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VOLUME:115 No.190, AUGUST 27TH, 2018

HO US E & 16 THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

INSIGHT: NONORD’S FIVE YEARS OF SHATTERED DREAMS PAGES

FINAL WARNING Union boss threatens BPL chief: We won’t be pushed around

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union president Paul Maynard said yesterday while he never intended for a letter he wrote to Bahamas Power & Light’s CEO Whitney Heastie to become public, he stands by “every word” written.

Mr Maynard, pictured, was referring to a letter he sent to Mr Heastie earlier this month, addressing the latter’s mode of discipline for employees, his refusal to re-engage staff terminated for drug use and the alleged

suspected monitoring of staff calls and emails by BPL personnel.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Maynard said while he had no idea how the letter became public, its current status does not change the importance of what was written.

“The issues are known and we have spoken privately on them,” he told The Tribune. “I don’t know how it got out there, maybe someone who I sent it to looked at it and then sent it around – I don’t know because everyone knows I don’t get down like that.”

SEE PAGE FIVE

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip Davis has called on Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to immediately remove Bahamas Power & Light from the portfolio of Minister of Works Desmond Bannister and have CEO Whitney Heastie and executive director Patrick Rollins placed on administrative leave until an investigation into the energy provider is complete.

He also said Dr Minnis must quickly indicate who would be conducting the investigation, the terms of reference for the probe and

clearly state what interim actions he will take until the investigation is finished.

Mr Davis said recent reports on the BPL saga have “conveyed a culture of cronyism, favouritism, male chauvinistic behaviour and corruption that too many Bahamians find absolutely shocking”.

His comments are the latest in the saga at BPL which culminated in its board being dissolved less than two weeks ago and a new one being appointed.

Mr Bannister, who has responsibility for BPL, has laid the blame for dysfunction at the former board squarely at the feet of its SEE PAGE FIVE

HIGH-SPEED CHASE ENDS IN POLICE KILLING BIKER

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net POLICE shot and killed a man on Friday who they said opened fire on officers and led them on a highspeed chase.

Police were said to be in the area of Whites Alley arresting another individual on charges related to possession of a handgun when they heard shots fired nearby, from the area of Moore Avenue, off Palm Beach Street.

Officers responded to the scene and found a man on a motorbike who was “armed with a hand gun, firing shots in the air,” Assistant Commissioner Clayton Fernander said.

SEE PAGE THREE

WATKINS TO SERVE AS ACTING CJ

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

...AS DAVIS DEMANDS MINISTER STANDS DOWN

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

HOME

WE’RE WORLD BEATERS MARK Holowesko leads his team of Christoph Burger and Peter Vlasov to victory on Friday on board the New Moon as they take the 2018 International 5.5 Metre World Championship at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, UK. See today’s Sports section for the full story.

ME, EXTINCT? I DON’T THINK SO ONE of the rarest birds in the western hemisphere, the Bahama Nuthatch, has been rediscovered by research teams searching Grand Bahama.

The finding is particularly significant because the species had been feared extinct following the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and had not been found in subsequent searches.

But it is feared there

A BAHAMA NUTHATCH

forest on Grand Bahama – placing the species on the verge of extinction and certainly among the world’s most critically endangered birds.

University of East Anglia masters students Matthew Gardner and David Pereira set out on a three-month expedition to find this and other endemic Caribbean pine forest bird species.

could only be two left in a small area of native pine

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE 15

JUSTICE Vera Watkins will serve as acting chief justice of the Supreme Court until a successor to the substantive post is named, according to Press Secretary Anthony Newbold, who said the prime minister will take his time in making the decision.

Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs died on Friday at the age of 63 years.

He was reportedly battling prostate cancer. He died two weeks after he was officially sworn in as chief justice, having been confirmed in the post in July.

SEE PAGE SIX

WE’RE READY TO TAKE HIT ON SALE PRICE

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE government has given itself a little over a month to close bids for the sale of the Grand Lucayan, according to Hotel Corporation chairman Michael Scott.

Mr Scott was appointed chair of the special purpose vehicle (SPV) board, Lucayan Renewal Holdings Limited, tasked with finding a buyer for the property.

He told The Tribune the government was prepared to take a hit on the sale in principle, but insisted SEE PAGE 11

PAGE 2, Monday, August 27, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

An artist, a legend

IN tribute to James Catalyn, a benefit performance was held yesterday along with a groundbreaking for the James Catalyn Amphitheatre at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts. Pictured at the groundbreaking are Claudia Seymour (left) and Randon Catalyn (right). Also pictured are moments from the benefit show.

Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

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THE TRIBUNE

Monday, August 27, 2018, PAGE 3

A BODY is taken from a web shop on East Street on Friday.

Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

MAN SHOOTS CUSTOMER DEAD IN GAMING HOUSE

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net POLICE are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred at an East Street web shop on Friday morning.

The incident took place around 10am at Everybody Wins on East Street and Balfour Avenue.

According to police press liaison officer, Superintendent Shanta Knowles, a man entered the establishment and

went inside the restroom.

Shortly afterwards, patrons heard a shot go off.

The suspect left the restroom and approached another man who was described as a customer.

Supt Knowles said the

suspect reportedly spoke to the customer before shooting him multiple times and fleeing the gaming house.

The victim was confirmed dead. He is estimated to have been between 25 and 30 years old.

Supt Knowles said both

the victim and suspect are known to police.

“We are appealing to those who were in this business place at the time of this incident who have information to assist us with this investigation to call on our Crime Stoppers line or the

Central Detective Unit or our 911/919 number,” she said.

The victim’s identity has not yet been released.

Friday’s killing marked the 62nd murder for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.

High-speed chase ends in police killing biker from page one He added that officers ordered the man to stop, but the individual responded by firing at them and fleeing the scene.

This resulted in a “highspeed chase,” which culminated on Lucky Heart Corner, off East Street.

There, ACP Fernander said the man engaged police in gunfire until he was fatally shot by officers.

The Lucky Heart Corner shooting angered many community members.

Approximately 40 gathered near the scene, expressing disgust at another policeinvolved shooting.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, identified the deceased as Anthony Fowler. He added Fowler was in his mid- to late- 50s.

“This matter initiated sometime around 2pm this afternoon (Friday) at Whites Alley…just off Wulff Road in the area of Columbus Primary,” ACP Fernander told reporters at the scene.

“Officers (were) at a residence after executing

a warrant of bringing into custody an individual who was found in possession of an illegal firearm.”

ACP Fernander said while this arrest was being conducted, a number of shots were fired near the “back street” of that residence, which is Moore Avenue. A police unit responded, he said, and upon arrival “they saw a young man on a motorbike who was armed with a handgun, firing shots in the air.”

“When the individual saw the officers exit the vehicle after he was ordered to stop, the individual fired at the officers and pulled off,” ACP Fernander continued.

“Officers got back into their vehicle, there was a high-speed chase, which ended up right here at…

Lucky Heart Corner, this is just off East Street to the dead end; where the individual got off the motorbike, still armed and was firing at the officers, ran into this vacant lot.

“Officers pursued him, he engaged the officers again, firing. As a result, officers returned fire and he was fatally shot right here…During the chase,

the individual was firing at the officers, we were able to recover a weapon from the suspect.”

According to police press liaison officer, Superintendent Shanta Knowles, the suspect’s firearm was a nine-millimetre pistol.

ACP Fernander added that police recovered “fire casings, which the individual had fired at the officers from the initial scene.” He said the deceased was also found in possession of a small quantity of marijuana.

The matter will be handed over to the coroner for further investigation.

ACP Fernander declined to identify the deceased, but estimated him to be in his late 40s. He also would not reveal where the individual was fatally shot, but confirmed he was shot in his body.

The assistant commissioner also regretted the general state of crime in this country and issued both a warning and a plea to those involved in criminal activities to cease such behaviour.

“Criminals, the young men especially, who are involved in the life of crime,

as you could see, they are very, very bold. And they will go to the very end in trying to kill or injure somebody to get away,” he said. “...So, I want to send a stern warning out there to those who want to live that life of crime, to stop it. At the end of the day if you continue, this will be the end result. We don’t want it to end like that.

So, if you’re involved in the life of crime, we encourage you to stop. Put down your guns, turn it in.”

ACP Fernander also assured the public that officers are “up and about in every area of New Providence.”

He also called for more partnership and assistance from the community with helping to identify criminals, adding: “We can’t let a handful of thugs destroy our beautiful country, and we will not stand by and let that happen.”

On July 20, police shot and killed an alleged armed robber who they said opened fire on two officers after pinning them against a vehicle.

The man, who police identified as Dario “Geico” Tinker, had been sought

POLICE SEEK ASSISTANCE AFTER ARMED RAIDS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have appealed to the public for assistance in solving three armed robberies that occurred on the weekend, including theft of deposit bags from an armoured truck.

Two of the robberies happened in New Providence, the third in Grand Bahama.

In the first incident, shortly after 7am a man with a gun entered a restaurant on Wulff Road, held up an employee and robbed the place of cash before running from the store.

In the second incident in New Providence, around 9pm that night, employees

of an armoured company were at a business on East Hill Street in the process of clearing the vehicle when they were approached by an armed man who robbed them of an assortment of deposit bags before escaping.

Meanwhile, police in Grand Bahama reported that after 6am Saturday, a man and woman were both entering their workplace at Coral Road when they were held up at gunpoint by a man who robbed them of a deposit bag containing cash.

Police also said they arrested four people – two men and two women – in connection with the recovery of an illegal firearm over the weekend.

MAN SHOT IN FOX HILL A MAN is in hospital after he was shot in Fox Hill early Saturday morning.

According to police, he was shot on Romer Street shortly before

2am and transported to hospital.

He is listed in critical condition.

An investigation is ongoing.

Shortly after 3am yester- of ammunition. day, Southwestern Division Two men and two women officers were on patrol on were taken into custody.

Nigeria Drive, Flamingo In another incident, Gardens, when they saw a shortly after 7am on Satvehicle with four occupants. urday, Mobile Division Police said that upon seeing officers acting on informathe officers, the male pas- tion went to Romer Street senger began acting in a in Fox Hill, conducted a suspicious manner. search of a property and The vehicle was stopped, recovered a 9mm pistol searched and a 9mm pistol with a drum magazine that containing ten rounds of contained 42 rounds of ammunition was recovered. ammunition. No arrests Additionally, upon were made. searching one of the men, Anyone with information officers also recovered from is asked to call the police at his pants a .38 revolver 919 or the Crime Stoppers which contained Monday, one round hotline at 328-TIPS. 27th August 2018

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for questioning for several weeks. Police said he was found driving a stolen car, taken during an armed robbery last week Wednesday,

and a pistol was recovered from the scene.

His death marked the ninth police shooting death for the year.

PAGE 4, Monday, August 27, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

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C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

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Nixon packed and left - but not this guy FOR virtually anyone else, the legal, moral and ethical troubles that continue to accumulate around Donald Trump would lead to introspection and serious examination of the ways and means to leave office with at least a scintilla of self respect and dignity intact.

Forty four years ago that appears to have motivated Richard Nixon to pack up and get out of the White House, Washington and the presidency.

But this president is different.

He has no shame.

Late last week former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted in a US federal court across the river from the capital of eight different offences, reportedly escaping conviction on nearly a dozen other charges only due to the obduracy of a single juror.

Trump praised Manafort for “refusing to break”. He was perhaps referring to a different personal strategy employed by his long time personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who copped a plea and started singing to federal prosecutors in New York City.

Another plea deal, with the chief financial officer of Trump Enterprises, was later revealed.

There is speculation in the American press that Trump is considering a pardon for Manafort, presumably to discourage him from taking the Cohen approach to avoid or minimize his jail time. Manafort’s attorneys, meanwhile, are hinting their client is considering his options.

