12042017 news

MONDAY i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 90ºF LOW 82ºF

The Tribune Established 1903

24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM

Biggest And Best!

HO US E & 16

VOLUME:115 No.10, DECEMBER 4TH, 2017

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

INSIGHT: IMMIGRATION AND THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE PAGES

‘I made mistakes - I’m only human’ Humble Minnis confesses to errors as PM

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

WHILE admitting he sometimes gets “it wrong” and does not communicate as best he could, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said there have been many “tough” days since the Free National Movement was elected to govern the country earlier this year.

And two weeks after he lambasted members of the media at the Bahamas Press Club awards banquet for sometimes “blurring” the lines between reporting and

commentary, Dr Minnis said constructive criticism is necessary to help those govern “become better leaders”.

“God knows, God truly knows I have made some mistakes,” Dr Minnis said as he addressed parishioners at a local church yesterday morning. “God knows that sometimes I get it wrong.”

The prime minister also seemed to acknowledge he at times becomes defensive in the face of criticism adding, “this is only human nature”.

SEE PAGE SIX

‘NAYSAYERS’ NEED TO GET ON BOARD PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis defended the Commercial Enterprises Bill from “naysayers,” stressing yesterday the long-term objective of the bill is to ensure positions filled by work permit holders one day become available to Bahamians, once they are properly trained.

Dr Minnis also said the legislation will not bring broad changes to the country’s immigration processes for anyone wishing to do business in the country,

aside from the specified industries covered under the bill.

In a statement released Sunday, Dr Minnis also said limits will be placed on work permits issued under the bill. He also explained those taking advantage of concessions covered under the bill will be mandated to create training programmes for Bahamians and agree to “strict timelines” for the promotion of Bahamians in their companies.

SEE PAGE FIVE

HOME

TWO DIE IN POLICE SHOOTOUT

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

TWO men died early Saturday morning after a gun battle with police and a high-speed car chase.

While police have not released the identities of the men, The Tribune understands they are Harold Kevin Brown and Richard “Buddy” Bastian.

According to police reports, shortly after 1am on Saturday morning, police in the area of a bar on Tonique Williams Darling Highway saw two men standing near a silver coloured car engaging in an argument with other people.

SEE PAGE 11

NEW DIGITAL BANKING TO COST JOBS

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

IT’S RICKY’S TIME HERO World Challenge Golf Tournament winner Rickie Fowler is pictured with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis at the trophy presentation yesterday. See Sports for the full story.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

UNION LEADER BLASTS DEPARTING BPL DIRECTOR

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

PRESIDENT of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union Paul Maynard yesterday cheered the resignation of former Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) Executive Director Deepak Bhatnagar, calling him the “symbol” of the company’s past failures.

Mr Maynard, who has never minced his words when it comes to Mr Bhatnagar, yesterday hailed the

resignation of the executive director, pictured, along with the resignations of Chief Financial Officer Cecile Green and Human Resources Director Marisa Mason Smith, as a key step in the right direction in the history of BPL. “I don’t have nothing against the other two, (Cecile) Green and (Marisa Mason) Smith, but Deepak (Bhatnagar)

was one of the worst things to ever happen to this company and this country,” Mr Maynard claimed.

He continued: “I mean the man had no idea how to manage electricity. Look at every decision he was tied to, not long after it was made, it failed. I have no idea why we brought him back in the first place.”

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE THREE

THE announced discontinuation of many of Royal Bank of Canada’s in house services in a push to become more digital could signal similar actions by other banks in the country, raising concerns that more Bahamians may soon be unemployed, Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry Brent Symonette told The Tribune.

Realising this, Mr Symonette said in an interview yesterday, the government sought other avenues for Bahamians to be able to find work. He was referring to the controversial Commercial Enterprises Bill (CEB).

SEE PAGE SIX

CARNAGE ON ROADS CLAIMS SIX

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

A 68-YEAR-OLD woman pedestrian is among six dead as a result of four separate traffic fatalities in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco over the weekend.

Shortly after 6pm Sunday, police said they were on the scene of a traffic fatality near a race track close to Government High School. Information was scant up to press time, however police said two persons died as a result of that incident.

SEE PAGE 11

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 4, 2017, PAGE 3

BAHAMIAN WOMAN ARRESTED FOR HARBOURING IMMIGRANTS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL Haitian immigrants were apprehended in Freeport and a Bahamian woman was arrested for allegedly harbouring illegal immigrants at her residence.

An immigration official said officers took seven Haitians into custody during an

apprehension exercise last week in the Freeport area.

Immigration officer Napthali Cooper also reported that two of the illegal immigrants were discovered living at the residence of a Bahamian woman.

He warned that people found harbouring illegal immigrants will be arrested and prosecuted.

Immigration officers conducted the exercise in the

Freeport area on Wednesday that resulted in the apprehension of four Haitian men and three women. None of the immigrants had legal status to be in The Bahamas.

Mr Cooper said a naturalised Bahamian woman of Haitian descent was also taken into custody for harbouring illegal immigrants after two of the women were allegedly found at her residence.

They were all taken to the Department of Immigration’s Freeport headquarters for processing. On Thursday, the seven immigrants were flown to New Providence where they are being held at the Carmichael Detention Centre.

Mr Cooper said the Bahamian woman was released with a stern warning that if found with illegal immigrants in her home again,

she will be brought before the courts and charged.

“The Department of Immigration takes the offence of harbouring illegal immigrants very seriously and sends out a warning to all Bahamians and residents alike that if they allow illegal immigrants to stay in their homes via renting or otherwise, they will be brought before the courts and

charged,” he said.

Mr Cooper said the offence carries a penalty on summary conviction of a fine up to $10,000, or two years’ imprisonment, or both.

He said the Immigration Department would like to thank the public for assistance in providing information regarding breaches of the Immigration Act.

KEOD SMITH, pictured at a previous court appearance. The Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay is seeking a receiving order on Mr Smith’s estate over $300,000 in unpaid legal debts.

Bankruptcy bid against Keod Smith

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay has filed a bankruptcy petition against attorney Keod Smith in the Supreme Court over some $300,000 in unpaid legal debts.

The Coalition, since renamed Save The Bays, is requesting a receiving order be placed on Mr Smith’s estate.

Mr Smith is a former Progressive Liberal Party MP, and former attorney for controversial Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard.

In an affidavit supporting the petition, STB Chairman Joseph Darville alleged Mr

Smith committed an act of bankruptcy by failing to pay his legal debts within the last six months. Mr Darville further claimed Mr Smith failed to secure or compound the debt after he was served three separate summons on September 21, 2016; June 13, 2017, and by substituted service on June 20.

According to Mr Darville’s affidavit, the first sum owed totals $111,500, with a 6.75 percent annual interest from October 7, 2014, until fully paid. The second sum is $263,500, with an annual interest from December 16, 2014, until fully paid.

Mr Smith’s debts stem from a judicial review application filed by Save The Bays, which is challenging an

application by controversial Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard to further develop his Mayan-themed development in Lyford Cay and gain a lease for Crown land reclaimed from the sea without official approval.

The environmental group has four sets of judicial review proceedings in relation to alleged unauthorised construction and Crown land reclamation activities of Mr Nygard at Nygard Cay, and the failure of the former Progressive Liberal Party government to take appropriate action, including the prime minister, deputy prime minister, the Town Planning Committee, the director of physical planning and others.

Several STB directors

and a local pastor also filed a murder-for-hire and harassment lawsuit against Mr Nygard and Mr Smith last year, accusing the men of hiring criminals to stage several hate rallies and commit such criminal acts as arson and harassment.

The murder-for-hire scheme was allegedly directed at STB directors, attorney Fred Smith and Lyford Cay billionaire Louis Bacon - who is also Mr Nygard’s neighbour.

The other directors, inclusive of Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira, and local pastor C B Moss, who is not a part of STB, allegedly received death threats and other forms of harassment such as arson and slashed car tyres.

UNION LEADER BLASTS DEPARTING BPL DIRECTOR from page one

“He was not suited for the position and lived only to get fat off of this company.”

In August, Mr Maynard called into question the life of luxury, he claimed, was being afforded to many in management positions at BPL, all while the company failed to meet many of its production goals. Mr Bhatnagar was his main target.

He told The Tribune at that time: “I am not afraid to say what needs to be said in this instance.

Mr (Deepak) Bhatnagar, how is he still here eating up money and providing nothing?”

Mr Maynard continued: “This man has been here and is still here eating up money. He messed up on a number of initiatives and is still working the clock . . .

This is where the country is losing out, people like him.

“So while we in a rush to jump all over BPL, the company, let’s take a hard look at these people buried in the system, finding ways to live the life off of us,” Mr Maynard concluded.

Mr Bhatnagar with former Minister of Works Philip “Brave” Davis steered a task force

appointed by the Christie administration to look at various proposals for a generation plant which would have assisted in dealing with the challenges at the utility provider.

He was re-appointed to BPL’s board by the Minnis administration in July.

BPL’s Chief Executive Officer Whitney Heastie on Friday confirmed the departures in a brief memo to staff, indicating that Ms Green, who had worked with the company for nine years, would be replaced

by Acting CFO Chandrice Ferguson.

Ms

Mason-Smith worked for the company for more than 15 years while Mr Bhatnagar had served the company since 2016, the memo said.

A source close to BPL’s board yesterday also confirmed the two remaining positions will be filled early next year.

PAGE 4, Monday, December 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jrolle@tribunemedia.net

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

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

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES

News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax

(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com

@tribune242

tribune news network

‘Brave’ Davis follows in Adderley’s footsteps “THE PLP is fundamentally opposed to the Commercial Enterprises Bill. It did not support it in the House. It will not support it in the Senate. It will take its case on the road to the Bahamian people. When we come to office, we will repeal it and those who accept its benefits ought to think carefully before accepting the benefits of this legislation,” said Philip “Brave” Davis, leader of a four-member PLP Opposition in the House of Assembly last month.

Twenty-one years ago in the same House of Assembly, one could almost hear the voice of the late Paul Adderley, former attorney general in a PLP government, as he stood to read out a long, rambling letter that he had sent that same day to investor Sol Kerzner, threatening that if his PLP party became the government at the next election, it would not honour the Ingraham government’s agreement with Mr Kerzner for an incentive programme to increase Bahamian employment at Resorts International on Paradise Island.

PM Ingraham’s government in 1992 was faced with the same economic crisis now challenging today’s FNM. The Ingraham government was desperate to get Bahamians back to work, and businesses moving forward. It was also anxious to distance The Bahamas from its international reputation as a “nation for sale” after a scandalous drug inquiry in the last days of the Pindling administration.

Prime Minister Ingraham’s first government, which inherited a failing economy, was anxious to get Bahamians employed and reinvigorate the economy. After a 25-year rule, Prime Minister Lynden Pindling – bewildered by his government’s 1992 election defeat – admitted that he knew “his people were hurting”, that their “homes were being sold, that parents were taking kids out of school”. But by then he was so removed from his people, and so used to their adulation, that he didn’t think that joblessness and suffering “would have affected them so dramatically in determining what they would do during the election”. The “Father of the Nation” certainly got a rude awakening when he found himself out on the pavement.

And what made matters worse, the man he had dismissed as a mere “delivery boy” had replaced him.

The first item on Mr Ingraham’s agenda was to get investors back and jobs created for Bahamians. Sol Kerzner had taken a look at The Bahamas during Sir Lynden’s regime, apparently didn’t like what he saw, and backed off. However, when the Ingraham government was voted in, Sir Sol’s late son, “Butch”, encouraged his father to give The Bahamas a second chance. Obviously, Sir Sol liked what he saw under Mr Ingraham and invested in Sun International – now Atlantis. At the time of the purchase, the Paradise Island resort was in bankruptcy.

Bahamians were probably in a worse state after the Pindling government than they are today. Then, not only was the Treasury bankrupt with several small businesses closing because government

was unable to pay what it owed them, but unemployment was high and rising.

