Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 5 © BahamasUncensored.Com 2007
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| PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Their name is the Progressive Liberal Action Network (PLAN) and they are young PLPs angry and fired up over the election result and ready to put their work into action. This is no talk shop. They have good young leadership amongst them. They were formed in the aftermath of the disappointing election result in Freeport where Pleasant Bridgewater and Ann Percentie (PLPs) lost their seats to the FNM. The group numbers in the hundreds and they meet every other Tuesday in the PLP's headquarters. This week they planned a demonstration to protest the victimization of the Free National Movement. Since coming to office the FNM has fired hundreds of people from the civil service, and they have stopped 90 million dollars worth of contracts. This has resulted in fear in the civil service and an economy that has slowed to a creep. The young PLPs in Freeport could take it no more, and the folk in Nassau can take a page from their books: less talk more action. Former candidates Doswell Coakley and Senator Pleasant Bridgewater are amongst its guiding lights. Sean Bowe is its leader and Patrick Davis, its spokesman on the scene; click here for Mr. Davis' remarks. Some appeared with paper bags over their heads, some were civil servants with those bags demonstrating that you had to fear expressing your rights in this new Bahamas under the FNM. Our photo of the week then is the demonstration in Freeport, Grand Bahama on Thursday 2nd August 2007. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE REVOLT STARTS IN FREEPORT
When the demonstration took place in Freeport on Thursday 2nd August,
three Ministers of the Government were hiding upstairs in the Office of
the Prime Minister. It is said they were having a meeting. 
But
the noise downstairs could be heard upstairs. One hundred PLPs gathered
in front of the Government Administrator's office on the Mall in Freeport
to protest the policies of the three men upstairs: Neko Grant, Ken Russell
and Zhivargo Laing, all Ministers of the Government. The PLP on 2nd
August, the day after the 173rd anniversary of the emancipation of the
slaves, were protesting the victimization of the new slave masters the
FNM. Since the FNM came to office they have fired hundreds, stopped
tens of millions of dollars in contracts, and are reviewing millions more
which means that those contracts together with the whole economy are on
hold. They have proceeded to frighten the civil service into silence,
and have the entire country intimidated.
It was important then for the PLP to show that its voice has not been silenced. The PLP will not be quiet. It is no surprise that the revolt has started in Freeport.
Following the defeat of the PLP in Freeport, younger PLPs in Freeport were dissatisfied with the way the campaign had been run. They were dissatisfied with the fact that inputs that were promised were never delivered. They were dissatisfied that there was not a prominent enough role given to the young in the campaign. Now it was time for them to step forward, and step forward they have in a big way. The group is called the Progressive Liberal Action Network (PLAN). They are made up of both stalwart councillors and the next generation of PLP leaders. Some of them expect to be candidates in the next general election for the PLP. Some were candidates in the last general election. They were all PLPs and not afraid to stand up.
Interestingly enough on the evening of Tuesday 30th July Fred Mitchell,
the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and now PLP MP for Fox Hill, was
in Freeport to speak to them. 
In
part he told them that this was a tradition of the PLP, to take political
action in the face of the unremitting hostility of a prejudicial order.
Today, The Bahamas faces a stark choice. We have slipped right back to where we were before the 1967 general election. The forces of the media are concentrated in the hands of the United Bahamian Party and their surrogates. The Tribune owns The Guardian through a complicated joint operating agreement. Then of course, ZNS is owned and operated by the Government itself, now an FNM government. The FNM are the surrogates for the UBP.
At ZNS things have gone progressively down hill. It is not possible for the Opposition to get air time on the station. The PLPs that are left at the station report that it is becoming a daily battle for them to survive at ZNS. They are continually told that there is a new order at ZNS now and they had better conform or be drummed out for the door. PLP items are being placed at the end of the news if at all. You will recall the story of a Minister of the government who went to ZNS and demanded of Vaughnique Toote that she rewrite a story because the story was not to his liking. There is nothing in the PLPs experience of government that anyone at ZNS can compare to this event. We have called for that Minister to apologize but he has not, and we would have thought that by now some journalist in the profession would have at least had the courage to defend their fellow reporter. All this stuff about journalistic integrity, out of the window. Simply silence by those in the profession.
You
have seen us write about it in this column before. We believe that
for some reason the PLP has lost its political voice, the whole tradition
of activism in favour of we are not quite sure. One thing is certain
in the face of the dangers and snares that now befall the PLP, with a government
in power that is expert at manipulating and lying and tricking, the PLP
faces an enemy in this time that it has not known before. There must
be concerted effort on the part of the PLP to forcefully meet this threat.
There can be no let up.
We thought that the group in Grand Bahama has shown the PLP a way. Town meetings are fine. Speeches are fine but there needs to be political action. The boycott of newspaper sales is one thing that should be pursued. The boycott of stores that practice discrimination against PLPs should be pursued. It will take concerted political action on the part of the PLPs in the country. It may be that Grand Bahama is the place to start since that appears to be the place where courage is not hiding under a bushel.
We encourage the PLAN to keep it up. It is a first good step toward action. The next day after the demonstration the Freeport News and its biased newspaper editor gave scores of column inches to the FNM responses while not dealing as completely as they should with the root causes of the demonstration. The fact is that an FNM government has come to power with only one thing on their minds: victimization, vengeance and viciousness. That is why it is incumbent upon the courts to step in and remove Zhivargo Laing from office. That is why it is incumbent upon the PLP to regain the government so that some equilibrium can be restored to government, some even handedness and so that people can once again know that their interests are being regarded.
Once again to the PLAN: keep up the good work.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 4th August 2007 up to midnight: 204,015.
Number of hits for the month of July up Tuesday 31st July 2007 up
to midnight: 972,621.
HUBERT’S
BOORISH BEHAVIOUR
We thought that the PLP did not deal effectively
with Hubert Ingraham's rude, crude, boorish and stupid behaviour in the
House of Assembly when it last met on Monday 30th July, so we have written
this open letter to Hubert which we think that the PLP ought to sign and
send to him:
Dear Prime Minister:
This is a warning from all 18 Members of Parliament of the Progressive
Liberal Party. You are hereby advised that in future if you repeat
the crude and boorish behaviour that you last displayed in the House of
Assembly on Monday 30th July, you will find your back teeth floating.
You may talk to your little minions and your Cabinet in the way that you
displayed but not to PLP Members of Parliament. You may speak to
your little children that way but not to PLP members of parliament.
If it happens again, you will not hear, you will feel. You must have
smelled your top lip. Don’t get so full of yourself that you forget
what your job is and that you must answer questions in a civilized and
decent manner. If you don’t then we promise you all hell will break
loose.
Your sincerely,
PLP MPs
GOVERNMENT
GIVES UP AIRPORT SECURITY
The Government brought an amendment to the airport authority
act that seeks to allow them to delegate authority for security services
lawfully from the Airport Authority to the Nassau Airport Development Company
(NAD) now managed by a Canadian company. Most PLPs opposed the amendment
in the debate because it was not consistent with the sovereign rights and
responsibilities of the country. Fred Mitchell, the MP for Fox Hill
spoke at length on the matter in the House on Monday 30th July. Jerome
Fitzgerald followed up with an address in the Senate. You may click
here
for the address of Senator Fitzgerald.
