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Commission ‘lacks accountability’ and is led by ‘naive’ co-chairs

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net  AFTER numerous delays, the Public Accounts Committee tabled its report into the Urban Renewal Commission, finding it “severely lacking in accountabilityâ€? coupled with “minimal fiscal safeguardsâ€? and led by co-chairs who are extremely “naĂŻveâ€? and unclear of their roles to properly administer the initiative.

As a result, PAC Chairman Hubert Chipman told the House of Assembly it was quite clear that the public did not get value for money and that opportunities for “dishonest dealing, fraud and profiteering abounded.�

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GRAY: GOVT WOULD NOT GIVE FOREIGNERS LICENCE TO FISH

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net  AGRICULTURE and Fisheries V Alfred Gray sought to defend himself from criticism yesterday, after a letter he wrote to the Bahamian ambassador to China expressing interest in a $2.1 billion Chinese proposal for Andros was published.

SEE PAGE FIVE

SIR DURWARD KNOWLES CELEBRATES 99TH BIRTHDAY

The report suggested that one troubling instance where dishonest dealing could have occurred was in the allocation of a $1m fund that was to be used for an urban agriculture programme, but was “redirected� to other areas. The initial programme was said to have “died on the vine� and the staff hired for this purpose were instead assigned to the Small Homes Repair (SHR) programme.

It was further found that there was “gross negligence� in the operation of the URC private bank account.

In its first report of the 2012 session of Parliament, the PAC found that although Co-Chairs AlgerSEE PAGE THREE

MINISTER ACCUSES THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE OF BIAS

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net  LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson yesterday rejected the Public Accounts Committee’s report on the Urban Renewal Small Homes Repair project and accused the PAC of “churlish, politically driven, and obtuse bias,� which led it to dismiss credible evidence during its probe.

In a 22-page minority report, which pointed out “glaring errors� with the PAC report, Mr Gibson contended that the PAC was in flagrant breach of the rules of parliamentary customs and procedure with the launch of its investigation.

Mr Gibson presented and tabled the minority report in the House of Assembly yesterday.

In April 2015, a copy of Auditor General Terrance Bastian’s critical report into Urban Renewal’s Small Homes SEE PAGE THREE

SIR Durward Knowles enjoys his 99th birthday cake with his daughter, Charlotte, and wife Lady Holly at a celebration luncheon at the Montagu Gardens restaurant yesterday. See page 15.

Photo: Shawn Hanna

GOVT TO BORROW $28.3 MILLION TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY

By SANCHESKA State for Finance DORSETT Michael Halkitis Tribune Staff tabled the resoluReporter tion for the Wasdorsett@ ter and Sewerage tribunemedia.net Water Supply  Improvement THE governProject, which ment is seeking will cost approxito borrow $28.3 mately $41.8 milmillion from the lion. Mr Halkitis Caribbean Devel- MICHAEL HALKITIS said $28,329,000 opment Bank to improve will be borrowed from the the access and quality of CDB with a 2.6 per cent water in the Bahamas. interest rate and the govIn the House of Assem- ernment will contribute bly yesterday, Minister of SEE PAGE 12

ASUE DRAW & SPIN OPTS NOT TO REVIEW PROVISIONAL LICENCE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ASUE Draw & Spin, one of the eight web shop companies granted a provisional licence to operate in the country last year, has opted not to renew its provisional licence, effectively exiting from the sector, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe confirmed yesterday.

Asue Draw had 21 locations, 31 agents and 86 employees.

And as the government gets set to issue official licences to approved gaming house operators, Mr Wilchcombe said the Christie administration will put in place a moratorium on web shops. The details concerning the moratorium are still to be determined, he said.

Asue Draw & Spin’s decision not to renew its provisional licence comes as the lengthy regulatory process for determining which companies will be given official SEE PAGE 12

MAN WHO ROBBED CAFE OF $16 GETS NINE YEAR SENTENCE

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced yesterday to nine years in prison for the gunpoint robbery of a cafĂŠ in which $16 and two cellular phones were stolen.

Nathan Cooper, 21, and his lawyer Stanley Rolle, had asked Justice Vera Watkins to consider imposing probation instead of a custodial sentence concerning the March 25, 2014 robbery of an employee of the Lemonade Stand.

Cooper faced up to life imprisonment for the two counts of armed robbery as stipulated by Section 339 (2) of the Penal Code under which he was charged and convicted on Monday by a Supreme Court a jury.

However, the court found that probation is not an appropriate sentence for a man who committed an armed robbery within two years of a conviction for assault where a weapon was also used. “I have reviewed the evidence taken at trial and I have noted the mitigation plea and submissions made by coun-

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sel,� Justice Watkins said. “I have also noted the fact that Cooper has been previously of a similar offence in that, in the past, he was convicted of an offence involving the use of an offensive instrument. The conviction for assault is date March 20, 2012 and the offences in the present case were committed on March 20, 2014. This means that Cooper committed the offences in the present case a mere two years after his previous conviction,� the judge added.

SEE PAGE 12

PAGE 2, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

FAMILY OF MAN KILLED IN RBDF ACCIDENT WANT ‘SOMEONE HELD RESPONSIBLE’

CHRISTOPHER Turnquest.

(Photo from Facebook)

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ONE month after Christopher Turnquest was tragically killed in a boating accident, the family of the 25-year-old is demanding that “someone

be held responsible” for his death.

The body of Mr Turnquest was retrieved from waters near Paradise Island on Sunday, October 2, two days after a 13-foot skiff occupied by him and another man was struck by a Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) patrol ves-

sel just east of Potter’s Cay Dock around 8pm.

Police believe Mr Turnquest drowned as a result of the collision. The other man, identified as Mr Turnquest’s cousin, jumped from the boat moments before the collision and survived the crash.

In an interview with The

Tribune, Ryan Turnquest, the deceased’s older brother, yesterday questioned why no one has been arrested for his brother’s death. He alleged the injuries his brother suffered and the damage to the vessel proves that the collision happened as a result of speeding in the harbour - which is a no wake zone.

Ryan Turnquest said the family has not heard from the police since October 3, when they spoke to the officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit. He said the family fears the incident will be “swept under the rug” and his brother will never get justice.

“Someone needs to be held accountable. My brother and my cousin had just changed the spark plugs and they were testing the boat because we were preparing to take the boat out of the water before the storm hit,” Ryan Turnquest said.

“They were right out in the harbour, not in the open water, right in the harbour and no one should be speeding in that area. It is a no wake zone; meaning when a boat comes through it should not produce any waves to rock the other boats in the harbour.

So if you were going at the required speed they would have just bumped the boat if they didn’t see it, but the boat was split in half,” he claimed.

“My cousin said they literally had one second to get out the boat and he jumped out in time but my brother did not have the time. If they were not speeding my brother’s skull would not have been crushed and the boat would not have been destroyed,” he claimed.

He said all his family wants is for someone to be held accountable. However, he said, no one from the RBDF has reached out to them and no one from the Royal Bahamas Police

“Someone needs to be held accountable. My brother and my cousin had just changed the spark plugs and they were testing the boat because we were preparing to take the boat out of the water before the storm hit.”

Ryan Turnquest Force will update them on the status of the investigation.

“They are saying they investigating but we don’t feel anything is being done,” Ryan Turnquest said.

“We want answers. We are lost. We need closure.

The family is not taking this well. Someone needs to be held responsible. We need justice for Chris. We will not stop until we get justice.”

Officer-in-Charge of the Central Detective Unit, Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander said police are still continuing their inquires. He said his office is committed to giving the family closure.

“We are still canvassing and trying to see if there are any witnesses who can speak to us,” Supt Fernander said.

“At the end of the day if we don’t come up with any witnesses to suggest anything, the matter will be referred to Coroner’s Court but we are still on the ground doing a lot of things.

“We are probing to see if any independent persons can assist us with our investigating.

“At the end of the day we do not want the family to think that the police are taking sides, we are not. We will give them closure.”

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 3

PAC REPORT SLAMS URBAN RENEWAL FROM PAGE ONE non Allen and Cynthia “Mother” Pratt were each paid $52,000 per annum for part-time work and provided with separate vehicles, gas allowance, cell phones and offices, their purview was strictly limited to New Providence where it appeared they had no authority to enforce particular guidelines related to the granting of contracts for the SHR programme among other things.

“He (Mr Allen) and his co-chair have no say nor authority and dare not trespass in that part (other islands) of the Bahamas,” the report said as it drew attention to Deputy Director Michelle Reckley’s role in Urban Renewal. She heads the programme in Grand Bahama and the Family Islands, the report noted.

“Mr Allen confirmed that his authority as co-chair is limited to New Providence.

He testified that this was not a satisfactory arrangement from his prospective and that in his view, the commission should have responsibility for the entire Bahamas,” the report continued.

“Mr Allen confirmed that the practice was to limit the number of repair contracts under the SHR scheme to two projects per contractor to ensure a fair distribution of work among eligible contractors. He indicated that on several occasions the allocation policy was overridden by direct intervention on the part of the Minister of Works and Urban De-

MINISTER ACCUSES THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE OF BIAS FROM PAGE ONE Repair programme was leaked to the press and sparked a debate over the management of Urban Renewal. The PAC has used the report for its investigation.

Mr Bastian highlighted a litany of concerns and weaknesses related to the Small Home Repairs project’s management and expenditure.

The auditor general revealed, for instance, that 11 contractors were paid more than $170,000 for small home repairs that were “not completed or done”.

The auditor general’s report also noted that there was no competitive bidding for the home repair contracts and the contractors were not required to have proof of all-risk insurance.

Mr Gibson said: “The PAC was constitutionally, and in parliamentary customs and procedure, in flagrant breach of the rules and the law in its initial purported launch of the investigation into the Urban Renewal Commission.

“The PAC did not take into account at all any of the evidence of the Independent Report on The Small Homes Repair Programme laid on the table of the Parliament which contradicted the report of the auditor general and concluded that the SHR initiative was overwhelmingly successful.

“The PAC made a fundamental error and glaring omission by its failure to call the member of Parliament for Bamboo Town (Renward Wells), who exercised full authority on behalf of the deputy prime minister and the Cabinet.”

He continued: “The leaking of the auditor general report, which the PAC chairman claimed was prepared by the auditor general by his direction, was

velopment (Philip Davis) specifically and other efficiency considerations.

“The PAC found Mr Allen to be by and large forthcoming, however it was obvious that his role is largely ceremonial and public relations orientated rather than acting as a functioning chairman giving the PAC reason to question the value for money received from the co-chairs.”

Regarding Mrs Pratt’s role in Urban Renewal, the PAC said while she should be commended for her decades long commitment to alleviating the plight of the poor, the former deputy prime minister was found to pay little attention to details.

“The PAC found Mrs Pratt to have been naïve in the extreme when it came to her role with URC. It would seem from her testimony that she paid little attention to details, administrative systems, accounting practices, questions of transparency or, any other questions of protocol.”

In April 2015, a copy of Auditor General Terrance Bastian’s critical report into Urban Renewal’s Small Homes Repair programme was leaked to the press and sparked a debate over the management of Urban Renewal. The PAC has used the report for its investigation.

Mr Bastian highlighted a litany of concerns and weaknesses related to the Small Home Repairs project’s management and expenditure.

The audit revealed, for

HUBERT CHIPMAN, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, presents the Majority Report on the Urban Renewal Commission in the House of Assembly yesterday.

PHOTO: Peter Ramsay/BIS instance, that 11 contractors were paid more than $170,000 for small home repairs that were “not completed or done”.

Small Homes Repair Programme The PAC’s report revealed concerns that were similar to those outlined in the auditor general’s controversial report.

These included no regard for the practice of limiting the award of repair projects to two per contractor.