No doubt watching with increasing interest as this unfolds is special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who referred the Cohen case to the New York prosecutors and whose evidence convicted Manafort in a Virginia court.

There is increasing speculation that Cohen may provide significant new evidence for Mueller and his team. And perhaps Manafort will conclude his best option is to start cooperating with Mueller.

Mueller and his band of investigators and prosecutors are starting to look like legendary American lawman Eliot Ness and his Untouchables who uncovered enough evidence to convict the infamous American crime boss Al Capone nearly 100 years ago in Chicago.

Even Republican Oklahoma congressman Tom Cole, a party leader, has admitted there is “a lot of smoke”

around Trump and that where there is so much smoke, there is sometimes fire.

It does appear there is fire with Trump.

So what? What does it all mean?

Since Trump has no shame, it seems unlikely that as the evidence builds against him, he would voluntarily leave office. Constitutional lawyers are now in demand for television appearances to speculate on what is really an impeachable offence. Retired politicians and pundits are earning big fees to pontificate on when, and if, the Republican line of defence for Trump in the Senate and House of Representatives will crack or even break.

The Democrats in opposition are reportedly still undecided about whether or not to make Trump the centerpiece of what should be a significantly successful mid-term election campaign in about ten weeks.

The recent history of the first midterm election for a new president continues to reveal much evidence that even if Trump were a normal politician, November’s election would likely bring him bad news. But he is not a normal politician.

That’s good and bad for the Republicans. The good – and it is a significant, meaningful positive – is that Trump is not selling politics as usual. He does not seem to be the hypocrite and charlatan so many Americans have come to expect their elected officials to be.

Trump is proud that he can misbehave and even break the law, and has boasted that he can get away with it.

And so far, he has generally succeeded in doing so.

Of course, one can argue Trump’s public championing of the little man while pushing a massive tax cut that mostly benefits the ultra rich is hypocritical. It is. But at least according to polls, Trump’s many supporters are willing to overlook this and lots of other disqualifying behaviour.

The bad news for the Republicans is a majority of American voters might be awakening to the reality that Trump may be bad for their country. They may finally realise that Republican policies favour those who need no further advantage from government.

And if polls can be believed, this rebuilding American majority might actually get out and vote in November.

Governing with bad priorities EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE prevailing narrative that brought the FNM to office and has sustained it in campaign mode for the last 17 months is that the previous administration left the treasury bare. This, in turn, explains the cutbacks and tax increases that have characterised their tenure to date.

Yet their actions tell us that they give minimal priority to raising revenues justly and equitably and instead operate on the philosophy that middle and lower income Bahamians have had life better than they deserve and should now adjust themselves to scaled down public investment and sharply increased taxes.

As I pointed out in an earlier letter, The Bahamas stands out in the region and the world in collecting so little revenues in comparison to the wealth of the country (less than 18% of GDP, against a regional and international norm of 35%).

This is principally the legacy of a regressive tax system that exempts wealthier people from paying their

fair share by any international standards. Yet every opportunity to fix this that arises is swatted away with the same speed with which government cuts services and slaps new taxes and fees on the average Bahamian.

The Princess Margaret Hospital, we are told, is operating with all kinds of staff and equipment shortages.

Duane Sands’ only proposal to fix the situation is to heap a bunch of “user fees” on the average Bahamian whose life and health depend on the institution. Why? Because government cannot afford to improve things within existing revenues.

Yet it can afford to sustain an arbitrary cap on Real Property Tax that only benefits multimillionaires, giving them a lower actual rate than middle class Bahamians (a situation that not even the nuttiest rightwing Republicans in the USA would advocate for their own country). It can also afford the luxury of dismissing an income tax – almost uniquely in the world.

Meanwhile, it will not have been lost, even on the

most committed FNM dullards, that government (they of ‘Fiscal Responsibility Act’ fame) just paid $65m on a hotel that was valued at $58m before being walloped by a Hurricane and shuttered for two years.

Ace Newbold explains that this should have little or no budgetary impact, because there is always sufficient padding in allocations to ministries to divert some of it to unforeseen emergencies.

Yet the $30m or so required for a new operating theatre for the country’s main public hospital was not deemed worthy of such diversion. Nor even the mere $90,000 needed to sustain the annual commitment to school uniform assistance for poor children.

If this is indeed the ‘People’s Time’ that the ‘people’ voted for with open eyes, I can only console myself with the words of Job: “No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you”.

ANDREW ALLEN Nassau, August 26, 2018

Bad form, Ingraham and Christie EDITOR, The Tribune.

LAST year, the Government of Australia practically begged a former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to accept their highest honour, a Companion of the Order of Australia.

Rudd served two terms as Prime Minister and acquitted himself well at home and on the international stage, especially on climate change. Today he is an accomplished author who is pursuing a doctorate at Oxford University while simultaneously lecturing at Harvard University.

The Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat forwarded his name to two separate Prime Ministers and twice he refused because he said others were more deserving than he. He did leave the door open to accepting the honour one day.

It is customary in Australia that all former Prime Ministers receive the award on leaving office.

In the UK, it is customary that a knighthood be granted to all former Prime Ministers and most have graciously accepted the honorific with notable exceptions being Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

We don’t have a settled custom here yet, but what we have seen most recently is a misguided and very unstatesmanlike attempt by our two living ex-PMs to upstage the sitting Prime Minister.

The National Honours Committee decided to establish the Order of the Nation and to create an automatic ticket for anyone who has held and then demits the office of Prime Minister, among other high office holders such as Governors General.

It is not a stretch to believe that this honour was not created specifically for Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham. Their

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net resumés just happen to qualify them.

Just as they cannot erase the fact that they have served as Prime Minister, so too they ought not to be able to obfuscate the issue by refusing to accept this approbation.

Mr. Ingraham is reported to have refused to contemplate a Knighthood from the Queen and that was his right, one that any reasonable republican can understand and accept. We don’t know if Perry Christie will follow him on that high-horse should Hubert Minnis dangle in front of him the opportunity to become Sir Perry.

We can note though that neither Christie nor Ingraham refused another honorific that came with the job. It is customary for the Queen to invite her Prime Ministers to become members of her Privy Council and concomitantly bestowed with the title “The Right Honourable” something our media overuses to nauseating effect.

Both could have refused the appointment to the Privy Council and it is doubtful that Her Majesty would have been offended.

The British honours system that we are trying to shed is replete with a number of customs and conventions, one of which is that if you decline an honour you are not supposed to talk about it.

Messrs. Christie and Ingraham took to the press to thumb their noses at our highest national honour which was given, one assumes, more out of respect for the Office of Prime Minister than for any individual holder of the

office in the past, present or into the future.

The honours should stand and we should remove from recipients of these high honours, the option of declining them. The title should stand but they could refuse, of course, to use it in their personal lives.

The late Nelson Mandela didn’t go looking for honours but graciously accepted them when they came his way. He accepted his country’s highest honour, the Order of Mapungubwe, with great humility and appreciation of what it represented not to him personally but to all the people that he represented in South Africa, the wider African continent and around the world.

It’s a safe bet that there are die-hard PLPs and FNMs who were delighted to see their leaders recognized in such an obviously bi-partisan manner.

In the US, since 1963, the highest honour bestowed on any American from all walks of life is the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And even they created a special channel for former Presidents. All Presidents since John F. Kennedy except three, (the disgraced Richard Nixon who resigned, George W. Bush and Barack Obama) have received the honour.

There is a customary waiting period which perhaps explains why Bush and Obama haven’t received theirs yet.

The beauty of honours is that it is a joy to see them bestowed on the living.

There is another option available to a grateful nation to honour its heroes: we can always wait and do so posthumously.

THE GRADUATE Nassau, August 26, 2018.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, August 27, 2018, PAGE 5

from page one

Maynard wrote.

“I reasoned then that you fired them contrary to the long-established drug policy that was in place, I then made an agreement with the government to have them returned to work and you ignored the minister of works and the minister of labour’s request,” he claimed.

Mr Maynard wrote there could not be one policy for the “low workers” and another for the “elite” employees.

“Mr Heastie if things are going to improve for the better at BPL, there is going to have to be an immediate shift in your attitude toward Mr Christie and myself, you have to come to the realisation that this is a unionised workplace and we will be respected or you’re in for a very hard ride where you will get absolutely nothing done and we will be in the press everyday complaining about you,” he also wrote. “The choice, sir, is yours to make.”

When contacted on the matter yesterday, Mr Heastie said he was aware the letter had been made public, but refused to address anything contained in the document.

He told The Tribune: “I do not address internal matters publicly.”

This comes less than two weeks after the dissolution of one BPL board and swift appointment of another due to several issues of contention.

The resultant chaos prompted Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to announce last Wednesday he has ordered a “proper investigation” into the problems.

Union boss threatens BPL boss: We won’t be pushed around “But regardless, these are matters we have been going at and matters we want resolved.”

The letter, which was circulated by social media over the weekend, opens with Mr Maynard taking Mr Heastie to task over his demeanour and tone in a meeting he had with a technician at the state-owned energy company.

Mr Maynard in his letter written on August 21, noted the outcome of that meeting “disturbed” him, claiming Mr Heastie’s treatment of the technician left the 30 plus year employee “traumatised”.

Mr Maynard wrote: “(He told me) he was in fear of his job and you talked to him worse than a dog, in addition to demoralising him.

“This, Mr Heastie, is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated while I’m the president of the union. Employees told me that you were shouting and banging your hands on the desk while dressing down (the technician).”

Mr Maynard further claimed in his letter: “Mr Heastie I need to remind you that this is BPL, a unionised company, not Freeport Power where you all had the union intimidated and you did what you wanted to the staff at will. I will not stand for it and let this serve as your first and very last warning.”

Mr Maynard warned if a similar incident were to transpire in the future, “it won’t be pleasant for you as CEO, believe me.”

“You will not intimidate

WHITNEY HEASTIE, left, and Paul Maynard. me,” he wrote. “There is a procedure that is set out in the contract when you want to reprimand an employee. I strongly recommend that you apologise in writing to him.”

A second concern addressed were the actions of an IT official, whom Mr Maynard said he understood had been “talking to the staff in a very derogatory fashion.” Mr Maynard also said it was suspected someone at BPL was allegedly monitoring staff calls

and emails.

Addressing Mr Heastie yet again, Mr Maynard asserted the CEO needed to inform the official that these actions were viewed as “absolutely unacceptable,” and will not be tolerated.

Mr Maynard continued: “In addition, as concerns (this employee), staff are uneasy because they have very strong suspicions that the company’s email and phone systems are being

monitored by him.”

Mr Maynard insisted he was going to speak with Anthony Christie, president of the manager’s union, to verify whether his group had similar concerns.

“There seems to be mistrust with you and your consultants when it comes to BPL staff,” he wrote.

“I’ll have you know that we are professionals at this company and know how to do our jobs.”

The final concern Mr

Maynard addressed had to do with disputes over several employees fired over failed drug tests.

The BEWU president claimed Mr Heastie only rehired one employee, but opted not to re-engage nine others on the basis of personal preference.

“Well I’m demanding that the nine workers who were fired as a result of failing the marijuana drug urine test be returned to work with immediate effect,” Mr

DAVIS DEMANDS MINISTER STANDS DOWN from page one

ex-chair, Darnell Osborne.

Mr Bannister told the media he only became involved with the operations of the BPL board of directors in a bid to block the company from paying the personal bills of its former chairwoman, including make-up services and the installation of a home security system.

It was later confirmed home security system for directors was approved by the board but that Mrs Osborne was the only director who had it installed.

A statement released by Mrs Osborne and two other former board members last Thursday said BPL’s public relations consultant organised some employees to be photographed as part of a project to upgrade the company’s website and other corporate promotions. A request was also made by a magazine for photographs

of Mrs Osborne in her home environment, to tout her appointment as the first female chair of BPL, the statement also said.

