PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis hands the Speech from the Throne to Governor General Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt yesterday at Atlantis for the first meeting of Parliament for the newly elected government. Photo: Shawn Hanna
ABOVE right and left: Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and his wife, and Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper and his wife, arrive for the opening of Parliament at Atlantis yesterday. Below: FNM leader Michael Pintard and his wife, and East GB MP Kwasi Thompson arrive for opening of Parliament.
Photos: Shawn Hanna
Speech from the Throne promises tough new immigration measures
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration used the pomp and pageantry of yesterday’s Parliament’s opening to unveil a sweeping second-term agenda led by tough new immigration measures, including penalties for employers who abuse the work permit system and mandatory sentencing for public officers who facilitate immigration or passport fraud.
Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt outlined the plans as 41 Members of Parliament were sworn in during a lively ceremonial sitting at Atlantis resort, where family members, friends and supporters arrived in colourful formal wear and hats before a celebratory reception.
The opening came after the Progressive Liberal Party won 33 of 41 seats in the May 12 general election, giving Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis broad control of Parliament and breaking a more than 20-year pattern of governing parties being voted out after one term.
The Governor General, speaking on behalf of the government, said the administration intends to introduce the Employer Immigration Compliance Act, which would impose strict penalties on employers who violate immigration laws.
She also announced plans for an e-verify portal that would allow employers to confirm a person’s eligibility to work before hiring them.
“My government also intends to introduce daily overstay fines for unlawful overstay and stretched re-entry ban enforcement,” she said during the Speech from the Throne.
The government also committed to establishing a biometric immigration system with overstay alerts, biometric e-gates and enhanced fraud detection capabilities.
It plans to create an immigration fraud intelligence unit to investigate and prosecute immigration fraud and introduce mandatory sentencing provisions
for public officers found facilitating immigration or passport fraud.
The immigration pledges follow concerns about document fraud, border security and repatriations.
In October 2023, the government established an immigration commission after leaked documents raised concerns about discretionary immigration approvals and alleged political interference by then-Immigration Minister Keith Bell.
The Davis administration pledged that the commission would help overhaul immigration policy, review the department’s operations and restore public trust. However, since its launch, the government has provided little detail about the commission’s work.
The Governor General said the Davis administration begins its second term amid global uncertainty shaped by climate threats, inflationary pressures and shifting geopolitical realities.
“Armed with our unshakeable confidence in strength, resilience and potential of the Bahamian people, my government is resolved to meet these challenges head on,” she said.
Beyond immigration, the government said it plans to introduce modern competition legislation to protect consumers from price fixing, abuse of market dominance and unfair pricing practices.
The administration also announced a national investment policy, which officials say will set out clear national priorities and transparent obligations for investors to ensure residents benefit from economic growth.
On workers’ rights, the government said it plans to introduce the Employment Bill 2026, which it described as the most significant modernisation of labour protections in a generation.
The Governor General said the bill would strengthen workplace standards, expand maternity protections, introduce mental health and wellness leave, and establish new safeguards for working parents.
However, many of the proposed measures are not new, having been foreshadowed by the Davis administration during its first term and outlined in its election manifesto before taking office.
The government previously said its plan to introduce three annual mental wellness days for workers would initially begin as unpaid leave.
The administration also outlined plans to improve public sector performance and national efficiency through a National Productivity Council. It said it will introduce a public sector pension plan, creating a framework for contributory pension coverage for public servants.
On housing, the Davis administration said it will establish a national rental property registration system with enforceable living standards and stronger protections for tenants.
It also plans to create a Residential Tenancy Authority with powers to inspect, investigate and enforce housing standards across the country.
On energy, the government said it intends to
introduce an Electricity Consumer Protection Code, empowering the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority to enforce service standards, billing transparency and stronger consumer safeguards.
The administration also said it will bring forward energy equity legislation to ensure Family Island residents are not penalised with higher electricity costs solely because of where they live.
It also announced plans to embed mandatory local content and training requirements into major energy contracts, saying this would help ensure Bahamians benefit
from the national energy transition.
The government said it will promote wider use of energy-efficient appliances and renewable energy systems.
Other second-term pledges include further education curriculum reform, expanded healthcare coverage, stronger legal protections and support systems for the elderly, and increased food security.
The Davis administration also said it will continue developing the creative economy, with plans to establish an online rights registry and a small claims mechanism to better
protect Bahamian creators and intellectual property.
It also plans to introduce legislation to incentivise film production and support more local and international production activity.
On climate resilience and environmental protection, the government said it remains committed to completing an updated building code and plans to establish a Bahamas Environmental Tribunal to strengthen environmental enforcement and adjudication.
It also intends to introduce comprehensive waste management and marine pollution legislation with stronger penalties for violations.
GOVERNOR General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt delivers the Speech from the Throne yesterday at Atlantis, Paradise Island.
Photo: Shawn Hanna
Davis administration revives long-delayed FOIA promise
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration has again promised to fully implement the Freedom of Information Act, reviving a long-delayed transparency pledge after failing to deliver the reform during its first term.
Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt outlined the promise during yesterday’s Speech from the Throne, as the administration set out its latest legislative agenda.
“My government will continue expanding and fully implementing the Freedom of Information Act, and ensure that public bodies maintain trained FOIA officers and disclosure systems,” she said.
The renewed pledge comes after successive administrations promised for years to implement freedom of information legislation but failed to bring the system fully into force, despite governance advocates warning that prolonged delays in anti-corruption reform amount to avoiding oversight.
Before the 2021 election, the PLP’s Blueprint for Change promised to fully enact the reform and introduce several other transparency measures, including an Ombudsman Bill, a Public Disclosure Act, an Anti-Corruption Act, campaign finance reform, a Code of Conduct, a Whistleblower Act, electoral reform and procurement reform.
Only electoral reform and procurement reform were implemented, though concerns about the procurement system persisted. The Protected Disclosures Bill, which outlines protections for people reporting unlawful or unethical conduct, also passed Parliament last term. However, it is unclear whether the law has been brought into force. None of the other promised transparency measures were included in yesterday’s agenda. When fully implemented, the Freedom of Information Act would allow citizens to access information held by public authorities, improving government transparency and accountability.
More than 120 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Jamaica, have enacted freedom of information or access-to-information laws giving the public the legal right to request government records.
In June 2025, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said that fully funding the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and other anti-corruption mechanisms was not a priority for his administration. The last Ingraham administration passed a Freedom of Information Act shortly before the 2012 general election, but did not set a date for its enactment.
The Christie
administration later overhauled the legislation but never implemented its provisions.
In May 2021, the Minnis administration appointed the country’s first Freedom of Information commissioner, but the department has remained chronically underfunded.
Govt promises to activate and fund anti-corruption commission
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration has promised to make the Independent Commission of Investigations fully functional and properly resourced this term.
The pledge, made during yesterday’s Speech from the Throne, comes as fresh drug trafficking allegations involving an unnamed Bahamian politician underscore the watchdog’s continued absence.
A recent US Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit details an undercover DEA investigation in The Bahamas and indicates that US authorities kept the government and local law enforcement out of a major three-year narcotics probe, much of it involving undercover “co-operating sources” operating on Bahamian soil.
The document alleges that a Bahamian politician met inside the Parliament building in October 2024 with an undercover DEA source and a pilot to discuss a cocaine shipment reportedly worth $30m.
The politician is the same unnamed figure referenced in a November 2024 indictment issued by the US Southern District of New York. That indictment alleged that the unnamed politician was expected to authorise Bahamian law enforcement to facilitate a $2m cocaine trafficking scheme into the United States.
