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VOLUME:116 No.194, OCTOBER 2ND, 2019
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SPORTS: SHAUNAE AND GAITHER REACH FINALS
‘I paid Gibson $80k bribes’ Left in limbo
Money to minister ‘to release hurricane clean-up payments’ By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A BUSINESSMAN yesterday claimed he gave former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson, pictured, $80,000 in cash on five separate occasions to ensure he would be paid for Hurricane Matthew cleanup efforts. Jonathan Ash, the man at the centre of the bribery claims against Gibson, also said he got almost $1m in cheques
for outstanding payment shortly after paying a woman connected to Gibson nearly a quarter of that amount. Mr Ash, taking the witness stand before Justice Carolita Bethel, said he received most, if not all, of the $1m plus the government owed him almost immediately after he paid Deborah Bastian $200,000 allegedly on Gibson’s behalf sometime in January 2017. SEE PAGE SEVEN
POLICE are investigating a drive-by shooting that left one man dead and another one injured and in hospital. According to reports, shortly after 4pm Monday, two men were sitting outside a business on Charles
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
RIGHTS Bahamas criticised the government’s “savage and cold-hearted” position on displaced Hurricane Dorian migrant victims, pledging yesterday to alert international human rights groups to the policy. The group’s statement came after Attorney General Carl Bethel said migrants who lost their jobs because of the storm “need to go home” even if they have unexpired work permits. The Department of Immigration also specified that prospective employers of migrants must prove applicants have satisfactory living conditions to get a permit. After suspending apprehension and repatriation exercises immediately following the storm, the SEE PAGE FIVE
ABACO ‘HAS NO LAW’ SAY RESIDENTS By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net SOME Abaco residents trying to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Dorian’s destruction say their worries are compounded by continued incidents of looting and theft. These safety concerns have become so much of an issue that one resident threatened to “shoot anyone dead” that attempted to enter her property. Others fear that the problem is festering and will only worsen if authorities there on the ground don’t double down on measures to protect people from thieves. SEE PAGE THREE
ONE DEAD, ONE HURT IN DRIVE-BY SHOOTING By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
‘SAVAGE’ RESPONSE BY GOVT TO MIGRANTS
Saunders Highway and Buttonwood Street when two armed men, in a grey coloured car, opened fire in their direction, hitting them before fleeing the scene. One man died at the scene while the other was taken to hospital and is listed in stable condition. SEE PAGE SEVEN
TWO youngsters of Haitian descent in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, yesterday. The Tribune canvassed residents to see how they were coping with life after Hurricane Dorian’s passage. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net HURRICANE Dorian has disrupted the certainty and comfort that Haitians living in Abaco were once accustomed to, with many of them yesterday urging the government to let them rebuild. The mountainous rubble and gripping stench in The Mudd, Pigeon Peas and Sand Bank shanty towns
are symbols of lives now in shambles. Many have been forced into church auditoriums since Dorian’s passage, telling The Tribune they have no clue what they’ll do now. According to several residents who call these unregulated communities home, they are simply waiting to see what the government will do, despite the Minnis administration doubling down on warnings that not even those in
shelters in New Providence and Grand Bahama are immune from repatriation. On Abaco, there is a will among many Haitians to stay despite the state of the island, which has now developed a fly infestation. Charity Alouidor said he was born to Haitian parents in The Bahamas. His children were born here also. He is incensed by the government’s lack of action
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE TWO
ALICIA WALLACE: CHILD REFUGEES STRUGGLE TO GET BACK TO SCHOOL
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Left in limbo from page one
following the storm and wants the Minnis administration to allow people like him to buy property in The Mudd to rebuild his home. He said without some assurances from the government he, like many others, has nowhere to turn. He lost everything in the monster storm and was only able to save one pair of short pants. “I used to live in The Mudd now I have no place to live,” Mr Alouidor said. He’s been living there for 15 years and was adamant that most of the residents lived in the community because the conditions were “slack” and lacked regulations. “What happen is I could prove who I am. I born in The Bahamas and my children born in Freeport. When Ingraham was there I think it was better. (Prime Minister) Minnis don’t worth ****. “I waiting for them though. I know one of these days they gone come to me tell me vote for them and I all my children, all them could vote. I gone make sure tell them don’t vote no one. Minnis ain’t do no good job, (Philip) ‘Brave’ Davis don’t do no good job. Because I never see them since the hurricane. They say he been there, but I don’t see him. Where I was by the complex, that’s the government place, that’s where he supposed to be.” He admitted conditions in The Mudd prior to Dorian were not good. He wants to rebuild under better circumstances. “What I want now, government could maybe clear somewhere (and) sell every Bahamian-Haitian piece of land. I don’t own that free. If he give it to me free I take it, but if he say pay later I would pay later when I find job. “When you build it properly, you get proper light and water, you finish with the slackness in The Mudd.” Asked about deaths in his community, he said he
JOCELYN JEAN
CHARLES, who has been living in a church for three weeks. CHARITY Alouidor said he was born in The Bahamas and lived in The Mudd for 15 years. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff believed there were more than had been reported. Yesterday, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said two more bodies were recovered in Abaco, pushing the official death toll to 60. The Tribune witnessed one of these bodies being loaded onto the back of a truck in the Pigeon Peas shanty town and taken to a 40ft refrigerated trailer behind the Marsh Harbour clinic. The latest report is that 424 people are missing. Jocelyn Jean was also born in The Bahamas. He said he moved to Abaco 20 years ago.
He is open to buying a piece of property in Pigeon Peas where he lost all of his belongings. But Mr Jean has one problem – he has no job. He wasn’t working before the hurricane pummelled the island and so the prospects of finding work now are grim. “I lost everything. I might be able to put my life together if I find a job,” he said. “Government should just give us a job so we could build the property back. “But I don’t think they will rebuild it again.” Asked where this leaves him now, he said: “Right there in the church.”
A BODY is loaded into a refrigerated trailer yesterday where other bodies were being stored.
There were few on the island with better chances. Among them was Michelet Adelfin. He has a job and holds a valid work permit. When this newspaper found him, he was working in his own apartment, trying to clean away the dirt and debris left behind by Dorian’s dangerous storm surge. Still, he said this was only half of the equation. “I think I finish. I finish, no life. But thank God for life,” Mr Adelfin said of his initial disposition after the storm. He admitted that he’s only stayed behind on Abaco because he doesn’t know what the government will do. “I don’t know what they going to say. I don’t know what they going to do.” Miles away in Treasure Cay, a man named Charles, a resident of Sand Bank, and several others have been living in a church for three weeks. He’s resided in the Sand Bank community for 23 years. “Everybody lose everything,” Charles said. “I just wait for government. After government talk, I know what’s going on. I tell you I wait ‘til government talk.” He said going back to Haiti is not an option for him. “If other people can
LOLERNEA, a Pigeon Peas resident and hurricane survivor preparing a hot meal. make it, I supposed to make has satisfactory living conditions, because if they it too,” he said. Migrant storm victims don’t, they will be denied. “If the employer is still who have lost their jobs as a result of Hurricane Dorian paying them then they have “need to go home” even a job, if not then they need if their work permits have to go home,” Mr Bethel not yet expired, Attorney told The Tribune. “The files General Carl Bethel said on will reflect who the business or homeowner applicant Monday. His comments to The is. We will know if a job Tribune came after the exists.” According to the governDepartment of Immigration issued a statement ment’s 2018 shanty town specifying that prospective report, 41 percent of Abaco employers of storm victims residents in the areas were that need work permits legal residents as a consemust prove their applicant quence of their work permit.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, PAGE 3
SOME of the damage in Marsh Harbour yesterday in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
ABACO ‘HAS NO LAW’ SAY RESIDENTS from page one “Abaco don’t got no law right now,” the woman, who did not want to be named, told The Tribune from her porch in Marsh Harbour. “I tell ya one thing, me and everyone else around here is armed and I’m sure if someone tries to come in here I’ll shoot them dead. I’ll shoot anyone dead.” She claimed residents were wary of depending on police or marines to get a handle on the problem, adding there had been a lack of concern. The Tribune canvassed Abaco yesterday where residents said while the focus should solely be on restarting lives, they worry about being victims of ill-willed people. While on the island, armed forces seemed to have been more concentrated at ports of entry like the dock as opposed to in communities where almost every abandoned car had an open gas tank and doors to the few standing uninhabited homes were flung open. “They are allowing the boys from the south to be stealing stuff,” the Abaco resident claimed. “They coming into Marsh Harbour and stealing everything they can put their hands on. It’s the Bahamian boys stealing the stuff. “Some people saying it’s the Haitians. The Haitians will go in and they do
COLIN BETHEL, a member of Marsh Harbour Gospel Chapel.
