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VOLUME:114 No.145, JUNE 21th, 2017

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMISSION, MINISTRY OF LABOUR

VOL. 4 ISSUE 2

JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2017

The Unbanked

Bahamian

CONSUMER VOICE: 12-PAGE PULLOUT SUPPLEMENT INSIDE

Vendor got $8m storm cash

URCA advances small-scale renewable generation initiative

World Consumer Rights Day 2017 Highlights

PHOTOGRAPH CORRECTION

GOVT ALSO MISSED OUT ON $31M HURRICANE INSURANCE PAYOUT

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net IN THE months ahead of the May 10 general election, one vendor received more than $8m to clean up New Providence in the wake of Hurricane Matthew of the $28,975,180 spent on these efforts in the country, while the government missed out on a more than $31m insurance payout because it opted not to pay the country’s Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance (CCRIF), Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis revealed in Parliament.

In a riveting contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly, the prime minister said upon his review of payments made to various vendors, he was “astonished” by the payouts made to Jonathan Ash.

PRIME MINISTER DR HUBERT MINNIS There were 46 transactions made to this vendor through several of his companies, Dr Minnis said, as he revealed that in at least two separate instances, Mr Ash received multiple cheques in one day. He also received $151,000 on May 9, just one day before the election.

Dr Minnis said this, along with other “shocking” information,

UNSEALED BAHA MAR PAPERS SHOW DEAL DONE ON LEASES

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIANS who owned and held shop leases and concessions in the Baha Mar project were permitted by the China Export Import Bank (CEXIM) and the preferred purchaser to continue to hold them under the existing terms and conditions, according to the newly unsealed

heads of terms for the West Bay Street project, tabled in Parliament last night.

The agreement further allowed for up to 1,200 work permits to be issued to China Construction America (CCA) and 30 work permits for all necessary staff of the asset special purpose vehicle (SPV) during the remobilisation and construction phase.

SEE PAGE THREE

HURRICANE INSURANCE:

Are you Covered?

will be passed on to Auditor General Terrance Bastian for investigation.

The Killarney MP said $22,939,178 was spent on clean up in the capital, $5,881,649 was expended in Grand Bahama and $154,360 in North Andros for cleanup.

SEE PAGE TWO

TOP PLP ISAACS GIVEN NEAR $2M BROKERAGE CONTRACT

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net THE Minnis administration continues to discover all manner of “financial irregularities,” Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday, among them a nearly $2m remediation contract to a former high-ranking member of the Progressive Liberal Party and a questionable

brokerage contract.

The prime minister was referring to a contract worth $1,853,829.56 to Errington “Minky” Isaacs, chairman emeritus of the PLP, who was a director of Penta Industrial Services Co Ltd and a customs brokerage contract worth $923,707.75 a year to a Fitzgerald—whose first name he did not call—for SEE PAGE TWO

IN Tuesday’s edition of The Tribune, under the page one caption “Two accused of separate murders”, a young man was incorrectly identified in a photograph as being Shaquille Bodie, 22, a man accused of attempted murder.

The incorrect photo, right, was also published on page five, above the headline “Suspects face court over murder and attempted murder charges,” where the young man was again misidentified as Bodie.

The Tribune would like to correct the misinformation. The man photographed was not arraigned on charges of murder or attempted murder. This newspaper has been informed that the man was brought to court on traffic related charges, which were dismissed by the court upon his first appearance before the magistrate.

THE INCORRECT photo that appeared in Tuesday’s edition.

The Tribune sincerely apologises for the inconvenience and embarrassment caused to the young man and his family and regrets this mistake.

Bodie (pictured in the larger photo above) was arraigned on Monday on charges of attempted murder and causing grievous harm. He has been remanded to the Department of Correctional Services.

DAVIS WARNED CHRISTIE OF MINISTERS FAILING TO GAIN WORKS’ APPROVAL FOR CAPITAL WORKS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

Covering The Bahamas for 40 years.

Nobody Does it Better!

SHAQUILLE BODIE, who appeared before court on Monday accused of attempted murder and grievous harm.

UNDER the Christie administration, public/private partnerships were not coordinated through the Ministry of Works and were allowed to begin without technical experts at the ministry weighing in on a number of matters relating to them, Works Minister Desmond Bannister said Monday.

He also revealed that during his term as deputy prime minister and

minister of works, Philip “Brave” Davis warned former Prime Minister Perry Christie in a letter that members of Parliament were “authorising contractors to undertake capital and property maintenance works” to be paid by his ministry without the Ministry of Works’ consideration and approval.

Mr Bannister told Parliament that in the letter, Mr Davis warned Mr Christie of the consequences of such action.

The Carmichael MP highlighted

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Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

these as examples of how disorganised the government was run by his predecessors as he made the case that there could be cause to pursue legal action against members of the former government for misfeasance. “…It seems that everyone was doing their own thing, just as we alleged,” he said. “...They were an undisciplined group of free agents doing whatever they wanted to do…”

The Christie administration SEE PAGE SIX

PAGE 2, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Vendor got $8m storm cash from page one Dr Minnis told the House that it was absolutely unacceptable for public funds to be chanelled to a select few in the aftermath of the hurricane, while Bahamians were made to wait for long periods of time to receive money that was owed to them.

“Following the passage of Hurricane Matthew, a number of individuals were engaged in the clean up efforts,” Dr Minnis said.

“Upon my review of payments made to various vendors, I was astonished by one particular vendor which stood out.

“There are many questionable payments, but the payment to Ash Enterprises is shocking. Contracts were awarded to Mr Ash on behalf of Heavy Truck Line Services Ltd, Earthmovers Incorporated Company and Industrial and Heavy Duty Equipment Company.

“I note that Earthmovers is not registered with the registrar, Industrial and Heavy Duty Equipment Company is not registered with the Bahamas Registrar General’s Office and Heavy Truck Line Services was registered in February of this year.

“This one vendor received 46 payment transactions totaling $7,056,348.24.

You want me say the vendor’s name? Jonathan Ash. His request for payment was submitted through the Ministry of Works and the National Recovery Unit.

“Mr Speaker, I had to look this up because Bahamians would understand what I am talking about.

Many Bahamians understand and know how difficult it is to receive payment in a timely manner from government overtime allowance salary, very difficult.”

Dr Minnis continued: “Now to give an exam-

HOMES in the South Beach area were badly damaged as a result of Hurricane Matthew. ple, on the 18th of January 2017, Ash Trucking got a cheque for quarter million dollars. One the 20th, two days later, so he’s good, he got a cheque for $206,400.

But then he came back that afternoon on the 20th and got another cheque for $220,912.

“But that wasn’t enough.

He came back on the 20th and got another cheque for $225,750. Then he came back on the 26th of January and got a cheque for $206,400.

“Then he came back the 26th again and got another cheque for $195,900 then on the 26th he came back and got another cheque for $226,800, but then look like Ash took a break. “But Ash came back four days before my birthday, he came back on the 13th of April for $225,750.

“Mr Speaker I could go on and on but just to show you another example: on the 26th of April, Ash collected three, four cheques in a day, while people can’t get overtime pay and can’t get allowance. I am skipping quite a bit, but I am

just trying to show you, Mr Speaker, Ash must be had contacts somewhere.”

Value Official Opposition Leader Philip Davis questioned whether the prime minister was arguing that Bahamians had not got value for money.

Mr Davis said: “The question I am asking him, I hear him talking about payments being made, but I wonder whether the allegation is that value is not being received for the payments made. It’s one thing to expose the payment, but it’s another to say these payments are being made with some propriety attached to it.”

Dr Minnis added: “I will just say the day before election on the 9th of May, he got $151,524.”

“But the only other thing I want to mention is that through vouchers he would have submitted he would have gotten $7,574,080.24.

