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VOLUME:114 No.162, JULY 17TH, 2017
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24-hour wait in A&E flood crisis By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE ACCIDENT and Emergency Department at the Princess Margaret Hospital experienced a series of challenges over the weekend, forcing some patients to be relocated to the South Beach Clinic and others to wait for more than 24 hours in some cases, according to Heath Minister Dr Duane Sands who described the public hospital as the Bahamas Power and Light of healthcare. In an interview with The Tribune, Dr Sands said flooding from a broken pipe took the CAT scan and ultrasound machines out of commission causing significant delays to those needing diagnostics. In addition, he said there were no avail-
able beds on the female medical ward and unfortunately some patients had to sleep in cots in the hallways because “there was just no room.” Dr Sands the “perfect storm” was caused by years of “dumb and inappropriate decisions” and he is “honestly not sure” when a solution to the “mess” will be found. He said even with seven doctors and 14 nurses on duty over the weekend, there was “just no way” everyone could have been seen in a timely manner, when the “clinical space is filled to the brim.” “There was a flood from a broken pipe that immersed the electrical wiring to the CAT scanner and the ultrasound equipment,” Dr Sands said. SEE PAGE SIX
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THE Minister of Health yesterday pledged to “maximise value for the Bahamian public” after revealing the former administration’s planned $11m investment in new Cat Island clinics would benefit just six patients per day. Dr Duane Sands told Tribune Business that the “soundness” of such a multi-million dollar outlay
GREENSLADE OFFERED UK DIPLOMAT ROLE
By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday refused to comment on recent speculation that plans are underway to have Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade replaced as the head of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. When contacted, Mr Dames directed The Tribune to speak to Commissioner Greenslade. He declined further comment. The Tribune contacted Commissioner Greenslade, but calls were not returned up to press time. However, it is understood that Mr Greenslade has been offered the post of High Commissioner to London. He will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner Tony Ferguson as Commissioner of Police. SEE PAGE SIX
GUNMEN SLAY NEW FOX HILL VICTIM
By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
A 32-YEAR-OLD man was shot multiple times and killed Saturday night during a drive by shooting in front of his home. The murder took place shortly after 9pm in Fox Hill and took the country’s murder count to 73 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records. Police said the victim was getting out of his car shortly after arriving home when persons in a vehicle opened fire on him before speeding off in an unknown direction. The victim died at the scene. Police have not identified the man, but The Tribune understands he is Raquino Huyler, of Johnson Terrance. SEE PAGE SIX
$11M CLINICS FOR SIX PEOPLE A DAY By NEIL HARNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
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was called into question by healthcare usage rates in the Family Islands. “We have entered into tens of millions of commitments under the premise these new clinics would modernise the infrastructure for NHI,” he said. “The question is whether or not they are predicated on sound principles. It is challenging when you look at the buildings proposed for Cat Island. We are spending so much money in Cat Island.” FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
MORTGAGE RELIEF SCHEME FAILS TO HIT TARGETS IN this image from a video circulating on social media, a man is seen tied to a tree and being threatened with a belt prior to being threatened with a machete. By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding a video circulating on social media depicting a man punching and threatening another man with a machete over an alleged theft. The victim was tied to a tree. Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash, officer-incharge of the Central DeLIMITED TIME!
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tective Unit (CDU), told The Tribune that CDU’s Cyber Crimes Division is “in receipt” of the video in question and is currently examining it with a view to “identifying the victim, the producer and all of the individuals engaged in the act.” He was responding to a video making the rounds on various social media platforms in which a shirtless man is seen punching and threatening another
shirtless man called “Yellow,” who is tied to a tree in a yard in an undisclosed location. Based on what was said in the one minute, 32-second long video, “Yellow” allegedly stole a canvas out of the yard in question. A Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas bus can be seen parked in the background, from which the alleged attacker, who is said to be SEE PAGE THREE
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE mortgage relief programme, which the Christie administration said helped at least 441 people, has not performed as well as expected and will have to be reviewed, Finance Minister K Peter Turnquest said. “We are beginning the process of reviewing that effort and will have more to say in the next few weeks,” Mr Turnquest told The Tribune over the weekend. SEE PAGE 13
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PAGE 2, Monday, July 17, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
SLOOP WITH 60 HAITIANS ABOARD DETAINED
HAITIAN migrants at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Base, above and below, after they were apprehended at Ragged Island on July 13. Photos: RBDF Leading Mechanic Al Rahming
MORE than 60 Haitian migrants were apprehended in the southern Bahamas on Thursday morning during a joint exercise by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and immigration authorities. Shortly after 8.30am, a Haitian sloop arrived offshore at Ragged Island. RBDF officers and im-
migration officials along with community members engaged in a joint exercise to take the migrants into custody, who were quickly located on the sparsely populated island. The undocumented migrants included 40 men, 10 women, and 14 children. This latest group of Haitian migrants is the second apprehension within the past two weeks. On July 3, a total of 69 Haitians were apprehended on the Great Bahama Bank by Her Majesty’s Bahamian Ship Lignum Vitae.
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Bahamian accused of smuggling
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
A BAHAMIAN man was recently charged with bringing several undocumented migrants into the United States for financial gain, according to US officials. On July 11, Raymond Abdul Pritchard, 43, was indicted for bringing the migrants into the US at a place other than a designated port of entry and with illegal re-entry into the US by an aggravated felon. The indictment also charges Trinidadian Andy Jackson Mitchell and Jamaicans Kelvin Everett Esteen and Devon Rankin aka “Raylon Etheridge” with illegal re-entry into the United States. The announcement was made by Benjamin Greenberg, acting US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Mark Selby, special agent in charge, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI). According to the court docket, including a criminal complaint and indictment,
on June 27 a Fort Lauderdale Police Marine Unit officer noticed a privately owned open fishing vessel coming in from the ocean that was unusually low in the water. The captain reportedly appeared to be having trouble steering the vessel. The Marine Unit officer attempted to pull over the vessel, but the vessel sped off to the Sails Marina. Upon arriving at the marina, the vessel docked and individuals who had been aboard the vessel were apprehended. Pritchard was determined to have been driving the vessel, according to reports. Prichard is alleged to have brought Mitchell, Esteen and Rankin and an individual with the initials “DAJ” into the US at a place other than the one designated by the Secretary of Homeland security as a port of entry, knowing that they were undocumented foreign nationals. It is further alleged that Pritchard brought the migrants to the United States for financial gain. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Keene.
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Monday, July 17, 2017, PAGE 3
A MAN tied to a tree reacts after seemingly being punched in this image taken from a video circulating on social media. from page one a former employee of the company, retrieves a machete that he uses to threaten the man tied to the tree. Attempts to contact Stuart Cove’s officials on the matter were unsuccessful yesterday. However, The Tribune understands that the shirtless man has since been fired from the company. At one point in the video in question, after punching the victim twice, the shirtless man repeatedly questions the man tied to the tree: “You come in this yard to thief? Huh? You know what happen to thief aye?