The PAC, through interviews, also found that while the policy was to always have all documents required on file, including the DPM’s approval for projects in excess of $10,000, there were exceptions.

The committee reviewed files and found that a com-

plete set of documents to qualify contractors for engagement in SHR were not present. Documents omitted included insurance certificates, evidence of current business license, evidence of NIB status, scope of works documents signed by the homeowner, contractor, inspector or quantity surveyor reports.

“Mr Allen confirmed that the practice was to limit the number of repair contracts under the SHR scheme to two projects per contractor to ensure a fair distribution of work among eligible contractors. He indicated that on several occasions the allocation policy was overridden by direct intervention on the part of the minister of works and urban develSEE PAGE 12

IN view of the numerous inefficiencies of Urban Renewal 2.0’s Small Homes Repair programme highlighted in the Public Accounts Committee’s report, several recommendations were made with a view to safeguarding the initiative.

• All bank accounts falling under Urban Renewal 2.0 should moving forward be operated in accordance with the Financial Administration and Audit Act, 2010 and reconciled on a timely basis, with proper review and approved by a senior accountant.

• All funds disbursed for grants, works or the purchase of equipment should be mandated to be transparent and accountable, including the availability for public scrutiny of all relevant work orders, purchase receipts, inspection certificates, etc.

• All independent contractors (including quantity surveyors, building inspectors, architects, etc) should be qualified and licensed professionals in accordance with the laws of the Bahamas.

• All contractors should have third party liability insurance so as to fully protect homeowners and occupants of homes repaired under Small Homes Repair (SHR) and other Urban Renewal Commission (URC) programmes.

• All contractors should be fully vetted according to appropriate industry standards and acceptable levels of experience for the work they are seeking to undertake.

• A full forensic audit and review of the inner workings of URC up to this point should be conducted by an independent entity or entities, with a view to establishing the extent of wastage of public funds thus far, and whether or not any intentional malfeasance may have taken place.

• A statutory framework should be crafted for Urban Renewal, including a proper organisational regime and proper financial structure. “Laudable though its aims may be, the programme simply cannot continue to operate as a loosely knit, ad hoc operation under the informal remit of the Ministry of Works and Urban Development,” the PAC said.

• URC be formally separated from the Ministry of Works and become an independent authority, headed by a professional who is qualified in the area of urban regeneration and redevelopment, and is granted security of tenure to assure independence.

• The URC Authority should have its own financial controller who is responsible and accountable for all records and accounts. It must also be managed by a full time, independent, statutory commission that oversees the work of the co-chairs and other senior officials attached to UR. This commission should include a statutory board drawn from distinguished citizens in the community.

• The PAC further recommend that moving forward, the very important work of the auditor general receive fair and impartial support from Parliament and all of its members, as the functions of this office rise above partisan politics to the level of national significance.

The auditor general, the report said, is appointed by the governor general and is mandated by the Constitution to audit all branches of the executive, law enforcement and the judiciary each year. The holder of this office is entitled to have access to all books, records, returns and reports relating to such accounts and the reports thus produced are to be tabled in the House without undue delay, the PAC said. an egregious breach of the Rules of Parliamentary Procedures and caused the auditor general to be sued in the Supreme Court by an aggrieved contractor who rightly claimed that the audit report was wrong and defamatory of him and all material particulars.

“At no time and at no place in the Majority Report was there reference to the noble transformative, compassionate, and great works of the Urban Renewal Commission. This is despite the fact that the PAC did not confine itself to the Small Homes Repair Programme, but opined on many other aspects of the functioning of the Urban

Renewal Commission.

“As a consequence of the churlish, politically driven, and obtuse bias of the PAC, Urban Renewal programmes, which were menSEE PAGE 12

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PAGE 4, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

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Risk experts: Candidates not focusing on biggest threats WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a scary world out there, risk experts agree, but they say Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton often focus on the wrong dangers — fixing on hazards that are unlikely, or unlikely to cause massive pain.

The Associated Press asked 21 risk experts to analyse the presidential campaign and list what they consider the five biggest threats to the world. Climate change topped the list with 17 mentions, often as the top threat. It was followed by use of nuclear weapons, pandemics, cyberattacks and problems with high technology.

Neither Trump’s signature issues of immigration and terrorism nor Clinton’s major concerns, financial insecurity and gun violence, made the list.

“I have not heard or read about any significant deliberations of the major risks that face our country today and tomorrow.

Sad for the U.S.,” said Bob Bea, a University of California Berkeley engineering professor who is a long-time expert in human-caused disasters.

Nuclear weapons could be one exception. The issue is not ignored, though the candidates come at it from opposite directions. Trump has suggested that Japan and South Korea should be free to develop their own nuclear weapons programmes to counter North Korea, while Clinton says Trump is too unstable to be trusted with his own finger on the figurative nuclear button.

Economics and psychology professor George Loewenstein, co-director for the Center for Behavioral Decision Research at Carnegie Mellon University, was typical of the experts. He called climate change “a problem that threatens the very existence of the human race” and is already having devastating consequences around the world. He fretted that it has been barely mentioned in presidential debates, usually in context of Trump’s questioning that it is happening.

But it’s not just climate change, which Clinton does touch on in her speeches.

The political campaigns often miss the real potential risks while exaggerating others, especially immigration and terrorism, the experts said. Extreme weather has killed more than twice as many people in the United States in the past 15 years as terrorist attacks, even including Sept. 11, 2001.

Fourteen of the 21 experts responded when asked to rate Clinton and Trump on handling risk. They gave Trump an average of an F and Clinton a C-plus.

Seth Baum, executive director of Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, said in general it seems Clinton “appears to be assessing risks based on more careful analysis, whereas Trump appears to rely more on intuition.” Studies show that careful analysis does better than intuition, he said.

The results of the small AP survey are similar to those of a larger survey of 750 experts conducted this year by the World Economic Forum with the help from the National University of Singapore, the University of Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Global Risks Report 2016 found the five biggest global risks in terms of impact were: failure to deal with climate change, weapons of mass destruction, water crises, large-scale involuntary migration, and severe energy price shocks.

It said the five big risks that are most likely are large-scale involuntary migra-

tion, extreme weather disasters, failure to deal with climate change, regional wars and major natural catastrophes.

Experts said sometimes people get risk wrong because they worry more about things they can’t control. People fear flying in planes, which is safer than driving on a highway, because they lack control, said Miguel Centeno, founder of the Research Community on Global Systemic Risk at Princeton University.

“Trump is appealing to the general fear people have that that they don’t control their lives or futures,” said risk perception consultant David Ropeik, author of the books “How Risky Is It Really?” and “Risk.” “We direct that fear at immigrants or terrorists or political insiders who don’t give a damn about anybody but themselves.”

Some said the threats from immigration, terrorism and crime that Trump talks about are overblown. However, Ropeik said, “these rinks trigger much stronger emotional responses from the public since they feel like risks that just might happen to any one of us.”

But risks that experts highlight, such as climate change or growing resistance to antibiotics, “are abstract, intellectual,” Ropeik said. “They don’t feel like something that could happen to us soon. So those aren’t being talked about as much.”

Between 2006 and 2015, 117 people in the United States died from terror attacks, according to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses To Terrorism , while 1,130 people died from extreme heat, according to the National Weather Service. When Sept. 11, 2001, is included, 3,124 people have died in the United States from terrorism in the past 15 years, but 8,635 died from extreme weather such as heat, hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes and floods, according to the weather service.

While many experts worried about cybersecurity and hacking or cyberterrorism, other concerns about technology also surfaced.

Carnegie Mellon’s Loewenstein said he worries about changes in the economy from the rise of artificial intelligence and robots, such as self-driving cars.

He said if the trend continues it will worsen inequality and increase the marginalisation of those with limited education and skills.

He said this risk “is probably too subtle as well as controversial” to make it into presidential debates.

Jennifer Kuzma, co-director of the Genetic Engineering Society Center at North Carolina State University and secretary of the Society for Risk Analysis, said she worries about misuse of emerging nanotechnology, biotechnology and neuro technology “for nefarious purposes.”

But it’s the disruption in crucial technology and the global trade that goes with it that worries Centeno of Princeton.

If a good chunk of the world loses its electronic and internet connectivity, the results could be crippling, he said.

“Nobody ever talks about this,” Centeno said. Technology has so changed our lives that “we’ve created a machine that we cannot live without.”

His advice: “Be afraid. Be very afraid.

But you’ve got to live.”

This article is by Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press

WHOSE POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS IDEA IS THIS? EDITOR, The Tribune.

No! No! No! The fisheries industry provides one of the Bahamas’ few natural resources and the government must not sell our birthright to satisfy China’s voracious appetite for seafood.

China is currently flexing its military muscle in the South China Sea, bullying fishermen from other countries with competing territorial claims out of their very livelihood.

The fisheries industry in the South China Sea is

in danger of collapsing because of over fishing with some areas having less than one tenth of the stocks available five decades ago!

Tuna and grouper are a luxury. Who came up with this potentially disastrous idea and who will actually benefit? Gee, I wonder.

On what basis should the Bahamas lease 10,000 acres of Crown Land to the Chinese for agriculture purposes? Who will oversee such a programme to make sure the runoff from toxic fertilizers doesn’t pollute the valuable fishing grounds off

Andros?

We already have the Baha Mar catastrophe on Cable Beach.

The old British Colonial Hotel, an architectural treasure, no longer stands as a charming gateway to downtown Nassau, but has been blanketed by an ugly parking lot to the west.

How much more of our sovereignty does this government propose to give away?

ATHENA DAMIANOS Nassau, November 1, 2016

Beware the Trojan horse EDITOR, The Tribune.

‘MANY eons ago, Troy, an island state of fabled fame, with an abundance of skilled and battle harden warriors, complete with an impregnable barrier wall, was overcome when the inhabitants pulled a huge wooden horse into the capital city. It was a beautiful and a magnificent creation that entranced the residents and was considered a favourable omen from ‘the gods’.

The wooden horse was filled to capacity with Greek soldiers who, once night would have descended on the city state, rappelled down from the hallowed interior of the horse and sacked the same while inflicting massive human and material damage. From then to now, people all over the world and throughout history have adopted the adage: ‘Beware the Trojan horse’.

Simply put, this means that one must always be aware of the ‘enemy’ within.

It is no different today in our wonderful nation.

The Trojan horse is now outside our collective gates and is poised, if we succumb, to be pulled within our midst by over zealous fellow citizens who might be dazed or enchanted by the beautiful wooden horse.

As a trained lawyer with extensive criminal and constitutional law experience, I have always been of the firm legal view that Sarkis, et al, was shafted by the Gold Rush Administration, relative to the Baha Mar saga. I am PLP to my very core, but the man was wronged, big time.

Having said this, however, it must also be clearly understood that the legal maxim: “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands” still applies.

It has been alleged that Sarkis, even while negotiating with the PM, in supposedly good faith, he and his legal eagles were preparing to file assorted petitions in Delaware over in the USA, without

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

prior or any notice to Mr Christie! This, I submit, does not qualify Sarkis for the invocation of any sort of equitable relief herein.

His best bet, in my considered view, is to file an application right here in The Bahamas for compensation on a quantum meruit basis, against all relevant parties, inclusive of the government. How more simple can it get?

It is useless and possibility treasonous, for a foreign investor, with residency status, to even contemplate a politically disguised coup d’etat via a thinly veiled Trojan horse, to overthrow or compromise a Bahamian government. The FNM appears to be in his camp and has now approved and ratified several candidates who are known to be associated with him and his business ventures.

Is it conceivable that he, et al, will fund the campaigns of these apparent Trojan horses? Is it possible that the economic crumbs will fall, conveniently, into the lap of this political entity?

The PLP is a flawed party.

It has made many mistakes and missteps over this term but at least we tried.

Failure, my beloved, is all a part of the process of life.

When one falls in life it is not so important that one fell.

