bahamasuncensored.com
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Volume 6 © BahamasUncensored.com 2008
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Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com.
The site is compiled and edited
in The Bahamas by Russell Dames, with writer Claire Booth. This site
does not represent the views of Fred Mitchell, the Government of The Bahamas,
the PLP or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!
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|
| NEVER FORGET THE FLAMINGO:
It
was a sad and frightening day in The Bahamas. The news to Nassau
came late in the evening. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force which was
then just six weeks old had lost the HMBS Flamingo and four men.
The incident arose at sea when the Flamingo was in pursuit of Cuban fish
poachers in the seas off Ragged Island. As they pursued the fishermen,
Cuban MIGs appeared out of the sky, buzzed the boat, shot it, sinking it.
The MIGs then strafed the waters and it appears that the four marines were
killed in the water. They were never seen again. The Royal
Bahamas Defence Force dedicated a memorial park to the men on Saturday
10th May, and launched a wreath at sea on the anniversary of the sinking.
Our photo of the week is then a scene from the dedication service at sea
and we dedicate ourselves to never forgetting the four men who lost their
lives and the crew of the Flamingo who survived. The photo is by
Letisha Henderson. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
The government this week passed a minor amendment to the Hotels
Encouragement Act. This amendment will extend to shop keepers and
to restauranteurs, the same benefits that the hotels now get to be exempted
from customs duty for their building materials and equipment coming into
the country. The Act has been in place since 1954. It has been
credited with accelerating the pace of the development of the Bahamian
tourism industry.
The regime works like this. Customs duties are the main source
of revenue for The Bahamas. But when a duty is applied at the border,
it increases the cost of doing business, together with the stamp tax of
some 50 per cent over the cost and freight of the good. This makes
life in The Bahamas more expensive to buy food, to buy equipment and to
buy cars. The idea is that if you are able to give a tax holiday
or break or exemption when confined to certain areas, to certain goods
or to certain industries, then you will provide an incentive for the production
of that good or that service. There are exemptions for agriculture.
The Minister can allow agricultural implements including cars to come in
duty free. There is one for industry, which allows duty free building
materials in the industrial park and under the Industries Encouragement
Act for duty free import for equipment and raw materials for Bahamian produced
goods. Then there is the Hotels Encouragement Act. The granddaddy
of all exemptions however is that of Freeport, one big duty free zone on
the northern island of Grand Bahama.
That has been the case for over fifty years. We recall however
the words of John Rolle, a former Central Banker in The Bahamas, who told
the civil society group at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that whether
or not we sign on to the new trade regimes, integrating ourselves fully
into the world economy, the tax structure of The Bahamas had to change
because it was not able to produce the level of goods and services which
Bahamians expected from their government. If that is so, then for
more reasons than one, duty free regimes must be on the way out.
The second and perhaps more significant reason that we are going
to have to exit the duty free regimes is that The Bahamas has signed the
Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union. That agreement
is a zero customs duty regime. The idea is to eliminate all border
taxes that would inhibit trade. The Bahamas also proposes to join
the World Trade Organization, where duty free is the mantra. The
new trade agreements with Canada and with the United States will all have
the commitment to eliminate customs duties. It is coming down the
road. Yet here it is the Government has introduced a fixer upper
with the new amendment to the Hotels Encouragement Act that reinforces
a regime that they will have to scrap in the near future.
No government spokesman talked about the changes that are coming,
even though the embattled Minister of State Zhivargo Laing, infamous for
his Mona Vie duty reduction, was busy touting the benefits of the Economic
Partnership Agreement on every street corner. The government also
ducked the obvious criticism that this minor amendment is really designed
once again to benefit the Bay Street supporters of the Government.
It was left to the PLP’s spokesman on Foreign Trade Fox Hill MP Fred
Mitchell to lay out the case for a national conversation on two points:
the question of the development of our economy and this would include tax
policy as well. Mr. Mitchell speaking in the House of Assembly said
that he believed that there ought to be a national conversation on establishing
The Bahamas as a developed nation by the year 2020. He believed also
that there ought to be preparation for migrating the country to value added
tax, which would be not a more progressive tax but would be more equitable
in the sense that both the goods side of the economy and the services side
of the economy would be taxed.
