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CLASSIFIEDS TRADER

Six agencies are left with gaps in public record

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net CABINET ministers responsible for at least six quasi-government institutions and agencies have failed to table audit reports, creating a lapse in the public record that contravenes the law.

An investigation by The Tribune revealed that its been years since an audit report has been tabled in Parliament for institutions like the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), the Water & Sewage Corporation, the Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation, the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation (BMA), the College of the Bahamas and the Hotel Corporation of the Bahamas, according to Parlia-

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mentary records.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the institutions haven’t had audits conducted, but it may mean that in some cases the ministers responsible for those institutions haven’t tabled the audits as required.  Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe has responsibilty for the Hotel Corporation of the Bahamas, and Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez has the Public Hospitals Authority in his cabinet portfolio.

Yesterday, Mr Wilchcombe said he would look into the matter while Dr Gomez referred The Tribune’s questions to Frank Smith, chairman of the PHA Board and audit committee.

SEE PAGE SIX

THE Lucaya International School in Grand Bahama is being accused by a parent of racial discrimination and unfair treatment in a dispute over the recent selection of the head girl.

The school denies that there is any racial bias by its staff towards black students.

The institution, the only

international school on the island, said it has a student body comprised 60 per cent of black students and has given $3.5m in scholarships to local Bahamians.

Headmaster/principal Michael Lowery told The Tribune yesterday that the allegations are not true. “I don’t believe the allegations are true, I feel like our staff goes above and beyond for all students,� he said.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net  FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday that while he is “open� to forming a coalition with the Democratic National Alliance, he is “turned off� by DNA Leader Branville McCartney’s arrogance.

Speaking to the press outside the House of Assembly, Dr Minnis said he is willing to do “whatever it takes� to rid the country of the PLP. “At this particular point in time,� he said, “our goal is to get the PLP out, they are a disaster for this country and they have made many promises and cannot deliver.

SEE PAGE FIVE

MITCHELL: SMITH IS WAGING WAR AGAINST ME

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net  FOX Hill MP Fred Mitchell was adamant yesterday that Fred Smith, QC, legal director of Save The Bays, has waged “war� on him through a series of court actions aimed to “bankrupt� him personally.

Mr Mitchell called the actions now before the court “nonsense� and said he hoped that court officials would see their way clear to deal with actions appropriately.

In the meantime, the Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister said he will fight the actions lodged against him with all of his being because this was a matter that he did not take lightly.

SEE PAGE 11

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL DENIES ALLEGATIONS OF RACISM

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MINNIS OPEN TO COALITION BUT SAYS BRAN IS ARROGANT

ANGELO Black with his wife. The Commonwealth Bank employee begged people to tell her that he loved her as he lay injured with a gunshot wound to the neck after being kidnapped by a robber on Tuesday. Mr Black survived the attack and is in stable condition in hospital. See page three for the full story.

POLICE TO BUY MORE CCTV CAMERAS TO FIGHT CRIME

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net  ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the government has “taken steps� to acquire additional closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) for New Providence to “assist in

minimising armed robberies� and combatting crime.

ACP Dean’s comments came a day after a Commonwealth Bank employee was shot in the neck and robbed while sitting on the beach eating lunch.

According to reports, shortly after noon on Tuesday, the victim, who has

POLICE STAFF ASSOCIATION WINS APPEAL ON OVERTIME

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

been identified as Angelo Black, 39, was sitting in his Ford Ranger truck on Yamacraw Beach when a man with a handgun got in and ordered him to drive to an ATM on Wulff Road, where he forced him to withdraw some cash.

THE Police Staff Association (PSA) has won its appeal in a landmark case against the government concerning millions in overtime pay for officers who worked additional hours during separate periods in 2013 and 2014.

The Christie Administration appealed the ruling after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the PSA last year.Â

SEE PAGE THREE

SEE PAGE SIX

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THE TRIBUNE TIMOTHY NOTTAGE, (left) president of the GB Public Bus Union, and GB Taxi Union president David Jones called a press conference on Wednesday regarding the long delays in business licenses for bus drivers and taxicab drivers in GB.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net PUBLIC bus drivers in Grand Bahama are upset about the long delay in getting their annual business licences from the government after putting in applications, some over three months ago.

Timothy Nottage, president of the GB Public Bus Union, said that drivers will have to park their buses if they do not get their documents by the end of the month in order to licence their vehicles at the Road Traffic Department.

“Half of the 120 bus drivers have not received their business licence yet,” complained Mr Nottage, who noted that applications have been in since February and March. “It is taking a long time ... and up to now we have gotten no answer back from the government concerning our business licence.”

Mr Nottage noted that the process was much quicker prior to a change in January which now requires that applications be processed in Nassau and no longer in Freeport.

“Last year we would get our licence in two days, but now it’s taking us three months to get it,” he said.

“When we enquire about our licence they tell us their hands are tied and that they can’t do anything because they have to wait to hear back from Nassau.”

Mr Nottage is calling for the processing of applications to be handled in Freeport.

David Jones, president of the Grand Bahama Taxi Union, supports the drivers and said taxi drivers

are also being affected by the new changes concerning business licences. “The government implemented this new system in January, and it is hard on us already and they are charging $100 late fee if you do not apply in January,” he said. “They are adding $100 late fee on these common people.”

Mr Jones said that is unfair when some drivers have been waiting since January for their documents. “They have to feed their families and we demand that the minister address the problem. Yes we understand the system and what they are doing, but … these delays are affecting people’s livelihood and it is a serious issue and we are demanding from the government better results.”

The taxi president is calling for a waiver of the late fee because of the long delay. “We want our documents to licence our vehicles so we can take care of our families,” he said.

Bus driver Janette Lettice said she is making loan payments on a brand new bus. “I have a family to feed; I have a brand new bus I am paying for … how am I going to make payments if I park my bus?”

Ms Lettice complained that she has called numerous times to enquire about her business licence and has sent many emails, but has yet to receive a response.

“You have to plead and beg – I need help please, I need my (business licence), I have to eat. It is unfair to us, and they don’t tell us anything,” she said.

Ms Lettice said they were never given a timeframe of when their licences would be granted when the new changes were made in January.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 3

‘Tell my wife I love her’ begged shooting victim as he lay bleeding

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net

DETAILS emerged yesterday of the ordeal a 39-year-old father suffered on Tuesday afternoon at the hands of an armed robber, who forced him to drive to a cash dispenser, threatened to go to his home for more money and, as he tried to escape, shot him in the neck, leaving him in serious condition in hospital.

Angelo Black, a full-time staff collection agent with Commonwealth Bank, was sitting in his Ford Ranger truck on Yamacraw Beach having lunch shortly after noon when he was approached by a man with a handgun who demanded cash.

According to reports, Mr Black was then ordered by the suspect to drive to an ATM on Wulff Road, where, The Tribune understands, Mr Black was forced to withdraw cash from his account. “It wasn’t much,” The Tribune was told. “It didn’t even come to $100.”

Dissatisfied, his captor then ordered Mr Black to drive to his home, where he had hoped he could collect more money.

Mr Black resisted, fearing for the safety of his wife and young daughter.

It is understood that a fight

broke out in the tinted-windowed truck on Cowpen Road, while Mr Black was still driving.

According to police, Mr Black deliberately bumped the car in front of him in order to attract attention to his life-threatening situation, jumped out of his truck and tried to escape.

Mr Black was shot several times, the most critical shot hitting him in the neck during his escape attempt.

The owner of the damaged car, who wished to remain anonymous, said he pulled to the side of the road after his recently acquired vehicle was hit and called the ambulance.

“I had pulled to the side of the road, it (Mr Black’s truck) slammed into my car, the driver’s door opened, he (Mr Black) held onto the wheel, the other man shot him, then pushed him out of the truck, then jumped into the truck and drove off.”

The witness said Mr Black had “all kinds of gunshot wounds in his neck” and “was crying to the neighbours for help”. He also said Mr Black repeated that he did not want to die and begged bystanders to tell his wife that he loved her.

The car owner said that if the ambulance, which had his “sister and her new born baby in the back”, had not

arrived, Mr Black would have been dead. Even so he did not think that he would survive. He said Mr Black kept talking.

Another bystander told The Tribune that someone had wrapped a cloth around Mr Black’s neck to try to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.

Mr Black’s father, Kingsley Black, in a message on Facebook said his son is in stable condition in Doctors Hospital.

“To cut a long story short: a heartless punk hijacked my son while he was sitting parked at Yamacraw Beach reading and eating his lunch around midday as he sometimes do, forced him at gunpoint to take money off his bank account via his ATM card, gun-butted him when he didn’t get as much as he expected, then tried to force him to drive to his home to wait for his family to get the rest,” the post read.

“Angelo decided that he was not going to take the robber home to place his family at risk so he rammed the car in front of him on Cowpen Road and jumped out of the truck. Maybe his actions saved his life because the robber shot him but the bullet entered and exited his neck, not damaging any vitals.

“He was thrown out of his own truck and the robber

sped off. He is now in stable condition at Doctors. God is a good God. I do wish the police catch this coldblooded criminal and put the jail on top of him. To intimidate my son he told him that he done kill one for the week as if to suggest that he could be next.

“This planet is too small for creatures like them and the rest of us; the world don’t have to stop but he can jump the hell off.”

The owner of the damaged car said he could not move his vehicle because it was a part of the crime scene. Talking on the telephone with a friend he asked her to tell his employers that he was so shaken that he would not “be able to come in”.

“I feel so bad for him, they tried to shoot him in his head. I can’t believe what I have just seen, I can’t stop my hand from shaking.”

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Stephen Dean, said police currently have no one in custody for the shooting. However, he said, police have significant leads.

POLICE TO BUY MORE CCTV CAMERAS TO FIGHT CRIME

from page one

The gunman then ordered Mr Black to drive to his home. Mr Black refused and instead crashed his truck into another car and attempted to escape.

The suspect shot Mr Black, a collection agent, in the neck and pushed him out off the vehicle before speeding off in an unknown direction. Mr Black was taken to hospital, where he is listed in serious but stable condition.

Police later recovered Mr Black’s truck abandoned in an area off Carmichael Road.

ACP Dean said yesterday that police have no one in custody for the incident but are following “significant leads”. He said police

believe the incident was connected to several other armed robberies.

ACP Dean also sent a warning to the public and business owners to be “more vigilant” in their daily routines. “If you do not have to carry large amounts of cash do not. If you are confronted by a robber, do not try to resist. If they ask for money turn it over because your life is more important than the money.

“We are following updates on the armed robbery on the beach and we believe this might be a trend with those perpetrators. We believe these are crimes of opportunity so please be careful the places you go,” ACP Dean said.