What is important is that one gets back up and presses on with the never ending battle. So it must be with the PLP. On a personal level I am happy to see some of the candidates being rolled out by the two major parties.

Most of them are still youthful and have accumulated much experience in the various professions; the business world and other fields of endeavours.

Whoever is elected from

the mix will, I am certain, bring something new to the parliamentary and national tables.

There are some other candidates, however, who are not known to have been politically motivated or even to have vocalized any minute desire to serve the unwashed masses hitherto. I do not state this to merely suggest that they might have an ulterior agenda, but you ask yourself the questions which you might, no doubt, wish to ask me. The answers are so clear-cut and salient that no explanation is needed.

The Trojan horses, along with at least one mule, are at our electoral gates.

If we let them in what will be the consequences and where will their equine loyalties lie?

It is not desirable, in my opinion, for any foreign investor/resident to inject him or herself into our local politics in an overt manner.

Yes, all parties and most individuals who are seeking to retain or to be first elected to office will approach or be approached to secure funding from whatever sources. That, sadly, in the absence of campaign finance laws and regulations, is how it is.

Sarkis , seemingly, is being badly advised. It is yet another Bahamian adage that: “There is more than one way to skin a cat”. It is time, I suggest, that someone in his orbit tell him this in all seriousness. The PLP is being handed an electoral bone that we will run with while gnawing on the same.

The PLP knows a Trojan horse and, certainly, an Inagua jack ass when we see one.

It does not, however, matter, who comes up against the Gold Rush 3.0 in 2017. We did it before and we will do it again. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H. BODIE JR. Nassau, October 29, 2016.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 5

D’AGUILAR: GOVT ‘SELLING SOULS TO THE CHINESE’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Christie administration is “selling souls to the Chinese,” businessman Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday in response to reports that the government gave the Bahamas embassy in China the go-ahead to have talks with Chinese officials about an agrifisheries proposal for Andros.

News of the matter has been controversial.

On Tuesday, government ministers sought to downplay the matter, and said the proposal was not before the government for consideration.

However, on Wednesday, the Bahamas ambassador to China Paul “Andy” Gomez confirmed the talks and The Nassau Guardian published a letter signed by Agriculture & Fisheries Minister FROM PAGE ONE Mr Gray reiterated yesterday that there is currently “no proposal before the government” to enter into a partnership with the Chinese for development of agriculture and fisheries in Andros.

In the House of Assembly last night, Mr Gray said there is no way, under any circumstance, that the government would give foreigners, no matter who they are, a license to fish in the Bahamas.

Mr Gray was responding to a report in The Nassau Guardian on Tuesday, which stated that the government had given the “green light” to its embassy in Beijing to further pursue such a partnership.

Although he admitted on Tuesday that he did give the ambassador permission to have the discussions, he later released a statement calling the contents of the article “utterly false.”

On Wednesday, the daily published a letter from Mr Gray dated October 3, to the ambassador about the issue.

The proposal reportedly projects a $2.1 billion injection into the local economy over ten years through an equal partnership between Bahamians and the People’s Republic of China.

According to the report, the proposed partnership will entail the incorporation of 100 companies, with the agricultural products and seafood to be used for local consumption, and exported to China and the United States for sale. The proposal also reportedly includes the option to lease 10,000 acres of Crown land in Andros.

Mr Gray said he “never spoke with any Chinese” and simply gave the newly appointed Bahamian Ambassador to China Paul “Andy” Gomez permission to discuss “investments.”

“The truth is this, I said in a statement that there was no proposal before the government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas or this minister for any Chinese to enter into fishing in the Bahamas and that is true,” Mr Gray said.

“There could be no way that this minister of this government would give foreigners, whether Chinese, American or Dominican, no foreigner will every get a license to fish in the Bahamas full stop and that is part of what my letter said.

“That is why they don’t want to print the whole letter,” he said, even though the full letter appeared to have been published. In the letter, Mr Gray noted that his ministry has reviewed the final draft of a proposed China-Bahamas agriculture and fisheries initiative and felt it “could be a very impactful project that economically benefits” Bahamians for decades.

He said in Parliament yesterday: “If you print the letter you will see the

V Alfred Gray in which he said the proposed project could be “very impactful” for the country, permitting the ambassador to have further discussions about it.

Mr Gomez said in a statement yesterday: “In pursuit of my responsibilities as ambassador to China I have engaged in vigorous discussions within China to generate new economic activity for the Bahamas.

“The objective is to attract and create new activities and opportunities for Bahamians and our country. The issue that has raised attention in the local media is along those lines. I sought and received permission from the minister responsible for agriculture and fisheries merely to continue dialogue and to prepare reports on the economic possibilities in China. That is what happened.

“We are presently evaluating the possibilities in China. No re-

port or proposal has been submitted to the minister of foreign affairs or minister of agriculture and fisheries or any other minister of the government,” Mr Gomez said.

However, Mr D’Aguilar said the government’s denials of the matter ring hollow because of its trust deficit.

“Because of the lack of transparency and the ability to see what they are actually up to do, we don’t know what to believe.

We have to remain extremely vigilant that they don’t enter into any transaction that hasn’t been well thought to.”

As for the proposal, Mr D’Aguilar said: “I have to believe that the Bahamas government is selling our souls to the Chinese.

They purchased the Hilton, they have Baha Mar, the Chinese country controls the Container Port in Freeport . . . and now they

BUSINESSMAN Dionisio D’Aguilar. are looking to give them 10,000 acres of land in Andros?

“The Chinese government is beginning to exert undue control over our government. It’s as if the Chinese ambassador is a Cabinet minister. The effect on the economy is frightening.

“The potential effect on the water supply or ecosystem in Andros is a pressing issue, especially in light of the total disregard the Chinese usually have for the environment. People have to remember, they are $1.3 billion people and we are 350,000.

“It’s very, very easy for them to take control of our country and we don’t know what private deal is going on in the background. We don’t know what type of arrangements.”

Mr D’Aguilar, recently ratified as the Free National Movement’s (FNM) candidate for Montagu, has emerged as a strong critic of the government’s partnership with China.

A former director of Baha Mar, he has been especially critical of the government’s handling of the beleaguered Baha Mar resort.

GRAY: GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT GIVE FOREIGNERS LICENCE TO FISH

MINISTER of Agriculture V Alfred Gray. letter said that is a nonstarter, do not even bring it up. Non-negotiable is the

term I used. Do not bring it up because it cannot happen and, Mr Speaker, the

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letter I wrote was to the Bahamian ambassador to China, I never spoke to any Chinese. The Bahamas ambassador brought me some things that he was thinking, as (they) were his initiatives and he wanted my permission.

“He presented me a few initiatives that he was considering and he was approached by investors and he wanted my permission to discuss those initiatives and we gave him the permission to discuss it.”

He added: “Now, if you consider giving the ambassador permission to discuss investments a proposal, because Mr Speaker, that is the extent of the letter and I challenge the press to print the whole letter, not a little but, the whole letter, so the Bahamian people will be able to determine for themselves whether it is a

proposal from Chinese or whether it was something coming from the Bahamian ambassador to this minster.

That is the essence of it; I have nothing else to say about it.”

Despite the denials from the government, the report prompted FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis on Tuesday to criticise Prime Minister Perry Christie for his “deafening” silence on the matter.

It is not the first time he has raised concern on this issue.

In July, while speaking at a rally at Christie Park, Dr Minnis said the government was negotiating with the Chinese for 10,500 acres of land in Andros.

Dr Minnis also insisted that the proposal was part of the “secret deal” Mr Christie negotiated with the Chinese to remobilise the Baha Mar resort.

PAGE 6, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

$1.4m in applications seeking to utilise Hurricane Matthew exigency order

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE government has received almost $1.4 million in applications submitted by persons seeking to utilise the exigency order declared in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Minister of National Insurance and Labour Shane Gibson said yesterday. The 180-day exigency order, declared effective from October 7, allows residents affected by the storm to import certain items into the country duty and tax-free. It only covers New Providence, Grand Bahama, the Berry Islands and North and Central Andros.

Mr Gibson, the government’s Hurricane Matthew czar, said as of Tuesday the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has processed 77 applications, with a total dollar value of $1,338,452.92.

The applications were over $10,000 each, Mr Gibson said.

Furniture Of that number, Mr Gibson said $1,226,152.61 were applications for household furniture and building supplies; $74,856 were applications for vessels and machinery equipment, and $37,444.31 were applications on behalf of “charitable organisations.”

Regarding government assistance with home repair, Mr Gibson also said that following conversations with the Ministry of Finance, it has been determined that vouchers will be utilised for the distribution of materials for the Hurricane Matthew repair programme on New Providence, Grand Bahama, and North Andros.

The vouchers will be colour coordinated by island in denominations of $100, $300, and $1,000 and redeemable at approved establishments that have

MINISTER of Labour Shane Gibson speaks in the House of Assembly yesterday. agreed to participate in the programme, Mr Gibson said.

He also said the government, through its fundraising efforts, has raised $1.4m for hurricane restoration, which has not yet been spent. He said the signatories on the restoration account are all members of the private sector.

Mr Gibson said the gov-

ernment is now into its third week of door-to-door assessments of owner occupied homes on New Providence for the repair programme, with some 2,400 assessments already completed.

As of October 21, Mr Gibson said the Department of Social Services had conducted assessments on 1,453 homes on Grand Ba-

hama, which included 875 in Eight Mile Rock and West End, 378 in Freeport and 200 in the Pinder’s Point, Hunters and Lewis Yard areas.

Mr Gibson said three establishments on North Andros and two in Central Andros have expressed an interest in redeeming vouchers for the repair programme, adding that

the Department of Social Services has conducted 367 door-to-door assessments in North Andros.

The next step for that island would be the completion of “technical assessments,” Mr Gibson said, adding that two teams have already started the process and that two additional teams will return to the island next week to complete the exercise.

Regarding the restoration of utility services, particularly water supply, Mr Gibson said he has been advised that water supply and sewerage operations in New Providence are “normal.”

In Andros, Mr Gibson said overall operations are in “fair condition,” and that water is being supplied to all communities.

However, he said the Mastic Point and Nichol’s Town pumping station remains on standby generator.

A request was made to Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to make that pumping station a priority, Mr Gibson said.

Regarding Grand Bahama, Mr Gibson said the Grand Bahama Utility Company (GBUC) has restored water supply. Regarding power restoration, Mr Gibson said as of October 31, power had been restored to some 10,000 plus customers, with more homes and businesses being reconnected in Freeport, East and West Grand Bahama in the “second wave of restoration.”

He added that the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and its various companies have worked diligently to restore essential service on the island, adding that the Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPA) is “progressing” in its attempts to replace downed poles and repair its transmission and distribution infrastructure.

However, Mr Gibson said Sweeting’s Cay remains on standby generator pending the restoration of electricity to that community.

On Andros, Mr Gibson said a number of settlements have had their power restored with the exception of Lowe Sound, which he said “remains a challenge.”

He said there will likely be a need for an electrical inspection of the “houses still standing” before BPL can fully energise the houses in certain areas.

As for telecommunications, Mr Gibson said the level of coverage in the most affected islands was, as of October 31, some 99.5 per cent in New Providence, 91 per cent in Andros, and 73.6 per cent in Grand Ba-

hama. With respect to fixed lines, Mr Gibson said service has been restored to 94 per cent of customers.

Regarding government buildings, Mr Gibson said the Ministry of Works has completed “detailed assessments” of six “priority” government buildings damaged during the hurricane, namely the Supreme Court on Bank Lane, the Senate building, both the Tracon and the Fire Services Buildings at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), the Clarence Bain Building, and the Churchill Building, which he said is undergoing roof repairs.

Trailer Mr Gibson said the Ministry of Finance has advised that the first mobile trailer for the LPIA Fire Station has landed in Nassau, and that officials are working to have it delivered to the airport sometime this week.

