BahamasUncensored.Com Archive

FOULKES DEFENDS THE INDEFENSIBLE - A Comment on Joshua Sears
It never ceases to amaze us what Sir Arthur Foulkes chooses to write about, to be ticked off about. The man took up a whole column last week on Tuesday 31st October to defend retired Ambassador Joshua Sears in the face of a passing comment made on this site in the column of Sunday 22nd October 2006. The site quite rightly criticized Mr. Sears for biting the hand that fed him during the last four years. Sir Arthur and a letter writer below were upset and made it plain. The knight called the writers of this column all kinds of names in the face of those four lines that appeared here.

Sir Arthur tried to confuse the issue by mixing it up with the suggestion that Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister had something to do with the comments. Desperation is really setting in.

We stand by the comments made here and go further. While no one impugned Mr. Sears’ technical and professional abilities and capacities, the fact is Joshua Sears is now a politician. He is in the public domain. The PLP and PLP supporters would be stupid to allow Mr. Sears to float into Exuma like a knight on his horse to supposedly rescue Exuma, being represented as some flawless diplomat who has come home to save his country. Nonsense! There is nothing in Exuma that he needs to save. Anthony Moss the present representative is doing a good job. He stuck with Exuma through thick and thin. He lives with the people, knows their pain directly and he will beat Joshua Sears. Mr. Sears does not connect. He will get the traditional FNM votes but the PLPs will stand firm. FNMS are at best 40 per cent of the electorate in Exuma. They cannot win with that.

These are the facts: Joshua Sears was to be the candidate for the Free National Movement in Exuma in the 2002 election. Unfortunately for him, a life long PLP, whose family is all PLP, he did not get the FNM nomination because there was a revolt against imposing him as a choice on the FNM in the face of the incumbency of Elliott Lockhart the then Member of Parliament who was FNM. Most PLPs at the time forgave Mr. Sears and believed that this was a isolated occurrence where a PLP supporter simply got confused because of the ten years of blandishments from Mr. Ingraham, for example a special legislative package was designed to allow Mr. Sears to retire early with a full pension. It is like someone who is kidnapped getting to be sympathetic with his or her captors and crossing over to the other side, the Patty Hearst syndrome. That was what happened to Mr. Sears.

Perry Christie, the Prime Minister who came to office in 2002, should have accepted his resignation as Ambassador in 2002. Mr. Sears was an FNM appointment and it turns out that having retired from the service, he was no longer a civil servant serving in that post but an FNM appointee serving in that post. All FNM appointments should have been removed from office and replaced with PLP appointments. The fact is that under the constitution Article 111 gives the Prime Minister the power to appoint persons to serve overseas. Some have argued that Mr. Christie thought that in deference to Joshua Sears’ family, he would be allowed to continue to work overseas, get his children through their education but also cleanse him of FNM politics.

When such a thing is done, that person owes loyalty to the appointer or the exerciser of the power. It is not expected that you will be sleeping with the enemy so to speak, while working for those in power. It turns out that this is exactly what happened. We do not know, but it is reasonable to suggest that during the time that Mr. Sears was working for Prime Minister Perry Christie, a PLP, he was busy talking to the Leader of the Opposition Hubert Ingraham of the FNM. It means that all of the advice that he gave to the Prime Minister, the execution of his duties as Ambassador, all of it now becomes suspect having regard to what has transpired with him becoming now an FNM candidate. No one says that he cannot be an FNM candidate. No one says that he did not serve his country well, he may have but the fact is he crossed the line of loyalty by giving the impression that he was one thing, not PLP even, but neutral while in fact he was a sleeper cell for the FNM within a PLP administration.

To this day, one must ask the question whether he has ever formally told the Prime Minister or the Minister of Foreign Affairs for that matter, what he is doing or intended to do even as he was coming to the end of the term. He probably spent his time denying that any such thing was happening even as the rumours began to fly that Mr. Ingraham and he were talking and that he was about to become Mr. Ingraham’s nominee in Exuma.

It is clear that the two men Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Sears are close. The attachment has lasted a whole parliamentary term. Mr. Ingraham has reportedly insisted that the only candidate he would consider for Exuma is Joshua Sears and pushed out Anthony Musgrove a generation younger for Mr. Sears. He refused to countenance anyone else but Mr. Sears. Mr. Sears returned home during the term at every instance to work the crowds at regattas and other civic functions. In retrospect, he was clearly simply waiting to launch his campaign. It is simply disingenuous, wrong and disloyal. He should have declined to work for the present Government in Washington and been a real courageous man and simply launched his political career. Now he has left a bitter taste in the mouths of PLPs where he has appeared to have bitten the hand that fed him, misled and fooled them who offered him friendship which he abused. This is the man that the FNM now offers to Exuma. The question is: is this a man you can trust, knowing what we now know? No tears can then be shed for him by PLPs over the remarks made in his column. The situation will only get worse.

Mr. Sears should be defeated in Exuma for all that we have said here today alone. Politics is a tough business. It is not a business for the faint of heart. He was not kind to the PLP and so there is no reason why they should be kind to him. That will undoubtedly offend some but consider this: those who consider themselves to be neutral; how do you trust a fellow like this who looks you in the face pretending to be one thing and then turns out to be another?

This is par for the course for the Ingraham strategy to have sleeper cells in the PLP bosom. For example, William Allen, the former FNM Finance Minister, was a counsellor to Paul Adderley, the last PLP Minister of Finance in the Pindling government. In that capacity of Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Sir William advised the PLP Finance Minister to raise taxes in the last year of the PLP in office in 1991 and to cramp credit in the economy. Mr. Adderley did that and persuaded the last Pindling cabinet to do so. The PLP lost because of the economy amongst other things. The next day, after the election, it turned out to everyone’s surprise that Sir William was Mr. Ingraham’s choice to be Finance Minister. Why should we as PLPs let Mr. Sears get away with that same trick? No, not this time.

Sir Arthur should spend his time writing about something else. But we find his crocodile tears over Joshua Sears to be utterly unconvincing and unwise.

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FIRE AT FOX HILL URBAN RENEWAL
    A call went out to the police at 3:31 a.m. Saturday 4th November that there was a rubbish fire in Fox Hill. The engine reached the scene some ten minutes later to find that what was burning was the newly renovated Fox Hill Urban Renewal Office.
    It appears that someone had broken into the building, spread kerosene oil about the back room and lit it afire. They then went around the back and threw a Molotov Cocktail of diesel or gasoline hoping one guesses that the whole building would burn. The fire was quickly brought under control saving the building but not before the room at the back was burnt. The other rooms in the building were covered in soot. It will take some three to four day to get the operation back up and running.
    Fred Mitchell, the MP for Fox Hill was on the scene by 6 a.m. He told the press that Urban Renewal is not a building but a spirit and that it cannot be stopped by burning the building down. No idea about the motive for the arson but some people are suggesting that politics may be the motive. Who knows? It is silly season.

THE PORT AUTHORITY SOAP OPERA

    The sad and plain fact is that the St. Georges and the Haywards are now at war. It has come to this and is a natural consequence of last week’s silly announcement by Sir Jack Hayward that he is the 75 percent owner of the Grand Bahama Port Authority. Click here for last week's report.
    We predicted that Edward St. George’s widow would be forced to take legal action against Sir Jack Hayward given the developments. We did not understand why even someone as thick as Jack Hayward would take to undermining his company like that. What now transpires is that it appears that the widow St. George was not comfortable with all the bad publicity and adverse developments in and around Hannes Babak, the Chairman of the Port who was appointed following the ouster of Julian Francis as Chairman. She may have wanted to force the point that Mr. Babak had to go.
    Sir Jack on the other hand is adamant that Mr. Babak is to stay. His public statements suggest that he thinks Mr. Babak is the smartest thing since Einstein. He made his statement it now appears to show that the St. George estate could not overrule him as the principle shareholder. He would have his way.
    The next chapter in the saga unfolded quickly with the mercurial attorney Fred Smith, who Edward St. George had hired as general counsel for the Port, announcing with great flourish that he was resigning from the Grand Bahama Port Authority. This announcement that came on Tuesday 31st October was filled with his usual disingenuous flourish about how he could no longer trust Mr. Babak and that he could no longer do business with him, that he was uncomfortable with Mr. Babak's methods.

    Anyone who knows Fred Smith would know however that there is no way in life that a point of principle would move him away from a great source of money. It was some secret advantage that he was not disclosing or there was some other problem. The problem was apparent in his own announcement. He was conflicted. He is also the lawyer for the St. George Estate and with contentious proceedings coming, there is no way he could represent both. He does not get along with Jack Hayward, so there was no question in any event of him staying on with Jack Hayward firmly in charge, so the answer is he got the boot. He simply rushed out and resigned before he got the boot.
    Jack Hayward went to the press and disabused the public of the supposed high minded motives of Mr. Smith. He reminded us all that the Port was about to give Fred Smith the boot anyway because of the conflict. The next chapter unfolded with the police being called to the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s headquarters in Freeport to keep the peace because Mr. Smith had obtained on the afternoon of Thursday 2nd November before Justice Lyons an ex parte order to give the estate of Edward St. George and to Lady Henrietta St. George access to all documents, computers, ledgers and other information about the state of affairs of the company, to stop the destruction or disposal of any documents and to restrain Hannes Babak from working as Chairman of the company until an inter partes hearing resumed on the 20th November.
    The question is how a shareholder can choose a Chairman for his company and how a court, ex parte, could give such an order? It is quite incredible and quite another thing, but they got the order. Further why did the Judge not tell Mr. Smith that he had to remove himself from the case because he had a further conflict. He could not step out of the Port one day as their General Counsel and the next day represent a party as an adversary of his former client. That is wrong.
    Mr. Smith has now joined up with Damien Gomez who represents the St. George daughter Caroline and who in a few months is to become a Judge of the Supreme Court, his resignation from the Senate being officially acknowledged on Wednesday 1st November by Senate President Sharon Wilson.
    Senator Philip Galanis who has been leading a crusade on behalf of the people of Freeport to rid the Port Authority of Mr. Babak said that this showed why Mr. Babak had to go. Certainly if one of the affidavits submitted to support the case is to be believed, the matter is very serious indeed. You may click here to view that affidavit.
    And so Freeport is further in drift, with Jack Hayward pretending that he has no problems and staying to soldier on in a company that he has no vision for and no idea how to run. Edward St. George clearly saw to it that Jack Hayward stayed out of the company for good reasons it seems.
    It would be in the best interests of the Hayward clan to calm this down and settle with the St. George estate and remove themselves from the day to day running of the company. Mr. Babak should step down to allow a new Chairman to be appointed. If this is not calmed down, then trouble will brew with Hutchison Whampoa, the major investor in Freeport that runs the airport and the harbour and owns the container port and the hotels at Our Lucaya, the major functioning tourism product in Freeport. Failing that the company’s now owners should be warned that intervention from the Government would not be a step too remote to be contemplated.
    A footnote: the report is that when Messrs. Smith and Gomez showed up at the Port, Jack Hayward immediately called Hubert Ingraham, who called his boys Neko Grant and Ken Russell, the Grand Bahama FNM MPs who came running to Sir Jack’s rescue. Not sure what they could have done but if this is true, its clear whose side Jack Hayward is on.
TOP: Attorneys Fred Smith, left and Damien Gomez, right, shown leaving the Grand Bahama Port Authority building in this Nassau Guardian photo by Derek Carroll.
Sir Jack Hayward, right, joins in the Grand Bahama Port Authority's 'Keep Grand Bahama Clean' campaign Saturday 28th October. Freeport New photo.

MITCHELL AT POLICE GROUND BREAKING

    Inspector Bradley Sands, the Chairman of the Police Staff Association presided over the breaking of ground for a new complex to be owned by the Staff Association in Grand Bahama. The complex will include offices for the Association, a laundry and dry cleaners and a day care centre for the children of police officers.
    The ceremony that took place on Thursday 2nd November in Freeport was attended by Fred Mitchell, the Minister responsible for the public service, officials of the Grand Bahama Port Authority who donated the land, Members of Parliament from the Grand Bahama area and police officers.
    The Minister congratulated the officers on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt who is also the Minister of National Security. A group then moved to turn the shovel. The photo of the event was taken by Van Dyke Hepburn of the Bahamas Information Services.

