Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 3 © BahamasUncensored.Com
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?
Hubert Ingraham, the former Prime Minister, who became Leader of
the Opposition again on Monday 28th November, likes to intimidate his opponents
or try to. He has the voice of big Billy goat gruff, and seeks to
make sharp barbs and comments designed to frighten. That is how he
ruled, that is how he plotted and schemed his way to the top with the FNM,
and now he is trying it again with the new PLP. Only this time its
does not work. There is no one in the PLP who is afraid of him.
Last week in the House of Assembly Prime Minister Perry Christie reminded the former Prime Minister that when he came to power against Sir Lynden Pindling, he (Mr. Ingraham) said that the rabbit had got the gun from the farmer. Now Prime Minister Christie said it is the farmer who has the gun. Mr. Christie added that when he went to Malta, he knew that rabbit was one of their native dishes, and told them he would like to eat rabbit. The House got the point and dissolved into laughter.
We thought that Hubert Ingraham would stick around the House now that he is Leader of the Opposition. You know when he was supposedly retired he used to come into the House for ten minutes to mark himself present and then leave. Since he is leader of the Opposition, we thought he would now stay. But Mr. Ingraham had such a bad day on Wednesday 30th November that when things got too hot for him, he again jumped up and left. His performance was poor during the week, blustering at times, but humbled most of the times as he came to realize that yes indeed the farmer has the gun again.
Nothing could have been more humbling than the experience of having to sit by and listen to a blistering attack on his character by Keod Smith, the Member of Parliament for Mt. Moriah. Mr. Smith was deeply offended by comments Mr. Ingraham had made about his ancestry, and told Mr. Ingraham that he had defamed his mother and father in the process. You may read in detail below. One of the reasons we mention Mr. Smith is the fact that we warned Mr. Ingraham that he faces a virtual nightmare with these young Members of Parliament who have no respect for him, who will eat him alive every time he gets up. Mr. Ingraham when he tried to speak was reduced at the end to asking whether or not the Speaker was going to protect his right to speak without interruption. Mind you this was the same man who minutes before was interrupting the Prime Minister as he spoke. Such a pitiful character.
As we look at his first weeks in office first as FNM Leader and then as Leader of the Opposition, we think that his heart simply isn’t in it. He does not have the patience and sustainability that is required of him to do it. Perhaps it is that heart attack he had earlier in the year. He thought that when he came back the PLP would be trembling and would fall back in his wake. No such luck. You have young ambitious Members of Parliament who just don’t give a hoot about all that, and who will fight to keep what they have established. The world has changed since Mr. Ingraham first came to power in 1992 and it certainly has changed since 2002 when he lost.
We asked the question in the headline: Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? The wolf is of course metaphorically Hubert Ingraham. The answer is that no one in the PLP is afraid. As the months unfold toward the election, and Mr. Ingraham exhausts himself and his party's resources, it will become clearer and clearer that the wolf is now a pitiful shadow of himself. He himself says that he will only be there for eighteen months after the election and hand it off to the next person. Well as the FNM liked to say in the old days, in the name of God go now.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 3rd December at midnight: 94,931.
Number of hits for the month of November up to Wednesday 30th November at midnight: 473,092.
Number of hits for the year 2005 up to Saturday 3rd December 2005 up to midnight: 3,767,351.
PAUL
ADDERLEY THE NEW GOVERNOR GENERAL
The Cabinet office announced last week that the
Queen had assented to the Hon. Paul Adderley, the former Attorney General
to act as Governor General, succeeding Dame Ivy Dumont who retired on 30th
November. The appointment began on 1st December. The Cabinet
Office did not say how long the acting appointment would last. It
is thought that it will not be a permanent appointment. Mr. Adderley
has acted as Deputy to the Governor General on a number of occasions when
Dame Ivy was absent from the country. The Prime Minister Perry Christie
and other Cabinet Ministers attended the swearing in at Government House
led by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Sir Burton Hall. The
Bahamas Information Services photo is by Peter Ramsay
CARL
BETHEL – JACKASS OF THE WEEK
Last week, this column described him as the idiot savant of Bahamian politics.
This week, he is the man who knows no political father. Hubert Ingraham
in his defence against the onslaught by Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell
and Carl Bethel’s manufactured visa scandal disassociated himself from
the remarks of Carl Bethel. Mr. Ingraham said that the visa issue
was a statement by Carl Bethel and not one of the FNM. He said that
while the FNM might adopt what Carl Bethel said, the fact is it was Carl
Bethel’s statement. Now that is an interesting thing for the new
Leader of the Opposition to say in the face of the fact that two other
people showed up at the Sunday press conference to make the announcement
on visas with Carl Bethel. One was the Leader of the Opposition business
in the House and now Deputy Leader Brent Symonette; the other was Alvin
Smith, who was then Leader of the Opposition. So Carl is on his own,
no support from the FNM. That is why we thought this week, not only
do we describe him as the idiot savant of Bahamian politics but also as
our “un-valuable” JACKASS OF THE WEEK.
Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was on
his game. He was at his most brilliant. The people of the country
were wowed by his skilful use of language, words and the teleprompter at
the PLP’s convention where he savaged Hubert Ingraham and his greed to
return to power. But this week in Parliament on Wednesday 28th November
he was even better than that. He wrote and delivered a skilful response
to the spurious allegation of Carl Bethel and the FNM which really sought
to say that he was presiding over the sale of visas in The Bahamas.
He responded point for point and in detail about allegations made about
him. As the FNM MPs in the House sat in silence with their heads
hung down, Minister Mitchell revealed evidence that there was a pattern
of FNM MPs writing for visas for others. One of those MPs was Carl
Bethel himself, who was attorney general at the time that he wrote the
letter. Mr. Mitchell laid the letter on the table of the House.
You may click
here for Mr. Mitchell's full response. A lame Carl Bethel could
only say the next day in the Senate that the response of the Minister was
a red herring but of course the real point is that Carl got caught with
his pants down.
THE
ANTI- PLP PRESS
All of the press of The Bahamas resent the PLP,
even that section of the press which has been deliberately courted by Prime
Minister Perry Christie. The reporters seem not to take the proper
care to examine what is before them. Their writers seem to go out
of their way with inaccurate headlines, inaccurate stories and twisted
logic. One only has to remember the CSME debate earlier in the year.
The lies and distortion perpetrated by a supposedly independent and balanced
press should cause The Bahamas to hang its head in shame. The editors
and writers in the press are unrepentant about it, or are simply unwilling
to do anything about it.
Since Hubert Ingraham has returned the pages of
the newspapers have been filled with the pro Hubert Ingraham programmes,
embraced uncritically and as if what he has to say is absolute gospel.
When the Foreign Minister and Minister for Public Service established that
Hubert Ingraham stands to make $196,000 as Leader of the Opposition on
the Government’s coffers, The Tribune printed the story as an allegation.
