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The Tribune
Volume:116 No.67, MARCH 29TH, 2019
Established 1903
Weekend
WEEKEND: IT’S NOT JUST MEN, YOU KNOW
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1 art books film fashion
Weekend
Women artists in the spot light
Ministry probes teacher filmed beating students THE Ministry of Education is investigating the circumstances surrounding a video in which a teacher is seen repeatedly striking a group of students with a leather belt. The nearly three-minute video, which has spread across various social media platforms, reportedly involves an Abaco-based physical education teacher who is seen lashing students one-by-one with the belt. It is not clear when the
video was shot. Director of Education Marcellus Taylor, when contacted yesterday, said the ministry was aware of the video and confirmed that an investigation was underway to determine what prompted the ordeal. “We’ve seen it,” he told The Tribune. “It involved a teacher from Patrick J Bethel School and the district there is reviewing that matter. We expect a report to be submitted, and once that is done, we will determine what course of action we need to take.” SEE PAGE THREE
WATER BOSS - WE’RE NOT BUGGING STAFF By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Water & Sewerage Corporation’s executive chairman last night dismissed “baseless and absolutely false” fears employees are being bugged, amid union demands for a police probe. Adrian Gibson, in a messaged response to Tribune Business’s inquiries, said the state-owned water supplier “would never participate in or condone any illegal activity that compromises the work environment” after its management union called for the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) to “sweep”
the corporation’s offices for “illegal listening devices”. Ednol Rolle, the Water & Sewerage Management Union’s (WSMU) president, told this newspaper he had been “scared” by continuing complaints from his members that their workplace conversations were being listened into and recorded. Revealing that the allegations had persisted from last year, he said the purported surveillance had even extended to some Water & Sewerage Corporation workers being “followed home” - although he declined to provide further details. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
puzzles food
Friday, March 29, 2019
OUT TO BRUNCH Page 8 & 9
A touch of the feminine
Out of order By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
music history animals
pages 14 & 15
LUCAYAN STAFF TOLD TAKE THE DEAL NOW By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Lucayan managers were told yesterday to either take a final voluntary separation package lump sum offer of $3.1m or risk getting less when they are terminated as part of the hotel’s transition to new ownership. Although the new offer is only $100,000 more than the board initially agreed to, Michael Scott, Lucayan Renewal Holdings chairman, said unless the government decides otherwise, the board is firm on this “very generous” offer. Calling the issue a “wrapped hand grenade”, Mr Scott said neither the government nor the board would want to pass the issue on to proposed new joint owners Royal Caribbean International and Mexican port developer ITM. SEE PAGE SIX
NYGARD’S STUCK UP A CREEK...
LOOKING DAME GOOD, JANET
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
DAME Janet Bostwick is made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, at Buckingham Palace yesterday. See page five for more. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire
A PROMINENT attorney yesterday expressed concerns over the possibility that Canadian billionaire Peter Nygard may be “hiding” behind a Caribbean-based company in order to retrieve a yacht from his Lyford Cay home. Fred Smith, QC, attorney for Save The Bays (STB), said his client “has not satisfied itself” that YL Limited, based in Saint Vincent, is not a “front” for or “alter ego” of the controversial Lyford Cay resident. SEE PAGE TWO
‘WE WON’T GIVE UP ON MISSING MARVIN’ By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A SUPREME Court judge has dismissed a human rights group’s application to have police produce a Gambier Village resident they deny ever taking into custody. Acting Justice Andrew Forbes dismissed Rights Bahamas’ habeas corpus application for police
MARVIN PRATT to produce the body of 40-year-old Marvin Pratt.
Rights Bahamas attorney Crispin Hall told reporters after the hearing that despite the ruling, his team will continue to explore “every possible legal avenue” to get justice for Mr Pratt. Mr Pratt’s family claims Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) officers arrested him on December 5, 2018, a claim Commissioner Anthony Ferguson has denied. SEE PAGE SEVEN
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
ROOMS WITH A VIEW - BUT NOT THIS BIG
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Friday, March 29, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Nygard’s stuck up a creek... from page one YL Ltd was seeking to apply to Director of Physical Planning Charles Zonicle for a one-off permit to dredge the area around the yacht, the Yves Lauren, which is “embedded” in a small marina at Nygard Cay. YL Ltd, which claims it owns the yacht, and not Mr Nygard, tried to do so by obtaining an ex-parte order to be joined as an “interested party” to a third judicial review against Mr Nygard’s dredging activities, thus putting them at liberty to apply for the permit. And that happened during ongoing negotiations between both sides on a lawful way to remove the yacht, and without notice to STB, Mr Smith said. However, Mr Smith, as well as government attorneys, successfully opposed the ex-parte order granted by Justice Cheryl GrantThompson, on the grounds that obtaining the ex-parte order was not the “proper” way for YL Ltd to have the yacht removed. Conversely, Mr Smith said the proper way to do things would have been to make an application to Mr Zonicle directly, who would have then had to satisfy himself that YL Ltd “is
THE YACHT pictured in a marina at Nygard Cay, where it is said to be “embedded” and in need of dredging to free it. not Mr Nygard in disguise making the application.” However, Mr Smith said assuming that YL Ltd is not a “front” company, STB would not object to it receiving a one-off permit to dredge the area around the yacht, provided the dredged material is placed anywhere but Nygard Cay. That concession, he said, emanated from the $2.6m Mr Nygard paid
as a settlement to STB in November of last year that allowed him to retake possession of his Simms Point/ Nygard Cay property. Prior to that, the property was seized following a petition by STB to have it sold to satisfy the $2.9m in debts Mr Nygard owed in legal costs. During proceedings yesterday, Mr Smith said pursuant to that settlement,
STB agreed not to object to an application being made “in the proper way to the proper authority” for the removal of the yacht. However, he said that was based on the sole condition that whatever soil would be dredged to free the trapped yacht would not be placed anywhere on and/or near Nygard Cay, but elsewhere, like Jaws Beach. Mr Smith said since
the parties arrived at that agreement, STB had been in “continued correspondence” with the other side in a bid to determine the lawful way to achieve that objective. The only “wrinkle” in those discussions, he said, was Mr Nygard’s failure to appear in court on four occasions to date to be sentenced for dredging the sea bed near his Lyford Cay home between March and April 2015, and again in October of 2016, despite a June 2013 injunction barring him from doing so. And, as he has previously stated before Justice GrantThompson and before the Court of Appeal, Mr Smith said Mr Nygard ought not to be heard on any other application he seeks of any court until and/or unless he purges his contempt for failing to attend those proceedings. Nonetheless, Mr Smith said throughout the period he and YL Ltd’s attorney, Algernon Allen were communication, STB always understood that the yacht and whatever application needed to be made for its removal would have been made by Mr Nygard. However, he said it was “only recently” that Mr Allen indicated that the yacht was in fact owned by YL Ltd. In light of that revelation, Mr Smith said STB is not convinced that YL Ltd is
not simply a front company for Mr Nygard. However, he noted that pursuant to a final judgement made in the third judicial review of Mr Nygard’s dredging activities, an order was made prohibiting Mr Zonicle from considering any application from Mr Nygard and/or his agents. Mr Allen, who said he was only recently “parachuted” into the matter, insisted that the yacht in question in fact belongs to YL Ltd, and not Mr Nygard. However, he said he was merely seeking to better facilitate the process for the yacht’s removal, whatever that may be, and that he was not objecting to Mr Smith’s and the government’s opposition to the granting of the ex-parte order. Justice Grant-Thompson consequently ordered that the ex-parte order she granted on Monday be set aside. Yesterday’s matter stems from Mr Nygard’s ongoing battle with STB over allegations the construction/ development activities at his Lyford Cay home have led to a substantial growth of the property. The group claims Mr Nygard has almost doubled the size of his property, from 3.25 acres to 6.1 acres since he acquired it in 1984, by allegedly reclaiming Crown land from the sea.
