05232024 NEWS AND SPORT

MINNIS SNUBBED BY HIS FORMER CABINET

Ex-ministers state support for Pintard in leadership race

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Reporter

Tribune Chief

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has little public support from the people he led in Cabinet ahead of the FNM’s one-day convention next month, with most people he appointed to executive roles telling The Tribune

they support Michael Pintard for leader. Brensil Rolle, Pakeisha Parker-Edgecombe, Darren Henfield, Dion Foulkes, and Elsworth Johnson all told The Tribune yesterday that they support Mr Pintard. Peter Turnquest, Dr Duane Sands and Brent Symonette had previously

COURT FINDS MAN GUILTY ON THREATS TO KILL PM DAVIS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

CHIEF Magistrate Roberto Reckley ruled yesterday that Isaac Roberts, 21, was guilty of threatening to kill Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis in February 2023.

Magistrate Reckley placed Roberts on one-year

probation, during which time he must complete 100 hours of community service and attend anger management classes. He will face a six-month prison term if he defaults on these conditions. Before Roberts was arrested, Police Commissioner Clayton

HAMILTON DEATH RULED SUICIDE BY POLICE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A PATHOLOGIST determined that Destiny Hamilton, 27, an influencer, found dead in Abaco with a laceration to her wrist, committed suicide, ending some questions about her death. Some friends and relatives of Hamilton believed she was murdered. That she was found with a lacerated left wrist surprised them because she was said to

be awkward with her right hand.

Chief Superintendent Will Hart, the officer in charge of the Abaco division, said “post-mortem revealed that the wounds were self-inflicted”. He declined to give further details, saying police have closed the matter.

“I could say, but I don’t want to say, because you ‘WE’RE NOT

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PM PROMISES BPL SOLUTION IN ‘NEXT TWO WEEKS OR SO’

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said his administration decided now is not the appropriate time for facilitating some recreational use of cannabis, saying the only focus is legalising marijuana for medicinal and religious purposes. The Davis administration tabled a compendium of bills in the House of Assembly last Wednesday to legalise cannabis for By

RUSSELL

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis urged residents to be patient after Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) load-shedding exercises left thousands without electricity.

Mr Davis said a solution will be announced in about two weeks to introduce reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to Bahamians.

BPL blamed load-shedding exercises over the weekend on the unusually

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis arriving at the launch of his campaign for leadership of the FNM at Baha Mar on Friday.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

BAIC hosts third annual Taste and Tell culinary expo

THE BAHAMAS Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) held an award ceremony yesterday for its 3rd Annual Taste and Tell culinary expo. The culinary expo was initially held at at Western Esplanade on April 20th, which United over 40 Food Processors with representatives of Food Stores, Wholesale Food Distributors, owners and operators of restaurants, hotels and tour companies.

Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

MINNIS SNUBBED BY HIS FORMER CABINET

endorsed Mr Pintard.

Dionisio D’Aguliar and Kwasi Thompson declined to comment, while Frankie Campbell and Iram Lewis were reluctant to give their view, insisting they would support whoever delegates choose.

Neither former Attorney General Carl Bethel nor former Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira responded to calls or messages from this newspaper on the topic. Jeff Lloyd, the former education minister, said his view is “immaterial” because he cannot vote at the convention.

Dr Minnis, who believes he kept the country stable despite the massive challenge posed by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic, has said he has unfinished business.

He said if re-elected prime minister, he would remove value-added tax (VAT) from breadbasket items and medicine, introduce more tax exemptions on food products, invest

more in Bahamian youth and reform the country’s immigration policies.

However, from his Cabinet, only former Health Minister Renward Wells and former Works Minister Desmond Bannister have publicly endorsed him.

“He’s been tried, tested and proven through the most difficult circumstances and trying times in this country,” Mr Wells told The Tribune at Dr Minnis’ campaign launch last week.

Several former ministers said they are supporting Mr Pintard because he is an “inclusive” leader.

“He reminds me a lot, to be honest, of our former prime minister, the right honourable Hubert Ingraham, in the sense that he says what he means and he does what he says. He’s for the people,” said Ms Parker-Edgecombe.

Mr Foulkes, a former party chairman and deputy leader, supported Mr Pintard at the last leadership convention and saw no reason to change his vote.

“I think he has done a good job in terms of

running the internal organs of the party,” he said. “During all of the parliamentary debate, his contributions have been very informative, and I think he’s done an excellent job over the last two and half years.”

Mr Henfield said he supports Mr Pintard because he believes he can push the party forward.

“I saw a resurgence in the way council meetings were attended, in the way executive meetings were attended, and we really came back together to be what we are now,” he said.

“We’re still working hard to become the next government of The Bahamas, and I think as a leader, he has placed us in this position.”

The former Cabinet ministers were not critical of Dr Minnis.

Mr Johnson, for instance, said his support for Mr Pintard “doesn’t change my admiration, love and respect for Dr Minnis and he knows that. And I’ve made it clear that my support for Mr Pintard is not blind loyalty.”

Mr Rolle, the former

Stronger” at Baha

Public Services Minister, offered more pointed comments, saying the former prime minister should step aside instead of forcing his way into the party’s leadership.

He said while Dr Minnis “has a right to put his name in nomination, Bahamians have not yet forgiven him for the kind of things that happened while he was prime minister and he should’ve waited until the call from the Bahamian people rather than seeking to force his way back into politics, back into leadership”.

from page one

The former ministers said they would support the party regardless of the outcome of the convention, which will be held under the theme “Forward

“The FNM has a history of very contentious leadership fights, and we also have a history of coming together after that fight, and I have no doubt that on June 2nd, all of the various factions of the party would come together to battle and beat the PLP at the next general election,” said Mr Foulkes.

‘We’re not there yet’ on recreational marijuana PM promises BPL solution in ‘next two weeks or so’

medical and religious use while decriminalising possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Once a controversial matter, permitting the drug to be used for recreational reasons in a limited way has been done in various jurisdictions. The US Virgin Islands in January 2023 authorised the recreational and sacramental use of marijuana for anyone 21 and older, for instance.

Asked why the government has not taken a more aggressive approach, Mr Davis said: “We’re not there yet.”

“The jury is still out on the impact of recreational use,” he told reporters on the sideline of a graduation ceremony at the University of the Bahamas for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) course

yesterday.

“There have been some studies that demonstrate that irresponsible use of marijuana could lead to harm to the individual

COURT FINDS MAN GUILTY OF THREATS TO KILL PM

Fernander dramatically called an emergency press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister to announce that they were looking for a man who had threatened the prime minster. Following a lengthy trial with numerous delays, the judge determined that prosecutor Inspector Deon Barr had successfully proved the accusations.

Police officers had testified that on February 18, 2023, the accused called the Central Police Station to demand the release of Coalition of Independents leader Lincoln Bain after a protest outside Baha Mar. Mr Isaacs reportedly

said if his demands were not met, Mr Davis “ga dead”. Throughout the trial, Bjorn Ferguson, the defendant’s attorney, maintained that his client never made a comment to put Mr Davis in fear. The attorney also said his client gave a mixed statement when police interviewed him. Mr Ferguson highlighted that Mr Davis never testified about whether Roberts’ comments made him fearful. Roberts appeared tense after he was found guilty, but relaxed after it was revealed that he would avoid jail time. After the verdict, Mr Ferguson said his client intends to appeal the ruling.

and to their mental state. We want to have a clear understanding of what recreational use will be, hence all we’re doing at the moment is dealing with the issue of relief for medicinal purposes and because of our constitutional constraints about freedom of religion, to allow use in the religions where the conscience permit the use of marijuana.”

Asked if the government would consider consultation for recreational use of marijuana use in the future, Mr Davis said when the government consulted on the current marijuana bill, there were representations made for it to be widened to recreational use.

“We as a government did not think it’s appropriate at this time as we don’t have sufficient data to rely on in respect to the impact on the recreational use,” he said. “When we move to do anything in relation to such a subject as that, yes, we will talk to the public before we move further with that initiative.”

high demand for this time of the year.

Mr Davis has said BPL could be divided into three separate entities, though details on this plan to separate the company’s generation, transmission, and distribution elements have not been disclosed by the administration.

“We just need to be patient within the next two weeks or so,” Mr Davis told reporters after a graduation ceremony for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) course yesterday. “We have been working assiduously over the last year, two years and a half to find a solution to the aging infrastructure of BPL. We should have a solution that we’ll be announcing within the next two weeks or so that no doubt will bring what every Bahamian wants at the end of the day, affordable electricity, reliable electricity, and of course, sustainable electricity.”

Mr Davis notes that a contributing factor to BPL’s power engines’ malfunction was that the engines overheated.

He linked the excess heat

to the negative impact of climate change.

“The generators generate heat and when there’s heat around, it puts a lot of pressure on the engines and you do have malfunctions as we had the other day,” he said.

In a statement on Sunday, BPL said it is hoping to

boost its generation capacity by June to meet summer demands.

“With load demands exceeding projections by 20MW, there remains a shortfall resulting in load shedding during peak

Mar.