The fact that the law is absolutely clear made no difference to the lies
told in their headline about an allegation of a salary.
Now the Minister of Foreign Affairs has pointed
out that Carl Bethel has simply spun a story that has no truth to it but
his views have been embraced uncritically by the press as if they are the
truth, and then they did not report the facts as outlined by the Minister
of Foreign Affairs which clearly show that Mr. Bethel has told a gross
distortion and untruth.
When the Prime Minister returned home from Malta
and had his press conference within hours of it they were on to Hubert
Ingraham and printed a rebuttal of what the Prime Minister had to say on
the same front page. On the other side, if they speak to the FNM
or to Hubert Ingraham, they don't bother to check with the PLP for any
response or if they get a response they simply bury the matter within the
FNM’s story.
This the same old story. The PLP has no friends
in the media and the PLP is now in a state of siege. This is not
going to change any time soon. The PLP had better realize it and
treat the press accordingly.
HUBERT
INGRAHAM’S FAILED RALLY
When Hubert Ingraham became Leader of the Opposition
again, he announced that his party would be holding a series of rallies
throughout the islands to galvanize FNM support. This is strange
for a number of reasons. It is an old and tired play book.
The play books have all moved on from those times. We reported how
the first one that he held in Nassau fell flat because the young people
here felt that it was boring and unexciting. Further, his own party
members don’t have their hearts in it because they believe he is too dictatorial.
Secondly, the elections are nowhere in sight and Christmas is coming.
People’s attention now turns to social matters and to their families, not
politics.
The weather in The Bahamas is much cooler in the
evenings, and no one wants to show up for rallies at night shivering in
the dark to wait for a message that is tired and comes on too late.
That was the problem Mr. Ingraham had in Grand Bahama as he tried his rally
to recapture Freeport on Friday 2nd December. It was cold.
The rally was too long. People left. He came on after 10 p.m.
He was making the case that unemployment had increased in Grand Bahama.
He tried to blame that on the PLP. The only problem is that the hurricanes
that destroyed the Royal Oasis had nothing to do with the PLP. We
all remember who it was that against advice allowed the Royal Oasis in
the first place.
The PLP warned the FNM government that the hotel
owners were not proper owners for the facility since they did not appear
to the PLP to have the resources to sustain an operation. The PLP
was correct. The owners could barely make payroll, and ended up leaving
bills to National Insurance, to the Gaming Board for casino taxes and to
the workers themselves. They also left a huge power bill that they
had not been paying on and could not settle.
So we encourage Mr. Ingraham to continue in his
old ways. The old magic has worn off and no one gives a hoot about
him and his idle words. It is to the PLP that the future belongs,
not to the backwardness of the past under Hubert Ingraham. Foreign
Minister Fred Mitchell ended his presentation in Parliament on Wednesday
30th November with the words “Forward ever! Backward never!”
We agree. In a late word from Grand Bahama, it seems that Hubert
Ingraham’s rally in Freeport was widely known among former FNMs as the
‘Turn Yourself In’ rally, and it is now being said that since so many former
supporters missed the opportunity to come back, those wishing a private
appointment “may contact Boxer, Kelly or Sonny no later than Thursday of
this week”. My, my, my.
BATELCO
LINKS UP WITH HAITI, COMPLETES BIMINI
Ambassador to Haiti for The Bahamas Dr. Eugene Newry
told the Nassau Guardian on Thursday 1st December that next year telephone
call charges to Haiti could be substantially reduced following a deal between
the state owned Teleco de Haiti and Bahamas Telecommunications Company
Ltd. The deal will see a fibre optic cable link up between Haiti
and The Bahamas, with the link up being completed at Inagua. It is
expected to come on stream in June of next year. Ambassador Newry
arrived back in Nassau during last week following talks with the Haitian
Government. We congratulate BTC and the Minister of Works Bradley
Roberts on this historic milestone. On Friday 2nd December Minister
Roberts traveled to Bimini where he officially inaugurated the new digital
service via fibre optic cable to Bimini. This will substantially
improve the service between the island of Bimini and the rest of The Bahamas
and allow data traffic and gsm cellular service between that island and
the rest of The Bahamas and the world. Prime Minister Perry Christie
and Minister of Housing and National Insurance Shane Gibson are shown at
the Office of the Prime Minister receiving the first telephone call from
the new Bimini system made by Minister Roberts. You may click
here for the full remarks of Minister Roberts. BIS - Peter
Ramsay
NATIONAL
HONOURS DISPENSED
One the final public duties of outgoing Governor
General Dame Ivy Dumont was to present the awards from Her Majesty the
Queen for the Birthday Honours list 2005. The awards are the British
Honours that we inherited after independence and included Commanders of
the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) and other awards. Those
receiving the CMG, the highest given out this year were Winston Saunders
for culture and the arts; Bishop Neil Ellis of Mt. Tabor Full Gospel Baptist
Church; Archbishop Patrick Pinder, Leader of the Roman Catholic Church
in The Bahamas. Winston Saunders, who heads the Cultural Commission
that has recommended the abolition of the British Honours, was asked how
he could accept the British Honours while calling for their abolition.
He deferred saying that the day was for accepting the country’s honours
such as they were not one for entering into controversy. Bahamas Information
Services photo by Peter Ramsay
ALLYSON
ANSWERS JOHN DELANEY
The Minister of Financial Services Allyson Gibson, in foreshadowing the
delivery of the electronic services of the Registrar General's Department
to Ragged Island, delivered a scathing press statement on Thursday 1st
December answering false charges made by Senator John Delaney of the Free
National Movement. Mr. Delaney, a Lyford Cay resident, was crying
crocodile tears over what he said was an incident where sewerage leaked
on to documents and caused the closure of the office for an extended period
and the contamination of documents from the company files. Not so
said the Minister. The Minister said while there was an incident,
it did not damage the files, and further the incident did not shut down
the public's access to the office for any extended period of time as Senator
Delaney would have us believe. Senator Delaney has become the resident
expert on everything to do with financial services of late. Mrs.
Maynard Gibson reminded the public that “Mr. Delaney was a paid consultant
during the previous administration which presided over the near destruction
of the financial services sector of The Bahamas. Now that Mr. Delaney
is on the public payroll at the Senate, he must not be allowed to further
destroy the financial sector through deliberate misrepresentation.”
Please click here for the full statement
of the Minister. File photo
KEOD
SMITH EATS INGRAHAM ALIVE
People were simply embarrassed for Hubert Ingraham.
And but for one word when the Member of Parliament called Hubert Ingraham
Brutus, the character from Shakespeare who stabbed his friend in the back,
all of it got through into the public domain. Hubert Ingraham sat
in the House of Assembly holding his head down and did not say a word.
All he could manage quite pitifully at the end was to say that he would
not dignify what Keod Smith said by responding to him. But Keod Smith
was angry. He said that Mr. Ingraham had been involved in a campaign
of disparaging remarks about his ancestry.
