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A FINAL FAREWELL By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net FAMILY, friends and prominent political figures yesterday paid their final respects to former Governor General and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Dion Hanna, a man who was described as a fierce patriot, brilliant scholar and “true national hero”. SEE PAGE TWO GLENYS Hanna Martin MP places flowers during yesterday’s ceremony to say farewell to her father, Arthur Dion Hanna, former Governor General and Deputy Prime Minister. Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS
BRAVE’S PACT WITH UNIONS PROGRESS IN TALKS FOR WASN’T WHAT IT APPEARED RESOLVING BPL’S ISSUES
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
NINE affiliates of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas yesterday
denounced their president, Bernard Evans, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Progressive Liberal Party. The unions said they were not involved with the
signing of the MoU, had never seen the document and were not aware of the contents of the pact with the PLP.
SEE PAGE THREE
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net ONE week after line staff at Bahamas Power and Light walked off the
job, the union representing the workers said it is happy with the progress made on long standing issues. Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson told
The Tribune yesterday he was “truly pleased”, noting intervention from government officials that assisted in getting the ball rolling. SEE PAGE FIVE
PEOPLE WAKING UP TO COVID DANGER
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A LOCAL religious leader on Abaco is urging Bahamians to take COVID-19 seriously after claiming to have lost over a dozen friends and other community members to the virus in the last two weeks. Abaco resident Bishop Silbert Mills described the COVID-19 situation on the island as worrisome
BISHOP SILBERT MILLS and said the recent wave of deaths there speaks to the seriousness of the disease. “We had a dozen people die in Abaco in the past two weeks and one died just within the last hour from
Green Turtle Cay,” he said. “And so this is compelling that people are now taking this seriously and they have seen so many people who could’ve been here had it not been for COVID-19.” Bishop Mills said it’s disheartening to see so many Abaconians losing their battles to COVID-19, only after having just survived the crisis of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. SEE PAGE FOUR
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
NAUGHTY: CRAZY COALITIONS AND PRAYERS FOR SAWYER BOY
- SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Friday, August 27, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
A final farewell from page one
Mr Hanna, the ardent progressive who was instrumental in the move to independence and the development of the Bahamianisation policy, died at his home on August 3 at the age of 93. At a state funeral service held at Christ Church Cathedral in accordance with the COVID-19 emergency orders, close relatives, friends and political colleagues paid tribute, reflecting on his life and legacy. Speaking of his memories of Mr Hanna, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he remembered when he fought for equal rights for all Bahamians and helped create better economic opportunities during his time in politics. Dr Minnis said it was his love and dedication to the country and the Bahamian people that especially stood out to him as a young boy. “As a boy, and then as a young man growing up, I well remember A D Hanna,
SCENES from yesterday’s ceremony to say farewell to Arthur Dion Hanna, former Governor General and Deputy Prime Minister. Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS especially his steely belief in the talents and gifts of Bahamians,” Dr Minnis said at yesterday’s service. “As a man who was born on Acklins Island, he instinctively knew that every settlement, cay and island possessed Bahamians with world-class gifts and talents, such as a Steven Gardiner growing
up on Moore’s Island, with a population of less than a thousand, who showed the world the manner of our Bahamian character and bearing. Our beloved former head of state constantly fought for opportunities for all Bahamians in every sector of society. “He knew that though talent was equally
distributed in a society, opportunity was not. As a Cabinet minister, and especially as minister of finance, and as minister of education, he ensured that thousands had access to economic opportunities, jobs, scholarships and social care. This fight for opportunity and equality continues in our generation, inspired by A D Hanna and others,” the prime minister added. Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis praised Mr Hanna as a scholar and statesman who was “the
very personification of patriotism”. Referring to Mr Hanna’s fight for Bahamianisation, he said: “As far as A D was concerned, no foreigner should be given a work permit for any job that a Bahamian was ready and able to do. No exceptions. “It is hard for young Bahamians to imagine it now but ‘back in the day’, as the expression goes, you had Englishmen in Freeport serving as hotel doormen and as waiters and bus drivers too, and there were hundreds of English, American and Canadian secretaries and personal assistants and glorified bank clerks with work permits throughout the country. “AD Hanna, as the Minister of Home Affairs with responsibility for immigration, brought all that to a grinding halt. To the dismay of some of his own colleagues, over the objections of nearly all of his political opponents, and to the horror of his numerous detractors in the media and in the tourism and financial service sectors, he instituted a level of strict immigration enforcement that has never been replicated,” Mr Davis added. Mr Davis said no one was more passionate than Mr Hanna when it came to
reserving jobs strictly for Bahamians. “Make no mistake about it, it was the policy of Bahamianisation, as conceived by the Honourable A D Hanna and administered on his ministerial watch, that was with his earlier pioneering groundwork as Minister of Education, the twin-catalyst for the emergence of a large and authentic black middle class in The Bahamas in the 1970s,” Mr Davis continued. “A D Hanna would go on, in the ensuing decades, to deepen and diversify his contributions to Bahamian nation-building. However, there is no doubt in my mind that future generations will look back and hail his contributions to the attainment of national sovereignty and his policy of Bahamianisation as the major reasons why he deserves to be held aloft, for our collective praise and thanks, as a true national hero,” Mr Davis said. Dr Minnis said when the COVID-19 emergency orders end, he believes the country should host another national tribute in celebration of Mr Hanna’s life and extraordinary contributions to Bahamian society. Over the course of his political career, Mr Hanna served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1967 to 1984 and held a variety of ministerial portfolios during his time in office, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance with responsibility for public service, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Home Affairs with responsibility for immigration. He was also Governor General from 2006 to 2010. Following Mr Hanna’s death earlier this month, Dr Minnis revealed that his face will replace that of Queen Elizabeth II on the $100 bill starting next year.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 27, 2021, PAGE 3
DEBATE ORGANISERS FRUSTRATED BY FNM LACK OF PARTICIPATION By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net
AN official from the National Election Debate Series has come out and accused the Free National Movement of being “in breach of good faith” because of its stance against participating in a national debate. The University of The Bahamas organised a National Election Debate Series which commenced in April of this year. All political parties participated except the FNM. Initially the FNM had agreed to participate, but later reneged citing
the debate was not up to the standards the party required. Christopher Curry, cochair of UB’s debate series, has expressed frustration to The Tribune that he cannot get a response from the FNM on requests made for the party to participate in a national debate between party leaders. “To begin with I would say I was excited to hear that the leader of the opposition, Philip ‘Brave’ Davis had challenged the prime minister to a debate,” Mr Curry said. “I was excited because all along the debate committee has called for this. “In our initial conception of the debate, we
always had plans for the two to debate. We were trying from the start to be inclusive in the process of formatting our debate so we planned to have debates that involved all the parties. We tried our best to work closely and privately with the various parties. Initially we had the FNM supporting the debates and then they pulled out at the very last minute of the first debate. “Then they issued a statement explaining their reasons for pulling out of the debate. They said they had issues with the format and cited a number of examples in our jurisdictional area, including Canada and Jamaica as
to why they would not be debating issues with thresholds for parties that did not meet a certain percentage of polling or did not have representation in the House of Assembly, etcetera.” Mr Curry said the group has changed the format of the debate and wants to make it clear that his organisation has repeatedly reached out to the FNM to inform the party of the change and to extend an invitation. All attempts, he said, were ignored. “We are asking for the FNM to rejoin the debate, understanding that this is an entirely different format and a format that is quite in line with their original objections to the
first guidelines,” he continued. “I was expecting to hear a response, but generally speaking I have never received responses from Carl Culmer, he chooses instead to use media as his way of responding to me. I think that is not operating in good faith. “I’m trying to set the record straight that we have made all kinds of overtures to the current government and I don’t feel that they have operated in good faith because they make these statements in public to media houses, but they don’t answer their emails or even our WhatsApp messages and we had changed our debate format to their liking in my opinion.