The latest DEA affidavit went further, alleging that the politician met inside a Bahamian Parliament building with people he believed were involved in drug trafficking.
The Davis administration passed the Independent Commission of Investigations Bill after the November 2024 indictment, saying the body would target corrupt senior government officials. However, the watchdog has still not been established.
The commission was pitched as a body to investigate serious misconduct involving police officers, defence force officers, corrections officers and specified public officials, including parliamentarians.
The Speech from the
Throne also outlined other safety and security priorities.
“My government will continue to fully implement the Protection Against Violence Act and expanding domestic violence support services throughout the country,” Dame Cynthia said. “My government intends to strengthen gun laws and expand specialist firearm courts to support a zero-tolerance approach toward illegal firearms.”
“In collaboration with court services, my government will support the establishment of a Backlog Reduction Court and a dedicated Sexual Offences Court to improve the administration of justice and reduce delays.”
The speech said the government will continue building on its “Five Pillar Crime Strategy” to improve prevention, strengthen policing, improve prosecution and punishment, and expand rehabilitation programmes.
It also said the “Clear Hold and Build” approach will remain part of the administration’s crime strategy.
GOVERNOR General Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt delivers the Speech from the Throne yesterday at Atlantis, Paradise Island. Photo: Shawn Hanna
CHIEF of Police Shanta Knowles escorts the Governor General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt for the Speech
from the Throne yesterday at Atlantis, Paradise Island.
Govt outlines plans for AI Governance Act
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration plans to make addressing artificial intelligence a major second-term priority, promising new laws to regulate the technology as concerns mount over its use in schools, court filings and the workplace.
Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt announced during the Speech from the Throne that the government intends to introduce an Artificial Intelligence Governance Act.
The legislation would establish a national AI commission and set ethical safeguards for the use and regulation of artificial intelligence.
The pledge comes as AI’s influence expands across classrooms, professional settings and the wider public, forcing the government to confront a technology it has long described as both an opportunity and a risk.
The Tribune has reported on concerns from
teachers about students using AI tools to write essays or complete assignments. Education officials have previously said they are drafting a policy to guide AI use in schools.
The legal profession has also been forced to confront the issue after an attorney was reported to the Bahamas Bar Council’s Ethics Committee for submitting three “fake cases” generated by artificial intelligence to support legal arguments.
Last year, then Attorney General Ryan Pinder said the government planned to establish an expert committee to draft the country’s first national AI policy.
However, the status of that committee remains unclear.
In February, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis acknowledged AI’s potential, but warned that the technology also carries major implications for employment.
“While some people are harnessing AI to expand what is possible, many others are watching this transformation unfold
from the other side of the digital divide,” Mr Davis said.
“They are not yet participants in this era and they are understandably worried about their jobs and their futures. We must work hard to make sure that the benefits of this new technology do not flow disproportionately to those who already have access, education and capital.”
The government also plans to introduce comprehensive cybersecurity legislation and establish a national cybersecurity authority.
The legislation would strengthen digital forensics capabilities and improve online child protection measures.
As part of its broader digital agenda, the Davis administration also intends to introduce a Government Digital Transformation Act, requiring public agencies to transition to the MyGateway platform within three years.
The government also plans to establish a national digital ID system.
Governor General Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt delivers the Speech from the Throne at Atlantis, Paradise Island yesterday.
Photos: Shawn Hanna
Minister of Youth and Sports Mario Bowleg arrives at the opening of Parliament at Atlantis, yesterday.
Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell and his wife.
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An oversized Cabinet breaks the Westminster system of government
EDITOR, The Tribune.
WE hear it from time to time. “The Westminster system is broken” or “It’s time to move towards another system of government”.
Every system of government has its pros and cons; every model has its flaws.
For the most part, we have enjoyed a working Westminster model in our country for almost 300 years (est. 1729), while boasting of having the third oldest continuous legislature in the Western Hemisphere.
The Westminster model works, IF we allow it.
If we follow its conventions and traditions- it works. It’s when we abuse the system, that it doesn’t.
resignation of three cabinet members and the firing of two, it brought the number down to nine, the constitutional minimum as Pindling did not appoint replacements for the rest of the term. This Executive upheaval backed by wide disapproval in the legislature was the beginning of the end for the Pindling regime.
that doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
The Westminster model is used across the globe and is still functioning well in countries in different parts of the world (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica etc)- and it’s because those countries honor and work within the framework of the model- the system is not abused.
The UK, the obvious country where the Westminster model was founded, has a very small cabinet (28 members) in scale of its 600+ member House of Commons.
@tribune242 tribune news network
Govt promises must become reality
THE Speech from the Throne is a promise of things to come – not all of which will come true.
Take a look through speeches of the past and you will find all manner of things that were promised but which did not materialise, for one reason or another. Back in 2017, for example, when such things as a one-stop-shop to improve the ease of doing business was promised – but as business owners know, there are still plenty of stops to make when trying to do business these days. Or the same speech which saw a promise to develop Freeport as an offshore technology hub.
Then there was the 2023 speech which saw a promise of free internet access for low-income communities “so that no child is left behind’. Or the 2021 speech which promised reform of the Public Disclosures act to include campaign finance reforms. Back then, the attorney general of the time, Ryan Pinder, was saying that the government was “committed to the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act”. We know what came of that.
Still, the traditional speech to open a new term of an administration is a moment where a government throws its cap over the wall, knowing it must follow the path it has committed to. Freedom of information is a pledge in this new speech, with Governor General Cynthia Pratt, in her role proclaiming the government’s agenda, saying: “My government will continue expanding and fully implementing the Freedom of Information Act, and ensure that public bodies maintain FOIA officers and disclosure systems.”
New Senator Clint Watson has also said that one of his intentions is to press for freedom of information implementation.
There is no time scale to this pledge – unlike the FNM’s pledge on the campaign trail to implement the legislation within 100 days – so how urgently it is followed through, we must wait to see. Certainly during Prime Minister Philip Davis’ first term in office, there was little urgency shown on the matter. We hope for more urgency this time around.
Another pledge was to make the Independent Commission of Investigations fully functional. The previous administration passed legislation on this in the wake of the November 2024 indictment that alleged an unnamed politician was involved in a cocaine trafficking scheme into the United States. That same politician has since been implicated in holding a meeting within the very buildings of Parliament to discuss a drug deal.
Despite passing that law, the watchdog has never been established. It was supposed to tackle corruption among
government officials. As it has never done a thing, such corruption has yet to be checked.
Again, there is no timescale on this promise – so whether it will be implemented with a proper Budget allocation at the next opportunity, or if it will take until the last day in office, we must wait and see.
There are other pledges to increase domestic violence support services and establish a dedicated Sexual Offences Court – both of which are pledges that would help to tackle the scourge of violence faced by women in this country, and which are to be welcomed.
Then there is the intriguing prospect of plans to clamp down on employers who abuse the work permit system. This would appear to centre around a plan that would see employers logging onto a portal that would allow them to confirm a person’s eligibility to work before hiring them. This raises a few questions right away – if it is a work permit, the employer would be the one paying for that anyway, so they would know themselves what the status was. If it is another permit – spousal or residential, say – then the candidate would be able to produce the documentation.
However, it also promises “strict” penalties on employers who violate immigration laws – and being tough on those who abuse the laws is fair, given the lengths respectable businesses go to in order to follow the law.
There is a lot more to delve into from the speech – including a subject that governments around the world are trying to get to grips with, namely the use of artificial intelligence.