KILLARNEY MP and Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis speaks during his campaign launch for Free National Movement (FNM) Party Leader at Baha Mar on Friday. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis at a graduation ceremony at University of The Bahamas last night.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

from page one

‘We

got nothing, we are forgotten,’ says a survivor of the HMBS Flamingo sinking

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

YEARS after Cuban military jet fighters attacked the HMBS Flamingo, stirring national unity among Bahamians, some Royal Bahamas Defence Force survivors believe they have not been sufficiently recognised and are disappointed about not being compensated for what happened.

The May 10, 1980, attack on the ship, which killed marine seamen Austin Smith, Edward Williams, and David Tucker, as well as able seaman Fenrick Sturrup, is commemorated annually with wreath-laying ceremonies and statements from the prime minister.

For the young country, the event helped build national identity.

However, former able seaman Cladwell Farrington, the ship’s radio operator, wrote Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis in March 2022 to complain that although Cuba agreed to compensate the country $10m, not “a cent was spent on” survivors.

Relatives of the deceased

received $100k.

“The only compensation we received was $75 for me for items in my locker, and they turned around and told us they will not be paying us again because we should not have had personal items on board,” said Mr Farrington’s letter, which he recently shared with The Tribune.

Mr Farrington claimed that some survivors developed medical conditions related to the attack.

The Tribune could not verify his claim that one marine still had a bullet in his hand.

“We have been fighting for years to get some form of monthly payments for hardship and mental anguish caused by this incident,” he said.

“Sir, please make it possible for us. We were blown out of the water, shot at in deep waters, terrorised in Ragged Island, but got nothing in return. We should be honoured just like all the other persons at Government House. The golden girls and boys got land and money, not that I am against them. We got nothing. We are the forgotten.”

Mr Farrington told The Tribune some survivors had concerns for years but kept silent because the government still employed them.

He said after the attack on the HMBS Flamingo, he and two others were soon assigned to another boat that caught fire.

“We had to jump off soon for life again,” he said. “We were under traumatic stress, and you will send them back out on a boat in that short space of time when other persons on the base could have done that?”

Former chief petty officer Gregory H Curry served for 37 years. He said he received injuries to his chest from the attack, and shrapnel was engraved into his back that had to be removed.

He said he overcame the ordeal but acknowledged that there were others who “really took it hard.”

“It’s just like we were never there,” he said.

“I know that it was part of the job at the time, but that was a trauma we wasn’t expecting to experience,” he said. “Some guys really took it hard and said, wow, because the government

HAMILTON DEATH RULED SUICIDE BY POLICE

from page one

have to be respectful of the family,” he said.

“You don’t want them to relive that, being published out there like that. It really does not make a difference in the end; the wounds were self-inflicted, whether it was left or right.

“I know there is a theory going out about left-handed, right-handed, but scientifically, we were able to establish that it was

self-inflicted, so let’s just leave it like that.”

Hamilton was found in a bathroom in Guana Cay around 8.30am. Her mother, Gladys Hamilton, released a statement last week after some friends and relatives of her daughter, including her cousin, Bennae BenebyPinder, publicly disputed the police’s preliminary characterisation of the death as a suicide. Ms Hamilton said the

family hoped for privacy and sensitivity.

“With sensitive details of Destiny’s passing being released to the public and unauthorised and unsubstantiated public statements being made by various individuals, immeasurable additional pain has been inflicted on Destiny’s grieving loved ones,” the mother said.

“Destiny’s beloved husband and college friend have unfairly and

never even looked at us, and everybody else got compensated besides the actual guys who survived.”

Mr Curry said many survivors have stopped attending the annual ceremony commemorating the incident because it “makes no sense showing up.”

He said in the leadup to the 50th anniversary of independence, government officials discussed doing something big for the survivors. Ultimately, he said, they received a plaque with the faces of those who died during the incident.

“I questioned the commodore about it,” he said. “Why were we given the faces of our fallen comrades?”

“That really threw us off, and some of the guys were really angry about it. The government promised they had something big, and that’s what it was.” National Security

unnecessarily become targets of all manner of vitriol. We thank the Royal

Minister Wayne Munroe, asked about the survivors’ concerns, noted that Mr Farrington’s letter was sent

to the prime minister and said his appeal was not “based on any recognised rights.”

Bahamas Police Force for recognising the effect of the wrongful release of sensitive details surrounding Destiny’s untimely passing.”

DESTINY HAMILTON

CLADWELL FARRINGTON

$9,000 missing after police search home, woman claims

By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

AN Ethiopian woman who became a naturalised citizen after marrying a Bahamian claimed that after police mistakenly searched her Marathon Estates home for drugs and firearms last week, $9,000 went missing from her house.

Aynalel Deveaux, 50, said she and her husband, Marvin Deveaux, 58, were home when a group of officers arrived around noon last Thursday with a warrant.

She said because her husband had difficulties walking, she accompanied the officers as they searched the home.

She said the officers eventually arrived at a locked room, the bedroom of her deceased mother-inlaw, which contained the woman’s ashes.

She said officers went into the room despite their opposition because of the important items held in there, including American dollar notes, which

amounted to $9,000. She said officers acknowledged the bag of money and placed it back.

Mrs Deveaux said:

“After she told me okay miss, this bedroom is already finished, go to your bedroom, I told her okay, you’re finished here, I wanna close the door. She said not yet till the search is finished. After you can close the door.”

She said she overheard a conversation among officers that suggested they showed up at the wrong house.

“After that, they stopped searching and everybody gone,” she said.

She claimed that when she checked the bedroom and noticed the money was missing, she and her husband drove to the Wulff Road Police Station. There, they were directed to police headquarters.

She said that around 7pm on Saturday, an officer offered sympathy for the missing money and interviewed her and her husband.

She said the money was being saved for a trip to

SECURITY FIRM CALLS FOR MORE PROTECTION AFTER TWO GUARDS SHOT IN ARMED ROBBERY

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PEOPLE who work for security firms have differing views on what the daylight armed robbery in Palmdale on Tuesday means about the adequacy of their protocols and procedures.

Some believe the incident was an outlier that should not raise alarms. Others argue for more protection for security guards.

Two officers from a private firm were preparing to deposit two bags of money in a bank when a gunman emerged from a car and demanded cash from them on Tuesday. One of the officers was robbed of a bag containing an undisclosed amount of money.

Wemco Security general manager Jewel Fulford believes the attack was an isolated incident.

She noted that most businesses use armoured car services to facilitate such transactions.

Those who don’t, she said, “understand the risk involved”.

“Professionals, security companies understand that you know, they will expose their employees to such risk,” she said.

“Now, some people did it for ease of convenience, to save money, or for whatever reason. We don’t even encourage persons, business, or customers to do it on their own.

“The armoured car way is always the best way, you know, because monies aren’t insured. When you decide to take it upon yourself, that’s a risk. You know, the armoured car way is always safe, in our view, as a security service provider.” Security professional Arlene Moss does not

believe the attack was isolated.

She argued that the attack was planned and coordinated, with the suspects aware of the movements of the victims.

She said security officers and companies should be able to get firearm licences for their security guards, especially those who frequent banks.

Ms Moss said security guards should be trained to use weapons. She is concerned that there will be more incidents like the one on Tuesday.

“The way that these young fellas are trending, they look like they don’t have regard for the different armed forces, whether it be police, security guards, defence, immigration, customs,” she said. “Once they want something, they look like they going after it.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

PSA: On Thursday May 22 and Friday May 24 2024 between the hours of 6:00pm to 2:00am, Two, (2) Power Plant Generators will be transported from Arawak Cay to Clifton Pier.

Please be advised that there may be traffc delays and disruptions during this time. See convoy route outlined below:

• Arawak Cay Port/West Bay Street to Saunder’s Beach Roundabout (Estimated time 60 minutes)

• Saunder’s Beach roundabout Baha Mar Boulevard (Estimated Time 1 hour and 50 minutes)

• Baha Mar Boulevard to Gladstone Road Roundabout (Estimated Time 30 minutes)

• Gladstone Road Roundabout to Old Fort Bay Roundabout (Estimated Time 3 hours and 27 minutes)

• Old Fort Bay Roundabout too Mt. Pleasant/Western Road intersection (Estimated Time 1 hour and 45 minutes)

• Mt. Pleasant/Western Road Intersection to BPL Clifton Site (Estimated Time 1 hour and 45 Minutes)

Plan your travel accordingly and follow any traffc control measures that will be put in place to ensure safety during this transportation exercise.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Turkey, where her husband is expected to undergo surgery. Chief Superintendent Roberto Goodman, the

officer in charge of Drug Enforcement Unit, did not respond to messages and calls from The Tribune yesterday.

AYNALEL DEVEAUX

A SECURITY camera at Mrs Deveaux’s residence shows police arrive and enter her property.

The Tribune Limited

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972

Contributing Editor 1972-1991

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.

Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

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Kenya troops to be praised, but what of ‘no action’ Americas?

KENYAN President William Ruto will attend a rare US state reception for an African leader on May 23, 2024 – but much of the chat will be about a third country: Haiti. Kenyan troops are preparing to deploy to the Caribbean nation as part of a UN-backed mission aimed at bringing stability to a country ravaged by gang violence.

