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VOLUME:117 No.26, DECEMBER 30TH, 2019

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48 hours to go Deadline nears for nationwide ban on single-use plastics

By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net WITH about 48 hours until the government’s single use plastics ban comes into effect, major companies in New Providence are still in the process of making final preparations for the fast approaching January 1 deadline.

Among these is Baha Mar whose Senior Vice President Robert “Sandy” Sands told The Tribune the mega resort was working to achieve what is required under the new ban.

He noted that although the resort is ready for the upcoming deadline there were still some final preparations to be made for the ban.

Ed Field, the

vice-president of public affairs for Atlantis, said: “We are prepared with respect to the government’s initiative as it relates to eliminating single use plastics. As an environmentally conscious resort, we have eliminated the use of plastic straws, Styrofoam cups and containers and have changed heavy plastic take-out food containers and utensils to containers made from sugar cane and bamboo. We are also in the very advanced stages of replacing single use bottles and replacing them with either plant based bottles or stainless steel reusable bottles. In the meantime, we have added refillable water stations around property, to help control bottle usage.”

SEE PAGE THREE

80 TEST POSITIVE FOR TB EXPOSURE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 340 people living in two shelters for Hurricane Dorian victims have been screened for tuberculosis - 80 of them with positive skin tests, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands yesterday.

Those with the positive skin tests are in the process of further screening through chest x-rays.

Earlier this month, a

student living in the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium tested positive for an active case of tuberculosis and was admitted to hospital for treatment.

Officials have also screened people at the Bahamas Academy Gymnasium shelter on Wulff Road and plan to continue to effort.

“It does not mean they were exposed to tuberculosis from this particular person,” Dr Sands said of the situation.

SEE PAGE FIVE

BUMPY START TO THE NEW YEAR DRIVERS have been left to navigate a badly repaired road at the traffic light at Village Road and Shirley Street, after work by Bahamas Power & Light has been patched together into a pothole-filled stretch of road. See page eight for more.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

DIONISIO - WE NEED TO RAISE OUR GAME

BANNISTER - WE CAN’T NEGLECT HARBOUR ISLAND

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE tourism minister has vented his frustration that “butt-busting” efforts to spark a post-Dorian rebound are being undermined by self-inflicted “hiccups” during the peak winter season.

Dionisio D’Aguilar said “we really must improve our game” after Harbour Island’s 72-hour power outage over the Christmas holiday, combined with Sunwing’s inability to depart Grand Bahama

International Airport after dark, struck directly at the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to market The Bahamas as “open for business” following the storm.

He argued that the “fiasco” of Harbour Island, one of The Bahamas’ most popular tourist destinations, being plunged into darkness for three days highlighted the need for this nation to have “resilient, well-tested back-up plans” in place to prevent such situations from spiralling out of control.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

A CABINET minister yesterday pledged that Harbour Island’s infrastructure will be neglected no longer even after a local “backlash” forced the Government to suspend a $5m dock upgrade.

Desmond Bannister, Minister of Works, said that the destination’s utilities, roads and other public infrastructure may not have received sufficient attention in the past following the 72-hour power blackout suffered

over the Christmas holiday.

Suggesting the Minnis administration had been well aware of the need for improvements, he revealed it had been forced to place a signed contract to overhaul Harbour Island’s main dock on hold after Briland residents called for the facility to be relocated.

But, with the proposed new location fraught with “environmental sensitivities”, Mr Bannister said the Government had effectively been forced to put the project on hold.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

CANNABIS MOVES HAVE GOMEZ’ BLESSING INSIGHT

By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net

RETIRED Archbishop Drexel Gomez fully supports the decriminalisation and medical use of marijuana but insists there must be major control over the substance.

After reviewing the draft report from the Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana, Archbishop Gomez agreed

ARCHBISHOP Drexel Gomez on decriminalising marijuana and also supports the use of medical marijuana.

However, the

Archbishop does not support recreational use and urged the government to place strict controls that he believes is critical to protect the common good.

The commission recommended that recreational cannabis be permitted for adults over 21 years and medicinal cannabis for adults over 18.

“There’s no doubt whatsoever that there is a positive role for cannabis SEE PAGE FIVE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

DR KING WOULD BE SHEDDING TEARS OF BLOODSEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Monday, December 30, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Butler hails improvement in crime figures for GB

ACP Samuel Butler leads his officers during a walkabout in Grand Bahama during the Christmas holiday.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

by DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@ tribunemedia.net

As 2019 comes to an end, Assistant Commissioner of Police Samuel Butler says that there has been a general improvement in crime figures for Grand Bahama.

“Grand Bahama has performed reasonably well when looking at the numbers; generally, we feel good about the community (here),” he said, giving his perspective on crime almost a year into his appointment to the Grand Bahama District.

“We have done reasonably well, but we cannot talk about 2019 without talking about the challenges of Hurricane Dorian.”

In January 2018, Mr Butler took charge of the GB district known not only as a major drug and human smuggling transit point but one that is particularly vulnerable to storms. In early September, the police chief and his department faced its greatest challenge ever - Hurricane Dorian, which wiped out their entire fleet of 60-plus vehicles as a result of flooding that left nine dead, and 23 others still missing in Grand Bahama.

ACP Butler said he was very pleased with the level of performance of his officers and volunteers from the community who put their own lives at risk to save others under such devastating circumstances.

Speaking on the topic of crime, Mr Butler was also very pleased to report

improvements in some categories but indicated that he could not speak specifically to crime statistics which would be officially released by the Police Commissioner.

“We feel good about our numbers – in property crimes we have seen that they are rolling back in the right direction. In crimes against a person, we saw some challenges in some of those areas but…there was always a good (outcome) at the end of police following through with investigations to bring resolve to those matters.”

Traffic accidents and fatalities are also down, he reported.

With regard to murders, ACP Butler said that he is satisfied with the detection rate.

“There are still a number of (murder cases) police are looking at – a few homicides are not resolved yet, and we definitely will continue to put all effort in undetected homicides that are still open. Each year we have crimes that are not detected, but…we feel really comfortable with the level of detection.”

Mr Butler commended the community for sharing information with the police, helping them solve much of their cases.

The police chief, however, was concerned about the nature and types of the homicides being committed.

“The year has been a challenging one when we look at some of the homicides, particularly recognizing some of a domestic nature where a son would challenge a mother - that is a critical thing; and when persons in a relationship have unresolved issues and go after each other,” he said.

In July, police made a gruesome discovery when the body of a woman was found in the trunk of a vehicle at a local car junkyard in Freeport. A young man was later arrested and charged in connection with the homicide.

In September, a young mother was stabbed to death in her apartment. A young man, believed to be the victim’s boyfriend, was charged last week in connection with her death.

Mr Butler said: “We are really in a good place with our (crime-solving) rate in any of our crime areas.”

In terms of gun possession, the police chief indicated that several arrests were made for illegal firearm possession this year.

“We are concerned because many of those arrests happened in public spaces, particularly surrounding nightlife,” he said.

When asked about gangs, Mr Butler does not think that there is a gang problem in GB.

“When you talk about organised gang with a direct plan to go out and commit crime that does not exist in no true form in GB,” We do have persons that associate themselves to a geographic area; it is a social problem and many young persons are idle and may not at this moment in time be employed,” he explained.

DRUGS The ACP reported a significant decline in drug trafficking in Grand Bahama.

“We saw a major push back in the right direction - that is not to say drug trafficking has gone away. They were always looking for places where they find the least resistance, and as you tighten a particular area they move and find other areas,” he explained.

“In recent years there had been trafficking events throughout major ports, but we see a reasonably good turn away from that, Mr Butler said.

“Drug trafficking still exists in GB and we will continue to challenge those persons. But we are happy to note that in this zone as we continue to look and analyze what is happening, there is good suppression in that area.”

Mr Butler indicated that drug peddling is another issue that the police have been tackling in Grand Bahama.

“That is always critical, and for me, as the crime manager here in GB we tell our frontline officers to pay attention to that, and we had many successes cracking down on drug peddling zones and houses within our community,” he added.

While there have been “a few” instances concerning the cultivation of illicit drugs this year in Grand Bahama, Mr Butler indicated that it has not been a challenge in terms of volume compared to previous years.

“We have a lot of virgin lands here in GB, but we have done reasonably well in terms of our presence in those areas,” he said. Cultivating (marijuana) is still here, but again, it is not as widespread as what we saw in previous years.”

ACP Butler stressed that the police are committed to ensuring a safe community.

“Our goal is that we have safe communities. It is not going to be achieved by the police department alone, I encourage every stakeholder and every resident to buy into having a safe community,” he said.

