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VOLUME:115 No.228, OCTOBER 22ND, 2018

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SPORTS: BAHAMAS DRAWS A BLANK - BUT GOLD AS HOSTS PAGES ‘DISNEY’S GO-AHEAD SHOWS WE NEED PLAN’

$6m fine, jail and don’t come back

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 120 Dominican poachers have been fined $52,000 each for “stripping” and “raping” the country’s waters of close to 70,000 pounds worth of fisheries products, with the captains of the crew ordered to pay close to double that amount - and a warning: “Do not come back.”

Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt said the 121 crew members are to pay a $40,000 fine, as well as serve six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS), for having pillaged the Bahamian seas of some 68,000 pounds of marine life on October 13.

The three captains of

the Dominican “motherships” used in furtherance of the illicit acts, namely 33-year-old Roberto Martinez, 36-year-old Javier Castillo Gil and 25-year-old Johanam Del Rosario, were fined $80,000 each, and also ordered to spend six months in prison. Failure to pay respective fines would result in an additional six months in prison for all 124 men, the chief magistrate said.

Martinez, who is also alleged to have shot at members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) with an unlicenced shotgun in a bid to evade capture on the day in question, will stand trial on January 25 after pleading not guilty to three separate firearm-related offences.

SEE PAGE THREE

FORMER State Finance Minister Michael Halkitis questioned the motive behind the recent tabling of a report in Parliament highlighting alleged political pressure for a web shop boss to be awarded a lucrative contract for computer supplies, adding proper procedure was “short circuited” when the report was made public.

The former MP believes the report tabled last Wednesday, compiled by FTI Consulting

– a Bahamas-based auditing and advisory firm, was not a complete report.

Normally, Mr Halkitis told The Tribune, reports of this nature are completed and then the auditor general conducts his own inquiries to determine the veracity of the findings and a further report would be completed and tabled.

He further denied there was any political pressure on an official to award Pete Deveaux, CEO of the Island Game web shop chain, the $1.46m computer supply contract.

SEE PAGE SIX

ENVIRONMENTALISTS are calling for “better national planning” in terms of economic and environmental sustainability in the wake of the Minnis administration’s decision to approve Disney Cruise Line’s proposal for Lighthouse Point, South Eleuthera.

Despite Disney Cruise Line’s President Jeff Vahle’s assurance that the project will preserve the “natural beauty” of the site, environmental organisations such as the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) and Lighthouse Point Partners (LPP) are describing the decision as “regrettable” and a disappointment.

SEE PAGE FIVE

‘TIME WE STOOD UP TO OECD’

HALKITIS INSISTS: WE FOLLOWED THE RULES

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Government must “act more decisively” to defend The Bahamas from the OECD’s attack on its key investment product.

Paul Moss, president of Dominion Management Services, said the Ministry of Finance needed to focus on securing The Bahamas’ removal from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s 21-country list as rapidly as possible, rather than argue over whether or not it was a “blacklist”.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

MAN SHOT DEAD SOME of the Dominican poachers arrested by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

POST OFFICE DEAL ‘DOESN’T ADD UP’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIAL Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said while the former Christie administration considered Town Centre Mall for the General Post Office’s relocation, the party stepped away from the decision as the costs associated with the move would not have been a prudent expenditure of public funds.

THE TOWN Centre Mall.

For this reason, he said the Christie administration controversially decided to purchase the Independence Drive Shopping Centre, viewing it as an acquisition that would have resulted

in the government owning the property. It would ultimately cost less than retrofitting the mall, renovating it and then renting it, according to Mr Davis.

He further questioned what the government calls a “concessionary” $12 per square foot rate at which it will rent Town Centre Mall, considering the building has been beleaguered for years with a large vacancy.

SEE PAGE SIX

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

A MAN was shot dead last night in an incident off West Street north.

Police were on the scene of the shooting at Dorsette Alley as The Tribune went to press.

Two people were shot with one man confirmed dead at the scene.

See www.tribune242.com for more details.

INSIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMING - AND WE HAVE TO PREPARE NOW

SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Monday, October 22, 2018

Jammin ’ with Jam z

THE 25TH anniversary celebration for 100JAMZ continued on Saturday with a reggae party featuring local and international artists, including Busy Signal and Peetah Morgan, from Morgan Heritage.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/ Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 22, 2018, PAGE 3

$6m fine, jail and don’t come back from page one Additionally, each of the 124 men, the captains included, were fined $3,000 for being found to be in possession of a collective 21,195 pounds of undersized crawfish measuring less than three and one quarter inches from the base of the horn to the end of the jacket; 303 pounds of undersized Nassau grouper weighing less than three pounds each; 30 air compressor tanks and 15 spear guns, totalling $12,000 per person.

Failure to pay those fines would result in an additional two months in prison, which would run concurrently with their punishments concerning the first count of engaging in illegal foreign fishing within the exclusive fishery zone of The Bahamas.

As all the fines are ordered to be paid consecutively, the crew members each have to pay a total of $52,000 in fines, while the three captains have to pay $92,000 each.

Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt noted that several of the poachers are repeat offenders, but said she was not minded to impose any additional punishments on those individuals, as she felt the aforementioned sentences were “sufficient” enough to send a “clear message” to them for their actions.

However, she reminded them they have all been fingerprinted, that she has the records for all of them, and that the immigration system and police records would reveal who they are should they reoffend.

Upon paying the fines and completing their custodial sentences, the 124 men are to be turned over to the Bahamas Department of Immigration for deportation.

The three motherships in question, the B/P Paul, the Digna Rosa, and the Chiki, were ordered to be forfeited to the Ministry of Finance. The fisheries products were ordered to be turned over to the minister of finance.

The sentences were handed down on Saturday, marking the end of two days of court officials seeking to arraign the group, battling issues such as incorrect names, a language barrier, and other issues in the process.

When the issues were finally ironed out on Saturday, all of the men, some as young as 19 and as old as 58, admitted to illegally taking thousands of pounds of grouper and crawfish from Bahamian waters.

Prior to the Dominicans receiving their sentences,

ONE of the seized ships detained by the RBDF. their attorney Keevon Maynard, in making a plea of mitigation, said all of his clients are from a very “destitute” and “poor” place in the Dominican Republic, and that they were fishermen only seeking to provide for their respective families.

However, he said they were all remorseful for their actions, and have since come to respect and appreciate the gravity of the offences they committed, something Mr Maynard said was evidenced by them all saying they were “culpable”, which is Spanish for guilty, from the outset.

However, Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said while she acknowledged Mr Maynard’s submissions, they “must be trumped” by the seriousness of the offences committed and the effect they had on Bahamians, in particular local fishermen, as well as the country’s marine seabed.

She further noted the poachers have caused a “considerable strain” on The Bahamas’ resources; for example, she said the court was forced to sit on a Saturday to accommodate their arraignments.

“There are a great deal of fishermen in this country who for centuries have taken pride in their livelihood,” the chief magistrate said. “…This is how they live. And this court cannot countenance any sort of tolerance for others coming into the commonwealth and, as it were, taking bread from the mouths of Bahamians.

“There can be no reasonable explanation whatsoever that we have been stripped and the waters have been raped of almost 70,000 pounds of shelled and scaled fish. And

so it is my duty to send a strong and clear message to those of you who have pleaded guilty and also to would-be offenders that the court has a zero tolerance for these actions.

“And we must do so in order that there will be some fish left in our waters for generations to come.”

She added: “Do not come back to the Bahamas and steal from our waters. It is unacceptable.”

During Friday’s proceedings, it was indicated that some nine of the poachers needed medical attention; in one instance, one of them is deaf and diabetic, and was said to be very low on insulin at the time. There were also reports of hypertension among the 124 men, and another one had a very swollen right foot with what appeared to have multiple lacerations.

Then, during Saturday’s proceedings, one of the men who speaks good English indicated that only two of the nine men were able to see a doctor. It was also said that while the diabetic was seen by medics and given a shot, he wasn’t given a refill of insulin. Additionally, the

man with the injured right foot said the medics cleaned and dressed his wounded foot, but did not give him any medication.

However, with the assistance of Paul McWeeney, honorary consul to The Bahamas for the Dominican Republic, and a senior police officer, and pursuant to the chief magistrate’s inquiries, the men were able to receive the various medications needed for their ailments, which were distributed to them after their sentencing.

According to initial reports, on October 10, the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Vigilant with a RBDF ship-rider on board reported the sighting of a fishing vessel from the Dominican Republic north of the Republic of Haiti. The Dominicans on board the vessel indicated they were heading to the Bahamas.

