Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 2 © BahamasUncensored.Com
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| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Bahamian communities across the world celebrate the Independence of The Bahamas throughout the month of July. The community in Miami is the largest Bahamian community outside The Bahamas. Each year the Bahamas Consulate General headed by Consul General Alma Adams puts together the official celebration for the country with a gala banquet and a church service at St. Agnes Episcopal Church in Overtown. The church was begun by Bahamians who emigrated to Florida in 1897. This year was no exception and on Thursday 22nd July, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell joined the Bahamian community in South Florida for the official celebrations. He is caught here in this candid shot dancing at the gala banquet with a member of the Bahamian community. Happy Independence, obviously. The country is still awash with the aquamarine, gold and black bunting. It all comes down this month. We thought that this photo should be our photo of the week. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE YOUNG MEN?
For more than a century the women’s movement has built up success
after success. Today, it is clear that in all kinds of ways, the
women of The Bahamas excel. This is certainly so in the area of academics.
This is so in all of the areas of work in the country with the possible
exception of the trades that require heavy lifting. The legal profession
is a female dominated profession.
The example that is often used as a measure of the disequilibrium between the sexes is the fact that on average there are about 1500 young men in prison in The Bahamas with about 40 women, half of them foreign women. On the other hand, you have at the College of The Bahamas some 1600 women to about 600 men. The women get dropped off to college. The men pick up the women in the cars.
If you pass the parks in the country during the day, you will find young men in their masses sitting around the parks with nothing to do. They are a source of constant tension between the community and themselves. The police are being pressured by the community to make sure that the park is clean of disruptive, rogue elements. The park is supposed to be an area of free activity. Talk to the young men and they don’t seem a bad lot but what they want is work.
In their conversations, they tell interesting stories about their concepts of manhood. Many have live in girlfriends and they say that it makes them feel less than men to have to take their girlfriends out and it is the girlfriends who are paying for the entertainment, and the meal. One young man said that in his apartment, since his girlfriend is the one that is working and he has no income, when it comes to the week before the rent has to be paid, they eat like puppy dogs because the rent has to be paid or they have no place to live. These are hard time stories.
While this is all anecdotal, what this tends to show is that the picture of the bad boy image of the young men of The Bahamas is not all correct. The picture is just an image. But underneath it, is the same desire and struggle for a normal life where they go to work, pick up a paycheque after a week of work and then contribute to the well being of their families. The situation is such that the normal processes of the economy don’t seem to be working in their favour. So what they do is they turn to their representatives to help. The representatives are not in such a good position to help either.
The usual refuge of the politician who is in power is to expand the public sector. In other words there is usually a supply of low level, entry level jobs that are available for politicians to use to sop up the unemployment. That has been the PLP’s usual way. It was a good strategy, but the strategy is out of vogue. The Government like all governments worldwide is now prisoner to the modern thinking that you cannot sop up unemployment from the public purse because it leads to financial ruin. But no one seems to have calculated the social harm that is done by unemployment that appears to hit young men disproportionately hard.
The statistics often show that in fact there are more unemployed women. But it appears that the social mechanisms in place to support women are there, but in the case of men, there is a problem. Instead of support within a family setting (for example the girls get the support of their mothers in the home context) the young men tend to congregate on the parks and look to each other for that comfort and support. One young man said that he comes on the park because it is a way of not burning electricity in the apartment so that he has to spend less money. It is there on the parks where they interface with the police.
If the Government is to continue to rely on the private sector to provide the jobs for the people of the country then it must ensure that something happens quickly. There is still the understanding by the unemployed young men that things have to come and often come slowly but they must come and soon. Otherwise the low level grumbling becomes a chorus. The next step will be a political backlash. Representatives have a role to play in this as well. The policies they advocate must be to improve the social safety net so that the suffering is not as acute. They must also remain engaged with their constituents. The closeness to constituents is what got the PLP through the last time and that is what will do it again.
One century of work by the women’s movement helped to put women in the position that they are in today. While unemployment is one the main causes of male discontent, there are some more fundamental things at work with young men that the society has to address. But let us start with trying to solve this unemployment problem that threatens to wipe us away. In the longer term, we need special programmes to help young men.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 31st July 2004 at midnight: 38,373.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 31st July 2004 up to midnight: 207,581.
Number of hits for the year 2004 up to Saturday 31st July 2004 up to midnight: 1,530,785.
A
DELAYED FLIGHT AT NASSAU’S AIRPORT
It appears that there was some kind of bad weather
system over or near New Providence and Nassau during the past 24 hours
from Saturday 31st July to Sunday 1st August. This led to a long delay
for the Bahamasair flight to Miami. Our report is that the Saturday
evening flight to Florida did not take off until just after 7 a.m. on Sunday
morning. Police had to be called at one point inside the U.S. Immigration
facility because of the potential for disorder. John Pinder, the
President of the Bahamas Public Service Union was said to be among those
raising their voices. No doubt a full statement will come from Bahamasair.
GEORGE
MACKEY ON GAYS - IN HIS OWN WORDS
George Mackey is the former representative in the House of Assembly for
Fox Hill and a former Minister of Housing. He writes a regular column
in The Tribune, every Saturday. His column of Saturday 24th July
was a comment on the gay cruise ship controversy. He is a political
and social moderate. He wrote this commentary on Saturday 24th July.
We present brief excerpts:
“Everyone would agree that tourism is the main
industry in our economic infrastructure. Sometimes it is billed as
the main engine of the Bahamian economy. As such, the government
spends millions of dollars out of our tax revenue to ensure its adequate
promotion. However in none of its advertising appeals does our government
stipulate that persons who, in the exercise of their democratic rights,
elect to choose the gay lifestyle are not welcomed in The Bahamas.
“As long as the above and other stipulations
of exclusion are not included in our tourism promotions efforts, then –
unknowingly or otherwise - heterosexuals, gays, law abiders, murderers,
gangsters, thieves, Christians, agnostics, atheists, Jews, gentiles and
countless others will continue to visit our fair shores. All of the
above, we might add have been doing so - again unknowingly to us or otherwise
- for the past century. In this regard, therefore, where do we as
a country draw the line? At least the gays in this case have been
upfront in declaring who they are…
“Even though we grew up in what was regarded
until recently as a backward community, Fox Hill, one thing, among many
others, we are still proud of our upbringing. It is this admonition
taught us by the leaders of that community: ‘You do not invite people to
your house to insult them. If they misbehave the first time, you
simply do not invite them back again’. This sounds like good advice
to us as a nation - even today particularly in this case…
“Finally we wish to commend the government for
its stance on this matter, in that it respected the importance of the separation
of Church and State. In so doing, it also recognized the fact that
it is the government of all of the people - including both the protesting
and supporting groups.”
CASSIUS
STUART STARTS HIS CAMPAIGN
In the also ran category is the Bahamas Democratic Movement. Cassius
Stuart, the leader of the extra parliamentary political party, is back
in the news again. This time, he is using his good brain and time
to engage in another hopeless campaign. This time it is announced
that he is running for the Holy Cross seat, which is not even vacant yet.
Sidney Stubbs, the bankrupt MP is standing by to hear from the Courts.
Cassius Stuart and Carl Bethel, the FNM Chair and former MP for Holy Cross,
are busy going door to door in the constituency. Perhaps they may
meet and shake each other’s hands. We keep saying Cassius Stuart
ought to join the PLP and put an otherwise good brain to use. photo
/ Peter Ramsay
BACKLASH
FROM GAY BASHING
The Gay Cruise passengers have long gone.
On 16th July they came to The Bahamas with their families and were met
by a group of rowdy protestors. Many of them left afraid of the place.
Many of them said that they did not feel intimidated, but most complained
about wanting to spend their money and not feeling welcomed. The
Rainbow Alliance, the gay, lesbian and transgender organization in The
Bahamas met them and tried in the face of the protests to make them feel
welcome. The backlash continues, however.
The reports are only now just coming in of straw
vendors who were extremely disturbed that on that the Friday when the ship
came in they had a severe drop in customers as a result of the protest
in Bay Street. Taxi drivers were livid at the preachers for stopping
their business as well. There is also a report of one gay man who
was accosted by a woman and three men and prevented from getting back on
the ship. That person missed the ship and had to fly back home instead.
That must surely have given most unpleasant memories of The Bahamas.
In addition, The Bahamas has been excoriated in the international media
for this display of incivility.
THE
FOX HILL EMANCIPATION FESTIVAL BEGINS
The people of Fox Hill began their 170th celebration
of the Emancipation of Slavery with the launching of the Fox Hill Festival
on Friday 30th July. The emancipation of slavery came on 1st August
1834. The records go back as early as 1888 on a special celebration
in Fox Hill. The Committee was headed by Charles Johnson, of Johnson
Auto and Body Shop, a former resident of Step Street in Fox Hill.
Special guests this year in Fox Hill were the Chinese
National Puppet Theatre and a troop of Zulu Dancers from the Republic of
South Africa. The Chinese have been contributing to the Festival
for the past three years. This year the South Africans visited the
festival as part of their country’s agreement with The Bahamas on cultural
exchange. The Chinese have gone on to Freeport where they will perform
for two weeks. The South Africans will be in The Bahamas for two
weeks as well. Puppeteers from the Peoples Republic of China in
their grande finale, left and girls of the Fox Hill Cultural Pageant, right,
prepare to release scores of balloons to mark the opening of the 12 day
festival.
THE
BOAT CRASH WEEKEND WE WANT TO FORGET
The morning of 4th August 2003 is one that many a young Bahamian will not
soon forget. The civil authorities won’t soon forget it either.
For those on board the MV Sea Hauler and the MV United Star, it was a pure
nightmare, one that they unfortunately lived through. At about 1:30
a.m. the police were notified that there had been an accident at sea.
When the news came to light, four people were dead including a young boy,
and several women from one family. The nation was saddened.
The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and other Ministers of the Government
were roused from their beds to comfort the worried and the bereaved.
Over the past year a Wreck Commission was appointed
in law to investigate what really happened during that night. It
turns out that the vessel Sea Hauler was overcrowded with passengers headed
for Cat Island for the Emancipation Day weekend. The Captains of
both ships were not on the deck, and it looks as though neither of those
who were left at the wheel were qualified to do the job of piloting the
ship. There were said to be no lights on the United Star but the
facts seem to show that even at that the person piloting the Sea Hauler
should have been able to make a manoeuvre to stop the collision.
But there was a collision and deaths ensued.
The Government’s lawyer has charged that both ships
are equally responsible. There was also criticism aplenty for the
Government agencies, which most people believed were slack in enforcing
the regulations. The Commission is almost finished its work and no
doubt a report will soon follow. Litigation is sure to follow for
years. Paulette Dean, who was a passenger on the ill-fated Sea
Hauler mail boat last August, wipes away tears on Thursday as she talks
about the tragedy that left her injured and unable to work. (Bahama
Journal photo by Omar Barr)
MITCHELL
CHALLENGES CIVIL SERVANTS
The Minister for the Public Service Fred Mitchell
spoke to the meeting of the Caribbean Public Services Association that
met in its 34th annual session in The Bahamas during the week. He
officially opened the conference on Wednesday 29th July. Mr. Mitchell
was direct as he responded to the challenge of the Bahamas Public Service
Union on the question of public sector reform. The address was an
‘in your face talk’; polite words but strong language and ideas.
The folks did not even realize what was being said
to them or so it appears. The full impact was felt long after the
minister left. They were furious. But their fury was based
entirely on a misunderstanding of what they were listening to, and the
problem is that the union’s leadership in The Bahamas do not seem to know
just how to negotiate without bombast and without personal attacks.
You may click here for the full address of the
Minister. One of the principal ideas: to start hiring everyone
in the Government service by contract. The Minister noted that this
would not affect the new existing employees of the service.
THE
PUBLIC SERVICE UNION REACTS
Eric Darville is the former General Secretary of
the Bahamas Public Service Union. He was addressing members of the
Caribbean Public Services Association gathered in conference in The Bahamas
during the week. Here is what Mr. Darville and the President of the
Bahamas Public Service Union John Pinder had to say in their own words
in response to the Minister’s statements.
Eric Darville:
“You sit back and allow him to walk out of here
yesterday morning. God knows, something is wrong. Ya’ll just
let him walk out of here just like that after talking all of that foolishness.
If we allow what he wants to do, all the things the BPSU fought for could
be gone with the stroke of a pen and we sit here and clap him up and clap
him down. If this goes forward, it appears that the Government is
prepared to proceed with practices that would undermine the very fabric
and integrity of the Constitution of The Bahamas.
“How strong a union is the BPSU? The Minister
has made it quite clear that there should not be any permanent and pensionable
and instead such positions should be contracted.
“Overnight, every Tom, Dick and Harry belonging
to those politician’s families will be in the public service with a contract.
They are there now. Those who couldn’t get a job no place else.
They couldn’t even sell numbers because they couldn’t keep books.
Now they are there as consultants. Consultant to what? And
you sit and do nothing. Help is just around the corner. You
have to ask for it. It's not just going to fall on your plate….
[In terms of public sector reform] “the
Government is trying to pick up bits and pieces of things from South American
countries but he can’t plant them in Bahamian soil.
“Monkey see! Monkey do! So he [Mitchell]
has seen and has not sat back long enough to take note of what type of
repercussions or what may happen to this country of ours that we now blossom
in financial bliss. When we walked down Bay Street in 1986 when we
closed down Bay Street, there were many of us that said it couldn’t happen.
It’s gonna happen again because history has a peculiar way of repeating
itself.
“My brothers and sisters, this is no joking matter.
Your pensions and our movement is but a stroke of the pen away. Do
not allow this to happen.”
(This is obviously a very foolish and ignorant man—Ed.)
John Pinder:
“My brothers and sisters, you sat there and I am sure that you realize
we do need help. The Minister for the Public Service and Foreign
Affairs, I am of the opinion that he is really bringing the message of
The Bahamas Government. So we have to stand together and ensure that
what they attempt to establish in The Bahamas will not spread throughout
the Caribbean. The Government wants to get out of paying civil servants’
pensions.
“You see how St. Lucia allowed their Government
to get away with that and The Bahamas picked right up.
