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Volume: 119 No.129, May 27, 2022

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Teachers reject salary proposals

But union will hold ALL SMILES FOR COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY off on industrial action for one week

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson says the union will hold off on industrial action for one week, after revealing that members have twice rejected counter proposals from government as it relates to salaries for members.

In a general membership meeting on May 19, 2022, the president explained the full proposal presented by the government to members, but they unanimously rejected that salary proposal.

Another meeting held on May 24 saw 99 percent of BUT members vote to take industrial action, she said.

SEE PAGE THREE

GOVERNMENT TO PUSH FOR PRIVATE SECTOR MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said government intends to push for a minimum wage increase in the private sector in the wake of rising costs in the country.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mr Halkitis said the National Tripartite Council, the body responsible for all labour-related matters in The Bahamas, and other stakeholders have already met to discuss the matter.

He also revealed that a presentation on the proposed wage increase for workers in the private sector is expected to be made to the Davis administration soon.

“It is the intention for it to go into the private sector as well,” he said during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

“As you know, there is what you call the (National) Tripartite Council, which is a collaboration between the government (and) the labour segment represented SEE PAGE FOUR

GRADUATES are all smiles during yesterday’s University of the Bahamas Commencement ceremony held at the Imperial Ballroom at the Atlantis resort. The 2022 Commencement theme is ‘We Survived, Now we Thrive: Succeeding Against the Odds’.

PHOTO: Moise Amisial

LONG ISLAND MP ADRIAN GIBSON BEING QUESTIONED BY POLICE ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Leamond Deleveaux confirmed yesterday that Long Island MP Adrian Gibson was in police custody and being questioned in relation to an ongoing probe into the Water and Sewerage Corporation.

While he declined further comment on the

matter, Mr Gibson’s attorney Romona Farquharson Seymour when contacted last night said the matter was ongoing and she would have a lot more to say today when she hoped police would be done with their probe.

She maintained that Mr Gibson was being SEE PAGE THREE

TOP AVIATION BODY: DELAY CUSTOMS REGIME TO 2023

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The world’s largest aviation association is urging The Bahamas to delay implementing a new border entry and exit regime for private pilots until early 2023 amid fears the process will be “very tedious, cumbersome and unintuitive”.

Mark Baker, president and chief executive of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), in a May 24, 2022, letter to deputy prime minister, Chester Cooper, called on the Government to delay the introduction of Customs’ Click2Clear system for private aviation until the end of the 2023 first quarter.

SEE BUSINESS SECTION

HALKITIS: OPPOSITION ‘DEAD WRONG’ ON BUDGET

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SENATOR Michael Halkitis yesterday defended the prime minister’s budget presentation in face of the opposition’s criticisms as he rejected their claims that the budget failed to address inflationary costs.

Calling the opposition’s assertions “dead wrong”, the economic affairs minister pointed to several relief initiatives announced by

MINISTER of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis. the government to assist Bahamians struggling with the cost of living.

Among the proposed

measures he highlighted was the government’s plan to reduce duty on construction materials and a number of food items, particularly poultry products.

He said the measures are expected to lessen the burden on Bahamians struggling to cope with high food prices and the cost to do home repairs and construction.

“The fact of the matter is you know, the issue that has been exercising SEE PAGE FOUR

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

DIANE PHILLIPS:

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US?

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

THUMBS UP FOR ‘LUNCH TIME’ THE SANDALS Foundation alongside FOAM (Families Of All Murder Victims) distributed free lunches, cold drinks and back to school supplies during their ‘Lunch Time is the Best Time’ event outside the FOAM Community Centre on Alexandria Boulevard yesterday.

PHOTOS: Moise Amisial

THE TRIBUNE

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper.

DEPUTY PM TO HEAD DELEGATION TO QATAR AND SAUDI ARABIA DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper will head a delegation of Bahamian ministerial and technical experts to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this weekend.

Mr Cooper, minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said the purpose of this mission is to engage in mutual interest and cooperation around aviation, investments and financial services while positioning The Bahamas as the regional leader in sustainable tourism.

“We are seeking to connect the Americas to the rest of the world and to be the gateway in the region for the Middle East and Asia,” he said in a press statement yesterday.

The delegation will focus mainly on the aviation sector, with the aim of establishing avenues of technical cooperation and opportunities for training, particularly in the areas of aviation safety oversight, deepening air connectivity and positioning The Bahamas to become the logistical hub for aviation and tourism in the region.

The deputy prime minister said one of the main goals of such trips is to increase the diversification of the country’s visitor profile.

“We are aware that visitors who travel from the Middle East and beyond will likely have longer stays and increased visitor spend,” he said.

“Therefore, we will be discussing ways to raise our tourism profile in these countries, with the expected result being an increased airlift, seat capacity and overall visitor arrivals to The Bahamas.”

The mission will also explore opportunities for investment and public private partnerships from the development funds of both governments, as well as the private sector in those countries.

The governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia have invited the delegation and have agreed to substantially underwrite the costs associated with the visit.

The deputy prime minister’s delegation will include Minister of Economic Affairs Senator Michael Halkitis, and acting director of aviation and deputy director of tourism Dr Kenneth Romer, director of Civil Aviation Alexander Ferguson and director of investments Phylicia Woods-Hanna.

The delegation begins travel on Friday, May 27, and will return on Friday, June 3, 2022.

LONG ISLAND MP ADRIAN GIBSON BEING QUESTIONED

BY POLICE FROM PAGE ONE

“targeted”, adding that he stood by his record as former executive chairman of WSC. Police were said to have taken Mr Gibson for a search yesterday, after he was questioned for hours.

It remains unclear where that search took place.

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 3

Education budgets ‘have been underfunded for a while’ EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin speaking yesterday. Photo: Moise Amisial EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin says while budgets for her ministry have been underfunded over the years, she is hoping the financial provisions this fiscal cycle are more in line with what is expected of the placement of education.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ budget communication on Wednesday set in motion over the next few weeks presentations to the country regarding the plans for each ministerial portfolio.

Asked if her ministry’s budget was sufficient upon taking office, Mrs Hanna Martin said: “Me personally, I think that education budgets have been underfunded for a while.

“The global measure tells us that it should be about 20 percent of GDP and that is not happening.

“So, I intend to, as I sit around the table, to be a stronger advocate but not just for more money but money that is strategically and effectively deployed in the advancement of education.

“We are being advised

by UNESCO and it is the expected norm for what education is designed to do and the effect it has on national development. It trains, prepares, builds capacity. It’s the foundation of national development and so it should be proportionately represented in the budget. I think that’s the

principle.”

Asked if she was looking for an increase this time around, the minister responded: “What I am looking for is a budget that is more consonant with what is expected of the placement of education and national development and I am not sure we’ve seen that yet.”

She was also asked what Bahamians could expect from her upcoming budget presentation.

According to Mrs Hanna Martin she intends to speak about the measures that must be taken following Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to speaking of what is expected to come in

the future.

“The fact that we have faced so many challenges in this country, including natural disasters, portions of this nation Abaco and Grand Bahama have been severely hit and it has impacted education and then the pandemic which has impacted everybody, everywhere in this country in education.

“So, I want to talk about that and the fact that there are some things that we are gonna have to do to recover from these two forces that have influenced the lack of progress in education.

“Then I want to speak futuristically about the new paradigms, the new avenues, the new interventions in education that will bring

about a more 21st century engagement of young people and that will help us understand more substantively what influences affect our ability to do as well as we can, under performance or performance.

“So we’re going to be doing research and I’m going to talk about the research and I want to speak progressively about tertiary education and the expansion of tertiary education for our young people and then technical and vocational education, which is a brand new thrust which I think will be major and I think will have a positive affect on the advancement of young people on this nation.”

MINISTER CONFIDENT OVER CONTACT TRACING

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin said she is confident in the ability of health officials to properly trace students, teachers and faculty at schools where there have been positive COVID-19 cases.

Her comments came after Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson said the union was concerned about the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ capacity to properly conduct contact tracing in view of cases in schools and communities.

“It’s our Ministry of Health,” Mrs Hanna Martin told reporters yesterday. “I know the challenge is huge that they are dealing with, but I am confident that they will do the work that they are obliged to do, but it is a big task.

“That is why we have to all be a part of the solution and cooperate in ensuring that we’re able to get ahead of this situation so it will involve things like safety protocols.

It will involve things like being able to be proactive if you see symptoms not to come to the school, doing

testing, including teachers without any hesitation.

“All of these things - cooperate with the Ministry of Health. So, I think we have to understand that a pandemic is not a one dimensional approach. It is our full cooperation and I’m certain we can always strengthen areas and I’m sure as time moves and as weaknesses are seen there will be a strengthening of where any vulnerabilities are seen.”

The minister also weighed in on an announcement on Wednesday by

the prime minister of a pay increase to teachers, along with retention pay for those in the profession.

“I was very elated to hear that the compensation for teachers will be increased in any shape or form,” she said.

“I think that as we move forward we would have a more coordinated look at the compensation of teachers and that’s something we’re looking at now, including the career path for teachers but as a first impetus I was really happy because it is well deserved and long overdue.”

Teachers reject salary proposals BAHAMAS Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson.

FROM PAGE ONE Mrs Wilson made the comments in a message to members last night. It came the day after Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told Parliament during his 2022/2023 budget presentation that salary increases were planned for teachers, adding that both educators and nurses were to receive retention bonuses.

However, last night, when contacted for clarity Mrs Wilson said she had no clue what the prime

minister was talking about.

“I find it necessary to address the announcement made by the honourable prime minister in the House of Assembly yesterday, Wednesday, May 25, 2022 during the budget communication,” she told teachers.

“Firstly, though let me remind you that we held a general membership meeting on Thursday, May 19, 2022 where I explained the full proposal presented by the government and where you, the members,

unanimously rejected the government’s salary proposal.

“We held another general membership meeting on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, where 99 percent of you voted to take industrial action.

“Please note that the prime minister never stated an amount of the proposed salary increase for teachers and the concerns we’ve expressed about the retention bonus have not yet been adequately addressed.

“As you are also aware we have rejected the government’s counter proposal twice. So, as of today, Thursday, May the 26, 2022, I do not have a revised salary proposal from the government.”

Mrs Wilson said having communicated with the government’s lead negotiator, she was expecting a revised salary proposal that is reflective of teachers, teacher’s aides, librarians and guidance counselors as professionals.

She continued: “Negotiations will resume next week Thursday, June 2, 2022.

So, in the spirit of industrial goodwill the Bahamas Union of Teachers will hold off on industrial action for one week.

“If the salary proposal is ​ unacceptable, it will be rejected again.

“Keep ya tennis ready, take out ya walking shoes, but I must caution you to stay focused. Do not get caught up in the hype and the rhetoric.”

PAGE 4, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

GOVERNMENT TO PUSH FOR PRIVATE SECTOR MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE FROM PAGE ONE by the labour unions and as well as the employers who are represented by the Bahamas Employment Federation and so what they do is they collaborate and they get together and then they make suggestions to the government on what the quantum should be and what the timing should be.

“I understand that they are very close to making that presentation to the government. So, yes, it’s a long way to say yes. It is the intention…”

He said the decision will “include collaboration and the tripartite council as well so we expect that to follow shortly after, or ideally at the same time.”

Mr Halkitis spoke the day after Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis announced proposed minimum wage increases for workers in the public sector as part of his administration’s efforts to provide relief to hurting Bahamians.

While delivering his budget communication in the House of Assembly Wednesday, Mr Davis said the government had submitted a proposal to Bahamas Public Service Union to increase minimum wage in the public sector, with incremental increases starting in July.

Yesterday, Mr Halkitis told reporters the government is considering raising the minimum wage from $210 to $250 a week.

He said the country’s current minimum wage is not sustainable due to the high cost of living.

He also noted that the private sector is not opposed to the concept of a minimum wage increase but, rather, the timing given COVID’s impact

among other factors.

“There will always be an element that says well the time or timing,” Minister Halkitis said. “You just enunciated several things coming out of the COVID and inflation whatever. The fact of the matter is, for some people it will never be the right time to do it, but again, the other factor of the matter is the cost of living is going up and we need to bring that relief.

“So, we hear that but the fact of the matter is, if it wasn’t COVID unfortunately some people will always find a reason not to do it. But, frankly at the levels the minimum wage is at now, people cannot live so it’s something that has to happen.”

Increasing the minimum wage to $250 per week was one of the many commitments made by the Progressive Liberal Party in its election campaign blueprint.

It is not clear how many public workers are currently being paid minimum wage by the government, but it was said to be “very few.”

According to Minister Halkitis, phasing the country’s minimum wage into a liveable wage remains a key priority for the government.

“Liveable wage is a part of the discussion,” he added.

“As you might be aware, there was a study done and I think it was released either last year or early this year speaking about minimum wage both in New Providence and Grand Bahama and I think the number was north of $600 I believe so that is a commitment to move towards. That is something that will happen gradually.”

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis delivers the Budget Communication in the House of Assembly.

GRAND BAHAMIANS RESPOND TO FAMILY ISLAND PLAN IN BUDGET

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahamians took to social media yesterday to voice their concerns and uncertainty over Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ announcement earlier this week that the government is establishing a $200M Family Island Development Trust Fund.

The fund he told the House of Assembly on Wednesday will facilitate immediate and significant investment in infrastructure in the out islands.

According to the Davis administration’s 2022/2023 Budget, plans are to allocate 10 percent of overall revenue collected in the Family Islands from property tax and road traffic fees to create the fund.

The Tribune canvassed social media to gain insight into the thoughts of Grand Bahamians

about the announcement.

One person said: “I am all for developing our Family Islands, however, I am concerned that the funds may not be directed where they should.”

The user referred to a recent National Insurance Board actuarial review that said the fund could be depleted by 2028. The individual expressed concern that a similar situation could happen with the Trust Fund.

“NIB contributions are supposed to be for us, the people. Because so much of the funds have been spent on building construction or for some other venture, there is concern that the fund will be depleted within the next few years.

“As a result of this, the working man, who is usually part of the middle class (or even lower), is constantly faced with increases in order that our senior citizens can receive

pension payments, etc.”

Another resident of Freeport added that there were concerns about the sustainability of the fund.

“I don’t know much about it; that sounds good,” he said. “But how is it going to be funded and sustained?

The government is making lots of announcements about expenditures and if you look at the US economy when big US companies like Amazon and Walmart are cutting back.

“When America sneezes we don’t catch a cold anymore, we catch the flu,” he said. “So, I am watching all these expenditures.

“So, I wonder what else are we going to do for revenue generation and sustainable viable means for government to sustain itself outside of taxing its people.”

The prime minister said the fund would be a sub-fund of the National Infrastructure Fund.

HALKITIS: OPPOSITION ‘DEAD WRONG’ ON BUDGET FROM PAGE ONE Bahamians is the cost of living, specifically the cost of food,” Minister Halkitis said during a press conference yesterday.

“There’s been a vigorous debate about the decision of the government to eliminate zero rated items on breadbasket items and that has been a bully pulpit for the opposition.

“What we did in the budget is the food items were for the most part, they were always very low rated, a lot with custom duties of five per cent. A lot of it was zero and what we decided to do this time is we tackled items that Bahamians buy when they go in the grocery store, you know chicken parts – we’re talking about leg quarters, wings, drum sticks, etc, pork chops, ribs and turkey wings.

“We have dropped the duty on chicken from 30 percent to 10 per cent and on pork from 25 to 10 (percent) and from turkey, I think it was from 30 down to 10 or 15 (percent) and on some other food items as well as prepared foods, etc, there’s a whole list.”

He continued: “In speaking to retailers, they would tell you and I’m sure during the course over the next few days and weeks, you can speak to the retailers and community stores and they will tell you that when Bahamians come to shop for their weekly grocery bills, they’re not filling their trolleys up with corned beef, it’s chicken wings, leg quarters … and so that will have a significant impact

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis. on the cost on food and the actual food that people consume the most.”

Minister Halkitis said the goal of the Davis administration was to bring relief to Bahamians and insisted the government’s budget plans will do just that.

However, opposition leader Michael Pintard has argued against this, saying the government’s budget failed to address the high cost of living, job creation among other pressing issues.

He also questioned how the government planned to meet its revenue targets given proposed increased expenditure and further accused the Davis administration of being “out of touch” with the struggles of ordinary Bahamians.

Mr Halkitis hit back at Mr Pintard’s comments yesterday, arguing that “budgeting is a balancing act.”

He said: “We try to do a couple of things here. We try to promote the growth of the economy and bring relief and operate within a framework meaning there’s only so much money you’ll collect and if you don’t and if you spend some money, then you’re borrowing

increases right? So, it’s a bit of a puzzle there to number one, criticise the government for not doing enough and then on the other hand, criticise the government to say not being able to meet your revenue targets and then on the third hand, to say you’re going to borrow all this money. We think that this budget brings a significant relief. It’s a matter of execution in terms of the growth of the economy and we have to push and we have to make sure we reach our revenue targets.”

The Davis administration has predicted additional revenue growth for The Bahamas, with $2.8bn projected in total revenue for the upcoming fiscal year.

This represents a 19.9 percent increase over the prior fiscal year.

Total expenditure is forecast at $3,368.4b, with recurrent expenditure projected at $2,997.2b, and capital expenditure estimated at $371.1m.

