bahamasuncensored.com
JULY 2005
Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every
Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 3 © BahamasUncensored.Com
While material on this web site can be used freely by other sections of
the press, as a courtesy, journalists are asked to attribute the source
of their material from this web site.
10th July, 2005
17th July, 2005
24th July, 2005
31st July, 2005
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| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The
runway is ready and was ready on time. The Prime Minister had inspected
it just the day before. The FNM had left power with a major headache for
the PLP. The main runway at the Nassau International Airport was
in such bad shape that airlines were threatening to pull up stakes if the
Government didn’t act. It took 40 million dollars to solve the problem.
Virgin Atlantic Airlines wanted to fly a 747 jet aircraft into NIA to serve
their London Nassau route. They would not do it unless the airport
runway was repaired. This also helps with the needed airlift for
the Kerzner Atlantis project on Paradise Island. Virgin was also
concerned as was Kerzner and the Bahamas Government about the state of
the airport itself. The next stage is a new contract to give someone
the management rights over the airport which is quite simply a mess.
But now is the time to celebrate the new runway and the arrival of Virgin
Atlantic for the inaugural flight which Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe
laid at the feet of a lobbying effort of Director of Europe for the Ministry
of Tourism Tommy Thompson. Our photo of the week is an ebullient
Richard Branson, owner of Virgin, shown with the Police Band who greeted
the arrival of Virgin’s first 747 into Nassau on Tuesday 28th June 2005.
The Bahamas Information Services photo is by Peter Ramsay. |
COMMENT OF THE
WEEK
JACK HAYWARD’S OUTBURST
If we didn’t know better, we would have said that the whole thing
was a set up. The Tribune carried in its Tuesday 28th June edition
a front page story, with a banner headline: MYSTERY OF $1M GIFT – SIR JACK’S
ANGER AT NEMA SILENCE. The Jack that they were talking about seemed
to be acting like a “jack” indeed. They were talking about the Co-Chair
of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Sir Jack Hayward, one of two principal
shareholders in that private company which is responsible for running the
city of Freeport.
Those of us who know him from the old days as the eccentric “Union
Jack” would not be surprised at any foolish outburst of his. It appears
that at 82 years old, he has become even more eccentric than in his younger
years. Sir Jack was complaining that he could not get an answer from
the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the agency responsible
for hurricane relief, on the gift of 1 million dollars from Edward St.
George, his late partner, and himself for hurricane relief. He claimed
that they had given the gift of the money with a condition. That
condition was that the money was to be spent on education in Grand Bahama.
Enter into the picture Eileen Carron, the publisher of The Tribune.
The Tribune is the newspaper in The Bahamas that represents the business
and colonial interests in The Bahamas, and believes that anything concerned
with Black people must be suspect. The PLP Government being Black,
it follows that the PLP are prima facie crooks and then have to prove to
The Tribune that they are not. The Tribune’s editorial
attacked the Government siding with Jack Hayward even after it was fully
explained by Luther Smith, the Prime Minister's aide and Bradley Roberts,
the Minister of Works in the House that Sir Jack’s assertion was foolishness.
The fact is that no gift to NEMA can be accepted or could have been
accepted with a condition attached. The fund is a national fund,
and any money donated to it has and had to be used for national hurricane
relief. That was made clear to both gentlemen at the time the gift
was given. The gift then was not accepted with any legal condition
attached to it. Secondly, The Bahamas government has spent over six
million dollars on housing alone in Grand Bahama, and some $1.4 million
dollars on repairs to schools in Grand Bahama. The sum that is expected
to be spent in total in Grand Bahama will be about 20 million since there
is more work to be done.
Sir Jack’s comment and the response of both The Tribune and the editorial
of the Nassau Guardian was to try and send some doubt in the minds of the
people of the country at large and the other donors that something untoward
had happened to the money they donated. The fact is that Deloitte
and Touche are the external auditors of the fund and when the audit is
finished, there will be a full report to the country.
Jack Hayward has a history of opposing the PLP. In the past,
he campaigned at FNM rallies showing up just before the 1992 election supporting
Hubert Ingraham. At public functions in Grand Bahama at various openings
after Hubert Ingraham became Prime Minister he openly touted his support
for Hubert Ingraham. His partner Edward St. George who ran the company
basically kept Jack quiet in later years because it became clear that his
outbursts were a liability to the company. The Grand Bahama Port
Authority has to get along with whoever is the Government, FNM or PLP.
Mr. St. George developed a relationship with both.
What Sir Jack’s outburst brought to the fore is the fact that the
transition at the Grand Bahama Port Authority is very precarious.
Since Edward's death, the company has been in limbo with no clear direction
as to where to head. Julian Francis, the former Governor of the Central
Bank, has been hired as its new CEO without any business experience or
political savvy. He is a quick learner, but what he must also learn
quickly is the vagaries of Grand Bahama politics: the fractiousness and
the
parochial nature of it, as well as the fact that he is working for a family
company, in a company town.
Jack Hayward no doubt has every contact for the Government if he
wished to get answers. He certainly did not have to deal with the
head of NEMA if he couldn't get answers. He could have and can contact
the Prime Minister directly, whose telephone number is openly listed in
the telephone directory. Further Julian Francis should be the person
to find out information for him. Or if in doubt, Sir Albert Miller
who continues to work with the company also has the full range of contacts
with any Government Minister.
The problem with the outburst is both an external and an internal
issue. Externally, the government must look askance at the Port where
it has a principal that can’t control his big mouth, and chooses instead
to make a political attack on the government when he has other means of
addressing it. This means that Jack Hayward is trying to sink the
PLP again. Secondly, it is the internal problem. Henrietta
St. George, the widow of the late Edward St. George is thought to retain
the other major share of the Port. Does this outburst now mean
that there is a family fight coming in the company? Instead of Sir
Jack leaving the company to the professionals and staying in England where
he belongs, he chose instead now to intervene in the daily affairs of Grand
Bahama.
The Bahamians in the company would now get nervous no doubt, if they
see signs that there is to be a struggle for control of this company.
Does this mean that the Government will have to intervene if fighting breaks
out amongst the factions?
Jack Hayward is given to outbursts. He does not think before
he speaks. He did not in this case. He has no idea how this
single outburst has now put everyone on enquiry that the transition at
the Port may not be going as smoothly as most people, thought it
would go, with a professional management finally being able to run the
company without the interference of family members. The jury is still
out on this, but it would be a good idea in the first instance if Jack
Hayward would simply shut up.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 2nd July 2005: 54,910.
Number of hits for the month of June up to Thursday 30th June 2005:
291,244.
Number of hits for the year 2005 up to Saturday 2nd July 2005: 1,885,483.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
BURNING
THE NORTH ANDROS AIRPORT
Vincent Peet has had a hell of a week. First,
the Immigration Department made the smart decision to get rid of two expatriate
pilots who were flying for Western Air for fighting on the tarmac of the
Nassau Airport and for working without the proper permits. Then the
Department told the airline that they had to tell four others to pack up
and go because they too were in violation of the law. The Western
Air people predictably ran off to The Tribune claiming victimization because
they said the female part owner of the airline is running against Mr. Peet
in his North Andros constituency on the FNM ticket. She never disclosed
that they had been in violation of the law on work permits. But in
the FNM’s world enforcing the work permit laws is victimization.