BEHAVE YOURSELVES, STAFF AT ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE TOLD By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE Office of the Attorney General has warned its staff to behave themselves and not disrespect their seniors or otherwise face disciplinary action. Management at the Office of the Attorney General, in an internal memo to its staff, said disrespect to “supervisors and other officers of senior rank” can yield unspecified consequences. The impetus for the memo is unclear, though its authenticity was confirmed by a well-placed source in
that office. Nonetheless, the OAG accused some of its staff members of “behaving in a manner that is unprofessional to senior officers and supervisors” and “failing to carry out routine directives that fall within the general scope of post tasks”. “This serves as a reminder to all staff that disrespect to supervisors and other officers of senior rank, is frowned on within the public service so much so that such behaviour can result in disciplinary action being taken against such persons, in accordance with the Public Service Commission Regulations,
Judicial and Legal Services Commission Regulations, General Orders and the (Bahamas Public Services Union) agreement. “It should therefore be noted that the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs will not condone such infractions. Staff are therefore enjoined to conduct themselves in a manner that does not breach the standard set up by our employer, set out in the above documents and or the Secrecy Act. “Effective immediately, your full adherence is expected in this regard,” OAG management admonished its staff.
TWO TO FACE CHARGES OVER ELECTRICITY DIVERSION CLAIMS BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
TWO people are expected to be formally arraigned and charged this morning in connection with a complaint filed by Grand Bahama Power Company into alleged electricity theft.
Two weeks ago, GBPC disconnected power supply at several businesses on the island after a meter audit conducted by the company uncovered a series of suspected electricity diversion instances in the Freeport area. Among those businesses were seven fast food
restaurants, a timeshare resort, and a drug store/ pharmacy. All of the businesses had purchased what they believed was an energy saving device which is at the centre of a police investigation. The devices were later discovered to be fake and a smokescreen for electricity diversion.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, March 29, 2019, PAGE 3
Ministry probes teacher filmed beating students from page one The graphic video opened with the teacher in question handing over the phone used to recorded the ordeal of the unidentified students. After she ensured the device was on and recording, the teacher called over the first student. As the first student walked into frame, he is heard telling the PE teacher that he was not involved in an incident that had transpired earlier. However, despite his pleas, Ms Brown directed him to walk over to a nearby wall and place his hands on it. “You were in the room, right?” she told the young man. “Hands on the wall.” Following a short discussion with several other students out of view of the camera, the teacher told the entire group: “So let me
IMAGES from the video showing the teacher using a belt on students. show y’all.” She then widened her stance, and took her first swing. As she did, she was
heard telling the student, “listen to me” as her belt made contact with his back.
The student, appearing to be in pain, held his back and stomach as he attempted to move away from the wall.
However the teacher shouted: “That’s one. Stand up.” She directed him back to the wall and said: “Hands on the wall.” As the young man exhaled in pain, he was hit across the back a second time and began to hop in place from the pain. Ms Brown was heard saying: “I ain’ got time for that… you are a part of it too because you allowed it.” At this point, several persons off-camera could be heard saying he was sleeping, referring to the young boy being hit. One voice added: “He’s the quiet one.” The student was struck once more before the teacher moves on to a second student. In total six students — all boys — were beaten over the course of the video. Corporal punishment has
long been a point of contention in the country with fierce proponents on both sides. At the time, Mr Lloyd said education officials may revise school policies on corporal punishment, insisting modern research shows it to be an ineffective way of disciplining children. However later that year, in September 2018 police and the Ministry of Education were said to be investigating an incident at a public school where a boy was allegedly beaten by an administrator. The announcement of the investigation came after advocacy group Rights Bahamas called on the Minnis administration and the Ministry of Education to address an incident of corporal punishment at C H Reeves Junior High School as a violation of both human rights and child laws.
SHOTSPOTTER TECHNOLOGY IS LAUNCHED By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
THE first phase of the Shotspotter technology programme was rolled out yesterday during a press conference held at Royal Bahamas Police Force headquarters. National Security Minister Marvin Dames, senior police officers, and representatives from ShotSpotter were present yesterday to explain and demonstrate how the gun-detection technology works. The technology, implemented in undisclosed areas across New Providence, is strategically placed “outside, in open areas, above the roadways, above ambient noise,” according to Shotspotter senior project manager Kent McIntire. “So we’re not looking to capture audio other than for gunfire. So when that dynamic event occurs, that bang, that boom or that pop it sends the information to our location servers and then to our monitoring centre.” The information relayed also includes what time the shots happened and the number of rounds fired. Chief Superintendent Zhivargo Dames explained that once a signal is received from Shotspotter, the information will be sent to the police control room as well as to a device in patrol cars. “If the officer who is in the patrol car would wish to respond to that gunshot detection, he can acknowledge it and respond directly to that incident or where that shot is coming from,” CSP Dames added. Large maps were on display during the press conference and members of the press were provided with devices. As part of the demonstration, shots were fired in the Step Street area. The maps showed the location while the devices lit up with notifications. Shotspotter director of customer success Alfred Lewers said the information is transmitted to the company’s operations centre in California.
Service operations personnel vet the information and then send it out as either a gunfire event or possible gunfire event. Although he admitted there is a “degree of uncertainty” with the technology, he underscored the importance of officers responding to all events. The technology can also pick up multiple or simultaneous incidents of gunfire in different locations. While it has been able to pick up suppressed gunfire in the past, it is generally for nonsuppressed gunfire. In terms of crime reduction rates, the representatives noted on average customers experience a 37 percent reduction in gunfire in the coverage area over the first two years. However, they noted this is also dependent on law enforcement agencies’ approaches, adding some cities have experienced reduction as high as 60 per cent. They also added customers have reported a four minute, 52 second better response time as a result of Shotspotter. Regarding concerns about privacy, the representatives noted the technology is only located outside and does not function like “any type of streaming audio”. However, this means that it can only pick up outside gunfire, not inside shooting events. Regarding the implementation of the second phase of the technology, CSP Dames said the area for it has already been mapped out. While he did not give location specifics, he said this technology will be installed in Nassau, Freeport, and Abaco. He added Shotspotter and expansion of CCTV will be working together to provide officers with a “phenomenal” amount of information. To this, the minister said: “Next fiscal period, as you know, we’re at the end of this fiscal period and so police will be making provisions (during) the next budget exercise to encompass the next phase.”
MINISTER of National Security Marvin Dames shakes hand with Alfred Lewers Jr, of ShotSpotter, yesterday. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
DEFENCE FORCE VETERANS SENT ON LEAVE By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday confirmed that some Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers have been sent on leave - however he declined the specify the exact number. In the wake of a number of senior Royal Bahamas Police Force officers receiving notice this month to take pre-retirement leave, Mr Dames underscored that these decisions are not personal or political. Mr Dames made these remarks following a press conference outside RBPF headquarters yesterday. When asked how many RBDF officers have been placed on leave, Mr Dames demurred from giving an exact figure. “It’s still a work in progress,” he said. “We’re still
working. But we make no apologies, we understand that we have to — this is not solely a law enforcement issue. This is something that we have to do throughout our public service. “We have to run a more efficient public service, we have to transform it, we have to reform it…because we’re obligated to do it for the next generation. We’re all just passing through. And this is what good governance is all about. We should not be complaining when the government steps in. “I will have nothing else to say about that other than that’s the only objective,” he continued. “This is not personal, this is not political. As I said…I met with those officers, certainly in the police force and the defence force, all of whom I know very personally and who I would consider my friends and we had these discussions.
