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VOLUME:116 No.211, OCTOBER 28TH, 2019
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OUT OF TOUCH Former Speaker blasts ‘mediocre, tribal’ Assembly By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE Minnis administration-led Parliament is “deeply tribal,” “mediocre” and “unproductive”, according to former House Speaker Dr Kendal Major. He contended the institution has driven disconnect between politics and the general public. Days after House Speaker Halson Moultrie came under fire for his open rebuke of a Nassau Guardian reporter – who used her cell phone to take photos during a sitting –- and criticising the Press, Dr Major publicly addressed the situation suggesting he might have handled it differently. While he was careful not to directly criticise his successor, Dr Major did not mince his words when it
came to the affairs of this session of Parliament under the Free National Movement’s direction. “How the Parliament is conducted today I believe is deeply tribal, unprincipled in many respects and uninspiring to our young people,” the former Garden Hills MP told Progressive Liberal Party supporters at a Marathon youth meeting on Friday night. “In many respects, it’s mediocre and unproductive; from the bills, to the process, to the procedures. There is a lot that needs to be answered and needs to be addressed among our people today. “We are spiralling out of control day by day, but yet the politicians of the day and the system of the day have not recognised the need to change it.”
THE National Insurance Board called on the Union of Public Officers to deescalate its issues to reach an amicable solution that won’t disrupt the pension and other benefit payments to residents who rely on NIB. In a press statement released yesterday, NIB noted the agency will continue to cooperate in good
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
DIABETES - ONE IN SEVEN HAS DISEASE
SEE PAGE SIX
faith with its staff union to assist the Ministry of the Public Service and National Insurance to conclude negotiations on a new industrial agreement in an environment where the board has to improve its efficiency targets and better manage administrative costs. The statement read: “Negotiations were moved from the executive team and board to the minister of the public service and National Insurance by the SEE PAGE FIVE
BLACKOUT MISERY BACK FOR FAMILIES
BAHAMAS Power and Light expects an end “soon” to vexing load shedding that angered many over the weekend. However, according to BPL’s Communications Director Quincy Parker, given the state of the company’s generation fleet, it could not be guaranteed that power cuts would not continue as work continues to keep machines online. The utility company said over the weekend that work on a unit — GT-7 — had been suspended with officials exploring a new path forward. BPL had been trying to repair the unit since August, The Tribune was told. SEE PAGE FIVE
NIB BEGS UNION - SETTLE DISPUTE By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
HOME
By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
STEP SISTERS
THOUSANDS of youngsters enjoyed the 2019 National Youth March and Rally in Nassau yesterday. Picture special - Page 3. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
WITH one in seven of the population suffering from diabetes, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands is urging Bahamians to make more healthy lifestyle choices to prevent getting the disease. Speaking at the Bahamas Podiatric Medical Association Conference on Friday, Dr Sands said diabetes, which is now the fifth leading cause of death in the country, has become more prevalent in The Bahamas. “The prevalence of diabetes in 2005 was 6.7 percent. It has now reached 13.9 percent and if we include pre-diabetics, we SEE PAGE 11
SUSPECT DIES IN POLICE SHOOTOUT By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
ONE of two men taken to hospital after a car chase and shootout with police on Friday afternoon has died of his injuries. According to a police report, around 2pm on Friday, Central Detective Unit officers in the Solider Road area attempted to stop a red Honda Accord which was speeding with its occupants acting
DECEASED: Gareth Harrison jr suspiciously. The occupants of the vehicle opened fire and led police on a high
speed chase to Pinewood Gardens where the vehicle crashed and burst into flames, police said. The men then left the car and opened fire on the officers who fired back, injuring two of them. The third man escaped on foot. Paramedics were called to the scene and took the injured men to hospital. Two officers suffered minor injuries and were also taken to hospital.
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE TWO
INSIGHT
‘OUR UNIVERSITY MUST REFLECT WHAT WE WANT’
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Monday, October 28, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Suspect dies in police shootout
THE SCENE of the shooting on Friday
from page one A 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene, police said. On Saturday, police said one of the men died in hospital while the other suspect remained in stable condition. The Tribune understands
the deceased is Garth “Heacky” Harrison Jr, however, his identity was not released by police. News of Harrison’s death quickly spread across social media with many family and friends expressing their grief. A Facebook user said: “Life so short, I can’t believe my boy gone just like that. If I did know yesterday
morning would’ve been our last time speaking, blood we woulda celebrate life one last time like we normally do when we link up. This cut real deep bro, sleep in eternal (sic).” Another Facebook user said: “You don’t know how bad I’m hurting. Baby please remember that I love you forever and ever.”
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 28, 2019, PAGE 3
March of youth lights up Nassau PHOTOS: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
THOUSANDS of youngsters enjoyed the 2019 National Youth March and Rally in Nassau yesterday. Before yesterday’s event, Minister of Youth Lanisha Rolle said National Youth Month would focus on: • Identifying and acknowledging the achievements of young people • Bringing awareness to the challenges facing
youth in The Bahamas and around the world • Promoting national discussion of issues affecting youth • Encouraging avenues for youth development, engagement, inclusion and interaction • Making recommendations for the further development of the youth demographics
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PAGE 4, Monday, October 28, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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End the tribalism for the sake of the public “DEEPLY tribal, mediocre and unproductive.” Strong words from the former Speaker of the House in terms of criticism for the FNM government – and we might be moved to say it’s the kind of comment one might expect from an ousted PLP MP. But is Dr Kendal Major wrong? Certainly, we can admit that there were concerns back in Dr Major’s time as Speaker too – he himself for example admitted that he should not have allowed then Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald to read and table the private emails of environment group Save The Bays in Parliament. That admission may have been made easier by a Supreme Court ruling that Mr Fitzgerald was wrong to do so, but credit to Dr Major who admitted after the fact that he should not have allowed that to happen. We should also note too that Dr Major’s ruling effectively blocking the Public Accounts Committee from probing the leaked audit report of Urban Renewal – by saying the committee cannot review anything that hasn’t been brought to the House by the auditor general – has also stymied the work of the PAC under the new administration. That helped to frustrate Reece Chipman MP in the new Parliament, leading to him quitting the PAC, quitting the FNM and going independent. So we should certainly be aware of the source of the complaint – but again, is he wrong? “We are spiraling out of control day by day, but yet the politicians of the day and the system of the day have not recognised the need to change it,” he says. Certainly, the incident last week in which a reporter was ordered to surrender her phone and delete photographs on it by the current Speaker, Halson Moultrie, enhances divisions between politicians and the press. Mr Moultrie has been unrepentant about the matter afterwards – despite some MPs, including reasonable voices such as Dr Duane
Sands, suggesting that parliamentary rules are outdated. Dr Major didn’t outright condemn his successor – but said he trusted he would not have taken the same actions. It is to be regretted that Dr Major was not more forthright with his criticism. In the end, his comments point to a problem – but not to a solution. There are clearly problems with parliament and its procedures, but how do we get to a solution for those problems if we can’t speak plainly? That might need some politicians to accept criticism without letting their egos get bruised, and it also might require a more straightforward dialogue with the press and the people about what is needed. We often hear the refrain about transparency – but how often do we see it in action? Does the current interpretation of rules regarding the PAC help or hinder investigations? Do the rules on cellphone use really fit with modern society where such devices are recorders, cameras, search engines, apps and more? Away from the House, do rules such as the recent instruction to move reporters 30 feet away from the entrance to Cabinet really benefit citizens or just offer a chance for MPs to ignore questions? In each of these instances, is the motivation behind the rulings to bring openness? Or is it to close the door on the public? The tribal element is clearly true, however – one can see that by the heckling between the two sides. And yet when in Opposition, each side finds itself calling for more of that elusive transparency. Here’s our suggestion – set up a working group, with representatives from all sides. FNM, PLP and DNA too – never mind that they have no MPs at present. And talk. Explore what would benefit all sides, what would benefit the public – and not just now but for the longer term. Bahamians deserve better than mediocre representation. The question is – what is the current government going to do about that?
