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Volume: 118 No.142, June 21, 2021

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WE MUST KEEP OUR GUARD UP

Forbes warns despite reduced cases third COVID wave still here

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net DESPITE a “slight decline” in coronavirus cases recently, health officials believe it is still “a little too early” to say whether the nation is emerging from the third wave of the virus.

This is according to Dr Nikkiah Forbes, the country’s top infectious disease expert.

“We have seen a slight decline in cases over the

THE Bahamas will always be “playing catch up” with public health infrastructure needs that could amount to $200m just to upgrade community clinics, says former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands.

He said heightened expectations - especially in Family Islands demanding

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

SEE SPORTS SECTION

PLP’S FINAL CANDIDATE SELECTED

THE Progressive Liberal Party has ratified its latest candidate, stating the organisation’s slate of contenders are “officially ready to compete” in the next general election.

In a statement yesterday, the PLP announced that the party has formally selected John Pinder II as a candidate for South Abaco.

The PLP said Mr Pinder joins a diverse team who will bring expertise to the pressing task of “creating real change” in the country.

last three weeks, but there’s only been a slight decline in the weekly average of cases between this week that we are in and the week before,” she said yesterday.

“So we still have to watch, and we can’t say (we are emerging from the third wave) definitively at this point.”

This comes as the country recorded 151 new COVID19 infections last week, bringing the total number of cases reported to 12,327.

SEE PAGE FOUR

medical services of a quality that matches Nassau - meant the pressure will continually be on the government to improve the public healthcare system.

Dr Sands said The Bahamas had “done as well as we could” in maintaining facilities given the “incredible” cost, even though at least one is currently housed in a condemned building.

DEANDRE AND SUNS WIN GAME ONE IN FINALS

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE THREE

MAN KILLED IN STRUGGLE WITH GUNMAN

‘$200M IS REAL BILL FOR ISLANDS’ HEALTHCARE’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SPORTS

THAT’S OUR BOY

PASTOR Delton Ellis and his family were among Bahamians all across the country celebrating Father’s Day yesterday. Families took time out of their days and churches held services to honour the father figures in people’s lives.

Photo: Racardo Thomas

CRUISE RETURNEES CAUSE AIRPORT RUSH

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas must “go back to the drawing board” on the departure experience for Royal Caribbean’s home porting passengers after many were forced to wait two hours or longer to check-in with Bahamasair.

Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar told Tribune Business yesterday

LONG queues at Lynden Pindling International Airport. that this was “one glitch” in an otherwise “seamless” inaugural home porting experience that requires rapid review to ensure it

does not occur again.

He suggested that Bahamasair “probably under-estimated” how many disembarked Royal Caribbean passengers would arrive at Lynden Pindling International Airport after their seven-day voyage on Adventure of the Seas ended on Saturday, which resulted in check-in hold-ups and flights departing one after for Florida.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was shot dead after a struggle with a gunman outside his home in the Chippingham area last night.

According to Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters, police were alerted to a shooting on Sidney Street shortly after 8pm yesterday evening.

Police found a man on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head.

SEE PAGE FIVE

INSIGHT DEADLY FORCE SHOULD BE LAST RESORT NOT THE FIRST SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Monday, June 21, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

ONE KILLED AND TWO INJURED IN SHOOTING

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ONE person was killed and two others were injured in a shooting incident in Garden Hills on Thursday, police said.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, shortly after 10pm officers were alerted to a shooting that occurred on Alocassa Street.

Responding officers found two men and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds.

“Initial inquiries revealed that a silver mid-size vehicle approached a residence, where a male and female were sitting outside on a wall. A male exited, armed with a firearm, and opened fire, injuring both of them,” police said.

“The suspect then returned to the vehicle, and as the driver attempted to flee in a western direction along Alocassa Street, their vehicle was impeded by another vehicle that was travelling in the opposite direction.

“One of the suspects exited their vehicle and fired several shots at the vehicle that was obstructing them. The driver was shot several times about his body. Investigations into this matter continue.”

Emergency Medical Services transported the victims to the hospital, where one of the men later died. It was previously

reported the other victims remained in stable condition.

When The Tribune visited the scene yesterday, a person close to the deceased declined to talk.

His identity has not been released by police.

This homicide comes after last Monday’s killing of a 25-year-old man while he was approaching his Polhemus Street home. A relative identified the deceased as Stervante Moss. While on the scene, Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters told reporters that initial investigations revealed the victim was approaching his home when a vehicle stopped him.

“We’re here this morning as a result of a shooting incident that occurred sometime before 10am when police were alerted to sounds of gunshots on Polhemus and Nassau Streets. Our officers responded and, on their arrival, they were directed to a grey Honda Civic that was parked in an open lot,” ASP Peters said at the time.

“An examination of that vehicle revealed the lifeless body of a male (with what) appeared to be gunshot injuries. EMS was summoned and they then pronounced the body lifeless.”

Anyone with information on these incidents or any crime is asked to call police at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS(8477).

POLICE SEEK TO QUIZ FIVE OVER MASS SHOOTING

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are looking to speak with five people in connection with the April mass shooting in the Kemp Road area.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash said yesterday that police have five people of interest that they want to speak to in connection with the ambush and murder of six men at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and Chesapeake Road.

“They’re not suspects.

We just need to talk with them and then we see where we go from there, so we’re not really going to release the identification at this time,” ACP Cash told The Tribune.

Back in April, ACP Cash explained that police believed more than four people were possibly involved in the incident.

The April 15 killing happened moments after the men were released from police custody after being questioned in reference to a firearm possession investigation.

The deceased included Renardo Bastian, also known as “Crack Teeth”, Travis Cooper, Maurice Pinder, Kendal Lord, Delano Smith, and Dequant Brown, according to relatives and close friends.

A woman and a two-yearold child were also injured in the mass shooting.

Meanwhile, the assistant

commissioner also gave an update on last Wednesday’s alleged armed robbery and rape of woman.

Two of three suspects who were previously at large are now in police custody, he said.

“I have them in custody,” ACP Cash said. “We’re currently speaking with them. They are assisting us greatly.”

As for the age of the individuals, he said, “one is 18 and the other two are minors.”

According to police, preliminary reports indicate that around 5am on Wednesday, a woman was walking on Mackey Street north, when she was accosted by three males, one of whom was armed with a firearm.

“They robbed her of cash and personal items. The culprits then took her to the rear of a vacant building, where they sexually assaulted her,” police said in an earlier release.

“Sometime later, police became aware of a video circulating on social media depicting three males tied up and being interrogated by other individuals. These males are suspected of being responsible for the armed robbery and rape.

During the police investigations it was discovered that a 17-year-old boy who was in the video, went to the Princess Margaret Hospital for medical attention. He was arrested and taken into custody.”

A MAN died after he lost control of his vehicle in western New Providence early yesterday and hit a tree.

Police said they received information of a traffic accident in the area of Skyline Drive around 2am yesterday.

Responding officers saw a white Nissan Premier that had crashed into a tree.

“An inspection of the vehicle revealed a Caucasian male in the right front driver’s seat, who, when checked, was unresponsive,” police said.

“Initial investigations suggest that the driver was

travelling south along Skyline Drive, when for some unknown reason, he veered off to the side of the street.

In an attempt to compensate, he lost control of the vehicle and collided into a coconut tree on the western side of the street and succumbed to his injuries.”

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Traffic Division will continue the investigation into this accident.

Police did not release the victim’s identity up to press time, saying the deceased had not yet been identified by his next of kin.

MAN DIES AS CAR HITS TREE

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THE TRIBUNE

‘BRAVE MUST APOLOGISE FOR OBSCENE REMARK’ THE Free National Movement has called on Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis to apologise for an “obscene” remark in Parliament last week.

During a heated exchange with Minister of Works Desmond Bannister in the House of Assembly on Thursday, Mr Davis uttered an expletive, which Speaker of the House Halson Moultrie expunged from the record.

“It’s been about a week since Brave Davis’ mentor came out of hiding, imploring people to support his

pupil, and now Brave is adopting some of former Prime Minister Perry Christie’s most unfortunate demeanour and conduct in public,” the FNM said in a press release.

“Bahamians won’t soon forget their former, embattled Prime Minister, Perry Christie flipping the bird at a political rally in front of children and seniors and his absolute refusal to apologise for such a public display from an elected leader. Not to be out done, Davis is lowering himself and showing he is unable to hold himself to the standard

expected in Parliament.

