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MUM AND UNCLE SHOT DEAD 24 HOURS APART Shavonna, 27, gunned down as family united to mourn earlier killing By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A SINGLE mother was fatally shot in the Coconut Grove area on Friday night, a day after her uncle was killed at the same address. A close relative has identified the deceased woman as 26-year-old Shavonna Adderley, a mother of a seven-year-old boy. Her uncle was identified as Gladstone Francis, Jr. They were two of four people shot in two separate incidents outside the
14 CRUISE SHIPS TO VISIT OVER JUST TEN DAYS
same home. According to police reports, sometime around 8pm Friday, a group of people were gathered outside a home on First Street, the Grove when a small vehicle pulled up. Police said three armed men got out of the vehicle and fired shots in the group’s direction, resulting in a man and woman being injured. As a result, both were taken to hospital. However, the woman later died. SEE PAGE THREE
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
TOURISM was yesterday said to be “bouncing back with a vengeance” with 13,000 cruise visitors expected in the week before Independence and Nassau’s mega resorts reporting occupancies of up to 90 percent. Tourism Minister Dionisio said “we’re bringing tourism back” as the relaxation of international travel restrictions and the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccinations gave people confidence to again vacation abroad. Describing The Bahamas as “a destination of choice” for Americans, Mr D’Aguilar said Atlantis and Baha Mar resorts had enjoyed weekend occupancy rates of 90 percent and 75 percent, respectively. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
MARSH HARBOUR FACES THREAT OVER SECURITY By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
ABACO stakeholders yesterday voiced hope that the Government is not too late to “dodge a bullet” with plans to seek a publicprivate partnership for the rebuilding of Marsh Harbour’s sea port. Ken Hutton, the island’s Chamber of Commerce president, reiterated fears that the proposal may not come in time to sustain the port’s ongoing post-Dorian
waiver from having to comply with global maritime security standards implemented after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. He said a US Coast Guard and International Maritime Organisation inspection of Marsh Harbour’s port is due next month, with the facility having received little to no repairs since it was “completely devastated” by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
HEALTH VISA WOULD BE SCRAPPED UNDER PLP SHAVONNA ADDERLEY, who was shot and killed on Friday night, a day after her uncle was killed at the same address.
BYSTANDER SHOT BY POLICE IN CHASE By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE family of the 36-year-old woman who was accidentally shot by an officer on Saturday say they plan to take legal action against the police for negligence. Precious Curry was injured outside her home on Exuma Street after a police chase ended in shots being fired in the residential
PRECIOUS CURRY area, resulting in a single bullet hitting both of her legs. The bullet has since been removed, her husband Tony
Curry told The Tribune yesterday. Mr Curry said he had just arrived home from work when the shooting incident occurred. He said he was upstairs unwinding when their tenyear-old daughter came to him crying and said, “Mummy got shot.” Mr Curry said their daughter was outside with his wife when the shots rang out. SEE PAGE THREE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis says he will immediately end the travel health visa requirement if the system is still in place and his party wins the next general election. “The travel visa is an unnecessary tax imposed by the FNM government on Bahamians families and businesses when they can least afford it,” the party said in a statement yesterday. “The PLP does not believe Bahamians should be charged to travel within their own country, nor should Bahamians be charged to return home after travelling abroad. SEE PAGE FOUR
PAGE 2, Monday, June 28, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Minister has no answer on when there will be more Dorian inquests By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames could not say in a recent interview if the Coroner’s Court will launch further inquests that would see more people who went missing during Hurricane Dorian be declared dead. In May, then-Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez declared dead 22 people
who family members had reported missing after Hurricane Dorian. She ordered that death certificates be produced for some of them. This came after she spent about a month hearing the emotional testimonies of relatives who spoke about the circumstances surrounding the presumed death of their loved ones. However, that only 22 people were declared dead
at the end of that process raises questions about the scores of others Mr Dames said were still missing up to June of last year. While responding to criticism from former Health Minister and Elizabeth MP Dr Duane Sands, Mr Dames said at the time that 279 people were still missing after Hurricane Dorian, according to the list provided by his ministry. His comment appeared to contradict the
list provided by the police, which had 22 people reported missing. Police took 21 DNA samples from relatives. Asked if residents should expect another Coroner’s Court inquest to declare other people dead, Mr Dames could not say. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the updates right now,” he said. “If you could recall when we initially addressed this matter we
said this is a very dynamic situation and as is always the case when you’re dealing with missing persons from events such as this things are always moving and so sometimes you find persons, persons are later located and so I don’t have in my possession right now the latest updates from the police so I think I would need to get that or you would have to refer that to the police but I’m certain they would
be able to justify wherever they are right now.” Last year, Dr Sands criticised the government’s handling of Dorian’s missing people, saying there was no explanation for how hundreds of names were excluded from an early list of people who were reported missing. In late May, Mrs WeechGomez was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court. A new coroner has not yet been appointed.
SERVICE HELD TO THANK HURRICANE VOLUNTEERS
VOLUNTEERS honoured for their efforts during Hurricane Dorian on Thursday at Calvary Temple Assemblies of God. They are pictured with Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard; Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Iram Lewis and Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe along with administrators and other officials and members of the community. Photo: Lisa Davis/BIS
A SERVICE of appreciation was held for the volunteers of Hurricane Dorian in Grand Bahama last week. Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Michael Pintard and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Iram Lewis thanked the many volunteers for their assistance before, during and after the storm. The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction and the Grand Bahama Disaster Consultative Committee hosted the service on Thursday at Calvary Temple Assemblies of God. Volunteers, civic organisations, governmental departments, frontline workers and ministers of the government all gathered to say thank you. Mr Pintard said the death toll from the storm would have been a lot worse had it not been for those volunteers who risked their lives to help those in need. Assistance is still needed, he said, and asked that all residents, no matter their politics or denomination, pull together and help each other. Mr Lewis said he stood there with a “grateful heart” to say thank you to the hundreds of volunteers. The list, he said, pales in comparison to all those who assisted residents in need and added, “what you did was immeasurable”.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, June 28, 2021, PAGE 3
Mum and uncle shot dead 24 hours apart from page one The victim’s mother, Yvonne Adderley, told The Tribune yesterday that she had left the neighbourhood about an hour before the shooting incident took place. Mrs Adderley explained that she and her daughter were only visiting family members that day to give their condolences concerning the death of their uncle, Francis, Jr. Francis, Jr, was killed in a similar fashion on Thursday night after gunmen discharged shots at him and his daughter outside the same home on First Street after 9pm. Police said a light coloured mid-size vehicle pulled up to the residence and discharged a weapon at a man and woman. They were both taken to hospital by private vehicle however Francis Jr died; the woman was said to be in serious but stable condition. It was the second murder to occur on Thursday and came hours after another couple had been shot on
Peardale Road, leaving another man dead and a woman injured. “That was my uncle who got killed that night,” Mrs Adderley said, describing Francis, Jr, as a nice man who stayed to himself. “His
daughter is out (of hospital) now. All of us was there giving our condolences to the family, sitting down talking and hanging. “We normally go there and hail my grammy and sit down and have family talk
and whatever but when my uncle got shot, I went there like after 10 o’clock (that day). “Everything was cool and fine so I went there the next morning (Friday) before we went to my baby daughter’s graduation and I told them we was coming back and so after the graduation, then we went there and all of us was there together,` but then I left them there because I had another little job to do. So I told (Vonna) ‘I’m going now, I’m going to leave and make sure when Shawn come, y’all go home’ which is her brother.” Mrs Adderley said her daughter’s last words to her were, “Mummy, we going home soon.” “An hour later, I got the call and they told me that someone shoot up the yard again and my daughter get shoot, the close relative said,” Mrs Adderley said. “That’s all they said to me and they rush her to the hospital. I never expected nothing like that.” The mother-of-six described her daughter as a fun loving person, who was
police reports, shortly before 8pm officers were patrolling the Blue Hill Road and Coconut Grove Avenue areas when they observed the occupant of a silver coloured vehicle driving in a reckless manner. Police said they beckoned for the driver to stop, but he sped off and a chase followed as a result. “The vehicle eventually came to a stop at the intersection of Amos Ferguson Street and Balfour Avenue. A male then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. He was pursued by the officers,” police reported. While in pursuit, one of
the officers observed the suspect removing an object from his waist and, being in fear for his life, discharged shots in the suspect’s direction. The suspect was subsequently caught unharmed and a pistol was also recovered by officers at the scene. However, shortly afterwards, a woman who was standing outside her home during the incident “complained of receiving injuries consistent with gunshot wounds to her legs,” police said. She was taken to hospital, where she is listed in
stable condition with nonthreatening injuries, police added. Well wishes for a speedy recovery have steadily poured out on social media for Mrs Curry, who is a popular hairstylist. “Honestly, the world knows her and the police made a mistake to the wrong one,” her husband added. “The world knows my wife. She’s a very famous person and she’s in the hospital right now with her injuries but she’s right now worrying about everyone else. She’s not worrying about herself right now, but everyone at home.”
