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VOLUME:116 No.195, OCTOBER 3RD, 2019

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CLASSIFIED TRADER: CARS, CARS, CARS & MORE CARS

PM orders acquisition of shanty town land

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday that Attorney General Carl Bethel has been instructed to compulsorily acquire land where shanty towns in Abaco once stood.

He also warned undocumented migrants to leave the country voluntarily or be forced to leave, reiterating comments he made in 2017.

This is the latest strike from the Minnis administration to thwart rebuilding and repopulation of The Mudd, Pigeon Peas

and Sand Banks shanty towns.

The prime minister suggested yesterday that the move was in response to “noise” in the public concerning shanty town land.

This comes after Haitians from shanty town communities told The Tribune that they would welcome the option from the government to purchase land to rebuild their homes after Hurricane Dorian flattened virtually all structures in those areas. Others have said their lives were in limbo as they waited for clear government indication on the future plan for those areas.

SEE PAGE FIVE

INSIDE

HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie denied the opposition’s request yesterday for debate about the planning, management and execution of operations surrounding

Hurricane Dorian.

Opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis appealed to Rule 51 of the Rules Procedure of the House of Assembly as the basis for a debate.

However, Speaker Moultrie said that rule limits time for debate to

90 minutes, far too little to flesh out the topic.

“To proceed under Rule 51 will limit severely the participation of the Parliament to address this important matter of public importance,” he said. As a compromise, he tabled Mr Davis’ letter concerning the

L SOUR CE

ASH: I WAS AFRAID - SO I PAID $80,000 TO GIBSON

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

JONATHAN Ash yesterday claimed that being in fear for his life prompted him to pay former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson $80,000 to ensure he would be paid the $1m plus he was owed for hurricane cleanup work.

Mr Ash said besides the former labour minister being “in charge” of the hurricane cleanup efforts at the time, knowing “how the country runs” and concerns about his own safety compelled him to do what he “had to do” in order to get money owed to him by the government.

“I know how the country run,” Mr Ash testified. “...I was in fear for my life at the time, so I did what I had to do to get my money.”

Mr Ash also said this fear was the reason he reported Gibson’s alleged actions to the police.

SEE PAGE NINE

PUT DOWN THE PHONE WHILE YOU DRIVE OR BREAK LAW

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis outside Parliament yesterday.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

PLP DEBATE ON HURRICANE DORIAN OPERATIONS DENIED

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

$1

matter after omitting several of its paragraphs.

In his letter to Speaker Moultrie, Mr Davis said it would be derelict for the House not to fully air the “expert advice, planning, management protocol, health, safety and security protocols and the execution

of said protocols” given the destruction Dorian wrought.

Among other things, Mr Davis wrote: “The people of Moore’s Island feel abandoned by the FNM government.”

SEE PAGE SIX

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

AS of Monday, the use of handheld devices while driving will be illegal, according to Transport Minister Renward Wells.

This is when recently passed amendments to the Road Traffic Act will come into effect, outlawing using your phone while driving.

The amendments will require the payment of outstanding traffic offence fines before renewing a driver’s licence and motorists also will be required to immediately produce a licence and insurance certificate upon the request of a police officer.

SEE PAGE 11

HANNA MARTIN: GOVT COMMENTS RAISING TENSIONS OVER HAITIANS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ENGLERSTON MP Glenys Hanna Martin is concerned about rising tensions between Bahamians and Haitians following Hurricane Dorian, saying yesterday the government’s commentary on immigration matters has

done nothing to ease the tensions.

Her statement came as police launched an investigation into an act of vandalism against the New Village Pub, a restaurant and sporting lounge on Balfour Avenue. The outside glass of the restaurant building was broken as if an object was thrown through it and graffiti was

written in large letters on the outside walls that read: “You hate Haitians, we hate you 2 (sic).”

In recent weeks, the Minnis administration has escalated its rhetoric about the need for undocumented immigrants and those who lost their jobs in the storm to leave the country.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE SIX

GARDINER INTO FINAL

SEE SPORTS

PAGE 2, Thursday, October 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Social Services teams go to hurricane zones

MINISTER of Social Services Frankie Campbell with the Abaco team.

TWO additional teams from the Department of Social Services departed New Providence on Sunday for Abaco and Grand Bahama to assist with relief operations in the two areas of the Northern Bahamas most affected by Hurricane, Dorian.

The teams relieved the initial two groups who traveled into the affected areas over the September 21-22 period to conduct assessments, assist in the relief operations, and to provide additional support and assistance for social services staff who would have been in the areas prior to, during and after the passage of Hurricane Dorian, as part of a rotation system.

Officials say the plan is to continuously rotate teams of four in and out of both areas for approximately one week at a time until all of the affected areas are covered. Employees from the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services were also among the initial teams.

Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Frankie A Campbell met with both teams prior to their departure.

“It takes quite a bit of courage to leave the comforts of your homes to go and help someone else, to go and help your colleagues, who have continued to perform exceptional service to the ministry and their country, even though they would have lost homes and other property and in some cases family members,” Mr Campbell said.

“I am grateful for that.

I am truly thankful to you and all of the other staff members across The Bahamas for your willingness to be your brothers and sisters’ keepers. I imagine that your colleagues will be grateful to see you and for all of the assistance you will render while there,” Mr Campbell added.

Staff members have been responsible for shelter management duties at the fourteen shelters that were opened in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Central Eleuthera and Andros, while others were responsible for manning the Department of Social Services’ Emergency Operations Centre, and others were stationed at the National Emergency Operations Centre established by the National Emergency Management Agency.

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 3

RALPHAELA ‘LAVETTE’ MUNNINGS

OMARION LAWRENCE MUNNINGS

Five more missing people identified in storm search

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net POLICE released the identities and photos of five more residents of Grand Bahama who have not been seen or heard from since the passage of Hurricane Dorian a month ago.

The missing High Rock residents – including a sixyear-old boy – all lived at Emmanuel Way. They are Donlock Donny Munnings Jr, 29; J’Vonaje Alejaan Forde, 24; Shirlene Josephine Pinder-Cooper, 48; Ralphaela ‘Lavette” Munnings, 53; and Omarion Lawrence Munnings, 6.

Although they are listed as missing, in late September one of their relatives, Pastor Jenese Pinder, told The Tribune the family of

seven is feared dead.

Ms Pinder-Cooper and Ms Munnings are his sisters, he said last month, while Mr Munnings Jr and little Omari are his nephew and grand-nephew respectively.

Three days before the storm, Pastor Pinder and his two nephews went around and assisted others in High Rock, particularly the elderly and widowed residents, with battening their houses.

After assisting as many persons as they could, he returned to Freeport.

However, Omari and Mr Munnings Jr stayed with his two sisters at their mother’s house, which is about 150-ft from the water on the front road along the bayside.

“Somehow, the house collapsed and it was swept off the foundation when

the surge came in, and they were swept out the house; we have not seen them since,” Mr Pinder said last month.

He said it is hard accepting that they’re gone. “It is very devastating,” he said, of losing so many loved ones all at once.

He recalled a recent vacation trip to Florida with his sister. “We had recently returned from vacation and we had a wonderful time; we would always go on vacation together and I never knew that would be the last time with her,” he said.

Mr Pinder grew up in High Rock and said that his family had expected some damage, but nothing like this.

“They thought that it would be a lot of wind and breeze; that some shingles

would blow off – they never thought the surge would flood (the house).

“The family is taking this hard losing so many members in the storm.

Their bodies have not been recovered, and so it is much harder for us to have some closure,” he said.

Last month, Mr Pinder said some 14 persons are missing from the High Rock community alone. The area had experienced 20-ft surge that reached the roof tops of most homes in the area. Homes, roads, and vehicles were also washed away.

Police are asking anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of missing individuals to contact police in Grand Bahama at 442-2872/2870, 911, 919, or the nearest police station.

affected areas as soon as was possible.

The IDB will work along with the Ministry of Finance to conduct a comprehensive assessment that will determine the overall social and economic impact of Dorian.

“There is much work ahead, but we will rebuild, we will be made stronger, and we will be made whole again, through the grace and guidance of Almighty God,” Dr Minnis also said.

But the situation has presented challenges to the government’s ambitions for the economy to perform at or above economic growth of 2017 and 2018. In 2017, growth was 1.4 percent and 1.6 percent the following year.

The government is proposing to use $30m of the loan for electricity restoration; $30m on welfare and $15m for water restoration.

Debris removal and clean-up will require $15m and reimbursement of evacuation and shelter cost will cost $1m.

