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Volume: 119 No.144, June 21, 2022

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THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1

BPL EXAMINING PRICE INCREASE CEO insists power will be kept on but bills may have to rise

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net AS many consumers yesterday grappled with hours-long power disruptions in the sweltering heat, Bahamas Power and Light CEO Shevonn Cambridge said an internal review is underway to determine whether there will be an increase to billing by way of a fuel charge adjustment.

Mr Cambridge said the review will evaluate if the necessary “triggers

or threshold” have been reached to require the company to make the adjustment.

This as fuel prices continue to rise as a direct result of the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Mr Cambridge assured the public BPL has sufficient capacity to handle demand this summer in New Providence.

“Right now, there is a fixed fuel charge,” Mr Cambridge said in an interview with The Tribune.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net CONSUMERS should prepare for a “tough summer”, according to Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson, telling The Tribune yesterday “we are already having issues” in the first weeks of the hottest months of the year.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Wilson said the

challenges are tied up in legacy issues compounded by old equipment.

He said the issues have also become evident as the economy has fully reopened and the demand is greater when compared with recent years when the country was on lockdown and there was some surplus power available.

Given the present situation, Mr Wilson said he SEE PAGE THREE

ROYAL Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Paul Rolle will retire effective July 5, 2022.

As a result, Deputy Commissioner Clayton Fernander will become commissioner.

The announcement came by way of a statement from the Cabinet Office.

“Consequent upon the retirement of Commissioner Rolle, His Excellency the Governor General acting on the recommendation of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the Opposition, has appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander, SEE PAGE TWO

19 CLINICS TO SHARE $45M BUILDING PROGRAMME

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE THREE

...AS UNION BOSS WARNS TOUGH SUMMER AHEAD

FERNANDER TAKES OVER AS POLICE CHIEF JULY 5

JUNKANOO SUMMER RETURNS SUMMER Junkanoo is returning to Arawak Cay, with the festival, pictured here in 2017, making a comeback after a two-year break. Each Saturday in July, there will be events as part of the Junkanoo Summer Festival. See PAGE TWO for the full story.

THE government plans to solve “the harsh realities” of Family Island healthcare by doubling the number of new and renovated clinics that will be overhauled via $45.5m in development financing.

Ryan Pinder, the attorney general, in addressing a recent public consultation on Eleuthera’s two new clinics revealed that the Government is expanding its healthcare transformation effort to 19 facilities as compared to the nine originally targeted by the former Minnis administration.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

OCEAN EXPLORATION BOSS - DEAL ABOVE BOARD

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A TREASURE hunter salvaging a wreck in The Bahamas yesterday branded National Security Minister Wayne Munroe’s recent comments as “inaccurate”, insisting that the process is “transparent”.

Allen Exploration, through its spokesperson, further asserted that Mr Munroe appeared to be unfamiliar with interactions

CARL ALLEN between the company and the Bahamian government.

On Friday, Mr Munroe said the royalties the government has received to date from treasure hunters

salvaging wrecks in Bahamian waters have been “unsatisfactory”.

Yesterday, David Concannon, spokesperson for Allen Exploration, the company handling exploration of a sunken treasure ship in Bahamian waters, the Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas, in an email to The Tribune said: “Mr (Carl) Allen is mystified by the reported comments of National Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE FOUR

PETER YOUNG: BRITAIN AND THE EUROPEAN COURTS

- SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

AN ABANDONED church bus being used as a makeshift home in the Carmichael Road area.

‘No one allowed to own land that belongs to govt’

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe has defended the 14-day timeframe given to squatters to vacate Crown Land, saying no one will be allowed to own land that belongs to the government.

Last Friday, Mr Munroe issued the warning after a family was discovered to be living in the National Pine Forest.

Since then, the Davis administration has received some backlash for its approach to handling the issue compared with squatters in places such as shanty towns.

Mr Munroe stressed Crown Land belongs to the government of The Bahamas compared with private land where the

illegal communities are located.

“If you permit people to squat on your property after 12 years, they will own it, that’s what the law of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas says,” Mr Munroe said. “Shanty towns, from what I am to understand, are on leased land from private homeowners.”

Mr Munroe explained that the issue the government has with shanty towns is the construction of illegal buildings.

“We don’t own privately owned land; the people do own Crown Land. And as we are instructed, we will not permit people to squat on public land,” Mr Munroe said.

He said that it amazes him that some people think it’s acceptable to occupy any piece of property they like.

Recently after touring acres of deforested areas in a National Pine Forest ride along in the Carmichael Road area, the National Security minister discovered a family had been living there illegally in a school bus.

Yesterday, he told reporters the Department of Social Services was made aware of the situation.

He said it is now for the family to seek assistance.

“You cannot force people to get help. It will be available if they take it up. If they don’t take it up, then they will not take it up. But they, like all other persons trespassing, will have to move,” he added.

Mr Munroe said the Royal Bahamas Defence Force will be in charge of executing the plan of clearing illegal activities on Crown Land.

MINISTER of National Security Wayne Munroe yesterday.

Photo: Moise Amisial

JUNKANOO RETURN

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

VISITORS to Arawak Cay on Saturdays can soon dance to the vibrant sound of Junkanoo with the return of Junkanoo Summer Festival.

After a two-year hiatus, the festival will take place at Arawak Cay on four Saturdays throughout the month of July with the exception of July 9 due to the Independence celebration.

Admission is free and festival attendees can also look forward to Junkanoo A-category groups and high energy performances by some of the country’s top musical artists.

Charity Armbrister, director of events management at the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, said there

has been a strong yearning for the return of the “vibrant” cultural festival.

Ms Armbrister said: “The ministry is delighted to collaborate with the JCNP to bring back Junkanoo Summer Festival, with an invitation to both locals and guests alike to come out and relish the experience of all things Bahamian.”

The booths featured at the Summer Festivals will include authentic Bahamian-made products, cultural demonstrations, Junkanoo museums and for the first time Sip and Paste will be a part of the heritage experience.

The festival is hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Aviation, in partnership with the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) will be resumed.

FERNANDER TAKES OVER AS POLICE CHIEF JULY 5 from page one

DEPUTY Commisioner of Police Clayton Fernander.

commissioner of police with effect from July 5, 2022.”

The announcement also noted that Assistant Commissioner of Police Leamond Deleveaux will become deputy commissioner on July 5 to fill the vacancy created with Mr Fernander’s new appointment.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 3

BPL examining price increase from page one “There is a mechanism in place that allows for the adjustment of that fuel charge. We’re currently conducting an internal review to see if the necessary triggers or threshold have been reached that will require us to do that adjustment.

“Based on the current fuel prices, right, when it does come it will be up - it won’t be down. Exactly when that will occur, we’re not certain as yet. So, the prices have gone up, so obviously when we adjust more than likely the adjustment will be an upward adjustment.”

Asked for clarity on whether the adjustment will mean bills are likely to increase, he said: “They will see an increase in the fuel charge when that adjustment occurs. Their bills depend on their consumption but remember I told you we’re going into our peak demand period.

“Our peak demand period is really because this is our peak consumption

period because most of the load in The Bahamas is A/C related. So, as you get in the summer, people start to consume more. So, even if the price remains the same most consumers will probably see a slight increase due to an increase in their consumption”.

The revelation comes as parts of New Providence experienced power outages on Sunday and yesterday. BPL released a statement regarding Sunday’s outages explaining they were the result of “two separate incidents”.

The company said 31 areas were affected.

The release said: “At 1.23pm several areas in Central New Providence went offline when a system disturbance occurred at our Clifton Pier Power Station.

This problem was resolved in under an hour and the areas were fully restored.

On the heels of this event, however, at about 5.30pm, severe lightning conditions were experienced on the island of New Providence, impacting generation, transmission and distribution systems.

“As a result, a number of areas throughout the island, including Southwest and Eastern New Providence were impacted. These areas had transformers, and lines impacted as a result of direct lightning strikes.

The public is reminded that BPL does not turn off areas in advance of most weather events, but protective devices such as fuses and circuit breakers operate to disconnect affected areas to ensure the safety of the general public and to reduce the risk of equipment damage. In all, 31 areas were affected by the inclement weather yesterday.”

The releases added: “BPL is committed to ensuring the safety of our customers, employees and equipment. Thus, once indication of safety was given after the weather conditions subsided, crews were dispatched to commence repairs and restore supply. Due to the significant amount of areas impacted by this event, it took our crews a number of hours to restore impacted areas and begin addressing

individual customer concerns. The majority of customers impacted were restored by 9.00pm. Our crews continued to work into the morning to restore the remaining customers.

As at 11am today (yesterday), our Control Centre reported having two areas and 41 individual complaints outstanding.”

The CEO also assured consumers that the island has sufficient generation to address the anticipated summer peak.

“We are supplementing our fleet with rental generation for the summer and that was out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we’re able to meet the demands. While we have a large fleet of our own, we analyse some of the trends (and) what have you and just based on some of the trends that we’re seeing we felt that it was necessary to supplement some of our generation,” he said.

He also said: “Other than the demands, I know from a liability perspective we’ve been doing a lot of reinforcement on the transmission and disruption

network. So, we’ve put in additional lines and some of the areas where there were capacity concerns about transmission and disruption capability. So, we’ve done some system reinforcement.”

In April, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said “there is always the possibility” of an increase in Bahamas Power and Light bills due to external factors.

However, Mr Sears said the Davis administration intends to maintain BPL’s fuel hedge strategy, which, he said, seeks to “minimise” the unpredictable international market.

Mr Sears has warned that a blackout-free summer for New Providence cannot be guaranteed despite multiple preventative measures. Mr Cambridge asserted that efforts were being made when questioned whether he is confident the power company can reduce the number of blackouts.

“What I can tell you is BPL is taking every step and precaution that we can to mitigate against such

incidents, but you know I’ve been in the business long enough to know the minute you make that statement the next day something happens. What you can do is that you plan and you plan to try and mitigate all of the risks,” he said.

“In this business, there are so many variables as you can see yesterday with the weather, we’re in the middle of the hurricane season, you enter into what you call the peak demand season. So anything is possible but what I can tell you is that we are constantly working on our processes to try and make it more efficient and more reliable.”

“So, what does that mean? We’re taking all of the preventative measures in terms of maintenance.

We’re analysing all of the trends. We’re looking at a number of different perspectives and we’ve put in place contingency plans to ensure that if and when the power does go off that we’re able to restore it in the quickest possible time.

That’s short term plans, long term plans.”

“See, you could come up with any policy you want, make the most elaborate policy, but it’s the workers who have to go out there and execute those policies.”

He said weather factors and the full reopening of the country have created implications for a reliable service.

“Right now it’s been a very tumultuous rainy season as of late, coupled with the hot breeze and so all of these have challenges and so when you have rainy days you have problems with the underground cables and when you have hot days it causes tension and resistance in the power lines causing transformers to have to work harder, causing a lot of pressure on the transmission and distribution system.

“With the return of the opening of the country there is more traffic on the road. Persons are hitting poles, poles down, there are a lot of issues and bear in mind now under the former administration we were on lockdowns and restrictions for a year-plus.

“So, the big hotels they weren’t needing as much energy as they would normally need and so we probably had a surplus of energy and so generation would have not been an issue, but with the country reopened all these big hotels and major projects going on it’s demanding more energy supply and so it’s been a lot of load and strain on what we have.”

