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Volume:114 No.139, JUNE 13TH, 2017

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WOMAN: AUTHOR SEEKS TO CHANGE WOMEN’S ATTITUDE WITH NEW BOOK

Murders up 22 per cent Dames says NIA has been disbanded and detection rate has been decreasing THERE have been 66 murders so far this year, representing a 22 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2016, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames told the House of Assembly last night.

Mr Dames also revealed that the government has disbanded the former administration’s controversial National Intelligence Agency (NIA)—which was operating without a legal framework since its inception.

He said whenever the NIA is mentioned again, it will be once laws are in place to govern it, adding that the former structure was an intelligence agency by name only.

“According to the latest figures by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, as of today’s date (Monday) there are 66 murders for this year, an increase of 22 per cent compared to the same time last year,” Mr Dames said during his contribution to the budget debate.

“The murder count has exceeded 100 for each of the last five years. In fact, in 2015 the country recorded 146 murders, the most in its history. We also noticed an inverse relationship between the murder rate and the detection rate.

In other words, as murder rates have been increasing, detection rates have been decreasing.”

TWO FACE COURT AFTER KILLINGS IN THE CAPITAL

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net OFFICIAL Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday questioned the basis of the government’s filing a notice of intent to drop its appeal of the landmark Supreme Court ruling on parliamentary privilege concerning former Cabinet minister Jerome Fitzgerald as he insisted that the move is “payback”.

Speaking on a matter of privilege in the House of Assembly, Mr Davis was adamant that his privilege as a member of Parliament had been “egregiously” breached by the government’s action, as he called on House Speaker D Halson Moultrie to investigate the matter.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

FITZGERALD RULES OUT PRIVATE APPEAL

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net JEROME Fitzgerald, former minister of Education, Science and Technology, yesterday indicated that he would not be making a private appeal of the Supreme Court ruling on parliamentary privilege as he confirmed his plans to leave frontline politics.

Mr Fitzgerald told The Tribune that his 15 years of public service were both an honour and a privilege, recalling his tenure as deputy chairman of the former College of the Bahamas, senator, MP and Cabinet minister.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

SEE PAGE SIX

SEX ASSAULT ON CANADIAN WOMAN BY JETSKI OPERATOR A CANADIAN woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Jet Ski operator near Paradise Island yesterday afternoon, according to police.

The incident took place shortly after 1.30pm on a cay near Cabbage Beach.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the victim alleged that a male Jet Ski operator took her on a ride from Cabbage Beach to a cay off Paradise Island

DAVIS: WAS IT PAYBACK TO DROP APPEAL?

where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.

An employee of the Atlantis resort who was on the beach shortly after the alleged incident told The Tribune he saw the woman, who appeared to be in her late 20s crying and shaking in the sand.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said the woman could barely speak when he saw her on Cabbage Beach.

SEE PAGE SIX

SAFE THOUGHT TO BE TARGET IN FORKLIFT RAID

RICARDO RUSSELL, 28, left, and Ronald Nottage, 45, right, who both appeared in court yesterday accused over separate murders.

Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net TWO men were remanded to prison yesterday after being arraigned in connection with two separate murders that occurred in the capital last week.

Wanted suspect 45-yearold Ronald Nottage was brought before Chief Magistrate Joyann FergusonPratt accused of intentionally causing the death of Valdrise Bowleg on June 7.

He was charged with

murder under Section 291 (1)(B) of the Penal Code.

A charge under this section does not attract the discretionary death penalty if a conviction is reached at the end of trial.

According to police reports, shortly after 12.30am on the day in question, police received information that a woman had been found by her neighbours stabbed to death at her home on Peter Street.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found the lifeless body of a woman

with multiple stab wounds.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt informed the accused that he would not be allowed to enter a plea until he is formally arraigned before a judge in the Supreme Court as his case would be fast-tracked to the higher court.

This would occur through service of a voluntary bill of indictment, scheduled for July 20.

SEE PAGE NINE

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By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE would-be thieves who broke into the Department of Customs’ warehouse over the weekend were attempting to steal a safe containing thousands of dollars and customs receipt books, according to a source close to the government agency.

The source said customs officials suspect the robbery was an “inside job” because the intruders cut the wires to security cameras and ripped some of the building’s hidden cameras out of the ceiling.

SEE PAGE SIX

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

SANDYPORT Poop Deck Eages Golf Club donated $30,000 to six charitable organisations - $5,000 each - on Friday. The groups to receive the funds were the Children’s Emergency Hostel, Special Olympics, Elizabeth Estates Children’s Home, Rotary Club of Abaco, Diabetes Awareness and Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group. Pictured above and below are some of the groups receiving their funds.

Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

Golf club donates $30,000 to benefit six Bahamas charities THE Sandyport Poop Deck Eagles Golf Club announced on Friday that it has committed to donating $30,000 to various charities this year as part of its longstanding community outreach.

The club was created 15 years ago as a way to not only enjoy the game of golf but also to use the sport to help others.

Over the years, the club has donated more than $350,000 to charities through the game of golf.

“The 65 plus members are proud of their support of the many charities they have helped over the years,”

a press release noted.

This year the group will donate $5,000 each to the following organisations: Diabetes Awareness, Rotary Club of Abaco, Elizabeth Estates Children’s Home, Children’s Emergency Hostel, Special Olympics and Sister, Sister Breast Cancer Support Group.

“This was really important for us to do,” said Freddie Lightbourn, general manager of The Poop Deck at Sandyport. “The Poop Deck Eagles is a club that wants to help the community we live in any way we can and hopefully we can continue to do this every year.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 13, 2017, PAGE 3

CUBANS STRANDED FOR TWO WEEKS ON ISLAND DETAINED

NINE Cuban migrants stranded nearly two weeks on a cay in the Cay Sal Bank were spotted and rescued by the United States Coast Guard and taken to Grand Bahama on Saturday.

According to an immigration official, the migrants had left Villa Clara, Cuba, for the US on May 28 on a rustic vessel, but developed engine trouble and were forced to seek refuge on a cay.

They were spotted on Friday, June 9, by the US Coast Guard and taken aboard the USCG Cutter William

SOME of the Cuban migrants detained after being spotted on Cay Sal Bank.

Trump which arrived at Freeport Harbour around 5pm on Saturday.

Immigration officer Napthali Cooper reported that the migrants – all men – were taken to the Department of Immigration where they were processed and examined by a medical team from the Disease Surveillance Unit of the Public Hospitals Authority.

Mr Cooper said the migrants were flown to New Providence on Monday and would be detained at the Detention Centre to await repatriation.

Govt to review problems in rollout at Road Traffic

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE Minnis administration is conducting an “entire review” of what went wrong with the former Christie administration’s controversial rollout of the Road Traffic Department’s digital automated system, Transport and Local Government Minister Frankie Campbell said yesterday.

Mr Campbell, during his contribution to the budget debate, said he is presently investigating “all that took place” and led to the confusion surrounding the October 2016 rollout, adding that the findings of the review “will be made public” and that “accountability will be first and foremost in my mind”.

Mr Campbell said while he is “satisfied” that the system “was and is a good idea,” he remains “concerned about the manner in which it was initially executed.” Nonetheless, the Southern Shores MP said the system has the potential for “greater operational

MINISTER of Transport and Local Government Frankie Campbell. and revenue collection effi- that the new electronic sysciency for the department”. tem would make it easier The former Christie for persons to licence their administration officially vehicles and put an end to rolled out its heavily tout- having to register the same ed, $8m digital automated vehicle every year.

At the time of the launch, system in October, hoping

Photo: Derek Smith/BIS however, scores of disgruntled motorists condemned the registration process, calling it “utter chaos”. Motorists interviewed by The Tribune at the time said a major source

of contention was the lack of direction displayed at every stage of the registration process.

So bad were the long lines and chaos associated with the registration process, that the Road Traffic Department (RTD) was forced to implement a sixday work week until it could get a handle on the crowds of angry motorists.

“While the automated system may have intended to be customer oriented, it created more stress for the customers that it intended to serve,” Mr Campbell said on Monday. “There were long lines for days, there were endless complaints throughout social media and talk show radio. While I’m satisfied that the system itself was and is a good idea, I remain concerned about the manner in which it was initially executed.

“However, in fairness, I must say among the positive features of the system are the capabilities for greater operational and revenue collection efficiency for the department.”

Mr Campbell also an-

nounced that the following RTD locations have become fully automated: Carmichael Road in New Providence; as well as offices in Freeport, Grand Bahama; Governor’s Harbour, Rock Sound, Lower Bogue, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells in Eleuthera; and Marsh Harbour, Cooper’s Town and Sandy Point in Abaco.

Mr Campbell also said that each month from July until October this year, the RTD tentatively plans to roll out the automated system in other Family Islands.

