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MARTIN LUTHER KING, THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER came to Bimini because he was friends with the late Adam Clayton Powell. Mr. Powell was a renegade U.S. Congressman who described himself as the most powerful black man in America. He represented the Harlem district in the U.S. Congress that is now represented by Charles Rangel, who is also well known in The Bahamas. Mr. Powell was a colourful character and spent much of his time in Bimini fishing, playing cards. He loved a good whiskey and a good cigar. Martin Luther King Jr came to visit him in Bimini. The civil rights leader visited four times says Ansel Saunders, the bonefish man and boat builder from Bimini. There are two most memorable visits: the time he was taken out into the mangroves of Bimini to mediate and think and write the words to his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize that he won in 1964. The second was shortly before his death when he came to the same spot in Bimini and crafted some of the words to his last speech to the Sanitation Workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Ansel Saunders was his guide. Today Mr. Saunders is 80 years old. A committee was formed of African Americans, Bahamians and white supporters of the cause to enshrine a memorial to those events. A bust was struck by Chicago artist Eric Blume and has now been erected in the craft market in Bimini and in the mangroves where Dr. King prayed. The bust was unveiled by the Prime Minister Perry Christie in the presence of the MP for Bimini Obie Wilchcombe, Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell and other government officials. Our photo of the week then is the unveiling of the bust of Martin Luther King in the craft market of Bimini on Saturday 6th October 2012. The photo is by Peter Ramsay. See more pictures below.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
RUNNING OUT OF EXCUSES?
Different MPs have different ways of responding to the pressure which is on them from their constituents for money. People like to say in The Bahamas that the MPs should come around even after the general election to see their people. The conventional wisdom is that people don’t want you to put your hand in your pocket, they only want to see you. That is not the case too many MPs are finding out these days. The depression in the economy has unleashed an unprecedented demand for money out of the pockets of MPs. It is impossible to meet it.
Some MPs simply decide that given our system, they should not bother to go into a constituency or concern themselves in any way with constituency problems. The fact is that you can quite expertly avoid all constituency contact for most of the five year term and in the last year pay some attention, concentrate in the last six months and pretty much pull off a victory. Some MPs are expert at that. Hubert Ingraham, the former Prime Minister, was so cynical about this that he believed that the candidate did not matter. He the Prime Minister mattered and that all that was required was an expert cutting of constituency lines, his endorsement, lots of money and Bob’s your uncle.
He tried it in 2012 but it did not work. The magic of 1997 was not repeated and he went down deservedly in flames.
Some MPs choose another route and that is to stick with the constituency no matter what. That you develop relationships with people and their concerns. There is a feeling that the voter is not dumb and can see whether you care for them or you don’t. There has to be some sop to the politics which after all is a game of what have you done for me lately but in the end it’s the building up of relationships that count.
These are hard days though. It is harder to come up with answers. Last week we ran a column in which we repeated Bill Clinton’s mantra from the 1992 election in the U.S. “ It’s the economy-stupid”. The column outlined the view that it is clear that what The Bahamas needs is more jobs in the economy. With jobs many of the issues and complaints which people have will be solved.
We happen to think that the solution is not to duck, feint and hide. It is hard to face the people in these times but face them we must and face them every day until we break the back of out. We may be running out of excuses but face them we must.
One MP described the experience of walking down the streets of Nassau as being a nightmare. Every five feet someone wants money or is begging for a government job
In the meantime, the government really needs to get focused on job creation. That is the answer in this economy.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 6th October 2012 up to midnight: 160,065
Number of hits for the month of September up to 30th September 2012 up to midnight:119,272
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 6th October 2012 up to midnight:6,081,378
Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, joined the nuns of the convent of St. Martin de Porres at their 75th anniversary celebrations, a mass at St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. The convent is a local order established by the Benedictine monks in Nassau on3rd October 1937. The mass was a concelebrated one led by Monsignor Preston Moss of St. Anselm's Parish in Fox Hill. Monsignor Moss brought a smile to the faces of the congregation when he told the story during his homily how he as a teenager went to have dinner with the nuns in 1956 when he was about to go away to school. He said it took place during the week. He had macaroni and cheese, potato salad, cole slaw, peas and rice and baked chicken. He said he went home and told his grandmother: “Mama, I had dinner with the nuns tonight and they served Sunday dinner during the week.” The Prime Minister’s representative at the church was Kalis Rolle, the Minister of State in his office. The photos outside the church and in the church with the nuns led by Sister Mary Benedict Pratt, Prioress, were taken by Raymond Bethel of the Bahamas Information Services.
SO OBAMA IS NOT ALL WE WANT EH?
Photo by CNN
Last week, Barrack Obama look to be on an upward trajectory to win the next election against Mitt Romney his republican opponent whom the British press had dubbed MITT THE TWITT. But there was a debate between the two men on Wednesday3rd October. Mr. Romney came out fighting and Mr. Obama seemed lost in space. That at least was the view of the pundits. They thought that Mr. Romney was brilliant and the President was ineffective and absent minded. The facts are quite different. They have two different debating styles. Mr. Obama did get out all the points but his style it appears did not satisfy the base. Some people compared it to the exasperation that the PLP base feels when Hubert Ingraham used Perry Christie as a punching bag, telling Mr. Christie all sorts of mean and nasty things and Mr. Christie would simply sit there and not say a thing back to Hubert Ingraham. In the end Mr. Christie won the election. So perhaps those who took to their beds in Nassau and in the US because they were so shattered by Mr. Obama's performance on Wednesday last might take comfort in Mr. Christie’s experience with Mr. Ingraham. Others also point to the fact that Mr. Obama lost all the debates to Hilary Clinton his opponent in the democratic primaries but ultimately won the primaries and the presidency. Some good news at the end of the week, unemployment is down in the U. S. below eight per cent to 7.8 per cent. The Republicans cried foul saying that Mr. Obama and the U.S. Labour Department were cooking the books. There is a second debate in the coming week.
THE STORY OF RENARDO’S STEP MOTHER
Pastor Michael Curry is the deceased father of the PLP’s candidate for the North Abaco seat Renardo Curry. He is dead and in the grave. By all accounts he was a decent and loving man whose first wife died and who married a woman Philipa Rolle- Curry who treated him badly in his second marriage. She did not understand when she married a pastor of the brethren church that women do not overshadow their husbands and she sought to take over to the detriment of his career. That second wife, the step mother of Mr. Curry, the candidate, showed up at a town meeting in Abaco on Thursday 4th October and live on television and radio accused Mr. Curry, the step son, of siding with the PLP in victimizing his father when the father was made redundant by the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation. As it happens, he was replaced by FNM Rudy Sawyer at the Corporation. She accused the PLP of causing her husband’s death and Mr. Curry, the son being complicit in it. The remarks were made on Thursday 4th October. Mr. Curry, the candidate, denied them, said that that he was ashamed that his step mother had stooped to such tactics. He said that his father's death was not caused by any such thing. In that he was joined by a brother who called on his step mother to cease and desist. The candidate said the devil was obviously busy. We can say what he cannot say. The lady in question has the reputation of being a bit of a whack job. The suggestion is also that the FNM put her up to do what she did and to say what she said in a desperate attempt to take the spotlight off the ineffectual candidate which the FNM has put up, one Greg Gomez in Abaco. All week long Mr. Gomez was under fire (see companion story below) for not being able to tell the media where he work in Florida and how long he worked for. Further, the stories circulating that he had to leave the U.S. for overstaying his time have not been explained to the public. Mr. Gomez was the laughing stock of the country when he said that the $28,000 that he put down for his earnings from last year in his public disclosure were love offerings given to him when he preached at various churches around The Bahamas. By late last week, the FNM was patching things up with a report from the Dade County School district that in fact a Greg Gomez did work at three different schools in their district The fact remains he was piss poor not being able to remember where he worked. To get off that issue, the FNM put up this politically crazy woman to say the things she did. Many think that it is a guilty conscience also operating in that her husband was not being well treated and it is inattention by his primary caregiver that led to his death and nothing done by the PLP. Anyway politics is strange and all Renardo Curry has to do is hold his head. We are concerned though that the PLP is concentrating not on the ground game in north Abaco but worrying about what is being said about Mr. Gomez in the press. The newspapers do not get to Abaco so they have no influence.
CHRISTIE IN BIMINI FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING
Prime Minister Perry Christie led the Bahamian delegation to unveil the bust of Martin Luther King in the craft market of Bimini on Saturday 6th October. The idea of the bust was that of Joyce Dandforth, who headed a committee of community minded citizens from the United States and The Bahamas to bring the matter into being. Ansel Saunders, the bone fish man and boat builder who took Martin Luther King out on the flats of Bimini in 1964 and in 1968 was there for the occasion. Joe Farrell, a salvage operator and owner of Resolve, was a significant donor to the project and was also present. The photo of the occasion by Clarence Rolle of the Ministry of Tourism shows at the openinng cocktail reception on 5th October: Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ansel Saudners. bonefish legend and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Martin Luther King III and Mrs. King; Local Government Administrator Oscar Munroe. The other photos are by PLP media.
THE COSTGUARD COMMANDER CALLETH
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Rear Admiral William D. Baumgartner, District Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District paid a courtesy call on the Hon. Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration and officials of the Ministry on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.
Both parties discussed issues of mutual interests and assurances of continued cordial relations between The Bahamas and the United States.
Rear Admiral Baumgartner serves as Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District headquarters in Miami, Florida. He is responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the Southeast United States and the Caribbean Basin including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and over 15,000 miles of coastline.
He is a native of Collinsville, IL and a 1980 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy where he received Bachelor of Science degrees in Marine Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of New Orleans and a Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he also served as an editor on the Harvard Law Review.
Pictured third left is the Hon. Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, flanked by Ministry officials. On the right are Rear Admiral Baumgartner and United States officials.
(BIS Photo/Kris Ingraham)
THE CABINET MEETS IN ABACO
Perry Christie, Prime Minister, was true to his word and took the entire Cabinet sans his Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell who was on his way back from the UN General Assembly in New York, to Marsh Harbour, Abaco. The Cabinet met there and conducted its business there. The FNM could not quite make up its mind on the matter. Hubert Ingraham who is the former Prime Minister and MP welcomed the idea saying that Abaco had many things to say to the Cabinet. Darron Cash, the new motor mouth of the FNM said that the idea of a complete waste of time and money but then in a wise ass comment said that it showed that the FNM was right to invest the eighteen million in the building because Perry Christie by taking the Cabinet there was paying tribute to the FNM for having the good sense to build it. Make up your mind fellas. The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services. The meeting took place on Tuesday 2nd October.
PRIME MINISTER WORLD TEACHER’S DAY 5TH OCTOBER
In commemoration of that 1966 landmark United Nations Convention on the Status of Teachers, I salute our hardworking teachers and educators across the length and breadth of this country for their unwavering commitment to nation building as they provide quality education at all levels. They build the whole person – body mind and spirit.
nder the 2012 motto “Take a stand for teachers,” I echo the sentiments of Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO that "Teachers… ultimately determine our collective ability to innovate, to invent, to find solutions for tomorrow. Nothing will ever replace a good teacher. Nothing is more important than supporting them.”
My government took a stand for teachers when in 2006 we signed the historic and first collective bargaining agreement with the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) after forty-one years of recognition. We remain committed to working with the BUT to removing all obstacles and providing all the necessary support to ensure that our teachers have the best resources available to ensure that our children realise their fullest scholastic potential and human development.
reiterate my government’s commitment to doubling the nation’s investment in education and training with more and better educational opportunities for all Bahamians – from our smallest preschoolers to graduate students to workers who need retraining to update their skills.
My government and I believe it is critical to invest in young Bahamians, to give them the opportunity for real skills training and the best technology. Our educators are the principal conduits through which this vision will come to fruition.
On behalf of my Cabinet and the Government of the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I congratulate our teachers as we celebrate the forty-sixth anniversary of World Teachers Day.
STATEMENT BY LABOUR MINISTER WORLD TEACHER’S DAY
As Minister of Labour and National Insurance, I would like to thank Bahamian teachers for their untiring commitment to developing our future leaders. As a former Trade Union Leader, I also salute the solidarity of The Bahamas Union of Teachers as it strives to enhance the welfare of its members.
This year’s theme “Take a stand for teachers!” calls on all of us to pause and reflect on the invaluable service that teachers render to our country.
My Ministry therefore joins with such international organisations as UNESCO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UNDP, UNICEF, and Education International (EI).in celebrating this important day as we wish for all teachers a happy "World Teachers Day"
May God Bless Teachers everywhere and may God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Thank you,
The Hon. D. Shane Gibson Minister of Labour and National Insurance
PHOTO SPREAD THE PLP IN NORTH ABACO
These photos appeared on Facebook of the PLP's rally in North Abaco on Saturday 6th October. The Prime Minister Perry Christie headed the bill. The election takes place on 15th October.
LINK TO WHAT GREG GOMEZ FORGOT STORY VIDEO
MITCHELL SPEAKS TO THE ARCHBISHOP
U.S. PRESENCE IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
Caption:
From left: Commissioner Colin Farquhar, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force; His Excellency Governor Roderick Todd; Talisha Simmons, Consular Agent, TCI; U.S. Chargé d’Affaires John Dinkelman and Commander of U.S. Coast Guard District Seven Rear Admiral William Baumgartner. (Photo courtesy TCI Sun News)
On Monday, October 1, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau held a formal opening ceremony for its remodeled Consular Agency office in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (TCI). While a Consular Agent has been performing consular work in Providenciales since May 2011, the opening of the Consular Agency office marks the establishment of the first “brick-and-mortar” presence of the U.S. Embassy in TCI.
On hand for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony were U .S. Chargé d’Affaires John Dinkelman, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard District Seven Rear Admiral William Baumgartner, and His Excellency Governor Roderick Todd. During the opening ceremony Chargé Dinkelman noted that with roughly three thousand American citizens residing in TCI, and over 700,000 Americans expected to visit in 2013, the timing is ideal for the establishment of a permanent facility in Providenciales.
“With the opening of this office, we are celebrating the strength of the ties between the United States and the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Chargé Dinkelman, “Ties that unite us through our common concerns for tourism and the safe travel of our citizens.”
The Chargé also expressed gratitude to the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force for providing unending support in cases involving American citizens.
The first American Consular Agency office in TCI will greatly reduce the need for TCI residents to make costly trips to Nassau to renew their U.S. passports or receive other Consular services such as notarizations and applications for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for children. The official address of the new office is 2 Venture Ct., Grace Bay Suite 102E, Providenciales, TCI.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes this week from Freeport about the history of Hubert Ingraham’s service to Abaco and whether or not Dr. Hubert Minnis should really be the fall guy as the leader of the FNM for the loss which Mr. Carroll thinks is almost certain to come when the bye-election takes place in Abaco on 15th October.
I beg to differ (with those FNMs on the street and who are senior members of the party) that when the Free National Movement loses the by-election, in North Abaco on the 15th October, that the loss would reflect Dr. Minnis’ lack of ability to lead the party with any degree of effectiveness; sorry but I have another view.
Hubert Ingraham has been representing the North Abaco constituency for the past thirty-five (35) years; the good people, in the area, were gracious enough to give him another five-year term when they elected him again on May 7th to represent them. As a matter of fact Ingraham was seen gloating and bragging, about that very fact, when delivering his supposedly final political speech in north Abaco while attending an FNM-sponsored event recently. What we should note (in the context of our discussion here) is the fact that in the last three general elections Hubert Ingraham’s wins were all by very slim margins. As a matter of fact his election in 1992 was suspect as to whether he really won that time or not for it was speculated, at the time, that Sir Lynden may have conceded the loss of that general election too early, in the contest, that night (of August 19th 1992) making it unnecessary for the results in a number of polling divisions, In North Abaco, to be revealed. While the records show that Ingraham won his seat, in each consecutive election since 1992, the margins by which he did so have been less and less each term since the 1997 general election. To me this indicates, very vividly, that the dragon has been losing this seat, gradually, since 1997. This is interesting seeing that for most of this time he was in fact the Prime Minister and should have been polling far more votes than the record shows he did in the last four contests- 1997-2012. Compare Ingraham’s election victory results with Perry Christie’s, for the same time periods, and you will see exactly what I am talking about; there are leaders and then there are leaders. The challenge that confronts Dr. Minnis (in the circumstances of this by-election) is a constituency of voters who may feel now (no doubt) that they must come to grips with (and make) the choice (from their prospective) between theirs and their constituency’s economic life-or its death. Before you go running off track, now, accusing me of suggesting that FNMs, in the area, who fail to support the PLP’s candidate, this time around, would or should face some sort of economic deprivation or be bypassed for voting against the PLP, let me hasten to make it abundantly clear that I am suggesting no damn such thing. What I am suggesting, however, is that Bahamians (and we all know how we think), especially in times like these, will not see their best interest being served in going against the government’s candidate and I wouldn’t blame them. North Abaco is aware that a vote against the sitting PLP government will change nothing, in parliament, with respect to which party will be the governing party; that the PLP will remain the government (no matter what they do) and that their economic fortunes could be tied, inextricably, to the decision they make behind the curtains of those voting booths; herein lies Dr. Minnis’ problem. Many senior generals, of the FNM (I am told), have already decided to abandon their party, consoling themselves with the excuse that, “I only supported the FNM in the general elections because the candidate was Hubert Ingraham/ prime minister.” They are admitting, as well, that Hubert Ingraham really abandoned North Abaco many years ago and that they are finally fed up with him and the FNM. This, of course, is their excuse for justifying (in their own minds) the switch of allegiance they will make from the FNM to the PLP; for Minnis and the FNM this is a huge problem and not a good time to be on the FNM’s team. North Abaconians are not concerned about the minutia in this by-election.
