bahamasuncensored.com
DECEMBER 2008
Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames... Updated every
Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 6 © BahamasUncensored.com 2008
While material on this web site can be used freely by other sections of
the press, as a courtesy, journalists are asked to attribute the source
of their material from this web site. Click
here for the law on copyright as it applies to this website.
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.
14th December, 2008
21st December, 2008
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return
to the top of the page.
|
| CHRISTMAS TIME:
The
season of Advent is now being celebrated in the church. This means
that Christmas is coming. Saturday 6th December was the feast of
St. Nicholas, from whom we get the name Santa Claus. The people of
Fox Hill began their Christmas season with a concert and tree lighting
ceremony. This year that ceremony is named after Frank L. Edgecombe,
the former Member of Parliament and Senator, former headmaster of the Sandilands
Primary School and now Justice of the Peace. Mr. Edgecombe turned
on the lights and a plaque was unveiled in his honour on the pavilion which
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill hopes is named after Mr. Edgecombe as the
Frank Edgecombe pavilion. Our photo of the week then is the opening
day of the Christmas celebrations in Fox Hill and in particular the unveiling
of the plaque in honour of Frank L. Edgecombe JP. All the best of
the season to all of our readers. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
WHAT IF YOU ARE FRED MITCHELL?
Paul Turnquest is an intrepid reporter, tenacious and full of strong
views about the world. Most people forgive him for working for The
Tribune, when set against the background of an engaging personality and
an incisive mind. It would be good if he got an opportunity to broaden
his horizons outside of this oyster in which he now lives. This week,
his latest scoop was to surmise that Fred Mitchell, the MP for Fox Hill
may indeed, just might be interested in leading the Progressive Liberal
Party. He might just, indeed may have just launched an exploratory
campaign to, in Mr. Turnquest’s words, “test” the waters. The story
was entirely speculative. Nothing visibly from Mr. Mitchell fed it,
but in this country, the speculative is often a distinction from reality
without a difference. The first story appeared on Tuesday 2nd December.
The
day after the first “testing the waters” story, Mr. Turnquest did a kind
of straw poll and in the poll, he determined that this idea, mooted in
his speculative story, of Mr. Mitchell as potential leader of the PLP was
no laughing matter and that everyone he talked to took it seriously.
He said there were some detractors, but in the main when competence was
counted on, there was said to be no equal. Mr. Turnquest said that
many thought that the Leader of the Party Perry Christie might even be
mentoring Mr. Mitchell, what with his having spoken at a rally in Fox Hill
on Tuesday 25th November to introduce a list of new candidates to the party
faithful. The meeting started a buzz around town in political circles
and Mr. Turnquest heard the buzz and carried the ball.
As for Mr. Mitchell, he did not say a word until Friday 5th December
when he was asked on radio by Jeffrey Lloyd whether or not he had in fact
launched an exploratory campaign. He said he would answer it by simply
saying that the question of a leader for the PLP was really moot for him
since there is no vacancy. He said that he came into the PLP in 1996
to lead the PLP. He entered the PLP with his first public speech
in 1976 which was met by a standing ovation from the party led by its then
Leader Sir Lynden O. Pindling who told him to keep his eyes on that prize.
Mr. Mitchell added that it was natural for people to discuss the
question of transition and leadership and what alternatives were available
to the PLP. Until there was in fact a transition, however, he said
that he was working to be the best Member of Parliament for Fox Hill.
It was a curious week. This is obviously not your father’s
PLP on display. The speculation around Mr. Mitchell was met with
widespread interest. It was set against the backdrop of an interesting
and engaging interview with Obie Wilchcombe the former Tourism Minister
who himself seemed set free of his inhibitions about his ambitions and
indicated that he himself was set on a certain course.
Mr. Mitchell told Mr. Lloyd that many people sell Perry Christie
short, but that he, Mr. Mitchell, was not amongst them, having known Mr.
Christie from boyhood. Both were born within the sound of the bells
of St. George's Anglican Church. He said he respected and admired
Mr. Christie and where he has brought the party.
So
here you have it. Fred Mitchell is 55 years old. By the time
he reaches the next election, he will be 59 years old. The question
is; what is he waiting for? What took him so long; and what does
he have to lose? It is clear that many people see his energy and
determination as a good thing. Mr. Mitchell has often said that politics
is a fortuitous business; it is all is a question of being in the right
place to take advantage of any opportunity that arises. It is clear
that he is not an assassin, nor is he pushing anyone through the door.
He is a loyal soldier of the Progressive Liberal Party who is worthy to
one day get an opportunity to lead the PLP.
On the other side however are the harsh cold realities of political
life. Many a smart guy has never gotten his chance. Then there
is the evil one who heads the other side of the political divide whose
specialty has been seeking to block and is still trying to block Mr. Mitchell
at every turn. In the House of assembly, Mr. Mitchell fired several
choice words at the evil one for his usual contemptuousness on Wednesday
3rd December. It was a moment of pure joy. With Mr. Ingraham
in the mix, you can look forward to a campaign of nastiness the likes of
which the country has never seen if Hubert Ingraham is not dealt with by
his own party. Mr. Ingraham simply cannot help himself.
In the meantime, the economy of the country is in the tank.
PLPs feel a little bit voiceless because they cannot hear enough from our
elected representatives. But the representatives are entitled to
say they do not hear enough of the voices of the PLP at its base.
Indeed, Mr. Mitchell added to Jeff Lloyd that while leadership may be an
issue for some, his major concern is really the followers and the ability
for their voices to be heard, for the PLP to find its voice.
Next year then should be an interesting year. The PLP has some
one and a half million dollars in debt from the last election. It
has lost one seat since the election, and there is another Member who is
like Joe Lieberman in the United States, playing with the enemy and the
PLP will not act to discipline its member. The PLP has cleavages
within it about which is the proper direction to go in order to fight the
evil one. It has a media that is hostile to it and will not give
it an honest day and airing. Yet despite this sea of troubles, some
are suggesting that Fred Mitchell has earned the trust of Perry Christie
and the PLP and that - in his time - he becomes the leader of the party
of Pindling; that this sea of troubles can be tackled by him… the political
workaholic with supposedly no allies and no friends? What an interesting
turn of events. If you were in his shoes, why would you do it?
Maybe because you can? Or maybe he has a hole in his head?
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 6th December 2008 up
to midnight: 238,983.
Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 6th December
2008 up to midnight: 206,955.
Number of hits for the year 2008 up to Saturday 6th December 2008
up to midnight: 12,570,238.
House of Assembly
photos: BIS/Peter Ramsay
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
GREENSLADE
AND DAMES RETURN HOME
Last year for what seemed like entirely political reasons, Hubert Ingraham,
the Prime Minister announced that he was sending Ellison Greenslade, a
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police and Marvin Dames, an Assistant
Commissioner of Police, to Canada for a year of additional training and
exposure prior to further assignments in the police force. We thought
and the PLP thought that this was just nonsense. The two men already
had all the training and exposure they needed. Crime was out of control
and in the middle of that, they were sent away.
Mr. Ingraham and his colleagues who came to office
decrying what they described as political interference by the PLP then
boasted that it was he who decided what happened in the police force and
he proceeded to send the two men away countermanding and rearranging the
earlier reorganization of the Force under the previous Minister Cynthia
‘Mother’ Pratt. What many suspected was that he wanted to fulfil
a political promise to Reginald Ferguson, the brother of the
Chairman of the Free National Movement and the Vice President of the Senate
Johnley Ferguson. So Reginald Ferguson became the Acting Commissioner
of Police and he has served in that post for one year.
To mollify the PLP, Mr. Ingraham made a pledge that
Mr. Ferguson would not be made Commissioner of Police. Of course,
everyone knows that the pledges of Mr. Ingraham are useless. Now
the time has come or is drawing nigh to see if indeed the promise is useless.
Mr. Greenslade and Mr. Dames have reached the end of their year abroad
and it is time to come home. What are they going to do? Mr.
Ingraham at his press conference last Sunday indicated, in the way he uses
the passive tense, that he will cause them to rejoin the leadership of
the Force early next year. Clearly, the leadership of the Force has
suffered during the year that they have been abroad.
Mr. Ferguson does not have the support of the PLP
to run the Force but Mr. Ingraham has shown again that in making these
determinations, he cares not for the broad consensus that should emerge
when choosing such an appointment. Mr. Greenslade is clearly the
most qualified officer to run the Force at this time. He ought to
be given his chance and appointed to the top job. Mr. Ferguson should
be retired.
Here is an excerpt from an address to senior police
officers at the Canadian Police College delivered two weeks ago in Ottawa,
Canada by Mr. Greenslade. The Nassau Guardian, which reported the
address, did not say the exact dates or why the address was delivered.
Here is what he said in his own words:
“You have significant potential and the power
to make wise decisions for the greater good of society. In order
to become effective leaders, you must first accept the importance of that
role.
“You have talents, experience, knowledge, skills,
and the creative ability to make a positive difference. I believe
that these attributes will be meaningless, however, if you ignore the importance
of effective leadership and the tremendous obligations which are imposed
upon those of us who aspire to leadership. Despite the wide acceptance
of this view, the transition into becoming an effective leader continues
to elude many. In part, that is due to the traditional focus of societies
on executive leaders, including people in various positions of authority
in organizations. Communities around the world herald individuals,
most often corporate executives, as the epitome of effective leadership
despite the fact that many of them are unfit role models.
“We encourage aspiring leaders to model the behaviour
of such executives and to follow their life scripts, despite evidence that
many of these authority figures have demonstrated tyrannical behaviour
in their relationships with people in their organizations. Leaders are
traditionally trained to become role players -- figures that are larger
than life rather than actual personable leaders.
“I challenge this group to draw on your environmental
context, culture, knowledge, life experiences, educational experiences,
creativity, and skills, to discover your purpose as unique human beings
and to mobilize your own leadership assets.
“Effective leadership is about relationships
between people, hence, we may be hard pressed to discuss leadership without
recognizing that we cannot have leaders without followers. This assertion
lays bare the fact that leaders and followers are inextricably linked in
a relationship. It is therefore important for aspiring leaders to
understand the tremendous value of positive relationships and the need
to nurture these relationships.
“There is also the need to make relationship
building a priority.
“Effective leaders must constantly connect with
people and allow them to reach out to them.
“In times of uncertainty, this type of connection
is vital. We may assume that this is very basic, but I have found
this to be very important to our people. We must be available to
reassure them, to consistently repeat the vision, and to provide hope.
This sharing and caring builds loyalty and trust. People will not
follow you if they do not trust you. Meaningful change will not take
place without trust.
“Leaders must also have the ability to adapt
to changes in society.”