“This current format, which basically is just the prime minister versus the opposition leader, is precisely what the country wants. Everyone wants to see Minnis versus Davis. I want you to know that we have continuously reached out to the FNM through the Office of the Prime Minister and through Carl Culmer to get the FNM back on board with our debate.” He said he has been able to have discussions with the PLP who have agreed in general to the new format of the debate: party leaders debating. He said the topics of discussion would be the economy, environment, constitutional reform, health care and COVID-19.
Brave’s pact with unions wasn’t what it appeared from page one Further, they noted that the Central Council did not ratify any document, hence the signing was not on their behalf. Distancing themselves from the MoU yesterday were the Airport, Airline & Allied Workers Union; Bahamas Airline Pilots Association; Bahamas Commercial Stores & Warehouse Union; Bahamas Financial Services Union; Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union; Bahamas Musician & Entertainers Union; Bahamas Public Services Union; Bahamas Union of Teachers and the Union of Public Officers. The discord between the unions was launched into the spotlight yesterday after the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas and Trade Union Congress signed the MOU on Wednesday, committing the PLP to ensuring that long-standing union issues are resolved, and the function of the united unions continues in the best interest of workers should the
party win the next general election. At the signing, key union figures like Obie Ferguson, TUC president, rejoiced in a possible win by the PLP as he suggested that they planned to visit churches urging them to tell their parishioners to vote for the party. However, yesterday, some of the affiliates not only dismissed the signing as “disingenuous”, but they blasted Mr Evans saying he was attempting to use unions under his umbrella as “pawns.” “We bring to the public’s attention that we were not involved in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) that was allegedly signed yesterday (Wednesday),” the affiliates wrote in a press statement issued yesterday. “We have never seen the document, we are not aware of the contents of the MoU and it has not been tabled, discussed or ratified by the NCTUB. In fact, the NCTUB has only held two meetings since January 2020. “The Central Council has
not met and has not ratified any document much less a MoU. Hence, the purported signing is not on behalf of the majority of the affiliates of the NCTUB. “We are disappointed that President Bernard Evans, who openly announced more than two months ago that he was quitting the labour movement without even informing the affiliates and is now making a mockery of the NCTUB. We, the affiliates, have ‘no confidence’ in President Bernard Evans and for several months we have been asking him to resign (vacate the seat). This disingenuous action of a ‘purported signing’ on our behalf is the ‘straw that has broken the camel’s back’.” The statement continued: “This is in contravention of our constitution and we refuse to stand idly by and allow our members to be used as pawns. We would like to reassure the members of our various unions that we are committed to continue to serve you and we are not involved in pushing anyone’s personal agenda.”
MITCHELL: NOT OUR PLACE TO COMMENT IN a statement issued yesterday in response to the union affiliates, Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell said it is not the party’s place to comment on the union’s internal issues. “The Progressive Liberal Party has been approached by the press about a public dissent by some purported affiliate member unions of the National Congress of Trade Unions,” Mr Mitchell’s statement noted. “We have seen the press release. It is not for us to comment on an internal matter of the umbrella union. We executed an
agreement with both umbrella unions as bodies corporate in good faith and we remain committed to the objectives of the memorandum. “We look forward to and anticipate the ratification of the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) in due course.” On Wednesday, PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said the signing was not a “gimmick” for votes and called it “historic”. “The nation ought not to be surprised or Bahamians everywhere ought not to be surprised because anyone who appreciates
the history of this country would recognise that the first government formed after this Majority Rule had at its genesis the labour movement and the leaders of the labour movement at the time. “Today we are here, and we sign a precatory (agreement) with the two umbrella unions signaling the unification of labour as well. “For far too long workers have been subjected to what I call the divide and conquer rule. “You are always stronger together,” Mr Davis said on Wednesday.
PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis with union leaders in this image provided by the PLP. The NCTUB hit back yesterday calling the affiliates who denounced the MoU singing “rogue.” NCTUB Assistant Secretary General Daniel Thompson said in a statement: “The executives of the NCTUB are disappointed that the rogue elements of the congress who seek leadership of the same, are prepared to bring into the public domain matters internal to the organisation. We will not be tempted to behave likewise. “Suffice it to say that the majority of the affiliates of the NCTUB have the confidence in the current leadership which has been ordered by consent by the Supreme Court, to remain in place until matters brought by rogue elements of the congress are fully disposed of. “Additionally, the unsigned document is full of misinformation and half-truths. It also includes unions that are observers of the NCTUB.” Mr Thompson said the MoU was an extract of the Workers’ Agenda developed by the two umbrella trade unions. “Notwithstanding the signing of the documents as approved by the Executive Council of the NCTUB, it is pending the ratification by the Central Council of the NCTUB. “The document was discussed and approved by the executive board in its August 24, 2021 meeting at which a majority of executives were present. The document, the Workers’ Agenda, is the culmination of discussions with NCTUB and CBTUC affiliates over the last several months.” Weighing in on the situation, BUT President Belinda Wilson said she was of the view that Mr Evan’s involvement in the
MoU was for a “personal agenda.” “If he wants to push a personal agenda he will not push his personal agenda on the unions, on our backs, he can push his personal agenda by himself,” Mrs Wilson said. “So, he does not represent the majority of the affiliates with this act that he did yesterday. “Bernard Evans should push his personal agenda and leave the union affiliates out of it.” Darrin Woods, BHCAWU president, said he was not aware that any document would be signed on Wednesday. “They wanted to discuss the issues yesterday at 11 and that was the meeting that we were at yesterday,” Mr Woods said. “I was called and asked how come I wasn’t at the signing and I said I didn’t know anything about it. “See I don’t get caught up in politics for carrying reasons because in my position I represent both sides of the divide. People are FNM, PLP, DNA and all of the like so for me I represent on all fronts and I resolve their issues. My thing is if that was happening all of the affiliates should have gotten copies of that and been able to give their input. To say a final document has been prepared I don’t know about it.” Present at Wednesday’s MoU signing was Bahamas Nurses Union President Amancha Williams and Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson. Both said their support was more about bettering the plight of workers and not endorsing any political party. “I follow underneath the Trade Union Congress,” Ms Wilson said. “This
invitation was sent to every grouping. Not just the PLP. The FNM, PLP, Coalition and the DNA and whomever else. “The TUC and the NCTUB has sent this to everybody. People need to stop being political. Every election as a union president the FNM did the same thing. They came to us three times. First, they came with (then opposition leader Dr Hubert) Minnis by himself. Then it was him and (former opposition leader) Loretta (Butler-Turner) and then it was Minnis and Mr Foulkes and the now Governor General (Sir Cornelius A Smith). “So, at the end of the day I don’t want to be painted in any picture by anybody. We’re fighting for the workers. It is the workers’ agenda. We don’t want any government coming in and shortchanging the worker.” Mr Wilson said what took place was “misunderstood”, adding they were hoping for many changes to take place through the document’s signing. He said: “Both congresses would have come together to create a document by which they would have asked all major parties to sign off on giving guarantees to the labour movement. “One of those issues would be the Industrial Tribunal and giving more teeth and strength to it making it a part of the Supreme Court, etc. The document was sent to all parties and the party that gave a favourable response would have been the Progressive Liberal Party who said we are willing to sign your document, that we are willing to adopt these issues. “To say endorse any political party to me I think it was misconstrued.”