Mr. Smith said the comments made by Mr. Ingraham
in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 21st November were racist, and defamed
his (Mr. Smith’s) mother and father. The FNM and the down market
Punch has been running a campaign against Mr. Smith that he is Haitian
and not Bahamian. Mr. Smith said that he was proud of who he was.
He was Bahamian in every respect, with Turks Island roots but that he had
no difficulty with Haitians and that one family member had married a Haitian
and another spoke the language of Haiti.
In his House remarks, Mr. Smith called Mr. Ingraham
racist. He told Mr. Ingraham that he, Keod Smith, was born to married
parents. He repeated it. He said that he knew who his father
was and that the problem of those who did not was their problem.
This is a response to Mr. Ingraham's foolish bent in public of reminding
people that he was a bastard, his words not ours and that he did not know
his father until very late in life, and look how successful he has been.
While we agree that Mr. Ingraham is also a bastard is a political sense,
the words of Mr. Smith were stinging. Hubert Ingraham sat there and
took it, only holding his head down in shame and embarrassment.
PRIME
MINISTER RETURNS FROM MALTA
When Prime Minister Perry Christie stepped off the plane from Malta, he
was fired up and ready to go. While he dealt with the issues of foreign
affairs that were the centrepiece of the Malta Heads of Government trip,
he had also prepared extensive notes on domestic affairs that became issues
in his absence. He launched a blistering attack on the former Prime
Minister Hubert Ingraham who during the absence of the Prime Minister had
made several allegations with regard to the project out at Cable Beach
that is being developed by the Baha Mar group headed by Sarkis Izmerilian.
Mr. Ingraham, who always criticized the PLP for
making foreign investors the subject of political debate, tried to claim
credit for the investment by saying that the PLP did not give permanent
residence status to the Izmerilians, that it was the FNM government that
did. The Prime Minister derided that saying that nothing turned on
it. The fact is that the former Prime Minister Ingraham wanted to
play the childish game of who did what, whether or not the permanent residence
status was granted under the FNM, the investment was not done on the watch
of Hubert Ingraham but under the Christie watch.
Mr. Christie also took issue with Mr. Ingraham’s
comment that the details of the investment in Cable Beach were secret.
He pointed out that the entire deal was released in detail with the Head
of Agreement to Parliament. Tourism Minister Obie Wilchombe laid
it out in a sixteen page communication to Parliament which was subsequently
published in the newspapers in double page ads. Further, there was
a town meeting held where some 600 people attended to review the details
of the project.
The sale of the Crystal Palace formerly owned by
Phil Ruffin and the sale of the Radisson Cable Beach from the Government
did several things. It stabilized the employment situation in Cable
Beach. There has been no loss of jobs but a net gain of jobs.
The project will also revitalize Cable Beach for the future with some 3500
hotel rooms; part of an investment package in which some of the investors
include the Harrah’s group of Las Vegas. Mr. Ingraham can produce
nothing from his watch that beats this project. Prime Minister
Perry Christie is shown at the news briefing on his return from Malta holding
a special Financial Times newspaper supplement heralding the success of
the Bahamian economy. He is flanked by Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell
and Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe. Bahamas Information Services
photo - Tim Aylen
RIGBY
ANSWERS TRIBUNE CLAPTRAP
Raynard Rigby makes the point in a letter to The
Tribune that he was born in 1969, after the revolution of 1967. He
could only recall the stories his grandmother told him of the days when
the PLP fought for the dignity of Black Bahamians. He was responding
to the campaign by the FNM dominated press that the PLP is playing the
race card. We address that in a letter to the editor this week to
this column.
It is all foolishness of course but what the FNM
is hoping is that the marginal voter is fooled by this stuff and that a
shift away from the PLP is caused by it. Mr. Rigby’s letter was straightforward
and direct. The PLP's campaign is not about race. But it is
also clear that the history of The Bahamas is one of racial discrimination.
He argues, how could talking about the history of The Bahamas be racist?
You may click here for the full text
of a brilliant letter.
BAHAMIAN
CHRISTMAS CRAFT
Mrs. Bernadette Christie, wife of the Prime Minister
on Friday 2nd December, officially opened the 11th Annual Authentically
Bahamian Christmas Craft and Souvenir Show at the Crystal Palace Hotel.
The event has become widely popular, with both tourists and Bahamians looking
for something authentically Bahamian for Christmas decorating and with
artisans from across the country, who come to display their creations.
Mrs. Christie is pictured examining items from one of the many booths,
as Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe looks on. Bahamas Information
Services Photo – Derek Smith
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Ingraham Cannot Be Allowed to become Prime Minister
Thank you for allowing the space in your website.
It is with time that I realize the grave mistake that the FNM has made
with their leadership choice. Hubert Ingraham rose to the leadership
post with deceit and treachery. He came to be Leader by the wrong
means and we cannot allow this demon to be Prime Minister. He felt
no qualms about stripping the leadership from Tommy Turnquest, and there
is no telling what he will do to the Bahamian people. Ingraham only
cares about himself and his ego will destroy our nation. I have always
been an FNM, but because of what Ingraham has done to the FNM, I can no
longer support this tyrant. We, as proud citizens of this great nation,
cannot permit this (unpublishable comment deleted – Editor),
to be prime minister.
Relying on my conscience,
Russell R.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More on Racism
I read your page every week and have done so
from its inception. I enjoy it; it is well written despite its obvious
political bent. If this article were to be believed the PLP government
has done no wrong since its election to office in 2002. That aside,
what amazes me is your ability to put a spin on situations. An example
of this is the racism agenda ascribed to the PLP convention. You
tried to justify whatever racial crticism the PLP got by stating that the
FNM introduced race by referring to Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Symonette as salt
and pepper and by playing the song ebony and ivory. While I accept
that they did highlight race, there was no hint of racism.
The PLP convention on the other hand was a different
story. I watched both every night. I would say that there was
an undercurrent of racism. It was insinuated that a vote for the
FNM would be a vote for the 'white man' and the way of life prior to majority
rule. It reminded me of the PLP tactics of playing 'Roots' before
election. It may persuade or make some fearful but I don't think
it would be the majority. I think it is a dangerous tactic.
Just my thoughts.
(Name Withheld)
Interesting. The PLP is not playing the
race card. The FNM introduced salt and pepper, ebony and ivory.
Presumably they did that because they thought that being white and being
black was of some importance. But of importance to whom? Certainly
not the PLP. It was the FNM in fact that argued against Brent Symonette
running for leader because they were not ready for a white leader, presumably
because they thought that The Bahamas would not be ready for a white Prime
Minister. Again, that was them and not the PLP.
