Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 1 © BahamasUncensored.Com
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| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - It was undoubtedly the story of the week. There he was on the front page of every newspaper dominating the TV and radio news, and the gossip around the tables in the watering holes and on the streets. He looked like he couldn’t hurt a fly, not the kind of guy that you would suspect could kill anyone. Did not look like much at all. And yet on Wednesday 29th October, the police charged 35 year old Cordell Farrington, warehouse worker for Kelly's hardware in Freeport, with the murder of four boys and a fifth person who was an adult male that went missing but whom they never suspected that connected in any way. The country is in shock. Grand Bahama is saddened but relieved. On Wednesday 29th October as he was charged before a Freeport Magistrate, the crowds jeered: “We want to see him! We want to see him!” And they did, and he looked like he savoured every moment of it. We add to his notoriety one supposes by naming it the photo of the week. (From the Bahama Journal) |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
WE NEED MORE THAN A HALF WAY DISCUSSION
Those of you who remember will recall the press conference that
Hubert Ingraham and his Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson called in 2001
to take over the investigation of the murders of two tourists that seemed
not to have any end in sight. The Commissioner of Police then Bernard
Bonamy sat like a school boy at the press conference table as the then
Prime Minister took over the investigation of the murders. At the
time, the previous incarnation of this column called them Chief Inspector
Ingraham and Sergeant Watson. Mr. Ingraham said that the murder could
not have been committed by a Bahamian. Buzz! It turned out
Mr. Ingraham was wrong. It was a Bahamian who the police eventually
charged for the murders.
That is the kind of sentiment we begin with as we review the tragic events in Grand Bahama since May 2003. We call it ‘The Saga of the Missing Boys’. The first boy went missing in May 2003, and then a second boy until five boys went missing. The community became totally frantic, alternating between hysterical praying and chewing each other out about who was wrong or right on the issue. Many people thought exactly that earlier sentiment of Mr. Ingraham. This could not be The Bahamas and it was not a Bahamian who was doing it. It was a foreigner coming in and out seizing little boys for sexual pleasure or to grab their organs for use overseas. The truth may turn out to be far simpler than that.
The human rights community condemned the police in the early stages of the matter for not taking the matter seriously enough. That brought the larger Government’s resources and international police into the equation and they still did not resolve it. Then after months of worry, prayer and detective work were added to the mix, the solution of the first ‘missing boys’ crime, which seems now to have been a prank by four youngsters that went bad. Four pubescent boys now sit in the Simpson Penn facility for boys awaiting trial on manslaughter charges.
Then last Sunday the police got an unexpected break. The talk is the man simply walked in off the streets. He had had a bout of conscience and decided after one of his periodical arguments with his girlfriend that instead of killing someone to relieve that tension as he had done allegedly five times before, he would turn himself in. In a moment, in a disbelieving flash, the police had their man, and he began to confess all, slowly methodically until it was all done. And then he led them to the bodies, and then he also added that he killed a fifth person Jamal Robbins 22 who had also gone missing on 23rd May 2003 but whose disappearance they had not suspected as being at all connected to the disappearance of the boys.
That one was a real doozie, because, the late Mr. Robbins turned out to be the alleged killer’s close friend with whose family he had visited just as recently as the day before the confession. He had killed his friend dead and buried him in a wild spot near Barbary Beach just over the bridge in Freeport. The others were also buried there and DNA testing awaits. It seems pretty clear that the police would never have had their man, if that man in custody did not get a bout of conscience. Thank God for conscience. We have to thank his mother and father and those who raised this alleged and now charged fiend for that.
And now the hard part: the whys and the wherefore. Will there be a conviction for murder, the mandatory penalty for which is death, and which in the present state of the law is unconstitutional and cannot be carried out? The community tries to heal with prayer services, with counselling for the children, with an examination of what life is worth. Someone suggested that parents needed to go home and hug their little children one more time before seeing them off to sleep.
That’s fine for those middle class families with bedrooms and food to eat, and homework to do, but not so fine in the myriad of houses in Grand Bahama and elsewhere in the country, too many of them that have not one of those things. They live in overcrowded conditions, born to mothers who often have no male adult help, and who push their children out to get money to make ends meet, making them vulnerable to the kinds of things that happened in Freeport. That’s the kind of discussion we need to have. But we are not going to have it. Soon this will all fade into the background, and that will be until some other monster comes along to frighten us into another half way discussion.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 1st November 2003 up to midnight: 64,916.
Number of hits for the month of October 2003: 262,784.
Number of hits for the month of November 2003: 4,446.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday 1st November 2003:
1,366,050.
GREENSLADE’S
STYLE IS GOOD POLICING
It is clear to us that if anyone is a possible successor to the present
Commissioner of Police it is Ellison Greenslade, the now Assistant Commissioner
in Freeport. Following the successful solving of the crime of the
missing boys in Grand Bahama, it is clear that his stock should be rising
high. He kept the public fully informed about what the police were
doing, and brought a new style of police management to the public.
But within the Police Force, there are not many
who share the view about Mr. Greenslade or so it would appear. As
soon as it became clear that the results were in so to speak, up rushed
officers from Nassau to claim the reward. Clearly this ought to have
rightfully included the Commissioner of Police, but the head of the Central
Detective Unit from Nassau ACP Reginald Ferguson also went and the spokesman
for the police from Nassau went as well. This caused tremendous upset
in Freeport where it was felt that all of the patient work of the Freeport
police seemed to have been shunted aside.
We were shocked to learn that a Freeport Magistrate
kept the press out of the Court room for the arraignment of the murder
suspect Cordell Farrington. That was wrong in the absence of some
clear, lawful rationale for doing do. It stripped the public of the
right to know and the defendant of an open public process. It is
probably unconstitutional.
Further, we do not agree with all the carping that
is going on now that if the police were less forthcoming about what they
were doing, the crime would have been solved earlier. That sort of
old policing belongs to the old era and it does not work. Nassau Guardian
photo by Derek Carroll.
NO
SEX, NO BODY PARTS
With all the general hysteria in The Bahamas at
the moment, there was an expectation in some quarters that when the mystery
of the missing boys was solved, there was sure to be some sick sexual predator
involved who was grabbing little boys and raping them. No talk of
that dimension to any of this since the arrest of the alleged perpetrator.
It appears that this was a straight out strange guy who grabbed opportunities
that arose off the street and murdered his victims. We will know
the full facts when the preliminary hearing is heard. Since the evidence
is largely thought to be a confession it will be interesting to see what
the motivations and modus operandi were. Also debunked was the theory
that these boys were being seized for body parts to be sold overseas.
FIRE
KILLS GIRL FROM WILLAMAE PRATT CENTRE
Early last Sunday morning there appears to have
been an escape attempt from the Willamae Pratt School for Girls.
This school is a correctional and holding facility for youngsters who are
female below the age of 16. A fire was started apparently as a ruse
to enable a mass breakout of girls from the school. Two got away,
one is still at large from the early hours of last Sunday 25th April. Three
girls were seriously injured in the fire. One girl has since died.
Her name is Anastasia Alexandria who was aged 15. Two other girls
are still in critical condition.
This is yet another tragedy at these lock up facilities
that seem to be under funded and not properly supervised. The Minister
of Social Service Melanie Griffin has announced that a special Commission
will look into the causes of the fire and compile a report. It will
be headed by Archbishop Drexel Gomez. What makes this a double tragedy
is the fact that the state has a responsibility to ensure that the children
in this lock up facility are safe, and it is clear that yet again they
are not. Further, the young girl who died was actually still in prison
because her family refused to come and collect her even though she was
free to go and officially released since July of this year. The girl
is reportedly an American citizen.