So now he would have gotten vouchers today and then the company come in tomorrow. His company

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

got $1,057,550 for a total, now the Bahamian people can decide whether it was value for money, I ain’t into that, for a total of $8,631,640.24.

“It doesn’t stop with the vouchers. This same vendor was awarded three contracts in the name of three companies as follows: Earthmovers Inc Company (in the amount of) $240,000 for cleaning and sorting debris at the Harold Road dumpsite for two months. Heavy Truck Line Service $619,560 for cleaning and sorting debris at the sport centre dumpsite for three months and Industrial Heavy Duty Equipment company $198,000 for cleaning and sorting at the Carmichael Road dumpsite for three months.

“I want this job. I’ll leave medicine tomorrow,” Dr Minnis quipped.

These three contracts for clean up activities totalled $1,057,560.

When this is combined with the other contracts for work, Dr Minnis said Mr Ash pocketed $8,113,908.24.

Insurance With reference to Hurricane Matthew, Dr Minnis read into the record portions of a letter he received on May 31, 2017, from the chief executive officer of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility. Dr Minnis said what this letter revealed about the insurance was shocking.

Following Hurricane Matthew’s passage last year, former State Finance Minister Michael Halkitis said the then government had ceased payment to (CCRIF) because the country would only have received compensation in the event of a category five hurricane.

Matthew came through this nation as a category three/four storm, and Mr Halkitis said the Christie administration had decided to drop CCRIF participation and establish its own disaster fund as “the threshold was just too high,” Tribune Business reported.

Dr Minnis said yesterday: “He (the CEO) wrote: ‘We are pleased that the Bahamas has been a member of

CCRIF since its inception in 2007. We are pleased that the government purchased tropical cyclone (hurricane) policies every year between 2007 and 2014 and also purchased policies for both tropical cyclones and excess rainfall for the 2015/2016 policy year. “‘However, we deeply regret that the government decided not to renew its CCRIF policies for the 2016/2017 year resulting in the Bahamas missing out on two CCRIF payouts from Tropical Cyclone Matthew.’ I note that the annual policy for this insurance facility was approximately $900,000. I was shocked by what the CEO of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility went on to say in his letter.

“He stated: ‘Based on the registered losses, it means that had the government of the Bahamas renewed its tropical cyclone policy for 2016/2017, using the previous year’s policy conditions, the policy would have triggered, resulting in a payout of approximately US$31.8 million, equal to the coverage limit.’”

This would have been the single biggest payout, according to the prime minister, ever made by CCRIF to any country.

The Bahamas’ excess rainfall policy would also have been triggered, resulting in a payout of US$855,874. Of course, those payouts would have been larger depending on the coverage purchased, he said. CCRIF made payouts totalling US$29,204,248m to its other four CCRIF member countries affected

by Hurricane Matthew.

“These payouts, he said, were made to Haiti, Barbados, Saint Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines on their tropical cyclone and/ or excess rainfall insurance policies – all within 14 days of the end of the event,” Dr Minnis said.

TOP PLP ISAACS GIVEN NEAR $2M BROKERAGE CONTRACT

from page one

services to Bahamas Power and Light Ltd, formerly the Bahamas Electricity Corporation.

Dr Minnis said the government was also investigating an account that was set up to deal with the hosting of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Annual General Meeting last year. He explained that over $18m was transferred into this account from which payments were made between October 21, 2015 to April 2017.

He said the government was investigating how the funds were being paid, who authorised them and who were the beneficiaries of these payments.

“Despite having most of their front bench wiped out at the election, the (Official)

Opposition has shown neither humility nor remorse for their actions while in office,” Dr Minnis told the House of Assembly as he wrapped up the budget debate. “Two of them sat at the Cabinet table and bear collective responsibility for the actions of the former government. We will not allow them to escape that responsibility. We continue to be amazed at what we are finding out about the PLP’s way of doing business.

“Mr Speaker, I wish to draw the attention of the House to payments made by (the former) Bahamas Electricity Corporation/ BPL to various vendors. I note two of these payments . . . though there are more, some of which will surprise most, but not all the members of the House.

“I also note that contracts over $100,000 require bids

or requests for proposals (RFPs). The contracts I am noting today were over $100,000. However, no bids were sought for these contracts. But let me explain it, request for proposals were sent out (and) companies sent in their documents but they were ignored and individuals were subsequently contacted and asked to bring their contract in and they were granted the contract.

“One of these contracts—and I wouldn’t call the first name so as not to call people’s names—but one of these contracts was (to) a Fitzgerald for customs brokerage services.

“The commencement was September 20, 2012, while the expiration date for the contract was September 2015. The annual amount of the contract was for $923,707.75.

“The beneficiary of another contract is Errington Isaacs, chairman emeritus of the PLP, who was a director of Penta Industrial Services Co Ltd. The commencement date was March 27, 2013, while the expiration date for the contract was March 27, 2017.

“The amount of the contract was $1,853,829.56. The contract was for ‘the provision of labour and cleaning services for BEC’s premises located at Blue Hills Power Station and Clifton Pier Power Station.’ Remedial work of this kind requires specialised knowledge.”

However, Dr Minnis said the person awarded this contract knew as much about oil remediation as the prime minister does about flying a space shuttle.

Regarding the IDB account, Dr Minnis said it is not clear why money is

still being paid from the account.

He said: “We continue to discover all manner of financial irregularities. The Annual General Meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank was held in the Bahamas in 2016.

An account was set up to deal with hosting the IDB Meeting in the Bahamas in April of 2016. Over $18m was transferred into this account from which payments were made between October 21, 2015 to April 2017.

“Notwithstanding that the IDB meeting ended in 2016, funds to the tune of $500,000 were paid to the Local Organising Committee in each of the months of March and May of 2017.

“It is not clear why monies are still being paid from this account. The legal basis for the Local Organising Committee has not been

determined, nor why one of the signatories of the account is a contract officer. We are investigating how these funds are being paid, who authorised these payments and who are the beneficiaries of these payments,” Dr Minnis said.

The prime minister said the former administration also overloaded the public service with contract workers with little regard to where salaries would come from.

He said between December 2016 and May 9, 2017, 648 persons were brought on at a cost of $10,149,738.40.

In April alone, 119 were hired at a cost of $1.9m and in May, the cost for new hires was $2.5m. Persons were hired outside the public service by letters, and when these are added in the wage bill rises to $14m, Dr Minnis said.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, June 21, 2017, PAGE 3

Independent board to be set up to review citizenship applications

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net AN independent board will be established to review applications for citizenship to ensure politicians are not able to abuse the process by which citizenship is granted, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday.

“To make the grant of citizenship fairer and more transparent, I have asked the minister responsible

for immigration to bring the necessary legislation to establish an independent board to review applications for citizenship,” Dr Minnis said as he wrapped up the budget debate yesterday.

“This will remove the decision from the politician and Cabinet. However, those that are considered to be of national security concern will be referred to Cabinet for final decision. I don’t think in this time and era Cabinet officials should be making decisions on

who is granted citizenship.

The guidelines are A, B, C, D and you either meet it or you don’t. I have no intent of sitting down going through thousands of applications for citizenship.

We have sufficient honest people who can tick the box and grant the citizenship thus removing the backlog and the possibility of corruption. This will allow for less interference and more openness in the process of obtaining citizenship.”

During his contribution

to the budget debate, Minister of Financial Services, Trade, Industry and Immigration Brent Symonette also backed a move to delegate the task of granting citizenship to an entity not inclusive of politicians.

“I’ll only say, I’m sure the president of the United States doesn’t sit (or) the prime minister of Great Britain (doesn’t sit) on every immigration application to see whether or not to grant citizenship to a person that does apply,” Mr

Symonette said.