Mr. Greenslade is pictured at left and Mr. Dames at right in
file photos
INGRAHAM
OFF TO CUBA
Our intrepid leader Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister
of The Bahamas is off to Cuba for the third summit of Caribbean Prime Ministers
with the Cuban President for 8-9 December. The first summit was held
in Havana in 2003 to mark the beginning of diplomatic relations between
the first four Caricom states and Cuba. The Bahamas and Cuba established
diplomatic relations in 1974. It established an embassy there in
2006. Cuba is one of three countries bordering The Bahamas: the United
States to the north, the Turks and Caicos Islands to the south and Cuba
to the west.
Prime Minister Perry Christie was the first Bahamian
Prime Minister to visit Cuba. He headed the Bahamian delegation to
the first summit. Hubert Ingraham will be the first head of the right
wing party in The Bahamas to travel in an official capacity to Cuba.
Some thought that he would duck out of it, trapped as he is in his own
illogic about the need to please the United States on these matters.
We can all see however that the United States is not checking for The Bahamas.
They are going ahead and doing what is in their best interests.
The new US administration has indicated that they
will scrap the travel restrictions on Americans going to Cuba. The
Cuban President Raul Castro has indicated that he is willing to meet with
the new President of the United States even at Guantanamo, which Cuba believes
is illegally occupied Cuban territory held by the United States.
The United States will not ask, nor seek the approval of The Bahamas when
it decides to form new relations with Cuba that many people erroneously
believe will damage the economy of The Bahamas.
Mr. Ingraham will go and be part of the Caricom
group to say thank you to the Cubans for the medical care that they have
provided to our countries for free and for all the assistance in education
and agriculture. There is even to be an award given to former President
Fidel Castro.
COLEBROOK
FRUSTRATES UNION FOES
Roy Colebrook is the President of the Bahamas Catering
and Allied Workers Union, a once mighty union that has been mired in controversy
and strife for over a year since the death of Pat Bain and his ousting
as President. Mr. Colebrook has been accused of sitting down with
the employer and agreeing to allow the Atlantis group to fire people who
were in the Union who were not supporting him. He has also been engaged
in a dispute with other members of the executive over how money was being
spent by the Union.
The insurgent group headed by the First Vice President
Kirk Wilson tried this week to do something to tighten the reins on Mr.
Colebrook. They used a little known provision in the constitution
to call a special meeting to change the constitution of the Union.
Mr. Colebrook refused to accept that such a meeting called for Wednesday
3rd December was valid and so there is controversy again, about what meeting
now means.
The idea of the meeting was to amend the constitution
to permit members to remain on the Union’s rolls beyond the three months
after they lose a job in the industry. By this means, the anti Colebrook
people would get a chance to vote Mr. Colebrook out when the annual general
meeting takes place in May of next year. But what seems to be happening
is Mr. Colebrook is able to frustrate any move in that direction.
Mr. Colebrook announced at week’s end that some of those who were laid
off by Atlantis have been called back to work.
PLEASANT’S
CASE COMING UP
The end seems near for the case of Senator Pleasant
Bridgewater against Zhivargo Laing of the FNM in Freeport’s Marco City
constituency. All of the evidence is in and it is just left for the
judges to make a ruling on the matter. The ruling is expected any
day now. The facts are that Pleasant Bridgewater has challenged the
right of a number of voters to vote in the last election in the Marco City
constituency. Zhivargo Laing also challenged a number of voters.
The court has to determine whether they are correct in law and if so how
many should be excluded from the vote. It is a difficult job to overturn
an election, even a close one, much less one with 47 votes but we want
Pleasant Bridgewater to win. All are waiting to the result.
FOX HILL
CHRISTMAS
The people of the Fox Hill constituency led by their
representative Fred Mitchell MP held their annual Christmas tree lighting
ceremony in honour of Frank Edgecombe, the former MP, Senator and headmaster.
A plaque was unveiled on the pavilion wall at Fox Hill in honour of Mr.
Edgecombe. Mr. Edgecombe served for ten years as the Member of Parliament
for Fox Hill, then as a Senator and before both jobs as headmaster at the
Sandilands Primary School. The Christmas celebrations were headlined
by the Bahamas Youth Concert Orchestra under the direction of Joanne Connaughton.
She trains children from as young as two years old and parents of the children
came to the village in Force. The Senior Citizens performed and so
did the children of the Sandilands Primary School and the dancers from
Faith Mission Church of God and the drum line from the Church of God Romer
Street. The photos show scenes from the Christmas concert and tree
lighting. Maurice Tynes the Vice Chairman of the Fox Hill Festival
Committee chaired the evening.
MITCHELL
AT ROTARACT
The Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs was
the guest speaker at the Rotaract Club. This is the organ of Rotary
that is for people who are under the age of 30 and over 18. Mr. Mitchell
spoke at their meeting on Tuesday 2nd December about the economy, relations
with the United States and how The Bahamas can cope for the future.
You may click here for the full address.
CORPORAL
PUNISHMENT TO BE ABOLISHED
It now appears that The Bahamas is about to emerge
from the dark ages again by abolishing corporal punishment as a form of
punishment to be administered by the courts. This law was reenacted
by the PLP in 1991 shortly before it lost office in 1992. The law
was repealed in 1984 but under pressure from groups involved in the anti
crime movement the law was reenacted. It was thought to be unconstitutional
but the courts then led by Joaquim Gonsalves Sabola upheld its constitutionality.
Now Michael Barnett, the Attorney General, appearing in Geneva before the
United Nations body charged with reviewing the human rights record of each
of the 192 member countries has announced that the government intends to
abolish it in its next legislative term.
C.B. Moss, the anti crime fighter is none too happy
about it. He argues that this is sending mixed signals to the community
on where the country is on crime. He said that the government has
shown no such resolution in carrying out the death penalty, as some in
the public have wanted to do.
It is a good idea to abolish corporal punishment.
The human rights community has applauded the move. According to the
press, such a sentence was carried out in The Bahamas last week upon Altus
Newbold who was sentenced to eight strokes of the rod - four at the start
of his sentence and four upon his release - and 16 years imprisonment for
raping an 83 year old woman. The press said that the sentence drew
a strong reaction from international human rights watchdog groups who branded
corporal punishment as cruel, inhuman and degrading.
The press also said that it was only the second
time that the law had been carried out since 1991, when the law permitting
corporal punishment as a sentence from a court of law was reinstated, after
being repealed in 1984. Mr. Barnett was appearing before the 3rd
Session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva,
on Monday 1st December.
INGRAHAM’S
PRESS CONFERENCE
Last week as we uploaded, the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was holding
a press conference. For over one hour and a half, he fielded questions
from the press who seemed frightened to pin him down on specifics.
The class clown of the whole event had to be Oswald Brown, the editor of
the Freeport News who confessed on national radio to the Prime Minister
that he broke the law every day by violating the gambling laws and playing
the numbers. Mr. Ingraham’s response was to laugh. Such is
the Prime Minister’s support of illegal behaviour.
Mr. Ingraham was all over the place. He attacked
the Opposition saying that what the Opposition was talking about the economy
was pipe dream. He insisted that despite Mr. Christie’s repeated
calls for bipartisanship in dealing with the economy, that he had not heard
from Mr. Christie and the PLP was not serious. No response from the
PLP on that point. He said that the Petro Caribe proposal put to
The Bahamas by Venezuela during the time of the PLP’s administration from
2002 to 2007 was “a stupid proposal”. He admitted that his administration
had failed to provide a national drug plan as promised. He admitted
that the administration had failed to remove the heavy vehicles off Bay
Street as he had planned. He admitted that he had no good news for
Grand Bahama. All and all it was simply doom and gloom.
Fred Mitchell, the PLP’s spokesman on Foreign Trade
issued a statement on Wednesday 4th December in which he took Mr. Ingraham
to task for describing Petro Caribe as a stupid proposal. Mr. Mitchell
said it was inappropriate for Mr. Ingraham to insult a friendly country
in the way that he did. He said that Petro Caribe was not a stupid
proposal, it was simply a proposal that the PLP felt that The Bahamas could
not then utilize. However, he said that the PLP asked the Venezuelans
whether if in future The Bahamas could take advantage of the proposal whether
they could join the initiative. Venezuela agreed and The Bahamas
reserved its position. That is the way a responsible government responds
to these measures, not by insulting countries where there is no need for
an insult. But you know, stupid is as stupid does. Click
here for the full address.
Nassau Guardian photo: Edward Russell III
IN PASSING
Rigby Project
Raynard Rigby’s ‘Blueprint for the Future of The Bahamas’ is being
discussed. Mr. Rigby a former Chairman of the Progressive Liberal
Party has printed the blueprint that you can access on www.blueprintbahamas.com.
The discussion groups are recorded by Keith Wisdom of Cable Bahamas.
The picture shows the second of the discussions held at the New Providence
Community Church on Blake Road. From left are: Christian McCabe,
Pastor at the Church, Clint Kemp, Margo Bethel, Ryan Pinder and Keith Wisdom.
BTC Sale Drags On
You would have thought that Tim Donaldson, former governor of the Central
Bank and now Chairman of Commonwealth Bank, as Chair of the privatization
committee for Bahamas Telecommunications Company Ltd. would have
put BTC out of its misery by announcing its immediate sale. The PLP
left in place a deal for the sale of BTC. Mr. Donaldson was supposed
to give a much anticipated policy statement at the Chamber of Commerce’s
luncheon on Thursday 5th December. Instead, it was the same old story.
BTC is to be privatized within the first quarter of next year. Where
have we heard that before? The government needs to pass legislation
to facilitate the privatization of BTC. Where did we hear that before?
The plan is to licence two other mobile phone companies within a year of
BTC’s sale and they are to be operational one year after that. It
means that we will have to put up with the lousy and expensive telephone
service of BTC for another three years at least. We cannot understand
why the government will not simply sell the company to its existing management
and then mandate them to sell shares to Bahamians and open up the sector
to competition right away. Enough of this already.
Obie Greets Schoolchildren
West End and Bimini Member of Parliament Obie Wilchcombe is pictured
with a group of schoolchildren visiting the House of Assembly on the occasion
of International Day of Peace.
BIS photo: Peter Ramsay
Henry Dean Turns 50
A man is a lucky man if he wakes up to his 50th birthday, the plumbing
still works and he can have a steady head, a good wife and a family that
loves him. All of that can be put down to the feet of Henry Dean,
the son of the late Gerald Dean of Grants Town. Mr. Dean owns his
own business United Sanitation. He is now the people’s warden at
St. Agnes Church in Nassau. He is well loved by many. They
turned out at Saturday mass on 6th December to wish him well. He
actually celebrated the birthday on Wednesday 3rd December. Happy
birthday!