The total amount allocated for the digital automated system was $8,371,908, according to Mr Campbell.

He said the exact amount spent thus far on the project would have to be provided by the Ministry of Finance, which maintains responsibility for the project.

Estimated costs for the rollout process in the remaining Family Islands are $193,120.52 for “hardware and other equipment,” and $93,060 for “travel and accommodations for persons installing the system,” the Southern Shores MP said.

PRISON MANUFACTURE OF LICENCE PLATES BEGAN AT END OF MAY

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

tored into the production of the plates are $350,000, he said.

In March, Mr Campbell’s THE manufacturing of predecessor, former Minisvehicle licence plates by in- ter of Transport and Aviamates at the Bahamas De- tion Glenys Hanna Martin, partment of Correctional said the manufacturing of Services officially began licence plates by inmates last month, Minister of would begin by the first Transport and Local Gov- week in May. ernment Frankie Campbell At the time, she said sevsaid yesterday. eral persons at the Fox Hill Mr Campbell, during his Road facility had already contribution to the budget been identified as suitable debate, said he has been candidates to participate informed that the initiative and be paid for participatbegan on May 29 with the ing in the programme, with production of “duplicate 15 to 20 inmates expected plates,” and that all of the to take part in the operation relevant licence plate equip- in its initial stages. ment, computer hardware At the time, Mrs Hanna and software have already Martin said the Fox Hill been installed and are fully Road compound did not operational. yet have all of the necessary Public service licence equipment to start the manplates are also currently ufacturing process. As a rebeing manufactured, Mr sult, she said US company Campbell said. He added John R Wald Inc, which has that the training of manag- 92 years experience in the ers and inmates was com- business, was to continue pleted before the system’s producing plates on a temlaunch. porary basis until such time The estimated total as the BDCS could manamount to pay 20 inmates age full production of the to produce the plates is plates. $124,800. It has not been It is unclear whether the specified if that figure rep- company is still producresents how much it would ing plates on a temporary cost to pay those inmates basis for the government. per annum, however, if bro- However, Mr Campbell did ken down to represent in- say that the company was dividual salaries, the 20 in- selected to provide the softmates would receive $6,240 ware and equipment for the each. new licence plate plant.

The total cost of the “This joint venture beequipment, software and tween the Ministry of hardware for the licence National Security via the plate system is $750,000, Mr Bahamas Department of Campbell said, while the Corrections, the Road annual maintenance of the Traffic Department and the system will cost $75,000. Ministry of Finance, is part Additional costs not yet fac- of the rehabilitation process Tuesday, 13th June 2017

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of inmates and is a good example of cross ministries cooperating,” Mr Campbell said. “It is also aimed at eliminating the deficiencies that exist in the previous systems of licence plate production while providing an income source for inmates in their rehabilitation process pre their return as productive citizens of society. This effort also provides the department with the opportunity to create a new registry of vehicles traversing our streets.”

Mr Campbell also announced that licence plates for up to June are presently available at the Road Traffic Department, and that he has asked his “colleague,” presumably National Security Minister Marvin Dames, to ask “law enforcement officers, particularly the police, to address those vehicles that are driving around without licence plates.”

“The plates are here, officers listening to me, go ahead and issue the nec-

essary tickets,” he said.

“There are no excuses for persons to be driving around without plates.

“I’m also advised that if there is an instance in the future where there are no new plates available, that persons are asked to continue with the existing plates on their vehicle, with a receipt showing that they have paid for the new sets of plates to show to law enforcement officers who may stop them.

“So from this point on,

there should be no reason for anyone driving throughout The Bahamas without licence plates.”

The decision to allow inmates to manufacture vehicle licence plates, similar to the US prison system, is a key element of the government’s strategy to equip inmates with marketable skills during their sentences, thus improving their prospects for obtaining a job or starting their own businesses when they are released back into society.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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All eyes on Dames and Ferreira EVERY member of the new Cabinet of The Bahamas from the Prime Minister to the most junior Minister of State faces tough times with tight budgets to manage and largely unimaginative cultures to inspire. But for the first time in our nation’s history we have two Cabinet ministers in key posts who are professionally prepared for the roles they occupy, roles their predecessors were not but were assigned in the hopes that they would have the courage or wisdom to lead.

Marvin Dames, a highly intelligent, thoughtful and well-educated former member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force once considered for the position of Commissioner, is now Minister of National Security. Ellison Greenslade, who was chosen over Mr. Dames to lead the RBPF, now reports to his former colleague. While that will be an interesting dynamic to follow, it is of far less importance than what Mr. Dames brings to his gargantuan task. On the force, Dames earned the respect of fellow officers and was known for being no-nonsense, particularly when it came to corruption. Now we will watch Mr. Dames as he attempts to get a skyrocketing crime problem under control. He is wise enough to know that only part of it can be handled by police. Much of what breeds crime is economically, socially, family- and community-based.

We like what we see so far. Dames has spoken little, does not seem to desire the spotlight, but has teams of officers in a show of force at checkpoints throughout the island day and night. Their presence makes a statement that failure to obey the law whether by lack of current vehicle registration or an unlicensed firearm will no longer be tolerated and every violation carries a price. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis could not have selected a better prepared person for this allimportant mission, to make Bahamian citizens and residents understand that regardless of what happened before or what they thought they could get away with on school grounds, in gang-related activities, or at Customs or Immigration, a new day has dawned and the rule of law will be respected and obeyed.

The other Cabinet post that we find especially meaningful and refreshing is that of Minister of Environment and Housing the Hon. Romauld Ferreira.

Mr. Ferreira must find the courage and strength to stand up to his peers in Cabinet and demand that matters of the environment be trusted to the Ministry of Environment. This plunges him into uncharted territory. In the past, projects that stood to greatly impact the environment were largely the domain of the Office of the Prime Minister or the Ministry of Public Works with the former heading up discussions and decisions about Crown Land, Heads of Agreement and major developments, and the latter handling details of Physical Planning, Town Planning and building permits. What was left to the Ministry of the Environment under the last two ministers, Earl Deveaux and Kenred Dorsett, was the crumbs. They had to explain to an upset or angry public why a project was allowed to go through when it pushed Bahamians off their land like Guana Cay or did extensive and irreparable marine environmental damage like Bimini. If Ferreira settles for the same role his predecessors endured, we will all be in for another five years of watching the environment that makes The Bahamas what it is be slowly torn apart, another five years of watching coral reefs destroyed and fish, crawfish and conch habitats in wetlands dimin-

ish, another five years of more emphasis on concrete buildings than on building communities with parks and green spaces, another five years of antiquated, expensive and unreliable energy sources when better is available.

We don’t believe Romauld Ferreira will let that happen, but he may have to fight hard for the right to take responsibility for environmental matters up front and not settle for explaining what went wrong after the fact.

It is so important that it bears repeating - for the first time in the history of The Bahamas, the country whose most prominent feature is its environment, we have a Cabinet Minister whose training and professional life have prepared him for the task and the responsibility. Mr. Ferreira is not merely an environmental advocate. For three decades he has lived, breathed and worked in the environmental field, first in hands-on jobs, later in environmental law. Ferreira earned a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Ecology and Chemistry from the University of the West Indies in 1990, worked for Department of Marine Resources for four years in coral reef, wetlands and aqua animal protection and conservation, then went to BEC as its Environmental Officer for six years. It was there he saw such troubling practices, that his fear for the waters of The Bahamas drove him to study law. He earned an LL.B with Honours from the University of London, was called to the UK Bar from Lincoln’s Inn, and was admitted to the Bahamas Bar in 2001.

Just as Marvin Dames is so aptly suited to be Minister of National Security, Romauld Ferreira is ideal for the post to which he was appointed and for that, we congratulate the Prime Minister on his selection. We do not believe there is another person in this country better suited to be Minister of Environment, nor would it be easy to find anyone in the region with the qualifications that Mr. Ferreira has. We expect from him the same passion in government he displayed as a private citizen at town hall meetings with residents of Marathon who were kept in the dark about the Rubis oil leak poisoning their water supply. We hope that environmental advocacy organisations like the Bahamas National Trust and Save The Bays will stand with Mr. Ferreira and lend him the support he will need to move his agenda, including signing off on the long-awaited North Bimini Marine Reserve.

It will not be easy, but Mr. Ferreira has the capability to do what has to be done if he does not fall into that slippery place where things continue to get done as they always were. Decisions about the dispensation and use of Crown Land can no longer be in the sole hands of a single person, the Prime Minister. There must be expanded public consultation on any proposed project, not lip service with the government arriving laden with documents and maps and informing people about what is going to happen, but actually engaging the public that will be affected to participate in the discussion at the start.

