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TV PROVIDER FACES PROBE ON SERVICE G1INDEPENDENCE

Watchdog URCA to hold investigation into Cable Bahamas’ breakdowns

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net REGULATORS last night pledged to investigate Cable Bahamas’ TV service quality and said they were “majorly concerned” by the length and frequency of outages suffered by customers.

The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), in announcing it has approved the restructuring of REV cable TV packages, said it was unable to ignore “recurring complaints” from Bahamians

about service interruptions and other issues.

Reporting on the replies received to the REV package restructuring consultation, URCA said: “Complaints regarding Cable Bahamas’ service quality was a recurring theme in the responses.

In addition to public complaints, URCA is aware of persistent and wide-scale service interruptions in the form of error messages consistently appearing on screen, regular service outages at 2am, pixelated channels and other issues.”

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

THE Ministry of Finance’s top official yesterday voiced optimism that the Government’s $1.851bn borrowing this fiscal year will come at a lower cost to the Bahamian people based on “market soundings”.

Marlon Johnson, acting financial secretary, told Tribune Business that yield curves on existing government debt were already falling to levels more in line

with historical trends as investor sentiment towards The Bahamas improves with the economy’s “reflating”.

He added that the Government was also moving to “rebalance” its debt financing during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, with 51.8 percent ($959.2m) of its needs slated to come from foreign currency and the remaining 48.2 percent or $892.4m sourced in the local capital markets.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AMID growing social unrest in Haiti following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, local law enforcement officials plan to deploy additional vessels out at sea to prevent “any potential mass migration” of Haitian nationals to the Bahamas.

“The Royal Bahamas Defence has taken the position to strengthen our strategic posture in the southeastern Bahamas,” Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King told The Tribune yesterday.

SEE PAGE THREE

THE NEXT EDITION OF THE TRIBUNE WILL BE ON TUESDAY AFTER THE HOLIDAY FOR INDEPENDENCE

‘WE’LL GET FAVOURABLE RATES ON $1.8BN LOANS’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

RBDF TO DEPLOY EXTRA VESSELS

INSIDE: Your great 20-page supplement in today’s Tribune as the country prepares to celebrate the 48th anniversary of Independence.

ARTISTS TO STAGE INDEPENDENCE SHOWCASE

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AFTER some backlash, officials have scheduled a two-day event at the end of the month to showcase performances by local artists in celebration of the country’s independence, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Iram Lewis announced yesterday.

The event will take place on July 30 and 31 and will involve 48 artists in

IRAM Lewis at a press conference yesterday. recognition of the country’s 48 years of independence.

This comes after some Bahamian artists expressed displeasure over this year’s Independence Day celebration leaving out a mixture of top local secular acts in favour of a Christian theme.

They also complained the songs scheduled to be used in the event were not locally written or produced.

At a press conference yesterday, Mr Lewis said the upcoming event will be live-streamed for viewers.

SEE PAGE FOUR

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

CURFEWS HITTING BIMINI’S ECONOMY

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A PROMINENT Bimini dive operator yesterday revealed significant cancellations as a result of newly-imposed COVID restrictions, which he branded “a bummer” for hopes of an economic “shot in the arm”.

Neal Watson, owner of Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Centre, told Tribune Business he may have lost some $10,000 worth of business over the next two weeks as a result of Crystal Cruises cancelling planned stops at the island in response to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

PAGE 2, Friday, July 9, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

JASON ALLEN, left, and Lavan Paul, who both died in Monday’s plane crash in Abaco.

RBDF SENDS CONDOLENCES AFTER DEATH OF PILOTS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force yesterday expressed condolences to the families of Jason Allen and Lavan Paul, two former marines who died in a plane crash in Abaco on Monday.

The agency gave some insight into the backgrounds of the two men.

The RBDF said: “Acting Sub Lieutenant Lavan Paul joined the organisation as a member of Entry 48, on June 6, 2011. On completion of his initial training, he was immediately drafted to the Military Police Department, where he served until he was selected as an officer candidate to go to Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, on April 2012 to complete officer training.

“He was assigned to a patrol craft upon completion

of the officer training with a view of earning a Bridge Watch Keeping Certificate before eventually joining the Airwing Department.

He was appointed to the rank of acting sub lieutenant and assigned to the Airwing Department, where he served until he resigned from the organisation on July 17, 2017.

“Marine Seaman Allen joined the organisation as a member of Entry 52, on January 10, 2015. On completion of his initial training, he was immediately drafted to the Airwing Department, where he was assigned as a pilot-in-training/air crewman. He was later drafted to the Force Protection and Military Police Unit, where he served until his honourable discharge from the organisation on August 31, 2018. Allen’s time spent as a member of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force is

greatly appreciated.”

Allen and Paul crashed about 2,000ft from the Treasure Cay runway shortly after 3.30pm on Monday. Police are still trying to piece together the suspicious circumstances that prompted the two men to fly the IAI Westward jet on Monday.

Captain Delvin Major, chief investigator of the Air Accident Investigation Authority, has said the pilots were not licensed to fly the plane. Allen was a student pilot. While Paul had an airline transport licence, he did not have the required type rating to fly the aircraft.

Police have opened a stolen plane investigation into the matter after the foreign pilots who flew the plane to Treasure Cay from the Dominican Republic filed a theft report on Tuesday.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 9, 2021, PAGE 3

RBDF to deploy extra vessels from page one “We intend to allocate three 42-meter vessels as well as an enduring friendship vessel which we refer to as our strike boat asset.

Also, we have an air asset.

One of our aircraft will be deployed to that area to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to support our four vessels in that area.”

Commodore King spoke after Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield revealed on Wednesday that the Bahamas had closed its embassy in Haiti in response to that nation’s deepening crisis, noting it will remain shut until a way forward is determined.

A state of emergency was declared in Haiti on Wednesday hours after its president was shot dead at his home by a group of masked assailants shortly after 1am that day.

His wife Martine Moise was also shot in the attack and is currently in hospital.

Haitian police officials said seven “mercenaries” have been killed and six suspected assailants have since been arrested in connection with the assassination, according to international reports.

There are concerns the situation will see increased illegal migration from that area.

Officials will seek to prevent this through strong policing efforts.

The RBDF also will be assisted by their local and international partners.

“We have partners that we work cooperatively with coordinating patrols and operations,” Commodore King said. “That includes the RBPF’s marine unit. They have an asset in Matthew Town that we work closely with. And we also have very good working relationships with the United States Coast Guard via the embassy here or office of defence corporations who indicated their intent of increasing the number of vessels in the southeastern Bahamas along the windward passage

TWO suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise are moved to be displayed to the press in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday. The Bahamas, meanwhile, is stepping up patrols in case of an increase in migration from Haiti in the wake of the assassination.

Photo: Joseph Odelyn/AP to guard against any potential mass migration from Haiti.”

He said officials will continue to be on guard until the situation in Haiti improves.

“We will sustain our efforts until we see some sense of normalcy or some sense of calmness but we are uncertain in terms of how the Haitian people will react following the president’s assassination and so, we will have a sustained

presence but suffice to say that we do and we’ve always had a sustained presence in the Bahamas and in any event, we have always had at least two vessels and three in some cases between the south eastern Bahamas and Great Bahama bank so we’re just augmenting our numbers to ensure that we create an overlapping coverage and particularly with the aircraft of an early warning of any movement of any migrant

vessels,” he said.

For his part, National Security Minister Marvin Dames called the recent developments in Haiti “very unfortunate.”

He said the government remains committed to ensuring that the Bahamian people are safe and also the country’s borders are protected.

“We are very much abreast of what’s going on and we’re monitoring if that would have any impact on

us here in the Bahamas and we’ll take whatever measures we have to take to ensure that our borders are protected,” Mr Dames told reporters yesterday.

He expressed confidence in the RBDF’s abilities to deal with any potential threats.

Asked if there are any plans to enhance security measures at government buildings in the wake of the assassination, Mr Dames replied: “We have had these discussions before

and we have created manuals and documents that speaks to just that.

“If you look at the new Ministry of National Security building for example, you would see that that’s one of the models that we intend to ensure that we take it at every ministry and we have had these discussions at the cabinet level as we prioritise our business.

