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VOLUME:115 No.154, JULY 4TH, 2018

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

SPORTS: FINALLY - ENGLAND WIN A WORLD CUP SHOOTOUT

‘Where are they all going to live?’

Davis demands - what now for shanty families

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net LABOUR Minister Dion Foulkes’ admission that there will most likely be challenges finding rental properties in Abaco for evicted shanty town residents proves there is a lack of planning and vision by the government, according to Official Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday.

The Progressive Liberal Party’s leader said when it comes to cracking down on shanty towns, the government has only sought to say

the things Bahamians might want to hear without regard to actually carrying out the plan effectively.

On Saturday, Mr Foulkes told The Tribune with only few rentals available in Abaco, efforts could be complicated. He spoke shortly after the Shanty Town Action Task Force completed assessments on that island.

Responding to questions from this newspaper on the matter, Mr Davis suggested he has yet to understand the full gambit of the government’s plans when it comes to the shanty town issue.

SEE PAGE FIVE

FLYING THE FLAG FOR THE 4TH OF JULY

OMAR Archer claimed yesterday he has been offered a high ranking job at the Bahamas Agricultural & Industrial Corporation.

His comment follows rampant social media chatter and some criticism in recent days.

He said he expects to be made either director of security or director of

facilities, though he has not officially ascended to either position. He declined to say if he has a letter assuring him of such an appointment. His claim was nonetheless corroborated to The Tribune by people familiar with the matter.

This newspaper was unable to discuss the issue with BAIC Chairman Michael Foulkes, however, despite multiple WhatsApp messages and repeated SEE PAGE SIX

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ decision to reassign four Cabinet portfolios earlier this week may open the door to several new initiatives and policies within those respective ministries in the coming months.

Addressing the reassignments, both Frankie Campbell, now the minister of social services and urban development, and Renward Wells, now the minister of transport and local government, insisted they had no issue with the surprising move.

Particularly, Mr Wells told reporters the shuffle was to the credit of Dr Minnis, for his ability to assemble a team capable of handling such a move.

“At the end of the day, I think you would have seen that all of us, the four of us would have been moved, and we were moved very quickly,” he said in response to questions raised over the SEE PAGE SIX

US TOURIST TELLS COURT OF ISLAND SEX ATTACK

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

OMAR ARCHER - GOVT ‘OFFERED ME A JOB’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MOVING JOBS: THAT’S NOT A PROBLEM

THE TRADITIONAL US Embassy 4th of July party was held at the US ambassador’s residence yesterday - with guests including local politicians, entertainers and more. The annual event serves as a pre-cursor to today’s US Independence Day events.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

AN American woman has claimed a Bahamian man allegedly forced her to give him oral sex, assaulted her with two fingers and gave her oral sex without her consent on a Family Island four years ago.

The 21-year-old woman, testifying before Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson, said after Henry Gay allegedly forced her from her bike into nearby bushes to attack her in April 2014, he started making “small conversation” with her near Cockburn Town in San Salvador.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

HUSBAND OF EXUMA FATALITY LOSES LEG

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TIRAN Jackson, the husband of the woman killed over the weekend when an Exuma tour boat burst into flames, has had one of his legs amputated, according to a GoFundMe account created by his family.

He joins Stefanie Schaffer, a 22-year-old woman from Vermont with a love for dancing, who lost

TIRAN AND MALEKA JACKSON both of her legs after the accident.

Mr Jackson’s wife,

Maleka Jackson, was killed in the accident that injured 11 people. The two were celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary.

Up to press time yesterday, the family had raised $47,110 of their $100,000 goal on GoFundMe. Their post read: “As Maleka & Tiran were celebrating their 15th anniversary in The Bahamas, a tragic boat accident on June 30 claimed the life of Maleka and left Tiran in SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

ALICIA WALLACE: WE’VE GOT TO OFFER MORE THAN A BEACH

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Wednesday, July 4, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE GRAND LUCAYAN RESORT

Govt was ‘not hiding’ $25m Grand Lucayan equity stake

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold yesterday could not explain why ministers failed to discuss the $25m budget for an equity stake in the Grand Lucayan Resort during the budget debate in the House of Assembly last month.

“Not really,” he said when asked if the administration tried to hide the allocation.

“Lots of numbers are placed in the budget, they aren’t necessarily spelt out. It’s not something you hide from the Bahamian people forever. And it’s not a matter of hiding, it’s just there; whenever we need to talk about it, we have in this budget $25m to bring it to a close.”

Under questioning

by Progressive Liberal Party Senator Dr Michael Darville, Free National Movement senators revealed the allocation

in the Senate last week Monday.

Attorney General Carl Bethel said the government is still negotiating with the Toronto-based Wynn Group for the sale and revival of the property.

“The Bahamas government, this government indicated publicly we will negotiate and purchase it ourselves,” he said at the time.

“If no one else wants to do it, we are not going to allow to happen to the

Lucayan strip what was allowed to happen to the heart of downtown Freeport with the Royal Oasis hotel. We came in and we said we are not going to allow that to happen. So, no one was on the table and said we would buy it. We’ll buy it, we’ll fix it and we’ll get it open.

We intended to do it by the end of 2017. As soon as we came forward, all of a sudden everyone who was sitting on their hands playing cute got

serious and negotiations commenced.”

During yesterday’s briefing, Mr Newbold also said Environment Minister Romi Ferreira is in possession of a “complete analysis of the whole aragonite situation that will speak to the possible economic value of aragonite.”

“It’s one of these topics we’ve been hearing about for the last six years,” he said. “We should hear more about that, quite possibly as we should about the new

operators of the New Providence Landfill by the end of July.”

Mr Newbold was also asked about Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ decision to shuffle his Cabinet. He echoed Dr Minnis’ statement that he is confident in all his ministers and did not directly answer questions about concerns over Lanisha Rolle who will become youth, sports and culture minister after a tenure as social services minister.

ROYAL OASIS AN EYESORE - AND SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson has said the old Royal Oasis property in Grand Bahama cannot continue to remain an eyesore and that measures are being looked at to deal with the situation.

The property, made up of the 845-room Tower Hotel and Country Club – has badly deteriorated since it closed because of hurricane damage 14 years ago.

Harcourt Development, an Irish investment group, purchased the property for $33m but has done nothing to restore or refurbish the

buildings or maintain the grounds.

During a speech in the Senate last week, Mr Thompson briefly address the issue of Royal Oasis.

“Our office is also in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment and the Grand Bahama Port Authority looking at ways to change the status quo at Royal Oasis Harcourt Properties.

Specifically, whether any environmental laws are being breached and what remedies are available.

“These properties cannot continue to remain an eyesore in Grand Bahama,” he said.

The property, which was a major lifeline in Freeport,

sustained severe damage in 2004 following Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.

This resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 jobs in Freeport and also affected many nearby businesses, including the International Bazaar and the Straw Market, the Churchill Building, and the Pub on the Mall Restaurant.

Mr Thompson also noted that the government had made provisions that will help many people still suffering from hurricane damage on Grand Bahama.

He reported that since coming to office, the government through the Ministry of Works had issued 643 cheques of

$4,000 to residents in Grand Bahama for roof repair.

“This is an approximate value of over $2m going directly to help and bring relief to Grand Bahama,” he said, adding that government will issue an additional 300 plus cheques to residents.

“We are also extending for two years, the duty exemption on materials used for the renovation, repair, and upgrade of dilapidated buildings. We believe this will enable the remodel of many buildings that were damaged by Hurricane Matthew in Grand Bahama, particularly those severely damaged in Eight Mile Rock and West GB

as well as along Queens’s Highway.”

He also noted that the deal for the sale of the Grand Lucayan Resort must get done.