I don’t know about you guys but I would have thought that the message which the voters, in the Elizabeth by-election a couple years ago, sent to the FNM should have ringed through to them but I guess it didn’t. When the PLP won that contest I concluded immediately that it was all over for the FNM; that their doom, in the approaching 2012 general elections, was sealed and so said, so it was done. Ingraham held on to his seat (barely) in both the 2002 and 2012 general elections (in my view) for one reason and that because he, in fact, was the prime minister who wielded a big stick at the time. Take a quick look at the demographics of the only other seats the FNM won, in the recent elections, and you would readily see that the areas in which they were successful were areas predominantly populated with voters who traditionally vote against (how they quietly refer to our party as) the black PLP party; Killarny, Montague, Long Island, South Abaco, St. Ann’s and the other three; without exception, you can easily determine, that each have large numbers of white voters (UBP decedents) who literally hate the PLP, and have always done so, for its predominant blackness only; they just can’t seem to get over it (whatever that “IT” is) even after the passage of decades of time . The votes, in my estimation, went largely along ethnic lines-the FNM receiving, generally, the white majority vote while the PLP the black majority support, in the respective areas. This resulted in the PLP dominating the numerical make up of the assembly.
But let us revert to the subject at hand-the unfairness of senior FNM members to hold Dr. Minnis wholly and solely responsible for their anticipated loss on the 15th October. I would like to defend (and console) the good doctor by pointing out that the so-called great, almighty (nobody greater than) Hubert Ingraham, himself, cannot win this seat, under the circumstances, in this by-election; my defense of Dr. Minnis, in this regard, should not be construed as my subtracting from the fact that he is a lousy leader-he is that indeed (a lousy leader I mean). I predict, however, that voters will defect in large numbers, to the fold of the PLP, for several reasons the most important of which (to them from the voters’ perspective) is the fact that they wouldn’t wish to be identified as being on the wrong political side when Curry wins and when the economic activity start coming their way in that constituency. All of them would want to be able to say (and understandably so) that “I supported the PLP; I supported the PLP; I supported the PLP.” Besides if it is true that Hubert Ingraham, himself, is going about, in the constituency, campaigning from house to house then how could it be that FNMs are prepared to charge Dr. Minnis alone with the loss? They are insisting that a loss would be a referendum on Dr. Minnis’ ability (or lack thereof) to lead the party further? Give me a break; Ingraham should be the one charged with all responsibility for any shortcomings, the FNM may suffer, in this by-election not Dr. Minnis. As a very minimum, the party should look to the almighty, invincible Hubert Ingraham to retain the seat for them and there should be no less an expectation of him. Ingraham knew very well what he was doing when he abandoned the FNM (on the night of 7th May) when he led the party to its worst defeat in its history and resigned his seat; he knew that with that decision the seat was lost to the FNM and would end up going to the PLP. Ingraham might be stupid (and I submit that he is quite, when it comes to most things in life) but he is not so stupid, in his understanding of the realities of the outcome (traditionally) of by-elections in this country. He knows very well that the party in power (always has the advantage and) usually wins and so when he resigned on May 7th he knew that he was leaving the FNM at risk of losing the seat. If he really cared about the dilemma, in which he was leaving his party, he would have waited for at least a year or two, before resigning, giving the party’s new leadership breathing time to get its act together, but not him; he never did gave a damn about anybody else but himself.
To declare unequivocally (as some high ranking FNMs, in the party, have done who cannot wait to see Dr. Minnis defeated as leader) that the outcome of this contest will be a referendum on Minnis’ leadership alone is, in my view, very unfair to him as I’ve opined earlier. I hold no beef for Dr. Minnis, nor any other FNM (for that matter) but fair is fair and I decided not to sit back and just listen to senior FNMs gripe about their leader (only because he was not their choice when the elections were held) and not come to the defense of this foolish, naïve man. Besides it was Hubert Ingraham, after all, who selected this bad candidate (and imposed him on Dr. Minnis and the party) who has exacerbated the situation for the party to the extent where their chances of retaining the seat diminished greatly with his selection. Ingraham selected the man two full months prior to him even qualifying, constitutionally, to be able to offer as a candidate; so I maintain that any drawbacks, to be suffered by the FNM, in the loss should be to the credit of the almighty (no one greater than) Hubert Ingraham. It is alleged that the man-Ingraham’s man Greg Gomez-cannot ever go back to the USA. The rumor is that he breached the immigration laws of the USA and was deported after hiding out in Uncle Sam’s country for almost ten (10) years. If these are the facts then, pray tell me, what kind of representative could he be to the North Abaconians?
This whole matter has brought to bear huge problems upon the head of the embattled FNM leader and the pressure seems to be affecting him mentally. These problems appear to adversely affect him to the point where the good doctor, I am told, was in tears a couple weekends ago while at an event held by his party, in the constituency. He is said to have opined that he can deal with the enemy (the PLP) without the ranks of the FNM but it’s the enemy within his ranks (the FNM) with whom he is having the most difficulty coping. Reportedly Dr. Minnis was so disturbed over an alleged incident that happened (where a PLP supporter supposedly told the FNM’s leader that quote, “we are going to kill you,’” meaning that in the by-election the PLP was going to beat the FNM by getting far more votes than them) that he took the incident out of context and, allegedly, reported the matter to the police as a threat on his life; I understand that he subsequently withdrew the matter (I guess) after he composed himself, settled down and saw how stupid it was for him to have taken a perfectly innocent expression (that all we Bahamians use loosely all the time) so glaringly out of context. I must tell you guys that more and more each day your FNM party, at the highest echelon, celebrates an enormous degree of ignorance and desperation. I hear frequently a campaign commercial, on radio done by Dr. Minnis, which illustrates my point exactly; the essence of his theme (in the commercial) is the charge of victimization against the PLP. He says something to the effect that the PLP claimed to have created 22,000 jobs during its 2002-2007 term in office which he disputes; well the record is there to prove that the PLP did in fact create the huge number of jobs; if the jobs were never created then answer me this question, Mr. Leader; how was unemployment reduced from the 15.9% the PLP inherited in 2002 from the FNM to the 7.6% when we (PLP) left office? In the commercial, as well, the FNM leader went on to say that the 10,000 jobs the PLP claim it will create, in this new term, will be jobs resulting from the firing of 10,000 FNMs and replacing them with 10,000 PLPs; have you heard such nonsense in all your lives people? I see why his party is blaming him already for their loss; the man is truly a jackass of a leader. One theme runs like a common thread in the FNM party; they never let the facts get in the way of a good story. For them, though, this contest will be like showing up for a gun fight with a butter knife or playing a game of tennis with an opponent who simply has little or no knowledge of the game.
The only other thing I have to say on this score is to warn that everybody can’t handle pressure and some people, sometimes, succumb to it.
Thank you. Forrester J Carroll J.P Freeport, Grand Bahama October 2012
IN PASSING
Zhivargo’s Sister Tempts Fate
Margo Seymour is a doctor in the public health system stationed in Abaco. She is the sister of the former Minister of State Zhivargo Laing and is an FNM ideologue who participates on a group page on Facebook called the No Spin Zone. She is so rabidly FNM that she is irrational. Her brother in law is the one who got the double promotion to jump over customs officers of senior ranks to become the Assistant Comptroller of Customs up in Grand Bahama. She was photographed in a government vehicle in FNM paraphernalia and accompanying the FNM in their campaign up in Abaco. This is in clear violation of the rules which govern her employment in the public service. She was advised to turn the car into the authorities once the improper use of the car was discovered. She did not, so the police were sent to pick up the car. She has reportedly been directed to report to work in Nassau at the Fleming Street clinic. She has so far refused to come. Most people think that what she is seeking to do is to push the government into firing her and then she will like all FNMs call it victimization.
The Environment Is At Risk In Bimini
There is a raging debate going on now in Bimini, one of the smallest communities in The Bahamas, some 52 miles from Miami, so close in fact that you can see the lights of Miami Beach at night in the western sky across the dark Atlantic. People now come over to Bimini on jet skis it is that close. The people come for a particular look and feel, for a community that is quaint and familiar. The grand developments by Ghenting of Malaysia and the Cappos of the Bimini Bay development threaten all of that. It has already turned the north Bimini island into a two tier community of wealthy expatriates on the north most end and the Bahamian town folk who live on the three mile strip on the south end of north Bimini with no room for expansion of their town. The town folk prevented a gate from being installed which would have stopped them from moving onto the Bimini Bay property. Precious mangroves have been destroyed by the developer. More are threatened and there is the fact of two large ferry services coming into Bimini from Florida which will bring thousands of tourists on the three mile strip that the Bahamians live on. There has been no forward urban planning, no consideration of the people of Bimini and there are rumblings in the community about it. The government is now moving to try to ameliorate this condition but the question as always as where is the leadership in Bimini to help lead people through these thorny issues.
Butch Stewart Puts A Government Ultimatum
Last week we reported that the Prime Minister put into the public domain the ultimatum put to the government that it must fork over cash to subsidize the Sandals property in Exuma or the property will be shut down putting hundreds of people out of work in Exuma. It appeared to some that the owner of Sandals Butch Stewart, who is the Caribbean’s most successful hotelier, was making the typical gambit that he has made throughout the Caribbean which is do what I say or else. The feeling in some quarters is that he is a mercurial personality and that he could wake up on the wrong side of the bed one morning and simply close the property down in Exuma and walk away. The bet is that the government will not want that to happen and will fork up what cash he needs for the project to survive. By any standard Mr. Stewart has made a significant contribution to the economy of Exuma and the upgrade of the property. His problem is that the investment is universally reviled by the people of Exuma. They do not feel the love and have turned their ire against him and the project. The elites in Exuma see that attitude of the people of Exuma as shortsighted and say although he is a difficult fellow, the people have to accept the investment and get along with it. The question is where is the leadership in Exuma to provide the way through this thicket? When the Prime Minister put the facts in the public domain, Mr. Stewart seemed to be chastened by it and immediately said that Sandals was not looking for a bailout. That seemed to be something they needed to say just in case their bankers got the suggestion that Sandals was on the ropes. It is good that the PM put the matter in the public domain since one of the management team was quoted by an Exuma resident as saying that Butch (meaning Mr. Stewart) has the government in its back pocket and gets what he wants. Meanwhile the community is gathering led by Anthony Moss, the MP, to figure a response to the latest developments which might in fact mean the closure of the hotel. The request for a bailout by Sandals comes at a bad time for the country when the International Monetary Fund is on our doorstep about to look at the books. It is doubtful whether Mr. Stewart’s operation can get one copper in the circumstances and without a further look at the books. Mr. Stewart has also had Eileen Carron of The Tribune writing editorials saying that the government is slowing down the work permit process and this harming Mr. Stewart’s operation. A litany of complaints, the usual suspects but Mr. Stewart ought to consider taking another tack and that is seeking some good will from the community. In a flash, he would get what he wants from the government.
Send Yah A Text Video
Bruce Braynen Dies
The oldest living former Member of Parliament Bruce Braynen has died. Mr. Braynen who was 99 at the time of his death had been blind for sometime but in good if frail health. He was praised for the Prime Minister for his service to the country as a Member of Parliament and Senator. Mr. Braynen served also as Vice President of the Senate.
Christie Says He Would Not Have
Prime Minister Perry Christie took the unusual tack of contradicting one of the actions of his party with regard to the FNM candidate for North Abaco Greg Gomez. Mr. Gomez has been embroiled in one controversy after another over his work history. Mr. Gomez and the FNM have been insisting that he was fired by the PLP and was therefore victimized by the PLP when they came to office. It turns out that the truth is that he had resigned. The letter was put in the public domain that showed that he in fact resigned. This was but one example of how Mr. Gomez has a problem (let’s put it charitably) remembering the facts of his own life. The Prime Minister said that he would not have put the letter in the public domain but he would have dealt with the fact of the FNM and their record. He admitted however that he was in the twilight of his political career and so might have different view than his younger colleagues.
Mitchell Turns 59
Fred Mitchell MP for Fox Hill and Minister of Foreign Affairs turned 59 years old on Friday 5th October. Mr. Mitchell spent the day in Fox Hill visiting the constituents and was treated to a birthday song by the teachers of the Sandilands Primary School. Later he joined the festivities in Bimini for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King bust in the craft market at Bimini.
The Government Building In Abaco
The FNM under Hubert Ingraham spent 18 million dollars putting a new government building up in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. The Cabinet met there on Tuesday 3rd October. While the building looks fine, it was put in the wrong place because the place is on a flood plain and in the rainy season will be in plenty of water. The other point is that the government has now left all the rental premises in Marsh Harbour that they previously occupied in a time when the economy is dead slow and so lots of businessmen are crying that they no longer have any rent from the government or any prospective tenants.
Darron B. Cash
Well it seems that the FNM has its own motor mouth for the party, its new acting Chairman Darron B. Cash. The former Senator and one time radical student leader does at least one press release an hour on what a great party the FNM is, how they did everything right and how the candidate Greg Gomez is the right man for the job up in Abaco? What does the Bible say: in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed. But perhaps someone needs to tell Hubert Ingraham that he is no longer in charge for on the same day that Mr. Cash was saying that the government meeting in Abaco was a waste of time, Hubert Ingraham was saying he welcomed the Cabinet to Abaco. Wah going on here?
A Message From Zhivargo Laing
After seeing Mitt Romney crash and burn in the debate by saying that he will stop the subsidy to public television in the US and kill Big Bird as a means of cutting the deficit, silly billy Zhivargo Laing, Mr. Ingraham's boy wonder, is still parroting the line that the government should not have sent the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Prime Minister to California to honour the Bahamian actor Sidney Poitier. He called it a waste of money. Quite frankly, Mr. Laing needs to go get a life and think of something else to do like make up for all the damage he did to the country as a minister. Some things a country has to do. So when the 85 year old Mr. Poitier is no longer with us, we don't want to hear any pious mutterings from him or from Hubert Ingraham because they disagreed that The Bahamas should give Sidney Poitier his roses while he is still with us.
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NEXT WEEK THIS TIME, we hope and pray that Renardo Curry is the new Member of Parliament for North Abaco. Mr. Curry is the next generation of leadership for Abaco and hopefully if elected he will get as full a run to impact what happens in Abaco as his predecessor Hubert Ingraham. The people of North Abaco have a simple choice to make. They can put the past behind them with grateful thanks and then invite themselves into a new future with Mr. Curry and the PLP as their future. It appears from where we sit today that Mr. Curry is on his way but it is not done until the last vote is counted. Vote PLP is our cry. The photo of the week then is that of the Prime Minister Perry Christie and his candidate in North Abaco as they addressed the crowds in Cooper’s Town, the stronghold of Hubert Ingraham, the former Prime Minister. The photo is lifted from the PLP’s Facebook page. The meeting took place on Thursday 11th October.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE MEANING OF LEADERSHIP
Small communities have a number of issues which make governing them a challenge. On the face of it, a smaller community should be easy to run. In some ways they are but in another way, they are difficult to manage, if their smallness is to be protected.
That is the issue in communities across the country from Abaco in the North to Inagua in the south. In communities that are as diverse as Harbour Island, Bimini and Exuma. We name those in particular because the profile of those communities is such that there are major developments taking place there which threaten or can threaten the identity of the local Bahamian community.
The developments are good for the community on the face of it. They will mean more wealth, more business and a better quality of life. But with all of these things come a host of issues which can affect the communities' identities and destroy what actually makes these communities attractive.
The government can do something to provide the way forward to protect communities. They can pass laws, regulations and provide the overall policing and enforcement from the national level. What really makes the community safe however is the local leadership. That leadership will be key in whether a project is successful or not and also whether the community continues intact. National governments have to be very careful in their enthusiasm to provide jobs and economic growth that they do not plan the local people out of their own communities.
This is the challenge which Harbour Island, Bimini and Exuma face. The questions asked: who will provide the leadership and where will the leadership come from to organize the efforts it will take to ensure that the communities are safe, sustainable and keep the nature of the community so that what has actually created the attraction to these places will not be destroyed.
The city of Nassau faces a similar problem.
People look to national leadership but there is a need for local leadership and for civil society generally to help keep these things on track. That is great problem in small societies. Leadership is sometimes hard to find.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 13th October 2012 up to midnight: 134,010
Number of hits for the month of October up to Saturday 13th October 2012 up to midnight: 263,527
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 13th October 2012 up to midnight: 6,225,633
We display some of the faces at the rallies of the PLP held in North Abaco on Thursday 11th October at Cooper’s Town and in Marsh Harbour on Saturday 13th October. The photos are from the PLP’s Facebook page:
Cooper’s Town
Marsh Harbour
THE POITIER BRIDGE TO PARADISE
Caption: Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie announcing plans to honour legendary Bahamian actor, Academy Award winner Sir Sidney Poitier, during the launching of The Bahamas’ 40th Independence Anniversary celebrations on November 2, 2012. Pictured from left are Dr. Nicolette Bethel, co-chair Independence Committee; Prime Minister Christie; Charles Carter, co-chair Independence Committee; the Hon. Philip Davis, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works & Urban Development; and architect Michael Foster. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay; the story is by Lindsay Thompson)
NASSAU, The Bahamas - The Bahamas’ 40th Independence Anniversary celebrations will kick off on 2nd November 2012 with a star-studded concert at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island honouring legendary Bahamian actor, Academy Award winner Sir Sidney Poitier. The announcement was made during a press conference at Cabinet Office on Tuesday, October 9, during which the events were endorsed by the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Prime Minister. Also present were co-chairs of the Independence Committee Dr Nicolette Bethel and Charles Carter.
The celebrations start November 2 – 3 “a weekend of dedication and celebration” highlighting the best in Bahamian talent combined with a special concert by Academy and Golden Globe awards winner Jennifer Hudson, who will pay a special tribute to Sir Sidney, the first black American to win an Oscar. The gospel group the Region Bells are on the list of Bahamian talent to perform. The efforts to celebrate Bahamian culture at its highest level is in keeping with the Progressive Liberal Party Charter for Governance which outlines the Government’s plans to have Bahamians “fully understand and appreciate the culture and heritage of their language, music, expressions, food, religion, and myths”.