A change to boost nation’s health MINISTER of Health Dr Duane Sands has revealed that one in seven people in our country now has diabetes. That is – in no exaggerated terms – a health crisis for the country. Dr Sands urged people to make healthier lifestyle choices, but a speech to a podiatry conference isn’t going to take that message very far. Money is tight for the government after Hurricane Dorian, but it’s the kind of message that needs to be spread far and wide. Best of all, it’s a message that needs to start young – which is the real way to change lifestyle habits. We would hope that perhaps the ministry can partner with their colleagues over in the Ministry of Education to
incorporate such messages into classes at school. Let’s show a little imagination too – how about a competition through all our schools for children to come up with healthy Bahamian recipes? Couple it with exercise regimes to help tackle obesity. Of course, it’s not just up to the government – so dear reader, it’s also over to you. What changes can you make to improve your lifestyle? The old song says a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but today we might find that a spoonful (or two) of sugar less in our diet might help the diabetes rate go down. Think those changes over – they might do you the world of good.
Show respect to the office EDITOR, The Tribune BASIC food items and the long list of Price Controlled Food items carry zero Duty.... hope Talk Show Hosts and their side-kicks will stop misleading the public. Courtesy to the Office of the Prime Minister - it started with foreign people visiting the Prime Minister....not wearing a jacket or tie now we see locals doing the same even when signing a Heads of Agreement — sorry guys show respect to the Office. Loyalty, political species — just look at the UK-42 Conservative MP’s were sent packing by PM Boris Johnson recently because they were not sure supporters of his Brexit policy — in the Bahamas it is infamous that from time to time MPs
disagree and split — surely PM Minnis has not forgotten the challenge to Tommy ‘T’ Turnquest’s attempt to win the leadership and the challenge by Tennyson Wells and Algernon Allen? Where is the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and a comment on the Bahamas Paradise Cruise thing — weeks before Christmas and Government gives the resident buying public a means to sail to West Palm and return with all the shopping you like! Again we are building monuments to our stupidity....over $3 billion spent in South Florida. W THOMPSON Nassau October 16, 2019
News and comment should be separate EDITOR, The Tribune THE country needs quality and fair newspapers. It needs these guardians to demand answers from power brokers. The Government, the church, companies, or anyone else who holds power, influence and authority should be scrutinized and held to account by a fearless, free and fair press. The best newspapers are loyal to ideals: Defending freedom, fair play, democracy and honesty should be the objective of a quality paper. I have been around a while and have watched the Bahamian media evolve over many decades. Now I have grave concerns with the direction of one of our two newspapers. The Nassau Guardian has let itself shift to being an activist paper for the interests of its editors. Read the commentary by The Guardian’s editors. It is all and always anti-Hubert Minnis and his Government. Week after week The Guardian’s editors use the newspaper to attack Prime Minister Minnis. You don’t find anything by them that says a good word about something the Government of Dr. Minnis has done. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying a newspaper should be an advocate for the Government, but when a newspaper’s editors every week use the paper’s opinion and commentary space almost exclusively to attack the Prime Minister and his administration there is an obvious agenda at play. That agenda seems clear. The paper’s editors want a change of government. They want Dr. Hubert
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Minnis out and Brave Davis in as Prime Minister. The direction of the editors has spread beyond commentary. Quite a number of the choices as lead stories reflect a desire to use the paper’s news coverage to attack the Government. In stories, angles are pursued and a tone exists to get at Prime Minister Minnis and his Government. The Guardian in the Bahamas is what Fox News and MSNBC are in the United States of America. Fox sells information to advance the agenda of Republicans and the right wing. MSNBC does the same for Democrats and the left wing. The Guardian’s agenda is to remove Prime Minister Minnis and give power in the country to Brave Davis. A paper has the right to shift in this type of direction. The news business is a business to make money. In doing so though, the paper should be honest with its readers and say what its agenda is. The Guardian should not claim objectivity when bringing down the Government and making Brave Prime Minister as its objective. I am not sure about this part of the paper’s agenda. Is it the view of the editors that Prime Minister Minnis should be brought down and Brave made Prime Minister? Is it the view of the publisher of the paper that Prime Minister Minnis should be brought down
and Brave made Prime Minister? Is it the view of the publisher and the editors that Prime Minister Minnis should be brought down and Brave made Prime Minister? If the editors have embarked on this journey alone without the consent of the publisher then the publisher and owners have a responsibility to rein them in. Making a newspaper an activist operation is a very serious step. Once people know that the paper is no longer objective a certain number of readers will leave. The ones who share the anti-Minnis–pro-Brave position will remain just like in the United States of America where conservatives watch Fox and liberals watch MSNBC. I lament greatly The Guardian’s position. I like news that is just news. I like commentary and opinion to be separate and varied. Newspapers that are on an activist agenda are not for me. As a reader one feels one is being misled to a position when reading a story or an opinion. As an old observer of the media I thought I’d offer these few thoughts. It would delight me if The Guardian shifts back to the centre, but I doubt it will. From the opinions the editors have written in the paper their anti-Minnis views are very strong and deeply ingrained. Prime Minister Minnis is their enemy and target. They will not stop their crusade on their own. Someone higher would have to intervene. ECM Nassau October 27, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 28, 2019, PAGE 5
BLACKOUT MISERY BACK FOR FAMILIES from page one
“The investigation into the vibration issue preventing the unit from coming online has revealed serious deficiencies that need to be addressed, requiring extensive work,” BPL said in its Saturday fact sheet. “The specialists are now determining a new scope of work for the unit, and once that has been agreed, work will resume. At that time we from page one union in May 2019 after three months of negotiations. Notwithstanding this, tremendous progress had been made during that time to increase staff benefits substantially within the parameters set by the board. Only a few items were left to be concluded. “While typical agreements in the Bahamas have ranged between six to 10 percent in salary increases over a five-year period, demands made upon NIB by the Union of Public Officers have been calculated to be in excess of 20 percent for the five-year contract. The board’s focus and expectations include increased staff productivity through stronger performance management tools to ensure that NIB delivers better services to The Bahamian public.” The statement added: “NIB maintains a generous package on education and training programmes, health insurance and an employee pension plan. Over the six-month period between January and June 2019 over 56 staff and management, 10 percent of total staff, were promoted, mostly through competitive processes and to fill vacant positions.” NIB said it is not a “for profit” company, adding the funds and income are derived from the contributions of the workers and employers. “Instead, contribution income is held in trust for the payment of benefits such as retirement and pension benefits, maternity, unemployment, survivor and funeral benefits and assistance. The 9th Actuarial Review of the NIB Fund recommended that administrative expenses be reduced to a goal of 10 percent of contributions by 2021. NIB’s administrative expenses have remained around 17-21 percent of contributions – an unsustainable level given the stress on the fund from increasing benefits payments,” the statement read. “The National Insurance Board must exercise prudence in the growth of its staff costs as highlighted in its actuarial report so as to not jeopardise the continued existence of the fund as source of partial income replacement to workers in their time of need. NIB’s executive team has embarked upon an ambitious strategic plan to modernise its operations,
will be in a better position to reassess timelines for this unit.” The day before, BPL said work on the unit reached a major obstruction and after a brief investigation, the electrical system specialist raised serious concerns about the unit’s state. That electrical specialist arrived in New Providence on Thursday and began working on the unit the same day. Meanwhile the company said GT-10 continued
PEOPLE voting before the strike poll was postponed on Friday. improve customer service; provide more of its services on an online basis, improve employee productivity through training and better performance management, strengthen its governance and ensure the solvency of the fund for generations to come by sound financial management.” The statement came after a strike poll by employees was postponed on Friday until further notice. Director of Labour John Pinder said there were some legal issues with the process. The NIB strike poll was postponed. There were some illegalities with the whole matter and the NIB president has been advised of it so as soon as they correct the situation and apply for a new date then they’ll go ahead
THE MEN outside court on Friday.
A FREEPORT magistrate sentenced two men to four years in prison after they pleaded guilty to charges of stealing and causing harm on Friday. Andy Taylor, 25, of Emerald Drive, and Eltraneko Green, 23, of Cartier Circle,
for two consecutive days. One user said: “Pinewood off again!!! They just load shedded us yesterday evening now they are doing it again (sic). I guess even the load shedding isn’t equal because we can’t be up in the rotation already. The poor people special once again. All the rich home enjoying Sunday evening. So obviously we have to take the hit, and they know it’s true that’s why they didn’t put us on
BPL Communications Director Quincy Parker
the list, BPL hiding the fact. Shame on you, BPL.” Another commented: “Why BPL? You had South Beach off on Saturday 3.50pm until 6.55pm and here it is Sunday 2.55pm and we off again with no notice? Where is all this so- called extra power going? This is two days in a row. Not acceptable. Do better BPL.” “Come flipping on, Bamboo Town yesterday and today WTH (sic) BPL,” added another user.
