Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 1 © BahamasUncensored.Com
13th July, 2003
20th July, 2003
27th July, 2003
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| 'I'll outdo those [other] youngsters!' - Was that Ron Pinder the Member of Parliament for the Marathon Constituency and Parliamentary Secretary for Health in the bushes of the old Clifton Plantation in western New Providence with gloves on his hands cleaning up trash? It certainly appears so in a picture that was taken by Vision Photography and published in The Tribune on Tuesday 1st July. It didn't say how it all came about but the students of the New Providence Community Church Ocean Camp joined in the effort with the MP said to have been organized by Senator C.B. Moss head of the Coalition to Save Clifton. We think clean up campaigns are fine but the fact that New Providence is a filthy island, the city of Nassau is unclean shows that clean up campaigns have obviously failed. There is something systemic at work. First there is the endemic nastiness in the culture. Secondly, it is the inability of private and public services to keep up with the demand for the removal of garbage. Nevertheless, it was engaging enough to be our photo of the week. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
MAN OVERBOARD
Potter’s
Cay is no longer seen as a cay, the word for a small island near a bigger
one. It has been joined by a bridge to the mainland of New Providence
longer than most Bahamians can remember. It was more recently, yet
still a long time ago filled in to expand its girth. It has also
grown up like Topsy with a mishmash of commercial enterprises including
fish vendors, vegetable and fruit vendors, the Produce Exchange, the site
for the docking of the Family Island mail boats. The waters around
it are a general pot in which to throw everything imaginable.
The area like most of New Providence was not properly planned. The popularity of the area in the night where people go with their families and friends to drink beer, or to buy fresh and cooked fish and conch has overwhelmed the ability of the resource to cope. People have died over the years by driving overboard. Some have done it deliberately to end their lives. Most have mainly fallen overboard by missing the road. And so it was that this week on Tuesday 1st July three persons were killed. Four were in the car. One escaped. It appears that they missed the road.
The Government immediately came under fire for not doing something about it. But it is like most things in The Bahamas, we don’t seem to take note of a pattern and then even when we do, we simply do nothing about it through inertia. It doesn’t happen enough to affect our daily lives.
This
time seems to have been the one that took it over the top. A religious
leader and his family perished. The whole thing seemed senseless.
It appears that if a simple barrier had been put up to prevent the cars
from missing the road then that would have stopped the needless deaths.
The Minister of Transport Glenys Hanna Martin spoke to the newspaper and said that there is a plan to do something about it. It would seem that the onus is on her Ministry and the Ministry of Public Works to get the issue solved.
As for Potter’s Cay, it seems to us that it has developed nicely as a centre of commerce. It needs some order to be put into it so that parking is easier and the flow of the traffic is better on the dock. There needs to be some rationalization of the various uses to which the area is put. But the idea must not be to stop the commerce but to simply improve it. Because that is the next thing we like to do when the officialdom comes in to try to solve a problem. We want to go in with a sledgehammer and stop it. We do not support that but we do support simple barriers along the waterfront to stop the senseless deaths like those that took place in a car this week.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 5th July 2003 at midnight: 18,640.
Number of hits for the month of June up to 30th June 2003: 97,481.
Number of hits for the month of July up to midnight Saturday 5th July 2003: 13,244.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 5th July 2003: 682,648.
Our servers were malfunctioning for most of Monday 30th June. We apologize.
INDEPENDENCE
DAY IS TO BE CELEBRATED
This week The Bahamas celebrates its 30th anniversary as a nation.
This is no mean accomplishment for a country that really fashioned itself
in its present image in the last fifty years. Prior to the 1942 Burma
Road riots, and perhaps as late as 1953 when the PLP was formed, there
was said to be little public opinion about Bahamian public policy.
There was a white merchant class that ran the country. Their families
had in the main been here for several generations. That is how it
was thought it would always be. That turned on its head with the
Riots of 1942, the formation of the Progressive Liberal Party in 1953,
the General Strike of 1958, Internal Self-Government in 1964; majority
rule in 1967 and then independence in 1973.
The country was built off immigration and it was the sons of those 20th
century immigrants from the southern Caribbean that crafted the modern
Bahamas. We have now come 30 years later and we are still seeking
to redefine ourselves. The problem of Haitian migration is still
with us. We raise that because within the next ten years, The Bahamas
will have to reverse itself on the definition of citizenship and allow
anyone born in The Bahamas to be a citizen of The Bahamas by birth.
The flags have come out for this anniversary.
This has been a spontaneous event. One must say that if it weren't
for that spontaneous event, we would not know that there was independence
in The Bahamas. The official organization has gone wanting, and carries
with it no special ingenuity. But independence is a matter of celebration
for the people of The Bahamas, and we think that they like the idea in
the main.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BAHAMAS! Summer student
selling flags in the street; wooden castle being built at Clifford Park
by Tribune's Dominic Duncombe.
CARICOM
IS 30 YEARS OLD
At the time that the founders of Bahamian independence were getting ready
to let the Union Jack down, the original founders of CARICOM were getting
together. On 4th July 1973, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago
and Barbados were the ones who led the way. The idea was one of a
number of incarnations of Caribbean unity and it is certainly the most
enduring. The Secretary General of CARICOM said that the organization
has the distinction of being the longest inter regional body of nations
in the developing world.
CARICOM has some sound ideas on trade liberalization
on geopolitics. It tends however to get a bit grandiose in its aspirations
and snowed under in paper work and bureaucracy. Nevertheless, it
is a source of great pride to Caribbean leaders and peoples that the 15
countries including now Haiti and Suriname are able to get along and try
to create one space in which to work and develop. The most testy
relationship, the one that should be the most easy, is that with the United
States. The present leadership in Washington is hostile to the aspirations
of CARICOM and so there is a tough road to go.
The latest salvo is the US President putting six
Caribbean countries on the list of countries that will not receive military
aid from the US because they have not signed on to an agreement that will
exempt US citizens from the jurisdiction of the international criminal
court. The decision by the US must be roundly condemned as selfish and
short sighted. Caribbean countries immediately started to buckle.
They should not. As Margaret Thatcher the former British Prime Minister
told George Bush, the father, once, this is no time to go all wobbly. Prime
Minister Christie is shown at centre among Caribbean Prime Minister at
the 24th Caricom meeting in this AP Photo by Andres Leighton. From
left are P.J. Patterson of Jamaica, Lester Bird of Antigua & Barbuda,
Mr. Christie, Owen Arthur or Barbados, Said Musa of Belize and Pierre Charles
of Dominica.
UNION
CHIEF’S ULTIMATUM
John Pinder is the President of the Bahamas Public
Service Union (BPSU), the union that represents the public servants.
He promptly left a meeting on Friday 27th June with Public Service Minister
Fred Mitchell to announce to the public that if the Government does to
not pay, the Government will face mass demonstrations. He was talking
about the proposal that the Government made to postpone the payment of
the increase in salary due on 1st July to the December pay packet.
Mr. Kingsley Black of The Bahamas Union of Teachers
has been the most vocal spokesman for the public service unions.