The White House event is in part a recognition by Washington of Kenya’s decision to step up to a task that the Biden administration – and much of the West – would rather outsource.

Indeed, Haiti has seemingly become a crisis that most international bodies and foreign governments would rather not touch. The US, like other major governments in the Americas, has repeatedly ruled out putting its own troops on the ground in Haiti.

As someone who has written a book, “Fixing Haiti,” on the last concerted outside intervention – the United Nations’ stabilizing mission known as MINUSTAH – I fear the lack of action by countries in the Americas could increase the risk of Haiti transitioning from a fragile state to a failed one. MINUSTAH was the first UN mission formed by a majority of Latin American troops, with Chile and Brazil taking the lead. The outsourcing of that role now to Kenya has sparked concerns from human rights groups. It should also lead to soul-searching questions in capitals from Washington to Brasília, as well as at United Nations headquarters in New York.

At the mercy of gangs

Haiti’s descent into chaos began almost three years ago with the murder of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Lawlessness in the nation has seen gangs take control of an estimated 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince and thousands killed in the spiralling violence.

Today, the country is not only the poorest in the Americas but is also among the most destitute in the world.

About 87.6% of the population is estimated to be living in poverty, with 30% in extreme poverty. Life expectancy is just 63 years, compared with 76 in the United States and 72 in Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole.

Recipe for disaster

International intervention in Haiti has been long overdue. Yet, until now, the attitude of the international community has, from my perspective, been largely to look away.

From a humanitarian perspective and in terms of regional security, to allow a country in the Americas to drift into the condition of a failed state controlled by a fluid network of criminal gangs is a recipe for disaster. Yet governments and international organizations in the region are unwilling to step up to confront the crisis directly despite pleas from Haiti and the UN

The Organization of American States, which in the past played an important role in Haiti and for which I served as an observer to the country’s 1990 presidential elections, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States have been criticized over their slow response to the Haitian crisis. The Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, has made a significant effort, holding a number of meetings on the Haitian crisis; several member states, such as the Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica, have committed to sending police forces to Haiti, albeit in small numbers.

The United States, in turn, having left Afghanistan in 2021 after a tumultuous 20-year occupation, appears reluctant to send troops anywhere.

Rather, Washington would prefer that others take up the role of peacekeeper this time. In response to the offer from Kenya, the State Department said it “commends” the African nation for “responding to Haiti’s call.”

Part of this reluctance in the Americas could also be related to the perception – in my view, a misperception – of how

past interventions have played out. The United Nations mission from 2004 initially managed to stabilize Haiti after another rocky period. In fact, the country made significant strides before it was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010.

There were bad missteps, for sure, after 2010. A cholera outbreak brought to Haiti by infected troops from Nepal resulted in more than 800,000 infections and 10,000 deaths. Sexual misconduct by some of the UN’s blue helmets further tarnished the mission.

But the notion that MINUSTAH was a failure is, in my view, quite wrong. And the end of the mission in 2017 certainly didn’t see improved conditions in Haiti. Indeed, after the mission ended, criminal gangs had the run of the country once again and proceeded accordingly.

Yet the perceived failure of the UN mission has become the basis of a view held by some Haiti watchers that international interventions are not only unsuccessful or misconceived but also counterproductive.

Such a view forms the backbone of the notion of Haiti as an “aid state” –as opposed to a “failed state.” In this view, international interventions and the inflow of foreign funds have created a condition of dependency in which the country gets used to having foreigners make key decisions. This, the argument goes, fosters a cycle of corruption and mismanagement.

There is no doubt that some previous interventions left much to be desired, and that any new initiative would have to be conducted in close cooperation with Haitian civil society to avoid such pitfalls.

But I believe the notion that Haiti, in its current state, would be able to lift itself up without the help of the international community is wishful thinking. The nation has moved too far down the direction of gang control, and what remains of the Haitian state lacks the capacity to change that trajectory.

A duty to intervene?

Moreover, there is an argument to be made that the international community bears responsibility for the Haitian tragedy and is duty bound to try to fix it.

To use one example from the relatively recent past: Haiti, until the early 1980s, was self-sufficient in the production of rice – a key staple there. Yet, pressured by the United States in the 1990s, the country lowered its agricultural tariffs to the bare minimum and, in so doing, destroyed local rice production. Former US President Bill Clinton later apologized for the policy, but its legacy still lasts.

Haiti today has to import most of the rice it consumes, largely from the United States. And there isn’t enough of it to go around for all Haitians – the UN estimates that nearly half of Haiti’s population of 11.5 million is food insecure.

Indeed, from its very beginning as an independent nation in 1804, Haiti has suffered the consequences of its unique place in history: It was simply too much for white colonial powers to see Haiti thrive as the first Black republic resulting from a successful slave rebellion.

France retaliated over the loss of what was once considered the world’s wealthiest colony by exacting reparations for a century and a half. Payments from Haiti flowed until 1947 – to the tune of US$21 billion in today’s dollars. The United States took 60 years to recognize Haiti and invaded and occupied the nation from 1915 to 1934.

Any thoughts of atoning for past actions, however, seem far from the minds of those looking on as the chaos in Haiti spirals. Rather, many appear to have the kind of mindset expressed in 1994 by current US President Joe Biden when, as a senator discussing the rationale for various interventions, he noted: “If Haiti just quietly sunk into the Caribbean, or rose 300 feet, it wouldn’t matter a whole lot for our interests.”

Jorge Heine, Boston University

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Harbour tra fc needs monitoring

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ONCE again I am concerned about the state of the Nassau Harbour. This is one of the most naturally perfect harbours in the world. Protected from the north and south by land and west and east with narrow inlets. Unfortunately, however, it is not protected from humans.

24 hours a day there are boats of all sizes running through the harbour at full speed. Not only is this dangerous to themselves and other boats, but to people walking on any of the many floating docks that line the northern and southern shores. Jet skiis dart in and out of marinas and travelling boats and tour vessels with alarming frequency and speed. This is crazy.

Not to mention damage

to boats tied up in all of the marinas which contribute to our economy in so many ways. Five foot waves in a marina should not be tolerated much less in the harbour itself. This is probably the only harbour in the world where this happens! Police boats and RBDF boats used to monitor the harbour traffic, but they disappeared many years ago. Why?

The Port Director says nothing - mind you this is the same port department that recommended a seaplane landing base in the middle of Montagu Bay. Thankfully that was overturned.

But why is there

absolutely no monitoring of harbour traffic?

Recently the licence fees for boats increased from $40 a year for a 25ft pleasure craft to $270! We would not mind paying the new fee if the harbour was free of these speeding maniacs, but again the Port remains silent. I can’t even begin to describe the garbage and oil and gas floating around in the harbour. We have something beautiful in our natural harbour, but are destroying it quickly. In the past two weeks my boat, tied up at a marina, has received substantial damage from some of these big waves as have other boats. Please reinstate the police patrols!

LESLIE L FRASER Nassau, May 21, 2024.

Te FNM needs Doc as leader

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Progressive Liberal Party government is a mess. They wasted our money on travel. They wasted it on contracts to PLP fat cats. They caused our electricity bills to be dead high. Now they can’t keep the lights or water on in Nassau.

We need this government to go. We need them to go now.

I am so pleased that the Free National Movement is having a leadership contest. As you are aware, I am no fan of the party’s current poet-comedian leader, Michael Pintard. In my opinion Mr Pintard has been a lot of “not that much” as leader of the FNM. He’s boring. He does not excite voters. Many Bahamians don’t even know who he is. He lost even worse than our 2021 general election defeat when it was time for him to test himself in the West End by-election. His cut-hip was nearly double what happened to the FNM in the pandemic election.

Mr Pintard’s camp think that the people, the voters, hate Dr Hubert Minnis. Therefore, he should remain leader, as Dr

Minnis can’t win an election. That is a myth.

Dr Minnis had the hardest five-year term as Bahamian prime minister in our country’s history. He had the worst hurricane ever followed six months later by the pandemic, which lasted for the rest of his term.

Doc fought hard for his people. He spent the money to help rebuild Abaco. He spent money to give social assistance during the pandemic.

People were upset at some of the COVID restrictions. But, people also understood that as a doctor, Dr Minnis was trying to save lives. He was not being mean. He was not being unkind. He was trying to keep his people safe. Bahamians don’t hold anger for too long. The FNM was voted out in 2002 and back in again 2007. Perry Christie was chased out in 2007 and was back in 2012. We judge parties based on the here and now.

Doc tried his best in a difficult situation. He is not hated by Bahamians. In fact, he is thought of well by many for his

pre-politics life, through which he delivered hundreds and hundreds of babies as one of the country’s senior obstetricians.

Dr Minnis also gave tremendous social assistance as prime minister through his pre-school programme and his free UB and BTVI initiatives.

Dr Minnis could win a general election. He is tough. He is not afraid of the PLP. He confronts them in Parliament all the time by himself as the MP for Killarney.

That’s the type of leader the FNM needs. People listen to Doc. They follow Doc. They discuss what Doc is doing and saying.

Voters aren’t interested in anything related to Michael Pintard. Dr Minnis deserves another term to finish his agenda. We need a leader the people will listen to. The poet-comedian has failed. He has the worst problem in politics: Voters are indifferent to him. The FNM should return to Doc. He won for us before. He could win again.

