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VOLUME:115 No.234, OCTOBER 30TH, 2018

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WOMAN: NATURAL REMEDIES YOU KNOW MAKE SCENTS

STALEMATE • Nurses walk out and threaten more to come • PHA holds firm insisting union tied by 2014 deal

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net NURSES yesterday upped the ante in their resistance to an impending “slavery” shift change by staging staggered lunch break walkouts, which slowed service at Princess Margaret Hospital and public health facilities throughout the country.

This action and whatever else nurses feel is necessary could continue for the rest of the week, Bahamas Nurses Union officials said.

In the face of these

threats, the Public Hospitals Authority said it was not backing down over the new shift system, saying it had a legally enforceable document signed in December 2014 by the BNU’s former president agreeing to the changes.

Adding steps were taken yesterday to ensure minimal disruption in healthcare services in light of the nurses’ actions, PHA took issue with the claim the union was not given enough notice of the new shift system’s implementation.

WILL FIRMS ABANDON PRIVATE HEALTH?

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE THREE

THE Ministry of Finance’s top official yesterday said it was “not preparing to throw a party just yet” despite increased VAT revenues driving a 52 percent cut to the government’s fiscal deficit.

Marlon Johnson, acting financial secretary, told Tribune Business that the

government will gain “a better sense” of whether the VAT hike and other budget tax increases have worked once it hits the fiscal year’s third quarter early in 2019 but things were “heading in the right direction”.

VAT revenues increased by $32m or 19.1 percent, jumping to $199.4m compared to $167.4m in the prior year, FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas-born grandchildren of Haitian migrants are recognised by the government as stateless, according to Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell, who told a United Nations body the government is working to amend the Nationality Act to ensure no one falls through the cracks.

Mr Campbell clarified the government’s position during the country’s review at the 71st Session of the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva last week.

SEE PAGE TEN

VAT UP $32M AS DEFICIT FALLS 52%

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

CAMPBELL CONFIRMS THE KIDS IN LIMBO

THE BAHAMAS Nurses Union outside Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday as they protested about a new shift system.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

DRIVER TO PAY $10K FOR PARKING PUNCH-UP

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A HOTEL worker was yesterday ordered to pay a woman $10,000 for throwing her to the ground over a parking dispute near a Paradise Island parking lot last month.

Magistrate Samuel McKinney ordered 44-yearold Romeo Cartwright to pay $7,000 of that amount to Karissa Evans up front yesterday, an obligation Cartwright’s attorney Bjorn Ferguson confirmed he fulfilled.

Cartwright must now pay $1,500 by the end

KARISSA Evans caught on video after she was thrown to the ground at Paradise Island. of November, and then another $1,500 by the end of December to fully satisfy the compensation order, and must also undergo

anger management sessions.

According to Mr Ferguson, an assault conviction was not recorded against Cartwright, but if he defaults on the compensation order he faces a custodial sentence.

During trial last month, Cartwright pleaded not guilty to a single charge of assault for allegedly attacking Ms Evans during an argument near the Paradise Island Shopping Mall Plaza on September 1.

Multiple videos and photos of the incident went viral on social media shortly after the incident.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE FIVE

SOME Bahamians with comprehensive employersponsored group health insurance plans fear businesses will drop these and provide only the minimum benefits required by the Minnis administration’s proposed National Health Insurance scheme.

Explaining the problem, one industry insider told The Tribune yesterday: “Health insurance premiums are high because healthcare costs are high.

The healthcare costs that are high are not related to primary SEE PAGE SEVEN

FACE-TO-FACE FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO THE NFL

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

We can’t offer you any more money, says Sands

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said officials expect healthcare services to be negatively impacted this week if the Bahamas Nurses Union continues to protest, adding some elective procedures could be postponed or cancelled.

Calling the situation “unfortunate,” the Elizabeth MP said the Public Hospitals Authority’s recent offers to the disgruntled BNU reflect the best the nation could offer, arguing the public purse is in no position to bear any additional compensation.

Dr Sands said while a resolution could be possible if both sides remained open to communicating, he is preparing for an extended crisis - terming it the worst possible outcome.

He said officials with the PHA and the Ministry of Health have received reliable information that BNU intends to push its demonstration late into the week, and as a result, public health services will be affected across the country.

However, Dr Sands said plans are in place to best avoid any drawbacks that could arise as the action progresses in the coming days.

He added that while he supports the right for the union to agitate for workers’ rights and wages, he takes issue with any action that could adversely affect Bahamians seeking medical attention.

“We believe that this is likely to significantly interfere with the delivery of healthcare services,” Dr Sands said at a press conference at Ministry of Health. “We find it to be unfortunate. We have encouraged dialogue. We are open for dialogue. And in the event of an impasse, we are certainly open to proceeding to arbitration.”

THE AGREEMENT SIGNED IN 2014

Yesterday morning, nurses demonstrated outside Princess Margaret Hospital’s Critical Care Block in anger over PHA’s move to implement a new shift system.

The union said nurses will take their one-hour lunch break at staggered times – they normally only take a 15-minute break – until their concerns are favourably addressed.

Dr Sands said he was of the view that BNU moved too hastily in its decision to hold a demonstration yesterday.

“There is clearly an issue of interpretation of certain agreements that have been signed, in particular the agreement signed by the then union president (Jannah) Khalfani in 2014 and clearly, you put a set of facts in

front of two lawyers you could potentially get two different ideas about what it means,” he said. “If we have reached a point where there is an impasse, then an effort to achieve compromise and consensus through sitting down and negotiating, I believe, is the right way to proceed,” he added. “….Certainly, when you look at the impact of nurses withdrawing their care from patients in need, this is very unfortunate.”

When asked about contingency plans being explored by his office and officials at the PHA, Dr Sands said additional staff would have to “step up as best as possible,” adding that some, if not all, elective surgical procedures could be delayed or canceled.

“Unfortunately, the public suffers in this instance,” Dr Sands noted. “I have spoken with (BNU President Amancha Williams yesterday). I have made it very clear that my ministry is open to ongoing negotiation to settle this matter and that I think that we should seek a negotiated compromise. That is the position of the Ministry of Health and I believe that is probably going to be supported by the Cabinet and the prime minister.”

When asked of Ms Williams’ response to the offer to negotiate, Dr Sands added: “She said that she would get back to me.”

BNU’s demonstration comes in the wake of PHA’s announcement last week that the four days on/ four days off shift will change to a five days on/ five days off shift in December.

The two sides dispute what affect the change will have on the well-being of nurses. BNU insists it will leave them overworked but the PHA says it will reduce chances for accidents and errors.

Nurses should be less overworked since more of them will be on duty during a single shift, the PHA said.

Reflecting on the move yesterday, Dr Sands insisted the shift system the nurses are advocating for creates an artificial shortage that reflects a 30 percent drop-off in healthcare capabilities across the country.

According to Dr Sands, the practice often results in patients being turned away with the indication that there are no physical beds for patient care.

He explained: “When we speak about bed availability, it is not just the physical bed, it is a nurse able to care for a patient. So, historically in a bid to make the night shift more attractive, the four on, four off rostering system was created.”

He added: “We believe now, particularly given the challenge of bed shortages, that the country can ill-afford to continue with that, and PHA has put forward a proposal with the concurrence of the then Bahamas Nurses Union to provide a premium for nurses that work the night shift.”

Dr Sands said officials have proposed a $1.75 per hour on top of the base salary for nurses working the overnight shift, which adds about $4,000 per year to the salaries of some nurses.

Dr Sands added: “And the night shift is the shift that is least labour intensive. There are no operations performed other than emergencies. There are no procedures being performed either than emergencies. And without diminishing the significance of the night shift, for the most part, the activity that takes place on the wards during that time period is less than takes place during the day and the afternoon.”

Dr Sands also said he wishes the government could compensate nurses more, but his ministry is stifled by budgetary constraints.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 30, 2018, PAGE 3

Nurses in GB stage solidarity protest

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS Nurses Union protesting outside of the Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

Stalemate as more action is expected from page one In a statement released last evening, PHA said more than a dozen overtures were made this year to bring BNU back to the table for talks about the issue.

Yesterday BNU President Amancha Williams said about 500 nurses across country were expected to protest by taking their entitled one-hour lunch break, when they would normally only take a 15-minute tea break.

Ms Williams, along with scores of nurses and representatives from several other unions, held a press conference and demonstration outside Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday morning. It marked the first lunchtime walk out of the day. She maintained there will be no compliance with the new shift system come December 10.

Moments before, hospital security prohibited the nurses and news reporters from congregating at the main entrance of the Critical Care Block. Ultimately the nurses assembled at the stairs of the building just a few feet from Shirley Street. It is something Ms Williams said was “discriminatory” as doctors has just been allowed to assemble there weeks ago to voice their concerns.

While PHA has said it is not backing down over the new shifts, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands confirmed that through the union’s attorney, an invitation had been extended to meet with PHA officials at the negotiation table. He said the meeting could happen as early as today if the BNU agreed.

Dr Sands told The Tribune there had been no disruption of services at

public healthcare facilities, but admitted the service was somewhat slow.

Asked if PHA was doing anything to circumvent would could be a week of the same actions, Dr Sands noted the nurses did not have a strike certificate and could only act within the confines of the law.