All we say is that the evidence points to the
same oligarchs that had power before 1967 bankrolling the FNM's fight for
power. We saw how they all resurfaced during the ten years of the
FNM's time in office. Brent Symonette represents them, and whatever
you argue today, if power were returned to them, they would benefit disproportionately
to their size in the population but certainly well within the proportions
of their financial contributions.
You would not really want the PLP to play the
race card in the same way the FNM keeps trying to suggest that one of the
PLPs is Haitian, playing the Haitian card. If the PLP really appealed
to race, you would see quite a mess indeed and the FNM would not be able
to survive. Fortunately, the PLP has responsible leadership, and
no matter how the political enemies of the PLP try to twist it, race is
not an issue for the PLP.
Oh by the way further confirmation of what is
intended came from Hubert Ingraham this week when he indicated after being
made Leader of the Opposition that he if he wins the Prime Ministership
will step down in 18 months, and hand it off to guess who? Brent
Symonette, scion of the last UBP leader. Oh well! – Editor
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
This past week Prime Minister Perry Christie received
at donation of $250,000 to assist victims of Hurricane Wilma from a private
sector group known as the Action Bahamas Committee.
The group is chaired by businessman Franklyn Wilson,
and raised the money in recent weeks mainly through a national telethon
which accepted pledges of about $500,000. Mr. Wilson said the cheque
was only a first installment, which the committee presented so that victims
could get immediate relief.
Prime Minister Christie encouraged the group to
continue to assist Bahamians impacted by disaster and invited their input
to government’s plans for emergency measures in times of disaster crises.
From left are Ronnie Armbrister, Cleomi Turner,
Algernon Allen, Bishop Neil Ellis, Prime Minister Perry Christie, Franklyn
Wilson, Al Jarret, Freddie Munnings Jr. and Kendrick Christie.
Farm Road Street Festival - Prime Minister Perry Christie this
past Friday, officially opened the Farm Road 'Joe Billy and Blind Blake'
Festival
in his constituency. The week long street festival is a cultural
celebration and the brainchild of Senator Traver Whylly, who is pictured
with Mr. Christie and Miss Farm Road, along with one of the performers.
| 11th
December, 2005
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COMMENT OF THE WEEK
EILEEN CARRON
IS CRIPPLED, BLINDED BY RACE
Eileen Carron is a Dupuch; the daughter of the late long serving
second Editor of The Tribune, Sir Etienne Dupuch. She married a man
from Mauritius; they have one adopted son Robert. She has been engaged
over the past week in a full scale attack on the PLP as being crippled
by race. She has laid open the columns of The Tribune as the almost
exclusive space for Hubert Ingraham. She means to bring the PLP down
as she has always meant to do, and she is using the same old tired strategy.
She is using her own insecurities about race to try to beat the PLP with
that tired old stick.
If you read any of the authoritative works on the history of Bahamian politics and social structure, whether by Dr. Gail Saunders, Michael Craton or Colin Hughes, or for God sake’s just live in the place, you will know that race is the major and dominant political cleavage in The Bahamas. It has dominated every election in The Bahamas from the time of Stephen Dillett, who was denied his seat in the Parliament because of his colour in the 1800s. The Parliament was dissolved by the then establishment rather than seat him. When elections were called one year later, and he was re-elected, they allowed him finally to sit.
Up until 1967, the House of Assembly was dominated by white merchants. That is a fact. The United Bahamian Party ran the country, and if you saw a picture of the Cabinet of their day, there was not a black face to be found. Except that, as Colin Hughes rightly points out in his seminal work ‘Race and Politics in The Bahamas’, white did not mean necessarily Caucasian as we understand it in, say, the United States of America. He talks about the difference between phenotypical colour and associational colour for example. To translate, it means simply that even though some were not European and therefore not “pure white” but were in fact mixed, and were quite pronouncedly brown, for all intents and purposes because they were “associated” with the power structure in the country which was white or European, they were considered white.
A caller to one of the talk shows was trying to argue this in a crude way by saying that we should not be calling Brent Symonette a white man because his father the country’s first Premier Sir Roland Symonette was not white. His father was quite brown in appearance but if you use Mr. Hughes’ arguments in the power structure Sir Roland was clearly regarded by black Bahamians as white. The only time that you would hear otherwise about Sir Roland and others like him is when black Bahamians seek to be disparaging about the person, to give someone who sought to “pass” their comeuppance, they would then say something like “he isn’t white anyway”.
In some circles in The Bahamas to suggest such a thing about one’s race is a slur akin to challenging a macho male with a slur about his sexuality. It is that grave.
Cyril Stevenson, of mixed race himself and one of the founders of the PLP, always referred to himself as coloured or black. But he was very fair skinned. And when he ran The Herald, the PLP's mouthpiece of the 1950s and 1960s, he once carried a headline that charged that R.H. ‘Bobby’ Symonette, a former Speaker and former Representative for Exuma, the oldest son of Sir Roland by his first marriage, was a coloured man. Mr. Stevenson got ahold of Mr. Symonette’s birth certificate which in the law and practice of the day stated the race of the individual. On his birth certificate was mixed. The other designations of the day were European and African. The practice no longer continues on birth certificates since 1962. Bobby Symonette now deceased was a half brother to the present Deputy Leader of the FNM Brent Symonette.
A similar story can be told of Eileen Carron. Her father was of mixed race himself, very brown and with clearly African hair type. He married a white woman from the United States. His children are much fairer than he and with European hair type. But the story of the disaffection caused by the marriage of one of his daughters to an obviously black man was quite something in the 1950s when it occurred.
This is all intensely personal stuff which has to do with one’s sense of self, one’s identity. It is so sensitive that some mixed race families who were rejected by the white establishment of that day are psychologically damaged by it to this day, and still can't quite bring themselves to describe what race they are. They rely on avoiding the subject all together by arguing that race is not important and often ask why should it be brought up any way.
They have been losing the battle on that score for years. It just can't be helped. The United States which dominates our culture is infused in its politics by race. That same culture is here, where racial discrimination existed in the country itself, within the times and memories of those alive today. Even the younger Bahamians see it all around them today, the obvious disparity between where the general African looking population is and the circumstances into which they were born, and the general lot of the European looking part of the population and the circumstances into which they were born. The two are as different as night is from day, generally speaking.
It has taken a while but our point is that Eileen Carron is the victim of that which we describe. She is damaged by it, and cannot get over it. So when she attacks the PLP on race as she has done in her editorials, in a way one must forgive her. She cannot help it. Racism is insidious. It is a sickness. The victims of it cannot help themselves. The PLP strikes at something visceral and atavistic in Eileen Carron; primordial, very primitive, in her very being. The fact that the present reality of the PLP, as it always was, is to fight for justice for all Bahamians does not arise for her. She just can’t get over her psychological hump. She will go to her grave that way.