“Sadly, in all his many, many, many years in office, Brave Davis has failed to learn that foul language and childish antics are not the conduct of a true leader, they are the tools of a person clearly out of his element, unable to articulate a coherent argument or even demonstrate any kind of character. Will the PLP ever learn that the people want – and deserve – more from their elected leaders? What Brave did (on Thursday) was obscene and below the character of one that would seek to lead a country.”

Monday, June 21, 2021, PAGE 3

PLP leader Phillip ‘Brave’ Davis speaking to the media outside the House of Assembly last week.

Mitchell criticises govt for ‘unfinished projects’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell criticised the Minnis administration for unfinished projects throughout the country.

The senator expressed his displeasure while sharing his concerns on Friday about the William Thompson Softball Field.

He said the renovations to the field should have been finished by April 30.

Other unfinished projects he listed included government buildings in Eight Mile Rock and Bimini; the public school in Holmes Rock and upgrades to the hospital in Grand Bahama.

“I am here at the…. William Thompson Softball Field to demonstrate a simple point,” he said on Friday. “That point is that

PLP chairman Fred Mitchell

PLP’S FINAL CANDIDATE SELECTED from page one

“Bahamians are looking for change and value fresh perspectives,” PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis said in a press release.

“A substantial majority of our candidates are new to frontline politics but they all care passionately about our country and have put themselves forward to make a difference. They may be new to politics, but they were ratified because of their achievements in other fields. We were looking for strong leaders capable of rolling up their sleeves and making a difference on day one.”

Mr Davis said he believed Mr Pinder, an estate manager and realtor who lost his home during Hurricane Dorian, was the perfect example of this.

He explained the Abaco native, who lived with his family in a tent after the storm, chose to remain on the island to help with recovery efforts. The opposition leader also said Mr Pinder helped to “organise aid distribution, solicit food donations and coordinate non-governmental organisations and other projects for rebuilding.”

“John is a man who solves problems instead of running from them,” Mr Davis continued. “We know he will play a critical leadership role in rebuilding Abaco.”

JOHN PINDER II Mr Pinder joins more than two dozen political newcomers to the PLP, in addition to the four incumbents: Mr Davis in Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador; deputy leader Chester Cooper in Exuma; Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin and Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller, who left the Free National Movement last year and joined the PLP. Mr Davis said his party has a “dynamic group of newcomers” who each bring “important talents to the table”.

Insisting the PLP moved from “strength to strength,” he added: “I know Bahamians see with the current FNM crowd the very real dangers of incompetence in governance. Having the wrong people in charge over the last few years has really hurt the country and set us back. Our problems got worse, not better.

They tried to excuse the Oban scandal as a ‘rookie mistake’. They think they can justify a deal for an oil refinery characterised by secrecy and blundering with an excuse like ‘rookie mistake’?

He added: “What about raising VAT while cutting taxes for the wealthy? Was that a ‘rookie mistake’ too? They were warned that raising VAT would slow economic growth and hurt Bahamian businesses and families. But they did it anyway. It was incompetent and it was wrong. What about buying the Grand Lucayan, which Bahamian taxpayers have been forced to pour more than $200 million into so far? What about the over-reliance on business, killing lockdowns and the failure to offer free COVID testing, mistakes they’re still making 17 months into the pandemic?

Not only do they make mistake after mistake, they never learn from them, either.”

Mr Davis said it is “time to turn the page, so the country could move forward and address its “most serious problems.”

“We’ve put forward an economic plan to create a more dynamic, more diversified, and more inclusive economy, and we have the team to pull it off,” he said.

“Now we just want the PM to ring the bell so we can get to work.”

FORMER PLP MINISTER PEET QUIZZED

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Progressive Liberal Party Cabinet minister Vincent Peet was taken in for questioning by police on Friday.

Officer-in-charge of the Financial Crime Investigations Branch, Chief Superintendent Matthew Edgecombe told The Tribune Mr Peet was taken in

for questioning on Friday morning.

“At this time he was released on bail to go to court Monday,” CSP Edgecombe said.

He said Mr Peet was helping police in reference to a financial complaint, but declined to provide details saying the matter is expected to be dealt with in court.

Asked if anyone else was questioned

in connection with the matter, he answered: “That’s all I’m going to say right now. Monday morning come by the court – you’ll see.”

Mr Peet was the former Minister of Financial Services under a previous Christie administration. He represented the constituency of North Andros and the Berry Islands from 2002 to 2007 and again from 2007 to 2012.

during this financial debate “The evidence is that notwithstanding all the their claims are rubbish. grandstanding and chatter “The idea was when the in the House (of Assem- whole park was refurbished, bly) by the Prime Minister, remember they had a big the Minister of Sports and grand opening saying they the Minister of Works, the had finished that part of the government appears to be (park) and were moving on unable to pay its bills. to this part of the park and “The result is a legacy the project has come to a of unfinished projects and full stop and that’s what the government cannot you see here with the trees, state publicly the grass, why the proeverything jects aren’t ‘The result is a grown up… legacy of unfinished and if you go finished.

“The glar- projects and the down to the ing fact is baseball stathat they government cannot dium its the are unable state publicly why same thing to pay the the projects aren’t the work contractors.” has come to He con- finished. The a complete tinued, “The glaring fact is that halt. ball field they are unable to “If the should have budget is so been in use pay the contractors.’ great and if by the softthey’re doing ball teams. so well with management of “Instead, you can see that public funds why have these the grass is as high as Geor- projects come to a stop?” gia pine and the work has He added this also shows come to a complete stop. that the Minnis administra“As usual, the FNM tion’s commitment to sports government half-finished and the creative industries the project and then pro- is hollow. claimed a few months ago “They started off by canin a grand opening cer- celling the IAAF World emony that they had done Relays,” Mr Mitchell said. great favours for the people “They refused to support Over-the-Hill. the travel of Bahamians

abroad to sports events. In one case the Progressive Liberal Party had to supply financial support because the government did not pay for the rings for the children who won the basketball championship in 2018.”

He alleged that contractors are still owed money on a few jobs.

“The national baseball stadium in Nassau remains unfinished after more than five years and the general contractor is reportedly still owed some $2.5m. The engineers and architects have not been paid in over two years,” he claimed.

“I also add that the various small contractors — they are many of them who owed money. Amongst them in Fox Hill for weeding the sides of the road and others who are owed rent throughout the country which cannot be paid,” the former Fox Hill MP said.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

PAGE 4, Monday, June 21, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL DEATHS

NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES SATURDAY 23 CASES

RECENTLY CONFIRMED DEATHS

12,350 243 NEW PROVIDENCE BIMINI & CAT CAY GRAND BAHAMA

19 3 1

FRIDAY

5 CASES

NEW PROVIDENCE

5

THURSDAY

27 CASES

NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA

TOTAL TESTS

103,903

• A 72-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FROM INAGUA ON JUNE 16.

• A 46-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FROM NEW PROVIDENCE ON JUNE 17.

21 6

HOSPITALISED

42

CASES IN ICU

2

RECOVERED

11,312

Forbes warns despite reduced cases third COVID wave still here from page one Dr Forbes added the health system is not at full bed capacity, although “the number of patients compared to healthcare workers” still poses a challenge for medical facilities.

Dr Forbes said at this point, it is difficult to determine the likelihood of the country experiencing a fourth wave and what a surge like that would look like.

“There’s vaccinations

now and that can help to reduce the number of cases if you were to have a robust effective vaccination programme,” she explained.

“But we also have to consider emerging new variants like the delta variant which is more contagious. And all of those things would play into what subsequent waves or outbreaks would look like, or even what the current outbreak would look like and so it’s hard to predict that given those factors.”

She added: “COVID is

not going away so we’ve got to learn and do the things we know to protect against getting it and spreading it and that is the public health measures and vaccinations at this time.

Of course, there are also public health remedies (such as) testing, identifying cases, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine and other measures.”

On Sunday June 13, health officials reported 11 newly confirmed COVID cases, which were all in New Providence. On June 14, the

country recorded another 15 confirmed COVID cases; 11 of those were from New Providence, another two were from Grand Bahama, while there was one each from Abaco and Exuma.