The Bahamian public will be watching Mr. Dames and Mr. Ferreira closely.

From them much is expected and much can be delivered to reshape this nation in the most positive way. One is responsible for the respect we show one another; the other is responsible for the respect we show the physical world around us, the air we breathe, the water we treasure, the land we love. We wish them both great success. Ultimately, they hold our future in their hands and we will hold their feet to the fire.

Minnis’ ZNS speech EDITOR, The Tribune.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ speech at ZNS and BIS was, in my view, a political classic. The staff at ZNS, long held to be the epicentre of political victimisation, was admonished

by Minnis in no uncertain terms that political victimisation will not be tolerated under his watch, whether by PLP or FNM. Assessment of staff and management will be based on performance, professionalism and punctuality, not political affiliation. FNMs at ZNS will be held to the same standard as PLPs. Minnis’ statement that he does not care if you are PLP or FNM was classic.

His speech was nearly on par with Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream, Ronald Reagan’s Tear

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Down This Wall, Jawaharlal Nehru’s Awake to Freedom, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Only Thing We have to Fear, Winston Churchill’s The Few and Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech. Minnis has often been criticised by opponents for not being able to speak well. In my estimation, he gave one of the greatest speeches ever in The Bahamas. The thing which stood out regarding Minnis’ speech was not its oratorical style or theatrics, or lack thereof; what stood out was its substance.

I believe this speech defines his prime ministership. Gone are the days

Time to act EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE country’s finances are in a mess, the people of The Bahamas know this.

One of the reasons we now have a new government is because the Bahamian people were tired of the wanton waste of the former administration.

The Bahamian taxpayer is already burdened with in excess of $7 billion in debt, which can only be reduced through additional taxes on the Bahamian people. Why must the current administration continue to add insult to injury by continuing to agree to pay multiplied millions for

what were clearly the preelection political ploys of the PLP? In my opinion, every government contract, hire or deal that does not provide an obvious positive cost-benefit ratio to the Bahamian people should be suspended for review or cancelled.

Hundreds of undeserved promotions for the civil service, 6,500 added to the workforce at the public’s expense, NHI and other white elephants will significantly strain the public purse and speed this nation along the path to financial ruin. The rape and pillage of the Public Treasury should, in my opinion, be seen as criminal

Is this tow truck operation a scam?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I THINK someone needs to investigate what appears to be a scam being operated by a tow truck driver who hangs around the downtown area and others whom I suspect are police officers.

Every day of the week this guy tows at least ten or more cars and stashes them in the vacant lot at the

western end of Dowdeswell Street. He even chains the wheels of the cars so even if the owner finds their car they can’t drive it away unless they pay. The tow truck operator apparently has some sort of thin metal strap which he slides down between the car window and the door by which he is able to open the door then the hood to disconnect the

battery. This has to be illegal. If the driver and one cop split a towing fee of eighty dollars for each car they’re probably each pulling in at least two thousand a week.

I would report this to the police if I thought they would do something but maybe if you published this they might be more inclined to investigate it and some

of political cronyism and political patronage. Under Minnis, meritocracy is the order of the day. Everyone will now have to pull their weight. According to the government, the days of largesse are over. Minnis is the prime minister of every Bahamian, whether they are FNM, PLP, DNA or independent. All will be treated equally and fairly. Minnis’ speech was a breath of fresh air to a nation which has become accusmtomed to political tribalism and political witch hunts. PLPs need not fear political victimisation under Minnis. I sincerely believe he means what he says, and says what he means when he said the days of victimisation are over.

KEVIN EVANS June 11, 2017.

of the victims might be encouraged to come forward and make an official complaint without fear of victimisation.

This sort of thing is nothing short of daylight robbery.

TIRED OF THE CROOKEDNESS Nassau, June 12, 2017.

A CAR locked up with chains.

and treated with that same contempt.

By continuing the unsustainable waste of the former administration it is clear the current administration is already playing politics by trying to placate the undeserving beneficiaries of the former government’s generosity. This is preposterous.

The Bahamian people are tired of talk, it is time for action. We expect the present government to act in our best interest by not continuing to fund the waste of the former one.

JB Nassau, June12, 2017.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 13, 2017, PAGE 5

Foreign service staff told to be ready to end roles by late July

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield yesterday revealed that his office has requested that all foreign service workers appointed by the Christie administration “tie up their offices” by late July, as the Minnis administration prepares to soon name their replacements.

Admitting that there is no clear timeline in place for any official transition, the North Abaco MP in a brief interview outside of Parliament Monday, said his office has already received “customary” letters of res-

ignation from most of the foreign workers appointed by the former government.

“We have not yet determined who will be appointed to our foreign missions, but we have received, as customary (and) as conventions require, those who were appointed by the former government, ambassadors and the like, to have sent their resignations,” Mr Henfield told reporters during the House of Assembly’s lunch recess yesterday. “… Those have been accepted by the prime minister,” he added. “We are going to in short order, the budget is before us, we have to determine the budget before we move on to other

business. That is what we are in the process of doing at the moment.”

Last month, shortly after the Free National Movement (FNM) was elected to office, party Chairman Sidney Collie indicated that the FNM would begin making appointments to government boards, committees and diplomatic posts in two to three weeks.

Mr Collie, a member of the administration’s transition team, at that time said the party’s “first order of business” was to get to Parliament and approve its initial budget; subsequent to which the party had proposed to make its appointments.

The government com-

menced debate on the 20172018 Budget last Wednesday.

The party plans to borrow more than $720m to cover a period of two fiscal cycles - $322,462,707m will be borrowed for the 2017-2018 budget cycle and $400m to satisfy expenditure for 2016-2017 budget.

Mr Henfield yesterday said his ministry had already commenced a “proper manpower assessment” of the foreign service to determine whether it has made “judicious” use of its past allocations.

He suggested that the possibility does exist for downsizing in the foreign service, highlighting the existence of “superfluous” and

unmerited contracted workers throughout the service.

“There are some superfluous staff, attaches and the like, that I have asked the technical teams to look at through a proper manpower assessment to see whether or not we were making judicious use of the public expense and some of them we will ask to return,” stated Mr Henfield.

He continued: “We will seek to use foreign service workers instead of contracted workers in positions that we think that they can fill.

It is what they are trained to do and we think that we can get more mileage out of them in that regard rather than contracting people

to be used in the foreign service as attaches and the like.”

When it served as the Official Opposition, the FNM was very outspoken on the Progressive Liberal Party’s appointments.

Then shadow minister of foreign affairs, former St Anne’s MP Hubert Chipman raised concerns about the former government’s diplomatic appointments, referring to the administration’s approach to them as “drip, drip, helter-skelter announcements.”

Several diplomatic posts went unfilled for more than a year.

The new fiscal year will begin July 1.

BRENSIL ROLLE, MP for Garden Hills is pictured speaking in The House of Assembly yesterday during the budget debate.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff

ROLLE SAYS DAVIS CLAIMS ARE BREACH OF PRIVILEGE

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

BRENSIL Rolle, State Minister for the Public Service, did not depart from his assertions yesterday regarding public sector hiring and the ballooning of the government’s payroll under the Christie administration despite Official Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis insisting the claims were unfounded.

Mr Rolle, who also has responsibility for the National Insurance Board, said the rebuttal from Mr Davis was a breach of his parliamentary privilege.

Last week in the House of Assembly, Mr Rolle told parliamentarians that 6,500 new public service workers were employed under the former administration and that the government’s payroll increased by $10m in that administration’s final five months through new employment.

But on Sunday, Mr Davis sent The Tribune a written statement in which he forcefully rejected the assertions calling them “untrue” and “groundless”.

The remarks led members of Parliament to engage in a lengthy back and forth during the morning session yesterday, ultimately leading House Speaker D Halson Moultrie to rule that the matter would be placed before the Committee on Privilege.

Five MPs make up the Committee on Privilege.

These are: South Beach MP Jeffery Lloyd, Yamacraw MP Elsworth Johnson, Mt Moriah MP Marvin Dames, Mr Davis and Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin.

“Mr Speaker, I was really pitching the member for Cat Island a ball so that he could hit it out of the park,” Mr Rolle told parliamentarians. “Because he will have to explain to this House, Mr Speaker, how come it took all of the governments from Woodes Rogers to 2012, think about that now from 1729 to 2012 to raise the recurrent expenditure of The Bahamas, which in 2012 was $1.632bn. That’s the recurrent expenditure and doesn’t include capital

works by the government.

“By this year, in five short years the Progressive Liberal Party has moved the recurrent expenditure from $1.6bn to $2.67bn in five years and it took us from Woodes Rogers to the present over 200 years (to get there).

