BahamasUncensored.Com Archive

A penny for the thoughts of the Prime Minister Perry Christie portrayed here in this Peter Ramsay photograph as he left The Bahamas for his longest official trip overseas since he became Prime Minister in May 2002. The Prime Minister, accompanied by his peripatetic Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell and the Minister for Financial Services and Investment Allyson Gibson, stopped in London for two days. While there he met with Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, and expressed his concern at the disconnect between Britain and The Bahamas and the failure of the British to keep up their contact with The Bahamas.

But the main event for this trip was to head to Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting from 5th December to 8th December. Bahamians must be entitled to ask the question, and one suspects the PM must be have been thinking so as well. What is the purpose of the Commonwealth? It appears to be an anachronism put together by the British after the end of the colonial period and empire to link the societies that they once ruled together. Yet when one experiences Britain today, it is clear that there is no affection for the Commonwealth in the circles of British public policy, despite the wonderful public expressions of affection for the Commonwealth at the official British level. So one wonders, does the Commonwealth really matter?

Prime Minister Christie thinks so and pronounced so at the summit in Abuja. His view is that it seeks to reaffirm a common set of values and ideas and allows each country while at an international forum to also focus by comparison and contrast on their individual domestic agendas.

While there remain many who question the relevance of the Commonwealth, some people are fighting to be a part of it. Pakistan’s military but secular Government wants the stamp of the Commonwealth’s approval. It gives them they a boost at home, a patina of legitimacy both at home and abroad. Zimbabwe’s worn out tyrant Robert Mugabe says that if the Commonwealth does not change its attitude toward Zimbabwe, he will leave the Commonwealth. So one guesses the Commonwealth must be important.

The African countries are unhappy that Don McKinnon, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth and a white man from New Zealand, exercised some leeway and kept in place the status quo with regard to Zimbabwe, meaning that the country could no longer sit on the political councils of the Commonwealth until the Heads of Government made a decision at the meeting in Abuja. One suspects that it is they who put up an Asian candidate in the 75 year old former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka. The candidate was soundly trounced 40 to 11 within the meeting of Heads alone. No one knows for sure who supported whom, but it is clear that South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki was unhappy with Mr. McKinnon and may have led the fight against him. Mr. McKinnon would do well to seek to patch it up.

So one guesses that there was some excitement in Abuja after all. Malta is trying to vie for the meeting to take place the next time around in two years and so is Uganda. There is no shortage of countries trying to be the site of the conference.

The opportunity is also there for Prime Ministers who would not normally meet to talk to one another. They meet in a retreat and they thrash out ideas in an informal setting. That is how the problem of Zimbabwe is likely to be resolved. Secretary General McKinnon has done a creditable job and deserves like most of his predecessors the second term of five years that he now has.

Minister Christie had lunch with the Queen on Thursday 4th December. He met with the South African President Thabo Mbeki who is likely to be headed our way soon as he goes to Haiti for the 200th anniversary of their independence, and as he marks the tenth year of the end of apartheid making that link between the oldest black republic and the youngest.

So one guesses there might be good reasons to stay within the Commonwealth and keep the illusion going that it means something to be there. But one suspects that as time goes on, the younger people are really going to press their leaders in all of these countries as to why they continue to go to these meetings and what they get out of it.

Number of hits for the month of November ending 30th November 2003 at midnight: 228,412.

Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 6th December 2003 at midnight: 30,096.

Heads of Government group photo from chogm.org; PM waving goodbye BIS / Peter Ramsay.

HOTEL UNION STRIKE VOTE

Vincent Peet, the Minister of Labour went to celebrate with his daughter her 18th birthday last week but before he did, he sent a message to the hotel industry, both employers and employees. It was blunt: “Get back to the bargaining table and settle this matter”. For 11 months the Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union headed by Pat Bain has been trying to negotiate a contract with Robert Sands and Barrie Farrington of the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association. As usual, the deal is probably quite close to being struck, but there are some money issues that divide the two teams and the result is The Bahamas is to suffer. Nassau Beach hotel worker Alda Grant is shown casting her vote at right in this Nassau Guardian photo by Patrick Hanna.
We reported in this column last week, that Butch Kerzner, the hot-headed owner’s son of Atlantis, was exercised about the fact that the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association of Obie Ferguson had signed an industrial agreement with the Hotel Corporation. The Tribune pushes the line on his behalf that Atlantis is next, and if you read carefully between what The Tribune’s editorials have been saying and what young Mr. Kerzner had to say last week, it appears that the third phase at PI may be hanging in the balance because of the Government’s view about the role of trade unions. The PLP is already in trouble with the Casino workers at PI because the Minister is, bowing to pressure from the casino employers, backing off from scheduling a vote on recognition of the casino union for Paradise Island.

Pat Bain (pictured, left) did not like Butch Kerzner's intervention in public and made his own statement last week in which he told Mr. Kerzner to mind his own business. Then Mr. Bain with the support of a 13 percent turn out of union members, got the right on Thursday 4th to take the members of the Union out on strike. The talk around town is that is exactly what Butch Kerzner and those want. They want a strike, which would allow them to take the union out. Mr. Kerzner started an aggressive public relations programme to show the Bahamian people and others in the industry just how much the employees at Atlantis make per year. Pool Attendants: $75,000 per annum. Bartenders: $100,000 per year.
Atlantis' thinking seems to be to let things take their natural course if the strike takes place. The bet is that not many employees will join in an actual strike. The strike will collapse under its own lack of weight. They will hire replacement workers who want the high paid jobs and they will be effectively rid of the union once and for all. The question is, if they are right and the Minister of Labour judges that to be correct on behalf of the Government, would the Government stand by and allow the destruction of The Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union? We say that the Government will not and should not allow this to happen.

    Too much capital and goodwill has been built up with the Union to allow possible bad judgements by Union leaders to cause the whole Union to fail. The Union itself though should be properly advised and move accordingly. They need an effective public relations strategy of their own and a proper legal strategy. A union with the resources of the Hotel Union should not be run like a petty shop but as the sophisticated and wealthy organization it is. It should be able to match resources with Kerzner without resort to the old fashioned strike vote and the threats of it. Butch Kerzner is pictured, right.
    The union needs to appeal to the broader themes they are trying to accomplish for their members. One is the fact that Kerzner has made so much money over at Paradise Island and there is a need to share his good luck. The other is that people in other parts of the sector are suffering and Paradise Island is not the only property for which they are negotiating. We say let’s get this matter settled this week. Let’s sign the contract. Let’s not disturb the industry. Let’s also not give Thomas Bastian, former Union president who is said to be waiting in the wings and nipping at his successor Pat Bain’s heels and hoping for failure, a chance to get back in. That would be retrogressive.
    Let us at Christmas time have peace on earth and goodwill to men, and that means no strike, no destruction of the union, and of course the furtherance of Mr. Kerzner’s investment into Phase III as he is legally bound to complete.

PRIME MINISTERIAL KUDOS FOR MITCHELL

    In a report from Abuja, Nigeria where he is attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference, Prime Minister Perry Christie told ZNS NEWS that he was extremely pleased with the international profile of The Bahamas wrought by his 19 month old government and its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell. The Prime Minister is on his longest trip outside the country since the political victory of May, 2002 and spoke against the backdrop of low-level, but constant rumblings over the frequent travelling of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
    The praise by the Prime Minister was widely interpreted as a public vote of confidence in the effective work of the Foreign Minister in establishing The Bahamas as a serious player in its niche on the international scene. The Foreign Minister has said that he is committed to carrying out the PLP's promise to raise the presence of The Bahamas in the world. Alluding to the ignominious blacklisting of the country's financial services industry and the consequent unseemly rush to change the national laws with ones said to have been "drafted overseas and handed to the [then] Prime Minister", Minister Mitchell said, "We've seen what happens when we lose touch with what our neighbours and other countries in the world are thinking."
    Foreign Minister Mitchell and Minister of Financial Services & Investment Allyson Maynard Gibson, herself active in internationally pursuing positive new investment for The Bahamas, are pictured conducting the country's business during one of the sessions of CHOGM in Nigeria. Photo from CHOGM.org.

FRANKLYN WILSON ON COB

Franklyn Wilson, the Chairman of the College of The Bahamas Council, made an interesting address on 5th December to a group that included the Minister of Education Alfred Sears. Mr. Wilson put the case that the College needs to advance to University status within three years. He also put the way forward to get there. One set of suggestions seemed to doom the forward career of the now President and also condemn the lack of vision of his predecessors on the Council. He argued that COB must be modernized and that change must come. He announced a search for new personnel, and he also announced a reorganization plan. He argued in favour of real autonomy for the College, which essentially means cutting itself loose from the financial apron strings of the Government.
We support all of these moves and think that clearly the role of College President must be fundraiser in Chief. He is the person with the overarching vision that will get the College the money it needs to survive. One suggestion is to tap into wealthy Bahamian families and ask them to build whole buildings dedicated to prominent members of the family for the future use of the University. Two such examples that come to mind are Franklyn Butler in honour of his late father Sir Milo Butler and Brent and Craig Symonette, in honour of their late father Sir Roland Symonette. You may click here for the full text of Mr. Wilson’s remarks.

BRADLEY ROBERTS SPEAKS ON BAHAMASAIR

Bradley Roberts, the Minister responsible for the national flag carrier Bahamasair, mounted a defence for the policy on the airline and also for the loan that is needed to buy the two new aircraft purchased by Bahamasair. There is a Government guarantee required for the loan. The two new Dash 8s cost 7.5 million dollars. The resolution to guarantee the loan was passed in two daytime sessions on Wednesday 3rd December and Thursday 4th December. The sessions were unnecessarily lengthened by a long and rambling presentation by the former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham that spilled over into the second day. Mr. Roberts said that the airline has to be privatized. He added that the Airline Airport and Allied Workers Union (AAAU) had acted irresponsibly by inciting the closing of the airline with a sick out two weeks ago. Mr. Roberts said that 175 employees helped to keep the airline going while those who called in sick partied at Saunders Beach in New Providence. You may click here for the full address.

HARD MOUTH GLENYS SMACKS HUBIGGETY

Hubert Ingraham met his match in Glenys Hanna Martin in the House of Assembly this week. Mr. Ingraham in his rambling presentation on Bahamasair spoke on both Wednesday and Thursday of the past week in the House. In his presentation he accused the Minister of Transport Mrs. Hanna-Martin of being a Minister of excuses. She told him that he ought to check himself since his government had awarded contracts and the money had disappeared for work on family island airports. She kept taunting him and asking him: where is the money. She told him that he had no "brought upsy ". That, as they say, will hold him.

WISDOM DEFUSING A JUNKANOO MESS

The Junkanoo groups seem now to be at the end of their row with the Minister of Culture Neville Wisdom on the question of whether the contract for the bleachers given to a private firm will go ahead. It appears that the main offence of the Minister, if you can call it that, is that the leaders of Junkanoo were not consulted with regard to the contract. The Prime Minister entered the arena and was able to bring peace to the situation. But following the departure of the Prime Minister to Nigeria, there appears to have been a series of press conferences called by the Minister to report that the contract had been signed for the bleachers. One newspaper report said that reporters were kept waiting five times for the press conference and each time it did not come off. Just when that all seemed to be solved, yet another problem arose, this time from the merchants on Bay Street. They claimed that the bleachers’ presence on Bay Street for such a long time was going to damage the shopping revenue in the middle of the Christmas Shopping season. You can't win for losing. It appears now that that too has been settled with the news that a separate contract has been entered into to take the bleachers down and put them back up in between Junkanoo so that there will be a minimum disturbance of the sale opportunities of the merchants.

PM LUNCHES WITH QUEEN & GETS A RECIPE TO BOOT

Prime Minister Perry Christie was one of three new leaders for the Commonwealth who was invited to lunch with the Queen on Thursday 5th December. No word on the actual conversation, except that it went well. The Prime Minister told ZNS that he found the Queen engaging and that he had asked for her recipe for the cauliflower salad that was served as a starter at the meal. He thought that the Queen had forgotten the matter until he appeared at dinner hosted by the Queen for all heads on the evening of the Friday 6th December. The Queen’s man appeared with a copy of the recipe from Her Majesty. The Beatles said it this way on the Abbey Road album:

A BAHAMIAN ABROAD
She is believed to be the only Bahamian living in Nigeria. She is the former Joy Carey, now Jibrilu and she is the daughter of the President of the Bahamas Methodist Church Rev. Kenris Carey. She and her husband Daniel have three children. The Prime Minister paid a call at a private party held for the Bahamian delegation by the Jibrilus in Nigeria on Saturday 6th December. The Prime Minister expressed himself pleased to see her and asked her when is she coming back home with her husband and children.