He said the impending Grand Lucayan deal is perhaps one of the most anticipated investment projects in Grand Bahama.

Mr Thompson said that it is expected to restore activity to the entire Lucayan strip, attracting an influx of visitors to the island, and bringing business to Port Lucaya Marketplace.

“The government’s commitment to this deal has never been stronger, he said.

“While completing this deal has proven to be very

complex and taken far more time than we hoped our resolve and dedication remains high.”

Senator Thompson said that the removal of VAT on residential electricity bills $200 or less, and water bills $50 or below, will benefit many in Grand Bahama.

“This will apply to all licenced utilities in the country, which of course, includes the Grand Bahama Power Company and Utility Company,” he added.

He also noted that the elimination of VAT on residential property insurance, and first-time homeowners stamp tax exemption will be extended for five years, will ease the process of becoming a homeowner.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 4, 2018, PAGE 3

Husband of Exuma fatality loses leg from page one critical condition. Maleka is survived by her husband, Tiran and 12-year-old son.

“With the support of the family, we are raising funds to cover medical and travel expenses as Tiran’s trauma has resulted in an amputation and other severe injuries. He has a long road ahead, which will include multiple surgeries and physical therapy.

“Funds will also be used to help with the care of their young son, who is currently in the care of out-of-state

family members and upon recovery, a widowed husband. Maleka was a loving mom, dedicated wife, grateful daughter and supportive friend. She will be greatly missed and her legacy will live on forever.”

In an interview with WDEF in Georgia, Melvin Grimes, the father of Mrs Jackson, said: “Maleka would be, I guess what I would call a shooting star. She had a life that kind of stayed straight on the course and it was a life that brought a lot of joy and a lot of support and love into the lives of others.”

THE BLAZE on the tour boat in Exuma.

Meanwhile, Schaffer’s family had raised $112,589 to assist with medical and travel expenses up to press time last night.

The Port Department has

MALEKA JACKSON, left, and her husband Tiran.

issued a cease and desist order to the operator of the destroyed vessel, Four C’s Adventures, prohibiting its operations until the investigation is completed.

Officials have not yet said if the operator had liability insurance and other requisite licences and

certifications.

The cause of the boat fire remains unknown.

Police initially reported the boat’s engine had exploded, but at a press conference on Monday, Acting Port Controller Commander Raymond King said this was not the case.

“I am unaware of what the police report stated but I’m sure the social media images would’ve revealed that the engines weren’t affected as part of the explosion but I wish not to speculate about what may have happened,” he said.

THE US Coast Guard loading a patient for transport to the US after the blaze.

DAVIS: PM NOT TAKING TRAGEDY SERIOUSLY ENOUGH

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ response to the Exuma boating tragedy shows a lack of appreciation for the seriousness of the situation, Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday.

On Monday when he was asked to speak about the horrific event, Dr Minnis offered brief remarks expressing condolences to the families of those affected

by Saturday’s accident. However, he told reporters he did not want to say anything on the matter because it was an active investigation.

He had the same response when he was asked if he could say whether the incident would bring more stringent regulations for the tour industry.

This was not sufficient, Mr Davis suggested.

Mr Davis said the prime minister’s response was typical for him, adding he had a similar attitude when it came to the traffic accident which claimed the life of a young woman – Garvanisha Carey – on Munnings Road last month.

Mr Davis said the victim’s mother indicated to him that she would appreciate a call from the prime minister. Mr Davis said he made several attempts to reach out to the prime minister, including sending an email to him, but still the mother had not been contacted by Dr Minnis.

“We appreciate that the investigation is ongoing,” Mr Davis said yesterday. “I don’t think he was called upon to speak of the events surrounding the circumstances that may have led to the tragic event. There are other issues that evolved from the event having happened and that is the seriousness of it.

“He could have responded to that. He could have spoken to those persons who are injured. He could have spoken to the family of the person who would have lost their life.

He could have spoken to the community because the likelihood of reputational concerns that could have resulted from it. Those are the things that he should have been speaking to.

“For example, if he said it is under investigation perhaps he could have given some outline of what the

government has done to ensure that the investigation will be effective, that the investigation will be transparent, that the investigation will result in some accountability. Those are some of the things.”

He continued: “For example I would have thought that he would have announced a team dealing with this matter.

“I would have thought that he would have announced some committee or some commission that could assist in dealing with the possible fall out internationally to deal with the issues that might arise from the reputational point of view and deal with the actual investigation. It has to be properly managed and I don’t know that he understands the whole gambit of what has happened.”

However, PLP Deputy Leader Chester Cooper seemed to have a different take.

He said there needed to be a consolidation of the message to ensure the incident and what is being done is conveyed the proper way internationally.

Apart from this, Mr Cooper said he was confident Exuma would rise

MARIJUANA FIELD DISCOVERED POLICE in North Andros uncovered a marijuana field with approximately 600 plants on Monday.

Shortly after 8am, officers from Andros, acting on information, went to an area near the Bahamas Agriculture Research Community, where they uncovered the field. No arrest was made in this incident.

Meanwhile, police in New Providence are investigating an armed robbery which occurred yesterday.

Shortly after 3am, a man

had just arrived at his residence in Gamble Heights off Baillou Hill Road south, when he was approached by a male armed with a

firearm, who robbed him of cash before getting into his grey 2001 Chevy truck and speeding away. Investigations are ongoing.

again, adding Exumians were generally pleased with the way in which resources came together in response to the accident.

He said: “I believe this tragedy is gone now to a new phase. We are generally concerned that the accident is properly conveyed in the international community.

“I’ve spoken with the minister of health and the minister of tourism and the director general of tourism.

I believe it is important that we all speak with one voice with respect to how we manage the international aspect of the tragedy itself.

“Exuma continues to be a resilient tourist destination.

Anyone who has travelled to Exuma understands the sheer beauty of the Exuma cays, the resilience of the tourism product and in fact we have 365 islands of the Bahamas. I would like to say 365 of the more beautiful islands reside in the Exuma cays. So I believe we will rise again.

“This will be a temporary moment of reflection to improve our game recognising that accidents do happen and we will discover that as tourism rebounded after even more significant events like the 9/11 incident, people will travel again people will recognise that we are upping our game in Exuma.”

Four C’s Adventures has been issued a cease and desist order to suspend operations pending an investigation into the accident that killed one American woman, caused another to lose both of her legs and injured nine other people on Saturday, according to former Transport and Local Government Minister Frankie Campbell.

Four C’s Adventures received the order on Sunday evening despite opening for business that day. The order was issued by the acting controller of the Port Department in conjunction with the Exuma Port Authority Board.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, July 4, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

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NATO allies defend military spending amid Trump criticism BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO allies are pushing back against US criticism that they are not spending enough on defence as President Donald Trump ratchets up pressure ahead of a summit next week.

In the weeks leading up to NATO’s July 11-12 summit in Brussels, Trump sent letters to the governments of Norway, other European allies and Canada demanding that they boost their defence spending.

After Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO allies agreed to stop cutting defence budgets, to start spending more as their economies grew and to move toward a goal of devoting 2 percent of GDP to defence within a decade.

In an email yesterday to The Associated Press, Norwegian Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen said “Norway stands by its decision of the NATO Summit in 2014 and is following up on this.”

Norway has spent “far beyond” NATO’s target on new military equipment, he added.

In Germany, “we stand by the 2 percent goal we’ve set,” Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.

“We’re on the path there. And we’re prepared ... to take substantial responsibility within the alliance,” she added.

When faced with the suggestion that the German government’s explanations might not impress Trump, von der Leyen retorted: “We don’t want to impress anyone.”

Germany is “investing as much as necessary, as appropriate and as is fair toward our common allies or partners in the alliance,” she said.

