OBITUARIES Biggest And Best!
The Tribune
Minnis to run - but M ay face fnM exit
Party rules could see former PM ousted if he opposes candidate
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
DR Hubert Minnis’ declaration yesterday that he will run in the next general election has thrown his status as a Free National Movement member into doubt, as it may breach a constitutional rule that automatically strips membership from anyone who contests a race against the party’s chosen candidate.
The former Prime Minister made his announcement during the closing moments of his contribution to the 2025/2026 budget debate, saying he will once again seek to represent the
oppoSition: plp ’S M A jor ‘Spoke
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
m urder leaves h arbour i sland residents fearful
Cooper: Silver AirwAyS’ demise a bump in the road
“Despite the PLP trying
FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis says Southern Shores MP Leroy Major “spoke the truth” about internal rifts in the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), despite Mr Major’s attempts to walk back those remarks and discredit the journalist who reported them. In the House of Assembly, Dr Minnis said Mr Major had simply said what many within the governing party believe: that PLP backbenchers are being sidelined while Cabinet ministers enjoy unequal access to government resources.
BY LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A SURGE of violent crime has shattered the calm of Harbour Island, leaving residents stunned and fearful after a fatal shooting early Tuesday
marked the island’s first murder of the year.
The victim, 25-yearold Cameron Bannister, a father and well-known local, was gunned down in the early hours while riding a golf cart with a friend on
By NEIL HARTNELL, FAY SIMMONS AND ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporters
THE Deputy Prime Minister yesterday downplayed Silver Airways’ demise as “a bump in the road” despite the loss of 87,000 annual seats
into Abaco alone and calls for a “crisis management plan”. Chester Cooper said the carrier’s failure was not surprising as it had been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US since late December 2024.
Ab ACo C Ay S’ growing i MM igr Ation C riS iS ‘At boiling point’
BY LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
RESIDENTS in the Abaco Cays are once again sounding the alarm over what they call a growing immigration crisis on the island, accusing law enforcement of accepting bribes and failing to enforce the law.
Residents who recently spoke to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity said the issue has been festering since Hurricane Dorian but has now spiralled out of control, with some feeling outnumbered in their own communities.
They claim that in areas such as Hope Town, undocumented migrants are living on private property and in the bushes, with new shanty towns beginning to emerge. They added that many migrants hold work permits but are forced to find
Hope Town, Abaco.
Minister of Parliament for Killarney Dr Hubert Minnis speaking in the House of Assembly.
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
Governor General Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt received Letters of Credence from Tariq Othman Al-Othman, Ambassador-Designate of the State of Qatar to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, during a brief ceremony in the Drawing Room at Government House, Mt Fitzwilliam, on June 4, 2025.
Photo: Letisha Henderson/BIS
Murder leaves Harbour Island residents fearful
Munnings Street. Police say the pair was ambushed. Bannister did not survive.
The brazen killing, occurring just hours after a community prayer rally, has shaken this picturesque enclave to its core.
“I can tell you, the island is in a panic right now,” said Senior Pastor Daniel Major of the Church of God of Prophecy. “People are in shock.” Superintendent Franklyn Neely, head of the Eleuthera Division, confirmed several men are in custody as investigations continue.
But Bannister’s murder is only the latest in a string of violent incidents that have unnerved this tightknit community. In the past month alone, two other people have been shot: a woman sitting in a vehicle on May 26 and a man just three days later in a separate incident. While police have yet to confirm any connections between the cases, many residents believe the violence is tied to an escalating turf war on the island.
Pastor Major said the recent attacks are unlike anything Harbour Island has seen before. The woman injured last month, a member of his congregation, is recovering but still facing medical challenges.
Tuesday’s killing hit especially close to home
for the pastor. Bannister’s mother, a regular participant in local prayer rallies, had missed the latest one — held just hours before her son’s death.
“You know all of these young men, from they were babies, you witnessed them grow up, and it’s like something. It’s the devil, yes, and sin is the blame. That’s exactly what it is,” Pastor Major said, describing Bannister as a quiet man who loved motorbikes.
The sense of fear is spreading fast. One long-time resident, who identified herself only as Keke, said she cancelled her birthday plans out of concern for her safety. Two of the recent shootings occurred near her workplace.
“To see the police officer, you know, on the back of the truck, like they’re about to raid or whatever, it’s like my eyes got full and my heart got so heavy,” she said. “It could very well be like I’m walking out of a store and I’m at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Keke, like many others, believes illegal firearms and idle youth are driving the violence, and that stronger, more direct action is needed.
“Police need to just bust down doors. They know who is who. The island small,” she said. “If you need to bust down my door
to see who I have, do what you need to do.”
Pastor Major said local churches are prepared to assist in disarming young men, even offering to receive firearms directly and hand them over to police.
Former North Eleuthera MP Rickey Mackey warned that the region’s booming tourism-based economy could suffer if the crisis continues unchecked.
“We are at risk of losing this vibrant economy that we have in Eleuthera,” he said, noting that many police officers currently stationed in the area are either retired or approaching retirement age. “Something has to be done.”
Pastor Major, who also manages properties on the island, said clients from abroad have already started reaching out with concerns about the escalating violence.
In a statement, North Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty condemned the violence as more than a criminal problem, calling it a community crisis. “It is time for residents, leaders, and law enforcement to come together and confront the problem with urgency and purpose,” he said.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles did not respond yesterday to The Tribune’s requests for comment.
Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge toll booth now accepting credit and debit cards
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
DRIVERS no longer need to rely on cash to pay the $2 toll at the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge, as the Bridge Authority has introduced debit and credit card payments at the booth.
Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting made the announcement yesterday in the House of Assembly during his contribution to the 2025/2026 budget debate. He said the Bridge Authority has upgraded its IT infrastructure, including the installation of digital payment devices.
The introduction of debit and credit card payment was launched at the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge last week, according to Mr Sweeting. He also addressed public concerns over the estimated $86.35m cost of Eleuthera’s Glass Window Bridge. He said the bridge structure is estimated at $25.4m, while additional costs, including roadworks, a visitor centre, and a temporary landing site for equipment, account for the remaining $60m.
He said the project
followed an open international tender process to ensure fairness and accuracy. He also said building the new bridge requires a temporary landing site, as it is not feasible to place heavy equipment on the existing structure. The new Glass Window Bridge will span 2,218 feet and include fourteen 112-foot spans and eleven 50-foot spans. In addition, a 300-foot bridge with six 50-foot spans will be constructed to the north, positioned 15 to 20 feet above the existing structure and 60 feet away. Mr Sweeting said preliminary cost estimates include $1.2m for insurance and harbour fees; $18.2m for staff, accommodation and shipping; $6.4m for the site compound, equipment, lighting, security, utilities, utility diversions and traffic management; $17.4m for temporary works such as a landing dock, haul road, piling mat, road pad and jacking barge; $4.4m for roadworks; $2m for the north approach bridge; and $3.5m for the visitor centre. He confirmed the total estimated cost of the project, including VAT, is $86.35m.
“I reiterate that these costs are estimates by the
engineers at the Ministry of Works. The same is being solidified and will be spelt out in a tender document which is forthcoming,” Mr Sweeting said.
For the new fiscal year, the government is prioritising long-term bridge reconstruction over temporary repairs. In Andros, bridges in Fresh Creek, Stafford Creek and Cargill Creek are scheduled for reconstruction starting in November.
Through funding from the United Kingdom Export Finance, several bridges are set to receive major upgrades by September 2025.
These include the Ferry Bridge and both Barraterre bridges in Exuma. In New Providence, the Silver Cay Bridge will be reconstructed.
Meanwhile, several docks in the Family Islands will be constructed or rebuilt.
Spanish Wells is expected to receive its first government dock in the third quarter of this year.
