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CEASE AND DESIST Judge delivers damning ruling on govt’s shanty town demolition actions

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net THE government was banned yesterday from further demolishing shanty town structures across Abaco after a Supreme Court judge rejected its bid to have the island’s shanty towns removed as beneficiaries of a standing injunction centred on demolition of unregulated communities.

In her ruling yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson ordered that her standing injunction, which prohibits the government from evicting shanty town residents and disconnecting services in their communities, be extended to include all unregulated communities in Abaco.

She also ordered the government to “cease and desist” from “any

further interference” with the respective communities until the outcome of the pending judicial review and also admonished officials for moving to demolish the structures without first getting approval from the court.

Her ruling came weeks after the government launched a joint sting operation on the remaining shanty towns in Abaco and began demolishing newly built structures. Many of the unregulated communities on the island were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian and later cleared by the government in the aftermath of the storm.

Yesterday, Justice Grant-Thompson said the decision to clear and remove shanty town homes after the storm casts the allusion of an “act first” and “ask questions SEE PAGE THREE

‘THEY HAVE RIGHTS TOO’ DEMOLITION work taking place recently in The Farm shanty town in Abaco - but a court injunction has now been extended to cover the island and bring a halt to shanty town clearances there.

PORT AUTH. TABLES PLAN CAT ISLANDERS UNHAPPY TO REVITALISE FREEPORT WITH ‘EXTRA’ LOCKDOWN

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A PROMINENT attorney yesterday charged that “the ball is in the Government’s court” after it was presented with a ‘road map’ for reviving Freeport and the wider Bahamian economy via “a radically different approach”.

Robert Adams, who heads the Revitalization and Economic Expansion of Freeport (REEF) committee, said “the road to the turnaround of our national economy lies through Freeport” as he unveiled the body’s final “vision” for achieving the city’s rebirth together with specific actions, steps and timelines.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net SOME Cat Island residents are up in arms about the extension to the current COVID-19 lockdown for their community, saying it is unnecessarily excessive.

On Sunday, the Office of

the Prime Minister issued a statement stating that north and central Andros and Cat Island will remain under lockdown for an additional seven days until 5am Monday, June 14.

The statement read: “North Andros, Central Andros and Cat Island will remain under lockdown for SEE PAGE FOUR

SAVE THE BAYS QUESTIONS CRUISE LINE’S PI PROJECT

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net ENVIRONMENTAL activists yesterday challenged the government on whether it is breaching its obligation to use Crown Land in the Bahamian people’s best interests with the Paradise Island lease to Royal Caribbean.

Joe Darville, Save the

US VACCINES HEADED OUR WAY

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said he is optimistic The Bahamas will receive vaccines from the United States, suggesting the country will be among the first to do so.

Last week, the Biden administration removed Defence Production Act priority

RESTRICTIONS on sales of Novavax, Sanofi and OxfordAstraZeneca vaccines have been lifted. ratings on Oxford-AstraZeneca, Novavax and

Sanofi vaccines, allowing companies to make their own decision as to whom to sell their vaccines.

The US government will share most of its donated COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX, the World Health Organisation-led programme from which The Bahamas has already received tens of thousands of vaccine doses.

SEE PAGE FOUR

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

Bays’ chairman, in a statement said the cruise line’s $110m Royal Beach Club was seemingly not in the interests of Bahamian entrepreneurs and other cruise-reliant industries given that it will suck “thousands of passengers” away from downtown Nassau when it opens in January 2023.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

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SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

WORK TO START ON ABACO MODEL HOMES NEARLY two years after Hurricane Dorian, Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield said yesterday that construction will begin on five model homes in Abaco donated by the Bakers Bay group within the next three weeks.

Speaking on plans to fulfil the homeownership dreams of Abaco residents, the North Abaco MP also said the Ministry of Housing will replicate its service lot initiative on the island, with some 60 homes to be built at the end of the project.

“Early on, we identified three potential sites in Abaco to develop the type of communities envisioned.

These include Central Pines — more westerly toward Murphy Town’s Southside Road area; Spring City and Wilson City. Separately, from the mentioned identified sites for the development of service lot communities — through potential public, private, partnerships as envisioned by the Prime Minister — the DRA has already cleared the proposed site

for the building of homes donated by the Bakers Bay group.

“It is anticipated that construction on five model homes in that community will commence within the next two to three weeks. I am also pleased to say that the Ministry of Housing — through the government’s service lot land initiative— is poised to replicate its Carmichael initiative in Central Pines. It is contemplated that by the end of the development, some 60 homes will have been built.

Phase one of the project, which anticipates the building of some 20 homes will commence before the end of the summer.”

Mr Henfield said the government, despite its best efforts, cannot repair all of the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian.

“Permit me just to say here that this Minnis led administration — through the operations of the Disaster Recovery Authority (DRA) — is committed to ensuring that every homeowner that has been

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff He added that an ini- — will provide more help. assessed and approved by homes have been assessed In the first instance, the as to their existing needs the mechanisms employed tiative dubbed “Operation by that agency will receive Work Speed” — which is programme will focus on and it is anticipated that the assistance promised by intended to augment and those in need of labour and five of these homes will be not compete with existing others in need of material, addressed in one way or the the DRA,” he said.

He said help from donors governmental and private he said. other within the next two “Thus far, some 95 plus weeks.” restoration efforts in Abaco is also needed.

1,053 REPATRIATED SINCE JULY 2020, SAYS HENFIELD

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said the consular division of his ministry helped the Department of Immigration repatriate 1,053 foreigners to their homelands between July 2020 and May 2021.

He was speaking during his contribution to the

budget debate yesterday. He said 713 of the repatriated people were Haitian nationals and 340 were people from other countries.

“The division was also instrumental in assisting overseas missions with deportation and the return of 62 Bahamians from the US to The Bahamas during the period of July 2020 to May 2021,” he said.

Mr Henfield said the

division continues to help Bahamians in distress in foreign countries. In particular, 539 Bahamians who were distressed and/or displaced abroad were helped during the relevant period.

“The consular division has also rendered assistance to 16 foreign nations in distress in The Bahamas and served as an intermediary between relevant agencies, including honorary consuls and embassies,” he said.

Turning to other parts of his portfolio, Mr Henfield said with its expanded capacity, the Passport Office enrolled 43,366 people from July 1, 2020 to May 2021 and generated $1,183,045.

Of the enrolled, “adult enrolment totalled 27,285, minor enrolment totalled 7,982 and 8,099 online enrolment,” he said.

The government expanded the passport

online portal in December 2020 to let applicants ages 15-17 renew their passports. The digital portal was also incorporated into the government’s platform, allowing “the application and collection of passports and other government issued documents from a central location,” according to Mr Henfield.

The government has since opened Passport Offices on Exuma, Inagua, Long

Island and Eleuthera. Two more Passport Offices will be opened in the coming weeks in Bimini and North Andros.

Mr Henfield said the consular division of his ministry also generated $837,540 during the budget year by legalising 4,967 documents.

“For this same period, the division issued 1,037 visas for a revenue of $173,240,” he said.

SECOND PHASE OF SWEETING’S CAY REPAIRS UNDERWAY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PHASE Two of the Sweeting’s Cay Home Repair Project is underway to repair 14 homes damaged during Hurricane Dorian two years ago.

The project — which is being spearheaded by the Rotary Clubs on Grand Bahama, in partnership with TK Foundation — is expected to be completed over the next five to six weeks.

Phase One of the project was completed last week when nine newly built homes were turned over to residents on the cay. The first phase was funded at a cost of nearly $600,000 by the TK Foundation.

Rotarian Billy Jane

Ferguson said Rotary is changing lives.

“We still have persons living in tents (on Sweeting’s Cay), and the plan is to help them,” she said. “We are hoping the donors will also come on board with phase three.”

In addition to providing aid and rebuilding homes for those in need, she said Rotary has also provided jobs and skills training to those unemployed in Grand Bahama, particularly in Seagrape, and Eight Mile Rock.

Ms Ferguson stressed that Rotary is committed to the Sweeting’s Cay project, along with the donors.

On Saturday, she gave an update of the project to members of the Rotary Club of Grand Bahama.

“We are in phase two

renovations of 14 homes on the cay,” she said. “We are changing lives; we… built nine homes and we signed off on those last week.”

The homes, which are 80 percent complete, cost some $64,000 each, including one-year homeowner’s insurance provided

by Insurance Management.

Past Rotary assistant governor, Lisabeth Knowles, a member of the Rotary Disaster Relief Committee, reported that the initial budget was $541,000. However, due to unexpected events and circumstances, it went over budget by $47,000.

“We signed an MoU with TK Foundation, a private foundation, for $541,000. It was agreed that each of the nine homes would be built for $59,000 plus one-year insurance.”

Mrs Knowles noted that the additional $47,000 in funding received increased the cost to $64,000 per home.

Rotarian Darren Cooper, who oversees the Sweeting’s Cay project, said they were able to assemble a team of unemployed young men from Seagrape and Eight Mile Rock, for the home repair project.

“Shortly after Dorian, I was approached by Jimmy Smith, who told me that we need to get some of the young men off the streets and busy,” he said.

Mr Cooper said Team Seagrape was initially contracted to assist Rotary with “muck work” for elderly residents on Grand Bahama.

He said the team of men was kept on and assisted with Rotary’s mould

remediation programme.

“It is 18 months later and the team is going…helping Rotary to impact so many residents on Grand Bahama island,” he said.

He said the project has been very challenging in terms of getting material and equipment which had to be transported to the cay.

“The team was eager and excited and we visited six times before we were convinced we could do it,” Mr Cooper said.

Contractor Cyril Harvey led the construction team, which completed construction one month ahead of schedule. The homes are built with governmentapproved plans and are four feet off the ground on concrete column beams, with hurricane impact windows. They can withstand

major hurricanes.

Mr Cooper said the programme allowed the young men of Team Seagrape to gain construction skills.

James Sarles, chairman of the Rotary Disaster Relief Committee, said the committee has assisted and repaired over 1,000 homes and provided boat engines to affected fishermen.

“When we looked at Sweeting’s Cay, it was overwhelming the amount of devastation, and people living in tents. The TK Foundation, a private foundation based in Denmark, saw the devastation and called Rotary,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Mr Sarles said Rotary has got the job done and will continue to do what it can to assist residents of Sweeting’s Cay.

THE TRIBUNE

JUDGE DELIVERS DAMNING RULING ON GOVT’S SHANTY TOWN DEMOLITION ACTIONS

from page one

and subsequently asked the court to consider extending the injunction to include later” policy, again reiter- all shanty towns across the ating that the court should country, including Abaco have been consulted “in its entirety”. beforehand.

Fred Smith, QC — the The government has con- lead counsel — Martin tended that many of the Lundy II and others reprehomes demolished were in sent the applicants in the contravention of the law, matter. In March, the group a point the opposing side then filed an urgent appeal has refuted. The attorneys asking the courts to vary the representing the shanty injunction as they feared it town residents and non- was a “real possibility” the profit group Respect our government would destroy Homes Ltd in the judicial or seize the homes of appliproceedings have argued cants in Abaco before the that many of the structures proceedings were heard removed were capable of and adjudicated upon. being repaired Deliverand were not ‘The Injunction ing her ruling in breach of now fully covers in relation to any law. the aforemenAbaco. This simply tioned matters, Yesterday, Justice Grant- means that prior Justice GrantThompson said Thompson to any further in any event, denied the if the govern- demolition taking government’s ment seeks place on the request to to demolish exclude Abaco homes found island of Abaco, from the in contraven- evidence that the injunction, tion of the law, homes selected making the officials must case that even get permis- for demolition are if one home sion from the in fact in breach had been left court moving of the law should standing, the forward. This, injunction she added, will first be presented would still ensure fairness to and approved prevail. to the pro- by the court.’

She also cess until the rejected the matter has been applicants’ bid to have the concluded. injunction extended to “The Injunction now include all shanty towns fully covers Abaco,” she across The Bahamas. said. “This simply means However, she added: that prior to any further “The alternative request demolition taking place of the applicants to extend on the island of Abaco, the injunction to cover evidence that the homes the island of Abaco in selected for demolition are its entirety is granted. In in fact in breach of the law making this decision, it should first be presented to is important to note that and approved by the court. based on the state of the This order of the court is to substantive proceedings take immediate effect.” which are in its final stages, In 2018, the Supreme the court does not anticiCourt granted an injunc- pate that this extension will tion protecting shanty town be in existence for more homes in New Providence as than three months.” well as in Abaco “as is occuThe Supreme Court pied by specific applicants” judge went on to chasfrom destruction pending an tise the government for outcome of a judicial review moving to eradicate strucover the matter. tures in the communities However, after Hurricane in the aftermath of Dorian Dorian hit Abaco in 2019, the without seeking to get pergovernment sought to have mission from the court. the 2018 injunction varied to Justice Grant-Thompson exclude Abaco shanty towns said while the government and their residents, insisting has a right to demolish or they no longer needed to be clear down homes in violaprotected as the communi- tion of the law, evidence ties were virtually wiped out must still be presented to by the storm. the court before action is The move was not taken to ensure that they supported by attorneys rep- are not breaching the curresenting the applicants for rent injunction. the judicial review, howShe said: “Hurricane ever, who argued against it Dorian appeared to have

MAN SHOT AFTER COMING TO RESCUE OF FEMALE FRIEND A MAN was shot after he attempted to stop an assailant from choking a female friend on Sunday night.

Shortly before 11pm, police said a man and two women were walking along the Western Esplanade when a group of men approached them.

“One of the males started choking one of his female companions,” police said.

“While attempting to stop the altercation, the other males from the group attacked him.

“Moments later, he heard what sounded like two gunshots and later realised that he was shot in his upper body.”

The victim was taken to the hospital where he is listed in stable condition.

An investigation is ongoing.

Police also arrested two men and a woman after they discovered a weapon, drugs, and jewellery on Sunday.

Shortly before 10pm, officers from the Southeastern Division executed a search warrant at a home on Fernbury Avenue off Hanna Road. While conducting the search, the officers discovered an illegal shotgun with 16 live rounds of ammunition, suspected marijuana, suspected cocaine and an assortment of wrist watches and chains that could not be satisfactorily accounted for.

As a result of the discovery, two adult males and a female were arrested and taken into custody.

Investigations into this matter continue.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 3

AN IMAGE from video showing residents watching on as a building in The Farm is demolished last month. provided the impetus to eradicate structures without undue concern for the nature of the claim, if any, by the applicants and with no apparent or real consideration for whether the land belonged to Bahamians, persons with legal rights to the land, persons in adverse possession, or persons with rights arising under the Constitution.

“Dorian, in the view of the court, was used as a shield to remove structures with no reference to the court,” she continued. “It is important to note that the injunction ordered by this court was in place prior to both Hurricane Dorian and the enactment of the Disaster Reconstruction Authority Act (2019). Prior to any demolition on the island of Abaco directly related to the Disaster Reconstruction Authority Act in the areas commonly referred to as ‘shanty towns’, the court should have been included to ensure the actions taken were not in violation of the Injunction.”

Last week, Works Minister Desmond Bannister told reporters his ministry spearheaded the demolition of over 40 structures on Abaco, with more targeted for demolition in the weeks ahead.

However, yesterday’s ruling will put a wrench in the government’s demolition plans on the island.

Asked to respond to the Supreme Court ruling, Attorney General Carl Bethel told The Tribune the government planned to appeal the interlocutory order. “The order is being appealed on the basis of urgency,” Mr Bethel said yesterday. “As it is an interlocutory appeal, we will first have to apply to the judge for leave to appeal. If she refuses, we can then go to the Court of Appeal and if she grants leave. We can go to the Court of Appeal.”

PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Cat Islanders unhappy with ‘extra’ lockdown from page one

for an additional seven days, until 5am Monday, June 14.”

The statement continued: “North Andros, Central Andros and Cat Island were placed under a lockdown on May 24 to slow and control the spread of the COVID-19 virus in those communities.

“Residents of Andros should note that under the most recent amendment to the order, harvesting of crabs is permitted between 8pm and 5am or as otherwise approved by the Royal Bahamas Police officer in charge for North Andros or Central Andros.

“Farmers on North Andros, Central Andros and Cat Island are permitted to attend their farm to water, tend and harvest between the hours of 5am and 9am.”

Freda Rolle, a Cat Island resident, said she cannot wait until election day as she finds the entire lock down “ridiculous”.

“I can’t understand why we are on lockdown,” Ms Rolle said. “It’s not like we have the numbers like Nassau or Grand Bahama.

Our COVID numbers were not that high. We need a makeover or what you call it

with this government ‘cause the rules they dish out are ridiculous.

“We lock up here in Cat Island like the crabs we put in pens. I can’t wait until Election Day for them to vote in my MP as the Prime Minister. It’s sickening what one man is trying to do to this country. One man alone and the lackeys in his Cabinet following him right up instead of setting him straight. We do not need to be locked up and one of them, at least, could be the one to tell him that.”

Willamae Rolle shared a similar view. “We are Cat Islanders,” she declared.

“We are strong people. He could lock us up all we want.

We will still be out and doing what we have to do. What COVID count he looking at to add on more weeks to our two weeks? We did not have a count that was so much he had to ‘reward’ us with some more lockdown time.

“My niece in Nassau always WhatsApp me the COVID count of the day so I know what’s going on. Cat Island does not have a high count so why did he add on to our numbers? Well, I won’t be on no lockdown. I have things to do and we on the island. We busy.”

Another resident of Cat

Island, Michael Campbell, is also upset over the additional week of lockdown.

“I feel this is all about showing off power,” said Mr Campbell. “I wanted to dip out and head back to Andros, but it makes no sense ‘cos they on lockdown at home too. This is all about power.

“We can go crabbing and that’s a plus, but besides that, who wants to be cooped up like a chicken?

No one. This crew don’t care about us, man. It’s all about power. I just remember the Nassau crew standing on lines last year for food. They looked like orphans. I don’t know what this country is coming to.”

On Sunday, PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis came out in opposition of the lockdown extension. He said he found it unnecessary. Mr Davis also represents the constituency of Cat Island.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, Cat Island recorded two new cases of COVID19 on Sunday, bringing the island’s overall count to 71.

Health officials have said the lockdowns are needed due to rising cases and limited healthcare resources.

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL DEATHS

12,024 232 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES SUNDAY 20 CASES NEW PROVIDENCE 12 ABACO 3 ANDROS 2 CAT ISLAND 2 EXUMA 1

TOTAL TESTS

100,093

HOSPITALISED

43

CASES IN ICU

3

RECOVERED

11,026

US VACCINES HEADED OUR WAY from page one

According to US reports, the US will allocate 75 percent of its vaccine through COVAX. Of the first 25 million doses, about six million will go to countries in South and Central America, seven million to Asia and five million to Africa.

About six million will go to neighbouring countries and US allies, according to CNBC. Speaking during his contribution to the budget debate yesterday, Mr Henfield said: “We are optimistic that The Bahamas will be a part of the United States’ promise to make vaccinations available in the region and even more specifically this country.

We thank Governor Scott, formerly governor, now Senator Rick Scott.

“We thank Senator Marco Rubio and we thank also the Black Caucus in the United States for their persistence that The Bahamas be considered right out of the gate. What those two members recognise is that the economy of South Florida and the economy of The Bahamas are inextricably linked and if we can get our economy moving again, that pushes right into their economy which is depressed like all across the globe.”

Mr Henfield spoke after The Nassau Guardian reported that Bahamas Ambassador to the US Sidney Collie said this country will receive two

shipments of the COVID19 vaccine from the US, the first of which reportedly will arrive by the end of this month.

Like many experts have done, Mr Henfield emphasised vaccines as key to helping The Bahamas recover from the COVID19 pandemic.

He said: “When Bahamians volunteer to take the vaccine, it will benefit, we believe, the outcome of the country. As we struggle to come through these tough economic environments, we feel that tourists who are wishing to travel to The Bahamas will do so more readily when they know that we have taken all of the necessary steps to keep them safe and protected while they are in our country.

“The essential thing is that Bahamians who wish to see the economy of The Bahamas rebound and become as vibrant as it used to be, as it once will be again, that we should all move toward herd immunity, and we believe that the process of vaccinations will help us to get there. We really believe that. The interest that we see in the travelling community outside of The Bahamas, people interested in coming here in this pent up COVID frustrated environment is very encouraging and the more of us who do our part to help this economy get going again, the better I believe it will be for all of us.”

LYING-IN-STATE FOR AUDLEY HANNA THE Cabinet Office has announced that the body of the late Audley Hanna, former senator, will lie-instate on Friday in the foyer of the Senate from 8.30am to 3pm.

Viewing by the general public will be held from noon to 3pm.

A state-recognised funeral for Hanna will be held on Saturday, June 12 at 10am at The New Redeemed Tabernacle Church of God in Christ.

He will be buried at the cemetery of the Mt Ethel Baptist Church in Love Hill, Andros.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 5

Hiring casual workers causing ‘crisis’ in GB

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE mass employment of casual workers is a “major crisis” in Grand Bahama, according to trade union leader Kirk Russell, who accused the government of being a big participant.