BIS photo of Fred Mitchell MP during the House of Assembly debate
on the amendment to the Airport Authority Act / Peter Ramsay - File photo
of Senator Jerome Gomez
MR.
POLICE COMMISSIONER COME AGAIN
Candia Dames is the sister of Assistant Commissioner
of Police Marvin Dames. She is bright and able. No question
about it. The question we have is whether or not the journalistic
ethics of this is correct; for a controversial story involving her brother
and public policy to be written in a newspaper about him by her in an exclusive
interview with the Commissioner of Police, not even a general news conference.
Is there not something wrong about that? If it were a politician
who was in the Government doing something to promote his or her brother’s
interests, the press would be all over them; especially if they were members
of the Progressive Liberal Party. The story appeared in the Bahama
Journal on Thursday 2nd August.
This is why the press has a problem with this column
and with others who make the remarks they do about the media in The Bahamas.
We are very frank about it. This is clearly wrong and unethical.
In the story, the Commissioner claimed that he was in full operational
control of the Force. But he acknowledged that both in the case of
the PLP and the FNM he carries out the policies of the Government of the
day. He said that the matter of whether this was political interference
was not a matter for him but one for those looking at it to say.
This is fair enough. We are not quite sure
what Tommy Turnquest, the Minister of National Security, was talking about
- he usually does not understand the English language, much less public
policy - when he says that there was political interference in the Force
by Perry Christie. The PLP must be careful how it responds to this
argument as well. The fact is the Force is controlled by civilians,
elected politicians. While the Force must have the appearance of
dispassionate execution of the law, there is no mistaking that when it
comes to deployment and resources, the politicians must have their say.
We wrote last week how stupid it was of Hubert Ingraham to suggest that
he was an innocent bystander in the removal of Marvin Dames from responsibilities
for security at all our ports to the post of being in charge of the constabulary
today. It was clearly and unmistakably motivated and activated by
the Prime Minister, denials notwithstanding.
We recalled how in the Bahama Journal where Mr.
Dames' sister is an editor, the call was led that somehow Mr. Dames had
been demoted because he was made an Assistant Commissioner of Police up
from Superintendent and that he was given nothing to do. This was
the same line that Tommy Turnquest was parroting in the House for Assembly.
He should bite his tongue because he was saying it on the same day that
they were seeking permission to transfer the responsibility for security
at the airport to a private firm. Mr. Dames' responsibility was to
work out the blue print for port security in this entire country.
Before he could do his job, he was moved and moved not by the Commissioner
of Police but by the politicians who took over on 2nd May.
Mr. Turnquest must think that the people of this
country are fools. While we understand the Commissioner's position
which seems to be don’t get me in this but I have to protect my integrity
by insisting that I’m in charge; the fact is no changes of the kind that
we are speaking about with regard to Marvin Dames could have happened without
the active sanction of the FNM Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his hapless
Minister of National Security. The Commissioner may be in operational
control of the Force but the fact is he could not do anything unless the
FNM agreed. Let’s at least all be honest about it. Here is
some of what the Commissioner had to say in his own words:
"The challenge for a commissioner is always to
follow the policies of the government and the operational arm of the force
of which I am responsible for…
"I constantly speak with the minister who is
in charge, number one, and of course occasionally the prime minister and
I carry out the policies of the government. There are some matters
I wouldn’t wish to discuss. The conversations we would have between
minister and commissioner, they are confidential matters.
"If you really want to insinuate whether or not
carrying out the government’s policy is political interference, that’s
a matter of opinion, but I only carry out the policies of the government
and in line with the operational responsibility that I have of the force.
"My movement of officers at the top level certainly
was done and I bear full responsibility for those movements. If you’re
talking about the movement from the airport it’s certainly one that I have
reconsidered…
"Assistant Commissioner Dames is serving in the
best area I feel at the moment where he can serve members of the public
and with the best interest of the organization because he is a very capable
officer and in my opinion he’s doing an excellent job…
"The commissioner can always change his mind
and transfers can take place tomorrow. I can change my mind tomorrow
depending on the prevailing circumstances in the organization and in the
country because one day I may have to move an officer to another place.
"I think I had collaboration with the opposition,
the previous government, on Mr. Dames’ transfer to the airport. I
think that’s public knowledge. And of course, transfers at the top
echelon of the force have to be discussed with the government and agreed
to, so that’s a part, I believe, of government’s policy…
“While I have operational control of the force,
I have no control over the policies dictated by the government of the day.
"As commissioner, I must be seen to be carrying
those policies out…
"What I do know is that the commissioner advances
promotions and is responsible directly for promotions of the sergeants
down to the corporals. I make recommendations to the government on
senior promotions and the government sanctions those promotions.
I really couldn’t promote anyone in the force without the government’s
resources…
“As Commissioner of Police, I make recommendations
on senior promotions and the government either disagrees or agrees.
“The appointment of commissioner and deputy commissioner
is done by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
in consultation with the leader of the opposition.
“The appointment of assistant commissioners is
done by the governor general on advice of the prime minister in consultation
with the Police Service Commission.
“For senior officers’ promotions from chief superintendent
down to inspector, I make recommendations to the government.
"I couldn’t confirm that [the appointment of
Reginald Ferguson as Deputy Commissioner] because I don’t appoint deputy
commissioners. He’s not acting in the capacity of deputy commissioner,
not yet." (This last seems to contradict what the Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham said in his interview with the Clint Watson of ZNS last
week. ---Editor)
GREENSLADE
DEFENDS HIMSELF
He is clearly the man most qualified next to be
Commissioner of Police but the FNM is engaged in a series of press leaks
designed to discredit him in the eyes of the public. On his departure
from Freeport to move to his new post in Nassau, the police held a banquet
in his honour and gave him several departing gifts. These are listed
in a story in the Bahama Journal by Candia Dames whose brother is an Assistant
Commissioner of Police as well and who is thought to be his main competition
for the job of Commissioner as two his and hers Rolex watches, a Dodge
Durango Jeep and two cell phones. The rumours have been abounding
that he was directed by the Government to return the gifts.
Mr. Greenslade defended himself in the press by
saying to Ms. Dames in the Journal that he got no such direction.
He indicated that he and his family considered the rumours to be slap in
the face to him and his hard work. He said that the banquet was held
with the support of the Commissioner of Police and attended by the Commissioner
and he has not been directed by the Commissioner to return the gifts.
That was fine by itself but in the same report when the Commissioner of
Police was asked about it, he said that he did not want to comment on the
matter because he had not had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Greenslade
about it. That with respect did not sound too assuring to us about
what is in store for Mr. Greenslade but we will keep watching.
Here is some of what Mr. Greenslade said in his
own words:
“I’m amazed about what I’m seeing in the press. I’m at a loss.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force gave me gifts which I appreciated.
I have not received any instructions from the commissioner nor are any
discussions taking place. I’ve never done anything wrong. I
think it’s wrong to try to poison my reputation… My family really feels
badly. It’s a slap in the face."
Here is what the Commissioner said in response to
Ms. Dames’ inquiries:
“Really, I don’t want to answer that question
until I would have discussed those issues with Mr. Greenslade. I
think it would be unfair to do that and I haven’t [discussed it with him].
I think out of fairness I wouldn’t want to comment on this issue.”