He said that during the failed debate on the Caribbean Single Market
and Economy (CSME), he pointed out how the man who trades in goods has
to pay almost 150 per cent of the value of the good to get started in business
before he put the first good on the shelf. But he said that the man
who is in services can simply set up his shingle and collect huge fees
with only the small business licence tax to concern himself about, while
taking advantage of all the subsidies the government gives to its citizens
virtually for free, including the education that gave him the ability to
make the money. Mr. Mitchell thought it was simply not fair for the
merchants to carry the tax burden alone. He told of the experience
of Barbados when it implemented value added tax.
In addition, Mr. Mitchell urged the government to begin that national
conversation. He said that the country is already committed to the
United Nations Millennium Development goals. Those goals are to be
accomplished by the year 2015.
There are eight such goals:
-
Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty
-
Achieve Universal Primary Education
-
Promote gender equality and empower women
-
Reduce child mortality
-
Improve maternal health
-
Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases
-
Ensure environmental stability
-
Develop a global partnership for development
The Bahamas is already quite a ways to meeting those goals but
the goals are not being approached in a systematic and rational way.
We agree with Mr. Mitchell’s call for the country to be dedicated to its
development to that of a developed nation by the year 2020. It is
within the country’s grasp. The incrementalism that we still see
in the FNM government is not wise. It is for the PLP then to provide
the alternative message and plot the way forward.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 10th May 2008 at midnight:
265,048.
Number of hits for the month of May up to Saturday 10th May 2008
up to midnight: 356,224.
Number of hits for the year 2008 up to Saturday 10th May 2008 at
midnight: 5,155,524.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
A
CABINET SHUFFLE COMING
Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister, is like one
of these old style Communist party heads, a type of commissar, who loves
to play musical chairs with the political positions and with the names
of ministries. People don’t last in positions very long in his administration.
He is constantly moving them around like they are pawns in a game.
They go willingly. He also changes the names of ministries every
year or so, causing major headaches for filing, imposing additional and
unnecessary costs on the government.
Word is that after one year in office, a Cabinet
shuffle is coming. Elma Campbell is reportedly out and headed
to China as Ambassador to China. She will head the mission where
the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without
any announcement, has been sent to China as the number 2 in the Embassy.
The Chinese want to know whether this is a demotion for the former Head
of the Foreign Service. Then the report is that Claire Hepburn is
to leave to take a post on the bench as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
This will then give the commissar a chance to shuffle some people around.
Maybe this will be an opportunity to reward Zhivargo
Laing, his hapless Minister of State for all he did for lowering the duty
on the Mona Vie and providing the major scandal for the government for
this term, by giving him a bigger post.
A
NEW CHRISTIAN COUNCIL HEAD
Patrick Paul, not the clothier, is now the Head
of the Christian Council. He was elected at a meeting held at the
Joe Farrington Road Auditorium of the Church of God, headed by Bishop John
Humes whom he ousted. Pastor Paul is head of the Assemblies of God
in the Bahamas. He was the special assistant to Bishop Humes just
prior to his election. His nomination was a surprise to many.
The President’s post was the only one contested. Pastor Paul’s election
was even more of a surprise. Bishop Humes lasted one year.
The vote was a close one with the victor squeaking
by with two votes. The vote took place on Tuesday 29th May.
While the victor's statement spoke about how it was the Council’s role
to bring the people of the Lord together, the Christian talk overlaid a
decision taken to remove the former President after one year after a series
of embarrassing public gaffes by him, one of which blamed the PLP for crime
because they would not according to the Bishop Humes accept the results
of the election. Many were disturbed that the Bishop spoke for the
Council on matters that were doctrinal without checking with the Council
members. Catholics and Anglicans were particularly concerned that
Bishop Humes spoke out against gambling when they have no doctrinal position
opposing gambling per se.
SHANE
DECRIES GOVT’S ACTIONS
Shane Gibson, the former Minister of Housing, told
the press last week that the government’s action of moving to foreclose
on delinquent mortgagors with the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation was ill
timed. He said that while he believed that everyone should pay their
mortgages that this was a bad time for the government to foreclose on homes.
Mr. Gibson said that instead they should work with the homeowners to save
their homes, given the state of the economy.
Mr. Gibson's view was reinforced by a statement
from party Chairman Glenys Hanna Martin. Mrs. Martin said on Wednesday
7th May:
“The Progressive Liberal Party expresses its
surprise and dismay that at a time when the government should be intervening
to ease the burden and suffering of the Bahamian people, the Bahamas Mortgage
Corporation is now threatening homeowners who have become delinquent in
meeting their obligations to the corporation.