THE
FOREIGN MINISTER IN MEXICO
Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs has returned to the country
from Mexico where he attended the Hemispheric Conference on Security from
Sunday 25th October to Wednesday 29th October. Mr. Mitchell gave
a statement on behalf of The Bahamas. The conference was mandated
by the Heads of Government at the Quebec Hemispheric Conference of 2001.
Heads mandated their Foreign Ministers to follow up the matter of a new
hemispheric declaration on security.
Mr. Mitchell explained that there is a new view
of security to depart from traditional definitions of security as a guns
and bullets issue. There is now a declaration that admits that extreme
poverty, lack of education, health care in particular HIV/AIDS and environmental
issues are all matters that will affect the security of the state.
Even though the US signed on to the declaration they are still more concerned
about “terrorism” than any other state. What they are managing to
do is to cheese off every other state in the hemisphere by their continued
insistence on silly and bothersome searches of foreign diplomats and officials
travelling through their airports in the US. You may click
here for the full statement by the Minister. Tribune news header.
BOYS
IN TROUBLE - A NATIONAL DISCUSSION
Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell has been
referring to the theme of Boys in Crisis over the past week. After
having attended the hemispheric conference on security, the Minister said
that he noticed that there was reference to women and their advancement
in the hemisphere but there was no acknowledgement of a serious issue of
boys in the hemisphere. In every country of the hemisphere the fact
is that boys are not managing to keep up academically and socially and
are at higher risk of death than women. The Bahamas has a particular
problem according to the Minister where the issue is being ignored.
Mr. Mitchell told doctors being honoured on Friday 31st October as Medical
Pioneers that they need to put boys and their care on the agenda.
He told the Trade Union Congress gathering on Thursday 30th October that
they need to put boys on their agenda, and speaking at the funeral of Leonard
Davis (see story below), he again returned to the theme.
CENTRAL
BANK SHOULD HOLD THE LINE
The Bahama Journal reports that the Central Bank
of The Bahamas is reviewing its lending restrictions. Right now the
banks have been told that they cannot lend out more money than they did
last year, and that effectively means that they can only lend out monies
to the extent that there is repayment of existing loans. This is
called a lending cap, and it was imposed by the Central Bank to protect
the foreign reserves which in turn support the currency value of the Bahamian
dollar with the US dollar. The commercial banks are said to be pressuring
the bank to lift the cap because it is eating into their profits.
Right now they say the surplus or liquidity in the system stands at 167
million dollars. According to the Journal, the normal level for this
time of year is said to be about 75 million dollars. The foreign
reserves are said to be about 500 million. The problem is the reserves
are this high not because of productivity gains but because the Government
has borrowed money in foreign currency. This is an artificial situation.
The jobless rate is high and investment in the economy is not what it should
be. We think that the Bank ought to hold the line and not lift the
cap. Perhaps the rapacious banks will get the message that they need
to offer better services at more reasonable prices and perhaps make more
money that way.
PROMOTIONS
HEAVEN IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE
The Bahamas Government opened the flood gates last week when the Public
Service Minister Fred Mitchell announced that the promotions of public
servants would go ahead and be in place by 26th November. The result
is that all of the pent up frustration about promotions has now been unleashed.
Everyone who claims to have voted for the PLP has reportedly rushed to
their MPs claiming that over the term of the FNM they have been victimized
by the PLP by not being promoted. No one accepts that maybe they
are not qualified for a promotion.
Promotions were also announced by the Commissioner
of Police and the Commodore of the Defence Force last week. Many
officers are happy but many more are dissatisfied. The Government
itself must be quite nonplussed since some of the promotions procedures
in the Forces do not appear to be open and transparent. No word yet
on promotions for the Departments of Immigration, Customs and the Prison.
Pictured
in this Donald Knowles photo from the Nassau Guardian is Acting Chief Superintendent
Juanita Colebrooke, the first woman to attain this rank in the history
of the police, being decorated by the Commissioner of Police.
DENGUE
FEVER BUG
The Ministry of Health’s Dr. Baldwin Carey has confirmed
that there are two confirmed cases of Dengue Fever in The Bahamas. He has
asked for special vigilance on the question of mosquitoes and their breeding
places. The Ministry’s vector control department is engaged in an
active spraying programme. Dengue Fever while sometimes simply a
sidelining illness can be fatal in some of its more virulent forms.
It is said that one of the victims became so seriously ill that they had
to be airlifted to Florida for further treatment.
Although Dr. Carey did not say it, the Dengue Fever
has been found in the eastern areas of New Providence. Dr. Carey
also said that there is increased surveillance for West Nile Virus in The
Bahamas. There continue to be reports of dead birds on the island
of New Providence. He said that when the public encounters such a
bird, they ought to inform the Ministry of Agriculture right away.
The Ministry’s statement was issued on Friday 24th October.
WILL
WE OR WON’T WE ON WTO, FTAA & CSME?
Vanessa Rolle of the Nassau Guardian reported on Monday 27th October that
the Government of The Bahamas has made a conscious decision to join the
World Trade Organization (WTO). She quoted from an address made by the
Minister of Labour Vincent Peet as he addressed the opening of the International
Labour Conference (ILO) on the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA),
the WTO and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). There
is considerable resistance in The Bahamas to the latter two.
Mr. Peet said of WTO the question is not whether
we will join but what the terms and conditions ought to be. We believe
that the same should be the case for the FTAA and the CSME. Sir Sonny
Ramphal former Secretary General of the Commonwealth and the former head
of the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) for the Caribbean on FTAA urged
The Bahamas to join the CSME with reservations. We agree. He
said that there should be a time out called on the FTAA. We believe
that is so as well. But we think that pressure ought to be put on
the US to stop the harassment of Caribbean visitors to their country in
their airports and in the granting visas. This should be made a clear
agreement of the FTAA process, not using the prohibitions on visas as non
tariff barriers to trade. Minister Vincent Peet is pictured addressing
the ILO conference in this Nassau Guardian photo by Donald Knowles.
GOVT.
BACKS OUT OF BTC TALKS - PRAISE GOD!
The Tenders Commission headed by Financial Secretary Ruth Millar (pictured
with Commission member Leander Bethel at left) met with the press on Thursday
30th October to announce that the Government had accepted their advice
to cease the period of exclusive talks with BahamaTel, the preferred bidder
in the tenders for the sale 49 per cent share of BaTelCo, the Bahamian
telephone company. All of the bids were thought to be a disappointment
and did not give the proper price but the Government committed to the process
started by the Ingraham administration. That process, started in
1998, has cost nearly 200 million dollars and is still not complete.
The Commission revealed that the exclusivity period comes to an end because
BahamaTel headed by businessman Tom Bain seemed not to be in a position
to address the concerns of the Commission on a number of issues relating
to the future of BaTelCo, among them its financing and capital expenditure.
Tom Bain predictably pronounced himself to be stunned and found the rejection
incredible.
We support the Commission on this one. The
fact is that this whole matter is a mess and BaTelCo should not be sold
at all, except in tranches to the Bahamian people and then ultimately to
the present management of BaTelCo with a monopoly period and then competition.
That’s privatization. What we are undergoing now is a total farce
at the expense of the Bahamian people. In the name of finishing the
process, the Commission said that it would now go to the second highest
bidder the Blue Group headed by Bahamian Lindbergh Smith (pictured, right)
supported by Deutche Telecom. Tenders Commission photo from the
Nassau Guardian.
SHORT NOTES
Pressure To PLP MPs
PLP MPS are said to be the subject of extreme pressure
for not checking in sufficiently with their constituents and not paying
attention to key generals giving them some of the spoils as they perceive
them of election victory. Some generals are now threatening not to help
out at the next election poll in 2007 if something is not done soon.
