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VOLUME:116 No.224, NOVEMBER 14TH, 2019
OFFICIA
CLASSIFIED TRADER: CARS, CARS, CARS & MORE CARS
Nygard: I’m victim of massive conspiracy
FASHION billionaire Peter Nygard has alleged a massive international conspiracy carried out by his rival Louis Bacon which involves huge criminal activities including bribing women to make false claims about his private life. His critics say his claims, filed in court papers in the United States, are an attempt to stall a major investigation the New York Times has been carrying out for at least nine months. The Tribune understands the US paper was on the point of publishing their exposé when Mr Nygard claimed in court documents that the Times was also involved in the Bacon-led conspiracy. Reporters working on the Times’ investigation are believed to have
interviewed around 250 people in the US, Canada and here in The Bahamas. Many are young women said to have told similar stories about Mr Nygard and aspects of his private life. The Tribune understands the Times had begun to forward questions to Mr Nygard to seek his response to the allegations in time for these to be included in their published report. The details of Nygard’s claims were submitted to a New York court as part of an ongoing case between Mr Nygard and Mr Bacon where the Canadian fashion designer is arguing the US legal system has jurisdiction to determine his claims. Mr Bacon is seeking to have this matter dismissed. SEE PAGE THREE
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FASHION billionaire Peter Nygard
OFFICER ADMITS CHANGING SHELL MAY OPEN DEAL ASH’S WITNESS STATEMENT TO PUBLIC By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
THE lead investigator in former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson’s bribery trial yesterday admitted to altering the original statement she took from a local businessman by adding in a pivotal allegation against the former parliamentarian some three months after it was taken and signed. Assistant Superintendent Deborah Thompson admitted that the initial June 28, 2017 statement she took from Jonathan Ash contained no allegations that
SHANE GIBSON he was required to “forego” $250,000 in order to be paid the $1m he was owed by the Christie administration for Hurricane Matthew cleanup work. Instead, ASP Thompson
said that allegation was mentioned months later when she met with Mr Ash in September of that year. But instead of taking a further statement from Mr Ash, ASP Thompson simply made the change and kept the June 2017 date because the alteration was “minor” in her view. But despite that, the 25-year law enforcement veteran conceded that the issue of Mr Ash allegedly being required to “forego” any payments was, and still is, an important part of the current case, and further admitted that her actions
SHELL North America last night confirmed it is willing to permit Bahamian ownership in part of its New Providence power plant project through what could be this nation’s largest-ever public share offering. A spokesperson confirmed local investors may get the chance to invest via an initial public offering in the company’s proposed new plant at Clifton Pier.
SEE PAGE FIVE
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
PLP ‘NOTHING TO HIDE’ ON BOATS PROBE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Progressive Liberal Party emphasised yesterday that no one from the party has been connected to a Netherlands’ probe examining the acquisition of nine Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessels in 2014. Dutch investigators are investigating whether the Damen Shipyard Group used foreign agents to bribe
foreign officials in multiple jurisdictions. Damen’s Caribbean work involving an intermediary, NSG Management & Technical Services Ltd, is at the centre of the probe because Damen is said to have paid unusually high commissions to NSG from its contracts with The Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago governments. Yesterday, the opposition party said “there is nothing to hide” in relation to the
matter, adding officials in the Minnis administration have all the files related to the project and should provide the “full information” to the public. In a statement yesterday, the PLP said: “…There is no evidence of which we are aware that any PLP official has been involved in these allegations. We expect that the relevant authority at the Ministry of Finance and
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE THREE
RICHARD COULSON HERE’S ONE OIL PROJECT I REALLY HOPE SUCCEEDS
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Thursday, November 14, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
FAMILY GIVE MIRACLE A NEW HOME
By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
MIRACLE, the dog who was trapped for weeks under hurricane debris in Abaco, has finally found a new home with a family in Florida.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced that Miracle was officially adopted by the Beaty family of Palm Beach County, Florida — a family of five who has been visiting The Bahamas for years.
“They have a Bahamas connection, losing a long-time family home in Hurricane Dorian. They live about an hour away from the ranch allowing us to observe the many trips they took here to see Miracle,” the group said in the
statement. “When we saw the way Miracle bonded with the kids they rose to the top of our list. With three wonderful young girls, ages three, five, and eight, Miracle is in for the pampering of a lifetime.” Earlier last month,
THE BEATY family with their new pet spokesperson for Big Dog Ranch Rescue Chase Scott told The Tribune that the animal rescue group initially discovered Miracle buried underneath a pile of air conditioners and building debris. Mr Scott said rescuers believed Miracle was trapped under the debris for about three to four weeks, surviving off rainwater alone. “The team named him Miracle because you could not see him underneath the air conditioners and building debris. There was another dog next to Miracle that had already passed away. That’s one of the reasons he is a miracle,” he added. And since rescuing the pup last month, Mr Scott said rescuers had been waiting to receive word from Miracle’s family in Abaco. But, after not hearing from Miracle’s family, the group decided to put him up for adoption. And with over ten thousand global adoption requests received for Miracle, the Beaty family was finally chosen. While the Beaty family is overjoyed with the news, BDRR said the family is hoping that those who applied will find a “miracle” of their own.
“There are so many precious dogs (from the Bahamas and beyond - even China) looking for their forever homes out at the ranch. We almost feel guilty taking him knowing he would be most certainly adopted. If everyone that called in for Miracle adopted a pup, the shelter (and others) would be cleared, and that would be another wonderful miracle,” the family said in a statement released by BDRR. The story of Miracle is indeed a miraculous one and according to Mr Scott, the pup has already given so much hope to people throughout the country who are trying to cope with life after Dorian. “So many have sent social media messages and phone calls expressing that Miracle has given them hope for the rebuilding and future of The Bahamas and inspired them in difficult times,” Mr Scott told The Tribune. The story has also attracted international attention. “We have heard from countries all over the world and this little (dog) is serving as an inspiration to support Bahamas relief and the spirit of The Bahamas,” he said.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 3
PLP HAS ‘NOTHING TO HIDE’ ON DUTCH BOATS PROBE from page one
at the head of the government at that time will in due course make some statement on the entirety as the one au fait with all the facts. The party has been briefed on the matter by that relevant official. “When the government was elected in 2012, it met in place a recommendation from our predecessors - the FNM government - that Damen Shipyard Group
be awarded the contract in question. The recommendation made to the government supported the recommendation previously made to the FNM, and was made by the same officials. Our advice is that the only payments by the PLP government were made directly to Damen Shipyards. The process involved tendering and negotiations. The Attorney General’s Office and the government’s law firm in Washington, Hogan
and Lovell advised the government. The FNM government which is now in possession of the files should provide full information to the Bahamian public and they should do so without delay. They should also cooperate fully in that regard with any investigation by Dutch authorities. There is nothing to hide.” The Christie administration made “material changes” to the contract when it came to office to
facilitate the repair of vessels that were not functioning and for dredging the harbour at Gun Point in Ragged Island and in Coral Harbour in New Providence, the PLP’s statement said. “The FNM had bought boats that could not dock in their home port in Coral Harbour. The PLP government also ordered a roll on roll off vessel with emergency equipment to prepare meals, water production and a mini-hospital to deal with hurricane relief
PLP leader Philip Davis
capability. Those were were properly and transparency approved,” the opposition party noted. “The Progressive Liberal Party suggests that the public officials involved in this matter be called upon to publicly confirm whether they are aware of any influence-peddling or politically-driven lobbying or other improper or irregular conduct involved in or connected to the contract awarded to Damen Shipyard Group.”