“Now they want to try that on us and if they
get away with it in The Bahamas, then Barbados will try it, Jamaica will
try it, Guyana will try it. The wake-up call is this, this is how
they are trying to sweeten the pot... they are saying it’s only for new
employees coming in. But what happens when all of us have retired
and reach retirement age, there will be no more Bahamas Public Service
Union. So those who don’t see the bigger picture and would do anything
for a little bit of power will realize that very soon what they are really
trying to destroy.” - Bahama Journal file photo by Omar Barr of
Mr. Pinder at a news conference.
(The Minister’s proposal as outlined before the media
is that all pensions will be paid ultimately by the National Insurance
Board. Pensions will not be eliminated. Right now, civil servants
pay a lower rate of national insurance and get less pension than the normal
worker from National Insurance because the Government’s non contributory
pension for civil servants picks up the shortfall. The National Insurance
Board’s actuary has indicated that the National Insurance Board’s funds
will be exhausted in twenty years if there are not changes to help boost
the viability of the fund. One of the ways is for the Government
to turn all pensions over to the Fund, that is eliminating the non contributory
Government pension. The Trade Unions are all aware of the actuary’s
report, and so this should not be news to anyone. Leadership is required
to make very serious decisions. The President’s comments also betray
a certain ignorance, the fact is all Caribbean countries he named already
have National Insurance paying fully their pension schemes.—Editor)
WELCOME
HOME ANDRE ROLLINS
One of the young bright Bahamian minds is back in
The Bahamas where he belongs. We welcome him. We thought that
we ought to share with you an ad that has been appearing in the press of
The Bahamas about the new dentist who is back in town.
Dr. S. Andre Rollins specializes in Orthodontics (braces) and Dentofacia
Orthopedics for children and adults. He Is a native of Nassau, Bahamas
and attended St. John's College High School, where he was Head Boy of the
graduating class of 1992. In 1993 he completed a year of college
prep dt St. Andrew’s High School in Boca Raton, Florida.
He received his college education at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology in 1997. Remaining in Boston, he earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 2001.
At Tufts, he was elected Class President for all 4 years, and received several scholarships, honors and awards, including the ‘American College of Dentists Award for Outstanding Performance While a Student at Tufts Dental School’.
Dr, Rollins was accepted to enroll in the Tufts Postgraduate Orthodontics Program, immediately following the completion of his doctoral degree. Following 2 years of specialty training, he obtained a certificate in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics from Tufts in June of 2003. He satisfied the requirements to be licensed to practice in the State of Massachusetts, where he worked for one year as a full time associate with Drs. Giarrusso and Kasparian at Central Massachusetts Orthodontic Associates, PC.
Dr. Rollins has returned to Nassau and opened his own practice -
Rollins Orthodontics – which is located within the Centre for Specialized
Dentistry at 87 Collins Avenue in Centervillle. Dr. Rollins is the
son of Captain and Mrs. Sylvester Rollins.
A
VISIT TO SOUTH ANDROS
We want to share with our readers this
article contributed by a group of young Bahamians headed by Serfent Rolle
who travelled to South Andros from New Providence from 16th July to 18th
July. They are all interested in public policy; politics and they
have a sense of building up the common life. We thought that we ought
to share it with you and congratulate them on their sense of mission. —Ed)
Some members of the S.A. Community Project shown with leaders of the Macedonia
Seventh Day Adventist Church South Andros. L-R Front: Mrs. Morris, Nadia
Gilbert; L-R Back: Jamarl Chea, Emmanuel Rolle, Norward Rahming, Serfent
Rolle, Arthur McPhee, Mario Smith and Mr. Morris.
STEM
CELL RESEARCH STOPPED IN FREEPORT
The Bahama Journal broke a story that showed that
a clinic in Freeport, Grand Bahama was engaged in stem cell research.
The Ministry of Health has since issued an order of the work to cease and
desist. It said that the therapy has been suspended until the issue
is investigated. This is the same clinic that some years ago had
to be stopped from engaging in controversial cancer treatments.
MIKE
SMITH’S MOM IS BURIED
We offer our condolences to the family of Cynthia
Kathleen Hudson Smith. She was known for her great food at the famous
‘Cynthia’s Kitchen’ in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Back in the day, whenever
you landed in Marsh Harbour, you went straight to the kitchen for an early
morning breakfast of delicious stewed fish. Mrs. Smith died on 9th
July after a series of medial complications and finally Alzheimer’s.
She was a pillar of the Methodist Church in Abaco. She was honoured
by the Business and Professional Women’s Association of New Providence
in 1982 for her business leadership. She is survived by her sons,
former Member of Parliament Mike Smith, Customs man and Trade Unionist
Gary and her daughter Jennifer.
SAMMY
THOMPSON IS BURIED
The fallen leader of the Junkanoo Group the Music
Makers was buried yesterday in Nassau at the Lakeview Cemetery. Present
at the funeral were the Prime Minister Perry Christie, the Deputy Prime
Minister Cynthia Pratt and Bradley Roberts, the Minister of Works.
All of the Junkanoo leaders turned out in full force to support the family
of Mr. Thompson who died of liver cancer. We salute Sammy Thompson,
a Junkanoo pioneer.
NEW
PRESIDENT FOR THE COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS
At a press conference on Thursday 29th July, the
Chairman of the College of The Bahamas Council Franklyn Wilson announced
a new President for the College Dr. Rodney Smith, a Bahamian who recently
left the Presidency of Ramapo College, in New Jersey in the United States.
Dr. Smith succeeds Dr. Leon Higgs who most people feel was pushed out of
the job. This column opposed his removal. Nevertheless, we
welcome Dr. Smith.
Dr Smith is a graduate of St. Augustine’s College
in Fox Hill in the class of 1970 which class included Public Service Chair
Teresa Butler, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell and former Bar
Association President Michael Barnett. Dr Smith is a Harvard Ph D
and he is married and has one daughter. Chairman of the Council
of the College of The Bahamas Franklyn Wilson (right) on Thursday greets
COB’s new president, Dr. Rodney Smith. (Bahama Journal photo by Omar Barr)
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Fox Hill Prison
Dear Editor,
For the past several weeks I have in my professional
capacity visited Fox Hill Prison and got first hand knowledge of the conditions
under which Bahamian men live and work.
I must, firstly as a human being and as an attorney
hang my head in shame and ask for the forgiveness of each inmate and each
prison officer who have to endure perhaps the most inhumane conditions
that exist today at the prison. I take this personally because it is a
reflection of the society in which I live. It is the same society which
will organize to protest gay ships but will not organize to protest these
inhumane conditions that affects our brothers, fathers, uncles and sons.
Yesterday, whilst seeing clients, inmates were
removing human waste in wheel barrels. The waste was in plastic garbage
bags and they were placed on to a truck I gather for deposit somewhere.
The stench was literally unbearable and it is still in my nostrils. I almost
passed out. This is a daily routine…four large bags of waste carried out
every day. But what about the men, who have to carry this waste? What about
the prison officers who have to be with them each step of the way as their
guard? What about the inmates who use a shared bucket as a toilet and who
must then daily "empty" it out?
Surely they must suffer now from some form of
ailment.
What is more is that the same wheel barrel is
used to bring food that is brought by family members of persons who are
not sentenced. Surely this is a major health hazard. What is being done
about these conditions? Since we are a country that always wants to talk
about "international standards and best practices" and run to parliament
to pass or amend laws to comply with such standards, we must also do the
same in this instance. We cannot choose to comply with some and ignore
those that are convenient. After all, these men will be free one day and
re-enter society and the prison officers who doubtless are frustrated suffer
the same indignity that the conditions dictate. One could only imagine
what it must be like for them to leave the conditions of their home and
then to report to work in those unbearable and degrading conditions at
the prison. My heart goes out to them and they ought to be hailed as heroes.
There must be an overhaul of the prison facilities
and administration. It cannot be that successive governments do not see
this as a priority. It makes no sense to me where inmates are not allowed
to receive over the counter drugs for pain relief but can readily receive
a carton of cigarettes. It makes no sense to me when requests to see the
doctor go unfulfilled for days on end. On one occasion, one inmate threw
the contents of the shared bucket in to the face of another inmate. The
latter was not allowed to see a doctor until he performed self surgery
on the boils and warts which appeared on his face as a result.
It is of no moment to say that we do not have
the funds to rectify the conditions because we have seen millions of dollars
wasted on non life changing projects. Similarly, we ought not to say ‘well
they are in prison not a hotel’. We know that where there is a will, there
is a way. It is high time that we get on with this and bring the prison
into 21st century from its medieval times.
July 23, 2004, Paul D. Moss Jr.
You would know that Fred Mitchell, the now Minister of Foreign Affairs
& The Public Service, campaigned against this stuff when he was in
Opposition and as an attorney. We are sure that this state of affairs
continues to be a source of embarrassment, and we are also certain that
there is a genuine effort being made to do something about it. But
you are right, it is nothing short of disgraceful. But as a lawyer,
you have an obligation to agitate. - Editor
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
A highlight of the week this past week for the Prime
Minister Perry Christie was a courtesy call from the boys and girls of
the Grand Bahama youth programme, part of the PM's urban renewal effort.
In the photo at top, Mr. Christie engages little Sebastian Sands, one of
the younger members of the group. The full group is shown below with
leaders ASP Curry [Grand Bahama] at left and Supt. Dean [Nassau] at right.
Among the more well known visitors to the Cabinet Office this week was
U.S. basketball player Scottie Pippen of the Los Angeles Lakers team...scratch
that - we mean of course the Chicago Bulls team. The Prime Minister
(himself an avowed Lakers' fan since the days of Bahamian centre Michael
'Sweet Bells' Thompson) is shown taking a break from talking strategy with
Pippen. No doubt the PM has dictated winning game plans for the entire
next season, except when they play the Shaqless Lakers.
The Hanna - Heastie - Tynes families staged a reunion this past week and
made a courtesy call on the Prime Minister to present the family crest,
below, right. Mrs. Bernadette Christie (not pictured) was a Hanna
before marriage, so the Prime Minister has a special connection to this
distinguished Bahamian family.
THE BENEFITS OF BEING PRIME MINISTER - Surrounded by fine examples of Bahamian talent and pulchritude, Prime Minister Christie and Minister of Housing and National Insurance Shane Gibson are shown below in the Cabinet Office receiving a courtesy call from contestants in the Baptist choral contest 'Miss Gospel Bahamas' set for later this month.
| 8th
August, 2004
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| THE HOTEL WORKERS UNION ON THE ATTACK... | THE SMALL SAGA - A SAD STORY... |
| SUMMER PROGRAMMES ARE INADEQUATE... | THE LNG GAS PIPELINE... |
| THE MAN TO WATCH IN EXUMA... | THE OLYMPIC TEAM... |
| BPSU IS SMACKED BY THE MINISTER... | ‘BUBBLES’ DECOSTA & MUM BURIED... |
| PLEASANT "SHAKEN" BY ACCIDENT... | THIS WEEK WITH THE PM... |
The Official Site of the Progressive
Liberal Party... |
The Official Site of the Free National Movement... |
| PLPs On The Web... | Interesting Places... |
| Bradley Roberts / PLP Grants Town | Bahamas Government Website |
| Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte | Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte | Bahamians On The Web |
| Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw | Bahamian Cycling News |
| John Carey / PLP Carmichael | FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES... |
| Grand Bahama PLP | |
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| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Politics makes strange bedfellows. That is an overused phrase but it is one that came to mind quickly as we saw the photograph of the former Minister of Housing Algernon Allen in the press at the presentation ceremony of a cheque by him in the sum of $15,000 to the Farm Road Community project. Several days earlier, the Prime Minister appeared at the opening of a subdivision named in honour of the father of Mr. Allen. What is going on here? In The Bahamas nothing like this happens unless there has been some tectonic shift in the policies of the persons involved. Clearly behind the scenes, Mr. Allen who was the FNM’s Minister of Youth and a leading light up to the General Election must have made a shift. The Prime Minister and a raft of PLP Ministers do not show up at these things without some sort of shift. And so Mr. Allen giving a cheque to the tunes of the Farm Road Community Marching Band, in the Prime Minister's constituency on Wednesday 4th August 2004 is our photo of the week. BIS / Peter Ramsay |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
SUMMER IS COMING TO A CLOSE
It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over. This
is now the end of the first week in August. It is hot and humid.
The drought has finally broken. The rains have come with a vengeance.
The Meteorological office in The Bahamas reports that since 20th July,
there have been 11 inches of rainfall in New Providence. The average
is 8 inches. For the month of July, the average is 8.3 inches of
rain and the island has had 13.5 inches. No one this time seems to
be complaining about the rain because we had that long drought when the
place was bone dry and nothing would grow.
The summer brings with it a great deal of excitement and freedom. All of the young minds are back from university abroad. All the young kids are out of the local schools and on the job market. It is a struggle for parents to find something for them to do. But something to do must be found by parents and government alike to keep the kids occupied and out of trouble. To aid in that effort, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has a programme, so does the Ministry of Youth and Culture. Individual MPs also have a programme to help keep the youngsters occupied. The middle class and upper class send their kids off to camps overseas.
Summer
is also a time for street and community festivals. In the Emancipation
Day weekend, the island of Eleuthera had no less than three home coming
festivals: Tarpum Bay, Hatchet Bay and Governor’s Harbour. In Cat
Island, there was a regatta and there was also a Regatta in Acklins, and
one in Rolleville, Exuma. In New Providence, the communities in Fox
Hill and in Gambier both hosted festivals to mark the Emancipation of the
slaves on 1st August 1834. Fox Hill concludes its festival with Fox
Hill Day 10th August. That is the day that was set aside by the Baptist
Churches in the area to have recitations and dramatizations to mark the
freeing of the slaves. The tradition developed where the Nassau communities
would come up to Fox Hill for the day.
The airport is also a sure sign that the summer is here. There are long tailbacks of people at the airport trying to leave the island to go shopping in Miami for the kids who are going back to school. The sign is also there at the United States embassy, where Bahamians believe they have an inalienable right to get a visa to, you guessed it, go shopping in Miami. The signs are at the passport office of The Bahamas where people start queuing up from the wee hours of the morning to get their passports. No amount of announcing that your passport should be renewed before the busy summer period gets them going. They all wait until the last minute.
