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VOLUME:117 No.15, DECEMBER 11TH, 2019

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‘NO SURPRISES’

Culmer warns FNM MPs - don’t back PM, you don’t back party By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement chairman Carl Culmer expects all FNM parliamentarians to support Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis in today’s vote of no confidence in the House of Assembly, though he declined to discuss what repercussions could befall those who don’t. “If you don’t support the leader, you are telling us upfront you don’t support the party and the government,� he said yesterday.

The Tribune understands the FNM’s parliamentary caucus held a special meeting on Sunday evening to strategise about today’s motion, which Dr Minnis is expected to easily defeat. “There will be no surprises,� Mr Culmer said.

Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller, a frequent FNM critic of the

SEE PAGE EIGHT

Minnis administration, will likely attract attention for how he votes.

Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine, his counterpart in frequently criticising his own party, is expected to miss the sitting - last week he said he will be out of the country.

Mr Miller declined to discuss his intentions yesterday and said he was still discussing the matter with his advisers.

The no confidence motion comes after opposition leader Philip “Brave�

Davis accused Dr Minnis of “knowingly, intentionally, and deliberately� misleading the House by claiming Brent Symonette was not involved in discussions and negotiations over renting the Town Centre Mall to host the General Post Office when he was minister of immigration and financial services. Mr

TOP OFFICERS ‘INSULTED’ BY JOBS SWITCH By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Kendal Strachan has been appointed chief of security at the Willie Mae Pratt School for Girls, a move his lawyer says he intends to fight.

ACP Strachan is among eight senior police officers who were directed to take vacation leave in March.

The Minnis administration claimed that was part of a SEE PAGE FIVE

UNION BOSS CRIES FOUL IN ELECTION

SEE PAGE FIVE

NO BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR NEW MINIMUM WAGE

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter

THE deputy prime minister yesterday revealed the government has made no provision for a public sector minimum wage increase in this year’s Budget with Cabinet still discussing the issue.

Peter Turnquest said: “We do not have in our budget this year for a minimum wage increase.

Cabinet is still discussing the matter, so it would be premature for me to give any definitive statement

on it. As you know, we are in the middle of negotiations with a number of unions and some are about to come up. So this will all be a part of what we have moving forward on how we address all of the labour issues before us, and how we settle all these matters as quickly as possible.�

Mr Turnquest’s remarks raise questions over how close the government actually is to approving a public sector minimum wage increase.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

Surviving the shark TIFFANY Johnson with her husband and three children

By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net AN American woman is now finding her life returning to normal thanks to being fitted with a robotic arm after losing the limb in a shark attack off Paradise Island two years ago.

SEE PAGE THREE

50 BODIES UNCLAIMED IN TRAILER

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

ALICIA WALLACE WE ARE BORN WITH OUR OWN HUMAN RIGHTS

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said the government has released the remains of a few storm victims to their families, however there are about 50 unclaimed bodies in a refrigerated trailer in Abaco.

He added the government might use an independent third party

A TRAILER believed to contain unidentified victims. to act as an intermediary so afraid undocumented migrants can identify the

remains. Speaking outside Cabinet yesterday, Dr Sands said in Abaco four people have been identified and their remains released to their family members. “In the trailer in Abaco, a significant number of bodies I believe probably about 50 (have not been claimed). DNA samples have been taken and the expected time from DNA sampling until comparison and conclusion can

INSURANCE MANAGEMENT

(BAHAMAS) LIMITED. INSURANCE BROKERS & AGENTS

Nobody Does it Better!

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE SIX

BAHAMAS Public Service Union president Kimsley Ferguson has accused a fellow union leader of conspiring to “sabotage� his ambitions to become first vice president of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas.

Mr Ferguson, in an affidavit filed last week Tuesday, accused NCTUB president Bernard Evans of SEE PAGE SEVEN

TECHNOLOGY

IGYM LEVELS PLAYING FIELD FOR CHILDREN

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, December 11, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Sands dismisses job fears of junior doctors

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net A representative of junior doctors in the public sector raised alarm yesterday about the employment status and future of more than a dozen junior doctors but Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said no one is being terminated.

Dr Sands said the government has given financial clearance to hire some junior doctors as senior house operators (SHO). Others not promoted to the position at this moment will remain acting SHOs in the meantime, he said.

“The law doesn’t allow you to hire someone before you receive financial clearance for those people,” he said.

Those not being promoted will report to work as usual as the government looks for appropriate posts in the public healthcare system for them along with the financial clearance

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands needed to promote them to the positions, he added.

Dr Melisandre Bassett, head of the Bahamas Doctors Union, said in an interview with Eyewitness News that at least 20 doctors faced an uncertain employment future during this Christmas season.

“These are junior doctors that would have been employed since July operating in the capacity that they are operating now,” she said. “(PHA) refuse to

give them a contract, refuse to hire them but kept them lingering on all of this time without paying them at the rate they should have been paid.”

BDU officials said the doctors have been functioning as SHOs without a contract for six months and are now owed back pay.

Dr Sands said he could not verify what the acting SHOs make but did not dismiss the possibility that they still make intern salaries.

RAPE CASE WITHDRAWN

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE Crown has discontinued criminal proceedings against an American tourist previously accused of raping another visitor at a Paradise Island resort while vacationing with his wife two years ago.

Prosecutors issued a nolle prosequi yesterday to

announce the abandonment of its case against Steve Resnick over claims he had had sex with an American woman against her will on June 11, 2017.

The nolle prosequi was presented to Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson.

At the time of the alleged incident, police had received reports that before 5am on the date in question, Resnick,

of Newark, Delaware, allegedly assaulted a 27-year-old American woman in a hotel room at a resort on Paradise Island.

Resnick was eventually taken into custody for questioning.

Resnick, who was on bail awaiting his trial for the last two years, is now a free man. He was represented by attorney Wayne Munroe, QC.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 11, 2019, PAGE 3

RBDF RESCUES COUPLE OUT ON A FISHING TRIP

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force has assisted in the rescue of a couple who didn’t return home following a fishing trip.

In a joint effort, a new search and rescue (SAR) team consisting

of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Operations Bahamas Turks and Caicos, and BASRA sprang into action after receiving a call from a concerned relative.

The two Bahamians left Moss Town, Exuma on Monday morning for a fishing trip and didn’t return

home. An official alert was issued and the members of the SAR teams initiated search protocols immediately using both air and sea assets deployed from relevant agencies.

A RBDF statement read: “A helicopter from OPBAT detected them at 0800 this morning near Hawksbill Rock in the

Exumas, almost 50 nm from their original position and broadcasted their location.

A commercial fishing boat Weswin, which was near the area, responded and made their way to rescue the two persons onboard, another extraordinary display of community involvement that is needed to help police our nation. A police vessel

would eventually bring them back safely to Exuma.

Investigations are ongoing to determine exactly what went wrong.”