We have just seen an election campaign with a blizzard of images created using artificial intelligence, to the point where some of the familiar styles of such creations became numbing after a while. AI is, however, something that we need to have a keen eye on – for both its opportunities and its dangers.
There have been noises in the past about efforts to address the use of AI – we hope this pledge is more than just noise, and has substance to it. Indeed, as Sebas Bastian finds himself getting used to the surroundings of a whole new ministry with a focus on innovation, he might well find this in his in tray.
How much of this speech will turn into reality, we must wait and see. But in freedom of information and the commission of investigation alone, we see the prospect of increased transparency and accountability.
Given some of the allegations that have been swirling both locally and internationally, improving on those two fronts would be very welcome indeed.
In recent days, we have seen the PLP government appoint an oversized ‘Gussiemae’ cabinet, the largest in Bahamian history.
The Cabinet represents the executive in our government. Under Westminster convention, and to protect the independence of the legislature, the executive (cabinet) should be relatively small in comparison to the entire membership of the House of Assembly.
This is so that the ruling party’s backbenchers (those that do not serve in cabinet), combined with opposition members could provide checks and balances on the executive (cabinet) and they could block any potential ludicrous measure that the executive may attempt to push forward or to hold a corrupt politician or government to account.
Let’s take a historical glimpse.
Internal self-government was introduced with a new constitution on January 7th 1964 and Ministerial government was established for the first time.
The first ministerial government was the UBP led by Premier Sir Roland Symonette. He led a 15-member cabinet, 14 of which was House of Assembly members. The UBP House caucus was 24 members and the total Assembly membership was 33. The Cabinet represented 42% of the membership of the Assembly.
In 1967 when Majority Rule came, Premier Lynden Pindling led a 11-member cabinet. The PLP House caucus was 18 members plus 1 Labor member (Randal Fawkes) and the total Assembly membership was 38. The Cabinet represented 29% of the membership of the Assembly.
In 1992, under the first FNM government, Prime Minister Ingraham led a 13- member cabinet (including three women- Bostwick, Moxey & Dumont). The FNM House caucus was 32-members and the total Assembly membership was 49. The Cabinet represented 26% of the membership of the Assembly.
In Perry Christie’s first term in 2002, he led a 16-member cabinet. The PLP House caucus was 29-members and the total Assembly membership was 40. The cabinet represented 40% of the membership of the Assembly. Interesting to also note that during the heady days of the drug crisis of the 1980’s, Pindling led a 14-member cabinet. But after the
But from 2012 going forward, the Bahamas has drifted in expanding its Executive to more than 50% of the entire Assembly’s membership, therefore compromising the legislature’s independence. It may be argued by at least 1 administration from 2012-present that their Cabinet did not exceed 50% of the total Assembly membership. This may be true in one instance but in this case, consideration must also be given that Parliamentary Secretaries in recent times are appointed in large numbers. Whilst Parliamentary Secretaries do not sit in Cabinet, they receive a hefty salary. The government of the day uses that salary as a ‘dangling carrot’ to keep their non-Cabinet members in line.
I digress.
The current Davis administration has started out by breaking a record that they cannot be proud of- they have appointed the largest cabinet in Bahamian history. It will cost the Bahamian taxpayers over $2 million dollars to pay the Cabinet’s annual salary.
Minus the three Senate Cabinet appointees and minus the parliamentary secretaries, they are still carrying an unprecedented 26 House members to cabinet out of their 33 members of the PLP caucus. The total Assembly membership is 41. This Cabinet represents 63% of the membership of the Assembly. This has taken away the independence of the House of Assembly and the Senate, which in a functioning Westminster model, the independence of Parliament is vital to the strength of the institution.
The Constitution of the Bahamas states, “72. (1) There shall be a Cabinet for The Bahamas which shall have the general direction and control of the government of The Bahamas and shall be collectively responsible therefor to Parliament.”
How can the Cabinet be held responsible by parliament when the Cabinet is over stuffed with MPs to make up a sizable majority?
How can parliament be independent of the executive (cabinet) when the majority of parliament consists of persons sitting in cabinet?
This recent trend is to allow governments of the day to push through their agenda and suffocate any opposition.
Another long term downside effect on taxpayers is the fact that the ‘gussiemae’ cabinets will result in the sizable increase of retiring cabinet parliamentarians that will be collecting pensions (those that serve two terms), pensions that will be a considerable sum in comparison with the pension of a backbencher MP; a species
When poverty creates moral crisis
EDITOR, The Tribune.
OVER 75% of the globe’s population do not have any form of health insurance. No social platforms to rely upon if there is a financial/health/social crisis within the family. What if your daughter or wife has a disease that is sucking up all your finances, savings and credit? What do you do? Your business is about to go belly up into bankruptcy taking your family savings with it. Your child had a car accident and is sued for more than your insurance covers. You have health insurance but the firm who once called you a partner and friend refuses to cover your family members’ health costs. This happens daily to many thousands in North America and the World. What do you do? Assuredly you are a moral person, possibly a church goer, a faith filled citizen who has always been a pillar of the community and adherer to the Laws Commands. What do you do to save your loved one, your business, someone dear to you? You already have two-three jobs, are working non stopped to a point where your health is in question. You have done all that you can, asked for loans from institutions and friends alike, begged for assistance
from a government who you have supported with your tax dollars. No one is there for you to assist you except those with little to give. All of this can happen to anyone anywhere. Bad luck, uncontrollable circumstances that threaten and oppress you. Philosophers and Social Thinkers alike have pondered this question. What to do when you are morally pondering the choices before you...to humble yourself before God and Mammon or become something you abhor, namely turning to criminality. A philosopher named Anatole France once said “if given the choice to beg or take what
you need, he would always become the predator”. The Law is supposed to view both rich and poor equally, yet the law is manipulated by the wealthy to favor their lot. Whether you view the opinions of Peter Singer or Karl Marx, Socrates or Christopher Barzak, the question of morality and immorality applied to the survival of someone is usually one sided, in the favor of the person trying to survive. In today’s cultural mosaic, a person can take example from a multitude of celebrities and politicians who have done wrong and simply apologize. God forgive me, oh Society please forgive me.
I am a person of high morality at this moment in time. Once long ago I was the direct opposite of what I presently am. People change, as to their attitudes, morality and world view. Religion found me, shaped and molded me as I maintained a free and open mind. How would I answer the question? God forgive me, but as a responsible person, holding the lives of my family within my hands, I would possibly succumb to the lesser morality. Can someone be a morally sound criminal, a gentlemen robber? I truly believe that poverty is a moral and social crime/sin, and the wealthy
The UK has a cap on how many can serve in cabinet. Since it appears that we can’t seem to operate in the confines of protecting the independence of the legislature, it would be beneficial for the health of the Westminster system to see a similar cap instituted in the Bahamasalthough that would entail a constitutional change, resulting in a referendum.
And as we’ve seen, the UK has gone through six Prime Ministers in 10 years. The current UK Prime Minister is now under fire by his own party. Some may say that is unstable but I say it is keeping corruption and bad policies out. This is because the Westminster model is working and functioning as it ought to, it is allowing the majority in parliament; backbenchers of the same party and the opposition to hold those in cabinet to account.
They are not getting away with corrupt practices; they are getting punished for bad behavior and/or illegal activity.
Bahamians are fed up with politics because they see politicians do what they want with no consequences. They see governments get elected and for five years, with an overstocked and laden Executive (cabinet) they have no fear of contradiction or prosecution for illegal activity. That’s because there are no checks and balances and no independence in the legislature.