Summer time also presents special challenges to the government’s services. Everywhere you look the grass is growing up around your neck. It is a challenge to keep up with keeping the bush low and trimmed and neat. With the rains, the grass is back in a flash. The drains also present a problem, localized flooding in low-lying areas occurs regularly. What is annoying is that the Government services know that all of this is coming, yet it appears that they do nothing to clean the drains or make new drains during the off season when it is dry. But hey, that’s The Bahamas. No planning, last minute, blessed by God.
The Ministers of Education and Works are trying to buck that blessed trend this year by seeking to repair the schools early. The Minister of Education was on a tour of the schools under repair including H.O. Nash, which has up to now never had a comprehensive repair. While he is doing that perhaps he ought to visit L.W. Young, which needs a similar comprehensive repair and upgrading. If they get the job done before school opens that will be a minor miracle.
Summer time then is a time of lightness and joy. It is also a time of stresses and strains as parents now turn their attention to trying to get the school fees to send the kids back off to school. This year, the newspaper reported the chaos as usual when the cheques for the college students were issued by the Bank of The Bahamas. The Ministry of Education gets blamed but it is squarely the Bank of The Bahamas that does not have a proper system of distribution for the cheques that causes the confusion year after year.
As the end of August comes, as surely it will, you will soon start to find even in what appears to be the height of summer, the dewdrops covering the cars and windows every morning in late August. It is a sure sign that the earth is titling away from the sun in the northern hemisphere; fall and winter are on the way. There will be a coolness in the early morning air, leading to a wet, wet morning. The changes of the seasons indicate the constancy of change in life. That is something many of our countrymen don't seem to understand, that there is nothing you can do to stop change. You could of course stand on the beachhead of history, and try to hold back the tide. But chances are, you will simply be swept away.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 7th August 2004 at midnight: 51,782.
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 7th August 2004 at midnight: 51,782.
Number of hits for the year 2004 up to Saturday 7th August s2004 at midnight: 1,582,567.
THE
HOTEL WORKERS UNION ON THE ATTACK
With the Kerzner group reporting a 50 million dollar
second quarter profit, the hotel business seems to be doing well in The
Bahamas. Most people argue that this is only at Kerzner but the figures
seem generally to show otherwise.
On another scene, the British Colonial Hilton is
in financial trouble. The South Ocean resort is closing for 18 months
for renovations. Few people expect it to open again. There
is the product at Cable Beach where one investor is holding up progress,
and is unwilling to invest in a property but will not sell to someone who
will develop it, just to be ornery. Grand Bahama's old Princess properties
are clearly in trouble with its casino owing millions of dollars to the
Government and struggling to make payroll. Every week the union reps
have to be in Freeport trying to stop some problem or other.
Then there is the Emerald Bay resort! What
about it you say? It is run by the Four Seasons hotel chain.
They have a particular culture in the way they do things. That culture
does not meet with the approval of the Bahamians who work at the resort.
The culture calls for a certain level of productivity and a level of service.
The hotel claims that the employees need a lot of training. They
need a lot of assistance from persons coming in from overseas.
The Four Seasons has a tipping policy with which
the employees do not agree; the gratuity percentage across the board gets
shared with everyone not just the waiters and waitresses. The matter
has been brewing for months. Employees have been complaining to their Members
of Parliament. They have been sending signals to Government Ministers.
The complaints still come. Now they have broken out into the open
with the report that the Hotel Union's executives led by Leo Douglas have
gone in and stirred up the pot.
The union came back from Exuma with allegations
of racism and accused the hotel of creating a situation of apartheid in
Exuma. The hotel has denied it saying that the relations with their
staff are good. This was strong stuff by the Union. They listed a
number of abuses. They are now in Exuma with cards for the registration
of members and are trying to organize the hotel. The hotel will soon
have to conform to the work rules of the general Bahamian tourist industry.
Kerzner has been able to get around this by an aggressive training policy.
But the people who run the Four Seasons don't seem to have the resources
or the management capacity to deal with the complexities of a labour force
in The Bahamas.
And so it appears that if we are not careful, there
will be another bust up between workers and company in Exuma, just as that
island's economy seems to be getting off the ground. You can understand
why the Government is very worried indeed. There are 420 jobs at that project
in Exuma. Imagine the knock off effects of that in the economy of
Exuma. What would those people be doing today, if the project did
not exist?
THE
SMALL SAGA - SAD STORY
By Jason Q. Bethel
On Thursday 5th August, The Tribune published a
letter from the Small family, in which in quite nasty terms it denounced
one of its members Mindell Small, a journalist with the Nassau Guardian,
because Mr. Small has publicly identified himself as homosexual, and is
a member of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance. There was some criticism
about the fact that The Tribune chose to publish the letter. That
would not be my beef. Mr. Small is a public figure and clearly a
letter of that kind would be newsworthy. The question I would ask
is: how could a family do such a thing?
The late Robert Irving Dillette who was the father
of the former editor of this site used to tell his son: “you can choose
your friends but you can’t choose your family”. That is another way
of saying that you do not wash your dirty linen in public in such a personal
way. It seems quite incomprehensible.
The late Archdeacon William Thompson was a strong
adherent to biblical principles. He did not support homosexuality
and did not believe that it was the right way to live. In the later
years of his life he told the story of a discussion with a homosexual Anglican
priest who was seeking to defend himself. The English priest told
him that he believed that his being homosexual was a fact of birth not
choice just as the Black skin of the late Archdeacon was not a choice but
an accident of birth. The Archdeacon still disagreed with him but
he said that following that talk, he paused and reconsidered his prejudices.
He thought to himself what if he is right then I might be guilty of the
same prejudices that people had against me because of the colour of my
skin and I would not want to be guilty of that. The Family of Mr.
Small may indeed be right but what if they are wrong? They will have
publicly sought to humiliate one their own, a matter that could well have
been dealt with, within the family.
(We show some of what the Small family writes in
its own words as reported in the Tribune Thursday 5th August—Editor)
“The Small family is not one that loves media
attention. However, because of the constant discussion on homosexuality
in the media one Mr. Mindell Small and The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas
(RAB), we feel the time has come – the family of Mindell Small, to let
the public know where we stand on the issue in relation to Mr. Mindell
Small's views…
“First of all, we the family of Mr. Mindell Small,
absolutely and unequivocally disagree with the views and beliefs on human
sexuality expressed by Mr. Mindell Small and RAB in the media…
“Consequently, we the Small family would like
to let the public know that Mr. Mindell Small receives absolutely no support
of any kind, whether financially or emotionally from his family in his
role as a member of the Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas. Moreover,
the Small family is in no way, and in no capacity connected to or affiliated
with the RAB. Hence, Mr. Mindell Small does not speak for the Small
family, but rather he is expressing his own beliefs as an individual adult
member of the RAB…
“Please note that this letter was written specifically
to make public the views of the Small family as opposed to that of Mr.
Mindell Small, in regard to human sexuality. Its intent is not to
open up a discussion on the Small family relations. We hereafter
consider the subject matter closed and ask the media and the public to
respect the family’s right to privacy.”
SUMMER
PROGRAMMES ARE INADEQUATE
The Prime Minister speaking to the children at the
Summer Youth programme of the Government of The Bahamas on Thursday 5th
August at the East Street Gospel Chapel said that next year there would
be an expansion of the summer youth programme. It was welcome news
indeed.
This year, thousands of children were taken up in summer school programmes
sponsored by the Ministry of Youth. The programmes cost the government
just over half a million dollars. Thousands more were engaged in
summer programmes sponsored by the private sector. But these programmes,
all of them, were not adequate, and there is a need for more of them.
You still saw scores of idle young people not working, not engaged in some
productive activity throughout the summer here in The Bahamas.
With all the complaints about the quality of the
workforce in The Bahamas, with all the complaints about the lack of social,
technical or professionals skills of young Bahamians it would seem to follow
as night follows day that there is a need for more of a jobs and training
programme in the summer.
The fact that unemployment is what it is also suggests
that even more money ought to have been put in the public programme for
the summer. In fact, there are some who are saying that the Government
needs to start a public works programme right now because the unemployment
is getting out of hand, the air of desperation is coming into the complaints
of the unemployed, faced as they are with the opening of the school year.
It appears that the Social Services Dept. is neither adequately financed,
nor prepared bureaucratically to handle the demand for their services.
Some have argued that in many respects, the unemployment
situation is mirroring what existed in the country the year after independence.
The economy of the country was in the absolute doldrums, and middle class
people who had not had to worry about getting a job in over a generation
were suddenly out of work. The only agency to come to their rescue
was The Bahamas Government. This may be what needs to be considered
again and fast. Top photo Prime Minister and officials with Summer
Youth Programme participants BIS / Peter Ramsay; Right - Prime Minister
Perry Christie speaks to youngsters gathered for the closing ceremonies
of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture's 24th Annual Summer Sports
Programme Thursday, August 5, 2004 at the Kendal Isaacs gym. Over 67,000
children participated in the various youth camps throughout the Bahamas.
(Photo: Tim Aylen/©Vision)
THE
LNG GAS PIPELINE
The Minister for Trade and Industry Leslie Miller
is the Minister responsible for oil and gas in The Bahamas. As such
he has superintendence of a process of application by three companies for
the building of a liquefied natural gas plant and pipeline in The Bahamas
to South Florida. The three are El Paso, Tractabel and AES.
None of them should be approved. All should be told to pack their
bags and take a hike. The fact is all of these proposals are incompatible
with the image of The Bahamas as a tourist country. They should not
be here. This is the same kind of mish mash of economic ventures
that formed at the development of Freeport.
The planners of Freeport started out with the idea
of building an industrial city, only to find out that it didn’t take off
the ground. They then turned to tourism. Today, beside the
ugly tanks of Borco that used to stockpile oil and now sit there pretty
useless are the tourist hotels and attractions that are designed to attract
tourists. The Bahamas should make up its mind what it is. This
is a tourist country. That is number one and nothing; nothing should
disturb that unless there is an overwhelming case for a paradigm shift
in the economy that will create more jobs. These plants will not
do that. They will simply mess up the environment, and maybe create
a few jobs. If they create more than 100 jobs that will be plenty.
Our mad rush to accept these projects smacks of a painful desperation for
money. Desperation by those who are pushing the project and by the
professionals who seem blinded by the downside in this matter.
The decision to grant LNG permits in The Bahamas
would be similar in our view to George Bush’s decisions in the United States
to allow drilling in previously reserved parts of the United States including
some pristine areas of the Alaska wilderness. Anything for money!
Whenever there is a choice between the environment and money, the environment
loses.
We have right now the case where the cruise ships
that come into the harbour should not be burning their stacks while in
the harbour but if you look you will see them pouring black smoke into
the atmosphere. You can see the evidence of the particulate matter
on any railing in town. No one will take steps to stop them.
They might stop coming. Then there is the dumping of garbage by cruise
ships both in the Bahamian landfills at costs that are too cheap to pay
for the environmental costs, and there are reports of dumping at sea.
In the Exuma, the beautiful islands that they are and in New Providence,
there are no sewerage systems at the marinas and so the effluent is being
dumped in its raw state into the harbours and washed out to sea.
The sea is becoming more polluted.
The question is why do we willingly allow the very
thing that people come here to see to be so polluted and do nothing about
it. And now we propose to stick an ugly pipeline and gas plant here
that leads right into the US heartland, which will allow the US now to
make a claim on us and interfere even more in the internal affairs of our
country. We trust that The Bahamas government is ready to defend
the pipeline when those who wish to attack it come a calling.
For once, it would just be nice to do the right
thing. The right thing to do is tell all of them no. Certainly,
no to Freeport Harbour where one of the projects is to go. But we
think that they should get a big fat no, and then for once, just once the
environment may be able to breathe a sigh of relief for us choosing the
environment over the almighty dollar. The things we do for money!
THE
MAN TO WATCH IN EXUMA
Anthony Musgrove, most people know him as Tinny,
is a man with a mission. He is a bright young spark. He wants
to be the Member of Parliament for Exuma. He is said to be interested
in the Free National Movement’s nomination. He keeps a high profile
in Exuma, a land where he was born, and into which he grew up. His
mother still lives there. This week The Tribune published a letter
on Saturday 7th August. We provide a look at the letter for our readers
and name him the man for Tony Moss, the Deputy Speaker and now MP for Exuma
to watch. You may click here for the full
text of that letter.
THE
OLYMPIC TEAM
There does not seem to be the same sense of fanfare and expectation as
there was in the last Olympics. You must remember the feeling in
victory and wonder if we can do it again; the morning that everyone stayed
up to watch the race in Australia when the Golden Girls won that gold medal
in the relays. Will we repeat? Most people think we will have
a hard time this time. Some say that the best prospect is Tonique
Williams Darling (pictured) who is having a spectacular year. She
is a 400 metres runner. The men seem to be in trouble as usual.
Avard Moncur who many thought would be the shining superstar of the men
has announced that he is out of the Olympics. He is suffering from
tendonitis. Nevertheless, we will all be watching as the team lines
up in Athens, Greece. There' s a little side controversy: who will
carry The Bahamas' flag at the games? Letter writer Nicolas E.P.
Mosko says that it ought to be tennis pro and four time Olympian Mark Knowles.
Photo
from Bahama Journal
BPSU
IS SMACKED BY THE MINISTER
Last week, the Minister of the Public Service responded
sharply to the comments reported on this site to be have been made by Public
Service Union President John Pinder and former Secretary General Eric Darville.
Please click here for the Minister’s full
retort.
‘BUBBLES’
DECOSTA & MUM BURIED
39 year old Junkanoo standout Trevor ‘Bubbles’ DeCosta
and his mother Leolean ‘Ma Suzy’ Fernander were buried this past weekend
at Woodlawn cemetery after a joint service at Salem Baptist Church.
The talented Junkanoo designer succumbed to illness
and his mother died shortly afterward. ‘Bubbles’ was widely mourned by
his group ‘One Family’ and throughout the Junkanoo community which marched
en masse from the R.M. Bailey park to the cemetery for his burial.
