Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.
|
WEST BAY STREET: was the scene of a ceremonial unveiling of the street sign West Bay Street by the owner and developer of the Bahamar project on Cable Beach Sarkis Izmerlian. It marked the reopening of the newly designed West Bay Street to give access to the new buildings that will replace the ones being brought down to accommodate the new hotels. It must have been a proud moment because the project has been so long in coming. The project was first mooted to then Prime Minister Perry Christie and stopped by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham only to be adopted by him as he became more desperate in the face of rising unemployment in the country. The unveiling was attended by the Prime Minister and by the now Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie. The unveiling was done by the wife of the developer. The Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Pinder led the prayers. And so our photo of the week is that of the unveiling of the sign of the redeveloped West Bay Street, anther sign that the PLP and Perry Christie were right in supporting the redevelopment of Cable Beach and starting the whole idea. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
|
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE PLP’S ALLEGED ZNS DEBT
Candia Dames, the Guardian reporter that we nicknamed the amanuensis of the Prime Minister, was at it again this week, leading the way with a blaring headline about the PLP owing ZNS $247,000 and some change. In fact, it was according to her, worse than that, woe indeed; the Broadcasting Corporation had entered a judgment in default of appearance against the PLP and against the chairman of the party Bradley Roberts for the full amount. The Chairman issued a statement in which he established certain easily verifiable facts.
The Nassau Guardian no doubt driven by Ms. Dames’ idea of moral rectitude was tut tutting in its editorial about the fact that the PLP owes ZNS the money, and that a party that wants to govern should not be seen not paying its debts. Yada! Yada! Yada!
Of course, everyone in The Bahamas who owes money these days, and who has the bank calling them every five minutes to pay up would know that if indeed the PLP owes the money to ZNS they are not in bad company. It falls that way.
What was also amusing was the ubiquitous and loquacious Carl Bethel, Chairman of the governing Free National Movement (now there’s an independent agent if you ever saw one) was puffing his chest up and saying how terrible, no shameful is the word that he used, that the PLP was not paying its debts. Hmmm! This is not the same Carl Bethel, who as he was going out the door at the Ministry of Education, purported to effect the transfer of government land to a Baptist Church and announced that in exchange land had been acquired from the church by the government for the Sandilands Primary School. Only to find out that nothing has been done to effect the change and the church is now threatening to build on the land announced for the school.
One of the sayings of Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill is: “Politics is a shameless business” When you enter politics, you must leave shame at the door, he often says. So Carl Bethel, please! Turn your attention to something else.
As for the Nassau Guardian and fitness to govern, they are simply wrong. On has nothing to do with the other. More so when the facts of this case emerge.
The Chairman of the PLP Bradley Roberts has established what a first year Bar student should know: that you must first sue the right parties. The PLP is an unincorporated association. So you cannot sue anyone in their personal capacity, you have to sue the trustees of the organization. The trustees are not kept in secret. They are on every PLP letterhead. Then you don’t serve one of the parties that you list in your writ, but you enter a judgment against the person you have sued who is simply the wrong party. A first year Bar student also knows that you cannot get a judgment against an unincorporated association. It is useless, so getting a judgment against the PLP is not worth the paper it’s written on. How dumb can their lawyer be?
Finally to the substance, the debts that the Corporation says are owed are in dispute. When the disputes about the debts are settled, they will be paid if they are in fact owed by the party. This whole Judgment in Default business is orchestrated by the FNM ideologue who runs the Corporation Michael Moss. He does not have enough time on his hands to keep the power on where he is also the Chairman of the Electricity Corporation. We all know that the devil finds things for idle hands to do.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 5th November 2011 up to midnight: 126,017
Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 5th November 2011 up to midnight: 717,386
Number of hits for the year 2011 up to Saturday 5th November 2011 up to midnight: 7,264,902
EDITOR’S NOTE ON THE TIME CHANGE: IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY PLEASE THOSE WHO ARE IN THE BAHAMS TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR. THE TIME CHANGED AS OF 2 A.M. THIS MORNING WHEN ALL CLOCKS NATIONWIDE WERE TURNED BACK ONE HOUR.
CARL BETHEL & FNM: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!
On Monday 31st October, the Bahama Journal and The Tribune thought it not robbery to print a story written by the FNM propaganda machine in which they said that the PLP was no internal democracy in the PLP. There was no answer from the PLP but how about this as an answer: why the heck does the FNM not mind its own business. Here is what a PLP statement should have said:
Why doesn't the FNM mind its own business and get its own house in order instead of interfering with the PLP's business? How does who the leader of the PLP is, get to be the business of the FNM? The FNM should be concerned about their last days of running this country and trying to salvage their damaged reputation as a heartless and uncaring party led by a hardheaded heartless autocrat. This election campaign is not about who leads which party. The issue for the PLP is solving crime and putting people back to work. It is quite simple, the Bahamian people can ask themselves today are they better off than they were five years ago? The loud and clear answer is no. In these circumstances there is only one party on which people can rely and that is the Progressive Liberal Party.
We are not deterred and we will not be distracted by FNM nonsense and propaganda.
PLP IN JAMAICA, PHOTOS
The PLP in Kingston, Jamaica meeting with the Bahamian students there in anticipation of the fact of a general election next year in The Bahamas. The PLP’s delegation is led by Philip Davis, the Deputy Leader of the party. He is joined by Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill and the Opposition’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The meeting was set to begin at 2 p.m. at the home of Alveta Adderley Knight at 45 Cherry Road in Kingston.
THE PLP ON STANARD AND POORS DOWNGRADE
The following statement was issued by the Progressive Liberal Party:
FNM Made the Recession Worse
Nassau: 31 October, 2011
The Progressive Liberal Party notes the attempts of the Free National Movement to distract Bahamians from the truth: Life has become miserable under their rule over the past five years.
It is about to get worse. Today, Standard and Poors downgraded The Bahamas’ credit rating once again, from BBB+/A-2 to BBB/A-3.
S&P also downgraded The Bahamas’ transfer and currency convertibility assessment from A- to BBB+. The Free National Movement’s mismanagement of the Bahamian economy continues to threaten the stability of the Bahamian dollar.
This is the latest in a series of downgrades by Standard and Poors. The country’s economic outlook was recently downgraded from stable to negative by Moody’s. And, The Bahamas was downgraded by the International Financial Corporation (IFC) in the category of ease of doing business. All of these international ratings agencies have indicated that the FNM has mismanaged the economy. No amount of FNM red herrings can detract from these facts. The fact is that during the Christie led administration from 2002 – 2007 Standard and Poors and the IMF consistently gave The Bahamas high marks.
Another example of the FNM government’s mismanagement of funds is the Straw Market which the FNM claim costs $11.2 million but the PLP has given uncontroverted evidence that the total development cost is in excess of $20 million.
Today, The Bahamas continues to experience record levels of unemployment, scores of business closures and record murder levels (109 at the last count). The FNM gave away 51% of BTC and Bahamians were told not to apply to own this national patrimony.
During the 2002-2007 period of the Christie-led PLP government, 22,000 jobs were created for Bahamians. The International Monetary Fund said that unemployment was down to an irreducible minimum. Bahamians know that during that period, anyone who wanted to could get 2 – 3 jobs.
The Bahamas enjoyed record levels of tourism expenditure and government revenue was high during the Christie years.
So while the FNM continues to try to distract the PLP, the PLP will stay on course to win the next general elections, put Bahamians first, reduce crime, restore the economy, create long term jobs for Bahamians, rebuild the middle class bring jobs back to Bahamians and make The Bahamas safe again.
MILTON EVANS IS A JUDGE
Congratulations to Milton Evans who has now been appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court on a permanent basis. Mr. Evans has previously acted as a Judge on a temporary basis. This is the right kind of judicial appointment. He appears to have the right temperament for the job. He also has the combination of private bar and public sector experience as well as the mix of experience in criminal and commercial work. We wish him the best. Mr. Evans hails from North Andros and is the brother of Thomas Evans Q.C. with whom he practiced immediately before his appointment to the Bench.
WHAT THE PLP SHOULD SAY TO THE FNM ON BOUNDARIES
Last week we reported on this site what the FNM plans to do with the constituency boundaries. By their public and private pronouncements, they are seeking to make major changes in the boundaries that will amount to gerrymandering. They want to do their work in secret with no public discussions about it. Here is what we think that the PLP ought to say to the majority party about their proposed changes:
While, we have publicly made the point that we believe that there is a case for increasing the number of seats in the House of Assembly in the absence of local government in New Providence, we do not believe that now is the time for any major revision in the boundaries. The facts on the ground and the law do not support the changes proposed by the majority party.
There is in the view of the minority no compelling case for any major changes in the constituency lines both in terms of number of constituencies nor boundary lines. We do not believe that there ought to be an even number of constituencies in the House for the obvious reason of preventing a tied election result.
The minority will not therefore support any reduction in the number of seats from the present 41. While we think there is a case for more seats, we believe that in light of the public’s expectations, the number of seats should remain the same. This gives the advantage of allowing the opportunity for electors within existing constituencies to pass judgment on incumbents in their existing constituencies.
The minority believes that the constitution requires us to look at the census numbers of people who are over 18 years old to determine the number of electors in each constituency not just those who are over 18 and registered to vote.The government has not done enough to facilitate people to register. Having failed to do enough, they now want to draw conclusions about the low voter registration in the inner city areas of New Providence.
The minority believes that given the numbers advanced by the majority, the most that can be said is that there is a need to make minor adjustments in boundaries to reflect the slight shifts in population since the last general election.
The minority’s view is that this would be sufficient to accommodate the slightly larger number of registered voters in Elizabeth and Sea Breeze and those in Blue Hills and the seats in the southwest.
The minority believes that this can be done consistent with the constitutional requirements both in New Providence and in the Family Islands. We believe that if the majority advances the view that there needs to be realignment of island aggregations following a constituencies’ review then those aggregations should be consistent and in alignment with the constitution and it is only in those circumstances that changes in the number of seats should be made. By this we mean changes to add additional seats, provided that New Providence as a proportion of the House continues to have more seats than the islands.
End
ROMAN CATHOLICS IN CRISIS: NO VOCATIONS
Last week, this site reported that Jeffery Lloyd, the television and radio presenter had applied for and was granted the permission of Pope Benedict in Rome of the Roman Catholic Church to step down as deacon. Immediately the speculation started about why: he wanted to get into politics was one story. Another story was that he wanted to get married. The answer: none of the above. The speculation was started because of the cryptic announcement by the Catholic Bishop that Mr. Lloyd was stepping down effective immediately for “personal reasons”. That is usually a code word for the fact the individual had a major falling out or that there was some major scandal to erupt. Again: none of the above. Juxtaposed however with that announcement which was read in all churches was another announcement by Monsignor Preston Moss, now in his seventies, who told his congregation at St. Anselm's that as of 13th November he is unable to continue with two masses at the church: the 7 a.m. and the 10:30 a.m. He pleaded his health and his stamina in support of his decision. There will now only be one mass and that is at 9 a.m. Both events beg the larger question of what the Roman Catholic Church will do about its clergy and the supply of their clergy.
The previous Archbishop Lawrence Burke established the deaconate here to be able to expand the participation of married men in the work of the church and they are able to conduct services but they cannot consecrate the Eucharist which is at the centre of catholic faith. But where they operate they can serve the sacrament blessed by priests elsewhere, called the reserved sacrament. Right now in The Bahamas, there is only one priest in training and his completion is still several years away. We know from experience that even that is not a certainty because some men get almost to the end and then drop out. Indeed, under the watch of the present Archbishop one priest has dropped out. Priests have been imported from Africa to try and fill the void here, but as the St. Aselm's experience shows, they have to go on leave and when they do a void appears again. The present Archbishop is an ambitious man. Many believe that he is headed on a track to become the first cardinal from this region. Given the church’s affinity at the levels in Rome with the ultra conservative, it is not expected that there will be any movement or push to ordain married priests in The Bahamas which the Pope can decide to allow. The Pope is doctrinally opposed to it. The last Archbishop, the present Archbishop’s predecessor, seeing the critical need for clergy actually tried to convince the last Pope to agree to ordain married men but was refused. Things have a way of working themselves out. The Church is a great institution. It is a valuable and valued institution in The Bahamas and it will survive no doubt but right now it appears to be in a crisis of vocations.
File photo of Archbishop Patrick Pinder is shown.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH AT 150 (PROBLEMS A PLENTY WITH MONEY)
Meanwhile, the English Catholics, the church founded to facilitate the divorce of the English king Henry VIII, the Anglican Church headed by Bishop Laish Boyd has problems of its own. We have reported on this site previously that the main issue facing the Anglican Church today in the country is lack of money. Once again, the church is in a money crisis. This money crisis has also led strangely enough to a crisis in vocations. We reported on this site previously that there are presently no priests in training at Codrington College in Barbados, the training ground for Bahamian priests. This must be the first time in years that such an event has happened. There are many candidates wanting to go, wanting to go but there is said to be no money to send them to train. This is an interesting contrast to the wistful expressions of the late Archbishop Lawrence Burke of the Roman Catholic Church who said that he envied the position of then Archbishop Drexel Gomez who then had so many priests in training. What will happen if the vocations do not restart is that the average age of the clergy will start to rise, a fact that overshadows the Roman Catholic clergy in this country, and will exacerbate the issue of the relevance of the church to the next generation. This is a problem which the Anglican faith has generally: its relevance to the young people, with its traditions, orderliness, lack of spontaneity and reliance on being literate for membership. So even as they celebrate the creation of the diocese (see story below) and with it the creation of the city of Nassau 150 years ago today, it must be reflecting where it goes from here. It may in fact be facing the greatest crisis since the Methodists in The Bahamian legislature in 1861 conspired to stop the state subsidy of the Anglican church and its priests with their act of disestablishment in that year. File photo of Bishop Laish Boyd
Photo taken by Peter Ramsay
THE ANGLICANS CELEBRATE
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the creation of the diocese of Nassau and The Bahamas with its own Bishop. The Anglican Church and the civic authorities will join together at Christ Church Cathedral the seat of the Anglican Bishop to celebrate the event. Archbishop John Holder of the Province of the West Indies will lead the celebrations along with the local Bishop Laish Boyd. They will be joined by the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes, the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and the Leader of the Opposition Perry G. Christie. Following the service they will march to the city centre for the blessing of the city. Photos taken by Peter Ramsay
|
|
|
BAN HALLOWEEN SAYS CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
The Bahamas Christian Council is always doing its best these days to make itself more and more irrelevant. Opposing the local number shops is one mission fit for Don Quixote. Now the Council says it wants to ban Halloween. This is just a night of fun for kids and adults alike: the moral guardians say it’s devil worship. Lord help us from these people!
D’AGUILAR ON THE DNA
Looks like the former Chamber President Dionysio D’Auguilar who has to say something on everything and who was present front and centre at the launch of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) has soured on the DNA. He was in The Trib this last week saying that they had no new ideas about the economy. Well welcome to the club. Told you so. The more we examine them, the more we see nothing new there.
Mr. D'Aguilar was highly visible at the launch of the DNA which helped to convey the perception that given his visibility that somehow that translated into support. Now on 2nd November in The Tribune he is saying there is nothing new. We agree with him. He now agrees with our point. Better late than never. Of course, it didn't take him long to go off the rails again by saying that the FNM and the PLP have similar economic positions. That is simply wrong and it is gratuitously insulting. Disgruntled with the FNM whom he would normally support, sees nothing in the DNA but cannot bring himself to overcome his prejudices and support the PLP. If Mr. D’Aguilar is right, we ask this question: what do we need the DNA for? As for his argument that the PLP and the FNM are the same on the economy, that is an FNM line. The FNM line is to say: we are bad but the PLP is no better. Only a moron or someone extremely biased would make that argument. The bottom line though is the former President is half way there. we thank God for small blessings. All the objective evidence is there that we were better off under Perry Christie than under Hubert Ingraham and that’s an end of the argument. No downgrades. No financial crisis. Experience counts. Vote PLP!
LORETTA LIKE A BROKEN RECORD (RESPONE TO MELANIE’S PRESS STATEMENT)
Loretta Butler Turner, the Minister of State for Social Services is like a broken record. She keeps saying over and over again no matter what the comment or criticism of the FNM’s record as a government. “What yall did in the five years yall was there?” So that means that the boys who are living in the most appalling conditions as witnessed by PLP MPs Melanie Griffin, Fred Mitchell, Glenys Hanna Martin, and Senator Hope Strachan during their visit there on 1st November should suffer because of that. Problem is Mrs. Butler Turner's assertions are untrue. Mrs. Griffin has pictures to show the pristine conditions that were left when she left office in 2007 at the Boy's School where young men are put who commit offences or who are the subject of a care and control order. You may click here for Mrs. Griffin’s full statement. She is the former Minister for Social Services under the PLP and is now the Opposition's spokesperson on Social Services. Her press conference took place outside the Boy's School on 3rd November. Pictured with her are Ryan Pinder PLP MP for Elizabeth and Fred Mitchell PLP MP for Fox Hill. Photo by Aarone Sargent of PLP Media.
SIMON SAYS ON THE QUESTION OF AGE IN POLITICS
We have not ever agreed with anything that is written in the column called Front Porch which is written by someone who is afraid to show their identity and who often borders on being racist in their rants against the PLP but we thought that this excerpt from last week’s column in the Nassau Guardian was worth repeating. The column was published on 1st November. It is a message to those blinded by the false light of the DNA and Branville McCartney:
“ Excusing or cheering on Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney’s jeer of “ Old man, sit down” directed at South Abaco MP Edison Key betrays a juvenile and an ahistorical mind-set. It smacks of ageism and various unfounded prejudices about the nature of leadership, political and otherwise…
“ The requirement of leadership whether national or in fields as diverse as journalism or business is to find the best possible person who is available at the time. It is not about giving someone “a chance” to fulfill their personal ambition or to satisfy their narcissism and overweening ego…
“The Prime Ministership is not for the faint of heart and fickle, those easily rattled and stunned because the world does not see them as special and precious. The coverage and commentary on Branville McCartney has only been excessive for those who expected a coronation or believe that much of the nonsense he has uttered should go unexamined.
“The examination of his leadership abilities and pronouncements has nothing to do with anyone being remotely afraid of the DNA and its leader. It has everything to do with whose hands in which Bahamians are willing to place their national security, economic future and long term well-being.
“The problem has been how poorly the DNA has been examined in various gloating news coverage and superficial editorials. What is the true nature and disturbing mindset of a party that would ban by constitutional amendment the children of illegal migrants having access to Bahamian citizenship?
“How would The New York Times in the United States or The Times in Great Britain editorialize of respectively an American or British politician who uttered such xenophobic and racist nonsense? The problem is that there has been too much of a press pass for such demagoguery
“When the well-respected Dr. B.J. Nottage led the third party Coalition For Democratic Reform he was taken seriously because he was a serious man of good intellect, substantial ideas, moderation, judgment and experience. At age 66, he would probably still make a finer leader than most of his juniors in the Progressive Liberal Party.”
KENDAL MAJOR SPEAKS TO PLP WOMEN
He is one of our bright and shining stars, the PLP, that is and in the country. He is running for the PLP in the Garden Hills constituency in the next general election. Here is his address to the Women’s Branch of the PLP on Sunday 30th October. Enjoy.
PHOTOS FROM MOORE’S ISLAND PLP VISIT
The Progressive Liberal Party paid a visit to Moore’s Island for the Moore’s Island Festival on Saturday 29th October in Abaco. The delegation was led by the Leader of the Party Perry Christie. The photos are by Aarone Sargent of PLP Media.