A MAKESHIFT sign warning looters is painted on a board outside an apartment complex in Abaco.
certain things, but the local Abaco boys from the south they come in and they stealing engines, trailers and all that kind of stuff. What for?” This is a situation that could potentially get worse, according to Colin Bethel, another Abaco resident. Looting forced him to send his family away in the immediate days following Hurricane Dorian. His wife and two children have since returned. He fears crime will pick up once more residents return to live in planned tent cities. He told this newspaper:
on Monday, but got no satisfaction in the minister’s response. “It’s a bit of a concern and I asked the minister this yesterday (Monday) and he kinda didn’t give me clarity on it, but what is going to happen when they set up the different villages that we are going to need to set up for workers? “That crime is going to start back up. How are they going to protect this because if they can’t, nobody is going to come back or I’ll have to send my family away again. “I can’t have them here
“My wife and kids left after about three or four days because of all the looting that was going on and it seemed that nothing was being done about it. “They had started to infiltrate into people’s homes and stuff and so I didn’t feel like we were safe so we evacuated and I stayed just to protect my premises as best I could. “They have returned now because we felt it was safer.” Mr Bethel said he raised the issue with National Security Minister Marvin Dames in a small meeting
TEAM Rubicon members repairing the roof at Marsh Harbour Gospel Chapel.
(and) unsafe so that’s one of the major concerns.” He added: “I think the safety may be short lived and that was my question to the minister yesterday, how are we going to control this? Just last week certain people moved back so how are they going to control it? I really didn’t get clarity on that.” Others like Michael Dilon had differing views. He said looting on a large scale had ended, but it gave way to thefts of opportunity. He claimed Abaco had been targeted by some people from New Providence. “Looting on a large scale here is over,” the sevenyear Abaco resident told The Tribune. “There is still some opportunity thefts here. They just caught a few thieves here the other day. They flew in from Nassau and came into here to rob money from a home
that they knew was there. These guys are not from here. They are opportunist thieves. “That’s what they’re doing here, seizing the opportunity to steal something that doesn’t belong to them. That’s where the concern is. The amount of people here right now, it is minimal. As these numbers start to increase the policing needs to be more diligent and it needs to be more protective and the police need to be looking out for us.” Crime concerns aside, both Mr Bethel and Mr Dilon said they are looking forward to rebuilding the storm-torn island, although it will take years to do so. Calls were placed to both Mr Dames and Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Anthony Ferguson but they were not returned yesterday up to press time.
PAGE 4, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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Abaco residents being left behind A LACK of action by the government, no law on the streets, rampant theft and a future filled with nothing but uncertainty. That’s the reality of life in Abaco right now, according to the residents who are having to live through conditions that remain horrendous after Hurricane Dorian. In recent days, there has been much talk about a hard line from immigration and people with work permits whose jobs might have been wiped out by the storm being told to get out of the country. It’s the sound of a government acting tough – but according to residents of Abaco, there’s little to no sign of a government acting at all. One resident told our reporter that he lost everything in Hurricane Dorian. He has no job now, and nowhere to turn. Of Haitian descent, he was born in The Bahamas. He wants to find work, he wants to buy property, and he wants to build. But there’s no one for him to turn to. He’s not alone. Another man talked of how “everybody lose everything” and he too said he is waiting to hear from the government. Yet another man - with a job and a valid work permit - was clearing debris from his apartment and said he didn’t know what the government was going to say or do. Elsewhere, a woman warned that “Abaco don’t got no law right now” amid fears of looters, and said if anyone tried to come into her Marsh Harbour home, she would “shoot anyone dead”.
A blunt sign was painted on a board outside one apartment complex: You loot, we shoot. One resident said he raised the issue of looting with National Security Minister Marvin Dames - but didn’t get a satisfactory answer. There are a host of different concerns — jobs, security, property, rebuilding, health — but time and again residents spoke about the absence of a satisfactory government response, or even any sign of the government’s presence. These residents are the people at the heart of the disaster zone, and they have no idea of what the government is doing or is planning to do to help them. Perhaps this is why the death toll count is so slow. Yesterday, our reporters saw a body being retrieved and being taken to be stored in a large refrigerated trailer. But if there is little to no sign of government being on hand to help the living, is this why there seems to be a lack of concerted effort to find the dead? So is all the sound and fury from Carl Bethel or Elsworth Johnson with regard to a hard line on immigration just a distraction from the failures of government elsewhere? You cannot talk about being firm on law and order when there is no law and order for residents who are taking up arms themselves to defend themselves with no security in sight. The most basic function of government is to protect the people. The people of Abaco are not feeling protected right now, and this government needs to step up.
Davis disappoints EDITOR, The Tribune. I WAS shocked to see in the newspapers on Wednesday that Philip “Brave” Davis was playing politics with the tragedy that happened in Abaco and Grand Bahama. Hurricane Dorian was the strongest hurricane to ever hit The Bahamas. It was the second strongest storm by wind ever in the Atlantic. The devastating cyclone laid waste to Marsh Harbour and East Grand Bahama. Researchers from around the world will study the historic ferocity of the storm for years to come. As of the last update 56 people died. Many, many more died, however. There are 600 missing. It is likely that many of those people will not be found. The large surge carried bodies out to sea. The Government repeatedly advised residents of both islands to evacuate low-lying areas and coastal zones. The Prime Minister and ministers from Grand Bahama made repeated pleas to residents to evacuate to safer places. The Government sent representatives to
shantytowns in Abaco with Creole speakers to advise those residents to leave. The Government also helped evacuate people from some cays. Mr Davis said the government could’ve done more to protect lives during the storm during his briefing with the media, attempting to politicise an historic natural disaster. This is a ridiculous claim that yet again demonstrates how unfit Mr Davis is for the post of Prime Minister. He was trying to use the tragedy to gain political points. “Could’ve done more” is the easiest, cheapest and, in the circumstances, nastiest criticism a politician can make. This is the same Philip “Brave” Davis who, during Dorian, dressed up in a yellow jacket, went to Pinewood Gardens and posed in front of a house with a truck parked with a PLP flag to take a photo to look like he was doing something useful during the storm. He looked silly. Bahamians roundly criticised him on social media for the bogus and offensive publicity stunt.
Mr Davis continues the PLP record of disappointing conduct during hurricanes. When Hurricane Joaquin hit the southern islands in 2015, then PLP Leader and Prime Minister Perry Christie carried on with his regular Saturday political activity of attending funerals before going down to check on his people in crisis. During Hurricane Matthew, millions of dollars were allocated for relief for those affected by the storm. The PLP is still unable to account for that money. It is one of the great disgraces in PLP history. Mr Davis leads an organisation the Bahamian people do not trust. He has no known philosophical positions. He has no vision for The Bahamas. Mr Davis increasingly comes to the podium with outlandish or superficial commentary. He demonstrates each time he speaks that he is not up to the job of Prime Minister. In that role, in my opinion, he would be a threat to The Bahamas. DISAPPOINTED BAHAMIAN Nassau, September 29, 2019.
Thoughts on work permits EDITOR, The Tribune. RECENTLY, several prominent persons have suggested that “undocumented” persons be given the right to work for one year. Here are several thoughts about that idea. The effects of Dorian has increased the numbers of three categories of unemployed persons in the Bahamas, citizens, holders of work permits or residents and illegals. The challenge is that there are only a finite number of jobs available in New Providence and other family islands. The goodwill of family friends and neighbours will soon begin to wear thin. Those displaced persons will want to have some privacy and a semblance of normalcy in their lives and those who may have saved some money will soon find their resources dwindling as they adjust to living in a new environment. For these reasons, no Bahamians should not have to compete with the other two categories of unemployed persons to provide for their families in these challenging times. In other words, putting Bahamians back to work must be a priority for the government at this time. A failure to do so must
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net naturally create high levels of unemployment will only cause increases in crime as people try to survive. While discretion must be used in order to minimise hardship to all parties, it is important that all illegal persons in the country must be repatriated to minimise job losses to Bahamians whose survival should be governments first priority. Work permit holders who are not married to Bahamians should be placed on a shortlist based on their expertise and asked to return home. They should be given first preference to reapply for consideration at some point in the future. It should be obvious that the goodwill of donors will soon begin to wane and donations given thus far will only be diluted when shared with those impacted by the storm who remain in the country illegally. Lastly, government revenues will fall dramatically in the short and medium term, and I would like to suggest they try something novel in order to raise additional revenue. In fact, this is something that has probably never
been done before; the indiscriminate consistent enforcement of the law. It should be clear that many of the fines currently on the books are antiquated and should be increased for different categories of offences. Fines for overstaying visits, drug possession, speeding, tinted windows, drinking while driving, killing in the course of dangerous driving, etc, must be increased. To this end, it might help if police have at least one breathalyser to confirm drunk driving. It seems silly that a person can be ticketed for having an open alcoholic beverage, but levels of intoxication cannot be determined by the ticketing officer. Outstanding monies owed to the government for student loans, property taxes, etc, should be collected, starting with current and former government officials. I suspect the funds that will flow into the public coffers will be in the multiplied millions. The truth is, tax weary Bahamians cannot take additional tax increases at this time, make the lawbreakers pay their share! JB Nassau, September 30, 2019.