Mr Wilson noted that despite having back up generation the antiquated T&D system was a set back.

“We are trying to meet the demands but still the transmission and

distribution system is a little antiquated and needs to be upgraded,” he said.

“Here it is, we have 2002 engines, but we still have

the same transmission and distribution system from like the 70s and 80s and so that means, in my opinion, a lot of focus needs to be

placed on the transmission distribution system and we have to also look towards alternative forms.

“The solar focus doesn’t

require as much moving parts and then we have the hydrogen and so we have to start moving into new directions.”

...AS UNION BOSS WARNS TOUGH SUMMER AHEAD from page one has temporarily “somewhat laid down his sword” as it relates to union issues to work along with BPL to get Bahamians through this period.

“Right now it’s summer time,” Mr Wilson said. “I don’t think it’s time to disenfranchise the people with any differences between the union and management.

“We want to work handin-hand to see a reliable energy supply brought to the Bahamian people, to be honest with you and so, temporarily, I have somewhat laid down my sword to work along with the company to ensure the Bahamian people get through a tough summer period.

“This is a tough period.

We are already experiencing outages. We are already having issues and we haven’t even really gotten started yet.

“Right now I am trying to relax the issues a bit.

The more serious issues I try to table, but I am trying to work hard just to make sure the Bahamian people have reliable power this summer.”

Asked what is challenging BPL’s generation and distribution, Mr Wilson said: “Like I said it’s a legacy issue. This ain’t brand new.

This is not FNM or PLP. It’s the same leaders. Administrations like to take credit for what the workers do but when it fails they don’t want to take credit and say that’s my policy.

“That’s an issue that I have because the workers are out there working hard, pushing.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Ocean exploration boss - deal is above board from page one

“While these statements may have been true concerning activities that occurred in the past, if these comments were meant to apply to Mr Allen, they are inaccurate.”

Mr Munroe said the former Minnis administration had granted one approval and that none was approved under the current Davis administration, adding: “The whole way it operates is unsatisfactory.”

He continued: “It’s always unsatisfactory when somebody comes and says this is yours, without any sort of way to audit, confirm or evaluate whether what they’re giving you is what you’re truly entitled to.”

Mr Munroe has also said that the government had been receiving royalties from the treasure find, but it was hard to determine what Allen Exploration or any treasure hunter was actually finding.

Mr Concannon further said: “Everything Mr

Allen and Allen Exploration have done to find and recover artefacts underwater – which are commonly referred to as cultural, not natural, resources – has been in close cooperation with the Bahamian government, in strict accordance with Bahamian law, and under the watchful eye of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

“Every item found and recovered is carefully recorded, independently appraised and meticulously accounted for. The items are not transported out of the Bahamas; they are conserved, documented and curated in a state-of-the art facility constructed and operated

by Allen Exploration at its own expense, in cooperation with the Bahamian government, and with complete transparency.

“Minister Munroe appears to be unfamiliar with the interactions between Allen Exploration and the Bahamian government.

Artifacts are divided only after

NOVEMBER PRISON DEATH A ‘HOMICIDE’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe says he has not yet seen an

an inventory is provided and agreed upon, and independent appraisal is performed. The Bahamas receives 25 percent of the gross value of all of the agreed upon artifacts.

“The remainder goes to the licence holder, who is responsible for paying 100 percent of the costs incurred to search for, recover, conserve, store, secure and curate the artefacts.

“The license holder’s final share of 75 percent of the gross value quickly becomes five or 10 percent after these expenses are applied and deducted.

Despite what some people may wish to believe, finding artefacts underwater is not a lucrative business.

It is more like owning a boat, which has been accurately described as “a hole in the water that you throw money into.”

Allen Exploration received a license to search for the treasure believed to be in the sunken Spanish galleon off the coast of Walker’s Cay and have an

DIVERS seen in a video posted by Allen Exploration. additional operation at the to education, healthcare, Cay where they are operat- hurricane relief, providing ing a marina with hopes of recreational facilities and revitalising the Cay. to issues promoting general Mr Concannon added: care in The Bahamas. They “Mr Allen and his wife are pouring tens of millions Gigi are philanthropists of dollars into restoring who care deeply about Walker’s Cay, employing The Bahamas. They have Bahamian businesses and donated millions of dollars craftsmen, and reopening

a gateway to the north islands.

“They do not understand why their efforts to recover, conserve and display cultural resources in cooperation with the Bahamian government has seemingly become a political issue, nor do they appreciate it.”

FOX HILL PRISON official report that focuses on the circumstances surrounding the death of

Funeral Service For

Paula Rowena Roberts, 70 a resident of Queens Road, Nassau East will be held at Transfiguration Baptist Church, Market & Vesey Streets on Friday, June 25, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Officiating will be Rev. Dr. Stephen E. Thompson. Interment follows in Woodlawn Gardens, Soldier Road.

Paula Rowena is survived by her daughter: Chelsea Roberts-Scippio; son: Julio Roberts; grandsons: Cameron and Carter; son-in-law: Michael Donnell Scippio Jr. of Jacksonville, FL.; sisters: Marion Elizabeth Roberts and Tania Denice Fox; brothers: Joshua Sears, Terrance Livingstone Roberts, Antonius Julio Roberts and Bruno Alexis Roberts; sisters-in-law: Michelle Daley-Sears, Lavender ParkerRoberts, Dr. Annette Warren-Roberts, Sonjia Adderley-Roberts and Muriel Dean; nieces: Khandra Sears, Kirsti Sears-Johnson and Kharin Sears-Arnett; K’drea Fox, Ayla Antonia Roberts, Aryana Roberts, Imani Roberts, Savannah Roberts and Danisha Campbell; nephews: Mikhail Sears, Michael Fox Jr., Terrance Roberts III, Alexis Roberts, Justin Roberts, Christopher Fox and Vernard Dean; nieces-in-law: Phyllisa Barnes-Fox, Alexis Smith-Roberts, and Ashley Alexis Fox, Jaimie Campbell; Kerry Dean; one grandnephew: Liam Fox; one grandniece: Finn Fox; uncles: Rev. Thomas Hensley Roberts, Leonard M. Bowe, Colin Bowe, William Bowe, Lenny Bowe; aunts: Helen Bowe-Butler, Lisa Roberts; Marianne Roberts, Sonia Bowe-Dames, Janeen Bowe-McCartney, Antoinette Bowe and Jeanine Bowe-Bodie; granduncles: F. Nigel Bowe, Kenneth D. Bowe; grand aunts: Joan Bowe-McKay and Visna Bowe-Mackey, Stephanie Bowe and Kwanza Bowe; god children: Cedrinique Smith, Raquel Symonette and Maxie Bain and a host of other relatives and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cancer Society of The Bahamas, East Terrace Centreville (2 doors south of ZNS) P. O. Box SS-6539, Nassau, Bahamas via check or online at Donate – Cancer Society Bahamas in memory of Paula Roberts. Donate – Cancer Society Bahamas.

Friends may pay their last respects at Demeritte’s Funeral Home, Market Street from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Thursday and on Friday at the church from 10:00 a.m. until service time.

prison inmate Mikhail Taylor last November.

The 29-year-old man was found dead at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and blunt force trauma was later determined as the cause of death. Given this result, officials determined Taylor’s death was a homicide. Police are investigating.

While he was yesterday unsure of whether anyone has been charged, Mr Munroe confirmed he gave authorisation for inmates to be questioned as part of the investigation. However, Diallo Williamson appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney in January this year charged with the murder.

His comments came as he confirmed that another inmate was found unresponsive at the facility on Sunday.

Mr Munroe said there was church service at the medium security prison at the time.

“We left that service at about 12 I would say and within an hour Commissioner Cleare called me to say that the inmate was found unresponsive on a bed in one of the medium security dorms,” Mr Munroe said.

“Foul play is not suspected at this moment but there will have to be an autopsy before the final determination is made.

The homicide section of CDU is investigating this as they investigate all sudden deaths”.

Regarding Taylor, it was also revealed that he suffered from mental issues and his family has questioned the circumstances under which he died.

In the aftermath of his death, the minister said a wing will be established at BDCS to accommodate the mentally challenged.

“Issues like that are issues for why we are trying to improve the facility,” Mr Munroe told reporters yesterday.

Mr Munroe made the comments on the sidelines of the commissioning for the annex building which has a cafe and gym for security personnel at the ministry. The building is to provide housing, meals, and an overall fitness facility.

He continued: “When you have persons who may be somewhat troubled being housed in general population, it creates a problem,” Mr Munroe said.

“One of the wings that is proposed to be constructed in the new high-medium prison would be a wing for mentally challenged, mentally disturbed persons who can be housed in a manner to be safe to themselves.”

Mr Miller’s mother, Rose Miller, said her son, who

had “mental issues”, was imprisoned in October after she went to the police to ask them for help to get her son taken to Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre for help.

The Freetown MP spoke about the anticipated 700bed, high-medium security facility. As for progress, he noted there have been initial meetings.

“The financial secretary has directed us as to how we are to proceed.

“During that process, it came out we had to demolish the virtual court and so we will have to rebuild that otherwise we’ll be transporting. We have hundreds and hundreds of prisoners downtown unnecessarily.

So, we’re at the point where the partner has to engage experts.

“So they are being directed back to the Ministry of Finance to work out issues surrounding that business solution. I have seen proposals that I will now have to have my permanent secretary, a team from this ministry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Works and BDCS go to assess actually correctional facilities in operation in the US to make sure we align ours with theirs so that it could be properly certified as (a) correctional institution.”

He is hoping the trip can happen sometime in July and August.

MAN DIES AFTER SHOOTING

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

POLICE in New Providence are investigating the shooting death of a man on Sunday.

According to reports, sometime before 4am, police were alerted to a shooting incident on Nassau Street.

“Officers were dispatched and on their

arrival at the scene, they were informed that a male was shot and was transported to the hospital by occupants of a private vehicle,” police said in a release.

The victim later died of his injuries.

Police said investigations into this matter continue.

This incident comes as authorities also probe the murder of a man in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera.

Preliminary reports are that shortly after 4pm on Sunday, police were alerted to a shooting at a local marina where they found a male suffering from gunshot wounds.

The male was later examined by local medical practitioners and pronounced lifeless.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-8477.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 5

Sunset Pilot Club makes history in Grand Bahama

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama has made history as the first chartered co-ed Pilot Club on the island.

Franklyn McCoy is to be the first male president of the club, which has some 20 members and is affiliated with Pilot International.

Pilot International, which focuses on young leadership and brain safety and health, is celebrating 100 years of existence. At the 2021 Annual Pilot Convention and Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, Pilot President Collet Cross

challenged each district to grow its membership by sponsoring new clubs.

There are now two local Pilot organisations in Grand Bahama. Under the leadership of Pilot District Governor Karen Ferguson Bain, the new Sunset Club was officially chartered on January 22, 2022, with 17 charter members.

Mr McCoy said he became interested in joining the organisation after assisting Pilot member Toni Hudson Bannister at their various community service initiatives and learning about its platform concerning brain safety and health.

He said the 20 Sun setters are looking forward

to organising community service initiatives to assist youth organisations on the island.