In an effort to strengthen ties with the community, Mr Butler noted that the police have held several events to forge a close partnership with the GB community, including events involving the elderly, young people, schools, and various community groups.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 30, 2019, PAGE 3

Deadline nears for nationwide ban on single-use plastics from page one Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira last year introduced the prohibition, which will eliminate items such as plastic straws, styrofoam food containers, plastic utensils and singleuse plastic shopping bags.

“We’re prepared as much as we can be based on what is available in the marketplace, but we’re still making preparations,” he said. “We’ve introduced a number of initiatives from earlier in the year and certainly I think we’re working towards achieving most of the objectives.”

He continued: “Of course, there are a number of items that still have to be ruled out over the ensuing period because of our imported items, so as long as they have been exhausted at new different stocks, different packings will be in place...”

“It’s going to take some time to be completely addressed, but we’re satisfied that as far as we’re able to purchase the available alternatives that are available, we are compliant.”

By implementing the ban, The Bahamas will join more than 40 countries around the world, including parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Kenya that have already enforced or are in the process of formulating bans on selected plastic and Styrofoam products.

Having embarked on the plastic ban journey for well over a year, Mr Sands said they are hopeful the transition will be a smooth one.

“We’re hopeful that (the transition) will be as smooth as possible. A number of the elements like straws and take out containers... and water bottles will require a slightly longer transitioning period, but as soon as the marketplace introduces those things...I think we are well on our way to satisfying a lot of the conditions.”

Speaking to The Tribune

PLASTIC litter can be discarded environments. yesterday, Ash Henderson, marketing director for Restaurant Services Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Burger King and Dunkin Donuts franchise operator, expressed similar sentiments.

“We’ve recently transitioned to paper cups at Dunkin’, for example, and will be using paper straws and eco-friendly containers and utensils in our other restaurant brands, KFC for example, by the time that the plastic ban takes effect,” he said. “(But) we’ve been fortunate that we generally don’t

in an instant - but become a pollutant for years, even in marine use a lot of plastic or Styrofoam in our businesses, and we’ve also received great support from our franchise partners.”

Mr Henderson also noted that they are working hard to ensure that customers are not greatly impacted as a result of the ban.

“These eco-friendly products are inherently more expensive, but we’re working hard to minimise any disruptions to our customers. We work with some great supply chain partners, so have had adequate time to prepare for the ban.”

Once the ban comes into effect, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday businesses will not be able to import any plastic straws, styrofoam food containers,

plastic utensils and singleuse plastic shopping bags into the country.

However, stores will be allowed to charge customers per bag a fee between 25 cents and $1. The cost of the bags must appear on a customer’s receipt as a “check out bag fee”.

Companies will also be allowed to keep the fees collected for the sale of these bags, but a record must be kept of the number of bags supplied during the reporting year, along with the gross and net proceeds of the sale.

Failure to keep these records could result in fines up to $2,000 and failure to supply a copy of the record to the Ministry of the Environment carries a fine up to $1,000.

PAGE 4, Monday, December 30, 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,

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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

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

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Are you ready for the plastic ban?

WITH only a couple of days to go before the ban on single use plastics comes into effect, we would like to applaud all those in the business community who have worked hard to be prepared.

From Atlantis to Baha Mar, from major supermarkets to corner stores, from fast food chains to family-owner restaurants, this has been a shift that will affect every corner of The Bahamas.

Of course, there is one section of society that might not be as prepared as the business world for the incoming ban – customers. Are you prepared? And if not, what can you do?

Well, at the start of the year, stores can charge you for each bag you use – a fee of up to a dollar. All those dollars add up, of course, and across the year, you could find yourself paying a significant amount – if you don’t prepare.

So spend a little now and buy yourself some reusable bags that you can take to the store time and time again. It will help cut down on the amount of plastic bags that end up in the landfill or, worse, finding their way into the environment on land or in water. Carry the reusable bags when you go to the store – a little preparation to ensure you can help play a part in cutting down on plastic use.

The same goes for the end of styrofoam packaging – so many of us are used to using such containers at cookouts or to tote food from parties. Do the same as with bags – be prepared with reusable containers that you can take with you in place of styrofoam boxes.

It may seem like an irritation to some – but a bit of forward planning can get around that, and help make a real difference to the environment of The Bahamas.

So if you find yourself grumbling about the extra dollar for a bag at the store, bear in mind the bigger cost to our environment if we don’t deal with plastic pollution.

Put that way, a dollar seems a very small price to pay.

Cautious approach to marijuana change Archbishop Drexel Gomez has long been a sound voice of reason to listen to when it comes to the problems facing our nation.

Retired he may be, but his voice in the debate on marijuana is a welcome one.

The note of caution he sounds is also good to hear. The focus in the debate on marijuana has often been on the consequences – often for young men – who have their lives changed by a criminal conviction for the smallest amount of the drug.

But just as with alcohol consumption, there can be negative effects of marijuana usage – and Archbishop Gomez sounds the right note of caution about not opening the flood gates.

Just as we wouldn’t encourage people to drink all day, nor would it be sensible for people to think they can smoke all day.

We should take a leaf out of the pattern followed by the gaming houses after the referendum to allow gambling – ensure there is an education campaign on the effects of marijuana and require the companies that do emerge to sell marijuana to invest some of their profits into support for those who do have problems.

In short, this should be approached in a way to take away problems affecting those who have acquired unnecessary criminal records or who want medical marijuana, without creating new problems for individuals or society at large.

It’s a balancing act – but the note that Archbishop Gomez sounds is the right one.

What is reassuring is this: the discussion is well under way, and we hope that reasoned voices will ensure we emerge from this with the right solution. Thank you, Archbishop, for providing a clear voice once again.

No confidence in these rules EDITOR, The Tribune.

SO, according to the Rules of the House of Assembly seemingly so unbrilliantly drafted by QC once AG Alfred Sears, no Vote of No Confidence can be brought against a sitting Government…

Prime Minister or Minister as soon as you table it it can be countered with a Confidence Resolution… brilliance, but so laughable

the PLP caught by their own mischief.

In a democracy you must have the right in Parliament for the Government - Prime Minister or Ministers to be challenged by the Opposition with a Resolution charging their no confidence in their Government or Minister or what do you have?

If, and I really question this, the Most Hon Prime Minister means what he

A mess to clean up...

EDITOR, The Tribune, CONGRATULATIONS, Diane Phillips, on your excellent article drawing our attention to the appalling state of Nassau harbour’s south shore, where sunken boats large and small are abandoned and rotting.

You also drew attention to the engine oil, fuel, and battery acids which are likely to be seeping from these wrecks.

Really, isn’t there SOME arm of Government responsible for cleaning up this mess?

RONALD LIGHTBOURN Nassau, December 28, 2019.

says and does what he says he should immediately change the Rules of the House to effect that all No Confidence Resolutions have to be heard and voted on and cannot be muted by tabling a confidence resolution. I know it will not happen…might be shocked thou?

W THOMPSON Nassau, December 21, 2019.

...and a mess made

by BPL EDITOR, The Tribune.

A FEW weeks ago, BPL trenched the bottom of Village Road on Shirley Street and didn’t bother to reinstate the road.

Today, the area is a mess as recent heavy rain has further eroded the deep potholes, forcing vehicles to come to a virtual standstill at the foot of this busy intersection.

Will BPL be paying for any damage to these vehicles? Will they be held responsible for any accident that may occur, especially at night as there are no hazard warning signs or cones?

How much more of BPL’s carelessness do we have to endure?

ATHENA DAMIANOS Nassau, December 29, 2019

Now is our winter of discontent EDITOR, The Tribune.

2019 will go down as one of the toughest years for the average Bahamian.

Yes, there are pockets of apparent success but I am certain that there are more Bahamians today who are worse off than they would have been a year or two ago. The misery index, in my view, has gone through the roof. It has been announced that the annual labour survey will not include Abaco for the first time in years.

No doubt, the passage of Dorian a few months ago has impacted the facts on the ground. Be that as it may, unemployment and the basic costs of living have gone up tremendously under the Minnis regime. One may say whatever he/she likes about the old PLP then led

by Brother Christie but at least the average Bahamian could have found a job, no matter how menial and was able to eke out a semi-miserable life. Not so today. In today’s Bahamas it is a debilitating and depressing concern to simply keep a roof over one’s head and to provide the basic essentials for one’s self and loved ones.

As we round out 2019 this winter is one of discontent. In 2017 I venture to suggest that almost 56% of the electorate voted for the then opposition FNM..... not that they were actually members or supporters of that entity but because we had to get rid of Christie and his inner sanctum.