CANDIDATES MAKE THEIR CASES IN GRAND BAHAMA By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Bahama candidates are continuing to canvas in their respective constituencies sharing their plans with constituents who will be heading to the polls next month to vote. The Tribune caught up with two of those candidates this week. FNM candidate for East Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, said he and his campaign team have already covered the entire constituency from Sweeting’s Cay to all
areas in Freeport. “The campaign is going great,” Mr Thompson said. “We have been on the ground for a few months, and we are going out doorto-door in accordance with COVID protocols. We have a very good team that is excited and working well.” Mr Thompson unveiled plans for East Grand Bahama, including construction of a micro-grid to supply electricity, construction of a technology training centre and an employment bank for young people. “It is important to ensure training opportunities, especially in the area of technology, and we plan to
provide a technology training centre for youth in East Grand Bahama. We are also working with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Works to ensure construction at the High Rock School, which is budgeted for in this budget, starts. The micro-grid is also budgeted for construction as well.” He also indicated his commitment to continuing the rebuilding efforts in Sweeting’s Cay and all settlements in the area, and to assisting small businesses to continue to be able to obtain necessary assistance and funding. Newcomer Ginger Moxey, the PLP’s candidate
for Pineridge, said that her campaign is also going well, and that she is making good ground covering the constituency, which has over 10 polling divisions. “We are really moving, and people are excited to hear from me,” she said. Ms Moxey – the only female candidate for the PLP in Grand Bahama – unveiled a 10-point plan that seeks to establish programmes and initiatives to provide relief, empowerment, and educational opportunities, and assist vulnerable women, including a shelter for battered and displaced women, and a mother’s pantry among
other things, in Pineridge. In canvassing the constituency, Ms Moxey indicated that many people are hurting. She said that she is working her way door-todoor through the 13 polling divisions. “They are looking for change and they are looking for things to actually happen because there has been lots of talk over the years and not much action. And so, I am a person that likes to get things done and… make a difference. “I am hearing that they are hurting - people want jobs and opportunities. And some people want to stay in their homes and not be
evicted. And sometimes it is very basic, and people just want something to eat. That is a lot of what I have been hearing. We have been busy trying to work with people and it is enormous. I have constituents who have families that are still in the morgue from Dorian. It is just unbelievable and there are lots of stories as you canvas the areas.” Ms Moxey believes that there needs to be more women in politics. “I do believe more women should be involved in politics because we have so much to offer. I believe hopefully, more women will step forward in the future.”
PAGE 4, Friday, August 27, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
People waking up to COVID danger from page one He said one recent COVID-19 related death that really hit him hard was the loss of his former church member and musician, Tameco McHardy. The 46-year-old — who survived Dorian — lost his short battle with the disease earlier this week after contracting it in the US. Describing his character, Bishop Mills said: “He was one of the finest musicians that you would come across where he knew just
not the contemporary song but he had a love for the old hymns and he could play them without any kind of rehearsal and he knew just how to stick his music in with the service. “He was a very quiet person, and he also wrote music and he could’ve arranged stuff and make it almost sound original when he would arrange his music. He played with a couple of the local bands. He had a love for gospel music.” According to close friends, many people were
touched by his music. The religious leader said McHardy, who was originally from Nassau, moved to Abaco several years ago, but later relocated to America after losing his home to the monster storm. “He only relocated to the United States after Hurricane Dorian because he lost everything here in Abaco, but to survive Dorian and then to lose to COVID-19 is striking and we urge everyone to please take this COVID-19 serious and as serious as you
DANNY DAVIS, of the National Vaccination Consultative Committee, announced the rollout of the Pfizer and the J&J vaccines at the Christ the King Hall on Saturday and Sunday.
can,” Bishop Mills told The Tribune. Simmone Bowe, a close friend of McHardy, said his death has left the family and friends in shock. “It shocked all of us because he’s young and healthy,” she told this newspaper. “He just celebrated his birthday this month and he had so much to give, so much purpose and so much to contribute and it’s like why,” she said, also describing him as a talented musician. “...And when it came to music, he took
that very seriously and he believed in excellence and he gave excellence.” In view of recent COVID deaths, Bishop Mills urged Bahamians to keep their guards up. He also said deaths serve as a wake-up call for all, especially those who were sceptical about the disease at the onset of the pandemic. “I think it’s a wake up call and you’re seeing that at the vaccination sites where people are finally taking this thing seriously. People who were adamant
that they would never take it are now on the line receiving their vaccination and so I think this is a serious wake up call for people in Abaco and indeed around The Bahamas,” he said. Due to the high demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in Abaco, special provisions were made to the daily 8pm to 5am curfew to help ensure that all residents who wish to receive the vaccine will have the opportunity, the Office of the Prime Minister said this week.
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE roll-out of the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will start this weekend in Grand Bahama at the Christ the King Hall, where already 1,000 vaccination appointments have been booked for Saturday and Sunday. Danny Davis, of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Consultative Committee, reported that both vaccines also will be available at the Susan J Wallace Centre starting Monday, representing another 1,200 booked appointments. He noted that three other vaccination sites have also been designated in three settlements, including Eight Mile Rock, Hunters, and West End, starting from Monday and Tuesday of next week. “We are trying to do a mass rollout, and…we are actually going to be in operation administering the vaccines on Saturday and Sunday of this week at the CTKH. We have 1,000 appointments booked already, and we are taking walk-ins.” Mr Davis said vaccinations on Saturday and Sunday will be administered from 9am to 4pm at Christ the King Hall. He stressed that persons with an appointment should
arrive at the allotted time and not several hours before. Mr Davis suggested that people arrive at least 15 minutes before their appointment time. The Central Zion Baptist Church, in Pinedale, Eight Mile Rock, will be open for vaccinations on Monday between 9am to 7pm, and on Tuesday, from 3pm to 7pm. In West End, people can go to the Mary Magdalene Church Hall on Tuesday between 9am and noon. In Hunters, vaccinations will be administered at the YMCA on Tuesday from 3pm - 7pm; and on Wednesday from 9am to noon. Mr Davis said the aim is to make it convenient for everybody to get their shot with times scheduled for morning and afternoon hours. The Pfizer vaccine is a two-dose regimen that has a three-week interval between the first and second doses. The J&J is one dose. The AstraZeneca vaccine is also a two-dose regimen that has a seven-week interval between doses. With the rollout of the two additional vaccines, people will be fully vaccinated in a short period, reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “So, it took us seven weeks to get persons fully vaccinated, and with the
last shot, it was another two weeks, so that is nine weeks. In this instance, now it is three weeks (for Pfizer) to a second shot, and so basically after five weeks you get persons fully vaccinated,” Mr Davis explained. “That helps us all in terms of reducing the spread of this disease. At this point, we have seen hardly anyone who has not been personally touched by COVID-19, whether it is just illness or death of a relative, close friend, or neighbour. It is affecting us, and this is one way to slow the spread of this COVID-19 virus in the country, and the GB rollout is our commitment to getting more shots administered to persons.” He said people can choose which vaccine they would like to get when they book online. “A person who would have had AstraZeneca as the first dose can get Pfizer as the second dose, or the AstraZeneca,” he added. In terms of vaccinations for minors, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one in the country that is approved for children 12 and over. A parent or guardian must consent to the minor getting the shot and accompany the child to the vaccination centre. According to Mr Davis, there are over 100,000 doses of vaccines in the country today, with more coming.
GB ROLLOUT FOR NEW VACCINES THIS WEEKEND
DOCTORS UNION CONCERN OVER HONORARIUM DELAY By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Doctors Union has raised concern at the delay of honorarium payments to junior physicians who worked on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. BDU assistant secretary general Dr Tina Mims voiced anger about the issue, saying many deserving doctors who had volunteered their services during the pandemic have not received the promised honorariums. “We heard of individuals being paid who were not even healthcare staff. We heard of drivers being paid…but when it comes to the physicians again, we were placed on the back burner,” she said yesterday. The physician said there were several agreements made between the BDU and the government concerning the roll-out of honorariums but stressed that officials have not yet lived up to all of their promises. Dr Mims out of hundreds of eligible doctors, said only five physicians have actually received the honorariums to date. “It was agreed after we presented our case and we entered into negotiations
that an honorarium of $5,000 would be paid to those who signed up at the beginning of COVID and it was agreed that those persons would receive the $5,000 to the first group of practitioners who volunteered,” the healthcare worker said yesterday. Her comments came during an appearance on the radio show The Hit Back with Nahaja Black. “It was also agreed that the second group of those participants who later volunteered in October during the second wave that they would receive an honorarium on per grata basis and it was also agreed that as soon as the names and number of individuals was provided that payment will be made. “It was also stated by the junior minister of finance that the government could find the money. This was (stated) on (August) 24, but on Wednesday, August 25, our president received a call from the prime minister advising that only one quarter of the amount will be due and would be paid before the end of the month,” she added. Dr Mims said the situation has angered frontline workers, who now feel disrespected and mistreated. “The issue that our
members has is we feel grossly disrespected and that cannot apply and we cannot allow that to continue to happen because we are professionals and we work and if we don’t work, I don’t know what will happen to our healthcare system so we demand the respect that is due to the physicians who put their lives on the line every day at work,” she stressed. For about eight days earlier this month, some health workers participated in a sick-out in protest of the government’s honorarium exercise. The group said their frustrations stemmed from the fact that many deserving people did not get the gift while others who were not on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight have received the honorarium. Speaking on the matter last week, Health Minister Renward Wells said officials were still involved in discussions with unions to resolve the matter. Asked what’s next for BDU if the government does not issue the payments, Dr Mims replied: “I’m not at liberty to reveal that right now, but we will definitely be having a meeting and we’ll make a decision on what actually happens thereafter.”