Exuma Hotel To Open
The Emerald Bay Four Seasons Resort is set to open
23rd November in Ocean Bight, Exuma. This is the latest opening date.
It was expected to be 1st November but construction delays are the cause
of the most recent announcement. The manager also said that the company
is concerned that the airport that the Government promised would be upgraded
for their opening in Exuma will not be ready. The facility is said
to have 350 employees mainly Bahamian and is said to be fully booked.
Atlantis Hotel Profits
The second fiscal quarter for Kerzner International
Atlantis Hotel has proven again to be a record. After a record first
quarter earnings, the Kerzners again have further profits to report.
The Tribune said on Friday 24th October that Paradise Island operations
increased gross revenues by 4.6 per cent from $112 million in 2002 to $117.7
million and operating income growing by 17.7 per cent from $24.2 million
during the year before period to $28.4 million. This should cause
the Union to keep it eyes on a hefty increase for their members.
The Union’s demands are said to have the company nervous. Reports
are that bartenders take home on average $100,000 per year and pool attendants
some $75,000 per year.
Royal Bank of Canada
An announcement from RBC says that the Nassau office
has been chosen as the new headquarters for the Caribbean region of RBC's
affairs. Good choice, not like those other (gratuitous expletive deleted)
at CIBC and Barclays that chose Barbados.
WHAT’S
TO BECOME OF STEVE MCKINNEY?
Last week, we indicated our support for the return of Steve McKinney’s
‘Drive Time Talk’ show on the Broadcasting Corporation's 1540 AM station.
The contract for the show was not renewed because amongst other things
it was said that it did not cover the costs of its production, and that
Mr. McKinney had caused the Corporation to pay tens of thousands of dollars
in damages to a person who claimed that they had been libelled.
Notwithstanding that, the show is enormously popular
and Mr. McKinney has been a great aid to the development of public opinion
as the tide changed over the past two years toward the PLP. The non
renewal of the contract leaves the Party open to the claim that the same
old pre 1992 habits are back where we do not like opinion that is adverse
to the PLP. Whether true or not, that is the perception of removing
Steve McKinney. That perception was furthered this week with another
report that ‘Speak Up’, the show pioneered by Picewell Forbes was also
taken off the air after guest host Vaughn Miller filled in for Mr. Forbes
on Friday 24th October.
The Nassau Guardian reported on Friday 24th October
that the Steve McKinney Show might be back on the air following talks with
the administration at ZNS. Mr. McKinney said that ZNS indicated that
if he could cover the costs it was possible for the show to be back on
the air. The late word is that a letter was delivered to that effect
but the cost bar was set so high that it appears that the Corporation has
no intention of returning him to the air. The negotiations are said
to be continuing.
A
CALL TO THE BAR
Berlice Lightbourne, a former law clerk and secretary at the former law
firm of Minister Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell was called to the Bar of
The Bahamas on Friday 31st October. Mr. Mitchell donned his robes,
wig and gown for the occasion and presented the petition. He described
Ms. Lightbourne as “a fine and outstanding example of a good Bahamian young
person. She is all that we would want any daughter or son of this
soil to be.” Ms. Lightbourne will join the chambers of Graham Thompson
and Co. in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Pictured after the call with former Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham with Ms. Lightbourne in the middle is the Minister of Foreign
Affairs. The photo is by Peter Ramsay. Congratulations to all
the other lawyers who were called to the Bar including Thea Samuels, the
daughter of Cheryl Samuels of Hampton Street, New Providence. Ms.
Samuels won the top marks at the Eugene Dupuch Law School and will join
the firm Dupuch and Turnquest and Co. Also called was Shakka Serville,
son of Brian Serville of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Attorney Ellen
Serville. These two lawyers were amongst 18 additional persons called
to the Bar on Friday 31st October. The official roll now inscribes
more than 700 lawyers in The Bahamas. Some of the lawyers called
are pictured below. Photos also by Peter Ramsay.
LEONARD
DAVIS OF FOX HILL IS BURIED
Leonard Davis was the owner of the famous Jungle Club of Fox Hill.
He was a founder of the Improved Benevolent Order of Elks of the World
and a Scottish Rite 33rd Degree Mason. He was a businessman who helped
to put Fox Hill on the map. Mr. Davis died on Thursday 30th October
in his sleep after struggling with illness for just over a year.
He was 78 years old. Funeral Services were held for Mr. Davis at
St. Barnabas Anglican Church on Saturday 1st November. Officiating
was the Venerable Archdeacon I. Ranfurly Brown and Canon Basil Tynes.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs & The Public Service Fred Mitchell
spoke about Mr. Davis as an independent businessman and a fine example
to all Bahamians of a man who worked for himself and built up a reputation
as a hard working businessman. Following the service two marching
bands formed a parade with the residents of Fox Hill and the Elks and Masons
and members of his family to march to the cemetery Woodlawn for burial.
The Minister joined the march. Mr. Davis is survived by his 10 sons:
Derek (who owns the Village Food Store, the Davis Bus Service and Davis
Trucking and Land Clearing), Ryan, Erskine, Lenny, Lionel, Andre, Dale,
Paul, Peter, Audley; twelve daughters: Sherinne Pratt, Sheria Saunders,
Carla Bastian, Toinette Munnings, Isanora Adderley, Shirley Davis, Dorothy
McPhee, Portia McFord, Harriett Rolle, Jacinta Deveaux, Kena Davis and
Leonora Moss-Davis. We show photos of the day by Peter Ramsay.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO MANNY WALLACE
Emmanuel Wallace of Freeport Grand Bahama has tied
the knot. He was married in an impressive ceremony to the former
Roshann Pinder at Christ the King pro Cathedral in Freeport on Saturday
1st November. It was a grand occasion presided over by the Archbishop
Drexel Gomez. Amongst the well wishers was Ron Pinder, Parliamentary
Secretary of the Ministry of Health. Congratulations to Mr. Wallace
and his new bride.
TIGER’S
DAUGHTER GETS MARRIED
Garret ‘Tiger’ Finlayson, believed now to be the richest black Bahamian
and his wife Rowena looked on with pride at the Christ Church Cathedral
as their daughter Tanya married Dancyn Stephen Tynes, the son of Mrs. and
Mrs. Danny Tynes. A fine looking group of young people gathered in
the wedding party. The officiant was the Very Reverend Dean of the
Cathedral Patrick L. Adderley. The Prime Minister Perry Christie
attended the wedding as did Cabinet members Bradley Roberts, Melanie Griffin,
and Fred Mitchell. Also in attendance were Senate President Sharon
Wilson and Mr. Franklyn Wilson, Senator Cyprianna McWeeney and Mr. Sean
McWeeney and former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. The photo is
by Peter Ramsay.
MICHAEL
HEPBURN IS BACK
Last year businessman Michael Hepburn (Kenny Rogers
restaurant) was stopped while travelling through the Miami International
Airport and arrested and charged in the United States (click
here for the previous report). Mr. Hepburn was freed earlier
this year by the US Courts and is now back in The Bahamas. He attended
the wedding of his cousin Tiger Finlayson’s daughter on Saturday 1st November.
Welcome back. We thought the charges were trumped up anyway.
US
DIPLOMAT SPEAKS
It appears that slowly but surely relations between the US and The Bahamas
are returning to their more even keel since the departure of the last political
envoy from the US to this country J Richard Blankenship left in July.
Robert Witijewski who is now in charge until a new political appointee
comes in was reported by The Tribune to have ridiculed recent rumours in
the media that questioned the United States attitude to The Bahamas.