The teacher’s leader has also been radical in his approach. His view
is that the Government must pay or offer something in exchange for not
paying. The result right now is an impasse. The Minister seemed
calm in the face of it all. He has long taken the public position
that The Bahamas belongs to us and we can break it up if we want to do
so. That is not likely to happen.
Despite Mr. Pinder's threat of demonstrations, the
question is the whether public servants support his tactics or whether
in fact he even has the support of his executive for his actions.
We shall see but a dispute in the public service today would only cause
the Prime Minister ultimately to take a certain course to decide whether
or not the Government runs the country or whether it is run by one section
of it wedded to some narrow interests and perspectives.
BUTLER
STATEMENT ON THE PUBLIC SERVICE
Craig Butler writes a column in the Nassau
Guardian. From time to time, he has some interesting bits that are
worth repeating. He wrote a column on Tuesday 1st July under the
headline SENATOR BANNISTER’S SALARY. Mr. Butler, who is a grandson
of the first Bahamian Governor General Sir Milo Butler, was attacking a
suggestion by Senator Desmond Bannister FNM that Parliamentarians give
up their salaries as a sacrifice for civil servants. Mr. Butler thought
that the Senator was simply grandstanding. Here is what Mr. Butler
said in his own words:
“It might appear as though the good senator has
made a grand gesture, but let us look closely at what was really said.
“Firstly let us do some simple bookkeeping.
There are 16 Senators and 40 Members of the House of Assembly… the month’s
salary for all of them would total $110,000 well eight cents short to be
exact.
“So this gesture would compensate exactly 55
of those hard working pubic servants, leaving the other 19,000 plus to
wait…”
BAHAMAS
DOWNGRADED BY MOODY’S
The Bahamas is about to go to the market to sell 200 million dollars worth
of bonds. Everyone in the country involved in public policy, finance
and who cares about these things has finally managed to get themselves
sorted out about what is really being borrowed. The Bahamas Democratic
Movement (BDM) and its leaders weighed in cussing the Government out for
additional borrowing. But they gave no alternative and got their
facts wrong in some respects. So we are all off to the bank to borrow.
But then came the news that Moody’s has downgraded The Bahamas financial
outlook in the future with the prospect of its economy described as stable
as opposed to positive. Banner headlines in The Tribune!
It turns out that the credit rating remains at A3
so that won’t materially change the cost of borrowing. But Moody’s
said that because of the fact that tourism receipts have been anaemic and
there does not look like any immediate fast growth, they did what they
did. Minister of State for Finance James Smith (pictured in this
Tribune photo) was sanguine about it. He said that he was not surprised
at Moody’s position because the facts on the economy are obvious.
He said that there will be no problem raising the money and it will be
oversubscribed. The economy saw positive growth in 1999, 2000 but
went into negative growth during the last year of the FNM. The first
year of the PLP saw a slight positive growth and this fiscal year it is
expected to be about .9 per cent. Hmmm!
SPECULATION
ABOUT NEW US ENVOY
The spokesman for the US Embassy Brian Bachman told the Nassau Guardian
on Wednesday 2nd July that no early replacement for the outgoing US Ambassador
was expected soon. In the meantime he said that the Deputy Chief
of Mission Robert Witijewski would act as charge d’affaires until the new
person arrived. Mr. Bachman went to great lengths to explain the
way the process works including background checks, Senate confirmation
hearings. Mr. Blankenship ended his tour of duty about a year and
a half before the time saying that he wanted to go back into the Bush campaign
and to private life. Mr. Bachman was asked to comment on the stories
that Mr. Blankenship had been fired. The US Embassy’s spokesman Brian
Bachman told the Nassau Guardian: “Rumours are rumours and we don’t comment
on rumours.” Mr. & Mrs. Blankenship are shown with Governor General
Dame Ivy Dumont and Mr. Dumont along with US Naval Commander Zane Thomas
cutting a cake at US independence celebrations in Nassau. Guardian
photo by Patrick Hanna.
WAS
BLANKENSHIP RIGHT OR THE PM?
Most people thought that J. Richard Blankenship
the outgoing US Ambassador would simply have gone quietly into that good
night. But he has been in the press twice since the announcement
of his imminent departure, giving statements that were troublesome and
not accurate or so it appears. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did
not respond to the first one in which he said that there was a requirement
for the Deputy Prime Minister to attend the Joint Task Force meeting of
27th June. But the last one elicited a response from the Prime Minister
Perry Christie who was in Jamaica for the Heads of Government conference.
In a statement published in The Tribune, and on
the
heels of a decision by the US Government to stop military aid to six Caribbean
countries because they refused to sign waivers for US citizens for the
International Criminal Court, Mr. Blankenship told The Tribune that since
The Bahamas had not sent a diplomatic note before the deadline of 30th
June, The Bahamas would lose the money for the lighting of the runway in
Inagua. The 30th June is the deadline for sanctions to kick in under
the legislation for sanctions on the ICC. The Prime Minister said
that he was advised that the statement was factually incorrect. He
said that the Government had communicated its views about the use of the
monies supplied by the US, some $300,000 last year, and again at the Joint
Task Force meeting on 27th June. He said that he was advised that
the time in which to accept the money went beyond 30th June. You
may click here for a summary of a press conference
with the Prime Minister in Jamaica on 2nd July.
MAN
SENTENCED FOR STRAW MARKET FIRE
Courtney Gardiner who was convicted of burning down the Straw Market on
4th September 2001 who was up to the time of his sentencing on Wednesday
2nd July considered mute by malice finally spoke up. He said that
he didn’t do it. That did not pull much sway with the Judge who promptly
sentenced him to 12 years in imprisonment. All during the trial and
despite the best efforts of his lawyer, Mr. Gardiner was silent, refusing
to talk even to his lawyer. Instead he kept mumbling to himself.
In the old Bahamian way, he was clearly playing crazy. All to no
avail! He must now go to jail to begin his sentence. The request
by his attorney to serve his sentence at Sandilands, the place for psychological
and psychiatric cases was denied by the Judge.
When Mr. Gardiner goes to prison he will meet one
of the straw vendors there if the vendor hasn't already been let out on
bail. Luke Small, who is charged with breaking up twenty one windows
on Bay Street following an angry confrontation with the authorities at
the Straw Market, was remanded by the Magistrate to jail where he will
sit until his trial begins. Perhaps the two can have a good
talk. Courtney Gardiner is pictured in this Dominic Duncombe Tribune
photo.
PM
ON SINGLE MARKET AND ECONOMY
The Prime Minister Perry Christie told his peers at the 24th annual Heads
of Government meeting in Jamaica that he is still in the midst of a consultation
process on the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). He did
not believe that the country was sufficiently in tune with the problems
that had been identified and that there was sufficient consideration being
given in the country to the issues. The paper presented to him by
the Trade Commission appointed to look into the issue was inconclusive
and not very helpful to the process, he said.
What Prime Minister Christie can crow about is the
fact that Bermuda has now formally joined CARICOM as an associate member.
Jennifer Smith, the Premier of Bermuda pictured with P.J. Patterson, the
Jamaican Prime Minister and Edwin Carrington Secretary General of CARICOM
took time out from her political campaign to sign the formal agreement.