Then guess what happened next. Friday morning 1st July, the North
Andros Airport and the Customs Warehouse burned flat to the ground.
Arson is definitely suspected and the police think they know who did it.
The fire didn’t touch the huge hangar owned by Western Air which is headquartered
in North Andros. Things that make you go hmmm!
LESLIE
MILLER’S OIL DEAL
Leslie Miller flew into Nassau International Airport on the morning of
Tuesday 28th June. He had signed a deal say the newspapers to bring
cheap oil to The Bahamas courtesy of the bad boy of the region Hugo Chavez
of Venezuela. All the Caricom countries signed the deal except Trinidad
and Barbados. They said they needed more time to study the proposals.
The problem is Hugo Chavez makes the Americans nervous and makes the international
oil cartels nervous. Can The Bahamas really take advantage of this?
Mr. Miller says that this deal promises big oil
savings at a time when gasoline is almost 4 dollars a gallon in The Bahamas.
The deal does not provide cheap fuel. Under it Venezuela will subsidize
the price of the oil you buy from them, when the price goes over a certain
level per barrel. If it goes over 40 dollars per barrel you get a
discount in the form of a soft loan over twenty years, the discount being
the equivalent of forty percent of the price over 40 dollars per barrel.
If it goes to one hundred dollars, you get to keep fifty per cent in the
form of a soft loan over twenty years. In order to access it, you
have to negotiate a bi lateral treaty with Venezuela.
The big question for The Bahamas that does not have
central government owned oil importing machinery is why should we get involved
in this when we already have an efficient oil distribution system where
the consumer pays for the gas he or she wants? Some of the Caricom
countries like Jamaica and Guyana already have central government importing
capacity and have used that capacity to intervene in the market when the
private sector refuses to pass on savings in gasoline prices from the world
market. But The Bahamas has price control.
Mr. Miller obviously thinks that this deal is worth
the aggravation to the private sector. He has been arguing that in
order to access it we have to have a National Energy Corporation.
There’s where the private sector gets nervous. What will this actually
mean? Why should the Government be in the oil business?
THE
BENEDICTINES END THEIR TIME
They have been in The Bahamas since 1891.
It was in that year that almost by happenstance, Fr. Chrysostom Schriner
came to The Bahamas. He was a Benedictine monk and took to the islands.
He started a mission. He met fierce resistance but in the best Benedictine
and Minnesota farm tradition from which he had come, he set about establishing
a Catholic presence in The Bahamas. They went after the poor Black
people. The Catholic Church invested in education.
Today, the Church is the largest single domination
in The Bahamas. The Baptists have more members but they are not a
single entity. The Catholic Church is now fully indigenized.
The Monastery at St. Augustine's College first on the grounds of the now
cathedral church and then on its present premises in Fox Hill was the facilitator
of their education drive and the home of some 50 monks at one time.
That number has now dwindled to two. The Monastery closed last week.
The Abbot from Minnesota came to say farewell, and to thank the Bahamian
community at a mass of thanksgiving at St. Francis Cathedral in Nassau.
Archbishop Patrick Pinder who is himself a product of St. Augustine’s College
preached the homily. Malcolm Adderley, a graduate for St. Augustine's
moved a resolution in the House for Assembly that was immediately adopted.
A formal presentation is to be made when the House resumes from its summer
rebar in October. We wish them well and thank them for their service
to The Bahamas. The monastic property in The Bahamas is to be transferred
over to the Catholic Church of The Bahamas.
THE
HOUSE ADJOURNS FOR THE SUMMER
Members of Parliament have had their last do for
the year until they meet again in the Fall. On Wednesday 29th June,
the House of Assembly met to pass several resolutions to assist the Bahamas
Mortgage Corporation. They also passed the Marine Mammals Protection
Bill which will facilitate Kerzner International’s swim with the dolphins
attraction. The environmentalists were outraged saying that no capture
of dolphins should take place. The House then adjourned for the summer,
and MPs will be back after the summer vacation sometime in October.
THE
GUARDIAN KOW TOWS TO INGRAHAM
On Wednesday 29th June, the Nassau Guardian proved
how craven it can be. With all of the news happening in the country
that warranted being on the front page of a Bahamian major newspaper, The
Guardian chose instead to print an apology to Hubert Ingraham. The
apology was because they quoted Keod Smith the MP (PLP) for Mt. Moriah
who accused the former Prime Minister of “double dipping” that is
he was receiving his salary and his pension at the same time. You
know the view is that this should be stopped by law so that Mr. Ingraham
will have to choose to retire from active politics or lose his pension.
Mr. Ingraham was apparently able to frighten The
Guardian, easily frightened as they are since they support the FNM, into
apologizing because he was able to produce a letter in the House of Assembly
from the Treasurer of The Bahamas saying that he has not received his salary
since May 2002. The Nassau Guardian never printed the fact that the
Secretary to the Cabinet wrote the Speaker of the House of Assembly to
say that while Mr. Ingraham had not collected his salary since May 2002,
in fact the salary is owed to him and that a voucher was signed for him
to get the pay which was due him from May 2002 to the present. How
that warrants an apology to Hubert Ingraham one never knows.
Pierre Dupuch MP said it right when he said that
we should not fool people. Mr. Ingraham is no saint and he ought
to do what is honourable and give up the pension or resign from the House
of Assembly.
THE
REGISTRAR GENERAL
The saga of Elizabeth Thompson claiming that she
is still the Registrar General of The Bahamas still goes on. It is
clear that there is only one validly appointed Registrar General and that
is Shane Miller, not Elizabeth Thompson. Ms. Thompson despite being
told by the Government to get lost continues to show up to work on the
spurious basis that she has a judgment from the Supreme Court that says
she is entitled to still be the Registrar. She has no such Judgment.
The Judge’s decision to set aside a letter of dismissal is being appealed.
The newspaper headlines were all full of the so
called loss by the Government when Hugh Small, the Judge who started this
whole mess with his decision, compounded the problem by declining jurisdiction
when the Government asked for a stay. The decision of Mr. Justice
Small has implications for the conduct for The Bahamas Government’s contractual
relations if the Government like any ordinary contractor cannot rely on
the terms of a contract between two consenting entities for full capacity.
The Court of Appeal should hear the matter of the
stay quickly and stop this lady who refuses to stay away from the Registrar
General's office and causing bad headlines in the paper. We believe
that the Government is playing softly softly with this and in the process
is making itself look bad. They should have their own version for
the defenestration at Prague and put this matter behind them.
MELANIE
GRIFFIN ANSWERS HER CRITIC
Can you imagine someone who has never been known until recently to be involved
in politics or any form of public commentary on controversial matters suddenly
takes an interest in a pathological way in the public life? You probably
can as this political season gets going. It is absolutely amazing,
and Melanie Griffin ran into just such an individual during the week.