Prime Minister Perry Christie was among the mourners of this well known
Mason's Addition Junkanoo. He is survived by a daughter, Imani, five
brothers and four sisters. Photo by Peter Ramsay.
PLEASANT
"SHAKEN" BY ACCIDENT
Marco City MP Pleasant Bridgewater was a passenger
in a vehicle involved in a collision this past week in Grand Bahama.
The MP was reported to have been treated and discharged at the Rand Memorial
Hospital without serious injury. She was, however, reportedly "shaken"
by the mishap. Our best wishes.
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
Prime Minister Perry Christie was a visitor this
past week to several youth camps around New Providence. At top, Mr.
Christie is shown highlighting young Alexandria Symonette and Christopher
Richardson at a camp in the East Street Gospel Hall. BIS photo by Peter
Ramsay
Prime Minister Perry Christie is greeted by dozens of young children
at the closing ceremonies of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture's
24th Annual Summer Sports Programme Thursday, August 5, 2004 at the Kendal
Isaacs gym. Over 67,000 children participated in the various youth camps
throughout The Bahamas.
Prime Minister Perry Christie is embraced by dozens
of youth workers at the closing ceremonies of the Ministry of Youth, Sports
and Culture's 24th Annual Summer Sports Programme Thursday, August 5, 2004
at the Kendal Isaacs gym. Over 67,000 children participated in the various
youth camps throughout the Bahamas. (Photo: Tim Aylen/©Vision)
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Fox Hill Day 2004 is now history. It has been 170 years since the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Fox Hill has had separate and discrete celebrations in the village since at least 1888. Eric Wilmott, a resident of Fox Hill, has the proof in a weathered copy of the Nassau Guardian from that time. Fox Hill Day began as “Party Day”, a day established by the Baptist Churches in the village for the students of the Sunday school to put on a programme for their parents and friends and then be given treats afterwards. It developed into a practice where the people from other parts of Nassau would all go up to Fox Hill on Fox Hill Day. The Prime Minister was there again this year visiting the churches Macedonia, St. Paul’s, St Mark’s and Mt. Carey. He was joined by the Member of Parliament for the area Fred Mitchell. Mr. Christie gave a special appeal to the young people, and took an engaging picture with a young man, telling the folk in Fox Hill that this was the future. That is our photo of the week. The Fox Hill Festival Committee photo is by Quality Images. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE WORDS OF A SCUMBAG
Everyone
said that this was a slimy fellow. The old adage ‘if you play with
puppy it will lick your mouth’ comes to mind. If you wallow with
pigs you will get muddy. But on the other hand, you have the fact
that a political party needs money to survive; lots of money. All
of this comes to mind in the wake of some startling allegations made by
Mohammed Harajchi, an Iranian émigré to The Bahamas who has
Permanent Residence. Mr. Harajchi lost his licence as a banker in
The Bahamas because of the inability of the bank to maintain its capital
requirements.
This happened under Julian Francis, the Governor of the Central Bank, during the Ingraham administration. Harajchi went running to the PLP, using a ‘newspaper’ to slander the FNM and to slander Julian Francis. No one seemed to have done anything about it and the man thinks of himself now as a mover and a shaker in The Bahamas. His ‘newspaper’ The Source has committed one libel after another in The Bahamas, and he has yet to be sued or prosecuted. Only Bradley Roberts from the PLP side has responded to the character assassinations.
Now Mr. Harajchi has gone much too far. His accusations, made at a press conference that he has been threatening for weeks, amount to the fact that he made political donations to the PLP. They do not come anywhere near the ten million dollars that he said. But what it amounts to, by innuendo and otherwise, is that he is suggesting that 90 percent of the Cabinet have asked him for money. He named requests from the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Works Bradley Roberts. Otherwise his allegations are nameless and faceless with no attempt at substantiation. It would seem to us that the Cabinet members must say immediately whether what he is saying is correct. But further, it must be clear whether or not there was a quid pro quo for any of this in the sense that the law was offended in any way.
Mr. Harajchi, just after the elections, had to reportedly be thrown out of the office of a high official of The Bahamas for trying to insinuate that he got a promise from the PLP to give him his licence back for the Suisse Security Bank, in exchange for his political and financial support. That is not the case. He was given no promise, and in his press conference he could not bring himself to make that accusation.
He also refused to answer the question of whether or not he provided $500,000 for the construction of the home of the Prime Minister. We say without reservation that this is a gross lie, and he did not answer it not only because he knows he cannot say yes but also because he wants to smear the Prime Minister.
We believe that there is only one way to deal with a scumbag, and that is to flush it down the toilet. The PLP is to blame for not responding to all this nonsense sooner. It is just like the situation with the Member of Parliament Sidney Stubbs. It simply allows matters to drag on and on and on, and so very simple matters that can be addressed are allowed to fester and become even greater matters. Now the party has an eternal mess to respond to, even as there are serious issues of governance to which to attend.
The argument coming from many of our friends is that what is happening to us if we are not careful is that an accumulation of small incidences, left unattended, will slowly build up in the minds of the people of the country and consume the organization again as being corrupt, inept and indifferent. That led to the defeat of the last PLP administration. It is incredible that the younger ones around, having seen that experience and knowing what the consequences of defeat are, would stand and simply allow all of this to unfold.
There is not one word of truth in the allegations of Mohammed Harajchi. What you have is an absolutely desperate man who wants to inflict damage on Bahamian society after being a guest here for many years. He wants a bankrupt bank to operate in the Bahamas and ruin the name of the country. His mentality is thoroughly dangerous. The Government ought to look at the possibility of revoking his Permanent Residence in the country and sending him packing.
This matter has gone on far too long, and it MUST, we repeat MUST be addressed and comprehensively so, and put to bed. There is no time to wait on this.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 14th August 2004 at midnight: 42,009.
Number of hits for the month of August ending Saturday 14th August 2004 at midnight: 93,791.
Number of hits for the year 2004 up to Saturday 14th August at midnight: 1,624,576.
PRIME
MINISTER IN CHINA
The Prime Minister and an official delegation of
The Bahamas have arrived safely in Beijing, China for a State Visit to
that country. Mr. Christie was greeted by the Chinese Ambassador
to The Bahamas upon his arrival in the Chinese capital. While in
China, the Prime Minister is being hosted by the Chinese Government at
the National State Guest House of China. Mr. Christie said he was
“pleased to be in China” and that he was “looking forward” to high level
discussions to be held between the two countries.
The official programme begins tomorrow, Monday 16th
August, with a trip to the Great Wall of China. Later in the day,
the Prime Minister has formal meeting with the Premier of China.
The Prime Minister and Mrs. Christie are accompanied
by their daughter, Miss Alexandra Christie.
The official delegation includes the Minister of
Foreign Affairs & The Public Service, the Honourable Fred Mitchell;
the Minister of Financial Services & Investment, the Honourable Allyson
Maynard Gibson; the Minister of State for Finance, the Honourable James
Smith and the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister,
Mr. Ronald Thompson. In addition, various diplomatic and technical
officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs both from New Providence and
relevant posts overseas arrived in Beijing prior to the delegation.
While in China, the Prime Minister and delegation
are expected to hold meetings with Chinese officials at all levels and
will be hosted to several state and official events. The official
delegation will return from the State Visit to China on Monday 23rd August.
THE
PRIME MINISTER RESPONDS TO HARAJCHI
The response to Mohammed Harajchi’s claims that
the election of 2002 cost him 10 million dollars in support for the PLP
is wide spread derision and incredulity. Mr. Harajchi is obviously
having a bad hair day. The thrust of the allegations of Mr. Harajchi
was an effort to try and take the PLP out.
It is an old trick, tell the Bahamian people that
you gave money with the implication that you were to get something in exchange
for the money, and you have them on the hook. After that, you begin
through the media, a concerted campaign of slander, and innuendo and that
is the way it goes. The idea is to make the PLP a one term Government.
As we said in our editorial, we believe that the PLP has waited too long
to deal with this man with a cockroach’s mentality.
Wendall Jones of the Bahama Journal described Mr.
Harajchi as a disgusting little man and called for the Government to revoke
his Permanent Residence status. We don’t quite go that far but certainly
we ought to look at the laws that govern who can be granted the status
and how it can be revoked.
The Prime Minister came back fast and furious to
Mr. Harajchi's false claims. It was a strong defence. He denied
that Mr. Harajchi ever gave him a cent toward the construction of his home.
He reaffirmed his belief in the integrity of his Ministers.
To show the kind of slimy mentality Mr. Harajchi
has, when asked whether or not he contributed money to the construction
of Mr. Christie’s home on Cable Beach, HE REPLIED, HE IS AN HONOURABLE
MAN, GO ASK HIM. You may click here for
the Prime Minister’ reply in full.
SOME
OF WHAT HARAJCHI HAD TO SAY
The Tribune, The Nassau Guardian and the Bahama
Journal all made front-page news of the press conference of Mohammed Harajchi
held at his Paradise Island home on Wednesday 11th August 2004. Here
is some of what The Tribune reported:
“Ninety per cent of the PLP’s Cabinet Ministers
have come directly or indirectly to Iranian businessman Mohammed Harajchi
for financial or strategic assistance, it was claimed yesterday…
“Among the documents released to the press was
a bill paid to The Singing Bishop Prophet Lawrence Rolle on behalf of the
PLP for two mass rallies at Clifford Park in which the Singing Bishop’s
group participated for $1,000; a $100,000 cheque made out to the PLP Leadership
Act, and two invoices paid to Fireworks Unlimited – one for a 20 minute
$35,000 fireworks display at Clifford Park on 1st May last year, and the
other for a $40,000 fireworks display on April 2nd last year in Freeport…
“When asked if Mr. Christie made any promise
relating to his bank or licence Mr. Harajchi said: ‘I believe still he
is a very honourable person and I respect him very much, please go ask
him this question."
(Since the response by the Prime Minister, Chris
Lunn, the former Central Bank employee, who has become a lap dog for Mr.
Harajchi and his official mouthpiece sought to clarify his master’s remarks.
He said that his boss did not make an accusation about paying money for
the Prime Minister’s House.
Mr. Lunn is being as silly as his boss. He
knows full well that the question asked of Mr. Harajchi about the House
was answered in such a way that it was meant to give the clear impression
that there was a payment to the Prime Minister. That we know is an
absolute falsehood, and Mr. Lunn's spurious defence shows the malicious
and unrepentant nature of his boss as a disgusting little man.
Further Mr. Lunn sought to pollute the issue by
saying that it was interesting that the PM did not deny receiving money
for the construction of Gambier House.
What the PM did say is that a public accounting
of monies given by Mr. Harajchi will be forthcoming. We know that
the investigation will reveal that Mr. Harajchi gave no money for Gambier
House. Further, the giving of money for Gambier House, owned by a
political party is quite a different thing from giving money to Mr. Christie
personally. The latter is a clear attempt to smear and impugn Mr.
Christie.
Chris Lunn should get a new life. --- Editor)
WENDALL
JONES TAKES ON HARAJCHI
The Publisher of the Bahama Journal was obviously furious that Mohammed
Harajchi had called his name in this press conference. The slimy
words of the man with the bad hair reached into an attack on the media.
Mr. Harajchi said in his press conference that he had helped to establish
the Bahama Journal. Mr. Jones was livid. He said that the only
contact he had with Mr. Harajchi is that the man paid him $3,000 for professional
services rendered when Mr. Harajchi was having problems with this bank
licence.
The Bahama Journal led its newspaper report on the
story of the press conference with the headline: A DISGUSTING LITTLE
MAN. Here is what Mr. Jones had to say in his own words as reported
in the Bahama Journal of Thursday 12th August:
“He [Mohammed Harajchi] is an unfit person to
be a permanent resident of The Bahamas and as far as I am concerned anybody
who is prepared to go to the lengths that he is going to destroy the good
name and reputation of officials of the Government of The Bahamas should
have his permanent residency revoked.
“Now I don’t know whether or not the Government
of The Bahamas is minded to do that, but as far as I am concerned, I’ve
never come across a foreigner in The Bahamas who was a more disgusting
man than this little man on Paradise Island…
“Mr. Harajchi knows that he told the Bahamian
public or the media is an untruth. Mr. Harajchi never, ever contributed
to the funding of my business. What Mr. Harajchi did in 1991 was
to pay my communications company $3,000 for services rendered. At
the time, he was seeking to purchase Resorts International, which later
became Sun International…
“Mr. Harajchi needed public relations services
which we provided and indeed we used the Bahama Journal to print a number
of stories on his businesses, both here as well as in Europe. Mr.
Harajchi as far as I am concerned is a disgusting little man who has been
going about this country impugning the reputation of business people as
well as government officials, making scurrilous and malicious remarks that
he knows are untrue.” Bahama Journal photo of Wendall Jones
MOTHER
PRATT RESPONDS
Cynthia “Mother” Pratt is the country’s Deputy Prime Minister. During
the past week she was on leave in North Carolina where she once attended
College. She was made aware of the allegations made by Mohammed Harajchi
that she once came to him ask him to provide burglar bars for her headquarters.
Her response was swift and certain. She told an interviewer at ZNS
Radio and TV that she thought that Mr. Harajchi was a liar. She said
that the report was the fourth lie that he had told on her. She said
that she had no reason to ask Mr. Harajchi for any money. She said
that she never intended to put burglar bars around her headquarters because
there is no need to do so and pointed out that there are – in fact – no
burglar bars there to this day. File photograph of Deputy Prime
Minister Pratt
BRADLEY
ROBERTS RESPONDS
Bradley Roberts is the Minister responsible for Public Works. During
the past week he was on leave. He contacted on board a ship in Mediterranean.
Here is his statement in full in answer to allegations by Mohammed Harajchi
that he went to Mr. Harajchi to ask for money for a relative to go to school:
"I am currently on a short vacation in Europe
and was informed that Mohammed Harajchi has accused me as a Minister of
asking him to assist a relative with educational expenses.
THAT IS A SICK AND DELIBERATE LIE AND ONLY A DEMENTED MIND COULD CONJURE
UP SUCH A LIE.