THE PROBLEM WITH BRAN AND THE DNA
Mark Humes, the Chair of the DNA, was on radio opposite Bradley Roberts, the Chair of the PLP on Friday last. He did not acquit himself well. It was an embarrassment. He did not know much too much as a national leader. This is the problem with the DNA generally. They think they can invent the wheel. That life began with them. He claimed for example that the PLP stole the DNA's slogan: Putting People First. Nonsense. This has been the PLP's slogan and core value from day one. Wrong again. A lack of knowledge is a dangerous thing. The DNA really exists because of one man's ambitions. Branville McCartney, its leader became emboldened in around the Elizabeth by-election last year. As he went door to door in Elizabeth, he found out how unpopular Hubert Ingraham, his leader, was and this emboldened him to try for the leadership. This was foiled by Mr. Ingraham because no convention was held. But Mr. McCartney would not be contained. This is why the DNA exists: no more no less. It means therefore that there is no philosophy, no ideology, just plain and simple ambition. The FNM is unpopular not just because of Mr.Ingraham but because of its policies. Mr. McCartney as a life long FNM embraced those policies. He has not repudiated them. His only recourse is to move to PLP policies in order to catch the wind of popularity. But now he has his Chair and other henchmen claiming that the PLP's policies are their policies. We aslo remember Malcolm Adderley, formerly a PLP MP, and a victim of Mr. Ingraham's scheme to do evil. He is not appointed a judge and is hardly heard from. Mr. McCartney is now out. All because of the scheme to do evil in Elizabeth. So back to stealing PLP ideas. You really should not steal another man's policies and try to call them your own. It's still the only alternative: PLP All The Way!
SAVE THE RUNNING DATE
Click here for more details
SAVE THE NEW DATE 16TH NOVEMBER MITCHELL PARTY
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport this week about the hypocrisy of Hubert Ingraham speaking about peace at a Seventh Day Adventist function and about Carl Bethel the FNM Chairman interfering in the business of the PLP:
Which one of the Hubert Ingrahams was it who showed up to preside over the opening of the new headquarters of the Atlantic Caribbean Union of Seventh Day Adventists? It certainly wasn’t the trouble-making-bully we see in the parliament every month pissing people off, was it?
I was stunned when I read the Tribune’s story, by Dana Smith, headlined “PM calls for ‘culture of peace.’ Culture of peace? Culture of peace? Culture of peace you stubborn, arrogant mule? When since you ever talked about peace? You piss us off daily with your arrogance and pig-headedness and now that you are on your way off the scene, you propose to lecture us on getting back to the good old days when we were a peaceful and loving people? Lead by example, piss-head; you Doo-Doo all over your parliamentary colleagues; you display total disrespect and disregard for the leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition while in the parliament; you intimidate civil servants and confront private citizens, while they are going about their business, like you did with Leon Williams in John Bull Store on Bay Street; you insult reporters when they ask you to account for your government’s actions and policies; you display no tolerance for those who disagree with you and your government; you fire civil servants at will with no regard for their rights under General Orders; you’ve been illegally withholding many of the pensions and benefits of those you’ve sent into involuntary retirement; those customs and immigration officers, who you did not fire, you took away their means of feeding their families and meeting their financial commitments and now you talk about (and indeed now call for) a “culture of peace?” you’ve gat to be kidding mister. I perceive that this is a “not-so-clever trick,” like the one you tried just before the last general election. The last time you mullet-head pulled such a stunt on us was during the 2007 general elections campaign when you told the nation that you were not so MEAN anymore because you had become a grandfather. The sucker wasn’t quite sure, at that time, how the election results would turn out and whether the FNM would win and so he (Ingraham) thought that by pretending to have a change of image (a gentler, kinder, and friendlier) voters would have been more inclined to embrace him. This stunt is another one of those tricks the sucker is trying to pull off. “Volunteerism” and a “culture of peace;” when since Hubert Ingraham and or Zhivargo Laing were ever interested in practicing those attributes? The sucker is pretending at being his brother’s keeper but I say; you should lead by example you bird-brain. For you and your FNM though it is too late for this kind of talk. This Negro really thinks that we are stupid; he doesn’t want to make peace with anyone; he is a warmonger and will always be the beastly political animal he has been all his life. Christie and the PLP have been challenging Ingraham and the FNM to exercise more civility in governance, for years, but to no avail and now he comes pretending that he is a man of peace? He is the damn DEVIL; that’s who he is.
In reading excerpts from his speech, as included by the reporter, one would really believe that this man had found Christ as Savior; if he has he should then declare it so but until he does, as far as I am concerned, he is a deceiver who is attempting to trick Bahamian voters into trusting him again. He is pretending to be Godly; using God, and the pulpit, to trick Bahamians into voting for him but this time his trick will not work. We all know that this man hates the church doors with a passion and, like the Devil himself, will only grace the doors of a church for purely political reasons and never to genuinely worship God. I have long since concluded that Hubert Ingraham, the Abaco Dragon, is one of Satan’s Imps. Ingraham never ever remains through the entire service of even a funeral he may attend from time to time; he always leaves early. Tell me Hubert Ingraham, since you are so Godly all of a sudden, do you pay your tithes and offerings on that huge salary you take from tax payers for doing nothing every month?
“Far too many among us in The Bahamas, (Ingraham said); have forgotten the true purpose of our lives, which is to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. We must rediscover and strengthen positive attitudes which earlier typified our people; reinforce the spirit of volunteerism and giving among our people,” unquote. Well I’ll be dammed; is this really Hubert Ingraham, the mean, selfish and self-centered monster of Bahamian parliament fame, speaking here? Are you sure (Dana Smith) that you are quoting Hubert Ingraham accurately, the worst and meanest of country’s three prime ministers to date? What has Ingraham ever given to any body? I don’t think he ever knew the purpose of his miserable life or whether he even cared. I don’t think he ever possessed a positive attitude or that he ever loved and or cared for anyone but himself. “Culture of peace? Culture of peace my big foot.
The Seventh Day Adventists, though in my view, should have avoided this cruel jive turkey like they would a plague. They should never have invited the devil to speak during such a prestigious, religious occasion; I thought better of them. “A culture of life and respect for the Giver of Life;” Hubert Ingraham? Are you proposing to lecture us now on becoming our brother’s keeper? I never thought I would live to see this day when this uncouth mongrel would purport to lecture anyone in the art of being decent and human; he knows nothing about being civil or of civility. I charge that it is Ingraham himself who established the landmarks for and perpetrated this culture of violence; this culture of nastiness and bad behavior; this culture of verbally abusing persons by talking down at them; this culture of greed. He is the culprit who never gives a damn about anyone but himself and now he admonishes us about getting back to what typified us, as a people, in the past? Give me, and all the rest of us, a damn break Hubert Ingraham.
While Ingraham was making a fool of himself delivering this glowing empty speech, which was no doubt written for him by one of his speech writers who wanted to ensure that he wrote to suit the occasion, his fish-mouth Party Chairman was on location on Mackey Street, in that burnt out building they call a headquarters, at the typewriter composing that silly, asinine press statement which was reported on by Chester Robards, of the Tribune, and released in the same edition (Monday 31st October). Carl Bethel, the chairman of the FNM, who is finding it most difficult to coin an FNM message suitable for the up coming general elections campaign, resorted to a most asinine approach when he released a statement (which has no relations to or bearing on any subject at hand) declaring that the PLP will not win the elections with Perry Christie as its leader. Don’t you think this piss is stale already, you fish-mouth, Carl Bethel? Why are you FNMs so concerned with PLP business? We elected Perry Gladstone Christie to lead us and that’s the end of it. You should be concerning yourselves with the fact that, on your watch, the country has been downgraded by every single International Rating Agency about four or five times since you came to office. Instead of being obsessed with Christie you should be concerning yourselves with the $2 billion your government has borrowed within the last two years. Instead of your paranoia over the PLP’s chances of winning the next election, or the lack thereof, you should be concerning yourselves with the roads which you have all dug up and which I perceive you have money troubles, right about now. Instead of spending your time worrying about our decent and Honorable (I mean really Honorable) you should be trying to muzzle that “out-of-control” irresponsible, reckless leader of yours, Carl Bethel; instead of minding PLP business you should be minding your own and worrying about whether or not that foreign company you have digging up all the roads, don’t skip town (as I am told they are on the verge of doing) leaving taxpayers holding the unfinished road bag again. My information is that the firm may skip town if the money crises is not resolved soon.
The FNM’s statement essentially spoke disparagingly about our party’s Stalwart Councilors, as if they are robots being used by Christie to ensure his enduring tenure as leader; but nothing could be further from the truth. My first two questions were (after reading some excerpts in Carl’s statement); why is the FNM getting press coverage on this stupid; stupid, stale charge anyway; this is not news; this is stale, political, regurgitated propaganda? What business is it of Carl’s anyway; this spineless little twit who stands around, on a daily basis, waiting in line to kiss Ingraham’s behind while telling him how great a leader he is.
But what I found really bothersome, and what pissed me off royally, was the his attack on our Stalwart Councilors; as if they are not human beings; as if they are robots. And by the way (Carl Bethel) Stalwart Councilors, in the PLP, are not appointed by Perry Christie; absolutely not at. For your record, (since you are so interested in our party’s business), nominees for the party’s highest honor are recommended to the Chairman and Secretary General by the hierarchy of the party’s machinery, located in the various constituencies. The list of names would then be turned over to a committee of the National General Council (NGC) for vetting. The party’s NGC would then be called upon to ratify those approved by the committee. After ratification letters of notification would be prepared, by the Secretary General of our party, for signature by the leader and then sent to the individual recipients. That is generally the process for consideration for elevation to SC. The leader plays only a minute role in the process (Carl Bethel), so the next time you wish to get up in PLP business find out the facts before shooting off your big fishy mouth and making a bigger ASS of yourself, than you already are. There was a time when the party’s constitution permitted a maximum of twenty-five Stalwarts and only when there was a death of one of them that others could be elevated. During the last convention of the PLP, held on Paradise Island at the old Holiday Inn Hotel, Sir Clement Maynard, who was chairman of the SC committee, proposed an amendment to the constitution to have the limitation repealed and to allow as many who were/are deserving of the honor, to be elevated. His view, in moving the motion, was that there were countless numbers of PLP supporters who were dying; who labored all their lives in support and the work of the PLP who deserved to be honored and now the rest is history. I say again, not only to Carl Bethel but to all of you who’ve been singing this tune that Carl Bethel has raised; Christie had nothing to do with this change in the party’s constitution so try another angle of attack.
The FNM’s Chairman went on to amuse himself with his predictions that the PLP will not win the elections because of Christie. I am anxious for an answer, from this silly FNM chairman, to this question; if the PLP isn’t going to win the elections, then who will, Carl? You really don’t believe that the FNM can win, do you? If all the recent polling is any indication, the FNM may get 25% of the popular and even the most foolish Bahamian voter knows that no party can win with less than around 49% of the popular vote. Read the tea leaves Carl Bethel; the polls are giving you 25% of the popular vote nationally and 17% in Grand Bahama. If I were you (and I wouldn’t want to be caught dead being you) I would be spending my time trying to get my numbers up, sucker.
Try another angle, like I said, Carl Bethel because this one has no traction. This election is about the people; the same people you and your party have been disking for the past five years. Ingraham is now calling for volunteerism, but isn’t this the same Ingraham who cussed Perry Christie for involving a broad cadre of Bahamians during his time of governance? If I am not mistaken; for Ingraham’s part involving others in the process of governing is taboo; a sign of weakness and he would have none of it. As well he (Ingraham) rejected all overtures from Christie when he (Christie) suggested that all the stakeholders in the country come together to find solutions to our recession problems but Ingraham would have none of it; that would have been a sign of weakness on his part, but now he is calling for volunteers? What does he want volunteers to help him do now? It’s too little; too late ma brother. He made it abundantly clear that his view of Christie’s willingness to consult with others before making crucial decisions indicated weakness and not strong leadership. I say to Hubert Ingraham; if you want volunteers from among us, for my part, you will have to be the first to volunteer to clean up the mess you created; lead by example piss-head.
Thank you.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
November 2011.
IN PASSING
To Michael Pintard: Did Dion Knowles Deserve A Lawyer?
We have no hesitation in the view that the Senator Michael Pintard who was appointed to the Senate by Hubert Ingraham in violation of the constitution is a lost soul. We reported last week his rant against lawyers who he said defended criminals. This is interesting since he was one of the principal speakers at the funeral of Dion Knowles, who on many occasions, was a wanted man by the police and who met his death in a hail of bullets earlier this year. He spoke in such glowing terms that he described the late Mr. Knowles as something akin to a saint. So next time he speaks in the Senate, his colleagues there ought to ask him if he believed that Dion Knowles whom he obviously reveres deserved when he was accused of being a criminal a lawyer?
Ken And Neko Are Seeing Eye To Eye These Days
Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister has managed to get two of his people back together again but not in the way he might have thought. The word is that today they have common cause. The word has been out on the streets that the Prime Minister and leader of the FNM Hubert Ingraham wants to replace both these men, incumbents and strong in their seats with new people and his favorites. The thinking is that Kay Forbes Smith will come home from her post in Atlanta to replace Ken Russell, the FNM incumbent in the High Rock constituency and that Zhivargo Laing, the Minister of State and MP for Marco City, will be shifted to the safer seat Lucaya held by Neko Grant. Both men’s camps have said not a day like it. So Mr. Grant and Mr. Russell who previously nary had a word to say to each other are now well not quite bosom buddies, friends say, but they have a common cause. The guns are pointed at both of them. Mr. Grant’s modus operandi is to act by stealth. He had a function to shore up his support at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club last week. Mr. Russell is an in your face kind of guy, takes no prisoners. Anyone who comes says his friend, will get what they are looking for.
Will Holness Call Elections In Jamaica?
Things look on the up and up for Jamaica’s Labour Party, the incumbents, what with a new 39 year old Prime Minister Andrew Holness in place of the 64 year old Bruce Golding. Mr. Golding made a calculated move to put all the controversy behind his party and leave the scene. There will not be a bye-election however. The main question now is what will Mr. Holness do? Most people think that Portia Simpson Miller who took over from the retiring P.J. Patterson as Prime Minister and who was Mr. Golding's immediate predecessor made a mistake by waiting too long to call the general election. She was awaiting on a sign from God. She obviously misread the signs. She lost. But most observers think that if she had called the general election within months of her appointment and at the height of her popularity, she would have wiped the JLP off the mat. She took too long, the public got tired and she lost. So the talk is Mr. Holness should go sooner rather than later and for most that means in January of next year Parliament will be dissolved.
What About Paula Cox In Bermuda?
The PLP’s leader and Premier of Bermuda Paula Cox was asked whether after one year in office she regrets not calling a general election sooner rather than later. Her popularity is plummeting after a bad economy one year in office. The opposition United Bermuda Party with the racist bogeyman on their backs dissolved and the new opposition party the One Bermuda Alliance is seeking to make a fresh start. Their new leader was elected with a huge majority in a bye-election held last week and now can be appointed Leader of The Opposition. Ms. Cox said that she did not believe that calling an election would have been fair to the people so she has waited. Let us hope she does not suffer the same fate as Portia Simpson Miller in Jamaica before her. Andrew Holness, the Jamaican Prime Minister has the same question before him as well today.
DNA Meeting In Farm Road
The press seems to take the Democratic National Alliance seriously, covering their every move and every meeting. The DNA went into the centre of “the bottom” in the midst of the Farm Road and Centreville constituency of the Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie considered a safe PLP seat. They announced with much fanfare their candidate for the area on All Saints Day 1st November who no surprise there is to be Celli Moss, the angry young man, the nephew of FNM would be candidate for Bain and Grants Town Rev. C. B. Moss. Mr. Moss, the younger and the DNA, is seeking to make a name for himself by attacking Perry Christie, the PLP’s leader in a personal way. He is the same man who in seeking to build a career as a film maker attacked Sidney Poitier as not having made any contribution to The Bahamas. Such is the future we face. Five new candidates were announced in all, notably the candidate has been named for the Fox Hill seat to run against Fred Mitchell of the PLP. He is a manager at Solomon’s Wholesale Grocery store Kendal Smith. The others are Maurice Smith (St. Thomas More), Prince Smith (St. Anne’s), William Hunt (South Eleuthera). In earlier an column, we made an error and reported that Nicholas Jacques was the candidate for Bain and Grants Town. It is Rodney Moncur. Mr. Jacques is the candidate for St. Cecelia.
The Nassau Guardian Reveals Its Editorial Board
For years, people have been asking who is behind the editorials of the Nassau Guardian. Well now we know. The response came in an editorial on 1st November when challenged to name the board by Deputy Chairman of the FNM Senator Anthony Musgrove. Mr. Musgrove said that The Guardian‘s credibility was at stake by hiding behind its anonymity. The paper named the Board as: Emanuel Alexiou, Anthony Ferguson, James Smith, Erica Wells, Brent Dean and Dr. Kirkley Sands
Ingraham As Mr. Know-It-All?
The executives at Bahamar are busy scratching their heads about what to do about a reported 25 million dollar street light purchase. They spent the money in a good faith effort to improve the look on the new Cable Beach strip. Well the maximum leader, the lord of all he surveys Hubert A. Ingraham, our king had other plans. When he saw the light being installed, he reportedly called the company and told them he did not like them. They looked too Chinese and they should be taken down. So now they are down. So keep watching the ads for the sale on street lights.
More On The S & P Downgrade
We reported from this site above that S & P has once again downgraded the credit rating of The Bahamas. The FNM’s fast talking Minister of State Zhivargo Laing was quick to go to the press the next day and say not to worry people. Be happy! James Smith, the former Minister of State in Finance and former Central Banker and whose word we trust and rely upon, was more sanguine saying that things can’t go on this way without some changes. S&P is reportedly concerned also about the future if the PLP wins and its plans to get control of BTC, the phone company again. News from London is that BTC was bought for six million less than the government disclosed and that Cable and Wireless who bought it improved their book value dramatically as a result of the BTC purchase so the fire sale price they got BTC for, has saved their company. The PLP is pledged to get control of the Board if it wins the next general election. S & P shouldn’t worry about that. What they should worry is that the IMF is saying that if we don’t do something we are looking at a debt to GDP ratio by 2016 of 60 to 70 per cent up from the present 50 per cent.
Ideas To Help The PLP Finance Its Proposals
As we get closer to the general election, people are giving ideas to the PLP about how to finance their plans for next year. One way we agree with is to move more aggressively to have the fees charged for various user services reflect more accurately the cost of producing those services and also having premiums added for the faster work on various services. One suggestion is that Government House could be self sustaining by coming like Buckingham Palace, open to the public at a price. Given the tourist interest, this should bring in income for its upgrade and upkeep. Another idea is to waive all real property tax prior to 2008 and give people a fresh start and incentive to pay up. It is argued that this would give the government a windfall. We have to think of innovative ideas to help the PLP which will have to address a heavy social agenda which given the maxing out of the national credit card by Hubert Ingraham, borrowing will not be an option. Interested in what you think. Let us know at placid_point@yahoo.com
Tools Down At Jose Cartellone
The leaders of a strike of the workers at the road project on New Providence have found out what it is like dealing with Bahamians for whom money is more important than principle. There was a plan for a strike on Friday morning 4th November but when they reported to work the supervisors of the contractor Jose Cartellone were there and told the men if they went on strike they would be fired. The men went to work. Present were Rodney Moncur and Wayne Munroe from the DNA. The Minister of Works Neko Grant told The Tribune that it is not the Ministry's problem but Jose Cartellone's problem. That’s the same attitude by the government that caused the Burma Road riots in 1942.
Nassau Guardian Refit Coming On 23rd November.
The Nassau Guardian plans to have a big launch with its new look on 23rd November at a reception planned for Breezes.
Latrae Gets An Award
Latrae Rahming who won the Presidency of the student council at his high school Temple Christian and who is a PLP activist was presented with an award from the school on 31st October.
The Minstrel Boy To The War Has Gone
The song is mournful and it speaks to loss and death and transition. It is out of Irish history but we share the melancholy spirit. Sometimes death does not mean physical death but also separation and loss like when someone has lost a close friend.