In 2015, former Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said he would welcome the appointment of a citizenship commission to allow applications to Bahamian citizenship to be processed without “political interference”.

Mr Mitchell said the proposed commission “would receive the application, examine whether the individual meets the criteria set down in the Constitution and the Bahamas National-

ity Act” and determine if the person should be granted citizenship.

At the time, he said procedures for citizenship had not changed in 42 years and were unlikely to change as long as Bahamians believe their representatives ought to have input into who becomes a citizen of the Bahamas or a permanent resident.

Despite Mr Mitchell’s preference, it’s not clear if the former Christie administration had plans to create such a commission.

THE BAHA Mar site. Long awaited papers were finally unsealed, revealing the heads of terms on the resort.

UNSEALED BAHA MAR PAPERS SHOW DEAL DONE ON LEASES from page one The project was also to benefit from exemptions of value added tax and import taxes of goods and services for completion.

The document was approved for release by the Supreme Court last Thursday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced last night before he tabled the agreement, which he said fulfilled a campaign promise by the governing Free National Movement (FNM). However, he added that other “sensitive” documents relating to the sale remain under a court seal.

However, its release seemed to fall flat as many of its details were already in the public domain and were not shocking as was intimated by the FNM when it was in opposition and on the campaign trail.

Dr Minnis said: “In concluding debate on the budget, I now update this House on certain developments related to Baha Mar. This government campaigned on a platform to promote greater transparency and accountability by government. We pledged to disclose the details of the heads of terms signed August 22, 2016 by the former government with the Import-Export Bank of China (CEXIM) relating to the Baha Mar resort project.

“I am therefore pleased to announce that on Thursday, June 15, 2017, pursuant to an application made by the Office of the Attorney General, the Supreme Court of the Bahamas granted its sanction and approval for the disclosure and release of the heads of terms. This was with the consent of the other stakeholders to the agreement.

“As promised during our campaign, we have unsealed the deal.”

He continued: “While it is the case that the previous government did not specifically make an application to the court for the sealing of any of the Baha Mar documents, the heads were requested to be linked to an affidavit and suite of documents which were ordered sealed on an application made by lawyers for the CEXIM Bank.

“Those documents contained sensitive commercial material relating to the process for the advertising, bidding and sale of the Baha Mar assets, and remain sealed.

“I now have the honour and pleasure to table in this Honourable House the following document, the heads of terms dated August 22, 2016, as well as a short amendment made to it by a side letter dated April 25, 2017.

“Mr Speaker, I will also like to table the agreement made on April 25, 2017, between the government of the Bahamas and CTF BM Holding Ltd and CTF BM Operations Ltd. “I should indicate at the outset that the main effect of the amendment was to basically extend the timeline for the purchaser to complete the purchase, which was stated in the heads to be the end of November 2016, subject to a 10-day extension,” Dr Minnis also said.

Heads of Terms The document tabled last night again raises questions about conflicts of interest and whether former Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson was too closely connected to negotiations to get the shuttered resort open.

In 2015, she revealed that her husband Maxwell Gibson owns the retail jewellery store chain that had been granted storefront leases in Baha Mar. At the time, she rejected accusations that she had a conflict of interest due to her role as government negotiator for the stalled resort.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson’s revelation came in a statement released four days after she initially said her two daughters, 28 and 30, had leases to operate stores in Baha Mar while she was a guest on the More 94 FM talk show “Real Talk Live”.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson revealed her daughters’ connection to the resort and Prime Minister Perry Christie’s knowledge of the matter.

However, earlier this year, she and former Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald dismissed tabloid accusations of abuse of power and conflict of interest as election season smear tactics.

Both former ministers were alleged by a tabloid to have forged secret “sweetheart” deals connected

to the mega-resort and its new buyer Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE) that would see them allegedly net “unlawful private profits” in the millions.

The heads of terms noted: “Further, the government expects that Bahamian citizens owning and holding shop leases and concession in the project will be permitted by CEXIM and the proposed purchaser to continue to hold them on the same terms and conditions as currently exists.

“The asset SPV agrees to enter into new lease agreements on terms of the shop leases held by said Bahamian citizens no less favourable than the existing leases.

“Further CEXIM agreed to encourage the proposed

purchaser to support and honour those said Bahamian citizens owning and holding such shop leases provided by the BML companies, their related entities and affiliates shall not be entitled to participate in the process referred to herein.”

Regarding construction concessions, the agreement said the government was to waive stamp duty and VAT on the transfer of assets from the BML companies to the SPV group - including any stamp duty or VAT that would otherwise be payable by CEXIM and/or any member of the SPV group on the creation, enforcement, settlement, waiver and/or release of any security – and on the funding arrangements for the SPV

group and on the creation, enforcement, waiver and/or release of related security.

“The government will not require CEXIM, claims SPV or asset SPV to pay any of the BML companies outstanding real property taxes or gaming taxes – relating to Crystal Palace Casino. The government will retain its claims against the relevant BML companies for these sums,” the document read.

Also If CEXIM failed to provide the government with the identity of the proposed purchaser by September 23, 2016 or the extended period and failed to provide the identity of the proposed operator by November 20, 2016 or the extended period, the government could withdraw the concessions.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

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Bahamians - the future is now up to you WE recall the colonial days when we would overhear many interesting conversations between Tribune editor Sir Etienne Dupuch and the politicians who would come to call on him at The Tribune.

Those were the days when a British governor in Government House was advised by a local Executive Council. Completing the legislative structure was the Legislative Council (now the Senate) with its ex-officio members, and the elected House of Assembly.

They were the days before anyone had ever heard a House member referred to as an MP. To local folk their MP was their “representer”. Mr Braynen, who later became Sir Alvin and Speaker of the House, was at the time of this conversation to which we refer, the representative for Harbour Island.

Laughingly that day he was telling Sir Etienne about how he got away with being the darling of his people, while the governor of the colony was the villain.

‘Brilanders would come to him with their needs — it would include more than the colony could afford. But their affable “representer” promised to do his best to grant their wishes, provided… that stern-faced Englishman in Government House would open the purse strings.

Of course, the Governor who was in charge of the colony’s finances, ran a tight ship and would only release what the treasury could afford.

Naturally, Sir Alvin returned to his people with the story that he had done his best, but there was no budging that tight-fisted colonial governor on Mt Fitzwilliam in Nassau. Later Sir Robert Neville, colonial governor of the Bahamas, confirmed the story of that “rogue” as he laughingly called Sir Alvin. He said it was an old trick of Sir Alvin’s, who would always ask for what he knew was impossible. Instead of telling his people the facts, he led them to believe that it was the governor’s fault that they did not have all of life’s luxuries.

In the days of colonial governors the colony was never allowed to spend more than it could afford. The financial disgrace that we now find ourselves in could never have happened in those days.

Today, Bahamians are in charge of their own government. They have only themselves to blame. They believed the late Sir Lynden Pindling, their first Prime Minister of an independent Bahamas, when from a public platform he urged them: “Don’t worry, be happy…”

They didn’t worry, they believed in him.

In the end he admitted that he had made mistakes, that he had encouraged Bahamians to believe that they were too good for certain types of work. He had failed to realise that hard work breeds character. Almost every problem we have today — yes, even the crime — had its beginning in those days.

In colonial days, we had governors who would not let us wreck the Treasury. Today we are in charge of our own affairs, and we are where we are — a financially shattered country— because

of our own tolerance of untrustworthy leaders. Repairs are going to take much hard work and dedication — and certainly will not be achieved overnight.

This is once Bahamians are going to have to tighten their belts, work hard and have faith.

