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UNWELCOME Elsworth blasts United Nations’ attack on shanty town demolition strategy

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net IMMIGRATION Minister Elsworth Johnson emphasised the sovereignty of The Bahamas while accusing the United Nations of lacking balance after the organisation assailed government plans to demolish dozens of homes in The Farm shanty town in Abaco.

In a statement released on Friday, the UN said the planned evictions and demolitions are a “serious violation of the human right to adequate housing” and will likely result in increased homelessness and extreme poverty.

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said officials have not decided whether to extend the country’s state of emergency beyond May 23.

“I couldn’t say at this point in time,” he told reporters in Exuma over the weekend.

“We’ve been watching the statistics, watching the hospitalisations, watching the response. Our main objective and goal going

CCA ANSWER ON LEAKED PAPERS ‘FAILS SMELL TEST’

SEE PAGE THREE

forward is to ensure we come out of what we are going through as quickly as possible so I would discuss with physicians, hear their view, discuss with my colleagues, and come up with a final determination on what is best for the nation.”

The Minnis administration has drafted legislation that would give the government power to enforce COVID-19 related rules without declaring a state of emergency.

SEE PAGE FOUR

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net FORMER Free National Movement Cabinet minister Branville McCartney was detained, released and ticketed by police for allegedly violating the emergency orders by staying out past the 10pm curfew on his birthday last Thursday night, The Tribune was told.

On Friday, news broke that the former minister was being detained at a police station in western New Providence. The news was followed by several voice notes of different renditions of what allegedly led to the attorney’s detainment.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

In 2018, the Supreme Court granted an injunction protecting shanty town homes in New Providence from destruction pending the outcome of a judicial review challenge over the matter. Government officials, however, have said homes in The Farm and elsewhere are not subject to that injunction.

Mr Johnson said: “The laws that are being enforced have international credence in that every country in which you go into, including European countries, there’s a standard by which we all agree that structures have to be built and they have to be fit for human habitation,

PM STILL UNDECIDED ON EMERGENCY EXTENSION

BRANVILLE CITED FOR CURFEW VIOLATION

MUMS THE WORD

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

MOTHERS were celebrating across The Bahamas yesterday - including mother Sonia Heastie-Malcom, daughter Richea Heastie and granddaughter CaliRae Adderley taking part in a photo shoot for the day. See page two for more mothers posing for the cameras to celebrate their day.

Photo: Racardo Thomas

SARKIS Izmirlian is blasting the explanation by Baha Mar’s contractor for how it obtained his legal papers, later used to cut a nine-figure damages claim to just $30m, for “failing to pass the smell test”.

The resort’s original developer, in papers filed with the New York State Supreme Court, alleged the account by a senior China Construction America (CCA) executive supports his assertion that he retains legal ownership of two reports that valued his legal claims against the contractor.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

POACHER MUST BUY RBDF $200K BOAT INSIGHT A FLORIDA fisherman and restaurant owner who was convicted in the United States of illegally fishing in Bahamian waters will buy the Royal Bahamas Defence Force a new vessel as part of a plea deal.

In a statement, the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said Henry Danzig, 56, was sentenced on Thursday to a year’s probation for illegally harvesting commercial quantities of reef fish from

THE CONTENDER boat used by Henry Danzig.

Bahamian waters.

The Florida man harvested the reef fish near Cay Sal Bank and transported

them back to the United States in violation of the Lacey Act, NOAA said.

As a result of his plea deal, Danzig was sentenced to one year’s probation and a substantial payment of restitution to The Bahamas in the form of a new 2021 30-foot Contender vessel.

The boat has a starting price of more than $200,000.

NOAA said Danzig and four other people were

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE FIVE

HAVE WE LEARNED LESSONS? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Monday, May 10, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

MUMS THE WORD

MOTHER’S Day photo shoots featuring, clockwise from top left, Claudine Russell, the Gibson family with mother Michelle and daughters Cydney and Cyerra, Lakeisha Rahming and Bernadette Fawkes.

Photos: Racardo Taylor

MANGROVE PLANTING SCHEME TO BEGIN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A MAJOR mangrove restoration planting initiative will be launched on Saturday in East Grand Bahama.

The Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) is hosting the event around noon at an impacted mangrove area near Maclean’s Town where students, scientists, government officials, bonefish guides, and community members will take part in restoring mangroves that were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian.

Justin Lewis, Bahamas initiative manager for (BTT), said participants will be taken a short distance by boat to the area they have selected to plant.

“This will be an all-day event where participants

will be working together to plant up to 4,000 mangroves in this area. This event will be the kickoff for the community planting phase of the project,” he said.

Mr Lewis said that BTT is a non-profit science-based conservation organisation focused on protecting bonefish, tarpon, permit, and their habitats.

He noted that Hurricane Dorian not only severely affected Bahamians, but also the natural environment, especially the mangrove forest.

According to research conducted by the BTT, along with collaborators, Dorian destroyed 73 percent of Grand Bahama’s mangroves and 40 percent of the mangroves in Abaco.

Mr Lewis said mangroves play an important nursery function for a variety of commercially and

recreationally important flora and fauna. They also promote biodiversity, and protect our shorelines from storm surge and erosion, he added.

BTT is collaborating with Bahamas National Trust, Friends of the Environment, and MANG as part of the Northern Bahamas Mangrove Restoration Project to help restore mangroves lost during Hurricane Dorian.

This is a multi-year project that involves the growing of mangroves in nurseries in Grand Bahama and Abaco to plant in impacted areas around the two islands. The focus of the project is to help kickstart the recovery of mangroves and to educate the community about their importance to the Bahamas and get hands-on involvement in the project.

STABBED MAN FOUND BY SIDE OF HIGHWAY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who was discovered on the side of a highway with multiple stab wounds in Freeport early Friday morning is in hospital in serious condition, police reported.

The discovery was made shortly after 7am when police received a report that a man was lying on the side

of the road on East Sunrise Highway, with multiple stab wounds in his body.

Police officers and Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene, where they rendered medical assistance to the victim.

He was taken to the Rand Memorial Hospital where he is listed in serious condition.

Supt Terecita Pinder reported that on further

inquiries into the incident, the male victim told police he was on East Sunrise Highway when he was attacked from behind by a brown-complexioned man of about 5’9” tall.

He told police that the suspect stabbed him with a knife multiple times about the body.

An investigation into the matter is continuing.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 10, 2021, PAGE 3

Call for government to halt shanty demolition plans

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net UNITED Nations human rights experts on Friday urged the government to halt plans to demolish 600 homes in two shanty towns in Abaco known as The Farm and Farm Road.

In a statement, UN officials asserted the forced evictions constituted a “serious violation of the human right to adequate housing and would result in arbitrary internal displacement”.

“A community of Haitian descendants and migrants numbering up to 2,000 people, including many women and children, are at serious risk of becoming homeless as a result of the clearance expected to take place on May 7,” the statement read.

“To make things worse, this is scheduled to occur during the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening to expose an already vulnerable minority to all kinds of risks for their health and safety.”

The experts noted the majority of the people occupying the unregulated communities in Abaco had “nowhere else to go” which meant they were at “serious risk” of falling into homelessness and extreme poverty if their homes were destroyed.

They said while it was “important to move away from informal settlements” that lacked safety and infrastructure, “vulnerable minorities should not be left behind in the government’s efforts to rebuild more resilient communities”.

“In early September 2019, Hurricane Dorian ravaged several parts of the Bahamas islands,

DEMOLITION work under way recently in Abaco, as seen in this image from video. there have been reports of the Supreme Court and undocumented migrants its order to halt evictions experiencing ill-treatment in shanty towns in New in detention, before being Providence. deported. Families have “We urge The Bahamas also been separated as a to follow due legal process result. We urge the gov- and respect existing judicial ernment of the Bahamas orders. This includes not to immediately cease fur- only waiting for the outther evictions and housing come of the Supreme Court demolitions. Furthermore full review of the governwe call on the government ment’s policy to demolish to review its migration informal settlements, but policy, which includes the also to ensure full adherwidespread use of deten- ence to international human tion and expulsion of rights standards governing migrants.” relocations, evictions, and The UN officials internal displacement. also referred to the cur“People living in inforrent judicial review before mal settlements need to be

completely destroying several informal settlements on Abaco, where many Haitian migrants and Bahamians of Haitian origin used to live. After several months of living in evacuation shelters, many of the survivors had to completely rebuild their homes – it is these that the authorities intend to destroy,” the UN experts continued.

“In addition to the risk of becoming homeless, some migrants among the residents of the two informal settlements fear that they may be detained and deported. In recent years,

consulted, receive security of tenure, and either be allowed to remain where they currently live – or if they need to be relocated for safety reasons – be properly rehoused and provided with access to water, sanitation, electricity and access to other essential public services.

“The UN human rights experts urged the government of the Bahamas, which currently holds the vice presidency at the Human Rights Council, to ensure that its internal policies are implemented in full compliance with

international human rights standards.”

The experts include Balakrishnan Rajagopal, special rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Michael Fakhri, special rapporteur on the right to food, and Tlaleng Mofokeng, special rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health among others.

Their urgent appeal to the government gives the country six months to respond according to the procedures it lists.

Last month, Works Minister Desmond Bannister told a ZNS reporter that the structures destroyed in April were under construction and that officials ensured that buildings affected by a court order were not touched.

He warned that without government action, thousands of people would soon flock to the area, jeopardising the health of “every single person on this island.”

He said the way the structures were being built could cost people their lives and create serious health challenges.

He said the structures lacked a foundation to ensure stability.

Last Thursday marked 28 days since occupants of shanty town structures in The Farm were told demolition was imminent. On Tuesday, Mr Bannister said officials are ready to “do what they have to do”.

“Thursday makes 28 days,” he said on Tuesday.

“We couldn’t go into occupied structures until 28 days had passed and so we are going into the third phase beginning this week.

“Our people are mobilised and ready to do what they have to do.”