“If you travel late at night be careful and make sure

persons are not following you. We noticed a trend with persons arriving home being held and these suspects are following them home from the last place they went. So call someone and tell them you are coming home and to turn on the light. CCTV has been a tremendous help and the government has taken the steps to acquire additional camera’s to place in New Providence to help in reducing and minimising crime. Homeowners, invest in cameras and business persons invest in maintaining your cameras.”

ACP Dean also said police have found that most of the people responsible for the armed robberies are “prolific offenders in and out of the system”.

While unveiling his crime plan for 2016, Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade revealed that the country experienced a record number of armed robberies.

He said that despite a four per cent decrease in serious crimes against the person compared to the same period in 2015, murder, rape, attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse and armed robbery all increased by 19 per cent, 16 per cent, 33 per cent, 11 per cent and five per cent respectively.

Attempted robberies decreased from 31 to 12, a drop of 61 per cent, and robberies decreased by 43 per cent from 350 in 2014 to 200 in 2015, according to the crime statistics.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-991 or Crime Stoppers at 328TIPS. Investigations continue.

A PHOTOGRAPH from the scene of Tuesday’s shooting in western New Providence, which saw Angelo Black injured after he had been abducted and forced to withdraw money from an ATM.

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BAHAMIANS HELD ON SUSPICION OF SMUGGLING TWO BAHAMIAN men have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs and migrants into the United States after their boat washed ashore in Florida on Tuesday, according to a West Palm Beach television station report.

WPTV reported that the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said eight un-

documented migrants and 26 pounds of marijuana were on board a small Boston Whaler that beached in severe weather. Deputies said they found and detained a woman from Cuba, a man from the Dominican Republic, two men from Brazil and two men from the Bahamas.

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found a duffel bag containing the marijuana.

When they interviewed the people aboard the vessel, deputies learned that two other Brazilian men were also aboard but had escaped. They were later arrested.

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day headed to Florida. The sheriff’s office said the Bahamians were attempting to smuggle the drugs and migrants into the United States.

All of the people taken into custody were turned over to Border Patrol Agents and taken to West Palm Beach for interviews.

GUNMAN HUNTED AFTER SHIRLEY ST ROBBERY

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are on the hunt for a gunman who shot and robbed a Shirley Street businessman as he was about to enter his establishment early yesterday morning.

According to reports, the victim was about to enter his business when a masked man armed with a gunman approached him and demanded cash shortly after 9am.

The victim ran into the building but was shot by the gunman, who then fled the scene on foot. The victim was rushed to hospital and is listed in stable condition,

according to police.

Officers from the Southeastern Division arrested three men after they were caught “red handed” stripping a stolen car yesterday afternoon.

According to reports, police received a report of suspicious men around a silver Honda in an area off Soldier Road shortly after 1pm.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found six men stripping the vehicle.

The men fled on foot after spotting the officers. A chase followed that led to the arrest three of the men.

Police said the car that was being stripped had been stolen from a home in Garden Hills #2 earlier that

morning.

Anyone with information on any of those incidents is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991.

Investigations into both incidents continue.

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THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jrolle@tribunemedia.net

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

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99% chance 2016 will be hottest year ODDS are increasing that 2016 will be the hottest year on the books, as April continued a remarkable streak of recordwarm months.

Last month was rated as the warmest April on record by both NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which released their data this week. In the temperature annals kept

by NOAA, it marked the 12th record warmest month in a row.

Global temperatures have been hovering around 1.5°C (2.7°F) above pre-industrial averages — a threshold that’s being considered by international negotiators as a new goal for limiting warming.

While an exceptionally strong El Niño has provided a boost to temperatures in recent months, the primary driver has been the heat that has built up from decades of unabated greenhouse gas emissions.

NOAA announced its temperature data for April on Wednesday, with the month measuring 1.98°F (1.1°C) above the 20th century average of 56.7°F (13.7°C). It was warmer than the previous record-hot April of 2010 by 0.5°F (0.3°C).

NASA’s data showed the month was about the same amount above the average from 1951-1980. The two agencies use different baselines and process the global temperature data slightly differently, leading to potential differences in the exact temperatures anomalies for each month and year.

Both agencies’ records show that global temperatures have come down slightly from the peaks they hit in February and March, which ranked as the most anomalously warm months by NASA and NOAA, respectively.

Climate Central has reanalyzed the temperature data from recent months, averaging the NASA and NOAA numbers and comparing it to the average from 1881-1910 to show how much temperatures have risen from a period closer to preindustrial times.

The analysis shows that the year-to-

date temperature through April is 1.45°C above the average from that period. Governments have agreed to limit warming this century to less than 2°C from preindustrial times and are exploring setting an even more ambitious goal of 1.5°C, which temperatures are currently close to.

“The fact that we are beginning to cross key thresholds at the monthly timescale is indeed an indication of how close we are getting to permanently exceeding those thresholds,” Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Penn State, said in an email.

It will take a significant effort to further limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to realize those goals, experts say. Carbon dioxide levels at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii are already poised to stay above 400 parts per million year-round. They have risen from a pre-industrial level of 280 ppm and from 315 ppm just since the mid-20th century.

As El Niño continues to rapidly decay, monthly temperature anomalies are slowly declining. They are still considerably higher than they were just last year, the current title-holder for the hottest year on record.

Given the head start this year has over last, there is a more than 99 per cent chance that 2016 will best 2015 as the hottest year on the books, according to Gavin Schmidt, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which keeps the agencies temperature data.

If 2016 does set the mark, it will be the third record-setting year in a row.

It is likely, though, that the streak would end with this year, as a La Niña event is looking increasingly likely to follow El Niño, and it tends to have a cooling effect on global temperatures.

But even La Niña years today are warmer than El Niño years of previous decades — a clear sign of how much human caused-warming has increased global temperatures. In fact, the planet hasn’t seen a record cold year since 1911.

Choosing a new path EDITOR, The Tribune THAT was the title of a long “Politicole” piece by Tribune columnist Nicole Burrows. It was delivered at the recent Future of Democracy Conference held at College of The Bahamas and published in The Tribune on Tuesday.

While I admire the optimistic idealism inspiring Ms Burrows, I can only hope that our future will fall into the hands of planners with a greater grasp of reality than she displays.

She asks us to believe in a hypothetical Bahamian nation that by the end of 2017 has been created by citizens and run by politicians of such a degree of selfless virtue that is unknown throughout recorded history.

It will be a Republic, with a brand-new Constitution, totally divorced from the monarchy and the Westminster system of government, governed by an elected President who names a Prime Minister and cabinet ministers accountable to the President and to a Parliament of elected representatives, or so-called “Bahamian patriots”.

Since all such patriots will be “free of political

patronage” there will be no room for political parties.

With a government “of all the people ... transcending party line and party affiliations”, an electorate “fully unified” will presumably vote for just one slate of candidates.

Her essay says nothing about how we got from here to there. All we are told is that “the Bahamian people rose up for their country” - peacefully of course!

How did they induce our present Parliament, including the PM and his cabinet, to stand down and dissolve itself? Who, and how, will people be chosen to call a Constitutional Convention and write the new document? Who will approve and adopt it?

Who will draw up the list of nominees for President and parliamentary seats?

Who runs the country during all this process of change?

Just leave it to “the people”? Let’s be serious: that’s not a programme, it’s a catchphrase slogan; but that’s all Ms Burrows gives us. We should be spared visionary speakers who never come down to earth with specifics.

What’s more, her ideas

are dangerous. Her disdain for political parties leads to just the sort of tyranny she attacks, the usual result of calling for national unity.

We need look no further than Germany under Adolf Hitler, where citizens voted National Socialism, or else.

The many phony democracies like Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe are similar, typically proclaiming the mandate of the ruling party because it gets a vast majority of the “popular” vote.

Any reading of history proves that democracy, even if imperfect, is best obtained under a multiparty system that defies “unity” and provides a strong opposition to the majority.

Yes, we do indeed need radical changes in our political leadership.

But, in my opinion, they will be achieved within our present structure of governance, and not through the apocalyptic upheaval that Ms Burrows so enthusiastically, if unthinkingly, is proposing.

RICHARD COULSON Nassau, May 18, 2016.

Referendum is all about politics EDITOR, The Tribune.

AMONG the “YES Bahamas” propaganda commercials being run on various radio stations in an effort to encourage a blanket “yes” vote on the four Constitution Amendment Bills is one that talks about a girl named Rachel who can’t open a bank account because she’s not a Bahamian.

The reason given is that Rachel’s Bahamian father was not married to her foreign mother. The commercial, which seeks to encourage voters to vote yes to Bill 3, is spreading two pieces of factually false information.

First, we’re told in the commercial that Bill 3 seeks to enable an unmarried Bahamian man to pass his citizenship to his children like Rachel who were born out of wedlock to a foreign woman. That is partly true.

What the producers of the commercial failed to say is that Rachel’s father could have also been married to another woman when he fathered Rachel out of wedlock with the foreign woman.

Yes, Bill 3 also seeks to enable married Bahamian men who commit adultery with foreign women and

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net father children by them anywhere in the world to be able to pass citizenship on to those children, once paternity is proven. But, conveniently, this additional information that would help to inform how some voters would vote is withheld. I wonder why?

Second, we’re told in the commercial that Bill 3 will enable Rachel to apply to be a Bahamian. That is totally false. Bill 3 offers nothing to Rachel and those who also find themselves in her predicament.

If Bill 3 is approved by voters, it will only benefit children conceived under circumstances like Rachel and who are born AFTER Bill 3 comes into effect.

Therefore, it is totally false to give people like Rachel (and her Bahamian father and foreign mother) false hopes about what Bill 3 will do, if approved by voters.

If the government was really concerned about people like Rachel, it would have long ago used its power to grant citizenship under Article 13 of the Constitution to grant them whatever

citizenship rights it deemed appropriate. But nothing has been done because they do not really care about people like Rachel.

It’s all about politics and using Bills like Bill 3 to serve as distractions for Bill 4, which is the crown jewel “yes” that they really want.

Yes, the success of Bill 4 is what the government wants most, and here’s the reason: they want to set the stage for same sex-marriage to be imposed on us by the Privy Council.

My own view is that a far better approach is to give children like Rachel an entitlement to Bahamian citizenship when they turn 18, provided they meet the national security requirements and renounce any other citizenship held.

And until then, caring policy decisions by the government can make their lives easy so they can do simple things like open a bank account and attend College of the Bahamas at the same cost as a Bahamian citizen. What’s so hard about making these simple policy decisions?

PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS, Nassau, May 18, 2016.

$3m could be better spent

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I LAUGHED my heart out reading the detail of the recent combined Defence Force - US Military exercise and the location and the scenario.

Probably 30 plus years late... might be finally someone heeded the late Hon Norman Solomon’s constant warning that Norman’s Cay was being used for drug smuggling.

One thing is for sure, if The Bahamas was ever to be used by terrorists they would not give the Defence Force - the Police - Immigration or the Northern Command and Special Forces of the US any pre-

notice of an attack.