THE
FATE OF URBAN RENEWAL
It is a travesty of public policy for the now FNM
Bahamas Government to appoint Ella Lewis, the woman who ran against the
former Prime Minister in his Farm Road constituency for the FNM to be the
head of Urban Renewal for The Bahamas. First, the programme is not
a political programme, to put a politician in charge of it makes a mockery
of it, and such a high profile political ideologue makes it impossible
for the programme to be seen as a fair one.
The FNM came to office threatening to dismantle
Urban Renewal. Then when there was an adverse reaction to that decision,
having stripped it of all of the workers, they then reversed themselves
and said they would have police officers put into the urban renewal offices
at the rank of sergeant or below and not run by the police as it was.
Housing, social services environmental health were all stripped as components
of the programmed. They fired everyone that was considered PLP connected
with the programme. Now the biggest insult of all is to put Ella
Lewis, an FNM candidate in charge. You know that destruction is on
the way for the programme.
The Nassau Guardian was present at a meeting of
the Urban Renewal in Fox Hill on Thursday 2nd August and that is how the
public got to know that Ella Lewis was to head the programme. The
PLP should protest this vigorously. Something else should be found
for Ms. Lewis to do. The seniors in Fox Hill are very opposed to
this. They could get no assurances from Ms. Lewis about the future
of the programme and how they will fit into it. What they did voice
to the papers was the fact they have not felt safe in the community since
Urban Renewal has been stripped of its personnel and its programme.
JACK
HAYWARD SNUBS THE COURT
The case of the fighting families of Freeport the
St. Georges against the Haywards came back to court on Monday 30th July.
You will remember that since last year there has been an injunction preventing
the Hayward faction and his agent Hannes Babak from acting to run the Grand
Bahama Port Authority. Sir Jack Hayward, a strange and weird fellow,
who has in our view no vision for Freeport at 84 years of age suddenly,
started asserting that he was the 75 per cent owner of the Port, not fifty
per cent owner as he had previously asserted. He asserted this as
recently as in a statement given to the police last year in answer to a
complaint against him by the daughter of his former partner Edward St.
George that he had threatened her. The statement was witnessed by
his own attorney Greg Moss. When it was first filed, Sir Jack said
he was anxious to get the court case on and the receivers removed.
Under the PLP administration Paul Adderley the former
Attorney General represented the government in trying to bring about a
settlement. With the coming of Hubert Ingraham that has gone out
of the window. Sir Jack who is an FNM supporter has taken all the
offers off the table including his resiling from the claim of 75 per cent
ownership.
The case went forward without Sir jack but not before
his attorney Greg Moss asserted that Sir Jack was ill in London.
The judge clearly did not buy that and said that the case would proceed.
The case did proceed and the evidence appears to show that he is the fifty
per cent owner and not the 75 percent owner of the shares. The lawyer
for Sir Jack then did a strange thing. He said he would not continue
but he was not withdrawing from the case. Late into the week, the
Judge said she would give Sir Jack one more opportunity to present a defence
before proceeding further because she does not want to be accused of a
rush to judgment. We wait and see.
INGRAHAM
DEFENDS NEWSPAPER MONOPOLY
When the House of Assembly met on Monday 30th July,
Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister got up to intervene in the remarks
of Obie Wilchcombe, PLP Member and former Minister of Tourism. Mr.
Wilchcombe was in a full flight attack against the merger of the Nassau
Guardian and The Tribune. Mr. Wilchcombe has called publicly for
a boycott of both The Guardian and The Tribune, a boycott with which we
agree. Mr. Ingraham objected and asked Mr. Wilchcombe why did he
think that there was a danger of a monopoly of newspapers in The Bahamas.
He said he did not think that would ever happen in The Bahamas. Clearly
then we see where his interests are. He is protecting the actions
of Eileen Carron and The Tribune, the same group that he promised a TV
licence soon after the election. The same group that controls four
radio stations.
Mr. Ingraham saw the actions of The Tribune and
The Guardian as benign, saying that when he visited Ireland, Tony O’Reilly
who owns The Independent prints all the papers in Dublin, even the rivals
to The Independent which he owns. We are sure that Mr. Ingraham would
put the best face on it but while it is being described as a joint operating
agreement no one for one moment believes it. The prevailing view
is that this is an outright buyout by The Tribune of The Guardian.
It is anti competitive and bad for public policy and the Bahamian public.
TAKING
SCHOOL SECURITY PRIVATE
A government notice appeared in The Nassau Guardian
on Thursday 2nd August calling for suitably qualified firms to submit bids
for security services at several schools in New Providence. They
are for the Government High School, R. M. Bailey High, C.R. Walker High,
C.V. Bethel High, C.I. Gibson High, C.H. Reeves Jr. High, L.W. Young Junior
High, C. C. Sweeting Jr. High, S.C. McPherson Junior High, Columbus Primary,
Thelma Gibson Primary and the Learning Resources Unit.
This seems to confirm the fears of the PLP that
police security, specially trained under the PLP, are being removed from
the schools and replaced now by untrained private security. The Bahamas
Union of Teachers should be concerned because this will clearly put teachers
at greater risk with untrained security now at the gates. This is
also clearly a scheme for jobs for the boys by the FNM. The PLP must
protest this action. Tenders are to be submitted to the Ministry
of Finance by 13th August 2007. The papers for the bids may be collected
at the Ministry of Education’s office in Thompson Boulevard.
FOX
HILL FESTIVAL OPENS
The Fox Hill Festival was officially opened by the
Minister of State for Culture Charles Maynard on Friday 3rd August.
The ceremony took place on the Fox Hill parade. There was visiting
royalty from Lagos, Nigeria for the occasion as well. The festival
lasts until Tuesday 14th August which is known as Fox Hill Day. Junkanoo
comes to Fox Hill on Monday 6th August beginning at 1 a.m. and there is
an ecumenical service that takes place at 11 a.m. at the Fox Hill Parade
which will be broadcast live to the nation. The Member of Parliament
for Fox Hill spoke at the opening and reminded the Minister that the celebration
in Fox Hill is not just another festival or party; it is the authentic
cultural event, 173 years of marking the occasion. He asked that
the resources for the Festival should then be given pride of place to ensure
that it is successful. You may click
here for the full remarks. The photos are by Valentino Bain.
CARICOM
SILENT ON AFRICA
The United Nations’ Security Council last week approved
a resolution that will send 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur. This is
the region of Sudan that has been in the news where hundreds of thousands
of black Africans have been killed by an Arab militia believed to be working
with and for the government of Sudan. The government denies this
but the evidence seems clear. The United Nations has been seeking
to put an end to what the U.S. President George Bush has called genocide.
The scenes and stories are reminiscent of Rwanda. The government
in Sudan has now agreed to accept this peacekeeping force. The world
is acting too slowly, with too little and too late.
Our concern is that the region has been silent on
Africa and the burning issues on that continent. No statement has
issued forth from Caricom foreign ministers on the subject. Brent
Symonette should see to it that The Bahamas has some input on the subject
to ensure that our voice is heard on this issue. We condemn the deaths
and the killings of the innocent civilians by the militias associated with
the Khartoum government. A similar story can be told on Zimbabwe,
where the actions of its President Robert Mugabe have destroyed the country's
economy. There is systematic repression of the Opposition, and the
widespread use of state coercion to stop protests against his government.
There is believed to be 80 per cent unemployment, the food production sector
has been destroyed. Inflation is said to be 5000 per cent.