With a new leader at the helm, the PLP has bounced back, big time. Yes, the New Deal PLP is a work in progress – one is almost able to feel the vibrancy and see the resurgence of

and crew will be gone sooner rather than later.

You noticed that with the knuckle-headed Attorney letters@tribunemedia.net General this regime has this iconic and beloved not been able to successfully prosecute several high political force.

Everything has gone up profiled criminal and legal except employment and cases. The bumbling antics wages in the private sector. of that outfit are compelMany of our traditional ling reasons why the AG unions are up in arms. should be decent and offer Medical doctors have had his resignation. At least to suffer the indignity of one cabinet minister had withdrawing their labour the gall to lash out at the so as to drive home some FNM regime for not doing basic complaints to the enough, fast enough for Ministry of Health and countless Bahamians.

The winter of disconthe Most Hon Prime Minister. The Teachers Union tent has set in and with members are disgruntled the oncoming frost and despite the Minister of snow, 2020 will be an even Education being a teacher colder one than this year. of sorts. The hotel work- I predict an increase in ers are grousing and the rate for VAT; stamp walking off the job. Police duty; NIB contributions; and Defence Force offic- electrical and other utility ers are agitated over any rates and fees for housnumber of issues. The ing dead people at the Minister of National Secu- morgue. No one, least rity appears to be on a of all me, is or should be personal vendetta relative happy to witness, right to high ranking officers in before our very eyes, the political demise of this both branches.

Within the ranks of the heartless government.

To distract the wrath FNM itself two members have crossed the floor. of the unwashed masses Some opine that gutless Minnis and them are now McAlpine will soon do the proposing, as a political same but this is unlikely in sop, to decriminalise small my view. For many years amounts of marijuana, and this man of the cloth was more hiring in an already hanging around the PLP top heavy civil service. seeking a nomination, The FNM is fast becoming which he never got. He’s known as the party of fruit in the House now and he cakes and master deceivknows that he cannot and ers. In my opinion they are will not receive a renomi- leftist leaning and taxing nation next time around. It people to death to fund might not matter anyhow pie in the sky projects and because snow will fall in to line up the ducks. No Hell, I submit, before this winter, however, lasts forhated regime is re-elected ever. A brand new era of in 2022. Grand Bahama sunshine is just around the more than likely will go corner. yellow with all five seats ORTLAND H BODIE, over there.

This is the winter of dis- Jr Nassau, content and unless the Lord December 14, 2019. continues to tarry Minnis

LETTERS

Cannabis moves have Gomez’ blessing

THE TRIBUNE

from page one the medical field, but my concern is how is that going to be controlled. I am strongly in favour of decriminalisation. But you must still restrict the use of cannabis in the community.

If you legalise it to open it up to the public that would be a serious, serious error.

There is no question that there are some negative aspects of cannabis. To give the impression that you can just open the flood gates and let everybody use it, would be disastrous,” said Archbishop Gomez.

As the legalisation of marijuana has triggered overwhelming interest in the country; the retired Archbishop said that it is important the narrative on the legalisation of marijuana is clear so that the average person understands.

“I would want to emphasise the aspect of decriminalisation. I especially agree for young men who had to serve prison time for just having a joint, to me it’s only rational and sensible to remove that stigma and I would agree removing that from their criminal record. I would strongly support that as a social issue. In terms of availability, it does seem to me that we have to be extremely careful in controlling the use because there is a feeling in the community that once the law is changed everybody can have a fling and that is nonsense,” said the Archbishop.

Monday, December 30, 2019, PAGE 5

An overall authoritative agency should monitor all areas of a cannabis industry according to Archbishop Gomez, from controlling who farms and sells the substance.

“I hope that we would produce one body to control all of the aspects of cannabis. One ministry should have total control over the whole and within the ministry there are departments. So we should create a national organisation responsible for all aspects of cannabis use in the country. This body would be responsible for all of the activities. It would be better for the country if there is one group, one authority that deals with all the issues related to marijuana,” he said.

The commission made an initial recommendation of five marijuana plants per household for those with medical marijuana cards.

Gomez disagrees with this and recommended that any farming and sales of marijuana, go through a valid process of distributors being licensed. “Patients being permitted to grow plants; I am concerned over that position. I would be happy if the availability of cannabis for medical use is controlled completely by medical people. Opening up the possibility for patients to growing their own marijuana is to be fraught with difficulties because it can be exploited and lead to serious problems,” he said.

“We must have strong controls at every level. And that means that we must have controls about who

is to produce the cannabis and controls as to how it is to be made available to the general public and how it is to be made available for medical use. The government must accept responsibility for putting in the reasonable and necessary controls so that the availability of cannabis is always controlled and not that it is free for all.

And that control would be licensing people to grow also licensing people to sell, so we don’t have people walking in the streets trying to sell joints. The control is going to be absolutely crucial if the common good of the nation is to be preserved and enhanced. And I would want to emphasise the importance of the common good, it isn’t for individual enjoyment but whatever rules we put in place, must be to protect the common good.”

As it relates to the commercial benefits of marijuana, Gomez agrees Bahamians should be the majority owners to benefit from the industry. However, he is wary that Bahamians may be portrayed as faces, while foreign entities control the industry. He pointed to Jamaica as an example of a country that has lost control of its cannabis industry to foreigners.

“I see that they are proposing that Bahamians must at least have 51 percent ownership. In the light in what has already happened in our country, I’m concerned about what we call Bahamians fronting for foreigners, we have a history of that. And while

80 TEST POSITIVE FOR TB EXPOSURE from page one

“The next step in screening would be a chest x-ray.

If the chest x-ray is normal then they would be considered as an exposure they would receive what we call prophylaxis if they’re not infectious and they go about their business. They do not count as an active case of tuberculosis.

“If the chest x-ray is abnormal then we determine if they are abnormal because of cancer, abnormal because of pneumonia, abnormal because of tuberculosis and they would require further testing most likely in hospital.”

However, the minister noted that The Bahamas had one of the lowest incidents of the disease.

“We have an aggressive public health protocol towards the eradication and management of tuberculosis exposure. So every time we have a case we go through this.

“We go to the churches.

We go to the schools that the index case would have

been. We go into their homes. We go into their communities and we test everybody so that we could avoid the spread of tuberculosis.”

“So these 80 persons who have been screened now require secondary screening and if the test x-ray comes out suspicious or positive or something’s wrong with it then we go to the next level,” he added.

A little over two weeks ago the Ministry of Health said in a statement that it was not known where the student’s infection originated.

“As of 11 December 2019, 273 persons in the shelter have been screened,” the ministry said at the time. “Of that number 63 had positive skin tests, inducing an exposure to TB at some time in their past. As a part of the TB protocol those persons will also receive a chest x-ray to determine whether they have active TB or were merely exposed to someone with TB. At the school that the student attends, 36 persons were also screened.

As the results from the skin test have to be read 48 hours and 72 hours after placement, those results are pending.”

The ministry said the TB rate in The Bahamas is less than 20 per 100,000, making the country a low incidence one.

Proper hand washing, coughing and sneezing hygiene are nonetheless important to help prevent spread of the infection, the ministry said.

People with latent TB infection have no symptoms, do not feel sick, cannot spread the infection to others, usually have a positive TB skin test reaction and can develop active TB if they do not receive treatment for the latent disease, the ministry said.

Symptoms of active TB in the lungs include a bad cough lasting longer than two weeks, pain in the chest and coughing up blood or sputum, with other symptoms including weakness or fatigue, weight loss, chills and sweating at night. Active TB is treatable.

on paper we talk about 51 percent we would be opening up ourselves for foreign domination. We already suffer too much from foreign domination in tourism and I would hope that we are taking steps to ensure that we are not again flooded by foreign control of what we are trying to do.

Socially and economically, it does seem to me foreign control and foreign dominance is something that we must not only be aware of, but also try to fight against,” he said.

In the process of

discussing legalising marijuana and creating legislation, the spiritual leader is encouraging a full-fledged educational campaign for Bahamians to fully understand the basics.

“We must take deliberate steps to educate the nation, and this will involve articles in newspapers, television, radio and local magazines.

We must go out of the way to ensure the nation is flooded with information and material because if we don’t really help the nation to understand what is being suggested there

will be increasing problems as opposed to reducing it. I hope that no effort would be spared to organise a proper communications effort for the education of the population.”

A draft report from the Bahamas National Marijuana Commission, which was leaked to the media last week, recommends the legalisation of marijuana and decriminalising possession of the substance up to one ounce. The final report is expected to be submitted and reviewed by Cabinet in the New Year.

PAGE 6, Monday, December 30, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Bahamians named in New Year Honours

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net NEARLY two dozen Bahamians are among 1,097 people chosen for Queen Elizabeth’s 2020 New Years Honours – with former Cabinet minister Tommy Turnquest named as an awardee.