This comes as the Davis administration is seeking parliamentary approval to borrow $690,702,027 to cover unpaid bills before the end of this 2021/22 budget year and for the next fiscal year.

SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION UNDER INVESTIGATION DETECTIVES in New Providence are investigating an allegation of sexual assault made by an American woman, which is said to have occurred yesterday.

According to police the incident happened at a local lodging.

However, they did not name the location.

A Canadian man was arrested, police said, and taken into custody.

He is assisting police with investigations into this matter.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 5

Singing Bishop Lawrence Rolle responds to PM’s funding announcement

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net SINGING Bishop Lawrence Rolle said Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ announcement that his assistance programme will get funding, is welcomed news in his 30-year struggle to assist the poor.

The bishop spoke to The Tribune the day after Mr Davis said both his programme and another run by Bishop Walter Hanchell will get funding this fiscal year in addition to other non-governmental organisations.

The government has increased financial assistance to this grouping by 10 percent.

“I give God praise because I really need help,” he said yesterday in an interview with The Tribune.

“That’s hundreds of people, but I got no money.

“All my days I work around poor people and I can tell you 30 plus years later I don’t have anything - only me. You see, I work with whatever comes my way.

“I’m tired of struggling. I’m tired of begging, asking for help. I give God praise and pray God that the government will really carry out the order and I pray God that they come through speedily.”

On Wednesday, Mr Davis said his administration made a permanent increase

in social assistance by 50 percent.

Regarding this, Social Services and Urban Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe said he was happy as the increase will allow them to tackle the challenges that many people have with housing.

He said: “Our difficulty, however, continues to be the number of persons who are without a house, household. Many of them have no roof over their heads.

Many of them are everyday looking for a roof, a place to spend the night. And then the problem we’ve had in the past is that we provided short stays - that can’t work. That’s why we’re putting in place a transition period where you’ll be in a programme, but we’re not gonna put you out in two weeks. We’re going to help you. Even though you get a job we’re gonna help you get to the point where you can in fact sustain yourself.”

Allocation Asked about the allocation, the minister noted it was important not only to them, but to all NGOs. “NGOs are getting more assistance from us and there are many NGOs, but those two individuals in particular because of what they’ve been doing, they have been out there scrapping, hustling, begging, asking not

for themselves, but for people. They’ve been showing that their hearts are overflowing with love and care for others and during the most difficult times when Walter Hanchell was sick, sick with cancer.

“Wherever he was in hospital, but that programme never stopped. People continued, every single day he was looking out for others while he himself was trying to survive. Look at Lawrence Rolle, during the pandemic, after Dorian look at what he did. Every single day he was out there cooking -and asking for assistance getting it and providing support for many Bahamians who didn’t have it.”

The minister was unable to say how many people were currently on the government’s social assistance programme.

“I know a couple of months ago it was 23,000 provided by the end of the month and then last month it was 10,000. So it keeps changing. We’re not really at the number yet that’s why within the ministry we’re putting in place a research and statistical department simply because we wanna make sure the numbers are all right. But there is movement in the economy. There’s new job opportunities. So many more opportunities.”

He is expected to say more about his portfolio in the coming days.

ALIV CONNECT AIMS TO ASSIST THE DISABLED COMMUNITY

THE event yesterday to launch ALIV Connect. Photos: Moise Amisial

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ALIV presented an initiative yesterday to bring greater assistance to the disabled community called ALIV Connect.

The company said it believes that all people deserve connectivity.

Therefore, ALIV Connect is dedicated to ensuring that all communities have access to the technology needed to excel.

ALIV’s chief executive officer John Gomez expressed his excitement on behalf of the company and the idea behind ALIV Connect.

He said: “There are two pillars that are a part of our core strategy. One is community and the other is technology and there’s several others. We’re only five years young, everyone, and one of the things that we have been doing since our birth in this business, we’ve been engaged in the community in every facet and one of the things that popped to the surface for us is that we noticed there was a part of the community that was not being fully represented and that’s the disability community.

“We wanted to do our part to make sure that they have whatever we can do as a company whether it’s using our technology, using our platforms to make sure that they have a normalcy in terms of being able to function in society as best as we possibly can to make that experience a really rewarding and encouraging one for them.

So, hence this is where Aliv Connect was born.”

Also present was Minister of Education, Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna Martin who noted the importance of the initiative.

“It is this kind of activity where there is

substantial alignment between corporate enterprise and national policy commitments, which has the potential to yield substantial and highly positive and progressive outcomes.

In this instance, the alignment being launched today not only brings a focus to equitable and inclusive education, but creates in a most material way the technological access to fulfil this objective,” she said Social Services and Urban Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe thanked Mr Gomez, noting he was “redefining corporate citizenship”.

“Usually corporate citizenship has a lot to do with what individuals seek for themselves,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “Very often we find companies that put themselves in the forefront.

“That is for a very good photograph, but what you’re doing is you’re putting others in the front.

You’re allowing individuals who have challenges to now have opportunities and you are answering the call that was made to The Bahamas and many countries around the world more than a decade ago for equal opportunity.”

Minister: Discussions continue on relief relating to gas prices

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said discussions continue relating to gas relief, adding the government hopes to announce some measures as soon as there is a potential solution to soaring fuel prices.

Mr Halkitis was asked about the government’s relief plans for both gas operators and consumers after there was no mention of the issue in Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis’ 2022/23 budget presentation for the upcoming fiscal year.

In his budget communication Wednesday, Mr Davis announced several policy initiatives geared to help Bahamians struggling with the high cost of living.

The proposed measures include increased social assistance, targeted minimum wage increases for workers in the public sector and salary raises for teachers and most public officers.

“As you know we have been having a series of meetings with retailers,”

“We think we have some ideas and as I’ve said before, they have put some positions to us, and we mull them over and our technical folks would come up with something that we think might work. We just need to agree internally and hopefully we could put something to them that could help them even if it’s a temporary measure until some of these issues subside.”

Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis Minister Halkitis said when asked about the issue yesterday.

“They are very distressed.

They are facing some enormous challenges.

“Our position is it will be very difficult for the government to approve a margin increase at this time, which will only lead to higher prices at the pump and more pressure on the consumer.

“And so, what we have been doing is having some discussions to find out ways for where we can bring relief to them directly based on the things that they are facing inclusive of things like higher rents and franchise fees and increased

amount of money that they have to outlay for inventory, meaning they have to spend more just to fill their tanks because of the rising prices.”

“We think we have some ideas and as I’ve said before, they have put some positions to us, and we mull them over and our technical folks would come up with something that we think might work.

We just need to agree internally and hopefully we could put something to them that could help them even if it’s a temporary measure until some of these issues subside.”

Local gas is currently priced at well over $6 per gallon at all major providers in New Providence.

PAGE 6, Friday, May 27, 2022

The Tribune Limited

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Davos ends with Germany pushing global work on climate and war DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hopes Thursday for global cooperation on climate change, hunger and war, while dozens of climate activists demonstrated in the Swiss town of Davos as a meeting of global elites ended with many words but little concrete action to solve the world’s most pressing crises.

The German leader ratcheted up his criticism of Moscow’s military onslaught in Ukraine during a speech on the last day of the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to return to a world order in which the strongest dictate what is right, in which freedom, sovereignty and self-determination are not.”

Voicing hopes for countries to work together on shared crises, Scholz said today’s world is no longer bipolar as it was during the Cold War era — when United States and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics.

“If some want to take us back to the past of nationalism, imperialism and war, our answer is ‘not with us.’

We stand for the future,” he said in the final major address of this week’s Davos event. “When we realise that our world is becoming multipolar, then that must spur us on to even more multilateralism, to even more international cooperation.”

As he spoke, about 50 young people protested across town, with banners that read “Cut the (BS)!” and “There is no Planet B” — adding a coda of condemnation to the gathering of elites in Davos that is often derided for being more about talk, business and relationshipbuilding than action. Forum organisers reject such claims, insisting they want to improve the state of the world by drawing in decision-makers.

The gathering in the Swiss Alps — twice suspended over the COVID-19 pandemic — has been overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, rising food and fuel prices, and signs that governments aren’t doing enough to fight global warming.

That has doused many moods in the face of a can-do spirit by many innovators and entrepreneurs at the event.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and others made the journey or joined by video link to drum up support for their country’s grueling and uncertain campaign to oust Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s campaign has drawn international scorn and unsettled his allies, and as a result, Russian business and government envoys who have been staples at Davos since the end of the Soviet Union weren’t invited this year.

Scholz reiterated his conviction that Putin will not win the war, saying the Russian leader “has already failed to achieve all his strategic goals.”

He noted that “a capture of all of Ukraine by Russia seems further away today than it did at the beginning of the war.”

Kuleba voiced little hope that the war could come to a negotiated end, or even a pause, anytime soon.

“The moment Russia will agree to a cease-fire will be the moment it will be

one step away from losing the war,” he told reporters late Wednesday. “They (the Russians) will agree to a cease-fire with only one purpose: to save themselves from losing the war. Until then, this war will continue.”

Kuleba has pressed for Western powers to supply Ukraine with weapons like multiple-launch rocket systems and pointed to a “saga” about obtaining Gepard tanks from Germany, among other things his government has discussed with Berlin.

“We clearly understand that Germany will not be a country that will lead the process of supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons we need,” Kuleba said. “Let’s make it clear: If we don’t get heavy weapons, we get killed.”

The upshot of Ukraine’s efforts is to rally countries around a budding democracy with ambitions to join the European Union — the free-world and free-market club — in the face of an onslaught by a Russian regime that clamps down on dissent and centralises power in one man: Putin.

Also on many minds in Davos was the deadly school shooting in Texas. More broadly, battles against global warming, a food crisis, and cyberattacks by hackers from Russia and beyond have exposed how progressive leaders from civil society, corporations and government have struggled to cope with simultaneous crises.

Many touched on the need to find solutions to the blockade of Ukrainian ports, preventing its critical stocks of wheat, barley and sunflower oil from getting to the world and threatening food insecurity in countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The European Union and United States have accused Russia of using food supplies as a weapon and say there have been talks of opening secure shipping corridors.

Russian officials are blaming Western sanctions or Ukrainian mines in the sea.

“This food crisis is real, and we must find solutions,” World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on a trade panel Wednesday.

Davos organisers touted over 450 sessions bringing together more than 2,500 people, including 50 heads of state.

Many of the achievements to emerge were piecemeal, such as announcements that more countries would join the First Movers Coalition, which aims to decarbonise the heavy industry and transport sectors. Other initiatives were announced in areas like energy, health, inclusion, education and economic transformation.

Some sought to get their messages across in Davos and said success doing that would suffice for now as they work toward concrete results.

“What I’m getting from here is this commitment in our moving to nature, and I think the trend of focus on only climate change is no longer there,” said Elizabeth Mrema of Tanzania, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to protect plants and animals. “To me, that is a major achievement.”

This article is by JAMEY KEATEN of the Associated Press

READERS REACT TO THE BUDGET ON TRIBUNE242.COM Readers have been posting their reactions to the 2022/23 Budget on tribune242.com.

• KapunkleUp said: “If the government were a public corporation, it would have been declared insolvent and forced into liquidation.”

• To which AnObserver added this: “I’ve never understood this. If I as a person, or a business operating with shareholders, finds themselves coming up short at the end of the month/year/quarter/

whatever, they have to cut expenses. If the govt finds themselves coming up short, they just extort more money from their captive market.”

• Bahamianson had this suggestion for government: “Pay our debt with all the extra VAT money and stop spending and hiring. Oh, economise and send as few people as possible away to represent us on the international stage.”

• Ohdrap4 said: “As for food, they will make up the difference in VAT.

But if the merchant does not markup the VAT, it is more comfortable for the consumer. Will make no difference for products already duty free. Will be great for chicken and eggs.

But I will not rush to buy sausage and alaska crab.”

• And there was this from Sheeprunner12: “Family Island Development Fund sounds like a great plan . . . Will love to see it come to fruition.”

Don’t miss your chance to join the conversation on tribune242.com.

A BUS with the AS Roma soccer team drives amid a crowd of jubilant supporters, in front of the Colosseum in Rome, Thursday, during the celebration for their victory in the Europe Conference League soccer final against Feyenoord in Tirana on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Take the tools of death out of the marketplace EDITOR, The Tribune.

Ambush in The Night, All guns Aimed at Me, Ambush in the Night, They Opened fire on Me. (B. Marley) The definition of fire arm is a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder —usually called small arms.

Notice that the word weapon is used. A weapon is a thing designed or used to inflict bodily harm or physical damage.

Guns were designed and fully intended to harm and kill. Whether these tools of death are used in the practice of hunting or as a means of defending a person, its purpose remains the same.

The Congressional Research Service says the civilian arsenal in America(2012) was approximately 310 million firearms. Besides the traditional firearms used for hunting such as shot guns and long rifles, the most popular weapon found in civilians’ hands is the AR-15, a versatile, customizable and enjoyable to shoot gun. “Assault weapons” have become parts of many private collections.

These are easily transformed into fully automatic firearms.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says there are roughly 638,000 machine guns in circulation in 2018.

These counts do not include illegally made and supplied firearms. There are between 15-20 million sporting guns in circulation. It is important to put this all into some context.

Americans have purchased as many assault rifles as they have purchased Nintendo Switch video game consoles.

In 2008 The Supreme Court ruled that The Second amendment protects Americans rights to own guns. A appellate court in 2017 declared that AR-15 and AK-47 Assault Rifles were not protected by the Second Amendment, mostly because these weapons are not in common use

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

in America. Confusion, mistrust and political clownery have followed.

The NRA and Republicans vs Democrats and so-called progressive sectors of the community.

America does not need an excuse to be socially, ethnically, politically and economically divided, but the “GUN” has become a corner stone of division that will not go away.

Every effort is being done to protect the right to own a gun, and these efforts are funded by many weapons manufacturers and The National Rifles Association(NRA).

Conservatives will cry out in anguish when children are murdered using assault rifles, but they will do nothing to stop the sales of weapons into the hands of those unfit to own one. Conservatives cry out that the privacy of citizens are threatened when simple pre-ownership interviews and psychological evaluations in real time are attempted by the authorities.

We all know that nothing guaranteed can be accomplished when speaking about human beings’ actions.

There are people who are of sound mind at the time of purchasing a weapon that can go biserk years later.

Mental illness can affect us all, along with the many societal stresses of average day living. Our persona changes, and evolves.

The only thing we can do to protect ourselves, family and our community is to take the tools of death out of the market place.

If people’s mental state is uncertain, taking the tools of mass destruction out of their reach makes sense.

Yes, there are other weapons to be found.

In China, a place where firearms are rare and controlled, mass murder happens using pipes and cleavers.

Ask yourself why so

many mass shootings have happened in North America, but not in most other nations? What do we have that they do not? People are usually the same all over. Working, worrying about their families and their children’s futures.

Fire Arm availability in America easily accessible.

We just have too many guns!

If you acquire a driving license, you are required to go through a process of learning, training and then licensing with insurance approvals. Why does this not happen when guns are involved? Before you purchase a gun, receive multiple interviews, criminal checks, training and then be required to buy insurance.

You want to own a gun?

Then the government MUST make gun accessibility very difficult.

Make the gun lobby work for it.

Outlaw monetary lobbying (bribes) from all lobbyist groups in Washington, Ottawa and all State Capitals.

“The fascination of shooting as a sport depends wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun”(Wodehouse).

In 2019 America experienced 417 mass shootings.

This year there has been over 200 mass shootings in America.

Canada and Mexico have had their gun incidents too. It seems the ‘gun virus’ has leached over our borders, inciting our own gun violence.

Imagine murders without guns?

The mass killing in Buffalo(10) or in Nova Scotia(23) would certainly have been different, perhaps not even happening.

Human evil will happen, so it is incumbent upon us to make these harmful efforts difficult or impossible to happen. Take the tools of their trade away from them.

Make life a better option always.

STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario, May 26, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 7

TWO WOMEN CHARGED AFTER FIGHT

By PAVEL BAILEY

TWO women faced causing harm charges against each other in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The charges resulted for fighting at their job.

Crystal Sweeting stood before Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, while Nadege Joseph went before Asst.

Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans, both on charges of causing harm to each other.

At 12am on May 19 at the Comfort Zone Bar on Wulff Road where both women are employed they got into a heated argument that became physical. As a result both women were arrested.

Sweeting pleaded guilty in court to the offence claiming that Joseph had

punched her in the face first and that she only attacked Joseph afterwards with a knife in self-defence.

She also said that the whole cursing and fighting incident boiled down to poor communication between the two of them.

As Sweeting said Joseph is only fluent in Creole and only speaks broken English.

After Sweeting gave her explanation of events, she apologised for wasting the court’s time with this matter.

Magistrate Allen then cautioned and discharged Sweeting for her part in the incident.

Meanwhile Joseph speaking through an interpreter pleaded not guilty to the charge before Magistrate Vogt-Evans.

Joseph while admitting

to assaulting Sweeting also claimed that the other accused started the fight by hitting her first.

When inquiring of Joseph’s status the Magistrate was informed that she does have a work permit valid until 2023.

With no objections, Joseph was granted bail at $2,000 with one surety on condition she sign in at South Beach Police Station every Sunday by 7pm.

After being told not to interfere with Sweeting regarding this matter, Joseph was informed that failure to meet any of the court’s conditions would result in her bail being revoked.

Joseph’s trial is set for August 4.