THE MACKEY STREET MAN Nassau, May 21, 2024.

LOCAL residents hug in front of their tornado damaged home, yesterday, in Greenfield, Iowa. Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP

Five students receive AI technology scholarship for KAUST in Saudi Arabia

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis (centre) along with representatives of Univerity of The Bahamas and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology stand beside five UB students receive full scholarships to attend summer course on AI at KAUST in Saudia Arabia.

Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

FIVE stellar students of the University of The Bahamas were awarded a full scholarship to attend a summer course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.

The award ceremony was held at the University of The Bahamas in Choices Restaurant yesterday.

Bahamian Rick Fox, a former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, who is the CEO Partanna partnered in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister’s office to provide the opportunity to UB students to participate in a 10-day Artificial Intelligence course from April 29-May 10 2024. The course was taught by KAUST instructors.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis applauded the students for their efforts at the cermony, noting how AI has become a transformative tool in society.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING OVER $300 FROM EMPLOYER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN’s police bail was extended yesterday after she was accused of stealing over $300 while working as a server at a fast food restaurant earlier this month.

Magistrate Kendra Kelly charged Avalyne Jean, 25, with stealing by

reason of employment. Jean, while employed at the Burger King restaurant on Bernard Road, is accused of stealing $370.25 from the restaurant.

After pleading not guilty to the charge, the accused was informed that her police bail would be extended to Friday when she is to return to court.

MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING CAR REMANDED WITHOUT BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was denied bail yesterday after he was accused of stealing a car on Robinson Road over the holiday weekend.

Prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom objected to Green’s bail, citing antecedents.

Green will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial begins on June 18.

Magistrate Kendra Kelly charged Deon Green, 26, with stealing and receiving. Green allegedly stole a grey 2015 Honda Fit valued at $5,500 belonging to Allan Salas of Robinson Road and Fifth Street on May 18. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

MAN ACCUSED OF CAUSING HARM AND THREATENING AN OFFICER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted bail yesterday after being accused of injuring another person and threatening an officer over the holiday weekend.

Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans charged Andre Ferguson, 28, with causing harm, threats of harm and resisting arrest.

Ferguson is accused of injuring Lavern King during a physical

confrontation in New Providence on May 17. Ferguson also allegedly threatened Corporal 3338 Reckley with harm. He is accused of resisting arrest by the officer on May 19. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges. Ferguson’s bail was set at $3,000 on the causing harm charge and $1,000 for resisting arrest. Under the terms of his bail, he must sign in at the Nassau Street Police Station on the last Sunday of every month.

Ferguson’s trial begins on July 15.

TEEN GETS THREE -YEAR SENTENCE FOR GUN AND AMMO POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A NINETEEN-year-old youth was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday after admitting to having a loaded gun last Friday.

Magistrate Lennox Coleby charged Orville Cocharne with possession of an unlicensed gun and possession of ammunition.

The defendant faced additional charges of stealing and possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Cocharne is accused of stealing a car battery and Nissan headlights valued at $860 from Sarah Coakley on Beaumontia Avenue between October 11 and 12, 2023. The accused was reportedly found with a black Taurus G3 9mm pistol and nine rounds of ammunition

on May 17. He was also allegedly found with 1.5lb of marijuana. Cocharne pleaded guilty to all but the drug charge. He told the magistrate he had the gun for his protection, claiming he had been the victim of violence in the past.

Magistrate Coakley sentenced the accused to three years in prison on the gun charge. He also ordered that he be enrolled in BJC courses. Cocharne was also fined $1,000 on the stealing charge and risks an additional year in prison if he fails to pay. He must also compensate the complainant $900 or risk another year in jail. The drug charge against the defendant was withdrawn, and he was informed of his right to appeal his sentencing on the other charges.

Our vibrant and well-tested Parliamentary democracy

SOCIOLOGICALLY and biologically, humans are tribal by nature. Being a member of a familial or tribal group is seen as essential for development. But like all human instincts, tribalism can lead to violent conflict, war and genocide.

Tribalism can become poisonous and excessive.

Still, politics and political groupings are an advancement in how human societies are organised, a means of taming our baser instincts and penchant for violence and unchecked group- and self-interests.

Democratic and parliamentary politics is necessarily adversarial. It is a civilised alternative to settling differences through violence on a battlefield or in the streets. It descends into tribalism when we revert to victimisation, spite and societal exclusion as political weapons.

“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary,” stated the late Reinhold Niebuhr, a pastor and one of the preeminent theologians and political commentators of the 20th Century.

Niebuhr observed that democratic political systems are naturally confrontational, partisan and given to conflict. Democratic politics is an advancement for human groups that throughout history were prone to settle many conflict without the rules of democracy, which are designed to check group interests and the lust for power.

Human beings are naturally competitive. The contesting of values and viewpoints are designed to produce better outcomes, though given human fallibility and corruption, the best outcomes often do not come to fruition.

Our court system is based on contestation, with prosecution and defence teams vigorously promoting their cases to be adjudicated by judges and juries. There are safeguards like rules of evidence, precedence, judicial reviews and appellate courts. Likewise, in a partybased democracy there are institutions, principally parliament, and rules, conventions and traditions where the final adjudicators in a democracy, the people, elect representatives to debate and to decide on matters affecting the common good.

It is in the political arena that humans contest values, ideas, beliefs – and balance group and individual interests. The lifeblood of parliamentary democracy is a party system based on competition and contest, which are necessary for democratic flourishing. Any citizen may join or support a party to promote their ideas and interests.

Democracy partially evolved in reaction to monarchical or autocratic forms of government. As messy and dysfunctional as it sometimes seems, a competitive party-based system is an advancement in how a society is organized and governed.

Our pluralist constitutional cum parliamentary democracy is designed to ensure a contest for power as a check against one-party rule and dictatorship. Partisans debate their views in a parliament where there are well-established rules to guide its proceedings.

In a presentation to the House of Assembly in 1973 entitled, “The Role of the Opposition”, the late Sir Kendal GL Isaacs noted: “While the majority rules, the opposition must criticise. It has both the power and the duty to keep public opinion on the alert and to try to build up a following so that it may in its turn become the majority.

“There are thus two distinct and necessarily unequal elements in the Constitution – the government and the opposition – each representing different points of view. National policies are arrived at by

means of a compromise between the two.”

Lawmakers and politicians are also guided and bound by the constitution and the courts. And they are checked also by voters and their parties. Our system has even more checks on the political power of the executive than the US system of government.

Some time spent at the National Archives or reading the clippings in the well-kept archives of The Tribune may provide younger reporters as well as older reporters and editors with greater perspective and insight as they write stories and offer commentary on contemporary politics and parliamentary debates.

The ferocious debates in the House of Assembly from the 1960s to the 1990s and 2000s, joined by politicians like Sir Lynden Pindling, Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield, Sir Arthur Foulkes, Hubert Ingraham and other parliamentarians, make contemporary parliamentary contests appear like much tamer affairs.

Many of today’s debates in Parliament are boring and at times insipid, lacking the quality of intellectual rigor, genuine cleverness, and repartee of debaters like Keith Duncombe, Carlton Francis, and others.

Those too young to remember might ask some older heads about when Sir Lynden and then MP Michael Lightbourne almost came to blows. With folk wisdom, tenacity and creative showmanship, Edmund Moxey often patched hell on Sir Lynden.

Some will recall the heated arguments on the floor of the House of Assembly during the debate on the Public Disclosure Bill, the contemptuous treatment by Sir Lynden of the late Speaker

Sir Arlington Butler and Sir Arlington’s masterful response.

A quick world tour, which can be done by any smart device, will quickly reveal how much tamer and less tribal are Bahamian politics and parliamentary debate.

From South and Central America to Africa to Europe to the Middle East to Asia, Bahamians will discover parliaments decidedly more rambunctious and divided than The Bahamas.

The goings-on in the South Korean National Assembly were often so tumultuous that lawmakers had to bring in stricter regulations to stop fights from breaking out. Some parliaments have had to fine members who broke rules and engaged in fighting within the parliamentary chambers.

Our democracy is not threatened by the sometimes overheated rhetoric and sometimes unnecessary tribalism in politics, though we must constantly and vigorously work to uphold rules and conventions.

The greater threat is the ignorance about our system and political history by politicians, parliamentarians, journalists, and commentators, who continue to fail to offer their fellow-citizens greater perspective and understanding of national affairs.

In a presentation in the House of Assembly in 1973 entitled, “The Role of the Opposition”, the late Sir Kendal GL Isaacs, who was Leader of the Opposition at the time, observed: “Professor Andre Mathiot, viewing the British system as it were from the outside, also makes the observation that the strength of the system lies in the entrenchment of the Opposition.

“In his book, The British Political System, Professor Mathiot says, ‘If asked to give a single criterion of

free democratic government, I should say that it depends on the status of the Opposition’.”

Sir Kendal noted: “Professor Mathiot, as other modern scholars of political science, starts with the basic premise that power belongs initially to the people and it is presumed that the people actively participate in the conduct of their affairs.

