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The Tribune

Volume:115 No.14, DECEMBER 8TH, 2017

Established 1903

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Friday, December 8, 2017

WORKOUT Pg 14 & 15

Junkanoo’s journey

From Africa to Arawak Culture Pages 8 & 9

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WEEKEND: JUNKANOO’S JOURNEY FROM AFRICA TO THE BAHAMAS

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PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his team unveiled a sweeping programme to revitalise Over-the-Hill communities last night, a plan that ranged from eliminating the use of outside toilets by 2025 to offering tax concessions to businesses and residents by the beginning of the next fiscal year.

Coming after a difficult debate over the Commercial Enterprises Bill, the event saw Dr Minnis get back to his roots and make a clear appeal to people in poverty stricken communities whom he has spent the last several years vowing to prioritise.

In front of a packed crowd at the Grant’s Town Wesley Methodist Church Hall, Dr Minnis

and his team promised to make the constituencies free Wifi areas, to create a food market for native products in the area, to construct a multi-purpose community centre that offers care for children, the elderly and opportunities for counseling to people of all ages, to create an auto-mechanic cluster that eliminates roadside mechanics in residential areas and to build a sports complex with volleyball, tennis, basketball courts and a swimming pool, among other things.

After all this, Dr Minnis teased even bigger plans that he said will be revealed later. “…Tonight I only give you the cake,” he said.

“Tomorrow I give you the icing. Be assured the icing is better than the cake.”

SEE PAGE SIX

THE attorney for one of three men accused of the 2015 murder of former Queen’s College elementary teacher Joyelle McIntosh yesterday likened the Crown’s case against his client to a “movie” in which he was given a “script” by police to say untrue things about his involvement in the crime.

Dorsey McPhee, in delivering his closing address to

jurors on behalf of Johnny Mackey of Bonaby Alley, said his client served as the “actor” in this movie produced by the Crown, which was in turn directed by the investigating officer in the matter, Sergeant Jamal Evans.

Mr McPhee further petitioned members of the jury to “humanise” his client as they deliberate on a verdict, as he said his client has a “soul given by God” and a “right to be free”.

SEE PAGE FIVE

IMMIGRATION SET DEADLINE ON DETAINEE

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE government must produce detainee Jean Rony Jean-Charles and bring evidence to justify his detention on December 19 or be held in contempt of court, according to a ruling in the Supreme Court yesterday.

Officials have said Mr Jean-Charles was repatriated to Haiti last month after spending some time in the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

Applications for habeas corpus writs were filed in the Supreme Court against the attorney general, minister of immigration, director of immigration, and superintendent of the Carmichael Road Detention Centre on November 29.

SEE PAGE THREE

‘OFFICE OF THE SPOUSE’

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

CROWN’S CASE ‘A MOVIE SCRIPT’

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

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do you believe in tradition?

Minnis blueprint for Over-The-Hill

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

| fashion | gardening | history

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis at the town hall meeting last night at Grants Town Wesley Methodist Church.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

YOUTH KILLED IN SOUTH BEACH CRASH A JUVENILE was killed in a fatal crash last night in the South Beach area.

The crash took place in the area of East Street South and Sealink Drive at about 10pm, according to police.

Officers at the scene said that two cars had collided, leaving one juvenile dead.

The incident follows a succession of fatal crashes last weekend, which left six people dead in four incidents in New Providence, Grand A BODY is taken from the scene after last night’s fatal crash in South Bahama and Abaco.

Beach.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ wife Patricia is pushing for the establishment of her own office in a bid to raise the profile of women’s leadership in the country.

Mrs Minnis told attendants at a recent luncheon hosted for the spouses of senior government officials that she has already submitted a proposal for an Office of the Spouse of the Prime Minister to Cabinet.

Yesterday, The Tribune spoke to several officials who could not confirm the status of the proposal, and whether it has been presented; however, those officials noted the idea was not an unfamiliar one.

SEE PAGE TWO

HOW CAN THERE BE CERTAINTY WITH SUCH INCOMPETENCE?

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Friday, December 8, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

PATRICIA MINNIS, wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, alongside Mavis Darling-Hill, chairperson of the Kingdor National Parkinson Foundation and Reginald Saunders, under secretary at Ministry of Education at a recent speech competition.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

‘Office of the Spouse’ from page one “I believe that as women, we should have a voice to speak to the issues that we face in the country,” said Mrs. Minnis said at the luncheon on Monday.

“For that reason, I am pushing for this office, which I believe will help us to push for certain things relating to women and children, such as healthcare, the well-being of women and children and other issues.”

The Bahamas Branch of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) sponsored the luncheon for the spouses of parliamentarians, department heads and senior female government officials at Luciano’s of Chicago.

The event was held under

the theme, “Strong Women, Leaders Unite,” according to a release by Bahamas Information Services.

French President Emmanuel Macron came under heavy criticism earlier this year after he proposed his wife be given an official role as First Lady.

In August, nearly 300,000 signed a petition against the proposal, which would have given Brigitte Macron her own budget, salary and direct influence on policy.

Due to intense pushback to the move, which would have required a constitutional amendment, Mrs Macron was instead given a clear official role - a first for the country.

According to media reports, the French president’s wife will not draw a salary and only expenses incurred by her official

duties will be covered.

In a “transparency charter,” it was outlined that Mrs Macron’s official role would focus on working with charities helping children and handicapped people.

According to The Telegraph, she will also “work with the partners of other global leaders to highlight work to combat climate change or domestic violence.”

In the United States, there is no official designation of how the spouse of the president should fulfil her role. However, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the first spouse of the president to take an office in the West Wing of the White House and was later appointed head of a healthcare reform taskforce.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, December 8, 2017, PAGE 3

Immigration set deadline on detainee from page one Yesterday, Justice George Hilton gave permission for the writs to be issued and set a return date for December 19.

Mr Jean-Charles is represented by Fred Smith, QC, of Callenders & Co. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Smith said no one in The Bahamas should just “disappear” and the family of Mr Jean-Charles needs to know “where he is and if he is alive”.

“So essentially the government has been ordered to produce the body of the person in custody, which is Mr Jean-Charles, and they have to justify the detention or release him,” Mr Smith said.

“So two things have to happen, they are required to being Mr Jean-Charles and prove they had the right to hold him. If they do not comply with the writ they have to explain to the court with evidence what has happened to him.”

On Wednesday, Director of Immigration William Pratt told The Tribune Mr Jean Charles has been flown to Haiti. Mr Pratt said Mr Jean-Charles was sent to Port au Prince, Haiti on November 24 after not being able to prove he was in the country legally.

However, representatives from the Haitian Embassy told The Tribune they have no record of Mr JeanCharles being repatriated.

When contacted Kerl Chatelier, first secretary of the Haitian Embassy, said when the Immigration Department is sending suspected illegal immigrants back to Haiti his embassy is notified of the individuals involved.

“In the case of Jean Rony Jean–Charles, we don’t know anything about him.