“We have adopted the GB Children’s Home, The Beacon School, and Hugh Campbell Primary School for our youth-focused projects, which will be hosted in partnership with Anchor Club Lucaya Club Project division.

Mr McCoy said the club is also planning to celebrate his birthday with the preschool department at Hugh Campbell Primary. He said the club also hopes to sponsor a new Anchor Club in the West End District and work closely with newly chartered Compass Club

FRANKLYN MCCOY,newly installed president of new Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama, being pinned by Pilot Club of Freeport executive Debbie Archer.

ORG OFFICIALS ATTENED SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

LOCAL officials of the Organisation for Responsible Governance have attended the IX Summit of the Americas.

ORG contributed to the 2022 theme of “Building a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future”.

The Organisation of American States (OAS) hosted the Summit in Los Angeles, California, with civil society representatives from across the Western Hemisphere.

ORG’s executive director, Matt Albury, focused on the importance of communication between the public and government.

He said: “A key objective for citizen equity and participation in The Bahamas and the region is how to change heavily political

cultures to create inclusive and accessible environments where citizen’s criticism or dissent is valued and utilised toward national development.”

During the four-day forum, ORG joined in numerous roundtable discussions and provided a Bahamian perspective.

The forum aided in ORG giving suggestions on how to reinforce democratic governance and digital transformation.

ORG has developed a Citizen’s Charter in The Bahamas used to facilitate information with communities on accessible and effective government services. Mr Albury noted government officials are interested in ORG’s Charter model as a tool to strengthen government services.

ORG also spoke on anti-corruption in the

Americas during an international roundtable. The discussion included civil society leaders such as Prime Minister Pierre from St Lucia; United States Ambassador to the United Nations, President Castillo from Peru, Thomas-Greenfield; Ambassador to the OAS and officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, El Salvador and Chile.

Mr Albury added that many countries in the region struggle with similar issues as The Bahamas.

However, the executive director said The Bahamas can learn from these countries to help in developing solutions.

The Civil Society Forum highlighted the importance of education, transparency, and adapting solutions based on the country itself in order to prevent corruption.

for colleges students and young professionals.

He said that Sunset Club will also be partnering with the Rand Memorial Hospital Maternity Ward to provide assistance to underprivileged mothers, as well as promoting Brain Awareness by hosting a Brain Wellness Fair and other brain safety and health initiatives.

President McCoy said they will also recognise caregivers every month by treating them to something special.

The club held installation officers on June 11 at the Aqua Restaurant at Old Bahama Bay Resort in West End. The installation

was conducted by Governor Karen Ferguson Bain.

In addition to President McCoy, members of the executive board are Melissa Sears, President Elect; Elizabeth Higgs-Green, Treasurer; and Nicole Thompson, Secretary.

He said the club is pleased to have welcomed three new members, bringing the total membership to 20 – 18 women and two men - in the short five months since its charter.

Due to Covid protocols, Mr McCoy said the club meets virtually via Zoom the fourth Thursday of each month at 6pm.

Franklyn McCoy, newly installed President of new

Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama, is seen being pinned by Pilot Club of Freeport Executive Debbie Archer.

The founding members of Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama are: Franklyn McCoy, Karen Ferguson-Bain, Elizabeth Higgs-Green (Treasurer), Sabrina Cash, Nicole Thompson (Secretary), Jethlyn Burrows, Zina Robins (Secretary),Tashae Grant, Rhashida Curry, Coral Kemp Johnson (President-Elect), Keira Cox, Cheryl Bartlett, Sacha Bain, Toni Hudson-Bannister, Tara Love Hudson, Linda Wright-Patrick, and Rhashanna Curry.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

The Tribune Limited

THE TRIBUNE

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

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Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

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

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Groundhog Day again at BPL REPORTING on Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) sometimes feels like being trapped in the movie Groundhog Day. Let’s go through the checklist in today’s Tribune.

Customers left without power for hours? Check.

Senior officials talking about whether we have sufficient capacity to handle demand this summer? Check.

Oh, and what’s this? The possibility that our electric bills might go up?

Check.

Last time there was talk of consumers paying more – back in March this year – was when BPL “prematurely” announced a proposed hike due to rising fuel prices.

That was swiftly stomped on by the government, with Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears saying that the government had not approved any increase, nor was it considering doing so.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis swiftly following up to say his administration was committed to doing all it can to avoid “raising the cost of electricity” for Bahamians.

So outraged at the time was Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell that he said “heads must roll” over the announcement.

Yet here we are, just a few months later, with Bahamians sitting in the dark and the new head that has rolled into the job of chief executive officer, Shevonn Cambridge, saying a review is underway to determine whether there will be an increase to billing through a fuel charge adjustment.

He said: “Right now, there is a fixed fuel charge. There is a mechanism in place that allows for the adjustment of that fuel charge. We’re currently conducting an internal review to see if the necessary triggers or threshold have been reached that will require us to do that adjustment.

“Based on the current fuel prices, right, when it does come it will be up – it won’t be down. Exactly when that will occur, we’re not certain as yet. So, the prices have gone up, so obviously when we adjust more than likely the adjustment will be an upward adjustment.”

Now none of this is rocket science.

Globally, fuel prices have gone up. You pay more to get the fuel, you have two choices – you pass the cost on to the customer or you try to swallow the cost yourself. The second choice is hardly going to last long before you’re losing money, and avoiding the first option might not even be legal anyway. So sooner or later, the customer is going to pick up the bill.

Politically, that’s unpopular, of course – we’ll see how Messrs Sears, Davis and Mitchell respond to the prospect of a rate rise this time round.

Still, at least Groundhog Day this time round doesn’t have the union warning that we will have issues ahead this summer… oh wait… Check.

While the CEO talks of having enough generation capacity, the union chief, Kyle Wilson, warns that the distribution network is the problem.

“We are trying to meet the demands but still the transmission and distribution system is a little antiquated and needs to be upgraded,” said Mr Wilson.

“We have 2002 engines, but we still have the same transmission and distribution system from like the 70s and 80s and so that means, in my opinion, a lot of focus needs to be placed on the transmission distribution system and we have to also look towards alternative forms.”

With the news that some maintenance is being pushed back beyond the summer because of cash issues, do you think we’ll be sorting out decadesold distribution issues in the next few weeks? No. So get ready for a long, hot summer … that will also leave a hole in your pocket.

GOLDEN State Warriors’ Klay Thompson gestures to the crowd as he holds the Larry O’Brien trophy during the NBA Championship parade in San Francisco, yesterday.

Photo: John Hefti/AP

We must support the police EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS hoped that the contents of this letter will encourage action from residents and increase sup­port for the police.

Murder is not a preventable crime, but efficient and effective investigations resulting in early ar­ rests and prosecutions, that result in the appropriate punish­ment could result in its reduction.

In addition, those potential victims, who are aware of the threat, eg, the gang members and drug traffickers must honestly collaborate with the police to seek protection with information that could lead to the arrest of their wouldbe killers.

Such persons must also be alert to their surroundings and take evasive action to protect themselves. Sitting in parked vehicles, playing games outdoors and other ex­ posures, that make them easy targets must be avoided.

Those per­ sons accused in the Courts of murder should accept incarceration pending trial. Bail is a death trap. This advice applies to our Caribbean region where the murder rates in some countries have in­creased immensely.

I have observed that Human Resources Rights enthusiasts in the USA and The Bahamas appear to be silent in their attacks on the

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net police. The prolific murders and crimes of violence have silenced them at this time.

Violent crimes with guns of war on unarmed victims in the USA and cer­ tain countries in the Caribbean have risen immensely. Trinidad & Tobago recorded in excess of 300 murders thus far for 2022.

Jamaica recorded an increase and we have also recorded a huge in­crease.

The motives for most of our murders are gang related, revenge killings, domestic violence and drug wars.

We have ex­ ceeded our previous record. Public reaction to the violence must be - enough is enough.

Public response must be full support of the police aggressive policing targeting the gangs, the drug traf­ fickers and the gun suppliers/importers.

The public must be in constant liaison with the police and be prepared to: “Notify - Identify and Testify”.

Public participation in exposing the crimi­ nals/terrorists in our country is absolutely necessary. We have an efficient Police service, that needs the help.

The Constitu­ tion of The Bahamas recognises

and protects fundamental human rights and freedoms such as the right to the individual to life, liberty, security of the person and enjoyment of property and the right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law.

The Constitution recognises the existence of the right of the in­ dividual to equality before the law and the protection of the law.

It is the duty of the State to protect, promote and fulfil the above-mentioned human rights and freedoms.

There has been a rapid growth of criminal gangs and activity in The Bahamas, that infringes on the rights and freedoms of individuals.

The right of every person to be protected from fear, intimidation and phy­ sical harm caused by criminal activity of violent gang and criminals/terrorists must be protected and guarded.

Such activities presents a danger to public order and safety and to economic stability, and has the potential to inflict social damage.

It is ab­ solutely necessary, and expedient, that we, the people, and the govern­ment and associates provide our law enforcement with the support needed to eradicate crime in our beloved country.

PAUL THOMPSON Nassau, June 16, 2022.

Fatherhood: Meaning of life EDITOR, The Tribune.

I TREATED lightly sacred things, and went my way in search of fun.

Upon myself I kept no strings, and gave no heed to folly done.

I gave myself up to the fight for worldly wealth and earthly fame and

sought advantage, wrong or right but that was long before you came.

Suddenly my life changed. A wonderful lady and a family too married and united.

I found a community of like minded people whose only hope was to live freely.

I now see with new eyes, renewing hopes of things to come.

What will we behold tomorrow, as our world becomes united as one.

STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario, Canada.

June 17, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 7

Four face court over robbery and firearm

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net FOUR young men were in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday faced with various charges, including two counts of armed robbery and possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Kyuavon Strachan, 18, and 19-year-old Shantino Armbrister, represented by lawyer Kara Butler, Phillip Higgs, 21, represented by K Melvin Munroe, and a 17-year-old youth, accompanied by his mother, was represented by Ian Cargill.

They all faced Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans.

The 17-year-old, along with Armbrister and

Strachan, faced two counts of armed robbery.

The 17-year-old and Higgs also faced a drug charge. However, all four were accused of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

On June 12 in New Providence, three of the accused are alleged to have robbed two people with a handgun. The suspects are said to have stolen William Brown’s brown wallet containing $143 and Kendy Ferguson’s black Michael Kors bag containing $150.

The gun used in both of these robberies was reportedly a black Glock 9mm pistol S/N number BBBP596 with 13 unfired rounds of 9mm

ammunition. It was not licensed.

Later that same day, three of the accused were arrested after they were found with five grams of Indian Hemp.

Officers on mobile patrol pulled over the accused for speeding on Nassau East Street and found the suspected drugs, with a street value of $20, in a clear plastic wrap under the left passenger seat of the vehicle.

In a subsequent police interview, both Armbrister and Higgs admitted to owning the drugs, while the 17-year-old denied all knowledge of the drugs.

However, in court Higgs was the only one to plead guilty to the drug

THREE ARRESTED AFTER $70,000 COCAINE FIND

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

TWO Abaco men and one Grand Bahama man were arrested in connection with the discovery and seizure of $70,000 worth of cocaine, in addition to firearms and ammunition.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen Rolle said the incident occurred on Friday evening in East Grand Bahama.