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 27, 2021, PAGE 5
PROGRESS IN TALKS FOR RESOLVING BPL’S ISSUES from page one
“There has always been progress,” Mr Wilson said. “I am truly pleased, and I have always given open props to the Deputy Prime Minister (Desmond Bannister) for the way he has handled the issues and the way he has stepped in when there has been impasses between the company and the union.
“He has tried his best along with Permanent Secretary Cora Colebrooke. They have been trying their best. Also, they brought in a special conciliator negotiator Dr Ranford Patterson, and they are trying to work out the issues. Even to this very day they are still trying to work out the issues. To be honest with you we don’t live in a perfect world. You don’t get what you want, you get what you negotiate for,
so these things are tough.” He continued: “Look at the economic conditions of The Bahamas and so both sides recognise it. So, we’re just looking for a reasonable outcome. “In my opinion I think that the issues are being addressed speedily, may be not as speedily as I would wish, but there has been some progress and I openly thank the DPM for stepping in when he did and
trying to bring a resolution even though there are still some stalemates, still some head bucking. “At least up to the point before the (calling of the) election he was trying his best and he did phone me, and he did let me know that he’s sorry it was beyond his control. They did dissolve the House and he said that he left special instructions to some degree for Dr Patterson to try to work with BPL
COVID testing being carried out on Atlantis employees last year.
to still try and look out for the worker issues.” Last week, union leaders came out in heavy support of the BEWU as its members walked off the job for the second time in less than two months in protest of alleged poor treatment by management and an incomplete industrial agreement that expired four years ago. Several unions came out to support the hundreds of workers who were
outside BPL’s Blue Hill Road head office and they made it clear that the country should brace itself for a possible national strike where unionised workers show their strength by withdrawing their service. Asked at the time what he thought of a general election being called at a time like this, Mr Wilson said outstanding matters should have been resolved first.
Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
Workers worried over Atlantis letter on testing By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union President Darrin Woods expressed concern yesterday over a letter sent from Atlantis to its staff reminding them that they will have to pay for COVID-19 tests themselves as of September 1. When COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and the country’s borders opened, the resort told staff a condition of their return to work would be to get weekly tests to make certain the resort was COVID-19 free. At the time, the resort took responsibility for payment of the tests and later exempted vaccinated staff members from the weekly testing. Earlier this year, Atlantis wrote to staff advising them that unvaccinated workers would have to pay for their own tests starting in September. The Tribune obtained a copy of Atlantis’ letter to staff reminding them of this change. “This is our final reminder that effective September 1, 2021, team members who are not vaccinated will be personally
responsible for their rapid antigen test,” the letter noted in part. “We have secured a discounted rate for unvaccinated team members to receive the test. You can continue to schedule your test via the same link as you do now. “Once you schedule, you will receive an email with instructions on how to pay for the test online. Note – any unvaccinated team member who does not complete weekly or bi-weekly testing will be prohibited from work.” Yesterday Mr Woods expressed his frustration with the resort’s plan. He believes it is unlawful and said his members cannot afford the cost. “They told them as of the first of September they have to pay for it,” Mr Woods said. “Of course we don’t agree with it because the law, Section nine of the Health and Safety Act, prohibits the employer from passing that fee on to the employee. “Also as far as we are concerned the emergency orders do not provide for testing for employees but it does require it for travel. So there is no requirement for employees to pay for their own testing. There is a lot of rumblings going on and
as far as we are concerned the employees do not have to pay for their own testing.” As a response to Atlantis’ letter to its staff of more than 5,000, Sheila EddenBurrows, secretary general of BHCAWU, sent a memo to Atlantis’ unionised members telling them the union is not in agreement with what the resort is now requesting. “The union does not agree with the employees paying their COVID test,” the memo read. “Section 9 of the Health and Safety Act states ‘No employer shall levy or permit to be levied on any employee of his any charge in respect of anything done or provided in pursuance of any of the provisions of this Act’. This provision places that requirement at the feet of the employer. “The emergency orders do not provide for testing for employment, only for travel. “Therefore no employee is expected to pay for testing for employment,” the memo adds. Mr Woods said if the government does not make its employees pay for testing, then it should not be any different in the hotel industry. “The government is the
CANON CALLS FOR FUNERALS TO BE HELD INSIDE CHURCHES CANON Crosley Walkine has urged the government to allow families to have funerals inside churches. During his sermon at the state funeral for former Deputy Prime Minister and Governor General Arthur Dion Hanna yesterday, Canon Walkine thanked the government for allowing the service to take place. However, he said, the same courtesy should be extended to other families who are mourning loved ones during the pandemic. He suggested restrictions such as the absence of the body at the service and a limit on the number of attendees, saying these measures would likely be accepted. “I know some may argue, especially during this time
of elections that the government made some wrong decisions during this time of COVID, but I assure you, you got it right this time,” he told the mourners yesterday, which included Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and members of his Cabinet. “Because no matter what side of the political, social or economic divide you may be on, the Hon A D was. . .respected and indeed appreciated and loved by so many. “But human beings being human beings, you no doubt will receive some criticism, some flack for what is happening here today. Although we all appreciate and know the rhyme and reason for having this state funeral for a builder and champion of the nation,
there will still be some, and probably rightly so, asking why not the same for their loved ones. “So allow me please to use this opportunity to make an appeal to the health professionals and to you the government, that when you meet together again for your deliberations. . .that you consider granting permission to have thanksgiving service, homegoing service, memorials, whatever we may call it, allow them to happen in a church setting using the same protocols we use on Saturdays and Sundays when we meet for normal worship,” the Anglican clergyman said. Under current COVID19 protocols, only funerals at the graveside are allowed.
major employer in this country and they don’t require their employees to pay for testing,” Mr Woods said. “When they
get to work they have to sanitise, do temperature checks and wear masks. The same should apply so I don’t know what makes
the hospitality industry any different. Our members are crying out because they are not prepared to pay to do any testing.”
PAGE 6, Friday, August 27, 2021
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A lack of due diligence over PLP deal IT didn’t take long for the house of cards that was the PLP deal with unions to come tumbling down. In this column yesterday, we expressed caution about the trumpeting of a so-called “historic” deal that didn’t have any financial figures attached and didn’t have the ratification of the PLP’s leadership council. It turns out a whole bunch of unions didn’t even know about the deal. Nine affiliates of the National Congress of Trade Unions yesterday took its president, Bernard Evans, to task, saying they were not involved with the signing of the memorandum of understanding, had never seen the document and were not even aware of the contents of the pact. How many people is that? Well, that’s the Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union, the Bahamas Airline Pilots Association, the Bahamas Commercial Stores and Warehouse union, the Bahamas Financial Services Union, the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, the Bahamas Public Services Union, the Bahamas Union of Teachers, the Union of Public Officers and, if the aggrieved union members want to make a song and dance about the matter, the Bahamas Musician and Entertainers Union. That’s thousands of people that, without consultation, just had their names put down as PLP supporters. A statement from the upset unions said: “We refuse to stand idly by and allow our members to be used as pawns.” Belinda Wilson, president of the BUT, went further, suggesting the involvement of Mr Evans was a “personal agenda”, and saying: “If he wants to push a personal agenda, he will not push a personal agenda on the unions, on our backs, he can push his personal agenda by himself.” The PLP, meanwhile, so enthusiastic after the signing, was suddenly not so bold. Party chairman Fred Mitchell said it
was not the party’s place to comment on the union’s internal issues. One of the talking points for the PLP about the FNM’s term in office has been the Oban fiasco. The FNM is rightly criticised for that, and in June, PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper was pointing out in the House of Assembly that there had never been an adequate explanation. On the face of it, the Oban deal looked rather like trying to get good headlines over a deal that hadn’t been properly researched and where the due diligence on the people involved had not been adequately completed. It was The Tribune that poked holes in the background of the deal, and that was compounded with questions over who signed what at the ceremonial signing. Is this matter with the PLP so much different? Mr Mitchell might say it’s not up to the PLP to talk about internal union issues, but your due diligence should ensure that the deal has been adequately checked with all the relevant parties. Did no one even ask if all the unions involved had consented? The PLP was keen for the publicity – it was a picture supplied by the PLP that was published in the media afterwards. But did they really check the details of the deal? And if they didn’t, is that an indication of how they will govern if they win the election? It is in some ways even worse – this deal threw the support of thousands of Bahamians behind the PLP without even asking them, without those Bahamians even having seen the document. This has the air of something that has been rushed through for political reasons – and whatever the contents of the memorandum, that’s not truly looking after the interests of Bahamian workers, that’s looking after the political fortunes of those hoping to be elected in the coming weeks. Whatever party might try to do so, don’t let anyone take your vote for granted.