Nine million dollars is unallocated, Dr Minnis said. However, he said the estimates are subject to further refinement.

Regarding the money contained in dormant accounts, the government plans to use $20m, of which $10m will support small businesses in economic recovery zones.

An additional $5m is to pay for temporary housing accommodations in affected areas, while another $5m

it allocated for other Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts that have not been determined. This $5m, Dr Minnis said will only be utilised upon consent of the minister of disaster preparedness, recovery and reconstruction.

“Once again, it is fortuitous that this administration had the foresight and forward-thinking in deploying these funds for disaster recovery and reconstruction. The dormant account funds are under the care of the Central Bank, which has recommended that the government use no more than half these funds.

“The Ministry of Finance will determine and coordinate the disbursement schedule with the Central Bank,” Dr Minnis said.

From its three tropical cyclone policies and three excess rainfall policies with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility the government received $12.8m.

Each covers a section or zone of the archipelago: north west, south east

and central.

“It is most fortunate that we restored this facility after it was previously cancelled, a matter which should be debated on another occasion.”

Hurricane Dorian restoration efforts were supported by a number of monetary donations made to NEMA. As of the end of September 30, the organisation received donations totaling $5,159,007.52. This does not include pledges.

Dr Minnis said corporate donors gave $1,362,025.02 and those in the private sector donated $1,325,388.97.

Foreign governments gave $1,901,250 and non-governmental organisations gave $345,343.53 while intergovernmental donations amounted to $225,000.

The United Nations Development Programme is also expected to contribute one million dollars for Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts. This UNDP funding will guarantee technical

DONLOCK DONNY MUNNINGS JR

SHIRLENE JOSEPHINE PINDER-COOPER

J’VONAJE ALEJAAN FORDE

MAJORITY OF $100M LOAN TO BE SPENT ON ELECTRICITY RESTORATION AND WELFARE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE government will spend the lion’s share of its $100m Inter-American Development Bank loan on electricity restoration and enhanced social welfare measures, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday.

Speaking in the House of Assembly, Dr Minnis explained how these funds in addition to $5.1m donated to the National Emergency Management Agency are to be spent along with other money available to the government for Hurricane Dorian related activities.

He revealed that there is $40m in dormant accounts, adding the Central Bank of the Bahamas had advised that the government use no more than half of the money.

Dr Minnis said it was most fortunate that his administration put the IDB loan facility in place back in April.

“Unlike past hurricanes, The Bahamas is able to quickly draw on this $100m facility because of the foresight of this administration,” he told Parliament.

In some circles people have questioned why the government needed this loan, while others have continued to criticise its response after the storm.

To this, the Killarney MP said teams were mobilised immediately and went into

assistance in early recovery interventions for crucial areas.

Dr Minnis explained: “It will also help promote environmentally sustainable resilient infrastructure;

develop national and local capacities for disaster-risk reduction and recovery; and support livelihoods and economic recovery of most vulnerable communities.”

PAGE 4, Thursday, October 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

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Put the phone down when you drive FOR a long time, we have called in this column for action to be taken to clamp down on driving while using a phone. Well, we are delighted to see that as of Monday, this will be illegal.

Given much trumpeting lately by the government of how “the law is the law”, we hope that this will be one that will be enforced.

There are too many traffic accidents in our country. Too many lives snatched away. Too many families left to mourn the death of a loved one.

Often there can be a bit of bravado from drivers, who dismiss the dangers of driving while using a mobile phone because they claim they’re a good enough driver to be able to do both.

Such bravado can end in a fatal crash.

It’s clearly time for such behaviour to stop.

There has been a wealth of research around the globe on the risk of driving while using a handheld device.

A study by Harvard University found that drivers who used a cell phone drove slower, were nine percent slower to hit the brakes, and nearly a quarter more variation in the distance to the next car as they struggled to pay attention.

A 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study in the US reported that driving while texting is six times more dangerous than drunk driving.

The facts are indisputable - and it makes common sense. Your attention belongs on the road. Not on someone talking in your ear while you drive onehanded. Not on trying to type a text message.

It should be on the road in front of you, nowhere else.

The law may change on Monday, but our behaviour ought to change now. It’s not just down to drivers either – we can all play a part.

If you’re a passenger in a car and the driver picks up the phone, tell them to put it down – after all, it’s your life they’re risking as well as their own.

If you receive a call from someone and it sounds like they are driving, tell them to call you back when they’re not on the road and hang up.

You’ll never know if you have saved a life by doing so – but imagine the horror of talking to someone when you hear them crash.

If you’re a driver, think about what that would be like for your loved ones.

If it’s an urgent call, pull over. Put your family first.

So well done to Renward Wells and his team for pushing the regulations through. Now it’s over to the police to enforce it.

We sincerely hope you do – and that we see a drop in traffic fatalities as a result.

War zone Victims of climate change conditions in Abaco EDITOR, The Tribune.

BATTERED and bruised, The Bahamas is now the most recent islandnation to experience global warming’s wrath. Our scattered, low-lying islands and atolls are just a few feet above sea-level which puts us in a position of acute risk to the impacts of climate change. Hurricane Dorian’s unprecedented power is a dark foreshadowing of the changing weather patterns of the future. Aside from the increase in frequency and intensity, the sea-level rise so closely associated with climate change threatens to wipe The Bahamas off the map entirely.

And so, we are faced with a sink or swim dilemma that has never weighed so heavily on our merry shores.

Plastic is one of the most pervasive pollutants on Earth. Single-use plastics are accelerating climate change and effectively, sinking the Bahamas. Plastic production is ever-expanding and it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage. From production to refining, to the way it is managed as a waste product, plastic is lethal and halting production could be huge for our survival.

Marine plastic pollution has really taken centre stage and become a major global concern. Strangely, however, the protracted correlation between plastic production and climate change has not been a

focus. Disposable plastic packaging or ‘single-use plastic’ makes up for 40% of the current plastic industry. Annually, around eight million metric tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans which is the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck’s entire load into the ocean every single minute (The Global Citizen, 2019).

It has long been clear that plastic threatens the global environment and puts human health at risk. But it is also equally as clear that plastic, like the rest of the fossil-fuel derived economy, is putting the climate at risk too. Ninety-nine percent of plastic is made from fossil fuels and in order to decelerate the rate at which climate change creeps in we must end plastic production or we’ll literally be swimming in it (The Guardian UK, 2019).

Befittingly, the Ministry of Environment & Housing (MOEH) is gearing up to launch its Plastic Ban on January 1, 2020. MOEH will impose laws to inhibit the importation and distribution of various single-use plastics to reduce our environmental impact and move towards progressive, green alternatives. I am thrilled to see our government finally steering us away from the choking clutch of plastic.

The Bahamas will be joining many other progressive countries and cities around the world that have taken a stance in this war against plastic, including The

United Kingdom, Taiwan, France, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago, to name a few (The Global Citizen, 2019).

I applaud Prime Minister Minnis and his delegation’s recent trip to the United Nations in New York, where he urged the global community to reduce its plastic waste to keep us afloat.

Many of us are entirely convinced that “The Bahamas is not a real place” – we have trouble keeping the lights on and may be struck by the intention of a stoplight, but lo and behold, we can get rid of plastic knives and forks ahead of other “first-world” countries. At least we’re doing something right.

Now we are bracing for a new kind of storm, the ‘conscious capitalism’ kind, where we are about to take a huge leap towards sustainable living. The removal of plastic from our day-to-day existence in the capacity that we currently know it will be an enormous step for us! Many of my friends from abroad have contacted me and congratulated us on taking this bold stance in helping to reduce plastic use and waste on our shores.

Hopefully many Bahamians and residents will be inspired to act in the hope of creating “a bright and wonderful future” that generations of happy young Bahamians can look forward to.

equitable to charge someone who has invested $’000’s to save money to now charge them the full BP&L Tariff rate and they have not used a drip of BP&L’s fuel or generators!

Is the Minnis Government even interested in Climate Change? Was his speech at the UN just words – a lot of hot air total bull?

Solar and reusables are the fundamental foundation of

reducing the carbon footprint and reducing CO2 levels… no, Minnis and his boys at BP&L want the opposite and clearly screw we The People!

Seems gone are the days of The People’s party!

We know BPL - it has been sold out to Shell America for 20 plus years.

THYME DEAN Nassau, October 2, 2019.

BPL against the people EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE statement from URCA changing their policy concerning parties generating 1mw of alternative No cost to the beast BP&L is incredibly anti-consumer – Anti we The People.

Such a change had to be agreed by Cabinet and the Minister responsible Bannister.