According to reports, shortly after 6pm, officers from the Drug Enforcement Unit and the Intelligence Unit conducted a joint operation in the area of McLean’s Town.

ASP Rolle said officers were conducting surveillance when they saw three men get out of a small vessel and get into a white van.

He said while officers pursued the vehicle, they observed the driver throwing a red and black backpack out of the driver’s window into nearby bushes.

ASP Rolle said the vehicle eventually came to a stop and the three suspects were taken back to the area where they had thrown the backpack.

He said officers searched the area in their presence and recovered the backpack.

Five packages of suspected cocaine and two pistols, a 9mm pistol along with four live rounds of 9mm ammunition and a .45 pistol along with nine live rounds of .45 ammunition was found in the backpack.

Mr Rolle said the suspects, two male residents of Cooper’s Town, Abaco, and one male resident of McLean’s Town were arrested and taken into police custody.

He said the suspected cocaine weighed 11.5lbs and has an estimated street value of $70,000.

ASP Rolle said investigations are continuing into the matter.

JAILED FOR RECEIVING STOLEN AEROSOLS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to six months in prison yesterday for receiving $47.36 worth of aerosols over the Father’s Day Weekend.

Sonny Brown, 33, appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on charges of attempted stealing, receiving and unlawful possession.

On June 18 at the Quality Supermarket on East Street South, Brown is alleged to have attempted to steal five air fresheners - three

Febreeze and two cans of Lysol at a total value of $47.36.

While Brown initially pleaded not guilty to the charges before reversing his plea to guilty after explaining the situation to the court, the magistrate only logged a guilty plea for the receiving charge.

The court elected to withdraw the remaining two charges against him.

This is because the accused told the court the store was extremely busy during the pre-Father’s Day rush and that he left the goods by the entrance to retrieve money from his

car.

Brown further claimed that it was only after a security guard recognised him from a previous grocery store theft that he was branded a thief and arrested for the offence.

It was revealed in court that the accused does have prior offences.

As such, the nagistrate accepted Brown’s guilty plea and sentenced him to six months in the Bahamas Department of Corrections for the offence.

The accused has seven days in which to appeal Magistrate Vogt-Evans’ ruling.

MAN ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services by a Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a charge of attempted murder.

Godfrey Minnis, 35, represented by Attorney Kelsey Munroe,

faced Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain accused of having tried on March 18 to kill Philip Moxey.

Due to the nature of the charge, Minnis was not required to enter a plea in court. The magistrate also told him that his case would proceed by way of Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

The accused was further informed that his case would be heard before the Supreme Court, where he can also apply for bail.

Until bail is granted, Minnis will be returned to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

The accused is expected to return to court for service of his VBI on August 25.

$200 FINE OVER INDIAN HEMP FIND

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined $200 in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday for possession of dangerous drugs.

Adrien Hall, 26, stood before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney to receive his penalty.

On June 16, officers on mobile patrol stopped the suspect on Sun Road in Gamble Heights. After police searched the accused, they uncovered 19 grams of Indian Hemp.

Hall then admitted to authorities that he had purchased the drugs for $80 for his personal use. This led to his arrest and the $290 on

his person being seized by police.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charge in court.

After Prosecutor Inspector Timothy Bain revealed that Hall has two prior drug convictions for which he was fined $2,000 and $700 respectively, the magistrate once again imposed a fine on Hall.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

charge with the remaining accused entering a not guilty plea.

As such Higgs’ attorney, Melvin Munroe, as part of his plea in mitigation, pointed out that his client had accepted responsibility for his actions at the earliest opportunity. He said Higgs diligently worked two jobs and implored the court to give him a warning so that his clean record could remain unblemished.

The magistrate cautioned Higgs for making what she called a dumb decision by continuing to take drugs that “lessens your possibilities.”

Magistrate Vogt-Evans summarily imposed a conditional discharge on Higgs where he is expected to

attend CCAC drug counseling courses for four months and participate in community service for 150 hours at Great Commission.

Defaulting on these conditions would result in a fine of $250 or three months in prison.

Higgs is expected to return to court for a report on October 20.

The remaining two accused were discharged on the drugs charges.

As for the remaining charges, the accused were informed that these matters would all proceed in the Supreme Court by way of Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

While three of the accused were informed that they would be returned to

the Bahamas Department of Corrections until they were granted bail by the Supreme Court, only Higgs was granted bail that day.

As he was not connected with the armed robbery charges Higgs was granted $7,000 bail with two sureties. A condition of his bail is that he is to be fitted with an ankle monitor and is expected to sign in at Elizabeth Estates Police Station every Sunday by 7pm.

Failure to meet these conditions would result in his bail being revoked and Higgs’ immediate return to the Bahamas Department of Corrections.

All accused are expected to return to court on September 19 for service of their VBIs.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

A coronation in the homeland of Junkanoo

CHRISTOPHER Davis was crowned Nana (king) Asafohene Jan Kwa II in Ahanta, Ghana over the weekend.

Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

THE heart of a man who went on a quest to learn the origins of Junkanoo only to be crowned in the name of the king responsible for its origins, must be filled with unspeakable joy. On Saturday, June 18, 2022, a coronation ceremony was held at the Palace in Busua in the Ahanta region, Ghana for Christopher Davis, who received the title Nana Asafohene Jan Kwa II. On hand for the special occasion was his mother, Ann Marie Davis, of the Office of the Spouse, who also represented on behalf of his father, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.

“It’s kind of surreal and a tiny bit scary,” Christopher says.

“In the past year, I have climbed up the traditional African political ladder, if you will. I don’t even have words to describe the level of prestige and honour I feel from it. It’s even difficult for me to talk about it because it’s still quite unbelievable for me… It’s like hitting the lotto!”

Nana means “King” and Asafohene means “General”, and it is the same title King Jan Kwa I held during his reign. This prestigious title comes with a lot of responsibilities. Christopher is charged with developing specific initiatives for Bahamian and Ahanta culture, especially as it relates to Junkanoo. He is spearheading the creation of a profound heritage tourism product. He will spearhead the first official pilgrimage for the public to visit the Ahanta Region beginning October 13, 2022. He will also help to create other business and cultural initiatives, with the blessing of the elders. The Federal Ahanta Capital has a population of over 2 million people.

Nana Asafohe King Jan Kwa I (known by the western world as John Canoe) was a mighty ruler in the area now known as Princess Town in Ahanta, a western province of Ghana.

He became very popular throughout west and central Africa. People flocked to his kingdom in droves for safety during the time of colonial invasion and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

According to Christopher, King Jan Kwa I and the Ahanta people are heroes for the entire African Diaspora, as they offered a safe haven and a place of peace.

Christopher and the Sankofa Flamingo group have been uncovering the origins of Junkanoo by traveling back and forth between the Bahamas and Ghana, collecting information and making records. They visited King Jan Kwa’s fort and ruins of his palace, mansion and wall. It was there he boldly fought the Dutch, Danish, British and Portuguese slave

traders for many years, even when other forts were falling, until he was finally removed in 1725. He took exile at Kwadaso in Kumasi.

Christopher will soon release a book entitled Black Rinse that delves into the origins of Junkanoo - a festival more profound in The Bahamas than anywhere else in the world - but is still practised in Ghana and other countries where Africans in the Diaspora live today.

“The spiritual significance is quite profound,” Christopher shared.

“We see many of our Bahamian traditional practices that may have been lost in translation being practised among the Ahanta people. For example, our use of cerasee. We use it for its medicinal value, but the Ahanta people take it to a whole other level.”

“African spirituality is something that has been very heavily demonised; The Bahamas is the quintessential example of that. It’s to the point where Voodoo and Obeah remain illegal to this day. These are just vestiges of our colonial masters trying to strip our African identity away - something that was a concerted and global effort that is ongoing. When we look at the spiritual aspect, it taps into something that was lost, something we still do. We still drink cerasee… Bush medicine is still an intricate part of us. Even the way they ring the cowbell in the Ahanta region is the same way we do it here. I’ll hold off on that and encourage people to go out and get the book so that they can get some of the deeper spiritual connections between us and the Ahanta people that expand beyond the empirical data and anthropological data that we have been finding over the years.”

Prior to his coronation, two women of Sankofa Flamingo received honourable titles and positions in the powerful traditional council as well. Christopher’s wife is now Nkosuohema Tamara Scavella-Davis, Queen of Progress and Development.

Angelique McKay received the title Queen Mother Asafokyereba of Pokesu and the Ahanta People of West Ghana. She is actively making arrangements for the details of the Sankofa Flamingo Heritage Tour in October. Dr Michael Pateman, Robin Lightbourne and Oswald “Ras Copper” White are among the Sankofa Flamingo members who have been active in this new era in Bahamian connection with Africa. Well known businessman Andrew Wilson, who has already established a factory in Ghana, was on-hand for the coronation, as well as cultural ambassador Jamaal Rolle.

Mrs Ann-Marie Davis

received a royal welcome during her Ghana trip. She told the press there that it’s important to celebrate the origins of Junkanoo, as well as to celebrate the way the festival has expanded in The Bahamas and elsewhere. She stressed the importance of historical, cultural and educational connections being fostered and sustained for the benefit of the Bahamas and Ghana. She also expressed personal pride in her son, Christopher’s achievement.

“You hear about westerners returning to Africa and receiving titles, but you rarely hear it happening on the top traditional council level - and rarely where someone received the stool name of the greatest warrior from that group of people,” Christopher explained.

“I am completely lost for words. I have to think so hard just to describe what it means to me because it is by far, arguably with the exception of the birth of my son, the greatest honour I have ever received.”

The Sankofa Flamingo group plans to create extended tours for future pilgrimages and longer stays as the demand rises.

For more information, reach out to Angelique McKay through: Facebook - Sankofa Flamingo, Junkanoo Commandos, or Angelique Bahamian Culture; call (242) 422-1908 or email geliquesmck@yahoo. com.

ANN MARIE DAVIS, centre, accompanied by businessman Andrew Wilson on her right, and in the back row, Angelique McKay on the left and Christopher Davis, right. They are greeted by a Ghanian entourage including: the Queen Mother of Akentenchie, the Divisional Chief of Agona, Ahanta Apemenyimheneba, and Nana Bozza IX.

ANN MARIE DAVIS, of the Office of the Spouse, receives a royal greeting as she visits Ghana for the coronation of her son, Christopher.

THE SANKOFA Flamingo entourage in Ghana’s capital, Accra, with Ann Marie Davis, centre.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 9

How is Britain controlled

by European courts?

THE country of Rwanda, situated in the heart of the vast continent of Africa, has been the centre of attention in the British press this past week. This was not on account of some newsworthy drama within what is now a stable and thriving nation after recovering from the horrors of a civil war and genocide in the early 1990s. Rather, it is because Rwanda has been drawn in to a political row about immigration following its agreement to receive and process refugees and asylum seekers sent by Britain.

For many years, the thorny issue of both legal and illegal immigration has been top of the political agenda of successive British governments. Historically, the nation has a proud record of providing a safe haven to genuine refugees fleeing persecution.