Our politics is fast becoming the Wild West. In fact, we are already there. Anything goes. No consequences. An elected dictatorship with no accountability. An increasingly disinterested electorate.
Back when Ministerial government was introduced in 1964 and through the end of the 20th century (2000) and even in the early 21st century, interest was high and Bahamians had faith in our system and they participated, turned out in large numbers at rallies and voted.
But abuses in the system along with unrepentant leaders and parliamentarians who failed us miserably have caused the populace to lose faith over time.
I am confident that this faith can be restored but it starts with respecting our institutions and allow them to work for the people and to hold each parliamentarian to account and to face consequences should they abuse their office or engage in illegal activity.
The Westminster model works, if we allow it.
JEREMY SWEETING, FNM candidate Central & South Abaco, 2026 General Election. Abaco, May 20, 2026.
and rich must respond to this criminality in a moral. Just fashion for their own survival is at stake. Someday the poor will inherit the earth, but blood will certainly flow before that eventuality.
Equality,- Social Justice,-True Democracy - a World Based upon Morality will become a future for us all one day.. Historic Evolution will unfortunately need to proceed before that can become a reality.
STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario May 17, 2026.
Speech from the Throne puts Port Authority back in focus
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration has put its fraught relationship with the Grand Bahama Port Authority back at the centre of its second-term agenda, pledging to reorganise arrangements with the body after years of confrontation over Freeport’s governance and economic future.
The pledge, announced during the Speech from the Throne, signals that the administration’s dealings with the Port Authority will remain one of the most closely watched dynamics of the new term, given the hard-edged approach it took during its first term and the unresolved questions left by a recent arbitration ruling both sides claimed as a victory.
Governor General Dame Cynthia “Mother” Pratt said the government plans to bring major change to Grand Bahama through enhanced investment, economic development, the reorganisation of arrangements with the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and stronger opportunities with key stakeholders. She said Grand Bahama will become the gateway to the Caribbean for trade, tourism and investment through developments such as the Afro American Marketplace and the MSC cruise port development, among other major ventures.
The promise comes as Grand Bahama continues to face unemployment, limited job opportunities, a lack of tourist attractions and a high cost of living, despite Prime Minister Philip
“Brave” Davis’ past claims that the island is rebounding because of his government’s efforts to revive its economy through multiple investment ventures.
The Davis administration’s relationship with the Grand Bahama Port Authority was a major point of contention throughout its first term. The government repeatedly argued that the current structure governing Freeport is outdated and accused the Port Authority of failing to meet some of its obligations under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.
The administration has also maintained that it should have greater oversight and authority in Freeport, particularly as the island struggles with economic stagnation and delayed development projects.
Smith and Rollins heckled during swearing-in ceremony
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter
WEST Grand Bahama MP Kingsley Smith and Long Island MP Dr Andre Rollins were heckled yesterday as tensions over the Election Day plane crash and “Politician-1” allegations spilled into the ceremonial opening of Parliament.
The tense exchanges began as Mr Smith took his oath, when East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson and Dr Rollins heckled him from the opposition benches.
Dr Rollins could be heard saying, “Don’t take it,” while Mr Thompson repeatedly said, “you gotta answer those questions”. Dr Rollins repeatedly shouted “shame.”
Dr Rollins was later heckled during his own oath by Elizabeth MP Jobeth Coleby-Davis, who repeatedly said, “God help us,” and made groaning sounds.
Dr Rollins responded: “You gonna need it.”
The heckling came after Mr Smith declined to explain his connection to the Election Day charter flight that crashed into the ocean with convicted cocaine smuggler Jonathan “Player” Gardiner on board. Asked how Gardiner came to be on the plane, Mr Smith said only, “No comment right now, buddy,” and added that the matter would be addressed later. He called the allegations in a press release “salacious, defamatory and ill-conceived”. Free National Movement officials have pressed the Davis administration to say what it is doing to identify the person described in a recent United States court filing as “Politician-1”. Pressure has mounted over allegations that an unnamed politician met inside the House of Assembly with people believed to be members of a drug trafficking cartel, a claim opposition figures said has stained
the country’s reputation and raised urgent questions about whether the person could be returning to Parliament. Dr Rollins previously said he believes the Davis administration knows the identity of the politician referenced in the US court documents. Meanwhile, many MPs declined to say yesterday whether they were “Politician-1” when asked by The Tribune.
In March, both the Davis administration and the Grand Bahama Port Authority sought to frame an arbitration ruling in their favour, with each side presenting the decision as a major victory despite the more complicated outcome.
In a national address, Mr Davis portrayed the ruling as a historic turning point that confirmed the Port Authority must make payments to the government and cemented the state’s authority over Freeport.
He told Bahamians the Tribunal had confirmed that the Grand Bahama Port Authority is liable to make payments for the remainder of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which runs until 2054, and said the ruling marked a new chapter for the island.
However, the Grand Bahama Port Authority
rejected the government’s interpretation of the ruling and insisted that the tribunal had dismissed the government’s central claims.
In its statement, the Grand Bahama Port Authority described the outcome as a decisive victory after the tribunal dismissed the government’s claim in full.
The Davis administration also sold the long-embattled Grand Lucayan resort for $120m to Concord Wilshire in May 2025, though questions have lingered over whether the government has received full payment for the purchase.
In April 2026, developers behind the long-stalled Grand Lucayan redevelopment signed a new agreement outlining key commercial elements of the project, including an MSC
Beach Club, a second cruise resort and a casino marina complex. Concord Wilshire Capital and CTL Maritime said in a press release that they had reached a “definitive agreement” to advance the multi-phase plan.
Dame Cynthia also said the administration plans to consult Family Island communities to devise individual development plans for each island as part of a more structured and strategic approach to development outside New Providence.
She said ongoing programmes, including the Family Island Airport Renaissance and infrastructure clinics, will continue. She added that the critical needs of the Family Islands will be addressed through the Family Island Development Act.
1,906
WEST Grand Bahama MP Kingsley Smith and his wife arrive at the opening of Parliament yesterday.
Photo: Shawn Hanna
Charlie Harper • Stateside
16 months on: Are we seeing signs of the end?
ALTHOUGH it seems like it has been half a lifetime already, Donald Trump has actually only been in office during his second term as US president for 16 months. The meticulous preparation by conservatives for his return, encapsulated in two seminal documents created during the latter stages of the Trump interregnum from 2021-25, has resulted in profound changes to American government and its relationship to society.
Those two documents were the FY 2025 GOP Budget Resolution outlining congressional fiscal policy, and Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation-led mandate to restructure the executive branch of the US government. Effects from these documents have ranged from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s slashing of several key US government agencies, to Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that permanently extended his 2017 tax cuts for many of the very wealthiest Americans and codified substantial new economic policy directions, while simultaneously enacting the largest cuts to basic services for the American people in American history.
So now millions of Americans have lost their health coverage or found it no longer affordable, as Trump and the Republicans continue their relentless assault on Obamacare, the single most significant achievement of Barack Obama’s two terms as American president.
The US role in the world is no longer unassailable. Trump’s narcissistic outrages have led the US into a seemingly aimless war against Iran that, while it has undeniably produced some positive results, lacked the assiduous planning that characterized the conservative preparations for government policy ahead of Trump’s 2025 return to office.
How has this been allowed to happen? The
millions of Americans who have been shaking their heads in wonderment at the astounding servility and obsequious obeisance to Trump shown by Republican majorities in the US Congress got a crisp reminder of the reason on Tuesday.