“While we do not in any way condone the evasion
of obligations to the corporation, it is nevertheless clear that in an
atmosphere of recession, unemployment and price inflation, the public policy
of the government ought to be the alleviation of suffering, not the increasing
of pressure when families are most vulnerable.
“We believe that each delinquent homeowner should
be approached confidentially by the corporation and the maximum effort
should be made to regularize their obligations. It is very disappointing
that the government has instead chosen to threaten homeowners when they
are most challenged by oppressive economic conditions.”
The Bahamas Mortgage Corporation announced last
week that it is going forcibly after delinquent mortgagees. It came
off as heartless on television.
INGRAHAM
DEFENDS WILLIAMS DISMISSAL
The Jamaican American singer Shaggy has a line in
a song when he was caught with another woman: “It wasn’t me”. That’s
the feeling you got when Hubert Ingraham incredulously told the press in
The Bahamas last week that he and the government had nothing to do with
the dismissal of Leon Williams at telephone company BTC after 40 years,
two of them as President of the Company.
Last week, we reported how Mr. Williams intends
to sue the company over his dismissal. He laid out the case against
BTC in a detailed statement released to
the press.
According to Mr. Ingraham, the government appointed
a Board headed by Julian Francis, the former Central Bank Governor who
reportedly wants the job, to run the corporation and he pledged at the
time of their appointment that the government would not interfere unless
they were messing up. In his view, they had done nothing to mess
up. He said that the decision to fire Mr. Williams had been made
by the Board and communicated to the Government through disgraced Minister
of State Zhivargo Laing.
Mr. Williams adds to the list of former chief executives
dumped by the Ingraham administration for political reasons. Before
Mr. Williams was Abraham Butler of the Water and Sewerage Corporation,
Rory Higgs of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation.
THE
DEATH OF JEFF SCAVELLA
John Jefferson Scavella was the golden voice that
graced radio in The Bahamas for over a generation. He started out
at ZNS radio as a young man, with a “‘Merican” accent. He was the
modern voice of then only radio station in Nassau. He brought a panache
when he came on that exceeded the change that took pace when George Capron
had been on before him. He was the voice of the Out Island You Ask
for It programme on Saturday evening where requests were taken from people
in the Family Islands by mail then called the Out Islands. This programme
then morphed at 11 p.m. to Lovers’ Tune Time. He had the prefect
basso profundo, smoky voice for it.
Mr. Scavella was lauded for his contribution to
broadcasting by former Broadcasting Corporation colleagues Obie Wilchcombe
MP, Kendal Wright MP, Picewell Forbes MP and Fred Mitchell MP in the House
of Assembly on Wednesday 7th May. Mr. Wright caused a controversy
in the House when he suggested that Mr. Scavella’s voice had been silenced
for political reasons. Mr. Scavella left ZNS in protest and ended
up as a candidate in the 1982 general election for the FNM against Arthur
Hanna, the then Deputy Prime Minister. A row ensued in the House
and even after it was questioned, you could see Messrs. Wilchcombe, Mitchell,
Forbes and Wright vigorously discussing the matter from their seats in
the House.
DRIP
FEEDING INFO ON THE EPA
Scandal ridden Minister of State Zhivargo Laing
is like a politically crazed man. He is all over the place giving
one speech after the next about this or that, anything to take the public's
mind off the Mona Vie scandal. Mr. Laing is not serving the country
properly in the process. He has the mammoth task of public education
on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) initialled by the Caricom
countries and the Dominican Republic with the European Union to replace
the Contonou Agreement that expired in December of last year.
The agreement for The Bahamas brings in the provisions
of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) by the back door, which
Mr. Laing fought so hard to repudiate while he was in Opposition, after
supporting it in his book ‘Who Moved My Conch?’ His strategy is not
to be upfront with it. He has been drip feeding the country about
it. Last week, he told the Real Estate Agents Association that telecommunications
and real estate is not part of the services sector that they will liberalize.
We hope they don’t believe that because it is not true.
What Mr. Laing needs to do is to come clean on the
entire list of services and goods and the transition provisions for liberalization
that will apply. But there is one standard for the FNM and another
for the PLP. The PLP spoke the truth and it is out of office for
it. The FNM tells blandishments and lies and the real state agents
sit there in a torpor.