Paul Moss attacked Ms. Griffin, the Minister for Social Services, accusing
her of plotting to sell Cheshire Homes, the volunteer house that was until
recently a haven for the disabled. The home was built on land owned
by the Government, but the volunteer committee wants to get out of the
business. The Ministry does not own the home. Mr. Moss accused
Mrs. Griffin of plotting to pay $650,000 for the home to the volunteer
group. No such thing in the plans said the Minister at a press conference
held on Thursday 30th June to answer the false charges.
Mr. Moss claimed that the disabled persons who were
accommodated by the Ministry in another place were not properly housed
because their wheel chairs could not fit through the new home's door.
Mrs. Griffin said this was false. Mr. Moss also read a line item
in the budget for $650,000 in the Minister’s Budget and jumped to the conclusion
that this means that the money was being paid to someone. When you
don’t know you just don’t know. Mrs. Griffin said that while there
was such a line item, the Government was not obligated to pay anything
strictly speaking because the place was on Government land, but the Government
felt that it was equitable for some payment to be made for the out of pocket
expenses of the volunteers.
What a funny life we lead in this country, when
the uninformed get the play of newspaper headlines, and all for political
effect. One suspects that Mr. Moss has a political agenda that he
has been on since he viciously attacked the Minister of Foreign Affairs
during the campaign against the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
He has also been involved in the Save Elizabeth Thompson campaign.
As we said at the start, when you see things like this happening, you would
be crazy not to ask some probing questions as to what this all amounts
to.
FOREIGN
MINISTER IN ST. LUCIA
ZNS Radio reported on Saturday 2nd July that the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Fred Mitchell is in St. Lucia, filling in for the Prime Minister Perry
Christie at the heads of government conference for Caricom. The main
topic is UN Reform. The Minister’s delegation includes Bradley Roberts,
the Minister of Works, the Leader of the Opposition Alvin Smith, the aide
to the Leader of the Opposition Gilbert Kemp, Philip Miller, Undersecretary
for Trade and Economics, Leonard Archer, the Ambassador to Caricom.
An historic first; Opposition Leaders and PMs met in conference to discuss
issues of common concern. The meeting got off to a rocky start with Opposition
Leader for Trinidad and Tobago Basdeo Panday, a former Prime Minister now
on a corruption charge in Trinidad, refusing to sit next to the Prime Minister
of Trinidad and Tobago.
POETRY FEATURE
Giovanni returns this week with verse four of 'The
Death of Ayana'. Please click
here. POET FEATURE, by Bahama recording & literary artist,
Giovanni.Stuart (www.nubah.com).
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
PRIME MINISTER INSPECTS NEW RUNWAY - Prime Minister Christie
is shown congratulating Glenys Hanna Martin for the on time delivery of
the main runway 1432 at Nassau International Airport. The runway
was officially opened on the eve of Virgin Atlantic Airways inaugural jumbo
jet service to Nassau from London this past week. At left is the
Chairman of the Airport Authority Anthony Kikivarakis and at right is Minister
for Works Bradley Roberts. Bahamas Information Services photo
- Peter Ramsay
Happy Birthday, Bahamas!
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to the top of the page.
|
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell is back from St. Lucia after having represented
the Prime Minister at the 26th annual heads of Government Conference of
the Caribbean Community in St. Lucia. The Minister had perhaps his
toughest international assignment in seeking to convey to the Caribbean
nations in succinct and non inflammatory terms the decision of the Bahamian
people that they do not want to sign on the revised Treaty of Chaguaramus
including the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). The Minister
issued a tersely worded statement from St. Lucia late on Tuesday 5th July.
It said simply that The Bahamas has indicated that it cannot sign on to
the revised Treaty. That the Government had stopped the national
debate on the issue in The Bahamas. That The Bahamas could go no
further. The statement said that the other countries understood and
that the status quo with regard to The Bahamas position with Caricom will
continue. Mission accomplished for the Minister. Congratulations!
Bahama Journal photo of Minister Mitchell briefing the news media at Nassau
International Airport by Omar Barr. |
COMMENT OF THE
WEEK
INDEPENDENCE 2005
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the Independence of The Bahamas.
We are of course a nation that is relatively well off. Things are
going relatively well. Last year despite the fact that we suffered
two significant hurricanes, the country seems back on the mend.
If you were in The Bahamas on this weekend you would see the spontaneous
outpouring once again of Bahamian flags as the nation celebrates.
People, men and women are dressing in the colours of the flag. There
is the official pomp and pageantry of the ceremony on Clifford Park which
seeks to re-enact the ceremony that originally took place within the view
of Prince Charles when he saw the British flag come down from over The
Bahamas for the last time in 1973.
Times have changed since then. Britain has abandoned its last
official post in The Bahamas, closing its embassy this year with scarcely
a thought of any sentimental ties. It said that it was trying to
save money all though it is not clear how much money it will actually save.
It just adds up to the fact that their colonial days are over and it is
time to put the past behind and concentrate on Europe where the British
really belong.
The United States is of course the great protector of The Bahamas.
It was interesting that during the debate about our relations with Caricom
there was considerable sentiment for becoming a colony of the United States
just like Puerto Rico. One wonders what precisely then are we fighting
for, did we fight for and what precisely our nationhood means.
It was the most appalling display of ignorance.
In the shadow of a great power, it is really hard to define ourselves.
We keep trying but there are great forces arrayed against us. As
you look on the streets, with the youngsters dressed in their American
clothes, speaking more and more with American accents, wanting to be American
by having their own children in the United States, what is the future for
The Bahamas? Is this period of thirty two years or whatever years
we have left as an independent nation to go down in history as an interesting
chapter in a history of being governed by other people, that we ourselves
will one day sing: “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”
That will ultimately be up to the young people who gathered on the
parks of the nation at midnight last night to witness the raising of the
Bahamian flag at midnight.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 9th July 2005 at midnight:
56,728.
Number of hits for the month of July ending at Saturday 9th July
2005 at midnight: 67,584.
Number of hits for the year 2005 up to Saturday 9th July 2005 at
midnight: 1,942,165.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
JOSEPH
PRATT AIRLIFTED TO MIAMI
The husband of the Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia
Pratt Joseph Pratt was airlifted to Florida at the Cleveland Clinic for
medical treatment on Thursday 7th July.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell announced
the airlift by Air Ambulance owned by Dr. Franklin Walkine as he returned
from the Heads of Government Conference in St. Lucia. Mr. Pratt’s
airlift was necessary because the medical equipment at Doctors Hospital
for angioplasty, a procedure to remove the blockage of the arteries of
the heart, was recently installed and not yet properly calibrated.
The procedure was carried out in Florida without incident on Thursday afternoon.
It is not known how long Mr. Pratt will be in hospital.
Mr. Pratt was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and his doctor Dr.
Conville Brown.