Oh, yes, it is fair and

W THOMPSON Nassau, October 2, 2019.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ABACO after Dorian is the closest The Bahamas have ever been to a war zone, unique in our history.

The Mudd, Pigeon Peas and SandBanks are 99 percent depopulated, as 58 persons are proven dead, with at least another 500 bodies waiting to be found and (hopefully) identified as rubble is searched and cleared away.

With all housing destroyed, uncounted thousands have moved away, either voluntarily or under Government evacuation orders to shelters in New Providence or Abaco itself.

This is not only a human tragedy but an economic crisis, since labour resources will be insufficient as Abaco slowly recovers with the gradual rebirth of Marsh Harbour, Treasure Cay and Hope Town.

It is fatuous for the Attorney General, the immigrations authorities and the Prime Minister himself to talk about business as usual; normal enforcement of the law; no exemptions, etc, while Abaco is living under war zone conditions.

Our politicians are clearly reacting to the undeniable fact that the vast majority of the dead and displaced are Haitians without Bahamian citizenship. They are all being called “undocumented”, although it turns out that a fair number held work permits entitling them to be here.

Of course the Haitian presence in The Bahamas has become excessive, and I thoroughly agree with the recent letter from John

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Bostwick suggesting an effective naval blockade based in Inagua, where our Defence Force could play a more useful role than from its ceremonial headquarters in Coral Harbour.

This redeployment should have been executed years ago.

But that that change would not solve today’s problems.

What’s needed is a present-day administrative Special Authority within Abaco.

The Prime Minister’s first move was correct.

He appointed two experienced officials to coordinate government relief efforts — Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Jack Thompson and former NIB head and experienced businessman Algernon Cargill.

Then a week later he muddied the bureaucratic waters by creating the “Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction” headed by a new Minister of State, instead of simply upgrading the already existing NEMA. The PM has ample constitutional power to create such an Authority by simply declaring a state of emergency, and giving Messrs Thompson and Cargill plenary powers as virtual Czars with broad executive discretion.

Specifically, they could: • Fence in the devastated shanty towns and rigidly restrict entrance to prevent re-settlement and rebuilding.

• Arrange the razing of

shattered structures and removal of debris.

• Determine ownership rights of the newly vacant spaces, possibly with devolution to Government.

• Arrange for sale or rental to private sector developers who would reconstruct under approved zoning rules and building codes.

• Deal individually with displaced Haitians, negotiating jobs for those with work permits and enforcing timely departure of all others, to other islands with Government shelters or eventual repatriation to Haiti.

All these detailed steps can best be handled, and decisions made, on the spot in Abaco.

As in any war zone, existing laws and regulations could be waived or amended to suit immediate objectives, and the special regime would come to an end once Abaco is restored to function normally.

Innumerable international precedents can be found for war zone measures.

In the United States during the Second World War, tightly regulated gas rationing was accepted, with enforcement discipline, even arrests, unthinkable in peacetime.

“Law and Order” can be maintained without antiHaitian hysteria.

In this emergency, Government cannot be expected to make the lives of displaced Abaco Haitians any bed of roses, but they can be treated fairly and humanely.

RICHARD COULSON Nassau October 2, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 5

THE WRECKAGE in the Pigeon Peas community after Hurricane Dorian.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

PM orders acquisition of shanty town land from page one “I have said before, and you will recall, we will eradicate shanty towns and return law to our country,” Dr Minnis said during his first address to the House of Assembly since Hurricane Dorian’s passage.

“I have heard noise about properties of shanty towns.

I have informed the Attorney General (Carl Bethel) to compulsorily acquire The Mudd, Pigeon Peas, Sand Banks and other areas.

“This morning I met with representatives from the IOM – International Organisation of Migration — and they were informed that we are a country of laws and our laws with respect

to illegal immigrants will be carried out. However, they will be carried out in a humane manner.

“Therefore I send a notice to all those who are illegal that they can leave voluntarily or they will be forced to leave,” Dr Minnis warned.

Dr Minnis also said the government is looking at making it easier for developers to take advantage of duty-free waivers in order to build affordable housing for displaced shanty town residents.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Bethel said the Minnis administration will acquire the land in question under Acquisition of Land Act. He said under this law, the government

can exert eminent domain for a public purpose.

Mr Bethel said while a portion of the shanty town properties has been under dispute under the Quieting Titles Act, a significant part is owned by the private sector while some is already owned by the government.

Government officials have been taking a hard stance on migrant issues in recent days.

The Department of Immigration earlier this week warned prospective employers of non-Bahamian workers that applications for new work permits or renewals must satisfy immigration officials that satisfactory living accommodations have been arranged by that employer

on behalf of the prospective worker.

The department also said applicants must satisfy officials “that the said worker will not become a charge on the state or be permitted to live in substandard housing” adding anyone found in violation of the immigration laws will be subject to arrest, criminal proceedings and, where applicable, detention and deportation.

After the statement was released, Mr Bethel told The Tribune migrant storm victims who lost their jobs as a result of the storm “need to go home” even if their work permits had not yet expired.

“If the employer is still paying them then they have

a job, if not then they need to go home,” Mr Bethel told The Tribune on Monday.

“The files will reflect who the business or homeowner applicant is. We will know if a job exists.”

According to the government’s 2018 shanty town report, 41 percent of Abaco residents in the areas were legal residents as a consequence of their work permits.

In keeping with a 2014 immigration policy put in place by the Christie administration, the department also said first time work permit applicants must be living in their own country when that application is made.

“The public is advised that non-nationals seeking

employment in The Bahamas must be approved by the Immigration Department and that applications for the issuance of the first work permit will not be accepted or considered unless the individual is physically present and resident in his or her country of origin at the same time that the first application is made,” the Department of Immigration said.

“Further, the public is hereby reminded that work permits are nontransferable from employer to employer. Any transfer from one employer to another under a current permit may only be legally affected by a new application submitted by that new employer.”

ALBURY ‘RODE IT OUT JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL and South Abaco MP James Albury said he rode out Hurricane Dorian in a house on Abaco.

“I was in a house riding it out just like everyone else, the same exact position,” he said in the House of Assembly yesterday, responding to heckling from a seated Progressive Liberal Party parliamentarian. In the days after Dorian devastated Abaco, some wondered about the whereabouts of Mr Albury and rumours were spread that he was in the United States when the hurricane struck his island.

“For those of us who have went through it, I can sure you it is an impossible thing to describe, the sheer horror and panic,” he said yesterday.

To date, 60 people have officially died because of the storm, most of them

Abaconians while others are victims from Grand Bahama. Four hundred and twenty four people are still reported as missing.

“We’re a very strong people,” Mr Albury said.

“This storm has tested our mettle but as long as Abaconians live and breathe, the spirt of our island cannot be broken. I ask all of you to please remember that it’s not just the splintered trees, the warped metal, the foundations of rubble, which once were family homes.

“Our world is gone as we knew it, everybody’s. We will come back stronger and better than we were before. I want to reassure my constituents that as long as I am here, have breath in my body and any ounce of energy and power to do so I know the concerns, I know the heartbreak and I know the struggle because I live through it. It’s my home and I will do everything I can to make sure we get everything we need, every issue

we are concerned about in here, not least of all safety and security.

“Abaconians are strong, we’re ready, we’re willing, we have a desire to rebuild and come back, younger generations, older generations, we are ready, and hopefully very soon with the provision of additional law enforcement measures and other measures I’ve spoken with my parliamentary colleagues about, that is going to be the key going forward. As soon as Abaconians feel safe to return we can rebuild and begin that process in earnest. I just wanted to stress that point specifically. I want to reassure them that I’m doing all in my power to assist them and bring the safety, security and the dignity they deserve.”

Although the presence of law enforcement has increased since Dorian passed, more than a month later residents continue to complain about criminal acts, particularly theft.

JAMES ALBURY, MP for Central and South Abaco in Parliament yesterday.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

PAGE 6, Thursday, October 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

LEADER of the Opposition Philip ‘Brave’ Davis in Parliament yesterday.

Photos: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

PLP debate on Hurricane Dorian operations denied from page one “With no running water and a lack of government presence since the storm, they feel abandoned. The residents of Sandy Point are complaining that not only has the electricity not been restored, their water system has failed. The people in the Abaco Cays complain of deterioration in safety and security, with little evidence of a government response or presence there to address marauding gangs, occupying and vandalising people’s homes and stealing private property.

“Similar reports are

coming out of Abaco mainland. In Grand Bahama, the people of Freeport are concerned that they are being left out of recovery efforts by the lack of any reference to financial support for them in Freeport.