His name is not on the list,” said Mr Chatelier.

When questioned about the discrepancy, Mr Pratt said he was “unsure” and can only say he was “told the man was repatriated.”

On Tuesday, the family of Mr Jean-Charles said they were unsure whether he was “alive or dead” or was “illegally deported” after allegedly not being allowed

ATTORNEY Fred Smith is pictured at the Detention Centre after being removed from the facility on Monday. to speak to him or visit him in nearly three weeks.

In an emotional interview, Clotilda Jean-Charles, 36, told The Tribune that she only wants to know what happened to her brother but no one at the Detention Centre or the Department of Immigration will give her answers.

Ms Jean-Charles said her brother, who she said was born and raised in the Bahamas to Haitian parents, was taken into custody by immigration officers during a raid on September 15.

Despite the explanation from Mr Pratt that Mr

Jean-Charles was repatriated, Mr Smith said he believes “something happened” to his client while he was at the Detention Centre.

He is asking the Department of Immigration for proof of the repatriation. He also made a plea to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Minister of Immigration Brent Symonette.

“I beg the prime minister, please everybody understands the desire of the government to stop illegal immigration, so you can continue to arrest those who come here illegally or

ENFORCEMENT KEY TO CRIME BILL

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net GOWON Bowe, president of the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants, yesterday predicted the success of the government’s Proceeds of Crime Bill will hinge on enforcement.

Mr Bowe, former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, said while the recently tabled bill has been heralded as having “greater teeth,” historic challenges and failures with enforcement persist.

“In the current environment,” he said, “there have been multiple cases of extradition and we haven’t done a good job at enforcement of our own laws. Part of repercussions for being caught should be forfeiture of assets, we got called out by international bodies for there not being prosecutions. So when you look at what we’re attempting to do, can we reasonably enforce it? This drafting of legislation of no real merit unless enforced.”

The Proceeds of Crime Bill was tabled in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, and was sparked by the weaknesses identified in the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force’s (CFATF) assessment of the Bahamas’ anti-money laundering defences earlier this year.

Its Unexplained Wealth Orders seeks to further enable the police and other agencies to ‘follow the money’ and bring organised

criminal gangs “to their to do certain things, buy knees”. certain things, it probably Attorney General Carl raises questions as to their Bethel told Tribune Busi- source of funds. ness law enforcement will “The bill introduces the gain “greater teeth” to concept of Unexplained target civil servants, poli- Wealth Orders, which perticians and their relatives mits the courts to inquire and criminals living beyond into assets which have been their legitimate income. acquired by the relevant The orders were already person but which are not part of the Penal Code, explained by legitimate however, Mr Bethel means,” the Proceeds of explained the bill was Crime Bill’s ‘Objects and “fleshing out” and giving Reasons’ state. greater “flexibility” to law The Proceeds of Crime enforcement to crack down Bill introduces Unexon the proceeds of corrup- plained Wealth Orders as a tion, fraud, bribery and civil proceeding, not crimiother criminality. nal, targeting persons who “The law is being are “politically exposed” given greater teeth and (politicians, top officials and flexibility,” he told Trib- their friends and families); une Business.

“It’s “public office holders”; important not just for criminals and those subject our international obliga- to asset seizure and forfeitions, it’s important for law ture proceedings. enforcement generally.

This procedure can “We have a lot of people also be invoked for perin the Bahamas, whether sons charged with corrupt Bahamian or otherwise, practices, such as bribery, who do bad things. It’s diffi- extortion, fraud and miscult to know, but if there are conduct in public office, instances where someone plus offences that include who has no apparent source drug, human and firearms of income is suddenly ableDecember trafficking.

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those who over stayed, or are trafficking in people or working without a work permit. “Arrest, take these people before the court and prosecute them, that is the rule of the law,” Mr Smith said.

“But people born in The Bahamas, people who have legal rights under the Constitution, people who have moral rights, do not let immigration hunt them down anymore. Do not confuse the people who are born here and don’t have status or papers as illegals. Illegals are people that come in illegally and stay illegal. I supported

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

the FNM, I help put you in power to do the right thing, not continue to do the same thing. Abide by the law. Do not hunt these people down like animals.

“I am asking for confirmation of what has happened to my client, copies of all relevant papers relating to his arrest, detention and eventual removal from The Bahamas if in fact that has occurred, confirmation of where he was sent to and confirmation that he was provided with financial means.”

Persons born in The Bahamas to foreign parents do not automatically

receive citizenship but have the right to apply at the age of 18.

A 2014 immigration policy put in place by the Christie administration mandated that every person living in the country have a passport of their nationality.

At the time, then-Minister of Immigration Fred Mitchell said: “Those people who have been born here will get a particular residence permit which will allow them to work and live here until such time as their status pursuant to any application under the terms of the Constitution is decided.”

PAGE 4, Friday, December 8, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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A Royal occasion to lift the spirits IT is well known in Britain that the prospect of a royal wedding invariably raises the spirits of the nation.

Most recently, the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 was an immensely happy occasion which attracted enormous interest and was watched by millions worldwide. It gave the majority of people a real lift and produced what became termed the “Wills and Kate effect”. According to the polls, this induced feelings of patriotism and a surge of pride among so many even though some were not royalists at heart.

Judging from the public reaction to the recent announcement of Prince Harry’s engagement to American actress Meghan Markle, their wedding next spring will have the same effect – if not more so. Despite some sniping in parts of Britain’s famously critical press about her racial background, the overwhelming response from nearly all quarters has been positive and welcoming; and, for its small part, The Tribune is delighted to offer the happy couple hearty congratulations and all best wishes for the future.

Some commentators are already speculating that interest in this wedding could exceed that of 2011 because of the bride’s heritage and consequent greater curiosity among Americans. This is likely to result in increased numbers visiting Britain from across the Atlantic, who will also benefit from the continuing weaker pound sterling against the US dollar. Tourists are anyway fascinated by Britain’s history, its heritage and its pageantry: royalty is part of the key to that, but a royal wedding is the icing on the cake.

Moreover, as the leading members of a new generation of “royals”, both Prince William and Prince Harry enjoy tremendous public popularity and are seen as refreshingly unstuffy and prepared to become involved in myriad good causes. Prince Harry himself has acquired a measure of global fame for his charity work both at home - for example, his creation of the Invictus Games for wounded armed services personnel – and overseas in countries like Lesotho in southern Africa. He is also respected for pursuing a career in the Army and earning praise from both his superiors and his colleagues.

With his increasing experience and maturity, it seems Harry has been asked to take on more and more royal duties and these included a successful visit to The Bahamas in 2012 in connection with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. But, most poignantly, many people deeply sympathised with him and William after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris in 1997 and the ordeal he faced at the age of 12 in being forced, together with his brother, to walk behind her coffin carried on a gun carriage during her funeral.