Last week, a reader sent in a clipping from The Tribune of Tuesday, April 10, 1990. He suggested that Sir Etienne’s voice from the past should be heard once more. By that time, Sir Etienne had given up writing this column. However, an item in The Tribune of April 10 shocked him into such disbelief that he took up his pen for the last time and contributed a short editorial. The item that caught his attention reported that Sir Lynden was asking parliament for approval to borrow up to the equivalent of US$100m in any currency without reference to the House. This would be borrowed under any terms and conditions as decided by Sir Lynden with a maximum pay back period of 50 years. Wrote Sir Etienne: THE RT Hon. Sir Lynden Pindling, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, has laid on the Table of the House a Bill that will give him authority to borrow up to one hundred million dollars without going to parliament for permission.

This money is to be borrowed under any terms and conditions as determined by him with a maximum pay back of 50 years.

The House, moreover, is not supposed to know from whom the money is borrowed, the terms of the loan, or the rate of interest to be charged.

It is estimated that if the full sum is borrowed the interest on such a loan would be at least ten million dollars a year to be paid by the taxpayers – that means you and me folks.

In addition he can borrow by Resolution of the House any amount over $100m. Presumably as this comes before the House he will be required to reveal the terms and conditions of such borrowings.

By last September the national debt was over $750m.

There is an old saying that “whoever the gods would destroy they first make mad”.

There is today widespread lack of experience among the voters in the country while madness stalks unfettered up and down Parliament Square.

It’s only a matter of time now.

Thank God I am past 90 years of age…and failing fast in strength: and so it will not be my problem. But someone in the Opposition had better try to warn the young people of the Bahamas because it is they and their children, and their children’s children who will suffer for this financial irresponsibility.

–Sir Etienne Dupuch, Contributing editor- April 10, 1990.

Sir Etienne was alarmed at Sir Lynden’s borrowing of $100m. We wonder what he would think today if he knew that the country that he had loved so dearly and for which he had sacrificed so much was now $7 billion in debt. Yes, Bahamians your future is now up to you.

Help the animals EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT is with great concern and frustration that I write this letter. I am an individual who believes in helping humans and animals. Today, however, I am focusing on the plight of stray animals on this island. I do what I can to assist dogs I come across daily. I give them food and water and if I notice an infection I purchase antibiotics to eradicate the minor problem. I see some dogs very seldom and there are others I feed daily.

In my past experience, I have come across dogs that are poisoned or injured and called the Humane Society to send help for the animals but no one showed up. I understand that the Humane Society is a busy organisation and I am not attacking them. They do the best that they can I am sure.

However, when one comes across an injured animal you need someone to come right away. My fear is that cruel persons will hurt a vulnerable animal who is in no condition to run away or defend itself.

I have come across strays that need help on weekends and holidays and I have been told that there were no doctors available or on duty to help an injured animal or that the ambulance

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net driver comes in after 8:30.

This presents a problem for me when I have to go to work because I do not want to leave the injured animal alone.

The point of this letter is for me to cry out on behalf of the many stray animals on this island and ask for help for them. Again, the Humane Society does its best but if there is an individual who can start an organisation to help stray animals free of charge that would be great. Please do not tell me about animal control.

As far as I know they catch dogs and put them to sleep.

In addition I do not know how the persons there treat animals and they are not interested in giving treatment to injured or sick animals I am sure.

What occurred to me is to ask if private vets would be willing to treat a certain quota of stray animals every month free of charge. I would hope that it is not all about the money for them but rather about helping the animals in this country. Operation Pot cake needs to be resumed yearly for at least two weeks. This exercise helps to cut down on the unwanted dogs and cats in

the country. Bahamian vets should not have a problem with this as the population that this is geared toward seldom or never take their animals to the vet as they cannot afford it.

Also the new government needs to ensure that laws concerning animal abuse and neglect are enforced and new laws need to be passed to fine or jail individuals who neglect or abuse animals. One who is cruel to an animal will have no problem being cruel to a human being.

Finally I am presently feeding a dog who has a large growth in the back of it. It needs to be removed surgically. The growth also has what seems to be holes in it. Someone please tell me who I can call to treat this dog and then find it a good home. If Kim Aranha can assist I pray she would respond to this article and let me know. If there are individuals with the means to help stray animals by paying for their care or taking them in please respond as well. The animals feel pain and hunger just like humans. Those who care and can help, please help.

Thank you and God bless you.

CONCERNED HELPER Nassau, June 16, 2017.

Decay in infrastructure affects Baha Mar and all our islands EDITOR, The Tribune.

MY ongoing experiences with inadequate drinking water here on Eleuthera dovetails with new criticisms about the air conditioning at Baha Mar, and the potential effects of smoke from the nearby smouldering New Providence landfill on tourists.

Tourists who enjoy their first visits to our islands, and tourists who will return, year after year.

Tourism is all about infrastructure providing the

services 100% of tourists in today’s modern developed world consider essential: reliable water, electricity, air conditioning, access to the Internet, phone and cell service, smooth roads, clean air, access to healthcare, access to prescription medication, law enforcement they can trust, and more.

Without these services, tourists will refuse to return.

One must understand the ongoing decay of roads, sewer, water and electrical supply, and wired and

wireless infrastructure, some constructed and installed decades ago, is normal.

This decay is experienced by municipalities worldwide. But as too many are just learning, repairs and upgrades must be planned and executed on a carefully laid out 5, 10, 20, and 40 year plan.

And adequate funding for rehabilitation and eventual replacement must be written into the Government’s budget every single year.

My experience with in-

adequate water supply on Eleuthera can be used as an analog for all the Family islands, and New Providence itself.

I found the roughly 36 mile-long water pipe supplying middle Eleuthera was built years, decades ago.

The supporting soil and rock are beginning to subside, and the pipe joints are leaking as the pipe sections are gradually displaced.

One week a break here, a week later another break there. (With each breech comes contaminated water causing serious diarrhea,

and possibly worse).

Finally the leaking becomes so serious all the Corporation’s capital is used fighting old problems, and they simply cannot supply 40psi, the pressure target for all developed municipalities. (I have recently learned the Corporation is forced to simply turn off the water supply to one or more communities at night, to hopefully store water for the next day).

If our new government collects and properly spends the capital required for a reliable infrastructure,

the tourists will come. If not, The Bahamas will increasingly become a retreat for only the wealthy; people able to buy their own water privately, to install their own generators for light and air-conditioning.

It is up to the new Administration to provide hospitality and gambling resorts like Baha Mar the opportunity, the chance, to become profitable.

THOMAS MOORE RICKARDS IV Eleuthera, June 19, 2017.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, June 21, 2017, PAGE 5

Govt payroll went up $2.5m in month of general election

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

AS the country geared up for the May general election, the government’s payroll increased by $2.5m that month as new people were hired in the public service under the Christie administration, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis revealed in Parliament yesterday.

The month before, in April, the government’s payroll increased by $1.9m as 119 people were hired.

Overall, 648 people were hired between December 2016 to May 2017.

The former administration “overloaded the public service with contract workers with little regard for where salaries would come from,” Dr Minnis said.

“No single agency was aware of this wild hiring spree and no one applied the brakes on this hiring madness. One individual was hired on the 10th of May, the same day of the election.”

Dr Minnis said these numbers don’t include the 151 people the former government hired as trainees by the Department of Immigration at a cost of $2.7m or the 620 people it hired through its job empowerment programme “at a potential cost” of $3.6m.

“Persons were hired outside the public service by letters, and when these are added in, the wage bill rises to $14m,”

he said. “We continue to learn daily of people who were hired outside of the mainstream process.”

The revelations are among many that have been detailed by the Minnis administration as it shed light on possible examples of fiscal mismanagement by its predecessor. The details have painted a picture of an administration where the usual processes for controlling expenditure and protecting the public purse were sometimes upended and questionable decisions were made with respect to hiring and awarding of contracts.