Robards Back At Trib
Hey! Hey! The fellows are back together again. We saw the bye-line of Chester Robards once again in The Tribune. Guess things didn’t work out at the Nassau Guardian. The prodigal is back?
Citizenships For Haitians
Brent Symonette, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister has denied reports in the down-market rag The Punch that the government has granted some 10,000 citizenships to Haitian immigrants to The Bahamas. He said the number is exaggerated. He also said that the government is simply acting according to the law and that there is no sinister motive to it. The Punch charged that this was a scheme by the government to win the next general election by making Haitians citizens. The PLP has to be sure that people understand that if the children of Haitians born here have right in law to citizenship we cannot keep hiding our heads in the sand on this issue.
Poem About Youth In Parliament By One of The Youngsters
Leaders of tomorrow here leading the way today.
Like those before us now we know we aren't here to stay.
Every one once started somewhere before they could succeed
We struggle on because from these mental chains we must be freed.
We embrace our talents as they will take us far
A real leader does not wear a medal he carries a scar.
We love our country and only want to make it better
The road is treacherous but we are prepared to trot it together.
So my fellow young people our country needs us
Let's move forward resisting all of the fuss
We are here and training to stand in our place
We can't be pushed aside now; we're here to claim our space.
Mavis Thompson, PM’s Friend Defects To DNA
The photo shows a trustee of the FNM Mavis Thompson. Word is that she has joined the DNA.
Burning Guy In Fox Hill Add To In Passing
The gunpowder plot of 5th November 1605 to assassinate the Protestant King by a group of catholics in England is the origin of Guy Fawkes Day. It is celebarted here brought no doubt by the British when The Bahamas was a colony, celebrated in our own way buy the burning of "Guy" figures of stuffed straw and newspaper on various parks. Fox Hill celebrated Guy Fawkes with their representative Fred Mitchell MP on Saturday 5th November on Freedom Park. Remember! Remember the 5th of November.The photo shows the Fox Hill celebrations.
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.
|
WEST BAY STREET: was the scene of a ceremonial unveiling of the street sign West Bay Street by the owner and developer of the Bahamar project on Cable Beach Sarkis Izmerlian. It marked the reopening of the newly designed West Bay Street to give access to the new buildings that will replace the ones being brought down to accommodate the new hotels. It must have been a proud moment because the project has been so long in coming. The project was first mooted to then Prime Minister Perry Christie and stopped by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham only to be adopted by him as he became more desperate in the face of rising unemployment in the country. The unveiling was attended by the Prime Minister and by the now Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie. The unveiling was done by the wife of the developer. The Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Pinder led the prayers. And so our photo of the week is that of the unveiling of the sign of the redeveloped West Bay Street, anther sign that the PLP and Perry Christie were right in supporting the redevelopment of Cable Beach and starting the whole idea. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
|
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE TROUBLE WITH BOUNDARIES
The FNM has thrown down the gauntlet for the general election. It is yet another gambit in the ongoing war to destroy the PLP, the nationalist cause and the legacy of Pindling. In an era when the FNM’s immigration policy allows foreign painters to come into Atlantis to paint the walls, we are in deep do do. When the Constituencies Commission met on Tuesday 8th November, the FNM as we predicted brought with them a wholesale plan to scrap the existing boundaries as we now know them and reduce the number of seats down to 38 from 41.
As we predicted the idea is to concentrate all the PLP seats where poor black people live in the centre of New Providence Island, concede them to the PLP and all other seats are drawn to be marginally in favour of the FNM. In the process, Mr. Ingraham who is the main architect of this madness, was able to eliminate three of his own people, now also enemies of the state the MP Kendal Wight, whom he cannot stand, and Vernae Grant, the MP for Eight Mile Rock, who Mr. Ingraham calls behind her back Sarah Palin and for his sins Kenyatta Gibson, who left the PLP and is now with the FNM. That is The Tribune’s version of what is to transpire.
There is speculation on the web (bahamaspress.com) that Mr. Wright proposes to resign immediately from the Parliament.
What this shows is that there is a need for a Constituencies Commission that will not be activated by political considerations and spite but rather by the objective needs to adjust lines to accommodate the natural growth and expansion of the population. The boundaries are in fact drawn by the Prime Minister even though nominally it is said to be done by a Commission. In fact, the Prime Minister gets two bites at the cherry in that even after the House has voted, he can change the lines again.
Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister, is a man who is activated by spite. He has targeted various people including some of his own members. He was boasting not even a month ago in the Smoking Room of the House how he would redraw the lines in such a way that Ryan Pinder, Fred Mitchell and Frank Smith would no longer be in the House of Assembly when he was finished. We shall see. The issue is whether the FNM is more popular than it was in 2007. The answer is a resounding no. Mr. Ingraham and his FNM have inflicted such punishment on the society in the form of a bad economy and the lack of jobs, the heightened crime statistics that the country has had enough of this punishment.
Now it is for the PLP to win.
The Democratic National Alliance which is headed by former FNM MP Branville McCartney said that they were not concerned about the boundary changes. The FNM’s Chairman Carl Bethel said that people vote, lines don’t vote. So the two FNM sides are united on the boundaries. They are all together on this one.
What we say is that the people of the country are ill served by a process which is so cynical and personalized that it disenfranchises so many people, leaving them without proper representation. For example, the failure to put the two polling division s in the Fox Hill village proper back in the Fox Hill constituency gives the people of the village once again no representation from an FNM representative who simply gravitates toward the middle class voters who live in the constituency, not the poor people who are part of the Fox Hill village who are in the constituency. They properly belong in the Fox Hill constituency. But as we said, it is activated by spite, an improper motive.
This is the system we have. Notwithstanding of that, the PLP defeated the UBP behemoth in 1967. The PLP defeated the FNM juggernaut in 2002. The PLP must defeat this wickedness again in 2011.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 12th November 2011 up to midnight: 139,550
Number of hits for the year 2011 up to Saturday 12th November 2011 up to midnight: 211,410
Number of hits for the year 2011 up to Saturday 12th November 2011 up to midnight:7,404,452
|
|
|
FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
For a generation who graduated from high school in the 1970s the song Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin will bring back memories. On the 40th anniversary of its release in 1971, we present it for your enjoyment.
MICHAEL MISSICK CONDEMNS LATEST BRITISH MOVE
The British overlords in the Turks and Caicos Islands who seized the Turks and Caicos Island democracy from the people there almost three years ago with no sign in sight of restoring the democracy are now moving to arrest and try people who they say are guilty of possible corruption offences. These include former Deputy Premier Floyd Hall and one of the developers in the Turks with whom he was associated. For good measure, the British have suspended jury trials and they have suspended the rule against hearsay. They are still investigating the former Premier Michael Misick. Mr. Misick issued this statement first carried on bahamaspress.com on Friday 11th November in response to the latest move by the British:
Turks and Caicos Islands - The British occupiers continue their political persecution, harassment and violation of the human rights of former ministers, their families and anyone that supported us politically or shared in our view of an independent Turks and Caicos Islands.
Yesterday they have taken their harassment to a new low. They have charged a man who has spent his own money in developing one of the finest resorts in the Caribbean. A man who made hundreds of millions of dollars in Europe and was retired in the Turks and Caicos Islands for many years before being convince by the former government to invest in the old Ramada site and turn it into the first class Seven Stars Resort that it is today.
I condemn the arrest and charging of Mr. Civre, a man of integrity. The developers association and the hotel association should also condemn the actions of the British Government for arresting and charging Mr. Civre.
In recent history, every single substantial investor both local and foreign has given political contributions to both parties and individual politicians to further their political aims. In the absence of campaign finance laws there is nothing illegal about campaign contributions.
Since Mr. Civre is charged everyone who has given political contributions should also be charged. It is wrong for the British governor and his persecutors to hand pick developers to charge for giving political contributions when all have given political contributions.
This whole process is an attempt to silence the voices of people that have made economic and political gains and to try and derail our movement towards independence by tarnishing the name of leading politicians and their supporters.
It’s the British that has ruined our country. They have absolutely no respect for our people. Every day and night they are changing laws to make it easier to politically persecute us.
Those of you who may be rejoicing today, I warn you that the changes in the jury system will affect everyone. The changes in the hearsay law will affect all of us. We live in a different society than England. It can’t be right that someone can give a witness statement implicating you and then do not come to court to be cross examined on their statement or look you in the eyes and say what they heard.
The changes in the proceeds of crime law and the changes to various laws on evidence that was changed specifically to assure them a conviction against me and my colleagues will come back to haunt all of you. Any power that goes unchecked is wrong; any dictatorship is wrong; political prosecution is wrong and any violation of human right is wrong. It can’t be wrong in Syria and Lybia but right when the British does it in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
I call on the population to speak out against injustice; I call on the pastors to speak out against injustice; and I call on every resident and citizen to speak out.
I expected to be politically persecuted, but in the midst of my challenge I can say what they are doing to Mr. Jak Civre is wrong and should not be condone. No further investors will put another dime in the Turks and Caicos Islands and risk being politically persecuted because of their political contributions.
The harassment, blackmailing and political persecution must stop. We must take our country back before there is nothing left to take back.
Every Turks and Caicos islander is hurting, thousands are out of work and hundreds more are about to lose their jobs in the public and private sectors. When will it end? We say enough is enough!! And British go home and leave us alone.
They come and experiment on us. The more they come, the worse it gets. We continue to pray and ask God to deliver us from the hands of the wicked and restore our beloved Turks and Caicos to the shining star it once was. Free us of this British rule. We long to be a free and proud people to chart our own destiny in a free and sovereign state.
GILBERT THOMPSON CELEBRATES 50YEARS AS A PRIEST
The Rt. Reverend Gilbert Thompson has been a clerk in holy orders as the Anglican priest used to be called in the 19th century for 50 years and he celebrated the anniversary with a solemn high mass at which the Bishop of the Diocese Laish Boyd presided. It was a grand service and there was high praise for the Bishop who having retired as Bishop Suffrugan serves as an Assistant Bishop in the diocese of Nassau and The Bahamas. The Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham attended the service as did Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie and Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill (PLP). The photos are by Peter Ramsay.
|
|
 |
THE PLP STILL SEEMS LIKE ITS IN-FIGHTING
At the start of last week an article appeared in the Nassau Guardian by the nemesis of the PLP Candia Dames and fed by a former MP for the PLP and a former Cabinet Minister. The story repeated allegations that were contained in a letter allegedly signed by three prominent PLPs no longer in office and it said that certain PLP MPs should not be re-nominated. The information set the cat amongst the pigeons in that the PLP seems set to win the general election but can be derailed by the signs that the party itself is not at one with itself over its direction. The argument is that a house divided against itself cannot stand. No doubt the faithful are getting increasingly nervous as the PLP appears to have the propensity to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. The PLP must be very careful on this; all sides have to restrain themselves at this point if the party is to succeed. It is better to be in the position of winner than a loser and licking one's wounds. One remembers in this connection Ted Kennedy, a former U.S. Senator from the Democratic Party because of his hatred of the incumbent President of the United States Jimmy Carter attacking Mr. Carter and thereby sabotaging any chance of an election victory in 1980. PLPs must be very careful.
BRAN MCCARTNEY STILL STRUGGLES FOR A MESSAGE
For the past few weeks, we have been examining the role of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) in the election campaign for 2012. The question most people are asking: why does the DNA exist? The answer we think is that it is a work to feed the ambitions and ego of its leader. He is a man in search of a mission and a theme to try to disabuse the public of that notion. He is searching for something to say. Nothing demonstrated that more than his address last week to the Chartered Institute of Accountants. We were left wondering: where is the change theme? Where are the new ideas? What was special about the address that would mark Mr. McCartney and the DNA as different from any other cause in The Bahamas? In fact, the printed remarks were not covered by the press. They chose to report something in his answers that was not in the printed remarks. This suggests that they did not find anything of note in the printed remarks. For example he makes a joke about lawyers causing chaos in the country as they became politicians but said nothing about how to solve the chaos. Mr. McCartney is himself a lawyer. Then he spoke about jobs and the economy, but not one word about what he would do about jobs and the economy. Then he told the accountants that they have a role to play but there was not one word on what they could do specifically. The remarks in the press about tax reform and public sector reform were not in the text and so presumably his ideas were after thoughts on this and not very developed. You judge for yourself. You may click here for the full speech by Mr. McCartney delivered on 8th November.
FRED MITCHELL COMMENTS ON BOUNDARY CHANGES
The following statement was issued by Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill on the new boundaries that were proposed last week by the Constituencies Commission. The Commission’s proposals are to reduce the seats from the present 41 to 38. The piece by Mr. Mitchell appeared in the Nassau Guardian on Friday 11th November:
I respond to your editorial (The Nassau Guardian) of this morning Wednesday 9th November as follows on the question of the constituency changes now being proposed by the government:
While, I have publicly made the point before that I believe that there is a case for increasing the number of seats in the House of Assembly in the absence of local government in New Providence, I do not believe that now is the time for any major revision in the boundaries upwards or downwards. The facts on the ground and the law do not support the changes proposed by the majority party.
There is in my view no compelling case for any major changes in the constituency lines both in terms of number of constituencies nor boundary lines. I do not believe that there ought to be an even number of constituencies in the House for the obvious reason of preventing a tied election result.
I do not therefore support any reduction in the number of seats from the present 41. Eliminating the three seats which the majority proposes will not effect substantial savings. I think making changes now will increase the costs. So while I think there is a case for more seats, I believe that in light of the public’s expectations on costs and proportionality, the number of seats should for this election remain the same. This gives the added advantage of allowing the opportunity for electors within existing constituencies to pass judgment on incumbents in their existing constituencies.
Add to this the fact that there is a deep suspicion supported by evidence that the boundary changes are motivated by spite and parochial considerations as opposed to objective thinking. This is precisely why the PLP asked the government during the debate on the amendment to the electoral laws, to allow for challenges to these decisions on constituency boundaries in the courts. The government refused and now we see why.
I also believe that the constitution requires us to look at the census for the numbers of people who are over 18 years old to determine the number of electors in each constituency not just those who are over 18 and registered to vote. The government has not done enough to facilitate people to register. Having failed to do enough, they now want to draw conclusions about the low voter registration in the inner city areas of New Providence and use that as an excuse to eliminate seats which they believe will adversely affect the PLP. I have described it as seeking to balkanize the country with the PLP confined they think to the inner city. It is wrong. It cannot work. It will fail.
I believe that given the numbers advanced by the majority about registered voters, the most that can be said is that there is a need to make minor adjustments in boundaries to reflect the slight shifts in population since the last general election.
My view is that this would be sufficient to accommodate the slightly larger number of registered voters in Elizabeth and Sea Breeze and those in Blue Hills and the seats in the southwest.
I believe that this can be done consistent with the constitutional requirements both in New Providence and in the Family Islands. I believe that if the majority advances the view that there needs to be realignment of island aggregations following a constituencies’ review then those aggregations should be consistent and in alignment with the constitution and it is only in those circumstances that changes in the number of seats should be made. By this I mean changes to add additional seats, provided that New Providence as a proportion of the House continues to have more seats than the islands.
May I add finally, that this is the system that we have to adjust constituency lines. So be it. Whatever lines are drawn, I will work as hard as I possibly can to defeat the FNM. With God being our helper, we will succeed. The country will then be able to breathe a sigh of relief that the national nightmare is over.
BRENT SYMONETTE TRIES TO COME CLEAN
After fumbling on the question of how many people were granted citizenship by the FNM administration since they came to office, when he spoke at his press conference week before last, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration Brent Symonette spoke to the press again on Thursday 10th November. No doubt the Prime Minister told him go out there and get it straight. He tried to get the full facts and figures but The Nassau Guardian reported that even those he presented he had to admit were not up to date. In The Bahamas, the FNM is being accused of rushing to give people citizenships to inflate the voters’ roll and bring an advantage to the FNM when election time comes. Mr. Symonette denied this.
Mr. Symonette said the Ingraham administration granted citizenship to at least 1,927 non-Bahamians since it came to office in 2007. He tied this to a figure approaching the 2,038 people which he said were granted citizenship during the Christie administration. Once again: the FNM mantra is: “Blame the PLP”. The majority of those granted citizenship this year (558) were former Haitian nationals. Former Jamaicans (94) accounted for the second largest category. The Nassau Guardian said that the total number of people granted citizenship since May 2, 2007 is higher because Mr. Symonette admitted the Department of Immigration has been lagging behind in keeping track of the numbers. For example, The Guardian said that Mr. Symonette could not provide naturalization numbers for the last six months of 2010. He added that 783 of the 896 people whose applications for citizenship were considered this year were approved. Clearly, the criticism of padding the rolls with new citizens is a stinging criticism which has caused the government to scramble for its life. The PLP needs to press this advantage. But at the same time let the PLP not get into xenophobia and jingoism. The children of immigrants born in The Bahamas have entitlements and we should not say or do anything which is against their legitimate rights.
U.S. HOMELAND SECRETARY VISITS THE BAHAMAS
Someone should have told her that it was inappropriate to show up on a public platform in The Bahamas wearing a red outfit in the middle of political season in The Bahamas. It also seemed that the protocol got a bit mixed up at the opening when the Secretary who is a Cabinet Minister in the United States was the last to enter, having the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, the highest ranking official there standing on the podium cooling his heels until the Secretary of Homeland Security showed up to take her seat. Then there is the question of what is the correct posture for officials to take when the national anthem of a country is played. We were always taught hands at your side, at attention not folded in front of you as one American official did on the platform for the Bahamian national anthem at the opening of the so called dialogue on security that took place in Nassau with the United States and Caricom countries with the Dominican Republic on Thursday 10th November. This was a meeting of unequals. The Prime Minister of The Bahamas, known for his Uncle Tom vision of life, started off the unequal dialogue by thanking the U.S Secretary for the work of the Coastguard in rescuing people off a mail boat called the Legacy which was stranded on a reef in bad weather off Sandy Point in Abaco with 17 souls aboard. Yes indeed we are grateful. But as far as the U.S. and its ability to deliver, you have to say to whom much is given much is expected. Then also the Prime Minister has to ask himself why in a maritime country like this, The Bahamas itself has not invested in a helicopter capability to perform the kind of routine rescue which are done by the U.S. Coastguard. Anyway we are no doubt spoilers on this and we ought to behave as we are expected to. The dialogue was not a dialogue at all. It was a listening session; listening to the United States tell the countries of the Caribbean what else is expected of them in order to make their homeland, that is the U.S. homeland safe. And they had better do it or the result is that their economies will be further crippled, their peoples further restricted to their barren islands and rocks and the tourists will stop coming. Nothing like a meeting amongst equals to get the facts straight.
(Photo of Janet Napolitano and the official platform on Thursday 9th November at Paradise Island)
PLP CANDIDATE ALEX STORR AT LONG IS CHAMBER
The Progressive Liberal Party will run a candidate in Long Island for the first time in 15 years come the next general election. Carrying the party’s banner there in the next election will be Alex Storr, who is now the party’s Deputy Chairman. He was the coordinator of the campaign of Melanie Griffin in Yamacraw for the last general election. Mr. Storr spoke at the Long island Chamber of Commerce. He talked about his vision for Long Island.
You may click here for the full address:
.SUPT. ELLISTON RAHMING'S STATS AND COMMENTS
1) Prison Population – Very High
The Bahamas ranks ninth in the world and number one in the Caribbean on a per capita basis for the average number of prison inmates for 100,000 of population.
2) What Happening with Murders?
Between 2005 and 2009, 349 murders were recorded.
- 243 were detected by the police
- 63 were completed by the courts or only 18% of the murders or 26% of those detected by the police
- Out of the 63 cases completed by the courts, there were only 18 convictions or about 29%.
3) What Do We Know About Long Sentences?
a) Between 1973 to 2010, 353 persons who had been sentenced to prison for murder or manslaughter were released.
b) Out of that 353 number:
14 were released by way of capital punishment in prison (Long before 2000).