Mr Russell, president of the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association, and vice president of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Trade Union Congress, said the labour movement is deeply concerned about the

reported hiring of casual workers at the reopened Grand Lucayan Resort by Lucayan Renewal Holdings.

“We are concerned… that basically almost 100 percent of them are casual workers. And, here again, you have the government setting the trend and the precedent. And these are things we are very deeply concerned about in the labour movement,” he told The Tribune.

Mr Russell said union officials were also disappointed with how former hotel employees were

unfairly separated from the Grand Lucayan last year in June and July.

The matter, he said, is before the court and a ruling is expected on Monday.

He said the employment situation in Grand Bahama is a serious problem because many companies are terminating permanent employees and rehiring them as casual workers.

“We witnessed hundreds of Bahamians being sent home from permanent employment during the pandemic, and then what appeared to be happening

was those workers were sent to employment agencies only to come right back as casual workers.

“It appears those companies use the opportunity as an excuse to get rid of Bahamian permanent workers and re-engage them as casual workers, putting them at a disadvantage and taking away their benefits, no job security or job protection,” he said.

Mr Russell claims that there is no law in the country to regulate the business of casual workers.

“There is no law to manage it and so there

is no such (term) in the (Employment) Act known as a casual worker, we only have a worker, and they are putting people in a lawless position.

“If these people are unfairly treated, they have no opportunity to take the employer to court and sue for unfair and/or wrongful treatment which was a benefit acquired as a result of the 1958 General Strike.

“And so 63 years ago we had that benefit to protect workers, and now that seems to be pulled from under the worker,” Mr Russell said.

He accused the government of being one of the biggest perpetrators of the employment of casual workers.

“You have persons working for the government in education that have been in the system more than 20 years and are still not permanent and pensionable - that is all through the system.

“It is a major crisis in GB because the industrial sector has been exploiting that because the government is also a perpetrator of this wrong act against workers,” he alleged.

A LONG JOURNEY - BUT UB GRADUATES REACH THEIR COMMENCEMENT GRADUATES of the University of The Bahamas North in Grand Bahama have overcome tremendous adversity to complete their academic journeys and become members of the 2021 Commencement Class.

Thursday, June 3, was a proud day for those graduates, their families and friends as UB celebrated their achievements and sacrifices in a virtual commencement ceremony.

UB North Campus president Dr Ian Strachan praised the graduates and challenged them to use their knowledge and university experiences to make a positive difference in the world. He called them victorious for having tapped into new

springs of energy, ingenuity and resolve. The new grads had to overcome the upheaval of being relocated from their East Grand Bahama campus, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Dorian, and had to quickly adapt to remote education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The goal of a university education is not to get you a job as some may think… at the heart of it, your education’s deeper purpose has been to train your mind, to teach you how to think, to build in you the capacity to problem solve and to invent for yourself and for your generation, better ways of being and doing,” he said.

“Your country needs you, your world needs you.

It is a

DION McKinney delivering class reflections.

divided world. It is a world where different versions of truth wage war, and where power is too often heartless and over proud. UB believes in you. I believe you.”

Graduates completed programmes in the schools of business and hospitality management, education, chemistry, environmental and life sciences and social sciences.

Glennett Fowler, commencement guest speaker, president and CEO of FOWLCO Ltd, a marine logistics company, encouraged the newest members of the UB alumni community to use their creativity as a beacon to guide their next pursuits and to solve problems.

“You must resolve that you will create your own opportunities.

Everyone does not have to become an entrepreneur to lead or to create. In whatever path chosen you must not settle for the accepted pattern, but bring change to the way business is done and create change through your work and its execution,” she said.

GLENNETT Fowler delivering the commencement address, above, and Aurelia Pinder inducting the class into the Alumni Association, left.

“Rethink industries. Look at what we are not maximising or look at what does not exist. Create, innovate and watch them celebrate you.”

She shared insights as a wife, mother and corporate leader to encourage the commencement class to set and achieve goals that will bring about transformation.

“We can no longer afford to be left behind because of an unwillingness to change and adapt to the

opportunities that will soon present themselves to us. Believe that in this moment, as you receive your degree, that your world will change for better,” said Mrs Fowler. “Do not miss out on what life has to offer you because you are watching what it offers someone else. Create the future that you want and be mindful that we need each of you to be a catalyst and a renegade for a better, brighter and more prosperous Bahamas.”

Primary education graduate Dion McKinney, who earned the UB-North Campus

Award for Academic Excellence, delivered impassioned reflections on behalf of the commencement class.

He praised the tenacity and perseverance of his fellow graduates and challenged them to embrace challenge and change.

“Class of 2021, it is important to note that whatever we do and wherever we go on this journey called life, we must take time out for ourselves. Talk to yourself, work on yourself and empower yourself.

Just think about it; there is no one on planet Earth with the exact genetic make-up as you, so out of every single person in this world no one is exactly like you and for that, graduates, you are a treasure,” he noted.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

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

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

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Another court defeat - so will govt now wait?

NOTCH up another defeat in the courts for the government.

In this case, the government had been rattling its sabre over demolition of shanty towns – while Fred Smith, QC, urged officials to wait for the outcome of the court case on the matter.

Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson added legal weight to that call, ordering the government to “cease and desist” from “any further interference” with shanty towns until the pending judicial review is resolved. That also extended the order to cover the affected communities in Abaco, including The Farm shanty town where the government recently moved in to start demolition work.

More than that, Justice GrantThompson also told off the government for demolishing buildings without first getting approval from the court.

If the government wants to demolish specific properties, it has to come to the court to show why. The government was also alleged to not just be clearing debris in the Mudd and Pigeon Peas, but to be clearing land and structures whether or not they were damaged. One man’s home, where he had lived for 30 years and which was reportedly valued at $100,000, was said to be among those demolished.

When it came to the clearances in Abaco, Justice Grant-Thompson was forthright on the actions of the government in setting about wholesale clearances without asking for a variation to the previous injunction, saying: “This is plainly wrong and not in the spirit of the respectful negotiations which had been ongoing between these parties from the commencement of this matter.”

At the heart of her words, however, she made clear we cannot treat some people differently from others. She said: “The Court remains mindful of the human element involved. These individuals have fundamental rights which do not only extend to citizens of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, but are universal. It is important that the Commonwealth of The Bahamas continues to display mutual value and respect for the lives of everyone within our country regardless of who they are or where they originated from.”

Read that last part again. Regardless of who they are or where they originated from. Human rights apply to everyone.

We cannot go tearing people’s houses down just because of where they come from. There are rights. There is a legal

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

process – and that is what Mr Smith was asking the government to wait for rather than carrying on with demolitions.

It also sees the court largely align with criticism from the United Nations, which called on the government to halt demolitions and wait for the Supreme Court review. That prompted Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson to attack the UN, citing the sovereignty of The Bahamas. Well, what will he say now of The Bahamas’ own courts?

Our moves here at home come at the same time as we hold the vice presidency of the Human Rights Council – so our actions seem at odds with our words elsewhere. We must heed the words of Justice Grant-Thompson, and recognise those fundamental, universal rights. After all, if we ignore them for one person, we cannot rely on them to protect ourselves.

Paradise plans

The Tribune has been following developments closely regarding the Paradise Island plans of Royal Caribbean – and how another entrepreneur’s plans for the lighthouse there seem to have become entangled in the back and forth.

It was revealed in The Tribune last week, for example, that Royal Caribbean has yet to secure an actual Crown land lease for its project. The cruise company has bought several acres – but the Crown land belongs to the government. Royal Caribbean has asked for that lease, but has not received it yet.

Nearby, Toby Smith, the man behind the $2m lighthouse and beach club plan, had been trying for months to get an answer on whether Royal Caribbean had such a lease – with no success.

Now, activists have raised pertinent questions as to whether the government is acting in the Bahamian people’s best interests with regard to such a lease – not just with regard to how it might affect a neighbouring investor, but also the effect on businesses in Downtown Nassau.

Save The Bays hopes that “the government is giving serious attention to the many public interest issues at stake”.

Serious consideration is very much warranted. Royal Caribbean’s plan may well come to provide a broader benefit – but a little more transparency on the state of matters would certainly do the process good. The right decision is never held back by straight answers.

THE TRIBUNE

The moral majority EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS a given that morality in public policies and initiatives cannot be legislated.

Either one has an innate or adopted moral compass due to upbringing; societal structure and/or spiritual dogma.

The basic unit of society is the traditional family... a male... a female and where necessary children. This is what we often call the ideal or nuclear family. It has been said that God Himself created and designed the family.

All of the above may well be the case and I submit that it is but the so-called traditional family and moral compass has been under assault for quite sometime in the wider world, and in particular The Bahamas.

With your kind leave I will attempt to lay out the case and to suggest concrete solutions as opposed to simply moaning and groaning.

I subscribe to what one would term “Christian” principles. That is I seek to be more like what I understand to be Christ-like in character and behaviour. No, I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but on a daily basis I strive for the mark. As a Christian we are supposed to represent the Kingdom of God right here on Earth and we are to do so with power and authority. Again let me be clear....we Christians do not propose to set up a society based on pure theology and led by a class of clerics as is the case, overtly, in the People’s Republic of Iran.

If as we say that The Bahamas is a Christian nation under God I often wonder why that is not reflected in our daily and national lives. Our political classes have made and continue to make choices on our behalf that fly in God’s face, on a routine basis. The economy has gone South and the so-called leaders appear to be in a panic as to how to rescue the same.

Some of them are proposing the legalisation of medical marijuana. Others are proposing an increase of VAT on real estate transactions over certain limits.

Draconian user fees and charges are being implement at the public utilities and corporations. The average Bahamian is already stressed out financially and emotionally due to the inordinate curfews and lock downs.

Thousands of jobs have been lost and are gone forever. The bread lines are still with us and it is unsettling to see the hundreds of Bahamians, et al, lined up outside distribution centres come rain or sunshine. Our national debt hovers around 10 billion dollars and counting. It now takes close to a half billion dollars a year simply to service the same. Economists estimate that out of every dollar collected nationally at least 85% of that goes to debt management (where it exists) and servicing.

Every time the government makes an announcement it is made to announce yet another round of indiscriminate borrowing. This, obviously, is unsustainable. When good men do nothing evil men prevail. We need more individuals who know and

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net reverence The Lord Jesus Christ to hold public office.

No, I am not suggesting that only Christians are qualified to hold public office, but it is a good starting point.

We are mandated to be our brother’s keepers. As such we are to ensure as best as possible that all Bahamians of goodwill are able to eke out a livable income based on qualifications and training. This translates into people being offered educational and vocational training across the board.

This is a concept which has been embraced by both of the major parties and in particular the FNM under Dr Minnis.

In addition to education there is no more pressing concern than health care.

The assorted hurricanes and now the lingering pandemic have vividly exposed the weaknesses and inadequacies in the current system or lack thereof. The PMH is a work in progress. The Rand over in Freeport just can’t seem to get back on track.

It is almost as if no one is in charge. The five parliamentary seats in Grand Bahama are held by the ruling FNM, but that island remains in the doldrums and that is where it has been for over a decade and counting.

The government has embraced the gaming industry and medical marijuana trade as economic panaceas. There has been a proliferation in the numbers of liquor stores and night clubs. On every corner there is at least one church and street preachers. These are all playing on simple human nature without any real solutions.

Marijuana has its place in the grand scheme of things But should not be actively encouraged by a sitting government as an economic alternative when we all know of the inherent destructive nature. It has been written that the body is the temple of The Lord and that we should not simply ingest a substance, man-made or natural willy-nilly without conducting a full blown research on the positive and negative implications. Was this done by the Marijuana Commission and may we please see the study?

To allow the legalisation of medical marijuana will gradually open the flood gates towards a relaxation on recreational ganja and then I submit the fireworks will begin. Marijuana is a mind altering drug just like alcohol if not worse. Some say that marijuana has never ‘killed’ anyone. I beg to differ. Statistics show that 65% of traffic related deaths are caused by ‘high’ and/or ‘drunken drivers. Trust me, I am personally aware of the negatives of ingesting a combination of alcohol and drugs over the years.

There are too many web shops and far too many outlets in our inner city areas of New Providence and Grand Bahama. While I am able to ‘understand’ human greed and expectations of hitting a number those who are least able to afford it

have become addicted to chasing an illusive dream while depleting what little God might have blessed them with. The operators and their allies in the meantime go laughing all the way to the bank and live outlandish life styles.

If the Lord Jesus Christ truly reigns then we how we call ourselves Christians must stand up and take a stance on economic and societal issues. Now rather than later. The marijuana bill must be shelved. A moratorium on liquor and web operations must be declared and implemented now. No more liquor stores in the immediate vicinity of schools and churches. While it is agreed that morality cannot be effectively legislated we so-called Christians must be the voices of the moral majority.

What else will future governments legalize and tax? Prostitution the way it is done in most European nations? Where women and men of the night sit in shop windows scantily clad displaying whatever they have to display to entice customers? Will an administration apply a tax and how will it be collected? Will VAT apply to such transactions? Is it possible that an administration come come up with the novel idea of issuing licences to pop-up churches with the concurrence of The Bahamas Christian Council?

There was a time when homosexuality was frowned upon Big Time here in The Bahamas and worldwide.

Not so today. Anyone over 16 years of age is now able to consent to having regular sex or otherwise. Will there come a time when one is able to legally marry his/her pet?

All over the world same sex “couples” are being allowed, by law, to adopt children.

Two men or women are able to adopt male and female child or children with impunity. Procreation is between a male and a female according to God’s design.

A very vexing thing is that successive administrations have not seen the wisdom in liberalizing Crown Land. So-called Crown Land exists in the hundreds of thousand of acres. Yet the average Bahamian is unable to access the smallest possible sized lot/acreage to construct a modest dwelling or erect a factory or industrial operation. Why? Land is economic empowerment and this, I submit, is the major reason why politicians have failed/refuse to liberalize Crown Land. All of the land anywhere in the world is God’s anyhow, but you’d never know it.

The Moral Majority must start to speak out with power and authority if as we say we represent God’s Kingdom right here on Earth. If all is under His feet and if we actually represent Him, behold all power and authority have been given unto us right here on Earth and for sure in heavenly realms. No ifs and buts.

Jr

ORTLAND H BODIE, Nassau, June 7, 2021.

A deserved thank you EDITOR, The Tribune.

I WROTE several months ago to express my appreciation for the stellar organisation and professionalism of the vaccine site at Loyola Hall. And just when I thought the first experience couldn’t have gone better, I write again to say that it was even better.

My son and I had our second vaccine last Thursday at the Baha Mar site.

On arrival we were greeted at the door and directed to the check in desk. From there, we were sent to have the vaccine administered, and afterwards, escorted to seats for our 15 minutes observation before exiting

the building and heading home. All of this in around 25 minutes!

At every stage we were greeted and shown where to go next, and at every desk were treated with great ease and professionalism.

The whole process could not have been better organised, and a huge thank you to the Ministry of Health staff and Baha Mar employees who made this actually a pleasant experience!

With many Bahamians still reluctant to be vaccinated, I hope more will consider how easy the process is, and how vitally important it is so that we can get the country’s economy up and running again,

people back to work, and our lives back to some sense of normalcy. We all have a part to play in this – please do yours, as the life you save my not only be your own, but that of a beloved family member or friend.

Come on, Bahamians!

Let’s do this for ourselves and each other.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, we had no side effects except for a sore arm for 24 hours. And I’m happy to be able to travel to the out islands again with no testing.

AMANDA GRAHAM Nassau, June 7, 2021.

M

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 7

CABREO CASH, left, and John Butterfield outside court yesterday.

Photos: Racardo Thomas

Two accused over murder

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were charged in Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with a homicide that occurred last month.

John Butterfield, 20, and Cabreo Cash, 19, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.

Butterfield was arraigned for the May 30 murder and armed robbery of Alfred

Lightbourn while Cash was accused of abetment of murder and abetment of armed robbery.

It is alleged that on the day in question, Butterfield caused Lightbourn’s death. The 20-year-old is also accused of robbing the deceased of $250 in cash while armed with a handgun.

Cash was accused of purposely aiding and abetting in committing the offence of murder and armed

robbery of the victim.

The two men were not required to enter a plea and bail was denied.

They were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and will receive a voluntary bill of indictment on August 26.

According to initial reports from police, shortly after 11pm on May 30 officers were called to Washington Street where a man’s body was found. On

MAN ‘STOLE TO SUPPORT CRACK COCAINE HABIT’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A FREEPORT man who pleaded guilty to multiple thefts to support his “crack cocaine” habit was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday.

Cordell Dean, 28, of Hearn Lane, appeared before Magistrate LaQuay Laing where he pleaded guilty to one count of causing damage.

Prosecutor Sergeant Calsey Arthur said the complainant Stephanie Barr reported to police that sometime between May 22 at 4pm and 7.45am the next day, someone entered the Red Cross building and caused material damage to two interior doors. Police launched an investigation and arrested Dean, who under caution, admitted the offence.

Magistrate Laing asked Dean if he wanted to say anything. Dean expressed remorse for his action and asked to apologise to the complainant.

“I wish I could repay them for what was done,” he told the court.

When asked if he was

employed, Dean told Magistrate Laing that he was not working presently, but had been employed a couple of weeks ago doing carpentry work.

Asked why he committed the crime, Dean blamed his drug habit.

He said he had been doing crack cocaine since age 21.

“I been trying to deal with it and sometimes it gets the best of me,” he told the court.

Dean also pleaded guilty to six counts of stealing from a vehicle that occurred during May. He stole a car battery, valued at $114 from a Ford F-150 truck, the property of Perry Jean Charles; he also stole a battery valued at $119, from a Dodge Caravan, the property of Jefferey Pinder; he stole converters valued at $1,950 from a BMW, the property of Antonio Outten; and converters valued $1050 from a Ford Explorer at KMW Auto.

He also stole converters from three vehicles, valued at $1058, $1,158.16, and 2,417.55, respectively, which were parked at Roker’s Auto.

Dean also pleaded guilty to one count of stealing from a shop. He pleaded guilty to stealing several automobile parts and items, altogether valued at $2,013.41, from the Auto Care Clinic on Logwood Road.

He also pleaded guilty to vagrancy. Sometime between May 29 and May 31, Dean was found loitering in front of Polar Electric on Forest Avenue.

Magistrate Laing commended Dean for taking responsibility by pleading guilty and not wasting the court’s time, but also admonished him for his stealing spree.

“It is bad that you are breaking people’s property and stealing to support your drug habit to where you are becoming a menace to society,” he said.

Magistrate Laing convicted Dean on all nine counts. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Magistrate Laing told Dean he will also recommend he receive some drug counselling in prison for his drug addiction.

FREEPORT MAN ACCUSED OVER GUN AND DRUGS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A 34-YEAR-OLD Freeport man was charged in Grand Bahama on gun, ammunition and drug possession charges yesterday.

Khambrel Rolle, the son of a well-known Freeport businessman, appeared before Magistrate Charlton Smith. He was represented

by Paul Wallace-Whitfield, who was assisted by Harvey Tynes.

He was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm with intent to supply. It is alleged that on June 3, at Freeport, the accused was found in possession of a black Austrian

9mm pistol with two magazines with intent to supply to another.

Rolle was also charged with possession of ammunition with intent to supply.

On the same date and place, it is alleged that he was found in possession of 85 bullets.

On the charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply, it is said that at the same date and place, the accused was found in possession of 1.3 pounds of Indian hemp with intent to supply.

Rolle pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Prosecutor Inspector Anthony Sawyer did not object to bail. However, he noted the offences

$20K WEED FOUND IN BUSHES POLICE in Abaco discovered $20,000 worth of marijuana in bushes yesterday.

The discovery was made shortly after 1am when officers from the Marsh Harbour Police Station, acting on information, went to a bushy area in Central Pines where they conducted a search and discovered several packages of suspected marijuana.

Officers also discovered a quantity of marijuana hash.

The suspected marijuana was taken to the Marsh Harbour Police Station.

No arrest was made. The marijuana weighed 19.6lbs and has an estimated street value of $19,600.

The marijuana hash weighed 42 grams and has an estimated street value of $420. An investigation is continuing.

are serious in nature and asked for conditions to be imposed with bail and requested the accused be made to report at Central Police Station three times a week.

Magistrate Smith granted Rolle $8,000 bail with one surety on each count. He also ordered that he report to Central Police Station on Mondays before 6pm.

the officers’ arrival, they saw the victim on the ground.

Police said: “Initial investigations revealed that the residents heard the sound

of gunshots. Moments later, they went outside at the rear of their home and found the male lying on the ground suffering from gunshot

injuries. Emergency Medical Services visited the scene and following their examinations, the body was pronounced lifeless.”

Private Graveside Service for

BETTY VERONICA STRACHAN, 82 of Malcolm Road, will be held on Thursday June 10th, 2021, at Woodlawn Gardens, Soldier Road. Officiating will be Fr. Simeon Roberts, assisted by other members of the Clergy.

Due to current Government regulations in respect of Covid-19, attendance is limited to Forty (40) persons.

Betty is preceded in death by her Parents: Charles Edward Butler and Laura Janet Young; her Husband of 51 years: Reginald Sr. and her oldest Son: Ross.