The economy is expected to collapse entirely by the end of the year.
Again the Caricom region has not said a word. The Bahamas should
again act to at least say something on this matter.
IN PASSING
Not The King Of Abaco But Of Evil
During the past week, the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas news
reported that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham went up to Grand Cay, Abaco
where he was feted by the residents there and declared the King of Abaco.
The TV showed the Prime Minister with his eyes brimming over in tears.
These can only be crocodile tears for all the wickedness that he has perpetrated
against this nation since he became Prime Minister. He will suffer
for this one day. He has presided over a government that has fired
hundreds of civil servants since he came to power on 2nd May and stopped
tens of millions of dollars in contracts and the livelihoods of thousands.
For that he is not the king of Abaco but in our view the king of evil.
Sam Ferguson Dies
In October of last year Sam Ferguson who had been bound to a wheel
chair for over a generation celebrated his three score and ten. Mr.
Ferguson was a stalwart councillor of the PLP and a leader for the PLP
in Fox Hill. His children are all great supporters of the cause,
one them, Jason, was a former branch chairman for the Fox Hill PLP.
His wife Essie is a well known civic leader in her community and runs her
own fast food business on the corner of Rose Street in Fox Hill.
Together they have celebrated over 50 years of marriage. Sadly Mr.
Ferguson passed away on Wednesday 1st August. He was 70 years old.
We extend our condolences to the entire Ferguson family of Fox Hill.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson are shown with Fred Mitchell MP in this photograph
from a church service in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.
Kirk Hinsey
Kirk Hinsey seems to have been a fixture of auction circuit of The
Bahamas for years. He was a well known businessman. He was
68 years old. He had a great disposition. We extend condolences
on his passing. He was buried on Saturday 4th August following a
service at Holy Spirit Anglican Church in Chippingham.
The Story Of Joanne Neilly
The Bahama Journal reported on its front page with full photo that
Joanne Neilly of Eastwood and an employee of Bahamas Electricity Corporation
had been charged with theft of $95,728.43 from the Corporation. Insiders
at BEC are saying that they don’t believe word of it. They say Ms.
Neilly is a well known PLP and this is just an act of outright victimization
and spite by the new FNM administration. Mrs. Neilly is set to retire
from BEC in December and that because of her politics she is being embarrassed
in the way she is. The charge was laid on Thursday 2nd August and
will resume on the 19th November. She has been dismissed from her
job after 37 years of service.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Urban Renewal - The following letter originated from an e-mail registered
to one ... Lewis, but was signed, simply, An Observer
A lot of nasty and misconstrued opinions regarding
Mr. Ingraham's actions towards Urban Renewal has been made on this site.
Well, I know the authors of this site must now
feel silly and burn in shame after reading this article published by the
Nassau Guardian. (The article announcing Ella Lewis to head Urban
Renewal - see story above)
Please, humor me with your PLPized response...
An Observer
Our opinion remains the same. You only need to read this week's column
to see that the programme is headed for destruction. As for a PLPized
response we assume that is why your read this column. Duh!
If you want an FNMized response then you need to look elsewhere.
PLP or not it is simply the truth though. - Editor
General Observations of a New Government
With just over a week in office, the comments
made by the Ministers of the FNM government made me more proud of the Christie
administration. Ingraham conceded early that apart from the new hires
under OPERATIONS SECOND CHANCE, he did not see any major problems. He revealed
that the government would borrow $45 million to pay off government debt.
This
compares to $125 million the PLP government had to immediately borrow
upon assuming office. This only underscores the fiscal prudence of the
Christie administration. Additionally, the PLP had reduced the GFS deficit
to 1.6% by 2006. Keep in mind that the FNM deferred payments for 8 of the
ten years they were in office. The FNM government recently issued some
$100 million in public debt to partially finance the public works foreshadowed
in their budget communication for the current fiscal year.
As for Foreign Affairs, Minister Symonette must
maintain the quality of foreign relations that the PLP has engendered and
it requires more than just having the US Charge D’ Affair as his neighbour.
The former government led the way in improving the relationship between
CARICOM and the United States. The European visa free access project must
be closed and Mr. Symonette simply has to find a building and renovate
it as the project for machine readable passports is a done deal and is
scheduled for a October 2007 conclusion. The Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA) with the European Union is all but complete and Mr. Symonette must
conclude this. He must seek the same with the United States on behalf of
The Bahamas and CARICOM. Much of the work has been done for Mr Symonette
by the former administration.
It is interesting that after having promised
to facilitate the construction of 3,000 homes and fully serviced lots,
Minister Kenneth Russell has already conceded that his government may not
be able to build as many houses as the PLP government did. I found that
concession quite interesting. The amount allocated for the repairs to government
built houses with structural deficiencies is inadequate and home owners
will not be satisfied.
Minister Neko Grant visited the LPIA two weeks
after the election and said that he was impressed with the achievements
made at the airport as it relates to security. Regardless of the noise
being made by the Prime Minister about security at the airport, the Federal
Aviation Administration has rated the LPIA a category 7. The highest category
is 8. Kudos to Glenys Hanna Martin and her team for a job well done. I
have not heard much from the Tourism Minister apart from harassing security
guards at the GBIA some time ago.
As regards the amendment of the Airport Authority
Act, I maintain that border control, security, and public safety are the
responsibilities of the Bahamas Government and should not be outsourced
to a third party, private or public. Further, if Marvin Dames “had nothing
to do” as the National Security Minister put it, then what will NAD have
to do. I thought Mr. Dames had an awesome and daunting task on his hands
in developing a system that will secure all of our international ports
of entry throughout the archipelago. Given this era of terrorism and the
development of our family islands, this appeared to be the correct course
of action, but the FNM clearly felt differently.
I am glad to see that the FNM government has
taken a page from the PLP’s book of strategy and is making more efficient
use of the properties on which 160 (T.G.Glover has been razed) public schools
sit. Remember how the PLP’s strategy in constructing 519 standard class
rooms and 33 pre-school units in 5 years more effectively addressed the
vexing problem of overcrowding in the public school system than the 12
schools constructed under the FNM in 10 years. Just 332 class rooms in
10 years (1992-2002) were woefully inadequate.
The Minister of Education justified the removal
of police officers from public schools as an opportunity for teachers to
assert their authority in the class room. I don’t see how, but let’s give
Carl Bethel the benefit of the doubt. Ministry of Education policy does
not allow teachers to administer corporal discipline to students unless
directed by an administrator. Further, police officers do not have the
authority (unless invited by the teacher) to enter the class room as that
is the domain of the teacher so the presence of the police on school campuses
never impeded or interfered with any teacher’s ability to assert his or
her authority in the class rooms so removal will not make a difference
“in the class room”. The record showed that the presence of police officers
made the school environment significantly safer and more secure. This is
a bad policy decision by the FNM government because a school campus is
a microcosm of the wider Bahamian society. If we agree that our society
is violent, then there is violence on school campuses and the question
of a police presence on campuses is essentially moot. Further, I question
the effectiveness of a private security force.
I distinctly remember the Honorable Member for
Abaco promising cable television to residents of Abaco and other family
islands during the election campaign; It was to happen within 3 months
of May 2nd 2007. Three months into his new administration, the Prime Minister
has revised the timetable to year’s end. I wish to point out that the FNM
government had the mandate to create the platform on which Cable Bahamas
would provide the television signal, but this never happened. It was the
PLP who had the political will to spend $75 million on a 10 gigabyte fiber
optic cable network linking 14 family islands. This platform will make
it all possible for family islanders to have access to the internet in
addition to 200 channels of cable television.