Raynard Rigby, born after the 1967 revolution, wrote a letter, which we published last week, where he said that he found it inexplicable that people would say the PLP is racist, simply because the history of the country is recounted and remembered. Well, good sir, unfortunately we all have to get used to it. It is a sickness. Eileen Carron is but one example of the many who carry around that burden that they cannot get rid of. We really feel sorry for her.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 10th December 2005 at midnight: 81,262.
Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 10th December 2005 at midnight: 110,067.
Number of hits for the year 2005 up to Saturday 10th December 2005 at midnight: 3,848,613.
THE
GINN DEAL SIGNED
When the FNM left office, the cry was that the PLP should not be elected
to office because they were anti foreign investment. No one can say
that to day with over 7 billion dollars of investment attracted to the
country since Perry Christie has been the Prime Minister. This is
remarkable for a man who the FNM says can’t make a decision. The
point is that it is all propaganda.
You will also have read in this column how
the press in the country is anti PLP. They make the argument
that the PLP is anti foreign, that they can’t make decisions, and then
refuse to report anything which would give the lie to the lies that they
have told. Nothing can demonstrate that more than this week’s 3.7
billion dollar deal signed at West End, Grand Bahama between the Government
of The Bahamas and Robert Edward Ginn III and his Ginn Company, land developers
headquartered in Carolina in the United States. The signing took
place on Friday 9th December. The project is to start right way.
It was the largest single investment ever in the history of The Bahamas.
The Guardian did not report it at all the next day in their edition of
Saturday 10th December. The Tribune put it down low in a minor headline
on the front page. The PLP had better get used to it. The facts
are clear, the press in The Bahamas will not spread the message, and we
have to find a means of getting our message out.
Here is what the Ginn deal is about. The PM
announced that the total deal is 3.7 billion dollars. It will mean
an additional 4 billion dollars to the GDP of The Bahamas over the 20 year
life of the investment. It is anticipated that some 3700 construction
jobs will be created during the construction phase and 4,000 permanent
jobs. It is being built on 2000 acres of land in West End.
The proposal is to build 4,000 condominium hotel units, 870 single family
dwellings, a casino, a two championship golf courses, two marinas and a
private airport.
On the revenue side the concessions of 318 million
dollars represent eight per cent of the total investment. There are
special concessions to be given on stamp duty but there will be stamp duty
payable even though this is normally not the case under Hotel Encouragement
concessions. Those taxes will amount to 196 million dollars.
The occupancy taxes are expected to contribute 59 million dollars to the
revenue.
We congratulate the Prime Minister, his Minister
of Financial Services and Investments Allyson Gibson, the Minister of Tourism
Obie Wilchcombe, who is the representative for West End in the House of
Assembly, for their hard work on this project. The people of Grand
Bahama deserve a boost. The Prime Minister promised West End that
if the PLP returned to office in 2002, the glory days of West End would
return. The shovels are in the ground come Monday. You may
click
here for the full address of the Prime Minister.
NURSES
ISSUES ARE SETTLED
Cleola Hamilton has been a good leader for the nurses of The Bahamas.
She led the fight for the separate recognition of nurses as a union, separate
and apart from the Bahamas Public Service Union, and she has now obtained
the first industrial agreement between the Government of The Bahamas and
the Nurses Union. Those who argue that the Bahamas Government is
not labour friendly and not a vast improvement over the period of industrial
disharmony that existed under the Free National Movement are sadly mistaken.
The last days of Hubert Ingraham saw virtual insurrection in the streets.
To be sure, there have been some industrial disruptions within the PLP’s
time but not to the extent of the FNM’s time.
In fact, the country was surprised this week when
the nurses led by Mrs. Hamilton staged a two day sick out on Tuesday 6th
December and Wednesday 7th December by the Public Hospitals Authority Nurses.
There was fifty percent compliance but that caused major disruptions in
the provision of emergency service and other services for the poor.
This was truly regrettable. It is always the poor who suffer.
The matter had to be settled quickly. The Church, the Prime Minister,
the Minister for Labour, the Minister for the Public Service from his assignment
in Barbados all got into the mix. This column’s view is clear.
Honour the nurses' reasonable requirements. After this country quite
disgracefully allowed Nurse Joey Lunn to be murdered in cold blood in the
hospital ward, and the security is still not what it should be, it seems
to us here at Uncensored that whatever their reasonable requirements, they
should get.
It is a job which requires the nurses to go above
the call of duty. And no one can say that they do not perform, like
the arguments advanced against teachers who cannot seem to produce a set
of people who can read in the country. The contract settling the
issues was signed with Minister of Labour Vincent Peet on Thursday 8th
December. We agree with Hannah Gray from the PHA that it was unfortunate
that the sick out had to occur. The package is a five year contract
which starts with a $900 lump sum and includes in the first year a $100
per month increase. It also includes a commitment to a comprehensive
health insurance for the nurses. The sick-out should be put behind
the Authority and the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau and the Rand
Memorial Hospital in Freeport and their nurses should now get back to work.
Minister
of Labour Vincent Peet is pictured signing the nurses' contract. At left
is Acting Managing Director of the Public Hospitals Authority Hannah Gray,
and at right is Bahamas Nurses Union President Cleola Hamilton. Bahamas
Information Services photo by Eric Rose.
A
BROKEN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The people of The Bahamas have no idea how badly
served this country is by the public service that it has. They may
only think of the song by the artist K.B. where he lampoons those who work
for the Service as being lazy, late and indifferent. We think of
another level, not the level that directly interfaces the public but the
level that is supposed to be preparing, advising and executing the Government’s
policies and decisions. It appears to many that as it is getting
closer to elections, there is a strong undercurrent of resistance in every
theatre to what the Government is hoping to accomplish.
The politicians complain that every executive order,
every decision appears to be the subject of stall, delay and defer.
Paperwork seems to get conveniently lost, and the cry of every senior government
executive seems to be that whatever the policy is it can’t be done.
This is the complaint that has come from an anonymous letter writer to
this column. The letter writer argues that if the PLP does not get
on top of this issue with the movement of senior executives and other changes
in the service, it will see all the programmes it presently wants to execute
before the end of this term mired in bureaucracy and red tape, not necessary
for its execution, but part of a deliberate effort to stall all of the
programmes.
Another letter writer pointed out that on the day
that Hubert Ingraham's return was announced in some offices, even those
close to the top levels of the Government, some individuals went around
offices saying “He’s Back! He’s Back!” Then there was the noticeable
taunting of persons suspected of being PLPs, and deliberate slowing down
and interference in the work of the Government.
Hubert Ingraham’s return to the FNM was a serious
mistake. His return to Government should be stopped at all costs.
He will be bad for this country with his peremptory style of leadership,
his interfering in every little thing, and running a country by dictate
and fiat. The Bahamas has long gone past that. But in order
for any Government to function, it must have a competent and committed
public service that will actually work for the Government. We do
not think that it is so much a political agenda. It is as if the
Service has a mind of its own. That mind tells them that they want
no change and so anything that goes in the direction of change, there is
an automatic and inbuilt resistance. The PLP must get on top of this
or it will get on top of them.