You know what happen to thief?” While doing so, a woman recording the video could be heard telling the shirtless man: “He already get enough. But he got enough.” Upon hearing no response from the man tied to the tree, the shirtless man goes to the driver’s side of the company bus and after a brief moment brings out a machete, which he then uses to strike the part of tree in front of the man’s chest. As the man screams in terror, another unidentified man in a red shirt intervenes and manages to take the machete from the shirtless man, telling him re-
peatedly, “No, no, no, don’t do that, don’t do that.” However, much to the protest of the woman recording the video, the man in the red shirt goes on to say: “‘Yellow’ man you need that though, you need (expletive) that.” As the shirtless man continues to angrily ask “Yellow” if he “come in this yard to thief,” the man in the red shirt, now in the foreground trying to prevent the other man from going after “Yellow” any further, continues to scold the tied up man for allegedly stealing a canvas out of the yard in question. “And this ain’t your first time,” the man in the red shirt said. “People allow
you…stop touching people things. Where the canvas? Who tell you carry the canvas? Who was home when you take the canvas?” When the woman asks for a final time for the man to be released, the man in the red shirt replies by saying: “No, he gone stay right here,” before the video cuts out. When contacted by The Tribune on the matter, Chief Supt Cash said: “The police are in receipt of the video…The Cyber Crimes Section at the Central Detective Unit is currently looking at it with a view of identifying the victim, the producer and all of the individuals engaged in the act.”
PRISON OFFICER FACES CHARGES OVER SEIZURE OF MARIJUANA
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
A 24-YEAR-OLD correctional officer is expected to be formally charged in a Magistrate’s Court this week in connection with a drug seizure from his Sunset Park residence on Friday. That expected arraignment would be one of several involving correctional officers taken before the courts on criminal charges
in recent months. According to police reports, around 1pm on July 14, officers assigned to the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) executed a search warrant at the correctional officer’s home at Caravel Road in Sunset Park. Upon doing so, officers allegedly found just over two ounces of marijuana. The officer was consequently taken into custody and is expected to appear in court early this week to face formal charges.
In late March, a 30-yearold prison officer was sentenced to one year behind bars after admitting to having a quarter pound of marijuana with the intention of selling it. In May, police said they were searching for a 26-year-old corrections officer after an undisclosed quantity of drugs was found at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) earlier that month. In late June, a 45-year-
MAN DIES IN SUSPECTED HIT AND RUN By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man, who was found lying in the road with “multiple injuries” early Saturday morning. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said police “are leaning toward” classifying the incident as a traffic fatality, but an autopsy will have to be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Officers were alerted to a body in the road near Nassau Village shortly after 4am Saturday. When officers arrived on the scene
they found the lifeless body of a man lying in the street with multiple injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Senior ACP Dean said while police believe the incident to be a “hit and run”, officers cannot speculate. Police have not identified the victim. Police also reported that officers recovered a stolen car and a handgun from a male suspect on Saturday night. Shortly after 11.30pm, officers assigned to the Selective Enforcement Team were on routine patrol when they saw a suspicious man standing in an abandoned building located at St Paul’s and Pilgrim Streets, police said. The man, on seeing the officers, took a handgun
from his waist and threw it to the ground before fleeing on foot, police said. The officers gave chase, but were unable to catch the man. The handgun was retrieved and found to be a Taurus Pistol with five rounds of ammunition. The officers also recovered a cell
old correctional officer was sentenced to a year in prison and made to pay a $1,000 fine after Magistrate Jeanine Weech-Gomez scolded him for his “stupid” decision to try and deliver marijuana to an inmate at the BDCS. Earlier this month, another correctional officer was remanded to prison after being arraigned in Magistrate’s Court on drugrelated charges. Last week, National Security Minister Marvin
phone and a 2008 Chrysler Jeep that had been taken during an armed robbery. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.
Dames said he is “concerned” about the number of law enforcement officers who have recently been taken before the courts on criminal charges. He pledged to put a “greater focus” on “sifting out as many of the bad apples as possible” from the sector. “When you take an oath to be a law enforcement officer, that’s a serious one,” the former deputy commissioner of police said last week.
“It means that you are here to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, it doesn’t mean that you are here to break it. “It doesn’t mean that you are above the law and sometimes I think people confuse that. “And so we’re here now to set the record straight that there will be no lowering of the bar or standards as it relates to law enforcement officers,” Mr Dames said.
PAGE 4, Monday, July 17, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
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Bahamians must concentrate on rebuilding their country WE agree with former prime minister Hubert Ingraham that elections rather than a short time in prison settles ”scores between populations and politicians”. Bahamians, have possibly for the first time learned the power of their vote, and how, with it, they can deliver the most devastating verdict of all against politicians who have betrayed their trust. “If crimes are committed, criminal activities committed and police have evidence then police ought to proceed with it against whomsoever, politicians or non-politicians,” Mr Ingraham said. “But there ought not to be a witch hunt against people. If there’s evidence somebody abused their authority in office or evidence of misfeasance then that’s possible, but not to do otherwise. I come from the school of thought that generally speaking elections settle scores between the populations and politicians and sometimes a loss is a bigger punishment for them than six months in prison because he spends the rest of his life with this thing that he regards as humiliation.” Bahamians seem more anxious now to open the prison gates for those whom they perceive as political offenders. However, we strongly advise that they turn their full attention to helping rebuild their nation, and let the police deal with suspected political offences and offenders. We do not believe that Bahamians as yet fully understand the seriousness of this country’s economic crisis. This means that many promises made by the dismissed PLP government – or even this government —cannot possibly be fulfilled at this time. For example, when one considers the present condition of the Princess Margaret Hospital, it would be madness to even attempt to introduce National Health Insurance at an estimated annual cost of $100m. No one yet knows where such funds are to be obtained, but if available should be used to raise the standard of the existing hospital before trying to achieve the impossible just for political kudos. The dilapidation of the Princess Margaret Hospital is a story in itself. To say it is in a subhuman state is an understatement. Recently a leading American doctor was taken on a tour. He was so shocked at what he saw that he said if the PMH were in the United States it would have been immediately condemned and closed. Another area that needs close examination is the cost of maintaining and staffing so many foreign missions. Take Washington for example where a Bahamas Embassy is already established with an ambassador in residence. It is customary that a Consular office with a consul general is located in the Embassy. But not so for the penny poor, but ostentatious Bahamas. Under the PLP this consul general was established in offices and a residence of her own, with a three year lease, which has not as yet been completed. Why was this extra expense needed in the first place? Surely, this consular office will be closed and relocated in the Embassy, where it should have been in the first place. Then there are embassies and consu-
lar offices around the world that could be closed and arrangements made for an already established foreign embassy to take the Bahamas under its wing for representation - or even rent a small office within that embassy to be manned by a Bahamian representative. It would certainly be less costly and just as effective. Before the PLP came to power in 1967, it was established that anyone travelling on behalf of the government had to get permission, and on return had to submit a statement of expenses. However, once the PLP became the government there were long and unpleasant arguments by the new politicians, who believed that travel expenses should be a part of their perks. We recall a political fight in 1988 when the then Opposition tried to get Sir Lynden to give a financial accounting of a trade mission to the Far East. On that mission no one involved with trade was included, but among the delegates were a campaign general for one of the ministers, a personal friend of Sir Lynden who sold motor scooters, and a government minister who at the time could not get an American visa to enter the United States. Sir Lynden refused to give an accounting. However, on another mission to the Far East, Sir Lynden’s delegation included 22 people and cost the country $98,922. And now we come to the the five years of former foreign affairs minister Fred Mitchell who believed that the job of a foreign minister was to travel. In 2013 he announced that he intended to take most of that year off to spend in the Middle East and Asia looking for investments to fund our “capital starved” Treasury. We don’t know how much the Treasury benefitted, but the following year he arrived with what he claimed was $500,000 worth of “high grader phosphate” fertilizer as a gift from the Moroccan government. We don’t know what this could possibly have contributed to the Treasury, but Mr Mitchell assured Bahamians that it showed a “strong relationship between the Bahamas and Morocco.” He even found time for two years before her election to pledge his personal support to the Baroness Scotland to head CHOGM, and convince then prime minister Christie to throw the Bahamas’ vote behind her. He thought she would provide for the best interest of the Bahamas. She won the post, as far as we know, she has done nothing for the Bahamas, but has succeeded in attracting a press that has completely discredited her. We now believe that the country is owed an accounting of all of Mr Mitchell’s trips and how much they have either taken from or contributed to the Public Treasury. However, with so many embassies and consular offices around the world, and the use of video conferencing, the travelling of a Foreign Minister has to be curtailed and every person who undertakes a mission on behalf of this country should be required to give a detailed accounting of his/her expenses. Yes, a new day has arrived in this country. The nonsense must stop.