Here in The Bahamas, we have an abiding interest and curiosity in the activities of the Royal Family - not only in view of the shared history of our colonial past but because, in common with other Caribbean countries like Jamaica and Barbados, constitutionally our country is a Realm rather than a Republic. This means that, even though we are a sovereign nation, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II remains our Head of State with the Governor General as her representative.

So we follow the fortunes of royalty closely; and, in particular, the lives of the next generation since the Queen herself at the age of 91 has reigned for seven decades, and two years ago she became Britain’s longest-serving monarch after overtaking her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

The Queen’s most recent visit to The Bahamas was as long ago as 1994, but as a nation we keep in touch with members of the Royal Family through their many visits here over the years, in particular those of her son Prince Edward who comes to Nassau regularly in connection with the Governor General’s Youth Award.

Having been at the centre of Britain’s national life during a period of sustained relative peace and prosperity, the Queen as head of state has been a beacon of decency and decorum in serving the country with unerring grace and dignity, and she has been a reassuring presence for all in providing the stability, continuity and calming face of unity which underpins the nation’s democracy while transient politicians are forever changing. Her longevity also makes her a most experienced and knowledgeable leader – one of the most accomplished and long-standing in history - for during her reign she has been seeing state papers and has met successive world leaders continuously since 1952, not least as Head of the Commonwealth.

From the outpouring of thanksgiving, praise and affection at the time the Queen became Britain’s longestserving monarch - and also this year on the occasion of the celebration of her and Prince Philip’s seventieth wedding anniversary - there is little or no public support in Britain for republicanism.

The only doubt appears to be whether the younger generation will be able to emulate her and the Duke of Edinburgh’s fine example of an unsurpassed record of so many years of dutiful and distinguished public service.

While wishing Prince Harry and his fiancee well, we believe we can also speak for Bahamians from all walks of life in taking this opportunity to offer our very best wishes for the future to her and other members of the Royal Family.

Meanwhile, we look forward to next year’s wedding with keen and happy anticipation.

Health pledge EDITOR, The Tribune.

PERSONALLY, I never have high hopes for political promises. Even when they are fulfilled they are usually not well thought out and often become weights around the collective necks of the electorate. However, if there was one area in which this current administration ought to shine it should be in healthcare.

One would expect, that with a Prime Minister and Minister of Health with combined experience exceeding 50 years in the public healthcare system, that we would see fast revolutionary changes there.

No such luck. The lethargy and excuses continue.

Gross inefficiencies abound and our healthcare system seems mired in the mud of

political gobbledygook and incompetence.

These are not political novices with no knowledge of medicine trying to learn the ropes of the healthcare system. These are men who both held the post of consultants in their respective departments, if I am not mistaken. They ought to know where the problem spots are. They should be aware of the administrative weaknesses that adversely affect the system and should have moved long ago to remove those cancerous elements that cause the treasury to hemorrhage tens of millions of dollars. They ought to know what is needed to improve patient care at all levels in this country.

Instead of a more streamlined, efficient productive

healthcare system, we hear speeches about the Bahamas contributing to the US opioid crisis and other bits of drivel.

While they posture, patients die. While they continue to waste government funds with NHI, many patients wait 12 hours or more to be seen in Accident & Emergency.

If we cannot expect vast improvements in areas where our politicians and decision makers are experts, then what hope do we have for areas where they are not?

There is a vast difference between campaigning and winning elections and running a country. It seems our leaders do not know the difference.

JB Nassau, December 7, 2017.

Roberts still singing for his supper EDITOR, The Tribune.

BRADLEY Roberts’ intoxication with himself and the PLP should have vanished with his party’s chances of winning the 2017 election. Yet, we still have to suffer through his continuous statements that remove all question that he is disconnected from the reality that the rest of us live in. One truly must wonder if this man is playing a prank, or if he is truly delusional. Certainly, no one could continue to be that disingenuous after stepping down from a highprofile position in politics.

His antics only continue to cause many Bahamians to turn up their noses in scorn – particularly, those who have not forgotten the truth in their desire to put the ugly past of Baha Mar behind them. And here is ‘Big Bad Brad’, throwing his entire obsolete political arsenal at the wall with hopes that something sticks, as he attempts to garner praise for the Progressive Liberal Party on Baha Mar’s current path to being open. But how dare he omit all of the damage the PLP inflicted on the resort. If one cannot be balanced, how are we to take them seriously?

It becomes almost impossible to continue reading his most recent statement on Baha Mar, as he incoherently rambles on about the plan Perry Christie put together to “rescue” Baha Mar, while failing to recall it was their PLP government that cost over 2,500 Bahamians their jobs when they forced the resort into liquidation. Roberts constantly finds himself trying to make contact with this dimension from his political wonderland offering a multitude of unintelligible statements regarding what took place with Baha Mar. However, we find this to be very mischievous when the truth is documented for all to see.

Somehow, he forgets that it was his crew who fought and blocked the Chapter 11, which cost the country over a billion dollars in lost revenue and GDP impact.

Likewise, his memory failed him again when his government was helpless

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net and conflicted in all matters relating to Baha Mar. From a leader that danced to the beat of their Chinese counterparts’ drums, to the former Attorney General’s family having leases at the resort and also being named a negotiator in the matter – it all stunk to high heaven.

But Bradley Roberts saw nothing wrong. He offered no public scolding when he was asked his thoughts on the matter. And now, after spending so much years in politics, he is still seeking to play games with the citizens of The Bahamas.

Does he think that we forgot that it was the PLP who fought the original developer for over a year while he was actively trying to purchase the resort back? And might we add he was also willing to pay a higher price than anyone else which would have resulted in more taxes being collected for the Bahamian people. Instead, we got a purchaser whose shady ties to organised crime leaves little to the imagination as to why they found such a comfortable fit with this past PLP government.

We certainly have not forgotten, Mr Roberts.

Bradley should be reminded the PLP’s highpriced principal advisor to the prime minister was caught in an email providing strategy to the Chinese to craft their proposals in such a way that it wouldn’t look like the government was trying to help them in ousting Mr Izmirlian.

He knows we know all of these things. Yet, he offers his congratulations to his party for saving the resort.

Mr Roberts must believe we have sand in our heads, or he hopes we have simply forgotten – but we haven’t.

Thank the Lord the internet is here, and unlike the good old days when Pindling was around, we don’t have to only rely on ZNS anymore. We can Google and research this for ourselves (if we forgot).

The PLP was exposed for the whole world to see that they were never working

in favour of the Bahamian people. If they were, they would have never forced 2,500 of them to the unemployment lines in the first place. We were expendable to them from day one.

They were protecting their own self-interests. Unfortunately for them, they were too sloppy to hide it properly this time.

So no, Mr Roberts, there is nothing for which the PLP should be applauded.

As a matter of fact, we have yet to see what it is you vipers have done in totality on Baha Mar. We know you waived all taxes on the sale of the property – a wholesale giveaway of nearly $600m; then you waived all VAT and casino taxes as well for 30 years. Again, in the words of the former prime minister, Perry Christie, we just “pissed away” millions of dollars. You also committed the government to hundreds of millions in infrastructural improvements at BPL, WSC, and the city dump. But you want us to thank you for this?