“We are going to use the 40th Anniversary as a catalyst to create this higher level of awareness about the importance of developing, properly, the ethos of country and being able to connect this island destination in a very special way through all of the components that make up this country and the characteristic spirit that makes us all Bahamians,” the Prime Minister said. The Government also plans to rename the National Centrefor the Performing Arts after Sir Sidney Poitier, and the Atlantis to name the bridge in his honour as well.
Sir Sidney was born on February 20, 1927 in Miami to Bahamian parents, but grew up in Cat Island. In 1963 he became the first black man to win an Academy Award for his role as Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field. He served as Bahamas Non-resident Ambassador to Japan and to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The Prime Minister confirmed that Atlantis has agreed to rename the bridge in honour of Sir Sidney. And, the national arts centre in his honour, the same as the national stadium named after Bahamian athlete Tommy A Robinson.
Architect Michael Foster has been asked to submit plans for the redevelopment of the national arts threatre for the renaming ceremony. The Prime Minister said he was happy that the Independence Committee chose to honour Sir Sidney - although there have been a lot of debate on that.
“Sir Sidney not only has an incredible story, but in his later years he made significant contributions in the field of diplomacy to The Bahamas.” The Prime Minister said it was a pleasure for him to speak with Sir Sidney and have him invite whom he wishes, to attend the weekend of celebrations in The Bahamas.
“Hopefully this would symbolise to The Bahamas at large that we are now beginning a process that is intended to unite us, intended to bring focus to what really keeps us together and to minimise what divides us,” the Prime Minister said. As to how much the Government plans to spend on the celebrations, the Prime Minister agreed that it is priceless.
“From the point of view of what dollars we spent, we will account for them. What I do know is that I will spear no efforts to catch up with history that is escaping us now and every time one of these great ones die, they bury a part of our history with them,” he said. Mr. Carter referred to Sir Sidney as “the most famous Bahamian of our time.”
He said the celebration is the beginning of the joining of two generations - from the generation that brought in Independence on July 10, 1973. “At that time the population was 180,000, it has doubled since then. That generation is a diminishing one, we are on our way out and it would be sad if we did not pass the baton to the next generation,” he said. “It is going to be a wonderful opportunity for us to reclaim our history and our heritage.”
Mr. Carter will also travel the islands to solicit responses from Bahamians to find out what they like or not like about The Bahamas, and what they would like the country to be. Ms Bethel, who was a child during the 1973 Independence celebration, said that it is never too expensive to celebrate the culture of a nation. She too regards the 40th anniversary as the catalyst toward celebrating the 50th Independence.
It is never too expensive to celebrate one’s nationhood, that is an investment that country’s need to be making. We all need to step up and create the new Bahamas,” she said. Other plans to celebrate the 40th Independence Anniversary will be announced later.
VIDEO OF DINNER FOR POITIER IN CALIFORNIA
We replay for general information the dinner sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Los Angeles, California on August at the Beverly Hilton:
THE FUNERAL FOR BRUCE BRAYNEN
Bruce Braynen, up to the 1st October, was the oldest living former MP in The Bahamas. He was 99 years old when he died. Mr. Braynen was buried in St. Mary’s Anglican churchyard following a funeral service at the church on Thursday 11th October. The Prime Minister eulogized him and the service was a state recognized one. The photos show the official parties and the family being presented with the country’s flag at graveside. The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services. You may click here for the full tribute by Mr. Braynen by Perry G. Christie.
EILEEN CARRON IS ONE SICK WOMAN
It is difficult to fathom what on earth drives Eileen Carron to do the things that she does. She is the Publisher of The Tribune. We have said in this column that it appears to us that she is driven by hatred and by racism. When it comes to the PLP there is a blind spot and she simply cannot see anything good which the PLP does. Viz. the relentless assault in which the woman with the wicked pen has been engaged all week in seeking to say that the PLP will come to no good. It is relentless and one negative story after the next. We think that it is simply necessary to record here that she has the credibility of the snake in the Garden Of Eden. We must not allow it to stand. She heads the same gang of suspects who simply do not understand that change has come and changes must come. It cannot be the same every day. Indeed from what we see there is a sickness that is setting in.
RIONDA GODET ON SPOUSAL PERMITS
The following article appeared on Bahamaspress.com and was written by Rionda Y. Godet, Partner, of Halsbury Chambers Law Office on the new spousal permit passed into law which came into effect on the 13th September. Nassau, Bahamas – Quite recently, amendments to the Immigration Act Chapter 191, section 30, Subsections 2, 3 and 4 were introduced as touching the distribution of spousal permits to spouses of Bahamian nationals.
As it applies today, for the fee of $350.00 (including processing fee), foreign spouses of Bahamian nationals may apply for a Resident Spouse Permit, which would permit them to legally live and work in The Bahamas, provided that they live with their Bahamian spouse and would have been married for less than five years, at the time of application. This provision (implemented February 3rd 1997) was intended to reduce the number of applications for citizenship and to give foreign spouses of Bahamians a ‘trial period’ as it were, to confirm, as best as could happen, that the marriage was legitimate and not contrived out of convenience.
Fifteen years later, if the proposed amendments go through, then the spousal permit would allow for an indefinite period of duration. What this means is that the current limitation of five years will no longer apply. Of course, on one hand, huge breaths of relief will finally sound throughout our archipelago! Many are the concerns of spouses who, after the fifth year are in ‘limbo’ land, awaiting further legitimization of their status. After five years of marriage have passed, the expectation is that the non-Bahamian spouse would apply for citizenship or permanent residency. For many who undertake this process, however, the experience is not an easy and straightforward one. In many instances, prior to the expiration of the spousal permit, the application for permanent residence would be made, and while such application is pending consideration, a work permit with the attendant $1,000.00 has to be made until the permanent residency comes through – which, given the level of responsiveness at the Department of Immigration, can take an exceedingly long time.
Understandably, because of the benefits conferred to foreign nationals, there are concerns that the spousal permit has been, and may continue to be used as an instrument of convenience. While our legislators have said that it is not their concern to go behind ‘the sheets’ of any relationship, what is being extolled is:
the hope that this change would relieve many of the processing issues, odious paperwork, long lines and delays which accompany such applications for spouses who apply for a legal status in The Bahamas in order to reside and work here, andthe notion of ensuring greater family stability and structure within our community, and more particularly, to homes where foreign spouses and their children abide.
Of course, there is another side to this new progressive move. What really has a number of Bahamian women irked is the fact that while the foreign spouses of Bahamian men would still be entitled, under the constitution, to apply for Bahamian citizenship without renouncing their citizenship of origin, the same does not apply for the spouses of Bahamian women. In short, while the foreign spouse of a Bahamian man is constitutionally entitled to apply for citizenship, and the children of their marriage, whether born in The Bahamas or not – are automatically conferred Bahamian citizenship – the same provisions do not hold true for the foreign spouses of Bahamian women, or to their children born out of The Bahamas. An anomaly indeed, especially when one considers that children born to an unwed Bahamian woman assumes her nationality, regardless of where that child is born.
This concern has been rallied for years and the hope of finally addressing this constitutional deficit has be heralded. For many women, however, this notion yet again, comes a day late and a dollar short – but then again, the opportunity to remove this clear and blatant discrimination on the basis of gender was offered in the Referendum held February 27th 2002, but the vast majority of Bahamians who participated in this exercise voted against this.
Perhaps it was the notion of politics above self-interest, or perhaps the concern that Bahamians did not have sufficient time to absorb and consider all the issues. At that time, the government of the day had put forward a Referendum which addressed five critical issues, including that of gender discrimination in the Constitution. Perhaps, there were too many ‘tongs’ in the fire and it was altogether too much, too soon for the people to deal with. Whatever it was, ten years later, the opportunity being lost to correct a constitutional deficit, children born to Bahamian mothers with foreign spouses are themselves considered ‘foreigners’.
In his address to Parliament, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Fred Mitchell spoke of his government’s commitment to removing this constitutional anomaly which exists with regard to women and their ability to pass on their citizenship to their children, by amending the provisions of the Constitution and putting the matter again to the country by way of referendum.
Ultimately, what is desired is the equal opportunity for the spouses and children of Bahamian women to enjoy the same benefits conferred on the spouses and children of Bahamian men. No doubt, in due course, we shall see, what opposition, if any, is raised to this renewed effort to address this gaping deficit.
The information stated above is not intended to be construed as legal advice in anyway.
NATIONAL HEROES DAY
Spare me another year Oh Lord is a famous Baptist refrain at the New Year’s Eve service. It appears that the National Heroes Day Committee founded in 1990 by Fred Mitchell with Rev. Sebastian Campbell and Loretta Butler Turner MP has another year perhaps to wait. The government this year proclaimed 12th October to be National Heroes Day even though on the books the Public Holidays Act calls it Discovery Day. Never mind, the Committee held a number of activities and services to mark the day and made the intervention that next year might be the year. The government says the holdup is that the insignia are being designed by committee for the new honours will come into being. This January should then be the last time for the Queen’s Honours from Britain to be used. The Committee read the Prime Minister’s proclamation in the public square on Thursday 11th October and the Fox Hill Old Scholars Association honoured the heroes of Fox Hill at a service of thanksgiving in Fox Hill on Friday 12th October. We would also hope that next year the government exercises its authority and creates 10th January as a public holiday, Majority Rule Day. The photo in the square is courtesy of James Pryor and the photo in Fox Hill is by Patrick Hanna of the Bahamas Information Services.
NICOLLETE BETHEL DISSENTS FROM HER OWN DECISION
(Editor's note: The following letter was posted on the Bahamaspress website and was attributed with a photograph of Nicollete Bethel, who is a lecturer at the College of The Bahamas and the Co-Chair of the Committee to Mark the 40th anniversary of the independence of the country. Last week, the Prime Minister ( see story this column) announced with Mrs. Bethel and Charles Carter at his side that the Committee had been formed and that the Co-Chairs of the Committee would be the two individuals just named. The Committee announced that the first event would be the naming of the bridge. Presumably if Mrs. Bethel did not agree she would not have sat there and helped with the announcement, unless there was some previously undisclosed dissent that she had with the Prime Minister and this had been agreed in advance. The letter is a constructive resignation from the Committee. It seeks to disassociate the author from the Committee's work. It is even factually wrong. The Bridge to Paradise Island is not not owned by Atlantis. The Bahamian people through the government own the Bridge and decided to name the bridge after Sidney Poitier. Now the Committee Chair is saying in effect not so fast. The letter comes off as written by someone who is weak ( and this is not a characteristic that one would normally associate with the author of the letter) and cannot stand up to the criticism from the arts community presumably and where it really comes from the FNM. How could the Co-Chair of the Committee appointed by the government support the work of Sharon Turner who is an FNM ideologue, the right hand of Hubert Ingraham? Clearly, the Committee Chair is saying in her letter that Ms. Turner is right and asks her to keep her work. You can imagine the headlines this will cause and the problem now for the government. Well we think the government is right. All Mrs. Bethel had to do was to make the necessary changes and tweaking to the project which would have resolved all issues including the objections of the arts community. In stead she has become a dissenter of her own cause. The government should continue with the naming of the bridge. Mrs. Bethel we fear has a decision to make. We are certain that other honours will come from artists who have made a contribution to the national effort.)
Dear Editor,
I should be grateful if you would publish the below, which is an expansion of what was originally written in response to Sharon Turner’s op-ed, “AFTER 40 YEARS, BEING BAHAMIAN STILL ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH – AMERICANS TO STAR IN OUR 40th INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS”, widely published in the print and online media earlier this week.
Nicollette Bethel
I commend Sharon Turner on making her discontent with the proposed event honouring Sir Sidney Poitier known. I commend her also for sending her letter to the print newspapers as well as posting it on Facebook and other online locations, as it is important that decision-makers understand the impact, whether intended or unintended, of their actions.
I should like to point out that this initial celebration did not emanate from the independence committee, but was presented to the co-chairs as the first in a series of activities in honour of our Fortieth.
A couple of points need to be clarified, as they were not presented in this way on the news.
1) The renaming of the bridge and the concert in Sir Sidney’s honour are Atlantis’ initiatives, not the Government’s. The Government of The Bahamas has accepted Atlantis’ offer to honour Sir Sidney and has decided to use it to kick off the 40th anniversary celebrations.
2) What was being referred to as “priceless” was not the renaming of the bridge or the Jennifer Hudson concert, which is Atlantis’ contribution to our independence, but the cost of building a new performing arts complex downtown on the waterfront, which is an investment in Bahamians and Bahamian artists and performers that is being proposed by the Bahamas government as its contribution to the honouring of Sir Sidney Poitier.
I wish to add a third clarification. I am given to understand that several people believe that the current National Centre for the Performing Arts is to be re-named in honour of Sir Sidney. That is not the case as far as I am aware. It is my understanding this government plans to build an entirely new arts complex which will receive the name. Such a plan was outlined as early as 2004 by the EDAW plans for the development of downtown Nassau. No plans were announced for the current Centre on Shirley Street. However, given the fact that the ZNS and other reports showed an image of that Centre while the announcement was being made, the confusion in this regard is understandable.
That said, I understand and support the concern that this initiative and its focus on American performers and on a Bahamian hero whose public contribution was to the USA and the world and less tangibly (though no less real) to the Bahamas sends the message that our governments do not believe in Bahamians. This is why I encourage individuals to send the message back to our decision makers that we want to see as much investment and faith in our indigenous, home-based activities and artists, or more, as there is in this event.
I also understand, and share to some extent, the public’s unease with what seems to be a tourist-centric, Americanized kick-off to OUR fortieth celebrations. I have chosen, however, to take inspiration from this event and use it to set a standard for our going forward into 2013. I call on the government who invited me to serve as co-chair of the independence committee to do the same.
Speaking for myself, I will have no problem at the end of 2013 with the government’s support of this event IF and WHEN we see that investment exceeded in our own Bahamian celebrations over the course of next year. If we are given the best firework display for Sir Sidney, I trust we will provide an even greater display in July 2013. I agreed to take on the co-chairmanship of the committee to remind our political leaders of the need to put their money where their mouths are, and to show their belief in Bahamians in tangible, Bahamian-centred terms. This commitment I hope to witness not only in 2013 but also in the years leading up to our fiftieth celebrations in 2023. I need not state the obvious; that I expect that commitment to continue no matter who wins the elections of 2017 and 2022.
But one voice is not enough. Once again, I congratulate Sharon Turner on her stand. I wish to remind the public, however, not to overlook the facts that I’ve provided above — that this celebration is Atlantis’, not the committee’s, and that what is “priceless” is the investment in the proposed theatre.
All the best,
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport about the work of the FNM in manipulating the widow of the father of Renardo Curry, the PLP’s standard bearer in the bye-election slated for Monday 15th October in North Abaco. Mr. Carroll argues that Mrs. Curry, Mr. Curry’s stepmother was manipulated by the FNM to tell untruths about her husband’s fate when she in fact was the culprit in the whole matter. An interesting read.
I put it to you that the widow (Mrs. Phillipa Rolle-Curry) of Renaldo Curry’s father (Mr. Lucian Curry deceased) was coerced and set up, by FNM goons led by Hubert Ingraham, to travel to Abaco on Thursday 4th October to attend the town hall meeting (convened by cable channel 12 and radio Abaco) and to participate in a well crafted and well orchestrated plan to embarrass the PLP’s candidate (Mr. Renardo Curry), currently contesting the by-election in North Abaco, in their attempt to gain political advantage and show Mr. Curry in a bad light before North Abaco’s voters.
I watched as Mrs. Phillipa Rolle-Curry approached the microphone, all dressed in her FNM regalia, and began telling her concocted (cock and bull) story about her deceased husband and how he died of heart failure brought on, she insisted, as a result of him being victimized by the PLP shortly after they came to office in 2002. If Mrs. Curry’s alleged colorful reputation (and vivid imagination) had not preceded her she would have surely convinced (even) me that the story she so meticulously detailed (for the small audience present) was factually true-but not so; her account of the reason for the death of her husband was grossly exaggerated according to a press statement released the following day in the name of the Curry family.
Mrs. Curry accused the PLP of causing the death of her husband (she said) when they came to power in 2002 and dismissed him from his post, as general manager, at BAIC Freeport’s office; she claimed it was (plain and simple) rank political victimization. Mrs. Phillipa Rolle-Curry told, a very attentive town hall meeting audience, that shortly after the PLP won, in 2002, a man travelled from Nassau to deliver an envelope, to her husband, which contained his disengagement letter along with his final termination cheque. This, I submit, is the story which the FNM arranged for her to purposely travel from Freeport to North Abaco to tell-and an all expense paid trip at that. My reason for concluding that it was an all expense paid trip, arranged by the FNM, is because Mrs. Curry admitted, during the course of her elongated speech, that things are tough for her right now and that she has difficulty even keeping up with her bills so where would she have gotten the money to make this expensive trip if not from the FNM? If they argue that arrangements for her trip was not pre-arranged and paid for by them then, pray tell me, why would she show up fully prepared with a copy of her husband’s funeral booklet? Her husband has been gone for a few years now so why else would it be convenient for her to locate a copy of the funeral booklet and take it with her on that expensive trip to Abaco if not to make the FNM’s case against Renaldo Curry?
Both Renaldo Curry and his siblings were obviously shocked and livid as indicated by a statement Mr. Curry reportedly made to the Nassau Guardian’s reporter when he told them quote; “It’s going to take the power of God to help me forgive her for what she did here tonight” unquote.