Don’t take a risk with hurricanes EDITOR, The Tribune.
SINCE June 1, efforts have been made to sensitise the public about the seriousness of disaster striking The Bahamas. Hurricane Preparedness has been stressed, because if we as a people are better prepared, then the blow could be lessened. Bahamians are a stubborn people. We measure the severity of the next hurricane from other experiences, even the most recent Hurricane Matthew was more than enough to show just how devastating a hurricane could be. To the people who want to survive a hurricane, I suggest that, if you haven’t already done so, to start making the effort of seeing how you would secure your homes. Trying to do these things in high winds, when the tropical depression has been upgraded to tropical storm may be cutting it too close. The reality is that there is no set time how quickly the tropical storm may be
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net further upgraded to a hurricane or if it would be Category 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. We must not gamble by the way we did things before because we do not control the progression. Wisdom would scream that, the cost of the supplies now would be more affordable than when the hurricane is closer. We all know that the merchant would use the urgency to “gouge”, plus if we plan properly, we would be able to spread the cost over a period of weeks rather than having to cough up hundreds in days, which in many cases we simply do not have. Identify and start practising with your family how we are going to get to the hurricane shelters and clinics in the immediate vicinity, so that when pandemonium breaks out, we are not left “out in the cold!” The necessities like bat-
teries, radio, medical supplies should be attained now. As time progresses, stocking up on non-perishable items would lessen the burden, cost and chaos. Finally pay extreme attention to all of the messages that are being disseminated by the MET Office, NEMA, Red Cross, Police and other agencies associated. These are the people who know what, when how and why, better than anyone else and should always be taken seriously. Family Islands must be brought up to scratch to ensure that this information is shared in real time. If Matthew was any indication how dangerous it could be, then please let us govern ourselves accordingly. Luckily we were spared and no lives were lost, but we must not take that for granted. A word to the wise is sufficient IVOINE W. INGRAHAM Nassau, July 16, 2017.
Applause for opening bare cupboard to pay extra for Nottage funeral EDITOR, The Tribune. I BELIEVE it was the fictional character and nihilist Yevgeney Vasilevish Bazaro who stated in the 19th century Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev’s classic novel Fathers and Sons that death is a stale joke, but it comes fresh to everybody. The country continues to moan the passing of Dr Bernard Nottage, former Progressive Liberal Party MP and National Security Minister in the former
Christie government. Nottage has gone on to his eternal reward. May his soul rest in peace. I applaud the Free National Movement government and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis for rising above partisan politics in their handling of the fallen PLP MP and his family. I believe that the Minnis government has bent over backwards in its treatment of Nottage. Despite informing the nation that the PLP gov-
ernment left the “cupboard bare,” the FNM has graciously increased the budget for Nottage’s official funeral from $10,000 to $50,000. While the government is only obligated to assume costs up to a maximum of $10,000, the Minnis government has allotted an additional $40,000 towards the funeral, much to the chagrin of some critics who are screaming for the implementation of austerity measures.
In addition to funding Nottage’s funeral, the government covered the costs of his medical bills in Florida, despite the fact that Nottage was a very wealthy physician. The government had even paid for the repatriation of his body. Minnis should be applauded for keeping in contact with Nottage’s family throughout this trying process. His eulogy statement that was issued to the press was most honourable and diplo-
matic. Yet despite all that Minnis has done, there are some PLPs who prefer to scrape the bottom of the barrel in an effort to find fault with the FNM’s handling of Nottage’s remains. Some of them have complained that the box containing the remains of Nottage was not draped with the Bahamian flag when it arrived from Florida. According to them, this intentional blunder was the FNM’s slight towards Nottage.
Granted, the box should have been draped with the Bahamian flag. But I believe it was a simple oversight. There’s nothing more to it than that. Rather than engage in petty politics, these people should use this time to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr Nottage. After all, that is what the FNM government is doing. KEVIN EVANS Nassau, July 12, 2017.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, July 17, 2017, PAGE 5
FORMER member of parliament Kenred Dorsett appears before the Supreme Court on Friday, where his bail application was approved.
Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
Ex-minister Dorsett released on $50,000 bail in bribery case By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net FORMER Environment and Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett was released from custody by the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon. His bail was set at $50,000 with two sureties. Dorsett, 46, is accused of using his former ministerial position to extort and so-
licit $120,000 in bribes from Johnathan Ash. As a condition of his bond he must surrender his travel documents to the court and cannot leave the jurisdiction without the Supreme Court’s permission. He was remanded to the Department of Correctional Services last Thursday on nine criminal charges: a single count of misconduct in public office and four counts each of extortion
and bribery. The allegations concern the purported exchange of funds in connection with work done by a heavy equipment operator to move debris from the New Providence Landfill following a massive fire at the site in March. Dorsett appeared before Justice Carolita Bethel in the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon for a bail hearing that was held in
chambers and lasted about 30 minutes. “The Attorney General’s Office did not object to bail,” Wayne Munroe, QC, told reporters following the hearing. “And bail was granted in the amount of $50,000 with two sureties, the only condition being that he surrender his passport and not leave the jurisdiction without leave of the court which means if he
has to leave and travel he has to come to court and get permission,” Mr Munroe said. Dorsett’s extortion charges were brought contrary to Section 453 (1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 84 while the bribery charges were brought under Section 3(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Act Chapter 88. The misconduct in public office was brought contrary
to common law. It is alleged that Dorsett, while a public official between March 1 and May 9 this year, demanded and obtained two payments of $10,000 and two payments of $50,000 from Mr Ash knowing he was not lawfully authorised to make such demands. Dorsett, who denies the allegations, is scheduled to return to the Magistrate’s Court on August 31.