The RBDF was subsequently notified and HMBS Madeira was director to intercept the Dominican vessel in the event it entered Bahamian waters.

HMBS Madeira later

sighted the three vessels at daybreak on October 13, with skiffs in the water near Cay Lobos, a small cay on the southern edge of the Great Bahama Bank some 12 nautical miles north of central Cuba.

HMBS Madeira deployed its boat with a boarding team to apprehend the motherships before they entered Cuban waters.

However, the Dominican vessels opened fire on the approaching boarding team while fleeing into Cuban waters. HMBS Madeira’s boarding party returned fire in self-defence.

None of the RBDF’s marines were injured during the incident. However, one of the three

steel-hulled vessels ran aground in Cuban waters while trying to escape.

The RBDF immediately notified the Cuban border patrol of the incident and informed The Bahamas’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which then sought the assistance of the Cuban government in apprehending the vessels. As a result, the Cuban Border Patrol apprehended the three vessels with 124 members that day, and turned them over to HMBS Madeira and HMBS Durward Knowles the following day.

The poachers were brought to shore last Tuesday and remanded to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

PAGE 4, Monday, October 22, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

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The alarm’s ringing but is it already too late?

MEXICO Beach is a small beach community with a population of 1,072 situated near the Florida panhandle’s so-called “Redneck Riviera”. The area’s wide sandy beaches have always beckoned landlocked visitors from neighbouring Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, accounting for the nickname.

Mexico Beach sits so directly astride the dividing line between the Eastern and Central time zones that drivers heading west from the town’s eastern boundary will gain an hour on their watches before reaching the western town line.

This heretofore obscure hamlet was pushed into the headlines less than two weeks ago when Hurricane Michael slammed ashore and left the world with indelible (until the next catastrophe) images of devastation and loss. Most of the town’s commercial and residential structures were reportedly built on the cheap and succumbed quickly to the storm’s violence.

One of the owners of a solitary structure that survived told a reporter “I think the world’s climate is changing, and I think it’s going to get worse.”

Indeed. Hurricane Michael was a potent reminder for the rest of the world of what Bahamians know from recent experience. The planet’s climate is really changing and the results can and will be calamitous for its residents.

Just two days before Michael struck Florida, a major new report from the United Nations underscored this grim prophecy. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a comprehensive report mandated by the 2015 Paris conference on environmental change, and its forecast is undeniably gloomy.

Readers may well be familiar with the broad outlines of this report. Essentially, it asserts that humans must virtually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to avoid a now inevitable-seeming increase in the world’s temperature by 2050 of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Major greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and methane, two major bi-products of human activity.

Failure to achieve this target would have dramatic consequences, as we have been hearing for several decades.

The accelerated melting of polar ice caps could raise the world’s sea levels by up to four feet. This process is already underway, perhaps most apparent in low-lying Pacific island nations whose highest point above present sea level is less than the height of an

average person. An additional consequence of failure to keep in check the world’s rising temperatures would be he destruction of at least 70 percent of the world’s coral reefs, perhaps obliterating them altogether.

It does not take much imagination to foresee the consequences for The Bahamas.

While former American Vice President Al Gore did not invent the Internet as some claimed 25 years ago, he did sound an early clarion call of warning on the earth’s environment. Together with the IPCC, he received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his educational efforts on climate change, including production of the fourth-largest grossing documentary film of all time, An Inconvenient Truth.

A strong international voice has now joined Gore’s continuing efforts. Erik Solheim, executive director of the UN Environmental Programme, said the recent UN report “is like a deafening, piercing smoke alarm going off in the kitchen. We have to put out the fire.”

What are the world’s nations doing about this existential threat? What can realistically be done? Acclaimed Washington Post economic columnist Robert Samuelson recently wrote the world’s most advanced nations presently have neither the requisite technologies to effect the mandated changes nor the political will to react responsibly.

The Trump administration in the US has certainly shown no inclination to get with the programme. Disgraced former Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt remained firmly and unapologetically in the embrace of dirty energy conglomerates. His acting successor, Andrew Wheeler would only say in response to the IPCC report that “we will continue to innovate on clean coal technologies.”

Not a single question concerned climate change in the three 2016 American presidential debates.

The US is not the only culprit. China is reportedly the source for twice as much carbon dioxide emissions as America, and it is estimated by 2050 the demand for air conditioning units will rise by 350 percent, much of it in India, Indonesia and China.

The UN report calls us all to action.

Staying informed and engaged is our essential duty.

The children of Cat Island

deserve a good education EDITOR, The Tribune THE people of North Cat Island are being victimised and neglected by the Ministry of Education, we feel, because we fought for our schools to remain open as is in the best interest of our children and our communities.

The Ministry of Education and the powers that be are refusing to send needed teachers for the Arthur’s Town High and Orange Creek Primary schools.

They are intentionally depriving our children in these schools of a quality education. How is it that not one teacher, a total of five, that was transferred or retired from these schools has been replaced? Why does this not disturb the Minister of Education, or the Deputy in charge of teachers and school management?

Letters in regard to these shortages were written to the Director of Education Mr Marcellus Taylor to the advertisement of Minister of Education, the Honourable Jeffrey Lloyd since September

17, 2018. Minister Lloyd posed the question of how many students attend the schools. Are we to understand that the Ministry’s decision to not send the teachers needed for the schools is based on the fact that the Ministry has determined Cat Island students do not have the right to same education as the entire Commonwealth of the Bahamas because the numbers do not meet the Ministry’s standards?

Director Marcellus Taylor said that we parents must “Be assured that the Department of Education wishes to ensure that all students in the commonwealth of The Bahamas, including those in Cat Island, are afforded the best education we can provide.”

How is it that the Ministry’s best for Arthur’s Town High and Orange Creek Primary is to not get the necessary teachers to benefit the students? How is the mission of the Ministry and the Department of Education being accomplished in this?

We, the parents, do not accept this, it is

unreasonable and unfair.

Our children have a right to sufficient teachers, a right to equal opportunities, and a right to quality education!

The mission of the Ministry/Department of Education is to provide opportunities for ALL persons in the Bahamas to receive the education and training that will equip them with the necessary beliefs, attitudes, knowledge and skills required for work and life in an interdependent, ever changing world.

However, not all schools, particularly in our Family Islands, are given these opportunities. It is a sad reality that the Ministry of Education, and equally the government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, does not care about the family islands. Why? We will never know it seems we forget that “The Bahamas” extends beyond the borders of New Providence.

HELP CAT ISLAND Cat Island Bahamas October 17, 2018

The tragedy has already unfolded EDITOR, The Tribune

IN REAL terms, the tragedy of Lighthouse Point has already played out.

It has played out because the Prime Minister, those around him, and his nation of constituents are unable to envision the future. Dr Minnis seems unable to make a sound and sensible decision. I don’t need to quote him. His shallowness is made evident in the decisions surrounding him. And he is merely a reflection of our people.

That in today’s day and age, we are still debating proposals such as Oban, drilling for oil, and now this Disney proposal in Eleuthera, shows clearly the results of a society that places such little emphasis on education and learning, and seemingly little care about the wondrous place they call home.

I find this extremely sad.

Not just as a parent of a four year old, but as a member of a society that can’t envision our future, just around the corner.

Economics versus the environment is not a valid argument, as many claim.

The economy cannot exist without our environment. Humans cannot exist without a healthy environment. Who cannot see this issue playing out with the facts coming in daily? Millions of people are dying each year, due specifically to a polluted environment.

The world’s most eminent scientists are telling us that humanity is running out of time in waking up to the realities of what climate change will bring. Here especially. We have entered what most all scientists acknowledge as The Sixth Great Extinction. This

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

reality, seemingly lost on many here, by way of our actions and speech, is not encouraging.

I would be remiss in not acknowledging the real suffering by so many around me, especially in south Eleuthera. However, the reasons and solutions to this economic situation are rather clear and profound, if ever uncomfortable.

That in 2018, a country blessed with the resources such as we have in The Bahamas, yet its people are still suffering, is telling in itself.

Let’s talk about employment and economic opportunities first. I have spent a good part of my life in the tourism industry. I believe in tourism’s’ ability to provide economic success for any place that is wise enough to see tourism’s upsides and downsides, such as any industry has.

Tourism is far more likely to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for our people than most any industry I know. It has the ability to actually preserve and strengthen cultural and environmental concerns. That the people of Eleuthera are still struggling to make ends meet has much more to do with political failures, a lack of education, and an absence of vision for a prosperous and sustainable economy.

That we have not effectively addressed any of these shortcomings has left us where we are today; on our knees begging for a saviour.