MR Nygard’s critics believe the 100-page submission entered in court this week is based on confidential information held by Fred Smith and his legal team – the names of Nygard’s accusers, investigators and the involvement of the New York Times.
from page one In addition to Mr Bacon, included among those said to be running the campaign against Mr Nygard are Mr Bacon’s elder brother Zack, environment campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and leading Bahamian lawyer Fred Smith, QC. Nygard’s lawyers allege: “This is an action to enjoin, and seek redress for, the conduct of defendants, in concert with others, in engaging in a pattern of illicit and illegal conduct designed to improperly influence witnesses to make false statements, file false reports, abuse process, tortuously interfere with business relations and aid and abet the dissemination of false statements ... all for the intentional purpose of damaging Plaintiffs, their business and their property…” “For over ten years, plaintiffs and defendants have engaged in an ongoing conflict which initially arose out of a property owner dispute but has since spilled out to battle across multiple countries, now focused in the United States... Defendants have now turned their attention to attempting to improperly influence and providing false information to a prominent New York newspaper to assist them in their quest.” “In addition, defendants have conducted other media attacks, which are often supported by fabricated and manufactured evidence, and which are often made through payments, threats, coercion and intimidation. Through the use of U.S. and foreign investigators and “guards,” defendants have created their own fake ‘witness protection programme’ to coerce witnesses to cooperate in their scheme.” “In addition, upon information and belief, defendants have used a series of corporate gymnastics, including the improper use of not-for-profit entities, to funnel tens of millions of dollars to fund their illicit
Nygard claims he is the victim of a massive conspiracy activities while presumably taking improper tax deductions.” Mr Nygard’s latest allegations drew an immediate response from Mr Bacon. “This filing is a move straight out of Nygard’s litigation playbook, like numerous others where he uses court documents to make outlandish, false claims,” said Mr Bacon. “He has tried this approach numerous times, including four cases in the Bahamas in 2011 and 2012 which were all abandoned or dismissed and in a similar RICO case two years ago, also dismissed. The new filing is loaded with irrelevant and shopworn allegations designed to muddy the waters and divert attention from the fact that, like all Mr Nygard’s other lawsuits, all of which he lost or withdrew, the new RICO case is baseless.” Mr Nygard is subject to numerous contempt orders here in The Bahamas and is in fact due in court today to be sentenced for contempt in a case centering on the theft of emails from Fred Smith’s law firm which will be represented by Julian Malins, QC, from London and Ferron Bethel. These emails surfaced in an affidavit exhibited by lawyer Keod Smith, one of Mr Nygard’s Bahamian lawyers who represented the Canadian in an earlier contempt hearing.
RIVAL: Louis Bacon Lawyers secured an injunction preventing Mr Nygard and Keod Smith from perusing, publishing or disseminating anything contained within the emails. Mr Nygard’s New York lawyers meanwhile contacted the judge hearing the ongoing New York Nygard-Bacon row asking to amend their submission, allegedly using the same information contained in the emails covered by Keod Smith’s injunction.
Mr Nygard’s critics believe the 100-page submission entered in court this week is based on confidential information held by Fred Smith and his legal team – the names of Nygard’s accusers, investigators and the involvement of the New York Times. Mr Nygard filed a similar claim against the investigators involved in the murder for hire plot case filed by Bacon and others against Nygard and Keod Smith in the Bahamas in 2016. The Florida state court dismissed his case, saying the Bahamas was the appropriate jurisdiction to determine the claim because those matters were already the subject of court cases in the Bahamas. Mr Nygard appealed to the Florida court of appeal and lost. In The Bahamas his representatives, such as Sherman Brown have been found in
contempt for misleading the court. The Tribune reached out to the New York Times for comment but had
received no response up until press time. Editorial View - Page 4
PAGE 4, Thursday, November 14, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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Should we give an ounce of credibility to Nygard’s claims? “THE intended appeal application arises out of a torturous legal battle which has probably contributed considerably to the deforestation of the planet.” So wrote the Court of Appeal just a few short weeks ago as it ruled on yet another legal matter brought by Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard. Sadly, it appears, this deforestation of the planet is about to pick up speed. After countless defeats in courts here, the United States and Canada it transpires – according to Mr Nygard – that he is the victim of a massive international conspiracy orchestrated by his arch enemies Louise Bacon and Fred Smith, QC. He is the victim it seems. Not the young girls and women who have made serious allegations against him. Now, on the point of publishing the results of a nine-month long investigation, the New York Times – which lives or dies on its reputation – is allegedly among those who have been recruited to Bacon’s sinister conspiracy. So should we give any ounce of credibility to what Nygard is claiming? Let’s take a moment to remind ourselves. He has four contempt of court orders against him, has fought every single one of them until the point he had nowhere else to turn so packed up his bags and fled back to Canada. Sure enough a medical certificate duly arrived to say he would be unable to attend court for sentence. Seems even with all his millions he can’t find a specialist to get him back on his feet and back to Nassau for sentencing. He’s actually due in court today but we’re not holding our breath that he’ll actually turn up. For the record we asked Fred Smith - the wicked spin master dancing to Bacon’s bidding according to Nygard whether he has paid anyone to make up stories or lie about Nygard. His response: I paid no money to anyone to lie about Nygard. There are the women’s stories, saying pretty much the same thing - and Fred believes them. Nygard, of course, has limitless funds and there are plenty of people eager to do his bidding for a slice of his grubby cash. Remember these stories. All facts accepted by the courts despite Nygard insisting he was the victim, not his accusers. Wendell Jones - found to be in contempt of court in a case concerning a smear campaign against Louis Bacon. Likewise with Sherman Brown. “I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Brown knowingly and deliberately made false statements before the Deputy Registrar and he knew and intended that, by lying in a court of law, he would impede and interfere with the proper administration of justice. Consequently, I find Mr. Brown to be in contumacious contempt of court,” the court stated. In a case involving Nygard’s acquisition of Nancy Ebker’s sportswear brand a 12-year court battle ensued at the conclusion of which Judge Irving Cooper found that: “In contrast with the candid and credible testimony of Ebker […] Nygard’s demeanour on the witness stand was evasive and insincere, and he contradicted himself on numerous occasions throughout the course of his testimony. “... We unhesitatingly find the testimony of Nygard utterly lacking in credibility, and we reject his testimony insofar as it contradicts that of plaintiff.” Dana Neal and Pat Prowse worked in Nygard’s human resources department. Both publicly came forward with their
experiences of working for him and he subsequently sued them for breach of confidentiality. “Dana Neal was quoted as saying: “I think they will do everything and anything in their power to discredit and hurt me and I think that those mechanisms are well underway.” And who can forget Livingston “Toggi” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma and the murder-for-hire plot. Bobo and Toggi admitted setting fire to a business in Wulff Road, which was owned by a former girlfriend of Nygard who had threatened to accuse Nygard of rape and take part in a blackmail scheme. The attack was a means of both punishing and intimidating against future actions. The fact of the fire is corroborated by a contemporary Royal Bahamian Police report of the incident. In a sworn statement Bobo stated: “So he said that she was going to risk a f*cking warning. You know what I mean? And he even made a call to try to talk to her. And Sam and another girl, I can’t remember the other girl’s name.” “... And he told us that he wanted to hurt her by any means necessary. Like that she had opened a business so you fucking gonna do it. so it was done.”… Interviewer: “What did Nygard pay you for the arson?” Bobo: “I don’t remember if it’s 10 or 20. I think its 10”. Interviewer: “10 each?” Bobo: “Right” Bobo and Toggi further admitted to intimidating Michael Majors, over permits that Nygard wanted for his property development. They visited Majors at his office in the administrative planning department, threw his desk over and threatened to harm him if he did not start acting in Nygard’s favour. In a sworn statement Bobo recalled: “He said Michael Major was being a pain in the fucking ass. That’s his favourite word. He said Michael Major is holding back some documents. “ [Nygard told us to] “go pay him a visit and threaten him. “... So we did that. Tell him that if he don’t stop doing what he doing we break you’re f*cking leg and hand.” A similar threat was made by Bobo and Toggi to Pericles Maillis. They planned to ‘bump’ Maillis’ car and ‘deal with him’ when he got out. When this strategy was unsuccessful, Nygard was angry at their failure and refused to pay them. He did not attempt to recover $10k of upfront costs that he had given them to purchase hand guns. In a final bid to succeed, Bobo and Toggi started to follow Maillis’ sister, looking to threaten or harm her instead. This plot was also unsuccessful. In a sworn statement they were asked: “And what did Nygard say he was going to pay you if you killed Pericles Maillis?” Bobo: “Huge sums of money.” Finally, Bobo and Toggi admitted burning Rev. CB Moss’s car to ‘send him a message’ from Nygard. Toggi: “He told us CB Moss is a serious pain in his ass and he needs his mouth to shut up… We was waiting for him to come outside so we could burst some gunshot at him.” Interviewer: “Fire some gunshots at him? … Not necessarily hit him but just scare him?” Toggi: “Yeah, scare him, yeah – so we just burn down his car” So you can see from just these few examples Mr Nygard - and those around him - have a problem with recalling events as they actually happened. Thankfully the lawyers, journalists and victims when they are able to get to the witness stand give their version of events. Who would you believe?