“Therefore, in practice, government must be by the majority. That is to say, that on any issue where there is an irreconcilable division of opinion, the will of the majority must ultimately prevail.

“Nevertheless, it is essential to the working of the system that genuine efforts be made to accommodate the opinions of the minority and to ensure at least that at all times the Opposition is free to voice their opinions and to have them exposed before the nation with the same facility as the Government’s views are projected.”

Sir Kendal described Professor Mathiot’s view of a democratic system: “A liberal regime on the other hand, admits that the majority is not always right and that others should be at liberty to point out where it is in the wrong, the views of the majority being only an imperfect and transitory reflection of the will of the people.

“Not only is it considered wrong to suppress or disregard opposition, but it is recognised that the opposition, no less than the government, has its own distinctive part to play.”

We have a vibrant and tested system of government. It works best when the institutions of government are populated by leaders who respect democratic values and their fellow citizens who afford them the privilege of serving in high office.

UK election called for July 4

THE United Kingdom’s first election in five years is shaping up as a battle for the country’s soul, with some saying it poses an existential threat to the governing Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010.

The center-right Conservatives took power during the depths of the global financial crisis and have won two more elections since then. But those 14 years have been filled with challenges and controversies, making the Tories, as they are commonly known, easy targets for critics on the left and right.

Labour, which leans to the left, faces its own challenges in shaking off a reputation for irresponsible spending and proving that it has a plan to govern.

Both parties are being ripped apart by the conflict in the Middle East, with the Tories facing charges of Islamophobia and Labour struggling to distance itself from antisemitism that festered under former leader Jeremy Corbyn. Here is a look at the upcoming election and the biggest issues at stake.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set July 4th as the date for the election, months ahead of when it was expected. He had until December to call an election that could have happened as late as Jan. 28, 2025.

The timing of the election is determined by the prime minister’s calculation of the date most advantageous to the ruling Conservatives. It had been expected in the autumn, when a number of economic factors were expected to have improved

their chances, the Institute for Government, a Londonbased think tank, had said. But favourable economic news on Wednesday, with inflation down to 2.3 percent, changed the narrative.

People throughout the United Kingdom will choose all 650 members of the House of Commons for a term of up to five years.

The party that commands a majority in the Commons, either alone or in coalition, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.

That means the results will determine the political direction of the government, which has been led by the center-right Conservatives for the past 14 years. The center-left Labour Party is widely seen to be in the strongest position.

Sunak, a former Treasury chief who has been prime minister since October of 2022, is expected to lead his party into the election.

His primary opponent will be Keir Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions in England and leader of the Labour Party since April 2020.

But other parties, some of which have strong regional support, could be crucial to forming a coalition government if no one wins an overall majority.

The Scottish National Party, which campaigns for Scottish independence, the Liberal Democrats, and the Democratic Unionist Party, which seeks to maintain ties between Britain and Northern Ireland, are currently the three largest parties in Parliament after the Conservatives and Labour.

Many observers suggest the new Reform Party, formed by Tory rebels, may siphon votes from the Conservatives.

What are the big issues at stake?

The economy: Britain has struggled with high inflation and slow economic growth, which have combined to make most people feel poorer. The Conservatives succeeded in meeting their goal of halving inflation, which peaked at 11.1% in October 2022, but the economy slipped into a technical recession in the last six months of 2023, raising questions about the government’s economic policies.

Immigration: Thousands of asylum seekers and economic migrants have crossed the English Channel in flimsy inflatable boats in recent years, raising concerns the government has lost control of Britain’s borders. The Conservatives’ signature policy for stopping the boats is a plan to deport some of these migrants to Rwanda. Critics say the plan violates international law, is inhumane, and will do nothing to stop people fleeing war, unrest and famine.

Healthcare: Britain’s National Health Service, which provides free health care to everyone, is plagued with long waiting lists for everything from dental care to cancer treatment. Newspapers are filled with stories about seriously ill patients forced to wait hours for an ambulance, then longer still for a hospital bed.

The environment: Sunak has backtracked on a series of environmental commitments, pushing back the deadline for ending the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger vehicles and authorizing new oil drilling in the North Sea. Critics say these are the wrong policies at a time the world is trying to combat climate change.

LONDON Associated Press

NAACP calls for DOJ to show commitment to racial equity by pardoning Marilyn Mosby

FORMER American football star O J Simpson’s death seven weeks ago reminded observers of a significant aspect of his 1994 trial on murder charges.

One of the things about Simpson’s eventual acquittal by a Los Angeles jury that really resonated within the black community in the US was the fact that this prominent African-American man was able to ‘beat the justice system’ in a way that had been previously largely reserved for white Americans.

Most Americans believed that Simpson was guilty. But he had money, connections, and was able to befriend and hire several prominent defense attorneys – including Kim Kardashian’s father Robert, by the way – and defeat the prosecutors.

We are now witnessing a drama that also involves manipulation of the American criminal justice to

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

benefit an African-American, via a presidential pardon, which is also more often granted to influential white people.

The principal character in this particular drama is former Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby. Mosby, whose then-husband Nick Mosby was the chair of the Baltimore city council when she served as state’s attorney, was part of perhaps the most powerful political couple in the state of Maryland. And both partners were African-American.

Marilyn Mosby, now out

of office, was convicted last November of perjury and in February of making a false statement to a mortgage lender in connection with her purchase of vacation homes several years ago in Florida.

Federal prosecutors appointed by Trump had brought the charges against Mosby, who fought the Trump administration over various police-related issues in Baltimore that emerged in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis four years ago.

Prominent

African-American politicians, including the Congressional Black Caucus, are now pressing Biden to pardon Mosby, alleging that Mosby’s prosecution was politically motivated.

“We expect more from this current US Department of Justice and would hope that a Trump-era witch hunt would have no place in the Biden administration,” the congressional group wrote to the president.

“Marilyn Mosby’s case is not the only politicallymotivated one,” they continued, “but it is, however, the latest and one of the most egregious cases.”

NAACP president Derrick Johnson issued the following statement: “The sad reality is that, as black women take their rightful places in positions of power, dark forces seek to tear down both their progress and that of our AfricanAmerican community,” he said.

“The NAACP refuses to stand idly by as injustice takes the wheel, driving us down a path of further disparity. We are proud to stand by our (congressional) partners in calling on President Biden and his Department of Justice to reemphasise their commitment to racial equity by pardoning Marilyn Mosby.”

The appeals for clemency for Mosby recall the dozens of pardons issued by Trump, particularly as he was leaving the White House in early 2021, to various people who had aided him politically or were important to key supporters.

In using the term “witch

hunt,” the Congressional Black Caucus is clearly and intentionally imitating the charge levelled daily by Trump at his numerous Democratic-appointed prosecutors in three states and a federal courtroom. The former president constantly implies that the numerous indictments against him for various crimes and misdemeanors are all politically motivated. The Black Caucus and NAACP are returning fire as they seek clemency for a prominent African-American whose prosecution they also allege was politically motivated.

There hasn’t been any decision or even comment from the White House so far. But Biden needs all the black votes he can inspire in November.

There will be pundits who will see all of this as further evidence of increased black access to legal privilege in the US, via the political system. Maybe they are right.

Democrats’ hopes hang on public fury at Supreme Court’s abortion decision

IT’S fair to wonder if anyone would give Democrats a real chance of holding the White House and Senate and recapturing control of the House of Representatives in November if not for the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision two years ago that eliminated federal protection for a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy via abortion.

This decision, that every poll shows is unpopular with at least two-thirds of Americans, is just the political gift that keeps on giving for Democrats. And zealous Republican legislators and governors seemingly cannot help themselves. They keep digging their legislative hole deeper.

Last week the state legislature in Louisiana manoeuvered to list

as controlled dangerous substances two drugs commonly used to terminate a pregnancy. That could put mifepristone and misoprostol in a category similar to heroin and opium. Under this scenario, anyone, but a licensed physician, aiding a woman in acquiring these drugs would face criminal charges. There are further nuances to the Louisiana case. But it’s emblematic of the GOP’s continuing, politically self-defeating zeal to limit women’s reproductive rights.

Abortion is basically illegal now in 17 states, from Florida to Idaho and from West Virginia to Texas. Legislative attempts to ban the procedure are pending court challenges in three other states, and there are partial bans in effect in

three more states. That’s 23 states altogether, representing almost half of the US. But it’s also true that only one of the 17 states that ban abortion is regarded as a “swing state” in the upcoming election. That state is Georgia, and many observers still feel that the Peach State’s critical swing to Biden and to Democratic Senate candidates in 2020 was an outlier unlikely to be repeated this November. Democrats are hoping that abortion will be decisive for Biden and others in the key northern swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and that the issue will also put Arizona in the blue column later this year. That’s where the real effects of the high court’s Dobbs decision are most likely to be felt.

Chief’s Butker’s embarrassing remarks

THE two-time defending NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs are back in the headlines again for two reasons unrelated to their dominance on the football field.

First, the romance between all-star tight end Travis Kelce and pop superstar Taylor Swift is still going strong as far as anyone knows, though we are cautioned by Swift’s well-known use of former boyfriends as inspirations for her sensationally popular songs. Kelce supposedly is the subject of at least one of the songs on her most recent album that was released as her worldwide Eras tour continues.