SHAVONNA Adderley and Gladstone Francis.
“the life of the party”. “You would never have a dull moment with her. Vonna was like the life of the party. If you down, she would bring you up just with the smiles and the nice talking, hugging and kissing. That’s the type of person Vonna is. Very fun person,” said Mrs Adderley. Shavonna also leaves behind a seven-year-old son, whose father was killed in 2019. Mrs Adderley said her grandson does not understand that his mother is dead. “He doesn’t understand,” she said. “He really don’t because we told him yesterday, me and his grandfather sit him down and we told him but he didn’t understand. His dad got killed two years ago also.” Mrs Adderley said the ordeal has been a total nightmare for the family, who have not yet fully recovered from their uncle’s death. “Two gone in two days. If you only know. Everybody is taking it hard… (Francis Jr’s mom) is not doing too well. She wasn’t doing well
before this so it’s worse right now,” she said. “We most definitely want justice. We gone need that.” Asked about the suspected motive of the incident, Mrs Adderley believes it was an act of retaliation for a shooting that occurred in March, when several women were shot at on Second Street, the Grove. “From what I understand, (someone in the area) just got out of jail and I don’t know if you remember the shooting that happened a few months ago with the four girls in the car. Well, he was the one who (allegedly) do the shooting for that,” she said. “He just come out of jail and that’s who they want so that’s what it is. So, they just don’t care, and I guess they saying because they can’t get him, they will get whoever close to him.” Police said investigations into the country’s recent homicides are continuing. Meanwhile, anyone with information is asked to call police at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328TIPS (8477).
The couple have six children, two of whom are Mrs Curry’s biological children. Mr Curry said while the family expects for her to recover, the incident has left everyone visibly shaken. He said he plans to take their children to counselling. “I’m going to take them to counselling all of them, especially the daughter because she was there on the side of her when she got shot. She was directly on the side of her and like I said, thank God the bullet stopped in that leg because our girl might’ve gotten hit too,” he said.
Earlier this month, police killed a man after he allegedly assaulted an elderly lady and shot a young man who followed him. Cell phone video of the incident showed at least three police officers on the roof of a house shooting down at the suspect as bystanders assembled in the area. At least 19 shots could be heard in the clip. National Security Minister Marvin Dames has previously warned young men who may feel driven to shoot at police to reconsider, saying doing so would be “at their own peril”.
BYSTANDER SHOT BY POLICE IN CHASE from page one
“I just got off from work. I heard it right upstairs when my daughter came crying and saying, ‘Mummy got shot’. All in my head I was thinking like, don’t tell me someone try to rob my wife and shoot her,” he told The Tribune. “That’s all I was thinking in my head when I was running downstairs and I saw her on the floor like bleeding and I asking her what happened and she ain’t saying nothing and there was a look in her eyes.” According to preliminary
MAN IN HOSPITAL AFTER STABBING A GRAND Bahama man is in hospital after he was stabbed early yesterday. Police said shortly before 1am they received a report of a man being stabbed in the Coral Gardens area. Officers responded to the scene and found an adult
male suffering from stab wounds about the body. Initial enquiries revealed the man was approached by another man known to him while at a residence. A physical altercation took place, resulting in the victim receiving multiple stab
wounds. He was taken to Rand Memorial Hospital by EMS, where he is listed in serious, but stable condition. A 25-year-old man was arrested in connection with this incident. An investigation is ongoing.
DECOMPOSED BODY FOUND IN BUSHES POLICE on Andros discovered a man’s partially decomposed body in a car overturned in bushes on Thursday. The matter is being investigated as an apparent traffic fatality. Police said sometime around 5pm on Thursday,
officers on Andros received information of a possible traffic fatality in the settlement of Bowen Sound. A team of officers was dispatched to the scene. On their arrival, they discovered a silver coloured Nissan Wingroad
overturned in bushes. During an inspection of the vehicle, the officers found a man’s partially decomposed body. The Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Traffic Division will continue the investigation into this incident.
PAGE 4, Monday, June 28, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Health visa would be scrapped under PLP from page one “Because any testing or insurance requirements related to COVID may be kept in place as needed without the travel visa, there is no purpose for the visa that justifies the additional cost burden. Indeed, many Bahamians travelling from one island to another already report being asked to show their negative COVID test in addition to showing their travel visa. “The PLP would also end the travel visa for visitors; at a time when our
PLP leader Phillip ‘Brave’ Davis.
TWO CASES ON CRUISE SHIP IN GRAND BAHAMA By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said local residents were never exposed to two teens who had tested positive for COVID-19 on board a Royal Caribbean International cruise which ported in Grand Bahama on Thursday. The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the two passengers — who are younger than 16 — left the RCI Adventure of the Seas before the cruise ended its visit to The Bahamas. Cruises, which recently resumed, are being closely watched for COVID-19 outbreaks. According to the Post, all crew and passengers 16 and older are required to be vaccinated for cruises. Starting August 1, all passengers 12 or older will have to be vaccinated as well.
Mr D’Aguilar stressed yesterday that COVID-19 protocols worked as anticipated in this case. “First and foremost, 97 percent of persons on the ship were vaccinated,” he said. “These were young teens who hadn’t been vaccinated. “Obviously we anticipated that there would be instances where persons would test positive on a cruise. “These outcomes were debated at length with health officials prior to the launching of these cruises and they went through all the different scenarios that could arise. “Once identified as positive on the ship, officials did their necessary contact tracing and identified another teen in a similar position. As part of the protocols we had to identify if persons would be taken off the ship, who would be the transportation provider and who would be the aircraft
provider. The protocols dictated that the passengers come off the ship, went to the transportation provider that had been vetted and then a private aircraft that was vetted.” Mr D’Aguilar said the passengers were tested on the ship before they disembarked. “I’m not sure why they were tested,” he said. “Maybe a part of the protocols, probably because it was a five-day test that you get when you’re not vaccinated. But there was no exposure to locals during this entire process. There was no situation where they were moving in the local community.” Mr D’Aguilar said the government does not pay to airlift cruise passengers who test positive for COVID-19. “The cost is covered by insurance or the cruise company will take care of it,” he said. “There is no cost to the taxpayers at all.”
economy is still in very serious trouble, the travel visa makes our tourism product less competitive – travellers visiting Barbados, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, St Lucia, St Kitts, the Dominican Republic or any number of other Caribbean destinations are not required to purchase a travel visa for each family member on top of other testing and insurance costs. “Regarding the Ministry of Tourism claim that the airlines forced them to adopt the travel visa, Bahamians can judge for themselves whether this
is believable, given the large number of Caribbean countries who never required a travel visa and nonetheless experienced no trouble with international airlines flying passengers in and out,” the PLP said. Last week, the Ministry of Tourism offered a vigorous defence of the travel visa system. It said the fees were imposed to pay for the rapid antigen test residents were mandated to take, the health insurance visitors were required to have while in the county and to cover the start-up
TOTAL CASES
costs associated with the website along with other operational costs. The ministry said funds that are earned are deposited into an account that electronic retail payment provider Kanoo Pays shares with the ministry and that the account is at all times controlled and monitored by the ministry’s accounting department. The ministry said up to March 31, 2021, $2.4m surplus funds have been received from the visa system. Revenues were $9.8m and expenses were $7.4m.
TOTAL DEATHS
12,543 245 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES SATURDAY
39 CASES
NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA
38 1
FRIDAY
7 CASES
NEW PROVIDENCE 1 GRAND BAHAMA 4 ELEUTHERA 1 PENDING 1
THURSDAY
30 CASES
NEW PROVIDENCE 23 ELEUTHERA 6 GRAND BAHAMA 1
TOTAL TESTS
106,383
HOSPITALISED
36
CASES IN ICU
4
RECOVERED
11,544
46 MORE PEOPLE WITH COVID DIAGNOSED OVER WEEKEND By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas recorded 46 newly confirmed COVID19 cases over the weekend, pushing the nation’s overall tally to 12,543.