Seventeen additional new cases were reported on June 15, 14 of which came out of New Providence. Grand Bahama, Bimini & Cat Cay and Andros also reported one new case each.

June 16 saw last week’s highest report of newly confirmed cases, with the ministry recording 53 cases in one day. Of this figure, 37 were said to have come out of New Providence, 13 from Grand Bahama, two from Abaco and one from Eleuthera. However health officials said the 13 cases from Grand Bahama and the one case from Eleuthera were reported during the period of November 3, 2020 and March 30.

Another 27 cases were recorded on June 17, with 21 coming out of the capital while six arose from Grand Bahama.

Last Friday, health officials reported five more cases which all came out of New Providence.

On Saturday, June 19, 23 more cases were reported: 19 of them from New Providence, one from Grand Bahama and three from Bimini and Cat Cay. According to the Health Ministry’s latest report, 42 patients are in hospital.

The death toll currently stands at 243 after a 72-year-old woman from Inagua died on June 16 and a 46-year-old New Providence woman passed away on June 17.

According to the latest data from officials, nearly 80,000 vaccines have been administered as of June 19.

Officials report that

79,246 total doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been given; 54,199 people have received one dose of the vaccine while 25,047 are fully vaccinated.

In its latest health bulletin, the Ministry of Health also urged the public to adhere to the necessary restrictions and guidelines to mitigate the spread of the virus.

“If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not wait, first contact your health provider,” officials said.

“While home remedies may work for a period, it is important to get tested and receive proper care before symptoms become too difficult to manage. If you have been asked by the Surveillance Unit to get tested for COVID-19, please follow the advice and take the gold standard RT-PCR test. employees are encouraged to work from home.”

BEACH VENDORS TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE Cabbage Beach Vendors Association plans to take legal action against Access Industries for missing and damaged beach equipment.

Last Wednesday, vendors were shocked to see an entrance to the Paradise Island beach locked and their items relocated when they showed up on site in preparation for their return to work next month. Some members of the organisation also claimed their items had been damaged by whoever moved them off the beach.

Kirk Bethel, who said he was the first vendor in history to set up chairs and umbrellas on the beach, said the CBVA has already filed an official complaint with the Royal Bahamas Police Force over their missing property.

“Wayne Munroe, QC, and attorney Maria Daxon are supposed to take over the case so we just have to forward the rest of the information over to Paradise Island Police Station along with the receipts for the chairs and umbrellas that are missing,” he told The Tribune.

In 2014, the ownership of the Cabbage Beach property was transferred from Atlantis (Brookfield) to a subsidiary of Access Industries. In a statement last week, the company said the fence was erected due to

upcoming work on a $250m project. The company also said the access point to the beach will be closed due to “safety” concerns during construction.

Mr Bethel said the entire ordeal felt like a “slap in the face” to vendors who have been out of work for more than a year due to the pandemic. He added morale was low since vendors were “fed up and upset” with the current situation and “did not know which way to turn”.

Asked whether the government has reached out to the CBVA since the controversy surrounding the locked gate first unfolded, he stated: “Nothing at all.

You know how the government go, ain’t nobody looking out for us... Both of the governments have failed us in the process.

They could easily just tell them people what to do.

They come into our country, you can’t just let people throw the Bahamian people off of our beach which we been on for 30 years.”

In March 2016, police clashed with Cabbage Beach vendors and protestors who led a group from Sidney Poitier Bridge to the Paradise Island beach.

At the time, angry demonstrators tore down a fence blocking one of two access points to the beach.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who was in opposition at the time, took part in the protest and called the effort “a sure sign” that Bahamians

were fed up with the empty promises offered by the Christie administration.

Noting how the prime minister protested against a similar situation while in opposition, Mr Bethel said he believed Dr Minnis has now “failed” the vendors.

“He don’t care (because) he has yet to say anything about the matter,” he stated. “(At the protest in 2016) I was one of the guys there and he was on the side of me. So I don’t understand them, when they get in power they just switch on you. The Bahamian people for years keep getting throw off the beach. The PLP and the FNM keep (allowing us) to get throw off the beach, but I thought the Bahamian people own the beach, I don’t know how you can sell a beach.”

Mr Bethel said he is hoping the civil and criminal suits the CBVA intends to file will allow the vendors to “get their stuff back”. He also said he hopes the government will “at least buy back a part of the beach to protect the Bahamian people”.

“We need everybody to come together and we need the government to go in the House of Assembly and overturn this thing,” he said. “You don’t let people come into our country and just sell it out and we don’t have no more beach for ourselves. And we trying to do the same thing to Goodman’s Bay because if we don’t watch out, then Goodman’s Bay gone.”

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 21, 2021, PAGE 5

Cruise ship’s arrival ‘a sign we’re getting back to normal’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE arrival of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship at Freeport Harbour on Friday was heralded as a sign that things were returning to normal after the cruising industry came to a halt last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Adventure of the Seas brought 1,068 passengers and a crew of 918 to Grand Bahama on its first visit. The vessel is expected to bring some 13,000 Royal Caribbean cruise visitors over the next three months.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar were at the homeporting inauguration of Adventure of Seas at the harbour. The ship left Nassau on June 12.

Russell Benford, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of government relations for the Americas, was also in attendance and brought remarks.

The cruise line will homeport in The Bahamas and will be provisioning the vessel in Grand Bahama for food supplies and fuel.

Dr Minnis said RCC is leading the return of cruising in the Americas.

“It gives me great pleasure to join you here in Freeport Harbour to deliver part two of the welcome back to our nation’s long standing partner Royal Caribbean International,” he said.

“The people of Grand Bahama have a deep appreciation for the significance of Royal Caribbean’s move to homeport in the Bahamas and to feature a full day on this beautiful island as one of the highlights of Adventure of the Seas’ seven-day itinerary.”

He noted that Grand Bahama’s proximity to the continental United States positions the island as a popular destination for a day away and weekend cruises from South Florida and as a port of call for longer Caribbean cruises.

He said that cruise arrivals to Grand Bahama were making a comeback from 2019 through February 2020.

In 2019, he reported that Grand Bahama recorded 56,987 stop-over visitor arrivals, and close to half a million in cruise visitor arrivals (416,287 cruise

visitors).

In 2020, he noted that the island saw 69,708 visitors for February alone.

“An excellent performance in visitor arrival numbers,” he added.

“Had Grand Bahama continued on that trajectory, we could only imagine what the cruise visitor arrival totals would have been by year-end.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought tourism activity and cruising to a halt,” he said.

Dr Minnis said that things are returning to a sense of normal after many painful and difficult months.

He indicated that the arrangements negotiated to lay the foundation for Adventure of the Seas Day in Grand Bahama were three-fold.

These were to identify an exciting slate of options in tours, excursions, and eco-adventures, providing one-of-a-kind experiences that cruise visitors could choose from. Secondly, to choose a list of ground transportation providers and professional service providers, and thirdly, to source a list of procurement vendors for the purchase of fuel for the vessel and the purchase of seafood and vegetables for the plates of the 1,000 plus guests and 900 plus crew aboard the ship’s weekly cruises.

He noted that Royal Caribbean visitors will have the choice of some 15 existing tours, excursions, and attraction visits that have been specifically curated just for them.

Guests also have the option of scenic island tours led by the many BahamaHost certified taxi drivers who specialise in guest tours.

“For the cruise visitors’ day in Grand Bahama, special consideration was given to expose our guests to the rich, dynamic culture of the island on display at Smith’s Point. Smith’s Point is an authentic Fish Fry experience taken to a new level, with all day long music, dancing, culinary demonstrations, food and beverage tastings, and history walking tours,” he said.

Dr Minnis stated that the overall health of the nation’s economy is contingent on the success of Grand Bahama’s fortunes.

He is urging Grand Bahama residents to get vaccinated.

“We are appreciative of our nation’s 50-year partnership with Royal Caribbean, who, in returning to sailing, has moved to increase its relationship with The Bahamas. To help to restore our economy and a greater sense of normalcy, I encourage Grand Bahamians to be vaccinated,” he said.

Mr D’Aguilar said the homeport signals the road to the resumption of the cruise industry in Grand Bahama.

“Today marks the return of cruise passengers to Grand Bahama,” he said.