NIB begs union to settle dispute
JAILED FOR STEALING AND CAUSING HARM
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
to run steadily, but monitoring was continuing. BPL said it remained focused on both GT-7 and GT-10 and its Blue Hills Power Station as these units together make up the generation deficit, which led to heavy load shedding. Yesterday, the electricity provider announced three-hour load shedding in dozens of residential areas, infuriating customers to turn to Facebook — some complained of disruptions
Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
appeared in Court Two before Magistrate Charlton Smith. The men pleaded guilty to stealing from a person and causing harm. Magistrate Smith convicted the pair and sentenced them to four years imprisonment on the stealing charge and one year on the causing harm charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.
and have it done then if the matter is still outstanding,” Mr Pinder said on Friday. Last week, NIB
Photo: Terrel W Carry Sr/Tribune Staff employees protested after negotiations for a new industrial agreement failed. Speaking to reporters
outside NIB headquarters during the workers’ morning tea break, Ghion Roach, Union of Public
Officers (UPO) president, said they walked off the job because the union wanted to send a message. Mr Roach said: “We’ve been ignored for too long; we’ve been disrespected, and we’ve been disregarded. The union has not been dealt with fairly and we’re here to let management know this Friday the union is prepared to take it to the polls and have a strike vote. The outcome of that vote will be ‘yes’, and we will send the message loud and clear. “The main issue is the executive managers refuse to come back to the table. We’ve had stalled negotiations from April. The matter has been intervened by the Department of Labour and it’s now October and we still haven’t had no resolution.” He added: “We had a contract that expired December of last year. We went back to the table in February – negotiations stalled in April. We’ve been trying to get the director back to the table, her team and her, and they have outright told us ‘no.’” NIB said negotiations are expected to continue today at the office of the minister for the public service and National Insurance.
PAGE 6, Monday, October 28, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
FORMER Speaker of the House of Assembly Kendal Major speaking in 2013.
Former Speaker blasts ‘mediocre, tribal’ Assembly from page one He continued: “That’s as much as it is my fault as it is the present politicians. The procedures of Parliament doesn’t serve the interest of the public today because much of what takes place
is a disconnect with the public.” He said cynicism about politicians and politics has emerged in public leaving people to always wonder what politicians’ motives are. Earlier, he said Speaker Moultrie’s conduct last Wednesday in some respects was “over the top”. At the time, Speaker Moultrie accused the media of “descending” to a certain level, adding it was an issue that needed addressing. He did not clearly explain what he meant, but told House of Assembly members that “fake” and opinionated stories had been published online and in local newspapers. “The present disagreement that you see today between the honourable speaker that exists and the press, I find very instructive,” Dr Major told PLP supporters. “Two days ago, I got four phone calls from journalists wanting some red meat. The red meat essentially was ‘what do you have to say about what happened in the House of Assembly’ and my answer to them I’m sure probably disappointed them, but at the end of the day I told them in essence it is easy to sit where I sit today from my perch and criticise another sitting member who has made a judicial decision whether it’s right, wrong or indifferent. “If I were in that position, would I have made that same decision? I trust not, but obviously because he’s there he was faced with a different scenario and so I was careful in my capacity as a private citizen not to criticise his decision although one could argue that in some respects it was over the top in some respects and we could criticise it. “But for me in my position, to add more fuel to that, it would be easy for me to just from where I sit criticise (as) a former speaker and I have sat in that chair and have also made some mistakes.”
Last week, some governing party MPs called for a change to “archaic” parliamentary rules, with some expressing concern that the Minnis administration could be perceived as swaying toward the side of dictatorship and possible censorship of the country’s free press. Among them was Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine, who told The Tribune that Speaker Moultrie’s rebuke of the reporter went against the state’s mantra of transparency and democracy. Speaker Moultrie’s actions were “in poor taste”, he said, adding reporters should have the convenience of carrying out their duties with liberty. However, Health Minister and Elizabeth MP Dr Duane Sands said he did not see the situation as government’s attempt to stifle the press. Instead it was the consequence of outdated parliamentary rules, he said. Meanwhile, Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller said he thought the situation was “mishandled” as the House sitting should have been briefly suspended to address the concerns instead of publicly and openly criticising the reporter’s actions. The reporter seated in the House gallery, had taken photos of member of Parliament Chester Cooper, who was contributing to debate on a bill to exempt fees for replacement documents lost during Hurricane Dorian. After he rebuked her actions, Speaker Moultrie then ordered the reporter’s phone be turned over to a House clerk and the images deleted. However this never happened. Instead Chief Clerk David Forbes called the reporter outside the gallery and motioned to her to delete the photos. She then did as instructed, but later retrieved the images from her deleted files. Editorial View - Page 4
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
By FREDERICK R M SMITH, QC
I
N THE wake of Hurricane Dorian, a great deal of public conversation has focused on the injunction prohibiting demolition of communities of Haitian ethnicity called shanty towns. Despite the noise in the market, the injunction is simply an order made by the Supreme Court to maintain the status quo until trial of the Judicial Review - which is itself very discreet and self-contained - to determine whether the process undertaken by the Government to eradicate shanty towns was lawful and constitutional. The injunction applies to all communities in New Providence as well as the properties occupied by certain of the 177 plaintiffs in Abaco. The merit, or lack thereof, is a matter for the courts, and should be left in the hands of our independent judiciary. It is regrettable the Prime Minister and his new ally, Fred Mitchell, have chosen to politicise this through demagogic hyperbole in Parliament. But I wonder if those ranting for the injunction’s removal have considered what a rare and valuable opportunity this pause, this mandatory respite, may have presented to Bahamian society. For decades, the immigration debate has been fiercely contested on all sides in a virtual vacuum devoid of evidence, statistics and fact. Instead, an irrational reign of state encouraged terror against the Haitian ethnic community has prevailed. On the one hand, you have those who claim the country is being ‘overrun by Haitians’ who are causing unemployment among Bahamians and inundating and degrading our medical, educational and social institutions. The only thing to be done – by virtually any means necessary – is get them out, and get them out now! And if some people’ rights are violated in the process, oh well, there are always casualties in war, to make an omelette you have to break a few eggs, and the end justifies the means in any case. On the other side is the perspective which, while acknowledging the country’s Immigration laws must be enforced, argues that it is wrong to throw the baby out with the bath water, that the current enforcement procedures are illegal, terrorise people unnecessarily, wreck innocent lives, violate due process under the Constitution and lead to all manner of discriminatory actions and human rights abuses, often against women and minors, but ultimately undermining the rights of everyone. According to this view, there is a tolerant, legal and humane way to enforce the law; a way that would actually be more effective in halting undocumented migration in the long run, given the current unsuccessful hardline approach remains mired in corruption, superstition, inefficiency, selective enforcement and the sordid taint of political grandstanding. I and my fellow human rights advocates fight to defend the latter view, and have enjoyed invaluable support in our efforts from international observers like the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and more. Whereas the former view is avidly promoted by both the PLP and FNM,
An opportunity to pause, think and remember we’re all human, Haitians too in particular by politicians who feel the need for a convenient scapegoat when the polls seem to be turning against them. In this moment of respite with the injunction in place, is it not the time to try once and for all to get to the underlying facts, so this national discussion can finally become an enlightened and informed one? Should we not for example, take this opportunity to establish roughly how many undocumented migrants are actually in the country? The truth might surprise us, might give us pause, even alleviate some of the anxiety felt by the ‘fight for your country or lose it’ crowd. Preliminary evidence from the government’s own shanty town reports conducted last year in New Providence and Abaco suggests there may be a few thousand undocumented migrants living across both islands combined. Around 20 percent of those interviewed in Abaco and only six percent of those in New Providence. Hardly the hordes of invaders who many assume are intent on overrunning our little country. It could be argued this evidence is by no means definitive, but that is precisely the point: we don’t have anything else concrete to go on. The various outlandish numbers of ‘invaders from Haiti’ that are flung about on a regular basis and with an imposing air of authority are based on nothing but superstition, fear mongering and old wives tales. Are undocumented migrants really swamping our healthcare system? It is common for outsiders to be blamed for poor public services that are more plausibly failing due to mismanagement, underfunding, labour unrest and corruption. Again, Bahamians speak of the scourge of the Haitian hospital patients based on hearsay, hasty generalisation and ad hoc argument. No studies, no surveys, no actual evidence. Are undocumented migrants really degrading the quality of our public education system? How many undocumented students, how many children of undocumented parents, are actually in our classrooms at the moment? What percentage of the student body do they represent and to what extent can their presence be said to contribute to overcrowding? Again, the facts are simply not available. What about the argument that the children of undocumented migrants, particularly those of Haitian descent, consistently outperform children with Bahamian parents, thereby elevating the learning atmosphere in the classroom to the benefit of all students and contributing qualities such as discipline, effort and excellence to our society when they enter the workforce? Are undocumented migrants really taking all of our jobs? What of the argument that all over the world, migrant populations occupying the lowest paying jobs in a society is regarded
