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If some of these people can run the country as well as they do their own finances, we’d all be in safer hands DR HUBERT MINNIS: $14,048,902 NET
PHILIP ‘BRAVE’ DAVIS: $4,100,237 NET
CHESTER COOPER: $14,832,88 NET
DIONISIO D’AGUILAR: $37,951,803 NET
WAYNE MUNROE: $2,791,000 NET
DR DUANE SANDS: $6,958,000 NET
LESLIA MILLER-BRICE: $3,119,000 NET
ARINTHIA KOMOLAFE: $640,900 NET
EVERY CANDIDATE, EVERY FINANCIAL DECLARATION - SEE 118-PAGE SUPPLEMENT AND PAGES 2&3
COVID DEATH TOLL RISES BY 38 THE number of fatalities from COVID-19 has risen to 381 - an increase of 38 according to data released by officials over the weekend. Late last night, an update reported an increase of 27 deaths, cases that had previously been classified as deaths under investigation. That is in addition to 11 deaths reported on Friday. The earliest of the deaths reported last night was on April 16, with the latest
being on August 24. A further 20 deaths remain under investigation. A total of 108 confirmed cases were also recorded in the data released last night for Saturday. On Friday, the Ministry of Health reported 11 more COVID-19 deaths and 223 new cases. The data is contained in the ministry’s August 25 and August 26 dashboards which were released Friday morning. The 11 new deaths and 161 cases
were recorded on Wednesday while 62 more cases were recorded on Thursday. Ninety-one more cases were recorded on Friday. The news comes as more than 13,000 Bahamians were vaccinated in the past week, with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis welcoming the increase, while cautioning more deaths will occur as many remain unvaccinated. VACCINATIONS - SEE PAGE 11
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
TWO DIVERS DIE ‘FROM BENDS’ By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
TWO divers died on Saturday during a fishing trip off Rose Island, apparently after suffering from the bends. Family members and other loved ones were inconsolable at the scene as the men’s bodies were taken away in hearses. SEE PAGE 11
PAGE 2, Monday, August 30, 2021
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his wife outside Gambier Primary school after his nomination. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
THE TRIBUNE
WHY AN ELECTION NOW? PM SAYS WE SHALL FIND OUT By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was coy on Friday regarding his reasoning for calling an early general election as the country faces a surge in COVID-19 cases. With the election campaign in full swing, there was a combined 223 new virus cases on Wednesday and Thursday. The Ministry of Health has also said 11 new deaths were recorded on Wednesday, which took place between August 20 and August 23. Late last night, a further 27 deaths were confirmed previously classified as deaths under investigation. “I think as we progress you would see,” the Killarney incumbent said when asked what made him call a snap election as cases increased. Moments before, he had been officially nominated to contest the Killarney constituency at Gambier Primary School. He was accompanied by a large contingent of supporters as he made his way to the school. However, once Dr Minnis entered the school campus, only a handful of supporters were allowed to join him. He will go head-to-head against Ronald Duncombe of the Progressive Liberal Party, who also nominated for the constituency yesterday. Celi Moss is also vying for the seat as an independent candidate. Dr Minnis has won the
constituency consecutively since the 2007 election. With that kind of track record, Dr Minnis said he was confident in another win come Election Day on September 16. “Now we are going to start to display and show people what we have done and what we have planned,” Dr Minnis said. “So, I would advise you (over the) next three weeks to follow us, listen to our message and you would hear about the new Bahamas as we progress forward.” He also said: “Killarney has always been good to me. I have done my best and I am certain they would support me again. It’s been a great experience and when I finally retire, I’m certain that whoever replaces me in Killarney will follow and continue the excellent job that we have done.” For the next several weeks, the FNM plans to hold political events beginning Friday night. He said his party would set an example of how such events can be held safely in a COVID-19 environment. “We will do drive-in rallies. As you know the United States had experienced surges in COVID and if you followed President (Joseph) Biden he had multiple drive-in rallies. We will follow similar patterns and ensure that we meet all the safety protocols. “We have tonight, we would roll out our candidates in Grand Bahama. We will advise you to watch and you would see how we
would perform and behave in a COVID environment and tomorrow night we would do a similar thing in New Providence.” Asked to respond to former Prime Minister Perry Christie’s recent comments that history is not on his side in that no sitting prime has been re-elected since 1997, Dr Minnis said he too was a “student of history”, adding that he had reviewed the historical background of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill and others. Asked for a response to former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham who recently said he had no views whatsoever about the FNM’s prospects of winning, Dr Minnis said: “Y’all have a good day,” ending the interview. Before Dr Minnis’ arrival, Mr Duncombe nominated. He said he felt good about his prospects. “We put in the work, and I am happy that the process went through seamlessly and I’m ready to do business.” The newcomer said he made the decision to run as a resident in the area for the past ten years. It is his desire to make a difference in the community, Mr Duncombe said. “We are not worried about that at all,” he said in response to the fact that Dr Minnis has won the seat several times, “a track record in helping in our community should speak for itself”.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, August 30, 2021, PAGE 3
The millionaires club By TANEKA THOMPSON Tribune News Editor tmthompson@tribunemedia.net
TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar tops the list of millionaire candidates who are vying for re-election with a total net worth of $37,951,803, according to financial disclosures submitted to the Parliamentary Registration Department. Mr D’Aguilar, who lists himself as a business executive, has total assets of $36,828,828, an annual income of $1,467,988 and liabilities of $345,013. Among his assets, the West Bay Street resident lists more than $32m in securities/investments and nearly $3m in real estate. The disclosures show that more than 55 millionaires are seeking public office. While many of them are in the Free National Movement and Progressive Liberal Party, some of the wealthy hopefuls are members of third parties as well.
DESMOND BANNISTER, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Public Works, is not a part of the millionaires club, reporting a net worth of $292,980.
DIONISIO D’AGUILAR,Minister of Tourism and Aviation, tops the list of millionaire candidates in the election. The incumbent candidate PLP leader Philip with the second highest “Brave” Davis, Cat Island, net worth is the Progres- Rum Cay and San Salvasive Liberal Party’s Chester dor incumbent, lists his Cooper. The Exuma and net worth as $4,100,237. Ragged Island incumbent According to declarations is worth $14.8m with an Mr Davis filed in 2017, his income of $370,000. The net worth at the time was bulk of the businessman’s $4.3m. assets is $11m in investArinthia Komolafe, ments and $3m in real leader of the Democratic estate. National Alliance, has Other wealthy candidates assets worth more than $1m include the two leaders however her net worth falls of the FNM and the PLP. short of the millionaires Prime Minister Dr Hubert club at $640,900. Minnis, who is seeking a Perhaps the most eyefourth term as the Killar- brow raising declaration ney representative, has a comes from East Grand net worth of $14,048,902, Bahama hopeful Kevin making him the wealthiest King, of the newly formed leader of a major political Kingdom Government party. His net worth has Movement, who lists his steadily increased over the net worth as $53,129,820 — years: in 2017 he was worth which would make him the $12.6m and $10.9m accord- wealthiest person on the ing to declarations he filed list according to his discloin 2012. sures. The physician and
MARVIN Dames reported a net value of just over $2m. political newcomer says his assets include $35m in securities and $8m in real estate. However, his total income is listed as $38,500. Other wealthy FNM candidates include: former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands in Elizabeth with a net worth of $6,958,000; Garden Hills hopeful Stephen Greenslade with a net worth of $5,743,959; Golden Gates incumbent Michael Foulkes with a net worth of $1.2m; Long Island incumbent Adrian Gibson with a net worth of $1.2m; and Minister of Environment Romi Ferreira with a net worth of $1.6m. Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard, Marco City incumbent, lists his net worth at $2.9m. Minister of National Security Marvin Dames, who is hoping to win again in Mount Moriah, has a net worth of just over $2m while Minister of Education Jeff Lloyd, South Beach incumbent, has a net worth of $1,152,027. Other wealthy PLP hopefuls include MICAL candidate Basil McIntosh with a net worth of $4,989,037; Tall Pines
KEITH Bell reported a net worth of just over $1m. candidate Dr Michael Darville who lists his net worth as $4,665,000 and former Senator Keith Bell with a net worth of just over $1m. PLP Freetown hopeful Wayne Munroe, QC, is worth $2.7m. The PLP’s hopeful for Killarney Ronald Duncombe has a net worth of $1.6m while PLP Seabreeze candidate Leslia Miller-Brice is worth $3.1m. Rollington Cooper, Jr, who is running in Central Grand Bahama, is another KGM member who lists himself as a multimillionaire with a net worth of $13.4m. According to the entrepreneur’s declaration, the bulk of these assets — $13.9m — are in real estate. His form lists his total income as only $500 however with $588,000 in liabilities. Three candidates vying to represent Central and South Eleuthera are millionaires: Cassius Stuart, of the United Coalition, is worth $3.7m; PLP candidate Clay Sweeting is worth $1.5m and Alphonso Albury lists his worth at $1.9m. The Centreville constituency has three millionaires
vying for the seat: independent incumbent Reece Chipman with a net worth of $2.2m; contractor Arrie Percentie with a net worth of over $14m and businessman Frederick Sawyer who lists his net worth at $1.2m. Not everyone running for office is a millionaire, however. In West End and Bimini, FNM incumbent Pakesia Parker Edgecombe lists her net worth at $152,591.22. Minister of Works Desmond Bannister, the Carmichael incumbent, has a net worth of $292,980. FNM Bain and Grants incumbent Town Travis Robinson has a net worth of $147,000 however his wealth has increased since he first ran for office in 2017. At the time, Mr Robinson, a student, had a net worth of $7,300. Diedre Ann Taylor, a “missionary” who is running in Exuma and Ragged Island, lists assets of just over $3,000 with no net worth stated. Her income is listed at $400 per month. In 2017, officials from the Parliamentary Registration Dept. and Public Disclosure Commission said they were not responsible for verifying the data put forward by candidates, insisting that responsibility lies with other government agencies. The revelation came after one political newcomer in 2017 — Bishop James Darling, of the Bahamas Constitution Party — listed his net worth as $48m. Bishop Darling, whose occupation was given as a “minister of religion”, listed the bulk of this figure as $40m from securities. The full list of 2021 financial declarations is in today’s Tribune.