Concerning their push back to the proposed shift change, Ms Williams claimed there was no mutual agreement for the move between the union and the PHA. She said the industrial agreement says where nurses enjoy a better condition than those contained in the document, that shall continue whether the conditions result in contract or due to a practice that exists prior.

“If such conditions are known to the authority, it shall continue to enforce until such time as the authority and the union mutually agree to the change in condition,” Ms Williams said. “Here the hospital authority and the nurses’ union did not mutual agree. We do not share the same emotions of the shift change.”

Nurses she said do not want the shift change because it is a “slavery shift,” adding it would make them prone to errors and cause more accidents and injuries in the work place.

The proposed change will also not allow the nurse to have a social life and mothers would need childcare services more than before, nurses believe.

“What does it do to the nurse? Your performance, the quality of service that you will render (will be affected),” Ms Williams said.

BNU Secretary General Julian Mullings said there is nothing in the standing

industrial agreement that mandates a shift system be implemented.

However PHA disputed these claims, citing an agreement signed with BNU on December 9, 2014, agreeing to the new workweek hours.

“The authority strongly objects to assertions by the president of the BNU that the union was not given prior notice regarding the implementation of the standardized shift system,” PHA said. “Notwithstanding the 2014 agreement, several attempts were made to bring the BNU back to the table. . .

“The authority maintains its position to implement the new standardised shift system for all nurses in its employ, effective December 10. We reiterate that this decision complies with

the Bahamas Employment Act of 2001, the 2015 Industrial Agreement between the Public Hospitals Authority and the Bahamas Nurses Union, as well as the December 9, 2014 agreement between the parties.

“The authority stands by our decision to implement the new shift system as it not only levels the playing field for nurses across the PHA, but is a testament to the PHA’s ongoing commitment to ensure that its human resources policies are consistent with ratified labour agreements and regional and international standards of practice. The authority remains committed to improving the delivery of healthcare to patients by ensuring better patient outcomes.”

STANDING in solidarity with their counterparts in New Providence, nurses on Grand Bahama staged a protest outside Rand Memorial Hospital yesterday morning to voice their disapproval over an eight-hour shift change that is being implemented by the Public Hospitals Authority.

Registered Nurse Ashnell Missick claimed the new shift schedule is unacceptable for nurses because it would negatively affect their job performance and the quality of healthcare for patients, among other things.

She suggested that a 12-hour shift should be implemented instead as a pilot study to assess which shift would be better for nurses on Grand Bahama.

“I feel we had a good turnout of nurses (this morning) as most of us work the ten-hour shift that they are trying to eliminate,” she said, adding that nurses in all areas of the hospital would be affected by the shift change.

In August, PHA issued a notice that a standardised 40 hour a week, eighthour shift system would be implemented. It also noted that there would be a shift premium period of $1.75 per hour, between the hours of 6pm and 6am, and rest period between shifts of 10 hours minimum. The new shift is set to come into force in December.

The PHA maintained yesterday it is not backing down on the new shift system because it has a legally enforceable agreement with BNU, signed in 2014 by its former president, which allows for a 40-hour workweek consisting of eight hour shifts.

But according to Ms Missick, the new changes are “unacceptable” and present serious problems for nurses.

“It does not give the average nurse sufficient sleep time, family time, or no time, and with that you will have nurses burned out,” she complained.

The nurse believes that it could lead to medical mistakes and errors, and thereby affect the quality of healthcare to patients.

“We don’t want that happening; we want nurses to stay and provide quality healthcare to their patients,” she stressed.

“And in order for that to happen conditions have to be conducive for nurses to work.

“Imagine, you have a nurse coming to work 8am, and the next day having to work the night shift and come back on the late shift from 3pm -11pm or 4pm12am, and have issues at home, and still has to function at work and deal with people - that is not acceptable,” she said.

She also took issue with the shift premium of $1.75, comparing the amount to a “bottle of soda and a couple change in your pocket.”

“That is not acceptable - we are professionals. We all went to school to better ourselves to provide quality care; we don’t deserve $1.75,” she said.

Kirkland Russell, vice president of the northern region of the Commonwealth Bahamas Trade Union Congress, and Quinton Laroda, vice president of the northern region of NTCUB and co-chairman of newly formed group called the Coalition for Labour, supported the nurses.

Mr Russell said the eighthour shift schedule would place unbearable burden and hardship on nurses.

“These are the persons who take care of the sick and elderly; these are the persons who make the utmost sacrifice to make sure we are a healthy nation,” he said.

“If they are not going to treat our nurses with decency and respect, or respect nurses’ union or the unions in this country, we are going to have mass exodus of our skilled labour, including Bahamian nurses,” Mr Russell said.

“We call on the minister of health to cease and desist his action and to sit and meet with nurses’ union to resolve the issues,” he said.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

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Bahamas, gun laws and lessons of the Pittsburgh massacre AT 9:57 on Saturday morning, gunshots shattered the peace of Tree of Life Synagogue in a quiet section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Within minutes, in one of the oldest houses of worship in the United States, 11 people would be dead including a 97-year-old man who, determined to thank God for life, made it to the temple where he would die as he prayed. Police rushed into the line of fire. Four were injured as they captured and arrested 46-year-old Robert Bowers, a man poisoned by hate and armed with three Glock handguns and an AR-15 assault rifle. “I just want to kill Jews,” he screamed.

The massacre – the largest number of Jews killed in a hate crime mass murder in the US in modern history – touched off emotional reaction around the globe.

A sombre US President Donald Trump on the campaign trail two weeks before mid-term elections assumed a composure unlike any we have seen from him.

“This wicked act of mass murder is pure evil,” he declared, ordering flags at all federal buildings, including American embassies around the world, to be flown at half-mast.

What few of us knew, even those of us in Nassau, is that at the same time the crazed Robert Bowers was unloading his hate on strangers he never met and whose lives he ended in a torrent of fire, there was a new beginning of life in The Bahamas.

Three minutes after the mayhem began in Pittsburgh, as the massacre was beginning to send shockwaves around the globe, a small synagogue opened in Nassau.

It was the first time that Jews in The Bahamas had a place to call home in more than a decade after renting meeting space in hotels for celebrations, holidays and events. It was the first time the more than two dozen Jewish children who attend what we call Sunday school or are learning Hebrew to prepare for the rituals that will mark their reaching maturity would have a place of their own instead of meeting at someone’s home.

The service in the new, small meeting space, we are told, was filled with joy and celebration. It was topped off with a light lunch as those who broke bread together still had no idea of what had gone on in Pittsburgh because, it being a Sabbath, their phones were off.

Later, they would hear of the madness, the sadness, the loss of life. They would know that as they marked a new beginning, others would be trying to find a way to keep going.

“This tragedy has touched a chord in the hearts of all people regardless of religion and backgrounds as was evident by the moving amount of emails, calls of support and condolences that were sent to myself and my community,” Rabbi Sholom Bluming told this newspaper.

“No words can describe the horror and evil that occurred. Jews who gathered to pray and celebrate the Sabbath were killed for no reason other than the fact that they were Jewish. Our hearts

are broken and our spirit is shattered.

Yet, it is how we respond to such horrific moments that define who we are as people.”

We are, he said, a people of “love, peace and kindness”.

And he spoke to this paper, and will to others, for one reason – to let the people of The Bahamas know the special role The Bahamas plays in so many lives, those who were born here and those who made their home here.

“The Bahamas is a beautiful place.

More importantly, Bahamians are a beautiful people, very respectful of people and ideas. What makes what happened in Pittsburgh even more unsettling is that it happened in a country founded on the search for freedom of religion and the right to worship as people choose. We are so fortunate to be in this place where the community responds with such interest, where it is not about what church or temple or mosque you go to but what you are inside that matters.”

Bahamians have embraced the Jewish community as evidenced by more than 2,400 people showing up for a talk with Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, halfsister of Anne Frank, the largest crowd ever to turn out for an event of its kind at Melia Nassau Beach Resort. It took nearly an hour to fill the room with additional chairs so the lines of people could be seated.

It should not be surprising that the rabbi who has made himself such a part of the religious and civic community received messages of sympathy, hope and respect from everywhere.

One call, in particular, touched him unexpectedly.

It was from a man who attended the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and was in Nassau on Saturday. He knew people who died. These were not strangers. They were people he worshipped with and celebrated with as children were born or cried with when a loved one was buried.

“This is a wake-up call to all who believe in freedom of religion,” the rabbi said. “We must learn from this.

The world we live in is a very dangerous place but together we must displace hatred with love, darkness with light, divisiveness with unity.”

We must also learn another lesson in The Bahamas. Guns kill. And guns in the wrong hands kill senselessly.

We must continue to enforce strict gun control laws. Cold and callous as it seems in the face of tragedy when compassion and streaming tears are the style of dress of the day, the reality is the only thing that will help to keep us safe is getting guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals and those to whom a massacre is just another means to an end.

Long after the words of sympathy have faded, the determination to ban unlicenced handguns and to control who has the right to own a gun will be the measure of how we as a society strive to keep our neighbours, no matter their religion, safe.

Time for the Roland T Symonette building EDITOR, The Tribune The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is in desperate need of a Post Office Department. Instead of all the back-and-forth talks, something should be done and soon.

I really think that the Hon Brent Symonette and his family should make a donation of The Town Centre Mall to the Bahamian community.

After proper documentation, whatever government is in power, they should be

made responsible for the upkeep of the said property. It should be made absolutely clear that this property is solely donated to the Bahamian community for a Post Office Department and should be used as such.