She headed back to campaign. The Bahamas has been instrumental in
seeking to persuade Bermuda that this was the right thing to do.
Some merchants expressed disappointment that The
Bahamas has yet again left its feet half out the CARICOM door. To
them the only way that is obvious is the way fully into the Caribbean Single
Market and Economy. On the 21st July, Owen Arthur, the Barbados Prime
Minister, will a have a chance to speak to the Bahamian public on the subject
and to brief the Cabinet in The Bahamas. Let us hope that this takes
the process further. Photo from www.trinidadexpress.com.
FURTHER
COMMENT ON HIGH SCHOOL PROMS
One of our readers responded last week to the picture
of the week, the children watching the prom activities of the St Augustine’s
students in Nassau. There was absolute wonderment in their eyes.
The reader got the impression that in highlighting the photo we were supporting
the activities. In fact the view is quite the opposite. The
fact is, though, this is a cultural coming of age that has become more
and more prevalent, as prevalent as graduation ceremonies with robes for
children even in kindergarten in The Bahamas. Our view is that it
is a shameful expense, the manner in which these proms are now done today.
It is part of the skewing of values in the wrong direction. Some
parents went completely overboard with the process managing to spend one
thousand dollars for one night for kids who should really be preparing
to spend monies at College. But it is important to recognize the
fact that this phenomenon exists. We hope parents take note.
But one suspects that nothing will change with this any time soon.
You may see the letter of the reader below.
READER’S
REACTION ON PROMO PHOTO
This (see related story above) from reader Christine Green:
"It was interesting that you chose the 'prom-watching'
Tribune front page picture as your photo of the week. As I read that
day's paper, my eight year old niece passed by and seeing the picture called
out to me, "What those children doin' in jail?" Of course I immediately
responded that they were not in jail, but watching proms. I then
had to explain what proms were. On reflection, I am not so sure that
while these children were not in a physical prison, they are not in fact
imprisoned by our seeming inability to do things in moderation and with
good judgement. I'm happy graduates; parents, relatives and friends
enjoyed themselves during prom season. However, the excess expenditure
and in some cases the competition for the most ridiculous arrival (as in
the case, related to me, of a prom goer in Grand Bahama who arrived in
a coffin by hearse) leave something to be desired.
"PS: May I take this opportunity to encourage
your column."
COLLECTIVE
RESPONSIBILITY, COLLECTIVE VOICE
From time to time Ministers of the Government are
being attacked by their friends and allies who knew them just last year
as ordinary mortals for not returning phone calls and not engaging in the
same detailed dialogues that used to be before they were ministers.
There is the charge that these men and women have forgotten themselves.
There is also the charge that their voices on the issues can no longer
be heard like they were before. No doubt some of this is accurate.
But there is also the fact that over time all things and people change
including the very persons making the assertions. There is nothing
wrong with the assertions on their own but perhaps there could be a bit
more indulgence or charity. The fact is that certainly for those
who serve in the Cabinet, they have no more individual voice that can be
heard out in the country. Theirs is a collective voice. Collective
wisdom is different from individual wisdom. Secondly, there is a
national interest to serve that is seen from a different perspective and
with different information available including that of old friends and
allies. All of it is taken into the mix. The final complaint
is that telephone calls are not returned and people are hard to get.
Again, a bit of charity. Some times systems don’t work as they ought
to but it is certain that no person who calls you friend would deliberately
snub you, and if something goes amiss then it is probably inadvertent.
So let’s have a little charity on all sides. We bet those sixteen would
all appreciate it.
JONES’
NEW BOOK
Prime Minister Perry Christie was presented at a
book launch for the work of Jones Publication Ltd. The book is called
The Bahamas: Independence 30 years and beyond. The book is a collaboration
of Wendall Jones and The Bahamas Government. The Prime Minister said
that the book captures the essence of the country’s history and national
life. He was present for the occasion with Mr. Jones on Monday 30th
June. Photo from the Bahama Journal by Otis Forbes.
OIL
IN THEM THERE SEAS
The Bahama Journal reports that nine oil and gas
leases have been given to Kerr McGee Corporation to explore for oil and
gas in The Bahamas off Grand Bahama. The exploration will take place
in the Blake Plateau some 100 miles north of Grand Bahama. The water
varies in depth from 650 feet to 7000 feet. It covers some 6.5 million
acres. The exploration period is 12 years and a drilling period of
30 years. We don’t believe for a moment that The Bahamas has any
oil or gas reserves but one supposes that you can fantasize about things
like this.
SORRY
TO SEE ROGER SMITH GO
Roger Smith, the tennis pro, who first put The Bahamas on the map with
his surprising defeat of Ivan Lendl, is leaving The Bahamas again.
He has had an up and down fight with The Bahamas Lawn Tennis establishment
that first wanted him to run the National Tennis Centre; then they booted
him out. He then ran his own programme and latterly worked as the
pro at the Nassau Beach Hotel. He is leaving now because of an offer
he couldn’t refuse. He has been hired to train the United States
Lawn Tennis Association’s juniors. So our loss is the US’ gain.
Tears were all around as he said farewell at a party at Port New Providence
Monday 30th June. Good luck Roger!
FOX
HILLIAN AMONG THE HONOURED
Sunday 6th July saw the Sir Lynden O. Pindling Legacy ball during which
several Bahamians were honoured with Medals of Excellence for their contributions
to Bahamian Independence. Among those so honoured were the Reverend
Dr. Phillip Rahming, a noted Fox Hillian and former President of the Bahamas
Christian Council. Rev. Dr. Rahming is the author of the National
Pledge. Also among the honourees was Dr. Hervis Bain who designed
the national flag and the coat of arms. Both are pictured at the
ball with Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell.
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
This week, with Parliament on summer recess and not many political activities
going on, most Grand Bahamians thought to reflect on the thirtieth anniversary
of Independence, so News From Grand Bahama has put together a hope list
for our future.
BaTelCo
No Foreign 'strategic partner' is going to buy a
49% stake in our telephone company and then invest in the sparsely populated
islands when upgrades are needed. We need only look at Cable Bahamas.
Given that example, do we think it will be any different when we sell off
our interest? We say if we must sell, sell 75% of BaTelCo, but to
Bahamians.
Bahamasair
Outsource if you must, the less profitable routes
to private air charters. We see that as true empowerment and strengthening
of our economy, but stay away from the Laker Airways deal. That is
a pig in the bag. We wonder why Laker would want to sell of such
a lucrative deal.
Banking
For better or worse, banking as the second pillar
of our economy has been uprooted and destroyed. No amount of wishful
thinking will bring it back. We as a people were not prepared to
stand and defend our sovereign rights. Instead, we simply surrendered
this sector of our economy to international attack. Not just Parliament
can be faulted for the surrender, but the very people affected such as
the lawyers, the accountants and the bank workers themselves. We
must use this as an example of a moment when our people were less than
courageous.
ZNS
ZNS is too great a temptation for any government
so it is in the public interest for the station to be chopped up into various
sections and sold off to the highest bidder. It is in the democratic
interest of our country for this to be done.