FIGHTING
AT THE REGISTRAR GENERAL’S OFFICE
The saga of Elizabeth Thompson, fighting to retain
her post as Registrar General of The Bahamas continues. The woman
should know that she should not show up for work. She is certainly
not welcomed by her employer. Her actions have become an embarrassment
to herself and to the country, yet each day her actions continue to create
confusion in the Registrar General's office.
This week again there are pictures in the newspaper
of the former Registrar General trying to force herself into a situation
where she is not wanted. The staff in the office have been reportedly
told that they are not to accept any instructions from her. Documents
signed by her should not be held to be valid.
The Bar Council riddled with FNMs as it is tried
to get in the mix by calling a meeting, to discuss what we don’t know.
It is none of their business. They came hard on the heels of the
FNM getting into it as well, telling the Prime Minister he must intervene
to stop the madness. The only person who can stop the madness is
the woman herself. The quicker she gets a life and moves on the better.
The whole thing is simply unseemly.
CARL
BACKS OFF SUPPORT FOR INGRAHAM
We have hardly heard a word from Carl Bethel, the
usually voluble Chairman of the Free National Movement. He has been
silent since the Privy Council slapped him in the face with a decision
that Sidney Stubbs MP for Holy Cross had been wronged by the Bahamian courts
when they pronounced him a bankrupt in March 2004. Carl was hoping
he would get a chance to run for office in a bye election in Holy Cross.
This time, the usually cocky Mr. Bethel had to issue
a statement to The Tribune on Friday 1st July saying that he was not endorsing
the return of Hubert Ingraham to be leader of the Free National Movement.
The Tribune reported these statements of Mr. Bethel:
“At no time did I endorse or throw my weight behind
or indicate any kind of personal support or encouragement of Hubert Ingraham
or any potential candidate for the leadership for the FNM.
“It is strange that The Guardian could deliberately
misconstrue a comment to fabricate an endorsement for a person who has
not announced his candidacy and had not even sought my endorsement.”
Way to go Carl! Backstroke!
HOUSING
MOVES AHEAD AGGRESSIVELY
Franklin Wilson’s Arawak Homes opened a new subdivision
on Thursday 7th July. It is the sixth subdivision that they have
opened in New Providence. This subdivision is for homes priced at
$150,000 just east of St. Augustine’s College on land that used to be owned
by the Roman Catholic Church.
The new subdivision is to be called Fr. John Pugh
Estates. Fr. John Pugh was an Anglican priest who came to The Bahamas
as part of the RAF and stayed to be ordained a priest after training at
Codrington in Barbados. He served as the Rector of St. Anne’s Church
in Fox Hill from 1954 to his retirement in 1971. He was made a Canon
of the Cathedral in The Bahamas in 1974. He was the founder of St.
Anne’s Anglican School in Fox Hill.
George Mackey, the former Representative for Fox
Hill spoke about his life and how he considered himself the son of Fr.
Pugh that was never adopted. Also speaking at the function and filling
in for Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt was Shane Gibson, the Minister
of Housing. The Minister congratulated Franklin Wilson, the Chairman
of the Board of Arawak Homes. He also announced that the Government
had completed 850 homes since it came to office in 2002 compared to 750
homes for the entire ten years of the FNM’s term of office.
Minister Gibson said that the Government was also
committed to further building and construction, and to refurbishing rental
accommodation for low income families. He told the public that the
Government would be paying for the temporary accommodation for people who
had to be moved while the rental units were refurbished, and that he guaranteed
that they would be returned to their homes. The Minister was responding
to speculation in the press during the week that once the people were moved
out they would not be returned.
We congratulate Shane Gibson who is perhaps the
most popular of all Ministers in The Bahamas at the moment and we also
congratulate Franklin Wilson.
TUBERCULOSIS
IN ABACO
The Department of Public Health has announced that
there are two cases of tuberculosis in The Bahamas that it is investigating.
The cases reportedly showed up in Abaco. The disease is spread by
air and people whose immune system is compromised are especially susceptible.
The disease is not generally known in The Bahamas. The Haitian community
with their greater incidence of tuberculosis may be the source of the disease
in The Bahamas. The disease if caught in time can generally be treated
by a course of antibiotics within six months. There are some strains
that are becoming resistant to any of the present generation of antibiotics.
Dr. Baldwin Carey , the Director of Public Health, said that people ought
to go and get themselves checked out if they suspect that they have been
close to someone who has the disease. No word on whether the cases
have been confirmed.
TRIBUNE
TALKING NONSENSE ABOUT THE PLP
Those of you who do not yet understand that election
time is coming should re-examine the facts. Here is just one example
of how everything gets twisted these days by the mainstream media to ensure
that their political message gets across. The Tribune was supposed
to be writing a supplement for independence that came out on Friday 8th
July. The supplement did indeed speak to the independence of the
country. Of course this is a country that is only a money making
machine for The Tribune, they have no greater affinity to The Bahamas than
to the man in the moon. That does not stop them from talking
foolishness either about the political leadership of the PLP, as if it
is their business.
There was an idle speculative story in The Tribune
about who is going to succeed Perry Christie as if the matter is a live
issue. We have said in this space before that if God forbid something
should happen to the Prime Minister the Deputy Prime Minister will fill
in. But The Tribune wants to speculate endlessly about which Minister
is or is not in favour at the moment. The latest incarnation of their
silly speculation is that there is a political crisis in the leadership
of the PLP because of the PM’s illness. They used the occasion of
the country’s independence celebrations to raise it. How that arises
no one knows? What we know is that it is a figment of the imagination
of The Tribune.
The Prime Minister has returned to good health and
is expected to return fully to work in September. He already chairs
the Cabinet meetings and continues to run the Government. There are
no challengers to his supremacy in the party, so where is the evidence
for a political crisis? Not so the other guys. Hubert Ingraham
wants to come back. Tommy Turnquest wants to run again. Dion
Foulkes, another former Minister, wants to run. Brent Symonette was
described as the “white hope” by The Tribune. He too wants to run.
There are several waiting in the wings to run for leader of the FNM.
So there is no crisis in the PLP but it sure looks like something else
in the FNM.
THE
BLAST IN LONDON
It was a curious thing to see the front page of
The Tribune which is supposed to be a Bahamian newspaper leading on Friday
8th July with the story LONDON ATTACKED. The subhead indicated that
the Bahamas Maritime Office in London had to be evacuated. Of course
the story was about the multiple bomb blasts that killed 50 people in London
on Thursday 7th July on the London Underground. You would have thought
that a Bahamian newspaper would have led with a story about the Bahamians
in London. That is what both the Bahama Journal and the Nassau Guardian
did.
What accounts for The Tribune’s British bent is
the fact that the paper is actually run by Englishmen, who have no more
care for this country than the commercial interest which they have as employees
of the paper. So the story was about the son of the Managing Editor
and how he escaped, and then they spoke to some other Bahamians, and at
the end of it mentioned the issue of how Bahamians generally were affected
in that country as a result of the bombing. No problem.