I further suggest that the Symonette family should do this good deed in honour of their dearly departed loved one, SIR ROLAND T. SYMONETTE, who was the first Premier of The Bahamas, and he was all for his Bahamian people.

Hon Brent Symonette and his loyal family should really consider this proposal and try to make it happen … for the entire Bahamian community.

Sir Roland would have been proud. I further suggest that the building should be called The Roland T Symonette Building.

LAURA GIBSONROBERTS, (Mrs.) Nassau October 29, 2018

We deserve transparency over Exuma EDITOR, The Tribune An open letter to the Bahamas National Trust.

AS WE spent the past few weeks absorbed with the happenings in South Eleuthera, it appears few have taken note of a similarly disturbing deal that is taking place in our Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park.

Little mention or discussion has been made of the Tribune’s article published on September 5 (or the subsequent press release by the Bahamas National Trust) that ‘details’ the questionable partnership deal that has been reached between the BNT and Albany/ Nexus.

Our Exuma Park is special – it is the oldest land and sea park in the world; and the world’s first protected area of its kind. The Park is an essential part of the Exumas – significant to fisheries management, tourism, and our history.

As a frequent user of the park, Bahamian, and home owner in the Exuma Cays; I find it rather concerning that the BNT waited to announce the details of this questionable partnership until after it was first uncovered and made public

by The Tribune.

Furthermore, in the BNT’s lackluster press release, no details were made regarding the deal itself – exactly what financial compensation the BNT would be getting, and exactly what they would

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net be giving up. Please, Mr Carey, let the public know what value the BNT has placed on the Exuma Park; the amount for which it has been sold out to luxury developer Nexus. Additionally, please make us aware of the bidding process that took place to secure this partnership. Surely, Nexus must have beat out many qualified Bahamian owned businesses by a substantial amount before they were awarded the partnership… Or, perhaps there was no bidding process?

On the BNT’s website; they proudly list ‘Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability,’ as their core values – well, it’s time to prove that.

Another area of concern is just how Albany (self proclaimed as being one of the most exclusive resort communities in the world) is going to allow the general public to access the same beach club that their high net worth guests will be using.

I can’t do as much as look at Albany’s main entrance in New Providence without getting escorted away by security. Maybe I’m being pessimistic – but I don’t see it happening. Perhaps the BNT can get Albany/Nexus to confirm that the beach club will be open to the general public? Mr Carey,

I get that PPPs are the way forward for National Parks, I get that this system and solution has been proven at parks in Canada and the US. But, the main difference is this – PPPs in these areas provide low impact, park promoting activities for all park users (think kayak rentals, or a scuba outfitter). While the beach club that Albany opens may not be ‘exclusive’ by definition– providing Albany-like prices within the park will almost guarantee its exclusivity to that type of crowd; which I imagine isn’t your typical park user or nature enthusiast.

Is the BNT really ready to sell out to wealthy foreign interests because they cannot fundraise just $300k per year to support one of the most pristine places on earth (a place that plays hosts to extremely wealthy private island and yacht owners)?

Share the details of this deal. Share the financial projections, share the plans for the buildings, share the costs to access the showers at the beach club. Make it all public; and don’t pretend that Nexus doesn’t already have every minor detail and finance worked out. The BNT receives $1.5million in funding from the government; they owe transparency to the Bahamian people.

EXUMA CITIZEN Exuma October 24, 2018

Government shouldn’t have to bail out sporting events EDITOR, The Tribune THE promo for the American Football Bowl - Nassau is laughable…as the American gives praises on praises behind him, the video shows precisely why this event should have been cancelled - the bleaches are totally empty.

Why is tourism wasting, when we are told we have few funds?

IAAF Relays was cancelled - correct decision; American Football Bowl kept

- wrong decision. It should have also been cancelled.

No sporting event, especially international, should be allowed, unless the promoters have the funds upfront…too many times the government has to bail those events costing thousands.

Has MOT collected from the International Musik Festival as yet?

T. ROBINSON Nassau

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 30, 2018, PAGE 5

Three men deny charges in $4m marijuana haul

TRIO in court: Top left, Brian Marshall, bottom left, Kenny Major and, right, Patrick Bain.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THREE Grand Bahama natives yesterday denied allegations of being caught with close to $4 million worth of marijuana while in waters off South Andros last week. Kenny Major, Patrick Bain, and Brian Marshall each

pleaded not guilty to several drug related charges stemming from the October 25 incident when arraigned before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

It is alleged the men, ages 34, 36, and 41 respectively, each conspired to and consequently imported the $3.8m worth of drugs, and then once the drugs

were in their possession, conspired to supply them to other persons.

According to initial reports, shortly after 3pm on the date in question, Drug Enforcement Unit officers, assisted by Marine Support officers, US Drug Enforcement agents and the US Coast Guard, intercepted a 32-foot midnight

DRIVER TO PAY $10K FOR PARKING PUNCH-UP from page one

One 24-second clip features Ms Evans lying on the wet ground, with what appeared to be a stream of blood flowing from her head.

The camera then panned to a man dressed in black, who the person recording the video alleged was the woman’s attacker.

According to the evidence led during trial before Magistrate Samuel McKinney, the entire dispute started from both sides believing the other to have impeded them from manoeuvring through the area.

Ms Evans said she was attempting to leave the area, while Cartwright claimed Ms Evans’ blue Suzuki vehicle “hastily” impeded his progress as he turned into Shopping Mall Drive. A standoff followed between the two. After a while, Ms Evans threw a beverage at the windshield of Cartwright’s truck.

Ms Evans maintained that she never left her vehicle when she threw the beverage, but Cartwright said she got out of her car and cursed him out. He said when he rolled down his window to hear what she had to say, Ms Evans threw the beverage, which ended up damaging his shirt.

Cartwright said he took off his soiled uniform shirt and got out of his truck to inspect the damage. Meanwhile, he said Ms Evans got back into her “small, blue car” in a bid to leave.

Ms Evans testified that she proceeded to leave after tossing the beverage, but only after noticing how Cartwright “looked like a psycho” as he “jumped out of his vehicle in anger” and made his way over to her car.

“After I threw the coffee at his truck, I saw his eyes,” she said. “He came out the truck like he was a super clean-freak and like it was a major deal.”

Cartwright said he subsequently ran after Ms Evans’ car while shouting at her, his rationale being that his windshield could have been damaged or the frame around it bent.

According to him, Ms Evans could have taken a right to leave the area, but instead took a left to come back in his direction.

Cartwright said given her “initial belligerence,” he wasn’t sure if she was going to ram him with her car, so he jumped on to the bed of his truck for safety. He said he subsequently found a tennis shoe from the back of his truck and threw it at her car, which Ms Evans claimed ended up hitting her in the abdomen.

After being hit with the shoe, Ms Evans said she stopped the vehicle, got out of the car with “the intention of trying to approach him to talk to him to find out what’s going on.”

Ms Evans said she didn’t remember how close she was to him, and further claimed she “had no intention to injure a man.”

However, Cartwright claimed the woman stopped her car and got out “angrily like the first time.”

“She walked straight up

to me, and punched me in my mouth with her right hand,” he added.

When asked by Mr Ferguson what he did in response, Cartwright replied: “I reacted. I stepped into her, with the shifting of my weight, I pushed her. It was wet, she was wearing slippers; she fell very hard.”

Cartwright said Ms Evans remained motionless after he pushed her to the ground. However, Antonio Wilmore, a security guard of Ultimate Security Services, said he witnessed Cartwright slam Ms Evans on her head two consecutive times, and that he would have done so a third time had he not intervened by saying “that’s enough, that’s enough”.

Nonetheless, Cartwright said it was “absolutely” necessary to have pushed her the way he did, primarily because she punched him in the mouth, and because of the “belligerence” and “aggression” she exhibited during their altercation.

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express go-fast boat in waters off South Andros, with three adult males on board.

Officers subsequently conducted a search of the vessel and recovered 84 crocus bags of marijuana, weighing 3,870 pounds and yielding an estimated value of $3,870,000.

Based on their not guilty pleas, the matter was

adjourned to February 2019 for trial. Bail was denied and the three were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) in the interim.

They have a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

The men are represented by attorneys Ian Cargill and David Cash.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Govt ‘should be embarrassed’ over abortion law backtrack

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net AN activist has suggested that government delegations appearing before international treaty bodies either set out to be “intentionally deceptive,” or local officials are allowing pressure groups to stifle or reverse efforts to expand women’s rights.

Alicia Wallace, director of Equality Bahamas and Tribune columnist, was responding to the government’s dismissal of the position on abortion put forth by a senior health official at the 71st Session of the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva.

Sherry Armbrister, senior nursing officer in the Ministry of Health, revealed last week that the government was working on a patients’ bill of rights that would address the right of women in The Bahamas to have abortions if they so wished.

The statement was quickly walked back by both Attorney General Carl Bethel and Health Minister Dr Duane Sands over the weekend, both insisting that there were no plans to review the legal status of abortions on the government’s working agenda.

Ms Wallace, in commentary provided to The Tribune yesterday, called

the clarification “telling”, contending that the matter must be urgently addressed in law, policy and practice. “(They) should be embarrassed to say reproductive rights are not a priority, especially given the irresponsible, misogynistic commentary in recent years about women’s bodies and sexual and reproductive rights,” she said.