ELSWORTH BLASTS UNITED NATIONS’ ATTACK ON SHANTY TOWN DEMOLITION STRATEGY from page one

especially in Third World countries where we are constantly wrestling with our physical establishments in terms of the way how we have to deal with these things. I hear nothing being said about the ongoing construction and nothing being said to those who have the intention to build in this country.

“We see in Andros, Bahamians are now going and deciding that they are going to clean their own pieces of property because they’re saying that others are coming into the territory and doing as they like.

We are a country of laws.

We are a sovereign country and so as a country we have determined in accordance with international norms as it relates to which obviously affect women, girls, boys and men that this is how things are to be done and nobody has yet said that our laws and regulations that govern building regulations in The Bahamas fall afoul of international standards.”

The fact that shanty town structures do not adhere to building code regulations is one reason the government has given for demolishing the structures.

Mr Johnson said the international community should take an holistic approach

to the matter, adding: “In large part, persons who are building, who have built and who intend to build, a lot of them don’t really want to be in The Bahamas and there are some historical injustices that have been done, especially to Haiti that I think the international community may want to consider and see how we can right the ship in a country that we all love and respect.

“We cannot allow unregulated building anymore. I live in a community where I see unregulated building and I know the harsh realities that are existent in those communities where social services are not readily available and people build.”

The UN’s statement is among the harshest it has written about The Bahamas. Mr Johnson said he is not surprised.

“I see sometimes, and this may not be taken right, people live in their ivory towers, they sit all the way where they are and they seek to cast judgements on Third World countries when what exists in their very own country are these issues,” he said.

“Look at the persons who are crossing over into Europe from Asia and Africa. They’re trying to put them into regulated houses and they don’t have the money to deal with it.

The world is facing a large movement. Where is The Bahamas in the context of COVID-19, climate change – which was created by a lot of these European countries and First World countries -– what assistance are they rendering?

And you just can’t provide housing to everybody willy-nilly. A country sets its agenda and its budgets to assist those persons who are legally resident and are citizens, not the unexpected persons.”

Mr Johnson criticised the UN for lacking balance in its assessment of the country’s shanty town issue.

“There’s no notice that goes out to those individuals who are constructing irregular construction and those who intend to do it,” he said.

“You’d expect that the UN would say ‘those of you who are now doing it and you have no legal authority, stop because it’s injurious to the country as a whole.’

The Haitian community has said it. You’d expect the UN now to say that for those persons who find themselves in The Bahamas, it’s a sovereign and democratic country governed by laws.

“I think they should go further and look at the propensities that create the impetus for people to move, people who don’t want to move, people who as soon

QUEEN’S COLLEGE BACK TO VIRTUAL LEARNING ALL grade levels at Queen’s College have returned to virtual learning for the remainder of the school year, due to the high number of daily COVID-19 infections being reported on the island and community spread, the school announced to parents last week.

In a letter, QC said the elevated community spread is evident by the number of parents informing the school of people in their household who have been exposed to the virus, resulting in the need to keep their

child at home.

As a result, the school returned to virtual learning for all grade levels as of last Thursday.

Students will be allowed on campus by invitation only to take internal and external exams, the school advised.

The school added that the return to virtual learning was not an easy one as it has “invested greatly” in campus monitoring and sanitisation. The school said the well-being of its community was paramount, hence it made the tough

decision to suspend in person classes.

Meanwhile, Windsor School in Albany announced in a letter to parents yesterday that it was closing school for its year six learners after a student in the class tested positive for COVID-19.

All other Windsor students have been asked to complete a PCR test on Tuesday ahead of returning to campus (depending on teacher results), the school said.

Cases have also been reported in several public schools in recent weeks.

as they get here they work and send their funds back to help their families and to help build a country they love.

“What is the UN saying that is forceful about these situations on the ground in Haiti? What are they saying to governments who have created the sociopolitical phenomenon that causes Haiti to be the way she is today? What are they really saying about that? What are they saying about the people who are assisting people who are dying on their way to The

Bahamas? Is there a message for them? Do they have a message for these people?

“At the end of the day one has to look and see whether or not a country of the size of The Bahamas, with the gross domestic product of The Bahamas, could really withstand what it is they are encouraging, because the extension of this is school, medicine, social assistance; do we have the money to do that?

Yet the UN doesn’t comment on that at all.”

In April, the Ministry

of Works spearheaded the demolition of 45 “incomplete and unoccupied structures” in The Farm.

This came after a joint sting operation in the unregulated community, at which time shanty town residents were told that demolition was imminent for structures that violated the Building Regulations Act. Last week, Minister of Works Desmond Bannister said the government was ready to continue its actions in the community which could begin as early as today.

PAGE 4, Monday, May 10, 2021

Second dose of vaccine available THE second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will today be available for members of the public residing in Grand Bahama and New Providence, according to the COVID19 Vaccine Consultative Committee.

To date, more than 36,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the country. Now, qualified Bahamian citizens and permanent residents that are eighteen years of age or older will be able to receive their second jab at vaccination centres on the two islands.

Eligible persons in New Providence can go to the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium, Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road, the Church of God of Prophecy on East Street and St Anselm’s Church Hall on Bernard Road for their second dose.

The vaccine also will be available to Grand Bahamians at the Susan J Wallace Community Centre in Freeport.

In a statement yesterday, the vaccine committee said first doses will continue at all vaccination centres. The group also said individuals can now make an appointment to receive their second dose at the respective sites.

“The date of your second dose appointment should be no fewer than seven weeks after the date of your first appointment,” the statement read.

“For example, if you received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 23, 2021, your appointment date for the second dose should not be before May 11. To make an appointment online visit vax.gov.bs. If your first appointment was made at a walk-up centre (Church of God of Prophecy, East Street or St Anselm’s Church Hall, Bernard Road) please return to the same centre to receive your second dose at the appropriate minimum seven-week interval. Online appointments can be made for any vaccination centre.

“Please note that appointments for first doses will continue to be administered at all vaccination centres on New Providence and Grand Bahama. Visit vax. gov.bs to make your appointment online or for an on-site appointment visit the Church of God of Prophecy and St Anselm’s centres. On Saturday, May 15, persons at high risk to have an allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine

may receive the vaccine at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

This will allow for enhanced medical observation following the administration of the vaccine. Appointments may be made starting Tuesday, May 11 at vax.gov.bs.”

Meanwhile in another statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Health refuted false reports that suggested that a young Baha Mar employee collapsed and died as a result of taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The general public is advised that the medical history of the individual does not support the COVID-19 vaccine or any other vaccination as being the cause of death,” the Ministry of Health said.

“Moreover, the investigation into the cause of death is still ongoing, and any information related to adverse events of vaccines will be shared, if it becomes available.”

The ministry reminded the public to seek information from “reliable sources” such as the Office of the Prime Minister, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, to “guard against” receiving or disseminating misinformation about the virus and the vaccine.

PM STILL UNDECIDED ON EMERGENCY EXTENSION from page one

“We have been working on a new legislative framework, but I don’t know what direction we will take at this particular time,” Dr Minnis said. “Whatever direction we take, we will take one that is best for the nation.”

Despite Dr Minnis’ comments, Attorney General Carl Bethel confirmed last month that whether a new statutory framework is implemented, or the state of emergency is extended, “there will be some legal framework” to restrict physical contact until the country obtains herd immunity.

“The argument over, ‘well, you know this emergency powers and it’s over a year’ and whatever, that is really a debate as to form, not to content. The content will continue to be that,

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. as a responsible government, we have our duty to do everything in our power to enable the Bahamian people to protect themselves and the only way that this could be effectively done is to set rules, so it is

THE TRIBUNE

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL DEATHS

NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES SATURDAY 32 CASES

NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES

10,862 213 NEW PROVIDENCE 26 ABACO 2 GRAND BAHAMA 1 ANDROS 1 PENDING 2

FRIDAY

57 CASES

NEW PROVIDENCE 42 BERRY ISLANDS 6 EXUMA 4 GRAND BAHAMA 3 ANDROS 2

TOTAL TESTS

90,380

HOSPITALISED

58

THURSDAY

62 CASES

NEW PROVIDENCE 45 ANDROS 6 GRAND BAHAMA 4 BERRY ISLANDS 2 INAGUA 1 PENDING 2

RECENTLY CONFIRMED DEATHS • A 48-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FROM NEW PROVIDENCE WHO DIED ON MAY 6.

• A 56-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FROM NEW PROVIDENCE WHO DIED ON MAY 6.

CASES IN ICU

5

RECOVERED

9,854

DEATH TOLL RISES TO 213

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE nation recorded 313 new COVID-19 infections last week — bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 10,862.

Four deaths were also reported last week, the latest being a 48-year-old New Providence woman who died on May 6 and whose death was reported in Saturday’s data from the Ministry of Health.

This brought the nation’s COVID-19 death toll to 213.

On Sunday, May 2, 27 new cases were reported as well as the death of a 59-yearold New Providence man who died on April 22. On May 3, 26 new cases were reported in addition to the death of a 92-year-old Long Island man who died on May 2.

On Tuesday, May 4, 57 cases were reported; 52 cases were reported on May 5; and 62 cases were reported on May 6 in addition to the death of a 56-yearold New Providence woman who died on May 6.

On Friday, May 7, 57 cases were recorded while 32 new cases were reported on Saturday, May 8. Another

death was also recorded on Saturday: a 48-year-old New Providence woman who died on May 6.

While 719 cases remained active up to press time, there were 58 cases in hospital, five of them in intensive care.

Last week, the Pan American Health Organization again stressed that public health measures, including lockdowns, are the main tools for flattening the curve when there is a rise in COVID-19 cases.

“At this moment in the pandemic, in many Caribbean countries, the public health measures, including lockdowns, are the main tools for flattening the curve,” Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, the organisation’s incident manager for COVID-19, said.

“The public health measures, when strictly implemented and strictly monitored, will have an impact on the reproductive rate of the epidemic and, therefore, this will help to reduce the number of severe cases and decrease the burden on health services, including intensive care units.”

With the state of emergency and current emergency order set to expire this month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is now consulting with the medical community to decide the way forward.

clear to everybody what the standard of conduct is,” Mr Bethel said.