“So I was pitching him a softball to give him some leeway so that he could explain to the Bahamian people why the PLP has moved the recurrent expenditure almost $200m every single year from 2012 to 2017.

“So if anyone wants to see a pattern of spending, the $10m that I assert that the PLP has spent from December to May, if you project that over a year in salaries and you know in the recurrent side the highest expenditure is salaries, perhaps that could have given them some longitude to say well listen of the $200m a year that we have ballooned the country’s expenditure.”

He continued: “The PLP has doubled (this spending) in five years with nothing to show. Not one hospital, no new roads, no new port, but every single year that God send from they were elected they increased the recurrent expenditure by $200m.

“So, Mr Speaker, I am sure that before this budget ends, we’re going to present to this House an account of how and we could show easily how the PLP payroll has increased by $10m from December to May. Including the millions that were spent on the 7th, 8th, and 9th (of May), millions.

“This House is obligated to know and I will be obliged to present to the leader the opposition the statement which showed the spending of this government. They used to say spending like a drunken sailor but what I can say as a statement of fact that never before in the history of the Bahamas has any government ballooned the recurrent expenditure of this country by $200m every single year, never before. It’s not only historic, it is unconscionable, Mr Speaker.

“So, Mr Speaker, the leader of the opposition can say whatever he wishes to say. I will then provide him with the facts as we go along.”

In response, Mr Davis did not deny making the statements and criticised Mr Rolle for what he considered to be his failure to make a case for a breach of privilege. He also accused Mr Rolle of failing to make clear the composition of recurrent expenses.

Mr Davis said: “First of all I expected to have an understanding as to why the member suggested that his privilege was breached.

All we heard was a rehash of the same old, same old against the Progressive Liberal Party.”

Having established that Mr Davis had owned up to the remarks he made to this newspaper, the Speaker ruled that there were grounds for a prima facie case and that the matter was fit to be turned over to the Committee on Privilege.

Both Mr Davis and Mrs Hanna Martin questioned this decision.

Speaker Moultrie explained: “The particulars are as that you adopt the statement that are in quotes, you are adopting that you said the statements made (by Mr Rolle) are untrue in effect lies and groundless.

“Those are the particulars that I rely on and order that a prima facie case was made out and that the matter should be sent on to the Committee on Privilege,” he said.

Mrs Hanna Martin suggested that there was bias in the Speaker’s decision.

“We are being told that somewhere down the road through the corner we will get proof of allegations and assertions made in the House. This member has said those verbal assertions are not correct. So I’m just wondering, we are leaning in favour of what here now?

“If the member asserts that his privilege has been violated and he has evidence to establish that then he should do so, but I am trying to understand why we have a prima facie case where the foundation has not yet been made even by the member who is saying his privilege has been breached,” she said.

However, the Speaker said the evidence will be produced before the Committee on Privilege.

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THE TRIBUNE

SAFE THOUGHT TO BE TARGET IN FORKLIFT RAID from page one

“It was a highly coordinated effort,” the source said.

“They were trying to steal the safe. They broke into the building and tried to use the forklift to remove the safe but it was too heavy. So they got another forklift and tried again but the safe would not budge and they gave up. They also removed all the (audio visual) equipment, cut the wire for the alarm, ripped up the wires to the cameras and took some right out of the ceiling.

“Nothing else was missing as far as we know, they just came for the safe and when they couldn’t get it they ransacked the place and gave up.”

Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said police are still unsure if anything is miss-

ing from the warehouse.

On Sunday, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said “the incident is alleged to have occurred between (Saturday) evening and 8am (Sunday) morning.”

“The entire building was ransacked and at this time it is unknown if anything was stolen,” Senior ACP Dean said.

Images of the ransacked building were circulated on social media on Sunday, prompting shock and alarm.

In some parts, the sheetrock of the building was torn into and the ceiling tiles were ripped apart and fell in as the forklift rummaged through.

Desk draws were left wide open and files were scattered on the floor along with garbage bins that were knocked over.

The investigation continues.

POLICE officers investigating the damage at the Customs warehouse after the raid with a forklift.

Murders up 22 per cent from page one

“While the former administration touted a 26 per cent reduction in crime in 2016, right-minded Bahamians have long concluded that the current crime levels are far too high in the first place. Firearms played a significant role in our crime challenges. For example, a new crime study indicates that during 2010 to 2015, 78 per cent of murder victims died as a result of gunshot wounds. The researchers also found that there were

906 shooting incidents during the same period that did not result in death.

“Mr Deputy Speaker, findings also indicate that 2,566 firearms were taken off our streets during that time period. In fact, 160 firearms and 4,154 rounds of ammunition have already been seized thus far for this year.”

He said while he commends the efforts of law enforcement, it is not difficult for criminals to find illegal weapons and commit crimes. He added that even though resources are

scarce, the country “cannot afford to conduct business as usual.”

Mr Dames also referred to a meeting he had last week with Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade and his senior team to formulate short-term crime fighting strategies and see how police intend to mitigate violent crime.

“As a result, I was informed that with immediate effect the Royal Bahamas Police Force will introduce a strategy driven patrol initiative where it will utilise existing and new technol-

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ogy to identify crime trends and shifting patterns on a sustained basis to direct its patrols.

“So in other words, what the police have done in just a few days is use existing technology to pinpoint where these crimes are taking place and direct their resources on a sustained level, 24-7.

“We will continue to monitor the success of that short-term goal. Mr Deputy Speaker it means however, that the success or failure of such a strategy will fall within the scope of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Mr Speaker, it is the people’s time and the people are no longer interested in a blame game.”

Mr Dames also said the new administration is considering bringing in civilians to do non-police duties in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, in order to give officers more time to focus on law enforcement.

“Mr Deputy Speaker, we are going to see to it that our law enforcement officers are performing law enforcement duties. To this end, we will explore (putting civilians in) those areas of the force that do not require police officers. As most modern forces around the world have been doing for many years.”

He said this was introduced by a previous FNM administration in 2000, and

the Minnis administration plans to expand this to other law enforcement agencies as well.

National Intelligence Agency Speaking on the NIA, Mr Dames suggested that the controversial agency did not live up to the mandate set by the former administration.

“Mr Deputy Speaker, since coming into office I have had the opportunity to visit this agency, I must say from the onset that the persons who were assigned to this agency are hardworking officers who meant well,” Mr Dames said.

“Mr Deputy Speaker, the difficulty is that this small team of individuals, through no fault of their own, were isolated from the wider law enforcement community. So there is no way they could have been effective, one of the reasons being because there was no one, none of the other agencies in law enforcement understood this unit’s purpose — at least that’s what I was told.

“This agency was not a National Intelligence Agency at all, but a unit that just carried the name. Mr Deputy Speaker, we could not justify its existence, so as a result on Thursday, June 8, 2017, I met with the officers, thanked them for their

efforts and ordered them to return to their respective agencies.

“Their heads were duly notified. Mr Deputy Speaker, we must do all things in decency and order. So the next time we hear about a National Intelligence Agency, it will be when we are tabling a bill to legally establish such an agency.

In the interim, Mr Deputy Speaker, each agency will be responsible for collecting their own intelligence as they have been doing.”

The NIA was intended to be an intelligence gathering hub where law enforcement agencies would combine their efforts to pinpoint and address threats to the country’s national security. It was launched by the Progressive Liberal Party shortly after the 2012 general election.

In the past, former Long Island MP Loretta ButlerTurner accused the PLP of “running a spy agency with no clear legal footing and no accountability”.

The Christie administration denied that the NIA was spying on civilians.

While in opposition, Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis called on the former government to shut down the NIA. Despite frequent promises, the Christie administration never brought legislation to Parliament to govern the NIA.

SEX ASSAULT ON CANADIAN WOMAN BY JETSKI OPERATOR from page one

“I work on the beach and I saw the lady earlier—she was walking on the beach around 11am and then she went with this guy on the Jet Ski. About an hour or so later, she came back and there was a crowd of people around her, she was crying real loud and shaking,” he said.

“I went over there and she was saying she was raped.

She thought I was the security and she told me that he (a Jet Ski driver) raped her,” the hotel employee claimed. “She said she told him she didn’t have any money and he said the ride was free so she went with him. She claimed he took her to either Rose Island or Sandy Cay and raped her.

She even said he left the condom right there on the beach and then he brought her back and took off. This guy doesn’t normally work around here, he comes once in a while but the normal operators don’t like him because he has a bad reputation. He has been accused before of groping a woman on the beach. Something happened to her, she was

shaking and crying. It’s a shame these men who don’t work over here are giving the Jet Ski operators who normally work here a bad reputation.”

Last year, amid allegations of rape against those in the water sports industry, The Cove at Atlantis warned its guests against renting Jet Skis on Cabbage Beach, adding that doing so is “at your own risk.”