But its ability to control levels of immigration was constrained through the country’s membership of the European Union. So pressure to reassume direct control of its borders and enforce immigration laws – especially preventing illegal migration in small boats across the English Channel from France – was one reason for withdrawing from the EU. Nearly 30,000 migrants made the dangerous crossing in 2021 and, already this year, 10,000 have reached Britain’s shores by this means.

The public pressure on politicians to take action to stop what has become almost a parallel illegal immigration system has reached breaking point. For a relatively small and heavily populated country like Britain, uncontrolled mass immigration is unsustainable and unacceptable; not only because of the extra strain on public institutions and services – including housing, schools and health services – but also for security reasons. Moreover, many of those arriving are not genuine asylum seekers escaping persecution in their own countries but economic migrants seeking a better life in Britain to which they are attracted by the country’s generous welfare state and traditional tolerance as an old established democracy.

In recent months, the Conservative government has come up with a new scheme to tackle the surge in illegal immigration. This is to send all but bona fide asylum seekers - who would be assessed after arrival in Britain in the normal way - to Rwanda where they would either be allowed to stay permanently or would be returned to their country of origin. The aim of the plan is to reduce illegal immigration, protect lives and break the stranglehold of the criminal human smuggling gangs which control the illicit cross-channel trade. It is also designed to deter economic migrants

PROTESTERS stand outside the High Court during a ruling on Rwanda deportation flights in London on June 13.

The Peter Young column who are unlikely to want to end up 4,000 miles away in Africa. Inevitably, however, this innovative plan has been controversial and has been variously described as nasty, cruel and callous – with the Archbishop of Canterbury even calling it “ungodly” while, reportedly, Prince Charles has described it as “appalling”.

What has now brought it all to a head is last week’s blocking of the first flight carrying deportees from the UK to Rwanda. In recent years, unscrupulous human rights lawyers, aided by left-wing activists and social justice pressure groups, have exploited any loophole they could find in Britain’s

1998 Human Rights Act to prevent deportations.

It is contended that this legislation puts the rights of offenders ahead of the lawabiding public by allowing foreign criminals to abuse the UK system. But UK courts, including the Supreme Court, had declared this first flight to be legal and could go ahead with just a handful of failed asylum seekers.

At the last minute, however, an anonymous judge of the European Court of Human Rights in an out-of-hours informal hearing decided it should be grounded pending further consideration by the UK High Court of the policy’s legality. Britain is bound by decisions of the ECHR because it adheres to the European Convention on Human Rights which is quite separate from the EU. Indeed, Britain was a founding member of this international convention that codified human rights in Europe in the aftermath of the horrors of the Second World War in order to prevent any future persecution or genocide.

Without debating the merits and demerits of the government’s immigration policy, what is interesting is the effect of this intervention by a judge of the ECHR on attitudes in Britain. It has been called outrageous interference and has caused a furore. Many now say the issue goes

COMMEMORATION OF FALKLANDS WAR THERE was a significant date last week in Britain’s modern history.

June 14 marked the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War. A service of remembrance organised by the Royal British Legion took place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire where the Prime Minister was joined by veterans, bereaved family members and senior defence figures.

Wreaths were laid and Mr Johnson praised the “incredible daring and bravery” of the veterans in securing a future for the Falklands which, since the ending of the conflict, have “thrived in peace and freedom”.

Similar events were held elsewhere in the country, and, at the same time, a service was held at the monument in Port Stanley, the Falklands capital, where Islanders paid their

respects to those who had lost their lives in the conflict 40 years ago.

The ten-week war began after Argentina unexpectedly invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982. This was a British territory with a population of less than 3,000 who were fiercely opposed to any interference in their lives by Argentina. Britain quickly sent a naval task force to reclaim the Islands and its armed forces landed there on May 21. After fierce fighting, the Argentines surrendered on June 14.

During the conflict 255 British and 649 Argentine military personnel were killed and many more wounded, and three Islanders also lost their lives.

As I wrote in this column in April, judging from Argentina’s most recent pronouncements, it continues its claim to

what it calls the Malvinas situated some 250 miles from its coastline. But, for its part, Britain has consistently made clear that, in accordance with international law, it has no doubts about its sovereignty over the Falklands which it has administered for 150 years; and, as recently as 2013, 99.8 per cent of the islanders voted in a referendum to remain British.

Some say these hostilities to secure the freedom of a remote territory in the South Atlantic are now largely forgotten.

But for those involved in it, or affected by it, the Falklands War remains as vivid as ever – and, for them, commemoration of the 40th anniversary of its ending has maintained awareness and recognition of the brave actions of those who served in this mercifully short, but bloody conflict.

Photo: Alastair Grant/AP

beyond a political skirmish over immigration control because what is essentially at stake is who is responsible for running the country.

People are asking the basic question whether the UK is a democratic, sovereign nation whose laws are made by its elected representatives – who can be thrown out at election time if they get things wrong – and interpreted by its own judges. Or is it to be forever subject to the arbitrary impulses and findings of a court of anonymous foreign judges who have little knowledge of the country? Most people agree that it is absurd and intolerable for Britain’s national policies to be undermined

by unelected and unaccountable European institutions or by a group of foreign judges. Such practice subverts democratic self-governance, and a faceless judge in Strasbourg cannot be allowed to determine or dictate government policy. The Home Secretary has declared the ECHR decision “a scandalous ruling” that is “politically motivated”, and the Attorney General says that the British people rather than European judges “must decide who can and cannot stay in our country”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is quoted as saying that, despite the ECHR decision, the government

will continue with its immigration policy in relation to Rwanda. It has a mandate to crack down on illegal immigration. Through Brexit the public voted to take back control of the country’s laws and are genuinely baffled why immigration controls can still be blocked by European judges. So there is public support for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and introduce a domestic equivalent, which would be a British Bill of Rights to replace the Human Rights Act - and that seems to be the likely course the Conservative government will now take.

A BRIEF item in the UK press last week about the extradition to the US of the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, appears to have escaped wider media attention even though his case is of interest internationally. He has lost his bid to avoid extradition after the Home Secretary in London approved an order for him to be sent to the US to stand trial there.

He faces numerous charges of espionage over leaked documents published more than 10 years ago relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as diplomatic cables. He has 14 days to appeal.

This authorisation of his extradition is said to be a dark day for press freedom and democracy because it is claimed by some that Assange was conducting legitimate investigative journalism which is essential in any democracy. But, if convicted on espionage charges, he now faces the possibility of solitary confinement and life imprisonment, though the US has apparently given assurances he would not be held in a high security prison and that he could serve his prison term in his native Australia. Nonetheless, his wife now says such assurances cannot be trusted and that conditions in the US would be so oppressive that he might commit suicide.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International says the British government’s decision to extradite him sends a

chilling message to journalists the world over.

By all accounts, Assange is an unappealing character who has been brazenly reckless, imprudent and unwise, if not stupid, in his actions and cavalier about other people’s lives in seeking to expose classified official information. He certainly has an unsavoury background. Having jumped bail in England in 2012 to escape an arrest warrant for extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault charges which were later dropped, he took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for 7 years but was later rearrested and has been held since then at a UK high security prison. His extradition to the US was then blocked by a UK judge because of concerns about his mental health.

Assange and his supporters say he was “shining a light on all the corruption in the world” and exposing war crimes and other abuses carried out by the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq. Thanks to him, we now know about some of the ruthless, illegal and barbaric steps the US was prepared to take in its post-9/11 war on terror.

But many people wonder whether it can ever be acceptable in a democratic society to allow a selfappointed organisation like WikiLeaks to determine what ought to be exposed in the public interest and thereby justify the theft and leaking of classified information belonging to

an elected government.

It is argued that it went beyond the limits of investigative journalism, since, according to the US indictment, it involved conspiring to crack government computer codes and proactively, systematically and illegally hacking into government-owned computers containing classified material. Others, however, suggest that, rather than espionage, these acts – serious as they were -amounted to no more than criminality rather than espionage.

The widely-held view in the UK now seems to be that a life term for Julian Assange would be excessive. He should not be treated as a spy who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, especially in what are likely to be harsh conditions in the US. The importance of a free press in a democracy should be given greater weight in this case. He is clearly not a person deserving of much sympathy, but is it ever a crime to publish truthful information? Is there a danger that harsh treatment of him might embolden authoritarian states who regard a free press as their worst enemy.

Freedom of the press is vital in a democracy and investigative journalism is essential in holding authority to account. So it comes as no surprise that there are many who hope Assange’s extradition order will be overturned on appeal.

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM OR CRIMINALITY AND ESPIONAGE

PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

SWELTERING STREETS: HUNDREDS OF HOMELESS DIE IN HEAT

By ANITA SNOW ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOENIX (AP) — Hundreds of blue, green and grey tents are pitched under the sun’s searing rays in downtown Phoenix, a jumble of flimsy canvas and plastic along dusty sidewalks. Here, in the hottest big city in America, thousands of homeless people swelter as the summer’s triple digit temperatures arrive.

The stifling tent city has ballooned amid pandemicera evictions and surging rents that have dumped hundreds more people onto the sizzling streets that grow eerily quiet when temperatures peak in the midafternoon. A heat wave earlier this month brought temperatures of up to 114 degrees (45.5 Celsius) and it’s only June. Highs reached 118 degrees (47.7 Celsius) last year.

“During the summer, it’s pretty hard to find a place at night that’s cool enough to sleep without the police running you off,” said Chris Medlock, a homeless Phoenix man known on the streets as “T-Bone” who carries everything he owns in a small backpack and often beds down in a park or a nearby desert preserve to avoid the crowds.

“If a kind soul could just offer a place on their couch indoors maybe more people would live,” Medlock said at a dining room where homeless people can get some shade and a free meal.

Excessive heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes combined.

Around the country, heat contributes to some 1,500 deaths annually, and advocates estimate about half of those people are homeless.

Temperatures are rising nearly everywhere because of global warming, combining with brutal drought in some places to create more intense, frequent and longer heat waves. The past few summers have been some of the hottest on record.

Just in the county that includes Phoenix, at least 130 homeless people were among the 339 individuals who died from heat-associated causes in 2021.

“If 130 homeless people were dying in any other way it would be considered a mass casualty event,” said Kristie L. Ebi, a professor of global health at the University of Washington.

It’s a problem that stretches across the United States, and now, with rising global temperatures, heat is no longer a danger just in places like Phoenix.

This summer will likely bring above-normal temperatures over most land areas worldwide, according to a seasonal map that volunteer climatologists created for the International Research Institute at Columbia University.

Last summer, a heat wave blasted the normally temperate U.S. Northwest and had Seattle residents sleeping in their yards and on roofs, or fleeing to hotels with air conditioning.

Across the state, several people presumed to be homeless died outdoors, including a man slumped behind a gas station.

In Oregon, officials opened 24-hour cooling centres for the first time.

Volunteer teams fanned out with water and popsicles to homeless encampments on Portland’s outskirts.

A quick scientific analysis concluded last year’s Pacific Northwest heat wave was virtually impossible without human-caused climate change adding several degrees and toppling previous records.

Even Boston is exploring ways to protect diverse neighbourhoods like its Chinatown, where population density and few shade trees help drive temperatures up to 106 degrees (41 Celsius) some summer days.

The city plans strategies like increasing tree canopy and other kinds of shade, using cooler materials for roofs, and expanding its network of cooling centres during heat waves.