Cherished memories will always be in the hearts of her Three Children: Monique, Neil, and Reggie Jr. Grandchildren: Cato, Kale, Achaz, Cai and Kezia; Brothers: Roderick Innis, Granville Cleare, Frederick Moss (deceased); Sisters-in-law: Alice Innis, Remilda Strachan, Dencie Moss and Mable Strachan; Brothers-in-law: Lester Strachan and Lionel Strachan; Nieces: Dr. Patti Symonette, Ingrid (Vincent, PhD) Smiles, Sharon (Paul, M.D) Webster, Natasha (Roddy) Williams, Shanyse Innis, Sheena (Patrick) Forbes, Gennean Cleare, Cheryl Haven, Deborah Moss, Marie Moss, Dominique Strachan, Rochelle Strachan, Rachelle Strachan, Devaughn Pinder; Nephews: Gray (Denise), Sterling, Keith Symonette, Sheldon “Hully” Symonette, Alvin Moss, Fredrick Moss Jr., Brian Cleare, Sean Innis, Ruel Strachan, Stephen Strachan and Andrew Strachan; Grand Nieces & Nephews: Stephen Symonette, Gia Symonette, Amir Symonette, Matthew Smiles, Aaron Smiles, Daniel Smiles, Shenae Symonette, Shakell Seymour, Christian Hepburn, Emmanuel Hepburn, Jordan Hepburn, Alexander Williams, Andrew Williams, Adam Williams and Gabrielle Williams, Charlanie Innocent; Other Relatives and Friends including: Mrs. Helen Butler and Family, Allworth and Mildred Pickstock and Family, Megan Jordan and Family, Barbara Colby and Family, Hope Cartwright and Family, Alma Whyms, Colyn and Christine Thompson, Shawna Strachan, Anna Wilson, Carolyn Nairn and Family, Deann Conyers, Philippa Romer, Denise Rolle, Sandra Campbell, Stephen Alsip, Tiffany and Tangia Burrows and Family, Shirley Lockhart, Patrice Fawkes, Selina Hepburn, Sydney Godet, Kim Major, Stephanie Major, Wencil Neely, Lionel Johnson, Austin Johnson, Clayton and Karen King, Matthew and Gwen Sawyer, Grace Maycock, Fred Williamson, Stephen and Della Moncur, Chance and Sharon Farrington, Joan Barry and Family, Rudy Penn, Ali L. Stuart, Janet Scavella, Andy Hamilton and Family, Deacon Danny and Deborah Price, Pedro Ferguson, Bernard Ferguson, Adell Gay & Family, Michaela Munnings, Fr. Simeon Roberts and the members of St Cecilia’s Catholic Church, Apostle Clifford & Dr. Judy Smith and the members of Southside Christian Church, Michelle Barnes, Dr. Charles Osazuwa and the nursing staff of ICU at Doctors Hospital.

May Her Soul Rest in Peace!

Friends may pay their last respects at Bethel Brothers Morticians & Crematorium, #44 Nassau Street, on Wednesday June 9th from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.

TENDER FOR HEALTH INSURANCE BROKER The Archdiocese of Nassau (Chancery) invites interested parties to submit tender offers for services as their broker for their Health Insurance Plans commencing September 1, 2021.

The firm selected will be given the contract for a period of not less than three years. The Archdiocese of Nassau will reserve the right to terminate the arrangement at any time.

For specific guidelines for bidders and additional details about the group please send email to rcchancery@batelnet.bs.

The deadline for tenders is June 30, 2021

PAGE 8, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

We must protect the hard-won rights generations fought for I CAME across a video on the Labour Day Holiday of a march in which Sir Randol Fawkes participated. It was good to see him espeicially as this was on the holiday now celebrated in his honour.

It was also wonderful to be able to see - live and in colour - a moment back in time when the great Sir Randol forged the way for equality for the workers of The Bahamas. In this day and time, it can be so easy to forget there were hard fought struggles for the life we enjoy today. It is easy to take for granted the rights we have today because fundamentally, they are rights we should have had in the first place.

It would bode well for us not to forget the efforts of those who made sacrifices to see equal rights and justice stand for all.

In the video, the people were marching up a hill, possibly East Street Hill in an orderly fashion, at what appeared to be possibly a funeral procession. Brass music was playing and an occasional car or two appeared between the two lines of marchers on either side of the street.

Their marching style was exquisite. There was a smooth cadence as the workers strutted and swayed their arms at their sides in unison. They were all immaculately dressed.

Many of the men were wearing top hats. Some wore suits and others, buttoned down shirts and smartly pressed dress pants.

I even saw a chap or two in suspenders and bow ties.

Women wore lovely A-line dresses and hats, and even children on the parade were

Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

neatly dressed with shirts tucked in trousers and lovely little dresses.

What amazed me is that even when they came to a stop, when there was no forward motion, they still marched in place. Their smooth movements seemed to work up little sweat and led to a uniformed and striking display.

My aunt Margot mentioned the code of dress had deteriorated severely over the decades. The skimpy dresses some women wear and the sagging pants with underwear showing that some men wear on the street leave much to be desired. She pointed out the men were wearing long sleeved clothing although it was likely a hot day. This showed a sense of discipline and pride in what they were doing.

At one point, the camera operator found Sir Randol.

There he was, leading the march is a crisp, creamcoloured suit and tie. He was bearing a big smile and taking an occasional glance backward at the march. There was something about his aura that was beaming from the video - you could tell he was a great man.

Sir Randol was a free trade unionist, civil rights activist and author. This national hero is considered the “Father of the Labour Movement in The

Bahamas” for the work he did in establishing the trade union movement.

The very first trade union to be formed was the Working Man’s Trade Union.

It was formed back in the 1920s during a period of economic difficulty, according to Ms Rodger’s History BGCSE Facebook page.

Fred Tinker was the president and its purpose was to help workers improve their craft and to classify labour according to trades and skills.

In 1926 the Citizen’s Union was formed with a goal of fostering economic independence among the masses. The union sought to educate its members and empower them to think independently.

By 1935, one of the most formidable unions was born. The Associated Bahamas Car Owners and Taxi Cab Drivers Union was formed to protest against competition from foreigners. The Labour Association was also formed around this period in time. Eventually, the Labour Union was formed in the 1930s and workers continued to unite and communicate with one another.

During World War II British military officials authorised the construction of two military bases in Nassau. Over 2,000 Bahamians were employed to

assist in the construction. By June 4, more than half Pleasantville construction of the workers returned to company had planned to work. pay Bahamians eight shilFrom the Burma Road lings per day, the equivalent Riot, the Peoples Labour of $2. Local colonial offi- Party was born and Sir cials objected to the rate Randol was its leader. They and Bahamians ended up organised commemoraearning just half of the tive marches to remember intended wage. That did the Burma Road Riot. The not sit well when workers next decade would see the found out theirt American strength of trade unions. counterparts were earning In 1958, the Bahamas Taxidouble the pay for the same cab Union went on strike job. because hotel operators On June 1, 1942, thou- struck a deal with a limited sands of Bahamians poured group of tour companies. on to Bay Street from This would squeeze taxicab Burma Road drivers out in a march of their vital of solidarity. industry. By When BritNovember ish Colonial 2 that year, Attorney they blocked General Eric all routes in Hallinan and out of addressed the Nassau the workers Internain the Public tional Square, Airport his words for over seemed to 24 hours. incite a riot This caused rather than air trafquell the fic to have SIR RANDOL FAWKES to crowd. cease For two operations. days, the Burma Road Initial negotiations were Riots ensued. Bay Street fruitless and as a result, shop windows were workers from other unions smashed, stores were looted ceased working in support and Nassau was in a state of the taxicab drivers. This of emergency. In the end, was known as the General five black Bahamian work- Strike.

Sir Randol kept the ers lost their lives, 30 white men were injured and 114 people together to fight workers were arrested. to the very end. Ms RodgMany were sentenced to ers points out that Sir hard labour and some spent Randol was a driving force almost a decade in jail for in ensuring employers met their participation in the the demands of their workriot, according to blackpast. ers and the unions. It was said he was such a hard org.

The government bargainer many employdecided to increase the ers were afraid to cross his wages by one shilling per path. The General Strike day and offer a free lunch. ended after 17 days and the workers came out victorious.

As a result, legislation was passed to assist in the proper operation and procedure for trade unions.

There was a push for

Constitutional reforms and within a few months time, legislation was passed to set up a Labour Department and a process for Industrial disputes to be settled. In the following year, the abolition of the company vote came; also all men over 21 had the right to vote. Eventually, the rights for hotel workers and agricultural workers to join trade unions came, and wage increases were implemented where necessary, and overtime pay was honoured.

The people saw their strength in numbers and eventually, they would join with political activists to lobby to Great Britain for Independence. The era of Majority Rule was ushered in by 1967 and by 1973, the new independent Bahamas was born.

Today, great strides must still be made for workers.

I remember when I agitated on behalf of scores of workers to be able to keep their locks on the job; something which may seem commonplace today. Trade Unionist Sharon Martin continues to push with groups like the Zonta Club for The Bahamas to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) C-90, which honours gender equality in the workplace.

For example, women are still earning less than men for doing the same work in some cases.

Recently, I spoke on the need to honour the ILO’s recommendations for breastfeeding mothers on the job. The ILO calls for time allocation and even a room allocation for mothers. The only way to continue to make strides in the fight for equal rights and justice is to stand together. Solidarity is strength, and improving our nation is just as important today as it was when our ancestors and parents fought for Independence.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that ISABELE DUQUESNE, of Pinewood Gardens, 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 8rd day of June 2021 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that DENIE JOSEPH of Marsh Harbour, Abaco, 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 8th day of June, 2021 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

The Peter Young column IT IS the international story of the week. Despite the earlier denials, evidence seems to be mounting that the COVID-19 virus could have leaked from China’s Wuhan laboratory rather than evolving naturally from animals to humans.

Reportedly, the game changer has been new information coming from the publication of Dr Anthony Fauci’s emails that have been obtained through Freedom of Information requests. With his high profile, most people will surely be aware he is America’s top infectious diseases expert and chief medical adviser to the US President. He is known colloquially as the White House’s COVID tsar who has been the face of the nation’s response to the virus that has killed more than 3.5 million people worldwide.

In the midst of the world’s worst pandemic for a hundred years, there is general agreement that it is essential to determine the origin of the virus in order to be able to take action to prevent it - or something similar - from happening again. If it is proven the virus emerged, either accidentally or even nefariously, from the Wuhan Institute of Virology or its Centre for Disease Control - the two laboratories that have been at the centre of the controversy and the conspiracy theories - and that the Chinese authorities knew this but chose to cover it up, such a development could become the biggest international scandal of modern history. Thus, President Biden’s ordering of a 90-day investigation by US intelligence into how the virus started and where it emanated from has been widely welcomed.

COULD TRUMP HAVE BEEN RIGHT AFTER ALL AND THE VIRUS LEAKED FROM A CHINESE LAB? Dr Fauci has been a pivotal figure throughout the crisis. He has been under fire for flip-flopping on issues like the wearing of masks and for being overly cautious in advocating strict restrictions and lockdowns that were not based on hard data as well as for his stance that it was highly likely COVID-19 was a natural occurrence. But overall he has been seen as a dedicated public servant who should be listened to as the medical expert and who also stood up to President Trump and denied being ‘muzzled’ by him.

However, this has changed after the revelations arising from his emails, and his halo has been tarnished.

At the beginning of the crisis, there were conflicting views about suggestions the virus had escaped from Wuhan. But scientists and medical experts quickly dismissed the idea of a ‘lab leak’ as a wild conspiracy promoted by President Trump. They said it was ‘completely impossible’ because the virus was a phenomenon of nature transmitted from animals to humans, though there was a lack of evidence to support this.

In early 2000, a group of them publicly rejected the ‘lab leak’ theory in a letter to the prestigious UK medical journal, The Lancet. But, as has become clear from some of Dr Fauci’s email exchanges last year, they conceded privately the virus could have been engineered by human hands, and they warned him of the possibility of a ‘lab leak’ though he chose not to make this public. So there was a discrepancy between what he was discussing privately and what he was saying in public.

NEVER TO FORGET ONE stark UK newspaper headline summed it all up: ‘A memorial fit for heroes who lifted the shackles of tyranny, mile by bloody mile’.

This referred, of course, to the official opening on Sunday, June 6 - the 77th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy during the Second World War - of Britain’s Normandy Memorial in the small town of Ver-sur-Mer. This had been delayed for a myriad of reasons so that Britain was the only Allied nation not to have its own national memorial in the region.

Over the years, veterans have regularly attended ceremonies in that part of France - including on the beaches where the invasion took place and at British cemeteries - to commemorate D-Day and to pay tribute to the fallen, with special ceremonies on a larger scale for the 50th and 75th anniversaries. However, their own dedicated memorial was clearly long overdue, so it was welcome news to many that a separate, dedicated national memorial had finally been completed - and on its pillars are inscribed the names of the 22,442 people

who lost their lives during the invasion of Germanoccupied France, both during the D-Day landings and during the Battle of Normandy.

Because of coronavirus restrictions only small numbers of people were able to attend the official unveiling of this national memorial.

So a separate ceremony was held for the veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in central England; and, as Patron of the Normandy Memorial Trust, Prince Charles delivered a poignant address via video link praising the courage and sacrifice of those who died.

Lest anyone could forget, the D-Day landings were a turning point in the war.

The Allied invasion - with 160,000 troops from Britain, the US, Canada, France and other nations - was the largest amphibious operation in world history and was considered a spectacular military success. But against sustained German resistance it took nearly a year for the Allies to fight their way through France and Germany in order to achieve ultimate victory and the end of the war in Europe.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that JEANEA PIERRE, of Mckinney Drive, Carmichael Road, Nassau, 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 8rd day of June 2021 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

It has now been revealed Dr Fauci had authorised US government funding of the Wuhan laboratories and he is being accused of a cover-up to distract from this by playing down the ‘lab leak’ theory and deliberately misleading the public. It is contended by some that he had agreed to the use of taxpayer dollars which might have contributed to the funding of reckless and dangerous research.

Significantly, after his email exchanges were published, Dr Fauci has changed his tune and is now saying he is not convinced the virus originated naturally and is ‘keeping an

open mind’ that it might be a ‘lab leak’ - though he has dismissed the idea of bioengineering. He is now calling for further investigation and demanding answers from China including release of the medical records of three Wuhan lab workers who fell ill just as the pandemic began.

This is a screeching U-turn. But he is not alone and, despite calls for him to stand down, he still has the public backing of President Biden. More and more experts seem now to be taking the ‘lab leak’ theory seriously, including the World Health Organisation, which had earlier concluded

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 9

this was ‘extremely unlikely’ but has now announced ‘all hypotheses remain open and require further study’. Moreover, backing for this theory has come from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who is quoted as saying there is ‘enormous evidence’ the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Chinese laboratory and that China has an interest in ‘covering the whole thing up’.

As a layman, it is hard to know what to make of all this. But, to add to the growing evidence, the Wall Street Journal at the weekend carried an article saying the science suggests a Wuhan laboratory link.

Those who, like President Trump, dubbed COVID19 the China virus and were berated and belittled as conspiracy theorists may well be proved right in the end, and he is now calling for massive reparations. If it is found the virus did indeed escape from a Wuhan lab - and it is determined China has not only been culpable of precipitating the ruinous pandemic but also deliberately embarked on a cover-up denying this - there will be huge repercussions. The world has suffered catastrophic loss in human life and economic downturn and it will demand China should be held accountable.

THE CONTROL FREAKS OF THE NANNY STATE ARE GOING TOO FAR READING the UK press online each morning, a report caught my eye recently that looked barely credible.

It said the rural county of Oxfordshire in the depths of the English countryside was set to place a complete ban on smoking in outside areas, with the local council determined to make the whole county “smoke free” by 2025.

Not being a smoker myself, I have no axe to grind over this. But already, of course, there are restrictions on indoor smoking in public places like pubs, cafes and restaurants where people are likely to wish to smoke and this could affect others who are against smoking and may object on health grounds to inhaling tobacco fumes in a confined space.

In a civilised society such restrictions must surely be right. But smoking by individuals outside such places, or in the streets outside offices, cannot be said to affect others or to damage their health. Furthermore, it should not be a matter for local politicians to seek to apply coercively a ban on an activity that is within the law of the land. It seems to me, therefore, that they are busybodies adopting measures ostensibly to improve people’s health but, in the process, are taking away the right of people to conduct their lives as they wish as long as that is within the law.

Then, to my horror, I discovered that other UK local councils were following suit and banning smoking on pavements outside hospitality venues, and that this was being brought in by stealth in the wake of the COVID regulations requiring the provision of smoke-free seating outside as a condition of an establishment being licensed.

Clearly, the long-term aim of such

bans is to outlaw smoking altogether on health grounds. So the next step will be to try to stop smoking in private cars, houses and even gardens. Already, the control freaks of the ‘nanny state’ are going too far. I believe, if people wish to smoke, they should not be prevented by the majority from doing so as long as it does not affect other people who object to the practice. If the aim is to protect people’s health, then think also about other dangers like the inhalation by pedestrians of fumes from the exhausts of vehicles in crowded city centres – and what about the abuse of alcohol, with excessive consumption linked to disease, or even overeating that leads to obesity and diabetes? Compulsory seatbelts are fine because everybody can see that they save lives and protect against injury. But accidents happen so perhaps the do-gooders should also seek to limit non-essential traffic.

Such issues started me thinking about civil liberties in a democracy – and, inevitably, one is drawn yet again to the down-to-earth wisdom of George Orwell who in his essay The Lion and the Unicorn, published during the Second World War, defined the essence of the national character of England as liberty.

Britain in modern times has been based on the freedom-loving traditions of tolerance and respect for the rights of others in a law-abiding society where calmness under pressure is seen as a virtue and order in everyday life is valued. Freedom of speech and expression nurtures a spirit of reasonableness, live and let live and the right -- in the words of Orwell -- to have a house of your own and to do what you like with your spare

time without being bossed around by others, especially by an overbearing state. But this also breeds stubborn individuals and eccentrics -- though there is a fine line between eccentricity and boorishness – where people resent being told what to do by others and want to be left alone to pursue their lives as they see fit.

Despite such individualism, it is also the case that conformism comes easily to the British in times of strife.

Wartime government controls were readily accepted because they were seen as necessary, as are today’s security measures at airports. But who would think that in peacetime Britons would be prepared to accept, in response to the pandemic, a huge curtailment of freedom – arguably the biggest since the 1940s -- with three long lockdowns, social distancing and strict controls on meeting others even within families, compulsory wearing of masks, airports at a standstill, schools suspended, sporting events restricted, shopping limited, entertainment disrupted and restaurants and pubs closed.

It is well known that powers once assumed by the state are not easily surrendered. Thus, even in a democracy where a government is supposed to rule with the consent of the people, all concerned have to guard against authoritarianism, the abuse of power by politicians and permanent curtailment of individual freedoms. As has been said so often, the protection of liberty is crucial at every level of society. So, let the smokers decide for themselves, despite the evident threat to their health, as long as they do not infringe the rights of others to breathe unpolluted the fresh air around them that nature has provided.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

HARRIS CALL TO RESTORE HOPE IN GUATEMALA GUATEMALA CITY Associated Press

VICE-PRESIDENT Kamala Harris yesterday emphasised the need to restore hope for residents of struggling Central American nations to help address the increase in migration from the region as she pleaded with them not to make the dangerous trek.

Her comments came after her meeting with Guatemalan president Alejandro Giammattei, in which she addressed everything from vaccine sharing to corruption in the region.

But she emphasised the need for both leaders to act to improve the situation on the ground for Guatemalans, whom she said don’t want to leave their homeland but are forced to by poor living conditions.

OBRADOR IN POLE POSITION IN MEXICO VOTE MEXICO CITY Associated Press

PRESIDENT Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party and its allies yesterday appeared poised to maintain their majority in Mexico’s lower chamber of the congress, but fell short of a two-thirds majority, according to initial results.

López Obrador’s Morena party will have to rely on allies in the Workers Party and Green Party, but together they were expected to capture between 265 and 292 seats in the 500-seat lower house.

Morena alone was expected to win 190 to 203 seats.

That would signal a significant decline for the president’s party. In the current congress, Morena has a simple majority, holding 253 seats on its own. It would also deprive the president of a qualified majority of twothirds required to approve constitutional reforms.

JEFF BEZOS, inset, who will be on board for the first human space flight by Blue Origin, whose New Shepard capsule is pictured using parachutes to land in West Texas during a test last month.

Amazon founder Bezos ready for space flight CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida Associated Press OUTDOING his fellow billionaires in daredevilry, Jeff Bezos will blast into space next month when his Blue Origin company makes its first flight with a crew.

The 57-year-old Amazon founder and richest person in the world by Forbes’ estimate will become the first person to ride his own rocket to space.

Bezos announced his intentions yesterday and, in an even bolder show of confidence, said he will share the adventure with his younger brother and best friend, Mark, an investor and volunteer firefighter. He said that will make it more meaningful.