The statement said an invoice submitted to BPL for make-up services was not exclusively for the services of Mrs Osborne, “whose costs in this bill was $45 or $50”.

“In fact, the $700 or $750 make-up invoice that the minister is now claiming to have been for Mrs Osborne had nothing to do at all with Mrs Osborne, but instead relates to a second group of BPL employees who were photographed for BPL’s website or annual report,” the statement said.

Mr Davis said yesterday it is not the PLP’s intention to throw political jabs over the issue, which he said transcends partisanship.

“To have the three men (Bannister, Heastie and Rollins) maintain executive oversight of the corporation throughout

the investigation opens the door to the perception of manipulation of evidence and the intimidation of possible witnesses. We are not seeking to be prejudicial but this is the proper thing to do,” he said.

He also insisted the prime minister not seek to engage private companies to conduct the investigation, which he said should be carried out by the Office of the Auditor General.

“As the review would be conducted by the auditor general, the final report would be shared simultaneously with the full House of Assembly and the government; this is an important safeguard against the government burying the report through a failure to disclose its results,” Mr Davis asserted.

He also highlighted the terms of reference of this review should include a review of the personal expenses of the executive chairman; the

alleged unauthorised travel of both the CEO and the executive director; the CEO’s adherence to the policies of the corporation inclusive of hiring, procurement and the directives of its regulator URCA; and the planning and execution of the recently executed voluntary separation programme (VSEP).

Mr Davis noted: “The latter point is especially important as the CEO has publicly stated that the VSEP by design, has left the corporation critically short of experienced personnel in some areas.”

“The rationale for putting the corporation at risk demands answers. In addition, based on projected savings, it would appear that the cost recovery from employee savings due to the VSEP would take three to five years, making the exercise a foolish waste of money.”

In a separate statement yesterday, the PLP’s

Women’s Branch also condemned Mr Bannister for his public comments toward Mrs Osborne.

The group said the “public savagery” of the reputation of the former BPL chair at the hands of Mr Bannister was “sexist”.

The statement read: “The issue for us and the country is whether Mrs Osborne conducted her job with probity and integrity. The issue is not her applying facial makeup. For the minister to go there as the first point was a deliberate effort to pollute the issue not by an appeal to the facts but by an appeal to prejudice against women. It seeks to trivialise the issue.

“BPL’s issues have nothing to do with the former chair being a woman. The minister owes Mrs Osborne and indeed all women in this country an apology for these sexist remarks.”

The organisation insisted that if Mr Bannister refuses to apologise, he stands opposed to the government’s push for and support of women’s equality.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Bannister said he has no plans to address the saga moving forward.

He told The Tribune he is operating in accordance with the investigation ordered by the prime minister.

PAGE 6, Monday, August 27, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Tributes to Stephen Isaacs, a patriot and a good Bahamian

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net TRIBUTES poured in for Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs, 63, who died on Friday just two weeks after he was formally sworn in to the post.

Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip Davis described his death as a cruel irony.

Mr Davis said Isaacs was a “good Bahamian,” who had done his best to administer the law without fear or favour.

“His life was not easy,” Mr Davis said in a statement. “He rose up from difficult personal circumstances to reach the top of his profession. It is often one of the cruel ironies of this life that just as you reach the top, the final curtain is drawn.”

Said Mr Davis: “Our last conversation at his swearing-in touched upon that which is the richness of the human experience – that which is passed on from one life to the other. In this context, Chief Justice Isaacs’ life of overcoming the difficult personal circumstances will be the hallmark of his legacy.

“It illustrates that those unfortunate personal circumstances do not define who you are, but rather they reveal who you are by the way you respond to those circumstances. The proverb says ‘seven times you fall, eight times you get up.’

“On behalf of the PLP, my wife Ann, our Deputy Leader Chester Cooper, our Chairman Senator Fred Mitchell and the entire party, I offer sincere condolences to his family.”

Chief Justice Isaacs, according to a statement released by the government, was called to the Bahamas Bar in 1982 and started his judicial career some 12 years later in 1994 when he was appointed assistant registrar of the Supreme Court.

Throughout his

CHIEF Justice Stephen Isaacs at the ceremony to mark his confirmation earlier this month, alongside Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling. career, he also served as registrar of the Court of Appeal, and on the Industrial Tribunal, before being appointed to the higher judiciary as a Supreme Court justice in September 2002 when he assumed office as an acting justice of the Supreme Court and was stationed in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

In 2015, he was promoted to the rank of a senior justice of the Supreme Court, and appointed acting chief justice in December 2017.

He was confirmed to the substantive post in July this year and was sworn in just two weeks before his death.

Chief Justice Isaacs is survived by his children Stephen Jr and Capri.

In a social media post on Friday, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin expressed a great level of sadness and issued a plea for the country to “embrace” its brightest and best.

“Condolences to the

children and family of Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs,” she wrote. “I am so saddened by his demise. I am longing for the day in the Bahamas when we will willingly embrace our bright and talented sons and daughters without the petty politics.”

Democratic National Alliance Deputy Leader Arinthia Komolafe also expressed sadness over the loss, contending the country was looking forward to the years of “distinguished service” by

Chief Justice Isaacs.

“It was only a few weeks ago that the late chief justice was confirmed in his substantive post. Bahamians had looked forward to more years of distinguished service by this luminary and true patriot,” her statement read.

“Unfortunately, this was not to be and we have lost a brilliant jurist who contributed enormously to the development of the legal profession in the Bahamas.

“Members of the legal

fraternity will remember him as a respected gentleman who left an indelible mark on the judiciary and on our jurisprudence. A grateful nation salutes him for his service and dedication over the years.

“On behalf of the Democratic National Alliance, we offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Chief justice Stephen Isaacs. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time,” she added.

Minister Dr Hubert Minnis for delaying to name a new chief justice.

“Justice Vera is acting,” Mr Newbold said yesterday, “she will continue to act for the foreseeable future until a decision is made about a

substantive post.”

In 2015, Justice Isaacs was promoted to the rank of a senior justice of the Supreme Court, and appointed acting chief justice in December 2017.

He was confirmed to the

substantive post this past July, filling a vacancy left by the retirement of Sir Hartman Longley last year.

Justice Isaacs was recognised in a Cabinet statement on Friday as a “judge’s judge…the epitome of the

highest standards of conduct of a judicial officer; and for upholding the Rule of Law, justice, order and proper decorum in his courtroom.”

Speaking to reporters following his appointment earlier this month, Justice Isaacs listed better efficiency, an improved judicial complex, and more effective manpower management among his goals for his tenure in this position.

He also expressed hopes of advocating for a better “case-to-judge ratio,” improving the country’s plea bargain system and introducing an overall shift in the judicial culture of the country.

“Having a purpose-built judicial complex is still in the works. It’s been in the works since I was registrar.

And with any luck you may see it before I retire,” he said.

In February, an internal letter to members of the judiciary from senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis characterised the failure to fully confirm the vacant post as a “blatant attack on

the judiciary”.

Magistrate Rolle-Davis further called on fellow judges to “abandon” their schedules for a meeting of solidarity next Tuesday at the Supreme Court building, similar to action staged in Jamaica.

At the time, Maurice Glinton, QC, Alfred Sears, QC, and Wayne Munroe, QC, all told The Tribune Dr Minnis’ appointment of Justice Isaacs as acting chief justice should be remedied immediately.

In April, Bahamas Bar Association President Kahlil Parker told The Nassau Guardian that Dr Minnis had a “tremendous misapprehension” of the constitutional provisions relating to the appointment of a chief justice, adding the prime minister did not appear to grasp firmly the Constitution as a whole.

Yesterday, Mr Newbold said: “We will move no quicker than (Dr Minnis) thinks is necessary as long as the system continues to function the way it ought to.

He’s going to take his time before he appoints another substantive chief justice.”

WATKINS TO SERVE AS ACTING CJ from page one

Justice Isaacs’ confirmation had come after months of agitation from the legal fraternity, some of whom publicly castigated Prime

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MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2018

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

Five years of shattered dreams

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net AFTER waiting nearly five years for a response on her citizenship application, a Bahamas-born woman is petitioning the courts for a judicial review and constitutional relief amid allegations of abuse and harassment by immigration officers.

Dahene Nonord, 23, says the lengthy delay has rendered her a “broken hearted vessel of shattered dreams”, putting her life on hold indefinitely while she lives with no documentation to protect her from arrest and deportation.

Since graduating from Anatol Rodgers High School, she has deferred numerous opportunities for further education and travel, including her dream of enlisting in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

She is seeking a judgement on the government’s failure or refusal to make a determination on her citizenship application submitted in September 2013; a declaration that the lengthy delay breached her constitutional rights; and an order requiring the government to either register her as a citizen or exercise its discretion in a timely manner.

Her application also asks for an interim injunction restraining officials from deporting her before such a determination can be heard.

The ex parte application was filed on July 27 against Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, in his capacity presiding over proceedings of the Immigration Board; Minister of Immigration Brent Symonette; the Board of Immigration; Director of Immigration Clarence Russell; and Attorney General Carl Bethel.

The application read: “Mrs Nonord’s certificate of identity has expired. Without any documentation establishing Ms Nonord’s connection to The Bahamas and permitting her to remain freely within the Bahamas; and without Ms Nonord being registered as a citizen of The Bahamas she is unable to attend school, work, travel, register under the National Insurance Act and obtain assistance and benefits and participate or open a bank account.

“Her life is effectively on hold.

“All the while she lives in fear of arrest and deportation…she has been subjected to arbitrary and illegal search and detention and beatings as a result of being unable to produce documentation to establish her legal right to remain in the Bahamas.”

Ms Nonord’s parents are Haitian citizens and legally reside in The Bahamas, according to her affidavit, which makes clear she has never travelled outside the country.

She was granted a certificate of identity on April 4, 2011, but it expired on April 3, 2016.

Ms Nonord applied for citizenship at 18 in 2013 and also submitted to a request for additional documents.

Her interview was conducted in 2014, according to her affidavit, which stated she was told she had scored a “C” and would be given a date to take the oath of allegiance.

She said it was the last time she had any successful communication with the Department of Immigration concerning her application despite numerous visits by herself and attorney to inquire about its status.

During a visit in October 2017, she alleges she was told they could not locate her file. A letter was sent by her attorneys requesting urgent action but there has been no response to date.

She says harassment and abuse by immigration officers started in December 2013, and believes this treatment and subsequent delays in processing her application is motivated by animosity, prejudice or discrimination towards her.

In her supporting affidavit, she outlines five incidents with police and immigration officers, where she accuses officers of harassment, battery and abuse.

The first incident allegedly occurred in the early morning on December 3, 2014, when she was apprehended by Immigration officers on Cow Pen Road after she could not produce any documentation.

After she refused to stop, four immigration officers grabbed her and placed her in handcuffs as she struggled.

Once inside the bus, she said one of the officers grabbed her neck and began choking her.

She was then taken to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre where she was allegedly heckled by officers who made fun of her name and made hurtful and sarcastic remarks.

She was allegedly further beaten by two female immigration officers, who told others she had to be handcuffed and restrained because she had tried to attack them.

“At this point,” the affidavit read, “I was surrounded by two female officers and three to four male officers.

A male officer handcuffed my feet using tie straps and threw me on to the floor.

An unidentified police officer in uniform, then lifted me up by my pants and dragged me across the floor.

One of the two female immigration officers who had beaten me exclaimed: ‘This bitch, I will kill this bitch, I will kill her, I will kill this bitch, I will kill her’.”

Ms Nonord said she was taken to the front section of the centre and after sometime was allowed to contact her parents and was released some 45 minutes later.

She was told by her parents they had presented her certificate of identity and birth certificate.

Before leaving, Ms Nonord said she reported the alleged abuse to the officer in charge of the CRDC, and upon overhearing, the officers alleged she had bitten them on their fingers.