Progressive Liberal Party deputy leader Chester Cooper emphasised his party’s view that new statutory framework should replace the state of emergency.

“We are well documented on record as saying that we had all this time to develop laws that would help us to manage the health and safety of our people and the public health of our country,” he said. “We are well documented on record in saying that a constant state of emergency is unhealthy for the economy, is unhealthy for the psyche of our people and unhealthy for industry, particularly tourism. We advise the government to really amend the necessary legislation that’s already on the books so that we can move to a state of a new normal.

“Yes, we will continue to have to wear masks and have to sanitise, but this issue of the competent authority being the sole authority in our country

needs to go away and needs to go away quickly.

We need to get back to the executive and the parliamentary democracy running the affairs of our

country and the idea of the state of the emergency continuing beyond May 23 is really a non-starter for the Progressive Liberal Party,” Mr Cooper said.

musicians. The celebration included three sections of instrumentalists playing drums, cowbells and horned instruments. In the video, people could be seen marching up the street in the elaborate procession.

The majority of the individuals who appeared to be wearing face masks had them pulled down to their chins instead of covering their noses and mouths as stipulated in the emergency orders.

When The Tribune reached out to press liaison officer ASP Audley Peters for comment, he said the matter was not currently under investigation because officers never received a report of the event.

“There were no reports to the control room and no reports to any of the stations,” he said. “I spoke with the officer in charge of the COVID unit and we don’t have any report of the incident.”

Last night, Centreville MP Reece Chipman said he was “disheartened” by the lack of protocols exhibited in the video but added when government officials send “mixed messages” by campaigning in large groups, situations like the one on the weekend are the end result.

“That particular event apparently from what I understand was on the opposite side of East Street is what I was told,” Mr

Chipman said. “But nevertheless, the issue is that we can’t be sending mixed messages to the country.

I think that this was what the (House of Assembly) Speaker (Halson Moultrie) was speaking to when he asked the prime minister to speak directly to the country regarding COVID protocols because there seems to be mixed messages (and) there seems to be inconsistencies in what these protocols are.

“We’ve seen the prime minister himself campaigning in the Centreville community with over at least 100 persons and when young people in our community see that, they interpret that as a part of

the protocols... So, when you get mixed messages those would be the results.

“But notwithstanding that though, I myself would encourage all people to maintain our fundamental understanding of what the protocols are which is to wash your hands, keep out of crowds and of course wear your masks. Unfortunately, we didn’t see that happening.

“For me, I was disheartened to see it, however I stand with the majority of the Bahamian people that really don’t understand why the protocols seem to be for some and not for others and why the messaging is not as effective as it should be, thus leading to super spreader events as what we would have seen in the (video),” Mr Chipman said.

Officials recently told The Tribune that COVID19 ambassadors and police officers have issued about 831 citations to people found in violation of the protocols for the year so far — a number that corresponds to $551,800 in fines.

Just last month, a popular promoter was fined some $92,000 for breaking the emergency orders, when a party that was held at a property leased to him attracted hundreds of people who failed to practice any of the COVID19 protocols while they enjoyed themselves.

Large gatherings are currently prohibited in New Providence.

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnon@tribunemedia.net POLICE said they had no reports regarding a postfuneral Junkanoo rush out in the Centreville area on the weekend with what appeared to be over a hundred people congregating closely together while playing and dancing to native music.

The Tribune understands the mini rush out followed a funeral service for the late Jacklin Woodside-Bullard.

In a video of the event circulating online, two females can be seen holding what appears to be a banner bearing a photo of the deceased woman as a crowd of people dance to a funeral hymn being played by a host of Junkanoo

FOR SALE

NO REPORTS ON JUNKANOO RUSH OUT, SAY POLICE

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PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: Vacant Land PROPERTY SIZE: 15,375 sq. ft.

LOCATION: Traveling west on Prince Charles Drive from its intersection with Jane Street, the subject is the 10th on the right (north) side.

APPRAISAL VALUE: $192,000.00 INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD CONTACT: IAN SYMONETTE 397-6940 OR 376-1343 OR DISTRESSED.PROPERTIES@COMBANKLTD.COM

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 10, 2021, PAGE 5

Doctor: I was ‘disposed’ of by hospital authority

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A YOUNG physician who claimed her contract with the Public Hospitals Authority was changed without notice shortly before she was laid off, said the “unexpected” termination has made her feel “disposed” of and has brought on significant hardships.

Dr Curtika Armbrister, who was instrumental in providing care for mild and moderate COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic, said she was shocked when she was told the terms of her contract had changed and that her labour agreement would not be renewed.

“We have two to threeyear contracts and my contract was up in October last year,” she said. “When I spoke to the senior doctor, she told me not to worry about it. She didn’t give me any indication that my contract terms were changed, but in March of this year, I was informed that it was no longer a two to three-year contract, but a month-tomonth one. They also told me this was my last month, so I was mandated to go on vacation because I had nine weeks left. They said they would eventually pay me out for the other five weeks.”

DR Curtika Armbrister with her late mother.

Dr Armbrister said she worked in the ObstetricianGynaecologist (OBGYN) Department at Princess Margaret Hospital from 2014, until she was transferred to the South Beach COVID-19 Urgent Care and Referral Centre in August 2020. She said she was notified of the transfer three days before she was stationed at the clinic. Luckily, the staff at the health centre were extremely helpful in sharing their experience which made her feel “a bit more at ease”, she said.

“You were not going to volunteer to work at South Beach, so they had to really find doctors,” she said.

“When I first came in, we were working eight-hour

shifts and then at one point, we were working 12-hour shifts. You had two physicians on a day due to a shortage. So, you’re working a 12-hour shift and you’re dealing with highrisk patients that can turn (for the worse) at any second. You’re hoping for the best and you have to do it... you don’t have that option... we had to make it work.”

Dr Armbrister said after contributing to the fight to deter the spread of COVID-19 in the country, she felt “betrayed” when she learned her position was being terminated. She also said she believed her transfer to the “COVID centre” was “due in part” to a previous request she had

made to be removed from PMH’s OBGYN department after her mother had died there when she was on call.

“Last year my mum passed. She had cancer and I happened to be there when they were administering CPR, so I was there for her last breath. After that experience, I told them I needed a break because if there were other patients that came in with a similar cancer diagnosis, I didn’t feel prepared to (treat them).

“I told them I preferred to work somewhere else, but I was not transferred right away. My mother died in May, but I was transferred in August. Her death was about four days prior to Mother’s Day last year and now that it’s Mother’s Day again, to be without a job due in part to this loss is traumatising.”

Dr Armbrister said she felt the situation could have been “handled a lot better” as they were all mature professionals who were “trying to fight the fight”.

Insisting the way the process was executed made her feel “let down,” she added: “It’s all about communication. If your intention is that you want to downsize on physicians, then don’t send me to work at the COVID centre blindly saying ‘Work

these hours,’ but when I question and say, ‘Okay what’s happening with the contract?’ you tell me ‘Don’t worry about it.’

“I have a family with three kids... We were trying to purchase a home because we are renting. We’re living on the little savings we have accumulated, but to make matters worse, they cut my salary right away.

They said, ‘We’ll pay you,’ but when I inquired about the five-week pay they said it’s not even ready yet. I still have a family to feed so besides being such short notice, it made me feel pretty much disposable and disrespected.”

Dr Armbrister said because she does not have a private licence, she is unable to work independently from the PHA. She said while this particular fact has left her feeling helpless, her greatest desire is to return to the frontline as an essential worker.

“I actually loved working at the COVID centre.

It sounds strange but just seeing people come from a point where they have this affliction, and they are improving makes you feel happy you can help them.

I would love to go back to work, it’s just so sad we’re at a point where it seems like people are disposable...

To do this to somebody who was essentially putting

their life on the line for their country is sad.”

When The Tribune contacted PHA’S managing director, Catherine Weech, for comment she said she would have to “look into” Dr Armbrister’s claims.

She added the PHA had an “industrial obligation” to ensure physicians were given the “requisite notice of six months”.

“Over ten years ago, the government made a decision to allow the PHA to engage physicians and other employees on contractual terms,” she told this newspaper.

“What it basically means for this particular group of individuals, is that we recognise the growing number of physician staff at some point will become more than what we require to run the organisation. Each year, we have over 30 physicians graduating from house officers requiring employment within the PHA. And obviously the PHA wants to be in a position to be able to offer those new interns employment to allow them an opportunity to be able to be trained and get the requisite exposure so as to allow them to be able to qualify for independent private practice.

So, in the circumstances, all of these individuals now are being engaged on contractual terms.”

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR EXUMA AIRPORT

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis led a delegation of government officials to Exuma on Friday for the $65m contract signing and groundbreaking ceremony for the new Exuma International Airport.

The investment represents the largest ever single investment for a Family Island airport.

Dr Minnis said: “We recognise that airports have a direct positive correlation to the growth of the economy.

“We envisioned that this facility will one day become a major airline hub and cargo facility for the Southern Bahamas.”

Dr Minnis said the master plan for the Exuma airport highlighted a need for airside upgrades to meet international standards; the construction of a new fire station which will also house critical airport

mobile equipment; and a new terminal building to accommodate current and future passenger volumes.

He said the 60,000sq ft air terminal building will have 100 percent emergency power backup and will be designed to require minimum maintenance.

“To mitigate the use of natural resources, efficiency strategies are proposed to make the facilities sustainable,” he said.

“Details of proposed energy and water strategies are presented in the engineering section of the report on the new airport. The proposed Exuma land-side parking is comprised of about 108 marked surface spaces.

“It will be located north of the air terminal building for public vehicles, car rental companies and airport and tenant staff. The intention is for the parking to be revenue generating to help sustain the airport.”

The airport terminal building was designed by Mike Alexiou of Alexiou

The groundbreaking ceremony in Exuma on Friday. and Associates and Stantec to recruit from within the International. Woslee Con- Bahamas if the available struction Company is the talent is not on the island.

Ashley Glinton, the contractor for the project.

Dr Minnis said the company president of Woslee Conhas committed to hiring local struction, said the company talent from Exuma first and will employ 75 to 100

Bahamians on the project.