Of the new cases, 38 were recorded on New Providence and one on Grand Bahama on Saturday. Friday saw seven new cases. Meanwhile, 30 new infections were confirmed on Thursday, 60 on Wednesday, 28 on Tuesday, 15 on
Monday and 14 on Sunday for a total of 193 last week. The previous week saw 151 new infections confirmed. According to health officials, 36 people are in hospital sick with the virus, including four in the
intensive care unit. The nation’s current death toll stands at 245 after a 40-year-old New Providence woman died from the virus on June 23. Twenty-nine other deaths are said to be under investigation.
Meanwhile, health officials believe it is still too early to tell whether the nation is emerging from the third wave of the virus. Dr Nikkiah Forbes, the country’s top infectious disease expert, told The Tribune last week that it’s important for Bahamians to not let their guards down, maintaining that we are not out of the woods yet. “We have seen a slight decline in cases over the last three weeks, but there’s only been a slight decline in the weekly average of cases between this week that we are in and the week before,” she said at the time. “So we still have to watch, and we can’t say (we are emerging from the third wave) definitively at this point.” The latest virus figures come as the country continues to vaccinate Bahamians and residents against the COVID-19 threat. According to the latest government’s vaccine tracker, more than 90,000 shots of AstraZeneca have been administered as of June 29. These include 58,122 people who have received
one dose of the vaccine and 32,945 people who have received both doses. Health Minister Renward Wells said last Monday the government hopes the country achieves herd immunity against COVID19 by August. He has previously estimated that some 120,000 people need to be vaccinated in order to achieve this. In the meantime, Bahamians are urged to follow the necessary health protocols and guidelines to mitigate the spread of the virus. “If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not wait, first contact your health provider,” health officials said in its latest health bulletin. “While home remedies may work for a period, it is important to get tested and receive proper care before symptoms become too difficult to manage. If you have been asked by the Surveillance Unit to get tested for COVID-19, please follow the advice and take the gold standard RT-PCR test. Employees are encouraged to work from home.”
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, June 28, 2021, PAGE 5
Nygard faces legal fight to stop seizure of properties By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net FASHION mogul Peter Nygard is facing more legal problems as the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York moves to seize five California properties connected to him, including a Marina del Rey condo where he hosted some of his infamous “pamper parties.” CBC News, which obtained court documents pertaining to the matter, reported recently that US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss filed a forfeiture bill on April 29 as part of its criminal case against Nygard. The document became open to the public in late May. Nygard was charged in December 2020 with sex trafficking and racketeering offences that arose out
of what lawyers called “a decades-long pattern of criminal conduct involving at least dozens of victims in the United States, the Bahamas and Canada, among other locations.” Since then, Nygard, 79, has lost his effort to secure bail and remains imprisoned in Headingley Correctional Centre in Canada. He is gearing up for what is expected to be a lengthy extradition battle which is scheduled to begin in November. CBC News reported: “The government is asking the court to authorise the seizure of properties it says belong to Edson’s Investments Inc and Brause Investments Inc, two American companies Strauss says are controlled by Nygard. “Nygard’s name doesn’t appear on any of the company documents for Edson’s and Brause but two of his former top
company executives — Tiina Tulikorpi and David Paton — are listed as directors. In previous court documents, Strauss said evidence gathered through the execution of search warrants shows the companies are all connected and Nygard controls them. “‘Nygard’s company emails show, for instance, that Nygard controlled Edson’s and directed that money be moved between Edson’s accounts and others,’ Strauss wrote in court filings in the extradition case. “Strauss said Nygard has been liquidating assets for several months and has been using top level executives to do it. ‘During the past several months, certain United States-based entities controlled by Nygard have sold a number of real estate holdings in California, totalling nearly $70m.”
PETER Nygard at court previously in The Bahamas.
MINISTRY ‘MONITORING’ COLLAPSED CONDO TRAGEDY
AN AERIAL photo of the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South Condo that collapsed early on Thursday morning last week in Surfside, Florida. THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is monitoring the tragedy in Surfside, Florida where at least nine people are dead and more than 100 people are unaccounted for after a multi-story condo building partially collapsed. The collapse occurred in Florida’s Miami-Dade County early Thursday morning. The ministry said on Saturday that it has made contact with the Bahamas’ Consul General in Miami Linda Mackey, who has confirmed that to date, the Consulate General has not been made aware of
any Bahamian nationals involved in the devastation. Ms Mackey said she and fellow members of the Caribbean Consular Corps in Miami, Florida volunteered on Friday with the Global Empowerment Mission to serve those affected by the collapse of the Champlain Towers South. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the government and people of the United States of America and in particular this quiet beach town in Florida at this difficult time,” a statement from the ministry said. “The ministry will
continue to monitor the situation and report to the Bahamian public if there are new developments.” Rescue crews in Florida have been sifting through the rubble since Thursday, looking for survivors. According to American news outlets, a 2018 structural report showed that the building had some “cracking”. “The waterproofing below the pool deck and entrance drive was failing and causing ‘major structural damage,’ according to the report by Frank Morabito of Morabito Consultants,” CNN reported.
PAGE 6, Monday, June 28, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
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Tourism returns at last - and we need it WHEN we wrote about the return of tourism on Friday, we said the Americans were coming – well, they’ll be here sooner than you might have thought. In the week before Independence, 13,000 cruise visitors are expected to come to The Bahamas. For Bahamian businesses, resorts, bars, shops – that’s 13,000 opportunities. Already, the mega resorts of Atlantis and Baha Mar are making the most of it. Baha Mar is reporting occupancy rates at the weekend of 75 percent. If that’s good, Atlantis has bettered it, with 90 percent. There’s been talk of a bounce back – this is it. What has brought this rapid return? Well, part of it is that people have been unable to travel for so long because of COVID restrictions that people have been aching to get away. They have been wanting sun, sand and sea – and here they come. The other part of it is the surge in vaccinations, particularly in the key markets from which our visitors largely come. The United States has now vaccinated just under half its population – 46.4 percent are fully vaccinated at the time of writing, and that number is going up and up. That number is more impressive when you consider that children are still mostly unvaccinated as testing continues to ensure the vaccines are safe for young people. The ships coming to visit include both those that are home porting here, and others that have resumed sailing from Florida. Looking further, Virgin Cruise Lines plans to visit Nassau towards the end of the third quarter of this year, while Disney is due to return in August, and Norwegian Cruise Line in September. The Nassau Cruise Port chief has also revealed cruise passengers will not have to be kept in a “bubble” while in Nassau when they disembark next week. The biggest key to this has been vaccination. As we reported last week, almost all fatalities in the US from COVID-19 are of people who have not been vaccinated. The vaccine isn’t a guarantee that you won’t catch COVID, but it makes the spread harder, and it reduces the effects. That lets people get back to normal – including going on holiday and coming here to The Bahamas. This is a boon for our economy, it is lifeblood to Downtown Nassau, which has suffered so long in the absence of
tourists, and it lets hotel, restaurant and bar workers get back to work. We’re not all the way back to where we were – which was a record year, so that may take quite a while – but this return of tourists is exactly what we need.
More murders
And now we go from one epidemic to another. We may see hope after the long effects of COVID on our health and our economy – but another, older epidemic has not gone away. Gladstone Francis Jr was outside a home with his daughter on Thursday night when a vehicle pulled up and opened fire. Mr Francis Jr died, while his daughter was in serious condition in hospital. Just 24 hours later, the niece of Mr Francis Jr, Shavonna Adderley, was outside the same house as she came to give her condolences when a car pulled up and gunmen got out and opened fire. Shavonna and another man were injured, with Shavonna later dying in hospital. Crime is the epidemic that never seems to go away. At the start of this year, Police Commissioner Paul Rolle insisted that a fall in murder figures last year had been down to the efforts of his officers, not because of COVID lockdowns. And yet, as lockdowns have eased up, so murder figures have started to rise. Earlier this month, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said murders had jumped by 52 percent compared to the same period last year, but suggested it was a global trend. Certainly, there has been investment in tackling crime, but some, such as the ShotSpotter technology, helps officers react after the event rather than deal with the issues beforehand. One thing for sure, as we emerge from the cloud of COVID, we do not want to return to living under the cloud of crime. We don’t want it for ourselves, for our family and friends, and we don’t want it for our reputation as a nation. We definitely don’t want a return to warnings being issued by the US over our crime levels and putting people off coming to visit just as we get back on our feet again. So, Commissioner, if COVID really wasn’t the cause of the decrease, it’s time to get those crime figures down again.