Think Bahamian
Bahamians will have to build this country.
Our long range future for the development of the country is not be found
in Kerzner International or Hutchison Whampoa. These are just stop
gap measures and these investments are not solid foundations on which to
build a country. They are subject to geopolitical considerations
and they put The Bahamas in a very vulnerable state.
As we look to the future, we must look to the development
of Andros, Abaco, Long Island and elsewhere in our country where Bahamians
become stakeholders in the development of our own country, not just mere
workers in someone else's vineyard. We must think Bahamian for we
cannot expect others to come into our country and not exploit it for all
that is good and then walk away when things turn. These are the realities
of life.
It is left to us Bahamians then, to appreciate that
no one would love this country more than we ourselves.
Happy Independence, Bahamas.
BS Tribune photo of flag banners on a residential wall.
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Both the major morning dailies led with what appeared to be the same photo. It was a photo of the spectacular fireworks display on the eve of Independence, following the flag raising ceremony on Clifford Park in New Providence on 9th July. Independence Day was celebrated in The Bahamas for the 30th time. It was celebrated with the greatest relish since the actual Independence Day itself. There were block parties, open houses and official ceremonies. Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the Government in Marsh Harbour, Abaco where in 1973 many residents wanted to secede from The Bahamas and tried to stop it with violence. Senator Edison Key was one of the patriots of the white Abaco community who stood with the PLP from that time to this. He too was part of the Abaco ceremony. Our photo of the week is by David Ralph of The Abaconian newspaper showing Minister Fred Mitchell inspecting the police parade in Marsh Harbour, in the early morning of Independence Day as Corporal Dwayne Solomon stands motionless at attention. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BLOWING UP THE PARLIAMENT
When you are a national leader, you have to be extremely careful
how you say what you say, and to understand the meaning of your words and
their consequences. It is difficult to slip into the mode of an Opposition
politician who can say: “I don’t care”, as he says the most irresponsible
things. That is an accusation often made against Hubert Ingraham,
the former Prime Minister. He is always saying that what he says
and their consequences don't matter to him.
Bishop Sam Greene, the Superintendent of the Zion Baptist Mission in The Bahamas, the Pastor of Zion Yamacraw in New Providence and the President of The Bahamas Christian Council used the occasion of an ecumenical Independence Service at the Zion Mother Church on Shirley Street to launch an attack against the passage of a law in The Bahamas to facilitate same sex marriage. The fact that no one in this country had raised the issue did not seem to matter to him. It is not an issue in The Bahamas. He said that if the Parliament passed the law he would be the next Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes was a plotter in 17th century Britain whose plot to blow up parliament was foiled. It was strange for a preacher to be using a public platform in support of violence against the legitimately elected Government of the country.
The reaction was immediate and furious. But the Bishop was proud of what he had said and stuck by his guns, dividing the nation's opinion at a time that called for national unity. We do not enter the debate about the subject matter because in a way that is irrelevant. The Bishop can have his views, theological and doctrinal on the subject of marriage but what has to be asked is whether it is appropriate or not for any responsible leader to indicate that if a Parliament, duly elected, passes laws which is within its competence to pass, whether the way to deal with your disagreement with that Government is to blow the Government up. That some would argue is seditious and is a serious and most unsuitable message to tell children of The Bahamas. There were calls for the Bishop to apologize and retract his statement.
The other issue that was raised in the homily was a strong message of jingoism. It was the Bishop's view that the Haitians, Jamaicans and others in the Caribbean ought to stay where they are and not be allowed to come to The Bahamas under the regime of the free movement of people of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. He attacked the Haitian Government for passing a law that officially raised voodoo as a religion of Haiti.
Taken out of its context that might seem fine as well. But the fact is that we face a couple of hard cold facts in The Bahamas. In the first place, there is no escaping the fact that The Bahamas does not have the labour within its borders to do all of the work that is demanded within The Bahamas. In the second place, the Bahamian of today is in fact largely the result of immigration to this country in the twentieth century. The fact is that there are no indigenous Bahamians. They were all wiped out shortly after Columbus, so the argument that God gave this land to The Bahamas comes off as specious.
What that comment caused was a lot of irresponsible commentary in The Bahamas about Haitians and inflammatory remarks about removing them by violence from the country. Again one has to be careful how these issues are addressed in public for fear of unintended consequences.
We urge restraint throughout this community as we deal with these delicate problems. The Government intends to take strong measures to deal with the problem. The fact is, though, jingoism and threatening to blow up Parliament will not be helpful in trying to send the right message. It sends the wrong message, and cannot be supported. We must be disciplined. That is what Bahamians in the main are failing to do. What they want to do is flap up their gums about a situation but do not have the national will nor discipline to bring about the changes that are required to bring the situation back into kilter.
Bishop Sam Greene has been a responsible voice for so many years, these remarks are out of character, and in retrospect might be seen as an error in judgement, rather than a serious public view, when taken against a background of his larger public service.
We hope, however, that what is remembered during this Independence day (The Bahamas at 30) is that the message of Independence is just that: tolerance and decency and not jingoism and violence.
The
number of hits for the week ending Saturday 12th July at midnight: 24,993.
The number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 12th July at midnight: 38,237.
The number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 12th July at
midnight: 720,885.
CELEBRATING
INDEPENDENCE
It has been thirty years since the flag of the British was hauled down
over The Bahamas and the new flag of The Bahamas was hoisted. The
colours were strange at the time: black, gold and aquamarine. The
flag was designed by Hervis Bain who was honoured in a ceremony by the
Pindling Foundation on Saturday 5th July at Paradise Island at the Legacy
Ball. The
photo is shown of The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell at the
ball with Rev. Dr. Philip Rahming who wrote the national pledge and Dr.
Bain.
There was a spontaneous outpouring of affection
for the country that took its leaders by surprise. The reports are
that some 80,000 people turned out at Clifford Park on 9th July to witness
a cultural celebration that included Lenny Kravitz, the rock star whose
mother had Bahamian roots, and other Bahamian musical groups and dancers.
At midnight the ceremony commemorating the lowering of the British flag
and the raising of the Bahamas flag took place in Nassau. Peter Ramsay
provided this range of pictures for our viewers of the events of Independence
Day.
THE
LEGACY BALL
For the third year running the Pindling Foundation
hosted the Legend Ball on 5th July 2003. The ball had the who’s who
of Nassau there, and Lady Pindling was her usual gracious and charming
self at the ball. The Prime Minister and his wife Bernadette were
there. So was Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas Information Services who
took this picture of Lady Pindling being escorted by the Prime Minister..
INDEPENDENCE
DAY IN ABACO
The local Abaco Committee invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred
Mitchell to come to Abaco for the Independence parade and march past.
Last year the Minister spent the day in Exuma celebrating Independence
Day there. As it turns out the same two Local Government Administrators
were in Abaco that were in Exuma last year. The Administrators were
Senior Administrator Alexander Williams and Administrator Jolton Johnson
along with Administrator Gary Knowles. There are three districts
in Abaco.
