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Wilchcombe rejects Baha Mar effect on election By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net  TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe yesterday said he expects the Progressive Liberal Party to win the next election, asserting that the party is “in the best position we’ve ever been in.� His comments to The Tribune came as he downplayed fears from Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller that a failure to jumpstart Baha Mar could hurt the Christie administration’s chances at the polls next year. However, the West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP conceded that the Christie administration must “continue to do its work� and do
‘FIRE MOODY’S IF BAHAMAS IS GIVEN A DOWNGRADE’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER State Minister of Finance James Smith said he would suggest that the government fire Moody’s if the ratings agency follows through on its threat to downgrade this country’s credit rating. Arguing that although the state of the country’s economy is relatively weak, SEE PAGE FIVE
CELEBRATING BAHAMIAN LEGENDS
more to “connect with our base� and the wider voting public. On the issue of Baha Mar, Mr Wilchcombe shot down the line of thinking that a failure to open the beleaguered Cable Beach resort would automatically translate to a “condemnation� of the Christie administration, as he submitted that there are “many issues that will determine whether you win or whether you’ll lose�. Last Thursday, Mr Miller implored senior PLP members to do all they can to jumpstart the stalled Baha Mar project, suggesting that without it the party could be entering the 2017 general election as “lame ducks�. SEE PAGE SIX
HOTEL ROOM REVENUE DOWN 7%, REPORTS BANK By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunmedia.net
IN its monthly report released yesterday, the Central Bank revealed that hotel room revenue declined by an estimated seven per cent during the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year. This, the Central Bank said, reflects a “1.4 percentage point reduction in the average occupancy rate to 75.6 per cent, along with a
5.8 per cent decrease in the average daily room rate to $270.91.� The news comes as the country grapples with the possibility of having its credit rating reduced by Moody’s amid poor economic growth and high levels of government debt. “Domestic economic conditions remained relatively subdued over the review period, amid signs of the softness in tourist output, while a number of SEE PAGE SIX
NETTICA Symonette pictured with Deputy Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, left, and Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe at last night’s ceremony to unveil portraits of cultural legends as part of the Independence celebrations. Ms Symonette, owner of Nettie’s Place in Cable Beach, is a pillar of the Bahamian tourism industry, in which her family has worked successfully for generations. Awarded an MBE by the Queen, she has won recognition for her service to her native Bahamas as a restaurateur, eco-tourism resort owner, artist and author. For more photographs from the ceremony, see page 11. Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff
FNM LEADERSHIP CONTENDERS IN CLASH OF CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES By KHRISNA VIRGIL Tribune Staff Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net  WITH three weeks until FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis faces off against Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner in the party’s leadership race, both will launch their campaigns tonight.
Dr Minnis’ “Roc wit Doc� event will take place at Christie Park at 7.30pm, while Mrs Butler-Turner’s ‘Forward-Together’ kick off is slated for Rawson Square at 7pm. This clash in event scheduling has ignited discourse centred on the alleged campaign tactics the teams are using to win a victory.
icised the FNM as a whole for its lack of “stability,� saying that the party’s infighting “sends the wrong message for an organisation that says they want to lead the country�.
By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net  BAHAMIANS can expect scorching temperatures beginning today through the weekend with the heat index expected to reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit, Senior Meteorological Officer at the Department of Meteorology Orson Nixon warned yesterday. Mr Nixon told The Tribune that for most of the week temperatures will be in the high 90s but will feel as though they are in the low 100s, with the peak of the heat expected around 1pm on Thursday.
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Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one FNM told The Tribune that to hold both events on the same night would no doubt hurt supporters’ and delegates’ chances of fairly judging the leadership contenders. SEE PAGE SEVEN
MINNIS ‘TOO BUSY FIGHTING TO SURVIVE TO LEAD’ By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net  TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe yesterday criticised the “gang of six� Free National Movement MPs and others who
have opposed FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, charging that the Killarney MP has never been able to show his leadership skills because he has been too busy “fighting a game of survival� within his own party. Mr Wilchcombe also crit-
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