Blue Origin’s debut flight with people aboard — after 15 successful test flights of its reusable New Shepard rockets — will take place on July 20, a date selected because it is the 52nd anniversary of the first

moon landing by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

The Bezos brothers will launch from remote West Texas alongside the winner of an online charity auction. There’s no word yet on who else might fill the six-person capsule during the 10-minute flight that will take its passengers to an altitude of about 65 miles (105 kilometers), just beyond the edge of space, and then return to Earth without going into orbit.

Bezos said he has dreamed of traveling to space since he was five.

“To see the Earth from space, it changes you. It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity. It’s one Earth,” Bezos said in an Instagram post. “I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life.

It’s an adventure. It’s a big deal for me.”

Added his brother: “I wasn’t even expecting him to say that he was going to be on the first flight,

and then when he asked me to go along, I was just awestruck.”

Bezos will step down as Amazon’s CEO 15 days before liftoff.

He announced months ago that he wants to spend more time on his rocket company as well as his newspaper, The Washington Post.

His stake in Amazon stands at $164 billion, which will make him by far the wealthiest person to fly to space.

Until now, thrill-seeking billionaires have had to buy capsule seats from the Russian space program or, more recently, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which plans its first private flight in September. These orbital trips, generally lasting several days, with visits to the International Space Station, have cost tens of millions of dollars per person.

The flight by Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule, named for Alan Shepard, the first American in space, will last five minutes less than Shepard’s history-marking

suborbital ride aboard a Mercury capsule in 1961.

But Blue Origin’s capsule is ten times roomier with a huge window at every seat — the biggest windows ever built for a spacecraft, in fact.

The company, based in Kent, Washington, is working to develop an orbital rocket named after John Glenn, the first American to circle the Earth.

The Bezos flight will officially kick off the company’s space tourism business. The company has yet to start selling seats to the public or even to announce a ticket price for the short trips, which provide about three minutes of weightlessness.

Blue Origin’s launch and landing site is 120 miles southeast of El Paso, close to the Mexican border.

After the capsule separates, the rocket returns to Earth and lands upright, to be used again. The capsule, also reusable, descends under parachutes.

ONCE MORE UNTO THE BEACH PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain Associated Press

SPAIN jump-started its summer tourism season yesterday by welcoming vaccinated visitors from most countries as well as European tourists who can prove they are not infected with coronavirus. It also reopened its ports to cruise ships.

The move opened borders for the first tourists from the United States and other countries outside of

the European Union since those travelers were banned in March last year, when the pandemic hit global travel.

Matthew Eisenberg, a 22-year-old student, excitedly stepped out of Madrid airport, ready to enjoy the Spanish capital along with two more American friends.

“We came to Spain the first day we could, because we are very excited to travel here,” Eisenberg said, showing a certificate for his two Moderna vaccine jabs.

But Spain is still banning

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, MOLESTA JENIKA JOSEPH of Olive Road off St. Vincent Road, P.O Box N3331 New Providence, Bahamas intend to change my name to MOLLISA JENIKA JOSEPH. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, DE’SHANNA SANDS and JULIAN STUBBS of the Glendale Subdivision off Solider Road of Faith Avenue South, New Providence, The Bahamas. Parents of GABRIEL JEREMIAH SANDS A minor intend to change my child’s name to GABRIEL JEREMIAH STUBBS If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that CASSANDRA DORJEAN, of Nassau Village, Alexandria Blvd, 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 1st day of June 2021 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

nonessential travelers from Brazil, India and South Africa, where virus variants have been been a major source of concern.

Visitors need proof they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the trip or that they overcame a COVID-19 infection in the past six months. The certificates can be in Spanish, English, French or German — or their equivalent translations in Spanish, the government order said.

The vaccines accepted are those approved by Europe’s drug regulator — Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson — as well as two Chinese vaccines authorised by the World Health Organization, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

The same documents will be valid for visitors from the European Union until the bloc fully rolls out its “Digital Green Certificate” as expected on July 1. Spain on Monday joined seven other EU countries already implementing the scheme.

Alfredo González, an official in charge of digital health and innovation at Spain’s Health Ministry, said the certificate is not a passport but a document that eases mobility across Europe.

“Without the certificate, travel will be possible, but the entry in every country will be slower and controls such as quarantines could apply,” said González, adding that all airports had established fast-track channels with technology able to confirm the digital certificates issued by other EU countries.

Beginning yesterday, non-vaccinated travelers from the EU’s 27 countries could also enter Spain with the negative results of recent coronavirus antigen tests, which are cheaper and faster than PCR tests.

The Spanish government hopes to welcome 14.5 million to 15.5 million visitors between July and September. That’s about 40 percent of the tourists in the same period of 2019 but twice as many as last summer.

SECTION A

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

Grieving mother launches Go Fund Me campaign to bury slain son

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE worst day of Esther Pinder’s life was the day she lost her son in a horrific and violent crime.

The mother-of-six was at home when she heard multiple gunshots ring out.

At first, the story she heard was conflicting. She was told by a frantic and crying neighbour that her 20-year-old son Maurice Pinder had been shot.

She made her way to the chaotic scene and spoke to a police officer there, but he could not confirm at the time whether Maurice was one of the victims of the Jerome Avenue massacre on April 15 that left five others dead and a woman and toddler injured.

“Unfortunately for me, I heard all of the gunshots and a while later someone came and said he was in the car. Crying and upset I rushed to the scene, and I was asking the officer if he could find out for me, but he said he couldn’t,” she told Tribune Woman.

“I was then told by a bystander that he was not in the car and only three persons were in the car and it was another person who had the same nickname as him. I stayed until everyone, including the police, left after hearing there were more bodies than persons were saying. It wasn’t until late evening, after 6 pm, maybe close to 7 pm, that I received confirmation my Maurice was in that car.”

Maurice and the five others were ambushed in a car and murdered in a hail of bullets at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and Chesapeake Road.

Police said the victims were travelling on Jerome Avenue in a Honda when four men dressed in black got out of a white Kia Sportage and opened fire on them.

Two of the suspects were armed with high-powered assault rifles, according to police.

The other two were armed with calibrated pistols. Once the shooting started, the Honda ran off the road into bushes.

The massacre is said to be the deadliest in recent times.

ESTHER Pinder and her children

My son, the third of six beautiful kids – five boys one girl – lived with me up to the time of his unfortunate, devastating, heartbreaking, unexplainable death.”

Ms Pinder remembers her son as a “loving, funny, smart, caring, kind-hearted, respectful young man.”

“Everyone who came in contact with him spoke of how well-mannered he was,” she said.

“My son, the third of six beautiful kids – five boys one girl – lived

MURDER victim Maurice Pinder, 20, and his sister Marcia

with me up to the time of his unfortunate, devastating, heartbreaking, unexplainable death.”

As Ms Pinder continues to grapple with the grief of losing a child, she is also simultaneously dealing with the financial expenses of burying her son.

She has launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise the needed funds to lay her beloved Maurice to rest.

Ms Pinder is appealing to members of the public to assist in any way they can. The family has set a goal of $6,000 to cover his burial expenses.

She added that even the smallest monetary gift would be appreciated.

She said this is the most difficult thing she has ever had to experience, and her pain is unimaginable.

She said she will never understand why she had to lose her dear Maurice.

“My son, as all my other kids, meant the world to me. He was fun to be around. I miss him so much…my heartaches. He would sometimes come to lay in the back of me in my bed and we would clown around. His favourite words were, ‘What’s going on with you, Mum?’ He was just a person that stood out, so he will be truly missed,” she said.

Funeral arrangements are being made by Sunrise Mortuary.

For Ms Pinder, while it will not bring Maurice back, she said what hurts the most is that justice has not been done; no one has as yet been held responsible for the massacre.

A few weeks ago, while on a radio show, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said the police is making “some good progress” on solving the case.

The other victims were Delano Smith, 34, of Kemp Road; Kendal Lord, 31, of Whites Addition; Renardo Bastian, 31; Darrnario Saunders, 27; and Travis Latario, 26.

The 19-year-old woman, the girlfriend of the murdered Delano Smith, who has also injured in the incident, is recovering, while Smith’s two-year-old daughter, D’Lani Smith, had to have a bullet removed from her head.

Women in the spotlight reframe the mental health conversation

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

When Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka recently withdrew from the competition because of mental health concerns, many applauded the young player’s decision to prioritise self-care over the sport.

Naomi has bowed out of several recent tournaments, including the French Open, citing her mental health. Her participation in Wimbledon and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics is also uncertain.

The 23- year-old took to Twitter on May 31 to share with the public that she needed to step away from the court because the post-match press conferences were becoming too stressful for her.

“I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media. I get nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can… I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences,” she said.

The decision naturally sent shock waves through the tennis world and has led to the continued discussion of destigmatising mental health.

Her decision has been likened to that of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who said that they felt compelled to move to the United States and step down from senior royal duties after Meghan Markle revealed she had suffered from severe depression and suicidal thoughts because of the racist abuse she received.

Tribune Woman spoke with several readers and asked them

TENNIS star Naomi Osaka

to weigh in on the current mental health debate.

Tiffany said that she is happy that both Naomi and Meghan decided to step up and address their concerns.

“As women, I feel that we suffer in silence sometimes, because we feel that we have to just accept everything that comes our way like it’s just part of who we marry or what our career is. But at the end of the day, your sanity is the most important thing ever and you have to protect it, so I say a good job to Meghan and Naomi.”

(AP Photo_Lynne Sladky, File)

DUCHESS of Sussex Meghan Markle (AP Photo_Frank Augstein, File)

Tiana agreed: “I think that it is so important that you are honest with yourself about what you can endure. Taking a mental health day when you are stressed is essential. I think that is why we have so much sickness in this country because people are not resting their spirits.”

However, Anita remains a bit sceptical about the whole thing.

“I don’t want to downplay anyone’s emotional state, but I wonder if claiming mental health will be the new thing. Like I can’t do this, or I have to refrain from

that because of my mental health.

Because, after all, it’s not something that you can argue with.

So will people just try to use that as an excuse, because I feel that takes away from people with legit concerns,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sharon questioned if mental health is being taken seriously when it comes to the average woman.

She is happy Meghan and Naomi can live their truths, but said it is a lot harder for the regular working women and mothers out there.

“I understand that they both made decisions that were the best choice for them, but let’s be real, they are fortunate that they are financially able to make their own decisions. Meghan and Harry have a huge Netflix deal coming so they can stay home in California and not face the racism and abuse she felt in the United Kingdom.

“Naomi has enough money from her endorsements that she can decide when and if she wants to play. But think about all the poor women who have to endure crappy jobs or abusive marriages because they don’t have the finances to leave. Think about the stressed-out mothers who can’t afford to walk away from the responsibilities of day-to-day family life. There is no one to advocate for their mental health and they don’t get to just dip out whenever it gets hard.”

Maria added: “I understand that Naomi felt that it was difficult, but she is young and perhaps that is a lesson to be learnt, that even when you are living out your dreams there can be moments when you are uncomfortable.

“I am not saying that she should sit and be bullied at press conferences, but at the same, it’s not unreasonable to expect one of the top seeds in tennis to speak to the press and her fans after matches.

In my job, I sometimes have to speak to clients who are unhappy with our company. Some of them get nasty, but I understand that it is part of my job.”

PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Launching their careers against the backdrop of World Oceans Day, a few young marine scientists are getting their feet wet, teaming up with a prominent research organisation to conduct coral reef research and restoration around the Bahamas.

The Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS) conducts conservation, education and citizen science programmes locally and throughout the Caribbean in partnership with governments, international NGOs and local organisations. It is committed to protecting oceans.

PIMS launched its marine science summer internship programme last week, embodying the 2021 World Ocean Day theme, “The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods.” The goal is to train and support students looking to gain skills in ocean conservation and stewardship while building a sustainable, blue economy.

“We hope to help young people gain exposure to different career paths in marine science,” said Dr Karlisa Callwood, director of PIMS’ Community Conservation, Education and Action programme. “From coral reef restoration to fisheries research, the practical experiences we provide are stepping-stones to careers in ocean conservation. By making these tools, training, and experiences accessible, we hope to contribute to building the next generation of Bahamian conservation leaders.”

This summer, PIMS interns will monitor ocean-based coral nurseries and restoration sites, utilise state-of-the-art technology to model and analyse coastal ecosystem datasets, and conduct stakeholder surveys in fishing

PIMS interns dive into World Oceans Day

A TRIO of interns at the Perry Institute for Marine Science are ready to explore the underwater world. From left to right are Ana Beltran, Meghyn Fountain and Kandiz McPhee. communities. PIMS interns will also survey the abundance of invasive lionfish and herbivorous fish on reefs and assess the spread and treating of the devastating Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD).

“As a country, we need more scientists and if not that, then more people who are interested and concerned for what’s happening in and around our natural environment,” said Meghyn Fountain, one of the PIMS interns.

Fresh out of university, the 23-year-old earned her Bachelor of Science in marine biology from Dalhousie University. She anticipates putting her scuba diving skills to good use this summer researching SCTLD. “I hope to learn more about coral reefs and restoration

Rochelle tackles male-dominated field to improve Bahamian civil society

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

Men often consider her a rival, a threat to their male-dominated sphere, and sometimes treat her discourteously as a result, but this has not deterred Rochelle Dean from pursuing her passion to promote a stronger civil society here in the Bahamas.

Through her company, Candid Concepts Development, Rochelle wants to foster a community of citizens with common interests and spaces for collective activity.

“My path is not conventional, so it’s (been) relatively exhausting. I am simply blessed to have had some major windows of opportunity that allowed me to highlight my skills and ability, but

THE TRIBUNE

it still is difficult.

There isn’t anyone pulling (out a) chair for me to sit at the table, and I have had male colleagues become rivals, so it’s twice as hard being a female,” she told Tribune Woman.

“I have some of the best male counterparts tell me directly they are jealous of me and try to derail me. This was a shock for me, but

efforts,” said Ms Fountain. “As one of the most important and biodiverse ecosystems on earth, I think that we should be doing more… especially since we have the third-largest barrier reef in the world.”

Measuring 190 miles long, the Andros Barrier Reef is among the world’s largest, continuous coral reefs. A hub of marine biodiversity, the Bahamas and the world depend on healthy underwater habitat for livelihood, to cut carbon dioxide emissions and shoreline protection, among other benefits. However, pollution, disease, overfishing, and climate change are causing the world’s coral reefs to disappear at an alarming rate. The world has already lost roughly half of its coral reefs over the last 30 years,

and up to 90 per cent of corals may die within the next century.

World Oceans Day, celebrated today, June 8, aims to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean and galvanize a worldwide movement to sustainably manage the world’s oceans, according to its founder, United Nationals Environment Programme (UNEP).

“What our country needs most is enthusiastic young scientists, especially during a time like this where we are seeing the grave effects of climate change and other problems such as overfishing and ocean pollution,” Ms Fountain said.

After she completes her internship, Fountain intends to pursue a PhD in marine biology.

“I aspire to be a prominent scientist working in the Bahamas and around the Caribbean, helping with conservation efforts with either the conch or coral reefs,” she said.

“I would like to inspire the younger generation as well by getting primary and high school students involved in marine science through afterschool clubs and helping with scholarships.”

This year marks the beginning of the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It runs from 2021 to 2030.

The objective is to strengthen international cooperation to develop scientific research and innovative technologies that can connect ocean science with societal needs.

I have developed a tough exterior. I am not as soft as people assume, but I have one of the biggest hearts anyone can imagine. I have even had men call me ‘bro’ or ‘gay’ directly when I wouldn’t respond to their advances. I can’t say if it’s intentional or an intimidation tactic, but as a female, I do not play.”

In her business, Rochelle said, she has an edge because she views things from a global perspective, “which is something that many organisations need to stay current with emerging and pre-existing trends.”

“Candid Concepts does that; it’s like fashion, with change theory and new policy developments, so it’s imperative that you stay current, which increases your capacity to have access to scarce resources and information that will guide your decision-making,” she said.

Rochelle primarily offers consultancy services in terms of policy writing, with a thematic

approach that encompasses many regions and a global view.

“Integration is very important to me, and I consider all of the angles to make your organisation or project a success. I think for you,” she said.

Used to working from home, Rochelle said COVID-19 did not impact her to the same extent it did others.

“I can’t tell you how many people are fatigued and ask me how I am doing during (the pandemic) when technologically speaking, I am happy to see this gap shrink for so many Bahamians. Most people associate having your own time as a benefit of being an entrepreneur, but you work harder than the average person, and the emotion is there because it becomes your life’s work,” she said.

“COVID-19 hasn’t really slowed what I do, but it has impacted my access to resources and funding, and it has hit hard. I do miss the idea of a nine to five, so I would have to say that being in control of my work and doing things my way is possibly what I like most about being a founder of an organisation and that is precisely what determines your success.”

Rochelle is a certified project consultant and management consultant and serves as the regional programme manager for the Americas of Ananke MAG, a

digital platform for women with an elite internship programme.

“I am now in a place where I can contribute to the societal structure of the economy while also meeting my full potential.

The (Candid Concepts) feedback has been very positive though cynical. I am not wealthy and so people assume this is something for someone with a trust fund and that they can simply copy or head to Google. Civil society is relatively new in terms of regulatory reform, but that is the beauty of Candid Concepts Development,” she said.

When asked if she is inspired by any international or local civil society ventures, Rochelle said it would have to be the Adaptation Fund (AF), an international fund that finances projects and programmes aimed at helping developing countries to adapt to the harmful effects of climate change.

“Even though it finances projects and programmes focused on climate change it is definitely what I have in mind in terms of development and the vision that I have. I definitely would like to develop specialists who can compete at the global level for project infrastructure and programme design,” she said.

For the remainder of 2021, Rochelle expects to partner with other organisations globally to help improve the Bahamas.

Review: ‘The Other Black Girl’ a bold, poignant debut novel

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press Congratulations are in order for debut novelist Zakiya Dalila Harris.

Her first book “The Other Black Girl,” is one of the most highly-anticipated novels of the summer, if not the year, and it lives up to the hype.

An intriguing mash-up of mystery, thriller, sci-fi and social commentary, “The Other Black Girl” is set inside Wagner Books, a publishing company where Nella Rogers is an editorial assistant and the only Black girl in the office. That is, until she spots a new hire name Hazel-May

McCall, who is also Black. Nella feels instantly hopeful that Hazel will be a much-needed friend and comrade who will shoulder some of the Black representation in the workplace.

As someone who has felt obliged to fit into the white mold during her time at Wagner, Hazel is a breath of fresh air. Hazel encourages Nella to speak up when she recognizes a troubling depiction of race in a popular novelist’s writing.

But, as much as of an ally as Hazel claims to be, she says one thing to Nella but does another. She quickly wins friends and opportunities at work, leaving Nella feeling more alienated than ever.

At the same time, Nella begins receiving anonymous, threatening notes telling her to leave the company. Nella immediately suspects Hazel. Suddenly the other Black girl in the office may not be her friend but her foe.

Dalila Harris’ book peels back the curtain on recent efforts of corporate America to embrace diversity, but also shows the weaknesses behind its intentions. It’s a sharp, surprising, original work by an author with a long future ahead of her.

“The Other Black Girl” is also in development as a series at Hulu with Dalila Harris on board to co-write and executive produce.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 13

BODY AND MIND

Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital performs first living donor liver transplant Daughter donates part of her liver to mother WESTON, Florida – Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital has performed its first living donor liver transplant, in which a daughter donated a portion of her liver to her mother who had been battling complicated liver disease for several years.

The donor and recipient surgeries were performed in Weston by a team of surgeons from Cleveland Clinic Weston and Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, which has one of the nation’s largest living donor liver transplant programs.

On May 10, 2021, Dr Cristiano Quintini, director of Liver Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and Weston Hospital transplant surgeons Dr Samer Ebaid and Dr Phoenix Vuong, removed 60 percent of the right lobe of 38-year-old Heidy Lima’s liver through an abdominal incision.

In an operating room nearby, Dr Koji Hashimoto, director of Living Donor Liver Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio; Dr Antonio Pinna, director of Cleveland Clinic Weston’s Abdominal Transplant Center, and Weston transplant surgeon Dr Sidharth Sharma, successfully transplanted the donated portion of Lima’s liver to her mother, 60-year-old Iris Blanco.

“The collaboration between our transplant team in Weston and our colleagues in Ohio has been exceptional, allowing us to take this step forward and meet a critical need for living donor liver transplant services in South Florida,” said Dr Conor Delaney, CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic’s Florida region.

“As an integrated healthcare delivery system, we continue to expand our ability to provide multidisciplinary, complex care and improve the quality of life for our patients and their families.”

Dr Pinna added, “After months of preparation and extensive evaluation of patients, we are pleased

CLEVELAND Clinic’s team of physicians who performed the hospital’s first living liver donor transplant surgery

CLEVELAND Clinic Florida’s surgeon’s performing their first living donor liver transplant surgery LIVING donor Heidi Lima (right) donated a portion of her liver to her mom, Iris Blanco, in the first living liver donor transplant at Cleveland Clinic, Florida Weston location. that our transplant programme has advanced to the next level.”

Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital is currently the only medical facility in Florida performing living donor liver transplants. The highly specialised procedure requires a great deal of technical expertise due to anatomical variations in the liver. No living donor liver transplants have been performed in Florida since 2012.

Living-donor transplant helps save the lives of people with endstage liver disease and increases the number of livers for patients on the transplant waiting list.

Because they are receiving a portion of a healthy donor’s liver, recipients typically have improved long-term outcomes and quicker recovery times.

“Living liver donation is the ultimate gift of life,” Dr Pinna said. “It is both gratifying and

humbling to play a role in a daughter donating a piece of her liver to her very ill mother with liver failure.”

Blanco said her daughter did not want to see her suffering and said she had no life prior to the transplant. Lima said she made the decision to donate her liver because it was difficult watching her mother deteriorate as her condition worsened.

About five percent of people who undergo a liver transplant receive the organ from a living donor, who has made the altruistic decision to give up a portion of

their liver to save someone else’s life. The liver is the only organ that can regenerate, which makes it possible for a living person to donate a portion of their liver. It takes approximately six to eight weeks for the healthy donor’s liver to grow back to its original size.

In addition to liver transplants, Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital also performs heart and kidney transplants. In 2020, the hospital performed 215 solid organ transplants, including 127 kidney, 47 heart and 41 liver transplants.

Nassau gets a new vegan eatery

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

TYLER Mattio has been vegan for over six years now, abstaining from the use and consumption of all animal products.

Passionate about living healthier, she is eager to promote better dietary choices with her new takeout business, The Cabana Club, which offers dishes both vegans and non-vegans can enjoy.

“I noticed that there was a lack of vegan options in the Bahamas, and I decided that I needed to do something about it,” she told Tribune Health.

At The Cabana Club, located in Munroe’s Landscaping on Gladstone Road, Tyler offers lunch items like plant-based burgers and tacos, smoothies and vegan dessert options.

“All of our products are free from animals and animal bi-products, which includes dairy and eggs. This removes many common allergens, making our products suitable for a lot of people to enjoy,” she said.

“The health benefits of consuming a vegan diet are endless, so that would require me to write an essay. That being said, I want to make the disclaimer that vegan does not necessarily always mean healthy, so there are some indulgent foods that we offer, for example, our cinnamon buns or cookies, but seeing as they are void of animal products, they are healthier than your average cookie and cinnamon bun.”

She believes educating yourself on health and wellness can open your eyes to a whole new world of

TYLER MATTIO, a passionate vegan, hopes to promote healthy eating with her Club Cabana food stand. information that will change your perspective on a lot of things and potentially even shock you.

“There are many diseases that can be prevented and cured simply by being aware of what you put into your body and a lot of what we think is good for us is actually killing us,” she said.

“I encourage Bahamians to start researching healing diseases through diet and they will be amazed at the simple changes they can make to truly change their lives.”

Bahamians, she said, have already started to embrace The

VEGAN TACOS

“There are many diseases that can be prevented and cured simply by being aware of what you put into your body and a lot of what we think is good for us is actually

A VEGAN smoothie bowl Cabana Club and what it stands for. But beyond that, she is also a hit with tourists who found out about the eatery via a vegan food app.

“They said that they have tried the Beyond Burger from many different restaurants across the United States and ours is the best they’ve tried so far. That was definitely an exciting moment for us,” said Tyler.

She added she is pleasantly surprised to see so many Bahamians step out of their culinary comfort zone and try something new.

“It is definitely a challenge (pushing a small business like this during what is still, a global pandemic), but it makes me feel proud. I am proud of myself every day that I keep going and do not give up on what I am trying to achieve,” she said.

“I started my business about a month before the pandemic hit, so I don’t really know any other way to run a business. There are challenging moments, but because we are a takeout business, everything we do fits within the social distancing protocols.”

PAGE 14, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

New liquid radiation drug improves survival in prostate cancer cases One in six men of African ancestry will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. Many men are unfortunately diagnosed initially with advanced metastatic prostate cancer that has spread beyond the confines of the prostate gland to other parts of the body. These patients are not for cure, but with the goal being to improve longevity and the quality of life and to suppress the prostate cancer disease burden.

Hormone androgen deprivation is often used initially in treating these patients with advanced prostate cancer. Prostate cancer cells need androgens, which are primarily the male hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, to proliferate and spread.

Starving the prostate cancer cells of the fuel needed to survive and spread, can for a period of time potentially halt prostate cancer progression. The prostate cancer cells will eventually be able to bypass this androgen blockade and then continue to progress.

This state of castrate resistant prostate cancer can then be managed by chemotherapy and by drugs such as Zytiga or Xtandi which may cost up to $12,000 a month.

A recently released groundbreaking scientific study has shown that a new class of radiation therapy could potentially reduce the risk of death in men with advanced prostate cancer by 38 percent and limit the progression of advanced prostate cancer by 60 percent. The drug study results were released on June 3, 2021 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and was funded by the drug’s maker, Novartis, with plans to seek United States FDA and European approvals in late 2021. This new targeted radiation drug can be used as a new life extending treatment for men with advanced castrate resistant prostate cancer that no longer responds to the deprivation of testosterone.

The key to curing prostate cancer is early detection of the disease when it is low volume and organ confined. Unfortunately, far too many prostate cancer patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when the prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body. A relatively small group of patients will have recurrence of their prostate cancer after initially

being cured of the disease, often several years later.

An emerging class of drugs called radiopharmaceuticals is a type of liquid radiation that deliver radiation directly to cancer cells. These drugs provide a new method for managing advanced inoperable prostate cancers. The radiation drug tracks and kills prostate cancer cells.

The molecule of the drug contains two parts: a tracker and a cancer killing payload. These molecules hunt down prostate cancer cells and attach themselves to cell membrane protein receptors, then the payload component releases radiation that affects only the tumor cells. This mode of therapy allows the treatment of prostate cancer cells throughout the body that cannot be seen.

The radiation medication, LU-PSMA-617, targets prostate cancers cells throughout the body, whether it is within bones, soft tissues, lymph nodes or other organs.

This potentially revolutionary scientific study included 831 male participants with advanced prostate cancer. Two thirds of the study groups received the new radiation drug and one third served as the control group and did not receive the drug. Two years after the onset of the study, the prostate cancer was held at

bay for on average nine months for those who received the radiation drug versus only three months for those who did not receive the drug. The radiation drug improved the survival rate from 11 months to 15 months.

The targeting of tumour cells by this radiation drug is a first for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. It is hoped that the use of radiopharmaceuticals will be a major thrust for prostate cancer treatment research in the coming decade. There is thought to major potential for the use of these radiation drugs for pancreatic, breast and skin cancers. It is hoped that these revolutionary drugs could play a future role in combined treatment for early prostate cancer treatments as well.

FDA-approved new imaging to detect advanced prostate cancer The United State Food and Drug Administration on May 27, 2021 approved a new imaging agent Pylarify to detect prostate cancer that has spread throughout the body. The imaging company Lantheus developed the newly approved imaging tracer that effectively detects the spread of advanced prostate cancer that could be difficult to detect. The new imaging technique uses a

tracer molecule that seeks out a protein called prostate specific membrane antigen, PSMA, that is found on most prostate cancer cells. The tracer is injected into the bloodstream and it lights up prostate cancer cells during a PET scan. This tracer PET scan imaging allows for more precise detection of prostate cancer that has spread and thus provides the opportunity for targeted treatment such as targeted radiation therapy. The FDA approved thr first PSMA targeted PET imaging drug, Ga 68 PSMA-11, on December 1, 2020, for the same prostate cancer imaging indications as Pylarify.

The use of this tracer imaging is very useful in patients who had previous curative prostate cancer treatment such as surgery or radiation but now present with biochemical recurrence and rising prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood values, indicating recurrence of the prostate cancer. The PSMA PET scan is also valuable for imaging men diagnosed with new metastatic advanced prostate cancer. The tracer agent Pyarify can detect spread of prostate cancer well before standard imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging 3T MRI is another excellent imaging modality for prostate cancer that is available locally at Doctors

THE TRIBUNE

Hospital. Prostate MRI can help differentiate between harmless and aggressive prostate cancer. In cases where an aggressive prostate cancer is present, MRI can help prevent a missed diagnosis. Prostate MRI can help avoid unnecessary prostate biopsies and aid in making necessary prostate biopsies more accurate in staging prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer screening should commence at the age of 40 years old for all residents of the Bahamas with an annual PSA blood test. Early detection is the key to cure for prostate cancer.

The cancer specific survival is 99 percent for the treatment of early organ confined prostate cancer and 98 percent at ten years post curative prostate cancer management. Prostate cancer is a very treatable disease with a potentially excellent cure rate.

Seek confidential, compassionate and comprehensive prostate cancer screening and management.

THE UROLOGY DOCTOR IS IN...

Dr Greggory Pinto • Dr Greggory Pinto is a board-certified Bahamian urologist and laparoscopic surgeon.

He has trained in Germany, South Africa and France, and is a member of the European Association of Urology. He can be contacted at OakTree Medical Center, #2 Fifth Terrace & Mount Royal Avenue. Telephone: (242) 322-1145 (6) (7); e-mail: welcome@urologycarebahamas.com, or visit the website:www.urologycarebahamas.com.

I’m fully vaccinated – should I keep wearing a mask for my unvaccinated child?

By NANCY S JECKER UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (THE CONVERSATION) Fully vaccinated adults are celebrating their new freedom and removing their face masks. Yet for parents of children under age 12, the rejoicing might be short-lived.

Since children that age do not yet have access to vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they are better off staying masked when in public and around people they don’t live with.

Now what? Do “good parents” keep their child’s face shield on at playgrounds, barbecues and play dates, teaching health and safety above all? Or do they “let kids be kids” and tell their child it’s OK to take the mask off? What if a child’s circle includes unvaccinated people at high risk of serious disease? With summer fast approaching, parents of youngsters must face these questions head-on.

As a moral philosopher and bioethicist, I analyse ethical dilemmas, and lately I’ve thought a lot about ethical dilemmas raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve also written about a little-known field – ethics and the family – which asks what parents owe their children, what children owe their parents, and what spouses owe each other. There are a few tools in my ethics toolkit that might help with the mask question.

Protecting safety at all costs There’s an ethical view that holds that people are not just driven to do more for their family members, but have a special moral duty to do more. This special duty arises by virtue of the relationships of love and affection in which families ideally stand.

On some accounts, a special duty might even require doing “everything possible” to keep a

masking is not what the child wants to do, but that putting others’ health and safety first sometimes matters most.

Masking in solidarity Parents who choose to keep their unvaccinated child masked might ask the child if it would help them if they masked too.

Masking with a child conveys appreciation and recognition that, for some kids, keeping a mask on is a big ask. Such a move throws a wrench in parents’ own unmasking celebrations. But parents can celebrate later, after their child gets vaccinated, and when their child can celebrate too.

While these decisions can be tough for parents and kids alike, the good news is that children ages two to 11 will probably have access to vaccines in September. loved one safe. Reasoning along these lines, one might hold that parents have a duty to lay down the law when it comes to masking.

Yet a potential snag in this line of thinking is that it is at odds with other decisions people make for their children – like routinely letting kids do risky things such as climb trees or ski down slopes.

What’s more, keeping children safe is complicated. Presumably, it includes protecting children’s mental health and social development. A masked summer could frustrate such efforts.

Letting kids be kids A different way of thinking is that unmasking is justified to let kids be kids. The Swiss enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau might have supported this view. He held that childhood is valuable for its own sake, and that the best way to bring up children is to let them develop naturally.

Too often, parents bring to parenting their own “life-stage bias,”

which occurs when ethical concerns – such as safety – that are prominent at one life stage are generalized and assumed to be central for all life stages. While children should, of course, be kept safe to prepare them for adulthood, preparing for adulthood should not crowd out all other values, or keep children from the joys of childhood.

The point here is that childhood is a one-of-a-kind experience.

For example, childhood friendships differ from adult ones, and childhood play calls upon a child’s ability to become absorbed in make-believe worlds and entertain radically different worlds.

To the extent that children miss out on healthy childhood experiences, they cannot readily make them up. For example, having more adult friends will not compensate for lacking childhood ones, and playing more as an adult will not replace childhood play. The window closes.

Whether masking interferes a lot or only mildly with childhood

fun will depend on a number of factors, such as the child’s age (a two-year-old may have a harder time than a 10-year-old), activity (wearing a mask while playing dolls may be easier than while playing basketball) and aversion to masking (which may vary based on the child’s personality or whether their friends mask).

Civic responsibility Of course, the other reason for children to mask is that this prevents them from transmitting the coronavirus to others. Especially if a child’s circle includes someone with heightened risk of severe disease and death from the virus, this consideration will be overriding.

For example, if a child’s neighbor is a five-year-old with Down syndrome, or their best friend has asthma, or they have a family member who is vaccinated but whose immune system is suppressed by drugs or disease, they should keep their mask on. In these situations, it is important for parents to acknowledge that

The upshot Parents and caregivers have made so many sacrifices over the course of the pandemic to keep kids safe. Summertime, typically a period of carefree play, promises long-awaited relief.

For some families with small children, the masks are coming off and they’re headed to Disney World, which no longer requires masks outdoors. For other families, all their prior efforts might feel wasted if they didn’t go the last mile and wait a bit longer.

Whatever parents decide, they should communicate their message in a way that shows love and support for their child.

• This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com

SPORTS SECTION E

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

PAGE 17

Jonquel to take Sun hiatus for international event

SEASON ENDS FOR BAHAMIAN COLLEGE BASEBALL PLAYERS

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BOTH Bahamian collegiate baseball players saw their seasons come to an end at the regional level in 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Ellison Hanna II and the Indiana State Sycamores, the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Nashville Regional were eliminated by No.2 seed Georgia Tech while Allbry Major and the Arizona State Sun Devils, the No. 2 seed in the Austin ELLISON Regional were elimi- Hanna II nated by No.XX Fairfield.

Hanna hit .429 in the Sycamores’ three tournament games and scored five runs. He went 3-4 and scored two runs as his team opened play with a 7 - 6 loss in the first matchup against Georgia Tech.

He followed with a 3-4 night and three runs in a 9 -2 win over Presbyterian to stay alive in the bracket and went hit less in the second loss to Georgia Tech.

In 26 games this season, Hanna hit .337 with 30 hits, 20 RBI, 28 runs, five home runs, seven doubles and two triples.

Indiana State finished the season 31-21 and were runners up in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.

Hanna was selected to the MVC ALLBRY Major Baseball All-Tournament team. The redshirt senior outfielder finished the tournament hitting .278 (5-18), with five runs, nine RBI and three home-runs.

The 2021 season came to an end for Major and the Sun Devil baseball programme Sunday afternoon with a 9 - 7 loss to Fairfield in the elimination bracket of the Austin Regional.

Major went 0 - 1 in his only appearance at the regionals, the season finale.

Arizona State opened the tournament with a 7 - 6 walk off win over Fairfield in the first matchup between the two teams.

They followed with a 10-3 loss to No.2 Texas on Saturday.

In his first season on the field for the Sun Devils after he transferred from the Xavier Musketeers, Major hit .200 with 11 hits, 10 RBI, nine runs scored and two home runs.

As an outfielder and pitcher, he was a standout two way player for Xavier in the Big East for the first few years of his collegiate career where he garnered numerous accolades.

As a freshman in 2018 Major won BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, was Second Team AllBIG EAST and was also named Baseball America’s Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.

He hit .291 with a pair of home runs and 21 RBI. On the mound he posted a 4.96 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 16 appearances, including eight starts.

As a sophomore, he started 51 games and hit .281 with seven home runs and 34 RBI.

GAITHER LOOKS AHEAD TO TOKYO

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JONQUEL JONES, pictured left and above, in action for the Connecticut Sun. (AP)

FRESH off being named May’s Eastern Conference Player Month, Jonquel Jones continued her dominant play in the WNBA with the conference’s Player of the Week award, and will take a brief hiatus from the Connecticut Sun for international competition.

Jones will compete for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the upcoming 38th edition of FIBA’s Women’s Eurobasket Championships co-hosted between France and Spain, June 17-27.

The tournament also serves as part of European qualification for the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, with the top six nations advancing to the qualifying tournaments.

The Sun are currently 8-2, first in the WNBA standings. They return to the court on June 13 in their second matchup this season against the defending champion, Seattle Storm.

This is the eighth time Jones has been named player of the

game, leads in rebounds at 10.4 rebounds and also averages three assists and 1.2 blocks per game She is also shooting 57 percent from the field and 49 percent from three point range.

Jones told The Day that she plans to return to the Sun on June 28 which means she would miss five games on the WNBA schedule while at the Eurobasket championships.

“It’s going to (stink). I understand the importance of (EuroBasket) and I’m proud to represent the Bosnian national team, but it’s a tough time to be going,” Jones said, “I feel like I have a good flow right now. I feel like things are trending upwards for (the team). I hate that I have to leave, but it’s necessary.”

Bosnia and Herzegovina will open play in Group C against Belgium on Thursday, June 17 at Rhenus Sport in Strasbourg, SEE PAGE 17

week in her career. The Sun went 2-0 for the week of May 31 to June 6, picking up wins over the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty. Jones averaged 27

points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on the week.

Through 10 games this season, Jones is fourth in the league in scoring at 21.6 points per

ALGERNON CARGILL RE-ELECTED FOR SECOND TERM IN FINA BUREAU

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DEANDRE AYTON AND SUNS BEAT NUGGETS IN GAME ONE DEANDRE Ayton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds last night as the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

• SEE PAGE 16

BAHAMAS Aquatics’ president Algernon Cargill will serve as a member of the FINA Bureau for a second consecutive fouryear term.

Cargill was re-elected to serve at the FINA General Congress in Doha, Qatar on June 5. He will once again represent the Central America and Caribbean Region (CCCAN) as one of its two members on the Bureau after being nominated by the CCCAN Congress in Bridgetown, Barbados, at the CCCAN Championships in 2019.

“It’s certainly an honour to represent the Americas and by way of CCCAN and The Bahamas on the FINA Bureau,” said Cargill from Doha on Sunday. “Being elected for the second term on the bureau means that The Bahamas, the Caribbean and certainly the Americas, have a voice in the policy and major decisions being made by FINA.” During the elections on Saturday, Cargill was joined by Errol Clarke of Barbados on the Bureau as, collectively, they represent the Caribbean area, Central America and parts of South America, giving the region two members on the bureau.

“It also means that in terms of the major

decisions that FINA will make, the funding for the sport, also the programmes that FINA will implement, we can introduce our own thoughts and the thoughts of constituents in the development of passing these various policies,” he added.

FINA, the governing global body for Aquatics sports, headquartered in Lausanne Switzerland, is the global administrator for Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Diving, High Diving, and Water Polo.

There are 25 representatives from 209 National Member Federations, representing five continents that serve on the FINA Bureau. FINA and its aquatic disciplines are also a pillar of the Olympic Movement and give a

“It’s certainly an honour to represent the Americas and by way of CCCAN and The Bahamas on the FINA Bureau Being elected for the second term on the bureau means that The Bahamas, the Caribbean and certainly the Americas, have a voice in the policy and major decisions being made by FINA.” Algernon Cargill decisive contribution to the success of the Games.

Swimming has been part of the Olympic programme since 1896, water polo became the first team sport in the Games in 1900, and diving made its appearance in 1904. Eighty years later, in 1984, synchronised (artistic) swimming joined the Olympic “club”, while marathon swimming (10km race for men and women) has been included in the Olympic programme since 2008.

According to FINA, Cargill brings a wealth of administrative and sports leadership experience to his second term of the FINA Bureau. He SEE PAGE 16

PAGE 16, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

NEW YORK’S TOM THIBODEAU PICKED AS NBA’S COACH OF THE YEAR

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Thibodeau got the New York Knicks back to the playoffs, guiding the team to its second-best record in 20 years.

And in the eyes of the voters, that coaching job was the best in the NBA. Thibodeau was revealed Monday as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for 202021, as determined by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. The Knicks went 41-31 this season, then fell to Atlanta in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

It was the closest balloting since this version of voting was introduced 19 years ago. Thibodeau got 43 first-place votes and finished with 351 total points, while Phoenix’s Monty Williams actually got more first-place votes — he got 45 — but finished with 340 points.

“Anytime you get an award like this, I’m obviously honoured,” Thibodeau said on the telecast announcing the results.

“But it’s more a reflection of our group and our organisation.”

It was Thibodeau’s second time winning the award; he also got it in 2011, his first season with the Chicago Bulls. And another first-year turnaround in New York merited him the trophy for a second time.

Utah’s Quin Snyder was third and got 10 of the remaining 12 first-place votes. Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers was fourth, getting the other two first-place votes.

Atlanta’s Nate McMillan was fifth, Brooklyn’s Steve Nash was sixth and Denver’s Michael Malone was seventh.

The Knicks were 41-31 this season, and that winning percentage of .569 is the eighth-lowest for any coach of the year winner since the award was first given out in 1963. But the job Thibodeau did in his first New York season was outstanding by any measure, guiding the Knicks to their first playoff berth since 2013 and their second-best record in the last 20 years.