WOMAN CHARGED WITH ABETMENT TO ASSAULT

By PAVEL BAILEY

A WOMAN was granted $3,000 bail in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday following her arraignment for abetting in an assault.

Oleisha “Leasha” Feaste, 20, represented

by Wendawn Miller-Frazer, stood before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn VogtEvans on a charge of abetment to assault with a deadly weapon.

On May 23 in New Providence Feaste

is accused of aiding and abetting in the assault of Eldridge Knowles.

In court the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

As there were no objections, she was granted $3,000 bail with one surety.

Under the conditions of her bail, Feaste is expected to report to the Wulff Road Police Station every Sunday by 7pm.

Her trial is set for July 13.

ARREST IN CONNECTION WITH HOUSEBREAKING, STEALING

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A MAN suspected of housebreaking and stealing was arrested on Wednesday in the Freeport area, a senior police official said.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen Rolle said officers from the Northeastern Division received a report of housebreaking and stealing shortly after 9.30am.

He said that two initial reports revealed that an adult male fitting a description previously given was observed in the area of Sergeant Major Road.

As a result police were dispatched to the area. On seeing officers, the suspect fled into an apartment complex on Sergeant Major Road.

ASP Rolle said officers were able to gain access to the apartment.

A search warrant was executed, which resulted

in the recovery of an assortment of tools that were suspected to have been stolen.

Later, the suspect directed the officers to a bushy area on Man-o-War Circle, where more suspected stolen items were discovered.

Mr Rolle said the adult male, a resident of Sunshine Apartments, was arrested and taken into police custody where he is assisting police with their investigations.

MAN GETS PROBATION AFTER ASSAULTING GIRLFRIEND

By PAVEL BAILEY

A MAN was placed on six-months probation by a Magistrate’s Court after assaulting his girlfriend at a nightclub Liam Francis, 22, appeared before Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, on assault charges.

At 2am on May 22 at the Bond Nightclub in Baha Mar, Francis is accused of assaulting Shawnelle Nixon, his girlfriend of two and a half years.

After an argument broke out between the couple the accused is said to have slapped her, pulled her hair and dragged her on the floor of the club.

In court Francis pleaded

guilty to the charge.

Francis’s defence then claimed that the complainant was the one who had started the fight.

While they acknowledged that Francis was intoxicated during the incident, they said it was Nixon who went to the club demanding answers from the accused as to why he was there.

The defence further claimed that the complainant hit Francis first and that photos of the injuries he received existed.

As part of their plea of mitigation Francis’ attorney said that his client was remorseful and up to this point had a clean record.

In view of the accused’s youth and desire to finish

his Business degree at UB the defence implored the Magistrate not to impose a custodial sentence. As he cited Francis’s 36 hours in custody as punishment enough.

Considering this the Magistrate placed Francis on six months probation.

If he does not breach his probation, he will be eligible for an absolute discharge when he returns to court on November 28.

Magistrate Allen concluded the matter by advising Francis that it would be in his best interest to avoid contact with the complainant to which his defence said that she had already tried to contact him.

MATH COMPETITION MARKS TENTH YEAR WITH SUPPORT OF WATER SUPPLIER

CONSOLIDATED Water (Bahamas) Limited (CWCO) recently supported S.C. McPherson Junior High School’s 10th Annual Interschool Mathematics Competition. The water supplier ensured the competition’s organisers were able to adequately prepare and prize each junior high schooler.

S.C. McPherson Junior High School recently marked its 10th Annual Interschool Mathematics Competition with 14 participating schools.

For over a decade, and for the second time virtually, the competition has brought together the best and brightest students from government schools across The Bahamas with support from Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd (CWCO).

Under the theme “Back to Basics: Bridging the Gap in Numeracy and in Literacy”, students from New Providence and the Family Islands used the game-based learning platform Kahoot! to put their arithmetic skills, speed and correctness to the ultimate test.

The event’s sponsors, CWCO and the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, ensured the competition’s organisers were able to adequately prepare and prize each junior high schooler.

Kiffany Daxon, a mathematics teacher and the competition’s founder, hopes the competition can grow its audience and have private school inclusion as well as international involvement in the coming years.

“In 2007, we started the competition with just five junior high schools. Students across The Bahamas are gifted in literacy and numeracy and this is a great platform for them,” said Ms. Daxon.

“Consolidated Water Ltd has been

sponsoring us for years and we are so grateful because it allows us to not only draw attention to the importance of math and make it fun, but to also reward the students with excellent prizes for their efforts.”

This year, the grand prize was awarded to the Patrick J. Bethel High School in Abaco.

Second place was secured by Anatol Rodgers High School in New Providence and third place

by Sister Mary Patricia Russell Junior High School in Grand Bahama. Participants from those winning schools received 100 dollars, 75 dollars and 50 dollars respectively. All students received a goodie bag filled with math tools.

Consolidated Water Ltd (Bahamas) praised the students, teachers and administrators involved in the math competition. CWCO General Manager Henderson Cash and other employees tuned into the competition via Zoom.

“Each year, we look forward to supporting our nation’s mathletes. This competition promotes the importance of mathematical skills and is the foundation for many careers that CWCO offers,” Mr Cash said.

He added, “It is our hope that the competition will continue to succeed over the next decade and beyond as its participating students use their experience to their academic and professional advantage.”

Two men charged in connection with fake $4,349 cheque

By PAVEL BAILEY

TWO men were arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with a fake $4,349 cashier’s cheque.

Barrington J Lashley, 30, and Patrickedo Rose, 32, stood before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on a shared charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Lashley faced an additional three charges of possession of a forged document, uttering a forged document and attempted fraud by false pretences.

At around 3.30pm on May 23 at the Commonwealth Bank on Prince Charles Drive Lashley tried to cash a fraudulent CB cashier’s cheque in his name for $4,349.

Upon discovery that the cheque was a forgery officers from the financial crime unit were dispatched to arrest Lashley, who in a subsequent interview

admitted to the offence.

It was during this interview, for which Lashley signed the record of interview, that he claimed that a man named “Rider” had given him the fake cheque.

He also said that this unknown man promised to pay him $1,500 if he successfully pulled off the transaction.

In court Lashley pleaded guilty to all four charges against him, while his coaccused Rose pleaded not guilty to the sole charge against him.

After his plea Lashley put himself at the mercy of the court.

He said that even though he was desperate for cash after losing his job and home he was still sorry for what he had done.

Lashley’s defence, while acknowledging his prior marijuana drug conviction to a fine of $1,500, still asked that the Magistrate not impose a custodial

sentence in view of his early plea of guilt.

The Magistrate found Lashley guilty of the offence and ordered him to serve one year at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

After informing Lashley of his right to appeal her sentence within seven days, the Magistrate said the only reason he didn’t face a stiffer sentence was because of his early plea of guilt.

Magistrate Vogt-Evans then said that even though she understands his difficult situation it was still no excuse to commit a crime, as taking that money would have only hurt someone else.

As for Rose’s case, he was granted $3,000 bail with one or two sureties on condition he sign in at the Elizabeth Estates Police Station every Sunday by 7pm.

His trial is expected to begin on August 4.

Six-months’ probation after deceit charges

By PAVEL BAILEY A WOMAN was put on six-months’ probation yesterday after being charged with two counts of deceit of a public officer.

Ricketa Newbold, 27, appeared before Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr. on the charges.

On May 23 at University Drive, Newbold is accused of lying to D/C 4316 Bell and Cpl 3035 Ferguson by giving them a false name, which resulted in her arrest.

In court Newbold pleaded guilty to both charges against her.

After being in custody for three days the

accused said she regretted her actions.

Magistrate Allen called her actions “stupid” and advised her to think more about what she is doing in the future.

Considering Newbold’s early plea of guilt and to protect her position as a chef at Baha Mar the Magistrate ruled that she be placed on probation for six months.

Should Newbold have any new charges during that time she would face a threemonth prison sentence for each count to be served concurrently.

Barring any future criminal charges, the accused would return to court on November 28 to receive an absolute discharge in the matter.

PAGE 8, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

HMBS Flamingo Disaster 10th May, 1980

HMBS Flamingo Disaster 10th May, 1980 (Read John 5:1-8) A Sermon Preached

by Canon S. Sebastian Campbell at the annual Red Mass in observance of the sinking of HMBS Flamingo.

M

IRACLES At the Pool: we are at the pool Bethzatha in Jerusalem at this pool miracles occur. Around this pool there is a multitude of broken people, distressed by the diseases of life. All waiting for a miracle. In that sad heap of human brokenness is a man, he has been there for thirty-eight years. He needs his miracle, but it’s only possible in the pool.

Jesus comes into his space, probably the first person to recognize him. “Do you wish to be healed?”

Jesus asks. “Sir,” the man responded, “I don’t have anyone to put in the pool when the water is troubled, while I am trying to get in somebody else gets there first.

“He needs help to be first; he needs to be first, on someone’s list of priority. He couldn’t get help in the 38 years. Who is on our list of priority? In 1967 a miracle occurred in this country, we put each other first. Offsprings of slaves came together and got our Negro leaders into that pool of love, and thus gave them responsibility for the first time to lead a country where blacks were in the majority. We fought to etch this day into a living memorial by creating January 10th every year as a holiday that generations yet unborn would know the miracle that happens when we work together.

This led to independence on the 10th July 1973 as we reign in full, sovereign and free status. Then in 1980 with the formation of the Defence Force and other institutions was our way of building on that which was stated in 1967.

We must work together to defend our borders and country as a whole. By this we get our people into

that proverbial pool and defend their rights that we might stand tall among the nations of the world.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force was created to be that pool of Bethzatha for us as a young nation on the 31st March 1980-thanks to the vision of Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, father of the nation. (It was only six weeks old when the disaster struck).

On a convenient Sunday in the month of May, we gather for our annual Red Mass and Memorial Service in observance of the Flamingo disaster on the 10th May 1980. I urge the government to declare May, every year as HMBS Flamingo month, that this defining moment might be indelibly etched on the table of the heart of every Bahamian, into generations yet unborn.

I thank Commodore Raymond King for agreeing to this service and welcome the Minister of National Security Mr. Wayne Munroe and Captain Henry Daxon who represents the commodore.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force has given into a vibrant multi- missioned military organization.

Today we celebrate hundreds of our sons and daughters who have enlisted over these 42 years in defence of our sovereignty.

Today we pause to recognize the fact that many have died in active service. They must never be forgotten.

Today, our attention is drawn to the infamous sinking of the HMBS Flamingo incident. 19 crew members under Commander Amos Rolle set sail on HMBS Flaming, leaving Coral Harbour base on Thursday, 8th May 1980, on what should have been a routine 10-day patrol of Bahamian waters.

All remained quiet until Saturday, 10th May, when they spotted two foreign fishing vessels, 500 yards north of Saint Domingo, a Bahamian island. Having boarded both vessels and

THE RBDF Colour Party giving a gun salute at the tribute to the HMBS Flamingo earlier this month. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

arresting the four fishermen on each vessel they were taken in tow heading towards Santo Domingo, when the Cuban MiG fighter jets started to let go volleys of machine gun fire. Ultimately HMBS Flamingo was abandoned because it was sinking and our marines were ordered, “overboard.”

They swam for dear life, still being fired upon. Four were killed: Fenrick Sturrup, Austin Smith, David Tucker, and Edward Williams. It could only have been an harrowing experience, traumatizing, bloody as Fenrick Sturrup, it is said, shouted his last words. “Oh Lordy!

Lordy!”

B

ravery was displayed by marine seaman Whitefield Neely, who searched the waters in the dory/small boat for survivors. Even more bravery was shown when Amos Rolle and his crew who took control of the enemy ship from 6:30pm-1am and slowly, but safely, landed in Ragged Island, the walk-through field roads to reach Duncan Town, on that island. The Cubans terrorized these poor people, flying as low as the palm trees over Duncan Town, the pool of healing this was a place for miracles for all concerned.

American jet fighters drove the Cubans away.

Today we salute not only the four martyrs: Fenrick Sturrup, Austin Smith, David Tucker, and Edward Williams, but the fifteen survivors led by captain Amos Rolle and Anthony Allens.

THEY ARE OUR HEROES: Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Amos Rolle (RIP).

Officers: Sublieutenant – Anthony Allens (sick and retired); Sublieutenant Wilfred Sands (RIP); Marines: Petty Officer - Peterson James (Retired); Leading Mechanic - Denzil Clarke (Retired); Leading Mechanic - Gregory Curry (Retired); Leading Mechanic - Oscar Miller (RIP); Able Mechanic Eugene Thompson (Retired); Able Seaman - Cladwell Farrington (Retired); Able Seaman - Trevor Sands (Retired); Marine Seaman - John Wallace (Resigned); Marine Seaman - Leo Kirby (RIP); Marine Seaman Whitfield Neely (Retired); Marine Seaman - Anthony Russell Retired); and Marine Seaman - Willard Saunders (Retired).

On behalf of a grateful nation and on behalf of our National Heroes Committee, of which I am chairman, I hail all nineteen crew members as heroes of our nation and call us into national repentance for our failure to have done so longtime ago the National Honours system should have honoured them. We continue to swamp our list

of National Honours and specifically National Heroes with politicians.

The treatment of crew members, post sinking of HMBS Flamingo, has not been favourable by successive governments.

The surviving 15 crew members have been put out to pasture and that is not green either. These men have been forgotten and totally disregarded.

They have been sent into oblivion.

T

hey have all been retired without health insurance. They were given no counselling. The Flamingo disaster was mentally wrecking. Some took to drinking. The welfare of these men was never addressed. Today it has been forty-two years.

Past administrations have abdicated its responsibility. These men have paid the ultimate price. They should at least have medical insurance for life. The Bahamas must show a sense of devotion and concern for these men. They are our heroes. Is this story part of Social Studies in our school? Streets, roadways, public buildings can be named in their honour. We give parcel of lands to athletes who win gold or silver at the Olympics. These men have won gold in protecting the sovereignty of our land. After whom have we named naval ships? Commanding officer Amos Rolle is dead and forgotten. Can he be rescued from the graveyard of obscurity, sub lieutenant Anthony

Allens is sick and broken, what is being done to help him? Four others have since died in despair. All others are retired. Can we give them their flowers while they are alive? The New Day government can tower over and drive all previous governments in this regard.

Seize the time and opportunity to do right for it is always the right time to do right. Honour these men, elevate them to hero status, declare May HMBS Flamingo month, revere all 15 marines. Declare May 10th a National Day of Observances.

To all Defence Force Officers continue to do all the good you can for our country - as you ride the high seas and build on land for ravaged Bahamians in times of disaster.

We are always in need of miracles; they happen in the pool of love. Let us pool our resources, in co-operatives and other enterprises to better ourselves, trust each other and as we grow, our nation grows in love.

The Defence Force has been around the pool for some forty-two years, as a nation let us take better care of our Marines and indeed one another. When we do so, all of us grow and experience healing and upward mobility.

Forward, Upward, Onward, Together…

(Canon S. Sebastian Campbell from Arthur’s Town, Cat Island, serves as Rector of St. Gregory the Great, N.P.)

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 9

A SCENE from Potter’s Cay this week.

What has happened to us?

W

HEN I was young, we carried books to school, not guns. When I was young, I knelt by the side of the bed and prayed asking God to make my family happy, not to keep them safe from the bullets of an evil lunatic or the fury of a troubled teen. When I was young, l was innocent, but the world did not look then like it looks now. The weather was unpredictable, not the person sitting next to you.

What has happened to us?

Did we have it too good for too long? Was it too easy to slide through the days, going to and from work or school or a beach or park without concern for our lives?

Was it too simple to go to the store and expect that the shelves would be stocked with any little thing we needed, including baby formula? Were we so spoiled by excess that we never stopped to think how it got there or that one day it wouldn’t be there?

I don’t know about you, but to me it felt like, and still feels like, a lot changed during COVID that isn’t going to change back. I can’t quite put my

finger on it, but I feel like the world shifted slightly, those who were troubled got more so, those who were okay with showing up for work every day and didn’t question it started asking why.

Why do this for the rest of my life? Even when we got the news that the pandemic was now an endemic, so we just had to learn to live with it, not panic about it, we knew something inside us had changed. Things seemed exaggerated and at the same time diminished.

Was it just me or was it seismic?

There were physical manifestations. We woke up and realized climate change was real and hurtling at us faster than Al Gore followers predicted.

Americans bought guns.

And more guns.

And now there are more guns in America than people.

World power was shifting. North Korea became

a serious nuclear threat.

China, not satisfied with getting Hong Kong back under its wing, started threatening to take the democratic Republic of China (Taiwan), too.

And all of a sudden, NATO became the club everyone wanted to join.

Mess with one of its members and you mess with all of us.

It didn’t stop Putin in Ukraine, but might restrain him from attempting to gobble up and feast on other European countries.

It was the change in violence not the reliance on zoom that made for the most startling change.

In the U.S., there seemed to be no end to it, as if the country were having a war with itself.

There have been more than 200 mass shootings this year, mass shooting defined as four or more persons excluding the gunman, and the year is not even half over. That’s

“I don’t know about you, but to me it felt like, and still feels like, a lot changed during COVID that isn’t going to change back. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like the world shifted slightly, those who were troubled got more so, those who were okay with showing up for work every day and didn’t question it started asking why. Why do this for the rest of my life?” more than one a day. At a place of worship, a school, a subway, a grocery store on a busy Saturday afternoon.