I’d love to holiday in Bahamas - but can’t EDITOR, The Tribune I HAVE read in the press of USA and Bahamas articles about the need of Bahamas for tourists to come after the hurricane. What I would like to point out is how the government “says” they want tourists but at the same time they don’t let them in. In my personal case my wife is Serbian, we live in Argentina, the honorary consulate of the Bahamas does not issue visas, the only way is to go to the British embassy, pay a lot of money and wait for at least 15 days to get a visa. Of course in the meantime we can’t plan our trip, we can’t buy plane tickets or book a hotel without knowing if the Bahamian government will actually make us the “favour” to let us in to spend our money in the country. When I tried to find out the criteria for asking the Serbs for a visa, the only
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net answer I got was a dictionary definition of a visa. I’m not asking to skip Bahamian law, I don’t ask any privilege, I don’t deny that many countries have a real bad time at the time to travel because of the reality of their countries. But I think there’s not any criteria to these obstacles. How on earth they came to the conclusion that so many conflictive countries should be visa-free and Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro not? Even North Macedonia and Bosnia, countries with a very similar reality like Serbia is allowed to enter visa-free. So? What’s the reason? It’s not reciprocity, Serbia scrapped visas for Bahamas two years ago. Poverty? Terrorism? Mali is visa free! Even many
countries like Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador allow tourists to enter if they have a US visa (Serbia too), but Bahamas no!!! e-visa? Dream on! Dare any ministry or Government representative to justify such a criteria and he will just give you a long speech of nothing, but no answer at all because they don’t have it! It’s true, it’s not going to be a solution for the Bahamian economy but for sure there’s no gain in this absurd bureaucracy! The reason of my mail is just to bring this to the press’ attention to see if someone understands at once that the first step to increase tourism is to let people in! Not to give them a nonsense mountain of paperwork while their neighbourhood countries give much more facilities. NICOLAS ROCCHI Nassau November 7, 2019
Only basketball has hit the spot with sports fans EDITOR, The Tribune SPORTS Tourism…I am young enough to recall following the 1992 FNM when Tourism brought in a team of UK Consultants for Sports Tourism. Prior to then sailing as in the class which the likes of Sir Durward - Sloan Farrington sailed in were basically all that was going on. Tourism has tried and I suggest unfortunately persists with certain events which should have long gone off the calendar…that American Football …not
once has this event been able to fill to capacity one side of the stadium. I agree that IAAF Relays was a good name, but it simply did not pull the visitor and athletes don’t spend. The only event that has worked is the Atlantis Collegiate Basketball…great games highly competitive but most important it brought with the event spenders…the alumni avid followers who come – enjoy the games and lord play hard, spend heavily. I see MOT-Atlantis are trying this jet ski event this
weekend…have tried to see the demographics of their supporters can’t but presume the sport being as it is it focuses most on younger people who, I regret, if the MOT did not preview do not have money to visit Atlantis let alone stay there. Curious has the speed limit for watercraft in Nassau Harbour been changed and we were not told anything about it? Not five mph or 4.34 knots. M WATSON Nassau November 9, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 5
Officer admits changing Ash’s witness statement from page one could have misled the defence. “It was a minor amendment made to the statement so I made the decision to maintain the date and add the amendment,” she said. “…It could appear to be misleading but I explained the reason why I did it.” According to the evidence, on June 27 2017, ASP Thompson attended a meeting with Mr Ash and his attorneys at the Central Detective Unit (CDU). During the meeting, ASP Thompson said Mr Ash gave a “brief overview” of the allegations against Gibson and explained certain details about the Hurricane Matthew cleanup efforts in which he was involved. ASP Thompson said the following day, June 28, Mr Ash returned to CDU with his attorneys Alicia Bowe and James Thompson, and she consequently took “comprehensive notes” of what was said. The officer said the information Mr Ash gave was “very comprehensive and detailed”, as he outlined in detail his various responsibilities during the hurricane cleanup efforts. ASP Thompson said at the end of that meeting, she invited Mr Ash to return to sign off on his statement. However, there was none for him to sign at the time. Nonetheless, ASP Thompson said she typed up a statement based on the notes she took that day, and in doing so, ended up making alterations to what was recorded in her notes. On June 30, she said Mr Ash returned to CDU, read his statement and signed it. In that statement, Mr Ash referred to a meeting he attended with Gibson and a woman connected to Gibson, Deborah Bastian, at one of the former parliamentarian’s former offices at the Ministry of the Public Service on Meeting Street. According to the evidence, Mr Ash was quoted as saying: “Ms Bastian said ‘I need $250,000,’ and I told her she got to be joking. And I picked up my cellular phone to call my daddy, and she told me I cannot use my phone in here.” When he took the stand earlier in the trial, Mr Ash said that during that meeting, Ms Bastian, Gibson’s alleged intermediary, told him that he needed to “forego $250,000” —which represented one of his payments —in order to receive his outstanding money owed to him.
However, Mr Ash later conceded that he “assumed” Ms Bastian meant that the $250,000 was for Gibson, and that given the context in which the demand was made— during a meeting between those three about his outstanding funds—he would have to pay to get his money. “…She said I needed $250,000 in order (for you) to receive your payment. So at that point I understand— ain’t no one had to tell me nothing else—I understand that in order for me to get paid, Mr Gibson have to be paid,” Mr Ash explained at the time. Yesterday however, in response to a question by lead defence attorney Keith Knight, QC, ASP Thompson admitted that the “forego” issue was never raised during the June 28 interview she conducted of Mr Ash, notwithstanding the “very comprehensive and detailed” allegations he made at the time. She said that arose months later in September 2017, when she arranged a meeting with Mr Ash, Ms Bastian, and their respective lawyers to clear up the “ambiguities” in their respective statements. She said when Mr Ash stated his claim that he was asked to “forego” one of his payments, she simply pulled up the template for Mr Ash’s previous statements that was already saved on her work computer, made the changes electronically, but kept the date of the original statements. Afterwards, she printed it off and Mr Ash signed it. However, Mr Knight suggested altering a signed statement was inappropriate in the circumstances, and that the senior officer would have been better served taking another statement. However, ASP Thompson maintained that it was a “minor” alteration, thus negating the need for her to have done so. Mr Knight said: “That word ‘forego’ that you said was minor, changed the context and content of what took place at that meeting.” “I explained what happened,” was ASP Thompson’s reply. Gibson is charged with 15 counts of bribery. It is alleged that between January 16 and 19, 2017, and being concerned with Ms Bastian, he solicited more than $200,000 from Mr Ash as an inducement to or a reward for him giving assistance or using his influence in approving outstanding payments owed to Mr Ash by the government.
POLICE investigator ASP Debra Thompson, left, and Shane Gibson.
The Crown further asserts that on various dates between January 19-31, 2017, Gibson, still concerned with Ms Bastian, consequently accepted $100,000 worth of payments from Mr Ash. Then between January 30 and February 28 of that year, Gibson accepted several cash payments from Mr Ash totalling some $100,000. Between February 10 and March 27, 2017, Gibson solicited and accepted a total of $80,000 each from Ash, but this time he was not concerned with Ms Bastian, the Crown maintains. The Crown claims Mr Ash made the initial payments of $200,000 to Gibson through Ms Bastian and directly paid Gibson the remaining $80,000. Gibson has denied the allegations. The case continues today.
PAGE 6, Thursday, November 14, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
SORROW FOR MOTHER PRATT AS SON, 55, DIES
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN icon Cynthia “Mother” Pratt and her family are mourning the death of her second son. Don Pratt, 55, died on Tuesday morning after developing the flu while on dialysis. Mother Pratt, former deputy prime minister, described him yesterday as someone who impacted the lives of thousands.