The failures of our country in providing the space and encouragement whereby a majority of people have access to a living wage and entrepreneurial opportunities are evident in every Bahamian community.

Far too many of those who were in charge, both elected and unelected, our own people, have treated this country, and their fellow citizens, horribly.

The idea of forward, onward, upward may have taken hold, but the part about “together” doesn’t seem to have been acknowledged. Ever.

What has already been uttered by our Prime Minister and those around him can only be seen as a sellout of Bahamian soil, sea and the potential of our people.

It must be noted as such, for if we do not see clearly our failures, we will have no incentive to do better.

No incentive to change our failed model that has left our people in the dismal state they are in.

There are so few benefits, and so many downsides to having cruise ships come to The Bahamas that it doesn’t deserve further consideration. The studies have been done and the results are clearly presented.

That we are still wasting our precious time on this matter, is telling of ourselves and those we call “leaders” in this country.

The Bahamas has many economic opportunities, presently, without selling out our heritage and birthright.

Jr

NORMAN TRABULSY Andros October 17, 2018

How much does crime affect tourism?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

CAN the Commissioner of Police release the statistics of crimes against ‘tourists’ - petty to serious for the past six years. I suspect you will be genuinely surprised if this is not an issue.

Why? Simple. A high percentage of stay over visitors never leave their resort … they arrive of Thursday-Friday early and leave Sunday PM or early Monday and never leave the confines of the resort.

This is a make believe issue of our Ministry of Tourism so why God only knows as today every issue that is put on the internet goes global. So crime affects tourism - can the Director General explain then how in the past 24 months Jamaica’s tourism has boomed when Districts of Jamaica have been under a State of Emergency?

ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau October 19, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 22, 2018, PAGE 5

‘Disney’s go-ahead shows we need plan’ from page one After months of controversy, the National Economic Council approved Disney’s proposal on Friday.

The government’s decision came despite calls from Disney’s competitor, LPP, to delay the decision for 60-days to give LPP an equal opportunity to present its proposal for the property to the public.

BREEF executive director Casuarina McKinney-Lambert also regretted that Disney’s proposal was approved before this alternative plan could have been considered.

“While most of the

land is privately owned, there are key pieces of the Lighthouse Point property that are Crown Land, and this project will also heavily impact the seabed and surrounding marine resources that are outside of the boundaries of the property and belong to the Bahamian people,” Mrs McKinney-Lambert said in a statement.

“This decision highlights the desperate need for better national planning and decision-making when it comes to our economic and environmental sustainability as an island nation, and underscores the importance of BREEF’s work in environmental education throughout the country.”

In a statement released on Friday, Mr Vahle expressed excitement at the outcome.

“We are excited to reach this important milestone and look forward to working with government and the people of The Bahamas to create new economic opportunities while preserving the natural beauty of Lighthouse Point,” he said.

“We are grateful for the warm welcome and support we have received from so many in Eleuthera and look forward to further developing relationships that will endure for many years to come.

“In the short-term, we are focused on reaching an

agreement that is mutually beneficial for The Bahamas and our company, as well as moving forward with an environmental impact assessment and environmental management plan.

Our team also looks forward to working with local artists, historians and others as we ensure that the stories and culture of The Bahamas shine through when Disney guests and Bahamians alike visit this special place.”

On Friday, LPP condemned the government for “(capitulating) to the demands of Disney Cruise Line to develop a private cruise port” at the site.

“Unlike the sustainable proposal of the (LPP), the

government, in this decision, is perpetuating a failed model, with limited spend by cruise passengers on the island of Eleuthera, compared to stay-over visitors, with no chance of Bahamian ownership of the core enterprise,” the statement says.

“Whereas our proposal would have created jobs immediately upon the acquisition of the property, Disney’s proposal will not have any meaningful impact on the employment of persons in South Eleuthera until at least 2023.

“Even on the construction of Disney’s quarter of a billion-dollar pier, there is every indication those funds will be spent with a

US firm, with Bahamian contractors receiving little to nothing.”

LPP added it submitted its own proposal to the government on September 28, noting this plan was not presented at a town meeting held in Green Castle on October 10.

LPP described this town meeting, which Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis attended, as being “more like a Disney rally,” alleging “residents opposed to Disney’s proposal were shouted down and intimidated by pro-Disney supporters, without any intervention by the prime minister or any member of (his) delegation”.

PARENTS staging a protest in Cat Island, as seen in this image from a video posted to YouTube.

PARENTS DEMAND ACTION OVER CAT ISLAND TEACHER SHORTAGE

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net TWENTY-FIVE parents held a demonstration outside a Cat Island high school on Friday to protest a reported “teacher shortage” at the school.

Videos of the demonstration have since gone viral on social media, with participants holding signs and shouting slogans such as “Send more teachers” and “It’s not the people’s time because the people are hurting!”

The demonstration was organised by the Parent Teacher Association of the Arthur’sTown High School after the school lost three teachers and a

guidance counsellor at the end of last semester. None of these faculty members has been replaced for this school year, The Tribune was told.

Acting Principal Veronica Bain told The Tribune yesterday that while no teachers participated in the demonstration, there is a shortage; noting the school lost its religious knowledge, Spanish, and art teachers as well as its guidance counsellor.

Ms Bain added that the school has a population of 46 students and now has a total of seven teachers and two itinerant or temporary teachers at the school.

Education Minister Jeff Lloyd yesterday denied there was a shortage.

When asked about the demonstration, Mr Lloyd told The Tribune: “The school in question…has 47 students and 10 teachers. Does that sound like a shortage to you? One to four, five (students). Nassau (has a ratio of) one to 37, 38, 39, 40 (students). Grand Bahama, same thing.

“There’s no shortage.

Now some people may be unhappy for whatever reason they’re unhappy.

But they can’t blame it on the shortage…47 students, 10 teachers. At another school, (there are) 70 students, 13 teachers,” Mr Lloyd said.

However, according to Ms Bain, three faculty members were transferred out of the school and one retired.

She added the school has requested that the Ministry of Education send more teachers to replace them, but received no direct response, adding that the matter was referred to the district superintendent.

“There is a teacher shortage,” Ms Bain said. “We’re short of four persons and we have a population of 46 students. And we’re short of a (religious knowledge) teacher, Spanish teacher as well as the art teacher and the guidance counselor.”

When asked how the issue has been affecting the students, Ms Bain expressed concern on how it could affect their exam scores.

“Well, the school is really not settled yet,”

Ms Bain said. “Most of the students were preparing for those exams in the areas like for RK (religious knowledge) as well as Spanish. And a lot of them did the exam in grade 8 (and) now they’re hoping to do it in grade nine to do a better grade.

“And so…now they’re going to get the full complement of the three years or supposed to have had the full complement of the three years in order to do it, they expected to have a better grade. And so with them those teachers in that area, their chances are a bit slim.”

PTA president Diane Knowles participated in Friday’s demonstration.

Ms Knowles said a lack of

teachers has been a persistent problem on the island going back decades.

“And so we just decided, well hey, you know what, enough is enough. We’re just going to go and demonstrate,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

“But before we even demonstrated, we (sought) the assistance of the district superintendent for Cat Island…and also we wrote to the director and to the minister of education, and everybody seemed to just ignore us.

“It wasn’t until we actually went out and did a demonstration that they start calling and they’re still not giving us any answer as to when this problem is going to be solved.”

PAGE 6, Monday, October 22, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Post Office deal ‘doesn’t add up’ from page one Mr Davis said it is hard to see it as a concession when the owners weren’t previously making money for the empty portions of the mall.

He said it is likely this is not the true cost to be paid.

Asked whether Cabinet minister Brent Symonette, part-owner of the mall, should resign over the issue, Mr Davis said if anything the entire government needed to step down because it was a decision of the Cabinet. He attributed this decision to the government’s “arrogance and hypocrisy”.

The House of Assembly will debate a resolution to rent portions of Town Centre Mall this week. Last week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis defended leasing the mall, insisting the process will be transparent.

“It’s not a question of whether he (Mr Symonette) should resign over this, it’s a question of whether it’s the right decision being taken by them because obviously it’s a decision of the Cabinet,” the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP said when he was contacted.

“If anything, the government should resign over the whole bloody thing as opposed to him because obviously this is something they have all agreed upon.

“First of all, he needs to get permission from the House to be able to enter into it then otherwise he has to resign. If he doesn’t get the permission of the House to do it then he should resign, it’s automatic exemption in article 49 of the Constitution.”

Regarding the PLP’s strategy for the General

Post Office, Mr Davis said: “Yes we considered that, but when we were considering it, Brent Symonette was a retired politician. Don’t forget he retired from politics. He was a retired politician, not a member of Parliament and not in the Cabinet.