He said mobilisation to the site will begin in two weeks and construction will begin shortly after.

Woslee’s contact for the project is $33m and the

Photo: Ulric Woodside/BIS project’s completion schedule is 20 months.

“As always, we intend on finishing this beautifully designed, state of the art facility on time and within budget,” Mr Glinton said.

POACHER MUST BUY RBDF $200K BOAT intercepted by the US Coast Guard outside of Tavernier, Florida in May 2020 while returning from Bahamian waters.

The Coast Guard escorted the vessel back to Danzig’s waterfront home and together with Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers, they determined that Danzig and company were in possession of 167 reef fish, NOAA said.

The group was accused of harvesting the fish in Bahamian waters without a valid Bahamian sports-fishing licence, and without first clearing Bahamian Customs.

“Even if Danzig had followed the rules, his catch was still nearly eight times over the legal Bahamian bag limit,” NOAA added.

“The Coast Guard seized and transferred custody of the fish to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, who began an investigation.”

US special agents later seized two GPS units from Danzig’s 39-foot Contender

fishing vessel named Bodacious.

He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, trafficking 529 pounds of illegally harvested fish from the Bahamas back to the United States.

“This case is a double win for The Bahamas and the United States,” said US Embassy in Nassau Chargé d’affaires Usha Pitts. “Not only did our

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from page one

two countries collaborate to confiscate fish harvested illegally, the case resulted in the transfer of a brand-new vessel that the Royal Bahamas Defence Force can use to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the future. We will continue to work with our Bahamian partners to promote responsibility and accountability in Bahamian waters

by all fishing vessels.”

According to NOAA, this kind of violation is not uncommon.

“Many fishermen from the United States choose to fish in Bahamian waters due to its close proximity,” said Manny Antonaras, assistant director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division. “We want to make sure that they do so legally.”

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PAGE 6, Monday, May 10, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

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Elsworth rattles the sabre but ignores the fight THERE will be many who applaud Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson for firing back at the United Nations over the issue of shanty towns.

He has been bullish in his response after the UN raised concerns over issues of adequate housing, homelessness and poverty.

Mr Johnson criticised people who “live in their ivory towers, they sit all the way where they are and they seek to cast judgements on Third World countries when what exists in their very own country are these issues”.

His response is very much rooted in stirring up feelings about sovereignty and patriotism, as if he’s asking who are these people to be coming over here and telling us we’re not handling these problems right.

It also very much fails to deal with any of the actual concerns that are raised.

Snarling at UN experts doesn’t stop what they’re saying from being true.

So ignore the red herring of sovereignty – of course, The Bahamas has sovereignty, no one said it hasn’t.

Instead, let’s look at what the experts actually said.

UN officials warned a community of Haitian descendants and migrants of up to 2,000 people is at a serious risk of becoming homeless.

If these homes are destroyed, they have “nowhere else to go”. You don’t need the experts to know that, of course.

Abaco is still struggling to repair after Dorian – you know there is no space for 2,000 people suddenly without a roof over their heads.

More to the point, this isn’t something new. Shanty towns have been in The Bahamas for decades. They wouldn’t exist if there was more than enough accommodation for everyone.

Many of those now facing eviction are those who have been affected by Hurricane Dorian in the first place. As the UN team says, “After several months of living in evacuation shelters, many of the survivors had to completely rebuild their homes – it is these that the authorities intend to destroy.”

All this in the middle of a pandemic.

The government is quite right to try to find a way to stop shanty towns being an eternal issue– but it’s going the wrong way about it.

Simply knocking down the buildings without a plan for where the people will

go will just see more houses being built and we’re back at square one.

Many of these people have legal status in this country – as a survey in 2018 of shanty towns showed. And many are being employed in Abaco to help rebuild after Dorian. Part of the reason for that is, again, a lack of anywhere to stay for Bahamians. If you’re a builder or a carpenter in Nassau and someone wants to hire you to fix a house in Abaco, where do you sleep at night while you work?

It is absolutely right that people should not be allowed to just start building on a piece of land they do not own – but we need to see why these things happen. Remove the reasons before the problem develops – deal with the cause and not just the symptom.

As for Mr Johnson, well, he goes on to talk about the problems facing Haiti and wanting to know what the UN is saying to “governments who have created the socio-political phenomenon that causes Haiti to be the way she is today” and “What are they saying about the people who are assisting people who are dying on their way to The Bahamas?”

We never hear from Mr Johnson himself on what he suggests The Bahamas do about these issues – Haiti is our neighbour so don’t we have a part in tackling such problems? We don’t hear Mr Johnson talking about Haiti’s sovereignty in that regard.

No, it seems he’s just trying to bark louder than the UN in a fight about sovereignty that doesn’t exist while ignoring the actual problem that needs dealing with.

As the saying goes, there are none so blind as those who will not see.

A real catch

A ROUND of applause for the outcome of a court case in the US. A Florida fisherman was caught illegally fishing in Bahamian waters. The outcome? He has to buy the Royal Bahamas Defence Force a new boat – that can then be used to catch the next illegal fisherman, and the next.

A crime punished, the prospect of others getting away with crime reduced.

Let’s have more of that kind of punishment over here – and make the criminals help those who would catch them.

Book us elsewhere EDITOR, The Tribune.

“BOOK us Elsewhere” has been the constant hallmark of the past year concerning possible trips to The Bahamas at the travel agencies which I operate in Rochester and Syracuse New York.

Before your Minister of Tourism essentially shut down your travel industry, The Bahamas was at the top of the desired southern holiday spots which we booked. The introduction of your Health Visa and so many other restrictive measures has so turned off potential clients that we now have little interest in trips to your country.

People want to book vacations with ease of travel and of entry. It would appear that little if any consultation was made with the travel industry when your draconian entry rules came into force.

Clients accepted that a COVID-19 test was likely a part of a holiday during the pandemic even though that involved an expensive and time consuming process.

However, to add Health Visa forms, a time from test to entry of only five days and all the resulting uncertainties of the time

to receive travel permission together with the lack of flights has all combined to kill off our business with you.

It is far too complicated for nearly everyone.

After being informed of these rules nearly all the clients, including many regular return Bahamas visitors, said: “Book us elsewhere”.

As a business model it has been a complete failure, costly to your country and the hopes to revive this important part of your economy.

I read The Tribune regularly. There have been constant letters of complaint about these rules, but all concerns have been essentially ignored. Why has the tourist industry in The Bahamas been so silent in the face of economic ruin?

The latest pronouncements about admissions with both vaccines and a fifteen day waiting period are hailed by your Tourism Minister as a “breakthrough”. The majority of our clients are younger and middle aged who had been booking for The Bahamas in the past.

Most of them have not even had the first vaccine.

It will be a very long time indeed before they receive both vaccines. We are further told that after six months they may be asked to get booster shots for “further travel” to The Bahamas.

These are highly unlikely to be available under the current worldwide conditions. Who has designed all this red tape? It would seem you want an almost permanent stop to visitors.

Even if they have both vaccines they still must apply for a Health Visa and complete other rules. Sadly I cannot see many bookings coming your way. We have too many other destinations where it is far easier to enter without all your hassles. We are now regularly sending clients to these places.

After booking people to your country for over fortyfive years I feel very badly about all the problems which your Government has created. Frankly for myself and my office staff it has been unbelievable.

You must change direction immediately.

RICHARD J HANSON Rochester, New York, USA May 9, 2021.

No way to treat people EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE longer that we are mired in this pandemic the more our humanity is being stripped away. This was illustrated very clearly when I returned home to Canada in early May. I am sharing this experience because I feel that it is important to understand that while it is easy for visitors and residents to complain about their experiences in travelling to The Bahamas, Bahamian customs officials are like schoolboys in short pants when compared to the draconian methods employed by some Canadian officials.

As a Canadian resident returning home, I thought my journey would end when I crossed the border and was welcomed into Canada.

Nothing could be further from the truth, not only are the requirements to enter Canada constantly changing without notice but the chilly reception I received suggested that something more sinister is becoming a prevalent part of our society. It seems as though we have become so consumed with fear that treating one another with kindness is becoming a luxury reserved for special occasions.

When I arrived at the border, I made my way to the Immigration officer who asked the usual questions about drugs and guns that I have become accustomed to when travelling to Canada from Nassau. I was processed through immigration without incident, and it was then on to Customs.

I understand that customs officials are required to keep borders secure and that a cordial reception is not their first priority.

I expected the customs officials to inform Canadians returning to Canada about the Quarantine Act and the consequences of not complying with the regulations.

However, like everything in life, the manner in which you conduct yourself is as important as the service that you are delivering.

The male officer that scanned my carry-on asked me if I had any electronics in the carry-on and I said “no”.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net He did not like that answer and asked me again if I had electronics in the carry-on to which I again responded “no”. The officer then opened my carryon and took out my camera and a case with my hard drives in it.

I didn’t realise that the officer considered the three hard drives in my carry-on as electronics and felt that I had purposefully lied to him. In my opinion this was just a simple misunderstanding, but the officer saw this as an opportunity exploit the situation with relish. I knew that the line of questioning that he then started was designed to intimidate me. Realising this certainly did not make it any less effective as I was alone, sitting in a partitioned room with two customs officials looming over me.

He went on to ask me what he would find if he were to “go into these hard drives” and when I told him they contained personal files he found my answer vague and continued to repeat the question with increasing irritation. I was not trying to be deceptive; I really did not know what he was after. Seeing that he was agitated I explained that one hard drive had work files on it, the other had personal files and the third was a backup of the other two.

He then asked if there were videos on the hard drives and I said yes. I was now starting to get concerned at what I thought was an unusual line of questioning and said if you are asking if there is pornography on the drives the answer is “NO”.

He said that he did not care what I did in my personal life and closed the case and returned it to the bag.

He swabbed my bag and disappeared into an adjoining room. On his return he asked if I had been in contact with any drugs while in The Bahamas. He then swabbed my watch and wallet and again disappeared into the adjoining room. On his return he again asked if I had been in contact with any drugs while in

The Bahamas. While he was in the adjoining room, I was sitting there with the other officer thinking, “What is going on here I have nothing illegal in my possession.”