The RBDF statement urged boaters to always have protective equipment such as life jackets, radios, and a GPS onboard their vessels. The statement also suggested

that boaters should inform a responsible person of where they plan to go and when they plan to return.

“The Royal Bahamas Defence Force embraces the opportunity to serve alongside partner agencies in protecting the maritime environment of the Bahamas,” the statement said.

Surviving the shark

“

When I turned, I was face to face with a shark.

He had my whole arm in his mouth and I remember thinking no, you are not going to take my life and I am not going to die here

TIFFANY Johnson with her bionic arm and her children, Kylee, eight, Luke, seven, and Natalie, four.

How pioneering surgery is helping an American woman recover from attack from page one It was June 2017 – the beginning of summer — when Tiffany Johnson, 34, from North Carolina, had embarked on her fourth cruise along with her husband James, 33.

Like many tourists vacationing in The Bahamas, the Johnsons decided to go snorkelling in a reef near Paradise Island.

However, the experience, which was meant to be an enjoyable one, was anything but and quickly turned into one the deeply religious family will never forget. “So, my husband and I are vacation junkies and so this past June (2017), we had set a date to go on our fourth cruise and that last stop in Nassau, we had already planned to go snorkelling there so we get out to the snorkel site and I remember the captain saying that this whole area is just full of reef that you can snorkel.

“And, we jumped in right away, no hesitation and I remember kind of looking down and observing the fish and I looked up and there it was kind of swimming towards the boat and so I

popped my head up and I said are you okay and he said well, he’s not feeling the greatest.”

“So he went back to the boat, and I thought well, I’m just going to stay out here. And, I remember just being lost in that world, staring down and I felt a bump or a tug on my arm like I bumped into something and I gradually just kind of turned to my right to casually to see what I bumped into.

“And when I turned, I was literally face to face with a shark. He had my whole arm in his mouth and fear just surrounded me and I yanked my arm back instinctively and that was when he began to thrash and fight me. My body tried to give up but the strength of the Lord just came up from inside me and allowed me to fight.

“And I remember thinking no, you are not going to take my life and I am not going to die here. His jaw opened and my arm came out and I remember just looking at it and it was gone. But, I didn’t stay in that moment. I threw off my snorkel mask and I screamed out help, help me Jesus.

“And, that’s when my

husband heard me and he screamed out ‘baby’ and he jumped in the water and he kind of guided me that last ten feet. And I remember that as soon as I landed in that boat, the piece of the Lord was so strong on me.

It was like a thick tangible crowd, something I’ve never felt before.

“I remember spotting the beach towel sticking out of our bag and I remember saying baby, go get that beach towel so he’s tying it in.

“My husband was frantic, you know, just in sheer terror, and the captain’s the same way, trying to grab the anchor,” she said.

She had such a sound mind that she instructed her husband to grab their beach towel -- the only available option -- to stop the bleeding.

“And then I laid my head down and I closed my eyes because in front of me I had literally sprayed blood everywhere. And I began to pray. I got to the port and it had been a good 30 minute boat ride and I was told later by medical professionals, trauma nurses and doctors and they all said Tiffany, it doesn’t even make sense medically why you’re even here and why you’re

alive because you should’ve bled out in that boat.

“I didn’t lose enough blood which is just an amazing miracle and I just think about the amazing miracle of it all.”

Trying to return her life to normalcy after the near-death experience has not been easy for Tiffany.

When she was rushed from Nassau back to the United States she was placed under the care of orthopedic surgeons, Drs. Bryan Loeffler and Glenn Gaston who were pioneering an innovative procedure called targeted muscle reinnervation, or TMR. The procedure has been the front line in the effort to improve the interface between humans and technology.

TMR enables the user’s mind to communicate with artificial limbs via prosthetics connected to the patient’s nervous system.

According to Gaston many patients are quickly able to perform all the functions the prosthetic allows.

In the past, that would’ve taken months of training.

“They literally just have to think ‘close my hand,’ and they close their (prosthetic) hand,” said Gaston.

The new ‘Fin’ that propels amputees in the water For Tiffany, it has been a tough journey since the attack. She has relearned how to perform once-simple tasks, such as eating, writing and cooking.

She’s adapting to life with one arm, and so is her husband and three children - Kylee, eight, Luke, seven, and Natalie, four.

“This latest version is only a few months old. I can now bend my elbow and touch my head, bring my arm in closer to my body, etc. It functions ok, but it is a process,” she says.

‘It is heavy and can be uncomfortable at times. But I am thankful to even be on this journey able to learn the process. I had to learn a

new normal and that wasn’t easy; being a mum of three, very independent by nature, and used to doing it all.”

Despite the near-deadly incident, Tiffany still snorkels when the opportunity arises. “I’ve been to the ocean several times, went on two cruises since, and even snorkelled in a man-made reserve with turtles just ten months after the attack.

‘But I really haven’t had any desire to get back in the ocean; this is not because of fear, but rather I am using wisdom as I haven’t had any issues with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression and I don’t want to introduce anything just because I am trying to check something off my list.’

Editorial View - Page 4

PAGE 4, Wednesday, December 11, 2019

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,

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

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-

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Skip the politics, look for answers NEVER mind the vote today – it’s not what’s important. It’s the debate where anything of merit will be found.

We know from the start that the four votes of the PLP are unlikely to win over the vast majority of the FNM – a majority delivered when the public declared their own lack of confidence in the PLP at the ballot box and tossed them out of office.

The vote might scare out some idea of where some of the wayward FNMs are at – though regular maverick Frederick McAlpine won’t be a vote to watch for as he’ll be out of the country.

Instead, the eyes will be on whether Vaughn Miller declares a lack of confidence in his own party leader with his vote – and there might be an idea of where the future of Reece Chipman, now an independent, might lie from his vote.

But that will all be down to reading tea leaves – the meat is in PLP leader Philip Davis’ claim that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis “knowingly, intentionally and deliberately” misled the House by claiming Brent Symonette was not involved in discussions and negotiations over renting the Town Centre Mall for the Post Office.

The matter hangs on Mr Symonette’s revelation that Dr Minnis called him to discuss the matter before the resolution was brought to Parliament.

That seems to contradict the resolution that was passed. Mr Symonette says they discussed the amount of the mall to be leased and the cost of doing so.

So ignore the vote, except for the sideshow of whether anyone is leaning towards leaving the FNM or joining the PLP. Pay attention to what Dr Minnis has to say. His words can sometimes be muddled, we hope that will not be so today.

Regardless of the back and forth of party politics, there is a lack of clarity in this matter – so it’s fair Dr Minnis gives a proper answer. We look forward to it – and hope the Speaker will play his part accordingly by ensuring the topic gets a clear platform.

Misleading Parliament is serious – if that has happened. It is of course a matter not just of misleading Parliament – it’s a case of misleading us all. Let’s hear a full answer, Dr Minnis, and let’s put an end to this.

Strength of a bionic woman SOME people amaze you.