You point to the jobs that would have been created anyway as some proof that you did the right thing? If the resort were in the hands of Mr Izmirlian, the Chinese, Donald Trump, or Bill Gates, those same jobs would have been there. But in your haste to have a bone to wave, as if you’d accomplished something, you allowed the Chinese to take advantage of you, to say you got the resort sold. In doing so you have sold your country - our country out - for a bowl of porridge. You have given control of this country and its future over to a communist state, where now the same construction company (CCA) is poised to ravage our construction industry for generations to come.

You, Bradley Roberts and your PLP have done that! That is what you can rest your hat upon. So congratulations for making us yet another ‘nation for sale’; except this time you’ve oneupped your former party leader Pindling by actually selling out the Bahamas in full this time.

MLR Nassau, December 5, 2017.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, December 8, 2017, PAGE 5

Crown’s case ‘a movie script’ from page one He further submitted to jurors that justice means to “free the innocent” and “convict the guilty”.

Meanwhile, Sonia Timothy, attorney for the teenager accused of fatally shooting McIntosh, petitioned jurors during her closing address to determine the “truth” in the matter, and to question the validity of the confession her client made to police about him shooting the deceased.

Charging the teenager’s confession was merely “words spoken to stop the brutality,” Ms Timothy asked jurors to consider whether her client’s confession was a “true reflection” of what happened on the night of November 11, 2015 when McIntosh was killed.

And besides her client’s confession to police, which he previously claimed he was forced to make, Ms Timothy said there is no evidence before the jury connecting the teenager to the crime.

The matter was adjourned to today for the continuation of the closing addresses by the one remaining defence counsel, David Cash on behalf of Armando Sergeant, as well as that of the Crown, represented by Viola Barnett and Akeyra Saunders.

It is alleged the teenager, who was charged as a juvenile along with Mackey and Sergeant of Kemp Road, attempted to rob McIntosh at gunpoint of her 2009 silver coloured Toyota Corolla worth $6,000.

During the failed carjacking, the victim was shot multiple times in her head and body. She later crashed into a wall at the intersection of Parkgate and Village Roads.

All three have denied the allegations, and while taking the witness stand previously, each of the accused said they were beaten by police to give false confessions concerning their alleged involvement in ARMANDO SARGEANT, left, and Johnny Mackey, right, outside court at a previous appearance. the crime.

SENTENCE DELAYED BY A WEEK IN FATAL SHOOTING CASE

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A MAN previously convicted of murder concerning the fatal shooting of another man through Gibbs Corner in 2014 must wait a week before he learns his fate.

Justice Bernard Turner said yesterday Jason

Simmons will receive his sentence in connection with the April 2014 fatal shooting of Neko Lloyd next Thursday at 10am.

Simmons was convicted of murder by a Supreme Court jury on July 17 of this year over the April 27, 2014 incident.

Shortly after midnight on the day in question, Lloyd was sitting on a bench

near a woman friend’s home when a gunman approached him and opened fire.

Lloyd was hit multiple times in the upper body as well as in his lower extremities.

While the gunman fled on foot, Lloyd ran to the front of his friend’s home where he collapsed. A short time later he was

BAHAMAS LINKS WITH TAJIKISTAN

ON December 5, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the Republic of Tajikistan formalised diplomatic relations through the execution of a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The joint communique

was signed on behalf of the government of the Bahamas by Sheila Carey, ambassador and permanent representative of the Bahamas to the United Nations, and by Mahamadamin Mahmadaminov, envoy and permanent representative of Tajikistan to the United

Nations on behalf of the government of Tajikistan.

The signing ceremony took place at the Permanent Mission of the Bahamas to the United Nations.

Pictured are Ms Carey, (right) and Mr Mahmadaminov, (left) during the signing ceremony.

10,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS UPROOTED IN POLICE OPERATION MORE than 10,000 marijuana plants were uprooted by police in Andros over a two-day period, after a joint operation with American law enforcement officers uncovered two marijuana fields.

According to police, around 1pm Wednesday, Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) officers along with

US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents were on routine patrol in the North Andros area when they discovered a marijuana field in the area of Owens Town. An estimated 8,000 marijuana plants were uprooted, police said.

Then, shortly after noon yesterday, DEU officers and

US DEA agents, assisted by officers from the North Andros district, returned to a nearby area in Owens Town where they uncovered a second marijuana field. An estimated 2,300 marijuana plants were uprooted.

No arrests were made in these two seizures. Investigations are ongoing.

pronounced dead at the scene.

The Crown’s key witness, who gave evidence through live television-link to ensure her safety, told a Supreme Court jury the accused was one of three to four men who ran into a yard moments after about seven shots rang out in the area.

The witness claimed she

was sitting on the porch with her boyfriend at the time, and said she could clearly see the men, who were about five to ten feet away. She said due to the set-up of the porch, she was able to see Simmons, but he could not see her.

She also claimed Simmons was carrying a small gun. She said she witnessed Simmons trying to stuff the

gun into his waist to conceal it shortly after he and the other men ran into the yard.

However, the witness later said she did not see Simmons shoot and kill anyone with this gun at the time of the incident in question.

Simmons is represented by attorney Moses Bain while Darell Taylor represents the Crown.

PAGE 6, Friday, December 8, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

THE audience at last night’s town hall meeting at Grants Town Wesley Methodist Church.

Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

Minnis blueprint for Over-The-Hill from page one

“We want you to have a better start,” he said, “so the higher you start it’s easier for you to now be a part of these businesses that do not exist now. It’s all for preparing you for tomorrow. We don’t want you to have only remedial jobs.”

Key details of the programme, including cost and a timeline, were not shared and remain subject to assessments, but Dr Nicola Virgil-Rolle, head of the Economic Planning Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, noted that $5m will be reserved in each budget to help the administration accomplish its goals.

Although the precise delineation of the innercity tax zone has yet to be defined, the zone is expected to involve at least parts of Bain and Grants Town, Centreville, St Barnabas and Englerston. The tax-free zone is expected to be rolled out in a Nassau Over the Hill Rejuventation Bill at the start of the next fiscal year, Dr Virgill-Rolle

said. That bill will lay out concessions, identify the minister responsible for the policy, establish a foundation to raise funds for projects in the communities and explain the penalties for breaches.

“We’re going to ensure there is a corporate social responsibility so what we will say is in order to benefit from many of these provisions,” Dr VirgillRolle said. “We want you to invest in something.

We will step up the value of credits you get towards your taxes based on what you do. If you are going to invest in putting in some solar panels, invest in an education programme, invest in adopting, invest in additional hiring, those are things are considered as extra credit as well so we are going to structure a programme around that basis of give and take so it has to be a two way movement there in terms of benefit.”