“This will be a first for the community of Spanish Wells, where they will have a suitable dock structure where they could cast a fish, tie the boat, and clean the fish,” he added.
Cameron Bannister
Abaco Cays’ growing immigration crisis ‘at a boiling point’
makeshift housing due to the lack of available accommodations on the cays.
“It’s at a boiling point,” said one local leader, “for Bahamians watching all of this happen who have to pay all the taxes, who have to adhere to all the government rules, laws and regulations, and these people just come and do whatever they want and there’s no recourse.”
A community leader said their biggest concern is public health, questioning, “Where are these people getting water? Where are they going to the bathroom? How are they living?”
In a statement to The Tribune, the Great Abaco Cays District Council expressed concern about a surge in illegal immigrants across the district’s three townships — Hope Town, Man-O-War Cay, and Great Guana Cay. The council said it has raised the issue with the relevant authorities, including Works and Local Government Minister Clay Sweeting during a recent local government seminar in Abaco.
“I strongly pointed out to the minister that while local government does our due diligence on the ground, it seems that when it comes to enforcing laws, we get little support from
the arms of law enforcement-whether that be the police, immigration, road traffic, fisheries, or the business licence unit,” said Jeremy Sweeting, the chief councillor.
“Apparently, the police officer assigned for Hope Town has stated he could not book anyone for a road traffic violation - it had to be an officer from a particular unit - that is unbelievable. We are living in a lawless society it seems - unlicenced vehicles, businesses operating illegally, foreign persons of various nationalities working without documentation.”
Yesterday, Mr Sweeting acknowledged Abaco’s hardships but
affirmed ongoing efforts to clear and remove shanty towns as part of rebuilding a brighter future.
But residents say they are tired of promises and demand action, noting that police housing quarters on the cays—despite repeated calls—have yet to materialise.
One employer told The Tribune that officers are taking bribes, claiming he personally witnessed someone close to him paying thousands of dollars to secure the release of a Haitian employee with an expired work permit.
Acting Immigration Director William Pratt
could not be reached for comment on the allegations yesterday.
Another council member said Bahamians now fear retaliation, describing these latest groups of undocumented migrants as organised and emboldened.
“Immigration did a raid last November, but that it’s just ridiculous,” the Hope Town resident said. “We told immigration, and they agreed, but they won’t do it - they need to come up here, and they need to fine the construction companies and the second homeowners.”
In Eleuthera and the surrounding cays, similar concerns persist.
is at risk.
warning the
He added that migrants are not building proper structures but instead using makeshift shelters.
“There is a blind eye that is being given to Harbour Island and I’m sure this situation is being repeated in other situations,” he said. “It’s like the government is afraid to tackle this issue of migration. What we have is a nation we can lose on the over-allowance of migrants.”
Former area MP Rickey Mackey estimated half of the migrants on the island are undocumented and urged the government to act,
community
Police notice in creole seen attached to a shanty structure in the woods at Hope Town, Abaco.
A shAnty home built in the woods on Hope Town, Abaco.
Minnis to run - but may face FNM exit
Killarney constituency, a seat he has held since 2007.
“Killarney must remain strong,” he said.
“I want to remind them that I am running in Kil larney and I look forward to their vote and I look forward to their continued support. We must keep Killarney strong; Killarney will remain strong.”
Though he did not clar ify whether he would run under the FNM’s banner or as an independent, party leader Michael Pintard confirmed in April that Dr Minnis would not be renominated. Mr Pintard said the party offered Dr Minnis a senior statesman role and the opportunity to contribute to policy devel opment. That decision,
combined with Dr Minnis’ new public stance, means he is now at risk of auto matic expulsion under a 2022 constitutional amend ment passed by the party. That amendment, rati fied on February 25, 2022, states: “Members who independently nomi nate to contest elections or by‑elections against a candidate chosen by the party are deemed to have resigned from the FNM.” The same clause applies to any member who pub licly endorses a non FNM candidate.
Dr Minnis, a former party leader and Prime Minister who led the FNM to a landslide victory in 2017, could now be forci bly removed from the very party he once led. Asked whether he
intends to run as an inde pendent, he only told The Tribune that it was “safe to say” he would run. The Killarney constitu ency, long considered an FNM stronghold, is now positioned to be one of the most hotly contested bat tlegrounds in the country. Dr Minnis remains a popu lar figure in the area, and his candidacy, outside the party’s endorsement, will prompt speculation about whether he could fracture the FNM’s base and split the vote.
Local FNM officials in Killarney have already criticised the decision to drop him, with some warn ing they may not support any replacement candidate. Others had encouraged him to run independently if necessary.
OppOsitiOn: pLp’s MajOr ‘spOke the truth’ Over being
to clean up those remarks, Southern Shores spoke the truth,” Dr Minnis said. “There are others on the PLP side who are frustrated. They are just scared to speak. I speak for Southern Shores today — even PLPs see this is not a government for all the people.”
“The governing side can now pretend all is unified, all they want. Those public statements of dissent show that there is division within the party.”
Dr Minnis’ remarks come in the wake of Mr Major’s highly publicised about face. After giving an interview in which he criticised the unequal distribution of resources and expressed frustra tion over the treatment of backbenchers, Mr Major
“That interview was totally about Leroy Major and Southern Shores,” he told MPs. “Whatever that reporter said about me and my colleagues is incorrect.”
He even pleaded with opposition MP Shannen don Cartwright not to “go down a train” by referenc ing the article. But The Tribune stood behind its reporting and released audio yester day of the interview that directly contradicted Mr Major’s claims. Mr Major looked uncom fortable as Dr Minnis revisited the controversy in the House of Assembly yesterday –– head bowed, occasionally smiling as the remarks were aired once again.
Opposition leader Michael Pintard used the moment to deliver a
pointed message to Major: Stand your ground.
“We know he’s under tre mendous pressure and so the government has treated a number of its members quite badly, and at the end of the day, he spoke, so he’s unable to take that back,” Mr Pintard said.
“And I regret, a man of his stature, who’s a minister in the church, a representative of an entire constituency, that he was bullied into again, reciting a line that no doubt the party wrote for him.”
Mr Pintard added: “We encourage him to stay the course, to challenge the government where neces sary, and don’t let them cause you to be the way the prime minister is. He flip flops. Once he believes pressure is coming, he turns in a different direction.”
Pintard: Repay funds borrowed from NIB with budget surplus
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
OPPOSITION Leader
Michael Pintard has called on the government to repay funds borrowed from the National Insur ance Board (NIB), citing the projected $75.5m budget surplus for the 2025–2026 fiscal year.
His comments follow revelations from Alfred Sears, the minister responsible for NIB, that the agency is projected to run a $32m deficit in 2025 — despite collecting an additional $4m monthly in contribution income since last year’s rate increase.
Mr Pintard criti
cised Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis for reportedly dismissing rec ommended reforms put forward by Mr Sears and his predecessor, aimed at shoring up the long term sustainability of the fund.
“Listening to the min ister is now a waste of time because the prime
minister rebuts them any time he thinks that public sentiment is not on his side,” Mr Pintard said.
“He should stand up and be bold and indicate
what needs to happen with NIB in order to make sure that it is solvent.”
“He also needs to make sure that we collect the funds that are outstanding
in the various government ministries, especially now that he claims that he has a surplus.”
In the House of Assem bly, Mr Sears maintained that NIB is committed to a proactive collection strategy to ensure work ers continue receiving benefits. He also noted that the agency is diver sifying its investments in the United States.
As of April 2025, NIB’s investment portfolio was valued at $1.186 billion, with a yield of 3.9 per cent — consistent with the return recorded in May 2025. This marked a decline from December 2024, when investments totalled $1.22 billion.