The second mobile trailer is scheduled to arrive in Nassau the week of November 7, and delivered to the airport the following week.

Mr Gibson also said the Airport Authority has provided the Ministry of Finance with the requested proposal to build a new fire station for LPIA to replace the old station that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

In Grand Bahama, Mr Gibson said “detailed inspections” are ongoing at the Freeport Post Office, Garnet Levarity Justice and the Harold DeGregory Complex by the Ministry of Works.

He said it is expected that repairs will begin on the affected buildings “in short order.”

As for schools on the island, Mr Gibson said the Bartlett Hill School has been relocated to the Bethel’s Deliverance Centre, Jones Town, until repairs have been completed.

Likewise, Mr Gibson said the Lewis Yard School has been relocated to the Church of the Good Shepherd, Pinder’s Point.

Mr Gibson also said Exuma and Inagua also reported some damage during the hurricane, and that local personnel have conducted “preliminary assessments.”

However, he said, technical teams from New Providence will be dispatched shortly for more in-depth assessments.

Nonetheless, he said BTC has advised that as of October 31, cell services had been restored to 90 per cent of Exuma customers and 100 per cent of customers on Inagua.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 7

POST-STORM RADIO ISSUES FORCING EMERGENCY STAFF TO USE THEIR CELL PHONES

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net EMERGENCY Medical Services personnel on Grand Bahama are currently using cell phones as their “primary means” of communication because of problems with their radio communications system, Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson said yesterday.

Mr Gibson, the government’s Hurricane Matthew czar, said “challenges” still persist with Grand Bahama’s radio dispatch communications system in the wake of the storm, notwithstanding electricity being restored to Grand Bahama’s emergency services on Tuesday. As a result, he said “cell phones are being used as a primary means for EMS at this time.”

Fortunately, Mr Gibson said the level of mobile coverage in

Grand Bahama is around 99.5 per cent as of October 31. He also said all services at the Rand Memorial Hospital, Pearce Plaza, Davies House, High Rick, McCleans Town, Freetown and Grand Cay have been restored to “normal operations” since the storm’s passage.

Mr Gibson made his comments during a communication to the House of Assembly to provide an update on the Christie administration’s Hurricane Matthew relief and restoration efforts.

Still speaking about Grand Bahama, Mr Gibson said the clinic in West End is now temporarily operating from the St Mary Magdalene Rectory from 8am to 4pm, albeit on “generator power,” with access to on-call emergency services available “after hours.”

Mr Gibson said the Eight Mile Rock Clinic is also operating on generator power and provides service to the community from 8am

to 5pm.

Clinicians are on call for emergency services after 5pm, he said.

Shifting to New Providence, Mr Gibson said “temporary repairs” have commenced on the Children’s Ward Block of the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). He also said a contractor is currently preparing the final cost of repairs to the old Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the medical block of the main hospital.

Mr Gibson also said repairs to the Female Surgical Ward 1 are expected to commence the second week of November.

Regarding the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, Mr Gibson said repairs have been completed on the Geriatric Hospital.

He said the gate is now operational after having been replaced, and that estimates have been secured for the remaining works.

Mr Gibson added that the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA),

GRAND Bahama suffered significant damage during Hurricane Matthew. which has responsibility for PMH, Sandilands and the Rand Memorial, is “working on getting all of the required repairs completed in the shortest possible time.”

Repairs to the roof of the Outpatient Rehabilitation Therapy Department Building on Collins Avenue have been completed by the landlord, Mr Gibson said. Additionally, he said all works have been completed and services have been restored at the Family Medicine Clinic Last month, PHA Managing

BAHAMAS IS IN ‘CRITICAL STAGES’ OF ESTABLISHING DRUG TREATMENT COURT MINISTER of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage said Wednesday that the Bahamas is in the “critical stages” of establishing a Drug Treatment Court to provide an alternative to incarceration for drug-dependent offenders through treatment and rehabilitation.

Addressing the Inauguration Ceremony of the 60th Regular Session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse and Control Commission (CICAD), Dr Nottage said the Bahamas has embarked upon a series of initiatives focused on at-risk youth, including the establishment of Community Youth Centres that will provide healthy alternative services and programmes.

Dr Nottage said the focus is as a result of youth being “overwhelmingly represented as both victims and perpetrators of drugrelated crime and violence locally.”

“Participating youth will receive training in hospitality, self-esteem building, motivational and personal development,” Dr Nottage

said. “These centres will be a space where youth can have positive interactions and hopefully be dissuaded from using illicit drugs, joining gangs or engaging in conflict with the law.”

Dr Nottage told delegates that the Bahamas is “resolved” in its responses to the drug problem.

“The Bahamas is a willing and committed partner and confident that underpinning the discussions of this 60th Regular Session, the resolve is united to improve the effectiveness of our responses to the drug problem in the mutual interests of all Member States.

“It is our hope that ideas and experiences shared over the next three days will bolster our efforts in addressing the world drug problem.”

Dr Nottage also said the country has been on the “frontline” of drug control and reduction and has committed itself to “weakening illicit drug enterprises that exist around us regionally and globally” over the past four decades.

“Even though the Ba-

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hamas is not a major producer of illicit drugs, our country is strategically situated within the transshipment zone between markets in North America and Europe,” he said. “Due to our sparsely populated archipelago and vast water borders, transnational criminals continue to traffic drugs through our maritime borders and ports of entry.”

Dr Nottage said cocaine and marijuana – which he called the signature drugs produced in the region – are the principle drugs that are trafficked through the Bahamas.

“Some of the drugs that are moved through our country make their way on our streets and negatively impact our communities and the most vulnerable among us, in particular our youth.”

Dr Nottage said the programmes the government has implemented and will implement, will help to reverse those negative impacts on the country’s atrisk youth insofar as crime, criminality and violence are concerned.

MINISTER of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage.

Director Herbert Brown pegged the cost of repairs to the countries three main public healthcare institution at $740,000.

At the time, Mr Brown said the PHA was seeking to solicit the necessary funding to cover the expenses.

Nonetheless, he said at the time that the planned renovations to PMH’s Maternity Ward will be placed on hold until after repairs are made to remedy the damage the hospital sustained from Hurricane Matthew.

PAGE 8, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

The PLP is rushing us towards M

OVE over Christopher Columbus, the Chinese have come to conquer us …. one island at a time.

Yet again, under another incarnation of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), we are a nation for sale.

Yet again, controversy swirls around one of Mr Christie’s worst, most politically errant ministers.

This week, The Nassau Guardian revealed that Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources V Alfred Gray wrote a letter to Bahamas Ambassador to China Paul ‘Andy’ Gomez giving him permission to pursue a proposal for China to invest in our agriculture and fisheries industries.

According to the letter, the proposal revolved around the injection of some $2.1 billion into the Bahamian economy over 10 years. The $2.1 billion would consist of cash, farming and fishing equipment and Chinese expertise. This will involve the incorporation of 100 Bahamian companies, each of which will be owned 50­50 by Chinese and Bahamians, or Bahamian entities.

If the proposal is approved, the Government would reportedly lease, with an option to renew for additional years, some 10,000 acres of Crown Land in Andros that would be divided between the 100 companies.

Interestingly, since each of the 100 companies would feature 10 shareholders - presumably five Chinese and five Bahamian- one is curious about how the Bahamians would have been selected and who would collect the finder’s fee?

A Young Man’s View

By ADRIAN GIBSON

Mr Gray referred to the proposed agriculture and fisheries partnership as “very progressive”. He also pledged to grant each of the companies fishing licences whilst advising that actual fishing would have to be conducted by Bahamians per government policy. However, to assuage any concerns this might raise, he wrote that “foreign investors may own land and may par-

“If Mr Gray and the PLP could readily give away Crown land to the Chinese, why are thousands of Bahamians waiting to be granted Crown land leases, some of them having applied 20 or 30 years ago?” ticipate in the ownership of related land-based activities, such as processing and packaging houses for agricultural and fishing products.”

In other words, the Chinese and their Bahamian partners (presumably government cronies) will own the boats, fishing equipment and fish houses but average Bahamians will be labourers employed to go out and catch the fish.

This says a lot about what Mr Gray thinks of Bahamians! One can only assume that the Bahamians will be advised by Chinese “experts” who are well aware of how to drag literally every edible organism from the seabed.

Do we really believe that the Chinese would not want to fish aboard their fishing vessels? Surely, we haven’t forgotten the infamous Korean boat scandal and yet unanswered questions about how those Koreans obtained work permits. Those fishing boats were also based around Andros.

I

t is not lost on me that the Chinese are seeking new fishing grounds now that fish stocks in the Asian Pacific region have been depleted.

At this rate, the Chinese will have taken over our number one industry with their purchase and/ or control of Baha Mar and the British Colonial Hilton and now would be conquering our third largest economic prong agriculture and fisheries.

Their takeover is quiet and mild and is being assisted by political snake oil salesmen who are clearly causing us to become economic slaves, colonialised within our own ‘independent country’ and with no patrimony to pass on to generations yet unborn.

Interestingly, Mr Gray’s letter flies in the face of the purported rationale

THE groundbreaking for the Pointe development last year.

for the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI).

I always viewed BAMSI as a slush fund for crafty politicians pretending to be working on behalf of the Bahamian people. I’m now more convinced given that BAMSI has not produced any staple crops on a large scale - or any scale.

Could Mr Gray at least give an accounting for the quantity of pawpaw grown at BAMSI? Following the initial report on Mr Gray’s proposal, the minister issued a statement calling the report “utterly false”.

In his response, he claimed that “the government is not considering the grant of Crown land nor any other matter as set out in the article”. Frankly, the contents of his letter proves that Mr Gray flat out lied. There are no two ways about that!

The letter suggests that preliminary discussions were held and that a final draft was pending and

would require complex planning and drafting. It was a contractual offer that features key elements of a legal contract - ie parties, consideration, share acquisition and dispersal, mutuality of obligation, competency and capacity - and only awaited the Chinese Government’s acceptance.

What about your grandchildren Mr Gray? A foreign government, via corporate entities, now owns Baha Mar and the Hilton and you now want to turn over our land and our food security to this foreign government?

If Mr Gray and the PLP could readily give away Crown land to the Chinese, why are thousands of Bahamians waiting to be granted Crown land leases, some of them having applied 20 or 30 years ago?

What happened to Bahamian ownership of our economy? Wasn’t it the governing PLP who hawked themselves as be-

lieving in Bahamians?

Deputy Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis told the press that Gray’s proposal for a partnership with the Chinese for development of agriculture and fisheries in Andros was not before the government for consideration. So, was Mr Gray on a frolic of his own? Was the Cabinet unaware of his pursuits with the China? Is Mr Gray running his own little fiefdom?

Prime Minister Perry Christie, the buck stops with you. You have some explaining to do Sir! Our economic sovereignity is being thrown out of the window for a bowl of porridge and a bag of cheap Chinese fire crackers. And, no one is smiling!

If such a deal ever materialises, I would advise Bahamians to “dry” your conch now because, if the PLP and the Chinese have their way, in 20 years, conch would be an endangered species. I love

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 9

a China crisis scorch conch but at this rate, I would likely have to eat tofu (yuck), onions, sour and pepper with the tofu substituting for the conch we used to have.

What about national security concerns and spying?

After the Chinese purchased the Hilton - which is adjacent to the United States Embassy - the Americans made plans to relocate and the embassy purchased property on East Street, including the current building that houses Jones Communications. Did the US have concerns that the Chinese would spy on them from across the street?

W

ith the proposal for the Chinese to invest in Andros, what happens to the United States Navy’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) which is situated in Andros?

Weren’t the Chinese previously attempting to launch farming operations in Abaco and Andros?