Let the games begin EDITOR, The Tribune. THE proverbial electoral bell has been rung and Bahamians go to the polls on the 16th September, God willing. We who are registered voters will have an opportunity to either return Dr Hubert A Minnis (FNMKillarney) and the FNM to power or to vote in the New PLP led by the Hon. Philip “Brave” Davis, QC, (PLPCat Island). I am persuaded that the upcoming general elections will be a nail biter of the highest order. The FNM is led by Dr Minnis who is the current Prime Minister. The New PLP is led by “Brave”. These men are both formidable leaders in their own right but the demonstration that one has compassion; a heart and a soul, at this critical juncture are very important as we prepare to go to the polls. What set of circumstances, natural or contrived, produces political leaders? The long deceased British political philosopher, Bertrand Russell in his classical work: “Power-A New Social Analysis” wrote: “The power impulse has two forms: explicit in leaders and implicit in followers. When men willingly follow a leader, they do so with a view towards the acquisition of power by the group which he/she commands, and they feel that his/her triumphs are theirs. Most men do not feel that they have the competency required for leading their group to victory and therefore seek out a captain
who appears to have the courage and tenacity to do so for the group. Dr Minnis is a “created” leader who came to the leadership of the FNM by default in my view whereas Brave is a natural leader who stands on his own individual achievements. He is his own man so to speak. He has rebuilt and rebranded the New PLP from the very ashes of political defeat. Minnis comes across as a draconian and harsh person who could care less about people’s feelings or well being. Brave is focused; tenacious and has empathy for the small man and woman. He has compassion; a heart and a soul, to quote the current Prime Minister. I consider myself a Prophet but all of you know that such people have no honour in their own country so at this juncture I do not dare to predict the outcome of the upcoming general elections. There will be, however, many current MPs who will not be returned to parliament and there will be many more elected to replace them. In 2017 the electorate rejected brother Christie and not so much the individual old PLP candidates even though the majority of them had to go. Just as in 2017 Christie found himself in the dubious position of being the most hated political leader at that time, I suggest that Dr. Minnis is now in that exact same place due to events which he could not humanly control. Unfortunately in
politics the bad and ugly come with the good in no natural order. Many promises were made by Minnis and the FNM leading up to the general elections of 2017. One or maybe two of them were fulfilled. The rest never saw the light of the day. I am able to think of five current FNM representatives who will be returned to office, possibly. They are: Dr Minnis (FNM-Killarney); the Hon Dionisio D’Aguilar (FNM-Free Town); the Hon Renward Wells (FNM-Bamboo Town); the Hon Frankie A Campbell (FNM-Southern Shores) and the Hon Shannendon Cartwright (FNM-St Barnabas). The New PLP, in my assessment will capture a minimum of 18 seats here in New Providence. The leader; deputy leader and national chairman will be re-elected or returned back to parliament. It is a regret that the current PM chose to call a snap election but he’s done so at his own peril while disenfranchising thousands of Bahamians who for whatever reason failed to read the tea leaves, especially those who would have been first time voters. In any event, let the games begin. Consider all of the options and digest all of the political rhetoric, but please, for your sake; that of your family and the nation deliberate carefully and do “the right thing”. ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr Nassau, August 21, 2021.
PLP using Trump’s playbook EDITOR, The Tribune. IT IS quite depressing to reflect on the journey that the Republican Party has taken since the days of the American Civil War. It was once the party of Abraham Lincoln that ended slavery in the United States. Today it is the party of Donald Trump and uses anger, fear, conspiracy theories and fake news to whip up the emotions of a section of society that is shrinking and getting more desperate by the day. In The Bahamas, in a much shorter period of time, the Progressive Liberal Party has trodden a similar road. The party of independence and equality for all, has become the party of spreading suspicion, misinformation and anonymous online attacks. It’s base of support is becoming older and less numerous, and the party can only seem to recruit new, younger supporters by taking a page out of Mr. Trump’s playbook. Constantly attacking the emergency orders, claiming lockdowns were unnecessary and just a scheme to stop PLP’s
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net from gathering, spreading conspiracy theories in the public mind, feeding fears to cause people not to take life-saving vaccines, and engaging in merciless personal attacks on their enemies, are all the order of the day. The main difference is that whereas Mr. Trump and his followers seem proud of their tactics, the PLP wants to have its cake and eat it too. The leaders of the party are all vaccinated, they all speak in public in a manner that is fairly reasonable and calm. It is behind the scenes that the party’s anonymous attack machine has been tireless in its efforts to spread confusion, fake news, and outright lies about the vaccines and the ongoing efforts to safeguard public health. And now, when it comes out that The Bahamas is near the bottom of a list of how well countries have fought COVID 19, those same PLP trolls come out of
the woodwork to call the FNM government a failure, when, in my opinion, it was them who caused it in the first place! Whatever else you may say about them, the FNM government and Prime Minister Hubert Minnis did everything it was possible to do to keep the public safe and to control the spread of this deadly disease. The fact that certain sectors of the public fought them all the way, disobeyed emergency orders and refused to take the vaccine, while being encouraged with lies and hysteria by political operatives, is not the government’s fault. When I look at today’s PLP, I don’t see a better choice for the Bahamian people anymore. I see a group of power hungry people willing to spread chaos and confusion in order to get their way, no matter who suffers as a result. The PLP used to be about people. Now it is just about winning at all costs. EB Nassau, August 26, 2021.
RBC’s awful customer service EDITOR, The Tribune I NOMINATE RBC for the “Worst Customer Service of the Year Award.” My VISA debit card expires this month. I have visited the bank several times a week for the last few weeks at various hours and the line stretches to Modernistic Pet Store, even when its real time tracker shows the branch is “Less busy than usual.” Seniors and others are left to queue in the
sweltering heat in a line that doesn’t seem to move. There is nowhere to sit and no available restrooms. The customers are hot and some suffer from back and leg pain. Most customers don’t have hours to stand on line to pick up a card simply so they can continue to access their own bank accounts What’s worse, we are in the middle of a pandemic and trying to avoid this type of situation. It is truly a disgrace.
I wouldn’t treat my dog like this, so why is RBC treating its customers in such a terrible manner? With so much technology, why don’t they dedicate a station to card collection so people can book an online appointment to collect their card instead of treating us like cattle? DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER Nassau, August 24, 2021.