The upcoming NATO summit is the first major meeting since the fractious Group of Seven talks in Canada last month. NATO officials are concerned that trans-Atlantic divisions over trade tariffs, as well as the US pullout from the Paris global climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal, could undermine alliance unity.

In the letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, dated June 19, Trump wrote that despite her country’s important role in the alliance Norway “remains the only NATO ally sharing a border with Russia that lacks a credible plan to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defence”.

The stance was repeated in a similar letter to Belgium, where Trump said it will “become increasingly difficult to justify to American citizens why some countries continue to fail to meet our shared collective security commitments”.

Trump dressed down his NATO counterparts last year, publicly berating them for not spending enough and claiming they owe the US money. When he first came to office he even suggested that the US — by far NATO’s most powerful

ally — might not protect countries that don’t pull their weight.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel played down the importance of the letter he received, saying it was “typical” of things sent ahead of meetings like the NATO summit.

“I am not too intimidated by this type of mail,” he said, adding that Belgium is doing its part in the military alliance.

“We participate in many military operations with our NATO allies and it is this government that decided to end the systematic reduction of defence spending,” he said.

In Canada, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s chief of communications said the government has committed to increasing funding by more than 70 percent over the next decade.

“This plan has been rigorously costed, is fully funded, and serves Canada’s defence needs. It also upholds our longstanding role as an active contributor to global peace and security,” said Director of Communications Renée Filiatrault.

Despite the political rhetoric from the Trump administration, the 2 percent figure does not concern spending on NATO and no one owes the alliance or any ally money. It is about the size of national defence budgets only. Other factors that nations take into consideration when looking at burden-sharing are the amount of money spent on new military equipment and contributions to NATO operations.

But the US spends more on defence than all the others combined — 3.61 percent of GDP in 2016, or around $664 billion. That’s roughly two thirds of total spending on national budgets, according to NATO estimates.

Trump argues that a pledge was made and must be kept.

“The president has publicly shared his frustration that he’d like to see other countries step up and do more, particularly when they have the capability and they’ve made the commitment to do 2 percent. He’d like to see them fulfill that commitment,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee said Tuesday.

“The United States has more than surpassed that and is carrying a lot of that burden and he wants to see other countries that have the capability to do that step up and do the part that they committed to do,” she told reporters.

Others argue the 2 percent pledge is a guideline only.

“You can ask 10 lawyers to provide a legal interpretation of that document and then you will have, I guess, 10 different interpretations,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

“This document is not a legal document.

It is a political document with a political commitment.”

By Lorne Cook and Jan M Olsen of the Associated Press

Facelift for wharf EDITOR, The Tribune.

PRINCE George Wharf is in desperate need of a facelift. The area is very dirty and the smell of garbage and urine dominates much of the sidewalk across from the water.

But that isn’t the worst part. The worst part is that it is simply boring.

There are no attractions to speak of, not even that many restaurants and bars.

I have been to other destination ports in the region and found them to be much more interesting and exciting.

The Wharf is a ghost town at night and the same goes for Bay Street.

I can’t think of another busy tourist town in the world where that is the case.

Imagine how much visitor income we are losing every night to the cruise ships that keep their bars, restaurants and casinos open into the early morning.

The passengers surely get tired of the same amenities every night aboard the ship and would love to disembark and see what after-dark delights a new town has to

offer. Sadly, Nassau Town is closed for business after 6pm.

Over the years there have been multiple plans to redevelop downtown Nassau generally, including Prince George Wharf, but all of these came to nothing. A read about another such project recently, but then once again everything went quiet.

Why is it that we can’t do better when it comes to Prince George Wharf?

RICARDO JOHNSON Nassau, June 26, 2018.

We should welcome differences EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT is a safe bet that 212 years ago some Bahamians looked aghast at the “modern” monstrosity that was being built on the most commanding hilltop on the island of New Providence.

That hilltop was Mount Fitzwilliam and the building was the new Government House. It dwarfed everything else and it probably was, to the natives, a foreign design whose purpose was to literally and metaphorically situate the British governor high above the subjects he ruled.

Today we gaze on the building with pride even though we realise that it is outdated and is probably a nightmare to maintain and would cost a king’s ransom to renovate.

Recently, Catherine Knowles wrote to complain about what she sees as another monstrosity on a hill, this time an ultra-modern building that will house an even more futuristic IMAX theatre and stateof-the-art entertainment centre.

There are some who believe that all buildings in The Bahamas should follow the loyalist, colonial styles that were imported here with the colonisers and the loyalists fleeing the American Revolution in 1776.

Ms. Knowles is an individual who sees aesthetic beauty in those buildings she highlighted that have one common denominator – they are stuck in a time warp and from the outside at least show little regard for future add-ons as demand for their occupancy increases nor the ability to blend old with new.

According to press reports a young Bahamian entrepreneur, Carlos Foulkes, was forced to jump through hoops of fire to get a project going that would add to the many entertainment options available to our fast growing and technology savvy population.

functionality) of an old city like Nassau.

Sitting astride The Pointe and holding it in sharp letters@tribunemedia.net contrast is the Hilton BritStudies were commis- ish Colonial Hotel, now 94 sioned, no doubt, and one years old and still a grand can only imagine the many dame of the city.

In places like Singapore design changes he had to endure to first ensure that they blend old and new to his cinema on the hilltop spectacular touristic effect. could withstand the effects There, the Raffles Hotel of a Category 5 hurricane is an ultra-luxury property and then that it was archi- built in 1887 and restored tecturally kitted out to to its colonial glory as a allow him to, in future, add reminder of their past.

Walking distance away the latest bells and whistles which, as we all know, are is the ultra-modern Uob constant in the technology Towers office block and nearby on Clarke Quay business.

Mr Foulkes has plans for (pronounced cay) there is an environmentally friendly G-MAX bungee jumping and sustainable building from a (goodness gracious) with rooftop solar panels, crane tower, and a spectacuadvanced air filtration units larly choreographed sound (just in case the nearby and light extravaganza at dump catches fire again) night that is only accomand other features that plished by computers.

We should implore Ms demonstrate that he is not Knowles and those caring tone deaf to the community. citizens who have the best Ms Knowles no doubt of intentions that they wanted a sweeping veranda should be open to progress with rocking chairs out and to the incorporation of front, little to no parking new designs. They should spaces for patrons and a lobby the town planners thicket of trees hiding what and the architects to help must be a fantastic view of make our landmarks and Cable Beach, obstructed our public spaces refleconly by that other high-rise tive of modernity without sky-scratcher that pierces bulldozing or trashing our the skyline out west. historic buildings.

She didn’t have much Some of us belong to the trouble with that modern old school that says the old building, except to men- Royal Victoria Hotel and tion that the IMAX theatre Gardens should be rebuilt would block the view of on the same grounds in hotel guests on the top painstakingly exact archifloor. If you happen to be tectural detail and then a guest at Baha Mar and modernised internally and your view is looking south made fit-for-purpose as then you probably booked the home of the new para cheaper room which liament, MPs’ offices, the doesn’t afford you an ocean Hansard and the like. view and, in any event, you And because old school probably didn’t come all the can be flexible there are way here to look out of a those of us who applaud the window.

Central Bank for being forSimilarly, Ms Knowles ward leaning in the design joined the chorus of Ms of their new headquarters.

Pamela Burnside in conNo buildings in our great demning The Pointe hotel city should be cookie-cutin downtown Nassau. ter. Vive la différence!

Both seem to ignore the fact that old and new can THE GRADUATE co-exist side by side and Nassau, add to the charm (and the July 3, 2018.