Zimbabwe
We are again saddened by the situation in Zimbabwe. This beautiful
country has been brought to its knees by a man who simply does not see
that it is time to go. Now the country is in a health crisis with
thousands dying because of the collapse of the health care system brought
on by bad government. Robert Mugabe, its president, got fewer votes
that his rival in the election for president back in March 2008, but it
is widely believed that he cheated his way to retain power. He has
refused to honour the power sharing arrangement he had with the Opposition
and now there is a health emergency with people dying of cholera.
When is enough going to be enough?
HOME
Previous
Columns
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return
to the top of the page.
|
| CHRISTMAS TIME:
It has
been 21 years since the Progressive Liberal Party’s first administration
introduced Junior Junkanoo to The Bahamas. At the time it was introduced,
the idea was to get the youngsters involved in the development of an art
form that was unique to The Bahamas so as to ensure the continuation and
development of this unique cultural art form. Now the contest is
mature and schools from throughout the nation turn out in full force at
the parade. This year the winners of the parade were for the third
time C.R. Walker Knights, a group from one of the senior schools.
Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services was there and recorded
the images of the little ones, one of the primary schools, at Junkanoo;
our photo of the week. See more photos below. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BAHAMIAN FOREIGN POLICY
What is the foreign policy of The Bahamas? If you depended
on Brent Symonette, the Foreign Minister of The Bahamas, to tell you, you
would be at an absolute loss. Mr. Symonette barely has a word to
say about anything. He speaks only when he is spoken to. He
is seen occasionally shaking hands with some visiting diplomat during a
courtesy call but no word from him on what the foreign policy of The Bahamas
government is.
When he does speak, he often gets it wrong. He got it wrong
in the House of Assembly last Wednesday 10th December when he rose to answer
a simple question put to him by the Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs
Fred Mitchell to update the country on the agreement to abolish Schengen
Visas for Bahamians travelling to Europe. It was the policy of the
PLP government to create visa free travel for Bahamians everywhere.
It was the policy to seek to ease the passage of Bahamians everywhere around
the world. The answer is of course that the agreement has been initialled
between our British envoy and the Schengen group on the question and we
expect that the visas will actually be abolished in the spring of next
year. It was a simple question that required a simple answer.
But Mr. Symonette could not resist sarcasm and one-upmanship and it was
there that he fell into error. He claimed that the Member of Parliament
for Fox Hill, the shadow Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell claimed that visas
had been abolished for Europe. Mr. Mitchell had to get to his feet
and quickly say that he said no such thing.
The other question and answer on visas showed how lost Mr. Symonette
really is on these matters. Bahamians, unlike most of our Caricom
counterparts, still need visas to enter South Africa. This is a real
nuisance. The PLP proposed when the first joint commission talks
took place to abolish visas to South Africa. The agreement languished
because of some internal difficulties within the South African government.
Mr. Symonette was unable to say when or if the matter was resolved.
What he ought to have been able to tell the House is what he is doing to
ensure that the agreements are settled. He was supposed to have travelled
to South Africa last year for the joint commission conference and did not.
The result is so many agreements that were put on the table are now on
hold because of the indifference of the FNM and its Minister of Foreign
Affairs.
Speaking of agreements, that is a good place to start with a full
and frontal attack on Hubert Ingraham and his incompetence in the area
of foreign policy. You see the real Minister of Foreign Affairs,
as he is the Minister of Everything, is Hubert Ingraham. One is reminded
of the story of Moses in the Bible when he was trying to do everything
to govern Israel and it took his father in law to come to him and let him
know that he will burn himself out by trying to be a one man band.
The country can expect the same thing from its Prime Minister, a burnt
out Prime Minister if he keeps going this way.
The Minister of Everything happened to travel to Cuba for a meeting
in Santiago, that nation’s second city for 8th December. The occasion
was to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between Cuba and the four Caricom states that were then independent in
1972. Mr. Ingraham became the second Bahamian Prime Minister to do
so. He honoured Fidel Castro with the Order of Caricom. He
joined other Caricom Heads by calling for an end to the embargo by the
United States against Cuba. Of course, you would not expect everything
to go smoothly where he is concerned. It was only a matter of time
before he put his foot in his mouth again.
This time, on Cuban soil, he told reporters of the Bahamian press
that he was against putting an embassy in Cuba as done by the PLP but agreed
to let it stay because he did not want to offend his Cuban hosts.
So that means that he is saying that the embassy in Cuba as far as he is
concerned is a waste of time but he is only keeping it there for appearances.
One guesses that the diplomats of The Bahamas who work there must feel
very happy to know that their Prime Minister thinks that they are there
wasting time.
He probably did not mean it but we think he forgets that he is the
Prime Minister and not sitting in the bar in Grants Town with his drinking
buddies talking bull crap all night and spinning wild stories. The
PLP through its Foreign Affairs spokesman issued a statement the next day
condemning the remarks as “self serving and ill advised”. So they
were. So they were.
You may click here for the PLP Spokesman’s
full statement.
The facts are that Mr. Ingraham himself agreed to allow the Cuban
government to establish a Consulate General in Nassau in 1999. He
did that because there were significant consular matters that had to be
dealt with, mainly immigration matters with Cuban refugees streaming here.
It turned out that there were more than consular matters to deal with.
The borders between the two countries had not been settled. There
was increased trade between Cuba and The Bahamas. There was health
and agricultural assistance, assistance in education all on the table.
The consulate general was dealing also with political matters. The
Cuban government asked for the upgrade of the consulate general and it
was granted by the PLP in 2005. In 2006, with some 20,000 visas being
issued to Bahamians to travel to Cuba the year before that, The Bahamas
government made the decision to establish an embassy in Cuba. The
FNM boycotted the opening of the embassy. It was a portent of things
to come.
Mr. Ingraham told the press that he is unable to carry out many of
the agreements contemplated between Cuba and The Bahamas because he claims
the PLP did not sign the agreements. This is just a cover up for
his inexcusable cancellation and delay in the eye care programme that was
agreed by the PLP. It is a rewrite of history. The eye care programme
suspended by the FNM allowed Bahamians to travel to Cuba and get free eye
care.
Mr. Mitchell called Mr. Ingraham’s efforts “engaging in stupidisms”.
The week before you will remember that Mr. Ingraham called the Petro Caribe
programme a stupid proposal. You know the saying, when you point
one finger at the other fellow and call him stupid, you are pointing three
back at yourself.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 13th December 2008 up
to midnight: 255,649.
Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 13th December
2008 up to midnight: 473,788.
Number of hits for the year 2008 up to Saturday 13th December 2008
up to midnight: 12,825,887.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
INGRAHAM
IN CUBA
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham went on an official
progress to Raul Castro’s Cuba from Monday 7th December to Tuesday 9th
December. This was the second visit by a Bahamian Prime Minister
and the first from the right wing of the country who were scared to venture
into Cuba and openly disdained the Cubans, even though Cuba is less than
two hours away from the Bahamian capital. Mr. Ingraham took his aide
and advisor Terry Butler with him as well as the new ambassador to Havana
Vernon Burrows. Mr. Ingraham joined the other heads of Caricom in
laying a rose at the monument of the Cuban National hero Joe Marti.
You can see our Comment of the Week for our views on the visit.
BIS photos: Peter Ramsay
SANDALS
JOINS THE LAYOFF CLUB
Sandals, the resort on Cable Beach owned by Butch
Stewart of Jamaica announced on Friday 12th December that it is laying
off 150 workers from the property. They have joined the bandwagon
of Atlantis of Paradise Island, the country’s lead property and Baha Mar
on Cable Beach. Together they have laid off thousands of workers.
We smell a rat with Sandals. There is a suspicion all around that
the industry is not doing as badly as they say but that the properties
are using this as an opportunity to get rid of staff that they would not
otherwise want. It is going to be a bleak Christmas for many more.
Up in Grand Bahama, it has been confirmed that the
Container Port that has lost business over the past year plans layoffs
of its staff that will begin immediately and end sometime in January 2009.
This from the Container Port after Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister
was busy boasting about how well the container port was doing.
MITCHELL
AT THE HEALTH FAIR
The Ministry of Health primary health care clinic
in Fox Hill, the training facility for the programme headed by Dr. Marcia
Cargill held a health fair for the Fox hill area on Saturday 13th December
on the Fox Hill Parade for the residents of the Fox Hill area. The
fair was officially launched by Camille Johnson, the Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry of Health sitting in for the Minister of Health Dr. Hubert
Minnis. Fred Mitchell MP for the Fox Hill constituency addressed
the audience and told them that he welcomed the idea of a health fair.
He said that he wanted the Ministry of Health to conduct an audit on the
health care of the children of the Sandilands Primary School and he challenged
the Ministry to come up with a way to have Bahamians continue to eat what
they were used to but with different foods that were not as dangerous and
unhealthy.
Photos: 1 - Dennis Fountain; 2 - Mr. Mitchell receives a plaque
from Dr. Marcia Cargill in the BIS photo by Patrick Hanna
MITCHELL
AT THE GOSPEL CONCERT
Under the patronage of the pastor of the Church
of God in Romer Street, Fox Hill; Felix Forbes and Sister Forbes, the Public
Officers Choir performed at a benefit concert for the Fox Hill Community
Centre on Sunday 7th December. The community centre is a two million
dollar project of Fred Mitchell the MP for Fox Hill. The building
is usable but not finished and he has been seeking to raise funds to finish
it. From left are Rev. Dr. Carrington Pinder, Co-Chair of the Fox
Hill Community Centre; Mr. Mitchell; Sister Forbes and Pastor Felix Forbes
Mr. Frank Edgecombe, former MP; Senator Jacinta Higgs and Mr. Higgs.
Photo: Fox Hill Constituency Office
MITCHELL
AT SANDILANDS SCHOOL
The children of Sandilands Primary School again
this year enjoyed their annual Christmas treat by the school under the
patronage of the Member of Parliament for the Fox Hill constituency Fred
Mitchell on Thursday 11th December. On the last day of school, the
teachers, students and staff are treated to a meal and a gift. The
children enjoyed the treat. Mr. Mitchell was also present weeks earlier
to launch the prefects of the school on their official way. The new
prefects and head boy and head girl were all presented with their red vests
and pins of authority.
Photos: Miguel Taylor
MITCHELL
IN BIMINI
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill spent an evening in
Bimini on business and took time out to visit the Bimini Bay Resort that
is much in the news in Bimini. The visit took place on Monday 7th
December to Tuesday 8th December. Shown while at the Bimini Bay Resort
is Fred Mitchell with boat captain and angler Jerome Stuart.
Photo: Dennis Fountain
DAME
JOAN’S WEIRD STATEMENT
Every once in a while, the President of the Court of Appeal Dame Joan Sawyer
says some real doozies that get the attention of the public for their simple
weirdness. The latest is now a lament to a prisoner before her about
how distressed she was about having to pass the sentence of death on convicted
persons. The trauma was so great that it still lives with her twenty
years later. An occupational hazard, my dear! We have a simple
solution if she is so distressed. Leave the bench. That would
do us all a favour.