A copy of a letter to guests of The Cove - one of the Atlantis resort’s hotel brands – noted: “We are also concerned about your safety and security and are therefore obligated to bring to your attention a matter related to the use of the beach.”

The letter told guests that water sports operators are not associated with the hotel and their industry is “minimally regulated.”

In March this year, the US Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) cautioned US citizens travelling to The Bahamas for spring break to “avoid Jet Ski operators” because these individuals “continue to commit sexual assaults and other crimes against tourists, including

US citizens.”

The OSAC also cautioned US Embassy personnel not to use Jet Ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Island, including Cabbage Beach and Cable Beach. The department also “strongly” recommended they “avoid patronising Jet Ski rental operations.”

Last year, a 29-year-old Jet Ski operator was remanded to prison without bail after being charged with the sexual assault of a 24-year-old woman on Athol Island sometime on Saturday, January 2, 2016.

As a result of that incident, the US Embassy in Nassau also “prohibited” its employees from using Jet Ski rentals in Nassau.

In December 2015, police arrested a Jet Ski operator in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a female visitor. That incident allegedly took place at Cabbage Beach.

In 2014, an American woman claimed she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder following an encounter near Paradise Island with Jet Ski operators who allegedly tried to sexually assault her.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 13, 2017, PAGE 7

Davis: was it payback to drop appeal?

from page one On Sunday Fred Smith, QC, told The Tribune that a notice of discontinuance had been filed, and a formal position was expected at a status hearing scheduled for June 26.

Pointing to this, Mr Davis intimated that this decision was made as a favour to Mr Smith for his financial contributions to the governing Free National Movement (FNM).

However, Works Minister Desmond Bannister argued that Mr Davis had not raised a point of privilege and was seemingly aggrieved because he was unhappy that the move meant the government was no longer paying for legal representation for the former Marathon MP, whom he said acted “improperly”.

Mr Davis denied this, adding that the separation of power should be considered because all members of Parliament stood to be affected by this issue.

Mr Davis said: “This appeal that relates to the privilege of Parliament where a former member of this House was held in contempt and was asked to pay damages with respect to the matter of $150,000. The matter is under appeal.

“The member is no longer a member of this House but yet still you could have the attorney, an attorney who is participating in that appeal who represents one of the parties in here, who has unashamedly indicated that they have supported in all sorts of manner and ways, the government, and now the question is what is

JEROME FITZGERALD, former Minister of Education, Science and Technology. participated the matter between governthis payback with the with- government with the action that was ment and opposition MPs drawal of this appeal?

“We are an independent filed by Save the Bays and was not “fair to the governjudiciary. We have privi- Fred Smith and now claims ment”.

The decision to drop the lege. We speak for those in the publication that it has who cannot speak for them- been discontinued by the appeal is a change from the former administration’s selves,” the Cat Island, government.”

In an attempt to support position, which previously Rum Cay and San Salvador her colleague’s argument in argued that Mr Fitzgerald’s MP also said.

“When matters are the House, Englerston MP statements in Parliament brought to me by any mem- Glenys Hanna Martin said were protected from legal ber of the public I should the wider issue of “freedom liability by way of constitutional provision, parliamenbe sufficiently privileged to of speech” was at hand.

For his part, Mr Bannis- tary privilege, and also legcome in there and speak to that. That was the genesis ter said Mr Davis did not islatively under the Powers and Privileges Act. of the complaint that was raise a point of privilege.

He said if the former minLast year, Justice Charles made and action taken by ister felt aggrieved with the ruled that Mr Fitzgerald the court.

“In this case, my privilege court’s ruling, he had every could not be protected by privilege, is being breached with the right to seek recourse in the parliamentary concurrence of this House courts. He said yesterday’s and ordered him to pay through the Speaker, the lengthy back and forth over $150,000 in damages for

FITZGERALD RULES OUT PRIVATE APPEAL OVER COURT RULING ON PRIVILEGE from page one He responded to questions sent by email concerning the appeal, and his reaction to his party’s stunning loss at the polls.

To this, he said: “With regard to the election loss, the FNM won and the PLP lost. The FNM must now govern and the PLP must oppose and hold them accountable. I see it in those simple terms, no more, no less.

“As for the future, I’ve served my country now for 15 years. First in 2002, as deputy chairman of the now University of the Bahamas where we started the transition from COB to UB, then 2007 as a senator and from 2012 as a member of Parliament and Cabinet minister.

“It has been an honour and privilege to serve my country at the highest levels. At 51, I look forward to the next phase of my life with great anticipation and excitement knowing that in all things I give thanks to God.” The Tribune reported on Monday that the government had filed notice of its intent to drop its appeal of the landmark Supreme Court ruling on parliamentary privilege alongside that of Mr Fitzgerald. The matter stemmed from Mr Fitzgerald’s tabling in parliament of the private emails of the environmental action group Save The Bays.

Yesterday, Mr Fitzgerald said: “The ruling itself was actually against me in my capacity as a minister of the government and not in my personal capacity.

“Therefore, the ruling was actually against the government of The Bahamas. I suspect that this may be the reason why the Attorney General’s Office did not see the need to notify me personally of its decision to discontinue.”

Yesterday, Attorney General Carl Bethel told The Tribune that he made the decision to drop the case after discussions with counsel, and a full consideration of the costs associated with a full hearing.

He noted that the former administration had made plans to import a cadre of international lawyers to argue the case. Mr Bethel insisted that Justice Charles’ ruling did not threaten the integrity of parliament, as dissenting parliamentarians argued last year.

“My view is that privileges are lost when they are abused,” Mr Bethel said.

“At the end of the day, a legal judgment was made on my part, and in discussions with counsel, a legal judgment was made by me that it was not in the public interest for this matter to be appealed. And on that basis it is my view that a judge’s ruling was defensible and ought not to be challenged.”

He continued: “And because privileges, if abused, cease to be privileges.”

“Had the matter contin-

ued to a full hearing much, much, more than ($150,000) that would have been incurred in legal fees.

“It’s not a matter that is of concern, we have a separation of powers in The Bahamas, we have a constitution that ensures and assures a separation of powers of all entities. It (the ruling) doesn’t threaten the integrity of Parliament, the position, it doesn’t in anyway impinge upon the integrity and authority in parliament to govern.”

Justice Charles ruled that Mr Fitzgerald could not be protected by parliamentary privilege, and ordered him to pay $150,000 in damages for the breach – a decision the former Marathon MP contended was made in error because he was “at all times acting in the public interest.”

Yesterday, Mr Bethel acknowledged that the lawsuit filed by the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay (Save The Bays) was made against the government.

However, he would not confirm whether the Public Treasury would be paying the $150,000 fine imposed by the Supreme Court.

“The way the case was structured,” Mr Bethel said, “as a case against the government on a constitutional basis, so there will have to be some discussions about the issue. So at the end of the day legal costs ordered by the court are legal costs, so we will have to see who will be paying what and how much.”

the breach – a decision the former Marathon MP contended was made in error because he was “at all times acting in the public interest”.

At a hearing last month, Crown counsel Loren Klein asked Court of Appeal Justices Dame Anita Allen, Jon Isaacs and Stella Crane-Scott for a 30-day adjournment to allow the incoming attorney general to be briefed on the conduct of the proceedings thus far and for instructions to be taken.

Wayne Munroe, QC, who was also present for the hearing, said his presence there was concerning the

interests of the Speaker of the House of Assembly in which the issue of parliamentary privilege arose.

In August last year, then Free National Movement Deputy Leader K Peter Turnquest expressed support for the court ruling that Mr Fitzgerald could not be protected by parliamentary privilege when he tabled the personal emails of members of Save the Bays.

Mr Turnquest, now deputy prime minister, noted last year that while the court may not have jurisdiction in the matter, he believes that Parliament must do a better job at policing itself.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Ministers’ wives and widows to hold Grand Bahama conference

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows Inc will hold its 77th annual conference at the Grand Lucayan Resort on Grand Bahama.

The conference is set for June 17-23, and some 400 delegates from the US, Canada, the Bahamas and the Caribbean are expected

to attend.

Elder Vernita Josey, vice president at large of the international organisation and convention chairperson, along with other representatives, were in Freeport and met with the Ministry of Tourism’s Religious Tourism Department.

During a press conference, Ms Josey said the event is about teaching, fellowship, and spiritual enrichment.

“This is going to be an exciting time because it’s a time where we come together as leading women in our churches to assist our husbands in ministry. We’re here, and nobody can help us like another minister’s wife,” she told tourism officials.

Elder Josey said that the conference was originally scheduled to be held in New Providence.

Rev Dr Sherry Collie, national president of the Ba-

hamas Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows and co-chair of the convention, is looking forward to high participation and turnout.