He laughed off the suggestion about the closure of the pre clearance lounge,
The Tribune said, as well as the reason for the search of Bahamian GG Dame
Ivy Dumont. The Tribune quoted him as saying: “the rumours were amusing
and diverting because they were completely wrong and the reality was kind
of boring. Tom Clancy would have been proud of the more imaginative
versions of what actually happened and why, and sociologists would have
had a delightful research opportunity looking at the origin, growth and
half life of the rumour cycle.” Hmmm! The report came in The
Tribune Saturday 1st November and came from a speech delivered to Rotary
Club of East Nassau on Thursday 30th October. Tribune photo by Tanya
Cartwright.
THOUGHTS
FROM COB’S OLIVIA’S SAUNDERS
Olivia Saunders is an administrator and lecturer
at the College of The Bahamas. While in the current government was
still in opposition, she presented useful alternative analyses for the
Opposition Leader on various economic policy issues. She continues
with that work at the College of The Bahamas and so recently provided a
thoughtful analysis of where The Bahamas ought to be going within the next
20 years. We agree that the country focuses too much on the present
and is not turning sufficient attention to where we ought to go. Click
here for the full and interesting analysis by Olivia Saunders.
ICCL
CONFERENCE IN FREEPORT
The fifth International Conference on Caribbean
Literature (ICCL) opens this week at Freeport’s Our Lucaya hotel.
The event is organised by Bahamian Dr. Melvin Rahming, Chair of the Department
of English at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and Dr. Jorge Roman-Lagunas,
Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Purdue
University, Calumet. The ICCL promotes the global understanding of
Caribbean culture. The Bahamian Committee is headed by Mr. Philip
Franks and Mrs. Bonnie Franks. Please click
here for a schedule of events.
RESTLESS
BACKBENCH?
With the Party’s annual convention coming to mark
the 50th anniversary of its existence, PLP backbenchers are said to be
restless. It is to quite clear what the problems are but it is thought
that maybe a backbench caucus will be formed to try to keep the unit together
fully informed of their views and plans.
The House of Assembly’s Government Committee room
was left with the remains of the food from the meeting held there this
past week. The usual complaints of backbenchers are coming forth: they
are not kept fully informed; they believe they ought to have a stronger
voice in policy matters, and regular party caucus meetings. All good
points, but should the matter really become a public issue?
Of course there is not a very big backbench in the
strictest sense of the word. Of the 29 PLP members of Parliament,
16 are full cabinet members. There are five Parliamentary Secretaries.
That makes 21 bound by Cabinet rules. So there are therefore only
8 persons who are free to disagree publicly with the Cabinet. Then
of the remaining 8, one is the Prime Minister's Ambassador, the other is
an Executive Chairman of a Corporation, and another two are the heads of
a Statutory Board. That would seem to leave only four persons who
are free to vote and say what they wish in public without regard to the
wishes of the Cabinet, well 7 if you leave out the Chairmen of Boards and
Corporations. This is not a very large group of free men and women.
The last time there was a backbench caucus, it was
headed by Dr. Norman Gay during the Pindling Administration. Dr.
Gay soon ended up being a Cabinet Minister and the caucus collapsed.
There is also some talk that there is a candidate doing the rounds to oppose
incumbent Raynard Rigby at the convention for the post of Chair.
Whistling Dixie, no doubt! We support Mr. Rigby.
WEDDINGS
ADDING TO THE GDP
There have been four high society weddings during
the last year and we figure that they have done well for the economy:
Tiger Finlayson’s daughter, PLP Chairman Raynard Rigby’s wedding to a former
PLP Treasurer’s daughter, Franklyn Wilson’s daughter’s wedding to MP Frank
Smith; MP Brave Davis’ daughter’s wedding to Minister Neville Wisdom’s
nephew; soon to come the wedding of the son of Bookie Johnson. We
figure that maybe half a million has been added to the GDP of the country
with these weddings. Also another interesting phenomenon, all of
them took place in an Anglican church reinforcing the notion that the power
elite remain very much Anglicans although only now 16 per cent of the population
are Anglicans (See piece by Olivia Saunders above).
MAILBOX
Last week, we were properly upbraided
by a letter writer who took issue with our perceived stance on this
site. This week, reader Vaughan Scriven weighs in with a response:
I am prompted to write after reading today's
mailbox. I have also questioned your objectivity from time to time
but like you said, you are PLP supporters. In that regard, some bias
is to be expected. However, I have been following the site since
it's genesis and if I do nothing else on line on a Sunday, I read your
page because I have yet to find you “objectionable” in your coverage.
So, to your detractors, if you have a problem with the content you don't
have to stop but in my humble opinion you are the best read on the political
situation in The Bahamas today.
Vaughn Scriven
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope;
where there is no hope, there is no growth; and where there is no growth,
we cease to exist.”
THE
WEEK WITH THE PM
A light week of public engagements for Prime Minister
Perry Christie. Photographer Peter Ramsay captures the Prime Minister
exiting the wedding ceremony of Tanya and Dancyn Tynes held at Christ Church
Cathedral. Mr. Christie is being escorted out by Dean Patrick Adderley.
Also this past week, Mr. Christie attended a ceremony at Buena Vista where
he helped in honouring medical pioneers in The Bahamas. The event
was staged by The Bahamas Medical Association. From left to right
are: Dr. Cyprian Strachan, President of the Medical Association; Dr. Trevor
Jupp, honouree; Mavis Adderley, the widow of Dr. Francis Adderley honouree;
Dr. John Lunn, honouree; Dr. Patrick Roberts, honouree; Dr. Kirtland Culmer,
honouree; Prime Minister Christie; Dr. Cecil Bethel, honouree; Melanie
Griffin, Acting Minister of Health; Dr. Evaneth McPhee, honouree and Dr.
Mac Campbell, honouree.
B.S.
NOTES FROM GENEVA’S IN FREEPORT…
NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA -
EPHESIANS 6:12 – “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.”
CONDOLENCES
Our condolences go out to the families of all those affected with this
tragic end, the missing boys. We pray that God's love and presence
would bring peace in your time of sorrow.
GOD ANSWERS PRAYER
Last Sunday, a spiritual battle was unfolding between the forces of
light and darkness in the mysterious disappearance of five school age boys.
For the past month, prayer warriors from all over the island of Grand Bahama
had been lifting up prayers for the missing boys and their families.
They, also, prayed that the perpetrator have no peace in his soul until
he turned himself into the authorities.
The police, for their part, seemed at the dead end of a trail gone cold. You will recall last week, that Commissioner of Police, Paul Farquharson, made a plea for any information, however minute, to be given to the police. This was confirmation that the police had nothing.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ellison Greenslade, is at a crossroad in his career. Observers say that he was in a pressure cooker. The public was losing confidence in his policing abilities because of some missteps in this investigation, and internally, he increasingly had to stave off a rear guard assault.
Last Sunday, ACP Greenslade attended the St. John's Jubilee Cathedral 8:00 a.m. service along with his Kiwanis family. Also at that service was one of the mothers of the missing boys. Towards the end of the service, there was a time of prayer led by Bishop Williams. We are informed that you could feel the intensity throughout the church's auditorium. When he was finished, Greenslade asked the bishop to tell the congregation that a breakthrough was coming, and, that they should not lose hope. With that announcement, the service was dismissed.
Around the same time, a young man named Cordell Farrington presented himself to the police. And, like a water faucet, he began to bare his soul. There was no subterfuge on the part of the police. When Cordell was finished, the spiritual battle and Grand Bahama's nightmare had come to an end.