LETTERS

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 4, 2018, PAGE 5

OFFICIALS talk to residents in Abaco shanty towns as part of government preparations for a clampdown on the properties.

‘Where are they all going to live?’ from page one

The government has implemented a July 31, 2019 deadline for its regulation effort in Abaco. It has a July 31 deadline of this year for New Providence shanty towns.

Last week, officials in New Providence began issuing the first round of notices to shanty town residents, giving them the opportunity to show proof of their legal right to live in their residences.

“We have been there and done that,” Mr Davis said in response to a question from The Tribune during a press conference at PLP headquarters. “First of all, again their latest response speaks to their lack of vision and planning.

“We continually remind and say to the Bahamian public that these persons who are elected without a plan or vision and it’s being

manifested daily. You plan to rid yourselves of shanty towns. What would have been the consequences of that? You are displacing people. I think the word to use is gentrification.

“Now don’t you think that if you are going to rid yourselves of shanty towns there would be an alternative plan in place for persons who might be displaced by that? And what are those plans? Are the plans to identify persons who are not documented (and) dealing with those who are documented?

“Because I have visited the shanty towns for example in Abaco and you would find that perhaps more than 80 percent of the persons living in shanty towns are persons holding Bahamian passports. So where are they going to go?

“So again, it just demonstrates their lack of planning, lack of vision and not properly planning

things and just trying to adopt what I call news clips.”

Asked if he believed the government’s deadline was ambitious, Mr Davis stated he could not say.

“It feeds right back into what I said. If you fix deadlines one would have thought that you would have a plan, that you would have a vision.

You fix a deadline without understanding what are the consequences of your actions.

“So, I cannot say whether it is ambitious or not ambitious because I could address whether it was ambitious if I knew what their plans were, if I knew the full gambit of what their vision was in respect to the consequences of their actions.

“So again, what has to happen is you can’t just engage in political machinations and think it is popular to say I’m going to get rid

of shanty towns, but then at the end of the day could you effect that statement?”

A 2013 report compiled by the former Christie administration noted that there were some 1,200 homes spread across The Mudd, Pigeon Peas and The Sandbanks communities in Abaco. On Saturday, Mr Foulkes said he feared that number may have increased in recent years.

In addition to that, he said expansions in several other smaller communities around the island had now grown into major concerns.

Asked whether the government would absorb the cost for supplying affordable housing, Mr Foulkes insisted the government has no intention of “spending any money”.

Mr Foulkes said the next step, expected to start next week, will be another notice requiring people who do not have a legal right to live in their homes to move.

DAVIS PLEDGES TO SEEK ANSWERS ON PLP GOVT BILLS

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIAL Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis is using the powers conferred on him as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee to send for explanations from the Ministry of Finance on several matters, including a list of major invoices that will make up the $360m in arrears that the Minnis administration said the former government left to be paid.

Mr Davis is also seeking clarification on the methodology employed with respect to accounting arrears between the fiscal

periods of 2017-2018 and 2016-2017.

He said there appeared to be a lack of consistency regarding to the settling of arrears.

The Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP said he further wants details of value added tax refunds assessed by the Ministry of Finance on any entity in Grand Bahama or elsewhere in the country as a result of recent changes in relevant laws and regulations.

During the PLP’s monthly press conference at its headquarters yesterday, Mr Davis went on to raise concerns about there being no furniture in the physical office assigned to him to

carry out duties associated with his post.

He said his senior executive assistant has not been paid since September 2017 because his contract has not been regularised.

This, he said, was “unacceptable” as he claimed to have received numerous assurances from Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis the issue would be dealt with expediently.

“As the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, I have officially written the chief clerk of the House of Assembly to request explanations from the acting financial secretary and the minister of finance on the following items: provide clarification on the

methodology employed with respect to accounting for arrears between this year and last, specifically, comment on the apparent lack of consistency with respect to settlement of arrears and specifically provide a complete listing of the $360m foreshadowed to be paid over a three-year period.

“Provide the specifics of all of the loans that were settled and rescheduled during the past fiscal year 2017-2018, (along) with a specific schedule outlining which loans were restructured, the terms of the old loan and the terms of new loans. Further provide specifics of the total of all commissions and/

or fees paid in relation thereto.”

He also wants a list of major invoices making up the $386m the government is said to have paid off just before the end of the 20162017 fiscal year.

“He (Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest) said they were all old PLP bills and that the PLP government was spending money like a drunken sailor,” Mr Davis said. “That assertion must be put to the test.

“A breakdown of how the $2.3bn borrowed to date was spent; a detailed explanation from the financial secretary is valuable and in the public’s interest; the status and clarification on the handling of

the Revenue Enhancement Unit within the Ministry of Finance. The finance minister said the REU was floundering but the labour minister said it was illegal for the government to contract the services of private law firms to collect divers sums of uncollected tax dollars on behalf of the government.

“The labour minister promised to regularise the process and structure. We need to know how and when this will take place.

The status of the 2,000 unregistered high-end commercial properties must also be aggressively pursued by the PAC in the public interest,” Mr Davis said.

PROJECT AIMS TO HELP WOMEN IMPROVE EXPORT BUSINESSES BAHAMAS Agricultural and Industrial Corporation in collaboration with Caribbean Export Development Agency recently teamed up to assist Bahamian women in business through We-Xport – Women Empowered through Export.

We-Xport is designed to support Caribbean women in business to start exporting or increase the exports

of their products and services.

Research shows that women owned enterprises in the Caribbean are concentrated in saturated sectors making it more difficult for them to grow.

We-Xport is designed to strengthen and support women owned businesses to increase their ability to access financing.

Indira Weech, a

successful participant from the Bahamas and owner of BahamaSpa, offered gratitude to BAIC for hosting the We-Xport group and the informative workshops that she attended.

Ms Weech said she is humbled, grateful and proud that BahamaSpa was chosen, as this opportunity was open to female entrepreneurs from the entire Caribbean and the three

part interview process was rigorous.

Ms Weech’s aspiration is to build an excellent, global, luxury brand that is recognised as a piece of the Bahamas. Her rise to the We-Xport circle brings her one step closer to having BahamaSpa products sold in boutiques, spas and hotels all across Europe and other markets.

She advises Bahamian artisans, artists and creatives that fresh new opportunities are emerging and to be prepared.

BahamaSpa is a handmade spa product line of nourishing soap, exfoliating scrub bars, lotion, sea salt and sugar scrubs, massage oils and hair products using edible oils. It is environmentally friendly packaged,

paraben, palm oil and formaldehyde free.

BahamaSpa products have been featured in international publications such as Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine and featured on ABC’S Good Morning America. BahamaSpa has also produced some of the essential day spa supplies for the Four Seasons Emerald Bay in Exuma.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, July 4, 2018

THE TRIBUNE OMAR ARCHER, centre, during a protest earlier this year.

Omar Archer - govt ‘offered me a job’ from page one attempts to reach him by phone up to press time yesterday. In one response around noon, he said he was in an executive team meeting.

“Persons are saying I am a convicted criminal,” Mr Archer told The Tribune.

“Yes I got a conviction prior to the election on threats of harm. The conviction is now before the appeals court.

We’re waiting on a date. I am confident that I will be relieved of this burden.”

Mr Archer said he feels qualified for

whichever position he gets and dismissed speculation that such an appointment would be payback for his support of the Free National Movement (FNM) during last year’s election.

“I’m literally in the process of making preparations to pursue an LLB,” he said.

“Qualifications are not a matter of question for me.

Persons hate to see individuals excel to certain levels and are jealous of your success. I find even some persons I assisted and campaigned for are using means through other people on social media to discredit

me. I believe that individuals are indeed entitled to their own opinions. What they are not entitled to are their own facts. The fact is I have made my worthy contribution to nation building and this country and to Bahamian people in general and time has come that I reap the benefits.”