Impeachment of Trump Fred goes paragliding EDITOR, The Tribune.
IMPEACHMENT of President Trump? Clearly the Democrats are hell bent to achieve this they refuse to accept the results of their last General Election. This current issue….so a sitting President cannot have a diplomatic conversation with another leader and possibly ask… well we are disturbed about
certain intelligence we are receiving…we need you to clear that up…yes, we are concerned about certain corruption issues. Wonder if there has been such a conversation between Trump and Minnis over the US intelligence on The Bahamas? Transparency International alleges corruption is very active well! United Kingdom as a result of the Boris
syndrome of arrogance and incredible lack of respect to standing law. Scenes never seen and comments of MPs full of very volatile words. Could see a sitting Prime Minister removed from the UK Parliament for breach of statute law. Any re-reading of the scope of the referendum on the EU clearly suggests there was never a one-two-three-four clear
agreed base for voting - it was all hearsay if we leave this will happen… just like a gigolo romancing a lady! Now there is an agreement – put it Boris to a vote… up down stay or leave on these concrete terms. The royal in Britannia is tarnished. W THOMPSON Nassau, September 27, 2019.
EDITOR, The Tribune. THE last bodies have not even been removed from the rubble of the death-trap Abaconian shantytowns whose demolition he protested and Fred Smith is off in Italy, paragliding. That alone tells a depressing story about this country,
who it tolerates and affords celebrity status to and how easily and flippantly its systems and institutions are abused to the detriment of the wider public interest. ANDREW ALLEN Nassau, September 29, 2019.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, PAGE 5
$18M PAYMENT FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS AFFECTED BY STORM By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE overall cost of lump sum payments to public servants affected by Hurricane Dorian will be about $18m, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said yesterday. He told reporters outside Cabinet: “The final cost is still outstanding, however, as we have to consider relocation allowances and rental accommodations for persons displaced and
assigned outside of those districts.” Last week the government announced it will give $1,000 lump sum payments to public servants affected by Hurricane Dorian and a relocation payment of $2,600 to those in need. The hurricane destruction has prompted government to stress the need for specially designed hurricane shelters capable of housing hundreds, if not thousands of people. Mr Turnquest said this is a long-term focus of the administration and suggested funds for this will not be allocated soon.
“We’re going to have to have a short and a longterm strategy with respect to the provision of adequate, safe shelters,” he said. “We’ve seen that some of the properties that we’ve used as shelters have themselves become compromised during storms because they’re not necessarily built to be used as shelters. “They’re strong buildings in the context of our building codes, but still not proper bunkers that we need to now consider as storms are getting stronger
and more frequent. The maintenance on these buildings needs to be ongoing to ensure that they’re always ready in the event that there is a storm. “The design of such a structure in these various communities is the first step which will dictate what the cost is going to be to construct these multi-purpose shelters and how they will be stocked and provisioned in anticipation of storm season. “This is not going to be a short-term solution or project, this is going to be an issue that is going
THE WRECKAGE in Abaco yesterday after Hurricane Dorian’s passage. This is what remains of the Pigeon Peas community.
‘Savage’ response by govt to migrants from page one government has escalated its rhetoric about migrants in recent weeks. Last week, Minister of Immigration Elsworth Johnson and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told The Tribune undocumented migrants affected by the storm will have no special protection from deportation. The Minnis administration says its position has never changed but recent comments have baffled those who interpreted its early statements as signs displaced residents would be given a reprieve or special consideration because of their circumstance. Rights Bahamas said yesterday: “We condemn this sudden about-face from the government’s earlier declaration that it will not target migrant victims of the storm and denounce the scheme for (what) it clearly is – a shameful attempt at political posturing aimed at currying favour with xenophobic elements of the populace. “What’s more, Mr Bethel’s call for migrants who have lost their jobs because of Dorian to leave the country is hollow and disingenuous. How will those who have lost their property, their money and probably their travel documents manage to leave? This is nothing more than a precursor and excuse for an exercise of mass illegal deportation without due process.” As many as 41 percent of people in Abaco’s shanty towns had status through their work permits, according to a 2018 government report. Some of the businesses that employed them are considering how to provide accommodations for staff. Mr Johnson said the government has the discretion to give businesses time to regain their
footing and provide proper accommodations for their workers, though he reiterated the administration’s position that people who lost their jobs should go home because they will not be taken care of by the state. Rights Bahamas called this inhumane. “To know that people have lost their homes, jobs, everything and then declare that they must prove they are employed and have satisfactory living conditions - whatever this arbitrary phase is supposed to mean - or else leave the country immediately, is the height of cynicism and cruelty,” the group said. “Migrants on work permits have broken no law; the storm was not their fault. This move will undoubtedly affect hundreds of children of migrants born in The Bahamas, effectively denying them the right to Bahamian citizenship as mandated by the constitution. Once expelled with their parents, we all know that they will never be allowed back in to access their birthright. For many, this could mean being rendered stateless if their parents have passed away/and or they have no way to prove their connection to whatever country our government is planning to expel them. “Rights Bahamas is using all of its international partners to vocally condemn this declaration by the Bahamas government. We are also reporting the matter to the UNHCR and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights, with a view to seeking precautionary measures to protect the migrant population.” The government’s position comes as the country continues to seek donations and international help in the wake of Hurricane Dorian and as officials have encouraged foreigners to visit the country and inject money into
the economy. Before Cabinet yesterday, reporters asked Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest if he is concerned the country will lose out on donations and help from the international community because of the government’s towards some migrants affected by the storm. He said: “This is a very sensitive issue and we want to be particularly careful with respect to the impressions we are giving to the international community as to how we are handling the migrant situation. Let me say, those persons who have a legal right to be here, either through permanent residency or citizenship or through work permit that is active, they are free to do and conduct their business as they’ve always done. “But the government has been resolute with respect to illegal migration which is a continued sensitivity for the Bahamian people. We are resolute with respect to managing the inflow of illegal migrants and we will continue to execute the laws of The Bahamas with respect to immigration. We have to handle the matter with sensitivity. There has unfortunately been so much social media misinformation and sensationalism that has gone out and it has raised the ire of the Bahamian community and unfortunately sometimes we make some statements in anger that may give an incorrect impression about who we are as a people and our concern about these people as humans. We have to ensure that the international community understands our response, understand that we are responsible members of the global community and we appreciate our obligation to ensure that human rights are respected in all of the things that we do in managing this situation that we have.”
to take some strategic vision and execution. So the short answer is I don’t think it will be an overnight project, but certainly something that we have to look towards as these storms become more frequent and strong, including the increase in the storm surges that we’re seeing.” Mr Turnquest also said the budget for the new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness is still being formulated. The ministry, headed by Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis, is operating with money allocated to the Office of the
Prime Minister. “We may not have the full, complete budget before the mid-term and we’ll come back to lay out the cost and the plan going forward in terms of how this whole event with reprioritise the government’s finances,” Mr Turnquest said. He also revealed that it will cost around $25m to get a new engine required for Bahamas Power and Light’s Baillou Hills plant. “Hopefully that can get here very quickly and we can start to shave off some of the problems,” he said.
Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
MICHELET ADELFIN, an Abaco resident with a job and a work permit - but those who have work permits whose jobs have been wiped out by Hurricane Dorian have been told to get out of the country by Attorney General Carl Bethel.