A PROFILE OF THE PERPETRATOR
The perpetrator's profile was give to the Guardian by Dr. Gregory Swann,
a Bahamian forensic psychologist. When it was compared with the accused,
it was said to be 99% accurate. The only thing missing from that
profile was a photo. It was unlikely that the police would have ever
found the accused because of the way he conducted himself. His employers
spoke of him in high regard, saying that he was an excellent worker, and
was also being considered for promotion.
THE POLICE AND THE OLIVE BRANCH
Nassau's top brass of the police force was in town for the press briefing,
and ACP Greenslade was careful to include his local officers; however,
some felt the power of prayer was downplayed. Believers all over
Grand Bahama, notwithstanding with what had taken place, knew that it was
the hand of God and gave thanks saying TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
ELVIS HEPBURN
On Saturday morning, Elvis ‘Swinger’ Hepburn was the MC at a prayer
breakfast hosted by the PLP's Marco City branch. He was also heard
on a radio commercial promoting the event. This angered his erstwhile
fellow freedom fighters in the FNM; and, they cussed him behind his back
with words we dare not print on this site.
RED ROSE BALL
The Imperial Life Red Rose Ball was held Saturday November 1st in Grand
Bahama. From all accounts, it was a smashing success. It is
believed when the final tally is made, the Grand Bahama Aids Awareness
Committee will receive somewhere in the area of THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
($30,000). In attendance at the ball were Prime Minister Christie
and Mrs. Christie, and a virtual who’s who in Grand Bahama. Mr. Dashwell
Flowers of Imperial Life is to be congratulated for pulling off another
successful ball.
CDR
Reliable sources have told News from Grand Bahama that some high-level
CDR members will return to the PLP. It seems that some of the nasty
scars have healed and that peace is about to be made. We shall see!!!
SYNTEX to REOPEN
The old Syntex plant in Grand Bahama has been fired up; and, is said
to be up and running with some of the old staff returning to the lab.
It is believed that the plant will be used to produce some anti-viral drug.
We are informed that a European company bought out the plant. It
is hoped that this plant and its product succeeds because the pharmaceutical
business tends to bring high-paying jobs and good benefits for its employees.
D.M. ...on the Anglican Church
Many speak of the inevitable split of the Anglican Church with respect
to the ordination of the openly homosexual bishop in New Hampshire, U.S.A.
As Bahamians in the Anglican faith, we must be proud of the stance that
our bishop Drexel Gomez took on the issue. We are a country that
stands on Christian values that we so vehemently speak and follow suit
because those are the true values that we stand on. Many speak of
liberation and the issue of sexual orientation as an individual right;
however, the bible does not justify homosexual practices. The bible
speaks of this practice being an abomination to God (Lev. 20).
As Christians, we believe that man and woman are created to join together in a union to reproduce and multiply. And if that sacrament is not for you, the apostle Paul speaks of being called to the single ministry. The approval of this openly homosexual bishop is no doubt the catalyst that will open the flood gates (or should I say, add to the flood). The church in Canada has sanctioned gay marriages, then this issue, there is also the call to legislate adoption by homosexual couples, and who knows what will follow.
The times have, no doubt changed, but the basic biblical principles remain the same.
Anglicans are the laughing stock of modern Christianity. But, as a people we do not need to be enveloped in the climax. We have a duty, our Christian duty to stand up for what is right in God’s eyes. As a Christian, you must seek the necessary means to offer prayer and counseling to those persons proclaiming to being homosexual. We must cease to act as though it does not exist. We must cease to dismantle it as other people’s affairs. We must cease to disregard it as not being a major issue in our country, because no matter how far away you think it is, it is close to home. We must begin to ask God for wisdom in dealing with the issue. We, together, must ask God’s divine intervention so that our country is not caught in the wave of immorality. Additionally, our stance on the issues reflects who we are and what we stand for as Christians and as a growing country founded on Godly principles.
GB News Mailbox
Some interesting mail this week. Our correspondent
D.M. mused about Brent Symonette in her contribution
last week, and this week, reader C. A. deGregory offers this reaction:
Please allow me to express to a few comments that I have in response to the questions, which were posted in the October 26th commentary on the Hon. Brent Symonette.
How preposterous! It may be of interest to my fellow Bahamians of lighter hue that it was Black-centered policies that allowed for the first true democratic and just government of The Bahamas. Bahamians -- black, brown and white alike, are afforded the opportunity to vie for public office. It can be assumed that Mr. Symonette believes that he won his seat based on the content of his character and not the color of his skin. Why then, would his loss of the bid for party leader be any less a decision predicated on merit and ability rather than his hue? Or is it the Honorable Member’s assertion that his election was because he is of European descent? Enough said.
On the matter of Bahamian nationalism, The Bahamas is young but fledgling nation with a panorama of native customs. It seems absurd to this writer that our nation would not be grappling with the very same issues which nation-states have labored with since the beginning of humankind. No person will ever be totally void of the prejudices of his or her past be it of party affiliation, race, creed, gender, religion and/or sexual orientation (lest we forget that still sensitive subject). Still, it is imperative that each person to seek the greatest objectivity possible -- even if that be to elect a person of European descent to lead a country which is primarily made-up of persons of African descent.
After all, it is not every minority group’s greatest aspiration to contribute to their nation in such a fashion as to warrant election to the country’s highest public office (i.e. African-Americans in the United States)? And is it not the responsibility of every majority group, which benefits from the contributions of their fellow citizens to engender a just society where all of its citizens may serve in public office if he of she is so qualified?
Thanking you in advance for your consideration of these thoughts.
C. A. deGregory
D.M. Notes: As a writer, my goal is
to foster thought. As a thinker, I appreciate the time that my readers
take to critically analyze my writings and I acknowledge the points that
they make. However, the points that I make are rationally thought out and
I stand by every word that I write. It is my belief that a
good leader is not one to run in the dark and hide. And, being a
member of a ‘minority group’, with odds against him or her, should probe
to go over and beyond (think about it). Nationalism is a process
(I agree). We need not compare ourselves to other 1st world
countries that are still struggling with it. As a small, young nation
we ought to take the first steps and be consistent in our trek towards
nationalism.
Saving Govt. Rent Dollars
Also in the mailbox this week, some thoughts on saving
the Government money in Freeport from reader Devita Davenport. Hey,
it all helps.
It would be nice to see the old police station in Grand Bahama be converted into offices for the City of Freeport Council and or the Gaming Board of the Bahamas and or Environmental Health Departments. The offices of the listed governmental departments are located in complexes where the government still has to pay rent.
The old police station is slowly becoming an eye sore and should be better utilized. Perhaps, if the building is not owned by the G. B. Port Authority (or even if it is owned by the GBPA) those government departments can be relocated.
Another way to save some dollars for the Government.
I trust that you can pass this on to persons who
can make this happen.
Devita Davenport
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK - It was not even two months ago that Bahamas Electricity executives completed their tours of the island of New Providence to sell to the public the message that they had finally gotten their act together. They could provide all the electricity for New Providence and they could do it at a lower cost to the consumer. But just when we thought it was safe to go back into the water, and the moment our minds were off the problem, the capital city and the island on which it sits was plunged into darkness. Not just a part of it but the entire island, and the General Manager Bradley S. Roberts, no relation to the Minister Bradley B. Roberts, could not say why. The entire business day from 5:18 a.m. when it happened on Thursday 6th November to about 9 p.m. when all power was said to be restored, was lost. That is why we chose this Bahama Journal photo of BEC General Manager being interviewed by the press as our photo of the week. |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
HEADS SHOULD ROLL
If
you did not know any better, you would have thought that the executives
of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) must have robbed the church.