She denied having ever bitten them or anybody else.

She further alleges the officers then asked for the proper spelling of her name so they could file a report against her.

A medical report attached to her affidavit, stated she was seen by a doctor at Princess Margaret Hospital on December

3, and diagnosed with soft tissue injury to her chest wall and right thigh.

On December 29, 2014, Ms Nonord was apprehended while walking on Golden Isles corner during a “round up” in the Carmichael area. She had noticed Immigration officers questioning people and had began recording them to share with human rights group Rights Bahamas.

She said she ran when she was spotted by officers, but was caught by a female officer she recognised from the previous incident.

The officer began choking her, and she says, bit her hand in self-defence because she could not breathe.

She was then handcuffed by two other officers and further beaten by the female officer, who put her inside a car and continued to punch her in the head.

Ms Nonord said she was then taken to the Carmichael Road Police Station, where she told police she had been beaten and did not feel well.

An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital. An attached report indicates she was seen and diagnosed with soft tissue injury to the back, neck and upper limbs. Clinical examination also documented abrasions, a contusion and neck tenderness.

The following morning, she was taken to Magistrate’s Court and

charged with obstruction and assault.

She plead guilty and was granted bail.

However, while waiting in a holding cell for bail, she alleges she was picked up and body slammed by a police officer, who then punched her in her back and legs.

Ms Nonord was convicted and ordered to pay a $400 fine and has appealed the matter.

DAHENE Nonord and, below, pictured being taken by a paramedic from the Carmichael Road Police Station.

The fourth incident took place on May 19, 2015, when police came into their community with guns drawn.

“My mother and I were watching what was going on at our fence,” the affidavit read.

“We were not interfering in any way. Shortly after the arrival of the police officers, a female officer shouted, “That’s the bitch that bit the immigration officer standing by the fence.”

Ms Nonord said an officer immediately rushed up to her, grabbed her neck and started to choke her.

She further alleged the officer threw her against the fence, and was joined by a few other officers in punching her in her back, legs, and face despite her cries for mercy.

Ms Nonord said her brother returned during the ordeal after he heard the crying and screaming and was also grabbed by officers.

She and her brother were put on the police bus and handcuffed to the seat bars.

She claims an officer began shouting that he would burn down their house, adding her brother Geno was also slapped repeatedly by an officer while on the bus.

Ms Nonord alleges she was taken from the bus and into a room at the Carmichael Road Police Station where she was choked and slapped repeatedly by an officer - the fifth incident of abuse.

She was then placed in a

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dirty cell and refused use of the bathroom. According to her affidavit, police also refused a request by her lawyer Adrian Gibson for medical assistance.

She was brought before a Magistrate the following morning and charged with “threats of death, assaulting a police officer, disorderly behavior, obscene language, obstruction and resisting arrest”.

“I was in shock and in total disbelief, as it was Geno and me who had been nearly killed by the police,” her affidavit continued.

“I was detained from the morning of the May 19, 2015, until May 20, 2015, and was never offered anything to eat. I was forced to sleep on a cold concrete floor and denied access to the bathroom facilities despite constant begging,” it read.

“I was subjected to appalling inhumane and degrading treatment at the hands of police officers.”

Ms Nonord and her brother Geno were discharged by Magistrate Ambrose Armbrister on March 23, and the government gave notice of its intention to appeal on March 29.

“The hardships that I have encountered as a child born in The Bahamas are inexpressible,” read her affidavit.

“I have met the worst forms of abuse, discrimination and victimisation as a human being, in my own country of birth.”

She said her last trip to the Immigration Department was in October 2017, when she was told by a staff member her file was removed after her “problem” with the Immigration officer.

Ms Nonord claims when her legal counsel inquired about her file, she was identified as the “young lady who bit the immigration

officer and police” and told her file could not be found.

Since her application in 2013, Ms Nonord’s parents and younger siblings received permanent residency in April 2017, and her brother Geno was granted citizenship some two months later.

“I am afraid that I will be unlawfully expelled from The Bahamas before my application is found and processed,” her affidavit read.

“I am also afraid of being picked up and taken to [Carmichael Road Detention Centre] without anybody knowing and being held and beaten again.”

Ms Nonord also alleges she approached Immigration Minister Brent Symonette outside parliament in February to appeal for an intervention in her case.

She states he told her she didn’t need to reapply and that he would find her file.

But has since not responded to her calls.

“I still do not have any “Papers”,” her affidavit read.

“I am terrified of being picked up again as the ‘Yellow Immigration Buses’ are still constantly conducting raids, round ups and stopping people in the buses and on the streets.

They are even breaking down the doors of homes in the Cow Pen area where I reside which is near the [Carmichael Road Detention Centre].”

It continued: “Nearly five years after submitting my application and four years after being interviewed I still have no right to move about The Bahamas freely, live freely and work.”

Ms Nonord and her family are also part of legal action brought against the government over its decision to eliminate shanty towns throughout the country.

PAGE 10 MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2018

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Two sides to a story, but who’s telling the truth?

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

and equity - will publicly lash his colleague is very low.

LAST week’s headInstead, we may see the lines continued to air dirty prime minister attempt laundry at the nation’s to draw the attention to a power company. Since report that may never see the appointment of a new the light of day if it is damnboard following the “resing to Minister Bannister’s ignations” - as purported reputation. While we do not

by Minister of Works Desknow the full details and mond Bannister - were are not in the position to publicised, the Bahamian prosecute anyone based on people have received a lot hearsay, what we currently more insight into what may know does not paint the have happened. works minister in the best Truthfully, it has not been light. a pretty sight to see.

Case in point, Minister When Bannister iniBannister’s petty attempt tially provided a statement to shame Mrs Osborne by regarding the resignations claiming she forwarded of the board, he pointed to make-up bills to the comstrained relationships and pany has been proven to be infighting as the reasons utter nonsense. A statement why a new board had to be from the make-up company established. It was not long over the weekend detailing afterwards the Bahamian the engagement with BPL public learned three of the for a PR shoot provided board members who were clear evidence Bannister’s asked to resign refused to claims were false. do so. Chief among them For this, he owes Mrs was the chairman, Darnell Osborne an apology.

Osborne.

Certainly, his gripe with In an official statement the former chairman seems released by the three board very personal. However, members who refused to he could have approached resign, they rebuffed the this situation in a much minister’s claims, calling statelier manner. Unfortuthem “misleading” and nately, he took a less than stating Osborne’s authority dignified approach that has was at times undermined been since contradicted by as a result of political evidence and a more subinterference. stantial rebuttal from the Not more than a day three board members. later, the works minister The saying goes: “There fired back at Mrs Osborne, are three sides to a story; admitting to political interhis side, her side and the ference, but claiming he truth.” had to do so to block payThe full truth is now what ments for the former MINISTER of Works Desmond Bannister, left, and former BPL chairman Darnell Osborne. the Bahamian people want. executive chairman’s perexploits – charging the com- left tongues wagging all seemed like a juvenile result of reported infight- It is what we require. sonal expenses.

Prime Minister Minnis Minister Bannister, pany “hundreds of dollars” over the nation and caused approach that did not sit ing, was reintroduced to promised we would operate the Bahamian people as a despite not giving a com- for make-up and thousands quite a great deal of embar- well with many people. in an era of transparency As this was already get- member of the new board. prehensive report to the more to have a home secu- rassment to the former Obviously, this led many under his leadership. Now Bahamian people, did not rity system installed at her chairman. True or not, ting out of hand, the prime people to question why he he and Minister Bannister this attempt to embarrass minister’s decision to meet shy away from detailing the home. have failed in that regard, The minister’s comments a former board member with the board and promise resigned the first place. former chairman’s alleged allowing this back and forth In a statement coming a probe into the matter has at the end of the week, the to take an ugly turn, they also been concerning. will have to step down from Surely, the prime minister three board members that their high horses. Unless must not take the Baha- have been at the forefront the works minister can of this BPL saga dropped mian people for fools, as issue a public apology to he is the only person with a bombshell in a statement the former members of the providing more details as to the authority to ultimately board, the prime minister approve the dismissal of a what took place and refut- will have to appease them ing much of what Minister board. The fact he is now and the populace by some announcing there will be Bannister said to the media. form of disciplinary action.

The distraction this has an investigation into what Prime Minister Minnis * actually happened either created has been quite neg- also has to clarify where his means one of two things – ative, but hard not to watch. confusion took place, or if At the same time, this that he did not have all of issue playing out centre he was complicit in somethe facts, which requires stage at one of the country’s thing untoward at BPL. an admission and apolIn a country as small as ogy directly ours, your from him, or ‘Surely, the prime minister must not take reputation that he, upon the Bahamian people for fools, as he is is a form of seeing more currency. evidence sub- the only person with the authority to Claims that stantiating the ultimately approve the dismissal of a board. were made former board The fact he is now announcing there will by both members’ sides can account, no be an investigation into what actually cause one longer believes happened either means one of two things – to become Minister Ban- that he did not have all of the facts, which defensive. nister’s version However, requires an admission and apology directly of the events. this manner Both sce- from him, or that he ... no longer believes of verbal narios ought to Minister Bannister’s version of the events.’ warfare is raise questions beneath in the public’s everyone mind. If the prime minister most troubled institutions is involved.

A preemptive measure is authorising the dismissal timely - perhaps a prompt of an entire board with for an age-old problem to must be taken to thwart issues like this before they only a half-baked story, is be rectified. he really that irresponsible Politically appointed can take root. It is no secret that he would not do his boards have long been a that in an organisation * own due diligence? Further, receptacle for tampering issues can arise. However, if Minister Bannister did and interference, whereby when there are multiple not give the prime minister politicians are able to pull power players in an organiall the facts before the deci- strings from behind the sation – particularly when * one is a politician – this sion to remove the board, scenes.

In a case like BPL, kind of mischief can arise. will there be corrective measures taken against the where we potentially have Certainly, the loss of credihigh-ranking government bility on the part of Minister works minister? officials playing favourites, Bannister should cause the Time will certainly tell.

Additionally, what some we are now able to see just prime minister to evaluate the pros and cons of politiof us thought was odd was how nasty things can get. cally appointed boards. The Though the prime minthat although the board was asked to resign, a familiar ister has promised to reality in governance is the name was included in the investigate and provide a actions of your Cabinet do * publication of the names full account, it is doubtful not take place in a vacuum.

Prime Minister Minnis of the new board. Ferron Minister Bannister will face should have learned this Bethel, a member of the any repercussions.

After all, he was not from watching the career board asked to resign as a active publicly during the of his predecessor, who campaign and he is not an failed to rein in his Cabinet * MP for any constituency. on many occasions. This Yet, he has found himself undoubtedly planted the * in the Cabinet of the prime seed of his political demise.

In the coming days, it minister who did not have much fanfare within the will be very interesting to INCL. VAT party during the election see which direction this goes. Thankfully, the three run.

We are not certain, but former members of the perhaps this speaks to board that are involved in the level of relationship the fallout have stated that 5th Terrace & East Avenue * between the prime minister they only wish to move CENTREVILLE and minister of works from on from this unfortunate sitting in a previous Cabinet ordeal. Hopefully, the govPhone: 322-8862 together. If that is the case, ernment is of the same Join us on Facebook the likelihood the prime mind and will do the right minister - despite his claims thing so that we all can *VISIT STORE FOR DETAILS to be a believer in justice move on.

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EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2018 PAGE 9

WHY WON’T WASHINGTON JUST PLAY FAIR?

By ANDREW LUMSDEN Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

LAST month, Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States, sought support in a speech before a meeting of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in Geneva, Switzerland. He lamented his country is “losing all hope” that its 15-year-long trade dispute with the United States will be amicably settled through private, bilateral negotiations.

Sanders is, furthermore, considering asking the WTO’s head to mediate a solution.