Mr Archer said he learned about vacancies at BAIC and forwarded his resume to the human resources department.

“It was reviewed and I am where I am today,” he said.

“People think it is because of political means. I will be the first to say no it is not. I

am not just deserving of it, I am qualified for it.”

Under the Minnis administration, numerous people have been fired from BAIC so it was not public knowledge the corporation is trying to fill vacancies. It is not clear whether either the director of facilities or director of security positions was advertised to other potentially qualified applicants.

Once a member of now defunct third party Bahamas Democratic Movement, Mr Archer has also been a supporter of the Progressive Liberal Party in the past.

A self-styled activist, Mr Archer backed Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and the Free National Movement during last year’s election cycle. Among other things, he is known for making controversial allegations through social media.

He was convicted last year of threatening to harm a senior police officer through a post to his social media page nearly three years ago. An appeal of that matter is pending at the Court of Appeal.

In the face of questions relating to intentional libel allegations in 2015, he

jumped out of a second storey window at the South Street Court Complex and broke his legs in the fall. He was at the court for an unrelated matter at the time.

Last year, he was also convicted and sentenced to 21 days in prison by a Supreme Court judge for contemptuous remarks he had previously made about former Labour Minister Shane Gibson. His sentence, however, was suspended for 21 days on the condition he donate $15,000 to the Cancer Society of The Bahamas and another $6,000 to the Bahamas Red Cross.

MOVING JOBS: THAT’S NOT A PROBLEM from page one

timing of the prime minister’s decision.

Mr Wells continued: “I think that speaks to the kind of management that we would have all done in our ministries, that we didn’t need to clean up anything, that we could simply just move.

“It speaks to the capacity of the ministers in the government of the Free National Movement, that we have been doing the

kind of jobs the Bahamian people would have expect from us in the requisite ministries that we were given.”

Mr Wells, who also serves as leader of government business in House of Assembly, said he has accepted the move as an opportunity to further the government’s mandate of improved governance.

When asked about his plans for the Ministry of Transport and Local Government, he revealed he has scheduled a meeting with

Mr Campbell, for the two to formally discuss the ins and outs of the post.

“Obviously I am going to sit down with the former minister and speak to him as to the things he would have wanted to have done in the ministry and I will seek to build on what it is he has done,” he said.

Asked of specific initiatives he would like to see made a focus at the ministry, he added: “…. There is something that was near and dear to me and it is a way to help generate

revenue for the country in terms of, in Australia and other countries that have vast oceans, so to speak, they have what is called a mooring system where every boat ties up to a mooring and people pay to do that.”

Mr Wells stressed that if implemented, a nationwide mooring system could become a great source of revenue for The Bahamas.

To that end, he said he would look to set up an authoritative body to seek

the development of such a project in Family Island communities, to generate the funding for their respective local government offices.

He explained: “We have a lot of boat traffic that goes through the country.

We are a maritime nation.

When you drop an anchor on a coral reef and you pull it up, you’re destroying the corals.”

He continued: “What countries have done is, they have established moorings and every boat has to be tied up to a mooring and at the end of the day, you charge the requisite fees and those fees then go to the Consolidated Fund or whatever venture it is the government of The Bahamas so deems.”

Mr Wells also said he would look to review cruising fees, suggesting that an increase could be coming.

For his part, Mr Campbell said he intended to serve to the best of his ability.

When asked by reporters what he viewed as his greatest success in his former post, Mr Campbell said: “I had the privilege of meeting with persons from the length and breadth of the family of islands discussing a myriad of matters from the mailboat service to local government, to the postal service, to the service that the Met Office provides, to the service the Road Traffic Department provides.”

He continued: “There have been ups, there have been downs, but I’ve gotten a sense of privilege to be able to say to persons that your concern is heard and is being addressed.

“And so, for me, to see the smile on the face of someone who got some ratification for some concern, that has been the highlight of my service thus far,” he said.

The newly assigned Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle yesterday rebuffed the media’s attempt to question her on the move.

Since coming to office in May 2017, Mrs Rolle has faced some criticism for issues she has had in the post of minister of social services and urban development.

Last December, Rights Bahamas called for her resignation after she asserted that marital rape should be viewed as a private issue.

The remark came as a shock as she is the only woman in the Cabinet and it was made at a time in when the government was facing pressure to amend laws to protect the rights of women.

Former Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, Michael Pintard could not be reached for comment yesterday. He is now minister of agriculture and marine resources.

All reassignments become official today.

MIGRANTS HELD

MORE than 40 Haitian migrants were apprehended off Eleuthera by HMBS Madeira, under the command of Senior Lieutenant William Sturrup, yesterday.

The vessel was apprehended approximately 20 miles south of Bannerman Town, South Eleuthera.

The migrants were transported to New Providence to be turned over to

immigration officials for further processing.

Over 200 migrants have been apprehended by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for the year.

A previous apprehension by a defence force patrol vessel was on March 28, when approximately 90 migrants were caught near Eleuthera by HMBS Cascarilla.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 4, 2018, PAGE 7

US tourist tells court of island sex attack from page one

The woman, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident, further claimed Gay offered her the “alternative” of giving him oral sex a second time instead of him having sex with her, but that was after she expressed her desire not to get pregnant from the forced encounter.

However, during cross examination by defence attorney Ramona Farquharson-Seymour, the woman acknowledged that a key part of her initial description of her assailant changed after being shown a picture of the accused by Crown counsel some four years later.

The woman said while she initially stated in her six-page police statement on April 21, 2014 that her assailant had a gap in the top row of his teeth, she realised that wasn’t the case after an unidentified Crown prosecutor assigned to her showed her a picture of the accused about a year ago via video chat while she was in Spain.

However, she maintained that notwithstanding the status of Gay’s teeth, she is “completely able” to identify him. She said when she identified him in the photo line-up, she was able to pick him out because his eyes are “very distinctive” to her.

The part about Gay’s eyes was not mentioned anywhere in her initial statement either, as noted

by Mrs Farquharson-Seymour. In response however, the woman said the description of Gay’s eyes was a “personal note” she made.

According to the US citizen, her family frequently visits San Salvador.

She said at around 9.20am

on the date in question, she left her house on her bike towards Cockburn Town, something she did “every single day” while there.

At the time, she said she was wearing a bikini and a pair of shorts.

She said she rode past Cockburn Town and ended up at a dead end, which was a lake. From there, she turned around and began travelling up a small hill, where she said she saw a “large, black male” walking towards her in the middle of the road.

According to the woman, the man was slightly taller than her, between 5’7” to 5’8” with a “larger belly”.

She said he was wearing a striped shirt, cargo pants that went down to his knees, a pair of boat shoes—one of which was “really broken”, and a baseball cap.

At that point, she said the tried to get around the male, but he screamed “I am not going to hurt you.”

Nonetheless, she said he grabbed her handlebar and threw her to the ground and immediately started to choke her.

She said she tried to struggle but could not make any noise.

The woman said she then started to slip into unconsciousness, while Gay was allegedly saying, “Don’t look at me, look away, close your eyes.”

She said she went unconscious about a few minutes afterwards. When she came to, she said she couldn’t see her assailant, but could hear him moving near her.

She said she began to cry and plead for help. However, she said she felt the man grab her underneath her arms and drag her a few

metres into the bush next to the side of the road, before dropping her on her back.

At this point, the woman said she was screaming and crying for help. However, she said the man began to strangle her again. She said she was able to see the man’s face as this was happening, but a few seconds later she passed out again from him choking her.

She said she woke up once more, and said presumably a few minutes later, the man pushed her shorts and bikini to the side and began “penetrating” her vagina with two of his fingers.