Dr Virgill-Rolle said her team anticipates complaints of bias but said the targeted communities, based on poverty rates, comprise the

most impoverished areas on the island.

She said: “The initial scope was to encompass Nassau Street at the western side looking on to Poinciana and Wulff Road on the southern side, everything west of Collins Avenue, so it includes some areas of Centreville, Bain & Grants Town and then upwards to Meeting Street, so not including downtown side of the hill. That would be the initial planning area. We are hearing from the consultation additional areas as well may be included.

We are having those discussions… the plan is to move beyond these borders as well so in another stage we can move south of Wulff Road towards Robinson Road so we could include more areas as we fine-tune this project.”

Promises that businesses won’t pay business licence fees or real property taxes were met with cheers and applause from the audience, as was the promise that residents will not have to pay taxes on building supplies.

Following the event, the reaction from attendees who spoke to The Tribune was mixed.

“I think the whole initiative is going to be conducive for the development of persons living in the environment,” Garvin Dawkins said. “In terms of us now as citizens, now we have to elevate our mind and thoughts to make sure the initiative succeeds. I think it’s long overview.”

Brendon Bowe, 42, from St Barnabas, however, lamented that officials did not provide more immediate fixes for the problems residents in the communities face.

“This a long-term process,” he said. “People looking for help right now and I want to hear more about short-term processes.”

He said he’d give a “C+” for the government’s plan.

During his speech, Dr Minnis revealed he will participate in a walkabout in the Bain and Grants Town community in an effort to consult residents on the initiative.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

AUDIENCE members at the meeting, above and right.

Funeral Service For

Matriarch Daisy Rahming, 93 of Seymour Street, Yellow Elder and formerly of Black Point, South Andros will be held on Sunday, December 10th, 2017 at Hillview Seventh-day Adventist Church, 135 Tonique Williams-Darling Highway at 12 noon. Officiating will be Pastor Peter Joseph assisted by other Ministers of Religion. Interment will follow in Lakeview Memorial Gardens, J.F.K. Drive.

Viewing will be held at Evergreen on Friday from 10 am- 6:00 pm and again at the church on Sunday from 10:30am until service time.

CULMER: PLP ON ATTACK AS IT HAS NOTHING TO OFFER

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement (FNM) Chairman Carl Culmer yesterday accused the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) of “attacking the FNM” because the party has “nothing to offer” and refuses to admit its members failed while in office.

In a statement, Mr Culmer urged the public to remember “it was the PLP that made the mess we find ourselves in today.”

He said over the past several weeks the FNM government has taken great steps to repair the economy, “create jobs and end corruption.”

“The passage of the Commercial Enterprises Bill was the first step to encourage both local and foreign direct investment,” Mr Culmer noted.

“It will bring new industries to our country that will help to diversify our economy while ensuring that there are higher paying jobs and long-term job security for our Bahamian people.

“This week we will pass three pieces of legislation that will ensure that we are not blacklisted after the PLP government failed to ensure compliance while they were in government.

The Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (Amendment) Bill, Automatic

Exchange of Financial (Amendment) Regulation and the International Tax Co-operation (Amendment) Bill will satisfy the requirements for the Bahamas to be eligible to be invited to ratify the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters while providing for the full implementation of the Common Reporting Standard,” he added.

The bills were passed in the Senate yesterday.

“These bills will also enhance the legal framework which will allow for the automatic exchange of financial account information by September 2018 which will prevent the Bahamas from being placed

on the European Unit’s list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.”

Mr Culmer said the “urgency” that the FNM government is showing while “continuing to clean up the mess of the PLP” should serve as a clear message to the Bahamian people that the Minnis administration is working for them.

“As the PLP continues to attack everything the FNM is doing, we must remember that they are the ones that made the mess that we find ourselves in today,” he said.

“They continue with their attacks because they have nothing to offer and fail to admit that their time in office was a complete failure.”

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, December 8, 2017, PAGE 7

Nutrition policy to stop people ‘dropping like flies’

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

THE government yesterday launched a national food and nutrition security policy (FNSP) and plan of action.

The initiative seeks to combat the nutritional challenges facing the country.

These include undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies and high rates of obesity.

Health officials have deemed the latter an epidemic, as these issues contribute to high rates of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) in the country. “If we don’t get this right, our people will be dropping dead like flies,” said Health Minister Dr Duane Sands.

Dr Sands spoke yesterday at the launch ceremony, which was held at the Ministry of Health’s cafeteria.

He said: “The underpinning philosophy of food nutrition security is that all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods to meet dietary needs and food preferences.

“Unfortunately, though, our diets are overloaded with highly processed and fried foods, fatty meats, calorie dense but nutrient poor snacks, sweet beverages and soda — all of which are implicated in our world-leading levels of overweight and obesity.

“The latest national data shows that six out of every 10 Bahamians have not one, not two, but three risk factors that can lead to a non-communicable disease

RENWARD Wells MP. such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke or cancer. NCDs account for more than 20 percent of the loss of productive life years among Bahamians.”

However, “virtually all NCDs are preventable through lifestyle changes,” he added.

The FNSP and plan of

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff action will be “one of the many prongs” the Minnis administration will be using to tackle this issue.

Renward Wells, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, said: “This policy document emphasises inter-agency and inter-sectoral collaboration and linkages necessary to achieve the

four pillars of food security which are: food availability, food accessibility and affordability, consumption choice, and stability of food supplies to economic and environmental shocks.”

In terms of agriculture, Mr Wells explained The Bahamas “has a food dependence ratio of 92

percent. This means that we only produce eight percent of our food needs. This statistic is alarming because it highlights our dependence on food imports.”

Mr Wells said one step taken by his ministry to “shore up the strategy toward food safety and real food security” includes continuing the Backyard Gardening Programme, which “provides support to persons interested in growing some of their own food, targeting families in the inner city and those receiving government assistance.”

“We have also sought to increase food production through technology and innovation through the partnership of Gladstone Road Agricultural Centre (GRAC) and the Caribbean Research and Development Institute (CARDI). Together, they are looking at varieties and production practices that can increase sweet potatoes production, which is one of the food crops identified in the National Dietary Guidelines for increased consumption,” the Bamboo Town MP said.

Other steps include sustainable fishing and the safety of imported and local goods. Specifically, the Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA) has been created to protect consumers from risk arising from additives, contaminants, toxins, or disease-causing organisms in their food,” Mr Wells said.

The ministry is also working to prepare the

agriculture and marine resources sectors to be more resistant to the effects of climate change.

According to Brickhell Pinder, chief economist of the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, the FSNP has 16 policy objectives. These include “enhancing income to facilitate reduction in poverty and unemployment,” “addressing price barriers to reduce food and nutrition security,” and “mainstreaming food and nutrition security in social protection and health care programmes.”

Ms Pinder also said that the government will “appoint a National Food and Nutrition Security Coordinating Commission to track the progress of the implementation of the FSNP.” In 2015, the World Health Organisation ranked the Bahamas the sixth most obese country in the world.