Each paper is entitled to take whatever approach
they wish. We just want to point out what the problem with The Tribune
is. It is Bahamian in name only. There is another master whom
they have to serve and another country to which it apparently owes allegiance.
Oh by the way, the High Commissioner to London for The Bahamas Basil O'Brien
says that all is well in London for Bahamians. The office functions
normally and all Bahamian official staff are accounted for.
FATHERS
HAVE RIGHTS TOO
We want to congratulate Clever Duncombe for his
advocacy for single men who are fathers. Even though the moralists
amongst us would say their fatherhood is an irresponsible act, there is
no need to compound the error by the way the law is presently worded.
As it stands now, a father who is not married, nor
was married to his children’s mother can only see his children as of right
if the mother of the child wants him to. He can only access the courts
for custodial or visitation rights if there is a court order in place making
him pay maintenance. That is only done if the mother of the child
moves the court for maintenance. If she doesn’t and there is no court
order, the father can be effectively shut out from the life of the child
at the whim of a mother who has a bad relationship with the father.
The Minister for Social Services Melanie Griffin
is pledged to do something about it before the year is out. Mr. Duncombe
should keep up his advocacy. His latest statement was reported in
The Tribune of Friday 1st July. It is the only way the voices are
going to be heard on this very important matter for men in The Bahamas.
FOREIGN
MINISTER IN EXUMA
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell witnessed the raising
of the Bahamian flag in Georgetown, Exuma on the eve of Independence late
Saturday 9th July. This is the second time in two years that he has
witnessed the flag raising there. Accompanying the Minister was the
Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas who toured Exuma’s mainland with the
Minister.
THE
GOVERNOR GENERAL ON CSME
A Governor General rarely enters in matters of public
controversy. But it is refreshing when a Governor General chooses to intervene
in the state of the common debate. The comment of the Governor General
at the annual Independence Day lunch put on in her honour by the Honorary
Consular Corps about the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) on Friday
8th July is worthy of quoting Dame Ivy Dumont, Governor General in her
own words:
“The world is gradually becoming a marketplace
of groupings. The pace of formation of organizations, associations and
unions is accelerating. Because these formal groupings are being driven
largely by economic concerns, they continue to challenge our concept of
sovereignty and independence. More and more we must become comfortable
with the notion of inter-dependence. Recently, in our community there has
been heated and extended dialogue with regard to The Bahamas becoming a
part of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). It may well
be, as stated in a quotation attributed to a Mr. Max Planek:
‘NEW…TRUTH DOES NOT TRIUMPH BY CONVINCING ITS
OPPONENTS, BUT RATHER BECAUSE ITS OPPONENTS DIE, AND A NEW GENERATION GROWS
UP THAT IS FAMILIAR WITH IT’
(THOUGHTS ON ACHIEVEMENT, TRIUMPH BOOKS, CHICAGO, P.94).”
THE
CAC GAMES BEGIN
We congratulate Neville Wisdom, the indefatigable
Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture on the spectacular opening and conduct
of the Senior Caribbean Athletic Championships being held at a newly refurbished
Thomas A. Robinson Track at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Nassau.
The games began on Saturday 9th July. The official opening ceremony
took pace on Friday 8th July. Athletes are competing from 35 countries
in the Americas. This includes Cuba.
HOUSEHOLD
INCOME IN THE BAHAMAS
Director of Statistics Charles Stuart reported to
the country on Thursday 30th June the results of an occupational wage survey
of more than 48,000 people in the private sector carried out in New Providence
and Grand Bahama. Apart from the raw fact of the size of the wage
packet, it seems to confirm that there is still a wage differential between
women and men, despite laws that guarantee equality for pay between men
and women. Men continue to earn more in all categories.
The overall salary for all people on average was
$23,751. For men the average overall was $25,869 and for females
$21,675. The differential applied on an hourly basis: for men $13
per hour and women $11 per hour. On a weekly basis, for males it
was $497 per week and for females $417 per week.
The survey revealed that women seem to work shorter
hours than men, with men working on average 39 hours per week and females
38 hours per week. The differential between men and women, with men
being higher paid in each wage category whether senior managers, professionals,
technicians and associate professionals. The basis of this report
is from the Nassau Guardian of 1st July.
ANTHONY
ROBERTS DIES
Rev’d. Fr. Anthony Roberts, a retired politician
and Anglican priest, died at the age of 73 after a brief illness.
Fr. Roberts was ordained a priest in 1987 and served throughout the country
most recently as the Chaplain of the Royal Bahamas Police Force up until
1994. Fr. Roberts prior to the priesthood served as a politician.
He was elected to office in 1968 and served as the Minister of Home Affairs
and then Agriculture from 1968 to 1977. Upon retirement from that
post, he served as the High Commissioner of The Bahamas to London.
Fr. Roberts was son of the late E.P. Roberts, an educator after whom a
school is named. He was also the uncle of Neville Wisdom, the Minister
for Youth, Sports and Culture.
GLENROY
NOTTAGE DIES
Rev. Glenroy Nottage, Director of All Saints Camp
of St John the Devine has died. Rev. Nottage devoted the last years
of his life to running the Camp and assisting those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.
He was a tireless worker in the cause and often chided the public, once
saying “I think we need to have more support from the public… This is the
only place in The Bahamas where someone can come in and really see the
effects of HIV/AIDS. I’m surprised that people are not breaking the doors
down to visit us.”
CHRISTIAN
CAMPBELL ENDS HIS TIME
The boy genius, well not so boyish anymore, but
genius all the same, has ended his stint as the editor for The Weekender,
the Nassau Guardian’s weekend newspaper that was filled with interesting
information about the African and Creole presence in The Bahamas.
It was written with the perspective of young Bahamians in mind. While
there is speculation that with the ouster of his Uncle James Campbell from
the Board of Colina, the parent company of the Nassau Guardian was the
reason for his ending his stint, there was no official word. The
real truth may be far more mundane in that he may simply be returning to
school. In any event, an interesting voice is off the scene for the
moment but we wish him well.
IGNORANCE
FROM BARF
Some people don't seem to know when to shut up and
keep quiet, when the game is up, when there is no more to be said.
A group that calls itself BARF (strange name since it means vomit) was
one of the main progenitors of the anti intellectual thought police that
wanted no further debate on The Bahamas role with the Caribbean Community.
The Government having succumbed to the arguments of ignorance stopped the
debate. There has been no comment from anyone in the Government despite
the fact that the ignoramuses who led the opposition to it have been jonesing
for an argument.
Trying to get a rise out of the Government one of
the BARF members gave a statement to the press on Saturday 9th July responding
to the comments of Owen Arthur, the Prime Minister of Barbados who indicated
to the Nassau Guardian on Wednesday 6th July that part of the misunderstanding
in The Bahamas about the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) had to
do with lack of information on the subject. He said that Bahamians
were uneducated about the subject and that there was a need for further
information.
Such is the bizarre response of the intellectual
thought police in The Bahamas that this truthful message got twisted into
some kind of insult to the Bahamian people. There to take up the
gauntlet was the vomit group saying that they wanted to tell Mr. Owen Arthur
a thing or two. Our response: BARF ought to go get a life!