The prudent economic policies of the Christie
administration continue to bear fruit for our beloved Bahamas. The Nassau
Guardian has reported that “Prominent credit rating agency Standard &
Poor's has upgraded The Bahamas' long-term sovereign credit rating from
stable to positive, citing the archipelago's macroeconomic stability, prudent
fiscal policies, and steady monetary stance.
In addition, S&P affirmed its 'A-' long-
and 'A-2' short-term sovereign credit ratings on The Bahamas”. The
report went on to validate and laud the far reaching and sustaining effects
of Christie’s economic policies: “The agency expects economic growth to
pick up and stabilize at about four percent within the next three to five
years, reflecting massive investment projects in the tourism industry,
estimated at over $10 billion. S&P also expects the gross domestic
product (GDP) per capita to increase from $19,000 in 2006 to $23,000 by
2010. Unemployment is expected to decline to 6.8 percent by 2010.
Government debt is also expected to decline to
an estimated 35 percent of GDP in 2010 from 38 percent in 2006, boosted
by growing revenue and contained expenditure. Given the small size and
openness of the economy, and its vulnerability to the external environment
and weather-related shocks, S&P makes the point that economic developments
in the U.S. and their impact on the tourism sector are especially important”.
I need not say more as Standard and Poors said it all. They are objective
and have no special interest or an axe to grind. This is also a vindication
of “right”.
All that is left for me to say is that politics
is arguably the single greatest violator of meritocracy. Alan Keyes and
Al Gore made the most impressive cases for president of the United States
in the run up to the 2000 presidential elections, but George Bush (arguably
the worst candidate) became president. I am convinced that the best party
to govern this country is the Progressive Liberal Party. We must continue
to make the case that the stewardship of the PLP government and the vision
of Perry Christie are second to none.
Elcott Coleby
THIS
WEEK WITH THE LEADER
This week, we are treated to a photograph of the Leader of the Official
Opposition, the Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party, Rt. Hon. Perry
Christie MP in action in the House of Assembly during the debate on the
amendment of the Airport Authority Act.
BIS Photo: Peter Ramsay
| 12th
August, 2007
Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com |
|
| TROUBLE AT THE AIRPORT... | THE C.O.P.’S STATEMENT ON GREENSLADE... |
| NO TO REGINALD FERGUSON... | THE FNM TRIES TO DIVIDE FOX HILL... |
| THE ELECTION COURT CASES... | THE FOX HILL FESTIVAL CONTINUES... |
| THE IMMIGRATION AUDIT... | IN PASSING... |
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR... | |
The Official Site of the Progressive
Liberal Party... |
The Official Site of the Free National Movement... |
| PLPs On The Web... | Interesting Places... |
| Vincent Peet / PLP North Andros & Berry Isl. | Bahamas Government Website |
| Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte | Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte | Bahamians On The Web |
| Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw | Bahamian Kayaking News |
| John Carey / PLP Carmichael | FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES... |
| Keod Smith / PLP Mount Moriah | |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
SLAYING GREENSLADE
Last week in this space we carried a short story on Ellison Greenslade,
the Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police who was recently transferred
from Freeport, Grand Bahama. Mr. Greenslade was feted to a banquet
in Freeport where he served with distinction for seven years on Friday
22nd June. Mr. Greenslade had really been languishing in Grand Bahama
for too long without any real intellectual challenge. He is a bright
officer and is really what the future of the Force should be about: advanced
planning, computer literate and presently with a Master's Degree but working
on his Ph D. He is absolutely solid.
His only problem was that being smart and ambitious was not a good combination for the Royal Bahamas Police Force in the face of some duds who simply do not have it, need to retire and one in particular who is a monster with an outright political agenda.
The Progressive Liberal Party’s leader Perry Christie when he was Prime Minister facilitated the transfer of Mr. Greenslade as crime worsened in the country. The view was that Reginald Ferguson, also an assistant commissioner, had been in charge of crime for too long and had run out of ideas and a new person needed to bring his expertise and organizational abilities and intellect to the table; tackling what was beginning to be a vexing problem. The Government changed on 2nd May 2007. Reginald Ferguson instead of proceeding with orders given him in February went on long leave. Mr. Greenslade came to Nassau as soon as he received the order in February but had to run the gauntlet of Force indifference not supplying him with proper housing and allowances after having domiciled himself in Freeport. The hostility was palpable.
Since the changes were PLP inspired then it was clear that the FNM would reverse them as soon as possible. Given the connection of Mr. Ferguson who had been over the Security and Intelligence Branch of the Royal Bahamas Police Force for so long to the now Chairman of the Free National Movement and Vice President of the Senate Johnley Ferguson, it was clear that as soon as possible the FNM would seek to bring Mr. Ferguson back from the area to which he had been sent into the limelight again. They have now done that with a scorched earth policy.
The first thing they did was to pressure John Rolle, the long standing Deputy Commissioner of Police to retire from the Force. According to Prime Minister Ingraham he paid out Mr. Rolle's vacation, and Mr. Rolle took his money and left the Force. Let’s hope that the Force does not supply him with any gifts, a fact to which we will come next. With Mr. Rolle out of the way, the way was then clear for the FNM to appoint Reginald Ferguson to the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police. Mr. Ingraham in his interview with Clint Watson at ZNS two weeks ago said that Mr. Ferguson was the Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police. Last week the Commissioner said that was not true. This week, we expect the Prime Minister to ask for consultation with the Leader of the Opposition on the point. It is clear which direction the FNM wants to go.
Now let us make this clear, the PLP had better find the backbone to say straight out that there is no circumstance under which it can contemplate Reginald Ferguson being Deputy Commissioner of Police or any other thing on the Royal Bahamas Police Force other than a retiree. If the PLP does not have courage to do so, find it. This gentleman is the single most divisive figure on the Force. There is the perception of a political ideologue that will ruin the very idea of neutral policing in this country and it must be stopped and stopped now.
The second part of the FNM's strategy was to finish off Ellison Greenslade. Shortly after they came to office, they started a rumour campaign that Mr. Greenslade had improperly accepted the parting gifts from the Royal Bahamas Police Force at a banquet in Freeport held in his honour to say farewell. You may click here for the stories of last week on the matter with Mr. Greenslade. He felt he had to come to his own defence because no one in authority (translate that to mean the Commissioner who had approved the acceptance in first place) said a word. The Commissioner of Police though made clear that there was a problem. If you read last week’s piece you will see that the Commissioner refused to support Mr. Greenslade in public. Mr. Greenslade was out there twisting in the wind, even though if you read the Freeport News of Monday the 25th July, not only was the Commissioner of Police Paul Farqhuarson at the banquet, meaning that he sanctioned the event and the gifts, but so were two Ministers of the Government: Kenneth Russell, the Minister of Housing, Zhivargo Laing, the ever talkative Minister of State for Finance and Hubert’s left pimple, Vernae Grant, the FNM Member of Parliament for Eight Mile Rock and Senator David Thompson also an FNM. They were all there. No one walked out in protest. No one said a word about impropriety. But in typical FNM fashion as soon as the banquet was over they started working over time.