Where’s my CNN? EDITOR, The Tribune. AT ONE time at the end of a hard work week, I looked forward to going home of a Friday evening, crashing into my most comfortable armchair, switching on to the US TV Station CNN and enjoying their weekend feature programme. Not so anymore. On Friday evenings now when I switch to CNN I get the news that they are sorry that “this content is currently restricted” in the
Bahamas – I gather the restrictions are caused by something called REV. It then goes on to inform its viewers that the specific item that I had just tuned in to and was looking forward to enjoying for the evening could not be shown in the Bahamas at this time. Although CNN apologized and promised further details those details never come – and, as Smokey Joe used to say in the old days, “Well, bulla, my vexation is getting yucked up!”
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Please tell, who and what is REV. Since REV seems to be the culprit behind the scenes, maybe it’s time for REV to ‘fess up and explain what it is up to. I suppose it really doesn’t matter, but if REV doesn’t hurry up and get out of the way so that I can watch my favourite station, I shall have to start turning my dial to find another US station that will make Friday night again the night to look forward to as an evening of relaxation before the TV. If REV is tongue-tied and doesn’t quite know how to explain itself, maybe CNN will let us into its top secret! A LOYAL VIEWER Nassau, Friday night, June 25, 2021.
CNN
Attorney General comments EDITOR, The Tribune. AS A female professional, I was somewhat disappointed by the recent remarks of Mr Carl Bethel, the Honourable Attorney General, when he referred to the loss of employment of female prosecutors in the Office of the Public Prosecutions by highlighting same as burned out and contracting stressful illnesses. I can only imagine how demeaning and humiliating this reference to gender of those female prosecutors who have the robust role of the conduct and carriage of trial proceedings in the courts, primarily the Supreme Court. At the outset, let me state unequivocally that it has always been my opinion that Mr Bethel, over the years, has demonstrated to be one of our best political debaters our Parliament has ever seen. Moreover, I have always had an excellent ‘legal’ rapport with him so the criticism herein of his statement about female prosecutors in no way intends to disparage the Honourable Attorney General in his position but merely made as to how such a progressive and learned mind can make such gender bias, unprofessional and judicial stereotypical observations in this twenty-first century. Nonetheless, I find such statement sexist, demeaning and uncomplimentary of the hard work of female prosecutors who essentially are the majority of prosecutors in conductlng criminal matters in our Supreme Courts – a fact which was unknown or unheard of
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net in the eighties and nineties. These women, in many instances, work very hard at presenting and prosecuting their cases in the interests of justice before the courts. Moreover, they usually conduct themselves in an admirable courteous and professional manner with regard to the opposing party (s). It is unfortunate, however, that it appears that they are directed by the Office of the DPP as to how they are to bring to court their cases and the conduct thereof albeit their individual training and grasp of the law may render an opinion of the possibility of entering nolle prosequi and not to continue to proceed to trial, the result of which contributes to the wholesale backlogging of the courts’ calendars. Surely, one does not have to study psychology to know that such demands or directives can, inter alia, cause tremendous personal and individual mental anguish irrespective of the gender of the prosecutor. Is gender the motivating factor behind the ‘intention’ to bring in foreign male lawyers to prosecute in our courts when culturally these new persons are not aware of our culture (& subcultures) and its ethos from which the law of the jurisdiction evolved. One only has to look abroad at how the Bahamian people (Black and White/Conchy Joes) living there and have taken prominence and excelled in whatever careers they
are engaged. So much so, that those who are still here have also shown to have some of the most brilliant minds on planet earth. We only have to look at the Bahamianisation of our Bench to observe our finest minds robustly applying the law in all cases. But for the Attorney General to target female prosecutors as being stressed and contracting illnesses clearly implies the stereotype attitude that these females are “the weaker sex” and perhaps incapable of the yeoman’s job as a public prosecutor in our courts – the AG’s comment faithfully reflects the sexism of our society. To this, may I remind the Honourable Attorney General, in a friendly way, that as God has given females the gift of maternity where she can produce another life after carrying same for nine months is no easy or simple task when compared to that of the role of a female prosecutor seeking indictment of cases she has the carriage and conduct. Perhaps, in an attempt to save the public purse wasteful funds by hiring of those from abroad, the AG should seek to re-engage those who are burned out or generally overwhelmed demonstrating compassion in helping “team members” who have left the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions feel secure, understood, and supported with new incentives for re-employment and support services rendered to them. E V ALBURY Nassau, June 26, 2021.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, June 28, 2021, PAGE 7
RED CROSS ELECTS NEW TEAM FROM left, Edison Sumner, president Terez Curry, and past president Brendan Watson. THE Bahamas Red Cross Society has elected new executive leadership for the upcoming two-year term. During the 39th Biannual Central Council and Annual General
Meeting held on Thursday and Friday, Edison Sumner, Dr Erecia Hepburn, Mark Moxey and Lashea Douglas were elected as first vice president, second vice president, treasurer and
youth representative respectively. Returning members of the executive committee included its president, Terez Curry, and Vincent Wallace-Whitfield who serves as legal counsel.
HAITIAN WOMAN DENIES ASSAULT By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A HAITIAN woman was granted $3,000 bail on Friday after pleading not guilty to assaulting another woman last month. Angeline-Charite Colas, 43, stood before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain after she was accused of assaulting Nakicka Fleurival on May 12. Officers also alleged that Colas overstayed her time in the Bahamas. However, during the hearing, the accused pleaded not guilty to both counts. Colas’ attorney told the court his client, a mother of two, had applied for a work permit renewal, which he said was still “pending.”
The attorney also told Magistrate Swain that he would provide her with proof of the accused’s immigration status before her trial on July 15. She was subsequently granted bail at $3,000 with one surety. Also appearing before Magistrate Swain was Colas’ husband, Raphael Colas, 40. Police allege that Colas deceived a police officer on June 23 after officers went to his home searching for his wife concerning an assault complaint made against her. However, the court was told that when police made their enquiries that day, Colas told them he didn’t know who she was and denied her living at the residence.
MAN ACCUSED OF HOUSEBREAKING By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 31-YEAR-OLD man was remanded to prison on Friday after being charged with several housebreaking and stealing incidents. Richardson Calixte was charged with five counts of housebreaking and one count each of stealing and receiving during his hearing before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on Friday. Officers allege that on March 30, Calixte broke into a home on West Bay Street and stole $4,500 in cash and an assortment of items together valued at $15,000, all belonging to Anthony Frazier. The 31-year-old is also alleged to have broken into the residence of Winston Newton on May 15. He was further charged with breaking into the home of Orlando Rodriquez on May 11and stealing a number of items, including a gold bracelet, a pair of gold earrings, etc, all valued at over $9,000.
On the next count, officers alleged that on April 22, Calixte being concerned with another, broke into an Airbnb and stole several Apple laptops, a pair of headphones and a backpack, all together valued at over $6,400. Calixte faced another count of housebreaking after he was accused of breaking into the home of Joyanne Petty on June 22. It is alleged that the accused stole and received several of Ms Petty’s belongings, including her watch, cell phone and gate remote the same day. The court was told the items, all together, valued at $800. During Friday’s hearing, Calixte pleaded not guilty to all the counts. However, bail was denied. He was subsequently remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial on November 1. Calixte was told he has the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.
TWO ARRESTED FOR DRUG POSSESSION A MAN and a woman were arrested in Grand Bahama on Friday accused of drug possession with intent to supply. Police said shortly before 5pm, officers from the Flying Squad and Mobile Patrol units, acting on information and armed with a search warrant, went to a residence on Coco Plum Street, Pioneers Loop. Upon the officers arrival, a search was executed in the presence of the occupants, where officers discovered 41 foil wraps with suspected marijuana inside a cereal box. Another package was also checked and a small amount of suspected marijuana was discovered. Upon checking a sofa, officers found an additional 16 foil wraps with suspected marijuana. Officers also seized $295 in cash suspected to be proceeds of crime. As a result, a 45-yearold man and a 37-year-old woman were arrested.