CHANGEOVER AT RBDF

    It was a moving ceremony what with all the assembled political dignitaries and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers in their ceremonial whites. This was only the third hand over in the history of the Force that began in 1980.
    Commodore Davey Rolle greeted the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister as they arrived and escorted them over to the dais for the Governor General to take the general salute and inspect the guard.
    The Commodore conducted his last inspection of the divisions before taking his leave. He said that he was proud to have served the RBDF and that when he started his career, never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would end up being the Commodore of the Defence Force.
    The instruments of appointment were turned over to the new Commodore of the Defence Force Clifford ‘Butch’ Scavella. Mr. Scavella said that he was proud to become its Commodore and pledged to do all that he could to ensure that the Force was restored to its glory. Outgoing Commodore Rolle, left, is pictured congratulating Commodore Scavella.
BIS photo: Peter Ramsay

SHANE STRIKES BACK AT CALLENDERS AND CO
    The question that Colin Callender, Senior Partner of Callender's and Co, should be asking himself this very morning is how after all he has done, has his firm come to this? Mr. Callender has allowed an FNM ideologue to put his firm in jeopardy of losing its reputation in an unseemly row with The Bahamas Government and its Immigration Minister over the granting of a residency permit for Anna Nicole Smith, the B rated movie star from the United States. You may click here for last week’s story which lays out in some detail the facts so far.
    There have been charges and counter charges between the Minister and the law partner Michael Scott. Mr. Scott charged that there is a mortgage on the property that Anna Nicole Smith bought that grounded her permanent residence in The Bahamas and that her having refused to execute the mortgage he had cancelled the conveyance and asked Ms. Smith to leave the property. Ms. Smith and her lawyers say that the property was a gift. The Government takes the view that on the face of the transaction they relied on representations by Callenders & Co and the copy of the conveyance to the Government that showed Ms. Smith as the absolute owner of the property, thus qualifying her for Permanent residence. There is a lot of ‘you say and I say’.
    Ms. Smith has now gotten another lawyer herself. Wayne Munroe the ubiquitous President of the Bar, who finds himself wherever there is trouble, is representing Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith is also alleging that Mr. Scott violated her attorney client privilege which she had not waived. Mr. Munroe made a compelling case on the radio for Ms. Smith and for the Minister.
    The Minister himself came out with both guns blazing at the end of House proceedings on Wednesday 1st November. He denied that he ever accepted any cheque from Ms. Smith or from Ms. Ferguson the Callenders lawyer as the law firm now alleges. He laid on the table of the House the documents that showed a conveyance and a letter from Callenders advising Ms. Smith to go and see the Minister. It is all quite sordid but the Minister comes out quite ahead as we knew he would.
    Michael Scott has a lot to answer. Tracey Ferguson, his partner, daughter of former Assistant Commissioner of Police Avery Ferguson and former Magistrate Joan Ferguson has to ask herself how she got herself in the middle of this mess with her name being bandied about in public.
    We end where we started. We do not understand how a law firm that is supposed to be doing business with the Government on a daily basis gets into row with the Government. That cannot be good for its clients. It cannot be good for its reputation no matter who is right. One would have thought that they should seek to settle this matter and with a minimum of fuss.
    The problem for Colin Callender is that Michael Scott is an FNM wild card and is using the law firm to push FNM politics when that is not the business of a law firm. But perhaps we should not be surprised since this is the same firm that allows Fred Smith, the head partner in Freeport to step out of the Port as General Counsel one day and into court on the other side against the Port the next day without recognizing that it is wrong because he is conflicted. But back in Nassau, a hard decision has to be made about Mr. Scott’s future with the firm.

PLP CHAIRMAN DEFENDS SHANE AND NEVILLE
    Raynard Rigby, the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, made a ringing defence of the Minister of Immigration Shane Gibson and the Minister of Youth Neville Wisdom exposing The Tribune for its "muck-racking and negativism aimed at this successful government".
    Let’s deal with Shane Gibson first. Mr. Rigby said that the PLP stood behind him and rejected the claim of the FNM dominated Tribune run by the slimy writing John Marquis who claimed that the PLP was in a meltdown. Mr. Rigby said that the only meltdown was in the minds of The Tribune’s writers.
    Last week we devoted part of the column to the low life work of the press and this week it was no better. The toady Oswald Brown in the Nassau Guardian tried but failed miserably to make the case that Shane Gibson was fighting for his political life.
    The Tribune was involved in the unlawful use of a private conversation between the Minister of Youth and his Permanent Secretary. All week they were promoting this as if there were some major scandal involved. It turned out to be absolutely nothing. The Minister is refusing to allow them access to the private and confidential files of the Ministry. The Tribune has simply become an out and out propaganda sheet.
    You may click here for Mr. Rigby’s statement.

IN PASSING
Child Protection Bill Becomes Law
The House of Assembly passed the Child Protection Act that amongst other things repeals the Affiliations Proceedings Act. Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs speaking in the House on Wednesday 1st November made the point that the bill will now give single men the right of access to their children notwithstanding the fact that the mother has not asked for maintenance. This changes the existing law where single women could deny fathers the right to see the child if they decided not to ask for maintenance from the court.

Alvin Smith Loses it
Alvin Smith, the hapless former Leader of the Opposition, ended up with egg on his face in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 1st November. He decided at the end of the House day that he would attack personally the Minister of Immigration saying that the Minister accepted a cheque for $10,000 from Anna Nicole Smith and should go to jail. The Minister denied it promptly on his feet. The Speaker citing a rule about quoting from newspapers asked that the remark be withdrawn. Mr. Smith refused to withdraw the remark against Mr. Gibson. The Speaker told him that he would not be allowed to speak in the House until the remark is withdrawn.

Ken Samuels aka Zeus Dies
We extend condolences to the family of Ken Samuels. Mr. Samuels also known as Zeus, a former BaTelCo worker and a resident of the Valley died in Nassau on Thursday 26th October. The Prime Minister Perry Christie and the Minister of Foreign Affairs both from the Valley were at the home shortly after Mr. Samuels died. He is survived by his father Leroy Samuels and his siblings.

Zhivargo Laing And Uneconomics
A message to Zhivargo Laing. You can’t have it both ways my boy. Last year when the unemployment statistics were released at 10 percent, Minister of Immigration Vincent Peet said that he did not think the figures were accurate. You jumped all over the Minister saying that he was attacking the professionals at the Department of Statistics. Now this week when the figures are out that unemployment is down nationwide to 7.3 per cent, you are jumping all over the Department of Statistics saying that the figures can’t be believed. Perhaps you need to pray again. But then we remember how you prayed to God who told you to leave politics and then Hubert Ingraham came and preyed upon you and you answered his call to get back into politics. As Pleasant Bridgewater says: “Prayer changes things”.

They Believe They Can Win
Delusions! The Free National Movement actually believes that they can win. In the face of all the evidence of disarray in their ranks, in the face of the good news about the economy, in the face of their refusal to engage the society generally and boycotting every public event, in the face of the surveys being done that show that the PLP is far ahead in the polls, the FNM MPs in Grand Bahama especially think that they have won the country. Dream on brothers!

Chalk’s Does Not Have Permission
We reported in an earlier column that Chalk’s Airlines was promoting flights to The Bahamas starting 9th November. They have obtained regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States. Not so fast said Minister of Transport Glenys Hanna Martin. They do not have permission to fly into The Bahamas by the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas.

Whitney Rolle on Deacon Jeffrey Lloyd
The press has been carrying a letter from someone calling himself Whitney Rolle. The letter attacks radio talk show host and Roman Catholic deacon, youth advisor Jeffrey Lloyd. It accused the Catholic Church and the deacon of selling out the pioneering youth programme to the PLP government. This was as a result of the Deacon Lloyd appearing at the launch of the government’s own youth programme. The letter has caused ripples in the church. It was a most unfair attack and the writer should be roundly condemned. A pastoral letter is to be written to clarify the church’s position on the matter. This is not the Whitney Rolle, the former St. Augustine’s athlete, but someone who is an FNM operative using that name. Disgraceful!

UNITED NATIONS DAY BELATEDLY

The Minister of Foreign Affairs led the country in official observances for United Nations Day at the Ministry’s headquarters on East Hill Street on Friday 3rd November. Attending the ceremonies to mark the day were the diplomatic corps in The Bahamas, the children of St. Anne’s School and the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Mitchell reminded the country about the history and role of the United Nations and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to multilateralism. He said that the country should take note of the theme for 2006 Deserts and Desertification. He called on developers to protect the tree cover in The Bahamas as they develop the land. You may click here for the full address.

A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR VINCENT PEET

Last weekend on Saturday 28th October, the Fox Hill Branch of the Progressive Liberal Party visited Central and North Andros in a retreat to plan strategy for the next election. While there the delegation headed by Fox Hill Member of Parliament Fred Mitchell joined MP for North Andros Vincent Peet for his birthday celebration and a mini rally. We present a photo essay of the scenes from that event. The photos are by Darron Pickstock.

CARMICHAEL PLP AT SDA CHURCH

Member of Parliament for Carmichael and Parliamentary Secretary at Tourism John Carey along with his family and executives of the Carmichael Branch of the PLP visited the Good News SDA Church in Flamingo Gardens to worship where the host Pastor is Dr. Hugh A. Roach.
As a part of his ongoing church visitation program in the constituency, MP Carey says, “Collaboratively the church and the community can produce the desired outcome that will consist of the proper quality of life all citizens hope for, given the framework that has been put in place by a caring PLP government today”. The Carmichael team continues next week at another church in the community.
Photo: front Row - 2nd from Left: Mrs. Khichala Carey along with Khalil Carey, Branch Executives, MP John Carey. Back Row - 3rd from left: Dr. John Carey and Pastor Hugh Roach, other committee members.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Joshua Sears
    Why is it shame or a disgrace that Joshua Sears has decided for whatever reason to contest the election on the FNM ticket? Are you suggesting that because the PLP government re-appointed him Ambassador to the US he owes them something? Was it not the FNM that appointed him initially? Does that mean that he owes them more?
    You say he is biting the hand that fed him. The way I see it, he was fed because he worked hard and performed well in his post, as he has always done! Is it not also true that diplomatic appointments are supposed to be in the best interest of all of The Bahamas and therefore the best person for the job should be selected rather than merely a political crony?
    I was hopeful that when Josh was re-appointed that we were finally moving closer to becoming more mature in our politics! However, given what was written in this column, perhaps my hope was merely wishful thinking!
    When will we allow all people to make choices without being attacked simply because those choices differ from that of others. I know Joshua Sears personally and know that he is an honest, humble and intelligent human being and will do good in whatever arena he finds himself, and will treat all people equally, despite their stake in life, including their political preferences.
Junkanoo Princess

The Unemployment Rate
    The Department of Statistics recently released (preliminarily) the latest labour statistic and the rate of unemployment has declined from 10.2% to 7.3% nationally, and New Providence was pegged at 6.6%. The decline in Grand Bahama from 11% to 8% suggested that many of the displaced workers from Grand Bahama, some 700 of them, clearly migrated to other islands in search of better economic opportunities.
    One key and compelling economic indicator that supports the new unemployment rate is the huge increase in the NIB contribution revenue from $10 million to $12 million per month or a 20% increase. Given the per capita income of the Bahamas of around $18,000, this indicates the creation of at least 6,700 new jobs in the economy over the last twelve months even though the unemployment figures released by the Department of Statistics suggests the creation of about 5,600 new jobs. This is a conservative estimate given the traditional rate of contribution compliance to NIB of about 60%. I estimate that 9,200 jobs were created since the last household survey was conducted.
    Another general barometer that supports this new labour statistic is the unemployment rate in United States of 4.4%, the lowest in five and one half years. We all know and accept that the Bahamian economy is inextricably linked to and highly integrated into the U.S. economy and our unemployment rate has traditionally been 3 to 4 percentage points above that of the U.S.
    Record numbers in annual tourist arrivals and expenditure (5 mil and $2 bil respectively), record levels of construction activities and new housing starts (at least 1,500 per year), and record levels of government revenue ($1 bil) all support a robust Bahamian economy and a slack labour market. This is bolstered by the solidifying of several anchor resort developments throughout the Bahamas.
    This preliminary revelation did not sit well with certain political personalities who openly questioned the unemployment figures for Grand Bahama as incredulous at best. Zhivargo Laing, a former minister in the FNM, insisted that the figure is around 11%. He provided no statistical data or scientific analysis to defend his position and was unwilling to accept the fact that many of the displaced workers from Grand Bahama were absorbed into the workforce elsewhere in the Bahamas. All of Mr. Laing’s explanations were based on the premise that all of the displaced workers remained on the island of Grand Bahama. I wish to remind Mr. Laing that the resilient workers of Grand Bahama migrated in a similar fashion in 1998, when the Atlantik Beach and Grand Bahama Beach hotels were razed to make way for the construction of Our Lucaya.
    Robert Sweeting, the FNM representative for South Abaco, also expressed skepticism at this Grand Bahama figures, but did relate an anecdote that he had spoken to people in Abaco who had migrated from Grand Bahama in search of job opportunities. While he and Mr. Laing’s stories are congruent on published figures for Grand Bahama, he contradicts himself and Mr. Laing in his anecdote. In one sentence he expresses incredulity at the 8% rate for Grand Bahama, then proceeded to explain how the 8% was probable. This clearly contradicts Mr. Laing’s premise that the workers remained on Grand Bahama.
    I encourage Mr. Laing to attempt to be intellectually honest. He cannot accept the Department of Statistics figures of 10.2% which he believes favours his party politically, and then questions the competence of the statisticians within the department when the results of their objective work are not consistent with his party’s political agenda. While he served as minister for Economic Development in the FNM administration, he repeatedly scoffed at the work of the Department of Statistics when he felt that the department’s data did not serve the purpose of the FNM government. He gave some flimsy excuse about the IMF model being more reliable than that of his government.
    Mr. Laing and Mr. Sweeting should simply accept the fact that the Bahamas is on firm economic footing and is poised for full employment within the next twelve to eighteen months. The anchor resort development as a strategy for sustained economic development is a huge success and the concept of an enlarged Bahamas is an idea whose time has come. Kudos to the Christie administration for a job well done.
Elcott Coleby

THIS WEEK WITH THE PM
Geographic Information Systems Conference

Students from Sadie Curtis Primary School sing the National Anthem during the opening ceremonies of the URISA 2006 3rd Caribbean G.I.S. Conference at Atlantis, Paradise Island on Tuesday, October 31, 2006. Shown at the head table from left are Carolann Albury, chairperson URISA conference program committee and Pete Croswell, URISA; Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for Urban Renewal the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie and Rev. Dr. William Thompson,
president of the Bahamas Christian Council.
BIS photo: Tim Aylen

Prime Minister Christie addresses the assembled company of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force as they welcome their new Commodore Clifford 'Butch' Scavella.