HUBERT
INGRAHAM’S TIRED OLD RECORD
The former Prime Minister and now once again Leader
of the Opposition Hubert Ingraham held a public rally in Marsh Harbour,
Abaco on Thursday 9th December. He had his crowd we give him that
but he told a number of untruths, half truths and distortions which we
cannot let stand. Now the fact that he had a crowd needs to be explained.
First, he took a large contingent with him from Nassau and from Grand Bahama.
Then you know that Abaco is where his constituency is and Abaco is already
in the hands of the FNM. So now that we have gotten that out of the
way, let’s get to the untruths, half-truths and distortions.
Mr. Ingraham had the nerve to criticize the immigration
policy of The Bahamas Government, and not just on the overall immigration
policy but the policy toward the people of the Pigeon Pea and the Mud areas
of Abaco. There was recently another devastating fire there and parts
of the shanty town that built up on reclaimed land were destroyed.
The Government is now in a desperate battle to find suitable housing and
space for the displaced people who are largely Haitian or of Haitian decent.
It is a sore point for the community. It is a sore point, notwithstanding
the fact that the community itself including Hubert Ingraham and his new
found pal Edison Key was responsible for the shanty towns by encouraging
the use of cheap Haitian labour to build Abaco. Now suddenly everyone
including Mr. Ingraham is having amnesia about what happened and why it
built up. That is were we start, the shanty towns built up and flourished
under Mr. Ingraham, he did nothing about it.
Edison Key, the former PLP Senator who is being
paraded all over the FNM’s platforms brought the first set of Haitian workers
into Abaco to pick cucumbers on his farm. Now that the PLP is doing
something about it, Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Key say that this is not the right
way to go. Then he tackled the issue of passports and visas again.
This is a tired old story. When will Mr. Ingraham explain instead
how the intends to deal with the collection of his $196,000 per year income
as Leader of the Opposition, double dipping from the public purse, instead
of spreading larceny about visas and passports. The country knows
that it is the PLP who has put in place for the first time, the restrictions
on the use of brokers to get visas. For the first time, there is
a security clearance officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal
with visa security clearance. As for the machine readable passports,
it is clear that the delays have been caused by a change in the standards
required for those passports since Mr. Ingraham was in office. He
now claims that they left in place a decision to get machine readable passports
but he fails to remember that this was three years ago when he left office.
Times have changed.
Mr. Ingraham also sought to attack the Ginn deal
in Grand Bahama, saying that the deal would never happen. The fact
that the Heads of Agreement has been signed, and that the shovels will
be in the ground come Monday morning, gives the lie to that. Quite
apart from that, Mr. Ingraham engaged in the same old tired rhetoric, giving
a list of what the FNM did while they were in office. This is good
for the Party faithful but the country is not interested in the past but
in what will be done for the future.
JUNKANOO
CORPORATION TAKES OVER
Minister of Culture Neville Wisdom presided over
a major milestone in the development of Junkanoo this past week as the
Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence signed a revised contract on seating
a ticketing for the year end parades. The Minister said that the
establishment of the corporation (JCNP) “ensures that the business of Junkanoo
is officially transferred into the hands of the Junkanoo community”.
The selection and training of judges is also to
be the responsibility of the Junkanoo Corporation Mr. Wisdom said: “The
great advantage of this new system is that the gross sales of tickets for
Junkanoo, which has always generated moneys to go towards the prize money
for Junkanoo, will go directly to the Junkanoo community, who will cover
the expenses of managing the parade."
Under the revolutionary new plan the Minister says
that the government’s only involvement in the business of Junkanoo is to
guarantee its business plan. The net profits from the sales of tickets
will go towards the prize money and the government will guarantee the shortfall
in that prize money. Minister Wisdom (left) and Permanent Secretary
Harrison Thompson (centre) and Culture Czar Winston Saunders are pictured
standing as a representative of the seating and ticketing company watches
Les Johnson of the JCNP sign the contract. Bahamas Information Service
photo by Peter Ramsay.
MITCHELL
ADDRESSES CONSULAR CORPS
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell addressed
the Honorary Consular Corps annual luncheon on Monday 5th December at the
British Colonial Hilton. In addition to those from the Honorary Consular
Corps there were members of the resident Corps. The Minister uses
the occasion of the luncheon which is organized by the Dean of the Corps
Anders Wiberg, the Honorary Consul for Sweden, to review events over the
year in Foreign Affairs and then to talk about events for the New Year
in his Ministry. The Dean of the Corps praised the Minister for his
proactive approach to the foreign policy of the country. You may
click
here for the full address of the Minister. Bahamas Information
Services photo: Eric Rose
RBC
CONTRIBUTES TO HURRICANE RELIEF
RBC Financial Group, which operates RBC Royal Bank
of Canada, RBC FINCO. and RBC Trust in The Bahamas and Caribbean, contributed
$45,000 to the National Emergency Management Agency to aid the victims
of recent storms including Hurricane Wilma in a recent presentation to
Prime Minister Perry Christie..
RBC Financial Group is committed to making contributions
to worthwhile community causes year-round, but the NEMA fund was considered
a priority in view of the extensive damage from recent hurricanes.
Ross McDonald, RBC's Senior Vice President of Bahamas and Caribbean, said,
"We are committed to the restoration of our communities and the lives that
have been impacted by the hurricanes and deem it a privilege to help in
whatever way we can."
RBC Bahamas and Caribbean has a retail network of
42 branches, four business centres and 68 automated banking machines in
eight Caribbean countries, employing 1,500 persons and serving 205,000
customers. From left are Carla Jackson, Manager, Finance & Operations
RBC Trust; Ross McDonald; Prime Minister Christie and Nathaniel Beneby
Jr., Managing Director RBC FINCO. Bahamas Information Services
photo by Peter Ramsay
WEB
CAFES UNDER ATTACK
As we go into election season, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has chosen
to lead a campaign against the proliferation of web shops. This after
allowing them to multiply and be fruitful all over the islands. Gambling
is not legally permitted in the country without a certificate from the
Gaming Board or a dispensation from the Ministry of Finance. Bahamians
are not allowed to gamble in the casinos in The Bahamas. There is
no form of legalized gambling for adult Bahamians since the horse racing
track closed down in the 1970s. The continued prohibition on Bahamians
gambling is widely perceived as an anachronism that needs to be removed.
The web cafes are the latest permutation of what
is called “buying numbers” in The Bahamas. All over the islands are
establishments known euphemistically as Web Cafes. They resemble
the traditional internet cafes in look only. What goes on there is
a sophisticated approach to “buying numbers”. Gone are the little
sheets of paper with numbers written down on them. You now have an
electronic account into which you pay money. You can play on line.