GIBSON DENIES ACCUSATIONS OVER CONTRACTS By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net WATER and Sewerage Corporation Executive chairman Adrian Gibson has denied accusations that he facilitated the awarding of no bid contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to a company alleged to be owned by people he knew. The “false allegations,” Mr Gibson said, were the sad reality of “silly season” and “mudslinging” that have become features of Bahamian politics. Both WSC General Manager Elwood Donaldson and Mr Gibson were forced to answer to the claims after documents purporting to support the allegations circulated on social media showing records of numerous payments to a company named Elite Maintenance, said to be owned by two women known to the chairman – one of them a lawyer. The documents were also leaked to this newspaper. Mr Gibson said he had no beneficial interest or any other interest in the company. The documents purported to show payments made to the company between November 2018 to January 2021. The largest of these was $263,206 on January 7, 2021. Another large payment of $131,601.12 was received by the company on July 7, 2020. There was also a $15,600 payment in November of 2018 along with numerous other payments from then to the early part of this year. However, yesterday, Mr Gibson responded saying nothing untoward had taken place, adding this lawyer had been engaged by the company to act on its behalf. He further insisted that the maintenance services agreement between the water provider and the company went through the corporation’s normal contracting process. Ultimately the contract went to the company with the lowest bid. This was corroborated by Mr Donaldson in a separate statement. He said the information in the public domain has been completely misrepresented and
laden with “absolute lies” as the bids for painting, repair and upgrading WSC water tanks, ranged from in excess of $1m per tank on down. The contracts went through normal channels, he said. In a two-page statement yesterday, Mr Gibson said: “A few years ago, WSC issued cleaning memorandums for the provision of yard cleaning and ground maintenance services to a number of vendors. These memos were issued to clean various sites and operational compounds. “The agreements also called for the monthly maintenance of these sites over a particular period. Notably, more than a dozen vendors received such memos. Given that WSC set the rates for cleaning/ maintenance (and the same has been done for many years prior to my tenure), interested vendors could either accept offers for the provision of yard cleaning and ground maintenance services or reject the same.” A broad swath of vendors were considered, Mr Gibson said. WSC awarded a contract to a company whose principals engaged the attorney in question to provide corporate services and, pursuant to Bahamian law, to act as subscribers/nominee shareholders to form the company as is legally required, The Tribune was told. “I am advised that sometime after the formation of the said company, the shares were distributed to the beneficial owners as directed. I am advised that while they were in the process of formalising their corporate affairs and even after she was legally authorised to act on their behalf.” Mr Gibson said the attorney did not solicit any contract on behalf of the company. The attorney, he said, was engaged by private individuals and it was upon that basis that the corporation interacted with her. He continued: “I am further advised that - having legal authority to represent her clients - the attorney was authorised to sign on their behalf. I have been advised that the attorney – at a later juncture – issued
correspondence to the corporation’s general manager, advising that she was no longer authorised to act on behalf of the company as agent and requested an amendment of WSC’s records to reflect the same. A subsequent correspondence was received from the company. “At a later date, the company in question submitted a bid as part of the corporation’s normal contracting process. “That bid went through the internal procedures put in place and was found to be among the three lowest who were ultimately given work. At the time of that engagement, I am advised that the attorney was no longer involved with the company in any capacity,” he said. “As far as I am aware, the attorney operated in a legal and professional capacity. I cannot speak to the extent of that capacity, nor do I have any other information about the affairs of a private company. I can only speak to the corporation’s policy, which does not restrict any vendor’s discretion to choose who they wish to engage to carry out their affairs.” Mr Gibson further contended that WSC has entered into various contracts/letters of acceptance/ memos with many companies during his tenure – of all political stripes; with men and women; for works from construction to cleaning to engineering to pipe works to repairs, etcetera. Each of those companies to his knowledge – held to the same rigorous standards, the chairman said. He also took exception with the dissemination of a police report containing his bank account information. Mr Gibson said the police report was initiated because of what he viewed as inappropriate contact from a contractor. “It is out of that effort for transparency and clarity that the lies, innuendos, doctored documents and half-truths are now appearing on social media. “Sometime in 2020, I signed a police report about a matter concerning a rogue WSC contractor. . .Prior to the issuance of tender for two Caribbean Development Bank projects, an over
zealous and rogue contractor – who was interested in those contracts – deposited funds onto a shared bank account. The funds were deposited in December 2018 – on the same day that the tenders were published. “I immediately reported it to the bank and to the police. I requested that the bank immediately remove the said funds from the account, which they did and, upon their internal investigation, the bank issued a letter of apology to me – which I still have. The contractor was subsequently charged and the matter remains before the courts. “The leaked, falsified and misidentified documents and information disseminated on social media are attacking me and private citizens. It is disgusting that politics has sunken to this level. However, I am undeterred in my pursuit of a second term of service to my constituents so that I can continue to advocate on their behalf,” he said. For his part WSC’s General Manager Elwood
Donaldson said an investigation would be launched into how sensitive and confidential information ended up in the public domain. Mr Donaldson said he was the corporation’s data protection controller and found the leak to be “illegal” and “unprofessional”. He said an independent investigation would be launched to address the breaches. He said: “The information in the public domain is being completely misrepresented and is laden with falsehoods and absolute lies. At no time has the corporation issued no bid contracts for contractors to undertake painting of works. That is simply false.” He also said: “Several bids were received for any other related project and the lowest or best bidder selected. All major contracts are and were approved by our board of directors and board resolutions underscore the same. The contract/memorandum process for WSC is a transparent, arduous process that requires multiple
levels of due diligence and sign-offs, and that process was followed in every instance. “The corporation retained an independent quantity surveyor. This quantity surveyor produced reports that spoke to scope of work for particular projects and proffered a cost analysis that provided a benchmark for WSC to make a sound assessment on what the works should cost. Given this, the corporation acted accordingly and, at no time, issued any contracts that are out of scope. Absolutely no balloon payments were made.” Mr Donaldson said the attorney who originally interacted with the corporation as a legal agent for Elite Maintenance, did advise the corporation of this via correspondence. He said he was advised of her authorisation to act as attorney of record. He maintained that he did not own any company that has engaged in business with the Water and Sewerage Corporation.
PAGE 4, Monday, August 30, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Minnis: PLP union deal deceived Bahamians By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has accused the Progressive Liberal Party of “deceiving” Bahamians after a Memorandum of Understanding with two umbrella labour unions exposed discord among affiliates last week. Dr Minnis said the party would do anything for power, adding “that’s them though, they flam (deceive) the people.” Last Wednesday, the PLP signed a MoU with the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas and Trade Union Congress committing the party 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. Though the pact was not made public and had not been ratified at that point, such key union figures as 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, the next day, nine affiliate unions of the NCTUB denounced the MoU and their president Bernard Evans saying they were not involved with the signing of the document, had never seen it and were not aware of its contents. They also noted the union’s Central Council did not ratify any document,
hence the signing was not on their behalf. When he addressed supporters on Saturday night at the Free National Movement’s second drive-in rally of the election campaign, Dr Minnis said PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis began his campaign with “deception”. “I could think of 90 reasons why Brave should not be Prime Minister,” the Killarney candidate said at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre grounds. “But I don’t have time to give you all of them, so tonight I only have time to give the reasons for a few. “Brave has started this campaign with a deception. He and his chairman had a big show this week saying they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
the major umbrella union organisations. “He was on the front page of the newspapers trying to look like he made a big, big move. The next day we found out that the PLP was deceiving the Bahamian people. Various unions said they were not a part of that, including the three biggest unions in our country. They said they were not with the PLP like how Brave and his chairman (Fred Mitchell) wanted you to believe. That’s them though they ‘flam’ the people. “To get power they will say just about anything. They are bankrupt in more ways than one. “You cannot trust Brave and his PLP. If he gets back in office, you don’t have to guess how he would govern. Just look at the track record
of the other PLP governments, look at how he left Cat island and San Salvador despite decades representing them and after he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works.” Distancing themselves from the MoU last week 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. Yesterday, Mr Ferguson said while he was not privileged to the inner workings
of the NCTUB, he was surprised by the decision of the nine affiliates to distance themselves from the MoU. On Friday, Dr Minnis and several candidates spoke to supporters during a drivein rally in Grand Bahama, where they laid out plans to boost the economy and create jobs. The FNM is seeking to retain the five seats it won in Grand Bahama in 2017. “Early in our next term, we are going to put in place the Homeporting Act, similar to the Hotel Encouragement Act,” Dr Minnis said. “The expansion of the Grand Bahama Shipyard will begin as early — listen to me now — the expansion, that is work for you, will begin as early as October of this year.”
PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis at Friday’s nomination. Cay people, they know me. Get to know me as they know me and they will be assured their future and their livelihood will be in good hands.” Mr Davis, along with other candidates — the Free National Movement’s Felicia Knowles and the Coalition of Independent’s Angelino Cooper — made their way at different times to the administrator’s office New Bight, Cat Island on nomination day.
With cowbells and music, the PLP leader came to the nomination site in style. There was a sea of yellow with supporters decked out in “A New Day’’ shirts. Mr Davis was also accompanied by his family. While speaking to reporters, he hit back at his detractors about infrastructure issues in his constituency by pointing to developments that were being done by the Christie administration, but stopped after the FNM won the 2017 election. “If they are criticising me for the state of anything in this country, let them accept that I’ve done nothing but (what) have they done in the last four years?” he questioned. “The state of this country, the state of this island and my constituency period is a direct result of the government targeting me but hurting our people and if
you want to see the evidence of it let them take you to Orange Creek. No proper clinic and we were building a clinic - they stopped it. Go into Smith’s Bay - we were building a clinic. They stopped it… From four years now, asked them what have they done - nothing.” He also raised concerns about the election in this period of COVID-19. “We have to be safe, continue to be safe. We have to ensure that we do not allow this COVID experience to suppress the vote. The prime minister called a snap election at this time when the COVID-19 virus is surging. We need not to allow that to prevent people from going to the polls. “I’m concerned that they set up the proper protocols to ensure that even persons that are quarantined are able to vote safely - they can do it. Even those who
have COVID and are not hospitalised, they ought to be able to come and vote as well because it could be done and done safely.” Meanwhile one of his opponents said she is “ready to take these islands into the FNM party.” “I have the support. I am a Cat Islander. I have family from the north to south…I’ve been (to) Cat Island every summer break. I come here every year. Not once a year, multiple times of the year. So stronghold it used to be and it’s not representative of a stronghold,” Ms Knowles said. She added: “All this supposed stronghold needed was somebody who has a true love for the island, has an appreciation for the battle the people have been through for the past 20 years and who actually has a plan to bring this island and make it a jewel that is in The Bahamas.”