“That is certainly one of those priorities that we continue to discuss.”

HAITI’s President Jovenel Moise pictured last year during an interview at his home.

Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse has triggered mourning among Haitians in The Bahamas and around the world, with some local activists urging unity during this trying time.

Local activists in the Haitian community Louby Georges and ‘Lady T’ yesterday told The Tribune it was unfortunate that a visionary leader with Haiti’s best interests at heart was senselessly killed.

As he expressed sadness about the situation, Mr Georges questioned how Haiti could be considered safe if its own President was not immune to violence.

“It doesn’t get any worse than this,” Mr Georges said yesterday.

“If the first among citizens, the first among many, citizen one, the President of the country is not safe, then who is safe in a place like Haiti?

“We’ve seen the news stories and seen videos circulating on social media of

the violence in Haiti. Persons are in fear.

“You have foreigners choosing not to travel to Haiti because they fear that they can be hurt or lose their lives. This just makes things so much worse for Haiti and pushes the country that has been trying for so long to catch itself. The situation pushes them back even further.”

He continued: “As it relates to the President. . .it speaks to his vision and his work. I think this heinous act, this cowardice act actually validates him and his work.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice. He was willing to die. He was willing to challenge the status quo. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of his country.”

He said the assassination of Moïse marked a sad day for Haiti.

“Everyone is in mourning right now and as popular or unpopular, liked or disliked, as people would portray the sentiments towards the president to be right now, the Haitian people for the first time in a very long time are all of

one accord. They are all angry and infuriated. This touched them all. We have to unite now like never before.”

Another activist who asked to be identified only as Lady T said while the situation is disheartening, Haitians everywhere must come together and pray that the situation turns around.

She said: “It’s really devastating and heartbreaking to see such a great leader that was trying to take his country and the people to a better state killed.

“With him in power you could see progress in the country.

“So, right now where Haiti is going we could only pray that God smiles down on the country. We could only hope that things turn around for the better.

“This is the time for us to pray for Haiti. I would suggest that we pray and unite and stand together and see how well we could overcome this situation.”

International news reports said yesterday that two men believed to be Haitian Americans — one of them purportedly

a former bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Port au Prince — were arrested in connection with the assassination.

According to the Associated Press, Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections, told the news outlet that James Solages was among six people arrested in the 36 hours since the brazen killing of President Moise by gunmen at his home in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday.

Four other suspected assailants were killed in a gunfight with police and two are still missing, Mr Pierre said. Earlier authorities had said seven suspects were killed.

According to AP, Mr Pierre would not provide additional details about Solages’ background, nor would he provide the name of the second Haitian-American he said was arrested.

Solages describes himself as a “certified diplomatic agent,” an advocate for children and budding politician on a website for a charity he established in 2019 in south Florida to assist residents.

HAITIANS IN THE BAHAMAS URGE UNITY AFTER KILLING

D’AGUILAR: THE REBOUND CONTINUES

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOUR hundred and forty thousand stopover visitors have spent an estimated $875m in The Bahamas during the first six months of 2021, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday.

Mr D’Aguilar said the number of arrivals comes from the travel health visa.

“This is indicating that tourism is bouncing back in a meaningful way,” he said.

“And it does not include cruise passengers who would have commenced their journey from North

America. We didn’t have many of those in the first six months, but hopefully there will be a robust rebound in the second half of 2021 when more cruises commence from North America.”

Mr D’Aguilar noted that at least 13,000 cruise passengers will be stopping in New Providence this month.

“The number of arrivals so far this year represents just over 50 percent of what we did in 2019 for the first six months but more importantly, for the month of June, the number of visitors represents 82 percent

of what we received in June 2019,” he said. “Every month we’re getting more and more... the rebound continues.”

Mr D’Aguilar previously revealed that there were 22,000 visitors in January; 20,000 in February; 64,000 in March; 68,000 in April; 110,000 in May and 140,000 in June.

He has said 60 percent of the visitors were bound for New Providence while the rest were headed to Family Islands.

Still, worries about the Delta variant of COVID-19 is tempering the expectations officials

have for the next several months.

Health officials revealed on Tuesday an influx of COVID-19 patients has left Princess Margaret Hospital operating at full capacity.

“Health professionals would have said the number of persons in hospital is reaching the peak and everybody in the hospital hadn’t been vaccinated so this is why it’s so terribly important for people to be vaccinated,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

“The more people that get vaccinated, that lessens the probability of these spikes.”

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

PAGE 4, Friday, July 9, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

THE PRESS conference yesterday featuring Iram Lewis announcing the involvement of Bahamain artists in a two-day showcase.

Photos: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

Artists to stage Independence showcase from page one “Remember, this is not the Independence Secretariat. This was a direct answer to a proposal that was given to us by the creative community. So again this is something that is totally different…This is not a part of that particular celebration (set for Independence Day) because that is already prerecorded and packaged for broadcast.”

He said the dates set for the end of the month will allow artists to prepare.

“During the meeting with the creative community, because of the time constraints with only three days to go prior to the event that was planned, through their professional approach they made it clear that they won’t have the time to do anything of quality on a level that they are capable of,” Mr Lewis said.

“So, it would appear to be something that we just snap together and it was not going to properly represent their capability. So their suggestion, and, of course,

we did not set the timeline, allow them to give us a suggested date and we want to keep it in the month of July, which is still our celebration month. So, understanding their position and recognising the fact they want to put their best foot forward we allowed them to pick the dates which will give them more time to put on a more professional event.”

Mr Lewis said it was not the government’s intention to slight anyone in the artistic community when planning the events.

“The plan is always to include the Bahamian cultural community or the creative community.

I believe that there was no direct attempt to leave anyone out,” he said.

“I don’t think there was a deliberate effort, but moving forward I’m sure that specific attention will be given to ensure that this problem doesn’t arise again.

So moving forward we will ensure that members of the creative community will be on committees to have their input to ensure that all and sundry will be included.”

Ericka Symonette, better known as performer Lady E, voiced her approval of the end of the month event that will showcase a variety of Bahamian artists.

“People make mistakes but you’re never too big to correct those mistakes and you know this was not political,” she said. “This was something that was about Bahamian pride and Bahamian culture and we’re just glad today to stand up and say ‘Hey the government is onboard.’

“It’s going to be a celebration not only of Bahamian artists — secular artists, gospel artists. It’s going to be everybody, all inclusive.

So we’re going to have a real representation of ‘we things.’”

Last week, a group of artists wrote to Mark Humes, the chairman of the Independence Secretariat, to voice concerns about secular artists being left out of the Independence Day event.

When contacted at the time by The Tribune, Mr Humes explained this year’s celebration is about a Christian message, particularly

MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Iram Lewis speaking yesterday. where the country is this year after all its citizens have been through.

“One aspect of who we are is rooted in our religious belief – we’re a Christian nation. So, this is the aspect, we’re paying homage to

that aspect of who we are as Bahamians this year in the celebration,” Mr Humes said in a recent interview.

“We’ve done secular. Had secular - highlighted it for the last four years. I think at least one year we can pay

TOTAL CASES

reverence to who we are as a people, Christian people – a Christian nation… I really hope people don’t take offence to the fact that you know we want to be able to do that at a time like this and pay reverence to God.”

TOTAL DEATHS

13,024 252 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES WEDNESDAY

59 CASES

TOTAL TESTS

HOSPITALISED

NEW PROVIDENCE 46 BIMINI & CAT CAY 7 GRAND BAHAMA 4 ELEUTHERA 1 EXUMA 1

110,140

50

CASES IN ICU

4

RECOVERED

11,855

59 NEW CASES OF COVID-19 CONFIRMED

ANOTHER 59 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, pushing the nation’s case count to over 13,000.

Forty-six of those new cases are in New

Providence, four are in Grand Bahama, seven are in Bimini/Cat Cay, and there is one each in Exuma and Eleuthera.

The country now has

13,024 confirmed COVID19 cases.

Fifty people are in hospital with the disease. There have been 252 related deaths.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 9, 2021, PAGE 5

BPL worker: I don’t even have anywhere to live in Abaco, so why am I being sent there?

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

A FRUSTRATED Bahamas Power and Light employee has complained about staff being told they have to return to their home island of Abaco, where conditions are not suitable.