On the TNT broadcast announcing the award, Thibodeau spoke of how he grew up a fan of the Knicks in the era that included Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, how his coaching style was influenced in part by others with deep ties to the Knicks — like Rivers and Jeff Van Gundy — and how the players on this New York team like Derrick Rose merited much credit as well. Rose was with Thibodeau when he won the award in Chicago a decade ago.

“There were so many people that helped me along the way,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve probably been the luckiest guy in the world.”

It’s the second major award for the Knicks this season, after Julius Randle won most improved player.

Also previously announced was Utah’s Jordan Clarkson winning sixth man of the year.

The MVP, defensive player of the year and rookie of the year awards are yet to be announced.

The defensive player of the year finalists are Utah’s Rudy Gobert, Golden State’s Draymond Green and Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons.

The MVP finalists are finalists Nikola Jokic of Denver, Stephen Curry of Golden State and Joel Embiid of Philadelphia.

And the rookie of the year finalists are LaMelo Ball of Charlotte, Anthony Edwards of Minnesota and Tyrese Haliburton of Sacramento.

Thibodeau’s win continues a bit of an odd trend.

Out of the last 49 seasons, there have been only three instances of the coach of the year also winning the NBA title that same season — Phil Jackson did it with Chicago in 1996, and Gregg Popovich did it with San Antonio in 2003 and 2014.

Thibodeau is the third coach to win the award as coach of the Knicks, joining Red Holzman in 1970 and Pat Riley in 1993.

He’s the 10th to win the award multiple times and the eighth to win with multiple franchises.

THE TRIBUNE

STERLING QUANT PAYS TRIBUTE TO ‘GOOD FRIEND’ PETER GILCUD

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Ambassador to China Sterling ‘Robert Lloyd’ Quant said he clearly remembers the epic battles he had with the late Peter ‘the Cud’, ‘Macaroni’ Gilcud as members of the Kentucky Colonels and Becks’ Cougars respectively.

But Quant said while they were formidable foes who shared their camaraderie as teammates on the national basketball team, they were also friends off the court.

Quant, who is currently in China, made his comments after he heard of the passing of Gilcud over the weekend.

“I first met Peter, nicknamed ‘the Cud’ and ‘Macaroni’, after he returned home from attending the University of Minnesota, where he played one year of basketball with Michael ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson and Osborne ‘Goose’ Lockhart,” Quant said. “Prior to him attending the University of Minnesota, there were many newspaper

STERLING Quant and Peter Gilcud. articles highlighting his play at St. Leo’s Junior College,” Gilcud, who stood at six-feet, seven-niches, had massive shoulders and he weighed much more than Quant, but that only fuelled the match-up of the two big men in the middle.

“He played for the Beck’s Cougars and was strong as an ox,” Quant said. “When he and his team mate Reggie Forbes took up positions in the low post, it was a tough job moving in and around them.

“Both players were very physical in their play, but it was fun banging bodies with them. They both were clean players, as there was no fear of being low bridged or tripped down with an extended leg.”

Quant, however, said when they played overseas, it was a pleasure for him to team up with Gilcud, who considered himself to be an enforcer.

“I recall in the Pan American Games in 1975 in Mexico when we played

Argentina, he came to my aid,” Quant recalled. “A play was called for me to receive the ball in one of the corners of the court, it was passed to me, I jumped to shoot the ball and I noticed the opposing player, a fellow over seven feet, did not try to block the shot.

“He barrelled into me with his shoulder lowered, I tried to take the blow with my arms across my chest, but I was flying backward in the air. The next thing I recall was waking up, lying on the court in front of the team’s bench with an oxygen mask over my nose.”

As he looked up, Quant said Gilcud was on his knees close to his head and he told him: “Quant, I will get him back.”

After taking a seat on the team’s bench, the game resumed and he watched the play of the game as Gilcud did just that.

Off the court, Quant recalled Gilcud as a “chancer,” who formulated many big ideas and dreams, some of which came to fruition, while others dwindled away.

But if there was one thing

he could say about Gilcud, it’s the fact that “if Peter was your friend, you had a good friend”. Before he left The Bahamas for his ambassadorial appointment in China, Quant said he had a discussion with Gilcud concerning his medical issues.

“But as usual, Peter stated he will beat what was ailing him,” Quant said. “I wished him the best. He hinted that he will visit me in China and that will be his second trip to China. I feel if there were no COVID19 restrictions Peter would have kept his promise.”

When he received the news that Gilcud had passed, Quant said he was saddened because he knew he lost a good friend.

“It is unfortunate that I will not be able to attend his homegoing service, but my condolences go out to his children, other family members and his former teammates,” Quant said.

“For those who knew Peter, ‘the Cud’, ‘Macaroni’ well, his strong handshake, his infectious smile and his words of encouragement will be missed.

“May my friend’s soul rest in peace.”

Bahamian and Caribbean voice is heard as a small country.

“As a country, we’ve had Olympic medalists, world medals in our own Arianna VanderpoolWallace, Olympic finalists, outstanding gold medal performances at the Commonwealth Games and certainly lots more to come,” he stressed.

With water polo being developed through the group of competitors in the sport, the Bahamas is being positioned to become a

powerhouse in the future as they continue to receive the support from FINA. “I have earned the respect of the FINA Bureau as well as the 100-plus countries that represent FINA around the world and the work I’ve done speaks for itself,” he summed up.

He thanked his colleagues for the confidence they placed in him in 2019 when they nominated him and the new FINA administration for electing him to serve in Doha.

MIAMI MARLINS’ BAHAMIAN HERITAGE EVENT IN HONOUR OF JAZZ CHISHOLM THE National Sports Authority, in partnership with the Miami Marlins, The Bahamas Consulate Miami, Bahamas Olympic Committee and Bahamasair, is inviting Bahamians everywhere to be a part of the Miami Marlins’ Bahamian Heritage celebration.

This event, in honour of Bahamian Major League player Jazz Chisholm (pictured), will take place at the Loans Park Arena in Miami, Florida on June 12th at 4pm.

Participating Bahamians will have the benefit of special airline packages from Bahamasair and Bahamian game ticket packages, which include a free “242 To The World” commemorative Marlins’ shirt.

The National Sports Authority and its partners are supporting this event which allows the talent and culture of the Bahamas to be showcased on a world stage.

For further information regarding special airline and game ticket packages, visit the National Sports Authority Facebook page.

FROM PAGE 15

for the English Caribbean, an Executive Member of UANA, the regional governing body for Aquatic Sports, and is also a past Vice President of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

Although he is the first Bahamian and second representative of the English Caribbean to be elected to this global position, he remains committed to exemplary leadership and paving the way for more CAC citizens to elevate

ALGERNON CARGILL

their profile in the global village, particularly given the outstanding results of athletes from the region that have evolved post CARIFTA and the CCCAN Championships to win World and Olympic medals.

“It’s certainly an honour to represent the Americas, but even more being a Bahamian and being the president of the Bahamas

Aquatics to be able to represent all Bahamians in this global appointment,” Cargill stated.

“When I was elected the first time, I understood, but didn’t feel the impact of the weight on my shoulders until I actually started to attend the bureau meetings.”

In interacting with the echelon of the sport, Cargill said he can ensure the

REJUVENATED PAUL LEADS SUNS OVER NUGGETS 122-105 IN GAME ONE

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul and his rejuvenated right shoulder scored 21 points and dished 11 assists, Mikal Bridges added 23 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Suns trailed for most of the first half and by 10 points early in the third quarter but rallied to take the lead by late in the third. Devin Booker made a 27-foot, step back 3-pointer and Bridges added a driving layup for a 79-72 advantage.

They pushed the lead to 88-79 going into the fourth. Paul — who played with an ailing shooting shoulder through most of the first round matchup against the Lakers — made back-to-back mid-range jumpers to put the Suns up 94-79 with 10:25 left.

The flurry came much to the delight of the sellout crowd of 16,319, who anxiously watched the point guard’s every move.

Paul’s buckets were the final exclamation points on a 34-9 run that helped Phoenix take control. Deandre Ayton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Booker added 21 points.

It was surprising that the game didn’t come down to the final minutes.

The three regular-season meetings were all extremely close: One was decided by three points in regulation, another was settled in overtime and the other went to double overtime.

Game 2 is on Wednesday in Phoenix.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 22 points but went cold while the Suns made their second half run.

finished second in the NBA Coach of the Year, just behind the New York Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau.

It was the closest balloting since this version of voting was introduced 19 years ago.

Thibodeau got 43 first-place votes and finished with 351 total points, while Phoenix’s Monty Williams actually got more first-place votes — he got 45 — but finished with 340 points.

Williams wasn’t upset to finish second, especially since the winner was Thibodeau.

The two worked together when they were assistant coaches with USA basketball.

“It’s pretty cool to watch someone I’ve worked with win an award like that,” Williams said.

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) and forward Jae Crowder (99) celebrate during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Monday. (AP Photo/Matt York) Aaron Gordon added 18 points while Michael Porter Jr. had 15.

The big man matchup between Jokic and Ayton delivered in the first quarter as the two teams fought to a 28-all tie. Ayton threw down a thunderous dunk over Michael Porter Jr. while Jokic used his strength and positioning to make five of six shots.

Denver led 58-57 at halftime. Jokic had 15 points and six rebounds before the break while Booker and Ayton countered with 11 points each for the Suns.

• CP3’S SHOULDER All eyes were on Paul in the opening minutes, especially after his ailing right shoulder was inadvertently

bumped by Denver point guard Facundo Campazzo.

The 11-time All-Star looked uncomfortable for a moment but recovered quickly.

He made a 3-pointer in the second quarter and then a turnaround jumper.

He really started to look like his old self in the fourth quarter, when he knocked down back-to-back jumpers to push the Suns up 15.

Partly because of the shoulder injury, Paul averaged just 9.2 points per game against the Lakers in the first round.

• NO SOUR GRAPES Suns coach Monty

Williams

• FLAVOURTOWN IN PHOENIX Celebrity chef Guy Fieri was among the fans sitting courtside at Phoenix Suns Arena. The band Jimmy Eat World, which was formed in Mesa, Arizona, in the 1990s and had a string of hits in the 2000s, performed at halftime.

• TIP-INS Nuggets: Guards Jamal Murray (left ACL surgery), Will Barton (right hamstring strain) and P.J. Dozier (right adductor strain) didn’t play.

Denver hopes that Barton and Dozier could be available at some point during the series.

Suns: Forward Abdel Nader (right knee surgery) didn’t play. ... Suns F Torrey Craig had a good performance against his former team, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds in 15 minutes.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 17

JONQUEL TO TAKE SUN HIATUS FOR INTERNATIONAL EVENT FROM PAGE 15

France. They follow with a matchup against Turkey on Friday June 18 and complete the group stage with a matchup against Slovenia on June 20.

In 2018, Jones made the decision to gain citizenship with Bosnia and Herzegovina and compete for their national team to further her opportunities.

Decision “Please know that I am and will always be a Bahamian. There is nothing that can change that and no amount of money in the world could ever make me give up my citizenship,” Jones said at the time of her decision.

“That being said, as a professional athlete I have a very short window to capitalise on everything I have worked for my entire life.

“The European passport allowed me to propel myself financially and competitively, with the only stipulation being that I would no longer be able to play for the Bahamian National Team.”

Jones made her debut with Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 2019.

Through four games of the Eurobasket Qualifiers, Jones averaged 24.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game on 50.7 percent shooting from the field.

In a win over Estonia, Jones finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots and finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a loss to Russia.

She added 26 and 16 points in a win over Switzerland and 29 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Russia.

TYNIA GAITHER (right) has surpassed the Olympic qualifying standard for the 100m.

GAITHER LOOKS AHEAD TO TOKYO

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SHE’S been holding her own as one of the top sprinters in the country for the past few years, but Tynia Gaither said she’s looking for more.

Coming off two consecutive eight place finishers in the women’s 200 metres at the World Championships in 2017 and 2019, Gaither said she would like to stamp her name on a final and possibly a medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan this summer.

At the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) New Life Invitational Track and Field Meet on Saturday at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, Gaither got fourth in 23.10 seconds, the same time as third place finisher Jodie Williams of Great Britain, while Jamaican Elaine Thompson took the title in 22.54.

The 28-year-old Grand Bahamian also competed in the preliminaries of the 100m where she ran a windaided 11.19 for the sixth fastest qualifying time, but she didn’t go on to contest the final that saw Thompson win in 10.87.

Looking at her performance in her preparation for the Olympics, Gaither, who has already surpassed the Olympic qualifying standard of 11.15 in the century, said: “I was happy with the 100 because I feel I’m starting to execute the race better and the time proved that as well.

“That was exciting, but

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WARREN Saunders has thrived in a season of transition in the New York Mets organsation.

Playing Low-A baseball for the first time in his young career, Saunders has also made the move to first base defensively and has become an integral part of a lineup that features several of the organisation’s top 30 prospects.

Saunders ended May with a seven game stretch where he went 11-32 at the plate, with two doubles, one triple, eight RBI and scored seven runs.

He followed with a seven game hitless streak to begin June, but broke through with an RBI double Sunday night in a 2-0 win over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

“Just sticking to my approach, been working really hard with our hitting coach Tommy Joseph to nail down exactly what I’m trying to do at the plate, not do too much, stay in my game and basically just work the pitcher as best as possible, recently I’ve been getting a lot of hits to fall so it’s been going my way,” Saunders said.

“I’ve been working out with some of the other Bahamian professionals in the offseason and we train, some of us came over to the states in February and we continued to work together until we had to report to our respective camps.”

On the season Saunders is hitting .238 a .610 OPS, .322 OBP, 19 hits and 11

I’m still not where I need to be as far as my fitness is concerned. My body is still feeling the effects of training in these meets, so it’s still good that I was able to run 22-low even when I’m heavy, so I’m just looking forward to when I’m lightened up and just focused on doing what I need to do.”

Although she’s achieved the qualifying mark in the straight away race, Gaither said she really wants to achieve the feat in the half-lap race – by reaching 22.80.

“That’s my baby, my

pride and joy,” said Gaither of the longer sprint races.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to try the double again like I usually do this Olympics. I might just try to focus on one, which is the 200m. But we will see how these net few races go before we make a decision.”

Training out of Houston, Texas under coach Eric Francis for the past three years, Gaither said she feel she’s striding towards her goal, even though she’s had one or two setbacks.

“I’ve had one or two injuries earlier this season, which is expected,” she pointed out. But we will definitely be ready by the time the Olympics come around in July.

“The things that I need to do are not anything serious and right now I’m in the best mental state that I have ever been in, so we still have a lot of time for me to get what I need to be going into the Olympics. As long as I stay healthy, I’m good.”

Still shy of the qualifying time for the Olympics in the 200m, Gaither said she’s not sure when she can hit the standard, but she has a couple of meets, including the Bahamas Association of Athletic Association

National Championships at the end of the month to get the job done.

“I hope to drop something big in the next couple of weeks,” said Gaither, who indicated that if she doesn’t come home to compete this weekend, she will more than likely go to the Dominican Republic for another meet there before the nationals.

Not just satisfied with making the final, Gaither said she’s at the point in her career where she needs to put herself in a position to be able to challenge for a global medal.

“It’s now or never,” Gaither said. “I plan on going back to my training camp and doing what I need to do to get myself ready to do what I have to do for myself and for our country.

I feel like I’m overdue. So we need to get that done by all means.”

Once she can maintain her fitness to run a comfortable 200m for her qualifying time, Gaither said she will be in the right frame of mind going into Tokyo.

The coronavirus pandemic has not helped because she would have been sharper than she is right now, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing her to get a break to regroup.

And one of the things she was even more impressed with was getting the opportunity to team up with hurdler Pedrya Seymour and rising young sprinters Denisha Cartwright and Paige Archer. Together they posted a time of 44.41 behind Trinidad & Tobago’s

winning time of 43.96.

“We had two sweet young girls in Paige and Denisha, who are willing to learn and they are hungry, so it was nice to mix and mingle with the younger girls,” she stated.

“I feel that we did pretty good. We have room for improvement.

“I feel we could have easily ran 43, but with a little more practice, I think we can shock a lot of people.

“But we need more support financially to get us to compete at this level.”

Gaither said the team just needs a chance to work together to get back to the glory days or close to what the Golden Girls achieved in the past.

“Keep pushing,” she said. “The time will come when the young girls we have out there can come and join us on the relay team and hopefully we can showcase our talent.

“It just takes time for us to remain vigilant and our time will come, once we get the support so that we can compete. We want to try to run again in the next few weeks, but money rule things.”

In the meantime, Gaither is pushing forward with her goal of earning her a spot as a sprinter on the global stage.

She will need to surpass her lifetime best of 11.02, which she did to qualify for the Olympics in the 100m on April 24 in Miami and 22.54 from back on June 11, 2016 in Eugene, Oregon in order to achieve that goal.

WARREN SAUNDERS THRIVES AT METS ORGANISATION RBI. Saunders’ streak began in the team’s series with Daytona Tortugas.

In game one, he went 3-4 with a season high three RBI in a 14-9 loss.

He followed 2-4 with another RBI in Wednesday’s 4-3 win.

Another adjustment for the versatile infielder has been the welcome addition of fans at Low-A level.

“I was looking at my stats and I’m performing really well at home. I guess its just the fans and my natural feel for being here (in Port St. Lucie) is something comfortable for me.

“I guess I’ve adapted to the environment better,” Saunders said.

“I’ve never really had fans because my first year in the GCL it was basically just us and the other team, so it’s a different feel for me but I’m loving it so far.

“Fans really like me from what I’m seeing and I love the fans.

“Sometimes when you’re on the field and the innings are long and dry, you listen to what they’re saying and it can be humorous.”

Saunders last appeared with the GCL Mets in the 2019 season.

In 33 games, he hit .323 with a .783 OPS, 41 hits, 56 total bases, 20 RBI and scored 25 runs.

The St. Lucie Mets feature five of the Mets top 15 prospects in its farm system and Saunders credits first year manager Reid Brignac for helping his progression in the organisation.

“I love Reid, great energy, he gets us going day in day out,” Saunders said, “He’s always willing to give us a helping hand with anything whenever we need anything whether its defence or hitting.”

PAGE 18, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

PULISIC SCORES IN EXTRA TIME, US BEATS MEXICO 3-2 DENVER (AP) — Christian Pulisic lifted a trophy for the second time in eight days, this time his first for the United States.

Ethan Horvath, back in Colorado for the first time in three or four years, expected to watch the game from the bench and found himself saving Andrés Guardado’s penalty kick — in the 124th minute.

The first CONCACAF Nations League final turned on an injury and not one or two but three video reviews.

“This is the perfect way to end the year,” Pulisic said after his penalty kick in the 114th minute led the United States over Mexico 3-2 Sunday night in frantic finale of the first CONCACAF Nations League.

Or as U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter put it: “One of the classic, odd U.S.-Mexico games.”

A testy match that was stopped for about three minutes in second-half stoppage time because of discriminatory fan chants at Empower Field also was marred by American attacker Gio Reyna getting hit on the face by a thrown object following Pulisic’s goal.

“Total lack of respect for what’s happening on the field and all effort that both teams are putting into the game,” Berhalter said. “I think he’s going to be OK, but he did take something to the head, and it could have been a lot worse.”

Horvath, who a week earlier played his first international match since March 2019, entered in the 69th minute, seven minutes after starting U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen fell to the ground, clutching his left knee, after coming off his line in what seemed to be a routine manner to grab a through pass from Héctor Herrera that was too far for Uriel Antuna.

“If you’re on the bench as a keeper, you don’t expect to come in the game,” said the 25-year-old Horvath, who had about 20 family and friends at the match.

Jesús Corona put 11thranked Mexico ahead 62 seconds in after a sloppy giveaway by defender Mark McKenzie, whose poor pass into Corona’s path in the U.S. penalty area allowed the Mexican to break in alone on Steffen.

El Tri appeared to go up 2-0 in the 24th minute on a header by an unmarked Héctor Moreno, but a video review disallowed it for offside after Panamanian referee John Pitti consulted VAR. Reyna, a son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna, tied the score in the 27th minute with his third international goal.

The 18-year-old kicked in a rebound after Weston McKennie’s header from Pulisic’s corner kick hit a post.

Diego Lainez gave Mexico a 2-1 lead in the 79th, one minute after entering, when he cut inside from Tim Ream and beat Horvath. McKennie tied the score three minutes later with a header from Reyna’s corner kick for his seventh goal.

By then Berhalter had changed tactics. He started five defenders that included Sergiño Dest as a wingback, a formation that could morph into a 4-3-3, then switched midway through the second half to four in the back.

Pulisic, fresh off of winning the Champions League with Chelsea on May 29, made the decisive move when cut inside the penalty area in the 108th minute and was pulled down by Carlos Salcedo.

Pitti did not initially signal a penalty but consulted a video review and then pointed to the spot.

Mexico coach Tata Martino appeared received red card, apparently for putting a hand on an official during the review, and Hirving Lozano was given a yellow card for arguing after the decision.

Pulisic sent the ball to the upper corner past the left arm of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa for his 16th international goal.