Everyone keeps using the word evil, but no one is explaining where all this evil came from or why now.

And again, I ask, what has happened to us? Are we failing as a people?

D

o we need to have a good sit-down session with ourselves, where did we fall off a cliff, how can we climb back up, how can we do better?

It isn’t just the giants of the world. It’s hit home, too.

Look at this scene from Potter’s Cay this week. If that is how we treat our environment – a finger of land surrounded by water, a place that should be a postcard-worthy treasure

but instead is a cargocramped, boat-jammed, ill-conceived disaster where people eat within tossing distance of piles of trash, garbage and debris, we disrespect what God has given us.

That disrespect has no limits, no NATO to say ‘Don’t you dare spread your wings here.’ That disrespect for the environment is evident from the corner of Fox Hill Road where nine signs litter Eastern Road and the owner of the property who no longer lives in the area should be ashamed.

That disrespect is evident from that corner all the way west until you get to Old Fort Bay and south along Carmichael Road as far as the eye can see.

When did we stop hearing the refrain cleanliness is next to godliness, not that I ever fully understood what godliness was, but I knew that cleanliness

mattered because it had something to do with respect. Without respect, we slip into a state where authority totters on the brink of anarchy.

What do we have in Nassau today? Police are worried about gangs.

Gangs are more worried about other gangs than they are about police.

Five thousand students leave school this month, the lucky, hard-working ones will do fine.

Others face loss without a routine and some form of structure or the financial wherewithal to get a start in the adult world.

Many will not even be able to fill out a job application form though they are willing to work hard.

And yet there will be a few shining stars.

Still so long as the sun shines on The Bahamas, there are a thousand reasons to be grateful.

A moment ago we had a light rain and for the first time in the 36 years I have lived in this house I saw a rainbow reflected in the stainless steel sink in the kitchen.

If we not just sweat the small stuff, but appreciate it, the small stuff will be our reward even as we try to figure out, what happened to us.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LAWSUIT SEEKS TO REVOKE FAA LICENSE FOR GEORGIA SPACEPORT

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Opponents of a proposed launchpad for commercial rockets on the Georgia coast are asking a court to throw out the project’s government license, saying the Federal Aviation Administration failed to correctly assess the risks of firing rockets over homes and a barrier island popular with tourists.

Attorneys for the Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit in U.S. District Court seeking to revoke the launch site operator license the FAA granted in December to the planned Spaceport Camden. Officials in coastal Camden County have spent the past decade and more than $10 million seeking to build a spaceport for launching satellites into orbit.

The proposed flight path would send rockets over Little Cumberland Island, which has about 40 private homes, and neighbouring Cumberland Island, a federally protected wilderness visited by about 60,000 tourists each year. Residents and the National Park Service have said they fear explosive misfires raining fiery debris could spark wildfires near homes and people.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of homeowners and conservation groups says the FAA allowed county officials to minimize potential safety risks by basing their license application on a hypothetical rocket “that does not exist” and is smaller than current commercial rockets. It says the FAA didn’t follow its own policies that call for holding such “unproven” rockets to a higher standard.

“The FAA’s decision to license a site where rockets would launch over people, homes, and Cumberland Island National Seashore ... is contrary to the agency’s regulations for licensing launch sites and is unprecedented in the history of the United States’ commercial space program,” said the the lawsuit, filed May 19 in the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit also claims that a top FAA official privately told opponents of Spaceport Camden in March 2019 that he doubted the project would be successful.

The document says a group of Little Cumberland Island homeowners traveled to Washington to meet with FAA officials including Wayne Monteith, who was then the agency’s associate administrator for commercial space transportation. The lawsuit says Monteith told the group “that Spaceport Camden was not a commercially viable

Funeral Service For Cleveland Shervin Burrows, 70

THIS artist’s sketch shows the launch pad complex of the proposed Spaceport Camden in Camden County, Ga. (Spaceport Camden via AP) launch site and that `some spaceports just want to sell hats and T-shirts.’”

FAA spokesman Steve Kulm said Thursday that the agency does not comment on pending litigation. Monteith no longer works for the FAA and is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Reached by phone, Monteith’s wife said he was traveling Thursday. He did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

“On several occasions we would ask the FAA, ‘Listen, is it worthwhile for us to continue this endeavour?’” said John Simpson, a spokesman for the Spaceport Camden project. “No one at the FAA ever told us, `We don’t see this as a commercially viable project.’ Nor is that the FAA’s role.”

In Camden County, a community of 55,000 people on the Georgia-Florida line, commissioners have long argued that a spaceport would bring economic growth not just from rocket launches, but also by attracting related industries and tourists.

Opponents say the plans to build the spaceport on an industrial plot formerly used to manufacture pesticides and munitions poses potential environmental and safety hazards that outweigh any economic benefits.

The FAA’s final environmental impact report on Spaceport Camden concluded county officials had submitted an “adequate and appropriate” plan for dealing with fires and other emergencies that might arise from rocket launches.

However, the FAA noted when it granted the county’s license to operate a spaceport in December that a separate and more comprehensive review would be required before any rockets could be launched. The agency stressed in a letter that “no outcome is guaranteed.”

who died in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 will be held at 10:00am on Friday, May 27, 2022 at St. George’s Anglican Church on Montrose Avenue. Officiating will be Fr. Scott Brennen assisted by Rev. Dr. Roland Hamilton, and Fr. Ivan Eldon. Cremation was held.

He is survived by his 1 daughter: Kimmie Roberts; 2 grandsons: Kavon and Kenyon Roberts; 1 granddaughter: Trenae Darville; 1 brother: Swithun Burrows; 2 sisters: Cleomi Parker, Christine L. Burrows; 2 sisters-in-law: Velma Burrows, Lorraine Burrows; 4 nephews: Michael Burrows, Swithun Burrows II (Lelani), Shannon ‘Shamuel’ Burrows, Jonathan Burrows; 8 nieces: Shammond Knowles, Deborah Parker, Cienne Burrows, Desiree Burrows (Tyrone), Danya Wallace (Kevin), Nicole ‘Nicci’ Burrows, Felicity Burrows, Venetia Whitfield (Perez); grandnephews: Brimon Knowles, Liam Burrows; grandnieces: Kezia Burrows, Mikarah Mikula, Dana Wallace, Hannah Burrows, Jasmine Wallace, Bethany Burrows, Aya Whitfield; 1 great-grandnephew: Brimon Knowles Jr.; cousins: Doyle Burrows, Angela Rankine, Inez Cooper, Leigh Burrows, Dawn Arnold, Eve Poitier, Eula Bourne, Andrew Burrows, Dr. Coralee Kelly, Gregory Burrows, Faith Lochan, Hope McCardy, Richard Burrows, Martin Burrows, Evangelist Shirley Burrows, Marion Sands, John Burrows, Lily Burrows, Cathy Burrows, Rosemary Newry, Joyce Colebrooke, Audrey Burrows, Jimmy Burrows, Leona Mitchell, Linelle Thompson, Philip Burrows, Marilyn Gould, Pastor Dave Burrows, Shervin Burrows, Terry Burrows, Shelly Rolle, Ronald ‘Shot’ Pinder, Portia Nairn, Dr. Celestine Williams, Theodore Cooper, Maud Davis, Randolph Turnquest, Crown Sgt. RVM John ‘Timer’ Turnquest, Winifred Turnquest, Norma Turnquest, Warren Glass, Michelle Moseley, Brent D’Arville, Deborah Balfour, Donna Storr, Douglas Storr, Kim Bowe, Van Nairn, Ken Nairn, Nigel ‘Nitch’ Burrows, Jr., Elfreda Burrows, Shirley Burrows, Kathy Burrows, Janet Burrows, Wayne Rolle, Camilla Adair, Calae Burrows, Former and current residents of Hampton Street (Toppins, McPhees, Coopers, Samuels); friends: Melvyn Brown, Gary Butler, Marion ‘Meryl’ Evans and Family, Archdeacon Mark Fox, Trevor Bethel; former colleagues of Britannia/ Atlantis, Gloria Ward, Dianna Hepburn, Sheila Hepburn; Governor’s Harbour: Linda and Elizabeth Stubbs, Monique Pinder, John John and staff of Eleuthera Supply. Heartfelt thanks and appreciation to family members who attended and assisted local authorities with processing formalities in bringing resolution and closure upon his passing, and to staff of Restview, Eleuthera and New Providence.

PAGE 10, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

RUSSIA SLAMS SANCTIONS, SEEKS TO BLAME WEST FOR FOOD CRISIS

By RICARDO MAZALAN and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow pressed the West on Thursday to lift sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, seeking to shift the blame for a growing food crisis that has been worsened by Kyiv’s inability to ship millions of tons of grain and other agricultural products due to the conflict.

Britain immediately accused Russia of “trying to hold the world to ransom,” insisting there would be no sanctions relief, and a top U.S. diplomat blasted the “sheer barbarity, sadistic cruelty and lawlessness” of the invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Moscow “is ready to make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis through the export of grain and fertilizer on the condition that politically motivated restrictions imposed by the West are lifted,” according to a Kremlin readout of the call.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports has halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined.

Russia also is a significant grain exporter, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the West “must cancel the unlawful decisions that hamper chartering ships and exporting grain.” His comments appeared to be an effort to lump the blockade of Ukrainian exports with what Russia says are its difficulties in moving its own goods.

Western officials have dismissed those claims. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted last week that food, fertilizer and seeds are exempt from sanctions imposed by the U.S. and many others — and that Washington is working to ensure countries know the flow of those goods should not be affected.

With the war grinding into its fourth month, world leaders have ramped up calls for solutions.

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said about 25 million tons of Ukrainian grain is in storage and another 25 million tons could be harvested next month.

European countries have tried to ease the crisis by moving grain out of the country by rail — but trains can carry only a small fraction of what Ukraine produces, and ships are needed for the bulk of the exports.

At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry proposed corridors to allow foreign ships to leave ports along the Black Sea, as well as Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.

Mikhail Mizintsev, who heads Russia’s National Defense Control Center, said 70 foreign vessels from 16 countries are in six ports on the Black Sea, including Odesa, Kherson and Mykolaiv. He did not specify how many might be ready to carry food.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country was ready to agree on safe corridors in principle — but that it was not sure it could trust that Russia “will not violate the agreement on the safe passage and its military vessels will not sneak into the harbor and attack Odesa.”

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Putin was “trying to hold the world to ransom” by demanding some sanctions be lifted before allowing Ukrainian grain shipments to resume.

“He’s essentially weaponized hunger and lack of food among the poorest people around the world,” Truss said on a visit to Sarajevo. “What we cannot have is any lifting of sanctions, any appeasement, which will simply make Putin stronger in the longer term.”

Putin said “it’s impossible, utterly unrealistic in the modern world” to isolate Russia. Speaking via video to members of the Eurasian Economic Forum, which is comprised of several exSoviet nations, he said those who try would “primarily hurt themselves,” citing broken food supply chains.

A FAMILY pays their respects next to crosses bearing the names of Tuesday’s shooting victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Police: Texas gunman was inside school for over an hour

By JAKE BLEIBERG, JIM VERTUNO and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The gunman who massacred 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school was inside for more than an hour before he was killed in a shootout, law enforcement authorities said Thursday amid mounting public anger and scrutiny over their response to the rampage.

A media briefing called

by Texas public safety officials to clarify the timeline of the attack provided bits of previously unknown information. By the time it ended, though, it had added to the troubling questions surrounding the attack, including about the time it took police to reach the scene and confront the gunman, and the apparent failure to lock a school door he entered.

After two days of providing often conflicting information, investigators said that a school district police officer was not in the school when 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos arrived around 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, and, contrary to their previous reports, the officer had not confronted Ramos outside the building.

Instead, Ramos entered the building “unobstructed” through an apparently unlocked door, said Victor Escalon, regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Local police officers entered the building four minutes later but were driven back after exchanging fire with the gunman, he said.

The crisis did not end until a group of Border Patrol agents went in nearly

TWO family members of one of the victims killed in Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School comfort each other during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) an hour later. Ramos, who had staked out a spot in the fourth grade classroom he targeted, was killed during the shootout, Escalon said.

Many other details of the case and the police response remained murky.

The motive for the massacre — the nation’s deadliest school shooting since Newtown, Connecticut, a decade ago — remained under investigation, with authorities saying Ramos had no known criminal or mental health history.

During the siege, frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the school, according to witnesses.

“Go in there! Go in there!” women shouted at the officers soon after the attack began, said Juan

Carranza, 24, who watched the scene from outside a house across the street.

Carranza said the officers should have entered the school sooner: “There were more of them. There was just one of him.”

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw defended the agency on Wednesday, saying: “The bottom line is law enforcement was there.

They did engage immediately. They did contain (Ramos) in the classroom.”

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz did not give a timeline but said repeatedly that the tactical officers from his agency who arrived at the school did not hesitate. He said they moved rapidly to enter the building, lining up in a “stack” behind an

agent holding up a shield.

“What we wanted to make sure is to act quickly, act swiftly, and that’s exactly what those agents did,” Ortiz told Fox News.

But a law enforcement official said that once in the building, the Border Patrol agents had trouble breaching the classroom door and had to get a staff member to open the room with a key.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk publicly about the investigation.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Christopher Olivarez told CNN that investigators were trying to establish whether the classroom was, in fact, locked or barricaded in some way.

Javier Cazares, whose fourth grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack, said he raced to the school as the massacre unfolded. When he arrived, he saw two officers outside the school and about five others escorting students out of the building.

But 15 or 20 minutes passed before the arrival of officers with shields, equipped to confront the gunman, he said.

As more parents flocked to the school, he and others pressed police to act, Cazares said. He heard about four gunshots before he and the others were ordered back to a parking lot.

“A lot of us were arguing with the police, ‘You all need to go in there. You all need to do your jobs.’ Their response was, ‘We can’t do our jobs because you guys are interfering,’” Cazares said.

Ramos crashed his truck into a ditch outside the school, grabbed his AR15-style semi-automatic rifle and shot at two people outside a funeral home, who ran away uninjured, according to authorities and witnesses.

As for the armed school officer, he was driving nearby but was not on campus when Ramos crashed his truck, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the case and spoke of condition of anonymity.

Investigators have concluded that school officer was not positioned between the school and Ramos, leaving him unable to confront the shooter before he entered the building, the law enforcement official said.

BIDEN TO CONSOLE FAMILIES IN UVALDE, PRESS FOR ACTION PRESIDENT Joe Biden speaks to the nation about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, from the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, as first lady Jill Biden listens.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

By ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to console families and honour victims of Tuesday’s mass school shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.

The White House said the Bidens would “grieve with the community that lost 21 lives in the horrific” shooting at Robb Elementary School. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would meet with the community and religious leaders and victims’ families.

Jean-Pierre, the parent of an elementary school student, delivered an impassioned plea at the White House for lawmakers to come together to address gun violence.

“These were elementary school kids, they should be losing their first teeth not losing their lives,”

she said.

Asked about the propriety of the National Rifle Association going ahead with its planned conference in Houston this weekend, Jean-Pierre, said, “What is inappropriate is that the leadership of the National Rifle Association has proven time and time again, that they are contributing to the problem of gun violence, not trying to solve it.”

“It’s shameful that the NRA and their allies have stood in the way of every attempt to advance measures that we all know will save lives,” she said.

Jean-Pierre echoed Biden, who in remarks Tuesday evening, spoke from personal experience about the pain of losing a child, and called on the country to tighten gun laws in response to the shooting. ‘“When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?” he said. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?

Why do we keep letting this happen?”

SPORTS PAGE 11

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022

NBA, Page 13

Franklyn Petion seeks assistance

by RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

F

ranklyn Petion has overcome several setbacks over the course of his collegiate basketball career and is now seeking assistance to complete his academic and athletic goals.

Petion’s sophomore season for the Williams Baptist Eagles was cut short due to an ACL tear, but after reconstructive surgery and an ongoing rehab process, the Grand Bahama native is optimistic about a strong conclusion with the programme.

To that end, Petion created a Spotfund account to solicit crowd sourced

funding in an effort to complete outstanding tuition payments of $7,000 and become eligible for a full scholarship.

“Right now I’m on a partial scholarship because I signed so late, there’s a chance I can get on a full scholarship now, they have the space, but the money I owe I have to pay before they sign another player,” he said. “But we have discussed it and they do want me back, that’s why I need help to get this done.”

The 6’3” guard suffered the injury just seven games into his first season with the Eagles. He scored 20 points on a perfect shooting night from the field in his debut.

“It was a good fit, the team chemistry was really

FRANKLYN Petion good, the best chemistry I had since moving to the states. After the first game I knew I was going to go off and it was going to be a crazy year,” he said.

Six games later, a matchup against fellow Bahamian Edriel Martinborough and Evangel University, Petion suffered

the injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

“I was excited matched up against a former rival in high school. He beat me every time in high school so I just wanted to beat him in college. I was going off, I was probably going for 30 that game, when I got hurt I had 13 and it was still in the first half,” he said.

“The play where it happened I went up for a layup, I felt it but I didn’t pay any mind to it.

“The doctor said I should have stopped then because it was my meniscus first, but on the next play when I went down, I tried to slide on defence, my knee hyperextended and the doctor said that’s when the

meniscus opened up and tore across my ACL.” It meant that for the second consecutive year, injuries would sideline the versatile guard.