SIR
ARTHUR FOULKES TURNS 80
The now Director General of the Bahamas Information
Services Sir Arthur Foulkes turned 80 on Friday 9th May. Sir Arthur
is one of the pioneers and architects of the modern Bahamas. He was
a member of the Progressive Liberal Party shortly after it was founded.
He used his considerable talents as a writer to establish a paper for the
party called the Bahamian Times. The Times was the party’s mouthpiece
from 1962 to 1967. He was a founding member of the National Committee
for Positive Action (NCPA). This was the organization within the
PLP that pushed the PLP to the radicalism that led to its assuming power.
He served as Cabinet Minster from 1967 to 1968 when he was dismissed by
then Prime Minister Lynden O. Pindling, to whom he had been fiercely loyal.
He then went on to vote against Sir Lynden in the no confidence vote in
1971. He was known as one of the Dissident Eight, who broke away
from the PLP to form first the Free PLP, then the Free National Movement,
a combination of the defunct United Bahamian Party and the Free PLP.
He served again in the House of Assembly from 1982 to 1987.
When the FNM assumed office in 1992, Sir Arthur
served as non resident Ambassador to Cuba and to China and then High Commissioner
to London. He is the father of 9 children with his first wife Naomi.
One of them is the Minister of Labour and Maritime Affairs Dion Foulkes.
A birthday party was held at the younger Minister’s home, attended by well-wishers
including Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, Leader of the Opposition Perry
Christie, son-in-law Education Minister Carl Bethel, Cabinet Ministers
Elma Campbell, Tommy Turnquest, Sidney Collie and Desmond Bannister.
Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell also attended. Sir Arthur is married to
the former Joan Bullard. MCs for the evening were his son Brendan,
named after the Catholic priest of the same name and events planner Sonia
Cox. Sir Arthur is shown above at his birthday party. Please click
here for more photos from the affair by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information
Services.
TAMMY
FERGUSON MARRIES JOHN CULMER
For Fox Hill, it was almost certainly the wedding
of the year. One of the beautiful daughters of Essie and the late
Sam Ferguson was married on Saturday 10th May to John Culmer, a son of
the Valley. Fox Hill turned out in all its splendour to see the beautiful
Tami Ferguson marry Mr. Culmer. The bride was radiant and beaming
as she was taken up the aisle first by Fred Mitchell, Fox Hill MP as father
giver who handed her off to former Prime Minister Perry Christie, who handed
her off to husband John. When called upon Mr. Christie and Mr. Mitchell
answered “We do on behalf of Sam Ferguson.” The ceremony which started
bang on time and lasted one hour was conducted by Pastor Warren Anderson
of the Mt. Carey Baptist Church, home church of the new Mrs. Culmer.
The reception was held at the British Colonial Hilton. The couple
is to take a Caribbean cruise honeymoon. The photos are by Lorenzo
McKenzie.
COLEBY
SPEAKS ON ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
PLP Elcott Coleby has issued a news release on things
that the FNM could do during this economic downturn. In his release,
Mr. Coleby's said:
"If current economic trends continue, and all
indications are that existing trends will continue, the government will
have little choice but to place its operations in a state of fiscal austerity.
Additionally, there are some other innovative measures the government can
take that will offer relief to many overburdened working Bahamian families.
To date the government has not presented a comprehensive relief plan to
the Bahamian people. I charge that a vacuum in leadership and the absence
of political will within the government are the reasons why this has not
happened. This plan is necessary as it gives the Bahamian people a reason
or reasons to continue to repose its confidence in the government. There
are at least three proposed areas that the government may focus on:
"In times of crises, it is normal for the political
directorate to request ministries to reduce operating expenses by a modest
5%, or $70 million. Ministries usually defer discretionary spending in
areas such as travel, launching of new government programs, and in some
cases, hiring of additional staff. These cost savings can be passed on
to consumers in the form of lowered duty rates on breadbasket staple food
items. This will bring measurable relief to literally thousands of Bahamians
in the form of improved consumer confidence. This confidence stimulates
consumerism, which buoys the Bahamian economy. I caution the government
to be vigilant in enforcing its price control regime so as to minimize
profiteering by unscrupulous businesses.