In 2012, it was estimated that 80 percent of adults were overweight and 49 percent were obese.

The FNSP was developed to combat this as well as assist the 5.6 percent or approximately 19,000 individuals “who still lack sufficient food for their dietary needs.”

Also in attendance at the launch were Romauld Ferreira, Minister of Environment and Housing; Mark Humes, MP for Fort Charlotte; Patricia Minnis, wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Dr Terri Raney, senior policy officer and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative.

SENATE PASSES AMENDEMENTS FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE Senate yesterday passed a package of amendments designed to strengthen the financial services industry.

However, during the Senate session, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) voiced displeasure with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ earlier criticism of the Christie administration’s handling of the financial services sector.

Proceedings in the upper chamber were suspended for roughly five minutes as the governing side granted Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate Fred Mitchell an opportunity to “check with my principles to be sure that we are still on the same page with regard with”

going along with the government’s agenda.

Dr Minnis on Wednesday blamed the former Christie administration’s “lacklustre and late-again approach” for The Bahamas’ financial services industry’s near-blacklisting by the European Union. His statement came hours before the House of Assembly passed three pieces of legislation allowing the country to meet international standards.

The government passed the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Amendment Bill, the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Amendment Regulations and the International Tax Cooperation (Amendment) Bill - a package of legislation the government has presented to enhance the legal

framework to allow for the automatic exchange of financial account information by September 2018 and to prevent The Bahamas from being placed on the European Unit’s list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes (blacklisted).

Ahead of debate and passage in the House of Assembly of Wednesday, Dr Minnis in a statement said while the industry had been under threat for some time, the Free National Movement, once it took office in May, found a sector in deeper trouble than anticipated because of the PLP’s negligence.

In response yesterday, Mr Mitchell said he was asked to “amplify” the Official Opposition’s “concerns” with Dr Minnis’ remarks, adding his comments misrepresented the

true actions of the PLP. “We have no desire to delay the government’s work and the (Senate) leader appealed to my patriotism this morning; and that is a strong pull. But as I indicated to him this morning, there was a statement that was issued overnight by the honourable prime minister which has changed, somewhat, the landscape; which has attacked this side for delaying this process,” Mr Mitchell told the Senate.

“Yes, and the state of the financial sector. This has caused some discomfort on our side and I had received a late text just before this meeting, and I what I ask the leader of the government (side) is before I proceed, I would like to have five minutes to check with my principles to be sure that we are

still on the same page with regard to this. And if you can accommodate that, then we will return with our answer.”

In response, Leader of Government Business in the Senate Carl Bethel stated: “I am more than happy to do so. We did start a little late and I thought that would have been enough, but I know how communications can be and I know how things can be when they are what they are.”

He added: “With that comment in mind, this side is prepared to ask that the honourable Senate to suspend for ten minutes to allow proper consultation by members opposite.”

Once the proceedings resumed, Mr Mitchell told the Senate: “This was supposed to be one of these sets of bills that really

should have been just given on the nod without any form of debate at all.”

He later stated, however: “When we were speaking about this in the caucus I thought that given the subject matter, there should have been some discussion.”

Following a nearly 25-minute presentation on the matter, Mr Mitchell announced the Official Opposition would back the amendments and support the government’s actions in this regard.

The bills were then read for the second time and committed in the Senate.

Additionally, The Proceeds of Crime Bill 2017, The Financial Transaction Reporting Bill amendment and The Travelers’ Currency Declaration Act amendment were read for the first time.

READERS RESPOND TO CONCERNS OVER EU BLACKLISTING AFTER The Bahamas was warned not to “rest on our laurels” following its escape from the European Union’s “blacklist”, readers gave their reaction on tribune242.com.

DDK said: “If we would quit playing big shot and borrowing like there was no tomorrow, we would not be beholden to these damn conglomerates and be able to maintain some semblance as a financial services centre. Never mind the elected politicians who are wealthy enough to survive the painful decline of our country. It is not possible to borrow one’s way out of debt.”

There was this from John2: “Every few years we have to amend finance laws and sign agreements to avoid these blacklists.

The developed countries keep finding ways to ensure we as developing country continue to struggle while they laugh all the way to the banks!”

DEDDIE had this to say: “Regardless of what The Bahamas does, it will be blacklisted. The EU objective is to make the Bahamas totally dependent on AID from the developed world.

Such nations are easier to control. From colonisation to independence and back to colonisation.”

Family members of a 35-year-old man who was picked up by immigration officials in September said they did not know if he was “alive or dead” or had been “illegally deported”.

CatIslandBoy responded with: “I have lived in quite a few other countries, over my lifetime, and have never seen such unprofessionalism, and lack of decency, from a government department. Whoever heard of an attorney not being allowed to see his client, or not told that his client is no longer detained? What kind of backwardness is this?”

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean attributed the recent downward trend in crime to the “grace of God” and new crime-fighting initiatives, prompting this reaction from TalRussell: “We need

stern outreach programmes with teeth to reach teens suspected of committing the worst types of crimes but haven’t faced prosecution because of the lack of evidence. Let’s pay them a supervised weekly salary to get to them before they turn themselves, and other teens, into serial offenders, to put down their guns, stop with their violent, angry-atsociety ways and give them a hands up at transforming their lives beyond the streets . . . or do we wait until they’re in a shootout with the policemen . . . and they’re killed?”

Tribune Business reported that Port Department controller Captain Cyril Roker said Nassau Harbour’s deteriorating breakwaters were “no cause for alarm” even though a Cabinet Minister has described repairs as “an absolutely critical project”.

John2 responded with: “Captain Cyril Roker, the Port Department’s controller, sure has a very lackadaisical view of a piece of important infrastructure like the breakwater . . . typical public sector mentality.

All the more reason why the government should privatise the cruise port and

let APD and a reputable port operator manage and

maintain the harbour.”

• Don’t miss your chance

to join the debate on tribune242.com.

PAGE 8, Friday, December 8, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

How can there be certainty with such incompetence?

B

Y far the most gave way to empathy. talked about And when we learned that story this even as they were removweek was that ing Smith, Immigration of the “missing” young Officers failed to mention man named Jean Rony Jean-Charles had already Jean-Charles. been deported, empaA few weeks ago, Mr. thy gave way to extreme Jean-Charles found himself discomfort. in the hands of ImmigraDiscomfort at the fact tion officials after having that someone (anyone!) been “picked up”. Accord- could allegedly be detained ing to these same officials, by Immigration, denied he was unable to prove he access to legal counsel, “belongs” in this country, and reportedly deported and so was allegedly repat- from the country without riated to Haiti. going through any court Sounds like a simple proceedings. immigration transaction, Discomfort at the fact right? that in 2017, government Except officials at the officials may still believe Department of Immigra- that “we looking for the tion seem to have difficulty paperwork” is a satisfactory in providing proof of the explanation. deportation. The relevant It’s not. paperwork seems to be There is a large seg“missing”. On top of that, ment of the population that the Haitian Embassy, which wants the Minnis adminis usually istration to kept abreast use a heavy of deporta- According to hand in dealtions also has Director of ing with our no record of Immigration, debilitatJean-Charles ing illegal William Pratt, he being immigration returned to doesn’t know who problem.