Thomas Massie, a ferociously independent-minded, seven-term, MIT-educated Republican congressman from a Kentucky district that does not include either Louisville or Lexington, has been at odds with Trump for most of the president’s two terms, despite voting for Trump’s legislation much of the time. He’s ascended to a position very high on Trump’s enemies’ list. Massie experienced on Tuesday the same fate as that of most Republicans who have dared to speak out against him and some of his most egregious initiatives. He was ‘primaried’ by a GOP rival on Tuesday, and defeated by a 10-point margin by a man who had carried Trump’s personal endorsement with him like the determinative
badge of honour it turned out to be.
Others who had in lesser ways defied the president’s will in one fashion or another also were stunned by their primary defeats, including incumbent Republican senators in Texas and Louisiana.
You don’t mess with Trump if you’re a Republican in Congress and want to keep your job.
That’s why Congress, controlled by the Republicans after Trump’s emphatic victory in 2024, has so consistently bowed down to his will. Congresspersons and Senators want, very much, to maintain the perks and cachet that accompany their current positions. They have repeatedly shown their willingness to put personal comfort and ambition above what they consistently whisper off the record to reporters are their enduring personal convictions and unflagging adherence to the US constitution that Trump challenges at almost every opportunity that his attorneys can identify.
Even the notoriously forgiving House Ethics Committee had opened an inquiry in 2021 into those same sexual misconduct allegations, along with claims that Gaetz misused state identificawwwwwwtion records, converted campaign funds to personal use, accepted impermissibwle gifts under House rules, and shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, among other transgressions.
It took all of that to persuade Trump to pull the nomination. And while the Senate later dutifully confirmed former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to the top law enforcement job, she bungled the release of the Epstein papers, certainly appeared to be overmatched by the responsibilities of her position, and was eventually fired by Trump in April. But the outrages
The US Senate dutifully confirmed in early 2025 virtually every significant Trump cabinet and sub-cabinet nominee for his new administration, and we see the results. Such stunningly unqualified senior government officials such as the heads of the Departments of Justice, Defense and Health and Human Services, the Directorate of National Intelligence, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were all passed through the Senate, even though evidence of their professional unpreparedness and inadequacy was clear for anyone to see.
The only major exception was Matt Gaetz, the dogged, aggressive Trump sycophant, apologist, and former Pensacola-area Congressman, who resigned from the House after Trump nominated him to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer as Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice.
This is the same Matt Gaetz whom Justice had investigated for two years after allegations surfaced that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and possibly violated federal sex trafficking laws.
independence from Britain.
The new fund is designed to reward protestors at the US capitol after his electoral defeat by Joe Biden in November 2020. And while details are still emerging about this deal, provisions of it also may indemnity Trump and his family against future charges of financial malfeasance while he is serving as the nation’s chief executive.
Trump will ewventually leave office. And, by the way, we will see if what we get in his place is any better. But leave he will.
And after he is gone, we are sure to witness one of the greatest episodes in American Congressional history of passing all sorts of legislation designed to ensure that his unethical and blatant misbehavior in office cannot be repeated without the imposition of penalties that his attorneys have discovered to be missing at present.
Some have actually speculated that Trump aspires to leave office with his family established as the wealthiest in the world. He and his legal team seem to have found millions – even reportedly billions -- of dollars’ worth of cracks and crevices in the American legal system to exploit for his and his family’s personal gain. It’s been so astounding for so long – only 16 months, remember– that even the most experienced observers have lost the edge of their fury and humiliation at the president’s disrespect of his office and the government he was elected to lead.
And no one can say that we didn’t see this coming. While campaigning for a return to the White House two years ago, Trump denied all the plans and plots revealed in print in the Budget Resolution and Project 2025. And he and his administration have carried out many of the mandates found in those documents.
In the end, though, it may be the unanticipated crisis of Trump and his extraordinary sensitivity to the release and potential contents of the personal papers of longtime friend Jeffrey Epstein that brings down this president.
still keep coming. Just this week, the Treasury Department’s general counsel, a senior member of Trump’s first administration and holder of key jobs at both Justice and Treasury, resigned as the administration announced a huge “anti-weaponization fund” as part of a deal to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns during his first term in office. Brian Morrissey, who was confirmed by the Senate in October 2025 and served as Treasury’s top legal officer, stepped down on Monday. His departure came the same day the Trump administration announced it would create that $1.776 billion fund to resolve Trump’s lawsuit, an unusual arrangement that has provoked bipartisan criticism.
Because of the seeming absence of expressed strategic goals and objectives supporting the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran, the real goal is becoming clear to some critics: to distract the American public from
The amount of this new fund cannot be coincidental in this 250th year celebration of American
what Trump clearly perceives to be the disastrous implications of releasing an unredacted version of the infamous Epstein files. Now the Iran War is Trump’s War. And we’re witnessing the US Senate, the constitutional check on such presidential folly, showing signs that it’s prepared to resist him. Is this the beginning of Trump’s end?
PRESIDENT Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Beijing.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File
Photo: Chris-F/Pexels
FORMER Congressman Matt Gaetz
1
Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
2
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
3
And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
4
And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5
So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7
And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
8
In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
10
Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
11
And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
12
This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
13
And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.
14
And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.
15
So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns.
16
And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof.
17
And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.
18
And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
19
And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God, a young bullock for a sin offering.
20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.
21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
22
And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.
23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
24 And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.
A fog of analysis after election
IN HIS book, Expert Political Judgment, political psychologist and writer Philip Tetlock, analysed more than 82,000 predictions made by 284 experts over a two-decade span. He discovered that the average expert was “roughly as accurate as a dart-throwing chimpanzee.”
Hyperbole aside, a number of predictions about the 2026 general election by veteran politicians and observers was spectacularly wrong. Some suggested the Free National Movement (FNM) would win handsomely in a wave. Though well-meaning, their assumptions about the electorate, based on past experience, were incorrect.
Others rightly predicted a comfortable win for the incumbent Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), though some of these prognosticators suggested that the Opposition would do much better.
The Nassau Guardian provided a good in-depth look at last week’s vote. The numbers are but a prelude to a larger story. The broader story about the results is still to be written. It will require an extended period of discernment, careful study, humility, and the ability to question many longstanding assumptions.
A number of those making broad claims about the numbers are the very same ones who got the results wrong. In some quarters, there is the proverbial Monday morning quarterbacking.
There are many hypotheses about the PLP’s win, the FNM’s loss, and the continued rise of the Coalition of Independents (COI). Another word for hypothesis is “guess.” What is clear is that there is political fragmentation, with both the PLP and the FNM losing base support, though the PLP’s wellfed, larger, and loyal base is clearly more inclined to come out. The days of both parties having approximately 40 percent or so of the vote appears to be over. Moreover, the COI is attracting an increasing number of voters. To call it a protest vote or party misses the point. The COI is a third party with seeming staying power that eluded the Democratic National Alliance.
The COI did better than the Opposition in two seats. Pinewood and Englerston. This is exceptional. It’s a warning sign for both major
parties, particularly the FNM.
“In the recent election,” The Guardian reported, “the Coalition of Independents (COI) received 17,095 votes — 12 percent of the overall votes cast.
Eight percent of total registered voters voted for the COI. This represented a notable increase in support for the third party.
“In 2021, the COI secured 8,388 votes (6.64 percent of overall votes cast). Its leader, Lincoln Bain, had the strongest showing of all COI candidates.”
Lincoln Bain is a colorful character with, euphemistically, a colorful background. If the strategy to defeat
him and the COI is to simply attack them, this has had, and will continue to have, limited effect for a number of voters.
