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THOUSANDS ENRAGED AS LOAD SHEDDING CONTINUES By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power and Light expects New Providence load shedding to continue until rental generators are installed at its Blue Hills Station and offline equipment is brought back on stream. This means long power cuts may continue up to June 30, when BPL expects its additional rental generators to be completely installed. New Providence residents have suffered through almost daily load shedding since June 19. This despite BPL chairman Donovan Moxey proclaiming earlier this year that officials did not expect load shedding this summer. SEE PAGE SEVEN
‘WE WANT MURDER RATE DOWN TO 85’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
MDEEZ was set to kickstart a 12-week, multi-country tour this summer. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net REGGAE artist Devon “Mdeez” Knight died after he was stabbed during an argument in the Fox Hill area, during an apparent road rage attack. The famed “Bad Company” singer was reportedly stabbed in his body following a traffic accident at the junction of
Prince Charles Drive and Fox Hill Road around 7pm on Friday evening, according to police. Official reports suggest that Knight got into an argument with a man whose car he was in a collision with. It was during this altercation that authorities said Knight was stabbed. A short time later he was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital by paramedics, where he died of his injuries,
police said. He was one of two people killed over the weekend. In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Knight’s close friend and manager, Luval “Big L” Culmer, said the musician’s death had “stunned” the local entertainment industry. “He was a giant to us, and his love, energy and passion are irreplaceable,” Mr Culmer said. According to Mr Culmer,
Knight had dedicated the past 20 years of his life to expanding his talent and driving growth throughout the local industry. Mr Culmer said Knight was on the cusp of international stardom, as he revealed the artist was set to kickstart a 12-week, multi-country tour this summer. The tour was due to make stops in various cities in Canada, the United States and SEE PAGE THREE
THE Minnis administration wants to reduce the number of murders to 85 by 2021 while reducing the average time it takes to get a business licence from 30 days to 24 hours. These and many other targets are revealed in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit report, the first of which was tabled in the House of Assembly last week. There were 91 murders in 2018, a 25 percent reduction over the 122 murders recorded in 2017, according to police statistics. The delivery unit, headed by Viana Gardiner, was launched in May 2018 and is responsible for tracking SEE PAGE SIX
ITALIAN TWO: ’DEATHS ACCIDENTAL’
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
ITALIAN police have concluded that the deaths of two Bahamian men in Italy this month were accidental, according to Italian media reports. The bodies of Alrae Ramsey and Blair John are expected to arrive in The Bahamas on Wednesday, an Italian reporter told The Tribune. The newspaper la Repubblica reported that
ALRAE RAMSEY the prosecutor’s office in Italy cleared the transport of the bodies, several weeks
after they were discovered lifeless on June 4 and June 5 in the Po river in Turin. “The autopsy revealed that in all likelihood their death, which occurred on the evening of May 30, had been accidental, by drowning,” the paper reported according to a translation of its language. “They had both drank, although the levels of alcohol found would not have been so high as to make
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE THREE
INSIGHT
GIVE MARIJUANA A GO, URGES CANCER SURVIVOR SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Monday, June 24, 2019
Seven DJs battle it out for top spot THE 1st annual 100 JAMZ high school DJ competition brought to you by Dominoes & Burger King was held on Friday night at J-LINE Fitness on Shirley Street. Seven Djs from high schools across New Providence competed for the top prize, a complete professional DJ system valued at $4000 courtesy of 100 JAMZ. Schools came out to show their support for their favourite DJs. It was a fun night showcasing the up and coming talent, some of who will be selected to have a featured night at Club Crush at Atlantis over the summer. 100 JAMZ will also host some free DJ workshops at Club Crush over the summer for young DJs who want to sharpen their skills for next years competition. The winner of the 100 JAMZ High School DJ Competition was DJ Rann
from Hope Academy he won a Pioneer DDJ-SXE Serato DJ Controller Kit with a Pro Case, MacBook Pro laptop & Sony Headphones. 2nd place Zyon the DJ from Bahamas Global Academy won an iPhone 10S 64GB courtesy of BTC 3rd place DJ Crazy won a Wireless Microphone System courtesy of The Hit Spot & Audio Plus. RM Bailey school who all came out to support DJ Squeeze, won for Best School Spirit. 100 JAMZ will host the “Roll Call Mixshow” LIVE in September at their school with DJ Squeeze as the special guest. 100 JAMZ would like to thank its sponsors - Dominoes, Burger King, Big Dunn Entertainment, J-Line Fitness, BTC, The Hit Spot & Audio Plus, Caribbean Bottling and Red Sea Bahamas.
THE TRIBUNE
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, June 24, 2019, PAGE 3
Reggae star Mdeez stabbed to death in road rage attack from page one
SINCE his death on Friday, scores of tributes have been posted to social media praising the late musician for his devotion to his craft, his love of country and his philanthropy. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Jamaica. Knight was also set to hit stages across several Family Islands this summer. Mr Culmer told The Tribune: “He had done so much, contributing so much of himself to everything around him. Over the course of his career, he had poured his love and passion into all genres of music. He was into production and writing. “We lost an icon with ‘Deez, his life was about advancing the culture of music here. No matter where he went, he was beloved by the people. “Words can’t express how loved this man was and how much he loved inspiring people through his music. He was a great talent, but he was also so humble.” Mr Culmer said Knight’s family—his wife and two sisters—are heartbroken by his death. He said, “They, like all of us, are trying to come around to losing a life that was the glue to so many people. Trying to grasp all of this.” Since his death on Friday, scores of tributes have been posted to social media praising the late musician for his devotion to his craft, his love of country and his philanthropy. The Bahamas Academy Alumni Association, of which Mr Knight was a member, posted to its Facebook page: “(We) extend condolences to the Bahamas Academy Class of 1995 as we have lost one of our brightest shinning stars, Bahamian music artist Davon ‘Duff’ MDeez Knight. Our hearts are broken and we pray for comfort and healing for all of us, his family, this country and the world as we have lost a talented giant of a man.” In 2017, Knight collaborated with several other local artists to advance conch conservation efforts in the country with the smash hit, “Conch Gone”, for the Bahamas National Trust (BNT). Remembering Knight’s contributions, BNT posted to its Facebook page: “(We) are saddened to learn about the untimely death of Bahamian music artist Davon ‘Mdeez’ Knight. Mdeez was a wonderful, talented personality who contributed significantly to what is Bahamian music today. We will remember (him) fondly for donating his time and talent to the iconic song ‘Conch Gone’, to help create social consciousness about the plight of this threatened iconic Bahamian culinary staple. We will always remember his contribution to this important ‘conchservation’ project. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, fans and everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed.”
ITALIAN TWO: ’DEATHS ACCIDENTAL’
from page one
them completely drunk. However, according to investigators, one of them could have slipped into the water, or jumped, and the other would have drowned in an attempt to help him. Analysis is still in progress to find confirmation of the drowning, in particular we look for altered values in tissues, makers of this type of death. “After days of investigation in which the death of Blair and Ramsey seemed wrapped in the most dense mystery, the mobile squad agents found that it was not an international
spy story, but an accidental tragedy. Their luggage, which had disappeared for a week, had simply remained closed in a room of the bed & breakfast where they were staying. “It remains to be clarified why Ramsey and Blair ended up in the river and where they would have thrown themselves,” the translated article noted. Also to clarify these aspects, checks are still being carried out on their electronic devices: mobile phones, smart-watches, tablets and PCs.” In an interview with Italian press, Bahamas High Commissioner to London Ellison Greenslade stressed
he could not comment substantively on the matter but said: “We’ve been well received in this country. We’ve been treated with the greatest measure of respect by your government, all of your officials. Family members and officials of my government are very satisfied with the level of cooperation. You’ve been wonderful people.” The Bahamas government has not provided an update on the status of the investigation into Ramsey and John’s death or confirmed whether Italian authorities have formed a conclusion. Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The Bahamas Icon Awards added in a post of its own: “…We lost a real one and our hearts break with the country as we all mourn the loss of our brother Mdeez Knight. We started this platform to give Bahamian artists and creatives a voice and yours was one of the loudest and most profound to touch our pages. We are honoured to have been given the chance to be in your presence, we salute you for all you did and all you stood for. We collaborated, we travelled, we partied, we created memories that won’t soon be forgotten.” The post was accompanied by a clip of Knight at the 2016 Bahamas Icon Awards show. In a statement yesterday, the Free National Movement dubbed the late singer as “one of the Bahamas’ top vocal artists”. The FNM said Knight was “humble and always positive”, revealing that the musician had worked with the party on a number of community projects, with the most recent being the party’s “The Less Talk Movement”. “The Free National Movement has lost a friend and great supporter. Mdeez was a lead entertainer for the party at rallies all over the Bahamas during both the 2012 and 2017 general elections. His signature calling. . .could be heard at every rally during the last general elections,” the party noted. Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis also paid tribute to the late entertainer, praising him for the philanthropic work he has done. “(My wife and I) grieve together with so many Bahamians who enjoyed his musicianship and his warming
spirit. He blessed our country with his gifts and the dedication to the purpose he loved above all. Mr Knight’s talents will be a lasting inspiration to us all. Bahamians everywhere remember the way he connected to so many through his music and his social causes, most notably his ‘Less Talk, More Action’ movement that focused on fighting hunger. His social conscience was reflected in his music through impactful songs like ‘Times Hard’ and ‘Ghetto Cry,’” Mr Davis said in a statement. He also spoke out against systemic violence and crime in the country, insisting that senseless violence must be addressed. Other scenarios about Knight’s death were circulating on social media on the weekend, but they were not confirmed by police. Just hours after Knight’s death, a second man was fatally stabbed in the Pinewood Gardens area. According to police reports, shortly after 11pm on Friday, a man was walking on Rosewood Street, Pinewood Gardens, when he was approached by a man who stabbed him in his body before running away. The deceased was taken to hospital where he died a short time later. Police have taken two men into custody in connection with these two homicides; a 32-year-old was arrested in connection with Knight’s death while a 28-year-old male resident of Pinewood Gardens was taken into custody in connection with the Rosewood Street killing. The murders marked the 41st and 42nd on the year, according to The Tribune’s records. Editorial View - Page 4
PAGE 4, Monday, June 24, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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Nothing done on knife crime - and now two more dead THE reality of knife crime was brought home to Bahamians in two incidents on Friday that left two men dead. The lessons we learn don’t have to be new - at one time police strictly enforced a law stopping people from carrying a knife longer than five inches without a permit. What once was the rule for The Bahamas can be the rule again - for the good of all. Social media was flooded with tributes to one of those victims – the singer MDeez, who was stabbed multiple times and died after being taken to hospital. Later that night, a second stabbing incident saw a man killed in Pinewood Gardens. Two men were in custody after these incidents. The death of MDeez hit Bahamians particularly hard, with people hailing his work as a creator, calling him a “giant of a man” and “the best reggae artist to ever come out of The Bahamas”. The Tribune’s cartoonist, Jamaal Rolle, posted a portrait of MDeez to his Facebook page with a quote from the performer, saying “Love is patient and understanding, it’s not fighting every day”, which was shared more than 500 times by people heartbroken at the news.