Why destroy the magnificent ecosystems and splendiferous natural habitats that have become synonymous with Andros?

They are selling off our country piece by piece.

Soon, we will be called “Chinhamas”.

We don’t know the full details of all the deals with the Chinese, but clearly there is much to be discovered. Perhaps we should all learn Mandarin as a second language.

The governing party has made it a habit of selling our land to foreigners for a pittance.

It was the Christie administration that transferred 9,999 acres of Crown land in Maya-

“They are selling off our country piece by piece. Soon, we will be called “Chinhamas”.

Perhaps we should all learn Mandarin as a second language.” guana to the I-Group.

That deal was eventually renegotiated and 5,825 acres was returned. The same happened in Grand Bahama with the Ginn

Development. And then there was the giveaway of Goodman’s Bay to Sarkis Izmirlian’s earlier incarnation of Baha Mar. There are certain people who govern us who are nothing short of idiotic.

Oh wow, just look at how they are giving away my son’s birthright (it’s not even about me any more; it’s about him and my future children)! Soon, China will be making a territorial claim.

China fatigue has set in. The clandestine and sealed deals with the Chinese, by those we elected to serve us, demonstrates a lack of regard and respect for we, the electors,

MINISTER of Agriculture and Marine Resources V Alfred Gray on the BAMSI site. and the urgent need for the implementation of a robust Freedom of Information Act.

PRIME Minister Perry Christie tours the Baha Mar resort earlier this year.

The PLP does not believe in Bahamians. We must collectively put on our steel toe boots and

give them a swift kick.

Comments and responses to ajbahama@hotmail. com

PAGE 10, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

DOCUMENTS NOT READY MAN FINED $5,000 FOR DRUG POSSESSION IN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN accused of the attempted sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl will not have his case transferred to the Supreme Court until next month.

Renardo William Pinder, 25, appeared before Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes yesterday for the presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment. However,

the documents were not ready.

Pinder faces two counts of attempted sexual assault on the child. The alleged incidents occurred on June 12 and 19, 2016.

Pinder was told at his initial court appearance in June that he would not be allowed to enter a plea until he is formally arraigned before a Supreme Court judge. He is on remand at the Department of Correctional Services and will make his next court appearance on December 13.

A MAN was fined $5,000 yesterday after he pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Ovian Hanna, 21, appeared before Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes facing the charge with 21-year-old Lanez McPhee.

Hanna took responsibility for the 2lbs of marijuana allegedly found in their possession by police on October 31.

Due to his early plea of guilt and his youth, the chief magistrate fined Hanna $5,000 instead of imposing a custodial sentence for a crime that could have seen Hanna receive a $50,000 fine and/or seven years imprisonment.

However, Chief Magistrate Forbes said if Hanna does not pay the $5,000 penalty, he will spend 15 months at the Department of Correctional Services.

Hanna was also arraigned on a count each of possession of an

unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

It is alleged that on October 31, he was found with a Keltec Luger 9mm pistol and four bullets for the weapon.

Hanna pleaded not guilty to the charges and was told that he would stand trial on February 10, 2017.

Supt Ercell Dorsett said the prosecution will proceed with trial against McPhee, who denied the drug charge.

He, too, will stand trial next February.

BETA Beta Lambda chapter members Trevor Johnson, Lynden Brown, Travis Munroe (President), Clifford Adderley (Treasurer) and Jon Montpetitt (Vice President) with the Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson at the awards ceremony.

COB PHI BETA SIGMA IS ‘YOUTH ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR’

BETA Beta Lambda Treasurer 2016 Clifford Adderley, BTC CEO Leon Williams, Beta Beta Lambda President 2016 Travis Munroe, and Founding President of Bahamas National Youth Council Tyson McKenzie at the awards ceremony. Photos: Kenton Hepburn/Unseen Media.

BETA Beta Lambda President 2016 Travis Munroe and Founding President of Bahamas National Youth Council Tyson McKenzie at the awards ceremony.

THE College of the Bahamas (COB) chapter of Phi Beta Sigma has been named as youth organisation of the year during Youth Month activities by the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture.

The award is given to the youth organisation that embodies best practices along with significant achievement in the community.

The committee, while judging the nominees, looked at the organization’s body of work over the past three years.

“This chapter has been making a serious push to impacting the community and not just the college community but the community at large,” Beta Beta Lambda chapter president Travis Munroe said.

“We seek to find every way to embrace our international motto of ‘Culture for Service, Service for Humanity’.”

The chapter provides programming on the COB campus in the form of seminars, service and outreach.

The chapter focuses on the

three programmatic thrusts of the international fraternity: social action, bigger better business and education.

The chapter provides annually more than 1,200 hours of community service to the college community and the community at large with events designed to educate, promote entrepreneurship, educational importance, poverty awareness, HIV/ AIDS awareness and others.

The chapter has become the benchmark of model community organisation, having won the regional distinction of chapter of the year in the fraternity (2015), runner-up in 2014, and Organisation of the Year at COB two years in a row (2014-15, 2015-16).

“This award is huge for the chapter that has systematically made strides in bringing about change in the community,” said 2015 chapter

president Javon Rolle.

“This chapter has been working to be the best not only at COB but also regionally in the fraternity but now nationally in the Bahamas.”

The 2014 president of the chapter Mick Massaar pointed out that, since his term, the chapter has welcomed 20 new members and has become an organisation of “scholarship and service with a balance of fun”.

“In the grand scheme of things, I wouldn’t want to think we do things simply to receive rewards,” he said, “but we see ourselves as a group of young men trying to make ourselves and the community around us a better place.”

The Beta Beta Lambda chapter was the first black Greek-lettered organisation chartered on the campus and is celebrating 11 years of existence this weekend.

ANNUITANT VERIFICATION As part of its verica�on of benets procedure, Colina Insurance Limited requires all recipients of annuity payments to produce evidence of their con�nuing eligibility to receive such payments twice each year – during the months of May and November.

To be veried during the month of November 2016, annuitants must visit any of the following Colina loca�ons and be veried by one of our Customer Service Representa�ves: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

21 Collins Avenue 56 Collins Avenue Rose�a Street Carmichael Road (Walk‐In Medical Clinic bldg) 12 Village Road Carter Street, Oakes Field (The Nassau Guardian bldg) East Mall & Poinciana Drive (Freeport) Don McKay Boulevard. (Marsh Harbour) Turnquest Star Plaza (George Town)

Clients may also visit CFAL (308 East Bay St., 3rd Fl.) The following documents must be presented at �me of verica�on: ■ ■

Annuity card, and Valid Passport, Drivers License, or Voters Card

Annuitants residing outside of The Bahamas, or those who are unable to visit our offices physically may download the Life Cer�cate Form from the Company’s website, www.colina.com, complete it, have it validated by a Notary Public and delivered to our office at the address below.

Colina Insurance Limited 21 Collins Avenue, P. O. Box N‐4728 Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas Annuitants who fail to verify on or before November 30, 2016 will have their payments suspended un�l such �me as this process is completed. Should you require addi�onal informa�on, please contact our Customer Service Centre at 356‐8300.

‘Colina’ and the Colina Globe are Registered Trademarks of Colina Insurance Limited

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 11

PM OPENS INTER-AMERICAN DRUG CONFERENCE

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday launched the 60th Regular Session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, a regional forum to discuss ways to combat both drug trafficking and abuse in the Western Hemisphere.

Delivering the keynote address for the two-day conference at the Atlantis, Paradise Island resort, Mr Christie said the issue of drug trafficking is of utmost importance for his administration, given this country’s geographical setup and how it lends itself to being a “major transshipment point.”

Nonetheless, he highlighted this country’s efforts to align its current and future anti-drug strategies with the efforts of InterAmerican Drug Abuse Control (CICAD) in combatting the regional issue.

“This is indeed another example of the level of leadership and serious commitment put forth by the government of the Bahamas, to improve collaborative efforts at the regional and hemispheric levels,” he said.

“It is clear that effectively combatting the world’s drug problem with its myriad of challenges, requires multilateral approaches and pooling of resources.

“Due to the geographical location and the archipe-

DELEGATES at the Inauguration Ceremony of the 60th Regular Session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), which opened yesterday at Atlantis, Paradise Island. Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS lagic makeup of our islands and cays, covered with the vast expanse of our territorial waters, our country is used as a major transshipment point. As a result, for us in the Bahamas, interdiction efforts continue to be a critical aspect of our strategy to ensure that our nation remains safe and tranquil.”

CICAD is an arm of the Organization of the American States that deals with drug control matters at the hemispheric level. The meeting attracts 250 del-

egates from some 34 countries throughout North and South America and the Caribbean.

According to CICAD’s website, the commission’s core mission is to “enhance the human and institutional capacities of its member states to reduce the production, trafficking and use of illegal drugs, and to address the health, social and criminal consequences of the drug trade.”

The conference ends on Friday.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

WOMAN FATALLY SHOT IN BOSTON HAD JUST MOVED TO US FROM HAITI BOSTON (AP) — A Haitian community says a woman shot and killed in Boston had moved to the United States from Haiti just three months ago.

The Boston Police Department on Tuesday identified 36-year-old Benine Timothee as the victim of

the Saturday afternoon shooting.

Police say Timothee was shot while walking down a street in the Dorchester neighborhood. She died at a hospital.

A teenage boy was also wounded by the gunfire but survived.

No arrests have been made.

Victoria Fleury of the Association for Haitian Women in Boston says Timothee had moved to Massachusetts from Les Cayes, Haiti, to be reunited with her husband, who had lived in Boston for several years.

PAGE 12, Thursday, November 3, 2016 FROM PAGE THREE opment specifically and other efficiency considerations,” the report noted.

“One such contractor identified was a Mr Terry Delancy, Virgo Construction, who was allocated at least nine contracts and Mr Deshawn Thompson who was allocated 11 contracts. Mr Allen indicated that it was never made clear to the URC the rationale used for departing from the allocation policy.

“Mr Allen was forced to concede that homes that were obviously derelict and unoccupied should not have been the subject of SHR contracts. For example, a home on Royal Palm Street that was plainly abandoned and had no windows somehow received a new roof under the programme.”

Procedures for securing approval for SHR in excess of $10,000 were also found to be “lax at best” but more appropriately classified as negligent, the report said.

This was proven in the testimony of URC Permanent Secretary Diana Lightbourne.

“PS Lightbourne revealed that in some instances a single home was the subject of multiple contracts that collectively amounted to more than $10,000. These contracts were allowed to proceed without the approval of the deputy prime minister despite this contravening estab-

THE TRIBUNE

PAC REPORT SLAMS URBAN RENEWAL

HUBERT CHIPMAN, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. lished protocol.

“PS Lightbourne was unable to provide the PAC with adequate explanation of the control errors that allowed these multiple contracts in relation to a single home, which individually did not exceed the $10,000 threshold but collectively far exceeded it and in some cases totalled in excess of $30,000.

MINISTER ACCUSES THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE OF BIAS FROM PAGE THREE tioned in evidence before it, were ignored and dismissed.”

He further insisted that there were guidelines in place for the awarding of SHR contracts.

“As per government’s policy, members of Parliament submit priority lists with the names of homeowners in their respective constituencies and with recommended contractors to effect house repairs through the parliamentary secretary for the deputy prime minister for approval/ratification.

“The deputy prime minister consults with the Urban Renewal Commission co-chairs. The deputy prime minister approves house repairs exceeding $10,000 and the co-chairs are authorised to approve house repairs with a value up to $10,000,” his report said.

“Social workers attached to Urban Renewal are asked to conduct social history on homeowners who are recommended for house repairs.”

“The deputy prime minister and minister of works and urban development has the authority and the discretion in the number of contracts awarded. It was determined that it was desirable, however, that as many small contractors as possible be afforded work in the Small Home Repairs Programme.