“I went blank. I was thinking the school wasn’t going to want me anymore.

I was thinking when a school hears an injury they just turn to the next player and are done with you,” he said. “After the surgery I was in physical therapy the next day but it was tough mentally. Even though I’m a few days away from being cleared now, it’s tough mentally.”

His college career began with Missouri State WestPlains at the junior college level where he had a promising freshman season

TRAVIS Munnings and his Portuguese club advanced to the league final while Zane Knowles and his Bulgarian club received a favourable ruling in arbitration to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Munnings and Sporting Lisboa Benfica have advanced to the finals in Portugal’s Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB) after they defeated his former club UD Oliveirense in a three-game sweep. They will face the winner of the other semifinal matchup between FC Porto and Sporting CP .

Munnings did not play in game three but opened the series with five points, five assists and three rebounds off the bench in an 89-72

game one win. In game two he pulled down seven rebounds and dished three assists in a 93-80 game two win.

Benfica completed a two-game sweep of Povoa in the quarterfinal. In game one, Munnings had five points, four rebounds and three assists in his team’s 77-59 win. In game two, he had a perfect shooting night from the field (5-5) and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in an 84-67 win.

In 28 games this season, Munnings averaged 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 61 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc.

Zane Knowles and Levski Sofia staved off elimination on the court in Bulgaria’s NBL semifinal against Balkan Botevgrad, but after an administrative

SEE PAGE 14

DEANDRE AYTON’S AGENT TALKS ABOUT HIS FUTURE

Munnings advances to league final, Knowles returns after ruling

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

before an accident sidelined him in his sophomore campaign. After admitted miscues in the recruitment process, he joined former high school teammate Shackeel Butters at William Baptist late in the process.

“I had a great freshman year, sophomore year was okay but I had to deal with injuries, I had surgery on my face after suffering a broken nose,” he said,.

“I had a couple of DII offers, I should have taken one of them, but I missed those opportunities. I felt like I was better than a DII which I shouldn’t have been thinking. I just was thinking I wanted to go DI but I should have been thinking

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TRAVIS Munnings

ZANE Knowles ruling, the club was forced to battle off the court in order for the series to continue.

With Balkan leading the series 2-1 NBL officials ruled that Levski was ineligible to continue competition and the remainder of the games in the series would be forfeited due to issues surrounding the clearance of Levski player Yordan Minchev.

On Wednesday, the Arbitration Commission of BSE Basketball overturned the decision and reinstated Levski into the playoffs.

The series is set to continue and game four will take place on May 29.

In game one, Knowles came off the bench to finish with eight points and four rebounds in an 80-74 loss. Moved into the

starting lineup for game two, he finished with 17 points and five rebounds in a 76-72 loss. In game three he nearly posted a double double with nine points and 11 rebounds in a 66-56 win.

Last season while preparing for the season in Hungary with Zalakerámia ZTE KK, Knowles sought treatment for what he described as a minor hamstring injury when doctors discovered a rare Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF) that required surgery.

In eight games since he returned to play, he has returned to form with averages of 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

DEANDRE Ayton’s free agency speculation continues to make the media rounds and his agent offered public comments for the first time this offseason on the developing situation between the former top pick and the Phoenix Suns.

During the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Ayton’s agent Bill Duffy discussed Ayton’s future on SiriusXM’s NBA show.

“We’re disappointed. We wanted a max contract,” Duffy said. “He went out and was a soldier the whole year, played well, improved his statistics. So, we’re proud of him. A lot of guys handle things differently, but he was very mature about it. Things will work out for Deandre. He’s a valuable player. There’s other teams in the league as well.

“He’s a restricted free agent, so we’ll see how this process unfolds.”

As a restricted free agent, Ayton is free to sign

SEE PAGE 14

French Open lookahead: De Bondt wins last Nadal, Alcaraz and flat stage of Giro, Djokovic in action Carapaz still leads PARIS (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO TODAY Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, 13-time champion Rafael Nadal and rising star Carlos Alcaraz are all on the schedule as the third round of the French Open gets started on Day 6.

Defending champion Djokovic faces Aljaz Bedene at Court Philippe Chatrier.

In another afternoon match, No. 5 Nadal plays Botic Van De Zandschulp.

The 19-year-old Alcaraz will be under the lights on centre court against Sebastian Korda of the United States. Alcaraz, who is seeded sixth and leads the tour with four titles in 2022, lost to Korda on clay in Monte Carlo last month.

That was Alcaraz’s only loss in 19 matches on the surface this season. No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev will take on another American, Brandon Nakashima.

In the women’s draw, the

NOVAK Djokovic youngest player remaining — 18-year-old Coco Gauff of the United States — will face the oldest — 36-yearold Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Belinda Bencic plays 2021 U.S. Open runnerup Leylah Fernandez in the first match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

THURSDAY’S KEY RESULTS Women’s Second Round: No. 1 Iga Swiatek beat Alison Riske 6-0, 6-2; No. 3 Paula Badosa beat Kaja Juvan 7-5, 3-6, 6-2; No. 7 Aryna Sabalenk beat Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3; Shelby

Rogers beat No. 9 Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-3; Qinwen Zheng beat No. 19 Simona Halep 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Men’s Second Round: No. 2 Daniil Medvedev beat Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-3; No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Zdenek Kolar 6-3, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (7); No. 7 Andrey Rublev beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; No. 8 Casper Ruud beat Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; No. 11 Jannik Sinner beat Roberto Carballes Baena 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “The last point, I was just like: ‘Can this just end?

Like at some point, either me lose or you win, I don’t care anymore.’ It was like, ‘I just want this to be over.’

It was so stressful.” — 11thseeded Jessica Pegula of the U.S., who needed eight match points to close out her 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Anhelina Kalinina in the second round yesterday.

TREVISO, Italy (AP) — João Almeida, the PortuBelgian rider Dries De Bondt guese rider who stood fourth won a four-man sprint to take overall, withdrew before the the last flat stage of a Giro 18th stage after testing positive d’Italia that looks like being for COVID-19. Almeida was decided on the last day Sunday.

1:54 behind Carapaz.

Richard Carapaz, the 2019 Two-time winner Vincenzo champion and Tokyo Olympics Nibali -- who plans to retire at gold medallist, maintained a the end of the season -- moved three-second lead in the overup to fourth, although he all standings from Australia’s remained nearly six minutes off Jai Hindley, who was runnerthe lead.

DE Bondt up in 2020.

The stage ended with a flat Hindley had a tire puncture within circuit around Treviso to conclude a the final three kilometres of the stage 156-kilometre (97-mile) route from — which were neutralised, meaning he Borgo Valsugana that included two was given the same finishing time as the fourth-category climbs. other leaders he was riding with when he De Bondt, who rides for the Alpecinhad to stop for mechanical help.

Fenix team, was part of an early Mikel Landa stayed third overall, 1:05 four-man breakaway and he sprinted behind Carapaz. past Edoardo Affini and Magnus Cort The remaining three stages will deter- Nielsen at the line. mine the winner: Gruelling mountain “We did a good operation with the legs on Friday and Saturday followed by other escapees in the final kilometres a hilly individual time trial that ends the to keep the peloton behind, and then race in Verona on Sunday. “I checked we had to focus on Magnus who is a Landa and Hindley all the time as I very fast rider,” De Bondt said. “It’s my knew there could be some gaps,” Cara- first win in a GT (Grand Tour), I can’t paz said. “I want to keep the maglia rosa believe it. It was a dream to achieve a till the end, I trust in my legs.” win like this.”

PAGE 12, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

RECORD-SETTING DAY IN BLTA ‘PLAY TENNIS BAHAMAS’ PROGRAMME THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s (BLTA) ‘Play Tennis Bahamas’ programme continues to bear fruit as the association welcomed approximately 80 kids on Saturday.

The BLTA ran two sessions to accommodate the increased numbers. Kids ages 4-17 are enjoying learning tennis and the programme is expanding.

Perry Newton, president of the BLTA, credited the growth to the consistency of the programme

over the last four years and the opportunity that has been presented to the Bahamian community. Access to the sport has been made very easy and barriers to entry have been removed. With a larger pool of beginners it is the hope that the students who continue to show interest will enrol in one of the after-school tennis programmes in the country.

The next session of Play Tennis Bahamas is this Saturday, May 28 at the National Tennis Centre.

To enrol email: pr@blta.net for more information.

Volunteer coaches and assistants on hand were Nolan Johnson, Paula Whitfield, William McCartney, Esther Newton and Jalisa Clarke.

Newton, who was also on the court coaching the kids, thanked the volunteers who made the session fun and exciting. Two top juniors Jalisa and William were in session giving back to the next generation.

The Governor General Youth Award (GGYA) participants also attended the Play Tennis session.

The group of teenagers between the ages of 14-17 were introduced to the sport. The teenagers learned hand and eye coordination, forehands and they rallied.

This would be the third time that the GGYA and the BLTA collaborated to bring the sport of tennis alive to the kids.

Many parents who bring their kids to the sessions every

Saturday stated that their child always had a desire to learn but they did not know how or where they could do so.

The programme has been instrumental in the lives of so many, teaching skills on and off the court.

The BLTA continues to make a significant impact into the junior tennis landscape through its developmental “Play Tennis Bahamas” programme reaching and teaching one child at a time.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 13

Klay and Warriors beat the Mavs, return to NBA Finals

By JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson shimmied his way to 32 points and the Golden State Warriors advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight seasons by beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals last night.

Thompson scored 19 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer that he punctuated with teammate Stephen Curry’s signature shake as the Warriors raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way.

Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Draymond Green scored 17 points and Curry had 15 points and nine assists for Golden State.

Luka Doncic overcame a slow start to score 28 points for the Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26.

After missing the playoffs in 2020 and ‘21 in back-to back injuryplagued seasons, the Warriors are returning to a familiar stage. They are the first team to make six finals appearances in an eightyear span since the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls had a pair of three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98.

Golden State will host the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Boston and Miami on June 2 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics hold a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 at home tonight.

The Warriors followed their pattern from the first two rounds by bouncing back after squandering a chance to end a series on the road by winning at home. Golden State is now 9-0 at the Chase Center this postseason, tying the 2017 team for the the most consecutive home wins in a single postseason in NBA history.

WINGS forward Satou Sabally (0) fouls Sun forward Jonquel Jones Tuesday. (Sean D Elliot/The Day via AP)

JONQUEL JONES’ 12 POINTS HELP SUN ROUT WINGS 99-68

GOLDEN State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates his basket with forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference finals in San Francisco last night.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The star this game was to eight in the final minute Golden State. He shot 2 MOODY MANIA Thompson, who sat out the of the third quarter but for 10 in the first quarter With Otto Porter (left past two seasons with inju- couldn’t get over the hump with his eight misses, tied foot) sidelined for a second ries but showed flashes of in the fourth. Thompson’s for the most in the opening straight game, the Warrihis old self in this clincher.

3-pointer with just under 3 quarter of a playoff game ors got a big boost in the After making just seven minutes left gave the War- since LeBron James missed first half from 19-year-old 3-pointers in the first riors a 15-point lead. all nine of his attempts rookie Moses Moody. four games of the series, SLOW START in Game 3 of the Eastern Moody scored all of his Thompson had eight this Doncic has typically Conference finals against seven points in the second game. He gave the War- been a playoff star. His Atlanta in 2015. quarter with his 3-pointer riors a 13-point lead in the 32.7 points per game in his Doncic was held to six giving Golden State a 56-38 first half when he hit one first 27 playoff games were points in the first half, his lead. Moody scored just six from the corner before second best to Jordan’s 33.4 lowest opening half of points the first three games dancing and added two ppg among players with at his postseason career, on of this series for the Warearly in the third quarter least 10 playoff games. But 2-for-12 shooting before riors before scoring 17 the for a 23-point lead. Dallas he had a rough start in this finding his stroke in the past two games with Porter cut a 25-point deficit down elimination game against third quarter. sidelined.

Celtics head home looking to close out top-seeded Heat

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum wants experience to be the Celtics’ guide as they return home with a chance to wrap up their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010.

Tatum was a rookie during Boston’s run to Eastern Conference finals in 2018, when it grabbed a 3-2 series lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He also remembers what it felt like as the Celtics watched James unravel their dreams with a 46-point performance in the Cavaliers’ Game 6 win, followed by a 35-point effort in Cleveland’s decisive Game 7 victory at TD Garden.

Boston again has a 3-2 conference finals lead, this time over the top-seeded Miami Heat with Game 6 set for tonight.

Tatum said this feels different.

“I’m a lot better. (Jaylen Brown) is. We’re just older.

And we’ve been through those tough times,” Tatum said. “But the mindset and the talk that we had after the game was we were down 3-2 last time (in semifinals vs. Bucks) and had to go on the road to win Game 6 and we did. So we can’t think that it’s over with.”

Tatum wants to see Boston maintain the mentality of the underdog.

“We need to go back home like we’re down 3-2.

With that sense of urgency

that it’s a must-win game,” he said. “Not relaxing because we’re up. ... The job’s just not finished yet.”

The Celtics do seem to be facing a Heat team that over the past two games hasn’t come close to resembling the one that won Games 1 and 3.

All-Star Jimmy Butler insists he’s fine but appears to be at least slowed by the right knee inflammation that sidelined him during the second half of Miami’s Game 3 win. Over the past two games, he’s scored just 19 points while shooting 7 of 32 from the field.

Kyle Lowry has all but disappeared offensively since returning from a hamstring injury and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro has missed the past two games with a groin injury.

It’s all contributed to the Heat going from shooting an NBA-best 38% from the 3-point line during the regular season to just 29% in the conference finals.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter,” Butler said. “If I’m out there, I gotta do better. I gotta find a way to help us win and I haven’t been doing that. I’m fine, my knee is OK. I just gotta do better. It’s no excuse.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his faith in his team remains strong.

“We’re still alive,” he said. “That’s all we’re thinking about right now.

We have the kind of warriors that are gonna tape up, brace up, do whatever we gotta do to get ready for the next one and just

MIAMI Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Miami.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) embrace and enjoy that competition.”

HISTORY LESSON There have been 333 times a best-of-seven NBA playoff series has been 3-2.

Of those, the team taking the 3-2 lead has gone on to win 83.8% of the time.

But a team trailing has come back to win a series on at least two occasions

in each of the past three years, including the Celtics and Mavericks in this year’s conference semifinals.

CLOSING IT OUT The Celtics are 86-68 in closeout games. That includes a 48-19 record at home.

Jaylen Brown said they want to feed off the energy they know awaits them at

the Garden. He said the message after Game 5 was simple.

“This is a great opportunity. Leave everything on the floor. You don’t want any feelings of regret,” he said. “Let’s come out Friday on our home floor and play the best version of basketball that we’ve played all season.

UNCASVILLE, Conn.

(AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored 18 points, Natisha Hiedeman had 17 points and six assists and the Connecticut Sun beat the Dallas Wings 99-68 last night.

Connecticut (5-2), in the midst of a nine-game stretch in 17 days, avenged an 85-77 loss to the Wings on Tuesday night.

Dallas (5-3) lost on the road for the first time this season.

Brionna Jones added 15 points, DiJonai Carrington scored all 13 of her points in the second half, and Jonquel Jones had 12 points for Connecticut.

Bonner moved into third on the WNBA’s career free throws list, passing Angel McCoughtry.

Jonquel Jones and Hiedeman each scored 10 points in the first half to help Connecticut take a 47-35 lead.

The Sun made 16 free throws without a miss in the half and finished 25 of 27.

Satou Sabally scored 11 of Dallas’ opening 27 points and finished with 18.

Arike Ogunbowale added 16 points and Allisha Gray had 11.

SUGAR BOWL MOVED TO DECEMBER 31 TO AVOID CONFLICT WITH NFL GAME (AP) — THE Sugar Bowl has been moved off its usual primetime spot to noon EST December 31 to avoid a conflict with a Monday night NFL game.

The bowl schedule for the upcoming season was released yesterday.

The games begin on December 16 with the Bahamas Bowl and The Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida, and ends with College Football Playoff championship on January 9 at the NFL stadium in Englewood, California.

The CFP semifinals will be held December 31, a Saturday, at the Peach and Fiesta bowls. With January 1 falling on Sunday, the games usually played on New Year’s Day were moved to January 2, when the national holiday is observed. The move to January 2 is common in college football to avoid conflicting with the NFL. But ESPN found itself with a conflict that day: The NFL has scheduled the final Monday regular-season game for that night, which forced a relocation by the New Orleans-based Sugar Bowl on the schedule.

The Rose Bowl is scheduled for a 5pm EST start January 2 on ESPN, and will precede the Bills at Bengals game. The last time the Sugar Bowl was played before January 1 was 1995 when it was a December 31 game between Virginia Tech and Texas.

The Orange Bowl will be played the night of December 30 and the Cotton Bowl will also be played on January 2, with a 1pm EST kickoff scheduled.

PAGE 14, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Roadmasters’ Midnight Madness returns on Labour Day morning WITH COVID-19 restrictions being lifted and more sporting activities resuming, the Bahamas Roadmasters Running Club is eager to get its 60-strong membership back on the road running again.