After the 2019 monster storm, several BPL staff members located in Abaco suffered serious loss and were allowed to work out of Nassau. Two years after the storm, they say BPL is not showing empathy towards them as they are being forced to go back to a place where they have nowhere to live.

“I am a BPL employee, one who was affected by Hurricane Dorian,” the BPL employee said. “There are not many of us here in Nassau but a few that remain are unable to clock in at BPL’s main office because our key cards were removed from the BPL system.

“We have been sent home without pay and were told by (an executive) to use vacation and or sick days to be compensated for the days missed because of our failure to return to Abaco.

If we fail to use our leisure days we would have fired ourselves for not showing up to work for more than five days,” the worker alleged.

A little over a week ago, members of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union, headed by Kyle Wilson, walked off the job for a few hours citing BPL for several alleged violations of its industrial agreement. The union also accused management of inhumane treatment of staff, including causing staff on remote islands to defecate in bushes due to lack of proper facilities.

The displaced Abaco staff members being asked to

THE PROTEST held last month outside BPL over a number of issues for workers. return to that island was also an issue of contention.

In a statement responding to allegations made during the walkout, BPL said the following about the displaced staffers: “Following the passing of Hurricane Dorian, BPL was the first to provide private air services for the evacuation of employees who wanted to leave Abaco and their families. The employees were temporarily assigned throughout the operations in New Providence and to a lesser degree, the Family Islands, with the understanding that they were expected to return as needed in Abaco.

“In September 2020, the employees of Abaco that remained in New Providence were advised of the need for them to return to their duties in Abaco on

November 1, 2020. “Following a request from the employees and their union representatives to have employees remain until April 30, 2021, employees were advised to return to Abaco on June 1, 2021.”

The female Abaco employee took exception to that portion of the statement as it was personal to her and the others from that island.

“As for the comments (from BPL), there was no plane sent by BPL for any employee. When the plane arrived in Abaco it was not even enough room, it was maybe an eight seat plane,” she said.

“One of the ladies lived on a cay and her husband was severely injured in the storm. He had to remain on the cay for more than two days before he was airlifted

as his hands were nearly amputated.

“The few employees that do remain, keep in mind we do not have anywhere to live in Abaco and cannot afford the rent on our salaries alone as many of us are still the only steady working person in their respective families.

“Human resources never met with us to discuss our situation nor did management,” the worker alleged.

“There was no sit down with HR or any management. We were just told to go to Abaco point blank after countless letters to (an official) in human resources for a meeting to discuss our matter; there were never any answers.”

The BPL employee explained that the situation her colleagues find themselves in makes it

impossible for them to return to Abaco now.

“One lady asked for an extension while her house is being finished as she is paying out of pocket and her husband just managed to secure a job in Nassau to help with repairs,” she said. “Another female has requested a transfer to Eleuthera where her family has relocated with another family member, but they refused her request to be with her family and told her to go back to Abaco alone.

“One of the ladies is pregnant and is on maternity leave. There is another female involved, but we do not know her status. As you can see we are all females being forced to return to a place where we have nowhere to live and alone. All of

us are married and want to be where our families are.

“They are trying to take away our livelihood because we refuse to put ourselves in a bad position without any compromise. They haven’t even offered to help with any expenses except one week’s pay to move, which is not very much money to relocate.”

In response to inquiries from The Tribune on the allegations, a BPL official said: “BPL does not comment on employees’ personal working conditions outside of extraordinary circumstances. As such, we have no comment.”

Last week, the BEWU gave BPL 14 days to resolve all outstanding matters or face the wrath of the union.

REVERSE OSMOSIS UNITS ARRIVE IN GB

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE first shipment of reverse osmosis units has arrived in Grand Bahama for construction of a new three-million-gallon RO plant being built at a cost of $5m by the Grand Bahama Utility Company.

The completion of the RO plant is scheduled in late August, according to GBUC, which seeks to return full water potability across Grand Bahama.

According to an update issued by GBUC, the first shipment of RO units and backup generation, and with completion of the RO columns and generator pads arrived on the island last month and construction is proceeding on schedule.

The second shipment of RO units and related equipment is due to arrive in July.

“Development of the $5-million facility has entered the next phase,” the company said in a recent press statement.

Grand Bahama’s wells were compromised by saltwater intrusion as a result of storm surge during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. Although water potability has been restored to many areas on the island, about 30 percent have still not been restored.

The construction of a state-of-the-art RO plant was started in January 2021 by the GBUC team, in partnership with Bahamas Hot Mix. The goal is to deliver reliable, cost-effective, and clean water.

“Construction is on schedule for completion in late-August 2021, barring no COVID-related shipping delays. Once commissioned, it will enable the remaining 30 percent of the

island to become potable,” the GBUC said.

Philcher Grant, director of operations at GBUC, said the RO plant is part of its “modernization and long-storm hardening” plan.

“With the completion of the RO system, more of our equipment will be updated with advanced technology which includes digitised well monitoring, reserve power supply, pipe, valve and meter replacement programmes, and a leak protection programme,” Ms Grant said. “This will be a milestone achievement for GBUC, enabling us to expand our capacity as part of our modernization and long-term storm-hardening plan. We are rebuilding stronger and better.”

Remington Wilchcombe, GBUC operations manager, indicated that they are building the plant according

to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.

“Due to the extensive pre-work, including surveying, environmental approvals, and engineering design, the customised plan that was created for the Island’s RO facility will meet the exact requirements and specifications outlined by GBUC and the World Health Organization (WHO),” he said.

“By integrating mobility into the design for the RO plan, we are ensuring that the equipment can and will be moved in the event of a storm which will limit damage risk due to flooding or high winds,” Mr Wilchcombe explained. “The RO facility will not only bring the entire island of Grand Bahama to full potability, but it will also meet the needs of water customers reliably for many years to come.”

GBUC expects the

second shipment of RO units to arrive by mid-July.

It is projected that the new water plant pumping station and wellfield will also be completed.

“The full RO system is on schedule to be tested and ready for commercial use by the late-August deadline,” the company said.

With 70 percent of the island currently potable, Ms Grant stated that the RO facility will not only enable restoration of full island water potability but also create sustainability and contingency in the event there is another catastrophic storm like Hurricane Dorian.

“We wanted to ensure the reliability of fresh, potable water supply, today and in the future, and the RO system was the right solution to make that happen,” she said.

Ms Grant stated that

GBUC’s $5 million capital investment followed unprecedented damage caused by Hurricane Dorian to a freshwater aquifer located at wellfield six which, prior to the storm, serviced 60 percent of the island with high quality, abundant and reliable supply of drinking water for decades.

“Not only do we work here, but we live here too.

That’s why our GBUC team has worked so tirelessly. We have experienced first-hand the same challenges as our customers. The completion of the RO system allows us to meet the potable water needs of all our customers and ensures that Grand Bahamians will never again be without potable water for a prolonged period no matter what we endure, whether interruption to our power servers or a severe storm season,” she said.

UNION SEEKING INDUSTRIAL AGREEMENT WITH BTVI

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

AFTER being recognised as the bargaining agent for Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, the Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas is looking forward to soon signing an industrial agreement with the institution.

UTEB President Daniel Thompson said this brings an end to an 18-month battle to be recognised as the bargaining agent for BTVI staff.

“We got the certificate of

determination and of recognition,” Mr Thompson said.

“This is what we have been fighting for for the past 18 months. Now the real battle begins. The system is what we battle.

“So now begin to focus on the rough road ahead in terms of receiving cooperation from BTVI. We are hoping that they are able to be very cooperative and that we can sit down as educators and thrash out our differences in the boardroom.

“We are hoping that we don’t have to go to file a dispute, but unfortunately that sometimes happens. This

is historic for UTEB. This is the first time that UTEB has gone out of the University of The Bahamas. The advisors are excited and elated because it is historic.

We will now transition our members from Egypt to the Red Sea and on to the promised land by God’s grace.”

The UTEB president said while they wait to sign off on an agreement, the union must be involved in issues relating to employment at BTVI. “The certificate is dated June 28, 2021,” he said.

