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VOLUME:115 No.243, NOVEMBER 12, 2018
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‘Rescuers are failing lost pilot’ Family concern over lack of divers and poor airport lighting By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
of lighting. His family said the seasoned pilot experienced difficulties with the plane’s door during flight RELATIVES of Byron and contacted Air Traffic Ferguson, the pilot of the Control. Some time later, small plane that crashed in he experienced engine waters off Nirvana Beach problems before landing in on Thursday night, are the sea. frustrated and dissatis“(I am) just really fied with the way officials speaking for the family, have conducted search expressing our extreme and rescue efforts for the frustration and our dissatbeloved father, husband, isfaction with the search son, and brother. and rescue attempt for As officials my brother,” continued Dr Ashton their search, Ferguson, dozens of Mr Mr FerguFerguson’s son’s younger loved ones brother, told gathered reporters on Nirvana yesterday. Beach yester“The day morning sequence of as his brothevents as we ers and wife understand held a press them, as they conference unfolded, to painfully as they haprecount all BYRON FERGUSON pened, we the ways in know there which they was room for intervention think the systems in place and rescue, or a greater failed Mr Ferguson and his attempt at rescue that family. wasn’t satisfactorily done.” According to his family, The family met with these failures included RBDF Commodore Tellis poor communication from Bethel yesterday mornofficials, no divers being ing and was told the dispatched the first night, search perimeter had been and the fact that Mr Fer- expanded from the initial THE DAUGHTER of missing pilot Byron Ferguson, Sapphire Ferguson, is hugged by his brother, guson was unable to land boundary. Anvon Ferguson, during yesterday’s press conference on Nirvana Beach. Mr Ferguson’s plane on three Family Island airSEE PAGE THREE crashed off shore on Thursday night and the search to find him continues. port runways due to a lack PHOTO: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
SEARCH AFTER MAN FALLS OFF BOAT By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net THE search for a missing Bahamian man who fell overboard from a vessel off central Eleuthera on Friday night has been suspended, a Royal Bahamas Defence Force official confirmed to The Tribune yesterday. According to the officer, the search was suspended on Saturday after police in Eleuthera found clothing
items in the sea. However, there has been no change to the victim’s status and he is still officially missing at sea. The Tribune understands the missing man is Joshua Knowles. According to a RBDF press release, Mr Knowles was a crewman aboard a blue 42ft Bahamian fishing vessel named “Double Eagle”. While aboard the vessel, Mr Knowles reportedly fell overboard
approximately 11 miles off James Cistern, central Eleuthera. The fishing vessel, RBDF patrol craft P-125, coxswained by Petty Officer Brian Miller; and a United States Coast Guard helicopter, coordinated by Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), Bahamas Air Search and Rescue and a Royal Bahamas Police Force aircraft all participated in the search.
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IMMIGRATION CHIEFS DENY WRONGDOING IN VISA PROBE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
IMMIGRATION Director Clarence Russell and his predecessor, William Pratt, responded yesterday to references made to them in an affidavit that is part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe of a local US visa scam. The affidavit of special agent Kevin Grounaud details conversations the scam’s alleged lead conspirator, Edward Israel Saintil, had with undercover FBI informants. Saintil is alleged to have boasted of having relationships with top immigration officials. He also alleged that immigration staff did not process work permits unless they are paid to do so. SEE PAGE SIX
‘IS PM SERIOUS ON TACKLING CORRUPTION?’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Minnis administration’s silence on the FBI’s investigation into alleged bribery at the Department of Immigration connected to a local US visa scam is casting doubt on its professed commitment to fighting corruption, former State Minister for Legal Affairs Damian Gomez said yesterday. Mr Gomez said he expected officials to publicly respond to revelations in a US affidavit, which The Tribune revealed last week, that allege corruption at the Department of Immigration, “if the administration is to be taken seriously when it comes to anti-corruption”. SEE PAGE SIX
VICTIM’S BODY FOUND LYING IN THE STREET By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net A MAN was killed on Friday in the Kemp Road area, becoming the 76th murder victim of the year. Police responded to the sound of gun shots around 11pm in the area of Cooper’s Terrace off Kemp Road when they discovered the man lying in the street with injuries. Paramedics’ attempts at reviving the man were unsuccessful. SEE PAGE FIVE
PAGE 2, Monday, November 12, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
TRIBUNE TRIO SCOOPS TROPHIES AT AWARDS THERE was a trio of awards for Tribune writers in this year’s Bahamas Press Club Awards, held on Saturday night. Inigo “Naughty” Zenicazelaya was the winner of the P Anthony White Columnist of the Year award for his “A Comic’s View” column every Friday in The Tribune.
Cara Hunt won the Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of the Year Award for her work as the chief feature writer in the Weekend section, particularly for her interviews of Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Natajia Miller. Felicity Darville, who also writes the Face to Face column for The Tribune each Tuesday, won the
PAHO/Who Excellence in Health Promotion award for her article about tenyear-old diabetes patient Kaiden Moss-Moultrie’s dream to find a cure. The Person of the Year award went to athlete Shaunae Miller-Uibo, and a lifetime achievement award was presented to Sir Charles Carter.
FROM left, Inigo “Naughty” Zenicazelaya, Cara Hunt and Felicity Darville.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 12, 2018, PAGE 3
‘Rescuers are failing lost pilot’ from page one
Dr Ferguson said according to his brother’s flight plan, Mr Ferguson left the West Palm Beach airport in Florida at approximately 7.26pm on Thursday. Contradicting previous police reports, the family said that Mr Ferguson was the sole occupant of the plane although two people were originally supposed to be on board. “The information that we obtained, my brother, he encountered difficulties about 40 miles off of the coast with his door,” Dr Ferguson said. “He radioed as such to the Air Traffic Control. I think about 15 miles, again, he contacted again with engine problems. “He was an experienced pilot, he flew internationally,” Dr Ferguson added. “He had clarity of mind and what he was doing.” Dr Ferguson said his brother texted a friend who was supposed to pick him up from the airport. He asked the friend, a fellow pilot, to track the flight. “We understand that the
DR ASHTON FERGUSON, left, and Bjorn Ferguson at yesterday’s press conference. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff last contact the Air Traffic He also said no divers Control had with him was were on the initial RBDF two miles out, when they vessel that responded to the lost him,” he said. “We have incident. While he could information that when my not confirm whether any brother landed the plane in divers were on the five addithe water, the plane was… tional boats that responded, for the most part intact. he claimed that “ultimately The tail of the plane was no one went into the water still visible. “Someone… that night (Thursday)”. responded, tried to actu“The search was called ally collect a rope to put off I think before even around it or something, but midnight. Questions I have the plane sunk very quickly. about (this) is: who has that I understand this was in… authority to call off a search less than 50 feet of water.” and what is the criteria that Dr Ferguson criticised the they use?” Dr Ferguson fact that no command sta- asked through tears. tion was formed to collect Mr Ferguson’s younger tips or eyewitness accounts. brother Anvon also decried the lack of divers in the first response, and the fact that the plane had submerged by morning. “That’s just incompetence to me,” Anvon Ferguson said. “I don’t know anywhere else in the world where something like that would happen. That’s just insane that this day, 2018 in The Bahamas, a plane crash, you have no divers available until the FAMILY members support one another at the press conference. morning, at light? You have
FAMILY members praying at Nirvana Beach yesterday as the search for Byron Ferguson continued. a clear indication of where concerns that the cur- down because no lights on rent could have carried it the friggen runway (sic). the plane is.” RBDF Airwing into the deep water of the “He had to pass three commanding officer Com- Tongue of the Ocean. runways: Chub Cay, Great Furthering the systematic Harbour Cay, and San mander Shone Pinder explained to Our News on failures that contributed Andros, to make it here Friday that divers were not to their brother’s accident, on one engine, trying to initially sent out due to the eldest brother Bjorn Fer- get this plane here on guson, an attorney, also one engine to LPIA. It is lack of lighting. “Bear in mind it was late highlighted the fact that retarded. Retarded. And into the evening, it was very despite his flight’s difficul- if you’re going to give the dark out here last night,” ties, Mr Ferguson had no excuse of ‘(oh) we don’t Commander Pinder said on choice but to try to make light it up because of drug Friday. “Little to no light- it to Nassau’s airport, as he planes,’ that is retarded.” ing, a lot of things going on, could not land at Family The family said Mr Fera lot of moving parts, a lot Island airports. guson is a graduate of the “On a national level, Florida Air Academy who of coordination attempting to be made. But our units Byron passed three air- has been flying since he was got here within 10-15 min- ports,” Bjorn Ferguson said. 14 years old. He obtained “Three. Three airports. his pilot’s licence in 1999 utes of the call.” Both brothers said when Three airports he had to and is currently working divers came to the location pass when he first encoun- out of North Africa for a the next morning, officials tered this emergency. And South-African headquarwere unable to locate the he could not take the plane tered company. plane. They questioned why the aircraft was not marked or tracked in some way, and expressed
FLIGHT HOME WAS FOR FATHER’S BIRTHDAY By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
THE pilot of the ill-fated plane that crashed in the waters of Nirvana Beach on Thursday night was coming home to take his parents on a trip to South Africa in celebration of his father’s birthday, relatives revealed yesterday. Byron Ferguson, 34, always dreamed of flying. The second son of Roscoe Ferguson, a retired civil servant, and Agnes Ferguson, a popular former broadcaster, his family knew from birth that he was destined to become an aviator. By 14 years old, he was flying, and he eventually graduated from Florida Air Academy, obtaining his pilot’s licence in 1999. With two decades of flying under his belt, Mr Ferguson is also the father of an 11-year-old daughter and a nine-month-old son. He was recently married to his wife of less than two years. On Thursday night, he was the sole occupant of a PA-27 six-seater that he was flying from West Palm Beach, Florida to New Providence, the family said. During a press conference held yesterday on the shores of Nirvana Beach, his eldest brother, attorney Bjorn Ferguson, said the pilot was coming home to take his parents on a trip to the continent where he was stationed. According to Bjorn Ferguson, his brother is currently stationed in North Africa, where he works for a company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. “He was scheduled to return to work today,” Bjorn said. “Today
ANYA FERGUSON, Byron Ferguson’s wife. (Sunday) is my father’s birthday. He (was) taking my parents to South Africa with him today. “And this is what we (are) faced with.” According to his family, on Thursday night, when Byron Ferguson was approximately 40 miles from Nassau, he contacted local Air Traffic Control to report that he had difficulties with the plane’s door. About 15 miles from Nassau, he contacted Air Traffic Control again to report engine issues. His emotional wife Anya told The Tribune that she tracks “every flight” he takes. “I…tracked every flight that he’s been on,” she told The Tribune. “And especially if he’s coming in at nighttime, he would always send the plane’s registration number to let me know that ‘hey I’m leaving now, track the plane, I’m on my way.’ “But something different happened, because I decided to go and search two flight trackers that night. And I noticed that he kept going off the radar on one. But the other one,
the Flightaware one, it just kept on coming. But the last I tracked him, (it) said that he landed. That he landed about 10 or 15 minutes ago. So I was already at ease.” However, the family did not realise he had landed in the waters off Nirvana Beach, not the safety of the Lynden Pindling International Airport. Mrs Ferguson is holding out hope that her husband will be found alive. “So for anyone to tell me that ‘oh he didn’t make it out of the plane,’ I just want that negative energy to stay far away from me,” Mrs Ferguson continued. “Because what I want to do now is continue my search efforts. If I don’t have the help of the Police Force, Defence Force, that’s fine. I know persons who are willing to go in the sky, comb the air. I know people who are willing to walk with me. “A lot of people might say it doesn’t make (any) sense to continue walking, but don’t tell me (that). I’m going to do it even if I’m taking my energy out of myself. That’s my husband. I have a ninemonth-old baby, and I have to fight for something. And I’m fighting for him.” She also said: “He is an excellent pilot and I’m
sure he’s out there. I’m not giving up on my husband and I don’t expect anyone out here to give up on him. He’s going to be returned home to us alive. And that’s my final everything. He’s going to be here.” The family’s personal search efforts have included the use of private planes, boats, and jet skis. Their dedication to finding him even culminated in tracking down a Carnival Cruise passenger vessel that was rumoured to have seen a flare gun fire early Friday morning. However, upon their investigation it was revealed that these reports were inaccurate. At the family’s press conference yesterday, Mrs Ferguson reiterated complaints from other relatives about poor communication with officials. “I am Byron’s wife and no (Royal Bahamas Defence Force) officer or police officer has said anything to me,” she told The Tribune. “I haven’t spoken to any of them.” Yesterday morning, the family had a private meeting with RBDF Commodore Tellis Bethel. While the RBDF is not in charge of the investigation, the family was informed that they are widening their perimeter search.