Here is what Dame Joan is reported to have said
in the Nassau Guardian as she was rejecting the appeal of Dwight Henfield,
a man who she sentenced to death 20 years ago. The report appeared
in the Nassau Guardian on Thursday 11th December:
“I didn't take any joy in sentencing you to death.
“It caused me a lot of problems. My pressure
went up... It was the first time I had to pass the death penalty.
It was difficult to do, despite the circumstances of the case. It
just goes against the grain. Only God can pass a sentence of death.
“They think it’s easy to pronounce the sentence
of death on another human being. It was the hardest thing for me
to do. I could not imagine myself as the hangman. I could not
carry out the sentence.”
The Guardian reported that as a child, Dame Joan
“never even killed mosquitoes or flies”.
File photo of Dame Joan on the bench
DR.
MICHAEL NEVILLE ON THE DEATH PENALTY
On Wednesday 10th December, International Human
Rights Day, the government tabled the report by their Commission on Crime
headed by Bishop Simeon Hall. This is the one whose main finding,
at least the one promoted by the press, is to begin hanging people.
Dr. Michael Neville, a psychiatrist by profession and interestingly
enough, the only person not a Bahamian by origin, wrote a minority
report called Fighting For The Peace. In it he argued that the death
penalty should be abolished. Hmmm! Here is what he said in
his own words:
“The reliance on punishment as a deterrent without
adequate tools of prosecution creates an unworkable illusion.
“The discussion of the death penalty itself releases
enormous emotions, but if we examine the statistical data, there is no
evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to others.
“The reality is most murderers are fueled by
rage, despair, drugs and alcohol and they give little thought to the consequences.
“It is, of course, accepted that those who suffer
execution cannot re-offend, but it requires a blind faith in the judicial
system to believe that mistakes can never be made. The next component of
any punishment is rehabilitation. Clearly there is no rehabilitation in
execution.
“Rather, it serves as a model to society that
violence is a solution to our problems. That leaves revenge and each society
must decide how to deal with complex emotions. It is normal to be angry
and want revenge at the loss of a loved one, but society must consider
more than raw emotion. The removal of the death penalty, in my opinion,
will serve to speed up the judicial process.
“It will remove the need for a unanimous verdict
by the jury, as without the penalty of death a two-thirds majority can
obtain a conviction; it will reduce some of the emotions in the trial and
the abolition of the death penalty will enormously reduce the number of
cases taken to the Privy Council, which will then reduce the workload of
the Attorney General's Office, and save the Bahamian taxpayer astronomical
sums of money.
“The Bahamas is a Christian society and whilst
there are a number of denunciations of murder in the Old Testament which
call for the death penalty, I am unable to find any teachings from Christ
that call for violence and death as solution to problems.
“My simple understanding is that in the example
of Christ's life we are asked to use compassion and forgiveness. I am therefore
not prepared to sign a recommendation that the death penalty be carried
out as this would be against any evidence of effectiveness and against
my religious and moral beliefs.”
CYBER
CRIMES ARE UP
Superintendent of Police Glen Miller who heads the
Central Detective Unit’s Cyber Crime Division has sounded the alarm on
cyber crimes in The Bahamas. The Superintendent speaking to the Christmas
Crime Prevention Strategy Town meeting at Supervalue, Golden Gates on Monday
8th December, told those gathered there that reported cyber crimes have
increased three fold over last year. Last year there were ten such
crimes reported. This year, there are some 31 reported. Mr.
Miller warned parents about sexual abuse via the internet and advised parents
who were not computer literate to become so.
BAHAMAS
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
It was an exciting lively young crowd who gathered
to end the 5th annual Bahamas International Film festival. This year
the Festival ended with the showing of U.S. Director Spike Lee’s film Miracle
At St. Anna. Mr. Lee’s film is set in Tuscany and is the story of
black soldiers from the United States fighting in the war, and all the
political and racial issues that come with that combined with fighting
a war in the midst of the treachery and violence by Nazi Germany.
The lead actor Omar Benson Miller came to Nassau for the showing and spoke
to the audience at the end about his work on the film and his views about
his themes. Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool Wallace was there
to present the winning prize to Bahamian Director of Greek ancestry Maria
Govan for her film ‘Rain’. Fred Mitchell the Member of Parliament
for Fox Hill and Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs also attended
the last showing.
Photographer Tim Aylen's images show Mr. Mitchell
with founder and executive director of the Festival Leslie Vanderpool;
film director Maria Govan (centre) with Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool
Wallace and Rodney Chee-a-Tow, COO Versace and Chopard Bahamas; and Omar
Benson Miller with Leslie Vanderpool. The film is well worth
seeing with its surprise ending shot in The Bahamas. Great praise
to Ms. Vanderpool for her persistence, and the organizational ability to
pull off such a successful event. We hope that the Ministry of Tourism
continues with the business community to lend its support.
JUNIOR JUNKANOO
Junior Junkanoo is quite a treat and Bahamians turned out in full force
to see their children perform. The ages range from primary up to
senior high school. The winners were the C.R. Walker Knights.
Putting up a good showing were the L.W. Young Eagles. Peter Ramsay
of the Bahamas Information Services was there and we show some of his photos.
Among the more prominent attendees were the Minister Desmond Bannister,
National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest and former Prime Minister Perry
Christie who received a rapturous, thunderous applause as he entered Bay
Street. Mr. Christie is shown being interviewed by the press and
with the wife of the current Prime Minister, Delores Ingraham. Mrs.
Ingraham is the Principal of the C.C. Sweeting Senior High School.
There is also a picture of artist John Cox with his wife Guardian Managing
Editor Erica Wells and their son.
Photos: Peter Ramsay
LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
Bahamians are world class road builders…and drama free
The Government recently announced the award of
a $110 million contract to a company from Argentina to continue the ongoing
road improvement project. There is a popularly held view that Bahamians
are eminently qualified to execute this scope of work and should be given
every opportunity to participate in this project at the highest levels;
I agree with this sentiment. This announcement is a drastic shift in government
policy and a departure from a successful precedent and model used in infrastructural
development in our country.
In a press conference held on 2nd December 2004,
the then Minister of Works and Utilities & Bahamasair made the following
policy statement that essentially outlined this precedent and model:
“In a communication yesterday I informed The
House of Assembly that the sole pre-qualified bidder, m/s Jose Cartellone
of Argentina, did not submit a bid in November as expected for the Completion
of The New Providence Road Improvement Project (CNPRIP) due to difficulties
in obtaining the Performance Bond. My Ministry in conjunction with
the Ministry of Finance, the IDB and our Consultants are now developing
a strategy of splitting the CNPRIP into smaller packages for international
and local contractors. It is felt that tendering the remaining road
works as smaller packages will attract more medium sized international
contractors and also give the local companies an opportunity, similar to
the Harrold Road project, to participate in the Completion of the New Providence
Road Improvement Project (CNPRIP). My Government anticipates that
the packages will be spread over a 30 to 36 month period and work on NPRIP
will be substantially complete by mid 2007.”
The decision not to use Jose Cartellone was a
good idea because of the challenges experienced by the Jamaican government
over the construction of the North Coast Highway. The following was reported
in the Jamaica Gleaner on 17th December 2002:
“Explosive Sales and Services Limited, a local
sub-contracting company employed to Argentine contractors José Cartellone
to carry out work on Phase Two of the North Coast Highway, has walked off
the job.
The company said it has been unable to collect
money totaling nearly $6 million from the foreign contractors which, it
noted, has placed it in a "most unfortunate situation" with both workers
and creditors.
Speaking to The Gleaner yesterday, George Lechler, company director,
said his company had no choice but to walk off the job, warning that they
were in the process of taking the matter to the Supreme Court.
"We have been working with José Cartellone
since December 2001," he said. "We have drilled and blasted steadily on
this project and have done everything asked of us. Unfortunately, the contractors
have fallen behind in their payments to us. At present, they owe us US$90,000
and $224,698.51 plus another $1,000,000 we have paid out in duty and GCT
which is to be refunded."
Mr. Lecher said he has exhausted all means of
dialogue with the Argentinian company in an effort to collect the outstanding
sum, but to no avail.”
In the end the cabinet of P.J.Patterson was forced
to hire a Dutch construction company to complete much of the work at a
cost of an additional US$6 million.
None of this drama was visited upon us by our
Bahamian contractors and by international standards, the “Harold Road Dualling
and Rehabilitation Project” was a qualified success; Bahamian joint ventures
and the maximum use of local skills, knowledge, abilities, resources and
all other intellectual capital should be encouraged as we continue to develop
our beloved country.
Thirty-three years after independence and literally
scores of professionally qualified and competent Bahamians, should we have
to be relegated to questioning our ability to develop our beloved country?
Should we have to question our government’s confidence in our ability in
light of the quality of our body of work? My view is that we should not
have to second-guess ourselves and the government’s intents.
Editor, I am confident that this is not the same
construction firm hired by our government to continue the road improvement
project at a cost of $110 million, or is it? Suffice it to say, unless
the government could give some extenuating set of circumstances to justify
the engagement of Jose Cartellone, our local Bahamian brothers should complete
the task.
Elcott Coleby
IN PASSING
Patrick Manning Has Cancer
The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Patrick Manning announced
on Thursday 11th December that he has been diagnosed with operable cancer
of his left kidney. He left his country on that day for Cuba where
he is to have the operation to remove the kidney. It is believed
that the cancer was caught early and it is confined to the kidney and not
spread outside of the organ. Mr. Manning will be on leave for a month
to six weeks. The leave of all Ministers has been cancelled in the
meantime. We wish Mr. Manning well. He is a friend of The Bahamas.
Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Lenny Saith is to act as Prime Minister during
Mr. Manning’s absence from Trinidad. Mr. Manning chose Cuba for his
health care because that is where he received a heart valve replacement
operation and a pacemaker. He credits Cuban doctors with keeping
him alive.
Pleasant Bridgewater Comes Within 27 Votes
Kudos to Senator Pleasant Bridgewater for her valiant effort to defeat
Zhivargo Laing in the Marco City seat, the courts of The Bahamas ruled
that after excluding 57 votes from the original number counted in 2007
(43 challenged by her and 15 challenged him) and recounting, the vote majority
for Mr. Laing was reduced from 47 down to 27. Costs were awarded
against Ms. Bridgewater. We wish her well and thank her for all her
efforts on the part of the PLP. It is unfortunate that we did not
get to wipe that supercilious grin off the face of Mr. Laing’s counsel
Fred Smith. The result was announced on Thursday 11th December.