The ceremony began with an ecumenical service at the Central Abaco Primary
School in Marsh Harbour. This was followed by the striking of the
flag at midnight and march past with an inspection of the Guard by the
Minister representing Government. The Prime Minister's message was
read by the islands’ number one patriot Senator Edison Key whose plane
was shot up and threats against his life were made in 1972 when he was
the one white Abaconian of public note who supported the PLP openly and
the question of Independence. But the celebration was a good one
for Marsh Harbour, a unifying one and people turned out in force.
David Ralph of The Abaconian took pictures of the event. Top - Leading
Abaco citizens Everett Archer, left and Bill Swain, second from right,
join in the official Independence celebrations at Marsh Harbour, Abaco
with the Honourable Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs & the
Public Service, second from left; Senator Edison Key, third from left and
Abaco MP Robert Sweeting, right. Right; Full ceremonial dress is on display
as ASP Clarence Russell (left) and Detective Inspector Cleophas Cooper
(right) stand at rigid attention. Bottom left; LITTLE DRUMMER – Inspector
Gregory Barr holds his ceremonial sword and looks on as Minister Fred Mitchell
inspects the Young People’s Band of Grace Baptist Church during Abaco’s
official Independence celebrations. The band joined members of the
Royal Bahamas Police Force regulars and reserves in the island’s Independence
parade. Bottom right; CEREMONIAL SWORD - Inspector Gregory Barr holds
aloft his ceremonial sword as he leads Foreign Affairs & the Public
Service Minister Fred Mitchell on and inspection of the Honour Guard at
Abaco, followed by ASP Clarence Russell and Detective Inspector Cleophas
Cooper.
THE
OPENING OF THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY
One of the most important events of the week of Independence was the opening
of the National Art Gallery. The Prime Minister gave the principal
address on Monday 7th July and the Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont cut
the ribbon. The Cabinet turned out in force and the Leader
of the Opposition Alvin Smith and former Minister of Finance Sir William
Allen were also there. The Tribune showed a photo of the opening
on Tuesday 8th July. From left were Sir William, Glenys Hanna Martin,
the Minister of Transport, the Prime Minister, and the Governor General,
the Minister of Education Alfred Sears under whose portfolio the Gallery
comes.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Hubert Ingraham,
his predecessor whose idea it was to use Villa Doyle, the nineteenth century
home of a former Bahamian Chief Justice for the Gallery. The architect
was Anthony Jervis seen behind the Governor General and Minister of Housing
Shane Gibson. To the left of Mr. Jervis and behind Minister Hanna
Martin is Hervis Bain, the designer of the Bahamian flag and the National
Coat of Arms. Tribute was also paid to the curators Dr. Krista Thompson,
Dr. Petrine Archer Straw and Ms. Erica James. Dr. Gail Saunders was
the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the development of the Gallery.
The admission charge is three dollars. The Gallery is open from Tuesday
to Fridays from 11 a.m. It will take several days to go through and
enjoy so you should plan several visits. Vision photography photo.
US
AMBASSADOR DEMITS OFFICE
This week is the last week for US Ambassador J.
Richard Blankenship in post. Mr. Blankenship will leave The Bahamas
on 18th July. He is to be succeeded in the first instance by the
Charge D'affaires Robert Witijewski. There is no word on a successor.
MAILBOX
This week, letter writer C. Askew has some thoughts
on Caricom, nationality and national pride:
"Just allow me a moment to vent my feelings with
respect to The Bahamas being a part of Caricom vs. the USA component.
"First, let me say that I am a proud Bahamian whose ancestors came from MICAL, Barbados, Jamaica, and Haiti. Each group has made tremendous contributions to the building of up of The Bahamas. I am therefore highly offended by persons who insist that we have no connection with the Caribbean.
"May I point out that in the grand scheme of things, we are all NORTH AMERICANS!!!! The Bahamas and the rest of the Caribbean are a part of the North American Continent. Therefore The Bahamas has no more exclusive right to the USA than any other island of the Caribbean. As a matter of fact, I wish to make it known that geographically both Bermuda and Canada are equally as close to USA. Bermuda is about 100 miles from the Carolinas and Canadians have the great fortune [or misfortune depending on your point view] of commuting daily either from Seattle, Washington to Victoria, B C. or vice versa to work. This happens on all the provinces that border the USA. Like The Bahamas, Canadians use the US$ daily. They are even allowed to hold US$ accounts without exchange control. The Turks & Caicos Islands though still a dependent of the United Kingdom use the US$ exclusively as their currency. Another fact to remember is that while we love to talk about the persons who came here from the USA during Americas break from Great Britain, kindly note that AMERICA did not exist until after the war. The loyalist left before that happened because they wanted to remain British. I say all this to remind Bahamians that not everyone shares the loyalist history.
"It is significant to understand that Caricom and The Bahamas share 30 years together. They need us and we need them. We can all learn from one another. Yes, the USA is close to us and they are a good ally to have, however don’t discount the value of the neighbours to the South of us. Our names our Ifill, Grant, Roach, Murray, Huggins, Edwards, Trotman, Fields, Greaves, Worrell, Dumont, Jones, Cumberbatch. We all have our roots in the Southern Caribbean and we are no less Bahamian than you who claim the loyalist ancestry. Just as a matter of fact, Sir Lynden Pindling’s father was a Jamaican; Sir Clement Maynard’s father was a Bajan. The Archbishop of Nassau, Rt. Rev. Laurence Burke now a naturalised Bahamian hails from Jamaica. One of the most prolific artists was Meta Cumberbatch, [the grandmother of the Minister of Financial Services and Financial Affairs] who hailed from Trinidad. She helped us to embrace our Bahamian culture. So please consider the welfare of those of us whose ancestry lies to the South of The Bahamas and who love the fact that The Bahamas is a part of Caricom. Thank you for allowing me to vent.
"A proud Bahamian of Caribbean descent."
C. Askew
BISHOP
GREENE IN HIS OWN WORDS
Bishop Sam Greene is the President of The Bahamas Christian Council and
he kicked off a firestorm of controversy following his remarks at the ecumenical
service at Zion Baptist Church, East Street on Sunday 8th July. He
said that he had learned that Canada had passed a law that allowed same
sex marriages. The Bishop said that he was opposed to such marriages.
Here is what he had to say in his own words as reported by The Tribune:
“The day The Bahamas Parliament decides that
they will do likewise and make a law so that a man can marry a man, and
a woman can marry a woman, I will be the first live Guy Fawkes. Whereas
the first Guy Fawkes failed, I will succeed.
“Canadians are educated people. The law
reminds me that there is more to life than education…
“Jesus had urged people to be fruitful and multiply.
But there is no way men with men and women with women could multiply… This
is a plan by the devil to destroy the family. As goes the family
so goes the nation. Under no circumstances should the people of God
allow such a thing to happen.”
(Editors’ Note: The Tribune pointed out that
Guy Fawkes was the gunpowder plotter who tried to blow up the British parliament
on 5th November 1605, in a bid to kill King James 1. The scheme was
foiled when Fawkes was found in the cellars about to light the fuse.
He and his fellow plotters were hanged, drawn and quartered in a series
of public executions in London. Bonfire Night on 5th November still
marks the event. We point out that the 5th November is normally marked
here in Nassau with the burning of Guy Fawkes on Ft. Charlotte.)