The investment rate of return in 2024 stood at 4.7 percent.
Investment income for
2025 was $55.5m, down
$6.1m from the $61.6m reported in the previous year. A 2022 actuarial review warned that the NIB fund could be depleted by 2028 unless urgent corrective measures are taken. Mr Sears previously disclosed that NIB contribution rates are scheduled to increase every two years over the next two decades.
reversed course in in the House of Assembly on
Tuesday, claiming his com ments were misunderstood and misrepresented by The Tribune.
Former Pm and Killarney mP dr Hubert minnis
oPPosition leader micHael Pintard
soutHern Shores MP Leroy Major in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Photo: dante carrer/Tribune Staff
The Tribune Limited
NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI
“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972
Contributing Editor 1972-1991
RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-
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FNM dealing with internal challenges
THERE is no sign of peace breaking out in the ranks of the FNM.
Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis had teased the prospect of running in the next election before – and yesterday he went all in.
“I want to remind them that I am running in Killarney and I look forward to their vote and I look forward to their continued support. We must keep Killarney strong; Killarney will remain strong,” he proclaimed in Parliament.
He made it clear – he’s running in the next election.
The FNM leader, Michael Pintard, has also made it clear – back in April – that Dr Minnis will not be renominated.
Dr Minnis did not clarify in what capacity he will run – but if his leader stays true to his word, there will be no room in the FNM for him.
Constitutionally, that could see him ousted from the party. If you run as an independent or if you oppose a candidate chosen by the party, you “are deemed to have resigned from the FNM” under party rules.
So unless Dr Minnis has some plan to topple his own leader, or sees some avenue where Mr Pintard will change his mind, he is headed out of the party he led to a landslide victory in 2017 – and a landslide defeat at the end of his term.
That will in turn have consequences for the party internally – Dr Minnis is a divisive figure, but he still retains significant support, not least of all in the Killarney constituency.
He may have lost leadership battles decisively after his tenure as prime minister, but his support in Killarney could cost the FNM the seat – either by cutting into their vote enough to allow a PLP victory, or by losing it to Dr Minnis as an independent or whatever banner he might run under.
In the ideal world, former leaders would find a way – and have a way found for them – to continue to contribute within a party. Whatever one’s view of Dr Minnis, he led the nation at a time of
two major crises – COVID and Hurricane Dorian – and that experience could be vital to draw upon.
Unity has long seemed an unlikely prospect – so what will come next? That is the challenge facing the FNM. Dr Minnis has played his cards. It’s time to see what’s in the FNM’s hand.
An app to state the obvious?
An app has been announced to be able to report potholes and other trouble spots. At first blush, it sounds like a good idea. But is it really?
After all, we only have to look around to see various problem areas that have presumably been noticed already but never been dealt with.
The traffic lights at Montagu, both on Bay Street and Shirley Street, have not been working for more than a week. Those are busy, dangerous junctions, and we are quite sure plenty of ministry staff, perhaps the minister himself, have passed through there, hoping other traffic will give way to let them reach their destinations. And yet… no repair.
How about nearby on Bay Street, where a seam opened up across most of both lanes, bringing traffic to a crawl –only to have the hole half patched up but not properly fixed? That presumably has been noticed too.
How about the unsightly wooden construction at Go Slow Bend, which has been there for months, obscuring the view while looking like a good sneeze would knock it over let alone a speeding vehicle. Is there any chance something professional might take the place of that ramshackle arrangement that would not look out of place in a shanty town rather than at one of the premier views in The Bahamas?
If we are not fixing the obvious things, forgive the skepticism over whether an app will bring the repair crews rushing out to act.
Minister of Labour should be neutral
EDITOR, The Tribune.
IF the Minister of Labour is also responsible for matters concerning Public Service surely that Minister is in conflict and is supposed to be neutral but the Minister directs and creates Government wage and operation policy of the largest employee group the Public Service.
a
fun,
Have
Surplus projection ridiculous
and products. These items were Free from VAT and should not be reduced but excluded from VAT altogether as they are necessary and essential items. When they do that, then perhaps we can say they are thinking about the people. So now let’s talk business. If a surplus is projected, and VAT plays a major role in projected revenue, and you reduce this source of income, where will the shortfall in revenue from this aspect come from?
The Minister of Labour should be neutral with no conflicting interest... NY Bahamas Investment Business presentation... year in year out this occurs and no investment has ever to memory come from the meeting - has to be quite costly especially if you send three-four Ministers and PS’s and Directors all flying first class staying at hotels five-star but what do we know?
Nothing... no mention who was invited... Any real enquiries even a could be interested...Why waste time-money etc?
T K WILSON Nassau, June 1, 2025
EDITOR, The Tribune. LAST week, Parliament began the debate on the new budget for the upcoming fiscal year. To say the least, it was no surprise to hear the Prime Minister, in all his fluff, lay out a budget that fits right into the scheme of pre-election. I find it most interesting that a surplus is projected. Any one familiar with doing business knows that a projection of profit and loss is made at the beginning of a fiscal year in order to steer the company’s goals and objectives. In order to project a surplus, the government must have revenue generating initiatives in place and so there should be no need for new or excessive borrowings. As the country’s debt is so high now, it would have made more sense for the headlines to read “New Budget To Vastly Reduce Debt” or something similar, but to project such a high surplus is ridiculous and not real without the implementation of new taxes. Where will the revenue come from if not from taxes? If the government is once again dangling a reduction in VAT like a carrot, let’s break it down in simple talk. You own something free and clear of all encumbrances and the government says you must pay them 10% if you want to keep what you own. You are now forced to find 10% in a daily budget that you are already struggling with. Then the government sees the need for an electoral vote and decides that they will give you a “lil sumptin” and reduces your 10% to 5%. Yippee!!! Hogwash is what it is. You still have to pay 5% on something that was originally free from taxes. This is what they are now selling the Bahamian people when they brag about reducing VAT on breadbasket items and certain medication
Simple…New taxes… aggressive collection measures for outstanding taxes…reduction in incentives offered for new investments…added tariffs on imported goods and vehicles…it must come from somewhere, yet the Minister of Economic Affairs said there will be no new taxes and no increase in taxes. The math must math and make sense. The Prime Minister revealed in March that as at December 31st, 2024 the budget deficit stood at $394 million. The forecasted/projected figure was $69.8million. That is an overage of more than 500%.
So if we did that poorly with the projected deficit of the 2024/2025 budget, how are we to believe that the 2025/2026 budget will realise a significant surplus, especially in the lead up to a General Election?
Bahamians, please do not celebrate and think this budget is Christmas. It is not feasible…it is not realistic without new taxation. Taxation that is so great that it pays off the Debt and leaves change. Silly season is upon us and we must be able to see clearly through the smokescreen. Even the Mom-and-Pop storeowners know that a “projection” is
just that…”a projection”. No financial institution uses 100% of a projected profit as a part of a client’s worth, but rather what income has already been generated. One cannot borrow against what one does not yet have and so projections are usually reduced by 50 to 75% in the analysis. If, God forbid, we are hit by a natural disaster this season, what funds are allocated and what funds are projected to be borrowed? What significant reduction in government travel expenses is to be implemented? What reduction in the re-engagement of senior retired civil servants, along with their perks will be implemented? What is being put in place for the reduction of non-performing civil servants that have some ministries Top Heavy and inefficient? Inefficiency that leads to loopholes and added expenses. If these few things are looked at seriously, some additional revenue can be generated. There is so much more that can be done to reduce unnecessary expenses and put this country on a path to serious debt reduction and financial stability. Taxation is the lazy way out and should not be the first option. Transparency should be foremost and the Bahamian people should not be sold lies. New taxes or increased taxes will have to come if revenue cannot be obtained from other avenues. Discipline in spending is vital. The budget must make sense and the math has to math. The government needs to be forthright with the Bahamian people and stop selling unrealistic pipe dreams. May God continue to watch over us and Bless our Bahamaland.