On his return he asked me again if I or anyone in my house were in contact with any drugs to which I said no.

I finally said, “why don’t you just dump the contents of the bag on the table and go through it?” At that point he seemed to realise that this line of questioning was going nowhere and abruptly abandoned it.

He then asked me if I had a girlfriend in The Bahamas.

I was completely baffled, as I had told the officer that my wife was waiting for me on the other side of customs and couldn’t understand how this could be relevant. I had completed a COVID test, I was a Canadian resident and had gone to extraordinary lengths to return home. Was even my marriage now subject to interrogation and suspicion?

Finally, after 20 minutes of questioning the ordeal was over and the officer zipped up my bag. He asked me if understood that the vague answers that I gave made him pursue the series of questions that he did. He further explained that this type of questioning was standard practice and a part of their job. He then told me that I should not have been nervous if I had done nothing wrong, that only people with something to hide get nervous and said that I was free to go.

The unnecessarily dehumanisation of travellers returning home to Canada suggests that the border officials are so caught up in fear mongering that they find it easy to callously victimise fellow citizens. We need to remember that we are all human beings and where we come from and may be going to does not matter. What matters is how we treat one another along the way. Ultimately, we will be judged on our journey through life, and we should all strive to be confident of our position on that judgement day.

A TRAVELLING MAN Canada, May 9, 2021.

THE TRIBUNE

BRANVILLE CITED FOR CURFEW VIOLATION from page one

The Tribune spoke with attorney Wayne Munroe, QC, who said he represented Mr McCartney while he was being detained. Mr Munroe said the former Bamboo Town MP was released and was set to pay a fine for being out after the curfew.

“Like any other citizen he can be arrested by the police,” Mr Munroe said on Friday. “He has been interviewed and released pending further inquiry. He was not charged with anything at the moment. They will evaluate material they have and determine if they have a case to charge him.

“That is what they do ordinarily. If he wasn’t Bran McCartney, nothing would be known of it.

“He went through the processes like everyone who gets arrested does. He cooperated with the police and they were cordial and polite. He is a lawyer and he knows how the system works. I represented him at the police interview. He has gotten a ticket for breaching the curfew. I won’t be representing him in the case

because he will be paying the ticket as far as I know.”

Mr Munroe took issue with the voice notes that were circulating and said if the male voices in fact belong to police officers as purported, then authorities at the Royal Bahamas Police Force ought to deal with them.

“I’ve heard these voice notes — one of them when somebody purports to be a policeman,” Mr Munroe said. “If in fact he is a policeman, then he will be subject to discipline by the police, because that is not something that they are supposed to do. In fact there was a circulated release by the commissioner of police admonishing officers not to do that – not to take photos of people in custody, not to circulate voice notes of the details of matters being investigated by the police.”

When contacted on Sunday, Mr McCartney only said, “I do not wish to make a comment save to say there are a lot of untrue rumours.”

The Tribune also contacted police press liaison officer, ASP Audley Peters who said he had no details on the matter.

$7,000 FINE OVER FORGED CHEQUE

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 35-YEAR-OLD man who went into a local bank to make inquiries about a forged cheque he said a friend had given him to cash was on Friday fined $7,000.

Tyrone Wilson was arrested after he was found with a forged Bahamas Mortgage Corporation cheque in the amount of $73,500 on May 4.

Prosecutors said the fraudulent document bore the name Affordable Trucking.

Wilson owned up to the offence when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.

The court heard the bank manager of BOB’s Shirley Street branch made a complaint with the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit which prompted officers to proceed to the bank branch around 2.30pm that day.

When they arrived, they spoke with the manager who told them Wilson had come to the bank to make inquiries about the validity of a $73,500 cheque for a friend. The prosecution said upon closer examination, the cheque was discovered to be fraudulent. As a result, the manager handed the forged document to the officers and pointed out Wilson who was subsequently arrested. When he was questioned in custody, he told officers he got the cheque from a friend who owed him money. He said the man gave him the cheque and told him he would be paid once it was cashed. Wilson also said when he was unsuccessful in cashing the cheque at FirstCaribbean bank, his friend told him to go to BOB where he was arrested.

During the hearing, the accused was represented by attorney David Cash. He told the magistrate his client was a heavy equipment operator who had fallen on hard times after not working for an “extended period

of months”. He claimed Wilson’s “mind was drawn” to his friend after he remembered the man owed him money, so when his friend gave him the cheque, he saw it as an opportunity to get paid.

In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said although the facts didn’t excuse the defendant, they did explain how he got himself in such a “precarious condition”. She said given the circumstances a custodial sentence was not warranted and instead fined Wilson $7,000. The defendant was also placed on probation for 18 months. If he fails to comply with the conditions of his release, he could risk spending a year in prison.

On Friday, another man who denied trying to defraud the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation, was on Friday remanded to prison pending a bail hearing next week.

Anwar Stubbs, 29, was accused of possessing and uttering a forged document and attempting to commit fraud by false pretenses on April 29.

It is alleged Stubbs possessed and presented a forged Bank of the Bahamas cheque that was drawn from the account of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation and made payable to himself in the amount of $80,000.

It is further alleged the accused attempted to obtain the $80,000 from BOB’s Carmichael branch with the fraudulent cheque that same day.

During his hearing before Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt, he denied the allegations.

However, before the Crown could make a decision on bail, the prosecution requested more time to consider their position.

As a result, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt deferred the matter of bail to May 10.

Stubbs is also expected to receive his trial date at that time.

‘STAY OUT OF TROUBLE - OR GO TO JAIL’

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 21-YEAR-OLD man who admitted acting disorderly when he was approached by officers must stay out of trouble for three months to avoid spending 30 days behind bars.

Police arrested Darrell Farrington after he used obscenities when he was questioned by officers who found him driving around after curfew hours on April 22.

He owned up to the offences when he appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

The prosecution said when the officers approached Farrington around 2.40am that morning, he became angry and started using profanities. The court was told the

accused was warned to stop his disorderly behaviour, but continued to become irate and throw his hands in the air. As a result, he was arrested and transported to a nearby station where he admitted to the offences in an interview with police.

During the hearing, Farrington told the magistrate he was outside after curfew because he had misplaced his house keys. He claimed he started cursing when the officers stopped him because he was frustrated after retracing all of his steps and failing to locate his keys.

After listening to his explanation, Magistrate Swain granted Farrington a conditional discharge for three months. If he fails to be of good behaviour during that time frame, he could risk spending a month in prison.

Monday, May 10, 2021, PAGE 7

‘Moultrie must go’

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Progressive Liberal Party Cabinet minister has said the country needs a new speaker of the House of Assembly as the current one “lacks the acumen and an understanding” of The Bahamas’ parliamentary system.

George Smith, who served as minister of agriculture and fisheries, transport and local government in the Pindling administration, made the remarks while reacting to recent actions taken in Parliament by House Speaker Halson Moultrie.

“I think that the time has long passed when we need a new speaker,” Mr Smith said in a recent interview. “And, tragically that’s not happening. This never would have happened with speakers like Theodore Brennen, Robert Symonette, Vernon Symonette and wiser speakers.

That’s the problem we have today. We elect to Parliament people who don’t understand our system. This speaker who is the first commoner of the land, is totally lost.

“His conduct does greater injustice to the system that we have. I’ve long concluded that the speaker lacks the acumen and an understanding of the system. And, as the first commoner of the land, he really ought to find his footing and facilitate the meeting of Parliament. I am

HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie. lost as to what his motive is.

He obviously lacks understanding of what a speaker is supposed to be.”

Mr Smith said the government also bears some responsibility.

“He shares some of the responsibility, but I think the government must find ways to facilitate the meeting of Parliament during these trying times,” Mr Smith said. “They also seem lost. These are difficult times and the speaker must find avenues to get the government to cooperate in facilitating the function of Parliament. That’s not happening and that’s tragic.

“We have an old Parliament and we have amateurs, parading around today conducting the affairs of Parliament. It is tragic and doesn’t serve the Bahamian people well. We embarrass ourselves and are not even aware that we are doing that. I hope that whenever a new Parliament convenes after an election we try to raise the standard of the conduct of a Parliament

befitting the obligations that a Parliament has to the Bahamian people. I pray that we elect a body of individuals who can bring back the traditions.”

Mr Smith also took issue with Mr Moultrie going off on “tangents” while in the chair.

“A speaker is supposed to facilitate the members of Parliament to meet and he seems to be on a trend that quite frankly baffles me,” Mr Smith continued. “And, opposed to him trying to find a smooth way for the running of Parliament he’s off on these tangents that make a mockery of the high office of speaker... I think he is actually just lost.

“Yes, he is faced with difficulties, as is the whole Parliamentary system during these difficult times, but it gets worse and the government shares in the responsibility too because they don’t seem to grasp the importance of the House of Assembly meeting to carry out their lofty mandate in the interest of the

Bahamian people.”

Last Wednesday, the House of Assembly was abruptly suspended for more than an hour during the morning meeting after Speaker Moultrie criticised the Minnis administration, argued with Yamacraw MP Elsworth Johnson and invited Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to publicly address his claims about the executive branch’s “disrespectful” treatment of Parliament.

At one point during his 15-minute speech, Speaker Moultrie accused the executive of dragging Parliament around “like a dinghy boat” and he blamed the challenges he faces on “darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places”, a reference to Biblical scriptures.

His criticism was in response to “disturbing issues” he said emerged since April 30, when parliamentarians and parliamentary staff were asked to be tested for COVID-19.

In the House on April 28, he accused the government of disrespecting Parliament by ignoring and refusing to implement his COVID19 preventative measures, leading him to abruptly adjourn that sitting until May 3.

At the time, Speaker Moultrie urged members of the governing side not to “pick fights or wars,” adding “if you want a war, you can get a war”.

MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

LEFT to rot? Some of the properties featured in Insight recently.

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net INSIGHT would have started by saying the silent saga continues on the previously featured government-owned high end houses, however, there appears to be slight movement due to the spotlight being placed on them by this column.