Topping the new list is Godfrey Kelly who was selected for Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG). The award is given to people who have made notable contributions to the business and sports communities.

Three men including Mr Turnquest, who is former National Security Minister, have been chosen for Commander of the Most Excellent Order of The British Empire (CBE).

Others include Peter Goulandris for services to business and Rev Dr Carrington Samuel Pinder for services to religion and the community.

Mr Turnquest’s contributions to politics and the public service in the country are what earned him this award.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, the former Free National Movement leader said he was “surprised” several months ago when he was asked if he would accept the CBE. “I am honoured actually,” he said. “The years that I’ve been involved and served it was because I felt I had something to offer, not that I was looking for any award or reward. So to be recognised is always a great achievement.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis pictured with Tommy Turnquest, former FNM leader and former Minister of National Security, following the victory service in 2017 at St Barnabas Anglican Church celebrating the FNM’s 1992 General Election win.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff surprised when I was first “It wasn’t a surprise yes“When my wife, children, family members (and) asked but they ask you, if terday, but it was nice to be friends found out about it offered, would you accept. recognised.”

Peter Desmond Cole, they all felt proud for me. The Queen doesn’t give A lot of them made the sac- you something if you’re having contributed services rifice over the years and so not going to accept it, so to business, was given the I am pleased in that regard if someone recommends award of Order of the Brityour name to Buckingham ish Empire (OBE). that its been recognised.”

For the Member of the He further explained the Palace you have to say process: “Well they ask you whether you would accept British Empire (MBE) honour, seven Bahamian months in advance. I was it or not before they do so. women and men received the distinction – including Senate President Dr Mildred Hall-Watson.

She was given the honour for services in medicine and civic involvement.

Assistant Commissioners of Police Samuel Butler and Ismela Davis-Delancy were also recognised for the Queen’s Police Medal, while eight others – including FNM Chairman Carl Culmer received the British Empire Medal for service in politics.

This as multiple international news agencies have reported the United Kingdom government has come under fire for reportedly posting on a state website the home and work addresses of more than 1,000 celebrities, government employees and politicians.

WILL CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC The situation is being considered accidental and constitutes a major security & WILL RE-OPEN ON breach particularly because senior police and ministry of defence staff were among those whose potentially sensitive addresses IN OBSERVANCE OF were made public.

Many of the more than a dozen ministry employees and senior counter-terrorism officers who received honours had their home addresses revealed, along with countless others who may believe the disclosure has put them in a vulnerable position.

Prominent public figures including musician Elton John, the cricketer Ben Stokes, Chief Executive of England’s National Health Service Simon Stevens and Britain’s former director of ORDER of Distinction honouree Godfrey Kelly, who is to be a public prosecutions Alison Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Saunders were among those Photo: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff whose home addresses were published.

Please be advised that

BETTY K. AGENCIES LIMITED

Tuesday, December 24th, 2019 at 12:00 noon

Monday, December 30th, 2019 at 8:00 a.m

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF AAnd

Tuesday, December 31st, 2019 at 12:00 & WILL RE-OPEN ON Thursday, January 2nd, 2020 at 8:00 a.m In Observance of The New Year’s Day Holiday

WE WOUKD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATRONAGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Merry Christmas & A Prosperous New Year

CARL Culmer.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 30, 2019, PAGE 7

BPL under fire after Harbour Island holiday power outage

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net RESIDENTS and tourists in Harbour Island over the Christmas break on Friday criticised Bahamas Power and Light for the lack of communication regarding the recent power outages they say have ruined their holiday.

On Wednesday, BPL reported that cable and generation issues caused the island to have partial power for 48 hours forcing them to institute load shedding exercises throughout the island.

BPL then released another statement on Thursday night assuring the public that power had been restored to the island and issues causing the outages were addressed.

Still, those present for the load shedding told The Tribune the lack of updates from the electricity company made the situation much more frustrating to endure.

Shandesha Charlton, a university student visiting family for the holidays, told The Tribune that although the island lost power after 6pm on Monday night, residents were not “officially notified” of any mechanical defects until two days later on Christmas night.

“It was just a dark Christmas,” she said. “If you look at BPL’s official Facebook page, you’ll see that they gave one update and that was 48 hours later. It’s sad that they knew what was going on and sent help days later.”

Ms Charlton added that the lack of updates on the power spoiled the holiday

THE NOTE on Facebook from BPL on Christmas Day on the Harbour Island power outage. for many residents and business owners alike.

“The whole island was in darkness besides the places that had generator upwards to 7 o’clock last night.

There wasn’t any partial outages. Before last night the electricity came on a few times but stayed on no longer than 5-10 minutes.”

“I’ve spent Christmas on the island before. This one was different (because) no Christmas lights were able to turn on and foods ended up spoiling.”

Insisting that the blackouts were a “terrible experience”, Ms Charlton also said she worried if tourists on the island would be put off by the incident, since the island is a popular

...AND THE LIGHTS GO OUT AT BAHA MAR TOO GUESTS dining at Baha Mar restaurants Friday were reportedly disturbed by power cuts.

According to complaints, eateries and bars throughout the resort were left without power at around 1.30pm without any explanation.

At the time, the casino was the only area with

running power.

The Tribune spoke to Baha Mar Senior Vice President Robert “Sandy” Sands, who told this newspaper the resort was conducting internal testing in a few of its restaurants.

Mr Sands also confirmed that the issue had nothing to do with Bahamas Power and Light.

destination for many international visitors.

Alexa Poteet, an American tourist visiting Harbour Island with relatives, also told this newspaper that there was not much communication between BPL and the people on the island.

Mrs Poteet, who was staying at the Tingum Village Hotel at the time of the outages, said they were not notified about any generation issues at all.

“The power just went out on the evening of the 23rd,” she said. “Power was out completely save about 20 minutes on the 24th of December until last night in my part of the island when it came on about 8pm.”

She added that while electricity had been restored where she was staying, other parts of the island were completely offline straight up to Christmas.

Speaking about her experience during the blackouts, she added: “We have been taking cold showers for the three plus days of the outage and charging our phones in case of emergency at a local marina with a backup generator in the mornings.

“While a cold shower is no big deal for my husband or me, we are travelling with our two babies who are three and one and get very cold.”

THE TINGUM Village Hotel was one of the locations affected by the BPL power outage.

Mrs Poteet said she also believes “rolling blackouts are ongoing”, because she has a friend in another part of the island who had no power on Christmas night and had seen many stores without power on Boxing Day. “I cannot speak to whether this is typical, but I feel for the local residents and children whose Christmas meal was likely spoiled by the lack of electricity and refrigeration and (had their) holiday celebrations ruined. Not everyone has the access vacationers might to a backup generator.”

Sammeka Toussaint, another Bahamian resident visiting family for the holidays, said she was at her parents’ residence during

the power outages.

“Initially, I thought it may have been load shedding and would only last about three hours but as it got late in the evening and then beyond midnight, I realised it was a problem.”

Mrs Toussaint said updates on the blackouts only came from locals who believed that an underwater cable from the mainland of Eleuthera was broken.

She said they were told that the generators at the BPL substation were down as well.

“The outages lasted from Monday until Christmas night at 9:30pm when the island was partially restored with electricity.”

“While electricity has

been restored to most of the residents on Harbour Island, there are still others presently experiencing sporadic power outages. I have been informed that the island has experienced power outages in the past but this experience has been the worst ever.”

According to BPL’s statement, two unrelated incidents involving cable failures and the breakdown of the on-island rental generation caused the power cuts on Harbour Island over the Christmas holiday.

While the company reported that the rental generators have been replaced, they said the cause of the cable failures is still being investigated.

PAGE 8, Monday, December 30, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Drivers told: It’s up to you to help cut traffic fatalities

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net WHILE the amendments to the Road Traffic Act have been designed to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in the country, traffic police say drivers must make an active effort to abide by all the road regulations to ensure the new rules produce the desired results.

Speaking to The Tribune, Chief Superintendent Craig Stubbs said the only way to decrease the number of traffic related deaths and incidents is to promote responsible driving.

“We thought the cell

phone laws would have helped, but it’s up to the driving community – persons who are in charge of the vehicle – to adhere to the rules and regulations,” he said.

“We continue to warn drivers to obey the rules and regulations because they were made for a particular reason.”

ASP Stubbs insisted that the majority of traffic accidents occur when drivers feel that the road rules don’t apply to them.

He added that their “number one concern” is the number of people driving without a valid driver’s licence.

“Some persons are

driving and only have their learner’s permit,” he said.