SIDNEY STUBBS STILL DOESN’T GET IT
    Last week, instead of bowing out quietly and gracefully, Sidney Stubbs MP was on the defensive by appearing on a radio talk show to explain what happened and why he resigned as Chairman of the Bahamas Agriculture Industrial Corporation. The fact is the matter is at an end, and it should now disappear from the headlines. Helping that fact would be no further commentary from any PLP leadership quarter, save and except that it is about the reform of BAIC. That’s the point at which we are have arrived.
    The old chairman has resigned, the new Chairman is about to be appointed, and the matter is now squarely within the ambit of the Prime Minister. Let’s not hear any more of it from the former Chairman or anyone else in PLP land. It is for the FNM to pursue if they must. The press reported that notwithstanding the order of the Minister that the Korean fishing boats must return to Korea, the 200 foot mother ship from Korea was said to have turned up in Freeport. No explanation as to what that means.
    You will remember that Earlin Williams, a consultant to the Government’s Bahamas Information Services and one of the moving forces behind what has turned out to be a scandal at BAIC accused the Prime Minister of victimizing him and promised to fight to get the licences for the boats to operate in The Bahamas.

More From US Diplomat
The former US diplomat has responded to the column of last week with a further commentary. The diplomat who when in The Bahamas was known for being outspoken and frank continues to take issue with the commentary two weeks ago from this site on the US justice system and the Michael Jackson charges. We still do not have the former diplomat’s express permission to use his name but we print his further response, linking the videotaped beating of a black American by police there to the handling of Michael Jackson by the US Justice system.
"THE CINCINNATI INCIDENT - As a test of the American justice system, let watch how the entire story unfolds and who is held accountable and responsible and in what time frame, without comment, until all appeals are exhausted. Remember the Inagua incident occurred over 10 years ago and we still have no idea of what really happened! I would bet somebody is convicted of violating the man civil rights."

Scathing Student Response
The daughter of a politician, a student in Scotland, whose grandfather also served in the Government, writes a scathing letter in response to the former US diplomat’s last week response. We also do not have her specific permission to us her name. Here is some of what she wrote:
"I'd like to respond to the two letters from Americans this week, which sought (laughably so!) to defend the American justice system, and more offensively to launch an attack on the Bahamian justice system and The Bahamas in general. I sit here laughing at the ignorant blindness that I so often see in Americans, and which is so well exemplified in the silly commentary in these two letters.

"To the diplomat, I would like to extend my sincerest disgust at the notion that the US is the only country that can defend freedom everywhere, including The Bahamas. In your country, Afro-Americans are highly over-represented in the prisons and on Death Row. I could go on and on and on about the inherent bigotry in the American justice system, and in American foreign policy as well if you like.

"The American capitalist system, of which it is so proud, is the greatest cancerous evil on our planet. No Saddam or Osama can match the mire of the hungry American dollar. The American diplomat speaks of freedom. Thomas Jefferson owned many slaves at the precise moment that he and the other hypocritical masterminds of the great Northern behemoth penned clauses that gave the right of freedom, equality and justice for all. But then again money wins over freedom every time in the US if the two don't coincide.

"If you have any integrity, you must lay claim to the rampant beast that is racism, as it sits seething in your police stations, in your courthouses, beneath the judges' robes and in the minds of a sickening many in your midst. It is ugly but the time has come to sniff the foul stench of your country, that everyone outside of America knows so well.

"In short, don't defend my freedom, thank you very much. I hold it dear to me and the only threat I perceive to it comes from your shores."
Bahamian in Scotland

Trade Unions
There was also comment on the trade unions and their role in society from a female letter writer Susan:
"The unions need to butt out of the lives of Bahamians as in the long run it's only their leaders who benefit by getting large pay cheques. In the long run the workers themselves get left with nothing.

"As to the workers at Atlantis, they should thank God that they have full time jobs AND they are very well paid, this I know from personal experience. There has never been another hotel here in the Bahamas that takes care of their staff like Atlantis from free meals to year round awards for services rendered etc.;

"The problem is that the people in this country are just too ungrateful and greedy. They always want something for nothing but life does not work that way. In order to get we have to give and that is the way life has always been."
A proud Bahamian who works for what she gets!

A Gleeful Peter Carey
    And there was a great deal of bile from Peter Carey who was fired from BAIC for a host of reasons and now is set to gleefully rubbing pen to paper to savage Sidney Stubbs MP, the former Chairman of Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation and last year’s news. His friends in the FNM, he claims, were responsible for bringing Mr. Stubbs’ down. Here is some of what he had to say:
    "Thank God for Tommy T and the FNM who came to the rescue of the Bahamian public by exposing this ungodly plan where yet another Cabinet Minister attempted to put more copper in his pocket than what he is already being paid. It was a well-organised Free National Movement machinery that dealt the final blow to an evil plan intended to literally pull the financial rug from underneath the livelihood of Bahamian fishermen.
    "No doubt it was Tommy Turnquest along with his team that included Robert Sweeting, MP for South Abaco and Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and their strong demand for Mr. Stubbs' termination that finally lead the Prime Minister to act. The FNM should feel proud of its leadership that bought about this national victory on behalf of the hard working people of the Bahamas.
    "Even though Sidney Stubbs may be out as Chairman of BAIC, he still has the privilege to sit as a Member of Parliament for Holy Cross. However if the Prime Minister felt that Mr. Stubbs was unfit to serve as head of a government corporation because of his abuse of executive powers and conflict of interest then he ought to have felt that the Mr. Stubbs was also unfit to serve in an honourable establishment as the House of Assembly.
    "I now urge the Prime Minister to act without haste to compel Mr. Stubbs to resign as the Member of Parliament for Holy Cross and allow the good constituents of Holy Cross an opportunity to re-elect a trusted friend and MP, Carl Bethel.
    "Sidney Stubbs had an awesome opportunity to do some real good for many small businesspersons in the Bahamas but he blew it."
Peter Carey

HIV STATS SAID TO DROP

The Red Ribbon Ball was held to mark World AIDS Day in The Bahamas on Saturday 30th November. There was an engaging photo of the Prime Minister with the Camille Barnett, the wife of attorney Michael Barnett and the President of the AIDS Foundation. A good time was had by all, and it appears that it was a successful fundraiser. To help with the pot was a donation by Kerzner International of $50,000. That brought in a total of $100,000 for the fund as a result of this year’s fundraising effort. Dr. Perry Gomez who is the lead Doctor at the Princess Margaret Hospital for infectious diseases reported that there has been a drop in the number of AIDS cases in The Bahamas and that The Bahamas is no longer number one in AIDS cases in the Caribbean English speaking world. We have been replaced by Guyana. There is of course no cause for celebration with some 9000 people have been infected by HIV since the disease was first tracked in The Bahamas in 1985. It remains the largest single cause for death for persons in The Bahamas between the ages for 15 to 44. There is no time to relax, and it remains a menace. The need for public education and awareness is ever more acute. Atlantis' Paul O'Neill is shown third from right presenting the cheque for $50,000 to Minister of Health Dr. Marcus Bethel (second from left), Mrs. Barnett (left) and Dr. Gomez, right. Tribune photos by Alan Jones.

RIGBY SMACKS THE FNM

    Last week, we reported from this site how the FNM’s Leader out of the House of Assembly Senator Tommy Turnquest had called for the resignation of Government Ministers Neville Wisdom and Leslie Miller. Mr. Wisdom, he said, for making a mess of Junkanoo and Mr. Miller for being part for what happened at Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Coronation. No evidence that this qualifies for a Minister to fall, just a bare assertion that a Minister must go. We thought that we provided a good response to the Senator, but the PLP’s Chairman had more scathing words than even we could muster. He called the comments by the FNM “…laughable, asinine and utterly ridiculous”. Here is some of what he had to say in his own words:
    “This past week the Free National Movement and its Leader, and its seatless Tommy Turnquest, have engaged in the most brazen and untruthful character assassination and political mischief ever seen in our modern political history. All of their efforts have been targeted at creating in the minds of the public a view that the PLP and its leadership are corrupt and that there is a lack of a clear direction for The Bahamas. This is a bogus lie and the record must be put to the people who are the final arbiters of the truth.
    “Mr. Turnquest should recall that he is still submerged neck deep in scandals. In fact, the public is still waiting for the former prime minister to report on the findings of his investigation that was launched in respect of the grant of the air condition contract when Mr. Turnquest was Minister of Tourism.
    “Time may be long but the Bahamian people will not forget these allegations of impropriety that were levelled against Tommy Turnquest that he has yet to find the moral courage to respond to. He cannot demand anybody’s resignation because he does not possess the moral authority to do so.”

THE BAHAMAS GOOD CREDIT RATING
There is a report out this past week that Standard and Poor's the credit rating company has given a good credit rating to The Bahamas. We thought that we should share the report with you:

    NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's) Dec. 3, 2003--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today assigned its 'A-' long-term and 'A-2' short-term sovereign credit ratings to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The outlook on the long-term rating is stable.
“The ratings on The Bahamas reflect its political stability, prosperous (though narrow) economy, and steady macroeconomic stance,” said sovereign analyst Olga Kalinina. “The Bahamas has a prudent fiscal posture (despite some deterioration following September 11) that supports the fixed parity with the U.S. dollar, which has been in effect since 1973.”
     According to Mrs. Kalinina, the ratings are constrained by The Bahamas' external liquidity position. “The Bahamas has run high and persistent current account deficits, funded partly by foreign direct investment but also by cross-border bank borrowing,” Mrs. Kalinina said. “As a result, the net external debt of the banking sector will approach 30% of current account receipts this year. However, as 85% of the cross-border bank funding comes from related parties, which reduces the risk that external finance will be cut off, Standard & Poor's views the Bahamian banking system as sound,” she concluded.
     The stable outlook balances ongoing achievements in attracting investment in tourism and financial services and the expectation of progress in tax reform and privatization against the challenges of managing a narrowly based economy.

NIGERIAN FOOTNOTES

There are some funny stories being reported out of Africa. The conference of Heads of Government is a huge undertaking for a country that has 75 percent of its people living below the poverty line. It sometimes bordered on the comic. In a valiant attempt to put in place adequate security, reporters told funny stories of how the delegates seemed to get the brunt of the security nightmare that was actually meant to protect them.

The Ambulance Story
In the International Conference Centre, there is a door reserved as there was in all venues specifically for Heads of Government. It was the widest door and replete with a brand new red carpet. No other persons were allowed to go through that door and, when it was not being used by a Head of Government, it was sealed with a red rope barrier. Suddenly one of the delegates, a bit overweight it seems, collapsed to the floor. An ambulance had to be called. In rushed the emergency response team with a stretcher. They put the man on the stretcher, revived him and then tried to take him out, except that they tried to take him through the door reserved for Heads of Government.

An argument ensued with the security at the door and the EMR people. They were told they could not go through the doors reserved for Heads of Government with the man on the stretcher. So there was this scene of the poor man lying there on a stretcher unable to be moved, though gravely ill because he was being taken through the wrong door. In the end, the EMR people simply brushed the security man aside and got the man into the ambulance.

The Trials of the South African Foreign Minister
South Africa's Foreign Minister is quite a lovely and calm lady. But not calm and lovely enough for the security guards in Nigeria. She was waiting for her official car to arrive on the outside of the hotel, only to be told that she could not wait for her car there; she had to wait inside. She was ushered through the door and shoved back inside the hotel by one security guard. On the other side she was met by another security guard who told her that she could not come through that door. It was the wrong door. That was only the door for exiting the hall not for entering the hall. Photos from CHOGM.org

SMILEY BUTLER HONOURED

The PLP has honoured Granville ‘Smiley’ Butler, the PLP Stalwart Councillor and Trustee, with a lying in state attended by the Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia 'Mother' Pratt. Mr. Butler who was originally from Green Castle, Eleuthera, died on Thursday 27th November in Nassau after a brief illness. He was buried on Saturday in Ebenezer Cemetery after a funeral service at Bahamas Faith Ministries. He was a popular bus driver who supported the PLP from the start in 1953 from the Kemp Road or Ann’s Town area of New Providence. He was a strong supporter of Arthur Hanna, the PLP's former Deputy Prime Minister. Photo by Peter Ramsay.

THE WEEK WITH THE PM

Our photo from The Bahamas Information Services and Peter Ramsay, tells the story of the week with the Prime Minister, shown here giving a final briefing to the Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson at left and the Secretary to the Cabinet Wendal Major at right before leaving Nassau for the ultimate stop in Abuja, Nigeria. The Prime Minister and his delegation are set to return to the country on Wednesday, 10th December. Expect a full report on the trip, including stops in London and Miami, in next week's BahamasUncensored.Com.

There have been scheduling difficulties with this week's news from Grand Bahama.

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

WHATEVER ARE THEY THINKING?

You have to wonder what is going on in the minds of the PLPs who are continuing to protract the saga of the fishing boats from Korea. All of the past week, the Free National Movement has been pounding away, flailing away at what is essentially a dead horse. The issue is now squarely a legal one. The Prime Minister, on his return to the country from the Commonwealth Heads meeting in Nigeria, told the press that Customs has control of the boats and there is a procedure, which has to be followed before the boats can be removed from the country. The notice of seizure has in fact been served on the directors. They now have 30 days to have the matter reviewed. One expects the FNM to try to find fodder in those cold, hard and incontrovertible facts.