PAGE 4, Monday, November 12, 2018
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How the #MeToo movement may get a boost MORE than 500 women ran in primaries for federal office, a pipeline that ultimately led to a record number of women set to take office. Even so, it also reveals how far women are from achieving parity in politics – they are projected to hold barely more than a fifth of seats in the House and Senate. For comparison, that’s less than in Iraq, where the post-Saddam Hussein Constitution sets a 25 percent minimum for female representation in the national assembly. In a way, it reflects the ways in which the #MeToo movement, for its many achievements, has thus far stalled at the federal level. After a year of headlines involving sexual misconduct in a variety of industries, Congress has not passed a single piece of legislation on harassment. With Democrats poised to take over the House but not the Senate, the question is now whether Congress will finally roll up its sleeves to tackle the root causes of the #MeToo crisis. In many ways, the #MeToo crisis is similar to the financial collapse of 2008. That crisis was a slow-moving train wreck, the accumulation of years of morally bankrupt conduct that companies were willing to overlook in favour of what appeared to be larger business concerns. As I argued in a recent law review article, the #MeToo crisis resulted from a similar slow buildup – companies failed to adequately respond to workplace harassment, permitting harassers to continue to rise up the ranks, while victims saw their careers sidelined. But in both cases, it was about more than just bad people making bad choices and covering their tracks. Business decisions, like board games, are constrained by the rules of the game. If players figure out a way to “hack” the rules or decide there is more to be gained by breaking them, their behavior probably won’t change without changing the rules. Just as brokers peddling subprime loans were enabled by bad business practices and regulatory gaps, employer indifference to harassment was made possible by out-of-date harassment laws that gave companies a free pass. The #MeToo crisis also raises concerns about how companies handle discrimination complaints and whistleblowers – since internal processes for doing so are often the same as for harassment. In some ways, though, the #MeToo crisis succeeded where the response to the financial crisis fell short. Consumers who lost their homes to foreclosure never saw much in the way of justice – though a few bankers went to jail, the biggest fish did not. #MeToo, by contrast, brought the chickens home to roost for countless men with a track
record of harassment. On the other hand, the financial crisis produced more political scrutiny into the systemic factors that caused the problem. Congress held numerous hearings on its root causes. Lawmakers also created a commission. These efforts culminated in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. By contrast, the #MeToo movement has produced no federal legislation and not even a hearing – unless you count the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation. Current legislativeproposals are mostly focused on whether employers can keep harassment secret. It’s fair to regulate the cover-up. But eventually, we’ll need to tackle the crime. Political commentators have noted that Democratic control over the House will mean more oversight of the executive branch – and in particular, investigation of ethics violations and the president’s own conduct and financial dealings. But committees can also hold hearings to gather information from experts and inform legislation. As hard as it may be to imagine after the explosive Kavanaugh hearings, they need not be bitterly partisan. Here, Congress could take a cue from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which reconvened its task force on workplace harassment over the summer. I testified at the meeting and was struck by the good faith efforts of all stakeholders – including businesses, a union representative and lawyers from both sides – to examine the issues in depth and assess different legislative proposals. The task force itself also represents an admirable model of bipartisan cooperation, co-led by Acting Chair Victoria Lipnic, a Republican, and Chai Feldblum, an appointee of President Barack Obama. In separate press conferences after the election, both President Donald Trump and potential soon-to-be-speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed some hope that they could work together on certain issues – though #MeToo does not seem to be among them. Nevertheless, it’s worth at least trying to extract #MeToo from the culture wars and treat it like a serious policy issue. As odd as it sounds, we should treat it more like a financial crisis. By Elizabeth C Tippett of the University of Oregon. This article first appeared on The Conversation.
We need a Governor General we can respect EDITOR, The Tribune THERE comes a time in life when we must recognise where we are and when our time has come. Too many of us remain on the political scene only to suit our own purposes and not the country’s. Like many preachers, politicians cannot exit the stage and enjoy their retirement. Greed blinds us. Maurice Moore is, well Maurice Moore. He has always been the one who would be the mouthpiece. He always had an agenda. But in today’s politics, he is being used specifically because he is expecting a quid pro quo. They know it! A rebel himself, Moore is lecturing others on how to behave politically. Well motor vehicular traffic! But be that as it may, he never mentioned that democracy is the order of the day. He is now suggesting that the four gentlemen (horsemen) who have a conscience, forgo doing what is right, to do the party’s position, however detrimental it is to the Bahamian people. “To hell with the people” is what he is espousing. Never mind if VAT will chase many into poverty, or cause great hardship,
just do what the party says. The party comes first. It doesn’t matter how BPL plan to gouge the eyes out of the people from over the hill. Moore, as pathetic as he really is, should be looking for common ground to bridge the divide, if he as an elder statesman really means well. But no, Moore is lobbying for himself, using the four men as scapegoats to advance his own cause. On another note, Mount Fitzwilliam is a place where honourable and distinguished people occupy. The least we could do is make sure the candidates who ascend to the position of Governor General are squeaky clean and enjoy the respect of, if not all, most of us. We must be careful not to drag the distinguished position down into the gutter. Governor General is a prestigious position, not any and everyone is qualified to hold it. Who the cap fits, let them wear it. I remain, “the least among the princes of Egypt”. IVOINE W INGRAHAM, JP Nassau November 7, 2018
Speaker out of order - again EDITOR, The Tribune WILL somebody, anybody, please remind Speaker Halson Moultrie that he has no role, no function, no raison d’être outside of the House of Assembly. Our puffedup Speaker takes himself way too seriously and in so doing continues to bring the Office of Speaker into disrepute. Not content with having to be rebuked for his brutish behaviour towards the official Opposition at the beginning of the year, the Speaker has recently become emboldened and has ramped up his totally tasteless, baseless and careless public outbursts. A Speaker has three main functions: To preside over the running of the House; to represent the House at official state functions, and to represent the House to the other branches of government. In September His Haughtiness took it upon himself to publicly upbraid the Prime Minister for having the audacity to appoint a “Gussie Mae” Cabinet and thereby depriving the Speaker of what he deemed a proper back-bench in the House. The Speaker railed against the encroachment of the Executive branch and saw it as nothing short of treasonous indignation that in matters of law he has to take legal advice from the Attorney General who sits in the Executive branch. Especially galling for him must be the fact that the current AG isn’t even accountable to the House and hence not within the Speaker’s ambit. Completely lost on our clueless Speaker was the fact that while calling for a separation of powers between the three branches of government, he proceeded to tell a co-equal branch what to do. For sure there was a Parliamentary Commission set up to review these matters and there is an established process for having his concerns addressed. But Moultrie eschews quiet diplomacy and the traditional whispered conversations behind the Speaker’s chair. That doesn’t get you noticed by
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the press. While his diatribe was egregious and disrespectful of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Government business in the House, Renward Wells, realising Moultrie was drowning, quickly threw the Speaker a lifeline saying the government supported his comments. But this could hardly have been the case and Leader of the Opposition Brave Davis was onto something when he implied that the Speaker’s outburst portends to mask a deeper scar. Never mind that it is none of the Speaker’s business how many MPs get appointed to the Cabinet, the PM was within his constitutional rights when he asked the Governor General to appoint his Cabinet to advise her on running the Commonwealth. The Speaker could do well to study more recent parliamentary history right in our own region. The 2001 general election in Trinidad and Tobago ended in a 18-18 tie. To break the tie, the President there invited the Leader of the Opposition, Patrick Manning, to form a government. So tenuous was his position that Manning couldn’t risk losing one of his members to the neutrality (Get that Moultrie?) of the speaker’s chair. So, he governed for months without a speaker, ostensibly using the authority of the President of the Senate. To stay in power Manning (the only foreign leader to ever address our Parliament) appointed all 17 members of his caucus to his Cabinet in a shrewd move that was later upheld by a Privy Council ruling. Manning’s political instinct told him that with no margin for error he had to bring everyone under the secrecy cloak of the Cabinet. But Lord Moultrie likely would have had a problem with that. To further confirm his inflated sense of self, the Speaker got puffed up like
an Inagua flamingo and flew to Freeport to speak to a school gathering. This was not a formal affair of state. No doubt he checked extra luggage for the short trip because he showed up bedecked in his ceremonial Speaker’s robe and wig. Jubilant Bahamian law graduates in England when called to the Bar have made their way down Chancery Lane in London and under the arch to a quaint store that has been a purveyor of ceremonial wigs, robes and gowns since 1689. A visit to Ede & Ravenscroft will produce sticker shock because the Speaker’s garb ain’t cheap. His fancy dress party frock was paid for by the state at a cost, one would guess, of no less than $5,000. The wig alone retails for $2,500. These are intended for formal state occasions such as the Speech from the Throne or, in case he fancies extending his hypocrisy further by pushing his foot into the Red Mass, the ceremonial Catholic church service that the third branch of government, the Judiciary, uses to mark a new legal year. The Speaker, an attorney, was way out of order to show up in “we clothes” at a civil society event. Moultrie tries to impress with his supposed knowledge of House protocol. While Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin will beg to differ with that assessment, the Speaker does seem to be spoiling for a fight with the Prime Minister. One possible explanation for Moultrie’s arrogance may stem from the fact that prior to 2017 he was the leader of his own vanity party, Bahamas Freedom Alliance. He reluctantly joined the FNM as that was his only ticket to winning an election. But no doubt he sees himself on a par with the PM in some sort of play-play grand coalition. Alas, the real PM has many more arrows in his quiver. After all, Ede & Ravenscroft sells Speaker’s wigs and robes for all sizes (and genders)! THE GRADUATE Nassau November 7, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 12, 2018, PAGE 5
CATHEDRAL PACKED TO CELEBRATE THE LIVE AND TIMES OF BRADLEY ROBERTS