Lydia and Ivan Thompson and Married
Lydia and Ivan Thompson were married in a ceremony in Coral Lakes at
the home of Gina Greene on Friday 12th December. Conducting the wedding
was Rev. Denzel Rolle. The new Mrs. Thompson is the daughter of Altamese
Isaacs, Office administrator for the Fox Hill Constituency and the law
chambers of Gwendolyn House. Mr. Thompson is a building contractor
at Triple T Building and Renovations. Congratulations to the happy
couple.
Photo: Dorius Thompson
Ingraham Off To Brazil
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is off to summit of Western Hemispheric
leaders, of Latin America and the Caribbean in Brazil. The Brazilian
government has convened a special conference to deal with the future of
the region without the United States and Canada present.
Prayers for Joe Pratt
Our prayers are with Joe Pratt and his with Cynthia 'Mother' Pratt
and their family. Mr. Pratt is currently fighting for his health
in the Intensive Care Unit of the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Row Over Jewish Symbols
It appears that the menorah is back up on Bay Street after having been
taken down because some Christians in The Bahamas were concerned that the
Christmas season which is a Christian festival was being polluted by the
use of the menorah as decoration on Bay Street. When it was removed,
it caused even more controversy so now it has been put back up.
BTC On Cell Phone Interruptions
On Friday 12th December, BTC, the Bahamian telephone company announced
that cell service will be interrupted in the country throughout the month
of January because of upgrades and testing of new services. Kirk
Griffin, the Acting President said that during the Christmas season there
should be no issues of crowding on the system. What a joke.
Right now, there are dropped calls, failed connections, poor circuit quality
and calls going to voice mail – all signs of crowding on the system.
Oh Lord how long?
Hubert Farrington Dies
Tragedy struck two weekends ago when Hubert Farrington, former ballet
lead dancer of world fame, was struck and killed in a motor accident.
Mr. Farrington was 83 years old. He had in his latter years become
a victim of dementia and could be seen wandering the streets from place
to place. But in his day he was a star of The Bahamas and one of
the country’s foremost dance instructors with his own troupe. Robert
Bain of the National Dance School said that Mr. Farrington was a pioneer
in the dance field. Mr. Farrington was a student of the New
York City Ballet School and the American Ballet Theatre School. He
received a degree from the London Royal School of Music and attended Julliard
in New York and McGill in Montreal. He was a member of the New York
City Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company. Upon his return home, Mr.
Farrington founded the Nassau Civic Ballet School on Sear’s Road.
We mourn his passing.
Basil North Dies
Basil North has died. Mr. North is survived by his daughter Gail,
now Saunders, the widow of the late Winston Saunders and his son Terry,
an attorney with Alexiou Knowles & Co.
HOME
Previous
Columns
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BAHAMASUNCENSORED.COM
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return
to the top of the page.
|
| WE HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE:
The
new Chairman of the Progressive Young Liberals, youth arm of the Progressive
Liberal Party is a man with a mission. He must be in a hurry, what
with him being the third Chairman this year for the youth arm of the party.
He gave an excellent address at the Fox Hill meeting on Tuesday 25th November
(click here for
the video). As the photo shows, he led his group to a courtesy
call on the Governor General Arthur D. Hanna, one of the founders
of the modern Bahamas. Many would have liked to be a fly on the wall
for that chat. But just looking at the picture, it appears that these
are the men of future, and one woman, they are on top of the moment, dressed
to the nines, for the courtesy call. This engaging picture of the
Young Liberals with the Governor General is our photo of the week.
From left: Viraj Perpall - Chairman of the Progressive Young Liberals,
Governor General Arthur Hanna, Young Liberal Ehren Hanna. Back row
from left to right Raymond Neymour, Demathio Forbes, Aisha Martin, Antionio
Butler, Nicholas Symonette. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
INGRAHAM’S ABOUT FACES
It must have been the rarefied Brazilian air that did it.
The complete about face. You all remember it no doubt, the first
offence. Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, held a press
conference on Sunday 7th December. He was full of himself that day.
One of the reporters asked him a question about the Petro Caribe programme
offered to Caricom countries by the Venezuelan government headed by Hugo
Chavez. Mr. Ingraham said that the proposal was a “stupid proposal”.
He accused the then Minister Leslie Miller of signing the Petro Caribe
agreement without the leave of the Cabinet.
Fast forward now to the city of Costa do Sauipe in Brazil.
Mr. Ingraham was representing The Bahamas and Caricom at the summit of
all countries of the hemisphere except the United States and Canada on
16th December. This time, he changed his mouth. He said that
the Petro Caribe proposal was a good one for the countries of Caricom and
that the countries had benefited from the programme. Say what?
The usually lame press of The Bahamas was unusually quick to jump
all over Mr. Ingraham for what The Tribune called “an apparent contradiction”.
Candia Dames of the Nassau Guardian did the best story. She lined
up the quotes side by side and the result was clear for all to see.
One week, Mr. Ingraham was saying the proposal was a stupid proposal; the
other week it was a good proposal. This is the Prime Minister of
The Bahamas Hubert Ingraham in his essence, talks out of both sides of
his mouth, says anything, petulant; what Fred Mitchell has called “engaging
in stupidisms”.
It was the PLP’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell who took
Mr. Ingraham to task for his indelicate language on Petro Caribe.
Mr. Mitchell pointed out in a Tribune interview that you do not attack
a friendly country in the way that Mr. Ingraham did. He explained
that Petro Caribe was not rejected by the PLP administration, nor was it
signed without the permission of the Cabinet. He said that The Bahamas
did not see that it could benefit from the initiative at the time and asked
the Venezuelans if at a later time The Bahamas believed that it could benefit
from the programme could it then join the programme. Venezuela agreed
and The Bahamas therefore reserved its position.
When Mr. Ingraham was confronted by the press on Friday 19th December
with the contradiction, he said that he had been taken out of context.
He then waxed eloquent about how what he actually meant was that he could
not burden the Bahamian people of the next generation with repaying the
monies for oil purchased today. Fair enough, but that is not what
he said at the time. He called it a stupid proposal. Does Mr.
Ingraham think that we are stupid?
Apparently he does. Fred Mitchell was interviewed by The Tribune
because he was the one who had taken Mr. Ingraham to task for calling the
proposal stupid. Mr. Mitchell told The Tribune on Friday 19th December
that when he heard what Mr. Ingraham had to say in Brazil, clearly contradicting
himself, he roared with laughter. He said that this was an example
of someone who was “decisive”. Decisiveness was the value that the
FNM argued the PLP lacked. It was an example of someone who also
made a mistake because he acted and spoke too quickly. He pointed
to another contradiction.
When Mr. Ingraham presided over the Coin of The Realm opening several
weeks ago, he was asked about diversification of the economy in the face
of a tourism recession. His response was that diversification was
nonsense, foolishness; that it could not work. A week later at his
infamous press conference on 7th December, again full of himself, he was
asked about diversification, he spoke extensively on the subject.
He said that in fact he supported diversification; that the Freeport economy
was in fact diversified and that was why it was so successful. Say
what?
The Tribune reporter in the story of 19th December asked Mr. Ingraham
about that contradiction. What was his response? He said that
again he had been taken out of context. Mind you, we all heard both
comments with our own ears. We read both contradictions with our
own eyes. That is the Prime Minister of The Bahamas. That is
what we voted for.
It must be patently clear to those in his Cabinet that this man is
an embarrassment to us all. He speaks without thinking. He
acts without checking. He directs without anticipating the consequences
both the likely and unintended ones of his actions. The country is
now suffering for it.
The one case where this is particularly egregious is the money lost
by his foolish decision to stop the straw market construction. The
PLP signed a valid contract to build in 2007. The 23 million dollar
straw market would have been finished in August 2008 if he and his stop,
review and cancel government had not stopped the straw market project.
Instead, he said 23 million dollars was too much for the straw vendors.
First, he said that he would not rebuild the straw market at all, that
the vendors would have to move. After pressure from Telator Strachan
and the straw vendors, he had to capitulate and the market is now to be
rebuilt for ten million dollars or less. Only his Minister of Works
Neko C. Grant I has not settled the dispute with the contractor over the
cancellation of the last straw market contract. Mark these words.
When it is all finished and done, the ten million dollars on the new straw
market and the damages and loss and costs the government will have to pay
to the old architect, the old contractor and the old quantity surveyor
and engineer, will exceed the 23 million dollars that Mr. Ingraham said
was too much to spend on the straw market.
We have been down this road before. Mr. Ingraham promised that
he could build the San Salvador airport for 9 million dollars when he came
to office in 1992. The airport ended up costing the Bahamian taxpayers
in excess of 37 million dollars.
Voters do all kinds of strange things. That is the nature of
democracy, one supposes. The voters of The Bahamas really did themselves
a disservice re-electing this man Hubert Ingraham to office. The
quicker we are rid of him the better.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 20th December 2008 up
to midnight: 281,285.
Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 20th December
2008 up to midnight: 766,536.
Number of hits for the year 2008 up to Saturday 20th December 2008
up to midnight: 13,107,172.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
THE
MITCHELL REPORT
The newest podcast of Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill
and the Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and the
Public Service. The subject is the Speaker of the House. Watch,
listen and send a message.
PUTTING
2 &2 TOGETHER TO MAKE FIVE
The Tribune again on Saturday 20th December carried
a speculative story about a challenge for leadership being launched by
Fred Mitchell MP, extrapolating a message from the Christmas Address of
Mr. Mitchell to his constituents that is simply not there. You can
see
the message for yourself below. The facts do not bear out what
the story says. It is a Christmas message like all others that have
been given by Mr. Mitchell in the past. Sheesh!
JOHN
CAREY PUTS THE LIE TO THE LYING PUNCH
No one can count on Ivan Johnson, the owner, author
and publisher at the down market rag The Punch, to fail to invent some
new line or story. His imagination knows no bounds. On Monday
15th December, he ran a story in which he said that John Carey former PLP
MP for Carmichael and former Parliamentary Secretary made a declaration
that he John Carey would not run as long as Perry Christie was in charge
of the PLP. The only thing is that the story was not true.
This should not be a surprise because nothing in that paper is true. There
is one lie after another.
It appears that in recent weeks, Mr. Christie has
become a punching bag for every Tom and Dick or Harry without respite.
This one has kind of a happy ending. Mr. Carey is safely ensconced
with Mr. Christie’s help and assistance in the Cayman Islands, out of politics
and studying law while working in the Cayman Islands. He issued
a statement from the Cayman Islands and we publish it below. To The
Punch we say: “Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!”