But it is the supposed PLPs who are involved in this that take a curious position. The main one is Earlin Williams who worked as a publicist during the last campaign. He is the main aide to MP Sidney Stubbs and he is also said to be the principal of the company that owns the Korean fishing boats. He has been waging a campaign in the press to undermine the very Government that he helped to build up. One would have thought that if there were an interest in the Government being successful that all of them would have gone to ground. Bob Marley sang: He, who fights and flies away, lives to fight another day. Instead, Mr. Williams preaches defiance and claims that the sham mortgage on the boats that everyone saw through like glass is no longer an issue because the boats are now owned by his company free and clear. In other words a gift has been given of the boats. Does this have the ring of truth?

But what is happening here is a scorched earth policy by the PLPs who perceive themselves the losers. Clearly the Government did the right thing and brought his matter to a halt. But there is, it appears, a deep seated resentment and hatred for Perry Christie because he did just that; the right thing, trying to protect (vainly it now seems) not only the Government but also trying to protect these very PLPs from their own folly. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in the future to let the chips fall where they may. And so the idea is now to try and bring Mr. Christie down by any means available. It is like a festering sore. The PLPs involved in this project, whether they know it or not, appear to have made a pact with the devils in the FNM to keep whipping this matter up in the press, spreading confusion and lies, muddying the water. The end result is to try to undermine the PLP. One supposes in their actions, they will get some glee in getting back at Perry Christie. And ultimately they may hope for some glee at causing the whole PLP to fail because of their greed and indiscretion.

Then there are those who simply don’t seem to know when to keep their mouths shut in public. There are those always sounding off about one policy or another, giving the impression that the PLP is an undisciplined force and that no one is control. Again, this seeks to undermine the very institution that allows them the privilege to pontificate. A little discipline would help us all.

We can say that there is no way in Hades that the policy on the Korean fishing boats is going to be reversed. That matter is like a turkey. Stick a fork in it. It is done. And if the enemies within and without want to see resolution in Perry Christie, try seeing if they can reverse that business with the Korean fishing boats. Fishing is reserved exclusively for Bahamians by law and by policy. That is that.

The problem we have is that the PLP is inflicting wounds on itself. Its message is not getting out. The Prime Minister returns home and is sandbagged by waiting reporters who asked him not about all the things accomplished while he was away but about Korean fishing boats. Not a mention of the state visit that the country is planning for South African President Thabo Mbeki. In the country, constituents are quizzing MPs about Korean fishing boats. It is non-story, story.

We think that some people ought to put a muzzle on their mouths and discipline their behaviour. Any politicians who are still involved with this thing in professional capacities should disengage themselves from it forthwith. Further, the Government itself ought to get a grip on the information process including how it handles matters in the House of Assembly. Otherwise, we are going to continue to go down this spiralling road of confusion on something that is basically a non-issue. But let these FNM people keep going at it, without stopping them dead in their tracks, and then you have a problem. One must remember that North Andros is a marginal seat, and Earl Deveaux, the former MP, is waiting in the wings, no doubt encouraging the dissent in North Andros to undermine the now representative Vincent Peet. The word is that the so-called fishermen of North Andros who are objecting to this have not gone fishing in decades. And wouldn’t know a sinker from a hook if you told them what they were.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 13th December at midnight: 42,219.

Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 13th December at midnight: 72,315.

Number of hits for the year up to Saturday 13th December at midnight: 1,630,743.

Tribune photo of Prime Minister Christie upon his return from CHOGM by Dominic Duncombe.

SEA HAULER’S CAPTAIN GOES TO JAIL

    Captain Allan Russell, the Captain of the ill fated ‘Sea Hauler’ that was slammed by the ‘United Star’ on 2nd August 2003 on the high seas between Eleuthera and Cat Island is spending the end of his first week in jail. His three year sentence by a Magistrate for peddling drugs was upheld after 12 years by the Court of Appeal. The events took place in 1984. The charge was laid in 1989. He was convicted in 1990. Mr. Russell should have been testifying before the Wreck Commission headed by former Justice Joseph Strachan but instead his statement had to be read out for the Commission.
    The Commission has heard lots of evidence about the horror of that night. But what seems clear is that there were two unqualified persons at the helms of both boats at the time of the accident. It will be up to the Wreck Commission to assign blame. As for Captain Russell as he eats his prison porridge, he might also add the nightmare of jail to the nightmare of that fateful night on the high seas. The Court of Appeal’s words upon upholding the conviction were criticized. They said that the boat captain single-handedly corrupted and controlled with apparent ease sections of the police, immigration, customs and air traffic controllers to carry out illegal activities. Many observers believe that their words were too harsh and all encompassing of the security forces and therefore out of line.
    Mr. Russell is 63 years old and if he is unable to pay the additional $100,000 fine, he is to spend an additional two years in jail.

BATELCO PRIVATIZATION OFF FOR NOW
    To loud cheers by the retired employees of BaTelCo, the telephone company on Thursday 11th December, Bradley B. Roberts, the Minister responsible for relations with the Telecommunications Corporation announced that the end of the exclusivity period with the Blue Group was upon us. You will remember this crazy saga to privatize BaTelCo by the former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. He was defeated in the General Election in part because of the foolish policy to privatize BaTelCo.
    The Government started to privatize BaTelCo in 1998 and could not do it. The people of The Bahamas were clearly not for it. Now it is clear that the market is not for it either. No one could come up with the money and the business plan that would allow the Government to sign off on the sale of 49 per cent of the company and management control of the assets. The Bahamatel Group headed by Tom Bain and allied with J.P. Morgan is said to have been rejected because they did not have an adequate business plan. The second highest bidder Blue has now been rejected. No word on why.
    No word on what to do now, except that Minister of State for Finance James Smith told the press that the process would continue because BaTelCo could not remain a public company, as it is losing value every day. Perhaps, people will now listen to the ideas of the Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell who when in Opposition told us that the simple way to privatize BaTelCo was to sell shares in tranches to the Bahamian public and then allow phased in competition. Hubert Ingraham tried to do it the other way. That way ended up costing us in excess of one hundred million dollars, lay offs of staff and the country being used by every con man in the business to make money. The end result is angry investors, sour relations with former staff, no privatization and no map as to where we go for now. But we are happy the thing is not being sold under these conditions.

NEW GAMING BOARD SECRETARY

The Gaming Board is to have a new Secretary to the Board as of 1st January 2004. The new Secretary is a familiar name to most of us. Not so long ago, he was the Commissioner of Police. The name is Bernard K. Bonamy. Mr. Bonamy left the force after he was called to the Bar of The Bahamas and began practicing out of the former chambers of the Attorney General Alfred Sears. He now rejoins the Public Service. The Chairman of the Gaming Board, the body statutorily responsible for the regulation of gambling in The Bahamas, is Kenyatta Gibson MP for Kennedy. He made the announcement on Tuesday 9th December. Mr. Gibson said that one of the responsibilities of the new Secretary will be to help supervise the coming of a new Gaming Act. The photo appeared in the Nassau Guardian on 10th December and is by Donald Knowles. Mr. Gibson is at the left and Mr. Bonamy on the right.

THABO MBEKI COMING TO NASSAU

The President of the Republic of South Africa is to make a state visit to The Bahamas from 28th December to 1st January. He will be accompanied on the visit by Madame Mbeki. The Foreign Minister of South Africa will also fly to Nassau for the visit along with the High Commissioner for South Africa to London and the High Commissioner for South Africa to The Bahamas. Mr. Mbeki was invited to The Bahamas by Prime Minister Perry Christie while the Prime Minister was in Jamaica in July marking the 30th anniversary of Caricom. Mr. Mbeki will visit the Junkanoo Parade on New Year’s Day and leave after that morning for Port au Prince, Haiti where he will observe with the Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide, the 200th anniversary of Haitian Independence. Next year South Africa will observe the 10th anniversary of the end of Apartheid and the establishment of a representative republic.

DOES THE PM GET HIS MESSAGE OUT?

    It has been a long standing lament of PLPs both in the rank and file and in the establishment that the party has too few information mechanisms at its disposal to get its message out. Here we are after all this time as a political party, fifty years, and still no voice of the PLP.
    Nothing demonstrated the importance of the PLP’s information strategy as a government than the reports of the Prime Minister's press conference when he returned home from Nigeria on Wednesday 10th December. All the press wanted to talk about was the Korean fishing boats and that is virtually all they carried from the press conference. All of the other important work done on the trip – not a word.
    We wonder how long it will take the PLP to get the point. Since its inception, this column, following the lead of its previous incarnations, has exercised itself about this issue. And this week, we take several stabs at trying to break through into the psyche of the PLP that there is a need for a comprehensive information strategy that is at present failing abysmally. Nassau Guardian photo of Prime Minister Christie on his return to The Bahamas from CHOGM by Donald Knowles.

BAHAMASAIR WORKERS DISCIPLINED
We congratulate the Board of Bahamasair for docking the pay of the Bahamasair workers who stayed off from work in an industrial action, pretending that they were sick. We said when we reported on the sick out that the airline should have been closed down forthwith. It is a galling fact that workers in an airline losing money hand over fist, staying alive at the expense of the Bahamian taxpayer could cripple that airline for two days on fake sick leave and then argue that they should not have a cut in pay for their actions.
The Government must take a stand on this one. The Union is clearly confusing patience with weakness. There was no need for any sick out, and what it did was simply worsen Bahamasair's problems and its record. The Union’s leadership has announced that it is going to take Bahamasair to court to recover the money that was deducted. They are also going to pay the workers from the money that they lost from the Union's kitty. The Attorney General should seek to injunct the Union from using their funds for that purpose. This is time to play hardball with irresponsible people. There is no public support for them. And if it happens again, the Government would have the support of the country to simply close the darn airline down.

A NEW BAIC CHAIRMAN

Michael Halkitis, the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of State for Finance and the Member of Parliament for Adelaide is the new Chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation. He succeeds Sidney Stubbs MP, who was forced to resign two weeks ago. The Corporation has now been switched to the portfolio of the Minister of Finance. James Smith, the Minister of State will have direct Ministerial responsibility for the Corporation. Mr. Halkitis will bring a lower profile to this tiny corporation that has brought nothing but grief to the Government and the PLP since 2002. It might also get some work done under Mr. Halkitis with the lack of distractions about the honesty of its efforts. We wish him well. He is a smart guy with a stable mind.

A BAHAMIAN IN NIGERIA

Joy Jibrilu nee Carey is the Bahamian in Nigeria. Last week we talked about how she entertained the Bahamian party at the Heads of Government Conference in Abuja, Nigeria. She and her husband Daniel were excellent hosts. The next day she and friends in the Nigerian Government, the Minister of Power and Steel Senator Liyel Imoke and Mrs. Obioma Imoke, hosted Minister Fred Mitchell and Minister Allyson Gibson to lunch at their home in the official Government housing compound. This week we have pictures of the events. Top, Mrs. Jibrilu is shown with Prime Minister Christie at left and top right, Mr. Jibrilu with Foreign Minister Mitchell. At left Minister of Financial Services & Investment Allyson Maynard Gibson is shown with Mr. Jibrilu.

KEN RUSSELL – A DEAD HORSE WHIPS A DEAD HORSE

We have always called him Ken the Miserable. He appears to be a deeply unhappy man or perhaps sad is a better word. The loss of the General Election was apparently a bitter blow indeed, not just another part of life but a bitter blow. Then along comes Mr. Russell, who is the MP for High Rock constituency, into the House of Assembly on Wednesday 10th December spreading his mirthlessness in this Christmas season for all who would hear. He was supposed to be speaking on the Amendment to the Financial Reporting Transactions Act. Instead, he was beating a dead horse, flailing away with all the miserable energy that he could muster. That dead horse was the Korean fishing boats and the sham mortgage that was used in the transaction.
Mr. Russell sought to be relevant by suggesting that an amendment to the act should include mortgage transactions of that kind. What he engaged in was what is called by Mays Parliamentary Procedure, “tedious repetition”. Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell objected and told him that he was not speaking to the bill and being irrelevant, and that if he persisted then the Speaker should direct him to discontinue. The Minister read the relevant provision in Mays. Then it appears that the Minister had enough. He asked the Government benches to fill up, and then moved for closure of the debate with immediate effect. He moved that the question now be put. The Speaker obliged after saying that the Government side had spoken for two hours and fifteen minutes and the Opposition side two hours and forty five minutes. He put the vote and the bill passed, and with that Mr. Russell’s boring monologue passed into history. File photo of Mr. Kenneth Russell MP.

TIT FOR TAT PLPS
Some PLPs are concerned about reported comments in the press attributed to Leslie Miller, the Minister of Trade and Industry that appeared to attack Keod Smith, the Ambassador for the Environment. Thankfully, there has been no response from Keod Smith. Let’s hope he keeps his counsel.