Our country and the Government have been embarrassed beyond measure by
the total failure and collapse of the electricity in the capital city of
Nassau. For over 12 hours on Thursday 6th November, the
entire city was in darkness, forcing the absence of workers from their
jobs, the spoiling of food in homes and businesses, traffic gridlock, schools
being cancelled, workers being sent home early. But more importantly
it gave a sense of insecurity to a nation that had come to expect and accept
the word of BEC’s executives that they had finally licked the problem of
blackouts in Nassau, our capital city. Now we start all over
again, trying to trust the executives of BEC. Given the previous
positions taken in this column, no one should be surprised then when we
say: “Heads must roll!”
In any other country, someone would have offered their head on a platter. It was a little disappointing to say the least that at 7:30 a.m. when the crisis was then two hours into its life, the General Manager of the Corporation did not come off as an effective spokesman for the Corporation. He sounded like he simply did not know what was going on at all. It did not come off well. It did not even inspire confidence that he or his executive team knew how to get on top of the problem.
That was the day Thursday 6th November: the day when the lights went out, without warning at 5.18 a.m. and did not get back on in the capital city until well after 9 p.m. that evening in some parts of the island. The emergency generators that were supposed to protect some people and Government offices from their problems of a blackout, did not themselves rise to the occasion. Many of those generators had not been properly maintained and so they failed. In a word, the day was a mess.
The Cabinet Office did not have generating power. Even many Ministers of the government were delayed getting to their places of work because there was no power.
Nicholas Brady speaking at a Chamber of Commerce meeting way back in 1994 told The Bahamas that it could not hope to succeed as a developed country until it got in place a reliable supply of electricity. That remark was made almost a decade ago. Mr. Brady, a former Treasury Secretary of the United States may not remember the remark today but when power failed and his generator kicked in at Lyford Cay, the whole issue must have come back into sharp relief.
The public is quite frankly sick of it. The Corporation has simply run out of excuses. There was said to be a transmission line failure, and then there seemed to be some kind of generator fault. It just did not come off convincingly or professionally. It appeared that we simply had a team at the helm of BEC that did not know what it was doing. To say that the country is disappointed is not to overstate the matter.
The question is: what do we do? No doubt the Minister will have some new initiatives to offer with regard to BEC. One hopes that there is in fact a thorough investigation into the matter to determine just what went wrong. The cartoonist Stan Burnside of The Tribune published a drawing on Friday 7th November that showed even the frustration of BEC's Minister Bradley Roberts who was an arch critic of BEC while in Opposition. If there is any negligence discovered in the investigations, then the blame will have to be attached to who is responsible and that person should fall on his or her sword.
The larger lesson though for this country it would seem in this and all other areas of our national life, is a commitment to discipline, as evidenced though maintenance and upkeep. Perhaps if we could get that lesson straight, we might not only be able to keep the lights on but also keep our wider national life at a level at which we can be justly proud instead of embarrassed.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 8thNovember at midnight: 55,287.
Number of hits for the month of November up to Saturday 8th November at midnight: 76,196.
Number of hits for the year 2003 up to Saturday
8th November at midnight: 1,421,337.
THE
CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER COMES
It was a busy Foreign Affairs week for The Bahamas.
The Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque came a calling to The Bahamas.
Despite all the differences between the United States and The Bahamas,
Mr. Roque flew into The Bahamas on Delta Airlines direct from New York,
where he had just delivered another UN vote on behalf of his country’s
efforts to lift the illegal economic blockade by the United States against
Cuba. The vote was a lopsided 179 to 3 with two abstentions. Those voting
with the United States were Israel and the Marshall Islands. The Bahamas
supported Cuba.
Mr. Roque spent two days in The Bahamas and met
with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss a lengthy agenda of proposed
agreements, including the review of the status of Bahamians imprisoned
in Cuba. There are 20 Bahamians in Cuban prisons. Mr. Roque told the press
on his departure from Nassau that the arrangements had been made for 12
of the persons to be transferred to The Bahamas under the terms of the
agreement between the two countries, and that 9 were ready to leave for
The Bahamas. Three awaited further processing. It all seemed to go rather
well.
The Cuban Foreign Minister described his talk with the Prime Minister as important and impressive. The Minister of Foreign Affairs told the press that the matter of human rights did not arise in the talks but that it had earlier been made clear to Cuba what our position is on human rights. The Bahamas condemned the execution of the persons who hijacked a Cuban boat after a three day trial and it also condemn the crackdown on Cuban dissents. Mr. Mitchell said that there were many countries with whom we had relations whose system we did not agree with but that as a practical reality Cuba being on our border, we had to find a way to have formal relations.
The Cuban Consul General Felix Wilson was able to turn out a host of
Bahamians for a reception for his Foreign Minister. At the British Colonial
Hotel on Wednesday 5th November. The people of the country are voting with
their feet, going to Cuba for health care, tourism, business and education.
The Government of The Bahamas plans to put a Consulate General in Havana
early next year. The Cubans have asked to put a resident Ambassador in
Nassau. The matter is being considered by the Government. Prime Minister
Christie spoke to the issue of the friendship with Cuba and the friendship
with the United States when he addressed a group of visiting USA Congressmen
on Friday 7th November in Nassau. He told them that the United States has
to understand that if The Bahamas is its friend no matter where it goes
it is still a friend of the United States and that includes its relations
with Cuba.
THE
US TRIES TO SET THE AGENDA
The morning that the Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe
Roque arrived in The Bahamas, the United States charge d’affaires released
a letter to the press which was published in all the daily newspapers in
The Bahamas. In it, the US Envoy said that while the Cuban Foreign Minister
was in town, the Foreign Minister of The Bahamas ought to raise certain
questions with the Foreign Minister of Cuba.
The statement said in part: “Hopefully during each of Foreign Minister
Perez Roque’s stops he will be asked why tens of thousands of Cubans have
risked their lives to flee their homeland. Is it because of the oppressive
controls of a regime that regulates all aspects of public and private life?
Is it because until the historic visit of Pope John Paul II it was illegal
to celebrate
Christmas? Is it because after 43 years of a command economy, the Cuban
standard of living is lower than when Fidel Castro seized power?”
The idea behind the issuing of the statement was clear. This was to
send signal to the Bahamian Government to act on behalf of the United States
to raise a particular agenda. The Foreign Minister of The Bahamas was asked
about the statement and its content after his meeting with the Cuban Foreign
Minister. Some Bahamians were livid because it appeared to be an interference
in the internal affairs of The Bahamas.
Mr. Mitchell said that the statement was an unusual and odd one. He
said that it was unusual for a third country to comment on a bilateral
meeting between Cuba and The Bahamas. He went on to say that raising the
human rights issues in the way the United States envoy did might in fact
have been counter productive. According to the reps, the issue did not
come up in the meeting with Mr. Roque.
The Foreign Minister said that The Bahamas has made its position clear
on the human rights concerns in Cuba. The Bahamas joined a number of OAS
countries earlier this year in a declaration to condemn the treatment of
dissidents in Cuba. It also signed on to a Caricom statement calling for
greater transparency in the Judicial system of Cuba.
It was an interesting week, the cold war, long over being fought one
of its last battles on Bahamian soil. Both Cuba and the United States appear
to be overly sensitive to public criticism of their policies. That is one
thing then that they share and that is we guess a start.
If the Republicans lose the US presidency next year, the policy on
Cuba will change dramatically and the whole argument will be moot. Even
as it stands the President of the United States now has a fight on his
hands trying to stop his own party from reversing a Cuba policy that does
not work and cannot work.
Nassau Guardian photo by Donald Knowles.