The loans for civil servants offered by the FNM government do not approximate what the PLP did when it was in office. The PLP allowed up to $20,000 in loans repayable over five years for the civil servants, not the two months salary now being offered by the FNM.” Speaker Moultrie struck these statements from the record before tabling the

document in Parliament, calling them opinionated and unnecessary. However, the opposition later released the letter to the press.

“What a joke the Speaker has become,” PLP chairman Fred Mitchell wrote in a separate press statement.

“Just days ago the Speaker was boasting about 290 years of parliamentary democracy, but when given the opportunity to defend democratic principles, he dropped the ball. The African ancestors are ashamed of him. The House Speaker should be ashamed of himself.”

SPEAKER of the house Halson Moultrie.

HANNA MARTIN: GOVT COMMENTS RAISING TENSIONS OVER HAITIANS from page one Officials have also said migrant storm victims do not have any protection from deportation.

Across social media, many have expressed negative sentiments concerning Haitians, particularly those displaced by the storm.

Mrs Hanna Martin said: “There is a video circulating on social media which

purports to depict an act of vandalism accompanied by graffiti which speaks to hatred between the Bahamian and Haitian communities in this country.

“The building apparently vandalised is in the Englerston constituency.

We must await the police report in this matter to ascertain reported facts. I am very concerned, however, at recent commentary on social media, much of

going viral which signal growing tensions which appear to be taking on a momentum.

“The commentary from government officials have not helped to calm the tensions or encourage rational dialogue. In these official statements government has yet to articulate an immigration policy which the country expected after its extensive surveys in the shanty towns of Abaco

more than a year ago involving several government ministers and its then findings of significant numbers of illegal immigrants in those communities.

“Its recent ad hoc comments about people in the hurricane shelters is confusing. As this atmosphere appears to be escalating to the detriment of us all, I call upon the Christian community, the Haitian Bahamian community and

the government to step forward and immediately take leadership in diffusing what is seeming to be a serious atmosphere with potentially dangerous consequences. We must focus

on the fact that our country is in a debilitated state where many have died and much has been lost. It has been a tragic catastrophe.

This is not the time to fuel fear or hatred.”

Alleviate Art Auction The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas Sunday, October 6th, 2019 6pm - 9pm 100% of donations to Hurricane Dorian

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 7

THE AFTERMATH of the Equinor oii spill during Hurricane Dorian as seen from the air.

Bahamians ‘not given proper gear’ to deal with Equinor spill

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A HUMAN rights activist claims that Bahamians working to clean up the oil spill at the Equinor facility in Grand Bahama are not being provided with the proper hazmat gear as the foreign crew, leaving them exposed to dangerous toxic chemicals.

Joseph Darville, vice president of Rights Bahamas, believes that those Bahamians are in “grave danger” as it relates to their health and safety, and called on the powers that be to ensure they are provided the proper tools to safely perform their jobs.

He claims that a worker overcome by the “toxic fumes” had reportedly passed out while working at the site.

However, during a media tour of the facility by company officials last Friday, response experts claim that they are not seeing any btex compounds – benzene, toluene, ethyl, or xylene; that no actionable levels were detected to require respiratory protection.

They reported that they are detecting low levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Officials reported that some 250 local and international response crews are onsite cleaning up the spill that occurred a month ago when Hurricane Dorian hung over the island for some 40 hours.

In a statement issued by Rights Bahamas, Mr Darville said: “It has come to our attention that several Bahamians are currently undertaking the difficult and hazardous task of

cleaning up the large terrestrial oil slick that leaked from Norwegian-owned Equinor facility in Grand Bahama during Hurricane Dorian, without having been provided any protective gear whatsoever.”

“I have been to the site on several occasions in the past week and have seen Bahamians working in normal civilian clothes and covered with contaminating substances. It is difficult to overstate the grave danger to their health and safety that this poses.

“I am told that one man already passed out from the toxic fumes while working, and only afterwards was given a HAZMAT suit.

Meanwhile, the foreign experts brought in by Equinor have been seen touring the site in full protective gear. This is rank elitism and discrimination,” he said.

Mr Darville indicated that Bahamians are desperate for work on the hurricane-ravaged island where there is absolutely no jobs to be found, and are now “forced to risk their lives in this dangerous undertaking.”

He stressed that absolutely every precaution should be taken to protect their well-being.

“Instead, it seems that they are considered unimportant, expendable, their lives worthless than the cost of a plastic safety suit,” he said.

“What is happening is an absolute disgrace and I cry shame on the company, the government, or whoever else may be responsible for overseeing this clean-up operation. It is incredible that in this day and age, Bahamians can still be treated like colonial

castoffs, as if they were less than human – it is worse than even slaves would be treated really.”

Mr Darville has been very outspoken about the pollution by industrial companies in Grand Bahama, particularly during the 1980s.

He claims: “Grand Bahama has a dubious recent history of foreign industrial companies exploiting our favourable tax and dutyfree status, ravaging the land and poisoning the people.”

“In the 1980s as an educator, I campaigned relentlessly for the relocation of several schools located near industrial plants because the children were becoming seriously ill. Today, more than a dozen of the 98 students from the 1982 class have

died,” he said.

He warned that the effects of industrial pollution, of toxic substances like benzene found in petroleum products sometimes are not felt for years.

Mr Darville said that exposure can lead to devastating health issues in the short, medium or long term.

“We are talking about life threatening breathing problems, severe deformities in newborns and an array of aggressive cancers, among many others,” he said.

Rights Bahamas calls for an immediate halt to this madness. Our people cannot be made to clean up the noxious spill for which others bear the responsibility, with no protection for themselves. Give our people the tools they need to do the job in safety, or find someone else to do your dirty work,” he said.

PAGE 8, Thursday, October 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

HAITIAN migrants displaced from their homes destroyed by Hurricane Dorian rest in a church shelter in Abaco on Saturday.

Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP

Activists claim government using hurricane to get rid of Haitians RIGHTS Bahamas said the government’s policy of using the excuse of Hurricane Dorian to “ethnically cleanse the country of Haitian people” whether they have broken the law or not is “brutal” and “illegal.”

In a statement released yesterday, the advocacy group reiterated its anger with a recent statement by Attorney General Carl Bethel, who told The Tribune on Monday that migrant storm victims who had lost their jobs due to the hurricane need to “go

home” even if they had a valid work permit.

“These are people who broke no law, people who made their lives and homes here in accordance with the Immigration Act,” RB said.

“People who lost everything they owned, property, savings, travel documents, parents, wives, children.

“This policy of using the excuse of Hurricane Dorian to ethnically cleanse the country of Haitian people, regardless of whether they have broken the law or not, is brutal, abusive,

illegal and contrary to every known international standard and treaty.

“The government wants to pretend that because the businesses that used to employ these people have disappeared or been temporarily disabled, they are suddenly been rendered outlaws. Aside this being a shameful case of kicking innocent people when they are down, it is also factually and legally wrong.

“At the very least, the attorneys in the administration should be aware that

this is not how the laws of The Bahamas work. First of all, there is no such category under the law as ‘illegal’. A person cannot be ‘illegal’ under any circumstances – it is an often-used, but legally meaningless expression.

“In reality, there are only two types of people when it comes to immigration: a) those who have been found guilty by a court of law of contravening the Immigration Act, and b) those who have not, and who are therefore considered

innocent in the eyes of the law.

“RB said the people now being targeted are among the second category - they did not enter illegally, they did not overstay, they did not work without a permit.

“In short, they did nothing wrong. Therefore, no lawful action can be taken against them. Sadly, to certain xenophobic elements in the country, the distinction will not matter. ‘Illegal’ is too often just a code-word for ‘Haitian’ and the appeal to enforce immigration laws

just an excuse to support the eradication of a hated minority, regardless of whether they have broken the law or not.

“What the Bahamas government is seeking to do in unconscionable. It is attempted ethnic cleansing.

As we have said, the matter is being reported to the United Nations, the OAS, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and we are applying for official action to be taken by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.”

CANADA FIRM OFFERS 24/7 CRISIS SUPPORT A CANADIAN human resources and tech company has opened its 24/7 crisis support line to help anyone affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The company, Morneau Shepell, also made a financial donation to the Canadian Red Cross to support the efforts of the Red Cross in The Bahamas.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the communities that have been impacted

by Hurricane Dorian and the residents who have been displaced from their

homes or lost a loved one as a result of the destruction,” said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer. “Immediately following the hurricane, we initiated critical incident support in Nassau and Freeport and continue working with our local partner, First Access, to provide onsite support to our clients in the country. We are here to provide members of the community with the support they need to cope with this tragic event.”