Private Wealth Management

The Central Bank this past week held a dinner forum at Old Fort Bay aimed at promoting private wealth management in The Bahamas. The Prime Minister attended and briefed the gathering.

BIS photos (except where otherwise noted): Peter Ramsay

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A JUDGE SAYS: “...HE IS OFF HIS ROCKER”
Imagine this: you are a civil litigant, an architect who had to sue former clients because they refused to pay your fees. After months of trying to get the matter to trial, you finally appear in Court, only for the Judge to announce that he of his own motion has joined the Attorney General to the case. He then proceeds to read a long, rambling judgment, filled with non- sequiturs about the state of the judiciary, the end result of which your case is adjourned to who knows when, and you have gotten no justice. It is left to you to appeal a matter that is not of your making.

That is the situation that Charles Moss now finds himself in because of a ridiculous ruling by a Judge that seems to have been more of a political diatribe delivered in the Courts of The Bahamas in Freeport on Monday 6th November.

But that was not the real problem, the Judge also delivered another “judgment” “ruling” “set of rambling observances” – no one is quite sure – in a set of criminal cases that were set down to begin a trial before him on that same day. He ordered “the criminal trials referred to herein: [Cases listed] are ordered to be returned to the Criminal Registry to be brought on when they are ready for a fair trail by an impartial and independent tribunal as our Constitution guarantees. This does not mean a trial weighted in favour of the prosecution, (prepared to the disadvantage of the accused), before a tribunal entirely dependent on the will of the government for the amount of its salaries.”

The judgment's logoc is plainly and on its face foolish. The Judge’s argument was that because the Government, the Cabinet failed in his words to follow the law on appointing a Judicial Commission to review the salaries of Judges of the Supreme Court within the parameters of the act, then the time having been missed until October 2009, no judge could act because the Judiciary was no longer fair and impartial because the salaries depended on the will of the executive. Clearly this should be appealed and it is beyond patience why the Government has not already appealed the matter.

In the course of these rambling and disgusting words came this further statement: “The sole responsibility for this fiasco sits firmly at the feet of the Cabinet. I am just the messenger. I know my lot. Like most messengers, I will surely be shot. The messenger can expect to be pilloried in the Parliament, on cue no doubt to a non-aligned member of the House, who will launch the attack during the debate on a bill that has nothing to do with the Judiciary. The messenger can expect to be untruthfully scandalized in the tabloid press. The messenger can expect to be patronized by the rumour mill – “he is off his rocker”. The phone taps. The covert National Security observation, but breaking into visibility just often enough to unnerve. There will be problems at the Immigration gate, with remittances to family overseas. The few close friends are targeted. Some attacks will be subtle. Some vicious. I know of this. I previously lived and presided as a Judge in a place where the government had no regard for the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary. In that place the Attorney General, a good man, was beaten by the marauding mob and left in a pool of his own blood on the floor of the Parliament he was courageously fighting to protect. It has to be understood that the rule of law is that delicate thread that holds the fragile form of democracy together. If it is disregarded and disrespected at the top, that attitude flows down expanding exponentially until it reaches the bottom. By then it is like a runaway train on a collision course. And violence is never beyond the realm of possibility. This country has recently witnessed that manner of dispute resolution – in the very room where the seeds of this affair were sown.”

Mr. Justice Lyons is an Australian judge. It is arguable whether or not a non Bahamian can be legitimately a Judge of the Bahamian courts. Some argue that this is unconstitutional because a non Bahamian can be subject to pressures that he suggests and so ab initio an appointment of him as a Judge should fail. Yet he has come into The Bahamas and delivered judgment after judgment and accepted the salaries supplied by the taxes collected by the Executive and supported by the Parliament of The Bahamas.

What was incredible is that every smarty pants, and genius after that was busy promoting in the press and elsewhere that there was some sort of constitutional crisis in The Bahamas as a result of these patently intemperate and insulting words. The policy court to which this must ultimately go would not in our view support such rambling nonsense. If this Judge wishes to become a politician, then he should try to become a Bahamian citizen and then run for Parliament where those who are in politics have to take the risk of public opprobrium for their actions.

The Bar President Wayne Munroe who has been going around in the wake of these foolish words speaking about the House being on fire and that the Judiciary of the country can shut down should really find himself a life. He is the example of what Paul Adderley the former Attorney General has said in another context is a peripatetic political jack in the box. He is everywhere, with irresponsible statements spewing forth, in pursuance of a clearly political agenda. The fact that former Senator Damien Gomez, a man who is about to become a judge, is also pursuing this is worthy of note. His involvement is inexplicable.

Having made the order that he has, Mr. Justice Lyons is now on his own. No other Judge or Magistrate is bound by his ruling or has followed his ruling. Mr. Lyons having entered the political realm must ask himself whether in the face of people who are struggling to get by on the Government's minimum wage at $175 per week, he would wish the Judiciary to get involved in a row in Parliament where the salaries have to be approved to increase by one hundred percent the existing salaries of Judges who easily make $90,000 per year with benefits. The words are simply folly. The Judiciary cannot win such an argument, and it is counter productive to start such a public row.

Mr. Lyons even chose to pick on a Member of Parliament in his Judgment, the independent Tennyson Wells "the non-aliged member". How does he expect now not to be the subject of the wrath of Mr. Wells in Parliament and not further bring himself and the Judiciary into controversy? The Chief Justice must act and lead the Judiciary out of this situation.

We believe that all that needs to happen is that the Commission needs to be appointed under the relevant act, and review the question of the salaries of Judges. We do not believe that any Judge should get a raise in pay but that is for the Commission not us. The country’s salaries are simply out of whack as they are and despite the bullish economy, the Central Bank is already showing disturbing signs of a draw down in the reserves that call for caution, particularly with the passport initiative in the United States and the possible effects that cannot now be calculated on the tourism product.

The words follow a pattern of political developments in the silly season as we get close to an election and every constituent group is in the business of blackmailing the Government for money. The only people who suffer are the Bahamian taxpayers who have to fork over the cash for this largesse.

We think that the language of these observations by the Judge is the language of a persecution complex. The Judge said it himself, within the terms of his judgment said it best, we can say it no better and we have only to quote him that people might say “he is off his rocker”.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 11th November 2006 at midnight: 100,605.

Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 11th November 2006: 145,418.

Number of hits for the month of October up to Tuesday 31st October 2006 at midnight: 442,320.

Number of hits for the year 2006 up to Saturday 11th November 2006 at midnight: 4,167,383.

A MANUFACTURED CRISIS – Justice Lyons and His Beef
The Judgment of Justice Lyons (see Comment of the Week) can be divided into three issues: an attack on Cheryl Grant, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions; an attack on the Attorney General for the swift justice initiative that he called headline grabbing; and an attack on the Cabinet for not appointing a commission to adjust the salaries of Judges. He claimed to have the support of other Judges, and he claimed that as a result of the failure to appoint the commission and lack of preparedness of cases for criminal trials by the AG's office, the trials could not be heard by a fair and independent tribunal the judges for whom were not subject to the will of the executive for their salaries. Mr. Justice Lyons is an Australian and is reportedly twice divorced and reportedly supports families overseas.

Wayne Munroe and Damien Gomez
    Like Twiddle Dum and Twiddle Dee, these two gents are up and down the country on the radio in the press touting the Judgment of Justice Jeffrey Lyons. They both said that there was a constitutional crisis, parroting the words of the judgment, suggesting that the courts would shut down. The courts did not shut down. Not one. In fact, the Government issued a statement on the matter, headlined NO CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. Please click here for that statement.
    Mr. Munroe said that the House was on fire. Mr. Munroe, the Bar President, said that he was filing an action on behalf of the Bar. God knows what standing the Bar has in the matter, to force the Government to appoint the Commission under the Judges Pension and Remuneration Act. He wanted an order to force the payment of new salaries to the Judges. The salaries listed were $125,000 for the Chief Justice with a $15,000 duty allowance, a car, a house or a housing allowance.
    Now which Court would order a Parliament and the Cabinet to pay funds that the country may not have? Can you in fact order the Parliament to do anything? The fact is there is no constitutional crisis. All the courts are functioning and the one Judge who is not working presumably is Justice Lyons, following his own ruling one supposes.
    Justice Lyons should resign or the appropriate action should be taken by way of the Constitution to relieve him of his responsibilities. Further, if the Bar President really wanted to help the Judiciary he would quietly seek to get the matter resolved and stop engaging in histrionics with another lawyer who is about to become a Judge and who should not in our view be engaging in this kind of public proselytizing which comes off as an attempt to feather his own nest before he gets on the bench.

No Discipline in the Public Service

    Within the Judgment of Justice Lyons, the Judge made an unfortunate attack on a civil servant Cheryl Grant who happens to be the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions. That was wrong of the Judge. He took exception to a document that seemed to grade judges on their effectiveness in terms of their conviction rate. We do not disagree with such a review of the conduct and performance of Judges. They must be made to perform up to a particular standard. The judge took exception on the grounds that courts are not there for convictions but for justice.
    The Attorney General is responsible for the defence and conduct of public servants. That is the convention and in line with that Attorney General Allyson Gibson defended Ms. Grant in a stinging attack on the Judge’s statements calling them vicious. She must not have known that Ms. Grant a civil servant, smart as she is according to the AG’s statement, does not understand or know the elementary rule of the public service. Keep your mouth shut and go through the system to seek redress. You are not a public figure.
    Ms. Grant could not wait and issued a public statement in the press in which she attacked the Attorney General for her swift justice initiative, saying that the AG was wrong for publishing the document that the judge took issue with, and disassociating herself from her boss the AG. She asked to see Justice Lyons to explain. Further, like the Judge in his ruling by suggesting that because of what he ruled he would be attacked even killed by the Government (a suggestion so outrageous it must be treated with contempt. See Comment of the Week) as a means of very seeking cleverly to forestall such an attack, she sought to telescope what should inevitably happen to her by saying that she hoped that as a result of what she said, swift justice would not be visited upon her.
    If Ms. Grant is to do the honourable thing, she should now resign. She no longer supports the actions of her employer. If she does not, we know what the proper course for the Judicial and Legal Services Commission should be toward her conduct.
Cheryl Grant is shown in this Bahama Journal photo.

A Back Bench Member Steps Out
The Progressive Liberal Party must be concerned about the discipline of its members. Keod Smith, the MP PLP for Mt. Moriah, has been in one hot spot after the next since his election. Just recently he resigned from his post as Ambassador for the Environment as result of a fight in the Cabinet room with PLP MP Kenyatta Gibson. One would have thought that both gentlemen would simply take a low profile from now until elections. Not so.
Mr. Smith called a press conference on Thursday 9th November to express concern about the Judgment of Mr. Justice Lyons (see editorial comment above). He called for a joint select committee of the House to investigate the findings of the Judge. The Cabinet is unlikely to support such a call. You know our view is that the Judgment is not of serious import in any event.

MILLER ON THE WARPATH

    The Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Leslie Miller (pictured) is on the warpath. He started out on Wednesday 1st November in the House of Assembly exposing companies who had expired products on the shelf. His ministry is responsible for food safety.
    The Minister produced in the House a bottle of Similac a formula used to feed babies that he said was months out of date. He said that he and the Minister responsible for Consumer Inspectors Alfred Gray would be coming to food stores and looking to see whether the expiry dates had passed. He followed up and during the past week uncovered some 200 goods that had past expiry dates. Mr. Miller said that prosecutions would follow. The maximum fine is $5000.
    Mr. Miller said that what is happening is that in the US you are to remove products from the shelves at least three months prior to the expiry date. Bahamian merchants then go to the US and buy these products and sell them here in The Bahamas and pay no attention to when the date actually expires. We think that this is good wicket Mr. Miller is on and he should be encouraged.

ACCUSATIONS AGAINST AN MP

Kennedy PLP MP Kenyatta Gibson, having resigned recently as Chairman of the Gaming Board as a result of a fight between himself and Mt. Moriah PLP MP Keod Smith finds himself in the news again. This time it is an allegation of paternity that he denies. Mr. Gibson was pictured in the process with Wayne Munroe, a man who hates the PLP and wishes the PLP ill, and is working to destroy the PLP.
Mr. Munroe as the lawyer of Mr. Gibson said that he would not allow his client to take a paternity test. The young lady involved has been summoned to court for harassing Mr. Gibson. The lady claims that Mr. Gibson issued death threats against her because she is seeking support for a child which she claims Mr. Gibson fathered. Mr. Gibson denies it. The lady’s name is Demeka Jones.
Attorney Wayne Munroe (left) with his client Kenyatta Gibson MP in this Nassau Guardian photo

CYRIL STEVENSON DIES
    PLP Founder Cyril St. John Stevenson LVO died on Monday 6th November at the age of 92. He was one of the three men credited with founding the Progressive Liberal Party in 1953. Henry Taylor, the former Governor General, is dead and William Cartwright still survives.
    Mr. Stevenson ran the party’s newspaper The Herald and was its first Secretary General, holding the post for ten years until 1963. He was known as a tireless champion of the people’s cause. He represented Andros in the House of Assembly with Clarence Bain until 1967 when he lost the seat to the late Sir Lynden Pindling.
    In his later years, Cyril Stevenson served as the Director of the Bahamas Information Services. Prime Minister Perry Christie issued a statement extending condolences to his family. He called Mr. Stevenson “a man utterly without fear in his daily battles with the political oligarchy.” Here is the PM’s full statement.