PAGE 6, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
$7.5m from US to provide humanitarian assistance BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
AN ADDITIONAL $7.5m for ongoing humanitarian assistance and support for Grand Bahama and Abaco in response to Hurricane Dorian is being provided by the US government, it was announced by a US congressional delegation that travelled to Freeport on Tuesday. This brings the US government total funding in response to Dorian to more than $33m, according to US Congressman Mike Gallagher (Wiscousin), who was among the five-member bipartisan delegation that arrived around 1pm. Also, in attendance were US representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Frederica Wilson, and Mario Diaz Balart, of Florida; and Gregory Meeks, of New York. While in Freeport, the group met the US humanitarian medical professionals, including the doctors and nurses at Samaritan’s Purse 40-bed field hospital, near the Rand Memorial Hospital. Congressman Gallagher said that the assistance is part of a whole of US government effort in partnership with the Bahamian government, charitable organisations, and the private sector to address “the acute humanitarian needs of those affected by the strongest storm ever to hit The Bahamas”. “The majority of this additional funding would provide vital support to our humanitarian partners Samaritan’s Purse with this field hospital at RMH,” he stated. The funding, he added, would also pay for removal of debris and help people
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, centre, being shown around the Samaritan Purse site. get back into their homes. The money would also go towards emergency and transitional shelters for families whose homes were damaged or destroyed in Grand Bahama and Abaco, for repairs, water, sanitation, hygiene infrastructure, and provision of emergency water supplies in communities most affected by the storm. The congressman paid tribute to the outpouring of compassion from the American people to The Bahamas in the aftermath of the storm. “We know this is a difficult, challenging time for the people of The Bahamas. Clearly, there is a long and still difficult journey ahead, but we also know that the future is bright. We look at resilience of the people and
the strength of the leadership here, and we know that bright days are ahead.” Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of South Florida, said it was important that they come to the Bahamas to show their support for The Bahamas, and the Bahamian people. “We brought a congressional delegation one month to the day after Dorian devastated The Bahamas because particularly in South Florida we know and stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in this region impacted by a devastating storm like Dorian,” she said. The congresswoman said the amount of time that Dorian hung over Grand Bahama was “mindboggling”. “Dorian was unique into
and of itself… So, really nowhere in the world have we seen a storm that impacted a country like Dorian has (here in The Bahamas), and we wanted to make sure we were here to demonstrate our support and affection, and show the Bahamian people are our extended family particularly in South Florida, which is how we think of one another.” As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, along with Mario Diaz Balart, Mrs Wasserman Schultz pledged their continued support long after the storm. Congresswoman Wilson, the first Bahamian-American to be elected to the US Congress, and who has served with Wasserman Schultz for many years
together in three legislative bodies, and Gregory Meeks, who represent a large Bahamian population in NY, also brought remarks. The US representative for Miami Dade County is a native of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, and has taken in close to a dozen displaced Bahamians from Abaco. “I am a Bahamian native, and so I have 11 people living with me now from Abaco, and I want to say to the American people, and everyone that is helping that the Bahamas thank you for helping the displaced persons who migrated to Miami,” she said. She said the community of Miami-Dade have been supportive of the displaced Bahamians in their community. “We had babies to be born; my office gets a call almost every day about a lot of situations for people to find work, and find housing some kind of way. And the Prime Minister has indicated to us that he wants all Bahamians back home, and we are working to help him meet that goal; to make them whole again and bring them back to build up Abaco and Freeport.” Congresswoman Wilson also extended thanks to all partnerships, including Samaritan’s Purse, USAID, and US Coast Guard for helping “my people in Abaco; I am from Abaco, Green Turtle Cay.” Gregory Meeks said through assistance and partnerships with the US, The Bahamas will overcome the challenges brought by Dorian. “We are all together and we want to make sure we do everything we can to assist,” he said, adding that it is important that people get their lives back to
normal as quick as possible. Mario Diaz Bullart, Florida 25th Congressional District South Florida, said the US government is committed to assisting The Bahamas. “It is important to note that this not a temporary thing. This is a longstanding relationship. South Florida got hit by Andrew and we know that it is a long difficult road ahead, but it is important to know that The Bahamas, you are not alone,” he said. “The US congress is in it for the long haul and we know that best days are ahead for The Bahamas. And again, our confidence has never been higher that areas hit hardest will rebuild and come back stronger than ever, and the relationship will continue to grow,” he said. Senate President Katherine Smith thanked the congressional delegation for their ongoing support to Grand Bahama and Abaco. “What you see here today is a such a great partnership with the US and all of its agencies in helping us move forward. The US Coast Guards, USAID, Samaritan Purse, and the international emergency corps; we have so many international organizations come to our aid here in GB, and we are appreciative of it. They have done a tremendous job, and I know that the Prime Minister, and the Bahamian people are thankful for what they have done. We are extremely pleased to continue to accept the support and help from the US.” The group departed Freeport and travelled to Abaco to meet with officials at the Emergency Operation Center to get a comprehensive briefing of the situation there.
GRAND LUCAYAN TALKS RESUME TOMORROW AFTER DORIAN DELAY By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
TALKS for the sale of the Grand Lucayan resort were postponed for several weeks because of Hurricane Dorian but should resume tomorrow, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday. Likewise, the government’s valuation of bids for the sale of Nassau Flight Services has also been pushed back, with the minister saying it is not among the top priorities. “All the Cabinet ministers, the decision makers and the policymakers, have been focused on the storm and so the Grand Lucayan negotiations themselves have been pushed back a couple of weeks but the
intended purchaser is still very much interested and negotiations are ongoing and I think they recommence on Thursday when we will get back into the weeds of trying to seal the deal,” Mr D’Aguilar said. “So the message is, we’re still very much on track, there is a very interested developer and negotiations will continue.” Tribune Business previously reported that officials wanted to complete the sale of the beleaguered Grand Bahama property by September or October, identifying an end of the year sale as a worst case scenario. Michael Scott, chairman of the government owned vehicle that controls the Grand Lucayan – Lucayan Renewal Holdings – has told Tribune
Business the storm might delay the resort’s sale until just before Christmas, pledging: “We’ll get it done.” The government is negotiating the resort’s sale with Royal Caribbean International and its ITM Group partner. Ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar also noted that Hurricane Dorian has him adjusting his projection for tourist arrivals to the country this year. He previously projected a record-breaking seven million people would come. “I was very optimistic in mid-August when I was quite convinced we were going to hit the seven million tourist mark and I was very upbeat,” he said. “Obviously I will have
to revise those projections. We have lost Grand Bahama and we have lost Abaco. Between the two of those destinations in 2018 we received 1.1 million visitors, about 200,000 were stopover and the balance were cruise passengers. Obviously, especially Abaco will be significantly impacted and the question is are those passengers going to relocate to other portions of The Bahamas or are they still going to come? Our numbers for the month of September haven’t been put together for us to see yet (how we have fared).” Nonetheless, he said major hotels in Nassau noticed some decline in their bookings in September and October but find that Thanksgiving and
Christmas bookings are holding. “Some of the Family Islands of course have been impacted by this storm, by this negative public relations where ‘The Bahamas has been destroyed and wiped out’ and what we’ve been trying to do is say The Bahamas is made up of many islands, come to our country and help us recover,” he said. After the storm, the government used Bahamasair to fly people in Abaco and Grand Bahama off the islands free of charge. Mr D’Aguilar said this likely cost hundreds of thousands if not a million or so dollars. He said the storm proved the benefit of keeping Bahamasair a state-owned enterprise. He said: “We haven’t
been able to quantify into a number how much it cost but I’m sure that for as many days as they did it and the number of flights they did, (it cost) hundreds of thousands if not the low millions; mobilising of planes, the opportunity cost of that, the cost of the fuel, the staff, all of that was at a cost to the government but it’s one of the advantages of having Bahamasair. “Yes Bahamasair costs the treasury a whole heap of money every year but it’s in catastrophes when we can call on it to move our citizens from affected areas to non-affected areas. We did it of course with Hurricane Maria or Irma back in 2017 and this is one of the advantages, albeit at a cost, of having our own national carrier.”