HOMES in ruins in The Mudd after Hurricane Dorian as a sign that the society is evolving, the economy is growing and the local population is moving into more skilled, better paying jobs? Is our hardline, draconian approach to immigration enforcement – the terrifying nighttime raids, the unlawful roadblocks and indiscriminate roundups – really working? Targeting established communities of predominantly Haitian ethnicity, populated for the most part by a combination of documented foreigners and poor Bahamians, makes for dramatic headlines, but it does not make for dramatic results. Most of the people detained are eventually released, after their fundamental rights have been terribly abused, with perhaps a handful of people remaining in illegal detention. If the injunction is set aside, pray tell, where will the ten thousand or so newly dispossessed find shelter? We already have a crisis with those from the shanty towns in Abaco; does the government really wish to exacerbate this challenge? This approach is really all
for show and does nothing at all to address our porous maritime border through which undocumented migrants enter in the first place. It is the equivalent of bailing out your boat with a spoon, before plugging the massive hole in your hull. Not to mention the fact the culture of corruption within the Immigration Department means of the few detained, those who can pay are often released again. Would it not make sense to try a different way? Perhaps the Immigration enforcement budget could be shifted to better surveil our borders, using drones and other modern technology to detect and stop undocumented migrants arriving in the first place. The $450 million Defence Force vessels are usually out of commission. Perhaps focus on a little more maintenance? Perhaps then the Department of Public Prosecutions could investigate the numerous allegations of extortion within Immigration and clean up that Department with a view to ensuring any gains made in enforcement are not lost to corruption.
Once the situation has been thus stabilised, the government could then perhaps abandon the kneejerk reactions – even frantic emergency – with which it always approaches these issues. There seems to be a complete failure to appreciate that we are dealing with human beings. Yes, Haitians are human too! With new arrivals reduced to a minimum, they could then get some real sense of the situation on the ground, and launch an efficient, patient and humane system of identifying and addressing the relative handful of remaining individuals with document issues, regularising those who qualify or have applied to qualify, and issue deportation orders for those they feel they must, while affording them all the rights, privileges and due process protections mandated by the Constitution. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, does this injunction not open the space for a long overdue, frank and honest discussion about certain well established and widely held assumptions and prejudices
that fuel much of the hysteria and misinformation which besets the issue of undocumented migration in the Bahamas? Assumptions about the nature of nationhood, identity and the public’s susceptibility to being manipulated by politicians through the twisting of these ideals. Before independence, unskilled labour moved fairly freely between the Bahamas and Haiti in an amicable and calm fashion. Lucrative business arrangements, friendships and even marriages were the norm – hence the many French sounding surnames that are now considered to be ‘true true’ Bahamian families. What was it about independence and its aftermath that gave rise to the now deep-seated hatred and paranoia about Haitians in the Bahamas? Why do we treat undocumented migration, a relatively minor infraction in terms of penalties on the books, as if it were the worst crime imaginable, more terrible even than murder and rape? Where did this mindset come from, and why and by what means have the fires of distrust and disgust been stoked since then? It is our hope on the tolerant side that young, increasingly well educated Bahamians are growing immune to the misinformation, superstition and intolerance of those on the other side. Who knows, such a discussion might reveal to political leaders that the time has come to rethink the trusted formula: ‘Tough immigration policies = election wins’. But we won’t really know unless we take this opportunity to discuss the above questions and more – in the press, on social media and face to face with our fellow Bahamians. It is a rare chance to take stock of who we really are, where we find ourselves today, and where we want go - towards a more humane and enlightened future, or remain mired in intolerance.
PAGE 8 MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
‘Our university must be a reflection of where we want our country to be’
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By DR DANNY DAVIS Chair, Strategic Planning Steering Committee University of The Bahamas
ET’S begin by establishing my view that University of The Bahamas (UB) is the primary strategic institution for building a strong Bahamas. Having noted that, let’s keep this in perspective: the country will not fail without the University, but it will surely be difficult for it to succeed without a strong University. Toward this end, UB recently released
a 2019-2024 Strategic Plan document for internal and public review. This plan provides the foundation for a University which will serve the country, the region and the world by providing quality and relevant tertiary education for decades to come. Since the UB Act of 2016, this plan is one of the most important documents produced by UB. Is it too ambitious to want to serve the nation, region and world? Definitely not, especially when
one considers UB’s nursing graduates are employed in The Bahamas, the region and the world. This demonstrates UB has a product which is willingly and readily consumed beyond our borders. The strategic direction defined in the plan acknowledges this strength and motivates us to continue to build undergraduate programmes which are best in class and offer cutting edge graduate degrees. While UB has many successful academic programmes, there are others which require strengthening, this strategic plan defines a mechanism which ensures the quality of all academic programmes. It is imperative UB makes the difficult decisions which will advance the institution and, by extension, build the nation. As the national tertiary institution with over 65 undergraduate bachelor degree programmes, we must accept UB cannot be responsible for training every professional in the country; some of our national training needs will have to be outsourced to other universities. However, there are others we simply cannot afford to outsource. I offer music as one example and, yes, there are others. A single item list is not expected to be exhaustive and this one surely isn’t intended to be. There may even be a few academic programmes that should be discontinued. Difficult decisions, however, are usually a question of expediency versus long-term benefits. Recognizing that universities are intended to be pillars of a modern society, there is no place in our Bahamas for expediency as it relates to University of The Bahamas. The University is expected to last for centuries. We should always choose the options that are in UB’s long-term best interest. The UB 2019-2024 strategic plan identifies the need to “Improve Operational Efficiencies/ Customer Service for a Culture of Excellence” as
a high priority goal. There is an undeniable culture of inefficiency across the country. Before we point fingers at the government ministries as prime examples of this, let us not forget the feeling of frustration we experience when trying to use the services of any commercial bank in this country. It is not just the large companies and government ministries that are plagued by inefficiencies and poor customer service. It is also the physician’s office that has a longer than acceptable waiting time disguised as musical chairs as patients are juggled from one room to another as if that somehow mysteriously stops or slows the passage of time. The University should feel an obligation to help the country work through these inefficiencies. But, in order to do so, it must first eliminate its own inefficiencies. The University must not be a reflection of the current Bahamas. It is called to a higher position; it must be the reflection the country hopes to see when it looks in the mirror. We must have a collective desire to do better. The strategic plan sends a clear message to the UB community and the nation that we have a few things to improve before we are able to talk about our national inefficiencies. It follows then that, without applying too much pressure, the University’s ability to support national growth is explicitly linked to its ability to strategically engage and achieve the goals defined in this new strategic plan. In essence, this plan is about more than just the goals the University is setting for itself. It is also about the goals it is setting for the country. UB’s motto, “Knowledge, Truth, Integrity”, must live through our collective actions. This 2019-2024 strategic plan is the foundation upon which we define how the country will develop. It is not the five-year plan of any past, present or future governing party. It is the foundation for all future
strategic plans and the aspirations against which future UB presidents will be hired and Board of Trustees members recruited. How the University defines its budget to support strategic goals, deploys its human resources and fills positions will speak volumes with regard to how successful the implementation of this plan will be. Also, as UB seeks to increase alumni and corporate giving, the strategic plan will allow donors to align themselves with the aspirations of the institution. The University must not allow this plan to sit on a shelf; instead, the document must influence its daily activities over the next five years. We intend for UB to thrive and serve our country, the region and the world by providing quality and relevant tertiary education for decades to come. This strategic plan is the foundation upon which such a university can be built. Every goal in the strategic plan is supported by multiple objectives. The action items that support the objectives have predefined, measurable performance outcomes. These outcomes will facilitate the determination of our overall success in the implementation of this plan. And it is the implementation that makes all the difference. No matter how proficient the architect, it is the contractor that brings the plan to life. Our plan is complete, our administrators, faculty and staff are charged with the execution, but the students and the student government association must hold the University accountable for keeping to the plan. Further, they too must develop a plan which defines their contribution towards building UB. Finally, the members of the general public must not be spectators to this transformation. You must review the progress dashboards and get involved. We are all UB. The buildings do not make the University, we must all commit to building in earnest.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