The club, which has been affected just like all of the sporting bodies since the outbreak of COVID19 in 2020, is pleased to announce the return of their Midnight Madness 10K Fun Run/Walk on Labour Day morning, June 3 at 12:01am starting and ending at Arawak Cay. COVID-19 safety protocols will be in effect and all participants will be provided with runners’ safety lights. The traffic division of the RBPF will provide escort for everyone’s safety on the road.

“We want all fitness enthusiasts to come out and walk or run with us as we light up West Bay St in support of this year’s chosen Charity, R.E.A.C.H. (Autism Support Group),” said Anastasia Turnquest, the first female elected as president of the BRRC. “Runners and walkers can enjoy the fresh ocean air as they move along the coastline having fun with BRRC and jumpstart their long holiday weekend”.

Turnquest also expressed her appreciation to their sponsors, Sun-Tee; Global Insurance Agency; Bahamian Brewery (Sands Beer); Caribbean Bottling Company and J. S. Johnson.

MEMBERS of the Bahamas Roadmasters Running Club, with its 60-strong membership, have announced the return of their Midnight Madness 10K Fun Run/Walk on Labour Day morning, June 3 at 12:01am starting and ending at Arawak Cay. Refreshments will be served after the event.

Registration is online at active.com, at Bahamas Welding & Fire in Centerville every Saturday from 10am to 1pm

or by contacting us at bahamasroadmasters@ gmail.com. On-site daily registration for Midnight Madness is at Four Seasons Nursery, Infant View Rd. West, Chippingham from

10am - 4:30pm Monday - Saturdays.

Bahamas Roadmasters Runniing Club was formed in 1990 with a mandate to advance the sport of long distance running in The

Bahamas. In addition to the Midnight Madness race, the club also holds the annual Bahamas Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Race Series set to be held in November.

Mourinho’s 5th European title to ‘remain immortal’ at Roma

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — José Mourinho, the once selfproclaimed “Special One,” might be better described as a “Man of the People” now.

The Portuguese coach extended his perfect record in European finals to five titles by guiding Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League trophy.

After winning nearly everywhere he’s been, most recently with European powers Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, bringing Roma its first continental trophy in more than six decades has a different feeling.

“It’s one thing to win when everyone expects you to win, when the squad is made to win, when the investments have been made to win, but it’s entirely different to win things that remain immortal, that stay forever,” a teary-eyed

AYTON

FROM PAGE 11 an offer sheet with another franchise but the Suns would still have the ability to match the deal and retain his rights if they choose to do so.

In his fourth season, the 23-year-old centre averaged 17.2 points on a career high 63 percent from the field and 10.2 rebounds per game in 58 appearances.

During exit interviews, both Suns general manager James Jones and head coach Monty Williams addressed Ayton’s impending restricted free agency.

“Deandre had an amazing season and he’s progressed every year and improved every year.

He’s been here and so he’s a big part of what we do. His future with us is something we will address at the proper time which is in the future,” Jones said in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 show Burns and Gambo.

Mourinho said following Roma’s 1-0 victory over Feyenoord in Tirana, Albania, on Wednesday.

“That makes you feel truly special.”

Roma, a three-time Serie A champion that had lost its previous two European finals, hadn’t won anything at all since raising the often-neglected Italian Cup trophy 14 years earlier.

Mourinho also won the 2003 UEFA Cup and 2004 Champions League finals with Porto; the 2010 Champions League final with Inter Milan; and the 2017 Europa League final with Manchester United -- making him the first manager to lead four different clubs to European titles.

He also coached Chelsea and Real Madrid to numerous domestic trophies. At the final whistle, Mourinho held up five fingers to signify his five European titles as he jumped up and down in celebration. Besides the few thousand Roma

“He’s a free agent and I’ve said all along, he’s about the same things we’re about which is winning. We’ll address it at the proper time.”

Contract negotiations between Ayton and the Suns reached an impasse last April after both sides failed to reach an agreement on a rookie contract extension.

He was eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million extension that could have reached as much as $207 million if he reached benchmarks and incentives.

“Deandre had a great season, a really productive season. I think across the board, when you look at what he did, he improved. That’s a testament to him and the hard work. That’s what you expect from a player of his calibre,” Jones said in his exit interview. “As far as free agency and those things, we’ll address them at the proper time.

That happens in July, end of June, but we want to continue to keep our consistency and continuity

JOSE MOURINHO, right, kisses the trophy at the end of the Europa Conference League final soccer match. AS Roma won 1-0. (AP) spectators inside the small National Arena in Tirana, 50,000 Giallorossi supporters watched the game on giant screens at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. At the final whistle, fans ran onto the empty field at the Olimpico, waving banners and singing the team’s songs.

The celebrations went on all night in Rome as fans lit flares in front of the colosseum and buzzed and honked their way through

and keep the guys that we have and continue to help those guys improve upon the things that we did this year.”

Ayton appeared in only 17 minutes of the Suns’ 123-90 elimination loss to the Dallas Mavericks in game seven of the Western Conference semifinals.

Several teams with available cap space have been linked as sign-and-trade destinations for Ayton, including the Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons.

Several players in Ayton’s 2018 NBA draft class have received max contract extensions, including Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jaren Jackson Jr of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Huerter of the Atlanta Hawks, and Michael Porter Jr of the Denver Nuggets.

historic piazzas on their scooters. Then 3,000 of them welcomed the team back home at the city’s airport at 4 a.m. Mourinho, who was a surprise hiring

by Roma’s new American owners 11 months ago after he fell out of favor at Tottenham, tapped into Roma’s passionate fan base from the moment he arrived in the Italian capital.

Moments like the firsthalf goal in the final from Nicolò Zaniolo, the talented 22-year-old midfielder who Mourinho clashed with at the start of the season as he returned from two serious knee injuries, one of which kept him out for all of last season and prevented him from taking part in Italy’s run to the European Championship title.

Or how about the 27 goals scored across all competitions this season

by Tammy Abraham, the 24-year-old England striker who was cast aside by Chelsea last year before

PETION

FROM PAGE 11 that what really matters is my education. I went to William Baptist with a former teammate Shackeel Butters.

The plan was to go there, play my COVID year and transfer, but now there’s a lot going on here.”

Petion began his basketball life in earnest with the St George’s Jaguars under coach Darell Sears.

He credits Sears and his staff for their continued guidance both on an off the court.

“There was a moment in my life where I was about to make one of the worst decisions of my life. Coach Sears and coach McIntosh sat me down and laid out my options.

“They said I could take one path, help my mom and my family or take another path to end up dying or going to jail,” he said.

“The way they cared made me want to change my ways because there’s not much people that do that. For me as a kid growing up people don’t normally do that but to see how much they sacrificed

Mourinho convinced Roma to spend 40 million euros ($43 million) on him.

Or the physical defending from veteran English center back Chris Smalling, who kept Feyenoord’s Cyriel Dessers, the Conference League’s top scorer, in check.

Or Leonardo Spinazzola, the speedy fullback who ruptured his Achilles tendon during the quarterfinals of Italy’s Euro 2020 run, returning in time to finally play in — and win — a European final.

Or the composed play of 25-year-old Lorenzo Pellegrini, who has carried on the tradition of Roma captains being Romanborn and Romanista. He achieved something that former captains Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi never did at Roma — winning a European trophy.

“I would never have imagined accomplishing this at 25,” Pellegrini said, “with this armband on.”

for me, making sure I got to and from school, anything I needed they were there. It always meant a lot to me and made me want to be better.”

Following a successful high school career that concluded with a national championship, Petion saw many of his teammates leave for college on scholarships but those opportunities were not immediately present for him.

“Coach Sears always told me everyone’s path was different but just stick to it. My thing was I stayed working with St George’s and helped out and they allowed me to use the gym whenever I needed.

“I would work out in the morning, noon and night.

“Ms Higgs, who was also a huge help to me was coaching the girls at the time so I starting helping her out and we were able to come away with two titles in those two years,” he said.

“My mindset was just to keep going and not to give up. Watching everyone go off to school was tough, it hurt but it was just adding more fuel to the tank. I know God wasn’t just going to let it happen like that.”

PORTUGAL APPROVES SALE OF CHELSEA BY ABRAMOVICH LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The Portuguese government has given its authorisation for the sale of Chelsea by Roman Abramovich, who needed approval because he is a Portuguese passport holder.

The decision by Portugal was announced yesterday, a day after the British government approved the sale of Chelsea by the sanctioned Russian oligarch to a consortium fronted by a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Portugal’s rubber stamp was also needed for the deal worth 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion) — the highest price ever for a sports team — to go through.

“The two competent national authorities, the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of finance, gave the green light to the request received from Roman Abramovich for a humanitarian waiver, allowing the English club to be transacted,” the Portuguese government said in a statement.

The government in Lisbon said its backing of the sale hinged on “the guarantee given by the British authorities that the proceeds from the sale will be used for humanitarian purposes, not directly or indirectly benefiting the owner of the club, which is on the European Union sanctions list.”

It added that its position received the backing of the European Commission.

Abramovich gained Portuguese citizenship in 2021 thanks to a law that offered to naturalise the descendants of Sephardic Jews who were forced to leave the Iberian Peninsula centuries before.

Abramovich was sanctioned by British and European authorities because of his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine. British and Portuguese authorities had to ensure the oligarch would not profit from the enforced sale of the club.

Abramovich’s assets were frozen in March and Chelsea has been operating under a British government license, which expires on Tuesday.

Abramovich has been without a British visa since 2018. Since then, he also gained citizenship in Israel.

The Premier League approved the sale of the 2021 European champions on Tuesday.

The buyers of the London-based club are led

by Todd Boehly. Besides being part owner of the Dodgers, Boehly also has minority stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

The disappointment led Petion to discover his passion for coaching on the sidelines.

“I’ve always wanted to coach. Coaching in the US would be great to help kids with their recruitment wanting to come here. I want to tell them about my path, what to do, what not to do, what to expect and how to navigate the whole process.”

Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine with a minor in psychology, Petion is hoping he has an opportunity to complete his academic and athletic career.

“I’m a kid from Freeport, Grand Bahama, raised from nothing. I was in a bad place but I’ve spent years bettering myself, changing and becoming a better person. Getting my degree will be successful,” he said.

“I feel like I can be a good representative of where I come from and how hard you need to work to get to where you want to be.

“I hope to be able to give back to people from my situation as well.”

The link to donate to Petion’s cause can be found at: http://spot.fund/Vy7XgX

PAGE 16, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Gov’t to cut foreign debt portion in half FROM PAGE 24 maturities so that we are not faced with a situation where we have a whole lot of maturities coming due and it’s unmanageable. And the third thing is to manage the cost, and so how do we manage the whole structure so we can minimise the cost.

“It’s those three things: The foreign currency to Bahamian dollar mix, getting your optimal maturity so that you know you’re not faced with a whole lot coming to you at one time and it becomes difficult for you. So that is the strategy.”

To manage those maturities, Mr Halkitis said: “So the strategy is we have the sinking fund, which is an amount of money put aside every year. So that whenever the time comes, for example, if you have a $500m loan coming due or a bond, the idea is to put a little bit aside every year for the Budget year, so that when the time comes to repay that you’re not left with having to come up with $500m but you have something in a sinking fund, putting something away to go towards it.”

Asked whether this year’s Budget was designed to “tax the rich”, Mr Halkitis responded: “Listening to the [Budget announcement], I leaned over to my colleague and said this sounds so wonderful and there are standing ovations for the first time, but we must execute.

“It’s not so much targeting the rich, but our strategy has always been when we talk about revenue administration, is making sure that those who owe the Government and those who can

CALL 502-2394 TO ADVERTISE IN THE TRIBUNE TODAY!

pay, do pay. We had a cap on real property tax, so no matter how big or how much your owner-occupied home is valued, the maximum you could pay is $60,000. To put it in some perspective, to get a real property tax bill for $60,000 your house must be worth $9.6m.

“We have raised that cap to $120,000, because the view is that when you get to those levels and you do it in comparison to a Bahamian living in an $800,000 or $1m home, comparatively the person in the low value home is paying more, so when we talk about fairness we said we will move the cap from $60,000 to $120,000. For someone to pay $120,000 in property tax, their home must be worth $19.3m, so we think that is equitable.”

Real property tax revenues remain almost 40 percent below the $280m in total annual billings, even though they are projected to increase by 6.7 percent in the upcoming fiscal year to $169.4m. The Government is now planning to impose a “minimum tax fee” - equivalent to 75 percent of the subject unit’s assessed value for property tax purposes - as a means to extract revenues from condos, apartments and other highend real estate that are normally exempt from the latter levy because they are placed in hotel rental pools.

“There has been an issue where we’ve had individuals putting condos or apartments in rental pools and they’re able to access the homeowner’s exemption through the Hotels Encouragement Act, getting an exemption from real property tax,” Mr Halkitis said.

“We were not earning any revenues from room tax.

“That’s an attempt to close the loophole so we should get something on the

rental (room tax), and if not we will get something from real property tax.” The Prime Minister, in unveiling the move in Wednesday’s Budget, said this “minimum tax fee” will only kick-in if the unit’s real property tax value is greater than the VAT levied on the rental income generated.

This meant, Philip Davis QC said, that if for example a property was assessed for $100, and failed to generate VAT equivalent to or greater than this value, its owner would pay $75 as the “minimum tax fee” to the Government.

“We are trying to close the loopholes we have, and for high-end properties this is one way of doing it,” Mr Davis told the House of Assembly during his Budget presentation. “There is a cap on real property tax.

We are going to increase that cap from $60,000 to $120,000. To reach that level, your house has to be valued at over $20m.

“We are now imposing a minimum tax fee of 75 percent of the real property tax assessment for highend properties, which are exempt from property tax because they are in a rental pool, if these properties do not generate VAT revenue equivalent to the real property tax assessment. If part of a rental pool, and your condo and apartment is being rented, we expect VAT to be paid on the rental.

“To demonstrate that we are serious about collecting property tax, we are updating the law to simplify the process by which we can take action against all classes of property owners, with the exception of Bahamian owner-occupied properties.”

PAGE 20, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

MOODY’S: MULTIPLE ‘RISKS’ TO GOV’TS FISCAL FORECAST FROM PAGE 24

by the deep discounts/high yields which international investors are demanding.

The rating agency also warned that the Davis administration’s plans to restrict recurrent spending over the next three fiscal years, with slight reductions planned for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 compared to the upcoming 12 months, could constrain the economic growth it is relying on to drag The Bahamas out of its post-COVID malaise.

“Key risks to the Budget are overly optimistic revenue collection projections in the absence of concrete measures to broaden the tax base, and the inability to manage spending in line with targets,” Moody’s analysts said in a credit note to investors.

“Specifically, the Government expects to keep primary recurrent spending unchanged over the

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next two fiscal years, which would reduce real spending given 15 percent nominal growth over the same period. Also, the Government’s assumptions for interest expenditure imply a decline in the average cost of debt despite a rising global interest rate environment.”

The Davis administration is projecting a $1bn revenue increase over the next three fiscal years, growing its income from $2.455bn in this year’s Budget to $3.539bn in 2024-2025. Yet it unveiled no new and/or increased tax measures in Wednesday’s Budget, and is instead seemingly relying on improved economic growth and better tax compliance, enforcement and administration to get there.

Carbon credits, which have yet to materialise, are the only new revenue source discussed since the Government took office eight-and-a-half months ago, and Moody’s said: “The economic recovery is a key driver of the narrower projected deficit in fiscal 2023.

A continued uptick in tourism inflows will drive the recovery at the same time as construction and foreign-led investment projects ramp up.

“These factors, in addition to increased tax collection supported by the reintroduced Revenue Enhancement Unit, underpin the Government’s expectation that recurrent revenue will expand by

28.6 percent by fiscal-yearend 2022 and 14.1 percent in fiscal 2023.” The postCOVID reopening and recovery is expected to generate a $537m year-overyear increase in revenue during 2021-2022 compared to the prior year’s $1.909bn.

A further $346.5m increase is projected in the upcoming 2022-2023 fiscal year, and Moody’s added: “Although these factors are supportive for increased revenue in fiscal 2023, the Budget did not include an increase in taxes, posing risks to the Government’s medium-term projections.

“Without an increase in taxes, the Government projects that recurrent revenue will reach 24 percent of GDP by fiscal year-end 2025, 4.4 percentage points higher than fiscal 2022, and 5.4 percentage points more than in fiscal 2019. As we have noted previously, the Government’s revenue assumptions may prove overly optimistic, leading to a more gradual fiscal adjustment.”

As for spending, the Davis administration is forecasting that fixed-cost (recurrent ) expenditure will peak at $2.997bn in 2022-2023 before declining to $2.952bn in 2023-2024 and then to $2.918bn in 2024-2025. “On the expenditure side, the Government projects that recurrent primary expenditure growth will be close to unchanged over the next three years,” Moody’s said.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that ASHLEY MICHEL of P.O. Box SS-5338, #8 Windsor Avenue, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of May, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

“Following accumulated growth of 31 percent in fiscal 2018 [through to 2021], the Government projects recurrent primary expenditure growth at less than 1 percent in fiscal 2022, declining by 1.1 percent in fiscal 2023 and growing less than 1 percent annually in fiscal 2024-2025.

“The restraint in spending, and with higher revenue, will narrow the deficit. While we expect the Government to constrain expenditure growth, the magnitude of the reduction in spending implies a much more restrictive fiscal policy stance, which will weigh on growth.”