THE BLACK
CAUCUS IS IN TOWN
At least one dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus
including its Dean Charlie Rangel were in town over the weekend for the
8th annual Carib News Business Conference sponsored by Karl Rodney of the
Carib News Network. Franklin Wilson and Senate President Sharon Wilson,
his wife hosted them to a reception on Saturday 8th November at their home.
Maxine Waters, Congresswoman from California and her husband former Ambassador
Sidney Williams were also in town. Also joining them were a host of elected
black officials at the state and a local level. Harry Belafonte was there
as well and so was former Ambassador to the United Nations and former Mayor
of Atlanta Andrew Young. Foreign Minister Billie Miller of Barbados was
also in town for the conference.
Among those pictured in this Peter Ramsay photo are Foreign Minister
Fred Mitchell, Congressman Rangel, Mr. Belafonte and Minister of Transport
& Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin.
BEC
COSTS THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
The Tribune’s Business Section Friday 7th November
reported that an anonymous economist said that the losses to the economy
were between three to six million dollars as a result of the blackout by
the Bahamas Electricity Corporation on Thursday 6th November. Another source
told them that the lack of productivity resulted in a productivity decline
of some twenty to forty percent. What else can we say? The darn thing was
just a mess.
MOURNING
THE FIVE BOYS IN GRAND BAHAMA
Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, the Deputy Prime Minister
was the chief mourner and comforter on Thursday 6th November in Grand Bahama
as Lady Henrietta St. George, wife of Port Authority owner Edward and the
Grand Bahama Port Authority led a candle light vigil in memory of the five
dead boys who were killed this year. Their deaths are believed to be homicides
and one man is in jail (see last week's column). Four boys are also in
jail for the murder of another of the missing boys. The Members of Parliament
for the area were also present including Ann Percentie and Pleasant Bridgewater
of the Progressive Liberal Party.
THE
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
The Progressive Liberal Party promised in its platform
“Our Plan” for election 2002 that it would hold a National Day of Prayer.
So said so done. The Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, herself
an ordained Minister led the way with prayers at the cabinet office.
There was a national service held on Friday evening 7th November at
the Kendal Isaacs Gym. Churches were asked to keep their doors open during
the day so that people could have access to them for the day. We simply
add though that prayer without works results in nothing.
DUD
MAYNARD SURFACES
Andrew ‘Dud’ Maynard used to be the Chairman of
the PLP in its Lynden Pindling heyday. When Bernard Nottage lost the fight
for leadership of the party in 1998 and decided to form his own party,
Mr. Maynard, a former PLP Senator and still a Stalwart Councillor the PLP,
went on to follow Dr. Nottage into political oblivion. His voice was resurrected
on Love 97 radio and in The Tribune the following day. He appeared on radio
on Sunday 2nd November and in The Trib on Monday 3rd November.
Mr. Maynard claimed that the Government was lackadaisical, too large
and not performing. He also said that the Government was trying to play
a big shot in the international political arena and that we must stop trying
to go to every world conference. The former comment was a slap at Perry
Christie, the Prime Minister. The latter was a slap at the Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
Interesting, why the press sought to play the comments up as they did.
No doubt The Tribune thought as a former PLP it was good for him to give
the PLP some comeuppance. But it is plain to see from the comments of Mr.
Maynard that he is completely out of the loop and unaware of the realities
of today’s modern politics. His time is past. That is all we need to say
about that.
The fact is the economy is in the doldrums and the Government is working triple time in order to get the thing up and going. The meetings that Mr. Maynard criticizes the Government for attending are done with a view to getting the country up and going on its feet again. But as we say, he is out of the loop.
HEADS
OF GOVERNMENT IN ST. LUCIA
Prime Minister Perry Christie will lead a delegation to
the Heads of Government meeting for Caricom leaders in St. Lucia. The Prime
Minister will be part of the discussions in preparation for the Heads of
Government meeting for all Commonwealth leaders in Abuja, Nigeria in December,
and a proposed meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom
also in December. He will return to the country on 16th November. He will
be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
BACKLASH
ON COLINA BUYING IMPERIAL LIFE It is official now. James
Campbell, the Chairman and CEO of the Colina Group has announced that they
are buying the Imperial Life’s insurance portfolio. You
may click here for our views on the subject in a previous editorial, entitled
'Nervousness About Colina'.
ANOTHER
GIRL DIES
Another of the girls that tried to escape from the
juvenile lock up facility the Willamae Pratt Centre for Girls has died.
The girl was 13 years old. Her name is Deshawn Bassett. She survived for
eight days after the fire. She died in the early hours of Monday morning
3rd November. It should be clarified by the Ministry of Social Services
that the investigation into the breakout into this matter headed by Archbishop
Drexel Gomez is not a substitute for the mandatory Coroner’s inquest that
must be held by law when any death occurs with some one in the state custody.
This whole incident is quite sad. On Saturday 8th November Minister of
Social Services Melanie Griffin was in The Tribune answering the complaints
of an anonymous member of the staff of the facilities who called for a
thorough investigation into the facility. The source claimed that more
male figures were needed around the facility, and that the only difference
between that facility and the Fox Hill prison was the age of the persons.
The Minister said the employee acted improperly by going the press to air
the concerns. We add only that with the attitude of that employee being
what it is, it is clear that the person does not have a clue what kind
of facility it is supposed to be and should therefore not be working there.
AMNESTY'S
REPORT ON THE BAHAMAS
Amnesty International can sometimes seem an unnecessarily quarrelsome
organization. Last year for the first time in the history of the country
and reportedly largely at the behest of the Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell
who comes from a human rights activist background, they were given unhindered
access to all Bahamian facilities. The reward was a report that can only
be described as grim. The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcus Bethel
described the report as unbalanced. It did not take into account all of
the pledges by the Government and the work that Government has already
started. It also did not take into account the lack of resources. The Bahamian
people are pretty cheezed off about it. But the thing you should remember
about Amnesty is that you deal with them like you would deal with the dictums
of the Pope. You take them into account as the moral compass but you do
what you can. You can never really please them but they are useful because
they help to steer you in the right direction and keep you on the straight
and narrow path.
MAILBOX
- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A mixed and interesting grab bag from the mailbox
this week. Well known Bahamian educator and executive Donald M. McCartney
writes:
THE WEEK WITH THE PM
I would like to thank you for keeping Bahamians (like myself) who are abroad up to date on what is happening at home. Your columns are indeed a life line for us. Your columns are a source of information. They are to the point and succinct.
My congratulations to my "invisible" friend Assistant Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade and his team for keeping the proverbial lid on the kettle while investigating the case of the missing boys. Mr. Greenslade is indeed a "policeman's policeman." I hope that erstwhile friend will accept the "olive branch" that I am offering (smile).It is my hope and prayer that the Bahamas realizes that while we must do all that we can to keep our children safe, we must not become a reactionary nation and lose our propensity for friendliness and trust. We must, however, sensitize our children to the fact that there is good and evil in the world, and they must be able to discern the difference. Our children must be taught to err on the side of caution while still remaining mindful that there are still some good people in the Bahamas and indeed in the world.
I am pleased to write that on Saturday, 25th October the Saint John's School Dance Troup entertained Bahamians (including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Service the Honourable Fred who brought remarks on be half of the Government of the Bahamas) and others in "true true" Bahamian fashion in Atlanta, Georgia. The students along with their instructor are to be congratulated for a spectacular performance. Seeing them perform was like an "oasis in the desert." They were most professional in their demeanour and performance.
Congratulations must also go to the parents who accompanied the troupe and Ms. Cleomi Woods, principal of ST. John's College.