ATTORNEY: DION SMITH VINDICATED AFTER POLICE FIND NO EVIDENCE OF WRONGDOING By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net ATTORNEY Wayne Munroe, QC, said yesterday he has been instructed by his client, former Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation Chairman (BAIC) Dion Smith, to pursue legal action for allegedly being wrongfully detained and discriminated against because of his political affiliation. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Munroe said he is drafting a letter to BAIC and Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade asking if they will accept liability for their alleged actions. If they do not, Mr Munroe said he sue the Office Attorney General’s Office. Last Friday, Mr Munroe said Mr Smith has been vindicated after police admitted on Thursday that their investigation of the former chairman had “wrapped up with no evi-
dence of wrongdoing”. In May, Mr Smith was released from police custody without being charged as investigations into alleged “theft by reason of employment” at BAIC continued. Mr Smith was appointed as executive chairman of the organisation under the Christie administration. The former deputy speaker of the House of Assembly was the ninth person arrested, questioned and released in connection with the matter; however, no formal charges have been brought against anyone. Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle told reporters last week that the investigation was completed and police found no evidence of wrongdoing. “The areas we will be seeking recovery for are, he was kept in custody over an evening, well the Court of Appeal gave Geoffrey Farquharson $16,000 for being in custody for two hours and then the damages for
breach of his constitutional rights and discrimination based on political affiliation, I have seen persons get up to $200,000 for that. We will also be saying there should be damages awarded,” Mr Munroe said Sunday. “So we will write them first because you just don’t up and go to court, when you write them they might say, ‘yes we admit this and we are liable, let us talk about amounts.’ I am working on the draft and hopefully, I will get it out Monday or Tuesday. If I pursue, the action will be against the attorney general on behalf of the commissioner of police because you cannot sue the commissioner.” On Friday, Mr Munroe said he does not understand why the police “went after” Mr Smith and the other BAIC employees, who he also represents. “Now after all of this they (the police) have arrived at the conclusion that we were
telling them all along. All the stuff that they claim was stolen was either still at BAIC or belonged to Mr Smith,” Mr Munroe said Friday. “None of the property they claim he took belonged to BAIC and I guess they found the little staplers and computer monitors in the building that they claim were stolen. I don’t know why they would even fool with the employees, they were only taking direc-
tions from their boss, but you know, ‘it’s the people’s time’.” In May, several employees were taken into custody after reports that some items were allegedly taken from BAIC on the night of the election and the day after. At the time, a source close to the matter told The Tribune police suspected the employees of allegedly attempting to destroy files and remove evidence from
BAIC that could possibly show funds were being misappropriated. However, in May Mr Munroe said that Mr Smith decided to watch the May 10 general election results at BAIC and took his speaker and television to the building. He also claimed the former MP and several BAIC workers packed these items and other personal belongings after Mr Smith learned he had lost his re-election bid.
PAGE 6, Monday, July 17, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
MINISTER of Health Dr Duane Sands during a previous tour of Princess Margaret Hospital. Photo: Terrel W. Carey/ Tribune Staff
24-hour wait in A&E flood crisis from page one “We had a huge number of people who required scanning, more than a dozen, and despite having arranged for dedicated transportation by ambulance to Grosvenor and Doctors Hospital and having established relationships with those facilities, you can imagine the added delay. You combine that with no female beds in the hospital and you have a logistical nightmare,” Dr Sands said. “As a routine, many people have confidence in PMH and they come there
for most of their care. This has been a problem for years and the community clinics unfortunately are not open in order to decompress PMH adequately. So given this peculiar perfect storm, we decided to open up the South Beach Clinic on Saturday and Sunday as we get our diagnostics capacity back on stream. We have 60 beds out of commission and a number of other challenges to (providing) care. I do not know what is going to happen to the CAT scanner, we believe it will be able to be brought back into service but flood immersion of the
electrical system of a sensitive piece of equipment is not a minor problem and it’s not only the CAT scanner, it’s also the ultrasound and so if you add this challenge now to a system which is already under siege, you get an understanding of why and how long the public is inconvenienced.” Dr Sands said opening all the government clinics over the weekend was not an option because the government “simply does not have the millions it will take when we already owe millions.” “Again, we have more than 60 beds taken out of
circulation and we have bills that have not been paid. Vendors have stopped supplying the hospital with medication and some are threatening to withdraw certain services. That is the reality and solving that reality isn’t something that you just flip a switch,” he said. “People ask why we don’t just open all the clinics. Well how are you going to pay the staff when you owe millions of dollars to the staff already? This place is the BPL of healthcare, this is the continuous power outage of healthcare. What you are dealing with is a legacy of dumb decisions
and inappropriate decisions that have led to this mess. What we have to do now is to fix it, but saying you will fix it, won’t fix it.” Dr Sands is encouraging persons who do not have a “bonafide emergency” to visit the government clinics before going to Accident and Emergency. “We are trying our best and we will work through this in trying to sort out the healthcare needs of the public. I know some people have a hard time knowing whether or not their problem is an emergency but notwithstanding that, there are some problems that are clearly not,
we are just asking people not to game the system.” In May, Dr Sands said the former Christie administration left more than $25m in unpaid bills for medical equipment, rent, drugs and salaries at the Ministry of Health and the Public Hospitals Authority. Dr Sands also claimed that despite a plea from the managing director of the PHA for just under a million dollars to repair the major hospitals in the healthcare system, the money was never made available, resulting in 67 crucial beds “being taken out of commission”.
GREENSLADE OFFERED UK DIPLOMAT ROLE from page one
It is also understood
that Deputy Commissioner Emerick Seymour, now in charge of Freeport, will be transferred
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to Nassau as Deputy Commissioner. Meanwhile, former Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Thompson told The Tribune he has also heard rumours that Commissioner Greenslade was being “forced out” of RBPF and said he is “very disappointed” by the reports. “I am hoping it is not so because Mr Greenslade has done an excellent job,” Mr Thompson said. “If you look at his record, as far as what he has done with the detection of crime, it
is commendable. He is doing his job and he is doing it well. “The men who work for him, the officers, they respect him and they love him. He is a community person with honesty and integrity at its highest. Why change him if you are getting results? Here we have a man who has taken this force to new heights, which is commendable. “Anyone with any conscience will realise these officers have been doing a remarkable job in terms of
arrests in violent crimes. People love and respect him and to change him now would be wrong.” Commissioner Greenslade was appointed the sixth commissioner of police on January 4, 2010 after serving as the acting deputy commissioner of police from January 1, 2009 upon completion of a one year secondment with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada. Minister of National Security Marvin Dames also took part in this training
in Canada when he was a member of the RBPF. In January 2009, Mr Dames, then senior assistant commissioner of police, was appointed commander for Grand Bahama. Mr Dames was later promoted to deputy commissioner while Commissioner Greenslade ascended to the RBPF’s top post. Mr Dames quit the RBPF in May 2011 to take up a post at the Baha Mar resort. He won the Mount Moriah seat in the House of Assembly in the May 10 general election.
GUNMEN SLAY NEW FOX HILL VICTIM from page one
Police have no motive for the killing and no suspects in custody. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS. Investigations continue. Last week, in response to an increase in shootings in the Fox Hill area, officers
conducted a walk-a-bout in the community, gathering information and giving residents safety tips. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the walkabout was “the first of many” officers plan to conduct in the area known to police as a crime hotspot. “This is just a small part of what we have been doing in this area, we have been running operations in this area simultaneously,” Senior ACP Dean said last week.