“As a former teacher he taught so many people in the high school as well as in BTVI and now he’s been responsible for the computer information system area where he taught the government employees how to operate the computer,” she said. “People were so excited about that because they got to learn about the computer and be effective in their day-to-day work. Don has always been a church man, of course, a pastor
at Evangelistic Centre, an assistant to Pastor Hamilton of course, and he was there for many years and impacted many lives through the ministry. “Being a communityminded person, he always demonstrated what it is to be a man, to be a leader, to be a father, which is very rare today because you could almost count them when it comes to being a father in the home. He was married to Abigail, his wife, and they have three
PRIME Minister Hubert Minnis officially opening The Bahamas Embassy and Mission to the European Union in Brussels yesterday Photo: Yontalay Bowe/BIS
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis officially opened The Bahamas Embassy and Mission to the European Union (EU) yesterday, hailing the move as a way to deepen relations with the EU and strengthen the country’s position in the global economy. The opening marks a milestone for The Bahamas by increasing the country’s profile on continental Europe and signalling that The Bahamas is open for business, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Brussels hosts the headquarters of the main EU institutions and is considered the capital of Europe. The Bahamas
Embassy and Mission is located near the European Parliament. “The Bahamas has always had an understanding of the importance of our presence in the seat of the European Union and in the Kingdom of Belgium,” said the prime minister during the opening ceremony yesterday. The new mission will allow for increased trade between The Bahamas and Belgium and will enhance its diplomatic, economic, touristic and cultural ties with the EU and Belgium, said Dr Minnis. As a maritime nation and archipelago, The Bahamas is prepared to take advantage of the offers of Belgian
expertise in maritime affairs to enhance the maritime industry, he added. The opening of the embassy also demonstrates the deep commitment of The Bahamas to its longterm relationship with the European Union, and a desire for the further development of the relationship, he said. And the mission will allow for the enhancement of the relationship with the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the process with the European Union (ACP-EU). “With the EU as one our major economic partners, working alongside the ACP-EU will allow for further
children, Don Jr, Ronnie and Dunia, two boys and one girl. It’s fortunate that both of them are out of high school, the two boys, and it’s only Dunia in Temple Christian. The family is taking this very hard, especially my daughter Nicky and brother Juan because we are a closely knitted family.” Julian Pratt, Mother Pratt’s fifth child, said his bond with his brother formed an important part of his life.
CYNTHIA “MOTHER” PRATT “He helped to raise us,” he said. “My mother and father were involved in a lot of sports and Don and
Barry were the ones who had to look out for the younger ones. Everything I know, ironing, washing, cleaning up after myself, they taught me and they did the cooking. When mummy went to college he was instrumental in keeping the family together. He looked out for the younger ones. He just was an easy going guy, he wasn’t argumentative, he didn’t have anything negative to say.” Mr Pratt’s funeral is on November 24.
Embassy will help develop links with EU, says Minnis sustainable development for The Bahamas as well as the strengthening our position in the global economy,” said Dr Minnis. “We will promote the islands of The Bahamas as an attractive and stable investment opportunity in a number of sectors, including tourism, financial services, the Blue Economy and other industries.” Dr Minnis noted that The Bahamas offers an attractive and diverse suite of economic opportunities for potential investors. The Bahamas passed the latest assessment by the OECD, confirming that the jurisdiction is a safe place for financial services and corporate investment
activities, and the domestic legal framework of The Bahamas is in line with international standards, he said. “Our presence here in Brussels will help to enhance our relations with a number of European nations, including potential technical and other assistance in areas such as education, renewable energy, agriculture, infrastructural development and other areas,” Dr Minnis said. “This includes accessing funds committed to the Green Climate Fund by European countries and other groupings.” The prime minister thanked Member-States of
the European Union who provided assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. “We look forward to ongoing assistance in our recovery and reconstruction efforts, as we will rebuild the affected areas stronger and more resilient in the face of even more powerful storms and rising sea levels,” he said. He repeated his call for visitors to the many other islands in The Bahamas not affected by Hurricane Dorian. “The revenue from tourists visiting The Bahamas will play a vital role in reconstructing and rebuilding affected areas.” Maria O’Brien is the first resident envoy to Belgium.
THE TRIBUNE By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net ATTORNEY for the Bahamas Union of Teachers, Kahlil Parker is calling the Ministry of Education’s redeployment of several Carlton Francis Primary School teachers unlawful. While the Bahamas Union of Teachers was vindicated on Tuesday with a Supreme Court order to restore docked salaries, some teachers were reportedly not allowed back at Carlton Francis when they tried to return to work because they had been transferred elsewhere. However, Mr Parker told The Tribune yesterday that the Ministry of Education issued the teachers’ redeployment letters late Wednesday, adding the matter will end up going back to court. “There is a specific procedure under the collective bargaining agreement for redeployment, they (the government) has a right to abridge them to a certain degree with respect to emergencies and certain exigencies. However, the teachers of Carlton Francis rather than being redeployed they were locked out of the school and the question of redeployment came out when we believe the government decided to exercise its power of deployment in the certain circumstances to break out the union presence at the school and to circumvent the collective bargaining agreement in so far as it relates to the court’s judgment,” said Mr Parker. Ten teachers who reported to Carlton Francis Primary School were not able to return to classes yesterday after the BUT’s victory at the Supreme Court this week. The teachers, who claim that they were not properly informed by the Ministry of Education of their redeployment, view the decision by the ministry as punishment for speaking out. The BUT’s New Providence Area Vice President Vernon Rodgers told The Tribune that the Ministry of Education did not adhere to the legal process of redeploying teachers. “The letter of redeployment did not follow any of our protocol in the collective bargaining agreement. These letters of redeployment should have been issued from May and given to teachers in June. They give you redeployment letters because you stand against a principal. They want to give teachers letters in October, that’s wrong
Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 7
Teachers turned away as they try to return to work
CARLTON E Francis teachers still not being allowed on the school grounds yesterday. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
that’s against union policy. This is a union busting tactic,” he said. The teachers who spoke with The Tribune say that they faced backlash for speaking up about “victimisation, bullying and intimidation” by the school’s former principal and the ministry. Carlton Francis teacher Wendy Moss said that the Ministry of Education has dealt with their grievances poorly and with excessive force. “When we went to school on September 17, we were greeted with police officers in khakis and machine guns, children were crying because they couldn’t understand why police were there. Sometimes there were seven to nine officers and we’ve been dealing with this over the last several weeks,” the teacher of 17 years said. Sharon McKenzie, another teacher, said that as a single mother who also has two boys at the school, she is not allowed to take her children to class. She
said: “For the record, I have not been scolded as a disruptive teacher or parent at that school. Now since this situation came up I am the only parent that is being escorted by a police officer with a gun and a bulletproof vest to my son’s class. If I have been such a disruptive teacher, why did you have me representing the school for two years?” Meanwhile, Director of Education Marcellus Taylor told The Tribune that redeployment letters were prepared for those Carlton Francis teachers some weeks ago. Mr Taylor also explained that police presence at the primary school was necessary to maintain order. “Letters were prepared for about six or seven teachers somewhere around September 25 or thereabouts they were issued through the superintendent to the principal of the school who then invited teachers to collect letters, but once they were advised they were redeployment letters then they refused
to accept them and continued in their protest. They were redeployed because they were failing to execute their duties at the school and they were creating a nuisance at the school, they were interfering with the smooth operation at the school,” he said. “At that point we then became concerned about the school’s smooth operation being disturbed because the Bahamas Union of Teachers were going to call in all the shop
stewards and their people to come down. So, then we brought in the police to stop persons on the campus from disrupting the operation of the school and that is when and why the police were called in,” he said. However, Carlton Francis teachers say the record would show that they have been good teachers and received commendations from the former principal. In addressing the “unlawful” redeployment, Mr
Parker has written the Office of the Attorney General requesting a date to return to court and the matter has been sent to the office of the chief justice. Meanwhile, Mr Parker said that teachers showed up to CH Reeves where there was health and safety concerns. He could not confirm if they were able to enter their classes, but the union is hoping that officials will be able to carry out their inspection at that school.