By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net MOURNERS filled St Francis Xavier Cathedral on Friday to celebrate the life of former Cabinet minister, parliamentarian, and Progressive Liberal Party chairman Bradley Roberts. To honour his life of service, the pomp of state was on full display for Roberts’ funeral, which was well attended by government officials, former colleagues, and loved ones who remembered the political giant as a husband, father, grandfather, politician and successful businessman. Roberts, 74, died suddenly at his home on October 28 of an acute subdural haemorrhage. During the homily, Father Glen Nixon described Roberts as a beloved church member and dedicated Christian, noting he was a faithful attendee of early mass. “Bradley was not a politician who became a believer, he was a believer who became a politician,” Father Nixon said. “He was not just in the church, the church was in him.” He noted that although Roberts was taken “unexpectedly,” he had already “left his mark on the political landscape.” Born on Christmas Day 1943, Roberts first emerged
in public life in the 1977 general election as a candidate for the now abolished Shirlea constituency opposing the late Sir Roland Symonette. While he did not win that race, he emerged victorious in a by-election following the death of Shadrach Morris, the incumbent in the old Grants Town constituency in 1982, and remained a member of Parliament until 2007, when he did not seek re-election. Roberts was sworn in as minister of works and utilities on May 7, 2002 – five days after the PLP’s victory in the 2002 general election, an election he was instrumental in helping his party win. He retired from frontline politics in October 2017 and was elected chairman emeritus during the PLP’s special PLP convention on July 28. “Today we must try to put partisan politics aside so that we can better recognise a son of the soil, who was not perfect, but tried his best to make the Bahamas better,” Father Nixon added. Roberts was also respected in the world of business. In the 1970s, he became a founding member of “The Sunshine Boys”, a group of black businessmen. This collective eventually evolved into the Sunshine Group of Companies, of which Roberts became the first chairman. Father Nixon also highlighted Roberts’
MAN’S BODY FOUND LYING IN THE STREET from page one
Meanwhile, two other people were shot over the weekend, including a man who was shot on Saturday shortly before 11pm. According to police, the man was standing on the outside of a gaming establishment on Market and Peter Streets when a man discharged a firearm in his direction, hitting him before running away. The injured man was taken to hospital and was listed in stable condition. In an earlier incident, shortly after 7pm on Saturday, a woman was leaving a business on Bahama Avenue when she was approached by a man armed with a firearm who shot her before robbing her of her hand bag and running away. The woman was taken to hospital and is listed in stable condition. Friday’s murder came less than a week after a Grand Bahama man was fatally shot in Bimini. Police previously reported that on Sunday, November 4, the victim was standing outside a business with several other men when a gunman, wearing
black clothing, opened fire shooting one of them multiple times in his body. The gunman fled on foot and the male victim was taken to the Bimini clinic where he died of his injuries. In late October, police found a man stabbed to death in an abandoned building in New Providence. On October 30, police said a victim was found stabbed and wrapped in a sheet in a bushy area outside the old City Lodge property in the Okra Hill area. At the time, police said they received information about a woman in distress shortly after 8am on the date in question and responded to the scene off Shirley Street. Officers found a woman with injuries, and acting on information, searched a bushy area where they found the deceased partially wrapped in a sheet with trauma to his body. The woman was taken to hospital and at last report was in stable condition. Anyone on information on any of these incidents is asked to call police at 5029991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.
charitable nature, describing him as someone who often assisted his fellow Bahamians with various needs. This sentiment was reiterated in a tribute by Sir Franklyn Wilson, which was published in Roberts’ obituary. Sir Franklyn, chairman of Sunshine Holdings Ltd, wrote: “Another quality that was for Bradley, wealth nor power was about self-aggrandisement. Instead, these were for use to help provide educational support for relatives, to assist the victims of hunger, to support the sick, the suffering and the marginalised. “Beyond these essentially personal areas, Bradley used his power and wealth for the promotion of dignity for all people, for the advancement of justice and truth and to respond positively to those who simply needed encouragement from a person they respected.” Roberts was married to his wife, Hartlyn, for 53 years. They had four children, one of whom predeceased him, and four grandchildren.
Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
PAGE 6, Monday, November 12, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
Immigration chiefs deny wrongdoing in visa probe from page one Mr Grounaud said in the affidavit: “Saintil stated that he had a relationship both with the new director of immigration, Clarence Russell, as well as the former director of immigration, (William) Pratt. Saintil noted that he preferred Pratt over Russell because he was more of a businessman and that Russell had been brought in to “change the situation in immigration”.
“Saintil claimed that he used to work with Russell in the ‘Passport Office’.” These were the only direct references to Mr Russell and Mr Pratt in the affidavit, although there are references by name to another high-ranking immigration official. Yesterday, the immigration chief emphasised that the reference to him contained no allegation of wrongdoing on his part. “I read the affidavit and it very clearly makes a statement with reference
to my name but nowhere does it imply any culpability on behalf of myself,” he said. Mr Russell, who reacted angrily to The Tribune’s questions, said he has access to several personal lawyers in addition to “sixty lawyers at the Office of the Attorney General”. The Office of the Attorney General has not officially responded to news of the FBI’s probe, however. Attorney General Carl Bethel declined to comment yesterday.
Mr Russell said: “I am not reactive. I have nothing to be concerned about but rest assured some other people may.” Mr Pratt, meanwhile, said he may have a comprehensive response to the matter at a later date, adding that he remains largely in the dark about what is going on. “That’s an affidavit,” he said. “(Saintil) said what he wanted to say so that’s what he said. “The only thing I can say at this time is I don’t recall
ever meeting that man. I don’t know what he looks like. If they take an affidavit from someone and someone vaguely mentions your name – I personally have not, I cannot ever recall meeting him so that’s all I got to say at this time.” For years, the US has warned about bribery and corruption at the Department of Immigration. In its 2018 human trafficking report, the US said credible allegations of corruption at the department
has made potential victims of human trafficking vulnerable in The Bahamas. “…Alleged ongoing within the Immigration Department remained a concern,” the report said. Last week, Mr Russell told ZNS News that several initiatives have been put in place, since he assumed his new post, to deter corruption. This includes technological advances, such as going paperless, as well as the creation of an anti-corruption unit, he said.
‘IS PM SERIOUS ON TACKLING CORRUPTION?’ from page one
DAMIAN GOMEZ
The affidavit of special agent Kevin Grounaud details conversations the scam’s alleged lead conspirator, Edward Israel Saintil, had with undercover FBI informants. Saintil allegedly boasted of having relationships with top immigration officials. He also alleged that immigration staff did not process work permits without being paid to do so. He allegedly admitted to paying a high-ranking immigration official thousands of dollars for a work permit. So far, government officials have been tightlipped on the FBI’s
investigation. Attorney General Carl Bethel declined to comment yesterday, saying it would be inappropriate to comment on such legal matters. Mr Gomez, however, said the matter is not a delicate one that should prohibit a government response. “How is it delicate when already the prosecution in the United States has made a public statement?” he asked. “If I were them, I’d be speaking with the minister of national security to find out what he is doing in terms of the investigation. At the very least, if the Americans believe what they are saying, they should’ve communicated with foreign affairs and
national security rather than embarrassing those particular departments by a public statement alleging corruption.” Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson said yesterday that police are not presently looking into the matter. “I haven’t had the opportunity to look at anything except what I’ve seen in the newspapers,” the commissioner said. He suggested the Royal Bahamas Police Force would investigate the matter if presented with the relevant information. Mr Gomez said US officials are typically willing to work with local officials on investigations into such matters, highlighting the case of Fred Ramsey, the former Free National Movement official who was convicted of bribery stemming from a scandal involving a French company, Alstom SA, and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation. That scandal came to light in 2015 after the US Department of Justice charged the company under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with bribing government executives around the world to secure power and transportation contracts for Alstom subsidiaries. “When we had the issue with Fred Ramsey,” Mr Gomez said, “the Americans pretty much gave us everything we asked for and more. They didn’t seek his extradition. They sought our active activity of prosecuting him and they gave us all of the information.” Nonetheless, Mr Gomez said he is surprised to hear that corruption involving work permits may be a widespread problem given that so few work permit applications are ever rejected. “Only about five percent
of all work permit applications are refused,” he said, “so that would suggest that it is relatively easy to get it so it shouldn’t attract a premium payment. It shouldn’t be that someone would potentially give up their career for it.” According to the affidavit, Saintil allegedly claimed he paid Bahamians to write fraudulent letters for immigrants purporting to be employers that would be used as documentation for work permits. The affidavit alleged these work permits were not for actual employment in the Bahamas but to facilitate the granting of US visitor visas. Mr Gomez said the Minnis administration faces a credibility issue when it comes to fighting corruption. He noted that the Integrity Commission Bill, a sweeping legislation intended to impose unprecedented standards on public officials, was tabled in the House of Assembly more than a year ago but has yet to be debated and passed. Meanwhile, parliamentarians last week debated and passed the Bahamas Baptist Missionary & Educational Convention Incorporated bill, a bill to incorporate the Bahamas Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention in the Bahamas, a bill that was first tabled in September this year. “It seems as though the government is trying to run a PR thing about zero tolerance,” Mr Gomez said. “All of this talk about legislation could well be a hoax. If you tell me you have an Integrity Bill and then your Cabinet gives a member of Cabinet a contract to rent his building, something’s wrong with the whole group of them. Nobody is going to take them seriously anymore when they talk about it.”
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2018
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
By FREDERICK R M SMITH, QC
This article, the second in a twopart series, deals with initiatives to strengthen rights and privileges of individuals and communities. The first instalment, ‘A few words of advice to help a government off course’, published on October 29, addressed the need to upgrade our economic system for the 21st century.