“It has been proven that no abandoned houses were repaired on Royal Palm Street - another glaring error cited in the report. The homeowner asked for assistance with roof repairs only and undertook to complete other needed repairs to his home.”

Regarding Co-Chairs Algernon Allen and Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, Mr Gibson said they were both well aware of their duties.

“As Urban Renewal Commission Co-Chair, Mr Allen is fully cognisant of his role. He promotes and markets the Urban Renewal 2.0 programme and superintends all activities of the URC, including the SHR. It is well attested that Co-Chair Allen expends more than twice his government stipend in promotion of the Urban Renewal programmes and has provided endless financial support through necessary gifts to cover various operational exercises within Urban Renewal,” the minority report noted.

“Furthermore, Mr Allen’s role as an Urban Renewal Commission co-chair is far from ceremonial as he promotes and markets the Urban Renewal 2.0 programme and superintends the Urban Renewal projects and programmes in New Providence.”

“Notwithstanding that he is not an executive cochair as, almost on a daily basis, he is in contact with Co-Chair Pratt, the permanent secretary, deputy director, and other members of staff discussing issues related to Urban Renewal and approving funds for Urban Renewal events and activities. In fact, Co-Chair Allen is so intimately involved in Urban Renewal that his staff at his private law office serves willingly as an extension to the Urban Renewal Commission.

“The picture painted of Mr Algernon Allen by the Public Accounts Committee’s Majority Report is insulting as it questions whether he is a functioning co-chair and is entitled to a stipend of $52,000 per annum. It is well noted that Mr Allen gives to various charities across the length and breadth of the nation,” Mr Gibson’s report noted.

“Following the review of several projects in excess of $10,000, which should require individual sign off by the minister, the PAC was unable to locate evidence of a sign off by the minister.

“In a subsequent interview session, PS Lightbourne produced an undated document, purporting the same to be a blanket approval issued by the minister giving approval to a number of repairs. When questioned as to when that document was signed, as it did not exist prior to the last interview session, PS Lightbourne admitted that the list was signed off by the minister just three days prior to the interview.

“Questioned as to the appropriateness of blanket approvals versus the sign off of individual projects as is the indicated policy, PS Lightbourne could give no satisfactory answer.”

The presentation of this report was delayed five times, Mr Chipman told Parliament, as he lamented the difficulty the PAC encountered to receive the necessary information and documents needed to complete its probe.

“As chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, this has to be

the most frustrating experience in my professional career,” he said.

“Mr Speaker, I now know how the government and its agencies work.

This committee has been taken to task on social media over the last few years and I must say rightly so.

This is the age where people are expecting more accountability from the government.

“Mr Speaker, during the last few years I began to ask myself, are we serious in this country? We have been challenged because we have not been able to have meetings because of a quorum, lack of information from various ministries on a timely basis, lack of resources, such as stenographers and the disruption to the committees for four months.

“Mr Speaker this report has been completed since January. Mr Speaker, we cannot continue in this vein.”

The report also noted that there was no competitive bidding for the home repair contracts and the contractors were not required to have proof of all-risk insurance.

The PAC also highlighted concerns with the Urban Renewal Foundation.

“The PAC finds this foundation

programme highly irregular as funds are solicited on behalf of programmes managed and sponsored

by URC. As such it is the PAC’s considered opinion that it does fall within the ambit of the Financial Administration and Audit Act and is subject to audit by the Auditor General.

“The foundation’s accounts had not been audited up to the time of the auditor general’s review.

“The PAC noted that the foundation’s auditor is Grant Thornton and that this firm’s Managing Partner Paul Andy Gomez is also a member of the foundation’s board.

“This is a clear conflict of interest in contravention of the rules on audit engagements under International Auditing Standards followed by the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants of which, Mr Gomez is a member.”

The PAC’s members included Mr Chipman, FNM St Anne’s MP, Peter Turnquest, FNM East Grand Bahama MP, Richard Lightbourn, FNM Montagu MP, Shane Gibson, PLP MP for Golden Gates and Ryan Pinder, PLP Elizabeth MP. Both government MPs refused to sign off on the PAC’s report.

ASUE DRAW & SPIN OPTS NOT TO REVIEW PROVISIONAL LICENCE FROM PAGE ONE licences has come to an end. This was the final step in the process of regularising the web shop industry.

The licences will be officially issued by November 11 to seven of the eight companies who were previously given a provisional licence.

“Asue Draw’s decision to not file an application for renewal of the provisional licence was made by the company,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “The company will have to explain its reasons.

Their decision indicates that they have withdrawn from the business. We will allow for a seven-day period before beginning the

process to fill the opening.

“What we are most proud of is that all of the companies, including Asue Draw, had become certified and compliant with the applicable technical standards imposed by the Gaming Act. What that means is that all the houses have cleared the final major regulatory hurdle in the regularisation process.

“The certifications were issued after exhaustive testing by BMM Testlabs or Gaming Laboratories,” he said.

Representatives of Asue Draw & Spin could not be reached for comment yesterday.

FROM PAGE ONE “This is also an indication that Cooper is not a fit and proper person for a probationary sentence since he has not demonstrated that he can be trusted to be free in society without being involved in criminal activities. Society ought to be protected from Cooper and incarceration is the most suitable means of preventing Cooper from committing further offences.”

Justice Watkins said the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating ones in Cooper’s case for the court the “depart from the established practice of imposing a term of imprisonment for an offence involving the use of a firearm.”

“I am of the view that a custodial sentence is appropriate in order to prevent further commission of offences against unsuspecting and vulnerable members of society,” Justice Watkins stressed.

The judge expressed hope that Cooper would be rehabilitated given his age and “be afforded an opportunity to receive academic and vocational training so as to improve his prospects of securing gainful employment upon his release.”

During his trial, the nine-member panel heard testimony from Kanya Rolle who testified that Cooper was the café’s first customer for the day when the eatery opened at 10am.

FROM PAGE ONE the remaining $13.3 million.

He said the government will also get a “five-year holiday” and will not have to begin repaying the loan until five years after the date of execution. The payments will be made in 48 equal quarterly instalments.

Mr Halkitis said the scope of the project involves pre-investment studies, the acquisition of land in certain islands for the execution of the project, a public health and education awareness programme as well as the upgrade of the supply and distribution systems in New Providence,

Although the final regulatory step for issuing licenses is now complete, Mr Wilchcombe said the government will focus now on being vigilant in ensuring that web shops adhere to zoning rules.

“A core concern for the government is and will remain preventing undue proliferation of gaming houses,” he said. “As now legitimate members of our business community, we want them to be successful but we do not want them to dominate the landscape.

This is why we will diligently enforce the zoning regulations. We will also put in place a moratorium.”

It is unclear if web shop operators are aware that the final regulatory step to obtain licences is complete.

FML Group of Companies CEO Craig Flowers said yesterday that he had not heard the news. However, his company paid its renewal fee for its provisional licence on November 1, the day it was due. The cost was $1.7 million.

He described the requirements of web shops as they awaited the official licence as highly burdensome. “We barely got by,” he said, adding he would not be surprised if one of the other companies could not make it in the sector.

MAN GETS NINE YEAR SENTENCE

He asked Ms Rolle if orange juice was sold at the store. The worker told him no. Cooper then asked for lemonade.

Ms Rolle turned around to prepare the lemonade when Cooper jumped over the counter, pointed a handgun, which he had taken from his pocket, at her and demanded cash.

The employee removed a “baby wipe” container from a cupboard and gave Cooper $16. Cooper left the store and when Ms Rolle rushed to lock the door, Cooper re-entered.

Ms Rolle became afraid and ran away from Cooper who then left the store.

The employee later realised that two cellular phones belonging to her were missing.

Cooper’s lawyer, in his plea in mitigation, asked the court to exercise leniency in sentencing his client, expressing the view that probation would be both beneficial to someone his age and also serve as a form of punishment.

The lawyer also stressed that notwithstanding his client’s expulsion from school, Cooper had held steady employment afterwards and attended church with his mother and grandmother with whom he lived before his arrest.

He also said that his client intended

to continue his education upon release from prison.

The prosecution disagreed with probation as an appropriate form of punishment, stressing Cooper’s lack of remorse and the prevalence of armed robberies plaguing Bahamian communities.

“Taking into account the relevant provisions of the statute law cited above as well as the mitigating and aggravating factors mentioned above, I therefore sentence Cooper to a term of nine years imprisonment at the Department of Correctional Services at Fox Hill, in New Providence, commencing October 31, 2016,” Justice Watkins ruled yesterday.

“Officials at the Department of Correctional Services have confirmed that Cooper has spent a period of approximately two years and seven months on remand between April 7, 2014 and October 31, 2016. The time spent on remand will therefore be deducted from the sentence of nine years,” the judge added.

Cooper will effectively serve 77 months (six years, five months) in prison.

Eucal Bonaby and Stephanie Pintard prosecuted the case for the Crown.

GOVT TO BORROW $28.3 MILLION TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY Crooked Island, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Long Island, San Salvador and South Andros.

He also defended the government’s need to borrow the money, telling members in the House that water is essential.

“Water is a necessity, it is far from a luxury. Good, clean healthy water is a necessity and to give people access to it, it is an indication of human development, it enhances property value, and it

improves peoples lives,” Mr Halkitis said.

“We will be able to provide water for communities that really need it. I expect during the debate, I am sure members will be able to testify on the long suffering of their constituents. My constituency will also be affected; works are underway in Coral Lakes and Boatswain where no water infrastructure has been in place. When you look at the amount of funds that we are

borrowing, it is a relatively small amount.

“We believe that the terms are very attractive with the five-year payment holiday, it shows that the government of the Bahamas, contrary to what you may hear, is still able to access funds at very favourable terms. This loan also gives us the opportunity to do this work now. We can have access to the funds to bring relief to many, many people.”

The government has been heavily criticised by the FNM for its spending and borrowing habits.

Last month, after the government tabled a resolution to borrow $150 million to help cover the cost of relief efforts after the passage of Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Joaquin, FNM Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said he was concerned about the Christie administration taking on further debt.

“Our government brags about taking home $600 million in VAT, some $200 million more than budgeted, yet the debt has not gone down and they still have cash flow problems,” Mr Turnquest said previously.

“If you look at the budget, there’s all kinds of contingency allocations for every department. Why can’t we use that money? To go out and borrow more money, in the absence of alternatives, is one way to do it,” he said.

The Central Bank’s latest quarterly report disclosed that total public sector debt was a mammoth $7.604 billion, a sum equivalent to more than 90 per cent of national economic output (GDP).

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 13

CIVIC LEADERS SAY NEED FOR GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY IS ‘CRITICAL’ WITH donations pouring in from around the world in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the need for transparency and accountability is critical if the Bahamas is to remain a reputable recipient of international beneficence, a group of civic leaders said yesterday.

“Never has the need for transparency been greater,” said Joseph Darville, Chairman of environmental advocacy organisation Save The Bays.

“Since Hurricane Matthew, we have had many offers of assistance. We explain the needs, how many homes are without roofs, how many families have been displaced, how many businesses cannot open their doors because they were flooded and lost everything.

“But what we cannot explain when asked is who is overseeing efforts and what is the level of accountability?

“Donated goods come in but without a transparent government reinforced by Freedom of Information legislation, we cannot offer potential donors of large sums the comfort that we have legislation that would allow the public to see how funds were spent if we submitted a request.”

The aftermath of the storm that levelled parts of Grand Bahama, Lowe’s Sound, Andros and damaged much of the southern shores of New Providence rekindled the push for strong freedom of information legislation.

Save The Bays is one of 17

“Donated goods come in but without a transparent government reinforced by Freedom of Information legislation, we cannot offer potential donors of large sums the comfort that we have legislation that would allow the public to see how funds were spent if we submitted a request.”