‘I paid Gibson $80k bribes’
THE TRIBUNE
JONATHAN Ash with his head covered, centre, being escorted into court for his testimony yesterday. from page one According to Mr Ash’s testimony and the Crown’s previous assertions, Ms Bastian acted like a middle woman, accepting Mr Ash’s various cash payments on Gibson’s behalf in exchange for Gibson using his government position to ensure Mr Ash would be paid. Then, Mr Ash, who has been granted immunity from prosecution by the Crown, said he eventually started both communicating with and paying Gibson directly, on multiple occasions. Mr Ash said he ultimately paid Gibson $25,000 each on the first two occasions, and $10,000 on each of the subsequent three occasions. After being sworn in yesterday, Mr Ash, who owns two trucking companies, said after cleaning up the Bay Street strip in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew — for which he said he did not receive his full payment — he was selected as one of 13 “captains” to spearhead clean-up efforts in the Centreville community. He said he formally accepted that job after speaking with then Ministry of Works Chief Engineer Leyton Rahman. Mr Ash said he was given five major dumpsites in the Centreville community to clean up, for which he said he billed the government about $45,000. Armed with five to six men, four dump trucks and two backhoes, he said it took about five days to complete that job. The entire constituency took
SHANE Gibson outside court yesterday. about three months to clean up, Mr Ash said. Mr Ash said when he first started, it was agreed that the government would pay him, particularly for his trucks and equipment. Mr Ash said he initially submitted his bills to a location on Deveaux Street for about two weeks, before submitting them to Mr Rahman directly. He said his bills were anywhere between $45,000 to $72,000—the latter figure represented the highest amount he charged for work in Centreville. He said his bill amounts “fluctuated” because they depended on how many workers or equipment were needed weekly. However, Mr Ash said the government was “always a week or two behind” in paying him his money. He said he was eventually paid, albeit “somewhat”. To his recollection, he was paid four times from the Ministry of Works. Mr Ash said at some point in the third week in January, he got “frustrated”
because he had since been assigned to clean-up three additional dumpsites separate from the Centreville project. Those sites were located on Bacardi Road, Harrold Road (the city dump), and the Sports Centre. Because the pay was slow to come, and to avoid any issues with the workers, Mr Ash said he ended up paying the workers himself, anywhere between $50 to $75 a day. Mr Ash said he billed the government for doing so, but after a while started to get “a little vexed” because the government owed him money and because his funds started dwindling. Mr Ash said by January 13-14, 2017, he began to “make some noise” about the outstanding funds, which, he said, was anywhere between $800,000 to $1.5m. He said he spoke with Jack Thompson, then the permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, about the issue while at the National
ONE DEAD, ONE HURT IN DRIVE-BY SHOOTING from page one
Fifteen murders were recorded in September, according to The Tribune’s records, with this latest killing pushing the murder count to 78 for the year. In September 2018, police recorded five murders. Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet yesterday, National Security Minister Marvin Dames didn’t express confidence that the country would meet his target of less than 85 murders this year, but he insisted there have been improvements in reducing crime. Mr Dames said: “I’m pleased that we’re moving in the right direction. It’s going to take some time to fix them and as you know in previous years, we would have been on a 100 or going over 100 (murders) so we are at a place where we are seeing some positive signs. We’ll continue to work on those. We still have a way to go in this country, but things are in fact improving. “Our job is to police this entire country; our job is to govern this entire country.
We are not going to look for excuses, we just have to look at how we can improve on things and how we can adjust. Governance, this is very dynamic (and) we did not expect this, but this is where we are. And so, as the government we must rise to the occasion and we are seeking to do that.” Mr Dames said police officers have a lot of work to do but there are “a lot of positive things” coming with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and other connected agencies. “This is not only a police force fight and we must always be cognizant of that. As I continue to say, what we are seeing taking place in this country is the manifestation of our neglect over decades.” Earlier in the year, Mr Dames had his sights set on a murder count below 85 by the end of this year. The minister’s goal, outlined outside Cabinet at the time, was more ambitious than the one in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit report that said the Minnis administration wants a murder reduction to 85 by 2021.
“This is a measurement as in any and all countries you set standards. I think it is that we would like to see the murder count at 85,” Mr Dames said previously. “I contend that while we have that as a measurement and this is what any developed country will do, set measurements and standards for their agencies which is a good thing, I applaud the prime minister who actually was the one with the vision to bring about and to introduce the delivery unit to The Bahamas. It was first started I believe in the UK some years ago, which is absolutely important.” He continued: “Our objective is to get those numbers as low as we can every year and I would like to see it below 85 by the end of this year. That is what I would like to see and that’s what the police would like to see.” The country closed 2018 with 91 reported murders. This was the first time since 2010, when 94 people were murdered, that fewer than 100 murders were recorded in a single year.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, PAGE 7
Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/ Tribune Staff Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) office on Harrold Road. He said Mr Thompson referred him to Ms Bastian. Mr Ash said a meeting was ultimately held between himself, Ms Bastian, and Gibson. The meeting came two to three days after Mr Ash’s conversation with Mr Thompson. The meeting was held at a “pink building” on Meeting Street just off Nassau Street, Mr Ash said. Mr Ash said when the meeting commenced, Gibson introduced himself as the man responsible for NEMA and in charge of payouts for hurricane cleanup efforts. Mr Ash said he introduced himself and told the former minister that he “needed to be paid”. After that, Mr Ash said Ms Bastian blurted out: “Tell this gentleman (Gibson) you gave Mr Rahman some money.” Mr Ash said he was “stunned” by the woman’s remarks, as he said he didn’t anticipate the meeting being one where his personal dealings would be “exposed”. However, in response to a question by lead Crown attorney James Guthrie, QC, Mr Ash said he did in fact pay Mr Rahman for an unspecified purpose. “Yes I gave him money,” he said. “I wouldn’t lie. I did give him money. Straight up, I gave him money.” Mr Ash said after Ms Bastian’s remarks, Gibson “didn’t really say anything”, but merely smiled. Mr Ash said Gibson got up and left the room, but not before telling him and Ms Bastian:
“Ya’ll two talk.” Mr Ash said he and Ms Bastian spoke for no more than 20 minutes. Afterwards, he said he went to Commonwealth Bank and withdrew about $25,000 cash. Then he said he went to his home and retrieved another $25,000. He said he called Ms Bastian and met her in the parking lot at Commonwealth Bank on Nassau Street. While there, he said, he placed a “package” containing the money in her car. Mr Ash said after that meeting with Ms Bastian, and sometime between January 17 and 19, he got a cheque for $250,000. He said Ms Bastian gave him the cheque at the NEMA office in Penn’s Building Square. Mr Ash said between the 17th and the 21st of that month, he got almost $1m worth of cheques. Mr Ash said during that time, he made other payments to Ms Bastian. In total, he said he paid her $200,000 cash between January and February 2017. Mr Ash said one time, he wanted to have some form of record of the transactions, so she went to a local bank, and Branson Gibson, the bank’s manager, gave her between $20,000 to $25,000. Mr Ash said once when he was off the island, Ms Bastian took one of his government cheques from the Public Treasury to the bank. Mr Ash said he was called on the issue, and authorised for Ms Bastian to be paid another $20,000 to $25,000 under the condition she sign for same.
Mr Ash said during the time he was making the payments to Ms Bastian, he would see the woman as well as Gibson during his daily commute. He said on one occasion, he saw them both near the six-legged roundabout on John F Kennedy Drive, and again in the Prospect Ridge area. On the first occasion, he said Gibson was driving a Kia Soul, and Ms Bastian a blue, Japanese car. On the second occasion, he said Ms Bastian was in Gibson’s car talking to the former minister. Mr Ash said he eventually started communicating with Gibson directly, as the two had struck up an amicable relationship. He said he would see Gibson faceto-face, and would also communicate with him via WhatsApp. Gibson, Mr Ash said, would typically call him mostly via WhatsApp. Mr Ash claimed the first time he gave money to Gibson was in the area of Baha Mar Boulevard, when he paid Gibson $25,000. On the second occasion, Mr Ash said he paid Gibson another $25,000 while at the shooting range off Gladstone Road. Mr Ash said afterwards, he paid Gibson three separate payments of $10,000. Mr Ash said during one of their conversations/ encounters, Gibson told him he wanted some “shingles”, which he said he understood to mean that the man wanted cash. That request was made sometime between February and March 2017, Mr Ash said. The case continues today.
PAGE 8, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Child refugees struggle to get back to school WE are consumed by our private lives. In many ways, we see our lives and experiences as synonymous with the Bahamian experience or the human experience. We wake up, get ready, eat, spend time in traffic, go to work, take a few phone calls, engage in artificial conversations and debates about the state of affairs, squeeze in an hour at the gym, go to the grocery store, cook, watch a few television shows, and go to bed. We know what time to leave the east if we need to be downtown by nine o’clock. We can make good guesses at the prices of tuna, lettuce, milk, our favourite cereals, and a chocolate bar. Some of us know who has the cheapest gas. Many of us are our own advanced GPS devices that somehow know the exact locations of potholes. There is a tremendous amount of information, however, that we do not have because it exists outside of our lived experiences. There are some things we will not know because we are not in a particular profession, do not have a certain kind of family, do not participate in specific activities, or do not run in certain circles. It is fine, sometimes, not to have particular kinds of information, but every
By Alicia Wallace
now and then we happen upon something by chance and cannot believe we had never known. The things we would have said and done, had we only known what was happening. I am learning more about systems and non-systems in The Bahamas as I undertake hurricane relief work. I have had guesses confirmed, been perplexed by processes (or lack thereof), and wondered why far too many things are not publicly discussed, critiqued, and improved. Over the past few weeks, I have been given far too many reasons for children being out of school. We are in a post-hurricane crisis, and registering children for school and getting them in their seats is one of the most challenging undertakings for those who have evacuated to Nassau. Numerous people have come to Equality Bahamas and Lend a Hand Bahamas – and I am sure many have appealed to other organisations and
individuals – for uniform assistance. Even for primary school students, a uniform can cost $60. Prices depend on whether or not there is a crest or monogram, whether skirts are plaid or solid, and the size. Many families have said Social Services provided them with one uniform per child which is clearly insufficient. One uniform would not be enough in any situation, but especially for families now living in shelters or with family members or friends where they have very little space. Where are they to hang clothes in hopes that they will dry in twelve hours or less? Another barrier to getting children in school is the school supplies required. Parents have been asking for help with school supplies, and we have put calls out for composition books, pencils, pens, geometry sets, backpacks, and lunch bags. We are now receiving supply lists that include cleaning products and a
AYFON MINUS, aged eight, with donated food brought by helicopter from Freeport to High Rock, Grand Bahama, on September 10. But as children try to get back to normal, many are left without uniforms or equipment demanded of schools before they can get back to class. Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP range of other items. Not only do families need to get uniforms and basic school supplies, but they are now tasked with sourcing copy paper – at least one school has asked every child to bring two packs – Lysol spray, large hand sanitizer, paper towel, and large hand soap among other things. Why should this be the duty and expense of parents sending their children to public schools? It seems as though we accept this. I have raised the issue with a few people, and they have calmly told me that this is nothing new. That makes it even more outrageous. It may have become a norm, but it is not right. It is not acceptable at any time, but especially now. There is no way we should be asking families that have been displaced to purchase these items, creating another barrier to children’s access to education. In the short term, these requirements need to be waived for families from Abaco and Grand Bahama. Going forward, this practice must discontinue. In fact, we need to see the budget of the Ministry of Education to see how money is being spent in and on public schools. This cannot be overlooked or excused. We are not sending children to a potluck, and publicly funded schools should not be crowdsourcing cleaning supplies.