Two years ago, Tiffany Johnson was bitten by a shark while snorkelling near Paradise Island. She lost her arm.

She said the shark “had my whole arm in his mouth and fear just surrounded me”. She said: “My body tried to give up but the strength of the Lord just came up from inside me and allowed me to fight.”

That strength has served her well. It got her out of the water alive. It got her through the emergency treatment. And now it has served her as she has become a bionic woman.

It’s taken learning how to use her new arm – “I can now bend my elbow and touch my head, bring my arm in closer to my body, etc” – but she is making progress.

She’s even snorkelled again – in a man-made reserve though she doesn’t want to return to the ocean and prompt any issues.

Many would spiral into depression, or suffer from PTSD, but Tiffany?

“I am thankful to even be on this journey,” she says.

An amazing woman indeed. We are sure that strength will carry you far.

Storm clouds already here EDITOR, The Tribune

WE should all be grateful that the 2019 hurricane season is behind us. We should, however, be alarmed by the fact that the government still has not seemed to grasp the magnitude of the gross inefficiencies and gaping defects in this country’s hurricane preparation and response that were exposed by Dorian and need addressing. The world rendered aid, but kept tight-lipped as we fumbled and bumbled during that unfortunate hurricane! The continued lethargy and incoordination in the post hurricane period is also befuddling. We did not even have the organisational abilities that could coordinate and account for distribution of supplies and generators to those who needed them to prevent hoarding. Can the government honestly show that all donated supplies have only gone to the deserving?

Since Dorian, persons with no clear training or expertise in disaster management response have been tasked to head the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness Management and Reconstruction and the new Disaster Reconstruction Authority. In my mind, these are not the kinds of responsibilities

that should be relegated to those learning on the job. It is concerning that previous governments have often sought and retained the services of foreign consultants even when local expertise has been available, but in this area that requires a well defined skill set that is clearly not available, we allow the inexperienced to lead the way. This suggests to me that decision makers are not thinking strategically or in the long term best interest of Bahamians.

Consider too that with the extensive devastation that Dorian wrecked, even though this country’s inept emergency management body has no helicopters, drones, portable water purification systems, trained animals to aid in recovery of buried bodies, portable temporary shelters or centralised command that is capable of properly coordinating on the ground recovery efforts, the very first contract government signed after the hurricane on September 26th 2019, was for $5 million worth of CCTV cameras. Not to be outdone in their forward thinking, they soon signed a $6 million deal for temporary hurricane shelters on October 1, 2019.This was not enough, so the government that projects revenue shortfalls into the next fiscal

year, thought it prudent to spend an additional $9.6 million for construction of a new bridge in Andros.

Now most recently, in what is undoubtedly an apolitical act of benevolence, all government workers will get $1400 for Christmas!

It is not that each of these things are not important in their own right, but it seems reckless for a person who has just lost their job and their home in a fire to plan a trip to Las Vegas! In the meantime, I am not aware of any investment in anything that allows us not to have to rely so heavily on foreign intervention in a time of national crisis.

Lastly, we must consider that the new hurricane season is only six short months away. Debris is still being cleared, many are still homeless and others still have tarp on their roofs. By their actions, a responsible government would show that they see, understand and are taking the necessary measures to anticipate and minimise the loss of life and property and to mitigate the hardships that devastating hurricanes can bring. Based on what I see thus far, it’s just business as usual!

JB Nassau December 10, 2019.

No room for atheists EDITOR, The Tribune

THE Bahamas is a predominantly theistic nation, as evidenced by its religious demographics in the online data portal, Index Mundi.

According to Index Mundi, 70 percent of Bahamians are Protestants; 12 percent are Catholics; 13 percent are non-Christian adherents (eg, Jehovah’s Witnesses) and 2.6 percent are unspecified.

Additionally, 0.6 percent and 1.9 percent of Bahamians are classified as “others” and “none” respectively. This would then mean that 95 percent of Bahamians are theists, whereas an infinitesimal segment of the population, about five percent or less, are either atheists or agnostics. Obviously, both the Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) must tread lightly on how it interacts with the massive Bahamian theistic demographic, otherwise both would be relegated to the political scrapyard.

No political party can survive by alienating the religious demographic.

This is one reason the PLP must resist any temptation to nominate candidates who are professing atheists.

AFTER Labour Director John Pinder said the government is looking to raise the minimum wage in the public sector to at least $300 per week, readers posted their reactions on tribune242.com.

Moncurcool1 said: “The sad thing is the government can raise the minimum wage to whatever it wants, as it never has to work about debt or deficits. A private business cannot run like the government or it would be out of business.

Maybe, the government needs to learn to operate like a private business. It can only spend what it has.

Then see how they look at minimum wage.”

That prompted this response from DonAnthony: “There is a a very clear understanding for civil servants: you will have far more job security and work much less harder than private sector workers along with a lower salary.

This is the pact, I have no problem increasing the

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net The PLP is deeply rooted in the Baptist tradition.

Sir Lynden O Pindling, a devout Seventh-Day Adventist near the end of his life, along with the other framers of the Constitution, mentioned Bahamians as having “an abiding respect for Christian values” in the preamble. Over the past several years attorney and prolific letter writer, Andrew Allen, son of former FNM Cabinet minister, Sir William Allen, has written many letters in defence of the PLP, which has led me to suspect that he might be entertaining thoughts of running under that party’s banner. While I stand to be corrected, I have good reasons to suspect that Allen is either an atheist or agnostic. Whatever the case may be, Allen should be knowledgeable of the insurmountable scientific obstacles standing in the way of atheism.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics, the Theory of General Relativity, the Big Bang, Hubble’s Law, Cosmic

salary of the civil service if it is downsized to an appropriate level that the govt can afford and if there is a commensurate increase in efficiency and productivity. Of course this will never happen which is why this country is facing a very real fiscal crisis in the near future. We need legislation that mandates a balanced budget. Every dollar of these increases will be borrowed adding further misery on the heads of already suffering taxpayers.”

Dawes posted this: “I think we can all agree that the minimum wage is too low, however has this been costed out? What will the impact be on Government finances? We will already be running a deficit without

Microwave Background and the Anthropic Principle and its attendant fine tuned universe have all made renowned atheists Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, Victor Stenger and Stephen Hawking squirm.

With 95 percent of Bahamians believing in God, Fielding an atheist candidate would be a huge gamble. In the unlikely event Allen is nominated and wins, would he emulate the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair in advocating policies that calls for the separation of church and state and removal of prayer and Bible reading from the educational system? Before each new Parliament session, the chaplain would lead members in prayer and Bible devotion. Would Allen object to this age-old tradition as an atheist MP? In light of the foregoing, the National General Council of the PLP must under no circumstances ratify any candidate who is a professing atheist. The Bahamas is a Christian nation. Consequently, there’s no room for atheists in our House of Assembly.