Very reassuring that the “enemy” in this case were all killed.

Probably the most vulnerable asset for a terrorist act are the enormous cruise ships that sit in Nassau Harbour.

It is useless, I suggest, to have patrol craft sailing up and down the harbour when the vulnerability is underwater.

God forbid such would occur but if the US are willing to spend $3m, was that the figure I heard, maybe they should shorten up the planning - in future do not give everyone public notice of the exercise and be certainly more focused on the obvious target, cruise ships... at one given time

there are some 30,000, mostly America citizens in the harbour on those ships.

Anyway, we all know about 80 plus per cent of drugs get through to the lucrative consumptive market of the US. The Dominican fishing people are vacuuming our waters and selling the product through an American Co in DR to their parent in Miami.

Couldn’t we do a lot with $3m to stop the guns coming in from the United States? Hmm... the US could do a lot for sure, but will they?

ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau, May 14, 2016.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 5

‘Who can we trust if police say minister is wrong over probe?

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Royal Bahamas Police Force’s contradiction of Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin that law enforcement was not yet investigating fraud in her ministry raises questions of trust and is “unacceptable”, according to FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis.

Dr Minnis questioned who Bahamians could trust given this revelation, coupled with the PLP’s track record of turning a blind eye to corruption.

He accused the party of awarding lucrative government contracts to their allies and supporters and went on to suggest that the RBPF was also in this category.

He said this matter should be taken out of the hands of politicians and placed in the purview of an independent public prosecutor.

Dr Minnis’ comments came a day after police confirmed to The Tribune that they had yet to begin any investigations into the Department of Social Services or the Road Traffic Department.

Both government departments were recently probed

by Auditor General Terrence Bastian and found to have systematic problems, including fraud and misappropriation of funds among other serious inefficiencies.

“What is this government waiting for? Days have passed, and hours have trickled by since the public learned of the misappropriation of public funds and potential public corruption in the Departments of Social Services and Road Traffic,” Dr Minnis said.

“To date, this government has failed to turn over

the information with respect to Social Services, nor has it requested the police to investigate these acts. It is mind boggling to the people that are forced to witness more of the same from the PLP leadership.

“As recent as today, the police have contradicted Minister Melanie Griffin who claims to have turned over the necessary information to the police, but they say they have received nothing, nor have they been requested by the government to do anything. Who must the people trust, the PLP who has a track record of turning a blind eye to corruption as they award lucrative government contracts to their allies and supporters, or our own police force?

“The people are demanding accountability, they want answers. Yet the PLP continues to serve us warmed over political attacks and attempts at misdirection. This is unacceptable.

“We demand that the PLP government turn over to the police, all of the scandalous information from both the Department of Social Services and Road Traffic Department today.

No more lying, no more cover up, no more dragging their feet. Let the police do their job and stop obstructing them.”

Dr Minnis said the PLP has proven time and time again that they will only act in a manner beneficial to them.

For this reason, Dr Minnis said the FNM will continue to stand with the people and call out leaders who have allowed corruption to creep into every aspect of our society.

On Tuesday, Minister Griffin suggested that someone was fired for the

suspicious shredding of documents highlighted in the Auditor General’s report on the department.

In the AG’s report for the period July 2013 and June 2015, Mr Bastian said the destruction of government documents at the Department of Social Services raised questions about whether fraud was perpetuated.

Asked about this, Mrs Griffin said: “The auditor had a concern about the shredding of documents going way back as far as 2010. We were not in office at that time and it seems

from page one

and join a “sinking FNM”, and further claimed that Dr Minnis was a “bad politician” who was “full of himself”.

“The FNM is in the worst state they have ever been in. They have lost traction, they don’t have any money and they don’t want their leader,” Mr McCartney said.

“They have a leader who lost five senators in the last four years, a leader who no one wants, a leader who let the PLP grab his testicles, tie them together and wrap them around his back. Dr Minnis cannot keep his party together and they want the DNA to join them.”

Mr McCartney said: “We have been approached but the bottom line is the DNA will not fold up.”

Yesterday, Dr Minnis said he was “disappointed with Mr McCartney for his “bombastic arrogant attitude, when persons are trying to reach out and move the PLP.” He maintained that he was willing to have the conversation but admitted that he had “no idea” how the coalition would work.

Dr Minnis said: “It’s quite evident the PLP is failure and the FNM will do what is necessary to win, to ensure the removal of the PLP, including teaming up with the DNA. “I don’t know how it would work, these are matters that have to be discussed and these are matters that will be discussed.

As far as anything definitive I cannot say at this point in time”.

MINISTER of Social Services Melanie Griffin said information had been turned over to the police with regard to possible fraud in her ministry - but police say they have yet to receive anything and have not been asked to investigate. to have been continued so definitely steps have to and have already been taken to ensure that something like that does not continue.”

Pressed on what steps have been taken, she said: “There are rules and regulations in the services that speak to what should happen to documents that must be shredded or are outdated. We have to ensure and we will ensure that those rules and regulations are carried out.”

Asked if anyone had been fired for shredding the documents, she said: “Immediately we found there

MINNIS OPEN TO COALITION BUT SAYS BRAN IS ARROGANT

“The people are suffering, they cannot pay their bills, they cannot buy groceries, they can’t pay their school fees, they are losing their jobs and the jobs are being sent abroad,” Dr Minnis said.

His comments came one day after Mr McCartney revealed he had been approached “several times” by senior FNM members as well as sitting FNM MPs, to join the official opposition.

On Tuesday, Mr McCartney said proposals for the two parties to join forces had been rejected

by Dr Minnis, who mandated that the DNA be disbanded.

Mr McCartney said the DNA will never “fold up”

FNM LEADER DEFENDS ATTENDANCE AT HAITIAN FLAG DAY EVENT

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday said anyone who has a problem with his decision to attend the weekend’s Haitian Flag Day festivities has a “serious problem”.

His comments came after Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader Branville McCartney and other Bahamians criticised his appearance and Prime Minister Perry Christie’s comments at the event, saying the two party leaders were “pandering” to Haitians.

Reacting to this yesterday, Dr Minnis said: “Bahamians were celebrating. They, the Haitian Bahamians and I call them Bahamians, had a right to be where they were and I had a right to visit

them and a right to visit anybody in this country.

“I’m a leader in this country and a Bahamian,” he said.

“I’m entitled to go wherever I choose. That’s democracy. So when McCartney or others say I should not go here or I should not go there, I say to him and the entire Bahamas, as a Bahamian I am entitled to go wherever I choose.

Dr Minnis said: “I voted for democracy and I fight for democracy.”

He told The Tribune that he was invited to attend the event.

“Those not regularised are entitled to be regularised,” he said.

Over the weekend, Mr Christie told a crowd at the Botanical Gardens area that he “hopes he is alive to see” another Haitian person elected to the House

of Assembly, the first being Stephen Dillet.

The tone of Mr Christie and Dr Minnis is a marked contrast to the tension the government created in 2014 with a new round of immigration restrictions that was widely believed to be an attempt to clampdown on illegal immigration from Haiti.

One of the policies, which came into force on November 1st 2014, required that every non-Bahamian living in the country have a passport of their nationality with proof of their status to live and work in the country.

The policy led to a round of highly publicized raids that drew international attention.

In 2014, Dr Minnis said he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the government over its policy, including immigration roundups.

were inconsistencies. One person was dismissed; other two were put on administrative leave and subject to the rules and regulations of the public service. In addition to this, the matter has been handed to the police and they will do their job.”

However, it’s not clear that anyone has been fired for suspiciously shredding documents.

Mr Bastian’s report noted that one staff member was terminated from the department and two oth-

ers were placed on administrative leave – but this was done not because they shredded documents; it was done because they engaged in food coupon fraud, using coupons intended for welfare recipients for personal use.

As for the police investigation into that fraud, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson and Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander said that authorities are not yet investigating the matter.

PAGE 6, Thursday, May 19, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Ministers fail to table audits

from page one

“The board really initiates audits,” Dr Gomez said, adding: “I’m not sure it’s overdue.”

In fact, PHA audits for multiple years are long overdue and the PHA Act puts significant responsibility on the minister of health when it comes to issues relating to audits.

When contacted, Herbert Brown, director of PHA, said: “All of the audits (for the past five years) have been done. But I can’t speak to why they haven’t been tabled. The auditors have confirmed that 2015 audits will be ready by June.”

The Hotel Corporation of the Bahamas’ Financial Controller echoed this sentiment.

“We get (the audits) approved by the board and we pass them on to the ministry,” he said. “It’s up to them to actually table them.”

On the other hand, Glenn Lavell, General Manager of the Water & Sewage Corporation, said it is his corporation’s fault that no audit has been tabled since 2011.

“That’s totally our fault,” he said when contacted.

“We are changing the format of our annual reports because we are trying to put more information in the reports as to where the

MINISTERS who have failed to table audits for institutions and agencies include, from left, Obie Wilchcombe, Dr Perry Gomez, Kenred Dorsett, Jerome Fitzgerald and Dr Bernard Nottage. company is going. So when the Bahamas Mortgage more than $30m loan from partment of Social Services then tables a report about someone picks them up, Corporation (BMC) and the Caribbean Develop- have highlighted failure them in Parliament. they would have a better the Bahamas Broadcast- ment Bank (CDB) that was to adhere to regulations in As an example, the Waidea of how the company is ing Corporation were not designed to aid in its transi- some government institu- ter & Sewage Corporagoing. The financial state- successful up to press time tion to university. tions, resulting in fraud and tion Act reads: “After the ments are completed. We yesterday.

Education Minister Je- loss of revenue. end of each financial year haven’t submitted it yet to Records show that finan- rome Fitzgerald said reMr Bastian has the power as soon as the accounts of the ministry. cial statements for the BMC cently that the college will to audit government depart- the Corporation has been Mr Lavell said: “We hope were consistently tabled be up-to-date with its audits ments and ministries at his audited, the Corporation to submit it along with the under the former Ingraham by this summer. own discretion, although he shall cause a copy of the report for 2012, 2013 and Administration, but have With no Freedom of In- has frequently complained statement of account to be 2014 by July at the lat- not been tabled since. formation Act in place, the that insufficient funding transmitted to the minister est. This is not the way we It’s unclear when was tabling of audit reports is handicaps his work. together with a copy of any would’ve liked it to happen, the last time an audit for one of the few accountabiliHe does not, however, report made by the audibut that’s the way it has hap- the Bahamas Broadcasting ty measures Bahamians can have the power to initiate tors on that statement or pened.”

Corporation has been ta- use to independently assess audits into other types of on the accounts of the CorAttempts to reach Envi- bled, however. the fiscal performance of government related institu- poration. ronment & Housing MinThe Tribune reported government departments tions.

It continues: “The minister Kenred Dorsett and last year that the College of and institutions.