Blow it out their ears!
MISS FOX
HILL
It’s that time of year again when the beauties of
Fox Hill gather as part of the Fox Hill festival. The festival begins
at the end of the month. This will be the 171st anniversary of the
emancipation of slaves in The Bahamas. We thought that you would
like to see the beautiful ladies who will be vying for the title of Miss
Fox Hill Emancipation this year.
FORMER
AMBASSADOR’S SON COMMENTS
It is always interesting to see how the times and the generations see things
so differently. Nothing pointed out this to us more this week
than an interview published in the Nassau Guardian with a young man Avaran
Collin Rolle.
Mr. Rolle was featured in the Lifestyles Section
of the Nassau Guardian of Saturday 9th July with his locks down to his
shoulder. He is a singer and a recording artist who is Bahamian,
the son of former Ambassador to Haiti Frank Rolle. His father is
also a former Member of Parliament. His grandfather was the pastor
of the Zion Church in Bimini and a pillar of the Christian community.
His father is a great believer as are all of is uncles. No doubt
he was raised in the tradition.
But son takes a different tack from father and grandfather.
When asked by the interviewer whether he considered himself a Christian
or a Rastafarian, Avaran Rolle's reply: “Christianity is tainted.
I am Rastafarian which is just a certain way to live your life. The
Christianity based religion today seems like big business.” Things
that make you go Hmmm!
ALFRED
BRAITHWAITE RETIRES
Dr. Alfred Braithwaite has retired from the Rand
Memorial Hospital in Freeport where he served for many years the sole Pathologist.
Minister of Health Dr. Marcus Bethel, among the dignitaries paying tribute
at the retirement banquet for Dr. Braithwaite, described the night as “a
wonderful occasion, an exemplary celebration for an exemplary doctor who
had contributed much to Grand Bahama. Dr. Braithwaite, a native
of Grenada, has a long and distinguished career as an educator, scholar
and scientist. He and his wife of 30 years, Vivian (nee Isaacs)
have three children – Nanika, Ricio and Chandre. Dr. & Mrs. Braithwaite,
left, are shown with Minister Bethel and Mrs. Bethel at the recent Retirement
Dinner for Dr. Braithwaite. Bahamas Information Service photo - Vandyke
Hepburn
POETRY FEATURE
Independence Numerology
This week, Giovanni asks us to “Ponder how these
figures play up”…
Consider this numerology, a fun study of
The occasion marking our nation’s birth-date
You are 32 years more brilliant, more blessed
Likewise, at 32 I am a product of independence
Three and two is five and two equals the lucky 10
Hence, we are gathered here this day, to wish our
Island commonwealth all the best of fortune, plus
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BAHAMAS!
Recording and literary artist, Giovanni Stuart – www.nubah.com
THIS
WEEK WITH THE PM
CAC Games opening - Prime Minister Perry Christie (third from
left) joined dignitaries at the official opening of the Central American
and Caribbean (CAC) Games this past week at the Queen Elizabeth Sports
Centre. The Games took place in a spruced up facility and their hosting
is considered in the region to be quite a coup for The Bahamas and its
Minister of Sports Neville Wisdom. Also pictured (second from right)
is Dr. Bernard Nottage, one of the principal organisers of the games in
The Bahamas. Bahamas Information Services photo - Peter Ramsay
Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl+home to return
to the top of the page.
|
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - The
Prime Minister, looking trim, fit and relaxed, is pictured arriving with
Mrs. Christie to attend Independence celebrations at Fort Charlotte.
In the background is Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture Neville Wisdom,
whose Ministry engineered and spearheaded the extravaganzas. This
engaging picture by Bahamas Information Services Peter Ramsay is our photo
of the week. |
COMMENT OF THE
WEEK
NOT ONE RED CENT
You all know that this column does not believe that there should
have been any negotiations, discussions or otherwise with Elizabeth Thompson,
the now former Registrar General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
She is now “former” because by all accounts from the press and latterly
out of her own mouth she has resigned from the job. The press said
that the resignation became effective on Thursday 14th 2005. The
press says that she was paid some $260,000 in compensation to settle the
dispute with the government on her appointment. She says that she
is relieved and can now move on with her life.
According to The Tribune of Saturday 16th July, Mrs. Thompson says
that she believes that our democracy has been strengthened by the stand
that she took. She believes that she fought for a principle and that
in standing up to the Government the nation is far stronger for it.
The notion is preposterous. It is hyperbole; self-serving hyperbole
of the worst kind. We can not agree with her. We think that
no settlement should have been negotiated, and that she ought to have been
fought in the courts all the way up the Privy Council. There ought
to have been a hard fought defence of the position of the Judicial
and Legal Services Commission that would have resulted we are certain in
pulling back from a ruling in law that was not acceptable.
But we also have another view. The political party that this
column supports does not in these times have the stomach for such a battle.
Having no stomach, it seems for any controversial fight, it did not make
sense for an Attorney General to continue in this vein. The way this
whole thing has developed is that there is this weak female victim being
set upon by the great Government. The reality bears no resemblance
to those facts, in our opinion. It was therefore sensible to put
a quick end to this situation, even at the cost that has been printed in
the press.
What we think is that the only person who has benefited from this
is Elizabeth Thompson. We see scarcely any public benefit, save and
except that we will not now have to see the embarrassing spectacle of a
grown woman's actions at a work place where she was clearly not wanted.
She can go on with her life, but the public is entitled to ask, how many
basketball courts could have been built for that $260,000? How many
poor persons could have been helped with food aid with that $260,000?
How many wheel chairs could have been given to the disabled with that $260,000?
So while Mrs. Thompson can talk about how her children can now be fed and
how she and her family can now rest comfortably and feel relieved, many
other people should remind her what other things could have been done with
the money which she has now negotiated with the Government to settle her
legal dispute.
The whole matter was exacerbated by a clear political agenda on the
part of those who supported her. The same voices that “barf” in the
political action group BARF, including a relative of hers were at work
politicizing the CSME debate, politicizing the work of the Minister of
Social Services. So it seemed that the whole matter was extended,
and twisted and extended because there might have been other considerations
at work. Everyone thinks that it is open season on the Treasury.
We too hope that the matter is history, and that the Government has
learned its lessons from this. Chief amongst them is that when people
are brought on in contract that in future it is absolutely clear that the
terms of the contract are to be followed, and that there is no appeal to
any court in matters where the Government needs the desired management
flexibility to run its offices. We hope also that there is more circumspection
is exercised when hiring people in these jobs in the future. There
is only one victim here; that victim is certainly not in our view Mrs.
Thompson, but the Bahamian people whose Treasury now has $260,000 less
than it did this time last week.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 16th July 2005 at midnight:
67,896.
Number of hits for the month of July up to Saturday 16th July 2005
at midnight: 135,480.
Number of hits for the year 2005 up to Saturday 16th July 2005 at
midnight: 2,010,061.