- 10 otherwise died in prison
- 329 were released on license or as a result of having served the court mandated time.
- Out of the 329, 20 had served sentences of 15 years or longer.
- Out of these 20, only two of them have returned to prison – one for shop breaking and another is remanded for murder.
4) Conclusion From The Superintendent of Prisons
- “In as far as the protection of society is concerned, long sentences for serious high risk, dangerous offenders work.”
For example, habitual or dangerous inmates who serve long sentences (15 years or longer) return to prison at a relatively low rate.
- Short sentences for habitual, non-violent offenders tend to be counter-productive. They should be steered towards alternative, treatment-oriented forms of punishment as opposed to imprisonment.
- Petty, non-violent offenders on whom a fine is level could avoid incarceration if they are afforded a reasonable time to pay the fine.
SAVE THE RUNNING DATE
Click here for more details
SAVE THE NEW DATE 16TH NOVEMBER MITCHELL PARTY
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport this week about the remarks make in the Senate by FNM Senator Michael Pintard on the defence of what he called “known criminals” by lawyers in the Parliament:
In this independent Justice system of ours (which we are so often proud of) don’t we accept, as a basic principal, the premise that a person, charged with an offense, is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law? Not so, according to that foolish FNM Senator (Michael Pintard) and his Senate President Holowesko.
Senator Michael Pintard, in his contribution in the Senate on Thursday 27th October, made a complete Jackass of himself when he suggested that persons, who are known to be career criminals, should not be allowed legal counsel. He vehemently criticized members of both Chambers, who are lawyers, who defend these (quote; unquote) known criminals, as he described them, in the courts. What really surprised me, however, was when Holowesko defended Pintard’s right to make a fool of himself; thus making her, as well, look like a jackass. But I would ask both Pintard and Holowesko; are you both suggesting that the Bahamas Bar Association should now decide who should be entitled to legal defense and who should not? What kind of society is being suggested here by you two lawmakers?
Pintard displayed an attitude of “Dangerous Ignorance” when he made this most surprising, asinine and dangerous suggestion. Does he not realize the grave implications of what he suggests and that in our system it is not only important that Justice be done but indeed that it is also seen to be done, in terms of due process? It is so vitally important, to the workings of our fragile democracy, that the scales of justice be balanced that if a defendant lacks the financial means of paying, himself, for his own legal defense then the Judicial system is obliged, at the expense of the State, to appoint legal Counsel for and on his/her behalf. Not only that but if, at anytime, during a trial that the sitting Judge finds that Counsel, for the defense, was negligent in anyway and did not adequately use all in his or her means to provide the best defense, on behalf of the client, then the Judge is obliged to replace that defendant’s counsel to ensure a fair and balanced trial. Why do you suppose (Pintard and Holowesko) that where and or when any doubt arises as to the clear guilt of a defendant that, that shadow of doubt goes to the benefit of the defendant?
International Conventions dictate these protections for individuals and if Michael Pintard wants to be a law maker he should begin “engaging his brain before opening his mouth.” I firmly believe that this was a cheap political shot, by Pintard, intended for the Hon. Brave Davis who I am told he may oppose in the next general election. It shocked me, however, that Holowesko, who I am told read law, would uphold this nonsense and ruled not to have the Playwright Senator withdraw his remarks, despite vehement objections from PLP Senators Jerome Fitzgerald and Hope Strachan. It seems to me that when these FNMs want to find a way out of any mess (in which they find themselves) they invariably blame someone else. Now we see this novice legislator attempting to accuse the Bahamas Bar Association and PLP lawyers for (I guess) the court’s exoneration of persons, who from time to time become implicated in criminal activity? May I remind you, Senator Pintard, that the judicial process is NOT fairy tale business; the kind you write about, i.e. the known criminals you talked about, in your Senate presentation, are real people who are entitled to real “Due process.” The known criminals, as you call them, when hauled before the courts are pitted against the State which is hell bent on proving them guilty; often times using means outside of all legal parameters. They are obliged to defend themselves against all that the State can throw at them and then some and so they need the best defense money can buy; whether they pay or taxpayers do. If they get “Not Guilty” verdicts it means only one thing and that is that the State either was negligent in gathering the evidence or there was no evidence in the first place in which case they are entitled to go free. Lawyers are hardly to be blamed, the same as prosecutors are not to be blamed for the “guilty or not guilty” verdicts. It’s the evidence (silly man) that convicts a person or the lack thereof that sets them free; not lawyers and or prosecutors. I wish to repeat, for emphasis, that due process, under our legal system, accords to persons brought before the courts the right to legal counsel whether they can afford to pay themselves or the State pays. The system has pre-determined that, while the State has a right to bring an individual up on charges, that individual has a right to defend him or herself. And so if the accused is not able to afford the cost of a lawyer, the State is obliged to appoint him/her one, at taxpayers’ expense. But I am quite sure that both Pintard and Holowesko are well aware of this fact; it’s really an elementary point; so I ask then why the charade in the Senate Chamber the other day? Justice is blind and the scale swings up and down, depending on the weight of the evidence for or against. It doesn’t swing up and down depending on which political party one supports. When we-(especially lawmakers) - begin to decide who should and or who should not be entitled to legal counsel then ordinary Bahamians, especially those with little or no influence at the hierarchy level of governance, will be in trouble. I am appalled at the display of ignorance, shown by Senators Pintard and Holowesko; for I was of the view that the degree of common sense they possessed (certainly) exceeded that of those in Ghetto life; sadly I am mistaken. There is no room for right-wing extremism and partisan overreach, even in this little banana republic of ours.
What Senators Pintard and Holowesko should be doing is spending their time, not talking CRAP in the Senate but, advising those of their colleagues, in the lower house, to shelve that dangerous piece of Road Traffic Legislation which, in effect, will leave persons involved in traffic accidents, vulnerable to persons who are apt to get violent at scenes of accidents. If the FNM is proposing, that the police should now discontinue investigating road accidents and leave the investigations to Insurance Companies, can’t you not see the major problems which are bound to arise as a result? I never met a Bahamian yet who, if involved in an accident, would admit that they are the ones in the wrong. Besides, when an accident occurs, who will dare attempt to stop either party from moving their vehicles from the precise spots of the accidents? Can you imagine the arguments over who is right and who is wrong? It would take a police investigation to determine who caused the crash. Insurance companies, as well, will have a dilemma determining which claims to pay and those not to pay and that too will create more trouble and very possibly a lot of law suits. This is such a troubling amendment being crafted by this inept Administration; where is the vision?
One of Pintard’s very disturbing comments; “I firmly believe that there are persons in this country who function as defense Attorneys, even in the parliament of the Bahamas, who have earned their living defending persons who are known to be career criminals,” unquote. This Senator while obviously, as I said earlier, taking a cheap shot at the Hon. Brave Davis, couldn’t have been aware of what he was saying. If my memory serves me correctly no lawyer, on record to date, has defended more known criminals (keeping the language in the context of the Senator’s statement) than Mr. Cecil Wallace-Whitfield (now deceased) but, I ask you Senator; so what? Isn’t that what lawyers do; defend folk? We are all (including you, Pintard; and you, Holowesko) entitled to a defense, as I explained earlier in this writing. The Hon. Senator went on; “The alternative is, if they do not know that these persons are career criminals then they are not fit to lead, because everyone knows otherwise.” What does this stupid statement mean Pintard? Are you suggesting that all legislators should have personal knowledge of who all the real criminals are in the country? If this is what you are suggesting then it means that Tommy Turnquest should know them all and should inform the Commissioner of police so that he could have them picked up. Maybe what you should do, Senator Pintard, is lecture your leader (Hubert Alexander Ingraham) and give him some of your good advice for it is alleged (I said ALLEGED) that your big head leader was in Freeport, over the weekend, allegedly to attend the Red Cross Ball with his wife Delores but he ended up, allegedly, leaving Delores is wife stranded in the Hotel all dressed up but with nowhere to go. It is further alleged (and I said further ALLEGED) that the creature demanded his driver to surrender the keys to the car, telling him quote he had something else to do. If this is true, Senator Pintard, your advice would be better served given to this creature of a leader. He is an awful disgrace (true or false); can you imagine that this is the fellow who only just last week, at the Seventh Day Adventists’ affair, was admonishing us to retreat to our old ways when we respected God and country? Senator Fitzgerald, to his credit, put it to the Senate President that the comments uttered by Pintard should be withdrawn and stricken from the record but, like I said earlier, to no avail. Senate President Holowesko refused his point of order and so the asinine comments were allowed to stand as part of the upper chamber’s records. Senator Hope Strachan, as well, reminded the Senate that Pintard is noted for his abuse of Lawyers in that place; she explained that lawyers must be totally dispassionate toward cases and that persons are innocent until proven guilty and that lawyers are expected, under the system, to oblige their clients the same as doctors do their patients who come to them with gunshot wounds; they don’t report the gunshot wounds to the police and lawyers don’t talk their clients’ business. But all this aside, if I am ever in trouble with the law, in this Bahamas, I would certainly want to have the best defense that money can buy and, I would venture to say; so does Pintard and Holowesko so stop the pretence.
A prolific letter writer, calling himself Kevin Evans, surprised me when I read portions of one of his usual long letters (published in the Freeport News recently) in defense of Pintard’s sentiments. His opinion was that Pintard said “NOTHING WRONG.” This is all bull, of course because everything that Pintard said and indeed implied were wrong; dead wrong. When one becomes an Operative (an Apologist), of the Free National Movement, it seems usual that they leave all their senses (and testicles too) at the door like Andre Rollins said on the occasion of his joining up with the PLP. To suggest (as Kevin Evans did) that Senators Fitzgerald and Strachan were attempting to defend Lawyers would be missing the point completely. The two PLP Senators did not attempt to defend lawyers, for in this case lawyers don’t need defending, but rather the Senators stood in defense of our democracy; our system; our rights to total innocence until the state proves otherwise. All known criminals should be behind bars and if there are known criminals who are not and are out walking the streets then we need to know who they are and why aren’t they locked away? Could it be that this novice lawmaker-playwright is attempting to brand those persons, who have already served their time in jail, known criminals? You can’t keep calling them criminals if they have already paid their debt to the state, Mr. and Mrs. Senators. You both would be the first to give your little speeches, asking business houses to employ these ex-offenders claiming they have already paid their debt to society and that we shouldn’t hold their past mistakes of misjudgment against them. You would tell us, wouldn’t you, that if they did their time and are now re-habilitated we should give them a second chance, right? Then how is it that you continue to beat them down by calling them “known criminals?”
I can’t imagine you, Senator Pintard, and or you, Senator Holowesko, having a son or daughter implicated in a crime, not running and scrambling to seek out a Brave Davis or a Thomas Evans, (on your hands and knees no doubt), to solicit their advocacy services to get your children freed; and that’s, whether they be guilty (in fact) or not. Your speech, Senator Pintard, should not have been pin-pointed at lawyers; for lawyers don’t decide the guilt or innocence of those persons you referenced as “known criminals,” judges and or juries do. And by the way, Senator, if one of those (quote; unquote) guilty, “known criminals,” you referred to, is in fact walking the streets, free as a bird, it is not necessarily due to the legal prowess of their counsel; it is no doubt because the State, in its efforts, failed to present a convincing, “no shadow of a doubt,” case against him/her. I think, Senator Pintard, you had better stick to Playwriting.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
November 2011
MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ( Click Here)
IN PASSING
Constituencies Commission Makes One More Change
The Constituencies Commission which met on 8th November and proposed reducing the seats to 38 from 41, met again on Friday 11th November. This time the majority came with a change of taking ragged Island out from under Long Island and putting it on to Exuma. Again this is done because Ragged Island votes traditionally FNM and this is to offset any PLP votes in Exuma.
Renardo Curry Opens HQ In Hubert’s Constituency
Sure and steady Renardo Curry, the PLP’s candidate for North Abaco, officially opened his headquarters in the constituency of North Abaco on Saturday 12th November. He is opposing Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister. On hand for the opening were Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party Perry Christie and Deputy Leader Philip Davis. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill joined them for the occasion. The photo shows the candidate Mr. Curry preparing for the opening ceremony.
Ingraham Seeking To Re-Install Tommy Turnquest
He tried it the last time he “retired” as Prime Minister but it didn’t work so he came back. Now he is not being so direct. Sources in the FNM say that part of what Mr. Ingraham is doing by seeking to force Messrs Ken Russell and Neko Grant out of the House is to ensure that all opposition to Tommy Turnquest succeeding him (Mr. Ingraham) as leader of the FNM is eliminated when Mr. Ingraham decides to leave the scene.
Grouper Closed Season To Be Announced
We have learned that The Bahamas government proposes to close the season for grouper fishing from 1st December 2011 to 28th February 2012. The measure is meant to protect the grouper during its spawning aggregations. The closed season is unpopular amongst fishermen who say that it is only causing the fishing grounds to be open for Dominican fishermen who do not observe the ban and who are not stopped from their poaching activities by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. One suggestion has been that the government ought to pay fishermen during the off season to guard and protect the fishing grounds becoming wardens during the closed season.
Bitter Complaints About U.S. Customs at Nassau’s Airport
Passengers on Bahamasair flights have bitter complaints about being held up for secondary searches by the United States Customs at the Lynden Pindling International Airport. The airport has what the Americans call a pre-clearance facility which is meant to facilitate American tourists who travel to this country as they return home. You clear customs in The Bahamas. The U.S. facility at the airports in Freeport and Nassau are considered U.S. territory in law. The Bahamians complain that there are never sufficient customs officers to deal with non U.S. citizens traveling to the U.S. and that they are unnecessarily harassed as they travel to the US. On several occasions the Bahamasair flight has been searched when it arrived in Miami. The price of having the facility however is that no Bahamian public official says anything in complaint because the Bahamians don’t want to lose the facility. We live on a knife’s edge that the Americans capricious as they can be will close the place down if we complain too much, then we will all have to clear customs in Miami God forbid.
Conrad Murray Verdict
The U.S. Justice system is so boringly predictable. Like clockwork and after nine hours of “deliberation” the Caribbean doctor Conrad Murray who was the doctor to Michael Jackson, the drug addicted musician, was convicted of his death last week. The whole thing was absurd. A drug addict with a lot of money to whom you cannot say no, essentially takes his own life by his foolish and self indulgent behavior but the doctor has to take the fall because he killed the King of Pop”. The verdict came on 7th November and they sent him straight to jail where he may be sentenced to as much as four years for delivering the fatal needle. His lawyers have promised to appeal.
Curfew Lifted In Trinidad and Tobago
The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamala Persad Bissessar has announced in Trinidad last week that the state of emergency that she and her government imposed on the country in August is still in place though they have lifted the curfew that had people forced to stay indoors during the hours of 11 p.m. and four a.m. This is a relief to the merchants who were suffering because patrons had to leave to go home early from the bars and restaurants. The government says their anti crime programme is working. Most objective observers are skeptical.
Joe Frazier Dies
Smoking Joe Frazier made a name for himself in his epic fights with the greatest boxer ever Muhammad Ali. He beat Ali first then Ali beat him. Beat him twice. The fight billed as: The Thilla In Manila was thrilling indeed. Ali is suffering today from Parkinson’s disease from all that pounding he took as a boxer. But most people thought Joe was okay. Turns out that he had liver cancer and he succumbed to the disease last week. The end of area. Muhammad Ali issued a statement of condolences.
Aliyah Allen Becomes BFSB Director
The Aliyah, daughter of the President of the Court of Appeal Anita Allen and her husband Algernon Allen, the former Minister and now talk show host, has been appointed the executive director of the Bahamas Financial Services Board, succeeding the 13 years serving Wendy Warren. No word on where Ms. Warren is going. The Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham with whom Mr. Allen has had differences was so pleased by the appointment that he reportedly called the young Miss Allen's father to congratulate him.
Darius Turnquest photo
This photo was taken last week at the session with the Bahamian students in Jamaica. Darius Turnquest is a medical student at the University of the West Indies. He is shown with Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill who was part of the PLP’s delegation.
Sir Clifford Darling Comfortable
Reports were circulating on the web last week that Sir Clifford Darling, the former Speaker of the House, and Governor General was low, which in Bahamian parlance means that he was near death. We have earned that this is not so. That Sir Clifford is ailing but comfortable.
Deanna And Andrew Marry
Deanna Christenson is a Bahamian who lives in Miami and is an active member of the Bahamian community in the South Florida area. She is a beautiful lady with a great personality and always willing to help the Bahamian cause. She met Andrew Barnett, the General Manager of Castaways in Freeport and they married in Miami on Friday 11th November at Parrot’s Jungle. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill and Shane Gibson MP for Golden Gates attended the wedding. The photo shows the happy couple.
Antoinette Seymour Of Antoinette’s Interiors Freeport Dies
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.
|
FRED MITCHELL CELEBRATES A BIRTHDAY: The actual 58th birthday was 5th October but at the time he was in Cameroon, in Central Africa on a Commonwealth assignment, but the party was eventually held on 16th November at Frankie Gone Bananas at Arawak Cay. A fun time was had by all. Well organized by the hostess Elaine Pinder of Bamboo Shack fame. The Chef Edwin Johnson outdid himself along with all the staff. Our photo of the week then is that of the birthday party held by Friends of Fred Mitchell MP on Wednesday 16th November at Frankie Gone Bananas, the newest project of Elaine Pinder (Bamboo Shack fame) on Arawak Cay. A fine time was had by all. Among the guests from left: Fred Mitchell MP, Elaine Pinder, PLP Leader Perry G. Christie, Dame Marguerite Pindling, PLP Deputy Leader Philip Davis, PLP Chairman Bradley B. Roberts. The photo is by Peter Ramsay
|
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
INGRAHAM CORRUPTS THE BOUNDARY PROCESS
Okay, here is how it looks. The FNM leaked the report of the Constituencies Commission just after it was sent to the Governor General on Wednesday 16th November. They leaked the report in its entirety to the Nassau Guardian including the minutes of the meetings. This is the same group that said that they wanted to conduct the meetings in confidence. This is the same group, led by the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham who then accused the PLP of leaking the information to the press. His Ma!
The Guardian told us the following: The overall number of seats comes down from 41 to the constitutional minimum of 38. In New Providence, the constituencies of Blue Hills, Clifton, Englerston, Kennedy and St. Thomas More have been eliminated and new seats have been created called Nassau Village, Southern Shores and Tall Pines.
In Grand Bahama, three seats no longer exist: High Rock, Lucaya and Eight Mile Rock. This is in line with the report here that Mr. Ingraham wants Vernae Grant, the incumbent for Eight Mile Rock, Ken Russell the incumbent for High Rock and Neko Grant, the incumbent for Lucaya to go. They refused so he has eliminated their seats. In the stroke of a pen, there will be no incumbents.
During the week, the country got a peek into the inner workings of the FNM. With The Punch quoting incumbent Kendal Wright, one of those on Mr. Ingraham’s hit list, as saying he was not consulted or told what was to happen with his seat (Clifton). Poor Verne Grant (Eight Mile Rock FNM) who Mr. Ingraham refers to as Sarah Palin, a leaked e mail from her to Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette, a member of the Constituencies Commission said that she wanted to know what was happening with her seat. Was she in fact wanted by the FNM? She said that her 83 year old mother had to read in the paper that her (Mrs. Grant’s) seat had been eliminated and she was not in a position to comment.
Mr. Ingraham was furious also that the press asked him about the changes to the lines. He denounced the PLP and accused the party of leaking the information. He said that the arguments advanced by the PLP particularly one Fred Mitchell were nonsensical. Ah my! Poor him! He is obviously a man under so much pressure. Times up! Time to go!