More than a few people – often young people – questioned how much sense it made to keep living in Nassau when incidents like this happen. We have spoken before in this column of the need to tackle knife crime. In March this year, after the death of student Perry Louis, who was stabbed to death outside a school in an incident with another teenage boy, a sense of shock spread around the community. There seemed to be no impetus to change the law as a result – nor much of a drive to warn students or the population at large of the dangers of carrying a knife. Now two more men are dead – will this spark any sense of need among lawmakers to consider whether stronger laws are needed? Knives can be a tool of course, but carrying a large knife outside of the places one needs such tools could be restricted – and save lives as a result. When schools return, let’s also have in place an education campaign to warn children of the risks of carrying knives, which can turn a scuffle into something with the deadliest of unintended consequences. Guns remain the biggest threat – but let’s not neglect the need to clamp down on knife crime in the process
A summer of suffering WE WERE planning on using the editorial today to write on another issue – but then a lot of people had other plans yesterday until Bahamas Power & Light intervened. Off went the power, here, there and everywhere – one Tribune staff member alone had cited the power going off 12 times yesterday by mid-afternoon in her area. Frustrated by hours and hours of no electricity, people headed out of their houses – to their cars to drive around for some fresh air, to the beach, to any businesses open with a little bit of air conditioning. One place there was little point in going to for much of the day was the Bahamas Power & Light social media announcements – hours on end without any update left customers fuming in the heat. That seemed to change in late afternoon - as it began to spout gibberish updates such as “Expect 30 area feeders
to be offline at 7.55pm tonight without GT 8”, whatever that’s supposed to mean. What it really means is a long, hot night of misery for customers – to follow a long, hot day of frustration. Hundreds of people were replying to each BPL social media post – all annoyed, all wanting straight answers, or beyond the point of wanting straight answers and just wanting the power back on. Food will have defrosted, some of the power surges may have damaged equipment, and in this kind of heat, some people’s health will be at risk. Bahamians have had to put up with years and years of promises of no load shedding, of the power supply being fixed – and still here we are, left to sweat in the heat of what is only the start of the summer. This is beyond ridiculous in 2019 – get it sorted out.
No fan of Hanna Martin EDITOR, The Tribune I HAVE been watching Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin’s performance in the House of Assembly for a little while. I have been very disappointed by her. She is clearly an intelligent woman. But the way she performs in the House is often rude. Many times she comes across as haughty and seems to thinks she’s smarter than other people. In an exchange in the House last week when the prime minister criticised the PLP for spending money on the Carnival instead of fixing the Children’s Ward at Princess Margaret Hospital she jumped up and unfairly accused him of misleading the House, which is a very serious matter. She accused the prime minister of being wrong with the facts. In fact it was Mrs Hanna Martin who was wrong. She also stated that the FNM stopped construction on the Ward. Health Minister Duane Sands accused her of misleading the House and said her accusation was wrong. He has been backed up by a
letter from an official at the Ministry of Health, as was reported in The Tribune. For a former minister, supposedly seasoned politician and longtime attorney, she spectacularly fumbled, bumbled and tumbled on live television for the whole country to see. She did not do proper research or due diligence. Lawyers are supposed to deal with facts. Her performance was sloppy because she is clearly thin-skinned and easily rattled. She goes on tirades in the House and often seems wild-eyed during debates. When the prime minister spoke of the crack epidemic and drug era of the 1970s and 1980s when the PLP were in office, she could be heard saying and I paraphrase, oh we’re back to that again. The country has not forgotten that era. We are still experiencing the long term effects, which many in the PLP try to dismiss. Indeed, then Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy PLP Leader Arthur Hanna, resigned from Sir Lynden Pindling’s cabinet because of the allegations made against Sir Lynden and others. That’s how seriously he
took what was wrong. But Hanna Martin and PLP leaders seem to dismiss what was wrong instead of having the compassion, decency and humility to accept and acknowledge the impact of that period on the country and the role it played in harming the country and our communities. Many family members had loved ones who died during that era. There was a generation of crack addicts, some of whose children went astray and went down the path of crime and violence. The country became extremely corrupt with narco dollars poisoning the nation and corruption swirling around the PLP. Instead of taking this seriously, Hanna Martin seemed to simply dismiss that sad and destructive period for the country. I used to expect more of Hanna Martin. But she is a bitter disappointment in terms of her performance in the House and her inability to acknowledge a terrible time in our national life that continues to haunt us. STS Nassau June 22, 2019
Nationality is not the main concern EDITOR, The Tribune I READ with some disappointment a news article in your June 19, 2019 edition that reported concerns being raised about the appointment of Commonwealth citizens to senior posts in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. While I do not share the concern reportedly held by some of those lawyers who believe Bahamians ought to have been appointed to the posts presumably based solely upon nationality, I believe that the appointments highlight the need for greater transparency in the appointment of legal and judicial officers. I do not recall these posts being advertised locally. But it may be that attention is only given to these matters when a foreign national is appointed. As an outside observer I find it reasonable that the Judicial and Legal Services Commission should recommend the appointment of a Deputy Director and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions individuals who in the Commission’s best judgement can effectively address the needs of the Department. The nationality of those persons should not be a primary concern. The fact remains that weak administrative and procedural processes in the Legal Department continue to result in an unacceptable backlog in criminal cases. There has been no meaningful reduction in the backlog of cases before the courts subsequent to the
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net creation of the Department of Public Prosecutions. By every yardstick the continuation of the backlog amounts to justice denied – to the victims of crimes, their families and friends and by extension to our whole community. To outside observers and concerned citizens it has become abundantly clear that fresh leadership is required to improve the effectiveness of the efforts of prosecuting attorneys in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Reasonable minds will accept that the appointment of two Commonwealth citizens is meant to assist the Director and indeed the Department to improve performance and results to the benefit of the Bahamian society. Young attorneys in the Office of the Attorney General ought to learn the history of their Department. Not so long ago, all senior posts in that Office and in our courts were held by persons from around the Commonwealth. Beginning in the 1990s a concerted effort was made by the government to encourage the Judicial and Legal Commission to ensure that competent, qualified Bahamians were considered for appointment. The first Bahamian Director of Legal Affairs was not appointed until the middle of the 1990s. The first appointment of a Bahamian to the Court of Appeal
was also made in the 1990s when for the first time a measurable increase in the number of Bahamians appointed to senior positions in the government’s legal department and in the courts was experienced. Further, it should not be lost on the attorneys in the Legal Department, as it is not lost on the public, the current Opposition Party – that just two years ago led the government of The Bahamas – regularly engaged Commonwealth lawyers to lead prosecutions and or defences involving the government or senior members of the Party in both civil and criminal matters before our courts. In recent times a Jamaican QC was engaged by the PLP government to prosecute a case where a member of parliament’s son had been killed because the MP stated repeatedly that he had no confidence in the government’s Bahamian lawyers prosecuting the case. Now, a Jamaican QC is currently engaged in the defence of a former MP facing allegations of corruption in the courts and an English QC is engaged in the defence of another facing similar changes. As if to close the circle, the present government has also engaged an English QC to lead the Crown’s prosecution of the corruption charges against the former parliamentarians. I have not heard complaints about these engagements. THE RECORDER Nassau June 23, 2019
Time for summer recess EDITOR, The Tribune UNPRECEDENTED, the Prime Minister moves from the front beach of the Government side to sit with a back bencher on the Opposition side then, oh that Travis Robinson speech…so much lucky split! The yesterday now the best of friends Robinson sits next to PM on Government side…what big announcement coming soon? Oops truth told on what everyone knew was yet another mis-statement of PM on free education at UB….this is a big one. Honestly, is it a necessity that every single MP has to speak? It is clear many had not read even the first paragraph of the Budget statement and with many someone had written their speech.