“And so we (will) continue to work with them. And a lot of them get uncomfortable when we bring these matters out in the open and make it personal.” When asked if any more senior police officers have been placed on leave, Mr Dames again did not provide specifics. “We are always in a state of transition,” he said. “I am in a state of transition. You are in a state of transition. Every company is in a state of transition. People come and people go. People have to retire, people get sick, they have to maybe take on another position.” He added throughout the public service there is an “urgent need for change”. RBDF Commodore Tellis Bethel did not respond to inquiries for comment up to press time. On March 20, Assistant Commissioners of Police
Clayton Fernander, Ashton Greenslade, Ken Strachan, Theophilus Cunningham and Leamond Deleveaux received notice to take accrued vacation leave effective immediately. This brought the total number of senior officers placed on pre-retirement leave in recent weeks to eight, after it was revealed that Deputy Commissioner Emrick Seymour, Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dean and Assistant Commissioner Clarence Reckley were all asked to take accrued vacation ahead of their respective retirements from the force. A police insider recently told The Tribune that Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson and Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Tellis Bethel are also among those persons slated for preretirement leave in the near future.
PAGE 4, Friday, March 29, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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A man cannot be allowed to just disappear WHERE is Marvin Pratt? It’s a simple question – but one which authorities seem to have no interest in answering. The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a bid by a human rights group to compel police to produce Marvin, while police themselves deny they ever took him into custody – but that leaves a mystery that surely needs to be resolved. Mr Pratt’s family insist Drug Enforcement Unit officers arrested him on December 5 last year, a claim backed by a neighbour who says she saw four DEU officers arrest him and put him in a police vehicle. Mr Pratt’s mother says she was told at the police station they had him in custody – only for the officer to go to speak to someone else in the station and return with a different story. Given such claims, if the police have indeed never arrested Mr Pratt, you would think they would be going all out to find him, wherever he is. In his speech to the nation this week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said one of the innovations helping to tackle crime was using “geo-referenced based monitoring for the strategic deployment of police officers”. Does this mean there is a record of where all DEU officers were on the day in question? Can this be tracked to confirm whether officers were or were not there at the time? Where are the search parties, going through the area to try and find a man gone missing in such mysterious circumstances? Where’s the missing person notices to the press asking for our help in trying to find him? Can we really be at a point where a man can just disappear with allegations of police involvement and we are just expected to shrug and move on? When asked about the allegations in December, Police Commissioner
Anthony Ferguson’s stance was to criticise the media for reporting the claims. We would like to report on what his force is doing to locate Mr Pratt – but that information is in short supply. It hardly needs saying (again) – it is past time that every police station, every custody suite, every interview room should be completely outfitted with cameras to record what is going on inside them. It has been promised; now it is time to deliver. Had video footage been available in this case, it would be the work of less than an hour to show whether or not he had been brought into custody. It will protect the police from accusations – and those in their custody from abuse. Who wouldn’t want this to happen?
Honour her words too Arise, Dame Janet Bostwick – the first woman to serve in the House of Assembly, the first woman to be Attorney General, and who served as acting prime minister twice – and now a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Dame Janet deserves recognition for all she has done, and we salute her as she takes her trip to the palace. As we applaud her, we would also hope that others might listen to her words – in November she spoke at an event for National Women’s Week, and called for the current government to address the disparity between the genders in Cabinet, and to stop placing women in “token positions” but rather give them positions of more substance. There could be no better time than as Dame Janet is honoured to take her up on her suggestion. Over to you, prime minister.
Bullying in our streets EDITOR, The Tribune. AS I sat and read a recent article in the dailies where Gladys Louis (mother of murdered teen Perry Rolle) lamented the fact that she was not there for her son when he needed her most, tears welled in my eyes as I remembered a recent experience of my own. Last week Sunday, I went grocery shopping in a local food store near Elizabeth Estates with my daughter Vashni, who is a young adult living with Down Syndrome. We were in the store for approximately 15 minutes when my attention was drawn to two little boys who were laughing uncontrollably, pointing and staring in our direction. They looked to be between the ages of nine and 11 years old and they were accompanied by a female adult, whom I presumed to be their mother. Out of curiosity, I drew closer to them, and it was then that I noticed that she too was joining in the laughter and making unkind comments. I approached the little boys and inquired of them what they found to be so amusing. The female, who had by that time deduced that I was in some way connected to Vashni, sought to distance herself from the
boys, but remained within earshot. One of the little boys “we just don’t understand why people look like”. I asked him if he felt that it was ok to laugh at people who looked different and he responded “we wasn’t laughing at her, we was laughing because of how she looks…” What was particularly bothersome was the fact that not once during this entire exchange did mother dearest utter a word. The boys confirmed that they had attended church that morning, but paused when I asked them whether they felt that Jesus would be proud of their behaviour. Before leaving them, I gave a short lesson on kindness, acceptance and respect. I said nothing to the adult, but I know that she heard every word I said. Through it all, my daughter stood there, just feet away. I was there that time, but I am not ignorant to the fact that various forms of bullying is a reality for her and many others with Special Needs like her on a daily basis. Bullying in any form is wrong, and many times as parents we have the opportunity to stop it but we turn a blind eye to it. Only cowards bully. Cowards look for the weak and defenceless among us and prey on
them. Cowards allow their children to bully others. Words do hurt! The old adage ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words cannot harm’ is a fallacy. Anything that results in emotional and/or physical hurt that is directed towards someone who is perceived as being vulnerable is bullying. Parents, before we condemn others and wonder what type of household raises a child who would take the life of another child, let us all take a good long look in the mirror to see how many of us also have children in our homes who are stabbing others. Some of our children stab with their words and their actions daily. They kill with their taunts and stares. I encourage all persons, parents especially and those who warm the church pews each Sunday to make a special effort to practise the Golden Rule and to teach our children to do the same. It is not enough to simply lift up holy hands in the sanctuary and then ignore wrong when it is staring us in the face. Ask yourself the question, As a parent, am I complicit? ALICIA BAIN—THOMPSON (Vashni’s Mommy) Nassau, March 28, 2019.
Thank you to PMH workers EDITOR, The Tribune.