To show that she is serious, Ms Knowles even moved to Cat Island permanently. She explained: “When I audited the islands and I recognised the need, I felt the only way you can improve that need is if you experience the issue with the people. So in order for that to improve if it’s impacting me - it’s impacting them.” The Coalition’s nominee said the new group has support from older people. Mr Cooper said: “I feel quite confident right now because as you know the country needs a change many persons think that nothing can take place but I always tell people this time is longer than rope and I believe that the PLP time is up in this country and especially in this constituency and The Bahamas has no choice but to go for change.”
WEST End and Bimini candidate Obie Wilchcombe and supporters. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn Marco City residents first, process was slightly delayed being appointed to Cabinet after Rev McAlpine had is a distant second. What is left his ID and a certain important is the work we do document with his “water” here on the ground. I will symbol. choose that any day over As he emerged from the any of the trappings that room, supporters shouted, come with this position,” he “McAlpine, McAlpine!” said. “I feel good, and I am Also nominated was the excited about the people PLP’s candidate for Marco who stayed to make sure I City Curt Hollingsworth, got nominated,” he said. “I and three independent had a mix-up because I did candidates. not bring the paper that Rev Fred McAlpine was indicated that the water one of six candidates nomi- symbol would be on the nated in Pineridge. The ballot, and I left my ID. But former FNM Pineridge I am here, and I intend to MP is an independent can- win this. I feel enthusiastic, didate. A large number hopeful, and I am grateful,” of supporters accompa- he said. nied him to the Hawksbill When asked what is next Church of God. A cam- on the campaign trail, Rev paign song, “We are going McAlpine said: “We will again with McAlpine” start working the phone played loudly. banks and calling folks up Rev McAlpine, accom- to solidify that support,” he panied by his wife, Tracey, said. completed the nomination Darren Cooper, one of process around 11am. The Rev McAlpine’s supporters,
said: “I believe he is a good candidate. He is a good man, and I believe given more power and position, he would be able to do much more for his people. And so, I think the people of Pineridge should give him a second time around to prove what he is capable of.” Ginger Moxey, the PLP’s candidate, also nominated with a group of supporters in tow. Shando Kan John Maxwell Wilson, an independent candidate from the Back of Town area, is also a Pineridge candidate who wants to bring change to the constituency. “I feel confident as I am a son of the soil in Pineridge. The reason I am running is that I would like to see an actual change in PR. From the time I have been living in PR, I have not seen any change,” she said. Incumbent Iram Lewis was among the five candidates for Central Grand Bahama nominated at the Masonic Lodge Hall in Freeport. Also nominated were the PLP’s candidate Kirkland Russell, and three other independent candidates. Nominated for the West End and Bimini constituency were the FNM’s candidate Pakesia ParkerEdgecombe, PLP candidate Obie Wilchcombe, and seven other independent candidates.
DAVIS: WE’LL LEAD THE COUNTRY OUT OF A DARK AGE By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis said his party is up to the task of leading the country out of the “dark age” it is now in. Mr Davis, who nominated himself on Friday for the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador constituency, expressed confidence in a general election victory. “We are in a dark age right now and we are ready for the task,” Mr Davis said on Friday. “I’m very confident that the country recognises a change is needed and the change that they need is right here,” he said, when asked about his chances of becoming prime minister. “That’s why (I) invite the Bahamian people to get to know me. The Cat Island, San Salvador people, Rum
33 CANDIDATES TO BATTLE IT OUT FOR GRAND BAHAMA SEATS By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SOME 33 candidates were nominated on Friday to contest the five constituency seats on Grand Bahama. Nine candidates were nominated in the West End and Bimini constituency; eight in Marco City; six in Pineridge, and five in both the Central Grand Bahama and East Grand Bahama. Candidates and their supporters turned out early at the nomination centres to present their documents and pay the $400 cash before the noon deadline. Some celebrated by taking to the streets with mini motorcades and campaign songs. In East Grand Bahama, Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson arrived with his family and a motorcade of supporters. He believes that the government has done a tremendous job in the circumstances it was dealt this term. “We have been tested, we have been tried, and we believe the people will give us another opportunity to continue the work that we have been doing,” he said. He said with COVID19 still a concern, his campaign has been following the guidelines of having five people on the
KWASI Thompson nominating in East Grand Bahama. Photo: Denise Maycock/Tribune Staff trail and is using phone regardless of their political and Zoom calls to reach affiliation. constituents. He said that his team has PLP candidate for East worked continuously since Grand Bahama James Hurricane Matthew and Turner was the second to has continued to work after nominate. He was also Hurricane Dorian. accompanied by a number “And despite the chalof supporters. lenges many team members “This is a red-letter day have had in the aftermath for me and a red-letter day of the hurricane and in the for GB and the residents midst of the pandemic, they of EGB. There has to be continue to serve this coma change and a new day munity without making is now dawning,” he said, reference to who supported holding his nomination other political parties. We receipt slip in hand. served all of the people, When The Tribune and Grand Bahama in genarrived at the nomination eral, and Marco City in centre at Church of Christ particular.” in Pioneers Loop at 9.50am, Mr Pintard said that he FNM Marco City candidate is very concerned about Michael Pintard was seated “healing the pain that is on inside the room. He was this island.” accompanied by his wife, “My focus is on alleviBerlice. ating the challenges and After his nomination, Mr charting a new course for Pintard told reporters that this island, and to be even his first priority has always more vocal than before. My been to his constituents, priority has always been
NOMINATION DAY BREAK-IN AT FNM HEADQUARTERS By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Free National Movement woke on Friday to an unwanted surprise on one of the busiest days of the political calendar after the party’s headquarters was ransacked overnight. As party supporters fanned out across the country on Nomination Day, FNM chairman Carl Culmer said they would not be deterred because burglars cut through the roof of their headquarters on Mackey Street and damaged the building. A small safe was forced open and some cash stolen. Burglars tried to log into a computer in the office. However, Mr Culmer said
no data was compromised. “It’s hard to say what the motive was,” he told The Tribune. “But this is the first time since I’ve been around here that something like this has happened.” In a press statement, Mr Culmer called on political parties to condemn such acts. “This morning it was discovered that the FNM headquarters was broken into at some point last night. We don’t have any details at the moment but are hopeful that an investigation will bring answers and justice will be served,” said Mr Culmer. “It doesn’t seem coincidental that our party’s headquarters would be broken into on the evening before Nomination Day, but regardless of intent,
it is a shame that someone would do this after the years of peaceful elections that our country is proud of. “We encourage all political parties in The Bahamas to rebuke this type of behaviour as it has no place in our electoral process. The FNM will provide more information when it becomes available.” On Friday, the Progressive Liberal Party released a short statement on the break-in, noting it had seen media reports about the incident. The PLP said it is confident the police will investigate the matter and PLP officials hope “the perpetrators are brought to justice”. Police said they had no leads in regard to the incident.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, August 30, 2021, PAGE 5
DOCTORS CONCERNED NOMINATION DAY MAY HAVE SPREAD VIRUS By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE president of the Consultant Physicians Staff Association has highlighted concerns surrounding Friday’s nomination day fanfare, saying it could contribute to the spread of COVID-19 while the country’s health system is in a precarious state. The day drew scores of people in support of various hopefuls as they each submitted documents and paid $400 to officially nominate as candidates vying for Election Day. Videos and pictures of motorcades and celebratory gatherings, including a Junkanoo contingent in at least one instance, have been criticised by the public as being careless given the ongoing pandemic and fears about the contagious Delta variant. Dr Sabriquet
Pinder-Butler explained yesterday the dangerous impact activities such as were seen on Friday could have on the spread of the virus. “We do know that not wearing masks, large gatherings, etc, has a tendency to cause further increase in the spread of COVID,” Dr Pinder-Butler said. “People were hugging, shaking hands – all of those things – and so we’re really hopeful that they were sanitising and keeping those things in mind. “Unfortunately, we knew from what we’ve seen in other countries that certain events like those does cause further increase in cases and so when we are already in a serious critical state in the country – as we are in this COVID pandemic – and you know severe cases will increase loss of life that we’ve seen certainly in this month of August, that
is something that is most troubling.” There was some public backlash sparked by the scenes outside of Carlton Francis Primary School where candidates for the Bamboo Town constituency nominated. Health Minister Renward Wells is the Free National Movement’s incumbent candidate. While they were wearing masks, The Tribune witnessed few social distancing protocols by supporters of respective political parties while at the nomination site. Dr Pinder-Butler said she did not see clips of this particular event involving Mr Wells, but noted it is very important for people to “lead by example”. “Certainly, as Minister of Health, certainly as Prime Minister, and all of us who encourage others to do the right thing — we talk about wearing masks, we
talk about avoiding large gatherings. We talk about penalties that should be in place for when persons break these laws or preventative measures. “So, I would imagine there is a video circulating and it is showing Minister Wells or any other persons in those positions to be involved in that, that would be concerning because it also sends mixed messages to our people, which is something that we’ve been challenged with throughout the handling of this pandemic and even worse as we now continue to have people dying every day from COVID. “We know that the healthcare system is beyond capacity, and we know that physicians, nurses, and everyone else in health is struggling now with what we have. To have events further increase the burden on the healthcare workers is a bit
irresponsible at this time.” Dr Pinder-Butler also questioned what protocols will be in place on Election Day – September 16. “Are persons going to be able to properly social distance? Are persons going to be in their cars? I know customarily everyone dips in the same ink. Have we given thought to how that’s going to work during this COVID time?” she asked. Mr Wells has said there will be sanitizer on site to ensure clean hands when voting. “I don’t know that it would be wise for everyone, and I don’t think it would (be) responsible to have everyone putting their hand in the same ink,” she added. “I hope that all of these things have been given serious thought and if they haven’t they need to at this very moment with the short time that we have left until Election Day.” Earlier this month, Dr
Pinder-Butler said senior doctors along with other medical workers who have shouldered the burden of a COVID-19 induced near collapse of the nation’s healthcare systems were distressed by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis calling a snap election. She said not only was the news ill timed, but it was “troubling” because both private and public facilities were already overwhelmed. The senior doctor said it was extremely “frightening” to come to grips with what now looks like an inevitable skyrocketing of COVID-19 cases in the lead up to the general election. Before Dr Pinder-Butler’s fears were laid bare, Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan told reporters that officials were hoping that people followed measures put in place to safeguard against contracting the virus.