A crisis or traumatic event can trigger

overwhelming emotional response. Members of communities impacted by these losses can call Morneau Shepell for crisis and trauma support at 1.855.272.5612.

When calling the crisis line, individuals receive crisis counselling support and/ or a referral to community resources.

The company’s employee and family assistance programme is available to existing clients through the designated toll-free number or by visiting workhealthlife.com, according to a press release.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 9

FORMER Cabinet minister Shane Gibson outside court this week.

Ash: I was afraid - so I paid $80,000 to Gibson from page one Mr Ash also said Gibson messaged him on WhatsApp in March 2017 and told him he would need between $50,000 and $100,000 for several PLP members of Parliament, and he subsequently made those payments.

He said after this, various people reached out to him about him “making all this money” and telling him how former Prime Minister Perry Christie had his name “ringing” throughout the country.

At that point, Mr Ash said he felt like he was “between a rock and a hard place”, and began to get “a little afraid for my life”, not just because he knew “what was happening” but also what had already happened. Thus, he said with him being a “small businessman”, and before he got “taken out”, he should “come forward and say what happened”.

“Everything I’m doing I did on my own, as a man, because I was afraid,” he said, as he insisted he was never coerced to testify. “I have a wife, I have children and I have people that I love. I couldn’t just let my life be taken out over some matters that I didn’t have no control over.”

And that came after Mr Ash, in viewing printouts of messages exchanged between himself and Gibson, confirmed that he told the former minister, “We have to win,” meaning the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) heading into the general election that year.

However, Mr Ash explained: “That was the PLP government. I don’t have a problem with (them). I don’t have a problem with this government either.”

Mr Ash was also shown printouts of screenshots of various WhatsApp

messages he shared with Gibson between the first three months of 2017. And some of those messages, Mr Ash said, referred to instances where he would meet up with Gibson to pay him as per the former minister’s request for “shingles”, said to be a code name for money.

One message from Gibson that read: “Any shingles today?”

In response, Mr Ash replied by asking the former minister where he was.

Gibson told Mr Ash he was in the Golden Gates area. However, Mr Ash said he met Gibson later on that evening at the shooting range off Gladstone Road, where he gave the man the first payment of $25,000.

In another instance on February 18, Mr Ash wrote to Gibson: “Her sir I drop it off.” Gibson replied by saying “thanks,” and Mr Ash responded: “No problem.” Mr Ash explained that at that point in time, he was paying both Gibson and Deborah Bastian, a woman connected to Gibson, and had just given Ms Bastian some funds to give to Gibson.

In a voice note played in court, Mr Ash could be heard saying: “I drop the shingles off, all right?”

Then, in another instance on March 28, 2017 which Mr Ash said was “something totally different” and involved “another set of money”, Gibson messaged him and told him: “We have South Beach, Bamboo Town, Carmichael, Golden Gates, Southern Shores, Golden Isles, Seabreeze and Yamacraw. I would estimate between 50 and 100. You let me know depending on what you want them to have.”

Mr Ash, who usually addressed Gibson as “boss” or “general”, responded by saying, “Okay something can work.”

NO INJURIES AS PLANE CRASHES IN CROSS WINDS POLICE are investigating a plane crash which occurred on Tuesday at Pitts Town Airport, Crooked Island.

Shortly after 3pm, a PA32 Cherokee 6 aircraft, registration #N38677, left Deadman’s Cay, Long Island en route to Pitts Town Airport, with four passengers on board. As the aircraft began its final

approach to the runway, it encountered cross winds, which caused it to crash onto the runway, police said.

There was major damage to the aircraft, however no one was injured during this incident, police added.

This matter will be referred to the Department Civil Aviation for further investigation.

Mr Ash explained that he ultimately ended up paying the then-MP’s for those constituencies either $5,000 or $10,000. He said because they didn’t want to have the cheques made out to them directly, the MPs would send different people to collect them. However, Mr Ash said he knew that the people receiving the cheques were “comrades” with the MPs. At the start of yesterday’s proceedings, lead Crown prosecutor James Guthrie, QC, produced copies of various cheques from which Mr Ash said he used to pay Gibson directly.

He previously testified he made payments to Gibson of $25,000 on two separate occasions and $10,000 on three separate occasions.

Mr Ash said he made those payments between

February and March 2017. February 21, 2017 was when he first gave Gibson $25,000, Mr Ash said. That exchange allegedly occurred at Baha Mar Boulevard. Mr Ash said he would later go on to make payments to Gibson at a shooting range off Gladstone Road.

Mr Ash also confirmed the authenticity of a number of other cheques he used to withdraw large amounts of money, some of which he said he gave to Bastian to pay down on a $250,000 bill Gibson had charged him.

Those payments, he said, were made between the beginning of January 2017 to February of that year.

However, Mr Ash revealed yesterday that there was a point in time in mid-February 2017 when he

was paying Gibson and Ms Bastian simultaneously.

Gibson’s attorney Keith Knight, QC, said it may become “necessary” for his side to speak to the woman.

However, Mr Guthrie said the Crown does not intend to call the woman as a witness on its case.

That, Mr Knight said, then raises the issue of whether or not the defence is “at liberty” to speak to Ms Bastian. However, Justice Carolita Bethel admonished the senior Jamaican attorney to raise such issues outside of the jury’s presence.

Nonetheless, Mr Ash was shown a number of cheques from the Public Treasury to him or his company, Ash Enterprises and Trucking, showing how he received $1,365,446 on two dates in March 2017.

On March 8, 2017, he received three cheques, each worth $227,587.66 and the other worth just two cents more. On March 21, he received another three cheques; two were worth $227,587.67 and one worth $227,507.66.

Mr Ash was also shown additional Public Treasury cheques showing how he received a collective $653,062.50 in outstanding payments during the time he was paying Ms Bastian allegedly on Gibson’s behalf. Mr Ash surmised that those payments were for the three dumpsites he cleaned up in the third week of January, namely the dump site at Bacardi Road, the city dump off Harrold Road, and the dump site that was situated at the Sports Centre.

The case continues today.

PAGE 10, Thursday, October 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

CANADIAN fashion mogul Peter Nygard pictured at court previously.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Nygard recusal bid rejected by court

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net SUPREME Court Justice Keith Thompson rejected Peter Nygard’s application that he recuse himself from addressing a matter

in which Mr Nygard was found in contempt.

Keod Smith, one of the respondents in the matter, alleged that his constitutional right to a fair hearing had been infringed, violated or threatened to be infringed or violated and

that there had been the presence of bias or the possibility of bias on Justice Thompson’s part towards him.

Mr Smith cited a glowing tribute Justice Thompson once wrote about the late Reginald Lobosky whose

name is featured in the name of the law firm representing the applicants in this matter: Harry B Sands Lobosky & Co. “In my judgement, the fair minded, fully informed observer having relevant facts, aware of the judicial oath and the presumption of impartiality, would come to the conclusion that it was unreasonable to suspect bias, real, apparent or perceived, on my part in this matter with the present parties on the ground that my former relationship with Dr Lobosky and Mrs

Sarah Lobosky some 21 years ago would create perceived or apparent bias as against the first and second defendants in the instant matter,” Justice Thompson concluded in his ruling.

Mr Smith also alleged that when he and another sought an injunction on Mr Nygard’s behalf against having a provost marshal execute an order to possess Nygard Cay, he was put under intense scrutiny by the judge who showed “subconscious preference” for Fred Smith and his clients.

Justice Thompson, in his ruling, said the respondents provided no evidence of this allegation.

Justice Thompson cited an authoritative case on recusals which noted that perceived bias calls into question the integrity of judges and the judicial system therefore the usual format is for both sides to approach a judge in the privacy of their chamber and raise a matter raised in private.

“The first nor second respondent followed this procedure,” Justice Thompson wrote.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 11

PUT DOWN THE PHONE WHILE YOU DRIVE - OR BREAK LAW from page one

RENWARD WELLS, Minister of Transport and Local Government.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

“My ministry recently advanced and this House approved legislative amendments for several innovative changes that have significant implications for the motoring public,” Mr Wells said in the House of Assembly.

He said he was pleased to advise that the Box Junction Regulations and Fixed Penalty Amendment are in effect.

“The yellow box junctions have been placed on a number of major thoroughfares throughout New Providence and are represented by yellow crossed diagonal lines in the form of a box. They

are in place to enhance safety and to keep traffic flowing at critical intersections,” he said.

“A simple rule of thumb is to only enter a yellow box junction when there is enough space on the other side of the road for your vehicle to completely clear the box without stopping.”