Cyril St. John Stevenson 1914-2006: A Freedom Fighter of the First Rank
     It is with profound sadness that I have learned of the passing today of Cyril St. John Stevenson.
Mr. Stevenson became a founder of party politics in The Bahamas when, in 1953, he joined with William (“Bill”) Cartwright and the late H.M (later Sir Henry Milton) Taylor to form the Progressive Liberal Party.
     Cyril Stevenson was an influential member of this founding triumvirate, not only because of his oratorical skills and charismatic appeal but also because of the courage, intelligence, ingenuity and passion he demonstrated so brilliantly as the Publisher and Editor of the Party’s newspaper, The Herald.
     Mr. Stevenson was the Party’s “Great Communicator” at a time when the voices of resistance and protest in The Bahamas were in desperately shortly supply. He was a man utterly without fear in his daily battles with the political oligarchy of the period. Whether on the floor of the House of Assembly as Representative for Andros, or in the editorials of the Herald, or on public platforms, Mr. Stevenson was a fiery apostle for progress and an uncompromising opponent of the racism, political tyranny and economic oppression that constituted the order of the day in The Bahamas of the 1950’s and early 60’s.
     It is particularly noteworthy that in 1956 Mr. Stevenson formed a part of the very first group of men ever to be elected to the House of Assembly under the banner of the PLP. Known as the “Magnificent Six”, Mr. Stevenson was the last surviving member of this group. Now they are all gone.
     Although differences with the leadership of the PLP led to Mr. Stevenson’s alienation from the Party prior to the attainment of Majority Rule, there can be no denying that the groundwork that he helped lay proved indispensable to the success of the movement. It was therefore a source of great satisfaction for Party supporters when Mr. Stevenson returned to the Party fold in the early 70’s. He would go on to serve as head of Bahamas Information Services and to perform other important work for the Government and people of The Bahamas.
     With Mr. Stevenson’s death, yet another hero of the struggle for political and social justice in The Bahamas has passed away. He was a Freedom Fighter of the First Rank and there are now very few of them left.
     On behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas and on my personal behalf, I extend deepest condolences to Mr. Stevenson’s widow and children.
Cyril St. John Stevenson was a great Bahamian.
    May he rest in peace.
Perry G. Christie MP
Prime Minister
6th November, 2006

SUPER VALUE’S NEW EMPLOYMENT POLICIES
The Tribune of Wednesday 8th November reported that Super Value has some new employment policies. They have told their employees that before their probation period all of those with gold teeth in the front of their mouths must remove them. This is a response to the latest fad imported from the US where working class black males stick a gold cap over one of their front teeth. The company said that the customers consider people who have gold teeth in their mouths to be low class.
Super Value has also asked persons on probation who are overweight to lose weight before their three months probation is up. A manager of the store could not say what the sanctions for not obeying these rules were but in Bahamian law if you are on probation a company can fire you without giving a reason. The Manager added that it was rare to find women over 25 working in the stores who were less than 150 lbs. This is an interesting policy given the alarm that has been raised about the connection between obesity in The Bahamas and an epidemic of diabetes and high blood pressure.

ASHLEY CARGILL LEAVES THE FNM

    If anything struck dread in the hearts of the Free National Movement it must have been the sight of Ashley Cargill, a veteran and founding 34 year member of the party, and a former candidate saying that he was bidding the party good bye. But that was the sight in the press and on the television and he could be heard on the radio. The reason he said was the fact that Hubert Ingraham was back in charge and that he had the attitude of a dictator.
    Mr. Cargill said that he was satisfied that the vision of Perry Christie was the one for the times and he was throwing his support behind the Progressive Liberal Party under Mr. Christie. Mr. Cargill joins a list of former candidates and Members of Parliament who have left the FNM for the PLP. FNMs have tried to pooh pooh the importance of it.
    Party Chair Desmond Bannister had no comment. Former Minister and Ambassador Anthony ‘Boozy’ Rolle was quoted as saying that he could not believe that Mr. Cargill was a true FNM if he left the party simply because he disagreed with the leader. Of course the FNM has to say something, the drain on their membership continues apace.
Ashley Cargill is pictured at a news conference announcing his resignation from the FNM Monday 6th November, 2006 in this Nassau Guardian photo by Letisha Henderson.

IN PASSING
Don Saunders against Shane Gibson
Shane Gibson has perhaps the most unassailable seat in New Providence. The FNM has put up a young lawyer Don Saunders to run against him. Mr. Saunders is the Head of the Alumni of the College of The Bahamas. In what appears to be his first public foray into the campaign, he claimed in the press that the Anna Nicole Smith affair was causing concern in the constituency of Mr. Gibson. Mr. Gibson told the House of Assembly that he has received hundreds of phone calls of support from his constituents over the matter.

The Problem with Rick Lowe
Rick Lowe is an FNM ideologue who tries to appear in the guise of an interested civic activist in The Bahamas. For the past month, he has been engaged in a level of harassment in the public media of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs made statements with regard to the increase in trade with China that Mr. Lowe seeks to impugn. The fact is the answer is already within his knowledge, but for political reasons he keeps it up. The latest foray was a letter to the editor attacking the Minster of Foreign Affairs. He says that he can’t get an answer to his burning question about the level of trade with China. As a shopkeeper, it is easy for him to confuse export import with the wider meaning of trade. He seeks to exclude the figures attributed in trade by the Chinese for ships on the Bahamian register built in China. Question: why should you feed a fowl for a snake?

Albertha Hewitt Dies
Albertha Hewitt is probably a name you would not recognize. She is one of thousands of Jamaicans who have moved to this country from Jamaica to work in the homes of Bahamians. She was the housekeeper of Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell and that of former Permanent Secretary Hugh and his wife June Sands. On Wednesday evening 8th November apparently on her way to service at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, it is suspected that she may have been knocked down by a car on Shirley Street and left dead in the road. No one stopped. There are no suspects.

Another Samuels Dies
Leroy Samuels, 83 years old, has died. Mr. Samuels was one of the senior citizens of the Valley, home of the Prime Minister Perry Christie and Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell. Mr. Samuels’ son Ken Samuels has just predeceased him and the family had planned a funeral for the son on Friday 10th November. The funeral time has now changed and both will be buried on Friday 17th November at St. Francis Cathedral at noon. Mr. Samuels is the father of well known former banker Charlene and Cheryl who is the Vice Principal of L. W. Young High School. Our condolences to the family.

BAHAMIANS MUST BE CAREFUL WITH US ELECTION
There was palpable relief throughout The Bahamas that the brakes have been put on the arrogance of the Bush Administration in the United States. The Caribbean region has watched with absolute dismay the holier than thou attitude which has led to an economic stranglehold on Cuba, a war without end killing innocent Americans and Iraqis based on false data, the public hectoring of Caribbean leaders by US Ambassadors throughout the region leading to a throttling of the views of Caribbean nations, the banishing of the Haitian president from the Hemisphere by US dictate and all without any apology but a sense of religious entitlement. Perhaps with the changes in the legislature of the United States there may be some chastening that will cause pause. Bahamans must be careful, however, not to over interpret these results.
The fact is foreign policy is conducted out of the White House. In that the President of the United States and his party are still quite powerful. And so one can expect that broadly speaking the policies of the United States will continue unabated in most spheres of endeavour in this region. One has only to listen to the pronouncements of the leaders in the executive since they lost. There is no repentance at all, no remorse about policies, simply a kind of playing possum in the face of this stinging defeat. The Bahamas as a country has to be quite level headed in the face of this, and continue to deal with the United States as it always does with even handedness, principle and equanimity. The country is so easily threatened and destabilized that nothing else will do. The political opposition in the country is still able to join cause with anything that can undermine a PLP government. Tread carefully!

THE FAKER OF FOX HILL
There are reports that the Faker of Fox Hill the FNM’s candidate for the Fox Hill constituency is commissioning a defamatory song about the Member of Parliament for Fox Hill. We hope he is on standby to sue as soon as it is released. We suggest to the PLP Member a song for the “The Cinta”.

CARL BETHEL: THE VENTRILOQUIST AND HIS DUMMY

    Hubert Ingraham has been told he must stay quiet. The surveys taken by the FNM show that whenever he opens his mouth, he energizes the PLPs base. They remember the biggetyness, the meanness and the hard mouth that helped to send Sir Lynden Pindling to his grave. Carl Bethel, the Senator, and former Attorney General; by the way the worst one in the history of The Bahamas, is now the official mouthpiece for Mr. Ingraham or so it seems.
    The Nassau Guardian reported on Saturday 11th November that Mr. Bethel says that AG Allyson Maynard must resign because of the response that she made to the judgment of Justice Jeffrey Lyons. He claims that were she a private citizen that would be considered contempt. Mr. Bethel should know but he does not so we will tell him that the comments were not directed at the judge but were directed at the judge’s own comments in the ruling. That is no contempt. If it were a contempt, the newspapers would not have printed it. Elementary my dear Mr. Bethel. He should know but he does not that justice is not a cloistered virtue and one is free to criticize the rulings of a judge. What you should refrain from doing is a personal attack on the judge imputing an improper motive.
    The mouthpiece for Mr. Ingraham was back again in the Nassau Guardian of the same day claiming that as a result of a PLP poll that showed that Mr. Ingraham was more decisive than Mr. Christie, the PLP was targeting Mr. Ingraham and making him look like he was dictator. The PLP Chair Raynard Rigby challenged him to produce the evidence.
    What we know is that Mr. Ingraham’s every word betrays him like when he said following the referendum that he was ashamed of the Bahamian people, and that he is going to reduce the public service when he gets back into power. No survey is needed to tell the PLP what the story is behind Hubert Ingraham, and further, you have men and women leaving the FNM in droves today who are telling the real story of what is going on in that party under Mr. Ingraham's leadership.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In Passing-Minister Melanie Griffin
    Recently, I received an e-mail from a relative in The Bahamas who, in passing, made the following statement about Minister Melanie Griffin which I would like, if possible, for you to share with your visitors to your web site:
    “I think Melanie is a decent person, and will help if she can. She is more like Sir Lynden, who is really sincere about helping Bahamians, and not just talk”.
    I thought that was quite complimentary with particular comparison to Sir Lynden. I personally know the Minister, and fully echo the remarks of my relative’s statement. Too often, we hear ugly news about PLP politicians, but there are some of them who are, indeed, sincere, and fully understand their role as a public servant to the people who are the owners of the government. Minister Griffin certainly is exemplary of that role.   Mrs. Griffin is a graduate of St. Augustine’s College (High School).
E. A-D.

Bahamasuncensored.com November 5th Edition
    As an avid and long-term reader of your site, I thank you for publicly reaffirming comments directed against Jeffrey Lloyd, his role as a youth adviser and the Roman Catholic Church and attributed to “Whitney Rolle” did not originate from myself.
     The development and advancement of our young people is of great importance to me and those who are familiar with my adult life activities understand my passion. I am not in a position to anyway assess Jeffrey’s work nor the role of the Catholic Church in Government's youth programme affair. However, drawing on personal past experiences with both Jeffrey and the Catholic Church, my respect for their contributions to our society is exceedingly high. I am relatively certain they will do the right things.
     Again thank you and keep up the very informative and untarnished presentation of events and personalities in our society.
Whitney G. Rolle
Princeton, New Jersey
(Formerly SAC Class of 1968)

THIS WEEK WITH THE PM
Anchor Development for SouthWest New Providence

Prime Minister Perry Christie officially announced the $1.3 billion Park Ridge development at southwest New Providence this past week. The project, led by British billionaire Joe Lewis, also involves famous golfers Tiger Woods and Ernie Els. At the signing of a Heads of Agreement for the project, Mr. Christie said Park Ridge represented “the completion of capacity for major resort development in New Providence” and touted the Government’s forward-thinking planning and development initiatives as “a positive impact on the economy of the entire Bahamas for many, many years to come”. Please click here for Mr. Christie's full remarks.
Left: Prime Minister Christie superintends as Secretary to the Cabinet Wendell Major (centre) signs the Heads of Agreement. Right: Mr. Christie addresses the news conference announcing the Park Ridge development.

Servant Leadership

The Prime Minister visited a global summit on leadership this past week at Dr. Miles Munroe's Bahamas Faith Ministry's 'Diplomat Centre' on Carmichael Road. Mr. Christie officially opened the summit with an address on the theme of 'Servant Leadership', with reference to the Book of Mark. Left: An animated Prime Minister engages worldwide religious leaders from the podium of Bahamas Faith Ministries. Right: The religious leaders pray for the Prime Minister prior to the beginning of their global summit on 'Servant Leadership'.

Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.

NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN IS LAUNCHED

On Wednesday 15th November the Prime Minister Perry Christie presented the signature plan of his administration to Parliament the National Health Insurance Bill. The Bill lays out the framework in extenso of how the insurance needs in health care will be met for the Bahamian people over the next generation and beyond. It is revolutionary in its intent. It will be the dividing line between the FNM and the PLP in the next General Election. Please click here for the Prime Minister's full communication to the Parliament.