VANESSA A SCOTT, JP Nassau, June 1, 2025.
Have
cool,
interesting, amazing photo?
it featured here in The Tribune’s picture of the day!
high quality image to pictureoftheday@tribunemedia.net
A COMMON GALLINULE aka MOORHEN watches as another dives to look for food.
Photo: S Timothy Roberts
Govt establishing sailing commission and bringing boat building to schools
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Ministry of Family Island Affairs is establishing a National Sailing Commission and integrating boat building into schools as part of a broader effort to promote sailing as a national sport in The Bahamas.
Minister of Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting made the announcement during his budget contribution in the House of Assembly yesterday.
“The commission is envisioned to serve as an advisory and regulatory body to help preserve, promote, and develop sailing as a national sport and cultural heritage, while also ensuring safety standards and sustainable practices,” Mr Sweeting said.
He said officials have significantly expanded youth engagement by increasing
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIANS will soon be able to report potholes, broken streetlights, and waste management issues through a new app being introduced by the Ministry of Works, according to Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Mr Clay Sweeting.
The platform, SeeClickFix, will allow residents to submit concerns in real time.
Mr Sweeting said SeeClickFix is widely used by local governments to improve public service. It allows officials to monitor issues, direct them to the appropriate departments, and keep residents updated on progress.
Mr Sweeting said the ministry is in the final stages of in-house testing and staff training. The app will first be launched in New Providence. He said it would create a direct bridge between the people and the government.
He also announced his ministry had engaged seven Bahamian contractors to
the number and reach of youth sailing programmes across the country. To date, he said the government has invested nearly $1 million in these initiatives through subsidies, summer sailing camps, and the National Youth Regatta.
Additionally, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, his ministry is integrating the art and tradition of boat building into schools. Mr Sweeting said officials have enlisted experienced local boat builders to lead the construction of E-class sloops at 12 schools throughout The Bahamas.
“This hands-on programme not only teaches valuable craftsmanship and maritime skills but also fosters a deep connection to our sailing heritage among young Bahamians,” he said.
“These combined efforts are designed to develop a strong pipeline of skilled sailors and
carry out road paving and rehabilitation in New Providence. This list does not include Bahamix, which has historically operated as a private company invoicing the government, an arrangement, he said, that limited its activity and created financial strain.
He said Bahamix has been incorporated with a fully functioning board, streamlining road paving and patching efforts.
He added that Bahamix will be equipped with new facilities, modern equipment, and increased capacity. These upgrades will be funded through a $90m loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Part of the loan will also be used to address flooding in Pinewood, Coral Harbour, downtown Nassau, and surrounding areas.
The minister also gave updates on roadworks in several Family Islands. In Abaco, roads are expected to be paved in Cherokee Sound and ManO-War Cay. The roads have been scoped and are ready for the tendering process.
Bahamas set to host NiN th RegioN al PlatfoR m foR DisasteR
THE Bahamas will host the Ninth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean (RP26) in May 2026, officials announced this week.
The forum, organised in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), is expected to bring together governments, civil society, and private sector representatives from across the region to discuss strategies for reducing disaster risk and strengthening resilience.
Minister of State for Disaster Risk Management Leon Lundy made the announcement during the Eighth Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Geneva, Switzerland. In his remarks, he said the event would be an opportunity to highlight regional progress under the Sendai Framework and to exchange best practices in disaster risk governance. UNDRR describes the platform as the region’s leading event for sharing knowledge and promoting cooperation on disaster risk reduction. RP26 will follow up on previous regional platforms and is expected to focus on issues including early warning systems, disaster financing, and integrated risk management.
The Bahamas has faced growing disaster challenges in recent years, particularly following Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage. Since then, the government has restructured its
disaster management framework, merging the National Emergency Management Agency and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority into a single Disaster Risk Management Authority. According to UNDRR’s
Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, RP26 will also draw on findings from the 2024 Regional Assessment Report and serve as a forum to assess progress toward the recently adopted Antigua
and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (Small Island Developing States).
Further details, including specific dates and the event venue, are expected to be released in the coming months.
craftspeople, ensuring the sustainability of sailing as a vibrant and inclusive national sport for generations to come.”
Mr Sweeting said this year, there has been a significant increase in participation in sailing activities across The Bahamas.
“This growth is largely attributed to the rise in the number of sloops being built, as well as an increase in the number and scope of regattas held throughout the Family Islands.”
He added that the National Family Island Regatta recorded a historic high in the number of sloops participating, reflecting the renewed enthusiasm and community support for traditional sailing. Similarly, the Best of the Best Regatta also experienced record participation, highlighting the growing competitive spirit and talent within the sailing community.
Work is also planned for Sweeting’s Track, along with water main upgrades. In Andros, the $13m Red Bays Road project has been completed. Roadworks are ongoing in South Andros, along the Queen’s Highway from Driggs Hill to Mars Bay. In the Berry Islands, improvements to roads and docks on Great Harbour Cay are in progress. In Bimini, King’s Highway is being restored. New roads in South Bimini are 90 percent complete. Roadworks are also being carried out in Crooked Island and Acklins.
In Grand Bahama, construction has begun on a dual carriageway and a new roundabout at the intersection of West Atlantic Drive and West Sunrise Highway. Mr Sweeting also noted that the Joe Farrington Road water main renewal project, in partnership with the Water and Sewerage Corporation, has faced unforeseen delays. Once WSC completes its portion, he said, the road is expected to be paved before the end of the third quarter.
Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Mr Clay Sweeting speaking during the meeting of the House of Assembly yesterday.
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
‘Throw me out’ mentality and society
A friend who worked in government during the fury and aftermath of Hurricane dorian and COVid-19, recalls an exchange with an associate, who asked if her faith in government was diminished because of the state’s performance during the twin “storms”, that punched the nation in rapid succession.
The question was somewhat loaded because the questioner expected the friend to join the chorus of those breezily bashing government. “no,” replied the friend, but “my faith in the Bahamian people has been diminished!”
The individual who worked in government during the crises knew well the failures of government generally and the mistakes and limitations of the state during the worst hurricane in modern history and the deadly pandemic.
But she was disturbed, even shocked, by the selfishness, non-cooperation, pettiness, at times meanness of spirit, and general poor attitude of many Bahamians. Yes, there were many examples of generosity, cooperation, and assistance, including that of various voluntary organisations and benefactors.
Still, there was a pervasive underlying attitude from scores, of entitlement, self-absorption, and belief that government was responsible for fixing just about every problem associated with the crises. These were all symptoms of our deeply entrenched dependency and “throw me out” culture.
After hurricanes, many now expect the state to fix their homes. The attitude of one resident of Grand Bahama, was typical. Asked if she had home insurance, she replied, “no!” Then she insisted the government was obliged to fix her house. We do not live in a culture of preparedness, where supplies and emergency vehicles and equipment are prepositioned ahead of a hurricane. There are few well-organised volunteer citizen networks that can respond quickly. We expect government to step in immediately and fix all the problems quickly. in a number of jurisdictions, volunteer organisations are well-organized as emergency responders following natural disasters, fires, and other emergencies.
Given our archipelagic nature and the complexity of organizing logistical support from new Providence, there is a need to boost and train family island volunteer networks. The attitude of “lets wait for nassau” has life and death consequences. We like to brag about being One Bahamas and a family of islands, with the accent on family. But COVid and dorian exposed our insularity island by island and the indifference of the residents of new Providence to the other islands in the family of islands. days after the
devastation of dorian, some public sector union leaders were calling for increments as the country faced “estimated damages and losses… [of] US$3.4 billion (idB, 2019), a number equivalent to a quarter of the country’s GdP.” it was an act of stunning selfishness and self-absorption at a grave hour. it mirrored a greediness by some who hogged relief supplies and others who stole supplies.