PUBLIC SERVANTS GET PAID
John Pinder, the President of the Bahamas Public Service Union has a penchant for engaging in hyperbole. He told the Nassau Guardian on Monday 8th December that if the civil servants did not get their pay on 9th December as promised by the Government, the “town would close”. The town did not close. The language was unnecessary. The payments were made. You will remember the background to this. Civil servants were promised under a contract signed by Hubert Ingraham's administration that they would get a 1200 dollar increase in monthly instalments to their base salary beginning 1st July. The Government said that it did not want to tax to do so and wanted to wait six months until the economy was in better shape. There was much “toing and froing”, but in the end the Minister of the Public Service Fred Mitchell was able to convince them to accept the 9th December. So on 9th December, the Treasury delivered. Merry Christmas everybody. Now comes the hard part, civil servants must work hard for their money.

THE VALUE OF THIS SITE
    From time to time we get letters to the editor about this site and its connection to the PLP. Some argue that the site is too biased toward the PLP. Many people stopped reading when the site changed from fredmitchelluncensored.com to its present incarnation following the General Election of 2002. They argued that it lost its sting from the times that the column appeared in Opposition. Our view is that one must recognize that things have changed but we believe that notwithstanding our obvious support of the PLP, the integrity of the site remains.
    This site has been going since 1998 and it has over time built up a reputation for regularity and for consistency. The writing is thought to be incisive by many and informative. Who benefits from it? It is true that Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister, has benefited from it. The Prime Minister also has a high profile on this site. But we think that the greatest beneficiary is the PLP itself.
    What we cannot understand is why, in the scheme of things, better use of the information on the web is not being utilized as a matter of policy by the PLP. People are still talking about investing in a newspaper. We think that is old technology. We think that the faster way is to change the way we receive and disseminate information by use of the electronic medium. There is a need for a PLP perspective on radio, on the web and in print. For example, there is no one credible television or radio programme that has the level of consistency and regularity that this column has. Given the resources of the PLP the electronic would seem to be the way to go.
    This is yet another stab at trying to break through the need for a comprehensive information strategy for the PLP, not the Government but the PLP. Without it, we can win but the job is infinitely more difficult if you are unable to get your message out. We will continue to do our bit in the months to come on this site. Perhaps all PLPs should encourage other PLPs to read it. Too many people do not know about it, and do not consult its pages. Within its pages, PLPs can find information about the policies of their own party, right there in front of their very eyes. It is easy and simple.

THE PLP AND INFORMATION POLICY
    Ever since the days of Sir Lynden Pindling, information policy for the PLP has been a sore point. During the first 25 years in power, there was only one broadcasting facility. The PLP and the Government depended on it to spin their side of the story. There are some who would want to depend on that Corporation to do the same today. We think that is not right. We think that there is no reason for the Government to own a Broadcasting Corporation, and that the entire kit and caboodle should be sold to the private sector. Broadcasting should be a privately run affair.
    There are two kinds of information needed. There is information about the Government and its work. That should be provided by the Bahamas Information Services. But that agency is mired in do nothingness. The staff appears de-motivated or down right hostile to the Government. Some politicians misunderstand what its role is, and there is institutional resistance to PLP Ministers making requests that FNM Ministers would gladly have gotten them to oblige and do.
    Then there is pure political information. That has to do with the machinery of the party. No resources are being placed in that direction. Sir Lynden toyed around with an Information Ministry. That never came off. Some suggested that there ought to be an Information Czar. For us, while those decisions have to be made, what is more important is the mindset of those who are the designers of public policy. They have to come to accept that the public has a right to know, and to develop that into their daily political and governmental responsibilities. The Government and the party must find a way to institutionalize that mindset, but that is the easy part.

THE COMMONWEALTH A BIG BOYS CLUB

    Before the Commonwealth could make the news official from Abuja, Nigeria, last week Robert Mugabe, the one time freedom fighter, now tyrant President of Zimbabwe, announced that he was leaving. No Commonwealth cobble-up for him, with benchmarks for democratic guidance. Mr. Mugabe himself (pictured) was once the host of a Commonwealth summit but this time he was snubbing his nose at the Commonwealth because he claimed that the Commonwealth was acting unfairly at the behest of the “old white” Commonwealth. By that he was talking about the countries of Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. Mr. Mugabe has had some pretty harsh things to say about them. Of Australia he said that they were mutant prisoners now running a nation. For the UK he has said that the country is run by a gay mafia.
    But the bottom line is Zimbabwe under his leadership is out. The fact that Africa wanted him in and thought that he was being held to a double standard did not count for much. Britain and Australia made it plain that they were out if Mugabe was in. When the rich boys say something, notwithstanding the numbers, they get their way. That is how it is in so much of the world. Europeans and their descendants still very much dominate the world, deciding policies without regard to the wishes of the vast majority of the people of the earth. Their money and their technology negate any thoughts to the contrary.
    We should not be too worried about Zimbabwe leaving, however. They will be back. Nigeria was suspended once and has only been back since 1995.   Pakistan and South Africa were out. South Africa is now back. Pakistan is out again but will probably be back sometime soon.   The fascinating thing about the Commonwealth is that it virtually does nothing but there is this mad dash to be involved in it because it seems to confer some legitimacy on the leaders and on their countries. Strange how things with psychic value still seem to count.
    The British like the Commonwealth because it still gives their Queen the idea that she is the head of something. The developing world likes it because it gives them a chance to meet at the same level with the rich countries. We all know the game and we all play it well, even as we all protest that it does nothing.
    A look back at the pageantry in Nigeria, reminds one of those old movies about Africa. The great white Queen came to black Nigeria. They built a special place for her and her entourage. She sat at the head of a mixed world of mainly dark skinned people watching the African dancers beat their drums, dance and sing. But hey, this is the 21st century and we are not supposed to say or see things in that way. We stop!

FRED MITCHELL WITH THE CHILDREN

Last year on World AIDS Day 1st December, there was as service held to mark the day at the Salem Baptist Church in Grants Town. On that occasion boys from Uriah McPhee Primary School played their violins. They were so good at it that as special treat afterward, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell sat down with them for this picture, taken with their teacher Bernese Forbes. The photo is by Christine Campbell of the Ministry of Health. We thought that you would like the photo. We support the efforts to eradicate and control AIDS throughout the world. The youngsters are from left: Marcus Roberts, Dalton Hanna, Donshannon Ferguson, Neville Moree, Padillion Moxey and their teacher Ms. Forbes.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
More Outrage At Former US Diplomat
A leading columnist for a daily Nassau newspaper and the son of a former politician and top banker was incensed it appears at the comments of the former US diplomat who is no longer in The Bahamas. That diplomat was himself incensed that we would dare criticize the American system of justice. He was the subject of controversy when he lived here. The newspaper columnist sent a letter to the editor by e-mail in response to the former US diplomat and we print here. We do not have the express permission of the writer to use his name.
"Regarding the letter supposedly penned by a former 'diplomat', if such crass and twisted ideology really does exist among high ranking diplomats of the US government, then that in itself is sufficient to demonstrate the danger the US now poses to freedom and the rule of law internationally.

"For a representative of a country which keeps uncharged 13 year olds in cages for over two years without access to lawyers (and which does so in Cuba, precisely to escape either the US' own legal protections or the Geneva convention) to actually buy into that old tired 'faith-based' propaganda about being the protector of the world is a sick joke.

Peter Carey?
Peter Carey or someone purporting to be him, using the address that he has always used for his letters to this site wrote a letter saying that he was defamed and that he did not write the letter published by us last week. He is quite the publicity hound. Here is what his protest said.
"I am simply outraged over the reckless way to attribute a letter I had no knowledge of writing to me on your web site. I want you to make an immediate retraction and apology. If this is not done forthwith, I will have no other choice but to sue
you on grounds of misuse of the internet and character demolition.

"One more note, as a Bahamian, whenever I put pen to paper, I use my name, I have nothing to fear. The PLP days are numbered, Sidney is just the first, many more will come.

"I therefore urge all “not afraid of the government. Remember a kite rises against, not with the wind”. Paraphrasing Hamilton Mabie"
Peter T. Carey

JUNIOR JUNKANOO - A PHOTO ESSAY BY PETER RAMSAY

Parents of miniature junkanoos and the public generally flocked to downtown Nassau this past Thursday to see groups of schoolchildren strut their stuff as Junior Junkanoo took to Bay Street, parade ground of the big boys of Junkanoo. Peter Ramsay was there and shares his visions... Please click here.

THIS WEEK WITH THE PM

We just could not resist bringing you this seasonal photograph of 'Mrs. PM', Bernadette Christie, as she lit the Christmas Tree (see story above) on Bay Street. For Prime Minister Perry Christie, it was a week of private investment oriented meetings this past week, interspersed with just a few breaks for courtesy calls. Bahamas Information Services photographs by Peter Ramsay.

JUNIOR JUNKANOO
The downtown area of Freeport came alive Saturday evening as the primary and high schools took part in the annual junior Junkanoo parade. In the high school category, Eight Mile Rock won, and Walter Parker won in the primary division. The complete results will be given in next week's report. Honourable mention should be given to the Grand Cay, Abaco All Age School who we felt gave a good account of themselves of what we considered to be an original theme. Hats off to the residents of Grand Cay for making it possible. We also would like to pay tribute to the Lucayan International School whose theme we thought was another original, and whose student body comprises the majority of expats’ children who live and work in Grand Bahama. It was interesting to see how easily young children can assimilate into the local culture. They are to be congratulated for a job well done.

We have some concerns with regards to the sale of beverages being served in bottles at these public functions. We feel that these bottles pose a safety hazard. So, we call on local authority through its licensing board and the police department to go on a public campaign advising the public that this will not be tolerated for the upcoming New Year's Day Junkanoo.

OUR LUCAYA CASINO TO OPEN
Isle of Capri, the Mississippi based casino company, has stated through press releases that they will open the Our Lucaya casino to the public for business, December 15th, 2003. They say it will be a soft opening and they further state that the training of staff has been completed and all systems are go. We wish the new casino operators every success and we hope that this will increase the occupancy levels at the Our Lucaya resort.

The opening of the new casino could spell the beginning of the end for the Royal Oasis Resort and Casino. The company from the very beginning, we believe, was under capitalized; by the time the major upgrades were completed coupled with cost overruns and construction delays and a downturn in the tourism industry, the company found itself out of operating capital. It seems from a marketing point of view, the whole island of Grand Bahama has suffered from a less than aggressive marketing system; and, only when the marketing problem is addressed which takes into account our proximity to the United States will we see our tourist industry improved.

TRACTIBEL LNG GAS COMPANY
Tractibel, the natural gas company, was recently in the local press presenting their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Edward St. George, and the President, Mrs. Willie Moss. The study was for the proposed liquefied natural gas plant to be constructed on the old Bahama Cement site at Freeport Harbour. Mr. St. George, for his part, told the press that Tractibel is the only company whose finances stand up to scrutiny. Our translation of that statement is the government ought to give this company the green light. We know very little about natural gas refining. Our concerns are mainly for the people of the neighboring communities and the effect it might have in the event of an accident. Other concerns include the benefits that would accrue to the Bahamian people other than the provision of jobs. I believe that a percentage of the profits should be a part on any deal before the approvals are granted.

SHAME ON INGRAHAM
We waited and watched this week the proceedings in the House of Assembly for the former Prime Minister, the Honourable Hubert Ingraham to rise and officially withdraw his remarks that were made against Mr. Sturrup, a Permanent Secretary in the service of the Bahamas government. Sadly, none was forthcoming. It is regrettable that Mr. Ingraham should engage in schoolboy behaviour. We would like to remind him as the only living past Prime Minister he is considered the elder statesman of our country and whenever possible, he should conduct himself in such a manner befitting that of a former Prime Minister, not for himself, but for the office he has held. This was truly not his finest hour and we ask him for the sake of the record to either withdraw his statement about Mr. Sturrup; or, at best, rephrase it.

MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TURN YOURSELF IN
On numerous occasions, we have made what we believe are good suggestions to the Minister of Local Government on the City of Freeport Council. All of these suggestions have to date fallen on deaf ears. Our last suggestion was the removal of Local Administrator, Alexander Flowers.

Now it seems that Minister Gray or those close to him are venturing into deeper and deeper waters with regard to his official interaction with the leadership of the City of Freeport Council. We caution the Minister not to embarrass his colleagues in this matter. Mr. Flowers should go and the Council ought to be made to stop bickering and do its work. The taxpayers of Freeport expect leadership in this matter. Exercise some sober leadership, Minister.

FINALLY, "THE REPORT CARD"
News from Grand Bahama contributors BS and DM are planning a nineteen month assessment of the government ministers. We hope to upload this report card on Tuesday, 16th December, at 7:00 p.m. We hope that you will enjoy our unscientific review.