WHAT TO GIVE Needs are changing on a daily basis and it is evident in the donation and distribution centre at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. We are receiving more requests for school uniform assistance and school supply assistance. Equality Bahamas and Lend a Hand Bahamas can provide a school name and
size so that you can personally make the purchase, and we will also accept cash donations to make the purchases. There has also been an increase in requests for help in finding work. People need business attire, assistance with resumés and cover letters, and opportunities to build skills. Several human resources professionals have organised sessions focused on resumé and cover letter writing, and we will be offering workshops in the weeks to come. People who have evacuated to Nassau from Abaco and Grand Bahama continue to prioritise hygiene items and food. While donations have been coming in, a number of items are often neglected. We rarely receive donations of deodorant, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, underwear, laundry detergent, or cleaning products. People have also been asking for air mattresses as they are sleeping on the floor in family members’ and friends’ houses. There have also been requests for tomato paste, pasta sauce, seasonings, and children’s snacks and juices. Wherever you choose to donate, please keep these items in mind, and think about what you would need if you had to spend weeks or months in someone else’s home without being able to pack anything.
CONSIDERING CLIMATE CHANGE IN OUR RESPONSE This is not the last time we will have this experience. Our geographic location makes us particularly vulnerable to climate events. While “developed”
countries are the main culprits of pollution and emissions, we bear the consequences. This does not mean we do not have work to do here. We are making a step in the right direction with the single-use plastic ban starting in 2020, but that is just the beginning. Two of the main reasons for our consumption of single-use plastic are convenience and cost. It is difficult to watch as we, in the midst of climate crisis, call for, purchase, and distribute thousands of plastic bottles of water. There are some cases where this is unavoidable, but in others, we can look for alternatives. What would it take to provide everyone with reusable bottles, designate areas for refills, and have mobile water refill stations to reach those who cannot leave their homes? It would definitely come at a financial cost, but so does the current practice. It is something to consider, to spark innovation, and to change. We do not need the added disaster of an exorbitant level of waste that we cannot manage and that will never really go away. We continue to spring into action, day after day. As circumstances change, we have to adapt quickly to ensure that our response meets current needs. Sometimes we need the quick answer, even if it is really just a bandaid, but as we make mistakes, learn, receive criticism, and reflect, we need to build real solutions. The people on the frontlines may not have the capacity to do it right now, but there are others who have the time and ability to take notes. While people are on the ground, distributing bottled water, others can raise money, mobilise, and get reusable water bottles here. It doesn’t stop at water bottles. Several organisations are distributing hot meals every day. How can we use better material, give people what they need in containers they can use again, and set a high bar for island nations and “developed” countries with our innovative, environmentally-friendly responses in the midst of crisis? We have the people with knowledge, skills, and creativity to make a way where there is none. We often need only see them, listen to them, and support them by trusting their expertise, giving them what they need, and getting out of the way. This is a small place with great people working through difficult circumstances. Big things can happen if we let them!
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, PAGE 9
? E N O T N E D U T S Y READ UNCH DEGREES IN ESPORTS
TECHTALK
UNIVERSITIES LA
By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer
industry. This autumn, it’s expanding the programme to London while other schools are also debuting esports degree courses, including Britain’s Chichester University, Virginia’s Shenandoah University, Becker College in Massachusetts and The Ohio State University. In Asia, where esports has seen strong growth, schools in Singapore and China offer courses.
LONDON (AP) — On their first week in class, a group of students is playing a first-person shooter video game in a sleek new digital studio. It’s their introduction to the degree in esports they’ve all enrolled in. The group clicking away on their mice are at the University of Staffordshire, one of several U.K. and U.S. schools launching programmes aimed at capitalising on the booming industry’s need for skilled professionals. Ryan Chapman, 18, said his parents were “sceptical at first” about studying esports, or competitive multiplayer videogaming. iversity’s pro“But now they underCHICHESTER Un playing games stand how big the industry is gramme includes growing, the pace it’s grow- such as League of Legends. ing at. They’re now really The global esports all for it because it’s a great industry to start to get into,” market is expected to surge said Chapman, who was to $1.1 billion this year, up among the students in the lab $230 million from 2018 on playing Counter-Strike, one growth in sponsorships, merof the most popular esports chandise and ticket sales, according to Newzoo. The games. The University of Staf- research firm expects the fordshire last year launched global esports audience to its bachelor’s and master’s grow in 2019 to about 454 esports programmes, in million as fans tune in on which students mainly learn livestreaming platforms such marketing and manage- as Twitch and Microsoft’s ment skills tailored to the Mixer.
Esports tournaments have become a cultural phenomenon and now rival traditional sports events in size and scale. Big competitions are held in arenas where thousands of fans watch big-name professional video gamers compete for lucrative prize pools. Esports leagues have franchises in North America, Europe and Asia. The biggest names, such as Fortnite superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, can earn millions in prize money and livestreaming deals. Esports are even set to be a medal event at the Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in November. Dozens of U.S. colleges have offered varsity level esports competitions for years. But some schools are taking it a step further by adding courses as the industry’s boom drives demand for professionals who know how to, for example, organize esports tournaments. New niche degrees partly highlight the changing economy, but they also reflect the “need to communicate to parents and students that there will be a job waiting for someone once they earn a degree,” which may include hefty tuition fees and student loans to pay for them, said Joni Finney, director of the
STUDENTS starting Staffordshire University’s esports degree course play ‘Counter-Strike’ in the school’s new London digital studio. University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Research on Higher Education. She worried that some degrees are too specialised and that some schools are launching them to offset falling enrolment. “It’s really up to the faculty of those institutions to step up and say, ‘You know, a degree in business will cover these kinds of jobs,’ rather than saying we have a degree in a certain job category,” Finney said. Becker College formally launched its Bachelor of Science in esports management this month after an initial “soft release” last year. “It’s no longer kids playing games in their basement,” said Alan Ritacco, dean of Becker College’s School of Design and Technology. The top esports players now earn almost as much as the highest paid stars in traditional sports like golf or tennis, he said. The schools emphasise that their courses aren’t about just playing video
games. “People are unaware of the industry that goes behind esports,” said Matt Huxley, a lecturer at Staffordshire University’s Digital Institute London, a new outpost in tech hub Here East that the university, which is based near Birmingham, England, opened so students could be closer to companies in the capital. Huxley, who teaches a class on organising tournaments, said learning about esports was akin to studying sports management. “If you were to go and study to be a director of football you’re not playing football, you’re learning the business behind how (player) transfers work, how you run a stadium and all those kind of operational things.” Chichester University hired former pro gamer Rams Singh, known as R2K, as a senior lecturer for its programme, which includes playing games such as FIFA and League of Legends as part of the course.