“However unpopular or uncomfortable the conversation may be, LBTQ+ women, sex workers, women living in poverty and members of other vulnerable communities deserve to be acknowledged; have their needs met, and be regarded as human beings rather than ‘taboo topics,’ and the government is bound by its commitments to this end,” she added.

Meanwhile, addressing the topic again yesterday, Dr Sands said while a national discussion on abortion may need to happen, it is not on the government’s legislative agenda right now.

“We have an evolving society and there are significant issues that, while controversial, will need to be a part of the national dialogue. But, ‘will have to be’ and ‘is’, are two different things,” he said in a followup interview yesterday.

“There is no language in the draft patient bill of rights that speaks directly to abortion, and understanding what a hot-button

SOME of the Bahamian delegation at CEDAW in Geneva. topic this is and the fact that we live in an admittedly conservative community, walking down this road requires significant consultation and consideration of views of our people.

“The Ministry of Health has not, nor has the Office of the Attorney General engaged in any activity to

Reputable and Growing Gaming Company, accepting resumes for

(change) the existing laws on abortion on the books in The Bahamas,” he added.

However, Dr Sands asserted that Bahamians would have to eventually come around to the reality that they live in global world where international bodies such as CEDAW are looking in and monitoring.

“CEDAW is concerned with intimate partner violence, a massive problem in The Bahamas and in

the world. And so, this is not going to go away and we just need to be brutally honest about who we are and how we intend to deal with this matter this year, next year, five years from now.

“Bahamians are not monolithic in their views and some Bahamians believe that we are behind, some people believe that we are too far, other people believe that the United Nations

should just shut up and mind their own business; that is certainly not my position,” Dr Sands said.

“We are a part of a world community and the entire world is looking on at us and how we conduct ourselves, how we manage vulnerable persons in our community; they look at how we treat immigrants, how we treat children. This is the world that we live in,” he added.

Marketing Executive

Essential Duties & Functions: (Includes but not limited to) • The Marketing Executive will contribute to and develop integrated marketing campaigns: • Conceive and develop effective and intuitive marketing strategies • Organize and oversee advertising/communication campaigns (social media, TV etc.), exhibitions and promotional events • Conduct market research and analysis to evaluate trends, brand awareness and competition ventures • Initiate and control surveys to assess customer requirements and loyalty • Write copy for diverse marketing distributions (brochures, press releases, website material, email etc.)

• Maintain relationships with media vendors and publishers to ensure collaboration in promotional activities • Monitor progress of campaigns using various metrics and submit reports of performance • Collaborate with managers in preparing budgets and monitoring expenses • Liaising and networking with a range of stakeholders including customers, colleagues, suppliers and partner organizations; • Communicating with target audiences and managing customer relationships; • Managing the production of marketing materials, including leaflets, posters, flyers, newsletters, e-newsletters, etc.

• Writing and proofreading copy; • Liaising with designers and printers; • Organizing photo shoots; • Arranging the effective distribution of marketing materials; • Maintaining and updating customer databases; • Conducting market research, for example using customer questionnaires and focus groups; • Contributing to, and developing, marketing plans and strategies; • Evaluating marketing campaigns; • Supporting the marketing managers and other colleagues.

Interested candidates are required to possess the following managerial skills and qualifications: • Proven experience as marketing executive or similar role • Good understanding of market research techniques, data analysis and statistics methods • Thorough knowledge of strategic planning principles and marketing best practices • Proficient in MS Office and marketing software (e.g. CRM) • Familiarity with social media and web analytics (e.g. WebTrends) • Excellent communication and people skills • Strong organizational and time-management abilities • Creativity and commercial awareness • Preferred BSc/BA in marketing, business administration or relevant discipline Interested qualified candidates may submit their resume via email to info@242careers.com.

Deadline for submissions – January 26, 2018 Only successful candidates will be contacted.

Funeral Service For BERYL WINONA BARNETT, 85 of Conchrest, West Bay Street, will be held on Thursday 1st November, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, West Hill Street.

Officiating will be Fr. Glen Nixon, assisted by other ministers of the Clergy. Interment will follow in Lakeview Memorial Gardens, John F. Kennedy Drive.

Left to Cherish and her memories are Her Loving Children: Ann and Collin Cover, Michael and Camille Barnett, Basil and Margot Barnett, Arthur Jr. and Aniska Barnett, Carolyn and Gregory Neil, Catherine Bellot, Russell Barnett, Beryl Saunders and Charles Barnett; Grandchildren: Lesley Cover, Heather and Slawomir Kus, Michela Ellis, Fiona and Geno Daniels, Viola Barnett, Charles Bellot, Apryl Barnett, Thomas Barnett, Morgan Barnett, Clare Bellot, Christine and Ryan Cartwright, Robyn-Ryann Barnett, Basil Jr and Sabina Barnett, Samantha Barnett, Arthur Barnett III, Cathryn Neil, Courtney Neil, Michael Saunders, Matthew Saunders, Christopher Neil and Aari Barnett; Great Grandchildren: Raegan Daniels, Kamelia Ellis, Sebastian Kus, Cole Daniels, Lance Daniels, Alexander Kus, Basil Barnett III, Grant Barnett; Cousins: Kendal Hanna, Leslie Hanna and family, Janice Hanna and family, Carol and Lewis Williamson, Joan Pratt and family, Bill Cooper and family, Fletcher and Briniza Cooper and family, Zelma Worrell and family, Verdell Mills and family, Clarice Cooper and family, Darryl Bartlette and family, Dulcene and Calsy Johnson and family, D’Andre Moss and family, Marsha Bartlette and family; Nieces and Nephews: Jacqueline Bethel and Family, Valarie Barnett and Family, Paul and Elizabeth Barnett and Family, Judith Adderley and Family, Woodrow and Stephanie Barnett and Family, Michelle Austin and Family, Robert and Mitzie Barnett and Family, Thelma and Valentine Grimes and Family, Roy and Wendy Barnett and Family, Roy-Ann and Gene Albury and Family; R. Andrew Barnett and Family, Jacqueline and David Croom and Family, Linda and Michael Ford and Family; The Saturday Breakfast Crew: Iris Tynes, Michael “Sarge” Hanna, Charmaine Miller, Anastascia Hanna, Stanley John and Family, Abdulai and Radia Conteh; Other Relatives and Friends: Esther Hanna Culmer; Anthony and Elva Rolle, Rosemarie Hanna; Paulette Rahming, Elma Campbell, Dr. Duane Sands, Joylyn White, Mr. and Mrs. Ken Nunes, Ms. Rori Coombs, the larger Hanna Heastie Tynes Family, The Cover and Stewart Familes, the Liverpool Family, the Bellot Family, the Rolle family, The Neil Family, the Seymour Family, the St Francis Xavier Cathedral Family, Ms. Cleomie Woods, Ms. Cynthia Wells, Ms. Angela Rolle, Ms. Eula Pratt, Ms. Naomi Claridge, Mr. Rory Major, The Yellowbird Volunteer Auxiliary, Ryan Bellot-Hazarian; Her Caregivers: Dr. Indira Grimes; Quality Nursing Care Service especially: Jennifer, Mary, Deandrea, Nancy, Haysalah, Terianna, Michaela, Nyoka, Brickel, Kim, Norma, Raquel, Terrell Major and Enrique of Major Changes Rehab; And others too numerous to mention.

Friends may pay their last respects at Bethel Brothers Morticians #44 Nassau Street on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at the church on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until service time.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 30, 2018, PAGE 7

Will firms abandon private health? from page one healthcare services but big ticket items like cancer or operations related to cardiovascular diseases. If employers look at this and conclude they only have to pay the annual maximum of $500 for each employee whereas right now they might be paying $5,000 or $6,000, what do you think will they do?”

The insider continued: “What they are then selling to people is you can get supplementary health insurance but those don’t exist right now and when you strip it out and all the supplementary coverage you provide is over this

expensive care, it becomes more difficult to price and if you price it the premiums could be very high. It almost becomes a luxury product to fly away, to go to New York or Miami for treatment and the pool will be smaller which makes it more expensive. For persons who say, ‘if my employer downgrades all of us to this standard health benefit they could go get me supplemental coverage,’ the employer may find they cannot afford it.”

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands, nonetheless, warned yesterday against predicting how the market will respond to the proposed regulations.

“We can raise the spectre

of a lot of boogeymen,” he told The Tribune. “We don’t know what the response is going to be. People make a choice to provide certain benefits because they have a particular belief about their approach to their employees. Some people try and they can’t sustain it.

Some people don’t have it and they add it. We haven’t the foggiest idea what the market’s response will be to the introduction to a new plan with just the standard health benefit package relative to the comprehensive plans that currently exists in our market. Certainly there are a huge number of people who have no insurance and they are looking to get a little something.

“There are trade unions that have plans and those plans are struggling to stay afloat. They’re looking to standardise the plans they provide to their memberships and this makes it a lot easier to get into this market and stay in those markets. We can speculate as to what’s going to happen and say all the people that currently have major medical plans are going to drop down to this, but I don’t think that is going to happen and certainly it is not the plan of the government to reduce the major medical plans of the existing civil servants like the police, defence force, nurses, teachers, etc, to the NHI plan. “ Under the government’s

proposed scheme, existing private insurance plans will be restructured upon their first renewal after January 1, 2021 to ensure the provision of the standard health benefit package. That standard health benefit package covers primary care services, diagnostic and imaging services and select high cost care services such as treatment for some cancers.