“That date is very significant as it’s now our official

time of recognition. Anything they did from that period on, must involve UTEB. While we are negotiating our industrial agreement, they (BTVI) must involve UTEB in issues relating to conditions of employment.

“I met with my members this morning to reiterate what the implications of the certificate of determination are. I will now draft a letter to send to the BTVI inviting them to dialogue with us in our new status. The semester opens in a few weeks and so we need to open dialogue with them, ASAP. “Now we have the power

to file industrial disputes and take industrial action.

We have to now negotiate and agree on an industrial agreement. That negotiation process will probably last about six to seven months.

We have to first get them to the table. We have been working on a drafted industrial agreement. It’s not completed yet. We can give them a proposal. It’s a backand-forth process and it can last a couple months.”

Mr Thompson said his union is looking to address issues such as staff being placed on short-term contracts.

“They try to put all their

faculty on a lot of shortterm contracts,” he said.

“Management can have three- and four-year contracts, but faculty has to be on annual contracts. All of that we want to change.

That is an educational institution and the educators are less secure than the administrator.

“That is unfair. It’s the faculty that should have tenure and security.

The faculty should have permanency, while the administrators have contracts of four years or so to come and go. That is what an educational institution does.”

PAGE 6, Friday, July 9, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

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Cable Bahamas issues under the spotlight COMPLAINTS work.

THAT’S one lesson to take from the lead story in today’s Tribune. Regulator URCA had been given the task of investigating the restructuring of Cable Bahamas’ REV TV cable packages.

They have approved the restructuring – but in the process they received complaint after complaint after complaint about service interruptions and other issues.

What’s the outcome? Well, URCA is now going to open a new probe into the company’s service quality.

For some, it was pixelated channels.

For others, it was service interruptions with error messages appearing on screen. For the night owls, it was a regular service outage at 2am. For those planning ahead, it was an on-screen TV guide that bore little resemblance to what was actually on the channel. Then there’s the channels that seem to disappear from packages without notice.

Yet others found themselves hit in the pocket, with URCA noting that customers felt “Cable Bahamas did not practice any leniency when applying late fees or sending bill reminders despite regular disruptions”. It certainly seems that if the company is demanding with its customers over payment, those customers are entitled to be demanding of the company over quality.

Cable Bahamas is facing more and more competition, of course, with streaming services such as Netflix or Disney Plus drawing viewers who might cut down on their subscriptions as a result.

That aside, they must keep their customers happy with the basics. At the end of a long day, a service interruption when you just want to sit down and watch television is just one more frustration – and it’s not as if in the time of COVID-19 and working from home that we’re short of frustrations.

So it is good that people raised their

voice and complained – not just for them, but also we would suggest for Cable Bahamas. Being made aware of problems can make a company better, if those problems are listened to.

Cable Bahamas is already listening in some regards – adding channels that are popular to one of its packages – so here’s hoping this leads to a good outcome. And if you turn on your television and that annoying error message is on screen again? Well, don’t just shout at the screen – complain. It might just do the trick.

Independence solution

The row over the choice of performers for this year’s Independence celebrations seems to have been a self-inflicted wound for the government.

How do you organise a celebration and end up annoying a whole entertainment sector? The chairman of the Independence Secretariat, Mark Humes, explained that this year’s celebration was about a Christian message – which left secular performers out in the cold. Christian theme or not, surely there was room to encourage a range of performers – not least the opportunity to give all manner of acts a platform for the international eyes of the tourists arriving once more.

Still, a solution of sorts has been cobbled together, with the addition of a new, two-day event at the end of the month.

That will showcase local performers and will involve 48 artists to represent 48 years of independence.

This is a good outcome – and who knows, if this is successful, it might just become a regular feature of future years. What’s important is that it is swift action to deal with a problem that didn’t need to happen in the first place.

And you know how it happened?

People complained. It worked.

How many had the vaccine?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

REGULARLY your paper shows an updated table on the number of persons tested for COVID. including new cases and also the total number of COVID deaths.

In my opinion what would be helpful is to include another detail line under deaths showing – those who had died after taking the vaccine vs those people who had died and not taken the vaccine.

There are far too many

persons in the Bahamas who have declined to get vaccinated. This is MOST unfortunate as it will prevent the country from expeditious economic recovery. The Government has unsuccessfully tried to encourage people to get vaccinated but many are not listening. The current Minister of Health, no medical experience, remarked that the Bahamas would be “herd safe” if 120,000 persons received the vaccine – how that number was established I do not know.

The former Minister of Health, a doctor, stated we needed to aim for 200,000 persons to be vaccinated. A substantial difference – who is correct?

My suggestion for amending the daily report should/could help convince people as it should show that people who are vaccinated do not die.

Such information carries a very strong message.

CITIZEN Nassau, July 8, 2021.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

Dr Darville is the right man for Tall Pines EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE upcoming general elections will see many of those who are currently in the House of Assembly voted out with a vengeance.

It goes without saying that because the FNM currently has 34 seats that that means that that entity will suffer the brunt of the dissatisfaction by a large majority of Bahamians with the Minnis administration. Some of those who will be voted out are not “bad” people but they have served their constituencies poorly, according to reports on the ground.

Donald Saunders (FNM-Tall Pines); Travis Robinson (FNM-Bain & Grants Town); Marvin Dames (FNM-Mount Moriah) and Halson Moultrie (IndependentNassau Village) et al, may as well pack up their georgie bundles now.

Their performances or lack thereof in the House of Assembly over the past four years has left much to be desired.

In fact, in the case of Saunders he may well be a shadow MP. Dames has done absolutely nothing of value in Mount Moriah.

Moultrie has squandered his time in office while fighting a rear guard battle with Minnis and the FNM. Robinson appears to be in disbelief that he is actually a sitting MP. The Hon Leslie O Miller, the former MP for Tall Pines, established a very high bar for good and honest parliamentary representation while he served his constituents.

He was always highly visible and produced on the ground in Tall Pines.

Of course, Miller was a casualty of the wipe out of

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the PLP then led by brother Christie who just could not get it right.

Since being elected, Saunders has been, or so some say in Tall Pines, missing in action. Some also say that his solemn word or commitment has not been a part of his mantra.

In Tall Pines, the New PLP led by the Hon Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, QC (PLPCat Island) has a great candidate in the form of Dr Michael Darville.

Darville was formerly a Grand Bahama based MP and Minister of Health.

Just like Miller, however, he was sent packing in the onslaught of the ‘People’s Time’ FNM in 2017.

Tall Pines like the majority of other constituencies needs a bold and fresh restart.

As a political scientist and operative I am convinced that Dr Darville will make a far better MP for that area than Saunders.

If possible I believe that Darville will eclipse the stellar representation given

by Miller when he held that seat.

The New PLP needs Darville back in the House of Assembly now more than ever before.

The pandemic and the over delayed renovations and upgrades to our health care systems has exposed too many Bahamians to chronic medical conditions and even death due to the stark absence of a cohesive and affordable National Health Initiative.

Medical fees in the private sector are prohibitive and beyond the reach of most Bahamians.

Premiums for private insurance are off the chart

and countless Bahamians, due to loss of income and the wiping out of savings where they may have had a bank account, are uninsured period.

Before the Christie led administration was sent home, Dr Darville and his team had almost completed the ground work for a sustainable NHI system.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the acute chronic diseases which are literally killing far too many Bahamians now mandates that once returned to office generally and being elected to the HOA for Tall Pines in particular, Dr Darville and the Davis administration will have to hit the ground running with the NHI scheme.

Yes, Dr Darville is the right man for Tall Pines and I look forward, with great anticipation, for his return to the House of Assembly and reappointment, God willing, as Minister of Health.

We are celebrating 48 years as an independent nation.

The late great and deeply lamented Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling and his cabinets ushered in most of the institutional initiatives during his assorted administration.

The only one that they did not get to was a system of National Health Insurance.

One of the first priorities for an incoming Davis administration is the introduction of NHI. Dr Darville (MP-in-Waiting for Tall Pines) is the right man for this task.

Great Independence!

Better days are just around the corner.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr Nassau, July 8, 2021.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 9, 2021, PAGE 7

Man caught on film fighting policeman awaits sentence

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 23-YEAR-OLD man who was filmed fighting an officer who attempted to arrest him over a traffic violation was yesterday remanded to prison pending a magistrate’s sentencing.