“It has been 16 long and painful months. During which absolutely no cruise ships have sailed the waters of The Bahamas, and it has been 16 long painful months during which no cruise ships have stopped here in Freeport.”

He thanked RCC for its decision to homeport in the Bahamas at a time when the country needed it most.

“Today marks the ability for the Grand Bahama economy to begin the rebound of tourism, which is clearly underway. Starting and ending a cruise in The Bahamas, has never happened before. That is why this cruise is so historic,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

He also reported that cruises from South Florida will resume far earlier than anticipated.

He noted that while the CDC had prevented cruises from restarting and the cruise industry executives had projected cruises from the US to resume in September, November, or just before Christmas, RCC announced on June 4 that six of its award-winning ships will begin sailing from major cruise ports in South Florida and Texas in July and August.

For his part, Mr Benford said his company is pleased to resume sailing and homeport in The Bahamas.

“After a 15-month suspension of global cruises, finally we are returning home, with Adventure of the Seas, the first international ship to return to the Western Hemisphere,” he said.

Mr Brenford also noted that RCC is close to finalising the agreement with the government for major development plans for Grand Bahama, which includes the redevelopment of Freeport and the Grand Lucayan Resort.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis cutting a cake to mark the cruise ship’s arrival.

NETWORK UPGRADE HITS REV CUSTOMERS LOCAL cable and internet provider REV said “unforeseen complications” during a scheduled network upgrade left nearly a quarter of residential customers in New Providence without service for a period yesterday.

The company apologised for the interruption.

Chief technology officer, Stephen Curran said in a press release: “We experienced difficulties with underground cabling and when combined with the inclement weather resulted in the extended

delays. Our team of engineers worked through the night to restore services as quickly as possible.”

The company said approximately 25 percent of residential customers were affected for an extended period of time.

THE SCENE of a murder where a man was shot and killed on Sydney Street, Chippingham, last night.

Photo: Racardo Thomas

MAN KILLED IN STRUGGLE WITH GUNMAN from page one

EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.

“Initial investigations reveal that the male had recently arrived home when a lone gunman approached his vehicle, tapped on the window, the gentleman came out and a struggle ensued,” ASP Peters said.

“However the gunman

was able to overpower him and shot him several times before making his escape to a vehicle that was waiting.”

The victim, whose identity was not released up to press time, appeared to be in his early 30s, ASP Peters said.

ASP Peters said it is a possibility the victim knew his shooter, however, police are not certain.

Police also could not

say if robbery was a possible motive, citing the early stages of the investigation.

Grieving relatives were also at the scene and were heard crying as police processed the area.

Police are appealing to members of the public who may have information on this shooting to contact police at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328TIPS (8477).

BAHAMIAN MURDERED IN FLORIDA

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

FLORIDA detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a Bahamian man in Broward County last week.

On June 16, Local 10 News reported that a man was found dead with a gunshot wound in the Lauderhill, Florida vicinity.

The Tribune understands the victim is Bahamian native Samuel Mullings.

Local 10 said when officers received reports of shots

being fired around 4.30pm that afternoon, they went to the area of Northwest Fourth Street and 36th Avenue, where they discovered Mr Mullings lying in the middle of the street with a gunshot wound.

When EMS arrived at the scene, they pronounced Mr Mullings dead.

The matter is currently said to be an active homicide investigation and Broward County officers have been questioning neighbourhood residents to find out if they have any information concerning the matter.

“I just heard what I

thought was fireworks,” neighbour Kathy Rucker told Local 10 News. “And then about 15 minutes later I saw the fire truck, so I was like, ‘OK, maybe that wasn’t fireworks.’ So then I walked around and I saw the body laying in the street.”

The Tribune reached out to relatives of the deceased, however they declined to comment on the incident.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Broward CrimeStoppers at 954-493-8477 to assist officials with their investigation.

PAGE 6, Monday, June 21, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

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We must keep going to get past the third wave Island healthcare PERHAPS we are too eager for good news – but any hopes we might have emerged from the third wave of COVID-19 affecting our country are perhaps premature.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes is the country’s top infectious disease expert – and has been a sound and steady voice throughout this pandemic.

The good news, she says, is that there has been a slight decline in cases of the past three weeks. The bad news is that it is only a slight decline.

“We still have to watch,” she says, “and we can’t say (we are emerging from the third wave) definitively at this point.”

For now, the difficulties we face as a country continue – while the number of patients in the healthcare system poses even more difficulties. Not every bed is full, which is good, but the numbers are still high compared to the total number of healthcare workers.

In short, we must not get ahead of ourselves. But there is more good news to be had. Those numbers are indeed dropping a little – which means what we are doing is working. We have to keep going with social distancing and wearing masks, washing regularly and using sanitiser. Simple steps, we all know them by now.

The vaccination programme, too, can make a difference. As Dr Forbes says, “There’s vaccinations now and that can help to reduce the number of cases if you were to have a robust effective vaccination programme.”

That’s part of the picture – but we still need more vaccines, and more people need to come forward and get their jabs.

It has been a long, hard journey to get to where we are, but the progress that has been made will be wasted if we don’t see it through.

If we do that, then maybe in the next week or two we really will be able to say that the third wave is a thing of the past.

And if we can say that, then maybe we can save lives.

There is a conundrum in our public health infrastructure – and it’s not one we talk about often.

Dr Duane Sands, the former Health Minister, has pointed out the cost of community clinics and highlighted how we are always “playing catch up” with infrastructure needs.

There is an expectation that Family Island medical services will match those that can be found in Nassau. To some extent, that is of course an impracticality – merely by the number of different clinics and specialists that can be found on the larger island of New Providence compared to a small island where there might be only a few health experts.

Part of it is politics. It’s a powerful promise to entice people to vote for your party if you say we’ll give you a clinic right on your doorstep so if you need it, you don’t have to go to Nassau.

Dr Sands points out there are around 100 clinics around The Bahamas, with changing codes of what is standard – and even one in a condemned building.

It’s not just the buildings, it’s the staffing too, making sure there are doctors and nurses in those clinics to deal with people’s needs.

It’s not an easy conundrum to solve, especially given the political dimension – but are there other ways we can deal with some of the issues. Take a look at Australia, for example, where scattered small communities are dealt with by the Flying Doctor service. That’s not cheap either, costing around $85m a year, but it might even ensure medics with greater expertise available to fly to a scene rather than those who might be in a clinic but lack certain specialities.

What matters, in the end, is the outcome. We want people to have the best medical care possible. That might not be the same thing as our current solution – and perhaps we should think a little more out of the box, and certainly beyond the ballot box.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Changing times over Marlin fishing EDITOR, The Tribune.

I SEE where a letter writer to The Tribune was sickened by your front page photo on June 7, headed “Sport or Slaughter”, and environmentalist Sam Duncombe has taken the sportsmen to task remarking that it is “absolutely ludicrous” that the capture of the country’s national fish is allowed in such events, adding that “these bloody tournaments” need to stop.

The photo to which they refer shows the capture and weighing of a magnificent Blue Marlin caught at Walker’s Cay and posted on the Walkers Cay Facebook page.

Oh how times have changed – at one time it was Bimini’s annual Big Game tournament that put The Bahamas on the map.

And I recall at the time of the annual tournament to

see such photos — to which today’s Bahamians object – during tournament season published in The Tribune.

Bimini was the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea”. Hemingway made Bimini his second home and his grandson years later participated in the tournaments sponsored by the Big Game Club at Bimini.

As a matter of fact, this is what put Bimini on the map of the world.

The Big Game Fishing Club, was founded in 1955 by the late Neville Stuart.

I have an article written by the late Larry Smith in which he records that it was Hemingway who persuaded Mr Stuart to acquire a Prohibition era bar called “Fountain of Youth” and offer accommodation to anglers. He called it the Anchors Aweigh Hotel.

“After the second world war Stuart began organising

fishing tournaments, and operated the island’s iconic mailboat — The Bimini Gal, which sank in 1972. In 1955 he built the Big Game Club, whose marina was the sportsfishing headquarters of the Bahamas for years,” wrote Larry Smith.

Even I remember when it was reported that the late President Roosevelt visited in his large yacht during those years — of course, I would not know if he did any fishing, but Bimini in those days was certainly the place to be.

During that period I would see many photos — like the one objected to by The Tribune reader and reEarth President Mrs Sam Duncombe – published in The Tribune.