This writer was certainly not personally touched (like some said they were) by her story but rather I was disgusted by it. She accused the PLP of political victimization, when her husband’s position was made redundant right? Well, I wish to ask this professing Christian widow this one question; “if you contend madam that your husband’s (God rest his soul) services were terminated strictly because he was a supporter of the FNM (which quite frankly only you and close friends might have known, as pastor Curry never wore his political preferences on his shirt sleeve) why then would the PLP government turn right around and replace him with a well known FNM supporter in Mr. Rudy Sawyer? The Christie government engaged Mr. Rudy Sawyer, a well known FNM supporter, who never ever hid the fact that he and his entire immediate family are all staunch supporters of the FNM; why then would the PLP release one FNM for another if their intentions were purely to employ persons only on the basis of their political affiliation? Could it have been, Mrs. Curry, that you were wrong all these years and the truth of the matter is that the PLP government wanted someone (PLP or FNM) to head BAIC, here in Freeport, who had tremendous experience in the development of small business and displayed, over many years (as Mr. Rudy Sawyer had done), a real passion for the growth of the industry? Sawyer is a small business development expert with a passion and so, as far as the then Christie Administration was concerned, he was the right man for the job regardless of his political preferences. The clear objective of the PLP government was obviously not to politicize the position but instead to appoint a person of Mr. Sawyer’s passion and years of experience that would make a difference. In light of this then how, pray tell me, does Mrs. Curry account for the PLP government’s decision? I knew Mr. Lucian Curry very well and I never knew him to engage in political discussions; consequently I really never knew where he stood politically for sure. Because of his reclusive and obscure nature he was never the focus of any political examination, from our point of view, over the years; he was a churchman, a pastor and a member of the famous cooling waters gospel group and spent all his time, as far as I knew, around those activities. He was never very visible even around social functions; it was just not who he was and so for Mrs. Curry to allow the FNM to use her to use Pastor Curry’s death in that way, against his wonderful son, is really unthinkable, unbelievable and unforgivable; she ought to be ashamed of herself.
I am convinced that this act of political treachery was Hubert Ingraham’s doings alone. He committed similar acts a number of times before for, during the recent general elections campaign, he caused Loretta Butler-Turner to blatantly oppose her brother (her own flesh and blood) by campaigning against him. He tried, as well, to convince V. Alfred Gray’s daughter (the wife of the FNM’s losing Bamboo Town candidate in the general elections Mr. Cassius Stuart) to accompany the FNM’s team on campaign trips, through the MICAL constituency, for the purpose of campaigning against her PLP father but (we are told) she put her foot down and stood firm on the principal that she would never allow partisan politics to cause her to commit the unpardonable sin against her father or any other close member of her family. In response to Ingraham’s request (we are told) she suggested he crawl back into the crab hole from whence she allegedly opined he came. Do you guys recall how this piss-head treated his former law partner (the DPM, Mr. Brave Davis) when his father passed during the general elections campaign? Well I’ll remind you; the sucker took a plane load of FNM snakes into Cat Island, to campaign against the DPM, while the Hon. Mr. Davis was actually in service burying his father. This peasy-head sucker is certainly the worse of the worst; he has no scruples; he has no shame and he is no damn good.
Curry admitted that he was shocked and appalled at the statements his stepmother made at the town hall meeting and accused her of politicizing the death of his pastor father. He furthered; “To make such an accusation which is so untrue, she totally politicized my father’s death tonight and I am very ashamed of what she has done; it’s going to take the power of God to help me to forgive her tonight” unquote.
Mrs. Phillipa Curry went on to condemn the PLP’s candidate (her stepson) for, as she said, disgracing his father’s name by offering for election on the ticket of a party which caused the death of his father. However, during the Nassau Guardian’s interview with Mr. Curry, he disputed her version and condemned her for using his father’s death as a prop. He told the reporter quote; “she misrepresented my father tonight and by saying (for God’s sake) that he had a heart attack because of victimization-no- that’s totally untrue. If it happened, it happened only in her (twisted) mind. I’ve known her (Curry went on) to be a little radical but to see her do this tonight it shows me that she disrespected my father’s death; she disrespected his position as a man of God. He was a pastor; she totally misrepresented him here tonight. There is nothing she said here tonight with which my father would have agreed; my father’s job was (simply) made redundant” unquote. Curry ended his interview with the reporter with this bombshell; “my father died from many years of a severe case of high blood pressure and (what I am convinced was) MARITAL STRESS” unquote. For a son to make such a damning charge (MARITAL STRESS), against his stepmother, speaks volumes to the kind of marriage his father must have had with Phillipa his wife.
I wish to say, madam Phillipa Curry, you are too old a lady not to have learned by now that words spoken can never be recanted. You, Madam Curry, allowed the FNM, and that foul mouthed former FNM bulldog leader, to trick you into dividing your family; I can assure you that if healing does come to this situation (you brought about) between yourselves it will take a lifetime. I just hope, for your sake madam, that what you did was worth disking your “step-child for your step-party”. I’ll give you a heads-up madam; you can bet your life that Hubert Ingraham, Zhivargo Laing and all the others who had a part in conjuring up this scheme, to convince you to travel to Abaco to piss on your stepson, have all moved on by now and don’t intend to take a second look back at you. You’ll learn, in time, just what kind of snakes-in-the-grass these suckers are.
Thank you. Forrester J Carroll J.P. Freeport, Grand Bahama October 2012.
Oswald Brown the former Editor of the Freeport News and the Nassau Guardian writes about the controversy over the naming of the Paradise Island Bridge the Sidney Poitier Bridge and the naming of the Centre for the Performing Arts after Sidney Poitier. The piece was lifted from his Facebook page.
Sir Sidney has made invaluable
contributions to The Bahamas
By OSWALD T. BROWN
“It is better to be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” The truth inherent in this sage axiom currently is being proven in a number of posts on Facebook in response to the decision by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government to rename the Paradise Island Bridge in honour of Sir Sidney
Poitier, the internationally acclaimed Bahamian-American actor, to launch the activities being put in place for 40th anniversary celebrations of The Bahamas’ attainment of independence.
Virtually all of the comments that have been posted so far have been very critical of the government’s decision. One person even asked this stupid question: “Other than being Bahamian what has Sidney Poitier done for The Bahamas?”
Young persons who never developed a love for reading can be forgiven for not being aware of the immense contributions made to this country by arguably The Bahamas’ most famous “son,” but there are some surprisingly negative comments from some older persons who should know better and most certainly should be aware of the significant role Sir Sidney played in The Bahamas’ struggle for majority rule in the 1960s.
What many Bahamians tend to forget is that the struggle by black Bahamians against racism and for equal rights in this country was waged simultaneously with the civil rights struggle in the United States, where racism was sanction by law. Sir Sidney was actually born in Miami, Florida, and as an American citizen by birth he was one of the celebrity activists very much involved in the American civil rights struggle, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders in the United States in the 1960s.
But he never forgot his Bahamian “roots.” How could he? He was just a few months old when his parents, Reginald and Evelyn Poitier, returned to Cat Island from Miami, and Sir Sidney spent his boyhood days in The Bahamas. The remarkable story of how he became one of the world’s greatest actors has been well documented. As noted in Wikipedia, the Internet online encyclopaedia, at the age of 10, his family moved to New Providence from Cat Island and the age of 15 was sent to Miami to live with his brother. Subsequently, he moved to New York at the age of 17 and held “a string of jobs as a dishwasher.” The rest of the life story of this remarkable Bahamian-American is template for achieving success through sheer grit and determination to succeed in his chosen profession.
What has Sir Sidney done for The Bahamas? During his involvement with civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s, it was well known at the time that Sir Sidney used his celebrity status to focus attention on the concomitant struggle for equal rights and to stamp out racism in The Bahamas.
This was around the time when his acting career was in “high gear.” I recall that I was a young reporter at The Tribune when he became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in “Lilies of the Field” in 1963, and I covered the gala dinner held in his honour at the British Colonial Hotel following a massive welcome-home motorcade through the streets of Nassau.
It is important to keep in mind that the United Bahamian Party (UBP) was the then government, and although I can’t quote verbatim any portion of the powerful speech Sir Sidney delivered in thanking the UBP for honouring him so lavishly, I do remember how proud I was listening to my “black brother” talk about the evils of racism and its undesirable existence in The Bahamas. Surely, this national recognition by the UBP of Sir Sidney’s accomplishment as an actor, just a year or so after the Savoy Theatre on Bay Street had been integrated, must have stoked the simmering embers of discontent among politically active young blacks involved in the “quiet revolution” and helped bring about the downfall of the UBP in the historic January 10, 1967, general election.
Obviously, Sir Sidney was very pleased with the outcome of that election because he was present at the opening of the House following the election along with several of his celebrity friends, including Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis Jr., and Clarence Williams III, one of the stars of The Mod Squad, one of the top-rated television shows in 1967.
This was also the year when Sir Sidney became the movie industry’s Top Box Office star of the Year with three successful films: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Given this fact, Sidney Poitier’s name and accomplishments are known in every corner of the world and I am sure that he’s recognized primarily as a great Bahamian actor. To be sure, it is impossible to put a “dollar value” on what this has meant to a tourist destination like The Bahamas.
So let me congratulate my good friend Charles Carter and Dr. Nicollette Bethel, co-chairs of the Bahamas’ 40th Independence Anniversary Steering Committee, for recognizing someone who is indeed well deserving of such a high honour for his invaluable contributions to this country.
--30--
IN PASSING
Opposition To Sidney Poitier Bridge
As soon as the announcement was made about the Poitier Bridge (see story above), the usual suspects were lining up to oppose it. It is embarrassing that something that should unite the country, an attempt is now going to be made to divide the country. Our conclusion is that this is politically motived and driven. The FNM that chose Sidney Poitier to be their ambassador to the Japan in 1997 and who was the close friend of the late FNM Leader Kendal Isaacs and his wife Pasty cannot come out and attack Mr. Poitier so they have their surrogates doing it. One well known Bahamian film maker and former candidate for the FNM Celli Moss has been leading the charge on Facebook. Many may remember that he is one who led a demonstration against the College of the Bahamas for holding a Sidney Poitier Film festival. We will see now if Ian Strachan, the professor who did the Festival and who got the support of Sidney Poitier will open his mouth or sit on his hands and do nothing in Mr. Poitier's defence. Mr. Moss opposed Perry Christie in the last general election campaign. Then there is Sharon Turner, who is the amanuensis of Hubert Ingraham. She does not have an original thought but suddenly she has this burst of erudite energy in the press on one thing or the next. Her tack is that the celebration for Sidney Poitier is anti Bahamian by the PLP because Jennifer Hudson is coming to Nassau to sing at the concert for him. Oh well, we guess they have to say something. The decision to honour Sidney Poitier in this way is the right thing to do. The Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison once said people who have power get to name things. The PLP has the power and is going to name the bridge so when or should we say if the FNM comes back to power if they want to they can rename it. Until then go get a life.
Knights Of Columbus Visit The Governor General
11 November, 2012,Governor-General Sir Arthur Foulkes (seated centre) is pictured with members of the Knights of Columbus in the Drawing Room at Government House October 10, during a courtesy call. The Knights are the Catholic answer to the Masonic Lodges. (BIS Photo / Derek Smith.)
RBDF At The Detention Centre
The press reported that on Thursday 11th October, an altercation broke out between two detainees at the Immigrant Detention Centre in Nassau. The matter was quickly contained and the detainees extracted without further incident. From time to time there are reports of incidents in the centre due to overcrowding.
The Troops Gather In Abaco
Standing at the Marsh Harbour airport, it is like a gold wave is coming in. Each plane that lands from Nassau brings in more gold troop PLP reinforcements from the capital. Prime Minister Perry Christie led a group of ministers to Grand Cay on Friday 12th October to shore up the troops. This former FNM stronghold looks like it too has gone gold.
A Man Looking Like Ingraham Blocks Mitchell In
The man who was dressed in black, mourning colours, said it was not him that was blocking the minister’s car at the Marsh Harbour Airport on Friday 12th October. Well no it was not him. But the car was being driven by the aide to the former Prime Minister and former MP for North Abaco Hubert Ingraham and the man who denied that he was blocking the car and who was dressed in black surely looked like the former PM. Oh well, we guess it’s election time so it’s come to that.
Button Man With Brave
One of Hubert Ingraham’s main generals was seen in a PLP T shirt at the PLP Rally in Cooper’s Town, Abaco on Thursday 11th October was Button Man. He is now supporting the PLP. No wonder Hubert Ingraham was dressed in black at the Marsh Harbour Airport on Friday 12th October.
The Chief Of Protocol With The Bishop
The Chief of Protocol Elease Delancy is shown in this engaging photo with the Bishop of the Anglican Church Laish Boyd outside the funeral for the late former MP Bruce Braynen on Thursday 11th October with her immediate predecessor as Chief of Protocol, the now retired but also consultant protocol officer to the Office of Prime Minister Andrew McKinney. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
Matthew’s Boy Seriously Ill
Dermont Mitchell, the second son of Mathew and Paige Mitchell is serious ill in hospital. It appears that the younger Mr. Mitchell suffered head injuries in a car accident in Nassau on 7th October. He is in ICU and doctors and family remain hopeful. Mr. Mitchell, the father, is the younger brother of MP Fred Mitchell.
Congratulations To Cheryl Samuels
It is has been a long toil in the vineyard but it has been confirmed that Cheryl Samuels, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Samuels of the Valley has been promoted to the rank of Principal at the H.O. Nash Senior High School. Congratulations.
Freeport MP Greg Moss Celebrates
Happy birthday after the fact to Greg Moss, the MP for Marco City and the Chairman of the National Insurance Board. He celebrated the birthday on 10th October.
Dion Foulkes Don't Be An Effen Jackass
The following statement was issued by Dion Foulkes, the one who started a blood feud with Fred Mitchell when Mr. Foulkes was a minister of the government. Now he has issued another statement in the head long rush of the FNM to oppose the naming of the Paradise Island Bridge after Sidney Poitier. He has gotten his constitutional law wrong in the bargain. How did this fellow pass is law exams? The statement was issued on 11th October.
In defense of the PLP Government’s decision to name the Paradise Island Bridge in honour of Sir Sidney Poitier, Fred Mitchell said that “while he served in the opposition between 2007 and 2012 he promised that he would thank Sir Sidney for his contributions to the country if he were ever returned to office.”
Is the PLP Cabinet a committee of one?
If Fred Mitchell is the driving force behind the decision to name the P.I. Bridge in Sir Sydney’s honour he should keep that to himself. Cabinet Ministers are not permitted to personalize Cabinet decision.
The well established and accepted principle of collective responsibility has been compromised by Fred Mitchell.
Instead of being driven by Fred Mitchell the PLP Government should have consulted the Bahamian people before making such an important decision.
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NARDO TAKES HIS SEAT: he stepped up to the House of Assembly as they say “fully regaled”. It was a great sight to see the new Member of Parliament for North Abaco Renardo Curry come into Parliament escorted by those who helped to get him elected MPs Jerome Fitzgerald and Glenys Hanna Martin of the PLP. They stood at his side as he signed the first book swearing that he knew of no impediment to being a member and then the second book swearing allegiance to the Queen ( oh well!). An examination of those books which date back to 1915 shows the signatures of Roland Symonette, Stafford Sands, Harcourt Malcolm, Asa Pritchard, Milo Butler, Lynden Pindling, Clarence Bain Cyril Stevenson, Harry Oakes, A F Adderley, William Parliament Adderley, Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham. He joins those historic names and became with that a Member of Parliament. Glen McDonald of North Abaco, one of his constituents said it on the night of the election “Isn’t this something? We electing someone from Murphy Town to the House of Assembly.” Yes indeed you did. Our photo of the week then is that of Renardo Curry, the new Member of Parliament for North Abaco as he took his seat on Wednesday 22nd October. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BTC JUST DOESN’T GET IT
It is time for the government to step in and take stronger action against the Bahamas Telecommunications Company, the national phone company, which was sold at a fire sale and corrupt price to Cable and Wireless in the waning years of the Ingraham administration. There needs to be a Commission of Inquiry or a Select Committee of the House to examine this deal to see whether there was corruption or not. However that is less urgent than the need to act to save the country from the abyss of missed calls, crashed data networks, busy signals and overcrowding on the network that BTC is unable to resolve under its current owners. It is true to say we believe that the telephone service in The Bahamas has never been worse.
We are reminded therefore of the actions of the government of Belize who tried to bargain for the return of the company to the people of Belize but in the end simply acted by Parliament and compulsorily acquired the shares of the company and the company once again returned to the people of Belize. The Bahamas must now contemplate whether or not such a drastic step is warranted.
Nothing has demonstrated this more than the few days over the hurricane. We carry a number of comments this week from informants who had complaints about the service. In fact, Bradley Roberts, the National Chair of the PLP issued a statement calling the assertions made by Cable and Wireless about BTC as ludicrous. We agree with him. This was in answer to a claim by one Peter Jones who is a Vice President of the company that the company did a great job with providing service during the hurricane of the last week. That is plainly and simply an idle boast and in another place we accuse the company of simply lying.
This lying by BTC does not only extend to its customers, it apparently lies to itself. At the very top, we have information that in meetings they try to persuade regulators and government officials that the Bahamian people are happy with their service. Which Bahamian people, which service? They deceive themselves and the truth is not in them.
The litany of complaints about this service must begin not with the native population but with the financial services sector. They can tell you how many times data goes down in a day. They can tell how many times they cannot get a phone call out or in. They can tell you how many times people come into town and simply cannot use the phones that they bring with them for voice or for data. We do not know what the problem is but what we do know is that whatever we have now is simply lousy.
So we are appealing directly to the government to step into this mess with BTC and seek to resolve this issue before it gets to be an embarrassment for this country. They obviously do not know what they are doing. The solution of hiring high priced Bahamians to go out front and simply lie to people about the quality of the service is not the solution to fixing this issue.