Meanwhile, Abaco police have arrested a man for housebreaking. Around 4pm on Thursday, June 24, a team of officers from the Abaco division, acting on information and armed with a search warrant, searched a residence at Park Street, Sandy Point. Officers discovered one black 20-inch Phillips television, one black 40-inch Samsung television, one black 40-inch TCL television, two black 47-inch Sceptre flat screen televisions, and one 32-inch black Sceptre television. Upon further checks of the residence, officers discovered a large amount of electronics and fishing equipment inside a hidden compartment of a wooden bed frame. As a result, a 21-yearold man of Sandy Point, Abaco, was arrested. He is expected to be arraigned in an Abaco court today, police said.
Officers, armed with a search warrant, then went inside the house and found Mrs Colas hiding underneath the bed. As a result, both defendants were arrested. During the hearing, Colas pleaded not guilty. Magistrate Swain subsequently adjourned the matter to July 15 and granted bail at $3,000 with one surety.
Suspect: I did not attack my sister with a knife By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A 43-YEAR-OLD man who denied assaulting his sister earlier this week was on Friday granted bail ahead of his trial. Harcourt Williams appeared before Magistrate Algernon Allen Jr after he was accused of assaulting his sister with a knife on June 23. Officers also allege that Williams threatened to kill her the same day. During the hearing, he pleaded not guilty to both counts. “This is a family matter. I never approach her with no knife,” he told the court. The complainant, who was also present during
Friday’s hearing, told the court the accused was a drug addict who sometimes did funny things around the house like rearranging the furniture. She also asked the court to get help for him. However, Magistrate Allen Jr explained that Williams would have to get help for himself and subsequently asked her if she wanted to withdraw the charges against him. She replied that she wanted the case to proceed. Magistrate Allen Jr subsequently adjourned the matter to July 13 for trial and granted the accused $5,000 bail with one or two sureties. In the interim, Williams was ordered to report to
the East Street South Police Station on Mondays and Wednesdays. He was also warned not to interfere with any of the witnesses involved in the matter. Also appearing before court on Friday for similar offences was Martinique Wallace, 35. Wallace was accused of assaulting a woman with a beer bottle and causing her harm on July 22, 2020. During her hearing, the 35-year-old denied the allegations and her case was adjourned to July 20 for trial. Bail was granted at $3,000 with one or two sureties and she was also told not to contact any of the witnesses involved in the matter in the interim.
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021
For the family of murdered Breanna the pain of her loss has never gone away By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net THE family of Breanna Mackey, will never see her face or hear her voice again in this life. Her hugs, her smell, her big personality are now confined to a small coffin, six feet below the surface of the earth. At around 5.48pm on January 25, 2018, just a day after Breanna’s 19th birthday, she was attacked while walking to a friend’s house to deliver a piece of birthday cake. Her assailants, or friends as she thought they were, took her life over a cracked cell phone - kicking, stomping and stabbing her repeatedly. Breanna’s sister, Latisha Woodside, held her sister’s blood-soaked body in her arms and watched her eyes roll back several times, as she warded off imminent death and asked for her mother’s presence. Breanna died at the hospital at 8:28 pm that day, leaving behind a four-year-old child. Six females - Thea Williams, Zaria Burrows
(pregnant at the time), Der- need something she would vinique Edwards, Davanya give them that $5. “She was very energetic. Laws, along with two juveshe went, niles - were charged with Everywhere Breanna’s death. Thea Wil- people fell in love with her liams, the girl who did the because they loved her actual stabbing received 25 spirit and the type of person years, while Edwards and she was. She was a very Burrows received 28-year happy soul. She was working at a bar and sentences. doing hair. She Lawes and the She was very was a sweet, juveniles got energetic. kind soul. If off on time Everywhere she she was mad served in jail. Just last went, people fell with you today, she would week, Edwards in love with her come right and Burrows because they back to you were the last loved her spirit and make you of the six to be laugh again. and the type of sentenced. She never held Three years person she was. grudges.” later, the family She was a very Breanna of Breanna became the happy soul. Mackey are still target of her grappling with friends when one the tragedy of her death. asked her to retrieve a cell Speaking with The Tribune, phone from a nearby bag. last week, her sister Latisha The phone, fell and the remembers her warmly. screen was cracked and the “My sister, she was a very group of girls felt Breanna nice person,” Latisha said. was responsible for repair“She was a free spirit. She ing it at the cost of $100. was very free handed. She When Breanna revealed would give people her very she had no money to fix it, last. If someone is in need tempers flared and the situand she has $5 and they ation escalated. On that fateful night as come to her and say they
she innocently took that piece of cake to a friend the group of girls, jumped out of a car and chased her as she tried to run away. She fell, they caught up with her and subsequently ended her life. Sadly, that is the story Brianna’s now seven-year-old daughter will hear whenever the tale is told of her mother’s final hours. She, too, is having a hard time dealing with her mother’s death. “Breanna’s daughter is sevenyears old,” Latisha continued. “Her name is Brenae Mackey. She lives with Breanna’s father and his wife. It’s very hard for her daughter because she is always asking how come her cousins have their mother and she doesn’t have hers. “She is always asking why they took her mommy away from her. It’s hard on her. She sits down and she cries and it hurts us to see her like that. Her aunt told us that she needs counselling BREANNA MACKEY, as she is still traumawas who was killed on tized by her mother’s killed January 25, 2018, death.” the just a day before her Asked how she day 19th birthday. and her family fared after since her sister’s death, her the response from Latibirthday. sha was grim. Her birth“I haven’t been the same day was January at all since they took my 24 and she was killed Janusister’s life over stupidity,” ary 25. She didn’t even get she said. “Every day I think to live her life. This is so sad about my sister. I think and she died by the hands about the time we spent of her so called friends.” with each other and the Asked about the recent times she made me laugh. sentencing of her sister’s Looking at her pictures ... I can barely look at them assailants, Latisha said the because I cry every time I family is mostly pleased with it, however further see them. “I constantly reminisce in the conversation, she about the time when they shared that the torment of took her life and sometimes her sister’s death does not I just stay away from every- end, but instead continues one and lock myself away on with the family of those and think about my sister. I who killed her. “We are very pleased think about her all the time, like if she was still here how with the time they got,” he said. “My sister, Brethings would have been. “Breanna was the life of anna, can rest properly now our family. She was only 19 because justice has been years old! It hurts so much served and we the family because she got killed can get some kind of cloon my son’s birthday. So sure. Trust me, it’s not easy when I try to celebrate his losing a loved one espebirthday I am celebrating cially how she got taken her death. I can’t even cel- away by the hands of her so called friends. ebrate at all. “We wish they could “This is all very painful. With me, I can’t see her or have gotten more, but the hear her voice anymore. judge had to go by the rules She always told people that of the court. So we are very I am her twin and her role pleased. “We attended the trial. model. It’s just like a wound Me, my sisters Nafatera that will never heal.” Unfortunately Breanna’s Brown and Tonia Sturrup family did not participate and all the family used to in any form of counselling be out there to the trial. But after her murder. Breanna, the other girls’ family being the last of 13 children, used to be out there pickwas her mother’s baby. For ing problems with us. So it this reason, especially, her wasn’t easy with us going mother is struggling with out there because they acted like we were the susher demise. “Our family didn’t do pects. We really were the any counselling,” Lati- victim’s family. The family sha admitted. “When the of the deceased.” Latisha went on to speak ordeal gets to my mom she walks and talks to herself of her family feeling threatabout it. Sometimes she ened and uncomfortable at sits down in her bathroom court while seeking justice or bedroom alone and you for her sister. “They (the assailants’ could hear her saying how they took her baby’s life. It families) treated us like we is very painful for a mother were the ones who murto lose her child and by a dered someone in their senseless killing. It’s not family,” she continued. “The police gave us no juseasy! “My mom had 13 kids tice out there, either. The and Breanna was the last police at court told us to go one. She was the baby! She the next way when those
families start to carry on. But we are not the ones that should have to go the next way. It was our loved one who was snatched away by these people. “Those people acted like we did something wrong. Our loved one is in the grave. We cannot see or hear from her any more. And, the ones who took my sister’s life, their families still can see them. After the trial they are still trying to bother us. The ones that are free, when my mom and my kids and I are walking they try to bother us. I feel very threatened. “All we wanted was justice for my sister. When we used to party, when we go to a club someone would call them and let them know where we are, they would come there picking problems with us. We would just leave and go to another club. Then they would follow us there as well. They are looking for problems.” Latisha reflected on her response about the verdict and decided that all of the girls involved with her sister’s murder should have received the same sentence. “They are already involved in taking my little sister’s life,” she said. “I feel like the two of the girls who are out here free, they also took part in my sister’s death and all of them should have gotten the same amount of time. The two years, time served, that those two girls got is not pleasing at all. “All of them did the crime together and all of them should do the time together. We, the family, is not pleased at the time that those two girls got and they are free. They are troublesome and like to bother us. They are threatening us.” Although all of her assailants have served or are serving time for causing her death, Breanna’s mother has still lost her baby and Breanna’s daughter still has no mother. At the end of the day has justice really been served?