KEVIN EVANS Grand Bahama December 8, 2019. these increases, so the increase will be added on top of that. Meaning more will have to be borrowed. It seems that for a party that talks about fiscal prudence, they very quickly change their tone when the publicity is bad. Oh, and they can hope the private sector will follow suit all they want.

The private sector will first work out what the effect will be before they go ahead and do this.”

Which led to this comment from ThisIsOurs: “It will have the reverse effect they want. It’s another ill thought out knee jerk proposal. Increasing minimum wage in a recession can only increase the cost of goods and services because businesses have no excess profits to draw the added wages from. Their only option is to increase prices.

When prices increase the higher wages will be nullified, IN FACT, the cumulative price rise could outpace the salary increase.

The solution is growth . . . ”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 11, 2019, PAGE 5

Culmer: If you don’t back the PM, you don’t back the party from page one

PRIME Minister Hubert Minnis and, inset right, Carl Culmer

Symonette is part owner of the mall. A parliamentary resolution is required to permit a sitting MP to benefit from a contract with the government.

After he resigned from Cabinet, the St Anne’s MP revealed Dr Minnis called him to discuss the government’s plans to rent the mall before the resolution was brought to Parliament, an admission that appeared to contradict the resolution that was passed. Mr Symonette said the pair discussed the size of the mall to be leased and the cost of doing so.

Maurice Tynes, former parliamentary clerk, said lying or misleading Parliament is a “serious charge even though members throw it around so often.”

“They are supposed to stick to what the resolution says and debate on those terms; and the PLP probably

intentionally made their resolution very narrow to restrict them, but I’m sure the government will use the opportunity to talk about all the good things they have done and all the wrong the PLP has done in the past,” he said.

He expects the FNM to move an amendment to Mr Davis’ motion to say the House has confidence in the prime minister.

“That’s what usually happens, and after doing that they would then would go after the PLP,” he said. “You know how this is going to work, but it’s not pleasant and not good for a democracy for this to be done. When the numbers are what they are now in terms of parliamentary composition and you’re the opposition, you’re hoping to put on record some of the things you think were really egregious and hope they stick with the public.”

PLP leader Philip Davis

Editorial View - Page 4

Senior police officers ‘insulted’ by job switch from page one policy to prevent officers from accumulating so much vacation time that they had to be paid substantial sums when they reached retirement age.

However, five of the senior officers did not have enough accumulated vacation to last them into retirement. ACP Strachan is the first whose leave has ended. His attorney Wayne Munroe, QC, said he received a letter on Monday informing him of his transfer.

“He doesn’t accept that that action is proper,” Mr Munroe said. “He sought legal advice and we are considering how to handle the matter.”

Mr Munroe said it is insulting and disrespectful for an assistant commissioner to be made chief of security at a government agency.

“First of all, let’s assume you can’t reduce somebody’s pay and benefits,” he said.

“Do you really need that highly paid a chief security officer? Who was the previous chief security officer and what did they make so we can understand the salary scale for such a position?

“Furthermore, the assistant commissioner is a rank above the superintendent.

Superintendents tend to be in charge of entire divisions; for example, they are in charge of the eastern division which includes division headquarters, the girls’ schools, the boys’ school, the prison and all the surrounding communities. So you are going to put a senior man in charge of a school in a division that is headed by his junior? That’s just dumbness and sheer dishonesty.”

Mr Munroe said officers cannot be transferred against their will. He cited a case he brought in 2011 involving former Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl GrantThompson, who is now a Supreme Court justice.

Mrs Grant-Thompson was promoted to deputy law reform and revision commissioner against her will, a decision the court reversed.

“That’s a case where the government ended up paying us close to half a million in costs for,” Mr Munroe said.

Furthermore, he said the leave ACP Strachan took can’t be construed as

vacation leave because the officer never applied for vacation.

“In the service,” he said, “to be on vacation you have to submit a form and have it approved. That didn’t happen here. When you’re told to go home, that’s administrative leave which doesn’t reduce the amount of vacation you are owed, so in reality, he still has as much vacation leave now as he had in March.”

From the Department of Correctional Services to the police and defence forces, officers’ anger and frustration at the government’s leave policy has been a running theme this year.

Two deputy commissioners at the Department of Correctional Services sued the government in May, alleging they were forced to take vacation leave to facilitate the appointment of Charles Murphy, their junior, as commissioner of corrections.

Last month, former deputy commander of the defence force Samuel Evans accused the administration of disingenuously applying its vacation leave policy to him, saying the policy was less about fiscal prudence than about

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Kendal Strachan sidelining him and others so the government could form its preferred leadership teams.

Mr Munroe said the folly of the government’s action

was illustrated in Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson’s admission to the Nassau Guardian on Monday that the murder rate increased when

Hurricane Dorian strained police resources.

“If you admit that you have a lack of resources because a hurricane caused you to redeploy resources,” Mr Munroe said, “then why have you sent Clayton Fernander on vacation leave and didn’t return him to assist? How could you have afford to have Ken Strachan, a man the government paid to get trained by the FBI and all across the world with respect to firearms, on leave and not helping secure the country?”

Mr Munroe said the matter raises serious concerns about the independence of law enforcement agencies under the present administration.

“These fellas do not understand the importance of institutions,” he said.

“The police force is supposed to be impartial and independent. When you see what amounts to be political interference in the Frank Smith and the Shane Gibson trials and then you look at what they are doing now, one has to be concerned about the serious politicisation of the police force.”

EX MP ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF BREAKING CONTRACTS

FORMER Shirlea MP Pierre Dupuch has lashed out at Attorney General Carl Bethel and the Minnis administration, accusing government officials of breaking contracts previously entered into and tying the matters up in the courts.

Mr Dupuch claimed the government is facing millions of dollars in lawsuits because of this practice, which will force some people to lose their homes and businesses.

Speaking as a guest on radio show Hard Copy with host Steve McKinney on Monday, Mr Dupuch said Mr Bethel should have quit after the Attorney General’s Office lost two high profile bribery cases against former Progressive Liberal Party MPs Shane Gibson and Frank Smith.

“If you lose a case. . .or if they are botched up like those two seem to have been. . . the attorney general of any civilised country would resign without anybody asking him. But this one here boldly says I’m staying on and Minnis sits back and says okay,” Mr Dupuch claimed.

FORMER MP Pierre Dupuch He also claimed the government is facing hundreds of millions in lawsuits for alleged breach of contract.

“For example, do you realise that the FNM, Carl Bethel in particular, they are facing $186m-$200m lawsuits. . .against the government for allegedly breaking contracts and saying to them, for example if a guy has a contract for $10,000 they can come and say we aren’t going to pay you, we’ll pay you $1,000.

“And if you don’t accept that, what we’ll do is force you to go to court and we’ll see to it you’re not heard in five years.” In Mr Dupuch’s opinion this was extortion.

“Some of these people have lost their houses, their businesses, I know one or two

going to be closing up in a couple of weeks — and they don’t care. “There’s no negotiation,” Mr Dupuch claimed. In his opinion it was “pure and simple extortion.”