Our dependency culture became more entrenched in part by Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling and his court. Bahamians were often told by the dons and dames of the court: “We gave you your freedom and independence.” “We gave you education and jobs.” now, you owe us your votes.”
This kind of patronage is not atypical in a number of countries including small island states such as the Caribbean and Pacific, as well as rural communities globally. in times past and present, big city bosses in now developed and developing states used such patronage to maintain loyalty and political support.
While such largescale patronage networks are less common in some jurisdictions, the dependency syndrome in the political realm remain highly operative in The Bahamas and many Caribbean and Latin American states.
Here at home, we live in a highly transactional society in which money, sex, political support, jobs and other items are constantly traded. Today, many voters expect money in return for their vote. Some become angered when no money is offered.
Patronage has its particular Bahamian characteristics and became even more severe during the notorious drugs era when just about everything was for sale.
A businessowner recalls a conservation with an employee who arrived at work complaining about how much a former government was spending on road paving, including the
Hotel
management and owners often report that the security issues they deal with most in The Bahamas is employee theft. Many Bahamians see nothing wrong with such theft because, in their minds, there is plenty to go around, and the owners can afford it.
improved roads on which she drove to work: “instead of paving all them roads, why don’t they give me some of that money for me and my children.”
This same employee later received funding from the Small Business development Centre. Typically, she expressed scant gratitude for the opportunity she was awarded. She insisted the government “owed” her the grant. The notions of the common good, of personal responsibility and other such values preached by members of the clergy and sometimes touted in the political sphere are exemplary ideals practiced by a good number of Bahamians. Still, as often, these ideals often have little genuine currency in a social culture, especially in the urban centre of new Providence, characterised by an entrenched self-absorption, toleration for indolence and disregard for personal responsibility.
The ban on single-us plastics exposed the sociology of “throw me out” and dependency culture, particularly dependency on government. Some expressed the view: “if you give me free bags everything is okay but do not expect me to get my own bags. The government should give me all the bags i need.”
Another story. A friend recalls working at an upscale resort. On the rounds in housekeeping, he observed a co-worker going into a room and taking an item from the minibar.
The co-worker asked if he wanted something from the bar, which he declined.
The explanation for purloining the item from the minibar: “daddy wants us to have this.” When asked who daddy was, the reply was simple and clear: “The white owner of the hotel.”
Arguably, most Bahamians view government as the ultimate sugar daddy. The “throw me out” culture is more than endemic. it is a way of life.
Hotel management and owners often report that
the security issues they deal with most in The Bahamas is employee theft. Many Bahamians see nothing wrong with such theft because, in their minds, there is plenty to go around, and the owners can afford it.
The same businessowner who runs a retail store recalls one of her foreign suppliers who regularly complained that he was constantly being harassed for money, favours, breakfast, and various goods from the employees of the businesses he supplied.
He found the practice of constantly being asked for something rampant in The Bahamas.
A senior recalls taking a pan of cooked chicken to a fellowship event at a church populated mostly by middle class families. She noticed that during the course of the evening the chicken never made its way outside of the kitchen. Someone or a small group took the food home for themselves.
This sort of story is often repeated. food items intended for others are often taken by those who can afford to buy the food but who often enviously decide that they want something for nothing.
The level of human development in The Bahamas is not as advanced as we may believe. As citizens and human beings, many still lack the basic habits and cultural and human values required to be a more civil and civilised people. This includes a greater sense of personal responsibility.
We are often a highly transactional, immature, and at times, infantile, waiting for favours and money from: a Santa Claus-like God, gaming bosses, partners and sweethearts, the Church, businesses, and the Obeah man or woman.
And if we cannot get others to throw us out, many of us are more than happy to tief what we want and to justify the tiefing in all kinds of clever ways, even as we clutch our Bibles and the ten commandments, including the admonition of exodus 20:15 – “You shall not steal.”
Are Democrats up to stymying Trump?
What’s happening now in Los angeles was probably inevitable, sad to say. Us President Donald trump has now deployed to the city a detachment of Us Marines from Camp Pendleton, the sprawling Marine base located by the Pacific Ocean about midway between Los angeles and san Diego. he also overrode tradition and bypassed California’s governor to directly order National Guard units to join the Marines.
STATESIDE
with Charlie Harper
In doing so, he is using Us military forces against americans within the borders of the United states. this rarely happens, and it has already sparked both partisan and non-partisan outrage. the reason for the deployments is the probably unavoidable community response in south Central La to several recent raids and roundups by the Us Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, better known as ICE. the area known as Paramount City, separated from the quiet leafy streets of Beverly hills by many miles and several freeways, is southeast of Watts and adjacent to areas such as
into flame all around the Us there’s evidence that the american president is eagerly awaiting further opportunities to stifle this potential dissent. a law-and-order crusade is just what trump needs right now. his giant, signature budget bill is just beginning its tortuous journey through the Us senate and its inevitable, contentious ‘reconciliation’ negotiations with house committees and leadership. trump’s campaign claims that he would end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza immediately upon taking office are now demonstrably fatuous.
Compton that have frequently witnessed clashes with local authorities.
Whether trump’s ICE deliberately goaded the community into reacting violently in order to fulfill his campaign promises to use federal resources to stamp out such dissent, as some allege, is unknown. But there is little question that the president and his allies must welcome this opportunity to flex their muscles in squashing the protests.
trump cannot like California in general very much anyhow, and he has often expressed a distaste for its two most prominent cities, san Francisco (home to Nancy Pelosi’s district) and Los angeles, where a notoriously liberal-supporting movie industry resides. the state is reliably blue in presidential elections, and its governor, Gavin Newsom, is likely a serious candidate to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
Newsom, now engaged in a full-scale war of words and lawsuits against the trump administration, has jousted in recent years with Florida Governor Ron Desantis, Defence secretary Pete hegseth and other prominent GOP leaders as he tries to buttress his claim to be the ablest combatant in the race to lead the Democratic ticket in three years.
It’s early in the hot summer season. College kids and many high schoolers are out of school. there is plenty of dry kindling around for the sparks of passionate protest and general civic unrest to burst
WhILE all this tradition-shattering chaos continues and even intensifies in the Us, with trump seeming to push many boundaries just to see who and if anyone will successfully stop him, the Ukraine war continues its dreary, deadly course as an existential threat to Europe.
It seems clear that trump won’t do the work to have any real impact on achieving a ceasefire. What’s going to happen? Western Europe remains a region critical to the Us, trump’s occasional blathering about NatO notwithstanding.
a couple of New York times journalists had an insightful on-line exchange recently that offered useful perspective. here are some excerpts:
“My feeling is that Russia retains the upper hand now, in a very slow, grinding way, and on a pure military level. Russian history is full of these wars that are won not by skill or daring but really by endurance
On the plus side, trump can certainly claim to have secured the southern Us border, as he promised he would do. But trump’s spiteful use of his powerful office to punish political opponents isn’t seen as being broadly beneficial to the nation. and trump’s tariffs are only just beginning to bite into the disposable income of american consumers. It’s also hard to avoid the conclusion that trump’s current breakup with Elon Musk is anything but undignified, and it besmirches much of their joint efforts to reduce the size of some government agencies. to many, the attack on bloat in the federal government was worthwhile and overdue; now, DOGE and the rest look much less serious. so the current troubles in Los angeles are probably just a harbinger of much more civic unrest around the country and massive retaliation by the current administration, both because it will boost trump’s powerful image and because it will distract voters from the damage to consumers’ disposable income that many of his policies and legislative proposals are certain to cause. What about the Democratic response to this chaotic government? Granted, the party goofed badly in propping up frail Joe Biden for months just last year at this time when they could have been actively holding primary elections for younger, much more robust leadership. But they didn’t.