She said he asked her to perform a sex act on him, as she cried and begged him to let her go.

Despite her pleas, he forced her to perform the act for 10 to 20 seconds, she said.

After that, she said the man told her that they needed to go to the lake to wash off the evidence. She said he grabbed her by the arm and led her towards the lake. When they exited the bushes, she said she realised she had defecated on herself.

She said she pointed that fact out to her assailant, who then told her, “That is okay, we will go to the lake and wash that off.”

They proceeded towards the lake; at first she said he was grabbing her by the arm, but eventually he let her go and she just continued walking with him. She said she didn’t want to risk running away and possibly causing him to attack her again.

She said it took about three minutes to walk back to the lake. During that

SERIAL HOUSEBREAKER IS JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A NEW Providence man was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on multiple counts of housebreaking and stealing offences in Grand Bahama.

Dave Stanford Coakley, 51, of Golden Gates No 1, was arraigned in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court on about a dozen separate charges on Wednesday.

He appeared in Court One before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson on six counts of housebreaking and stealing.

He elected for the matters to be heard in Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty to all counts.

Magistrate Ferguson sentenced him to five years imprisonment.

The accused was also arraigned on seven additional counts of stealing from a shop.

Magistrate Ferguson also dealt with those matters for Magistrate Rengin Johnson who presides in Court Three.

Coakley pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to five years imprisonment at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

DAVE STANFORD COAKLEY

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

time, she said he asked her a “few questions” like who she went to San Salvador with and why she was there.

The woman said when they arrived at the lake, the man sat on the edge of the dock and told her to wash herself off. She said she obeyed and started washing herself off in the water, as well as the seat of her bikini bottom, without taking it off.

She said the man told her to wash out her mouth, which she did.

She said he then asked her to remove her bikini, which she did. After doing so, she said the man began to get “aroused”.

She said he told her to “hurry up and get out of the water, so I can have sex with you.” She said when she asked him if he was going to rape her, he said yes. Upon hearing that, the woman said she said something to the effect of her not wanting to get pregnant.

In response, the woman said the man basically offered her the alternative of giving him oral sex a second time.

“And I said yes, since I had already done it, and I didn’t want to have sex with this man,” she said.

After completing the act, she said he then performed oral sex on her without her consent.

After that, the woman said her assailant became “very casual”, so much so that she said it was “clear” he was probably going to let her go at that point. Nonetheless, she said she tried to keep calm. She said they then both walked back to where her bike was.

The walk back took some three minutes, the woman

said. During that time, she said her assailant was making “small conversation” with her, asking her if she knew how to get back to her area.

She said she eventually asked the man if he would let her go, to which he replied “yes”. The woman said upon reaching her bike, she got on and slowly began to ride away. She said she rode all the way back to her house, some 25 minutes away.

She said she arrived at her home some 10 minutes before 11am. Altogether, she estimated her encounter with the man as lasting for 20-25 minutes. And out of those 20-25 minutes, she said she saw his face for some 12-15 minutes.

As soon as she arrived

YOUR

home, she told her mother what had happened. Her mother then told her father, who then reported the matter to the police around 11am.

The three of them then drove to the police station, where officers spoke with her and asked her to describe the incident that had transpired. She also said she was taken to New Providence the following day, April 22, when she gave a statement to the police while in hospital.

She also said that she was able to identify the man who she claimed raped her as number seven on a photograph lineup. She said she then returned to San Salvador for a few days before leaving.

The matter continues.

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

PAGE 8, Wednesday, July 4, 2018

We’ve got to offer more than a beach

A

POPULAR dream is to see the world.

Most bucket lists have a few countries to visit but the people making the list may or may not have plans to make those trips happen. The rest of the world can feel far away, especially when you start thinking about airfare, accommodation and everyday needs like food and a way to get around. It can feel more like a fantasy if you are trying to figure out how to get by right here

By Alicia Wallace and now. We caption weekend photos “I live where you vacation” but we still go elsewhere, and that’s okay. Many people scrap and scrape until they have enough to spend on one

or two days in Miami for a little shopping, dining in chain restaurants and just being somewhere else.

Everyone wants a change in scenery every now and then.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB) has a vacancy for a professional Office Manager and Administrator. The successful candidate will have superior interpersonal and communication skills, an excellent understanding of accounting systems (Quickbooks), record keeping and file management; and will preferably have a passion for Bahamian art and culture.

The individual will become a full-time employee of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) for a Monday-Friday 40-hour workweek, with the possibility of flex-time, and would manage the general office and facilities of the NAGB, including the supervision of some staff.

The Office Manager and Administrator will also assist the Director of the NAGB with administrative functions to keep operations running smoothly.

A detailed job description including the positions key accountabilities may be downloaded via this link http://www.viviangroupbahamas.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Job-DescriptionOFc-Mgr-Admn.pdf.

Interested persons must meet the following minimum criteria:  An undergraduate degree or certified training in a related field with a minimum of three years of experience.  Previous working experience in a fast-paced environment.  Excellent communication skills, including written and oral skills.  Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.  Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).  Good understanding of accounting (knowledge of Quickbooks).  Ability to plan, prioritize and manage workloads.  Previous experience as a supervisor and/or project team leader.  A team player with the ability to work on own initiative to drive results.

All applicants must submit the following by email, to nagbmanager@viviangroupbahamas.com, no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday July 13th:  Cover letter highlighting the applicant’s interest in the position.  Current résumé.  Copies of qualifications and certificates.  Three (3) professional references.  Copy of one form of national ID, including either National Insurance Card, Passport or Driver’s License.

Queries may also be sent to nagbmanager@viviangroupbahamas.com.Incomplete applications will not be processed for consideration. Application Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Friday July 13th

Summer has begun and travelled often and went on we are all having the same annual cruises with friends, kinds of thoughts. The chil- I knew there was more to dren need new clothes and see than I could imagine. shoes. Students need school Talking to her about places supplies. Parents need a we have both visited is break. Young people in always an education. Diftheir first or second jobs ferences in perspective are, need to live a little. These of course, owed to both months are for leaving what timeline and generation. we know to see what we do Even conversations with not know or, in some cases, my parents about cities and think we know. This is the their offerings reveal divertime for strange places to gent styles and purposes of call our names and lure us travel. Everyone is lookto all they have to offer. It ing for something - no one has become a tradition. By is looking for exactly the September, we need that same thing. classic “I goin’ away” photo These days, work, friends featuring a passport with and vacations have taken a boarding me beyond pass peeking ‘There is more the cities out against I’ve known the backdrop to the islands of (as a visitor) of the blue The Bahamas for decades.

LPIA carpet. than beaches and I find myself I have most interalways loved there are other ested in the travel.

As destinations with places that a child, I beautiful beaches. tell me more spent sevabout the eral weeks There are many city than a in Eleuthera reasons to move website or during magazine beyond this narrative summer article sellbreak.

I and entice people ing it as a stayed with with our festivals, destination. my cousin, traps exhibition openings, Tourist went to do not interlive performances, summer est me, but camp and island excursions it can be difspent time ficult to find with the and food.’ what does. friends I I struggle to made while there. There balance being off the beaten was a feeling I could path with being reasonably not name during those sure of my own safety as a weeks but the best name woman travelling alone. In I have for it is freedom. recent years, I have found Being able to go across the scores of blogs dedicated to street for cup, down the solo travellers and women road to the shop to buy travelling alone. People are gum and even further to my paying attention and disfriend’s house was an unex- covering and capitalising pected privilege. Life in on new markets every day.