How the times and attitudes have changed.

OLD TIMER Nassau, June 2021

Let’s meet, Dr Minnis EDITOR, The Tribune.

AN OPEN letter to the Prime Minister of The Bahamas As you are aware, Mr Prime Minister, over the past four years we have made many attempts to meet with you in person to discuss the Paradise Island

Lighthouse & Beach Club project. Unfortunately, to date this has not resulted in a meeting.

I hereby make a formal, public request to meet with you for the purpose of bringing about a resolve to my Paradise Island Lighthouse & Beach Club matter in the very near future and

remain hopeful you will make yourself available.

Thank you. May the light shine on.

Sincerely yours, CAPT TOBY C SMITH Lighthouse Keeper.

Nassau, June 17, 2021

S

FOR many Bahamians, we believe that the country is nearing the crossroads of destiny.

After suffering decades of failure; endless crime rates, massive brain drain and malfeasance from political corruption, this land is almost at the point of no return, and many Bahamians seek a solution to reverse the decay.

In my opinion, If I achieved the position of Prime Minister, then I would have the solution to resolve most of the issues that plague this nation.

I always talk about the effects of foreign policy, expanding into other industries locally and enforcing military security apparatuses of the Bahamas, and how both of these policies need to be drastically revamped in order to fully operate in the 21st century and these methods would appear exceptionally unpopular to many people, but it needs to be done.

The method is for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Immigration and the Department of Labour to adopt a new strategy of establishing foreign relations with countries based on what type of specific industry they can offer, their cultural influences and only accepting the very best countries within their areas of expertise. The processes of citizenship, permanent residency and work permits.

However, there are certain countries that don’t offer anything of value for the long-term future of the nation and they must be cut off. Not in cutting them off diplomatically, but the government shouldn’t donate money to these places in terms of public financing, but it should be done with companies and colleges between private Bahamian individuals and other foreign business establishments.

As it stands, all of the Caribbean nations offer almost nothing of value, save for the University of West Indies, and the Bahamas must find it appropriate to leave CARICOM as a member and become a permanent observer. Everything we do for the Caribbean should be on multilateral cooperation and for any disaster relief efforts.

Dealing with Mexico and Brazil is an extreme security risk in and of itself normally thanks to the prevalence and corrupting influence of Latin America’s drug cartels. Besides, most of our supermarket products we import from that region can be replaced with products being imported from significantly safer countries like Canada and the UK. Then there’s the countries tend to drag us into a Cold War situation between the US and other “Socialist” countries like Cuba and Venezuela, along with Washington, DC, having random trade spats with China because of the Belt and Road initiative in the

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

Bahamas and the Caribbean. Nonetheless, we get little out of this geopolitical battle because we don’t try to negotiate between Beijing and Washington, DC, for fair trading practices.

The only countries that can help the Bahamas into progressing into the future is mainly found in Japan.

In addition to the Japanese, the South Koreans and Singaporeans are historically skilled in education, technologically advanced in engineering and manufacturing and their societies themselves are highly stable (despite low birthrates, strict social norms and increasing suicide cases). Along with India, these three countries should be our highest priority for work permits, student visas, permanent residency and citizenship because of the benefits they offer on a long term basis.

Germany’s legendary automotive manufacturing industry would also be highly valuable for many Bahamians who rely on buying their own cars to move around and buying parts to repair their vehicles, along with being the most economically advanced nation in Europe.

So Germans should be the second highest priority based on their expertise in automotive engineering.

For the sake of maintaining a stable food supply, Canada must be the third highest priority to ensure that we don’t leave ourselves vulnerable to unforeseen disasters and other emergencies, at least until we fully establish our local food supply to fully feed ourselves and cut the food import bill by more than 50%.

As for all other nations, the government shouldn’t be using public money to bring in foreign students and workers who aren’t high priority, and it should be handled by private companies and colleges using their own funds while the Immigration Department only approves the permits or visas.

As for our future security concerns, the Latin American Drug Cartels operating in the Caribbean, weak local food security and poachers remains one of the most serious risks posed on the Bahamas. My next move is to create a massive 350 million dollar security initiative similar to what happened after 9/11, along with stronger cooperation with other foreign military forces to help finance this initiative.

Enhancing the RBPF, Customs and the Defense Force will be the primary objective of equipping these organizations to effectively enforce the law, and to create recruitment drives and boost the salaries of police officers, Customs officials and naval personnel. For the size of the Bahamas’ territorial waters, we need 14,000 police officers and marines with enhanced training in addition to more patrol

boats, two larger naval vessels, helicopters, drones and further logistical support to fully secure our national interests.

Illegal trafficking of synthetic drugs, foreign built firearms and human smuggling should carry the highest criminal offences outside of rape and murder, with illegal arms trafficking having a minimum 25 year prison sentence. The other should be 12 years minimum for drug smuggling and human trafficking being 21 years minimum.

All travellers from Latin America and the Caribbean would be subjected to additional security screening and vetting as the primary line of defense against potential cartel smugglers and other threats. Mandatory searches of both airline and private jets in airports, cargo ships in ports and yachts in marinas are all required before disembarking. The intelligence apparatus would be developed to covertly work with the authorities so that most smuggling attempts would be foiled and any traces of corruption within the ranks should be suppressed and removed.

The Bahamian fishers should help mark fishing grounds so that the Defense Force can properly guard them against poachers from the Dominican Republic and neighbouring countries south of Inagua, in addition to better enforcement against migrants.

Although the stability within the US and Europe is unpredictable and chaotic at times, they’re still important for military technology and security cooperation.

For that reason, I would establish deeper cooperation with NATO and the US Military to supply the Ministry of National Security with the latest technological hardware and equipment, along with military training to conduct operations and further strengthen our nation against outside threats from Latin America.

I may understand that this is highly unpopular, even a controversial opinion that I would have taken a pro-Japanese stance on foreign policy and economic agreements; isolating ourselves from the Caribbean and Latin America, allowing only a small percentage of select foreigners on getting citizenship and permanent residency and placing specific security screenings on certain travellers. But during the times of COVID and significant instability with our nearby countries, we cannot afford anymore bad economic deals and wasted opportunities anymore. Although many of my suggestions wouldn’t work in real life, people should still need to consider the effects of our poor foreign and economic policies and how to reverse the damage so that there can still be a nation for your children to return to.

AMMAKA RUSSELL Nassau, June 20 2021.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 21, 2021, PAGE 7

38-YEAR-OLD Kareem Murphy outside court.

KIERICHA WILLIAMS, age 37, outside court on Friday.

Two are accused over money taken from bank accounts

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A FORMER First Caribbean Bank employee was arraigned in Magistrates Court on Friday for allegedly stealing over $50,000 from customer accounts over a nearly three-year period.

Kiericha Williams, 37, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt faced with several counts of fraud related offenses linked to stealing by reason of employment, falsification of accounts and money laundering.

Officers allege that Williams, between July 2018 and March 2021, stole $50,055 from several customer bank accounts, which she had access to due to her employment during that time period.

She was also accused of falsifying two customer accounts on June 19, 2019 and on

November 21, 2016 after allegedly concealing their withdrawal slip and failing to make a “full and true entry” into the bank’s records.

The 37-year-old was further charged with seven counts of money laundering after officers alleged she acquired $45,870 on her account between February 2018 and March 2021, which represents the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Williams also faced four additional charges of money laundering along with her co-accused, 38-year-old Kareem Murphy, who also appeared before Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt on Friday.

It is alleged that the two, being concerned together, knowingly acquired $13,400 on their CIBC accounts between March 2017 to December 2020.

Both Williams and Murphy pleaded not guilty to all the offences read to the court during Friday’s hearing.

WOMAN ADMITS CREDIT CARD FRAUD

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 28-YEAR-OLD woman was re-arraigned in Magistrate’s Court on Friday on several fraudrelated charges.

Phelicia Gibson was charged before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt with four counts of fraud by false pretences after being accused of obtaining $3,583.30 from her uncle, James Kerr, by means of false pretences sometime between October 2020 to May 2021.

The prosecution said on June 5, Gibson’s uncle, the virtual complainant, reported to police that Gibson had used his credit card to make unauthorised

purchases without his consent during the time period.

The complainant also told police that the accused had access to his credit cards because he sometimes allowed her to make purchases for him.