Legislation for most of ister shall cause a copy of National Security Minister the Bahamas’ (COB) failRecent reports by Audi- those institutions mandates every such statement and Dr Bernard Nottage to find ure to conduct audits meant tor-General Terrance Bas- that the relevant minister report to be laid on the taout why it’s been years since that the institution could tian into the Road Traffic hires an auditor every year ble of both Houses of Paraudits have been tabled for not withdraw funds from a Department and the De- to audit the agencies and liament.”

POLICE STAFF ASSOCIATION WINS APPEAL ON OVERTIME

from page one

However, Acting Court of Appeal President Jon Isaacs, Justice Crane Scott and Justice Roy Jones dismissed the government’s appeal yesterday.

Supreme Court Justice Milton Evans had ruled that a Force Order issued by former Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson in 2003 was relevant to the case as it

mandated that public officers be paid when they work for more than 40 hours in a normal work week.

The government argued that this Order wasn’t applicable because of its references to the Employment Act, which it said does not apply to police officers.

Justice Evans disagreed, noting that the Order specifically referred to the issue of overtime pay for

officers.

Attorney Wayne Munroe, QC, who represented the PSA, said the Commissioner of Police will determine whether to pay officers or to give them an proportionate amount of time off.

If the choice is made to give pay to the officers, the government could end up paying as much as $16.4m, according to the PSA’s analysis.

Dwight Smith, PSA

chairman, said the matter should not have had to be settled by Court.

“Sometimes one is lost for words,” he said when contacted yesterday. “How did we get here in the first place? What was notable about the comments that was made by Justice Evans is that they were also made by one of the justices in the appellate court, which is, why were we unable to talk this matter out? The

PSA wanted to talk this through, but there was no respect being noted. One of the justices asked “why is there no dialogue between the association and management on policies so everyone would be on the same page. Why aren’t we able to sit around the table when it comes to issues affecting the body of police officers?”

Mr Smith said he doubted he would see concrete

decisions made by the commissioner “until after the referendum.”

“They would have to reach out to us once the attorney general would’ve already dealt with them on the matter,” he said.

Mr Smith said the Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade had told him that he never requested that Justice Evans’ ruling be appealed.

THE TRIBUNE

School principal denies allegations of racism

from page one

According to reports in a local paper, a parent claimed that black students are being treated unfairly and discriminated against at the school.

The mother alleged that, during the recent selection of the school’s head girl, her daughter was voted the clear favourite by students, but was not selected for the position because the school’s staff had voted against her.

She noted that it was not first instance of discrimination regarding her daughter and claims that there are other parents of black students who also feel their children have been treated unfairly.

Mr Lowery said it is the first time “to the best of his knowledge” that any such allegations have been made by parents at the school. “Black students are not being treated differently, said Mr Lowery, the principal of four years.

He indicated that the cur-

rent head boy and head girl are black Bahamians, and that the school’s 18-year history will show that 75 per cent of its head boys and head girls have been Bahamians and 25 per cent other nationalities.

Mr Lowery said that the student who was elected head girl is white and insists that the process was fair. He said that the voting results stated by the mother in the Freeport News article were inaccurate.

“The mother said it was 59 per cent – that is not accurate,” Mr Lowery said.

“We don’t know where that number came from.”

He explained that, unlike most of the schools in Grand Bahama where the vote for head boy and girl is selected by the teachers, LIS uses a mixture of votes from the students and staff.

“We allow students to vote and the staff, and we mix the two together.

I believe other schools have a practice of taking only the staff vote,” he added.

“I don’t think the staff believes the allegations in the article, or discriminate against students. Sixty per cent of the students at the school are Bahamians and 40 per cent other – we are an international school and we have students from 29 countries here.”

“I am disappointed that a parent is out there making these accusations, especially the second parent who I have never talked to before.

I feel like we always had an open rapport with our parents.”

Mr Lowery said that Lucaya International School (LIS) has 100 per cent graduation rate and university acceptance rate.

“We are the only school on the island that can boast of those numbers. Our Board of Directors gave out $250,000 in scholarships to local students, and our school in the last 18 years has given about $3.5 million in scholarships to local Bahamian students. It is hard for me to fathom that we are not doing our part to make Grand Bahama a better place,” he said.

Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 7

PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL TO ALLOW OFFICIALS TO DESIGNATE PENSION BENEFICIARIES

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PARLIAMENTARIANS yesterday passed the Pension Amendment Bill 2016 to make provisions for public and non-public officials to designate beneficiaries for their pensionable emoluments.

According to Golden Gates MP Shane Gibson, this will amend a policy now in law which makes it possible for the Governor General to grant retirement benefits in one of two options, which include a full pension or a reduced pension along with a gratuity to an eligible officer.

The law now also makes provisions for the legal personal representative of any public officer who dies within the public service to be granted a gratuity. The amount of gratuity depends on the length of service.

However, the newlypassed Pension Amendment Bill 2016 will allow provisions for public officers under oath to designate persons to receive his or her gratuity of an amount equal to

SHANE GIBSON pensionable emoluments at the date of his or her death.

The Act also allows that a person who is not a public officer can under oath designate persons to receive his or her gratuity of an amount equal to the pensionable emoluments of such persons at the date of his or her death.

“Mr Speaker,” Mr Gibson said, “as you can see it is important for individuals to be able to name their beneficiary which will allow for a smooth transition and collection of funds once a death occurs of a public officer.”

He said the Bill in its current state has facilitated a backlog of 178 families who have been unable to receive the benefits of loved ones.

While Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner said the Bill is timely, she urged the government to tackle the country’s unemployment issues, pointing out that the jobless would be unable to benefit from the amendments.

St Anne’s MP Hubert Chipman echoed this and appealed to the government to assist families who are unable to support themselves.

PAGE 8, Thursday, May 19, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

The undignified saga of Senator Lanisha Rolle L

LANISHA Rolle has been at the centre of news this week - resigning from the Senate after recordings of a conversation with FNM hopeful Lincoln Bain emerged.

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AST week, former senator Lanisha Rolle resigned from the Senate after the publication of the content of recordings made by fellow Free National Movement (FNM) political hopeful Lincoln Bain.

In recent times, the FNM has been subjected to too much sufferance. This is yet another occasion.

In the recording of her conversation with Mr Bain, Mrs Rolle reportedly spoke at length about the political future of several members of the party with whom she was dissatisfied.

The audio revealed disparaging comments made

by Mrs Rolle about several FNM members of Parliament. During the meeting, Mrs Rolle informed Mr Bain that the party would not offer him the nomination for the Pinewood Gardens constituency and further claimed that the ratification of incumbent FNM MPs had been purposely delayed.

Regarding the content of his meeting with Mrs Rolle, Mr Bain said his constituency executives were angered by her assertion that he would not get the nomination and these views were expressed to FNM executives.

He said: “There was this thing that people were pushing that was a total blatant lie that I didn’t receive the nomination and that I recorded this to set up Lanisha Rolle and took it to persons so that I could get the nomination. That is a lie from the pits of hell.

“At the meeting certain things were said. Basically she was saying that she was getting the nomination and not me and that I must support her and back her and manage it and that I must get the association on her side and basically if I didn’t then …

“So I spoke to my Pinewood executives and only them. I didn’t speak to party leadership. I spoke to Pinewood executives and let them know ‘well, I have been told by Lanisha that she is going to get the nomination’.

They were up in arms. They were distraught (and) they were extremely upset that it came from her and that it came at all because they are behind me 100 per cent,” Mr Bain stated.

This carnivorous affair is mindboggling, headscratching stuff! It is appall-

‘

‘

A Young Man’s View

By ADRIAN GIBSON ing the sense of entitlement that Mr Bain and Mrs Rolle appear to have about receiving FNM nominations.

How could this be?

On Monday, Mr Bain was adamant in telling The Tribune that he did nothing wrong as he admitted to secretly recording the former senator during a private meeting, saying his actions were a bid to “protect myself” from possible “sabotage”. Mr Bain claimed the audio recording only “came into play” to prove to party executives that the private meeting had taken place.

I am very curious about the author of the FNM’s lame, amateurish and mistake-laden press releases.

Who could possibly be writing such grammatically incorrect babble, where words are misspelt throughout? Have they not heard of spell check? Do they not proof read the material before widely disseminating it to the press and social media groups?

And, why is the writer of the FNM’s press releases quoting the leader or chairman or whoever is giving the statement? Why can’t they simply write a statement, attribute it to someone and leave the quoting to members of the press? Why are they pretending to write a news story? They clearly do not understand how to write press releases and I urge the powers that be - within the FNM - to train them or get someone who can. It is embarrassing and it’s certainly not rocket science.

Both of the statements released in the wake of Mrs Rolle’s resignation - the one announcing her resignation and the other announcing the appointment of Dr Duane Sands to the Senate were poorly written. My sixyear-old son could produce better sentence structure.

The statement on Mrs Rolle’s behalf was insincere, claiming that “at this current time in my life I need to focus on a few personal matters and do not feel that I will be able to devote the time needed to

Lanisha Rolle often acted like a political suicide bomber. She had a meteoric rise in FNM/Bahamian politics and has since had a cataclysmic fall.

Given the last two controversies involving Mrs Rolle, and a senatorial tenure mired in mediocrity, she can hardly be considered a politically shrewd navigator.’

best serve the Bahamian people” and asserting that she “cannot in good conscience allow myself to continue to serve while not being able to focus all of my attention to the work of the people”. Hmmm. Is that really the reason? Talk about political sleight of hand.

Mrs Rolle was embroiled in controversy earlier this year after she called a radio show in January and criticised Loretta Butler-Turner and other FNM members of Parliament. She accused sitting FNM MPs of being “jealous” of the party leader and said Mrs Butler-Turner, Dr Minnis’ former rival for leadership, would not have the support of voters over Prime Minister Perry Christie.

After she was criticised by members of her party, in March Mrs Rolle finally publicly apologised for her remarks.

Quite honestly, the former senator can only be likened to an unripened sapodilla or sugar apple picked way before its time … and those folks who grew up on the Family Island know exactly what I’m saying. Mrs Rolle sashayed into the public domain via a talk show and in little time was thrust onto the political scene in a key senatorial post. Unfortunately, rather than capturing the imagination of the country, she spent much of her time being a political bomb thrower, committing political suicide at other times and, on her down time, engaging in backroom wrangling for seats and having verbal slugfests with her fellow members.

Mrs Rolle often acted like a political suicide bomber. She had a meteoric rise in FNM/Bahamian politics and has since had a cataclysmic fall. Given the last two controversies involving Mrs Rolle, and a senatorial tenure mired in mediocrity, she can hardly be considered a politically shrewd navigator.

She was hoping to become a political cat burglar and swipe the nomination for Pinewood from right under Mr Bain’s fingertips.

