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Volume: 112 No.176
MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2016
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Sears shrugs off PM support MPs backing their boss dismissed as ‘a distraction’ By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader-hopeful Alfred Sears yesterday called the paltry level of endorsements from sitting members of Parliament for incumbent leader Prime Minister Perry Christie to stay on as party leader a “distraction”. The former attorney general and Fort Charlotte candidate said it was not surprising given the political culture for MPs with executive positions to support their employer; however, he noted that this move lacked vision and was demonstrative of the need for new generation leaders not defined by age but by perspective.
In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Sears brushed off speculation that his chances of a successful leadership bid were hampered by the fact that he was not a parliamentarian, contending that this element made for the perfect leadership transition given the governing party’s struggle with public trust. “It is really unfortunate that a debate which ought to be conducted for the benefit of the stalwart councillors and the delegates would be reduced to whether the people I employ, and who serve at my pleasure, come and endorse me. The issues are wider than that - that is a distraction.” SEE PAGE SEVEN
NEKO GRANT CONFIRMS HE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net AFTER 24 years in frontline politics, Neko Grant, FNM MP for Central Grand Bahama, announced that he will not be seeking re-election, but will remain a member of the Free National Movement. And while he said his decision not to run again was first announced in 2012, Mr Grant also criticised the current state of the Official Opposition, saying democ-
racy “is fading” in the FNM and it is not the party he knew 25 years ago. He also criticised those in the FNM who have dragged him through the mud and accused him of not doing anything to help the party. Mr Grant – the longest serving FNM MP in the history of the party - made the announcement at his Bahama Terrace home on Sunday, supported by his wife, Barbara, son, Neko Grant II, his two grandchildren, SEE PAGE FIVE
CALL FOR FULL ANSWERS IN LETTER OF INTENT ROW By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest renewed calls yesterday for the Christie administration to fully disclose the letter of intent controversy that ensnared Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells and contributed to his decision to leave the Progressive Liberal Party. SEE PAGE SIX
THE MEDAL MEN
THE Bahamas finished the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on a high note on Saturday when they claimed a bronze medal in the final track event, the men’s 4 x 400m relay.
While it wasn’t a repeat of the gold they took so thrilingly in London four years earlier, it was another trademark fast and gutsy performance, with the veteran Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown running a val-
iant last leg to claim third place in his fifth and final Olympic appearance. Brown, 37 and the men’s team captain in Rio, finished off the good work of Alonzo Russell, Michael Mathieu and Ste-
TURNQUEST: FNM WILL BE READY DESPITE PARTY FINANCE SHAKE-UP By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement (FNM) Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said the party will be ready to contest the next general election even if it has to do so with new people in place who are responsible for raising necessary funds. His statement came after The Tribune reported on
Friday that a shake-up of the party’s Finance Committee is expected. Although FNM Finance Committee Chairman Brent Symonette denied reports that the committee resigned last Thursday, he suggested when contacted by The Tribune that a change was coming. “(Dr Minnis) should have the unfettered right to invite persons he feels would be able to collect party
funds to join the committee,” Mr Symonette said. Sources told The Tribune that committee members planned to resign because of dissatisfaction with Leader Dr Hubert Minnis. Many of the members have been on the committee for years - Mr Symonette, for instance, has been a member of the committee for about 40 years. SEE PAGE EIGHT
GOVT ‘UNABLE’ TO STOP JOB LOSSES By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net LINKING Baha Mar to Sandals, Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis attacked Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday for his “inability” to prevent job losses for Bahamians.
Dr Minnis also called on Sandals to “immediately rehire” the workers it made redundant when the resort reopens in October. “Under the prime minister’s watch over 2,600 Bahamians have lost their jobs at Baha Mar and Sandals within the last year,” he said in a press statement.
“The complete lack of competence by the prime minister and his ministers in the handling of our precious tourism industry has caused our economy over 6,000 Bahamian jobs. Had they done their jobs properly both Baha Mar and Sandals would be open today.” SEE PAGE THREE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
ven Gardiner and held off Belgium and Botswana for the bronze medal as the United States regained the gold ahead of Jamaica. SEE PAGE TWO
FIVE MORE ZIKA CASES IN FLORIDA IS A WARNING SIGN
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE five additional reported cases of the Zika virus in Florida on Friday “raises the bar” on how the Bahamas government will have to combat the feared virus, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez said yesterday. Dr Gomez told The Tribune officials now have to work harder to eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Despite questions from The Tribune, Dr Gomez would not say if The Bahamas has recorded another confirmed case of the virus; however, he said there would be a press conference today at 10am at the Ministry of Health on the matter. His statements come after Florida Governor Rick Scott announced on Friday SEE PAGE SIX