“Then you have a person who has yet to meet the requirements to sit the exam to learn the street signs driving or in charge of a vehicle.”

“All that contributes to the accidents on the streets.

Once that happens we put these people before the court and we charge them, but until persons follow the laws that (say) you need to have a valid driver’s licence, we’ll continue to have an issue.”

Superintendent Mareno Hinds, second officerin-charge of the Traffic Division, said while he believes the new road rules

will affect the number of traffic fatalities, the anticipated impact is not guaranteed.

“People still will exercise poor judgment so we suspect there will be some fatalities,” he said.

“But all laws are made with a view to making the quality of life better for Bahamians so we do believe that the new road rules will help.”

“Our warnings remain the same,” he added. “Our first vice is drinking and driving. We do not want persons to drink and drive.

We recognise that it is the holiday season so people will drink and so we say to them drink in moderation

and if they’re going to drink, we’re asking that they have a designated driver.”

Supt Hinds also encouraged drivers to “pay attention to the road” while driving.

He explained that their second advice is drivers being distracted by cell phones and urged the public to purchase hand free devices or set up their phones in a way that they don’t have to use their hands.

“Those are two very important rules that we would ask people to adhere to moving into the year 2020,” he said.

The officers’ comments

come after the most recent traffic fatality that left one man dead and two others in hospital Thursday morning.

Shortly after 1am, three men were travelling west on Robinson Road near Washington Street, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a concrete wall.

The front seat passenger sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and the other passenger were taken to hospital.

According to ASP Stubbs, the driver is still listed in critical condition while the passenger in the back seat has since been treated and discharged.

BUMPY START TO THE NEW YEAR

DRIVERS struggle to negotiate the pothole-filled surface of the junction at the traffic light of Village Road and Shirley Street. The surface has been deteriorating since work was carried out in the area by Bahamas Power and Light before Christmas.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

MILLER CALLS FOR DISCUSSION ON JUNKANOO EARLY START

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

JUNKANOO Corporation New Providence Chairman Dion Miller said a conversation needs to be had about starting Junkanoo parades earlier in the day instead of at night due to unpredictable weather

conditions.

Mr Miller told The Tribune on Friday that there needs to be “progressive conversations on the way forward” to deal with erratic rainy weather.

“Now with global warming and everything like that, the weather is unpredictable. There’s a lot more showers, etc. So, we need a

Junkanoo group to put that into account on our parades and maybe that might just be maybe we parade a bit earlier when the sun is up so we can see the weather.

I don’t know but the conversation needs to be had because global warming is real and we are seeing the effects of it.”

This year’s Boxing Day

parade was delayed from 10pm until midnight because of the weather. It also rained during the parade for nearly 10 minutes.

Genesis Chairman Shaune Adderley felt that the downpour did affect the group’s result — the group came third overall in the parade’s unofficial results.

“People didn’t get to see

a full complete look of the group,” he said. “I think that we were not judged fairly by being wet and you know.

Some of the groups were not wet. I don’t know how they judge wet costumes and dry costumes, you know, but different from that I think the group itself we did an excellent job.”

Yet, Mr Miller said the judges would have taken the weather into consideration.

He explained: “Well, judges judge off of everything. They judge what they see, so there is no platform to judge a parade based on rain or based on high wind or whatever. They judge what they see in the street.

They’re trained on Junkanoo and costumes and dance and performance.”

Introduced this year was a complete digital scoring system and the handwritten

score cards were replaced with mobile tablets. Mr Miller admitted there were some glitches with the tablets, but it did not interfere with results.

Judges can enter their scores, which were sent immediately to the server and viewed live by group observers on multiple TV screens. As the score was automated, no tally person or accountant was needed to calculate.

The JCNP chairman said the system “performed well” on the day and all the scores were in 10 minutes after the parade was finished.

Nonetheless, groups met with the parade management team at 6.30 pm on Friday to look at the scores.

Both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parade results will be official by January 30, 2020.

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THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019

‘If Dr King could see Bimini now he’d shed tears of blood’

By JOSEPH DARVILLE Chairman, Save the Bays A RECENT trip to Bimini, Cat Cay & Ocean Cay, by a team from Save The Bays, has us asking more questions of this Government than we can find answers to.

Day and night, the all too familiar sound of pilings being continuously driven into the ocean bed can be heard echoing across Bimini as an extension to the cruise ship pier takes place. Back in 2014 Save The Bays fought the destroying “developing” resort over its proposed pier, knowing the island was too small to bring a 1600-person ship to such a small island as environmentalists knew too well. The case got all the way to the Privy Council; but this was thwarted at the eleventh hour when the resort mysteriously managed to produce relevant missing approvals overnight along with government signatures.

Our fears were confirmed, the cruise ship stopped coming after a year, yet 12 dive reefs were suffocated in the process, coastal erosion soared, beaches on the west side of Bimini disappeared overnight, fish stocks dwindled, the infrastructure on the island proved it could not cope with overflowing trash, a lack of water and electricity on an already over-extended island and SAVE The Bays chairman Joseph Darville. resort.

So why is the pier being another question, just how some chunks several feet extended yet again? Were much land has the resort long, being ingested by fish the public or environment created? And if the ocean and birds. Oh Bimini, how agencies made aware of this bed cannot be sold, only I miss the days when this and whatever happened to leased from the Govern- special little Island in the the Mitigation Measures ment, then surely the land stream could be described dating back to Phase 1 of created on and from the so aptly by Dr Martin developments, never to sea bed, should only be up Luther King as the “Prombe heard of again? Bimini for lease and not for sale ised Land”. If he were to has no new clinic, no new for millions of dollars that see his Promised Land school, no are going now, he would shed tears sea defences, into foreign of blood! no improved ‘The Sound, as ownership Along the islands created infrastrucit’s known to the hands result- upon the extensive seabed ture. It did local Biminites, ing from real the little propagules manjust get a fire estate com- groves by the hundreds, truck, but was once not so panies selling if not thousands and popthat was cour- long ago, the home million dollar ping their two leaf heads tesy of some to the rare small homes? How above the shallow water, American are Bimini as if to say, please, please home owners tooth sawtooth and Our spare us so we can do the who raised shark, millions of Bahamaland task entrusted to us by the funds after shrimp, turtles benefitting?

Creator. the mail boat The beach Who in God’s name and caught fire as well as the road that on behalf of the people of and not from marine hatchery once was the Bahamas are monitorthe resort as the gate- ing what is continuing to for multitudes of promised. way to East happen in North Bimini So, what other species. Now Wells - where Bay; who is monitoring exactly did you are lucky if generations what is happening on South Bimini get after gen- Cat Cay and Ocean Cay, in exchange you see anything erations have where the identical savage for the loss except silted up gone for crab and wanton destruction of over 700 muddy water.’ or to see a of the sea beds are taking acres of rare Bimini place. mangrove Boa, or to Who, pray tell me - is it forests and how has that fish in peace and quiet - has the BEST COMMISSION end of the island managed been systematically deliber- on behalf of the Prime to “grow” to three times ately destroyed by OPAC, Minister? Is it the Ministhe size of what was actu- Capo’s construction com- try of the Environment? ally purchased by Gerado pany, in order to create Is it the elected repreCapo as Bimini Bay Resort “private beach fronts” to its sentative for these areas back in 1998 under the multi-million dollar beach of the Bahamas? We never Quiet Titles Act through homes starting at $3 mil- see any of these entities Ingraham’s Government? lion, with a private road and in these areas to witness Which brings up the ques- security check point behind the ungodly devastation tion, “How” was Bimini’s the homes, making it inac- of our precious environbiggest piece of real estate cessible to all but home ment, seabed, mangroves, - 650 acres plus - sold owners. coral reefs and all marine legally under that act to Let’s not forget that in life dependent upon these a foreign investor? The Hurricane Irma dozens of ecosystems.

Sound, as it’s known to the the resorts floating docks Our Prime Minister just local Biminites, was once from the Bahamas biggest returned recently from the not so long ago, the home mega marina bust open United Nations, touting the to the rare small tooth spewing tons of polysty- need for support for our sawtooth shark, millions rene particles into the nation to protect and mitiof shrimp, turtles as well ocean making it look like gate against the ravages of as the marine hatchery for Bimini had had major Climate Change and Sea multitudes of other species. snowfall. The resort made Level Rise. Yet, however, Now you are lucky if you a show of clearing it up on we continue to allow forsee anything except silted the morning PM Minnis eign entities to come in and up muddy water from all was arriving to assess the extensively demolish those the development, dredg- damage as Bimini’s protest systems which form the ing and run offs, with not a groups videos of the spill very first defence against single boom in sight to pro- went viral through various natural forces. tect our waters. international environment I earnestly pray at this My heart bleeds for agencies. A year later, Yuletide Season that what successive Gov- the same type of floating we awaken to our Godernments have sold off, docks are back in place as entrusted stewardship and favouring the mighty if waiting for it to happen protect what has been so dollar over Mother Earth’s all over again, while to graciously and unconditiondiverse marine eco habi- this day, polystyrene is still ally gifted to us. Blessings tats. Which brings me to washing up on our shores, to all!