“We are so delighted to have persons come from various countries to visit our shores...We are looking forward to a good contingent of individuals being a part of the convention,” she said.

Debbie Huyler, manager of religious tourism, said

Grand Bahama continues to be the hub for faithbased travel, international religious tourism initiatives, and conferences.

“The Ministry of Tourism’s Religious Tourism Department here in Grand Bahama is pleased to partner with the International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows in holding their 77th annual convention here at the Grand Lucayan Hotel.

“With the anticipation of over 400 delegates from the United States, Canada, New Providence, and the Caribbean in attendance, visitors can look forward to enjoying the amenities of the hotels as well everything that the island has to offer,” she said.

For more information about the convention, persons may contact Pastor Margarita Munroe at 3739466 or 727-7071 or Sister Joyce Pinder at 727-2232.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis addresses the seventh anniversary celebration of the Bahamas Striping Group of Companies (BSGC) on June 10 at BSGC offices on Abundant Life Road.

Photo: Bahamas Information Services

ENTREPRENEUR SCHEME TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS LEADERS OF TOMORROW

By MATT MAURA Bahamas Information Services

THE government of The Bahamas will launch a youth entrepreneur and youth development programme over the next five years that will “inspire and empower a new

generation of Bahamian entrepreneurs”.

The programme will assist young Bahamian entrepreneurs with capital and equipment, while equipping them with the necessary business management skills such as how to save and manage money, and how

to re-invest in and scale up their businesses in order to make those businesses more sustainable.

Addressing the seventh anniversary celebration of the Bahamas Striping Group of Companies on June 10, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the

programme will also teach young Bahamian entrepreneurs how to market their products or services.

“We will try to help them to make their businesses sustainable,” Dr Minnis said.

“We will help them with capital and equipment [and]

we will seek the help and ideas of businesses such as Bahamas Striping Group of Companies as we design and launch this major initiative.”

Dr Minnis said it is his intention “to work hard every day as prime minister” to provide young Bahamians

with opportunity and hope for the future.

“What your country asks of you in return, is to work hard and to stay away from company that will lead you astray. Do your best for your country and we will do our best by you,” Dr Minnis added.

CONSERVATIONISTS SEEK TO EXPAND PROTECTED AREAS THREE local conservation organisations are working with Family Island communities as well as local and central government to expand the network of marine

protected areas (MPAs) to protect 20 per cent of our near shore and deep ocean habitats by 2020.

This expansion will fulfill The Bahamas’ commitment

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The Bahamas has protected more than 13 million acres of its coastal and marine territories as of August 2015. A national stakeholder process commenced in 2016 to determine the next priority areas to add to the network of protected areas, and work is still underway.

“This three-year project seeks to expand and effectively manage our marine protected area system,” said BNT Executive Director Eric Carey. “It is a critical step for our national conservation targets and to help mitigate climate change impacts.”

Bahamians rely heavily on the marine environment for food, income and recreation. Climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, pollution and human development are just a few of the threats to this unique resource. By taking action now to protect and preserve our marine environment, we will be helping to ensure our food security, financial security, and continuing our legacy of being a regional leader in environmental protection, a press release from the environmental groups noted.

BREEF’s executive director Casuarina McKinney-Lambert explained the need for immediate

protection.

“The longer we wait to enact protective measures, the longer the recovery time will be. Many important local species, like Nassau grouper and conch, take years to reach sexual maturity, so it will take longer for these populations to recover from disturbances.”

Meetings with island administrators, fishermen, business owners and other concerned residents have begun on Abaco, Andros, the Berry Islands, Cat Island, Exuma, San Salvador, Long Island and Eleuthera.

The aim of these meetings is to work with residents to identify which areas should be set aside to help protect important marine species, while allowing communities to benefit from having a healthy marine environment.

“We want to work with community members to design MPAs that provide the greatest benefits to people.

Well designed and managed MPAs provide economic and recreational opportunities for nearby communities. They also support fishermen and healthy oceans,” said Shenique AlburySmith of Bahamas Directory, The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Caribbean Programme.

According to a 2010 study

by Hargreaves-Allen & Pendleton, the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park hosted almost 20,000 visitors in 2009, generated about $9 million in revenue and directly supported 110 jobs.

Bahamas Protected is working to yield similar benefits from other protected areas around the Bahamas.

Bahamas Protected is a joint effort between The Nature Conservancy, The Bahamas National Trust and Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation, with funding from the international philanthropic organisation Oceans 5. By working together and with Family Island communities, Bahamas Protected will design new marine protected areas to help our country reach its goal, increase the effective management of existing areas, raise funding to help with protected area management, and strengthen public awareness and support for marine protected areas.

To learn more about Bahamas Protected and marine protected areas, visit Bahamas Protected on Facebook (@242protected) and sign the petition to show support for Bahamian marine protected areas.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 13, 2017, PAGE 9

Sands denies student will be banned over her hair colour

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net EDUCATION director Lionel Sands yesterday denied speculation that a female student at a local government high school would be “banned” from attending her senior graduation because of her hair colour.

However, in an interview with The Tribune, Mr Sands said the student was not allowed to take senior class photos because she was not dressed according to the school’s requirements.

Over the weekend, the

mother of student, Nykoya Rolle, posted on social media that her daughter, who is on the honour roll at C R Walker, was told by an official of the school that she “was not allowed to take pictures because her hair was bleached”.

Ms Rolle said her daughter’s hair is naturally light brown and with shades of blonde.

She also alleged that the school threatened to remove her daughter’s name off the graduation list and “not allow her to walk and receive her diploma”.

“As they were about to

take a group picture my daughter was confronted and told that her hair was bleached and that she was not allowed to take pictures,” Ms Rolle claimed, adding that her daughter was removed from the area. “...As a parent, this is very disappointing that my daughter did not enjoy the last year in school because of hair issues, those ‘so called hair issues’ did not stop her from attaining the necessary graduation requirements.

“They have also threatened my daughter that they can pull her name from the

diploma list so that she is not allowed to walk and receive her diploma on June 14,” she claimed.

“My daughter came home from school today crying, this is bullying from (an official) who should know better how to treat students.”

Mr Sands said when he received a message over the weekend in reference to the matter he called the superintendent of the school to get some clarity.

“The students were required to come to school to do the photo shoot and they were given specific instruc-

tions on what they were supposed to be dressed in,” Mr Sands said.

“As far as I know, it had nothing to do with the colour of her hair, the child was not dressed the way she was told to be dressed. If that is the school’s requirement and you come dressed a certain way you will not be allowed to participate in school activities. She was the only one that was not allowed to participate as far as I know but that does not change graduation. She will be allowed to graduate.”

The is the second time C R Walker high school has

recently come under fire because of a student’s appearance.

Last year, another parent complained on Facebook, and later to a local broadcaster, that her daughter had been reprimanded and threatened with suspension by an official from C R Walker because of her Afro hairstyle, saying it needed to be groomed. The story was widely shared on Facebook and was picked up by several international news outlets.

The matter was resolved when the Department of Education intervened.

MURDER VERDICT UPHELD

BY COURT OF APPEAL

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net THE Court of Appeal has affirmed the conviction and 28-year sentence of a man who was found guilty of the murder of his former girlfriend.

John Adderley, 43, stood trial before Justice Bernard Turner in May 2014 concerning the fatal shooting of Denise Adderley on January 9, 2011.

Adderley’s lawyer, Murrio Ducille, had argued in the trial that his client should be found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility from depression.

But a jury rejected Adderley’s claim that he was not himself that night when they returned a unanimous guilty verdict at the conclusion of the trial. Four months later he was sentenced to 28 years at the Department of Correctional Services.

Adderley challenged his conviction on the grounds that the judge erred in law in allowing him to be convicted of murder notwithstanding that he had established he had diminished responsibility and should be convicted of manslaughter due to that fact.

Adderley believes the verdict is unreasonable and cannot be supported having regard to the evidence and it is unsafe and unsatisfactory having regard to the circumstances of the case.

Further, he believed the sentence imposed by the trial judge was harsh and excessive.

The appellate court, in a 2-1 majority decision, dismissed the appellant’s chal-

lenge to both conviction and sentence with Justices Dame Anita Allen and Jon Isaacs rejecting his arguments.

“The circumstances surrounding this killing were not in dispute in the present case,” the appellate president said in the June 7 written judgment.

“However, case law is clear that upon an issue of diminished responsibility, the jury is entitled to, and is bound to consider not only the medical evidence but all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the nature of the killing, the conduct of the appellant before, at the time of, and after the killing, and any history of previous mental abnormality. In considering the evidence they are of course entitled to consider the quality and weight of the evidence. The determination of whether the defendant was suffering from diminished responsibility at the time of the killing is for the jury and not for doctors.