The amendments also permit a driver to turn left on a red light if there is no pedestrian crossing the intersection and no approaching vehicle having the right of way.

“This is intended to allow traffic to move, with minimal risk provided that proper caution is observed, without having to wait for a green signal,” he said.

“That caution requires each driver to come to a complete stop and ensure that the way is clear prior to proceeding.”

The amendments were passed in one sitting of Parliament earlier this year after being tabled last September.

At the time, Mr Wells told the House the government hoped to disrupt increasing traffic fatalities, which are now the 13th highest cause of death in the country.

There were 63 traffic fatalities last year which represented a 29 percent increase from 2017. Of those 63 accidents, there were 69 deaths, reflecting a 28 percent increase from the previous year.

Police give advice after spate of armed robberies

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a spate of recent armed robberies in the capital, Superintendent Shanta Knowles urged residents and business owners to be vigilant and to take all necessary precautions to remain safe.

Supt Knowles encouraged business owners to secure their properties and to invest in surveillance cameras.

“Ensure doors and windows are cleared of signs and posters that can obstruct the view of those passing. We encourage the use of surveillance cameras,

but we ask that you have them installed and have them checked to make sure they are in proper working condition always.

“We don’t encourage a large amount of cash kept on the property. We ask that you make bank deposits as frequently as possible, and if possible, using the armoured vehicles.”

Supt Knowles warned residents to take precautions when heading home, especially at night.

“We ask residents when they are returning home to call someone and let them know that you are on the way home so that proper lighting can be around their property. To always be

aware of your surroundings, once you pull into the yard or near to your home look at property, in the yard and the neighbour’s yard next to you to ensure no one is lurking around,” she said.

“If you see someone lurking around just drive off and call the police. The police will always come to assist. We encourage people to always be aware of their surroundings, who should be in the neighbourhood, who is usually in the neighbourhood or on the street at a particular time.”

She also urged people to avoid keeping large sums of cash, expensive jewellery and important documents on them.

When asked what someone should do if they feel like they’re being followed, Supt Knowles said not to go home and suggested driving to the nearest police station.

She said: “Or drive to an area that is well-lit and populated until you can get some help. Until you can see where the vehicle is going and get a proper description of it or until you can get a proper escort home. If you see someone driving behind, you do not go home. Go somewhere you can get help.”

Her comments came as police said they were looking for three suspects connected with

three separate armed robberies committed Monday night and Tuesday afternoon.

According to reports, shortly after 11pm on Monday, a woman was near Freedom Farm, Joe Farrington Road when she was approached by an armed man. The suspect forced her to withdraw cash from two ATM machines, before robbing her of the funds and her vehicle. Police reported her car was later recovered.

In the second incident, shortly after 1pm on Tuesday, a woman was in the parking lot of a business on Carmichael Road, when an armed man approached

and got in the vehicle. The suspect forced the victim to drive to a dirt road off Cowpen Road, where he robbed her of a handbag containing cash and other items, before fleeing the scene in a grey Nissan vehicle.

In the last incident, shortly after 9pm, a woman was at a church on Cordeaux Avenue, when she was approached by an armed man who robbed her of a handbag that contained cash and personal documents before fleeing the scene on foot.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).

PAGE 12, Thursday, October 3, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Who will face Trump - if he’s still President?

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

EVERY morning now, we open the newspaper, turn on the television or fire up the computer to hear new reports or opinions about American president Donald Trump, his administration and his many political critics.

Trump’s two most powerful and influential cabinet members, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr, both appear to have been caught both acting unethically and then lying in public about it.

Pompeo admitted as much yesterday.

Trump’s personal attorney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, is racing from one TV show to the next, fulminating about

just about everything. If he had any hair left, we’d see it on fire.

A few Congressional Republicans, notably House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have risen to the president’s defence, but most GOP legislators remain silent.

Trump’s resolutely loyal “base” seems to be sticking with their man, according to the latest polls. Corporate mega donors must still be contributing to his wobbly campaign, too, because it was just reported that the Trump campaign raised a whopping $125m during the political quarter just ended.

Thanks to the Supreme

Court’s 2010 decision in the Citizens United case, the flow of corporate money will only increase.

Since almost before he took office, Trump has confirmed his view that the executive branch of the American federal government, and legislative members of his own Republican party, should work

for him. If conflicts appear between this approach and their sworn duty to uphold the constitution, Trump believes they should subordinate their constitutional obligations of fealty to him.

He has overtly tried to pack the Supreme Court and lower federal courts with conservatives and loyalists who will rebuff legal challenges to his policies and methods.

Trump appears to think, with some justification so far, that this approach will not generate sufficient opposition to undermine his presidency.

What, then, of the opposition to Trump? Cranky Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders just reported a big fundraising success during the past quarter, fueled by a continuing tide of small donor contributions. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren maintains a steady advance in the polls, even as she advocates breaking up the biggest tech giants and Facebook’s CEO publicly contemplates a lawsuit against her if she became president.

Both of these proud lefties advocate social and economic policies that would move the US toward a more overtly socialist philosophy of government.

Many observers wonder if a mostly conservative American electorate would go to the polls next year to support such a programme, even if it might prove

beneficial to most individual voters.

This question hangs in the air, looming above all the political noise in the media.

Then there’s Joe Biden.

Trump obviously sees the former vice president as both his likely and most formidable opponent next year, so he has trained his rhetorical fire on Biden and his son Hunter.

It seems that the Trump administration has attempted to enlist the heads of government of both Ukraine and Australia in the effort to besmirch Biden and his son Hunter.

One has to wonder what other nations will emerge in the coming days and weeks as similar targets for the Trump machine as it girds for reelection in 2020.

In the face of this unprecedented assault, Biden seems to be resisting the urge to leap into the political mud pit with Trump. We will see how long Joe Biden can continue with this relatively restrained response.

With the House adjourned for two weeks, the impeachment process grinds on, still seeking a more secure footing with the American public.

Trump is only the fourth US chief executive to face a formal impeachment process, and only the Watergate-based inquiry into Richard Nixon and his administration has led to a president leaving office.

Some commentators reassure us and themselves that American institutions will stand and hold firm during this tumultuous Trump-led push for more executive power. The founders of the republic, so this thinking goes, were wise and their enduring wisdom will ultimately prevail.

The picture of one of those founders, Alexander Hamilton, remains on the American ten-dollar bill. He was, among many other distinctions, the first US Secretary of the Treasury. In 1788, Hamilton offered this wisdom in The Federalist Papers. It was recently quoted by the New York Times: “Mr Hamilton wrote that the inherently political nature of impeachment proceedings would be sure to polarise the country.

“Their prosecution, he wrote, ‘will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole community, and to divide it into parties more or less friendly or inimical to the accused. In many cases it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence and interest on one side or on the other; and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.”

Amen.

THE 2019-2020 NFL season has reached the quarter pole. For most teams, 25 percent of the season is already gone.

What have we learned so far?

First, the New England Patriots are as good as we thought they were.

With former Tom Brady backups now starting at quarterback for two other promising teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts, the Pats just keep rolling along. Still unbeaten after squeaking by the upstart Buffalo Bills

in a game long and passionately awaited by fans from Western New York and thousands of Canadian fans from Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario, the game was played like a steel-cage death match.

But New England won, without much help from its offence. That the Pats of coach Belichick and Brady rarely get through September undefeated should seriously scare the rest of the league. They’re now 4-0.

Leading the pack among teams not based in the Boston area, Kansas City and New Orleans are looking especially promising.

Neither is a surprise, as both were widely picked as challengers to New England’s expected dominance.

Reigning league MVP Pat Mahomes seems to be suffering little of the so-called “sophomore jinx’ in guiding the Chiefs in his second season as a starter through their first four games undefeated. This is a solid, well-coached and wellorganised team.

The Saints have negotiated a brutal first quarter schedule by beating the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks, all of whom may

make the playoffs this year.

Their only defeat came on the road to the Los Angeles Rams, who were aided by another wretched blown call by the officials.

And by the way, New Orleans has managed its 3-1 record without injured future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees, whose hand was badly dinged in the loss to LA. Teddy Bridgewater, himself often injured over the course of an ill-starred career, has emerged to calmly lead the very talented Saints. This team plays away to the dominant defense of the Chicago Bears later this month. If it can beat Chicago, the Saints should be heavily favored to win every other game on their schedule. And Brees will be back off the injured list, fresh and rested, in another few weeks.

Elsewhere, teams are showing the effects of keeping their starting players on the sidelines during the preseason games on their schedule. This keeps their stars from getting injured. It also means that timing and other adjustments to playing with new teammates has to occur during the early regular season games.