Julien Butler appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt charged with driving in a manner dangerous to the public while not being covered by insurance nor having a valid licence.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Tonique Williams Darling Highway on July 5. At

that time, two officers were involved in an altercation with Butler after they tried to arrest him for reckless driving.

Videos of the incident made their rounds on social media showing an officer in uniform trying to restrain Butler, who then struck him several times in an attempt to resist arrest.

In the footage, a second officer could be seen approaching while withdrawing his service weapon to warn the man so the first officer could place him in handcuffs.

In an earlier arraignment, Butler pleaded guilty to assaulting Constable 4233 Tyrese Smith and

resisting arrest. Yesterday, he also owned up to the latest charges brought against him.

The court was told that around 2.30pm that day, PC Smith was on motorcycle patrol in the Market Street area when he observed Butler, who was on a scooter, run a traffic light on Cordeaux Avenue. He said he pursued the accused and beckoned for him to stop and after he complied, he approached Butler and asked him to produce his driver’s licence.

The prosecution said after the accused said he did not have it, PC Smith informed him of the offence and went back to his police

CADETS at the Inagua All-age School pose for a photograph after their outdoor ceremony on June 18.

CADETS STAY ON COURSE DESPITE COVID-19 protocols, the Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps (BMCC) has still been able to stage a series of certificate presentation ceremonies for graduating high school students.

Classes were held online and students on separate islands were able to join the same classroom and gain experience from an instructor they would have otherwise not been able to interact with.

A total of 47 students completed the programme.

Grand Bahama got the ball rolling with their ceremony on May 29. There were nine successful candidates who included a head boy and a number of prefects. Of the nine, eight of them have indicated their desire to make the maritime industry their chosen career and three had already secured acceptances to universities and colleges in the United States and Canada. They were all Bridge Watch candidates which indicate that they will be working towards earning a Master Mariner’s license and becoming the Captain of an ocean-going vessel.

The cadets in Inagua suffered a major setback in November 2020 when their

instructor died. Despite this, 14 students were awarded certificates on June 18.

These included the valedictorian, salutatorian and several prefects. A female cadet has indicated her desire to pursue a career at sea.

From New Providence, 17 students, which included two cadets with an interest in marine engineering, saw the programme through. Their ceremony was held on June 26.

The Most Outstanding Engineering Cadet was Da’Rand Smith of the Bahamas Academy of SDA and for the Bridge Watch Cadets there was a twoway tie between Samal Adderley of Akhepran International Academy and Myles Moncur, a student at the Jordan Prince William High School.

Five students at Central Eleuthera High School received their certificates at a drive-through ceremony on June 29. The Top Cadet was Sharico Farquharson, also the head boy and the valedictorian.

In North Eleuthera, one student received his recognition during his graduation exercise.

COURT UPGRADE CONTRACTS SIGNED

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TWO contracts worth over $596,000 were signed yesterday between the Ministry of National Security and two local contractors for telecommunication and electrical upgrades to court buildings as part of its modernisation process of the judiciary.

The contracts are funded by the government through its Citizens Security and Justice programme (CSJP) that is derived from a $20m dollar Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan.

Walker’s Industries and Networking Cabling have been awarded the contracts.

Speaking at yesterday’s signing ceremony, National Security Minister Marvin Dames praised the occasion and also noted the move as another step towards the government’s digitisation efforts of the judicial sector.

He also said the upgrades, once completed, will facilitate the roll-out of the court’s integrated case management system, a programme that computerizes court services and allows them to deliver a wide range of e-services among other things.

The government signed a $2m contract for the ICSM last December.

Yesterday, Mr Dames said: “Today’s contract

signing will activate two local vendors to provide the necessary LAN/WAN and electrical upgrades to various spaces within the judiciary to facilitate the implementation of the integrated case management system or ICMS, the launch of a digitisation unit and the expansion of the Bahamas judicial educational institute.

“Part of the CSJP’s mandate is to implement sustainable mechanisms for crime reduction. We believe that leveraging the digital environment to reimaging critical judicial tasks will contribute to the swifter justice delivery and promote efficiency across all justice services. Additionally, embracing technology for the betterment of the Bahamian people will encourage confidence in our court’s proceedings and will inspire trust in the judiciary.”

Chief Justice Sir Brian Moree also praised the signing yesterday.

He said the judiciary has made significant strides to reform and modernise the nation’s court system and added that yesterday’s ceremony was another demonstration of their commitment in fulfilling its mandate.

“Over the past two years, we have been incrementally putting in place the components of the new court system in the Bahamas

grounded in technology and innovative ICT solutions to improve efficiencies, productivity and service,” Sir Brian said.

“Today, we continue this process by signing two contracts with Walker’s Industries and Network Cabling to upgrade the infrastructure of court buildings and support premises in order to facilitate the roll out of a new integrated case management system.”

He said the ICMS, once fully implemented, will transform the delivery of court services in the Bahamas.

“It will bring in its wake greater efficiencies and increased productive and higher levels of transparency in our work processes and in our overall management of cases,” the chief justice added. “These changes are truly transformative and members of the public who use the court will see the benefits in tangible ways over the next six to twelve months.”

Local contractors told reporters that infrastructural works at the courts are expected to be completed over the next eight weeks. Buildings expected to receive electrical upgrades include the Magistrate’s Court, Supreme Court, Annex I and Hansard building and two other adjunct spaces acquired by the judiciary.

motorcycle to retrieve a fixed penalty book.

The court was told it was at that time that Butler jumped back on his scooter and sped off, which prompted PC Smith to give chase with sirens and fog horns. The officer said he also contacted the police control room for assistance while following the accused onto Independence Drive.

He said during the chase, Butler also drove his scooter against the flow of traffic which caused him to fear for the safety of other road users.

In his report, PC Smith said he then gave verbal commands over the intercom for Butler to stop, but

he failed to do so until he lost control of his scooter and fell on the ground. The officer said he then attempted to dismount his own motorcycle when the accused charged at him in an aggressive and violent manner and began striking him in his face with a closed fist.

The prosecution said when PC Smith attempted to subdue the accused, he felt a sharp tug on his 9mm pistol. It was then that he noticed Butler was attempting to disarm him.

The officer said he tried to ward the accused off but was unsuccessful. He said some time later Sergeant 3395 Strachan “came out of nowhere” and instructed

Butler to stop resisting while having his police service weapon in a low ready position. Butler was subsequently arrested.

Yesterday, both of the officers involved in the matter were present in court.

After accepting Butler’s guilty pleas, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said nothing could ever justify a public citizen assaulting a member of the public or a police officer.

Still, she said she would need time to consider her position and as a result, deferred her sentence to July 15.

Butler was remanded until that time.

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 26-YEAR-OLD man who denied pointing a firearm at two police officers earlier this month was yesterday granted bail ahead of his trial.

Carlos Joseph was accused of using a handgun to put Assistant Superintendent Earns and Sergeant 2056 Edmond in fear for their lives on July 1.

Prosecutors also allege he was found with a black .9mm Taurus pistol along with 11 rounds of .9mm ammunition that day.

According to police reports, shortly after 7pm, police received information

of two suspects being in possession of firearms. As a result, two units patrolling the Coconut Grove area were dispatched to Third Street.

“When the officers engaged the suspects they ran,” police reported.

“One of the suspects made his way through a yard onto Fourth Street.

Officers who were on Fourth Street, observed the suspect running towards the street brandishing a firearm. When alerted by the officers, he pointed the weapon in their direction.”

Officials said officers produced their service weapons and discharged them at the suspect, hitting him several times.

The suspect then dropped the firearm which allowed officers to secure the weapon and arrest him. He was then taken to hospital

by Emergency Medical Services. The second suspect was also arrested and taken into custody.

When he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt yesterday, Joseph, who was in a wheelchair with a cast on his leg, denied the allegations.

As a result, his case was adjourned to December 2 for trial.

The accused was granted $8,000 bail in the interim.

Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said he would be fitted with a monitoring bracelet until the case was completed.