Mr. Bain is like the populist Reform leader Nigel Farage in the UK, although there are compelling differences. Farage sits in the House of Commons. His party, Reform, has won handsomely in local elections across the UK.
Moreover, Reform is outpolling the incumbent Labour Party, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens.
Reform could win the most seats at the next general election, even if it does not have enough seats to form a government. Still, there are many events that could trip up Farage, including his equally colorful past and finances.
Farage and Bain are populists like Donald Trump and others who possess a feral genius for exploiting and leveraging the understandable frustrations, often deep-seated anger, and resentment toward the elites that many voters disdain.
Populists share a similar character and agenda: an anti-establishment persona; a laser-like focus on immigration; an ability to respond to economic and
social frustration with easy answers; serving as the voice of the forgotten; oodles of charisma; and media savvy and presence, particularly the clever use of storytelling and social media. Such populists appear “real” to voters, warts and all. There are right-wing and left-wing populists. Not all populists are self-seeking, self-dealing, and power hungry.
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani is an outsider and progressive populist who eschews anti-immigration politics. His populist appeal brought out scores of disaffected and indifferent voters, including many young people, who formed an electoral coalition to catapult the 34-year-old political novice into the mayoralty of the largest city in the United States.
Both major parties have future risks if they do not understand the politics and possibilities of populism. In The Bahamas, this includes the naked, raw, and open transactional nature of Bahamians, who expect favors, patronage, money, and “tings” from politicians.
The Guardian noted “that there were 139,026 votes counted for a voter turnout of 66.4 percent. This
compares to 65 percent in 2021.”
For many democracies, including in the region, this is a good turnout, though well below what Bahamians came to except as fairly recently as 2017. What is the new voting pattern that The Bahamas may be settling into with many voters disaffected with politics and disinclined to vote? Are we settling into a pattern of 60 percent-plus of voters? Might the number of voters decline further? Can more Bahamians be attracted to voting by the major traditional parties through a combination of strategies, including their leadership, candidates, brands, and ideas?
The reasons for the indifference and apathy of just under 40 percent of voters will require in-depth study and conversations with these voters. Why are this many people sucking their teeth at politics?
“The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) dominated the field with 71,245 votes — 51 percent of the overall votes cast. However, just 34 percent of all registered voters got the party elected,” The Guardian pointed out.
Similar to other countries, are we settling into a patten where a government can achieve a landslide of seats with only a plurality of the vote? Most Bahamians arguably do not support, or like, either the PLP or Prime Minister Philip Davis. Still, they are the government because they motivated their declining base to support them.
What is the quality and character of Bahamian democracy when the majority of citizens appear not to support the government of the day?
As the PLP forms a new government, the FNM’s soul-searching must be broad, deep, radical, and honest. The party faces bleak prospects if it fails to understand its loss, the minds of voters of all affiliations and no affiliation, and the power of populism.
Though giddy with their win, there are many perils for the PLP, one of which exploded days after its re-election. Events upend all manner of plans and stratagems by those inebriated by power. The party should not assume that its formula to win this election will always pertain.
For their part, the COI already has a new membership drive running. Their support will likely grow. They feel buoyed by the results.
It would be useful for the University of The Bahamas and others to more deeply analyse the election results. This would be a good academic exercise and good for our democracy. For the political parties, especially the FNM, however, such understanding and study are a matter of survival as a party that can win government.
Photo: Kyle Dolan /Pexels
Photo: Orbabz/Pexels
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Bahamian woman fighting a costly legal battle to keep her own land
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
A BAHAMIAN woman says she is fighting to keep her own land after learning that others had gone to court to claim it, forcing her to spend money on lawyers and surveys while racing against a 21-day deadline to object.
Meredith Johnson said her case shows how quickly landowners can be drawn into a legal battle under the Quieting Titles Act, even when they believe they have documents proving ownership.
She said the experience has been financially draining, emotionally stressful and a warning to Bahamians to ensure their land records, surveys and boundaries are up to date.
Ms Johnson said she first became suspicious about activity on the property about two years ago after her mother, who lives next door to the land, noticed people frequently visiting the site.
“My mother, who lives next door to the land in question, advised me that she first noticed, approximately two years ago — I believe while I was pregnant at the time — that someone was visiting the land frequently,” Ms Johnson said.
She said fencing that had previously existed along two sides of the property had also been removed. Her mother believed the visitors may have included a neighbour who is now among the petitioners.
Ms Johnson said she approached those involved directly and explained that the land had been bought by her father and later legally conveyed to her.
However, she said she only became fully aware of the legal action earlier this month when someone came to her home and told
her that a petition to quiet title had already been filed and that she had 21 days to object. She said a formal notice, later addressed to her mother, confirmed that legal proceedings had already begun. The Quieting Titles Act is intended to resolve uncertainty over land ownership where title may be unclear, incomplete or disputed.
Under the law, a person claiming an interest in land may petition the Supreme Court to quiet title, asking the court to declare them the legal owner after reviewing evidence of possession, occupation, historical use, documentary records and other supporting material.
The process is meant to regularise land ownership where legal title is uncertain, making it easier for land to be sold, transferred, mortgaged or developed. Notices are issued as part of the process to allow anyone claiming an interest in the land to object and present evidence.
If no valid objection is filed within the prescribed period, the court may proceed with the petition and potentially grant title.
The Act has long been viewed as an important legal tool in The Bahamas, particularly because many Bahamians hold family land or parcels with incomplete historical documentation.
Supporters say it helps unlock dormant land, settle disputes and bring neglected or legally uncertain property into productive use.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about whether the process provides enough safeguards for absent landowners, people living abroad, heirs who may not know about claims, or people who have title documents but fail to respond within the legal timeframe.
The issue is especially sensitive in The Bahamas, where family land and inherited property often involve multiple generations, informal occupation arrangements, old surveys, missing deeds or unclear boundaries.
Ms Johnson said discovering that the matter had already gone before the Supreme Court was deeply upsetting.
“I was thoroughly disappointed because I questioned whether any proper research had been conducted on the land,” she said.
She acknowledged that the conveyance and map in her possession date back to 1989 and that some roads shown on the original plan were unnamed at the time, which may have contributed to confusion.
“In hindsight, I do accept some responsibility, as I probably should have updated the survey/map when the newer conveyance was issued,” she said.
Ms Johnson said tensions escalated when she approached those involved and was allegedly asked to prove how she obtained the land.
That interaction led her to issue a cease and desist letter through an attorney. She said she was shocked when the matter continued despite legal notice asserting ownership.
Ms Johnson said she does not necessarily believe the legislation itself is the problem, but rather how it may be used.
“The concern is how the law can be abused by individuals acting in bad faith,” she said.
She said her case is not simply a matter of historical family land or informal occupation.
“To clarify, this is not simply a matter of historical family ownership — I personally hold legal title to the subject property. The
conveyance associated with the land has been properly executed and registered,” she said.
She said her father began securing the property around 1992, and the land was formally conveyed to her in 2021.
After becoming aware of the petition, Ms Johnson said she immediately obtained a copy, documented it and forwarded it to the attorney who handled the original conveyances and maintained historical records on the property.
She also engaged a surveyor to update the property plan to show that the land claimed includes property she says she already owns.
“At this stage, it has essentially become a waiting game leading up to the response deadline,” she said.
One of Ms Johnson’s biggest concerns is the Act’s objection period, which she believes is far too short for ordinary Bahamians.