T
HE business community in the Caribbean – both foreign and local – has made no collective statement and taken no joint position on the process of de-risking and the withdrawal of correspondent banking relations (CBRs) with which all Caribbean countries have been plagued since 2015. It seems the overarching perception is that de-risking and the loss of CBRs is something related to financial institutions and is remote from the lives of the Caribbean’s peoples and the business communities. Nothing can be further from reality. The de-risking and withdrawal of CBRs that have beset the region are directly related to the conduct of any business that imports or exports goods and services from the rest of the world, particularly North America and Europe with which the region trades the most. Financial institutions, particularly banks, are only conduits through which businesses and individuals conduct business outside of the countries in which they are based. When financial institutions lose CBRs because of derisking, businesses and individuals are deprived of the means to conduct overseas transactions. No business is immune from the consequences of local banks losing CBRs. If all the banks in a country lose CBRs, every business that buys or sells goods and services from overseas will grind to a halt. Therefore, there is very good reason for all businesses to put this matter high on their agenda for discussion. Every Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers Association and Export agency in every Caribbean country should seek meetings with their banks to understand the implications of continued de-risking and loss of CBRs. And they should contribute to the thinking and financing of how the
INSIGHT
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019 PAGE 9
Caribbean business community stands to lose from de-risking issues could be resolved. Foreign companies operating in the Caribbean, particularly those whose domiciles are in North America and Europe, have a special responsibility to themselves to become active in this matter. To transfer their profits and dividends to their overseas headquarters, their local banks must have CBRs. Further, to import material for their operations, CBRs are imperative. It is in the interest of these foreign companies, including the airlines, the cruise ship lines, oil companies and hotels, not to sit back but to become actively involved in pointing out to governments in their home countries the dangers posed by the loss of CBRs. Local businesses – of all kinds – also require banks to have CBRs to purchase anything from overseas, including clothing, footwear, construction material, motor vehicles, spares and parts and, most importantly, food. The consequence of businesses not being able to import or export on the lives of people is obvious. There would be a scarcity of everything, until availability
dries-up, severely affecting the quality of life enjoyed even by the most well-off in Caribbean societies. Eventually, as businesses collapse, jobs will be lost, poverty will increase, government will lose sources of revenue, social services will come to an end. All of this may sound alarmist. It is. But, it is not unnecessarily alarmist. Businesses - large and small, local and foreign - and the people of the Caribbean must understand that de-risking and loss of CBRs materially affect them. This is not a matter for financial institutions and Central Banks alone. I have explained this issue in such granular terms because of the trend – even in official documents – of characterising this problem as a threat to financial institutions in isolation. The fact is that the dagger is really pointed at the societies of every Caribbean country; banks are the point of entry into the body of each Caribbean country. It is time that education and information about the perils of de-risking and loss of correspondent banking relations be widely disseminated. It is past time for the
SCOTT B MACDONALD, Chief Economist at Smith’s Research & Gradings, business communities in the Caribbean to appreciate that it is their operations and livelihoods that are at stake, and, in that context, to become more involved in addressing the problem. Fifty-five banks in 12 Caribbean countries have lost CBRs over the last three years. In some countries, CBRs available to many banks have been reduced to one. To continue to provide businesses and the public with international services, banks have had to seek CBR arrangements as far away as Turkey and Serbia. Costs have risen as a result, and, in any event these arrangements, while welcome, are tenuous. The International Monetary Fund has observed that the loss of CBRs pose “a clear and present danger” to the region.
Recently, Scott B. MacDonald, the Chief Economist at Smith’s Research & Gradings, a U.S. financial credit grading company, concluded in a report that “the new status quo is one defined by tenuous linkages to the global financial system, which can leave trade, finance and tourism at risk of being strangled”. That is not a prospect that any single person or business in the Caribbean can afford. Everything must be done to prevent it. Much has been done already. Governments have enacted legislation consistent with the rules set by the Financial Action Task Force on anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing. They have also established machinery for enforcement of these
rules through investigation and prosecution. Banks are being made to comply by regulatory bodies and Central Banks. All this is necessary to persuade correspondent banks in North America and Europe that there is minimal risk in providing CBR to respondent banks in the region. However, compliance with the rules is not enough. Correspondent banks in North America and Europe are also concerned about the huge penalties they might have to pay if any infringement of the law occurs. They believe that the relatively small amount of money they earn from individual Caribbean banks is not worth the risk. That, in large measure, is why they are withdrawing CBRs. For this reason, Caribbean banks should create one or two adequately capitalized entities to act as their collective agent with correspondent banks. In this case, it is truly ‘unite or perish’. And, the broader business community should join in. It’s in their interest. The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com
PAGE 10 MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019
By Malcolm Strachan
A
FTER a week where the news cycle covered the usual – the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian and immigration issues - what also crept into the spotlight was the face-off between the Bahamas Christian Council and LGBTIQ and human rights advocates Rights Bahamas. Now, while this is certainly a heavy topic, this article’s purpose for mentioning it is not to harp over the issues, but to consider how these issues and others affect the course of our country’s future. Last week, Canada returned incumbent Liberal Party and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau back to parliament as the minority government. What was interesting about the lead-up to their elections when comparing with ours was that Canadian voters may seem very indifferent towards politics, as they seemingly don’t wear it on their sleeves. However, after analysing the campaign platforms of the various leaders - and how their platforms resonated with average citizens - what was revealed was their citizenry’s engagement in their democracy showed a people informed on the issues. Juxtaposed with that is the fact that in recent years Canada has been one of the top performers on rankings of the world’s best governed countries and quality of life standings. There is a novel thought. If we were to mirror the same in our democracy, there would be a possibility we can achieve some of the same benefits. Who would’ve thought? But herein lies the problem. While still a political toddler, we have developed some terrible habits that are becoming increasingly harder to break. As party politics has created a lazy electorate and
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
Why a more informed citizenry is critical to advancing our democracy
THE SECOND half of the Minnis administration’s term will go even faster once the campaign season really comes into effect. arguably even lazier government, we continue to spiral down a path where the most educated look at the disparities between the way The Bahamas is governed compared with the
likes of Canada and want to run for the hills – or even Canada itself. Although a growing sector of society is beginning to reject partisan politics, Bahamians
generally still find comfort in their affiliation or support of the PLP and FNM. And despite 50-plus years of this model giving us proof that this system does not work, you can guarantee that silly season – so validly coined – will bring out seas of red and yellow to political rallies where the goal is to sell dreams to the drunken masses in hopes it translates to an election win. Mind-numbingly, the fact the majority of Bahamians do not see a problem with a political party’s manifesto being symbolic of nothing more than something that, at best, can be used as toilet paper is a mammoth-sized problem. For years, researchers have been studying the efficacy of voter information on government performance and the results are consistent – a more informed populace enhances electoral
accountability and motivates a government to perform at its best. Likewise, in democracies where voters are uneducated or have little information about government policies - corruption, poor economic performance and a host of other societal ills prevail. So where are we on the spectrum? How many Bahamians can honestly say they have a grasp of what the hot button issues are leading into the next election – and more than what they are, but also how are they impacted on an individual level? Simply looking at how Hurricane Dorian has exposed so much of what is wrong about how our country operates, how many Bahamians can honestly look themselves in the mirror and say we function like a population that has ambitions of being recognised in the First World?