The prosecution said Gibson was subsequently arrested by police and alleged that while in police custody, she admitted to the offences.

When Gibson first appeared before Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt, the 28-year-old initially denied the offences.

However, during Friday’s hearing, the 28-year-old changed her plea to guilty of the charges.

Magistrate FergusonPratt adjourned the case to June 28 for sentencing.

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The case was adjourned until a later date for a

hearing on the remaining charges laid against

Williams.

The two are scheduled to

appear in court today for a bail hearing.

MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

Deadly force should be last resort - not the first

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

LAST week’s shooting of a mentally ill man by Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) officers has added another name to the list of individuals who have died in police involved shootings in recent years. However, this was not the typical situation where the police have met deadly force with the same.

Reports indicated the young man who was killed, Ernsteev Charles, was armed with a cutlass when he was shot multiple times by police officers. However, reports also indicate that Mr Charles suffered from mental illness – and the lingering question in such situations is whether there might be another way that could preserve someone’s life.

Likewise, has police training not evolved enough beyond simply, cut and dry, meeting deadly force with deadly force?

Sending police officers on calls that require crisis intervention of another kind - added to our cultural lack of sensitivity towards mental illness - is a deadly cocktail.

Studies have long pointed out the intersection between socio-economic status and mental health.

Such research has shown a clear correlation between low-income status and mental illness.

A 2012 research paper published in the Journal of Public Mental Health by scientists from the London School of Economics explored some of the nuances of mental health, poverty and development.

Their findings were jarring.

Among some of the discoveries dating back decades

‘Has police training not evolved enough beyond simply, cut and dry, meeting deadly force with deadly force?’ was that people with mental health disorders were four times more likely to have been unemployed or partially employed. Additionally, people suffering from mental illnesses were one-third more likely not to have graduated from high school and three times more likely to be divorced, leaving a significant strain on their families.

There aren’t many choices left for family members who shoulder the responsibility of providing for and protecting loved ones stricken with mental

health disorders. Such protection, as it turns out, is warranted as they may be a hazard to themselves as well as others. But what is further endangering everyone involved is our continued mishandling of this epidemic.

As this latest incident shows, family members of the mentally unstable must think twice before seeking police intervention.

The pain and regret heard in Mr Charles’ mother’s voice was heartbreaking.

Hearing the helplessness she must feel

mourning the loss of her son who she simply wanted to help ought to have struck a nerve in every Bahamian.

None of us are immune to the challenges of maintaining our mental health, particularly with a misery index as high as it has ever been in a pandemic. Yet, our government leaders in the health, law enforcement and social development spaces have yet to crack this code.

For starters, in the area of producing our own research on this societal issue, we have failed.

Just north of our border, state governments have funnelled resources to decrease fatal shootings that have resulted in more than 1,200 killings since 2015.

US data suggests people with mental illnesses are 16 times more susceptible of being killed in an encounter with police than civilians with properly functioning faculties. And as issues of police reform have cascaded over the US since the murder of George Floyd, the fact individuals suffering from

an untreated mental illness account for 25-50 percent of all fatal police shootings has shown the urgency for alternative interventions.

The Memphis Model, a crisis intervention training system developed to decrease the proliferation of the fatal shootings of people suffering from mental health illnesses in the US, was developed after the killing of a black Memphis man in 1987.

While adoption was slow initially, recent demands for police reform are forcing legislators to take notice.

Coined as a community engagement concept, this form of crisis intervention training, focuses on developing police officers equipped to navigate situations where mental health issues play a role. This is done through working more closely with community stakeholders in the mental health field.

Others trying to develop solutions make note of how scary an interaction with police officers can be for people who do not have mental health issues in comparison to those that do. One cannot ignore the nature of a police officer whose training focuses on marksmanship and protecting life at the cost of taking a life.

As such, police officers are placed in a precarious position when better solutions remain out of reach.

Mr Charles’ mother’s palpable regret that she called the police is the last thing we want anyone to feel.

That said, who is going to suggest the alternative?

We need community-organised emergency responders familiar with families, medical practitioners in mental health disorders, as well as police officers and social workers all working together to effect change in how we have approached these situations.

Moreover, we need to remove the negative stigma attached to mental health disorders and practice more empathy as a people. What happens to your neighbour’s family yesterday could happen to you or yours tomorrow.

We must be better than this.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021 PAGE 9

CABBAGE BEACH ACCESS - THE COURT’S ALREADY RULED AND IT WASN’T IN FAVOUR OF THE VENDORS WHILE the question of who has the right to access Cabbage Beach made headlines last week this wasn’t the first time this complex issue has reared its head.

Last week vendors became irate when they showed up on site in preparation for their return to work next month, only to discover the Paradise Island beach entrance had been locked, while their items had been relocated across the street.

Needless to say, this action sparked immediate upset and eventually some vendors forced open the locked gates and began placing their possessions back onto the beach.

Access Industries, the owner of the land over which access to the beach runs, released a statement explaining its actions.

According to the company, the fence was erected due to an upcoming $250m development project. They said the access point to the beach will be closed due to “safety” concerns during construction.

This explanation failed to appease Cabbage Beach vendors and many said they are determined to fight for their livelihood and called for Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to intervene, noting he protested against a similar situation while in opposition in 2016.

Where the matter will end up this time is still unclear but just two years ago an almost identical situation ended up with a Supreme Court ruling in favour of Access Industries.

In this case, the access point involved was at the eastern end of Cabbage Beach adjacent to the Paradise Island Beach Club.

Ownership of Cabbage Beach was transferred from Atlantis (Brookfield) to a subsidiary of Access Industries in 2014. And In 2019, Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hilton adjudicated in a matter involving Atlantis Holdings Ltd and a Cabbage Beach vendor. At the time, he ruled that a public access point in question to the beach was a “private access way”, which meant the vendor was trespassing on the property.

The judgement noted the company, which was the plaintiff in the court action, was the owner of a hotel resort property, inclusive of the Paradise Island Beach Club and the Ocean Club Estates Beach Club situated on Paradise Island. Court documents also note the resort’s property

VENDORS returning their belongings to the beach after they were removed and the access closed.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff encompasses land on Cabbage Beach extending to the high-water mark.

According to the ruling, since the company’s purchase of the property, it has allowed access to Cabbage Beach over its land by the public — “restricted to leisure and recreational purposes” —at certain designated access pathways.

Monique Taylor, the vendor involved in the case, had a governmentissued business licence which allowed her to rent chairs and umbrellas and sell souvenirs and snacks on Cabbage Beach.

“The defendant has from 2012 utilised various ‘access pathways’ over the plaintiff’s land to access Cabbage Beach to conduct her vending business, which the plaintiff has objected to, and the plaintiff has on

several occasions had the police remove the defendant and her goods/wares from the property and the beach,” the court documents read.

“The plaintiff has contended that the defendant has set up her vending business on the plaintiff’s property on Cabbage Beach above the high-water Mark; while the defendant has contended that her vending business on Cabbage Beach is set up and conducted below the high-water Mark on the beach.”

The company further argued Ms Taylor did not have the right to use the access pathway to set up or conduct her vending business on the beach.

The defendant, on the other hand, asserted the access pathway was public, which meant she had a right to use it to

gain access to the beach.

In their court action, Atlantis Holdings Ltd filed for loss and damage on the grounds the defendant’s “acts of trespass diminished” the value of their property. They also requested an injunction barring the vendor, or anyone associated with her, from “entering, using or traversing across the premises”, along with a declaration stating the defendant was not entitled to do the same.

They furthered that they were owed exemplary damages on the basis the vendor’s actions were done with a “view to make a profit” “The defendant threatens and intends, unless restrained by the Honourable Court, to continue and repeat the wrongful acts above complained of,” they argued. “The plaintiff is

entitled to interest at such rate and for such (a) period as the court may seem just pursuant to the Civil Award of Interest Act”.

In December 2017, Atlantis Holdings Ltd were granted an interlocutory injunction, which Ms Taylor sought to get set aside. Nevertheless, her appeal was refused.

In a counterclaim filed in April 2018, she maintained that Cabbage Beach was public, which meant she “had a right to use the right of ways” which provided access to the beach. She also cited loss of income and damage to rental articles.