In 2003, Antigua and Barbuda, a nation little larger than Washington DC, with a GDP barely exceeding US$1bn, challenged the world’s foremost economic power before the WTO over the latter’s crackdown on American participation in offshore online gambling, an industry that had been a pillar of the island nation’s tiny economy.

Washington has refused to comply with WTO rulings in Antigua’s favour or agree to a financial settlement. Antiguan officials had hoped the catastrophic devastation the island nation suffered in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September last year would compel Washington to change its position, but so far nothing has changed.

As the Council on Hemispheric Affairs noted in a 2013 report, the United States “must exist in the brave new world it helped create”. The US handling of this dispute is inconsistent with the values it champions, including moral leadership and the rule of law. Settling this dispute, particularly in the form of a humanitarian contribution would bode little cost for the US economy and provide desperately needed relief to those still suffering from Irma’s devastation. Keeping this trade rift alive not only harms the reputation of the United States but may also set the stage for larger trade disputes in the future.

Antiguan roulette In 1994, Antigua and Barbuda enacted the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act, opening the door for companies based in the country to legally offer online gambling services.

Antigua’s status as the only country offering such legal protection for online gambling enticed foreign companies and entrepreneurs to relocate to the island during the late 1990s.

This influx led to dramatic growth in the local gaming industry. By 1999 there were 119 licenced online casino operators in Antigua, which employed more than 3,000 people, paid out over $12m in wages and over $7m to the government in licencing fees. By the year 2000, 61 percent of all online gambling activity on Earth was based in Antigua.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, around 60 percent of online gamblers were US citizens. Federal and state officials in the US were deeply alarmed by the growth of the cross-border online gambling industry. They feared it would expose minors to gambling and facilitate criminal fraud and money laundering operations. Although internet gambling was not specifically discussed in US law at the time, the Department of Justice began cracking down on these online casinos in 1998. They argued the practice violated the Wire Act of 1961, which restricts the placing of bets via wire-based methods of communication.

That year, federal agents arrested 21 Americans for either operating or participating in online casinos, some based in Antigua. Several state attorneys-general also began pressuring US banks and money transfer companies, including PayPal and Western Union, to block credit card and other transactions related to offshore online gambling, to great success.

DAMAGE left after Hurricane Irma hit Barbuda.

The two against the ace The US crackdown had an immediate, severe impact on Antigua’s gambling industry. According to the Antiguan Directorate of Gaming, between 2001 and 2002, 12 licenced online gambling companies operating on the island either shut down or relocated.

Around 700 industry jobs were lost, and state revenue from online casino licensing fees and taxes declined by 11.8 percent. Antigua approached the WTO in March 2003, arguing US gambling restrictions were not only damaging its economy but also violated Washington’s commitment to free trade enshrined in the 1995 General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

A WTO panel ruled in Antigua’s favour in 2004 and rejected a US appeal the following year. The WTO ordered Washington to amend its gambling laws by April 2006. The US failed to comply with the ruling.

In 2007, a WTO arbiter estimated US anti-gambling policies were costing Antigua an estimated $21m a year. In response to this estimate and Washington’s noncompliance, St John’s requested permission to retaliate by suspending enforcement of US intellectual property laws. This would allow Antigua to sell American media content, including films and music, over the internet without paying royalties to the creators.

The request was granted in 2013, but Antigua declined to implement the sanction and, instead, has sought a monetary settlement from the United States through private negotiations.

These, however, have been unsuccessful, as Washington has maintained the WTO had no right to demand changes to “fundamental legitimate public policies” of a member state, and that the data Antigua has presented detailing the gaming industry’s value to its economy was “unreliable”.

Irma changes the game Although Antiguan officials made a few public comments about the trade dispute over the following four years, it largely lost international attention until September 2017 when Hurricane Irma, a category five storm with winds up to 185mph, struck the nation.

Irma made landfall on the small island of Barbuda on the sixth, destroying 95 percent of its buildings. This devastation, and fears the island would be hit again by the oncoming hurricanes Jose and Maria, Barbuda’s 1,800 residents were evacuated. Barbuda was spared from the other storms, but Irma caused roughly $300m in damages, more than onefifth of the nation’s GDP. To this day, less than half of displaced Barbudans have been able to return.

Because of the broader economic damage it created, Hurricane Irma steeled St John’s resolve to settle the trade dispute once and for all. In a WTO meeting, two weeks after the storm, Ambassador Sanders announced the United States had only offered less than $2m in restitution, a sum St John’s considered unacceptable as it represents only one-one

hundredth the total damages US policies have cost Antigua over the past decade.

In October 2017, Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister, Gaston Browne, told the Los Angeles Times that US restrictions have “destroyed” his country’s gambling industry, which now employs only a tenth the amount of people it did in the early 2000s. He noted US damages to Antigua’s economy now amounted to over $200m and insisted that while he does not expect Washington to pay this amount in full, he asks that it provide “something substantive to compensate for the damages over the years”.

Irma’s devastation and Antiguan officials’ pleas did little to soften Washington’s position. US officials did not speak publicly on the trade dispute in 2017, but blasted St John’s after Sanders brought up the issue again at this year’s WTO dispute body meeting. The US WTO envoy accused Antigua of failing to respond to the Trump administration’s offer of further negotiations and, of making “extreme demands”, arguing St John’s is trying to make “a political statement” instead of genuinely engaging in finding a resolution.

An American gamble The United States has little reason not to settle its Antiguan dispute with a payment at or near the calculated costs of Antigua’s trade damages, and, it is in fact in its best interest to do so. The US argument that the WTO has no authority over a nation’s domestic legislation is no longer relevant. Furthermore, the US argument that Antigua has submitted flawed data to the WTO in its claim is undermined by the fact the WTO’s 2007 valuation of Antigua’s damages was based on an independent investigation.

Washington has recently introduced a new defence, arguing monetary settlements are not discussed as a resolution for disputes under WTO rules. However, in 2014 the United States agreed to pay a $300m settlement to Brazil regarding a WTO dispute over cotton subsidies.

Allowing this dispute to continue could very easily have seriously detrimental consequences for the United States, and potentially the world, over the coming years. This is in part because the United States also relies on the WTO to counter trade practices by other nations it feels are unfair and harmful to its economy. Since 2009, Washington has filed nearly 30 complaints with the WTO (five since President Donald Trump took office), primarily against China, India and the European Union (EU).

Ironically, the United States has also been a victim of noncompliance. In 2011, the EU failed to end subsidies for the aircraft manufacturing company Airbus, as ordered by the WTO in a suit brought by the United States. Furthermore, just this past January, the Trump Administration issued a scathing report detailing several cases of China flouting unfavourable WTO rulings, and, declaring Beijing’s noncompliance as a cause for

Photo: Anika E. Kentish/AP unilateral imposition of tariffs against Beijing, the first of which took effect in July 2018.

Continued US noncompliance with WTO rulings in the Antiguan dispute could, and likely will, be cited by other states to justify their own refusal to comply with future WTO rulings. This outcome would lead to the proliferation of tariffs and further undermine international economic stability and free trade.

The US-Antiguan dispute also threatens to eat away at Washington’s relationships with other Caribbean nations, many of which have already made it clear whose side they are on. During this year’s WTO-DSB meeting, the representatives of Barbados, Dominica, and Jamaica all issued statements supporting Antigua, while no WTO member spoke in Washington’s favour.

It is particularly important for the United States to maintain strong relationships with the Caribbean community, as rivals, particularly China, are working

tirelessly to expand their geopolitical, economic and increasingly, military influence in the region.

A winning strategy An amicable settlement to this dispute, on the other hand, could be of great, long-term benefit to both the United States and Antigua and Barbuda. As Todd Tucker, a fellow at the New York-based Roosevelt Institute, suggested in 2017, the United States could pay restitution to Antigua in the form of direct humanitarian aid. This course of action would be mutually beneficial to the United States and the people of Antigua and Barbuda.

A settlement could contribute substantially to ongoing reconstruction efforts, particularly on Barbuda, which still suffers from extensive infrastructural damage. Between February and June 2018, a $2m initiative funded by China successfully repaired the roofs of more than 250 buildings on Barbuda, including homes and healthcare facilities.

A US settlement, which would likely total 100 times that amount, would accomplish so much more and enhance Washington’s image in the increasingly geopolitically competitive Caribbean region. Furthermore, even if Antigua has been unresponsive to recent outreach attempts as the United States has alleged, this settlement offer could simply be made publicly.

As to the costs of a settlement, even a payment of the full amount of damages to Antigua, which now totals $315m, would mean little for the United States.

Washington spent $45bn on foreign aid programmess in 2017 alone. A sizable portion of this money even went to countries with strained or adversarial relations with the United States, including China ($29m), Russia ($17m in 2016), [North] Sudan ($151m) and Venezuela ($9m in 2016).

Unlike these states, St John’s has insisted it considers Washington a generations-long “friend,” and cites its American artists who have “contributed much to the enjoyment and advancement of the world,” as its reasoning for not exercising its right to retaliate. Antigua deserves a friendly ending to this unfortunate dispute.

Conclusion Whatever the outcome, the Antiguan-US trade dispute highlights a critical flaw present in nearly all international institutions.

Means of enforcement are limited and the overwhelming advantages that large, wealthy states have over their less powerful counterparts – which such organizations were designed to negate – persist.

However, an amicable settlement could provide much-needed relief to thousands of people in Antigua and Barbuda still struggling to recover from a historic storm.

INSIGHT

PAGE 10 MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2018

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

How do you pay for your healthcare?

By DR DESIREE COX, MD, PhD MEET Maureen. Maureen is a single mother. She teaches at a public school in Nassau but her true calling is church mission work.

Like 70 percent of Bahamians Maureen has doesn’t have health insurance.

She was sharing about her situation at Church outreach seminar in Atlanta, Georgia.

When she was finished, one of her American Missionary friends told she used to have the same problem until she joined a Christian Medishare - a USbased healthcare insurance that operates like a credit union. Christian missionaries pool their funds and pay for each other’s health expenses. It got Maureen to thinking: What if there was something like this medishare in The Bahamas or the Caribbean she could join?

As it stands, if something happened to her or her teenage son, God forbid, she might have to organise a hurch cook-out to pay for her medical bills.

Paying for healthcare is complex for patients, providers and employers all over the world. For employers, health coverage is a major expense, often the second highest corporate expense after payroll. The

key questions for employers are: What is the return on investment for the dollars spent? Are we keeping people healthy, so they are productive, innovative and thriving?

For many years, employers have been frustrated with rising healthcare expenses, declining population health, and wide variation in quality and outcomes. Employers need new solutions.

Providers and patients are frustrated too. They are challenged by the inconvenience, administrative barriers and convoluted practices driven by what their doctors, physiotherapists and other healthcare providers must do to get paid. Take John, for example. John is a senior executive at shipping company headquartered in New York. He’s married with two kids, his health is good and he makes $115k a year, before taxes. John’s company pays for his health

insurance. His wife and kids are covered under his insurance policy but the high insurance deductible John ends up paying out of pocket for minor family healthcare issues like the flu – up to $1,500 a month during winter.

In the US, entrepreneurs, who are not insurance companies, are becoming health payers, creating medishare and other programmes that offer affordable healthcare packages for people who either don’t fit into the usual boxes, or for niche employee groups such as teachers, firefighters, nurses, construction-workers, small and medium business owners who need health coverage but can’t afford the traditional insurance plans. One such US-based programme even pays for stem cell and regenerative therapies as part of a preventive healthcare programme. What’s stopping these solutions

taking hold in The Bahamas and the Caribbean?

The high cost of coverage, or of many common procedures for the uncovered has forced a growing number of people to get creative and others around the region are exploring the quality and cost of healthcare treatment abroad, a practice known as medical tourism.