“When we looked at the cost of entering into an arrangement to relocate the post office there, which included having to retrofit the entire property to suit the post office, that cost when you add that to what rentals you had to pay, would not have been a prudent expenditure of public funds. That’s why we looked at alternate accommodations and we came up with the shopping centre because at the end of the day we would have owned that property. We would have renovated it and it would have cost us less than retrofitting Town Centre mall, renovating it and renting it.”

As for the true cost of the renting the property, Mr Davis said he believed there would be other fees associated with the TCM rental.

“Is there any other cost associated with it, like the cam charges (common area maintenance)? What other costs are there? You might find another figure because we don’t have all the numbers, we don’t know how much to renovate or whether the government is responsible for the air-conditioning, the common areas, security for the building etc. So there are a lot of questions they have to answer.”

His remarks came days after former PLP member of Parliament George Smith said any sitting Cabinet minister who wants to enjoy the benefits of

TOWN Centre Mall. receiving state contracts should resign his seat to avoid conflicts of interest.

Mr Smith told The Tribune last week the government’s resolution, in his view, was a “misuse of the government’s majority at Parliament and an attempt to make something morally acceptable when it is not.”

According to the resolution, the government intends to rent portions of the mall at $12 per sq ft. Town Centre Mall, at 203,000 sq ft, was once listed for sale at a cost of $16m.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

HALKITIS INSISTS: WE FOLLOWED THE RULES from page one

He explained it is common practice for businessmen and private citizens to approach Cabinet ministers or elected officials looking for work or contracts.

Mr Halkitis said in this instance, it is the job of the elected official to listen to these people and refer them to public servants with the caveat that protocol be followed. FTI’s report is also riddled with speculative language and “conjecture”, he said.

Mr Halkitis was minister of state at the time the contract was given to Mr Deveaux. The report says a $1.46m computer supply contract had been awarded to Mr Deveaux who earned a 30 percent profit margin on the deal.

The revelation was made by former Ministry of Finance Financial Secretary

Simon Wilson and disclosed to the auditor general, exposing multiple internal control and procurement failings in the Ministry of Finance.

“What has happened here is the Ministry of Finance has chosen to short circuit due process,” Mr Halkitis told The Tribune.

“This is not the complete audit report so what they’ve done is put these findings in the public domain and the process is incomplete.

“I think the gist of what has been reported so far has been this point about so-called political pressure, of the suggestion of political pressure being put on the financial secretary to do business with a particular entity.

“But if you look at the second paragraph on page nine of the report, it quotes Mr Wilson as saying he did not interpret this official’s suggestion as an implicit instruction to do business with Deveaux. So, he himself says he was not under any pressure.

“It’s a normal course of business for the public, normal for business people to approach ministers to request meetings and even members of Parliament and it’s normal for those elected officials to refer them to the public officials. It (the report) goes on to say while Wilson said that he tried to accommodate the official’s suggestion that the group could be a suitable counter party and noted it is not uncommon to offer suggestions to their subordinates with the expectations that they find a way to carry these out provided that they do so in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. So Mr Wilson never said he was under any pressure and he says it’s not unusual for people to be referred to public servants provided anything done is in accordance with the law.”

He continued: “The second point I want to make is the language in the report, I said it is not a complete report and it’s up to the auditor general to take these findings into consideration and complete the report, but if you read the report all through there is language like ‘does not appear,’ ‘potential violation,’ ‘it is unclear,’ ‘may have been’ so a lot of conjecture in the report and after having gone through putting this information in the public domain it says the acting financial secretary acknowledged a need for the equipment in the public service and cited a finding by the Ministry of Finance that the cost for the goods are within the range of their open market retail value, so that within itself says the equipment

MICHAEL HALKITIS was accepted and the prices paid were in the accepted range.”

This comes several days after former Prime Minister Perry Christie said it is “astonishing” the audit asserted political pressure.

He was substantive finance minister and pointing to both his and Mr Halkitis’ roles in the ministry at the time, Mr Christie said he was certain there had been no pressure coming from his side of the table. The report does not name any former minister.

The report further found that the contract was awarded to a company owned by Mr Deveaux, chief executive of the Island Game web shop chain, and his wife even though they appeared to have “no prior involvement in businesses relating to information technology or computer procurement.”

Regarding this, Mr Halkitis told The Tribune the contractual agreement did not necessarily need prior experience.

“What experience is involved? You get the specifications from the government, and then you purchase it and turn it over, so it’s not like it was a technical area, you’re purchasing equipment for the government and providing the financing so that’s not unusual. The bottom line is the Ministry of Finance accepted the equipment, put it in use and they paid the money. If there was something untoward, they could have walked away,” Mr Halkitis said.

It was previously reported that Mr Wilson, who remains on leave from his post, told FTI Consulting’s investigators he was introduced to Mr Deveaux by “a senior elected official” in the Christie administration some three months prior to signing the April 3, 2017, “lease-to-own” agreement for the computer equipment.

The report said Mr Wilson did not interpret the meeting’s outcome as “an implicit instruction to do business” with Mr Deveaux, but that the senior official “tried to accommodate” the ex-minister’s suggestion adding that such situations were “not uncommon” within government.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

THE BEAUTIFUL coral around The Bahamas and, inset, Dr Adelle Thomas, visiting professor at the University of the Bahamas who works with Climate Analytics, a Germany-based non-profit climate science and policy institute with a global footprint.

A

STARTLING new report says harmful effects of climate change will be experienced at a lower temperature than previously anticipated, all while the world runs out of time to do something about it.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its landmark report on the impact of global warming at 1.5°C earlier this month, sending shock waves with its conclusion that an unprecedented human effort is required to keep temperature increases at a maximum of 1.5°C this century, beyond which countries like The Bahamas will face existential threats.

The report said the world has until 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C. It raises the spectre that severe consequences of climate change will be felt in the lifetime of most living Bahamians.

“The report is incredibly eye opening for countries like The Bahamas,” Bahamian geographer Dr Adelle Thomas, one of the report’s lead authors, told The Tribune.

“We have already had about 1°C of warming and that is directly related to the influence of humans. What the report says is that impacts will increase as we get 1.5°C and at 2°C they get even further. What’s sort of alarming is it’s not a linear increase.

As we move up temperatures there are things such as tipping points. For sea rise in particular, as we continue to increase you have more and more sea level rise until it gets to the point where you can have multi-metre sea level rise which would be absolutely devastating for small islands like The Bahamas which have low elevation.”

Dr Thomas is a visiting professor at the University of the Bahamas who works with Climate Analytics, a Germany-based nonprofit climate science and policy institute with a global footprint.

Experts believe that based on current global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the world is headed this century to a temperature increase of as much as 3°C above pre-industrial levels––an ocean away from the 1.5°C maximum needed to prevent catastrophic consequences.

The IPCC report has made headlines around the world. It sprung from the advocacy of small island states which, as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, successfully negotiated for a major scientific assessment of the impact a 1.5°C increase above preindustrial levels will have on the world.

“Small islands have been advocating for a global average temperature limit of 1.5°C for the last 20 years,” Dr Thomas said, “but there has been pushback from developed countries saying there is no big difference between 1.5°C and warmer temperatures like 2°C. “The report shows that there is robust scientific literature that at 1.5°C there will be significant impacts for small island states, at 2°C we’re looking at existential threats to SIS (small island states), so threatening the very existence of small islands. We’ve seen impacts of climate change all around the world but of course small islands like The Bahamas are disproportionately affected.

We’ve been seeing declines in our coral reef, we have sea level rise which means coastal erosion. Of course we’re seeing the more intense hurricanes and all of these are very significant for small islands like The Bahamas.”

T

HE differences between the impact of a temperature increase of 1.5°C and 2°C are stark. At 2°C, 50 percent more people could be exposed to water stress than at 1.5°C; heatwaves in the tropics would last for three months at 2°C warming and for two months at 1.5°C; insects would become twice as likely to lose half their habitats at the higher temperature; 99 percent of coral reefs would be destroyed at 2°C, with 70-90 percent destroyed at 1.5°C; while famine and disease would worsen appreciably at 2°C compared with 1.5°C. To stay at or below 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must be cut 45 percent below 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. For countries responsible for the emissions, that would require, among other things, politically unpopular policies like significant carbon taxes.