The money is transferred on line. When you go into these establishments
people are lined up in droves like in a bank, only they are buying numbers.
The police have turned a blind eye to the matter
for years, some of their number actually buying numbers themselves.
Within the past week though, three of these establishments have been raided.
The latest was the Flower Mat Limited on Balfour Avenue in New Providence.
Some 30 patrons were arrested, and detained before being given bail.
The money was confiscated and a trial is to come. Craig Flowers who
is said to be the owner of the establishment was taken away as well.
The police say they are determined to shut down the illegal gambling houses.
This won’t be their first try and certainly won’t be the last one.
They simply cannot stop it.
Many believe that the Government itself needs to
legalize "numbers" or tax the practice. It may not be an efficient
use of police time and resources to chase after what can be argued is essentially
a victimless crime, an adult pursuit. The arrests are not popular
and in this election season, the only backlash can be against the PLP.
The crowds outside the latest arrest taunted the police. One patron
made the point that this is often the only way for many poor Bahamians
to make it. We suspect the protests are going to get worse if it
continues. The Nassau Guardian published a photo of patrons as they
were carried away on Friday 9th December. The photo is by Letisha
Henderson.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Website Plaudit
My family and I are TCI/Bahamians residing in
the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Your website is a part of our Sunday afternoons.
Thank you for the quality of reporting that you deliver, it presents clarity
to the news stories we may miss otherwise.
Keep up the good work
God bless The Bahamas.
Judy K
Providenciales TCI
Thank you for reading and please keep reading. - Editor
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
Prime Minister Perry Christie welcomed the willingness
of the National Congress of Trade Unions to collaborate with the Government
in various areas of national development, including training. Mr.
Christie made the comments as he received at donation of $10,000 to assist
victims of Hurricane Wilma from the NCTU. The Prime Minister noted
that the donation brought the total of moneys received for assistance with
Hurricane Wilma to over $700,000.
From left are Elgin Douglas - President, Bahamas
Commercial Stores, Supermarkets & Warehouse Union; Dennis Williams
- 2nd VP, National Congress of Trade Unions & President, Bahamas Electrical
Workers Union; Patrick Bain, President, National Congress of Trade Unions
& Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union; Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson,
Trustee, National Congress of Trade Unions & President, Union of Tertiary
Educators of The Bahamas; Prime Minister Christie; Linda Denise Evans,
Treasurer, National Congress of Trade Unions & Treasurer, Bahamas Financial
Services Union; Denise Wilson, 3rd VP, National Congress of Trade Unions
& Secretary General, Bahamas Communications & Public Officers Union;
Robert Farquharson, Secretary General National Congress of Trade unions
& President, Bahamas Communications & Public Officers Union; Stephano
Green, Secretary General, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union.
| CHALK'S AIRLINES CRASHES ON THE WAY TO BIMINI FROM MIAMI
Monday 19th December, 2005 6.11 p.m. At around 3 p.m. today, a Chalk's Airlines flight bound for the island of Bimini from Miami crashed into waters a few hundred yards off Miami's Government Cut. 19 people, including two crew members were reported on board. At the time of this upload, 14 people had been confirmed dead and no survivors had been found. Following is the text of a statement issued by the Office of The Prime Minister of The Bahamas: Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie has expressed shock and concern over the crash of Chalk's Airlines flight from Miami to Bimini. "Tragically, it now appears that there has been loss of life. The nation wishes to express its deepest condolences to the people of Bimini on their apparent loss. I have spoken to the representative Obie Wilchcombe and I have asked him to personally convey my regret and deep sorrow in this matter. I ask all Bahamians to join in prayer for what appears to be a most serious tragedy. "I have dispatched both the Represenative Obie Wilchcombe and the Minister of Transport & Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin to Bimini. It is expected that they will be joined tomorrow by other senior Government officials. "The Bahamas Consul General in Miami, Mrs. Alma Adams is now directly on the scene working with the Miami Police Department and the emergency services in Dade County. Mrs. Adams has also already met with some family members on the scene of the accident. "Resources of the Government are to be committed to finding out what went wrong and to assisting Bahamian families in their time of bereavement. The Government will keep the country advised as more information becomes available. "At first light tomorrow, Tuesday, the flight inspectorate of The Bahamas Government will dispatch a flight standards inspector to coordinate on behalf of The bahamas information between the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "The Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation has already been in contact with the FAA in Washington and is expecting a formal report shortly." |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
A PRIVATE SECTOR REPORT
ON EDUCATION
During the past week, the press gave widespread coverage to a report
prepared by a coalition of private sector organizations on the state of
education in the country. One newspaper led with the headline: EDUCATION
IN CRISIS. The report was the familiar pabulum these days that the
students that we are producing aren’t making the grade; that if something
is not done we will not be able to compete in the year 2020 with the rest
of the world.
On one level this is all clearly true. J. Barrie Farrington, the Head of the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association said that local business people are becoming increasingly concerned about the education level of job candidates, many of whom are barely literate. He said that one Bahamian executive reportedly found that job candidates could not write a simple paragraph with clear sentences. Another reported that applicants were doing poorly on aptitude tests.
Frank Comito who is also with the Association said this: “Twenty years down the line, we could find ourselves in a very uncompetitive situation where our cost of living would be incredibly high and our productivity would be incredibly low and the amount of dollars circulating through the economy because of that would be minimized and it could have severe consequences not only on every individual in The Bahamas, but certainly on government revenues and support services and everything else.”
The report was titled: BAHAMIAN YOUTH THE UNTAPPED RESOURCE.
Having not had sight of the full report, it is difficult to judge whether what it says is true or not. Certainly from what the businessmen have said, we agree that there is a problem in the system of education, and the products that come out of that system. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell speaking in his Fox Hill Constituency told of how he had been asked by his colleague Melanie Griffin to provide three persons for jobs as case workers, an entry level public service job. The job requires five Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) subjects for entry into the service. This is an exam taken in junior high school at the age of 13 or 14. Mr. Mitchell said that he could not find in the five pages or so that he had in his constituency office of persons looking for jobs, one person with five BJCs.
The problem we have with the report, such as we have seen, and the businessmen is this. When the Minister of Foreign Affairs was engaged in the fight for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) talking about the nation’s need to compete, to prepare itself for the year 2020, and to harmonize our standards with our neighbours around the region in order to compete, where were the voices of these businessmen? They sat silently and allowed an unenlightened and selfish intelligentsia to derail a perfectly acceptable formula for The Bahamas to boost its outside competitiveness.
The foolish arguments about Caribbean people encroaching on the privileges of Bahamians, when they are a part of us, caused a policy to be wrecked that could in fact help to improve our standards and our competitiveness. But no the businesses in The Bahamas have the foolish view that they can go it alone in the world, and depend on the United States to save them. On one level then we say to these businessmen tough if the system is poor, and suffer it to be so. You obviously want to do no nothing about it.