She said the timeline
places enormous pressure on people who must locate documents, retain lawyers, hire surveyors and prepare a legal defence in weeks.
“As a young mother, an entrepreneur, and someone working diligently every day just to manage life and business responsibilities, I do not believe that 21 days is a sufficient amount of time to respond to something as serious as a claim against property that has effectively been connected to your family for over 30 years,” she said. She argued that if petitioners spend years preparing claims, affected owners should be given significantly more time to defend themselves.
“That timeline absolutely needs to be revisited and addressed,” she said.
Ms Johnson said the matter has placed an unexpected financial burden on her family, forcing her to redirect money that would otherwise have gone toward her children and business.
“Having to suddenly
divert funds toward legal fees, surveys, and responding to a claim like this has not been easy,” she said.
She said many Bahamians may not be financially able to respond in similar circumstances. Emotionally, Ms Johnson said the most difficult part has been the anxiety of racing against legal deadlines while waiting on lawyers, surveys and court processes.
She noted that surveys alone can take weeks to complete and be officially stamped, making the legal timeline especially stressful. Ms Johnson said the ordeal has changed how she views land ownership in The Bahamas. She urged Bahamians to ensure their land is properly surveyed, clearly demarcated and supported by accessible documentation.
She said she chose to speak publicly because many people may not fully understand how the Quieting Titles Act works until they are personally affected.
Patricia Deveaux and Lashelle Adderley
return to lead the House and the Senate
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
BAMBOO Town MP
Patricia Deveaux and Senator Lashelle Adderley were reappointed yesterday to lead the House of Assembly and the Senate, extending a historic arrangement that began in 2021 when women simultaneously led both chambers of Parliament for the first time.
Their reappointment came during the Opening of Parliament, as incumbent MPs and newcomers took their seats after the Progressive Liberal Party won a second consecutive term in the May 12 general election.
Ms Deveaux, whose tenure as Speaker had drawn close scrutiny from the public and the Free National Movement, pledged to preside with impartiality, fairness and fidelity to Parliament’s rules.
She said the authority vested in the chair does not exist for personal discretion, but to protect the proper functioning of Parliament.
Ms Deveaux reminded MPs that parliamentary privilege gives them the freedom to speak openly during House proceedings, but warned that such privilege must not be abused.
“These privileges are preserved not by their existence alone but by their responsible use,” she said.
“I will repeat that in the conduct of business, decorum, attendance, punctuality, and respect for the chair are not optional courtesies. They are necessary conditions for the proper functioning of parliament. I expect that the proceedings of this house will reflect the seriousness of the mandate entrusted to us by the Bahamian people.”
Ms Deveaux called for members to approach the new Parliament with unity despite their differences, stressing their collective responsibility to the Bahamian people.
“It is the duty of every member to ensure that what is protected is not diminished by misuse in the conduct of business, decorum, attendance.”
In the Senate, Ms Adderley also struck a note of discipline and restraint, reminding senators that debates may be robust and firm but should still be conducted with dignity.
She committed herself to fairness and balance as president of the Senate.
“As we commence this new session of Parliament, we gather at a pivotal point, at a pivotal moment where a small nation must provide appropriate actions and answers to big questions,” she said.
She also noted that women continue to preside over both chambers of Parliament while Dame Cynthia “Mother” Pratt serves as Governor General.
“The achievement of 36 percent female representation in the Senate, 22 percent representation in the House of Assembly, and 24 percent of the cabinet are meaningful steps towards gender parity and inclusivity,” she said.
FNM forces government to fix unconstitutional Senate vote
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration was forced to replace Senator Keenan Johnson as Vice-President of the Senate yesterday after the Free National Movement accused it of breaching the Constitution by electing him to the post despite his appointment as a parliamentary secretary.
Senator Ja’Ann Major was elected Vice-President of the Senate after Opposition Senate Leader Elsworth Johnson said Mr Johnson’s election was “void ab initio”, meaning invalid from the outset, because Article 44 of the Constitution bars a parliamentary secretary from serving as Vice-President of the Senate.
Mr Johnson had initially been elected vice-president during the Senate’s first sitting. However, shortly afterwards, Mr Johnson issued a statement arguing that the election was unconstitutional because Mr Johnson had already been appointed a parliamentary secretary.
“Should Senator Johnson wish to become Vice President of the Senate, he should advise the Prime Minister to revoke his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary,” Mr Johnson said. “The honour and integrity of the Senate and Parliament must not compromised in our democracy.”
Following the FNM’s statement, the government announced that Senator Major had instead been elected to the post.
The development came days after Mr Johnson was sworn in as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
At the same ceremony on Tuesday, Senator Clint
Watson was also sworn in as parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, prompting separate questions about his continued role as general manager of ZNS Broadcasting Corporation. Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister Latrae Rahming told The Tribune yesterday that Mr Watson will step down as ZNS general manager. Former Public Service Minister Brensil Rolle had said Mr Watson’s Senate appointment raised serious questions about whether the Davis administration was bending public service rules for political convenience. Mr Rolle argued that General Orders prohibit public officers from political affiliation and said Mr Watson should have resigned before taking up his Senate appointment. Mr Watson, a veteran journalist and former PLP aspirant, declined to clarify his employment status when first questioned after the swearing-in, saying only: “I don’t want to preempt anything, but you’ll all understand it at the end of the week, that’s all I would say, and it’ll be quite clear to you.” His Senate appointment drew scrutiny because Chapter 9 of General Orders outlines a “code of reserve” for public officers and states that an officer’s personal affairs should not conflict with official duties.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The public is hereby notified that Ms Lynette Williams is NO LONGER employed with C&C Scooter Rentals Bahamas Ltd and its sister company The Bahama Mama Factory Bahamas Ltd in any capacity effective April 24th, 2026. Please be advised that Ms Lynette Williams is NOT authorized to conduct any business, collect payments, place purchase orders or enter into any agreements on behalf of C&C Scooter Rentals Bahamas Ltd or The Bahama Mama Factory Bahamas Ltd. The companies will NOT be held responsible for any transactions or commitments made by this individual after the aforementioned date.
All business inquiries and payments should be directed to Mrs. Tanya Bethel at 376-8177 or vacationscooter.rentals@gmail.com
BAMBOO Town MP Patricia Deveaux sworn in as Speaker of the House of Assembly a second time.
Photo: Shawn Hanna SENATOR Lashelle Adderley returns as President of Senate for second consecutive term.
Man acquitted of having sex with underage girl in SUV
By PAVEL BAIELY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN was acquitted this week of allegedly having sex with an underage girl in his SUV near
Baha Mar in 2024. Dreyon Curry, 27, was found not guilty of unlawful sexual intercourse in a 6-2 jury verdict as his trial closed before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns.
Curry was accused of
having sex with a 15-yearold girl around 10am on April 2, 2024.
A police motorcyclist testified that while riding along Baha Mar Boulevard, he noticed Curry’s Hyundai Creta bouncing
Suspect remanded on rape charge
By PAVEL BAIELY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in 2024 was remanded to prison yesterday.
Prosecutors allege Jaheim Dixon, 24, raped the woman in New Providence on November 12, 2024. Dixon was not required to enter a plea to rape when he appeared before Magistrate Abigail Farrington. He was informed that his case would proceed to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment.
Dixon was told of his right to apply for bail in the Supreme Court. He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until service of his VBI on September 7.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Kendrick Bauld prosecuted the case.
Man denied bail over alleged underage sex
By PAVEL BAIELY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN accused of having sex with an underage girl in his car on Eneas Jumper Corner last week was remanded to prison.