What now? Maybe the answer can be found in 1991 and 2007. In 1991, the Us was winding up the first term of angular, courtly George hW Bush, the patrician Connecticut resident turned texan who had served for eight years as vice president to Ronald Reagan.
Winning his own presidency in 1989, Bush saw Reagan’s massive defence
spending surprisingly sink the UssR. he launched a quick, successful strike to expel Iraq’s saddam hussein from neighbouring Kuwait in what is now known as Operation Desert storm during the Persian Gulf War. Bush looked unbeatable. the Democrats were hopeless; they were leaderless. then the elder Bush unravelled. he uttered his famous “no new taxes; read my lips” remark – just before he signed off on large tax increases that facilitated the roaring ‘90s economic boom in the Us that eased the path for his successor. that successor was an obscure arkansas governor, Bill Clinton, of whom hardly anyone in Washington had ever heard before 1991. as Bush stumbled, Clinton soared to a nomination that few had sought, and then won the presidency and was easily reelected four years later. still charismatic despite sagging health, Clinton galvanized his party and the nation. then, 16 years later, another young, inspiring legislator emerged from the obscurity of the Illinois state senate to surge to an unexpected 2008 presidential nomination, victory and reelection. Barack Obama is still among the most admired americans a decade after leaving office and despite apparently spending much of his time enjoying the lifestyle of a jet-setting millionaire. here we are in 2025, shaken to the core by a president whose values do seem discordant and even unpatriotic. It falls to the Democrats to find and support candidates who will overturn slim GOP majorities in both houses of Congress next year and prevail in 2028 to begin the process of reversing the damage trump is daily inflicting on the country. are they up to the task? On two earlier occasions in recent memory, they turned to unknowns. the party and the country may have already soured on several prominent governors whose stars seemed ascendant just a year ago but who may be tarnished by their temporal association with the Biden calamity.
Newsom may be at the head of that group. But we aren’t hearing much these days about Pennsylvania governor Josh shapiro, Illinois governor J B Pritzker, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer or other Democratic Party ingenues of the recent past. Who is going to emerge?
Over 80 percent of trump’s second term remains. the clock is ticking.
— endurance of horrible conditions for the civilian population at home and an unbelievable amount of death suffered by its troops. and then eventually you just wear the other side down.”
“If I were Putin, I would be looking at how things are going in Europe and how quickly the dialogue about Russia is changing in Europe. trump has been very bad for Putin, by making Europeans understand that it’s possible that trump will simply
disengage and that the Us could just disappear.”
“Contemplating what that looks like for Ukraine, and for the rest of Europe while facing Putin, has actually caused a more productive, unprecedented discussion in Europe. It seems they’re now suddenly willing to pay more for defence. there’s discussion of peacekeeping troops. and that’s really bad for Putin. strategically, that’s terrible for Putin.”
A protester taunts a line of California National Guard protecting a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Monday.
Photo: eric thayer/AP
smoke covers the sky above the city following Russia’s massive missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday. Photo: efrem Lukatsky/AP
PMH Foundation donates $60k in equipment to help dialysis patients
DIA ly SIS patients are being helped thanks to a donation to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).
The donation, worth more than $60,000, was made by the PMH Foundation – with the goal of
improving patient care. Two dialysis machines worth more than $40,000 total were donated. In addition, ten oncology chairs worth more than $15,000 were donated to ensure patients are
Two men in court on separate charges of assaulting an officer
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
TWO men appeared in the Magistrate’s Court in separate cases involving the assault of police officers — one was cautioned after pleading guilty, while the other denied the charge and was granted bail ahead of trial.
Tafari Sweeting, 23, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux and admitted to assaulting a police officer around 2.30am on June 7 near the junction of West Bay Street and Atlantic Drive. He told the court he had been drinking at the time and expressed remorse.
Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux issued a caution, emphasising that intoxication is not a valid defence
for criminal behaviour. The court also heard that Sweeting had previously been charged with deceit of a police officer for failing to produce identification during the COVID-19 emergency orders. He had pleaded guilty in that matter, but prosecutors later discontinued the case. Sweeting told the court he is employed as a restaurant manager at Sapodilla. In a separate case, Omar Atkinson, 24, of Cowpen Road, was charged with assaulting Police Constable 4379 Varence while the officer was performing his duties around 7.45am on June 10. Atkinson pleaded not guilty. Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux granted him $1,000 bail and scheduled his trial for July 24.
Man charged with indecently assaulting 18-year-old woM an
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
A 39-yeAR-Old man has been granted $5,000 bail after being charged in Magistrate’s Court with indecently assaulting an 18-year-old woman.
Marco Neely, of Kemp Road, appeared before the court where he was formally charged with the indecent assault of Kendell
Mitchell. The alleged incident occurred on June 8, 2025. Neely pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was granted $5,000 bail with one or two suretors. As part of his bail conditions, he must sign in at the Central Police Station every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The matter was adjourned to October 14 for trial.
conditional discharge granted for two adults for having he Mp
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
TWO young adults were granted conditional discharges yesterday after pleading guilty to possession of Indian hemp during their appearance in the Magistrate’s Court.
Keva Smith, 23, of Native Trail Road, admitted to the offence and was ordered to make a $300 donation to the elizabeth estates Children’s Home or serve two months in prison. Her matter was adjourned
to June 16 for proof of payment.
Ryan Munroe, 25, of Fire Trail Road, also pleaded guilty and was granted a conditional discharge on the condition that he attend drug counselling and complete six months of probation. Failure to comply will result in a onemonth imprisonment at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDOCS). The court scheduled Munroe’s return for a progress report on November 14.
comfortable during treatment.
Paediatric equipment worth nearly $6,000 was also provided. The donation is part of continuing efforts by the PMH Foundation
to assist the hospital, said foundation chairman Prof Dr Magnus e kedede. For more information about the foundation, or to learn how to help, visit thepmhfoundation.org.
Beach Boys band leader
Brian Wilson dies at 82
NEW YORK Associated Press
Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader who helped compose and arrange “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and dozens of other summertime anthems and became one of the world’s most influential and admired musicians, has died at 82.
Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his website Wednesday. Further details weren’t immediately available. Since May 2024, Wilson had been under a court conservatorship to oversee his personal and medical affairs, with Wilson’s longtime representatives in charge.
The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers — Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums — he and his fellow Beach Boys rose from local act to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of the american dream. Wilson himself was celebrated for his beautiful music and pitied for his demons. He was one of rock’s great romantics, a tortured soul who in his peak years embarked on an eversteeper quest for aural perfection.
The Beach Boys rank among the most popular acts of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales of more than 100 million. 1966’s “Pet Sounds” was voted no. 2 in a 2003 rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums, losing out, as Wilson did from the start, to the Beatles’
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The Beach Boys, who also featured Wilson cousin Mike Love and family friend al Jardine, were voted into the rock & roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Fans ranged from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Katy Perry and Bob Dylan. The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, fantasized about joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCartney cited “Pet Sounds” as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and said the ballad “God Only Knows” often moved him to tears. Their music was like an ongoing party, with Wilson as mastermind and wallflower. He was a tall, shy man, partially deaf (allegedly because of beatings by his father, Murry Wilson), with a sweet, crooked grin, and he rarely touched a surfboard unless for publicity. But out of the lifestyle that he observed and such musical influences as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he devised a magical and durable soundscape — easy melodies, bright harmonies, vignettes of beaches, cars and girls that resonated worldwide.