Dr Sands said analysis indicates both public and private facilities in the Bahamas should be open to serving people who have the standard minimum package, rebuffing concern that such people will only be able to get services at Princess Margaret Hospital and other

public facilities. He said it is unlikely oversees care costs will be covered under the standard package.

As for concerns about the cost of supplemental plans, NHIA chairman Dr Robin Roberts conceded they could be expensive.

“It could (be expensive) but it could also mean that in a free market system those supplemental packages would be more competitive,” he said.

“The standard price is one package regulated across the board so how do you increase your number of insurers? You give them packages which are more affordable and attractive to them than your competitors.”

‘GOVT SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO UNIONS ON TAX’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

WHILE he agrees that sugary drinks should be taxed, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Paul Maynard criticised the government for its lack of comprehensive consultation with unions over the proposed two percent salary tax to pay for National Health Insurance.

He maintained yesterday that if NHI is to be successfully implemented, unions will have to get behind the concept.

Meanwhile, Bahamas Nurses Union president Amancha Williams said she could not support an additional tax on salaries, adding nurses remain on the lower end of the pay scale and have been there for many years.

“A country is only as good as you treat your old people and your young people and right now this country ain’t looking too good,” Mr Maynard told reporters on the sidelines of the BNU’s lunch hour walkout at the Critical Care Block of the Princess Margaret Hospital.

“We treat our old people and our young people like dogs. It’s ridiculous what we do around here.”

He continued: “(Graham) Whitmarsh (National Health Insurance Authority managing director) has sat us down and he is willing to negotiate how we are going to pay for it. It’s just a matter of how we are going to pay for it.

“We need to come to some agreement.

The sugary situation is a good thing. We have to tax the sugary people. Our children are getting fat. It’s a

BPL Union president Paul Maynard. health thing. We cannot We are low on the scale allow this to go on in this with a bachelor’s degree.

“Our entry is with a bachcountry.

“Honestly obesity is seri- elor’s degree and up to a master’s and with a specialty ous. You see I lost weight.”

For her part, Ms Williams and we are being paid to said: “The new tax, I disa- the bottom. When a police gree on the new tax. There comes in with no qualificashould be a better way. We tion to the bottom, a nurse are paying 12 percent now comes in with a bachelor’s (in value added tax). Our degree and four years in salaries have not increased. university or a master’s.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff What are you saying to us?” drinks and potentially other Last week, the NHIA unhealthy products be proposed a contribu- implemented July 2019 to tory scheme in which the fund health education and salaries of every employed outreach programmes.

Bahamian will be subject However, government to a deduction of about two officials have said the percent each month as a proposals have not been means to pay for universal decided upon, adding there healthcare coverage. will be public consultaThe group also revealed tion before anything is a proposal to tax sugary formalised.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

From humble beginnings to the NFL W

HEN Edwin A Smith was a little boy growing up in Bain Town in the 1950s, there were great Bahamian athletes making it to the big leagues in baseball or track and field. So, little boys had much to aspire to if they wished to become a professional athlete. But Ed, who spent his afternoons shooting marbles, flying kites, playing stick ball, wrestling, or swimming on Long Wharf beach during the summers, had no idea at the time he would one day make Bahamian history as the first to go pro in an entirely different sport.

The Smiths were living in Bain Town but as the family grew, they moved to Martin Street in Grants Town and a three-bedroom house. Ed is one of nine siblings, and recalled the boys shared a room and the girls did the same. Back in the day in this Over-the-Hill community, the neighbourhood was filled with children. Television wasn’t there to distract them; so for the most part, evenings were spent sitting on the wall sharing stories and talking about movies they had seen.

“These were humble beginnings,” Ed shared, “But in our minds we never lacked anything.”

“Food was always on the table. My parents made sure we were fed every day. My mother worked tirelessly to make sure our clothes were clean and we had everything we needed as kids. Mom would be so exhausted from working during the day that she would take a nap around sundown after she fed us.

She would wake up around nine o’clock and make sure everyone was in the house and accounted for.

If I was not in the house by that time, she would come looking for me. She didn’t like having to come out of her warm bed to look for me. She would threaten to let my dad know and that would strike fear in my heart. So the next morning I would go to mass (at St Joseph’s Catholic Church nearby) and this way, I would avoid punishment.”

Ed’s parents Elexion Smith and Elizabeth Smith (nee Brown) were industrious and set “good examples” for their nine children – Bernadette Moss (now Pastor), Edwin, Arlene Wilson, the late Sharon Brennen, David, Chris, Kim Moultrie, Joyann Thurston and Keith.

His paternal grandfather was Alex Smith, who owned a construction company and worked on the large gospel hall on Meadow and Augusta Streets. His paternal grandfather was Edward “Wykie” Brown who was an entrepreneur and had an interest in the world-famous Silver Slipper nightclub as well as the Elk’s Lodge on Blue Hill Road.

His great-grandmother Justina Dixon (nee Meadows) had a major impact on his life. His mother was a twin, but her twin and her mother died in childbirth.

Justina raised Elizabeth,

Face to Face

By FELICITY INGRAHAM

and after getting married, police force in Colorado, she lived in a house right invited him to come over next to her grandmother and live with him. on Meadow Street – the “He figured that this house in which Edwin was would afford me more born. He recalls that people opportunities to go to would say that when his college and get a better parents got married in 1947, education,” Ed said. it was a “big occasion”.

“I was 14 years old. I was Elexion was a construc- ready to go. I was pretty tion contractor and after excited about the oppormarriage, he became tunity. I made a couple the owner of two taxi trips to Miami when I was cabs. Elizabeth was a younger, but an opportuhomemaker with an entre- nity to live in the United preneurial spirit. Initially, States and be exposed to she would buy fresh fish that brand of lifestyle that and vegetables and resell I saw in the movies was them from a stall in the something I was looking front of her home on forward to.

Meadow Street. Then, she “I flew by myself from saw another opportunity Nassau to Miami and then – on weekends, she would from Miami to Denver. sell conch salad and fritters, My uncle, his wife and two fried fish, potato bread and children were at the airport souse at a gambling house to meet me. They took me just down the street. This home, fed me dinner, and it was great for the owner, was all you can eat! Going who would call her and from nine kids at the dinner place the orders for his table to just three – there patrons, who were all the was lots of food and you more likely to stay longer could have seconds!” considering their food was Ed fit in well in his new being delivered to them. lifestyle. First, he attended She duplicated this week- East High School and tried end effort by setting up out for baseball because a stall near Super Value he had experience in that Supermarket on Meadow sport, like so many other Street, close to the home Bahamian boys. When his she grew up in. On week- Uncle Chris’ family moved ends, the older children to a new neighbourhood, would pitch in and help he attended George Washkeep the business going, ington High School. There, with one of her daugh- he tried out for track and ters manning the Meadow field, baseball, and football.

Street stall while she mainEd had good height and tained her other customers girth but still didn’t get an and kept the fish and veg- opportunity to become a etable stall going in front starter on the of the home. football First, Ed team, attended Mother Donaldson kindergarten with my father, Allan Ingraham, who became his lifelong friend.

Then, he attended Western Primary followed by Western THEN Junior, also and now: with my father. Ed Smith and For high Allan Ingraschool, his par- ham pictured ents sent him recently and at to St Augus- Ed’s wedding tine’s College. with Allan as his He would best man. ride his bicycle with a caravan of other kids from the neighbour- because hood who also attended the the other school. players were so After school, the bike much more advanced than ride from Fox Hill to he was.

Bain Town was filled with In The Bahamas, even short cuts where the boys today, there are few opporcould pick cherries, gu gu tunities for youngsters to be fruit, sapodillas, oranges exposed to the sport, which and grapefruit on the way is considered relatively home. It was a great start to expensive compared with his high school career; but popular local sports like just over a year later, every- basketball, track and field, thing shifted. swimming or baseball. Ed Ed’s uncle, Chris Wilkin- would be the guy holding son, a lieutenant in the the dummies the starters

SISTERS seated from right, Bernadette Moss, Kim Moultrie, Elizabeth Smith (mom), JoyAnne Thurston, Arlene Wilson, Pia Smith (wife); (standing) Dave Thurson, Clifford Moss (brothers in law), Sharon Brennen (deceased sister), Chris and Dave Smith (brothers), Steven Brennen and Halston Moultrie (brothers in law), Ed Smith.

would run into. He wasn’t in a position to attract the bigger institutions like Colorado State University or the University of Colorado, because he had only played a few junior varsity games. However, opportunity came knocking.

Some recruiters from Colorado College were visiting George Washington High, looking for student football athletes with high academic scores. Colorado College, a liberal arts college nestled at the foot of the Rocky mountains and Colorado Springs, was a renowned academic school. The college’s football coach also happened to be the assistant director of admissions. He was looking for athletes who didn’t have a scholarship and could meet the academic requirements of the school. Ed was one of them.

He attended a college with a population of about 1,500 where a lot of privileged kids with their lives “already set” came to do some school work, but also to party and ski and have fun. For Ed, he knew how important this opportunity was for him. So he buckled down in his work and also football, rugby and track and field, excelling in all areas. There, he became an all-state rugby player and an all-American football player.

“I started playing tight end,” he said.

“But I wore glasses at the time.