VINCENT
PEET QUESTIONS THE GOVERNMENT
On Monday 15th December, Neko C. Grant I, the most pompous of all the FNM
Cabinet members (and believe us he has nothing to be pompous about) in
his capacity as Minister of Works signed the contract to restart the next
phase of the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) sponsored New Providence
Road Improvement project. The only thing is that the project was
given to an Argentinean contractor José Cartellone Civil Construction
that the PLP turned down in its time because the company could not meet
the bond requirements of the government.
The PLP discovered that the Jamaican Contractor
General had issued a report in which it blamed the difficulties of the
road improvement project in Jamaica on the shaky finances of the company.
Add to that the history of the FNM who chose the contractor Associated
Asphalt to start the road works during their time. That company failed,
filed for bankruptcy, packed up and left with the road works undone.
The Bahamas government was left holding the bag. The PLP had to clean
up the mess under its dynamic, go getting Minister of Works Bradley Roberts.
Vincent Peet, the Member of Parliament for North
Andros and the Berry Islands is the Opposition’s spokesman on Public Works.
He issued a statement calling on the government to give a full explanation.
Click
here for that statement.
DOES
NEKO GRANT HAVE SENSE?
Neko C. Grant I calls himself exactly that “the
first”. He thinks no doubt that he is a king of some kind.
It says something about the man. But his retort to the statement
by the PLP’s spokesman on Works Vincent Peet that the government needs
to give full disclosure on the contract that it signed for road works with
an Argentinean contractor José Cartellone Civil Construction that
appears not to have the financial wherewithal to complete the project.
Mr. Peet’s statement was issued on 15th
December.
Mr. Grant answered the next day and his answer was
silly. “I don’t answer nonsense”, he said. Did Neko C. Grant
I really say that? When pressed about whether he could answer Mr.
Peet’s question whether the company had posted a bond with the government
for the work. He said he was sure that they did but when asked how
much, he could not remember.
Flashback to Neko C. Grant I in Parliament on Wednesday
10th December as he was questioned by Shane Gibson, the PLP's spokesman
on Housing, about the contract that was cancelled to build the straw market.
He did not have the details then either. He said he would have to
check and then revert. Hubert Ingraham, his Prime Minister, was by
his side shouting out directions. “Just say no!” Mr. Ingraham said.
“No” said Mr. Grant in answer to whether or not the claims of the contractor
had been settled and no on the question of whether negotiations were going
on. Bottom line: Mr. Grant did not have a clue.
A few days later, the press reported that Mr. Ingraham
had taken the file of the cancelled straw market up himself to review it
and make a determination about a settlement. Meanwhile on that matter,
the press reported that Patrick Rahming has been contracted to design a
new straw market. Reports are however that the last architect Michael
Foster, the contractor Ashley Glinton, the Quantity Surveyor Michael Vincent
Clarke and the Engineer George Cox are all unpaid. They are owed
collectively millions of dollars.
BUSH
DUCKS SHOES
You can see
it for yourself by the link here if you missed it on television.
It is difficult to see how anyone missed it. Even the most conservative,
pro Bush television networks in the United States showed it over and over
again. Of course, Keith Olberman who is the NBC television news commentator
on MSNBC took the cake. He showed it over and over again and kept
lamenting the fact that U.S. president George Bush was able to duck the
shoes thrown at him by the Iraqi journalist who called the President a
dog and said that he was doing this for all the thousands of Iraqis that
Mr. Bush had in his opinion killed.
Just when you think you have seen everything, truth
once again shows how it is stranger than fiction. The more serious
point is that Mr. Bush tried to play it off. He said that he could
not understand what the “guy’s” problem was. That is the problem.
After launching the world into a war that led to more than 4000 of his
own citizens dead; after being the President with one of the lowest popularity
ratings in history; after ending his term with the financial services sector
of his country in shambles; major industrial companies on the verge of
collapse; after misleading (and we are being charitable) his country on
the reasons for war; he still does not get it.
The man who threw the shoe no doubt spoke for many
of his country’s citizens who saw the recklessness of the policy that brought
them bitter destruction, not the democracy about which Mr. Bush spoke and
it appears the legacy of a never ending American occupation of their country.
It is sad indeed that the great democracy of the western world brought
about such skewed and clueless and insensitive results. But now it
has brought in a new President and perhaps the man with the shoe may have
hope yet that some good will come out of all the bad that has happened
and recover the national dignity of his country.
Internet photo
JOHNLEY
FERGUSON WHO CAN’T SHUT UP
Glenys Hanna Martin, the PLP’s Chair, had to put
Johnley Ferguson, the FNM’s Chair in his place last week. The news
had hardly come out about the court “victory” of Zhivargo Laing as the
Member of Parliament for Marco City. Instead of Mr. Ferguson making
a sober statement about the result and saying that the country should now
go on with the issues of governance and development, Mr. Ferguson had to
use the opportunity to crow like a rooster about the “victory” and to try
to rub salt in the wounds by suggesting that the PLP can’t accept defeat.
They have been spinning that line since the election.
Mind you, Johnley Ferguson is one to talk. Mr. Ferguson was defeated
by Alfred Gray at first by six votes in the General Election of 2002.
Presumably, he could not accept defeat either, if you follow his logic,
because he challenged the result in the Election Court. This is the
same Court process that Pleasant Bridgewater and Allyson Gibson have followed.
It is their right in law. Mr. Ferguson has conveniently forgotten
that the court decided against him in 2002. Why can’t someone tell
him to shut up for his own sake but especially for that of his party?
Every time he opens his mouth, you know what is going to come out of it.
You may click here for the statement of
the PLP’s Chair.
SENATE MEETS
The Senate of The Bahamas met on Monday 15th December
to complete its work for the year. Senators Allyson Maynard Gibson
and Jerome Fitzgerald led for the PLP side on the main bills before the
Senate; approval for the exemptions for the construction of the airport
and the bills to support the Financial Services Sector. You may click
here for the statements of Senator Gibson on
the Financial Services amendments; on
the airport amendments; and Senator
Fitzgerald.
THE NORTH
FUNERAL
The elites of the country gathered to say farewell
to one of their own. His surviving children are Dr. Gail Saunders,
the country’s Director of Heritage and its pioneering historian and Terry
North, an attorney with the firm Alexiou, Knowles and Co. Basil North
died at the age of 88 after a brief bout with cancer of the lung and was
memorialized in a service at the Christ Church Cathedral on Monday 15th
December. He was a retired public servant. His wife Audrey
and daughter Claire predeceased him.
Mr. North was lauded by his niece former Justice
Jeanne Thomson as “a very gentle man”. The North name is attached
to a street in the old city of Nassau. Just opposite the Police Barracks
on East Street, main office of the Commissioner of Police is a street called
North Street. That is where Mr. North’s homestead was and where he
grew up. Attending the service were Governor General Arthur D. Hanna,
a family friend, Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis, Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill, Senator Allyson Maynard Gibson and the wife of the former Prime
Minister Dame Marguerite Pindling.
BIS photos: Peter Ramsay
INGRAHAM
ON THE HOTELS
It appears that the Prime Minister is in an answering
mood these days. He told the Nassau Guardian that his government
would not purchase the Royal Oasis Hotel to get it up and going as suggested
by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell as part of an economic
stimulus package. Mr. Ingraham said that it would not happen.
Well at least it was not a stupid proposal. But here’s what: he will
have to change his mind. When you see what even President George
Bush has done in the United States, Mr. Ingraham will have to change his
mind. Mr. Bush said that ordinarily he would not have intervened
in the economy because he believed in a free market, but these were not
ordinary times.
We say the same thing to Mr. Ingraham. There
is no sense telling us the 1990s orthodoxy when we are in the 21st century
with a 21st century problem. Freeport’s tourism sector is moribund
and there is a need for the government to intervene with a new vision and
fresh investment where the private sector cannot do it. Pindling
had the idea when he created the Hotel Corporation. We agree with
Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Ingraham should act with dispatch to have the government
get those hotels restarted. We are not talking about the government
running the hotels. We are saying the government needs to get the
hotels up and running.
MESSAGE
FROM THE POPE ON CHURCH AND STATE
Sometimes we in The Bahamas forget that we have a secular constitution.
Many time people forget that even though a country may subscribe to Christian
values, this country is not a theocracy. Government therefore must
be for the good of all regardless of race religion or creed. We thought
that the idea of the separation of church and state is one, which needs
to be remembered as our country progresses. The Pope Benedict XVI
made a visit to the Italian Embassy in Rome on 15 December to mark the
80th anniversary of the Treaty establishing the separation between the
Vatican City and the Italian state. The Pope used it as an opportunity
to laud the principle of the separation between church and state.
Here is what he said in his own words:
“Church-state separation is one of the signs
of the progress of humanity. The Church not only recognizes and respects
the distinction and autonomy of the state vis-à-vis the Church,
but also takes joy in this as one of the great advances of humanity.
“This separation is a fundamental condition for
[the Church's] very liberty and the fulfilment of its universal mission
of salvation among all peoples. This brief visit is conducive to reaffirming
that the Church is very aware that the distinction between what is of Caesar
and what is of God belongs to the fundamental structure of Christianity.
“The Church feels that it is her duty, following
the dictates of social doctrine, developed from what is in conformity with
the nature of every human being, to awaken moral and spiritual forces in
society, contributing to open up wills to the authentic demands of the
good.
“Reclaiming the value that ethical principles
have, not only in private life but rather fundamentally for public life,
the Church contributes to guaranteeing and promoting the dignity of the
person and the common good of society.
“In this sense, the desired cooperation between
Church and state is truly fulfilled."
BOUNDARIES
FOR THE BAHAMAS
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth
of The Bahama has announced that it has deposited with the United Nations
the delimitation lines of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas as an archipelagic
state. The lines are drawn pursuant to the treaty on the Law of the
Sea that came into effect in 1982. The Bahamas through the late George
Stewart played an active role in the successful negotiations for the treaty
on the law of the sea. The lines are to be drawn around the entire
country with a 12 mile nautical mile territorial zone, a 200 mile exclusive
economic zone but with the right of innocent passage through the waters
for ships needing to get across the ocean. The Ministry said that
this would also aid in successfully bringing to a conclusion the talks
to settle the boundaries between the United States and The Bahamas, Cuba
and The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands with the United Kingdom
and The Bahamas.
MITCHELL’S
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Fred Mitchell has recorded his annual Christmas
message for his constituents. Mr. Mitchell told the people of Fox
Hill that it was an honour to have served them over the past year and to
have worked with them. He said that although next year would-be a
challenging year he believed that when put in its context, people will
see that each year has its challenges. Mr. Mitchell pledged himself
to work for change by “shaking the decision tree from top to bottom in
a dedicated effort toward change”. Mr. Mitchell is shown above after
a Christmas dinner with the executive members of the Fox Hill Branch of
the PLP.