"Both the government and the media have said
that the government is powerless to do anything about rising fuel prices.
I disagree. If the government has the political will, it can make taxes
on imported fuel variable instead of fixed. This tax option will eliminate
shock in the market place that causes consumers to panic. If the government
makes a policy decision to cap the price of gasoline at the pump at $5
for example, then if and when gasoline prices are hiked by five cents,
the government can lower its taxes on that batch of fuel by five cents.
The net effect is that the price at the pump remains unchanged and shock
and panic in the market place is avoided. It is the shock in the marketplace
that creates the panic that adversely affects consumer confidence and impacts
spending habits.
"Bahamasair’s fuel last year was just under $20
million and BEC’s fuel bill is much higher. Bahamasair has announced a
$10 hike on ticket prices to cope with ever increasing fuel costs. BEC
uses a fuel surcharge formula to pass on increases to the consumer. As
for Bahamasair, it should implement the practice of fuel hedging. History
has proven that the high fuel prices have dealt a much milder blow to carriers
that have used the practice of fuel hedging; which most often involves
purchasing futures contracts that allow airlines to fix or cap the price
they'll pay several months or years in advance. I encourage the board of
directors of Bahamasair to closely examine this alternative cost reduction
measure. If Bahamasair, through the purchase of futures contracts, can
cap the ceiling on Jet fuel, and the market price continues to increase
by $2 per gallon above the cap by the end of the fiscal year, then Bahamasair
can realize cost savings of as much as $9 million in the coming fiscal
year. This reduces the government’s subsidy to Bahamasair by as much as
$9 million. Further, this initiative gives Bahamasair the option to reverse
or reduce the $10 hike on ticket prices. Thirdly, the cost savings can
compensate for the loss of tax revenue from a variable tax regime on gasoline.
This initiative will improve market efficiency.
"The same principle holds true for BEC because
Diesel and Heavy Fuel Oil prices continue to rise and this adversely impacts
electricity costs and the cost of goods and services in the economy at
large. I also encourage the board of directors of BEC to consider the option
of fuel hedging through the purchase of futures contracts. Cost savings
realized by BEC can allow the government to roll back the 10% tax on BEC’s
fuel. It would also significantly reduce the surcharge passed on to the
consumers. This reduction in energy cost will reduce the cost of goods
and services in the general economy in addition to increasing the level
of disposable income among the many thousands of BEC consumers. There is
no doubt that this disposable income will be spent in the economy and will
buoy the Bahamian economy through increased consumerism. This too will
improve market efficiency.
"The price of fuel is dictated by international
financial markets, therefore, the government should not be afraid to engage
and exploit the financial instruments of these markets for the benefit
of the Bahamian people. The external environment is filled with uncertainty
and risk, so risk management has to necessarily form a major component
of government’s public policy. I remind Bahamians that the government,
not the private sector, is “the legal guardian of market efficiency”.
FOX
HILL YOUTH AWARDS PHOTOS
Last week, we reported on an awards ceremony
for outstanding Fox Hill area students staged by the newly formed Fox Hill
Youth Association at the Fox Hill Community Centre. Please click
here for the promised photos of the award recepients. The event
was under the patronage of Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell.
The awardees’ of the evening were: Mr. Devin Ferguson
of St. Marks Native Baptist Church: Outstanding Church Service and Leadership;
Ms. Deandra Deveaux of St. Marks Native Baptist Church: Outstanding Church
Service and Leadership; Mr. Valentino Rahming of Macedonia Church: Outstanding
Church Service and Leadership; Ms. Iesha Rahming of Macedonia Church: Outstanding
Church Service and Leadership; Mr. Shannon Burrows of Church of God: Outstanding
Church Service; Academic Excellence and Leadership; Ms. Melissa Rahming
of St. Paul’s Baptist Church and Doris Johnson Senior High School: Outstanding
Service; Academic Excellence and Leadership; Mr. Breon Cox of St. Paul’s
Baptist Church: Outstanding Church Service; Leadership and Academic Achievement;
Mr. Jabari Wilmott of St. Augustine’s College: Academic Excellence and
Leadership; Mr. Deangelo Ferguson of Doris Johnson Senior High School:
Academic Excellence and Leadership; Mr. Rashad Rolle of Doris Johnson Senior
High School: Academic Excellence and Leadership; Ms. Riclisha Kelson of
Doris Johnson High School: Academic Excellence and Leadership; Mr. Davin
Hutchinson of Doris Johnson Senior High School: Academic Excellence and
Leadership; Ms. Delronique Stuart of L.W. Young Jr. High School: Outstanding
Service and Leadership; Ms. Marva Etienne of L.W. Young Junior High School:
Outstanding extracurricular activity and Most Gifted Athlete; Ms. Macy
Elean Suazo of L.W. Young Junior High School: Academic Excellence and Leadership;
Ms. Claudia Russell of Sandilands Primary School: Academic Excellence and
Leadership; Mr. Kareem Rolle of Sandilands Primary School: Academic Excellence
and Leadership.