Certainly, there are political actors who support freedom of information. But without mass organisation and grassroots campaigning that is not promoting its own self-seeking agenda, all efforts to create a meaningful piece of legislation are impotent. More than that, if citizens are not concerned with becoming informed, then what good does freedom of information even provide? Just as fast as the first half of the Minnis administration’s term in government has gone, the second half will go even faster once campaign season really comes into effect. And as we canvas the political landscape to seek out the next political directorate, we are not challenging any potential administration to rise to the occasion of advancing our nation forward. Instead, we allow emotion rather than logic to guide our handling of the nation’s issues. Hence, when we should be demanding the government legislate the Freedom of Information Act, table the Disaster Preparedness plan leading up to a storm, or for the new ministry responsible to give us insight into what the plan will be going forward, particularly with a renewed hurricane season less than a year away or for a clear indication of what the nation’s immigration policy will be, we rather bicker about who’s a “sissy” and how the “hytians” are taking over. Very mature of us, wouldn’t you say? Furthermore, our reluctance to grow up politically and societally will only yield more of the same failures that we continue to experience. The Good Book offers us a sobering meditation: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” While this was written in a spiritual context, it is no less true as we continue to deal with circumstances that handicap our society. The Bahamian people will serve themselves greatly by becoming informed on the issues so when campaign season commences, aspiring Parliamentarians will have their work cut out for them. This will be a significant step in improving our democracy.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 28, 2019, PAGE 11
MINISTER NEEDS TO ‘SPEAK THE TRUTH’, SAYS BUT CHIEF By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson accused Education Minister Jeff Lloyd of not being forthcoming about the issues at Carlton Francis Primary School and CH Reeves Junior High. Speaking to reporters outside Church of God of Prophecy on Friday, Mrs Wilson said Mr Lloyd is disingenuous, adding BUT followed all the steps that were laid out in the union’s grievance procedures. She said the minister needs to “speak the truth”. She said: “When we talked about Carlton Francis School, I can produce for you documentation from October 2017 with the list of grievances and concerns that the teachers would have encountered with the principal and even other matters pertaining to their teaching, learning and the campus. “Mr Lloyd is quite aware that we would have written not only to Mr Lloyd, the minister of education, prior to Mr Lloyd even coming we have documentation to the former permanent secretary, to the former
director. And since 2017 to present we’ve written to the acting director, Marcellus Taylor, to the permanent secretary, Lorraine Armbrister, to the honourable minister, Jeffrey Lloyd.” She added: “The first step was to write to the principal and make the concerns clear to her. The principal would have had five days to reply to the teachers. She has not replied to the teachers hence we are where we are at. I must say that I’m disappointed in Mr Lloyd who is allowing the acting director to instruct principals and in particular Carlton Francis school to call the police for teachers and this is now the seventh week that teachers are showing up to school and told by police officers, security officers and the principal that they cannot enter the gate.” Mrs Wilson said her union is prepared to take legal steps to have the issues at the Carlton Francis Primary School resolved. The teachers there have been agitating for the school’s principal to be removed. “We will not sit by and allow our teachers to be mistreated and to be handled inhumanely. It is our intention to take whatever
Diabetes: One in seven has disease DR Sands addressing the conference from page one have a staggering prevalence of almost 19 percent. Our death rate from diabetes stands at 37.9 deaths per 100,000 people,” he said. “A well-known fact is that many persons with diabetes suffer from foot and ankle ailment and complications. Around the world, approximately a million people with diabetes will lose a part of their lower limb.….” It is for this reason, Dr Sands said, why prevention of foot ulcers is an important priority for podiatry and the diabetic patient in general. “Eighty-five percent, give or take, of amputations are preceded by an ulcer, and therefore, can be prevented. With these startling statistics in mind, it demonstrates that a multidisciplinary team approach for the treatment of diabetics and diabetic foot problems is required.” He continued: “Podiatry services were reinstated in the public sector about one year ago and since that time, approximately 700 patients were treated. They were aged between three months and 98 years.” Sixty percent were treated for a diabetic foot. There were 161 minor surgical cases. However, as noted by Dr Sands, there is still a major shortage of podiatrists in the country. He added that this shortage presented a challenge to the healthcare system in the country. “Currently, there are four podiatrists serving the entire country and that’s shared between the public and private sector. You could imagine how difficult and stressful it was for these professionals in the
aftermath of Hurricane Dorian to see the many persons with limb infections or injuries,” he said. In his address, Dr Sands also announced that the country has recently completed its most comprehensive public health survey, entitled Steps 2019. “The Bahamas is now one of the few countries in the world that now have that type of longitude in data. What we found is that as a country, we really have to do better…. 60 percent of Bahamians add two or more spoonfuls of sugar to their tea or coffee,” he continued. “Thirty-two percent of us eat sweets three or more times per week. Less than 50 percent of us drink the daily recommended amount of water… 71.6 percent of us are overweight and the majority of the overweight persons – that’s 43.7 percent of us – are obese.” According to Dr Sands, these “hard to break” habits have led to a two percent increase in diabetes in the country. For this reason, he urged Bahamians to act more responsibly and to develop lifestyle changes to protect themselves and their loved ones from getting diabetes. “We (at the Ministry of Health) are indeed devoted to improving and advancing the health and well-being of all persons in the Bahamas and to ensuring the highest quality of services for all citizens,” he said. “(But) we have to make better choices in what we eat and how we eat, what we drink and how we drink it. And we do have to make dedicated time to exercise. We must also teach our children to eat and drink healthy.” Editorial View - Page 4
JEFF LLOYD, left, and Belinda Wilson legal steps we have to take to have the Carlton Francis Primary School matter resolved and must I say I also sought to get the information to write to the United Nations and always to the International Labour Organisation for the manner in which our teachers are being handled at Carlton Francis,” she said. “We are still in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas where we have rights. We have the freedom of expression. We have the freedom to assemble and those rights and freedoms are being threatened at Carlton Francis Primary School.” As it relates to CH
Reeves Junior High, the union leader said Mr Lloyd is not telling the full story on the issue. She said: “CH Reeves is one of the schools that I was invited by the prime minister and the Cabinet of the Bahamas in August for us to do a walkabout. CH Reeves was one of the schools that was incomplete, and we had a date of September 15 for CH Reeves construction to be completed. “Up to today the construction workers are still there working. (In) the classrooms, yes, there was mould, there was testing for the mould. He would have
sent our mould samples into Florida where the results came back stating yes mould presence was in CH Reeves School. We have already had a strike certificate in hand for CH Reeves. “We did a strike vote on December 7, 2018, so is Mr Jeffrey Lloyd on earth or (is he) in space? We have dealt with CH Reeves’ matter at the Labour Department last year March and April, we have met with Minister Lloyd on numerous occasions dealing with CH Reeves and Carlton Francis Primary School.” Mrs Wilson added: “Tell Mr Lloyd to tell the truth or else we are going to expose him. What they need to do is deal with the acting director, Marcellus Taylor . . .Teachers are human beings and we have rights and we will not stand by and allow the benefits that we have already fought for (be taken away).” Last Tuesday, Mr Lloyd expressed disappointment in teachers at CH Reeves for continued protests. Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet, Mr Lloyd said his ministry is seeking to resolve whatever outstanding issues the teachers have.
He said: “I’m advised that there were concerns with regards to classroom space. That matter, I’m advised, has been resolved. I was also advised that teachers were unhappy about having to float. . . from one classroom to the next. I understand that matter too is being resolved. The principal, along with the district superintendent and our main offices, are seeking to address that.” He added that he is “painfully disappointed” that the processes outlined for disagreements between union members and the Ministry of Education were not followed in this case. Mr Lloyd said if the industrial agreement in question is no longer serving its purpose, all parties need to sit down and come to a new agreement. “This is deeply troubling; it is troubling because, one, we have an agreement. That agreement should be respected, if that agreement and its terms no longer serve the purpose for which it was originally intended and it does not serve those purposes today, they’re adults, we are reasonable, intelligent and smart people,” he said.