In some cases, according to Works Minister Desmond Bannister, the advice of technical experts at his ministry were cast aside and decisions were made to grant contracts to those not recommended by professionals. In fact, money was given to subcontractors who worked on dormitories for the Bahamas Agricultural & Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) where the general contractors for those dorms got into problems. In some instances, the government offered money to subcontractors who did not submit a claim.

On Monday night, Mr Bannister said it is up to Attorney General Carl Bethel to decide if some ministers in the former Christie administration should face court for their “misfeasance”, which cost the Bahamian people millions.

PM DR HUBERT MINNIS

$25,000 DONATION BY BTC TO POLICE SUMMER CAMP

By DANIELLE BARNES

BTC has donated $25,000 towards the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s annual summer youth camp, which provides a safe environment for young people who may otherwise be idle.

The summer youth programme was established in July 1993.

The camp aims to strengthen the relationship between police and young Bahamians. They work to encourage positive social interactions that promote

co-operation, peaceful conflict resolution and moral character.

On June 26th, the RBPF will open its doors to more than 4,000 students. The camp will accommodate students ranging from ages 8-17 on multiple islands, some of which include New Providence, Grand Bahama and Cat Island.

Each camp has four leaders, two of whom are police officers and two civilians. Additionally, each camp has 15 instructors.

This team prepares a daily schedule which includes activities such as sports, arts

and crafts, and life skill developments. Students are also given the opportunity to go on many adventurous field trips during the duration of the camp.

At a press conference at police headquarters yesterday, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean expressed high regard for the role the RBPF plays in ensuring a productive and fruitful summer for young people.

“We found that during the summertime, our young people have the potential of being very idle,” he said.

“They can get into anti-

BTC TO LAUNCH FREE WI-FI PILOT FOR THE INNER CITY BTC has agreed to launch a pilot project offering free Wi-Fi in three public parks in the inner-city of New Providence, with a view to extending this project to additional areas, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday.

As he wrapped up debate on the 2017-2018 Budget, Dr Minnis also said his administration will honour its pledge to provide value added tax (VAT) relief on basic breadbasket products.

He said the Free National Movement will also provide incentives for the rejuvenation of inner-city communities.

Speaking on the proposed plan for free internet access, Dr Minnis said his

administration is committed to a modern telecommunications infrastructure for all Bahamians.

He said he asked management at BTC to provide him with a proposal for free Wi-Fi in certain areas, prompting the committal to the pilot project.

“I have already commenced discussion with the members for St Barnabas, Bains and Grants Town and Centreville to assist in identifying suitable parks,” Dr Minnis said in Parliament.

“I note that certain controls will be implemented to block certain content. I will advise in due course of my discussions with BTC. “I want to remind the residents of Gambier Vil-

lage and of Mount Pleasant that you have not been forgotten and I hope to extend the facility to your community.”

Dr Minnis said the possible introduction of free Wi-Fi in certain areas of New Providence will help to expand access to communications and internet technology for those who cannot easily afford it.

He also said: “We will, during this term, build a Native Food Market that will help to create many jobs and business opportunities, including for farmers and vendors, who will be able to supply Bahamians and tourists with a rich variety of Bahamian foodstuff.”

EXPANSION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO NEW PROVIDENCE IS PLANNED

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Minnis administration intends to extend local government to New Providence by the time local government elections come around again in three years, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold said yesterday.

Family Island residents will vote in local government elections this year on Wednesday.

Ever since local government began in 1996, there have been calls for it to be extended to New Providence and enhanced in the

Family Islands.

Nicola Virgill-Rolle, who headed the National Development Plan (NDP) Secretariat, will head the committee focused on expanding local government, Mr Newbold said.

The government will be assisted by the Inter-American Development Bank.

In the Family Islands, districts have councils through local government.

District councillors are elected by the population of a district.

Earlier this month, The Tribune reported that more young people from Grand Bahama, particularly Free-

port, have offered themselves as candidates this year for the upcoming local government elections, a process that is expected to be “very competitive”.

Freeport Administrator Preston Cunningham told The Tribune previously that this is the first time that so many young persons have nominated since the introduction of local government in 1996.

In Freeport alone, a total of 34 candidates have nominated, and many newcomers have stepped forward seeking to represent their communities at the local level.

social behaviour and likewise drift into crime, so with the concept of this camp we believe that we have touched many young people.”

Senior ACP Dean also said that the summer programme is a perfect place for students because it will provide a “safe and secure” environment.

BTC CEO Leon Williams said yesterday that the company is proud to sponsor a programme that positively influences young people.

Senior ACP Dean is grateful for this contribution because it allows the camp to live out its purpose of inspiring young people.

“With this amount we’re getting, this will go a long way in putting smiles on our young people, inspiring their dreams [and] potential,” he said.

Registration is free and parents can receive applications at any participating division police station. The camp ends on August 4.

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PAGE 6, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

BAIL BOND REVOKED FOR BAHAMIAN IN EXPLOSIVES TRIAL A US JUDGE last week reversed his decision to grant bail for self-described neo-Nazi and US National Guard officer Brandon Russell.

The former St Andrews School student will remain in federal custody as he awaits trial on explosives charges - a decision that follows testimony by Russell’s former roommate and murder suspect Devon Arthurs, who alleges that Russell was planning acts

of terrorism.

Arthurs is accused of killing roommates Jeremy Himmelman and Andrew Oneschuk at their Tampa Palms apartment.

US Magistrate Judge Thomas B McCoun III reversed his earlier decision to issue a bond of $200,000 under the condition that Russell, 21, was electronically monitored and confined to his grandmother’s house in Orlando.

According to the Tampa

Bay Times, however, the judge remarked on Arthurs’ credibility given that his statements were made during police interrogation in the hours following the shooting of the other two roommates.

Arthurs’ initial confession led authorities to search Russell’s apartment where they discovered explosive chemicals and bomb-making materials.

According to Arthurs,

Russell allegedly wanted to “kill civilians and target locations like power lines, nuclear reactors, and synagogues.”

During last Wednesday’s hearing, according to the Tampa Bay Times, prosecutors also presented copies of posts they say Russell allegedly made to an online neo-Nazi forum “Iron March”.

Judge McCoun’s ruling read: “To be sure, the video clips presented

evidence of a troubled individual, a rambling and disjointed mindset, and attempts by Mr Arthurs to rationalise or justify his unconscionable killing of two people.

“They also show his efforts to deflect law enforcement’s attentions away from himself and toward (the) defendant and the group he allegedly leads.”

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the judge said he was troubled that the

government presented no evidence to corroborate Arthurs’ claims but ultimately concluded that Russell was a danger to the community.

Judge McCoun’s ruling continued: “Should the government discover upon further investigation that Arthurs has lied or otherwise misled law enforcement and the prosecution, such shall be promptly disclosed to the defendant and to this court.”

Civil servants must now file reports after every overseas trip for govt

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE Minnis government has now stipulated that personnel dispatched by the country to any foreign workshop or conference must, upon return, file a written report that highlights the benefits or purpose of the event, or face being barred from further state-funded trips, according to Press Secretary Anthony Newbold.

The announcement came as the government authorised delegations and select groups to attend four international functions - the 70th World Health Assembly; the Meeting of Legal Drafters and Senior Trade Officials; CARICOM Human Resources Development 2030 Strategy and a technical workshop on Sustainable Development Goals -

through the month of June.

Mr Newbold said yesterday that Cabinet agreed all persons representing the country at such workshops or conferences on trips exclusively funded by the government should provide detailed reports to their respective ministries or the country upon their return.

Of the four trips noted

by Mr Newbold, only the 70th World Health Assembly, hosted in Geneva Switzerland and the Meeting of Legal Drafters and Senior Trade Officials, hosted in Guyana were exclusively funded by the government.