“I can tell you just over the past two weeks, we launched a major operation in this area, where we recovered a large number of firearms. We continue to arrest prolific offenders in this area. We have some people that we are targeting and I can tell you in short order if they have not been visited by us as yet, they will soon be in custody. We do not do these walk-a-bouts for publicity, we do this for a personal touch. People want to talk to the chief of police
in the area, they want to see us, they want us to walk about, this is one of our most effective tools in this area. This is not a public relations exercise.” Chief Superintendent of Police Maxine Rolle, officer-in-charge of the Eastern Division, said the walkabout was the first she has conducted since her appointment last month. She plans to canvass the area “at least twice a month”.
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017
insight@tribunemedia.net
A ‘bazaar’ state of affairs By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
B
EAULAH Dean, a straw vendor of more than 30 years at Freeport’s International Bazaar, said most days she leaves her stall without enough money for a return bus fare to Eight Mile Rock. “When I come out here it makes me want to cry –- we are hurting,” said Ms Dean, one of the few vendors at the site. “I leave from Eight Mile Rock to come out here every day. I have been a vendor for 30 something years, and this is the worst. You could hardly buy something to eat; I can’t even pay for my bus fare sometimes,” she told The Tribune. Another vendor, who did not wish to give her name, said that the International Bazaar is a far cry from what it once was in the early days. Before 2004, vendors and merchants made a good living at the site, which was the island’s premier tourist attraction. However, when the Royal Oasis Resort closed because of severe hurricane damage in 2004, many of the merchants and vendors at the International Bazaar were also affected. Elizabeth Fowler, another vendor, said: “Nothing is happening (out) here.” Ms Fowler said that if the hotel reopens it would breathe life back into the International Bazaar. “The people are suffering in Freeport. I never saw Freeport like this ever. They
Vendors lament the economic plight for business at the International Bazaar which was once the island’s premier tourist attraction. need to open the hotel and fix up the place because this area is in a poor state,” she said. Joycelyn Green, a vendor at the International Bazaar who The Tribune found sitting outside her booth making straw purses, declined to comment but invited The Tribune inside the booth to show off her creative handiwork. The booth is stocked with lovely handmade straw bags and purses, and a table laden with pretty conch shells for sale. Further down was Sheila Glinton, who only recently opened a booth. “I have been here less than a year; we make no money. The tour buses and taxi drivers are not bringing the tourists out here.” The decline of the once bustling tourist attraction has even garnered negative reaction from visitors, with many of them leaving poor reviews on international travel website TripAdvisor. “This is so sad,” an Amer-
“The people are suffering in Freeport. I never saw Freeport like this ever. They need to open the hotel and fix up the place because this area is in a poor state.”
ican from Denver, Colorado wrote in April. “Last time we were there, we had so much fun shopping and visiting the people. This time the Bazaar is all but closed down. The hurricanes have decimated this area, there is hardly anything open now. The is damage to almost all of the stores. I’m not sure it will recover. Very sad.” In February, a Canadian visitor wrote: “This would be such a cool place to visit but it sure is run down. We were there three years ago and this (February) and nothing has changed. I think the island should fix it up as it would be great for tourists to come and visit with bars and restaurants and shops. Time will tell, I’m sure it would be cheap to do.” Last October, another visitor described the site as “run down” and “seedy” while advising tourists not to visit the area. And in February 2016, another resident of Colorado said the International Bazaar was a “ghost town.” “This used to be a bustling area of local sales,” the visitor wrote. “Sadly, there’s just a few local vendors there with many empty stores and buildings.” The attraction has a two star rating overall on TripAdvisor. Mick Holding, president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, said the International Bazaar and
other nearby businesses lost their primary customer base when the former Royal Oasis Resort was severely damaged by Hurricane Frances in 2004. “Neither the hotel nor the casino have opened since,” he said. “Today, 13 years later the two hotels and the casino are in a very poor condition and very probably past the point of repair.” Mr Holding thinks that the only sensible thing to do would be to demolish the entire complex. He noted that while parts of the International Bazaar remain open, most businesses have closed and “the whole site is in a sorry state of repair.” “I am not sure of the legal status of the ownership of the hotel properties, but government or the Grand Bahama Port Authority should bring pressure on the owners to either rebuild the hotels or sell to someone who will. I am sure that this has been tried over the past 13 years but obviously without success. “Along with resolving the issues with the Grand Lucayan Hotel this should be seen as a priority for the new administration to both clean up the derelict site near the heart of the city and to revitalise the tourism sector on Grand Bahama,” the chamber president said. Mr Holding said it is excellent news that the Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson has opened discussions with Harcourt Development, which purchased the damaged resort property for $33 million.
THE RED Tori gate at the International Bazaar, past (above) and present (below).
PAGE 8 MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
THE UNVEILING of the new sign earlier this year as BEC signs made way to BPL ones. But can The Bahamas learn from Jamaica when it comes to power generation?
Happenings in Jamaica OVER the decades, I have often said that The Bahamas can learn some things from Jamaica and then quickly added about what not to do. There are many mistakes we have made in Jamaica which I felt The Bahamas could avoid. However, Jamaica does some things right and similarly The Bahamas could benefit from doing things in a similar way. This col-
umn will attempt to highlight just two of these. The first is how Jamaica
has dealt with electricity. It has gone full steam ahead with a conversion to LNG.