There is a principle in law which strikes down decisions of tribunals when the tribunal has fettered its discretion. One wonders if a case could not be made in this most recent constituency exercise. A Prime Minister who has a quasi judicial function to perform announces in advance what his opinion is on constituency boundaries and then proceeds to do just that. That is a classic case of fettering one's discretion. In other words, he did not exercise real discretion; he made up his mind and regardless of the evidence simply acted to carry out his preconceived notion. That decision would be struck down by a court of law.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 19th November 2011 up to midnight :139,349
Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 19th November 2011 up to midnight: 350,759
Number of hits for the year 2011 up to Saturday 19th November 2001 at midnight: 7,543,801
PLP PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Fred Mitchell, MP for Fox Hill, Melanie Griffin MP for Yamacraw and Ryan Pinder, MP for Elizabeth held a press conference on Friday 18th November to talk about the collapse of the Department of Environmental Health and its inability to keep the island clean. Mr. Mitchell read the press statement for the party as follows:
STATEMENT BY MELANIE GRIFFIN, FRED MITCHELL AND Ryan PIDNER MPS FOR YAMACRAW, FOX HILL AND ELIZABETH
ON THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE EASTERN REGION.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
18th November 2011
We are here this morning to draw attention to the fact that throughout the Eastern District of New Providence there appear to be issues related to the government’s ability to keep the island clean.
A major complaint of constituents is the inability of the government to keep the parks properly clean and serviced and to ensure that over grown lots are kept within acceptable limits and that the garbage is collected on time.
In addition, we raise the concern that debris from Hurricane Irene has not been collected in some areas.
Some contractors have not been paid for their work for Hurricane Irene’s clean up.
We make this intervention because efforts to deal with the matter directly and through Parliament have failed.
The Superintendent for this area has reported the equipment owned by the Department of Environmental Health is in such a state of disrepair that new equipment is required to do the jobs demanded of the Department. The Minister for the Environment in parliament did not accept that this is correct. However, the Superintendent insists that there is an equipment problem.
The same report comes to us about the lack of garbage trucks to collect the garbage.
Whatever the story, the evidence is there for all to see that the parks are not being kept properly and the lots are overgrown and the garbage is not being collected on time.
Given the PLP’s position that there must be a concerted social intervention in all neighbourhoods to dampen down the negative behavior in communities, we believe that this is important to the community's overall health and well being. It is also an important crime fighting measure because overgrown lots harbor criminals.
We call on the Minister and the government forthwith to provide the equipment to clean the parks, clean the overgrown lots, collect the garbage and remove the hurricane debris.
When the environment in neighbourhood is not keep within acceptable limits this feeds crime and anti-social behavior. It is therefore important that the government does its job in this respect.
End
PHILIP DAVIS ON THE CONSTITUENCIES COMMISSION
The Deputy Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party Philip Davis MP issued the following statement about the constituency boundaries which were leaked to the press by the FNM on Monday 14th November:
STATEMENT BY PHILIP DAVIS MP
ON THE CONSTITUENCIES COMMISSION
17 November 2011
I wish to respond to the misinformation put in the public domain yesterday by the Prime Minister with regard to the constituency boundaries. The new lines are manifestly unfair to the voters of the country.
The question that must be asked with regard to the Constituencies Commission report is whether or not the report is drawn having regard to constitutional norms and secondly whether the result is fair to the voters of the country.
We do not believe that the two issues are unrelated. The PLP’s position on this has to do not with what is fair to politicians but with what is fair to the voters of the country. It means therefore that you cannot simply have a more or less equal distribution of electors in a seat and then say that this brings about a fair result.
That is clearly and patently wrong.
We accept that the constituencies have to be more or less equal but we say that one must have regard for the status quo, the existing electors and constituencies and the ability of voters to make a judgment on the individual or party who has served them in the preceding years. When you eliminate that possibility, there is an unfair result.
Further, we continue to disagree with the majority party on the question of on how you determine parity of the electors in a constituency. The majority has again determined the numbers based on the registered voters instead of the entire total potential pool of voters based on the census. Again, what has come forward from the majority on the commission is an unfair result.
The matters which are now in the public domain are not in the possession of the PLP. For the Prime Minister to suggest that it was the PLP who leaked information about the boundary changes to the press is reprehensible. The information could only have come from the majority party. He should remove the mote from his own eye.
There was no reason in law or in the interest of fairness for there to be any change in the number of constituencies up or down.
We believe that voters are disadvantaged by what has been done by the majority party. I did not therefore sign the report.
RENARDO CURRY’S CHALLENEGE TO INGRAHAM
The opening of the party headquarters for the PLP in the North Abaco constituency took place on Saturday 12th November. Renardo Curry, a first timer in politics, is the PLP’s candidate. Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister, has been dismissive in public about this. In private, it appears that he is deeply worried about it. He won his seat in the last election with only 52 per cent of the vote, and when compared to the combined total of the PLP and the independent candidate won with an overall majority of 177 votes. That means that Mr. Curry is within striking distance of unseating the Prime Minister. People are tired of Mr. Ingraham in his constituency. He is simply arrogant and biggety, thinks he is to the manor born. When Mr. Curry spoke at the opening, the audience was quiet. He remarked how there was such a flurry of activity in North Abaco now that the election was coming near but he argued persuasively that the money being sent was not finding its way into the pockets of ordinary men and women in North Abaco. He is a good candidate, sober man of outstanding qualities. He said: “The millions of dollars being spent are not reaching into the homes of the local Bahamians but instead, they are given to outsiders and foreigners. My brothers and sisters, the local economy will never grow when the money is leaving the island. If we allow another 5 years of this outrage, many of us will go into bankruptcy; this system is against the poor.” You may click here for his full remarks. Have a look at the video.
PHOTO SPREAD OF RENARDO CURRY’S OPENING
We present some of the photos of the opening of Renardo Curry’s headquarters in North Abaco on Saturday 12th November. The images are by Alexander.
|
|
 |
TONY GRANT LEAVES THE GUARDIAN
It might be called hiding one’s light under a bushel. But at some point talent will out. Such is an apt comment on the departure of Tony Grant, the Nassau Guardian’s photographer, who if you look at him seemed like he could not hurt a fly but in the result has a wicked sense of humour and a timely commentary to make on the Bahamian scene. He left The Nassau Guardian officially last week. Probably left them in spirit a long time ago. He is launching out into the deep into his own business of public relations. Meantime, he is quite a hit on the web with comments about life in The Bahamas. The video below being just one sample. Good luck.
Tanisha Tynes has been out in the field for months, first as the candidate for Lucaya and now that the seat has been abolished she is likely to be the candidate for the East Grand Bahama seat. Ms. Tynes held a boat cruise on Saturday 12th November. The photo is from the Facebook page of Allison Smith.
FRED MITCHELL AT FRANKIE GONE BANANAS IN PICTURES
On Wednesday 16th November, Frankie Gone Bananas, the latest project of Elaine Pinder (of Bamboo Shack fame) came alive with the sights and sounds of the friends of Fred Mitchell who put on a soiree to celebrate belatedly the birthday of Mr. Mitchell and to raise funds for his re-election campaign. A fine time was had by all. The food was first class designed and laid out by Chef Edwin Johnson and his team. The photos show some who were gathered there including Mrs. Pinder, PLP leader Perry Christie, Dame Marguerite Pindling, Deputy PLP leader Philip Davis and Party Chairman Bradley Roberts. The young group called Sapphire provided the entertainment. The photos are by Peter Ramsay.
|
|
 |
KHAALIS CAMPAIGNS IN PINEWOOD
The campaign has started in earnest with candidates in the field. Khaalis Rolle, former President of the Chamber of Commerce, is the PLP’s candidate for Pinewood and was out last week doing house to house. The photo appeared on his Facebook page.
As part of a special meeting with the Bimini boat-maker and renowned bone-fisherman, U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas, Her Excellency Nicole A. Avant presented a plaque and a signed book to Ansil Saunders on November 15, 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contributions in keeping Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy alive in The Bahamas. During their private meeting in her Queen St. office, the fifth generation native of Bimini reminisced with Ambassador Avant about his time spent with the late civil rights leader during his visits to The Bahamas in 1964 and 1968.
Mr. Saunders told Ambassador Avant that he first met Dr. King in 1964 when he traveled to Bimini in search of a peaceful and serene writing environment. Mr. Saunders knew the perfect place and took Dr. King deep into the mangroves to a spot called “Bonefish Hole” where Dr. King wrote portions of his famous Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Dr. King returned to Bimini in 1968 where he wrote portions of his Sanitation Workers speech while on Mr. Saunders’ boat. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee on April 4, 1968, just days after his visit to The Bahamas.
Since Dr. King’s death, Mr. Saunders has shared his conversations with the civil rights leader with visitors to Bimini as well as with local and international media outlets, including National Public Radio. Plaques marking local sites visited by Dr. King are found throughout Alice Town, Bimini, including the location of a barbershop frequented by Dr. King and the cottage where he stayed during his visits. The local museum also has Dr. King’s disembarkation card with his original signature proudly on display.
Mr. Saunders acclaim extends beyond his connection to Dr. King. He is also a bone-fishing world record holder, a 2003 Cacique Award (Minister’s Award) recipient and an artistic boat builder, creating custom-crafted vessels out of fiberglass, bronze, and wood indigenous to The Bahamas. Each of his made-to-order boats take about six months to complete and are used by top sports fishermen to ply the flats in search of the elusive “gray ghost.”
It was clear from the meeting with Ambassador Avant that although Mr. Saunders’ hard work has led to success, his time in the mangroves with the civil rights leader left an indelible mark, which is why Mr. Saunders has made it his life work to honor Dr. King’s legacy.
SAVE THE RUNNING DATE
Click here for more details
CENTREVILLE FOOD MARKET OWNER DIES
Jerome Major, the owner of Centreville Food Store, died today following a brief illness. He was 78 years old. He is survived by his wife Avis two sons of the family Horace and Tony and Carlton Seymour a close family friend. Mr. Major was a staple of the Centreveille Community and will be missed by the Valley generally for his kindness and generosity.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes this week about the leader of the Democratic National Alliance Branville McCartney and his connection with the FNM. He says that Mr. McCartney cannot get the FNM monkey off his back. He argues that Mr. McCartney’s sole motivation is to see Hubert Ingraham lose the government and that he Mr. McCartney does not expect to win and will not win a single seat:
Since forming his own green party this year, Branville McCartney has been desperately trying to get the “Ingraham monkey” off his back; he’s been trying to distance himself from the Ingraham-FNM mole but “no can do” and for good reason.
McCartney (as far as is known) grew up from childhood in an FNM oriented political environment. He was nurtured in FNM philosophy and ideals and it is fair to say that, from 1992 through 2010, he embraced, and was quite at home with, the culture and philosophical views of the Ingraham-style of FNM governance. When Ingraham won in 1992, McCartney would have been 20 years younger, than he is today, which means that he was barely a young adult, just finishing his schooling no doubt. It would be safe to assume that he watched Ingraham govern and admired him; even idolized the sucker, I submit. Ingraham admired the young McCartney, as well, for when the time came to challenge Tennyson Wells (that rebel Bamboo Town FNM member of parliament turned Independent) Ingraham chose (yes you guessed it) the young and promising member of that staunch UBP-FNM McCartney family, Branville McCartney. The young man was successful in defeating the former UBP-FNM giant (Tennyson Wells), in the 2007 general elections, and went on to be appointed one of the privileged (FNM) blue-eyed few to be bestowed the honor of serving, as a minion, in Hubert Ingraham’s cabinet.
For a little more than three years, young Branville served as a faithful STOOGE of his master; supporting him during cabinet meetings and ensuring that he was present, at all times (in the Honorable Parliament) to cast his votes in support of all of Ingraham’s budgets and policies. He served Ingraham faithfully up to just over a year ago, in 2010, when he claimed he couldn’t handle any more of Ingraham’s shenanigans and he quit. By this time, however, he had already sanctioned all of Ingraham’s bad, counter-productive policies which are primarily responsible for driving our economy into the proverbial ditch, along with the well-being of 90% of our people. He supported Ingraham’s policies of expanding the national debt; he supported the massive tax hikes in the 2008/2009 budget (when the entire customs tariff regime was changed which saw, for the most part, the doubling in some cases of the customs duty rates); he supported the elimination of Christie’s tax exemption for Bahamian first home buyers up to a maximum of $250,000.00 in value; he supported Ingraham’s elimination of Christie’s Venture Capital Fund which, heretofore, supported the start-up and maintenance of small businesses when they were only vague ideas in the minds of young Bahamians who had no way of financing these ideas or coming up with any collateral available; he supported Ingraham when he cancelled the pilot program for boys, initiated by the Christie Administration, which was located in Andros and administered by Deacon Jeff Lloyd of the Catholic Church; he supported the Ingraham Administration’s immigration policy (whatever it was) which essentially facilitated the raising revenue through the granting of work permits, many of which Branville himself was responsible for approving; he approved and handed out, like glasses of water to the thirsty, Bahamian citizenships; he supported Ingraham’s dismantling of Christie’s Urban Renewal program; he supported the firings and the contract cancelling of all Urban Renewal and Ministry of Housing department workers (certainly in Grand Bahama); he supported the FNM’s “Stop, Review and Cancel” policy which S & P opined, started the country’s economic downward spiraling trend; he supported Ingraham’s amendment to allow foreigners to now be able to compete with Bahamians in touristic related enterprises which, heretofore, were reserved exclusively for Bahamians; he supported Ingraham’s policies of forced firings and premature retiring of senior career civil servants; he supported all of Ingraham’s budgets from June 2007 to 2010, budgets which sought and secured parliament’s approvals for the borrowings of more than two billion dollars which was added to the country’s national debt. He supported this mess we are in today, no question about it, so any attempt now, on his part, to distance himself from the policies and practices of Ingraham’s FNM government is hogwash. He cannot, now, so easily (overnight) disassociate himself from the acts and deeds of this Ingraham Administration simply because he finds himself at odds with the creature? No can do; you cannot so easily get rid of this “Ingraham monkey,” young man. Where ever you go, (Branville McCartney) Ingraham’s actions and lack of them will follow you, ma boy. You were one with them when those bad decisions were made and you will have to share the blame for the mess the country is in today.
In further support of Ingraham’s policies Branville made it abundantly clear (in his letter of resignation from Ingraham’s cabinet) that, despite his feud with the brute beast monster, he nonetheless saw Hubert (still) as being the best man to lead the country; notwithstanding his view that the country, under the hedge-hog, was heading (he said) in the wrong direction. Have you ever heard of such silly mumbo-jumbo garbage, in all your life? What kind of hocus-pocus, bull-crap position that was for this, would-be leader (and he thinks) potential prime minister to take? I wish, during this election campaign, that someone, (anyone), would challenge this McCartney fellow and have him to explain, finally, exactly what he meant by his mixed-up ambiguous statement. Forgive me for my ignorance, but by my foolish logic, if someone is leading me (and I determine that, that someone is taking me in the wrong direction); and if I feel that there is eminent danger/disaster ahead of us if we continue on the path we are going, and there is no convincing my leader to change course do I continue to follow, convinced that, that person is still the best one to lead me? Hell no; in Long Island, when we were growing up that would be called hogwash. I thought, at the time Branville made this stupid, mixed-up, unclear assertion, that his was asinine and I have not changed that view. The picture was very clear to me that Branville hadn’t really lost confidence in Ingraham’s leadership at all; that he continued to support Ingraham’s ideas and his way of doing things but that the time had come for him (Branville) to take leadership instead. It was pure ambition, on his part, which he should have known would not go down well or be tolerated by the maximum leader. It was naïve of Branville if he thought that Hubert would take his ego lying down. Ingraham is not that kind of flesh and blood. The ambiguity of his entire resignation statement convinced me that the story told me of his getting angry with Ingraham (during a certain cabinet meeting) over the way he (Ingraham) spoke to him like a dog; lead to him (Branville) getting up and leaving the room and not being permitted to return because Ingraham ordered the police guard, posted at the door, not to let him back in. That “McCartney Pride” (and I know it well) kicked in after being locked out of the cabinet meeting. It dictated, after finding himself in the stew with no maneuver room, that he had only one of two choices to make; either remain in his post and be totally brushed aside and ignored (with no real portfolio) or resign as a cabinet minister. He chose to resign but, at the same time, wanted to be careful that his resignation statement be crafted in such a way so as to, nonetheless, indicate some supporting arguments for Ingraham’s continued leadership; although (as he said) the country was heading in the wrong direction under the Hedge-Hog. His statement of being born an FNM and that he would die one (notwithstanding his resignation from the cabinet) was short lived, however, when he actually experienced how nasty, vicious and cruel Ingraham could be to those he (Ingraham) considered his enemies. I predicted, in an article subsequently, that Branville wouldn’t last very long in the FNM organization and I invited him, at that time, to see Christie immediately and discuss his dilemma. Despite his resignation from the cabinet and his ultimate resignation from the FNM party, however, I hold that his emphatic and resolute statement of being born an FNM, and would remain one for life, has not changed; the man is FNM, to the core; one who can’t stand Ingraham’s guts (like most of the rest of us) but who found himself in a “no turning back” situation when he walked out of the BULLY’S cabinet meeting. There was no co-existing with Hubert Ingraham (who would have taunted him to death) following that sudden burst of courage and so he had no choice ultimately; no alternative but to go all the way and get out from around the mullet head. He reluctantly resigned, I submit, with blood in his eyes and with one mission in mind and that is to rid the FNM of its LOWLIFE embarrassment of a leader. Branville is obsessed with this mission; he doesn’t really expect to win the government; he doesn’t expect to win any seats either but, above all else, he wants to see Ingraham lose, and lose big, in the process of his DNA participation; he wishes, above all else, for his DNA side show to be the monkey-wrench in the way of Ingraham winning the government.
Now the man (Branville), having formed his own green party, is seen going about country pretending to be to the far right of the FNM (in his thinking) and more in line with the PLP’s centric philosophy. We hear him shouting now, all over the place, that Bahamians should be first, now and always; this is certainly not the mindset of his FNM tradition but the hallmark of PLP’ism. I contend that the young man is a pretender; Leopards could never change their birth marks, which identify them with their species, and neither could snakes their bad habit of biting friend or foe. McCartney, as I said earlier, is a born and bred FNM; he is steeped in UBP-FNM traditions and holds strongly, I submit, to the philosophical, mercantile view that “MARKET FORCES” should prevail and remain the order in our society. He believes that governments should stay out of the business of supporting free enterprise; that businesses should be left alone to compete freely and regulate themselves in the market place and that if the big fish eats up the little fish, so what. Their (FNM) conservative philosophy is after the order of Herman Cain’s (that silly embarrassment to the African race) the only black Republican candidate in the contest for the 2012 American Presidency. They believe that Governments should never intervene and or lift a helping hand in support of small business or the socially depraved in society; they believe, in fact, that the social services network should be abolished and done away with. They are all conservative, in their thinking, who believes in the law of the jungle; that the strong should survive while the weak should be sacrificed for the good of the system. These endemic views are not easily eradicated from ones DNA and so it’s safe to assume that Branville McCartney (like Hubert Ingraham) is merely pretending that he feels and cares for the poor and needy and that Bahamians should be first. To advocate any other viewpoint (he realizes) will get him NO VOTES. The man is a Bahamian CONSERVATIVE who believes strongly (like Herman Cain) that all those Bahamians who do not have jobs or who aren’t rich have only themselves to blame and no one else. People of this mindset cannot believe or accept that anyone, but themselves, should be FIRST. They believe that social services should never exist; that there should be no social programs (funded by taxpayers) and that governments should extricate themselves from all assistance programs. That is the sum total of what the Market Forces driven Conservatives, in any country, believes.
I submit that Branville formed his DNA green party for all the wrong reasons. I am convinced that he is consumed with so much anger against Ingraham (and now Edison Key as well) that he is prepared to do anything to (as he said) “teach Ingraham a lesson.” His party, to date, has no clear direction or philosophy except for ridding the country of Haitians. My Bahamian barber who is of Haitian ancestry opined, a few weeks ago while I was sitting in his barber chair, that Branville McCartney developed a whole new political party around one single ISSUE. He said that the DNA is a “ONE ISSUE PARTY” meaning, of course, that it’s a party that, to date, has decided on one clear ISSUE and that is the Haitian migration problem with which we are plagued. I admitted to him that I never thought of it before, but that he was right; Branville’s DNA is in fact a “one issue” party; the only policy that he has made and adopted clearly thus far is the illegal migration of Haitians and their “Shanty Towns.” While this is certainly a priority matter for the next government (and I believe my barber understands it to be so, as well), McCartney has nothing else, in terms of developmental plans for the country.