“Dr (Michael) Neville in giving evidence for the defence stated that the appellant’s abnormality of mind was of such severity as to affect his mental responsibility. “ . . . It was clear to us therefore, that the quality and weight of the medical evidence in the case fell far short of the quality, and cogency of the medical evidence in Matheson, Bailey, and Brennan, the cases on which defence Counsel relied. We found this case clearly distinguishable from those cases.

“As is made clear in all of the cases, upon an issue of diminished responsibility, the jury is entitled to, and is bound to consider not only the medical evidence but

all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the nature of the killing, the conduct of the appellant before, at the time of, and after the killing, and any history of previous mental abnormality. In considering the evidence they are of course entitled to consider the quality and weight of the evidence.

“Given all of the circumstances in this case, we were strongly of the view that the jury was entitled not to accept as conclusive the medical opinion of Dr Neville, and to conclude as they did that the defence of diminished responsibility had not been established to the required standard, namely, on a balance of probabilities.

“Ultimately, the questions of whether the appellant was suffering from an abnormality of the mind and whether that substantially impaired his mental responsibility were questions for the jury, and for this court to conclude that they ought to have accepted the medical evidence in this regard would be to usurp the jury’s function. We had no lurking doubt about the safety of the murder conviction and were satisfied that the verdict was reasonable and supported by the evidence; therefore, we dismissed the appeal against conviction.”

As to the sentence, the court found that the time imposed on the appellant “falls below the lower end of that range, and mid-point on the range for manslaughter.”

Mr Ducille and Charisma Romer argued Adderley’s appeal while Viola Barnett responded for the Crown.

The appellate court’s full judgment is available on the appellate court website.

RONALD NOTTAGE, 45.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

TWO FACE COURT AFTER KILLINGS IN THE CAPITAL

from page one

Due to the nature of the charge, he was denied bail and remanded to the Department of Correctional Services.

However, he has the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

In the second murder arraignment before Chief Magistrate Ferguson-

Pratt, 28-year-old Ricardo Russell was accused of intentionally causing the death of Livingston Rolle on June 5 and robbing him at gunpoint of an undetermined amount of cash.

Rolle was shot multiple times and killed in front of his home off Okra Hill Road around 5pm on Whit Monday.

Russell was also told

that his case would be fasttracked to the Supreme Court for trial on July 20.

He too was denied bail and remanded into custody because of the nature of the charge.

He has retained attorney Nathan Smith to represent him against the murder and armed robbery charges.

Nottage was not represented at yesterday’s arraignment.

SENTENCING APPEAL DELAYED UNTIL SEPTEMBER AT LAWYER’S REQUEST

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A LAWYER representing a man who wishes to challenge his sentence for the murder of a utility technician asked the Court of Appeal for additional time to prepare his application.

Leslie Webster, 57, appeared in the Court of Appeal yesterday for the expected hearing of an ex-

tension of time application concerning his formal challenge to a 60-year sentence imposed by the Supreme Court for the 2001 murder of Garfield Wright.

At a hearing on January 31, Webster’s lawyer, Glendon Rolle, was asked to file documents in support of the application and the matter was adjourned to April 4 for the hearing.

Mikia Cooper, who appeared on behalf of Mr Rolle

on that occasion and sought an adjournment as the latter was out of the jurisdiction and the request had not been objected to by Crown respondents Olivia Nixon and Bradford McKenzie.

Court of Appeal President Justice Dame Anita Allen said based on the court’s file, the undertaking by the appellant’s counsel was not carried out. However, the appellate court adjourned the matter to June.

Yesterday, Mr Rolle, who had unsuccessfully contested the Long Island constituency for the Progressive Liberal Party in the recent general election, asked for additional time and was given until September 6.

Wright, a 40-year-old Cable Bahamas line technician, was stabbed 16 times about the body with a knife as he tried to protect his 10-year-old daughter from an intruder during a break-

in at the family home in Fiddler’s Green in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Webster was linked to the crime scene through DNA taken from fingernail clippings and a confession statement after he was arrested by police. He was unanimously convicted by a jury in March 2005 and sentenced to death.

However, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 2006 ruled that

the country’s then mandatory death penalty upon a murder conviction was unconstitutional.

His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment afterwards and at a re-sentencing hearing in February, 2011, before then Senior Justice Jon Isaacs, he received a 60-year sentence.

He is now seeking to challenge that punishment on the grounds that it is excessively harsh.

READERS RESPOND TO DAVIS OVER INCREASE IN SALARIES AFTER leader of the Opposition Philip “Brave” Davis accused the Minnis administration of making “untrue” and “groundless” accusations about how much the government’s payroll increased in the final months of the Christie administration, readers gave their reaction on tribune242.com.

Sheeprunner12 said: “The fact that the PLP padded the civil service since 2012 cannot be denied.

Finding the exact numbers of new recruits; may be a challenge as most of them were not hired using standard PSC guidelines and procedures. The FNM must

clean up HOW persons are hired by individual ministries and become a part of the already bloated civil service then terminate all non-pensionable workers and retire all persons who have worked for 30 years or have reached 60-65 years of age.”

Which was backed by Economist: “Agreed Sheeprunner12. I am not inter-

ested in what the PLP did or did not do. We all have a pretty good idea. That is why the Bahamian people voted them out. The FNM just needs to tell us what they ARE DOING to fix the country.”

And Publius, who had this to say: “Agreed 100 per cent. This is not the campaign trail. When the PLP did this very same thing back in 2012, the FNM quickly told them that you are in now, so fix it and stop blaming us. Now the shoe is on the other foot and the same old game is already being played.”

Sandy Schaefer, the owner of the former Robin

Hood retail chain, said he is preparing to leave the Bahamas, after his latest format held a “liquidation sale” at the weekend.

Porcupine offered this comment: “I suspect, that he will be only one of many to be leaving the Bahamas in the coming years. Sensible Bahamians will top the list, as they will understand, before most, the direction this country is headed. Ask yourselves who will be left.

Will it be the job creators? I highly doubt it.”

And John had this to say: “The retail format Schaefer was trying to implement in the Bahamas could not work for several reasons.

First of all the Bahamas is too small to generate the type of sales these type operations need to realise a profit. Secondly, because the high shipping costs and front loaded customs duties make the cost of inventory extremely expensive compared to a store operating in the US. So inventory loss/shrinkage due to theft, damaged or misplaced items is also very high and while it should be at 5 per cent, once it exceeds 10 per cent then those losses are not recovered. Then the general overhead costs for businesses are very high and if the turnover is not sufficient to cover them

the business will be like a car stuck in sand. Spinning tyres but not going anywhere. And while the government would have one believe there is no impact of VAT on business, there is a 15 per cent at least increase in the cost of goods sold, because businesses must pay the VAT at the border. In fact, many businesses, after three years, are still trying to find their break even point and trying to return to profitability after the VAT was introduced.”

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

PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

IN this Feb 7, 2017, photo, Karen Shore holds up a sign outside the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, California.

FORMER NBA star Dennis Rodman singing Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2014.

DENNIS RODMAN AIMS TO VISIT NORTH KOREA BEIJING Associated Press

NORTH Korea is expecting another visit by former NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman.

He’s made several visits to the country, but has been roundly criticised for insensitive comments and for regaling leader Kim Jong Un with “Happy Birthday” in 2014. On the same trip, he suggested an American missionary was at fault for

his own imprisonment in North Korea, remarks for which he later apologised.

A foreign ministry official who spoke to the AP in Pyongyang confirmed Rodman was expected to arrive Tuesday but could not provide details. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the ministry had not issued a formal statement.

It would be Rodman’s first visit to the country since President Donald Trump took office.

Trump travel ban dealt another blow by court SEATTLE Associated Press ANOTHER US appeals court stomped on President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban Monday, saying the administration violated federal immigration law and failed to provide a valid reason for keeping people from six mostly Muslim nations from coming to the country.

The decision by a unanimous three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals helps keep the travel ban blocked and deals Trump a second big legal defeat on the policy in less than three weeks.

The administration said it would seek further review at the US Supreme Court, as it has already done with a ruling against the travel ban by another appeals court last month. The high court is likely to consider the cases in tandem.

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions insisted the new decision would harm national security — an argument the judges rejected.

“The executive branch is entrusted with the responsibility to keep the country safe under Article II of the Constitution,” Sessions said in a written statement.

“Unfortunately, this injunction prevents the president from fully carrying out his Article II duties and has a chilling effect on security operations overall.”

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin, who sued to stop the travel ban, said the 9th Circuit ruling “really shows that we have three branches of government and that there are checks and balances. ... So to me, this is everything that we learned in social studies in high school just coming to play exactly the way it should.”