At the same time, the workers at the lower end complain bitterly about the way they are treated on the job. We appeal therefore for the government to step in and step in with dispatch. BTC obviously doesn’t get it.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 27th October 2012 up to midnight
Number of hits for the month of October up to Saturday 28th October 2012 up to midnight;
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 28th October 2012 up to midnight:
It was a moving day for the people of Abaco and for the Progressive Liberal Party Wednesday 22nd October. The words were expressed in superlatives. This was an historic day said most people. The Leader of the PLP Perry Christie welcomed the new Member of Parliament, telling him that the day was his day. The PLP’s Leader Perry Christie chastised the Leader of the Opposition Hubert Minnis for being graceless and ungracious by using through the backdoor his comments of welcome as a political speech in support of Huber Ingraham. Mr. Christie said that if the Leader of the Opposition had been paying attention, he (Mr. Minnis) would have known that Mr. Curry was way ahead of him and had already said that he would build on the work of his predecessor. With that of bit of politics aside, the day was unspoiled as the new MP returned the North Abaco seat to the PLP after 35 years and helped to put the Ingraham era behind us. The photos of Renardo Curry at the House and then later at Gambier House are taken by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
THE SANDY STORM PASSES OVER
Well the Hurricane Sandy has gone down in the history books as having cut a path of devastation throughout The Bahamas form north to south. There was flooding, high winds and rain in Long island, Exuma, Cat Island, Eleuthera and Abaco. Cat Island had not recovered from the last Hurricane two years ago. In Grand Bahama, they remembered Hurricanes Wilma, Francis and Jean of 2005 and 2006. Flooding along the Fishing Hole Road. Evacuations from the Queen's Cove and the International Airport underwater. That was Hurricane Sandy which came and went over Thursday and Friday 25 and 26th October. The photos of the damage and frenzy in New Providence are by Derek Smith of the Bahamas Information Services.
THE LJM MARINE ACADEMY
Lowell Jason Mortimer is the President of Campbell Shipping. It has invested in a fleet of Bahamian ships and has a trust that is starting a marine academy on Silver Cay in the northern harbour of the island of New Providence which they will call Marine Cay. The tens of millions of dollars are committed. That was the site of the old Coral World project. The academy is to train Bahamians to become merchant seamen. The Prime Minister Perry Christie joined guests at the launch of the academy on Tuesday 21st October. The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
ELIZABETH THOMPSON IS AT IT AGAIN
Elizabeth Thompson, the former Registrar , who was fired by the PLP government in the 202 to 2007 term but then won her case in court and was paid a total of a quarter of a million dollars to get rid of her, is back again. She joined the FNM and worked to get the PLP removed from office in 2007. She was a lawyer on the staff of BTC under the FNM which was subsequently sold to the Cable and Wireless crew. They deserve each other, both lousy together. Now thieves and rogues have fallen out so to speak. Ms. Thompson announced that she has been fired and the Union at BTC said that she must be rehired or else. They threatened that they would shut down communications in the country at five p.m. on Wednesday 23rd if the company did not comply. The company ignored their deadline. The storm was upon us; so if they wanted to be really popular they could have tried that during the storm. Imagine all that to save Elisabeth Thompson who is simply off. The company took the unusual step of explaining in public that they had explained to this lady that you cannot serve two masters. As a first year lawyer she should have learned what conflict of interest is. Yes she should have. But there are lawyers and then there are lawyers. They told her you cannot represent the union as an executive and then serve as part of our legal team. You have to choose. She did not, so the company chose for her. They didn’t fire her for cause. They gave the requisite notice pay and told her go her way. We support them in this one. The FNM’s Dion Foulkes always on the wrong side of the law came to her defence. He is defending a position that is not defensible.
THE INTERNECINE BATTLE IN THE FNM
The battle within the FNM has all but broken out into the open. Last week we reported on the injudicious statement by the Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis about his predecessor. From that day, the remark uttered on the night of the bye-election result out of Abaco on 15th October, the war broke out into the open. It lines up those on the one side who feel that Hubert Ingraham needs to go and be consigned to a bygone era and those who do not. Leading the charge is Sharon Turner, a special friend of Hubert Ingraham, who fake pony tail and all has been writing one letter after the next in the press. She does not have two cents of sense in her head so the letters are almost certainly not authored by her and most likely authored by Hubert Ingraham himself. They portray a bitter bitter man who is fighting for his legacy but also fighting to come back. If there was any secret about that ambition, his other mouthpiece at The Tribune Eileen Carron was suggesting in an editorial that Mr. Ingraham was waiting for the call back to service like the World War II French hero Charles De Galle. Sharon Turner wrote in the No Spin Zone, a closed group of FNMs on Facebook that Hubert Minnis was a “natural disgrace”. She then proceeded to call him everything but a child of God. In an open forum this week, she printed another attack on Dr. Minnis which we publish below. Then there was the letter she wrote in which she criticized Perry Christie for not going to the Board of Governors meeting of the IMF and World Bank and also for not going to the Heads of Government meeting in St. Lucia. This is Hubert Ingraham at work. Mr. Ingraham, the ventriloquist to Sharon Turner the dummy. Enter the fray Darron Cash, who started out as a radical activist, and should be in the PLP but could not make the decision. He is the FNMs Acting Chair. The result of not joining the PLP is that he sits in Opposition to the PLP and has to once again prove his bone fides with the people in the FNM who so despise him. In a calculated leak by the FNM to the press, the Nassau Guardian printed a letter which he wrote to the Members of the party urging unity and saying that he was proud as an FNM to stand on the shoulders of Hubert Ingraham, Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes. Politics makes you say strange and often stupid things. This is a young man who needs to say nothing of the kind. We shall see if selling his soul to gain the whole world in fact gets him where he wants to get. The foot soldiers themselves are in a state of disarray. They don’t quite know what to make of it all. Here is what we think. We believe that Carl Bethel is right to make the analogy with the PLP reduced as they were to five seats in the 1997 to 2002 period. They then came storming back with massive defeat of the FNM in 2002. They lost again and then won again. The point is like Karl Samuda in Jamaica said after the JLP loss to the PNP these things go in cycle. You win today and you lose tomorrow and so on and so on. This is said more as a warning to the PLP than to the FNM. The FNM has a formidable hill to climb. But that hill could become quite a lesser gradient if the PLP become slack and start to take things for granted and forget the lessons of why they ended up in Opposition in 2007. All this hand wringing and recrimination in the FNM is just part of the shakedown which comes after a party loses power. It is normal and not fatal to the survivability of the FNM. One thing the politics of the modern Bahamas shows us we think is that there are two forces in the country. The Africans and the Europeans. The PLP represents the Africans. The FNM the Europeans. That is speaking in broad generalities of course but those forces by whatever name you call them are the main political cleavages in the society since the eighteenth century. It has not changed yet and even if the FNM were to dissolve, the European forces would soon gather and galvanize around another group. They will oppose the Africans no matter what they say or do. You just have to read an Eileen Carron editorial to understand how that works.
FRED MITCHELL SPEAKS TO SIDNEY POITIER HONOURS
Sidney Poitier was in town some years ago for the funeral of his nephew Philip “ Cabbage” Poitier. After the funereal, there was a repast at Mr. Poitier's brother's home Reginald. Outside the funeral repast was a young man, who for now shall remain nameless, but who is very much involved now in the battle to trash Mr. Poitier’s name as the Paradise Island Bridge is named in his honour this week on 2nd November. The young man had no thought for the grief or the privacy of the family but chose that moment to approach Mr. Poitier to beg him for money. When he was rebuffed he took it personally and thus the campaign today against Sidney Poitier as someone who does not help people. In other words, he wanted to put his hand in the man's pocket and spend the man's money, not his money but Sidney Poitier’s hard earned money. And that is a problem we have with all of the objections being led to this. One talk show host is vex because Sidney Poitier refused to give an interview to him when he was in Nassau. Others want him to spend on this or that. It is all about why didn’t he give me something? Well the money was earned by Sidney Poitier; it is his money not theirs. He can do with it what he wishes. Secondly, why is that this we have become such a begging culture in this country that the only standard by which we judge whether someone is deserving or not is whether he gives us his money? Bull crap. Fred Mitchell addressed the issue in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 22 October.
BISHOP SIMEON HALL AND OTHER BAPTISTS ON POITIER
The Tribune reported that BishopSimeon Hall of New Covenant Baptist Church wrote in support of the naming of the Paradise Island Bridge after Sidney Poitier, the Bahamian actor, producer, writer and director. The report which was published on 23rd October appears in part below:
While there are other Bahamians deserving of similar honours, spokesperson of the group, New Covenant Baptist Church Bishop Simeon Hall yesterday said to name the bridge after an Oscar winner would have great ramifications.
He said that Mr Poitier had contributed financially to the Baptist community in the early building phases of the Jordan Prince William’s School.
“We believe in this instance,” Mr Hall said, “the government is right to honour Sir Sidney and we support this initiative.
“As members of the Baptist community our support has a subjective basis in that our record shows that when Baptists were marginalised by the class prejudices of the day Sir Sidney Poitier made invaluable financial contributions to help us erect the Jordan Prince Williams School at its present site on Zion Boulevard.”
The clergymen includes Shelton Higgs of the New Covenant Baptist Church, Paul’s Baptist Church pastor J Carl Rahming, Destiny Baptist Cathedral’s Delton Fernander, Samuel Green of the Yamacraw Baptist Church, Philip McPhee, Mount Calvary Baptist Church and Gregory Minnis of Jerusalem Ministries.
They said to place the name of a famous Bahamian born personality at its gateway speaks volumes.
BRADLEY ROBERTS ON BTC
The Tribune reported that BishopSimeon Hall of New Covenant Baptist Church wrote in support of the naming of the Paradise Island Bridge after Sidney Poitier, the Bahamian actor, producer, writer and director. The report which was published on 23rd October appears in part below:
While there are other Bahamians deserving of similar honours, spokesperson of the group, New Covenant Baptist Church Bishop Simeon Hall yesterday said to name the bridge after an Oscar winner would have great ramifications.
He said that Mr Poitier had contributed financially to the Baptist community in the early building phases of the Jordan Prince William’s School.
“We believe in this instance,” Mr Hall said, “the government is right to honour Sir Sidney and we support this initiative.
“As members of the Baptist community our support has a subjective basis in that our record shows that when Baptists were marginalised by the class prejudices of the day Sir Sidney Poitier made invaluable financial contributions to help us erect the Jordan Prince Williams School at its present site on Zion Boulevard.”
The clergymen includes Shelton Higgs of the New Covenant Baptist Church, Paul’s Baptist Church pastor J Carl Rahming, Destiny Baptist Cathedral’s Delton Fernander, Samuel Green of the Yamacraw Baptist Church, Philip McPhee, Mount Calvary Baptist Church and Gregory Minnis of Jerusalem Ministries.
They said to place the name of a famous Bahamian born personality at its gateway speaks volumes.
FRED MITCHELL ON STUDENTS IN CUBA
(file photo) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement on the status of students in Cuba after Hurricane Sandy:
26 October 2012 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise the general public of the safety status and general wellbeing of Bahamian students studying in Cuba in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Please be advised that the Bahamas Embassy in Havana Cuba has been in contact with students in Cienfuegos, Granma and Santiago de Cuba, the areas most affected by the Hurricane. It has been determined that all students are alive, safe and well; however, students in Santiago de Cuba have suffered the brunt of the impact of Sandy. All students have food, water and shelter.
The situation with the students has been confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Foreign Trade of Cuba (MINCEX), which informed the Embassy that there were no deaths or injuries, but there was physical damage to the learning center in Santiago, which require it to be closed for roughly a month. During that time, it is expected that all foreign students in the institution will assist in the repairs required.
The Bahamas Embassy further advised that all activities related to their stay and presence in their institutions will remain completely normal (leaving their school and province, leaving Cuba still require the normal administrative procedures however).
We were further advised that there was no electricity or water, and that all stores in the surrounding area were closed.
The Prime Minister has instructed Mr. Eugene TorchonNewry, our Charge d'affaires in Cuba to travel to Santiago de Cuba, conduct an independent assessment of conditions there and report his findings to the Bahamas Government. The government will then be better able to determine how best to render assistance.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to monitor this fluid situation and will keep the general public informed of any further development.
end
BISHOP SIMEON HALL AND OTHER BAPTISTS ON POITIER
The Tribune reported that BishopSimeon Hall of New Covenant Baptist Church wrote in support of the naming of the Paradise Island Bridge after Sidney Poitier, the Bahamian actor, producer, writer and director. The report which was published on 23rd October appears in part below:
While there are other Bahamians deserving of similar honours, spokesperson of the group, New Covenant Baptist Church Bishop Simeon Hall yesterday said to name the bridge after an Oscar winner would have great ramifications.
He said that Mr Poitier had contributed financially to the Baptist community in the early building phases of the Jordan Prince William’s School.
“We believe in this instance,” Mr Hall said, “the government is right to honour Sir Sidney and we support this initiative.
“As members of the Baptist community our support has a subjective basis in that our record shows that when Baptists were marginalised by the class prejudices of the day Sir Sidney Poitier made invaluable financial contributions to help us erect the Jordan Prince Williams School at its present site on Zion Boulevard.”
The clergymen includes Shelton Higgs of the New Covenant Baptist Church, Paul’s Baptist Church pastor J Carl Rahming, Destiny Baptist Cathedral’s Delton Fernander, Samuel Green of the Yamacraw Baptist Church, Philip McPhee, Mount Calvary Baptist Church and Gregory Minnis of Jerusalem Ministries.
They said to place the name of a famous Bahamian born personality at its gateway speaks volumes.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport about the 52 week programme instituted by the FNM government in their last days. He says that the programme was a desperate attempt to save the Ingraham administration. He says there was no accountability and the programme was subject to abuse. He lays the blame at the feet of Zhivargo Laing, the former Minister of State for Finance and Hubert Ingraham.
The FNM’s so-called 52 weeks jobs program, initiated just weeks before the May 7th general elections, was nothing more than an election ploy geared toward an attempt, by Hubert Ingraham and Zhivargo Laing, to solidify their rapidly dwindling support base. Seasoned FNM supporters, and especially the young potential voters, were jumping ship daily (you would recall) from the FNM; their exodus reminded me of hurricane-ravaged Grand Bahamians when scrambling for the last few gallons of water being distributed, under police supervision even, during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. In and of itself (on the surface) the program looked to be a worthwhile project; that if structured properly it could have been the impetus to advance a certain “non-academic-minded” sector of our youthful population but the selfish purpose for which the plan was conceived, in the first place, rendered it, at the end of the day, futile, useless, expensive and a burdensome exercise on the backs of an already over-taxed Bahamian society. Ingraham and Laing conjured up the program with no clear objectives in mind except, I submit, as a possible vote-getting exercise. In short, and in effect, Ingraham and Laing used their trusted positions to raid the public’s purse for campaign funding for their own re-elections and political gain. There seemed to have been no guidelines or structure, to the program, agreed in advance of its implementation. Except for the $210.00 per week cheques issued out to the participants every Friday we gained no lasting benefits. As a matter of fact those in the so-called program didn’t even have to report to any particular workplace; just get their names in the system somehow, then show up each Friday at 2 PM for their cheques. This blatant misuse of public funds has never, in memory, happened before. I submit that the duo of fiscal destructors saw the daily decline in support for the FNM (especially among the youth where unemployment was conservatively recorded at 34%) and felt that something had to be done to stem the political ebb tide. When all else was failing the easiest thing for them to do was to raid the treasury and put as many on the public’s payroll, no skin off their noses. If they sincerely meant for the program to work they would have done some other things; like have it structured it in such a manner so as to produce, at the end of the 52 weeks, a goodly number of participants qualified as semi-trained apprentices in some kind of trade; Tradesmen who would have gone on, after their initial 52 weeks, to complete their full training and become an asset to the country by filling the huge shortfall we’ve long since been experiencing in the field of trade; a meaningful program, of this kind, would have been geared to achieving, at the very least, such an objective but they (i.e. Ingraham and Laing) didn’t give a damn about getting value for money; they cared only for the political future of their own backsides.
I am aware of a number of persons, in the program, who have been placed on jobs where they were not even wanted; where the business owners only acceded to the Finance Ministry’s request, to allow them on the jobs, because Laing allegedly begged them too. The young ladies, especially, sat around most of the day on the telephone talking to boyfriends (supposedly), doing their hair and nails or going back and forth to the bath room powdering their faces with no objective in the workplace whatsoever. In one particular case, which I am fully aware of, the young lady owned her own little business; she had no employees but herself but she was months behind on her rent so she was told, by either Laing or his agent in the ministry of finance, to get her landlady to give her a letter and once she secures that letter she would be put in the program. She did in fact secure the required letter, allegedly, and she was put in the system. Within a few months, I am told, she was in a position to pay her landlady, in full, all the past due rent she owed her. In all fairness to Laing, Ingraham or their agents however, I am not suggesting that they were in any way in collusion with this young lady or any other person in the program for that matter but, I am suggesting, that they were callous and irresponsible. The FNM government, led by this duo of fiscal destructors (Hubert and Zhivargo), were reckless, to say the least, in conducting the country’s fiscal affairs. I submit that they were downright (intentionally) irresponsible and, like our deputy prime minister, I share his view that any prime minister (since the buck stops with him/her) who intentionally do the kind of foolishness Ingraham did, which results in taxpayers having to foot additional unnecessary taxes, ought to be held personally responsible for re-refunding the public treasury. Do to them what the Icelanders did to their prime minister; they had him arrested for “fiscal indiscipline” which actions cost Iceland millions of dollars. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest, however, that we should have a law to do to them what the North Koreans did to their Minister for Finance last year; they charged him with fiscal irresponsibility, brought him guilty (before a kangaroo court no doubt) and without any appeals took him out before a firing squad and shot him. Ingraham and Laing are getting away scot free and this is not right. These two suckers, unlike any others I know, seem to obliterate reality; they seem to be living in a hermitically polarized world where accountability is not necessary because there is no one to whom to account. Here’s what a Perry Christie-led PLP government would have done if such a program became necessary during its tenure; the idea would have firstly been approved, in principle, by the cabinet; it would then have been passed on to an appropriate appointed team, within the ministry of finance, who would have been given a clear mandate as to the objectives desired (to be achieved) when the 52 weeks would have expired. Detailed qualifications for getting into the program would have been made clear and none of the participants would have been at home while being paid. With Ingraham and Laing’s program the only objective they seem to have had, in mind, was to pay out, to the selected participants, a weekly salary in exchange for their votes. Whether or not the persons gained anything which would assist them in their future endeavors (or the country) was not a concern of theirs; accountability was out of the question and to hell with those who didn’t like it; they didn’t care; all they wanted was the participants’ votes.