RESPONSES
TO BISHOP GREENE
Helen Klonaris is a writer and a woman’s activist
in The Bahamas. She wrote this letter to the Bahama Journal and The
Tribune in response to the comments of Bishop Sam Greene. Here is
what she had to say in her own words:
“In this age of heightened global violence, your
threat of terrorist action against parliament if they should dare pass
a law supporting gay and lesbian human rights is disturbing and completely
unacceptable. I am disturbed, sir, by your need to make such a violent
statement at all, drawing upon the example of Guy Fawkes, and further disturbed
by your hysterical remarks that equal rights for gays and lesbians is a
“a plan of the devil to destroy the family...
“How is it that out of a history of slavery,
of hate and violence, knowing what hatred and violence can do, we are so
ready still to hate and do violence to yet another group of human beings
who want nothing more than the same human rights you have to live, to love,
to work, to make families, to dream, to shape a life, their own. How indeed?
“Yes sir the devil is afoot. But not where
you say he is. The devil is present among us and smiling each time
we build a fence, a wall saying you are too black, too poor, too gay to
be a part of my world, my dream… The devil gets really excited when whole
nations rise up against other nations because one people are too Muslim,
too Jewish, and too Catholic. The devil is fed when bombs fall and
bullets rain down instead of water. The devil is fed when we believe
that peace is not possible…
Bishop Greene, I pray that you and all others
like you will meditate long and deeply on what you think is righteous.”
DR.
GILBERT MORRIS RESPONDS TO BISHOP GREENE
This letter appeared in the Nassau Guardian on Saturday
12th July calling for Bishop Greene to apologize to the country.
You may click here for the full comments
of the commentator Dr. Gilbert Morris.
IS
THE PUNCH EDITOR MARRYING?
For the second time within two months, Ivan Johnson
who is a second cousin to Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell and who is also
the Editor and publisher of The Punch has included in his paper speculation
about the supposed marriage of the Foreign Minister. This time Mr. Johnson
has gone further to name the daughter of an Anglican cleric in the East.
One supposes that one of Mr. Johnson’s old girlfriends from the UK must
have come calling lately and is set to pop the question is the reason why
this recent engagement of his in a silly season.
We find this cowardly and voyeuristic problem that
Mr. Johnson has to be curious. What is even more curious is the preoccupation
of Bahamians with trivia and nonsense. Here you have country that
is on the brink of economic disaster because of serious problems of political
mismanagement in the last administration. Daily, the Government struggles
to try and set things right. One supposes that this is the way people
deal with stress, they instead concentrate on nonsense and try to make
sense of things by engaging in trivia. But what it is really doing
is making a man with a curious and difficult psychology very very rich,
while he hurts many many people in the process. The Bahamian people
who read the paper and buy it are the agents to that hurt, and they don’t
seem to care.
Just for the record we say, anything read in that
paper must in our view be untrue. If it is in the Punch it is ipso
facto (as the lawyers say) a lie.
A.D.
HANNA IN HOSPITAL
On the eve of the 30th anniversary of Independence 9th July founding father
of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas A.D. Hanna was not feeling well all
day. He insisted however that he was going out to receive the flag
at the special ceremony on Clifford Park. And he did. Shortly
after returning home in the early hours of 10th July, he fell ill and was
taken to hospital. It appears that he has a bleeding ulcer and it
required an operation to stop the bleeding. On Saturday 12th July,
the doctors said that it appeared that he was doing well and was to be
returned to the ward from the Intensive Care Unit. We wish
Mr. Hanna and his family well. Nassau Guardian photo by Patrick Hanna.
THE
TRIB WRONG ON ICC
The Tribune has run a series of articles on the
International Criminal Court in which it asserts that The Bahamas should
not risk the wrath of the United States by ratifying the Statute of Rome,
which creates the Court. Let us be clear. The Tribune is wrong.
This is part of the same fawning and obsequious behaviour that comes from
that quarter that must be rejected. The fact is The Bahamas was one
of the original sponsors of the Court and The Bahamas should stop the delay
and ratify the statute creating the Court. The Court is a useful
instrument in situations where the domestic systems of a country are unable
to cope with crimes against humanity.
At the moment, the Government has said that there
are no consequences for The Bahamas signing or ratifying the ICC statute.
We should go ahead and sign. The United States has been pressuring
countries to sign so called non surrender agreements to exempt all US citizens
from the strictures of the Court. This would defeat the purpose of
the Court and should not be supported. The Miami Herald wrote in
its Editorial of Saturday 12th July “Suspending aid for 35 countries that
haven’t ceded to US demands for blanket immunity for Americans isn’t diplomacy;
it’s the kind of strong-arming that backfires when the United States needs
friends to support its counter terrorism free trade or pro democracy policies.”
SOLOMON
MINES FOR SALE
Ray Scott, Chief Executive of the Solomon's Mines Group that last year
merged with Norman Solomon’s Solomon Group of Companies, has said Solomon's
Mines is set to be sold. The Tribune reported on Tuesday 8th July
in its Business Section that Burns House parent company, ABDAB is set to
buy and is presently doing due diligence. ABDAB is principally owned
by the family of Garret ‘Tiger’ Finlayson. If this merger is concluded
it will mark a major transition from a white merchant business to a black
business holding in the country. Burns House, the liquor company,
was also one of the original white merchant companies. The market
is said to be soft for luxury jewellery and the market extremely competitive
but the speculation is that Burns House believes that its duty free liquor
business will have a neat fit with the jewellery business, one of the commodities
that tourists to The Bahamas generally buy. Tribune file photo.
COLINA
BUYS GLOBAL
The Colina Investment Group, which recently bought
the business of Global Life in The Bahamas, is now to buy Canada Life.
Colina has also recently bought the Nassau Guardian. Colina itself,
in its present investment composition, is a relatively new investment company.
We ask the question, is this expansion too rapid? And are the regulators
watching the composition of the investors and whether they have the ability
to manage the investments that they have under their control, both insurance
and non insurance assets? This must be particularly so since Colina
is a publicly traded company with people’s pensions tied up in it.
The regulators have to be especially careful in approving these acquisitions
by an insurance company, against the background of what has happened to
Doctors Hospital with its over expansion and to Abaco Markets.
THE
UBIQUITOUS RON PINDER
Clearly this is a man with a mission. Last week Ron Pinder, the Parliamentary
Secretary of the Ministry of Health was pictured in action at Clifton picking
up trash. This week, The Abaconian, the weekly newspaper of the people
of Abaco showed a picture of Mr. Pinder in Abaco inspecting the dump.
He is everywhere and on the job. He is amongst the most popular of
the Members of Parliament. No controversial statements, just seen
as a decent hard working and diligent guy. The photo is by David
Ralph of the Abaconian.
THE
MIAMI HERALD CARTOON
We thought that as there appears to be a slow unravelling
of the Bush rationale for the war in Iraq, and as the toll of dead US soldiers
mounts to our great chagrin and regret, you might appreciate the humour
in this cartoon published in the Miami Herald on Saturday 12th July.