He also said: “They up and told people we’re not paying you and if you don’t like it, take it to court.”

He also lashed out at Mr Bethel for his perceived ineptitude.

“They should ask him to resign,” Mr Dupuch said.

“This is my country, my friend, and it’s going to hell fast and people like Carl Bethel are taking it there. I don’t like that.”

Mr Dupuch said the whole saga has left him disappointed in Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. “I thought he (Dr Minnis) was a man of character and would make decisions, but he doesn’t seem to be,” he said.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Bethel pushed back against Mr Dupuch’s criticism of him, saying Mr Dupuch cannot be unbiased because one of his family’s publishing houses is involved in litigation against the government.

“My senior lawyers have carefully reviewed the claims of the Etienne Dupuch, Jr., family for millions of dollars from the government, and have repeatedly advised me that the claim is simply without legal foundation; and is inequitable,” Mr Bethel told The Tribune. “Notwithstanding that and because of my respect for a longstanding publishing house, I have authorised ongoing discussions in an effort to address the claim.

“If Mr Pierre Dupuch wants to have a public back and forth on the merits of his family’s claim I am sure that the record will support the legal opinion I received, that the public would fully agree with my views and the opinion of my legal officers. It is unfortunate that Mr Pierre Dupuch would offer public comments on a matter in which he cannot reasonably be expected to have an unbiased view, since he is speaking about his family,” Mr Bethel added.

In June, The Tribune reported how a prominent Bahamian

publishing company - which is in no way connected with this newspaper and its affiliates - is suing the government for $28.8m with interest to secure payment for the production of more than five million publications promoting and advertising the country.

Etienne Dupuch Jr Publications Limited, also known as Dupuch Publications, is suing for $28,875,061, which it asserts is the amount due and owing to it for producing 1.7 million magazines, books and maps per year and circulating them throughout The Bahamas and in 11,000 hotel rooms at a price of $6.7m per year for three years.

Dupuch Publications alleges that the $28.8m it seeks is the end result of an alleged breach of contract by Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar and his ministry concerning an agreement his ministry entered into with the latter on or about November 26, 2014.

Dupuch Publications is also seeking damages against Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest in particular for what has been claimed is “unlawful interference” in the contractual agreement between itself and Mr D’Aguilar and his ministry for the production of the publications in question.

Off the eastern rd.

7am - 11am

Contact: 422-5871 house hold items

PAGE 6, Wednesday, December 11, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

50 BODIES LIE UNCLAIMED IN TRAILER ON ABACO from page one

be as long as six to nine months,” he said. “That is the international standard or timeline unless you use rapid DNA techniques.

There are still a number of remains in Abaco, four persons have been released to their families. All of the others remains (are) yet to be identified, yet to be released.”

He said officials would

like to curtail the length of time the bodies are kept in the Abaco trailer.

“In Abaco…we’d like to limit the length of time. We have remains in New Providence that would have been here in refrigerated trailers for years. There is no absolute limit as to how long you can keep refrigerated remains. In this instance however at that facility to have a trailer sitting there for an indefinite time is not ideal and so what we would like to be able to do is to be

very aggressive in terms of making it safe and easy for individuals to identify.”

He continued: “Bear in mind that some people may be afraid to come forward if their immigration status is not ideal. This problem is not unique to The Bahamas and so (a consideration is) to have an independent third party perhaps act as an intermediary so that the process of identification can take place.”

Dr Sands said not much progress has been made

for the burial site for the unidentified remains of people killed by Hurricane Dorian.

“You would have heard that we had a discussion about burial in a dignified fashion. We will need to identify a site and identify a grid so that these bodies can be interred at the appropriate point and exhumed if their loved ones are able to identify them so the remains can be turned over to their families,” he said.

Yesterday evening, Dr Sands released more information on the deceased victims which noted as of December 1, 55 bodies/ remains were recovered in Abaco while 47 bodies/remains had been examined.

There were 51 total remains in the trailer as of December 1, inclusive of an arm and a head, and eight bodies had not yet been examined. According to the release, six deaths in New Providence “related to

Hurricane Dorian remain unchanged.”

The official death toll from Dorian is 70, however officials have said the number could be greater.

According to NEMA officials, there are ten confirmed deaths in Grand Bahama and 60 confirmed deaths in Abaco.

National Security Minister Marvin Dames said in October that police have reports of 282 people still missing, the majority of them from Abaco.

PM pinning hopes on UN pledge conference

KATHERINE FORBES-SMITH, former president of the Senate, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, Iram Lewis, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, Denise Antonio (USA), UNDP Resident Representative for Jamaica, and John Michael Clarke, chairman of the Disaster Reconstruction Authority Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis hopes an upcoming United Nations pledging conference will attract donations that address the housing, environment,

education, health, infrastructure and economic needs of Grand Bahama and Abaco following Hurricane Dorian.

The conference, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme, is scheduled for January 13, 2020 in Nassau.

“Quite urgently, we are seeking to raise funds to

complement the government’s $10 million already given for home repairs,” Dr Minnis said at a press conference yesterday.

After two cyclones struck Mozambique earlier this year, the UNDP held a twoday international pledging conference in that country, attracting $1.2 billion in pledges.

Officials disclosed no specific target for The Bahamas but Denise Antonio, the UNDP resident representative here, said the pledging event is all about boosting support for the country.

“The UNDP’s Bahamas mission is intended to facilitate disaster recovery in the short, medium and long term, but it is also unique in that, for the first time, the UNDP is

actively seeking to engage the private sector and philanthropic individuals who are well-poised to help finance the recovery of this country,” she said.

She said the UNDP, in a collaboration with UNICEF, will inject financial resources into the affected communities through a cash for work programme to empower those most affected.

“This will help to advance debris clearance and management in Abaco,” she said.

John Michael Clarke, chairman of the National Disaster Authority, underscored the mammoth task ahead of removing debris from Abaco. The amount of debris needed to be moved is more than an entire year’s worth in New Providence, he said.

MORE PROBLEMS AT RAND HOSPITAL

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said “unexpected discoveries” at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama have delayed the renovation process.

Dr Sands told reporters outside of Cabinet yesterday that along with storm damage, workers have found termites and rotten wood. He said officials have been discussing how to expedite the clean up and restoration process at the Grand Bahama hospital.

He said: “This is going to be a moving target and with each step of the way, I would have just sat down with the project lead Mr Terrance Cartwright yesterday and he and I would have discussed the things that have been uncovered in this process.

“We don’t know exactly what else we will find. What I can tell you is what we have found has changed the scope of work. The architects and designers are going back to the drawing board again and we will have to constantly make adjustments.”

When asked about the price tag of the renovations, Dr Sands said he anticipated the remediation of the Rand to be about $20m but noted that figure may change. “... It probably won’t be with the same budget because again with a renovation you find stuff that you didn’t expect to find. Some of that has been donated. We have quotations coming in... we have portioned different areas of the Rand to different teams. So, the Rec Relief will be managing the administration area for instance, Carnival has been doing specific areas,” he said.