This will result in a substantial saving of foreign exchange and a reduction in the cost of electricity for all Jamaicans. It will therefore also boost economic growth by reducing the cost of operations of every business in The Bahamas. I should mention that Jamaica’s electricity utility was privatized some years ago with the result being no losses for the taxpayers as well as cheaper and more
reliable service. The second is Jamaica’s exchange control regime. Since the removal of exchange controls there has been a surplus of foreign exchange. Almost half of the funds held by Jamaicans in banks in Jamaica are held in foreign currency. What made me write on this subject again is that the banks in Jamaica want to charge their customers a fee for accepting deposits
of foreign exchange if they are more than a few hundred dollars. Additionally a significant portion of the Government’s foreign debt is owned by Jamaican institutions and individuals. I will not raise other matters at this time but at a later date i will write about the Access to Information law and the structure of the Commission which deals with all electoral matters.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017 PAGE 9
PRESIDENT Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Orly Airport in Paris on Friday, July 14. Relations between the US and the Caribbean are in limbo as the present administration has yet to announce a policy for the region. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP
Caribbean problems while facing a US void in policy T
HE Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC has produced a publication entitled, “The Relevance of US-Caribbean Relations – Three Views”. The title is misleading. While the three views, articulated by eminent scholars on the Caribbean, are good descriptions of the current conditions in the region with regard to security, economic and energy matters, they do not discuss in any depth the “relevance of US-Caribbean relations”. Indeed, except for cursory allusions, they don’t examine the state of relations between the US and the Caribbean. The fact that they have not analysed the state or relevance of relations is understandable. The present Donald Trump administration has not yet announced a policy toward the region. While some global policy announcements impinge on the Caribbean, indications of the administration’s thinking about the region have come only in relation to Cuba and Haiti. So, it is difficult to go beyond saying that relations are in limbo. As for its relevance, that is a two-sided coin. The US and Caribbean countries would see the relevance of relations differently, and a sound analysis would require far more research and study than the three brief opinions allow. For all that, the views on the challenges in each of the areas of security, economic and energy within the region as expressed respectively by Evan Ellis, Scott MacDonald and Anthony Bryan are worth reading. They provide a rich insight into the complexities of these issues as they obtain within the region. The publication should be available on the CSIS website on July 30. In his view on security issues, Evan Ellis comes closest of the three authors in laying-out a menu for the engagement required by the US. For instance, he is right to say that “the United States will impact the security (of the) region through its immigration and other homeland security policies”. Within the Caribbean, it is believed that criminal deportees have contributed to the increased rates of violent crime, introduced new types of crime, deepened the sophistication of criminality and generally extended the criminal repertoire of local criminals. Political leaders, scholars and informed commentators have argued that the
World View
By SIR RONALD SANDERS
deported criminals were formed and developed in the US not in their country of origin. Importantly, it is also believed that deportees help to extend the criminal transnational links, and are involved in organizing and facilitating the trafficking in illegal drugs and attendant firearms. Studies within the Caribbean have revealed that, within the last ten years, an estimated 70,000 persons have been deported to the region from the USA, the UK and Canada. In relation to the size of the Caribbean population, this is a big number. In the first six months of this year, the number of criminal deportees to the Caribbean from the US has almost equalled the total deportees in 2016. The inherent vulnerabilities and capacity constraints of Caribbean states preclude them from monitoring criminal deportees who are now a growing overlay in these communities where security forces are already greatly stretched. At the bottom line, security in the Caribbean is directly linked to economic progress, including development of human resources. But, for the most part, US investment in the Caribbean has steadily dwindled. It has been replaced by investment by countries such as China even though the region adjoins the US; not China, and the consequences of Caribbean economic deterioration would have a far more immediate impact on the US than anywhere else. The much-vaunted United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 (HR 4939), passed by the US Congress, is largely an aspirational document with a splendid vision, but it is backed by no financial or other resources that would help to implement measures for economic progress, social advancement and security in the region. It is also not clear where the present administration stands on giving power to the Act. And Caribbean governments have not yet been able to engage the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State or any other Cabinet member at any level to establish exactly how they regard the
region. In his presentation, Scott MacDonald rightly identifies trade, de-risking (the withdrawal of correspondent banking relations from Caribbean banks by US banks) and infrastructure development as issues between the US and the Caribbean. He references the preferences, given under the Caribbean Basin Recovery Act (CBERA), as important to the region. While the latter observation is true for some Caribbean countries, it is not true for all because it does not cover benefits for trade in services, only for goods – and then only for a limited number. The consequence is that with regard to the 17 CBERA beneficiary countries, taken collectively, the US has consistently enjoyed a huge balance of trade surplus. In 2016, the US balance of trade surplus with the 17 countries was $6.08bn. Only two of the 17 countries had surpluses with the US, and in each case the surpluses declined from previous years. Available data also reveals that, in 2016, the value of US imports from the countries, designated as beneficiaries, declined from 2015 by over 50 per cent. On the evidence, the US benefits far more from trade with the Caribbean than the other way around. The Caribbean will never have a surplus of trade with the US, but to benefit more than they do now, US authorities would have to include services in a preferential scheme for the Caribbean in addition to expanding the products covered under CBERA. Any further decline in access to the US market would have a debilitating effect on the CBERA countries with consequences for US security. It would also affect the capacity of these countries to continue to purchase US goods and services that provide revenues and employment in the US. Mr MacDonald referenced the US pulling out of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a potential risk for the Caribbean, and stated that the region had used it over rum, although I have no knowledge of that. He also mentions the Inter-
net Gaming case that Antigua and Barbuda did win at WTO arbitrations, saying that “this has been used to settle trade disputes”. Factually, in the latter case, while Antigua and Barbuda won the case, the US has not yet settled it after 13 years. It is a matter of concern that the US has not made good on the loss of over US$200m from the
tiny Antigua and Barbuda economy, particularly as over the same period the US enjoyed a trade surplus with this small Caribbean island of over US$1.3bn. Antigua and Barbuda continues to work diplomatically to persuade the US to settle the matter but is mindful that, as a last resort, it has recourse to implementing the award given
by the arbitration bodies of the WTO. • To be continued Monday, July 24 The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.
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INSIGHT
PAGE 10 MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
Health HQ not fit EDITOR, The Tribune.
IN response to your front page story “health HQ not fit for workers” dated July 12, 2017, I cannot in good conscience sit any longer without voicing an opinion of completely resolving the mould issue facing government and their buildings where thousands of good Bahamians are complaining of various kinds of illnesses like allergies, red eyes, coughs, skin rashes and many more of unknown etiology. I recently returned to The Bahamas after a long absence of being fully established in the US as a naturopathic homeopath. In December of 2016, I invited a personal friend who is a chemist with several patents to his name to visit me here in New Providence in hopes of helping to look and evaluate the mould problem and finding a lasting solution to the pesky enduring problem. This chemist holds one of the only patents in the US to completely remove mould permanently from buildings and homes. It even goes a step further by placing an emulsion of the formula in cement