PAGE 8, Thursday, November 14, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Unlike other half-baked oil projects, I hope this one succeeds - for all our sakes T
HE phrase “pouring oil on troubled waters” arose when seafarers saw the beneficial effect of pouring a barrel of oil on storm-tossed seas and found the waves were flattened and subdued. These days the very mention of “oil” arouses public
ire, with or without justification. The publicity about the recent oil-spill at the
Equinor storage terminal in Grand Bahama infects any discussion about two other
oil related projects in our country, one half-baked, the other sensible. The half-baked one is Oban, which has pestered our government ever since its ludicrous announcement in February 2018 proposing a $5 billion combined storage terminal-refineryshipping facility not far from Equinor. The promoters of this project, whoever they really are, have never made the slightest disclosure of principals who can build, finance and operate such a vast venture. A pleasant young man pops up now and again and simply displays the plans on his lap-top. There need be little worry about pollution from Oban, since it is a dreamland prospect. The sensible project is the proposed drilling by Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC), incorporated in the Isle of Man, listed with full disclosure on the London Stock Exchange, and controlled by clearly identified venture capital equity investors from abroad, with not a penny of Bahamas government money committed. To summarise my view: I hope the project succeeds with the discovery of oil in commercial quantities, as I believe it poses minimal risk to Bahamian natural resources. The greater risk falls on the intrepid investors who have sunk nearly $100 million into this venture starting back in 2007, with no assured return. Government has granted BPC licences to explore in five off-shore sites about 100 miles southwest of Andros, near the Cuban border. After several years of inspecting core samples from previous drilling plus extensive seismic research over the area, BPC and its expert advisers now have evidence of pockets of petroleum reserves sufficient to justify the substantial cost of drilling to prove these reserves. The latest licence extension requires BPC to complete an exploratory well by the end of 2020, so BPC is
clearly under pressure to perform. As the cost of an initial well is estimated around $20-25 million, BPC has over several years sought a major oil company to become a “farm-in” partner to provide the capital. However, while this is still the preferred choice, BPC has decided to “go it alone” in raising the funds. To that end, it has just completed a successful open offer to its existing and new shareholders to raise $11.4 million, and has conditional agreements from Australian investment banks to place about $13 million of convertible notes by early February. A detailed prospectus is available online disclosing all the risk factors in these transactions. If the exploratory well gives a promising show of recoverable oil, signing up a farm-in partner will become more likely, who will be essential in providing the much greater capital needed for production wells. In 2018 an unnamed major company paid $1 million for a fourmonth exclusive option to investigate, but terminated with no further commitment. Moving ahead, BPC has contracted with offshore drilling specialists Seadrill Limited for a 748-foot drill ship, scheduled to arrive from the Gulf of Mexico by the end of next March. The bright orange hull of of “West Auriga” will doubtless skip Nassau and drop anchor directly over the licenced drilling site, probably alarming our vigilant environmentalists. Outspoken groups like Re-Earth, Save the Bays, and BREEF play a valuable role in protecting our environment, but should take a rational view of BPC’s drilling. The local undersea geology differs radically from conditions underlying the infamous Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010 (which has no parallel before or since), and recognised current
patterns will sweep any unlikely spillage far from our sensitive beaches and tourist areas. Government has accepted successive Environmental Impact Assessments, reviewed by BEST and supported by consultants Black & Veatch, and has joined the international consortium Oil Spill Response Limited, pledging prompt help from nations with full resources to handle emergencies. When, and if, oil is discovered and flows in commercial quantities, The Bahamas could reap substantial benefits. Once BPC recovers its development costs and operating expenses, revenue from petroleum sales in the international markets (of unpredictable size, since dictated by world crude prices) will be split 50-50 between BPC and government, allowing accumulation of cash for a Sovereign Investment Fund, the same path that Norway has followed to become a prosperous nation since North Sea oil was discovered in the late 1960s. Bahamians are already reading Rachel Maddow’s fascinating book “Blowout”, documenting how Third World countries have been blighted with the “resource curse”. The worst example is the tiny west African nation of Equatorial Guinea, whose massive petroleum revenues are diverted for the exclusive enjoyment of the ruling elite. Quite true, but I am confident The Bahamas will never descend to the abysmal level of corruption, oppression and public poverty created by the family dynasty that has held power for over 30 years in that benighted nation. Whatever the flaws in our political system, our long traditions of democratic governance and business experience should assure that, like Norway, we can invest oil earnings for the public good.
BACK IN THE DAY, PASSION MEANT SOMETHING RATHER DIFFERENT... BANKS continue to struggle to find vocabulary that makes their mundane business sound imaginative and exciting. Virtually every financial institution, no matter how mercenary its objectives, is now guided by an inspiring “vision” supported by a lofty “mission statement”, carefully drafted by marketing
specialists to lure new business. The latest issue of glossy periodical The Bahamas Investor shows the search for novel verbiage rising to new heights. Banks must be “innovators”, fostering “positive disruption” with “agility” that “thinks outside the box” and ignores “middle-of-the-road
solutions”. The currently favoured catchword is “passion”, with staff displaying a “passion for finance” and “passionate” about the bank’s services. I had always associated that word with decidedly unbanker-like behaviour more suited for private trysts, but clearly I am out of date.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 9
MARCO ARCHER MURDER APPEAL SET FOR MARCH By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
KOFHE Goodman, convicted of the murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer, will have his appeal against that conviction heard on March 18, 2020. The date was set during a status hearing at the Court of Appeal yesterday. Last month, the
prosecution withdrew its appeal seeking the death penalty for Goodman, 43, who had been sentenced in a 2018 re-trial to 55 years imprisonment for killing Archer. The Court of Appeal ruled in October that Goodman is to be assigned an attorney at the public’s expense to better enable him to appeal his sentence. Archer, a student
of Columbus Primary School, went missing from Brougham Street on September 23, 2011, and was found dead days later in bushes behind an apartment complex on Yorkshire Drive near where Goodman lived. It is believed that Archer died from blunt force trauma to his head. The little boy was reported missing by his family after failing to
return home from a neighbourhood store where he went to purchase candy. His family begged for help in ensuring that he was returned home safely. Goodman was initially convicted of Archer’s killing on August 2, 2013, and sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Bernard Turner on October 29, 2013. However, the Court of Appeal overturned that
conviction and sentence and ordered a retrial because of the “lurking doubt about the fairness of the trial” brought on by adverse pre-trial publicity, misconduct of Goodman’s then defence lawyer Geoffrey Farquharson and the former jury’s irregularity. Goodman was reconvicted of the murder on May 30, 2017, following the second trial before Justice
Carolita Bethel. Wayne Munroe, QC, represented him at the time. In May of last year, Justice Bethel sentenced Goodman to 55 years in prison for killing the young boy after rejecting the Crown’s call for the death sentence. Seven years were ordered to be deducted from that sentence to account for time he had spent in custody up to that point.
A lot of taxi drivers will be out of work, says Ferguson By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net TAXI drivers want the government to stop saying it is illegal to sublease licence plates because doing so prompts panicky plate owners to retrieve their plates from lessees. Transport Minister Renward Wells said on Tuesday that the Minnis administration is gearing up to deal with the long-standing issue of taxi plate leasing, noting it is illegal to lease government issued plates. “You are supposed to be the individual who either owns the plate or you have yourself a company and so you’re not supposed to be subleasing,” he said. “That law should’ve been enforced, so it is the intention of the government…to enforce it.” Yesterday, taxi driver Dwayne Darling said when the minister made a similar declaration in May,
TRANSPORT Minister Renward Wells
the owner of the licence plate he was leasing took it from him. “The people got panicky and antsy and took it back,” he said, saying this caused him hardship. “So now my bus still parked up home without a plate. I’m leasing a whole car now for like $400 a week, which is so difficult, especially at this time a year when no business is around. I had that plate for almost five years.” Yesterday, Taxi Cab Union head Wesley Ferguson said in view of Mr Wells’ recent comments, he expects a similar problem in the coming days. “He is going to cause a lot of taxi drivers to be out of work,” he said. “He has alerted the people who are leasing these taxi plates to safeguard themselves by putting those plates on their own cars and putting drivers out of work. This is not what the union wants. The minister was way out of line in making
that announcement prior to any attempt by the union to meet him and find out what was going on. Numerous people lost their plates last year when he said the same thing in October. He did it again just before the licensing period in May and as a result of that announcement taxi plates were taken from taxi drivers again.” Taxi drivers have long complained about the cost of leasing plates and want the government to lift the moratorium on issuance of new plates. Since the Minnis administration came to office, the government has conducted an audit of taxi plates to show who owns the items. Mr Wells told reporters on Tuesday it is unlikely that audit will be released to the public. Taxi drivers claim many prominent people own taxi plates. They believe the status quo is maintained because of the prominence of the people who own the plates.