Joseph Darville, Chairman of Save The Bays professional, civil society, environmental and business organisations that joined forces to push for the legislation.

Government had promised to table a revised Freedom of Information Bill this month but postponed, blaming the delay on the storm.

Attorney Lemarque Campbell, president of Citizens for a Better Bahamas, said the cloud of secrecy that surrounds closed door deals and contract awards must end.

“There are only a handful of countries in the world in which the citizenry has no legislated rights to know what the government does,” Mr Campbell said. “Unfortunately, that handful of countries that favours secrecy over transparency still includes the Bahamas. But I am confident that with all of our voices calling for true freedom of information we

DAMAGE to the South Beach area after Hurricane Matthew. will get there. We just have to keep up the fight and not give up.”

The groups that united over freedom of information also submitted comments on the draft bill along with several recommendations.

Among the most important were an independent Information Commissioner with its own fixed budget and whistleblower protection Others, including Organization for Responsible Government, are also lobbying for an ombudsman to liaise on behalf of the public, campaign finance reform and access to procurement contract processes.

The 17 groups calling for true freedom of information represent thousands. They include Citizens for a Better Bahamas, The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer’s Confederation, Bahamas Federation of Retailers, We The People, The Abaco Chamber of Commerce, Save The Bays, The Nassau Institute, reEarth, Organization for Responsible Governance, HeadKnowles, Grand Bahama Human Rights Association, Waterkeepers Bahamas, The Bahamas Press Club, Our Carmichael, It’s Our Turn and Young Marine Explorers.

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PERFECTING THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICE JAN 16 - APR 3 | MONDAYS | 6PM - 8:30PM

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PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTING 1 JAN 21 - APR 8 | SATURDAYS | 9AM - 12PM

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COMPTIA IT FUNDAMENTALS JAN 16 - FEB 22 | MON & WED | 6PM - 8:30PM

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QUICKBOOKS PROFESSIONAL JAN 16 - APR 3 | MONDAYS | 6PM - 9PM

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GRAPHIC DESIGN IN PHOTOSHOP JAN 21 - APR 8 | SATURDAYS | 9PM - 12PM

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COMPTIA A+ JAN 17 - FEB 23 | TUE & THU | 6PM - 9PM

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CERTIFIED LEGAL ASSISTANT 1 JAN 16 - APR 5 | MON & WED | 6PM - 8:30PM

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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE & COMMUNICATION JAN 19 - APR 6 | THURSDAYS | 6PM - 8:30PM

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70-411 - ADMIN. WINDOWS SERVER 2012 JAN 18 - APR 5 | WEDNESDAYS | 6PM - 9PM

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GRAPHIC DESIGN IN ILLUSTRATOR JAN 17 - APR 4 | TUESDAYS | 6PM - 9PM

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CERTIFIED IT SUPPORT TECHNICIAN BEGINS JAN 16 | MON & WED | 6PM - 8:30PM

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PUBLIC SPEAKING FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS JAN 18 - APR 5 | WEDNESDAYS | 6PM - 8:30PM

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PAGE 14, Thursday, November 3, 2016

JENNIFER ISAACS-DOTSON ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE CARIBBEAN CONGRESS OF LABOUR VETERAN Bahamian trade union leader Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson has been elected as President of The Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), the regional trade union of national workers organisations.

Ms Isaacs-Dotson presently serves as both President of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas and General Secretary of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB).

She is also a member of the National Tripartite Council and a board member of The Bahamas Development Bank.

Minister of Labour and National Insurance, Shane

JENNIFER Isaacs-Dotson Gibson, said Ms Isaacs-Dotson was well qualified to lead the CCL “given her leadership skills and experience”.

In congratulating and wishing her well, he described the leadership role as “prestigious and important”.

The CCL is a regional trade union of national workers’ organisations from 13 states and three non-metropolitan territories of the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Curacao, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Marten, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.

“Ms Isaacs-Dotson’s election to the position as head of the Caribbean Trade Union Movement in the region is an indication of the quality of labour leaders in our

beloved Bahamaland and speaks volumes of her ability and the level of respect the Bahamas trade union movement has earned in the region,” Mr Gibson said.

John Pinder, President of NCTUB, led the Bahamian delegation to the 19th Triennial Meeting of the CCL in Antigua last month at which Ms Isaacs-Dotson was elected. It was held under the theme ‘Strengthen CCL in the Struggle for Workers Rights and Freedom in the Changing Global Environment.’

The delegates also included First Vice President of NCTUB, Theresa Mortimer, and Stepheno Green.

THE TRIBUNE

NHI BEGINS HIRING PROCESS THE National Health Insurance Secretariat has started the initial hiring process for individuals, as it prepare for phase two of NHI Bahamas, enrolment, according to an official press release.

“The secretariat is seeking qualified candidates to join this exciting new organisation and be part of the team making modern, affordable and accessible health care a reality for all legal Bahamian residents,” the press release said.

Approximately 30 positions in administrative and clerical, professional and technical, and management roles will be filled in the next three to five months.

The secretariat is currently advertising to hire five persons in the first round of recruitment. All of the vacancies require individuals who are results and actionoriented and are accustomed to working in a fast paced, collaborative environment. Strong communication and computer skills are a must, the secretariat said.

Recruits will be hired to work in the areas of finance and accounting, legal, policy, human resources, facilities, information and communications technology and health benefits.

More information on NHI Bahamas, as well as full job descriptions and instructions on how to apply can be found at www.nhibahamas.gov.bs.

VISAGE perform on the Junkanoo Carnival stage.

MIAMI TO NASSAU CRUISE PLANNED FOR CARNIVAL AN all-inclusive weekend cruise from Miami to Nassau is being promoted for a second year to help attract crowds to the 2017 Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.

The Bahamas Carnival Cruise package includes a four-day, three-night cruise from Miami on board the Carnival Victory, along with a VIP Carnival Package that contains a carnival costume, souvenir, ground transportation and more.

BlueMonkey Bahamas is offering the weekend cruise that it hopes would attract even more persons, including budget conscious partygoers, to Nassau for the Carnival weekend of My 5 to 8.

BlueMonkey Bahamas principals Stephan Rolle and Crystal Bleasdell said: “The Bahamas Carnival Cruise adds another method for people to get to Nassau for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and that is our goal, to get more people to visit the Bahamas and participate in Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.

“For many, cost is the major factor in deciding when and where to travel and travel

isn’t cheap.

“For Bahamas Carnival weekend, airfare, hotel and ground transportation could easily cost over $750 per person, and that’s not even including the price of a carnival costume.

“So what we were able to do is create a cost effective package that includes transportation to Nassau, accommodations on the luxurious Carnival Victory, a carnival costume all for under $750. You really can’t beat that.”

The 2017 cruise will be the second year that BlueMonkey Bahamas offers its Bahamas Carnival Cruise and according to Ms Bleasdell, the support and interest thus far has grown tremendously.

“The interest has been spectacular.

We’ve gotten calls and emails from all over the Caribbean and the United States, we’ve completed several bookings so far with the majority being from persons that sailed with us for the 2016 cruise.”

For more information, visit www.bahamascarnivalcruise.com.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IRAQI FORCES CONSOLIDATE THEIR GAINS IN EASTERN MOSUL MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi special forces mopping up in territory seized in eastern Mosul killed eight Islamic State militants Wednesday as residents fled to safety from nearby areas and men shaved the beards they were forced to grow while the extremists were in control.

In the easternmost district of Gogjali, shops were boarded up, with some reduced to burned-out shells. Families stood in their doorways, some holding white flags, while children flashed the “V’’ for victory sign to the passing troops. A few women ululated in celebration as columns of vehicles passed.

Consolidating the gains in the area lays the groundwork for the troops’ next stage of operation: entering Mosul’s more urban central neighborhoods, a densely built-up zone likely to contain booby traps and roadside bombs.

That could mean house-tohouse combat and might take weeks, if not months, with the city center about 10 kilometres (6 miles) away.

The area’s deputy “emir” was sprawled on a central street, shot and killed by soldiers when he tried to approach them in an explosivesladen vest. Residents watched as the body, clad in a military uniform, was dragged away past an Abrams tank.

A man the troops identified as the deputy’s superior was arrested and taken away in a military vehicle. He wore Afghan-style clothing popular among jihadis and a red

kaffiyeh.

Six other militants were killed in a tunnel in the neighborhood, said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi of the Iraqi special forces, speaking in an interview with The Associated Press.

For Hassan Hussein, a 22-year-old father of two, the day marked a fresh start.

“Today I feel like a new man, especially after shaving for the first time in two years,” he said. “My face feels cold!”

The Islamic State group enforces a strict code on public dress and appearance in territory it controls, with men required to have long beards, and women ordered to wear a niqab — a face covering and full-body veil over their clothes, under threat of lashings and fines.

Hundreds of civilians cleared out of the adjacent neighborhood of al-Samah, some carrying white flags.

The women still wore the niqab, although many had removed their face veils and one took off the full-body covering entirely.

The men retained their long beards.

Special forces went house to house in Gogjali throughout the day, while sappers searched the road for any explosives left behind by the jihadis. Only sporadic gunfire and artillery could be heard.

Gen. Abdul-Ghani al-Asadi, commander of the counterterrorism forces, said a curfew had been imposed in the neighborhood.

THE TRIBUNE

SIR DURWARD KNOWLES

CELEBRATES

99TH BIRTHDAY

THE BAHAMAS’ first Olympic gold medal winner enjoys a celebration luncheon with family and friends at Montagu Gardens Restaurant yesterday.

PHOTOS Shawn Hanna

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 15

PAGE 16, Thursday, November 3, 2016

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS MOSCOW OFFICE SEALED OFF BY OFFICIALS MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow authorities have sealed off the Russia office of human rights group Amnesty International, the group’s director in Russia said Wednesday.

Amnesty International Russia Director Sergei Nikitin said employees found the office door broken and fitted with new locks when they arrived at work on Wednesday morning.

Photographs showed the office door sealed up with an official notice from Moscow city authorities.

Amnesty International said in a statement that the alarm system and electricity supply to the office appeared to have been switched off.

The Moscow government’s property department told television channel Dozhd that Amnesty International’s rental contract had expired and that any staff members who re-entered the premises would be breaking the law.

Amnesty International has rented the office from the Moscow city government for over 20 years and was always punctual paying rent and utility bills, Nikitin said.

“Given the current climate for civil society work in Russia, there are clearly any number of plausible explanations, but it’s too early to draw any conclusions,” Amnesty International’s Europe and Cen-

tral Asia Director John Dalhuisen said in a statement.

Human rights organisations in Russia have complained of being subject to official pressure in recent years, including intimidation of their staffs and legislation regulating the operation of non-governmental organizations.

In a public statement issued Tuesday, Amnesty International in Russia protested the treatment of imprisoned opposition activist Ildar Dadin, who has accused prison guards of torturing him.

Amnesty International also has been highly critical of the Kremlin over Russia’s yearlong bombing campaign in Syria.

THE TRIBUNE

THE OFFICE of Amnesty International is sealed by Moscow city authorities in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday. The Moscow office of human rights group Amnesty International, rented by the group from the Moscow city government for over 20 years, was officially sealed up overnight by Russian authorities. (AP)

PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT SAYS HE’LL CONSIDER STICKING WITH US WEAPONS SUAL, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he’ll consider continuing to acquire weapons and defence equipment from treaty ally the United States if his military recommends so, despite offers from China and Russia.

Duterte made the remark in a speech in which he again railed at the U.S. with expletives for criticizing his deadly anti-drug crackdown, calling American officials “monkeys” and breaking a promise that he would no longer resort to trash talk.

Duterte, who took office in June, has been antagonistic to U.S., EU and U.N. officials who have raised human rights concerns over his brutal crackdown on illegal drug sellers and users and called for an end to extrajudicial killings.