"The facts are: that whilst in opposition in
December of 2001, a Bahamian mother whom I had just then met, was desperately
seeking funds for legal studies in the UK did ask me to seek assistance
for her from Mohammed Harajchi. This request was passed on. I do not know
whether Harajchi ever rendered any assistance.
"My personal assistance for education to family
and others is well known. I have never sought financial assistance
from anyone for education for any family member.
"I have warned the Bahamian people that I have
come to learn that Mohammed Harajchi is a DANGEROUS MAN. I shall
have more to say on this issue on my return from vacation." File
photograph of Minister of Works Bradley Roberts
MOHAMMED
HARAJCHI - JACKASS OF THE WEEK
The problem we have in the kind of society that we have is; what does someone
do to fight the kind of vengeful untruths told by a scum of the type of
Mohammed Harajchi? Do you ignore obvious untruths? Do you respond
with fire and brimstone? Do you have a more measured response?
This required fire and brimstone. The reports are so egregiously
unfair, such slimy lies that the full weight of a response ought to be
let loose against him. Indeed, the Prime Minister had said that he
would cause an accounting to be done of Mr. Harajchi's accounts if he does
not publicly back off that claim that he made contributions to the Prime
Minister’s home. The Prime Minister ought to sue Mr. Harajchi for
a malicious falsehood.
The kind of society we have latches onto gossip.
And Mr. Harajchi got what he wanted. The Tribune and The Guardian,
the mainstream papers all felt that they had a scandal in the making.
The Punch also led with a scandal in the making. The Opposition was
no doubt sticking their fingers in the wind to determine which way to go
on this one. If it blows their way, then look to hear a call for
a Commission of Inquiry.
What we do know is that Lynden Pindling called a
Commission of Inquiry into allegations in 1983 made by the media.
The next step was the end of the Government, as we knew it. Sir Lynden
also caused a Select Committee to be convened of the House headed by Hubert
Ingraham who looked into the allegations of whether or not there were improprieties
in the sale of the Paradise Island Bridge. That also led to adverse
findings against the Government, changing the face of the PLP, as we knew
it and probably leading to Mr. Ingraham’s departure from the PLP.
So the PLP today must tread carefully.
As one might well imagine the talk shows have taken
up the mantra, with some people defending the Government but many saying
that these are serious allegations and that they must be investigated.
There’s the rub. There is no need for any investigation. Mr.
Harajchi is an incredible figure. An investigation will simply distract
the Government from its main tasks. The Government ought to concentrate
on a heavy PR campaign to destroy this disgusting little man.
Look at the picture; he looks like someone who needs
to go shopping for a new toupee. Disgusting little man indeed and
our JACKASS OF THE WEEK. Bahama Journal photo of Mohammed
Harajchi by Omar Barr
THE
CENTRAL BANK CHANGES ITS TUNE
The Central Bank of The Bahamas has announced that it has lifted the lending
cap, which it has imposed for pretty near three years on lending.
The cap prevented banks from lending to customers more money than had been
repaid to them. That means that they could not increase their portfolios
on an annual basis.
The Governor of the Central Bank Julian Francis
defended his decision on the ground that the reserves needed to be protected.
The reserves piled up to over five hundred million. The Government’s
revenues continue to be depressed. The Banks had money piling up
with no one to lend it to. There are now one hundred million dollars
of NIB funds sitting dormant in the Central Bank in B dollars with nothing
to do.
The Governor of the Bank and the Minister of State
for Finance James Smith were at loggerheads over this question Mr. Smith
called for the cap to be lifted. He was concerned that there was
at least one hundred million dollars that could be lent that would improve
the Government’s revenue position by retarding spending, and therefore
imports, and thence customs duties. The Governor resisted at first
but now he has capitulated.
Tim Donaldson, the Chair of the Commonwealth Bank,
was still not pleased. He heads this country’s largest Bahamian owned
bank, and he said that he thought that the Central Bank had given with
one hand and taken with another. The bank has said that the debt
ratio must not be more than 45 per cent of the monthly salary of a customer.
Mr. Donaldson thought that this was the action of an over centralized economy
with which he says he does not agree. We agree with him. It’s
time to prime this pump and get some things going. File photograph
of Central Bank Governor Julian Francis
RAINBOW
ALLIANCE DEFENDS MINDELL SMALL
Last week, a guest writer to this column wrote a
piece in this column denouncing the attack on Mindell Small, the Nassau
Guardian writer who is openly homosexual and is a member of the Rainbow
Alliance in The Bahamas. His family caused to be printed in The Tribune
an article in which they dissociated themselves from Mr. Small and denounced
him for being homosexual and for his views on human sexuality. No
one knows what motivated it. But the Rainbow Alliance has printed
a stirring defence of Mr. Small. They published a release on Monday
9th August in The Tribune. Here is what they said as reported in
The Tribune in their own words:
“The letter [by the family] was mean spirited
and unnecessary. No one in their right mind would believe that an
individual speaking his opinion on any subject matter would somehow be
speaking on behalf of his entire family.
“At no time did Mr. Mindell Small, in his recent
pronouncements, indicate that he was speaking on behalf of his family or
suggest that the Small family financially or otherwise supported Rainbow
Alliance Bahamas (RAB). Ironically, the Small family opened its letter
by saying it is not one that loves media attention.
“However, by publishing such a letter in a national
paper, the family is doing the exact opposite of what it said it does not
love doing: attracting media attention.
“The family also said it considered the matter
closed and asked the media to respect its right to privacy. This
is laughable. The matter is not closed to RAB, as one cannot expect
to open a family matter for the public to examine, use the RAB’s name as
well as the name of a person, which is part of our group, and then say
the matter is closed…
“We believe that homophobia is a dangerous thing
as it often results in an attack, verbal or physical, on homosexuals living
honest lives. A homophobic community prefers gays and lesbians to
pretend to be heterosexual, living a lie their entire lives to appease
the heterosexuals in that community.
“We are proud of Mindell Small's honesty and
bravery in the face of widespread homophobia in The Bahamas.”
LINDY
RUSSELL TO RETIRE IN FREEPORT
The Member of Parliament for Eight Mile Rock Lindy Russell is reportedly
set to succeed Rev. Alan Jones who has retired as the Pastor of his Church
in Eight Mile Rock. It is big step for him and a big and influential
congregation. Mr. Russell is now a deacon and it has been rumoured
for years that he would take up full time Ministry.
Now the problem! If he is chosen and accepts
the job, will he resign immediately and cause a bye-election? Most
people are not betting on it. They say that he will serve the remainder
of his term as an MP and a full time Minister of the gospel.
Waiting in the wings for the nomination of the FNM
to succeed him: Kay Smith, nee Forbes who is the niece of FNM general Elon
‘Sonny’ Martin; former FNM MP for West End David Wallace, and Pauline Nairn,
the former Senator.
Most say that it’s Pauline Nairn who has the inside
track although she has been said to be spending too much time in Nassau
and her husband Permanent Secretary Archie Nairn (they say) doesn’t have
the stomach for another campaign. File photograph of Eight Mile
Rock MP Lindy Russell
CAN
TOMMY TURNQUEST SURVIVE?
Tommy Turnquest surfaced in Fox Hill for Fox Hill Day with a huge entourage
of people from the Free National Movement Party including the former representative
Juanianne Dorsett. People were wondering what the tea leaves had
to say on that. Does the FNM intend to mount a major effort in Fox
Hill to unseat Fred Mitchell? Or is it a situation where the leader
of the FNM is fighting for his life and therefore is shoring up the faithful?
Interesting to see Laurie Butler, the granddaughter of Sir Milo Butler
our first Bahamian Governor General, in the group. It is still quite
strange to see her as a Free National Movement supporter. But there
it is.
Mr. Turnquest has to find a seat for himself.
He is thinking twice about going back to Mr. Moriah. The profile
of the constituency has changed, and the middle class has moved out of
the area. It is now a rental district and a working class area.
That does not suit him. But a leader must have a seat. What
seat then will he choose? It looks clear that Hubert Ingraham cannot
make a comeback without badly splitting the party. So it seems to
us that Senator Turnquest is there to lead the party into the next election.
But will he survive if he can’t find a seat? Tommy Turnquest addressing
the Fox Hill Day congregation at St. Paul's Baptist Church - Fox Hill Festival
Committee / Quality Images
PICTURES
FROM FOX HILL DAY
The Fox Hill Festival ended on Tuesday 10th August,
called Fox Hill day. There was a great time had by all. It
climaxed with the climbing of the greasy pole. There was also the
final and farewell performance of the Zulu Dance Troupe from South Africa.
Fox Hill day began as party day, a time near the emancipation of slavery
when the Fox Hill people celebrated their freedom with poetry, rhyme and
recitation by the children of the Baptist Church Sunday Schools.
We present pictures from the day below. TOP - The Prime Minister
is shown at centre holding a large sapodilla presented to him by Rev. Dr.
J. Carl Rahming (right) during his visit to St. Paul's Baptist Church.
Also pictured from left are Speaker of the House of Assembly Oswald Ingraham
MP, Miss Fox Hill Dashanique Poitier, Chairman of the Fox Hill Festival
Committee Charles Johnson and Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell.
Mr. Charles Johnson, Chairman of the Fox Hill Festival
Committee and Mrs. Johnson stand to be recognised during the Fox Hill Day
service at St. Mark's Native Baptist Church on Romer St.
The combined choir performs during the Fox Hill
Day service at Mount Carey Union Baptist Church on Fox Hill Rd. and Hon.
Fred Mitchell, Fox Hill MP addresses the congregation at Mount Carey.
Fox Hill Festival Committee photos - Quality Images
OSSIE
BROWN ON COB PRESIDENT
The Free National Movement’s Action Group headed by Fred Williamson has
started a scurrilous campaign against the new President of the College
of The Bahamas Rodney Smith. They would not say what they have against
him; they simply issued a nebulous statement, which was taken up by an
irresponsible press asking for Mr. Smith to resign.
The Chairman of the College Council said that they
had done an exhaustive research of all issues surrounding Mr. Smith and
found that that he was an acceptable successor to Dr Leon Higgs.
We hardly ever agree with anything Ossie Brown has
to say, such a political agenda has he but we thought that his comment
on the matter published in the Nassau Guardian of 13th August said it in
a way that was partially on the right track. Remember that Mr. Brown
is an FNM ideologue. Here is what he had to say in his own words:
“ ….The allegations that the FNM Action Group
seems to be asking in its call for Dr. Smith’s resignation appear to be
related to some thing or things that occurred in The Bahamas that a top
executive search firm in the United States may not have been privy to…
“One characteristic that supposedly was quite
noticeable during his stay in Grand Bahama that has been mentioned more
than once in discussions about the incredible nature of the allegations
that are being bandied about is that he has a difficult time making tough
decisions. If this is true then appointing him president of COB is
akin to putting a newly born baby into the cage with a wild lion.
“To be sure, if he wanted to, former COB President
Dr. Leon Higgs could probably confirm that during his tenure, more plots
to engineer his demise were hatched within the management ranks of COB
than were contained in a Stephen King mystery novel.” File photograph
of Freeport News Editor Oswald Brown
FUTURE
OLYMPIANS OFF TO GREECE
Young Bahamians Alana Dillette and Keenan Johnson
left for Athens, Greece this past week. The two were selected to
attend the prestigious Olympic Youth Camp that each Olympic year runs concurrently
with the Games.
JOHN
PINDER AGREES ON REFORM
John Pinder and Fred Mitchell were the subject of a Stan Burnside cartoon
after the to and fro in the press. The Minister accused Mr. Pinder
of engaging in “…the politics of rowing” as he responded to the calls by
the Minister for specific public sector reforms. True to form, after all
the rowing, Mr. Pinder went on radio during the week, and pronounced that
all was well, that he supported reform and that he respects the Minister.
So then the Minister was right? Stan Burnside's Sideburns from
The Nassau Guardian of 12th August.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
LNG Gas Pipeline - 8/8/04
In reference to your comments in August 8, 2004
edition on the LNG Pipeline, I have to give a resounding yes, in agreement.
A few weeks ago while listening to MORE94fm.com - Bahamas Live talk show
this subject came up. A caller contributed a point that I had not
heretofore considered concerning the pipeline and that is, National Security.
You mentioned this point in your statements as well.
If we (our government) allow the pipeline installation
in The Bahamas, do we put ourselves in the position of countries such as
IRAQ (extreme example) and Grenada (a local example)? If ever, God
forbid, we experience civil unrest or change in government that the US
does not agree with, will we find our shores invade by the US because of
its ‘special interests’ in our country? This makes me think.
Is it worth the money?
We pride ourselves on being a sovereign nation,
should we put ourselves in jeopardy of such, for a temporary fix?
That' s what I believe it will be. Can our country really benefit,
in the long run, to a large extent? Will our profit only be 10% in
comparison to the LNG company's 90%? Then when they have made their
money and find no more use for us we are left with their garbage in our
oceans?
We must protect our livelihood – the ocean, seas,
and land. It's all we really have of some guarantee!!
Dawn
Dawn R. Butler
Quite frankly, we simply don’t understand why this project was not rejected
out of hand. But the difficulty may be a legal one in that the last
government gave active encouragement to these people to move ahead with
their proposals. - Editor
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
Prime Minister Perry Christie is currently in China
on a State Visit to that country. This past week, Mr. Christie met
with Hurricane Emergency Management officials as they discussed disaster
preparedness in the country. US Charge D'Affaires Robert Witijewski
is pictured to the Prime Minister's right and to his left is Under-secretary
in the Cabinet Office Karl Smith, chair of the country's disaster preparedness
committee. For photos of Mr. Christie earlier in the week at Fox
Hill Day, please see 'Pictures From Fox
Hill Day' above. BIS photo by Peter Ramsay
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - It was a chat at 40,000 feet in a British Airways 747 aircraft and they were on their way to China on Saturday 14th August: the Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister, two Valley Boys discussing something. The something seemed to have been the stadium project that the Chinese have decided that they will donate to The Bahamas Government that will, when complete, amount to a 30 million dollar gift. The gift was announced in Beijing during Mr. Christie’s state visit on Monday 16th August. The Chargé D’affaires of China in The Bahamas Mr. Boheng Ni was forced to tell the newspapers that there are no strings attached to the gift. It was simply a sign of the friendship of China to The Bahamas. As for the Prime Minister, he pronounced himself pleased, but far away from China on the other side of the world, in Nassau, the gossip mongers were spoiling the show with talk of this silly man Harajchi and his bad hair day. The fellows were saying that Mr. Harajchi should listen to the popular record now on the charts ‘You Get Swing’. See a fuller commentary below. But the PM and the Foreign Minister at 40,000 feet by the Prime Minister is our picture of the week. Bahamas Information Services photo by Peter Ramsay. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
NO BIG THING—YOU GET SWING
The
Progressive Liberal Party must indeed wonder if it robbed the church.