When they threw the ball to me, I was dropping the ball because I didn’t want to wear my glasses.

So that didn’t work out. The coach then decided to put me on the defensive end and I became quite comfortable. I found a home there and that is when I began to blossom into becoming an all-American football player.”

“I got word that scouts were looking at me as a possible draft choice which was unheard of at the time, with Colorado being such a small school. To hear that I was being looked at in that light was pretty amazing because I wasn’t at any of the big schools. Places like Notre Dame is where they came to find their pro ball players.”

Ed was back home in The Bahamas thinking about what his next big venture would be, having just graduated college. Then, he got the call of his life – “the Denver Broncos drafted me in the 13th round”.

He said: “It was pretty exciting! Growing up, pro football was something we saw as entertainment more so than something we could participate in. But once I started playing, I found myself getting better and better every year. There was no one for me to emulate at home. There were

ED and Pia with their children, Danielle and Alex pro baseball players but no pro football players. My next step was to get on a plane and get out of Nassau and start training as quickly as possible.”

Back in Colorado, Uncle Chris encouraged him to get up at 5am and start training every day to prepare for football camp. He gave Ed a pair of his old army boots, and Ed ran in the sand in those boots for hours every morning.

Going to pro camp was daunting, but his uncle told him that “those guys put on their jock straps like you do – they are looking for an opportunity just like you”.

When it was time for Broncos camp, that summer training paid off as Ed was recording the fastest time as a lineman, defensive and offensive player. He was excellent at the agility drills. He heard the defensive line coach say “this guy is going to be hard to get rid of”.

When the Broncos went into pre-season games, the first game was against the Washington Redskins. Ed’s first professional sack was against the Redskins’ quarterback, Sunny Jergenson.

My father was in that camp as well. The difference was that Ed (who became my godfather) had some experience, albeit late, from playing college football, whereas Allan was brought on as a free agent. He never had any experience in learning the technicalities of the sport, but was picked up from a game at the Priory Grounds when the Redskins’ coach was vacationing in The Bahamas and saw my father’s outstanding talent. It made a difficult learning curve for my father, but he is recorded as having played impressively in those preseason games.

Ed made the final cut, and became the first Bahamian to be drafted to the National Football League of America. He had a rookie roommate named Bonnie Chavis from South Carolina State. They both made the cut and when it was time for the pro season, they got an apartment together in Denver and prepared for the career of their lives as a part of the 53-man squad.

It was a time when the Broncos wanted to turn their reputation around from a losing team to a winning team, and Rose-Bowl winning coach John Ralston was in charge. Ed was playing better and better. He received a game ball during a big thanksgiving game in Detroit and with this success, he became a starter on the team.

In his third year, Ed

received a bad injury to his knee during practice and tore ligaments that resulted in him being in a cast from his hip to his ankle. He developed blockage of the veins and doctors prohibited him from playing in the event that the clots in his leg travelled to his heart during play, creating a fatal situation.

“That was a tough moment,” Ed shared.

“I enjoyed playing in the NFL. It became difficult to stay in Denver because all of my friends were playing and I am sitting there injured saying, ‘wow’. So, I made a decision to come back to Nassau.”

Back home, Ed opened his own nightclub, Cumberland House, near to Government House and Graycliff Hotel. He operated the successful club for six years and, for the last of those, his girlfriend in Colorado, Pia, moved to Nassau and worked at St Augustine’s College as a teacher.

But Ed decided it was time to change his life and start a family. The couple moved back to Colorado and got married. Pia became a professor and Ed got into the banking industry, and they became the parents of Alex and Danielle. Danielle would grow up to excel in track and field and even represented The Bahamas during the Carifta Games. Alex followed in his father’s footsteps and became an NFL player with 11 years and excellent statistics behind his name.

He now has twin boys, Aiden and Amari.

Ed has always had a lot of pride in being Bahamian. He keeps in regular touch with his Bahamian comrades such as my father and Terrance Roberts.

He recently celebrated his birthday here and it was announced that he will serve as the honorary ambassador for the upcoming Bahamas Bowl.

He is strong in his faith and also recently attended a church service led by his sister, Pastor Bernadette where he was the guest speaker, and 90th birthday celebrations for his mother.

His father died in 1985 of cancer of the bone marrow.

It was always inspiring for me, knowing that I have a godfather who made history. But by interviewing him for this column, I learned so much more about a man who shows that no matter how humble your beginnings, and no matter the obstacles in your way, you can live up to the greatness destined for you with great vision, sheer determination and razorsharp focus.

THE TRIBUNE

Attorney gravely ill in hospital

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net PROMINENT Freeport attorney Rawle Maynard is gravely ill in the Intensive Care Unit at Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama.

The attorney reportedly took ill at his home on Saturday after attending a funeral and was transported to RMH. The Tribune contacted his law firm, Maynard & Co, on Monday and a staff member confirmed that he is in hospital.

Mr Maynard is a wellknown attorney in Grand Bahama, where he is a respected member of the legal fraternity.

He was a founding member of the now defunct third party Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR), along with Dr Bernard Nottage, deceased, lawyer Maurice

Glinton and others in Grand Bahama.

Mr Maynard is also a former magistrate, past president of the Kiwanis Club and past president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce.

He has also spoken on national issues concerning The Bahamas’ Constitution and has given lectures and presentations on the subject, along with fellow attorneys Fred Mitchell and Mr Glinton.

Mr Maynard came to The Bahamas as a police officer from Barbados around the late 1950s, early 1960s and later received Bahamian citizenship.

He was a friend of Bradley Roberts, chairman emeritus of the Progressive Liberal Party, who died suddenly last week in Nassau.

Mr Maynard, who is in his 80s, shared a birthday with Mr Roberts as they were both born on Christmas Day.

POLICE HUNT FOR ARMED ROBBERS POLICE on New Providence are seeking the public’s assistance in solving two armed robberies which occurred on Sunday.

Police were told the first incident happened shortly after 9pm, when two armed men entered a gaming house on Market Street and Bahama Avenue and held an employee up. The men robbed the establishment of

cash before escaping.

Then some time after 11pm a man was at Potter’s Cay Dock when he was approached by a group of men armed with firearms, who robbed him of a cell phone and cash, before getting into his grey Honda Accord, licence #AP8787, and speeding away.

Investigations are ongoing.

READERS SPEAK UP ON NHI PLAN AFTER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands warned Bahamians the drive towards affordable, quality healthcare for all will “stagnate” if they do not back the Government’s revised NHI model, readers gave their reaction on tribune242.com.

DDK asked: “The thing is, Dr Sands, what will you all really do with the extra tax? Send more people to Geneva or London or New York? Do you remember when the FNM election campaign slogan was ‘IT’S A MATTER OF TRUST’?

The proposed system, particularly with respect to part-time, secondary, employees, sounds as convoluted as only those in political office would think comes across and clear and concise.”

Dawes had this to say: “They could have funded NHI for the first year with the money they spent on the hotel. Apparently it is them who don’t care much about the health over here.”

ConchFretter referenced Dr Sands’ comments from earlier this year when he said PMH’s Accident and Emergency Department only collected an average bill of $3 per patient in 2017: “When the government does a better job than collecting $3 per patient seen at Princess Margaret Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department; once they maximise THAT billing and collections and can still show me a deficit when it comes to healthcare costs, THEN we can begin to talk about NHI tax. Not before.”

That prompted this response from Sickened: “My sentiments exactly.

I want to see a collection system in place and details of how inventory, ordering and expenditure are better monitored in place before I even think about giving the hospital authority any more money. Right now they are a leaky sieve.”

Birdiestrachan said: “Perhaps if they had not increased VAT by 60 percent the two percent would not have been too hard to digest. But a 60 percent increase in VAT and

another two percent will be very hard for the poor.”

Sheeprunner12 posted this: “As soon as the Government gets its hand on VAT money it comes up with stupid schemes to spend it . . . OverTheHill . . . GBhotel . . . now NHI . . . Smt.” The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force has included the Bahamas among 11 countries with “structural deficiencies” in their anti-money laundering/counter terror financing regimes.

Concerned responded with this comment: “If new demands are being made 18 years after the first set of OECD demands was made and complied with (though for what benefit to the Bahamas it is unclear), then it’s clear the list of demands will never cease. What then is the point with complying with any of them if there will only be new demands made in the future? If these alphabet organisations are running the Bahamas why do we bother to hold elections?”

And there was this from Truetruebahamian: “We are not their domain - only they can police themselves.

We should politely tell them that there is no benefit to implementing subjugation upon a nation that has its own doctrines and laws.

Personally I do not feel that we have in the slightest any obligation to follow their criticisms or suggestions. So be it.”

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Tuesday, October 30, 2018, PAGE 9

PAGE 10, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Campbell confirms kids left in limbo

from page one His response contradicts statements made by successive administrations who have denied the existence of such a grouping.

“On the question of statelessness, there is the understanding that legally a person who is the child of someone who is born in Haiti, but (the child) born in The Bahamas after 1973 – and I use Haiti but this is in general to anyone from any other country but because question came specifically as it relates to Haitians – that person has the option of having the nationality of his or her parents until such time as he is 18 years old and has the opportunity to apply for Bahamian citizenship,” Mr Campbell said.

“So in our view that person is not stateless, that person has the option of the nationality of his Haitian, Jamaican, American, or any other parent until such time as allowed by the constitution to apply for Bahamian citizenship.