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 PAGE 9
Joint endeavour or collective surrender: resisting global tax THE proposal by the US government to establish a global minimum corporate tax is not a remote matter from the lives of people in the Caribbean. It is a real issue with deep implications for Caribbean economies, and, indeed, for the capacity of Caribbean countries to continue to participate meaningfully in the global trading and financial system. Neither Caribbean governments nor Caribbean people should ignore it. Their livelihoods depend on it. Further, the countries of the region should already have launched an initiative to respond to the US government’s proposal collectively. When the idea was mooted by Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, on April 5, every experience I had as a representative of Antigua and Barbuda, dating back to 1998 when the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched its assault on lowtax jurisdictions, told me that developing countries would be steamrollered into acquiescing to it. Consequently, I organised a meeting between officials of the US Treasury Department and a few Caribbean Ambassadorial colleagues on May 7, to better understand the scope of the initiative and the pace at which it would move. It was clear from that meeting, at which the Caribbean ambassadors present made their concerns and fears clear, that a minimum global corporation tax would be a juggernaut that would not easily be stopped. It would have been foolhardy to believe, even in its transition period, the Biden finance team had not
World View
By SIR RONALD SANDERS
canvassed the minimum tax with officials of the OECD and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It was no coincidence that, shortly after Secretary Yellen made the announcement of a minimum global corporation tax of 21 percent, IMF officials were endorsing the idea. It took no more than two months for the G7 countries – the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan, plus the European Union (EU) – to adopt a minimum tax for corporations of 15 percent. They did so on June 7, proclaiming it “a landmark deal”. The G7 agreed figure is six percent less than the US had proposed, but no one should believe the matter has ended. It is only the beginning of a new phase in the onslaught the OECD officially started in 1998 to end what its members called “harmful tax competition”. There is no guarantee the minimum global corporation tax will remain at 15 percent, or, that intrusion into setting tax rates will not extend into other areas. The OECD members then – and now – regard low tax jurisdictions as competitors in attracting corporations and, therefore, their ability to tax them. Having heavily taxed their populations from the cradle to the grave and beyond (no hyperbole) and faced with little possibility of taxing them further without voters heaving governments out of office, these governments
focused on low-tax jurisdictions, demonised them in the media and elsewhere. The OECD governments claimed they were operating on a playing field which was not level for them. Blacklists and threats of sanctions quickly followed, causing a procession of governments of developing countries to concede their sovereignty over tax matters. This “level playing field” effort is now an attempt to force corporations to stay in rich nations by securing a minimum global rate of tax that would give them no great advantage in shifting to lower tax jurisdictions. The next step is to get the agreement of the G20 countries when they meet in October. These countries are the G7 and the European union with 12 others, including China, India, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. If Caribbean countries, and other small developing states, are to try to put a brake on the steamroller, getting their case before the large, developed countries in the G20 is crucial. For, if the G20 endorses the plan, smaller countries will again be cast aside – the hapless victims of the world’s powerful states, as they are with climate change and getting vaccines to fight COVID-19. That is why vital alliances need to be struck now, starting within the Caribbean, extending to embrace
LEADERS of the G7 in Cornwall, England, earlier this year. From left, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Council President Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP countries in Asia and the Pacific, and then with other nations that are far from happy about being coerced into losing revenues and business to satisfy the tax hunger of a few. For instance, Switzerland is reported to be planning to give subsidies to companies, headquartered there, to offset the 15 percent tax. Ireland – an EU nation – has an advantageous corporate rate of 12.5 percent that has helped to grow its economy and improve its people’s lives. It wants no increase. These two countries and others could be important allies. The fact Caribbean countries – and other developing countries – oppose the imposition of a global corporate tax rate, should not be mistaken as hostility toward the US or any other country that favours higher taxes. But setting tax rates is a right of nations not an international prerogative of
the powerful. All nations understand that in the US, President Biden has an ambitious plan to build-out needed infrastructure to keep the US globally competitive, to create jobs and to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic. Other countries, especially, small developing ones have the same problems, but without the resources or the clout to establish a global rule that would suit them. They have to continue to compete on unlevel playing fields in almost every area of economic and commercial activity. Low taxes help Caribbean countries and others to attract investment they desperately need, because their exploitation and under development, for centuries, have made it difficult for domestic investment alone to drive their needed economic growth and social improvement.
No time should be wasted by Caribbean governments to assemble a strong team to advance their joint cause. There is not much time until the G20 meets in October, and much work needs to be done to give its developing member countries a convincing case to champion. Giving-in again should not be an option, but no one country can stand up alone. This is a joint endeavour, or it is surrender – one by one. • Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com. (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own).
PAGE 10 MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021
‘The COVID vaccine must be voluntary. And I must make this clear. I have noticed that there is this atmosphere that people who are not vaccinated could possibly be discriminated [against]. That should not happen.’ Senator Dr Michael Darville
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
Pandemicproof our bounce back
COVID-19 HAS been spreading through The Bahamas for the past 16 months. With government expenditure surpassing $290m and massive job losses, the siren call of tourism operators seeking to provide for guests again is hard to resist. Nonetheless, we still have our own dilemmas at home – with the continuing politicisation of COVID-19, vaccines and the economic rebound we so anxiously await. We know very well the countries that are our source markets continue to successfully vaccinate their people, so it is ruinous to continue with the nonsensical debate around vaccines in the manner we have been. Certainly, the decision to become vaccinated is a choice in a free and democratic country. However, the fact that certain programmes to incentivise that choice are now being labeled as discriminatory is utterly flabbergasting. Early in the pandemic, when we were all locked down and on the brink of insanity, we could not imagine the invasion of COVID-19 lasting for the long haul. Now, over a year later, when an end is possibly in sight, conspiracy theorising, miseducation and fear-mongering have become the order of the day. Such talk is dangerous for our country, public health and our livelihoods. And unfortunately, there are some who can clearly understand the difference who are only focusing on the side of the discussion that is more appetising during election season. We’re seeing politicians who have a platform and the good sense to know the importance of widespread vaccination fanning the flames of division without discussing the reality of what may come if we were to see another surge of COVID-19 while the rest of
By MALCOLM STRACHAN
like the government or the Prime Minister. But one thing we must understand as a people is the world is heading in the that we vote governments other direction. in. And just as we voted While debate of the the current government in, 2021/2022 Budget carried they can be voted out. High on in the Lower House office is a place people pass on this matter, Senator through. Therefore, we Dr Michael Darville has cannot make decisions that been one of the voices might be injurious to ourcautioning against vaccine selves or our future simply discrimination. because we disagree with “The COVID vaccine the politics of those guiding must be voluntary,” he said this process. while giving his remarks. Last year, the UN stated “And I must make this in its World Economic clear. I have noticed that Situation and Prospects there is this atmosphere (WESP) report that the that people who are not pandemic was on target to vaccinated could possibly push more than 34 million be discriminated [against]. people into extreme povThat should not happen. erty worldwide. Even more “COVID vaccines must unsettling, they also forebe voluntary and indi- cast global economic losses viduals who have not been up to $8.5 trillion over the vaccinated should not be next two years. discriminated Real[against]. istically ‘The fact that Even though, speaking, as a medical certain programmes the only professional, to incentivise that thing standI am preaching between ing that you choice are now where we take the vac- being labeled as are and those cine, if you discriminatory projections do not, you is vaccine is utterly should not be uptake in discriminated flabbergasting. Early the counupon.” in the pandemic, tries whose House vaccination when we were all Speaker Halson locked down and on programmes are leadMoultrie the brink of insanity, ing the way. also shared Much to similar senti- we could not ments during imagine the invasion our benefit, his appear- of COVID-19 lasting the US and the UK are ance on a two of those for the long haul. local radio countries. talk show Now, over a year Still, we this week. later, when an must conHe summed sider what up the gov- end is possibly in type of hosts ernment’s sight, conspiracy we intend to decision to theorising, be. offer incenA Bahamiseducation and tives for mas able to inoculated fear-mongering boast of its citizens vaccinated plainly – get have become the population vaccinated or order of the day. and region“suffer the leading consequences”. While both men avoided COVID-19 protocols would the sensationalism we’ve potentially send our climb often heard on this subject, back to 2019 statistics into there was still much more high gear. Especially with to be hashed out in the early tourist arrival numbroader conversation about bers indicating people have been waiting and wanting vaccinations. Surely, we can all agree to return to our destination, that dumbing the discus- we need not tarry on pansion down further to the demic-proofing our bounce government treating privi- back. The decision to vaccinate leges for the vaccinated like a school dress up day is not is one for each citizen of helpful either. However, the the Commonwealth of The question ought to be if the Bahamas. Likewise, the benefits outweigh the good. responsibility to become We hear a lot of the fears informed about what’s at associated with taking the stake is also your own. Democratic governments vaccine. But even with such low numbers of people all over the world would having side effects – as low mandate COVID-19 vaccias less than one percent of nations if they could avoid the Bahamians who took liability. That said, expect the jab experiencing such the world to become a very symptoms – we still con- uncomfortable place for tinue to have superficial the unvaccinated as barridiscussions that stink of ers continue to fall for most how much one may not people.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
HOW WORRIED SHOULD YOU BE OVER CYBER THEFT OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA?