As soon as the 2024 NFL schedule came out last week, fans rushed to the Chiefs’ website to see when Swift might be spotted at a stadium near them.

But Kansas City’s football champions were also notorious for a less sunny reason. That’s because their talented field goal kicker, Harrison Butker, rocked the NFL with his

sentiments while delivering the commencement speech at a small midwestern church-affiliated college.

Butker, whose hair style and reddish beard remind some of past images of American men who might practice polygamy, had much to say about gays and women and their role in contemporary America.

According to the New Republic magazine’s website, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker referred to Gay Pride Month as one of the “deadly sins”, declared that “things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder, implored men to be “unapologetic in your masculinity”, and, addressing the graduating women specifically, said “I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world”.

Numerous pundits expressed shock and

surprise that any university commencement speaker could replace protestors against Israeli actions in occupied Gaza in the headlines. But Butker did just that.

This 28-year-old, who was educated at Atlanta’s posh and exclusive Westminster School and at prestigious Georgia Tech, clearly caught the NFL’s executives on Fifth Avenue in New York City off guard just as they succeeded once again in enlarging the release of this season’s schedule to the status of headline news.

The league responded quickly, noting that “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organisation,” said a league vice president.

But we likely won’t see Butker cut or traded by Kansas City for his embarrassing remarks. He’s one of the top clutch kickers in the league, and won February’s Super Bowl for the Chiefs in overtime.

China and The Bahamas after 27 years: Working hand in hand for a better future

By CUI WEI, Chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in The Bahamas

ON May 23, 1997, the People’s Republic of China and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas signed a joint communique and established diplomatic relations, opening a new and historic chapter in the relations between the two countries and their people. Since then, The Bahamas has firmly adhered to the oneChina principle, which has been highly appreciated by China and laid a solid foundation for the healthy and fast development of the bilateral relations.

Over the past 27 years, both governments and parliaments have had frequent high-level exchanges, deepening mutual political trust. The latest two examples are the successful visit to Nassau by Mr Xiao Jie, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of independence of The Bahamas

in July last year, and the successful joint visit to China by the Hon. Patricia Deveaux, Speaker of the House of Assembly, and the Hon. Julie LaShell Adderley, President of the Senate last month. China appreciates The Bahamas for supporting the idea of building a global community of shared future and the Global Development Initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping. The mutually beneficial cooperation between China and The Bahamas has been fruitful. The latest example was the successful commencement of the Thomas Robinson National Stadium renovation project, which guaranteed the successful convening of the 2024 World Athletics Relays. In the meantime, we are also happy to see more and more Chinesemade EVs in the streets of Nassau, which serves as an example of how China’s clean energy technologies benefit the world, including The Bahamas.

Cultural and peopleto-people exchanges have

RF Group promoting healthy initiatives

THE RF Group (RF) recently took part in a number of initiatives to promote health.

The group actively participated in Autism Awareness Month through various initiatives – including joining the Bahamas Autism Fun Run, lighting its head office in Nassau blue, and encouraging local team members to wear special shirts throughout the month to generate awareness.

The company is also supporting the 22nd Annual Cancer Ball: The Essence of Africa, organised by the Cancer Society of The Bahamas and to be held on May 25. RF is also providing four water stops along the route

of the Barbados Prostate Cancer Run/Walk on May 26.

RF group president and CEO Michael Anderson said: “Our team cares deeply about the communities in which we operate, and RF remains steadfast in its commitment to making a meaningful difference in The Bahamas, Barbados, and Cayman Islands. These recent donations further our mission to support individuals and foster healthy, vibrant communities where everyone can flourish. We’re dedicated to actively seeking out and providing the necessary support to ensure that everyone in our community can lead a healthy and prosperous life.”

bridged China and The Bahamas. The exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education, culture, sports, health and media have been deepened continuously. The latest example was the announcement of the new round of the Bright Journey Programme, in which the Chinese medical team of

ophthalmologists will come to Nassau for the third time to carry out free cataract surgeries for Bahamian patients later this year, demonstrating once again the friendship between the two countries which is “a friend in need is a friend indeed”.

The past 27 years mark a journey of solid development

of China-Bahamas relations, which brings tangible benefits to the two peoples and sets up a model of treating each other as equals and conducting win-win cooperation between developing countries regardless of their size. Looking ahead, the Chinese Embassy wishes to work together with the

Bahamian government and friends from all walks of life to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, enhance friendship between our peoples, and elevate bilateral cooperation to a higher level. Let’s join hands and work together to create a better tomorrow for our bilateral relations.

PICTURED (L-R) are Tatum Gaitor (RF Donations), Vernique Henfield (Cancer Society), & Jontra Harvey (RF Donations)

CHINA’s Acting Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Wang Xuexian, and Ambassador Harcourt Turnquest of The Bahamas to the UN signing the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations in New York.

PM promises BPL solution in ‘next two weeks or so’

hours in New Providence,” the company said in a statement. “BPL is presently working with its rental generation partners to return at least 10MW of power to the grid within the next 24 hours, and another 10MW should be available by the end of (this) week (May 25, 2024).

“Additionally, BPL is working to return three units that are offline due to scheduled maintenance by the end of the month. These units will add 59 MW to the current capacity.”

“The company maintains that load shedding remains a possibility if unforeseen incidents impact available capacity at its plants and if temperatures continue to hover over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, increasing demand. Nonetheless, BPL assures its customers that it uses all available resources to limit supply interruptions.”

GOVERNOR GENERAL, Her Excellency Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, received the Institute of Internal Auditors Bahamas Chapter in a courtesy call at the Office of the Governor General on Tuesday.

Photo: Letisha Henderson/BIS

HER Excellency Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, Governor General, administered the Oath of Allegiance and the Judicial Oath and presented the Instrument of Appointment to Darron Ellis, Acting Stipendiary and Circuit Magistrate, as Acting Justice of the Supreme Court at the Office of the Governor General on Tuesday.

Photo: Letisha Henderson/BIS

SPORTS

15

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2024

Teams advance in high school soccer nationals

By TENAJH SWEETING

Three teams kept their quest of winning the 2024 Samuel P Haven Jr High School Soccer Nationals alive yesterday at Roscow A L Davies Soccer Field

BLTA NAMES DAVIS, BILLIE JEAN KING CUP TEAMS

while another trio of teams were eliminated from the tournament.

The Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves clobbered the St John’s College Giants 7-0 in the second matchup of Wednesday’s triple header.

The St Andrew’s International School Hurricanes narrowly edged out the RM Bailey Pacers 1-0 in the penalty shootout.

Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves vs St John’s College Giants

The Timberwolves came out strong against the Giants in the first

The 2024 GSSSA senior girls champions CR Walker Knights were in top form against the Queen’s College Comets to eliminate them 2-0.

‘JJ’ is the fastest player in WNBA history to grab 2,000 rebounds, make 250 3s

JONQUEL ‘JJ’ Jones already has a long list of notable career accolades and she recently added one more during the New York Liberty’s recent four-game winning streak.

During the first week of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season, the Grand Bahamian forward became the fastest player in the league’s history to amass 2,000 rebounds and knock down 250 three-pointers.

As for the Liberty, their current 4-0 win/loss record represents the best start for the franchise since the 2007 WNBA season.

The 2023 WNBA Championship finalists extended their winning streak over the weekend against the 1-3 Seattle Storm, dominating them 74-63 at the Barclays Centre.

Jones had her second highest scoring output of the young season with 16 points and eight rebounds. On the defensive end, she blocked two shots and offensively she was efficient, shooting 5-for-9 on 55.6 per cent shooting from the field and was perfect on her five attempts at the charity stripe.

The 30-year-old post player appears to be healthy and more comfortable in her second season with the team. She

is averaging 17.3 points per game (ppg), 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 55.8 per cent from the field and 43.8 per cent from deep over this four-game stretch.

On Monday, the Liberty went on a 21-9 run during the first quarter against Seattle at home helping them to a 12-point cushion (27-15) moving into the second quarter.

Meanwhile, at the 8:48 mark of the opening quarter, Jones passed former WNBA forward/centre Lauren Jackson as the fastest player to rack up 2,000 rebounds and make 250 three-pointers. She joined a shortlist of just eight players to attain those marks and is the sixth fastest player to hit the 2,000 rebounds feat.

Both teams then struggled to score in the second period of the contest but the Liberty managed to remain in charge 36-24.

For the Storm, it was the lowest scoring total in a first half by a Liberty competitor in six years.

The Libs kept the momentum rolling in the second half when threepoint specialist Sabrina Ionescu, who scored a game-high 20 points, got the ball to Jones with 8:25 on the clock for a layup that would push the team in front 41-28.

Seattle stormed back late in the third behind a layup made by Mercedes Russell to shave the margin

THE SPORTS CALENDAR

half and left the team demoralised the rest of the way. The reigning GSSSA senior boys’ champions scored on five separate occasions in just the first half of the game to take control 5-0 at halftime.