On the horizon was Sir Sol Kerzner with an offer to invest in a bankrupt Paradise Island hotel and employ a large number of Bahamians. At the time, the offer was like manna from heaven. But Mr Adderley, objected. It was the same Mr Adderley, former chairman of the government owned hotel corporation, which had lost millions of dollars of public funds every year on failed hotel projects. Between 1974 and 1993, the hotel corporation had spent more than $400m on buying and operating hotels.

Operation losses during this period exceeded $200m.

Sir Sol had already committed financially to the Paradise resort investment when the Ingraham government agreed to waive Sun’s gaming taxes and fees for 20 years in exchange for a $250m expansion of the Paradise Island resort, which would create 2,000 new jobs. Mr Ingraham’s position was that not only would at least 2,000 Bahamians be employed, but government’s revenue would increase steadily as a result of the expansion.

Mr Adderley, speaking from the floor of the House objected. In a long, rambling letter, which took up three columns in The Tribune, he declared — as did PLP leader “Brave” Davis last week – that the PLP would have none of it.

As soon as the PLP returned to power it would cancel the agreement. In his long ramble, Mr Adderley also accused Sir Sol of taking “unfair advantage” of the Bahamas’ inexperienced Prime Minister, and warned that if he didn’t renegotiate now, he would be forced to do so when the PLP won the government. Fortunately, the PLP did not win the government in the following election.

We telephoned Sir Sol in London to ask what message he thought the letter would send to foreign investors.

“What do you think? I don’t have to tell you that. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the message it sends to foreign investors,” he replied.

Needless to say, Sir Sol’s gamble of investing at that time with a country with such a tainted reputation was the best thing that happened to the Bahamas. Other investors followed. Not only did Atlantis succeed, but it exceeded all expectations. Next to government it was the largest employer of Bahamians in the country. And Sir Sol credited much of its success to his Bahamian employees. He said that the number one compliment received from guests related to his Bahamian staff’s friendliness and service. “And that, for me, is very rewarding,” he said.

We suggest that Mr Davis stop playing politics, use his brains to understand the urgent needs of his country and people, and speak only when he has constructive suggestions as to how this little nation can pull itself up from under the financial burden it was left when Mr Davis’ government lost the election. The Commercial Enterprise Bill might need some tweaking, but it is certainly worthy of serious consideration and adoption.

BTC customer service needs to be improved EDITOR, The Tribune.

BTC and the serious lack of any sense of customer service - where has it gone?

None of their outlets answer calls - trying calling JFK all you get is music no live voice!

Email billing system, BTC genius changed the log-in system without telling a soul - sorry I have no need to go to social media to find any notices from BTC... you know my email address – communicate.

When you get registered try understanding what the

statement indicates ... It says bill due but really that is the statement date - brilliantly does not tell you when the bill is due by!

It Is so evident that the old system was much more reliable ... crucial now as there is no Postal Service and with the unsorted mall almost as high as the highest hill in Cat Island it will be months before they sort that mountain.

Ms Post Master ... employ some people short term to remove the backlog. Short term now make it clear till backlog Is completed.

Post Office Box Rentals ... for sure come the first week in December the Post Office will have the Notice for rentals for 2018 ... you can be sure they will deliver that mail on time rather than three-four months late!!! - we had no service in 2017 so at least 50% discount please, Mr Minister of The People’s Government -- why should we pay for something we never had?

ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau, November 30, 2017.

The pariah of Grand Bahama EDITOR, The Tribune.

IN the late 1990ies, when Hutchinson Whampoa announced their development plans and partnership with the GBPA, an era of optimism swept through Grand Bahama – a new container port and an ambitious investment in resort properties. They both came to fruition, employed a sizable number of Bahamians and for a while appeared to be good corporate citizens. Sadly, they had little or no idea how to profitably operate hotels in this hemisphere and resigned themselves to losing millions of dollars a year at the Grand Lucayan Resort.

The Container Port was, however, their major focus and its foothold in the region would suggest it has been a worthwhile enterprise.

Losing millions, a year in any business can get old, even though there is a popular idea that compared to their global portfolio, Hutchinson’s Freeport investments hardly appear on their balance sheet, such is its insignificance. However, hurricane Matthew in October 2016 changed the game plan, and the extensive damage to the hotel properties seemed the perfect excuse to cease operations. Much better (and cheaper) to remain closed, layoff all the staff and submit a gigantic insurance claim and make it known that these hotels could be purchased at an unrealistically inflated price.

A few groups made a stab at it and we were told the Christie administration had a deal on the table before they were ousted from office. The pre-election promises of Dr Minnis would have voters believe he had a quick fix and all would be well in short order.

Six months on, the silence is deafening and as we head into what is essentially ‘a lost’ winter tourist season and some would say well beyond that. I surmise that Dr Minnis had no idea how difficult Hutchinson are to deal with. It is thought that they have received a good chunk of their multimillion dollar insurance claim and logic would suggest that they should cut their losses

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net and quickly sell at a highly discounted price just to get rid of the headache and the properties off their books.

The Chinese mentality has come to the fore and is such that there Is apparently no hurry to make any deal.

Their blatant disregard for the community they once employed is of no consequence. “Screw you former employees, we hope you have another miserable Christmas”.

Additionally, any semblance of being a responsible communityminded company has been totally eroded over the past twelve months as we pass by their hotels shuttered and crumbling. The torn siding on the Grand Lucayan and the twisted metal around the casino and Memories remains untouched after fourteen months. What a great impression for the (few) tourists we have passing by. One is tempted to put up a sign “This derelict slum is owned by Hutchinson Whampoa”.

Perhaps ‘the bigger picture’ is even more depressing. Part of the initial Hutchinson acquisition with the GBPA was the 50010 stake in the Freeport Harbour Company, the Grand Bahama Airport Company and the Grand Bahama Non-Development Company - with Management control. In simple terms that means they call all the shots- all the policy and decision making. All these entities are micro managed from Hong Kong, often much to the frustration of the local employees.

Hutchinson weaseled a deal with the Christie administration to allow Carnival to build their own cruise port in exchange for tax exemptions on undeveloped land (together with the GBPA) for the next 20 years and made a vague promise about some sort of a sustainable development plan. None of this, of course, will happen as Hutchinson has no desire to develop a single acre on Grand Bahama. They have their prize - control of a major harbour and airport -100 miles from the US mainland. In retrospect this

was and has proved to be a shockingly bad deal for Grand Bahama. Their philosophy is simply that they have the control and the ability to squeeze the very life out of the local economy at will – a job they are currently excelling at.

It is a bed that we have to lie in, and in the unlikely event someone will write Hutchison a cheque to go away, the situation will not change any time soon.

While most of this is old news, it does however put into focus more than ever the urgency to breathe some life back into Grand Bahama.

Dr Minnis is trying, and encouraging entrepreneurs to open new businesses is commendable. The problem Is that many small businesses are struggling to survive and any new enterprises will face the same challenges mainly due to the very small market base.

The population of Grand Bahama has shrunk dramatically over the past five years as people left to seek employment elsewhere.

The reality is that Grand Bahama needs at least 5000 new residents to make any significant impact on the local economy. The proposed introduction of the Commercial Enterprises Bill, although may need some tweaking, seems like a step in the right direction to encourage foreign investors to establish new companies, employ Bahamians and inject some much-needed cash into the island. The Bill currently applies to all the Bahamas, but there should be even more incentives for investors in Freeport, (does anyone remember the Hawksbill Agreement?) as we are constantly reminded this is the ship that is sinking the fastest.

Whatever form it ends up in, there should follow a massive global marketing campaign by both the Government and the GBPA shouting from the rooftops that Grand Bahama Is open for business. Industry, hotels, technology, manufacturing, medical tourism, real estate development, second homes- it doesn’t matter-just bring it on.

CHRIS PAINE Freeport, December 1, 2017.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 4, 2017, PAGE 5

‘NAYSAYERS’ NEED TO GET ON BOARD

COOPER: BILL MISGUIDED

system to ensure children receive the best education possible by attending accredited colleges and universities worldwide.

“We must therefore grow the economy and expand employment opportunities so that our students will find higher paying jobs with long term job security,” he added. “It is therefore time for the naysayers to stop saying ‘no’ and start working on behalf of the Bahamian people.

“Creating better paying jobs that provide long term job security in new

industries will motivate our young people to stay at home, which in turn will help our country grow and prosper. I am proud of this bill and I am happier with the fact that it is going to help grow our economy, expand employment opportunities, and provide Bahamian families with higher paying jobs which will lead to a better quality of life.”

On Friday, Financial Services, Trade and Industry Minister Brent Symonette said the Minnis administration missed its opportunity

to “properly clarify” that only investments in a handful of specified industries can qualify for concessions under the Commercial Enterprises Bill.

Pushing back against much of the criticism that has faced the bill since it was introduced, the St Anne’s MP, during a presentation at the Rotary Club of East Nassau, stressed that the bill would only address operations in a set schedule of industries – areas which were also outlined by Dr Minnis on Sunday.

Mitchell says govt to flood country with foreign workers

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell yesterday accused the government of attempting to “flood the country with workers from outside the country and undercut the market for young Bahamians” with the introduction of the Commercial Enterprises Bill.

Mr Mitchell also criticised Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar for calling the PLP “crazy” for opposing the bill.

On Thursday, Mr D’Aguilar told Tribune business the Minnis administration was trying to reverse the brain drain of college graduates and highly skilled workers by using the Commercial Enterprises Bill to attract new business.

He said the PLP is “crazy” to oppose the bill.

The PLP pledged to repeal the bill if the party returns to power and warned investors and people who may accept the bill’s benefits to “think carefully” before doing so.

The bill passed the House of Assembly with unanimous support from the Free National Movement last week Wednesday and is headed to the Senate where it will be discussed today.

The bill would liberalise the granting of work permits to enterprises who wish to establish themselves in the Bahamas in niche sectors and require work permits for management and key personnel.

The bill would allow foreigners or Bahamians to receive “economic concessions” if they establish specified types of businesses

SENATOR FRED MITCHELL here with an investment of no less than $250,000.

Such businesses would be entitled to a specified number of work permits for executives, managers and people with “specialised knowledge”.

“The press today (Friday) quotes the Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar as saying that the PLP is ‘crazy’ to oppose the Commercial Enterprises Bill because the Bill is seeking to reverse the brain drain from The Bahamas.

If the PLP is crazy then the FNM and Mr. D’Aguilar are nuts,” Mr Mitchell said in a statement on Friday.

“The first point is that Mr. D’Aguilar and his injudicious remarks are wearing thin. He is the Minister of Tourism talking, not the owner of Super Wash. Secondly, the FNM, they just don’t get it. This FNM government proposes to reverse 50 years of policies that ensure that the benefits of this economy go first to Bahamian workers. This is not about protectionism. This is about a sensible regime which has worked for our country where work permits are granted only if a Bahamian is not available

GIVE THE

for the job. The FNM proposes to throw the doors open to all and everyone for a cheap price and flood the market.

“The Government itself cannot decide what its rationale for this nutty bill is. First they said it was to liberalise the granting of work permits, then they said it is to help Over The Hill. Now the Tourism Minister, Mr Motor Mouth, has come up with the ingenious but disingenuous rationale that it will reverse the brain drain. It will do none of those things. What it will do is flood the country with workers from outside the country and undercut the market for young Bahamians. Mr. Tourism Minister, you do not fool us. You and your government have no interest in young Bahamians. Please give it a rest.”

On Monday, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham criticised the bill, saying the Minnis administration should “rethink the bill and make necessary adjustments”.

His criticism during a rare interview with The Tribune came less than a week after the bill passed the House of Assembly with the unanimous support of Free National Movement parliamentarians.

Almost none of the bill’s key provisions were spared Mr Ingraham’s harsh assessment. The bill’s $250,000 threshold “is too low,” he said.