Week before last, a man out for vengeance because he thought that he had
a deal to get something which he did not have and could not get, decided
that he would make public the money he had given to the PLP's campaign.
He, Mohammed Harajchi and his son Michel are all over the place, and with
two Bahamian henchmen Chris Lunn and Derek Ryan bad mouthing the PLP, and
making a case that he gave money to the PLP. Mr. Harajchi in his
press conference of that week (click
here for the report) indicated that he had spent upwards of ten million
dollars to get the PLP elected. That has been denounced as a lie
and he was unable to produce proof of anything like that amount.
But since that time, and despite the Prime Minister's denial, the country
appears to have been consumed in the official media and through the black
herald with the gossip connected to who got and who did not get.
It swept from the front pages the great and substantial news of a gift
of 30 million dollars from the Chinese Government for a national stadium.
This was far more in importance, but in a world where gossip passes for
the truth, the Harajchi story proved more enduring and more the flavour
of the moment.
The real answer to Harajchi and his so called allegations is: so what? Yes he gave money. Everyone is agreed. No he did not give money to the extent that he says. The FNM and the CDR and the BDM, the alphabet soup of Bahamian political parties all called during the week for the PLP to disclose what money it got and who gave it. They must be out of their minds. There is not a legal requirement for disclosure but beyond that when people give money to political parties, invariably there is a condition attached. The condition is that there should be no disclosure. Almost every large company in The Bahamas gives money to both political parties because they want assistance from the Government whoever wins. They do not expect that gift to be known, nor do they want it to be publicly known given the climate of retaliation whoever wins.
The Free National Movement is being ridiculous. The CDR should simply dissolve and join the PLP and their cry is therefore irrelevant. The BDM says where you put me. Its leader needs to find real work. The Free National Movement knows that if a law were passed today calling for full disclosure, it would reveal, the extent to which Hubert Ingraham and the FNM during the 1992 and the 1997 campaigns called on the expatriate community in Lyford Cay and abroad to help them in the victory. We wonder if that Lyford Cay crowd would mind if the PLP decided that all donations in the past will have to be disclosed on penalty of criminal sanctions. Look at the list of donors to the FNM from the Bahamian rich people and you are sure to find a list of persons who today have knighthoods, CMGs and CBEs. How did they get them and why did they get them? The PLP could agree to investigate all of that as well.
Mr. Harjachi's henchmen now say that he is going to have another press conference on 26th August. The PLP's response ought to be: “Go ahead!” Publish and be damned. The factor is again, so what. He gave. He says that he is going to define what he meant by justice when according to him, he spoke to Perry Christie when Mr. Christie was Leader of the Opposition, and Mr. Christie said that justice would be done. The henchmen indicate that justice means that he was to get his bank licence returned. So now, he is completing his thought and trying to say that Mr. Christie promised a bank licence. That is an outright and bold faced lie.
The problem we have is the defensive and equivocal response of the PLP to this. They appear to be telescoping their blows as if they did something wrong, as if there is something to hide. Nothing was done wrong, and there is nothing to hide. There is nothing wrong with taking political donations. The FNM can rejoice at the current difficulty only because they know that they could pick choose and refuse given the list of Bahamian rich people that they could call on. The PLP had no such luxury. It had to take what it got. The only point the PLP had to clear was: was the money legitimate? Yes it appeared to be. If the money was legitimate, was it legal to make the donation? Yes it was legal. Was there any improper promise made for the acceptance of the money? The answer is no there was no promise, and it is clear that none was delivered.
And so the answer to Mr. Harajchi because he didn’t quite know what justice meant when he used the word, (his henchman said that English is not his native language) the answer is in Bahamianese: “You get swing. No big Thing! You just get swing!” We are sure no one intended that but that it seems is what the brothers are saying on the street.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 21st August 2004 at midnight: 45,233.
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 21st August at midnight: 139,024.
Number of hits for the year 2004 up to Saturday 21st August 2004 at midnight: 1,669,809.
IN
DEFENCE OF THE COB PRESIDENT
The new president of the College of The Bahamas
Dr. Rodney Smith was introduced to the staff of the College of The Bahamas
during the week. The Chairman of the College Council Franklin Wilson
and the Minister for Education Alfred Sears were there at a special meeting
to speak with the staff.
From all accounts the meeting went well. The
staff was enthused and enthusiastic and looking forward to a new era. Dr.
Smith was forced during the past weeks since his appointment was announced
to endure a withering campaign of slander and innuendo emanating from the
Leader of the Free National Movement out of the House Tommy Turnquest.
The Minister announced his complete confidence in
the appointment of Dr. Smith, the process and the competence of Dr. Smith.
The file that the FNM keeps talking about that the Minister should have
read at the Ministry of Education obviously did not reveal much of anything.
So if that is it Senator Turnquest, you must rest your case. Shown
from left in this Nassau Guardian photo by Donald Knowles are Franklyn
Wilson, Council Chairman; Dr. Rodney Smith and Dr. Earl Cash, member of
the College Council pictured at the seminar.
MOTHER
PRATT TELLS THE TRIBUNE THE TRUE STORY
The Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt has been Acting Prime Minister
for the duration but one day of the Prime Minister's absence from the country
in China. She has been extremely busy at the helm and at a difficult
time. It is the summer holidays and most ministers and Parliamentarians
are on leave.
In the middle of this comes Mohammed Harajchi, having
a bad hair day and he seeks to sully the name of the PLP including the
Deputy Prime Minister. She did not take it lightly. She called
him a liar. To the chagrin of the Free National Movement, she also
said that as far as she was concerned his Permanent Residence should be
revoked. He is not in her view the kind of man that we want in The
Bahamas.
On Friday 20th August in The Tribune, the Deputy
Prime Minister went further, she told The Tribune exactly what she knew
about Harajchi. She said that he came to her headquarters bearing
a gift. He wanted to know what he could do to help her campaign.
He offered to pay for the workers at the headquarters. Remember how
she was an opposition politician. He sent a cheque to her in the
amount of $6,000. The cheque was returned and he was told that he
should pay the people directly. That was the full extent of her knowledge
of Mr. Harajchi.
This now frees other Ministers to talk. The
Ministers of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell told his constituents in a flier
around the constituency, that not one penny of monies reaching his accounts
came from Harajchi, nor did he ask for any. This should free other
ministers to talk. Acting Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt at left
is shown observing a hair braider at the Prince George Wharf during a Nassau
ports this past week in a Bahama Journal photo by Omar Barr.
HARAJCHI’S
HENCHMEN DO A HATCHET JOB
The country with its national obsession for gossip
had its fill this past week, as the henchmen of Mohammed Harajchi were
on Jeff Lloyd’s show Issues of the Day on Wednesday 18th August.
Former Central Bank employee Chris Lunn. He
was in line for the Bank Supervision job but was forced out when he was
not favoured by Julian Francis, the now Governor of the Bank. Is
there any surprise then that he is engaged on Harajchi's side in this vendetta
against Julian Francis and the Government? He must have needed the
money that Harajchi has obviously offered him.
Bahamians are concerned that someone with a brain
as bright as Chris Lunn and coming from a well known and prominent family
could sink to the lows in which he now finds himself, reduced to selling
The Confidential Source trash newspaper on the side of the road and spinning
yarns for Harajchi on the radio like the mouth piece of a ventriloquist
directing his dummy to speak.
A similar story for Derek Ryan, who some believe
has crossed the line from lawyer or agent to being a consigliore.
In the United States, he would have been forcibly removed from the case
because he no longer exhibits any independence as a counsel and attorney
at law. He too has come to be selling newspapers on the side of the road.
It is a real shame and disgrace. Here is some of what they said in
their own words as reported in the Nassau Guardian of Thursday 19th August:
Chris Lunn:
“Mr. Christie told Mr. Harajchi when he met with
him before the election that justice would be done. In the next few
days (26th August another press conference is reportedly planned), Mr.
Harajchi will explain to the Bahamian people…
“Mr. Christie received the file and a week later,
he comes back and said it appears that some wrong had been done to Mr.
Harajchi and when his Government gained power justice would
be given Mr. Harajchi. Mr. Harajchi will explain fully what he meant
by justice and whatever arrangement was entered into between himself and
Mr. Christie.”
Derek Ryan:
“The public must appreciate that during discussions
between Mr. Harajchi and Mr. Christie, court proceedings were at its embryonic
stage, so they could have sat down and resolved the matter"
(How could Mr. Christie resolve a matter when he was not PM or Minister
of Finance at that stage? – Editor)
Chris Lunn:
“The press conference was not done in response to his licence, only
as a result of the stinging attack and the harsh words. Terrorism
is a word not to be taken lightly, and for the third ranking minister to
say that, clearly any right thinking person would defend himself.”
(Mr. Harajchi needs to do one thing and one thing only. He must
resile from the position that he paid $500,000 to the PM for the construction
of his house. Anything else does not matter since there is no allegation
of impropriety or illegality. We would also add if they think that
Bradley Roberts has been harsh just wait for it. It aint over yet.
—Editor)
EDISON
KEY HAS A VIEW (NEW SENATOR COMING)
In the week before, we forgot to say to our readers
that there was a speculative piece in The Tribune about the appointment
of Caleb Outten, the unsuccessful PLP candidate for the Eight Mile Rock
constituency, as the Senator to succeed Edison Key for the PLP. We
would support Mr. Outten if he is appointed. But The Nassau Guardian
has an interesting piece tucked into its inside pages. It was a story
that reported an interview with Edison Key, the former Senator who resigned
in a huff when he was not granted certain leases and other concessions
from the PLP Government.
Edison Key thought that he had given large donations
to the party but he was being ignored and could not get what he wanted.
Fair enough one supposes, if the premise is correct and if what you ask
for is legitimately and ethically proper. That was not the case in
Mr. Key's matters. The result is that his resignation has left a
man who had at the time a reputation unblemished, of a stand up patriot,
looking like someone who is petulant and who simply left the PLP because
he could not get something he wanted. Now he enters the fray again,
to say that Mohammed Harajchi is right.
The interesting thing about Mr. Key's observations
is that when Mr. Key resigned, it was Harjachi's newspaper that was being
distributed all over Marsh Harbour by Key supporters to spread Mr. Key’s
false propaganda. The fact is that he and Harajchi have the same
problem. Mr. Harajchi's henchmen both have said that his native language
is not English. One can forgive him for that one supposes.
He just didn’t understand what he gave the PLP the donations for.
What is Mr. Key’s excuse though?
THE
PLP NEEDS STRONGER RESPONSE
The PLP’s supporters and ground troops must be getting
concerned when they see and hear the swirl of gossip, lies and cunning
propaganda swamping the airwaves today in The Bahamas emanating from the
allegations made by Mohammed Harajchi.
The Prime Minister made a swift and definitive response,
swift and sure. The DPM and Bradley Roberts did their thing.
Dr. Elliston Rahming gave a creditable performance on the radio.
But then the party seemed to wobble. This is no time to go soft.
The PLP has to strike back and strike back hard
at this little insect, who Wendall Jones called a “disgusting little man”;
who ought simply to end his bad hair day and get a new toupee. The
PLP should know that there is only smoke here. There is no fire.
The law is on their side. No one has done anything illegal.
There is nothing morally questionable even.
The fact is the man gave donations and he thinks
that he should get a bank licence for that. No can do. Won't
get it, and never will get it. That would be a corrupt act.
There is simply no corruption here. Come on PLP, rise up and let
your public know that this is simply an insect, scum and a “disgusting
little man”. This is the kind who would go with a woman, kiss and
then tell.
THE
FNM ON THE CIVIL SERVICE
Those of you who have been following this column
for the past three weeks or so would know that there have been reports
of an exchange of views between the President of the Bahamas Public Service
Union John Pinder and the Minister for the Public Service Fred Mitchell.
The Minister has described John Pinder as engaging in “the politics of
rowing”. This was in response to Mr. Pinder's views about the ideas
on public sector reform advanced by the Minister at a Conference of Caribbean
Public Sector Unions held in Nassau last month. The FNM said nothing
during the exchange. Now having stuck their finger in the wind, they
must smell that there is a political opportunity, and like all good political
hacks, they have jumped into the fray on the side of retrogression.
The Minister said in one response to Mr. Pinder,
you can either decide that you are with the dinosaurs or you can be with
the eagles. The dinosaurs are extinct. The eagles are still
flying. The FNM published its response in the Nassau Guardian, in
the weekly column that is assigned to the political parties. It was
published on Tuesday 17th August.
The FNM and its leadership are being politically
dishonest with civil service reform as usual. The interesting thing
about the FNM’s article is that it agrees with everything that the Minister
said as far as his premises are concerned. They agree that out sourcing
of the public service is a good idea. They just say that extending
it to all new employees of the service is a dangerous idea. It is
the modern version of their opposition to Independence, ‘we agree, but
not at this time’. The fact is this is the accepted way to give the
new employees some better access to cash opportunities without a long term
commitment to the service. Further, it provides the necessary management
flexibility that is required that the permanent and pensionable does not
now allow. The FNM used outsourcing throughout its term; the most
egregious example would be the downsizing of BaTelCo. They cannot
now be seen to complain about it. This PLP has said it does not propose
to downsize the service. It simply proposes that new employees would
be offered the opportunity of contracts as opposed to permanent and pensionable
positions.
The FNM seeks to defend the present system of the
Public Service Commission arguing that it is protesting against the use
of politics and pre-emptory decisions to get rid of public servants.