“St Bernard Parish has now come back to us and said they’d like to do a part of it. We have other offers on the table and then, of course, the Consolidated Fund or the government of The Bahamas will be the budget of last resort.”

Dr Sands said another issue the government faces is that patients housed in the Samaritan’s Purse tent hospital are cold during the night.

“Grand Bahama is not exactly warm at this time of year. One of the challenges

we are having is the insulation for the tent which wasn’t a problem when it was hot. It’s a problem now and people are finding it quite chilly and this is without air conditioning. We are trying to solve the problem of the cold nights and making sure the patients are kept warm enough,” he explained.

In September, Dr Sands revealed the Rand would cost roughly $19 million to repair.

The hospital was severely damaged during Hurricane Dorian, which resulted in flooding of over 70 percent of the hospital.

Water levels rose to four to five feet in some areas, and concerns were raised by staff about safety at the facility due to the exposure of black water intrusion.

It not only served as the only public hospital on the island, it is also a teaching hospital that provides practical training for medical students, including doctors and nurses.

Samaritan’s Purse, an international NGO, set up a state-of-the-art field hospital on Grand Bahama shortly after Dorian’s passage.

THE TRIBUNE from page one acting in concert with “disgruntled” BPSU members to “engineer” a “plot” to jeopardise his election bid in the NCTUB’s upcoming election.

That alleged conspiracy extends to a woman named Latoya Cartwright, who Mr Ferguson claims similarly stands to have her candidacy for NCTUB fourth vice president jeopardised as a result.

Mr Ferguson said given the “increasingly disruptive behavior” of the disgruntled BPSU members, which is a matter of record and a matter he has a “firm handle” over, he was not bothered initially. However, he said he became “concerned” when he was told that Mr Evans said he was prepared to refund payments made by the BPSU to the NCTUB to “artificially and deliberately” compromise the BPSU’s standing as a NCTUB affiliate.

Additionally, Mr Ferguson claims Mr Evans said he would cooperate with the “plan” upon receipt of a “letter from a lawyer”.

Mr Ferguson claims his members’ suspicions were “confirmed” when he received copies of two letters, issued by attorney Maria Daxon and addressed to Mr Evans and NCTUB Treasurer Lavern Pople, in which Ms Daxon “falsely asserted” she had been retained by the executive board and trustees of the BPSU. Ms Daxon has since confirmed to The Tribune that she does in fact represent the executive board and trustees of the BPSU. Nonetheless, Mr Ferguson said Ms Daxon, without “reasonable or lawful authority”, purported to request a return of funds duly paid by the BPSU to the NCTUB. And he asserts that the “singular objective” was to “harm BPSU by damaging its status as an affiliate of the NCTUB” in an attempt to compromise his and Ms Cartwright’s respective candidacies.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019, PAGE 7

Union boss Ferguson cries foul in election

BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson,above, has accused a fellow union leader of conspiring to “sabotage” his ambitions The first of the two letters, titled “Reversal of Affiliation Fees” and sent from Ms Daxon’s firm, is purported to have referred to a letter dated October 30 that was written

by Mr Ferguson concerning a payment of $12,000 to the NCTUB that was transferred on two separate dates: October 24 and October 30 of this year.

That letter said the BPSU’s executive board and trustees were never consulted about those payments and that the payments were thus made “without the board’s knowledge and authorisation”.

The letter went on to say that the executive board

was thus requesting that the $12,000 be “immediately” returned to the BPSU’s account at Scotiabank.

Then, in a second letter addressed to Mr Evans, that bears what purports to be Ms Daxon’s signature, the attorney advised the NCTUB chief that her law firm represents the board and trustees of the BPSU, and enclosed two documents for his perusal, namely a letter addressed to Ms Pople dated December 2, 2019, and another letter addressed to Ms Pople from Mr Ferguson dated October 30, 2019.

Mr Ferguson claims that upon receipt of Ms Daxon’s letters, he immediately

contacted the BPSU’s attorney, Kahlil Parker, who subsequently wrote a letter to Mr Evans dated December 2. In that letter, Mr Parker requested that Mr Evans “disregard” Ms Daxon’s demand for the refund of monies, and that the “status quo be maintained” to allow his legal team to “approach Ms Daxon directly in order to determine the source of her purported instructions”.

Mr Parker further requested that as the entire issue is an “internal” matter, no steps be taken “so as to prejudice the interests of the BPSU and the status of its affiliation with the NCTUB in the

absence of an order of the Supreme Court”.

Conversely, Mr Parker warned Mr Evans that any steps taken to the prejudice of the BPSU and the status of its affiliation with the NCTUB would be met with litigation.

Notwithstanding Mr Parker’s letter to Mr Evans and the NCTUB however, Mr Ferguson insisted that there was a risk that the NCTUB would seek to “interfere” with his and Ms Cartwright’s union bids. He asserted that if the NCTUB were allowed to conduct the election without his and Ms Cartwright’s participation as “duly nominated candidates”, the pair would

be “unlawfully and permanently deprived” of their right to “contest those elections as we had planned”.

Mr Ferguson went to claim that he was called into a meeting with Mr Evans on December 3, at which time the NCTUB chief told him that the NCTUB had decided to return monies duly paid by the BPSU and that as a result, the BPSU would no longer be in good standing with the NCTUB “so as to entitle (Mr Ferguson and Ms Cartwright) to stand for election to the positions of first and fourth vice president of the NCTUB, for which positions we had already been duly nominated”.

However, Mr Ferguson asserted that the NCTUB is not entitled to “unilaterally” return the funds in question, and neither has the NCTUB received a lawful request or demand from the BPSU for repayment of the funds in the circumstances.

As a result, Mr Ferguson petitioned the Supreme Court for an injunction to have the NCTUB election postponed pending further or final order should the NCTUB purport to conduct the elections without his and Ms Cartwright’s participation.

On December 3, Mr Ferguson’s application for an injunction was granted, as the Supreme Court barred the NCTUB, its servants, agents or officers from conducting or purporting to conduct its elections or otherwise without Mr Ferguson’s, Ms Cartwright’s and the BPSU members’ participation until 5pm on December 6.

The Tribune understands that has since been extended to December 30.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, December 11, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

MAKING A FESTIVE GIFT OF SUSTAINABILITY WE are complaining about the Christmas tree in downtown Nassau, wearing reindeer headbands and playing Christmas music. The holiday season is really here. One of the things people get most anxious about at this time of year is gift-giving. What should you get for mom? Dad? In-laws?

Friends? People you like, but have not known for that long?

Ideally, gift-buying would be done by now, but the traffic we will see over the next few weeks will certainly prove the search and the spending both continue.