THE TRIBUNE

Despite influx of Western arms, Ukraine is outgunned in the east

By ANDREA ROSA and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Holed up in a bombed-out house in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops keep a careful accounting of their ammunition, using a door as a sort of ledger.

Scrawled in chalk on the door are figures for mortar shells, smoke shells, shrapnel shells, flares.

Despite the heavy influx of weapons from the West, Ukrainian forces are outgunned by the Russians in the battle for the eastern Donbas region, where the fighting is largely being carried out by way of artillery exchanges.

While the Russians can keep up heavy, continuous fire for hours at a time, the defenders can’t match the enemy in either weapons or ammunition and must use their ammo more judiciously.

At the outpost in eastern Ukraine, dozens and dozens of mortar shells are stacked up. But the troops’ commander, Mykhailo Strebizh, who goes by the nom de guerre Gaiduk, lamented that if his fighters were to come under an intense artillery barrage, their cache would, at best, amount to only about four hours’ worth of return fire.

Ukrainian authorities say the West’s much-ballyhooed support for the country is not sufficient and is not arriving on the battlefield fast enough for this grinding and highly lethal phase of the war.

While Russia has kept quiet about its war casualties, Ukrainian authorities say up to 200 of their soldiers are dying each day. Russian forces are gaining ground slowly in the east, but experts say they are taking heavy losses.

The United States last week upped the ante with its largest pledge of aid for Ukrainian forces yet: an additional $1 billion in military assistance to help repel or reverse Russian advances.

But experts note that such aid deliveries haven’t kept pace with Ukraine’s needs, in part because defence industries aren’t turning out weaponry fast enough.

“We’re moving from peacetime to wartime,” said Francois Heisbourg, a senior adviser at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research think tank. “Peacetime means low production rates, and ramping up the production rate means that you have to first build industrial facilities. … This is a defence-industrial challenge

UKRAINIAN soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region Saturday.

(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) which is of a very great magnitude.”

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany last week reported that the U.S. has delivered about half of its pledged commitments in military support for Ukraine, and Germany about one-third. Poland and Britain have both come through on much of what they promised.

Many foot soldiers say they can’t even begin to match the Russians shot for shot, or shell for shell.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s ambassador in Madrid, Serhii Phoreltsev, thanked Spain — which trumpeted a shipment of 200 tons of military aid in April — but said the ammunition included was enough for only about two hours of combat.

Ukrainian filmmakerturned-fighter Volodymyr Demchenko tweeted a video expressing gratitude for guns sent by the Americans, saying, “It’s nice guns, and 120 bullets to each.” But he lamented: “It’s like 15 minutes of a fight.”

Part of the problem, too, is that the Ukrainian forces, whose country was once a member of the Soviet Union, are more familiar with Soviet-era weaponry and

must first be trained on the NATO equipment they are getting.

An untold number of Ukrainians have travelled abroad to get training on the Western weapons.

Of the $1 billion pledge from the U.S., only slightly more than one-third of that will be rapid, off-the-shelf deliveries by the Pentagon, and the rest will be available over a longer term. The pledge, which includes 18 howitzers and 36,000 rounds of ammunition for them, addresses Ukraine’s plea for more longer-range weaponry.

That’s still far short of what the Ukrainians want — 1,000 155 mm howitzers, 300 multiple-launch rocket systems, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles and 1,000 drones — as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser Mikhail Podolyak tweeted last week, before the latest big Western pledges.

“What the Ukrainians have got to do is conduct what military people tend to call a counter-battery operation” to respond to Russian artillery fire, said Ben Barry, a former director of the British Army Staff who is senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for

Strategic Studies. “To do this, you need accurate weapons with a high rate of fire and a range that allows them to keep out of the way of the other side’s artillery.”

“The Ukrainians are saying they don’t have enough longrange rockets to adequately suppress Russian artillery,” he said. “I think they’re probably right.”

As it now stands, Ukrainian fighters often have to use “shoot and scoot” tactics — fire, then move before the Russians can zero in on them.

Better NATO hardware, even in small quantities, is often welcome.

On a nearby front on Saturday, a Ukrainian unit granted The Associated Press rare access to the firing of U.S.supplied M777 howitzers — towable, 155 mm weapons — on Russian positions.

A lieutenant who goes by the call sign Wasp touted the M777’s precision, speed of fire, simplicity of use and the ease with which it is camouflaged, saying the new hardware “raises our spirits” and “demoralises the enemy because they see what the consequences are.”

Denys Sharapov, Ukraine’s deputy minister of defence in charge of procurement, told a

publication of the U.S.-based National Defense Industrial Association that the weapons systems that have been received cover only 10% to 15% of the country’s needs.

He noted the breadth of the challenge — a front line with 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of active combat.

Interviewed by National Defense magazine in an article published Wednesday, Sharapov said no single supplier could satisfy Ukraine’s needs alone.

“Quite unfortunately for us, we have become the biggest consumer of weapons and ammunition in the world,” he said.

Friends of Ukraine are digging in for the long haul.

Time may be on Ukraine’s side, the experts say.

Ukrainian fighters are both motivated and mobilised — all men in the country of 40 million have been called to fight, whereas Russia has so far avoided a call-up of conscripts, which could vastly tilt the war in Russia’s favour but may not be popular domestically.

As for how long such fighting could last, analyst Heisbourg said a years-long war of attrition is “quite possible.”

COLOMBIA PICKS FIRST LEFTIST PRESIDENT IN TIGHT RUNOFF CONTEST

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and ASTRID SUAREZ Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia will be governed by a leftist president for the first time after former rebel Gustavo Petro narrowly defeated a real estate tycoon in a runoff election that underscored people’s disgust with the country’s traditional politicians.

Petro’s third attempt to win the presidency earned him 50.48% of the votes Sunday, while political outsider Rodolfo Hernández got 47.26%, according to results released by election authorities.

The election came as Colombians struggle with rising inequality, inflation and violence — factors that led voters in the election’s first round last month to punish long-governing centrist and right-leaning politicians and pick two outsiders for the runoff contest.

Petro’s win in Latin America’s third most populous nation was more than a defeat of Hernández. It puts an end to Colombia’s long stigmatisation of the left for its perceived association with the country’s half century of armed conflict. The president-elect was once a rebel with the nowdefunct M-19 movement and was granted amnesty after being jailed for his involvement with the group.

Petro issued a call for unity during his victory speech Sunday night and extended an olive branch to some of his harshest critics, saying all members of the opposition will be welcomed at the presidential palace “to discuss the problems of Colombia.”

“From this government that is beginning there will never be political persecution or legal persecution, there will only be respect and dialogue,” he said, adding that he will listen to those who have raised arms as well as to “that silent majority of peasants, Indigenous people, women, youth.”

The vote is also resulting in Colombia having a Black woman as vice president for the first time. Petro’s

FORMER rebel Gustavo Petro, left, his wife Veronica Alcocer, back centre, and his running mate Francia Marquez, celebrate before supporters after winning a runoff presidential election in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) running mate, Francia Márquez, 40, is a lawyer and environmental leader whose opposition to illegal mining resulted in threats and a grenade attack in 2019.

Hernández, whose campaign was based on an anti-corruption fight, conceded his defeat shortly after results were announced.

“I accept the result, as it should be, if we want our institutions to be firm,” he said in a video on social media. “I sincerely hope that this decision is beneficial for everyone.”

Petro’s showing was the latest leftist political victory in Latin America fueled by voters’ desire for change.

Chile, Peru and Honduras elected leftist presidents in 2021, and in Brazil former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is leading the polls for this year’s presidential election.

But the results were an immediate reason to fret for some voters whose closest reference to a leftist government is the troubled neighbouring Venezuela.

“We hope that Mr. Gustavo Petro complies with what was said in his government plan, that he leads this country to greatness, which we need so much, and that (he) ends corruption,” said Karin Ardila García, a Hernández supporter in the

north-central city of Bucaramanga.

“That he does not lead to communism, to socialism, to a war where they continue to kill us in Colombia. ... (H)e does not lead us to another Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina, Chile.”

About 21.6 million of the 39 million eligible voters cast a ballot Sunday.

Abstentionism has been above 40% in every presidential election since 1990.

Petro, 62, will be officially declared winner after a formal count that will take a few days. Historically, the preliminary results have coincided with the final ones.

Several heads of state congratulated Petro on Sunday. So did a fierce critic, former President Álvaro Uribe, who remains a central figure in Colombia’s politics.

Polls ahead of the runoff had indicated Petro and Hernández — both former mayors — were in a tight race since they topped four other candidates in the initial May 29 election.

Neither got enough votes to win outright and headed into the runoff.

Petro won 40% of the votes in the initial round and Hernández 28%, but the difference quickly narrowed as Hernández began to attract socalled anti-Petrista voters.

Petro has proposed ambitious

pension, tax, health and agricultural reforms and changes to how Colombia fights drug cartels and other armed groups. But he will have a tough time delivering on his promises as he does not have a majority in Congress, which is key to carrying out reforms.

“The people who do support him have very high hopes, and they are probably going to be disappointed pretty quickly when he can’t move things right away,” said Adam Isacson, an expert on Colombia at the Washington Office on Latin America think tank.

“I think you might find a situation where he either has to strike some deals and give up a lot of his programmes just to get some things passed or the whole country could be gridlocked,” Isacson added.

Petro is willing to resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which were halted in 2019. He also wants to make changes to Colombia’s relations with the U.S. by seeking a renegotiation of a free trade agreement and new ways to fight drug trafficking.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the Biden administration looks forward to working with Petro.

Polls say most Colombians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction and disapprove of President Iván Duque, who was not eligible to seek reelection. The pandemic set back the country’s anti-poverty efforts by at least a decade. Official figures show that 39% of Colombia’s lived on less than $89 a month last year.

The rejection of politics as usual “is a reflection of the fact that the people are fed up with the same people as always,” said Nataly Amezquita, a 26-year-old civil engineer waiting to vote. “We have to create greater social change. Many people in the country aren’t in the best condition.”

But even the two outsider candidates left her cold. She said she would cast a blank ballot: “I don’t like either of the two candidates. ... Neither of them seems like a good person to me.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 11

PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Equestrian Kacy Lyn Smith makes history KACY Lyn Smith and her horse Chicago M rode a double clear round at Loudoun County, Virginia, this weekend and, in doing so, made history as the first Bahamian junior rider to qualify for the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships.

The event is set to be held at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, in August.

The prestigious FEI Youth Jumping Championships provides an exciting opportunity for young equestrians to compete against their peers, mirroring the format of senior championships such as the Olympic Games.

Team and individual competitions in each age category are held over multiple days.

Sixteen-year-old Smith, who lives in Virginia and trains with Kama Godek of Capital Area Premium Sporthorses, will compete for The Bahamas as an individual in the Pre-Junior Championship category.

BECOMES THE FIRST BAHAMIAN JUNIOR RIDER TO QUALIFY FOR FEI NORTH AMERICAN YOUTH JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS

KACY Lyn Smith and Chicago M in action at the Upperville Horse Show in Middleburg, Virginia.

Photo courtesy of Maddie Valenzuela This category is for riders federation officials back in from Germany). As a team, could be done. They began 14-16 years old and features mid-May, Smith was honest they were just getting to campaigning to immediate courses at fence heights of – it might not be an option. know one another. success. After clear rounds 1.30 metres.