Eleuthera was nothing like Are we paying attention the one I would return to to the needs and the gaps in Nassau. I had a few rea- in the Bahamian market, sons in mind, but it made considering Bahamians and me wonder what it was like tourists alike? in other places. What other I sometimes think about differences would I come to The Bahamas as a tourism discover? product and our comfort Some summers I went with the idea that it exists, with family members to whether by design or hapvisit cousins in univer- penstance, for tourists. sity, shop and see the busy Bahamians have for years streets of other cities. New been expressing concerns places became familiar about the framing of The after a few trips and the Bahamas as only a tourlonging for something new ist product and the effect would creep up. With a of major resorts on the great-grandmother who industry and the economy.

It is easy for a person or group of people to fly into LPIA and only see the road they travel to get to a resort designed to keep them on-property. There are certainly resort tourists — people who want to literally stay at a resort from check in to check out — and those who want to see and do more. What are we doing to attract those people and show them what life in The Bahamas is really like? Do we think about the reasons we travel when we design campaigns and start tourism-based businesses?

I asked a few friends how they choose the places

THE TRIBUNE

they visit and most of the responses fit into three categories. All under 40, they said they travel based on events including concerts and conferences, airfare and good shopping. Some prioritised places they had never been and those with direct flights. Convenience and cost aside, the people I talked to are interested in having an experience when they get to their destination. They go to the tried and true cities for shopping, but other than that, they book their flights to coincide with ticketed events.

People want more than to be in a place. We want to be a part of that place or a part, at least, of something happening there.

Many ads and promotions, including mentions of The Bahamas in movies and television shows, only point to beaches. While beaches are a major selling point, two issues come up. There is more to the islands of The Bahamas than beaches and there are other destinations with beautiful beaches.

There are many reasons to move beyond this narrative and entice people with our festivals, exhibition openings, live performances, island excursions and food.

We can create unmatched experiences that combine what we are known for and what most have yet to discover. Tour companies are already going in this direction, offering day trips and casual experiences that last a morning or afternoon with a focus on areas of interest like art and history.

We do not have to wait for the government to initiate or encourage the creation of new experiences. Young Bahamians are already creating their own experiences. They are putting in the work to produce the events they want to enjoy and finding people with similar interests in participate. Watching movies, going to the beach and being in nightclubs are not all there is to the Bahamian experience. There is more because we made more. In the same way, beaches and resorts do not have to be all there is for tourists to enjoy.

Yes, we live here, but what do we want when we travel? We do not always go looking for beaches and sunshine. There can be a version of what we travel to see and do if we bother to create it. The best part would certainly be that we create it for ourselves.

Thinking more about what we expect when we travel and what we look for when choosing our next destination can lead us to a new business idea - and not one that depends on tourists’ dollars. A well-executed idea will get attention from one and all and Bahamians will enjoy a new world at home as much as anywhere else.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, July 4, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Rain could hinder rescue of boys trapped in cave MAE SAI, Thailand Associated Press

HEAVY rains forecast for northern Thailand could worsen flooding in a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach are waiting to be extracted by rescuers, possibly forcing authorities to have them swim out through a narrow, underwater passage in the cavern, a top official said yesterday.

The 13, who disappeared when flooding trapped them in the cave they were exploring on June 23 after a soccer game, were found by rescue divers late Monday night in the cavern in northern Chiang Rai province during a desperate search.

The effort drew international help and has riveted Thailand.

The boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach were described as healthy and being looked after by seven members of the Thai navy SEALs, including medics, who were staying with them inside the cave.

They were mostly in stable condition and have received high-protein drinks.

While efforts to pump out floodwaters are continuing, it’s clear that some areas of the sprawling cavern cannot be drained, said Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, a member of Thailand’s

IN this grab taken from video provided by the Thai Navy Seals, a view of the boys and their soccer coach in a cave, in Chiang Rai in Thailand. ruling military junta. In order to get them out ahead of the bad weather forecast for later in the week, they might need to use diving gear while being guided by professional divers, he said.

Anupong said the boys would be brought out via the same complicated route through which their rescuers entered, and he conceded that if something went awry, it could be disastrous.

“Diving is not easy. For people who have never done it, it will be difficult, unlike diving in a swimming pool, because the cave’s features have small channels,” he said. “If something happens midway, it could be life-threatening.”

Video released by the

Thai navy showed the boys in their soccer uniforms sitting in a dry area inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave above the water as a light held by a rescuer was shone on their faces.

Cave rescue experts have said it could be safer to simply supply them where they are for now, rather than trying to have the boys dive out. That could take months, however, given that Thailand’s rainy season typically lasts through October.

SEAL commander Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yookongkaew said there was no rush to bring them out, since they’re safe where they are.

A doctor and a nurse were with them in the cave.

“We have given the boys food, starting from easily digested and high-powered food with enough minerals,” Arpakorn told a news conference.

Having them dive out of the cave was one of several options being considered, “but if we are using this plan, we have to be certain that it will work and have to have a drill to make sure that it’s 100 percent safe,” he said.

Chiang Rai provincial Governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said the health of the boys and coach were checked using a field assessment in which red is critical condition, yellow is serious and green is stable.

“We found that most of the boys are in green condition,” he said. “Maybe some of the boys have injuries or light injuries and would be categorized as yellow condition. But no one is in red condition.”

Relatives keeping vigil at the mouth of the cave since the ordeal began rejoiced at the news that their boys and their coach had been found.

“I want to give him a hug.

I miss him very much,” said Tham Chanthawong, an aunt of the coach. “In these 10 days, how many million seconds have there been?

I’ve missed him every second.”

SUSPECT ‘AIMED TO KILL EVERYONE AT MARYLAND NEWSROOM’ BALTIMORE Associated Press A MAN charged with gunning down five people at a Maryland newspaper sent three letters on the day of the attack, police said, including one that said he was on his way to the Capital Gazette newsroom with the aim “of killing every person present”.

Sgt Jacklyn Davis, a spokeswoman for Anne Arundel County police, said the letters were received Monday. They were mailed to an attorney for The Capital newspaper, a retired judge of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and a Baltimore judge.

The letter Jarrod Ramos sent to the Annapolis newspaper’s Baltimore-based lawyer was written to resemble a legal motion for reconsideration of his

unsuccessful 2012 defamation lawsuit against the paper, a columnist and thenpublisher Tom Marquardt.

Marquardt shared a copy of the letter with The Associated Press.

“If this is how the Maryland Judiciary operates, the law now means nothing,” Ramos wrote. He quoted a description of the purpose of a defamation suit, saying it was intended for a defamed person to “resort to the courts for relief instead of wreaking his own vengeance.” “‘That’ is how your judiciary operates, you were too cowardly to confront those lies, and this is your receipt,” Ramos wrote.

He signed it under the chilling statement: “I told you so.” Below that, he wrote that he was going to the newspaper’s office “with the objective of killing every person present.”

In a letter attached to what appeared to be the faux court filing, he also directly addressed retired special appeals court Judge Charles Moylan, who ruled against Ramos in his defamation case. Ramos sued the paper after pleading guilty to harassing a high school classmate.

“Welcome, Mr Moylan, to your unexpected legacy: YOU should have died,” he wrote. He signed it: “Friends forever, Jarrod W Ramos.”

Ramos also sent a document to Maryland’s highest court, and it has been sealed at the request of prosecutors.

Wes Adams, Anne Arundel County state’s attorney, asked the Court of Appeals on Wednesday to seal the pleading that Ramos filed on the day of the shooting.

In his motion to seal, Adams wrote: “the pleading

creates direct evidence of petitioner’s involvement” in the allegations currently under investigation.

It was unclear whether the sealed document was the same as the one sent to Moylan.