MAN WHO DENIES POINTING GUN AT OFFICERS GIVEN BAIL

PAGE 8, Friday, July 9, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

How the rest of the world is dealing with marijuana AS WE continue to wait on the final version of the Marijuana Bill, I continue to research the subject and it’s impact globally all in an effort to see what new measures are being taken around the world as countries continue to legalise and decriminalise marijuana, either medicinally, recreationally or in some cases both, to see the positives we can incorporate in our still not final Bill that will benefit both the administration and citizenry moving forward.

DECRIMINALIZATION DONE RIGHT An excellent example of decriminalisation working can be found in the state Missouri.

Robert Franklin of Missouri was freed from prison on Thursday after serving over a decade of his 22-year sentence for possession of a pound of marijuana.

Franklin was released from Moberly Correctional Center, Missouri, ending what would have been a 22-year sentence.

In May, Franklin’s sentence was commuted officially by Missouri Gov Mike Parsons.

Franklin threw a pound of compressed marijuana out his SUV window with

A Comic’s View

By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA

two Missouri Highway Patrol troopers pursuing close behind back in February of 2007.

Since Franklin’s incarceration Missouri has since legalised medical cannabis and eliminated its harsh ‘three-strike’ mandatory minimum sentencing law that ensured repeat drug offenders — even those convicted of non-violent marijuana offenses like Franklin — would face a minimum of ten years in prison without the possibility for parole.

Gov Parsons, a Republican serving his first full term as Missouri governor, had previously issued eight commutations of drug sentences, but none had been marijuana related.

However, on May 5, Parsons granted 13 pardons and one commutation the last reserved for Franklin, who becomes the ninth drug offender to receive clemency from Gov Parsons, and the first to have been serving time

for a marijuana-related offence.

Further proof, if integrated properly, decriminalisation works.

K-9 UNITS UP IN SMOKE

In all my haste researching the pros of legalisation, I overlooked one con that hits home.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge dog lover.

So imagine my surprise and shock to learn K-9 Units are being shut down since the legalisation of marijuana in specific states.

Take New Mexico for example, police departments in New Mexico are the latest to lament the retirement of dogs that cannot make the distinction between marijuana, now legal in many states and illegal drugs.

The ramifications of using K9s to sniff out marijuana poses serious legal problems.

On June 29, the Tucumcari Police Department

posted a “eulogy” on Facebook (that’s where I stumbled across this story) announcing the retirement of Aries, the latest drugsniffing dog to be retired citing the legalisation of adult-use marijuana.

“We would like to take a moment to congratulate K9 Aries on his retirement effective today, June 29, 2021,” they wrote. “With the legalisation of recreational marijuana, K9 Aries is unable to continue his function as a narcotics detection dog.

“Now that marijuana is legal if the dog alerts on it, and a search warrant was issued, we’d be violating somebody’s rights. So that meant the easiest, simplest thing to do was to just stop using those dogs for that purpose,” said Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe.

New Mexico State Police will be forced to retire all nine of its K9s that were trained to detect marijuana.

“Once the new canines are trained, the handlers will have the option of retiring their current assigned canine to their home, or we will look at other options to the likes of donating them to other law enforcement entities outside of the state of New Mexico who have yet to legalise marijuana,” the department said in another press release.

VILLAIN OR FOLK HERO – OUR MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT THE BAREFOOT BANDIT MONDAY, July 11, will mark 11 years to the day that international fugitive Colton Harris-Moore was captured in Harbour Island, Eleuthera. The capture ended a brazen two-year crime spree during which the teen, better known as the Barefoot Bandit, stole airplanes, boats, broke into businesses and homes and evaded police in three countries while taking the world along for a ride, post after Facebook post.

Police and media were in a race, competing to find the Barefoot Bandit first and while there were hints that he may have made it to another island after crashing a stolen Cessna 400 in Abaco the week before, there were no sightings.

By Diane Phillips

The capture alone was the stuff movie directors dream of. It was the wee hours of the morning when an alert security guard at a resort with a marina spotted a boat being taken out next door, silently, no engine.

The guard knew something was up. With help from a visiting yacht, he and they jumped in a tender, took off, the boat ahead of them now speeding up, police joined the

chase, shots were fired and before the light of day, Bahamian police had done what none in Canada or the US had managed to do.

They captured the most intriguing fugitive in the world. And the world was captivated.

In the end, Colton Harris-Moore - who had been on the lam for so long was just a tired teenager, his 6’5” frame sunken, his body and energy so taxed

by his own escapades he could hardly speak when questioned. I handled the media relations for the event. I heard the police tapes, the weariness in his voice and my fascination never waned.

The world was fascinated as I was – and conflicted. Was he a villain? He committed his first crime at age 12. By the time he was 13, he had added three more stealing charges to his record. Years later, as the Barefoot Bandit, he was suspected of 100 thefts in Washington, Idaho and Canada and those offences were before he arrived in The Bahamas via one of five planes he was charged with stealing.

The charges he faced, state and federal, were serious – interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, interstate transportation of a stolen boat, piloting an aircraft without a valid airman’s certificate, attempt to elude, illegal landing, The Bahamas charge.

He pled guilty to all and in January of 2012 was sentenced to six and a half years on federal charges and seven on state charges, running concurrently. He is out of prison now, is trying to sell movie rights to his story, was the subject of a Canadian-made documentary and has a Twitter account.

Yet, for all the crimes he committed, there is a part of us that wants to keep him in folk hero status. Why, we ask ourselves? Does our heart go out to him because his mother was an alcoholic who used their social services money to buy booze and cigarettes so what he stole at age 12 was food to keep from starving? Do we pity him because child pro-

tective services COLTON HARRISseemed PLEASE, MOORE, the to have FOR THE Barefoot Bandit ignored SAKE OF calls from neighbours HAITIANS reporting WHO HAVE what they perSUFFERED ceived as neglect and abuse when he was ENOUGH a child? Or because when The assassination of he needed a father, his Haitian President Jovenel was a drug user sitting in a Moise and the wounding prison cell? of his wife allegedly by forDoes a part of us admire eign nationals from South his bravery and possible America disguised as DEA genius, teaching himself agents swooping down on how to fly by watching a their private home sent a video, getting into a plane message of fear to Haitians and flying it across interna- everywhere. As Louby tional borders?

Georges said: “ If citizen Do we forgive him number one is not safe, because he may have a who is?” touch of Asperger’s which No country in our region, could account for extraor- no people in our region dinary intelligence and lack have suffered more than of social skills and the rela- Haiti and the Haitian tionship constraints most of people for events not of us have? their making – economic Or, is it deeper – do we deprivation, political greed, hold the Barefoot Bandit avarice and corruption that in hero status because he built gilded palaces while avoided the law and took the population starved, an us on a ride we could never earthquake in 2010 from have engineered or exe- which the country has yet cuted ourselves? to fully recover.

Is our need for heroes This is a time to show so great that absent those compassion, love and to we can point to readily, we uplift a people who need grant the status to someone the world’s support. This we can see and name? is a time to take the high There is, in all of us, a road and show what being desire to be more than we a caring country and a are, or more than we can loving people can be. We be, and thus, it manifests do not know what true itself in a wish for heroes. oppression feels like but Whether or not Colton if we put ourselves in the Harris-Moore is a villain shoes of a Haitian friend or folk hero may be a ques- or colleague, if we look tion that does not have an that individual in the eye answer. Maybe he is a bit and think about oppresof both. Maybe the more sion, then nod our head in important question is why support or shake a hand or we have so few heroes we offer a fist bump saying “ I can point to and our chil- may not fully understand, dren and their children will but I will try and I will be able to look up to. stand up for you,” then we That is the troubling have taken the first step to question and it needs an taking the higher road to answer. humanity.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 9, 2021, PAGE 9

RECOVERY WORKERS VOW NOT TO LET UP IN FLORIDA CONDO COLLAPSE

By TERRY SPENCER ASSOCIATED PRESS SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) — Rescue workers now focused on finding remains instead of survivors in the rubble of a Florida condominium collapse vowed Thursday to keep up their search for victims until they cleared all the debris at the site.

A fire official told family members at a meeting that crews “will not stop working until they’ve gotten to the bottom of the pile and recovered every single of the families’ missing loved ones,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at an evening news conference.

He did not identify the official, but said the families were grateful.

“This is exactly the message the families wanted to hear,” he said.