As footnote, I am presently studying at Georgia State University in Atlanta. For those (few) friends of mine who wish to be in contact with me try e-mail addresses: dmccartney1@student.gsu.edu or Dmm1946C@netscape.net. I will delighted to hear from you.Warmest regards and best wishes,
Donald M. McCartney
Customs Fees Reach the Breaking Point for US Boater
This one in from Gaylord A. Wood, JrColbert, Louis XIV's finance minister, was charged with financing the Palace at Versailles and keeping Louis XIV in champagne and truffles. He described taxation as "the art of so plucking the goose as to obtain a maximum amount of feathers with a minimum amount of hissing."
The Gulfstream Sailing Club is largely composed of working folk in Broward County who love sailing. We also love the clear waters and friendly people of The Bahmas. Our club used to visit The Bahamas over the long holiday weekends -- Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Memorial Day, our Independence Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving. Our group does not fish, so we have no need for fishing permits. (Whoever heard of sport fishing from a sailboat, anyway?)
We frequent the excellent restaurants and night spots in Bimini, Freeport, Lucaya and West End during our visits, dock our boats at the marinas there and stay in hotel rooms ashore. Many of us support Regatta Time in Abaco in July. We observe a Clean Wake Policy, carrying out all of our trash with us when we leave.
It is sad to report that with the customs fees for our five cruises rising from a steep $500 per year to $1,500 per year ($300 per visit x 5 visits), our members have told us that they must look for other cruising grounds such as the Florida Keys. The geese have hissed!!!
My only regret is that the fee increases are bound to have a dramatic effect on the local economy. I heard a rumour rhat the fees are to increase again 1st. November to $600! Boaters do have choices, and this may well be a "deal breaker" for boaters planning their weekend and summer vacations. It wouldn't be so bad for cruisers who will stay for an entire year, but most of them are self-sufficient types who don't spend any money ashore anyway.Thanks for listening. Fair winds and calm seas to all Bahamians. Sincerely,
GAYLORD A. WOOD, JR.
Fort Lauderdale.
Photo taken by Peter Ramsay
A busy photo week for Prime Minister Christie,
the highlight of which had to be hobnobbing with the black glitterati in
from the US for the Carib News business conference. Mr. Christie is pictured
at top with Harry Belafonte.
Photo taken by Peter Ramsay
Earlier in the week, the Prime Minister officially opened the 7th Annual conference of University of the West Indies medical alumni, held this year at the Raddisson, Cable Beach. Looking on is Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont and Sir George Alleyne of Barbados, former head of the Pan American Health Organization and now Chancellor of the University of the West Indies.
| Filepe Perez Roque, the
Foreign Minister of Cuba and his
Vice Minister visited the Office of the Prime Minister for a courtesy call on Thursday on Thursday 6th November. From left: Fred Mitchell, Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Roque, the Prime Minister, the Vice Minister. Photo taken by Peter Ramsay |
||
Photo taken by Peter Ramsay
The Ambassador of the State of Israel to The Bahamas, His Excellency Joseph Amihud, accompanied by Honorary Consul for Israel Mr. Ralph Seligman made a farewell call on the Prime Minister. Ambassador Amihud is leaving.
Photo taken by Peter Ramsay
Sir Fred Philips of St.Kitts, Nevis is a special envoy of Dr. Dencil Douglas, PM of St. Kitts. Sir Fred was in Nassau to brief Prime Minister Christie on the action of Nevis to secede from the Federation of St. Kitts Nevis. The Bahamas does not support secession and the PM communicated that.
Photo taken by Peter Ramsay
The Chinese Vice Minister of Culture was in The Bahamas during a Caribbean
tour. The Vice Minister and the Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas made
a courtesy call on the Prime Minister to present a gift to to the PM on
the ocassion of Vice Minister’s visit
OBITUARIES
Former Justice of the Supreme Court Maxwell J. Thompson
OBE died on Friday afternoon 7th November. He was 93. Mr. Thompson was
born in Matthew Town, Inagua on 30th December 1909. He was awarded an OBE
by the Queen in 1971.
‘Max’ Thompson is survived by two sons James Thompson, an attorney
and Maxwell James Thompson of Canada, the former Fr. Leander of the St.
Augustine’s Monastery, two daughters Mrs. Rosella Booth of England and
Mrs. Catherine Butler of Nassau.
PLP
CONVENTION COMING
The Progressive Liberal party will hold its 49th annual convention
at the Wyndam Crystal Palace Hotel beginning with a prayer breakfast on
Sunday 16th November and running until Saturday 23rd November. Chairman
of the convention is George Mackey. Running for re election is Chairman
Raynard Rigby. The party is 50 years old this year, and is the oldest political
party and the first in The Bahamas.
The party’s fortune revived last year when it was returned to office
after a ten year hiatus. It is under severe pressure this year from its
delegates because of the criticism that its decisions in favour of its
supporters are too slow. Party Leader Perry Christie will be challenged
to rally the troops. Ministers are expected to face the music of disgruntled
stalwarts.
All and all it promises to be an exciting time. Mr. Rigby and Minister
of Agriculture Alfred Gray spent the weekend in Inagua at a constituency
convention hosted by the MICAL constituency.
PARLIAMENT
MEETS ON GUY FAWKES DAY
You may or may not remember that the wrath of God was invoked
at the national day service of The Bahamas on 5th July 2003 by the President
of the Christian Council Bishop Sam Greene.
Bishop Greene told the assembled gathering including the Governor General and the Prime Minister that if the Government passed a law legalizing same sex marriages that he would become a modern day Guy Fawkes. This caused outrage in the country that a religious leader would seem to advocate violence against its civic leaders for something that was within their competence to pass and a widespread feeling of ‘disconnect’ since the matter was never up for public discussion anyway. Nevertheless, the storm abated but many did not forget.
The House of Assembly met on Wednesday 5th November 2003. Apart from a stage managed contretemps between Whitney Bastian MP for South Andros, the Opposition and the Speaker, which resulted in a fifteen minute suspension of the House, all passed peacefully.
Guy Fawkes was the Englishman who was involved in a plot to blow up Parliament because he disagreed with the policies of the then King. He was discovered and executed for his crime. Many Commonwealth nations today including The Bahamas still “Burn Guys” every year on 5th November the anniversary of the discovery of the plot to mark the event.
ANGLICAN
STATEMENT ON GAY CONSECRATION
A reader sourced from ‘AAC News’ this statement
from the Anglican mainstream on the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson
as Bishop:
“We are in mourning. We are greatly pained that the consecration of a divorced man living as a non-celibate homosexual contrary to Biblical teaching, Anglican Doctrine and Catholic Order has now brought a deep tear in our Anglican Communion.
“We find it hard to understand how the presiding bishop could oversee this action with other ECUSA bishops after subscribing to the unanimous statement of all the primates that such an action would tear the fabric of the Communion.
“We can only conclude that the leadership of ECUSA has knowingly and deliberately acted to separate itself from the Anglican Communion and Catholic Order.
“We, like most of the Anglican world, do not accept Gene Robinson as a bishop. We call upon the Archbishop of Canterbury as promised at the Primates Meeting to encourage all those faithful Anglicans in ECUSA who are deeply affected by and have dissociated themselves from his appointment as a bishop to stand fast and remain within the Anglican Communion. We are heartened that the recent primates’ statement called for adequate provision for Episcopal oversight of those in ECUSA unable to accept this appointment. In our view, like all Episcopal ministry, such oversight must be acceptable to the recipients. Now that the consecration has gone ahead in defiance of the primates’ most recent plea, the need for such oversight for these persons and congregations is urgent.
“Following upon the unilateral actions of the Dioc