Alas, we have yet again seen the spillage of political blood within the FNM. The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) must be laughing hysterically, joyous watching the fragmentation within the FNM with less than one year before a general election. Lincoln Bain has

‘

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, Thursday, MayMay 19,19, 2016, 2016, PAGE PAGE 9 9

How did either Mrs Rolle or Mr Bain come to the conclusion that they had the authority to be negotiating FNM seats and placements therein? Surely, both of them have gotten too big for their political breeches. Unfortunately, neither individual elevated themselves to the level of decorum and carriage befitting the role of modern day statespersons.’ effectively neutralised and politically emasculated the ex-senator and, in the process, cast doubt upon himself and likely dashed his own political hopes. What’s more, there are many who will have reservations about speaking to Mr Bain on telephones or in person for fear that he will record their conversations. In a party where there are already issues of trust, this affair deepens the sense of mistrust among FNMs. I find that so unfortunate.

Like many curious Bahamians, I wanted to hear the recordings that Mr Bain had made. I listened to them and thought that Mrs Rolle spoke candidly because she thought that she was speaking in confidence to a political ally. Mr Bain’s recording of Mrs Rolle without her knowledge was unethical or deceitful. There is no excuse for it.

M

r Bain has seemingly prevaricated.

Whilst he stated that he did not leak the tape, one wonders who leaked it if he was the person who recorded the audio. He may not be the proximate cause of the tape leaking to the press, but it is possible that he allowed persons to listen to it or sent snippets to persons whom he may have trusted and they in turned leaked it.

The audio recording of Bain and Rolle is representative of a Beavis and Butthead moment that should cause the FNM to be ashamed of the image it wants to project to the public and ought to leave them concerned about the deleterious optics now being projected.

Yes, Lanisha Rolle perhaps deserved a comeuppance but she should not have been destroyed or torn down in such a degrading and disgraceful manner – not

by PLPs but by members of her own party. Yes, perhaps no one is mourning her political death but she was dealt a most unkind cut and, frankly, she has a right to be bitter that her end was not noble but rather one of gutter politics. She is a Bain Town woman and she certainly took a Bain Town “lickin’”.

The beneficiary of all of this, politically, is one young senator named Heather Hunt who now glows radiantly in comparison to her erstwhile successor. Mrs Rolle replaced her pursuant to FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis’ rotational scheme that would see senators serving for two and a half years and demitting office to give another a chance. Strangely, that has involuntarily occurred given the number of FNM senators we have seen over the last five years. What’s more, Senator Kwasi Thompson survives yet another cut. He has now served four years.

How did either Mrs Rolle or Mr Bain come to the conclusion that they had the authority to be negotiating FNM seats and placements therein? Surely, both of them have gotten too big for their political breeches. Unfortunately, neither individual elevated themselves to the level of decorum and carriage befitting the role of modern day statespersons. Rather than inclusivity, this is yet another example of the dumbing down of local politics.

The Bahamas is no better off because of the Lanisha Rolle experience and chapter one of Lincoln Bain’s foray onto the political frontlines is not an Oscar winning performance. We are left thinking that Mr Bain is ethically challenged and that he sold out his colleague to save himself.

There is a legal side to this as well. Given that Mr Bain recorded a private conversa-

HOW Tribune cartoonist Jamaal Rolle portrayed Lincoln Bain’s recording of the conversation with Lanisha Rolle. tion between himself and Mrs Rolle, seemingly without her knowledge and/or authorisation, the Listening Devices Act may have been contravened. If so, it is possible that an offence was committed.

The entire Bain-Rolle affair should be a wakeup call for the FNM. What’s more, the vision of the FNM must be identified and seized upon. The FNM must carefully vet its future standard bearers and ensure that it projects itself as the peo-

ple’s party. Anything less could see the party go down in flames.

On another note, congratulations to my good friend Dr Duane Sands on his appointment to the senate. His appointment was long overdue and is well deserved.

He brings much substance and a commitment to the Bahamian people. I think that the FNM is lucky to have him in their midst.

Comments and responses to ajbahama@hotmail.com

UNCLE AARON Today marks the fifth year since my uncle, Aaron Gibson, tragically died in a motorcycle accident in Long Island. He was like a father to me. I still think about it all the time.

I miss his spirit, his advice and the great times we spent together. He taught me how to drive, how to talk to the ladies, how to play basketball and so many

other life lessons.

I cannot express the gaping hole that his death has left in our family. He was one of a kind, a very special, loving and sincere human being. He was one of few persons that I have met in my lifetime who would give someone their last and who never thought of himself as being so much better than another fellow human being to extend a helping hand.

Today, sir, I honour you!

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PAGE 10, Thursday, May 19, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

MP passed documents to activists for court case

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A PARLIAMENTARIAN wanting to “right the wrong” of the recent disclosure and tabling of private emails in Parliament supplied Save The Bays with copies of them so that the environmental group can establish its case in court, a Supreme Court judge was told yesterday.

In a substantive hearing on a constitutional motion before Justice Indra Charles, STB’s lead lawyer, Fred Smith, QC, referred to an affidavit sworn by Paco Nunez who stated the applicants were denied access to the tabled documents despite them being made public.

Mr Nunez is the communication’s director of STB and one of many recipients named in the emails that were disclosed in the House of Assembly two months ago.

“On Sunday, May 15, 2016, the Hon MP for Fort Charlotte provided the applicants’ attorneys (upon request) with a copy of the tabled documents,” the affidavit said.

“Dr Rollins has assisted the applicants by providing the tabled documents because the second respondent made a bogus and trumped up claim in Parliament that the documents before him were proof that the Official Opposition, in concert with Save The Bays, was engaged in treasonous and seditious acts against the duly elected government of The Bahamas.

“Dr Rollins expressed to me the view that the accusations were an affront to the integrity of the members of the Official Opposition and the Bahamians they rep-

ANDRE ROLLINS, MP for Fort Charlotte, who provided Save the Bays with a copy of documents tabled in the House of Assembly. resent. It became evident to Dr Rollins when he saw copies of the tabled documents that Mr Fitzgerald made these sensational allegations without evidence and as justification for violating the constitutional right to privacy of the applicants.

“It was, in order to right the wrong, that Dr Rollins acceded to the applicants’ counsel’s request for copies of the tabled documents,” Mr Nunez stated.

The current action before Justice Charles was brought by the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay (Save The Bays); Zachary Bacon, the brother of hedge fund billionaire Louis Bacon, a resident of Lyford Cay, Mr Fred Smith and Mr Feron Bethell.

Dr Lloyd Barnett, Loren Klein, Darcell SmithWilliamson and Hyacinth Smith appear for Mr Jerome Fitzgerald, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell (2nd respondent) and Attorney General Allyson MaynardGibson (3rd respondent).

In March, Mr Fitzgerald, the Minister of Education, accused STB of being a political organisation

seeking to “overthrow” the Progressive Liberal Party government under the guise of an environmental group.

During his contribution in the House of Assembly, Mr Fitzgerald read private emails from STB members and others, which he said bolstered his claims.

Mr Fitzgerald further warned members of the environmental group to “batten down” because a “category five” hurricane was on its way, as he threatened to table “every single” email and bank statement in his possession if needed to protect his integrity and parliamentary privilege.

Also in Parliament, Mr Mitchell claimed that some $8.25m has been filtered through various organisations connected with STB - locally and internationally - from 2013 to 2015.

The aforementioned details were highlighted in an affidavit filed by Mr Nunez on which the applicants have relied to prove that the respondents were, in fact, in possession of private emails.

Mr Nunez’s affidavit further stated that parts of the copies were illegible but

were verified in the production of STB’s own electronic version filed to the court.

Mr Nunez noted that the tabled documents did not disclose “how, or when, or the identity of the person from whom the second respondent obtained the tabled documents”.

“Even though the contents of the transcripts of the Hansard reports of the 2nd Respondent’s speeches exhibited to the Affidavit of Joseph Darville filed on April 21, 2016, reflect references to many emails, papers, wire transfers, banking documents, and financial information of Save The Bays, the Tabled Documents consist of a mere four emails or email exchanges, out of what must clearly be a far greater number of papers,” Mr Nunez added.

At yesterday’s substantive hearing, Mr Smith said the applicants, for the purposes of the motion, “need only establish (that) the respondents have our emails”.

“Evidentially, they have disclosed and revealed those and threatened to do more. Thirdly, as a matter of evidence, the burden shifts to the respondents to justify under what law they say that the breach of our rights is permissible.

We have no evidence from the respondents as to how the (emails) were obtained, whether lawful or not,” the court heard.

Mr Smith referred to the case of the Crown v Chaytor (2011) in support on the motion by the applicants.

The case concerned the trials of three former UK Members of Parliament for false accounting in relation to the expenses scandal of 2009.

During their trials, the three MPs (David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim

Devine) had each separately argued unsuccessfully that there was no case to answer as expenses claims were covered by the doctrine of parliamentary privilege and could not be the basis of criminal charges.

They appealed (along with Lord Hanningfield) to the Court of Appeal, in which three of the most senior judges in that court had dismissed their arguments. The MPs (although not Lord Hanningfield) successfully applied to the Supreme Court for permission to appeal the decision.

The Supreme Court, comprising nine judges to reflect the importance of the matter, heard arguments over two days in October 2010 before unanimously rejecting the submission that parliamentary privilege under either the common law or the 1689 Bill of Rights protected the defendants from prosecution.

“The respondents would argue that Article 15 (c) is only a preamble to the rights set out in Articles 16 to 27. We are urging that they are in fact expressions of justiciable rights,” Mr Smith said.

Article 15 of the Constitution states: “Whereas every person in The Bahamas is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, that is to say, has the right, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed or sex, but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest, to each and all of the following, namely - (a) life, liberty, security of the person and the protection of the law; (b) freedom of conscience, of expression and of assembly and association; and (c) protection for the privacy of his home and other property and from deprivation of property without compensation, the subsequent provisions of this Chapter shall have effect for the purpose of affording protection to the aforesaid rights and freedoms subject to such limitations of that protection as are contained in those provisions, being limitations designed to ensure that the enjoyment of the said rights and freedoms by any individual does not prejudice the rights and freedoms of others or the public interest.”

Mr Smith argued that the Supreme Court has “original constitutional jurisdiction” to deal with issues that arise under Article 15. Mr Smith also argued that the respondents had breached Article 21(1) of the Constitution, which states that no person shall be subjected to the search of his person or his property of the entry by others on his premises without his/her expressed consent.

The attorney said the first and second named respondents “searched, obtained, and disclosed” private attorney-client protected information which is constitutionally protected.

He further argued that the 1969 Senate and House of Assembly did not make them immune from scrutiny and legal action nor does the Bill of Rights dating back to the 17th century.

“Every person in The Bahamas is entitled to protection of the law and that is the basis to civil society,” the QC stressed.

“What is clear is the government did obtain these documents and they’ve not provided legal justification for the seizure. The government, the Attorney General and the respondents have filed no evidence yet in this case for this trial. They’ve not denied anything,” the court was told.