They have no answer for the fact, however, that despite the existence of
a Public Service Commission and a Police Service Commission and the existence
of rules that say otherwise the Prime Minister of the FNM Hubert Ingraham
summarily dismissed two police officers of senior ranks despite the fact
that the regulations say that you cannot do what he did. That error
cost the Government a quarter of a million dollars to set right.
The FNM cannot deny that despite those so called protections, the Prime
Minister under the FNM, Hubert Ingraham fired two distinguished public
servants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by simply telling them to
pack up and go home. That error too cost the men their careers and
it cost the Government in lost talent. Who can forget that it was
the FNM that sent the air traffic controllers home, paying them while they
were at home doing nothing, simply because they did not like their union
activities. Where was the protection of the public service commission
and the rules then?
The FNM also agrees that the pension system is non
contributory and presumably that this increased debt burden is something
that must be addressed by the Government. All they can say is that
they do not think that contract workers are the solution. But what
other solution can there be? This will allow the employee to pay
for his pension and national insurance. The worker will get a gratuity.
Since the new workers of the service will be younger workers they would
prefer the money in the hand as opposed to thinking about a pension thirty
years down the road. The FNM is simply out to cause mischief.
Thirdly, the FNM agrees with the Minister that the
way the Public Service Commission works is too slow and cumbersome so that
persons who work diligently and are talented are not often rewarded for
what they do. So what then is precisely the argument that they have
against the Minister’s proposals? They agree with everything.
They just want to cause political trouble.
In the middle of it, they mix up matters by talking
about the grant of specific contracts for work for specific jobs.
They bring in the case of Adeline Wallace, a former bus contractor from
Andros, who they reported lost the bussing contract because she was an
FNM. This has nothing to do with the proposals of the Minister.
The FNM knows that the Minister would never countenance any political victimization
of anyone. But the question with the Wallace matter is simply: was
the revocation, if indeed there was a revocation, done according to law?
If so, then there is nothing about which to complain, unless the new contract
was not granted according to law. The FNM says they want a deal on
bussing contracts before they will agree to public sector reform, in the
terms of the Minister’s proposals.
We repeat the Minister's words: you can hang around
with the dinosaurs and be extinct or to you could fly with the eagles and
survive. The FNM now has a choice: adapt or die. Tommy? Check!
THE
PM’S CHINA TRIP—WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
It has obviously been a wonderful trip. It has been a success of
the Prime Minister Perry Christie personally, his Minster of Foreign Affairs
Fred Mitchell and for the Government and people of The Bahamas generally.
Let us go down what the trip accomplished over the span of the one week
that the visit to China took place. It is the kind of magical moment
in the history of a country and a prime ministership that can never be
repeated. Here is our list
The Prime Minister must be congratulated for his accomplishments on this
trip. The real pity is the simpletons who run the Opposition in The
Bahamas were intent on distracting from this major accomplishment by our
country by engaging in a diet of Mohammed Harajchi politics. Gossip trumps
policy for the FNM. But fortunately, we have a sensible electorate
who looks at the real accomplishments and say about the gossip mongering;
this too shall pass. The pictures of the visit in are by Peter Ramsay
of The Bahamas Information Services. Top - the Prime Minister
in a formal meeting with Chinese President Ju Jintao. Right - Mr.
Christie is joined by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao inspecting the guard of
honour during the official welcoming ceremony for Mr. Christie and the
Bahamian delegation Monday 16th August. Next Right - Minister of
Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, under the watchful eye of the Prime Minister,
signs the actual agreement that provides for the Chinese Government to
build a major new stadium in The Bahamas. Left - A view from
the airport control tower. Bottom left & right - Mrs. Bernadette
Christie is impressed as the delegation tours a jewellery factory in Fujian
Province, the owner of which intends to establish a distribution centre
in Grand Bahama. Please click
here for more photos.
THE
START OF POLITICAL SEASON
It is now clear that the political season is upon
us. Some would call it, the silly season. But the FNM is clearly
smelling blood, what with Sidney Stubbs being bankrupt, and Mohammed Harajchi
saying he gave the PLP 10 million dollars, and then they thought they had
a juicy story in Dr. Rodney Smith at COB, then they thought that attacking
the Minister on Civil Service reform would have legs. Sorry fellows!
No can do! But it is clear and should be clear to the PLP to get
on guard because the political season is once again upon us.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Interesting Article About 'Four Seasons'
Correspondent John Bain writes:
As you know, The Tribune has been writing a lot
of editorials about how good Four Seasons are and how "lucky" the persons
in Exuma are for having them. Here is the opinion of a former guest
on their worker-management relationship. Thanks.
Great Exuma: Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma: “A bit shocked”
I have only recently sat down to write regarding
my stay at the Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma from this past Spring.
I was staying with some friends of ours, another couple that booked the
trip. All went well with the trip, good service, good food, nice
rooms and a great beach. Our one ‘hiccup’ occurred at the pool.
My wife and I decided to stay at the pool while
our friends were golfing. We were disturbed when a manager started
yelling at a pool employee regarding some sort of mistake that she had
made. It was disturbing because he was so loud and proceeded to grab
her by the arm. I could not believe the treatment that this manager
was giving her and when he had finished yelling, she left crying.
I inquired of one of the other pool attendants
as I wanted to report the behavior of this manager to his superiors as
the situation was handled so poorly and embarrassed myself and my wife.
To my utter shock, I was told it was the Hotel Manager! I could not
believe that this was the person in charge of the hotel and he was treating
the employees so poorly!
Needless to say, this put a damp spirit on the
rest of my stay although there were no other incidents. I did not
see the girl the rest of our stay and can only imagine that she left or
transferred.
It is disappointing to have experienced this
but I guess that there truly is a price for the service that is delivered
by Four Seasons Great Exuma.
I have vowed not to go back to the Resort and
hopefully this manager has since been counseled.
(This was a review of a user of the website ‘TripAdvisor.com, a website
offering ‘unbiased reviews of hotels, resorts and vacations’, dated July
14, 2004) - Editor
AMERICAN
FILMMAKER KILLED - Bahamian recording and literary artist, Giovanni
Stuart (www.nubah.com) remembers a friend of his, American Filmmaker Neal
L. Fredericks (The Blair Witch Project), who was killed recently. Fredericks
(R), is pictured here Stuart during the premiere of his award-winning film
recital, Bahama Brilliance. Mr. Stuart’s production was also screened
as a special feature of the One World Film Festival, hosted last November,
in the Crystal Ballroom at the Radisson Cable Beach Resort and Crystal
Palace Casino. [BIS Photo: Peter Ramsay, courtesy of Literary Artistry]
American photographer and cinematographer Neal
L. Fredericks was killed tragically last Sunday while on a film shoot in
the Florida Keys, when the Cessna aircraft, of which he was a passenger,
plunged into the sea.
Mr. Fredericks and his partner, producer, Daniel
Zirilli, received top honours for their movie, ‘The Stone Cutter’, which
was screened at the One World Film Festival staged in The Bahamas, November
of 2003. The festival was held at the Radisson Cable Beach Resort
and Crystal Palace Casino.
I remember Neal, We met during a multi-cultural
exchange at last year’s festival. Neal and Daniel were the two nicest
filmmakers in the entire group. Neal is a visually gifted artist
whose craft has been enjoyed by millions of fans. He will be missed.
Neal Fredericks is best known for his role as
the director of photography on the independently produced theatrical sensation,
‘The Blair Witch Project’.
Regards,
Giovanni Stuart
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
This year, the Prime Minister was travelling in
the service of the country on his birthday, Saturday 21st August.
At the head of The Bahamas delegation on a State Visit to China, Mr. Christie
was feted to a birthday party in Shanghai. The Chairman of one of
largest shipping companies in the world, COSCO, that wishes to invest in
the Grand Bahama Shipyard, threw a birthday party for the Prime Minister
who turned 61. At the party, the Chair announced that he had persuaded
another large Chinese company to set up a distribution centre in Grand
Bahama and that he was planning a joint venture to establish in The Bahamas
a ship leasing company. A Happy Birthday, indeed!
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The Prime Minister had just returned home from China. Instead of the press asking him about a successful trip to China, the whole press conference was thrown off by a question about the charges of the man with the bad hair Mohammed Harajchi. It is really time for the PLP to put this nonsense behind it. The PM gave a stirring defence but the faithful were afraid that the whole China success would be overshadowed on the front pages by the Harajchi affair. Into the breach came something that overshadowed them all; the win by Tonique Williams Darling in the Women’s 400 metre run in Athens, Greece at the Olympic Games on Tuesday 24th August. It was a great day for The Bahamas and cheered everyone’s spirits. Tonique celebrating the race of her life is our photo of the week. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE RACE THAT CHEERED US ALL
Prime
Minister Perry Christie’s press conference following his triumphant return
from China was over. A few of those who had been there were sitting
around in the VIP Lounge at the Nassau International Airport heard that
the 400 metre race in which the Bahamian was expected to win was about
to be run. The television came on, and the race began. There
was scepticism in the room that yet again The Bahamas would come up short.
To the absolute delight of those gathered, The Bahamas won the race, and
Tonique Darling went down in the history book as the first Bahamian ever
to win a single gold medal at the Olympics. Durward Knowles who won
the first gold medal had a partner Cecil Cooke and so that is the distinction.
Immediately, there were tears of joy; there were rousing cheers. The Prime Minister who watched the race at home with his family was immediately buoyed by the result. He issued a statement of congratulations. The cameras showed the Minister of Sports Neville Wisdom bear hugging Mrs. Williams Darling. There were more tears of joy as her mother, an employee of the nation’s air carrier Bahamasair, hugged her [picture]. The Government is planning a big bash when she returns home. We think that there should be a national holiday declared for the day of celebration.
Later
in the week, The Bahamas went on the medal board again when Debbie Ferguson,
was able to scratch her way to a bronze medal in the women’s 200 metre
race. The country seemed very satisfied indeed. Then the boasting
started. People were predicting the team would repeat its 4 by 100
metre relay race victory from the 2000 games in Australia. Debbie
Ferguson had already indicated that this would be a near impossible feat.
But a respectable fourth place behind Jamaica’s gold medal was not bad.
The American women who had been so boastful the night before, and clearly
the fastest time on record, were booted out of the race when Marion Jones
stepped out of the zone in making the pass. That was the end of them
for that race.
Now the hyperbole began. The Bahamas is a sports power. The Bahamas with less people than Jamaica was more successful per capita than Jamaica. People were calling up the radio talk shows thanking God for the success of the women athletes. Someone said that Chris Brown, the male athlete who blew his chance in the 400 metre run for men by easing up just before the line and being passed by another athlete had to do something to make it up to the Bahamian people. There were predictions about what The Bahamas will do at the next Olympics and how we were going to win one race or another.
It
never occurred to any of the radio call-in guests and their hosts who were
engaged in the most interesting sociological psycho-babble about national
sports, that the question should be asked, what right does The Bahamas
really have to claim the success of these women? Of course the women
and the men are Bahamians, but does The Bahamas really support these people
in their efforts toward training, in their quest toward the top?
The Bahamas eagerly accepts the accolades when they finally do win.
There is a paltry stipend which is given when someone becomes a so called
elite athlete, but where is the support structure that is in place like
in the U.S. or in China to get the people on the right track?
The bitter disappointment is of course the men. One does not want to stretch it too far. But the lack of success of them at the Olympics now becomes a metaphor for what is happening across this country to young men. They are lagging behind the women, and they don't seem to be able to pick themselves up. All of the men who seemed to have some kind of success in their grasp just seemed to fade away due to injury, to bad execution of their races, or well - who knows - simply bad luck. The country itself has to examine whether this really means all that. It seems to stare us in the face. To go back to Chris Brown for example, does he have the talent to allow for the country to expend resources to give him another run at it, or should we just let it be?
In the end it is not up to the country anyway. The sports and success at it are really a matter of the individual initiatives. And that is precisely the point the country should ask itself, where are the men in all of this?
By the time this site is uploaded, the Olympic Games in Greece will have been history. The Bahamas is a part of that history thanks very much to Tonique Williams Darling and to Debbie Ferguson. What was fascinating was to hear the NBC newscaster talk about how The Bahamas is going have another Golden Girl put up on the airport wall, and how he enjoyed the fish fry in The Bahamas. The commentators all talked about how engaging Debbie Ferguson is as a personality. It seems us that she will have a career in international sports that will far surpass her accomplishments on the field. She now serves as an FAO Goodwill Ambassador.
So congratulations to the Sports Establishment in The Bahamas and most of all congratulations to the women who a made us feel so proud.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 28th August 2004 at midnight: 49,080.
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday 28th August 2004 at midnight: 188,104.
Number of hits for the year 2004 up to Saturday 28th August 2004 at midnight: 1,718,889.
WELCOME
BACK FROM CHINA
Last week on this site, we were able to delineate
those aspects of the Prime Minister's trip in China that we thought were
the highlights and successes. The Prime Minister had his own version
of the successes that he found when he went to China. The trip was
indeed successful. But the problem is always going to be the follow
up. The Bahamas is good at agreeing to things but not very good on
follow up.
There was a rousing welcome for the Prime Minister
when he touched down in Nassau on Tuesday 24th August. He was met
by the members of the Cabinet, led by the Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia
Pratt, and also by the officers of the party including Chairman Raynard
Rigby and National General Council members. You may click
here for the Prime Minister’s full address on China. BIS photo
/ Peter Ramsay
THE
GOLD & THE BRONZE
How sweet was the victory! 'Twas sweet indeed! Going into these
games in Greece, there was really a lot of bluster about what we would
do and what we would get. But realistically most people knew that
this was going to be a difficult act to follow, the Golden Girls results
in the games of Sydney. Tonique Darling and Debbie Ferguson buoyed
our hopes and reaffirmed our position in the track world in Greece.
Here are pictures of the joyous moments: the gold on Tuesday 24th August,
followed by the bronze on Wednesday 25th August in pictures. TOP:
Tonique defeating the Mexican world champion Ana Guevara; RIGHT:
Debbie (Bahama Journal photo) cruising to her bronze medal.
THE
HARAJCHI AFFAIR AGAIN
Prime Minister Perry Christie stopped the reporter
in mid sentence. He had just returned from a very successful trip
to China, and all the reporters wanted to know about was Mohammed Harajchi
and his bad hair day.