Why did PM Minnis and Minister Brent Symonette leave the House when MP for GB Rev McAlpine was to speak? Rev McAlpine has a right to speak and the Prime Minister should listen to all of his 35 MP’s. Oh, Mr Speaker…you need in summer recess to head to London and do a refresher course…sorry, go learn what a Speaker in correct practice is supposed to do…banning cellphones… being so discriminatory on Points of Order and running the place like a kindergarten. ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau June 14, 2019
THE TRIBUNE By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net THE Royal Bahamas Police Force is cracking down on incidents of cyber bullying, particularly against juveniles, Superintendent Mark Barrett confirmed on Friday, as he also called for stronger legislation against online attacks. Regarding this crackdown, Supt Barrett said the first phase is an educational and intervention programme followed by the enforcement phase. Concerning the latter, Supt Barrett emphasised that some individuals have already been charged and taken before the courts in relation to these incidents. His comments came a month after Education Minister Jeff Lloyd, in the House of Assembly, called for the government to consider “punitive sanctions” for cyber bullies. Supt Barrett spoke on Friday at a Bahamas Crisis Centre and National Child Protection Council forum under the theme “Protecting Our Children on the Internet”. Supt Barrett said defamation, intentional libel, pornography/child pornography all constitute cyber bullying. When asked about the police’s response to such incidents, Supt Barrett said: “We do have the capability and the capacity in dealing with such matters as it relates to cyber bullying and crimes that are committed via the internet.” To this end, he said “some time ago”, the RBPF embarked on an “extensive educational programme”, which included visits to primary and
Monday, June 24, 2019, PAGE 5
Police to target the cyber bullies high schools, youth and civic organisations, and churches, explaining the dangers of the internet. Regarding primary schools and the engagement of young people with sexually explicit online content, Supt Barrett said: “For me, that is a problem. Within the (RBPF), it is a serious problem and we are attacking these matters aggressively. “Bullying or in particular cyber-bullying has a serious impact on our young people. And so we, as the guardians of this nation, of our young people, need now to put measures in place from the primary school, such as conflict resolution and other means so that we can somewhat deter these young people from engaging in such behaviour. “Now, the law speaks to it,” he continued. “Section 315-320, that we often refer to as the Libel Act, speaks to it. It states that anyone who writes or puts into effigy anything that will bring to one’s character or reputation is guilty of libel. Upon conviction, they will receive a fine of $10,000 and/or two years’ imprisonment. And so we now need to enforce these laws.” Supt Barrett also described another form of
EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd bullying, known as “happy slapping”. He defined this as an individual who instigates a physical altercation between two people with the intent to record and publish the incident online. “That is a form of bullying, that is wrong, and those people who are engaged in such behaviour, I want to serve notice on them:
‘SOCIAL MEDIA IS FUELLING VIOLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS’ By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
A SCHOOL principal in Grand Bahama believes that social media is fuelling an increase of violence and conflicts among students who are committing serious crimes, such as assaults against their peers. Keith Barr, principal at St George’s High School, indicated that students are going on social media and bullying each other, and sending harassing and threatening messages that can result in conflicts on and off the school campus. “Social media, we have to get a handle on it, and how our kids are dealing with information because they are not doing very well. It is unsupervised, unrestricted, and they are saying whatever they want to say,” he said. The recent murder of 16-year-old Joshua Davis, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a fellow student in Freeport, is an example of how student conflict can result in the loss of life. Davis and the 17-yearold male student accused of stabbing him attended the same technical school in Hawksbill. Mr Barr noted that Davis had also attended St George’s for a short time before being transferred to the technical school. “He was here up until close to the end of September when school started. He was only here for a few weeks and was transferred,” he recalled. The school principal said that although Davis was not a student at St George’s at the time of his death, it is still a tragedy for them. “Anybody that comes our
way and that we had contact with, and played a part in their education, it is a tragic loss and this is still a tragedy for us. Our hearts go out to his family,” Mr Barr said. “He was 16 and he probably would have been going in the 11th grade. “The incident happened around 1am in the morning on a weekend – there is so much responsibility to go around,” said Mr Barr. He then noted that there was an assault last Thursday involving two female students in 10th grade at St George’s. The incident occurred off campus, he said. In a video of the incident posted on social media, one student is seen throwing a cup of water on another student and then punching the student. It turned into a big brawl on the streets as other students watched the two go after each other. Mr Barr said that parents of both girls came in and the students were reprimanded. He said that the reason for the fight was as a result of information posted on social media. “I advised the mother of the child who was assaulted to go to police and file a report. She did that, and... they (the police) discouraged her because they feel the schools should deal with these things, and that is one of the biggest problems,” he claimed. “These are violent acts outside of school, and unless students who are young adolescents realise that there are legal consequences that can have long term ramifications; they have to understand the severity of it.” Mr Barr stated that schools are very limited in terms of what they can do.
WELL DONE, SHAUNAE PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis called Olympic gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo over the weekend to personally congratulate her on setting a new world record in the women’s 300m. Dr Minnis also extended congratulations to Mrs Miller-Uibo and her husband, Maicel
Uibo, on behalf of the government and the Bahamian people. Mrs Miller-Uibo set a world record in the women’s 300m at the 58th Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic, on Thursday June 20. She finished in 34.41s, more than a second faster than the previous 35.45s record.
“We can suspend and all that stuff, but you need the police to do their jobs – these are adult behaviours,” he explained. Mr Barr believes that there needs to be more police visibility at the schools, not just on the first day or the opening of school. “At beginning of the school (year) when school opens you see the police in khakis taking pictures and walking around, but throughout the year you barely get them – every once in a while they show up,” he said. “You have police on campus, but that is not enough,” Mr Barr said. He noted that other jurisdictions, especially in the US, understand the importance of police presence at school campuses. “Why we ain’t getting it? I don’t want to bash the police, but they can take one or two hours out of the day just be here and walk around and be visible. There is very little we can do once they (students) walk out those gates and walk down the streets even though they are wearing school uniform,” he said.
We have the capability and the capacity of finding you where you are, and if you are engaged in such behaviour we would want to advise them to cease and to desist from such behaviour. Because if we catch you, and we will, you will be placed before the courts and you will be dealt with (to) the fullest extent of the law.”
When asked if there has been an instance yet of a child being taken before the courts in relation to posting a fight video, Supt Barrett replied: “We have had several incidents that we provided some form of intervention. Because bear in mind, we are in the educational and intervention phase right now. We have had instances where we sent individuals to court for such behaviour. Most recently it was an incident that was published online where a student attacked a student at a tertiary institution and those individuals were charged and placed before the courts.” Supt Barrett also addressed a viral video of a man begging a high school girl student for sex after she was caught seemingly performing a sexual act with another man. Referring to the law concerning such matters, Supt Barrett said: “Anyone who surreptitiously records an individual without (the) person’s knowledge and they publish that information, is guilty of an offence and that is voyeurism. And upon conviction you can receive 15 years imprisonment.” He also noted a person
who shares videos of cyber bullying can be charged “just as (though) you were the person that originally published the image. There is a charge.” He added there is legislation dealing with these matters and in the past there have been efforts to enforce it. “Do we need stronger legislation as it relates to cyber crimes, cyber bullying…yes there is always a need. We need even more teeth as it relates to the existing legislation, yes.” Supt Barrett noted victims of cyber bullying can go to their nearest police station and/or the Central Detective Unit. Last month, Mr Lloyd condemned a viral video depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, saying the government must pursue punitive sanctions against people who spread such videos. “I invite our government to consider punitive sanctions for persons who knowingly record via electronically and display or transmit to the wider world community matters, incidents, circumstances, acts which can bring an individual’s life into endless and probably unimaginable disrepute,” Mr Lloyd said.
PAGE 6, Monday, June 24, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
GOVT GOAL IS TO REDUCE MURDER RATE TO 85 A YEAR from page one
projects and establishing a roadmap to achieve goals. The report offers some of the most up-to-date and specific goals for the administration since the Free National Movement’s 2017 party manifesto, touching on education, national security, land reform and the environment, among other areas. The report contains previously unknown nuggets about life in The Bahamas with a particular focus on the speed of various government services. For example, the report reveals that in By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE police and the Attorney General’s Office have “a conflict” over prosecution of cannabis possession and intent to supply, according to former Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell. Mr Bell told participants in a public forum last week that people are charged with intent to supply under the Dangerous Drugs Act if they are caught with more than two packets, but no regard is given to subsidiary legislation that provides a weight guideline. Retired legal scholar Arthur Dion Hanna Jr explained the country lost “a whole generation” to this phenomenon before the advent of discretionary sentencing. “In this country, when that offence first came up, intent to supply, it was like a tragic moment in our society,” said Mr Hanna, former director of the Legal Aid Clinic at the Eugene Dupuch Law School. “I witnessed young men being charged with intent to supply for two small half bag. I would sit down and hear young people plead guilty and I’d look up to the magistrate and I would say, ‘you know they don’t understand what they are
2018, it took people more than 120 days to obtain a construction permit and more than four weeks to register a property. The administration wants to reduce the time it takes to get a construction permit to 30 days in 2021 by procuring and implementing “an electronic plan review and inspection system, which will allow for the electronic submission, review and approval of construction permit applications.” The administration also wants to reduce the time it takes to register property to 14 days by 2021 by improving “the operational efficiently of the Registrar General’s
Department by proceeding additional scans, recruiting additional staff and creating a feedback and complaint mechanism which would allow members of the public to file complaints and rate their experience.” In education, the report reveals that in the 2017 to 2018 school year, 1,672 children were enrolled in pre-primary government sponsored programmes. The government’s 2021 target is 4,612. Officials also want to increase the percentage of third graders achieving A-D grads on GLAT language arts tests to 65 percent from 58 percent. To
boost pre-school participation, officials say they will partner with private pre-schools to enroll 3 and 4-year-olds using a government sponsored voucher programme, in areas of greatest demand where supply is limited. The report reveals that the recidivism rate for criminals was 21 percent in 2017, a rate officials want to reduce to 17 percent by 2021. Officials also want to boost the number of inmates on work release programmes to 52 by 2021, up from 25 in 2017. There were no weapon smuggling arrests in 2017 and only one drug smuggling arrest that year, the report reveals.
By 2021 the administration wants to increase the number of arrests for such crimes to 16 each. The report also noted that 3.5 percent of government services are online, a number officials want to boost to 17.5 percent by July 2021. In addition, the administration wants to reduce the number of land-related applications pending in backlog to zero by 2021 and wants just 30 days to process land lease and crown grant applications. For the most part, the report does not go into details concerning how officials will accomplish all of its goals.
‘AG’s office and police have a conflict of interest over cannabis prosecutions’ asked to plead to.’” Mr Hanna said after consultation, the accused would invariably change their plea to guilty of possession, but not guilty of intent to supply. “And invariably the prosecutors would accept it,” Mr Hanna continued, “because the prosecutors knew. But we were sending children, young kids, to jail for two years on mandatory sentence, and that was before we started to use a discretion in our sentences practices. “So I think one of the things you have to take into account is how do we salvage the lost generation that we have thrown away. These are our scientists, they could have been our doctors, lawyers. It’s a whole generation we have lost.” The men were attending Thursday’s public forum hosted by the Bahamas Bar
Association at the University of the Bahamas under the theme: “Implications of Marijuana: Legalisation, Decriminalisation and Regulation.” Panelists included Bjorn Ferguson, attorney at BRF Chambers; Dr Indira Martin, biomedical scientist and director of the Public Health Lab; and Quinn McCartney, co-chair of the Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana. The event was staged as part of the Bahamas Bar Association’s Training Day 2019 events, which honoured the late Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs. Mr Isaacs reportedly advocated for the legalisation of cannabis as a young lawyer, according to Mr Hanna in a tribute to the former justice earlier that day. “(Mr Isaacs) never shied away from controversy,” Mr Hanna said in his tribute, “always prepared to speak
truth to power, and I think a programme I did with him, when we advocated the legalisation of cannabis, was instrumental in our (weekly radio programme on ZNS) being cancelled.” During a question and answer period, Mr Bell spoke of his experience as a former police officer with oversight of research and planning of police prosecutions. He acknowledged the Dangerous Drugs Act, and its later amendments, were established as a response to issues of addiction and trafficking, but said he believed it went too far. Mr Bell explained while legislators were trying to net major traffickers, many people were excessively punished for personal consumption. Mr Bell said his position on such prosecutions led to him being ostracised by “top brass”, adding the trend was a contributing factor to his resignation.