RBC
THE TRIBUNE
Stolen wedding gifts found in ceiling of neighbour By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A WOMAN’S stolen wedding gifts were found stashed in the ceiling of one of her neighbour’s homes, a court was told. Delano Beckford is accused of stealing cooking appliances and silverware from Anaia Davis on November 20, 2020. When Mrs Davis testified during his trial yesterday, she told Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis that she noticed a “big gap of her wedding gifts” had been missing when she checked her storage unit in front of her Eneas Street home. She said the items included a panini grill, a knife and fork set and glass plates. She said she spoke to her father and told him to tell the person who moved the things to bring them back or she would press charges. She said after they did not, she reported
the matter to police two days later. The second witness to give evidence was Sergeant 4047 Nicolas Farrington. He told the court that he went to Mrs Davis’ residence after she filed her complaint. He said when he arrived, Mrs Davis showed him her storage unit and recorded a witness statement. He said while they were speaking, he noticed Beckford walking along Eneas Street while looking in his direction and acting suspiciously. He said Mrs Davis then informed him that Davis was the man responsible for taking her things. Sgt Farrington said he then arrested Beckford and took him into custody where he obtained a search warrant. He said he then took the accused back to his home, which was on the same street, and looked through his bedroom. The court was told that the officer noticed a hole in the roof of the closet which
contained all of the missing items. He was subsequently arrested and taken to the Quacko Street Station. Constable 4077 Kelsoanique Bryce was the officer present in Beckford’s interview with police. Yesterday, she said the accused told them he bought the items from another guy who lived in their neighbourhood but could not recall his name or address. She also said Beckford claimed he paid $50 for the items. Yesterday, Beckford maintained his not guilty plea. When given an opportunity to speak, he also claimed he bought the stolen items “for cheap” so he could resell them and make a profit. He insisted he did not steal them. When he was reminded that cross-examination was his opportunity to question the witnesses, he told the magistrate he had no questions. The matter continues September 31.
‘I HIT CAR THAT RAN A RED LIGHT’ By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN said he “totalled” his car when he “t-boned” another vehicle that had run through a red light. Sylvester Moss said he was travelling west along Shirley Street in a rental car when he made a left turn off Village Road. He said as he approached the green traffic light, he saw a grey car flash in front of him at a high rate of speed. He said the cars then collided as he “slammed brakes”. Mr Moss said his car spun at least three times before it stopped and deployed its airbags. He said he then unbuckled his seatbelt and left his car to check on the occupants of the other vehicle. He said when he asked
the driver if he was okay, he started swearing at him and accused him of running the red light. Police said that McFalloughn Bowleg was the driver of the car Mr Moss claims caused the accident. Bowleg is currently on trial before Magistrate Samuel McKinney for dangerous driving. He maintains his innocence. During his testimony, Mr Moss said he noticed three other occupants in Bowleg’s car on the day of the incident, including an old man and a child. He said after he noticed the man’s head was bleeding, he contacted Emergency Medical Services. He said after the man was taken to the hospital, police arrived a short time later. “My car was totalled, the airbags were deployed
and a wrecker had to be called,” he said. “It seemed as though the front left side was where the car was impacted. The other vehicle was hit at the rear door.” Yesterday, Bowleg was represented by attorney Ryszard Humes. When he cross-examined Mr Moss, he admitted he may have been driving over 30 miles per hour at the time of the incident. However, when Mr Humes asked him if he considered driving through an intersection at 45mph dangerous, he said he was glad he wasn’t driving any slower that day. “He would’ve t-boned me and possibly kill me, my wife or my kids,” Mr Moss said. “My light was on green, he ran a red light (which caused me) to t-bone him.” The matter continues November 16.
TEENAGER ACCUSED OF BEING A ‘PEEPING TOM’ By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A TEENAGER accused of being a “Peeping Tom” was yesterday remanded to prison pending a bail hearing. Levant Wright, Jr, 18, was arrested after he was accused of “surreptitiously” observing a naked woman while she was having a bath in her Lovely Bay, Acklins home on August 8. The youngster, who is from Major’s Cay, Crooked Island, pleaded not guilty to one count
of voyeurism when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt. However, before the question of bail could be determined, the magistrate requested additional time to consider her position. As a result, she adjourned the matter to August 30 for a bail hearing. Wright was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until that time. Meanwhile, a man who denied having housebreaking tools, was yesterday
granted bail before his trial. Melvin Lavarity was arrested after police alleged that he had two flathead screwdrivers and a pair of red and black gloves. During his arraignment before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis he claimed he only had one screwdriver and denied having any gloves. As a result, a not guilty plea was recorded on his behalf and the case was adjourned to November 17 for trial. In the meantime, Lavarity was granted $5,000 bail.
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Friday, August 27, 2021, PAGE 7
OFFICER: CLINIC GAVE MY LIFE BACK MARINE Lt Shawn Evans is back at work after spinal surgery, thanks to the team at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida. The 22-year member of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force suffered an accident on the job that led to nearly unbearable pain. Lt Evans, married and a father of three, suffered a bad fall at work in 2016. That was be the start of the longest journey of his life – one that involved what felt like a neverending round of X-rays, scans, waiting and doctors’ offices. The pain was so intense there were days he did not know if he could go on. The tingling that would start in his left leg would move up, sending sharp shooting pains upward and a dull throb to his back. He began experiencing difficulty in his right leg and developed a limp. His mobility was challenged due to muscle loss; lifting this leg became a major task. Evans continued to try to carry out his duties on the force as part of the officer corps team. Medical experts were doing their best but nothing they did relieved the pain.
LT SHAWN EVANS Then in 2019, he needed. reached out to orthopedic On December 23, a surgeon Dr Winston Phil- team of surgeons and lips, who examined him medical staff began the thoroughly and referred spinal surgery. Four hours him to the Cleveland later, surgery was finally Clinic Weston Hospital in over. Florida. Months of rehab and Cleveland Clinic Wes- learning to walk again ton’s local representative, followed, the first two Shenika Nesbitt, made weeks at Cleveland Clinic the process seamless, says Weston, then back home Evans, praising her com- in Nassau where neurolopassion and efficiency, gist Dr Charles Rahming retrieving and forwarding took charge of the case. all his medical records, Evans considers himself dealing with insurance for 90 percent cured. He still pre-certification, lining up must bend properly to sit. his first visit, explaining It will be a few more years every step of the process until his bones are fully he would experience, healed. even assisting with book“A year and a half later, ing flights and helping the my life has pretty much family arrange a place to been restored to normal,” stay. Lt Evans said. “I’m no Cleveland Clinic longer in pain and grateWeston was ready for ful for all of my family him – blood work, MRI, who were there with us in heart health measure- the trenches. Cleveland ment – conducting all the Clinic Weston gave me pre-surgical qualifications my life back.”