Pitti again did not make a call in the 119th minute when Luis Romo’s header went off the left arm of McKenzie, whose arm was perhaps only slightly outstretched. Another lengthy wait for a video review followed.

Horvath waited to the last moment and dived right to bat away the penalty by Mexico’s captain.

THE TRIBUNE

Germany warms up for Euro 2020 with 7-1 rout of Latvia DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Germany warmed up for the European Championship with a 7-1 rout of Latvia on Monday in their last friendly game before the tournament.

Kai Havertz was involved in three of Germany’s five first-half goals before making way for Chelsea teammate Timo Werner for the second half, and Thomas Müller also scored – his first since he was recalled to the team in time for the tournament that starts on Friday.

Latvia reported a positive result for the coronavirus among the team hours before kickoff.

Germany will face tougher opposition in its opening game against world champion France in Munich on June 15. Germany also faces Portugal and Hungary in Group F. But Germany coach Joachim Löw can’t have asked for more from his side as they produced a complete and concentrated performance before the team leaves Tuesday for its tournament base in Herzogenaurach in Bavaria.

“It will be difficult to play against us,” said captain Manuel Neuer, who became the first Germany goalkeeper to reach 100 appearances.

He was applauded before the game by some 1,000 spectators permitted amid coronavirus restrictions.

Löw started with his strongest available team in the absence of the injured Leon Goretzka. Toni Kroos was back after recovering from the coronavirus, partnering Ilkay Gündogan in midfield, with Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich moving over to the right wing. Atalanta’s Robin Gosens started on the left.

Antonio Rüdiger, Mats Hummels and Matthias Ginter formed the defence, while there were three up front, too, with Müller and Havertz supporting striker Serge Gnabry.

Havertz flashed a shot

ABOVE: Latvia’s Eduards Emsis, front, reacts during the international friendly soccer match between Germany and Latvia in Duesseldorf, Germany, Monday. (AP Photo/ Martin Meissner) RIGHT: Germany’s Thomas Mueller celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal against Latvia’a keeper Roberts Ozols.

(AP Photo/Martin Meissner) just wide as the hosts began with intent. Gnabry and Müller had good chances before Gosens made the breakthrough in the 20th.

It was the Atalanta player’s first goal for Germany and went in off the underside of the crossbar after he played a one-two with Havertz.

Havertz was involved again as Gündogan made it 2-0 a minute later, but there was no let-up with Löw’s players pressuring and harrying their opponents on the rare occasions they didn’t have the ball.

Kimmich hit the post before Müller scored.

Havertz then forced an own goal from Roberts Ozols

and there was still time before the break for Hummels to set up Gnabry to score Germany’s fifth with the outside of his boot.

Werner got the sixth five minutes into the second half before Germany’s intensity dropped amid more changes with half an hour to play.

Aleksejs Saveljevs capitalised on the drop in concentration to score Latvia’s consolation with a shot inside the left post in the

75th, but Leroy Sané replied a minute later for Germany.

EASY FOR UKRAINE Andriy Yarmolenko scored twice — including a penalty — as Ukraine eased to a 4-0 win over 10-man Cyprus in their final warm-up game for the tournament.

The visitors’ hopes of an upset were effectively ended when Antreas Panayiotou was sent off

after conceding the first of two penalties in the 36th minute. Oleksandr Zinchenko scored the other penalty and Roman Yaremchuk got the other goal.

Ukraine is in Group C with Austria, the Netherlands and North Macedonia.

Also, the Faeroe Islands routed Lichtenstein 5-1 and Andorra drew with Gibraltar 0-0.

DE BRUYNE JOINS UP WITH BELGIUM SQUAD FOR EURO 2020 AFTER OP TUBIZE, Belgium (AP) — Kevin De Bruyne joined up with the Belgium squad on Monday ahead of the European Championship after undergoing a 20-minute operation on his fractured nose and eye socket.

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez described De Bruyne’s arrival in the dining hall at the team’s training base in Tubize, just south of Brussels, as the “highlight of the day” as the world’s top-ranked country prepares for its opening match of Euro 2020 — against Russia in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

Fresh

MANCHESTER City’s Kevin De Bruyne grimaces as he leaves the pitch during the Champions League final soccer match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Dragao Stadium in Porto, Portugal, Saturday, May 29. (Carl Recine/Pool via AP)

Belgium isn’t counting on the Manchester City midfielder playing in that match but he is “fresh” and “ready to participate in the Euros,” Martinez said.

“He watched our match against Croatia,” Martinez said of Belgium’s 1-0 win in a warmup on Sunday.

“He is in the same state of mind as the team. But, rather than hearing from a distance, it’s a big difference when you see the player in person.”

The 29-year-old De Bruyne sustained his injuries in a collision with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger while playing for City in the Champions League final in Porto on May 29.

De Bruyne had to be replaced in the 60th minute of the match, which was won 1-0 by Chelsea, and looked groggy as he came off.

He underwent the minor procedure on Saturday, despite Belgium initially thinking he didn’t require surgery, and Martinez expects De Bruyne to be in full training by the end of the week.

“We will have a protective mask at our disposal even if he does not need to wear one in competition,” Martinez said.

De Bruyne was voted by his fellow professionals as English soccer’s player of the year for the second straight year on Sunday.

De Bruyne joins up with Belgium squad for Euro 2020 after op.

PAGE 20, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

LABOUR AND POLICE GOING ‘CASHLESS’ FROM PAGE 23 Treasury Financial Management System.”

The police force will be accepting debit or credit card payments in-office for character references, gun licence renewals, new gun licence certificates, traffic reports, towing fees and chassis checks. Applications and payments for many of the services can also be made online via the government’s growing service portal, MyGateway.gov.bs.

While the current phase only applies to operations in New Providence, Family Island residents can expect similar cashless environments and online access to the Department of Labour and police force to be introduced by the end of the month.

“As we continue to revive our economy after the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Dorian, DigiPay and its cashless environments will steadily assist our revenue collection and help to improve access to government services.” said Mr Thompson.

The Ministry of Finance will continue with its cashless initiative throughout the rest of 2021. The Customs Department and Road Traffic Department are among the agencies scheduled to begin the transition in earnest by December.

THE TRIBUNE

Freeport: ‘The ball is in the govts court’ FROM PAGE 24 for the city and way forward in as much detail as we can at this stage, as well as proposing timeframes to be taken. The ball is now very much in the court of central government. We stand ready and willing to work along with them in a constructive manner to achieve what we propose. Partnership is critical, I agree. It is critical.”

Multiple “ease of doing business” and other reforms can only be implemented with government action and consent. These proposals include allowing companies in sectors reserved for Bahamian ownership only “to sell minority stakes in those businesses to foreign equity partners, or joint venture with such partners” should they so wish.

The REEF committee argues that doing so will “enhance their access to capital and skills” and “optimise their return on their investments”, while also calling on the government to address “regulatory anomalies”, duplication and overlaps involving itself and the GBPA. Arguing that this will bring “clarity and certainty” to areas that have restricted private sector development in Freeport, the proposal calls for real property tax exemptions to be extended

FINANCING FOR VIABLE PROJECTS Energy, Tourism, Maritime, and Agriculture Sectors. $2 million and above. Must Provide Executive Summary, with three years financials, management and marketing capabilities, and collateral offered. Serious borrowers only.

Infrastructure projects based on PPP’s also wanted SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY.

Telephone: (242) 698-0634 / (242) 815-9118 Email us at inquiries@bahamasbusinessnetwork.com

to all in the port area. The REEF committee also calls for the government to repeal provisions in electricity and communications sector legislation, and the Environmental Planning and Protection Act, that give it “conflicting regulatory powers” with those of the GBPA. This conflict has already generated litigation involving the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority’s (URCA) ability to regulate Grand Bahama Power Company and Cable Bahamas in the port area, but the committee does not suggest how this should be resolved. It also calls for the government to “reframe transient expatriate workers as valued revenue sources, as opposed to threats to Bahamian jobs (see other article on Page 24B).

Other proposals call for the creation of a secure digital Know Your Customer (KYC) vetting system that would “make it significantly easier for customers to open and operate banks accounts”, along with a review of the one percent customs processing fee “to make Freeport more competitive as a transhipment centre”.

The creation of a “onestop shop” agency dedicated to promoting Freeport to international investors, as well as “a transparent and fair customs regime” involving standardised inspections and fees, are other components detailed by the REEF committee.

Describing this as “a road map”, which sets out the

‘Narrow-minded approach’ to work permits warning FROM PAGE 24

that foreign workers and personnel be allowed to enter Freeport for shortterm visits, of a maximum seven days, to work on

government and GBPA’s responsibilities as well as the timeframes for achieving these steps, Mr Adams said: “We wanted to lay out the immediate steps to be taken. We wanted to try and put around those steps some realistic timeframes, and we wanted to conduct a broader discussion about the way forward and what the emphasis should be on.

“The new thrust of exploring opportunities in the blue economy and maritime sector in Freeport is something we wanted to pay very close attention and really tap some of the ideas discussed in the consultation phase. After much deliberation it seems to us this is the direction future and existing government policies towards Freeport should be focused towards: The blue economy.

“We need to do it. That’s where it is. That’s where the future lies. Ultimately, in terms of regulation and the regulatory environment, we should strive for best-in-class in the maritime industry.

What the REEF committee is saying is this sector, the blue economy, is well within our grasp. It’s familiar to us and one in which we have developed some expertise,” he added.

“Because we have this expertise we should be able to, with innovation and government support and legislation, be able to harness some new opportunities from the blue economy so we can grow our job market.”

The so-called “vision” report, prepared for the committee by the KPMG accounting firm, does not provide any numbers on the potential boost for jobs, economic activity and Freeport’s contribution to Bahamian gross domestic

product (GDP) if all proposals are implemented.

However, it calls on The Bahamas to build on Freeport’s existing strengths and industries by making the city “the blue economy of the Caribbean” by leveraging present maritime assets and infrastructure into becoming a ship’s “crew change centre”, “liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuelling hub; hull cleaning; survival craft and lifeboat repair centre; and ship waste removal and clean-up.

“While many jurisdictions, as well as other islands in The Bahamas, struggle to identify opportunities for the way forward, Freeport is unique in that the COVID-19 pandemic, global developments, and its current economic model has given rise to future opportunities for growth,” the KPMG report said.

It added that “the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses that exist in developing mega resorts”, which some will see as ironic given the government’s focus on the Grand Lucayan deal, and called for Grand Bahama to instead reform its tourism product by focusing on boutique resorts.

And the report also called for Freeport to relaunch efforts to become a transhipment/logistics hub via the Sea Air Business Centre (SABC), adding: “While the necessary infrastructure exists, historically, power and labour costs have acted as significant barriers to positioning Freeport as a competitive special economic zone.

“Three core recent developments have made revisiting the expansion and redevelopment of the industrial sector a viable option to

attract new business to Freeport.” These included Grand Bahama Power Company’s provision of discounted electricity rates for qualifying businesses, together with the growing reliance on technology as opposed to large labour forces in automated manufacturing processes.

Mr Adams told Tribune Business: “The road to the turnaround of our national economy lies through Freeport. I firmly believe that.

Freeport has historically prior to the hurricane of 2004 been a major positive contributor to the national economy.”

That year saw the Royal Oasis closure and loss of 1,250, together with Mr St George’s death, which ultimately sparked a longrunning legal battle over his estate that also sucked in fellow GBPA owners, the Hayward family. And some observers may argue that the final REEF report again does not acknowledge the share of responsibility the GBPA’s two family owners bear for Freeport’s current condition.

Still, Mr Adams said: “The years that Freeport flourished were the years when there was a harmonious relationship between the government and Port Authority. I would describe that period as between 1992 and 1999, and some may say later than that. That is when we saw a major resurgence in the development of Freeport. That’s what we need to get back to.

“In years when there was disharmony, lack of communication and lack of follow-up, Freeport has not done well. We’ve had too many of those years. Hopefully we can get things back on track.”

board foreign-flagged vessels without the need for work permits.

Emphasising that the committee was not calling for The Bahamas to completely throw open its borders, Mr Adams said the government was correct to crack down on work permits “in certain sectors” where sufficient Bahamians with the necessary skills were available and willing to do

the work, although he did not name them.

“I think we perhaps need to take the more refined approach to government policy as it relates to work permits,” he told Tribune Business in light of REEF’s report. “There are certain sectors where I think a more flexible approach is required to the granting of work permits - not on a permanent

basis, but a temporary basis until such time as the local talent pool is trained up.

“In order to revitalise the economy, we need to be targeted in our work permit policy. I don’t think the across-the-board and narrow-minded approach to immigration and work permits is the way to go. A little more sophistication is needed.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 21

Ex-AG: ‘No cause to panic’ over 15% tax

Cruise line’s PI crown land bid ‘not to our benefit’

FROM PAGE 24

FROM PAGE 24

that and been halted in their tracks, tied up in the courts for years.”

Russell Benford, Royal Caribbean’s vice-president of government relations for the Americas, last week confirmed that an executed lease was part of the approvals the cruise line is still seeking for a Royal Beach Club development it had initially hoped to begin construction on next month.

That target is now likely to be missed, and Mr Darville added: “The company is nowhere near completion of the approval process, under which a variety of regulatory agencies must give official permission before construction can commence.

“If (not when) Royal Caribbean does achieve full approval, it will only come after a rigorous and lengthy exercise, which must be undertaken with full transparency and under the scrutiny of all affected Bahamians, including environmental advocates.

“In particular, the company has not completed – and may not have officially begun – the environmental approval process as mandated by the Environmental Planning and Protection Act. They have not yet released an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which by law must be published on their website a minimum of 21 days before public consultation even begins.”

He continued: “The environmental approval process, overseen by our enlightened director of environmental planning and protection [Rochelle Newbold], is not

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT PARADISE ISLAND to be taken lightly; it must involve real and comprehensive analysis of possible environmental impacts along with thorough and meaningful public consultation.

“A stone’s thrown away from what is by far the largest population centre in the country, the proposed project raises huge questions regarding environmental impact, including marine and even water table pollution.

The beautiful beach on the north-west, and the nearby reef systems, will no doubt be heavily impacted, as will adjoining properties and those on the north coast of New Providence.”

Questions have been asked as to whether the Town Planning Committee, and Department of Physical Planning, could hold a public consultation on Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island plans when the cruise line has yet to obtain an executed crown land lease for a parcel that includes several acres which are presently the subject of Supreme Court legal action involving a rival developer.

Royal Caribbean has steadily amassed around 13.5 acres on Paradise Island’s western end by buying out private landowners in the area, but it is also seeking to lease some ten acres of crown land in the Colonial Beach area to complete its development.

This has brought it into potential conflict with Toby Smith, the Bahamian entrepreneur behind the Paradise Island Lighthouse & Beach Club Company proposal, who is seeking himself to lease two crown land parcels at Paradise Island’s western end, one of which involves two acres around the lighthouse and another three acres for the “beach break” element of his own $2m project.

Mr Smith’s court action is alleging that he was granted a valid crown land lease over both parcels, including the lighthouse and the area at Colonial Beach for his “beach break” destination, which is now legally binding. The case is based on a January 7, 2020, letter from Richard Hardy, acting director of Lands and Surveys, that was headlined “approval for crown land lease” over the two tracts he wanted.

15 percent, although implementation timelines need to be “clearly articulated”.

The weekend announcement “spoke to the broad objectives as opposed to the nuts and bolts of how to achieve it”, and the former attorney general during the 2007-2012 Ingraham administration said he was “not oblivious” to the fact that others may view developments with more concern than himself.

Suggesting that the global corporate income tax push aligns with growing calls to reform The Bahamas’ existing business licence fee regime, Mr Delaney said: “It’s been well articulated that our business licence way of taxing, I think most people accept that to tax turnover as opposed to profit, it’s hard to square with being rationale in terms of enabling businesses to survive.

“You can have a business with incredible turnover that is barely making a profit or suffering a loss. Already there has been identified a need for us to look at how we tax business activity. We’ve been taxing businesses for a long time using the Business Licence Act, and this is just

an alternative regime.

“However, what is important is we don’t slap on an additional tax and that it becomes detrimental in terms of overall economic growth. We don’t want to dampen economic activity.

We want to encourage business activity while taxing it.

Altogether, we need to look at this entire method, process by which we raise state financing and determine how we go about doing so,” he added.

“This should not be one and done. We should not just introduce a corporate tax, but we need to get on with the discussion with a view to coming to a conclusion about this whole idea of how we finance public revenues. We need to get on with it, and it’s been made more urgent by the recent pandemic and need to take on huge debts. We need to get a fix on this as soon as possible.”

The prime minister confirmed during the budget communication that the government is presently conducting another tax reform study, and Mr Delaney said The Bahamas needed to properly evaluate the G-7 position and what it may mean for this nation and the value proposition for its financial services industry moving forward.

Arguing that The Bahamas must “ensure we continue to be relevant”, he added that the global minimum corporate tax rate did not undermine its competitive advantage as this was not exclusively based on its “no tax” platform although some may beg to differ.

“Tax may be a factor, but it should never be the sole reason for a business being here,” Mr Delaney told Tribune Business. “If that is the case, that’s clearly not as good model going forward.

Any jurisdiction today, if their strategy is being a ‘no tax’ jurisdiction, then they have a strategy that is hugely problematic and should have got the memo 21 years ago.

“As regards this initiative, I don’t think it should create long sleepless nights for The Bahamas. It is good information for us to know how things are evolving, and it’s useful for us in reorganising our own affairs both domestically and internationally.”

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MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

MONDAY, 7 JUNE 2021

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:

CLOSE

CHANGE

1951.35

0.01

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

0.00 -141.11

-6.74

(242) 323-2330 (242) 323-2320

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 5.20 33.05 1.50 2.90 1.78 6.00 6.96 3.60 6.00 4.01 6.16 12.00 2.75 7.50 10.71 9.01 14.60 4.25 8.97 16.00

52WK LOW 3.13 22.65 1.46 1.62 1.44 5.00 6.00 2.70 4.25 2.75 5.00 9.75 2.10 4.90 9.50 8.00 13.00 3.42 8.00 15.20

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 0.90

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

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ

LAST CLOSE 5.49 32.12 1.50 2.61 1.44 6.00 6.96 3.53 4.27 2.89 5.95 9.75 2.58 7.35 11.44 9.01 14.00 3.99 8.19 15.50

CLOSE 5.49 32.12 1.50 2.61 1.44 6.00 6.96 3.53 4.27 2.89 5.95 9.75 2.51 7.35 11.53 9.01 14.00 3.99 8.19 15.50

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

LAST SALE 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407 BSBGR1170376 BSBGR1242381 BSBGR1271497 BSBGR1341407 BSBGR1341506

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

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

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Bahamas Class A Focol Class B

BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB

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

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

52WK HI 2.43 4.44 2.16 202.18 190.86 1.69 1.81 1.78 1.16 8.58 10.26 7.35 14.59 12.84 10.31 10.00 10.43 14.89

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.67 1.73 1.75 1.03 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

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

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing)

MUTUAL FUNDS

MARKET TERMS

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 BGR117037 BGRS FX BGR124238 BGRS FX BGR127149 BGRS FX BGR134140 BGRS FX BGR134150

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 Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - High Yield Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

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

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 (0.07) 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

VOLUME 225

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.110 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 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

NAV 2.43 4.44 2.16 202.18 190.86 1.69 1.75 1.76 1.03 8.58 10.14 7.35 14.59 12.64 9.99 N/A 10.43 14.89

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.030 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 0.000 0.000

P/E 23.0 34.5 N/M N/M N/M N/M 18.9 -8.1 30.5 15.7 13.3 13.5 24.6 15.7 17.8 12.4 17.2 19.7 8.7 24.6

YIELD 3.10% 3.92% 1.33% 1.15% 0.00% 0.00% 3.74% 0.00% 0.00% 4.15% 3.70% 7.38% 17.29% 0.82% 2.84% 2.66% 3.86% 3.01% 2.44% 3.94%

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25%

19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025

6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25% 5.20% 5.06% 5.50% 5.35% 5.69%

20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 14-Jul-2037 13-Jul-2038 5-Jan-2049 17-Jan-2040 17-Jan-1950

YTD% 12 MTH% 1.47% 4.26% 0.20% 0.87% 0.95% 2.82% 0.14% 5.02% 3.25% 31.13% 0.91% 0.68% -2.55% -3.02% -0.27% -0.27% -2.20% -7.62% 1.14% 4.22% 1.09% 3.04% 1.01% 4.65% 4.93% 42.27% -1.56% 0.80% -0.60% -4.90% N/A N/A 3.00% 25.60% 7.90% 48.70%

MATURITY

NAV Date

30-Apr-2021 30-Apr-2021 30-Apr-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021 30-Apr-2021 30-Apr-2021 30-Apr-2021 30-Apr-2021 28-Mar-2021 28-Mar-2021 28-Mar-2021 28-Mar-2021 28-Mar-2021 28-Mar-2021 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

PAGE 22, Tuesday, June 8, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Fishing executive hits out at compressor ban

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A COMMERCIAL fishing executive yesterday said the compressor ban is undermining the sector just when The Bahamas needs its ability to earn foreign exchange the most.