Junior Junkanoo in Grand Bahama was an exuberant display of aesthetics, music, culture, and choreography by the youth of our nation. Many of the customs looked as though they were professionally done and the resounding Junkanoo rhythm left the large crowd of onlookers with nothing more to do than to move the waist or alternatively shake a leg.

Amidst the charade of such a beautiful parade there were one or two incidences that would cause a mild headshake. There were a few seemingly ruthless youth consuming alcoholic beverages in bottles and some who used lewd language in the presence of many children, under aged onlookers, and tourists. There is a need for police officers to be more pro-active (not lazy), but especially on the parade routes during this time of year. They are to make sure that that crowd in is order and enforce the laws so that the show could be appreciated by all.

When I think about the status of our police force in the country, I smirk because there is a need for them to rise up and meet the changing faces of crime in the world. As I looked around the parade route Saturday night and observed the officers on duty, I smiled; many were plainly old and overweight. I know that police officers should be required to maintain the same physical fitness in which they entered to police force. Those officers who are removed from that fitness should suffer financial consequences or else seek the necessary measures to have the correct height-weight contours in the event of the inevitable foot chase.

Additionally, many officers lack human resource training and that delinquency is disabling. Much of the information that occurs in the small communities could be gathered from individuals in the community if they are approached in the correct way. These officers have to remember that many do not fear the uniformed men or women any more and the way that they speak to people determines the reaction of the person of to whom they are speaking. Most officers have a bigoted and bullying attitude and they infringe their approach upon those who are not aware of their rights in this country.

There are a number of people who are aware of criminal acts, but refuse to disclose them to the police for various reasons. As a small community, in order to erase the crime epidemic, we must learn to work together and in order to do this there must be mutual respect.

Many do not have a high regard for our officers in uniform and must prove themselves worthy of our respect and support.

Simply wearing the uniform does not necessarily warrant respect, and simply wearing the uniform does not necessarily state that you are an officer of high quality. Do you look like an officer of the law? Are you trustworthy? Are you respectful? Are you in touch with the people in your community? Are you involved? What have you contributed to the law enforcement field? Are you a part of a fitness program? Are you making the effort to further your education? Are you computer literate?

With another year ending, I suggest that the police force resolve to take on the mantle of a pro-active approach and incorporate professional development in their routine.

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TRADE UNION PROBLEMS LOOM

At parties up and down the Eastern Road of New Providence where many white Bahamians live and certainly where many who run the business establishment in the country find their rest, the talk was all about the looming strike in the hotel sector in The Bahamas. If you read the newspapers for the week in The Bahamas, you would know that the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, headed by Pat Bain and the Hotel Employers Association have been locked in a dispute over a new contract that seems intractable. The hotel union took a strike vote at the start of the month, and during the week, their shop stewards were put on high alert by the leadership that a strike would be called any day.

The interesting thing about the conversations that have ranged up and down the country really is that they all blame the hotel union for causing the strike atmosphere. No one seems to think that maybe, just maybe, the employers actually want a strike. We have speculated in this column before that the employers think that the Union does not have the support of its members for a protracted strike, and that they can break the Union. By that reasoning, many believe that the Hotel Employers, besides standing on the true economic problems that they face, see this as their best shot to be rid of what they consider a troublesome group of undisciplined people.

If the hotel employers think that the Union does not have the support of its members, we believe that they are making a grave error. Further, it would not be in the best interest of the country for there to be a strike or for there to be a successful attempt to destroy the Union. If there is a strike the Minister of Labour ought to intervene quickly to bring the matter to a head by sending every one back to work, utilizing the legal powers that he has.

The dispute is ostensibly over the demand by the Hotel Union for an across the board gratuity to be charged to each guest for the use of the beach and the pool. The gratuity would be charged whether or not the guest actually uses those facilities in the hotel. The hotels say that there is no way that they are going to charge their guests for a service that they do not use. Their only problem is that one of their members the ‘Our Lucaya’ property in Freeport has already agreed to that proposition and presently applies the charge. Our Lucaya has since pleaded ignorance of market conditions and wishes to resile from that position.

We think that the public does not want a strike. We think that the conversations that ranged up and down the Eastern Road reflect the feeling in the country. The Union is out on a limb on this one, and people believe that a strike would be counter productive for the economy. Some other way has to be found to settle this issue. How about compromise? No compromise seemed possible up to the time of this upload. The Minister of Labour was said to be gloomy about the situation, particularly as the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union also staged a sick out at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation on Friday 19th December, and are threatening to cause chaos at Christmas time.

The Government is concerned about an economy that is still in the doldrums and that any interruptions would cause unnecessary harm to the recovery about to be brought by a good Christmas season for tourism ahead of us.

Of course in the microcosm of the Hotel Union and the Hotel Employers, none of that seems to matter. The Hotel Union is itching for a fight with a set of employers that they see as duplicitous. This is largely because Kerzner International refuses to divorce itself from the rest of the pack. They are the only property making money and should have different considerations apply to them than the others. Some have argued that the refusal of the Kerzners to agree to such a disengagement is driving the hard line by the employers so as to cause a strike, knowing that all other properties will collapse under the weight of it, and that they will become not just the dominant player in the market, but largely the only player. To many, however, that view is seen as too cynical.

Conversely, the Hotel Union is accused of being driven by a radical crew whose lives are stuck in the glory union days of the seventies when strikes were the norm for settling disputes. So the stage is set, and as the cold winds blew in this week plunging the temperatures in New Providence near the 60 degree mark, Christmas seems now to be lining up to be a chilly affair indeed.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 20th December 2003 at midnight: 33,230.

Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 20th December 2003 at midnight: 105,545.

Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 20th December at midnight: 1,663,973.

Prime Minister Christie caucuses with his Minister of Labour Vincent Peet, top;
BHCAWU Shop Stewards at Workers House prepare for strike alert, centre - Nassau Guardian / Patrick Hanna;
BHCAWU President Pat Bain, bottom, file photo.

PREPARATION FOR MBEKI

As if Christmas and the threat of a strike were not enough, the Government was also busy preparing for the coming of the head of the richest and most developed of Africa’s countries in time for the New Year. Thabo Mbeki, the handpicked successor of South Africa’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela is to make a state visit to The Bahamas with all the pomp and pageantry that implies. The official police honour guard will meet him at the airport as his South African Air Force plane touches down at Nassau’s International Airport next Sunday 28th December.
Mr. Mbeki will be accompanied by his wife and by the country’s Foreign Minister. They will be hosted to a State Dinner and Reception. The Bahamas Information Services released a formal announcement about the visit. Please click here for that announcement. You may click here for links to a full background on South Africa.

THE HOUSE MEETS

    The House of Assembly met for a contentious couple of days this week to debate bills that the Government argued had to be completed and become law before the 1st January 2004. They were the Tax Information Exchange Act and an Amendment to the Financial Reporting Transactions Act, the latter moved by Minister of Financial Services and Investment, Allyson Maynard Gibson (pictured). The first act is the enabling legislation for an agreement signed between the United States and The Bahamas to facilitate the exchange of tax information on both the criminal and the civil side. The criminal side takes effect on 1st January 2004; the civil side on 1st January 2006. Once the latter comes into being, The Bahamas will be able to take advantage of certain convention tax write-offs in the U.S. In other words business groups will be able to hold large conventions in The Bahamas and write off their expenses against their tax bill.   The Kerzners have said that this is crucial to the success of their expansion plans in Phase III of their Paradise Island property.
    The second bill is to lessen some of the nuisances related to opening and maintaining a bank account in The Bahamas. It will raise the ceiling to $15,000 as the bar for deposits recognized as automatically suspicious transactions. A further amendment, which the Opposition voted against, would cause those accounts that presently exist in banks that have not complied with the laws calling for material information about the customer to be transferred to the Central Bank for the bank to make a determination as to their fate. The Opposition says that the accounts should be automatically frozen to force the compliance with the requirements.
    We support the Government in the amendment because many customers of long standing are so annoyed at the silly notices being sent out to them asking them to identify who they are when they have been in fact banking with the bank for scores of years. Most regular customers throw the stuff in the waste paper basket. Both Bills passed and are now on to the Senate, which meets on Monday 21st December.

SHANE TELLS ‘EM (HUBERT THAT IS)

    The former trade union leader Shane Gibson seemed his old fiery self when he rose to his feet on Tuesday 16th to speak on a resolution to guarantee the refinancing of a BEC loan that was owed to the Inter American Development Bank in the sum of 128 million dollars. The resolution had earlier been moved by the Minister responsible for BEC Bradley Roberts. The formal address was one thing but the extemporaneous remarks added a bit of colour and a scorching of the FNM and their manipulating trade unions to cause unrest in the run up to the General Elections of 1992 and 1997.
    Mr. Gibson said that when he was an officer of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union that Free National Movement MPs directed the Union what to do in order to help bring down the PLP. He said that he would not call a name but that at one time it was planned to cause disruption at the Nassau International Airport and close it down but a certain personality in the FNM advised them that they should not do it because the late Sir Lynden Pindling, then Prime Minister, might have declared a state of emergency and then postponed the elections.
    Minister Gibson was later challenged by the FNM on this and from his seat it appeared that he was talking about the then Leader of the Opposition and now Member for North Abaco Hubert Ingraham. No name was ever called, however, from the podium.   You may click here for the formal text of Mr. Gibson’s remarks.

BEC LOAN APPROVED

The House of Assembly approved the refinancing of the 128 million dollar loan that the Bahamas Electricity Corporation owes the Inter American Development Bank. Local banks will now pay out the BEC loan and give better terms, with lower interest. This is part of the package to lower the cost of electricity that Minister Bradley Roberts (pictured) announced in September. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham voted for the resolution but he said that BEC should now be in a position to borrow money without a Government guarantee. You may click here for the Minister’s address.

MINISTER GRAY IS CHALLENGED

    The Bahama Journal reported and so did Cool 96 in Freeport that a letter was written to Marva Moxey, the Chief Councillor on the Local Government Council in Freeport threatening to sue her for libel. The letter was purportedly written by M. Alfred Gray, the son of V. Alfred Gray, the Minister for Local Government on the stationery of the Minister’s firm in which he is now inactive, V. Alfred Gray & Co. The client was Alexander Flowers, the Administrator for Local Government in Freeport. There has been a dispute between Ms. Moxey, who is the daughter of former House of Assemblyman and Senator Edmund Moxey, and Mr. Flowers over the conduct of the Local Government Council in Freeport. The Minister entered the dispute some weeks ago by threatening to dissolve the Council.
    Ms. Moxey was said by the reports to be concerned about the fact that the Minister's firm would write a letter to her. On the strict rule, some argue the fact that the firm carries the name of the Minister (pictured), however since he is inactive, he has no material connection with the issue. But to his critics, it just does not sit right. Some argue that Mr. Flowers exercised bad judgement in going to the firm of his boss as Minister to bring an attack against Ms. Moxey who stands to have her position possibly dissolved by the Minister. The Opposition charged the Minister with a conflict of interest.
    What the flap did was cause unnecessary speculation in the press and amongst the Opposition leaders about the Minister and therefore embarrassed the Minister.   Mr. Flowers clearly needs to choose a new lawyer. Senator Tommy Turnquest on Love 97 also accused Mr. Gray of continuing to work in his law firm. He claimed to have evidence that cheques were signed by Mr. Gray. Mr. Gray told the Bahama Journal that when he left the practice, the Prime Minister gave him three months to wind up his affairs with the practice and those cheques would relate to that period.

NEW MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
    There was not much fanfare about it, but a little ad appeared in the Nassau Guardian of Friday 19th December. The ad was placed by the Bahamas Medical Council and seems to go a long way in helping to solve the increasing political problem of students who have studied at the so called offshore medical schools. The medical establishment in The Bahamas is largely run by Doctors who were trained at the traditional medical facilities in the world’s premier institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and at the University of the West Indies.   The Minister of Health for example was trained at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota amongst other places.
    The problem is that the developed world has largely cut off its supply of medical places to non nationals of their countries. The places are few and far between. The supply of places at the University of the West Indies has not been adequate. The result is that scores of Bahamians have been going to Cuba and the Dominican Republic to get through medical school. The medical establishment in The Bahamas turns their noses up at these schools, thinking them second rate.
    As a practical fact though, once a Bahamian goes to one of those schools he or she is not allowed to practice in The Bahamas unless they pass the Boards of a US, UK or Canadian regime. This has caused intense hardship and for years, the students who have been cooling their heels and trying to pass the US exams without success have been trying to get the issue resolved. Now it appears that The Bahamas Medical Association has come up with a local exam to deal with the issue. It says that the exam will be held on the 5th and 6th March 2004. Those who are successful will be qualified for positions as interns in The Bahamas’ Hospitals. You may click here for the full ad.