“They’ve failed to make full disclosure of documents in their possession, the nature of them or how they came about them.

You can’t come to court in a case of this nature and remain mute in the face of this challenge to the source of it. What they’re saying

(is) nobody’s privacy is sacrosanct anymore despite constitutional protections,” STB’s lead lawyer argued.

Mr Smith invited the court to accept the respondent’s silence and non-filing of evidence as their acceptance of the applicant’s case and said such discretion was given to the court by the London Privy Council in the 1996 case of the Attorney General v M & M Brokers Ltd. “During the course of the revelations (of private information), wild accusations were made against Save The Bays ... that we were involved in destabilising the government, treason, sedition,” the court heard.

Mr Smith said even if the government claimed to have a legal basis for their actions, the law under which they did so would have to be tested in court, citing another authority case of Newbold v the Commissioner of Police.

“The fact that Mr (Jerome) Fitzgerald said they got it from a political garbage can means they could not have obtained it through lawful means. Under what authority, statute, law (or) basis do they have access to applicant’s private correspondence? The law in question would need to satisfy Article 21 (2) that the interference is reasonable,” Mr Smith further argued.

The applicant’s attorney urged the court to consider the Privy Council ruling of The Methodist Church v Vernon J Symonette (Speaker of The House) which notes that parliamentary privilege “must yield to the court on constitutional supremacy”.

Mr Smith invited the court to review the affidavits filed by Martin Lundy providing context for why the matter is now before the court. Mr Lundy’s affidavit refers to five ongoing judicial reviews before the courts, most of which concern a number of executive government officials.

“The issues raised in those five judicial review all relate to the activities of Mr Nygard at Nygard Cay and whether members of executive branch of government are acting according to the law,” the court heard.

Mr Smith said his and Zach Bacon’s application in the Supreme Court was met by a counter act, not

by Nygard but the executive branch of government.

“Members of the executive, the first and second respondents, used their status as MPs to hide behind privilege. The HOA (House of Assembly) has to speak freely. They’ve sought to abuse privilege for coming to the defence of Nygard in the harassment claim launched the week before.

“They used privilege of the HOA to make unfounded allegations, defamatory allegations, allegations of treason and sedition. They created this perception that the applicants were engaged in money laundering, terrorist activity and acting in complete contradiction of the law,” the court heard.

The applicant said STB were almost “blacklisted” by the public as a result of the “show” made by Fitzgerald who suggested he would hand the emails over to the police for an investigation.

He argued that these accusations are because of the serious litigation against Nygard. “And the government continues to have incestuous relationship with Mr Nygard,” Mr Smith suggested.

Mr Smith argued that there was no offence in existence in Bahamian law books with reference to “destabilising the government”. He further argued that if any law enforcement or financial regulatory body had any evidence or suspicion that STB “was committing terrorist activities or money laundering, they would have been prosecuted and, to date, it has not happened yet.”

The constitutional motion continues today.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 11

Mitchell: Smith is waging war against me

from page one Mr Mitchell insisted that he does not consider himself bound by any injunction issued by the court as it applies to attempts to stifle what is said in the House.

He spoke on a point of privilege in the House of Assembly after being absent from Parliament for several sessions due to official country business overseas.

“I want to say also that those who for political convenience now find this uncomfortable cannot have their cake and eat it too,” Mr Mitchell said, “you cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time.

“The reason for the privilege are manifold but I say this, those who argued that it was fine to steal the private banking records of customers of the Bank of the Bahamas and thought there was nothing wrong with that because they believed by exposing the private banking affairs of public figures, they were serving a public good, have no legs to stand on in this argument. You remember records of the Bank of the Bahamas stolen and produced and printed in the newspaper. Nobody seemed to have any care about people’s privacy in that case, it’s the same crews.

“Those who publish stolen cabinet papers because they believed that it serves a greater good also have no leg to stand on.”

He continued: “I assure the public that these documents which are before the House are not purloined or stolen or unauthorised as the progenitors of this fool-

ish court action have sought to say.

“I ask the public to consider this. When the facts reveal that there was in fact a conspiracy to destabilise the government, funded by high net worth individuals, surely by the same reasoning you argue that it was fine to publish stolen material, publishing this material also serves the greater good. There is no question about it.

“The elements are all there. You have a Queen’s Counsel who has been hired and again by the same set of moneyed foreign interests.

He himself has urged people to sue the government to bankrupt the government.

He has pledged to run in the Fox Hill constituency funded by who knows and to what end.

“He says in my personal capacity so in the end point if he succeeds with this is to bankrupt me personally. So this is war. This is war.”

Last month, STB was granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the government from further disclosing the group’s confidential information in Parliament. The injunction was granted by Justice Charles yesterday and lasted until May 12. It remains in place.

The judge’s order said government ministers are “prohibited” from any further appropriation, perusal, use, publication or disclosure in Parliament or elsewhere of any correspondence, including emails, belonging to the applicants.

However, House Speaker Dr Major said the Attorney’s General’s Office was seeking to have the injunction set aside.

Dr Major said the judiciary has no jurisdiction

PAIR GUILTY OF MURDER CONSPIRACY FACE SENTENCE DELAY

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

SENTENCING for two men convicted of conspiracy to commit murder has been adjourned by five weeks.

Rashad Sullivan and Patrickedo Rose, both 25, had a scheduled sentencing hearing before Justice Bernard Turner yesterday concerning the November 2012 murder of Dario “China” Knowles, 25, at Lincoln Boulevard.

However, as probation reports were not yet available to the court, the matter was adjourned to July 1.

Sullivan and Rose, with 29-year-old Eddie Artus of Sugar Hill Road, were alleged to have conspired to commit murder between November 1 and November 25, 2012.

Sullivan and Rose were further accused of the actual murder.

Knowles, the son of accused murderer and drug trafficker, the late Dion “Emperor” Knowles, was shot and killed on Lincoln Boulevard off Cordeaux

Avenue. He was found lying in the street, shortly after several gunshots were heard in the area. The elder Knowles was killed in 2011.

Artus was acquitted on direction of the judge at the close of the prosecution’s case. The two other men claimed they were induced into making statements to police through physical mistreatment and threats.

They maintained their innocence.

Investigators had denied the abuse allegations when cross-examined after testifying that Sullivan allegedly admitted he was present when his co-accused committed the crime. Rose also allegedly assigned the blame of the killing to Sullivan.

The jury returned 10-2 guilty verdicts on conspiracy to commit murder and murder. The latter verdict was not accepted by the court.

Rose, was represented

by Glendon Rolle, while Sullivan was represented

by Lennox Coleby. Darell Taylor and Aaron Johnson prosecuted the case.

BURGLAR JAILED FOR FOUR YEARS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

AN Eight Mile Rock man was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of stealing and housbreaking. Darren Black was convicted in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Black, 32, of Pinedale, appeared in Court Two before Magistrate Charlton Smith on two counts of housebreaking and stealing.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to four years at the Bahamas Department of Corrections in New Providence.

Meanwhile, police yesterday issued a wanted bulletin for Elvin Reburto Brown who is wanted for questioning in a burglary.

Brown, 39, was described by police as 6”1 tall, slim build of 120lbs, with dark complexion. His last known address is 158 Oates Lane, according to the bulletin, which listed that Brown frequented the ghetto and Columbus Park areas in Freeport. Police advised that Brown should be approached with caution.

Anyone with information concerning his location is asked to contact police at 350-3107 through 12, or at 911/191, or the nearest police station.

over Parliament and the interlocutory injunction against the Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald and Attorney General Allyson MaynardGibson, violates the principle of separation of powers.

In March Mr Fitzgerald accused STB of being a political organisation seeking to “overthrow” the Progressive Liberal Party government under the guise of an environmental group. During his contribution in the House, Mr Fitzgerald read private emails from STB members and others, which

he said bolstered his claims.

Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet, Mr Fitzgerald recently warned members of the environmental group to “batten down” because a “category five” hurricane was on its way, as he threatened to table “every single” email and bank statement in his possession if needed to protect his integrity and parliamentary privilege.

Mr Mitchell has previously claimed that some $8.25m has been filtered through various organisations connected with STB – locally and internationally

– from 2013 to 2015.

Also speaking in the House of Assembly in March, Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller alleged he saw a document that showed that five members of STB take home a combined salary of $740,000.

The disclosures came as part of a fierce political debate over claims included in an alleged murder-forhire plot outlined in court documents filed against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard by billionaire Louis Bacon and several other STB directors in early March.

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell

PAGE 12, Thursday, May 19, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Workshop aims to tackle human trafficking

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE Royal Bahamas Police Force yesterday launched a two-day anti-trafficking in persons workshop along with the United States’ foremost department on human trafficking – the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons – as The Bahamas moves to strengthen its platform against human trafficking.

National Security Minister Bernard Nottage praised the country’s recent success in its efforts to curtail the occurrence and effects of human trafficking at the workshop’s opening ceremony at the Paul H Farquharson Conference Centre.

Dr Nottage said the Christie-led administration has taken a victim-centred and human rights-based approach in its anti-trafficking in person’s response.

He insisted that it was an “opportune” time for the Bahamas to host the

in Persons Task Force.

The government’s antitrafficking in persons response rests upon four main pillars – Investigation and Prosecution; Protection and Assistance to Victims and Potential Victims; Prevention and Partnerships.

According to research, the crime of trafficking in persons has grown to be a major problem that affects almost every country of the world either as a source, transit or destination.

It’s estimated that each year, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children become victims of traffickers who violate their human rights and dignity by exploiting them and forcing them to work under inhumane conditions or engage in commercial sexual activity for the financial gain of another.

Dr Nottage called attention to the findings of the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2014 global report on Trafficking in Persons which suggested that 49 per cent of detected victims of trafficking in persons are adult women, while 33 per cent of detected victims are children.

The UNODC 2014 report indicated that some 72 per cent of convicted traffickers are men and 28 per cent are women, noting that trafficking often involves domestic offenders and limited geo-

graphical reach.

It further identified that victims in trafficking cases are foreign nationals in the country where they are identified as victims, while many cases tend to take place within the region and often between bordering countries.

Additionally the report showed that domestic trafficking is widely detectable as one in three cases involve victims exploited in their home country.

That point was juxtaposed against the premise that the majority of convicted traffickers are citizens of the country of conviction.

Locally, from January 2015 to April 2016, 55 persons have been interviewed as possible trafficking victims. Of this grouping, seven were adult men, 48 were adult women and one was a juvenile female.

Reports showed that 11 of these persons, including the female minor, was since identified as victims.

Investigations since 2015 involved Jamaicans, Colombians, Venezuelan , Costa Ricans, Indians, Haitians, Dominicans and Bahamians.

Since January 2015, five persons, including one female were prosecuted in the Magistrate’s Court in three separate cases, with offences under the Trafficking in Persons Act and the Sexual Offences Act.