A spokeswoman for Adams did not immediately return a query seeking comment about the sealed document. Moylan could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Douglas Colbert, a University of Maryland law professor, described the letters as “very powerful” evidence of intent that the state will make full use of at trial. Colbert said as long as it’s established in court that Ramos authored the letters, they will be used to show his “planning and deliberate actions” on the day of the attack.

The apparent admissions by the defendant will

weaken a defense lawyer’s strategy of suggesting that he was “suffering from a mental disease or defect” that would impair his ability to understand the consequences of his actions, Colbert said.

Ramos, 38, has a welldocumented history of harassing the paper’s journalists. The defamation suit was thrown out as groundless, and he often railed against current and former Capital staff in profanitylaced tweets. Police found him hiding under a desk after Thursday’s attack and jailed him on five counts of first-degree murder.

At a memorial service on Monday night for one of those killed, editor Rob Hiassen, Marquardt said he once slept with a baseball bat by his bed because he was so worried about Ramos. He also said that they “stepped up security”

at the newspaper years ago, and posted Ramos’s photo around the office. “But then he went dormant for about two years and we thought the problem has been solved. Apparently, it was just building up steam,” he said.

The mourning in Annapolis continued Tuesday, marked by a lowering of US flags to honor the victims.

President Donald Trump ordered flags flown at halfstaff on federal property through sunset.

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said on Monday that he was told initially that his request to lower the flags had been denied.

Trump has repeatedly called journalists the “enemy of the people”. According to Buckley, the White House said Tuesday that Trump ordered the flags lowered as soon as he learned of the mayor’s request.

TRUMP REVOKES GUIDANCE ON RACE IN SCHOOL ADMISSIONS WASHINGTON Associated Press

THE Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded Obama-era guidance that encouraged schools to take a student’s race into account to promote diversity in admissions.

The shift suggests schools will have the federal government’s blessing to leave race out of admissions and enrollment decisions, and it underscores the contentious politics that continue to surround affirmative action policies, which have repeatedly been challenged before the Supreme Court.

The admissions memos were among 24 policy documents revoked by the Justice Department for being “unnecessary, outdated, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper”. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the changes an effort to restore the “rule of law” and blamed past administrations for imposing new rules without seeking public comment.

“That’s wrong, and it’s not good government,” Sessions said in a statement.

The action comes amid a high-profile court fight over Harvard University admissions as well as Supreme Court turnover expected to produce a more critical eye toward schools’ race-conscious admissions policies.

The court’s most recent significant ruling on the subject bolstered colleges’ use of race among many

factors in the admission process. But the opinion’s author, Anthony Kennedy, announced his retirement last week, giving President Donald Trump a chance to replace him with a justice who may be more reliably skeptical of admissions programs that take race and ethnicity into account.

The new policy dramatically departs from the stance of the Obama administration, which in a 2011 policy document said courts had recognised schools’ “compelling interest” in ensuring racially diverse populations.

The guidance said that while race shouldn’t be the primary factor in an admission decision, schools could lawfully consider it in the interest of achieving diversity.

“Institutions are not required to implement race-neutral approaches if, in their judgment, the approaches would be unworkable,” the guidance said. “In some cases, race-neutral approaches will be unworkable because they will be ineffective to achieve the diversity the institution seeks.”

That guidance has now been rescinded, as have more than a half-dozen other similar documents, including some that sought to explain court rulings affirming the use of race as one of several factors in the admissions process.

The Trump administration’s announcement is more in line with Bush-era policy that discouraged affirmative action.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 4, 2018, PAGE 11

THE FIRE that destroyed two homes in Mathew Town, Inagua, yesterday.

Residents ‘lose everything’ in blaze at Inagua homes

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net AN early morning fire in Mathew Town, Inagua, left two residences “completely destroyed” yesterday.

According to officials on the island, the fire was reported at 8.15am, when a police officer on patrol spotted the flames. The residences were two wooden structures, owned by a mother and son. No one

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DROWNS A CRUISE ship passenger is believed to have drowned in waters of Great Sturrup Cay in the Berry Islands, police said.

The man was discovered floating and unresponsive was at home at the time of the incident.

Superintendent James Moss of the Inagua police station said the fire was discovered by Corporal

after 1pm yesterday.

He was removed from the water and CPR was rendered. He was transported to the local clinic where he was pronounced dead.

Investigations continue.

Deangelo Sweeting while he was on patrol. He added that Oviardo Lightbourne, one of the residents, had left his home sometime after 5.30am that morning.

His mother was off the island at the time of the fire.

Inagua Family Island Administrator Julita Ingraham described the residences as “two wooden structured homes, consisting of two bedrooms, one bathroom, but it’s all on the same property.”

“One was owned by Ms Nadine Ingraham, and then her son, Oviado Lightbourne, they occupied two different houses. At the

time of the fire, nobody was at home.”

Ms Ingraham added that many people in the community responded to help douse the flames.

“The police (responded), and then we had the US Coast Guard…Morton Salt responded with their fire team and their executives, and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force marines they responded; and the community.”

Up to press time, the

cause of the fire is unknown.

“At this point, nobody knows what caused the fire, and they don’t know if it’s electrical, because nobody was at home. So they don’t know what caused the fire,” Ms Ingraham said.

Supt Moss noted arson is not suspected at this time.

Unfortunately, significant damage was done.

“They lost everything.

Home totally and completely destroyed,” Ms Ingraham said.

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PAGE 12, Wednesday, July 4, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

10,000 BACKPACKS GIVEAWAY GOAL FOR BAHAMAS STRIPING CAMPAIGN

THE BAHAMAS Striping Group of Companies recently announced their initiative to donate 10,000 backpakcs to students. Pictured, from left, are Dr Allen Albury, managing director at BSGC; Atario Mitchell, president at BSGC; Mario Smith, assistant governor of Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas; Frederica Sturrup, VP of operations at BSGC; Tyrone Mitchell, operations assistant at BSGC and Anithra-Lunette Cartwright, president of Kiwanis Club of Fox Hill East Nassau.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

KAYAK TOUR FIRM WINS TOP AWARD

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama’s Kayak Nature Tours – which provides thrilling tour excursions to many cruise passengers - was recently named the Top Tour Operator of the Year in the region by Carnival Cruise Lines.

Kayak Nature Tours continues to provide not only unique shore excursions, but also “the best quality and customer service” to guests.

It is not the first time that the company has received this prestigious award. In 2017, it was named winner for Caribbean Leading Tour Operator by the Carnival.

Erika Tache, Carnival director of product development, said the cruise line is pleased to continue the Tour Operator Awards

Programme in appreciation of their top-rated tour operators in the region.

She said the annual award celebrates the tour operator with the best performance, most creative and unique shore excursions, best customer service, and best rating and quality.

Owners Erica and Ed Gates and their management team were presented with a plaque recently by Manual Sushanth, shore excursion manager of Carnival, in recognition of their dedication and exceptional performance as their toprated tour operators.

The Gates founded the company more than 30 years ago, with the aim of offering the highest standard of service in the tourism market.

Kayak Nature Tours also includes Grand Bahama Nature Tours, Garden of the

Groves and Garden Café.

“We are very pleased to receive this prestigious award,” they said.

“It is only through the dedication, hard work and professionalism of our staff that the company has attained a reputation of providing outstanding visitors’ satisfaction and putting Grand Bahama Island on the map as a beautiful nature and tour destination.”

The Gates also thanked Carnival Cruise Line for their confidence in Grand Bahama Nature Tours and the island of Grand Bahama.

The company’s management team consists of Denise Neely, manager of Kayak Nature Tours; Marilyn Laing, manager of Garden of the Groves, and Melanie Ferguson, of manager of Garden Café.

KAYAK Nature Tours was recently named the Top Tour Operator of the Year in the region by Carnival Cruise Lines.