In his judgement, Justice Hilton said the two “real issues” which had to be determined were whether the access way from the road to Cabbage Beach was public or private and

whether or not the foot of the access way on the beach was above or below the high-water mark.

He noted that following his 2018 interlocutory ruling, Atlantis Holdings Ltd provided an “expert survey plan” which plotted the mean high-water mark on the part of Cabbage Beach which abutted their property. He said after reviewing the plan, it was clear the foot of the access way steps, where the vendor had set up her business, was “well above the mean high-water mark” and according to the survey, “clearly within the plaintiff’s property”.

“While the court accepts that the defendant had a valid licence from the government to conduct her business on Cabbage Beach, this could only be done on those parts of Cabbage Beach above the high water mark abutting property owned by the government (which would be a public beach); and not above the high water mark on property owned by the plaintiff or other private owners (which would be a private beach) except with their consent or by their permission,” he stated.

Justice Hilton also said the court found the access pathway, which was created in 2015, could not be considered a public highway since there had not been “long customary use” of it.

In addition, he noted Atlantis Holdings Ltd had, since its inception, “continually exercised control of it by having it closed off by a gate at sporadic times and erecting signage circumscribing the conditions of its use”.

“As a result of my findings I make the following orders,” he stated. “Summary judgement is awarded to the plaintiff pursuant to Order 14 Rule 1 of the Rules of the Supreme Court (RSC) and specifically: A declaration that the defendant is not entitled to enter, use or traverse upon the plaintiff’s premises; A perpetual injunction restraining the defendant whether by herself or her servants or agents from entering using or traversing across the premises of the plaintiff; Damages against the defendant for trespass to be assessed by the Registrar.

“The court also orders that the defendant’s Defence and Counter claim be struck out… and also awards costs of the action to be paid by the defendant to the plaintiff to be taxed if not agreed. Dated this 30th day of April A.D. 2019”.

PAGE 10 MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Why isn’t anyone listening to us?

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tcartwright@ tribunemedia.net

“TEMPORARY” social workers at the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development are upset and accusing the authorities there of treating them “like garbage” while they remain uncertain as to the longevity of their employment.

Speaking with The Tribune, a number of employees who fall in the categories of contractual workers and casual workers, said they have had enough of what they believe is unfair treatment and their complaints being ignored.

Their main complaint is despite diligently doing their work they receive very little acknowledgement and are given no assistance in propelling them forward to become permanent employees.

“We find it strange that all the other Ministries have publicly pledged to assist their workers with the transition to permanent and pensionable status, but Social Services remains silent on the matter,” the spokesperson for the workers said. “This is a bunch of garbage and they are treating us like garbage.

“There are 300 staff employed here on the ‘work programme’. Only Social Services seems to still have a ‘work programme’. They are like temporary workers who do permanent workers jobs. They are paying us chicken feed. We are paid as little as $1,100.00 a month and we cannot pay

‘The only people trying to push for us is the union. No one else is trying to help us. Besides the union, we have written letters to the authorities and no one has answered them. You mentioned the Minister, well that’s a joke. Maybe if he agrees to see us then we might get a conversation going with him to help us. He doesn’t want to see us at all.’

MINISTER of Social Services Frankie Campbell speaking in the House of Assembly. rent or mortgage and other necessities and survive off of that.

“Furthermore we cannot get any of these things as we cannot even get a job letter because we are not permanent. Most of us have college degrees in social work and are not being paid for it, however, they are milking us like cows.

We use our own cars to do

our work and we are given nothing in return. I saw a co-worker counting coins the other day to put gas in her car to do the government’s job. That’s not right!”

The spokesperson went on to further explain the terms of employment for the group and measures taken to highlight their plight.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

“As I said before there are 300 people on the work programme and then 100 people are on contract,” she said. “We are social workers and we were only supposed to be temporary and on contract for a while.

We were supposed to be on contract for the term of the contract and then evaluated and then made permanent if we cut the mustard. We

work very hard and are always called upon to go the extra mile.

“Had it not been for the goodness in our hearts and for the calling upon us to do what we do, many of us would walk away and go and find work in another field. When our contracts run out, then we are home for long periods …. months sometimes before they are renewed and we are brought back to work with no talks of being made permanent.

“They just continue to renew the contracts not thinking how much this is setting us back in terms of credit and not to speak of the small salaries and what is expected of us. We are in a really bad state, but who is hearing us?”

Asked who has taken up the mantle to assist them and if Frankie Campbell, the Minister responsible for Social Services has viewed their plight as priority, the response from the spokesperson was grim.

“The only people trying to push for us is the union,” the spokesperson said. “No one else is trying to help us. Besides the union, we have written letters to the authorities and no one has answered them. You mentioned the Minister, well that’s a joke. Maybe if he agrees to see us then we might get a conversation going with him to help us.

He doesn’t want to see us at all.

“Every Minister has pushed for their contract workers to be made permanent. It is all over the news.

Every Minister beside ours.

Do you know how we get our contracts renewed when they expire? We have to involve our MPs. We have to make them call him and other places to push the issue.

“Our Minister has the gift of gab and that’s about it where he is concerned. He has the talk and that’s it. So when our MPs call him for assistance with making us permanent, he runs on with fluff and then blows them off by telling them he will call them back and he never

does. We get no satisfaction from him. He doesn’t care!”

The Tribune made every effort to contact Minister Campbell to learn his take on the story of the non-permanent social workers, but he didn’t answer the calls to his phone and ignored messages sent to him.

The practice of not communicating with those who seek answers is now common place with this current administration and journalists are constantly complaining about the frustration it brings when they are doing their work and need input from the authorities.

Not being permanent on the job for years is not the only problem these social workers claim to have. The spokesperson said they are at risk daily, due to the type of work they do, but the risk is all theirs as they have no form of insurance coverage nor do they have risk allowances.

“We are out there facing all sort of people every day.

We have no insurance. No risk allowance either. Some of our workers have contracted tuberculosis before because of this job. They were on their own. We are screaming for someone to hear our voice. Our vehicles are being taxed doing the government’s work and we are not being compensated.

“There was also an instance where a client of social service felt they were not being serviced quickly enough and threatened to return to shoot up the place. There is nothing in place to protect us if something goes wrong with us physically. This is our calling. This is what we do for a living. Why are they treating us like this?

“Every other Ministry is taking care of their employees in regards to COVID besides are Ministry. The hand sanitizer stations are our buildings do not work.

No one sorting that out.

We have had numerous outbreaks of COVID and nothing is being done about it. There were instances where clients who admitted to having COVID were allowed to come into the buildings. We need help.”

The spokesperson for the disgruntled social workers said the irony of it all is that Social Services is the entity that fights against social injustices and assists people in staying above the poverty line, however that entity has now, “turned against its frontline workers and is determined to keep us in poverty.”

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021 PAGE 11

DEMOCRACY TOO PRECIOUS IN CARICOM NOT TO DEFEND IT ABROAD

World View

MORE commonality was shown by CARICOM countries in a vote on Tuesday, June 15, at the Organization of American States (OAS) than has been seen in recent times.

Eleven CARICOM countries joined 15 other By SIR RONALD SANDERS member states of the OAS in adopting a resolution governments with which Ambassador of Barbados, “expressing alarm at the the majority are dissatisfied. Noel Lynch, said at the June recent deterioration of Because the people of 15 meeting, “the evolving the political climate and these countries respect – human rights situation in and expect – these values Nicaragua” and condemn- in their homelands, their ing “the arrest, harassment representatives cannot be and arbitrary restrictions silent spectators when they placed on presidential can- are violated elsewhere. didates, political parties and There is still one member independent media”. The state of CARICOM where resolution also urged the democracy and the rule of government of President law are being ignored, and Daniel Ortega to promote in which transparent, free “transparent, free and fair and fair presidential and elections in November” legislative elections are in including observation by serious peril. Silence, so far, international bodies.

by CARICOM collectively In full transparency, I dis- on the destruction of demclose that I chaired the June ocratic institutions in this 15 meeting in my capacity member country disregards as Antigua and Barbuda’s the Charter of Civil Society Ambassador and, presently, which was invoked in the President of the Permanent Guyana situation last year.