DR BERNARD NOTTAGE, Minister of National Security, speaking at the opening service for the Trafficking in Persons Workshop at the Royal Bahamas Police Force Headquarters. two-day workshop, assert- US Department of State’s Transitional Crime. ing that the government is minimum standards for the Shortly after, the Bahaseeking to put in place the elimination of human traf- mas enacted the Trafficknecessary mechanisms to ficking, evidenced that op- ing in Persons - Prevention counter trafficking in per- erations are trending in the and Suppression - Act. The sons as part of its multifac- right direction.

Act adopts the definition of “We know that the geog- Trafficking in Persons proeted approach to dealing raphy of the Bahamas ren- vided in the United Nations with all forms of crime.

Dr Nottage noted that ders it vulnerable to traf- Protocol. the Bahamas’ promotion ficking in persons as both Dr Nottage said since to the tier-one list of coun- a transit and destination 2012, the government has tries complying with the country,” he stated. had a “deliberate “ ap“Until recently, there was proach to combatting the (the) generally held notion scourge of trafficking in that trafficking in persons persons. did not exist as a problem He said this “consistent in the Bahamas, as it was and extensive” action by the confused with the large and government has led to the conspicuous migrant smug- establishment of both an The Elizabeth Constituency Association of The gling problem in the coun- Inter-Ministry Committee try.”

Free National Movement wishes to advise ticket on Trafficking of Persons Dr Nottage added: “The and a National Trafficking holders of The Planned Souse-Out Schedule for government through the National Task Force has inSATURDAY MAY 21, 2016, has tensified its efforts to idenbeen postponed and is now tify, investigate and prosecute trafficking in persons RE-SCHEDULED FOR cases. The investigation of SATURDAY JUNE 25, 2016. these cases is led and coordinated by he Royal Bahamas Police Force working We apologize for any inconvenience caused. closely with the specialized team of prosecutors for trafficking in persons in the Office of the Attorney General.”

In 2008 the Bahamas signed onto the 2000 United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children - UN Protocol supplementing the United Nations Convention on SOME of those attending the Trafficking in Persons yesterday. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 13

Youngsters shine in Earth Day competition

PRIMARY` school students throughout The Bahamas picked up their crayons and showed off their creativity this Earth Day for the Big Blue Earth Day Colouring Competition. The students were among the one billion people worldwide who participated in unique activities in observance of the annual event. The contest was hosted by Bahamas Waste and the Bahamas National Trust The colouring contest was launched to celebrate Earth Day and to commemorate the launch of the Bahamas Waste “Visit a Park Today” truck. A copy of the blank colouring sheet depicted a Bahamas Waste truck with the side of the truck showing all 32 protected National Parks on 11 islands throughout The Bahamas.

“This project realized through partnership with Bahamas Waste, has brought out so much creativity in these kids,” said Eric Carey, the Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust. “But the real powerful story, is that our work is effective in getting the message through and raising the environmental consciousness of students throughout the Bahamas. That level of awareness is reflected in the huge interest and support of this competition.”

Students were able to download the colouring page from the Bahamas National Trust and Bahamas Waste Facebook pages, and could be dropped off to Bahamas Waste and Bahamas National Trust offices. Hundreds of colourful, vibrant, animated colouring pages were entered and Bahamas Waste General Manager, Francisco de Cardenas, appreciated each of them for their uniqueness.

“When we launched this competition we were not sure what to expect,” said de Cardenas. “We only had one entry at our office, but when we found out we had over 300 entries from around The Bahamas, I was overwhelmed. I wanted to see them all!”

The judges sorted through all submissions and selected the masterpiece of Dinaj Major, a student at Nicholls Town Primary School in Andros, as the overall winner. Dinaji was awarded a BNT family membership (for four) and two hundred and fifty dollars worth of school supplies.

“It’s so great - the creativity, the hard work and the care - that each child put into this colouring contest. We hope the message behind this initiative stays in the minds of these talented children and that they will also teach their parents about the Bahamas National Trust parks, and visit them too,”

DINAJ MAJOR, of Nicholls Town Primary School in Andros, was the overall winner. He was awarded a BNT family membership (for four) and $250 worth of school supplies from Bahamas Waste. said de Cardenes.

Earth Day is celebrated every April with the goal of promoting education and support for environmental protection. The Bahamas National Trust and Bahamas Waste chose to focus

on the Bahamas National Parks for Earth Day 2016.

Currently there are 32 National Parks throughout the archipelago and more than 2 million acres is currently protected, including marine and land sites.

“WHEN we launched this competition we were not sure what to expect,” said GM of Bahamas Waste Francisco de Cardenas “We only had one entry at our office, but when we found out we had over 300 entries from around The Bahamas, I was overwhelmed. I wanted to see them all!”

Photos: Barefoot Marketing/BNT

BREEZES CELEBRATES PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIME Minister Perry Christie joined the management and staff of Breezes Bahamas (SuperClubs) Resort and Spa for a special celebration at Centerville Primary School.

The event marked Breezes Bahamas committment to partnership with the primary school, and featured a presentation of school supplies and other essential items. Resort guests also had an opportunity to visit the classrooms and interact with the students.

Partnership activities include: the creation and maintenance of a reading flower garden and an organic farm garden, and repair and painting of the picket fence; daily maintenance and general upkeep of the school and its playground.

Breezes Bahamas also plans to introduce the Junior Green Ranger Programme as part of its mandate as a Green Globe Certified Property. The programme aims to raise more awareness among the students as it relates to pollution, conservation, and recycling. The resort has also pledged to support mentorship programmes focusing on Mathematics, Reading and Science workshops throughout the calendar year by having volunteers and industry professionals go into the schools to work with teachers in the various classrooms.

Request for Proposals “Advancing Effective Management of the Marine Protected Area System in The Bahamas a baseline assessment of co-management arrangements with recommendations for a national co-management framework”.

Background Government leaders in 10 Caribbean countries and territories have challenged one another to meet the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI); a regional agenda to triple the coverage of protected marine and coastal habitat in the Caribbean by 2020. The Bahamas has responded to the CCI and currently protects ten percent (10%) of its coastal and marine territory. However, enduring marine protection requires more than simply setting aside acreage. Effective implementation and management of protected areas is also critical. Therefore, the CCI also challenges Caribbean governments to effectively manage at least 50 percent of existing protected areas.

Purpose of Consultancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is seeking to contract a consultant to develop and implement, where possible, a co-management framework that is suited to the varying socio-economic, cultural and ecological considerations and contexts found throughout the Bahamas Protected Area System in an effort to meet the Caribbean Challenge Initiative.

Scope of Work The scope of work will include but is not strictly limited to the following: 1. Compile, review and summarize the findings and recommendations from historical MPA documents, reports, action plans, etc. completed within the past 10 years in the Bahamas; 2. Conduct a literature review, interviews and site visits to assess the feasibility and benefits of a co-management approach for marine protected areas in The Bahamas; 3. Review and analyze relevant legal instruments and jurisdiction of management agencies to determine what legal and jurisdictional support exists for a co-management framework; 4. Identify challenges/barriers to advancing co-management based on the current legal framework, and provide recommendations where appropriate to amend the legislation; 5. Complete a stakeholder analysis to gather input on the most appropriate co-management framework; 6. Suggest different types of co-management arrangements and provide recommendations on the most applicable approaches; 7. Develop and recommend criteria to The Bahamas Government for selecting sites to implement a co-management arrangement; and 8. Design a strategy for the development and implementation of pilot co-management projects across the Protected Area Network.

Contractor’s Qualifications The selected consultant should have previous experience in evaluating management effectiveness of protected areas and/or in developing governance frameworks for natural resource management in the Caribbean. Several important qualifications include: • Possess at least a Master’s level degree in a relevant field; • At least 5 years’ experience in community-based co-management; • Ability to be self-directed, multi-task, organized and meet deadlines; • Experience interviewing a variety of persons in a manner that is sensitive to their context; • Ability to compile large amounts of information succinctly into a coherent report; and • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Submission of Proposals To request a full copy of the RFP, interested parties should email Frederick Arnett at frederick.arnett@tnc.org. Bidders should submit proposals via email to the attention of Frederick Arnett at the above address no later than 3rd June, 2016.

PAGE 14, Thursday, May 19, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Fly fishing association wants rethink on regulatory body

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association has formally requested that the Department of Marine Resouces move away from the idea of installing the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association as the regulatory body for the industry.

In its latest consultation document addressed to the Department, the Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association (AFFGA) said it was adamantly opposed to Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association (BFFIA) being any part of the legislation as a contributor or regulatory body, claiming that as an organisation it is “completely unacceptable”.

The AFFGA begged officials to reject the contents of its standing draft and enact sensible legislation that will protect not only the fishery but the country’s

$150m flats fishing industry.

“The Bahamas is a premier bonefishing destination, but we must always remember that we are not the only destination in the world,” the AFFGA document said.

The association called in to question issues surrounding the BFFIA’s election process, alleging that many of the members of the organisation were not given the opportunity to cast votes in its most recent election of directors. The AFFGA went on to suggest that due to this fact, a large percentage of the national fly fishing community finds the BFFIA to be “untrustworthy”. The association added that it did not “acknowledge” the BFFIA as an authoritative body.

“Our guides will not now, nor ever, participate in any sort of training, certifying, nor any meetings or fishing related activities with BFFIA involvement,” it said.

The AFFGA contended that the government’s attempts to “legitimise” the guiding profession has “missed the mark”, claiming that much of the regulation poured into the draft document since it was first introduced last year has been viewed as not needed.

“The attempt at legislating the flats fishing industry started a year ago with a first draft that mandated all anglers fish with guides and has ended up with a third draft that attempts to ‘legitimise’ the guiding profession and carries penalties that can put guides in jail if they don’t have a Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association (BFFIA) certified guide licence,” the consultation document said.

“What are we, as a country, trying to legislate?

Perhaps a better question is why are we legislating?

Is the intent to protect the fishery? If so, the legisla-

tion has missed the mark.

Is the intent to complicate the guiding profession and destroy the reputation of the Bahamas worldwide by criminalising the tranquil sport of catch and release flats fishing that our visiting anglers enjoy? If so, the legislation is on the right track.

“We beg you as you read our organisation’s suggestions to remember that bonefishing is catch and release fishing that is environmentally friendly. Even though the sport is done on the water and involves fish, it is a tourism product.”

The AFFGA argued that the proposed legislation would negatively affect the tourism product as it looks to handcuff “100 per cent of the anglers” who visit the Bahamas and pay for guide services or fish the flats by themselves.

“Without our visiting anglers there would be no flats fishing industry at all; no

guides, no lodges, no need for any of this draconian legislation,” the document stated.

The group urged officials to shift its focus away from the people coming in to enjoy the industry and on to those that are tasked with sustaining and protecting it.