Graveside Service for Nurse Rose-Nellie Dauphin, 40 & Newborn Raenelle Rose Dauphin
of East Avenue Carmichael Road, will be held on Sunday August 29th, 2021, at Woodlawn Gardens Cemetery, Soldier Road. Officiating will be Pastor Jevon Neely. Due to current Government regulations in respect of Covid-19, masks and physical distancing are required. Graveside attendance is limited to thirty (30) persons. Left to cherish her memories are her Mother: Denise Dauphin; Life Partner: Jocelyn Charles; Sisters: Sandra Dauphin-Gordon, Tina Dauphin; Brothers: Jean Dauphin, McDonald Dauphin, Mark-Henry Dauphin, Derek Dauphin; Aunts: Marie Nicole Edma, Jeanne Valon, Edith Pierre, Micheline Majorie Louis, Anne Nicole Carvil, Mirline Carvil, Nicolette Fontaine, Marie Claire Helene Dauphin; Uncles: Walker Dauphin, Marc Evans Joseph, Ophny Carvil, Jean-Michel Thomas, Walker Dauphin, Patrick Sully, Nicolas Carvil Jr. Buchenet Verciné, Pierre Fountaine; Great-aunts: Illiana Dauphin, Adriene Dauphin; Great-uncles: Wilner Dauphin, Gero Dauphin; Sister-in-law: Dedra Dauphin, Natalie Dauphin; Brother-in-law: Kenneth Gordon, Nanay Christian Appolan, Claude Zamour, Baker Charles, Jean Robert Charles, John Charles; Nephews: Collins Dauphin, Jamal Dauphin, Mark-Henry Dauphin II, David Dauphin, Kenneth Gordon III, Kingston Gordon; Nieces: Deshae Dauphin, Dakota Dauphin, Karisma Dauphin; Godchildren & Step Children: Edwin Williams, Cammie, Catalia, Jean Love and Marcoren Charles; Cousins: Amy-Clair Dauphin, Walker Dauphin II, Cleante Dauphin, Laury Nicolas, Shoshana Nicolas, Richard Nicolas, Ricardo Nicolas, Joanna Anestin, Louis & Lormina Dauphin, Stanley Dauphin, Abe Dauphin, Keisha Dauphin, Louis Dauphin II, Sophia Vick & Family, Jerry Duvern & Family, Darwin Louis Augustine & Family, Loubens Ariste & Family, Videx Edouard & Family, Edith Rochelin & Family, Rose-magda Edouard & Family, Jeffrey Dauphin & Family, Wilna Augustin & Family, Rosette Augustin & Family, Judith Augustin & Family, Maurice Dauphin, Benoit Dauphin & Family, Widmark Dauphin & Family, Florence Dauphin Phillipe & Family, Innada Dauphin & Family, Clairmond Dauphin & Family, The Fountaine Family, Sheba Dauphin, Telus Dauphin & Family, Catherine & Fema Theresias, Caleb Dauphin, Widmark Dauphin, Jefte Dauphin, Stanley Dauphin, Elsie Daniels; Other Relatives & Special Friends: Lieutenant Commander Bertram Bowleg of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, Ingrid XX & Family, Rose Dulcio, Rachel Pierre, Cristina Petitfrere, Jeynica Petitfrere, Gloria Sejour, Lucy Isaac, Gertine Augustine Joseph, Gladys Benoit, Paula Charles, Lawrencia Charles, Guerda Pierre, Erla Williams, Keslene and Rosana Dorival, Anville & Samantha Sargeant & Family, Chalisna Joseph, Carmelus Octeus & Family, Edward Eduoard. May Her Soul Rest in Peace! Friends may pay their last respects at Bethel Brothers Morticians & Crematorium, #44 Nassau Street, on Saturday, August 28th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
PAGE 8, Friday, August 27, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Coalition chaos - and a prayer for Sawyer Boy THIS week, the “coalition of coalitions” fell apart, and a fan favourite battles COViD.
A Comic’s View
Coalition of Confusion A strange set of events took place this week, By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA mostly documented on social media. Unbeknownst to the 70,000 fans need to know choice is yours. Bahamian public, there was what’s going on when you To this end 128,700 doses a meeting of third, fourth, are missing for a few days. of the Pfizer vaccine arrived and fifth parties this week. I thought it was quite in the country through a On Tuesday, a voice note courageous that he shared donation by the governby a political operative we his condition with his fan ment of the United States, will call “PLP Dave” made base. Prime Minister Dr Hubert the rounds. Despite his illness he Minnis recently announced. “PLP Dave” told all seemed in good spirits and This is the initial tranche and sundry that there was on top of things. of 397,000 Pfizer vaccine a meeting between third Then came the news on doses the US government party hopefuls to form a Monday that he’d taken will donate to the Bahamas. grouping that a turn for the My wife and I got our first would be able ‘Sawyer Boy has worse, now bat- dose of Pfizer on Monday to compete a brand of funny tling with acute and our second is scheduled with the major kidney failure for September 13th. parties in the we all need right and pneumoThis all on the heels of next general now, so please nia on top of Health Minister Renward elections. COViD. Wells announcing that continue to Luckily, But by the 40,000 doses of the Johnbecause I am pray and please grace of God, son & Johnson vaccine will who I am, I was support the Go today I can arrive in the country by the able to get the Fund Me account report thanks end of August. audio recording to his family for So Bahamas, we now have of said meeting. set up by his the update, that options, you can now take To summa- family to defray he is making the vaccine of your choice. rise, Mr Lincoln medical costs.’ improvements. However, it’s not a Bain said he There’s still a COVID pass, continue to was willing to ways to go, but he seems to practice the social distance get down on his knees to be on the road to recovery. protocols because the vacbring the “coalition of coaliPlease continue to keep cinated can still contract tions” together. He pleaded him and his family in your COVID as well as pass it with Arinthia Komolafe prayers. on, but high efficacy rates and Cassius Stuart to join This pandemic has turned increase your chances of him to no avail. the world into a cold dark not dying from COViD if In the end, Mr Bain was place, we can all use a bit you contract it. out and Cassius Stuart was of laughter. Sawyer Boy If you remain unvacciin. Moral of the story? has a brand of funny we all nated that is your choice The truth eventually need right now, so please which I respect, but I rises! continue to pray and please implore you all to be extra support the Go Fund Me diligent with the social Prayers Up for Sawyer Boy account set up by his family distancing protocols and I was quite alarmed on to defray medical costs. continue to seek out the Sunday night past, when I Read more here: https:// actual factual information saw my friend and fellow gofund.me/3af828d3 regarding the pandemic and comedian Timico Sawyer It’s not known if Sawyer the virus so you can protect aka ‘Sawyer Boy’ post- Boy had been vaccinated yourselves and families as ing his initial battle with prior, however please be best as possible from the COVID on social media. reminded vaccinations ever changing and emergAt some point, your aren’t mandatory, the ing variants that continue to
change the make up of the virus making it even more lethal. Despite it being the silliest of silly seasons this is no time to politicise this pandemic for cheap political brownie points, especially while Bahamians continue to die and our health care system is over run. Remember we all go back to being Bahamians first on September 17th. Choose wisely on multiple levels, Bahamas.
COMEDIAN TIMICO SAWYER, known as Sawyer Boy, is battling against COVID.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, August 27, 2021, PAGE 9
What happened to our compassion for Haiti?
A WOMAN walks past a collapsed building in Jeremie, Haiti, after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) ON Saturday, August 14, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Haiti, killing more than 2,000 people, over 20 times the number who died in the Surfside building collapse which had us glued to our TV screens watching the tragedy unfold. The Haiti quake left some 53,000 homes destroyed, thousands of adults and children without shelter and struggling to find food. The UN estimates 12,000 people were injured and upwards of 300 men, women and children are still missing. Buildings, churches, schools, tiny businesses were reduced to mountains of rubble. Watching shirtless men in shorts try to pull out whatever they could from that rubble with nothing more than a broken shovel and a heart full of hope is gut-wrenching. Two days later, torrential rains from Hurricane Grace drenched Haiti, causing mudslides, displacing even more. And here we sit, complaining about the red and yellow signs that dot the landscape. How different today is from our response as a nation when an earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010. Within hours, the Rotary
Clubs and Chamber of Commerce were on the phone. I agreed to chair a committee to put together a national telethon. The very next day a representative from every media house crowded into the small office I occupied at the time. Everyone we called agreed to help and asked what more they could do. Bank of The Bahamas jumped on board, Atlantis offered space for free, BTC and Cable Bahamas partnered to provide all the phone and internet connectivity we needed, ZNS and every media outlet in existence – online, print and electronic – participated. Nassau Guardian’s Paul Fernander and Cable’s Alicia Coakley organized the run of show. Politicians from all parties, business, civic and religious leaders,
ordinary folks manned three long rows of the telephone bank that was organized by half hour segments, many of the volunteers lining up friends to call before the telethon even got underway. Musicians performed for free. TV carried the Help Us Help Haiti telethon live. We raised about a half million dollars, Rotary took the lead in getting supplies to Haiti and this country, which is home to more Haitian nationals per capita than anywhere in the world (there are more in number in Miami-Dade), never questioned why we came to the aid of our neighbour. We knew it was the right thing to do and we just did it. Haiti is in worse shape today than it was in 2010. Still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,
The strange history of election signs OK, if you know anyone, I mean anyone of any political persuasion who has not noticed that the landscape has taken on a very colourful hue in recent days, please suggest they make an appointment with one of the many good eye doctors in The Bahamas. But if you think what is happening now is all that different – other than in profusion – from what has happened before, a quick tour around Google helps set the record straight. Printed political propaganda may date as far back as the Romans. Back then, the writing was on the wall. Here’s an early sign Scientific American dug up and translated: “I beg you vote for C. Julius Polybius for aedile. He makes good bread.” Sounds like as good a reason as any to vote for a candidate. And a more sophisticated one though I have no idea what it means, but it sounds important: “I beg you to vote for M. Pupius Rufus for duumvir with judicial authority; he deserves public office. Mustius the fuller supports him and whitewashes (here), the sole writer without the other members of his guild.” In the US, the earliest record of a presidential plea to ‘vote for me’ by printed signage is attributed to John Quincy Adams in 1824, whose father had been President a few terms before him. It wasn’t the posting of signs that set the second Adams apart, though it is interesting that he was the first to recognize the benefits as they obviously
worked and he got elected. History remembers him, among other things, for asking the members of Cabinet from the previous administration to stay on. He probably figured they had learned their jobs by then and could be useful. What does set the signs we see today apart from the past or from those in our neighbouring country to the north is that they are posted by the party and we just assume that is the way it is, forgetting that in the US, individuals plant signs in their yards for the person, cause or campaign closest to their heart and Lord help them if someone else comes along and plunks down a sign for someone they don’t support. Neighbourhood fights break out, police have to be summoned. All I know is whoever gets the contract for the clean-up after the election will be sitting pretty and so will the countryside. Maybe they can collect some of those other signs at the same time, the ones offering passport photo, scaffolding or lawn services. Expression of support during election season is short-lived and understood, an outlier for random signage for all those businesses that abuse trees, utility poles and public spaces and should be fined instead of supported. Now, about that clean-up contract… and, oh yes, one more small thing. I hope a local sign company got the work from both parties. Every economic boost is a good sign. Or is that every sign is a good economic boost if it is only up temporarily?