By MERRILL WARKENTIN, Professor of Information Systems, Mississippi State University
THE headlines are filled with news about ransomware attacks tying up organisations large and small, data breaches at major brand-name companies and cyberattacks by shadowy hackers associated with Russia, China and North Korea. Are these threats to your personal information? If it’s a ransomware attack on a pipeline company, probably not. If it’s a hack by foreign agents of a government agency, maybe, particularly if you’re a government employee. If it’s a data breach at a credit bureau, social media company or major retailer, very likely. The bottom line is your online data is not safe. Every week a new major data breach is reported, and most Americans have experienced some form of data theft. And it could hurt you. What should you do?
MILDLY ANNOYED OR MAJORLY AGGRIEVED
First, was the latest digital crime a ransomware attack or was it a data breach? Ransomware attacks encrypt, or lock up, your programmes or data files, but your data is usually not exposed, so you probably have nothing to worry about. If the target is a company whose services you use, you might be inconvenienced while the company is out of commission. If it was a data breach, find out if your information has been exposed. You may have been notified that your personal data was exposed. US laws require companies to tell you if your data was stolen. But you can also check for yourself at haveibeenpwned.com. A data breach could include theft of your online credentials: your user name and password. But hackers might also steal your bank account or credit card numbers or other sensitive or protected information, such as your personal health information, your email address, phone number, street address or Social Security number. Having your data stolen from a company can be scary, but it is also an opportunity to take stock and apply some commonsense measures to protect your data elsewhere. Even if your data has not been exposed yet, why not take the time now to protect yourself?
HOW BAD IS IT?
As a cybersecurity scholar, I suggest you make a risk assessment. Ask yourself some simple questions, then take some precautions. If you know your data was stolen, the most important question is what kind of data was stolen. Data thieves, just like car thieves, want to steal something valuable. Consider how attractive the data might be to someone else. Was it highly sensitive data that could harm you if it were in the wrong hands, like financial account records? Or was it data that couldn’t
really cause you any problems if someone got hold of it? What information is your worst-case vulnerability if it were stolen? What could happen if data thieves take it? Many e-commerce sites retain your purchase history, but not your credit card number, so ask yourself, did I authorize them to keep it on file? If you make recurring purchases from the site, such as at hotel chains, airlines and grocery stores, the answer is probably yes. Thieves don’t care about your seat preferences. They want to steal your credit card info or your loyalty rewards to sell on the black market.
retains your credit card number. You can record your unique passwords on a piece of paper hidden at home or in an encrypted file you keep in the cloud. Or you can download and install a good password manager. Password managers encrypt passwords on your devices before they’re sent into the cloud, so your passwords are protected even if the password manager company is hacked. If your credit card number was exposed, you should notify your bank. Now is a good time to set up mobile banking alerts to receive notifications of unusual activity, big purchases and so on. Your bank may want to issue new cards with new numbers to you. That’s considerably less of If you haven’t already, set a hassle than experiencing up two-factor authentica- identity theft. tion with all websites that You should also consider store your valuable data. closing old unused accounts If data thieves stole your so that the information password, but you use two- associated with them is no factor authentication, then longer available. Do you they can’t use have a loyalty your password account with a to access your ‘The bottom hotel chain, resline is your account. taurant or airline It takes a little online data that you haven’t effort to enter used in years and that single- is not safe. won’t use again? use code sent Every week Close it. If you to your phone a new major have a credit each time, but it card with that does protect you data breach company, make from harm when is reported... sure they report the inevitable And it could the account breach occurs. closure to the Even better, use hurt you. credit reporting an authentica- What should agencies. tion app rather Now is a great you do?’ than texting time to check for two-factor your credit authentication. This is espe- reports from all three cially critical for your bank credit bureaus. Do you and brokerage accounts. rarely apply for new credit If you think your health- and want to protect your related information is identity? If so, freeze your valuable or sensitive, you credit. Make sure to genershould also take extra pre- ate unique passwords and cautions with your health record them at home in care provider’s website, case you need to unfreeze your insurance company your credit later to apply and your pharmacy. for a loan. This will help If you used a unique pass- protect you from some of word instead of reusing a the worst consequences of favourite password you’ve identity theft. used elsewhere, hackers can’t successfully use your • Originally published on credentials to access your theconversation.com other accounts. One-third of users are vulnerable because they use the same password for every account. Take this opportunity to change your passwords, especially at banks, brokerages and any site that
WHAT TO DO
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MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 PAGE 11
PAGE 12, Monday, June 28, 2021
FRENCH FAR RIGHT BEATEN IN ELECTIONS PARIS Associated Press MAINSTREAM candidates delivered a stinging setback to France’s far right in regional elections yesterday, thwarting its hopes of winning control of a region for the first time and slowing its momentum ahead of the presidential contest next year. The Ifop polling agency estimated that the far right National Rally barely surpassed 20 percent of the vote nationally, trailing both the mainstream right and the combined weight of green and leftist candidates. National Party leader Marine Le Pen quickly conceded that her party had failed to win any of mainland France’s 12 regions. She immediately started looking forward to next year’s presidential vote, but her party’s showing suggested that it remains anathema to many voters. Most notably, polling agencies said the National Rally was roundly beaten in the southeast, in the region that had been seen as its best chance of securing a breakthrough victory in the balloting for regional councils. As in previous national and local elections, voters appeared to have come together to prevent a National Rally breakthrough.
THE TRIBUNE
Families frustrated at pace of condo rescue
CREWS work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo yesterday in Surfside, Florida. SURFSIDE, Florida Associated Press
and dwindling hopes. No one has been pulled alive from the pile since hours after the collapse on Thursday morning. Some family members were taken by bus Sunday to a location near the site after relatives frustrated with the pace of rescue efforts demanded to visit the scene. “My daughter is 26 years old, in perfect health. She could make it out of there,” one mother told rescuers during a weekend meeting with family members. A video of the meeting was posted by Instagram user
Abigail Pereira. “It’s not enough,” continued the mother, who RESCUERS digging was among relatives who through the rubble of a pushed authorities to bring Florida beachfront condo in experts from other counsought to reassure famitries to help. “Imagine lies that they were doing if your children were in as much as possible to find there.” missing loved ones, but More than 150 people the crews said they needed remain unaccounted for in to work carefully for the Surfside, and authorities best chance of uncovering and loved ones fear the toll survivors. will go much higher. As the death toll rose Scores of rescue workers yesterday to nine, relatives remained on the massive were growing increasingly pile of rubble, searching desperate for news and worfor survivors but so far only ried about the slow progress finding bodies and human remains. In a meeting with families on Saturday evening, people moaned and wept as Miami Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah explained why he could not answer their repeated questions about how many victims they had found. “It’s not necessarily that we’re finding victims, OK? We’re finding human remains,” Jadallah said, n Central Education Authority invites applications from qualified individuals for the position of according to the video The Anglican Central Education Authority invites applications from posted on Instagram. LUM EDITOR. This position reports directly to the Deputy Director of Education, Curriculum qualified individuals for the position of CURRICULUM EDITOR. Every time crews find ionThis and position to the Director of Education. reports directly to the Deputy Director of Education, remains, they clean the area
CURRICULUM EDITOR CURRICULUM EDITOR
Curriculum and Supervision and to the Director of Education.
Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP and remove the remains. They work with a rabbi to ensure any religious rituals are done properly, Jadallah said. “So the question is, is why is things taking so long?” he said, “What we’re doing is making sure that everything is followed to a ‘T’.” Authorities said their efforts are still a searchand-rescue operation. Alan Cominsky, chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, said they are holding out hope of finding someone alive, but they must be slow and methodical. “The debris field is scattered throughout, and it’s compact, extremely compact,” he said. Debris must be stabilised and shored up as they go. “If there is a void space, we want to make sure we’re given every possibility of a survivor. That’s why we can’t just go in and move things erratically, because that’s going to have the worst outcome possible,” he said. So far, he said, they have not come across any voids.
In meetings with authorities, family members repeatedly pushed rescuers to do more. One asked why they could not surgically remove the largest pieces of cement with cranes, to try to uncover bigger voids where survivors might be found. “There’s not giant pieces that we can easily surgically remove,” replied Maggie Castro, of the fire rescue agency, who described herself as “one of the people out there attempting to find your family members.” “They’re not big pieces. Pieces are crumbled, and they’re being held together by the rebar that’s part of the construction. So if we try to lift that piece, even as carefully, those pieces that are crumbling can fall off the sides and disturb the pile,” Castro said. She said they try to cut rebar in strategic places and remove large pieces, but that they have to remove them in a way that nothing will fall onto the pile. “We are doing layer by layer,” Castro said. “It doesn’t stop. It’s all day. All night.”
t must have a Master’s Degree in Education concomitant with Teacher Certification and at least 5 The applicant must have Master’s Degree Educationliterate. concomitant istrative experience. The aapplicant must beincomputer with Teacher Certification and at least 5 years’ administrative n curriculum writing is desired. experience. The applicant must be computer literate. Experience in curriculum writing is desired.
es and responsibilities include:
Primary duties and responsibilities include:
sting in the development and implementation of new or expanded programs and curricula in • Assisting in the development and implementation of new or expanded ation for the K-12 learning progression. programs and curricula in education for the K-12 learning progression. • Coordinating curriculum integrating core curriculum instructional dinating curriculum design design integrating core curriculum into into instructional initiatives and support initiatives and supportthe its community implementation through the community of schools. mplementation through of schools. • Identifying instructional needs, developing, and providing ongoing data driven ifying instructional developing, andpractices providing data reports, developing reports, developingneeds, programs based on best in ongoing curriculum anddriven instruction, rams based management, on best practices curriculum instruction, behavior management, career and behavior careerinand vocationaland planning, and transition between educational settings, and implementing changes in response to the needs. program changes tional planning, and transition between program educational settings, and implementing • Developing professional development materials (session-based, web-based, and sponse to the needs. of Cable Beach, Nassau, The web-hybrid instructional formats) in all subject areas K-12 and facilitating the loping professional development materials (session-based, web-based, and web-hybrid Bahamas, who died on Sunday, implementation of the (schools and) ACEA professional development plan. uctional formats) in allvision subject areas K-12 and facilitating theand implementation of the (schools • Applying a strong for online professional development leveraging 20th June, 2021, will be held ACEA development plan. resources, creating instructor and open professional resources as well as ACEA -created at Christ Church Cathedral, participant professional development ying a strong guides visionand for supplemental online professional development andmaterials. leveraging open resources as well • Analyzing current best practices in education for the 21st century and George Street, Nassau, on CEA -created resources, creating instructor and participant guides and supplemental beyond; identifying, acquiring, and cataloging programming for preview Wednesday, 30th June, 2021 at ssional developmentpurposes; materials. and demonstration coordinating the development, selection, and 4:00 p.m. procurement of instructional andfor equipment; leveraging instructional yzing current best practices inmaterials education the 21st century and beyond; identifying, acquiring, technology resources tofor support program into instruction. cataloging programming preview and integration demonstration purposes; coordinating the • Designing personalized learning experiences for students that lopment, selection, and procurement of instructional materials and equipment; leveraging The Very Reverend Harry Bain, allow for differentiated instructional outcomes and pacing. uctional technology resources support programtointegration instruction. • Implementing strategies thatto will allow students internalize into concepts and think Dean Of Nassau, will officiate. critically in each subject area; resulting infor increased reading comprehension. gning personalized learning experiences students that allow for differentiated instructional • Collaborating omes and pacing. with teachers and administrators to organize and promote interdisciplinary activities that promote a learner-centered learning environment. Cremation will follow. ementing strategies that will allow students to internalize concepts and think critically in each • Assisting with the review and analysis of ACEA policies related to the ct area; resulting in increased readinginto comprehension. integration of instructional initiatives teaching and learning, reviewing aborating teachers and administrators to organize and promote inter-disciplinary activities He will be loving remebered by his mother, Satu Wiberg; trainingwith materials, reference guides, memoranda, and user newsletters. • Providing coaching support to teachers, including demonstration promote a learner-centered learning environment. father, John Wiberg and stepmother, Sofia Wiberg; grand lessons, classroom and of professional development. sting with the reviewvisitations, and analysis ACEA policies related to the integration of instructional parents, The Honourable Anders and Jane Wiberg and • Supporting instructional activities of school-based staff. tives into teaching and learning, reviewing training materials, reference guides, memoranda, Heikki Dementjeff; brother, Oliver Wiberg; sister, Isabelle userThe newsletters. successful candidate will be expected to: uncles, Yrjo Valkeisenmaki, Eric (Alex) and James • work as partsupport of a team other members the Education Department iding coaching towith teachers, includingofdemonstration lessons, classroom visitations,Wiberg; and and ACEA staff to support ACEA goals and initiatives including Wiberg; aunts, Marjo Dementjeff, Margit Dementjeff, Ann ssional development. cohesive implementation of the ACEA content standards. Bekken, Fina Johnson and Lynette Wiberg; grand uncle, orting instructional activities school-based • possess strong people skills,of with the capacity staff. to communicate intelligently, clearly and
Memorial Service For
Henrik Anders Wiberg, 17
diplomatically while engaging key stakeholders
John and Terrell McDermid and Ralph McDermid and
• perform other reasonable duties as required by the Bishop, the Diocesan Administrator, or the Financial Comptroller.
Matthew Robinson, Sammy Davis, Jason Spurlock, Calum Moodie, Jack Watson, Gabriel Macadd, Hudson Cleare, Gracyn Mosko, Julie Hernqvist, Alan Vogel, Aria Goodie, Jules Bouffard, Regan Russell, Patrick Pearce, Isabella Roker, Richard Spurlock, Aidan Roker, Nathan Cleare, Hanna Dajani, Victor Cleare, Jack Bond, Trent Thomasand Stuart Cove Dive Center.
• possess awill strong ul candidate be command expected of to:the English Language, oral and written. family; cousins, Miika Valkeisenmaki, Oscar, Whilhelm, • is knowledgeable of all subjects taughtofinthe Anglican schools, Kindergarten Grade 12 as part of a team with other members Education Department and –ACEA staff to support Axel, Ake, Siorse, Anders, Elizabeth and Magus Wiberg and the Ministry of Education’s curricula so as to harmonize and provide congruency A goals and initiatives including with cohesive of the ACEA content standards. for existing curricula documents those implementation of The Bahamas Ministry of Education. and many other relatives and close friends including Patrik ess •strong with theofcapacity toPolicy communicate intelligently, clearly and possesspeople a firm skills, understanding important documents that govern the Jarventausta, Artturi Eramaa, Miki Soimaniemi, Luka Anglican school system. (For Teachers’ Manual, Student Handbook, matically while engaging key examplestakeholders and Protect, Vision Management). Turklin, Sam Li, Aleksi Parkkinen, David Rodriquez, ess Student a strongAccountability, command of Respect the English Language, oral and written. Soft skills such as excitement, self-motivation, animation, and continued interest in the job are a plus for this position. The ACEA is mindful of the fact that our schools are Christian-based, and we expect our employees to be similarly minded. Our school curriculum will serve a dual purpose of compliance with the practices and mandates of the Bahamas Government and conformity to Anglican ethos and sound Biblical values. Interested persons are asked to submit their cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, copies of degrees and two references to: The Director of Education Anglican Central Education Authority P.O. Box N-656 Nassau, Bahamas
The deadline for application is Thursday, 1st July 2021
In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be sent to Bahamas Humane Society, P.O. Box N. 242, Nassau in memory of Henrik Anders Wiberg. Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, June 28, 2021, PAGE 13