BUSH
IN HAPPY HAPPY AFRICA
George W. Bush, the US President has ended his tour
of Africa and we are happy that so far he has refused to put US troops
in Liberia. What a curious turn of events. You first have country
after country including most black nations criticizing Mr. Bush for interfering
in their internal affairs including the interference in the internal affairs
of the Iraqi people, yet now they are pleading for US troops led by Mr.
Bush to go into Liberia to bring order out of chaos. Seems like a
lot of foolishness to us.
What happened to Africa’s vaunted ability to carry
out its own manifest destiny? Let Bush keep his troops at home and
let Africa solve its own problems. The tour has been dismissed by
many critics as being a cynical attempt to win the African American vote
in the next election. But the money for fighting AIDS is needed and
a good thing if it brings new resources to the fight. What we also
thought was curious was the fact that Kenya and Tanzania that suffered
with bombing of US Embassies were passed over by the Presidential visit.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO DEFENCE FORCE OFFICER
Sub Lieutenant Glenn McPhee received the prestigious Admiralty Binoculars
from the United Kingdom’s Training Establishment on board the HMS Iron
Duke in port for the Independence Holiday in The Bahamas. The officer
won the highest award while in training in the UK. He was unable
to stay to accept the award and so the award was conferred here.
The British High Commissioner Rod Gemmell made the presentation.
The High Commissioner said that the Sub Lieutenant had excelled at Dartmouth
Naval College so much so that the Commodore of the College recommended
to Her Majesty the Queen that he be presented with the special award.
Congratulations to him. Nassau Guardian photo by Patrick Hanna.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO NEW FEMALE PRIEST
The Anglicans have now ordained a third female priest.
Joining the ranks of the Rev. Angela Palacious, and the Rev. Beryl Higgs
is Rev. Willish Shantish Nottage. She is currently the Chaplain of
St. Anne’s High School and is the daughter of Barbara and William Nottage,
both deceased. The Nassau Guardian photo shows Rev'd. Nottage
prostrate before Archbishop Drexel Gomez at the ordination.
ALANA DILLETTE
The Nassau Guardian headline read 'Alana Dillette
tops Nationals'. Dillette continues to star at the National Swim
Championships going on this weekend at the Betty Kenning Centre in Nassau.
She has broken the record in the girls over 15 long course backstroke.
She broke the record of Anne Laure-Virgel’s set in 2000. Congratulations
to Alana. Alana, left, is shown with team-mates Amanda McPhee, Nikia
Deveaux and Jodi Curtis celebrating a recent regional gold-medal relay
win wiith a special national flag in honour of The Bahamas' thirtieth anniversary.
SUGAR
CANE LANE AND INDEPENDENCE
Members of a Foxdale Neighbourhood Association in Sugar Cane Lane, Fox
Hill held an Independence celebration boilfish breakfast and brunch Independence
Day, Thursday 10th July. The group is spearheaded by Mrs. Lillian
McPhee and the event was hosted at the home of retired Police Officer and
Court Prosecutor Ezra Curry and his wife Sheila Curry in Foxdale.
Before grace was said and boilfish served, the neighbourhood waited for
the arrival of Fox Hill MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public
Service Fred Mitchell who was representing the Government at official Independence
ceremonies in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Each neighbour brought a different
dish of food to the celebration, which continued throughout the day and
into the afternoon and evening. Mr. Mitchell told the residents that
theirs is an example of how neighbourhoods should come together in the
old fashioned way. “I am very encouraged by the spirit of neighbourliness
and community here in Foxdale”, said Minister Mitchell, “where everyone
truly functions as his brother’s keeper.” The Fox Hill MP lauded
the group for its efforts and noted that the Independence event, which
included people from all walks of life in the neighbourhood of Foxdale,
was “…a welcome reminder of all that is good in The Bahamas.”
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
MAX DEAN, UNSUNG BAHAMIAN PATRIOT
Max Dean is a ZNS 810 Radio Announcer in Grand Bahama that filled the 2-6
p.m. time slot until recently when some programming changes were made to
accommodate the DRIVE TIME TALK SHOW from 4-6 p.m.. So, we now have
an abbreviated version of the afternoon show with Max Dean.
We have witnessed over the past month an outpouring
of patriotism that has been displayed throughout the length and breadth
of The Bahamas. This week, NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA would like to take
this opportunity to pay tribute to Max for his unwavering stance on playing
and promoting Bahamian artisans and their music. It was Max who stayed
the course for promoting things Bahamian when he introduced to his afternoon
show TRIVIA on the Bible, The Bahamas and its geography.
What we consider Max’s most outstanding accomplishment
is when he took the time to interview leading citizens from every major
Bahamian island. As they told us some of the folk stories and
things indigenous to that island; we believe that these shows produced
by Max helped Bahamians to become more appreciative of their heritage and
things Bahamian. So today, whilst the rest of The Bahamas is
now beginning to appreciate that we have a proud heritage and have caught
up with Max Dean, we say THANK YOU for your unwavering stance and your
work has not gone unnoticed.
INDEPENDENCE RALLY
This past Tuesday saw hundreds of Grand Bahamians
turned out at the Walter Parker/Independence Park to celebrate the 30th
Anniversary of Independence with a Flag Raising and Police Tattoo.
The turn out in such large numbers caught most of the vendors by surprise
because by 9:30 p.m., all the vendors were sold out. Senator, The
Honourable Marcus Bethel presided over the ceremonies and inspected the
Guard of Honour as hundreds of young people stood spellbound as they watched
the police perform various stunts on their motor bikes, the fire department
and their demonstration, and finally, the Royal Bahamas Police Force band.
A SCHOLAR IN THE MIDST OF MACK TOWN SETTLEMENT
Lionel S. McIntosh, Jr. accepted membership in the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars and is to be honoured during a
campus ceremony this fall at the Johns Hopkins University. The National
Society of Collegiate Scholars is a highly selective non-profit honours
organization. Founded in 1994, NSCS recognizes first and second year
undergraduate students who excel academically. The society was established
on the principles that with scholarship comes responsibility to develop
leadership and a duty to perform service. Lionel is presently studying
Neuroscience. (Taken from the July 12th, edition of the Freeport News.)
He is the son of Lionel and Sharon McIntosh who presently resides in the
settlement of Mack Town, Grand Bahama. We thought it only fair that
we salute a local high achiever from a local settlement.
BS
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The United States Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship left The Bahamas on Friday 18th July after 18 tumultuous months in office. The most contentious point was when the Joint Task Force meeting between The Bahamas and the United States on anti drug matters was adjourned because of certain public statements made that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell considered an insult to the country. The country was tired of the public interventions that came off like a provincial governor of the United States lauding it over the country. The Minister said that he was acting like a satrap lecturing to a colonial dominion. The press predicted doom and gloom in the larger US/Bahamian relationship but that never happened. It was quickly patched up and the last joint task force meeting on 28th June went off without notice and nary a word in the press. The Ambassador was treated to a farewell reception at the Hilton British Colonial on Wednesday 16th July by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Derek Smith of the Bahamas Information Services took our photo of the week with the Minister and the Ambassador laughing over the gift. The Ambassador was heard asking the Minister: “There’s nothing ticking in there, is there?” |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
BOTH SIDES MISSING THE POINT
Last week in the editorial comment we made the point in this column
that it was improper for a Bishop of the church and no less a person than
the President of The Bahamas Christian Council to make threats of violence
against the Government, either implicitly or explicitly. The comments
were made in connection with statements made at a church service on Sunday
6th July to commemorate the Independence of our country. The Bishop
said that if the Parliament passed laws allowing same sex marriages then
he would be a live Guy Fawkes and complete the job that Guy Fawkes did
not complete.