Haiti.

But I would Fred Smith, QC, His family venture to has report- spoke with and say no rightedly not why that person thinking heard from Bahamian didn’t tell him Jeanhim in weeks, believes and fear Charles had been it’s okay to the worst in deported while have persons terms of his allegedly they were kicking well-being. ‘disappear’ the attorney off When overnight Jeanwith no the premises.

Charles’ proper paper attorney, trail or the Fred Smith QC, attempted ability to access legal counto visit his client whom he sel or due process. assumed was being held at This case becomes all the Detention Centre, he the more interesting since was forcibly removed from the Minnis administration the facility. has imposed a December We all saw the video 31st deadline for illegal which went viral on migrants to voluntarily Facebook. “get out”.

We all watched, at first According to Director of curiously amused watching Immigration, William Pratt, the back and forth between he doesn’t know who Fred one of the country’s most Smith, QC, spoke with and famous lawyers, Smith, and why that person didn’t tell the Immigration officers him Jean-Charles had been who seemed afraid to let deported while they were him on the premises. They kicking the attorney off the even forcibly removed premises. him from the centre as he Yet the Director seems relentlessly demanded to confident that Jean-Charles see his client. “was here illegally and But then, as details of could not prove that he was Jean-Charles’ situation here legally so he was sent became clearer, amusement home”.

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ATTORNEY Fred Smith with Clotilde Jean-Charles, sister of Jean Rony Jean-Charles, who is pictured right.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff How can he be so sure?

Usually, incompetence on one level doesn’t inspire confidence on another.

Minister of State for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson, and MP for Long Island Adrian Gibson, among others, have voiced support for Smith and the constitutional right for persons to be able to speak with their attorney even when they are held at the Detention Centre.

The handling of this case is troubling, and is beginning to play out like a horror film.

Who will take responsibility for and explain what has happened? And, more importantly, where is Jean Rony Jean-Charles?

MONEY PROBLEMS Bain and Grants Town Member of Parliament Travis Robinson, found himself the victim of socalled “fake news” this week when rumors circulated on social-media of his alleged involvement in some strange kickback scheme.

The young MP, quickly denied the nefarious rumors and said when he looked at the accusation, which was sent to him via WhatsApp, he laughed because he knew it was “totally fabricated”.

I’m glad Robinson has developed a sense of humor about like in politics in this country. One thing’s for sure, you better have a thick skin in this game.

What’s not funny, though, is how much attention those wild rumors garnered.

There was even a whole backstory that involved

the Deputy Prime Minister admonishing the young MP and ordering him to return monies. A story, that was made from whole cloth.

So persistent and viral was the speculation that Press Secretary Anthony Newbold had to comment on the “fake news” by saying the government would look into the matter.

Why persons are targeting Robinson with these vicious rumors is a mystery.

Though perhaps his verbal faux-pas a few weeks back about wanting a raise (to, say, about $70, 000) and his complaints about MPs making “janitors’ pay” put him in the crosshairs of political opportunists.

At the time, Robinson said it would help to deter corruption if the country ponied up and showed MPs the money.

Most Bahamians balked at the suggestion. Now he is being smeared with accusations of being corrupt anyway.

To his credit, Robinson

has said he gives 100% of his $28,000 salary to his constituents. Which is remarkable because how is he sustaining himself with such a level of generosity?

I applaud him for his altruism.

But it does run counter to his argument about increasing MPs salary. If he, as the youngest, least established and credentialed politician in the government can afford to give away every dollar he makes in the name of public service why exactly is he crying for more money “to stave off corruption” anyway?

DELIVERANCE This week, during an address at Calvary Deliverance Church, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis admitted that he has made mistakes and that “sometimes he has been wrong”.

Honestly, it’s refreshing to hear a politician admit to being wrong. It’s downright shocking to hear a

Bahamian politician admit to being wrong.

So I think Dr Minnis earned a brownie point or two just by coming clean on his administration’s missteps (in front of God and man, no less).

Perhaps now that this admission is on the table the rest of the rabid supporters of Dr Minnis can also do some soul-searching as they defend every move the FNM makes without question.

It’s good to question, even those whom we support or “like”. And the country comes before any (and every) party.

So I say kudos to Minnis on acknowledging his defensiveness and appearing to move in a different direction.

I sure hope his “yes-men” and “yes-women” in the FNM get the picture and adjust their behavior to reflect this “new” reality of fallibility.

It’s easy to forgive an honest mistake, but it’s hard to forgive willful blindness.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, December 8, 2017, PAGE 9

FRANKEN QUITS WITH SNIPE AT TRUMP

MEMBERS of parliament, from left, Cathy McGowan, Adam Brandt and Andrew Wilkie celebrate the passing of the Marriage Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, yesterday.

Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP

Australia PM signs law to allow gay marriage CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA Associated Press

AUSTRALIA’S prime minister rushed gay marriage into law on Friday by gaining a final signature on a bill hours after it was overwhelming endorsed by Parliament and as the nation started planning weddings that can take place in a month.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull traveled to Government House where Governor-General Peter Cosgrove signed the bill into law on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, Australia’s constitutional head of state.

Cosgrove’s signature makes gay marriage legal in Australia from Saturday, when same-sex couples who wed overseas will be recognised under Australian law as

married couples.

Engaged couples will need to give a calendar-month notice of an intention to marry, making gay weddings legal on Jan 9, Turnbull said.

Turnbull described Parliament voting late Thursday for gay marriage, with only four lawmakers registering their opposition to, as a historic moment.

“Containing my emotions to a suitable, prime ministerial level of calm is quite challenging. I am absolutely pumped. I think this is so wonderful,” he said after Parliament passed the bill and the public gallery erupted with a standing ovation.

Celebrations continued late into the night in Oxford Street, the center of Sydney’s gay nightlife

which is in Turnbull’s electorate.

Turnbull has been a long-term advocate for marriage equality and is the first prime minister to attend Sydney’s renowned annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which is also in his electorate.

Hours after the Parliament legalised gay marriage, a Sydney municipal council offered free venues to host same-sex marriages.

The Inner West Council is accepting bookings for same-sex marriages in its halls, community centers and parks at no charge over a 100-day period from Jan 7.

“This is an historic day in the struggle for civil rights in Australia,” Mayor Darcy Byrne said.