WHY AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS – COST SAVINGS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS –
ARTICLE BY EASY CAR SALES: TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT WWW.EASY242.COM OR CALL 461.0100 THE MAJOR DRIVER FOR SWITCHING TO AN ELECTRIC FLEET IS THE REDUCTION IN OPERATING COSTS. Managing a business more efficiently and producing more with less is becoming the new norm. Resources are becoming more expensive, and sustainability now forms a part of most businesses core processes. Consumers are also more aware of the impact businesses are having on the environment, putting companies and governments under pressure to realign their processes to be more efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly. ‘CASH IS KING’ AS THEY SAY IN BUSINESS, AND IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE. Electric vehicles have great potential for reducing a company’s primary energy expenses. Even in The Bahamas where the cost of electricity is high, it is still 60% cheaper than gasoline. The electric motor is also more efficient than the internal combustion engine. A recent study compared the efficiency of an electric vehicle with a conventional internal combustion vehicle. The study showed the electric vehicle had an efficiency ratio of 73% vs only 13% for a conventional gasoline car. What does that mean in layman’s terms? It means the other 87% of the energy used in a gasoline car is going to waste. That’s money literally going up in smoke. At the end of the day, it means you can travel further with less energy used. The end result is lower fuel costs for your electric vehicle fleet, and a boost to the bottom line.
BUSINESSES in The Bahamas are adopting 100% electric fleets that offer cleaner, more efficient, reliable transportation, reducing their operating costs for transportation by 65% and improving profits. THE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP ON EV’S IS MUCH LESS THAN CONVENTIONAL GASOLINE VEHICLES. EVs have fewer moving parts than the conventional internal combustion engine, meaning less can go wrong and less maintenance is required. It also means less time off the road for service related issues. An EV has three main components, an electric motor, an inverter, and the battery system. Less moving parts means fewer parts to service or replace, and more time on the road instead of in the garage. BRANDING: IMPROVE YOUR BRAND PERCEPTION BY GOING ELECTRIC. The transition to a low carbon economy where energy efficiency, renewable energy, and EVs are used are becoming the new norm for corporations. A Deloitte report stated that corporations that are leaders in sustainability are more than 400% more likely to be considered to be innovation leaders.
This approach creates brand loyalty and awareness. In today’s world, a corporation that practices sustainability is seen to be “On Trend” and “On Message” and sets them apart from their competitors. It’s only natural that the next step in gaining an edge over competitors is a move towards replacing existing gasoline fleets with EVs. A SUSTAINABLE FLEET BENEFITS THE WHOLE COMMUNITY The benefits to sustainably sensitive business practices go beyond the boundaries of the corporate boardroom and the budget. The government plays a leading role in setting standards and showing examples of reducing negative environmental impacts, creating new sources of economic opportunities and improving the health of local communities. Benefits are both tangible and intangible. Investing in sustainability leads to creating a demand for services and technologies, leading to increased economic growth and employment opportunities.
IT’S NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR CORPORATIONS OR GOVERNMENTS, CHANGE IS IN THE AIR! A fast growing number of local companies have made the switch to electric fleets and are reaping the benefits: Cable Bahamas is migrating to fully electric service vans, DHL now delivers their packages in their dynamic electric fleet, Custom Computers is using cleaner power to deliver goods and services in their new Evs, and many other local businesses are now riding the wave to cleaner, cheaper and more sustainable transportation. The Bahamas Government embarked on a pilot programme in 2016, leasing 12 Nissan Leaf 100% electric vehicles. After 3 years of reliable, trouble free use, savings in gasoline and service is estimated to average over $1,500 per vehicle per year, while gaining greater control of fuel waste and expenses ultimately borne by the Bahamian taxpayer. In 2018, the Bahamas government reduced import duties on electric vehicles to 10% to encourage the switch to zero-emission vehicles.
• NASA’s InSight lander on Mars has captured the low rumble of marsquakes and a symphony of other otherworldly sounds. Scientists released an audio sampling Tuesday. The sounds had to be enhanced for humans to hear. InSight’s seismometer has detected more than 100 events, but only 21 are considered strong marsquake candidates. The rest could be marsquakes — or something else. The French seismometer is so sensitive it can hear the Martian wind as well as movements by the lander’s robot arm and other mechanical “dinks and donks” as the team calls them. “It’s been exciting, especially in the beginning, hearing the first vibrations from the lander,” said Imperial College London’s Constantinos Charalambous, who helped provide the audio recordings. “You’re imagining what’s really happening on Mars as InSight sits on the open landscape,” he added in a statement. InSight arrived at Mars last November and recorded its first seismic rumbling in April. A German drilling instrument, meanwhile, has been inactive for months. Scientists are trying to salvage the experiment to measure the planet’s internal temperature. The so-called mole is meant to penetrate 16 feet (5 metres) beneath the Martian surface, but has managed barely 1 foot (30 centimetres). Researchers suspect the Martian sand isn’t providing the necessary friction for digging, causing the mole to helplessly bounce around rather than burrow deeper, and to form a wide pit around itself. • UPS has won US government approval to operate a nationwide fleet of drones, which will let the company expand deliveries on hospital campuses and move it one step closer to making deliveries to consumers. Many regulatory obstacles remain, however, before UPS — or other operators who are testing drones — can fill the sky over cities and suburbs with drones carrying goods to people’s doorsteps. United Parcel Service Inc. said Tuesday that its drone subsidiary was awarded an airline certificate last week by the Federal Aviation Administration, the first U.S. company to get such a broad approval. Even before getting that designation, UPS Flight Forward, as the subsidiary is called, has operated more than 1,000 flights at WakeMed’s hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. The designation removes limits on the size of the company’s potential drone operation. Flight Forward can fly an unlimited number of drones, a key step toward expanding the operation. It can also fly drones at night — the company plans to do that after installing the necessary colored warning lights on each machine. However, UPS still faces severe restrictions before it can run a large commercial operation with drones. For example, drones won’t be allowed to fly beyond the sight of the operator without an FAA exemption for each route. Also, each flight will need a separate operator. Scott Price, the company’s chief strategy officer, said UPS will eventually apply for FAA permission to have a single operator fly multiple drones at the same time.
PAGE 10, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Lloyd: ‘Enough is enough’ over Carlton Francis teacher action By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd yesterday expressed frustration with teachers’ continued protest at Carlton E Francis Primary School, suggesting union members have been too quick to take industrial action in contravention of their industrial agreement. “Enough is enough. We are going to sit down with the conciliator and let’s bring all matters to the table and let’s seek the resolution within the resources and capabilities of the Ministry of Education,” he said. “We will satisfy every concern of the union, but this unannounced and without warning activities that disrupts the environment of the school premises is unhealthy. It’s unfair to the ministry and to our children, the administration and the teachers.” Mr Lloyd’s comments to reporters outside of Cabinet
CARLTON E Francis staff staging a protest this week outside the primary school. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff yesterday came after teach- school’s sitting principal. is desirous of an environ- union, and we want an indusers at Carlton Francis While some teachers claim ment, which is “harmonious trial. We, at the Ministry of Primary School criticised that they have been refused and beneficial” to all parties Education, (have) bent over backwards. We have sought the Ministry of Education entry to the premises, others concerned. He continued: “Let’s go to accommodate the unions for allowing “their cries to suggested that they felt victimised by the ministry. to the trade apparatus. Let’ in every circumstance that fall on deaf ears.” In response, Mr Lloyd see how we can resolve this they have requested us. For four consecutive weeks, teachers at the said the Ministry of Edu- matter once and for all. Every single one and yet we school have been protest- cation wants an immediate As I said to Mrs (Belinda) are met with these unfortuing for the removal of the resolution to the matter and Wilson, president of the nate situations.”
850 DISPLACED STUDENTS PLACED IN NEW PROVIDENCE By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
WITH Grand Bahama schools expected to open in a matter of weeks, Education Director Marcellus Taylor confirmed yesterday that 850 displaced students have already been registered and placed throughout schools in New Providence. Mr Taylor said the ministry sought to enroll students in schools with available space and within close proximity to their living accommodations. After Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama last month, the Ministry of Education set up a public-school registration process to enroll the thousands of children displaced by the storm. According to Mr Taylor, 1,200 students have been registered by the Ministry of Education so far and of this number, some 400 students are still waiting to be placed in public schools throughout the capital. Asked why the registration process has taken so long, Mr Taylor told The Tribune officials wanted to verify storm victims’
identities, ensuring that there are no persons perpetuating false identities. “Once we’ve registered a child in the school, we should have some kind of confidence that their identity is who they say they are. We wouldn’t want people to (enter these schools) who were not from Abaco and Grand Bahama or may have been in New Providence and are trying to ease their way into these schools based on this exercise going on.… This takes a while but we’re confident that we’re doing it relatively thoroughly,” he said. For persons who remained or are returning to Abaco, Mr Taylor added that there are some public schools on the island that are partially operational. “These schools might be running for half-day, but they’re running. We have some students who meet in Crossing Rocks and students who meet in Cherokee Sound and we will soon have students meeting in Moore’s Island. I think we have some students meeting in Fox Town which is in the north part of Abaco and as people move back, we are trying to be
as flexible and move with them as they move,” he said. Meanwhile, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd said he expected schools in Grand Bahama to be “up and running” within a few weeks’ time. “We are now on the ground doing our final scopes and we understand that the technical teams and engineers as well as contractors that we’re looking at well a week to ten days from the moment of start to the conclusion and then schools will be ready to go,” he said outside Cabinet yesterday morning. When asked if there will be any adjustments made to BJC/BGSCE examination dates as a result of the storm, Mr Lloyd replied that there will not be any changes made to set examination dates as it will affect the entire country. “What we’re giving consideration to now is you know that there are days which we probably could eliminate such as professional days or there is the holidays, Easter, Christmas and you know fun days we probably could make some adjustments to catch up some time,” he said.