The bill’s lack of guarantee that a certain number or percentage of Bahamians be employed as a tradeoff for work permits is, he said, something he could not support.

RELOCATION NOTICE Dr. Bimal Francis Cardiologist Will now be working from

Hawkins Hill, Medical Plaza

For Appointments: 242-356-9146/7 242-356-9100

Email: info@cvibahamas.com

OF HEALTH

EXERCISE BIKES from

$

259

TREADMILLS

$

from

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Deputy Leader Chester Cooper has accused members of the Minnis administration of making “it up as they go along” regarding the controversial Commercial Enterprises Bill.

His comments came after recent remarks made

by Attorney General Carl Bethel and Trade and Industry Minister Brent Symonette about the bill.

In an interview with The Tribune on Sunday, Mr Cooper cautioned Bahamians to believe only what is written in the bill to date, and not be misguided by the public utterances made by persons in the Minnis administration.

Last Thursday, Attorney General Carl Bethel, while appearing as a guest on ‘The Revolution’ with Juan McCartney, indicated that for every foreigner given a work permit under the Commercial Enterprises Bill, a Bahamian must be trained for that position within a year.

Mr Bethel said training and building opportunities may be agreed to be afforded to Bahamians in respect to a position staffed by work permit holders.

Meanwhile on Friday, Trade and Industry Minister Brent Symonette stressed that the bill would only address operations in a set schedule of industries.

In response Sunday, Mr Cooper said the bill approved by the House of Assembly doesn’t support the claims of Mr Bethel, nor does it mesh with the sentiments of Mr Symonette.

“All I am saying is that unless the bill specifies, I am not just prepared to accept what any minister say. For example, one of them said it’s designed to create an over-the-hill free zone. This was clearly not the intent of this legislation.

“They cannot make it up as they go along,” Mr Cooper told The Tribune.

He added: “The bill is already passed by the House of Assembly. My presentation was made before the bill was passed. If they have amendments they can still make them but their verbal explanations cannot be considered the law if the bill is passed.”

During initial debate on the Commercial Enterprises Bill, Mr Cooper accused the Ministry of Financial Services, Trade and Industry of attempting to “carve-out” particular operations to suit a certain purpose at the expense of existing government machinery.

The Exuma and Ragged Island MP argued that various units were already in place to carry out all operations sanctioned by the new legislation, adding that this fact, paired with the immigration fears and the low buy-in threshold, all gave cause for concern.

“Sectors such as international arbitrage, computer programming, software design, bio-informatics, maritime trade, nanotechnology – is there a plan in place to get more Bahamians involved in these industries? Now that we have identified them, I trust that we do more in terms of offering scholarships,” Mr Cooper had said previously.

“Are we encouraging Bahamians to get into these industries that are under-served, where we may not have a competitive advantage?

“I do not have a xenophobic bone in my body, Mr Speaker, but we should always seek to level the playing field for Bahamians. I invite the government to look very closely at the schedule one; there is a lot of devil in the detail.”

Once passed, the bill would allow foreigners or Bahamians to receive “economic concessions” if they establish specified types of businesses in the Bahamas with an investment of no less than $250,000. According to Mr Bethel, an amendment has been made to remove the $250,000 investment threshold for Bahamians to take advantage of the bill’s concessions.

Such businesses would be entitled to a specified number of work permits for executives, managers and people with “specialised knowledge.”

Mr Symonette on Friday also said he doesn’t expect any more changes to be made to the bill moving forward, calling the legislation “very specified” and “clear.”

He also indicated Cabinet was expected to meet Saturday to further review the level of ease Bahamians face in doing business across the country.

The schedule of industries that would fall under the bills parametres includes captive insurance, reinsurance, mutual fund administration, arbitration, wealth management, international trade, international arbitrage, computer programming, software design and writing, bioinformatics and analytics; maritime trade, nano technology, biomedical industries, boutique health facilities, data storage or warehousing, aviation approved maintenance operations, aviation registration and call centres.

899

STEPPERS

$

from

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

long-term objective is to ensure that all positions within these companies become available to Bahamians as and when they are trained.

“One thing this bill does not do is change the current immigration or other regulatory processes for anyone wishing to invest in businesses other than those designated industries that are covered under this new proposed legislation.”

Dr Minnis said the government is making “substantial investments” in the country’s educational

119

Check out all of our cool exercise equipment for you and the entire family, including yoga mats, exercise balls, kettlebells, dumbells, GoFit equipment, accessories, and a whole lot more.

WEIGHT/BENCH COMBO

$

from

“The Commercial Enterprises Bill is designed to attract both local and international investment to The Bahamas in job sectors that do not currently or primarily exist,” Dr Minnis’ statement noted.

“The bill is aimed at targeting investment in specified enterprises, including captive insurance, reinsurance, arbitration, wealth management, computer programming, maritime trade, nano

technology, biomedical industries, data storage, call centres and software design and writing. No other kind of business enterprise will qualify for incentives provided for under this bill.”

He also said: “Industries taking advantage of this bill will be required to establish training programmes for Bahamians and agree to strict timelines for the upward mobility of Bahamians within the enterprise.

Limits also will be placed on immigration permits which are issued under the provisions of this bill. The

119

HOME GYMS

$

from

from page one

699

Visit SportsCenter242.com for More Info

PAGE 6, Monday, December 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

‘I made mistakes - I’m only human’ from page one

These remarks follow hot on the heels of last week’s events in which the prime minister dismissed as “fake news” a document about the transfer of portfolio responsibilities of Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira which was later

found to be legitimate and gazetted on August 22.

It also comes after weeks of backlash over the Commercial Enterprises Bill and criticism the prime minister received over announcing Members of Parliament would receive raises in the next budget cycle without explaining how the government planned to make

possible the increase.

On Sunday, Dr Minnis appeared humble as he spoke on the occasion of the fifth pastoral anniversary of Bishop-elect James Newry and Elder Queenie at Calvary Deliverance Church on East Street South.

He said: “My brothers and sisters, for just over six months it has been an

extraordinary privilege to serve as prime minister of our wonderful and blessed country. I am motivated every day by a commitment to social justice and accountability.

“I am motivated by the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable in our land.

Any privilege that does not issue forth in helping the least among us (is) a privilege that is wasted.

“The greatest privilege of serving as head of government is the opportunity to improve the lives of my fellow Bahamians. It is a special privilege to work daily to provide our children and young people with opportunities to dream and realise their dreams. My passion is to give back to our country what this country has given me, and since May I have had a new vantage point that has allowed me to see more in depth the challenges and problems as well as the opportunities and possibilities of our country.”

Dr Minnis also said: “There are many tough days.

There are sometimes sleepless nights, but the great reward of helping others outshines the sometimesdifficult days and nights.

“God knows, God truly knows, I have made some mistakes. God knows that sometimes I get it wrong.

Sometimes I don’t explain or say things as well as I could. But let me say this, my season is not finished yet. My vision and mission is one of reform and transformation. I am committed

to making ours a fair and more just society, less burdened by violent crime and less burdened by the corruption by public officials.

“My pledge is working hard to improve our economy and boost economic growth and jobs so that more Bahamians can live a better life.

“We are a democracy.

Criticism is necessary and helps those who govern to become better leaders.

I thank those in our land who offer sincere and constructive criticism. I have learned from many of these criticisms – mind you some of the criticisms is unwarranted or uninformed.

“Sometimes one can become defensive because of criticisms. This is only human nature and it happens to all of us. All of us whether church, business or political leaders have to be able to discern the difference between criticism that is merited and criticism that is not.

With God’s help and the help of others, I will continue to grow and to learn. My season is not finished yet.”

Last week, critics pounced on the Ferreira matter and questioned Dr Minnis’ trustworthiness.

However, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold came to Dr Minnis’ defence during his press briefing last week and said the gazetted document is real but contains errors. He said it prescribes to Dr Minnis responsibilities Cabinet never transferred to him, a fact officials only

recently learned.

The document reports that responsibility for seven matters had been transferred from the portfolio of Mr Ferreira to the Office of the Prime Minister.

Because Mr Ferreira is a persistent target of rumours from the Free National Movement’s opponents on social media, the document gave rise to unsubstantiated theories about why he was having his portfolio reduced.

Mr Newbold said Dr Minnis had not seen the document when he dismissed it as “fake news” in a short interview with reporters on November 25, but had merely assumed the document claimed there was “wholesale transfer of responsibilities from Mr Ferreira to him with the intent to demote (Mr Ferreira).”

Mr Newbold said the only function transferred to Dr Minnis is responsibility for the Bahamas Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Commission. The other matters - the Plant Protection Act, wild animal and bird protection, natural history specimens, relations with national and international organisations on matters relating to the environment, international convention, treaties, protocols and agreements relating to the environment and reef and blue holes - were not meant to be transferred to the prime minister as the gazetted document says, according to Mr Newbold.

NEW DIGITAL BANKING TO COST JOBS from page one

RBC has announced several changes to be implemented in January. Deposits and transfers to other RBC clients’ accounts, with the exception of RBC FINCO clients, will no longer be accepted over the counter as of January 2; fast deposits will no longer be available as of January 15; and as of January 31, wire transfers will not be processed over the counter and standing orders for credit card payments will be discontinued among other things.

Instead, the bank has advised customers to use its ATMs to deposit cash or cheques and its mobile app to pay bills, credit cards, transfer funds, send wire transfers, check credit card balances and make payments to other RBC clients.

RBC has also announced it is ending certain services for non-clients. This

includes cheque cashing, bill payments, taking deposits or exchanging foreign currency.

“More banks will be doing it over time,” Mr Symonette said when The Tribune contacted him.

“But in terms of computerisation and going digital, there isn’t much the government can do.

“It’s going to affect the entire Caribbean. If you saw, Royal Bank closed its branch in Bimini and also Spanish Wells. That’s moving towards more of a digital banking system.

You notice in banks all over the place automated teller machines (ATMs) are becoming more of the norm than people behind the counter and the effect there is going to be on employment of Bahamians in the traditional banking sector.

“So, I think that is something we have to worry about and look at to make sure we can find other jobs.

“This tail ends to where we were talking about the Commercial Enterprises Bill. We were trying to find other avenues for Bahamians to be able to find work.

So with all this opposition is going on about the Commercial Enterprises Bill, no one is talking about making new jobs and here we are talking about it and then the PLP is here saying we aren’t doing anything for Bahamians. Well these are the exact same Bahamians we are trying to do something for.”

With the banking sector downsizing, the CEB was envisioned by the Minnis administration to compensate for the job losses, Mr

Symonette said.

The bill would allow foreigners or Bahamians to receive “economic concessions” if they establish specified types of businesses in The Bahamas with an investment of no less than $250,000. Such businesses would be entitled to a specified number of work permits for executives, managers and people with “specialised knowledge.” Attorney General Carl Bethel recently announced the bill was amended to remove the $250,000 threshold for Bahamians to take advantage of the bill’s concessions.

“We want to go out and get businesses who will look at basically the same skills these people have - computer literate, well educated and stable,” Mr Symonette said. “These are the people who will need the jobs we are aiming to create.”

Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell last week accused the government of attempting to “flood the country with workers from outside the country and undercut the market for young Bahamians” with the introduction of the Commercial Enterprises Bill.

Mr Mitchell also criticised Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar for calling the PLP “crazy” for opposing the bill. Last Thursday, Mr D’Aguilar told Tribune Business that the Minnis administration was trying to reverse brain drain of college graduates and highly skilled workers by using the bill to attract new business.

Debate on the bill begins today in the Senate.

Stop thinking about what you should have done, or maybe what you could have done about something.

Instead, think about the excellence of accomplishing great things in the now and for the future

~Betty Taylor ~ Original Author

Have a Merry Christmas

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017

The presumption of innocence

By FRED SMITH QC FORMER Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell’s (PLP) November 2014 immigration policy explicitly targets people who are already here legally; not people who have violated the Immigration Act. The focus was on people being “documented”, “regularised” and having “papers”; not on whether they broke any laws. Having just come to office, Brent Symonette (FNM) seems intent on blithely continuing this heresy.