PAGE 10 MONDAY, DECEMBER 30. 2019

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Promises and power cuts BPL really is a deal breaker for a Minnis second term

ALL smiles, but for how long? BPL chairman Donovan Moxey with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

AS the decade approaches its end, one would imagine many Bahamians’ Christmas wish was to have efficient and reliable power generation. With its importance to business operations and for families to have even the most modest comforts of life, saying it’s a necessity is no understatement. By this time, you would think BPL chairman Donovan Moxey – or any other official with the authority to speak publicly – would realise that making pronouncements that aren’t foolproof is a bad idea.

It’s almost to the point when government supporters cringe when Moxey and his cohorts give assurances, while less trusting citizens dismiss the chairman’s childlike optimism. The thought someone would continue to make promises on BPL’s ability to deliver is astounding in and of itself.

Nearly a year ago, Moxey told the media that, all things being equal, he didn’t

foresee the power company having any challenges providing adequate summer distribution. Lo and behold, a few months later, daily blackouts led to a dark and unrelentingly hot summer.

As the situation escalated, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis eventually conceded we were at crisis level. The nation’s attention was diverted by Hurricane Dorian, but, as we return to normal, BPL has yet to cease reminding us that no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse.

Marred by a legacy of ineptitude, mismanagement and corruption, the government’s decision to introduce the loathed $650m rate reduction bond has left the Bahamian people with a bitter taste in their mouths. What we feel now will pale in comparison with the moment we see the extra charge, or as many see it – the additional tax – on our power bills. The government’s inability to make it clear what the exact charge will be has been quite unnerving especially since the bill

‘Marred by a legacy of ineptitude, mismanagement and corruption, the government’s decision to introduce the loathed $ 650m rate reduction bond has left the Bahamian people with a bitter taste in their mouths. ’ was already passed a month ago and officials continue to only provide scanty information.

While Public Works Minister Bannister lauded the move as the gateway to resolving BPL’s woes, his words brought little comfort to Bahamians who view the minister and his counterparts at the utility company as a band of used car salesmen.

How could people feel any different with the lack of transparency by the government? As one official contradicts another, we must question how much the government is trying to figure out in real time versus how much was properly planned out.

The idea that this is what proper planning looks like is scary. However, equally terrifying is the general

hunch that the government is shooting from its hip on a move that will not only further increase our already elevated cost of living today but may also potentially affect our future generations – our children and their children.

Either way, a decision - whether carefully considered or not - that results in the Bahamian people having to pay an additional $20-30, $27 or 15 percent of their light bills to BPL in exchange for poor service can hardly be justified.

It is totally unfair to arbitrarily tax the Bahamian people via a BPL charge because when it’s suitable “BPL belongs to the Bahamian people” while on the other hand ignoring citizens’ concerns and recommendations on how to

fix the utility.

Perhaps most perplexing is people allowing political loyalties to colour their reactions to this fiasco. With FNM supporters supporting the government and PLP supporters denying their party played a role in the failed utility, both groups aren’t fully appreciating just what this will mean for Bahamians struggling to get by.

One thing for certain is BPL’s success or continued failures are tied to the government’s during the remainder of this term.

As we learned that resorts in Harbour Island were left in darkness over the Christmas holidays because of technical issues which ended up requiring some load shedding – which Dr Moxey just a little over a week ago affirmed would be a thing of the past with Station A coming online – we can hardly say we were surprised. Moxey, however, may have missed Christmas dinner altogether trying to dislodge his foot from his mouth.

Much like the government, BPL’s communication

apparatus leaves much to be desired. If the brass cannot see by now that these pronouncements do the exact opposite of their intended purpose, then we’ve got even bigger problems than we thought relying on the blind to decipher between light and darkness.

Still undeterred, the government’s commitment to BPL has created a strange political dichotomy.

BPL’s record and propensity for failure makes for a poor brand affiliation for any political party. Conversely, if the government is able to ensure BPL provides reliable and eventually affordable power, the Minnis administration would have accomplished an unprecedented feat – fixing BPL. It is a responsibility shirked by previous Cabinets, but while it may not guarantee an FNM reelection, it will definitely bolster the government’s chances of being the first two-term government in 20 years.

BPL is that much of a deal-breaker for the Bahamian people.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019 PAGE 11

A weak, worn out Caribbean will not serve its people in 2020 World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

AS 2019 ends and the New Year dawns, the world faces a troubling period of uncertainty. This precariousness will affect international and regional organisations as some powerful governments pursue a policy of de-linking from the established international system, encouraging fragmentation of regional groups and imposing their own agenda through various methods of coercion.

That process has started, most glaringly in the World Trade Organization (WTO), where the dispute settlement machinery has been forced into collapse by the retirement on December 10 of two of the remaining three members of the Appellate Body and a veto by the United States of any new appointments. Now, states will have to revert to settling disputes through bilateral negotiation. No fair and equitable settlement can possibly emerge from a negotiation between a large power and a small powerless state. That’s why no big country – including India – has railed against it. Absent strict international rules, national power predominates.

Small countries will be especially endangered if this trend intensifies. The rules-based international system protects them from suffocation by larger powers in a range of areas, including terms of trade; access to financing; defence and security; and the right to participate effectively in regional and international decision-making.

That is why, throughout the international system, small states should form strong alliances and make common cause to protect and preserve the rules that govern international relations in all its aspects.

The big and powerful nations, whose governments are intent on establishing their own primacy by encouraging the breaking up of regional groups, will also suffer adverse consequences in the longer term. For even the rich and powerful will suffer if the markets and states around them are poor, weak and unstable.

But few governments show concern for the longer term; instead, they are intent on satisfying their own immediate political interests and on the primacy they can procure for their own countries.

BREXIT – the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) from the now 28-nation European Union (EU) will weaken the EU as a balancing economic and trade force against the United States), China and Russia.

The present governments of all three of these large powers have separate but common interests in dismantling the EU monolith and dealing, instead, with 28 smaller states. None of the 28, by themselves (not even Germany and France) has the capacity to bargain effectively with China and the US. And, in military terms, not even the largest of the EU countries alone

can face-up to Russia.

It should be noted the EU itself was not averse to using the combined power of its 28 states to impose its will on the weak and vulnerable, including Caribbean states. The two-decade long war that it has waged on small countries over tax and financial matters, using trade and aid as measures to coerce them to comply with arbitrary and imposed regimes, confirmed its own readiness to effectuate its will through force. The EU is using that power by itself and through the influence that its hawkish member states exert in the 36-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which has set-up itself as the world’s standard-setting body on tax and financial services.

The actions of both the EU and the OECD have disrupted the provision of financial services in small countries, including the Caribbean, causing the loss of employment and revenues.

Regrettably, none of this shows any sign of easing as the world enters 2020. Entrenched religious prejudice, nurtured sentiments of racial superiority, ingrained craving for economic advantage and power, including claims for territorial land and sea by governments of states that adjoin others – all combine to hinder human progress that should reside in fairness and impartiality; peace and genuine respect for people; and the provision of conditions that allow for the welfare and protection of others.

Of course, these arguments are relevant to regional situations as well.

Unity and solidarity with each other, in pursuit of their common good, are often sacrificed by regional countries for immediate national gain. Alliances are formed with an external country or countries that satisfy short term benefits but weaken regional bargaining capacity. In the Caribbean, this particular situation is one that regional governments should strive to overcome in order to achieve a more perfect union which remains the only viable means to achieve their national wellbeing.

There are many obvious ways in which Caribbean governments could work toward a more cohesive and stronger region. Trade is a blatant area: in 2018, the 14 independent nations of CARICOM suffered a trade deficit with the US of US$9 Billion; the CARIFORUM countries, that include CARICOM and the Dominican Republic, had a trade deficit with the EU of $3.5 Billion. More than $5 billion was spent on food importation alone.

If the CARICOM countries are to do better in 2020 and beyond, a resolute effort has to be made to address, on a regional basis, the ancient and persistent problem of establishing air and sea transportation; strengthening each other’s economy through trade; bargaining collectively with the rest

BREXIT is one of the shifts in relationships facing organisations imminently - with Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson set to steer the UK out of the European Union.

Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/ Pool via AP of the world, including on financial services. They also must stop signing-up individually to demands by outside countries and begin to negotiate collectively.

Nationalist adventures with third countries must also end.

The Caribbean exists within a world where internationalism is being disregarded and raw power is being exercised to rule.

The region cannot disentangle itself from that world, but it must be keenly aware that the juggernaut of the powerful will not be deterred by a disunited, disorganized and debilitated Caribbean.

In 2020 and in the years beyond, it is in the interest of every nation in the Caribbean to work for greater economic equity, wider political participation, and broader cooperation to bridge differences and build trust amongst themselves.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com.

The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own.

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PAGE 12 MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019

INSIGHT

POLICE investigating on the streets of New Providence - but it is only together that we can tackle crime.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Photo: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

We need to work together to make our society safe again NEW beginnings, fresh starts, reaffirmations of love and promises for a brighter future all come to mind as we ring in a New Year.

In this New Year, 2020, let us remember the safety of ourselves and others. Let us also remember to come together and create safer communities.

Community safety and inseparability is a team effort and it starts with you.

To make your community a safer place you can” • Be your neighbour’s keeper Each of us is responsible for our own actions. We are also responsible for the well-being of each other.

Too frequently we focus on individual freedom while forgetting that God also created us to live together in mutual support as family, as children of God

Police advice

By SERGEANT NATHALIE RANGER

• Report suspicious persons hanging around in your community Suspicious activity is anything going on that feels uncomfortable or out of place. It can include any of the following: • A stranger hanging out in the street.

• Windows of a house that is broken or open.

• Someone looking in a car window.

• The sound of gunshots, screaming, or fighting.

• A lot of cars coming and going from a house.

• Strange odours coming from a house or a particular area.

• Activity near gas, electrical, or sewer systems without any kind of identification related to a company.

Violence in our communities is killing our children and destroying families.

It is time we all felt safe from violence. It is a challenge that each of us can do something about. Let us reclaim our communities, because this violence is tearing our society apart.

Too many lives lost and injured and these violent acts, such as, murders are more likely between people who know each other than between strangers.

It is my opinion that people turn to violence because of: • Peer pressure • To boost self-esteem through violence • The lack of inability to control attitudes, emotions and reactions • Other family members and or friends who are into violence • Lack of love and attention in the home from parents • Not being able to express themselves in a positive way • Do not know how to solve conflicts in a peaceful way When faced with a

conflict, agree to resolve it: 1. Use your brain and not your hands or a weapon 2. Talk about what is bothering you in a calm and respectful way 3. No name calling 4. Take turns talking without interrupting 5. Be willing to listen to the other person and be sure to understand how he or she feels and sees the problem 6. The less angry you are the easier it will be to resolve the problem 7. Think of positive options, how can you meet each other’s needs and be fair 8. If you still can’t agree, ask someone else (an outsider) to help resolve the conflict When you see a child at risk report it to the proper authorities.

Any member of the community who suspect, on reasonable grounds, that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm should report their concerns to the proper authorities.

In this New Year, make yourself, your family and your community safe from violence by working with your own and other children throughout the communities.

I propose that a campaign be launched against violence where all agencies, organizations, citizens and residents come together and educate the community, specifically young people and their parents, on how to solve disputes without becoming violent.

I wish you a prosperous and a safe New Year.

Remember that safety begins with you.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 30, 2019, PAGE 13

Alcoholic? Me? How to tell if your holiday drinking is becoming a problem

By SARA JO NIXON Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Florida IT’S the most wonderful time of the year, when holiday parties collide with collegiate and professional athletics events. What do they all have in common?

Booze, lots of it, and often free. It’s no wonder the lead reindeer has a red nose.

Of course, drinking isn’t limited to a single season, but it holds a prominent place during the holidays.

Across a few short weeks, consumption of wine, beer, cocktails and variations thereof may be higher than at any other point in the year. One industry study suggested drinking doubles at this time of year. During this party time, we see up close the drinking habits of our partners, co-workers, relatives and, of course, ourselves.

This holiday season, you might take notice of just how much you drink. You may start to question your motivation for drinking.

Or wonder about the longterm effects. While it might be tempting to dismiss these unsettling reflections, as director of the University of Florida Centre for Addiction Research and Education, I encourage you not to.

How many is too many?

About one in eight US adults met criteria for an alcohol use disorder in 2013 – the most recent year for which we have data. Compare that with just over one in 12 in 2002. That’s a nearly 50 percent increase.

Alcohol misuse can lead to interpersonal violence and physical injury and worsen medical and psychiatric conditions. Besides its impact on health and well-being, alcohol misuse costs the US an estimated $224 billion a year in lost productivity, health care costs, criminal justice costs and others. More than 75 percent of those costs are associated with binge drinking.

But these statistics don’t answer the question I get most often from friends, family, casual acquaintances and even strangers at parties or on cross-country flights. What everyone wants to know is, “How much can I drink without being an alcoholic?” The answer is, “It depends”.

For starters, stop calling names To effectively address the question, we must rethink our use of the term “alcoholic”. People have disorders; they are not themselves these disorders. The distinction is not merely a matter of semantics. It is fundamental to eliminating the stigma of substance use disorders and other psychiatric conditions.

Still, the more appropriate question, “How much can I drink without developing an alcohol use disorder?” gets the same answer: It depends.

The amount a person drinks doesn’t directly determine an alcohol use disorder diagnosis. But how can a “drinking problem” not have a definitive cutoff?

That’s because two people could drink the same amount and experience completely different consequences. So, the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder focus on those consequences, rather than number of drinks imbibed.

For example, inability to control your drinking, no matter how much you drink, is a red flag. Having cravings for alcohol is another one. Does drinking interfere with your work, school or home responsibilities? Do you drink in situations in which you know it’s risky to do so?

Of course, the more you drink, the more likely it is

you will experience negative consequences.

Risky business Most drinkers do not develop a disorder. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Research shows Americans are drinking more and for longer each time they drink than ever before. And, adults are continuing to drink into older ages than ever before.

Women, in particular, seem to drink more as they age. A significant percentage of drinkers over age 55 often exceed the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s suggested guidelines for moderate drinking without necessarily meeting criteria for an alcohol use disorder.

Whether you have a diagnosable disorder or not, all this drinking can cause problems.

One of those problems is driving. People mistakenly think of this as a young person’s problem. But about one in four adults 45 to 64 and another one in 12 over age 65 report driving after drinking in the previous month.

At blood alcohol concentrations equivalent to one or two drinks, older adults show notable shifts in cognitive performance, neural activity and driving strategies compared with younger ones.

Putting all this in the context of the holidays, it’s not just the pervasive presence of booze that makes us drink. It’s the party culture.

If you’re seen without a drink, you are often encouraged to take one. If you lose track of your drink, you get another (full) one.

This excess may meet criteria for a binge drinking episode. For women, that’s four or more standard drinks in a single occasion.

For men, it’s five or more.

And, as for “standard” drinks, we all know that many of us are typically pouring ourselves two to three times the standard in every glass.

Binge drinking, too, is increasing in older adults.

And that matters because it has an immediate impact on driving abilities, fall risk and prescription medications.

Should I take action?

If your alcohol use is gnawing at your conscience, you have options. Talk candidly with a trained professional about your drinking. Access the US National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website, where you can assess your drinking and seek help. If you believe a friend or relative has a problem, talk with someone who can help you identify next steps.

Here are some ways to be a safer drinker: • Before that party, eat something, even if you have to eat it in the car.

• Make your first drink nonalcoholic. It keeps you from gulping down the first “real” drink and allows your “car snack” time to settle.

• Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.

• Eat (actually, graze) throughout the evening.

Assuage guilt about calories by prioritising fitness.

• Disregard peer pressure. Susceptibility to it may lessen with age, but seldom vanishes. When you reach your limit, don’t be swayed.

• To escape from an awkward conversation, don’t make a beeline to the bar. Take an indirect route through the room, mingling, checking out decorations.

• Take a ride-share home or to and from a party.

If you think your holiday drinking could be a sign of a year-round issue, discuss it with a medical or behavioural health provider.

• Originally published on theconversation.com

PAGE 14, Monday, December 30, 2019

UK PUBLISHES CELEBRITY ADDRESSES IN HONOUR LIST BRITISH officials have apologised after mistakenly publishing the home addresses of more than 1,000 people who received special honors including singers Elton John and Olivia Newton-John.

The list also included Oscar-winning film directors, senior politicians and diplomats, popular athletes and people in sensitive defence roles.

The addresses were published online for about an hour late Friday when the Cabinet Office posted the recipients of New Year’s Honors, including knighthoods.