Over the past few months, I have

been paying more attention to my consumption habits and the amount of waste it produces. I have decided not to give people more clothes they do not need, toys to add to what is probably enough, candles they will never light, plants they do not want to care for, or anything else that will bring a few seconds of happiness before fading into a mess of other things. I am giving people things that I hope will encourage them to be more mindful of what and how they consume. Bamboo utensil sets, reusable straws and canvas shopping bags are among my go-to gifts this year.

The

Alicia Wallace column

W

E ARE all born free and equal. We are all entitled to human rights. We all have the right to life, freedom and safety.

Gender, race, nationality, class and education level are non-factors. We do not have to earn human rights.

There are inherently ours.

Yesterday was the last day of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. The campaign started on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ended on International Human Rights Day. Human rights are often misunderstood, often seen as a vague term with no real meaning or a replacement for a more specific term (such as LGBT+ rights). Human rights are actually quite simple and it would be beneficial for everyone to understand them.

The preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has equal human rights, they are universal (meaning everyone is entitled to human rights), inalienable (meaning they cannot be taken away), they are indivisible (meaning all human rights have equal status and denial of one impacts another) and they are interdependent and interrelated (meaning they affect one another).

The declaration itself has 30 articles. The first five articles state everyone is equal and free, irrespective of difference in identity or demographic and ought to be safe from harm. Articles Six through 11 make it clear we are all equally entitled to protection under the law, have the right to remedy for the violation of rights grants by law, should not be arbitrarily arrested, detained, or exiled, have the right

to fair hearings regarding their rights where criminal charges are concerned.

Article 12 covers the right to privacy and protections from attacks on our reputations. Freedom of movement is covered

by Article 13, and Article 14 states that we all have the right to seek asylum, in other countries, from persecution. Article 15 covers the right to a nationality which is important to remember in discussions about immigration and citizenship. There are circumstance wherein people are born stateless because their country of birth does not give automatic citizenship and the place of their parents’ birth does not give citizenship when they are born outside of the country. This is a violation of the human right to nationality.

Everyone, at the age of maturity, has the right to marry under Article 16. The following articles make clear the right to own property individually or with others, freedom of thought, conscience, religion, freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of association and assembly. We do not have to agree with one another’s opinions, associations, or expressions, but we all of the right to them.

Article 21 affirms the right to democracy which includes the ability to participate in government directly or through representatives. It states the people’s will is the foundation of the government.

Social security and workers’ rights are covered by Articles 22 and 23; the latter includes the right to equal pay for equal work and the right to form and join trade unions. Rest and leisure, food and shelter, and education are the human rights detailed by Articles 24 through 26. Article 27

THE CHRISTMAS Tree in Rawson Square.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

The plastic ban is just a few weeks away and while companies have been given a grace period to use the plastic they already we have, we need to change our habits. We do not have to spend a lot of money to do it, and it is definitely worth the positive effect it will have on our environment.

We took a lot of lessons from Hurricane Dorian, but we are still not as focused on climate action as is necessary. It is time to practise less consumption, or at least more mindful consumption and enjoy the savings – financial and otherwise.

Human rights are not something to fight for, they are something we already have - even Haitians covers the right to protect what we produce through copyright. The last three articles state what must exist for these rights to be protected and effective – a free and fair world requires order, we have to be responsible to one another as a community and none of the rights affirmed in the declaration may be taken away by any state, group, or individual.

Knowing about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not the same as understanding the human rights it affirms and protects. The above description of the 30 articles gives general information about human rights, but true understanding comes from application. They need to be put in context. To do this, we can take our situation today as we continue to experience the effects of Hurricane Dorian.

Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights focuses on social security. We have the right to affordable housing, healthcare, education and childcare. These are economic, social and cultural rights necessary for human dignity and development.

Let us consider the people still living in the shelter at the Kendal GL Isaacs gymnasium. They are being housed in tent in conditions that are, at the very least, questionable. The

THE KENDAL GL Isaacs gymnasium has been used as a shelter government has announced registrations and attendthat it’s closing the shel- ances – including school ter and no plan has been uniforms and provision of shared for the housing of school supplies – did not, the people who would, do not and cannot outagain, be displaced. It is weigh their human right to their human right to be receive an education. The adequately housed while it government is responsible is the government’s respon- for ensuring school-age sibility to ensure that all children are enrolled and attending school. The same residents are safe.

Many children evacu- applies to healthcare and ated to Nassau from Abaco childcare. Public services and Grand Bahama. They exist because there is a needed to be enrolled responsibility to ensure evein school. The existing ryone has access to them, capacity of schools, cost regardless of their ability of the influx of students to cover the cost of the serand the requirements for vice. This is the way human

rights are acknowledged and protected by governments. The government is not to say: “Sorry, all of the schools in Nassau are full.”

Its job is to make accommodations, whether that is opening a new school, adding classrooms, making use of technology, or some other means. It is obligated to educate the children living in The Bahamas.

Human rights are easy to understand and agree upon when we are talking about children. The concept seems to be more difficult to grasp when we talk about other groups of people. We can look, for example, at Haitian migrants. We know that Haitian migrants have been impacted by Hurricane Dorian. They, as human beings, have human rights that we are obligated to acknowledge and protect. Article 22 affirms their right to social services.

There is no exception.

There is no loophole.

No part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights suggests that citizenship is a prerequisite for human rights. Haitian migrants have the right to be properly housed, to access health services and to be educated. Not only is it the Christian thing to do (if we are still insisting The Bahamas is a Christian nation), showing brotherly love - but it is a legal obligation.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, December 11, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

DEMOCRATS UNVEIL IMPEACHMENT CHARGES AGAINST TRUMP WASHINGTON Associated Press

HOUSE Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump yesterday, declaring his actions toward Ukraine “betrayed the nation” as they pushed toward historic proceedings that are certain to help define his presidency and shape the 2020 election.

The specific charges aimed at removing the 45th president of the US: abuse of power and

obstruction of Congress. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flanked by the chairmen of impeachment inquiry committees at the U.S. Capitol, said they were upholding their solemn oath to defend the Constitution. Trump responded angrily on Twitter: “WITCH HUNT!” Voting is expected in a matter of days by the Judiciary Committee, and by Christmas in the full House. The charges, if approved, would then be sent to the Senate, where the Republican majority would be unlikely to convict

Trump, but not without a potentially bitter trial just as voters in Iowa and other early presidential primary states begin making their choices.

In the formal articles, the Democrats said Trump enlisted a foreign power in “corrupting” the U.S. election process and endangered national security by asking Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Democrat Joe Biden, while withholding US military aid as leverage. That benefited

Russia over the US as America’s ally fought Russian aggression, the Democrats said.

Trump then obstructed Congress by ordering current and former officials to defy House subpoenas for testimony and by blocking access to documents, the charges say.

By his conduct, Trump “demonstrated he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, “ the nine-page impeachment resolution says.

“If we did not hold him accountable, he would continue to undermine our election,” Pelosi said later at a forum sponsored

by Politico. “Nothing less is at stake than the central point of our democracy - a free and fair election.’’