“Now the person who is actually stateless is the second generation,” he continued, “because the constitution of Haiti does not recognise that individual

AUSTRIAN CEDAW expert Lillian Hofmeister, who said it was a “pity” the Bahamian government did not withdraw its reservation with regard to women having equal rights with men on the nationality of their children. as being able to get the citi- acknowledge,” he added, “I zenship of the parents, and want it to be known that we because the parents are not are actively pursuing means legal, then that person is in by which those matters can that state of statelessness. be addressed.”

“However, the state Also at the forum, Jewel party, the government has Major, chief counsel in the recognised that and that is Office of the Attorney Gena part of our conversation eral and Ministry of Legal even now as we speak. We Affairs, reported to the have convened an immigra- committee that 207 application board, we are looking tions have been processed as I would have indicated at by the immigration board. amendments to the Nation“Since February,” Ms ality Act to ensure that no Major said, “the applicaone falls through that crack tions of young people who of statelessness. have to apply for naturali“So I agree with sation after they reach 18 every instance where before 21. Their mandate is it is lamented that The to go through the backlog...

Bahamas is behind on try to decrease the chance some of our legislation. I of statelessness with some

of our young people.”

This year marks 25 years that The Bahamas has ratified the CEDAW Convention, and at last Thursday’s session, The Bahamas delegation presented the country’s sixth periodic state report.

Following the report, the state delegation led by Mr Campbell fielded questions from the CEDAW expert panel – among them committee member Marion Bethel, the first Bahamian selected to sit as an expert on the CEDAW Convention.

“On the whole question of undocumented women, particularly women coming from Haiti,” Mr Campbell said, “this is a subject with which I am very intimate.

My mother is Haitian from Haiti, and so I am familiar with the plight of that grouping of persons.

“I’m also familiar with the fact that The Bahamas and Haiti have signed onto a number of accords and they’re all in agreement that Haitian migrants, including women, would be properly processed and there is a line of communication. We have an embassy in Haiti. Haiti has diplomatic representation in The Bahamas, and so the line of communication is open and under the most humane circumstances

those persons, once processed and meet the criteria between the two embassies, are repatriated to Haiti.”

Addressing statelessness, Mr Campbell was responding to questions from Austrian CEDAW expert and former judge Lilian Hofmeister, who was critical of the country’s efforts to bring its legal framework in line with several international conventions.

Ms Hofmeister said it was a “pity” the government did not withdraw its reservation on CEDAW Article 9-2, which speaks to providing women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.

“The concept of equity is wrongful,” Ms Hofmeister said. “It is a pity that two referenda regarding transmitting nationality to children whose mothers are married to foreign husbands failed although the ratification of CEDAW was in 1993. And meanwhile, the population of The Bahamas should have developed a proper understanding of equality.

She said: “There exists no refugee legislation providing rights and judicial remedies. Asylum seekers and refugees are treated on an ad-hoc basis. This means without legal basis.”

For her part, the Austrian expert was critical of the country’s treatment of foreign nationals and their children in comparison to its approach on foreign investment.

She said the burden to risk statelessness for their spouses and children was placed on women due to discriminatory laws, and noted Haitians were an “important minority” that suffered “exceptionally from this unlawful situation”.

“Bahamian men have the right to confer their citizenship on their foreign spouses automatically,” she said, “but Bahamian women don’t have the same right.

“Not to be a Bahamian citizen means potentially detention, possibly deportation, problems with access to education, healthcare, employment, and a lack of economic and political participation. Let me make a comparison to put it bluntly: foreign money and investment finds a ready welcome, foreign individuals, especially children, often do not.

“Or in other words,” she added, “shareholders and investments can say with good reason it is better in The Bahamas, mothers and their children often cannot.”

THE TRIBUNE

he paid tribute last week to Edmund Spencer Moxey, his friend of 30 years, whose dream for his people was cruelly smashed by his political colleagues in 1987.

Mr Newbold, one of several speakers including the prime minister and leader of the opposition, told mourners at the state funeral service for the 80-yearold community leader about the “man with a big heart.”

The service was held at the parish church of The Most Holy Trinity in Stapledon Gardens last Friday.

Although not wanting to “step on any toes”, Mr Newbold, director of the parliamentary channel for the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas, said that in telling the Moxey story he had to be faithful

funeral for Edmund Moxey when he criticised the Tuesday, then PLPOctober 30, 2018, PAGE 11 government for their ‘spiteful and cruel’ treatment of Moxey and his family. This is his speech in full.

Time to celebrate life of Bahamian cultural icon Moxey to the memory of his friend.

“In the end,” he said, “I could only be what I am, and as for stepping on any toes, if you did not do right

by Ed Moxey and you come to his funeral you have heard some of these words before and you will probably hear some of them again.

“Most of them are mine and some of them belong to Mr Shakespeare.

“I wanted to get that out there because even though I’m not running for the presidency of anything this

morning, I know how we go ... I don’t want anyone to go from here saying, you hear ‘Ace’ Newbold this morning trying to claim these words so ...

“Friends, Bahamians, countrymen lend me your ears. I come to bury Edmund, I also come to praise him. They say that the evil that men do lives after them, and the good is oft interred with their bones.

Normally, that may be true, but I, for one, I refuse to let it be so with Edmund.

“Our leaders said Ed-

mund was ambitious, out only for himself, but he put his family on the line - and were they ever on the line!

“When he gave up a good paying job to run for the PLP, who, while they were speaking for the people

By RIEL MAJOR

EDMUND MOXEY, pictured in 2016.

A WEEK-LONG cultural festival is set for next month to honour the memory of Bahamian icon and politician Edmund Moxey.

Shanendon Cartwright, executive chairman of the Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority, said Moxey was a “cultural icon” who committed his life to the development of Bahamian culture.

“We are excited about what we have planned,” Mr Cartwright said. “What we want during this week besides importantly honouring Edmund Moxey that is well deserved, we want to have a larger discussion about culture because that’s what Edmund Moxey’s life represented.

“This is the time for the Bahamian people and visitors to come and see…we’re celebrating us and what it is to be Bahamian.”

Deborah Moxey Rolle, the former politician’s daughter, said: “When my father was elected to power with the Progressive Liberal Party in 1967, he came with a burning heart with the desire to empower the Bahamian people through social and

1974: Prime Minister Lynden Edmund Moxey on site of thePindling newly-opened Village.

EDMUND Moxey withPindling then with prime minister SirtheLynden in Jumbey Jumbey Village

economic and cultural development, so he envisioned that people power would take place if we all come together and if we celebrate who we are, hence his idea to start the Coconut Grove Festival just two years prior into his election to office.

“He thought it was very critical for us to concentrate on ourselves with the development of ourselves and to celebrate our heritage.

“He sacrificed his life to cast that vision so I’m glad that we’re here to celebrate

it and I would like this platform to be launched so that we can keep our cultural essence alive and remember who we are at all times.”

The Edmund Moxey Cultural Week and the revival of the Coconut Grove Festival will take place November 11-17. The events will commence with a church service at First Baptist Church on November 11 at 3.30pm.

On November 12, at 7pm, there will be an exhibition opening at the Big Pond Park Conference Centre.

in 1974.

The University of The Bahamas will be hosting a panel discussion on November 13 at 7pm. The next day, November 14 at 7 pm, on Mother Pratt Park organisers will host a documentary screening. On November 15, at 6pm, a park renaming and cultural ceremony is planned.

The two-day Coconut Grove Festival will begin November 16 at 6pm at Big Pond Park, to be renamed Edmund Moxey Park.

Moxey, former Coconut Grove MP, died in 2014 at the age of 80.

PAGE 12, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Pentagon sending 5,200 troops to secure border WASHINGTON Associated Press A WEEK out from the midterm elections, the Pentagon said yesterday it is sending 5,200 troops, some armed, to its Southwest border in an extraordinary military operation to help stop illegal crossings by a caravan of migrants moving slowly north in Mexico, still hundreds of miles from the US border.

President Donald Trump himself, eager to focus voters on immigration in the lead-up to the elections, escalated his threats against the caravan, tweeting: “This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!”

His warning came as the Pentagon began executing “Operation Faithful Patriot,” described by the

commander of US Northern Command as an effort to help Customs and Border Protection stiffen defenses at and near legal entry points. Advanced helicopters will enable border protection agents to swoop down on migrants, he said.

“We’re going to secure the border,” Air Force Gen Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the Northern Command leader, said at a news conference. He spoke alongside Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.

Eight hundred troops already are on their way to southern Texas, O’Shaughnessy said, and their numbers will top 5,200 by the weekend. He said troops would focus first on Texas, followed by Arizona and then California.

The caravan of 3,500 has

CENTRAL American migrants reach the shore on the Mexican side of the Suchiate River on the the border between Guatemala and Mexico.

shrunk from a peak of about 7,200 migrants a week ago, but a second caravan of about 600 had formed and was clashing with federal police on a bridge from Guatemala to Mexico.

The military operation drew quick criticism.

“Sending active military forces to our southern border is not only a huge waste of taxpayer money, but an unnecessary course of action that will further terrorize and militarize our border communities,” said Shaw Drake of the American Civil Liberties Union’s border rights center at El Paso, Texas.

Military personnel are legally prohibited from engaging in immigration enforcement. The troops will include military police, combat engineers and others helping on the southern border.