Despite the countless criticisms levelled at President Trump, particularly on immigration, at least he is not rounding up, abusing, indefinitely detaining in camps and/or deporting people born in the USA and entitled to US citizenship. Mitchell and Symonette are doing just that to innocent people born in The Bahamas and entitled to Bahamian citizenship. They have out-trumped even Trump!

Excepting for the moment discussions about migration generally, I understand the political and legal arguments for humanely preventing illegal immigration into The Bahamas and, by due process, for prosecuting and deporting those who are here in contravention of the law. Fred Mitchell did not have to invent and declare a policy for that in November 2014, because it was already the law.

In fact, the November 2014 policy was specifically designed to target people who were born in The Bahamas to foreign parents but who weren’t considered “regularised”, because they didn’t have a certificate of citizenship or a Belongers Permit (which Mitchell invented as “policy” even before Parliament passed the 2015 Amendment to the Immigration Act). Even the May 2015 Amendment did not make it obligatory for Citizens in Waiting to have to get a Belongers Permit in the meantime.

Thankfully, Mitchell did not succeed in getting Parliament to pass a law requiring every person (Bahamians included) to register, obtain and carry a National Identity Card on them at all times. This was similar to Sir Arthur Dion Hanna’s (PLP) attempt at the Bahamas Constitutional Conference in London in 1972 to include an Article in the Constitution preventing inter-island travel by Bahamians without a domestic visa. All such restrictions are fundamental violations of every person’s right to freedom of movement as defined by the Constitution and should be vigorously resisted by all rightthinking Bahamians.

Mitchell was however, able to turn his discriminatory guns on those born in The Bahamas to foreign parents but who did not have a document saying they were Bahamian – despite the fact it was the Department of Immigration (DOI) which was woefully

THIS is a sign posted by the registrar General‘s office in a medical clinic in Freeport.

Simply put, those being targeted inefficient and corrupt in pro- have not broken any law; they cessing thousands of outstanding have committed no criminal applications. He was only able to offence. Their only crime is do that by “policy”, in other words, being of foreign descent in a an imaginary system of unjustifi- country where xenophobia and able rules that has no basis in law. bigotry is rife and encouraged He chose this route because he by political leaders of all stripes. knew it would have been uncon- And according to the United stitutional for Parliament to pass Nations, expelling any such legislaindividuals from tion. Might became Those being targeted a country only right! have not broken because of their Mitchell’s ethnicity qualifies any law; they have November 2014 as ethnic cleansing. policy and his polit- committed no Why did Mitchell ical double-speak criminal offence. invent this heinous tragically conpolicy? Didn’t the Their only crime flated and blurred DOI have enough the distinction is being of foreign work to do? Weren’t between persons descent in a country there enough who had arrived people coming in or where xenophobia and overstayed, or working illegally? who were working and bigotry is rife Did the government here illegally, with need a scapegoat to the 25,000–40,000 peoeple born blame for its inadequacies and failin The Bahamas to foreign parures, in particular a 25–37 percent ents since the 1950s but who do not have a paper evidencing their unemployment rate? Was it easier “status”. In one fell policy swoop, to just point a finger at the “illeCitizens in Waiting and migrants gals”, i,e, people in The Bahamas (who may have broken immigra- (whether they were innocently born tion laws) were lumped together here or illegally entered?). Let’s be honest. This policy was targeted at and treated as “Illegals”.

Mitchell then systematically poor, politically disenfranchised targeted the weak, defenceless black people born in The Bahamas “undocumented illegals”, a cat- of Haitian descent.

Ninety percent of the people egory that included anyone born in The Bahamas to foreign who are arrested and detained parents but who was not “regu- are born here but simply don’t larised” (a term unknown in the have a piece of paper saying they law). That was when innocent have citizenship or any other children were banned from public “document” deemed acceptable education and the frenzy of illegal to Immigration on a whim. Ironiraids, exercises, round-ups, home cally, nobody born in or out of The invasions, bulldozing of shanty Bahamas to Bahamian parents towns, detentions and deporta- has a piece of paper saying they tions began. He had a ready-made are a Bahamian citizen. I challenge Fred Mitchell and or Brent base of helpless victims to abuse.

Mitchell started it. Now Brent Symonette to prove me wrong.

There is no law that requires Symonnette is continuing the illegal strategy of doing indirectly anybody to have any kind of docthrough policy what they could ument to prove they are a citizen not do legally and directly through of The Bahamas. It used to be a Parliament. This is why hardly any sufficient insignia of citizenship of the thousands and thousands of to produce a birth certificate but people who have been arrested and Fred Mitchell even did away with detained over the last three years that sensible reality. This policy have been taken before a court of even prevents Citizens in Waitlaw, charged with an offence, tried ing from getting a birth certificate and/or convicted and sentenced. for their children born in The

Bahamas; effectively preventing the creation of an official state record of the existence of the 2nd generation of Bahamians of Haitian descent. Not only are the parents stateless; the children do not even officially exist!

For years, I criticised the actions of the DOI and identified the laws they have been breaking. Yet, no Attorney General nor Minister of Legal Affairs (Allyson Maynard Gibson QC, Damian Gomez QC, Carl Bethel QC or Elsworth Johnson); no Minister of Immigration (Fred Mitchell or Brent Symonette), and no Director of Immigration (William Pratt) has ever identified a law entitling them to do what they are doing or showing how I am wrong. Indeed, every Habeas Corpus motion I have filed on behalf of those illegally detained has succeeded without a fight.

So this entire charade from November 2014, which has tragically affected so many lives, has been about making people have “papers”, or “documents” or become “regularised”; instead of focusing on using the financial and human resources of Immigration and the Defence Force to patrol the borders, prosecute offences under the Immigration Act, prevent illegal migration, process the thousands of applications of Citizens in Waiting, or indeed to reform our Immigration laws.

This revolving door of arrests, detentions and releases of course continues to grease, at $2,500 a pop, the corrupt wheels of Immigration. The DOI has no interest in processing the thousands of outstanding applications. It’s far more profitable to keep these people as Citizens Waiting.

Indeed, Prime Minister Minnis’ “Get Out by December 31” Edict was prefaced by the injunction that people should get their papers straight and regularise themselves by the end of the year or risk aggressive immigration action and deportation. It did not focus on declaring aggressive prevention and prosecution of immigration offences, according to law. It was a reaffirmation of the Mitchell Heresy which Director William Pratt couldn’t even wait until January 1, 2018, to launch with rabid zeal.

So all of this business about getting papers straight is not really about preventing illegal immigration; once again it is form over substance and picking on a huge number of people who are politically and financially weak, against whom it is easy to whip up patriotic and nationalist fervour by seeming to be tough on immigration and appearing therefore to be actually doing something constructive, while the economy collapses around our ears.

In November 2014, the FNM proclaimed it “stood shoulderto-shoulder” with the PLP, once again just to show the FNM was as tough on “Illegals” as the PLP. So what Mitchell did through his policy, which is still being pursued

by Brent Symonette, is to make it seem as if it is illegal NOT to have “papers”.

Well, “Attention! Attention!

Immigration! Fred Smith does not have a Certificate of Citizenship that says Fred Smith is a Bahamian citizen”.

Ironically, I was born in Haiti.

I can’t wait for some Immigration officer to pick me up and ask me for papers. I certainly will not be a “nice” person; which according to Brent Symonette last week, is the new litmus test by which Immigration is entitled to target me aggressively and abusively. If I’m “nice”, they will leave me alone, otherwise I will be detained!

What a load of crock, Symonette!

The 2014 policy which requires people to have papers or risk illegal arrest, indefinite detention and deportation is a reflection of the insensitive and dictatorial mentality of people like Fred Mitchell who just cook up a policy one morning; and people like Brent Symonette, who unquestioningly adopt it like simpletons the next morning.

I repeat without fear of contradiction, that it is not an offence under the Immigration Act not to apply to be registered as a citizen. It is not an offence for a person who is born in The Bahamas of foreign parents, to get a birth certificate for themselves or their children, work, get a bank account, get a business licence, go to school, etc. This is why I keep hammering away at the fact Mitchell’s Heresy has turned the presumption of innocence and the right to freedom upside down in The Bahamas.

Because of Fred Mitchell‘s dictatorial penchant, a person is now presumed to be guilty of breaking a law that does not exist. Mitchell and now Symonette have effectively made it illegal for you to be born in The Bahamas of foreign parents (particularly from Haiti).

That is the amazing new immigration offence.

Fred Mitchell and Brent Symonette are responsible for the perverse, absurd, surreal, humanly tragic, Alice in Wonderland country that The Bahamas has become. They have illegally disrupted the lives of thousands of innocent, law abiding people.

They have hurt, degraded, brutalized, abused, victimised, expelled and treated them so badly they should both be forever banished from the political stage. Mitchell is the anti-Christ of democracy and Symonette, his acolyte, is blindly following in his footsteps!

It is illegal and wrong to abuse innocent people by policy instead of affording them due process and respecting their rights according to law. Mitchell and Symonette have out-trumped even Trump!

I call on Mitchell to resign as Chairman of the PLP and as a Senator. I also call on Symonette to resign as Minister of Immigration and as a of Member of Parliament. Both these men are too dangerous to be anywhere near power.

PAGE 8 MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Progress means working together and waking up to our cultural xenophobia

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

THE controversial Commercial Enterprises Bill (CEB) has been met with broad criticism across the length and breadth of the nation. It has been vehemently opposed by many citizens. That said, there are also still some who view this bill as a progressive step towards ushering in a much-needed stimulus of our economy.

However, our fundamental fear of what is foreign paralyses our ability to have an open mind – making us perhaps reject outright something which may catapult the country forward.

This is not to say the initial draft of the bill does not need some revisions.

It certainly can offer a lot less ambiguity with regards to equal opportunity for Bahamians, work permits and ensuring training and knowledge transfer to Bahamians. Likewise, it also gives credence to the belief the public were not included in the bill’s planning and the need for us to shore up other vulnerabilities in our system.

None of this can be done without us charting some unfamiliar territory, as we cannot achieve progress without some discomfort.

The issue at hand may very well be a lack of trust – while both sides of the political spectrum are not helping the situation with the government’s poor communication and the opposition’s political mischief taking front and centre, while the electorate struggles to understand the nuances of this bill.

If perhaps there was a broader understanding of the bill and fewer blunders to prompt the citizenry’s scepticism - just maybe, we wouldn’t be here.

Because we are changeaverse as a people, it also leads to stagnation and lagging behind neighbouring economies which have swum with the tide to their benefit.

Successive governments have sought to saturate the same industries by way of foreign direct investment – mainly in tourism - which has led to us struggling to keep pace with our regional neighbours. It is quite clear. Our fear of the unfamiliar and unwillingness to diversify industries

FORMER prime minister Hubert Ingraham, who spoke up on the Commercial Enterprises Bill. within the country have led promised on the campaign to a large export of talent trail and citizens are saying and a knowledge gap that ‘it is time to ante up’. Panhas left us trying to build dering in politics leads to an economy on quick sand. high expectations, and any If we’re not cultivating the indication that those will nation’s next leaders and not be met as soon as pospromoting diversification of sible only serves to create our industries, how can we obstacles for a government reasonably expect to com- trying to move the country pete in a global business forward in other ways.

Likewise, immigration environment?

While we may not have has been a political football for decades. seen much Prime Minto give the ister Minnis Minnis gov- As xenophobia has become as cultural brought ernment immigracredit for as conch salad in tion back thus far, to the fore after some The Bahamas, the in October. more fine- government should With the tuning, the have known that it blistering CEB is a would be self-limiting temperatureof certainly Bahamians a start. to not fully engage on foreignGranted, the citizenry in a ers and much could his recent have been mass education of issues of done differ- their intentions. communiently with cating with regards to their communication and the media, of course, eveindication that the bill will ryone is hyper-sensitive. create opportunities for While we hope this adminBahamians. However, we as istration is ready to take on citizens, must see the poten- the task of resolving both of these issues, we, as citizens, tial within this bill.