Other healthcare trends fuelling the global medical tourism phenomenon include: increasing healthcare services demands driven on by demographic changes especially population ageing and older people’s requirements for more medical services, rising incidence of chronic conditions, waiting times and increasing cost of health services in patients’ home country coupled with the availability of cheaper alternatives in many developing countries. Surgeo - the ‘Airbnb’ of operating theatres - is one example of

a successful medical healthcare business based on the region.

The global medical tourism market is estimated at worth $19.7bn in 2016, and climbing, with market growth estimated to reach $46.6bn by 2021. So why isn’t medical tourism big business in the Caribbean?

Tourism is the main industry of coastal US, The Bahamas, the Caribbean, and coastal South and Central America; why not leverage tourism assets, build medical infrastructure and invest in medical tourism in the region. Sounds simple. And, like most simple answers to complex problems, they’re usually wrong. There might well be new jobs to be had through medical tourism, but the untapped economic opportunities for this region are in translational medicine and research.

What opportunities?

Translational medicine?

More on this next week.

Speakers at the 2018 HEALinc Future Summit addressing complex issues of paying for health include Bernie Knobbe (VP benefits, AECOM), Alan Spiro (Blue Intelligence), David Contorno (founder of Lake Norman Benefits), Bill Fields, (chairman, Fields Texas Limited LLC, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Division and executive vice president of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc), Morgan Pile

(FutureHealth Alliance), Cathy Cather (Parallel Profile), Dr Steve Gerst (co-founder and principal of Asclepius Life Sciences Fund, LLC) and more. We’ll be discussing new economic opportunities and jobs opening up in the region entrepreneurs, healthcare cost management strategies for employers and ways employees can avoid depending on cook-outs to pay for healthcare.

Don’t miss out. Register for the summit online at www.healincfuturehealthsummit.com. For more information, contact the Summit organising team: USA/Canada (877) 4265361; Bahamas (855) 826-1165; Worldwide (716) 442-3798.

• Dr Desirée Cox, MD, PhD (www.desireecox. com) is the founder and CEO of the 2018 Inaugural HEALinc Future Health Innovation Summit (www. healincfuturehealthsummit.com). She is the first Bahamian Rhodes Scholar and first female British Caribbean Rhodes Scholar, a medical doctor, creative artist and published author.

She has earned degrees from McGill, Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Her career achievements include honors by Oxford University and the British Medical Journal. In 2013, a 70 cent stamp bearing her photograph was issued by The Bahamas Government.

TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE IN THE WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS can be prevented by keeping workplace safety in mind on the job. No matter what industry you work in, adopting some simple procedures can prevent accidents.

Tips for avoiding slips and falls Falls are the leading cause of injury in the workplace. Keep these tips in mind to avoid an injury: 1. As you walk, keep an eye on the floor in front of you for spills.

2. If you see a spill, never

Police advice

By SERGEANT 3150 NATHALIE RANGER

just walk by it. Always clean it up or call someone to clean it up.

3. Wear non-skid shoes when you work in kitchens, outdoors, or any

other place where you will commonly be walking on slippery surfaces.

4. Never climb on shelving units or storage units to get things. Use only

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for two (2) RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS to be awarded as follows: (a) The Jamaica Rhodes Scholarship available to candidates from Jamaica only; and (b) The Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarship, available to all Caribbean candidates, including Jamaicans (at the Committee’s discretion).

Candidates must have undertaken academic training sufficiently advanced to assure the completion of a Bachelor’s degree by 1st October, 2019. Married candidates can now apply.

The criteria for selection by the Committees are as follows:Proven Intellectual and Academic Achievement of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but they will also be required to show integrity of character, sympathy for and protection of the weak, the ability to lead and the energy to use their talent to the full.

The closing date for Jamaican and Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarships 2019 application is SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 by which date all completed entry forms must be received by the Secretary. (Candidates who do not meet the eligibility criteria for any constituency may be able to apply for inter-jurisdictional consideration or for one of the new Global Rhodes Scholarships).

The Memorandum which contains Details of the Scholarships as well as the Application Form may be obtained from:THE SECRETARY RHODES SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION COMMITTEE 21 East Street Kingston, Jamaica Contact: 876-922-5960 or www. rhodeshouse. ox.ac.uk

approved ladders.

5. Never lean on railings, even if they look solid.

They could be improperly secured, and you could fall.

6. Always use safety harnesses when working at heights.

Tips for lifting properly You may work with patients who need help getting around or at a factory where you’re lifting boxes on a continual basis.

No matter who or what you may be lifting, there are some key points to consider: 1. If you are approaching a box and don’t know what’s in it, try moving it a little with your foot first to see how easily it moves.

This will help you gauge how heavy the box is.

2. Always wear non-skid shoes when you are lifting often or lifting potentially heavy objects.

3. Never bend at the waist and lift the box up with your back. Keep your upper body straight and parallel with your lower legs. Grab the item and push up with your legs, not with your back.

4. Never jerk your body around when lifting. You may feel fine after doing this once, but repeated occurrences can easily lead to injury in even the healthiest workers.

Fire safety tips Some jobs carry an increased risk of fire, but understanding fire safety is important for any occupation.

Have a fire plan in place for your worksite and make sure your employees understand it fully. Having a fire drill every now and then is a good way for employees to keep escape routes, meeting spots and procedures in mind. Remember: 1. Avoid the use of socalled “power strips” whenever possible. They are often prone to overuse and can start a fire if too many appliances are plugged into them.

2. Keep cleaning chemicals and other work chemicals in a well-ventilated room. Many chemicals emit vapour which is highly flammable and can be set off with something as small as a spark from a faulty wire.

3. Know where all the fire extinguishers are throughout your worksite and know how to use them.

4. Remember that grease fires cannot be fought by dousing them with water.

Oil is hydrophobic and also is the fuel source in grease fires. Water will simply splash the oil around and spread the fire even further.

5. Smoke alarms: a necessity, not an option.

6. Invest smoke detectors for every room or office.

7. Test your smoke detectors (and sprinkling system) once a month.

8. Replace the batteries at least once a year.

9. Never disable a smoke alarm.

Consider smoke alarms for the disabled Audible alarms (pauses between the siren wail allow for auditory communication) are available for the visually impaired; visual alarms (with a flashing light or vibrating pad) are available for the hearing impaired.

Planning for a safe workplace Falls, lifting injuries and fires are dangerous and common in the workplace, but that’s just the beginning. There are many possible safety issues that can occur at your office or factory. Sometimes the best workplace safety arises out of simple good planning and smart thinking.

Every single workplace should have a safety committee and safety plan in place. If you don’t have safety committees at your workplace, then propose one. If you work at home, you are the safety committee. Working at home or for a very small business isn’t a reason to get out of safety planning.

If you don’t have a safety plan in place yet, follow these steps when you recognise a workplace safety issue: 1. Make sure that everyone else in your workplace is aware of the problem.

2. Notify your supervisor.

3. File any reports or documents about the problem.

4. Follow up. Telling someone there’s a problem is not a guarantee the problem will be resolved

satisfactorily. Report it and later follow up to make sure the problem was addressed.

Crime prevention during business hours 1. Dial 911 immediately if you notice suspicious strangers loitering in or near your place of business. Take particular notice of people who loiter during the opening and closing times of your business.

2. Employees in charge of making bank deposits should always be alert for strangers lingering at the bank. If in doubt, do not make the deposit while a suspicious person is in the area.

3. Never block the view into your store by filling windows with multiple displays. Robbers don’t want to be seen, and they are less likely to attack your business if a passer-by can see what’s going on inside.

4. Minimise the amount of cash you keep on the premises.

5. Make frequent pickups of money from registers and make regular bank deposits.

6. Try not to work alone.

Studies have indicated the presence of more employees may reduce the incidence of an armed robbery.

7. Install quality locks on doors and windows.

Also invest in a monitored alarm system. Alarms are the best defence against property crime and knowing you have a system could be enough to deter criminals.

8. Always use interior and exterior lighting. Lighting may prevent an intruder from concealing his illegal activities. Installing and using motion sensor lighting is an inexpensive way to deter crime at your business.

In the end, workplace safety is the responsibility of everyone at your job.

Everyone has a part to play in keeping the workplace safe and free from unnecessary dangers and risks.

By keeping these tips in mind and sharing them with others, you will be doing your part in keeping injuries, possibly deaths and robbery from happening on the job.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, August 27, 2018, PAGE 11

from page one

money into the property after it settled its insurance claim from Hurricane Matthew.

“At least we’re prepared to take a robust approach,” Mr Scott said. “It may be that we have to apply some leverage towards Hutchinson because when they entered in the 1997 heads of agreement, they made an undertaking to keep the hotel property to the standard of a premier resort.

“They have not done a very good job of it, when they settled the insurance claim on Matthew they basically absconded with all the insurance.”

He continued: “The Christie government gave them a free ride so I’m not interested in what the opposition has to say. Why did they rubber stamp the request to renew for another 20 years the concession on freedom from taxation on 80,000 acres in Grand Bahama Development Co? On top of that, favourable rates on the container port.

“We gave away all the leverage and we’re being treated by them as a kind of vassal state. I think we have to take a far more robust attitude towards Hutchinson. (The Progressive Liberal Party) has the luxury of criticising, but when they were in the driver’s seat they allowed Hutchinson Whampoa to get away with murder.

“The utmost economic centre of Freeport would have collapsed,” he added, “nothing was not an option.”

We’re ready to take hit on sale price accepting an offer less than the $65m price tag the government will pay to owner Hutchison Whampoa will depend on a wide-range of factors.

“Everything depends on what the package is like,” he said. “We’re prepared to be flexible, it depends on what offers come in, depends on a whole range of factors.

“Whatever package comes in that we consider suitable with the right vision. In principle, we’re prepared to take a haircut but it depends on the circumstances of any given case and the parameters of the deal.”

“The underlying premise is government is not going to be in the hotel business, that is the philosophical bottom line for us.”

The government has made a down payment of $10m for the purchase of the property and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced last week the sale will be finalised within 30 days.

Mr Scott said a formal invitation for bids could be released as early as September 10 but details were still being “fleshed out” and date has not been finalised.

He said the current timeline provides for the government to invite subscriptions for a 30-day period and close bids by October 15.

Mr Scott acknowledged the tight timeline may need to be adjusted but

THE GRAND Lucayan Resort. maintained the government “had to start somewhere”.

“I’m having the first board meeting tomorrow,” Mr Scott said.

“If we find that we have to relax that, we will. I’m trying to get a handle on the state of the hotel. I only did my first tour on Wednesday so trying to get handle on operations, trying to get a damage assessment report. I’m meeting with the general manager, head engineer, rooms…we’re just sort of catapulting ourself into action from about 8.30am (Monday).”

According to Mr Scott, board members represented a team of professional industry experts: attorneys

Terence Gape and Carey Leonard; forensic accountant Ed Rahming; Atlantis executive Russell Miller; Linda Turnquest, from the Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited; and Willie Moss, from the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

“We want to move with all deliberate speed to try and get activity going,” Mr Scott said, “we’re not going to sell or promote the sale to speculators. We want people in there with a vision, we’re looking to sell a project to think out of a box, to think laterally, because we have to engage Port Lucaya and the marketplace aspect of this. We have to look at the whole

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff Freeport micro-economy move to acquire the propholistically.” erty, which has two of its According to Mr Scott, three hotels shuttered, the board will focus on when it could not provide maintaining operations at any details on the economic the 196-room Lighthouse impact the purchase will Pointe with a view to repair have on Grand Bahama. and re-open other parts Mr Davis claimed there of the resort after further would be no immediate assessment. benefit or economic impact The government has for at least two years. faced considerable scruYesterday Mr Scott tiny over its decision to stressed inaction was not an purchase the hotel, with option for this administracritics taking issue with a tion, adding the challenge lack of economic impact required a fresh look as assessments or long-term past approaches have not strategy. worked.