189 die as aircraft crashes into sea

JAKARTA Associated Press RESCUERS in inflatable boats retrieved human remains, pieces of aircraft and personal belongings from the Java Sea yesterday after a new-generation Boeing jet operated by an Indonesian budget airline crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board.

Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash of the 2-month-old Lion Air plane with experienced pilots in fine weather.

They gathered at crisis centres set up by the authorities at airports, hoping desperately for a miracle.

But a top search official, citing the condition of the remains recovered, said no survivors are expected.

The disaster is a setback for Indonesia’s airline industry, which just emerged from decadelong bans by the European Union and the US over safety concerns.

President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation and urged Indonesians to “keep on praying.”

The crash of the Boeing 737 Max 8 is the latest in a series of tragedies that have struck Indonesia this year, including earthquakes and a tsunami that killed several thousand people.

An air transport official, Novie Riyanto, said the flight was cleared to return to Jakarta after the pilot made a “return to base” request two to three minutes after taking off. It plunged into the sea about 10 minutes later. Weather conditions were normal but the plane, which Lion Air received in August, had experienced an unspecified technical issue on its previous flight.

Relatives and friends wept,

MEMBERS of Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency inspect debris recovered from near the waters where a Lion Air passenger jet crashed in Jakarta yesterday. Left, Relatives of passengers comfort each other as they wait for news.

prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Jakarta’s airport and at Pangkal Pinang’s airport on Bangka island off Sumatra where the flight was headed. Some including Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani headed to the search and rescue agency’s headquarters in Jakarta for information. About 20 ministry staff were on the flight.

Latief Nurbana said he and his wife Yeti Eka Sumiati stayed up late on Sunday talking to their 24-yearold son Lutfi Nuramdani, squeezing every moment they could from his weekend visit to Jakarta to catch up on his life in Pangkal Pinang.

Nurbana said they talked until falling asleep and Sumiati woke up early to take their son, a post office worker, to the airport.

“Last night, we were chatting together about his wife who is now seven months’ pregnant, his plans and his dreams with his own small

family until we fell asleep,” he said as his wife wept and clung to him.

“Now he’s gone. We can’t believe that he left us this way, we can’t believe that his plane crashed.

That’s something we only see on TV news, now it happened to my son,” Nurbana said. “We want to see his body, his face, his remains.”

More than 300 people including soldiers, police and fishermen are involved in the grim search, retrieving aircraft debris and personal items such as a crumpled cellphone, ID cards and carry-on bags from the seas northeast of Jakarta.

Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi said he’s certain it won’t take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its black box due to the relatively shallow 25 to 30 meter (100 to 115 foot) depths of the waters it plunged into. Three specialised search ships, including one from Singapore, were headed

to the crash location. The jet, on a 1-hour flight, was carrying 181 passengers, including one child and two babies, and eight crew members.

Lion Air said there were two foreigners on the plane: one of the pilots, Indian national Bhavye Suneja, and an Italian citizen.

Friends and relatives gathered at the pilot’s family home in New Delhi to comfort his immediate family. “His father is stunned and not in a condition to talk or do anything. Sister and mother have not come out. They are distressed,” said family friend Anil Gupta.

The pilot of Flight 610 had more than 6,000 flying hours while the co-pilot had more than 5,000 hours, according to Lion Air. The Transport Ministry said the plane took off from Jakarta at about 6:20 a.m. and crashed just 13 minutes later. Data from FlightAware showed it had reached an altitude of only 1,580 metres.

Boeing Co. said it was “deeply saddened” by the crash and was prepared to provide technical assistance to Indonesia’s crash probe.

The 737 Max 8 was leased from China Minsheng Investment Group Leasing Holdings Ltd., according to the official China News Service.

Malindo Air, a Malaysian subsidiary of Lion Air, was the first airline to begin using the 737 Max 8 last year. The Max 8 replaced the similar 800 in the Chicago-based plane maker’s product line.

MERKEL TO STAND DOWN AS GERMAN CHANCELLOR BERLIN Associated Press ANGELA Merkel has announced that she will give up the leadership of her conservative Christian Democratic Union in December and won’t stand for a fifth term as chancellor — signaling the beginning of the end at the helm for the woman many had labeled the “leader of the free world.”

That’s a title she herself objected to, saying leadership is never up to one person or country. But she has been a stalwart face of Western democracy through turbulent times, including the European debt crisis, the migrant influx of 2015, Britain’s decision to leave the EU and escalating trade tensions with the United States.

With her announcement, she indicated she has no intention of shirking from the “major foreign policy challenges” ahead, suggesting by taking the question of her future out of the picture her often rancorous coalition might govern better.

“With this decision, I am trying to contribute to allowing the government to concentrate its strength, finally, on governing well — and people rightly demand that,” Merkel said.

Merkel, 64, has led the CDU since 2000 and Germany since 2005. She governs Germany in a “grand coalition” of what traditionally has been the country’s biggest parties — the CDU, Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Union and the centre-left Social Democrats.

She announced her decision the day after voters punished both her CDU and the Social Democrats in an election in the central state of Hesse. weeks after a similar debacle for the CSU and Social Democrats in neighboring Bavaria.

Her announcement comes amid growing concerns about far-right nationalist parties making inroads in Europe, including Germany.

ANGELA MERKEL

Ecuador judge rules against Assange QUITO Associated Press

JULIAN ASSANGE

A JUDGE ruled against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange yesterday, rejecting his request to loosen new requirements that he says are meant to push him into leaving his asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Judge Karina Martinez decided stricter rules recently imposed by the South American nation’s embassy — such as requiring Assange to pay for his internet and clean up after his cat — do not violate his asylum rights because authorities have the right to decide what is and isn’t allowed inside the building.

Ecuadorian officials praised the ruling in the latest row between the Australian hacker and the government that has provided him refuge for six years. Relations between Assange and Ecuador have grown increasingly prickly as the years have dragged on with no solution in sight.

Assange’s lawyer vowed to appeal the decision. “The Ecuadorian state has an international responsibility to protect Mr. Assange,” attorney Carlos Poveda said.

Assange argued that the new measures making it more difficult to receive visitors and requiring him to pay for services like laundry and medical bills are meant to coerce him into ending his asylum.

The rules also make clear that if Assange doesn’t properly feed and take care of his cat, the animal could be sent to the pound.

Ecuador’s government contended the requirements are aimed at peaceful cohabitation in tight quarters in the small embassy, where Assange takes up more than a third of the space. Officials have complained that his soccer playing and skateboarding have damaged the building.

“It’s clear this protocol was issued with strict respect for international law,” Jose Valencia, Ecuador’s foreign minister, said after the ruling.

Ecuador granted Assange asylum in the embassy in 2012 as he tried to avoid extradition to Sweden.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 30, 2018, PAGE 13

Two face court on separate murder charges

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A 20-YEAR-OLD man was charged yesterday with killing a man last week who had himself been recently acquitted of murder.

Ivans Dodo, of Meadow Street, is accused of murdering Jamal McSweeney on October 21, just months after McSweeney had been acquitted of the December 8, 2017, shooting death of Javan Forbes.

Dodo, when arraigned before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt yesterday, was also charged with attempting to murder Kevin Sanchez on the same date.

Concerning the more recent crime, police reported that shortly before 10pm on the date in question, two men had just arrived at a residence on Dorsett Alley off West Street when they were approached by a man armed with a firearm who shot them before running away.

Paramedics were called to the scene to assist the victims, one of whom died at the scene. The second victim was taken to hospital and was listed in serious condition at last reports.

McSweeney, along with fellow Dorsett Alley resident Jamaric Green, were both unanimously acquitted of Forbes’ murder by a Supreme Court jury earlier this year.

Forbes was found inside a white Honda parked on the western side of a street off Farrington Road, suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two males,

IVANS DODO, aged 19, of Meadow Street, left, and Kevin Whymms, aged 28, of Parker Street, outside court yesterday.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff previously said to have been McSweeney and Green, had allegedly pulled up on Forbes in a Japanesestyle vehicle, after which one of them emerged with a firearm and opened fire.

However, Craig Nichols, a store clerk at the nearby 3T’s Convenience store, said during the trial that while he saw when the car pulled up, and later heard about five to six gunshots and saw “sparks” in the area between the cars, he did not see who the shooter/ shooters were, because he ducked down upon hearing the gunshots.

Dodo was not required to enter a plea to the charge yesterday and the matter was adjourned to December 19 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim.

Dodo, who was not represented by an attorney, has the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail before his next court appearance.

Meanwhile, 28-year-old Kevin Whymms is accused

of murdering 22-year-old Kelson Devaughn Kelly and attempting to murder Jeremy Util on October 23.

However, the Parker Street resident told the chief magistrate he was in custody at the Central Detective Unit at the time the incident occurred.

According to initial reports from police, shortly after 7pm on the date in question, two men were sitting on a truck on Parker Street off Polhemus Street, when they were approached by a gunman, who shot them before escaping.

Paramedics were called to the scene to assist the victims, but one of them died at the scene. The other man was taken to hospital and was said to be in serious, but stable condition, at last report.

Whymms was not required to enter a plea to the charges. His case was also adjourned to December 19 for service of a Voluntary Bill of Indictment. He was remanded to the BDCS until that time.

He too has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

‘The Bahamas’ own street philosopher’

PAGE 14, Tuesday, October 30, 2018

THE TRIBUNE