This announcement comes as the Minnis administration continues its push for fiscal responsibility and accountability throughout the public sector.

Since being voted into office, the new administration has authorised several audits forensic audits for vari-

ous government initiatives; primarily Urban Renewal, Bank of the Bahamas (BOB) and the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI).

However, to date, there has been no firm price-tag presented publicly for the planned audits, nor timelines presented for their completion.

The Minnis administration said it was seeking to curtail unnecessary expenditure and the results of these audits will assist it in determining the way forward.

Officials have said that where persons are found to be in breach of the Financial Administrative & Audit Act, the law will take its course.

Apart from his comments on the new state-funded travel rules, Mr Newbold also disclosed that the government has finalised a $3m

budget for repairs to be carried out on the Department of Customs’ warehouse which was damaged during a weekend raid earlier this month.

Mr Newbold also disclosed that the Cabinet agreed to rent a Sky Bahamas warehouse facility in the interim, saving the country an estimated $600,000 in expenses when compared to the option of relocating the department’s operation to a Gladstone Road facility.

Mr Newbold noted that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest, who is chairman of Sky Bahamas, recused himself from Cabinet discussions on the deal.

Earlier this month, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin criticised Mr Turnquest for allegedly failing to disclose his interest in

Sky Bahamas to Parliament after the government approved duty exemptions for the repair and maintenance of aircraft in the 2017-2018 Budget, an accusation the East Grand Bahama MP subsequently denied and clarified.

In response, Mr Turnquest said before the election he disclosed all his interests to the relevant authorities because he had nothing to hide.

He admitted that he did not realise the aircraft exemptions were in the budget until he read them in the House of Assembly.

Mr Turnquest also said Mrs Hanna Martin’s implication that he somehow amended the exemptions to benefit himself was “misleading” and dangerous to his reputation.

On Tuesday, Mr Newbold also announced the 15-month extension of

an interest-only payment agreement the former government entered into to facilitate the acquisition of five new airplanes for Bahamasair during its tenure.

The agreement, signed last year, ended June 15.

Lastly, Mr Newbold announced that several “environment wardens” have been appointed by the government from a pool of excess staff hired by the former government.

According to Mr Newbold, these persons are being trained for the posts with the goal of them being available to aid in remediation following environmental matters; the most recent of which, he confirmed, was a spill near Clifton as a result of the apparent theft of diesel from a pipeline between the Blue Hill and Clifton Pier compounds.

DAVIS WARNED CHRISTIE OF MINISTERS FAILING TO GAIN WORKS’ APPROVAL from page one

PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis.

embraced public/private partnerships as a way of financing infrastructural work. It was often touted as a novel approach of the previous government.

But despite the focus on construction in such partnerships, Mr Bannister revealed that because these projects were not coordinated through the Ministry of Works, he has been unable to obtain public/ private partnership (PPP)

contracts through official sources in his ministry and had to obtain at least two from sources outside the ministry.

“Why the secrecy?” he asked. “The Ministry of Public Works is the government agency that is charged by law with the responsibility with protecting the Bahamian public in these construction ventures.

“It is regrettable that the highly competent professionals in my ministry were not permitted to be

involved in negotiating the contract; agreeing to the contractors; or reviewing and evaluating the scope of works or priced bill of quantities.”

In the case of two public/ private partnership ventures, Mr Bannister said he stopped one and Mr Davis had to stop the other.

The project stopped by Mr Davis was the construction of a new post office at the Independence Shopping Centre opposite AF Adderley Junior High School.

Expressing empathy for the person the former administration entered into the partnership with, Mr Bannister said: “It is inconceivable that the former administration put him in the position that it did.

“They directed that the project go on, and permitted millions of dollars of our money to be jeopardised despite the fact that there were no approved plans or building permit for this construction.

“Technical officers of the Ministry of Public Works had advised the former administration that a traffic impact study was required; a proper site assessment should have been completed to see whether there was any possible ground contamination from the nearby gas station; environmental and social assessments were required together with the submission of design details to the relevant governmental agencies for review. None of this was done, yet persons in government authorised the

project to proceed and in the process bypassed the Ministry of Works.”

Mr Bannister said a preliminary application for a building permit was made only after a notice was issued demanding that the work be stopped until a permit was applied for.

“The application was deficient, but the work still went on even after a second notice was served,” he said.

“The work has stopped until the Ministry of Public Works is satisfied that there is full compliance with the law.”

So far, more than $3m in taxpayer money has been expended through the now stalled project.

Mr Bannister said Mr Davis can’t help the new administration understand the problems concerning PPPs, because starting in 2015 he was stripped of the power that would have allowed his ministry to have a say in such matters.

“His own people started taking power away from him,” Mr Bannister said Monday. “Took all the roadside and park contracts. Didn’t let him know about the public/ private partnerships. Cat Island has got to be feeling good that he’s back here while the fella who stripped him is gone. Mr Speaker, I know I won’t hear a point of order on that!”

A source told The Tribune that PPPs were managed through the Ministry of Finance under the Christie administration.

POLICE HUNT FOR ARMED ROBBERS POLICE are asking the public to come forth with information they may have in solving three separate armed robberies that occurred on Monday, June 19.

In the first incident, shortly after 8am a man armed with a handgun, wearing a white mask and dark shades, robbed a service station located on Carmichael Road and Faith Avenue of an undetermined amount of cash before fleeing on foot.

Then later that same day, shortly after 11pm, a man was sitting in his black 2007 Honda Accord car—licence plate AC5249—in front of his home on Faith Avenue, when he was approached by a gunman clad in all black

who robbed him of his vehicle before speeding off.

A few minutes later, a man had just pulled up at a home located on St Michael’s Road in his blue coloured 2006 two-door Honda Accord car—licence plate 312207—when he was approached by a tall dark man.

The gunman, clad in a gray hooded jacket and armed with a handgun, robbed him of his vehicle before speeding off.

Anyone with information on these incidents or any other crime is asked to call police at 919, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS in New Providence or 1-242300-8476 in the Family Islands.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

FNM can use public anger at PLP to leverage real reform

I

N 2003, I worked at The Nassau Guardian. I clearly recall the extended political honeymoon given to Perry Christie’s new government. Why, even young Michael Halkitis at the Finance Ministry called to offer friendly access.

The “Fresh Wind” that blew the PLP into office in May 2002 was a relief of sorts to those who had tired of Hubert Ingraham’s bullnosed governance style over the previous decade.

Based on Mr Christie’s soothing words - plus the fact that he had yet to be tested as a national leader - voters felt it was time to give the supposedly rehabilitated PLP another chance.

So they did - in a landslide.

But by 2004, the Christie administration was slipping into its now familiar ways indecisiveness, looking the other way, glib talk, shameless propaganda, scandals and an utter lack of accountability.

So despite the PLP having ridden a wave of goodwill into office, and despite the global economic boom, a resurgent Hubert Ingraham managed to edge them out in 2007.

No landslide this time, though. The PLP held 18 seats to the FNM’s 23, and despite the traditional finger-pointing by the new government, Christie and Co presented a formidable opposition from day one.

Their attacks on the government and inducements to voters became ever more exaggerated as the clock ticked down to the 2012 election.

Perhaps the ultimate example of destructive politicking was the PLP’s placement of large billboards all over New Providence advertising the country’s murder rate, and blaming it all on the FNM. This utterly cynical strategy worked. And although receiving only a plurality of the total vote (due to a third party challenge), Mr Christie was returned to office with 29 seats to the FNM’s nine. And Hubert Ingraham exited stage left.

The leadership transition that had been pending in both major parties had finally occurred in one, with the FNM mantle falling to a politically inexperienced physician named Hubert Minnis.