Decades after its first release, a Beach Boys song can still conjure up instant summer — the wake-up guitar riff that opens “Surfin’ USa”; the melting harmonies of “Don’t Worry Baby”; the chants of “fun, fun, fun” or “good, good, GOOD, good vibrations”; the behind-the-wheel chorus “’round, ‘round, get around, i get around.” Beach Boys songs have
cheered on generations from iPods and boom boxes, radios and 8-track players, and any device that could be placed on a beach towel.
The Beach Boys’ innocent appeal survived changing trends and times and the group’s increasingly troubled backstory — Brian’s many personal trials; allegations of their father’s mismanagement and physical abuse; feuds and lawsuits; the alcoholism of Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983. Brian Wilson’s ambition took the Beach Boys into territory far beyond the simple pleasures of their early hits — transcendent, eccentric and destructive. They seemed to live out every fantasy, and every nightmare, of the California myth.
Brian Wilson was born June 20, 1942, two days after McCartney. His musical gifts were obvious and as a boy he was playing piano and teaching his brothers to sing harmony. The Beach Boys started as a neighbourhood act, rehearsing in Brian’s bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California. Surf music was catching on locally and Dennis, the group’s only real surfer, suggested they cash in. Brian and Love hastily wrote up their first single, “Surfin,’” a minor hit released in 1961. They wanted to call themselves the Pendletones, in honor of a popular shirt. But when they first saw the pressings for “Surfin,’” they discovered the record label had tagged them “The Beach
Boys.” Other decisions were handled by their father, a musician and apparent tyrant who hired himself as the manager and holy terror. By middecade, Murry Wilson had been displaced and Brian was in charge. Their breakthrough came in early 1963 with “Surfin’ USa,” so closely modelled on Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” that Berry successfully sued to get a songwriting credit. it was their first Top 10 hit and a boast to the nation: “if everybody had an ocean / across the USa / then everybody’d be surfin’, / like Cali-for-nyeay.” From 1963-66, they were rarely off the charts, hitting no. 1 with “i Get
around” and “Help Me, rhonda” and narrowly missing with “California Girls” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” For their many television appearances, they wore candy-striped shirts and grinned as they mimed their latest hit, with a hot rod or surfboard nearby. Wilson often contrasted his own bright falsetto with Love’s nasal, deadpan tenor. The extroverted Love was out front on the fast songs, but when it was time for a slow one, Brian often took over. “The Warmth of the Sun” was a song of despair and consolation that Wilson alleged — to some skepticism — he wrote the morning after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. “Don’t
Worry Baby,” a ballad equally intoxicating and heartbreaking, was a leading man’s confession of doubt and dependence, an early peek at Brian’s crippling insecurities. His first marriage, to singer Marilyn rovell, ended in divorce and he became estranged from daughters Carnie and Wendy, who would help form the pop trio Wilson Phillips. His life stabilized in 1995 with his marriage to Melinda Ledbetter, with whom he had daughters Daria and Delanie. He also reconciled with Carnie and Wendy and they sang together on the 1997 album “The Wilsons.” Melinda Ledbetter died in 2024.
“No More Silence: Confronting the Rise of Sexual Assault Against Minors in The Bahamas”
Over the past several years, The Bahamas has witnessed a troubling rise in reported sexual assaults involving minors. Alarmingly, many of these assaults are perpetrated not by strangers, but by family members, trusted friends, and individuals in positions of authority Behind every statistic lies a child whose life has been irrevocably altered. We must urgently address the failures in our system that not only allow such abuse to occur but also re-traumatize victims seeking justice.
Understanding Sexual Assault in Bahamian Law
In The Bahamas, sexual assault is addressed under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 1991. While the term “sexual assault” is not used explicitly, the law outlines a range of criminal offenses that protect individuals—especially minors—from sexual violence and exploitation.
Key Definitions Under Bahamian Law: Rape: Non-consensual sexual intercourse with someone who is not your spouse. Consent obtained by threats, fear, impersonation, or fraud is not valid. Marital rape is recognized only under certain legal conditions (e.g., separation or divorce decrees).
• Unlawful Sexual Intercourse (USI): Engaging in sexual intercourse with a person under 16 is illegal, regardless of consent. Particularly, children under 14 are considered completely unable to consent.
• Indecent Assault: Any act of indecency against another person without their consent.
• Sexual Intercourse with a Dependent: Engaging in sexual relations with someone under your guardianship—such as a foster child, stepchild, or ward—is illegal, even if the minor appears to consent.
• Sexual Harassment: Any unwanted sexual conduct, including advances, especially in workplaces, schools, or institutions.
Mandatory Reporting: Teachers, doctors, guardians, and other professionals are legally obligated to report suspected abuse of minors.
This legal framework exists to protect vulnerable persons, especially children. Yet, enforcement, sensitivity, and awareness remain serious challenges..
The Numbers Tell a Disturbing Truth
Recent data from the Royal Bahamas Police Force reveals a concerning pattern:
While 2021 showed a temporary drop, the numbers have continued to climb. In 2023, 66% of USI victims were under the age of 14. And these numbers reflect only the reported cases. Studies consistently show that a significant majority of child sexual abuse cases remain hidden.
The Broken Road to Justice
When a child speaks out, they are too often met with shame, disbelief, or accusations of lying. In court, they are treated like criminals, not victims—forced to endure harsh cross-examinations without the support of trained sexual trauma professionals.
We must ask: Why aren’t Sexual Assault therapists or trauma-informed specialists testifying on behalf of these children? Their voices could bring clarity, credibility, and compassion to a deeply flawed process.
The Need for Safe Spaces
We must build safe, stigma-free environments where children and their families can tell the truth without fear. Healing begins not in isolation but through compassionate community and professional support.
Even with increased reports, many more children suffer in silence. Shame protects the abuser. Fear disables the survivor. We must change that.
Realistic Solutions for Change
For Victims & Families:
• Establish free, confidential trauma therapy centers with certified SA counselors.
• Provide court advocates to guide victims and families through legal processes.
• Implement school-based reporting systems with trained child welfare professionals.
• Create peer and professional healing programs for long-term recovery.
For the Government:
• Pass legislation requiring SA therapist evaluations and expert testimony in child abuse cases. Establish Children’s Justice Units in courts and police stations with trauma-informed officers.
• Launch public awareness campaigns to destigmatize reporting.
• Require sensitivity training for police, prosecutors, and judges.
For Perpetrators and Prevention:
• Enforce rehabilitation programs for convicted offenders.
• Introduce age-appropriate consent and boundary education in schools.
• Strengthen post-release monitoring for known offenders.
A Shared Responsibility
This crisis touches us all—as survivors, parents, educators, clergy, and citizens. We must shift from silence to support, fear to action, shame to justice. Let us rise to this challenge. Let us build a Bahamas where no child is afraid to speak their truth, and no victim is condemned for surviving. A society that silences its children cannot claim to be just. Let us be the voice they need—until they are strong enough to speak for themselves. Antionette Rolle is the President of the Delete Negativity Foundation, a non-profit based in The Bahamas and Canada, and the author of “21 Advice & Encouragement for Single Parents & Their Children.” She advocates for child protection and justice reform, drawing from personal experience witnessing the mishandling of a minor victim in court.
Musician Brian Wilson poses for a portrait at his home in Los Angeles on July 28, 2008. Photo: Matt sayles/AP
180 years of faith
By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
FOR 180 years, St Agnes Anglican
Church has been a spiritual anchor for generations of Bahamians. As an enduring house of worship for nearly two centuries, that parish celebrates its anniversary having shaped the lives of congregants and the community.
The historic church has begun its celebrations of what it is calling a “goodly heritage” with several events and activities, all open to the general public.
Celebrations have kicked off with a bang according to a representative from the church, with a walk-a-thon highlighting the benefits of healthy living, and a spelling bee to continue its commitment to encourage and support young people.