PLEASE permit my husband and me a space to express gratitude to the hard working doctors and nursing staff at The Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Accident and Emergency (A&E). We often hear the horror stories of experiences at PMH, A&E but persons neglect to say the positives. Though my husband and I spent two days without food or rest in A&E because there were no beds on the Children’s Ward, our overall feel is one of much gratitude and humility. We truly appreciate every effort made by the staff at A&E when we took our only son in for stomach pains. We watched staff come and go but God’s hand of mercy and favour was amazing! While there at A&E, we met persons who were there with their children, whom we now refer to as family. We prayed for one another, carried each others burdens and consoled one another as it became necessary. It was a true sense of family and community. Hospital policy requires that a parent or guardian be present at all times while the child’s in A&E. Neither of us could leave so we bonded and made “lemonade” from “lemons’’. We saw seven different doctors excluding the imaging personnel. Doctors Lockhart, Ferguson, Strachan, Mackey, Scavella and others whose names we can’t recall. We salute them along with Doctors Moxey, Barrett, Josey and Munroe who were concerned family
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net and friends. The combined expertise they brought to the table, we could not pay for. It was the combination of these brilliant minds that led to my son’s recovery. Our son, up to this time, had not been a part of the Public Health System, yet, he never had such an in depth and thorough examination and testing such as what he received while at PMH, A&E. Thank you all so much for your diligence, care and empathy. May our kind God bless you all richly. May you never experience lack up to your third and fourth generation is our prayer. Above all, we pray for good health. We can agree that the working conditions at PMH need much improvement and the wait is extremely long, but the quality of expertise is unmatched! Because of this experience, we are now advocates for a separate Children’s and Geriatrics Hospital. This will alleviate a lot of the strain on one central Public Hospital. We were pleased to learn of a possible partnership with a US hospital. Bahamians and non-Bahamians alike, rich, poor or middle-class, we ourselves or someone we know and love dearly will one day pass through the doors of PMH. Let’s together make a difference! We have to support a National Health Plan so that our Public Health Care system can be improved. There was no hand
sanitiser in the automated machines and we were told that they hadn’t been filled in two years! Of course nothing beats hand washing with soap and warm water but this is just not acceptable. The cleaning staff is obviously overwhelmed because the overall appearance just looks unkempt. A deep cleaning is needed on a daily basis maybe in the hours of 3:00-4:00am when the trafficking of persons has decreased. Deep cleaning such as: mopping, washing/wiping of walls, doors, door knobs, counters, tile grout spaces and the likes. Surface cleaning such as: mopping in small areas at a time, dusting and wiping should happen throughout the day with a sign off check sheet of bathrooms every 15-20 minutes. Cleaning staff assigned to a particular area should be visibly available should an emergency arise. Seminars and training for the cleaning staff should be frequent to boost morale and productivity. Offer staff incentives for exceptional performances. I know that the cleaning is subcontracted but they have got to step up their game! Performance appraisals should be done regularly so that the deficient area/s could be adjusted promptly. Each one must take a look in the mirror and try their best to operate in the spirit of excellence for a better Public Health Care System and ultimately a better Bahamas. Together We Can! THE TAYLORS Nassau, March 27, 2019.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, March 29, 2019, PAGE 5
Minister: No cuts in school policing By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames was adamant yesterday that the government has not scaled back on school policing, in response to the outpouring of public concern in the wake of the fatal stabbing of a 15-yearold student near a primary school. Mr Dames added that he and Education Minister Jeff Lloyd have been discussing how to improve the level of school security. He also noted a request for proposals has gone out for additional CCTV cameras throughout New Providence which will take into account “some of these schools as well”. Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Anthony Ferguson also addressed the murder of Perry Rolle Jr, a ninthgrade TA Thompson Junior High School student who was stabbed by a 16-year-old student of the neighbouring CC Sweeting High School on Tuesday. The horrific incident took place shortly after 3pm near TG Glover Primary School. Police suspect the killing may be gang related. Commissioner Ferguson also underscored the importance of making sure that children are “aware of the danger of being involved in gangs”. When asked by reporters for updates into the matter, he said the investigation is ongoing. Police added someone is expected to be placed before the courts “in upcoming days”. Both Mr Dames and Commissioner Ferguson spoke to reporters yesterday following a press conference at police headquarters. When asked about policing in schools, Mr Dames replied: “This is something that we’ve been working on for a while now. My colleague minister, Jeff Lloyd and myself have been discussing school security and how do we continue to work on improving the level of school security. “But always remember that our schools are just a microcosm of our wider community. And what plays
DAME Janet Bostwick with her son, John Bostwick II, right, and grandson, John Bostwick III, at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
ARISE, DAME JANET MINISTER of National Security Marvin Dames. Photo: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff out in those communities unfortunately or sometimes are taken into or near to the school environment. And so we’re very cognizant of that we’re always looking at ways to improve the level of security at these schools. “Mind you…when you look at it from a broader perspective, things have been trending in a more positive way. But there’s still a lot of work to do. And so we’re contemplating how do we combine technology and how do we improve our human resource outlay and that’s in terms of preparing our teachers and training our security officers and improving police visibility in these areas…It’s not a panacea to solving all of our problems, because as I’ve said before, the problems are much more deep rooted than that.” Mr Dames added violence in schools occurs worldwide, adding the ministry will continue to introduce measures that will give law enforcement officers, teachers, and other staff “the tools to ensure that they protect their environment”. When asked if it was a political misstep for the government to scale back on school policing, Mr Dames replied: “The government did not scale back on school policing. And I don’t know where that’s coming from.” He noted the government has improved such efforts, referencing last year’s reduction in crime. However, he noted the importance of parents and communities in these efforts.
“Too often kids are brought into this world and are left to fend for themselves or are abused along the way…and we know what happens. They get caught up sometimes with the wrong company and sometimes they’re taken (advantage of). “And so this is the reason why we have to approach this from a multifaceted (way). We need to work on parenting, and we’re doing that through Citizen Security and Justice Programme…we have to focus on our communities, our homes, our parents. We have to focus on family, what’s the role of family, why it is so important.” Commissioner Ferguson echoed these remarks, saying these incidents have “nothing to do with officers in school”. Instead they have to do with behaviour, he said, calling for parents and guardians to ensure their children are “grounded in the right thing”. Regarding gang activity, he said: “The police (has) always been involved in education, in making sure that…we are in the schools, making sure that we are talking to children, making sure that they are aware of the danger of being involved in gangs. We have a gang unit and they are always out there send a positive message to make sure that our people are properly socialised and we are looking forward to a productive, citizens, particularly our young people, we need to make sure that they understand that they are the future of the nation.”
JANET Bostwick, the first woman elected to the House of Assembly, received her appointment as Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, at an investiture at Buckingham Palace yesterday. Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, officiated at the ceremony. “I am both humbled and honoured to have been chosen for such a prestigious honour,” said Dame Janet after the investiture. “I thank the Bahamian people for this award. In accepting the damehood, I was pointedly reminded of the still continuing struggle of Bahamian women to remove every vestige of inequality and discrimination from not only our nation’s national life, but from the very personal relationships of women, whether in their homes or on the job.” Dame Janet has spent her life working to advance the rights of girls, women and the underprivileged. She pledged on Thursday to continue that work. “The Bahamas together with the world celebrated International Women’s Day on the eighth of this month. Once again the cry for equal rights was raised. In particular, attention was drawn to the great disparity in many instances in pay to women as compared to men for work of equal value,” said Dame Janet. “The adverse effects of domestic violence were also highlighted, as well as the underrepresentation of women in the decisionmaking process of national life. We must never cease to address and remedy these and other issues affecting our girls and women.
“I reiterate my commitment to continue to serve to enhance the standard and quality of life of all our people.” Dame Janet was the second person to receive an award at the palace on a list of 64 people. The ceremony began at 11am. “It was a true privilege to be in attendance at Buckingham Palace and witness my mother be honored with the title of Dame,” said son John Bostwick II. “She has given her life selflessly in service to her country and the Bahamian people, second only to her God. She is truly deserving to receive this honour. And for those of us who know her, we are certain that she has much, much more to offer and the best is yet to come.” Her daughter Lisa Bostwick-Dean said: “I have watched my mother tirelessly give of herself to the people of the Bahamas my whole life. It was a pleasure to watch her receive this award. “We are deeply appreciative of the love and support she has received from the Bahamian people.” Prince William and Dame Janet shared a moment of pleasant, private conversation after he bestowed the award. Dame Janet displayed extraordinary talents even as a young woman. She was head girl at Government High School. On graduation, Dame Janet started work as a clerk (stenographer) at the Legal Department in 1957. She became private secretary to the attorney general and an administrator in the department. She married Henry Bostwick in 1961.
Dame Janet fell in love with the law. She articled in the department to Gerald Corlett, former attorney general, and was called to the Bahamas Bar in 1971, becoming the sixth woman to achieve this. She became politically active in 1976 as a member of the Free National Movement (FNM) and was appointed to the Senate in 1977. In 1982 she won the Yamacraw seat for her party, making her the first woman elected to the House. She would hold the seat for 20 consecutive years. In 1992, after 25 years of Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) rule, the FNM won its first general election. Dame Janet was appointed to Cabinet. She served in various ministerial capacities and in November 1994 she was appointed attorney general – the first woman to hold that position in the Bahamas, and the region. She was also the first woman to act as prime minister and served as deputy to the governor general on two occasions. She is credited with leadership in bringing about progressive change in laws relating to the administration of justice and the rights and status of women and children. She is the mother of four – Margo, Kelley, Lisa and John – the grandmother of five and great-grandmother of one. Dame Janet was accompanied to Buckingham Palace by her son John Bostwick II, daughter Lisa Bostwick-Dean, grandsons John Bostwick III and Victor Dean, and son-inlaw Brent Dean.