Prosecutors allege Fred Deal Jr, 41, had unlawful sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl at 1am on May 14. The matter was reported
to the police after the girl’s mother noticed she was not in her room and saw a black Suzuki car moving up and down outside. The minor reportedly got out of the vehicle and told her mother she was having sex when confronted.
Deal was not required to enter a plea to unlawful sexual intercourse before Magistrate Abigail Farrington. The defendant was told
that his matter would proceed to the Supreme Court by way of a voluntary bill of indictment.
Deal was informed of his right to apply for bail through the higher court.
The defendant was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until service of his VBI on September 7.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Kendrick Bauld prosecuted the case.
Man and woman accused of armed robbery
By PAVEL BAIELY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN and woman accused of robbing a man at gunpoint in the South Beach area last week after he tried to collect money she owed him were remanded to prison.
Prosecutors allege Trevor Taylor, 18, and Yasmen Darling, 22, while armed with a black handgun, robbed Asnald Joseph of his Samsung A02 cellphone and $760 in cash around 7am on May 13.
During the same incident, Taylor allegedly damaged the right driver’s side quarter panel glass of Mr Joseph’s blue 2012
Nissan Note. The victim had reportedly agreed to meet Darling to collect money she owed him.
While police were taking the victim’s statement, Darling came to the police station.
The accused were not required to enter pleas to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery before Assistant Chief Magistrate Kara Turnquest Deveaux.
Taylor alone faced an additional charge of damage.
The defendants were told their matter would proceed to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment.
They were informed of
NOTICE
IN THE ESTATE OF PETER ANTHONY ROBERTS WHITFIELD, late of Fresh Creek, Andros one of the Islands of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, deceased.
NOTICE is hereby given that all persons having any claims or demands against the above Estate are hereby required to send particulars of their debts or claims in writing to the undersigned on or before the 30th day of June 2026. If so required, the undersigned may, by notice in writing, require you to come in and prove such debts or claims. Failure to respond on or before the aforementioned date, you shall be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made; after which date the Executor will proceed to distribute the assets of the Estate having regard only to the claims of which he/she shall then have had notice.
AND NOTICE is hereby given that the Executor will not be liable for the assets of the Estate or any part thereof so distributed to any person of whose claim he/she shall not then have had notice.
DATED this 19th day of May 2026.
BAYCOURT CHAMBERS Cumberland House 15 Cumberland & Duke Streets Nassau, The Bahamas
up and down and pulled alongside it. While investigating the vehicle, he ordered the occupants outside. The officer allegedly saw Curry putting on his
clothing while the teenager was reportedly hiding under blankets on the back seat. The teen complainant claimed the defendant had arranged to pick her up
their right to apply for bail through the higher court.
The accused were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until service of their VBIs on July 28.
Inspector K Wilkinson prosecuted the case.
from school on the day of the incident.
Eucal Bonaby, Max Julien and Miashyia Saunders prosecuted the case, while James Thompson represented the accused.
US announces charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in 1996 aircraft shootdown
MIAMI Associated Press
FEDERAL prosecutors
on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the island’s socialist government. The indictment was related to Castro’s alleged role in the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers
to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba’s defence minister at the time. The charges included murder and destruction of an airplane.
“For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in Miami at a ceremony to honour those killed. “They were unarmed civilians and were flying humanitarian missions for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida straits.”
Asked to what lengths American authorities would go to bring Castro to face charges in the US, Blanche said: “There was a warrant issued for his arrest. So we expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way.”
The federal government, he said, indicts people outside the United States “all the time” and uses a variety of methods to bring them to justice.
A grand jury in Miami returned the indictment in late April before it was unsealed Wednesday,
Blanche said. Five other people were also charged, including three Cuban military pilots.
Asked what will happen next for Cuba, President Donald Trump said, “We’re going to see.” He added that the US is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to a “failing nation.”
The charges pose a real threat, observers said, because former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges before he and his wife were seized by US special forces in
the Venezuelan capital in January.
“He’s going to have to keep his head pretty low from now on,” said Peter Kornbluh, a senior analyst and specialist on the US-Cuba relationship at the National Security Archive. “They’re going to have no choice but to take this threat extremely seriously.”
While it remains unclear whether Castro will ever step foot in a US courtroom, the murder and conspiracy charges carry the potential for life in prison or the death penalty upon conviction.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the indictment and accused the US of lying and manipulating the events of 1996. He called it “a political action without any legal basis” that only seeks to “bolster the case they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”
Díaz-Canel wrote on X that Cuba acted in “legitimate self-defence within its territorial waters after repeated and dangerous violations of its airspace by notorious terrorists.”
He said US officials at the time had been warned about the violations but allowed them to continue.
Marlene Alejandre-Triana, whose father, Armando Alejandre Jr, was among those who died, said the charges were “long overdue.” She said her father only wanted to bring freedom to his Cuban homeland.
Over the years, she spoke to multiple federal investigators about charging Castro. She referred to him as “one of the main architects of the crime.”
In Miami’s Little Havana neighbourhood, Peter Hernandez, whose family owns a fruit and vegetable market, said he would welcome the US sending its military to arrest Castro.
“He’s a criminal,” said Hernandez, whose parents moved from Cuba to South Florida before he was born.
“I think we should do that with all criminals, especially if they’re hiding behind a country that consistently has been proven that they are on the wrong side of our national security efforts and ideology.”
Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since US forces captured Maduro, the Cuban government’s longtime patron. After ousting the Venezuelan leader, the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island.
Since Maduro’s capture, Trump has ratcheted up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging earlier this year to conduct a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership did not open its economy to American investment and kick out US adversaries.
Trump’s first administration indicted Maduro on drug-trafficking charges and used that to justify removing him from power and
whisking him to New York to face trial.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged the Cuban people to demand a free-market economy with new leadership that he said will chart a new course in relations with the US
“In the US, we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people,” Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said in a Spanish-language video message. “Currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”
Castro took over as president from his ailing older brother Fidel Castro in 2006 before handing power to a trusted loyalist, Díaz-Canel, in 2018.
While he retired in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes, underscored by the prominence of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who previously met secretly with Rubio.
Last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Havana for meetings with Cuban officials, including Castro’s grandson. Two other senior State Department officials met with the grandson in April.
Starting in 1995, planes flown by members of Brothers to the Rescue, a group founded by Cuban exiles, buzzed over Havana dropping leaflets urging Cubans to rise up against the Castro government.
The Cubans protested to the US government, warning that they would defend their airspace. Federal Aviation Administration officials also opened an investigation and met with the group’s leaders to urge them to ground the flights, according to declassified government records obtained by George Washington University’s National Security Archive.
But those calls went unheeded and on Feb. 24, 1996, missiles fired by Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets downed two unarmed civilian Cessna planes a short distance north of Havana just beyond Cuba’s airspace. All four men aboard were killed.
Guy Lewis, who was a federal prosecutor, uncovered evidence linking senior Cuban military officials to cocaine trafficking by Colombia’s Medellin cartel. Following the shootdown, the investigation expanded, and prosecutors pursued charges against Raúl Castro for leading a vast racketeering conspiracy by Cuba’s armed forces.
In the end, the Clinton administration indicted four individuals, including the MiG pilots involved in the downing of the planes. The shootdown led the US to harden its position against Cuba, even though the Cold War had ended and the Castros’ support for revolution across Latin America was a fading memory. But Castro himself was spared as the Clinton administration raised concerns about such a high-profile indictment. MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