Despite the challenge, Dr Thomas said the report shows it is possible to limit temperatures to 1.5°C. “It shows that there has to be transformational change,” she said. “What he report means for a country like The Bahamas where we are so dependent on our marine costal resources is that it affects all

Climate change is coming and we have to prepare - now

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net areas of life. Changes to the ocean such as increased acidity, warmer temperatures, this means we lose our coral reefs for example. Coral reefs just by themselves are important because it’s important for our fishing industry, it’s important for our tourism industry. The coral reefs help to break the wave coming on to shore, which is important not just during hurricanes but in general when we have high tides and so just the lost of coral reefs alone has widespread impact for our environment and our economy and people with different livelihood which are dependent on it, which includes fishermen.”

Although climate change is not a problem The Bahamas alone can fix, the country has not been serious about adaptation measures, according to Dr Thomas who believes much more could be done. “The Bahamas is consistently recognised as one of the top ten countries that are most vulnerable to climate change,” she said. “We do have some oneoff projects and plans that assess climate change but we have an outdated climate change adaptation policy which was developed in 2005. It has not been implemented.

We need a robust, all-encompassing adaptation plan covering all aspects of life and sectors in the country. In the region, there are countries that have national adaptation plans that have climate change departments, climate change ministries, these are places such as St Lucia and Belize and Jamaica and we are just as, if not more vulnerable to climate change than these countries and we do not have these measures in place.”

The 2005 National Policy for the Adaptation to Climate Change acknowledged an earlier IPCC report on climate change and listed a litany of proactive mitigation measures. Policymakers have hardly talked about the policy since.

Asked how The Bahamas could decrease its vulnerability to climate change, Dr Thomas reached for a contemporary example.

“One good example is we need to consider how future development affects our vulnerability to climate change,” she said. “For example this proposed Lighthouse Point development (for South Eleuthera), we should be looking at things like that to ensure that they do not increase our vulnerability. So we are already facing loss of coral reef, more

intense hurricanes, sea level rise, impacts to our water reservoirs, so we need to ensure that any development does not increase those vulnerabilities.

“I think we also need to learn from our past experiences such as in Freeport where if we look at large scale developments and then you have a big hurricane come through, and that development closes down, then you have a whole island that goes into economic decline. And if we are expecting these more intense hurricanes and other environmental

damage due to climate change, then that may impact these developments that we put on these islands so we are really setting them up to fail economically when an extreme event happens and that development decides to leave.”

Dr Thomas will participate in an upcoming United Nations Climate Change conference in Poland.

Small island states like The Bahamas will be negotiating for greater international action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she said.

PAGE 8 MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

INSIGHT

Remember Minnis’ words then compare them with his new reality

By MALCOLM STRACHAN LIGHTHOUSE Point has been at the epicentre of intense debate over the past few months. And the government’s approval of Disney’s proposal to invest $400m into yet another cruise port is both the culmination of an emotionally-charged campaign and, perhaps, the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Educated FNM supporters from the middle to upper-middle class – who were the ones who mainly advocated for the Lighthouse Partners’ proposal – had their stomachs turned as they awoke to Friday’s headlines being plastered with the demands of Disney’s VP of public affairs, Kim Prunty. Only a few hours later, the sickening feeling intensified as the ideal of a Bahamas where it is truly “Bahamians first”, as the prime minister recently pontificated, was dealt a massive blow and the citizenry was brought back to reality.

Irrefutably, many among us were insulted as the government bent the knee to Disney and acquiesced to their demands.

It’s hard not to feel slighted by the outcome if you recall the prime minister’s passionate plea in December 2015, when he outlined his vision for The Bahamas to the Bahamian people. Ironically enough, it was

one that foreshadowed the type of development proposed by the Lighthouse Point Partners.

Minnis said: “I envision a Bahamian economy that is progressively stimulated, not just through increased job opportunities, but also through increased Bahamian ownership and entrepreneurship.

“More and more Bahamians must own a piece of this new Bahamas. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to develop a more empowering economic vision, and shepherd its execution into a reality that Bahamians can capitalise upon and experience. In addition, the systems and institutions which govern our everyday lives must be strategically revamped to be more responsive, results-oriented and underscored by best practices.”

In reflecting on the prime minister’s words nearly three years ago, one must realise the striking similarities between the vision he shared and what was proposed by the Lighthouse Point Partners. However, it would seem as when it comes to foreign or local, there is an underlying tendency for Bahamian people to frown upon their own in support of foreign interests.

Oddly enough, many supporters of Disney posited that the Lighthouse Point Partners were doing the bidding of the

“white boogeyman” – which hardly made an iota of sense if one took the time to review the entity’s plan.

Appallingly, a neocolonialist mindset has permeated South Eleuthera and has drawn a divide within that community. It has been terribly unfortunate to see the attacks levied on brothers and sisters for having a difference of opinion. Shamefully, the prime minister, who looked on as this played right before his eyes when he attended the town meeting (Disney pep rally) in Green Castle a few weeks ago – passed up on the opportunity to galvanise a community fractured on a shared hope for its future.

Sadly, this was the same prime minister that said: “We can no longer operate from the perspective that a sound and viable economic development and investment policy is one dominated by foreign interests. A progressive and empowering economic development and investment policy in the new Bahamas will be one that not only welcomes practical foreign investments, but encourages and incentivises full Bahamian participation, partnerships and ownership as well.

“In the new Bahamas, gone will be the days when the wealthy and wealthy companies increase record profits and accumulate wealth with impunity. Also gone are the days when they did so on the backs of the common men and women who remained hopelessly in poverty. The economic playing field must be levelled to ensure that Bahamians with vision, creativity and determination can have full and unfettered access to entrepreneurial and investment opportunities.”

At the time, these were considered very powerful words from the prime minister.

And while in many other facets he has been a gross disappointment, none may be more regrettable than the lack of creating opportunities for Bahamian people to own their economy.

Rightfully so, many Bahamians have gotten the sense that Disney long had

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

LIGHTHOUSE Point and, inset, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis this deal in the bag, and that the prime minister’s once profound vision will now continue to drift into a realm of fantasy.

Certainly, jobs will always be a great help for people of a community. However, the model of owning our economy is a feat that Prime Minister Minnis has yet to accomplish. As a leader, he was supposed to be able to see much further beyond the shortsightedness that we tend to experience as a desperate populace.

Though he was elected as the lesser of two evils, nonetheless, he was chosen to shepherd us to greener pastures.

If we’re being honest, the Lighthouse Point Partners were proposing exactly the kind of development that Dr Minnis looked towards in December 2015. And perhaps most disheartening, although the Lighthouse Point Partners were able to prove they had the better plan along with financial backing in place, the government’s decision does not seem based on merit, but rather in line with tradition.

This tradition is one that has been rejected by many of the citizens that would have voted for the government in the last general election. Many of them feel tricked.

Duped.

As constituents across the country have made their feelings known, surely they must be aware the writing is on the wall.

Now, will ministers who entered Parliament claiming to be men of integrity see the time is drawing nigh and begin to promote self-interest as we have seen in former administrations? Certainly, the Bahamian people should be on high alert over the risk of possible graft and theft increasing as a scramble to secure family, friends and lovers in the wake of this decision.

Many of these same men and women may be questioning what they can now get out of it prior to the election in 2022, a year before Disney hires a single soul.

Truly, the Minnis administration may have determined its own political fate by yet another contradiction, as once again, Bahamians do not feel first.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

R

EPORTS are wrong in stating that eight Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are on a ‘blacklist’ recently released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) over Citizenship by Investment (CBI) and Resident by Investment (RBI) schemes that they operate.

The OECD has not “blacklisted” these countries – at least not yet.

But the stage has been set for punitive action, unless there is a proactive and unified response by all these countries.

Essentially what the OECD said in its latest resistance to any form of tax competition is: CBI/RBI schemes can be misused to evade tax legitimately due to their countries of tax residence by the beneficiaries of these schemes.

In the statement, issued on October 17, the OECD makes no distinction between CBI and RBI schemes, contrary to announcements from one Caribbean minister that suggest a differentiation. In other words, the eight CARICOM countries are all in this together, along with 12 other jurisdictions that have been named specifically.

The eight CARICOM countries (in alphabetic order) are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts-Nevis, and St Lucia. They join only two member-states of the European Union (EU) – Malta and Cyprus – even though at least nine other EU countries operate a form of CBI/RBI schemes. Among the nine EU countries are Britain, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.

No explanation is given for the omission of these nine EU states from the concerns over CBI/RBI programmes, and none is given for not including the EB-5 programme of the United States or the Quebec Immigrant Investor Programme in Canada.

These omissions apart, at least the EU admits all of its member-states “have various incentives in place to attract foreign investment from non-EU nationals” and that “most of them have CBI or RBI schemes (so-called “golden passports” and “golden visas”), characterised by the provision of access to residency in exchange for specified investments”.