PAGE 6, Friday, March 29, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Lucayan staff told take the deal now from page one
Therefore, he said an obligation existed for the issue to be resolved. The government signed a letter of intent on Wednesday for the new owners to take over the beleaguered resort in Grand Bahama. The managers want $5m as part of a voluntary separation package. A representative of the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association could not be reached yesterday, however earlier this week its Vice President Kirk Russell said the managers of the hotel were not being unreasonable and were only asking for fairness and justice in the negotiations. At the time, a lawyer representing the board said they would not be participating in any further proceedings in this matter set to be heard at the Industrial Tribunal in Freeport. “The minister may take a softer view, my view is that on the sale the usual position is that the seller in the sale of a business or operation operates legally as an automatic termination of employees,” Mr Scott said yesterday. “Unfortunately that did not happen on the (former) purchase of the Grand Lucayan, but it’s certainly going to happen on this one because I don’t want to pass and nor should the government want to pass the developers a wrapped hand grenade. “So therefore it’ll be our obligation to settle with the union managers and they could either take the very generous offer that the board has made now, which is $3.1m or they can get less when we terminate them in accordance with the Employment Act. “It’s a very easy thing. They have a choice.” He also said: “Now the minister may decide in his wisdom and budgetary largesse may decide that they want to do better than what we’ve offered them, but as far as the board is concerned this is our final position.” When told the union did not appear to be interested in relaxing the demand, Mr Scott said while this may be the case, it was not a helpful position. In December, Trade Union Congress President Obie Ferguson, who is the managers union’s lawyer, said different legal interpretations may have contributed to the divide between the two sides over how much is due to middle management staff wishing to exit. He added the Grand Lucayan is “hell bent” on using the wrong formula to calculate staff operation packages for middle managers. Back then he said the union was not willing to compromise on this issue, but nevertheless concessions were made in other areas that had slashed the value of its compensation demands by more than $1m. Mr Ferguson said this had cut the total value of the BHMA’s desired package from an initial $5.4m to “roughly about $4m”, with the association also willing to work out a deal for essential workers who wanted to leave to stay on temporarily so that the Grand Lucayan was “not left high and dry” on guest service.
THE GRAND Lucayan Resort.
COOPER CRITICISES GRAND LUCAYAN PURCHASE PRICE By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Deputy Leader Chester Cooper says he does not trust the Minnis administration’s handling of the Grand Lucayan deal following its announcement two days ago that a letter
of intent was signed with Royal Caribbean and the ITM group for ownership of the hotel. Among his concerns are the government purchased the resort for $65m and incurred closing costs along with severance pay for line staff and managers among other things, but sold the resort to the new
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developers for the same price it was acquired. Earlier this month, The Tribune reported the government spent $9.2m on operations and payouts to line staff since it temporarily took ownership of the resort. This broke down to $6m for operations and $3.2m to line staff who chose to separate from the hotel. Ahead of Mr Cooper’s comments, The Tribune raised the issue with Lucayan Renewal Holdings Chairman Michael Scott. He said the government was expected to “break-even” with the sale, adding there were sweeteners in the deal that compensated for the purchase price. An initial investment of $195m, which includes $65m for the purchase of the hotel, has been earmarked for the first phase of the development, which will take place over a 24-month period, it was revealed Wednesday during the signing announcement. “The profit is going to come in the development. Don’t people get it?” Mr Scott told this newspaper. Asked about operational costs being taken into account, he said: “No one pays operational costs. If you’re selling your house, if you can’t make a profit you at least break even and then the operational costs are
the operational costs. That’s stupid. “Now where the government is making a profit on this is with the commitments over a twoyear period to redevelop the hotel, add a theme water park to the to the Lucayan complex, add the multi-mobile transportation linkage between the hotel, Port Lucaya and the Freeport Harbour and the development of the Freeport Harbour. That’s the sweetener in the deal.” Mr Scott said the government ultimately decided not to renovate any part of the Grand Lucayan as was initially planned. “We negotiated the price. It’s a break-even price for the hotel. So why would we pump more money into renovations? Let them do that. Besides why would you renovate that and they are probably going to substantially restructure the Grand Lucayan complex, which means that some parts of it may come down. “We are not going to anticipate their final plans which are being worked out now nor are we going to put money into something, which will be effectively negative.” In a speech to constituents in Bimini last night, Mr Cooper chided the government, saying given its handling of the Disney Lighthouse Point deal, he was sceptical. He told supporters while
this was a good thing for the Grand Bahamian economy, “some darkness” was likely in the details. “I notice the prime minister didn’t talk about the Grand Lucayan in his national address,” he said. “But all of a sudden yesterday they announce an LOI was signed with Royal Caribbean Cruises to buy the hotel and redevelop the port. “So, the government pays $65m for the hotel and for the closing costs for the sale and pays millions for renovations, and pays for back pay for the employees and separation for the line staff, and now separation for the managers and Royal Caribbean just comes in and picks up the hotel and the port and is on the hook for nothing? “The government must also explain as we asked them before, how much are the Bahamian people on the hook for and how much will they write off? I predicted before that the government would spend well in excess of $100m, which if my calculation is correct, would equate to a write-off of tax-payer’s money of at least $40m. “I got to tell you, I’m sceptical. “If this deal ends up helping the people of Grand Bahama, I’m all for it. But I don’t trust the FNM. Every time you hear about a deal, one of their fat cat friends isn’t too far behind. Every
time you see an FNM sign a contract, you better read the fine print, some darkness is probably behind it.” He also said: “If we look at it, and they pay $65m for the hotel, that means that the investment in development is really $135 million. That don’t sound like enough to create 2,000 jobs in two years,” he also said. He also questioned whether Royal Caribbean will reduce its number of calls in Nassau as a result of the deal and will it mean new money in the economy. Mr Cooper said so far it did not seem to be meaningful investment for the island. “Because last I checked, cruise ship passengers don’t stay in hotels. Is there a plan to increase airlift on Grand Bahama to get paying guests in the hotel? “Where are the guests going to come from?” This was something Mr Scott also spoke of yesterday. “This is a game changer because it provides the additional component of sea lift as well as airlift and day traffic as well as stay traffic because there is going to be recreational, entertainment and commercial opportunities that Bahamians are going to be able to participate in at an entrepreneurial level both at the Freeport Harbour and at the Grand Lucayan,” Mr Scott said yesterday.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, March 29, 2019, PAGE 7
‘We won’t give up on missing Marvin’ from page one A neighbour, Rose Francis, 55, insists she saw four DEU officers arrest Mr Pratt on Holly Hock Road and place him in a police vehicle. Rights Bahamas subsequently filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court seeking to compel the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) to produce the 40-year-old. The government responded to the writ via a return filed on behalf of Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash, the officerin-charge of the Central Detective Unit. However, Mr Hall successfully argued that the response was insufficient as it only spoke to the role of CSP Cash’s unit and not the entire RBPF. Justice Forbes
consequently called for another response from the RBPF that widely addressed the organisation’s actions in the matter, as well as that of the DEU. That further response was presented to Justice Forbes yesterday by Crown attorney Ryan Sands, in which the officer-in-charge of DEU denied that officers from his unit had Mr Pratt in custody, or ever took him into custody. As a result, Justice Forbes told Mr Hall that his investigatory jurisdiction in the matter came to an end, as it was “very limited” because of the Habeas Corpus Act, which he said makes it abundantly clear what his boundaries are as a judge in such a matter. The judge referred to Justice Gregory Hilton’s recent decision to dismiss the habeas corpus application
filed by Mr Hall’s senior, Fred Smith, QC, for the government to produce Bahamas-born Jean Rony Jean-Charles. At the time, Justice Hilton found that as Mr Jean-Charles was not in the custody of the state at the time the application for the writ was made, the order for the writ should not have been issued. Thus, Justice Forbes said Mr Hall would have to pursue his claims by another route. However, Justice Forbes noted that should evidence exist that contradicts the claims made by the police to date, it could prove problematic for the state. He also noted the possibility that Mr Pratt could be going by another name, something that could also be problematic if proven to be the case.