What is so dreadful and distressful is that this greatly exaggerated expensive program, which was budgeted for a maximum of $25 million, wasted some $50 million with no accountability to the Bahamian taxpayers who are now stuck with the bill. Christie, being his fiscally-disciplined self, rightly labeled the program a “DISGRACE” and while he didn’t do what Ingraham would have surely done to a PLP program (i.e. immediately discontinue it) he ordered a gradual scale-back which will result in the eventual discontinuance of the farce. I would hasten to say that at some point, within this parliamentary term, I would like to see the PLP implement a like program but for the exclusive training of young potential tradesmen (as they graduate from high school) who would intern for at least a year a weekly stipend. I believe that with such a permanent program (with strict adherence by the participants to almost militaristic guidelines and conditions attached) within a decade the country could conceivably reduce, considerably, the number of work permits we are obliged to grant for auto mechanics; welders; carpenters etc; etc year in and year out; we certainly cannot continue down the path we are going, at the moment, for if we fail to correct the course we are on we will be depending on foreigners to service our industries for decades to come.
Another glaring example of Ingraham’s recklessness was seen again recently when a $185,000.00 Mercedes Benz suddenly appeared on the docks consigned to the ministry of finance. It was specially ordered, by Ingraham, from the factory designed with bullet-proof capabilities (no doubt) for his majesty (Hubert Ingraham) who was obviously convinced he would win the last general elections. I guess his idea, for the vehicle, was to have a brand new (bullet proof) car to drive onto the park, among cheering crowds of FNM celebrants, for his election victory celebrations but three things happened; the dictator lost the elections, the car arrived too late and the Bahamian people are now stuck with paying the bill. What really amazes me is that the scoundrel really expected to win the general elections; it is really a sure sign of a dictator who thinks he/she can piss all over the citizenry and still maintain their support notwithstanding. It is appalling, to say the least, that in these financially troublesome times a prime minister would go to the extent, that Ingraham did, to put on order (for his personal use at the taxpayers’ expense while citizens were starving-literally), a $185,000.00 vehicle in which to be chuffed around town. Further shocking was the admission by the minister for finance that he really didn’t know what the vehicle cost; shocking indeed.
We discovered, to our shock and dismay, during the Abaco by elections campaign that 38 year-old Greg Gomez (Ingraham’s hand-picked man to replace him as MP for North Abaco) was actually included as well on the 52-weeks jobs program despite the fact that his age, as stipulated by the program, disqualified him. The age limit set by Ingraham himself was 18-30 year olds-no older-yet Ingraham’s man Gomez was allowed to participate depriving some other young Bahamian who would have qualified. Not only was Gomez not qualified for the program (because of his age) but he didn’t qualified as a Bahamian either within the rules of the constitution for persons offering as candidates in national or local elections; Ingraham loved making rules and regulations, apparently, but for everybody else, not himself. I am curious as to why Ingraham would have selected such a person as Gomez and insisted on imposing him on the FNM when in fact the guy seemed to have had enough excess baggage where he would have had to pay overweight if he were travelling by aircraft. It is alleged, even, that this young man is barred from ever returning to the USA which is a tragic situation for any Bahamian. Nothing surprises me anymore where Ingraham was/is involved.
Laing, with his usual cock and bull diatribe, tried vehemently to defend what he and Ingraham did with this scheme but, while I’ll admit that the concept was commendable, their purpose, implementation and execution bespeak volumes their lack of sincerity vision and honesty and so, in this regard, there is no viable defense that they can mount.
Somewhere in the historical archives of human kind it must be recorded that Hubert Ingraham, for the Bahamas, was the lousiest of leaders in our nation’s history.
Thank you Forrester J Carroll J.P Freeport, Grand Bahama October 2012.
(check bahamaspress for a file photo)
Sharon Turner, the FNM ideologue, who is Hubert Ingraham special friend and right hand wrote the following on her Facebook page attacks her own people According to Me - Sharon T · 951 like this Tuesday at 11:18am ·
THE OPPOSITION FNM IS TOO IMPORTANT TO BE DERAILED BY ITS LEADERSHIP'S PERSONAL VENDETTAS.
In the May 7 General Election, 65,000 Bahamians cast their vote for the Free National Movement. Thousands more either still do, or have at one point supported the FNM or voted for the FNM in previous elections. In short, this 41-year-old political party in The Bahamas is one of our two major Parties, having led The Bahamas for 15 of its almost 40 years as an Independent nation.
It is a pivotal organisation. It is her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Healthy democracies must have a strong Opposition, and in the case of The Bahamas where the government currently holds a 30 seat majority our of the 38 seats in Parliament, a strong and competent Opposition is not only necessary, it is critical.
This is why as the Opposition Party makes upcoming and future decisions about the way forward for its institution, I as a Bahamian and a voter, trust they will do whatever they justly and circumspectly deem necessary to protect that institution - an institution born out of the stand for political integrity, accountability and the fight against corruption, victimisation and political suppression.
It is against that backdrop that I look forward to seeing the very public personal vendettas being meted out against other FNMs by that Party's leadership be dealt with by the Party for the overall stability and progress of the institution.
In the latest twist, the Leader of the FNM, according to his personal media liaison (who does not have a formal working affiliation with the FNM) has instructed his press liaison to pen an op-ed column slated for newspaper print later this week that is to discuss the FNM's May 7 loss at the polls, with the purpose of stating that the FNM lost the election because its former leader Hubert Ingraham is a "megalomanic" (a person in delusion about his own power and a person obsessed with power).
Tell me how in the world is the FNM supposed to move forward when its current leader is obsessed with his former leader to this extent? This is not the direction that the Free National Movement as a Party wants to move in or needs to move in, but the Leader of that Party seems disinterested in leading his Party but instead, is consumed with whatever personal insecurities about and issues he has with the Party's former leader, who is now in retirement.
The FNM held a closed-door conclave shortly after the May 7 defeat, where the Party as a whole met and hashed out what it felt were the reasons for the May 7 loss, and following that conclave, the Leader of the FNM emerged saying the Party has now put that loss behind them and is seeking to move forward with his vision for a new FNM.
So since the FNM Party has declared its desire to move on and move forward, why is its Leader reportedly instructing his personal media liaison to keep adding unnecessary fuel to the fire, enlisting his writing of a national column trashing the Party's former leader? Just who is the focus of the Leader of the FNM at this stage? Is it his Party and his country, or his former leader whose existence on earth (an existence that does not involve his involvement in the affairs of the FNM by the way) appears to be a bizarre trigger of anxiety and self-loathing on his part?
The Bahamas needs a strong Opposition. A 30 seat majority is an incentive for any political party in power to do what it wants to do regardless of the consequences, because their House majority is so wide. We don't need an Opposition whose leadership is driven predominantly by visions of Hubert Ingraham’s dancing in his head.
The FNM has decried rampant victimisation it says is being carried out by the government. It has also raised the alarm on other pressing issues in the country. This is what the Opposition Party needs to be focused on. We, the Bahamian people should be the focus, not someone's personal feelings about Hubert Ingraham - personal feelings by the way, that only one person in the entire Party is on the record venting about. And this venting and whining could be something persons may be generally willing to brush off were the person doing it not the Leader of the Party.
The 65,000 Bahamians who voted of the FNM need the FNM. Those who did not vote for the FNM but understand the importance of a healthy democracy need the FNM. And the country at large, whether persons therein voted or not need the FNM, because without a competent, solid Opposition, the government becomes both god and king.
May the FNM do what it deems best to protect this important institution in our democracy.
Some informants called from the various offshore banks to complain that the banks ignored the Prime Minister’s directive to shut the town down on Thursday and Friday last in the wake of the storm. We were informed that at Royal Bank Trust even though the domestic bank closed, the head of the Royal Bank Trust took the position that “Perry Christie does not run our bank” and told all employees that they had to report to work. This is part of a pattern of disrespect which the offshore sector has generally for Perry Christie and the PLP said the informant. For the information of all, the Government has the power under the Public Holidays Act to declare any day a public holiday. Double time is due if you forced the employees to work on that day.
Comparing Ingraham To De Galle (Really Now?)
Eileen Carron is politically getting more and more delusional. She wrote an editorial last week in which she claimed that there was instability in both political parties. What she was really writing about was the instability in the FNM and not really about that but about the assault on Hubert Ingraham's legacy which is taking place under the new leader Hubert Minnis. She had to rise to Mr. Ingraham's defence. However, she could not think about attacking the FNM , she had to say what she wanted to say about the FNM to rope the PLP into it and she did. She claimed that the advice that Bradley Roberts, PLP Chair, gave the Leader of the PLP Perry Christie reported on this site last week that he ought to take a vacation was a sign of instability in the PLP. According to her warped political calculus, Mr. Christie is afraid to take a vacation because he might lose control of the party. Only in her vivid imagination. The PLP has no such problem and there is no instability in the PLP. Mrs. Carron then went onto say that Hubert Ingraham has done such a good job that even though he has walked away and is in an exile of sorts, he like French National Hero Charles De Galle will be called back to save the Commonwealth. In her effen dreams! More likely Mr. Ingraham should be compared to Napoleon. He went off to exile in Elba and made a comeback only to be defeated once and for all at Waterloo. So let Mr. Ingraham try. That is what awaits him. Napoleon, not De Galle!.
Richard Lightbourne: What A Twit
We explained above that it was a very emotional day for many in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 22nd October. It was a day that history was made with the seating of a new PLP MP for North Abaco Renardo Curry. The bill of the day was a two clause bill to amend the Local Government Act to make it possible for births and other recorded documents to be issued by the local government administrator. It was a moment though to savor the victory of Renardo Curry in Abaco and for PLP members to say how proud they were of the story of the social mobility of our country as evidenced in Renardo Curry. One such member who spoke to it was V. Alfred Gray, the local government minister, who spoke to his own up from the bootstraps’ story. He was one of 13 children from a twice widowed mother. Richard Lightbourne, the to the manor born FNM MP, was having none of it. He said he did not want to hear about Mr. Gray walking barefoot as a boy. No wonder we don’t get anything done in here he said. That did not sit well with PLP MPs and they told him so. His own side was embarrassed again. What a twit!
BTC Spokesman Tell Lies
BTC, the local phone, company claimed that their system worked throughout the storm except for some localized problem related to the fact that their back up power failed. It is all lies. Just before five p.m. after the worst of the storm as over the entire cell system collapsed: text, data, voice, nothing. Lousy friggen company.
Obama On The Ropes It Appears
The news does not look good for the incumbent President of the United States Barak Obama who faces an election on 6th November. Having faltered in the first of a series of debates with his challenger, the momentum seems now to be with the challenger. President Obama seems now to be hoping to eke out a win on points by the strategic use of the electoral college in the U.S. Elections in the states for President are not by direct popular vote but an indirect vote based on how many electoral college votes you get based on the number of congressional districts you win. If you win the highest percentage in a particular state, you get all the electoral college votes for that state. In the math, it looks like a win for Obama but if you go by the press reports, it sounds like Mr. Obama is in serious trouble. Even women who should be clearly for him are split just fifty fifty. The Bahamas has no dog in the hunt save an emotional tie to Obama as the first Black president. Those who are weak at heart on this tune into MSNBC. They are the only ones who still think he can pull it off. It will stiffen your spine.
Black Entertainers, Sportsmen Lawyers In Town
Andy Ingraham, a Bahamian hotel executive and entrepreneur, is in town with a host of important , wealthy and well connected friends. They are all members of an association of lawyers who service black sports and entertainment figures. They were in town at Paradise Island in the middle of the storm. That did not stop the conference. They were joined by former Ambassador to the Bahamas for the United States Nicole Avant.
Why Are People Worried About The FNM’s Survivability?
Fear not. All that is happening is the shakedown period. Ingraham waiting in the wings. It may take a long time but it will come again, especially if they look to Ingraham again. If the PLP plays its cards right, the FNM will have a long time in the wilderness.
Bahamas Falling Back In Competiveness
The news is not good. It is getting more difficult according to the World Bank to do business in The Bahamas. The Bahamas has dropped in competiveness from last year. Not surprising. The FNM for all that it claimed to have done did nothing to make us more competitive.
Zhivargo Laing Didn’t Know What He Was Talking About
Michael Halkitis had to put Zhivargo Laing in his place. Mr. Laing is the predecessor of Mr. Halkitis in the role as Minister of State for Finance. Mr. Laing was the one who spread the rumour that the government under the PLP was upping its short term borrowing limits by the bill it passed last week in the House by three times the present limit. Turns out that it’s not so at all. Its only by ten per cent. Mr. Laing is always the alarmist and of course always the smartest guy in the lot. By the way he is now selling his mouth to people who are willing to hear him for thirty five dollars a pop with a motivational seminar in Freeport. We’re told that rich banks who support the FNM and want the PLP to lose are helping him make a way. Mr. Halkitis spoke in the House on Wednesday 22nd October.
What Is With Darron Cash?
You can’t believe that this is the same young man who had the temerity to take on Pindling in his heyday at the man’s own party’s youth convention. What has happened to him? He is quoted in the newspaper as saying that he has no problem standing on the shoulders of Hubert Ingraham Tommy Turnquest, Dion Foulkes . Say what? Well Ingraham you could sort of understand but those other two. These washed up, has been politicians who were rejected by the people, who despise him with a passion and tried their best to keep him out of the front line and he is satisfied to stand on their shoulders? Even Hubert Ingraham never wanted Mr. Cash to be in the front line, couldn’t stand him but at least Mr. Ingraham has something to show for himself. Those other two are simply monumental wastes of time. One is reminded of that popular religious anthem: On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
Hurricane Preparedness
What we cannot figure out is why with a country that has hurricanes and hard blows every year, why the power has to go off at the first blow and the cable can’t stay on. Something seems off about that? Then there are these weather forecasts that always seem to be off or rather reported in such a strange way that you cannot understand what they are telling you.
Congratulations To Franklin and Sharon Wilson (photo to come) He was the youngest member ever elected to the House of Assembly way back in 1972. He lasted for a term and then the next time he surfaced as a front line politician was a stint in the Senate in 1997. Franklin Wilson though is successful in business. That is what he does best and how his mind works, as sharp as a razor blade. Early on he chose as his bride and life partner Sharon Wilson, pretty, gorgeous in fact, a princess and she too is as smart as could be. They were married 40 years to the day on Saturday 27th October and he and she celebrated the occasion by renewing their vows at the church where they married: St Barnabas Anglican Church. Family and friends gathered for the occasion. Congratulations to them.
Bahamian delegation To The Dominican Republic
Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will lead a delegation to the Dominican Republic, for talks on fisheries issues on Monday 29th October to 1st November. The talks are with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santo Domingo. Minister of National Security Bernard Nottage and Minister of Marine Resources Alfred Gray will attend the meetings as well.
Sandy In Freeport
A photo of the scene in the aftermath of the hurricane at the Freeport Airport
Taken from Ralph Hanna's Facebook page.
Sandy In Green Turtle
A photo of the scene in the aftermath of the hurricane in Green Turtle cay, Abaco. Taken
from Natell Russell's Facebook page
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NARDO TAKES HIS SEAT: he stepped up to the House of Assembly as they say “fully regaled”. It was a great sight to see the new Member of Parliament for North Abaco Renardo Curry come into Parliament escorted by those who helped to get him elected MPs Jerome Fitzgerald and Glenys Hanna Martin of the PLP. They stood at his side as he signed the first book swearing that he knew of no impediment to being a member and then the second book swearing allegiance to the Queen ( oh well!). An examination of those books which date back to 1915 shows the signatures of Roland Symonette, Stafford Sands, Harcourt Malcolm, Asa Pritchard, Milo Butler, Lynden Pindling, Clarence Bain, Cyril Stevenson, Harry Oakes, A F Adderley, William Parliament Adderley, Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham. He joins those historic names and became with that a Member of Parliament. Glen McDonald of North Abaco, one of his constituents said it on the night of the election “Aint this something? We electing someone from Murphy Town to the House of Assembly.” Yes indeed you did. Our photo of the week then is that of Renardo Curry, the new Member of Parliament for North Abaco as he took his seat on Wednesday 22nd October. The photo is by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BTC JUST DOESN’T GET IT
It is time for the government to step in and take stronger action against the Bahamas Telecommunications Company, the national phone company, which was sold at a fire sale and corrupt price to Cable and Wireless in the waning years of the Ingraham administration. There needs to be a Commission of Inquiry or a Select Committee of the House to examine this deal to see whether there was corruption or not. However that is less urgent than the need to act to save the country from the abyss of missed calls, crashed data networks, busy signals and overcrowding on the network that BTC is unable to resolve under its current owners. It is true to say we believe that the telephone service in The Bahamas has never been worse.
We are reminded therefore of the actions of the government of Belize who tried to bargain for the return of the company to the people of Belize but in the end simply acted by Parliament and compulsorily acquired the shares of the company and the company once again returned to the people of Belize. The Bahamas must now contemplate whether or not such a drastic step is warranted.
Nothing has demonstrated this more than the few days over the hurricane. We carry a number of comments this week from informants who had complaints about the service. In fact, Bradley Roberts, the National Chair of the PLP issued a statement calling the assertions made by Cable and Wireless about BTC as ludicrous. We agree with him. This was in answer to a claim by one Peter Jones who is a Vice President of the company that the company did a great job with providing service during the hurricane of the last week. That is plainly and simply an idle boast and in another place we accuse the company of simply lying.
This lying by BTC does not only extend to its customers, it apparently lies to itself. At the very top, we have information that in meetings they try to persuade regulators and government officials that the Bahamian people are happy with their service. Which Bahamian people, which service? They deceive themselves and the truth is not in them.
The litany of complaints about this service must begin not with the native population but with the financial services sector. They can tell you how many times data goes down in a day. They can tell how many times they cannot get a phone call out or in. They can tell you how many times people come into town and simply cannot use the phones that they bring with them for voice or for data. We do not know what the problem is but what we do know is that whatever we have now is simply lousy.