Insight spoke with developer Paul Wynn of the Wynn Group last week and was told that the Minister of Tourism, after reading the Insight articles, has reached out to the vice president of the Wynn Group to address its interest in “La Playa”.

“The Minister of Tourism called Randy Hart and said he never received anything from us,” Mr Wynn said. “Randy sent him the offer that we sent to them about nine months ago. He had sent it directly to the Minister and directly to the Prime Minister which he hand dropped off. The Minister said he will look into it.”

Mr Wynn said the Minister’s attention was “absolutely” drawn to “La Playa” from the series of Insight articles. He is curious about why the Minister would say he had not received the document when the Wynn Group, as mentioned, had it sent directly to him in July 2020.

The Wynn Group is currently building a resort, costing some $140m, directly opposite the Office of the Prime Minister. Mr Wynn is now also showing some interest in some of the government-owned properties at Prospect Ridge.

Insight did some digging and managed to get hold of the document through a source in the Ministry of Tourism. The letter dated July 22, 2020 was addressed to the Minister of Tourism, Dionisio D’Aguilar.

An excerpt of the letter reads: “Further to our recent meeting at GoldWynn, this letter is to formally submit an offer on behalf of the undersigned company in the amount of B$2,250,000.00 to purchase the adjacent property known as “La Playa” which we understand is presently owned by the National Insurance Board.

Although the offer seems way below what NIB paid for the property, Mr. Wynn made it clear in his Insight interview of last week that he is looking forward to negotiating a price with the government.

As a recap, this is the fourth in a series of articles done on five high end homes, in western New Providence, owned by the government of The Bahamas and placed in the care of the National Insurance Board. One of the five homes, “La Playa” situated next to Goodman’s Bay, was actually purchased for $3.5m by NIB. The houses are in a state

of serious disrepair – rotted wood, walls falling apart, extremely overgrown foliage - and are now the homes of vagrants. The four houses on Prospect Ridge are situated on land between one and a half to two acres. Their once majestic forms have diminished over years of neglect and they now sit there, ignored by their owner – the government.

Insight spent an entire week reaching out to the current NIB director, James Moss and the board’s chairman, Troy Smith, to no avail. Mr Moss’ assistant, Rudeen Basden, should be commended for being very patient, professional and polite. Pressing for information after no call was answered or returned, Insight sent an email to Mr Moss outlining questions about the homes NIB is custodian to, but only received an acknowledgment of receipt from Ms Basden in return.

Due to the lack of contact with the board’s current director and chairman, Insight spoke with three the PLP came in and nothformer directors and two ing ever happened since. of them shared their knowl- The real question is why edge and views on the was the house bought in situation at hand. the first place? They bought “I cannot offer any that house for over $3m and comment on that,” said many people thought that immediate past director it was overpriced and that Dr Nicola Virgil-Rolle who there was no reason to buy has moved on recently to that house at all.” take up a position with the When corrected that the Lyford Cay Foundation. house was bought from a The other two directors Canadian who had purwho date many years back chased it from Lady Nuttall, in the system, spoke to the former director strongly Insight on condition of ano- refuted this and insisted nymity. Neither wanted to it was purchased directly appear to be overstepping from Lady Nuttall. the current “As far ‘The government director as NIB is and both of should seek to fix concerned, them served the house them and sell them. under was bought the FNM They should sell them from Lady administra- in public auction not Nuttall for tions. the purpose “I am not private sale. Either of being the sure about way they should be residence of the Pros- sold. The government the Prime pect Ridge Minister. homes, I of The Bahamas Now it could only know needs to get rid of be that there about the them and not leave was no plan one on for him to Goodman’s them to rot. The one actually live Bay,” said on Goodman’s Bay there or the first (“La Playa”) should he would director. have had it “The house be sold and made as a protowas bought into a restaurant col (house) by the PLP like Graycliff or like how the government Governor in their term Lucianos… that General has that ended standard.’ a protocol in 2007. (house) and “It was a residence bought from Lady Nut- or it could have been used tall to be the residence of for both. But I know that the Prime Minister with- NIB’s cash was used on that out a plan. The house was house. never developed. The gov“The house had started ernment changed in 2007 to be renovated by the and decided from what I government that was in understand that there was 2002-2007, but the governno priority for a residence ment that came in in 2007 of the Prime Minister. In did not continue. The questhe meantime, NIB was tion really is then that if the spending thousands of dol- government really wanted lars to maintain the home to make it a protocol house monthly… landscaping, or whatever, they could etcetera. have done so between 2012 “The government and 2017? They had five changed again in 2012 when years to get it done. So why

Unravelling the knot of the government properties being left to rot was this $3.5m really spent?

“The developer is talking to the wrong people. NIB owns the house and should be spoken to directly on it.

NIB I am sure would want to get rid of that house because it’s just sitting on the books deteriorating.”

The second director took issue with the Prime Minister’s flippant remarks made in the House of Assembly concerning “La Playa” saying he had no time to think about “any house for a Prime Minister to entertain people”. This came about as he introduced a resolution to sell land to young professionals at minimal costs.

“I don’t know all of the reasons why the government purchased these properties because I was not focused on that when I was at NIB as there were so many issues there that was the least of my worries. I know that ‘La Playa’ was purchased for the purpose of entertaining dignitaries etc. It was not, as the Prime Minister was alleging in the House, that the government intended to have it as the home of the Prime Minister - that was not true.

It was deceptive!

“There were some very detailed plans that were drawn up as to what the property was to be utilised for. It was going to cost millions of dollars and I think the government at the time may have opted not to proceed because of the cost.”

Insight learned that when the Minnis administration took up office, Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield and senior officials from his ministry were looking at continuing the renovation of the “La Playa” but on a less elaborate scale for the purpose of entertaining dignitaries.

The minister and a team actually visited the property and were looking at that palatial home with the

intent of utilising it in the same way it was purchased for. So what happened?

Attempts were made to speak to Mr Henfield, but he did not answer any calls.

Instead, Foreign Affairs director general Sharon Brennen-Haylock was contacted, but she said she could not offer an answer as to why Foreign Affairs did not follow through.

Insight also contacted former clerk to the House of Assembly Maurice Tynes, who spoke to why he believes no action was taken on “La Playa”.

“The four houses were where judges used to live, I think I may have been the clerk of the House when that passed through Parliament to NIB,” he said. “I cannot speak with authority on it, but it may be that one government had a plan for them and the other government just stopped, reviewed and cancelled. That would be my first reaction.

“I have always been against that kind of policy because it is wasting public funds. You should not stop a project just because it is started by a different political party. Government ought to be continuous, but it doesn’t seem as if that principle is rooted in some of our political leaders. When a party wins an election, they become the government for all.”

A former top government official gave Insight a rundown on the houses on Prospect Ridge.

“The last occupants of those houses were Dame Joan Sawyer and Sir Burton Hall,” the former official said. “After they moved out everything closed up. The government owned those houses before independence in 1973. In the past, certain high level civil servants lived in those houses like judges and the chief justice and the secretary to

the Cabinet.

“They are now vandalised with vagrants living in them. The government should seek to fix them and sell them. They should sell them in public auction not private sale. Either way they should be sold. The government of The Bahamas needs to get rid of them and not leave them to rot.

The one on Goodman’s Bay (“La Playa”) should be sold and made into a restaurant like Graycliff or Lucianos… that standard.”

Several attempts were made to get the Office of the Prime Minister to comment on the matter of the abandoned houses over the past few weeks to no avail. Emails requesting the same go unanswered.

Many attempts were also made to call the minister with responsibility for NIB, Brensil Rolle – all calls went unanswered.

It should be noted that civil servants, be they ministers or clerks, are just that – servants of the people who are answerable to the citizenry of this country. At no time is it okay to simply ignore the Press and the people of this country when they search for answers on matters of national importance. And yes, governmental wastage is of national importance.

People are voted in office to work for the populace and protect public property.

This widespread culture of ignoring matters of national interest or people attempting to find answers, meted out by this government, can be conceived as wanton arrogance or dismissive behaviour.

Governments are answerable to the people!

Insight waits now to see if there will be, not just promised, but real action taken by the government of The Bahamas on these abandoned homes.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021 PAGE 9

DAMAGE from Hurricane Dorian in Abaco after the storm passed.

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

of climate change, predictions are being made by climate researchers that Dorian – one of the strongWITH all we have gone est storms to ever hit the through since the start of Atlantic Ocean – may have the pandemic, the least we only been the tip of the should hope for is that we iceberg. emerge wiser from it. This In the face of extreme is especially true when it adversity, the Minnis comes to what we expect administration has no from government. choice but to walk and chew Too many times, we have its gum at the same time, as seen governments kick Mother Nature has had us the can down the road, so on the ropes for nearly the when we are affected by entire duration of this term. external shocks, we are left Just six months after scrambling. This mindset Dorian came the pandemic, has become woven into sapping the income streams the DNA of how govern- of families. Now, almost 14 ments operate and how the months later, we are hoping electorate holds them to for signs of life to continue account. as some promising indiWe see this daily – and cators exist. Thousands the average Bahamian just of hospitality employees shrugs their shoulders and and merchants are elated accepts that it’s just the way as a result of the governit is in The Bahamas. This ment’s decision to reduce relaxed, passive nature may measures for vaccinated be what endears tourists to travellers coming into the island life, but for those of country. Additionally, the us who feel it at home, it US Centres for Disease leads to extreme wastage, Control and Prevention stunted development and a (CDC) recently announced steadily reducing quality of that, once measures allowlife. ing cruises to sail safely are Two major catastrophic met, they too can resume occurrences in the past year- regular operation – a posiand-a-half have exposed tive sign for merchants on our failings - as Hurricane Bay Street, dubbed a ghost Dorian and the COVID-19 town by Tourism Minister pandemic have nearly led Dionisio D’Aguilar. to the total collapse of our Still frustrated by vaccine economy and highlighted hesitancy among Bahamiincredible vulnerabilities in ans, D’Aguilar is hoping our healthcare system and rising numbers of cases do wealth distribution. not become a deterrent to In September 2019, when an economic resurgence.