Mr Hall said he was guided by the court’s decision, though stating for the record that the return produced by Mr Sands was a “false return” and also contradictory to the evidence Rights Bahamas has adduced. After the proceedings, Mr Hall told reporters that an investigation is needed concerning Mr Pratt’s alleged disappearance, something he agreed that the court could not effect by way of the habeas corpus application. The next step, he said, is to regroup and find another legal avenue to resolve the matter. “This is not the end of the matter; this is the first step in trying to get the answers,” he said. “We will not stop, we will continue to try to seek justice for Marvin Pratt. Obviously,
I’m sympathetic to what has happened so far. We don’t believe that this is the end; this is just the beginning. We won’t stop and we will explore every possible legal avenue that is out there. “I will obviously meet with (Mr Pratt’s mother) Barbara Saunders, we will speak and determine our legal strategy. We don’t want to reveal that at this particular time, but we definitely have a plan as to what we need to do to get answers and to get justice, the most important thing. But we will not rest, and we definitely don’t walk away with this as defeat.” Meanwhile, Ms Saunders demanded that the RBPF locate or produce her son, as she again claimed that when she visited the DEU after he went missing, an officer there confirmed that he was in their custody.
“When I was there and I asked for Marvin Saunders, Marvin Pratt, the gentleman come out to me and say ‘yes we have a Marvin Pratt from Gambier,’” she said. “Marvin was in there. And (the police) ain’t gone get away with this. Y’all done get away with too much things. Too much things all of yinna sweep underneath the ground and everybody right there just helping to sweep. But this ain’t going underneath no ground. This coming to something (sic). “I was there (at DEU) and I asked him. The gentleman said he was there. He went in the back; when he come back he come back with a different conversation. “...Marvin Pratt was inside there. Y’all find my child.”
PLP chairman Fred Mitchell.
MITCHELL QUESTIONS DISMISSAL OF ISLAND ADMINISTRATOR By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net A LOCAL government administrator, perceived to be a supporter of the Progressive Liberal Party, has been dismissed, according to party chairman Fred Mitchell. The claim was made in a statement circulated by the party this week, in which Mr Mitchell claimed an unnamed island administrator was given a total of seven days to vacate his district. While he did not name the administrator, The Tribune understands that Preston Cunningham, an administrator on the island of Andros, has been asked to vacate his post.
“The purges continue,” Senator Mitchell said. “Local government administrators perceived to be PLP are also being sent home. Last week, one was given seven days to get out of the district even though he has a wife in the district and a minor child in school. “Six more are to go,” he added. When asked about the claim on Wednesday, Transport and Local Government Minister Renward Wells said he had no comment. Mr Mitchell in his statement also fired back at Free National Movement Chairman Carl Culmer following his response to PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis. In an interview with
The Tribune on Tuesday, Mr Culmer took issue with Mr Davis’ suggestion that the dismissal of eight senior police officers were “political”. Mr Culmer called the statement reckless and claimed that Mr Davis and the PLP were seeking to cast aspersions on the current process to cover-up their own bad practices. “The last time I checked, there were no PLP policemen, there were no FNM policemen,” Mr Culmer said at the time. “This reckless statement shows that under their administration, they only looked out for PLPs.” In that same interview, he also questioned whether or not Mr Mitchell had anything else positive to offer
MAN ACCUSED OF OVERSTAY By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
A MAN accused of overstaying his time in this country was arraigned in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court this week for breach of the Immigration Act. Johnson Antonio Quejada Pomare, 40, of Colombia, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson and pleaded guilty the charge of
overstaying. According to the particulars, Pomare was found in Freeport after the expiration of the seven days granted to him upon entering the country on March 7. He was convicted and fined $3,000 or in default ordered to serve 18 months in prison. He was ordered to be deported to Colombia on payment of his fine or completion of his custodial sentence.
JOHNSON ANTONIO QUEJADA POMARE
in the political arena due to his age. Responding on Wednesday, Mr Mitchell said: “So the chairman of the FNM has suddenly discovered that there are no PLP or FNM policemen. He must be the only FNM leader who believes that because the evidence is that the FNM government has been systematically going through the force and anyone who they perceive to be PLP or allies of former Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade is being sent home summarily.” He continued: “The prime minister in his usual clumsy way sought to cover up this FNM misdeed by suggesting that this is all about officers
who have long accumulated leave. The PLP has seen the list of those with accumulated leave and among them is the commissioner of police himself who has 58 weeks of leave. He remains on the job. So clearly it isn’t leave that is the issue. “This comes off as the FNM (being) a brutal, nasty group of people who care not one wit for decency. “The fact is the police force is more divided than ever politically as a deliberate policy of the FNM. This is going to affect the force’s reliability as a neutral arbiter in fighting crime and in guarding the ballot boxes when the elections come. “The PLP is very concerned about this,” he added.
Mr Mitchell asserted that this new course of action, as it relates to the police force, stemmed from National Security Minister Marvin Dames, whom he noted was assigned to head up the security detail at the Lynden Pindling Airport under a former PLP administration. Mr Dames was a senior police officer at the time. “Instead of applying himself to the task, there were complaints coming from FNM parliamentarians about his new assignment. The government changed shortly thereafter and as soon as the FNM came to power he was reassigned,” Mr Mitchell noted. “So FNM chairman don’t try to fool us,” Mr Mitchell said.
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PAGE 8, Friday, March 29, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
JUST VISITING, MRS MINNIS
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis paid a courtesy call yesterday on the Office of the Spouse of the Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre. Patricia Minnis, wife of the Prime Minister, is pictured during this first courtesy call, as she welcomed the Prime Minister, along with Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield, Permanent Secretary Jack Thompson, and members of staff. Photos: Yontalay Bowe/BIS
‘Charge my attacker with attempted manslaughter’ By RIEL MAJOR
A BAHAMIAN man who was slashed in the face during a knife attack in Florida is calling for his attacker to be charged with attempted manslaughter. Victim Harold Williams said he still doesn’t have any real answers after he was attacked in a sandwich shop in Pembroke Pines on March 16. “I don’t know what motivated him to attack me, but I watch the news in the United States and I see how black and brown people are treated, and I can’t help but wonder if he stabbed me in the face because of the colour of my skin. I spent nearly an entire week hospitalised because of his hate. Now, I will have a permanent scar on my face to remind me,” said Mr Williams in a press release.
HAROLD Williams after the attack. Mr Williams has hired see criminals undercivil rights attorneys Jas- charged when the victim mine Rand and Benjamin is black. We are going to Crump to represent him. request a meeting with the Mr Crump said black and prosecutor in the hopes of brown people in the United obtaining some answers; States deserve the same including why the second justice given to every other employee has not been person. charged with a crime, and “We consistently why Hassan has not been
charged with attempted manslaughter. “We fought hard for the prosecution of the racist officer that shot and killed our client Corey Jones which led to his historic conviction. We will fight equally as hard to ensure the prosecution does its job in serving justice on Mr Williams’ case.” Meanwhile, Ms Rand said she believes the second employee shared the same ideological purpose as the man who attacked Mr Williams. “The fact that a second employee witnessed the stabbing, did nothing to intervene, did not call 911 to seek medical treatment for Mr Williams, threw Mr Williams cell phone at him and told him ‘not to come back,’. . .both employees seemed to believe that it’s ok to stab an innocent black person in the face without provocation or justification,” Ms Rand noted in the
press release. Ms Rand told The Tribune the US issued several travel warnings about The Bahamas and thinks the country has the same obligation to Bahamian visitors to its shores. She said: “We should be ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to happen to a Bahamian citizen and that we have to make sure we protect them. And if we are going to issue advisories about The Bahamas, we should issue travel advisories warning brown and black people when they come to the United States, they could become the victim of racial violence.” Mr Williams, a Bahamasair manager, went into the Pines Market restaurant at 9610 Pines Boulevard earlier this month to use the restroom and was attacked as he walked to the rear of the business. He has described it as an unprovoked attack which left him
with a large slash on the side of his face and one of his eyes swollen shut. A Pembroke Pines Police Department official confirmed to The Tribune that the alleged attacker is Fawaz Hassan, a 24-yearold employee of Pines Market. He was taken into custody following the incident. Hassan has been charged with one count of causing bodily harm or disability. It is a second-degree felony in Pembroke Pines, Broward County. An official arrest report from the Pembroke Pines Police Department said the incident happened between 12pm and 12.09pm Saturday, March 16. Additional notes listed on the report said: “The listed defendant did knowingly and intentionally stab the victim on the left cheek area with a knife against his will causing permanent disfigurement.”