The death toll rose to 64, with another 76 people unaccounted for, Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. Detectives are still working to verify that each of those listed as missing was actually in the building when it collapsed.

Levine Cava said teams paused briefly atop the pile to mark the two-week anniversary of the disaster, but there was no let-up in the pace or number of rescuers at the site during the recovery phase.

“The work continues with all speed and urgency,” she said earlier Thursday. “We are working around the clock to recover victims and to bring closure to the families as fast as we possibly can.”

Rubble The painstaking search for survivors shifted to a recovery effort at midnight Wednesday after authorities said they had come to the agonising conclusion that there was “no chance of life” in the rubble of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside.

“When that happened, it took a little piece of the hearts of this community,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose congressional district includes Surfside.

Michael Stratton, whose wife, Cassie, has not officially been confirmed dead, said friends and family had accepted “the loss of a bright and kind soul with an adventurous spirit.”

He was talking on the phone with his wife right when the building collapsed, and she described shaking before the phone went dead, he has told Denver’s KDVR-TV. “This wasn’t the miracle we prayed for, but it was not for lack of trying by rescue crews whose tireless bravery will never be forgotten,” he said in a statement Thursday.

Wasserman Schultz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged financial assistance to families of the victims, as well as to residents of the building who survived but lost all their possessions.

They acknowledged the devastating toll the tragedy has taken on the relatives these past two weeks.

“Is there hope? Will we be able to have a miracle?

I know it’s weighed a lot on the families,” DeSantis said.

In addition to property tax relief for residents of the building, DeSantis said, the state government will work toward channeling an outpouring of charitable donations to families affected by the collapse.

Levine Cava said crews were also collecting and cataloguing a long list of personal items, including legal documents, photo albums, jewelry, wallets, and electronic goods that they would seek to reunite families with.

The Rev. Juan Sosa of St. Joseph Catholic Church met with other spiritual leaders at the collapse site, where heavy machinery worked in the rubble and mourners left flowers and photos.

Sosa said faith leaders hope to bring peace to the grieving families.

POLICE stand amid a crowd protesting against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse near the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)

Two Haitian Americans detained in slaying of Haiti president

By EVENS SANON, DÁNICA COTO AND JOSHUA GOODMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Two men believed to be Haitian Americans — one of them purportedly a former bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Port au Prince — have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti’s president, a senior Haitian official said Thursday.

Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections, told The Associated Press that James Solages, a Haitian American, was among six people arrested in the brazen killing of President Jovenel Moise by gunmen at his home in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday. He also said that four others are from Colombia. The oldest suspect is 55 and the youngest, Solages, is 35, he said.

Seven other suspected assailants were killed in a gunfight with police, according to Haiti’s director of National Police Léon Charles.

Pierre would not provide additional details about Solages’ background, nor provide the name of the second Haitian American.

The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that Haitian Americans were in custody but could not confirm or comment.

Solages described himself as a “certified diplomatic agent,” an advocate for children and budding politician on a website for a charity he established in 2019 in south Florida to assist residents.

On his bio page for the charity, Solages said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. The Canadian Embassy didn’t immediately comment; calls to the foundation and Solages’ associates at the charity either did not go through or weren’t answered.

Witnesses said two suspects were discovered Thursday hiding in bushes in Port-au-Prince by a crowd, some of whom grabbed the men by their shirts and pants, pushing them and occasionally slapping them.

Police arrested the men, who were sweating heavily and wearing clothes that seemed to be smeared with mud, an Associated Press journalist said. Officers put them in the back of a pickup truck and drove away as the crowd ran after them to the nearby police station.

Once there, some in the crowd chanted: “They killed the president! Give them to us. We’re going to burn them!”

One man was overheard saying that it was unacceptable for foreigners to come to Haiti to kill the country’s leader, referring to reports from Haitian officials that the perpetrators spoke Spanish or English.

The crowd later set fire to several abandoned cars riddled with bullet holes that they believed belonged to the suspects, who were white men. The cars didn’t

HAITI’S PRESIDENT, Jovenel Moïse, was killed on Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File) have license plates, and inside one of them was an empty box of bullets and some water.

At a news conference Thursday, Charles, the police chief, urged people to stay calm and let police do their work as he warned that authorities needed evidence they were destroying, including the burned cars.

Officials did not address a motive for the slaying, saying only that the attack, condemned by Haiti’s main opposition parties and the international community, was carried out by “a highly trained and heavily armed group.”

Attack Not everyone was buying the government’s description of the attack. When Haitian journalist Robenson Geffrard, who writes for a local newspaper and has a radio show, tweeted a report on the police chief’s comments, he drew a flood of responses expressing scepticism. Many wondered how the sophisticated attackers described by police could penetrate Moïse’s home, security detail and panic room and then escape unharmed but were then caught without planning a successful getaway.

Meanwhile, a Haitian judge involved in the investigation said that Moïse was shot a dozen times and his office and bedroom were ransacked, according to the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste. It quoted Judge Carl Henry Destin as saying investigators found 5.56 and 7.62 mm cartridges between the gatehouse and inside the house.

Moïse’s daughter, Jomarlie Jovenel, hid in her brother’s bedroom during the attack, he said, and a maid and another worker were tied up by the attackers.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who assumed leadership of Haiti with the backing of police and the military, asked people to reopen businesses and go back to work as he ordered the reopening of the international airport.

On Wednesday, Joseph decreed a two-week state of siege following Moïse’s killing, which stunned a nation grappling with some of the Western Hemisphere’s highest poverty, violence and political instability.

Inflation and gang violence have spiraled upward as food and fuel grew scarcer in a country where 60% of Haitians earn less than $2 a day. The increasingly dire situation comes as Haiti is still trying to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 following a history of dictatorship and political upheaval.

“There is this void now, and they are scared about what will happen to their loved ones,” said Marlene Bastien, executive director of Family Action Network Movement, a group that helps people in Miami’s Little Haiti community.

She called on the Biden administration to take a much more active role in supporting attempts at national dialogue in Haiti with the aim of holding free, fair and credible elections.

Meanwhile, the Security Council met Thursday to talk about the situation in Haiti, and U.N. special envoy Helen La Lime, speaking to reporters at U.N. headquarters from Port-Au-Prince, said Haiti made a request for additional security assistance.

Haiti had grown increasingly unstable under Moïse, who had been ruling by decree for more than a year and faced violent protests as critics accused him of trying to amass more power while the opposition demanded he step down.

Moïse had faced large protests in recent months that turned violent as opposition leaders and their supporters rejected his plans to hold a constitutional referendum with proposals that would strengthen the presidency.

According to Haiti’s constitution, Moïse should be replaced by the president of Haiti’s Supreme Court, but the chief justice died in recent days from COVID19, leaving open the question of who might rightfully succeed to the office.

Joseph, meanwhile, was supposed to be replaced by Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon who had been named prime minister by Moïse a day before the assassination.

Henry told the AP that he is the prime minister, calling it an exceptional and confusing situation. “I am the prime minister in office,” he said.

On Thursday, public

transportation and street vendors remained scarce, an unusual sight for the normally bustling streets of Port-au-Prince.

Marco Destin, 39, was walking to see his family since no buses, known as tap-taps, were available. He was carrying a loaf of bread for them because they had not left their house since the president’s killing out of fear for their lives.

“Every one at home is sleeping with one eye open and one eye closed,” he said. “If the head of state is not protected, I don’t have any protection whatsoever.”

Gunfire rang out intermittently across the city hours after the killing, a grim reminder of the growing power of gangs that displaced more than 14,700 people last month alone as they torched and ransacked homes in a fight over territory.

Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia, said gangs were a force to contend with and it isn’t certain Haiti’s security forces can enforce a state of siege.

“It’s a really explosive situation,” he said, adding that foreign intervention with a U.N.-type military presence is a possibility.

“Whether Claude Joseph manages to stay in power is a huge question.

“It will be very difficult to do so if he doesn’t create a government of national unity.”

PAGE 10, Friday, July 9, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

The law catches up with Zuma

By GAVIN EVANS Lecturer, Culture and Media department, Birkbeck, University of London IT’S the small crimes that bring you down. Al Capone went merrily on his murdering way until the FBI nailed him for tax evasion. Richard Nixon seemed immune to the consequences of lying about Vietnam, Cambodia and Chile, but his lies over the silly crime of burgling the Democratic Party’s headquarters did for him.