Head coach Cleon Carnegie said the strategy was just to stick to

SEE PAGE 16

down to 10 but it was never enough against the Liberty. Since defeating the Washington Mystics in the season opener, New York has steamrolled all of their recent opponents by an average of 15 points per game. Before taking down Seattle, the Liberty

TRACK RED-LINE YOUTH CLASSIC REGISTRATION is currently underway for the Red-Line Athletics’ third annual Youth Classic. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 25 from 11am to 5pm and on Sunday, May 26 from 1-5pm. Athletes can register at Redlineathletics242@gmail..com. The deadline is May 20.

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) has named its 2024 Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) teams. On the Davis Cup side, we have The Bahamas’ top player Justin Roberts, who was invited and accepted a spot when he attained Top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) 800 in the world earlier in the year, Rodney Carey Jr, Michael Major Jr, Donte Armbrister and Denali Nottage. The BLTA has added the fifth player in consultation with the coach to ensure adequate coverage in the DC Americas Group III this year.

Baker Newman, who was invited to the team based on his 2023 Giorgio Baldacci Nationals results, communicated his inability to represent The Bahamas at the 2024 Davis Cup.

Kevin Major Jr, who was his replacement, was also sent an invitation and

SEE PAGE 17

pummeled rookie Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in a home-and-away series.

The Grand Bahama native and the Eastern Conference leaders dished out a 102-66 drubbing on the road against the Fever. While at home, the end result was closer but

May, 2024

still the same as the Liberty won 91-80 this time around. Next up on the schedule for this Eastern Conference powerhouse team will be rookie Angel Reese and the 1-1 Chicago Sky. The game is slated for 7pm tonight at the Barclays Center.

By TENAJH SWEETING

POWERLIFTING is not the most popular sport in The Bahamas by any means but that has not stopped Bahamian powerlifter Kraschanda Oliver from carving out her own path to success.

Just a few months removed from winning the women’s powerlifting title in January, Oliver won again in the women’s raw open 90kg class at the USA Powerlifting Ghost Summer Slam 2 in Miami, Florida, two weeks ago.

The win was particularly significant as she also managed to qualify for the 2024 USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals scheduled to take place September 5-8 in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was a big goal of hers.

The 35-year-old acknowledged that she found it “surprising” to witness herself continue to surpass different milestones after being in the sport for less

SEE PAGE 16

DE SOUZA CROWNED ILCA BAHAMAS OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPION 2024

TRIATHLON THIRD BEAUTIFUL

BAHAMAS EVENT THE Sea Waves Triathlon Club will hold its third annual Beautiful Bahamas Aquathon and Triathlon, sponsored by the Bahamas Triathlon Association, on Saturday, May 26 at 7am. The event will serve as a qualifier for the 2024 CARIFTA Aquathon

Crystal trophies will be presented to the winners in the under-7 to under-15 divisions, trophies to the divisional winners and medals for the top three finishers in each event. Trophies will also be presented to the winners for the Elimination mile, open 4 x 400m and distance medley relays. The event will cater to all of the track and field events for the age group athletes ranging from 8-and under-20. There will also be one or two events for the open category. Interested persons can contact RedLine Athletics’ coach Tito Moss at 425-4262 for further details.

SEE PAGE 17

IN a competitive mixed fleet of 28 sailors, defending champion Paul de Souzaheach coach at the Bahamas National Sailing School - was crowned the ILCA Bahamas National Champion 2024. The fleet was the largest in recent years and it consisted of both male and female and adult and junior sailors, with competitors from Nassau, Grand Bahama, Exuma, Eleuthera and Harbour Island.

It was a battle of the coaches for top three overall, with Martin Manrique from Eleuthera Sailing Academy placing second overall and Pedro Rahming, senior instructor at the Bahamas National Sailing School, placing third, all of whom sailed in the Olympic class ILCA 7 (full rig).

Eighteen-year-old Alvington McKenzie, originally from Exuma (and who currently trains with Sarasota

PAUL de Souza, left, heach coach at the Bahamas National Sailing School, is the ILCA

Youth Sailing), would have been a challenger for Top 3 had he not had equipment failure in the first race and was subsequently unable to compete in the second race. Alvington will represent The Bahamas in the summer in the U21 Youth World

Championships in Portugal. Awards were also presented to the top three sailors in both the ILCA 6 and the ILCA 4 (smaller rigs). In the ILCA 6, 16-yearold Norman Cartwright and

NEW York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones (35) blocks the shot of Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith during the second half of a WNBA basketball game on Saturday in New York. The New York Liberty won 91-80. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Kraschanda Oliver qualifies for Powerlifting Nationals

PAUL DE SOUZA IS ILCA BAHAMAS OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPION

FROM PAGE 15

15-year-old Eliza Denning placed 1st and 2nd respectively, with 16-yearold Ellanne Higgins one point behind in 3rd place.

Norman was also the top junior and Eliza the top female overall.

In the ILCA 4 (used primarily as a youth class and for lighter weight sailors) the top finishers were experienced Optimist sailors Mary Jac Nash (1st), Patrick Tomlinson (2nd), both representing Lyford Cay Sailing, and Joss Knowles (3rd) of the Exuma Sailing Club.

Lori Lowe, president of the Bahamas Sailing Association, noted “it is fantastic to see the growth of the ILCA class in The

Bahamas and highlights the importance of junior sailing programmes both in Nassau and throughout the Family Islands to develop sailing talent in all ages and across The Bahamas.”

Norman Cartwright and Eliza Denning have previously qualified to represent The Bahamas at the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships in Italy in July, which allows only one male and one female per country in the ILCA class.

Six junior sailors - Mary Jac Nash, Sienna Jones, Eliza Denning, Joss Knowles, John Alexiou, and Craig Ferguson II - will also represent The Bahamas at the 2024 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships being held June 22-30 in Portugal.

FROM PAGE 15

than a year. “It is definitely something that surprises me, not because I do not think I am good at it but because I continue to exceed my own expectations in this arena. I am hoping to do the same thing at Nationals in Utah on September 8. We have about 16 weeks of training and I am back in training now so I am looking forward to bringing home another title on a larger scale and bigger stage. It is definitely something I have to bring my A-game for,” Oliver said.

The qualifying standard for the powerlifting nationals for the women’s 90kg class was 445kg (981 lbs). The powerlifter notched 162.5kg (358 lbs) in the squat. She bench pressed 95kg (209 lbs) and deadlifted a personal best 192.5kg (424 lbs). The total of the three rounded up to 450kg (992 lbs).

After hitting a new personal best, Oliver and her coach Dominique Munroe will be working towards a new mark for the next

16 weeks heading into the USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals.

“Preparation for nationals is gonna be a bit different because we are trying to get a different total. We are trying to raise my numbers significantly. I am going for a 500-plus deadlift so I am gonna see how that works out for me. The intensity has went up a lot and my coach Dominique Munroe has created a different programme for me to try this time to see how it works out. It is always very hard and never easy but I am prepared for it and to get in there and make it happen,” she said.

The Bahamian powerlifter has worked as a personal trainer for over seven years and finally made the decision to compete in powerlifting starting with her first show in January where she was awarded best female powerlifter. Despite her many successes in such a short time, she noted that the journey is sometimes a gruelling one.

“I know people look at me and think it comes easy but it doesn’t. You are not

always motivated. You do not always wanna train. My manager and bestfriend Cache Armbrister trains with me sometimes and if I do not have that motivation and push sometimes it can be difficult. However, you still have to find that for yourself when you are alone and I train 80 per cent of the time by myself. It is something you really and truly have to want,” she said. With that being said, Oliver is locked in and ready to take on the next milestone.

“It is something you have to mentally prepare yourself for. I am preparing myself for it and I am ready. If I have done the other training and I wasn’t prepared then, I know I am definitely more prepared now seeing that I have trained before. It is gonna be intense but I am hoping to document this training a bit better so people can see the process,” she added. She will train over the next few months for the USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals in early September.

Teams advance in high school soccer nationals

FROM PAGE 15

their identity. “The strategy was just to keep our identity and stick to our game plan of keeping the ball away from them as much as possible. We knew they had a good goalkeeper and many of the plays didn’t work out well but our plan was to play the ball away from him and many of the ideas came into fruition,” Carnegie said. Within the first 10 minutes of gameplay, the trio of Djino Bazam, McKenzie Chery and Arayshio Green all connected on goals against the Giants.

Chery would pull off the hat trick as he scored his second and third goal at the 17:00 mark of the first half and 57th minute of the second half.

The Timberwolves also got goals from Carlos Marcelian and Clayton Townsend.

The latter put the stamp on an already dominant win when the Timberwolves misfired on a penalty kick which resulted in him sneaking the ball past the Giants’ goalkeeper in the game’s final minute. Carnegie is hoping the team can build on the positives observed on day one of the soccer nationals. “We just want to work on the things that didn’t go so well and keep the things that went well because our plan is to go all the way and win this thing,” he said. CR Walker Knights vs Queen’s College Comets The GSSSA reigning senior girls’ champions pounced on the Comets early in the match. They got their first of two goals in the first half from an unlikely source, La’Varanique Knowles.

position, she credited mental willpower and Coach Weightman’s confidence in her for the heroic performance.