FROM WASHING CARS TO SAILING THE SEAS SHERVANO Johnson, 25, a resident of Pinewood recently received words of encouragement from Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley as the young man who began washing cars to earn money at age 13 prepared to ship out for a job aboard one of Royal Caribbean’s 26 innovative ships. Pinewood MP Reuben Rahming arranged the introduction while Mr Bayley was in The Bahamas recently. Mr Bayley told Mr Johnson that 38 years ago he started out as an assistant purser onboard a ship and today he heads the company that has been voted ‘Best
Cruise Line Overall’ for 15 consecutive years by readers of Travel Weekly. “You can do it, too,” Mr Bayley told Mr Johnson. Mr Rahming reinforced the positive send-off. “Your personality is awesome. Your character is awesome. You have all it takes so go for it,” the MP told Mr Johnson who said he saw the ad for one of the several job fairs Royal Caribbean has hosted in The Bahamas since December, researched the cruise line online and “saw all the places they travel and I told myself maybe I should step up, maybe I should take a chance.” He did and he won the
job. On March 18, Mr Johnson boarded the Navigator of the Seas at the Port of Miami, heading out to sea and to a new career. He is one of some 200 Bahamians hired by Royal Caribbean International in recent months for onboard positions and on the cruise line’s private island destination, Perfect Day at Coco Cay, in the Berry Islands. Perfect Day Coco Cay Coco Cay is slated to reopen in May following a $250m investment that is transforming the island into an unmatched “thrill and chill Perfect Day” experience for cruise guests.
SHERVANO JOHNSON, 25, centre, gets words of encouragement from Royal Caribbean International president and CEO Michael Bayley, right. Also pictured is Pinewood MP Reuben Rahming.
READERS HAVE THEIR SAY ON NURSING OVERTIME ISSUES THE Public Hospitals Authority has been saddled with high overtime bills – with Health Minister Dr Duane Sands saying the controversial shift system for nurses has been a vexing issue. Readers gave their reaction on tribune242.com. Chucky said: “If they work the overtime you have to pay them. This is just one of the reasons the health care plan will not work. Canada’s health system costs $6000.00 cad per capita annually. Only a
fool would think we can do it cheaper.” Sheeprunner12 asked: “What is so wrong with putting the nurses on a shift system????? In some countries, they have individual schools on a shift system to allow children to
get a few hours of education each day . . . SMH.” Geostorm said: “I don’t know about the rest of you Tribune readers, but I don’t believe it is wise to pay out $750,000 per month in overtime. Have these people lost your minds? How is that sustainable? Put those nurses on a shift system!! There is absolutely no way the public purse can keep up with that. If they don’t like 40 hours a week with 2 days off, then they can look elsewhere. There are people
in other places around the world who would be happy to work in that system. “We have allowed our country to be controlled by unions and their unreasonable demands. It’s time that we look at our financial position with a view of getting our fiscal house in order, and that’s all across the public service. If we are allowed to continue in this manner, we will definitely lose our country. We CANNOT spend what we do not have!”
DDK posted this comment: “The nurses’ demands for overtime are probably unreasonable if they put out like the majority of government employees in this sick country. Why has government not insisted on shift work, thus eliminating overtime? Too difficult to come up with schedules? At the same time, the fact that government cannot afford hospital beds and overtime when applicable but can GIVE AWAY millions every year to every
foreign entity that comes its way is more than sickening, it is deplorable. SMT.” That prompted this reply from Realfreethinker: “DDK, I wish you all would stop saying government is giving away money with these concessions. Government is not giving any money away. If the foreign companies don’t come then government won’t be collecting anything.” • Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, March 29, 2019, PAGE 9
Rooms with a view - but not this big A PROPOSAL is before the Department of Physical Planning to build a resort complex to be called The View Love Beach on a 7.4acre site on Love Beach. While not opposed to a commercial development on that strip - which already includes Compass Point resort and two other restaurants across the street, Aquafire and Studio Café to me the proposed project is too large and out of proportion for the area and should be scaled down. To understand the importance of scaling back the proposed development, look at Love Beach as a community, appreciate its historic formation and the chance residents took when they bought and built there. In many ways, the early residents of Love Beach were pioneers. They bought large plots of land “way out there”, not in an exclusive gated community like Lyford Cay but in a place where they could build somewhat modestly, enjoy the land around them, the beach at their front door and raise their families where, because there was so little reflection of city lights, you could still see the stars
By Diane Phillips
at night. The area had an out island feel to it. Over time, new condos crept up. As neighbouring Old Fort Bay became the Lyford Cay for the younger set, Love Beach became a more desirable residential location, espepcially for professionals. Still, much of what made it a distinctive, non-gated community remained, the large lots with a single residence, average cars or SUVs, an anti-designer feel on an open stretch of highway. The last commercial development was Compass Point, which opened in 1995 with its now worldfamous brightly-coloured roofs adorning equally brightly-coloured one-storey buildings. According to its website, Compass Point “reflects the vision of our founder, Chris Blackwell, who wanted to
combine the intimacy of a small property with a traditional simple country home residence common to his native country of Jamaica”. The website openly recognises encroaching development but states Compass Point has “preserved the natural setting where you will experience the sound of the ocean, the tropical breezes, and at night, the silence typical of a location away from civilisation”. That is the type of development that suits Love Beach and which its residents - who voiced their strong opposition to the new project at a March 13 Town Hall meeting - would welcome. Instead, what they are fighting with the proposed View is a resort complex with the capacity to handle hundreds of guests between a four-storey hotel with
40 guest rooms, two, fourstorey buildings with time share units, a four-storey building with 16 condos, a four-storey restaurant facility with bar/lounge, ten overwater bungalows
and service buildings. The developer is a company called Mylor reportedly consisting of a combination of Chinese and Austrian ownership. Scale The View Love
Beach back significantly to one and two-storey residential-like buildings, and residents and yours truly are far more likely to say, go ahead with Godspeed.
You know there’s a day for that ON April 18 if you high five someone you will be right in time for National High Five Day. I have no idea how – or even why you would create a national holiday dedicated to a midair palm meet and greet but someone has managed to do it. In fact, it turns out someone knows how to make just about anything under the sun a cause for celebration. Hallmark holidays I get. Celebrating moms, dads, grandmas and grandpops, religious holidays. Those are excuses for cards,
flowers, even rings and things, but what are you supposed to do when it is Grilled Cheese Day which, by the way, is coming up very soon on April 12. Given that April begins with April Fool’s Day, it’s not surprising the rest of the month is rife with reasons to pause and remember. Some of the holidays are well worth marking, like Autism Awareness (April 2) which also happens to be Equal Rights Day so you have a choice of which worthy cause to support or do both.
Raise a mug to National Beer Day on April 7 and if you are Polish, you can party hard on National Dyngus Day April 29. April isn’t the only month to play host to days you never dreamed would make national honours. June 21 is National Flip Flop Day which also happens to be National Selfie Day so clearly you are expected to take the funniest photos of your feet at leisure. A week later, June 27 is a triple hitter, National Handshake Day, National Sunglasses Day and
TRANSGENDER GROUP TO HOLD BAHAMAS MEETING NEXT MONTH By RIEL MAJOR
THE United Caribbean Trans Network will host an executive and steering committee strategic planning meeting in The Bahamas next month to address transgender rights. Trans leaders from CARICOM countries and OAS member states will unite from April 5-9 to discuss the way forward. In a press statement, Alexus D’Marco, UCTRANS chair, said most countries in the Caribbean have no legal recognition of transgender affirmed gender identity. “Without official documents that recognise their gender identity, transgender people are often denied access to basic rights, including the right
to health, education, justice and social welfare,” the press release noted. “This often results in exclusion from social and civic participation, harassment and stigmatisation, limited access to protection, justice and redress and inadequate provision of health care services. Transgender people are also more susceptible to violence, including physical and sexual violence.” The statement added: “The chair highlighted that in the Caribbean, population size estimates for the transgender community are largely absent. Similarly, data on incidences of gender-based violence prevalence among transgender persons is limited. “Where information is available, it indicates significantly higher rates of HIV
prevalence. Transgender women are also particularly affected by HIV. Estimates show that HIV prevalence for transgender women in the region range from eight percent to 31 percent and there are few support programmes that address their specific needs. Where programmes do exist, they rarely include access to sexual and reproductive health services or HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.” UCTRANS was established in February 2018. In 2016, with Ms D’Marco as lead spokesperson, Bahamas Transgender, Intersex United (BTIU) launched a campaign for equal rights for transgender Bahamians. That year, she estimated there were more than 50 transgender people living in The Bahamas.