So we are appealing directly to the government to step into this mess with BTC and seek to resolve this issue before it gets to be an embarrassment for this country. They obviously do not know what they are doing. The solution of hiring high priced Bahamians to go out front and simply lie to people about the quality of the service is not the solution to fixing this issue.
At the same time, the workers at the lower end complain bitterly about the way they are treated on the job. We appeal therefore for the government to step in and step in with dispatch. BTC obviously doesn’t get it.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 27th October 2012 up to midnight:170,377
Number of hits for the month of October up to Saturday 28th October 2012 up to midnight;559,526
Number of hits for the year 2012 up to Saturday 28th October 2012 up to midnight:6,521,632
It was a moving day for the people of Abaco and for the Progressive Liberal Party Wednesday 22nd October. The words were expressed in superlatives. This was an historic day said most people. The Leader of the PLP Perry Christie welcomed the new Member of Parliament, telling him that the day was his day. The PLP’s Leader Perry Christie chastised the Leader of the Opposition Hubert Minnis for being graceless and ungracious by using through the backdoor his comments of welcome as a political speech in support of Huber Ingraham. Mr. Christie said that if the Leader of the Opposition had been paying attention, he (Mr. Minnis) would have known that Mr. Curry was way ahead of him and had already said that he would build on the work of his predecessor. With that of bit of politics aside, the day was unspoiled as the new MP returned the North Abaco seat to the PLP after 35 years and helped to put the Ingraham era behind us. The photos of Renardo Curry at the House ar by Peter Rsamsay of the Bahamas Information Services and then later at Gambier House are taken from the PLP's Facebook page.
THE SANDY STORM PASSES OVER
Well the Hurricane Sandy has gone down in the history books as having cut a path of devastation throughout The Bahamas from north to south. There was flooding, high winds and rain in Long Island, Exuma, Cat Island, Eleuthera and Abaco. Cat Island had not recovered from the last Hurricane two years ago. In Grand Bahama, they remembered Hurricanes Wilma, Francis and Jean of 2005 and 2006. Flooding along the Fishing Hole Road. Evacuations from the Queen's Cove and the International Airport underwater. Two people died. One a rich man in Lyford Cay fell while trying to fix a storm shutter and the other a foreigner resident of Queen's Cove in Grand Bahama. That was Hurricane Sandy which came and went over Thursday and Friday 25 and 26th October. The photos of the damage and frenzy in New Providence are by Derek Smith of the Bahamas Information Services.
THE LJM MARINE ACADEMY
Lowell Jason Mortimer is the President of Campbell Shipping. It has invested in a fleet of Bahamian ships and has a trust that is starting a marine academy on Silver Cay in the northern harbour of the island of New Providence which they will call Marine Cay. The tens of millions of dollars are committed. That was the site of the old Coral World project. The academy is to train Bahamians to become merchant seamen. The Prime Minister Perry Christie joined guests at the launch of the academy on Tuesday 21st October. The photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
ELIZABETH THOMPSON IS AT IT AGAIN
Elizabeth Thompson, the former Registrar , who was fired by the PLP government in the 2002 to 2007 term but then won her case in court and was paid a total of a quarter of a million dollars to get rid of her, is back again. She joined the FNM and worked to get the PLP removed from office in 2007. She was a lawyer on the staff of BTC under the FNM which was subsequently sold to the Cable and Wireless crew. They deserve each other, both lousy together. Now thieves and rogues have fallen out so to speak. Ms. Thompson announced that she has been fired and the Union at BTC said that she must be rehired or else. They threatened that they would shut down communications in the country at five p.m. on Wednesday 23rd if the company did not comply. The company ignored their deadline. The storm was upon us; so if they wanted to be really popular they could have tried that during the storm. Imagine all that to save Elizabeth Thompson who is simply off. The company took the unusual step of explaining in public that they had explained to this lady that you cannot serve two masters. As a first year lawyer she should have learned what conflict of interest is. Yes she should have. But there are lawyers and then there are lawyers. They told her you cannot represent the union as an executive and then serve as part of our legal team. You have to choose. She did not, so the company chose for her. They didn’t fire her for cause. They gave the requisite notice pay and told her go her way. We support them in this one. The FNM’s Dion Foulkes always on the wrong side of the law came to her defence. He is defending a position that is not defensible.
THE INTERNECINE BATTLE IN THE FNM
The battle within the FNM has all but broken out into the open. Last week we reported on the injudicious statement by the Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis about his predecessor. From that day, the remark uttered on the night of the bye-election result out of Abaco on 15th October, the war broke out into the open. It lines up those on the one side who feel that Hubert Ingraham needs to go and be consigned to a bygone era and those who do not. Leading the charge is Sharon Turner, a special friend of Hubert Ingraham, who fake pony tail and all has been writing one letter after the next in the press. She does not have two cents of sense in her head so the letters are almost certainly not authored by her and most likely authored by Hubert Ingraham himself. They portray a bitter bitter man who is fighting for his legacy but also fighting to come back. If there was any secret about that ambition, his other mouthpiece at The Tribune Eileen Carron was suggesting in an editorial that Mr. Ingraham was waiting for the call back to service like the World War II French hero Charles De Galle. Sharon Turner wrote in the No Spin Zone, a closed group of FNMs on Facebook that Hubert Minnis was a “natural disgrace”. She then proceeded to call him everything but a child of God. In an open forum this week, she printed another attack on Dr. Minnis which we publish below. Then there was the letter she wrote in which she criticized Perry Christie for not going to the Board of Governors meeting of the IMF and World Bank and also for not going to the Heads of Government meeting in St. Lucia. This is Hubert Ingraham at work. Mr. Ingraham, the ventriloquist to Sharon Turner the dummy. Enter the fray Darron Cash, who started out as a radical activist, and should be in the PLP but could not make the decision. He is the FNMs Acting Chair. The result of not joining the PLP is that he sits in Opposition to the PLP and has to once again prove his bone fides with the people in the FNM who so despise him. In a calculated leak by the FNM to the press, the Nassau Guardian printed a letter which he wrote to the Members of the party urging unity and saying that he was proud as an FNM to stand on the shoulders of Hubert Ingraham, Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes. Politics makes you say strange and often stupid things. This is a young man who needs to say nothing of the kind. We shall see if selling his soul to gain the whole world in fact gets him where he wants to get. The foot soldiers themselves are in a state of disarray. They don’t quite know what to make of it all. Here is what we think. We believe that Carl Bethel is right to make the analogy with the PLP reduced as they were to five seats in the 1997 to 2002 period. They then came storming back with massive defeat of the FNM in 2002. They lost again and then won again. The point is like Karl Samuda in Jamaica said after the JLP loss to the PNP these things go in cycle. You win today and you lose tomorrow and so on and so on. This is said more as a warning to the PLP than to the FNM. The FNM has a formidable hill to climb. But that hill could become quite a lesser gradient if the PLP become slack and start to take things for granted and forget the lessons of why they ended up in Opposition in 2007. All this hand wringing and recrimination in the FNM is just part of the shakedown which comes after a party loses power. It is normal and not fatal to the survivability of the FNM. One thing the politics of the modern Bahamas shows us we think is that there are two forces in the country. The Africans and the Europeans. The PLP represents the Africans. The FNM the Europeans. That is speaking in broad generalities of course but those forces by whatever name you call them are the main political cleavages in the society since the eighteenth century. It has not changed yet and even if the FNM were to dissolve, the European forces would soon gather and galvanize around another group. They will oppose the Africans no matter what they say or do. You just have to read an Eileen Carron editorial to understand how that works.
FRED MITCHELL SPEAKS TO SIDNEY POITIER HONOURS
Sidney Poitier was in town some years ago for the funeral of his nephew Philip “ Cabbage” Poitier. After the funeral, there was a repast at Mr. Poitier's brother's home Reginald. Outside the funeral repast was a young man, who for now shall remain nameless, but who is very much involved now in the battle to trash Mr. Poitier’s name as the Paradise Island Bridge is named in his honour this week on 2nd November. The young man had no thought for the grief or the privacy of the family but chose that moment to approach Mr. Poitier to beg him for money. When he was rebuffed he took it personally and thus the campaign today against Sidney Poitier as someone who does not help people. In other words, he wanted to put his hand in the man's pocket and spend the man's money, not his money but Sidney Poitier’s hard earned money. And that is a problem we have with all of the objections being led to this. One talk show host is vex because Sidney Poitier refused to give an interview to him when he was in Nassau. Others want him to spend on this or that. It is all about why didn’t he give me something? Well the money was earned by Sidney Poitier; it is his money not theirs. He can do with it what he wishes. Secondly, why is that this we have become such a begging culture in this country that the only standard by which we judge whether someone is deserving or not is whether he gives us his money? Bull crap. Fred Mitchell addressed the issue in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 22 October. The video is captured by Apostle C. Allen Johnson
BISHOP SIMEON HALL AND OTHER BAPTISTS ON POITIER
The Tribune reported that BishopSimeon Hall of New Covenant Baptist Church wrote in support of the naming of the Paradise Island Bridge after Sidney Poitier, the Bahamian actor, producer, writer and director. The report which was published on 23rd October appears in part below:
While there are other Bahamians deserving of similar honours, spokesperson of the group, New Covenant Baptist Church Bishop Simeon Hall yesterday said to name the bridge after an Oscar winner would have great ramifications.
He said that Mr Poitier had contributed financially to the Baptist community in the early building phases of the Jordan Prince William’s School.
“We believe in this instance,” Mr Hall said, “the government is right to honour Sir Sidney and we support this initiative.
“As members of the Baptist community our support has a subjective basis in that our record shows that when Baptists were marginalised by the class prejudices of the day Sir Sidney Poitier made invaluable financial contributions to help us erect the Jordan Prince Williams School at its present site on Zion Boulevard.”
The clergymen includes Shelton Higgs of the New Covenant Baptist Church, Paul’s Baptist Church pastor J Carl Rahming, Destiny Baptist Cathedral’s Delton Fernander, Samuel Green of the Yamacraw Baptist Church, Philip McPhee, Mount Calvary Baptist Church and Gregory Minnis of Jerusalem Ministries.
They said to place the name of a famous Bahamian born personality at its gateway speaks volumes.
BRADLEY ROBERTS ON BTC
The following statement was issued by Bradley B. Roberts, National Chair of the Progressive Liberal Party on the telephoen service during Hurricane Sandy:
BTC released an announcement this evening stating “BTC customers experienced a decrease in mobile, land-line and internet service disruptions during Hurricane Sandy over previous storms.” “We faced the reality that the power supply during storms can be really unreliable and the upgrades were needed” said Peter Jones, VP of Technical and Engineering Services.
Further, Mr. Jones stated “During Sandy, the BTC cellular network was interrupted only in a few areas. The addition of 21 new fuel cells in New Providence prevented a potential 50% outage in cell service across the island.” He also stated that BTC in the last two years invested $7 Million in Standby Generators and Batteries.
For the record let me state that during my tenure as Minister (2002-2007), BTC invested $353 Million in Capital Expenditure.
While I was Minister responsible for BTC, BTC:
· Had a Transportable Satellite Kit just for restoration of Family Networks
· BTC Built the BDSNI (Bahamas Domestic Submarine cable Network International) a self-healing 10GB network at a cost of $60 Million connecting fourteen islands to replace the manufactured discontinued and exhausted Family Island Microwave network and to mitigate against hurricane outages due to towers, antennae and radios.
· BTC built the GBBSN (Grand Bahama Bimini Submarine cable Network) a 10GB Network at a cost of $6.1 Million.
· BTC employed Fuel Cells at some sites and Backup Batteries at all its Sites with backup times of Eight Hours.
· BTC supplemented these sites with Backup Batteries with Generators during Hurricanes.
To Claim that BTC customers experienced the lowest outage of previous storms (Floyd, Michelle, Francis, Jean, Ike, and Irene) is ludicrous to say the least. These were all Category 2 storms and higher.
In fact Hurricane Floyd was a Category 4 Storm that hit The Bahamas at its peak. Due to the destruction, the World Meteorological Organizationretiredthe name Floyd.
Shortly after Mr. Jones Press Release, Customers in New Providence experienced Cellular outages.
FRED MITCHELL ON STUDENTS IN CUBA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement on the status of students in Cuba after Hurricane Sandy:
26 October 2012 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise the general public of the safety status and general wellbeing of Bahamian students studying in Cuba in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Please be advised that the Bahamas Embassy in Havana Cuba has been in contact with students in Cienfuegos, Granma and Santiago de Cuba, the areas most affected by the Hurricane. It has been determined that all students are alive, safe and well; however, students in Santiago de Cuba have suffered the brunt of the impact of Sandy. All students have food, water and shelter.
The situation with the students has been confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Foreign Trade of Cuba (MINCEX), which informed the Embassy that there were no deaths or injuries, but there was physical damage to the learning center in Santiago, which require it to be closed for roughly a month. During that time, it is expected that all foreign students in the institution will assist in the repairs required.
The Bahamas Embassy further advised that all activities related to their stay and presence in their institutions will remain completely normal (leaving their school and province, leaving Cuba still require the normal administrative procedures however).
We were further advised that there was no electricity or water, and that all stores in the surrounding area were closed.
The Prime Minister has instructed Mr. Eugene TorchonNewry, our Charge d'affaires in Cuba to travel to Santiago de Cuba, conduct an independent assessment of conditions there and report his findings to the Bahamas Government. The government will then be better able to determine how best to render assistance.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to monitor this fluid situation and will keep the general public informed of any further development.
end
ELECTIONS ARE TO BE HELD IN THE TURKS
The British, after seizing the democracy in the Turks and Caicos Island, have now scheduled a general election in the Turks our southern neighbour fr the 9th November. The list of candidates for the election is tken from an article by the Caribbean Journal.
By the Caribbean Journal staff
The Turks and Caicos Islands has released the list of nominated candidates for the upcoming general election on Nov. 9.
The release, issued on behalf of the Elections Office, has a total of 37 candidates from the Progressive National Party, the People’s Democratic Movement and a number of independent candidates.
See below for the full list:
GRAND TURK NORTH –ELECTORAL DISTRICT 1
1. George Alexander Lightbourne PNP
2. Derek Anthonio Rolle PDM
GRAND TURK SOUTH – ELECTORAL DISTRICT 2
1. Edwin Astwood PDM
2. Rex Elton Swann PNP
SOUTH CAICOS – ELECTORAL DISTRICT 3
1. Edith Andrea Cox PDM
2. Norman Benjamin Saunders PNP
NORTH & MIDDLE CAICOS – ELECTORAL DISTRICT 4
1. Ashwood Leon Forbes PDM
2. Ricardo Don Hue Gardiner PNP
LEEWARD – ELECTORAL DISTRICT 5
1. Akierra M Missick PNP
2. Ezra Ringo Tyrone Taylor PDM
3. Bennett Williams IND
1. Josephine Connolly PDM
2. Rufus Washington Ewing PNP
3. Wayne Newton Garland PNP
4. Samuel I Harvey PDM
5. Charles Washington Misick PNP
6. Royal Stephenson Robinson PNP
7. Sharlene Linette Cartwright Robinson PDM
8. Carlos W Simons PNP
9. Oswald M Simons IND
10. Oswald Oneal Skippings PDM
11. H Derek Taylor PDM end
PM TOURS LONG IS AND CAT AFTER THE STORM
These photos are by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Forrester Carroll writes from Freeport about the 52 week programme instituted by the FNM government in their last days. He says that the programme was a desperate attempt to save the Ingraham administration. He says there was no accountability and the programme was subject to abuse. He lays the blame at the feet of Zhivargo Laing, the former Minister of State for Finance and Hubert Ingraham.
The FNM’s so-called 52 weeks jobs program, initiated just weeks before the May 7th general elections, was nothing more than an election ploy geared toward an attempt, by Hubert Ingraham and Zhivargo Laing, to solidify their rapidly dwindling support base. Seasoned FNM supporters, and especially the young potential voters, were jumping ship daily (you would recall) from the FNM; their exodus reminded me of hurricane-ravaged Grand Bahamians when scrambling for the last few gallons of water being distributed, under police supervision even, during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. In and of itself (on the surface) the program looked to be a worthwhile project; that if structured properly it could have been the impetus to advance a certain “non-academic-minded” sector of our youthful population but the selfish purpose for which the plan was conceived, in the first place, rendered it, at the end of the day, futile, useless, expensive and a burdensome exercise on the backs of an already over-taxed Bahamian society. Ingraham and Laing conjured up the program with no clear objectives in mind except, I submit, as a possible vote-getting exercise. In short, and in effect, Ingraham and Laing used their trusted positions to raid the public’s purse for campaign funding for their own re-elections and political gain. There seemed to have been no guidelines or structure, to the program, agreed in advance of its implementation. Except for the $210.00 per week cheques issued out to the participants every Friday we gained no lasting benefits. As a matter of fact those in the so-called program didn’t even have to report to any particular workplace; just get their names in the system somehow, then show up each Friday at 2 PM for their cheques. This blatant misuse of public funds has never, in memory, happened before. I submit that the duo of fiscal destructors saw the daily decline in support for the FNM (especially among the youth where unemployment was conservatively recorded at 34%) and felt that something had to be done to stem the political ebb tide. When all else was failing the easiest thing for them to do was to raid the treasury and put as many on the public’s payroll, no skin off their noses. If they sincerely meant for the program to work they would have done some other things; like have it structured it in such a manner so as to produce, at the end of the 52 weeks, a goodly number of participants qualified as semi-trained apprentices in some kind of trade; Tradesmen who would have gone on, after their initial 52 weeks, to complete their full training and become an asset to the country by filling the huge shortfall we’ve long since been experiencing in the field of trade; a meaningful program, of this kind, would have been geared to achieving, at the very least, such an objective but they (i.e. Ingraham and Laing) didn’t give a damn about getting value for money; they cared only for the political future of their own backsides.