PAGE 12, Monday, October 28, 2019
ABACO: THE AFTERMATH
THE TRIBUNE
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 28, 2019, PAGE 13
ABACO: THE AFTERMATH
Dramatic pictures of battered island
By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net NEARLY two months after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the northwest Bahamas, debris from the Pigeon Peas shanty town in Abaco has “virtually” been cleared and work on The Mud has already started, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands. In speaking to reporters at the Bahamas Podiatric Medical Association Conference on Friday, Dr Sands said much progress
has been made with the clean-up efforts in Abaco, but there is still more work to be done. “When we look at the clearing of the Pigeon Peas, it is virtually completed. The work on The Mud has started. When we look at communities like Green Turtle Cay, Hope Town, Man-O-War, there’s tremendous work being done,” he said. “It is hard to look at the magnitude of the problem because you could believe that it’s going to be an impossible task, but the
journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step and that first step has definitely been taken.” The powerful Category Five storm made landfall in Abaco and Grand Bahama early last month, destroying a number of homes and businesses. Shanty towns across Abaco were also decimated as a result of Dorian, leaving thousands displaced. Last month, the government awarded contracts to several companies for the clean-up of shanty towns in Abaco.
And according to Dr Sands, the process of clearing debris in these storm-affected communities is being done in layers. “We expect that there could be human remains so the ability to arbitrarily and recklessly move debris is not an option. We have to be very careful so obviously that increases the length of time it takes to clear and if you were to look at the Pigeon Peas right now, it is clear,” he said. Earlier this week, a local media outlet reported that debris from
the Sandbanks shantytown in Abaco has been cleared. It is unclear how much debris has been removed from the island thus far, but Dr Sands speculated it to be about ten or fifteen percent. “If you were to ask me what percentage of the debris has been removed from Abaco, a non-scientific, anecdotal response from me would be maybe about ten or 15 percent. We have a long way to go and yet we have come a mighty long way to go,” he said.
PAGE 14, Monday, October 28, 2019
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THE TRIBUNE By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net DESPITE Equinor revealing that the amount of crude oil which spilled from its Grand Bahama site was less than previously announced, Save the Bays chairman Joseph Darville said this does not diminish the catastrophic impact upon the island’s environment, water table and pine forest. In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Darville said it was mystifying that Equinor keeps changing the figures of the amount of oil spilled from its South Riding Point facility. “That’s really puzzling because they were the ones who kept giving out different figures. It’s really puzzling, it’s really not significant whether it was 55,000 or 119,000 barrels. The fact is that it was sufficient to create havoc with our environment,” he said. “Now with this change in figures, I don’t know what the game is that they are playing. Whether they’re saying it’s not as much as they had previously or initially indicated, because at one point in time they said it was 54,000 (barrels), the numbers keep changing and we don’t know.” On Friday, the international energy company released a statement that stated additional surveys were conducted by Equinor and two external companies. The surveys revealed the updated estimated volume of the oil spill at the South Riding Point terminal after the impact of Hurricane Dorian was 55,000 barrels (2.3 million gallons) – less than half the initial volume estimate of 119,000 barrels (5 million barrels), Equinor said. “The updated estimate is made by Equinor and surveyor companies AmSpec and Oil Inspections following a transfer of oil from the damaged tanks to secure tanks at the terminal last week,” Equinor added. “The South Riding Point terminal stored a total of
Monday, October 28, 2019, PAGE 15
Smaller oil spill is still bad news, says Darville
THE DAMAGED oil facility 1,870 million barrels of oil when Hurricane Dorian struck. The new surveys confirm that 1,815 million barrels of oil are still intact in the tanks at the terminal. That means 55,000 barrels is the updated volume estimate for the spill. Most of the spilled volumes were within or near the terminal area. “More than 50,000 barrels of oil have already been recovered. The calculation of oil spilled versus oil recovered will likely never fully match as the collected oil also will contain water.” Yesterday, Mr Darville questioned why it took so long for Equinor to arrive at a correct figure. “Initially they should have known what amount of crude oil they had in those tanks. Our government should have known what’s here,” the Grand Bahama-based activist said. “The moment they were able to assess what was spilled in the tanks then they should have known what was outside of the tanks. That’s simple, you don’t have to be a (rocket scientist) to know that.” He added: “If something
is spilled out of something, you measure what was left in a container and you know what was spilled. That is simple primary school math so it is really puzzling. “I don’t care if it was a gallon or 90,000 gallons. The fact is that enough of our environment has been impacted that we don’t even have an estimate as when that will return back to a normal state of existence as it was given to us by Mother Nature.” Mr Darville commended Equinor for conducting its own water investigation into the matter but suggested the process should be monitored by the Environmental Health Department. “They should not be doing this on their own. We are objective NGOs - Save the Bays and Waterkeepers Bahamas - and so we have the right to go in there and use scientific instruments that we have. That are the highest quality that one can find today in the world and in the labs in Washington where these were examined and it was determined that the wetlands have been
FLORIDA COLLEGE OFFERS PLACES TO STUDENTS AFFECTED BY DORIAN
OFFICIALS from Valencia College and the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute IN Spring 2020, Valencia College in Orlando, Florida will be awarding scholarships for students of the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) who were impacted by Hurricane Dorian and wish to study in the United States. Overall, 70 students from Grand Bahama and Abaco have either transferred or were enrolled in BTVI New
Providence for the first time, since the hurricane in September. Representatives from Valencia College recently made a presentation to BTVI students, discussing the scholarship which will cover full tuition and fee waivers for one academic year, up to 30 credits. The waiver is renewable for each subsequent term provided that students
maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Additionally, BTVI and Valencia College recently signed an articulation agreement that will allow BTVI’s Business and Information Technology Associate of Applied Science degree graduates to matriculate directly into Valencia College’s bachelor’s degree programmes, beginning August 2020.
polluted by oil as a result of the spill,” he noted. “They are going to carry out their own (investigation), that’s fine. But who is going to monitor this? Where is there going to be the examination of the samples that
they drill up? And who is actually going to monitor them? We didn’t drill any wells; we took water from the surface of the wetland.” He added: “We didn’t have to drill any wells so if they’re going to drill a well into our water fields, then what is the possibility that there would be further contamination of the water table in that regard? What I’m saying to Equinor and my government (is to) monitor this very carefully.” In its statement on Friday, Equinor said it is committed to cleaning up after the incident. Currently, more than 350 responders from 14 nations – including more than 100 responders from the Bahamas – are working on the recovery operations, the company said. “The clean-up operations have expanded to the forest areas north-east of the terminal,” Equinor said.
“Specially trained teams have started the clean-up work in the most impacted part of the forest, supported by the Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique (SCAT) team and safety experts. Equinor’s plan is to have four teams consisting of around 100 persons involved in the forest clean up. “. . . Equinor has also started execution of a ground water monitoring plan of the impacted area with approval from the Bahamian government. Final planning of well placements based on plume extension and hydrological understanding is ongoing. Suppliers and equipment for drilling the wells are currently being mobilised.” Equinor said it will establish a long-term monitoring plan of ground water and for the affected forest areas to be submitted to local authorities.
PAGE 16, Monday, October 28, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
PAGE 17, Monday, October 28, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
ONE MAN IS SHOT AND ANOTHER STABBED IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS TWO men are in hospital after separate shooting and stabbing incidents on the weekend. Police said a New Providence man was shot after 11pm on Saturday. The victim was standing near a business on Providence Avenue, Chippingham, when he was approached by a gunman who shot him. He was taken to hospital in a private vehicle where he is listed in serious but stable condition.
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Meanwhile, a man in Andros was stabbed around the same time, police said. The man was in an argument with another man in Fresh Creek, Andros, when he was attacked by a man armed with a sharp object. The victim was stabbed about the body. The injured man was taken to the Fresh Creek Clinic and later to New Providence on an emergency flight, to seek further medical assistance. Investigations are ongoing.