WHEN the FNM joined activists and citizens in the ‘We March’ protest on November 29, 2016, The Bahamas seemed on the brink of an era of progressive politics. Dr Minnis, who within eight months would become PM, said the experience had changed him as a leader, and he’d realised the people, “want a new type of (politician) and the ‘same old way’ to stop”. “I will be a different type of leader......the protest opened my eyes. I will listen to my employer and do what is right for the Bahamian people. This is the people’s time and I will listen to what they have to say.” The We Marchers wanted a Freedom of Information Act; transparency and fiscal responsibility enshrined in the law; no Spy Bill; an end to toxic conditions at the NP Landfill, environmental protection, an end to corruption and respect for the rule of law. “We as individuals and communities have a right to personal freedom and privacy, a right to open and accountable government, and a right to live in a clean and safe environment!” declared the Marchers in a resounding and unified voice. It seemed – for a while at least – that the FNM heard them loud and clear. Once in office, the FNM got off to a good start, attacking corruption, creating an independent Director of Public Prosecutions and engaging with women’s rights by announcing its intention to criminalise marital rape. Sadly, within months, the “same old way”, denounced by Minnis, reasserted itself. Secrecy, Anchor Projects and no consultation. Governance became less about strengthening the rights and privileges of individuals, and more about wheeling and dealing with shady foreign investors. Less about unifying and empowering people, more about hate mongering and intolerance. As always, concern for the environment in which Bahamians must live and work has been relegated to the back burner in the face of headline-grabbing mega projects that promise much, but fail to deliver real progress. Despite the stated commitment to transparency and consultation, deals are once again being cut behind closed doors, the public’s input only sought when it was already too late. Worst of all from the perspective of human rights, the FNM decided to pursue and even heighten the illegal, inhumane and unconscionable immigration crackdown of their predecessors, while passing a ‘Spy Act’ to allow Gestapo-style anonymous operatives to rummage through the most intimate details of our private lives at will. Minnis has forgotten the November 2016 lesson and his transformation short lived. The public sees this and the media out-cry clearly expresses it. If the FNM wants to get back on track, they must take a step back, change course and recommit themselves to the principles upon which they ran for office in the first place.
The FNM must recommit to the principles upon which they ran for office to the politicisation of the referendums by the FNM and PLP and misinformation campaigns by special interests. Luckily, neither a national referendum, nor changes to the constitution are actually needed to bring about gender equality, at least in the short term. A few simple changes to existing law, or passage of a Human Rights Act, would plug the gaps in gender equality, allowing the public to adjust to the new reality and see that most, if not all, of their fears are unfounded.
THE FNM and Prime Minister Hubert Minnis must get back to basics.
Public awareness Legal Aid
Freedom of Information Act The FOIA has again become the subject of political gimmickry and delays. The FNM have stuck with the deficient and unacceptable 2017 PLP version. The government should pass a new and effective FOIA which creates a truly independent Information Commissioner. The definition of “Public Authorities” should include ALL government bodies and crucially, time limits for the release of documents must be substantially reduced from 30 years to be declassified and remove the Cabinet Minister’s veto rights over the release of information.
Real Local Government It’s time to decentralise power. The Bahamas is a “Commonwealth”; a “Family of Islands” which are not colonies of Nassau. It’s time to repeal the Local Government Act and pass a real one giving power to “The People” for local home rule; to pass and enforce local laws, impose and collect local taxes and to manifest local change. As for Freeport; simply respect the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.
Environmental Protection Act This is a no brainer. It is recognised as desperately needed by everyone. The PLP and FNM have promised to enact one. I don’t know how much more I can say about this.
Whistleblower Act The FOIA merely mentions protection for civil servants who expose neglect or malfeasance. The government should pass
a modern Whistleblower Act to encourage and incentivise reporting of wrongdoing.
A Human Rights Act and Hate speech State promoted and tolerated discrimination is the greatest cancer in our body politic, and during the Christie Administration, hate speech became the chief mode of political attack on minority groups such as migrants, the LBGTQ community and activists that fought human rights abuses, fiscal mismanagement and environmental pollution. Legislation criminalising all forms private and public discrimination, of hate speech and harassment is urgently needed. Careful consideration must of course be given to balancing this with the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution.
Ombudsman Since 1992 the FNM promised an Ombudsman Act. All mature democracies accept that governments cannot police themselves and it is high time we joined the club. Once the office is created, independent units should be established in all key departments and report regularly to the Ombudsman on matters such as: fiscal management; complaints and claims of negligence or malfeasance; operational efficiency; and systemic issues leading to poor service or breaches of basic rights.
Immigration reform With immigration policy, we continue to live in the dark ages. Regrettably, Immigration is not used as a tool of development. It is stuck in xenophobic election
vote pandering mode. The government remains in the grip of a blinkered, anxiety-driven effort to keep the “invaders” out at all costs, without ever considering the devastating human consequences of their actions. As to the treatment of the Haitian ethnic communities, families are torn apart, people are wrongfully deprived of their liberty and kept captive in conditions too horrible to describe. Innocent people are beaten, extorted, expelled from the country of their birth. Simply put, our immigration policy violates nearly every human right norm. It is a disaster, a sin and a travesty. The Minnis Administration simply must bring an end to it. Every human being in The Bahamas is presumed innocent; has the right to freedom of movement, to an attorney if suspected of a crime, to apply for bail if detained and the right to be set free unless formally charged. All Immigration needs to do is respect these rights while carrying out their duties.
Campaign finance transparency The FNM pledged to introduce campaign finance reform through the expansion of the Public Disclosure Act to cover political donations. Secret campaign donations are the driving force behind corruption and nepotism that plague Bahamian politics. Shedding light upon and regulating political financing must be a priority in any effort to further entrench democratic principles.
Gender equality The overwhelmingly public rejection of proposed constitutional amendments to achieve gender equality was due, largely,
and
There is a worrying lack of awareness regarding the nature of constitutional rights, the role of government and the function of the law. A comprehensive awareness campaign is therefore a crucial component of any successful effort to create progressive change. This must begin at the grade school level across the public education system and extend to courses in Civics, Good Governance and Constitutional Theory at the University of The Bahamas, and key groups such as law enforcement, immigration and correctional services; civil society, in particular groups that deal with minority, migrant and gender rights; staff at the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; social services.
The way forward The FNM has an unprecedented mandate with its landslide victory, but Minnis and colleagues must remember that this support was based on specific promises. Support will be withdrawn as quickly as it was bestowed. Once in office, it is understandable that the minutiae of day-to-day governance can distract and disorientate even the most well-intentioned politician. To return to the path they set for themselves, the FNM must get back to basics. They must revisit their promises and rekindle the progressive spirit of change that ushered them into office. They must remember the energy of We March and resist the temptation to return to the “same old way”. They must decentralize and empower “The People”. The Minnis Administration still has an incredible opportunity to go down in history as the government that ushered in true democratic change in The Bahamas and pointed the way to a brighter future for us all. Let us pray they have the political courage necessary. The first part of this article can be found at: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2018/oct/29/ insight-few-words-advice-helpgovernment-course/?opinion
PAGE 8 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2018
By MALCOLM STRACHAN
A
MID what has been deemed an energy crisis by some, public outcry over the increasing electricity costs has become commonplace in our society. Similarly, the lackadaisical response from our elected leaders has been disheartening. Indubitably, Bahamas Power and Light has become our nation’s greatest failure. Administration after administration has promised to decrease electricity costs and fix the issues plaguing the faltering power company. The Bahamian people had figured that, with the disengagement of Power Secure and the hiring of an all-Bahamian board, things would finally begin to get better. Unfortunately, this has been far from the case, with internal drama resulting in the board getting the axe, multiple fires at the Clifton Pier Power Plant compromising infrastructure and unreleased findings of a BPL audit where corruption may have been at play. Evidently, BPL has not been the poster company for how an effective and efficient organisation should operate. Worse, the beleaguered power company may be as inefficient as it’s ever been. Notwithstanding the effect increased fuel costs worldwide will have on our monthly bills, it is the poor service that adds insult to injury. We are clobbered over the head each month paying exorbitant rates for a service that doesn’t work. To that end, one cannot be surprised when there is public uproar. BPL CEO Whitney Heastie and chairman Dr Donovan Moxey have been making the public relations rounds attempting to soften the blow to the Bahamian people, but to no avail. There is nothing to be said to a family already struggling to survive in this economy when electrical cost and service have such an inverse relationship. The Bahamian people are rightfully fearful of what the next six months will be like when already this year there has been a huge increase in electricity cost. What has been even more unfortunate is the prime minister’s response. Rather than presenting a viable short-term solution that would benefit all Bahamians, he announced an increase of the VAT exemption ceiling on power bills from $200 to $300. Well, Amen to that!
W
HILE the prime minister may possibly be thinking that he is doing the Bahamian people a huge favour, perhaps it would be helpful for him to take a look at what the Bahamian people have been paying for electricity and see a forecast of what is to be expected if the trend continues. Realistically, the increase on the VAT exemption ceiling will only, at best, benefit the populace already scraping to get by – something we are sure the prime minister knew before making his announcement. Again, we see the prime minister manoeuvring in a politically expedient manner, rather than one in the best interest of all Bahamians. It is unfortunate, particularly when the issues at BPL are a result of age-old
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
We need a solution to our energy crisis now – not later
BAHAMAS Power and Light. infrastructural and management problems. Surely, these problems have been in place prior to the current government assuming office, but nonetheless are their problems to arrest and provide permanent solutions. During the prime minister’s national address while still in opposition, he said the following: “If our Bahamas is to grow technologically, and if we are to remain competitive in the global society, we must provide a reliable source of energy at reduced cost. The performance of Bahamas Power and Light has been unacceptable. “Too many citizens must decide whether to pay the high electricity bill, or go without food, and too
Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff many businesses are opting not to invest in the Bahamas, because energy costs are too high compared to other jurisdictions. “We will change this. Our comprehensive energy revolution will be undergirded by our national solarisation programme. This programme will allow ordinary home owners and small businesses to produce their own energy, by utilising government-subsidised solar panels. In this way, they will not only reduce their own energy cost, but they will be able to sell their excess production to the national grid.” Although there has been zero indication of any movement on a national solarisation
programme, this past week was at least a step in the direction of lowering energy costs as the signing of a MOU between BPL and Shell North America to build an LNG plant by the year 2022 took place. However, with that being a painstaking three to four years in the future, the government must evaluate options and work with our new partners to remedy our current issues in a much shorter window. Whether this is done through borrowing or a redirection of tax revenue, the Cabinet of the Bahamas must know that a hundred-dollar increase on a VAT exemption ceiling simply won’t cut it. By now, the Bahamian people
know they were bamboozled on the campaign trail by Dr Minnis. However, we are desperately in need of a solution that he has the power to effect. To that end, every Bahamian must agitate their MPs to ensure that when Parliament gathers, this remains a hot button issue. We cannot become fatigued and complacent as we have become prone to. Else, it is feared that the next six months will be some of our hardest yet. We can be reasonable and understand that any solution will take some time, but we would prefer to see the prime minister actively working on a viable fix instead of pandering to the populace.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
T
HE referenda, held individually in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada, on replacing the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on November 6, were lost for the same reason that Brexit succeeded in the United Kingdom. The governing political parties in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada, like the conservative party of then British Prime Minister David Cameron, took a hands-off approach to the referenda. In Antigua and Barbuda, apart from the Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, the leadership of the governing party played little or no role in educating its electorate about the issue on which they were required to vote. The result was not only a lack of knowledge, but also a lack of popular interest. Not surprisingly, therefore, only at the voting centres in Gaston Browne’s constituency, was the count in favour of the CCJ as high as 63%. This absence of direct involvement by the political leadership of the governing parties created a vacuum readily filled by those who opposed a constitutional change that would make the CCJ the final court of appeal for civil and criminal matters. The opponents played upon the lack of knowledge by creating fears. As in Britain, where just over 50% of those who opted to leave the European Union voted on irrelevant, extraneous issues and lies, the same occurred in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada. The arguments offered were many. They were deceitful in some cases, and misleading and willfully inaccurate in others. The saying comes to mind that “a lie is not another side of the story; it is just a lie”. The worst of the statements was an attack on the integrity of the Court, for which there is no basis. Others included claims that the politicians appoint the judges (the judges are appointed by an independent Regional Legal Services Commission); the judges are beholden to the politicians who pay them (the cost of the Court is met from the proceeds of a Trust Fund established in 2005 and independently managed); the judges are cronies of the politicians in government (the CCJ decisions have been more against governments than for them); replenishing the Trust Fund after 13 years will cripple government’s finances (Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada would pay only 2.11% each). The ruling political parties in both Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada appeared to have fallen prey to the notion that the referendum should be a matter of free choice, left to “the individual conscience” of the voter. They seemed to have forgotten that the worst condition for making a choice or a decision is one in which the facts are not well known and understood.