Dr. Bernard Nottage, the Minister of Health and his team of advisors on the Bill were all present in the gallery for the presentation of the Bill. The Government intends for the Bill to pass all of the stages of debate in the House by the 6th December with the debate beginning on the 29th December. The Bill should pass all the stages of debate in the Senate before Christmas. The PLP whip is on. This is a major, major bill and all MPs from the PLP side will vote on it. We believe that the PLP ought to call for a division on the Bill. This means that each member’s individual vote will be counted. We must put the FNM to the test of where their heart is. PLP Chairman Raynard Right issued a party statement on the National Health plan. Please click here for the full PLP statement from Mr. Rigby.

Nothing is more ruinous and injurious to the economic well being of the Bahamian than the cost of health care. Each week there is someone literally begging for contributions to help with health care. Each week, the beaches are covered in scores of cookouts to cover health care costs, and inevitably the health care costs are not covered by the cookouts; private insurance coverage is inadequate because they only cover well the people in the work force. If you are very young or very old or sick you are not covered. That means that when you reach 65 or if you are below 15, and in the most vulnerable birth cohorts, you are unable to get insurance.

Dr. Bernard Nottage, the Minister of Health, who was charged with bringing the Bill to this point, gave the example of your having insurance and then you get an illness and the claims become too burdensome and the insurance company after paying the initial claims announce that you are no longer insurable.

The reaction to the presentation of the health plan was immediate. Representing an alliance of doctors and other business people is Dr. Robin Roberts, an urologist, who said that the Government was rushing into National Health Insurance without proper consultation. It is always very interesting to see those who have benefited from socialized medicine and socialized education, reject the very thing that caused them to be where they are.

The alliance of doctors and other heath care professionals, business people and think tanks that also includes the insurance companies appear to be setting the stage for a major battle on the issue. They started over the past week on the talk shows, with many callers coming up and saying that National Health Insurance should be rejected because it is too expensive, it is going to take away choice and that it will be a compulsory tax.

The shopkeepers like the Rick Lowe types will no doubt be hard at it, trying to sabotage the programme with their obeah economics, faux libertarianism. They come off as simply heartless and it is no wonder that many of the employees of these types don’t have the loyalty to stick with them but soon abandon their employers for other jobs because of the heartless approach these types take to their employees.

National Health Insurance is designed to eliminate the uncertainty of health care costs. It will be universal and mandatory. That means that every legal resident of The Bahamas must compulsorily be a part of the scheme. The deal is that 5.3 per cent of the income of each employee will be dedicated to National Health Insurance. The scheme will be administered by the National Insurance Board. The employer and employee will share equally. Each insured will get a swipe card that identifies the individual. That swipe card will allow you to get access to medical care wherever you turn up in the country, whether in a private facility or a public one. Health care services will be charged at a specific rate, and each person will be required to pay that rate. The swipe card will allow the provider to be paid instantly from the National Health Insurance at the rate set by National Health Insurance. If you go to a private facility and the rate for the service is more than at the public facility, you will have to pay the difference. This is much like the situation with private insurance where you pay the cost over the deductible.

The National Health Insurance Programme will also be involved in health promotion. Many of the diseases that Bahamians suffer from are entirely preventable and are due to obesity, bad eating habits, lack of exercise, alcohol, drugs and not taking preventative health care measures.

The private sector health care providers and the insurance companies are worried that this will cut into their profits. Never mind all this business about choice and about the quality of care, they are concerned about profits. What they think this will mean is that private insurance will be abandoned and people will rely entirely on the National Health. That may be so in the short term, a shift in demand from the private services will occur while the system is new. But in the end the pendulum will swing where those who want to continue to see their private doctors will do so, and pay the overage, and private insurers will have a ready market for supplemental insurance.

Further, there some people who will always prefer to go overseas to have their health care needs met because of privacy issues in particular. The National Health Insurance rules as they are now announced will not allow this unless the service cannot be provided here. Perhaps, in the lobbying on the rules this ought to be clarified so that those who wish to go overseas can do so with a minimum of bureaucratic fuss.

The other issue that is raised by the opponents in the private sector is they look at systems like those in Canada and in Britain and say that the waiting periods are long for services in those countries and that there has been a general deterioration of services causing many people in those countries to still look to private services for their health care. While that is a danger, that is for The Bahamas not an instant problem. In the short to medium term, National Health Insurance will have the benefit of eliminating the worries of obtaining quality health care on timely basis, and providing a surer foundation to pay for the health care in the country.

We wish to congratulate the PLP Government for bringing this revolutionary programme and will commit our resources on this site to help promote National Health Insurance throughout the country.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 18th November 2006 at midnight: 88,334.

Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 18th November 2006 at midnight: 233,752.

Number of hits for the year up to Saturday 18th November 2006 at midnight: 4,255.717.

"So said, so done"... Prime Minister Christie points out in the House of Assembly that the National Health Insurance is a major promise kept.
Below, Health Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage poses with the PM and the team which brought the plan together. BIS photos; Peter Ramsay

THE GAME INGRAHAM PLAYS
We have reported here before how Hubert Ingraham has been told by his advisors to keep his mouth shut because when he opens his mouth he energizes the PLP’s base. Mr. Ingraham has now adopted the famous rope-a-dope strategy where he absorbs all the punches but lets others do his dirty work. Those who do his dirty work include Zhivargo Laing, his former Minister, who listened to Mr. Ingraham rather than to the voice of God; The Tribune where John Marquis, the Tribune’s secret FNM correspondent, is said to have weekly strategy sessions with Mr. Ingraham's operatives, amongst others. It is beyond comprehension why the PLP continues to have John Marquis in the country working actively to destabilize them.
The game plan is to sit back in silence and have each PLP Minister attacked through The Tribune, The Guardian and a female writer of the Bahama Journal. Through the process it is hoped that by a thousand cuts of scandal and nastiness they can cause the PLP to lose. The PLP has to learn to strike back and expose Mr. Ingraham’s nasty play. The FNM is however on a losing wicket. The fact is that while they are playing the nasty tricks book, it is clear that they have no policies so everywhere they are clutching for straws. We want to know what they have to say on the issues, not on foolishness and fake scandals. But that is Mr. Ingraham, never deal with an issue if you can make up a fake story to titillate.

AN EXPLOSION OF BAHAMIAN MUSIC
There is something happening in the cultural scene that we can’t quite understand but there is an explosion in Bahamian music, and especially an interest in the rake and scrape music. It is strange because the musicians keep complaining that they are not making any money in the business but the hits keep coming and new songs are being released that fully reflect the culture of the country and that the young people seem to embrace.
Some titles: Roach on My Bread, Show Me Your Rake and Scrape Motion, Turn Round and Let Me See, Party In The Back Yard, Mama Don’t Want No Rakin’ and Scrapin’ in Here, Drunk Again, Look What You Could Get, Sally Sue, You Get Swing, The Civil Servant, Long, Long Line, Stress, Bonefish Foley. We are sure that you can think of others.

A JUDGE STILL NOT WORKING
    Last week this column did an extensive set of commentaries on the fact that Justice John (whom we mistakenly called Jeffrey) Lyons, the Australian émigré, has put down his georgie bundle and is not working in Grand Bahama. (Click here for last week’s comment.)   He ruled that he is not fairly and properly constituted because his salary has not been set by a Commission that should have been appointed by the Government.
    Our view is that the judgment was poppycock and that it should be appealed forthwith and let the appellate courts set it right. In the meantime, we have a concern that the Judge is not hearing cases. If it requires a formal application before him to get a stay of the ruling pending an appeal let us do so but in the meantime, he must begin to work again. It is reported that he has been hearing interlocutory applications, confined to case management and dispute resolution. But with respect, all of those powers are pursuant to the rules of the Supreme Court so the jurisdiction that he says he does not have because he is improperly constituted is one he is still selectively using.
    This is nothing short of a sad shame. Mr. Justice Lyons should also return the monies the taxpayers are providing for him while he sits and does not hear cases. Word is that last week the other Judges made their views clear to him about his ruling in a private meeting and the Judge was reduced to a state of emotion. The Attorney General Allyson Gibson has now answered and said that the matter will be appealed. She spoke extensively in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 13th November decrying in particular the words said about The Bahamas that can only lead to its being defamed. You may click here for the AG’s full address.

PM AND FOREIGN MINISTER ON CYRIL STEVENSON

The Prime Minister Perry Christie wanted the broadcast of the funeral service to be live on television and radio on Thursday 16th November but it was not. Mr. Christie believed that the role of Mr. Stevenson was not known in the country amongst the young and he wanted them to hear, so school children also attended the service. But through a technical fault the service did not go on the radio at all and did not make it to television until well into the middle of the service.
Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister worked with Mr. Stevenson and spoke about his life and times as his friend and mentor. You may click here for Mr. Mitchell’s address. The Bahamas Information Services photos show the Prime Minister at the podium in the Cathedral by Tim Aylen and Mr. Mitchell at the podium in the Cathedral by Peter Ramsay.

IN PASSING
Nasty Attack By Larry Smith
The Tribune has a stock of nasty and despicable commentaries within its pages each week. Largely the commentaries are driven by an anti Black and anti PLP agenda. One such commentary is of Larry Smith whose column appears on Wednesdays. On Wednesday 15th November, he wrote about Cyril Stevenson and in the course of it spoke about the revival of The Herald in the 1970s under Fred Mitchell, the now Foreign Minister and others. He named several persons connected with the paper sycophants of the late Sir Lynden O. Pindling amongst them the now Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, Everett Bannister, Paul Drake and Mark Beckford. Mr. Mitchell can defend himself but we think it is especially despicable for Larry Smith to attack three dead men who cannot defend themselves. Mr. Beckford was one of the finest political writers in the country who died at barely 40 while undergoing a heart operation. Paul Drake was a Jewish American writer who came to The Bahamas and worked with Cyril Stevenson on The Herald. Everett Bannister was a friend and confidant of the late Sir Lynden and in his lifetime was the subject of some political controversy but had a heart of gold. But all of the three are dead. Anything to attack the PLP! Disgraceful!

Tiresome Rick Lowe At It Again
One thing you have to give to Rick Lowe is that he never tires of seeing his name in print. Last week (click here) we tried to explain to Mr. Lowe painstakingly how he had the answer to his harassing questions about trade with China in his own hands. Ungrateful as he is, he came back with a libelous attack on a Minister of the Government by reprinting what was said in this column last week and attributing it to another person who has nothing to do with its content. We thank him for the publicity for the column though.

The Faker of Fox Hill
Reports are that despite the brochure material that the Faker of Fox Hill has been putting out in the Fox Hill constituency that she is the candidate for the FNM, she has not received the official nod from the Party. She was stopped from opening her headquarters by Hubert Ingraham that she planned to do this week because he told her she did not yet have the official nod. The people of Fox Hill should know that they have a political faker at work. She should know that Mr. Ingraham is carefully weighing his options to see how much traction she gets. She is getting not much and so he is planning to dump her as soon as he can identify another candidate. Meanwhile the faker has tied herself up with Brent Symonette, the Deputy Leader of the FNM and son of the former UBP Premier, having his workers stray into Fox Hill to do her dirty work. Mr. Symonette was advertised to attend a political meeting in Fox Hill that fell flat last Saturday 11th November. The meeting was poorly attended. The faker's political operatives have been stalking PLP workers throughout the constituency following them around, trying to intimidate. Desperate measures!

Zhivargo Laing Scorched by Lester Turnquest
The former Minister of the FNM Government and now newspaper columnist constantly makes himself a nuisance in the public domain. Since he overrode the voice of God that told him to get out of politics and answered the voice of Ingraham to return he has been in the press every week pronouncing on one matter or the other. We used to call him the Minister of Uneconomic Development. In the past few weeks he has been upset about the true facts on unemployment. The Department of Statistics confirmed that unemployment in 2006 dropped to 7.3 per cent overall and 6.6 in New Providence and 8.2 per cent in Freeport. Mr. Laing immediately attacked the statistics and the statisticians, forgetting his basic lessons from economics school about what unemployment statistics are. He says that he also doubts the figures on household growth and economic developments. Lester Turnquest, the former MP, who served in the House with Mr. Laing, scorched Mr. Laing as an Ingraham worshipper. His comments appeared in the Bahama Journal of Thursday 16th November.

Bahamian In Miami Shooting
Eloyn Ingraham, Andre Delancey and Bernard Forbes have all been charged with the murder of a Broward County, Florida Sheriff’s Deputy and shooting and injuring another. The incident occurred on Saturday 11th November. Meanwhile there have been 47 murders in The Bahamas for the year. The last murder was that of a pastor in Grand Bahama Troy Anthony. The Bahamas Christian Council has expressed its concern.

Ashley Cargill In Fox Hill

The former Free National Movement Member and Candidate Ashley Cargill who has joined the PLP (click here) spoke at the PLP’s Fox Hill branch to a packed meeting on Wednesday 15th November. Mr. Cargill told how the FNM operates under Hubert Ingraham. He said that he would be supporting the PLP’s candidate in Fox Hill Fred Mitchell and will work with Melanie Griffin the PLP’s candidate in Yamacraw. Mr. Cargill is pictured in this photo by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services at the funeral of Cyril Stevenson on Thursday 16th November at the Christ Church Cathedral.