It follows the downtown Sydney municipality’s decision in October to offer free venues for same-sex

‘DAY OF RAGE’ AFTER TRUMP MOVE OVER JERUSALEM JERUSALEM Associated Press THOUSANDS of Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, demonstrators in the Gaza Strip burned US flags and pictures of President Donald Trump, and a top Palestinian official said Vice President Mike Pence would not be welcome in the West Bank, in a show of rage Thursday over the American decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Israeli forces were bracing for the possibility of even stronger violence on Friday, when tens of thousands of Palestinians attend weekly prayers at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, the city’s most sacred Islamic site. In Gaza, the supreme leader of the Hamas militant group called on Palestinians to launch a new uprising against Israel.

The Palestinians were blindsided by Trump’s move to depart from decades of US policy on Jerusalem and upend longstanding international assurances that the fate of the city would be determined in negotiations.

PALESTINIAN protesters chant angry slogans as one burns a representation of the American flag yesterday.

Photo: Khalil Hamra/AP The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured

by Israel in 1967, as their capital. Israel claims the entire city, including east Jerusalem, home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, as its undivided capital. The opposing claims lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have often spilled over into deadly violence.

The Palestinians declared three “days of rage,” shuttering schools and businesses, and staging angry demonstrations at Damascus Gate, one of the entrances to Jerusalem’s Old City, and cities across

the West Bank and Gaza.

“We are here. We believe in our rights and one day it (will) become Jerusalem, the capital for the Palestinian people,” declared Rania Hatem, a protester outside the Old City.

The Israeli military reported demonstrations in some 30 locations across the West Bank on Thursday, saying Palestinians had hurled stones and firebombs at troops. A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under briefing guidelines, said troops were instructed to use minimal force and avoid live fire to avoid escalating tensions.

US STILL PLANNING FOR OLYMPICS AFTER CONFUSION WASHINGTON DC Associated Press MEMBERS of the Trump administration surprised the US Olympic Committee by suggesting the nation’s participation at the upcoming Pyeongchang Games in South Korea was “an open question”, and the USOC responded by saying it has no plans on pulling out.

The confusion began when UN ambassador Nikki Haley, in response to a question in a Fox News interview, said “There’s an open question” about whether the US team

would travel to South Korea, where tensions have grown high after a series of missile tests in North Korea and inflammatory rhetoric between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and US President Donald Trump.

The USOC responded with a statement saying plans to compete in the Olympics, which run Feb 9-25, hadn’t changed.

Shortly after that, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters “no official decision has been made”.

She later clarified in a

tweet, saying: “The US looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues.”

The USOC doesn’t receive federal funding, and technically, the official decision on participating belongs to the committee and the athletes themselves, all of whom would be guided by directives from the State Department, which has not issued any travel restrictions to South Korea.

weddings should they become lawful.

The Australian Capital Territory government, which administers Canberra, the national capital, introduced its own samesex marriage law in 2013 that was overturned by the High Court within a week.

ACT Attorney General Gordon Ramsay said his government would waive the 55 Australian dollar ($41) cost of wedding certificate for any of the 31 same-sex couples whose short-lived marriages were ruled invalid and want to marry again.

“It’s a way of being able to acknowledge the difficulties that some of those couples have been through,” Ramsay told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen Al Franken, a rising political star only weeks ago, reluctantly announced Thursday he’s resigning from Congress, succumbing to a torrent of sexual harassment allegations and evaporating support from fellow Democrats. But he fired a defiant parting shot at President Donald Trump and other Republicans he said have survived much worse accusations.

“I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party,” Franken said.

The 66-year-old Minnesotan, a former “Saturday Night Live” comedian, announced his decision in a subdued Senate chamber three weeks after the first accusations of sexual misconduct.

CONGRESS AVOIDS GOVT SHUTDOWN WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Thursday passed a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown this weekend and buy time for challenging talks on a wide range of unfinished business on Capitol Hill. The shutdown reprieve came as all sides issued optimistic takes on an afternoon White House meeting between top congressional leaders and President Donald Trump.

The measure passed the House 235-193, mostly along party lines, and breezed through the Senate on a sweeping 81-14 tally barely an hour later. It would keep the government running through Dec 22, when another, and more difficult, shutdown problem awaits.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, December 8, 2017, PAGE 11

RESIDENTS URGED TO SWITCH TO NEW E-PASSPORTS

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

CHIEF Passport Officer Clarence Russell II is urging all Bahamians to apply for polycarbonate e-passports.

Speaking at a Rotary Club of South-East Nassau meeting on Wednesday, Mr Russell outlined the importance of these documents, which were made available this past January.

Mr Russell said: “The Bahamian passport today (is) only second in the world to Switzerland with the new technology that we have.”

Unfortunately he said few “have taken the initiative to go ahead… and gain possession of the new polycarbonate passports.”

According to the Bahamas High Commission’s website, these passports make use of biometrics, which “reduce the risk of fraud” and facilitate travel by allowing for “automated identity verification; faster immigration inspections and greater border protections and security”.

Mr Russell said: “We encourage persons to come and take advantage of the opportunity. You do

not have to wait until your passports expire. You can call the VIP office of the Passport Office, and you can make an appointment for you and your family. You can come down and be ushered in… it’s a 20-minute process.

“Get yourself registered. If you’re not paying the $200 (rush) fee, you get your passports in one to two weeks maximum. If you pay the $200 fee, you can wait for the issue of your new e-passport.

In the United States of America, that costs almost $800.”

However, Mr Russell did acknowledge that the process could be delayed for persons who still rely on affidavits or have not gotten e-passports over the past ten years.

These upgrades in technology are especially beneficial for those in the Family Islands, noted Mr Russell.

In The Bahamas, there are currently five passport offices: the main Passport Office in Nassau, one office in Freeport, and three offices in Abaco (Marsh Harbour, Sandy Point, and Cooper’s Point).

Mr Russell said: “When I came to office… most of the other Family Islands were tremendously

disadvantaged. We only visited some Family Islands. (By 2016), we have visited every single inhabited island in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, bar none.”

For example, on Cat Island, there was quite a large population of people who had “to fly…into New Providence, and then they had to fly back to compare their biometrics to collect the passport, and then they (had) to fly back to apply for their visa, and then they had to fly back to pick it up”.

“And that’s a lot of flying for Grandma who is 90 years old in the Family Islands who never had a passport, never had a visa.

And so you can see the amount of expenses it placed on the average citizen.”

According to Mr Russell, the reason why there were no trips in 2017 is because the application process is now online.

“You will be able to, from the comfort of your own home with your smartphone, apply for your e-passport. No matter where you are in the world. And so the 7,500 persons in Andros who were complaining about the fact that there used to be a Passport

Office, and unfortunately before I came to office it was removed, they won’t have that problem anymore.

“The people in (remote islands) who don’t have the privilege of coming to Nassau will no longer have to come and we won’t have to visit them until we are issuing their passports.

Because you can apply from the comfort of your home wherever you are in the world for the renewal of your e-passport.

“And so technology has come to you, and The Bahamas is very much ahead.”

Mr Russell admonished all citizens to apply for and pick up their new polycarbonate passports as

soon as possible, noting that the cost of the passport remains the same ($50 for adults and $25 for children).

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