Errol Davis, of Fish Farmers, and a Coalition For Responsible Fishing (CFRF) member, told Tribune Business that the ban during the lobster off-season was not necessary as most fishermen respect the law and regulations when it comes to crawfish.

Arguing that it was impacting other fishing activities,” Mr Davis said: “Things are very difficult now. It’s four months

where we have to basically sit down because, while technically we can fish, we cannot use the compressors for the next four months.

“We are trying to get the minister (Michael Pintard) to make an exception for the use of compressors because a lot of the fishermen have to set their condos in the summer months and in the offseason. They find it very difficult to do so if they don’t have the permission to use the compressors.

“Compressors allow you to be able to breathe underwater. Some people use them to help haul fish in the fishnet, or to harvest conch. The compressors are supposed to be no less than 30 feet. It just allows you to be able to breathe, otherwise you really can’t fish

on a commercial level and you can’t produce anything without it.

“I don’t see why it’s a real issue on the prohibition of compressors because the lobster is seasonal anyway.

If we go and we fish, we know we cannot get lobsters because it is seasonal.”

The compressor ban coincides with the off-season for lobster fishing between April to July each year. It is ilegal to use any type of underwater air supply for spear fishing or collecting marine life. This includes scuba gear as well as air compressors, unless there is a permit to do so from the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources.

Mr Davis added: “If lobsters are out of season, they are out of season. Even if

ICE CREAM START-UP IN NEW FINANCING ROUND

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A Bahamian sorbet and ice cream brand yesterday said it is seeking outside

investment to help finance its production plant after “exhausting” its resources in surviving COVID-19.

Melissa Darville, cofounder of Shiver Premium

Ice cream, told Tribune Business she plans to “steadily increase the company’s footprint” over the next few months heading into summer 2021.

someone uses a compressor they know they should not touch the lobster out of season. Similarly with grouper. Grouper has a season and, during the lobster season when we are allowed to use the compressors, the grouper season overlaps with the lobster season.

“So there are times when the grouper season is running and you have permission to use the compressor, but we can’t get groupers so fishermen don’t get groupers. If anyone is found with groupers outof-season they should get prosecuted, but most of the fishermen generally respect the law.”

Turning to the Coalition For Responsible Fishing’s legal challenge

to the Fisheries Act 2020, where it is arguing that the bar on foreign fishermen is unconstitutional, Mr Davis said: “We go back to court on June 22 to find out if we will get a ruling on our injunction, but right now it is all up in the air as to what happens.

He added that this matter, together with the restrictions on compressors, has put a damper on an industry that has the potential to bring in muchneeded foreign exchange earnings to replace some of what has been lost with tourism’s slow recovery.

Mr Davis said: “It’s rough right now without the workers in place. We just have to see with respect to the workers what will happen.

There is already an injustice

as we see it, which is unfair, but it’s something you can’t correct overnight.

“A professional fisherman is developed over a number of years, and then not only do you have to have the skill, you also have to have the drive and the stickability and the work ethic. All of these things are necessary because, with the typical large commercial fishing vessel, to even fuel up to get ready to go it can take you up to $60,000 on top of groceries and everything else.

“So you can’t just put anybody on a boat saying that you are going to fish.

You may as well park your boat if you don’t have a crew that is able to produce and help you to at least break even.”

“We are rearranging some of our freezers at more of the gas stations to try and get more access to people. We are also working on new flavours and trying to increase our product line,” she said.

“Right now we’re looking for help because we exhausted all of our resources trying to stay alive and open.

So I’m putting things in place and looking to have a round of funding in order to actually get our plant up and running.”

Shiver previously received a $160,000 mixture of grant, equity and loan funding via the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) in May 2019. The financing was to jumpstart Shiver’s increased production as well as enabling it to hire extra staff.

Ms Darville said she does not plan to go back to the SBDC in Shiver’s latest funding round, but instead wants to “give other people a turn”.

She added that it was time for Shiver to “be able to swim” without SBDC support, saying: “We have already proven that it’s a product that people like, so now it’s just a matter of production and we have to keep the production up to the demand. That’s the problem we’re facing now.”

Shiver’s products are

currently sold through 40 small convenience stores, along with the Super Value supermarket chain. However, she revealed: “They didn’t want to carry our small 4 ounce cups that we were focusing on because of pilferage. So we pulled back from that until we could get multipack packaging, and probably come back at them with that.

“Then, with the pints, we came off the shelves when we were doing our upgrade because we had to close down our walk-in freezer and build a new one. So in that timeframe we were off the shelves for a while and, since we came back online, they didn’t take us back because they have some other brands out now.”

Ms Darville said Shiver is surviving through personal referrals, and persons who have heard about the brand and want to carry it in their stores. During the next three years, she said she wants to get the company’s plant fully operational.

The initial version had not factored in what was required to keep it up and running, along with the resources for the bulk raw material that is required.

“We don’t have it now because our revenue dropped. Whereas with the

revenue we were making we would have had enough money to run the plant, we don’t have it now. But I reached out to a few people who want to invest in the company, so we’re sorting that out right now,” added Ms Darville.

“We have also partnered with another Bahamian entrepreneur and we launched a juice yesterday called Island Tingaling.” Ms Darville said she is assisting with the drink’s packaging and marketing, and added: “He had a local product, but we just had to work on the packaging. So I helped him do his labelling and barcodes, and it’s been just about a month working with them and they are already on the shelf.

“So that’s the kind of thing we are trying to do; help other people who already have a good natural product. They just need a little help with getting the packaging done correctly, and help with barcoding and labelling for them to have that appearance. We are going to partner with more people like that to try to build our brand distribution.

“We’re trying to go with allnatural Bahamian brands. So that’s what we’re doing right now.” Ms Darville said she has also started a distribution channel to help other brands.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, PAGE 23

HOTELS: AVOID LOCKDOWNS VIA BETTER CONTACT TRACING

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A CAT Island hotelier yesterday said the government needs to invest more resources in contact tracing so it can avoid having to place islands into weeks’ long COVID-19 lockdowns.

Speaking after the government extended the lockdowns for North and Central Andros, as well as Cat Island, for a further seven days until next Monday, Carl Rolle,

caused by the extra sevenday lockdown, Mr Rolle said he is using the time to carry out more renovations to his resort..

Ned Mulford, owner of Cat Island’s Pigeon Cay Club, yesterday described the situation in Cat Island as “awful” but said he cannot place all the blame on the government. He instead attributed this to large gatherings that had ignored the COVID-19 rules.

He said: “I guess the government had to do what they had to do. I didn’t hear of any further cases, but this is where we are now.

We are now on our third week of this lockdown. I can’t blame anyone except for whoever brought it here up in the north. It’s not the fault of the prime minister,

manager of Rollez Villas Beach Resort, told Tribune Business: “I have said a lot on these lockdowns already, but what is important now is that I think the attack must now be more specific in dealing with this COVID-19.

“More resources need to be placed into contact tracing. A little bit more time and more effort, or resources, to be put in those persons to be doing the tracing and quarantine and enforcement of it.” He argued that it was “unfair” for all to suffer because of the few who have disobeyed COVID-19 safety protocols, adding that several guests due to arrive this weekend have been forced to cancel because of the lockdown.

Despite the difficulties

but it’s some carelessness that went on up in Arthur’s Town in Orange Creek and it spread.”

Mr Mulford also hit out at the “double standard” that allows visitors to come and go from the island, and said: “The administrator has the power to give permission for people to come and go from the island. I don’t know what to think of that.

“We’re just struggling to get people in and out of here because Western Air is apparently not flying, and that means we’re stuck with charter flights and that gets pricey. It’s not that busy in June, but it will have an impact.” Mr Mulford said he now has to pin his hopes on the upcoming 2021 Thanksgiving holiday season for a full recovery.

LABOUR AND POLICE GOING ‘CASHLESS’ THE Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) yesterday joined the Department of Labour and other agencies in going cashless in New Providence via the government’s digital payments platform.

The Department of Labour made its transition to the Bahamas Digital Payment Platform (DigiPay) on June 1, 2021. Both itself and the police will now process payments via debit or credit card, or with cash at third-party vendors Omni Financial, Sun Cash or Cash & Go. “The transitions to cashless environments represent our administration’s larger goal of modernising the way the government does

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 90° F/32° C Low: 73° F/23° C

TAMPA

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Breezy with partial sunshine

Partly cloudy with a shower late

Mostly sunny with a passing shower

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Pleasant with sunshine

Sunny and beautiful

High: 86°

Low: 76°

High: 86° Low: 76°

High: 86° Low: 76°

High: 87° Low: 76°

High: 88° Low: 75°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

93° F

79° F

95°-79° F

95°-80° F

96°-81° F

98°-81° F

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: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

8-16 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 89° F/32° C Low: 78° F/26° C

8-16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

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High: 86° F/30° C Low: 75° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 78° F/26° C

7-14 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 84° F/29° C Low .................................................... 75° F/24° C Normal high ....................................... 86° F/30° C Normal low ........................................ 73° F/23° C Last year’s high ................................. 91° F/33° C Last year’s low ................................... 82° F/28° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 5.53” Normal year to date ..................................... 9.74”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 76° F/24° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High Today

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

7:14 a.m.

7:42 p.m.

2.2 2.8

1:29 a.m.

1:18 p.m.

0.3 0.0

Wednesday 7:54 a.m.

8:20 p.m.

2.2 2.9

2:10 a.m.

1:55 p.m.

0.2 0.0

Thursday

8:33 a.m.

8:58 p.m.

2.2 2.9

2:49 a.m.

2:33 p.m.

0.2 0.0

Friday

9:12 a.m.

9:36 p.m.

2.2 2.9

3:28 a.m.

3:10 p.m.

0.2 0.1

Saturday

9:52 a.m.

10:14 p.m.

2.2 2.9

4:08 a.m.

3:49 p.m.

0.2 0.1

Sunday

10:32 a.m.

10:54 p.m.

2.1 2.9

4:47 a.m.

4:29 p.m.

0.3 0.2

Monday

11:15 a.m.

11:36 p.m.

2.2 2.9

5:28 a.m.

5:12 p.m.

0.3 0.3

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

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ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

uV inDex toDay

6:19 a.m.

7:59 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

5:01 a.m.

6:38 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Jun. 10

Jun. 17

Jun. 24

Jul. 1

CAT ISLAND

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SEE PAGE 20

| Go to AccuWeather.com

TONIGHT

High: 92° F/33° C Low: 77° F/25° C

business with Bahamians,” said J Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for finance.

“By diversifying the payment methods we accept, and continuing to grow the number of services offered online, it is now easier than ever to do just that.

“With modern technology comes not only safer and more efficient ways of handling government payments, but also increased accessibility to our services. Our DigiPay platform streamlines our revenue collection by providing a single payment platform for our ministries, departments and agencies. Revenue is reported in real-time to the

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

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High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

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LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

8-16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

H

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 87° F/31° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

E

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E

W

N

S

S

10-20 knots

10-20 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday:

WINDS E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots E at 10-20 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 80° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F

business@tribunemedia.net

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

$4.91

Cruise line’s PI crown land bid ‘not to our benefit’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net ENVIRONMENTAL activists yesterday challenged the government on whether it is breaching its obligation to use crown land in the Bahamian people’s best interests with the Paradise Island lease to Royal Caribbean.

Joe Darville, Save the Bays’ chairman, in a statement said the cruise line’s $110m Royal Beach Club was seemingly not in the interests of Bahamian entrepreneurs and other cruise-reliant industries given that it will suck “thousands of passengers” away from downtown Nassau when it opens in January 2023.

Describing the group as “greatly encouraged” by Tribune Business’ revelation that Royal Caribbean is still waiting on the government to approve and execute its lease of seven to ten crown land acres on western Paradise Island, Mr Darville said: “Hopefully this is a sign that the government is giving serious attention the many public interest issues at stake.

“Crown land lease approval should never be just a rubber stamp. The government must always remember that, according to the constitution, it does not own such land, but rather holds it in trust for the benefit of the Bahamian people. This consideration should always be at the forefront when applications by developers are being considered.

“In this case, it is far from clear that Royal Caribbean’s plan to locate a mega-excursion on Paradise Island is in the interest of Bahamians generally. First of all, it would remove thousands of cruise passengers on a weekly basis from severely struggling downtown Nassau, taking them to shop and eat instead at Royal Caribbean’s own stores and restaurants across the harbour,” Mr Darville added.

“It will certainly impact the livelihood of the taxi drivers, who currently make a living transporting cruise passengers to and from Paradise Island, as Royal Caribbean plans to ferry the passengers to their own property instead.

“With such a controversial project threatening to impact so many Bahamians in so many ways, Royal Caribbean cannot have the audacity to assume that the process can be rushed through or simply rubber-stamped.

They should remember that other developers have tried

SEE PAGE 21

$4.91

$5.01

Freeport: ‘The ball is in the govts court’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A

PROMINENT attorney yesterday charged that “the ball is in the government’s court” after it was presented with a “road map” for reviving Freeport and the wider Bahamian economy via “a radically different approach”.

Robert Adams, who heads the Revitalization and Economic Expansion of Freeport (REEF) committee, told Tribune Business “the road to the turnaround of our national economy lies through Freeport” as he unveiled the body’s final “vision” for achieving the city’s rebirth together with specific actions, steps and timelines for achieving this.

Calling for The Bahamas to build upon the existing strengths of its second city, especially its maritime hub and ventures such as the container port, shipyard and harbour company, he argued that “the future of Freeport lies” in the socalled “blue economy” and government policies that

• ‘Road map’ for city’s revival unveiled • City’s future ‘lies in the blue economy’ • Calls for work permit, investment free-up

ROBERT ADAMS support such a venture.

Mr Adams agreed that close collaboration between the Government and Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), the latter of which drove the REEF committee’s creation, was “critical” if Freeport’s economic and social transformation is to be achieved. Yet relations between the two have often been strained since the late Edward St George’s passing in late 2004.

Conceding that “we’ve had too many years of disharmony” between Nassau and Freeport’s quasi-governmental authority, the

REEF chair said Freeport had “flourished” for almost a decade post-1992 due to the GBPA and the thenIngraham administration being of one accord on the city’s development. For the REEF proposal to stand any chance, Mr Adams admitted that the two “need to get back to those years”.

The government’s willingness to embrace more liberal work permit and foreign investment regimes, “as originally intended under the terms of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement”, are central to the REEF proposal yet several Tribune Business sources yesterday suggested the Minnis administration - which has a copy of the report - has not been fully engaging with the committee or the reform proposals.

“Hopefully the government will see the good wisdom of what has been proposed,” Mr Adams replied, when questioned by this newspaper yesterday.

“During the consultation

phase we had quite a few discussions with the government. During the drafting phase of the report, discussions with the government slowed.

“The report is now in the hands of the minister of state for finance, Senator Kwasi Thompson. I’ve received an assurance from him that the government is reviewing it, and giving consideration to what has been proposed. I anticipate there will be another round of discussions with the government in the not-too-distant future.

“We’ve given them time to review, consider and digest what we put forward.

Hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll see a relaunch of discussions with the government, and hopefully they will implement some of what we have proposed. We hope,” he continued.

“We’ve set out what we think ought to be the vision

SEE PAGE 20

Ex-AG: ‘No cause to panic’ over 15% tax

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

AN ex-attorney general yesterday reassured that The Bahamas has “no cause to panic” over the 15 percent global minimum corporate tax rate agreed by world’s powerful nations at the weekend.

John Delaney, now head of the Delaney Partners law firm, told Tribune Business it was in some respects “helpful” that the G-7 (group of seven) finance ministers had revealed their objective as it will play into - and help guide - this nation’s ongoing tax reform efforts and discussions.

Acknowledging that the business licence fee, one of The Bahamas’ main methods of business taxation, is “hard to square with being rational” because it is levied on turnover, Mr Delaney said corporate income tax was one replacement option but warned

• G-7 move ‘helpful’ to own tax reform efforts • Business licence ‘hard to square as rational’ • Tax should ‘not be sole reason to be here’

JOHN DELANEY against simply “slapping on” such a levy given the potential to unduly burden the private sector.

Urging The Bahamas to “get a fix as soon as possible” on its own tax reform efforts, he suggested that the G-7’s plans was more likely to impact rival international financial centres (IFCs) such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands

because they have targeted the multinational corporate business that is its primary focus.

The Bahamas has traditionally focused on private wealth management, catering to high net worth individuals and their families, and Mr Delaney said the G-7 initiative should not discourage companies from relocating or domiciling to this nation because tax “should never be the sole reason for being here”.

“I do not see any cause for panic arising out of this.

Some may be saying it’s all doom and gloom, but it’s not,” he told this newspaper. “To some extent, I think that it’s helpful to have it out there, some pronouncement for what it’s worth as to what might be considered

a headline standard for taxing corporations. It’s helpful that they have laid down a standard for taxing corporations.

“We have had some discussions for at least a decade around the subject of an income tax or corporate income tax, and what would be the appropriate rate five percent, ten percent, 12 percent. Be that as it may, it [the G-7 move] adds something to the discussions.”

Mr Delaney said the announcement also “takes away some of the competitiveness concerns about going ahead” and adjusting taxation systems to meet the G-7 demands, given that the corporate tax ‘floor’ has already been established at

SEE PAGE 21

$5.01 Freeport’s $10.5bn infrastructure needs far greater support

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net FREEPORT’S existing $10.5bn infrastructure cannot be supported by existing commercial activity and revenue streams, a report warned yesterday, calling for the city’s “economic transformation”.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority-appointed Revitalization and Economic Expansion of Freeport (REEF) committee, in its final recommendations on how to revive an economy that has been stagnating for almost 17 years, said diversification had been made “even more urgent” by the possibility that variants of the COVID-19 virus will threaten tourism “for some years to come”.

“Since 1955, over $12bn (in 2019 US dollars) has been invested in Freeport’s current infrastructure. Given impairment over the 60-plus years, and the impact of successive hurricanes over the past decade, that infrastructure has a current value (estimated on a depreciated replacement cost basis) of roughly $10.5bn,” the report said.

“Upgrading and enhancing that infrastructure to the quality required to support a modern, cosmopolitan city will require considerably more investment than can be supported with current revenue streams. The time has come for a radically different approach (see other articles on Page 24B).

“Freeport’s economic transformation will not be achieved with half-measures.

We need to leverage the full spectrum of Freeport’s opportunities, including those offered by the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and drawing on lessons learned from the best in the world, to create an investment destination that sophisticated businesses and workers find more attractive than rival destinations, in the region or elsewhere.”

The report, produced for the committee by the KPMG accounting firm, added that Freeport’s existing infrastructure “is capable of supporting an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 persons, more than four times its current size. To recreate the city of Freeport today and equip it with all the resources and amenities currently in place would cost in the region of $10.5bn”.

Breaking this down, the report added that the port area possesses 410 miles of single lane roadways, and 62 miles of dual carriageways.

“One of the most distinguishing features of Freeport is its well-maintained roadways.

Freeport has a total of 472 miles of road infrastructure,” it said.

‘Narrow-minded approach’ to work permits warning

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A PROMINENT attorney yesterday warned against a “narrow-minded approach” to issuing work permits, arguing that The Bahamas must be “a little more sophisticated” if it is to revive the economy post-COVID-19.

Robert Adams, who headed the Revitalisation and Economic Expansion of Freeport (REEF) committee that has just submitted proposals to liberalise that city’s work permit regime, told Tribune Business that The Bahamas in general needs to be “more refined” in its policies towards skilled expatriate labour and training its citizens to ultimately take over these posts.

Calling on the government to resist the temptation to crack down on work permits during times of high unemployment, such as the

• Attorney says Bahamas ‘must be more sophisticated’ • Expatriate labour liberalisation key to Freeport revival • Adds that work permit fees must be competitive present, he added that fees associated with importing expatriate labour also needed to be assessed for cost competitiveness against regional rivals.

While Bahamian businesses are paying annual work permit fees of up to $15,000 for high-end executives, the REEF committee’s report to the government noted that the cost associated for expatriates in the Cayman Islands’ Enterprise City, for example, was $1,500.

The report, unveiled yesterday, called for “reframing transient expatriate workers as valued revenue sources, as opposed to threats to Bahamian jobs”, along with the introduction of

“new immigration regulations and policies that are at least as attractive as those of other options available to investors” if Freeport’s economy is to be revived post-COVID and Hurricane Dorian.

It warned that “rival destinations, whose tourism industries have also been decimated, are looking to enhance their efforts to attract expatriates, so Freeport’s offering needs to consider planned new rival inducements, too”.

The REEF committee’s proposals is call for businesses in the port area to be permitted to hire expatriate workers “as they deem necessary where Bahamian expertise is not

readily available”, with approval decisions taken within five days of completed applications being received.

Its proposals call for work permits lasting up to five years to be issued, and made renewable, with fees “competitive” against rival free trade zones in the Caribbean and elsewhere. The work permit holder’s benefits would be extended to spouses, dependent children up to 25 years old and dependent parents aged 62 years-old and over, giving them “full rights to live, work and study”.

The REEF committee also recommended

SEE PAGE 20