The second difficulty we have with the report is its observations which appear to be political in nature, and we are not certain that they are true. The report alleges that the decision to end the old Government High School and allow open access to secondary education, following the coming of Majority Rule in 1967 caused the education system to suffer. It is described as the end to academic elitism. The report says that Government High School's enrolment was limited by its capacity and candidates were selected in part on the basis of entrance exams. The school sought the best and brightest students and tried to provide a superior education.
That is certainly not something that can be borne out by the facts. The removal of Government High School had nothing to do with the present state of the public school system. It should be clear to all but the most ardent revisionists that the system that existed in 1967 could not continue because it simply did not meet the demands for the number of students who required an education. The report will have to show by cogent statistics that what they assert is true, rather than a repeat of political propaganda designed to say that since black people took over the standards of education have declined.
The report also criticizes the Bahamianization of the education system in the sense that teachers became Bahamians. It says that it had the effect of precipitously reducing the qualifications of teachers. It says: “that means that less than ten per cent of the teachers had the minimum high school grade to enter college. One must note that another unintended consequence of Bahamianization was the social promotion of students… students could advance in grade without passing the grade.”
Again, we challenge the authors of this report to say on what do they base this information. It may be true that social promotion existed and probably exists today in public schools but the point is what does Bahamianization of the teachers have to do with that? Where is the link? Did social promotion just start in the school since Bahamian teachers began teaching in the schools? Again, this appears to be a dig at the post 1967 era and the public policy decisions made by the PLP to expand the educational opportunities for the masses.
Having read just those bits, one has to be wary of this report. How helpful is it, save and except to merely add to the chorus of persons who are concerned about the future. It does not seem that it can be relied upon to show us the way forward into the future.
Surely, we know that with the “old” Government High School gone, the private sector schools are now more expanded than ever. The academic elite that would have gone to the Government High School are surely in the private sector schools. It must follow. No doubt some are still in the public school system. The Government subsidizes the private schools to make the fees for their parents affordable. Without those schools, the public system could not function because it still does not have the places for every child.
It must follow then that the logic of the report and its authors is totally off. There is something more fundamental at work in The Bahamas which is adversely affecting our ability to prepare for the future. The brightest and the best from the old Government High School ran the country in the post 1967 era. So if the system was broken by them, clearly the old Government High School was not the best for The Bahamas, since they were the ones who designed the new education system. We are only seeking here to follow the logic of the report and its authors and show them the graveyard down which such logic goes.
We do not find what the report said to be useful in many aspects. We are not sure what to do about education but what we suspect is that the Bahamian leadership both political and civic must start to be more open-minded, less prejudiced in their thinking, and understand that a small country must in fact allow itself to be infused with new ideas and conform to international standards. In order to do this, it will have to be competitive. To be competitive it must join the world community and conform to the standards of the world community. It cannot opt out. This means joining the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, and the World Trade Organization and the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas and working toward preparing ourselves to meet the standards demanded by the world.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 17th December 2005 at midnight: 72,330.
Number of hits for the month of December up to Saturday 17th December 2005 at midnight: 182,397.
Number of hits for the year 2005 up to Saturday 17th December 2005 at midnight: 3,920,943.
ST.
AGNES PARISH PRIEST DIES
Rev. Fr. Patrick Johnson, the Rector of St. Agnes Church is dead.
The Rector died in his sleep of natural causes in Eleuthera where he was
visiting family to console them in time of their bereavement. He
was scheduled to perform a funeral service on Saturday 17th December for
the late Leo Roberts, member of St. Agnes, pharmacist and one of the founding
members of the Renaissance Singers. Instead, the funeral for the
reverend father himself is to be held at the Christ Church Cathedral on
Thursday 22nd December at 10 a.m. He is survived by his wife and
two daughters.
Fr. Johnson was an excellent priest. He took
over St. Agnes parish, the largest in the Anglican diocese and its largest
financial contributor, the parish with many of the muck-a-mucks in Bahamian
society, shortly after the death of the beloved Archdeacon William Thompson
whose life was tragically cut short by a murder most foul. Now the
parish is reeling once more as it faces a forced transition through death.
The Rector goes to his grave having increased the
numbers of the parish and increased its level of giving. In the last
months of his life, he was distressed as was the congregation about a swirl
of public disinformation, generated it appears from some internal sources
about his leadership of the parish. It led to some bitter feelings
all around, and charges that he was left to twist in the wind without the
support that should have been forthcoming.
The Rector himself had not been well for some time
and the stress may have contributed to his untimely demise at 55.
Nevertheless, the good rector goes to his grave with his reputation intact,
with a record of service to St. Agnes, faithful until death. Archbishop
Drexel Gomez travelling in Barbados issued a statement of condolences on
behalf of the diocese. In a family photo at top by Kenneth Love,
Father Johnson is shown with his wife, Ethel, standing, and his two daughters,
Shaundica, left, and Sonja. Father Johnson is also pictured at right
in a Peter Ramsay photo.
BEC
SETTLES THEIR UNION DISPUTE
On Monday 12th December the Bahamas Electrical Workers
Union and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation signed a new industrial agreement.
The agreement brings to an end the protracted struggle between the two
sides at the work place at BEC. This is yet another feather in the
cap of the Government. The nurses’ agreement has been signed, the
doctors have signed off and the last of the agreements to be negotiated
in the public sector will be that with the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT).
No doubt the BUT will prove to be most difficult. The leadership
of that trade union has proven to be difficult in reaching consensus on
issues, so most people are bracing for a difficult time.
The BEC dispute, which led to angry words in public
and threats of strikes and industrial action, was settled in part by the
intervention of Bishop Neil Ellis, the head of the Mt. Tabor Full Gospel
Fellowship who brought the two sides to a compromise. The terms of
settlement seem generous. Union members in the bargaining unit are
to receive a $2500 lump sum payment within seven days of the signing of
the agreement. Some departments with effect from 1st May 2006 will
receive a 2.5 per cent increase in pay: clerical computer operators and
technicians, office staff supervisors, and managers of group one and two.
The labour trade and craft group 3-8 will receive a three percent salary
increase. The supervisors and managers of the Labour Trade and Craft
group one to three will receive a 3.5 percent salary increase.
The Management, the Union and the Government pronounced
themselves pleased. But we think that the most important point is
a pledge by management and union to work together to conciliate disputes
rather than threatening each other, and airing their dirty linen in public.
Kudos to Vincent Peet and Minister Bradley Roberts on their good work in
settling this difficult dispute. From left are BEC Chairman Keith
Major; BEC General Manager Kevin Basden; Labour Minister Vincent Peet;
and BEWU President Dennis Williams. Bahamas Information Services
photo by Raymond Bethel.
HAITIANS
CAPTURED AT SEA
On Monday 12th December, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the United
States Coast Guard acting together apprehended 311 Haitians on board a
fifty foot