The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia last month found the 90-day ban unconstitutional, saying it was “steeped in animus and directed at a single religious group” rather than necessary for national security. It cited the president’s campaign statements calling for a “total and complete shutdown” on Muslims entering the US. The 9th Circuit, which heard arguments in Seat-

tle last month in Hawaii’s challenge to the ban, found no need to analyse those statements. It ruled based on immigration law, not the Constitution.

“Immigration, even for the president, is not a oneperson show,” the judges said, adding: “National security is not a ‘talismanic incantation’ that, once invoked, can support any and all exercise of executive power.”

Judges Michael Hawkins, Ronald Gould and Richard Paez — all appointed by President Bill Clinton — said the travel ban violated immigration law by discriminating against people based on their nationality when it comes to issuing visas and by failing to demonstrate that their entry would hurt American interests.

The president’s order did not tie citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen to terrorist organizations or identify them as contributors to “active conflict,” the court said.

It also did not provide any link between their nationality and their propensity to commit terrorism.

“In short, the order does not provide a rationale explaining why permitting entry of nationals from the six designated countries under current protocols would be detrimental to the interests

of the United States,” the ruling said.

The judges pointed to a June 5 tweet by Trump saying the order was aimed at “dangerous countries.”

That helped show he was not assessing whether the six countries had ties to terrorism, they said.

The White House predicted a win at the Supreme Court.

“Frankly, I think any lawyer worth their salt 100 percent agrees that the president’s fully within his rights and his responsibilities to do what is necessary to protect the country,” spokesman Sean Spicer said.

Trump’s suspension of the US refugee program also remains blocked. The 9th Circuit said he was required to consult with Congress in setting the number of refugees allowed into the country in a given year and that he could not decrease it midyear. The refugee program is not at issue in the 4th Circuit case.

The president issued the executive order after the initial version caused chaos and protests at airports and was blocked by a Seattle judge and a different threejudge 9th Circuit panel. The new version was designed to better withstand legal scrutiny and spelled out more of a national security rationale.

MAY SEEKS TO RALLY HER PARTY LONDON Associated Press

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May sought Monday to rally lawmakers from her Conservative Party behind her leadership amid doubts over her ability to remain in power following last week’s disastrous election result.

May, who is trying to wrap up an arrangement with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party that would allow her to lead a government with a majority of votes in the House of Commons, moved to demonstrate that she understands the frustration within her own ranks following the election.

Britain’s Press Association, quoting two unnamed sources from the meeting, said May told lawmakers at a closed-door session that she admitted she was the one who “got us into this mess” and vowed that she would be the one who will “get us out of it”.

The meeting with the rank-and-file, some of whom have called for May to step aside sooner rather than later, was brought forward a day.

May has taken the blame for the Conservatives’ relatively poor showing in last Thursday’s election, in which the party surprisingly lost its majority.

With opinion polls showing the Conservatives with a commanding lead over the opposition Labour Party, May had called an early election in hopes of increasing her majority in Parliament and strengthening her position in negotiations over Britain’s exit from the

European Union.

Instead, the election obliterated her political authority and the party is trying to secure the support of the 10 Democratic Unionist Party lawmakers to assure passage of May’s program.

With a deal still to be confirmed, there was speculation that the announcement of the government’s agenda, known as the Queen’s Speech, could be delayed by from the planned date next Monday. Delay would represent a highly unusual circumstance in a country where the monarch’s schedule is determined months in advance.

David Davis, the cabinet member in charge of Brexit, said talks with the EU may not start on Monday as planned because it would clash with the scheduled date of the Queen’s Speech.

However, he insisted they will begin next week.

“It may not be on the Monday because we also have got the Queen’s Speech that week and I will have to speak in that, and so on,” he told Sky News.

Davis suggested the government would focus on the divorce proceedings before moving on to trade.

The divorce issues include the rights of EU citizens in Britain as well as UK citizens in the EU, how much Britain will have to pay to cover previous spending commitments and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The EU has said that sufficient progress must be made on these issues before trade deals can be discussed, though Britain

had argued the talks should take place simultaneously.

Some lawmakers, particularly those from the Scottish National Party, are urging cross-party discussions to reach a consensus on Britain’s exit from the EU. May’s failure to get a majority has undercut her tough Brexit strategy, which had raised fears that Britain was heading for a socalled “hard Brexit,” which could potentially see tariffs slapped on British exports to the bloc.

The prime minister’s most prominent potential rival, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, sought to quash any suggestion that she would be ousted imminently. Writing in the masscirculation Sun newspaper, Johnson stressed that the Conservatives won more votes than at any time since Margaret Thatcher and are still the largest party in Parliament.

“The people of Britain have had a bellyful of promises and politicking,” he wrote. “Now is the time for delivery — and Theresa May is the right person to continue that vital work.”

Over the weekend, May’s top two aides stepped aside.

Many in the party were furious at the pair for shutting them out of decisionmaking during the election campaign.

May also restored former Justice Secretary Michael Gove to the Cabinet in another move designed to show she was willing to listen to critics. Gove, who was dismissed when May became prime minister last year, will now serve as environment secretary.

THE TRIBUNE

Waterkeepers ready to host Splash Mania

WATERKEEPERS Bahamas has announced that it will host Splash Mania, a first-of-its-kind event for the Bahamas with kayak races, paddle-board competition, kiddie games, beach volleyball and a full slate of water-related activities.

Set for Saturday, July 8, Splash Mania will take place on the beach off Manta Ray Restaurant in Williams Town on Silver Point Drive, in central Grand Bahama.

“Waterkeepers Bahamas, like Waterkeepers around the world, is focused on making waters swimmable, fishable and drinkable,” said Rashema Ingraham, local executive director.

“While most of our work involving monitoring and reporting is very serious, we also want to build awareness of the importance of water that we can enjoy safely through fun activities. That is how the idea of Splash Mania was born.”

According to organisers, there will be single and team kayak races and kayak obstacle races. Participants will be grouped by age.

Boys and girls will compete in 12 and under and 13-17 age groups. Males and females in the 18 and over category will compete in separate categories. Winners and runners up will compete for more than $1,000 in cash prizes and giveaways. All equipment is being provided by sponsor Grand Bahama Nature Tours. Other sponsors include Barefoot Marketing,

Manta Ray Restaurant and Save The Bays.

“We are very grateful to all our sponsors and especially to Erica Gates at Grand Bahama Nature Tours for lending us all the equipment to make this event possible including all the kayaks and paddleboards,” said Ms Ingraham.

“We are also very appreciative of Sarah Kirkby and her team at Barefoot Marketing and 242Weekly. com for helping to promote Splash Mania.”

Tickets may be purchased

YOUR

the day of the event or ahead at the Waterkeepers’ office at the Jasmine Centre or at Barefoot Marketing. The entry fee is $20 for adult competitors per kayak race, $10 for those 17 and under.

Active on six continents, Waterkeepers is the largest volunteer organisation in the world focused on water quality. The Bahamas has three licenced Waterkeepers – Clifton and Southwest Bays (New Providence), Coastal Grand Bahama and Bimini.

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

Tuesday, June 13, 2017, PAGE 11

RASHEMA INGRAHAM, local executive director of Waterkeepers Bahamas, leads participants as they prepare for Splash Mania, a first-of-its-kind event for The Bahamas with kayak races, paddle-board competition and other activities hosted by Waterkeepers Bahamas.

PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

BAHAMIAN delegation to the 106th ILO Conference, Geneva Switzerland. From left: Bernard Evans, Tanya Sherman, Frank Davis, Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes, Bridget Hogg, Ambassador Rhoda Jackson, Rionda Godet, Michael Pinder, and Morgan Graham.

MINISTER of Labour Dion Foulkes addresses the International Labour Organisation Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

MINISTER OF LABOUR ATTENDS INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE MINISTER of Labour Dion Foulkes led a tripartite delegation from the Bahamas to participate in the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference being held in Geneva, Switzerland, June 5-16.

During his three-day visit to Geneva, Senator Foulkes, in addressing the conference, reaffirmed the commitment of the government of the Bahamas to work with social partners to execute the mandate to improve the standard of living and the quality of life for working Bahamians.

He also outlined a number of proposed initiatives to be undertaken by the government, including the establishment of an inde-

pendent arbitrator to settle disputes; the recognition of workers’ rights in heads of agreements signed by the government; and increased dialogue among social partners to promote and implement workers’ educational programmes.

The ILC, the highest decision-making body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), convened under the theme “Building a future with decent work” to reflect the objective of Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The goal seeks to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and employment, and decent work for all.

BERNARD EVANS, National Trade Union Congress president, Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes, and Michael Pinder, of the Trade Union Congress.

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