Dorian struck, the National Certainly, there is no underEmergency Manage- estimating those concerns, ment Agency but he should (NEMA) - the ‘Beyond a also be equally agency formed worried about to serve as our climate resilient the governeyes and ears in hospital in Grand ment’s ability such instances Bahama and a to acquire new - came under vaccines intense scru- shelter being while we wait tiny for what constructed on on the next many have 67,200 doses Abaco, there isn’t concluded to being supbe a departure much Bahamians plied through from its man- can point to the COVAX date. Formed facility. to assist the and appreciate It is our hope country in pre- that would Health Minisparing for such indicate the ter Renward national emerWells’ recent gencies, it was government has appeal to the strikingly clear placed a major US to help us the agency focus on climate in acquiring was out of its vaccines is sucdepth ahead resilience.’ cessful - as it of and in the may be what aftermath of Hurricane stands between us in a Dorian. Despite a coor- public health crisis of epic dinating body since being proportions. If COVIDcreated in the formation 19 - a natural disaster in its of the Ministry of Disaster own right - were to collide Preparedness, Management with another storm anyand Reconstruction, there where near the magnitude is a prevailing sense the of Dorian, is there a plan in government is still flying place? by the seat of its pants and When St Vincent recently hoping for a quiet hurricane suffered its own disaster season. with the eruption of La As the 2021 hurricane Soufriere, one of the fears season begins in less than a during the evacuation was month, a number of ques- a COVID outbreak with tions remain about how people crowded together in much more resilient we’ve shelters – have we learned become since Dorian.

There have been some announcements regarding climate resilience, but nothing has been done that has moved the needle or make Bahamians feel any less fearful with hurricane season upon us. Beyond a climate resilient hospital in Grand Bahama and a shelter being constructed on Abaco, there isn’t much Bahamians can point to and appreciate that would indicate the government has placed a major focus on climate resilience.

One thing we know for sure is storms are not going to decrease in number, nor intensity. In fact, as a result

Think we’ve learned the lessons of Dorian and are better prepared?

Think again. from their situation should we face a similar need from a hurricane?

These are the kinds of conversations we would like to see our government having. The existential threat of the climate crisis and a global health pandemic are our two greatest dangers globally and in The Bahamas.

As citizens, and as a Christian nation, what we have been taught to do in times of despair is hope and pray for the best outcome. While we want those we elect to chart the course to also seek wisdom from the higher source, we also need to see they’re not only thinking about such threats, but also learning from lessons of the past.

That said, the Bahamian people are unable to find comfort when our collision course with climate change and our sensitivity to external shocks is so sparsely present in policy conversations, particularly for a country in a hurricane belt.

While we get a reprieve from hurricane season six months of the year, our penchant to pretend such danger doesn’t exist and fail to mitigate against the level of disaster we already know is possible is scary – perhaps even scarier than COVID-19.

The government has to be able to address both of these issues. With less than 30 days until the 2021 hurricane season begins, the last thing it should want is to have no choice in the matter.

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PAGE 10 MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

A storm brewing over Haiti at the OAS World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

ARMED off-duty police officers take cover during and exchange of gunfire with army soldiers in February last year during a protest over police pay and working conditions, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The ongoing political and constitutional crisis in Haiti is an issue both in the country itself and for the Organization of American States.

Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP

STRONG disagreement may be brewing at the Organization of American States (OAS) on how to respond to the ongoing, grave political and constitutional crisis in Haiti.

Since January 2020, the Haitian President, Jovenel Moïse, has been ruling the country by decree without any legislative oversight. The mandates of the members of the Haitian Parliament, except for ten of them, were terminated because elections were not held.

The rising tension in the country, including use of lethal force by the police against protestors, widespread kidnappings and killing, rape of women, and an arbitrary decision by Moïse to hold a controversial referendum on a new constitution, as well as heightened political contention, caused concerned member states at the OAS, including nine CARICOM countries, to sponsor a Resolution at the organisation’s Permanent Council to address the situation urgently.

Specifically, the Resolution, adopted on March 17, offered “the good offices of the OAS under the authority of the Permanent Council to facilitate a dialogue that would lead to free and fair elections”. It requested the SecretaryGeneral, Luis Almagro, “to advise the Government and other major stakeholders in Haiti, of the Permanent Council’s offer to undertake a good offices role and to invite the President of Haiti to consider inviting the Permanent Council to do so”.

Whether or not Almagro wrote to the Haitian President and “other major stakeholders” is unclear.

Certainly, no major political party or human rights group in Haiti has confirmed receipt of any communication from him.

There has also been silence from him to two official requests, asking for details of stakeholders to whom he might have written and when. There is no need for this – a straight answer is all that is required.

This matter will be mired in controversy, because while uncertainty prevails over whether or not the Secretary-General did write to the President and other major stakeholders in Haiti, a letter dated April 28 was sent to him by Claude Joseph in the latter’s capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The letter is significant.

First, it does not refer to any communication received from Almagro. Instead, it references the Permanent Council’s Resolution of March 17 as the basis for writing. Second, it states that “the Government of the Republic of Haiti is willing to receive an OAS mission in support of the ongoing dialogue with all the nation’s stakeholders with a view to concluding a political agreement that will facilitate the organisation of the constitutional referendum and elections at all levels during the course of 2021”.

On the second point, the OAS Resolution of March 17 did not offer its good offices “to facilitate the organisation of the constitutional referendum”.

The proposed referendum is entirely of President Moïse’s making and is mired in claims of unconstitutionality. The highly respected US Congresswoman, Maxine Waters, describes it as “Moïse’s most audacious and dangerous power grab”.

Legal experts inside and outside Haiti have opined that the existing Constitution specifically prohibits

referenda to decide constitutional changes because a former dictator, Jean Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier, had used that artifice to proclaim himself Presidentfor-Life. Therefore, if the OAS accepts that facilitation of the referendum is a condition of its good offices’ role, its purpose and credibility are undermined even before it starts. No stakeholder would participate in any dialogue where organisation of a constitutional referendum is a condition.

It is important to recall that, prompted by the rapidly deteriorating democratic and human rights situation in Haiti, the offer of good offices by the Permanent Council resolution was “to facilitate a dialogue that would lead to free and fair elections”. Nowhere did the Resolution venture to suggest that the OAS’ role would include facilitating the organisation of a referendum to alter the constitution.

Particularly significant is that on April 26, two days before Joseph sent his letter to Almagro, 68 members of the US Congress wrote to Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, pointing out that Moïse “lacks the credibility and legitimacy to oversee a constitutional referendum scheduled for June 2021, or to administer elections that are free and fair”.

This position by such a large number of the US Congress, led by Gregory W Meeks, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House, is a remarkable development. It shows that important US lawmakers are deeply concerned about what they describe as, “lack of preparedness of electoral institutions to hold elections, as well as the unconstitutional composition of the prevailing electoral council”. Contrary to law, Moïse handpicked the members of the Council.

Of especial note is that the 68 members of Congress urged Secretary Blinken to use the US vote within the OAS “to ensure US taxpayer dollars are not spent in support of this referendum”.

Last year, the OAS and CARICOM, held all the parties in Guyana to account to deliver a credible result to general elections held on March 2.

It took five months of the active attention and diligence of CARICOM, the Commonwealth, the European Union and the OAS to ensure that democracy and the rule of law were upheld in Guyana, and that general and regional elections were not stolen by the incumbent government.

What is happening in Haiti now is no less egregious than what was resisted in Guyana in 2020 and is now being condemned in other member states of the OAS – and even in countries outside of it.

The OAS must act in the interest of Haiti and the Haitian people to uphold their rights to democratic governance, human rights, and the opportunity for economic development.

The governing Charters of the OAS mandate it.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own)

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021 PAGE 11

A COAL-fired power station steams near the Garzweiler surface coal mine in Germany. The world continues to warm up, as scientists continue to monitor our “new normal”.

Photo: Martin Meissner/AP

It’s all in the numbers and the world is getting hotter

By RUSS SCHUMACHER, associate professor of atmospheric science and Colorado state climatologist, Colorado State University and BECKY BOLINGER, assistant state climatologist and research scientist in atmospheric science, Colorado State University ANYONE who listens to weather reports has heard meteorologists comment that yesterday’s temperature was three degrees above normal, or last month was much drier than normal. But what does “normal” mean in this context – and in a world in which the climate is changing?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released updated “climate normals” – datasets that the agency produces every ten years to give forecasters and the public baseline measurements of average temperature, rainfall and other conditions across the US. As the state climatologist and assistant state climatologist for Colorado, we work with this information all the time. Here’s what climate normals are, how they’ve changed, and how you can best make sense of them.

WHAT ARE THE NEW NORMALS?

NOAA’s National Centres for Environmental Information released the new set of normals, covering 1991-2020, on May 4.

Climatologists have been performing calculations on data from long-term observing stations around the country for a wide range of parameters, including high and low temperature, precipitation and snowfall.

The data also includes more detailed statistics, like the normal number of days below freezing or those with more than an inch of snowfall. NOAA puts data from individual stations onto a grid to enable the creation of useful maps for the entire country, even in places with relatively few observing stations.

This provides a wealth of information for anyone interested in the climate of a specific area.

WHY ARE NORMALS UPDATED?

The World Meteorological Organization sets international standards for climatological normals, defined as a 30-year periods that are regularly updated.

The idea is to have global consistency for analysis.

The 30-year normals also create a benchmark that represents recent climate

conditions and serves as a reference for assessing current conditions.

Climate change highlights the need for regularly updating these normals. For the past 10 years, weather professionals have used the 1981-2010 climate normals as our reference. But we’ve observed above-average temperatures much more frequently than belowaverage temperatures from 1991-2020 for much of the US. Updating the normals is a way to calibrate to our most recently observed climate.

And as the climate continues to change, the further away in time we get from the “normal” period, the less representative that period will become. Using a very long period of time, or not regularly updating the period, could lead to including observations that would be extremely unlikely in our climate today.