Christmas Message
Fred Mitchell MP
It has been an honour for me to serve in the
Parliament as the representative for Fox Hill. I wish to thank all
the many friends and supporters in the Fox Hill constituency and throughout
The Bahamas for their best wishes and assistance during the past year.
Merry Christmas to all the people of Fox Hill.
It was a particular honour for me to visit with
and serve the school children at the Sandilands Primary School, at the
L.W. Young School and at Doris Johnson. I continue to be amazed at
the talent that is there and dedicate myself to helping to ensure that
this talent becomes a productive part of our community.
I thank all the religious and civic leaders of
Fox Hill for all of their work.
Next year is set to be a challenging year.
If you put it into context though, each year has its challenges and next
year will be no different in that respect. I am confident that we
will all meet whatever challenges may come.
When I last spoke in Fox Hill, I spoke about
change and the need for change. That is my mantra for the next year,
to shake the decision tree from the top to the bottom in a concerted and
dedicated effort to bring about change. All of us will be the better
for it.
A special word of encouragement and thanks to
the people of Exuma and their representative Tony Moss with whom I have
had the pleasure to work. I add my thanks to Picewell Forbes and
the people of the South Andros constituency and to new friends that I have
made in Grand Bahama, Long Island, Abaco and in Bimini. I look forward
to meeting new friends and visiting with old friends in other islands in
the coming year.
Do well. Stay faithful. Work hard.
Be honest. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of the people
of Fox Hill.
Merry Christmas from all of us in Fox Hill.
IN PASSING
Trouble In The Turks And Caicos Islands
Michael Misick, the flamboyant Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
had a close call this week when nine of his MPs signed a letter that was
published saying they no longer had confidence in his leadership.
A vote of no confidence sponsored by the Opposition was delayed as a result
of a procedural fault but it is listed as the next item on the new agenda
when the Parliament next meets there. Late word has it that the Governor
has prorogued Parliament sine die, so the vote of no confidence dies.
Mr. Misick called a special convention of his party on Wednesday 17th December;
the day after the letter became public and got a bye. He will await
the outcome of the British sponsored Commission of Inquiry. Another
vote on leadership by the party will take place on 28th February following
that report.
Costs In The Pinewood Case
The Election Court ruled on Thursday 18th December that the costs in
the Pinewood case are to be split between challenger Senator Allyson Gibson
and incumbent Byron Woodside MP and Minister of State. The court
seemed to say in its ruling that because Mr. Woodside’s counsel did not
admit to certain facts and thereby save costs, he has to pay those costs
that are attributable to his failure to agree. Bottom line is that
Mr. Woodside’s costs are probably more than Mrs. Gibson’s costs.
This should be a signal to Fred Smith, the counsel for Zhivargo Laing who
is known for his high bills that any unnecessary costs will be scrutinized
by the Election Court.
Mitchell At St. Agnes Miami
Fred Mitchell, Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign
Trade, attended the annual Advent service at St. Agnes Anglican Church
in Miami this morning.
The U.S. Ambassador’s Party
U.S. Ambassador Ned Siegel and Mrs. Siegel held their holiday do at
the residence of the Ambassador Liberty Overlook on Friday 19th December.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette and other Ministers of
the government were present. Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs
and Foreign Trade Fred Mitchell was also there. A great party!
The Ambassador and his wife have been excellent Ambassadors for their country.
The Drop In Gas Prices
When you travel on the roads of New Providence these days they are
chock-a-block with traffic; choking, frustrating traffic. The explanation
some say is that the price of gasoline has dropped as a result of the drop
in the price of crude oil and so it is off to the open road. Many
people, who used to need 70 dollars to fill their tanks, now spend less
than 50 dollars to do so. That’s an extra 20 to spend.
The Trib Looking For A Non Bahamian
We wonder what all the young crusading Turks at The Tribune have to
say now that there is an ad in their own paper for a Managing Editor.
This means that the paper and its racist thinking is up to its usual tricks.
With the hatchet man John Marquis out of the way to retirement, the paper
now wants another one to come in from the outside to go after the PLP.
No talent in The Bahamas is good enough for them, including anyone on their
staff. No doubt they already have the man picked out for it.
No doubt, the Ingraham immigration department has already rubber-stamped
the appointment.
Lies About Newspaper Circulation
The Tribune claims that its circulation has increased by 14 percent
over the last year. Please! We don’t believe it.
Brent Symonette On Conflict Of Interest
Those of us who read the broken response of the FNM administration
to the statement of PLP Works spokesman Vincent Peet were astounded.
Mr. Peet in his statement said that the government must disclose whether
there was any conflict of interest with Mr. Symonette who was a shareholder
in Bahamas Hot Mix that is joint contractor or sub contractor on the New
Providence Road Improvement Project. Mr. Symonette told The Tribune
on 17th December that the shares in the company were bought by a trust.
What trust? Who is the beneficial owner of the trust? What
are the terms of the trust? No word on it. Then he said he
did not know what was going on at the Town Centre Mall. Mr. Peet
had alleged that the Argentinean contractor which is to complete the New
Providence Road Improvement project (see story above) had taken offices
in the Town Centre Mall in which Mr. Symonette reportedly has shares.
Mr. Symonette did not say whether the report that he owns shares in the
Mall is true or not.
Commission of Inquiry
The report is that Hubert Ingraham is unhappy about the police investigation
into National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that was headed during
the PLP’s time by the man Mr. Ingraham has now appointed Consul General
in New York Carl Smith. Several people all civil servants have been
needlessly charged in this matter for what appear to be political reasons.
However, Mr. Ingraham’s police force has not been able to come up with
any charges against any PLP MP and in particular the PLP MP that he has
been hoping to target. He is now reportedly going to plan B that
is to use a Commission of Inquiry. You will remember that this well
worn and useless tactic was used to great effect to unhinge the PLP and
sully the late Sir Lynden O. Pinding’s reputation just before the 1997
general election. Now Mr. Ingraham reportedly hopes that this will
do the same thing to the PLP and its present Members of Parliament just
in time for the next general election.
The Madoff Scandal
If Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham really had the testicular fortitude
to fight for The Bahamas instead of surrendering at every turn with a grin,
he would be able after this scandal of 50 billion dollar proportions in
the United States by Bernard Madoff to say that with all the regulations
and red tape that they have in America they still could not stop the bilking
of 50 billion dollars right before the eyes of the regulators. So
the answer to the question does more regulation make the accounts more
safe in The Bahamas and more secure is clearly no.
Execution In St. Kitts
Well at least one Caricom Prime Minister has found a way to start executing
people. Dr. Denzil Douglas, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis
defended what the government did. Charles Laplace was the unlucky
man in St Kitts. He was hanged on Thursday 14th December for killing
his wife. He was sentenced in 2006. Maybe Hubert Ingraham will
now find a way to start the same practice here that he is so anxious to
start again.
Centenarian Pearl Macmillan Dies
Pearl Macmillan 100 years old was buried today following a funeral
service at the Grants Town Seventh Day Adventist Church. Senator
Jerome Fitzgerald delivered a statement on behalf of Fred Mitchell, the
representative for Fox Hill where Mrs. Macmillan lived. Mrs. Macmillan
was a pioneer of the straw market in The Bahamas. She was the mother
of former PLP Cabinet Minister, the late Curtis Macmillan.
HOME
Previous
Columns
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return
to the top of the page.
|
| JUN, JUN, JUNKANOO:
The
Valley Boys Junkanoo Group headed by Winston ‘Gus’ Cooper is on the cusp
of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its existence. Together
with the Saxons headed by Percy ‘Vola’ Francis, the Valley Boys have dominated
the Junkanoo scene for over those five decades. Among its many members
is Perry Christie, the former Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition.
The fiftieth anniversary got added luster when the Junkanoo Committee announced
that the annual Boxing Day parade was won by the Valley Boys. Congratulations
to them. Our photo of the week is the Valley Boys winning at Junkanoo
with the theme “Hollywood! Lights, Camera, Action”. Winston ‘Gus’
Cooper is shown going through his paces with lovely ladies at his side.
BIS photo: Peter Ramsay |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE TRIBUNE ATTACKS MITCHELL
The final press conference for the year by Opposition Foreign Affairs
Spokesman Fred Mitchell was held at the House of Assembly in the Opposition
Committee room on Monday 22nd December. He covered a number of subjects
including the fact that messages of support had been sent by the PLP to
Patrick Manning the Prime Minister of Trinidad who had his left kidney
removed by Cuban doctors who discovered cancer in the kidney.
The main themes however were the answers to Hubert Ingraham, the
Prime Minister who had answered Mr. Mitchell on the subject of buying the
hotels in Grand Bahama in order to get jobs going in Freeport and his answer
to the contradictions in the Prime Minister’s position on Petro Caribe.
Mr. Mitchell also took the opportunity to speculate about the leadership
of the FNM.
Mr. Mitchell said that the FNM and the press were busy speculating
about the PLP’s leadership but the PLP was in fact speculating about the
FNM’s leadership. He said that Mr. Ingraham had said that he wanted
two terms in office. Mr. Mitchell said that he is now serving his
third term. He asked the question when is he going to step down and
called for him to step down.
He argued that the PLP was analyzing who it would have to face in
the next General Election. He said that there was a very real possibility
that Mr. Ingraham would stay on “infected as he is by the disease of many
leaders who do not know when it is time to quit”. He said that Brent
Symonette seemed to think that he had it wrapped up and there was evidence
of an organized campaign to get him to succeed to the post. He added
the names Tommy Turnquest, Minister of National Security as an Ingraham
favourite, Zhivargo Laing, the Minister of State, Carl Bethel, the Minister
of Education and Bran McCartney, the Minister of State for Immigration.
All of this set the cat amongst the pigeons and it was not long before
the anti Mitchell, anti PLP brigade got to work. Bahamas Issues,
the anti PLP blog went into overdrive saying that the PLP was an organization
that was on the verge of collapse and was irrelevant. The leader
of the anti Mitchell brigade was Eileen Carron, the Editor of The Tribune.
She wrote an editorial that same day in which she went after Mr. Mitchell.
She called the idea of him getting Hubert Ingraham to step down “a pipe
dream”.
According to Mrs. Carron, the reason Mr. Mitchell wanted Mr. Ingraham
to step down was because he (Mr. Mitchell) was looking at taking over the
PLP and he was seeking to clear the way for himself because according to
Mr. Carron, Mr. Mitchell did not have a ghost of chance to defeat Mr. Ingraham
in the next election. Mrs. Carron said that she had heard of miracles
and it would be a miracle if Mr. Mitchell could succeed. She added
that she had heard that he thought of himself as a Barack Obama in the
making. She scoffed at the idea and said that it could never happen.