Moody’s added that the Government is also estimating that its debt servicing costs will peak at $589m in 2022-2023, before declining in following years - something that runs counter to the rise in global interest rates to combat inflation.

“The Budget projections suggest interest payments will peak in fiscal 2023 at 21 percent of revenue,” the rating agency added.

“Considering that financing needs and liquidity risk will be elevated over the next two years, with gross financing needs averaging more than 20 percent of GDP in fiscal 2023-2024, an increase in borrowing costs would increase interest expenditures and result in a larger fiscal deficit.

“Given the rise in interest rates globally, and the increase in risk premium

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that BLUE OLIVIER of Scotland Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 27th day of May, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

THURSDAY, 26 MAY 2022

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 6.70 53.00 2.05 2.90 2.60 6.10 10.05 3.50 9.02 3.10 8.00 16.60 2.65 10.25 11.25 10.85 15.20 4.00 11.00 16.50

52WK LOW 4.75 32.12 1.49 2.20 1.30 5.75 6.96 2.82 4.25 2.27 5.94 9.75 1.99 6.50 10.02 9.01 13.10 3.50 8.00 15.50

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Bahamas Class A Focol Class B

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

SECURITY Fidelity Bank (Note 22 Series B+) Bahamas First Holdings Limited

CLOSE

CHANGE

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

2447.81

-0.10

0.00

219.57

9.85

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ BFHP CAB6 CAB9 CHLA FBBA FCLB SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing) 115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.39 100.71 100.53 100.43 100.34 100.23 100.00 100.00 100.98 100.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.20 100.26 100.28 100.43 100.04 100.00 89.62 89.00 90.24 90.73

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.52 4.69 2.22 207.86 212.41 1.73 1.83 1.82 1.05 9.37 11.83 7.54 16.64 12.84 10.77 10.00 10.43 14.89

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.68 1.73 1.75 0.99 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y BGRS FX BGR118022 BGRS FL BGRS68023 BGRS FL BGRS70022 BGRS FL BGRS75022 BGRS FL BGRS81037 BGRS FL BGRS88028 BGRS FX BGR129249 BGRS FX BGR131249 BGRS FX BGR132249 BGRS FX BGR136150

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407 BSBGR1180227 BSBGRS680232 BSBGRS700220 BSBGRS750225 BSBGRS810375 BSBGRS880287 BSBGR1292493 BSBGR1312499 BSBGR1322498 BSBGR1361504

LAST CLOSE 5.35 39.95 2.04 2.31 2.25 6.10 9.75 3.30 7.52 2.81 8.00 16.60 2.74 10.25 12.30 10.85 15.20 3.98 10.00 15.50 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00 LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.65 100.26 100.53 100.54 100.34 100.00 89.62 100.00 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 5.35 39.95 2.04 2.31 2.25 6.10 9.75 3.30 7.52 2.81 8.00 16.60 2.68 10.25 12.25 10.85 15.20 3.98 10.00 15.50 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks 52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Change - Change in closing price from day to day Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

VOLUME

1,000

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.65 100.26 100.53 100.54 100.34 100.00 89.62 100.00 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Financial Conservative Fund Leno Financial Aggressive Fund Leno Financial Balanced Fund Leno Financial Global Bond Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Equities Sub Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - High Yield Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

MARKET TERMS

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.06) 0.00 (0.05) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

(242) 323‐2330 (242) 323‐2320 EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.140 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

60

130

NAV 2.52 4.69 2.21 197.44 202.39 1.73 1.82 1.82 0.99 9.37 11.79 7.54 15.94 12.47 10.74 N/A 10.43 14.89

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.080 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25% 6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25% 3.51% 4.62% 4.50% 4.43% 4.87% 4.33% 5.55% 5.60% 5.65% 5.69% YTD% 12 MTH% 0.99% 4.22% 0.36% 5.78% 0.67% 2.74% -2.97% -2.35% -4.72% 6.04% 0.83% 2.82% -0.18% 3.72% 0.76% 3.55% -3.55% -3.85% -0.02% 10.36% -0.33% 18.23% 0.22% 3.05% -3.89% 14.76% -1.04% -2.57% 0.81% 4.20% N/A N/A 3.00% 25.60% 7.90% 48.70%

P/E 22.4 42.9 N/M 16.5 N/M N/M 26.4 -7.5 53.7 15.3 17.8 23.0 26.3 21.9 19.0 14.9 18.6 19.6 10.6 24.6 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

YIELD 3.18% 3.15% 0.98% 3.46% 0.00% 0.00% 2.67% 0.00% 0.00% 4.27% 2.75% 4.34% 16.19% 0.59% 2.68% 2.21% 3.55% 3.02% 2.00% 3.94% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025 20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 13-Oct-2022 21-Jul-2023 29-Jul-2022 7-Sep-2022 26-Jul-2037 26-Jul-2028 15-Apr-2049 15-Jul-2049 15-Oct-2049 21-Apr-2050

NAV Date 31-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 25-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 31-Mar-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths NAV - Net Asset Value N/M - Not Meaningful

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | CORALISLE 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

for the Government of The Bahamas’ debt, even assuming an unchanged average cost of debt would imply higher interest expenditure than the Government projects.”

Tribune Business reported earlier this week that The Bahamas’ $825m bond, which has an 8.95 percent interest coupon and is set to mature in 2032, closed trading on the Frankfurt stock exchange at a more than 25 percent discount to its face value. The yield demanded by investors was just over 14 percent, indicating that the global capital markets still view The Bahamas as ‘high risk’ and would demand double digit interest rates in return for investing in any new debt issues.

It is a similar story with the $300m bond, carrying a 6.95 percent interest coupon, that is set to mature in 2029. It, too, closed at a 25 percent discount to face value with the yield set at slightly over 12.5 percent.

Still, Moody’s said the drop in the Government’s fiscal deficit to the predicted $564m in the upcoming fiscal year, as opposed to $758.6m for 2021-2022, represented an improvement.

“The fiscal 2023 Budget narrows the fiscal deficit to 4.3 percent of GDP from around 6 percent of GDP in fiscal 2022, and 13.7 percent of GDP in fiscal 2021,” Moody’s said.

“The strong pace of economic recovery supports the Government’s projections for faster fiscal consolidation than a year ago, a credit positive. Fiscal consolidation in fiscal 2022 is offset by a slightly larger deficit in

fiscal 2023, with government projections for a smaller fiscal deficit in subsequent years. Overall, the fiscal trajectory will reduce debt to below 80 percent of GDP by fiscal 2025, still elevated but down from 101 percent in fiscal 2021.”

Moody’s said the present year’s fiscal deficit would have been much reduced if not for an overhang of arrears left by the former Minnis administration.

“Government spending likely increased in fiscal 2022 because of clearing arrears left by the prior administration.

Stronger revenue collection more than offset the increased spending, resulting in the fiscal deficit narrowing to 6 percent of GDP in fiscal 2022 from 7.4 percent based on the medium-term fiscal outlook,” the rating agency added.

“In the first nine months of fiscal 2022, revenue was $1.85bn, a 50 percent increase versus fiscal 2021. The favourable results, supported by postpandemic normalisation of economic activity and tourism inflows, led to a $210.6m increase in the fiscal 2022 revenue estimate.

“This offset a roughly $251m increase in spending (relative to the December supplementary budget) to pay down arrears and other unsettled claims of around $1bn (nearly 8 percent of GDP) at year-end 2021. Without the increased spending, the projected deficit for fiscal 2022 would have narrowed to 4 percent of GDP.”

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that ALI MAHDAVI of Ocean Club Residences, Paradise Island, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 27th day of May, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that MICHAEL ANTONIO TINKER of Miami Street, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 18th day of May, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that SAMUEL CABRERA of Hospital Lane, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of May, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that OLIVIA KOURIE MAHDAVI of Ocean Club Residences, Paradise Island, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 27th day of May, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 21

TOP AVIATION BODY: DELAY CUSTOMS REGIME TO 2023 FROM PAGE 24 Monday. However, Odyssey Aviation, the fixed base operator (FBO), told its clients the ‘go live’ date had been pushed to Wednesday.

Regardless, justifying a more extensive push back until around March next year, Mr Baker wrote: “This pause will allow the necessary time to obtain feedback from impacted stakeholders to make any improvements to the Click2Clear initiative, provide education and training on any new Customs processes, and to implement the initiative during a lower air traffic period to avoid confusion and any major disruption in the event of a system malfunction.

“As someone who flies to The Bahamas, I and others are concerned about this new and untested process for private aircraft pilots. Although it appears Click2Clear has been in existence since 2018 for air cargo operators, we are not aware of any formal announcement of information published on The Bahamas’ government website.

“While I appreciate the initiative by The Bahamas in supporting new and efficient methods to improve the Customs process, I believe reasonable notice with adequate instruction is also warranted,” the AOPA president added. “Although Click2Clear might be appropriate for other users (for example, air cargo), I have been informed by others suggesting that it is very tedious, cumbersome and unintuitive.

“AOPA would like to work with your team to ensure the Click2Clear programme is vetted for use by private pilots so as to ensure we can reduce complexity and confusion, and avoid the risk of deterring and alienating private operators from visiting The Bahamas.”

An AOPA spokesman yesterday told Tribune Business that the organisation had received “many” inquiries from private pilots voicing concern about The Bahamas’ new Click2Clear clearance system. More calls on the subject were received by the AOPA’s call centre yesterday, and they said: “I am not sure of the exact number, but what I can confidently say is that there’s been many inquiries.

“We have so many members, especially as the skies are continuing to open up and people are looking to fly in this nicer weather, and The Bahamas is a top destination. When there’s an issue with a top destination like The Bahamas it’s not a surprise we have things like this.”

Some in the private aviation industry are voicing fears that Click2Clear will add unnecessary bureaucracy and complexity, which could deter private pilots from flying to The Bahamas and cost this nation up to 25 percent of its existing market in a business that is especially valuable for distributing high-spending visitors around all the country’s islands rather than having them concentrated in New Providence.

Others, though, are taking a “trust but verify” approach, having been somewhat reassured by Friday’s meeting outcome that Customs is listening to private aviation’s concerns and is prepared to adjust Click2Clear and its procedures accordingly so that it achieves its objectives without undermining the industry.

Some private pilots, though, are already threatening to abandon or postpone planned visits to The Bahamas. Edward Grayden, in an e-mail to the AOPA’s Mr Baker that was shared with Tribune Business, wrote: “For two years, since the start of the COVID pandemic, I have put aside my trip to The Bahamas. I had decided to make the travel arrangements for this fall until I became aware of the intended Bahamian app which is set to begin at the end of May. “After delving into what appears to be an onerous debacle by the Bahamian Customs Department with the implementation of Click2Clear, sadly I will not be able to once again enjoy a flight to a destination that offers so much for the general aviation pilot.

“I hope you and AOPA look into this matter because, if this online app

by Bahamian Customs takes place, everybody loses - pilots, Bahamian tourism, and all aviationconnected businesses. I reviewed a succinct proposal by Jim Parker of Caribbean Flying Adventures, which would reverse this complicated, bureaucratic and threatening

Bahamian Customs proposal,” he continued.

“How about making my day, as well as other general aviation pilots, in helping all of us continue to fly to and experience the beauty and wonderment that the Bahamas and its citizens offer?” Mr Parker has suggested creating a separate online app specifically for private pilots, where they could both fill-out the C7A (arrival) and general declaration form and pay the necessary fees and departure taxes. That, though, is unlikely to happen.

To clear Customs upon entry to The Bahamas, private pilots presently have to file their flight plan and complete a C7A inward declaration form. The information required includes the plane owner and pilot’s names, the aircraft registration number, the identities of any passengers, and details on where the plans is coming from and on its departure.

A $50 Customs arrival fee is also payable. A general declaration form must also be completed on departure, together with the $29 per person departure tax.

However, Customs has swiftly moved to digitise these long-standing manual processes by requiring that they now be completed via its Click2Clear electronic portal, seemingly with little to no warning for the industry.

The goal will likely be to collect all revenue due to the Government from the private aviation industry and its customers, and ensure that all the necessary electronic records to document this and their

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

Druity Invest & Trade Corp.

In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(4) of the International Business Companies Act. 2000, Druity Invest & Trade Corp. is in dissolution as of May 25th, 2022.

International Liquidator Services Limited, situated at 3rd Floor Withfield Tower, 4792 Coney Drive, Belize City, Belize is the Liquidator.

LIQUIDATOR ______________________

arrival are in place. A ‘flyer’ from Bahamas Customs & Excise’s information technology (IT) unit, sent to the sector and obtained by Tribune Business, said the reforms will boost convenience and efficiency for all as pilots can submit payment and the forms before they arrive.

“Click2Clear’s ‘pleasure craft module’ will be a game changer to revolutionise the way private aircrafts clear into The Bahamas via air travel,” the Customs document said, adding that the new system had been due to launch on May 2. “Make travel simpler and easy from the comfort of your home or office before arriving to The Bahamas.”

The AOPA’s Mr Baker, in his letter to Mr Cooper, described the association as “one of the largest, if not the largest, supporters and marketers of travel to The Bahamas”. It was for this reason that he expressed hope the Government and AOPA can “work together to ensure an efficient and functional programme for private pilots”.

Referring to the AOPA’s Bahamas Guide, which details the country’s 57 airports and “been the go-to resource for private pilots flying to The Bahamas for many years”, Mr Baker said the lack of notice meant it had not been upgraded to include Click2Clear and its requirements.

Dr Kenneth Romer, the Ministry of Tourism’s deputy director-general and acting aviation director, who was copied on the letter to Mr Cooper did not respond to a Tribune Business message seeking

comment before press time last night. Greg Rolle, another tourism official who works directly with private aviation and attended Friday’s meeting, also received the letter.

Simon Wilson, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, told Tribune Business that Click2Clear had been designed as a “one-stop portal” for dealing with all Customs processes and he had advised the agency to use it to its full “potential”.

However, he added that the system can be adjusted to address any concerns.

“The application was designed to be a one-stop shop portal for all Customs matters,” he explained.

“The system reflects the work process. If there are concerns we can take it on

and make adjustments. It reflects the work flow as it exists now. The one thing I’ve said to Customs is that they’ve got to use the system to its full potential.

It’s a very expensive system so they might as well use it to its potential.”

Mr Wilson said Click2Clear had been designed and implemented by Crimson Logic, a software firm owned by the Singapore government and regarded as one of the top-tier developers of Customs-related programs.

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LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

TECHTRADE SERVICES LIMITED In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(4) of the International Business Companies Act. 2000, TECHTRADE SERVICES LIMITED is in dissolution as of May 25th, 2022.

International Liquidator Services Limited, situated at 3rd Floor Withfield Tower, 4792 Coney Drive, Belize City, Belize is the Liquidator.

LIQUIDATOR ______________________

PAGE 22, Friday, May 27, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

FEARS VAT GRAB WILL ‘KILL’ MARINA INDUSTRY FROM PAGE 24

share that The Bahamas has enjoyed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warning that the Government’s will “drive them right back to the Caribbean”, the ABM chief told this newspaper that combined data from 55 Bahamas-based marinas showed that the sector accounted for 37.3 percent or more than one-third - of total tourism revenues generated in 2021.

Mr Maury based this on the total $327.438m total revenue generated

by Bahamian tourism in 2021 - a statistic that he said came from the Ministry of Tourism. Asserting that it showed the marina sector had “made huge strides” in efforts to bring more boats and yachts to The Bahamas, and create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for locals, he argued that it could all go to waste due to what he described as a tax grab by the Ministry of Finance.

However, his concerns were vehemently rejected

by Senator Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, who yesterday argued that the foreign yacht charter industry had for years “enjoyed a windfall at The Bahamas’ expense” by using this country’s marine environment and natural resources to earn millions of dollars without paying its fair share to the Public Treasury.

Dismissing arguments that the VAT hike on foreign yacht charters is too onerous, Mr Halkitis chuckled at suggestions the move would “kill” the sector when addressing the weekly press briefing given by the Prime Minister’s Office. He recalled how private pilots had threatened to abandon The Bahamas, and instead travel to destinations such as Turks & Caicos, when the Government introduced a $50 fee for Customs processing of private planes.

Asserting that the reverse happened, and private aviation business had actually

increased since, the minister said the Government had for years struggled to collect due taxes from foreign yacht charters via the 4 percent fee. “In terms of the yacht charters, that’s been a vexing problem as well,” Mr Halkitis said.

“There is a 4 percent fee on the charter.

“They charge a fee to do the charter, and the Government is supposed to get a 4 percent charter fee.

What we’re saying now is that these individuals have to register for VAT and we get VAT on the cost of the charter. Because the yachts are coming into our waters, they’re enjoying our environment, they’re making money, we feel justified in earning something from that. It’s our resources that are being used generate this money, so we think we should get something for it.

“The Government of The Bahamas has to expense money to make sure our waters are in good order” through the presence of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Mr Halkitis added, so that visitors and Bahamians felt safe.

“We don’t think it’s onerous,” Mr Halkitis added of the 10 percent VAT levy.

“We did some checks and found, for example, that if you do a charter in the Mediterranean the VAT is 22 percent and we’re charging 10 percent. We don’t think that will chase anybody away.”

Almost anticipating Mr Maury’s response, the minister recalled the previous furore over the $50 private aviation processing fee and the failure of ‘doom and gloom’ predictions to become reality. “People say: ‘Ok, if you do this, it’s going to kill the charter industry’, right?