FORMER Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell. “Even if we don’t decriminalise marijuana for recreational purposes,” Mr Bell said, “at the very least we cannot continue to make criminals of our young men.” Mr Bell has previously advocated for treatment for addiction for minor possession as an alternative to criminalisation, and on Thursday, he called on the commission to utilise research conducted by the University of the Bahamas on prisoners. He further noted the prison population
could be used to explore whether there was any direct correlation between drug use and crime. “The concern I had,” Mr Bell said, “is where in the Dangerous Drugs Act it says where a person is found in possession of two or more packets then there is presumed intent to supply. In the Dangerous Drugs subsidiary legislation, there is a schedule that says what gives rise to presumption and it says it is supposed to be 500 grams of marijuana. “It seems that the police and the attorney general have a conflict because police have been charging persons who have been found in possession of two packets...so if the police lock you up with several packages that means you can be charged with intent to supply, that can’t be expunged from your record.”
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, June 24, 2019, PAGE 7
Thousands enraged by outages from page one The outages, which in some cases extended beyond the two-hour rotation interval promised by BPL, tortured thousands of households, leading many consumers to take to social media to air their grievances with the process. Many called for BPL to release a load shedding schedule, so people could plan their days accordingly. Yesterday afternoon, BPL posted a statement to its Facebook page explaining the “temporary loss of two of its generating assets over the weekend exacerbated the load shedding” on New Providence, “extending the times and multiplying the number of outages experienced across the island”. “One of the lost assets was returned to service by Sunday afternoon, with work proceeding to bring the other asset back online as quickly as possible,” BPL’s statement noted. On Friday, BPL said its Aggreko rental units are due in at the Blue Hills Power Station by June 30, adding these rental units will “alleviate the demand challenges BPL is facing”. BPL began load shedding earlier this month as a result of problems experienced with its generating assets at the Blue Hills Power Station, the company said. Due to increasing temperatures, customer demand on the network in New Providence spiked over the preceding days and the loss of generation coupled with the increase in demand resulted in a shortfall of generation and the need for load shedding, BPL said. “Our teams at the Blue Hills Station are working feverishly to resolve the concern with the generators and return them to service as soon as possible to offset in the short term the current shortfall,” acting Chief Operations Officer Ian Pratt said. “Further, BPL wishes to advise that the installation of additional rental generation at the Blue Hills
Station is nearing completion. It is expected that this additional power will be available by the week ending June 30, 2019. This additional rental will bolster BPL’s available generation and put us in a better position to meet the increasing customer demand during this summer period.” The generation shortfall plus the spike in demand means that BPL expects to be load shedding almost daily, in two hour rotations, until the rental generators are installed and the equipment that is out of commission for repair or maintenance is brought back into service. Attempts by The Tribune over the weekend to establish a schedule for outages yielded no results, with officials at various levels in the company referring this daily’s questions and requests to someone else. Up to press time yesterday, reported outages continued to hit indiscriminately. As the company struggled to keep the island’s lights on, BPL officials posted several updates to its Facebook page. However, the updates only addressed the location of outages and all of the notices seem to come after the outage was reported to have occurred. With each notice, customers grew increasingly more exasperated. One consumer posted to BPL’s Facebook page: “Can we get a preupdate? Something that can let us know when an area will be off? I’m sure Bahamians would love to be conveniently out if they could.” Another customer wrote: “If the load shedding (is a planned) event, there is no reason why the public can’t get a schedule. This leads me to believe that BPL is not being truthful and these power cuts are not as they say. Out of all the utility (companies) BPL is the worst.” When contacted yesterday for an accurate outage schedule, BPL’s Director of Communications Quincy Parker said that Friday’s statement addressed the utility’s plans moving forward. Back in April, Mr Moxey
told reporters: “We don’t expect any load shedding.” He added: “There are several generation assets that we’re looking to make sure that we maintain properly (and) appropriately so that we will be ready for the summer. We are also looking at bringing in some additional rental generation to cover the needs in the summer. So from our perspective, we’re doing everything that we can in order to prepare for the load that we’re required to deliver during the summer months.” Yesterday BPL noted it generates, transports and distributes electricity to over 101,000 customers around the country. BPL said while it is mandated to ensure there is sufficient supply to meet demand, electricity demand “is not consistent because of peak periods when demand is higher and continuous growth in the number of customers requiring electricity services.” BPL added, “Load shedding is done as a controlled option to respond to unplanned events to protect the electricity power system from a total blackout.” In a statement last night, PLP chairman Fred Mitchell called on the Minnis administration to account for BPL’s mishaps this past weekend. “As early as (today) in the Senate the Government must make a public statement about why they cannot keep the power on,” he said. “It was embarrassing today in a church service with the Minister responsible for electricity present and the church was plunged into darkness. (Saturday) the electricity went off four times in some areas for a total 8 hours. (Yesterday), the power was off in some areas from 10:30 a m. As at 5 pm, the power at PLP head quarters was off the grid and on stand by power. The problem is a lack of information. The BPL managers and the government lied to the public about there being no load shedding this summer.” Editorial View - Page 4
THE BAHAMAS Power and Light head office.
Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff
PAGE 8, Monday, June 24, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
MAKE ANDROS CENTRE OF BAHAMAS, URGES SEARS By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Attorney General Alfred Sears has articulated a bold plan to make Andros the political capital of the country. In a new piece, he argues that focusing on Andros could spur Bahamians to design a capital city that embraces Bahamian designs and character, eschewing the colonial infrastructure rampant in New Providence. “The weak, inadequate and archaic physical architecture in which the political administration of The Bahamas operates is in crisis,” he said. “The 19th
century physical infrastructure of our national institutions contributes to inefficiency, discriminates against persons with special needs, inhibits economic development and does not reflect the sovereignty of a striving independent country that takes itself seriously. The quality of governance in The Bahamas is compromised by the obsolete physical architecture. We take more pride in foreign touristic enterprises and resort structures than in the national institutions to manage the public goods and services of the Bahamas and provide social, economic security services for Bahamians and residents. “This project will create a
design and innovation opportunity for the Bahamians to design a Smart Capital City Master Plan, with iconic architecture rooted in Bahamian culture and imagination, incorporating sunlight, topography, drainage system, IT infrastructure, road network, official sector, commercial sector, residential sector and recreational and green areas. There should be spacing between blocks and sectors to prevent overcrowding, with an equilibrium between construction costs and sustainable development goals.” To facilitate a transformation, Mr Sears cited Freeport and said
the government could vest 50,000 acres of Crown land into a “Capital City Investment Corporation” to be leased to entrepreneurs “for periods up to 50 years investment in the public, commercial and residential zones of the capital city, in accordance with a Capital City Master Plan.” Incentives would include exemptions from custom duties, real property tax and value added tax, among others. Mr Sears, pictured left, wrote: “I call on the government, the official opposition, the DNA and the Bahamian civil society to collaborate in establishing a national commission to study the feasibility
Vendors will have chance to discuss new Arawak plans By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net ARAWAK Cay and Junkanoo Beach stakeholders will get an opportunity to meet with officials overseeing the proposed Nassau Entertainment District project, a spokesperson from the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed on Friday. Insisting that plans for the project remain in the “planning stages”, OPM officials said stakeholders, including vendors and taxi drivers, will have an opportunity to discuss the project as it progresses. The concept for the area was announced by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on Wednesday during his 2019/2020 budget contribution. Equipped with various illustrations of the project, Dr Minnis said his administration was proposing to redevelop the area from Fish Fry to Junkanoo Beach, Long Wharf, with plans, including a sky bridge connecting the beach area to Clifford Park, a pier that will run from a seafront boardwalk, a beachfront pedestrian plaza, multiple courtyards, retail and entertainment venues, upgraded beaches, armed security and Wi-Fi.
of building a capital city outside of New Providence. The construction of a smart political capital city in Andros will enable the Bahamas to build stronger governance institutions fit for the future, create a model of small island sustainability, stimulate economic growth outside of Nassau towards the Family Islands—based on Bahamian ownership, innovation and initiative—, reverse internal migration from Nassau to Andros, inspire young Bahamians to engage in the national development project, mobilise the Bahamian diaspora in the nation building process and improve the Bahamian brand for innovation, sustainability and diversified development.”
TWO MEN IN HOSPITAL AFTER SHOOTINGS By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
TWO men are in hospital after they were shot in separate incidents over the weekend, according to police. In the first incident, a man was walking on Malvern Road in the Yellow Elder Gardens area shortly after 7pm Friday, when he was approached by an armed man, who opened fire in his direction, hitting him in the body before escaping. The injured man was taken to hospital where he is listed in serious condition.
In the second incident, police said a 19-year-old man was standing in the area of an apartment complex on Windsor Lane shortly before 10pm Saturday when he was approached by an armed man who shot him before fleeing on foot. The injured man was taken to hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition. Investigations in both cases are continuing. Anyone with information about these incidents or any other crime is asked to call police at 919, 502-9991 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 328TIPS (8477).
POLICE SEIZE FIVE ILLEGAL FIREARMS RODNEY “Snapper” Russell Dr Minnis said the area will “result in scores of Bahamians going to the waterfront for entertainment and relaxation on a weekly basis”. He also said the new area will be zoned for major tax concessions for Bahamians and will be declared a taxfree zone like the inner city. He also noted plans to hold meetings with stakeholders. However, vendors at Arawak Cay, led by president of the Arawak Cay
Conch, Fish and Food Vendors Association Rodney “Snapper” Russell, took issue on Thursday with the plans being developed without their input. For his part, Mr Russell dubbed the plans “a fresh coat of paint” being slapped on an abandoned house. He said owners and vendors have struggled to maintain their businesses due to what he termed a “deliberate push” to keep customers, visitors and Bahamians alike off Arawak
Cay and the Fish Fry. He called on Dr Minnis to sit with vendors and have an open dialogue on how to move the area forward. In response to questions on Friday, an official said: “Yes. Meetings will be held with all stakeholders, including the vendors and taxi drivers. The project is still in the planning stages and more details will be released as things progress.” The Tribune understands that roughly 32 stalls are currently operating at the Fish Fry portion of Arawak Cay alone. There are dozens more operating in and around the Western Esplanade and Junkanoo Beach areas.