What was also interesting was the Nassau Guardian’s editorial on
Monday 22nd December about a Mitchell bid for the leadership. Mind
you, Mr. Mitchell has announced no bid, but the Christmas message of Mr.
Mitchell was parsed and analyzed by the press to mean that he was launching
his bid to lead the PLP in 2009. Mr. Mitchell said in that message
that he would be in a relentless campaign for change during 2009.
The Nassau Guardian’s take was that this would be a formidable challenge
for Mr. Mitchell but they thought that he was up to the task. They
thought his main rivals would be Obie Wilchcombe and Dr. Bernard Nottage,
both PLP MPs.
It is interesting where this has all taken Mr. Mitchell in a short
period of time and it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
As Mr. Mitchell himself said there is no vacancy in the PLP’s leadership
so the point is all moot. But you get the feeling from many that
they see that as a ritual kind of response on his part. They judiciously
nod their heads in response to it and then proceed to speculate further
on the leadership challenge that he poses.
There is no doubt in our minds that the PLP is at crossroad.
It is in search of a mission. It is in need of reorganization.
It is in need of energizing. The question in our view is sensitive.
If the PLP is to have a fighting chance to win the next general election,
then it must act within the next nine months to get its house in some kind
of recognizable order, fully recover from the general election 2007.
There is still too much grieving over something that is long past.
Key to all of this will be the role of young people in the party.
The Young Liberals finally seem to have a Chairman in Viraj Perpall who
will lead the young group in a credible direction. What is perplexing
is what has happened to the National Progressive Institute (NPI), the group
of young professionals that seemed to have so much promise and then just
seemed to fizzle into the background. All of these affiliate organizations
must be revived and must be gathered fully into the fight for the PLP’s
supremacy.
There is no question that Hubert Ingraham in his returned form is
simply tired and out of it. But the point that has to be made is
that even a snake in its last dieing gasps can be dangerous and he has
to be watched very carefully. The PLP must find its voice quickly
or lose it.
The fact is that most people voted against the FNM in the last election.
That must be converted into a victory at the polls in 2012. It is
possible to do it. It must be done. There is little choice.
Failure is not a possibility.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 27th December 2008 up
to midnight: 153,441.
Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 27th December
2008 up to midnight: 929,710.
Number of hits for the year 2008 up to Saturday 27th December 2008
up to midnight: 13,260,613.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
PLP
LEADER’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Former Prime Minister and Leader of the Progressive
Liberal Party Perry Christie sent a Christmas greeting to the PLP on its
website myplp.com. Mr. Christie urged Bahamians everywhere to have
a happy Christmas and to remember the reason for the season. You
may click here
for his full statement.
THE
JUNKANOO RESULTS
Here are the Boxing Day results from the Boxing
Day parade 2008:
A Groups
Valley Boys
Saxons
One Family
Roots
Music Makers
Prodigal Sons
B Groups
CLICO Colours
One Love
Fancy Dancers
Colours
'Roots' photo: Peter Ramsay
A
JUNKANOO PHOTO ESSAY
Junkanoo is a national art form and the essence
of Bahamian culture with its African ethos. The groups turned out
in force and the competition was fierce. The winners were the Valley
Boys, celebrating their 50th anniversary as a Junkanoo group. Peter
Ramsay, the BIS photographer, was present for the parade and we present
his photo essay.
Valley Boys
Saxons Leader Percy 'Vola' Francis presents Prime Minister Hubert
Ingraham with 'scroll of Chinese Emperor'
Roots
One Family
MITCHELL
MAKES PREDICTION ON FNM LEADERS
Fred Mitchell, Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs, held his monthly
news conference on Foreign Affairs and the last one for the year.
At the press conference on Monday 22nd December, he took the opportunity
to answer Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister, on the question of the Royal
Oasis in Freeport and also answered the Prime Minister who claimed that
Mr. Mitchell’s comments about what he had said on Petro Caribe were taken
out of context.
The last part of the press conference was on the
question of leadership in the FNM. Here is what Mr. Mitchell said
in his own words on the leadership question:
“While the press has been busy scrutinizing the
leadership of the PLP, we in the PLP have been scrutinizing the future
leaders of the FNM.
“There is no vacancy for leadership in the PLP
and there is none in the FNM.
“What we know is that the man who now heads the
FNM is there for the third time after promising to step down after two
terms.
“We would be foolish not to review what is happening
in that party and who we will have to face.
“Many think that Brent Symonette wants the job
and believes that he is to the manor born. There seems to be an organized
campaign to promote his candidacy. Then there is Tommy Turnquest who led
the party before and is believed to be the Prime Minister’s favourite to
succeed. Then there is Carl Bethel, Zhivargo Laing and Bran McCartney.
“I certainly am looking at all of them so we
can see what we have to do to meet an organization with them at its head.
“Indeed, we have also to allow for the real possibility
of Mr. Ingraham staying, infected as he is by the disease that many leaders
have and that is not knowing when it is time to go. This is his third
time and enough is enough. Mr. Ingraham needs to step down.
So in this respect, Perry Christie is not the issue. Mr. Ingraham
is.”
You may click here
for the full statement.
Photo: Dennis Fountain
STANDARD
AND POORS ON THE ECONOMY
All the PLP has to do is to make an announcement
to say “…We told you so”. What are we talking about? The FNM
government invoked a policy of ‘stop, review and cancel’: that brought
all contracts signed by the PLP in their time in office to a stop.
The result was that they took 90 million dollars of economic activity out
of the economy, slowing it down to a crawl and thus exacerbating the economic
problems that the country now faces. Now the PLP is not alone.
Standard and Poors, the rating agency has confirmed it in its report of
17th December and here is what they say in their own words:
“[Growth momentum of 4.5 per cent in 2006 was
interrupted] by the protracted period of contract reviews by the FNM government
after it came to power, the review of 80 million dollars worth of contracts
and the eventual cancellation of a 23 million dollar public contract for
a straw market negatively affected investors sentiments and brought substantial
disruption of contractor’s activity… important economic growth momentum
has been lost.”
ORIGINAL
FOX HILL CONGOES WITH THEIR SPONSOR
Lowell Mortimer, Trustee for the firm Campbell Shipping
and a sponsor of the Fox Hill Original Congoes, paid a visit to the Junkanoo
shack of the Congoes in Fox Hill on Monday 22nd December to view the work
of the group as they prepared for Bay Street. Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell
was also there together with Congoes Leader Trevor Pratt.
IN PASSING
Phil Smith Dies
ZNS sports announcer Phil Smith has died. The long time sportscaster
reportedly succumbed to longstanding kidney problems. Mr. Smith was
well known and well liked by all. Condolences to his family and to
his ZNS colleagues. Dr. Bernard J. Nottage MP issued
a statement on the death of Mr. Smith calling him "...the dean of the
nation’s sportscaster fraternity" who was "extremely knowledgeable about
local and international sports of all disciplines" and an "effervescent
supporter of local home grown athletes, sports personalities and causes".
Junkanoo Participant Dies
Anthony Moss 39 years old believed to be a member or supporter of the
Saxon Superstars collapsed and died at the Junkanoo Parade in the early
morning hours of Friday 26th December. It was a sad point in an otherwise
joyous occasion. The pundits on the scene commented that the parade
organizers do not have emergency personnel or equipment on the scene, so
nothing could be done on the scene to help revive the man. A representative
of the Junkanoo Committee speaking on ZNS TV on Boxing Day morning shortly
after the incident told Jerome Sawyer, the ZNS News Director, that she
would have this matter investigated and addressed.
Greenslade and Dames Are Seen Around Town
Senior Assistant Commissioner Ellison Greenslade and Assistant Commissioner
Marvin Dames are both back in town after spending a year abroad with the
Canadian police force, an unnecessary move that was done to accommodate
the political problems of Hubert Ingraham who did not want to choose between
them for Commissioner of Police. The talk was that upon their return
Mr. Ingraham would choose one. A third name has now entered the fray
and that is Assistant Commissioner Quinn McCartney who is away at school.
The latest information, though, is that despite the speculation, Mr. Ingraham
does not intend to appoint any of these men. He now intends despite
reported promises to the Leader of the Opposition to the contrary to confirm
Reginald Ferguson as the Commissioner of Police.
Young People Get Together
Demathio Forbes, the son of PLP MP Picewell Forbes put together on
Monday 22nd December a group of young leaders at a special conclave at
the British Colonial Hilton to discuss the idea of a National Youth Congress
as an umbrella organization for young people in the country. Present
were PLP MP Picewell Forbes, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell and the Director
of Youth Greg Butler. Also present were Viraj Perpall, Chairman of the
Progressive Young Liberals and Jamal Moss, the President of the Torchbearers
of the Free National Movement.
Shake Up At Foreign Affairs
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette announced in his statement
to the Honorary Consular Corps on 10th December that there is to be a reorganization
of the foreign affairs ministry. The shake up should have taken place
earlier in the month but has been delayed until early January.
Manning Back In Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning is back in his
country following his surgery for cancer of the left kidney. Mr.
Manning was expected to stay in Cuba for six weeks but he decided to leave
and go back home for his recovery. Doctors were not concerned.
He seemed to be making an excellent recovery. The cancer was said
to be confined to the kidney and not spread beyond that organ. The
PLP had sent a message of concern to Mr. Manning through its spokesman
on Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.
Turks Premier To Testify
Michael Misick, the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, our neighbour
to the south, is now to testify before the British appointed Commission
Of inquiry. Commissioner Sir Robin Auld published the list of those
who will testify. The Premier is to testify over two days beginning
13th January. Mr. Misick’s colleagues wrote a letter two weeks ago
saying that they have no confidence in him. The Premier was able
to get them to hold their hand until 28th February when a new leadership
election will be held. The Commission of Inquiry was called in response
to a report by a British Parliamentary Committee that indicated widespread
reports of corruption in the Turks government.
The Press Of The Bahamas
Can you believe it, in this 21st century Bahamas, there was no newspaper
published by any of the dailies in The Bahamas on Saturday 27th December?
It is bad enough that none of them publish on a Sunday or on holidays but
Saturday is supposed to be a working day for the press. The Tribune
being in the colonial tradition has never published on any holiday weekend
but now the Guardian announced the same thing. Both newspapers posted
on their Facebook pages that they were not publishing on Saturday 27th
December. They said their staff would get a well-deserved rest.
The Bahamas government did not seem to feel the need to address the issue
of information either on Saturday 27th or Friday 26th December. The
Junkanoo results were unavailable anywhere on the web, not even on the
government’s website or the Junkanoo Corporation's website. Nothing.
Maybe the Minister of Tourism who is so enamoured of the Internet might
check this out and rectify it.
Fred Mitchell Visits Abaco
Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs was in Abaco in the post Christmas
period paying courtesy calls on the PLP leadership in that island.
HOME
Previous
Columns