“My mental strength has to be at 100 per cent right now because the energy I am feeling is up there. I never played that position before and I thank him for putting me out there to actually show what I am capable of,” she said.

very proud of the girls with how they have come this season and to get to nationals was a big achievement. The fact that we have now managed to go out and win this game is really good,” coach Mustard said. She described the moment as “exciting”, especially for the girls in their final year at the school.

“It is really exciting. I am really happy for the girls. For some of them this is their last season for St Andrew’s,” she said.

“It feels amazing to make my team proud. I never really thought I had

Her coach Dan Weightman displayed confidence in the 16-year-old, who is a bench player, slotting her into the lineup as a striker and she delivered. The eleventh grader helped the Lady Knights to a 1-0 lead at the halftime break and continued the momentum in the second half.

it but I came out and I accomplished it for them,” Knowles said. She fired from just inside the middle of the penalty box to sink the second ball to the back of the net giving the Lady Knights a 2-0 advantage in the victory. In just her first time playing in the striker

St Andrew’s Hurricanes vs RM Bailey Pacers The Hurricanes and Pacers played each other closely the entire game leaving both teams scoreless to prompt a penalty shootout. Ultimately, it would be River Smith who saved the day for St Andrew’s as both teams struggled to connect on their attempts in the penalty.

Head coach Marisa Mustard was proud of the effort displayed by the group.

“It was a very close game. I was very impressed and

The Samuel P Haven Jr High School Soccer Nationals elimination rounds will continue today at the RALD Soccer Field starting with the girls’ division featuring the Lyford Cay International School Dragons versus Anatol Rodgers. Matchups begin at 4:30pm.

BAHAMIAN powerlifter Kraschanda Oliver has carved out her own path to success.

BAHAMIAN powerlifter Kraschanda Oliver, just a few months removed from winning the women’s powerlifting title in January, won again in the women’s raw open 90kg class at the USA Powerlifting Ghost Summer Slam 2 in Miami, Florida.

PAUL de Souza, heach coach at the Bahamas National Sailing School, is the ILCA Bahamas National Champion 2024. he can be seen here with other sailors who won awards.

PLAY ACTION: Teams from both the BAISS and GSSSA kicked it into high gear on day one of the Samuel P Haven Jr Soccer Nationals at the Roscow A L Davies Soccer Field.

Doncic leads strong close by Mavericks for 108-105 win over Wolves in Game 1

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

— Luka Doncic had 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 108-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals last night.

Kyrie Irving scored 24 of his 30 in the first half for the Mavericks, who trailed 102-98 after a 3-pointer by Anthony Edwards with 3:37 left before an 8-0 run the Wolves didn’t stop until a tip-in with 10.5 seconds to go.

Jaden McDaniels had his third straight 20-plus-point game with 24 points for the Wolves, but Edwards — who earned his first AllNBA selection prior to the game, on the second team — was stifled for 19 points

BLTA NAMES DAVIS, BILLIE JEAN KING CUP TEAMS

FROM PAGE 15

declined the invitation to represent the country. Level 2 Coach Ricardo Demeritte will captain the team of Justin Roberts, Rodney Carey Jr, Michael Major Jr, Donte Armbrister and Denali Nottage.

All members have represented The Bahamas on the Davis Cup previously with Michael Major Jr debuting in his first Davis Cup.

The team plays in Paraguay June 17-22.

The following nine teams will compete in Americas Group III in 2024: Bahamas, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Paraguay. Three teams will be promoted, and two teams will be relegated.

The Bahamas’ BJKC team was also named. The following persons will be representing Simone Pratt, Sydney Clarke, Danielle Thompson and Tatyana Madu.

All players have represented The Bahamas previously, with Tatyana Madu debuting for the first time. The captain of the team is Level 1 Coach Kim O’Kelley and the team will be competing August 5-10 in Trinidad and Tobago at the National Racquet Centre. Two nations will be promoted.

“Both teams have a tremendous amount of talent and we are pleased with the balanced representation with four players hailing from Grand Bahama - Simone, Tatyana, Rodney and Denali. The BLTA wishes both teams the very best as they represent The Bahamas on the global stage. We also wish to address untruths circulating in reference to the 2024 U16 team who recently represented the country.

“After coach Spencer Newman, who led the boys to the championship, was unable to serve coach Ricardo Demeritte, who was selected, withdrew allowing for another coach to be selected.

“At no time was coach Demeritte replaced. Persons are seeking to disparage players and coaches who serve on teams and are not allowing persons who are fully able to function in their role. “The association and not players select coaches and it is unfortunate when talented players decide not to represent because their preferred coach is not selected.

“The BLTA did indeed send an email invite for

in a team effort from the Mavericks.

Karl-Anthony Towns needed a late burst to get to 16 points and finished 6 for 20 from the floor. The star power in this series is strong, and for the first night at least the Mavericks got what they needed from their leading duo while the Wolves largely struggled to run the offence around theirs.

Dallas had a 62-38 advantage in points in the paint to offset a 6-for-25 shooting performance from deep.

Towns came to life with a long jumper, a lob to Rudy Gobert for a slam and a 3-pointer on a 2-minute burst to give the Wolves the lead back with 4:39 to go on the way to a 10-0 run that Doncic ended with a 3-pointer.

P.J. Washington, who had 13 points and seven

dunk on the next possession, but that was waved off for basket interference.

Edwards, who went scoreless in the third quarter, added 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Neither team led by more than nine. Minnesota hosts Game 2 on Friday night.

Doncic was relatively quiet until he scored seven

straight points over 63 seconds early in the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks stretched that to a 13-0 run for a 97-89 lead that Edwards finally ended with a 3-pointer after another helter-skelter possession.

The Wolves had two days off after dethroning defending champion Denver with a Game 7 comeback from a 20-point deficit to win the second-round series, and the transition was sharp from the Nuggets and NBA MVP Nikola Jokic’s

deliberate and powerful style to the pick-and-rollheavy Mavericks.

Irving’s stunning burst on the break and on the drive presented a unique challenge the Wolves and their league-leading defence didn’t face in the last round, when they held the Nuggets to an average of 85 points over their four wins.

The Mavericks frequently sprung loose off screens for wide-open dunks.

McDaniels, who played his usual relentless defence on the perimeter, was the catalyst on the other end of the court too with five 3-pointers in the first half, but Towns had trouble getting shots to fall and

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association has named its 2024 Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams. On the Davis Cup side, we have The Bahamas’ top player Justin Roberts, Rodney Carey Jr, Michael Major Jr, Donte Armbrister and Denali Nottage. Simone Pratt, Sydney Clarke, Danielle Thompson and Tatyana Madu will be representing The Bahamas in the Billie Jean King Cup.

Edwards found his driving lanes constantly clogged.

The Mavericks have cranked up their defence since adding Daniel Gafford and Washington at the trade deadline, as topseeded Oklahoma City can attest after losing in six games in the last round.

The Wolves have had the superior depth in each round so far, and Kyle Anderson gave them a vital 11 points in the first half.

Naz Reid had 15 points, including a fast-break layup followed by a steal from Doncic to set up a 3-pointer by Edwards at the end of the first quarter that put the Wolves up 33-27 and had the crowd roaring.

PAGE 15

and Triathlon. Categories for boys and girls are 16-19, 13-15, 11-12, 9-10 and 8-and-under. However, to compete in their respective age groups, athletes must not change birthdays by December 31, 2024.

SOCCER HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL CLASSIC THE Bahamas Football Association, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Technical & Vocational Training, is hosting the Samuel P Haven Jr High School Soccer Nationals 2024 at the Roscow AL Davies Fields.

Here’s a look at the schedule of events: Thursday 4:30pm - Lyford Cay Intl. vs. Anatol Rodgers. 5pm - Boys Division: Government High School vs. Windsor. 6pm - Boys Division: Lyford Cay Intl. vs. CR Walker.

May 27 - 10am - Draw for Semi Finals pairings at the Roscow AL Davies Field. May 30 - Semi-finals 4:30 and 6pm. May 30 - Finals.

4pm - 3rd Place Boys and Girls.

5:30pm - Girls Championship game.

7pm - Boys Championship game.

JOHNSON’S BASKETBALL CAMP

GET ready for the annual Coach Kevin Johnson’s Basketball Camp 2024.

Coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson has announced that his camp will run from June 24 to July 12 at the CI Gibson Secondary High School and will run daily from 9am to 1pm. For $120 for three weeks, campers will get a chance to play and learn the fundamentals of the game of basketball from professional instructors.Interested persons can sign up by contacting coach Johnson at 636-9350 or email: coachkjjohnson@ gmail.com

BASKETBALL

NEX-GEN

THE third annual Nex-Gen Elite Training Basketball Camp, hosted by JR Basketball Academy, is all set for June 24 to July 13 from 9am to noon at the Telios Indoor Gymnasium on Carmichael Road. The camp, powered by Frazier’s Roofing, will provide training for game situations, shooting, passibng, ball handling, defense and footwork for boys and girls between the ages of 8-19 years. Registration is now open. Interested persons can contact Cadot at 535-9354, email jrcbasketballacademy.com or go online to www.jrcbasketballacademy. com

TIMBERWOLVES guard Anthony Edwards (5) looks to pass over Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals last night. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)