RODNEY BAIN’S WIDOW DIES

    By all accounts Gillian Bain, the widow of the first Bahamian born Cabinet Secretary Rodney Bain, was a remarkable woman. According to her son Tom Bain, who headed BahamaTel, the group that failed in its bid to buy BaTelCo, his mother at the age of 21 set off on a banana boat to Jamaica and thence to Nassau to join her husband to be. She was born in England in 1928. She was English and white, and this departure was done and the relationship with a black man was commenced to the consternation of her friends and family. She was married in 1951 at St. Agnes Anglican Church.
    Mrs. Bain joined her husband in Cat Island and became a part of a fortuitous but formidable confluence of Bahamian leaders in that place and time. James Campbell, now deceased, was the local government Commissioner. Dean William Granger, also deceased, was the Anglican priest. Rodney Bain and wife were the teachers. They started a secondary school in Cat Island. He and his wife took in the children and taught them to prepare for the Cambridge Senior certificate, the forerunner of the G.C.E, later today’s B.G.C.S.E. By all accounts, they got the best results in the country. Persons like the former Commissioner of Police Bernard Bonamy, retired Justice Joseph Strachan were amongst those who benefited from their instruction.
    The relationship with Cat Island continued after the couple was transferred back to Nassau. But while that was all remarkable, the real test came after Mrs. Bain suffered a crippling stroke at the age of 37 following the birth of her last child. She never recovered her speech, nor the full use of her left side. But she taught herself to drive and to communicate. She became a full-fledged member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and was a great supporter and worker in the Church’s soup kitchen.
    Mrs. Bain was eulogized by her priest and by her son Tom at the funeral service on Saturday 20th December. By all accounts a pretty remarkable woman. Her husband Rodney Bain was killed in car crash in 1980. And so 23 years after his death, and she herself further crippled by a recent car accident Gillian Bain nee Coker died and was buried on Saturday 20th December at St. Anne’s Churchyard in Nassau.

THE CAPTURE OF SADDAM WHO?

Last week, a reporter at the Nassau Guardian was all in a tizzy as the news floated in from the American media that the ousted President of Iraq Saddam Hussein had been “captured” by the invading American army into his country. The Nassau Guardian in particular wanted to know whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had anything to say. The newspaper reported on Monday 15th that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had nothing to say. We ask: why would he be expected to have anything to say on the subject? Mr. Hussein’s surrender has nothing to do with The Bahamas. It is outside of our sphere of influence or interest, and anything that we would say would be gratuitous.
The curious thing to us is by what legal authority is he to be charged and tried? Here is a man who was in his own country, admittedly not a very nice man but one who had no weapons of mass destruction, as apparently falsely alleged, and so his Government’s existence did not in the view of many represent a threat to any state that would require defensive action, who is now to be tried at the hands of an invading country’s army. It should cause every country's leaders to shudder. The killing has not stopped in that region. It won't stop. They have been fighting and killing each other since the times of the Bible. What makes anyone think that an invading army is going to stop it from happening? US Army photo.

BAHAMAS FIRST CELEBRATES

R.H. ‘Bobby’ Symonette, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, was thought by many to have been a financial genius. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some also argue that if he had been a black man, he could easily have been Prime Minister of The Bahamas. Instead when the PLP ousted himself and his family from power in 1967, he went into business. He had a penchant for making money in this small society. When he died he was an extremely wealthy man surpassing the wealth and influence of his father, the country's first Premier Sir Roland Symonette.
One of the companies Mr. Symonette left behind was Bahamas First Insurance. They are insurers, not brokers and the company has gone on from strength to strength. The Chairman of the company Ian Fair (left), its Vice President and CEO Patrick Ward (right) and Mrs. Diane Symonette (centre), the widow of Mr. Symonette all posed for the photo on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the company’s founding. They paid tribute to Mr. Symonette. Tribune photo.

FINGERPRINTING BAHAMIANS TO THE US
    The US Embassy in The Bahamas has announced that beginning in the summer next year, all visitors entering the United States through the pre-clearance facility in The Bahamas will have to be fingerprinted and photographed. All other places, the process begins 5th January. The pictures and fingerprints will then enter a US database and each visitor will be immortalized as a potential criminal. This is to make the US a safe place and avoid incidents like the attack on the World Trade Centre on 11th September in New York. Most commentators doubt it will make any difference, since it was not high tech that brought down the World Trade Centre but low tech, fairly primitive methods.
    Anyway, the mandarins in Washington have determined that all the world should be fingerprinted, each one at every port of entry into the United States. And so it was that it came to pass that the decree has gone out, and you will be required to stick your finger painlessly (they promise) into a machine and bingo you are entered into the United States. Praise God and pass the ammunition.
    The Minister of Foreign Affairs has also warned Bahamians that more secure documents are coming for The Bahamas. Next year’s machine readable passports are likely to include biometric data including possibly fingerprints and facial recognition photos.

SIR CLEMENT IS ILL

Sir Clement Maynard, the country’s former Deputy Prime Minister, is ill in hospital. His daughter Allyson Maynard Gibson, the Minister for Financial Services and Investment, told the House of Assembly on Wednesday 17th December that her father was resting since surgery was performed the day before; that he was thankful for all of the prayers and concerns. He was also thankful for the first class team of doctors. He encouraged people to give blood. We wish Sir Clement well and ask all to keep him in their prayers. Sir Clement is 75 years old. He served in the Cabinet of The Bahamas from 1967 to 1992.

PLP DISAPPOINTED IN FNM ADVICE

The Progressive Liberal Party issued a statement Sunday, saying it was disappointed at the advice given by FNM leader Senator Tommy Turnquest, when he said that the Ministry of Tourism should inform travel agents about the possibility of industrial unrest in the hotel industry.
The statement, issued by PLP Chair Raynard Rigby (pictured), called it "simply bad advice ...preposterous and" not in the "best interest of this nation and our Tourism product". You may click here for the entire statement.

WAITING FOR GG

The annual luncheon of the Cabinet with Governor General at Christmastime this week providing some interesting photo opportunities of an event not normally seen. Members of the most powerful club in the country, all decked out in their seasonal finery, milling around waiting for the appointed time. Bahamas Information Services' Peter Ramsay was there.

NEW VICE CHANCELLOR FOR UWI
    Professor Eon Nigel Harris has been appointed to succeed Professor the Hon Rex Nettleford as Vice Chancellor at the University of the West Indies. He is expected to assume the post of Vice-Chancellor on August 1, 2004 when the incumbent, Professor the Hon Rex Nettleford demits office.
    A Guyanese by birth, Professor Harris is currently Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, USA. He is internationally known for his work as a Rheumatologist.
    His academic achievements and personal qualities have earned Professor Harris national leadership positions in organisations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Centre for Research Resources (NCCR) and the Association of Academic Health Centres. He has received many Honours and Awards, including the Centennial Award for Contributions to Medicine of the National Medical Association of America in 1995.
    Professor Harris graduated magna cum laude from Howard University, with a degree in Chemistry and proceeded on a fellowship to Yale University, where he received a Master of Philosophy degree in Biochemistry. He earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, completing this within three years and again graduating with honours.
    Professor Harris is married to Dr C. Yvette Williams-Harris, a general internist at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Atlanta and they have three children.

US SECURITY ALERT
The United States has raised its level of alert over the perceived terrorist threat to its citizens outside that country. Late Sunday 21st December, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Cynthia Pratt issued a news statement addressing the implications for The Bahamas. The statement foreshadows measure similar to the last 'orange level' alert declared by the Americans, including additional security at ports of entry into The Bahamas. Please click here for the statement.

PAT RAHMING'S 12 DAYS OF A POLITICIAN'S XMAS
Our friend, the talented Bahamian architect, musician, songwriter and general raconteur Pat Rahming of 'Two Piece 'o Six and Four' fame (from the Racetrack Song), thought to share with us during this holiday season an hilarious piece written in during the final days of the Ingraham FNM administration in December 2001 (with apologies to the well known song of the same tune).
Herewith is Pat Rahming's '12 Days of a Politician's Christmas', (Sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas):

By Pat Rahming
December 2001
All Rights Reserved

BIS Photos by Peter Ramsay (except where noted.)

Editor's Note - Our promised 'Ministerial Report Card' will now appear in the first column of the New Year in order to give our contributors ample time to consider all actions during 2003.

Isle of Capri Casino Opens

Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe was in his home island of Grand Bahama this past week for the official opening of the much awaited Isle of Capri Casino at 'Our Lucaya'. Hundreds of new Bahamian employees have been undergoing training for the opening of the casino which is seen as a vital ingredient for the success of the Lucayan Strip.

Young Grand Bahamian On The Move

From time to time, we are pleased to bring you news of young Grand Bahamians on the move in various areas. Today, we highlight Erin Ferguson. Erin is currently serving a six year term on the Standing Commission on National Concerns of the Episcopal Church in the United States. A formal Altar Boy under the Very Rev'd. Fr. Archdeacon Cornell Moss at the Anglican Church of the Ascension in Freeport, Erin is the son of Fox Hillian Eldin Ferguson Jr. and former Miss Bahamas Sharon Ferguson (nee Smith). Erin is currently studying at Howard University, while his family now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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

A YEAR OF A MIXED BAG
The year 2003 passes into history during the course of this week. The whole system of marking things out in a calendar is an artificial construct but in the organizational behaviour of man, that is the way we can remember things. The end of the year is usually a time for most people to reflect on what has gone on before and posit what is likely to occur in the future. The old year passes and it brings lots of resolutions of what we will and will not do. Pretty soon in the subtext of all that we have to do as human beings those too are forgotten.

Christianity was a clever religion in one respect. It is said that it adopted the symbols of the religious culture that it supplanted officially in the year 300 A.D. It was in that year that the Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian and Rome became a Christian nation. One of those symbols of the old order was the celebration of the winter solstice or the coming of winter on or about 23rd December each year. Most cultures celebrate it in the northern hemisphere. So the practice we call Christmas today, celebrating the birth of the Christ child is said to have been an adoption of the celebration of ancient Rome, investing the old celebration with new symbolism.

However Christianity came to be what it is today, the fact is that it is quite a powerful religion. It unleashed some instincts that led in some cases to the worst genocide in the history of mankind, with the Europeans slaughtering the native populations of the Americas and the Antipodes in the name of their one true God. And then charging into the Muslim Holy Land and slaughtering Muslims to re establish western control in the Middle East. President Bush used the word crusade as he prepared to unleash his legions on the Iraqi people again in 2002. He used it once and then when his minders told him what it actually meant, he never used it again.

Yet at one and the same time Christianity unleashed savagery, it is deterministic and that determinism has led to the development of the system of capitalism and secularism in Government that has led to wealth and technology creation beyond all measures imaginable in the Dark Ages. It preaches that you can be where and what you want to be by the choices you make. It also teaches that in the exercise of your free will, you are able to do good or evil, a choice for which you will ultimately pay or be rewarded. It teaches that the human being and indeed all creatures have intrinsic value. With that sense of intrinsic value we have gone on to build nations. As the Foreign Minister of The Bahamas said at the Convention of the PLP, “we defend our right to exist.”

There are no doubt many many problems which face The Bahamas. Not the least of them is how in an increasingly complex world, the fate of 300,000 people can be determined for their betterment while protecting their pride and fierce sense of worth and independence. As each day comes along a new challenge emerges that threatens to undermine the very sovereignty of which we are so proud. Some are subtle, some are direct but regardless, they are deadly.

And so as Perry Christie and his Cabinet look back on the past year, they can say proudly that they kept The Bahamas afloat. Perhaps that is all they are supposed to do. They have to make sure that come what may, the mouths are fed, the people are clothed, and that the flood waters and our own filth do not devour us. That much was accomplished. But one cannot help but think that in the larger scheme of things, there must be a grander accomplishment out there, a more forward thinking vision. No doubt there is, but that is Mr. Christie’s task as he faces the year 2004 and his primary job of keeping us fed, clothed, housed and happy.

A happy holiday season to you all. Thank you for your loyal readership of this column and we will see you hopefully on the next side of 2003, the year 2004.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 27th December 2003 at midnight: 36,757.

Number of hits for the month of December up to 27th December 2003 at midnight: 142,302.

Number of hits for the year 2003 up to 27th December 2003 at midnight: 1,700,730.

THE VALLEY WINS BOXING DAY

    The Valley Boys did it again, after a fairly long drought at winning any parade. Some had pronounced them finished. Some said that they had been mortally wounded by the defections from Gus Cooper’s leadership: Roots and latterly Prodigal Son. But Gus Cooper still has it and leading the way in the parade at Boxing Day named after drumming legend John Chipman aka ‘Chippie’. Their theme ‘The Great Roman Empire’.
    The Valley Boys is the group of Prime Minister Perry Christie, and wowed the crowds at Junkanoo when Gus Cooper, the Valley’s leader showed up, took off his helmet, offered it as trophy and bowed down before him. They then began a dance. The crowd loved it.   The area around which the Prime Minister grew up in Nassau was called ‘The Valley’.
    The official scores are: The Valley Boys –The Great Roman Empire 5074 points; second was The Shell Saxon Superstars, The Joy of Christmas, 4568 points; third was One Family, the Mighty Works of God’s Creation 4530 points; fourth was The Prodigal Sons, Portraits of Expression, 4429 points, fifth was Roots, World Crisis, 4224 points; sixth was Music Makers, Celebration of Life with 4040 points. Valley Boys Leader Winston 'Gus' Cooper is pictured performing as Caesar in this Peter Ramsay photo.

SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES

Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell welcomed the Foreign Minister of South Africa Dr. Nkosasana Clarice Dlamini Zuma to The Bahamas at the Nassau International Airport on Friday 26th December. The Bahamian Minister told the press that the visit was a real honour and privilege for The Bahamas. He said that Prime Minister Perry Christie was looking forward to hosting the President of South Africa on his state visit to The Bahamas. The photo at the airport is by Peter Ramsay.
On Saturday 30th December, the Foreign Minister of The Bahamas Fred Mitchell hosted the Foreign Minister of South Africa to dinner with part of her delegation and with Cabinet ministers Allyson Maynard Gibson and Glenys Hanna Martin. Peter Ramsay was there and took this record of the reception. South African Foreign Minister Zuma chats with Foreign Minister Mitchell during her VIP welcome in this BIS photo by Peter Ramsay.

THE MEANING OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN VISIT

The question is no doubt being asked about the State Visit of the President of South Africa: why and why now? The answer is not very complex and would seem to be obvious on the surface. The first point is the history of anti colonial struggle in the two countries is similar. There was a small white minority population that governed The Bahamas up to 1967 that enforced a racial segregation that left the majority of the population out of the economic and political main stream.
The story in South Africa was worse, with officially and legally sanctioned segregation of the races. The policy was called “apartheid”. Bahamians including our Foreign Minister and Mrs. Beryl Hanna, mother of Minister of Transport Glenys Hanna Martin were instrumental in the fight against apartheid in The Bahamas. The Foreign Minister was part of the Commonwealth Observer team that went to South Africa to participate in the peace process that led up to the elections of 1994 that saw Nelson Mandela become South Africa’s first democratically elected President. Philip Smith, our High Commissioner to Canada, was an official observer at the elections in 1994. The late Sir Lynden Pindling was the Chairman of the Commonwealth when the Nassau Accord emerged out of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Nassau in 1985. That saw an approach which led to the Eminent Persons Group that emerged with the South African government of the day and which ultimately led to the dismantling of apartheid. So the visit is to renew fraternal and cultural ties.

The visit of the South African President is also to promote friendship and explore business opportunities. There are Bahamian businessmen who have invested in South African business. For the South Africans, they have begun a major push to reach to the African Diaspora. South Africa plans to take a lead role in bringing the peoples together no matter where they are scattered. In July the South African President visited Jamaica for the 30th anniversary of CARICOM. It was there that Prime Minister Christie broached the subject of a state visit to The Bahamas.
From Nassau the President goes to Haiti where he will join President Jean Bertrand Aristide in the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Republic of Haiti. Haiti is the world's oldest Black republic and South Africa is its youngest. It will be ten years next year of full democracy in South Africa. We think that this visit of President Thabo Mbeki is a great opportunity for Bahamians. WELCOME DINNER - At top, Foreign Minister Zuma chats with Ministers Glenys Hanna Martin, left and Allyson Maynard Gibson, right. Bottom right, Mme. Zuma is seen greeting US Congresswoman Maxine Waters and her husband, a former US Ambassador to The Bahamas. BIS photos by Peter Ramsay.

“NASTY! NASTY!” KEN RUSSELL
    We call him Ken, the miserable. He can never crack a smile or have good thing to say about anything or anyone. His defence is that he has nothing to smile about or to say that is good as long as the PLP is in power. That is a strange thing that he would allow the victory of a political party to create such psychological misery for him. But if you want to be miserable, there is no reason to try to make other people miserable. Yet another time in the House of Assembly on Tuesday 22nd December.
    The House met only to consider a simple resolution to allow the regulation under the Tax Information exchange Agreement Act 2003 to be brought into force. Mr. Russell used that to attack Obie Wilchcombe, the Minister of Tourism on the grounds that he had done a joint ham and turkey give away in Mr. Wilchombe's constituency in Bimini. The evidence: a greeting card with Mr. Wilchcombe and Mr. Capo. He called this a conflict of interest. The response from the PLP's leadership was fast and furious. The Prime Minister came from his office and said that ham and turkey giving in The Bahamas was legal. He did not like it but it was a legal activity.
    Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister, had a more fundamental objection. He told Mr. Russell that if he persisted in tedious irrelevance again, and in contradiction to the rules of the House on relevance for the second time in as many weeks, the Government was prepared to ask the Speaker to invoke closure once again and stop the debate. Mr. Russell then withdrew an omnibus allegation against senior ministers of the Government accepting gifts and then left the precincts of the Chamber. “Nasty! Nasty!” Ken Russell.

CAUTION ON FNM E MAIL
All of a sudden, strange e-mails supposedly from the editors of the FNM’s website have been showing up at the e-mail addresses of PLPs. Be careful with this e mail. It asks you, if you want to block it and be unsubscribed. When you reply it sends back nasty messages. It raises the suspicion that this might be a sham. We are trying to check it out. But if e-mail comes from the FNM's site be careful and don’t open it. Delete it right away.

US BEEF BANNED IN THE BAHAMAS
The Nassau Guardian reports that The Bahamas has issued an order banning all beef imports from the United States with immediate effect as a result of the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in the US. It did not state the source of its information. The disease has no cure and can be transmitted to human beings by eating meat from an animal with the disease.

INGRAHAM IN THE HOUSE
    The talk is now more widespread than ever that Hubert Ingraham is going to come back to lead the FNM. Over the holidays two parties were held for him by big supporters in Grand Bahama and it set the stage for the ultimate comeback. There were loud cries that he must come back to save the FNM. The great dilemma they tell us is that Hubert Ingraham does not quite know how to fix his mouth to tell Tommy Turnquest that he must step down.
    It was interesting to hear the former Prime Minister speak in Parliament on Tuesday 22nd December. He was engaging in a legacy building exercise as he spoke on a resolution to bring into force the regulations under the Tax Information Exchange Act 2003. That is the act that will allow certain tax information to be disclosed upon request from the US authorities. Mr. Ingraham said in the course of that debate that he did not agree with Tommy Turnquest’s assertion that tourists should be warned about the possibility of a strike in The Bahamas roundly condemned by the PLP’s Raynard Rigby (click here for last week’s story).
    Mr. Ingraham's intervention in the House seemed to set the stage for the tale to be told to Tommy Turnquest that it is time to go. A source told us: “Almost no one at the parties could think of a good reason for Tommy to stay.” But Hubert Ingraham is a target that the PLP is just waiting for. For one thing, if he comes back as Leader of the FNM, he will have to give up his pension and revert to his salary as a Member of the House. Legal research is being done on the point now as to how to effect that withdrawal of pension.
    Another point is the idle and silly remarks that Mr. Ingraham makes about how when he was in office he did such a good and efficient job of running the House of Assembly. We can share with you a piece from Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell’s response to that assertion by Mr. Ingraham.
    Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said in the House of Assembly on Tuesday 22nd December: “In the FNM Government’s last December in office, the House of Assembly met on the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 12th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 2001. Moreover, the House met on the 27th December. That was the time that the rain forced the postponement of the Junkanoo parade until the evening of the 26th. Those members who attended the Junkanoo parade had to attend the House the same morning that the parade ended. At that meeting the House passed the following: The Minimum Wage Bill, the Health and Safety at Work Bill, the Inheritance Bill; the Administration of Estates Bill, the Wills Bill, the Employment Bill. Also passed that same day were three bills Amending the Constitution. The House on that day adjourned at 9 p.m.”
    The Minister said that the FNM and former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had the unbridled gall to say that the PLP was trying to rush through legislation.

OF CABINET SHUFFLES AND REPORT CARDS

    Bahamians like most people in every society like a good gossip about the people in power. When it is not idle speculation about the private lives of those in power, it is speculation about what moves the Prime Minister is going to make and what Minister is going to where. Such is the state of things in The Bahamas as the year comes to a close. The newspapers have been rife with the speculation. We carried a report earlier in the year about some of speculation from the Bahama Journal.
    The speculation is not all idle because Prime Ministers in the past have used the end of year to make adjustments to portfolios. It is unlikely that any Minister will be dismissed but there is in the normal course of things a Prime Minister’s mid course correction. So everyone waits for the new year to begin and to see what moves the PM will make. Out of that will come another round of speculation where people will look at the moves to see which Minister is moving high on the totem pole and who is being demoted.
    A word of caution, though. There was a time when Darrell Rolle was appointed the youngest member of the Cabinet ever at the age of 28. He was then said to be the successor to Sir Lynden. But that was back in 1972, and where we are now is a far different reality than back in that year, so you never know until you see what unfolds.
    The writers of this column from Grand Bahama who write as B.S. and D.M. have done what they call a report card of Ministers over the last year. They are the views of those writers. We do not agree with them. Some are unnecessarily harsh and do not take into account the realities of political life and what it takes to survive in this milieu. But the unvarnished portraits are there along with the grade provided. They make an interesting read in the “B.S. Notes from Geneva’s”

A STRIKE THREAT ON HOLD
    The country was afraid that the Christmas season would be ruined by a strike in the hotel sector. Last week, in our editorial, we said that we were opposed to a strike. We felt that it was a bad idea at this time. But what continues to concern us is that the country seems to think that this is a matter which is the fault of the Union alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that it takes two to tango. The employers have also given signals that a strike is what they want.
    It appears though that over the last few days before Christmas both sides got the message from the public that as we struggle to survive and recover from the recession in the tourist sector, the last thing we need is a strike. The Union pledged that over the holidays there would be no strike. But the sides are said to still be miles apart on an ultimate settlement.
    The idea of a strike is singularly unpopular in Grand Bahama in particular. The employers have taken a survey and they do not think that the Union can support a strike in Nassau. But we tell you what; we don’t want to test it at all. The Union and the employers should agree to settle this matter and get on with bringing the industry back to life.

RON PINDER’S BIRTHDAY
When he ran for Parliament in 2002, he was the PLP’s youngest candidate. Now he has reached the ripe old age of 30. His friends set a surprise birthday party for him at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Chisholm in Winton. He had a happy birthday indeed.

THIS WEEK WITH THE PM

TOP LEVEL GREETING PARTY - Mrs. Bernadette Christie (second right) smiles, along with Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt (second left) as the Prime Minister, DPM and their spouses prepare to greet their Excellencies Thabo Mbeki and Madame Mbeki at Nassau International Airport.

Earlier in the week, the Prime Minister was on holiday duty, seen here offering a toast at the annual Cabinet Office Christmas party.

NON PARTISAN - Prime Minister Christie shares a thought with Leader of the Opposition Tommy Turnquest as politicians of all stripes gather to watch the annual Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade.

BIS Photos by Peter Ramsay (except where noted.)

Editor's Note - Herewith, our promised 'Ministerial Report Card' from Grand Bahama writers B.S. & D.M. - The Hon. James Smith has been omitted because, even though he sits as a member of Cabinet, the substantive Minister of Finance is Prime Minister Christie.

19 Months of PLP Government
This report card is a direct response to the cancellation of the ‘Drive Time’ radio talk show hosted by Steve McKinney. We believe the Government of The Bahamas lost a golden opportunity when they allowed the Board of the Broadcasting Corporation to take away the pulse of what was going on in the country from Abaco in the north, to Inagua in the south.

We believe that from time to time it is good for allies to take critical analysis of themselves. Keeping in mind that the Bahamian people have given Prime Minister Christie five years in which to implement his various policies. Mr. Christie on May 2nd, 2002 inherited a government that was reeling from the fall out of the bad laws that Parliament passed in an attempt to appease the G-7 Nations. We believe when those financial regulations were passed into law the FNM administration naively thought that our problems would have gone away.

The Bahamian people, on the other hand, saw it as a betrayal of the sovereignty of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. They further felt that within the ranks of the FNM there was not to be found one brave bobby with the courage of their convictions to stand before their leader and disagree. So, en masse, they sent the FNM packing with one of the most humiliating defeats in the history of Bahamian general elections.

PRIME MINISTER PERRY CHRISTIE
PM Perry Christie who wears his good name in public office has brought to the table of government and politics a new dimension of leadership. He is said to be not one to rush into decisions. We believe that there is some merit in this method. He also believes and relies heavily on consensus; no one could ever claim that he is overbearing and overreaching into the ministries of his Cabinet colleagues; we believe that this may come back to haunt him someday.

Prime Minister Christie has taken on the mantle as Minister of Finance. On that score, he has held the line. We have not being able, however, to rationalize some of his appointments; but nineteen months are merely just the beginning, and we are prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. On the personal side, Bahamians generally feel that he has a listening ear and has not displayed the air of arrogance which leaders sometimes assume after tasting the sweetness of power. His many Board appointments have not yet borne fruit. The Bahamian people are a live and let live lot as long as they could provide for their families; and, we believe that as the economy improves his job should be made easier.