Results can be spotty and misleading as a result.

PATRIOTS STILL SHINE - BUT RIVALS SHOWING PROMISE

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 13

It’s not just the Amazon that is burning

By JOEL E CORREIA University of Florida

T

HE fires raging across the Brazilian Amazon have captured the world’s attention.

Meanwhile, South America’s second-largest forest, the Gran Chaco, is disappearing in plain sight.

The Gran Chaco, which spans from Bolivia and Brazil to Paraguay and Argentina, is extremely bio-diverse, with more than 3,400 plant and 900 animal species – including quebracho blanco trees, tapirs and jaguars. It is also home to at least 30 indigenous peoples, including the Ayoreo, some of whom live in voluntary isolation in their historic homelands, as well Mennonite colonies.

Now, due to the some of the fastest deforestation in the world, this once enormous ecosystem may soon be gone outside of protected areas. Since 2001, more than 31,000 square miles of forest were felled to make way for agriculture and cattle ranching in the Gran Chaco.

More than half of that deforestation took place in Paraguay, a small South American country of seven million.

As in the Amazon to the north, cattle ranching and farming are the primary drivers of deforestation in Paraguay’s Gran Chaco.

But beyond beef and soy, the cleared land of the Gran Chaco produces some pretty unexpected stuff, too – everyday products that are exported and sold abroad to consumers who may never know their purchases contribute to the destruction of South America’s second largest forest.

GROWING PAINS IN THE CHACO I have investigated the spread of export-oriented agriculture in Paraguay since 2011. Paraguay, the eighth largest exporter of beef globally, sells 350,000 tons of beef each year to Russia, Israel, Chile and beyond.

There are at least 14 million head of cattle in the Paraguayan Chaco and over four million hectares of land devoted to cattle ranching – an area larger than Belgium.

The Paraguayan government hopes to climb into the top five of global beef exporters in the next 10 years. To meet that goal, ranchers will need more land – a lot of it – since Paraguay’s beef industry

is based on grazing, rather than the feedlot model prevalent in the US. To clear forest land for grazing, both legally and illegally, Paraguayan cattle ranchers use what’s called “chaining.” That means leveling the forest with tractors that drag heavy chains.

Then they burn the fallen trees.

Increasingly, some Paraguayan ranchers are realizing that there’s money to be made off those felled trees, too. Rather than just incinerating the wood in their fields, they turn it into carbón – or charcoal, in English.

Across the Paraguayan Chaco, large brick kilns located off of main roads slowly bake the wood cleared from nearby forests, transforming it into charcoal that fuels weekend cookouts worldwide.

That charcoal is then stacked high on trucks that carry it to Paraguayan exporters, who ship it to Europe, the Middle East and the United States, among other major markets.

WEEKEND COOKOUTS AND LUXURY LEATHER In those places, Paraguayan charcoal is often labeled it as “natural” or “environmentally certified”, suggesting that they are sustainable.

Paraguayan charcoal may be a “natural” product, but it’s hardly environmentally friendly.

That’s because making and selling charcoal from recently cut trees – trees that previously went to waste – makes deforestation more profitable.

As a result, purchases of this product indirectly contribute to the deforestation of the Chaco, sometimes turning environmentally minded consumers into unknowing accomplices in the decimation of South America’s second-largest forest.

A similar problem arises with another Chaco good that’s sold far and wide: leather.

Paraguay exported nearly nine million pounds of leather – a byproduct of its beef industry – last year.

Paraguayan leather is refined and used in numerous industries across the world, particularly in Europe.

Car companies BMW, Citroën, Peugeot, Renault, Porsche and Ferrari all use leather from the Chaco to wrap everything from seats to steering wheels.

Playing a pickup game of soccer this weekend? Your shoes could be made of the same stuff.

Leather and charcoal don’t just make environmental degradation of the Paraguayan Chaco forest more profitable – sometimes, they are produced using forced labor.

According to recent complaints filed with the Paraguayan attorney general’s office and labor department, some Chaco cattle ranches exploit indigenous people, paying extremely low wages for jobs like fence building, clearing land or herding cattle. Some workers must buy food from expensive ranch stores using systems of credit that entrap them in debt.

A September 2018 United Nations report on contemporary forms of slavery in Paraguay shows that forced labor on Chaco cattle ranches and related industries is slowly improving due to increased compliance with labor laws, but affirms that it remains prevalent.

GOING, GOING… It can be overwhelming, I know, for consumers to investigate whether their leather, say, or the charcoal for their BBQ is ethically sourced.

There are so many worrying environmental problems in the world, and global supply chains are incredibly complex. So for consumers living far from the places that produce the goods they buy – even very conscientious ones – it is easier to focus on extraordinary events like the Amazon fires than to contemplate the unintended consequences of a weekend cookout.

But commonplace consumption habits matter when it comes to global environmental health. The things we buy may support the harmful underlying practices and industries that lead to acute crises like Amazonian fires or generalised problems driven by climate change.

That said, there’s no “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes to social and environmental justice. If South America’s great Gran Chaco forest continues to be leveled at the current rates, it will recede before most people even knew it existed.

• The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

FRESHLY chained and scraped: Where a Paraguayan forest once stood, a cow pasture is in the

KILNS making charcoal in Paraguay’s Chaco.

Photos: Joel E Correia

PAGE 14, Thursday, October 3, 2019

COP GETS TEN YEARS FOR KILLING NEIGHBOUR IN HIS OWN APARTMENT

THE TRIBUNE

AN EAGLE’S EYE VIEW OF CLIMATE CHANGE

DALLAS Associated Press A WHITE Dallas police officer was sentenced yesterday to ten years in prison for killing her black neighbor in his apartment, which she said she mistook for her own unit one floor below.

Amber Guyger didn’t appear to show much reaction, at least from the angle of a live camera stream, as the judge read the jury’s sentence. It came a day after the jury convicted her of murder in the September 2018 killing of Botham Jean.

Guyger’s sentence was met with boos and jeers by a crowd gathered outside the courtroom. “It’s a slap in the face,” one woman said.

As Jean’s family walked out of the courtroom, the group that had been outside began a chant of, “No justice! No peace!” Two young black women hugged each other and cried.

Prosecutors had asked jurors to sentence Guyger to at least 28 years, which is how old Jean would have been if he was still alive.

The jury could have sentenced the former officer to up to life in prison or as little as two years.

The basic facts of the unusual shooting were not in dispute throughout the trial. Guyger, returning from a long shift that night, entered Jean’s fourth-floor apartment and shot him. He had been eating a bowl of ice cream before she fired.

Guyger said she parked on the wrong floor and mistook Jean’s apartment for her own, which was directly below his, and mistook him for a burglar. In the frantic 911 call played repeatedly during the trial, Guyger said “I thought it was my apartment” nearly 20 times. Her lawyers argued that the identical physical appearance of the apartment complex from floor to floor frequently led to tenants going to the wrong apartments.

But prosecutors questioned how Guyger could have missed numerous signs that she was in the wrong place.

They also asked why she didn’t call for backup instead of walking into the apartment if she thought she was being burgled and suggested she was distracted by sexually explicit phone messages she had been exchanging with her police partner, who was also her lover.

The shooting drew widespread attention because of the strange circumstances.

SANDERS HAS TREATMENT FOR HEART BLOCKAGE BERNIE Sanders’ campaign said yesterday that the Democratic presidential candidate had a heart procedure for a blocked artery and was canceling events and appearances “until further notice”.

The 78-year-old Sanders was taken to a Las Vegas hospital after he experienced chest discomfort during a campaign event Tuesday and sought medical evaluation. Two stents were “successfully inserted,” and Sanders “is conversing and in good spirits,” according to the campaign.

Sanders tweeted that he was “feeling good. I’m fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover”.

Then, sounding one of his favorite themes from the campaign trail, he added: “None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us. And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!”

IN this image made from video provided by Eagle Wings Foundation/Chopard, aerial footage shot by a camera attached to an eagle of a glacier in Western Europe. A white-tailed eagle, Victor, is filming as he flies over the Alps and its once-magnificent glaciers, which are now crumbling because of global warming.

Photo: Eagle Wings Foundation/Chopard via AP

UN: Haiti unrest harming hospitals, orphans, students PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Associated Press UNREST in Haiti has disrupted hospitals, orphanages and emergency services while keeping some two million children from school, the United Nations said yesterday.