Opposition Leader Philip He believes the governDavis stressed the purchase ment should take a more was a “waste of money” on robust attitude with HutchThursday, and questioned inson Whampoa, who he how the government could claims did not invest any

MOVEMENT AIMS TO HELP FAMILIES

By JEFFREY BUTLER

MEMBERS of The Movement in action.

TWO RESCUED FROM DISABLED VESSEL THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force rescued two boaters last Thursday after their vessel broke down.

Jerome Burrows, 37, and Sasha McPhee, 37, left Riverwatch Marina in Stuart, Florida around 9.30am on Wednesday heading for Abaco. A relative called the US Coast Guard when he became aware they were overdue at their destination.

The Coast Guard, along with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, found Burrows and McPhee 22 miles offshore of Freeport, Bahamas, around 8pm on Thursday. The pair were waving their hands and shooting flares when officials found them.

The two men were found in a disabled 29ft cabin cruiser anchored off Mangrove Cay, Grand Bahama.

“After they did not arrive at their destination within the expected time,” the statement read, “concerned relatives informed the relevant authorities. A search was immediately conducted by members of the defence force, BASRA and a US Coast Guard aircraft.”

The statement continued: “Patrol craft P-129 coxswained by Petty Officer Acadia Smith discovered the disabled vessel at 11.45pm on Thursday, anchored five nautical miles off Mangrove Cay, Grand Bahama.

“The men in the vessel were a little dehydrated but were in fair health and subsequently brought into the Defence Force‘s Northern Command facility; their vessel had experienced mechanical problems.”

An RBDF statement said: “The Royal Bahamas Defence Force is committed to maintaining a strong presence within our maritime domain to safeguard the people of the Bahamas.”

Earlier this month, Royal Bahamas Defence Force marines attached to the RBDF’s Harbour Patrol Unit rescued a man and child in New Providence.

The two were rescued from waters near Potter’s Cay after they lost control of a Jet Ski, and it overturned.

Marines in the area immediately jumped into the water and pulled both individuals to safety.

DURING August and September, civic and charity organisations are in full swing with back to school drives, all looking to assist families in need.

One organisation though - The Movement - has been making its presence felt throughout the entire year bringing hope to the hearts and homes of many inner city families and at the same trying to motivate youngsters to strive for a

better life.

The Movement tries to lead by example drawing on the experiences of men and women who are from the same Over-the-Hill communities but who have managed to have successful careers and businesses despite the obstacles which faced them.

Many of the Movement’s members still reside in the communities they grew up in and their hope is to demonstrate to youngsters that despite being born in the

ghetto an having to survive on the bare minimum there are people like them who still care and are willing to donate their time, resources and finances to help their neighbours.

To date, The Movement has donated hundreds of individual grocery bags throughout the inner city communities such as Bain and Grants town, Englerston and Centerville. Walking through these areas The Movement’s members speak to young

teenagers delivering the message of the importance of having a dream and a vision and never to allow anyone to define them.

Most recently the charity helped deliver food parcels - along with sponsors Asa H Pritchard - to athletes who will be taking part in the World Judo Games being held here in The Bahamas.

The Movement’s work quietly goes on - giving a little bit back to build a better generation for tomorrow.

PAGE 12, Monday, August 27, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Dames ‘excited’ about new GB fire station

By ANDREW COAKLEY AFTER a long wait, firefighters in Grand Bahama will soon be moving into their new home – a stateof-the-art fire station that can also house law enforcement officers. According to Minister of National Security Marvin Dames, the firefighters could move into their new facility by mid-September.

Mr Dames, while on Grand Bahama on Wednesday, took a tour of the new facility as local officers prepared to have their personal assets transferred to the new building. While this was not the minister’s first time looking at the facility, it was the first time he was seeing the fire station with all of its equipment in place.

“We’re very pleased with what we’ve seen,” said Mr Dames, following a

MINISTER of National Security Marvin Dames inspects a pole at a new fire station in Grand Bahama.

Photos: Andrew Coakley/BIS walkthrough of the facility, along with Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson.

“We’re on target to open this facility in about two to three weeks and the prime minister is set to perform

the official opening. We are very excited with the fact that we have gotten to this point. It has been a long time, waiting.”

Although completed a year ago, the fire station was left sitting unoccupied, as officials awaited furniture for the building. There had been a breakdown in communication on the ordering of the furniture. However, Mr Dames pointed out that the long wait to open the fire station had nothing to do with his government.

He noted that the building will be dual purpose, accommodating police and firefighters.

“We feel that this station is big enough to accommodate both entities, which will help to better serve this community, and by extension, the island of Grand Bahama,” said Mr Dames.

“Firefighters in Grand

Bahama are very excited about the opening of this building. I can recall as the officer in charge of the island of Grand Bahama back in 2011 that we had started the initial planning around this building; and to be standing here outside the finished product, it lets me know that we have come a long way.

“Fire officers on the island, since their initial fire station was destroyed, had been living and working in sub-standard conditions.

As I said, it was while under the Hubert Ingraham administration, the planning of this new station had begun. Our goal was to do what we could to improve the living and working conditions of the fire officers and police officers on Grand Bahama.”

Mr Dames noted that presently there are some

30 officers who are in training to become firefighters, comprising young men and women from around the country. He said that Grand Bahama has been made the epicentre for the training of fire officers.

He thanked Mr Thompson and his staff at the Office of the Prime Minister in Grand Bahama, along with law enforcement officials, who worked tirelessly to ensure that the new station was completed, properly furnished and ready for occupation.

“The minister of state for Grand Bahama, the deputy prime minister and the other members of Parliament for the island of Grand Bahama have all been pushing, checking and ensuring that we are all on schedule,” added Mr Dames.

“Because of them we are

where we’re at with this new station and we are all excited to open this building so that it can properly service the residents of Grand Bahama.”

Mr Thompson said that the opening of the new fire station is really a victory for the people of Grand Bahama, in light of the fact that they have waited so long to have a fully equipped, state-of-the-art facility on the island.

“It’s also a victory for those officers who have endured for a very long time having to live and work in sub-standard conditions,” said Mr Thompson.

“The good thing is that in spite of those conditions our firefighters have been working and performing their jobs without complaint. They should be congratulated because they have performed.”

‘Punish hit and run drivers more’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ACTIVIST Troy Garvey has launched an online petition calling for an amendment to the Road Traffic Act following the death of his son in a traffic accident last month in Grand Bahama.

Mr Garvey is seeking the inclusion of the words “vehicular homicide” and “vehicular manslaughter” in the Road Traffic Act.

The petition on Change. org titled, “Justice for Trey Garvey,” received more than 1,600 signatures up to press time.

“Our laws only have killing in the course of dangerous driving. If somebody leaves the scene of an accident, it ought to be considered a deliberate act and maximum appropriate penalty applied,” Mr Garvey said in the petition.

Mr Garvey’s son, Trey Chakeem Garvey, 19, was killed on July 15, in an

accident on West Sunrise Highway, in Freeport.

“We, the Garvey family and friends, and by extension, families of victims of this same nature, are seeking your support in making this law, which will be named, Trey Garvey’s law,” he said.

A 29-year-old man has been charged with killing in the course of dangerous driving in connection with the death of Trey Garvey.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

TREY GARVEY

PEDESTRIAN KILLED IN ACCIDENT

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

A PEDESTRIAN was struck and killed in Eleuthera early Friday morning.

Chief Superintendent Craig Stubbs said a man was hit by a Japanese model vehicle on Queen’s Highway in the vicinity of Rock Sound, Eleuthera.

The incident took place shortly before 6am, according to CSP Stubbs, who said the driver remained at the scene.

The victim was confirmed

dead at the scene with his death following a spate of traffic fatalities in recent weeks.

Between August 6 and 7, two pedestrians were killed in separate traffic accidents in New Providence, one of which was a hit-and-run.

Between July 27 and July 30, there were five trafficrelated deaths.

On July 30, CSP Stubbs told The Tribune that up to that time, there had been 50 traffic fatalities for the year.

At the time, CSP Stubbs called this a “definite” increase as it is “basically

the total” for all of last year.

According to Royal Bahamas Police Force’s crime statistics, 54 people died as a result of traffic accidents in 2017 and 44 died in 2016.

During a press conference held on July 31, Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson said the RBPF is concerned by the number of fatalities that have occurred in recent weeks.

Revealing that 38 fatalities took place from January to June, Commissioner Ferguson admitted the force is “still challenged with road offences”.

THE TRIBUNE

Major issues at two GB schools

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SERIOUS structural issues were found at two schools on Grand Bahama, according to Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson.

A technical team inspected all schools on Grand Bahama, Sweeting’s Cay and Bimini, but found serious issues at the Martin Town Primary in Eight Mile Rock, and at the Walter Parker Primary School in Freeport.

Although significant work is required, those two schools will also open as scheduled on September 3 to receive students, teachers and parents.

Mr Thompson said work areas would be properly secured and that construction would not be conducted during school hours.

“The government is pleased with the status of the school repair programme in Grand Bahama.

We have been advised by a technical team that all of the schools have gone through the repair programme and are going to be ready for school opening in September,” he said.

“We also want to advise the public about two schools where there is going to be some additional work required. These schools are the Martin Town and Walter Parker Primary Schools,” he said.

During the repair process, contractors discovered “some serious structural issues” due to years of wear and tear at the schools.

Mr Thompson said: “They also advised that these very serious issues must be addressed immediately, and contractors are beginning work to secure the areas where these structural issues have taken place. They are ensuring that the students, teachers, administrators, and parents will be safe in these areas,” he said.

The work will take about one month to complete at the schools. In the meantime, Mr Thompson stressed officials want to ensure that teachers and students are able to work in a safe environment.

“We want parents, students, and teachers to be aware there is going to be some continual work done at the schools. We also want to inform them that work is not going to be done during school hours,” he said.

YOUR

“Work will be performed after school and on the weekends to ensure no disruption in the learning process of students,” Mr Thompson said. “We want to inform the public about this and that there will be no disruption in the opening, and for the month that work is being done.”

Derek King, of the Grand Bahama engineering, procurement and construction team, reported that all schools were inspected.

“Myself, with Burton Miller and Wendal Grant set foot in every school and in every classroom on Grand Bahama, Sweeting’s Cay, and Bimini. And out of all schools we inspected during the repair process, we found extreme structural problems at WPP and MTP Schools,” he said.

Mr King said construction work would start at 3pm after students and teachers have left, and continue into the evening hours and on the weekends.

“We ask the principals to make sure that security officers are posted because we have curious kids and we don’t want them to traverse the area even though there is no construction going on,” he said.

Edna Gomez, WPP principal, and Leslie Newton, principal of Martin Town Primary, said they are pleased that the safety measures will be in place to ensure students and teachers’ safety, and that class hours will not be disrupted.

Yvonne Ward, school superintendent for the eastern district, reported issues at Freeport Primary had been addressed.

She noted that all schools would open on September 3.

Ivan Butler, superintendent of the western district, is confident that bathroom issues at Martin Town Primary will be addressed in time for the school’s opening.

“We had a few concerns at the Eight Mile Rock High School, but they have now been addressed, and we are hoping that the new school comes on stream early in the next year,” he said.

He is also confident that schools in Bimini will be ready.

Sandra Major, district steward for the Bahamas Union of Teachers, said the union is satisfied that proper safety measures will be put in place at both schools to ensure safety of students and teachers.

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

Monday, August 27, 2018, PAGE 13

A GLIMPSE OF WORKING LIFE AT PORT AUTHORITY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SOME 40 high school and university students on Grand Bahama gained valuable real work experience during the summer student employment programme at the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

The 12-week programme was held from May to August. The

purpose of the programme was to empower participants and provide them with the opportunity to gain special skills to succeed in the professional business environment.