Little social distancing in sight in Bamboo Town By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net FEW social distancing protocols were practised by people who came to support the Bamboo Town candidates of their respective political parties on nomination day on Friday. Scores of campaigners flocked to Carlton Francis Primary School in motorcades to support the various candidates. Due to COVID-19 precaution measures, the media and party supporters were not allowed onto the school campus. However, each candidate was allowed to bring five people with them to the nomination room. About three uniformed officers manned the gate as the candidates entered. Health Minister Renward Wells, who is the FNM’s incumbent for the Bamboo Town constituency, was the first candidate to arrive at the site. When he spoke to reporters, he said he was confident that he would be victorious at the polls. “As I’ve said on two separate occasions in 2012 and 2017, Bamboo Town is going to be the first constituency called in the winning column for Renward Wells and the Free National Movement come general election day,” he said. “There is no doubt, they know the leadership I have brought to this constituency; they know the work that I have done, they can see it, they can feel it, they can touch it (and) not just on the local level of Bamboo Town, but also on the national level.” Mr Wells said he helped to grow food security and sovereignty as minister of agriculture. He also noted his team contributed to improvements at the Post Office, Port Department, Road Traffic Department and the Bahamas Maritime Authority during the time he spent as minister of transport and local government. He added: “I’ve been minister of health for a year and there are 4,000 scientists that were part of an organisation called endcoronavirus.org that said, back in January after the second wave, that The Bahamas is one of 27 countries of the 210 countries around the globe that got it right. That’s proven leadership.” On Friday, a sizable group of FNM supporters gathered close together as they waited for Mr Wells to complete his nomination. While they did not appear to be conscious of health protocols, they dispersed shortly after the health minister left. PLP nominee Patricia Deveaux was the second
THE CROWD outside Carlton Francis Primary School on nomination day attracted criticism online. Photo: Farrah Johnson/Tribune Staff candidate to arrive. She was escorted to Carlton Primary with nearly 20 carloads of PLP supporters, who waved flags and chanted the party’s political slogan as she went through the gates. Mrs Deveaux told reporters she was “ready for the challenge” and certain that Bamboo Town would receive a new representative “come September 16”. “The PLP is going to bring transformational change (and) modernise this country,” she said. “(Opposition Leader) ‘Brave’ Davis is the man for the job and I’m excited to be a part of this process. Bamboo Town, I am here for you, I’ve heard your concerns, I’m still moving around and I’m going to get to your doors and I’m saying to you it’s a new day. Vote Patricia Deveaux on election day and I will bring the change and the transformation that we need. PLP all the way.” As her supporters waited outside the gate for her, they danced in tight clusters to music played by a live DJ. One officer eventually urged the PLP supporters to keep their masks on, but nothing was done to encourage the crowd to disperse or stay six feet apart. At one point, PLP and FNM supporters had a standoff as they screamed the slogans of their respective parties. Nothing was done to part the crowd or encourage them to keep their distance. In stark contrast to the passionate campaigners that came out to support the country’s most seasoned parties, the Democratic National Movement, along with three other newly formed political organisations, drew little to no visible support. Still, the lack of supporters did not deter DNA candidate Omar Smith, who told The Tribune that the country was in desperate need for a change that the PLP nor FNM could help facilitate.
“We need change in our country (and) the PLP and the FNM for decades have been running our country into the ground,” he stated. “I am here as part of the DNA’s plan to rid our country of that and start a new day in our country. A real new day: A new Bahamas where we can strive and achieve our full potential where Bahamians can fully realise the treasure of this country and where our citizenship means something.” Maria Daxon is the representative from the Coalition of Independents vying for the Bamboo Town seat. She said if elected she would be the “voice crying out in the wilderness” for the community. “Renward Wells sat in Parliament and he agreed with Dr Minnis to increase that VAT and he did not listen to the people of Bamboo Town,” she said. “I am here to tell you that I will be crying out for Bamboo Town and what the constituents want. Not what I want, not what (COI leader) Lincoln (Bain) wants, but what the people of Bamboo Town want.” Pallis Lockhart from the Kingdom Government Movement also criticised Mr Wells for what she deemed was a lack of effort in improving Bamboo Town. “Change is coming, now is the time,” she told this newspaper. “We have a lot of work to do in Bamboo Town due to the neglect of the former representative.” The final candidate to nominate himself was Garth Maynard Roseboro from the United Coalition Party. He said while his party may not be as well-known, he is no stranger to the Bamboo Town constituency. “I’m from Bamboo Town and I’ve been here for over 40 years. They call me the landlord. I’m always in the community, my apartment buildings are in Bamboo Town, my business is in Bamboo Town, I am Bamboo Town,” Mr Roseboro said.
PAGE 6, Monday, August 30, 2021
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A nomination day of crowds and COVID NOMINATION day is a landmark in the Bahamian political world. Normally, it is a riot of colour and sound as candidates make the most of their moment as they hand over $400 to confirm their nomination. Would COVID-19 make a difference? Sadly, not as much as it should have done. There has been talk of a need for campaigning to be more cautious to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Let’s be clear here – encouraging the spread can cost lives. So what did we see? Motorcades, gatherings, a packed truck making its way around Fox Hill, a Junkanoo contingent, and more. Over at Carlton Francis Primary School, where Bamboo Town candidates were nominating, people were crowded together, sparking criticism online. And that’s the current Minister of Health’s constituency. The president of the Consultant Physicians Staff Association was among those to be critical of the behaviour on nomination day. Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler said: “People were hugging, shaking hands – all of those things – and so we’re really hopeful that they were sanitizing and keeping those things in mind. Unfortunately, we knew from what we’ve seen in other countries that certain events like those does cause further increase in cases and so when we are already in a serious critical state in the country – as we are in this COVID pandemic – and you know severe cases will increase loss of life that we’ve seen certainly in this month of August, that is something that is most troubling.” As for the scenes at Carlton Francis, Dr Pinder-Butler said it sent “mixed messages to our people, which is something that we’ve been challenged with
throughout the handling of this pandemic and even worse as we now continue to have people dying every day from COVID”. Dr Pinder-Butler is right. When people see political leaders – those who would lead our country as we try to deal with the pandemic – surrounded by supporters, all closely packed and hugging and dancing, how can those leaders turn round and tell those same people that they can’t go out after curfew, they must socially distance and so on? How can they tell them not to go and visit their family members in case it spreads the disease when those leaders are at the centre of a Junkanoo parade on the way to nomination? Even if every single person in those groups is fully vaccinated, that still doesn’t mean the disease cannot spread in such gatherings – and be carried back to those who are not fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, meanwhile, has said that the FNM will hold a series of political events that will set an example of how to hold such events safely in a world of COVID-19. We would hope Dr Minnis – and his counterpart at the PLP, Philip “Brave” Davis, will go further than that and directly criticise those who don’t set a good example. Every election is important – but this one, in the wake of Hurricane Dorian and the effects of the pandemic, is perhaps more important than any before. But it shouldn’t be held at the cost of people’s lives. Let’s vote. But let’s do it safely. And if any candidate doesn’t care enough about people’s lives that they’re willing to campaign safely, then that candidate doesn’t deserve your vote, whatever the colour of their shirt.
Problems in getting the vaccine EDITOR, The Tribune. I’M REACHING out to you hoping that light can be shed on the issue of the difficulty that some face getting a vaccine. I have a handful of employees that I have finally convinced to get themselves and their children of age vaccinated. Upon getting there, one was turned away because he wasn’t the parent that signed their child up for the vaccine, although he is the father of the chid. The mother that signed the child up was working and unable to bring the child at the time of the appointment. What sense does this make?! In another case an employee was turned away because he presented his foreign passport (the vax. gov.bs website states government ID) the man had to leave to go get his NIB card. Again, what sense does this make?! It has been very difficult to convince the men to get vaccinated and not until we lost our lead man and good friend to COVID, 12 days after he became infected, did they finally agree that it was the right thing to do. I’m attaching a photo of the
website statement that just a government ID is necessary. I’ve heard the excuse for why the father was turned away and it doesn’t hold water, the volunteer should have considered the real life circumstances and made the decision that is best for everyone. At this time everyone that wants a vaccine should be given one, nobody benefits by turning someone away. That person had to likely take time off from work and just as it was difficult for me to convince my employees, there are many others that are nervous and may not bother to return. It is possible that one person turned away could lead to future infections and unnecessary deaths. Why isn’t common sense being used in this process? Now is not the time for bureaucratic, petty, short-sighted behaviour. My expectation is that something as critical as this would be executed with the goal in mind of vaccinating those that want it, and to convince those that are afraid to do it, to get the vaccine shot. Under normal circumstances I would not complain or reach out to
the paper but today one of my best friends is being buried in Long Island and he would have survived if he was vaccinated. It breaks my heart that he leaves his wife and four children, of which three are still in school, behind to face many hard decisions on their own, and that he won’t be there to guide them as his father did for him. He was the smartest and most brilliant carpenter I ever knew. He had the ability to see many steps ahead as we built difficult projects. He was also the best mechanic and anything he did, he became an expert at. He had so much knowledge and love to give to his boys and family and that won’t happen because of COVID. That is why I’m taking the time to write to you, because we will all eventually have a tragic story like this to share and we should all do our part to end this. Let’s not give people on the fence a reason to not get vaccinated, we need them to please use common sense and remove all obstacles in the process. JAMES BLAKE III Nassau, August 29, 2021
LW Young and broke candidates EDITOR, The Tribune.