We are too easily caught also have a part to play.

As a matter of responup in the political and xenophobic aspects of the bill, sibility, citizens of this which only create obstacles country must be able to that we to progress. Quite hon- acknowledge estly, the circulating claims don’t exist in a vacuum throughout the country that and diversification of our the CEB is only for foreign- industries does not equate ers are, at best, byproducts to a complete sale of the of other issues. Specifically, economy. This is especially the government has to the case when, for the most ensure the process of doing part, those industries do not business is made easier exist. Therefore, this is still for Bahamians. Much was jobs for Bahamians, if done

the right way.

We are being too dramatic, and we all need to dial it down a few notches.

Moreover, those with the good sense to know better ought to stop mischievously seeking to create confusion.

With a spectrum of opponents of the bill ranging from the PLP and their supporters to union members, as well as some fair-minded Bahamians, there has been no shortage of criticism.

Some we can agree with, while others are simply outrageous. It has been easy to see the fierce opposition of the bill has either come from those who don’t understand the intent or others who seek to politicise it to exploit the lack of understanding amongst the electorate.

Consequently, it is irresponsible twofold - by both the governing party and the opposition.

The government’s job is to carefully put together a bill that is able to fully achieve its intent in introducing new industries to The Bahamas with a goal to grow the economy, as well as to clearly present it to the citizens. Knowing the implications, the way this was rolled out was poorly done. As xenophobia has become as cultural as conch salad in The Bahamas, the government should have known that it would be selflimiting to not fully engage the citizenry in a mass education of their intentions.

Not doing so leaves the door open for many of us to assume they were only seeking to appease the interest of foreigners and not Bahamians, particularly when we are already so sensitive to being treated as second class in our own

country by the former government, the prime minister should have ensured full transparency.

The lack of broad discussion on this bill on the front end has allowed this to become a controversial issue, and the government has found itself in defence mode.

Meanwhile, the Opposition is making dangerous statements of their own - suggesting they would repeal the bill once they are the government again. Certainly, they are seeking to score a few political points.

But is impeding the government’s plans to potentially thwart the economic growth of the country worth it?

It is this type of myopia that leaves us spinning our wheels.

Former prime minister Hubert Ingraham gave a rare interview to The Tribune last week. In assuming the job of the Opposition party, he gave a pointed and beneficial assessment of the bill. He was able to raise various issues with its current construction that we all can agree with. Perhaps one of the most impactful anecdotes was the need for a bipartisan approach in bringing this bill to bear.

The truth of the matter is both sides have to support this bill for it to meet its full potential. Nothing scares off potential investors like political and economic instability. And with The Bahamas being eons behind our neighbours, the threat of the bill being repealed certainly doesn’t allow for that to happen. Mitigating against the politicising of the CEB would have also encouraged national buy-in among the populace.

In future initiatives, it would be grand to see both sides work together in such a way where they can agree on what’s best for the country over the long-term.

The need for diversification is real, and far too many of our best and brightest are going abroad to study medicine, law and business.

Unfortunately, with shrinking slices of the pie not allowing for our salary scales to compete with those abroad, the option of returning home is becoming increasingly less attractive. If you also consider the rising cost of living and the deterrent that crime is, then it almost becomes a foregone conclusion for our scholars abroad to make their lives outside of the country.

As the world is changing, and the government sets its sights on Freeport becoming the Silicon Valley of The Bahamas, there may be

an abundance of opportunity for future generations.

With the world rapidly becoming more digital, we have to close the gap on our neighbours. This means we will have to become more open to change. Bahamians will have to become more educated, and not only rely on the government to spoon-feed them.

Essentially, we have to get a grasp on the information that’s out there so we can intelligently contribute to the discussion and keep our government’s feet to the fire as we embark on these new horizons.

While it may have been calming to hear the Attorney General indicate the government will be finetuning certain aspects of the bill to highlight the benefits for Bahamians, we would like to see the government put forth plans to increase the ease of doing business for Bahamians in existing industries.

Citizens have too long felt as though they were an afterthought in their own country. The government would be doing itself a favour by simply allowing their actions to indicate it is, in fact, “the people’s time”.

If Bahamians were to feel as though the government was working with us as a top priority, the time the government takes to defend itself against an onslaught of critics would drastically reduce and free them up to handle other important business.

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t get much worse than the last administration. And in their role as the opposition, the government is making it too easy for them to remain relevant.

Brave Davis’ threats to the international community were a reckless attempt to get on the front page of the dailies. Rather, he would have gotten a much better reception had he given a fair analysis of the bill’s strengths and weaknesses and offered to consult the government on what improvements were needed.

Pandering will get us nowhere. Similarly, lack of transparency and poor communication will do the same. As the government brings more bills to Parliament, hopefully there is greater inclusion to ensure widespread support.

We must remember: this is our country, and as much as we need the government to lead, they equally need citizens to challenge them and make them better.

Let us all do our part to ensure the best possible future for The Bahamas.

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017 PAGE 9

Why the Paradise Papers passed us by

By RICHARD COULSON TWO years ago, publication of the Panama Papers caused the principals of law firm Mossack, Fonseca to be arrested by Panamanian authorities for assisting their clients managed from that somewhat shady Latin American base. Now, the Paradise Papers cause Appleby, the blue-chip firm in straight-laced Bermuda, to stoutly insist its clients are innocent of any wrongdoing, and that confidential documents were stolen by determined internet hackers.

Meanwhile, Bahamian lawyers stand aside, meekly remote from the fray – at least for the moment.

Some 13.4 million private records from Appleby U2 singer Bono who, according to the Paradise Papers, used a company based in low-tax Malta to buy part of a shopping mall in Lithuania. and other sources are now ICIJ and its backers and taxed, we would see and Conyers in Bermuda; million dollars for the most in the public domain. They have no “sex appeal” and argue that its reporting is vast new investment in all Maples & Calder and Walk- successful. Firms in the UK make stupefyingly tedious essential to publicise major manner of worthy causes ers in Cayman; Harneys in are beginning to raise capireading, yet a vast public companies that pollute like schools, hospitals, nurs- the British Virgin Islands tal via public offerings that appetite keeps growing the environment or bribe ing homes, highways and (BVI); and several in Jersey will disclose every detail and Guernsey. about their finances. for their titillating revela- public officials, to expose research facilities.

This is a dubious propoEach has opened in Perhaps the ICIJ should tions. A whole industry has questionable tax avoidance sprung up to tell the breath- schemes and to restrict sition, far from the reality one or more of the other campaign to get the same less world how the rich money laundering by influ- of how government budg- jurisdictions and group disclosure about offshore and powerful use offshore ential parties that could be ets really work. Clearly it members have variously lawyers as it demands about facilitators to avoid taxa- used for drug dealing or is not shared by Appleby spread to offices in the Isle the clients they look after.

Whatever the exact figtion and keep their wealth movements of weapons or and their legal colleagues, of Man, Dublin, London, Geneva, ures, clearly the Magic obscure. The original dis- helpless refugees. No doubt who tenaciously defend Luxembourg, closures were leaked to the many of these beneficial their work as both legally Gibraltar, Dubai, Mauritius, Circle group, with a total aggressive German newspa- results are achieved, but approved and economically the Seychelles, Singapore, of several hundred profitper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the ICIJ publicity also beneficial for law-abiding Hong Kong and Shanghai. earning partners, is a major trashy head- clients. If you want Apple, Client demands and prefer- industry in its own right, but the flow of informa- produces tion soon demanded the lines like “Secrets of the Amazon and Nike to ences clearly require a wide representing heavy Foreign resources of powerful Global Elite”, telling us the change their shrewd tax geography — everywhere Direct Investment for each of its island economies. media like The Guardian, Queen of England’s advi- policies and pay more to but The Bahamas.

Appleby, the oldest The Bahamas Bar has virthe New York Times and sors keep part of her the Treasury, then ask the wealth in Caribbean trusts US to change its laws, they dating from 1898, has ten tually no spoon in this gravy. the BBC. offices, 60 partners, 200 Our largest firms have about The lead role has now or that the billionaire US argue.

The ICIJ is now engaged lawyers and 470 non-legal 20 partners and only a few been taken by the Inter- Treasury Secretary has a national Consortium long-time investment in a in a running battle with staff and the other firms have opened small branches periodically are comparable. Appleby’s to capture business in other of Investigative Journalists vessel chartered to a Rus- Appleby, (ICIJ) which coordinates sian oligarch. These are the announcing it has found group revenues are said offshore centers. David the efforts of over 200 jour- kind of “gee-whiz” items shady internal practices, to be about $100m annu- Marchant, owner and editor nalists in 70 countries and that help newspapers sell illustrating its own You ally, but this is a conjectural of Offshore Alert and supervises its own investiga- financial gossip pages but Tube film with shots of figure wrapped in tradi- frequent conference organwith unparalleled tive staff in Washington DC do not wreck the world’s investigators calling on tional secrecy. The offshore iser, Appleby’s handsome prem- fraternity is still far from insights of the offshore and key international cities. economy.

The ICIJ and bodies like ises in Bermuda, while the the openness found in the world, wrote this to me: With non-profit status “It’s not surprising that under US income-tax law, Tax Justice Network share firm vigorously denies the US, where any issue of the American Lawyer can pro- The Bahamas didn’t feature ICIJ is able to tap chari- the underlying view that accuracy of these charges.

We can thank the vide financial statistics for in the Paradise Papers. None table donations to cover if all the untaxed offshore its substantial expenses moneys (alleged trillions Paradise Papers for tell- several hundred major law of the most prominent for salaries, investigative of dollars, totally absent ing us about the so-called firms, including the most offshore law firms have realistic estimate) Offshore Magic Circle revealing metric of profits operations in The Bahamas travel, and its own publicity any were “brought home” of nine law firms – Appleby per partner, rising to several because the legal industry programmes.

there is run as a closed shop, which is one of the many reasons why The Bahamas’ legal system is considerably inferior to rival jurisdictions like Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the BVI.” Our lawyers have plenty of expertise to handle domestic legal issues and to look after the local needs of foreignowned banks, hotels and resort projects. But they have little or no interest in competing for the complex international transactions that are the life blood of the Magic Circle firms. Why? Simply because the “closed shop” prevents lawyers with the requisite foreign training and contacts from practising here.

The Bar Association has deliberately supported that regressive, narrow-minded position. I recall former president Ellsworth Johnson making the fatuous argument that we have plenty of smart young attorneys who can learn the international business on their own, without the essential step of serving as juniors to experts.

Our legal leaders are free to accept or reject whatever types of legal practice they wish. If they prefer to avoid the challenges of complex financial transaction and tax minimisation structures, that is their privilege. But our Ministers of Finance and Financial Services cannot be happy to see million-dollar foreign legal fees abandoned, together with related revenues for bankers, accountants and investment managers all flowing into the treasuries of Bermuda, Cayman and even miniscule BVI. Perhaps Mr Johnson, now that he holds a senior post with the Attorney General, will change his views and adopt a more enlightened position, one that could actually increase legal employment rather than restrict it. Our economy could certainly use the shot in the arm.

