew “did everything to save the passengers,” who were evacuated in 55 seconds, the firm said.

Of the 78 people on board the Superjet-100, only 37 have been accounted for, the Russian Investigative Committee said.

Aeroflot published a list of

SMOKE rises from the plane at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

survivors in Russian who have been identified so far, adding that it will continue to be updated as new information comes to light.

Interfax quotes a source as saying the plane’s engines caught fire on the runway after a hard landing, not in mid-air as initially reported.

Reports also suggest it did not succeed in its first emergency landing attempt.

Mikhail Savchenko claims he was on the plane when it exploded into a fireball on the tarmac but “managed to jump out”. He shared a video of passengers running away from the burning plane, posting: “’Guys I am all right, I am alive and in one piece.”

One of the surviving passengers, Dmitry Khlebushkin, says that he is grateful to the flight attendants.

“Only thanks to the flight attendants, I survived,” he told reporters.

Another eyewitness, Patrick Horlacher, told the BBC it was “shocking to see” the plane being ravaged by flames just minutes before he was due to board another flight.

An investigation has been opened into the incident, reports say. Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been briefed and expressed condolences to the families of victims.

The region of Murmansk has announced a three-day mourning period.

‘BAREFOOT BANDIT’ KEEN FOR EARLY RELEASE SEATTLE Associated Press

A MAN dubbed the “Barefoot Bandit” for a series of crimes committed as a teenage which eventually ended when he crash-landed in The Bahamas is trying to get out of probation early.

Colton Harris-Moore, pictured below, now 28, asked a US District Court judge in April to end his federal probation four months early so that he can become a motivational speaker. Seattle US Attorney Brian Moran responded on Friday, saying there was no reason to allow Harris-Moore off the hook now, as the probation doesn’t prevent him from travelling to such speaking engagements.

HarrisMoore was sentenced in 2012 to seven years for a series of crimes committed barefoot, which began after he escaped from a Renton juvenile halfway house in 2008. He was ultimately captured after crash-landing a plane that he stole in Indiana and flew to The Bahamas.

ISRAEL STEPS UP STRIKES AS GAZA ATTACKS INTENSIFY JERUSALEM Associated Press

GAZA militants fired hundreds of rockets into southern Israel yesterday, killing at least four Israelis and bringing life to a standstill across the region in the bloodiest fighting since a 2014 war. As Israel pounded Gaza with airstrikes, the Palestinian death toll rose to 23, including two pregnant women and two babies.

The bloodshed marked the first Israeli fatalities from rocket fire since the 2014 war. With Palestinian militants threatening to send rockets deeper into Israel and Israeli reinforcements massing near the Gaza frontier, the fighting showed no signs of slowing down.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent most of the day huddled with his Security Cabinet.

Late yesterday, the Cabinet instructed the army to “continue its attacks and to stand by” for further orders.

Israel also claimed to have killed a Hamas commander involved in transferring Iranian funds to the group.

Israel and Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, have fought three wars since Hamas violently seized control of Gaza from Western-backed Palestinian forces in 2007. They have fought numerous smaller

battles, most recently two rounds in March. While lulls in fighting used to last for months or even years, these flare-ups have grown increasingly frequent as Hamas, weakened by a crippling Egyptian-Israeli blockade imposed 12 years ago, seeks to put pressure on Israel to ease the closure.

The blockade has ravaged Gaza’s economy, and a year of Hamas-led protests along the Israeli frontier has yielded no tangible benefits.

In March, Hamas faced several days of street protests over the dire conditions.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement late Sunday that the militant group was “not interested in a new war.”

He signaled readiness to “return to the state of calm” if Israel stopped its attacks “and immediately starts implementing understandings about a dignified life.”

With little to lose, Hamas appears to be trying to step up pressure on Netanyahu at a time when the Israeli leader is vulnerable on several fronts. Fresh off an election victory, Netanyahu is now engaged in negotiations with his hard-line political partners on forming a governing coalition.

If fighting drags on, the normally cautious Netanyahu could be weakened in his negotiations as his partners push for a tougher response.

ENDGAME TOPS $2BN MARK

Avengers: Endgame continued its global domination at the box office in a second week victory lap that saw the blockbuster cross the $2bn mark in record time and unseat Titanic as the second highest-grossing film ever worldwide.

Endgame is one of five movies to ever reach that threshold and, not accounting for inflation, is now second worldwide only to Avatar’s $2.8bn.

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THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 6, 2019, PAGE 15

Ragged Island wins approval for investment

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

CABINET has approved the investment in renewable energy for storm-ravaged Ragged Island, according to Minister of Works Desmond Bannister.

“Cabinet has just approved the investment in renewable energy in Ragged Island,” he said on Friday, “and so you will see some things happen in respect to renewables there. Our engineers are almost ready with the plans for the infrastructure in Ragged Island. In fact, we are at the stage of looking at contractors so you will see infrastructure start in Ragged Island.

“Ragged island is a very special case,” Mr Bannister continued, “we have to be able to have all the electrical infrastructure in place and then we have to be able to have contractors mobilized and moved there.”

He was adamant the project would not face challenges due to poor planning, and referenced the construction problems of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute.

“You have to look at a certain type of structures, you have to look at certain types of land, and we want to make sure we don’t have the challenges that they had in BAMSI and your memories can’t be short about these things. You remember when millions of dollars of infrastructure was built in BAMSI over places where you have sink holes coming out and we are not going to have that happen on my watch,” Mr Bannister said.

When asked about the price tag of this project, Mr Bannister said: “As soon as they go out to tender I will let you know. I’m not going to say that because it goes out to tender and I can’t tell the contractors in advance how much to tender for something.”

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis last year said techno-economic modeling for Ragged Island’s electrical grid had been completed by the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Ragged Island was

DESMOND BANNISTER decimated by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

On Friday, Mr Bannister also said there has been a more than 90 percent improvement to Abaco’s electricity supply.

His comments on the sidelines of a key presentation ceremony followed a spate of power outages on the island earlier last week.

Mr Bannister said any outage is a concern, but underscored the residents of Abaco were aware of what the conditions were in the past.

Officials from Bahamas Power and Light company announced island-wide power outages on April 30 and May. Mr Bannister said: “It has been such an improvement that the MP for South Abaco actually wrote to BPL to thank them for the management that we put in there to make a difference. Power in Abaco has at least 98 percent improved over the past and it is going to continue to be improved.

I apologise for any outages we had and we are going to continue to have outages and I keep telling the Bahamian people this.

“We are going to have outages in a number of areas because over the years nobody did anything to improve the facilities.

“When you see these generators start coming into New Providence now and you go look at Clifton, look at the date that those generators at Clifton were installed. In the 1970s… that’s when those generators were installed so if you have a car that is a 1970s car and you’re driving it every day on the road and you driving it 24 hours a

day then you are going to expect to have some challenges.”

Mr Bannister added: “When these Wärtsilä generators come in and we get them in place you are going to see a marked improvement in New Providence.

You are going to see LED lights in our streets over the next few months and then you’ll see an improvement in all of the islands. “ The works minister said each island’s challenges will be addressed one by one.

He said: “Bimini is a particular concern for me and we are going to address the challenges in Bimini.

I met with some of the stakeholders in Bimini yesterday [Thursday] and we will address the challenges in Bimini. By the time I leave office don’t look for any of those challenges to be major challenges.”