POLICE seized five illegal firearms in two separate incidents on Friday and have taken two adult males into custody. In the first incident, according to reports, shortly after 1pm two American males arrived on New Providence at Jet Aviation, Lynden Pindling International Airport, via a private aircraft. After a secondary search by a customs officer, they were found in possession of a .38 revolver containing five rounds of ammunition and a 9mm pistol with
two magazines containing 26 rounds of ammunition, which they had failed to declare to authorities. The men were taken into custody and handed over to police. Investigations are ongoing. In the second incident, according to reports shortly after 10pm, South Western Division officers, acting on information, conducted a search of a bushy area on Spikenard Road off Carmichael Road and recovered two 9 millimeter pistols with four rounds of ammunition and a 12 gauge shotgun.
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MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
Let’s give it a try What a cancer survivor told a public forum on marijuana By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net “LET’S give it a try,” is what 66-year-old breast cancer survivor Gloria Gilbert told panelists at a public forum on marijuana last week. Mrs Gilbert was among attendees gathered at the University of the Bahamas’s RBC theatre for a talk hosted by the Bahamas Bar Association on the “Implications of Marijuana: Legalisation, Decriminalisation and Regulation”. Mrs Gilbert credits plant-based treatments for keeping her in remission over the past five years, and told The Tribune while she did not use cannabis, her success with other plant-based therapies have reaffirmed her support for reform. “I have chemo that brought me this close to death,” Mrs Gilbert said. “There is a particular treatment, it’s called the ‘red devil’ and I was told not to let my grandchildren that live with me use the same toilet that I use because that’s how poisonous it was. “I’m telling you all of the cannabis or the plant or whatever could help somebody — I don’t know how many people saw people die with cancer, the pain, the suffering. If we could approve a poisonous drug that could help somebody, then I’m saying, my dear, let’s give it a try. “If it could help somebody to go through,” she added, “live a little better. I believe it would also be a lot cheaper as well, and you wonder whether the pharmaceutical companies are talking against it because money is involved.” At Thursday’s event, panelists included Bjorn Ferguson, attorney at BRF Chambers; Dr Indira Martin, biomedical scientist and director of the Public Health Lab; and Quinn McCartney, co-chair of the Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana. Mr McCartney’s role was largely to represent the commission, and he provided an overview of its efforts to codify Bahamian attitudes on the plant. Mr Ferguson argued the decriminalisation of marijuana was “low hanging fruit”.
For his presentation, Mr Ferguson provided historical context to cannabis prohibition - which he underscored was not rooted in scientific research but racism. He pointed to the efforts of Harry Anslinger - the first commissioner of the US Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Mr Anslinger played an instrumental role in cannabis prohibition, and led policies and propaganda campaigns disproportionally targeted blacks and Mexicans. Mr Ferguson noted the introduction of marijuana to the Caribbean by Indians, who were brought to the region as indentured servants and called the plant “ganja”. He noted the findings of subsequent commissions on marijuana, dating back to the Indian hemp commission in 1893, that supported decriminalisation. Mr Ferguson said there was no excuse for the country’s stalled track to reform, and characterised the current partnership between the United States and the Bahamas to enforce prohibition as hypocritical and unjust. “Medicinal marijuana I will accept that it may be tricky in terms of the standardisation of a particular strain and plant...we need to make up our minds with the legalisation, but decriminalisation should happen today. I don’t know why we’re playing with the issue but it’s very clear that we’re destroying many of our young men in this current regime and it’s no excuse why we’re not addressing the issue. “[The United States], they have taken an approach that decriminalise marijuana [in some states], yet in the Bahamas we allow American law enforcement agencies to come here and assist us in criminalising our citizens... something is wrong with that fundamentally.” Mr Ferguson continued: “We have tourists coming into the country with marijuana convictions, we welcome them here as tourists. When a young man wants to travel to the US, he has simple possession or something on his record, he’s denied a visa. That’s not rocket science, something is wrong with
that, that is unjust and we continue to support America with this false narrative with the ‘war on drugs’, in particular marijuana.” Mr Ferguson also underscored the plight of Rastafarian community in the 1970s as the group was heavily targeted for their religious use of the plant. Retired legal scholar Arthur Dion Hanna Jr, an attendee, told the panel when the plant is regulated - which he noted was inevitable - there should be some space given to Rastafarians for their long suffering and economic survival. In her presentation, Dr Martin theorised cannabis reform could be modeled for excellence in biomedicine and equitable wealth distribution. She lauded the efforts of Jamaican scientists like Dr Henry Lowe who pioneered medical research of the plant and have committed themselves to using their work to uplift their country. Dr Martin explained there was conclusive or substantial clinical evidence of medical treatments for chronic pain, chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, and spasms brought on by multiple sclerosis; moderate evidence to support its use for short term sleep disturbances and asthma; and limited evidence for its use with appetite and weight loss due to HIV/ AIDS, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, dementia/Alzheimer’s and glaucoma. She said there was insufficient clinical evidence for its use in treatment for cancers, irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy, amytrophic lateral sclerosis, and schizophrenia. “I think that any model of cannabis utilisation, research, sale, or what not at the end of the day,” Dr Martin said, “it should come back to the overall benefit of the community as a whole because of a lot of innovation in cannabis actually came out of the community.” Dr Martin noted other examples of traditional medicine being transformed by the West - aspirin, which came from the Amazon rainforest, and more recently Ibogaine, derived from West African shrub Iboga and used to treat drug addiction. Taking participants
THE PUBLIC forum on marijuana last week. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff through a crash course in the plant’s biology, Dr Martin noted the nutritional prowess of hemp - one of the richest sources of healthy fats for people who do not consume egg or fish. She explained much of the public health concerns from North America and Europe are related to high THC strains; however, she said there has been no change in schizophrenia prevalence between 1996 and 2005 despite rising THC concentrations. Dr Martin also noted research indicating a drop in opioid deaths in states that have legalised medical marijuana. “There are numerous examples where traditional medicine has given rise to efficacious health solutions that have then been adapted, adopted, thief, by the West and commodified and at the end of the day the people who for many centuries have been developing this traditional biomedicine they are never given any financial benefit,” Dr Martin said. Another attendee, Dr Patti Symonette, urged the commission to ensure
it maintained a clear distinction between hemp and marijuana as it conducted its public forums. Dr Symonette, a board member of the Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission, noted there were still products on store shelves that were hemp-derived, and questioned the continued criminalisation of the cannabis plant despite proven health benefits. “Sometimes we have a habit of mixing up things,” she said, “women don’t want their freedom because it mix up with something else.” “The science is new for a lot of people, even people in the conventional medical community. They are totally confused if they think hemp should be criminalised because there is no psychoactive component to hemp.” Dr Symonette also said: “People have to understand that because if we go to them confusing and mixing up the two and not clarifying the position that will lead to further chaos.” Dr Symonette called for officials to stop using
the word “marijuana” in the criminal context, as it sought to disenfranchise cannabis from other healing plants like rosemary or turmeric. “What we need to criminalise is the abuse of painkillers,” Dr Symonette continued, “psychoactive drugs that are pushing people to suicide. When these drugs are prescribed to individuals, the first thing physicians tell them is you can’t come off it. People don’t commit suicide on CBD oil, people don’t commit suicide on marijuana.” The BNCM is expected to present its report to Cabinet in August, however, its co-chair told attendees on Thursday night that the commission’s fact-finding mission to Canada is tentatively set for September. For his part, Mr McCartney told attendees: “We are closer to the finish line than you think.” He encouraged all Bahamians to submit their opinions to the commission by email. The commission’s email is info@bahamasncm.com
PAGE 10 MONDAY, JUNE 24 2019 By MALCOLM STRACHAN
W
ITH a wave of countries removing bans on marijuana, the subject of legalising or decriminalising the herb has been the subject of much discussion. Locally, since CARICOM’s town meeting in January 2018 and the formation of the Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana, this debate has caught fire with some notable political figures throwing their support behind more progressive policies that would decriminalise the herb for medicinal, and potentially, recreational use. Seeing the records of many young Bahamians convicted of possessing small amounts of the herb expunged is another widely shared view by supporters of marijuana decriminalisation. Many people, still severely miseducated on marijuana, are immovable in their opinions. There is still an overwhelming belief that marijuana’s classification as a dangerous drug is warranted. Despite there being no proof to substantiate such danger, many of our citizens still swear by a farce promulgated by American media that marijuana leads its users to kill, rob, rape and pillage. Marijuana users are viewed to be lazy, criminalminded leeches on society, despite the fact the herb is used at all levels of society. Perhaps no member of the community has suffered worse denigration than the Rastafarian community. It is said that the practice of smoking marijuana as a sacramental form of
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
The Rastafarian community’s fight for religious freedom a tall order
LEFT: Leader of the Opposition Philip Davis. Above, Bishop Delton Fernander
worship brings Rastas closer to their deity – something they feel should be protected by the Bahamian constitution. Article 22 of the constitution, under the section on Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual, says: “Except with his consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of conscience, and for the purposes of this Article the said freedom includes freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate his religion of belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.” “Practice and observance” of their religion surely reveals the community’s frustration, as their inability to do so has understandably led to the Bobo Ashanti, also known as the Ethiopia African Black International Congress’s impending legal action against the government. However, many feel that this is, if not an unwinnable case, one that will certainly be challenging for the group. Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said: “I note with interest they are pursuing this avenue but I
don’t know whether within our constitutional construct how successful it could be in regard to the fact that the constitution does permit the government to make laws when it comes down to the health and safety of their society.” Additionally, many feel their timing is opportunistic, as the marijuana commission is readying itself to provide the government with its position by the end of August after having the opportunity to meet with officials on the forefront of marijuana legalisation and decriminalisation policy in Canada and Jamaica – both of which having been reaping massive financial benefits. Bahamas Christian Council president Bishop Delton Fernander has also been critical of the Bobo Ashanti’s lawsuit, saying: “It’s a crafty way to force the government’s hand but then the whole country has to legalise. And the challenge to their argument if it is approved and legalised that way is everyone will say they’re Rastafarian here is a loophole. We don’t want to alienate the Rastas but we must be very careful in arguments we bring.” Certainly, we can understand the government asking members of the Rastafarian movement to be patient at this stage.