I
T was the responsibility of the political leaders of all parties (opposition and government) to educate the electorate of their nations. They didn’t. While the governments didn’t engage in the kind of necessary political campaigning and groundwork, including house-to-house visits offering explanations and answering questions, opposition elements were creating fears and spreading them. The objective was to give the governing party a bloody nose; a reality about which the hierarchy of the governing parties appeared oblivious. Little wonder then that the voter turnout in both countries was shamefully small, and that the larger number of votes cast was by those who had been made to fear the CCJ. The political leaders seem to have forgotten that the referendum, which was the beginning of all referenda in the Caribbean, failed in 1962 precisely because of the power of fear and lies, and the wrongful belief that campaigning for a cause was not
THE BRITISH Brexit
INSIGHT
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2018 PAGE 9
Identity and dignity lost with the CCJ
necessary because its rightness was strong enough. That referendum, of course, was the Jamaica referendum on the West Indian Federation. Alexander Bustamante campaigned vigorously and won on the created fears that Jamaica would be over-run by the “small islanders” (as it turns out, it is the small islands that have witnessed an influx of Jamaicans), and Jamaican taxpayers would have to pay to keep the other islands alive (history has proved differently). Norman Manley did not campaign effectively and lost because of his belief in the rightness of the Federation and saw little need to counter the fears generated by Bustamante. In each succeeding referendum, wherever held in the Caribbean, the pattern has been the same. Governing parties have neglected the importance of direct political engagement to educate and inform their electorates and to dispel fears manufactured by opposing political parties and other groups with a vested interest. Just as the 1962 Jamaica referendum determined the Caribbean experience, crumbling the region into small states – each unable to command economic and political attention in a world dominated by the large and powerful - so too have the referenda in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada injured the region.
W
HAT has been injured most is pride and respect for national and Caribbean identity, dignity and self-respect. In Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada, the electorate was misled into believing that by rejecting their own Caribbean court in favour of a court in Britain, they somehow enhanced their own standing. The worst contributors to this damage to the dignity and identity – the very being of the Caribbean persona – are the political leaders of the opposition parties who either actively told their supporters to vote against the CCJ or pretended to be sitting on the sidelines. They know better. But, for them, the quest for political advantage trumped principle of national honour. Now it looks like the eight sovereign states of the Caribbean – and their “independent” peoples – will have to wait for the British Privy Council to tell them to go (something that has already been forewarned by Privy Councillors). And what an ignominious way that will be to scurry to the CCJ.
The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the OAS. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own. Remarks and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com
PAGE 10 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2018
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
How a culinary arts education can help in a thriving tourism market E3SPORTS
THE TRIBUNE
“COOKS and chefs are the backbone of the hospitality industry in any market and especially a thriving tourism market, where customers travel from far away to experience a relaxing vacation while dining on the local specialties. A major trend taking place currently in the hospitality industry worldwide and in The Bahamas is Culinary Tourism,” says chef J Desmond Keefe the executive director of Culinary Arts and Tourism Studies at University of The Bahamas. Erik Wolf, founder of The World Culinary Tourism Association, states: “Getting to know another culture through travel, and subsequently through local food, is one of the best educational opportunities available to us, yet one of the most undervalued.” Climbing the Eiffel Tower or swimming with dolphins are great photo ops and offer us a chance to tell stories and compare notes with other travelers, but most of us reflect on the memorable meals enjoyed while traveling more than anything else.” One of the largest new markets in travel and tourism today is millennials and here in The Bahamas we are learning that this group craves authenticity. They want to eat and drink what the locals enjoy. They want to know the origins of the dish and of course they want to post on social media where they are and what they are eating and drinking. Since there are 79 million millennials, it’s a good idea to give them what they want. How do we do that? Getting a quality education at a reputable culinary school is a good start. Culinary education is where many successful chefs began their careers. Learning the fundamentals is more than proper knife cuts and cooking methods. It is about attitude. Paul Sorgule, former Vice President of the New England Culinary Institute and author of many articles on culinary education, writes about the benefits of the “Yes Chef” attitude and lists the reasons why it is important.
GAIN AN EDGE A NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
CULINARY Arts and Tourism Studies Executive Director J Desmond Keefe, Chef Lorenzo Pelegri, Assistant Professor/ Coordinator Chef Mario Adderley with UB students on a study abroad immersion in Italy. They include: efficiency, morale, pride, respect and working towards a common goal. The desire to work with the freshest ingredients and highlight them in a dish and to present them with flair and skill are all benefits of a quality education in culinary arts. Many young culinarians believe that owning a restaurant is the ultimate success. While it is certainly a measure of success to own and operate a thriving business, there are many other ways to achieve success in your chosen profession. Advancing to a management position, such as lead-line cook or sous chef is how many young culinarians have moved up from working the line to running a large culinary operation such as the many hotels and resorts
here in The Bahamas, explained Keefe. Chef Keefe who previously served as chair of Culinary and Interim Dean at Southern New Hampshire University asserts that, “research shows that the higher the level of education achieved the higher the income that can be expected. In addition, cooks and chefs with culinary degrees have greater opportunity for advancement and are less likely to be subject to layoffs during the off season. It takes a special kind of person to work in the hospitality industry and particularly in culinary arts. “We can thank the Food Network for the notoriety that chefs have gained we now. Celebrity
chefs are now on a par with rock stars and many have opened signature restaurants in resorts around the world. Most of us will not “Beat Bobby Flay” or win “Cupcake Wars” but there is a level of success achieved by gaining a classic culinary education at an accredited culinary programme such as the Culinary Arts and Tourism Studies programme at University of The Bahamas (UB).” One such alumna, Kenria Taylor, AA’17 last summer clinched the coveted gold at the Taste of the Caribbean competition for her spiced rubbed beef with a tamarind reduction, corn dusted coconut marinated shrimp served alongside a sweet potato puree, sweet potato and thyme waffle
with charred pineapple syrup, warm chayote and carrot slaw. This mouth-watering, exquisite dish impressed the palates of judges, and secured her a major international win. “To receive a gold medal, Junior Chef of The Year and be inducted into the CHTA Hall of Fame in my first competition is mind blowing in itself but it just proves that trusting, waiting and allowing God to intercede in your life will always reap reward,” explained Taylor. She credits much of her success to the high level of training and teaching she received during her tenure at University of The Bahamas. “Through receiving my educational foundation at University of The Bahamas, I have not only been able to expand on my prior knowledge of the culinary industry but gain experience within the field. University of The Bahamas sets a standard when compared to other local and international institutions through its Industry Training Programme and lab-based curriculum that provides a theoretical aspect of learning as well as a practical,” says the award winning chef. “Kenria is proof of the high-level educational experiences offered at UB by top chefs who help to propel UB students to the next level and fuel a passion for life-long learning as they advance in the culinary profession locally or internationally,” expressed Keefe.
“Gain An Edge” is a weekly collaboration of the Lyford Cay Foundations, Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute and University of The Bahamas aimed at promoting a national dialogue on higher education. To share your thoughts, email gainanedge@tribunemedia.net.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 12, 2018, PAGE 11
100,000 visas granted by US but all Bahamians processed. “The visa waiver programme non-immigrant visitor visa refusal rate is based on the worldwide number of applicants for visitor (B) visas who are nationals of that country. B visas are issued for short-term business or pleasure travel to the United States,” according to the State Department. It continued: “The department identifies multiple applications from a unique applicant and omits all but the last action from the
By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE US Embassy in Nassau has granted just over 100,000 non-immigrant visas since 2012, according to statistics provided by the US State Department. Meanwhile, the rate of refusal of Bahamians for non-immigrant B-visas has hung around 9.3 percent for the years 2016 and 2017. This percentage does not reflect statistics for the Nassau embassy,
ART STUDENTS ENJOY EXPRESSING THEMSELVES FOUR students from the University of The Bahamas were presented with awards from Aliv for winning the “Believe In Best” art competition. The students – Joseph Sweeting, O’Vaughnya Higgs, Marknesha Bastian and Jerrad Cartwright – were able to paint their winning design in the cafeteria at UB’s main campus. With assistance from the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and the Paint Place, Aliv presented the platform of art for the students to express themselves using the theme, “Believe In Best.” The students were presented with their awards and gifts from Aliv Brand and Inventory Champion Anissa Adderley. This is the third institution Aliv has impacted – St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School as well as St John’s College have also been recognised. Pictured, from left: University of The Bahamas Assistant Professor Keisha Oliver; senior sales rep at the Paint Place Eric Adderley; UB student Joseph Sweeting; UB student O’Vaughnya Higgs; Aliv Content and Production Champion Sheridan Thompson; Chief Aliv Officer Damian Blackburn; UB student Marknesha Bastian; Aliv Brand and Inventory Champion Anissa Adderley; UB student Jerrad Cartwright, Community Outreach Officer Abby Smith and Aliv Business Analyst Corrie Seymour.