APPLY NOW FOR JANUARY 2018 INTAKE Top 10 UK University (Graduate Employability)

No. 1 in the UK

Date Time Venue Contact

: : : :

INFORMATION SESSION

Monday, 4th December 6.30-8pm Rum Kay Island Room, British Colonial Hilton, Nassau info@SEIdegrees.com for reservation

for Value-added

(The Guardian, 2017)

100% FLEXIBLE 100% ONLINE 100% RELEVANT

Edinburgh Napier University has been granted Institutional Recognition

by The National Accreditation & Equivalency Council of the Bahamas

Free Apple iPad Mini 4 (Conditions apply)

MBA/MBM Exceptional value — earn an

accredited UK MBA or MBM for under US$10,000 • Can be completed in 18 months • Specialisations: Banking, Entrepreneurship, Events, Finance, Health Management, Hospitality & Tourism, HRM, Info. Systems, Leadership & Innovation, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Marketing & Sales, Project Management • Option to earn both an MBA and MBM in under 24 months

NEW PROGRAMMES

◊ BSc Nursing Studies (Top-up) ◊ PG Cert. Learning and Teaching ◊ MSc Transport Planning and Engineering ◊ MSc Health and Social Care

MSc HRM (SHRM Recognised) MSc Data Science MSc Construction Project Management (RICS and ICE accredited) BA Business Management (Top-up) BA Business & Enterprise (Top-up) BA Sales Management (Top-up) Final Year Entry to holders of Associate Degree and/or Diploma Specialisms: Marketing, Finance and HRM

www.seidegrees.com

Regional Office: 27499 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 223, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, USA • Tel +1 239 444 4399 • Fax +1 239 444 4398 • info@SEIdegrees.com

CLIMATE CHANGE THE FIGHT IS TODAY, NOT TOMORROW

PAGE 8 MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017

T

HE effects of Climate Change, particularly sealevel rise, is an overwhelming problem for the Caribbean that needs urgent attention. Delay in putting in place sustainable plans for resilient building, that could secure international financial support, will cost the region dearly.

The problem has become multi-faceted and addressing it requires collaboration among structural and mechanical engineers, accountants, economists, environmentalists and designers of tourism plants.

The trick is going to be how to merge defences against sea-surges and flooding with the aesthetics necessary to maintain the Caribbean as a sun, sea and sand destination.

2017 has witnessed back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes that cut a swathe through the Caribbean from which the affected islands will not fully recover for many years to come.

As an example of this, in 1994 Antigua and Barbuda received the largest number of tourists in its

INSIGHT

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

previous history. Then, in 1995, Category-5 Hurricane Luis battered Antigua, leaving its tourism plant in tatters. The country did not achieve its 1994 figures until 2014, 20 years later.

Importantly, the 2017 hurricanes also caused thousands of people from Barbuda and Dominica, whose homes, schools, hospitals and businesses have been decimated, to seek refuge in other islands.

These people are, in effect, ‘Climate Refugees’, ripped away from their history, their culture and their identity.

Their plight has been created by ferocious storms not caused by their own actions but by profligate carbon emissions (CO2) by rich nations. And despite the 2016 Paris Accord and

the follow-up Bonn meeting last month, there is no sign these emissions will end. Indeed, even if the present level of CO2 emissions were to stop today, because of the heat that has already built-up in the atmosphere and the oceans, the seas would not stop rising until the Earth cools and that could take centuries.

The non-binding Paris agreement only expresses an objective to limit global warming to “well below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels”. The goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius, is merely “aspirational”. In fact, the climate change action plans submitted by 188 countries would lead to a temperature rise as high as 2.7 degrees Celsius. At 3 degrees, the size of islands will shrink, productive

areas will be under water, people will have to move habitats inland and many will be forced to migrate, legally and illegally.

This poses a deadly threat not only to tourism, but also to human habitats. This could cause human dislocation and create refugees who flee their homelands for safe havens. Right now, the possibility of the climate refugees from Barbuda and Dominica returning to their homes in the short to medium term is remote. For both Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, the rebuilding prospect is daunting; they simply don’t have the money.

Worse for them is that because they are measured by the palpably false criteria of per capita income, they don’t have access to aid, grants and concessional loans. That is why countries, such as Antigua and Barbuda, must hope that Bill Gates never migrates there. For they would become the richest countries per capita overnight, but the majority of their people would have not one more cent in their pockets than they had before.

There is also no possibility of these countries rapidly rebuilding by borrowing money on commercial terms. Even if they could borrow on the

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

commercial market, their debt would be increased to unsustainable levels with little possibility of generating enough revenues to make repayments.

Worryingly, not only has the Caribbean seen the creation of the first set of “climate refugees”, but the damage done to property has been so extensive that unemployment and poverty have increased. And if this development is not bad enough properties, including businesses, that were not insured or were underinsured will not be rebuilt.

Insurance companies, already faced with huge pay-outs from 2017, will increase their premiums and they will not insure buildings that do not conform to high standards of resilience.

Consequently, many business people and home owners will not be able to afford the higher cost of insurance coverage.

Yet, if they do not insure their properties substantially, financial institutions will not provide mortgages.

Complicating the issue still further, the Future Business Council and the Centre for Policy Development have recently warned directors of public companies to factor climate change as a risk in business and investment decisions. Directors who

fail to consider and disclose climate change risks could now be found liable for breaking their duty of care and diligence in the future.

Therefore, there could be a decline in investment, particularly in the tourism sector which now accounts for an average of 60 percent of the region’s GDP. The problem has to be faced squarely, deferring it to another generation won’t work – the generation confronting the issue is here. With sea-level rise happening continuously but gradually (barring a sudden melting of ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland), there is still time to plan for the worse effects of Climate Change.

Caribbean countries have to demonstrate clearly they are taking action to counter global warming and sealevel rise. Such action has to be at two levels: domestic resilient building and international advocacy.

Domestically, each Caribbean country must implement new and tough codes for future construction and adopt legislation to ensure compliance. Governments also now need to consider the building of walls and other defences to withstand sea surges, and reservoirs to cope with flooding. All of this requires careful thinking and preparation about how to make Caribbean countries safe from sea-level rise and still attractive for tourism.

However, governments don’t have the money to fund these now necessary projects. Even if they were to tax their people and businesses, they could not possibly raise the necessary funds. That is why the richer and more profligate CO2 emitter-nations must be made to help alleviate the burden they have created and loaded on to small states.

At the international level, Caribbean countries should form alliances with other countries and regions that are similarly affected. It is unfortunate the United States, the single largest CO2 emitter, is now unwilling to participate in the Climate Change accords.

Caribbean countries, therefore, should consider making common cause with individual states of the United States, such as Florida, the Carolinas and New York, where sea-level rise could be as catastrophic as in the Caribbean.

Caribbean voices must be heard loudly in the international community, fighting for their survival. There is no time for delay.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com This commentary is excerpted from the writer’s presentation to the Caribbean Actuarial Association’s 27th annual conference in Nassau, Bahamas on November 30 on Political and Economic Challenges Confronting the Caribbean.

THE TRIBUNE

Carnage on roads claims six from page one Earlier, around 1am Sunday, officers in Nassau responding to calls of a fatal accident on the Eastern Road arrived to discover the lifeless body of a man inside a Nissan Tilda, registration number AJ8963, that had collided with a pole.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased, the lone occupant of the vehicle, lost control of the car while travelling east near Johnson Road.

In another incident, shortly before 9am Saturday, police in Grand Bahama were called to a traffic accident that occurred on Frobisher Drive and Hearne Lane, involving a white 2006 Ford F-150 truck and a 68-yearold pedestrian.

The woman pedestrian was taken to the Rand Memorial Hospital by EMS where she later died from her injuries.

In the final incident, shortly before midnight Saturday, police in Abaco were called to a traffic accident on Forest Drive, Murphy Town, involving a black Nissan Silvia vehicle with three male passengers and a white 2003 Suzuki van with a lone male driver.

Police said the driver of the Suzuki van and one of the passengers in the Nissan Silvia died at the scene and the other two passengers in the Nissan Silvia were airlifted to New Providence for further medical attention.

In light of the incidents, Assistant Superintendent Craig Stubbs, officer-incharge of the Traffic

ASSISTANT superintendent Craig Stubbs.

Division, urged motorists their vehicles to their kids, and pedestrians to oper- if you know your child may ate with extreme caution be in situations where alcoand care when traversing hol may be consumed, say streets across the country. to them have a designated ASP Stubbs said his office driver that can operate that has recognised an increase car if from point A to point in traffic infractions, many B sober. of which can lead to major “We encourage those accidents. persons who are driving He told The Tribune: “We at night and those persons are encouraging all forms of leaving work in the early responsible driving. Driv- morning hours after comers have to not only drive pleting a hectic shift at for themselves, but also work, if you are tired, there for the persons in front of is no need to go on the road them, the persons behind for a long drive. them and the pedestrians “If you think you may that may be walking in their be impaired or fatigued immediate area.” in any way, call a taxi or He continued: “We see the arrange with a nearby increased cell phone usage police station to pull in that which we firmly believe is yard a get a few hours of contributing to many of the sleep before heading out for accidents we are seeing. We that long journey. These are are asking the motoring the things that will prevent public to, if you need to take accidents. They may save a call, please pull to the side your life as well as others,” of the street.

ASP Stubbs added.

“We are also concerned A total of 44 people died by the consumption of alco- as a result of traffic fatalihol by persons intending ties in 2016; 25 of those to operate motor vehicles. who died were drivers, We ask that you not do eight were passengers, five that in any case. Have a were pedestrians, five were designated driver. We ask motorcycle riders and one parents who are loaning was a bicyclist.

Monday, December 4, 2017, PAGE 11

TWO DIE IN POLICE SHOOTOUT from page one Police said: “One of the men who was in possession of a firearm, pointed it in the direction of the persons gathered and fired a shot. Officers fearful for their lives and the lives of others nearby engaged the men, who got into the vehicle and sped off.

“The officers pursued the vehicle, which crashed a short distance away. The men were ejected from the vehicle. It was at this time that officers discovered that the men were shot,” police said.

One suspect died on the scene, while the other was taken to the hospital where he later died, police said.

A shotgun was recovered from the vehicle.

Authorities said Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez visited the scene and is investigating this incident.

Meanwhile on Saturday police arrested four men and one woman in two separate incidents for possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

In the first incident, shortly after midnight, South Central Division officers were on routine patrol in the Chippingham area when they saw a group of men standing in front of a local bar.

Two of the men began acting suspiciously. They were then searched and found to be in possession of a handgun and four rounds of ammunition along with a shotgun.

They were then taken into custody.

The second incident happened at around 2am when officers, acting on information, conducted a search of a home in Yellow Elder Gardens. They removed a 9mm pistol and two rounds of ammunition form the home.

Two men and one woman were arrested.

Police reported that there were two armed robberies yesterday, the first of a security guard in a car park at a church in Pinewood Gardens in the morning.

The second robbery was at a fast food outlet at the Mall at Marathon.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 919 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) in New Providence or 1-242-300-8476 in the Family Islands.

MAN HURT IN ABACO SHOOTING

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ABACO police are investigating a shooting in Abaco where one man was shot

on Saturday. ASP Terecita Pinder said a 19-year-old male resident of Cooper’s Town is assisting police with their investigation.

According to reports, shortly before 11am officers

on mobile patrol in the area of Don Mackey Boulevard were alerted to gunshots being fired in the area.

On arrival, officers discovered a man shot in the leg. A teen was arrested.

CAVES VILLAGE

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

Premium Office Space for Lease 1,409 sq.ft. 5 offices, conference room, reception, kitchen, bathroom with shower, IT/filing room. $5,459.88 pm inc. CAM +VAT Contact Mr. Simon Chappell on 327 1575 or 477-7610 Email: simon@cavesvillage.com

PAGE 12, Monday, December 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

WITNESS ‘WARNED SMITH PEOPLE WERE OUT TO GET HIM’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A CROWN witness in the bribery and extortion trial of former Progressive Liberal Party Senator Frank Smith admitted in court on Friday that she had previously warned the politician people were “out to get” him.

Barbara Hanna, the complainant in the matter, admitted under cross-examination to calling Smith and warning him he was being targeted.

Smith’s lead attorney, Queen’s Counsel Keith Knight asked: “Did you on occasion call him and say, ‘Be careful, be careful, they out to get you?’”

“Yes, I did,” Mrs Hanna said.

“Did you,” Mr Knight asked, “refer to politicians and police or one of them?”

The witness said she was not referring to either one, but did not clarify who she meant.