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PAGE 18, Monday, October 28, 2019
IS leader is dead after US raid in Syria, says Trump
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, right, speaks at the White House to announce the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, left WASHINGTON Associated Press ABU Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, blew himself up as US special operators cornered him during a raid in Syria, President Donald Trump said yesterday. “Last night, the United States brought the world’s No. 1 terrorist leader to justice,” Trump announced at the White House, providing graphic details of al-Baghdadi’s final moments at the helm of the militant organization. “Abu Bakr alBaghdadi is dead.” In a national address, Trump described the nighttime airborne raid in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, with American special operations forces
flying over heavily militarized territory controlled by multiple nations and forces. No US troops were killed in the operation, Trump said. The death of al-Baghdadi was a milestone in the fight against IS, which brutalised swaths of Syria and Iraq and sought to direct a global campaign from a self-declared “caliphate.” A year-long campaign by American and allied forces led to the recapture of the group’s territorial holding, but its violent ideology has continued to inspire attacks. As U.S. troops bore down on al-Baghdadi, he fled into a “dead-end” tunnel with three of his children, Trump said, and detonated a suicide vest. “He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s gone,” Trump said. “He died like a dog, he died like a coward.”
Al-Baghdadi’s identity was confirmed by a DNA test conducted onsite, Trump said. Trump had teased a major announcement late Saturday, tweeting that “Something very big has just happened!” By the morning, he was thanking Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq, as well as Kurdish fighters in Syria for their support. The operation marks a significant foreign policy success for Trump, coming at one of the lowest points in his presidency as he is mired in impeachment proceedings and facing widespread Republican condemnation for his Syria policy. The recent pullback of US troops he ordered from northeastern Syria raised a storm of bipartisan criticism in Washington that the militant group could regain
strength after it had lost vast stretches of territory it had once controlled. Trump said the troop pullout “had nothing to do with this”. Planning for the operation began weeks ago, Trump said, after the U.S. gained unspecified intelligence on al-Baghdadi’s whereabouts. Eight military helicopters flew for more than an hour over territory controlled by Russian and Syrian forces, Trump said, before landing under gunfire at the compound. Trump vividly described the raid and took extensive questions from reporters for more than 45 minutes Sunday. He said U.S. forces breached the walls of the building because the doors were booby-trapped and chased al-Baghdadi into the tunnel, which partially collapsed after al-Baghdadi detonated the suicide vest.
Many homes in Syria, which has been riven by civil war since 2011, have subterranean tunnels or shelters from the fighting. Trump also revealed that U.S. forces spent roughly two hours on the ground collecting valuable intelligence. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday that the U.S.-led Coalition launched at least one airstrike in western Aleppo aimed at Abu Hassan al-Muhajer, an aide to al=Baghdadi. Trump said he watched the operation from the White House Situation room as it played out live “as though you were watching a movie.” Trump suggested he may order the release of the video so that the world knows al-Baghdadi did not die of a hero and spent his final moments “crying, “whimpering” and “screaming.”
THE TRIBUNE
AL-BAGHDADI LEAVES A LEGACY OF TERROR BEIRUT Associated Press
ABU Bakr al-Baghdadi sought to establish a new Islamic “caliphate” across Syria and Iraq, but he might be remembered more as the ruthlessly calculating militant leader of the Islamic State group who brought terror to the heart of Europe and set up a short-lived organization so extreme that it was shunned even by al-Qaida. With a $25 million US bounty on his head, al-Baghdadi steered his chillingly violent and surprisingly disciplined followers into new territory by capitalising on feelings of Sunni supremacy and disenfranchisement at a time of tumult that followed the Arab Spring. Militants under his command were some of the first jihadis to grow up with the internet, and they deftly exploited social media to tout their military successes, document their mass slaughter, beheadings and stonings, and promote the Islamic State to a global audience. The announcement of his death came nearly two years after Iraq announced the defeat of IS and five years after the group humiliated its armed forces and seized nearly a third of the country. In April, US-backed Kurdish-led forces in Syria declared the group’s territorial defeat after liberating the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria, its last bastion. The Islamic State saw its territory shrink from an area the size of Britain to a speck in the Euphrates River valley. French President Emmanuel Macron said the death of al-Baghdadi is “only a step,” adding that the fight continues “so that the terrorist organisation is definitely defeated.” Also unclear is who will replace him as leader. The group has lost many of its senior commanders in US-led airstrikes, including Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, described as the group’s No. 2 who was killed in Iraq by an August 2015 US airstrike, and Abu Ali al-Anbari, the extremist group’s leading finance official, who was killed in 2016. Abu Mohammed alAdnani, the IS spokesman, also was reported to have been killed in 2016.
JOHN CONYERS, LONGEST SERVING BLACK CONGRESSMAN, DIES AT 90 DETROIT Associated Press FORMER US Rep. John Conyers, one of the longest-serving members of Congress whose resolutely liberal stance on civil rights made him a political institution in Washington and back home in Detroit despite several scandals, has died. He was 90. Conyers, among the highprofile politicians topped by sex harassment allegations in 2017,
died at his home yesterday, said Detroit police spokesman Cpl. Dan Donakowski. The death “looks like natural causes,” Donakowski added. Known as the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, which he helped found, Conyers became one of only six black House members when he was won his first election by just 108 votes in 1964. The race was the beginning of more than 50 years of election dominance: Conyers regularly won
elections with more than 80 percent of the vote, even after his wife went to prison for taking a bribe. That voter loyalty helped Conyers freely speak his mind. He took at both Republicans and fellow Republicans: he said thenPresident George W. Bush “has been an absolute disaster for the African-American community” in 2004, and in 1979 called then-President Jimmy Carter “a hopeless, demented, honest, wellintentioned nerd who will never
JOHN Conyers died at his home
get past his first administration.” Throughout his career, Conyers used his influence to push civil rights. After a 15-year fight, he won passage of legislation declaring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday, first celebrated in 1986. He regularly introduced a bill starting in 1989 to study the harm caused by slavery and the possibility of reparations for slaves’ descendants. That bill never got past a House subcommittee.
THE TRIBUNE
TWO DEAD, 12 INJURED IN SHOOTING AT PARTY GREENVILLE, Texas Associated Press A GUNMAN opened fire at an off-campus college party in Texas, leaving two people dead and 12 others injured before he escaped in the ensuing chaos, authorities said yesterday. Authorities believe the shooter may have been targeting just one person at the party of about 750 people outside Greenville, 15 miles southwest of a satellite campus of the Texas A&M University System, and that others may have been shot at random, Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks said. Authorities were still looking for the suspect, Meeks said, and had not yet identified him. The shooting took place around midnight on Saturday at what Meeks described as a Halloween and homecoming party for Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, though officials have said it was not a school-sanctioned event. Authorities believe there was one male shooter who entered the venue through the back door and began firing with a handgun, Meeks said. Meeks described “complete chaos” after the shots rang out, with hundreds of people fleeing, including the gunman. Authorities initially had said 14 people were injured, but they later revised that figure.
TRUCK DRIVER CHARGED OVER DEATHS
LONDON Associated Press
UK police have charged a truck driver with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people in connection with 39 deaths in the back of the truck he was driving in southeastern England. Police say Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon, Northern Ireland is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court today. He was the first of those arrested to be charged in what is seen as one of the U.K.’s biggest cases of people smuggling. Four others have been arrested in the case. U.K. police are struggling to identify the victims, who are believed to have come from Asia, and autopsies are being performed.
Monday, October 28, 2019, PAGE 19
PAGE 20, Monday, October 28, 2019
THE TRIBUNE Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
SAC honours former pupils
FOURTEEN movers and shakers in the country, all graduates of St Augustine’s College, were recognised by the high school’s alumni association during a special awards ceremony and gala on Saturday. This is the second annual event, with plans in the works for more events to continue to bring together the thousands of SAC graduates in the country and all around the world. The honourees include: Justice of the Court of Appeal Sir Michael Barnett; Dr P Samuel Bain, veteran educator and founder of Master Yourself Institute; Bridgette Francis, president of the country’s largest independent scholarship matching and international college planning firm; Kevin G Cambridge, accountant; optometrist Dr Charlene Wallace;
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Basil Christie, MBE, Special Olympics chair and youth and sports advocate; motivational speaker, Bishop Arnold Josey; veteran sports journalist and Tribune reporter Brent Stubbs; Psychologist and youth advocate Dr Giavana Jones; former Senator Dr Jacinta Higgs; brewer & microbiologist at GoodRobot brewing company and Limestone group, Giovanni Johnson; track and field superstar, Olympian Laverne Eve; attorney Malcolm Adderley; and the Galanis family, the children of Clifford and Zoe Galanis, whose children all attended SAC and achieved much in the community. The event was held under the patronage of Patricia Minnis, wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. Dr Minnis, who attended the event, is also a graduate of SAC.