it recently experienced the brutal murder of its President and despite a replacement being installed, there remains a lack of strong leadership in a country that needs it desperately. It is hard to say Haiti without following it with the word poverty. Once the reigning queen of the Caribbean in tourism for its stunning natural beauty, Haiti and its people did not deserve the torture they endured under Papa Doc Duvalier and Baby Doc who succeeded his father and, with the exception of a short interlude, maintained a reign of terror that lasted nearly 30 years. In three decades while the world looked the other way,
Haiti was plundered, the Duvaliers living in extravagant luxury that included a $2 million wedding, the once prosperous populace retreating in fear as their possessions were stolen or escaping by the hundreds of thousands to avoid maiming or worse, murder. Similarities between the earthquake of 2010 and the one two Saturdays ago are eerie. Both occurred along the same fault line. The first was 7.0 on the Richter scale, this one only .02 stronger. The people of Haiti need our help now more than ever. Yet we seem paralyzed, unable to find the get up and go to get up and help. And we ask why. There is an answer, of course. We have our own
crises to deal with. We are COVID-exhausted. Our health care system is teetering on the brink of collapse. We have had to borrow money our grandchildren will still be paying interest on to service the debt. We are short on ideas to fight climate change and out of energy in general. All of those are reasonable explanations for why we have not mobilized. But are they explanations or excuses? The truth is we have been so absorbed by saving our own lives we have lost a piece of our humanity that awakes in each of us a sense of responsibility for helping others who are trying to save theirs.
PAGE 10, Friday, August 27, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
WOUNDED Afghans lie on a bed at a hospital after a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday.
Photo: Mohammad Asif Khan/AP
60 Afghans and 13 US troops killed in Kabul airport attack KABUL, Afghanistan Associated Press TWO suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport yesterday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops, Afghan and US officials said. The US general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said. The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the US officially ends its 20-year presence on August 31. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. US officials initially said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. Another service member died hours later. Eighteen service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan
BIDEN: WE’LL COMPLETE EVACUATION - AND AVENGE DEATHS WASHINGTON Associated Press
PRESIDENT Joe Biden yesterday. official said. One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood. Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to ten who were dead when they arrived. “Surgeons will be working into the night,” said Marco Puntin, the charity’s manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one
PRESIDENT Joe Biden vowed yesterday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day’s deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He promised to avenge the deaths of 13 US service members killed in the attack, declaring to the extremists responsible: “We will hunt you down and make you pay.” Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that killed the Americans and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who
explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel. McKenzie said clearly some failure at the airport allowed a suicide bomber to get so close to the gate. He said the Taliban has been screening people outside the gates, though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursday’s attacks to happen. He said the US has asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airport’s perimeter. Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside what’s known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed. The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and
now control the country. He asked for a moment of silence to honour the service members, bowing his head, and ordered US flags to half-staff across the country. As for the bombers and gunmen involved, he said, “We have some reason to believe we know who they are ... not certain.” He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS “assets, leadership and facilities”. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out many attacks on civilian targets in the country in recent years. It is far more radical than the Taliban, who seized power less than two weeks ago. The most heralded American attack on the group came in April 2017 when the US dropped
Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation. Additional explosions could be heard later, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said some blasts were carried out by US forces to destroy their equipment. A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport. “All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47,” Paul “Pen” Farthing told Britain’s Press Association. Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group’s rescued animals. He is among thousands trying to flee. Over the last
the largest conventional bomb in its arsenal on an IS cave and tunnel complex. The group more recently is believed to have concentrated in urban areas, which could complicate US efforts to target them without harming civilians. “We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing,” Biden said. “These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.” Biden said US military commanders in Afghanistan had told him it is important to complete the evacuation mission. “And we will,” he said. “We will not be deterred by terrorists.”
week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America’s longest war and the Taliban’s takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants’ brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions. Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signaling the beginning of the end of one of history’s largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of August 31 — and the evacuations must end then, too. Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from IS, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban’s
freeing of prisoners during its advance through Afghanistan. Shortly before the attack, the acting US ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was “clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling”. Late Wednesday, the US Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens yesterday not to go to the airport. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport, where the group’s fighters have deployed and occasionally used heavy-handed tactics to control the crowds. After the attack, he appeared to shirk blame, noting the airport is controlled by US troops.
100,000 MORE COVID DEATHS UNLESS US CHANGES ITS WAYS THE US is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and December 1, according to the nation’s most closely watched forecasting model. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces. In other words, what the coronavirus has in store this fall depends on human behaviour. “Behaviour is really going to determine if, when and how sustainably the current wave subsides,” said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. “We cannot stop delta in its tracks, but
we can change our behavior overnight.” That means doubling down again on masks, limiting social gatherings, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated. “Those things are within our control,” Meyers said. The US is in the grip of a fourth wave of infection this summer, powered by the highly contagious delta variant, which has sent cases, hospitalizations and deaths soaring again, swamped medical centers, burned out nurses and erased months of progress against the virus. Deaths are running at over 1,100 a day on average, turning the clock back to mid-March. One influential
model, from the University of Washington, projects an additional 98,000 Americans will die by the start of December, for an overall death toll of nearly 730,000. The projection says deaths will rise to nearly 1,400 a day by mid-September, then decline slowly. But the model also says many of those deaths can be averted if Americans change their ways. “We can save 50,000 lives simply by wearing masks. That’s how important behaviours are,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle who is involved in the making of the projections.
Already there are signs that Americans are taking the threat more seriously. Amid the alarm over the delta variant in the past several weeks, the slump in demand for COVID-19 shots reversed course. The number of vaccinations dispensed per day has climbed around 80 percent over the past month to an average of about 900,000. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Tuesday that in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, “more people got their first shots in the past month than in the prior two months combined”. Also, millions of students are being required to wear masks. A growing number
of employers are demanding their workers get the vaccine after the federal government gave Pfizer’s shot full approval earlier this week. And cities like New York and New Orleans are insisting people get vaccinated if they want to eat at a restaurant. Half of American workers are in favour of vaccine requirements at their workplaces, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Early signs suggest behaviour changes may already be flattening the curve in a few places where the virus raged this summer. An Associated Press analysis shows the rate of
new cases is slowing in Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas, some of the same states where first shots are on the rise. In Florida, pleas from hospitals and a furor over masks in schools may have nudged some to take more precautions. However, the troubling trends persist in Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming, where new infections continue to rise steadily. Mokdad said he is frustrated that Americans “aren’t doing what it takes to control this virus”. “I don’t get it,” he said. “We have a fire and nobody wants to deploy a firetruck.”