Guy Fawkes was the unsuccessful plotter who was hanged in Britain for plotting to blow up Parliament in 1605. The statement was clearly irresponsible. Some have now called for his resignation. Some have said like us that an apology was needed. Bishop Greene has done neither and has said that he will do neither.
Some pressure was mounting in the society for him to retract his statement. He has said that he will not. The unintended consequence of his statement was that it has now given a platform to the gay and lesbian Rainbow Coalition in The Bahamas to discuss publicly what had been a dormant subject in the country. The Rainbow Coalition has now formally called for legislation to sanction gay marriages. They have also said that they want the Government to comment or act against Bishop Greene for his threats of violence against the state. They then went on to overstate their case on the subject of gay and lesbian relations. In that respect both they and Bishop Greene have gone over the top.
The first point we wish to make is that both sides have missed the point in this issue. The issue is not in our view whether or not Bishop Greene supports gay and lesbian marriages or relationships. He is entitled to his view. He can say that as forcefully as he wishes. What he is not entitled to do is to advocate violence against the state when clearly there is no such deterioration in society to require it. A man of God (in fact no man) should be preaching violence.
As for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance while it speaks well of this society’s freedom of expression that there is now a dialogue on what has been a taboo subject, if they hope to get any public support or sympathy, they can’t go around saying over the top and silly things. In a story below, we quote an example this week of something that we think was a bit over the top about “half of the ministers of religion being homosexual and a significant proportion of Parliamentarians”. It is that kind of unrestrained rhetoric that is over the top. No doubt they would argue that you need that kind of over the top rhetoric to shock the sensitivities of Bahamians into thinking about these issues. We think it simply sinks their case.
The question then is simply one of violence and whether or not the call to blow up parliament for passing a law within its competence to pass is the right call to make. There is no defence for it. There must and should be an apology. If there is not one, then the good Bishop has given his critics a stick which forever can be used to whip him with in his future service as a Minister of religion.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 19th July at midnight: 43,957.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 19th July at midnight: 82,175.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 19th July at midnight:
764,842.
BISHOP
GREENE SAYS NO APOLOGY
Bishop Samuel Greene, the President of the Bahamas Christian Council, responded
in fury while speaking to The Tribune about calls for an apology on his
anti gay and lesbian rhetoric. Here is what he told The Tribune on
Tuesday 15th July in his own words:
“It’s [homosexuality] an abomination, it’s ungodly,
it’s wicked and it’s against the word of God…
On charges that he was fomenting violence by his
remarks:
“If they regard it as that then that’s up to
them, but let them all know that as long as they stay in the closet, I
have no problem, but they will not come out and influence Bahamians to
undermine what has been the law of this country. It will not happen
in The Bahamas, I don’t care what they say.” Tribune photo of
Bishop Greene.
RAINBOW
COALITION QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Helen Klonaris of the Gay and Lesbian support group
Rainbow Coalition in her own words spoken on Love 97’s Issues of Day on
Thursday 17th July with host Jeffrey Lloyd:
“None of us [Bahamian gays and Lesbians] is allowed
to walk down the street in public holding our partner’s hands. We
are not allowed to speak openly.
“If that were so I would venture to say that
perhaps half of the church leaders in this country would be openly gay
men. I would venture to say that a significant proportion of our
parliamentarians would be openly gay.”
A
CARTOONIST’S VIEW OF BISHOP GREENE
'Sideburns' from the Tribune of Wednesday 16th July and Thursday 17th July,
2003.
MYLES
MUNROE ENTERS THE GAY DEBATE
The Tribune of Saturday 19th July carried a front page story of comments
by Dr. Myles Munroe, head of Bahamas Faith Ministries (BFM) about the gay
debate going on in The Bahamas. He had a different tack. He
asked the Government to clarify its stand on the question of gay marriage.
He also urged the press not to sensationalize the whole matter. This
is not quite as straightforward as this would seem.
First, by his entering the debate the way he did,
Dr. Munroe feeds the press frenzy on this issue and so defeats the very
thing that he says he supports which is not to sensationalise the issue.
Secondly, there is no need for the Government to explain anything.
The question of gay marriage was nothing but a figment of the imagination
of one man Samuel Greene, the Bishop of Zion Baptist Church and President
of The Bahamas Christian Council. Privately, members of the Council
are backing away from his public comments. No one else was even talking
about it. So in one sense it is not an issue. Except now it
has become an issue because Sam Greene opened the Pandora's Box.
As with everything, the law of unintended consequences
kicks in. Dr. Munroe put his finger right on it when he said that
the media must be careful that it does not give the impression that gay
life is the normal thing in The Bahamas. We say it in a different
way. The unintended result of Bishop Greene’s intervention, which
presumably was meant to suppress support for gay life in The Bahamas, has
now made it possible for gay people to appear on radio and discuss the
mater. This in fact promotes the ideas of gay life. So the
clergy ought to find a way to put this genie back in its bottle.
What many are asking about Dr. Munroe is why does
he not condemn the call to violence by Bishop Greene?
Pastor Cedric Moss while disagreeing with same sex unions has decried
the call to violence. So has the President of the Christian Council
of Abaco. All other clergy have so far been stony silent on the question
of violence against the state. Tribune photo of Dr. Munroe by Dominic
Duncombe.
TAXATION
WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
The Bahamas Government is short of ideas on how
to raise money and short of money. The way things look now some of
the financial experts are predicting that if things don’t switch with its
tax system and soon, The Bahamas will be looking at ten years or more of
red ink in its Government budget. The taxes now collected through
customs duties cannot support the demands of the Bahamian public.
There is also a culture of tax non compliance.
One way that the Government can raise revenue is
to tax the tourism sector. It seems relatively painless in that this
is a transient group that is in a spending mode and so don’t really care
how much. They simply pay. The theory is that this is also
a way to extract the cost of the use of Bahamian resources by tourists.
With that in mind, the Treasury proposed and had the Prime Minister execute
a rise in tax for boaters to come to The Bahamas and cruise The Bahamas.
The Government had the objective of raising more revenue, but also wanted
to find some way to pay for the environmental costs of the boaters coming
into The Bahamas, who for 100 dollars were getting a cruise permit that
allowed them to take fish out of the waters in droves and dump their garbage
with impunity. Some from the South Florida area are said to have
been illegally engaged in commercial fishing operations using these permits.
The new tax was announced in the Budget Speech of
the Prime Minister. The response was immediate. You would have
thought that it was the Boston Tea Party all over again