Council of the OAS. Fascism, authoritarianism In joining this resolution, and the sheer lust to retain the 11 CARICOM power, despite the countries were ‘Democracy, majority will, lurks consistent in their free and fair dangerously eveposition that there rywhere – even in should be no inter- elections, a the United States ference in the free press which lays claim internal affairs of to being a bastion and the right states. However, of democracy and no country can of dissent are the rule of law. be a member of all vigorously That democracy any Organization, was weakened by which proclaims upheld in naked political adherence to the the majority ambition backed rule of law, democ- of CARICOM by vested interests racy, human rights, and manifested and free and fair countries.’ by an organized elections, and assault on the remain silent when these US Congress and a bogus principles are discarded. claim of stolen elections.

It should be noted that, Fortunately, for the people in 13 of the 14 independ- of the US, other instituent CARICOM countries, tions of democracy such as these principles are fully the Courts, the media, and respected, and when they the armed forces, remained were under severe threat faithful to their national in Guyana last year, CARI- obligations. But, the US is COM countries played a today wounded and weakvital role in ensuring, par- ened by these events. ticularly, that presidential Ponder, therefore, how and regional elections were smaller nations could suffer not stolen. prolonged agony in trying Democracy, free and fair to regain democracy when elections, a free press and it is seized from their grasp. the right of dissent are all That is why 11 CARICOM vigorously upheld in the delegations at the OAS, on majority of CARICOM June 15, opted to send a clear countries. Upholding and signal to President Ortega respecting these principles that they want him to act might be hard for parties in democratically, to release power to accept, especially persons who have been arbiif false charges and accu- trarily arrested, and to stop sations are made against onslaughts on the media. them. Nonetheless, oppoThe 11 CARICOM counsition politicians are not tries did not come to their locked-up and the media is common position without not silenced. giving President Ortega’s As an example government every chance to of this, a Facebook remedy conditions in Nicaposting (at:https:// ragua. For example, Antigua fb.watch/635WS4LYwv/) and Barbuda and a few shows a live scene in other CARICOM countries Antigua of Prime Min- voted against previous resoister Gaston Browne lutions aimed at Nicaragua. and Leader of one of the They did so to give PresiOpposition parties, Harold dent Ortega time to address Lovell, with support- grave charges raised by the ers meeting in a street in Inter American and UN a constituency while the Commissions on Human Prime Minister was on a Rights. These Commissions “walk about”. There were reported that the “human verbal exchanges between rights crisis has resulted in them, but there was not at least 328 deaths and some one armed soldier present, 2,000 injuries, as a result no building was burned, no of action by state agents citizen threatened and no or armed civilians acting person charged or detained. with their acquiescence and Dissent is defended in tolerance”.

13 of the 14 independThe recent spate of arbient CARICOM countries trary arrests of persons, of because it is a fundamen- beatings while in prison, of tal right for which these denials of access to legal societies fought through representation and needed slavery, indentured labour medicines, with no effort and worker exploitation. to change these conditions, Democracy and free and including no attempt to fair elections are safe- implement much needed guarded because they electoral reform, left the are valued by people as a 11 CARICOM countries peaceful means of changing with no choice. As the

circumstances in Nicaragua are sufficiently worrying to warrant a strong call from the OAS membership for adequate steps to be taken to ensure transparent, free and fair elections in Nicaragua”.

Sadly, when as President of the OAS Permanent Council, I convened a meeting on Monday, June 14, to allow the representatives of Nicaragua an opportunity

to state their view on the resolution, they opted not to show up.

Nicaragua may seem distant from the CARICOM area, but CARICOM must speak out to uphold democracy and the rule of law everywhere, or risk endangering these vital safeguards of freedom at home.

• Responses and previous commentaries:www.

sirronaldsanders.com.

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own.)

PAGE 12, Monday, June 21, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

IRAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SHUTS DOWN

IRAN’S sole nuclear power plant has undergone an unexplained temporary emergency shutdown, state TV reported yesterday.

An official from state electric company Tavanir, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last “for three to four days”.

This is the first time Iran has reported an emergency shutdown of the plant, located in the southern port city of Bushehr. It went online in 2011 with help from Russia. Iran is required to send spent fuel rods from the reactor back to Russia as a nuclear nonproliferation measure.

Earlier on Sunday, Tavanir released a statement saying that the nuclear plant was being repaired, without offering further details. It said the repair work would take until Friday.

EDITOR LEAVES NEWSPAPER HIT BY MASS SHOOTING THE editor of the Capital Gazette, which won a special Pulitzer Prize citation for its coverage and courage in the face of a massacre in its newsroom, is leaving the Maryland newspaper.

Rick Hutzell, who worked at the Annapolis paper for more than three decades, authored a farewell column published on the paper’s website on Saturday morning. Hutzell said he took a buyout offered by the newspaper’s parent company.

Hutzell was editor of the paper when five employees were shot to death in the newsroom in 2018.

“The murder of my five friends, Rob Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith, changed me,” he wrote.

MOTORISTS navigate a flooded boulevard in Slidell, Louisiana, on Friday as Tropical Storm Claudette affected the region. Photo: Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate via AP

12 dead as storm hits Alabama ATLANTA Associated Press

TROPICAL Depression Claudette claimed 12 lives in Alabama as the storm swept across the southeastern US, causing flash flooding and spurring tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.

Ten people, including nine children, were killed on Saturday in a fiery multivehicle crash about 35 miles south of Montgomery on Interstate 65, according to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.

He said the vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads, with eight children, ages four to 17, killed in a van belonging to a youth ranch for abused or neglected children operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association. Two people died in a separate vehicle, Garlock told local news outlets — 29-yearold Cody Fox and his nine-month-old daughter, Ariana, both of Marion County, Tennessee.

“He was a great guy and we’re really gonna miss him,” said Aaron Sanders, who worked with Fox at the emergency management agency in Marion County.

He said Fox also ran a hot tub business with his father and doted on his daughter.

“He just loved her to death and that was his life.”

Multiple people were also injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was sending ten investigators to the area yesterday to investigate the crash, which photos showed included at least four burned vehicles, including two large trucks.

It said the inquiry would focus on vehicle technologies such as forward collision warning systems, fuel tank integrity and occupant survivability.

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a three-year-old boy were killed when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits on Saturday, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

The deaths occurred as drenching rains pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late on Saturday.

As much as 12 inches of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Flash flood watches were posted yesterday for

northern Georgia, most of South Carolina, the North Carolina coast, parts of southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet, forecasters said.

WBRC-TV reported that search efforts were also under way for a man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham. Crews were using boats to search Pebble Creek.

The eight children killed in the van were returning to a youth ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, from a week at the beach in Gulf Shores, youth ranches CEO Michael Smith told The Associated Press. The van caught fire after the wreck. Candice Gulley, the director of the Tallapoosa County ranch, was pulled from the flames and remained hospitalised in Montgomery in serious but stable condition. “She’s going to survive her physical injuries,” Smith said.

Two of the dead in the van were Gulley’s children, ages four and 16. Four

others were ranch residents and two were guests, Smith said.

“This is the worst tragedy I’ve been a part of in my life,” said Smith, who drove yesterday to the ranch to talk to the remaining residents, who had returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the wreck.

“Words cannot explain what I saw,” Smith said of the accident site, which he visited on Saturday. “We love these girls like they’re our own children.”

Garlock said the location of the wreck is “notorious” for hydroplaning, as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek. Traffic on that stretch of I-65 is usually filled with vacationers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.

“Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents,” county Sheriff Danny Bond wrote on Facebook, adding: “I believe is the worst ever in our county.”

The Tallapoosa County school system said counselors would be available Sunday at the 225-student Reeltown High School, where some of the ranch residents were students.

Smith said the ranch, which

is Christian-based, would likely have a memorial service later, asking for prayers as he began to cry.

A GoFundMe account was set up for Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch to help offset the costs of funeral expenses, medical costs for the injured and counseling for those impacted.

Gulley, the lone survivor from the van, had worked with children for years, beginning when she and her husband were house parents at the ranch for seven years.

“During those years, there have been 74 girls that have come through our house and called us mom and dad,” she told the Opelika-Auburn News in August 2019. She said she then became a relief parent, working on fundraising and being involved in the community, before she became the ranch director.

“My heart goes out to the loved ones of all who perished,” Alabama Gov Kay Ivey said in a statement.

Top winds from Claudette remained near 30mph yesterday. National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted it would strengthen back to tropical storm status today over eastern North Carolina before heading out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.