“We don’t think so. As a matter of fact we think, and I say it here, individuals have been having a windfall for a long time at our expense and we feel it’s time we get what we think is our fair share. We have a a beautiful environment,

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MICHAEL HALKITIS and have to preserve it and maintain it. Anywhere else in the world you have to pay. Give us our little thing.” Research by this newspaper showed the VAT rate on charter fees in Greece and Spain are 24 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

However, Mr Maury yesterday argued that the Mediterranean VAT charter rate was actually 17 percent. He added that, when this was imposed, many countries in that region “lost half their business” to Croatia. The ABM chief also asserted that it was misleading and inappropriate to compare The Bahamas to the Mediterranean, given the distance between the two, and because this nation’s real competition is the Caribbean.

“The rest of the Caribbean is at zero,” Mr Maury argued, comparing the region with The Bahamas’ new tax rate. He said Ministry of Finance officials have confronted him with the Mediterranean tax rates across successive administrations to justify hiking taxes on foreign yacht charters here, while also arguing that fuel and other costs make it prohibitive for vessels to seek out other jurisdictions - positions which he says are flawed and risk The Bahamas’ business.

“That’s going to kill us,” Mr Maury told Tribune

Business of 10 percent VAT. “That puts us in a whole different world. I see why they don’t bother to tell anyone. If they had to debate it beforehand, everybody would go berserk. They know it’s going to cause uproar. This is not good news. I think it’s going to really damage the industry. We’ve got Bahamian companies that are just starting up as agents and brokers. We started a whole new Bahamas Yacht Brokers Association.

“I’ve said it before, and I said it the last time they did this. The rest of the Caribbean is at zero. Nobody else is doing it. If you want to drive business out of the country this is a good way to do it. It’s the Ministry of Finance. I’ve been through this with the last financial secretary [Marlon Johnson] and this one. They’re just trying to create money.

They’re not looking at the industry as a whole.”

Pointing to the ABM’s 55-strong marina research, which suggested the sector contributed 37.3 percent or $122.135m of The Bahamas’ $327.438m total tourism revenues in 2021, Mr Maury produce figures showing those facilities generated $78.058m in combined fuel sales last year, and $18.109m and $10.819m, respectively, in total electricity and water sales to berthed vessels.

The VAT paid on this sum,

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Notice!

The 42nd Annual General Meeting of the Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union Limited will be held on Friday, May 27th, 2022, commencing at 5:00 p.m. at the Church of God Auditorium, Joe Farrington Road, for the following purposes: 1.

2.

3.

4.

To receive and ratify the Board of Directors’ Report To receive and ratify the 2021 Audited Accounts To receive and ratify the (proposed) 2023 Budget To elect members to the Board of Directors, Supervisory, Credit and Nomination Committees and 5. To ratify the appointment of Auditors for 2022

All members in good standing are encouraged to attend and participate.

Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union Limited “The Family Credit Union.”

at 12 percent, worked out to $18.322m.

While the $327.438m figure, said to have come from the Ministry of Tourism, could not be verified by this newspaper, Mr Maury said the marina sector’s earnings and economic contribution are under threat if the tax hike deters foreign charters from coming to The Bahamas. The boating/yachting sector’s clients are typically high-yielding spenders whose impact the industry can spread around to the entire Bahamas, not just Nassau, thus more evenly distributing wealth.

Questioning whether the Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA), which allows charter vessels to stock up on supplies prior to clients arriving, will be included in the VAT calculation, Mr Maury said the impact of visitor and crew spending was felt across the Bahamian economy by hotels, restaurants, casinos, liquor and grocery stores and other sectors.

“I saw the excursion businesses coming out and saying they’re happy seeing the yachts having to pay 10 percent VAT. We raised, in 4 percent fees in one year, $3.5m for the Government through our own online portal. Through proper collection we can get more,” Mr Maury said. “Why hit them with another fee?

“We’ve made huge strides in the last couple of years bringing this industry to The Bahamas, and creating a lot of Bahamian employment. If the Government is worried about excursions, they have to think about the 10,000 Bahamians working in the yacht and marina industry. I guarantee it’s a lot more than excursions.

If you look at what we did last year, it was the biggest jump in the growth of the industry The Bahamas has ever seen. I’ve been in this industry 30 years and never seen that.”

Noting that opportunities ranged from boat and carpet cleaners to Bahamians who have set up their own yacht brokerage and agency businesses, Mr Maury said many of these possibilities were “not here five years ago”. Such livelihoods, he added, could now be threatened as well as the Government’s existing revenues from marina fuel sales.

“We have got a letter from the International Yacht Brokers Association saying that because everybody is so focused on ridiculous fees, the Caribbean is suddenly going to look better,” the ABM chief revealed. “The Caribbean probably leads the industry in this region. We have a one-third share. For every yacht that comes to The

Bahamas and charters, two yachts go to the Caribbean.

“We’ve been able to claw that back in the last couple of years with hurricanes and the pandemic, and we opened up our borders first, but if we do this it will drive them right back to the Caribbean. I don’t care what economic model you’re looking at. Ten percent of nothing is still nothing.”

Mr Maury said he had previously explained to the Ministry of Finance that boats/yachts did have a choice of going elsewhere in the Caribbean if The Bahamas raised taxes.

Officials had argued that fuel and other prohibitive costs would deter vessels from heading south, but the ABM chief explained this was incorrect. He said vessels burned fuel as much when they were docked as they did when sailing to other destinations, meaning they incur no extra cost going to the Caribbean.

“It’s like the cost of tea in China. It means nothing to us in The Bahamas,” Mr Maury said of the Mediterranean comparison. He added that the VAT imposition was also especially badly timed with multiple marinas, including Hurricane Hole on Paradise Island and Nassau Harbour opening up, together with new facilities in Abaco (three), Harbour Island and Eleuthera. “How are they going to fill those slips?” the ABM chief asked.

He also fears the bureaucracy and red tape involved in becoming a VAT registrant, and opening a Bahamas-based bank account, will deter many foreign charters from even trying to work with the new law. Presently, while vessels can pay their charter fee online, they have to wait two weeks to get the annual licence and have to visit the Port Department in-person to collect it.

And, with its Click2Clear system requiring visitors to answer 340 questions to enter The Bahamas, Mr Maury said Customs was not much better. He recalled how, on Wednesday, a vessel needing to leave The Bahamas at a certain time so it could connect with a tow when it reached the US was delayed by three hours waiting for Customs to clear its departure, with the agency subsequently charging the boat for overtime.

It is unclear when the new VAT registration and levy take effect. Given that they have been introduced as “rules”, it is possible they only had to be tabled in the House of Assembly - as happened on Wednesday - to come into force rather than wait for all Budget legislation to be passed and come into being on July 1.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 27, 2022, PAGE 23

GAS DEALERS ‘SHOCKED’ AT MARGIN RISE RULE-OUT FROM PAGE 24

time, which will only lead to higher prices at the pump and more pressure on the consumer.

“And so what we have been doing is having some discussions to find out ways for where we can bring relief to them directly based on the things that they are facing, inclusive of things like higher rents and franchise fees and increased amount of money that they have to outlay for inventory, meaning they have to spend more just to fill their tanks because of the rising prices,” Mr Halkitis added.

“We think we have some ideas and, as I’ve said before, they have put some

positions to us, and we mull them over and our technical folks would come up with something that we think might work. We just need to agree internally and hopefully we could put something to them that could help them even if it’s a temporary measure until some of these issues subside.” Local gas is currently priced at well over $6 per gallon at all major providers in New Providence.

In response, Mr Bastian said: “If the minister meets with us along with the wholesalers, who basically control franchise fees, and if we can have a meeting together where we can come to some cap in

regards to that, I think that would be good.

“I think they did that in the UK, because we provide such an essential commodity, and if the Government can work along with us to get the rent and the franchise fees and all of those other related and unrelated charges reduced, so we can make this profitable again, then we definitely will entertain that.”

The Government has no control over what petroleum wholesalers - Rubis, Shell (FOCOL Holdings) and Esso (Sol Petroleum) - charge retail dealers when it comes to franchise fees, rents and revenue sharing.

Those are private contracts that have to be addressed

by the parties, with the Government only controlling its per gallon tax take and the margins via price control.

“The government can facilitate any movement in this. The Government can advise us and help us in that area. The Government has the power. It can do anything it wants as they have the power to influence changes in that area,” said Mr Bastian.

“When the gas prices were low we tried to reach out to the previous government and they wouldn’t even acknowledge us. The only good thing I would say about this government is that even though I’m disappointed, they at

least entertained us on our suggestions and methods where the previous government didn’t.”

No mention was made of any solution in Wednesday’s Budget, and Mr Bastian said of the Government’s stance on ruling out margin increases: “I’m disappointed because I continue to work, and I continue to try and believe that at some point we can come to some amicable arrangement so gas station operators throughout The Bahamas can become profitable again.

“I’m just disappointed in the stance that was taken.

When you have Bahamians in this business every day

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Partly sunny

Partly cloudy

A t‑storm around in the morning

Couple of thunder‑ storms

Cloudy with a shower and t‑storm

Mostly cloudy, a shower and t‑storm

High: 86°

Low: 77°

High: 84° Low: 75°

High: 82° Low: 75°

High: 84° Low: 74°

High: 85° Low: 76°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

94° F

81° F

94°-79° F

90°-79° F

92°-79° F

94°-79° F

ORLANDO

TAMPA

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 76° F/24° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

10‑20 knots

S

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 75° F/24° C

8‑16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 77° F/25° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

| Go to AccuWeather.com

TONIGHT

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 72° F/22° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 77° F/25° C

7‑14 knots

KEY WEST

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 79° F/26° C

NASSAU

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

N

uV inDex toDay

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

6:25 a.m.

6:58 p.m.

2.4 2.9

12:35 a.m. 0.2 12:36 p.m. ‑0.1

Saturday

7:10 a.m.

7:38 p.m.

2.3 2.9

1:22 a.m. 0.1 1:16 p.m. ‑0.1

Sunday

7:51 a.m.

8:17 p.m.

2.3 2.9

2:05 a.m. 0.1 1:54 p.m. ‑0.1

Monday

8:31 a.m.

8:55 p.m.

2.2 2.9

2:46 a.m. 0.0 2:32 p.m. ‑0.1

Tuesday

9:10 a.m.

9:33 p.m.

2.2 2.9

3:26 a.m. 0.1 3:09 p.m. 0.0

Wednesday 9:49 a.m.

10:12 p.m.

2.1 2.8

4:05 a.m. 0.1 3:47 p.m. 0.1

Thursday

2.1 2.8

4:45 a.m. 0.2 4:26 p.m. 0.2

10:29 a.m.

10:51 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:21 a.m. Moonrise 7:53 p.m. Moonset

4:30 a.m.

5:36 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

May 30

Jun. 7

Jun. 14

Jun. 20

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

N

S

E

W

7‑14 knots

S

8‑16 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 86° F/30° C Low .................................................... 74° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 85° F/30° C Normal low ........................................ 72° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 87° F/31° C Last year’s low ................................... 67° F/19° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 14.38” Normal year to date ..................................... 8.15”

ELEUTHERA

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 77° F/25° C

who provide an essential commodity, the minister does not want to show up to his favourite gas station to find that the gas station where he bought his gas from is no longer there because they can no longer afford to buy gas from the wholesalers.”

The Association is also willing to forego its call for the Government to reduce VAT on gasoline, which Mr Bastian says “would not help the country”. He added: “I’m not discouraged. I just hope that they reconsider our proposals so we can get out of this mess that we’re in.”

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

N

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

8‑16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 84° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 86° F/30° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8‑16 knots

8‑16 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS SE at 8‑16 Knots S at 7‑14 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SSE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SSE at 8‑16 Knots SSW at 6‑12 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 0‑1 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 0‑1 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet

VISIBILITY 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 80° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 84° F 84° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 81° F

business@tribunemedia.net

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022

$6.30

$6.48

$6.35

Top aviation body: Delay Customs regime to 2023

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE world’s largest aviation association is urging The Bahamas to delay implementing a new border entry and exit regime for private pilots until early 2023 amid fears the process will be “very tedious, cumbersome and unintuitive”.

Mark Baker, president and chief executive of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), in a May 24, 2022, letter to deputy prime minister, Chester Cooper, called on the Government to delay the introduction of Customs’ Click2Clear system for private aviation until the end of the 2023 first quarter.

The new regime through which private pilots must gain Customs clearance to enter The Bahamas is due to come into effect next Wednesday, June 1, but Mr Baker - whose non-profit advocacy group

Fears VAT grab will ‘kill’ marina industry

• Warns ‘tedious’ entry process will ‘alienate’ private pilots • AOPA chief urges DPM to ‘pause’ go ahead until end Q1 • Some fliers warn ‘everybody loses’ and abandoning visits represents several hundred thousand members - pleaded for a “pause” that would both allow the sector to become better acquainted with Click2Clear and enable this nation to make any adjustments necessary to aid a lucrative tourism segment.

“It has recently come to my attention, from third parties, that The Bahamas Customs Department plans to implement the Click2Clear initiative on May 30, 2022, for all private aircraft operators

flying into and out of The Bahamas,” the AOPA chief wrote to Mr Cooper, who is also minister for tourism, investments and aviation.

“Unfortunately, since this programme has not been officially announced nor assimilated with private pilots, I write to request postponing the implementation of the Click2Clear programme for private pilots until the end of the first quarter of 2023.”

Following what was described as a “marathon”

SENT LETTER - Chester Cooper. two-hour meeting last Friday to address concerns with Click2Clear, involving Customs and Ministry of Tourism officials, as well as Bahamas Flying Ambassadors and private aviation representatives, this newspaper was told the new system’s implementation had been delayed until this

SEE PAGE 21

Moody’s: Multiple ‘risks’ to Gov’ts fiscal forecast

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net MOODY’S last night warned of multiple “risks” to the Government’s fiscal consolidation projections due to the absence of any tax increases in the just-unveiled Budget, while spending restraint will “weigh on economic growth”

While the narrowing fiscal deficit for the 2022-2023 fiscal year was declared to be a “credit” positive for The Bahamas, the credit rating agency asserted that “over-optimistic revenue projections” in the absence of a wider tax base and difficulties in controlling government spending “in line with targets” represent real threats to bringing the $10.5bn national debt under control.

And Moody’s suggested that the Government may have under-estimated its debt servicing (interest) costs, even if the average debt cost does not change, due to a combination of rising global rates as developed countries move to fight inflation and “the increase in risk premium” for The Bahamas’ sovereign debt as shown

SEE PAGE 20

PHILIP DAVIS QC

Gas dealers ‘shocked’ at margin rise rule-out

$6.13

• ‘No it won’t’, argues Minister Halkitis • Foreign yacht charter tax rate to triple • Sector gets ‘windfall at our expense’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president yesterday warned that reforms set to more than triple the tax rate imposed on foreign yacht charters will “kill” an industry that last year directly injected $122m into the economy.

Peter Maury told Tribune Business of the Government’s plans to require foreign yacht charters to register for VAT, and pay the 10 percent levy on the full charter contract: “If they want to drive business out of the country this is a good way to do it.”

Foreign yacht charters are already supposed to pay a fee equivalent to 4 percent of the contract value to the Port Department. However, reforms to the Boat Registration (Yacht) (Amendment) Rules 2022, which were tabled in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, effectively now subject the industry to ‘double taxation’ by levying 10 percent VAT on the same contract.

This more than triples the tax rate for yacht charters, taking it from 4 percent to 14 percent, and Mr Maury said such a hike threatens to undo the increased boating/yachting market

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net PETROLEUM dealers yesterday said they were “shocked” after the Government ruled out increasing their per gallon margins despite a Cabinet minister revealing it was working to offer alternative help.

Vasco Bastian, the Bahamas Petroleum Dealers Association’s (BPDA) vice-president, told Tribune Business he was “disappointed” at the Government’s inflexibility in maintaining the 54 cent per gallon gasoline margin for fear any rise would hurt consumers.

However, Senator Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, told the

SEE PAGE 22 weekly media briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office that the Davis administration was close to coming up with an alternative assistance proposal for an industry he admitted is “distressed” because of its fixed margins and high global oil prices.

The minister, who has consistently ruled out any increase in retail and wholesale margins because of the increased costs it will impose on already-hard pressed consumers, said: “As you know we have been having a series of meetings with retailers.

“They are very distressed. They are facing some enormous challenges. Our position is it will be very difficult for the Government to approve a margin increase at this

SEE PAGE 23

Gov’t to cut foreign debt portion in half

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE Government is aiming to slash the portion of its debt held in foreign currency by more than 50 percent, a Cabinet minister said yesterday, as he reaffirmed the key components of its liability management strategy.

Senator Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, addressing the weekly media briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office said the Davis administration wanted to reduce the percentage of national debt denominated in foreign

currency from the present 45 percent level to as low as 20 percent of the overall mix.

This would reduce the pressure on The Bahamas’ external reserves and foreign exchange earnings to finance payments to overseas creditors. Affirming that the Government is “targeting three main things” with its debt management strategy, Mr Halkitis said: “We want to get back to a point where it’s more 70-30/80-20 in favour of local to foreign” denominated debt.

He added: “Secondly, we want to manage our

SEE PAGE 16