This week, the Commissioner of Police did not have the courage to come out and read his statement himself. He sent Hulan Hanna, the police press spokesman to read a press statement in which, in short, it is clear that Mr. Greenslade was ordered to return the gifts, all the gifts are to be auctioned and they will be given to charity. This is a public rebuke of enormous proportions, and now will be used by the FNM to say that Mr. Greenslade is guilty of some impropriety and therefore cannot be the Deputy Commissioner of Police, even though they never intended to give it to him anyway.
Our concern also is why was the former Commissioner Bernard Bonamy brought into the matter? Later in the week, he was quoted as saying that there should not be a solicitation of high value gifts, but that Mr. Greenslade was a good officer. He said that he would not have given permission to accept the gifts or solicit them. We’ll stop at that point: the fact is Mr. Farqhuarson gave permission for the gifts to be accepted and the fact is the gifts were from the Royal Bahamas Police Force to Mr. Greenslade. These are clearly matters of judgment but you know if you follow the rules then you are washed a white as snow.
So now you know the FNM's story. They have virtually hobbled Mr. Greenslade and his ability to go any further by their mean and vicious slash and burn policy. The PLP is on guard that it must oppose Reginald Ferguson’s appointment as Deputy Commissioner of Police or the PLP will die. We warn them. As the protective robot used to say in the old TV programme Lost In Space: Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger!
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 11th August 2007 at midnight: 234,715.
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 11th August 2007 at midnight: 342,446.
Number of hits for the year 2007 up to Saturday 11th August 2007 at midnight: 3,616,390.
TROUBLE
AT THE AIRPORT
It was reported that the air traffic control at
the Lynden Pindling International Airport was closed as a result of an
industrial action at about 3 p.m. on Saturday 11th August. The closure
was brief and was a result of an action taken by the security at the LPI
to body search air traffic controllers, even though the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules do not call for it in their particular
circumstances. The dispute has been ongoing and came to a head and
a local decision (not a union decision) was taken not to cross the threshold
into the airport until the matter was resolved. Management at the
airport quickly resolved the situation with a temporary stay of their procedures
until Monday 13th August.
THE
C.O.P.’S STATEMENT ON GREENSLADE
“Following this event [the banquet for ACP Greenslade
in Freeport 22nd November] public concern was raised over these items.
“Ever mindful of the trust between the public
and the Royal Bahamas Police Force the Commissioner Of Police met with
Mr. Greenslade after the latter returned to duties from vacation on Tuesday
7 August 2007.
“All the items have been returned to the police
force for the purpose of being auctioned, with the proceeds of the auction
ultimately earmarked for donation to charitable organizations.
“As the prevention and detection of crime, the
apprehension of offenders and their subsequent arraignment before the courts
remain the singular most important objective of the Royal Bahamas Police
Force, the Commissioner further advises that both he and his top team remain
committed to this constitutional mandate of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
“In this regard the continued business of the
Royal Bahamas Police Force which is ultimately the people’s business will
be conducted with courage, integrity and loyalty.”
(We believe that this statement is dictated for the Commissioner
of Police by Hubert Ingraham. The final paragraph is a dead giveaway
for Ingraham/FNM speak. It is a clear rebuke to Mr. Greenslade because
it means if you follow its logic that because Mr. Greenslade accepted the
gifts from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, not private individuals, and
he accepted them with the permission of the Commissioner of Police, then
the Force was not up to the point of the return of the gifts acting with
courage, integrity and loyalty. That is a serious admission on the
part of the Commissioner of Police who should simply have told the Prime
Minister that he approved it and to buzz off – Editor)
NO
TO REGINALD FERGUSON
Given the public statements of the Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham, it appears that it won’t be long before he will seek the
formal consultation process with the Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie
to confirm a new Deputy Commissioner of Police. John Rolle, the former
Deputy Commissioner of Police has reportedly retired from the Force after
42 years of service. The Constitution requires the Prime Minister
to consult with the Leader of The Opposition before the Prime Minster advises
the Governor General on the appointment of the Deputy Commissioner of Police.
It has been said in another part of this column
that the PLP ought to make it clear that under no circumstances can the
PLP countenance the appointment of Reginald Ferguson to the position of
Deputy Commissioner of Police. The fact that the PLP does not
agree cannot in law stop the appointment if Mr. Ingraham is bloody minded
about it. He will probably be, but the PLP must be equally
determined. It should be made clear that the county will not be able
to find Mr. Ferguson acceptable because every PLP will refuse to recognize
the appointment.
A police officer must have the broadest possible
consensus in a society to do his work. You cannot have someone who
is so polarizing in such a senior position on the Force. There is
a precedent. Reportedly then Opposition leader Norman Solomon rejected
the proposed appointment of a Deputy Commissioner of Police, who we will
not name, in the 1980s because of the manner in which Mr. Solomon was treated
by that officer during a demonstration on Bay Street. The then Prime
Minister Lynden Pindling did not proceed with the appointment until the
objections could be overcome. The problem is that today unlike in
Sir Lynden's time, we do not have a gracious Prime Minister, today we have
a graceless one.
The PLP must find the courage to object and find
the further wherewithal to stand its ground on this one. The public
will find that the Force is almost paralysed in its decision making and
law enforcement capacity today because of the polarization between FNM
and PLP officers and the witch hunt that is presently being conducted throughout
the Force by Hubert Ingraham’s FNM administration.
THE
FNM TRIES TO DIVIDE FOX HILL
The campaign of the Free National Movement and their
hapless, hopeless candidate for Fox Hill continues with the system of divide
and conquer. The FNM's candidate has been engaged in a series
of moves designed to undermine the success of the Fox Hill Festival, the
premier celebration of emancipation of the slaves in The Bahamas that has
a history of celebration in Fox Hill since at least the 1880s.
The FNM's candidate whom we have named the Faker
of Fox Hill many times has sent in her operatives to sabotage the meetings
of the Festival committee and they have also staged their own Festival
in one of the smaller towns of Fox Hill, using a radio talk show host as
their agent. The art of the FNM is to pretend that they want unity
and peace but do all that they can to promote separation and then seek
to blame the PLP. The public is wise to the tricks of the Faker of
Fox Hill.
The one fact that the Faker cannot get over is her
election loss and she continues to think that she actually won and is the
representative for Fox Hill. There she goes again, shall we now say
there goes the Faker Representative of Fox Hill? When will she ever
learn to be gracious in defeat and in victory? Nevertheless the Festival
continues from success to success. It is bigger than the Faker who
ironically has been the single biggest cause of divisiveness in the Fox
Hill community where the Faker is always preaching unity but causing division.
We think of the Shakespearean words (and we paraphrase here) that those
whom the Gods would destroy they first send them crazy.
THE
ELECTION COURT CASES
Philip 'Brave' Davis, Damien Gomez and Wayne Munroe
for the side of the Progressive Liberal Party all appeared in Court on
Thursday 9th August for the hearing to determine the procedure for the
Court cases challenging the election results of 2007. These are the
results that the FNM's leader Hubert Ingraham has pledged not to respect
if they go against him. Remember when he returned from Washington
for a meeting with the U.S. President in June of this year, he said that
no court could determine an election result and that he reserved the right
to call an election should that eventuality arise. The clock is now
ticking.