CONTACT US AT E-MAIL:placid_point@yahoo.com
WHITES
COME IN FOR CRITICISM
The headline in the Nassau Guardian was quite surprising.
Most people would have thought the theme was dead. The headline said:
WHITES SLAMMED – C.B. MOSS WANTS TO SEE MORE WHITE FACES AT NATIONAL EVENTS.
Hmmm! Rev. C.B. Moss was speaking in the Senate as Senator of the
Progressive Liberal Party and the Vice President of the Senate prior to
a debate on the Marine Mammals Protection Bill when the Senate met on Wednesday
13th July. Senator Moss claimed that when he looked around at the
national events held over Independence, there were no white faces in evidence.
It is a continuation of the theme that the white Bahamian does not participate
in the life of The Bahamas. We do not think that it stands up to
examination but on the face of it we can understand why people say it.
Not a new theme, but one that most people had stopped talking about.
Pierre Dupuch, who is a white member of parliament,
well mixed ancestry but in this country white, responded by pointing out
that half the Cabinet did not show up to the national events. That
too was profound. He also made the point that the events are too
protracted in any event. We are with him there. Who wants to
be sitting in one spot for three or four hours at a time in the midst of
the summer heat? We say again these celebrations really ought to
be cut down in their formal character to one hour or less, then let's get
to the beach!
THE
BOYS WIN BIG AT CAC
The Senior Central American and Caribbean Championships
ended on a great note for The Bahamas when its men triumphed in the men’s
4x400 metre relay. The four who participated won the race above an
impressive field in a time of three minutes, 1.08 seconds. This is
a repeat for The Bahamas. The four were happy as larks, and posed
for the finishing photo that was published by the Bahama Journal on Tuesday
12th July. Congratulations to them. Congratulations to the Minister
of Sports Neville Wisdom for pulling off a well organized games.
Kudos also to Dr. Bernard Nottage, who was the chief organizer of the games.
From left: Chris Brown, Nathaniel McKinney, Aaron Cleare and Andre Williams.
AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS SIGN A CONTRACT
There was a happy picture on the front page of the
Bahama Journal of Wednesday 13th July of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controller’s
Union following the signing of a contract with the Government which brought
to an end ten years of negotiations. The agreement calls for pay
and benefits amounting to some 1.7 million dollars according to the Minister
of Transport Glenys Hanna Martin. The signing took place at the offices
of the Minister of Labour Vincent Peet. Sitting in the wings was
the Minister of Public Service, the former Attorney for the Air Traffic
Controllers Fred Mitchell. We congratulate both the Minister of Transport
and the Air Traffic Controllers, especially their President Roscoe Perpall
for the hard work in bringing the matter to this conclusion. The
photo is by Omar Barr, showing union president Roscoe Perpall at left,
hugging Senior Radar Controller Percival King.
GAS
PRICES TO TOP 4 DOLLARS
Leslie Miller was quoted in the press on Thursday
14th July as saying that the price of gasoline in New Providence is expected
to go up $4.05 within two weeks and may well hit five dollars per gallon
by the end of the summer. At present the Nassau Guardian reports
that gasoline which is price controlled sells at Esso $3.59 per gallon,
Texaco $3.64 per gallon and Shell at $3.69. The price hike has been
the subject of some controversy out of the Ministry of Trade because the
Minister has been saying that through co-operation with Venezuela he would
like to start an Energy Corporation which would intervene in the market
to lower the price of gasoline. This is not something which this
column approves of. The market price of gasoline is what it is, and
maybe this will force the public away from its over reliance on the automobile.
Somehow, despite the rise in the price, neither on the fiscal side nor
the monetary side does there seem to be any cause for concern to the economy.
Demand is as brisk as ever.
CONFUSION
OVER VENEZUELA DEAL
The speculative stories continue apace in the press
about the Venezuela deal and what it means. You know that we reported
on this site (you may click here
for the original story) about the Memorandum of Understanding that
was signed with the Government of Venezuela to sell petroleum to The Bahamas
and other Caricom countries at a supposed discount. Despite the public
statements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell on the matter,
The Tribune continued this past week with the idle speculation on the issue.
Once again for their benefit we will repeat what
the Minister said. The Memorandum of Understanding is not a binding
agreement on any country in Caricom. It is a framework agreement
and in order for its provisions to be effected, there needs to be a bilateral
agreement worked out with the Venezuelans. The Bahamas has to consider
whether this is good for us. As we said before, the key issue is
whether or not The Bahamas Government should be in the business of petroleum
distribution and its infrastructure when the present system works quite
efficiently.
ISLE
OF CAPRI CASINO DOWNSIZES
The Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said that
he was blindsided by an announcement made by the Isle of Capri casino that
it was downsizing the workforce at its casino operation in Freeport at
Lucaya. The incredible thing about this is with the hotel full of
people, demand greater than ever for Freeport hotel rooms and Isle of Capri
decides that because it did not get a tax break from the Government, it
would downsize its operations. The matter needs to be investigated,
and one thing especially should be investigated is whether this company
should continue to have a licence in Freeport, and whether a more high
brow and dynamic operator needs to be chosen that can keep the place open
with a full staff complement. Minister of Labour Vincent Peet is
shown at a Grand Bahama conference after meeting with executives of the
Isle of Capri to express the government’s concern on the layoffs, which
he said could have been better handled. At right is Parliamentary
Secretary Ann Percentie. BIS photo / Vandyke Hepburn
SENATOR
CYPRIANA MCWEENEY RESIGNS
Senator Cypriana McWeeney announced her resignation from
the Senate after three years in office on Wednesday 13th July. She
said that she is pursuing various private interests but those interests
do not include a consultancy with the Prime Minister's office. Here
is what she said in her own words:
“This is not the time and place to announce what
these new ventures are. They will be revealed in the fullness of
time and in the appropriate setting. What I can reiterate, though,
is that I will not be taking up a job or consultancy in the Prime Minister’s
office or in any other part of the government. Those rumours as I
have said before are completely unfounded.
“I believe in the PLP and I believe in the government
of the Right Honourable Perry Christie. I believe that the PLP and
Perry Christie are still the best hope for this country of ours.
I believed that when I agreed to serve in the Senate back in May 2002 and
I believe it even more passionately now in July 2005 as I leave the Senate
to pursue new ventures.
“I am truly grateful for the confidence that
he placed in me. He is truly a great leader and he knows that he
will always be able to count on my full support. I am a Bahamian
patriot to the core. You can therefore be assured Madam President
that I will continue to serve my country.” Photo from the Bahama
Journal
ANTHONY
ROBERTS’ STATE FUNERAL
The nation’s leaders turned out at a state funeral for the late Rev. Fr.
Anthony Roberts on Saturday 16th July. Rev. Fr. Roberts was also
a retired politician, having served as a Parliamentary Secretary, Member
of Parliament; a Minister of the Government from 1968 to 1977. Following
his stint in Parliament, he served as a High Commissioner for The Bahamas
to London. Fr. Roberts before his career in politics was a trade
unionist, the founding President of the Airline, Airport, Allied Workers
Union (AAWU). He came into the Progressive Liberal Party from the
trade union movement.