Qualification deadlines “I’d only jumped him at 1.15m, 1.20m and 1.25m Qualifying for the cham- were fast approaching, but for the first time three days at Swan Lake, the pair pionships wasn’t even on she had just started riding before,” said Smith. “I travelled to the prestigious Smith’s radar a month ago. a new horse (Chicago M, [was] still figuring him out.” Upperville Horse Show in When discussing quali- a 17.1 hh, 12-year-old HolYet Smith and her trainer Middleburg, VA. The weekfication scenarios with steiner recently imported Kama Godek believed it end started inauspiciously

when Smith suffered a fall: “He jumps extremely athletically and tends to jump me out of the tack,” she noted.

Luckily neither horse nor rider were hurt, and the pair finished the weekend strong, going double clear and placing 9th in a competitive field in the $2,500 1.25m Classic. At that moment Smith and her trainer made the decision to move up to the 1.30m class at Loudoun. It was the right decision. Smith and Chicago jumped double clear, finishing 5th overall, winning a share of the prize money…and securing the coveted certificate of capability for qualification to the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships.

As the lone rider representing The Bahamas, Smith will ride in the PreChildren’s Championship as an individual competitor. The prospect leaves her unfazed, declaring, “I will be proud to be the singular rider representing The Bahamas.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 13

Kai Jones returns home

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SQUASH players Jon Hope, left, and Chadbourne Rolle.

SQUASH FROM PAGE 16

racket sports”, given the importance of strategy and mental fitness in addition to flexibility, strength and endurance. Unlike tennis where players rally across a net, squash players hit the ball off the walls as they rally to keep the ball away from their opponent.

“Local interest in squash continues to soar, and we invite the public to take advantage of our affordable membership, learn-to-play programme for adults, and our summer camp for kids.

“Guests can learn more and sign up for all of our sessions online at www. fourwallsbahamas.com,” said Mr Fields.

KAI Jones returned home for the first time since he completed his rookie season in the NBA and already has his sights set on the offseason and improvement headed into year two.

“It was a season of growth, I learned so much about myself and about the game of basketball.

So much about my soul,” Jones said. “I grew so much as a person and a player and I made some great relationships.”

At the NBA level with the Hornets, Jones appeared in 21 NBA games this past season but played sparingly in few moments off the bench. He excelled at the G-League level on assignment with the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 16.5 points on 61.4 percent shooting from the field – 32 percent from three-point range – 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks in 32 total G League games.

He also posted 15 total double-doubles.

“I bought in out of the gate. I love basketball, so once I was told about the opportunity to play 30

minutes (in Greensboro) because I wasn’t playing up here (in the NBA), I was jumping. I was so excited and ready to go. It gives me extreme confidence.

Coming in, I believed I could have an impact on this team on both ends.

“Now, it’s just that I think I can have a greater impact.

I know there’s no ceiling for me. Just continue to work,” Jones said in his postseason exit interview.

“Coming into the season, I didn’t think I was going to be down there, but God had a plan and I’m glad that I did go. I learned so much about myself and grew so much.

“It’s a blessing. The biggest thing for me was walking in gratitude. I think that’s huge. Learning how to be so grateful for playing the game every day and with the opportunity you have in front of you, making the most out of it.”

The no.19 pick in last year’s draft, Jones and the other members of the Hornets’ rookie class have played sparingly as the Hornets have chased a spot in the NBA playoffs.

Jones highlighted the season with a career high 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 139-119 win over the Long Island Nets

KAI Jones has returned home for the first time since he completed his rookie season in the NBA and already has his sights set on the offseason and improvement headed into year two. on March 27 at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina.

“I got so much better just with my efficiency there, especially from 3-point range because I was taking the right shots and finding the balance.

“Defensively, playing in the post, my positioning, being able to absorb contact and

understanding it’s a battle, really. I just got so much stronger throughout the season, so I became more comfortable with boxing guys out, hitting guys and imposing my will on people. I got a lot stronger really, mentally and physically,” he said.

“I think I’ve improved in every aspect of the game.

From my overall feel for the game, my knowledge, my patience, my pace, my physicality and on the defensive end, learning how to play in coverages and in the post. I’ve just improved so much, just continuing to take steps in the right direction and build championship habits.”

STEPHEN Curry and Damion Lee, right, ride atop a bus during the Golden State Warriors NBA championship GOLDEN State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr raises a fist while riding in their NBA champarade in San Francisco yesterday.

(AP Photos/Eric Risberg) pionship parade yesterday.

NBA CHAMPIONS WARRIORS CELEBRATE 4TH TITLE IN 8 SEASONS

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — From the moment all those months ago that Klay Thompson uttered “championship or bust” with his team off to an 18-2 start, the Golden State Warriors seemed set to make good on his lofty proclamation.

It took Thompson getting healthy at last, then Draymond Green and Stephen Curry overcoming their own injuries down the stretch, and a cast of youngsters shining on the big playoff stage for the Warriors to win again.

Coach Steve Kerr and his champion Warriors celebrated with a victory parade through San Francisco yesterday as thousands packed the streets on a warm June day and blue and gold confetti fell — with all those new faces taking part this time, too.

Players jumped off their respective rides to mingle with fans, Otto Porter Jr. and Thompson dancing and Andrew Wiggins spraying fans with champagne.

Curry sported his three previous championship rings on a necklace.

“I had to bring the jewelry back out. I don’t look at it during the year,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area.

Golden State captured the franchise’s fourth championship in eight years Thursday night by beating the Boston Celtics 103-90 in the clinching Game 6.

Afterward, Finals MVP Curry, Thompson and Green — the three core members part of each title run, sat together in celebration, with Curry cradling the trophy.

And this time, Thompson’s “Holy cannoli, this is crazy” reaction resounded everywhere.

With the Warriors winning on the road, the home fans got their moment to

cheer the team once more on Monday.

“We know what we’re capable of and we’re playing at the highest level,” third-year guard Jordan Poole said Saturday as players went through exit interviews. “We wouldn’t be here if we had any self doubt. When you put guys together who are able to really lock in and do it together as a team, the power and the feeling is all, it’s insane. You can kind of feel that positive vibe and positive energy, and we all have each other’s back.”

Thompson returned in January from more than 2 1/2 years sidelined following surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee then another operation on his torn right Achilles tendon. But Green then went down followed

by Curry late in the regular season.

Fellow veteran Andre Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP who is now 38 and also missed significant time, returned to contribute during the postseason and help Golden State get back to the top.

A whole cast of newcomers contributed to this title — from Poole to Wiggins to Gary Payton II. “This one hits different for sure, just knowing what the last three years have meant, what it’s been like from injuries to changing of the guard in the rosters, Wiggs coming through, our young guys carrying the belief that we could get back to this stage and win, even if it didn’t make sense to anybody when we said it, all that stuff matters,” Curry said. “And now we got four championships.

Me, Dray, Klay, and Andre, we finally got that bad boy.

It’s special.”

Those new faces are a big reason why this one feels a little different. When Golden State won back-toback titles in 2017 and ‘18

STEPHEN Curry and the Golden State Warriors celebrate at their NBA championship parade in San Francisco yesterday.

(Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) before falling to Toronto the following year, Kevin Durant joined Curry, Green and Thompson as they began to build a dynasty.

There were five straight NBA Finals trips from 2015-19. “We had Kevin Durant for three years with this core group. Those

teams were untouchable,” coach Steve Kerr said.

“This team has been compared to our first championship team in 2015.

Maybe there are some similarities. This is still a really talented group of players.”

Wiggins, Payton and Porter all have expressed

their desire to return to the Warriors, while assistant coach Kenny Atkinson backed out of the head coaching position with Charlotte to stay put and try to win another title in the Bay Area.

“It’s really special to see guys like Wiggs and Loon

and Gary Payton, just how far they have come, the impact they made, Jordan Poole, the same thing,” Kerr said.

“I know I’m going to forget people but it takes a full team effort to do this, and we just had a great group.”

PAGE 14, Tuesday, June 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

SERENA WILLIAMS SKIPS PRACTICE AT EASTBOURNE AHEAD OF RETURN

Champions are crowned at the BLTA Junior Nationals IT was a weekend of exciting and competitive tennis matches at The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) Junior Nationals.

The event was held June 16-20 at the National Tennis Centre. Juniors participated in U10-U18 categories for the coveted junior national champion.

On Sunday, the following national junior champions were crowned:

Girls singles U-10 Champion: Marina Bostwick.

Runner Up: Victoria Sandi-Aguilar Boys singles U-10 Champion: Kingston Rees.

Runner Up: Harrison Van Onselen Girls singles U-12 Champion: Kaylah Fox. Runner Up: Briana Houlgrave Boys’ singles U-12

Champion: Patrick Mactaggart. Runner Up: Atharva Hombal Boys’ singles U-18 Champion: Dentry Mortimer Jr. Runner Up: Sharano Hanna The event offers the highest ranking points on the BLTA’s calendar and based on the performance in this event and others national team representation in international

team competitions is determined.

Over 100 matches were played across the singles and doubles categories by the end of tournament play.

The BLTA expresses appreciation to Equity Bank and Trust Bahamas Limited, Limeade Bahamas, St Global Markets Limited and The Trophy Case who sponsored this prestigious event. The tournament referee was

Everette Munroe, tournament director Esther Newton and assistant tournament director Denise Mortimer.

All tournament information results can be found on the BLTA’s website https:// www.blta.net/blta-juniornationals-tournament/ .

The tournament wrapped up with the girls and boys U-14 and U-16 singles finals and the doubles semis and finals.

PICTURED above are the winners and finalists along with D Gilbert Cassar (Equity Bank & Trust Bahamas Limited), Joshua Miller (Limeade) and BLTA president Perry Newton congratulating the finalists and champions.

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Serena Williams skipped her scheduled practice session at Eastbourne at late notice on Monday as the 23-time Grand Slam champion prepares to make her return to competition after a year away.

Williams trained at a nearby club over the weekend and was expected to have an on-site session at Devonshire Park ahead of playing doubles with Ons Jabeur. Their first match is set for Tuesday against Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova.

The 40-year-old Williams, who hasn’t competed anywhere since she was injured in the first round of Wimbledon last year, was awarded a wild card for singles at the All England Club.

Jabeur said it was “unbelievable” to have been asked by Williams to be part of her journey back to competition at the Wimbledon warmup.

“I’m a good secret keeper -- yes, I’ve known (since) before the French Open,” said the No. 3-ranked Jabeur, who arrived at Eastbourne after winning the title in Berlin on Sunday.

“Many players were jealous because I’m playing with her. Honestly, Serena is Serena. She is a legend and always will be.”

SERENA Williams has skipped her scheduled practice session at Eastbourne at late notice yesterday as the 23-time Grand Slam champion prepares to make her return to competition after a year away.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Jabeur said she is hoping to learn “even like 2% from it.”

“Now I’m joking with other doubles players,” she said. “I was like, ‘If you have minus 20 grand slams, don’t even ask me to play doubles with you anymore.’”

Jabeur has pulled out of the singles at Eastbourne following her run to the title in Germany and will play only the doubles. Still, she’ll likely be kept busy this week given who she is partnering.