However, we should also appreciate that the Rastafarian community has been waiting for far longer than the year and a half since this subject has been in the media for the government to make the initial step toward relaxing the country’s marijuana policies. Rather, this is an 80-yearlong grievance against a community that has been persecuted and unfairly judged by their brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, though, it is doubtful that a lack of clear verbiage in the constitution will be the lynchpin that wins this case. Furthermore, by Rastafarian priest Philip Blyden’s own admission, this was a difficult case to find a lawyer to take since the 1990s. This said, it’s obvious that for this group, there is no time like the present to throw a haymaker in the fight to protect its religious freedom. After no response from Minster of Health Duane Sands to a letter penned by attorney Wayne Munroe QC, it was reported last week that the group would file a lawsuit against the government in the coming days. Throughout the summer leading up to the commission’s advice to the government, this is surely one to watch. There is no time like the present to get on the side of progress. Hopefully the critical thinkers in the room will step to the forefront and encourage the government take a giant step forward and legalise and decriminalise marijuana.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019 PAGE 11
A SERIAL LIAR, FANTASIST, LAZY, EGOTISTICAL, POISONOUS, UTTERLY UNRELIABLE, SELF-OBSESSED AND SELFISH
By Kevin Maguire POLICE called to Boris Johnson’s girlfriend’s flat in the early hours of the morning after a blistering row between the warring couple is the latest in a lengthening line of scandals proving the Tory idiot prince is unfit to be king. The arrogant blond bungler’s refusal to answer questions about the screaming and smashing in a very public domestic dispute with crying lover Carrie Symonds, at just 31 young enough to be the daughter of a 55-year-old bedhopper being divorced by the second Mrs Johnson and mother of four of his children, is a trademark refusal to take responsibility. While worried neighbours were dialling the emergency number 999 for the police after hearing Symonds yelling “get off me” and “get out of my flat” amid shouts he’d ruined her white sofa by spilling red wine, across London another victim of Johnson was on hunger strike. Quietly spoken accountant Richard Ratcliffe’s camped outside the Iranian Embassy where he’s protesting against an extended jail sentence in Tehran imposed on his wife, Nazanin, after a blundering Johnson, easily the the worst Foreign Secretary for decades, falsely asserted she was in the Middle East secretly teaching journalism instead of visiting parents. The slapdash error fuelled the spying paranoia of Iran’s aggressive theocrats and Johnson pretending his mistake didn’t matter is delusional when it was used in court against
her, the cowardly wannabe Prime Minister refusing to visit hungry, unhappy Richard Ratcliffe. I’ve known Johnson for nearly 30 years since we worked on the Daily Telegraph newspaper so I’m able to confirm that those who know him best also trust him least. Great Britain’s Donald Trump mini-me with slightly better hair is a serial liar, fantasist, lazy, egotistical, poisonous, utterly unreliable, self-obsessed and selfish. That the unpleasant buffoon remains the Conservative Party’s favourite to replace Theresa May in Downing Street tells us much about the desperate panic of a crumbling Rightwing political organisation caught by a pincer movement between rival Nigel Farage’s Toryish Brexit Party and socialist Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party. Sacked twice for lying, first for confecting quotes when a trainee reporter on The Times then when a Tory opposition spokesman for fibbing about another of his many affairs to the party’s then leader, Johnson’s is at best a casual acquaintance with the truth. He was and is a terrible journalist as well as politician with the Telegraph currently paying him £275,000 a year “chicken feed” for ramblings so inaccurate it recently didn’t even try to defend them as factual when losing a complaint to the press regulator. His spell as the Tory paper’s Brussels correspondent in the 1990s was a forerunner of the deceitful Brexit campaign he fronted in 2016.
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Johnson invented threats to British sausages back then with the shamelessness he lied more recently about an invented £350,000 weekly windfall for the National Health Service if the United Kingdom departed the European Union. Now it’s clear he has no plan to secure a withdrawal agreement before the latest Halloween deadline or any idea what leaving without a deal would mean, promising tax-free trade unicorns which simply don’t exist. The frightened former two-term London Mayor’s running from a record of
Those who know Boris Johnson best also trust him least
stupidity, failure, incompetence, dog whistles, racist slurs, insults and smears as he evades TV interviews. From calling Black people “flag-waving piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles” and Muslim women in burkas “bank robbers” and “letter boxes” to gay men “tank-topped bum boys”, Johnson’s prejudice is the bigotry of a posh Old Etonian who thinks it funny to punch down not up. Nobody was less suited to be Foreign Secretary than the ass who wrote a poem suggesting the Turkish President had sex with a goat, claimed Barack
Obama’s part-Kenyan roots fuelled a dislike of Britain, joked about dead bodies in Libya, championed cheap booze...in a Sikh temple, compared the EU to Hitler and referred to Africa as “that country” when it is, of course, a continent. When Johnson mercifully quit the Foreign Office last June the Attorney General of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, spoke for many. “Good riddance,” declared John McKendrick of a politician condemned as “disinterested and out of his depth” after visiting the island in the 2017 wake of Hurricane Irma.
Many moons ago Johnson was taped agreeing to help an Old Etonian chum beat up another journalist so a recording by neighbours of his heated row with Symonds isn’t the first to threaten his plan to be PM. Should it be broadcast, the pipsqueak’s past claim he was more likely to be reincarnated as an olive than become PM may be the truest thing he ever said. Kevin Maguire is associate editor (politics) of the Daily Mirror in London
PAGE 12 MONDAY, JUNE 24 2019
I
N what is increasingly becoming a pattern of ignoring established procedures and authority in the Organisation of American States (OAS), a delegation went to troubled Haiti on June 19 without any discussion or mandate by the Permanent Council, the organ responsible for making and overseeing policy between General Assemblies. The results of the unmandated OAS delegation to Haiti are left to be seen, but early reports by the US public service broadcaster, the Voice of America (VOA), indicate a hostile response so far. Over the last few weeks, massive protests have rocked Haiti with thousands nationwide demanding the resignation of President Jovenel MoÏse over fraud and corruption allegations. A report, published on May 31, concerning misspending of monies from a PetroCaribe Fund implicated two companies closely connected to President MoÏse. While he has denied the allegations, protests have intensified. A May 2019 report on Haiti by the US-based Institute for Justice and Democracy states that MoÏse’s “administration has engaged in human rights abuses, flouted the rule of law, and mismanaged the economy in ways that disproportionately impact the poor. In the long term, this administration’s failures are enabled by years of flawed elections, a dysfunctional justice system and domestic and foreign economic policies that have impoverished the majority of Haitians”.
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
OAS should promote systemic change in Haiti not an external agenda The usual response in the OAS to situations such as Haiti now faces, is that countries, like the United States and Canada, backed by others, call for the establishment of a Working Group to monitor the situation in the country; demand the establishment of investigatory machinery; insist that the Government provide guarantees for safety of protestors; and stipulate that a supervised process of dialogue be instituted between all political parties. Further the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights quickly produces reports that are used to rouse international pressure on governments. This is what occurred in relation to other countries, most recently Nicaragua, but oddly it is not what happened in relation to Haiti, even though the MoÏse government joined in OAS resolutions that condemned
the governments of Venezuela and Nicaragua. In fairness, I note that the delegation of Canada had weeks ago suggested to the Haitian representatives that the situation in the country be brought before the Permanent Council – a request that was resisted by Haiti’s representation at the OAS. Instead of action being taken on the authority of the Permanent Council after due deliberation and decision, the visit of a delegation to Haiti seems to have been organised between the Ambassador of the United States, Carlos Trujillo, and the SecretaryGeneral, Luis Almagro in response to a letter of invitation from the Government of Haiti that, most unusually, was not distributed to OAS member states as is the norm. The Haitian letter, dated June 14 according to the Miami Herald newspaper, has still not been circulated
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to member states of the OAS up to the time of writing. The first official inkling that any OAS member state had of a delegation going to Haiti came on June 17 in an announcement by Ambassador Trujillo, unusually, in a meeting of a committee preparing for the OAS General Assembly and not in the right body, the Permanent Council. Ambassador Trujillo stated that: “The United States is pleased to accept this invitation in representation of all Council members”. Thereafter, a team he headed that included Gonzalo Koncke, the Chief of Staff to the OAS Secretary-General, went to Haiti on Wednesday, June 19, with no prior mandate or authority from the Permanent Council. It is most unlikely that, having not discussed, authorized or mandated the delegation to Haiti and having never been made privy to the Haitian letter, that the entire Permanent Council of the OAS can embrace it, particularly as, according to media reports, the OAS was vilified by protestors. The VOA reported a representative of one protest group as stating: “That’s why we want everyone to know we do not recognize this (OAS) mission. Before they even arrived, we considered them persona non grata.” In the event, the visit by Ambassador Trujillo’s delegation which was always a risky endeavour because of its suddenness, does not appear to have assuaged the concerns that have motivated the recent riots
in Haiti or to have promoted dialogue. But time and events will better judge the efficacy of the effort. Any OAS endeavour in Haiti required careful preplanning with dedicated time to consulting fully with all sectors of the society for as long as it takes. A one-day visit, while a bold attempt, might not have been adequate. The external approach to Haiti’s deep-seated problems is often rooted in the objective of stopping the thousands who flee its shores as refugees from its desperate poverty and in curbing the trafficking of drugs also occasioned by its abject poverty. The objective is less about helping Haiti and more about protecting the interests of others. Yet, Haiti, with a population of 11 million, has less than a million people in permanent employment; over 60 percent of the population live in extreme poverty; the level of literacy is 61 per cent (in the rest of the Caribbean it is an average of 92 per cent); and it is plagued by corruption. In short, Haiti is a continuing powder keg of dissatisfaction. That it has managed not to erupt in greater conflict is a tribute to the tenacity of its people to survive; it is also an indication of how beaten-down and helpless the great majority feel. Further, Haiti has been impoverished and kept in thrall to foreign occupiers for most of its existence since its revolution in 1804 to free its people from enslavement. Therefore, its
people’s distrust of foreign interposition, especially when they feel the purpose is not in their broad interest, is understandable and should always be considered. No piece meal response to Haiti’s fundamental economic and social problems and their attendant political instability, and no lectures, promises and pressures will quell disquiet. The Haitian people are owed a great debt for their historic struggle that ended enslavement in their own country and opened the pathways to end slavery in all the Americas, especially as they continued to pay the price for almost two hundred years. The OAS should address the situation in Haiti not in ad-hoc ways, but by using its convening capacity, in association with legitimate representatives of the Haitian community, to bring together the institutions of the international community in the delivery of a comprehensive scheme to reform and transform the country in all aspects of the governance of its political, social and economic systems. The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own.Reponses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com
RESOLVE CONFLICTS IN A PEACEFUL WAY Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt Registrar of Marriages
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CONFLICT Resolution is when two or more parties find a peaceful solution to a disagreement amongst them. The need for resolution to conflicts has risen in our schools, homes, work place and communities. It is inevitable that conflicts are going to happen whenever you have people with different expectations, views and concerns. However, in order to resolve a conflict we must accept our share of the responsibility and eliminate the concept of blame. In the school Children find themselves in situations that often lead to escalated conflicts with their peers. During adolescence into the developing stages of puberty, many children act out their emotions in the form of teasing, gossiping, and physical aggression. If left unchecked, these same behavioural patterns will transfer over to the teenage years. The school should include in its curriculum, conflict management, to teach students how to resolve and prevent conflicts. The school can also organize a workshop on this subject matter and get parents involved. In the home
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt Registrar of Marriages
Every family has disagreements, which keeps the communication channel open. However, the handling of those conflicts will result in either a win/ win outcome or destructive situation. Most family conflicts are because of poor communication skills, lack of family values, lack of respect, poor interpersonal skills, lack of effective role models/poor parenting skills, sibling rivalry, financial problems, lack of trust, lack of accountability, and
lack of Godliness. If God is out of the home, then the enemy will take charge and destroy the peaceful environment of the home. In the workplace When people work together, conflicts is often unavoidable because of differences in work goals and personal style. Almost everyone encounters a difficult person now and then in their personal and professional life. Handling and resolving conflicts that arise in the work place is one of the biggest challenges managers and employees face. We often feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied with the result because no resolution has been achieved. Conflicts in the workplace are caused by poor communication, different values, different interest, personal clashes and poor performance. In the community How we handle conflicts within a community is important to the long-term success of a community. Conflicts in the community are caused by different beliefs, resources, preferences, needs and risk. Too many of our citizens are caught up in conflicts that they do not know how to manage. Our community should come together and form a conflict resolution forum so that the community can move forward in a positive direction.