IN PASSING
One Angry Judge
The report is that Justice John Lyons, who many credit for helping
to bring down the PLP government, by his unusual rulings just prior to
the last election, has been passed up for Senior Justice by Jon Isaacs.
His friends are saying that this does not sit well with him. Some
of them are urging the good judge to go on strike. There is of course
one solution to discomfort about the place in which you live and work and
that is to leave and go to another jurisdiction. There’s a thought.
Get that man a ticket to Canberra.
Rudy King In The News Again
The press reported during the week that the inimitable and irrepressible
Rudy King was back before the Bahamian courts, this time trying to appeal
a bankruptcy order before the Court of Appeal. He failed in his bid
to set it aside because the Court of Appeal claims that it does not have
jurisdiction to hear an appeal in bankruptcy. This is notwithstanding
a ruling in the case of Sidney Stubbs that they do. Mr. King was
told to go away and try another way. The press also reported Mr.
King as saying that he intends to go back to the U.S. to face charges of
defrauding the Internal Revenue Service of the United States where he,
it appears, skipped out of the jurisdiction and is now wanted for doing
so. Mr. King says first things first though: the bankruptcy court
and then the IRS.
Star 106.5 Is On The Air
Ken Perigord and the Nassau Guardian’s joint venture Star 106.5 FM
is now on the air officially. Mr. Perigord is the host of KP’s Golden
Oldies each Saturday night from 8 p.m.
Stephen Russell To Head NEMA
Lt. Commander Stephen Russell, a 17 year veteran of the Royal Bahamas
Defence Force, has been seconded from the RBDF to the public service to
head the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). He replaces
Carl Smith, who is now Consul General for The Bahamas in New York.
Exuma Meeting A Bust For FNM Ministers
FNM Ministers Earl Deveaux and Neko C. Grant I ran into heavy weather
with the people of Exuma at a town meeting in Exuma on Thursday 8th May.
Exumians are incensed that their settlements are being overrun by illegal
Haitian immigrants and the government seems powerless to do anything about
it.
Apology Demanded by FNM politician
The owners of City Markets have reportedly paid the sum of $5,000 in
damages and $3000 in legal costs because an FNM politician was offended
when she went to the food store and the food store refused to take her
cheque for 75 dollars. When the refusal took place she left with
the goods anyway but had her lawyer write a letter demanding an apology
for refusing her cheque and seeking damages of $5,000. The company
offered the apology but no damages. The FNM politician demanded the
$5,000 or else and $3,000 in costs. Fearing retaliation from the
Government, the company capitulated. Not bad for a days work, even
though the law clearly says that leaving a food store with goods unpaid
may well be taking property belonging to another with the permanent intention
to deprive. Perhaps Mr. Slime, John Marquis, The Tribune will investigate
and report on that.
Celeste Mitchell Recovering
Celeste Mitchell, the wife of Robert Ian Mitchell and daughter of Edward
and Esther Williams, sister-in-law to Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, teacher
at St. Anne’s, is recovering in hospital in Miami following a stroke three
weeks ago. Mrs. Mitchell was airlifted to Florida last week.
Where Oh Where Is Brent Symonette?
Brent Symonette, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was missing from
the House of Assembly. Not a word on where he was. It may well
be that he was attending a Caricom Foreign Minister's meeting in Antigua.
No one knows. That is the FNM way, hiding from the public the fact
that their Foreign Minister is travelling.
Mitchell on GEMS
Fred Mitchell MP visited the GEMS radio studios this past week.
Mr. Mitchell was a guest of guest host Lester Cox, sitting in for Michael
Pintard. Mr. Mitchell talked with the guest host about his time in
politics.
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