I am aware of a number of persons, in the program, who have been placed on jobs where they were not even wanted; where the business owners only acceded to the Finance Ministry’s request, to allow them on the jobs, because Laing allegedly begged them too. The young ladies, especially, sat around most of the day on the telephone talking to boyfriends (supposedly), doing their hair and nails or going back and forth to the bath room powdering their faces with no objective in the workplace whatsoever. In one particular case, which I am fully aware of, the young lady owned her own little business; she had no employees but herself but she was months behind on her rent so she was told, by either Laing or his agent in the ministry of finance, to get her landlady to give her a letter and once she secures that letter she would be put in the program. She did in fact secure the required letter, allegedly, and she was put in the system. Within a few months, I am told, she was in a position to pay her landlady, in full, all the past due rent she owed her. In all fairness to Laing, Ingraham or their agents however, I am not suggesting that they were in any way in collusion with this young lady or any other person in the program for that matter but, I am suggesting, that they were callous and irresponsible. The FNM government, led by this duo of fiscal destructors (Hubert and Zhivargo), were reckless, to say the least, in conducting the country’s fiscal affairs. I submit that they were downright (intentionally) irresponsible and, like our deputy prime minister, I share his view that any prime minister (since the buck stops with him/her) who intentionally do the kind of foolishness Ingraham did, which results in taxpayers having to foot additional unnecessary taxes, ought to be held personally responsible for re-refunding the public treasury. Do to them what the Icelanders did to their prime minister; they had him arrested for “fiscal indiscipline” which actions cost Iceland millions of dollars. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest, however, that we should have a law to do to them what the North Koreans did to their Minister for Finance last year; they charged him with fiscal irresponsibility, brought him guilty (before a kangaroo court no doubt) and without any appeals took him out before a firing squad and shot him. Ingraham and Laing are getting away scot free and this is not right. These two suckers, unlike any others I know, seem to obliterate reality; they seem to be living in a hermitically polarized world where accountability is not necessary because there is no one to whom to account. Here’s what a Perry Christie-led PLP government would have done if such a program became necessary during its tenure; the idea would have firstly been approved, in principle, by the cabinet; it would then have been passed on to an appropriate appointed team, within the ministry of finance, who would have been given a clear mandate as to the objectives desired (to be achieved) when the 52 weeks would have expired. Detailed qualifications for getting into the program would have been made clear and none of the participants would have been at home while being paid. With Ingraham and Laing’s program the only objective they seem to have had, in mind, was to pay out, to the selected participants, a weekly salary in exchange for their votes. Whether or not the persons gained anything which would assist them in their future endeavors (or the country) was not a concern of theirs; accountability was out of the question and to hell with those who didn’t like it; they didn’t care; all they wanted was the participants’ votes.
What is so dreadful and distressful is that this greatly exaggerated expensive program, which was budgeted for a maximum of $25 million, wasted some $50 million with no accountability to the Bahamian taxpayers who are now stuck with the bill. Christie, being his fiscally-disciplined self, rightly labeled the program a “DISGRACE” and while he didn’t do what Ingraham would have surely done to a PLP program (i.e. immediately discontinue it) he ordered a gradual scale-back which will result in the eventual discontinuance of the farce. I would hasten to say that at some point, within this parliamentary term, I would like to see the PLP implement a like program but for the exclusive training of young potential tradesmen (as they graduate from high school) who would intern for at least a year a weekly stipend. I believe that with such a permanent program (with strict adherence by the participants to almost militaristic guidelines and conditions attached) within a decade the country could conceivably reduce, considerably, the number of work permits we are obliged to grant for auto mechanics; welders; carpenters etc; etc year in and year out; we certainly cannot continue down the path we are going, at the moment, for if we fail to correct the course we are on we will be depending on foreigners to service our industries for decades to come.
Another glaring example of Ingraham’s recklessness was seen again recently when a $185,000.00 Mercedes Benz suddenly appeared on the docks consigned to the ministry of finance. It was specially ordered, by Ingraham, from the factory designed with bullet-proof capabilities (no doubt) for his majesty (Hubert Ingraham) who was obviously convinced he would win the last general elections. I guess his idea, for the vehicle, was to have a brand new (bullet proof) car to drive onto the park, among cheering crowds of FNM celebrants, for his election victory celebrations but three things happened; the dictator lost the elections, the car arrived too late and the Bahamian people are now stuck with paying the bill. What really amazes me is that the scoundrel really expected to win the general elections; it is really a sure sign of a dictator who thinks he/she can piss all over the citizenry and still maintain their support notwithstanding. It is appalling, to say the least, that in these financially troublesome times a prime minister would go to the extent, that Ingraham did, to put on order (for his personal use at the taxpayers’ expense while citizens were starving-literally), a $185,000.00 vehicle in which to be chuffed around town. Further shocking was the admission by the minister for finance that he really didn’t know what the vehicle cost; shocking indeed.
We discovered, to our shock and dismay, during the Abaco by elections campaign that 38 year-old Greg Gomez (Ingraham’s hand-picked man to replace him as MP for North Abaco) was actually included as well on the 52-weeks jobs program despite the fact that his age, as stipulated by the program, disqualified him. The age limit set by Ingraham himself was 18-30 year olds-no older-yet Ingraham’s man Gomez was allowed to participate depriving some other young Bahamian who would have qualified. Not only was Gomez not qualified for the program (because of his age) but he didn’t qualified as a Bahamian either within the rules of the constitution for persons offering as candidates in national or local elections; Ingraham loved making rules and regulations, apparently, but for everybody else, not himself. I am curious as to why Ingraham would have selected such a person as Gomez and insisted on imposing him on the FNM when in fact the guy seemed to have had enough excess baggage where he would have had to pay overweight if he were travelling by aircraft. It is alleged, even, that this young man is barred from ever returning to the USA which is a tragic situation for any Bahamian. Nothing surprises me anymore where Ingraham was/is involved.
Laing, with his usual cock and bull diatribe, tried vehemently to defend what he and Ingraham did with this scheme but, while I’ll admit that the concept was commendable, their purpose, implementation and execution bespeak volumes their lack of sincerity vision and honesty and so, in this regard, there is no viable defense that they can mount.
Somewhere in the historical archives of human kind it must be recorded that Hubert Ingraham, for the Bahamas, was the lousiest of leaders in our nation’s history.
Thank you Forrester J Carroll J.P Freeport, Grand Bahama October 2012.
Sharon Turner, the FNM ideologue, who is Hubert Ingraham special friend and right hand wrote the following on her Facebook page attacks her own people According to Me - Sharon T · 951 like this Tuesday at 11:18am ·
THE OPPOSITION FNM IS TOO IMPORTANT TO BE DERAILED BY ITS LEADERSHIP'S PERSONAL VENDETTAS.
In the May 7 General Election, 65,000 Bahamians cast their vote for the Free National Movement. Thousands more either still do, or have at one point supported the FNM or voted for the FNM in previous elections. In short, this 41-year-old political party in The Bahamas is one of our two major Parties, having led The Bahamas for 15 of its almost 40 years as an Independent nation.
It is a pivotal organisation. It is her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Healthy democracies must have a strong Opposition, and in the case of The Bahamas where the government currently holds a 30 seat majority our of the 38 seats in Parliament, a strong and competent Opposition is not only necessary, it is critical.
This is why as the Opposition Party makes upcoming and future decisions about the way forward for its institution, I as a Bahamian and a voter, trust they will do whatever they justly and circumspectly deem necessary to protect that institution - an institution born out of the stand for political integrity, accountability and the fight against corruption, victimisation and political suppression.
It is against that backdrop that I look forward to seeing the very public personal vendettas being meted out against other FNMs by that Party's leadership be dealt with by the Party for the overall stability and progress of the institution.
In the latest twist, the Leader of the FNM, according to his personal media liaison (who does not have a formal working affiliation with the FNM) has instructed his press liaison to pen an op-ed column slated for newspaper print later this week that is to discuss the FNM's May 7 loss at the polls, with the purpose of stating that the FNM lost the election because its former leader Hubert Ingraham is a "megalomanic" (a person in delusion about his own power and a person obsessed with power).
Tell me how in the world is the FNM supposed to move forward when its current leader is obsessed with his former leader to this extent? This is not the direction that the Free National Movement as a Party wants to move in or needs to move in, but the Leader of that Party seems disinterested in leading his Party but instead, is consumed with whatever personal insecurities about and issues he has with the Party's former leader, who is now in retirement.
The FNM held a closed-door conclave shortly after the May 7 defeat, where the Party as a whole met and hashed out what it felt were the reasons for the May 7 loss, and following that conclave, the Leader of the FNM emerged saying the Party has now put that loss behind them and is seeking to move forward with his vision for a new FNM.
So since the FNM Party has declared its desire to move on and move forward, why is its Leader reportedly instructing his personal media liaison to keep adding unnecessary fuel to the fire, enlisting his writing of a national column trashing the Party's former leader? Just who is the focus of the Leader of the FNM at this stage? Is it his Party and his country, or his former leader whose existence on earth (an existence that does not involve his involvement in the affairs of the FNM by the way) appears to be a bizarre trigger of anxiety and self-loathing on his part?
The Bahamas needs a strong Opposition. A 30 seat majority is an incentive for any political party in power to do what it wants to do regardless of the consequences, because their House majority is so wide. We don't need an Opposition whose leadership is driven predominantly by visions of Hubert Ingraham’s dancing in his head.
The FNM has decried rampant victimisation it says is being carried out by the government. It has also raised the alarm on other pressing issues in the country. This is what the Opposition Party needs to be focused on. We, the Bahamian people should be the focus, not someone's personal feelings about Hubert Ingraham - personal feelings by the way, that only one person in the entire Party is on the record venting about. And this venting and whining could be something persons may be generally willing to brush off were the person doing it not the Leader of the Party.
The 65,000 Bahamians who voted of the FNM need the FNM. Those who did not vote for the FNM but understand the importance of a healthy democracy need the FNM. And the country at large, whether persons therein voted or not need the FNM, because without a competent, solid Opposition, the government becomes both god and king.
May the FNM do what it deems best to protect this important institution in our democracy.
Some informants called from the various offshore banks to complain that the banks ignored the Prime Minister’s directive to shut the town down on Thursday and Friday last in the wake of the storm. We were informed that at Royal Bank Trust even though the domestic bank closed, the head of the Royal Bank Trust took the position that “Perry Christie does not run our bank” and told all employees that they had to report to work. This is part of a pattern of disrespect which the offshore sector has generally for Perry Christie and the PLP said the informant. For the information of all, the Government has the power under the Public Holidays Act to declare any day a public holiday. Double time is due if you forced the employees to work on that day.
Comparing Ingraham To De Galle (Really Now?)
Eileen Carron is politically getting more and more delusional. She wrote an editorial last week in which she claimed that there was instability in both political parties. What she was really writing about was the instability in the FNM and not really about that but about the assault on Hubert Ingraham's legacy which is taking place under the new leader Hubert Minnis. She had to rise to Mr. Ingraham's defence. However, she could not think about attacking the FNM , she had to say what she wanted to say about the FNM to rope the PLP into it and she did. She claimed that the advice that Bradley Roberts, PLP Chair, gave the Leader of the PLP Perry Christie reported on this site last week that he ought to take a vacation was a sign of instability in the PLP. According to her warped political calculus, Mr. Christie is afraid to take a vacation because he might lose control of the party. Only in her vivid imagination. The PLP has no such problem and there is no instability in the PLP. Mrs. Carron then went onto say that Hubert Ingraham has done such a good job that even though he has walked away and is in an exile of sorts, he like French National Hero Charles De Galle will be called back to save the Commonwealth. In her effen dreams! More likely Mr. Ingraham should be compared to Napoleon. He went off to exile in Elba and made a comeback only to be defeated once and for all at Waterloo. So let Mr. Ingraham try. That is what awaits him. Napoleon, not De Galle!.
Richard Lightbourne: What A Twit
We explained above that it was a very emotional day for many in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 22nd October. It was a day that history was made with the seating of a new PLP MP for North Abaco Renardo Curry. The bill of the day was a two clause bill to amend the Local Government Act to make it possible for births and other recorded documents to be issued by the local government administrator. It was a moment though to savor the victory of Renardo Curry in Abaco and for PLP members to say how proud they were of the story of the social mobility of our country as evidenced in Renardo Curry. One such member who spoke to it was V. Alfred Gray, the local government minister, who spoke to his own up from the bootstraps’ story. He was one of 13 children from a twice widowed mother. Richard Lightbourne, the to the manor born FNM MP, was having none of it. He said he did not want to hear about Mr. Gray walking barefoot as a boy. No wonder we don’t get anything done in here he said. That did not sit well with PLP MPs and they told him so. His own side was embarrassed again. What a twit!
BTC Spokesman Tell Lies
BTC, the local phone, company claimed that their system worked throughout the storm except for some localized problem related to the fact that their back up power failed. It is all lies. Just before five p.m. after the worst of the storm as over the entire cell system collapsed: text, data, voice, nothing. Lousy friggen company.
Obama On The Ropes It Appears
The news does not look good for the incumbent President of the United States Barak Obama who faces an election on 6th November. Having faltered in the first of a series of debates with his challenger, the momentum seems now to be with the challenger. President Obama seems now to be hoping to eke out a win on points by the strategic use of the electoral college in the U.S. Elections in the states for President are not by direct popular vote but an indirect vote based on how many electoral college votes you get based on the number of congressional districts you win. If you win the highest percentage in a particular state, you get all the electoral college votes for that state. In the math, it looks like a win for Obama but if you go by the press reports, it sounds like Mr. Obama is in serious trouble. Even women who should be clearly for him are split just fifty fifty. The Bahamas has no dog in the hunt save an emotional tie to Obama as the first Black president. Those who are weak at heart on this tune into MSNBC. They are the only ones who still think he can pull it off. It will stiffen your spine.
Black Entertainers, Sportsmen Lawyers In Town
Andy Ingraham, a Bahamian hotel executive and entrepreneur, is in town with a host of important , wealthy and well connected friends. They are all members of an association of lawyers who service black sports and entertainment figures. They were in town at Paradise Island in the middle of the storm. That did not stop the conference. They were joined by former Ambassador to the Bahamas for the United States Nicole Avant.
Why Are People Worried About The FNM’s Survivability?
Fear not. All that is happening is the shakedown period. Ingraham waiting in the wings. It may take a long time but it will come again, especially if they look to Ingraham again. If the PLP plays its cards right, the FNM will have a long time in the wilderness.
Bahamas Falling Back In Competiveness
The news is not good. It is getting more difficult according to the World Bank to do business in The Bahamas. The Bahamas has dropped in competiveness from last year. Not surprising. The FNM for all that it claimed to have done did nothing to make us more competitive.
Zhivargo Laing Didn’t Know What He Was Talking About
Michael Halkitis had to put Zhivargo Laing in his place. Mr. Laing is the predecessor of Mr. Halkitis in the role as Minister of State for Finance. Mr. Laing was the one who spread the rumour that the government under the PLP was upping its short term borrowing limits by the bill it passed last week in the House by three times the present limit. Turns out that it’s not so at all. Its only by ten per cent. Mr. Laing is always the alarmist and of course always the smartest guy in the lot. By the way he is now selling his mouth to people who are willing to hear him for thirty five dollars a pop with a motivational seminar in Freeport. We’re told that rich banks who support the FNM and want the PLP to lose are helping him make a way. Mr. Halkitis spoke in the House on Wednesday 22nd October.
What Is With Darron Cash?
You can’t believe that this is the same young man who had the temerity to take on Pindling in his heyday at the man’s own party’s youth convention. What has happened to him? He is quoted in the newspaper as saying that he has no problem standing on the shoulders of Hubert Ingraham Tommy Turnquest, Dion Foulkes . Say what? Well Ingraham you could sort of understand but those other two. These washed up, has been politicians who were rejected by the people, who despise him with a passion and tried their best to keep him out of the front line and he is satisfied to stand on their shoulders? Even Hubert Ingraham never wanted Mr. Cash to be in the front line, couldn’t stand him but at least Mr. Ingraham has something to show for himself. Those other two are simply monumental wastes of time. One is reminded of that popular religious anthem: On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
Hurricane Preparedness
What we cannot figure out is why with a country that has hurricanes and hard blows every year, why the power has to go off at the first blow and the cable can’t stay on. Something seems off about that? Then there are these weather forecasts that always seem to be off or rather reported in such a strange way that you cannot understand what they are telling you.
Congratulations To Franklin and Sharon Wilson He was the youngest member ever elected to the House of Assembly way back in 1972. He lasted for a term and then the next time he surfaced as a front line politician was a stint in the Senate in 1997. Franklin Wilson though is successful in business. That is what he does best and how his mind works, as sharp as a razor blade. Early on he chose as his bride and life partner Sharon Wilson, pretty, gorgeous in fact, a princess and she too is as smart as could be. They were married 40 years to the day on Saturday 27th October and he and she celebrated the occasion by renewing their vows at the church where they married: St Barnabas Anglican Church. Family and friends gathered for the occasion. Congratulations to them.
Bahamian delegation To The Dominican Republic
Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will lead a delegation to the Dominican Republic, for talks on fisheries issues on Monday 29th October to 1st November. The talks are with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santo Domingo. Minister of National Security Bernard Nottage and Minister of Marine Resources Alfred Gray will attend the meetings as well.
Sandy In Freeport
A photo of the scene in the aftermath of the hurricane at the Freeport Airport
Taken from Ralph Hanna's Facebook page.
Sandy In Green Turtle
A photo of the scene in the aftermath of the hurricane in Green Turtle cay, Abaco. Taken
from Natell Russell's Facebook page
Sandy At Sandy Point, Abaco
This photo supplied by Jason Roberts shows the damage by Hurricane Sandy at Sandy Point, Abaco.
The following article appeared on Bahamaspress.com and was written by Rionda Y. Godet, Partner, of Halsbury Chambers Law Office on the new spousal permit passed into law which came into effect on the 13th September. 
Sir Sidney has made invaluable 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement on the status of students in Cuba after Hurricane Sandy:
Sharon Turner, the FNM ideologue, who is Hubert Ingraham special friend and right hand wrote the following on her Facebook page attacks her own people