All of that seemed to be well and good, until two of the smallest jurisdictions in the EU (Cyprus and Malta) and other small nations, such as the eight CARICOM states, joined in the schemes because of economic necessity.

Now, the EU and the OECD (in which the EU plays an influential role) have decided that CBI/RBI programmes pose risks for “corruption, money laundering and tax evasion”.

This bold claim is made even though the countries identified in the OECD October 17 statement have in place strong anti-money laundering regimes, Tax Information Exchange Agreements and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties, and are implementing both the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the OECD’s Common Reporting Standards (CRS). FACTA and the CRS require jurisdictions to exchange automatically financial information of foreign persons and companies to other countries in which they are liable for tax.

INSIGHT

We have to work together or be picked off, one by one Once any jurisdiction readily accepts the OECD dictates, unified action is disrupted, and all jurisdictions will be forced to acquiesce. This disruption of unified action has been the pattern of past responses to the OECD’s so-called “rules”. The consequence has been the steady destruction of the financial services sector and an The new OECD claim is “identity attendant loss of revenues and jobs to the cards and other documentation obtained countries through CBI/RBI schemes can potentially The affected jurisdictions should take the be misused abuse (sic) to misrepresent an OECD at its word that its concern is the individual’s jurisdiction(s) of tax residence and to endanger the proper operation of misuse of CBI/RBI programmes by beneficiaries to hide their assets and escape the CRS due diligence procedures”.

Of course, this claim can be settled easily reporting under the Common Reporting by a requirement for all jurisdictions, eve- Standard. As explained earlier in this comrywhere in the world, to necessitate that mentary, that issue could be easily satisfied, account holders or controlling persons and CARICOM countries could collecdeclare any residence rights they have in tively offer to do so.

What is more problematic because it each jurisdiction in which they have it. invades the sovereign rights of states is the In this way, submissions would be made to all the jurisdictions of residence of branding of CBI/RBI jurisdictions as “high account holders and controlling persons, risk” because they might have a low tax rate and no requirement for physical presthus stopping any misrepresentation.

But, that is not the only new claim now ence. Indeed, it is eminently arguable these two claims do not obviate the obligations being made by the OECD. The Organisation also asserts that “highrisk” CBI/RBI programmes are those which “give a tax payer access to a low personal income tax rate of less than 10 percent on offshore financial assets and do not require significant physical presence of at least 90 days in the jurisdiction offering the CBI/RBI scheme”. This latter situation, which the OECD clearly wants terminated, would materially affect CBI/RBI programmes in CARICOM jurisdictions. It effectively dictates what tax rates should be and the conditions, which in their sovereign right, the CBI/RBI jurisdictions have set.

Given all this, if the CARICOM jurisdictions are to save their CBI/RBI programmes from decimation, they should form an alliance with the other 12 named jurisdictions to fashion a joint response before the OECD moves to its next step which, undoubtedly, will be a blacklist that calls for sanctions against them.

None of their interests will be served by any jurisdiction that chooses to enter an individual agreement with the OECD, setting a precedent which all the others will be obliged to follow.

Good parenting means you have to be involved PARENTS how involved are you in your children’s lives?

How well do you think you know them?

Do you attend regular parent teacher association (PTA) meetings? Or better yet do you know the names of your children’s teachers? How about their friends and their friends’ parents? Do you know what your kids are doing after school? We have been hooked on to our phones, or social media or somewhere else while we should have been paying attention to our children. Parenting is a skill which must be practised diligently – it is one of the most challenging jobs in the world to raise a problem-free child who is a proper balance of morals, values and discipline. Each child is different and so is the parent. The idea of rearing a child differs from parent to parent.

Parents, are you giving your children any of your time?

Guilty of being glued to your phone’s screen when your child is demanding you play with him/ her? Got an official call and cannot listen to your child telling you about his/her day? Stop! Your children do not just need food or money from you, they want to speak to you, share their experiences and sometimes need to hear your comforting words.

Communication is the only thing that will strengthen your bond, not expensive gifts.

The deal should be to be the parent, your children want to hug and spend time with, not the ones who are like ATM machines.

Kids may inadvertently perform odd behaviour to attract parent’s attention. At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents Put your children on a schedule!

Kids are more likely to pick up negative activities or fall into the wrong crowd when they are not on a schedule. After school programmes such as subject lessons is a great option to ensure your child has an advantage in class. Other options such as sporting teams, music and band participation are also great options.

I know as parents you get so busy trying

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 PAGE 9

Police advice

By SERGEANT NATHALIE RANGER

to provide the best for your little darlings that you just do not view these things as important, but an involved parent is a more informed parent and it lessens your children’s chances to succumbing to peer pressure, experimenting with drugs, becoming teen mothers and getting involved with gang activities. Children who are properly cared for become more competent and independent adults.

Speak life into your children!

Labelling children as lazy or dumb and using these words in public can significantly hurt a child and lower his/her self-esteem.

Likewise, if you criticism your kids efforts or look down upon him/her by comparing with others achievements, then your child may develop feelings of jealousy and resentment Do not fulfil every wish of your children!

Every parent wants the best for their children and some can practically afford almost everything a child desires. Do you reach out to your pocket the moment your child sets his/her eyes on a new toy or a new dress? Hold on! Buying everything your kid can lay their finger on is again a sign of bad parenting. Such kids fail to understand the value of money. They will demand anything from you anytime expecting you to present it to them, whatever, your circumstances.

Even after they grow up, such kids end up hopelessly on financial fronts and are unable to level responsibilities. Sometimes, this need may provoke them to steal, lie or become rude. We must set good examples and be a positive role model in our children lives. Be the person we want our kids to be.

Parents, let us raise good, productive chilren.

of the CRS and FACTA to report on the financial assets of account holders or controlling persons.

However, if these are conditions the OECD implements, the CBI/RBI programmes in all but powerful countries will be decimated with disastrous effects on their economies.

That is why common cause to confer urgently with the OECD should be a priority of CARICOM countries. The decline of the economies of eight of them will impact the neighbourhood in which the other seven exist. All are involved and all can be consumed.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own.

PAGE 10, Monday, October 22, 2018

Bahamian students safe amid Trinidad flooding

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net AFTER more than three days of flooding, landslides, and an earthquake, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday declared a national disaster.

Although there were no reports of damage following the earthquake – measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale – the tremor came after the nation had been afflicted by flooding which left residents sleeping on rooftops to escape the rising water, which reached as high as 12 feet in places.

Bahamian medical students studying at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus told The Tribune they are safe, but expressed concern at the amount of rain that is continuing to fall.

Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield yesterday told The Tribune he is awaiting contact from his Trinidadian counterpart before his ministry releases a statement on the situation in the twin-island nation.

Bernice Turner and Adrianne Kelly are both first-year medical students studying at STA’s Mount Hope campus. In interviews with The Tribune yesterday, they both described their experiences as the natural disaster unfolded around them.

“As far as I’m aware, there has not been any major flooding on main campus (or at Mt Hope),” Ms Turner said. “I think the majority of students are more worried than afraid because there is still more rain forecasted to fall between now and Tuesday.

“With that being said, the situation will only continue to (worsen), as only so much can be done to manage or better the situation until then.

“I also think there is a lot of anxiety in terms of thinking about the amount of road repairs needed, how to regain access, and ensure there is sufficient clean water to drink and prevent diseases; as all these conditions create a favourable environment for mosquitoes (to breed).”

Ms Turner added UWI had to provide temporary housing to some local commuter students, as they were unable to travel to their homes due to the road blockages and extreme flooding.

She also noted the effects of the rain at the Mount Hope campus have thankfully been “minor”, adding she has experienced issues such as leaking and water seeping through the wall.

“I will say I do get a little scared because I do not know the entire lay of the island and therefore do not have a concrete plan if I need to evacuate,” Ms Turner continued. “Also,

RESIDENTS seeking shelter on rooftops amid flooding.

THE TRIBUNE

FLOODING in Trinidad as seen in a video circulated on social media, above, and, below, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley during his tour of affected areas. watching some of the videos circulating that depict actual alligators trying to get into people’s homes is not at all settling.”

Ms Kelly told this newspaper she has not been directly affected by the flooding, but noted the school has advised against travelling.

“Our dorms are next to the hospital,” Ms Kelly said. “Because (the hospital is) a shelter, it has a proper drainage system so the flooding doesn’t affect me so much.

“However, areas near here like the main campus are affected and they recommend that we don’t travel.”