“The information was removed as soon as possible,” the Cabinet Office said in a statement. “We apologise to all those affected and are looking into how this happened.”

Officials said the individuals will be contacted about the error.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said it was investigating “in response to reports of a data breach involving the Cabinet Office and the New Year’s Honors list.” It can impose fines for privacy violations.

PARISHIONERS SHOOT AND KILL TEXAS GUNMAN CONGREGANTS shot and killed a man who opened fire in a church near Fort Worth, Texas, yesterday, killing the attacker, police said.

A person shot by the suspect also died and a second parishioner has life-threatening injuries following the attack at the West Freeway Church of Christ, White Settlement Police Department Chief JP Bevering said yesterday afternoon.

The assailant fired once before the “heroic actions” of the congregants cut his assault short, Bevering said.

“Unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we’ve actually gotten used to it at this point. And it’s tragic and it’s a terrible situation, especially during the holiday season,” Jeoff Williams, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at the news conference. “I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who stopped short of just anything that you can even imagine, saved countless lives, and our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”

Authorities have released scant details about the victims, the shooter and what led to the attack.

An elder at the church told the New York Times that one of those killed was a security guard who responded to the shooter, calling him a dear friend.

“He was trying to do what he needed to do to protect the rest of us,” said the elder, Mike Tinius.

THE TRIBUNE

Multiple stabbing at rabbi’s home ‘domestic terrorism’ MONSEY, New York Associated Press

A KNIFE-WIELDING man stormed into a rabbi’s home and stabbed five people as they celebrated Hanukkah in an Orthodox Jewish community north of New York City, an ambush the governor said Sunday was an act of domestic terrorism fueled by intolerance and a “cancer” of growing hatred in America.

Police tracked a fleeing suspect to Manhattan and made an arrest within hours of the attack Saturday night in Monsey. Grafton E Thomas had blood all over his clothing and smelled of bleach when officers stopped him, prosecutors said.

President Donald Trump condemned the “horrific” attack, saying in a tweet yesterday that “We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism”.

Thomas, 37, was arraigned yesterday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.

RAMAPO police officers escort Grafton Thomas from Ramapo Town Hall yesterday.

Photo: Julius Constantine Motal/AP Bail was set at $5m and he remains jailed.

Thomas’ criminal history includes an arrest for assaulting a police horse, according to an official briefed on the investigation.

A lawyer representing Thomas at the arraignment said he had no convictions.

The FBI is seeking a warrant to obtain his online accounts and were scouring digital evidence, the official

said. They are also looking into whether he has a history of mental illness.

The stabbings on the seventh night of Hanukkah left one person critically wounded, Gov Andrew

Cuomo said. The rabbi’s son was also injured, he said. Authorities have not provided a motive.

The attack was the latest in a string of violence targeting Jews in the region, including a December 10 massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey.

Last month in Monsey, a man was stabbed while walking to a synagogue.

Cuomo said Saturday’s savagery was the 13th antiSemitic attack in New York since December 8 and endemic of “an American cancer on the body politic”.

“This is violence spurred by hate, it is mass violence and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism,” Cuomo said. “Let’s call it what it is.”

Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said it was unclear why the rabbi’s house was targeted or if a specific ideology motivated the suspect. According to the official briefed on the investigation, authorities do not believe Thomas is connected to recent antiSemitic incidents in New York City.

MOST MASS KILLINGS IN US SINCE RECORDS BEGAN By the Associated Press

THE first one occurred 19 days into the new year when a man used an ax to kill four family members including his infant daughter. Five months later, 12 people were killed in a workplace shooting in Virginia. Twenty-two more died at a Walmart in El Paso in August.

A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University shows that there were more mass killings in 2019 than any year dating back to at least the 1970s, punctuated by a chilling succession of deadly rampages during the summer.

In all, there were 41 mass killings,

defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator. Of those, 33 were mass shootings. More than 210 people were killed.

Most of the mass killings barely became national news, failing to resonate among the general public because they didn’t spill into public places like massacres in El Paso and Odessa, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Jersey City, New Jersey.

The majority of the killings involved people who knew each other — family disputes, drug or gang violence or people with beefs that directed their anger at coworkers or relatives.

In many cases, what set off the perpetrator remains a mystery.

That’s the case with the very first mass killing of 2019, when a 42-year-old man took an ax and stabbed to death his mother, stepfather, girlfriend and nine-month-old daughter in Clackamas County, Oregon. Two others, a roommate and an eight-year-old girl managed to escape; the rampage ended when responding police fatally shot the killer.

The perpetrator had had occasional run-ins with police over the years, but what drove him to attack his family remains unknown.

He had just gotten a job training mechanics at an auto dealership,

and despite occasional arguments with his relatives, most said there was nothing out of the ordinary that raised significant red flags.

The incident in Oregon was one of 18 mass killings where family members were slain, and one of six that didn’t involve a gun.

The 41 mass killings were the most in a single year since the AP/ USA Today and Northeastern database began tracking such events back to 2006, but other research going back to the 1970s shows no other year with as many mass slayings. The second-most killings in a year prior to 2019 was 38 in 2006.

The 211 people killed in this year’s cases is still eclipsed by the

A TRUCK carries wreckage of a vehicle used in a bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Saturday.

Photo: Farah Abdi Warsame/AP

TRUCK BOMB KILLS 79 IN SOMALIA

ORDER BY DEMAND TO CEASED AND TO DECIST AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE HEIRSHIP/JUS IN RE PROPRIA NOTICES (In Ref. To Real Property, Lot 75)

THIS ORDER BY DEMAND NOTICES IS TO EVERY ONE AND ANY ONE TO CEASE AND TO DECIST, AND TO VACATE THE PREMISES, SITUATED ON FIRE TRAIL ROAD, IN THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NEW PROVIDENCE, NASSAU, BAHAMAS (LOT SEVENTY-FIVE, LOT 75).

An Affidavit of “Heirship/Jus In Re Propria, which gives Winnifred Ferguson, the Successor to the late Miriam Ferguson Brice, “All Rights and Interest, “Civil and Legal Over Land itself, and shall Hereby be against any one and every one, Absolutely. (See Affidavit of Heirship Jus In Re Propria dated March 5, 2019 ACTION No 2010/PRO/CPR/00037 and Case # 18-CIV-60253-WPD IN THE U.S. District Court.

MOGADISHU, Somalia Associated Press

A TRUCK bomb exploded at a busy security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital on Saturday morning, killing at least 79 people including many students, authorities said. It was the worst attack in Mogadishu since the devastating 2017 bombing that killed hundreds.

The explosion ripped through rush hour as Somalia returned to work

after its weekend. At least 125 people were wounded, Aamin Ambulance service director Abdiqadir Abdulrahman said, and hundreds of Mogadishu residents donated blood in response to desperate appeals.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed condemned the attack as a “heinous act of terror” and blamed the local al-Shabab extremist group, which is linked to al-Qaida and whose reach has extended to deadly attacks on luxury malls and schools in

neighboring Kenya.

Bodies lay on the ground amid the blackened skeletons of vehicles. At a hospital, families and friends picked through dozens of the dead, gingerly lifting sheets to peer at faces.

Most of those killed were university students returning to class and police officers, said Somalia’s police chief Gen Abdi Hassan Hijar. He said the vehicle detonated after police at the checkpoint blocked it from proceeding into the city.

TRUMP RETWEETS POST NAMING ALLEGED WHISTLEBLOWER Florida Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump retweeted a post that included the alleged name of the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint ultimately led to Trump’s impeachment by the House.

Just before midnight Friday, Trump retweeted a message from Twitter user @Surfermom77, an account that claims to be a woman named Sophia who lives in California. The account

shows some indications of automation, including an unusually high amount of activity and profile pictures featuring stock images from the internet.

By Saturday morning, the post seemed to have disappeared on many users’ feeds, suggesting Trump had deleted it, though it could still be found in other ways, including on a website that logs every presidential tweet.

The retweet then reappeared Saturday night.

Twitter told The Associated

Press that an outage with one of its systems caused tweets on some accounts, including Trump’s, to be visible to some but not others.

Trump has repeatedly backed efforts to unmask the whistleblower. But his Friday night retweet marks the first time he has directly sent the alleged name into the Twitter feed of his 68 million followers.

Unmasking the whistleblower, who works in the intelligence field, could violate federal protection laws that have historically been

supported by both parties.

The whistleblower filed a complaint in August about one of Trump’s telephone conversations with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other dealings with the Eastern European nation.

The complaint prompted House Democrats to launch a probe that ended with Trump’s impeachment earlier this month. The matter now heads to the Senate, where the Republican majority is expected to acquit the president.