DOMINICAN FISHERMEN ARRESTED FOR POACHING By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
SEVENTEEN Dominican fishermen were apprehended yesterday by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the US Coast Guard for poaching violations in waters near Ragged Island. In a press statement released yesterday, RBDF officials noted that the 76-ft Dominican vessel was spotted in the Cochinos Banks, Ragged Island by a US aircraft. After the RBDF and USCG were alerted, RBDF officials said HMBS Cascarilla under the command of Senior Lieutenant Samantha Hart was then dispatched to the area. The vessel, which
contained a large quantity of fishery products, and its occupants were detained by RBDF marines and will be transported to the capital for further questioning. According to RBDF officials, this is first set of Dominican poachers to be apprehended for the year. Last year, the RBDF said they apprehended a total of 190 Dominican poachers along with four Dominican fishing vessels and five small go-fast type boats. Speaking to The Tribune last week, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard said some boats seized from Dominican poachers will be distributed by the government to Bahamian fishermen, who were
100 HAITIANS FOUND HIDING IN BUSHES NEARLY 100 Haitian migrants were apprehended on Tuesday after they were found in bushes along the coastline on Inagua, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force said yesterday. Shortly after 9pm on Tuesday, an Operations Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) helicopter, while on routine patrol detected a number of persons on the south eastern end of Inagua, the RBDF said. On closer inspection, a 30-ft wooden low profile Haitian migrant vessel with 10 persons onboard was
also discovered. Checks along the coastline and nearby bushes uncovered over 80 individuals believed to be Haitian migrants. “These individuals are currently being removed from the remote area in a joint effort by the Royal Bahamas Defence and Police Forces and transferred to the United States Coast Guard Cutter Diligence,” the RBDF said. “The migrants will be taken to Matthew Town and handed over to Immigration officials for further processing.”
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affected by Hurricane Dorian. He said: “There are 36 vessels in total. Some of the vessels will go to those in the sponging industry, five of the vessels will go to the
national dive programme to increase Bahamian divers in the sector and others to fishermen.” Mr Pintard also explained that Cabinet has agreed for larger vessels to be sunk
due to their poor condition and the possibility of these vessels being mistaken by the RBDF as poaching vessels if they were given to Bahamian fishermen. But, in addition to the
ministry’s plans, Mr Pintard said the government is finding creative ways to ensure that Bahamian fishermen in Abaco and Grand Bahama are able to get back on their feet.
NOTICE
TO OUR VALUED CLIENTS This is to advise that the
Betty K. Agency is in FULL SERVICE
The accident on Friday with ONE of our vessels did NOT impact our operation. We are operating on FULL SERVICE arriving into Nasssu as usual on Monday, Wednesday and Friday WEEKLY! Thank you for your continued support! Signed: Management
PAGE 10, Thursday, November 14, 2019
PHA helps out baseball kids with first aid
THE TRIBUNE LOCAL juvenile baseball leagues received donations of first aid supplies from the Public Hospitals Authority. Presentations were made to the Freedom Farm Baseball League and the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) on Saturday November 2 by PHA employees who enjoy participation in each league. Greg Burrows, president and managing director of the Freedom Farm Baseball League, and other league officials received the presentation from Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre staff member Diana Austin during the league’s Showcase Day. Mr Burrows expressed his gratitude to the PHA. “We hope that we don’t ever see the time in our baseball season when we have to use these things, but it is always good to have them around. So, we thank the PHA for that,” he said. JBLN board member Jodell Roberts, accompanied by other members of the league, received the donation from the PHA’s supplies management agency staff member, Preston Cartwright. Mrs Roberts said: “On behalf of JBLN I want to thank you for this wonderful donation for our first aid kit. We’re going to use these supplies for anyone who gets injured.” PHA Deputy Managing Director Lyrone Burrows said PHA is closely involved with many national sporting events held in New Providence, including providing the support of its National Emergency Medical Services crews on site. This donation represents another avenue for PHA to stand with sporting organisations in the country. “The PHA is pleased to support the further development of sport in the country, especially youth sports. With this donation to Freedom Farm and JBLN we hope to enhance the safety of children and adolescents as they enjoy healthy physical activity and reap the many benefits of involvement in team sports like baseball.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 11
ZNS STAFF PROTEST OVER ‘UNSAFE’ WORKING CONDITIONS By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ZNS employees in Freeport staged a sick-out yesterday to protest “unsafe” working conditions at the office in the Harold DeGregory Complex, which was flooded during Hurricane Dorian. Thirty-five of the public
broadcasting company’s 50 employees called in sick, leaving only the management staff to run the television and radio operations on Grand Bahama. According to reports, employees in the television and news department had expressed concerns about mould and the lack of functioning elevators in the building, which was under two to three feet of water during the hurricane.
The staff complained of various health issues, including headaches, eyes, nose and throat irritations, and had requested that management address their issues. Employees had asked management to reduce their work hours in the building until the issue of mould could be addressed. The elevators in the building are also out of service since the
storm and employees now have to walk several flights of stairs everyday to the ZNS offices located on the second floor of the building. Employees had voiced concerns to management, but nothing had been done to address issues, according to a reliable source. A union official confirmed that staff had called in sick yesterday.
During the storm, the Harold DeGregory Complex became flooded, forcing the evacuation of members of the Emergency Operation Centre, which was located on the ground floor. The building is occupied by several government offices, including the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation, ZNS, and the Office of the Prime Minister, which is located on the fourth floor.
Flooding problems at Fishing Hole Road
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THE new bridge causeway at Fishing Hole Road in Grand Bahama was opened to motorists last weekend after flooding during spring tide brought traffic to a standstill for several hours on Saturday. Water at Hawksbill Creek overflowed on to the road preventing motorists from crossing over to the other side for around four hours until repairs could be made to the new causeway, which sustained damage during Hurricane Dorian. Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest and general contractor Wolfgang Geiger, of All Bahamas Construction Company Limited, were seen during a walkabout on the new bridge causeway on Saturday. Travel was later restored in and out of West Grand Bahama following repairs by the contractor. According to Mr Turnquest, the approaches to both sides of the new Fishing Hole Road causeway were washed away leaving about a one-foot drop from the bridge to the ramp, rendering it impassable. He noted that the contractor was called in and responded quickly to making the appropriate repairs. “Prior to that damage being repaired, we had the storm yesterday that flooded the bypass road leaving traffic at a standstill for approximately four hours while the bridge contractor installed a temporary solution to allow
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traffic to pass over it,” Mr Turnquest said. “We are grateful for their quick response to our request and to the Ministry of Public Works (MOPW) and minister of disaster preparedness and reconstruction, the minister of agriculture, fisheries, and marine resources, the MP for West Grand Bahama, and I, who all coordinated together for a quick response,” he said. Police officers were on hand to ensure the safety of motorists in the area. The new bridge causeway was constructed at a cost of $6.5m in response to many years of ongoing flooding at Fishing Hole Road, especially during hurricanes and severe weather conditions. The causeway is a narrow strip that runs through Hawksbill Creek. In response to Saturday’s occurrence, Mr Turnquest said: “Yesterday, we witnessed again the power of Mother Nature and the unsustainable intervention by man that saw the rise in sea levels at high tide beyond the historical maximums, further evidence of
climate change and rising sea levels.” Mr Turnquest said that these consistent occurrences point out the urgency of now in dealing with sea defence and other infrastructure resilience building projects throughout the country. He indicated that stronger efforts must be made internally and with the help of international partners in prioritising prestorm resilience projects. “As we work with renewed urgency towards making the permanent fixes to the causeway, once the analysis of the previous failures have been analysed by the technical experts at MOPW, we will also turn our attention to the West End Sea Wall project and to the High Rock Sea Wall that are so badly needed to protect lives and property.” Mr Turnquest commended the quick response of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the MOPW, the contractor, and the coordinating ministries, and the MP for West Grand Bahama.
PAGE 12, Thursday, November 14, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
WHY I THINK IT’S ABOUT TIME WE CAME TO OUR SENSES WE JUST all switched from Daylight Savings Time to Eastern Standard Time, just like we do on the first Sunday in November every year. Spring forward, on the second Sunday in March, and then fall back. This is something we’ve all been accustomed to for, in some places, over 100 years. But why do we do it? Intermittent surveys in the
US show most people believe Daylight Savings Time was inaugurated to assist farmers at harvest. But that is not true. The real reason was apparently to save energy, but according to the Washington Post, current research has revealed that Daylight Time has resulted in little or no energy savings. Anyhow, in today’s
energy-independent America, who cares anyway about energy savings? There is scant evidence that this is currently high on many agendas. But what are other effects of Daylight Time? Research shows the incidence of heart attacks increases on the day after the clocks spring forward, since those vulnerable to blood clotting rise
earlier on that second March Monday. Apparently auto crashes also occur more frequently on that day, because drivers have had one less hour of sleep. Academics known as circadian biologists study other effects on humans from Daylight Savings Time. The Post reports that “disruptions to the body clock have been linked to obesity,
depression, diabetes, heart and other problems.” Despite all of this, only Hawaii and most of Arizona have chosen to remain on standard time all year, though American federal law permits any state to do so. Elsewhere, two billion people continue to live under Daylight Savings Time mostly, it seems, because it’s all they’ve ever known.