Talking Too Much?
Wayne Munroe who fills the press with his anti PLP invective every week is now in a spot of bother for talking too much it seems. Emerick Knowles, another Attorney has announced that he has filed a writ and sued Mr. Munroe for suggesting that his client does not own the property said to be owned instead by Anna Nicole Smith, the American starlet who now lives in The Bahamas. Mr. Knowles represents Ben Thompson who says that he provided the money for the purchase on condition that she sign a mortgage to repay the money. Mr. Munroe is being sued for Slander of Title. Now there’s an ancient action. Anna Nicole Smith was able to obtain permanent residence of The Bahamas based on her ownership of the home. The FNM has been making a mountain out of the case. There is nothing there boys!

Interesting Photos

Tim Aylen of BIS took the photo of the Governor General Arthur Hanna and his wife Beryl comforting June, the widow of Mr. Stevenson and we show Peter Ramsay’s photos of Rev. Dr. James Moultrie, Rector of St, Matthew’s and preacher at the service greeting the Stevenson Family at the funeral service for the late Cyril Stevenson MVO, including the widow June and Michael his son. Following the service for Mr. Stevenson on Thursday 16th November BIS photographer Ramsay continued to shoot his pictures. We thought that this photo of Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with Sir Arthur Foulkes one of Mr. Stevenson’s colleague writers was interesting as was the photo of the Prime Minister’s publicist Al Dillette with the Foreign Minister and the Chairman of the Party Raynard Rigby with the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ personal assistant Kenneth Christie; Sir Arthur Foulkes with Lady Pindling; .

TRANSITION
The Samuels Are Buried

    The family of the late Leroy and Kendrick (Zeus) Samuels joined their friends and other family at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Nassau for the funeral of both men on Friday 16th November. The son Kendrick, who died on 26th October, was 56; and the father Leroy, who died on 8th November, was 83. They were both buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Nassau.
    Mr. Samuels senior was a former employee of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation and well known around Nassau. Mr. Samuels, the younger, was a well known employee of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTC) and a founding member of the PIGS Junkanoo Group.
    The Governor General Arthur Hanna, the Prime Minister Perry Christie, the Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell and the Minister for Agriculture Leslie Miller; St. Thomas More Representative Frank Smith and Cat Island MP Brave Davis attended the funeral.
    The men are survived by their siblings / daughters amongst them Charlene, a well known former banker and Cheryl, a Vice Principal at L.W. Young Junior High and Denise Samuels; brothers / sons Willard Rutherford, Leroy Samuels Jr. and Fulton Samuels. The Valley community turned out in force.
Peter Ramsay's photo shows the Governor General Arthur Hanna, Prime Minister and Mrs. Bernadette Christie together with family members at the funeral.

Winston Sax Taylor
We note also that Winston ‘Sax’ Taylor, reputed to be the founder of the Saxons Junkanoo Group died on 24th October 2006 at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Pat Bain
We have learnt with sadness of the extremely grave illness and condition of former Hotel Workers Union president and present Nation Congress of Trade Unions President Patrick Bain who is now in the Princess Margaret Hospital.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Wickedness Will Out!
    Anyone familiar with English Literature, and it is to be presumed that the great minds at the Tribune will prove no exception, will be familiar with Shakespeare. In MACBETH, one of the Bard’s greatest works, he depicts a vicious, self-serving woman, Lady Macbeth, who would stop at no end, to prove a self-fulfilling prophecy that her husband, Macbeth, would be king. Juxtapose to today; the plot and its intricate web of deceit would fit perfectly, the Editor of the Tribune.
    For some six to eight weeks or so, the nation’s leading newspaper has been filled with vile allegations, innuendoes and political diatribe against various members of the governing party and ultimately, the Prime Minister, no doubt with the agenda of destablising and discrediting the Government in the run-up to the General Elections. Alas! In every instance she and her newspaper have been proven to be wrong as the truth of the circumstances emerged. As the house of cards collapsed they were exposed for what they really are, a house organ for anyone opposed to the PLP and Prime Minister Christie.
    First, it was the Keod Smith / Kenyatta Gibson incident; an entirely, private and personal dispute that, in the opinion of the newspaper, was blown into a major “leadership crisis” and was the subject of numerous front page and editorial page articles. Sadly for the Tribune, the Prime Minister, to use a nautical metaphor, waited out the storm, and when all of the facts were available to him and after much counseling and consultation with the two worthy individuals, made public his views to the nation on the so called “incident” in a most statesman like communication which showed both compassion, understanding and political sense. The matter is a PLP affair and the nation now can appreciate that the whole episode was, “a tempest in a teapot”. From all reactions, the public is satisfied with the manner in which the Prime Minister has dealt with the so called issue. Compassion, understanding, analysis, then action; that appears to be the way that business is conducted in the governing Party. Any comparison with the FNM style of doing business would be invalid and cannot be expected of this current crop of politicians who now govern the country. It would be a disservice to compare this stance with what would have been expected of the Great “HAI” who has been portrayed as a man of action and as a result of this image, bluster and bravado, the political landscape of The Bahamas is covered with the victims of his indecent haste and personal approach to politics and decision making.
    As if this incident did not teach the Tribune and its masters a lesson, the newspaper, almost as if it were a death wish, has seized on the sad and mysterious saga of the Anna Nicole Smith story, like a pot-cake in a feeding frenzy, with characteristic relish to smear and cast innuendo. Regrettably, in doing so, it was being fed inside information from a tarnished and compromised source. The motive was politics, raw and simple. It is sad that certain members of the Bahamas Bar would bring so much discredit to the profession, while at the same compromising the integrity of one of the country’s leading law firms by leaking, with seeming impunity, the privilege relationship between attorney and client. This is so sad. Former Attorney General, Tennyson Wells, said in the House of Assembly “somebody should go to jail” and to follow through with some other assertions, some libel lawsuits should be filed against offending media and others.
    In the meantime, the man on the street has seen through the ruse and the opinion in the corner bars and on the jitneys and at “Fish Fry” is “it was all politics from the start and it has failed miserably”.
    But back to Lady Macbeth, when her role in the plot to kill Duncan was discovered and she realized the depravity of her actions, she went mad and kept uttering to her physicians and attendants “Out; damned spot! Out I say!” The grand lady of the Tribune ought to keep this in mind as the true consequences of her actions truly sink in.
Name Withheld

What International Media?
    On Monday, November 13th, the Tribune’s journalists have done their very best once more to mislead and misinform the Bahamian public. In a front page story headlined “International media portrays Anna Nicole as ‘political blow’ to PLP government”, the Tribune News Editor tells how “more than 130 news organizations around the world” are reporting that Ms. Smith has become a “handicap” and “an election-season liability for the governing party.”
    What that writer is presenting to the public is a picture of many foreign reporters writing negatively about this situation here in The Bahamas, in effect warning Bahamians that the world is watching and judging us badly.
    The truth is, if this reporter were to be honest, that these stories he refers to are actually written by local reporters who are “stringers” for these news organizations, like Reuters and the Associated Press. These local residents, many of whom are Bahamian-born, are paid by these news services to report on local events. Their stories are then circulated to newspapers and the broadcast media, and thanks to the Internet, instantly to the world. When these stories are used, the local writer is credited by name, so it is obvious to one and all who has written them. However, sometimes these global media use the stories, or quotes from these stories, without crediting the writer, so the reader or viewer would believe the stories were written by reporters from those many different media outlets.
    The fact that the story is running in, as the article says, “Canada, Europe, Australia, China and the U.S.”, does not mean that there are Canadian, European, Australian, Chinese and American journalists camped out here, each writing stories that reflect negatively on our nation and our government. Quite the contrary, it is, for the most part, members of our own community who are writing these negative stories that are doing, as the article would have us believe, great harm in the eyes of the world.
    Which brings me, yet again, to ask how can a Tribune reporter, supposedly part of the cadre of journalists that are being so well-trained by the eminent Mr. Marquis, attempt to mislead his readers so blatantly by headlining a story “international media”? Clearly, as a member of the small Bahamian journalistic community, he knows who has written these stories he refers to and quotes from throughout his piece. What motive does he have to spread this kind of deceptive information and make the Bahamian public believe it is outsiders who are writing like this about our country instead of Bahamians and those who live among us?
    Contrary to what the Tribune would have us believe, this issue is not about outsiders putting negative spins on what is happening here; the issue is why are our own people bent on presenting a negative view of The Bahamas to the world? Why are these “stringers” or reporters in the employ of foreign news agencies so determined to undermine the place they call home and attempt to destroy what so many have worked so hard to build up? If the Tribune had the journalistic integrity they profess to possess, that is the question that should have been asked. But, unfortunately, because I believe the Tribune, like these stringers, does not put a high priority on the best interests of the Bahamian people, I don’t think we will see them tackle that question any time soon.
Senator Philip C. Galanis
November 15, 2006

THIS WEEK WITH THE PM
Fidelity Foyer named for Sir Gerald Cash

Fidelity Financial Centre's main building on Frederick St. in Nassau has named its grand entrance hall after the late former Governor General Sir Gerald Cash. In a ceremony this past week, Prime Minister Perry Christie joined the widow Lady Cash, second from left; together with other members of Sir Gerald's family and officials of the financial institution to mark the occasion.

Bishop Ellis Farrington Consecrated

Governor General Arthur Hanna, Deputy to the Governor General Lady Marguerite Pindling and the Prime Minister Perry Christie were all among the congregation and guests who attended the consecration of Pentecostal Bishop Ellis Farrington of Andros this past week. Bishop Farrington hails from central Andros, an island with which Lady Pindling has deep connections. She is pictured at the podium with the Prime Minister.

Comforting the widow Stevenson

Governor General Arthur Hanna, Mrs. Hanna and Prime Minister Christie are shown together comforting June, the widow of PLP founding father Cyril Stevenson outside Christ Church Cathedral after an official memorial service Thursday past; partially hidden at right are Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt and Mr. Pratt.

Receptionists' Week

The Office of the Prime Minister was buzzing with extra office talent and efficiency this past week as members of the Receptionists Association visited to mark Receptionits' Week in The Bahamas. The Prime Minister Perry Christie is pictured with members of the Association.

Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.

A JUDGE GOES TOO FAR

***Cartoon 'Sideburns' by Stan Burnside from The Nassau Guardian of Saturday 25th November, 2006***

We have been reporting over the past three weeks the decision of Justice John Lyons of the Supreme Court. You may click here for the previous comments. We think he has now gone too far in another ruling in which he has attacked the Attorney General Allyson Gibson and simply crossed the line from Judge to politician. We say again, if this man wants to be a politician, he needs to resign, become a Bahamian citizen and run for office. The language in the ruling was simply out of order, and the words should be condemned for it.

It is now time for the Government to seek some form of disciplinary action under the constitution for his removal for misconduct. It is in his best interest if he is so uncomfortable with being in The Bahamas to resign. You may click here for the full ruling, issued on Monday 20th November.

The interesting thing about this ruling is the extent to which the whole thing is ridiculous in its logic. First of all, this is a man who claimed not a month ago that he was improperly constituted as an impartial tribunal because his salary depended on the will of the executive. He said that he would not hear any further cases until that matter was resolved. He invited the Attorney General to appeal. An appeal has been filed on the part of the Government.

So if you are not properly constituted, the question must be on what grounds Mr. Justice Lyons heard the parties before him in the Grand Bahama Port Authority case in which he made his most recent comments. How could you, if you have no proper standing, legally hear a matter? If we are right, it means that when he was speaking he could not have been speaking as a Judge since according to him he was not properly constituted. So it follows that his words are not protected either, and it may also mean that he can and if possible should be sued for the defamatory remarks that appear to have been made.

It is simply out of order for a Judge to attack a Member of Parliament, much less a Minister of the Government in such personal terms. Those are the thoughts of Paul Adderley, former Attorney General as he weighed in on the subject. It appears that the Judge used the merest pretext for an out and out political attack. What is of concern is that the supporters of the PLP seem to be silent in the face of this outrageous attack on the sovereignty of our country. To suggest as he does that because of the colour of his skin, presumably because he is Australian, he is white, and because of his nationality, the Attorney General by saying that he misled the country in his judgment would leave him open to psychical harm is a definite stretch. These are words that need to be examined by a psychologist and seem to reveal someone with a persecution complex. It is simply time for him to go.

The only voice outside of the politicians to have come forward has been Paul Adderley. Mr. Adderley intervened on Immediate Response, the radio call in talk show on Thursday 23rd November. He said that in his fifty years of practice he had never experienced anything like this. He said that he thought that it would have settled down by now. But he added that it was wrong for the Judge to attack a Member of Parliament and for an MP to attack a Judge. He said but in this case, the Judge started the whole matter. Further, Mr. Adderley said that he did not see anything wrong with the word mislead which the Judge took such umbrage too. He said that a Judge ought to be used to hearing lawyers say all kinds of things in court in response to decisions by Judges when lawyers think they are wrong.

The Government and the PLP should not get too tied up in knots over this. The situations are straightforward. This matter should be appealed and it has. Secondly, the PLP should fight this in the streets. This is no time to stand on ceremony and this man’s words should be put in their place by responding in kind to the most vicious words that were written in defaming this country.