LEON Walter Young, better known to us as L W Young, was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1912, during the governorship of either Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter or Sir William GreyWilson. A carpenter and building contractor by profession, Young would serve in Parliament for the Eastern District of New Providence, from the aforementioned 1912 to 1942 – the year of the Burma Road Riots. Like his contemporaries C C Sweeting, S C McPherson, R M Bailey and A F Adderley, Young was a prominent Black Bahamian that the White oligarchs viewed as the defacto leader of the Black population. Young passed away in 1962 - six years after the Magnificent Six of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) was elected to the House of Assembly and nine years after that party was formed by Sir Henry Taylor, Cyril Stevenson and William Cartwright. Adderley died in 1953, the year the PLP was established. Had he lived long enough to see the formation of the United Bahamian Party in 1956, I believe Adderley would’ve supported that political organisation. As for Young, despite living during the first nine years of the PLP’s existence, I am not aware of any historical information that suggests that he supported that party or the youthful Sir Lynden Pindling. Three years into his first tenure as MP, an issue arose concerning Young’s financial qualifications to sit in the House of Assembly. The narrative on the streets of Nassau was that Young was flat broke. According to Bahamianology, the Magistrate Court in November 1914 ruled that Young owed a plaintiff £11 2s. 9d. Young paid the judgment. He would also produce a Royal Bank of Canada cheque for £200 and a title deed for a plot of land on Shirley Street for the Committee on Qualifications that was formed by the White colonial administration in the House of
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Assembly. In 1915, £200 had the purchasing power of US$7,163.04 – a fortune during that time – and even today. Members of the select committee included Robert Henry Curry (Andros); Ernest Lenkard Bowen (Southern District of New Providence); George Weech (City District) and Aubrey Kenneth Solomon (Abaco). This committee of White power brokers were not only tasked with probing the financial state of Young, but his nationality as well. It was established by the select committee that Young was still a British subject, despite unsuccessfully applying for American citizenship in South Florida. The £200 cheque was ironclad proof that the Eastern District MP was financially solvent. That was 106 years ago. In over three weeks, Bahamians will be heading back to the polls to elect a new government. On Nomination Day, candidates from the Free National Movement, PLP, fringe political parties and Independents will all be officially nominated, after depositing a paltry sum of $400. I believe, however, that this deposit is too small. It should be increased to at least $2,000. In Australia, for example, candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate must come up with a deposit of $2,000. In Hong Kong, candidates for geographical constituencies must deposit $50,000, while functional constituency candidates deposit $25,000. In order to recoup their deposits, Hong Kong candidates must get at least three percent of the valid votes cast. For Bahamian candidates, they should also be required to produce a bank statement that says that they have a minimum of $10,000 in savings. They should also own, at the very least, a piece of property. As Young was rigorously vetted by the colonial
administration to ascertain his financial fitness for the House of Assembly, the same lofty standards should be applied to today’s candidates. What makes Young’s situation so unique by today’s standards is the fact that MPs back then were not paid. Young and his fellow MPs served freely, while today’s MPs are paid $28,000 annually. I stand to be corrected, but I believe that MPs started receiving a stipend from the Treasury in the sixties. Back then, Bahamians who ran for high office had a source of income via a job or a business. You didn’t enter Parliament to earn a living. Today, far too many are seeking to enter Parliament with ulterior motives. Some of the candidates have little to no savings at all; no job or even a plot of land. How can you campaign on fixing the Bahamian economy when you are chronically jobless and don’t even have a penny to your name? How can you campaign on improving housing when you are chronically renting? How can you campaign on fiscal prudence when you are deep in debt? And how can you campaign on improving public transportation when you don’t even own a decent automobile? If an individual candidate is flat broke, what will be the first thing he does once he is elected to the House of Assembly? Without a moral compass, he would obviously be looking to improve his financial situation instead of looking out for the interests of his constituents. Putting financially insolvent candidates in the House of Assembly is similar to unsupervised children in a candy store. The time has come for Bahamian voters to demand that only accomplished Bahamians from the private sector are elected to Parliament. I believe that this would go a long way in reducing corruption. The White oligarchs in LW Young’s day obviously understood this. KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama August 25, 2021.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, August 30, 2021, PAGE 7
Confidence in Carmichael - but only one will win By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net CANDIDATES for the Carmichael constituency presented themselves at Gerald Cash Primary School for nomination on Friday, each expressing full confidence that they will win the seat for their respective political parties. Works Minister Desmond Bannister, who won the constituency in 2017, former Progressive Liberal Party Cabinet minister Keith Bell and Democratic National Alliance leader Arinthia Komolafe are all vying for the seat. Nine-year-old Tyronique Taylor, a student of Gerald Cash Primary School, presented Mr Bannister as the FNM’s candidate to presiding officer Gregory Butler. Mr Bannister told the press he is confident that the FNM will retain governance. “The Bahamian people are going to support the Free National Movement,” he said. “At the same time we are going to be socially distancing in this election. We are going to follow the law, follow all the protocols and stay safe. We want everyone to exercise their democratic rights safely. “There is a democracy in our country, which has been unchallenged throughout our history. We’ve always been able to have free and fair elections and I am just grateful that the people of Carmichael nominated me to carry their banner in this election. We continued to build the Carmichael community. We are not in this for glamour or show. “We are in this to do the job we are doing for our communities. The people of Carmichael have confidence in me. I feel that
DESMOND Bannister with nine-year-old Gerald Cash student Tyronique Taylor, who presented his documents. Photos: Tanya Smith-Cartwright/Tribune Staff confidence will continue throughout this election based on everything that’s said. We have a lot more work to do. As a nation, there has never been a four year period in the history of our country where so much has been accomplished,” he said. Mrs Komalafe showed up to nominate with a full Junkanoo contingent playing melodies that had even press core and school staff dancing. She nominated herself and said in the next few weeks she and her party will be more visible. “This is a great day,” said Mrs Komolafe, who wore an elaborate Junkanoo headpiece. “It is good for me to be back home. In 2017, I was in Killarney. That was my new home, but this is my old homestead so it’s good to be here to put myself forward for the people that helped to raise me and make me who I am.” She said the DNA will be speaking about its policies and promoting its candidates in the coming days and weeks.
PLP: WE’LL BUILD NEW HOSPITAL By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Progressive Liberal Party has promised to build a new hospital on New Providence through a public private partnership while making improvements to Princess Margaret Hospital. The pledge is outlined in the party’s “Blueprint for Change” plan, which was released on Friday night. The party also pledged to build a new hospital in Grand Bahama through a PPP, one that would serve as the medical hub for the northern Bahamas. New satellite clinics and major investments in mini hospitals in Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera are also planned if the PLP wins the next general election, according to the document. The party also pledged to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for growing, harvesting and exporting cannabis “so that the industry creates opportunities for many, not just a few.” It said it would ensure all Bahamians are given full access to development and have a fair opportunity to become owners in this new industry and develop robust regulations to strictly monitor and minimise the impact on The Bahamas’ international reputation. The PLP also said it would expunge the records of those convicted of minor offences related to the use
of marijuana as well as those convicted of minor offences due to violations of emergency orders. Regarding social relief, the PLP said it would increase senior citizen’s pensions “to assist with an enhanced quality of life” and use Urban Renewal to help struggling Bahamians who are falling through the cracks. The PLP said it will make sloop sailing the country’s national sport and will introduce swimming classes as part of the school curriculum. The PLP said it will “launch a tertiary school for visual, performing and recording arts to develop world class skins in the Orange Economy.” Some of the party’s plans were previously announced in March when party leaders unveiled their economic plan at the Balmoral Club. This includes a plan to reduce value added tax to ten percent, although party officials have not said if they will remove current exemptions for breadbasket items. The party also says it will support an increase in the minimum wage to $250 per week and advocate for a living wage. The PLP has said it will embrace the National Development Plan which was drafted under the Christie administration. The release of the document on Friday came as the party held a candidate launch event on Facebook.
“We believe that this is the best opportunity that we have now to enter the House of Parliament and we are very confident in our chances in this election. We are very confident. This is our third time going into a general election. We believe that the third time’s
JUST did it - Keith Bell’s shoes that he wore for his nomination. the charm. “We’ve put a lot of work in over the last four years.” For his part, Mr Bell said he is confident the PLP will win on September 16. He said the PLP is promoting vaccinations and a safe general election campaign. “My family is vaccinated,
our supporters are fully vaccinated or awaiting their second shots. Apart from that we have been following the protocols to the tee,” Mr Bell said. He said the upcoming election is a critical one. “I think this is going to be the most critical election
since the 1967 election because it will determine our economic stability. I think the prime minister did this country a grave disservice, especially young people, because he called a snap election and he did that to disenfranchise young people and those people who did not have the chance to go and register. “He is using tactics and at the same time violating the fundamental rights enshrined in our written constitution. He is hoping for low voter turnout. He is hoping that all those persons who didn’t get a chance to register, enables him to get across the finish line. We remain steadfast and immovable.” Three other people are vying for the Carmichael seat. They are Charlotte Green from the Coalition for Independents, Thomas O’Brien Knowles, an independent candidate, and Samuel Allen Johnson, of Kingdom Government Movement.