“I cannot wait to see her, I haven’t seen her yet,” Jabeur said of Williams.

“Hopefully we will get together and talk a little bit and see, because I’m really pumped. I want to win this doubles and why not win the title here, you know?”

Among those to advance from the first round of the singles on Monday were three qualifiers — Donna Vekic, Kirsten Flipkens and Lesia Tsurenko — and two British wild cards in Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart.

Sorana Cirstea, who lost in the semifinals of the Birmingham Classic over the weekend, was trailing Anhelina Kalinina 6-0, 2-1 before retiring.

In second-round matches, American player Alison Riske was beaten by Magda Linette of Poland 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (4) while fifthseeded Garbiñe Muguruza beat Magdalena Frech 6-1, 7-6 (7).

In the men’s event, sixthseeded Alex de Minaur of Australia began his title defense by beating Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.

Two Americans — fifthseeded Reilly Opelka and seventh-seeded Frances Tiafoe — were beaten.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PAGE 15

Basketball Smiles is back

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net SAM Nichols and his cadre of American coaches from Basketball Smiles are back for its 23rd year, bringing a lot of smiles to the faces of Bahamian girls and boys basketball players during the camp that opened up yesterday at the HO Nash Junior High School.

Unlike in the past where the instructors spent the entire week training the youngsters, this year’s camp, coordinated by coach Patricia ‘Pattie’ Johnson, will run through Wednesday, but Nichols said they are just delighted to be able to return to impact their knowledge. “I love the coaches and the friends we’ve made and the boys and girls, whose lives we have been able to impact,” Nichols said. “We had over 11,000 kids who have gone through our programme over the past 23 years. This is like our second home.

That’s why we continue to come back.”

Adopting the quote “if you want to live a full life, give yourself to the next generation,” Nichols said he’s thrilled to be able to assist in the development of the next generation of Bahamian citizens as he and his coaches try to point them into the right direction.

“What I’ve found out is that 90 percent of these boys and girls want to be coached,” Nichols said.

“They want somebody to care for them, they want somebody who will teach them the right specifics and that is why they are so coachable.”

Nichols is back with a coaching staff that includes a seven-year returnee, one with six years, another with five, two with just two years experience under their belt and two more who are making their debut.

“There’s a networking in

BASKETBALL Smiles Sam Nichols, left, and coach Patty Johnson.

SAM Nichols shares a moment with his visiting instructors from the United States. the coaching profession and I told them that we just don’t take any coach to come to the Bahamas,” Nichols said. “We want them to represent Basketball Smiles in a positive way and they have to come for the right weekend, which is pour themselves into these kids for a week.”

The coaches are focusing on the fundamental skills of the girls in the morning sessions and the boys in the afternoon. They also go through some 3-on-3, 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 drills and group participation.

“The kids really make it happen,” said Adam Young out of Lubbock, Texas, where he works for a television company as well as Texas Tech. “They really enjoy learning the game and they are so enthusiastic, which helps me in my drive to get back over here every year.”

As for working with Nichols, Young said he has been a mentor, who helps him through the rough and the good times in and outside of basketball. He noted that he’s even been

impressed with how Nichols has worked with an amazing woman in Johnson, who is now going through her challenges.

And Xavier Jackson, a basketball coach at Ward High School in Houston, Texas, is back for his fifth year.

“I love the people and the kids and the energy that everyone brings to the camp,” said Jackson, a good friend of Bahamian Olympic bronze medallist Frank Rutherford. “We are able to do something for kids who are less fortunate, so I get to remember that when I get back home.

“Many of the campers I’ve seen every year since I came here. So just knowing that everything you do and say, they get to put it into action. So we’re just delighted to be able to make an impact on so many lives here.”

Having met Nichols for the past nine years, Jackson said he could call him on any subject matter before, during and after the season and when he was introduced to Johnson,

she inspired him a lot. But he noted that once he met Rutherford, he learned so much more about the Bahamas.

Johnson said she’s so grateful for coach Nichols and his cadre of coaches returning to plant a seed in the lives of the young Bahamian people.

“They are dropping the seeds, but we have to take it and put it in the soil and water it,” Johnson said.

“What they learn, they can go home and do these drills, they can do them in their neighbourhood and when they go back to school, they can do these drills with their team-mates to help them to become better ball players.”

Along with their attitude, their academics and their availability, she said it’s her hope that some of these players will be able to secure athletic scholarships and go on to become better basketball players but, more importantly, productive citizens of the Bahamas.

At least two of the players noted the impact

A BASKETBALL Smiles instructor cheers on a young camper.

Basketball Smiles has had on their lives.

Alencia Brice, a 16-yearold CI Gibson student, has been attending the camp for the past few years and she’s eager to see what the instructors have to offer this year.

“A wise person once told me that once you give, you will receive, so I’m just happy to be able to give back some of the knowledge I’ve learned to helping some of the youngsters in the camp,” Brice said.

“The camp has taught me how to be more aggressive and strong and coming here will only help me to be better when I go off to college on a basketball scholarship to become a veterinarian.”

One of Brice’s “very good friends,” Terrell McCoy said it’s good to be back in the camp environment after they missed the past two years because of COVID19. “I really needed this again and I really wanted to see coach Nichols because I missed him,” McCoy said.

“I get to hone my dribbling

skills, my shooting skills and they give me new drills to do at home when I’m bored so that I can get better on my own.”

McCoy, a 14-year-old student at Windsor Academy, has also been making her presence felt in track and field as one of the up and coming shot putters, but she’s not sure exactly which sport she will be leaning more towards yet.

Nichols said Basketball Smiles has been able to grow by leaps and bounds in the Bahamas because “no child will never pay and no child will ever be turned away. But he said what Johnson did over the years and now that she is experiencing her own personal and medical challenges, they all just want to be here for her. “She’s my sister. We carry Patty in our heart all the time because people don’t really see or know what she’s done for this country,” Nichols said. “We are coaches. She is solid as gold and we will continue to support her in all that she’s going through in life.”

SPORTS PAGE 16

Kai Jones, Page 13

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

Junior boys suffer 3rd straight loss

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FIBA UNDER-15 CENTROBASKET CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE Bahamas junior boys’ basketball team suffered their third straight loss at the FIBA Under15 CentroBasket Championships in Puerto Rico.

Playing their third straight game in three days, the team played much better than they did in their first two encounters, losing 70-59 to the Dominican Republic on Monday at the Coliseo Fernando ‘Rube’ Hernandez.

Team Bahamas, coached by Quentin Hall, Denykco Bowles and Kevin Clarke, suffered two

embarrassing losses on the first two days of competition - 107-42 to host Puerto Rico on Saturday and 99-49 to Mexico on Sunday.

Like they did in their previous two games, Team Bahamas still had some difficulty getting out of the gate. They trailed 26-14 at the end of the first quarter and were outscored 13-9 for a 39-23 deficit at the half.

But for the first time, Team Bahamas came out of the locker room with some sense of urgency

and went on a 20-14 rout to cut the deficit to 10 (53-43) at the end of the third.

And they made it a contest in the fourth, getting outscored at the end by one, 17-16.

Richard Fernandez lit up the nets for a game high 28 points, the most points Team Bahamas gave up to any one player so far in the tournament. Fernandez, in leading the Dominican Republic, also had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. No other

Dominican Republic scored in double figures.

For Team Bahamas, Noah Bain had a game high 14 points with five steals, a pair of rebounds and as many blocked shots to lead a balanced scoring attack.

Desmond Hall had 12 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block. Bradleon McDonald added 10 points, nine rebounds and a block and Joshua Williams also contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists,

two steals and a block. The other members of Team Bahamas are Trevor Clarke, Kenyon Johnson, Michael Munnings, Condae Smith, Christopher Brown, Justin Hanna, Aiden Miller and Romial Strachan Jr. Team Bahamas has two more games to play to complete the round robin play. They are slated to face Costa Rica today and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday - both at 3pm.

Costa Rica was also winless going into their game against Mexico last night.

Turks and Caicos, who is 1-1, played Puerto Rico in the featured match last night.

Swimmers make a splash at FINA Worlds

C

ompetition got underway for Bahamas Aquatics’ fourmember team at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson has been the top finisher of the four-member team thus far at the Duna Arena in Budapest.

Thompson finished no.30 overall in the women’s 200 Individual Medley with her time of 2:30.15 seconds.

Izaak Bastian, the veteran member of the team, competed in both the 50 and 100 Breaststroke.

Bastian swam a time of 28.47 to finish no.32 overall in the 50 field and finished the 100 in 1:03.79 for no.42 overall.

Lilly Higgs finished no.41 overall in the100 Breaststroke in 1:13.13. Lamar Taylor has yet to compete

and will swim both the 50 and 100 Freestyle. Higgs will compete in the 50 Breast while Thompson will swim in the 100 Freestyle.

Bastian, the 2020 Tokyo Olympian, is competing in the event for the second time following his participation in the 18th edition in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2019.

Both Bastian and Taylor previously competed in Budapest at the FINA World Junior Championships in 2019.

Last year, Higgs, Taylor and Bastian were in competition on the international FINA championship level at the 2021 World Short Course Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Thompson is making her senior national team debut.

She last represented The Bahamas in April at the 2022 CARIFTA Games.

GO TEAM BAHAMAS: Shown, from left to right, are Lamar Taylor, Lilly Higgs, Zaylie- Elizabeth Thompson and Izaak Bastian - the memembers of the Bahamas Aquatics’ four-member team at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Top squash players to hit the walls swinging THIRTY local squash players are set to compete in the inaugural Four Walls Squash Open Championship tournament, starting Wednesday at Four Walls Squash and Social Club.

Matches will be held daily, starting on Wednesday at 6pm at the Village Road facility, which has three regulation size squash courts.

The public is welcome to watch matches from the indoor stadium on the Keith Parker Championship Court, or inside the member’s bar and lounge, which has glass window viewing galleries.

The finals will be held on Sunday afternoon, June 26, followed by an awards and after-party.

“Most of our members play the game to de-stress and exercise, but they are competitive people at heart.

Whenever we have tournaments, it’s an opportunity to let that competitive spirit out, while winning prizes and having a lot of fun,” said tournament director Michael Fields, who thanked platinum sponsors Rubins, John Bull and Technical Adjusters Bahamas Limited.

“We had a very successful beginner’s tournament last year, and now we are hosting our first open championship, which will feature the top local players, in addition to beginner and intermediate levels. In the future, we expect to attract amateur players from the

INAUGURAL OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP TO KICK-OFF SUMMER LINEUP AT FOUR WALLS SQUASH & SOCIAL CLUB region to participate in the open championship,” said Mr Fields.

Gold and silver tournament sponsors include Fortress Insurance, TCBY, Pump It All and International Private Banking Systems.

“For friends of squash it will be an exciting week, so we invite the community to come out. For curious members of the public, who want a taste of what we have to offer, this week is a great time to take in some competitive play and discover the sport.

“Every night, the kitchen will be open and guests can meet new people and socialise in our member’s bar and lounge,” he said.

Under new ownership and management, Four Walls renovated and reopened the Village Road Squash Club during the pandemic, bringing fresh energy to a niche sport that is not widely known.

Played indoors on a court with four walls, squash is known as the “chess of

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