Here is what the Prime Minister had to say in his
own words as reported by the Nassau Guardian on Wednesday 25th August:
“I can tell you that my government will address the issue in a very comprehensive
way by legislation. And so I just want my Cabinet colleagues to know
that I’ve come back home and I want them to say this [to speak of how much
was donated]. If you give me 3 million dollars, I thank you for it.
And then I ask you ‘So what?’
“Where is the irregularity or the unlawfulness?
So what! That is what y’all round here gat the whole country talking
back and forth about, y’all got to be joking…
“My cabinet ministers were elected to serve the
best interest of the Bahamian people, and I have made integrity the pillar
of my public life. My cabinet ministers have indicated their commitment
to honesty and I have seen nor heard nothing to contradict any former statements
made by me on this subject.
“[To his cabinet colleagues] Do not allow your
obligation to the Bahamian people to be corrupted, distorted or interfered
with by these minor distractions…
“There is no government decision or application
that has been agreed with anyone who has donated money to the PLP’s election
campaign. Each cabinet minister must remain upright in his or her
undertakings. When someone decides they are going to take honour
and integrity from you, they are setting up to kill you politically.” Stan
Burnside's 'Sideburns' from The Nassau Guardian of Tuesday 24th August,
2004.
HARAJCHI’S
MAN SAVAGES THE DPM - SHAME ON HIM
There was a desperate call that went out one day not long ago from the
wife of a certain lawyer. Her husband was in jail. He had been
accused of stealing a client's money. Could the politician do something
to bring about his early release? So said, so done. No questions
asked, knowing who he was. That is how life in politics. It
is sometimes the realm of the merciful, sometimes the realm of the unmerciful,
sometimes the realm of the grateful, sometimes the realm of the ungrateful.
Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt is the Deputy Prime Minister
of The Bahamas. There is no one around who doubts the integrity of
the Deputy Prime Minister. Certainly no one in their right minds
would accept the credibility of the bad hair day man Harajchi over the
Deputy Prime Minister. If she said she didn’t get any thing from
Harajchi, then she didn’t get it. But interestingly enough Mohammed
Harajchi has a hold on a set of Bahamians who seem to be able to do anything
for a fee.
Last week, one of the Bahamian henchmen of Mr. Harajchi,
Derek Ryan did his worst, like death’s mightiest power. He called
a press conference and proceeded to savage the Deputy Prime Minister. He
claimed to have evidence, cheques that were made out to her campaign workers
and an invoice from a hardware business. He claimed that while Mrs.
Pratt did not receive money directly from Mohammed Harajchi, that she got
money for her purpose. This is the lawyer’s fancy talk. Mrs.
Pratt is a layman and when she said she did not get any money from Harajchi
that is precisely what she meant. She did not get any money from
Harajchi.
In fact, Mr. Ryan only confirmed what the Deputy
Prime Minister had already said which is that money had been paid by Mr.
Harajchi to her campaign workers. She was also able to say that no
burglar bars were paid for by Mr. Harajchi's money. The hardware
man said that he never received any and that the security screens that
he installed in the building were in fact put there free of charge by him.
But Mr. Ryan did not stop there; he said that his evidence called into
question the integrity and credibility of the Deputy Prime Minister.
This is the cut of a Brutus who was nurtured in the constituency of Cynthia
Pratt and helped almost as a household member of the Pratt campaign.
This is a man who does not seem to recognize which community he belongs
to. Perhaps the calls each day from the muck-a-mucks in the FNM have
filled his head and coloured his judgment. But it takes all types.
The Deputy Prime Minister remained sanguine throughout
it all. She told the press that her lawyers were dealing with the
matter. The rest she leaves up to God. But a Bahamian who does
not understand to whom he belongs is sure to reap a bitter harvest for
what is perceived by many to be foul treachery. Prime Minister
Perry Christie being greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt and
Mr. Pratt upon the Prime Minister's return from China 24th August, 2004.
BIS photo / Peter Ramsay.
BRADLEY
ROBERTS RETURNS TO ANSWER HARAJCHI
No sooner than he had landed back in Nassau from
his Mediterranean vacation, Minister of Works Bradley Roberts was before
the media, answering in detail allegations from Mohammed Harajchi that
he (Roberts) had sought financial assistance for relatives' schooling.
Mr. Roberts, as usual, was plainspoken, calling the Harajchi assault delusional
and fraudulent. Please click
here for Mr. Roberts' remarks at his news conference. Bahama
Journal photo of Minister Roberts at his news conference by Omar Barr.
ARE
THESE TWO LAWYERS RIGHT?
Fayne Thompson and Paul Moss are two bright, intelligent
people. They are some of the best examples of young black successful
Bahamians. Mr. Thompson has had a fling with the Coalition for Democratic
Reform (CDR) and was a candidate for the party in the last election.
Mr. Moss is the son of a former FNM candidate, a success in banking and
in law, and has recently been involved in creditable activism for prison
reform, and lobbying against the extradition laws of The Bahamas.
The two made a joint appearance on a radio programme
during the last week and on it were quoted as saying that they disagreed
with the Prime Minister's statement in response to Mohammed Harajchi's
assertions that he had given the PLP money for its campaign.
The expression that incensed them both was the PM's
reply: “So what.” (Click here for story
with the PM’s full statement) The pair were quoted as saying
that the country should not be prostituted by the ability of persons who
are able to pay money for political campaigns.
Their statement was a surprise, since that certainly
was not what the Prime Minister was talking about. In terms of prostitution,
it is precisely the fact that the country that has not been prostituted
for a political donation that causes Mr. Harajchi to make the noise he
is making. There was no quid pro quo. Not one! The country
was certainly not for sale and has not been sold. The Prime Minister's
‘so what’ was directed at one thing. Mr. Harajchi, having made a
fact openly known, which no one denied, that he had given large political
donations to the PLP as an opposition party trying to win an election,
what does Mr. Harajchi now say turns on that? That is all that ‘so
what’ meant.
In other words: is Mr. Harajchi saying that he deserves
a favour from the PLP for having given the money; that a favour was done
for him that was unlawful or improper or immoral? The answer is that
there was nothing improper, immoral or illegal done. The fact is
there was no quid pro quo. Mr. Harajchi and his Bahamian henchmen
can do all the after the fact patching up they want, there is no fire here,
no beef to be found.
We may argue all we want again ex post facto about
whether an Opposition party was wise to take money from that source, but
knowing what existed for the PLP in 2002 not 2004, people would have told
the PLP that it was stupid not to take legitimate money. The PLP's
bad fortune now is to have taken money from someone who is a kiss and tell
artist. One expects that they will know better the next time.
But how can you be sure?
There is the usual sociological psycho-babble going
on, and ex post facto ethical ‘tut tut’ lessons about how there ought to
campaign finance reform, and how donations ought to be limited to Bahamians,
and how there ought to be publicly financed campaigns. But we can
bet that there will not be consensus on any of this. This is just
talk. We quite frankly don't see how you can legitimately and constitutionally
stop someone from giving money to whatever cause they want in whatever
amounts they want.
Further, the two lawyers said that there ought to
be an accounting of what donations were given to the PLP, and that it should
be revealed publicly. But that is precisely what the Prime Minister
promised even though there is not legal obligation to do so. Mr.
Harajchi's donations are going to be publicly announced, only because Mr.
Harajchi has made it a pubic issue. Other persons who gave donations
have not indicated that they want the fact of those donations made public
and so they will not be and should not be made public.
It would be suicide for the PLP to make a one sided
disclosure without the FNM fully disclosing what it got and from whom.
Mr. Thompson and Mr. Moss added, however, a different dimension to the
debate that has been fuelled so far by the usual suspects of Messrs. Tommy
Turnquest, Carl Bethel, and Cassius Stuart, all self serving politicians.
The Prime Minister ought to take some political note of the two lawyers
who are somewhere in the political middle.
Certainly, Mr. Thompson belongs naturally in the
PLP along with his other CDR colleagues. Mr. Moss, while from the
FNM stable, had been striking an independent and nationalistic course during
the past five years and so naturally should be a PLP ally. When they
start speaking as they have without reference to their own allies, you
wonder what’s up. Which leads to the larger question and that is
how does this Harajchi thing affect that middle group that the government
was able to court successfully in the last election? If we were the
PLP’s Members of Parliament, we would be out on the streets trying to get
a sense of where this leaves the party.
We have said before, the PLP itself for something
that has been coming for so long has just seemed so woefully unprepared
for it all, when it is so easy to deal with. This is really not about
wrongdoing but about the country’s appetite for gossip. It should
have been spiked from the day it surfaced. And that is what the PM’s
‘so what’ means.
MITCHELL
ON HAITI
The trickle of Haitians coming into The Bahamas has begun once more.
In the past few weeks, they have not been coming in droves but in drips
and drabs. The police and the Defence Force and the Department of
Immigration have been working hand in hand to try and stem to the flow.
No one knows for sure if there is some issue that is driving this from
Haiti. But it seems it is the same old story of The Bahamas being
a wealthy country attracting poor immigrants from Haiti.
The Rotary Club of West Nassau invited the Foreign
Minister Fred Mitchell to speak to them to update them on Haiti.
He said that there is a dispute amongst Caricom countries on how to deal
with the matter of Haiti. Three countries in Caricom refuse under
any circumstances to sit with the interim Haitian administration.
You may click here for
the full address, which was delivered on Thursday 26th August. Tribune
photo of Minister Fred Mitchell by Alan Jones.
MITCHELL
MEETS THE US AMBASSADOR
The Ambassador designate of the United States John
Rood presented copies of his letters of credence and the letters of recall
of the previous ambassador Richard Blankenship on Wednesday 26th August
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was accompanied to the courtesy
call by Robert Witijewski, the Charge D’affaires.
Stan Burnside, the cartoonist had a funny cartoon,
against the background of the previous difficulties with the former U.S.
Ambassador about the matter and we thought that we should share with you
from the Nassau Guardian of Saturday 21st August.
DISMAL
EXAM RESULTS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
The BGCSE exam results are out. The Ministry
of Education is saying that the results are improving. They must
be dreaming. The passes recorded and the level of the passes are
still too low. It raises the question of the suitability of the products
of this school system for the work place of The Bahamas of the future.
What would be useful is for the Ministry of Education
to get an assessment of where we are, and not damn itself with praise of
this kind. There is a need for a serious overhaul, because something
is simply not right. If anyone can do it, then it will be Alfred
Sears, our Minister of Education.
It would seem to us that Kingsley Black, the Head
of the Bahamas Union of Teachers touched a raw nerve the other day when
he told a radio audience on Sunday last that he thought that the Director
of Education and the Minister were at loggerheads on policy and that this
was retarding progress in the Ministry. This is a known secret.
It seems to us that the Director of Education should conform or be offered
other employment, particularly given what is happening in the schools.
FOUR
YEARS SINCE THE DEATH OF SIR LYNDEN
Early Thursday morning, 26th August, 2004, Marguerite
the Lady Pindling made her annual pilgrimage to the crypt of founding Prime
Minister of The Bahamas Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling. It has been four
years since the death of Sir Lynden. He was the country's first and
longest serving Prime Minister, having been in office from 1967 until 1992.
At the time of his funeral, the predecessor site to this website created
a special page in commemoration. Please click
here to visit that coverage of Sir Lynden's passing. Nassau Guardian
photo of Lady Pindling laying a wreath for Sir Lynden on Thursday by Donald
Knowles.
ETHELYN
ISAACS DIES
Ethelyn Isaacs was the Financial Secretary, and
also the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health. She came
into the public service after working at Bahamas Airways, the defunct former
national air carrier. She was the first female Financial Secretary
of The Bahamas. She rose most unexpectedly in the job but was fiercely
promoted by Arthur Hanna who was the Minister of Finance who put her there.
Mrs. Isaacs was the daughter in law of Dame Albertha
Isaacs, married to her son Robert Isaacs, a well known tennis pro.
That also makes her the mother of Irrington ‘Minky’ Isaacs, the Vice Chair
of the PLP. She died at the age of 76 on Thursday 26th August.
She is survived by her husband Robert, her son Minky, and her daughters
Roberta, Pamela and Vivian.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Wonderful!
Salut!
It is impossible to express what it actually
felt like watching Williams Darling come of that turn! The fulfillment
through another being - a moment in time suspended, delayed by the vicissitudes.
Actuality, in an experience sublime! My God! Magnificent!
Felicitations mon ami! A credit to you
and your incredible culture. From an 'etranger', please convey my
gratitude for giving Europeans more to talk about than just beautiful beaches,
littered with 'tourists', and the pervasive 'transhipment' topic!
Merci beaucoup! A tout le monde!
A Bahamianized Jamaican in France.
How Does One Obtain Document From The Supreme Court?
I have a dilemma that I need some assistance
with.
My daughter’s father went missing nine
(9) years ago (in a plane) and an application was submitted (by his attorney
who didn’t wish to advise me of the proceedings) and granted for the presumption
of death on June 1, 2003 by Justice Mohammed in the Supreme Court in New
Providence.
Please advise as to how I would be able
to obtain a registered copy of this document as I would like to file for
death benefit from National Insurance on my child’s behalf. (I am
aware that benefits would not be retroactive).
No one at the Supreme Court in Grand Bahama
or New Providence could help me.
This situation needs closure.
HELP US PLEASE.
[Get the Supreme Court file number and simply ask them to certify
a copy of the order. - Editor]
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
Prime Minister Perry Christie returned this past week from a week-long
state visit to the People's Republic of China. Mr. Christie is shown
at top being greeted by members of the Cabinet and the Secretary to the
Cabinet Mr. Wendell Major. Awaiting Mr. Christie at Nassau International
Airport's VIP lounge were the entire Cabinet, the Chairman of the Progressive
Liberal Party and party officers. At the end of his news briefing,
Mr. Christie, who celebrated a birthday while in China was serenaded by
a group of vocalists led by Robert 'Bobby' Pinder. Later, guests shared
a German double chocolate cake a specialty of the well-known Conliffe's
bakery. BIS photos by Peter Ramsay.