Just another year - or was it?
1973
STATESIDE with Charlie Harper 1973 was an interesting year, one that enjoys particular relevance in a number of different ways as we begin to anticipate Christmas and the end of the year of Dorian. Here are some highlights: January 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland both joined the precursor of today’s European Union – from which Britain continues to struggle today to extricate itself. January 14: the Miami Dolphins completed what remains the only undefeated season in NFL history by defeating Washington 14-7 to win the Super Bowl VII. The Fins won again the next year, but not since then. January 20: Richard M Nixon was sworn into office as President of the United States. He is still the only person sworn in for two terms as vice president and
two terms as president. His departure from office the following year under the cloud of the Watergate scandal still offers the best template aside from next year’s election for America to rid itself of its current chief executive. January 22: the US Supreme Court handed down its decision in Roe v Wade, legalising abortion in the US. This verdict still energizes social conservatives like no other. January 27: the signing of the Paris Peace Accords ends American involvement in the Vietnam War. Within two months, the last US soldier departs Vietnam. The US remains deeply conflicted about what this war, and the American defeat, means for its present and future role in the world. February 22: the US and China set in motion the process to establish formal diplomatic
TOP left: Super Bowl VII; left: Richard Nixon; above: Independence Day relations. China’s path to world predominance eases significantly. July 10: The Bahamas gains full independence. August 1: CARICOM is inaugurated.
August 11: Disc jockey Kool Herc originates rap music in New York City. October 16: Donald J Trump first hits the front page of the New York Times, featuring in the report of
a federal complaint about alleged Trump family racist real estate discrimination in Brooklyn and Queens. Trump’s name has appeared over 300 times in rap lyrics since 1973.
OAKLAND THE SURPRISE TEAM SO FAR WE’VE passed the midpoint in the 2019 NFL season. What have we learned? The Dolphins are going to have competition for the first pick in next year’s draft. No longer winless and riding a two-game winning streak, the Fins have slipped “ahead” of the winless Cincinnati Bengals and one-win Washington Redskins for the dubious but often valuable honour
GN 2327
of choosing first in April’s draft. The Jets and Giants are keeping pace with two wins apiece, and Miami will play each of them, and Cincinnati, down the stretch. The vote here for biggest pleasant surprise so far goes to coach Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders, now 5-4 and just a half game behind Kansas City in the AFC West and in their last Bay area season prior to relocating to Las Vegas
next year. Gruden and GM Mike Mayock, previously best known as an NFL network talking head on the network’s annual draft coverage, may be a lot smarter than we thought. The aforementioned Jets may be the worst of several disappointing teams, after an offseason of gaudy signings like Le’veon Bell and C.J. Mosley. The Jets have suffered some critical injuries, but they don’t
look like a very good team. Others from whom more was expected include the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, and the Chicago Bears. The Broncos and Bears stout defenses must especially want a change at quarterback from ineffective current starters. Riding high at the top of the standings are the New England Patriots in the AFC and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC, both led by QBs drafted by Bill Belichick. And both are anchored by spectacularly efficient defences. These front runners will need to be wary of challengers
OAKLAND QB Derek Carr Baltimore, Houston and Kansas City in the AFC and New Orleans, Green Bay, Seattle, Minnesota, Philadelphia and perhaps even Dallas in the much stronger NFC.
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KLOPP MOST LIKELY TO GIVE PEP A RUN FOR HIS MONEY ACROSS the pond in the English Premier League, expected form has largely held through the first third of the 2019-20 season. Liverpool, the defending European Champions League titlists, have raced out to a significant early lead and are heavy favourites to win the EPL title for the first time since the league was launched in its present format in 1992. While the Reds have won lots of trophies in the past three decades, the EPL crown has eluded them. But under manager Juergen Klopp, the 52-year-old former German star player who moved to England in 2015 after leading Borussia Dortmund to unprecedented success in the German Bundesliga, Liverpool now look like the best team in the world. After pretty comfortably defeating current top rival Manchester City on Sunday 3-1, Liverpool have an eight-point lead at the top of the table over Leicester City and Chelsea. Leicester are led by Brendan Rodgers, the man Klopp replaced at Liverpool, and Chelsea by all-time scoring leader Frank Lampard. Rodgers, who managed Scottish champion Celtic to several titles after he was sacked at Liverpool, is the likeliest manager of the year in the EPL. Inheriting a talented but undisciplined Leicester team and teaching it to win again, Rodgers has pushed all the right buttons so far and oversees a prolific offence. Lampard, a hugely popular figure in west London, is in only his second year as a club manager after spending last year at Derby County, but he has handled the team like a veteran of 20 years. He has turned the team over to its youth, and the results have been most gratifying so far. Special applause is due for Lampard’s handling of the best current American soccer player, Christian Pulisic, whose cautious introduction to the EPL’s rough, physical style of play has produced great results. Neither Leicester nor Chelsea seem to be a serious threat to win the EPL title this year, but both have nonetheless been league champions, with different personnel and management, since Klopp took over at Liverpool. The favourite to offer the stiffest challenge to the Reds remains manager Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, probably the world’s second-best team in a season when no likely alternative is likely to emerge from the Spanish, Italian or German top leagues and the French and Dutch leagues are dominated by single teams who face little domestic competition.
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THE TRIBUNE By JOSEPH THOMPSON Assistant Professor of History, Mississippi State University WHEN President Franklin Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law on June 22, 1944, it laid the foundation for benefits that would help generations of veterans achieve social mobility. Formally known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, the bill made unprecedented commitments to the nation’s veterans. For instance, it provided federal assistance to veterans in the form of housing and unemployment benefits. But of all the benefits offered through the GI Bill, funding for higher education and job training emerged as the most popular. More than 2 million veterans flocked to college campuses throughout the country. But even as former service members entered college, not all of them accessed the bill’s benefits in the same way. That’s because white southern politicians designed the distribution of benefits under the GI Bill to uphold their segregationist beliefs. So, while white veterans got into college with relative ease, black service members faced limited options and outright denial in their pursuit for educational advancement. This resulted in uneven outcomes of the GI Bill’s impact. As a scholar of race and culture in the US South, I believe this history raises important questions about whether subsequent iterations of the GI Bill are benefiting all vets equally. When he signed the bill into law, President Roosevelt assured that it would give “servicemen and women the opportunity of resuming their education or technical training … not only without tuition charge … but with the right to receive a monthly living allowance while pursuing their studies.” So long as they had served 90 consecutive days in the US Armed Forces and had not received a dishonorable discharge, veterans could
Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 13
How the GI Bill opened doors to college for many vets, but politicians created a separate one for blacks have their tuition waived for the institution of their choice and cover their living expenses as they pursued a college degree. This unparalleled investment in veteran education led to a boom in college enrollment. Around 8 million of the nation’s 16 million veterans took advantage of federal funding for higher education or vocational training, 2 million of whom pursued a college degree within the first five years of the bill’s existence. Those ex-service members made up nearly half of the nation’s college students by 1947. Colleges scrambled to accommodate all the new veterans. These veterans were often white men who were slightly older than the typical college age. They sometimes arrived with wives and families in tow and brought a martial discipline to their studies that, as scholars have noted, created a cultural clash with traditional civilian students who sometimes were more interested in the life of the party than the life of the mind. Black service members had a different kind of experience. The GI Bill’s race-neutral language had filled the 1 million African American veterans with hope that they, too, could take advantage of federal assistance. Integrated universities and historically black colleges and universities – commonly known
BLACK servicemen from WWII faced limited options as they sought GI benefits after the war. as HBCUs – welcomed black veterans and their federal dollars, which led to the growth of a new black middle class in the immediate postwar years. Yet, the underfunding of HBCUs limited opportunities for these large numbers of black veterans. Schools like the Tuskegee Institute and Alcorn State lacked government investment in their infrastructure and simply could not accommodate an influx of so many students, whereas well-funded white institutions were more equipped to take in students. Research has also revealed that a lack of formal secondary education for black soldiers prior to their service inhibited their paths to colleges and universities.