There followed two years of aggressive, over-the-top accusations and preening

rhetoric by Mr Christie and his ministers, who lost no opportunity to impugn the FNM. This included dramatic calls for public inquiries into the former government’s actions—particularly the sale of BTC—but none were ever held. It was all showboating.

Meanwhile, the PLP’s own pending leadership transition was suspended indefinitely after an uberconfident Mr Christie decided to take the party into the next general election and beyond.

If his leadership had been a fraction of what he cracked it up to be, this might not have been an existential issue. But he wasted all the goodwill from his 2012 win by arrogantly disrespecting public opinion— a grievous sin.

The result was an unprecedented rejection of the PLP at the polls. In a truly stunning outcome, the party of Pindling gained barely more than a third of the vote, and Mr Christie himself lost his seat after 40 years in parliament.

So angry was the electorate with Mr Christie and his Cabinet that Hubert Minnis, the political novice who had been removed as opposition leader by his own MPs, had only to sit small and wait for his inevitable anointment as prime minister.

It wasn’t oratory or tactics that won the day. Nor was there any special affinity for the FNM brand. Rather, It was the fervent hope of most Bahamians that Dr Minnis would somehow break from the past and take genuine action to save the country from looting and pillaging.

Reform is urgent. The revelations of PLP cynicism and malfeasance now entering the public domain are shocking. Much more so than the revolving-door accusations made following previous elections.

For example, there seems to have been a clear pattern

of awarding huge contracts and over-paid jobs to selected cronies, with no transparency and a complete disregard for fiscal responsibility.

Over $400,000 a year paid by the Ministry of Tourism for cultural advice.

Millions in shop rent forgiven for a well-connected tenant at the airport. Millions to foreign firms for advertising government projects.

The perception of many is that these crony contracts are alleged fronts to launder public funds for highranking political figures. In other words, a suggestion of a way to siphon off taxpayer dollars for the personal benefit of the political elite.

We also hear of investigations into missing funds at multiple government agencies, as well as forensic audits and departmental reviews.

Unfortunately, this information is coming out in drips and drabs (as they say), and in many cases it is incomplete or lacking documentation. This gives the PLP leeway to confuse the issues and muddy the waters - something they are well-practised at.

The PLP position is that board members and other officials of the former government who have been accused of impropriety must be staunchly defended as “respected Bahamian men and women”. Nothing to see here—move along.

But this tone-deaf defensiveness, combined with the apparent reticence of the new government, is only fueling public anger. The rage that swept out the PLP on May 10 has not died. In fact, you can see the bile rising daily on social media.

Perhaps there will be some relief for this pent-up anger at the end of June, when the grace period for parliamentarians to make good on their delinquent public disclosures runs out.

And what about the grand projects launched by the Christie administration that absorbed millions in

GN-1911

GOVERNMENT NOTICE

public funds and were heavily criticised by the FNM in opposition? Well, it seems their funding is being continued by the new administration, even though we have yet to see a proper accounting of what has been spent. This makes no sense to me.

These high-visibility political projects include National Health Insurance, Urban Renewal, the National Training Agency, and especially the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute.

Let’s start with the $23 million-plus spent on BAMSI, which claims to be “revolutionising the agricultural and marine sectors (and) diversifying the economy” from its 800-acre farm on Andros.

At the BAMSI store on East Bay Street recently, we found goat peppers and bananas (which most Bahamians grow in their yard), as well as onions (which we assume came from the produce exchange). This is hardly revolutionary.

The institute also says it provides “academic training and extensive handson orientation in crop and livestock production, farm management, environment conservation, agri-business and management of marine resources.”

However, we have no way of judging the validity of this grandiose claim.

In other words, how much value are we getting for our money - besides the employment of cronies like Godfrey Eneas.

And consider Agatha Marcelle’s National Training Agency, legislated in 2013. Ms Marcelle was recently replaced as chairman

by Theresa Moxey, but we have had no accounting on this initiative either.

The NTA has a multimillion-dollar budget to provide vocational training and job placement. But it is unclear how it differs from the Bahamas Technical

and Vocational Institute. In other words, how are we to judge value for money?

And the entirely nontransparent Urban Renewal programme has long been considered a political slush fund. It is not good enough for the new government to simply swap out the top jobs with its own supporters. We demand a proper accounting.

There is widespread public support for a properly organised national health plan, for very good reasons.

But again, lack of transparency and political grandstanding have clouded the issue.

The new health minister (Dr Duane Sands) has done one of the better jobs of accounting for the issues faced by his ministry. And he has the qualifications to guide NHI to a practical result that takes account of private sector concerns.

But we need more than just words.

The most interesting development since the election, in my view, was the decision to drop the government’s judicial appeal on the matter of parliamentary privilege.

This case stemmed from former Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald’s tabling of the personal emails of private citizens in Parliament last year. This was done deliberately to deflect attention from the PLP’s Canadian benefactor, Peter Nygard.

The former administration was prepared to go to the max on this, and spend huge sums to overturn a Supreme Court ruling preventing Mr Fitzgerald from doing whatever he wished.

Christie & Co accused their critics of treason and sedition, and even threatened to haul a Supreme Court judge before a parliamentary inquisition. They didn’t care what damage they did to our political system.

This devious and cyni-

FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie. cal plan was hatched in the Christie Cabinet and fully supported by the former deputy prime minister, Philip Davis, who now - as opposition leader - condemns the Minnis administration for dropping the appeal.

There could be no clearer evidence of the PLP’s inability or unwillingness to heed the message conveyed by their historic defeat on May 10. Davis & Co carry on as usual, showing no remorse, and offering no support for the big changes that are necessary to rescue the country.

One month out from the election, we are still in a very fluid situation. Things could go in different directions. But the public anger currently directed at the PLP should not be taken as a ringing endorsement of the FNM. As former MP Greg Moss said recently: “(We) no longer have the luxury or patience to afford an extended honeymoon to any political party. There is too much at stake.”

He said people will turn on the FNM in an instant if they do not quickly see meaningful change. I could not agree more.

The bottom line is that Hubert Minnis and his Cabinet have a brief window of opportunity to leverage public anger to fashion the radical reforms that will hold people accountable for their actions.

It has never happened before - not after the UBP were toppled, not after Pindling was turfed out, not after Ingraham. Not ever.

Symbolism is everything in politics, and we are in need of some powerful symbolism now. The voters expect to see big things soon.

There can be no more business as usual.

• What do you think?

Send comments to lsmith@ tribunemedia.net or visit www.bahamapundit.com.

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Every employerwishes shall permitto eachinform of his employees who is registered as a that in accordance tary Commissioner the general public voter to be absent from his work on polling day during the hours of the poll for two hours addition to the normal mealthe hour,Parliamentary for the purpose of n (8) and subject to inparagraph (2) of Elections (Symbols voting.

Regulations, 2002, The provisions of paragraph (1) of this regulation shall not apply to an employee whose work on polling day commences at or after ten o’ clock in the morning or concludes at or before four o’ clock in the afternoon.

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very employer shall permit each of his employees who is registered as a BIO SUPPORT 8” FULL No employer shall make deduction the pay or otherduring remuneration oter to 3.be absent from his any work on from polling day the hours of the poll of any employee or impose upon or extract from him any penalty by reason $499 or two hoursof his inabsence addition the normal for(1)the from histo work during the periodmeal specifiedhour, in paragraph of purpose of this Regulation. oting.

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he provisions of paragraph (1) of this regulation shall not apply to an mployee whose work on polling day commences at or after ten o’ clock in he morning or concludes at or before four o’ clock in the afternoon. B RAN D N E W Parliamentary Commissioner (Actg) MATTRESS CO. 19 June 2017 No employer shall make any deduction from the pay or other remuneration f any employee or impose upon or extract from him any penalty by reason SPEND LESS SLEEP WELL

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PAGE 10, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

College degrees ‘authorised by its president’

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net DEGREES issued by Sojourner-Douglass College early this year were authorised by the college’s president, according to former Dean Dr Kevin Rolle.