The Court has set down the first of the cases to
begin on 15th October. That is the challenge by former Attorney General
Allyson Maynard Gibson against declared winner FNM Byran Woodside.
Then there is the case of Senator Pleasant Bridgewater challenging the
result of the election in Marco City in Grand Bahama. That is set
down for hearing on the 21st January in Freeport. The final challenge
by former Minister of Trade Leslie Miller is to be heard on 22nd April
2008. The guess is that if the first case goes against Mr. Ingraham
we will be facing a general election again in early 2008. We again
warn the PLP to find the money to fight an election or face a dire script.
We wish all the challengers luck in this matter.
The cases all involve challenges to the people who were allowed to register
on the basis that many of them were not entitled either by lack of the
residential qualification or the citizenship qualification to vote.
It appears that Hubert Ingraham is seeking to rectify that now by granting
citizenships (see story below) en masse to Haitians living in The Bahamas
before he has to face an election next year. It is believed that
the young Haitian community voted against the PLP because of the PLP’s
position on Immigration. The cases are being heard by a two judge
court, Anita Allen and Jon Isaacs.
THE
FOX HILL FESTIVAL CONTINUES
We thought that we would provide some further opportunities
to see what happened in Fox Hill over the past week of the Fox Hill Festival.
On Monday 6th August there was Junkanoo and the
traditional plaiting of the Maypole and the climbing of the greasy pole.
There was also the ecumenical service at 11 a.m. on Monday 6th August with
Bishop Charles Gardiner as the Preacher. On Wednesday 8th August
there was a stellar and energetic performance by the Royal Bahamas Force
Band. On Thursday 9th August there was a town meeting with
the Fox Hill residents with the Member of Parliament Fred Mitchell as the
lead speaker. On Friday 10th August there was an exhibition of the
work of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and representative for Fox
Hill Fred Mitchell in pictures. The exhibition was officially opened
by former Prime Minister Perry Christie. See a full photo spread
below.
Mr. Mitchell in his statement at the photographic
exhibition voiced his concerns that the work of Foreign Affairs was being
neglected by the present administration under its new minister. You
can click here for the full statement of
Mr. Mitchell. Former Prime Minister Perry Christie congratulated
Mr. Mitchell on his accomplishments and described Mr. Mitchell as his right
hand in the government in Foreign Affairs. Please click
here for Mr. Christie's remarks.
THE
IMMIGRATION AUDIT
For two days last week in Nassau and for two days
this week in Freeport, the FNM Government has announced that the Immigration
Department will be involved in what it calls an audit of citizenship applications
outstanding in The Bahamas. What this means is that the Department
of Immigration gathers at a hall and all people who have applied for citizenship
who have not heard from their applications are to come in and bring their
cases forward to the Immigration Department. One press headline on
Friday 10th August said that as result of that audit two people had already
been granted citizenship. Our question: who granted the citizenship
since only the Cabinet can grant citizenship? One hopes that the
FNM has not been unlawfully delegating that authority to some other agency.
On the TV show Jones and Company to be seen on Sunday
12th August (today) at 7:30 p.m. former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell
described the audit as FNM gimmickry. He said that the problem is
not the immigration department or where the applications are. He
said that when the PLP came to office some 3000 applications were left
undone and unresolved by the FNM. Under the PLP they tried to do
at least 40 per week to get rid of the backlog.
The problem then is not where the applications are.
It is once the processing is finished the efficiency with which the Cabinet
dispatches with the applications. We guess that the Hubert Ingraham
Cabinet will be no more efficient with the matter than the PLP, having
regard to their earlier record where they left 3000 at the cabinet office
awaiting a decision in 2002. There needs to be a new system of granting
and resolving the applications, not public relations gimmickry.
IN PASSING
Sam Ferguson Buried
PLP Stalwart Councillor Samuel Ferguson was buried in the grave of
this mother at St. Mark's Native Baptist Church on Romer Street in Fox
Hill following a four hour funeral on Saturday 11th August. There
were hundreds of people gathered in the church and overflowing to tents
on the outside. The service was conducted by the Rev. Dr. Carrington
Pinder of St. Mark's. The Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie
attended the funeral and expressed condolences on behalf of the Party.
Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell spoke of Mr. Ferguson’s courage. You may
click
here for the full text. Our file photo shows Mr. Ferguson when
he received his Stalwart Councillor's medal from the PLP. Mr. Ferguson
was buried with the medal at his request. He is survived by his wife
Essie and 14 children.
How The Government’s Doing So Far
Brent Symonette, the UBP’s heir in the FNM government, and now Deputy
Prime Minister was asked by the press to evaluate the first 100 days in
office of the FNM. He gave the government an A plus. He is
living in a dream world of course. Hundreds of people fired from
the public service, 90 million dollars of contracts pulled by the FNM since
they came to office. One project after another stopped and reviewed
so that the economy has slowed to an absolute crawl, putting hundreds of
Bahamians out of work. That gets an A plus. Talk about dreaming?
Dream on Brent.
Christie Speaks Out On Urban Renewal
Former Prime Minister Perry Christie speaking at the opening of the
photographic exhibition of the work of former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell
in Fox Hill on Friday 10th August criticized the appointment of Ella Lewis
as head of the Urban Renewal programme. Mr. Christie said that the
appointment was inappropriate and that it was designed to ensure that the
programme did not work. He said that Urban Renewal was not a political
programme. Ella Lewis was the FNM’s candidate against Mr. Christie
in the last election. It is particularly insulting then for Hubert
Ingraham to make such an appointment.
Ingraham On Vacation
The latest report is that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has left the
country on leave for a Caribbean cruise as of Friday 10th August.
The Acting Prime Minister, you guessed it, is the UBP's heir, present FNM
Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette. The UBP is in charge again.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
WHAT NEXT!!!!!!!!
I am writing in response to your story headed:
MR
POLICE COMMISSIONER COME AGAIN.
I am also a sister of ASCP
Marvin Dames and can't believe how you are trying to discredit him or Candia
for your selfish gain. Marvin work speaks for itself. He is
an HONEST, HARDWORKING police officer. He does not need Candia to
promote him for him to get what he deserves. He is not competing
with Greenslade, they are working together to fight crime in our Country.
Whatever you are suffering from you need to get
GET OVER IT! We are tired of all of your personal attacks.
Don't you have any REAL work to do? While you are attacking Candia,
the Commissioner and the Minister they are hard at work, making a difference.
With all of your desperate attacks, you are causing further damage to your
already failing political career. I won't even respond to your comments
on FAIR because you clearly don't know what that word means. And
yes, we know who YOU ARE and I do expect further attacks because that is
what you do.
Disappointed
Laurie Dames
First of all there is no discredit to Marvin Dames, a brilliant young man with a bright future. The fact is though, it is improper for his sister to write a story about him. We agree, when you say "He does not need Candia to promote him for him to get what he deserves". If it were a politician, you would hear no end of it. Journalism requires the same sense of ethical conduct. It is a clear conflict of interest.
As for the rest of your vitriol; ho hum. But, hey, thanks for reading and please keep reading - Editor.
Your obnoxious Post!
"The group is called the Progressive Liberal Action Network (PLAN).
They are made up of both stalwart councillors and the next generation of
PLP leaders. Some of them expect to be candidates in the next general
election for the PLP. Some were candidates in the last general election.