He has used expletives in responding to their criticisms, telling President Barack Obama to

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte (AP) “go to hell” in an outburst last month. He has declared his intention to scale back his country’s military engagements with Washington, including ending largescale joint combat exercises and the presence of visiting U.S. forces, while reaching out to expand

once-frosty relations with China and Russia.

U.S. officials, however, say they have not been formally notified by the Philippines of any change in security relations and activities and stress that Washington wants to continue its decades-long alliance with Manila.

Asked about Duterte’s latest tirade, State Department spokesman John Kirby said it was inexplicably at odds with the close relationship that the U.S. continues to have with the Philippine government and people.

He said that in a democracy, government “doesn’t rest on the shoulders of just one individual.”

“There are long standing relationships that we have nurtured over the years with figures in his government, and those relationships are still there, and they’re still vibrant,” Kirby told reporters, adding that the U.S. remains committed to developing a good

working relationship with Duterte himself.

Duterte said he has asked his defence secretary and military officials to travel to China and Russia to check what weapons and defence equipment they have to offer, but added that the military’s recommendation will be crucial.

“China is open. Anything you want.

“They even sent me a brochure, telling me to choose and they will provide,” Duterte said.

“I’m just holding off because I’m looking at the military,” he said. “If you want to stick with America, fine, but assess it well and find a balance because we are being ridiculed.”

The brash president traveled to a wharf in Sual town in the northwestern province of Pangasinan to lead a poignant send-off ceremony for 17 Vietnamese fishermen who were arrested last month for poaching in local waters. The

complaints were dropped after the Vietnamese said a typhoon forced their three boats toward the northern Philippines and that they had no intention of poaching.

Duterte said his Vietnamese counterpart appealed for the fishermen’s release and Wednesday’s ceremony — in which he shook hands with the fishermen and handed each a bag filled with food, a raincoat and toiletries — showed how Asians resolve problems.

“Vietnam drove the Americans away in humiliation,” Duterte said, using the ceremony to criticise U.S. actions that he said brought countries like Iraq, Syria and Libya to chaos and civil strife.

“I have good impressions of America but the problem is I have lost my respect, that’s why I’m bad-mouthing them,” he said.

“These Americans never learned their lesson with their interventions.”

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 17

TRUMP CAMPAIGNING IN STRETCH LIKE IT ALL DEPENDS ON FLORIDA PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — With the turbulent White House race scrambled in new directions, Donald Trump is campaigning with rare discipline like his presidential campaign hinges on one all-too-familiar swing state: Florida. “’Stay on point, Donald, stay on point,’” the Republican nominee, in Pensacola, teasingly quoted his staff as saying. “No sidetracks, Donald. Nice and easy.

Nice and easy.’”

There was late action Wednesday in such unlikely arenas as Arizona and Michigan, too — and in North Carolina, where President Barack Obama tried to energise black support for Hillary Clinton.

But Trump marched ahead in his third multi-day visit to the Sunshine State in recent weeks.

The Republican nominee lashed out at “Crooked Hillary” in Miami, predict-

US ELECTION ing that a Clinton victory would trigger an “unprecedented and protracted constitutional crisis” as federal investigators probe the former secretary of state’s email practices. But Trump did not take the bait dangled by the Clinton campaign about his treatment of women.

Conceding nothing in the state, Clinton has also been a frequent visitor.

She posed for pictures and shook hands during a surprise visit to a South Florida Caribbean-American neighborhood Wednesday morning.

Both sides agree the New York businessman has virtually no chance to win the presidency without Florida’s trove of 29 electoral votes. Clinton has been ahead there in opinion polls, but Democrats acknowledge that the

Friday October 28 - Saturday December 24, 2016

House & Spray

We can computer colour match:

“We don’t want to blow this. We gotta win. We gotta win big.”

Donald Trump FBI’s renewed attention to her has helped rally reluctant Republicans behind their nominee. That’s given Trump an enthusiasm boost in Florida and across Midwestern battlegrounds long considered reliably blue territory.

“I’m definitely nervous,” said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat. “Democrats in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, if you heard it was over, if you thought those states were in the bag, don’t believe it.”

Perhaps heeding Rendell’s warning, Clinton’s team is devoting new resources to states like Michigan, which hasn’t supported a Republican presidential nominee in nearly three decades.

Former President Bill Clinton was making an unannounced appearance in Detroit Wednesday night to meet privately with black ministers, the city’s mayor and other local leaders.

While Hillary Clinton had two appearances Wednesday in Republican-leaning Arizona, she planned to spend part of Friday in Detroit as well.

At the same time, a proClinton super PAC was spending more than $1 million on Michigan airwaves along with at least $1 million more in Colorado, another state where Clinton has enjoyed a significant polling advantage for much of the fall.

Early voting numbers in some states suggest that her challenge stems, at least in part, from underwhelming support from AfricanAmerican voters. Weak minority support could complicate her path in other states, too, including North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Early voting in North Carolina shows a 5 percentage point drop in ballots from black voters from 2012.

Obama, the nation’s first black president, offered an urgent message to North Carolina voters on Wednesday: “The fate of the Republic rests on your shoulders.”

REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a campaign stop in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday. (AP)

DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets members of the audience after speaking at a rally at the Plumbers and Pipe fitters Local 525 Union Hall in Las Vegas, Wednesday. (AP) He also criticized Trump’s history of sexist comments and his initial reluctance to disavow white supremacists. They continue to rally behind the Republican nominee, though he rejects that support.

“If you accept the support of Klan sympathisers,” Obama said, “then you’ll tolerate that support when you’re in office.”

At the same time, Clinton allies are speaking directly to black voters in a new advertising campaign running in Ohio, North Carolina and Florida. The ad from the pro-Clinton Priorities USA shows white Trump supporters screaming at and pushing black protesters, along with Obama warning that voters would lose “everything” if Trump wins.

As the final-days scramble for votes intensifies, Florida remains perhaps

the nation’s most critical swing state.

The Trump campaign knows there is no realistic path to the White House without Florida, where polls give Clinton a narrow lead. The New York businessman campaigned in three Florida cities Wednesday — Miami, Orlando and Pensacola — and will follow up with a stop in Jacksonville on Thursday.

“We don’t want to blow this,” he told rowdy supporters in Miami. “We gotta win. We gotta win big.”

While Trump has devoted perhaps his most valuable resource — his time — to Florida, Clinton has built a powerful ground game, backed by a dominant media presence, that dwarfs her opponent’s. The Democratic nominee has more than doubled Trump’s investment in Florida television ads. Overall, the state

has been deluged with $125 million in general election advertising — by far the most of any state.

Clinton, unlike Trump, can also afford to lose here.

Even with national polls narrowing, the Democratic contender has many more paths to 270 electoral votes.

One example: Clinton campaigned Wednesday in Arizona, a state that has voted for Republican presidential candidates all but once since 1952.

MORE LONG LINES IN PHOENIX AS PEOPLE VOTE EARLY GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Phoenix-area voters hoping to avoid long lines on Election Day by casting early ballots ended up waiting anyway Wednesday.

Dozens of voters who crammed inside an office building in Glendale that was serving as a polling site reported waiting for more than two hours.

“We were in there like sardines,” said Vannessa Bonilla, 26, of Phoenix, a Republican who voted for the first time.

Voters endured waits of more than five hours in the March primary. The county cut polling locations to just 60 from about 200 in the 2012 primary.

The wait prompted a civil rights group to file a lawsuit against Maricopa County.

The county settled it by agreeing to implement a plan to avoid polling place wait time.

Deborah Eastman, 64, of Glendale, a registered Republican who voted Tuesday for Democrat Hillary Clinton, had hoped to make it to Clinton’s Phoenix rally.

But after waiting 2 ½ hours, the substitute teacher didn’t think she would.

“I figured she’d rather have me vote for her than show up at the rally,” Eastman said.

The long wait time was largely due to limited staff and equipment to handle the unexpectedly large crowd.

Voters have to fill out a slip before getting their ballot printed out. There was only one computer, one printer and a couple of workers assigned to the site.

Maricopa County recorder’s office spokeswoman Elizabeth Bartholomew said county election officials will send additional staff and another computer to the Glendale site Thursday.

PAGE 18, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

SUNRYSE AND RBC TO HOST THE NINTH ANNUAL SHRED DAY SUNRYSE Information Management and RBC Royal Bank are set to host the ninth annual Shred Day on Thursday, November 10, at which the public are encouraged to bring up to 100lbs of paper documents - bank statements, receipts and other personal records - to be securely shredded free of charge.

In exchange, Sunryse will donate $1 per pound of paper shredded during the day to two local charities. This year, event co-sponsor RBC will match the total amount donated up to $2,500.

All proceeds from Shred Day 2016 will be directed towards local breast cancer support group Sister Sister and HeadKnowles Hurricane Matthew relief efforts.

The event will begin at 6am on the Western Esplanade parking lot at Arawak Cay, opposite the Road Traffic Inspection Office.

Chris Sawyer, President of Sunryse Information Management, said the annual event helps the document management company accomplish two important goals.

“Shred Day gives us a chance to educate the public on the importance of protecting their confidential information by properly destroying documents,” he said.

“Secondly, we are also able to raise funds for two important charities -Sister Sister and the HeadKnowles Hurricane Matthew relief and recovery efforts.

“The event has grown over the years and we have received strong support from the Bahamian community from day one. This year, we welcome RBC Royal Bank on board as our major corporate sponsor for Shred Day and we’re encouraging persons over the next 10 days to start organising their documents for secure shredding

“This simple step (shredding) can help the general public reduce their risk of exposure to possible fraud and identity theft while helping local charities and positively impacting the environment. It’s a great community initiative that we are very pleased to support Jerome Pinder, RBC Business Banking Head and environmentally friendly disposal.”

Members of RBC’s Business Banking team will be present during Shred Day to assist with the collection of documents and to distribute anti-phishing flyers. Jerome Pinder, Business Banking Head, said: “At RBC, we are dedicated to protecting our clients’ privacy and safeguarding the personal, business, and financial information entrusted to us.

“This simple step (shredding) can help the general public reduce their risk of exposure to possible fraud and identity theft while helping local charities and positively impacting the environment.

It’s a great community initiative that we are very pleased to support.”

Shred Day 2016 will run from 6am to 6pm. For more information, call Sunryse Information at 242-677-3743 or follow @SunryseInfo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Thursday, November 3, 2016, PAGE 19 ON NOVEMBER 10, Sunryse Information Management will team up with RBC Royal Bank to host Shred Day 2016 at the Western Esplanade to raise funds for two local charities.

PAGE 20, Thursday, November 3, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

CAPTAIN Errol Thurston Jr put his guest on the Wahoo near Abaco.

LOCAL boy Luke Maillis with nice Cobia near Long Island.

HIS father may be known for chasing birdies on the golf course but young Leo Rose is showing his talents as a fisherman.

Bahamas Sport Fishing Network (BSFN) expert and guide Chang Chin put Leo and his father, Justin, the 2013 US Open champion who lives at Albany, on the Wahoo near Nassau.

Keep checking the BSFN expert page for fishing reports throughout the Bahamas: this will be helpful in

tracking the “hot spots” and providing advice on gear and fishing methods being used.

For a sample of the spectacular fishing to be had in The Bahamas, expert advice, tournament dates and results, informative features and photo galleries visit the BSFN page at tribune242. com or www.bsfn.biz.

BSFN slideshows can be found on USA Today’s website in the Travel section at experience.usatoday.com.

PROFESSIONAL golfer Justin Rose and his son, Leo, found the Wahoo near Nassau under the guidance of Chang Chin.

Fresh Prepared, In-store, Daily.

DEAL

20

$

(INCL. VAT)

®

• 8 PIECES OF CHICKEN • LARGE FAMILY FRIES • 4 BISCUITS