Dr Rolle denied assertions that he was involved in any untoward behaviour concerning the distribution of degrees awarded by

Sojourner-Douglass in February.

He stressed that he had no involvement in the creation of the diplomas, and provided The Tribune with copies of correspondence between himself and SDC President Dr Charles W Simmons.

“Dr Simmons reached out to me in February this year and told me that they had degrees from Baltimore that they wanted to send to

me as I did have contact with a significant number of the students.

“Some of the students had outstanding tuition, and he asked me to redirect the students to pay directly to Baltimore or to SDC’s bank account,” he said.

He acknowledged that his decision to continue assisting the college was an “error of judgement” because he has now become a target for embattled students

seeking justice.

“A lot of students believe that I was somehow involved. I’m a managing director at Goldman Sachs, there is no need for me to want to defraud a couple hundred dollars from a couple students.

“What I did do actually when they came and said we don’t have balances, I told them quite truthfully I really don’t care about this just take the certificate and get out.”

He continued: “I think that at this moment in time I’ve done everything I can to exonerate myself. I only followed a request, in no way did I benefit from it.”

Sojourner-Douglass’ US campus closed its doors in 2015 after it lost its accreditation in July and could not afford to reopen without the federal funding that was hinged on that validation.

However, its Bahamas campus did not close until

the following July, when students were told that there would be no registration for the fall semester, and were advised to settle their accounts in order to receive official transcripts.

Dr Rolle was appointed as dean of the school in August 2016, replacing former dean Theresa Moxey-Ingraham. However, he told The Tribune that he found that the campus had been closed down when he arrived.

COURT TO APPOINT LAWYER FOR APPEAL IN CASH FOR GOLD WORKER’S KILLING A MAN who wishes to challenge a Supreme Court jury’s verdict concerning the murder of a Cash for Gold employee will receive a court-appointed lawyer for his appeal application.

Valentino Bethel, 24, appeared yesterday before Court of Appeal Justices Dame Anita Allen, Stella Crane-Scott and Roy Jones for the expected hearing an extension of time application concerning his formal challenge to a guilty verdict concerning the 2013 robbery and death of Christopher Outten.

Bethel claimed he had written the appellate court on numerous occasions requesting assistance from the court in getting new counsel as he was not sat-

isfied with the representation of Geoffrey Farquharson.

Bethel also claimed he had not seen Mr Farquharson since last year notwithstanding the severity of the conviction and 40-year sentence he is serving.

He also said he had yet to receive copies of his trial transcripts despite requesting them.

The judges said they would order the assignment of counsel at the public’s expense and adjourn the matter to June 29 for a status hearing.

On that date, a decision will be made about the copies of the transcripts which Mr Farquharson should have had as his counsel.

The appellate president said it is hoped counsel will be in place by then. Bethel expressed his gratitude for their efforts and assistance.

Bethel stood trial in November 2014 with Natario Walkins, 27, and Sean Zhivargo Collie, 41, in connection with the January 19, 2013 robbery of Outten.

During evidence given at the trial, Outten and his wife, who were employed at US Gold/Cash for Gold in the Jireh Plaza, had left the store around 4pm on January 19, 2013. They stopped at the automated teller machines of two banking institutions before heading home.

On arrival at their residence, Outten was approached by a masked

gunman and ordered to get down. His wife escaped and ran to a neighbour’s house for help. When she returned, she found that her husband had been shot.

Natario Walkins and Bethel were found guilty of murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery and murder. Collie and Harrison Walkins were found guilty on the conspiracy charges.

In January 2015, Bethel was sentenced to 40 years for murder while receiving 25 years for armed robbery, and 15 years for conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery.

Basil Cumberbatch appeared as Crown respondent in yesterday’s appellate hearing.

TAFARI THOMPSON, 20, appeared before a magistrates court for murder and attempted murder.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF MURDER A MAN appeared in Magistrate’s Court yesterday facing murder and attempted murder charges stemming from a recent double shooting.

Tafari Thompson, 20, stood before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes accused of intentionally causing the death of Shavago McPhee and attempting to cause the death of Robert Renaldo Adderley on Sunday, June 18.

The murder charge was made contrary to Section 291(1)(b) of the Penal Code and the attempted murder charge contrary to Section 292 of the Penal Code.

According to initial police reports, shortly after midnight on the date in question, a man drove himself to the East Street South Police Station and reported that while parked in his vehicle in the area of a school on Charles Saunders Highway with two male passengers, a gunman in a Honda vehicle shot him.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment.

Shortly after 3am, police conducting enquiries at the scene of the alleged shoot-

ing discovered the lifeless body of one of the male passengers, which was initially reported. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Thompson was told that he would not be allowed to enter a plea to the charges until he is formally arraigned before a judge of the Supreme Court.

His case is scheduled to be forwarded to the higher court on July 26.

In the interim, given the nature of the allegations, he was remanded to the Department of Correctional Services to await trial, but was advised of his right to apply directly, or through his lawyer Maria Daxon, for bail in the Supreme Court.

Before the conclusion of the arraignment, Ms Daxon said her client expressed concern for his safety within the Fox Hill facility.

The deputy chief magistrate said it was not within his purview to direct the authorities at the correctional facility on how and where to house inmates, but said he will make a note and inform them of Thompson’s concerns.

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GOVERNMENT NOTICE

GOVERNMENT NOTICE

Ministry of National Security Pa rlia m e nt a ry Re gist ra t ion De pa rt m e nt

PU BLI C N OT I CE

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T I M E OFF REGU LAT I ON S

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Ministry of National Security

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T I M E OFF REGU LAT I ON S

J U N E, GOV 2 0 1 7ERN M EN T ELECT I ON S 2 2 LOCAL

JUNE

In connection with the Local Government Elections to be held on the 22nd public is reminded that notoperson shallthe usegeneral inThe any premises dayCommissioner of June 2017, the Parliamentary to remind the th taryThe Commissioner wishes inform public that in accordance Parliamentary wishes to Commissioner inform thewishes general public public that under Section 99 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 1992, all where balloting being conducted any of recording device n (8) andof subject to paragraph (2) the (Symbols licences issued under provisions of(2) theof Liquor Act shall beEle with including Regulation and subject tothe paragraph the Licence Parliamentary The use such isequipment constitutes an Parliamentary offence under Elections the (8) suspended in All Districts where elections are being held during the hours any cell phone, camera or other photographic equipment.

Regulations, 2002, and Time Off) Regulations, 2002, of the day in which the poll is being held. arliamentary Elections Act, Ch, 7.

Any person selling, exposing or offering for sale any intoxicating liquor

Theemployer use of such equipment an employees offence under the isEvery during such shall permit be deemed to beof sohis doing while not holding Every shall permit constitutes each of his who registered as hours, a shall 1. employer each employees whoa is

licence under the provisions of the Liquor Licences Act. Elections 7. on polling day during thevoter oterParliamentary to be absent from Act, his Ch, work hours poll from his work on polling day during the toofbethe absent or two hours in addition to the normal meal hour, for the purpose of for two hours in addition to the normal meal hour, for the p oting. voting.

Parliamentary Commissioner (Actg)

19th June 2017

Parliamentary Commissioner(Actg) 19th June, 2017

The provisions of paragraph (1) of this regulation shall apply to an of paragraph (1) of this regulation shall not 2. notThe provisions Parliamentary Commissioner (Actg) th mployee whose work on polling day commences at or after ten o’ clock in work on polling day commences at or afte employee whose 19 June 2017