McCartney’s now (exposed), flawed character was the subject of discussion, in the Hon. House of Assembly, the other day when the incident (we all witnessed) evolved between he and Edison Key involving the BAIC matter. I’ll admit here, from the outset, that I don’t believe a word of McCartney’s words, in defense of the role he reportedly played as outlined by the MP from Marsh Harbor and chairman of BAIC. His claim is that he knew nothing of the incident and didn’t have a clue about Edison Key’s revelations. I’ve known Mr. Key for many years; I’ve always known him to be a simple-minded, straight up kind of guy; I don’t believe, notwithstanding his association with Hubert Ingraham and the other FNM crows, that he would allow himself to be corrupted to the degree of accusing someone, deliberately, falsely. I believe that he is telling the truth about the role McCartney played in the affair. What unfolded in the Hon. House of Assembly, during the shouting match back and forth, between Edison Key and Branville McCartney, spoke very loudly to character; Branville’s character that is. Here’s a guy who is going about the country pretending to be holier than thou; claiming that unlike anyone else, he’s the man to bring good, honest, “people-first” governance to the country but fails his first real test of honesty? In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible; in the Book of Job chapter 14 and verse 4; a simple question is asked; “Who can bring a CLEAN thing out of an UNCLEAN thing? And then it answers for itself: “Not one.” If in fact Branville McCartney, junior minister for immigration, begged on his hands and knees for some of BAIC’s legal work, like Mr. Key told the parliament, then the bottom line is that he is no different from Brent Symonnette and all the other FNM scoundrels. This act proves that he is just as much a disgrace and not fit for elevation to the highest office in the land. Apart from being prohibitive, for a cabinet minister to engage in the performance of government contracts for gain, it is morally and ethically wrong and it smacks of greed and selfishness. There are enough elected, greedy FNMs holding office already; we don’t need any more. In a funny kind a way I was a little disappointed for the young man, on hearing Edison Key’s revelations, but decided that whatever the political fallout he deserves all. Here is a man who wants to be prime minister; he comes out all suit up, with boxing gloves on, trying to knock out all his opponents, in a single bout, by speaking ill of both while setting himself up as somebody pure of character and special, but all the while harboring these kinds of skeletons in his closet. I noticed how boisterous he was, (shouting across the floor of the assembly), prior to Mr. Key pointing to the stack of letters he had, in front of him, which he said were letters with Branville’s signature affixed, inquiring about the BAIC legal work and a request for another $1200.00 payment. He certainly kept his mouth shut tight after seeing the letters in front of Mr. Key. People like you, (Branville McCartney), who aspire to public office (especially prime minister) should always guard against incidents like these becoming part of your records. I spent 15 years, as a customs officer, and never once allowed my character and reputation to be sullied, as you appeared to have done to yours in this matter, and I’ve had many opportunities to do so, young man. Selfish greed will do it to you all the time, my young friend. Ministers in governments (in our system at least) are prevented from participating in government contracts and you should know better. Family members, close relatives, friends and associates, as well, are all banned from benefitting from such contracts (under the circumstances) so why would a purportedly honest and upright member of the cabinet seek to secure this contract from BTVI, knowing the implications? You, (Branville McCartney), are a classic case of tea pot calling kettle black. If you wish to hold high office, my man, there are some things you must resist; there are some sacrifices you must be prepared to make, and resign yourself to, one of which is to avoid benefitting in any way, shape or form, from government contracts. No one else will ever get away with what Brent Symonnette and Hubert Ingraham get away with. These two selfish rascals seem to be the only two in the FNM government (Oh! I forgot Zhivargo Laing as well) who are immune to the fall out of their dastardly behavior.
I have a prophecy this week and it is that when all of Bran’s candidates lose their deposits, after the next general elections, Bran himself will abandon his DNA efforts and foist himself onto what will be left of the tattered and torn, rag tag FNM party in an attempt to become its leader. This FNM rebel is an opportunist who will do anything; say anything; adopt any policy which he believes can woo him some votes, in his great push to win. He has no shame and he lacks ethics, just like his FNM leader.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
November 2011
IN PASSING
U.S. Ambassador Leaves On Tuesday Coming
Barely a month after announcing that she had resigned as Ambassador to The Bahamas for the United States, Nicole Avant is leaving The Bahamas on Tuesday 22nd November. It brings to an end a two year tour of duty. In her farewell press conference on Thursday 17th November she said that she will remember the country fondly; that she expects o visit again from time to time; that she particularly liked her work with the children; that she is confident that the relationship between the countries will be maintained. She sounded tired of the officialdom and that she desperately wants to get back to her private life. We wish her well.
Sir Clifford Darling In Hospital
We reported earlier on this site that Sir Clifford Darling, the retired Governor General, was not well—ailing but comfortable. We now report that he was put into hospital at the Princess Margaret during the past week. It does not appear that he is critical but is in need of twenty four hour care.
The Americans Leave Us Without An Ambassador
Now that Nicole Avant, the U.S. Ambassador is leaving, the question is when will the U.S. appoint a new Ambassador. Given how broken the U.S. government is, we think that it is unlikely that there will be any political head in this country from the U.S. any time soon. That leaves the Embassy in the charge of John Dinkelman who got here barely three months ago. There is a big difference between a political head and one who is a civil servant just holding on for someone. But that has been the lot of American diplomacy since Barrak Obama became President. It appears that he is unable to get nominees through the legislature in the United States as required by law before they can be posted abroad. Our guess is given the fact that an election is coming up in the States, the U.S. President probably has bigger fish to fry than an Ambassador for The Bahamas. This is a pity but that is how life in the U.S. at the moment.
Instead Of A Hospital, We Get A Critical Care Unit
On Wednesday 16th November, the government broke ground for what it called critical care unit, with 12 new operating theatres on the site of the existing Princess Margaret Hospital and eliminating valued parking spaces. They announced that formally that they had abandoned plans to build a new hospital which the Prime Minister said would have been paid for when he sold BTC, the phone company for 210 million dollars earlier in the year. They are instead going to go piece, piece and spend 75 million on this new unit. They plan to put up a new general clinic to stop general patients from going to the emergency room. The problem is that while the arguments they make about funding for a new hospital at 600 million are persuasive, this piece, piece approach is simply not going to cut it. The Prince Margaret Hospital is beyond redemption. It simply is a nasty filthy, disease ridden place which needs to be brought down and replaced. The next government must find a way to replace it. People who rejected the PLP’s National Health Insurance did not see that this is the only way to actually pay for the health care needs of the country. It was the financing mechanism to do so including a new hospital .
D K Duncan Proposing
He was one of the most radical of the ministers in the late Michael Manley’s leftist government in Jamaica. Talked of comrades, cadres and was at one time the Chairman of the Peoples National Party, now the Opposition in Jamaica. Now he is to marry his old boss’ widow. Beverly Manley and D.K. Duncan have been an item for years, living in sin. He is now to make an honest woman of her. She celebrated her 70th birthday last week in Jamaica and he used the occasion to propose to her and she accepted. The photo appeared in the Jamaica Gleaner.
Rev. Jonathan Archer Marries
He is no longer the bachelor priest but now a married man. He married on Saturday 12th November in Eleuthera where he serves as a priest. He was joined on the occasion by PLP Young Liberals Chair Keenan Johnson who posted this photo on his Facebook page.
Antoinette Seymour Is Buried
The mother of PLP Stalwart Councillor Brian Seymour, Antoinette Seymour, was buried in Freeport’s Grand Bahama's Memorial Park II on Saturday 19th November following a service at the Freeport Gospel Chapel. Mrs. Seymour was lionized by her church for her contribution to the life of the church and the civic life of Grand Bahama generally. Net (as she was affectionately called) and after whom was named Antoinette’s Interiors the interior decorating company in Freeport, was 74 years old at the time of her death. She is survived by her husband Felix, a famous hotelier in Freeport and their children: Kirk, Brian, Kevin, Felix Jr., Debbie, Kayla and Karen. One of the grandchildren, Brian’s son Nicholas is also a part of the family business.
Havard Cooper’s Wife Is Buried
Havard Cooper, the industrious Bahamian entrepreneur, who captured the city of Freeport with his example of economic success as the owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King in Freeport, buried his wife Doris on Saturday 19th November. The two were pioneers in the Freeport, dating back to the days of its founder Wallace Groves.
Bradley Roberts Buries His Brother
Condolences to the Chairman of the PLP Bradley Roberts on the passing of his brother Rupert Anthony “Goggles” Roberts. The deceased Mr. Roberts is to be buried in St. Matthew’s Cemetery on Tuesday 22nd November. His funeral service was conducted in Freeport on Saturday 19th September at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife the former Carolyn Frazer and three children: Stacey, Tina and Rupert Anthony Cyril “ Druggie” Roberts IV.
Stalwart Councillors Inducted In Grand Bahama
A banquet for Stalwart Councillors was held in Freeport at the Hilton Outten Convention Centre for Grand Bahama’s stalwart councillors on Saturday evening 19th November. The Leader of the party Perry G. Christie did the honours. Also in attendance Philip Davis MP, Deputy Leader; Fred Mitchell Fox Hill MP, Obie Wilchcombe West End and Bimini MP and Bradley B. Roberts, Party Chairman, Senator Michael Darville, PLP Candidates Greg Moss, Tanisha Tynes and Julia Russell. Among those inducted George Curtis and Brian Seymour, proprietor of Antoinette's Interiors.
Farewell For Charlie Robbins
The people of Bimini held a farewell reception for Charles Robbins, a son of Bimini, who used to the Ministry of Tourism’s office in Bimini. He has reached the mandatory age of retirement. Best wishes to Mr. Robbins for a job well done. Mr. Robbins is regarded with affection in Bimini and at one time was being courted to run for the seat in the House of Assembly.
Will The Lord Save Us From Ignorant Preachers?
With World Aids Day coming up on 1st December; with a major conference on Aids being held in The Bahamas, with the Red Ribbon Ball taking place to assist with money for the victims of Aids, the man who led the fight to save the country from Aids Dr. Perry Gomez reported some stats to the country last week. He spoke of the high serial prevalence of the virus amongst men who have sex with men (MSM). This was the pretext for Bishop Simeon Hall, the Pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church and a leader of the Christian Council, to launch into a rant against homosexual men in the country, saying that they must pray to Jesus to turn from their wicked ways. Later in the week, he must have had second thoughts because he then said that homosexual men should not be demonized. You cannot have it both ways on this. The fact of the original rant is part of the demonizing of homosexual men in The Bahamas. What the country expects from someone in a leadership position like Bishop Hall is not a capitulation on his sense of what is moral or not but to deal with every human phenomenon in a non-judgmental way. The issue is not whether someone is homosexual or not. The issue is risky behavior which leads to disease. When this country stops the hypocrisy on this issue perhaps we can reach the stage where we actually start to see the improvement on the figures. But as long as we keep skulking around in the dark, making high and mighty denunciations about a phenomenon that is as much as part of the human condition as the air we breathe and about which no preacher can do anything to eliminate, it being a biological fact of life, then we will continue to see the pathologies about this disease which leads to risky behavior and the high prevalence that is being reported.
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl + home to return to the top of the page.
|
The College of The Bahamas is the place where the future leaders of the country get their grounding and their training. It was not a surprise then that the PLP thought it fitting to pay a visit there. The first visit was a meet and greet at the basketball court on Tuesday 22nd November on the college campus. The reaction was terrific. Later Perry Christie, the Leader of the PLP went to visit. The video embeds are available below. But for our money, the photo of the week was that of the MPs Melanie Griffin and Fred Mitchell along with PLP candidates Renward Wells and Andre Rollins paying the initial visit to the College of The Bahamas to talk about the security concerns at the campus following the spate of robberies there. The photo is by Aarone Sargent.
|
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE CAT AMONGST THE PIGEONS
Well the issue is to be joined on Tuesday 29th November. The matter of the constituency boundaries for the general election of 2012 will be before the House of Assembly. The question is: what will the PLP do about it? Will they vote for the new boundaries or will they vote against them? You can guess our answer: the PLP must vote against these changes.
The Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has been all over the place trying to make the case of the naked gerrymandering in favour of the ruling party. We like Forrester Carroll below believe that Mr. Ingraham is the author and finisher of this design to reduce the seats from the now 41 to 38. He does not present a compelling case. The only case is that of subjective, naked political power. The law allows it and well we shall see whether the people agree at the end of the day. What we know is that most Prime Ministers have not had much luck on re-drawing lines. Mr. Ingraham had the good fortune to reduce the PLP to six seats in 1997 after his re-drawing lines then and he wants to try his luck again.
This time, we believe that his luck is up, and we hope that the people consign him to a lonely and dreary retirement in Cooper’s Town, Abaco.
Let us summarize his position. He says reducing the number of seats will cut costs. He says that the boundaries are necessary because the people have moved to the southeast and southwest of New Providence. He says that he has moved Ragged Island to Exuma for administrative convenience. The truth is not in him.
He is certainly not serious that he can effect any significant savings by reducing the seats by three. That is a joke. People have moved to the southeast and southwest in New Providence but the variance is less than two thousand votes spread over four constituencies, easily accomplished by minor shifts in the lines to accommodate that movement. As for Ragged Island, that is just naked politics because he thinks the people of Ragged Island will make up an FNM deficit in Exuma. Exuma has almost twice as many votes as Ragged Island and the Exuma Cays which stretch 150 miles, but he proposes to move that from Long Island which is only one island for that MP. No logic there, just naked politics.
The interesting thing about the boundary changes is that the people in the FNM are more upset than the PLP. Kendal Wright, Verna Gant, Ken Russell, Neko Grant, Kenyatta Gibson all sitting MPs had their seats eliminated without any consultation. This set the cat amongst the pigeons. Will they fight back? Will Mr. Wright, Mrs. Grant, Mr. Gibson and the others find the courage to vote no with the PLP on this matter next week?
So PLP find your nerve and vote no next week on these boundaries. Sir Lynden threw the mace out of the window when it was his turn. What will Perry Christie now do?
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 26th November 2011 up to midnight: 140,218
Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 26th November 2011 up to midnight: 490,977
Number of hits for the year 2011 up to Saturday 26th November 2011 up to midnight: 7,684,019
FRED MITCHELL ON REPORTED 20 MIL MISSING FUNDS
The Nassau Guardian reported at the start of last week that the National Emergency Management Agency reported that there was 20 million dollars of funds missing dating back to the hurricanes from 2004 to 2006. The report was based on remarks made by Stephen Russell, on secondment from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, who runs NEMA. Fred Mitchell MP responded on the part of the Progressive Liberal Party:
Published: Thursday November 24th, 2011
As a former member of the Cabinet of the last government, I take grave offence at the recently planted suggestion by a public official that 20 million dollars of funding for hurricane relief went missing. The suggestion is patently absurd. It is so absurd that it should be ignored and put in the scrap heap where it belongs. This the reason why so many of our supporters believe that public servants are now confusing their roles and acting as political operatives. The statement was a serious tactical error on the part of that public official.
I am certain that the facts will show that 20 million dollars is not missing. It did not go down a hole. How does 20 million dollars go missing? It cannot. You might argue that the records do not reflect accurately how it was spent, but the statement was made with the innuendo that somehow there was some malfeasance in public office. It becomes part of the usual mantra of an increasingly desperate FNM: blame the PLP for everything.
I experienced this before where the Auditor General made similar remarks about the use of public funds in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during my time as minister when in fact the only issue was the fact that the public officials did not on the particular day the Auditor General's staff showed up did not have their documentation in order. There were no missing funds.
The government must now lead. This is no time to blame the PLP. Just do your job instead of spinning nonsense and propaganda in the streets because it is election season. As for Branville McCartney MP and leader of the DNA, he ought to be ashamed of himself for the remarks made in this morning's press about this matter. Having separated himself from the Ingraham administration, to now join in this foolishness is simply beyond belief. That too is why many see the DNA as a stalking horse for the FNM.
HENRY BOSTWICK’S SPEECH IS A SCORCHER
Some might well have asked: whose side is he on? Henry Bostwick Q.C. the consort of the Deputy to the Governor General Janet Bostwick, the former FNM Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke to the dinner put on by the Eugene Dupuch Law School and delivered an address in which he pronounced his difficulties with recent legislation passed by the FNM administration on crime. The speech was delivered on Saturday 20th November. Here is the excerpt from the speech.
MITCHELL ON THE BOUNDARIES
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill issued the following excerpt from his address on his life’s work on Tuesday 22nd November at Chef Chea’s. He said that Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister, who had attacked Mr. Mitchell’s position on the boundaries, was wrong. We present the insert:
Finally, I wish to say that a general election is upon us. You know that the seats in the Assembly have been reduced. You know that I oppose the reduction in the seats or any changes at all in the number of seats. The Prime Minister in a most unfortunate statement claimed inter alia that the ideas on the issue of not reducing the seat were nonsensical and spread in his words by “one Fred Mitchell”. How easy it is to seek to denigrate your opponent by dehumanizing him. It says so much about what is wrong with us today? But I’m a big boy so no problem.
What was patently offensive was the suggestion that the ideas that I advanced were to protect lazy MPs, some people thought he might even have been saying that about me. If so, he is not serious.
Let me say it this way. When you lead a country, you have to learn to listen to what people say. Even your enemies. I make it a point to know what even my enemies are saying about me. Who knows it may just be true? And if it is true then perhaps it is something I can do to improve and help myself.
I have argued to the younger politicians that they must make it an axiom of their lives to approach politics as a neutral activity: you serve all people. Not to be judgmental but to serve.
One thing that I believe you have to do, is you have to listen, not react with blind rage and prejudice because you happen not to like someone. The Prime Minister says the ideas are nonsensical. What he really means is that he does not agree with them? He has no idea whether they are nonsensical because he does not listen.
You be the judge. My point is this: in the absence of local government in New Providence, where the roads, cemeteries, sidewalks, over grown lots, water and power issues are dealt with by someone else, then you should leave the seats as they are. There is no compelling growth in New Providence which would cause there to be any changes in the number of seats either up or down. Just leave them as they are with slight changes to account from small shifts in populations the South West and South East of New Providence.
The only reason the seats are being changed is for partisan political reasons. The law allows this. I do not agree with it but it may be lawful. However, let’s not dress it up and call it something which it isn't. It is a naked exercise of power to gerrymander districts in favour of the ruling party. There is no objective reason for doing so. The facts do not support the case being made by the Prime Minister.
I give you these examples:
Long Island has 1450 electors up to last week. Exuma has 2376 electors up to last week. Why then would the Commission take the voters from Ragged Island (a maximum of fifty or so) who have been with Long island for ten years and move them to Exuma. I give you one guess. The feeling is that most voters in Ragged Island are FNM voters and since the PLP won the Exuma seat by just over sixty votes in the last election, the Ragged Island FNM votes will defeat the PLP or so the majority party thinks. However, my point is that the objective evidence does not support the move.
Second example. My seat in Fox Hill has 3947 electors up to last week. North Abaco, the seat of the Prime Minister has 3437 electors. But he also has Town Committees, District Councils which deal with local government issues from Crown Haven to Dundas and Murphy Town. He does not have to deal with any local government issue. Only policy matters. That is the MPs principal job: policy matters. Why then does it mean by his logic that the New Providence MP is lazy when it is suggested that in the absence of additional support, you should leave the seats at the same number—not add, not subtract, just leave them the same.
I leave it there. You decide for yourself. My point is the Prime Minister should simply admit that his is a power play. Not try to dress it up in cost savings and other nonsense.