The other funny aspect of this is the Bar Association. Its President Wayne Munroe seems to be on a wild goose chase with former Senator Damien Gomez. Mr. Gomez has been appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court. Many are wondering what he is still doing in practice before the courts and whether or not he is not compromising his ability to sit as judge of the Supreme Court in the future. Mr. Munroe, the Bar President, does not have the backing or the authority to pursue an action as an amicus curiae in the appeal of the Attorney General against the hearing of the matter of whether or not a Judge is properly constituted as a result of any default in the appointment of the Judicial Commission to look at salaries of Judges. The Bar without authority wants to argue that there is no appeal of the decision of Justice Lyons. So presumably they support the view that the courts are not properly constituted and that there is a crisis and worse they want the crisis to continue. Then on the other hand they want to file an action to cause the salaries to be paid by the Government. What a strange crew.

We think that Mr. Munroe should be removed from office. We think also that the action of the Bar as amicus should be stopped dead in its tracks. We further believe that the action for the salaries to be ordered to be paid ought to be stopped. We believe that if this does not happen that an action should be filed to prevent the Bar Council from bringing any actions. And lastly, a special meeting of the Bar should be called to denounce these officers of the Bar Council who are leading the way in this matter. This is not a proper subject for the Bar Council.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 25th November 2006 at midnight: 105,163.

Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 26th November 2006 at midnight: 338,915.

Number of hits for the year 2006 up to Saturday 26th November up to midnight: 4,360,880.

WINSTON SAUNDERS PASSES AWAY

    We have learned with regret that Winston Saunders CMG, the Chairman of the Cultural Commission, died in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday evening 25th November after being admitted to the University hospital last Thursday 23rd November following a brief illness. Mr. Saunders took ill while on an official visit to Jamaica to assist in the planning of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the former British Empire.
    Mr. Saunders was a cultural icon in The Bahamas. He was known for his stellar contribution to the Arts generally, but specifically as a pianist, singer and church organist. He was also a playwright (You Can Lead a Horse To Water), a director and a leader of Culture in the area of public policy.
    Mr. Saunders once served as the Chairman of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts and put the Dundas on its present modern footing.
    Professionally he was an attorney and served as a Magistrate in The Bahamas, creating the Coroners Court. As Chairman of the Commission appointed by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Perry Christie to advise the Government on cultural policy, he was the organizer for the national Independence Day celebrations and helped to develop legislation for the Parliament on National Honours and a National Heroes day.
    The Prime Minister has expressed his condolences to Mr. Saunders’ widow, Dr. Gail Saunders OBE, the Director General of Heritage; and to his nieces and nephews. Mr. Saunders is also survived by an uncle, Edward ‘Eddie’ Granger and an aunt, Bell Archer.
    The Prime Minister said that the country will sorely miss Mr. Saunders’ outstanding leadership and advice in the area of Culture.
BIS photos: Peter Ramsay

NATIONAL HEALTH DEBATE

On Wednesday 22nd November in a national address over radio and television Minister of Health Dr. Bernard Nottage explained in detail the Government's plan for National Health Insurance, saying that the time for such a plan is long overdue. Dr. Nottage traced the development of the plan back through its full 22 years of preparation to point out that the Government did not rush into National Health Insurance. Detractors of the plan, said Dr. Nottage, say there is no need for social heath insurance; "but the facts tell me differently and the people of The Bahamas say otherwise". Please click here for the full address of Dr. Nottage on National Health Insurance.
Nassau Guardian photo: Farreno Ferguson

THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OF NHI

    Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs used to be a journalist and at one time was a partner in a public relations firm. In that former capacity, he helped with partner Al Dillette to develop a new product in The Bahamas called Kalik, now known as the beer of The Bahamas. He was asked by Public Relations practitioners from throughout Caricom countries to speak to them at a seminar held on Wednesday 22nd November in Nassau on how to promote social security in the region.
    It was an interesting expose and in it he warned the Government not to assume that a good idea would sell itself. The idea of National Health Insurance must be effectively sold to the public. You cannot count on the Opposition Free National Movement to help even though Hubert Ingraham was the Minister in the PLP administration who first appointed a panel to investigate the issue and report back to the Government in 1984. The steam is already starting to build up with the same coalition of forces that helped to defeat National Health Insurance the last time it was mooted. You have the commercial interests, together with the doctors saying that they are for it but giving a thousand different reasons why they are against it. Mr. Mitchell warned that the message should be quite simple: those who are against National Health Insurance are against poor people and against the middle class. They want the position to remain as it is where only those who have money can get access to health care. The rest of us will die. You may click here for the full address by the Minister.
    The other point we wish to make is that the Government must resist the temptation of thinking that this is a matter for the Minister of Health alone. We saw where a perfectly innocent policy on joining the Caricom Single Market was derailed when the Government did not address the matter on a broad front but instead left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with no resources to fight for a government policy. The result is a step backward for the country. This should not and cannot be allowed to happen with National Health Insurance. All Ministers and MPs on the PLP side, together with their allies must be armed with the facts and take to the highways and byways in order for this programme to be sold. Raynard Rigby, the Chairman of the PLP issued a statement defending National Health Insurance. Click here for the full statement.
    The FNM has decided that they are against it, and the PLP must make them pay a price for it. They are as usual for the rich and the powerful and are against helping poor people. Mr. Ingraham who takes home a fat $200,000 per year and whose health care needs will be addressed together with his wife for the rest of their lives has no worries. The taxpayers of The Bahamas will pick up the tab, but not so the rest of us. The rest of us, if we get sick must suffer or die.
    Two doctors appeared on a radio talk show during the past week on Thursday 23rd November. Dr. Duane Sands and Dr. Robin Roberts are both opposed to National Health Insurance. The interesting fact is that these are doctors whose training was done at taxpayer’s expense. Their response is therefore inexplicable. They argued that there was not sufficient consultation. The Minister of Health Dr. Bernard Nottage called into the talk show and made a point for point rebuttal of what they had to say. He listed the areas in which they were consulted. He told them that they had to be honest and say that they simply disagreed with it but not because the scheme had not come back exactly as they suggested did it mean that there was no consultation.
    There is an irony that we point out on this. The FNM and others keep saying that Perry Christie cannot make a decision that he likes to consult too much. This matter has been in the planning and consultation stage since 1984, how much planning and consultation do we need? Now that he has made a decision, the same critics are saying he has not consulted enough and is rushing to make a decision. Some people you simply can’t please.
Bahamas Information Services photo: Peter Ramsay

THE FNM RALLY
    They had young workers standing on the corners of the city of Nassau passing out sophisticatedly printed advertising material to come to their rally on the R.M. Bailey Park. They had an advertising blitz going in the newspapers and on the radio. The rally was Hubert Ingraham’s first foray into the public domain since his ill fated attempt to get started in his campaign last year this time. No one was interested in political rallies then and it has only marginally improved this year. Remember he was supposed to have announced his candidates by May. No sign of any announcement yet. The election is still too far away.
    Mr. Ingraham got out the faithful in 59 degree weather which for those of you reading this from abroad, is very chilly for New Providence. Only the faithful turned up. It was simply for most of the people of Nassau, bone chilling. The press made a meal out of it. They after all are in the business of selling papers. For the past few months they have been leading the FNM’s propaganda battles for them: Anna Nicole Smith, an alleged visa scam, contractors at the Ministry of Housing, money stolen from Vincent Peet, a fight in the Cabinet office. Mr. Ingraham called it a government that was oozing with sleaze. Can you imagine such a sleaze bound individual talking about sleaze? It was absolutely incredible.
    All of the matters that the FNM raised have perfectly innocent explanations. There is no corruption to be found save in the imaginations of the FNM. This is the same old slash and burn tactic of a desperate Hubert Ingraham who must be exposed for what he is; a tired and ridiculous warrior who does not know when it is time to leave the national scene. But never let the facts interfere with a good story on these matters. As recently as this week with the entire hullabaloo about Anna Nicole Smith, they have yet to point to one illegal or even unethical thing done.
    Hubert Ingraham’s son in law who is a foreigner got a whole law passed especially for him, and when his spousal permit was up within five days he had his permanent residence. There is the case of Derek Turner who is now in jail whose permit to reside was personally delivered by the then Minister Earl Deveaux to Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner did not even produce a conveyance as Anna Nicole Smith did.
    The Bahamas Democratic Movement that seems once again to have sprung to life has now reminded the FNM that they left office with a plethora of unanswered questions about questionable dealings while in Government. What and where is the explanation from Frank Watson, former Deputy Prime Minister on the money missing from Bahamasair, the air-conditioning contract by Tommy Turnquest at the Ministry of Tourism, the resignation of Brent Symonette for double dipping at the Airport Authority, the education contracts by Dion Foulkes, then Minister of Education? All gone without explanation from Hubert Ingraham. Talk about sleaze, Hubert Ingraham is the master of it.
    What is important is a message from Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell during the week; these so called scandals are orchestrated, deliberate campaigns of misinformation by a defeated and desperate Opposition. The UBP element that controls the finances of the FNM are all now in their eighties. They realize that this is their last chance to get “their country” back; otherwise the young Black Bahamian in five more years under the PLP will be fully in charge of this economy. That is the only problem here and they will be defeated again. Raynard Rigby, the Chairman of the PLP, issued a statement denouncing Mr. Ingraham. This is not a time for the PLP to go wobbly.

WHO THE HELL IS JOHN MARQUIS?
    We continue to remind the Government of the serious mistake it made by trying to be nice to The Tribune. In February of this year the work permit of John Marquis, the slime writing Managing Editor of the paper with all his anti black, anti Bahamian, anti PLP views, was in desperate straits. His work permit had expired and it appeared that it was not going to be renewed. The Tribune started a barrage of nonsense about press freedom being attacked because he and some other anti black Englishmen who ended up being given their walking tickets by The Guardian were not getting their way in The Bahamas.
    The Government while they had their foot on the necks of The Tribune went wobbly and soft and decided that they would give this disgusting man his work permit to continue to reside and work in The Bahamas. The PLP has gotten its just deserts. The man has unleashed a slew of lies, defamatory statements and propaganda the likes of which the country has not seen.
    This week in a signature piece in The Tribune, Mr. Marquis crossed one more line. Here is a work permit holder, who is an Englishman, not Bahamian, sending a so called memo to the Prime Minister asking why Shane Gibson is still a Minister of the Government of The Bahamas.
    This is so outrageous as to not be believed. Our view is the answer to him should be clear: Mr. Gibson remains a minister just long enough to have John Marquis deported from the country where he can write to his heart’s content from jolly old England where he is unable it appears to find decent work. This is not a time for the PLP to go wobbly.

THE NATIONAL CREDIT SITUATION
    On Thursday 23rd November, the Business Section of The Tribune reported that Paul McWeeney of the Bank of The Bahamas had a concern that there is a retardant to the growth of his bank’s asset base, that of a tightening liquidity situation in the country. There are some red flags being sent around the business community about this generally and the Central Bank is said to have cautioned banks to exercise more care with regard to consumer loans in the country. In a survey of a number of banks, there did not seem to be particular concern.
    The banks by and large appear to be managing this cyclical phenomenon for about three months now without incident. The cycles are that each year just before Christmas the reserves run down at the bank to pay for the Christmas inventory of the merchants. By January it starts to build up again. There is another draw down just about Christmas time. The peculiar relationship between reserves and money /credit available in the economy is because the country does not have a convertible currency. Its value is derived from the US dollar, with the Central Bank responsible for maintaining a one to one relationship with one Bahamian dollar to one US dollar.
    This year’s situation was highlighted a bit more by the fact that there were two significant capital transfers during the year when Bahamians bought out major companies. The economy then is being domesticated and this costs foreign currency. However, the prospects are good for continued capital inflows with the signing of further heads of agreement for development throughout the islands. Paradise Island has announced that it is still looking for workers and that is a good sign that the economy is still quite healthy.

SIR JACK’S INTERESTING CLAIM
    Things as they say get curiouser and curiouser. Jack Hayward made a big announcement last month that contrary to popular belief he was not just fifty per cent owner of the Grand Bahama Port Authority with the late Edward St. George but he was seventy five percent owner with the late Edward St. George. That sent such shock waves though the Port that Henrietta St. George the widow of the late Edward lost confidence it appears in her relationship with the Hayward interest and sought declarations in the court to the contrary, joining up with Edward St. George’s daughter Caroline in a fight to get control of the Port.
    Incredibly, now Sir Jack has signed an affidavit for the Court case that could not get off because despite being adjourned by Justice John Lyons to 21st November, Mr. Justice Lyons is refusing to work on that and all other cases. The affidavit admits that he signed a statement confirming that he had only a fifty percent share in the business but he claims in the affidavit that one of the Port’s officials hoodwinked him into signing the statement and later apologized for doing so. Wonders never cease and truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
    The reports get even more farcical with The Nassau Guardian carrying a front page story on Saturday 25th November suggesting that there has been an attempt to have Lady Henrietta St. George removed from her office in the Port building.

Pat Bain Dies

We add our condolences to those of the Prime Minister and other PLPs who have expressed them on the passing of Pat Bain after a long struggle with colon cancer. Mr. Bain was 62 and died on Tuesday 21st November in the early hours of the morning at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Mr. Bain was a giant of a labour leader, a visionary and one who believed in trade union education. He lost his last election for the Presidency of The Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union earlier this year but retained his seat as the head of the National Congress of Trade Unions. Funeral services have not yet been announced.