During the trial on Friday, Mr Knight also attacked Mrs Hanna’s credibility. She is the prosecution’s lead witness.

In so doing, he foreshadowed a no case submission based in part on the allegation that Mrs

FRANK Smith outside court previously.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff Hanna condemned her own testimony.

The key moment during Friday’s trial came when Mrs Hanna, without prodding, claimed to give police documents about Pouland Limited that the prosecution did not disclose during discovery.

Pouland Limited is a lending company owned by Smith’s family.

The defence argued the lack of disclosure may mean constitutional

provisions on fairness may have been breached. Mr Knight emphasised the prosecution – which he said includes police investigators – was obligated to turn over all documents, no matter their perceived benefit.

Prosecutors, after inquiring during a short break about whether the documents were given to the police, reported that investigators said they were never in receipt of the

documents.

Mr Knight argued that if so, this meant Mrs Hanna’s credibility is destroyed.

“If she is lying that she gave police the documents,” he said, “her credibility is shattered. She becomes a female humptydumpty that cannot be put back together.

“If on such a material particular she lies to the court then she has rendered herself manifestly unreliable.”

On the other hand, Mr Knight said if the documents were shown to police as Mrs Hanna claimed, the lack of disclosure puts the defence at a disadvantage.

He said the documents she claimed to give police could be the same Pouland Limited documents he showed her on Thursday.

Those documents allegedly contained her signature and the signature of her son, Adrian Hanna. However, when asked about the matter, she said Thursday she did not recognise the signature purporting to be that of her son.

Had the document emanated from the prosecution as opposed to the defence, Mr Knight argued, she would not have been in a position to deny

knowledge of its elements without facing pushback during cross-examination.

Mr Knight laid out a framework for a no case submission.

However, Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson Pratt said she didn’t feel “legally emboldened to discontinue proceedings” in the trial for she found his argument “premature at the juncture”. She said the argument ought not be raised “before prosecution makes its case”.

At one point, after admitting she owed money to FINCO while she was paying Mr Smith $5,000, Mrs Hanna said in response to a question that police, during their investigation, never asked her for information related to her bank account.

Mr Knight said: “A part of my defence is the shoddiness of the investigative process. I’m not hiding anything.”

Mrs Hanna admitted taking out two separate loans from Mr Smith’s company, one before she started paying him $5,000 a month and one after she began doing so.

She testified that because of paying expenses related to the Public Hospitals Authority contract she received as well as $5,000

per month to Mr Smith, she received “no salary” associated with the contract.

“All these people to pay and you are getting nothing from it?” Mr Knight asked. “You never said to (Philip Brave) Davis, ‘I get the contract but I have to be paying $5,000 a month?”

She replied: “Why should I go to Mr Davis? If I did it, I would have lost the contract. The employees would have lost their jobs. I was helping them to ensure they were getting employed.”

It was then Mrs Hanna admitted she had “other contracts and was surviving” based on her revenue from those, a fact she said she didn’t tell police investigators.

Smith is former Public Hospital Authority chairman. He is on trial over allegations he solicited $65,000 in bribes from a woman he is said to have assisted in getting a contract with the Authority.

It is alleged that Smith, between April 2016 and April 2017 demanded and obtained $5,000 per month from Mrs Hanna in relation to her $500,000 contract to clean the Critical Care Block of Princess Margaret Hospital.

The trial was adjourned to December 20.

SANDS WILLING TO MEET FUNERAL DIRECTORS AFTER FEES HIKE

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE government can no longer permit “free passes” in the health services sector due to huge revenue deficits, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands who yesterday said he was willing to meet with irate funeral directors in response to their protest outside of the Princess Margaret Hospital on Friday.

Some funeral directors demonstrated after taking issue with several

fee increases tied to PMH’s Morgue Department, such as autopsies and the release of remains.

“The truth of the matter is PHA lost $9m in the first quarter of 2017 and projections are showing a $40m to $50m loss over the remaining three quarters,” Dr Sands told The Tribune when contacted on Sunday.

“We can’t offset that if we don’t make drastic changes and make them soon. After reviewing what we had going, the determination was made to address those

services considered free or at very low-cost.”

Admitting surprise to how industry operators reacted to the new fee schedule, the Elizabeth MP said he understood the increases could be viewed as a bitter pill to swallow, but insisted various departments throughout the health sector had to do their part to “chip away at the big problem.”

Dr Sands said since coming to office and being briefed on the “dire situation” the country’s health services were in, he with

senior health officials went to work on strategies that would cut waste in the sector and maximise value.

Dr Sands said in addition to those moves, officials still had to “find the necessary areas” from which they could generate internal revenue that could be used to “improve the things we needed to improve without taxing the public purse.”

“There were some services that were operating way below the bare minimum, to the point PHA and to an extent, the Ministry of Health was eating the expenses for them. Those were the operations we targeted.

“When a funeral service provider is engaged and remains of a love one are to be released, all we are saying is, any body left with us after that point will be billed a fee. We have to

move beyond this belief that these facilities can be used without a charge.

“Here is further truth, when these bodies are kept, the people foot the bill. And when I say people, I am referring to the Treasury. This is the same thing with autopsies. This is an expensive service that we barely charge for and the government has to eat all the extra cost. We can’t continue this style of operation,” Dr Sands said.

He continued: “We’ve created this political illusion that so many things are free or cheap, but often times the government is going to great lengths to lower that cost or cover the bill. We in the health sector are in a situation now where we need to save money and improve our offerings; all while delivering quality services along the way.

“This is truly impossible to do if we can’t raise more revenue. That is what we are trying to do here.”

Funeral operators on Friday said they received a notice almost a month ago that indicated that the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) would be increasing storage fees for remains not collected on time.

However, when several operators visited the morgue Friday, they said they were greeted with an entirely new fee structure that included rate hikes and new taxes for autopsies, none of which, they said, they were consulted on or agreed to.

Sources suggested to The Tribune that bodies undergoing private autopsies would now incur between a $500 and $700 charge.

Additionally, autopsies of any remains collected from wards at the hospital would incur fees ranging from $250 to $350.

Moreover, the new fee structure called for a $100 handling fee for all remains and a $50 per day late fee for any remains not collected on time.

The new fee schedule also came with the stern warning that no remains would be released if all fees were not paid in full.

Following their protest Friday, several of the directors were invited to sit in a meeting with hospital officials.

It is unclear if any resolution came out of that meeting.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 4, 2017, PAGE 13

PLAN FOR $4.5BN GRAND BAHAMA OIL FACILITY ‘SINFUL’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama Environmental Association has criticised the government’s consideration of a $4.5 billion oil storage terminal and refinery in East Grand Bahama as “sinful,” given the unresolved issues with residents over industrial pollution.

The association believes the complaints of residents about the industrial pollution in Pinder’s Point and the other nearby communities are being ignored by the Minnis administration, while residents continue to be diagnosed and hospitalised with cancer and other health problems.

“We are still having reports of residents fighting cancer,” said a GBEA representative, who reported that a Hawksbill resident is presently at the Rand Memorial Hospital fighting cancer.

SHUFFLE Hepburn “Yes, cancer is everywhere, but the health issues faced by residents in these communities are unparalleled,” he said.

“We’ve got a two-time cancer survivor who lives in Hawksbill - she is in the Rand Memorial Hospital hooked to oxygen tanks;

she has tumours popping up over her body, but she is fighting.”

During a radio broadcast on the Save the Bays weekly programme on Kiss FM hosted by environmental activist Joseph Darville, GBEA President Bertram Pinder vowed the organisation will not stop until the residents of the affected communities are relocated from the pollution of the industrial park.

He indicated they will soon resume protests about their concerns.

Shuffle Hepburn, an executive member of GBEA, noted that despite a promise made three months ago by Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson to meet with them on a monthly basis, he has not yet met with them.

“We met with the permanent secretary, but have not met with him yet. We have not had the first meeting with the minister for GB

since he made the promise.

Two months have passed with no call and no meeting,” he said.

“Sadly, the present government is sending us signals that make us feel we are no better off than we were under the PLP.” Mr Hepburn claimed the GBEA had sent letters to Minister of the Environment Romauld Ferriera, and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, but had not received any acknowledgement from them.

He said copies of the association’s newsletter, GB Voice, as well as videos were also sent to all the key ministers, including the minister of health, about their issues but to no avail.

“The prime minister claims to want to get Grand Bahama going. Mr Prime Minister, the Lord will take his finger off Grand Bahama when the injustices are addressed,” Mr Hepburn said.

“When the disfranchised residents of these decimated communities get attention to their complaints of the pollution they have faced for years and years; when genuine efforts are made by the government and the GBPA to save residents lives, and the lives of their children, then, and only then, will the Lord move His finger, and Grand Bahama will prosper again.”

Mr Hebpurn stressed four schools have been moved out of the area in the past 25 years, but no attention has been paid to the residents who still live there.

“This is sinful and it is wrong. And now our government is opening the door to a $4.5-billion dollar refinery and oil storage facility in the East End, but have not yet fixed the problem with the existing industrial plants. Soon we will be surrounded

by pollution, God is not pleased,” he said.

Under the former PLP administration, former Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville moved for an independent environment and health risk assessment study in the Pinder’s Point and surrounding communities conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). Following the year-long study, the organisations found there was no health risk posed to residents living near the industrial plants, but recommended daily air monitoring and a safety risk assessment be conducted.

GBEA rejected the findings and claimed the study was flawed. They also claimed the e-nose devices were installed too high and do not provide an accurate reading of the air quality that is actually being breathed by residents.

ACTIVISTS SAY THOMPSON MADE PLEDGE TO MEET GROUP

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Grand Bahama Environmental Association is refuting statements by Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson, insisting that he had made a promise to meet personally with the environmental group on a monthly basis.

The organisation claims Mr Thompson has not lived up to his word and is now trying to “besmirch the reputation” of the GBEA leaders.

In response to remarks Mr Thompson made to The Tribune on Thursday, Shuffle Hepburn provided a letter dated September 12 from the Office of the Prime Minister signed by then Permanent Secretary Melvin Seymour advising “that meetings with the association by the minister will be arranged as soon as

it is convenient for all parties involved.”

In the letter, the PS also stated the Ministry of the Environment and Housing must be involved in all aspects of the discussion since their technical and scientific expertise will be needed.

Mr Hepburn said that Mr Thompson statement’s about having his office meet with the organisation is incorrect.

Mr Thompson said his office has been responsive to GBEA, and noted that the Office of the Prime Minister in Grand Bahama provided the GBEA with the latest update by way of a letter on November 3, acknowledging receipt of their letter wanting a receipt of the final safety assessment report from the Antea Group.

“The GBEA categorically denies that there was ever a November 3 update from the minister, nor that

the minister promised ‘meetings with his office.’

He promised instead to meet with the GBEA himself, to discuss the plight of the residents. The GBEA insists that this has never happened in the three months or more since the promise was made.”

Mr Hepburn said initially GBEA wrote a letter on May 17 to Minister of Environment and Housing Romauld Ferreira. The letter was copied to the prime minister, the minister of health and other officials.

“We received no response. On May 23, we wrote to Minister (of Foreign Affairs) Darren Henfield and copied Minister Ferreira and Minister Thompson. We received no response to this letter. On June 19 we wrote to Minister Kwasi Thompson and received no response. We copied the prime minister, the minister for housing and the environment and

MPs Iram Lewis and Frederick McAlpine,” he said.

“On August 20, we held a press conference to register our complaint at the lack of response from the government. We invited ZNS, The Freeport News, and The Tribune.”

He said the story was not aired on ZNS but was carried by other media outlets.

He claimed Mr Thompson invited GBEA to a meeting at his office on Monday, August 28.

“He said that he preferred not to carry on a conversation in the media and wanted face to face conversations with the GBEA. We agreed and promised to stay away from the media as long as we were having meaningful and substantive discussions.

“The minister then offered to meet with us on a monthly basis. We agreed on the condition that the meetings are substantive and progressive toward the aim

of relocating the residents away from the deadly pollution,” Mr Hepburn claimed.