When asked if the students have heard from any God. There is a lot of flood- levels of water and the shelters making sure that Bahamian government ing in the southern area so roads cannot be used by people housed there have cots, blankets, food and officials, Ms Kelly and Ms a lot of roads have been vehicular traffic.

“Rescue operations con- other supplies.”

Turner both said no, with closed. We’ve urged everyOne resident in response Ms Kelly expressing doubt one to try to gather water tinue with the Coast Guard that most Bahamians are and non-perishables in the utilising boats to reach posted that she had been stranded persons. I want to stuck in her vehicle for aware of the extent of the event of future closures.

“We’re just monitoring assure persons that the gov- more than 14 hours with flooding.

“The government hasn’t for now and praying that ernment is doing all that it four children, with the stepped in to check in or everyone stays safe. A lot of can to, in the first instance, water chest high. She later anything,” Ms Kelly said. our Trinidadian classmates rescue trapped persons and reported that rescuers had “But then again I’m not have been affected by the then to ensure that they come to her aid.

The flooding and adverse even sure if they’re aware flooding so we’re praying have the resources they that they receive the assis- need when they get to the weather conditions also led of what’s going on here.” shelters.” to some disruption of flights She added that Monday’s tance they need as well.”

Yesterday, Dr Rowley He also said there had at both Piarco and Arthur classes have been cancelled, and said faculty is express- posted on his Facebook been reports of looting in NR Robinson International ing hope that school will be page: “This is a national the Sangre Grande area Airports, with passengers disaster, the flooding is following the flooding, but unable to reach the airable to reopen tomorrow. widespread and that police were clamping port due to flooded routes.

The president of the quite A number of domestic campus’ Bahamian Stu- quite severe and it is going down in the area.

In another statement, flights were cancelled, with dents Association, who did to cost a lot of money to not want to be named, also bring relief to people who he said: “Our protective affected passengers being sent a statement to The have been affected. Not- services saved the lives of provided alternative flights. withstanding whatever many young children and The Seismic Research Tribune.

“As it stands now, no shortages we are experienc- elderly persons from swift Centre at UWI yesterday Bahamian students have ing we will have to find the rising flood waters. We reported that the earthhave received no reports of quake was felt at 12.35pm been affected by the resources to help.

“The situation is bad in casualties but I have heard in the central area of Triniinclement weather,” she dad and had a depth of said. “The areas of flood- the St Helena/Kelly area many stories of close calls.

“My focus at this time 80km. There were no initial ing are happening around as these communities are us but we are safe, Thank still experiencing very high is on the conditions at the reports of injury or damage.

PAGE 12, Monday, October 22, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Baptists on parade THOUSANDS turned out for the Baptist Day parade on Sunday which went along Wulff Road and ended at R M Bailey Park. Tribune photographer Terrel W Carey Sr was there to capture the enjoyment.

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THE TRIBUNE

These claims are old news, says Griffin

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin insisted yesterday that concerns highlighted in a recently tabled auditor general’s report were “old” and already addressed under the previous Christie administration.

She explained not only was disciplinary action taken where it was recommended, but that a team was established to address issues raised in the report point by point. For these reasons, she questioned the intent and timing of the government tabling of the report in Parliament last week, which she said was also laid in the House of Assembly when she was minister.

Mrs Griffin was speaking of the auditor general’s report, which was tabled in the House last Wednesday highlighting that shredding of documents frequently happened to cover up fraudulent activities at the Department of Social

Services. It is unclear if this portion of the report is new.

In his audit of the 2014/2015 fiscal year, Auditor General Terrance Bastian warned that “impaired internal controls” and “a severe breakdown” in management oversight had exposed Bahamian taxpayers to the potential loss of millions of dollars from graft and corruption.

It further suggested that the department’s weaknesses and failings were also undermining its mission to assist poor and low-income Bahamians.

The report also said the Department of Social Services processed a fictitious invoice from a medical provider, and ended up paying for a non-existent procedure on a dead person. It had some 255 days to check the service was performed, but failed to do so.

Additionally, there was alleged “collusion” between staff at a local food store and Department of Social Services personnel that enabled the latter to use

food coupons, intended to help poor and low-income Bahamians, to purchase groceries for themselves.

When she was contacted yesterday, the former minister said the concerns as well as several discrepancies with the report were addressed.

“This not a new report,” she told The Tribune. “It was laid in the House while we were still in office and the Ministry of Social Services responded to the report. What recommendations were made by the auditor general we put in place and what we thought was inaccurate in the report we advised them accordingly. So, this report is being published like it is something new.”

She continued: “To me it speaks to what is the intent and timing of it because, like I say, it’s an old report One of the reasons why we moved to the prepaid (debit) card was because it was less open to fraud and so social services took many steps to deal with the issues in that report.”

She admitted that she

could not remember every step taken to correct the issues, but recalled recommendations were taken into account.

“They spoke about how someone had died and the doctor was paid but the fact that what happened was the length of time between processing was quite long and so we tried to reduce that and so there were issues that came up in the report that we dealt with and these were no issues that were by any one administration.”

As for disciplinary action against employees who used vouchers and orchestrated shredding, Mrs Griffin said: “The fact of the matter is whenever it was deemed disciplinary action should have been taken, we took it.”

The report described the document shredding as intolerable, adding the loss

Monday, October 22, 2018, PAGE 13

INDIAN DIES IN SHIP ACCIDENT

MELANIE GRIFFIN of accounting records could undermine the integrity of the accounts department and increase the risk of fraud and corruption to the organisation as a whole.

The auditor general’s report also noted that 14 medical batch files, and other items, were missing after a cleaner was instructed to “clean out a staff member’s desk” and place the contents into a black garbage bag to be handed to the department’s human resources unit.

The person who made the request was later placed on administrative leave.

A MAN is dead following an industrial accident in Inagua yesterday, police said.

Shortly after 7am, a shipping vessel was attempting to dock at Morton Salt in Inagua when a male crew member got “entangled in a rope” on the boat and was seriously injured, police said.

The man, identified as an Indian, was taken to the local clinic where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation is ongoing.

RAPE CHARGE A FREEPORT man was charged with rape on Friday in the Grand Bahama Magistrate’s Court.

Jamal Jeremy Lightbourne, 33, was arraigned before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson.

He was not required to enter a plea to the charge and was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until February 4, 2019.

NEW ROLE FOR HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR

MARY Walker, the hospital administrator at the Princess Margaret Hospital who was placed on temporary leave after a leaked internal memo on new fees for dialysis patients, is due to take over as head of the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

Ms Walker will take over from Ruth Albury, who starts pre-retirement leave this month, capping 46 years of “outstanding” public service.

“A veteran of the public healthcare system, Ms Walker has provided more than 40 years of service to the Bahamian people, with 15 years in a managerial capacity at various levels at our nation’s largest hospital,” the Public Hospitals Authority said in a statement. “She began her career as a registered nurse in 1980 and has served as staff nurse, nursing officer, infection control assistant manager and environmental safety manager, until she was appointed to

the position of hospital administrator at the PMH in 2013.”

Last month, The Tribune reported Ms Walker had been placed on temporary administrative leave after the hospital faced fierce backlash over a leaked internal memo proposing a new fee structure for patients of the dialysis unit who use wheelchair transport.

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands at the time confirmed Ms Walker’s leave, but would not reveal what prompted it. He would only tell reporters she was put on leave for two weeks. It began on August 31, The Tribune understands.

However, it has been claimed that the leave was a form of disciplinary action after the memo was released to hospital staff and patients in the absence of consultation with PHA and the government. The memo was also circulated on social media.

VACANCY NOTICE

IP NETWORK SPECIALIST Cable Bahamas Limited is seeking to employ an experienced IP Network Specialist.

The successful candidate must have IP Network Experience and the ability to lead in a technical environment.

JOB SUMMARY The position of IP Network Specialist is a hands-on operational position working within the Network Operations Group. This role is expected to ensure maximum possible service availability and performance, provision customer network services on core equipment; provide IP engineering support to the Network Operations Team and other technical teams. In addition, to provide training, guidance and reporting on the dayto-day operations to the NOC Operations group; assist with IP network design projects and other projects as required which include installing, maintaining and supporting IP related technologies and elements of the Cable Bahamas IP Network Infrastructure; aid in the execution of Disaster Recovery Plans and Procedures; maintain network documentation, policies and procedures.