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net while building new homes and commercial buildings preventing those buildings from developing mould throughout the life tenure of the structure. Briefly for those unaware of the fundamentals of chemistry Lauric acid is an ingredient found in the breast milk of lactating mothers. This lauric acid in the mothers milk helps to protect the child from common diseases and certain illnesses like developing allergies, etc. This lauric acid when formulated into an emulsion and sprayed or rolled on the previously contaminated wall where mould once existed prevents any new mould from invading the home, or building. This emulsion can also be placed in paint after the mould has been removed and or cleaned. This lauric acid acts like a living organism and prevents new mould from entering the treated wall in a way, this organism devours the new mould. In December of 2016, I
along with the chemist and his American staff was able to obtain a meeting with Mr Herbert H Brown, Managing Director of Public Hospitals Authority to discuss the mould problem plaguing the government building, including the PMH. The then minister of Health Dr Gomez was not present, but it was understood that a representative was sent. Mr Brown and his staff were in full attendance as well as representatives from the Dept of Environmental Health. About twenty-five persons in all. Questions were asked, product shown and left with a few staff members. The staff were amazed that such a product existed and the simple process it would take to eradicate the mould in the buildings. Several weeks went by and and I heard nothing from the ministry, however in January of this year 2017 I received a phone call from an unknown person requesting a meeting with me at the Ministry of Environmental Health. I was uncertain who the person was so I called that department to confirm such a meeting. It was confirmed for February
15th, 2017. I later learned that the meeting was to be held with Ms Melony McKenzie, Director of Dept. Environmental Health services. She and her staff were also impressed with this patented procedure for removing mould in humid climates. Ms McKenzie in turn asked me to immediately draft a letter to then Prime Minister Perry Christie with haste in requesting an urgent meeting. I did just that and hand delivered the letter to the PM’s office on February 16th, 2017 at approx 9:30 am and signed for by a T Munroe. I gave then PM Christie’s office several days to respond to the letter. They never did and on two separate occasions I was left on the phone for 48 minutes and 36 minutes respectively. All in all I made 17 calls to the PM’s office requesting an appointment. None came. Today upon reading the morning Tribune I read the story of the Meeting Street building as well as others within the portfolio of the Bahamian government that are badly contaminated and in need of radical urgent care as Bahamians are suf-
fering great harm to their health from mould infestation. The problem of mould could have been solved six months ago. It is my understanding that the same chemist who visited me here in The Bahamas is working on a similar project that may propel him as a nominee to the Nobel Peace Prize in chemistry at the end of his research. What a wasted opportunity the past government allowed to slip out of their hands, now other governments around the world are being shown the same product for mould remediation. What a shame. What a waste. We seem to be so far behind in introducing new technologies we are lagging far behind in the 21st century. In doing research it is my understanding that a contract was given to a former cabinet member’s brother that failed miserably in eradicating any of the mould from the building. I hope that Bahamians are made aware that previously built buildings before the 80s were basically free of mould. However when contracts were given to
friends, buddies who tried to cut corners and instead of buying certified materials from the USA instead bought cheap uncertified products from Asian countries that are filled with polluting chemicals. Let’s say dry wall in the USA may cost $10.00 per sheet, then in the Asian countries the same size dry wall would cost $1.00 per sheet. Hence the poor quality materials allowing mould to invade. It is my hope, now that a physician who is in charge politically and is aware of having patients with mould problems, and is fully aware of the contaminated buildings would be more fully conscious of doing something to assist those workers who sit daily for eight hours in highly infected buildings with mould. The government is losing millions of dollars in sick days, half days, doctors bills and I would not be surprised if these workers don’t get together to file a class action law suit against the government. I remain ready to those interested in solving this plague. DR DEREK PINDER N.D;PH.D;D.Hom
Taxing a fledgling industry EDITOR, The Tribune. IT must indeed be The People’s Time if one looks at Tribune242.com Latest Business Headlines. Sebas’s Property Group In ‘Extraordinary Growth’ No Vat In Govt’s Vacation Rental Deal With Airbnb Govt Alarmed Over Web Shop Draw, Product Rise Unbelievably sandwiched, in between gro-
tesquely profitable endeavours of a very few individuals in businesses that were unlawful just a few years ago, is the new People’s Time Government Minister of Tourism announcing a deal with Airbnb to tax the few hundred, mostly Bahamian “PEOPLE” who eke out a living by opening up their homes to visitors from the far corners of the earth, enticed here, not by the Government of The Bahamas,
which does not market to these places, and as far as I am aware, none of these Bahamians has asked for, nor been given, any Crown Land, no Duty Free Concessions, not even Real Property Tax Waivers or discounts, yet the PEOPLE’S Government wants to “SHARE” in these Bahamians tiny piece of this miraculous pie that it (the People’s Government) had absolutely no investment in, nor any part in creating, nor
even maintaining. I am so minded of AESOPS fable: A dog seized some meat from the butcher shop and ran away with it until he came to a river. When the dog was crossing the river, he saw the reflection of the meat in the water, and it seemed much larger than the meat he was carrying. He dropped his own piece of meat in order to try to snatch at the reflection. When the reflection
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people who grasp at more than they need. So yes, you have the power to tax this little miracle but you will kill it, just as surely as you have burdened the hotels with taxes and fees and God only knows what else. And some other country will benefit through your unbelievable greed, ignorance, and stupidity. BRUCE G. RAINE Nassau, June 17, 2017.
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disappeared, the dog went to grab the meat he had dropped but he was not able to find it anywhere, since a passing raven had immediately snatched the meat and gobbled it up. The dog lamented his sorry condition and said, ‘Woe is me! I foolishly abandoned what I had in order to grab at a phantom, and thus I ended up losing both that phantom and what I had to begin with.’ This fable is about greedy
1/25/17 11:54 AM
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, July 17, 2017, PAGE 11
THE COFFIN of Dr Bernard Nottage as he was laid to rest on Friday at St Angus Anglican Church. Dr Nottage died aged 71.
Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
Final respects paid to ‘father figure’ Dr Bernard Nottage By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net FAMILY, friends, and political colleagues of former National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage on Friday paid their final respects to a man they all heralded as a “father figure,” mentor, and a great “Bahamian patriot”. At a packed funeral service at St Agnes Anglican Church, family and friends of the deceased paid tribute to a man of “shining, unblemished integrity” who “loved his country and gave his Bahama-land his full measure of devotion”. Brian Bernard Jamale Nottage Jr, Dr Nottage’s son, praised his father as a man who would “accept nothing less than perfection, and would always do what is right even at the risk of eroding his own popularity.” “Over the years as my dad transitioned and left the PLP, as I saw him change, he got closer to God,” he said, referring to Dr Nottage’s defection from the Progressive Liberal Party
to form the now defunct Coalition for Democratic Reform in 2000. “He became more resolute, more convicted about always doing the right thing. “He was on a mission to change this country. He was on a mission to leave a legacy, not for himself, but for this great nation. He wanted our nation and everyone in it to have every opportunity to develop, grow and succeed. “Many of the leaders we see here today were mentored by him, were supported by him…that’s who he was,” he added. “My father would often ask me, why would you pay to live in another country when you have all this? “‘BJ’ was not just my dad, he was also a father figure to myself and many people in the country.” Mr Nottage Jr tearfully ended his remarks by singing a verse from Frank Sinatra’s popular song “My Way,” his final farewell to a man who “gave his all until his last dying breath”. Former Prime Minister Perry Christie, Dr Nottage’s close friend and ath-
letic contemporary, heralded his former colleague as “one of the most able men I have ever met, in both training and discipline, with an unmatched tenacity and determination to fight for what he knew to be right”. Reminiscing about the time he spent with Dr Nottage over the years, Mr Christie called on the government and “all Bahamians” to “seek in earnest” to establish “some fitting and permanent memorial” for Dr Nottage, stating that his “magnificent achievements in the fields of medicine, athletics and politics deserve to be heralded”. “Dr Bernard Nottage was a great believer in The Bahamas, and his life is a great exemplar for young people, all people,” Mr Christie said. “Against many odds, he always said look at what a boy from East Street was able to achieve.” “He was a major success story,” Mr Christie added. “Throughout his life he did his nation proud in whatever it was he set his hand to. Future generations should see him as a person of high achievement worthy of em-
RBDF Commodore Tellis Bethel and Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade at the service.