So, it is with Jacob Zuma South Africa’s former president. He faced multiple charges of corruption, but, so far, has avoided his day in court. He was tried for rape and acquitted. As President he was accused of working with an Indian family, the Guptas, in orchestrating “state capture” (seizing control of state organs for corrupt purposes). He is refusing to cooperate with the judicial commission investigating the allegations.

In the end it is his contempt of the Constitutional Court’s order that he cooperate with the commission that may send him to jail for 15 months. He’s appealed for a rescission of the order.

A question that invariably gets asked is whether power changed him. The country’s former foreign intelligence chief Moe Shaik seemed to think so, writing glowingly of the capable “struggle” version of Zuma, suggesting it was only as president that things went awry, although he noted that we will never know when “precisely Jacob Zuma lost his way”.

Perhaps it came rather earlier than Shaik thinks.

As with so many fallen revolutionaries, the seeds of venality seem to have been sown in his younger days.

It’s just that political power provided the nutrients for spectacular sprouting.

A taste of Zuma My first taste of Zuma came in 1989. The ANC’s Operate Vula was under way. It involved building an underground insurrectionary network and I belonged to one of its regional leadership structures. We received

an instruction to investigate whether Peter Mokaba the leader of the African National Congress Youth League, was a spy.

Our damning report was presented to Zuma and the ANC’s security chief Joe Nhlanhla who informed us that Mokaba, who died in 2002, was an informer whose relationship with the security police went deeper than we’d suspected. Other ANC leaders got on board to spread this message but we were told that Oliver Tambo, who then led the exiled ANC, decided it would be better to rehabilitate Mokaba, which duly happened.

Soon after that I was visited by a senior leader of the South African Communist Party, which was in an alliance with the ANC. He pleaded with me to do a journalistic hatchet job on Zuma. He said his own home in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, was bugged by ANC intelligence and that Zuma was corrupt.

I ignored the request.

But it was one of several signs I’d seen that Zuma was despised within the Communist Party.

Zuma had briefly been on the party’s politburo but fell from favour partly because of conflicts between ANC intelligence and its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe.

One conflict involved commander Thami Zulu, who was branded by Zuma’s allies as an enemy agent, detained for 14 months by the ANC in Lusaka and died of poisoning a week after his release. Those who knew Zulu insisted he was innocent.

His death contributed to the hatred for Zuma. It was by no means the only crime attributed to ANC intelligence.

Steely resolve Zuma started life in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, in 1942, the son of a policeman and a domestic worker.

He received scant formal education but emerged as a lad with a sharp mind and steely resolve. At 17 he joined the ANC and three years on was arrested as part of a group of military recruits, leading to a 10-year spell on Robben

Island. He went into exile in 1975.

His ambition, prodigious memory and avuncular personality all helped him along and he became the ANC’s chief representative in Mozambique, a member of its political and military committee and its intelligence chief in 1987. Those who backed him tended to overlook his darker side, including his sexual promiscuity.

When Zuma returned to South Africa in 1990 KwaZulu-Natal was in the midst of a territorial war between the ANC and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s Zulu nationalist Inkaatha movement. He emerged as ANC leader there after seeing off the ANC warlord Harry Gwala, using his charm and Zulu credentials to secure the peace. But this came at a cost. The ANC drew some of Inkatha’s most notorious killers into its fold and a new form of violence broke out.

This time it had nothing to do with ideology.

Instead, it was all about money – as so much was when Zuma was around.

Corruption and legal jeopardy In 2004, when Zuma was deputy president, his financial advisor Schabir Shaik was arrested for his role in an arms deal and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, but released after 28 months on spurious health grounds. He was found to have solicited bribes of R500,000 a year for Zuma, who was later charged with corruption. This was followed by further charges relating to another arms deal. But procedural irregularities and allegations of political interference meant none of these went to trial.

He faced legal jeopardy from a different source in 2006, tried for allegedly raping a 31-year-old Aids activist whom he knew to be HIV-positive (he said he believed a shower after sex would be adequate protection). Zuma claimed it was his duty as a Zulu man to have sex with a woman if she wore a short kanga (African wrap), and that he could not leave her “unfulfilled”.

He argued Zulu men have sexual primacy over women and he could

GN-2572

SOUTH Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma

therefore not be guilty.

Zuma was acquitted while the alleged victim was vilified, with Zuma and his supporters singing his favourite song Lethu Mshini Wami, (Bring me my machine gun) during and after the trial. The woman, later named as Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, fled into exile for safety. She returned after a decade and died in 2016.

Thabo Mbeki had dumped Zuma as his deputy in 2005 and the long-time allies became enemies. The paranoid Mbeki lacked the common touch and was oddly devoid of his former gracious charm, while Zuma was the opposite: friendly and humorous. By playing on popular concerns about service provision, crime, and Aids, and being chummy with the unions, the youth and the left, he won the backing of people who should have been more wary.

Zuma defeated Mbeki for the ANC leadership in 2007 and became President in 2009, remaining in office for nine years. The Left hoped he’d curb his

excesses, but the opposite happened. The Guptas fed his greed in return for state contracts, to the point that they offered cabinet positions to obedient hopefuls.

Eventually, Zuma overreached. He dipped into state coffers to upgrade his house in Nkandla. Then he fired two finance ministers who would not do his bidding.

Cyril Ramaphosa won the ANC leadership race in December 2017. Two months later Zuma stepped down as President of the country. The Guptas promptly fled to Dubai.

Zuma faces jail for contempt, the revival of the original fraud, racketeering and money laundering charges, and possibly further charges, depending on the findings of the Zondo Commission into state capture, whose subpoenas he ignored.

There will be more posturing and more singing of Lethu Mshini Wami by followers who stand to lose from his demise. But at the age of 78 Zuma’s long day in the sun is over.

• Originally published on theconversation.com

PROTECTING OUR MANGROVES THE Bahamas Protected Areas Fund (BPAF) is aiming to protect the nation’s mangroves - and has launched a new campaign with the goal of raising $250,000 for the cause.

Mangroves are one of The Bahamas’ key ecosystems, serving as the first line of defence against the lifethreatening and destructive surge of extreme storm events The “Link Up To Protect the Mangroves” Campaign aims to raise $250,000 for mangrove restoration and rehabilitation.

One third of the world’s mangroves have disappeared, with this loss higher in The Bahamas where as much as 80-90 percent of mangroves have been lost due to coastal development and storms.

In more recent years, large storms have battered mangroves, with as much as 75 percent of the mangroves on Grand Bahama destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricane Dorian, and more than 45 percent on Abaco.

Just 330sq ft of mangroves can reduce an incoming wave height by 66 percent. BPAF is striving to protect at least ten acres of mangroves across The Bahamas.

To make a contribution or start a group effort to raise funds for an acre or a portion, visit www. bahamasprotected.com/ linkup or find BPAF on Facebook at https:// www.facebook.com/ LinkUp4Mangroves/.

• The fund is also partnering with the Bahamas

Customs Department on a new initiative for sustainable funding for protected areas and climate resilience.

The initiative will be implemented on Customs’ Click2Clear platform implemented by The Government of The Bahamas to streamline and ease the import and export of cargo in The Bahamas.

“This is a wonderful marriage, an exceptional opportunity to support our country,” said Kelley Bostwick-Toote, BPAF’s chair.

Funding remains critically low for protected areas, a shortage exacerbated by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Environmental organisations have, as a consequence, furloughed staff . This new partnership presents a very innovative solution to ensure revenues are directly available to help.

Dr Geannine Moss, Comptroller of Customs, expressed her firm support for the initiative stating that Customs was “pleased to partner with BPAF on such an important and vital venture” noting that the partnership is an “intelligent and convenient avenue for residents and tourists to support our natural resources”.

Ellison ‘Tommy’ Thompson, board member of BPAF, said it “is a major step to provide financial sustainability for BPAF and enhances the green credentials of the Bahamas Customs Department”.

Karen Panton, executive drector of BPAF said the Board is especially thankful for the positive reception.