I thank you all for coming out tonight.
It is an enormous privilege for me and an honour
God bless you! God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
End
SAVE THE RUNNING DATE
Click here for more details
FILM ON SIR LYNDEN ON THE WINGS OF MEN
FRED MITCHELL SPEAKS ABOUT HIS LIFE AND WORK
On Tuesday 22nd November Fred Mitchell MP spoke about his life’s work including the work as Minister of Foreign Affairs and some bits about the history of The Bahamas the journey to national sovereignty and independence at Chef Chea’s on Dowdeswell Street. You may click here for the full address.
PYL GRAND BAHAMA
Allison Smith took this photo of Tristan Lockhart, President of the Grand Bahama Young Liberals as he served up Thanksgiving Lunch for the needy in Grand Bahama.
FORMAL RENAMING OF PLP HEADQUARTERS
This afternoon at 3 p.m. the Women’s Branch of the PLP has organized the formal re-naming of the PLP’s headquarters from Gambier House to the Lynden Pindling Centre. The keynote address will be delivered by Perry Christie, the MP for Farm Road and Centreville and Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill will speak about George Mackey, the late MP whose idea it was to create the centre in Sir Lynden’s honour. The Chair of the Women’s Branch of New Providence is Manita Wisdom, wife of former Sports Minister Neville Wisdom. Dame Marguerite Pindling, the widow of Sir Lynden will unveil a plaque to mark the occasion.
MITCHELL: MUSEUM AND ANTIQUITIES BILL
We present the video of the House of Assembly presentation of Fred Mitchell MP on the Museum and Antiquities Bill. The legislation was a small amendment to the main act which facilitates the protection of the underwater cultural heritage of the country. The running time is about 30 minutes. It was delivered on Monday 14th November. The video embed is by C. Allen Johnson.
THE PLP ON THE FAILURE OF THE FNM ON MORTGAGES
The following statement was issued by the Progressive Liberal Party on Friday 25th November in response to reports that the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation with 80 per cent of its loans in default is about to foreclose on Bahamian homeowners. Senator Duane Sands is the Chairman of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation.:
Published: Friday November 25th, 2011
Today, the Bahamian Dream is being tested by a home mortgage crisis that is not only further threatened by mismanagement and instability of our economy but also the failure of this government to prioritize investment in people, their homes, families and neighborhoods.
It was revealed yesterday by Prime Minister Ingraham and Bahamas Mortgage Corporation Chairman and FNM Senator Dr. Duane Sands during an interview, that almost 40% of mortgages are in arrears and the BMC will likely take a loss of almost $80 million. It is an unfortunate crisis that strikes at the heart of the middle class and the working class: the homes in which we invest our savings, build our lives, raise our families, and plant roots in our communities.
The PLP maintains, that in the face of a recession, rather than ensuring Bahamians are kept employed and small businesses fortified through tax amnesty or reliefs, this FNM government has continued to place priority on infrastructure and road development, further impacting the loss of jobs of Bahamians and its burdening impact on Small Business owners and their employees.
Too many Bahamians have been laid off and Bahamian businesses closed down due to obstructed access to their businesses, increased taxes, continued road works without consultation and hundreds of millions of dollars invested in buildings and foreign companies, further taking the stimulus impact outside of our economy.
The Bahamian Dream has been shattered by this government and many Bahamians have shared their personal experiences of this crisis. Their hardship and heartbreak is a reminder that while this impact is vast, it begins just one house – and one family – at a time.
With the economy in such a challenged state and as credit has dried up, it has been harder for families to find affordable loans to purchase a car or pay tuition and harder for businesses to secure the capital they need to expand and create jobs.
In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis. And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to deepen – a crisis which is unraveling Bahamian homeownership, the middle class, the working class, and the Bahamian Dream itself.
The PLP believes that we must act boldly and swiftly to arrest this downward spiral, the government must seek every avenue to assist Bahamians rather than evict them from homes. The mortgage crisis must be viewed in a larger context. A lost home often begins with a lost job. Many businesses have laid off workers for a lack of revenue and over-taxation, which results in unavailable capital. Credit has become scarce as the markets have been overwhelmed by the collapse of securities backed by failing mortgages. In the end, the home mortgage crisis, the rising number of unemployed Bahamians, and the failed economic strategy of this government are interconnected.
ROSCOE THOMPSON MAKES AN INTERESTING APPEAL
Friday 25th November, Roscoe Thompson III, the candidate for the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), for South Abaco posted on his Facebook page this comment about politics. Sounds like he is a bit frustrated. Don’t get weary now:
I sit here and listen to everyone express concerns about the FNM, PLP, DNA and other political parties; what I don't understand is we are Bahamians and can't see past political issues. I was telling a good friend today it bothers me to see what this country has come to. On one hand, the FNM puts down the PLP and the DNA; the PLP puts down the FNM and DNA, and the DNA puts down the PLP and FNM. When are we going to come together and take care of the Bahamas and deal with issues at hand: Crime, Immigration, Jobs, Education, etc? The PLP has been there and so has the FNM. Both parties have made strides in some of these areas. I am not saying the DNA is the answer to everything, so don't get me wrong. I see us as Bahamians bickering amongst ourselves. This has to stop, so we can move this country forward. You can't tell me that the PM and the Leader of the opposition can't put their political differences aside and come together for the Bahamian people. There has to be a compromise somewhere in all of this. In five years we will be going through this all again: one side saying one thing, and the other side saying another -- while Bahamians suffer. ( Photo of Roscoe Thompson III with his leader of the DNA Branville McCartney from his Facebook page)
In the week, the Progressive Liberal Party sent delegations to the campus of the College of The Bahamas to meet with students at the College to discuss their issues. The first delegation went on Tuesday 22nd November led by Fred Mitchell PLP MP for Fox Hill. He was joined by Melanie Griffin PLP MP for Yamacraw, Renward Wells, PLP candidate for Bamboo Town and the PLP’s candidate for Ft. Charlotte Andre Rollins. The second delegation was led by the Leader of the Party Perry G. Christie. Mr. Christie was accompanied by Renward Wells, PLP candidate for Bamboo Town, Tanisha Tynes, PLP candidate for East Grand Bahama and Khaalis Rolle, PLP candidate for Pinewood. The video embeds are by PLP Media.
FRED MITCHELL, MELANIE GRIFFIN AND RYAN PINDER ON THE ENVIRONMENT
This is the video of the press conference held on Friday 18th November at the Fox Hill Parade to deal with the environment. The video contains statements by Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill, Melanie Griffin MP for Yamacraw and Ryan Pinder MP for Elizabeth.
FRANK SMITH SAYS I AM RUNNING WHERE MY PEOPLE ARE
The following statementwas issued by Frank Smith MP in response to reports in The Punch about where he would run following the announced boundary changes:
Press Statement
by
Frank Smith, MP
St. Thomas More
26th November 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
I found that the article in Thursday’s Punch (24 November) captioned “Smith compelled to run in FNM safe seat of Montagu” made for rather amusing reading. If ‘compelled’ is a term to be used it should reflect the fact that I represent some of the finest people living in The Bahamas and, that I have no desire to leave them, nor do I have any reason to believe that they wish me to leave.
Yes, I am compelled to stay; and, yes, I look forward to the honour of representing the wonderful people of the extended St. Thomas More Constituency by whatever name it is to be referred to as. The new delineation includes some communities which I had the honour to represent during my first term in the House of Assembly. The new additions also include the communities from the eastern side of Kemp Road as well those communities bordering on Village Road, East Bay Street and Bernard Road. I look forward to representing these wonderful people following the next election.
Another consideration is the fact that the twelve polling divisions from the present St. Thomas More to be included in the new constituency represent some two-thirds of the total number of citizens of the new boundaries. Therefore, this is where I belong. I consider it a joyful happenstance that I will be the candidate for the Progressive Liberal Party in a constituency where the people who are residents wish to have me and where I wish to be.
Yes, there have been offers made to run elsewhere; but, here I am and here I will remain and it is from this area that I plan to ensure that the PLP will count this seat as one of those which will be a part of the next PLP government.
When I joined the Progressive Liberal Party, I became a part of an organisation which practised the democracy it preached and which exists to serve people with respect and dignity. Citizens should contrast this with the party of the Prime Minister which, on the basis of a crass desire to retain political power, have sought to destroy community ties in the apparent hope of sowing discord by shifting constituency boundaries for almost all of New Providence’s constituencies. Their nefarious plan will not work for, to quote an FNM spokesperson, “lines don’t vote- people do”. And, vote they will- for the PLP.
My political office is where it has been for ten years, and where it will continue to be, in order to serve those most in need more effectively.
The people of St. Thomas More and I have become as members of a family. I rededicate myself to them and offer the same to the wonderful people who live in those parts of Montagu and Marathon who will join us. I welcome back Okra Hill, Balls Alley, Paradise Island, and The Pond. I welcome Blair, Little Blair, South East Kemp Road, Village Road, Tuckaway, Bernard Road, East Bay Street, and Highland Terrace.
May God Bless and Keep you.
The Leader of The Opposition Perry G. Christie spent time talking to College of The Bahamas students on Thursday 24th November. The response was rapturous. The photos of himself and candidates Khaalis Rolle, Tanisha Tynes and Renward Wells are by Aarone Sargent.
BAHAMIAN AT LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS RESPONDS TO BISHOP SIMEON HALL ON HOMOSEXUALITY
The following article first appeared on bahamasweekly.com. We have been reporting for two weeks on statements made by Bishop Simeon Hall, former Christian Council President, on homosexuality arising out of recent Aids statistics released by the Aids Secretariat in Nassau. On Tuesday 22nd November, Dr. Perry Gomez who leads the anti HIV/AIDS fight in The Bahamas told the Nassau Guardian the following with regard to Bishop Hall's comments: that homosexuality is anti -family and a non productive and deadly practice.
Dr Gomez said: "Stigmitizaton and discrimination play a major role in why HIV/AIDS rates are so high in gay and lesbian groups in The Bahamas. ( said to be eight per cent serial prevalence in men who sleep with men (MSM) , twice
the rate of there 2008 statistics). I don't think it helps ( Hall's comments), particularly the timing of it coinciding with this conference but you live in a free society and you have to go with the flow . The issue with MSMs is that they are a very private group. It has been difficult in getting information from that group of people over the years and part of the issue is stigma and discrimination. So we have our own part to play in how we perceive people and we have to be more tolerant as individuals in societies that not everybody is alike and there will be differences.. Why rates may be higher with them is because we as other members of society stigmatize and discriminate against them, and so it's not easy for them to seek care and help. So the best way to feed the epidemic is to segregate people and make it difficult for them to get help and so it goes on. Eventually there will be more openness and acceptance of people for who they are. The tide is turning." We thought that the article by Mr. Gaskins was also instructive:
Doublespeak and Sacred Errors: HIV/AIDS and the Bishop
By Joseph Gaskins
Nov 25, 2011 - 8:11:29 AM
Bishop Hall,
I’m going to make this quick because I hadn’t planned writing about you or HIV/AIDS this week. I had a pretty good piece coming up on Prime Minister Ingraham’s call for a “culture of peace”. So here’s what I’ll do. I’m going to summarize what you’ve said over the last week, explain to you why you’re wrong, and show you why being wrong is dangerous. I have no intention of challenging the infallibility of the Bible, or your faith, but I have every intention of pointing out your fallibility. And, while I have in the past questioned the rationale of “the Church” in the Bahamas, its place in governance and its right to dictate morals, there are larger questions at stake here. For me, this is about the preservation of human life not the general enjoyment I get out of highlighting how boisterous piousness is usually attended by blatant hypocrisies.
From your statement to the Tribune and your address at the apparently non-sectarian Rotary Club of West Nassau we can gather the general tenor of your position on these issues. Homosexuality in your own words is anti-family, non-productive, abnormal and essentially deadly. Homosexuals, because they cannot reproduce, recruit children. Homosexuals, instead, should get help under the healing “umbrella” of the church, whose corrective power will return the homosexual man to the head of family; otherwise the very stability of our society is in peril. Despite this you’ve decided to not demonize them and you urge “homophobic clergy” not to do the same. In short, you imply “the homosexual” is a family destroying, abnormal, disease carrying bogeyman that will snatch up your children if you let them.
Perhaps this is a question out of vain curiosity, but if this isn’t demonizing then what is? And, in the world of Simeon Hall is it “Opposites Day” all year round? (in case you didn’t get the Sesame Street reference ) This is doublespeak, pure and simple. Gays and lesbians aren’t some secret society of deviants, they are busy counting your money in banks, packing your groceries in food stores, keeping your power on and fighting crime in your neighborhoods—trying to earn a wage, provide for those they love and live their lives as they choose.
You are right in saying homosexual relationships are generally non-(re)productive, but to call it anti-family is a statement of opinion, not a logical conclusion or a fact. Because one can produce children does not mean one is automatically pro-family—I have a feeling multitudes of Bahamian women doing their best to manage single parent homes can attest to that fact. By suggesting that the restorative healing power of the church can miraculously return gay men to the family, highlights the failure of the church to keep heterosexual men in the home. We do know that there are places where gay and lesbian families exist and that research shows the children in these families display no signs of deficient social, academic or total competence. A cursory search on Google would’ve made that clear, or is Google also anti-family?
Given what we know of teen pregnancy (and your deafening silence on this issue) perhaps the idea of sex sans reproduction is something we should do a better job cultivating among our youth. And since you’ve opened the door to willy-nilly conjecture, I think that if your concern is with fixing the Bahamian family, it makes more sense to focus on the obvious heterosexual majority’s part in its disintegration, instead of singling out an almost invisible minority. I have a few thoughts about why you’ve failed to do so, but this is about your statements, not tithes and offerings.
Your assertion that homosexuals are in the business of recruiting children because they cannot reproduce would be laughable if the implications weren’t so serious. The attempt to qualify that statement by saying we should take all cases of child molestation seriously was nothing more than a nudge and a wink to your audience. With rhetorical sleight of hand, non-reproducing homosexuals (which, for you, mean all) are potential pedophiles, but the heterosexual pedophile is articulated as an abnormality. Never mind the obvious, problematic and fallacious conflation of homosexuality and pedophilia (which is explored here ), how did you even come up with that? Is making statements without any factual basis modus operandi in the world of Simeon Hall?
I could be wrong, but I’d guess that the vast majority of sexual abuse cases reported in the Bahamas involve older men and young girls, as is the case with your brother in the cloth, Bishop Earl Fraser. And, since I can’t seem to find any study based in empirical evidence to support your claim, I’m going to assume you’ve come to this conclusion through your experiences and the media—anecdotal evidence. I too have come to a conclusion via anecdotal evidence from which I will make generalization: preachers most vocally against homosexuality have their own sexual skeletons in the closet . With a little anecdotal evidence one can make all kinds of otherwise unfounded assertions. For credibility’s sake one is often cautioned against it and errors proceeding from the mouths of the sanctified are not truer simply because of where they originate.
The reasoning for all of your doublespeak, these fallacies, errors wrapped in swaddling sacred cloth, is to bring homosexuals back to the church, transform them into heterosexuals so as to lessen their chances of contracting HIV/AIDS. This is specifically for men who have sex with men. Compared to both heterosexuals and men who have sex with men, lesbians have the smallest chance of contracting the virus. In fact, as this article at GlobalChristian.org points out, HIV/AIDS rates among Christian populations world-wide remain higher than Muslim populations for example. To use your own words, “Using any measurement, that’s call for alarm.” Can you blame me if I’m not convinced by your circuitous logic? I am tempted to suggest that if the point is avoiding HIV, instead of becoming heterosexual Christians, we should all become Muslim lesbians. A bit of a contradiction—I’m aware—but not much more than the “non-demonization via demonization” you’ve been going on about in the papers.
Either way, when it comes to preventing the transmission of HIV, sexuality doesn’t matter, but sex does. For all your “runnin’ on” about anti-family, unproductive, child molesting bogeymen, I’ve yet to see you advocate for safe sex education and access to condoms for all sexually active Bahamians. Now there’s a plan we can get in on together.
As this Tribune article points out, our youth are having sex and they don’t know how to have it safely, or where to get information. Imagine what it must be like for homosexuals, who may want to seek advice, help or information after being categorized as abnormal, unnatural, pedophilic and liable to cause the destruction of our very nation. All the research shows that by stigmatizing homosexuals you encourage the spread of HIV (one example of a study done in Jamaica is but anything by Dr. Robert Carr is good). That is a fact, sir. You silence these men with your uninformed rhetoric, and with your authority as a man of God. You foreclose on the possibility of rational dialogue within our society concerning a growing problem which affects us all. If I weren’t a man of hope, I’d say you’re either willfully ignorant or perniciously manipulative, which are not good qualities to have as a leader.
I’m twenty-five years old and I know far too many people, heterosexual and homosexual, who are courageously fighting against HIV/AIDS to stay healthy and alive. I’m also too young to be spending my nights writing letters to grown men asking them to think before they speak. I’m not trying to suggest you’re not a good minister or that you are a bad person. All I’m saying is, you don’t know what you’re talking about and it’s dangerous. So, how about we make a deal? I won’t preach in your pulpit if you agree to let the HIV/AIDS service providers, which are trained in this area, do their jobs. In the meantime, do me a favor and tell your congregation to add a little Jesus to their Christianity. Lay off the judgment and show a little respect. You don’t hear the gays going around saying, “I hate those disgusting, abusive, fornicating and adulterous, divorcing, anti-family heterosexuals causing crime, starting wars and abandoning their children in their tacky clothes.” Just something to think about…
Best regards,
Joey
Joey Gaskins is a graduate of Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY with a BA in Politics. He was born in Grand Bahama Island and is currently studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) where he has attained his MSc in Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies and has begun a Doctoral Degree in Sociology. Joey also writes for the Nassau Liberal www. nassauliberal. webs.com . You can reach him at j.gaskins@lse.ac.uk
GLENYS HANNA MARTIN HOSTS ENGLERFEST
The annual Englerfest took place at the Park on Lincoln Boulevard on Saturday evening 26th
November hosted by Englerston's PLP MP Glenys Hanna Martin. The artists all turned out
to celebrate with her: Sosaman, Maureen Duvalier, Funky D, Ancient Man Puzzell and Bo Dean.
Her Parliamentary colleagues joined her including Obie Wilchcombe, Fred Mitchell and party
Leader Perry G. Christie. The photos are by Peter Ramsay.
THANKSGIVING SERVICE IN FOX HILL
The Member of Parliament Fred Mitchell for Fox Hill sponsored the annual Thanksgiving dinner for the Senior Citizens in Fox Hill
on Thursday 24th November at the home of Julian Edgecombe. The brief service was conducted by Rev. J. Carl Rahmibng of
St. Paul's Baptist Church Fox Hill. The photos are by Dennis Fountain
THE FIGHT IN THE FNM IS ON IN EARNEST
The latest talk is that not one FNM incumbent will open their mouths to tell the leader of the FNM Hubert Ingraham that they will not go.
The wiord is that Hubert Ingraham has told them all: Kenneth Russell, Neko Grant, Verna Grant, Kendal Wright
are all to go. Mr. Ingraham said reportedly to them that he had a five year deal with them and they simply have to go and make way.