JOB DESCRIPTION • Fault handling and escalation (identifying and responding to faults on CBL’s systems and networks); • Manage and maintain the Monitoring Systems (these report on the status and

performance of CBL & Aliv Transport Networks, Cable Modem Network, and other core services and facilities); • Maintain customer premise equipment standards and deployment; • Provision customer’s aggregation links; • Maintain CBL’s Internal network infrastructure; • Develop / maintain network management / monitoring systems; • Maintain network quality of service policy, security standards and configuration; • Troubleshoot and assist in the resolution of problems and issues as they relate to IP related services; • Assist in the maintenance and tracking of hardware and software owned by the company; • Develop reports on a daily, weekly and monthly basis on network performance and trends; • Participate in a 24 x 7 call-out rotation as required; • Escalate to IP Engineers as required after troubleshooting unresolved issues; • Create and manage policies related to DHCP, access-lists, VLANs; • Configure OSPF and BGP protocols; • Work with IP network security team regarding network security standards, policy and configuration; • Develop method of procedures, testing procedures, and proof of concept labs; • Document network faults via the support systems database; • Develop and automate meaningful metric based reports; • Provide root cause analysis and post mortem exercises with a goal to future mitigation of issues; • Perform any other IP Network related duties as determined and assigned by management.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED • A minimum of an Associate Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field; • Industry certifications in Network+ and CCNP an asset; • At least three (3) years’ experience in a technical support or similar role; • Experience in a telecommunications environment a plus; • Good communicator with a natural aptitude for dealing with people; • Good network diagnostic skills; • Work well in a busy team, being quick to learn and able to deal with a wide range of issues; • Strong analytical skills and able to collate and interpret data from various sources; • Must be flexible and work well with team; • Ability to assess and prioritize faults and respond or escalate accordingly; • Experience with switching and internet routing technologies; • Basic understanding of network monitoring concepts and management tools.

• Experience with network monitoring tools and protocols (MRTG, Solarwinds

SNMP); • Intermediate knowledge of the OSI model, switching and internet routing technologies; • This position interacts with Executives, Department Managers, Network

Operations Center (NOC), and Vendors on a daily basis, with regular interaction with the Outside Plant Team and Sales Engineering.

Qualified applicants should submit Resumes on or before Wednesday, October 24, 2018, to the Director of Human Resources, PO BOX CB-13050, Nassau, Bahamas or send electronically with Ref: IP Network Specialist to humanresources@cablebahamas.com.

PAGE 14, Monday, October 22, 2018

TRUMP: US TO PULL OUT OF NUCLEAR PACT ELKO, Nevada Associated Press

PRESIDENT Donald Trump said on Saturday he will exit a landmark arms control agreement the United States signed with the former Soviet Union, saying that Russia is violating the pact and it’s preventing the US from developing new weapons.

The 1987 pact, which helps protect the security of the US and its allies in Europe and the Far East, prohibits the United States and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.

“Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years,” Trump said after a rally in Elko, Nevada. “And we’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we’re not allowed to.”

18 KILLED, 170 HURT IN TRAIN CRASH TAIWAN Associated Press ONE of Taiwan’s fastest passenger trains derailed yesterday, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 170 others, authorities said.

The Puyuma express was carrying more than 360 passengers when it went off the tracks shortly before 5pm, the government said.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the accident.

Most of the deaths were in the first car. Some passengers were crushed to death, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi said. “Their train car turned over. They were crushed, so they died right away,” Chen said.

THE TRIBUNE

Shifting tales over death of journalist ISTANBUL Associated Press IN a sign of growing pressure on Saudi Arabia, Turkey said it will announce details of its investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday and US congressional leaders said the Gulf kingdom — in particular its crown prince — should face severe consequences for the death of the writer in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The announcement yesterday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he will “go into detail” about the Khashoggi case in a speech in parliament follows conflicting accounts and shocking allegations since Khashoggi, a critic of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared after entering the consulate on October 2.

Erdogan spoke after Saudi Arabia, in a statement on Saturday, finally acknowledged that 59-yearold Khashoggi had died in

the consulate, though its explanation that he was killed in a “fistfight” was met with international skepticism and allegations of a cover-up designed to absolve Prince Mohammed of direct responsibility.

Saudi Arabia said 18 Saudis were arrested and that several top intelligence officials were fired.

Pro-government media in Turkey have reported a different narrative, saying a Saudi hit squad of 15 people traveled to Turkey to kill the columnist for The Washington Post before leaving the country hours later in private jets.

“Why did these 15 people come here? Why were 18 people arrested? All of this needs to be explained in all its details,” Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Istanbul’s chief prosecutor summoned 28 more staff members of the Saudi consulate, including Turkish citizens and foreign nationals, to give testimony today, Turkish state broadcaster TRT

JOURNALIST Jamal Khashoggi. Eighteen days after Khashoggi disappeared, Saudi Arabia acknowledged on Saturday that the 59-year-old writer died in what it said was a “fistfight” inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Photo: Metafora Production via AP reported. Prosecutors have previously questioned consulate staff; some Turkish employees reportedly said they were instructed not to go to work around the time that Khashoggi disappeared.

Also Sunday, images that were obtained by TRT World, a Turkish news channel that broadcasts in English, showed Khashoggi as he arrived at a police barrier before entering the consulate on October 2. The images, taken from security camera video, show the writer being searched before continuing toward the building.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Fox News that Khashoggi’s killing was “a rogue operation” and that “we don’t know where the body is”.

“The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority,” he said.

“There obviously was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable to the government.”

However, a leading US Senate Republican said the Saudi explanation, which followed initial denials from the kingdom that it knew anything about Khashoggi’s fate, wasn’t credible.

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Saturday that he believed Prince Mohammed, the heir-apparent of the world’s largest oil exporter, was behind the killing.

The crown prince has “now crossed a line and there has to be a punishment

and a price paid for that,” Corker said. He also urged Turkey to turn over purported audio recordings of Khashoggi’s killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The existence of such evidence has been reported in Turkish media.

California Rep Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said: “We ought to suspend military sales, we ought to suspend certain security assistance and we ought to impose sanctions on any of those that were directly involved in this murder.”

US President Donald Trump had also talked about possible punishment but said he didn’t want to halt a proposed $110bn arms sale to Saudi Arabia because, he maintained, it would harm US manufacturers.

15 KILLED IN REBEL ATTACK - AND EBOLA CONTAINMENT PUT AT RISK CONGO Associated Press CONGOLESE rebels killed 15 civilians and abducted a dozen children in an attack at the epicentre of the latest deadly Ebola outbreak, Congo’s military said Sunday, as the violence again forced crucial virus-containment

efforts to be suspended.

“It will be very hard to stop the outbreak if this violence continues,” said the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief, Peter Salama.

A regional WHO official said it was difficult to say how long work would be affected.

Confirmed Ebola cases

have reached 202 in this outbreak, including 118 deaths.

Allied Democratic Forces rebels attacked Congolese army positions and several neighborhoods of Beni on Saturday and into Sunday, Capt Mak Hazukay Mongha told the AP. The UN peacekeeping mission said its troops exchanged

fire with rebels in Beni’s Mayangose area.

Angry over the killings, residents carried four of the bodies to the town hall, where police dispersed them with tear gas. While some health workers took refuge in a local hospital, the protesters destroyed a number of government buildings and blocked all

traffic, Congo’s health ministry said.

Vehicles of aid organisations and the UN mission were pelted with stones, the UN-backed Radio Okapi reported.

The ADF rebels have killed hundreds of civilians in recent years and are just one of several militias active in Congo’s far northeast.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 22, 2018, PAGE 15

Two accused of trying to smuggle drugs into prison

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A 24-YEAR-OLD woman and a teenager were charged in a Magistrate’s Court on Friday with attempting to smuggle drugs into the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in a plate of food last week.

Shafara Shaquall Lewis, of Coconut Grove, and the 17-year-old, who cannot be named, were both charged before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on one count each of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply and conspiring to commit the offence which

occurred last Wednesday.

The teenager was further charged with one count of possession of dangerous drugs, though the prosecution claims he was found with the drugs in question on the following day.

Concerning the first two charges, it is alleged that on the date in question, the two conspired to and were ultimately caught with more than an ounce of marijuana intending to supply it to another.

According to reports, shortly before 10am on the day in question, a woman went to the Fox Hill facility to take a plate of food for an inmate.

Prison officials examined the food and found a

quantity of marijuana.

The woman was consequently detained and turned over to Drug Enforcement Unit officers.

Both Lewis and the 17-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the matter was adjourned to October 23.

Their attorney, Ian Cargill, indicated to the court that his clients might take a “certain course” with respect to their charges, however, no further explanation was given.

Both Lewis and the teenager were remanded into custody until the adjourned date. They have the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

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