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MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2021
AFGHANS in hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport on Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. Photo: Wali Sabawoon/AP
The lessons of Afghanistan should not go unheeded By DAI QINGLI, Chinese ambassador to The Bahamas THE HEARTWRENCHING scenes in Afghanistan in recent days, which culminated in horrendous terrorist attacks in Kabul airport, sent shock waves across the world and generated much soulsearching in the West. The chaos, desperation, and uncertainty unleashed in the aftermath of Taliban’s rapid take-over of the country was rightfully interpreted as a drastic policy failure of its foreign occupiers. Afghanistan hasn’t got its reputation of “graveyard of empires” for nothing. Following the footsteps of ancient Persians, Greeks and Arabs, the British, Russians and Americans in recent decades have one after another ran into a stone wall in Afghanistan. The country’s harsh terrains, inhospitable weather, fragmentation along religious, ethnic, tribal and warlord lines, coupled with a geo-strategically complicated neighbourhood, have made it hard enough to conquer but almost impossible to occupy. Fighting terrorism through military occupation has backfired. And the attempt to bring western-style democracy as an underpinning for counter-terrorism failed. For all the intentions of outside troops to go in to “help”, the perception of the locals is that foreigners are coming into their country to kill their people. This makes the military mission a self-defeating exercise. When bombs are dropped from the sky and doors are broken into at any time, what use is there to talk about protecting Afghan women and children? The occupation has not produced self-sustaining governance or alleviated the sufferings of the Afghan people. For the majority of Afghans, supporting the Taliban and rejecting foreign intervention are two sides of the same coin. They chose the Taliban over foreign forces, not because everyone loves the Taliban, but because the Taliban is more preferable to foreign forces and their proxies
PRESIDENT Joe Biden watches as a Navy carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Navy Corpsman Maxton W Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware yesterday. According to the Department of Defense, Soviak died in an attack at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport, along with 12 other US service members. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP who are seen as inept and human rights or prosperity of ordinary Afghan people to address both symptoms were killed in the name of and root causes. It must be corrupt. The Taliban in the for the local communities. At the end of the day, it counter-terrorism. More led and owned by the counmeanwhile has changed tactics by reaching out to other is up to the people of any than 10 million became ref- try itself and supported by ethnic groups and regional country to explore the right ugees in their own country, international cooperation. rulers to build support. political system and path of and economic losses were The 30 million plus It has also sent messages development suited to their estimated at 60 million US Afghan people deserve about inclusive govern- national conditions. That’s dollars a day. better. They have known This shows that simplistic nothing but turmoil and ment and more respect for the true spirit of democracy. Outsiders can provide and arbitrary application of deprivation in the past four women. So far the soul-search- constructive help, but not force can not tackle the root decades. With the Taliban in ing in the West has been do the job for the locals or causes of terrorism, which place, there is a real chance has a lot to do with poverty, the Afghan-led, Afghanlargely focused on the lack impose solutions. And two, what is the backwardness, and ethnic owned process can be of planning for the retreat and on not finding a more chance of success if one and sectarian strife. In a implemented on the ground. effective and less corrupt fights terrorism without delicate international and For all the misgivings partner in the Afghan gov- addressing the underlying external environment such expressed about the Talias the one in which Afghan- ban, given the fast-evolving ernment who could resist needs of nation building? According to Professor istan finds itself, moving in situation on the ground, the advancing Taliban. Yet the fundamental Jeffrey Sachs of Colum- with overwhelming force is the world should give it the issues are two-fold. First, bia University, only two similar to unleashing a bull benefit of the doubt and what is the chance of percent of US spending into a china shop. The ram- work with it to facilitate a success if one tries to sim- in Afghanistan went into page would trigger greater peaceful transition and help plistically apply foreign infrastructure and poverty antagonism towards out- with the reconstruction of programmes. side forces, makes extremist the country while respectmodels to countries with reduction even more ing the sovereignty and the completely different histor- Such meagre generosity ideologies ical, cultural and national wouldn’t create a strong appealing, and end up cre- will of the Afghan people. sense of stake among the ating more problems than conditions? The situation will remain It’s like plucking a flower local people in the success they purport to solve. fluid and uncertain for many At the end of the day, months if not years to come. from its roots and putting of the foreign-led mission. Almost always, the cost there is no magic cure to The key factors to look out it in a vase for display. The flower may look equally of military intervention the terrorism scourge. It is for would be: one, whether a contest of strength, will the Taliban would be able fresh and appealing, yet dwarfs the gains. Despite two trillion and stamina. The perceived to restore peace and put in once the water in the vase runs dry, it will wither away. US dollars funnelled to justness of the cause and place an open and incluIn fact, it’s hard to Afghanistan and 2400 mili- support of the local people sive political framework; think of many success sto- tary casualties, the number hold the key to counter-ter- two, whether it will follow ries whereby replicating of terrorist organizations rorism success. It has to be moderate and steady poliwestern-style governance in Afghanistan increased a people’s war underpinned cies; three, whether it will without a proper institu- from a single digit number by a combination of politi- commit to fighting all tertional foundation has led to to more than 20 in the past cal, economic, security and rorist organizations in the lasting peace, protection of 20 years. Tens of thousands social strategies that seek country, such as the IS-K
(Islamic State-Khorasan) who perpetrated the deadly blasts at Kabul airport, and protect Afghanistan from again becoming a haven for terrorists. The Taliban has its work cut out for it. The prospect of continued turbulence, localized civil wars and economic collapse are real and the risks are growing. The pressing task at hand is for the United States as the dominant power who started all this to sort out the chaotic situation at Kabul airport and work with the international community to deliver emergency economic and humanitarian assistance. Rather than making a hasty retreat that will only be exploited by terrorist organizations, US and NATO forces should withdraw responsibly. China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken of China’s readiness to work with the United States to promote a soft landing of the situation. He urged the US to continue assisting Afghanistan in suppressing terrorist violence while respecting the country’s sovereignty and do so without applying double standards or a selective approach. As a close neighbour and sincere friend of Afghanistan, China will continue to encourage peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and provide whatever help within our capacity to facilitate economic recovery. Afghanistan’s other neighbours and the wider international community who all have a stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan also have a positive role to play through offering help and assistance. This is not a time for a new geopolitical game in Afghanistan. The talk about a void opening up is premature, if not downright irresponsible, and it would be too early to predict the end of the international order as we know it. No one knows for sure what tomorrow will bring to this war-torn country. Yet it would be beneficial to the world if the lessons of Afghanistan are heeded and future tragedies avoided.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2021 PAGE 9
TOUGH DECISIONS LIE AHEAD AND THAT MAY MEAN MANDATED VACCINES By MALCOLM STRACHAN
POLITICAL factions and Bahamians alike, enjoy the lead up to election day. The chest rattling vibrations of booming stereo systems accompanied by pom-pom shaking party supporters is an energy unlike any other in The Bahamas. Undeniably, election season is nearly as culturally affixed to who we are as Bahamians as Junkanoo. But soon, the music will fade and we will have to snap back to reality and the task that lies ahead. August is shaping up to be worst month of our war with COVID-19 since the very first infection was announced by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minns in March 2020. With 11 new deaths reported between August 20 and August 23, our death toll stood at 354. Do not be fooled, the next Government of The Bahamas knows it will have to make some unpopular decisions. For whatever reason, none of the major political parties have engaged in their own public education campaigns on COVID-19 vaccines - perhaps chalking it up to a lost cause – and so it is likely other measures will be taking place. Two things that took place last week, in particular, lead us to this belief. The Twitterverse went PEOPLE line up for the Pfizer vaccine at Kendal Issacs Gym earlier this month. into somewhat of a craze about how to respond and against the thought of a willingness to make tough as the term “COVID-22” deal with the pandemic mandate, as we are cur- and unpopular decisions, was trending throughout should also evolve.” rently forced to take other our next government ought the week. It all began when He added: “Now as we FDA approved mandated to be getting prepared to Swiss Professor of Synthetic start to think about 2022, vaccinations to send our make some of its own. Immunology, Sai Reddy, in we again need to consider children to school. If we’re being honest, as an interview with a German how to respond to COVIDWhile approvals for the death toll continues to newspaper discussing 19. My thoughts mentioned children have not been rise and families would like COVID-19 variants, termed above make it clear that announced as yet, parents to see some form of justice the Delta variant increasing vacci- will likely soon be unable for what must feel like a “COVID-21” nation and access to refuse the shot – at killing of their loved one, ‘Tall tasks and said the to vaccination is least if they want to keep following in ref- lie ahead the most impor- their jobs, not just take a erence to what for the next COVID-19 test. tant priority.” he viewed as the After the US donated But before you government. inevitability of breathe a sigh 128,700 doses of Pfizer, a future variant Our economy, of relief that as which will be followed by an barring rapid and while tourism yet there is not additional 57,600 through widespread vaca more transmis- the COVAX facility before has shown cine acceptance. sible, deadlier the end of this year, vac“It is the next some life, variant as yet, cinations can be mandated phase of the has suffered trend analysis for up to 93,000 people – pandemic when shows it is only more if some citizens have Beta or Gamma significant a matter of time. already taken their first become more body blows. This may have jab of Pfizer. Scientists, infectious or And even been a part of medical professionals and Delta develops the strategy politicians are all looking escape muta- tourism which led to the for more approvals to come tions. That will remains in a Prime Minister with Moderna and Johnson be the big probcalling an early & Johnson predicted not to very fragile lem for the be too far behind. election. coming year. state if our Mandating vaccines Dr Minnis has COVID-22 could vaccination to know some- would have been a political get worse than thing major has nightmare with an election what we are wit- numbers to happen and looming. But with COVID nessing now,” he remain so low.’ soon. out of control and vaccine said. The US Cent- hesitancy mixing into a Of course, there is sci- ers for Disease Control and deadly cocktail, whichever entifically no such thing Prevention has again issued party wins the next election as COVID-22, as this a Level 4 Travel Advisory can safely mandate vaccinawas quickly debunked by due to our COVID num- tions - at the very least for some of his contemporar- bers, and with a bottom civil servants. After all, it is ies and later clarified by ranking 13 percent vaccina- obviously not as unsafe as Reddy. Seeking to set the tion rate in the region, we’re many people thought and record straight, he spoke to all but pleading for tougher the people that trafficked in popular US media outlet, measures to be enforced by misinformation would have Newsweek. the government. However, led you to believe. “I of course agree that the we can be certain that they Tall tasks lie ahead for proper and correct usage are on the way. the next government. Our of the term for the disease The recent approval by economy, while tourism caused by SARS-CoV-2 is the US Food and Drug has shown some life, has COVID-19. I unfortunately Administration (FDA) of suffered significant body did not realise that my use the Pfizer vaccine could blows. And even tourof the term ‘COVID-21’ or mean that mandates are ism remains in a very ‘COVID-22’ would lead to in the pipeline. Wait-and- fragile state if our vaccinasuch a reaction. watch can no longer be an tion numbers remain so “What I meant to convey option. No longer will citi- low. As President Biden was that as SARS-CoV-2 zens be able to push back is already showing his evolves literally, our thinking
Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff mandating vaccinations may very well be the right decision. The autonomy being offered to the Bahamian people in relation to the COVID-19 vaccines has become far too dangerous for everyone in society. Moreover, as talks surrounding the possibility
of a new and potentially more dangerous variant threatens to arise later in the year, it may be helpful to provide those procrastinating over taking the vaccine some helpful encouragement. Too many lives have been lost and too much time has been wasted.