FORMER prime minister Perry Chrsitie pays tribute to Dr Bernard Nottage. ulation and eternal esteem. “The name Bernard Nottage will forever signify the best in public service. The very name Bernard Nottage will inspire leaders now and forever, with all that represents shining unblemished integrity. “He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved the people of Bain Town. He loved his country. He loved us, and we loved him. Truly, this was a man.” Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis during his remarks praised Dr Nottage for being his friend, teacher, and mentor since first meeting him in 1980 as a young intern. Dr Minnis said since their first meeting, Dr Nottage served not only as his medical counsellor, but also a political mentor at times. Dr Minnis referred to advice Dr Nottage privately gave him following his ousting as leader of the Official PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis at the service, where he Opposition by former Long praised Dr Nottage as his friend, teacher and mentor. Island MP Loretta Butler- his friends call him simply couple. Turner and six of her col- ‘BJ’, and he didn’t see it as “Such was the passion of leagues, known as the “re- a mark of disrespect when this man for his profession, relatives or strangers hailed and his fervor for life. He bel seven”, in late 2016. “In December of 2016, him by his initials,” he said. was a man of deep compaswhen I was fired by my “It was his grassroots con- sion, but he had another colleagues, my friend nection with them, and they calling, a call to public serand teacher and mentor, with him. His life was as vice, to leave his Bahamas BJ, came to me and said, simple and uncomplicated better than how he met it.” ‘Consider and look at what as his initials, no big fanfare. On June 20, Dr Nottage “He became a medical fell ill and was checked has happened to you as a medical complication’,” Dr doctor not just to care for into Doctor’s Hospital. On Minnis said. “‘Utilise your the sick, but to help the Friday, June 23, he was training, you have been young and strong to remain airlifted to the Cleveland trained to deal with com- healthy and to enjoy long, Clinic in Florida for further plications. We physicians fulfilling lives. He aided the assessment and treatment. are a special breed, we are miracle of birth and preHowever, Dr Nottage trained to deal with compli- sided over the delivery into passed away on June 28, cations. We are trained to this world of thousands of surrounded by his wife, remain focused and remain babies.” children, and some of his Dr Minnis added: “I am closest friends. He was 71. steadfast. My only advice to you is treat it as a medical reminded of an unfortuOver the course of his complication.’ And the rest nate delivery that BJ was political career, Dr Nottage engaged in and the baby served as a Cabinet minisis history.” Dr Minnis also reflected was stillborn. The attend- ter in one Pindling adminon the “down to earth” per- ing nurses heard the under- istration and two Christie sonality Dr Nottage pos- standable crying from the administrations. sessed, as well as the “pas- delivery room, and went to Before his death, Dr sion” he held for his line lend assistance to the upset Nottage served as minister of work as an obstetrician/ father, only to discover that of national security from it was BJ who was awash in 2012-2017 under the former gynaecologist (OB/GYN). “He was happy to have tears alongside the grieving Christie administration.
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Summer The sound of the
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SCENES from the Summer Junkanoo Festival at the weekend at Arawak Cay. The festival is being held every weekend in July, showcasing the Bahamian tradition of Junkanoo to visitors and locals alike. Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
PUZZLE performing on stage with tourists at the Junkanoo Summer Festival.
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Monday, July 17, 2017, PAGE 13
Eco-parks and cruise visitors form part of Lewis’s vision for Grand Bahama BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net IRAM Lewis, MP for Central Grand Bahama, recently outlined plans to transform the area and create eco-parks that will attract cruise visitors and boost economic activity in various settlement communities along the southern coastline of his constituency. Mr Lewis met with constituents at the Church of God in Hawksbill on Thursday evening to share his vision and plans for the communities of Mack Town, Hunters, Lewis Yard, Pinder’s Point, Seaco Town and Eight Mile Rock. He said the idea is to establish economic stability in the outlying communities and empower residents so that they are less dependent on Freeport. “As I travel around the southern shores of Central Grand Bahama I see natural jewels that the Lord has blessed us with that we can enhance and improve on that will make a decent way of living for us all,” he said. Mr Lewis identified several sites along the southern coastline from Mack Town to Eight Mile Rock that can be restored and developed into ecological parks. He talked about the development of a theme park at a site near the St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Moving in a westward direction, he mentioned the restoration of the Mermaid Pond and an inland pond that serves as a bird sanctuary in Lewis Yard; the Lighthouse, inland beach and Bond fire Pit in Pinder’s Point; and restoration of the house of Freeport founder Wallace Groves at
IRAM LEWIS, Central Grand Bahama MP, speaking in The House of Assembly during the budget debate. Seaco Town. The MP believes that these sites hold the key to economic stability and empowerment for residents. “The cruise ship terminal is west of Seaco Town, and we need to open that funnel that is blocked - it holds the opportunity for economic empowerment, and we will find a way to unplug the funnel and allow (economic) flow to come through,” he said. In Eight Mile Rock, plans are to restore and beautify Lover’s Beach and the Boil-
ing Hole in Hepburn Town, as well as other sites, including the Fakersville inland cave. Mr Lewis stressed that they would also look at developing and improving other areas, such as Williams Town, and in Freeport. Architect Dirk Saunders and landscape architect Evan Cartwright presented a slide presentation of the conceptual plans for the ecological parks. Mr Saunders explained
that the vision is to provide a unique cultural and environmental experience for visitors to Grand Bahama that will assist in encouraging new sustainable businesses and provide job opportunities for locals on the island, particularly of Central Grand Bahama. He indicated that the ecopark development would bring focus to the natural environment and features of Central Grand Bahama. The idea is to offer ecotours by land and sea around
Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
the southern part of the island, highlighting various cultural and ecological sites in the different communities. There will be ferry or shuttle tours to the various sites, including the Boiling Hole Park, and Bond Fire and Lighthouse Point Park, Lewis Yard Bird Sanctuary inland pond, The Mermaid Pond, the St Vincent Fish Fry, and ending with a tour of Mack Town. Plans are to incorporate a cultural village, a site that is about a five-minute walk
from cruise terminal where the tour will begin. In anticipation of their plans, Mr Lewis has initiated a clean-up campaign in the various settlements to make them attractive. “The intention is to invite outside investors to invest in our economy in partnership with residents,” he said. He commended Lou Carroll at Sanitation Services for his assistance and has also engaged services of the City of Freeport Council to help with clean up.
MORTGAGE RELIEF SCHEME FAILS TO HIT TARGETS from page one “What is fair to say is that the programme has not performed as well as it was expected to and thus, as a part of the overall review of finances, we will have to consider the cost vs benefit of the programme outside of a structured financial agency.” In March, then State Minister for Finance Michael Halkitis said six banks participated in the scheme and 441 people were enrolled in the programme. Those people were able to have their loans completely restructured or were in the process of having this take place, Mr Halkitis said at time. One borrower was able to reduce their monthly mortgage payment from $1,600 to $750 while another borrower saw their interest rate reduced from 8.25 per cent
to 5.25 percent, he had said earlier. Mortgage relief was a key pledge of the Christie administration before the 2012 general election, but the programme the administration implemented early in its term underperformed, leading former Prime Minister Perry Christie to admit in May 2013 that only four or five homeowners were expected to receive assistance at the time. In March, Mr Halkitis said this was due in large part to the significant level of consumer indebtedness that applicants owed to car companies, furniture stores by way of salary deductions. The Christie administration retooled the initiative in 2016 in an effort to help more people. To have been eligible for the Christie administration’s mortgage relief plan,
borrowers had to have been more than 90 days past due as of May 1, 2016. Their property would have to be located in The Bahamas and owner-occupied up to duplex status, and their current outstanding mortgage balance could not have exceeded $500,000. Borrowers had to agree to full disclosure, to restrictions on incurring additional personal debt and been committed to allowing no other salary deduction outside those in place at the time of the restructuring. In 2016, the Christie administration allocated $20m to banks over a fouryear period as a financial incentive to help them help as many delinquent borrowers as possible. The number of Bahamians with delinquent mortgages is said to be in the thousands.
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Through mud, sand, sweat and paint COMPETITORS at the Chickcharney event at the weekend fought their way through paint, powder and mud to the finish line. The event, held at Clifton Heritage Park, is the latest in the series of Chickcharney Challenge events. Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
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