When faced with a conflict, agree to resolve it. 1. Use your brain and not your hands or a weapon 2. Talk about what is bothering you in a calm and respectful way 3. No name calling 4. Take turns talking without interrupting 5. Be willing to listen to the other person and be sure to understand how he or she feels and sees the problem 6. The less angry you are the easier it will be to resolve the problem 7. Think of positive options, how can you meet each other’s needs and be fair 8. If you still can’t agree, ask someone else (an outsider) to help resolve the conflict. It is important to control anger and settle disputes peacefully because violence is becoming worrisome and threatening in our country because of the lack of knowledge on how to resolve conflicts. By resolving conflicts there will be fewer crimes, better relationships in the home, school, workplace and the community. Let Us Resolve Conflicts Peacefully as We Continue to Create Safer Communities For more information, contact the national crime prevention office on 3028430, 3028431, 3028154 or visit our website @ www. royalbahamaspolice.org
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Monday, June 24, 2019, PAGE 13 Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
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THE LAST SALUTE GOVERNOR General Dame Marguerite Pindling attended her final Royal Bahamas Defence Force changing of the guard ceremony at Government House on Friday. The ceremony featured events put on by the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation in Dame Marguerite’s honour. Also present were Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar and other tourism officials. During the ceremony, there was a showcase by Rhythm N’ Youth Band, a solo by singer Oral Hudson and performances by the RBDF Band. There will be an official farewell ceremony for Dame Marguerite on Thursday at Government House before she leaves her post. The country’s newest governor general, C A Smith, will be sworn in on Friday.
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PAGE 14, Monday, June 24, 2019
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ENJOYING THE FUN OF THE CRAB FARE
ENJOYING the AllAndros Crab Fest this weekend are Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, Minister of Transport and Local Government Renward Wells, and Bain and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson. The-All Andros Crab Fest takes place annually at Queen’s Park, Fresh Creek, Central Andros and features all types of crab dishes, entertainment, and cultural displays in tribute to the celebrated Andros crab in season. Prime Minister Minnis is pictured arriving in Andros and enjoying the fare.
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt Registrar of Marriages
FORM B Notice of Intended Marriage (Section 7(3))
FORM B Notice of Intended Marriage (Section 7(3))
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
Registrar of Marriages
Registrar of Marriages
FORM B Notice of Intended Marriage (Section 7(3))
FORM B Notice of Intended Marriage (Section 7(3))
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
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Registrar of Marriages
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Monday, June 24, 2019, PAGE 15
Rapist fails to overturn guilty verdict but has sentence cut By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE Court of Appeal has dismissed a man’s attempts at overturning his 25 year sentence for breaking into a young woman’s house and raping her at gunpoint while her children slept in the bed. However, the court took five years off his sentence because the original was considered “unduly harsh”. Appellate Justices Stella Crane-Scott, Roy Jones and Milton Evans dismissed Anthony Penn’s appeal of his conviction and sentence for raping the 21-yearold woman as she and her twins slept soundly in their Englerston home in April of 2011. However, the appellate judges shortened Penn’s sentence to 20 years, after finding that though the sentencing judge found Penn to be an “inveterate housebreaker”, he did not consider that at the time, the rape conviction was Penn’s first. According to the ruling, on April 25, 2011, an unmasked Penn broke into the house through the front room window. He used a stick to prop the window open. Sometime later, the victim was awakened by Penn who held a gun to her head and told her not to move or he would kill her. Being in fear of her life and mindful that her twins were sleeping on the bed with her, she complied. Penn asked the woman “where is the money?” and she told him she didn’t have any. He subsequently asked her if she had a cell phone, and she handed it to him. Penn subsequently rummaged through the woman’s bedroom drawers, as well as her wallet. Meanwhile, she covered her face with a sheet because she did not want Penn to know she saw his face. Penn then ordered to her to lie down at gunpoint and threatened to kill her, before proceeding to rape her. The victim testified that at some point she realised that Penn was using both of his hands to hold her by her waist, and thus not brandishing the firearm. As a result, she reached out and grabbed the weapon, only to discover it was an imitation firearm. The woman then shouted out to her mother and began to struggle with Penn, who in turn pulled a screwdriver from his waist and attempted to stab her. By that time, the victim’s mother and sister were in the room trying to assist in thwarting the attack. Penn ended up stabbing the victim’s mother in the hand and attempted to stab her in the face. It was after a neighbour came over to assist were they able to subdue and restrain Penn until the police arrived. Penn, the victim, her mother and sister were subsequently taken to Princess Margaret Hospital and treated. Penn was tried before Justice Jon Isaacs, now an appellate judge, on the
charges of rape, armed robbery and burglary. The jury found him guilty of only rape and burglary. Justice Isaacs, in sentencing Penn noted: “…The bulk of your convictions relate to shopbreaking and stealing, which suggests to me that you are an inveterate housebreaker...Your antecedents suggest that the punishment imposed in the past, and I see none no greater than four years, have failed to be a deterrent to you. “…In much as sentencing seeks to achieve a number of things, not the least of which is the deterrence to the offender, deterrence to those who might be like minded to commit similar offences. This court, really, the only leniency it can give, is not to sentence you to life imprisonment. However, you are going to be sentenced to a lengthy period in prison. “…On the count of rape, you are sentenced to 25 years imprisonment at Her Majesty’s Prison.” Justice Isaacs further sentenced Penn to 10 years for burglary, with both sentences to run concurrently from the date of the sentence, May 31, 2012. However, the time Penn spent on remand, 13 months, was factored into the sentence. Penn appealed his conviction and sentence on numerous grounds, all of which were unsuccessful except one, that the sentence imposed was unduly harsh. In canvassing that ground, the appellate judges noted the crimes Penn committed were “aggravated” in this case because not only did he break into her house, but used an imitation firearm to frighten her before raping her while her young children slept in the bed with her. Additionally, the victim was “put through the ordeal of giving evidence in a trial”, the appellate court said. Nonetheless, the appellate judges said based on the transcripts of the trial, they were unable to say that Justice Isaacs “balanced the relevant factors in handing down the sentence to the appellant”. However, the appellate judges said that based on Justice Isaacs’ comments, he was aware that Penn had no previous rape convictions at the time, something that “should have served as a mitigating factor” when he sentenced him. The appellate judges thus asserted that the 25-year sentence was “unduly harsh” for a first rape conviction, and said the “proper starting point” would have been a 15-yearsentence to be increased to 20 years having regard to the aggravating factors of the case. On April 23, 2011, two days before the incident for which he was on trial, Penn raped a pregnant woman despite her begging him not to violate her. He also robbed her at gunpoint of an undisclosed amount of money, with both acts coming during a burglary of her home. In March of 2014, and
after he pleaded guilty to the offences, Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles told Penn he would receive seven years for the burglary, 20 years for the armed robbery
and 25 years for the rape to run concurrently with whatever sentence he was already serving at the time. He did not get any additional time imposed on
him due to the terms of a plea agreement he signed at the time that barred Justice Charles from doing so. Penn tried to appeal that sentence, but the appellate
court dismissed his attempts because he “freely and voluntarily” signed the plea agreement in which he agreed to the 25-year sentence and “understood its terms”.