With three, four-week sessions, the GBPA was able to employ a greater number of participants.

The programme has been held for the past 40 years, and the company’s intent is to create

a structured environment where young people are able to learn valuable information from top business professionals, enhancing their core work ethics.

Ian Rolle, GBPA president, believes the programme has been extremely beneficial for many young people in Grand Bahama.

“We were pleased to welcome such bright young minds into our family, if only temporarily,” he said.

“We were excited to impart to them special tips and wisdom that we ourselves have gained over the years, that they will undoubtedly apply in their future professional endeavours.”

Dr Telina Smith, GBPA human resources manager, said the programme is an excellent tool to help GBPA build its own resource pool, and allows both students and employees to learn from each other.

PAGE 14, Monday, August 27, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

POPE SORRY FOR CRIMES AGAINST IRISH WOMEN POPE Francis issued a sweeping apology yesterday for the “crimes” of the Catholic Church in Ireland, saying church officials regularly didn’t respond with compassion to the many abuses children and women suffered over the years and vowing to work for justice.

Francis was interrupted by applause as he read the apology out loud at the start of Mass in Dublin.

Francis told the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out for Mass that he met on Saturday with victims of all sorts of abuses: sexual, labor and religious ones. They included people who were wrenched from their unwed biological mothers as children and forcibly put up for adoption.

He assured aging mothers it wasn’t a sin to look for the children taken from them so long ago. For decades, church officials told the women just the opposite.

NEIL SIMON DIES, AGED 91 PLAYWRIGHT Neil Simon, a master of comedy whose laugh-filled hits such as The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park and his Brighton Beach trilogy dominated Broadway for decades, has died. He was 91.

Simon died early yeserday of complications from pneumonia at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, said Bill Evans, a longtime friend.

In the second half of the 20th century, Simon was the American theatre’s most successful and prolific playwright, often chronicling middle class issues and fears.

Matthew Broderick, who in 1983 made his Broadway debut in Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs and his movie debut in Simon’s Max Dugan Returns, said: “I owe him a career.”

Simon was the recipient of four Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center honors (1995), four Writers Guild of America Awards and an American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement honour.

THE COAST Guard patrols the St Johns River outside The Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida, yesterday after a mass shooting at the riverfront mall that was hosting a video game tournament.

Photo: Laura Heald/AP

Gunman kills two, then shoots himself at gaming tournament JACKSONVILLE, Florida Associated Press

A GUNMAN opened fire yesterday at an online video game tournament that was being livestreamed from a Florida mall, killing two people and then fatally shooting himself in an attack that sent several others to hospitals, authorities said.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said authorities believe 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore carried out the attack using at least one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and

shops along the St Johns River. He said the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot and that authorities were still making final confirmation of his identity with the FBI assisting them in Baltimore.

Nine other people were wounded by gunfire and all were in stable condition Sunday evening, Williams said. He added that two others were injured in the chaos as people sought to flee the gunfire.

Katz was in Jacksonville for the “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament.

The games maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz

as a 2017 championship winner.

The competition was held in a gaming bar that shares space with a pizzeria. Viewers could watch the games online and see the players.

Investigators were looking into online video that appeared to capture the scene right before the shooting began, Williams said. A red dot that appears to be a laser pointer is visible on the chest of a player seconds before the first of a dozen gunshots rings out.

Marquis Williams, 28, and his girlfriend, Taylor Poindexter, 26, both from Chicago, were ordering

pizza at the bar when they heard the gunfire. Williams said people trampled each other in the panic while trying to get away.

“Initially we thought it was a balloon popping, but there weren’t any balloons in the room. Then we heard repeat shots and we took off running,” said Williams, who participated in the tournament earlier.

Jason Lake, the founder and CEO of compLexity, a company that owns professional e-sports teams, said on Twitter that one of his players, 19-year-old Drini Gjoka, was shot in the thumb.

Gjoka tweeted: “The tourney just got shot up. Im leavinng and never coming back.” Then: “I am literally so lucky. The bullet hit my thumb. Worst day of my life.”

The sheriff’s office used Twitter and Facebook immediately after the shooting to warn people to stay far away and to ask anyone who was hiding to call 911. Police also barricaded a three-block radius around the mall. Officers and Coast Guard boats patrolled the nearby river.

Many ambulances could be seen in the area, but the mall area appeared empty.

WAR HERO McCAIN DIES OF CANCER WASHINGTON Associated Press

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, R-Ariz.

SENATOR John McCain, who faced down his captors in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp with jut-jawed defiance and later turned his rebellious streak into a 35-year political career that took him to the Republican presidential nomination, died on Saturday after battling brain cancer for more than a year.

He was 81.

McCain was a fearless and outspoken voice on policy and politics to the end, unswerving in his defence of democratic values and unflinching in his criticism of his fellow Republican, President Donald Trump.

He was elected to the Senate six times.

After losing to Barack Obama in an electoral landslide, McCain returned to the Senate determined not to be defined by a failed presidential campaign in

which his reputation as a maverick had faded.

Asked how he wanted to be remembered, McCain said simply: “That I made a major contribution to the defence of the nation.”

Taking a look back in his memoir, McCain wrote of the world: “I hate to leave it. But I don’t have a complaint. Not one. It’s been quite a ride.”

Eulogies at his funeral will be made by Barack Obama and George W Bush.

MADURO’S STEPSONS FACE SCRUTINY IN $1.2BN OIL CASE BOGOTA, Colombia Associated Press AS President Nicolas Maduro has pushed forward with his plan to rescue Venezuela’s cratering economy, US prosecutors are looking into whether members of his family were simultaneously benefiting from what they contend was a scheme to siphon off $1.2 billion from the stateowned oil company.

The investigation, which gained momentum this week with a key guilty plea in Miami federal court, is part of a vast, multi-year effort by US prosecutors to close the net on Maduro.

In court documents filed on Wednesday, Swiss banker Matthias Krull admitted that he plotted with men identified only as “Los Chamos” — Venezuelan slang for “the kids” — to launder a $200m slice of stolen funds from the oil company PDVSA. Los Chamos actually are Yoswal, Yosser and Walter Flores, the children of First Lady Cilia Flores from a previous relationship and thus Maduro’s stepsons.

In a criminal complaint unsealed last month and as part of a factual statement filed with Krull’s plea agreement, he and prosecutors refer to them as the “stepsons” of “Venezuelan Official 2”, who the two Americans said is Maduro.

Maduro, his wife and her sons were not named in the complaint. But both sources said prosecutors are looking for any links between the first couple and what they believe is a network that funneled hundreds of millions of Venezuela’s oil wealth into south Florida luxury real estate, at a time

of widespread shortages and hyperinflation in the South American nation.

Several of those assets already are being targeted for seizure, as well as about $45m at City National Bank of New Jersey and accounts in The Bahamas, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

A Homeland Security investigator said in last month’s criminal affidavit that the conspirators ginned up a currency-exchange scheme using fake loan agreements with the oil giant designed to embezzle about $1.2bn at a time of collapsing production levels.

At the centre of the scheme, prosecutors contend, was Krull, a German national with roots in Venezuela. He was arrested in July at Miami’s airport on a criminal complaint naming him and seven other defendants, as well as nine unnamed conspirators, some of them former PDVSA officials. Krull later agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and was charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit money-laundering, for which he faces up to ten years in prison.

According to court records, prosecutors arrested Krull based on information from a confidential source who reached out in 2014 offering to surrender his take from the money-laundering scheme.

Over the next two years, the unnamed individual secretly recorded some 100 conversations with several conspirators, including Krull, who until June worked in Panama for Zurich-based private bank Julius Baer and was due to start working for a bank in The Bahamas before the end of this year.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, August 27, 2018, PAGE 15

Me, extinct? I don’t think so

IMAGES from video recordings by the University of East Anglia as they spotted the Bahama Nuthatch. from page one They made their way through dense forest, toiling through a thick layer of vegetation growing beneath the main forest canopy - in what is thought to be one of the most exhaustive searches of the island.

They worked in partnership with Nigel Collar and David Wege from Birdlife International and the Bahamas National Trust.

Meanwhile, a second team of Bahamian students, led by Zeko McKenzie of the University of The Bahamas and supported by the American Bird Conservancy, also searched for the bird.

The Bahama Nuthatch has a long bill, a distinctive high-pitched squeaky call and nests only in mature pine trees. There had been a sharp decline in its population crashing from an estimated 1,800 in 2004 to just 23 being seen in a survey in 2007. The decline likely began in the 1950s due to habitat loss due to timber removal and more recently due to hurricane damage, storm surges having killed large areas of native forest.

After weeks of searching both teams made Nuthatch sightings in May and the UEA team were lucky enough to capture the elusive bird on film.

Dr Diana Bell, from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, said: “The Bahama Nuthatch is a critically endangered species, threatened by habitat destruction and degradation, invasive species, tourist developments, fires and hurricane damage.

“Our researchers looked for the bird across 464 survey points in 34,000 hectares of pine forest. It must have been like looking for a needle in a hay stack. They played out a recording of the bird’s distinctive call in order to attract it.

“As well as searching for the elusive bird, they also collected environmental data to better understand its habitat preferences and surveyed the extent of hurricane and fire damage,” she added.”

Matthew Gardner said: “We were the first to undertake such an exhaustive search through 700km of forest on foot.

“We had been scouring the forest for about six weeks and had almost lost hope. At that point we’d walked about 400km.

Then, I suddenly heard its distinctive call and saw the unmistakable shape

of a Nuthatch descending towards me. I shouted with joy, I was ecstatic!”

The UEA team made six Nuthatch sightings in total while McKenzie’s team independently made five sightings in the same small area of forest including a sighting of what they believe to be two birds together.

Mr Gardner said: “During three months of intensive searching we made six Bahama Nuthatch sightings. Our search was extremely thorough but we never saw two birds together, so we had thought there might only be one left in existence.”

“The other team have reported seeing two together so that is promising. However, these findings place the species on the verge of extinction and certainly amongst the world’s most critically endangered birds.”

“We also don’t know the sex of the birds. In many cases when birds dwindle to such small numbers, any remaining birds are usually male.”

“The photographs clearly show this distinctive species and cannot be anything else” said Michael Parr, President of American Bird Conservancy and a UEA alumnus.

“Fortunately this is not a hard bird to identify, but it was certainly a hard bird to find,” he added.

The Nuthatch was spotted in Lucaya Estates.

During the research project, birds were seen and heard in three distinct but nearby locations within this area.

Researcher Zeko McKenzie said: “Although the Bahama Nuthatch has declined precipitously, we are encouraged by the engagement of conservation scientists who are now looking for ways to save and recover the species.”

The UEA team however are less optimistic as the exact drivers of the precipitous decline of the bird are still unclear.

Dr Diana Bell said: “Sadly, we think that the chances of bringing this bird back from the brink of extinction are very slim - due to the very low numbers left, and because we are not sure of the precise drivers for its decline.

“But it is still absolutely crucial that conservation efforts in the native Caribbean pine forest do not lapse as it is such an important habitat for other endemic birds including the Bahama Swallow, Bahama Warbler and Bahama

Yellowthroat.

“The habitat is also incredibly important for North American migrants including the Kirtlands Warbler,” she added.

Ellsworth Weir, Grand Bahama Parks Manager at the Bahamas National Trust, said: “It has been a pleasure for The Bahamas National Trust to host both Matthew and David as they conducted this very important research on Grand Bahama.”

“Their work has taken them across the length and breadth of the island in what was likely the most in depth search to be conducted. Their research, which was inclusive of bird and habitat surveys, has helped to answer questions that some residents have been asking for some time.”

“Sadly, we realize now that we are faced with a very dire situation regarding the Bahama Nuthatch.

We wouldn’t have realized the extent of the issue without the persistent efforts of David and Matthew.”

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