WOMAN IN HOSPITAL AFTER ARMED ROBBERY POLICE are investigating six armed robberies that occurred on New Providence between Friday and Saturday, including one incident that left a woman in hospital with a gunshot wound. Most of these incidents happened on Saturday. Police said shortly before 7pm, a woman pulled up to a residence on Prince Charles Drive when she was approached by a man who robbed her of her handbag, which contained cash and other items, before getting into a white Honda CRV and speeding off. Then some time after 7pm, police said another woman was leaving a business on Bahama Avenue when she was approached by a gunman who shot her before robbing her of her handbag and running away. The woman was taken to hospital and is in stable condition. About three hours later, police said another woman victim had pulled ibuneto a The Trup residence The Tribune on Spikenard OBITS Road off Carmichael Road, e privileged when she was Thapproached by a man, who came from a black coloured Jeep. The A1MAIN
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PLP fired as
FNM
W. Carey/Tribune
Revealed: Names list and on the eliteowed what they not
could
OH, AND THERE’S AN ELITE WATER LIST TOO
be
officials to press time. reached up By AVA TURNQUEST to sources Reporter of According Tribune Chief matter, as media.net close to the Wells has since aturnquest@tribune Mr Progres- Monday his accounts FOUR former Cabinet paid $9,000 on balParty an outstanding ARNOLD sive Liberal more than with $8,600. FORBES ministers owedat Bahamas ance of some also said as $62,023 The source Forbes was one $20,000 each Mr Light, with Power and in arrears of Monday the company former minister as of July, in talks with balance over settle the Mr for some $60,000 a list obtained to three-month period. a according to PLP Mount by The Tribune.and Collec- Forbes, former MP, was appointed The Credit 2015, listing of Moriah in January the tions Department and board to Cabinet served as MPs, senators the period and previouslythe Bahamas of for members 31, revealed chairman and Industrial ending July State Minister Agricultural that former of Works Corporation. the “do not on Ministry Others in the owed BPL list are: former Dr disconnect” Arnold Forbes of Health Tall $62,023.14. by The Minister former The list obtained delin- Perry Gomez, Leslie Miller, Tribune contains of six Pines MP Youth Minister of former quent accounts Cabinet minis- former Johnson, Danny Dr Dion former PLP MPs, PLP Village MP ters, two former Tourism DR DANIEL entities, and Nassau two private Cabinet min- Smith, former JOHNSON Obie Wilchcombe, one sitting $24,413 Town MP Minister South Beach MP and former ister: Bamboo Hamilton State Renward Wells. who owed Cleola of Mr Wells, $3,703.96 at former Minister Damian Affairs $9,277.07 and locations - for Legal two separatetotal – did not Gomez. SEE PAGE EIGHT $12,981.03 in yesterwant to comment other former day, and the
DR PERRY GOMEZ $24,498
LESLIE MILLER $42,219
DION SMITH $9,275
RENWARD WELLS $12,980
BPL WHO RUNS is quite willCRUNCH DAY OVER utilityto operator from it “walk away”
Staff
slide win roars to land CHRISTIE AS HE
ing By NEIL HARTNELL Editor $25m, five-year maximum contract Tribune Businessedia.net BPL management nhartnell@tribunem and Minnis if the board wish it to go. Power & BAHAMAS board will administration which will The meeting,PowerSecure Light’s (BPL) meeting” attended by hold a “crunch today, be their attorneys executives and as key with PowerSecure likely crit- from the US, is viewed the with the outcome whether the to determining whethermake and ical in decidingas manager. sides will “kiss latter remainsTribune Busi- two separate. up” or Multiple - SEE BUSINESS yesterday US FULL STORY ness sources that the confirmed
HUMILIATION FORAFTER 4O YEARS LOSES HIS SEAT
seats: Encaptured four Island and Cat were spent under to South Aners’ dollars administration. glerston; 1,900 votes and San Salvador; Christie the win with is evidence 2017 the as well as Exuma DORSETT Mr Christie’s 1,875. He said if there the new dros VIRGIL ELECTION Islands. By SANCHESKAReporter to the unofBy KHRISNA Reporter seat, Fox According the the Ragged of “criminality”, Tribune Staff from the Parwill allow SPEAK edia.net An additional being reDeputy Chief ia.net ficial results Registration government course. THE PEOPLE sdorsett@tribunem PAGE 4 was still its kvirgil@tribunemed his Hill, law to take to press time. and liamentary Mr Chipman after ON’ decounted up his parMoments DNA ‘TO GO PAGE 5 IN a surprisingat the Department, as the na- This marked the worst in out of 12 pollAFTER leadinglandslide defeat party won seven maiden speech MinLOSE humbling leader, Dr Prime Min- ing divisions in the former ty to a stunning feat for a governing Mr tion’s next PLP BIG NAMESPAGE 7 dealing a parapolls, outgoing that under recent history. victory and to the ProgresChristie lost PLP stronghold, while will nis promised victory came MPS ister Perry Bahamians The FNM’s won five. lysing blow Party last night, years the Centreville his watch, YOUR PROJECTED his seat in last night by Christie PAGE 9 to fear from despite a rocky five Mr Christie sive Liberal In 2012, have nothing conPrime Minister constituency representing pointing to that included two challengFAR incoming the Centrevilleeighth the government, RESULTS SO PAGE 14 Minnis declared 25 votes aftermore than 40 won the which he said es to Dr Minnis’ leadership, Dr Hubert of a fracstituency for time with have abused “imvictimisation, the area for to unofthat those who trust “have continued reports ultimately consecutive He defeated is “unconstitutional” MORE COVERAGE of years, according party and the post “wrong”. PAGES 2-18 positions 2,950 votes. moral” and to unofficial tured to fear”. ficial results. candidate Ella removal from has held something to thousands of According able his Official Opat the Mr Christie 1977 and the FNM’s FNM was leader of the House of Speaking by 1,349 votes at the Q House today. results, the defeat of won all the Lewis the seat since pledged that to pull off a stunning mas- position in the jubilant supporterslast night, ment Mr Christie leader of Dr Minnis has been Liberal Party time. polling division in will give securing a E Sports Centre but one administration Terrance of the PLP, constituencies. Assembly. a long fought National MoveProgressive was 39 “This not the Free also announced his is General Regit sive 34 of since 1997. released a Prime 2012. but the victoryyours,” ment leader be sworn in as Auditor the resources former is Although he the loss, The Parliamentary did battle, The about his seat to that he will fourth prime Bastianto probe how taxpay- istration Department re- mine - the victory thousands Minister lost Movement statement did not speak full election last Dr Minnis told on the carThe Bahamas’ at Govern- needs Christie not release 5pm Free National packed with the and po- Mr minister at SEE PAGE SIX sults last night, in from the of FNMs (FNM) candidate Reece nival grounds. people’s time numbers coming litical newcomer agency around “This is the and I who secured government from the and I am your servant Chipman, 11pm. However it apSEE PAGE THREE unofficial numbers, the PLP only of the conpeared that “The outcome trust according to vention did not inspireBahalast Mark Humes in the coming af- unofficial results, said or confidence that’s defeat “obvious” mian electorate but think sweeping residents that it is I ROLLE have stood behind us now and they night ter Fort Charlotte By RASHAD Reporter told him party would winning the the party has a wonderful repeatedly lead- the Tribune Staff stand the any a better chance a.net rebuild and could not he been victori- opportunity to rrolle@tribunemedi of the country per- election had itself,” he said. leadership for for- ership despite their ous in the PLP’sadding that reengineer longer, him. AS HE called SEE PAGE SIX RASPBERRY Minister Perry sonal affection for was pro- race in January, made a mistake” mer Prime who ICED TEA “the party resign as leader Mr Sears, Mr Christie. Free NaChristie to Liberal in choosing to lose to the Al- jected Movement’s (FNM) of the Progressive last night, the tional Party (PLP) said he saw fred Sears
DAMIAN GOMEZ $3,413
OBIE WILCHCOMBE
CLEOLA
By AVA TURNQUEST Reporter Tribune Chief edia.net aturnquest@tribunem Sewerage WATER and Chairman Corporation yesterday Adrian Gibson existence the confirmed disconnect” of a “do not by scores list populatedthe governof elites at utility owned to ment he pledged provider as on initiate a crackdown accounts. delinquent told The Mr Gibson “confidential Tribune the 221accounts, list” held total of with a combined the period $175,000 for2017. ending June he plans He said that corporathe to direct all persons tion to notify arrears owing excessive or face debts to resolve disconnection.a list confi“There is the Long dential list,” Island MP said. would think I fact, “In corporations that all the year or two, in over the last and more particularly year, there May of thisclose attenhas been that list by tion paid to with the management changing the a view to lists usually way those operate. this con“As it stands, a number has fidential list on it, and of persons it’s being really and trulypersons by used to notify or letters. courtesy call that as the I can say toothe corporachairman of to direct tion I am going owing that all personswho are excessive arrears EIGHT SEE PAGE at the end of
$4,911 HAMILTON they owed $6,118 list and the amount since that date. disconnect” BPL “do not made or further debt incurred named on the NINE individualsdo not include any payments July. The sums
PUT SOUTH ISLANDS ON MARIA ALERT
POLICE LAUNCH IVE FOX HILL OFFENS
man pointed a firearm at her and robbed her of a blue 2012 Honda Civic and sped off behind the black Jeep. A fourth robbery occurred after 11pm on Saturday when a woman was leaving a gaming establishment on Market and Peter Streets. She was approached by two armed men, who robbed her of her handbag containing cash and other items, before escaping. Minutes later, a man was in Dannottage Estates when he was approached by two armed men who robbed him of a red and black Keyway scooter, licence plate #1337, before escaping. And on Friday, a man was robbed by three men, one who was armed with a sharp object, after 9pm. The victim had just arrived at a home on Court Street off Beatrice Avenue, when he was approached by the thieves who robbed him of a red 2015 Yamaha scooter, licence plate #1138. Two of the men drove away in a ne e TribuNissan blue Note, while the Th Weekend third man sped off on the the scooter. Watch ry A1MAIN
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safeas well as of homicides DORSETT guarding the residents By SANCHESKA Reporter in Fox Hill. Tribune Staff walkabout edia.net During a Acting prepared. live national sdorsett@tribunem on Tuesday, ROLLE During a Ferguson Commissioner Fox Hill his office By RASHAD Reporter ACTING Fergu- Commissioner and address from Dr Minnis Tribune Staff Anti-Gang a.net of Police Anthony yesterday said the Inveslast night, Maria is rrolle@tribunemedi Tracing and announced dev- son establishment of two Firearms Unit will operate fore- said: “Hurricane the potentially Bahamas tigation WITH Detecwe the Maria another hurricane that separate Royal anti-crime out of the Central the cast for Hurricane Force storm to pass astating monitor.” (CDU) while projecting the Baha- must carefully Though most Police aimed at eliminating tive Unit SEE PAGE 11 units counHe added: near the Southeast Prime was spared gang activity in the morning, of mas Friday Hubert Minnis of the Bahamas the number try, reducing Minister Dr of those SEE PAGE TWO and is urging residents be vigilant islands to
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Dr Hubert MinPRIME Minister Kendera Woodside, nis meeting murdered Eugene the mother of