Christie has not demonstrated that he is prepared to draw a line in the sand with the militant unions that this country has produced and at some point he will have to take a stand. But, for his nineteen months in office, we give him a B.

BIG BAD BRAD ROBERTS
Bradley Roberts, Minister of Works and Utilities has brought to the table his business acumen. He has saved the people of the Bahamas millions of dollars. He has a philosophy of how the business of government should function. We believe since Mr. Roberts has indicated that he will not seek reelection to Parliament, it might be useful for Christie to use Mr. Roberts to make some unpopular decisions that will ultimately have to be made to bring the unions in line and out an end to these wildcat strikes. We give Mr. Roberts an A-.

OBIE WILCHCOMBE
Outside of Atlantis, Paradise Island, tourism to date seems to be in the doldrums. The business of tourism is advertising and promotions. We believe that we have not gotten what we expected. Mr. Wilchcombe's background in communications makes him ideally suited for the promotion of The Bahamas. We believe he has not found his feet as yet and is just maintaining the status quo.

In Freeport, taxi drivers, store keepers, and hotel workers, all sing in unison that this is the worst it has been in recent memory. He is also responsible for the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas and, it is fair to say that over the past nineteen months instead of building on the gains that have been made, we have seen regressions at ZNS under his leadership. We give the Minister a C-. Having sat at the feet of the late Sir Lynden Pindling, and being a quick study, we know that he is capable of doing much better.

VINCENT PEET - MR. DAPPER
Vincent Peet, Minister of Immigration and Labour - His subordinates in Grand Bahama say that it is hard to get a reading on where the Immigration policy ought to go. They say sometimes in their business one must appear to be confrontational but this Minister comes across as too polite and well mannered. With the economy being in a slump, the average Bahamian sees Haitians and Jamaicans taking their jobs. We feel that is an unfair rap to give the Minister because the Immigration repatriation budget says otherwise.

On the labour front, again, Minister Peet is seen as been to soft. We suppose through quiet diplomacy, he has avoided industrial actions. So for that, we give him a C+.

DR. MARCUS BETHEL
Marcus Bethel, Minister of Health and Environment, is a cut your coat according to your cloth type of fellow. You tell him how much money he has to work with and he will make it work. He has brought to the table his knowledge of the business of health; we have seen steady progress in the overall health system, countrywide. It is a pity that Dr. Bethel is not an elected Member of Parliament. He has a philosophy of how The Bahamas should develop; and, if the Prime Minister had three more ministers of Dr. Bethel's calibre, the country would greatly benefit. We give him A.

SHANE GIBSON
Shane Gibson, Minister of Housing and National Insurance, comes from a background of the Trade Union movement. He is, therefore, able to think quickly and he has organizational skills. If he is allowed to continue, and is not sidetracked, we believe at the end of his tenure, he would have done more to put Bahamians in their own homes, more than any other minister of housing, save Hubert Ingraham. On the National Insurance front, we believe that he will have to find innovative means to invest National Insurance funds to make a real and meaningful return. We give Minister Gibson a B+.

V. ALFRED GRAY
Our first recollection of Minister Gray was touring a banana patch in a Brooks Brothers' suit with necktie and all; and, we said then, we were back to paying lip service to that ministry. In Grand Bahama, we have observed Minister Gray in his handling of local government and we are not impressed. We feel that as a Minister, he is ill prepared. We give him a D.

LESLIE MILLER
Leslie Miller, Minister of Trade and Industry, is not a diplomat by any stretch of the imagination. He has a view of how The Bahamas is to develop and the role of Bahamians in business. He has not brought clarity to his vision; and, we believe the in fighting has taken its toll. We give him a D, also.

NEVILLE WISDOM
Neville Wisdom, Minister of Sports and Culture, has had some missteps, but he has also been innovative in his thinking. We can condemn him for last year's bleachers fiasco; but it would be unfair to blame him for this year's bleacher contract. We believe that it has more to do with politics and they see Wisdom as the weak link. Having learned his lesson of last year, we hope that has not discouraged him from thinking outside the box. We give him a C.

FRED MITCHELL
Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Service: It is not fair, we believe, to pay a man for his hobby. Mitchell truly loves the business of government and politics. He brings to the table that passion. His detractors, however, believe that he could do more around the Cabinet table in foreseeing some of the problems before they arise. He has promised to bring a committee style of government to Foreign affairs; but we have not seen that come to pass as yet. We believe that he should be more forceful in enunciating his beliefs instead of waiting to make the safe moves. We give him a B+.

ALFRED SEARS
Alfred Sears, Minister of Education and Attorney General: As Minister of Education, Minister Sears knows exactly where he wants to take the country and what is to be done. He has a problem, however, that of The Bahamas Union of Teachers. Each successive government over the past 15 years has had to deal with this militant union. He, however, must find a way to work around them. It has been suggested by persons who are well qualified in this area that the way to do handle this problem is to deal with the school principals. Get them to buy into your vision and you will be on your way. He gets a B for the Ministry of Education.

As the Attorney General, the court system is still dysfunctional; matters are not moving forward expeditiously. Staffing is still inadequate, and too many expatriates are employed in the system at this stage in our development. For just holding the line, we give him a C.
B.S.

D.M. On Women Ministers of Government
HON. CYNTHIA PRATT
The most underused Minister in Government has to be the Hon. Cynthia Pratt. Her years of community activism and her passion for the positive development of all youth in our country not only allows her to have a firsthand knowledge of what is going on in our urban areas, but she would be able to have close contacts with the available resources. The illegal immigration problem within her reign lies on her inability to mobilize a patrol unit to police this ominous problem or some other creative way. Crime is an epidemic in this country…a malicious crime is a malicious crime. There is no excuse for it. Our minister must seek to promote the importance of research by officers in criminology and psychology. There is now a need to remove the stereotypes of our cops as being ‘toy cops’. Training needs to be more extensive. There is a need to have a full-time forensic psychologist on the police force. Law enforcement is not a social issue, it is more because criminals are exposed too many outside influences. The premise seems to have been that Minister Pratt brought compassion to the table, but compassion does not lend completely to the many misdemeanours. Our police force and Marine must be transformed. For her compassion and her tireless efforts despite not being assigned where she could best be utilized, I give Minister Pratt a B-.

HON, MELANIE GRIFFIN
The Hon. Melanie Griffin seems to complain too much. The social concerns in our country are bloodcurdling and whining about them is not enough. Additionally, social work in this country is not an ‘office job’; it is a field job. There are too many children wishing for peace in their homes, a bite to eat, and/or a roof over their heads this Christmas. There are too many children working, too many children involved in illegal acts, and too many children being taken advantage of. Social workers should be visible in our communities and should be adopted relatives to those children from adverse circumstances. She seems to relay a lazy spirit and her leadership trickles down into the social work staff. She lost quite a number of points because she did not make herself visible in Grand Bahama in the case of the Missing Boys. Lastly, social concerns are not only in New Providence, there are equal concerns in the Family Islands that need the same amount of attention. Minister Griffin has not been impressive. She has not developed sufficient creative strategies to deal with the many social concerns in our country. However, her ministry is one of the most important ministries of all and her innovative models would be able to transfer the social climate in the country, she still has time to make a difference. I give her a C.

HON ALLYSON MAYNARD GIBSON
Allyson Maynard Gibson is regarded as a favourite. Her competency about government and politics and her duties as a minister far outstrips many of her male counterparts. She seems to have enough energy and time to assist, say a Minister of Trade and Industry. She no doubt was dealt a challenge in an industry that lost its credibility because of the influence of the former Prime Minister, Hon. Hubert Ingraham. She has been a foot soldier for being creative in implementing new investments on the islands (despite that they are foreign entities) in the country which will enable new jobs for Bahamians everywhere. There is still much work to be done in the financial services industry and in all fairness she needs the time to clean up the mess. I give Minister Maynard-Gibson a B+ and I am confident that she can only get better.

HON GLENYS HANNA MARTIN
I remember the first time I saw Minister Hanna-Martin giving a contribution. She seemed flustered when an opposition Member of Parliament rose to challenge a statement she had just made. She was, no doubt, unable to respond adequately to the challenge and asked that she have time to research the matter and respond later. She has improved since then. However, it seems that since Minister Martin came into position every possible problem that could occur in the transportation industry occurred though the same things have been occurring for years. For example, the feud between the taxi cabs and the luxury bus lines, the tragic mailbox accident that occurred during the summer, the automobile accident that occurred on the Potter’s Cay dock that resulted in the loss of life, and the Jitney accident that occurred most recently. I cannot say, however, that she has exercised her duties as a minister in dealing with those issues. The mailboat industry is primitive and is required to be upgraded or extinguished. According to some boat owners, some routes are no longer profitable and many of the boats are poorly equipped and poorly managed. Luxury bus liners are the future of the transportation industry. Wake up! Public bus transportation needs to be monitored for recklessness and promptness. I am not impressed with the Minister’s performance in the past 19 months. She seems too distant (withdrawn) and does not display an interactive approach within these service industries. The only thing that she seemed have done within those few months was to resolve the air traffic controllers. She has time to get her act together. I give her a C-.
B.S.
"...just as lightning makes no sound until it strikes, the revolution will be generated quietly..."

7^th December, 2003 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *How do you do today? It's great to have you as a reader. We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas!* *Please tell all your friends about us.*
HOTEL UNION STRIKE VOTE...	PRIME MINISTERIAL KUDOS FOR MITCHELL...
FRANKLYN WILSON ON COB...	BRADLEY ROBERTS SPEAKS ON BAHAMASAIR...
HARD MOUTH GLENYS SMACKS HUBIGGETY...	WISDOM DEFUSING A JUNKANOO MESS...
PM LUNCHES WITH QUEEN & GETS A RECIPE TO BOOT...	A BAHAMIAN ABROAD...
SIDNEY STUBBS STILL DOESN’T GET IT...	LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...
HIV STATS SAID TO DROP...	RIGBY SMACKS THE FNM...
THE BAHAMAS GOOD CREDIT RATING...	NIGERIAN FOOTNOTES...
SMILEY BUTLER HONOURED...	THE WEEK WITH THE PM...
	B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S FREEPORT...




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

14^th December, 2003 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *How do you do today? It's great to have you as a reader. We have the most incisive political news about and from The Bahamas!* *Please tell all your friends about us.*
SEA HAULER’S CAPTAIN GOES TO JAIL...	BATELCO PRIVATIZATION OFF FOR NOW...
NEW GAMING BOARD SECRETARY...	THABO MBEKI COMING TO NASSAU...
DOES THE PM GET HIS MESSAGE OUT?...	BAHAMASAIR WORKERS DISCIPLINED...
A NEW BAIC CHAIRMAN...	A BAHAMIAN IN NIGERIA...
KEN RUSSELL – A DEAD HORSE WHIPS A DEAD HORSE...	TIT FOR TAT PLPS...
PUBLIC SERVANTS GET PAID...	THE VALUE OF THIS SITE...
THE PLP AND INFORMATION POLICY...	THE COMMONWEALTH A BIG BOYS CLUB...
FRED MITCHELL WITH THE CHILDREN...	LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...
JUNIOR JUNKANOO - A PHOTO ESSAY BY PETER RAMSAY...	THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...
	B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S FREEPORT...



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

21^st December, 2003 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *We Wish You A Merry Christmas!*
PREPARATION FOR MBEKI...	THE HOUSE MEETS...
SHANE TELLS ‘EM (HUBERT THAT IS)...	BEC LOAN APPROVED...
MINISTER GRAY IS CHALLENGED...	NEW MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS...
RODNEY BAIN’S WIDOW DIES...	THE CAPTURE OF SADDAM WHO?...
BAHAMAS FIRST CELEBRATES...	FINGERPRINTING BAHAMIANS TO THE US...
SIR CLEMENT IS ILL...	WAITING FOR GG...
PLP DISAPPOINTED IN FNM ADVICE...	NEW VICE CHANCELLOR FOR UWI...
US SECURITY ALERT...	PAT RAHMING'S 12 DAYS OF A POLITICIAN'S XMAS...
THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...	B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S FREEPORT...




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

28^th December, 2003 *Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com* *Happy Holidays!*
THE VALLEY WINS BOXING DAY...	SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES...
THE MEANING OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN VISIT...	“NASTY! NASTY!” KEN RUSSELL...
CAUTION ON FNM E MAIL...	US BEEF BANNED IN THE BAHAMAS...
INGRAHAM IN THE HOUSE...	OF CABINET SHUFFLES AND REPORT CARDS...
A STRIKE THREAT ON HOLD...	RON PINDER’S BIRTHDAY...
THIS WEEK WITH THE PM...	JUNKANOO PHOTOS...
	B.S. NOTES FROM GENEVA’S FREEPORT...






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

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

Volume 1 © BahamasUncensored.Com

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