Added to this dilemma, Mr Lloyd told reporters, is the trauma associated with Hurricane Dorian – the powerful Category Five storm which pummeled through Abaco and Grand Bahama last month. “...Officially (60) people who have lost their lives and thousands who have lost their homes and who have been displaced and disoriented because of a Dorian and then to come to New Providence and find that schools can’t start because teachers are sitting out and we don’t have any warning. The industrial agreement lays out very clearly what should happen if there is a dispute or a concern not followed,” he added. Mr Lloyd said he hopes to bring the matter to a speedy and peaceful conclusion, but at the moment, “Carlton Francis is operating just fine. The school is in session and the students and the teachers as well as the administration is doing a very good job.”
TYREKE MALLORY, top, charged with robbery with violence, and separately charged with armed robbery and, bottom photo, Sterling Christie Jr (head down) and Bradley Curry, charged with robbery with violence. Curry was separately charged with deceit of a public officer.
THREE ACCUSED OF ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE IN FREEPORT By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THREE Freeport men were charged with robbery with violence in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Sterling Christie Jr, 20, of Nelson Road; Bradley Curry, 24, of Pine Tree Close; and Tyreke Mallory, 26, of Scott Avenue, appeared before Magistrate Charlton Smith. It is alleged that on September 23, at Freeport, the accused men robbed Brenda Hill of a red coloured handbag containing items valued at $230. It is also alleged that during the robbery the men used violence towards Ms Hill.
Simone Brown represented Christie. Magistrate Smith told the men that due to the nature of the charge they were not required to enter a plea. Bail was denied, but they were told they could make a bail application to the Supreme Court. The three men were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until December 3 when a voluntary bill of indictment will be served. Mallory was also accused of robbing a man at gunpoint of $7. It is alleged that on September 20 at Freeport, Mallory, while being concerned with others and armed with a handgun,
robbed Godfrey Wilson of $7 cash. The accused – who was not represented by counsel — was not required to enter a plea to the charge which is an indictable offence. On this matter, he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until December 3 when a VBI will be served. Curry was also charged separately with deceit of a public officer. It is alleged that on September 24, the accused provided a false statement to Police Corporal Dean. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted $2,500 bail with one suretor. The case was adjourned to December 3.
MAN EXTRADITED FROM BAHAMAS JAILED FOR EIGHT YEARS IN FLORIDA WEST PALM BEACH, Florida Associated Press
A THIRD man has been sentenced to prison for a fatal shooting more than a decade ago. The Palm Beach Post reports Ronald Anthony Charles was sentenced Friday to eight years after pleading guilty to
second-degree murder. Authorities say Gregory Beasley’s body was found full of bullets and set ablaze in a West Palm Beach alleyway in June 2006. He had been at a North Miami Beach strip club the night before. Investigators used cell phone data to place Charles, Radel Prudent and Wood Jean-Charles with
Beasley the night he was killed. Prudent and JeanCharles were arrested in 2012; Charles was extradited from The Bahamas last year. Jean-Charles received four years for being an accessory to the murder. Prudent received 13 years for being an accessory and to evidence tampering.
THE TRIBUNE
POMPEO AND DEMOCRATS TRADE INTIMIDATION CHARGES IN TRUMP PROBE By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK AND JONATHAN LEMIRE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Setting a defiant tone, the Trump administration resisted Congress’ access to impeachment witnesses Tuesday, even as House Democrats warned such efforts themselves could amount to an impeachable offence. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to delay five current and former officials from providing documents and testimony in the impeachment inquiry that could lead to charges against President Donald Trump. But Democrats were able to set closed-door depositions for Thursday for former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and next week for ousted U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. The escalating exchange of accusations and warnings signaled yet another stiffening in the confrontation between the executive and legislative branches amid the Democrats’ launching of the impeachment inquiry late last week. That followed a national security whistleblower’s disclosure of Trump’s July phone call seeking help from the new
process is laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Pompeo said the Democrats were trying to “intimidate” and “bully” the career officials into appearing and claimed it would be “not feasible” as demanded. House investigators countered that it would be illegal for the secretary to try to protect Trump by preventing the officials from talking to Congress.
Call SECRETARY of State Mike Pompeo. (AP Photo) Ukrainian president in investigating Democratic political rival Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter. In a Tuesday evening tweet, Trump cast the impeachment inquiry as a coup “intended to take away the Power of the People, their VOTE, their Freedoms, their Second Amendment, Religion, Military, Border Wall, and their God-given rights as a Citizen of The United States of America!” In fact, a coup is usually defined as a sudden, violent and illegal seizure of government power. The impeachment
Some Trump supporters cheered Pompeo’s muscular response to the Democrats. But it also complicated the secretary’s own situation, coming the day after it was disclosed that he had listened in during Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy that helped trigger the impeachment inquiry. “Any effort to intimidate witnesses or prevent them from talking with Congress — including State Department employees — is illegal and will constitute evidence of obstruction of the impeachment inquiry,” said three House chairmen, Adam Schiff of the intelligence committee, Eliot Engel of Foreign Affairs, and Elijah Cummings of Oversight.
They said that if he was on Trump’s call, “Secretary Pompeo is now a fact witness in the House impeachment inquiry.” And they warned, “He should immediately cease intimidating Department witnesses in order to protect himself and the President.” On Wednesday, the State Department’s inspector general is expected to brief congressional staff from several House and Senate appropriations, oversight, foreign affairs and intelligence committees on their requests for information and documents on Ukraine, according to an aide familiar with the planning. The inspector general acts independently from Pompeo. The committees are seeking voluntary testimony from the current and former officials as the House digs into State Department actions and Trump’s other calls with foreign leaders that have been shielded from scrutiny. In halting any appearances by State officials, and demanding that executive branch lawyers accompany them, Pompeo is underscoring Attorney General William Barr’s expansive view of White House authority and setting a tone for conflicts to come. “I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals,” Pompeo wrote. When issuing a separate subpoena last week as part of the inquiry, the chairmen of the three House committees made it clear that stonewalling their investigation would be fought.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, PAGE 11
SHOWN is a letter from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. (AP Photo/Wayne Partlow) “Your failure or refusal to comply with the subpoena shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House’s impeachment inquiry,” the three chairmen wrote. Democrats often note that obstruction was one of the impeachment articles against Richard Nixon, who resigned the presidency in 1974 in the face of almost certain impeachment.
Lawyer Volker played a direct role in arranging meetings between Rudy Giuliani, who is Trump’s personal lawyer, and Zelenskiy, the chairmen said. The State Department said that Volker has confirmed that he put a Zelenskiy adviser in contact with Giuliani, at the Ukraine adviser’s request. The former envoy, who has since resigned his position and so is not necessarily bound by Pompeo’s directions, is eager to appear as scheduled on Thursday, said one person familiar with the situation, but unauthorised to discuss it and granted anonymity. The career professional believes he acted appropriately and wants to tell his side of the situation, the person said. Yovanovitch, the career diplomat whose abrupt recall from Ukraine earlier this year raised questions, is set to appear next week. The Democrats also want to hear from T. Ulrich Brechbuhl, a counselor at the State Department, who also
listened in on the TrumpZelenskiy call, they said. It’s unclear whether Pompeo will comply with the committees’ request for documents by Friday. He had declined to comply with their previous requests for information. Pompeo, traveling in Italy to meet with the country’s president and prime minister, ignored shouted question about the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday. The House investigators are prepared for battle as they probe more deeply into the State Department to try to understand why the administration sought to restrict access to Trump’s conversations with foreign leaders. The whistleblower alleged in an Aug. 12 letter to Congress that the White House tried to “lock down” Trump’s July 25 phone call with the new Ukrainian president because it was worried about the contents being leaked to the public. In recent days, it has been disclosed that the administration similarly tried to restrict information about Trump’s calls with other foreign leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, by moving memos onto a highly classified computer system. “It’s going to be one heck of a fight to get that information,” Schiff told House Democrats during a conference call over the weekend, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private session.