this Yes I feel for our countries.than I can say.” more ensure has a responsibility one mother said he will Each citizen information Dr Minnis provided to and whatever that forward. medical attention is is pregnant. the composure. said he felt the fam- has we must bring among us.” who after feel live Dr Minnis Mrs Woodside, the grieving and days makes me Three These criminals who emphasised country’s he “You can see of those pushed the ily’s pain. “What through,” Mrs Minnis, that her appearis that most during murder that violent crime into ROLLE she’s going someI, even worse By RASHAD Reporter not a pain “I assured her that the family the yard, struggle with spotlight yet again, them was doctor, to will have we see in Tribune Staff a.net ance before called on women said. today (Friday) we to look the national as a medical acute. rrolle@tribunemedi come my my years political move,one day this week time her pain remained live a life, medical personnel she’s pregand comforting cried. “He ain’t even to wear blackfor murder victims. Dr THE hugs her because sure that Prime Minister wife God,” Mrs Woodsidegive my upon after in mourning I’m calling words of I have to make infant are and his a baby. I could my really nant. “As a mother, Hubert Minnis couldn’t answer “He’s right now just for because I this,” her and her unborn will also make take all mothers can stop the Patricia Minnis that consumed breath be right here. They well and we to to make sure believe mothers who was tearful both the questions yesterday as babyheart out my body. who arrangementsmedical personnel They said Mrs Minnis, eight- my Kendera Woodside have our sons on a only son. for her son, killed times. “We birth and as they necessary her and see her “This my my daughter too after she grieved of them at from the safety who was still with look almost shoot (the house) with would’ve delivered most knowing we cradle basis to ensure infant.” year-old Eugene, men we are to me with regular they inside four days ago. people ain’t tell- and What they do to my family? so they are closer patients,” Dr becomeWe have to speakshould of her and her unborn PAGE TWO SEE are my former “Why these bringing my son me. they do to us? by pro- them. I think all women week me? I they we them. ain’ carry one day this ing me they she cried between What Minnis, a gynaecologist “The message “Why they wear black what’s happening in tried to He’s a baby.” right now?” fession, said. the entire Bahamas Dr Minnis and mourn Eugene’s to live 29 years, send alone. Rosescreams as must this Woodside, their Tonio family at wife even is the police can’t fight Eugene console the consoled his home where on father, struggled to maintain bud Road a stray bullet as he was shot by did his homework. he Monday as
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he told Parto In June, cost the ROLLE such liament of By RASHAD Bahamians $10,149,738. by the Carib- Tribune Staff Reporter so alarmed Action Task rrolle@tribunemedia.net increases was comes after bean Financial draft The revision more than By NEIL HARTNELL Editor Rolle, minForce’s (CFATF) BRENSIL Tribune Businessedia.net services he included that were not The Bahamas report on his staff ister of public nhartnell@tribunem 1,700 workers Gen- that he instructedaddressing and National Insurance, in his original count. December Progressive THE Attorneyslammed to begin work on June. Amid the said between 2017, the criticism May flaws from early eral yesterday by Liberal Party’sadministrablasted the 2016 and in the nation’s the ballooned Mr Bethel deficiencies adminis- public purse laundering of the of the Minnisof its firings anti-money former Christie to tackle $16,532,738 because because “entirely unacfailing administration’s tion regime as SEE PAGE SIX they had tration for with the Christie public service ceptable”, warning “in great known weaknesses hiring of new that period. during put The Bahamas necessary urgency. BUSINESS workers danger”. told Trib- FULL STORY - SEE Carl Bethelhe had been une Business
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DORSETT By SANCHESKA Reporter Tribune Staff edia.net sdorsett@tribunem yesFIREFIGHTERS a large blaze terday battled Providence at the New three weeks Landfill, nearly a massive that after tackling city dump fire at the nearly a month. burned for Charge of Fire Officer in Chief SuperinServices, Evans said tendent Walter is “not confire the the current any way to this nected” in and at previous blazedo not know time officials the fire. Howwhat caused Minister Environment ever told rehe Kenred Dorsett the site that porters at “sabotage” in said suspected the fire. He relation to the team he “instructed”to have the of firefighters “before and blaze extinguished day” today nomination Baha Mar’s certainly before Friday. opening on started shortly The blaze and Wednesday after 3am officsaid Evans Chief Supt battle the fire to but ers expect another day for at least wind is a “huge” he said the factor. SEE PAGE SIX
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WELLS By RICARDO Reporter Tribune Staff ia.net rwells@tribunemed concern ADMITTING Bernard Notin over what Dr have battled last tage may his isolation during Prime Minisdays, former yesterday for ter Perry Christie admiration the expressed forth by the effort put security to former national the build-up minister in election. the May general from his Breaking away since being public silence office in hisof a voted out last month, toric fashion Mr Chrishis visibly troubled portions of his tie detailed with last conversation and longfriend childhood colleague on time political Thursday. Centreville The former Nottage as Dr MP saw “fought tehis someone who throughout and naciously” loved he life for thosetrait he said he a supported, up to their saw on display last conversation. PAGE SIX SEE
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traditions. just a short ROLLE “Earlier today,present ParBy RASHAD Reporter the while ago, Tribune Staff officially disa.net liament was Christie said. rrolle@tribunemedi Mr Perry solved,”seat in the House of “Every PRIME Minister the prover- Assembly is now vacant. the to you, Christie rang morning, “It is now left beloved bial bell yesterday that the 2017 citizenry of our who will announcing be held on nation, to decide in the next election willMay 10. fill those seats In doWednesday, address, givof Assembly. His televisedOffice of the House you will also be dethe ing so, en live at the came mowho will form Prime Minister, Commis- ciding of the BahaPolice government five years. ments after Greenslade, for the next that mosioner Ellison as provost mas “You will make in what in his capacity decision proclamations pray marshal, readHouse of As- mentous hope and fair elecoutside the Governor Gen- I earnestly be free and Pin- will following a spirited sembly from Marguerite Let tions eral Dame Parliament. peaceful campaign. dling dissolving said he is but the forthcoming Mr Christie election will us contestwith all the vigour confident the and will fol- elections fair at our command.” be free and and peaceful SEE PAGE TWO low a spirited is consistent campaign that political with this country’s
ED 170,000 HAVE REGISTER DAY AHEAD OF POLLING ROLLE
with correctnow engaged the voter d editing
IN MPBA CHAMPIO
NSHIP SERIES
calculation. Thus, an applicant is counted only once each year and is assigned the status in which he or she ended the year. “For example, if an applicant who was refused in April reapplies and is issued in July, he or she will count only as an issuance. Similarly, if an applicant who was refused in April re-applies and is refused again in July, he or she will be counted as only one refusal. “Rarely, an applicant may end the year in a third category,
‘overcome.’ This happens when an officer has the information he needs to overcome a refusal but has not processed the case to completion.” Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago held a refusal rate of 71.44 percent, 46.78 percent, and 22.46 percent, respectively, in 2017. For 2016, the Bahamas’ rate was listed as 9.3 percent, with Haiti at 64.52 percent, Jamaica at 35.64 percent, and Trinidad and Tobago at 22.7 percent. As for the Nassau embassy,
for the fiscal years 2012 to 2017, a total sum of 97,575 non-immigrant visas were issued. The 2018 US fiscal year, as defined by its federal government, started on October 1, 2017 and continued until September 30. For this period, preliminary statistics indicate a total of 10,450 visas were issued. The State Department notes preliminary dates are subject to change, but any change would not be statistically significant.
PAGE 12, Monday, November 12, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
Remembering the fallen
ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force officers marched as part of Remembrance Day yesterday. Top right, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis lays a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance in honour of war veterans as did Tribune publisher Mrs Eileen Carron and her son Robert. Sir Eitienne Dupuch, Mrs Carron’s father, has been honoured this year for his military contributions in World Wars I and II.
Exhibition highlights role played by Bahamians in First World War By FELICITY DARVILLE THE Consulate of the Kingdom of Belgium and University of The Bahamas are hosting a joint exhibition, launched over the weekend to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. The exhibit, called “World War 1 Flanders Field Centennial, 1918 – 2018 Armistice Exhibition” runs until December 9 and is on display at the Harry C Moore Library and Information Centre Auditorium. Included in the exhibition, which portrays vivid photos from the war, are three exhibits focused on three Bahamians buried in Belgium during the Great War. They are Private 2484 H Duncombe, Lance Sergeant Alfred Keddie Curry, and Lance Sergeant Charles Spurgeon Sparkman. Duncombe died September 20, 1917 and was the son of Priscilla Duncombe of Long Bay Cays, Andros. He is buried at Huts Cemetery, and his exhibit explains how the war on the western front took his and many other lives as the armies of the British Commonwealth – France, Belgium and later the United States – fought against Germany as it sought to control Belgium. Lance Sergeant Curry is buried at Bedford House cemetery with a tombstone that reads: “He died that others through him might live.” Lance Sergeant Sparkman is buried at Gwalia cemetery where 468 fallen soldiers are buried. In Sir Etienne Dupuch’s book “Salute to Friend and Foe”, he describes Sparkman’s death on the battlefield in Passchendaele, Belgium. It says, in part; “A shell fell in the middle of the parade and men went down like tenpins in a bowling alley. When the smoke cleared Sparkman lay on the ground, his uniform spotless, but his head had been blown off from the shoulders by a piece of shrapnel.” Dirk Wouters, Belgian non-resident ambassador to the Bahamas and UB President Rodney Smith, opened the exhibit on Friday. On Saturday, presentations were made by Mr Wouters and others. “The Armistice which occurred at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month 100 years ago, which made an end to the first World War is commemorated all over the world,” said Mr Wouters. Alluding to the efforts of the late Mary Moseley in raising funds for the Belgians during the war, Mr Wouters said: “The humanitarian reaction and relief efforts were very important. People suffered from food shortages. Soldiers were weak, families didn’t have food to feed the children. These efforts were extremely important and women played an extraordinary role in this effort.” He was joined by the honorary consul for the Kingdom of Belgium in the Commonwealth
ATTENDING the World War 1 exhibition, from left: German Honorary Consul Hermann-Jospeh Hermanns, Ambassador at Large Kenya L Ward, Belgian Honorary Consul Etienne R Claes, former Austrian Honorary Consul Earnst Rumer, British Legion- Bahamas Branch Exucutive Secretary Adina Charlow, and Foreign Affairs official Lucretia Dean-Rolle.
of the Bahamas, Etienne Claes, who brought a special wreath to commemorate the occasion and to show the solidarity between Belgium and the Bahamas. The top half of the wreath was to be designed with live yellow elder flowers, the national flower of the Bahamas, but they withered too quickly. So, the designers opted for silk representations of the yellow elder. The bottom half
of the wreath is decorated with 100 poppies – 50 of which were provided by the British Legion, Bahamas Branch with Adina Munroe-Charlow, executive secretary present, and 50 of which were made of silk and handmade in Belgium. Representing Germany was Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany HermannJoseph Hermanns.
“Germany was part of the war, and both of my grandfathers were in the war in the trenches,” said Mr Hermanns. “I’m here to support my Belgium colleagues. We stick together, work together, share our experiences and our history. It is important that so far away from our original homes we represent our countries and pass on the history given to us by our forefathers.”