In Fox Hill, the local constituency association is furious that Shonel Ferguson, the former athlete, has been imposed upon them and Senator Jacinta Higgs is not to be given the chance to fight again. The Seantor has exhausted all her resources trying to keep the FNM alive in Fox Hill but when she showed up at teh Seante in the funny hat at teh last opening of Parliament, the Prime MInister decided she had to go. She too is drinking the kool aid willingly it appears. Stay tuned.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
This week Forester Carroll writes from Freeport that the whole exercise on constituency boundaries was crafted by the Prime Minister. He argues that the FNM will lose all the same. He says that: “the FNM has had a plan for dredging; a plan for dogs; a plan for turtles; a plan for sharks; a plan for promoting foreigners, over Bahamians, to high positions in government; a plan to sell all our assets to foreigners; and a plan to give away the road and dock building contracts to lousy foreigners but have had no plans, whatsoever, for promotion and betterment of Bahamians.”:
From the outset, let me state empathically that, as far as I am concerned, the Boundaries Commission is Hubert Ingraham and Hubert Ingraham is, in fact, the Boundaries Commission. The proposed butchering of constituency lines was done in the Prime Minister’s office no doubt, with a Vodka straight-up near by. It would be most naive for anyone to believe that Brent Symonnette; Charles Maynard; Tommy Turnquest and or Alvin Smith had any input on these proposals. The composition of the commission was put together, and named, simply to fulfill the requirements of the constitution and for no other reason. I submit that Hubert Ingraham gave Brent and Tommy their orders (well in advance) to rubber stamp his proposals; they were not permitted to input any ideas, they may have had, and as a matter of fact, neither of the two men would know what to do anyway; I am convinced that both these two are so DUMB that neither of them even knows where their own constituency lines begin and end.
When the PLP formed the government, after the 1967 general elections, it was done so with a coalition of PLP; Labor and Independent MPs; all coming together to give the PLP its first government. There were 38 house seats, at the time; being the minimum stipulated by the constitution. In that contest the PLP won 18 seats; the UBP won 18; labor won a seat and one Independent won. Just after the results were certified the jockeying, (by the UBP and the PLP), began in earnest for the support of (Sir Randal Fawkes) labor and (Sir Alvin Braynen) Independent. The PLP won the contest finally, after a couple days of negotiations and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Realizing the certain challenges in store for his new one-seat majority government, Sir Lynden Pindling wasted no time and began preparing the country, immediately, for general elections to be held the following year. In 1968 the country went back to the polls and this time the PLP was given a clear mandate to govern comfortably. I explained, what occurred back then, to support the PLP’s view that an even number of seats is a complete foolish idea. My view is that the Bay Street Mercantile group of elected House Members maintained the 38 seat compliment, prior to 1967, for the simple reason that up to that time the even number of seats in the Chamber presented no challenges to the constitution; there was never a question of them not winning a clear majority of the seats in the parliament. They always won with a large majority of members who were sympathetic to their Bay Street Views. The PLP maintained, all the while however, that an odd number of parliamentary seats made more sense; was more prudent, due to it guaranteeing the avoidance of a constitutional crisis and so at the first opportunity the PLP government changed the seat compliment to reflect what made good, practical common sense.
Only a drunkard, in my view, would make the decision to retreat to a position where it could thrust the country into an unnecessary crisis. It makes no good sense to do what Ingraham and the FNM have done here. It indicates (to me at least) the lack of prudence which has permeated (and still does) most of the decisions this government has made, over the 15 years they have governed the country in total, since their first crack at governance in 1992. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see the wisdom in having the parliamentary compliment of seats structured in such a way so as to avoid a constitutional crisis. Why not 39 or leave it at 41 either of these numbers would avoid the possibility of a repeat of the 1967 situation when the UBP and the PLP each won 18 seats with labor (Sir Randal Fawkes) and Independent (Sir Alvin Braynen) each winning a seat. Governments can always play with the numbers, from one election to another, but why intentionally put the country, at risk, in the precarious position of a possible constitutional crisis, I ask again? I expected Ingraham to make some changes (whether necessary or not) but to go this route is ludicrous. In the event of a tie, (19 PLP and 19 FNM), between the two contesting political parties, what do we do then in order to form a government? Who would, in the circumstances, be empowered to form the government? Why knowingly create this possible scenario, which could thrust the country into a stupid, unnecessary, precarious dilemma?
I see three things which, in my view, Ingraham is attempting to achieve by his eliminating some constituencies and creating others; (1) by changing the lines, from those which currently delineates the constituency of Marco City, he is attempting to save Zhivargo Laing from getting the biggest, cruelest, meanest and most painful cut behind he would ever get in his lifetime (he will get his behind cut, anyway); (2) by eliminating the names of Eight Mile Rock, High Rock, Lucaya, Clifton and Kennedy he is effectively firing those FNM incumbents; he is telling each of them that the FNM doesn’t want them anymore and that they have no more status as incumbents; that if they wish to remain in the game they will now have to apply, like any other new applicant to the candidates committee of the FNM party, for consideration for the new named constituencies and we all know who controls that particular committee, don’t we? Effectively, then, we can consider Neko Grant, Kenneth Russell, Sarah Palin (Verna Grant), Kendal Wright, Kenyatta Gibson and, as well, Loretta Butler-Turner fired; (3) and he is trying, as best he can, to screw-up things for the PLP, of course. What he doesn’t seem to get, however, is that no matter how he cuts up the boundaries, or re-draw the lines, he cannot mess-up things for the PLP. He doesn’t (as yet) comprehend the deep rooted hatred that the Bahamian people harbour for him and the FNM. He hasn’t gotten (as yet) the fact that the FNM’s base support-the very foundation of the party-has been receding, eroding and crumbling rapidly, so much so that more than 75% of registered voters, in the country, say they want nothing to do with Ingraham nor the FNM. What the piss-head hasn’t gotten (as yet) is that Fifty per cent (50%) of the FNM’s support (nationally) has taken flight, leaving support for his party (nationally) at below 25% of what it enjoyed in past elections. In Grand Bahama it is even worse than that (for the FNM) where only 17% of registered voters are saying, “though Ingraham slay me and treat me like a dog, still I will support him and his party;” 83% has said, in a recent survey, that “to hell with both of them (Ingraham and the FNM).” And so, I submit that, butchering up the boundaries will not help the FNM in the least. The damage to the economy and the damage done to the lives of 90% of ordinary Bahamians to date, has taken its toll and there is no redemption for Hubert Ingraham, neither Zhivargo Laing nor any of the rest of his band of FNM misfits. They have wrecked the economy and this is the basis on which the election will be fought; “The economy STUPID” is what the focus will be, in this election. On this issue the Christie-led PLP will win every time. Ingraham’s attitude, when dealing with Bahamians, and his bad behavior, during the last five years, has been nothing short of disgraceful. To say that Bahamians have been marginalized under this FNM Administration would be saying it very mildly. The man’s policies have simply destroyed the lives and careers of the entire population; no one has escaped the deadly hand of this Mugabe-like Tyrant and does he really expect to win this or any other election in this country? He must think that all Bahamians are complete Jackasses like those few, he dictates to every day, in his party.
All that Ingraham has touched, to date, has turned into a nightmare for us Bahamians. Ninety per cent of the Bahamian population has been affected, adversely, by his mongrelizing the office of prime minister. Even the road construction, which would ordinarily be a good thing, turns out to be one of the century’s worse nightmares, for thousands of Bahamians. When one considers the inconvenience for persons, trying to get to work and having to get up hours earlier than usual (in the mornings) because of them having to drive (first) in an easterly direction in order to get to where they work; somewhere in the west, and vice-versa for many. Also the many businesses which have actually gone bust-gone out of business-because of the road construction? Road building in the country has never had this kind of drastic affect on the lives of Bahamians and then the hundreds (and maybe even thousands) of Bahamians who have lost their jobs and livelihoods because of the road mess created by Hubert Ingraham. You can go right on down the list of Bahamian families and you will see that we have all been affected, negatively, by the acts and deeds of this clueless FNM Administration. These suckers can’t even build a couple roadways without putting Bahamians out of business and or out of their employment? While Ingraham made all the decisions Neko Grant, on the other hand, will take all the blame and go down in Bahamian history as the worse cabinet minister, with folio, ever. This has not been a period which we would wish to remember, for any length of time. In this election, I would venture to say, boundary cuts will be the least of Ingraham’s problems. With the signing of the contract for work to be done to the PMH Hospital; Ingraham has now begun his vote buying tricks. He tried it in the Elizabeth by-election campaign but it didn’t work and now I can tell him that his chances of winning many seats are worse today. Bahamian voters are acutely aware that within the last four plus years (and even during their previous two five-year terms) the FNM has had a plan for dredging; a plan for dogs; a plan for turtles; a plan for sharks; a plan for promoting foreigners, over Bahamians, to high positions in government; a plan to sell all our assets to foreigners; and a plan to give away the road and dock building contracts to lousy foreigners but have had no plans, whatsoever, for promotion and betterment of Bahamians. This attitude has plagued all FNM Administrations, to date, and this is why Bahamians are so marginalized and emasculated. Ingraham told us what he thought of Bahamians; either we can’t run anything (like he said of us in connection with the possible sale of BTC to Bahamians and the TV Cable monopoly 15 years ago) or that (Ingraham’s words; not mine); “Bahamians want to own every damn thing,” unquote.
The PLP’s deputy leader (the only PLP member on the commission) refused to sign off on the foolishness recommended. He made the point that the number of seats should not have been changed and that any changes should not have involved going from an odd number of seats to an even. It is patently clear that Ingraham and the FNM are desperate. Davis maintained that there was no legitimate reason to change the seating or the boundary lines; no reasonable excuse, he said, can be given by the majority on the commission, for what they have recommended. Obviously they do not wish to lose the election and so will say anything and obviously do anything to promote their chances for a winning strategy. At the same time Ingraham is hoping that, if the FNM is not able to gerrymander sufficiently to win the elections then at least he (Ingraham) would want to save the monthly income for a couple of his MPs, one of whom being his favorite boy Zhivargo Laing. The changes, to the boundary lines in Grand Bahama, have resulted in a total screw up for (especially) Sarah Palin (Verna Grant), Neko Grant and of course Kenneth Russell. These three FNM MPs, I am told, are red hot as a cayenne pepper; they are bitchy angry at Hubert, right about now, but don’t have the GUTS to tell him about his foul backside.
Mr. Pierre Dupuch was right on target when he wrote, in a recent letter to the press, that this piece of gerrymandering, by the FNM, makes whatever Sir Lynden and the PLP were ever accused of doing (way back when) look like school boys in short pants. The FNM finds such comfort in “serial lying” that they have trained themselves to forget what truth is. For Ingraham It matters not whether a story is true or not, for if a lie achieves his objective then a lie it will be. He reminds me of Newt Gingrich, that flip-flopping former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, who is desperately trying to secure the Presidential nomination for the Republican party for the 2012 race for the White House; the man simply cannot remember what his position was, from one interview to the next. Ingraham tried to blame the PLP for leaking the commission’s report, on the proposals, when in fact it was Ingraham’s friends who leaked it; the objective being to ascertain the public’s response on the changes, he proposed, before going to parliament and having the changes rubber-stamped. I despise a deceiving, jackass liar who blames everybody else (but himself) for the mess he and his government have gotten us into. Carl Bethel was right about one thing and that is that boundary lines don’t vote; people do and the people will speak, loudly with their votes, come 2012.
The fallout from this action (by Ingraham) will have a worse affect on the FNM than on the PLP. There are at least three sitting FNM members of parliament who are foaming at the mouth (as I said earlier) over the fact that Ingraham has chosen to eliminate their constituencies without even the courtesy of first meeting with them and informing them of these proposals. In addition there are at least four others, of his MPs, who are upset at the redistricting of their constituencies as well, without being afforded the courtesy of a meeting prior. There is (I’ll bet you) much confusion in the FNM camp right about now. We are all privy to an e-mail, being circulated, where Sarah Palin (Verna Grant) wrote to Brent Symonnette wanting to know if the FNM doesn’t want her anymore. Brent claimed he never received her e-mail but confirmed that the e-mail, it was sent to, was in fact his address. He was not being rank of course, just like we do not believe him about the number of citizenships he gave out within the last few months. Ms. Palin (Grant) told of how her mother, who is 83 years old, switched from her long standing support for the PLP to supporting her daughter and she wanted Symonette to tell her if this is the appreciation her mother gets for reluctantly supporting the FNM? It is amazing how Ingraham gets away with pissing, and crapping, all over this cowardly crew of ENUCHS, in his party, and none have the testicles to tell him about his foul behind. He used Malcolm Adderley then dumped him; prior to that he used smart-arse Kenyatta Gibson then dumped him; Kendal Wright who, in fact, opposed the sale of 51% of BTC to Lime, I am told, allowed Ingraham to use him, as well, to actually table the Legislation for the sale, among widespread speculation that Ingraham had planned on eliminating his Clifton seat; Sarah Palin (Verna Grant) who attempted to have a conversation with Ingraham (her leader) in the Smoking Room of the Assembly was insulted not once but twice, by the man, yet she couldn’t see from his attitude then that he didn’t want her anymore; Carl Bethel, whose mother, am told, hates Ingraham’s guts, is foaming at the mouth at the changes being made to his area, as well. After being fired from the cabinet, one would have thought that he would have had the guts to tell Ingraham to kiss his pale-faced rear-end, and leave the party, but not this spineless wimp. The jacklegs, named above, are not men and women; they are mice.
When Charles Maynard made his deal to become an FNM, in exchange for the promise of a nomination for a seat on that party’s ticket, he informed me (after his meeting with Ingraham) that Ingraham was somewhat anxious to have me accept a nomination from his party as well. Ingraham’s deal with Charles and Phenton, as was told me, was that he was prepared to give our group the choice of six constituencies within which to run six of our members at the time, conditional on Forrester J Carroll being one of those six. Maynard told me that when my name came up, as a possible candidate on Ingraham’s party’s ticket, Ingraham could not contain himself and shouted; “Forrester is a good man, I would love to have him aboard.” Well I can’t tell you the whole message I gave Charles to give the piss-head; I’ll just say that the message included; that I was never no damn UBP or FNM; that I was always a PLP; that the FNM could never measure up to what I think a political party should be about and worse still if the likes of Hubert Ingraham was running it. I told my friend Charles to tell Hubert Ingraham that Forrester Joseph Carroll, the third son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Benjamin Carroll of Lower Deadman’s Cay Long Island, would not be found dead as a member of the FNM and worse still as a candidate to run on its ticket. I am quite sure that Charles never gave Ingraham the message from me and if he did, I am convinced, he never gave it verbatim, the way I sent it. The wild hogs, in the Abaco bushes want nothing to do with Ingraham so why would I? The Abaco wild hogs run when they see him approaching them. I have more sense than he does; more compassion for people than he does; I am more caring and loving of mankind than him; I have more respect for the skills and ability of Bahamians than he does, and I put Bahamians first. Why then would I want to have such an UNBAHAMIAN, UNCARING TYRANT as my political leader?
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
November 2011
IN PASSING
Constituencies Reports Begins Tuesday 29th November
The government plans to lead the debate to adopt the report of the Constituencies Commission on Tuesday 29th November at 3 p.m. The debate will last for three days.
Trouble At Bahamas Information Services
Reports are that the Bahamas Information Services is gearing up for its role as an election propaganda machine with $60,000 worth of new video equipment ordered for the agency. Staff finds this interesting in a situation where Raymond Bethel, a cameraman at BIS , has not had a still camera to do still photo work for eight months. He simply comes to work every morning, receives a pay cheque but is given no assignments because he has no camera. Yet new video equipment was ordered and delivered. The building in which the staff now works on East Bay Street is costing the government 22,000 dollars per month and is virtually unusable in the rain. There are two political operatives for the FNM working in the agency. One is Craig Symonette who despite being on a well paid contract has reportedly never been required to report physically to work at the agency. The other is Sharon Turner, whose nominal title is Deputy Director but wields much more power than that because of her connection to the Prime Minister, who after the rumours started, was allegedly banished by the Prime Minister's distaff side to Freeport and stopped from travelling with the PM. She is however still manipulating propaganda from behind the scenes and reportedly offending the regular staff at the agency. The PLP needs to call for an investigation into this agency.
Eric and Patrice Marry on Thursday 24th November
It was like a story book wedding… on the beach at Orange Hill off the Western Road, Eric Rose, the Bahamas Information Services writer, married his friend Patrice on Thursday 24th November. Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill in whose constituency the couples lives attended the wedding along with Senator Hope Strachan.
Fred Mitchell With KB And Friends
On Saturday 19th November at the Banquet for Stalwart Councillors in Freeport, Fred Mitchell posed in this photograph with musical genius KB also known as Kirk Bodie and some of his friends. Mr. Bodie is second from the left. Mr. Mitchell is to his left. Next to Mr. Bodie is businessman Dashville Williams.
Ryan Tells The Trib He’s Sticking With Elizabeth
Ryan Pinder, the PLP MP for Elizabeth, has ended all speculation by saying to The Tribune on Wednesday 23rd November that he intends to run in Elizabeth despite the boundary changes and he intends to win.
Christie, Mitchell, Ryan and Renward At Scene Of Customs Strike
The call went out from the Customs and Immigration officers that they intended to call a strike in the country of all customs and immigration facilities if the customs and immigration establishments did not answer their longstanding complaints. Perry Christie, leader of the PLP, Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill, Ryan Pinder, MP for Elizabeth along with Renward Wells, candidate for Bamboo Town and Cleola Hamilton , the candidate for South Beach went to the scene. By the end of the day President of the Christian Council Rainford Patterson came to the scene and shortly thereafter the administration agreed to meet with the officers. A formal strike vote is scheduled by the new customs and immigration union on Monday 28th November.
Verna, Ken and Neko Out For The FNM?
The report coming out of Grand Bahama is that despite the resistance by the incumbents in High Rock, Lucaya and Eight Mile Rock, with the elimination of their constituencies, they no longer have nominations to get from Hubert Ingraham’s FNM. Look to an open battle soon in the FNM. Ken Russell ( High Rock), Neko Grant ( Lucaya), Verna Grant (Eight Mile Rock) are the affected MPs who have been nixed by the Prime Minister.
Keith Bell And Renward Wells Speak
Keith Bell, the former police superintendent who may well be the PLP’s next Minister of National Security, was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Fox Hill Branch of the PLP on Wednesday 23rd November. He spoke on crime. He was joined by the PLP’s candidate for Bamboo Town Renward Wells. Mr. Bell is shown with Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill. Mr. Wells can be seen in the background.
Sandals Treats The Seniors At Demetrius Home
The seniors at the Demetrius’ Home for Seniors at Fox Hill were treated to a thanksgiving lunch by the Sandal’s Foundation on Tuesday 22nd November. Fred Mitchell MP attended the lunch which was organized in concert with the Fox Hill Urban Renewal Office under the direction of Leotha Taylor. Mr. Mitchell thanked the Urban Renewal and Sandals for their generous effort.
Elections In The Caribbean
Former Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Kenny Anthony will face off
in general elections in St. Lucia tomorrow 28th November. When he lost in 2007, Mr. Anthony
started a trend of change in the Caribbean which eventually landed in The Bahamas. We will watch
carefully what happens there. In Guyana, elections will also be held tomorrow. Incumbent Basdeo Jagdeo is term limited
but his party's candidate is expected to win the election. The country is dominated by ethnic politics with
Indians in the ascendancy and the African population in the minority.
Birthdays
Carlton Seymour, the husband of Carla and father of Celine and Carlton Jr., celebrated his 50th birthday
in grand style on Friday 25th November ( actual birthday is the 24th). Friends and family gathered from near and far. Amongst the guests
at the party: Fred Mitchell MP, his brother-in- law, Dr. Hubert Minnis, the Minister of Health and Branville McCartney MP, the leader of the
DNA. Also congratulations to Raynard Rigby who celebrated his birthday on 22nd November. He is the former Chair of the PLP and
turned 42 years old.
Funeral
We announced the death of Jerome Major the owner of the Centreville Food Store last week. He is to be buried on Friday 2nd December
at 11 a.m. at St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Nassau.
A Birth
Tammi Ferguson Culmer, the daughter of the Essie Ferguson and the late Sam Ferguson, had a baby with her husband John Culmer at the Princess
Margaret Hospital on Thursday 24th November. The baby, a boy, her third, his second is to be named Joseph Samuel after his maternal grandfather.
He was 8 pounds 10 ounces at birth and is doing well-- born by c section. Mr and Mrs. Culmer are Fox Hill residents.