After decrying the Democrats’ announcement, Trump headed to Pennsylvania for a reelection campaign rally, tweeting that to impeach a president “who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness.”

Six die in Jersey City gun battle NEW JERSEY Associated Press SIX people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gun battle Tyesterday that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said.

The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly said.

The slain officer, Detective Joseph Seals, 40, was credited by his superiors with having led the department in the number of illegal guns removed from the streets in recent years, and might have been trying to stop an incident involving such weapons when he was cut down by gunfire that erupted near a cemetery, authorities said.

The shooting then continued at a kosher supermarket about a mile away, where five more bodies were found, Kelly said.

Authorities believe the Jewish market was targeted by the gunmen, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop

LAW enforcement gathers near the shooting in Jersey City yesterday. tweeted last night. “It’s a really tough day for the city of Jersey City,” Fulop said.

Seals “was one of the best officers for getting the most guns off the streets. He was a good cop.”

Two other officers were

wounded but were later released from the hospital, authorities said.

The bullets started flying early in the afternoon in the city of about 270,000 people, situated across the Hudson River from

Memorial Service For Vivian Alston Rolle, 72 affectionately called

“Cap” or “Jr.”

of Bel- Snow Close, Bel- Air Estates and formerly of Mt. Thompson, Exuma will be held on Thursday, December 12th, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at Hillview Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Tonique WilliamsDarling Highway.

Loving memories will always be remembered by his Beautiful Wife Of 45 Years: Dorothy E. Rolle; Two Daughters: J. Ravenna Rolle And Levette Akiva Burrows; Four Sons: Mcklyn B., Laurindo R., Jason A. And Glen A. Rolle; One DaughterIn-Law: S. Synetra Rolle; One Son-In-Law: Francis D. N. Burrows; Three Grand-Daughters: Ashley G. & Alexis S. Dean & Aniya O. Burrows; Three Grandsons: Cletis G. Dean Jr., Gabriel J. Rolle & Flynn D. N. Burrows; Mother: Naomi Rolle; Eight Sisters: Kathlene, Sonia, Jennifer, Zilpha, Leoni, Dell, Kuala & Harriet; Seven Brothers: Kermit, Nigel, Jacob, Livingston, Ivan, Isaac & Lynden; Sisters-In-Law: Jepena, Gloria, Melvese, Agnes, Selena, Stella, Tasha, Sharon, Janet & Sonia; Brothers-In-Law: Patrick Wilson, Samuel Davis, Austin Clark, Harold & Charles Strachan; Uncles: Nehemiah Rolle, Charles Knowles & Hansel Brennen; Aunts: Mrytle Knowles, Correne Brennen, Viola Rolle, Savaletta Rolle & Elizabeth Bullard; Numerous Nieces, Nephews & Cousins Including: Craig Gaitor, George Bain, Rev. Wilton McKenzie, Ormond, Hesley, Mae and Fredricka; God-Brothers: Elsworth Rolle, Pastor E. D. Clarke; Numerous Relatives & Friends Including: Pastor H. A. Roach & Family, Pastor Peter Joseph & Family, Pastor Micheal Toote & Family, Pastor Paul Scavella & Family, Charles Miller & Family, Johnny Taylor & Family, Clement Maycock, The Burrows Family, Willette Simmons, Advira Frazer, Maxwell McNeil & Family, Isadora Saunders & Family, Andrea Whyms & Family, The Arnett Family, Corene Moxey & Family, Sandra Dill & Family, Orilee Smith & Family, The Saunders Family, Gloria Pitter & Family, John Thompson & Family, Stanville Thompson & Family, Phillip Rolle & Family, Betty Rolle & Family, The Hanna, Cox & Johnson Families, Remelda Smith, Sidney Sylvester & Family, Eustence Jennings & Family, The S.D.A. Families of Hillview, The S.D.A. Families Of Mt. Thompson, Moss Town & Rolleville, Bel-Snow Close Family, Maxwell McNeil & Family, Retired & Existing Colleagues Of The Bahamas Customs Department, The Progressive Liberal Party Family, The Staff Of Medical Surgical Ward 2 Of P. M. H., Dr. Nicholas Fox, Dr. Paige Lopez-Burrows, Dr. C. Thompson, Dr. Fritz, Nurse Samantha Bain, The Neurology Department Of The University Of Miami, Christine Curry–Wong & The Staff At Curry’s Pharmacy, The Volleyball Family, The AML Brokerage Department and many others to numerous too mention.

New York City. Seals, who worked for a unit called Cease Fire, was shot around 12.30 p.m. The gunmen then drove a stolen rental van to another part of the city and engaged police in a lengthy shootout.

Kelly said when police responded to the area of the kosher store, officers “were immediately engaged by high-power rifle fire.”

A video shot by a witness shows a police officer on the ground by a car, apparently wounded. Another officer goes to him, helps him up and the two run around a corner as gunshots ring out. Seconds later, as a police cruiser pulls up in front of the store, about a dozen shots are heard in rapid succession.

“Our officers were under fire for hours,” the chief said.

Inside the grocery store, police found the bodies of who they believed were the two gunmen and three other people who

apparently happened to be there when the assailants rushed in, authorities said.

Police said they were confident the bystanders were shot by the gunmen and not by police.

The kosher grocery is a central fixture in a growing community of Orthodox Jews who have been moving to Jersey City in recent years.

Chabad Rabbi Moshe Schapiro, who shops at the kosher store and attends a synagogue next door, said he spoke with the store owner, Moishe Ferencz.

“He told me he had just walked out of the store into the synagogue not five feet away just before this happened, and then he couldn’t get back for hours,” Schapiro said. “His wife was inside the store. He said, ‘I hope my wife is safe.’”

The names of the victims inside the store were not immediately released, pending notification of relatives.

BLOOMBERG SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS MADRID Associated Press

NEW York billionaire and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg led a high-powered charge against President Donald Trump’s climate policies yesterday, assuring activists, scientists and politicians from around the world that Americans are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions “even with a climate change denier in the White House.”

Bloomberg, who launched his 2020 campaign less than three weeks ago, spoke during a trip to the UN global climate conference in Madrid, as the official US delegation at a booth nearby kept a low profile. Together with former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore, Bloomberg constituted a sort of shadow delegation at a time when Trump is moving to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate accord. As other Democratic candidates have done, Bloomberg vowed to immediately rejoin the pact if elected president. “The first thing you do, Day One, is you say we’re going back in,” he said. “That’s a no-brainer.”

The former New York mayor has helped support and fund a private push to get US states, cities and businesses to abide by the terms of the Paris accord.

He touted a report that said non-federal actors representing more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy are on course to cut the nation’s emissions 37% by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. If the next administration joins in, that figure could rise to 49%, bringing the U.S. roughly in line with the Paris treaty, according to the report.

“Americans are willing to continue to work, even with a climate change denier in the White House,” he said.

The US remains a party to the climate pact until Nov. 4, 2020 — the day after the US presidential election.