The church also recently hosted its homecoming service.
Next up on the church’s celebrations will its gospel concert on June 22 at St John’s College beginning at 6pm. Also on the church’s schedule is its grand ball on June 28 at Baha Mar. The event is said to be a celebration of the rich history of the church. And on July 3, the church’s history will be displayed at The Mall At Marathon.
Founded in 1845, St Agnes was established to provide African Bahamians with a place to worship during a time when segregation heavily influenced religious life in The Bahamas. Known affectionately as “the cathedral over the hill”, it quickly grew into more than a church — it became a cornerstone of Grants Town and a safe haven of faith, education, and fellowship.
Consecrated by Bishop Aubrey Spence, the original church began as a modest wooden structure. Over time, and in the face of many challenges, including hurricanes and structural reconstructions, it evolved into a majestic Gothic Revival landmark.
Its stained-glass windows, sweeping arches, and sacred chancel are not only testaments to fine craftsmanship
but to the strength and spiritual devotion of its members, past and present.
Now, in 2025, St Agnes Anglican Church is commemorating its 180th anniversary with a year-long celebration that reflects both gratitude and growth.
Under the leadership of Archdeacon Keith Cartwright, the church remains a dynamic parish, embracing both its rich traditions and its future potential.
Throughout the anniversary year, the church will host a robust calendar of events designed to honour its legacy while inviting new and returning members into the fold.
Plans include spiritual services, cultural showcases, musical performances, and community outreach efforts all aimed at fostering deeper connections and celebrating a faith that has endured through nearly two centuries. There is more to come for the church.
What makes this celebration especially poignant is the role St Agnes has played in preserving identity and fostering resilience.
In times of social change, natural disasters, and national transformation, the church has remained steady uplifting its people, providing space for dialogue, and helping bridge generational divides, the church representative said.
For many, St Agnes represents more than worship. It is a place where life’s milestones are marked christenings, confirmations, weddings, and farewells. It is where traditions are passed down, where voices rise in praise, and where the history of a people is quietly etched into every hymn and every stone.
As the 180th anniversary unfolds, the message from the church is simple but profound: “Everyone is welcome. Whether you are a lifelong parishioner, a former member returning home, or someone searching for spiritual connection, the doors of St Agnes remain open.”
For details on upcoming events and to follow the anniversary journey, visit stagnesgt.org or follow St Agnes Anglican Church on Facebook.
THE SUMMERS SPENT AT VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
By ALESHA CADET
Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net
FOR many of us who grew up on the island, summertime wasn’t just about beach days and mango trees. It was also about Vacation Bible School, or VBS as we fondly called it. Those couple of weeks each summer were a vibrant mix of Bible stories, catchy memory verses, crafts made with love, the joy of seeing familiar faces, and making new friends.
Long before social media, it was one of the few times
during the school break that children from different churches and settlements would gather all in one place. For some, it was the highlight of the summer.
“It was the one time I didn’t need a uniform but still had somewhere important to go,” said Sakina Rolle, as she recalled her childhood summers on the island of Eleuthera.
Vacation Bible School was usually held during the mornings, and for many parents, it was a welcomed break knowing their children were somewhere safe, learning about God, and
having a blast. When it wasn’t “This Little Light of Mine”, it was “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy” echoing through the sanctuary or under the open-air tents first thing in the morning. Moreover, there was always a memory verse challenge. And the prize?
A sticker or a sweet treat that somehow felt like a gold medal.
“I use to look forward to this every year. Always so much fun; singing, games, the orange popsicles and the fruit punch. I use to love to do the arts and crafts and sing about Jesus. I would go
to the same one every year. It was something I looked forward. I also loved hearing about the stories about the characters in the bible and learning about their lives,” said Carlita Jones.
She said the scriptures she learned back then are still with her today. And now as an adult parent, she sends her own children to VBS.
“One verse that stuck with me is Proverbs 3:5‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ I learned that when I was probably around 10,” said
Carlita. Another VBS attendee, Melissa Brown, recalled the arts and crafts sessions as the highlight.
“Paper plate halos, macaroni crosses, and handpainted Bible bookmarks always made their way home with me. I remember making a Noah’s Ark out of cardboard and Popsicle sticks. I was so proud of it. Then there were the snacks; ice cups, peanut butter sandwiches, and the occasional hot dog day, which somehow made it all feel like a festival.
And of course, the final day program was a big deal. Parents came out to watch us recite verses and perform skits about the Good Samaritan or David and Goliath. It was our moment to shine,” said Melissa.
Even though times have changed, it may be fewer children that may attend now, and some churches have downsized or modernized their approach, all the memories remain unforgettable. A reminder of a simpler time when faith was woven into our childhood routines, one Bible verse and friendship at a time.
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CALL FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN
By PETER SMITH Associated Press
SOUTHERN Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed a ban on samesex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the US Supreme Court’s 10-yearold precedent legalising it nationwide.
They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing.
The votes on Tuesday came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
The wide-ranging resolution doesn’t use the word “ban”, but it left no room for legal same-sex marriage in calling for the “overturning of laws and
court rulings, including Obergefell v Hodges, that defy God’s design for marriage and family”. Further, the resolution affirmatively calls “for laws that affirm marriage between one man and one women”. A reversal of the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision wouldn’t in and of itself amount to a nationwide ban. At the time of that ruling, 36 states had already legalised same-sex marriage, and support remains strong in many areas. However, if the convention got its wish, not only would Obergefell be overturned, but so would every law and court ruling that affirmed same-sex marriage.
There was no debate on the marriage resolution. That in itself is not surprising in the solidly conservative denomination,
which has long defined marriage as between one man and one woman. However, it marks an especially assertive step in its call for the reversal of a decade-old Supreme Court ruling, as well as any other legal pillars to same-sex marriage in law and court precedent.
The marriage issue was incorporated into a much larger resolution on marriage and family — one that calls for civil law to be based on what the convention says is the divinely created order as stated in the Bible.
The resolution says legislators have a duty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture”.
The same resolution calls for recognising “the biological reality of male and
female” and opposes “any law or policy that compels people to speak falsehoods about sex and gender”.
It urges Christians to “embrace marriage and childbearing” and to see children “as blessings rather than burdens”.
But it also frames that issue as one of public policy. It calls for “for renewed moral clarity in public discourse regarding the crisis of declining fertility and for policies that support the bearing and raising of children within intact, married families”.
It laments that modern culture is “pursuing willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate”, echoing a growing subject of discourse on the religious and political right.
The pornography resolution, which had no debate, calls such material destructive, addictive and exploitive and says
governments have the power to ban it. The sports betting resolution draws on Southern Baptists’ historic opposition to gambling. It called sports betting “harmful and predatory”. One pastor urged an amendment to distinguish between low-stakes, recreational gambling and predatory, addictive gambling activities. But his proposed amendment failed.
Andrew Walker, chair of the Committee on Resolutions, said that the marriage resolution shows that Southern Baptists aren’t going along with the widespread social acceptance of same-sex marriage. But Walker, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, acknowledged that a realistic rollback strategy would require incremental steps, such as seeking to overturn Obergefell.
“I’m clear-eyed about the difficulties and the headwinds in this resolution,” he said. The two-day annual meeting began with praise sessions and optimistic reports about growing numbers of baptisms. But casting a pall over the gathering is the recent death of one of the most high-profile whistleblowers in the Southern Baptists’ scandal of sexual abuse.
Jennifer Lyell, a onetime denominational publishing executive who went public in 2019 with allegations that she had been sexually abused by a seminary professor while a student, died on Saturday at 47. She “suffered catastrophic strokes,” a friend and fellow advocate, Rachael Denhollander, posted on X. Friends reported the backlash Lyell received after going public with her report took a devastating toll on her.