PAGE 10 MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2021
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
The world shuts down THERE are some days when getting out of bed comes with great ease and other times when it is a hard-fought mountainous struggle. The latter rang true for a 40-year-old married mother-of-two in early March 2020. On the heels of losing both her mother and father-in law in a tragic accident, she awoke to a feeling of complete fatigue with a nagging headache. As a non-insulin dependent diabetic, she immediately checked her blood sugar but it was within the normal range. Her husband, a police officer, exhibited similar symptoms the week prior so she assumed it was the flu and proceeded with her day. Over the next few days her symptoms worsened to include fever, a dry cough, diffuse body ache and chest pain. She saw her family doctor, was diagnosed with the flu and prescribed Tylex Flu and Allegra. When that didn’t work, she returned and was prescribed a course of oral steroids and antibiotics which helped for two days. Her breathing soon became so constricted and laboured that walking less than five steps caused severe gasping for air. She was rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital and immediately placed on oxygen. A COVID-19 test was additionally performed two weeks after her symptoms first appeared and results were positive. At the time, the number of cases in The Bahamas was less than 50 (we’re now at 14,654 recovered
‘This pandemic has plagued the entire world and wrought global economic devastation most disconcertingly felt by Third World countries. We remain knee-deep in this health crisis.’
and 2883 active) and very little was known about this virus so treatment options were few and far between. Accordingly, she was released from the hospital after one night and advised to take over-the-counter cough medicine as needed. Every time she coughed it sounded like an intense drum beat; the vibrations rocking both her chest and vocal cords. Her symptoms persisted unabated and were so severe she opted to self-treat with a nebulizer, oral antibiotics, ginger tea and vitamins. During this time several other members of her family exhibited COVIS19 symptoms, albeit not as
severely. It took six weeks for her symptoms to subside entirely and to this day she describes it as one of the scariest times in her life. Her sister continues to experience shortness of breath a full year later and has to be nebulized at least once a week. Her struggles were exacerbated by the fact that 11 months after contracting COVID-19 her husband’s aorta burst and he had to have emergency heart surgery. Fortunately, he survived but questions remain regarding what role, if any, COVID-19 played in his disease progress. This pandemic has plagued the entire world and wrought global
economic devastation most disconcertingly felt by Third World countries. We remain knee-deep in this health crisis which in fact appears to have only gotten worse after a brief sabbatical of confident assurance that we were winning the battle. While most people infected with COVID-19 will develop only mild to moderate symptoms and recover without hospitalization, in less than two years since its emergence there remains 196 million cases and over four million deaths worldwide attributed to this disease. The greatest safeguard currently at our disposal is to get vaccinated but the stigma and misinformation surrounding the various vaccines available has left The Bahamas lagging at near last with regards to country inoculation rates. Dr Merceline DahlRegis, public health pioneer and former Chief Medical Officer, has continuously expounded the virtues of getting vaccinated but even health care workers within the public hospital system (whom arguably have the absolute greatest exposure risk) are refusing to do so. The argument among detractors that it causes blood clots and poses an unnecessary health risk are not without merit but that risk is mitigated by the chance of dying from COVID-19 and the fact that blood clots are similarly associated with taking birth control, pregnancy, surgery, smoking, prolonged inactivity and obesity to name a few.
Other arguments like it’s a way for Bill Gates and the government to control the world population, implant magnetic chips and track us, create zombies and/or give rise to mass extinction quite literally spans the absolute vortex of absurdity. Others that state the vaccine was made too quickly so they want to wait and see have little understanding of the fact that the vaccine wasn’t synthesized from scratch. There are hundreds of coronaviruses – most notably those that cause the common cold and were blamed for the SARS epidemic in 2002 - so their structure, genome and life cycle have been studied for over 50 years. Having access to that existing data, early funding and removal of government red-tape is what fostered and accelerated COVID-19 vaccine development. French President Emmanuel Macron in midJuly stated that citizens of France must be fully vaccinated to shop in grocery stores. This rule already exists in Italy, where you also have to be fully vaccinated to enter shops and sporting arenas. Germany appears to be following suit as will Russia and China should their numbers continue to spike unabated. The Bahamas already restricts indoor dining to only the fully vaccinated and I suspect further restrictions will come once it is mainstream in the US and Canada. Since it’s been safe for airlines to resume travel, it’s been postulated that they will restrict flights
as well. I believe that in short order getting vaccinated will be paramount should citizens wish to maintain their civil liberties and not have them encroached further. That then calls into question how much of these liberties are we as a nation willing to forego to protect ourselves and our loved ones? And will these protectionary measures in time be viewed as sound measures of national security or purely bombastic government over-reach? It also beggars the question, what responsibility do we hold to protect those around us and what are their responsibilities to us? The ramifications of this pandemic are far reaching and it will be with us for many, many years to come. I encourage everyone to consult with your family physician and loved ones and give serious consideration to getting vaccinated as soon as possible. Wear a mask, sanitize frequently and please call your healthcare provider immediately if you are having any symptoms or have been exposed to anyone with symptoms of COVID-19. Nick-named ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D. Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the Deputy chairman for the Health Council for 5 years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-Vice-chairman.
DR MERCELINE DAHL-REGIS, public health pioneer and former Chief Medical Officer, has continuously expounded the virtues of getting vaccinated.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, August 30, 2021, PAGE 11
Grand Bahama woman injured in shooting A GRAND Bahama woman is in hospital after being shot on Thursday. Police said they received a report of a shooting in Jones Town, Eight Mile Rock, around 8pm. Initial investigations revealed that a man and a woman were at a local business. While there, the man got into an argument with another man who he knew. The man and the woman then left the business in a vehicle when they were approached by an unknown man who fired several gunshots into their vehicle. The driver sped off with his vehicle hitting a utility pole. The female passenger received gunshot injuries to her body. The male driver fled the scene unharmed, police said. The victim was taken to Rand Memorial Hospital, where she is listed in serious, but stable condition. A man is in police custody assisting with this investigation. Grand Bahama police also said 30 Haitian migrants are in custody after they were found in an apartment complex before 11pm on Thursday. They are suspected of being undocumented. Police said they executed a search warrant at an apartment complex on Outlaw Lane where they discovered 30 Haitians — 15 men, 13 women and two juveniles — hiding inside. They were all arrested and taken to the Department of Immigration. BULLET holes on the vehicle hit by gunfire in Jones Town on Thursday. An investigation is continuing.
Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
ONE DEAD AND MORE THAN 50 MIGRANTS DETAINED MORE than 50 migrants and one deceased individual were taken to Inagua after they were discovered on a cay in the Southern Bahamas on Thursday morning by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. During a routine patrol by a RBDF aircraft shortly after 8am, a group of migrants was spotted in the vicinity of Man-O-War Cay and Jumentos Cays. The RBDF said sea-going assets were immediately deployed to the area to investigate. HMBS Rolly Gray, under the command of Senior Lieutenant Ricardo McQueen, arrived in the area shortly before noon and discovered the Haitian migrants, along with one deceased individual. After the migrants were taken aboard the RBDF craft, a thorough search of the cay ensued. The migrants, mostly dehydrated, received medical attention from RBDF medical personnel in Ragged Island before being transported to Inagua for processing and repatriation.
13,000 PEOPLE VACCINATED IN THE BAHAMAS LAST WEEK By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
MORE than 13,000 people were vaccinated in The Bahamas last week, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. The jabs were administered in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco, he said, adding that on one of those days 2,975 doses were given. This was the highest number of doses administered in a single day since the vaccine campaign was launched, Dr Minnis said. Speaking to supporters Saturday night during a Free National Movement political event, Dr Minnis said data showed that parents were bringing their children for the vaccines in “very good numbers.”
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis at the FNM drive-in rally on Saturday. Photo: Racardo Thomas/ Tribune Staff Further, he said of the doses administered in New Providence in the past week, 90 percent were first doses. On Sunday, government
officials said 146,738 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered as of August 28. The latest vaccine tracker says 91,967 people have received one dose of the vaccine while 57,593 people have been fully vaccinated. Despite the progress made, the Prime Minister said more deaths will occur as many remain unvaccinated. “This past week from Monday to Friday more than 13,000 vaccines were administered on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco,” Dr Minnis said. “On the highest day, 2,975 vaccines were administered. The data shows that parents are bringing their children out to be vaccinated in very good numbers. Of the doses administered in New Providence this past week 90
percent were first doses and this is very good news. “We are making progress,” Dr Minnis continued. “Every Bahamian now knows someone who passed away because of this virus. We continue to mourn them all and to pray for their families. Let us pray also for those who are ill in hospital or at home. “I need you to help us end this wave. The hospitals are full. I need you to come forward quickly and get vaccinated. This virus is becoming a killer. “More deaths will occur without vaccination. I speak to you tonight as a doctor, a doctor who cares about his patients. “I also speak to you tonight as a prime minister, a prime minister who loves his country and loves his citizens. Our brothers and
TWO DIVERS DIE ‘FROM BENDS’ from page one
Some loved ones hit the vehicles and physically tried to stop them from leaving as screams of grief filled the air. At the scene, police press liaison Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters shortly after 1pm, police received calls of the drownings that occurred in the vicinity of Rose Island. The victims were brought ashore at the Montagu dock. The officers responded, and on their arrival, they met the captain of a 21-foot fishing vessel who pointed to two men in his boat who were unresponsive. Emergency Medical Services were summoned and following their assessment of the victims they were pronounced dead. “Our initial investigations into this matter suggest that a crew of three left on a fishing trip this morning around 9am. Following their expedition on a particular drop, they would’ve caught a number of fish and came up onto the boat. As they were going to their next drop, one of the divers collapsed on
THE BODIES are brought back to shore on board a boat. board the boat,” ASP Peters added. “The captain then stopped the vessel and began to render first aid. At that time, the second diver realised that his colleague might have been suffering from what is known as ‘the bends,’ he too then jumped overboard
in an attempt to decompress his body.” The bends, or decompression sickness, is caused by rapid changes in pressure while diving. It can be fatal. “While the captain was rendering first aid to the first victim, he noticed that the second diver while overboard was floating. So he then stopped his assistance and retrieved that diver from the water and attempted to render first aid. However, he had to bring both victims to the dock here on Montagu,” ASP Peters said. He said the deaths have not yet been classified and the boat’s captain is assisting with the investigation into the incident. He also said: “We encourage the men of this particular craft to exercise the necessary due care in using the apparatus that are necessary to go down and retrieve fish at the depths that we were told these fishermen went to. We don’t know the circumstances – why it happened, how it happened. I’m not a professional in this area.” ASP Peters said the victims are between 40 and 56 years old.
sisters are losing their lives to this virus. “My administration has secured three of the best vaccines in the world. We have secured more than half a million doses and to end this wave and to end this phase of the pandemic we need you to get vaccinated quickly. The vaccines offer lifesaving protection. The vaccines are safe, and they are effective.” Dr Minnis again stressed that by getting vaccinated, every Bahamian will do their part to end the pandemic and help the country’s economy to fully reopen. “This would mean more
jobs for all of us. This would mean more businesses being created and existing businesses expanding. I am pleased with how more and more people are coming forward to take the shots. Now remember the leader of the opposition, he wanted the bars to be open. Now I am talking to you about taking the vaccine shots. I don’t know what kind of shots he (is) talking about with opening the bars. Those of you who haven’t, now is the time to get vaccinated,” Dr Minnis said. To make a vaccine appointment, visit vax.gov. bs.