They were all PLPs and not afraid to stand up." [Click
for full article from last week - Ed.]
You guys are no better than the criminals
who are wrecking (sic) havoc on our society. I saw Officer Russell
breaking up your Klu Klux Clan meeting. Is this the message you are sending
to us the young people, Assembling without permission, blocking up public
place, if this is what you have to offer next election, you will lose AGAIN!
That letter addressed to the Prime Minister
is disgraceful, "you will find your back teeth floating." "If
it happens again, you will not hear, you will feel. You must have
smelled your top lip." [Click
for full story from last week - Ed.]
Are you threatening the P.M.
Your tone is filled with hatred and violence,
I know you will not post this, but I also know that you have read it. when
I see it is not posted to your website.
This is so Disgraceful!!!!! I am sure you will
hear an outcry from many other Bahamians.
You have gone too far this time.
Sharon Mcqueen
The demonstration in Freeport last week was a justified response to the ugly spectre of the rampant political victimization now being carried out by the FNM. Fearful people everywhere, especially civil servants are glad that there is someone willing to stand up. On the matter of our suggested open letter to Hubert Ingraham, you are of course entitled to your opinion, but its your crude, rude Prime Minister that you need to talk to. As for the outcry from many other Bahamians, no; haven't heard a thing. Perhaps they saw the Prime Minister's disgraceful performance in the House on television and were similarly offended - Editor.
A Big Thank You
Thank you for your apology for the comment I
made several weeks ago about your late updates. It shows that you
are paying attention to your readers. Let me first congratulate you
for your concern, keep us informed with what is going on in the Country
and certainly in the FNM government. Let my Prime Minister (Hon.
Perry G. Christie) know that the truth will stand, and keep sounding the
truth with a horn.
It is always a pleasure for me to read every
Sunday, it's a pity you are not like the Bahama Journal, daily online news.
Once again, thank you, Mr. Editor, once again, congratulations.
Leroy Miller
| 19th
August, 2007
Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com |
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| FRANCELIA BOSFIELD NEE LOCKHART DIES... | BRENT MISSTEPS SAYS PLP LEADER... |
| RUMOUR QUASHED ON PAUL MCWEENEY... | THE EDUCATION STORY... |
| THE SICKNESS OF THE TRIB, THE FNM AND OZZIE... | SIR CLEMENT LAUNCHES HIS BOOK... |
| HURRICANE DEAN... | IN PASSING... |
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR... | |
| The Official Site of the Progressive
Liberal Party... |
The Official Site of the Free National Movement... |
| PLPs On The Web... | Interesting Places... |
| Vincent Peet / PLP North Andros & Berry Isl. | Bahamas Government Website |
| Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte | Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte | Bahamians On The Web |
| Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw | Bahamian Kayaking News |
| John Carey / PLP Carmichael | FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES... |
| Keod Smith / PLP Mount Moriah | |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
JOHNLEY FERGUSON – WHAT A
TWIT
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always
abiding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord
1 Corinthians 15:58
Last week, you could have sworn that somehow Fred Mitchell was running this country. The FNM guided press was in overdrive. First, you had people like Oswald Brown who can’t understand A from a bull frog’s foot, reading this site two weeks late and extrapolating from the column of 5th August that somehow this column was fomenting violence against Hubert Ingraham. If you go back and read it, there is no evidence of that. But what can you expect from Oswald Brown? Then it was Eileen Carron of The Tribune. We at least thought up to now that she was intelligent. But it turns out she is just as dumb and happy as the rest of the hopeless FNM lot. She too turns out to be a jackass and a misguided one at that. In her column, she suggested that the Internet now needs to be regulated. The coup de grace though was a twit named Johnley Ferguson who is the Vice President of the Senate and now Chairman of the FNM. He drew himself up to full length, by himself, on ZNS television and claimed that BahamasUncensored.com associated with the PLP was fomenting violence against the Prime Minister. Nonsense. But he too is big dumb and happy in the FNM.
Both Oswald Brown, who is the editor of the Freeport News and the editorial writer of the Nassau Guardian and Eileen Carron, then went on with column after column during the past week: Fred Mitchell is this, Fred Mitchell is that. Fred Mitchell has no association with this column but we make no doubt about it. We support him one hundred percent. It appears that Mr. Brown, Mrs. Carron and Mr. Ferguson all had one thing in mind: FNM propaganda. This was designed to sap the will of PLPs, and cause them to doubt themselves over something that has nothing to do with them.
The ZNS reporter Shenique Miller was perhaps the worst offender since it is reported that she claimed in her report on ZNS that 18 PLP MPs signed the letter fomenting violence against the Prime Minister. Again; no truth to it. Nothing could be further from the truth. But you know: never let the truth interfere with a good story. Our concern is always the PLP and we say to them only this: the PLP is not a party of weak-kneed apologetic Negroes and it had better get some backbone or die. We cannot be so weak that we swallow the other party’s propaganda lock stock and barrel without at least knowing the truth and putting out your own story. This site is the only pro PLP site on the web, consistently supporting the PLP. With the PLP itself not doing enough, it is clear that the FNM would like to close down this site because it is the only site that is battling their vicious and vindictive policies.
The Ferguson intervention is particularly frightening and Senator Ferguson must answer for this along with his hate filled boss Hubert Ingraham. Will his brother Reginald Ferguson who is to become Deputy Commissioner of Police and who we resolutely oppose in that job now be called to investigate this site and come knocking with the police and handcuffs at the door to silence the Opposition in this country? We are watching and waiting. It appears that Senator Ferguson would have no problem with that since it seems that he is up in every crack and cranny of Hubert Ingraham. There is not one bit of foolishness that Mr. Ferguson cannot support. He has done himself and his brother a disservice because if he is the example of what his brother is like, then God help us indeed, if he is to be confirmed as Deputy Commissioner on the Force.
The difficulty that we have is that the media of The Bahamas at its managerial level is infested with people questionable judgment. What else can you say about Oswald Brown? You appeal to logic and common sense; he doesn’t grasp it. With Eileen Carron, you appeal to logic and common sense, she responds with prejudice and illogic. With Johnley Ferguson, what can you say? He is simply out to lunch – a twit of the first order and really deserves to be our Jackass of the Week. He is man who is an embarrassment to his own people in Acklins for saying that the money the PLP set aside for a school in Acklins was too much for the people of Acklins.
As for this column, we stand by the statement made on 5th August. We won’t back off for one minute. We are unrepentant, unreconstructed in our views. Steadfast! Unmovable! The problem is not this column and not the PLP and not what was written here. The problem is Hubert Ingraham, his hateful and vindictive policies. He has caused more violence against the people of The Bahamas in his time in office than any statement published on this site. The hundreds who have lost their jobs; those who continue to be victimized every day by the legitimate contracts that he has cancelled – 90 million dollars worth at last count. The economy is taking a dive under him, and people are worried about their futures. That was not the story a few months ago with the PLP in office.
PLP’s must learn to stand up to Hubert Ingraham’s vicious, vindictive and spiteful behaviour. Every single critic of what was printed here can go to hell. As Rhett Butler said to Scarlet O’Hara: Frankly, we don’t give a damn.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 18th August 2007 up to midnight: 266,618.
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 18th August 2007 at midnight: 622,585.
Number of hits for the year 2007 up to Saturday 18th August 2007 at midnight: 3,896,529.