National Ice Cream Cake Day so the industrious among us can don sunglasses, eat and greet without squinting, devouring ice cream cake with one hand and shaking someone’s paw with the other. Speaking of food, jump
to October and on the first you can drink all the coffee and eat all the legumes you want – it’s both National Coffee Day and National Vegetarian Day. October is like the Whole Foods of the Year month. The 16th is World Food
Day, the 22nd is National Nut Day and the 28th is National Chocolate Day. I guess what all those days means is as simple as this – there’s a reason to celebrate every day on earth. Wishing you a happy one.
PAGE 12, Friday, March 29, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Chicago seeks $130K from Smollett for cost of investigation By AMANDA SEITZ AND HERBERT G. MCCANN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — City officials on Thursday ordered Jussie Smollett to pay $130,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into his report of a street attack that police say was staged to promote his career. A letter from the city’s legal department to Smollett and his attorneys said that figure covers overtime worked by more than two dozen detectives and officers who spent weeks looking into Smollett’s claim, including reviewing video and physical evidence and conducting interviews. Those resources, the letter said, “could have been used for other investigations.” Hours earlier, President Donald Trump tweeted that the FBI and the Department of Justice would review the “outrageous” case, calling it an “embarrassment” to the country. Prosecutors infuriated Emanuel and the police chief this week when they abruptly dropped 16 felony counts that accused Smollett of making a false police report about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack in January. Smollett has maintained his innocence and insisted that the attack was real. The prosecution sealed the case, but authorities still say the actor concocted the assault. Prosecutors
offered no additional information Thursday during a court hearing where media attorneys argued that the public has a right to know what happened. Trump tweeted: “FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our Nation!” The Justice Department sometimes brings federal cases after state prosecutors have declined to file charges, including after police shootings that the federal government believes might constitute civil rights violations. But department policy generally restricts prosecutors from bringing federal charges after state charges have been resolved, unless they can establish that the potential crime at issue is a federal one and involves “a substantial federal interest.” If Smollett fails to pay, officials could charge him with violating a city ordinance and seek fines, damages and court costs, the letter said. A spokeswoman for Smollett attorney Patricia Brown Holmes declined to comment on the letter. In the past, city officials have sought restitution from other people who made false reports and from businesses that pursued city contracts by seeking disadvantaged business status, said a spokesman for the legal department, Bill McCaffrey. Investigators believe Smollett, who is black and gay, hired two brothers to stage the Jan. 29 attack in downtown
Chicago and that Smollett hoped the attention would help advance his career. Police also allege that before the attack, Smollett sent a letter threatening himself to the Chicago television studio where “Empire” is shot. The FBI, which is investigating that letter, has declined to comment. Smollett attorney Tina Glandian said the two brothers are lying. She said Smollett had hired one brother as a personal trainer but had no idea who attacked him along a Chicago street until the brothers were later identified by police.
Attackers Smollett has repeatedly said the two masked men shouted slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured a substance on him. He also told detectives that the attackers yelled that he was in “MAGA country,” an apparent reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, police said. Prosecutors initially charged Smollett with one felony count in February. A grand jury indicted him on 15 more counts earlier this month. But in a stunning reversal Tuesday, prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges, just five weeks after the allegations were filed. In return, prosecutors said, the actor agreed to let the city keep his $10,000 in bail.
ACTOR JUSSIE SMOLLETT, right, stands next to his attorney Patrica Brown Holmes during a news conference at Cook County Court after Smollett’s charges were dropped Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) During Thursday’s court hearing, prosecutors promised to notify media outlets if Smollett’s lawyers tried to expunge his record. But lawyers for major news organisations, including The Associated Press, told the judge that the case has not been transparent. “The public is entitled to know what happened and what’s happening in this proceeding,” media attorney Natalie Spears argued. Judge LeRoy Martin said court proceedings had followed the law and that there was “no nefariousness.” In an interview with Chicago television station WGN, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said Wednesday that the law allows Smollett to have his police records sealed, but that the court files “should never have been sealed.” She said she believes it was done in error but “that should not have happened.” If the case had gone to trial, Fox said, Smollett never would have received a prison term because the 16 charges were the lowest possible form of felony. And if he pleaded guilty, it would have been to one count, not 16. “For all of the noise and all of the media attention, it’s a step up from a misdemeanor,” Foxx said. Most comparable cases are resolved with probation or an agreement such as
Smollett’s if the defendants “don’t’ have a long rap sheet or a violence in their background.” Foxx recused herself before Smollett was charged because she had discussed the case with a Smollett family member. The case was then handed to First Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats. On Wednesday, the ex-chief of staff for former first lady Michelle Obama said she approached Foxx regarding the case on behalf of the actor’s family. Tina Tchen released a statement saying she’s a friend of Smollett’s family and knows Foxx “from prior work together.” Tchen said her “sole activity” was to put the prosecutor in touch with “an alleged victim’s family.” Tchen said the Smollett family “had concerns about how the investigation was being characterized in public.” Email and text messages that Foxx’s office provided to the Chicago Sun-Times show Tchen contacted Foxx to set up a telephone conversation with the Smollett relative. Foxx told the Sun-Times the relative expressed concerns over leaked information. Foxx told the Chicago Tribune that she regretted dealing with the relative in the investigation’s early phases.
DEMOCRATS MOCK ‘SCAREDY-CAT’ GOP, DEMAND MUELLER’S FULL 300 PAGES
By LISA MASCARO, LAURIE KELLMAN AND MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats intensified their demands for the Robert Mueller’s full report Thursday after learning the special counsel’s findings from his Trump-Russia investigation run to more than 300 pages, while President Donald Trump boasted of HOUSE total exoneration based on a four-page sumSpeaker Nancy mary by his attorney general. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler Pelosi. (AP) was told by Attorney General William Barr that there’s no intention of giving the confidential report to Congress immediately as he redacts grand jury testimony and other elements. Democrats say they may subpoena the report if it’s not forthcoming by their Tuesday deadline, which Barr has said will not be met. Through the day, tempers were rising on Capitol Hill. Shaking her fist for emphasis, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr’s summary, which cleared Trump of campaign collusion with Russia and criminal obstruction of Mueller’s federal probe, was “condescending” and “arrogant.” “Mr. Attorney General,” she said, “show us the report and we’ll come to our own conclusions.” She asked what Trump and the Republicans were afraid of and mocked them as “scaredy-cats.” Trump himself headed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a campaign rally where he was sure to lambaste the Democrats again for the investigation he has repeatedly dismissed as a “witch hunt.” As he left the White House, Trump said the summary had “beautiful conclusions.” He said hadn’t yet seen Mueller’s report. The length of Mueller’s still-confidential report makes clear that there are substantially more details that he and his team have documented in their investigation than Barr disclosed to Congress and the public. The volume of pages was described Thursday by a Justice Department official and another person familiar with the document. The Justice Department official said Barr discussed the length of the report during a phone call Wednesday with Nadler, who would only indicate it was less than 1,000 pages. Both the department official and the other person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the document.