PAGE 16, Monday, June 24, 2019
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MARINE CONSERVATION WORKSHOP FOCUSED ON REGULATION By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force, in collaboration with the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation, held a closing ceremony on Friday for its second annual law enforcement marine conservation workshop. The aim of this one-week workshop was focused on the science
behind enforcement of the fisheries and marine regulations. Casuarina McKinney–Lambert, BREEF executive director, said the group has been working for the past 25 years to promote the conservation of the Bahamian marine environment that sustains our way of life. Mrs McKinney–Lambert said: “This workshop in collaboration with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force is an absolutely essential
tool to build awareness and build capacity for enforcing our marine regulations and protecting our marine environment. “We were very pleased to bring together a number of different agencies, critical agencies involved in protecting our marine environment and building a network of agencies and people who can work together.” Mrs McKinney–Lambert said this workshop was their second
annual marine conservation workshop for law enforcement and she hopes the workshop can continue every year going forward. She said: “In the Bahamas we are very dependent on our marine environment obviously we get food. We have food security from our marine environment but we also benefit from our reefs and mangroves ecosystems because they protect our shorelines from hurricane damage.
“We have a huge territory; the Bahamas is over 100,000 square miles of which 95 percent of that is underwater so we have much more abundant marine resources than a lot of other countries in the region. What we have found is that many of these other countries have already lost key fisheries resources. BREEF hugely values the collaboration that we have with the RBDF and other agencies involved with enforcement.”
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Registrar of Marriages
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Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
Registrar of Marriages
Registrar of Marriages
FORM B Notice of Intended Marriage (Section 7(3))
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Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
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PAGE 18, Monday, June 24, 2019
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ANOTHER 100 HAITIANS CAUGHT NEAR INAGUA By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
ONE hundred Haitian migrants were apprehended in a joint operation on Thursday near Inagua. The operation, involving the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos and Bahamas immigration officials, intercepted a sailing
vessel with the nationals on board at around 2.20pm. According to a RBDF press release, OPBAT’s helicopter spotted the vessel and marines stationed in Inagua then apprehended the boat. The migrants were then transported to Inagua where they were handed over to immigration authorities for processing. The group consisted of 89 men and 11 women.
In April, 40 Haitian migrants were taken into custody after officials discovered a sloop near Little Inagua. Officers onboard HMBS Durward Knowles, acting on information received, located and apprehended a 35-ft Haitian sloop off the southern coast of the island. The group contained 32 males, seven females and one minor
— all of whom appeared to be in good health. Earlier this month, National Security Minister Marvin Dames told Parliament that 1,013 illegal migrants - mostly Haitians - were apprehended this fiscal year. This number reflected, he said, a significant decrease when compared to the previous cycle in which 2,130 migrants were apprehended.
“The decrease in apprehension of illegal migration can be attributed in part to the efforts made by the agency to improve strategic policies, increased and expansive patrols in commonly used migratory routes, intelligence gathering, and deterrence effects from the installation of a long-range radar that provides better detection capabilities,” he said.
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Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
Ellice Sallyann Lockhart-Pratt
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Registrar of Marriages
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Monday, June 24, 2019, PAGE 19
Trump would rather face ‘sleepy’ Biden COLUMBIA, South Carolina Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump said yesterday that he’d prefer to run for re-election against Joe Biden, suggesting that the former vice president won’t be the “great candidate” Hillary Clinton was in 2016. Trump told NBC that Clinton was “very smart. She was very tough. She was ruthless and vicious.” Asked if he’d rather face Clinton again, the president said, “I would actually rather run against Biden” because “Sleepy Joe. He’s sleepy. She was not sleepy.” That’s a nickname the president has attempted to hang on Biden for weeks, and Trump has also previously suggested that he’d prefer to face the former vice president in next year’s election. He told
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP reporters before flying to Iowa earlier this month that Biden is “the weakest mentally and I like running against people that are weak mentally.” Biden leads early polls in the crowded field of Democrats seeking their party’s presidential nomination. He’s largely shrugged off Trump’s insults so far, saying
while campaigning in Iowa recently, “I guess he’s really fascinated by me.” Trump suggested that he wasn’t prepared to lose his re-election bid. When asked specifically, he responded, “No. Probably not.” “It would be much better, it would be much better if I said, “Yeah.” It would be much easier for me to say, “Oh yes,” Trump said. “No, I’m probably not too prepared to lose. I don’t like losing. I haven’t lost very much in my life.” Trump also praised his performance in the 2016 Electoral College and, when asked about losing the popular vote to Clinton said, “There were a lot of votes cast that I don’t believe.” He didn’t elaborate, but has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that voter fraud cost him the popular vote.
YEMENI REBELS STRIKE SAUDI AIRPORT AHEAD OF POMPEO VISIT
DUBAI Associated Press
ONE person was killed and seven others were wounded in an attack by Iranian-allied Yemeni rebels on an airport in Saudi Arabia yesterday, the Saudi military said, as the US secretary of state was on his way to the country for talks on Iran. Regional tensions have flared in recent days. The US abruptly called off military strikes against Iran in response to the shooting down of an unmanned American surveillance drone on Thursday. The Trump administration has combined a “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions with a buildup of American forces in the region following the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. A new set of US sanctions on Iran are expected to be announced today.
MIKE POMPEO The attack by the Yemeni rebels targeted the Saudi airport in Abha. Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. A Houthi spokesman, Yahia al-Sarie, said earlier the rebels had launched drones targeting Saudi airports in the southern cities of Abha and Jizan. Yesterday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was travelling to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for talks on Iran. His meetings in Saudi Arabia
will be in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, about 315 miles north of where the Saudi airport was struck. Speaking to reporters before flying out, he said he’ll be talking to the two US allies “about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned” and how to build a global coalition to “push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror.” At the same time, Pompeo reiterated that the US was prepared to negotiate with Iran to ease tensions. “We’re prepared to negotiate with no preconditions. They know precisely how to find us,” he said. Meanwhile, US national security adviser John Bolton was in Jerusalem on Sunday, where he said Iran should not “mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness.” President Donald Trump has said he backed away from planned strikes after learning 150 people would be killed.
• President Trump sent North Korean leader Kim Jong Un an “excellent” letter, the North’s staterun news agency reported, quoting Kim as saying he would “seriously contemplate” the content. The White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said Trump sent a letter and “correspondence between the two leaders has been ongoing.” Formal talks between the US and North Korea broke down after a failed summit between Kim and Trump in February in Vietnam. But earlier in June Trump told US reporters he received a “beautiful” letter from Kim, without revealing what was written. Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency’s report on the Trump letter said Kim “said with satisfaction that the letter is of excellent content”.
ETHIOPIA CHIEF SHOT DEAD BY HIS BODYGUARD ADDIS ABABA Associated Press
ETHIOPIA’S military chief was shot to death by his bodyguard amid a failed coup attempt against a regional government north of the capital, Addis Ababa, the prime minister said yesterday. The abortive coup on Saturday in the Amhara region was led by a highranking military officer and others in the armed forces, said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who addressed the nation on state TV at 2 a.m. while wearing fatigues. The soldiers attacked a building where a meeting of regional officials was taking place, said Nigussu Tilahun, a spokesman for the prime minister. The regional governor and an adviser were killed, while the attorney general was wounded, he said.
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PAGE 20, Monday, June 24, 2019
Grand opening for Silver Gates
FIFTEEN parks and basketball courts in the Over-the-Hill community have been identified for restoration as part of the government’s plan to enhance and redevelop parks and green spaces throughout New Providence, said Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. Dr Minnis was speaking
at the official opening of the Silver Gates Community Park in the Carmichael constituency on Saturday. A detailed assessment of parks in the inner city has been performed to identify specific spaces, along with a needs assessment to restore the parks over time, a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister noted.
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Restoration of the historic Southern Recreation Grounds has already begun through the Over-the-Hill Community Development Partnership Initiative. “From Gambier to southern New Providence and throughout our island, residents need beautiful and safe spaces for relaxation, community activities,
sporting events, exercise and recreation,” said Dr Minnis. He said spaces like the Silver Gates Community Park will help to foster a greater sense of community. He hailed the family park as a model for New Providence. “We need places to go to let go of stress and to stay physically, mentally and spiritually healthy,” said Dr Minnis. The 2.3-acre Silver Gates Community Park features a cushioned basketball court, a tennis court, a walking trail, exercise equipment, fruit trees, a Great Lawn reminiscent of the one in New York’s Central Park, a play area for children,
unique benches, secure restrooms, CCTV cameras for added security, free WiFi and a unique blue hole. Dr Minnis thanked the MP for the area, Minister of Works Desmond Bannister, and residents for caring so much about their community. “I am told that you have been waiting for this park for the better part of two decades,” said the prime minister. “(Minister Bannister) has gone all out to make this community park a very special place for all of you to exercise and to enjoy relaxing days and evenings with family members, neighbours and friends.”
The Silver Gates Community Park project was developed by Attilio Holdings, a subsidiary of the Bahamas Striping Group of Companies. As part of its plan to enhance and redevelop green spaces, the government is also working through a public-private partnership to transform Clifford Park into a central park for New Providence. Concept plans have also been announced for the redevelopment of Western Esplanade, which is expected to include the enhancement of the beach areas, the beautification of the area and enhanced spaces for cookouts, community events and
THOUSANDS ATTEND SEAGA FUNERAL
JAMAICA Associated Press THOUSANDS of Jamaicans turned out yesterday for the funeral of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga, who was the last survivor of the generation of politicians who led the country to independence from Britain in 1962. The service was officiated by 13 religious leaders before a burial ceremony
at National Heroes Park. Current Prime Minister Andrew Holness remembered Seaga as a humble man and a champion for the poor. “He never lost sight of the reason why he entered politics, and that was to help the have-nots join the ranks of the haves,” Holness said. “We pay tribute today to a conscious leader, a statesman, a thinker, a man of dignity and a man of indefatigable spirit and courage of conviction.”
ELSWORTH JOHNSON, State Minister for for Legal Affairs (right), and H.E. Reuben Rahming, Bahamas Ambassador to CARICOM States (left), represented the Government of The Bahamas at the State Funeral for Edward Seaga. Also from The Bahamas, pictured -- Opposition Leader Philip Davis (centre), and Kevin Simmons (second right). Second from left is John Issa, owner of SuperClubs Breezes of Jamaica and Nassau.