When asked why he thought it important for Germany, once the enemy of the British during World War 1 to attend, he said so that this kind of history is not repeated. “It is important because the younger generation has a completely different perspective; they can’t be brainwashed anymore. The younger generation must make sure it doesn’t happen again. They must be tolerant and educated, and not forget their history. The Bahamas may be so far removed from the war but people must not forget that 15,000 people from the Caribbean participated in the First World War.” This past Friday, The Tribune’s supplement “Called to Arms” provided detailed accounts from some of the Bahamians who fought in World War 1, including former Tribune Editor and proprietor Sir Etienne Dupuch. It tells of 700 Bahamian men who went to war for the Commonwealth through the British West Indies Regiment. Ministry of Foreign Affairs representatives on hand for the exhibition were Kenya L Ward, Ambassador-at-Large and official Lucretta Dean-Rolle.
PAGE 14, Monday, November 12, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
FIGHTS RAGE ON THE STREETS IN YEMEN’S KEY PORT CITY
FIREFIGHTERS watch as fire retardant is dropped on a burning hillside yesterday.
SANAA, Yemen Associated Press
STREET battles raged yesterday in several areas of Yemen’s contested port city of Hodeida, where a US-backed, Saudi-led coalition is trying to drive out Iran-backed Shiite rebels, officials said. They say airstrikes from warplanes and Apache attack helicopters shook residential neighborhoods throughout the day, while ground forces clashed around the university in the city’s south, as well as al-Thawra and May 22 hospitals to the east. Residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw smoke rising from both areas, with several military vehicles on fire near the university. Intense fighting around al-Thawra Hospital blocked access to it for hours, while rebels retook the May 22 hospital after it fell briefly to the coalition, they said. . Closer to the port facilities, the gateway for vital humanitarian aid, rebel gunmen occupied one the country’s largest flour mills and posted fighters on its rooftop, one official added. He said efforts are ongoing to evacuate workers inside the site he feared could be targeted by airstrikes. Medical officials in the southern port city of Aden, a coalition stronghold, say some public hospitals there have reached capacity from a steady flow of war wounded from contested fronts across Yemen, and are refusing to accept new patients except for some civilians with critical wounds. The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the rebels, known as Houthis, who toppled the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015 in an attempt to restore the mostly exiled government to power.
Death toll rises to 25 from California fires CALIFORNIA Associated Press WITH hearses standing by, crews stepped up the search for bodies in the smoking ruins of Paradise, and relatives desperately tried to find more than 100 missing loved ones, as wind-whipped wildfires raged yesterday on both ends of the state. The statewide death toll stood at 25 and appears certain to rise. At least five search teams were working in Paradise — a town of 27,000 that was largely incinerated on Thursday — and surrounding Northern California communities. Authorities called in a mobile DNA lab and anthropologists to help identify victims of the most destructive wildfire in California history. By early afternoon, one of the two black hearses stationed in Paradise had picked up another set of remains. “I still haven’t heard anything,” said Laurie Teague, who was looking for her 80-year-old stepfather, Herb Alderman. She and her brother called shelters, hospitals, the sheriff’s department and the coroner’s office.
“He has friends in that area,” Teague said. “I’m hoping one of them grabbed him and took him to shelter.” Officials and relatives held out hope that many of those unaccounted for were safe and simply had no cellphones or other ways to contact loved ones. Sol Bechtold drove from shelter to shelter looking for his mother, Joanne Caddy, a 75-year-old widow whose house burned down along with the rest of her neighborhood in Magalia, just north of Paradise. She lived alone and did not drive. Bechtold posted a flyer on social media, pinned it to bulletin boards at shelters and showed her picture around to evacuees, asking if anyone recognized her. He ran across a few of Caddy’s neighbors, but they hadn’t seen her. As he drove through the smoke and haze to yet another shelter, he said, “I’m also under a dark emotional cloud. Your mother’s somewhere and you don’t know where she’s at. You don’t know if she’s safe.” He added: “I’ve got to stay positive. She’s a strong, smart woman.”
More than 8,000 firefighters in all battled three large wildfires burning across nearly 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers) in Northern and Southern California, with out-of-state crews continuing to arrive and gusty, blowtorch winds starting up again. The worst of the blazes was in Northern California, where the number of people killed in that fire alone, at least 23, made it the thirddeadliest on record in the state. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the county was bringing in more rescue workers and consulted anthropologists from California State University at Chico because in some cases “the only remains we are able to find are bones or bone fragments.” Authorities were also bringing in a DNA lab and encouraged people with missing relatives to submit samples to aid in identifying the dead after the blaze destroyed more than 6,700 buildings, nearly all of them homes. Firefighters gained modest ground overnight against the blaze, which grew slightly to 170 square miles (440 square kilometers) from
the day before but was 25 percent contained, up from 20 percent, according to the state fire agency, Cal Fire. But Cal Fire spokesman Bill Murphy warned that gusty winds predicted into Monday morning could spark “explosive fire behavior.” “We’re at a pivotal point now,” said another Cal Fire official, David Clark. Two people were also found dead in a wildfire in Southern California, where flames tore through Malibu mansions and working-class Los Angeles suburbs alike. The severely burned bodies were discovered in a long residential driveway in celebrity-studded Malibu, where residents forced from their homes included Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian West, Guillermo del Toro and Martin Sheen. A member of the Malibu City Council was burned trying to save his home but was expected to recover. Flames also besieged Thousand Oaks, the Southern California city in mourning over the massacre of 12 people at a country music bar Wednesday night.
FRESH FIGHTING ERUPTS AMID STEPS IN PARIS, TRUMP THE ‘NATIONALIST’ TO TONE DOWN GAZA VIOLENCE STANDS APART FROM THE OTHERS
JERUSALEM Associated Press
A FRESH wave of fighting erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip yesterday, leaving at least six militants dead just as Israel and Hamas had appeared to be making progress toward ratcheting down months of border violence. Although it was unclear what set off the burst of violence, Hamas said a “security incident” had left “a number” dead and wounded, while the Israeli military said an “exchange of fire” took place during operational activity in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said six militants were killed and six others wounded, as air raid sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in southern Israel, near Gaza. Yesterday’s development shattered what appeared to be a turning point after months of bloodshed along the Israel-Gaza border, with weekly Hamas-led protests drawing thousands to the perimeter fence with Israel. Over 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the border protests, in which Palestinians throw rocks, burning
A MOURNER cries during a funeral on the West Bank yesterday.
tires and grenades toward Israeli troops. Last week, Israel allowed Qatar to deliver $15 million in aid to Gaza’s cash-strapped Hamas rulers. Hamas responded by lowering the intensity of Friday’s border protest. Earlier yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his decision to allow the transfer of the Qatari money, rejecting criticism that the move had strengthened the Islamic militant group. Netanyahu told reporters that it was “the right step” at the moment and that he was committed to restoring quiet along the Israel-Gaza frontier and preventing a humanitarian crisis in the
coastal Palestinian territory. “Every action, without exception, has a price,” he said. “If you can’t handle the price you cannot lead. And I can handle the price.” Israeli critics, including members of Netanyahu’s hard-line coalition, accused him of capitulating to violence and of granting relief to the embattled Hamas group. The internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007, accused the US and Israel of being involved in a “conspiracy” to permanently sever Gaza from the West Bank. He promised to take unspecified measures against his Hamas rivals in the coming days. Hamas leaders in Gaza have described the arrival of the $15 million, delivered last week in three suitcases by a Qatari diplomat, as their first major gain of more than seven months of weekly protests along the perimeter fence. Hamas has been leading the protests since March 30 in a bid to ease a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that was imposed in 2007 in order to weaken the militant group.
PARIS Associated Press
FOR President Donald Trump in Paris, America First meant largely America alone. At a weekend commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the president who proudly declares himself a “nationalist” stood apart, even on a continent where his brand of populism is on the rise. He began his visit with a tweet slamming the French president’s call for a European defence force, arrived at events alone and spent much of his trip out of sight in the American ambassadors’ residence in central Paris. Yesterday, he listened as he was lectured on the dangers of nationalist isolation, and then he headed home just as the inaugural Paris Peace Summit was getting under way. The visit made clear that, nearly two years after taking office, Trump has dramatically upended decades of American foreign policy posture, shaking allies. That includes French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned that the “ancient demons” that caused World War I and millions of deaths
PRESIDENT Donald Trump stands among the headstones during an American Commemoration Ceremony yesterday. were once again making overhead to mark the exact moment the devastating headway. Macron, who has been war came to a close. With Trump and other urging a re-embrace of multinational organisations and leaders looking on, Macron co-operation that have been took on the rising tide of shunned by Trump, deliv- populism in the United ered a barely-veiled rebuke States and Europe and urged of Trumpism at the week- leaders not to turn their end’s centrepiece event: backs by turning inward. “Patriotism is the exact A gathering of dozens of leaders at the Tomb of the opposite of nationalism: Unknown Soldier at the Nationalism is a betrayal of base of the Arc de Triom- patriotism,” Macron said, phe to mark the passage of adding that, when nations a century since the guns fell put their interests first and silent in a global war that decide “who cares about the killed millions. Bells tolled others” they “erase the most across Europe’s Western precious thing a nation can Front and fighter jets passed have... Its moral values.”
THE TRIBUNE
BOATERS PUT ON ALERT AS CONTAINER FOUND FLOATING THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force has warned boaters to stay clear of an unidentified floating container unit found in waters off Farmer’s Cay in the Exuma chain. At last report, the estimated 20 ft by 40 ft metal container was located at position latitude 23.57
north and longitude 076.11 west (Farmer’s Cay Cut). The residents of Farmer’s Cay anchored the container unit and have also placed a light on it to enhance its visibility after dark. A RBDF patrol craft was deployed to examine the container, in addition
to ensuring it is properly anchored with extra lighting. RBDF authorities are also working with Port Department officials in an effort to salvage the unit. Boaters are advised to exercise extreme caution when in the area of Farmer’s Cay until the container unit has been removed.
Monday, November 12, 2018, PAGE 15
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THE TRIBUNE
THE DOPPLER radar equipment is loaded onto HMBS Lawrence Major.
Photos: RBDF
Doppler radar loaded up for Long Island ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force auxiliary vessel HMBS Lawrence Major departed the Coral Harbour Base on Friday to transport equipment and materials for the installation of a meteorological Doppler radar in Long Island. The Doppler radar will be installed on the island as part of the Department of Meteorology’s weather radar coverage system for The Bahamas. In March 2017, the Christie administration announced four new Doppler radars would be installed to improve the functionality of the Department of Meteorology. The radars were to be deployed in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Long Island and Abaco.
AVAILABLE IN DOUBLE SAUSAGE, BACON OR HAM WWW.BURGERKING.BS
/BURGERKINGNASSAU
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