On the other hand, there are situations in which it makes sense to consider periods longer than 30 years – for example, to understand long-term changes to the climate or to monitor extremes.

THE CONCEPT OF ‘NORMAL’ IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE

An old saying, often attributed to Mark Twain,

A BAHAMIAN BUSINESS

HERE TO HELP

asserts that “climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get”. Calculations of normal climate conditions for particular locations show how this works.

For example, data from the long-term weather and climate observing station in Fort Collins, Colorado, where we work, shows that precipitation in summer (June, July and August) over the 30 years from 1991 to 2020 varied significantly from year to year. The lowest summer rainfall was 1.48 inches in 2002 and the highest was 14.79 inches in 1997. Most years, it’s somewhere between three and five inches.

But few years match the average value, just shy of five inches. So even though we call this the “normal” amount of rainfall, in most years the total is higher or lower – sometimes by quite a bit.

Looking at summer temperatures from the same station, let’s compare the previous 30-year period, 1981-2010, with the most recent 30-year period, 1991-2020. The data shows a shift toward higher temperatures between the two time periods. The normal summer temperature increased by nearly one degree, from 69.6 to 70.4F. This “new normal” for the past 30 years reflects climate warming that has occurred both locally and globally.

WHAT THE NEW NORMALS SHOW

The key change that’s reflected in shifting from the 1981-2010 normals to the new 1991-2020 set is dropping the 1980s and adding the 2010s. The climate has been warming, so the new normals show higher temperatures for most regions and most months of the year.

Across the continental US, the temperature rose by about 0.5 F on average from the 1981-2010 to 1991-2020 period. The new average is 1.2 F warmer than that of the 20th century. A couple of exceptions are cooling observed in the spring over the Northern Great Plains and cooling over the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic in November. December shows the greatest amount of warming.

Precipitation is more variable than temperature from year to year and decade to decade. As a result, the changes in normal precipitation represent a mix of effects from long-term climate change and natural variations.

Overall, the 2010s were very wet in much of the central and eastern US and dry in the west, and the normals reflect that.

Average annual rainfall in Houston increased by over an inch, to 55.6 inches per year, while at Phoenix, Arizona, it dropped from an already dry 8.02 inches

to a parched 7.22 inches per year.

On a monthly basis, some of the most notable patterns to emerge are widespread drying in November, particularly over the Gulf states and along the Pacific Coast, and a wetter pattern over the eastern half of the country in April.

Shifting to new climate normals can have counterintuitive effects. For example, in the next few years there may be a better chance that you’ll see what are now described as cooler-than-normal temperatures in a given day or month. Using Fort Collins again as an example, before the update, a summer average temperature of 70 F would have been slightly warmer than normal. Now that same summer would go down as being slightly cooler than normal, even though it would still be warmer than around 100 of the 127 years in the history of that location.

Meteorologists and climatologists are already starting to incorporate these new normals into our work. But when you hear the term “normal”, keep in mind that it reflects a 30-year snapshot and represents a different reality today than it did 30, 60 or 100 years ago.

• Originally published in theconversation

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PAGE 12, Monday, May 10, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

CONCERT RAISES FUNDS TO BUY 26 MILLION DOSES OF VACCINE LOS ANGELES Associated Press THE Global Citizen fundraising concert advocating the importance of vaccine equity has pulled in $302m, exceeding the goal for the organisation’s campaign.

Global Citizen announced Saturday that the funds raised helped procure more than 26 million doses at the “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World”. The organisation said money was garnered through several philanthropic and corporate commitments.

President Joe Biden, Prince Harry and Jennifer Lopez, pictured, were among the big names who took part in the event, which was recorded May 2 and aired on Saturday.

Selena Gomez hosted the show, which was attended by several thousand fully-vaccinated concertgoers who cheered on performances by Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, HER and Lopez, who enjoyed a duet with her mom.

Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn and David Letterman served as special guest speakers.

Organisers called the event the country’s first large-scale music event for a COVID 19-compliant audience. Media and production staff needed to show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the stadium.

India vaccinations slow amid limited supplies BENGALURU, India Associated Press SINCE India opened vaccinations to all adults this month, hoping to tame a disastrous coronavirus surge sweeping across the country, the pace of administering the shots has dropped with states saying they only have limited stock to give out.

Cases meanwhile are still rising at record pace in the world’s second-most populous nation. Alongside a slowdown in vaccinations, states have gone to court over oxygen shortages as hospitals struggle to treat a running line of COVID-19 patients.

On Sunday, India reported 403,738 confirmed cases, including 4,092 deaths. Overall, India has over 22 million confirmed infections and 240,000 deaths. Experts say both figures are undercounts.

India’s Supreme Court said on Saturday it would set up a national task force consisting of top experts and doctors to conduct an “oxygen audit” to determine whether supplies from the federal government were reaching states.

Complaints of oxygen shortages have dominated the top court recently, which stepped in earlier this week to make sure the federal government provided more medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, New Delhi.

The country’s massive vaccination drive kicked off sluggishly in January when cases were low and exports

A HEALTH worker takes a mouth swab sample of a Kashmiri boy to test for COVID-19 in Srinagar on Saturday. Photo: Dar Yasin/AP of vaccines were high, with 64 million doses going overseas. But as infections started to rise in March and April, India’s exports drastically slowed down so doses went to its own population.

So far, around 10 percent of India’s population have received one shot while just under 2.5 percent have got both.

At its peak in early April, India was administering a record high of 3.5 million shots a day on average. But this number has consistently shrunk since, reaching an average of 1.3 million shots a day over the past week. Between April 6 and May 6, daily doses have dropped by 38 percent,

even as cases have tripled and deaths have jumped sixfold, according to Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan who has been tracking India’s epidemic.

One reason for the drop in shots is that there are just not enough available, experts say.

Currently, India’s two vaccine makers produce an estimated 70 million doses each month of the two approved shots — AstraZeneca, made by the Serum Institute of India, and another by Bharat Biotech.

Vaccine supply has remained nearly the same since the drive began in January, but the target

population eligible has increased by threefold, said Chandrakant Lahariya, a health policy expert. “In the beginning, India had far more assured supply available than the demand, but now the situation has reversed,” he added.

In Kerala state, the drive to inoculate all adults is crawling along because “our single biggest problem is the very slow arrival of supplies”, said the state’s COVID-19 officer, Amar Fetle.

In New Delhi, many are waiting for hours outside vaccination centers — but only after they’ve been able to book a slot.

For Gurmukh Singh,

a marketing professional in the city, this has been impossible. “It gets really frustrating, having so many hospitals and vaccine centers around but not being able to get access because they are all pre-booked,” he said.

Experts also point to a new policy change by the government, which has upended how doses are being distributed.

Previously, all of the stock was bought by the federal government and then administered to the population through both public and private health facilities.

But from May 1, all available stock has been divided

in two, with 50 percent purchased by the government going to public health centers to inoculate those above 45. The remaining half is being purchased by states and the private sector directly from manufacturers at set prices to give adults below 45.

This has led to lags as states and private hospitals, still adjusting to new rules, struggle to procure supplies on their own.

“You have now taken it out of a fairly efficient system where every dose was still centrally-controlled,” said Jacob John, a professor of community medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore. “But with market forces at play and unprepared states burdened with such a daunting task, the efficiency of the system has fallen.”

Things could change in the coming months, as the government last month gave an advance to the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, which could help boost manufacturing. And last week, India received its first batch of Sputnik V vaccines. Russia has signed a deal with an Indian pharmaceutical company to distribute 125 million doses.

But with vaccines currently in short supply, there are worries that those most in need are missing out. The goal should be to prioritize preventing deaths, which means fully vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable first, said Dr Gagandeep Kang, a microbiologist at Christian Medical College, Vellore.

SCOTTISH LEADER PROMISES INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM LONDON Associated Press

SCOTLAND’S leader told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday that a second Scottish independence referendum is “a matter of when, not if”, after her party won its fourth straight parliamentary election.

Johnson has invited the leaders of the UK’s devolved nations for crisis talks on the union after the regional election results rolled in, saying the UK was “best served when we work together” and that the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should

cooperate on plans to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

But Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, told Johnson in a call that while her immediate focus was on steering Scotland to recovery, a new referendum on Scotland’s breakup from the rest of the UK is inevitable.

Sturgeon reiterated “her intention to ensure that the people of Scotland can choose our own future when the crisis is over, and made clear that the question of a referendum is now a matter of when — not if,” her office said.

Earlier, she said she

wouldn’t rule out legislation paving the way for a vote at the start of next year.

Final results of Thursday’s local elections showed that the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats in the Edinburghbased Scottish Parliament.

Although it fell one seat short of securing an overall majority, the parliament still had a pro-independence majority with the help of eight members of the Scottish Greens.

Sturgeon said the election results proved that a second independence vote for Scotland was “the will of the country” and that any London politician who stood in the way would be “picking a fight with the

democratic wishes of the Scottish people”.

Johnson has the ultimate authority whether or not to permit another referendum on Scotland gaining independence. He wrote in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph that another referendum on Scotland would be “irresponsible and reckless” as Britain emerges from the pandemic. He has consistently argued that the issue was settled in a 2014 referendum where 55 percent of Scottish voters favored remaining part of the UK. But proponents of another vote say the situation has changed fundamentally because of the

UK’s Brexit divorce from the European Union. They charge that Scotland was taken out of the EU against its will. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 52 percent of UK voters backed leaving the EU, but 62 percent of Scots voted to remain.

When asked about the prospect of Johnson agreeing to a second Scottish referendum, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said Sunday “it’s not an issue for the moment” and stressed that the national priority is on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Gove argued that the SNP’s failure to secure a majority in the Scottish Parliament was in marked

contrast to the party’s heights of power in 2011, when it won a 69-seat majority.

“It is not the case now — as we see — that the people of Scotland are agitating for a referendum,” he told the BBC. The Scotland results have been the main focus of Thursday’s local elections across Britain. In Wales, the opposition Labour Party did better than expected, extending its 22 years at the helm of the Welsh government despite falling one seat short of a majority.

Labour’s support also held up in some big cities.

In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan handily won a second term.