There was a military salute at the end of the funeral.
The body lay in state for viewing by the public on Thursday 14th July at
the House of Assembly. The funeral was attended by the Prime Minister and
Members of the Cabinet. A tribute was delivered by the Hon. A.D.
Hanna, former Deputy Prime Minister who served with Mr. Roberts.
The eulogy was delivered by his Grace the Archbishop of the West Indies
Drexel Gomez. He was buried in St. Matthew’s Cemetery. May
he rest in peace! The widow Roberts is seen receiving the national
flag from Prime Minister Christie after former Minister Roberts' burial
and at right, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister among the mourners
at the gravesite. Bahamas Information Services photos by Peter Ramsay.
CIVIL
SOCIETY TACKLES IMMIGRATION
There was a town meeting this week sponsored by the Civil Society Group
that found its genesis at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Freddie
Munnings Jr., is now its head, succeeding the late attorney Reginald Lobosky.
Its first foray into the national dialogue came in the form of a national
discussion on Immigration. It was an emotive topic and the scores
turned out. Maurice Glinton, who is normally not a public speaker
in this way, showed up at the podium to talk about the failure to Bahamianize
the Judiciary. The real treat for the audience was everyone's favourite
in this jingoistic time but controversial in his own time, A. Loftus Roker,
the former Minister of Immigration, who sought to purge the country of
the illegal immigrants half a generation ago. He lost the political
support of his party, and left office. But today, his name is a famous
one for someone who tried to get on top of the issue. The discussion
took place at the College of The Bahamas on Wednesday 13th July.
Attorney Glinton is shown at the podium with A. Loftus Roker sitting and
looking on with former Member of the House of Assembly Elwood Donaldson.
Bahamas
Information Services photo / Tim Aylen
IMMIGRATION
POLICY IN THE NEWS
The country is going thorough yet another spasm or cataclysm, call it what
you like, on the issue of immigration. What happens is that periodically
the country gets in a frenzy on illegal immigration. The Government
responds by rounding up scores of Haitians that are sent back in a high
profile manner to their homes. It usually turns out to be a public
relations exercise and once the public gets tired of talking about it,
the press moves on to other things. Now the public is exercised about
it again. This time, they brought out all the voices of “throw them
out”. Chief amongst them was the Hon. A. Loftus Roker (pictured in
this BIS photo) who led the charge back in the 1980s to oust the Haitians
from the country. He predicted that country of eight million, with
unrestricted flows into The Bahamas would swamp us, a country of 300,000.
That is certainly true but as with all things, there is in fact an effective
programme of interdiction. It needs to be beefed up, but it is not
like the borders are completely unprotected. More needs to be done,
but we have to be concerned that we don’t lead this country into one of
these ethnic cleansing exercises that many seem to be urging. Bahamas
Information Services photo / Tim Aylen
PM
IN ELEUTHERA TO BREAK GROUND
Congratulations go out to Franklin Wilson (pictured,
with Mrs. Sharon Wilson applauding) who with the other leading officials
of The Bahamas broke ground in Eleuthera for the revival of the Cotton
Bay Club in Eleuthera. It is a 300,000,000 dollar investment by a
Bahamian group. One of the main progenitors of the investment was
the late Albert Sands who sadly died of cancer several weeks ago.
The project is dedicated to Mr. Sands. On Friday 15th July, the Governor
General and the Prime Minister joined Mr. Wilson and his partners to break
ground for the new hotel construction. Bahamas Information Services
photo / Peter Ramsay
MINISTER
MEETS WITH CHAMBER
There is a new generation of leaders at The Bahamas
Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber, which used to be a staid organization
for older white men of the post 60s age vintage, is now headed by the young
dynamic female Tanya Coakley Wright. Ms. Wright is the head of the
Bank of The Bahamas Trust International. She brought her team of
fellow Chamber leaders to pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign
Affairs Fred Mitchell on Friday 8th July. The new generation Chamber is
pictured with the Minister, whom we believe himself to be a man of the
future. Bahamas Information Services photo / Tim Aylen
BURYING
ED WHITE
Ed White, a popular business man from Fox Hill,
Step Street in particular, was committed to the waters of Exuma on Saturday
16th July. It was his wish to be returned to the place where he was
born. His wife and family were joined for the committal by the representative
for the Fox Hill area Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Bahamas
Information Services photo / Tim Aylen
FOREIGN
MINISTER BACK IN EXUMA
Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell has the additional political
responsibility given to him by Prime Minister Perry Christie of working
with the Representative for Exuma Anthony Moss, the Deputy Speaker.
For the second time in a week, the Minster was in Exuma. This time
he was filling in for the Prime Minister as the guest speaker of the Exuma
Chamber of Commerce at their inaugural dinner. The Minister urged
the audience and the new officers to embrace the future for Exuma and The
Bahamas, and not to be afraid of the future. Minister Mitchell is
shown with officers of the Exuma Chamber as he cuts the ribbon to officially
open the Chamber's offices. Please click
here to read the Minister's address or click
here to listen to the Minister's address. Bahamas Information
Services photo / Tim Aylen
30TH CPA
CONFERENCE
Parliamentarians attended the 30th Regional Conference
of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association in Bermuda, July 10 – 16. Head of Delegation
was Parliamentary Secretary John Carey, MP, MP Pleasant Bridgewater, Senator
Tanya McCartney and Chief Clerk Maurice Tynes. The Bahamas delegation
led the discussion on the Role of Parliamentary Committees in a Parliamentary
Democracy. From left are Parliamentary Secretary John Carey, Barbados House
Speaker Hon. Ishmael Roett, MP Pleasant Bridgewater, Bermuda Senate President
Senator the Hon. Alfred Oughton, MBE, Senator Tanya McCartney, and Chief
Clerk Maurice Tynes
MISS
FOX HILL CONTESTANTS VISIT MP
Contestants in the Miss and Little Miss Fox Hill
Emancipation Beauty Pageant are shown during a courtesy call on the Member
of Parliament for Fox Hill, the Hon. Fred Mitchell Thursday. Minister
Mitchell told the young ladies how proud he was over their participation
in the pageant, which “honours Fox Hill’s unique position in the history
and culture of The Bahamas and celebrates 171 years of emancipation… When
we develop a sense of who we are, and from whence we came, we can more
easily see how much more we can aspire to achieve,” said Mr. Mitchell.
Saturday, the contestants will take part in a judging of their costumes
and a float parade at the Fox Hill Parade, with the Pageant to take place
on Sunday 17th July at the Wyndham Nassau Resort. At centre with
the contestants from left are Mrs. Janet Davis, Pageant Co-ordinator, Minister
Mitchell and Dashanique Poitier, outgoing Miss Fox Hill Emancipation.
POETRY FEATURE
Please click
here for this week's contribution 'Aquatic Phantasm' from recording
and literary artist, Giovanni Stuart – www.nubah.com
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Sir Jack's comments. [10.7.05]
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