Death Notice for CHRISTINE PATRICE TUCKER, 58
Sean D. Pratt L.F.D&E, C.E.O
Of Cordia Street, Pinewood Gardens, died at her residence on Saturday, August 21st, 2021. She is survived by her husband: Thomas Tucker; 2 daughters: Shakera Dawkins & Dereca Cummings; 4 Grandsons: Vitori Taylor, Anwar Strachan, Sanchio & Santavio Dawkins; 2 granddaughters: Ryann Bowe & Treve Moss; 2 Brothers: John Anthony Moss & Gary Moss; 2 sisters: Donell Wilson & Kendralynn Moss. Numerous nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
Aid airlift for Haiti
PAGE 12, Monday, August 30, 2021
JACOB BLAKE HOPEFUL HE’LL WALK SOON CHICAGO Associated Press
A BLACK man who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a white police officer in Wisconsin expects to be walking soon, an accomplishment he says is tempered by fears of it happening again. Jacob Blake Jr was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer in August 2020, three months after George Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota. Blake’s shooting set off days of violent protests in the city of about 100,000 people located midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Blake tells CNN he was able to take a few steps during his son’s birthday celebration this past week, which he compared to sliding his legs through a woodchipper. Although he was “so geeked” by the moment that followed months of physical rehabilitation, he is not claiming victory. “Yeah, I’m here, and yeah I’m about to be walking, but I really don’t feel like I have survived because it could happen to me again,” Blake told the network. “I have not survived until something has changed.”
ED ASNER DIES AGED 91 LOS ANGELES Associated Press ED ASNER, the burly and prolific character actor who became a star in middle age as the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, first in the hit comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later in the drama Lou Grant, died Sunday. He was 91.
ED Asner pictured in 2010. Asner’s representative confirmed the actor’s death. Asner’s official Twitter account included a note from his children: “We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.” Built like the football lineman he once was, the balding Asner was a journeyman actor in films and TV when he was hired in 1970 to play Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He also played Santa Claus in Will Ferrell’s hit film Elf and the voice of the elderly hero in the hit 2009 Pixar release, Up.
ASSASSIN OF ROBERT KENNEDY FREE ON PAROLE SAN DIEGO Associated Press
FOR 15 years, Robert F Kennedy’s assassin was denied parole by a California parole board that maintained Sirhan Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime that rocked the nation and the world in 1968. But on Friday, the twoperson panel said he appeared to be a different man, even from his last hearing in 2016, and granted the 77-year-old prisoner parole. Two of RFK’s sons, going against several of their siblings’ wishes, said they also supported releasing him and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars. But the governor ultimately will decide if he leaves prison. The board found Sirhan no longer poses a threat to society.
THE TRIBUNE
A VM-22 Osprey with a load of aid lands at Jeremie Airport on Saturday in Jeremie, Haiti. The VMM-266, “Fighting Griffins,” from Marine Corps Air Station New River, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, are flying in support of Joint Task Force Haiti. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP JEREMIE, Haiti Associated Press US military aircraft are now ferrying food, tarps and other material into southern Haiti amid a shift in the international relief effort to focus on helping people in the areas hardest hit by the recent earthquake to make it through the hurricane season. Aircraft flying out of the capital, Port-au-Prince, arrived throughout the day Saturday in the mostly rural, mountainous southern peninsula that was the epicenter of the August 14 earthquake. In Jeremie, people waved and cheered as a Marine Corps unit from North Carolina descended in a tilt-rotor Osprey with pallets of rice, tarps and other supplies. Most of the supplies, however, were not destined for Jeremie. They were for distribution to remote mountain communities where landslides destroyed homes and the small plots of the many subsistence farmers in the area, said Patrick Tiné of Haiti Bible Mission, one
of several groups coordinating the delivery of aid. “They lost their gardens, they lost their animals,” Tiné said as he took a break from helping unload boxes of rice. “The mountains slid down and they lost everything.” At the request of the Haitian government, getting as much help to such people as fast as possible is now the focus of the $32m US relief effort, said Tim Callaghan, a disaster response team leader for the US Agency for International Development. In the immediate aftermath of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake, which killed more than 2,200 people and damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 homes, the focus was on search and rescue. That was complicated by heavy rain from Tropical Storm Grace as well as earthquake damage to roads and bridges, in an area where the infrastructure was in bad shape to begin with. The threat of gangs, in a country still reeling from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, also made it hard to distribute aid. As a a result, many
Haitians had grown increasingly impatient with relief efforts. “We’re just trying to get as much material out to the most affected areas as fast as we can. If you do that, then the frustration level goes down,” Callaghan said over the roar of helicopters at the Port-auPrince airport, where U.S. troops and civilian aid workers labored to load aircraft with pallets in the hot sun. That is where the US military comes into play. Troops under the direction of Miami-based US Southern Command have so far delivered more than 265,000 pounds of relief assistance. Among those troops is the unit from North Carolina, known as the Fighting Griffins and based at the New River Marine Corps Air Station, which allowed Associated Press journalists to come along as they delivered emergency supplies. Two crews took off from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flew to Port-au-Prince to pick up supplies, and then made multiple trips across the mountainous
southern peninsula to deliver their loads. They stopped only to refuel on board the USS Arlington off the coast of Haiti. It was an upbeat mission, with the flight crew and pilots helping the Haitian aid workers unload the aircraft, then shaking hands as they said their goodbyes. One crew, which delivered more than 8,500 pounds of goods on Saturday alone, brought along a Marine of Haitian descent from New York City as their interpreter. “It really means a lot to me to do something like this,” said Lance Cpl Lunel Najac. The US effort is expected to continue at least for several more weeks, though whether it will be enough to get people through the rest of the hurricane season remains to be seen. “People need food, water, tents, tarps,” said Wilkens Sanon of Mission of Hope Foundation, another of the groups working with the US to channel aid to people who need it most. “It is very, very bad right now,” he said.
HURRICANE IDA STRIKES LOUISIANA NEW ORLEANS Associated Press HURRICANE Ida blasted ashore yesterday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US, rushing from the Louisiana coast toward New Orleans and one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors. The Category 4 storm with winds of 150mph hit on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier, coming ashore about 45 miles west of where Category 3 Katrina first struck land. The rising ocean swamped the barrier island of Grand Isle as landfall came just to the west at Port Fourchon. Ida made a second landfall about two hours later near Galliano. The hurricane was churning through the far southern Louisiana wetlands, with the more than two million people living in and around New Orleans and Baton Rouge up next. “This is not the kind of storm that we normally get. This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we’re seeing,” Gov John Bel Edwards said. People in Louisiana woke up to a monster storm after Ida’s top winds grew by 45 mph in five hours as the hurricane moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Wind tore at awnings and water spilled out of Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans before noon Sunday. Officials said Ida’s swift intensification from a few thunderstorms to a massive hurricane in just three days left no time to
A MAN passes by a section of roof that was blown off of a building in the French Quarter by Hurricane Ida winds yesterday in New Orleans. Photo: Eric Gay/AP organize a mandatory evacuation of the city’s 390,000 residents. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to leave voluntarily. Those who stayed were warned to prepare for long power outages amid sweltering heat. “This is the time. Heed all warnings. Ensure that you shelter in place. You hunker down,” Cantrell told a news conference. Nick Mosca, out walking his dog yesterday morning before the storm hit, said he’d like to have been better prepared. “But this storm came pretty quick, so you only have the time you have,” Mosca said. Ida’s 150-mph winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland US. Those winds whipped through Port Fourchon, where boats and helicopters gather to take workers and supplies to oil platforms in the ocean and the oil extracted starts its journey toward refineries. The port handles about a fifth of the
nation’s domestic oil and gas, officials said. Edwards said he watched a live video feed from the port area as Ida came ashore. “The storm surge is just tremendous. We can see the roofs have been blown off of the port buildings in many places,” Edwards said. Along with the oil industry, Ida threatened a region already reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, due to low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant. New Orleans hospitals planned to ride out the storm with their beds nearly full, as similarly stressed hospitals elsewhere had little room for evacuated patients. And shelters for those fleeing their homes carried an added risk of becoming flashpoints for new infections. Forecasters warned winds stronger than 115 mph were expected in Houma, a city of 33,000 that supports oil platforms in the Gulf.
Gulfport, Mississippi, to the east of New Orleans, was seeing the ocean rise and heavy rain bands. Empty lots where houses once stood before Katrina are still common in coastal Mississippi, and Claudette Jones evacuated her home east of Gulfport as waves started pounding the shore. “I’m praying I can go back to a normal home like I left,” she said. “That’s what I’m praying for. But I’m not sure at this point.” Comparisons to the August 29, 2005, landfall of Katrina weighed heavily on residents bracing for Ida. Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths as it caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and demolished oceanfront homes in Mississippi. Ida’s hurricane-force winds stretched 50 miles from the storm’s eye, or about half the size of Katrina. Ramsey Green, who is in charge of New Orleans infrastructure, emphasized before the worst of the
storm that when it comes to protections against storm surge, the city is in a “very different place than it was 16 years ago.” Water should not penetrate the levee system, which has been massively overhauled since Katrina. But if forecasts of up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain come true, the city’s underfunded and neglected network of pumps, underground pipes and surface canals likely can’t keep up, Green said. “It’s an incredibly fragile system,” he said. About 350,000 customers were already out of power as of Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage. US, which tracks outages nationwide. The region getting Ida’s worst could face devastation to its infrastructure, which includes petrochemical sites and major ports, said Jeff Masters, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter meteorologist and founder of Weather Underground. The state’s 17 oil refineries account for nearly one-fifth of the US refining capacity and its two liquefied natural gas export terminals ship about 55% of the nation’s total exports, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Louisiana is also home to two nuclear power plants, one near New Orleans and another about 27 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. The Interstate 10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a critical hub of the nation’s petrochemical industry, lined with oil refineries, natural gas terminals and chemical manufacturing plants. Entergy, Louisiana’s major electricity provider, operates two nuclear power plants along the Mississippi River.