As historians Kathleen J. Frydl, Ira Katznelson and others have argued, U.S. Representative John Rankin of Mississippi exacerbated these racial disparities. Rankin, a staunch segregationist, chaired the committee that drafted the bill. From this position, he ensured that local Veterans Administrations controlled the distribution of funds. This meant that when black southerners applied for their assistance, they faced the prejudices of white officials from their communities who often forced them into vocational schools instead of colleges or denied their benefits altogether. Mississippi’s connection to the GI Bill goes beyond
Rankin’s racist maneuvering. From 1966 to 1997, G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery represented the state in Congress and dedicated himself to veterans’ issues. In 1984, he pushed through his signature piece of federal legislation, the Montgomery GI Bill, which recommitted the nation to providing for veterans’ education and extended those funds to reserve units and the National Guard. Congress had discontinued the GI Bill after Vietnam. As historian Jennifer Mittelstadt shows, Montgomery’s bill subsidized education as a way to boost enlistment in the all-volunteer force that lagged in recruitment during the final years of the Cold War.
Social programs like these have helped maintain enlistment quotas during recent conflicts in the Middle East, but today’s service members have found mixed success in converting the education subsidies from the Post-9/11 GI Bill into gains in civilian life. This new GI Bill, passed in 2008, has paid around US$100 billion to more than 2 million recipients. Although the Student Veterans for America touts the nearly half a million degrees awarded to veterans since 2009, politicians and watchdogs have fought for reforms to the bill to stop predatory, for-profit colleges from targeting veterans. Recent reports show that 20% of GI Bill disbursements go to for-profit schools. These institutions hold reputations for notoriously high dropout rates and disproportionately targeting students of color, a significant point given the growing racial and ethnic diversity of the military. In August 2017, President Trump signed the Forever GI Bill, which committed $3 billion for 10 more years of education funding. As active duty service members and veterans begin to take advantage of these provisions, history provides good reason to be vigilant for the way racism still impacts who receives the most from those benefits. theconversation.com
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VENICE ‘ON ITS KNEES’ AFTER FLOODING VENICE Associated Press THE worst flooding in Venice in more than 50 years prompted calls yesterday to better protect the historic city from rising sea levels as officials calculated hundreds of millions of euros in damage. The water reached 1.87 meters above average sea level Tuesday, the secondhighest level ever recorded in the city and just 7 centimeters lower than the historic 1966 flood. “Venice is on its knees,’’ Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on Twitter. “St. Mark’s Basilica has sustained serious damage, like the entire city and its islands.” In Venice, the crypt beneath St. Mark’s Basilica was inundated for only the second time in its history. Damage was also reported at the Ca’ Pesaro modern art gallery.
A WOMAN sits in a chair in a flooded St Mark’s Square in Venice yesterday
Trump: I’m too busy to watch WASHINGTON Associated Press PROFESSING a lack of interest and disdain, President Donald Trump said he was “too busy” doing the people’s business yesterday to watch the impeachment hearings that imperil his presidency. But even as Trump tried to suggest that he was above the fray, the president repeatedly laid out his many grievances against the process playing out on the opposite end of Pennsylvania Avenue. “I hear it’s a joke. I haven’t watched for one minute,” Trump said during a White House news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the day’s testimony had ended. “This is a sham, and it shouldn’t be allowed.” The first public hearing of the impeachment inquiry
opened with two career public servants raising their hands and swearing an oath to tell the truth. Trump pushed back vigorously, insisting that the impeachment process is illegitimate and that he did nothing wrong in his dealings with Ukraine. Although claiming not to watch, Trump had tweeted and retweeted complaints about the inquiry more than 30 times by late afternoon and couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, a principal political foe on Capitol Hill. “It’s a witch hunt, it’s a hoax, I’m too busy to watch it,” Trump told reporters. “There’s nothing there. I see they’re using lawyers that are television lawyers. They took some guys off television. You know, I’m not surprised to see it because Schiff can’t do his own questions.”
Schiff is overseeing the impeachment hearings as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “New hoax. Same swamp,” read one tweet from the White House that Trump retweeted. He quoted his defenders and lashed out at the first witnesses to testify publicly, labeling William Taylor, the charge d’affaires in Ukraine, and George Kent, a career diplomat, as “NEVER TRUMPERS!” Taylor and Kent worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations. There is no evidence that either engaged in partisan activity opposing Trump, and both denied being “Never Trumpers” when asked during the hearing. In one new development, Taylor said a member of his staff overheard Trump, during a July phone call with another diplomat,
PRESIDENT Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House yesterday asking about “the investigations.” The Democrats have been trying to make the case that the president tried to extort Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and held up U.S. military aid as leverage.
Trump was asked about the phone call during a news conference with Erdogan. “I know nothing about that,” he said, adding that he “did not recall” the conversation.
KODAK BLACK GETS PRISON SENTENCE MIAMI Associated Press RAPPER Kodak Black was sentenced yesterday to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to weapons charges stemming from his arrest just before a scheduled concert performance in May. The 22-year-old Black admitted in August that he falsified information on federal forms to buy four firearms from a Miami-area gun shop on two separate occasions. Black was able to obtain three of the weapons: a 9 mm handgun, a .380-caliber handgun and a semi-automatic Mini Draco weapon. Authorities said one of the guns was found at the scene of a March shooting in Pompano Beach, although he has not been charged in that case. Black also faces drug, weapons and sexual assault charges in other states that remain pending. He has had several previous arrests. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno could have sentenced Black to the maximum of 10 years, and prosecutors wanted eight years in part because Black allegedly was involved in a jail fight that injured a corrections officer. “I think it’s time for us to give some tough love in this case,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brown. “I just don’t see how and when he’s taken these things seriously.”
RAPPER Kodak Black
STUDENTS FLEE HONG KONG Associated Press
UNIVERSITY students from mainland China and Taiwan are fleeing Hong Kong, while those from three Scandinavian countries have been moved or urged to leave as college campuses become the latest battleground in the city’s five-month-long anti-government unrest. Marine police used a boat yesterday to help a group of mainland students leave the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which remained barricaded by demonstrators after violent clashes with police on Tuesday. Authorities announced that primary and secondary school classes would be suspended today as clashes turn increasingly violent.
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Thursday, November 14, 2019, PAGE 15
ROYAL Caribbean’s Michael Bayley
Royal Caribbean putting $100,000 into Junkanoo’s Music Makers ROYAL Caribbean International has become the title sponsor for the Music Makers Junkanoo group with a donation of $100,000 recently presented to the group. Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley delivered the news during the opening of the Berry Islands Community Centre in Bullock’s Harbour, an event that drew Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his wife Patricia, senior officials, local residents, Royal Caribbean executives, all of RN Gomez All-Age School and two Junkanoo groups from Nassau. “In one of my meetings with the prime minister,” Mr Bayley said, “he said, ‘Why don’t you take an interest in Junkanoo, our unique cultural expression?’ And so when the prime minister of a country suggests that you take an interest in something, it’s pretty easy to assume that we would take an interest.” Mr Bayley described the process, learning about different groups, meeting them and watching performances. “I was very impressed by Music Makers’ history, and moved by the financial struggles they have endured,” he said later. “I was also impressed by the Original Fox Hill Congos and the important roles both play in their communities.” For Music Makers two-time chairman Gary Russell, who plays cowbells, saw and drums and has been wheelchair-bound
since a horrific accident in Abaco left him paralysed from the waist down more than 30 years ago, news of the sponsorship brought tears to his eyes. When he heard the words and saw the mock cheque for $100,000, he turned his wheelchair into a dance partner, bouncing it up and down and doing wheelies as he tried to hide tears. “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it,” he repeated. Later, calmed down, but still happily shaken, he said, “The Music Makers Junkanoo Group and Community Organisation is thrilled that Royal Caribbean International has agreed to sponsor us. The financial backing from this wonderful corporate entity will be the adhesive for stabilisation and growth in our group. It is very exciting for our members to have this sponsorship and help guarantee the future of the Music Makers. We will now have the resources to compete effectively. Additionally, it signified the safe future of Junkanoo in The Bahamas. Thank you Royal Caribbean International.” While Royal Caribbean’s support of the Music Makers constituted a sponsorship, the award-winning cruise line also provided a grant to another Junkanoo group — $20,000 to the B-group, Original Fox Hill Congos. Mr Bayley advised both with a smile, “We want to back winners now, just remember, we want winners. At Royal Caribbean, we have very high standards and high expectations.”
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