The warning from UN spokesman Stephane Djuarric came as there was a relative pause in disturbances that have wracked Haiti’s capital for weeks as protesters have tried to drive President Jovenel Moïse from power. People once again stood in line to buy gasoline and some banks and businesses cautiously reopened, despite a scattered of roadblocks formed by burning tires.

“Fuel shortages, lack of safe water and other essentials are also affecting orphanages, civil protection units and other emergency services, which are also functioning with limited capacity,” Dujarric said at the United Nations.

In addition, with many schools closed for the past two weeks, an estimated 2 million children have no access to education, he said.

Dujarric said UN humanitarian officials warned that the disturbances threaten to worsen hunger in one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.

The embattled president has kept largely out of the public eye in recent days, but has given no indication that he will step down.

As the standoff continues, Haitians wonder who will yield first: the protesters or the president.

One opposition leader, André Michel, told The Associated Press yesterday that his coalition is calling for removing both parliament and the president in

A POLICEMAN uses a rake to drag burning tires out of the road as police break up a barricade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday. A group of men was protesting at the intersection after commissioning a mural of opposition organiser Jose Mano Victorieux, known as “Badou”, who they said was executed on Saturday night by unknown assailants.

Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP a wholesale renovation of the country’s political institutions. He said his group has created a commission meant to oversee a transfer of power and create some sort of body to replace the current parliament.

While parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 27, postponement seems inevitable, adding to the sense of stalemate.

“It’s a dramatic situation, a chaotic situation,” said Evans Paul, a former prime

minister and Moïse ally who privately discussed the crisis on Monday with the Core Group, which includes officials from the United Nations, United States, Canada, France and others.

Paul told The Associated Press that those present did not say whether Moïse should remain in power or resign, but dialogue, voiced support for Haiti’s institutions and defended democratic principles.

Moïse was elected in 2017

for a five-year term, though turnout was extremely low and the 14-month election cycle was plagued by allegations of fraud that forced a re-do some a first-round vote.

Paul said he believes Moïse has two options: choose a prime minister backed by the opposition or possibly reduce the length of his presidential term.

However, Paul said many problems remain, including the lack of a provisional

electoral commission to oversee any vote. Paul said that while he has encouraged Moïse to make bigger concessions, “He can’t put everything on the table.”

The opposition has rejected Moïse’s pick for a new prime minister and the confirmation vote indefinitely postponed on September 23 after a senator fired his pistol outside Haiti’s Senate, injuring an AP photographer and a security guard.

SEVEN DEAD AS WWII B17 BOMBER CRASHES A WORLD War II-era B-17 bomber with 13 people aboard crashed and burned at the Hartford airport after encountering mechanical trouble on takeoff Wednesday, killing seven of them.

The four-engine, propeller-driven plane struggled to get into the air and slammed into a maintenance building at Bradley International Airport as the pilots circled back for a landing, officials and witnesses said.

It had ten passengers

and three crew members, authorities said.

Connecticut Public Safety Commissioner James Rovella said hours after the crash that some of those on board were burned, and “the victims are very difficult to identify”.

Some of the survivors of the crash were critically injured, authorities said.

One person on the ground was also hurt in the crash and a firefighter involved in the response suffered a minor injury.

IN this aerial image taken from video, emergency crews respond to the crash of a World War II-era bomber B-17 plane at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut yesterday.

Photo: WFXT Boston 25 News/AP

THE TRIBUNE

FIERY IMPEACHMENT STANDOFF: TRUMP SEES HOAX, DEMS STONEWALL

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK AND JONATHAN LEMIRE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Agitated and angry, President Donald Trump squared off against House Democrats on Wednesday, packing his increasingly aggressive impeachment defence with name-calling and expletives.

Quietly but just as resolutely, lawmakers expanded their inquiry, promising a broad new subpoena for documents and witnesses.

Democratic leaders put the White House on notice that the wide-ranging subpoena would be coming for information about Trump’s actions in the Ukraine controversy, the latest move in an impeachment probe that’s testing the Constitution’s system of checks and balances. They said they’d be going to court if necessary.

Amid the legal skirmishing, it was a day of verbal fireworks.

The president complained that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was handing out subpoenas “like cookies,” railed against a government whistleblower as “vicious” and assailed the news media as corrupt and the “enemy.” All that alongside a presidential tweetstorm punctuated with an accusation that congressional Democrats waste time and money on “BULL----.”

Pelosi said Democrats had no choice but to take on the most “solemn” of constitutional responsibilities to put a check on executive power after the national security whistleblower’s complaint that recently came to light .

The administration and Congress are on a collision course unseen in a generation after the whistleblower exposed a July phone call the president had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which Trump pressed for an investigation of Democratic political rival Joe Biden and his family.

“We take this to be a very sad time” for the American people and the country, Pelosi said. “Impeaching the president isn’t anything to be joyful about.”

Standing beside her, intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff accused Trump of “an incitement to violence” with his attacks on the unnamed whistleblower, who is provided anonymity and other protections under federal law. He said the investigation is proceeding “deliberately” but also with a sense of “urgency.”

Unlike Trump, Schiff never raised his voice but said firmly: “We’re not fooling around here.”

Pelosi, in a “Good Morning America” interview that will air Thursday, said Trump is “scared” of the impeachment inquiry and the arguments that can be made against him.

Democrats are now talking of basing an impeachment charge of obstruction on the White House’s slow-walking of documents and testimony -- administration actions that echo the months of resisting Congress in its other investigations into special counsel Robert Mueller’s report and Trump’s business dealings.

Ahead of the new subpoena, the chairmen of three House committees accused the administration of “flagrant disregard” of previous requests for documents and witnesses and said that refusal could be considered an impeachable offense.

The standoff took on a defiant tone this week when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would not stand for Democrats “bullying” his employees into appearing before the congressional committees, even as he acknowledged that he, too, had been among those U.S. officials listening on the line during the Trump’s phone call with the Ukraine leader.

Pompeo’s admission is complicating his situation, and House leaders now consider him a “witness” to Trump’s interaction with Ukraine.

One former State Department official, Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, will appear Thursday for a closed-door interview with House investigators. He is said to be eager to tell his side of the story. That’s ahead of next week’s deposition of ousted U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Maria “Masha” Yovanovitch.

The circumstances of Yovanovitch’s sudden recall from Ukraine are the subject of conspiracy speculation, and the State Department’s Inspector General Michael Steve Linick sought an “urgent” meeting Wednesday to brief staff of several committees.

During that private session, Linick told them he received

a packet of materials from the State Department’s Counsel T. Ulrich Brechbuhl, according to one person granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door session.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the package contained information from debunked conspiracy theories about Ukraine’s role in the 2016 election. Trump has long pursued those theories, a topic he discussed with Zelenskiy in the phone call that sparked the impeachment inquiry.

It was unclear where the package originated, but it was in a White House envelope and included folders from Trump hotels, according to another person familiar with the briefing, a Democrat. That person said the White House sent the envelope to Pompeo and it contained notes from interviews that took place in the New York City office of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, with various Ukrainians about the debunked conspiracies.

“It raises more questions than it answers,” said Raskin.

Brechbuhl has also been called to give a deposition to the House.

Anger Trump, in appearances in the Oval Office and a joint press conference with the president of Finland, displayed an unusual show of anger as he defended what he has called his “perfect” phone call with Zelenskiy and decried the impeachment inquiry.

At one point, he demanded that a reporter pressing him on his dealings with Ukraine move on, labeling the journalist “corrupt.” Earlier in the day he said even though he popularised the phrase “fake news,” he now preferred to say “corrupt” news. “This is a hoax,” Trump said.

Later he called himself, as he has before, a “very stable genius” who always watches what he says in conversations.

Trump has tweeted in recent days that he wants to “find out

about” the whistleblower and question him or her, though the person’s identity is protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act. Schiff’s spokesman acknowledged that the whistleblower had come to the intelligence committee before filing the formal complaint but said the staff advised the person to contact an inspector general and seek counsel, and at no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance.

Trump suggested, without any evidence, that Schiff “probably helped write” the whistleblower’s complaint.

The whistleblower’s lawyers said the person had never met or spoken with Schiff about the matter.

The new subpoena coming Friday from House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings will be directed toward acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and request 13 separate batches of documents concerning the July call and related matters. The call came against the backdrop of a $250 million foreign aid package for Ukraine that was being readied by Congress but stalled by Trump.

The whistleblower alleged in August 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.

The acting director of national intelligence eventually made the complaint 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.

In Russia, Putin said scrutiny over the phone call showed that Trump’s adversaries are using “every excuse” to attack him.

Thursday, October 3, 2019, PAGE 15 PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, in Washington.

(AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)