Happy Birthday to PLP Chair

Raynard Rigby, the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, celebrated his 37th birthday on Wednesday 22nd November.

U.S. Ambassador To Leave

The 11th U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas John Rood is to leave his post for a return to private life in Florida, an announcement in the press has revealed.
Mr. Rood when he leaves will have been here just two full years and some. He will take with him the good wishes of the Bahamian people following his service to restore good relations with The Bahamas and the Bahamian people following the disaster of his immediate predecessor. The highlight of his tour of duty was the visit of the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to The Bahamas in March of his year. We wish him well. Nassau Guardian file photo

Zhivargo Laing — A Special Case
    We call him the former Minister of Uneconomic Development. That name fits because apparently he can’t add, that is in the sense of making two and two add up to four. Mr. Laing, desperate as he is to return to Parliament after a disastrous period as the Member of Parliament for Ft. Charlotte was on Hubert Ingraham’s stage this week and writing in the press and venturing as usual into grown up people’s business that does not concern him. The story is children should be seen and not heard.
    Mr. Laing is insisting that Vincent Peet the Minister of Financial Services has questions to answer about a straight out robbery from him by a trusted driver. The driver admitted the theft which was simply money changed for Mr. Peet’s daughter’s education abroad. Mr. Peet does it the old fashioned way like many Bahamians still do.
    Mr. Laing could not leave well enough alone and started with all sorts of additional questions on what is a straightforward story. We remind the public of Mr. Laing who said that God told him to get out of politics but Mr. Ingraham told him to get back in, and guess who he listened to? Mr. Ingraham, over the voice of God! Says a lot about the kind of man you are dealing with.

The Faker of Fox Hill’s Fake Supporters
The Faker of Fox Hill, the wannabe candidate for the FNM in Fox Hill is at the same old dirty tricks campaign of the Free National Movement in Fox Hill. There is a writer of letters to the editor who is the same person who was helping out in the last campaign with fake letters to the editor signed with fake names.
On Saturday 25th November there was another faker letter in The Tribune (now there’s a big surprise) attacking Fred Mitchell for his work in Fox Hill. The Faker is at it again. The letter writer is a public servant who works in the Ministry of Education. You whistle we’ll point.

Kingdom Mentoring

Congratulations to Ingrid Johnson (nee Wilson) on the publication of her book ‘Kingdom Mentoring’. She presented a copy of her book to the Governor General the Hon. Arthur Hanna who is a cousin of the author. The presentation took place at Government House on 20th October 2006. The BIS photo of Ms. Johnson with the Governor General and members of her family is by Derek Smith.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Leadership
   Earlier in the year I had the opportunity to visit Bishop William Thompson’s Faith United Church, to celebrate the double victory of the Valley Boys Junkanoo Group in the 2005 Boxing Day and 2007 New Years Day parades. In attendance at that service was Winston “Gus” Cooper long time leader of the Valley Boys and Prime Minister Perry G. Christie, the country’s leader and a long standing Valley Boy himself.
    Bishop Thompson in the presence of these two successful leaders, very appropriately chose a sermon that dealt with Leadership. The Bishop in his sermon highlighted the experience of leadership in a biblical context. He preached on the experiences of Moses leading his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Bishop explained that many of Moses’s followers did not want to go – they told him that they had food and shelter where they were, even though they were in bondage. Moses took them to the Red Sea, and he was chastised by some for taking them there to drown. The Red Sea was crossed and Moses was “the Man”. There was no food and drink in the desert and they told Moses you brought us here to die until Moses became “the Man” again with God’s help, in providing food and drink.
    Bishop Thompson’s sermon on Moses’s delivery of his people from Egypt was an old well known story but delivered as a powerful and insightful testimony on Leadership. His message was simply that from biblical times, leaders’ plans and vision for where they wish to take their people are challenged at every step of the way by a select group of detractors. Some may say they agree the plan, and it’s a wonderful vision but now is not the time to “seek the promised land”. Others will simply take the view that you will perish out there if you follow that plan. Bishop pointed out that Moses was bombarded with these various opinions each day of his journey and that while it is commendable to listen to everyone’s view, the leader’s purpose driven vision must tell him when it is time to “get going”. Moses wandered the wilderness for 40 years without reaching his desired destination.
    Prime Minister Perry G. Christie and his Progressive Liberal Party Government, outlined in their 2002 election booklet “Our Plan” , their vision for a comprehensive National Health Insurance Scheme, to cover all Bahamians. They further appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission to lead consultation with the community and health care officials on NHI. As the Act is being introduced to Parliament, there are obvious select groups of detractors, who say they have no difficulty with NHI in principle but there needs to be more consultation as the Prime Minister is moving too quickly with its passage through Parliament. Yesterdays’ news charged that the Prime Minister on important matters consulted too much and acted too slowly. Today’s news, the charges are just the opposite – he consulted too little and is acting too decisively and quickly. This absurd inconsistency is nothing new as many of the detractors have a different agenda than reviewing affordable healthcare for Bahamians. Some went screaming, kicking and projecting doom and gloom all the way into Independence in 1973. The National Insurance Scheme was not expected to succeed and have the positive economic impact as it has achieved. Now their target is the National Health Insurance Scheme.
    The current PLP Government has done an exemplary job of managing the Bahamian economy which is evidenced by all key economic indicators currently available. The Government’s fiscal conservatism should be applauded, considering its historical links to a grass roots support base with high basic needs and demands. This suggests that comments from certain business elements that NHI will bankrupt the economy are disingenuous at best as the Government’s prudence in its approach to economic and financial matters are on record. The financial mechanics of a NHI are therefore in safe and capable hands. I can only therefore hope that the Prime Minister remembers the sermon and lessons from Moses on Leadership conveyed by Bishop Willie Thompson that Sunday morning and not be distracted or deterred, from the noble objective of ensuring that each and every Bahamian has access to affordable health care.
Hubert Jackson

National Health Insurance Scheme is a promise fulfilled
    I wish to place my full and unreserved support behind the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) Scheme. This socially transformational initiative is the fulfillment of one of the promises of the “quiet revolution” of 1967 and that promise was the delivery of social justice. It is extremely important to note that a country cannot develop and sustain a strong democracy in the absence of social justice because the disenfranchised will challenge and threaten that country’s democracy; social justice is considered a human right by many and not a privilege. We need only revisit the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1960’s and the march toward majority rule in South Africa during the 1980’s to remind us of the relative importance of social justice to the continued viability of any democracy. National Health Insurance, in a broader sense, strengthens and deepens our democracy. This initiative will further define the modern Bahamas and will stand alongside other bold, historic and landmark initiatives such as Social Security through the National Insurance Board (NIB) and Bahamianization. Senator Carl Bethel, the former honourable MP for Holy Cross, was right when he said in the Parliament that the NIB was an unqualified success of the Pindling administration. Little did he know at the time that there would shortly be another socially transformational public institution in the name of NHI that would rival NIB in both magnitude and importance to the history and development of the Bahamas.
    The Bahamas is a country of people (as opposed to things) and our collective strength lies in the extent to which we develop and meet the needs of our people, be it educational, social, or economic. I pause for a moment to remind Bahamians of the role of Government: The role of government is to use the instruments therein to continuously improve the lives of the citizenry and contribute to their general peace, happiness, and welfare. This assertion was true when it was articulated by Thomas Jefferson and it is true today, more than two centuries later. In today’s Bahamas, more than half of our people are without health insurance because the cost is prohibitive and many thousands more are deemed uninsurable. This unequal access to quality health care emits a clarion call for hope, help, and relief that resonates throughout the length and breadth or our archipelago. The government has answered this clarion call by proposing a financing mechanism through which all can have equal access to quality health care in a timely fashion.
    NHI is some twenty-four years in the making, being explored initially in 1984. During the 1990’s, Catastrophic Health Insurance was explored and debated, but the Christie Administration decided on a comprehensive health insurance package that it is determined to bring to fruition. This is hardly a rushed process. The proposed contributions of 2.65% of a worker’s salary up to ceiling of $5,000 per month are not a compulsory tax as is being circulated in the public domain, but an investment in our collective health. Health and life insurance premiums are not considered taxes so it is intellectually dishonest to suggest that NHI contributions are taxes.
    I accept that there will never be a unanimous agreement on the implementation, structural, and functional model of NHI, nor on the financing mechanism and right time to implement such a scheme. I am, however, satisfied that given the success of other public institutions such as Bahamasair, Bahamianization, the COB, ZNS television, the NIB, and the RBDF, the PLP government once again stands on the right side of history as it continues to develop and transform the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and challenge all Bahamians to live out the true meaning of our creed of Forward, Upward, and Onward Together. Kudos to Prime Minister the Right Honourable Perry Christie, Minister of Health and National Insurance the Honorable Bernard Nottage, and their teams for their transformational leadership and remaining true to the promises of the Quiet Revolution. So said, so done.
Elcott Coleby

State University of New York seeks Bahamians for Maritime Study

Prime Minister Perry Christie happily joined Minister of Transport & Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin this past week to encourage Bahamians to take advantage of specially subsidised fees at the State University of New York (SUNY). Almost a dozen Bahamians are already studying at the University for lucrative careers in the maritime industry, as pictured in this collage above by Bahamas Information Services Derek Smith.

Memories of Winston Saunders...

As reported above, Winston Saunders has died. More than a "cultural icon" Mr. Saunders was an engaging man whose spirit, we think is caught in this series of photographs taken by Bahamas Information Services' Peter Ramsay during a cultural meeting which he attended with Prime Minister Christie. He will be truly be missed.

Red Ribbon Ball

Prime Minister Perry Christie and Mrs. Bernadette Christie are pictured at centre at the annual Red Ribbon Ball Saturday 25th November; helping to raise funds to help the fight against HIV/AIDS.

BIS photos (except where otherwise noted): Peter Ramsay

5^th November, 2006 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *How do you do today? It's great to have you as a reader. We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas!* *Please tell all your friends about us.* ...Foulkes Defends the Indefensible... _{A Comment on Joshua Sears}
FIRE AT FOX HILL URBAN RENEWAL...	THE PORT AUTHORITY SOAP OPERA...
MITCHELL AT POLICE GROUNDBREAKING...	CHANGEOVER AT RBDF...
SHANE STRIKES BACK AT CALLENDERS...	PLP CHAIR DEFENDS SHANE AND NEVILLE...
IN PASSING...	UNITED NATIONS DAY BELATEDLY...
A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR VINCENT PEET...	CARMICHAEL PLP AT SDA CHURCH...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...







The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PLPs On The Web...	Interesting Places...
Bradley Roberts / PLP Grants Town	Bahamas Government Website
Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte	Bahamians On The Web
Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw	Bahamian Cycling News
John Carey / PLP Carmichael	FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...
Grand Bahama PLP

12^th November, 2006 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *How do you do today? It's great to have you as a reader. We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas!* *Please tell all your friends about us.* ...A Judge Says: "...He Is Off His Rocker"...
A MANUFACTURED CRISIS – Justice Lyons and His Beef...	MILLER ON THE WARPATH...
ACCUSATIONS AGAINST AN MP...	CYRIL STEVENSON DIES...
SUPER VALUE’S NEW EMPLOYMENT POLICIES...	ASHLEY CARGILL LEAVES THE FNM...
IN PASSING...	BAHAMIANS MUST BE CAREFUL WITH US ELECTION...
THE FAKER OF FOX HILL AND THE FIRE...	CARL BETHEL: THE VENTRILOQUIST AND HIS DUMMY...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...







The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PLPs On The Web...	Interesting Places...
Bradley Roberts / PLP Grants Town	Bahamas Government Website
Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte	Bahamians On The Web
Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw	Bahamian Cycling News
John Carey / PLP Carmichael	FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...
Grand Bahama PLP

19^th November, 2006 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *How do you do today? It's great to have you as a reader. We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas!* *Please tell all your friends about us.* ...NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN IS LAUNCHED...
THE GAME INGRAHAM PLAYS...	AN EXPLOSION OF BAHAMIAN MUSIC...
A JUDGE STILL NOT WORKING...	PM AND FOREIGN MINISTER ON CYRIL STEVENSON...
IN PASSING...	TRANSITION...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...









The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PLPs On The Web...	Interesting Places...
Bradley Roberts / PLP Grants Town	Bahamas Government Website
Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte	Bahamians On The Web
Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw	Bahamian Cycling News
John Carey / PLP Carmichael	FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...
Grand Bahama PLP

26^th November, 2006 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *How do you do today? It's great to have you as a reader. We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas!* *Please tell all your friends about us.* ...A JUDGE GOES TOO FAR...
WINSTON SAUNDERS PASSES AWAY...	NATIONAL HEALTH DEBATE...
THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OF NHI...	THE FNM RALLY...
WHO THE HELL IS JOHN MARQUIS?...	THE NATIONAL CREDIT SITUATION...
SIR JACK’S INTERESTING CLAIM...	IN PASSING...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...	THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...








The Official Site of the Progressive Liberal Party...	The Official Site of the Free National Movement...
PLPs On The Web...	Interesting Places...
Bradley Roberts / PLP Grants Town	Bahamas Government Website
Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte	Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links
Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte	Bahamians On The Web
Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw	Bahamian Cycling News
John Carey / PLP Carmichael	FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES...
Grand Bahama PLP

Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.

Volume 4 © BahamasUncensored.Com 2006

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