According to Mr Hepburn, while the minister did arrange for them to meet with the Antea Group to voice their concerns with the safety assessment study, the minister was not present.

“On August 30 we wrote promising the minister that we would return to our ‘old ways of demonstrating against the government, the GBPA, and industries if we were not satisfied that the government is making a dedicated and sincere effort to resolve the concerns of the residents swiftly.’”

Mr Hepburn said that the letter of September 12 sent by former Permanent Secretary Melvin Seymour was the last they had heard about the proposed monthly meetings with the minister.

“There was no meeting in September with the

minister, nor in October, nor November,” he said.

Mr Hepburn said Mr Thompson had called to arrange a meeting “as soon as possible” with GBEA after The Tribune had contacted him for comments last Thursday.

He also said that GBEA President Bertram Pinder received a call from the Office of the Minister for the Environment that they never received any correspondence from the GBEA even though four letters had been sent to the minister on four separate occasions.

Mr Hepburn said the letters were resent by email to the minister on November 29.

However, he stated that the GBEA has sent a detailed letter to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis threatening to seek out an international body to help the association in its fight for the “God-given rights to clean air and water for the people of Grand Bahama.”

PAGE 14, Monday, December 4, 2017

IRELAND HOPEFUL ON BORDER TALKS AFTER BREXIT VOTE LONDON Associated Press

IRELAND’S foreign minister said yesterday that he’s hopeful Britain’s proposals for managing the Irish border after the UK leaves the European Union will generate the momentum to push stalled Brexit negotiations to their next phase.

As British and EU negotiators held weekend talks, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told Ireland’s RTE radio he hoped a crunch meeting Monday would yield enough progress to “allow this Brexit negotiation process to open up to phase two of discussions,” focusing on future relations and trade.

The EU has given Britain a Monday deadline to produce concrete proposals on the key issues in their divorce talks, including maintaining an open border

between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is due to meet top EU officials JeanClaude Juncker and Donald Tusk in Brussels to lay out the proposals that will be considered by EU leaders before a Dec. 14-15 summit.

May’s office said the meeting was “an important staging post” on the road to the summit, but there were “plenty of discussions still to go”.

May’s government has said there will be no “hard border” between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, once Britain leaves the EU’s single market and customs union in March 2019.

Ireland and other EU countries still want to know how customs checkpoints and other typical border activities can be avoided.

FUNERAL SERVICE FOR Julie Margaret Wallace Planto of Kingston, Jamaica and formerly of Franklyn Avenue off Boyd Road, Nassau, Bahamas, died at her home in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday, November 10th, 2017.

The service will be held on Sunday, December 10th, 2017 at 10am at August Town Seventh Day Adventist Church, #31 August Town Road, Kingston #7 Jamaica.

Officiating will be Pastor Romean Smith. Interment will follow in Meadowrest Memorial Gardens, Jamaica.

She was predeceased by her parents Samuel and Vernice Wallace; brothers, Oscar Wallace and Valvin Gibson.

She is survived by her husband, George Planto; 1 son, Gemuel Planto; 2 daughters, Verjullie and Jullana Planto; 4 sisters, Min. Rosemary Russell, Grace Flowers, Beverly Dean, Nichelle Delaney; 3 brothers, Micheal and Drexel Gibson, Gary (Billy) Wallace; 3 brothers-in-law, Tommy Russell, Oswald Dean and Adrian Delaney; 2 sisters-inlaw, Min. Sharon Gibson and Stacey Wallace; numerous nieces and nephews including Nurse Janelle Pickering, Tamara and Walton Flowers, Latoya, Mario, Conrad and Jarad Dean, André and Anyel Delaney, Camille, Pamela, Sheena, Sherry, Shanda, Kissie and Crystal, Michaela Thompson, Michael Jr., and Daniel Gibson, Lauren, Katie and Sonnie Gibson. Other relatives and friends including Cecil, Robert, Roy Jr., Evelyn Melvern, Vanrea, Luella, Barbran, Mazurie, Mother Helen Hall, Phylis Woodside, April Parker, Trenessa Beneby, Dr Munir and Wallia Rashad, Ruth Walkes, Barry Saunders, Curtis family, Bethel family, Paula Bell, Paula Cunningham, Andrea and Renita, Sean Ray Jennings, Evans family, Sandra Knowles, Cease Lynes, Ceaver Dean, Pastor E.D Clarke and Family, Pastor Rahming and family, Ian and Eddison Miller and family, Terry Outten and family, Danny and Rice Knowles and family, Entire Johnson Park family, Farrington Road family and a host of other friends and relatives.

The body will repose at Romans Funeral Home Ltd., #23 Dunrobin Avenue, Kingston Jamaica.

We humbly apologize to anyone whose names were inadvertently left out, please forgive us.

THE TRIBUNE

Trump lashes out at FBI WASHINGTON Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump launched a fresh attack Sunday on the credibility of his own FBI, responding to revelations that an FBI agent was removed from special counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigating Russian election meddling because of antiTrump text messages.

Trump, two days after his former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, again denied that he directed FBI Director James Comey to stop investigating Flynn.

The Republican president offered a running Twitter commentary Sunday amid renewed focus on Mueller’s probe and Flynn’s decision to cooperate with the investigation as part of his plea agreement. Democrats said the developments suggested growing evidence of coordination between Trump’s circle and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

California Sen Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the panel is beginning to see “the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice” against Trump.

“I think we see this in indictments ... and some of the comments that are

being made. I see this in the hyperfrenetic attitude of the White House, the comments every day, the continual tweets,” Feinstein said. “And I see it most importantly in what happened with the firing of Director Comey, and it is my belief that that is directly because he did not agree to lift the cloud of the Russia investigation.

That’s obstruction of justice.”

In a series of tweets, Trump questioned the direction of the federal law enforcement agency and wrote that after Comey, whom Trump fired in May, the FBI’s reputation is “in Tatters — worst in History!” He vowed to “bring it back to greatness.” The president also retweeted a post saying new FBI Director Chris Wray “needs to clean house”.

The president seized on reports that a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent was removed from Mueller’s team last summer after the discovery of an exchange of text messages that were viewed as potentially anti-Trump. The agent, Peter Strzok, had also worked on the investigation of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, said Mueller removed Strzok from the team “immediately upon learning of the allegations”.

Trump tweeted Sunday: “Tainted (no, very dishonest?) FBI ‘agent’s

role in Clinton probe under review.’

Led Clinton Email probe.” In a separate tweet, he wrote: “Report: ‘ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT LED CLINTON EMAIL PROBE’ Now it all starts to make sense!”

Mueller’s investigation has so far netted charges against four people, with the most recent criminal case brought Friday when Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he “had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!”

The tweet suggested that Trump was aware when the White House dismissed Flynn on Feb 13 that he had lied to the FBI, which had interviewed him weeks earlier. Comey has said Trump the following day brought up the Flynn investigation in private at the White House and told him he hoped he could “let this go”.

Trump associates tried to put distance Saturday evening between the president himself and the tweet. One person familiar with the situation said the tweet was actually crafted by John Dowd, one of the president’s personal attorneys.

HONDURAS VOTE COUNT RESTARTED TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS Associated Press HONDURAN electoral authorities on Sunday restarted the long-delayed count of ballots from last weekend’s presidential election amid protests by supporters of opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, who is calling for a re-do of the vote.

The electoral tribunal said it was reopening the tallying of votes from 1,031 ballot boxes in which inaccuracies were detected.

Nasralla and supporters of his leftist Alliance of Opposition Against Dictatorship have called for a far broader recount.

Nasralla’s representatives did not show up for the examination of the tally sheets, suggesting they might no longer recognize the count.

Nasralla told a rally in the capital, Tegucigalpa, that the magistrates of the electoral tribunal “are employees of President (Juan Orlando) Hernandez,” who ran for

ANTI-government protestors shout slogans during a government imposed dawn-to-dusk curfew in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, late on Saturday.

Photo: Rodrigo Abd/AP re-election despite a consti- in the so-far untallied boxes. leading in the count until Hernandez’s govern- a lengthy delay intertutional ban on doing so.

“The tribunal is not an ment is enforcing a ten-day rupted reports from independent organism and curfew of 6pm to 6am seek- electoral officials, feedas such is neither cred- ing to quell demonstrations, ing opposition complaints ible nor trustworthy for the although on Saturday it was of irregularities. Officials people,” said Nasralla, a dropped for the country’s blamed the pause on techwell-known TV personality. two main tourist areas, the nical problems and denied Electoral tribunal presi- Bay Islands and the Mayan any manipulation. dent David Matamoros ruins of Copan.

“I have asked them to Late Saturday, the capital repeat the elections, but said, “We have been patient and prudent in waiting for had a night of pot-banging only those for the presithe Alliance’s decision, and protests over the delays dency, with the aim of they have not showed up in the vote count, and the resolving the crisis that sound of bottle-rockets and Honduras is suffering,” for this vote count.”

Officials finished count- chants echoed across the city. Nasralla said Saturday.

Clashes between protesting nearly 95 percent of He said a new election the ballot boxes from the ers and troops have killed “would be under the superNov. 26 election by late at least one person, and vision of an international Friday and Hernandez held perhaps as many as a half electoral tribunal, not the a lead of more than 46,000 dozen. local one, because there Both Hernandez and aren’t sufficient conditions votes over Nasralla. It was not immediately clear how Nasralla have claimed vic- to guarantee” the vote many votes could be at play tory. Nasralla had been would be fair.

PAGE 16, Monday, December 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

GAMING BOARD FIRINGS ‘CRUDE’

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

ENGLERSTON MP Glenys Hanna Martin has questioned the terminations of about 30 employees from the Gaming Board last week.

To fire the employees in “such a crude and heartless manner”, the MP said, is cause to wonder whether it is “the people’s time” or the rolling out of the red carpet for foreigners.

Her brief statement on Facebook followed an ultimatum from Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) President Kingsley Ferguson on Thursday who said the Minnis administration has been given seven days to reinstate the employees or risk facing “some action” from a united and furious union movement.

“I read the Chairman Kenyatta Gibson’s statement on the mass firings at the Gaming Board,” the post on Facebook said.

“Will he explain to the Bahamian people that if the persons fired have no technology background and warrants their termination what background does his aging retiree consultant, which he just hired, have?

“Is he saying the people fired are useless or in the words of his minister are ‘non-essential?’ And why name and blame your HR person for a deliberate FNM

ENGLERSTON MP Glenys Hanna-Martin. government policy of firing people across the board? Is it not the case that the very same people he is devaluing were part of the team and caused for the transformation he speaks of?

“Are they being victimised for their contribution to this progress? To discard Bahamian professionals in such crude and heartless manner makes us wonder when they said it was ‘the people’s time’ who people they meant. Because now we see them roll out the red carpet for the foreigner whilst they roll the red carpet over Bahamians.”

In response to the firings, Mr Ferguson said the union was going to do what it had to do. He was backed by representatives from several other unions and the National Congress of Trade Unions of the Bahamas (NCTUB).

Mr Gibson explained the staff reductions at the Gaming Board on Thursday.

He said: “The regulatory needs of the industry have become more techno-centric than labour intensive.

In short, the board required the services of more technology analysts and personnel with specific technological qualifications.

“In order to properly regulate this jurisdiction, the 21st century Gaming Board will require the services of persons with professional qualifications in information technology and accounting, in order to properly and correctly regulate the industry.

“To efficiently carry out its pre-existing and current mandate, the board’s staff must be able to keep pace with the innovative and creative, avant-garde operators who populate the gaming industry of the Bahamas.

“In that vein, the board’s immediate past human resources director, Mrs Georgette Johnson, was mandated to carry out the manpower needs analysis and upon her specific recommendation, the board has immediately disengaged the services of some 30 employees.”

He said this group falls into three categories: recent new hires within the past two years; employees who are eligible for gratuity and pension; and contract workers.