The AFFGA said it believes that the biggest threat to the flats fishery is habitat loss and pollution. The association insisted that pressure from anglers and proper fish handling are also of great concern.

“Illegal netting must be stopped and the only way to stop it is for the current laws to be enforced. This draft does nothing to protect the fishery but it does add an undue burden on the guides and terrorises both the guides and angling public with exorbitant fees, and the threat of unreasonably exorbitant fines and jail time. None of these offences should be a criminal of-

fence. If an offence is committed by either a guide or an angler a reasonable fine should be payable within 30 days. End of story. Any licensing penalties should be credited to the Conservation Fund,” the document read.

“There is virtually nothing in this draft to protect the fishery. At the present time we are unaware of any illegal activities (other than netting of bonefish and Motherships) presently taking place on the flats of Abaco that warrant legislation. However, it may be advisable to enact additional legislation based on recent scientific findings to protect the fish or the fishery.”

The association also addressed issues over fees, licences and the expansion of the commercial fly fishing industry.

Today marks the end of the government’s consultation period on the proposed regulations.

FISH TOTAL CAUGHT NEAR TURKS & CAICOS 86% HIGHER THAN THOUGHT

BOATS and the fishing catch in the Turks and Caicos, where hauls have been underestimated historically because figures have not always included local consumption.

THE amount of fish caught in Turks and Caicos waters from 1950 to 2012 is estimated to be 86 per cent higher than previously thought, according to a new scientific study.

The study, published in the latest issue of Frontiers in Marine Science, says that conch, lobster and fish catches have been underestimated historically because official figures have not always included seafood eaten by Turks and Caicos Islanders (TCI), and by tourists to the country.

“DEMA (Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs) has done a great job of monitoring fish sold to the country’s fish plants,” said Aylin Ulman, a researcher at the worldrenowned Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries in Vancouver, Canada. “However, it seems they have not always had enough staff to monitor seafood being sold or given to locals and tourists, whether that be at the dock, in shops, or in restaurants.”

Using recently developed mathematical models and newly collected data, Ulman’s research team have been able to project the most accurate estimates to-date of fish consumption by TCI residents and tourists. “The new numbers are worrying,” Edward Hind, another member of the research team, said. “It was already thought that catches of conch might be too high, and now we know they were even higher.”

The research team concluded that conch, and perhaps several other species,

are being over-consumed to a level where they will not be able to replenish themselves.

In addition, the study draws attention to the rising population of the TCI and the increasing numbers of visiting tourists. “The government wants population and tourism growth for the sake of the economy,” Hind said. “That’s great, but they’re going to eat even more conch. It won’t be possible to catch more, or even as much as is being caught currently. Perhaps policymakers can work with fishermen and fish plant owners to help them get more money for their conch catches within the TCI?” However, he researchers are quick to emphasise that the new data may actually present an opportunity.

“The staff at DEMA now have the knowledge to set catch limits that really will work,” Ulman said. “If the government supports the TCI’s fisheries scientists in collecting better catch data going forward, then the country can have healthy fisheries for decades to come.”

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, Thursday, May May 19, 19, 2016, 2016, PAGE PAGE 1515

JUNE Russell with a beautiful Blackfin Rockfish, Abaco, above, and a nice Yellowfin Rockfish, right.

A HAPPY guest onboard Local Boy Charters in Hope Town with a Mahi Mahi and Yellowfin Tuna.

BABY Logan Rees with his father, David, and Charles Albury and a nice haul of Yellowfin Tuna.

BSFN junior expert Bronson Russell with a 41lb Yellowfin Tuna, Abaco.

LOCAL boys Deek and Tweedie brought home a nice catch of Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo and Mahi Mahi in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera.

BAHAMIAN waters have been giving up a variety of fish this week, with Blackfin and Yellowfin Rockfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo and Mahi Mahi among the catches.

Keep checking the Bahamas Sport Fishing Network (BSFN) expert page for fishing reports throughout the Bahamas: this will be helpful in tracking the “hot spots” and providing advice on gear and fishing methods being used.

For a sample of the spectacular fishing to be had in The Bahamas, expert advice, tournament dates and results, informative features and photo galleries visit the BSFN page at tribune242.com or www. bsfn.biz.

BSFN slideshows can be found on USA Today’s website in the Travel section at experience.usatoday.com.

PAGE 16, Thursday, May 19, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE CHILDREN AT RANFURLY

T

he Ranfurly Homes for Children has been a safe haven for thousands of Bahamian children since 1956. The Home provides a safe, structured environment for children who have been orphaned, abused, neglected or abandoned.

YOU can make a difference in the lives of the children at Ranfurly. With your support children can have nutritious food, warm beds and a safe environment where they can discover the joy of being children. For years the children living and learning at Ranfurly have made great social and academic strides.

Their further development requires additional support in the form of a Transitional Home, planned for construction on the Ranfurly property.

This residence will cater to teenagers and young adults who are beyond school age, but need accommodation while they find work and gain independence from the Home.

We look forward to your continued support in this worthwhile endeavour.

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For more information visit: www.ranfurlyhome.org Please “Like” us on Facebook Ranfurly Home for Children, Mackey Street P.O. Box 1413 Nassau, Bahamas 242-393-3115

THE TRIBUNE

READERS REACT TO SUGGESTION OF COALITION BETWEEN DNA AND FNM

AFTER DNA Leader Branville McCartney said he had been approached to join the FNM and that he is open to discussing a coalition between his party and the Opposition, readers reacted on tribune242.com.

Justthefactsplease didn’t think the future looked good for the FNM: “There is a simple fact that the FNM must face . . . they WILL NOT win in 2017.

The two reasons for my position on that are: the FNM is in serious disarray and is very unattractive at this point. The second reason is that the DNA are more organised than they were in 2012 when they pulled enough votes causing the FNM to lose. They are likely to pull even more votes this time so the FNM will not have enough support to win. The only option to get rid of the PLP is to vote DNA.” Jackbnimble suggested Mr McCartney should be the leader of the FNM: “Voting DNA is not an option - too many no-name candidates. In all other respects, I agree with this post. I suggest they make Bran the leader of the FNM, take two or three of the best of his candidates and let’s just put a sensible party together and vote these suckers out. Time is not anyone’s friend. We’ve

got to get the PLP out – period!”

Proudloudandfnm called for a reality check: “Once again Minnis misses the mark. He should have told Bran that when you get more than six candidates we can talk. To discuss a coalition now with Bran and six people makes no sense whatsoever. And if Bran continues with the no name candidates then he brings nothing to the table. Bran and Minnis both need a reality check . . .”

Sheeprunner12 said: “To build a lasting political coalition takes a lot of negotiation . . . if the DNA and FNM gonna do that, it takes tactical planning, cool heads and sensible messaging . . . they need excellent, experienced handlers.”

Honestman thought the DNA needed to be “bigger than Bran”: “The problem for Bran is that he doesn’t have a big enough number of credible candidates to be able to negotiate with Minnis at this point. Now if he can encourage a few big hitters from the FNM to defect and join the DNA then

Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 17

‘The Bahamas’ own street philosopher’

he would have a significant bargaining chip. The other problem is that at this point the DNA is still effectively a one man band.

“The DNA needs to be bigger than Bran. It needs to be propelled into being the alternative party to the PLP and that means holding a convention where all senior positions are voted upon. In my view therefore, the best option for the country is for the FNM to replace Minnis and hold discussions with the DNA on an electoral pact. Alternatively, if the FNM does not have the stomach to replace Minnis then FNMs who care about their country should defect to the DNA in time for a DNA convention to be held.”

And there was this from Concerned242citizen: “There is no hope of the FNM and the DNA ‘joining forces’ after the strong statements made by Mr McCartney. Both parties need to work tirelessly from now until election 2017 in order to contend to be the next Government of The Bahamas. May the best party win!”

• Don’t miss your chance to join the debate - go to tribune242.com and vote in our latest poll: Would a DNA/FNM coalition win the general election?

MINISTER PAYS TRIBUTE TO TRADE UNION PIONEER THERESA HUYLER

LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson yesterday paid tribute to a pioneer in the Bahamas trade union movement, Theresa Huyler.

Ms Huyler, who served as first and second vice president of the Bahamas Public Services Union, passed away yesterday.

In a press statement, Mr

Gibson called Mrs Huyler an inspiration to women trade unionists.

He said: “Mrs. Huyler was an extraordinary woman who played a critical role in the development of the Women’s Branch of the BPSU and was instrumental in increasing the level of education and training for women in the

trade union movement.

“Along with Idena Burrows and Edith Smith, Mrs Huyler participated in The Project for The Development of Trade Union Women in the Caribbean, sponsored by the University of The West Indies, and served as the Regional Representative for The Ba-

hamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.”

Mrs Huyler received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in November 2005 for her outstanding contribution to the nursing profession and community development.

The National Congress of Trade Unions of The Baha-

mas paid special tribute to Mrs. Huyler in recognition of her remarkable work during Labour Week in 2010.

Mr Gibson said: “Considered as a role model by scores of Bahamian trade union leaders and a mentor to scores of women, Mrs. Huyler wil truly be missed.”

“On behalf of my family,

the staff of the Ministry of Labour & National Insurance and the People of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I express my sincere condolences to the family of Mrs. Theresa Huyler as well as the Executives of the Bahamas Public Services Union. May her soul rest in peace.”

PAGE 18, Thursday, May 19, 2016

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Thursday, May 19, 2016, PAGE 19

WSC NAMES CONTEST WINNERS

THE Bahamas Water and Sewage Corporation (WSC) has announced the winners of its National Essay and Video Competition.

The topic for this year’s competition was “Water for Survival: Value Every Drop”, and students chose between entering a 400500 word written essay or a three-minute video.

Winners in the essay competition were: 1st - Michael Miller, Queen’s College, Nassau; 2nd - Dehron Smith, Nassau Christian Academy, Nassau; 3rd - Mathilda Saintil,

CC Sweeting High School, Nassau.

Winners in the video competition were: 1st - Waynisha Saunders, CV Bethel Senior High, Nassau; 2nd Marbria Wilmore, St Francis de Sales School, Abaco; 3rd - Kamal Hudson, Aquinas College, Nassau.

“Our thanks to everyone who participated. We were impressed with the standard of the entries and the variety of the submissions,” said Visna Armbrister, WSC public affairs manager.

The first place winners

received scholarships toward their college tuition.

The second and third place winners for each category won electronic prizes including laptops and tablets.

The winners essays and videos have been published on the Water and Sewage Coporation Facebook page.

The WSC National Essay and Video Competition began in 2004 and is now in its twelfth year.

The contest helps the WSC to inform and educate the public of the importance of water as a precious resource.

SOME of the winners in the Water and Sewage Corporation contest.

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PAGE 20, Thursday, May 19, 2016

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Long Island

FAIR THE LONG Island Fair was held on RM Bailey Park at the weekend - with adults and youngsters alike joining in the fun.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff