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VOLUME:116 No.189, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2019
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
ALICIA WALLACE: IT’S TIME TO WORK TOGETHER
Tennyson Wells dies Former minister had lengthy health battle
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net AFTER battling prostate cancer, hypertension and diabetes, “tenacious” and “fearless” former Cabinet minister Tennyson Wells died at his home yesterday morning. “I guess he gave up,”
Tennyson Wells Jr said of his father, telling The Tribune the death had been the end of two separate stints in hospital, the first happening about two weeks ago. The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute chairman, known as an outspoken public figure, was 72 years old. “He had several
ailments,” his son said. “He had prostate cancer; he also had diabetes and high blood pressure. He was on several medications and he was hospitalised about two weeks ago and subsequently discharged last week sometime at which time he went back for a follow-up session. “He was admitted again
to Doctors Hospital and then he was there until this past Friday (when) they discharged him and he was home, he was recovering and doing well. The doctor gave him a bunch of medications. “This morning I guess he gave up, he passed away.” Mr Wells Jr said the family was coping with the loss as best they could, but
RESTORING RAND AFTER DONATED MONEY ‘FOR STORM WILL COST $19M ONLY DORIAN VICTIMS’ By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
IT WILL cost roughly $19m to return Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama to working condition following Hurricane Dorian, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands revealed yesterday. Officials are eyeing the end of 2019 to have the work completed.
“So the current plan is the Rand will be closed down for repairs. There has been tremendous structural damage to the Rand and that structure damage has rendered most of the facility unsafe for occupation,” Dr Sands said in response to a question from The Tribune outside of Cabinet yesterday. SEE PAGE FIVE
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
DONOR money received by the government from dozens of entities and neighbouring countries will only be used to assist those affected by deadly Hurricane Dorian, insisted Finance Minister Peter Turnquest yesterday. According to Mr
Turnquest this means the money will not be used to rebuild public infrastructure or as a means to pay for administrative costs. While pledges and cash donations have been numerous, the National Emergency Management Agency has only physically deposited $2m in the bank, The Tribune was told yesterday. SEE PAGE FIVE
DAVIS: GB NEEDS TEN TIMES FUNDS GOVT HAS PLEDGED By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Phillip “Brave” Davis has called on the Minnis administration to increase the available funding for stormravaged Grand Bahama to $100m. On Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis
announced that the government is establishing a $10m loan guarantee and equity financing facility that is targeted at micro, small and medium-sized (MSME) enterprises to either help them re-open or create new businesses in Abaco and East Grand Bahama in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. SEE PAGE SIX
the focus would now be on continuing Mr Wells’ legacy as he would have wanted. “We are going to try to move his plans forward as he would have wanted it and try as best we could to follow through with his plans. That is the intention.” He said he would mainly remember his father’s
generosity, intelligence and business acumen. “My father was a very shrewd businessman, very much involved in family and he believed in keeping family close and doing the best he could to keep his legacy alive,” Mr Wells Jr said. SEE PAGE THREE
GIBSON BRIBERY TRIAL DELAYED
FORMER MP Shane Gibson outside the Supreme Court yesterday. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE anticipated start of former PLP Cabinet minister Shane Gibson’s bribery trial was put off yesterday due to the development of certain preliminary legal issues, The Tribune confirmed. Details were scant, as the issues were raised in
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
a closed hearing before Justice Carolita Bethel yesterday morning. However, The Tribune understands that the parties will return to court today to argue those legal points. The empanelling of the jury, which was expected to take place yesterday morning, did not happen, The Tribune was advised. SEE PAGE TEN
PAGE 2, Wednesday, September 25, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
RED Cross president Dr Francesco Rocca during a visit to Abaco to see the damage on Friday.
Red Cross: We’ll be there until work is done POST-recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian are critical and the Red Cross will be there until the work is done, according to president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Dr Francesco Rocca. Speaking to reporters on Friday after a tour of Abaco, Dr Rocca said he was astonished to see the level of destruction there. “There are no words to describe what I saw on the ground. I didn’t expect that level of devastation.” As such, he added that The Bahamas is a top priority as is the case in any major disaster. “The level of attention must be always high. This is the way we work,” he said. He also said that the issue of clean water is of the highest priority. “Immediately, water sanitation is a top priority. We have to think about the survival of the people.” Dr Rocca added that the IFRC will scale up its activities in The Bahamas as part of its commitment.
“We hope that in the next day or two, we can sign with the government a status agreement so that we have the legal status to work on the ground to support local Red Cross,” he added. The IFRC president stressed that the Bahamas Red Cross will lead the efforts on the ground. “This is the way we work. The national society understands the traditions, the customs and the needs of their people and the best way to deal with situations. It is our role to fully support.” The United Nations held a Climate Action Summit this week. Dr Rocca said what has happened in The Bahamas is just one of the typical disasters related to the climate. “With concrete action we can save a lot of lives,” he said. He also said that transparency is key with the Red Cross’ work. “As the Red Cross it is important to show people how we will spend money; to share the plan that we have for the Bahamian
community. Engagement is everything.” The Red Cross will also provide support in forensics assistance, helping to identify dead loved ones through DNA. On Saturday, Dr Rocca visited the Sir Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium where scores of people who were displaced by the hurricane are housed. “There are so many broken lives,” he said. “It is not not only about providing food and water but it is about their dignity. These people have lost everything.” Meanwhile, president of the Bahamas Red Cross Society Terez Curry underscored the importance of volunteerism and other means of assistance. “You can come to our headquarters at JFK (Drive) and sign up. If you wish to make a donation you can do so at the same time or go to our website, bahamasredcross.org and you can donate online or at SunCash in person or online or our GoFundMe account,” she said.
RED Cross president Dr Francesco Rocca, third from right, at Kendal Isaacs Gym last week.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, PAGE 3
Former minister BAMSI PAYS Tennyson Wells TRIBUTE TO CHAIRMAN dies, aged 72 from page one
As news spread yesterday of Mr Wells’ death, condolences poured in from numerous public figures, including Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, and former prime minister Hubert Ingraham. Dr Minnis said through hard work, Mr Wells became a successful attorney and businessman. “Mr Wells was a patriot,” Dr Minnis said in a press statement yesterday. “He did not just sit on the sidelines and complain about what was wrong with the Bahamas. He offered himself for public life, made a contribution and had a distinguished career. “I was pleased that after the 2017 general election, he accepted an appointment as chairman and president of BAMSI. “To the end, he sought to ensure that greater opportunity was afforded to more Bahamians, including farmers and those in the fishing industry. For this, and all his service to his beloved country, I am grateful.” In a statement, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said he was saddened to learn of the passing of his former colleague. Mr Wells was an early founding member of the Free National Movement who joined with others in welcoming Mr Ingraham into the leadership of the organisation. “It was during almost two terms in office as a minister in governments which I led, an engaged and dedicated member of cabinet,” said Mr Ingraham. “Tennyson held strong views and was a tenacious and fearless warrior in garnering support for them,” Mr Ingraham said. “He was charged with responsibility for transport, agriculture and fisheries and the Office of the Attorney General. I will always appreciate the contributions he made to many of the policies put in place by the FNM in government. “Tennyson was politically ambitious. His resignation from Cabinet to pursue the leadership of his party eventually led to a parting in our political ways, but did not diminish my opinion of him as a man dedicated to the advancement of the Bahamian people and of our country,” Mr Ingraham said. He will be remembered for his forthrightness, his determination and his many contributions to his constituents in Bamboo Town and also to Long Island, the island of his heritage for which he carried a special torch. “May he rest in peace”. Meanwhile, the FNM said the former MP was one of the brave supporters that helped bring the party to victory in 1992, ending 25 years of consecutive PLP rule. “There was a Bahamian renewal under those FNM governments Mr Wells was part of,” the governing party said in a press statement. “The economy grew robustly; the media was opened up; there was greater participation for women in high offices of state; there was more fairness in accessing opportunity. “Mr Wells, an attorney and businessman, was a nationalist who always advocated for Bahamians. He believed government should work to better the lives of all Bahamians, and that policy should provide Bahamians with the opportunity to thrive in all fields and businesses.” Under the FNM, Mr Wells served as the member of Parliament for Bamboo Town and in various Cabinet posts, including attorney general and minister of agriculture and fisheries.
FORMER minister Tennyson Wells. Though retired from front-line politics, the FNM said Mr Wells saw the need for party unity in the run-up to the last general election. “He was a key supporter of party leader Dr Hubert Minnis in the FNM’s last leadership race,” the FNM noted. “Well aware of the need for the defeat of yet another corrupt PLP government, Mr Wells then stood firmly behind Dr Minnis and the party in the 2017 general election. His work behind the scenes was valuable in helping secure victory on May 10, 2017.” Mr Wells’ contribution to the country was remembered by serving Cabinet ministers. Finance Minister Peter Turnquest, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands and Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Michael Pintard all extended condolences to Mr Wells’ wife, children and family. For Mr Pintard it was a shock to learn of his death, adding that he had spoken to Mr Wells on Monday. BAMSI, under his tenure, Mr Pintard said, was well on its way toward its goals with a number of capital projects underway. These included a new packing facility with modern equipment for preparing produce for market. “His innovations at BAMSI also included a focus on crop diversity based on the needs of consumers as well as the introduction of aquaculture to BAMSI’s portfolio,” Mr Pintard said. As an agriculturalist with a strong business sense, Mr Wells oversaw a transformation at BAMSI that will reap rewards well into the future, Mr Pintard said. For his part, Mr Turnquest told reporters yesterday: “It is a sad moment for us certainly in the Free National Movement as well as many Bahamians to learn of the passing of former Cabinet minister Tennyson Wells, who happens to be a relative of mine. “As you all know, Mr Wells was a very distinguished business person, one who contributed significantly to the country, particularly in agriculture. He is a son of Long Island, a very proud Bahamian. Certainly, his contributions in the past as well as his current role as chairman of BAMSI will certainly be missed.”
Dr Sands said: “He has served well as the honourable member for Bamboo Town, as the attorney general. He has worked with this administration at BAMSI and has been a loyal supporter off and on, but of recent days a loyal supporter to this party. May he rest in peace and may his soul rise in glory.” Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said he was honoured to have had Mr Wells’ support during the last general election. Mr Wells became a member of the FNM in 1973 and from the moment he entered politics, he was outspoken. On December 14, 1999, after having held several posts and a storied past with the party, Mr Wells decided to resign from the FNM, which was under the leadership of Mr Ingraham. He left the party to campaign for its leadership, more than two years before another general election had been expected. A Tribune editorial once asserted that the party had gained no peace from that day as Mr Wells was clear that he wanted to be prime minister of the country. Rumblings started even before then as Wells pushed for the creation of a leaderelect post, which he wanted to fill, so that when Mr Ingraham completed his two terms, he could easily slip into the position, ready for a final push to the top. The party did not agree to create the position. Unprepared to wait, Mr Wells left Cabinet to get a head start on his campaign. The jump start made him confident he would win, but the “Dream Team” of Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes swept past him to win leader and deputy leader of the party. On December 14, 2001, the situation had soured between Mr Wells and Mr Ingraham. At a mini-rally, Mr Ingraham called Mr Wells a “selfish” man and encouraged supporters to support the FNM’s new Bamboo Town candidate, Calvin Johnson. By this time, he had earned the title “dissident”. “As you know Tennyson Wells has jumped ship,” Mr Ingraham said at the time. “He wanted to be the captain and since neither the FNM nor the people wanted him in charge, he picked up his Johnny
bundle and left. This came after Mr Wells had served three terms as the FNM’s Bamboo Town MP. Despite the push to end his representation for the constituency, on Monday, May 27, 2002 Mr Wells started his fourth term, this time as an independent representative for Bamboo Town. Although he would go on to completely sever ties with the FNM, Mr Wells eventually became an ardent supporter of the party again from the lead up to the 2017 general election until his death.
THE Bahamas Agricul“As part of his legacy, ture and Marine Science his ultimate goal was to Institute yesterday lauded see Bahamians achieve, its chairman, Tennyson and as such, he was intent Wells, for the initiatives on instituting a succeshe championed while at sion plan for BAMSI. Mr the school. Wells put in place a strong Wells served as presi- leadership team that will dent of BAMSI and continue to carry out his chairman of the board vision — that of fiscal since early 2017, only responsibility, a strengthrecently stepping down ened academic focus, in July 2019 as president, increased production but continuing on as and improved employee chairman. Under his lead- productivity.” ership, BAMSI Under implemented a ‘Mr Wells built his leadernew operating a legacy of ship, BAMSI model and proimplemented duction cycle outstanding a business that secured service, to business greater finanmodel that compassionate saw a substancial gains for the institute stewardship, tial increase and created fiscal in sales, the a more stable start of a foreand secure responsibility casting cycle, entity for its and forward greater focus hundreds of focus.’ on research and employees, the the implemeninstitute said tation of best yesterday. agricultural practices, the “During his time of institute said. service to BAMSI, Mr Progressive Liberal Wells built a legacy of Party Leader Philip outstanding service, “Brave” Davis also compassionate steward- spoke highly of Wells ship, fiscal responsibility yesterday. and forward focus. He “I start with a note of remained committed to sadness as I learnt earlier streamlining the insti- this morning that a longtute’s financial output and standing friend, confidant, maximising its production a brave warrior who to service a growing local really did it his way, Tenmarket. nyson Wells, has departed “Supporting the staff this life. In speaking with and protecting their jobs his wife this morning, it was also a high prior- was really a shocker and I ity for Mr Wells. His aim would just like to convey was to stabilise and reori- my heartfelt condolences ent the staff, allowing to Stephanie his wife, them to utilise their best children and siblings at strengths for the good of this their time of grief,” BAMSI. Mr Davis said.
PAGE 4, Wednesday, September 25, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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Don’t oppose for sake of opposing FOR all the talk of the need for unity in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, it seems as if political sniping might be returning once more. The new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction is not even a week old, but Opposition leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis has already deemed it useless. He claims that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is passing the buck by creating the new ministry and putting Iram Lewis in the post of minister of state. “We believe that in a national emergency and crisis, the prime minister takes the lead nationally and he must do his job,” said Mr Davis. Considering the new ministry will operate out of the office of the prime minister, Dr Minnis is still the substantive head of that department –- so it seems rather disingenuous to suggest that he is passing off responsibility. We do, however, agree with Mr Davis that the likely sum of money that will be needed by Grand Bahama businesses is likely far in excess of the $10m announced by Dr Minnis through a loan guarantee and equity financing facility. Will that sum likely be $100m? Perhaps. And certainly it seems harsh to limit it to businesses in Abaco and East Grand Bahama and not other hurricaneaffected parts of Grand Bahama. The suggestion of the need for extra funding is the kind of helpful contribution that ought to be encouraged from the Opposition. Where is that money to come from? Well, it’s hard not to view Mr Davis’ solution there with a little cynicism too. The government is inefficient at collecting tax revenue, he says. “Collect your revenue and you’ll find the funds there,” he says. One wonders why he wasn’t so insistent upon doing that when he was in office not so long ago as deputy prime minister.
We realise that the habit of political point-scoring is so ingrained that it is hard to shake off - but at a time of national crisis, it is particularly unhelpful - and even offensive. “Something must be done!” goes up the cry in the aftermath of events such as Hurricane Dorian - and the creation of the new ministry is one of the things that has been done. The idea is that it will be able to cut through red tape and departmental battles. Here at The Tribune, we have seen some of that confusion in the reporting of the death toll from Hurricane Dorian. At first, there were announcements coming from Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands, and other announcements from NEMA. Sometimes, those announcements were slightly at odds. Finally, a move seemed to be made to ensure all such announcements come from the police. We might wish the information were more detailed when it comes - but it avoids confusion to have different departments giving out different information. Iram Lewis and his team may also free up people from those other departments from tasks that prevent them from the most important work at hand - offering extra resources to allow the likes of NEMA to focus on its mission, or to provide more transparency with regard to the handling of donations. The new ministry may work. It may not. It may create its own red tape even as it seeks to cut through it elsewhere. We shall see. But to condemn it within the same week it has been created before it has actually done anything seems petty. The talk of working together needs to be more than talk. And if something isn’t working quite as well as it might, a useful contribution is to point out how it could be done better, not to fall back on the old, tired, overly familiar ways of playing politics.
Iram Lewis is not saved EDITOR, The Tribune. THE appointment of Iram Lewis to the newly constructed Minister of Disaster Preparedness is only designed to try to control who gets assistance or not. It is a clear sign of the desperation by the FNM to salvage what little is left of what used to be “FNM Country”. But those of us who have any political experience can say unequivocally that far more people would be disenfranchised because of the move. If all things are considered equal, and if Iram was
to be judged for his rational, we could easily conclude that this is just another disaster waiting to happen. We have seen the long lines, angry, displaced, frustrated and hungry people have been made to endure. Is this the same Lewis that sat quietly by while the youth and athletic programmes were suffocated by Minister of Sports Lanisha Rolle cancelling of the IAAF World Relays? Lewis a former athlete should have at least put himself in the position of the athletes who were ostracised. So no one is expecting
him to show compassion, because he was cold in doing nothing to help the athletes. Someone said, when you hire a clown, expect to see a circus. Hubert Minnis is shooting in the dark, hoping he hit something, but he is certainly not aiming at anything. Lord help us. I expect the “high priced” spin doctors to have a field day with this, they can have their own opinion, but they cannot have their own facts. IVOINE W INGRAHAM JP Nassau, September 22, 2019.
Honouring ‘Chippie’ EDITOR, The Tribune. J - Jubilant O - Observant H - Healthy of Mind & Body N - National Junkanoo Treasure (Hero) No Nonsense Father Remembering “Chippie” A National Hero. As our Bahamian Isles navigate through the ravishes of Hurricane Dorian; I was saddened to hear about the passing of “John Chippie Chipman”. He was blessed to live to see 90 years of age. He was a cultural icon, legendary icon, outstanding entertainer, Junkanoo Hall of Famer,
Member of The British Empire and many accomplishments, too many to mention. I remember purchasing three Goat Skin Drums from Chippie. I was enrolled in a course through continuing Education called “Afro Caribbean Dance and Drumming” held by the great Mr Roderick Johnson in 1997 by continuing Education and Extension Services. Chippie’s Legendary Junkanoo group “Chippie and the Boys” always made an impact on Bay Street. His group was one of the first to allow women to rush on Bay Street. These women
included his wife Rebecca “Queen Becky” Chipman; Maureen Duvalier and Naomi Carey to name a few. A great son of the soil has gone home to glory to meet his maker. I especially express condolences to Reece Chipman, one of my old friends back in the early 1980’s at The College of The Bahamas. Rest in perpetual peace and may his legend live on for ages to come. We weep with hope that we will see him in that great getting up morning. LOXSLEY L BASTIAN Nassau, September 19, 2019.
Dorian disaster priorities EDITOR, The Tribune. I MOVED to Grand Bahama in 1968 and have worked and lived here ever since. I love the island and Grand Bahamians and have seen them prosper. Now, I fear greatly for their future. I see their Dorian despair firsthand when helping my church distribute food to the residents in the worst hit areas every day. This is not my first experience of a catastrophic storm. Through business interests on islands in the northern Caribbean, I have helped employees and their families recover from half a dozen catastrophic storms, starting with Hugo’s great damage to the USVI in 1969, followed by Luis and Marilyn in 1995. I have also seen how islanders go through very understandable responses to the tragic destruction of their homes and island. Immediately after the storm, survivors are glad to have been spared and they are enthusiastic about cleaning up damage and salvaging their possessions. After a few days, however, many are exhausted, and they start to go into a decline as they become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the recovery challenge around them. Disaster assistance arrives and people are fed and temporarily housed. After about two weeks, however, storm victims are increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of recovery and the limited assistance they are being given. No job, no money and no hope lead to robberies, looting and violence, which if left unchecked encourages good, but desperate people, also to do bad things.
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net If the island becomes dangerous, relief workers could be pulled out and the island’s economic aid for recovery jeopardised. I know that after rescue and food, providing good security is the most important task for the islands’ leaders to address. This prompts me to write my concerns and hopes for Grand Bahama – focusing on indispensable security now. In the immediate aftermath of Dorian’s destruction it is hard to see that GBI can be transformed from a disaster area to the dynamic, financial engine that will drive the future prosperity of the entire Bahamas. GBI has begged for positive, dynamic change for many years and perhaps Dorian is more than the disaster the country is dealing with today. Let Dorian be embraced as the cataclysmic event that drives a cataclysmic change of GBI’s fortunes. Make Dorian the trigger to start the rebirth of Grand Bahama. The First step to make this rebirth and future prosperity possible is to immediately establish an “umbrella of security” that will guarantee the security and safety of residents and aid workers now and in the months ahead by requesting international security assistance now. Security that would guarantee that Grand Bahama is a safe and responsible recipient of international aid. What must be done today. Previous recoveries on islands in the region ravaged by hurricanes were
made possible by security from outside entities such as the British Navy, the Dutch and French military and the US National Guard. These entities had the transport, communication and security equipment as well as feet on the ground, extra feet without the equipment just does not work. These security professionals; were able to supplement each island’s own security forces for a time after each storm to allow for: • The local Police and Defence Force personnel to attend to their own recovery needs and to replace immobilised vehicles. • The security of GBI residents and their remaining possessions. • The security for the aid volunteers to do their work. Taking executive action today to quickly get guaranteed security on Grand Bahama will ensure that it can be staged and on island in a timely manner. Waiting to see what might happen is too great a gamble to take. Some might argue that the Bahamas can handle its own security obligations. Should the security on Grand Bahama not be met by its local forces, however, the failure to address security now would totally fail Grand Bahama’s residents plus severely that failure can set back the future financial and social recovery. Failing to guarantee security for Grand Bahama now will be a national disaster. A national disaster that will go down in history as a massive fail by its leaders. A national disaster that will be far more damaging than Hurricane Dorian. STEPHEN CRANE Nassau, September 23, 2019.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, PAGE 5
RESTORING RAND AFTER STORM WILL COST $19M from page one
“Tuesday, a group of interested parties will be meeting with the managing director of the Public Hospitals Authority to express commitments for different projects within the Rand to bring it back to like new. We intend to do this in phases and complete it by the end of 2019.
“That said there is still an interest in a brand new facility to replace the Rand Memorial Hospital but that decision obviously requires the consent of the Cabinet of The Bahamas.” He explained that the repairs are to be done by several private groups. “These are donations to the people of The Bahamas, so we have benefitted from
the donations of Samaritan’s Purse. They saw almost 125 patients yesterday. As a matter of fact for all intents and purposes taken over the acute care in Freeport,” Dr Sands said. “They have in patients now, they have an intensive care unit. There is another field hospital in High Rock and they have been providing services to the people
in east Grand Bahama. We also have the support of a number of non-governmental organisations and emergency medical teams in Abaco. So the hope is that the Bahamian health professionals have an opportunity to get their lives back together again as a number of these organisations have committed to be with us for as much as 120 days.
“So if we can get the Rand functioning again, if we can get our clinics functioning again; let people recover some sense of normalcy to their life then maybe we can resume ordinary services.” Asked by The Tribune to reveal the cost for this work, Dr Sands said: “Our preliminary estimates as much as about $19m.”
Samaritan’s Purse, an international NGO, set up a state-of-the-art field hospital on Grand Bahama shortly after Hurricane Dorian’s passage. Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams told The Tribune earlier this month that the field hospital would provide the same services that RMH offered to patients.
One in four homes assessed in Grand Bahama destroyed By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net AS the Department of Social Services continues its home assessments in Grand Bahama, officials have revealed that of the 879 homes assessed so far after Hurricane Dorian, some 217 were considered totally destroyed. Paula Marshall, director of social services in Freeport, reported that additionally, some 436 homes sustained major damage, while 136 had minor damage. She added that there are over 600 households with displaced residents. She also said that of the homes assessed, there were 2,264 adults and 840 children. “Of that number, 45 percent of head of household are employed, and 54 percent are unemployed,” said Mrs Marshall. In terms of persons in shelters, the director noted that officials are desperately trying to find placing for the residents who remain in the two hurricane shelters that are still open on the island. She said that a number of individuals in the shelters are people who lived in rented apartments and are awaiting for repairs and electricity to be restored before they can return. Mrs Marshall said the department is working closely with landlords regarding updates on repairs. Meanwhile, power has
now been restored to the Rand Memorial Hospital and to some 41 businesses on the island. The hospital was reenergised on Sunday for the first time since the storm. According to NEMA officials, it is the beginning of the process of returning the health facility to normal functions in some aspects. The Grand Bahama Power Company will now focus its efforts on East Grand Bahama, which was the area hardest hit on the island. Because of total loss of communications in the east, it is critical that GBPC stay in constant radio contact with their workers as they head out east into a dead zone. Government schools on Grand Bahama are still closed due to challenges in repairing damage caused by the storm, according to District Superintendent Ivan Butler. He reported that there is major roof damage and problems with mould at some schools, which must be addressed before reopening. Mr Butler called for assistance from roofers and painters to help the Ministry of Education with necessary repairs. He indicated that education officials should be able to provide an update on the reopening of school by the middle of the week, noting that some schools had sustained less damage and are able to open sooner than
A ROAD cuts through the rubble of homes that belong to the same family, destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in Rocky Creek, East End, Grand Bahama. Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP others, after some cleanup persons that turned out canned goods, baby items, Saturday was extended early to the park. household items, tarps, and to Sunday, and thousands work. Trailers of hurricane other supplies. Superintendent Butler more came to collect In spite of long lines, resi- supplies. stressed that it is important relief supplies were driven for children to return to to the park and unloaded dents waited patiently to NEMA officials stated school to re-establish some and placed on tables for collect what they needed, that they will host the event residents to collect, includ- NEMA officials reported. normalcy to their lives. again in different locations, Due to the success on taking hurricane relief supOfficials also reported ing water, boxes of dried that some 5,000 residents goods, hygiene products, Saturday, Operation Relief plies to the people. on Grand Bahama received relief supplies at the Independence Park, in Freeport, on the weekend. The event was hailed as a “success” by NEMA, which reported that officials were forced to open the gates before the noon start time due to the number of
DONATED MONEY ‘FOR ONLY DORIAN VICTIMS’
from page one
When he referred to the issue yesterday, the deputy prime minister was adamant that the money would be used for its intended purpose. He said to run the new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Recovery and Reconstruction, funding would be drawn from several places, including dormant accounts. This as NEMA said yesterday the number of missing persons in the wake of Hurricane Dorian has drastically decreased from 1,300 to 608. After being crossed checked against shelter lists and other records, NEMA said 692 people were declared found. However, the death toll associated with the storm increased to 54 after remains were found in The Mudd, Abaco, Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson told The Tribune yesterday. “Let’s be clear, it’s to fund the services that the ministry will provide,” Mr Turnquest said when he was asked if donations would fund the operations of the newly formed ministry. “So for instance monies that were donated may be allocated to shelter; maybe designated for reconstruction of infrastructure that is critical to getting people back into those communities, that kind of thing. We are very careful and want to be very careful about how we utilise donor money in particular so I want to be
clear about that. “Donor money is going toward the intended purpose of assisting people, not for public infrastructure not for administrative costs. It is going to the people where it is intended to go, so I just want to be clear about that. “We will use the loan money. We will use other resources from the other ministries as I spoke about to rebuild infrastructure and to cover the administrative costing.” As for funding the new ministry, Mr Turnquest told reporters this will be done through a number of budgetary adjustments. But he explained that some of this ministry’s functions will draw from other ministries. “… This ministry will have to draw on services from other ministries so for instance the Ministry of Works will have an integral part to play. The Ministry of Social Services will have an integral part to play and other areas where there is coordination that would be necessary. “So a lot of the work that this ministry will do will be coordinating more so than actually doing things themselves, but to the extent that there is budgetary needs for them specifically there are a number of places that we can draw from. “As you know we are taking funding from the international community through donors as well as through the contingent line of credit that we can draw down on as well as the dormant accounts fund. We are taking some money from that which as you know
when we did the legislation was designated towards disaster relief. So we’ll take a combination of different funding sources to make sure the ministry has what it needs to be effective and carry out objectives.” Mr Turnquest also told reporters that staffing needs for the new ministry would be fulfilled by drawing from the pool of employers currently in the public service. Regarding the deaths, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said the ministry intended to give a comprehensive break down on autopsies performed. He said: “Some of them (were identified). We intend to give a more comprehensive breakdown of the number of persons who have had their autopsies completed, to say how many of them have been identified. “For instance I believe that there are two persons in Grand Bahama that have not been identified and who remain unidentified and once identified and their autopsy and death certificate completed, their remains are turned over and have been turned over to their families in Abaco the number is less than that but I don’t have the exact number. “What we would like to be able to do is using sanitised information obviously to protect the identities of those persons and their families to give the public an understanding of that total number, how many have been identified and are left to be identified,” Dr Sands said.
PAGE 6, Wednesday, September 25, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
OIL SPILL DAMAGE JUST ‘A GOAT AND THREE BIRDS’ SAYS MINISTER By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
ONLY a goat and three birds were negatively impacted by the recent oil spill in Grand Bahama, Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira said yesterday. Officials do not know how much oil spilled when Hurricane Dorian blew the tops off Equinor’s storage tanks, but the minister said 6,000 barrels – or 252,000 gallons of crude oil – have already been recovered, some of which can be reused once processed. Environmentalists attacked Equinor for not better securing its oil terminal, fearing the spill could cause serious damage if seeped into groundwater and the sea. Mr Ferreira sought to temper such fears when he spoke to reporters before Cabinet yesterday. “So far, (Equinor) did extensive aerial reconnaissance along the entire western seaboard of Abaco and of course Grand Bahama, they saw
OIL in the area of the Equinor facility after the oil spill during Hurricane Dorian. two areas of interest but they turned out to be seaweed,” he said. “They used visual and infrared technology to do their scopes. On land, we can confirm that one goat and three birds were impacted by the spill.” The company has said it
observed no oil spillage into the sea. The terminal stored about 1.9 million barrels of crude oil, Mr Ferreira said, which equates to about 75 million gallons. He said the company is sparing no expense to clean
up the spill. “During the course of this event, Equinor has actually quadrupled their staff, they went from having a staff of about 50, now they have 200 persons plus on the ground involved in recovery and remediation,”
he said, adding: “Those persons are housed in two offshore vessels that are on site. The equipment that has been mobilised, in addition to booms and skimmers, are 13 vacuum trucks, two helicopters and of course two boats. The
ambient air there in order to protect the recovery team is being monitored for benzene. Benzene is a compound that is not safe to breathe. That’s being monitored by an external third party for independent verification.”
Mitchell: Shanty towns should not be rebuilt By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell said the major Abaco shanty towns should not be rebuilt. Speaking to reporters yesterday at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Mitchell lamented Hurricane Dorian’s destruction of the heavily populated Abaco shanty towns, but added The Mudd and Pigeon Peas should no longer exist. “I think the law needs to follow its course and that it’s been a vexing problem for that area,” the former immigration minister said. “I think that should be the end of it. It has to be handled with sufficient sensitivity to the fact that people lost their lives.
“I think the government is pleading that’s the reason why the recovery process of bodies is taking so slowly because they’re moving their way through it.” He added: “I’ve seen all the arguments about who owns the property, squatters’ rights and all sorts of these things. I think those are all esoteric points, the fact is the place is now gone and there should be no rebuilding in that area.” Mr Mitchell said the government must be sensitive but can’t “deviate from standard procedures.” He said: “I think the leader said already the law follow its course and that’s been our view. I think that you have to be sensitive obviously to the human condition but there is no reason to deviate really from the standard procedures.” When asked how long
he thinks the government should be sensitive to storm victims from the shanty towns, Mr Mitchell said: “I can’t say how long, you just have to be sensitive as a matter of public policy you have to be sensitive. “But, I’ve also said there is no reason that I see at the moment to deviate from the standard policy. Which is, if you aren’t lawfully here you belong in your home country.” On Monday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said undocumented immigrants affected by Hurricane Dorian face no protections and will be subject to the country’s laws of apprehension and deportation. The government previously announced a six month construction ban in Abaco shanty towns. “Our laws will be followed, full-stop,” Dr Minnis told The Tribune.
“We have laws and they will be followed and adhered to. Those who have broken the law will be dealt with according to the law.” The government had suspended apprehension and deportation exercises in areas affected by Hurricane Dorian in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but officials on Monday suggested that undocumented people displaced by the storm cannot expect to go about their lives as if they are protected from repatriation permanently. Many displaced residents, especially undocumented ones, are believed to be staying in shelters on New Providence. Iram Lewis, the new minister of state for disaster preparedness, recovery and reconstruction, said the government will soon contract companies to remove debris from The Mudd and Pigeon Peas.
OPPOSITION Leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis during the national prayer service. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
DAVIS: GB NEEDS TEN TIMES FUNDS GOVT HAS PLEDGED from page one
An applicant will be able to secure a maximum of $500,000. Speaking to reporters at a PLP press conference yesterday, Mr Davis said if the government is “serious about supporting” Grand Bahama’s economy, the proposed figure should be increased. He said: “Given the extent of the damage sustained by businesses in Grand Bahama, an allocation of $10m announced by the prime minister and earmarked to assist the business community is woefully insufficient and should be increased to at least $100m.” When asked where he suggests the government find the remaining $90m, Mr Davis said the Minnis administration should focus on collecting outstanding tax revenue. “I’ve always been of the view that our tax structure is sufficient to bear the cost of businesses and services. What this government has failed to do and has contributed to is the inefficient collection of revenue. There has been a systemic and total collapse of our collection of revenue. Collect your revenue and you’ll find the funds there,” he said. “If you manage your income sufficiently, you’ll find ways and means of spending the $100m. “...Ten million dollars will not carry it... (it is) a drop in the bucket to any recovery efforts for businesses on that island.” Mr Davis also criticised the creation of the new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction. The new ministry will be headed by Minister of State Iram Lewis, however it will operate out of
the Office of the Prime Minister. Dr Minnis has said he will guide the larger policy objectives of the ministry. Mr Davis said: “We believe that in a national emergency and crisis, the prime minister takes the lead nationally and he must do his job, therefore it is unhelpful for him to pass off this primary responsibility and by extension the political fallout, the heat and criticism to a junior minister. It’s called passing the buck and insulating himself from criticism and culpability. “What administrative infrastructure and institutional capability would another ministry have that does not currently exist? I cannot think of any. We currently have a chief accounting officer who is the permanent secretary. We have the political head who is the prime minister and we have an entire department, fully constituted by an act of Parliament, dedicated to national emergency management, NEMA.” He said another ministry fails to add value to the process, saying it only adds to the expense of the government. “It is a waste of public resources, financial and otherwise. What we need is structural and functional reform of NEMA. That entity must become an autonomous and fully resourced corporate sole entity,” Mr Davis said. “This new ministry is nothing more than an additional layer of bureaucracy that will cause more and longer delays thus deepening the frustration, anger feelings of hopelessness among our already distressed people. This will no doubt intensify the criticism of the prime minister, his policies and his government.”
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, PAGE 7
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis alongside investor Michael Wiener at the heads of agreement signing at Cabinet Office last year for the 4M Harbour Island Ltd project. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
All sides agree 4m site plan approval should be quashed By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE approval the government gave a Harbour Island developer to construct its multi-million dollar project on that island was unlawful, the Supreme Court heard yesterday. The conclusion was shared by all parties involved in the dispute: lawyers for the government, lawyers for the developer and lawyers for critics of the project.
Amid confusion about the way applicable legislation has been drafted, they all agreed that the site plan approval for 4m Harbour Island should be quashed. What happens now will be decided by Justice Diane Stewart. She is expected to say what law, whether the Town Planning Act or the Planning and Subdivision Act, applies to applications and approvals for the project. She made no suggestion that the developer failed to follow proper process. In the meantime, an
injunction remains in place prohibiting the development from proceeding. The injunction was sought by a group of Harbour Island residents that oppose the development and filed a judicial review application in August pertaining to this. The group’s lawyer, Gail Lockhart Charles, invited the court to find that either it was an error for a permit to be issued pursuant to the Planning and Subdivision Act or that key provisions for issuing the permit under the law were not satisfied
before the permit was granted. Robert Adams, representing the developer, argued that the act in question does not apply at all while David Higgins, the assistant director of legal affairs in the Office of the Attorney General, argued that the act does apply but that the power to grant approval under it was exercised by the wrong body, the Town Planning Committee, as opposed to the right body, Harbour Island’s District Council.
Harbour Island’s District Council members came out in full force in favour of the development yesterday. Martin Lee Grant, public relations officer for the council, said five of its seven members paid for themselves to attend the hearing because of the development’s importance to their island. A small minority of people on the island oppose the development because they are afraid of the competition it will bring, he said. “Michael Wiener (the
developer) is about to make a new scenery and jobs for Harbour Island,” he said. “For far too long a small, minority group has been controlling Harbour Island. We have young kids studying culinary and tourism who can now have an opportunity to come back home to work in Harbour Island for a reasonable wage.” Mr Grant said of the 920 registered voters on the island, almost 800 have signed a petition supporting the development.
PAGE 8, Wednesday, September 25, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
A time to work together HURRICANE relief work continues with donations coming in, needs changing, and systems being imagined, debated and, in fewer cases, created. We are figuring things out as we go, only managing to do the smallest amount of strategic planning. We are in the thick of it. The only way to move at a more acceptable pace is to accept help from those who have walked similar paths before. As an advocate, civil society member, and coordinator of relief efforts, I am fortunate to have the support and insight of women throughout the Caribbean. Women in the region have been mobilising for weeks to send money and supplies to The Bahamas. They are regularly checking in with those of us on the ground to keep up to date on changing circumstances and the wellness of advocates and community workers. In particular, it is advantageous to engage in conversations with people in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, learning from their experience of loss, survival, rebuilding, and community work.
By Alicia Wallace
There is a wealth of knowledge in the countries that have gone through the devastation of natural disasters, noted their mistakes, highlighted their successes, and developed processes — whether during or after their relief efforts — that are scalable and replicable. This knowledge is held by leaders, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, survivors, media, and civil society. They share experience and knowledge with the nuance and perspective that comes with their purpose and position. The case is quite similar for former leaders, within and outside of The Bahamas, who have had to respond to natural disasters. To ask for, accept, and use the experience of others requires that we eschew pride, ignore party colours, and understand this exercise
as a collective effort rather than a competition. The future of The Bahamas, protection and support of its residents, and effective response to the climate crisis and, more specifically, the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian must be prioritised, set well above ego. We have to be prepared to acknowledge the successes of others and recognise the learning that comes with failure. We cannot be too proud to accept help or afraid of being overshadowed when thousands of people are without homes and struggling to meet their basic needs. This is a time for partnership, teamwork, delegation, and innovation. It requires the participation of multiple generations, professionals from various fields of work, and use of tools to connect people across borders, languages,
EVACUEES outside the Kendal GL Isaacs gym. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff and income brackets. We rate, national insurance contributions, government cannot accept for people services, and immigrant in positions of leadership labour at length. In this to obsess about personal Hurricane Dorian dev- post-Dorian moment, howpower and control. We know we need help, and it astated Abaco. We know ever, none of that is does nothing good to pre- that areas like The Mudd particularly important. We know that over 5,000 tend that we have got it and Pigeon Peas were completely flattened, and people have left Abaco and covered. We do not. Failure is exponential many Haitians lost their Grand Bahama to find safe access when we refuse to learn homes. Those homes may accommodations, from it. It is important to not have been much to us. public utilities, enroll their remember that imperfect Many say they believe the children in school, and people and people who shanty towns should have make a plan to rebuild. All have failed have something been bulldozed. Some of them are not Bahamians, to offer. If they did it ter- have just fallen short of but they are human. They ribly, let’s find out how. If celebrating the decimation deserve to have the physithey were ill-prepared, let’s of the structures that rep- ological needs met and to resented difficult journeys, be treated with dignity and find out. hard labour, struggles to respect. save, and dedication to This is not an opportufamily life and community. nity to others to rebuke, to Many of us only see piles punish, or to deport. This of rubbish and land to is a demand on The Bahareclaim. mas to meet the needs of We do not all see people its residents and help them forced to scatter, flee for to recover. Many lives have their lives (again), and find been lost, and we may never themselves in shelters that know the number. Those truly are not much better that were spared deserve than shanty towns. Mat- our care, and there can be tresses are on the floor, no qualifiers. They cannot people are forced to live in earn it. We have to be willclose quarters, and every ing to be what we want the resource is shared. world to see, and if that is Bahamians are living in not savage, hateful people these circumstances too, who turn disaster into an but largely in different shel- opportunity to extinguish, ters that appear to operate we have to not only show differently for various love, but to be love in word reasons. and deed. Devastation has, in some cases, revealed the truth about the “middle class” by putting people who used Many of us are under an to be “not like them” in incredible amount of stress. the same circumstances as Electricity bills keep rising the ill-fated other. Still, we while outages continue. make distinctions and try Households are larger and to draw a solid line between require more food and toiBahamian and non-Baha- letries. Space is limited. mian, and attempt to use Lines at Social Services are that line to determine long. We all have some kind who should have access to of struggle. There is a conresources, limited or not. stant barrage of harrowing A viral video by Jamaican tales of loss and survival. dancehall artist Mr Vegas We are taking in so much, put popular Bahamian doing so much, feeling so sentiments about Haitian much, and feeling like we people on display. In the can do so little. The truth, video, he draws attention however, is that every little to “a lot of hatred going bit really does help. Somearound against Haitians” times it is helpful to simply by playing four voice notes bear witness. by Bahamian people. They To listen to someone’s are fearsome, dishearten- story and affirm their feeling, and intended to insight ings is to let them know violence. that they are not making it After playing the voice up, overreacting, or taking notes, Mr Vegas gives a up too much space. As we reminder that Caribbean do whatever we can for people have been artificially those around us, we have divided into nationalities to remember to take care of - Bahamian, Haitian, Trini- ourselves. dadian, Jamaican - but we Popular culture would all came from one place. have us believe self-care is He called for the exposure manicures, shopping trips, of the people who call for and fancy dinners. While violence and contribute to these can be elements of a dangerous environment the practice, there is more for Haitian people. This to it than that. video, of course, has led to The National Art Galupset among some Baha- lery of The Bahamas has mians who have decided to planned a range of workhit out at Mr Vegas. They shops and sessions that believe it is a mischaracteri- include one-on-one counsation of Bahamian people seling and a visit to their as angry, violent people. website or Facebook page Interestingly, most of their would be a good start. responses support that Counseling is important position. as it provides a space to We need to be mindful download after receiving of our actions. We need large amounts of informato think them through. tion through various forms We need to be careful and of media and being part of thoughtful in our words. a support system for others. We need to listen to ourThough we do not think selves and one another. We about it often, breath is need to assess the criticism important and can help to we receive, and use it to recenter us. When we focus become better people and on and control our breatha better nation. Empathy ing, it allows everything else should not be difficult to to fall away. practice. Most of us know Simply counting our someone who needed to be breaths is a way to medisaved in those first days of tate, slow down, and clear September. Some of us have the mind. Getting fresh air, offered beds, couches, and going for a walk, listening floor space to people who to music, and journaling evacuated from Abaco and are all ways to make space Grand Bahama. Our family for ourselves and our members and friends are thoughts. climate refugees. Many of As we go about our daily the people here from Haiti lives and do all we can to are climate, economic, and help others, it is critical political refugees. that we intentionally care We can talk about legal for ourselves. We cannot and illegal modes of entry give what we do not have, for days. We can also talk so let’s not forget to find about immigration poli- our own peace in midst of cies, the unemployment it all.
MIGRANT PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE
SELF-CARE
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, PAGE 9
CAN A NEW SPACE RACE CONNECT THE WORLD TO THE INTERNET? By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a 21st century space race: Amazon, SpaceX and others are competing to get into orbit and provide internet to the Earth’s most remote places. And like the last century’s battle for space supremacy that was triggered by the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1, this one involves satellites. Thousands of them. More than a dozen companies have asked U.S. regulators for permission to operate constellations of satellites that provide internet service. Not all are aimed at connecting consumers, but some have grand and global ambitions. “The goal here is broadband everywhere,” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said at a conference in June. With half the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — not using the internet, it’s a huge potential market. And there’s the obvious benefit on the ground: Not having internet access makes it difficult or impossible to apply for many jobs, for kids to do homework, for people in remote areas to get medical care, and to participate in the global economy. But this new wave of spaced-based internet faces hurdles. It is expensive to launch, technologically complex and could prove too costly for the very people it hopes to reach. And then there’s space junk. More on that in a moment. Satellite internet already exists, dominated by a handful of companies like HughesNet and Viasat that have huge, expensive satellites sitting 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometres) from Earth and covering big territories on the ground. But the service is expensive and limited, comes with data caps and lags, and doesn’t have many users. The new satellites are smaller, cheaper, and closer to Earth, so theoretically signals travel faster and
applications like online gaming that need instant responses would work better. And they have some heavyweight backers. In addition to Amazon and SpaceX — the company of eccentric billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk — the race has also been joined by OneWeb, which is backed by investors including Virgin founder Richard Branson, U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm and Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank. But the industry is still in its infancy, and at least three years away from widespread commercial service, said Kerri Cahoy, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, and even further from making any money.
Connectivity “I would be surprised if something were profitable in 10 years,” she said. There are also competing efforts at extending connectivity, including Google with its Loon balloons, which are solar-powered cell towers made of plastic sheets that float on the winds, and others working on solar-powered drones. The satellite companies need to build dishes and antennas that are more complicated and costlier than those for traditional satellites that don’t move. SpaceX, for example, has filed for permission with U.S. regulators to build 1 million “earth stations” that would help connect customers to the internet. There’s no way to have a viable mass service unless the cost of this type of equipment drops, said Caleb Williams, economic analyst at aerospace engineering company SpaceWorks Enterprises. Launches have already been pushed back: OneWeb had once said it would be operating in Alaska this year. But
TECHTALK
FALCON 9 SpaceX rocket, with a payload of 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, seen from Cocoa Beach, Florida in May. (Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP, File) service is now expected to start in late 2020. The logistics of becoming an internet service provider also aren’t easy. The new crop of space-internet companies are more likely to set up arrangements with existing telecom companies than try to sell internet service directly, Williams said, because it’s easier than setting up a sales and marketing operation of their own. Those same telecom companies don’t want to build in remote areas because it’s too expensive. A Federal Communications Commission official in 2017 estimated that extending fiber to the roughly 20 million U.S. homes and businesses that lacked broadband would cost $80 billion. And in developing countries, where the underlying infrastructure is worse, internet is primarily available through a cellphone. The new satellite companies may have an infrastructure alternative that’s cheaper for companies to build than wires on the ground. A telecom company needs to pay to build out to a handful of customers in a large area, with huge per-customer costs. With satellite, costs can be shared out over a bigger pool of potential customers all over the world. A SpaceX executive in 2018 predicted that it would cost $10 billion to deploy a constellation of mini-satellites. Bezos predicted that Amazon’s satellite-internet arm will
ARTICLE FROM EASY CAR SALES QUESTIONS ABOUT EVS? VISIT WWW.EASY242.COM OR CALL 461.0100
cost “multiple billions of dollars” to build. Making sure that people have access to internet is just one step to getting them online, however. People also need to be able to afford internet, and those in rural areas are more likely to be poor. It’s not clear what the pricing will be but high costs swamped satellite phone service two decades ago. It could do so again with internet. “If you would have to pay 20% or more of your income to go on the internet, in a situation where you make a few dollars per day, you don’t, because it’s too expensive,” said Martin Schaaper, an analyst at the United Nations’ information and communications technology agency. Then there are concerns about the growth of space junk, or “orbital debris,” which could crash into each other and even potentially set off a chain reaction of collisions that make orbit “no longer usable,” according to NASA. SpaceX, for one, says it’s trying to avoid adding to the junk layer by moving satellites to avoid crashes and designing them to burn up in atmosphere when they’re used up. The space companies have laid out their plans to avoid debris with U.S. regulators, but critics say more needs to be done, like setting up an air traffic control system for space.
2. “ WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVS AND HYBRID CARS?” The primary difference between an Electric vehicle
(EV) and a hybrid car is that the hybrid derives some of its power from a conventional gasoline engine, requiring visits to the gas station and regular service of the combustion engine. A true 100% electric car gets all of its power from electrical sources, including solar. 3. “ WILL I RUN OUT OF POWER WITH AN EV?” With a conventional combustion engine vehicle, you make plans to refill the tank with gas when it is running low. With an electric vehicle, you fill up at home, at work, or on the road by plugging in to a charger at your convenience any time. Most electric vehicles now have at least 160 mile range. The majority of drivers drive less than 50 miles per day, so the battery will not be empty, even if you forget to plug in sometimes!
4. “ HOW DO I CHARGE AN EV?” Like a cell phone, you can plug it into a regular wall socket or use a fast public charger, there are 9 free-for-use in New Providence. More businesses are installing chargers to attract customers. For rapid charging, it is recommended you install a 240v charger where you park, at home or at work. After a simple installation, just plug in your car. Your EV is fully charged in just a few hours. Similar to cell phones, a full charge is not necessary for use. Either way, never stop at a gas station again! 5. “ HOW WILL AN EV AFFECT MY ELECTRIC BILL?” Electric vehicles are very economical. In general, expect to spend less than a third of what you would normally spend on
• GOOGLE is offering a new subscription service for apps and games on Android devices days after Apple launched a similar service. Google Play Pass will cost $5 a month and give subscribers access to 350 games and apps. It will cost $2 a month for the first year in an introductory offer. Android devices with Android 4.4 (known as KitKat) or later will support Play Pass. Available apps range from puzzle games like “Monument Valley” and strategy games like “Risk,” to apps including AccuWeather and Facetune. New apps and games will be added every month. There are some key differences with Apple Arcade, however. Apple’s $5-a-month service, which launched with iOS13 on Thursday, consists of games developed exclusively for the service — if they are in Apple Arcade they can’t be in the app store. The apps in Google’s service, on the other hand, are already available for purchase in the Play store. So users can determine if they’d rather shell out a few dollars to own a game or spend about the same amount to have monthly access to many games and apps. But both are similar in that they will have no ads or in-app purchases. Mobile game makers are trying out subscription services as an alternative to the traditional way that mobile games make money, either by a purchase price, ads, or increasingly, ingame purchases. Both services require users to download each game they want to try out. Subscribers have access to the games until they cancel their subscription. Google has been making a push into video games. Its console-free video-streaming service Stadia is rolling out later this year.
A & Q
S E L C I H E V C ELECTRI 1. “WHAT IS AN EV?” An EV is an Electric vehicle. It does not require any gasoline and is propelled by an electric motor using energy from the electricity grid or from solar power, stored in rechargeable batteries. The motor provides instant torque, creating strong, smooth acceleration. Around three times as efficient as cars with traditional combustion engines, the running costs of an EV are usually very low, about 65% less than conventional vehicles. EVs also run quietly and do not emit tailpipe pollutants, helping to reduce harmful CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.
• ERIC ILER laughed with his kids, paused for a family photo and took in the sights at the Omaha zoo’s Asian Highlands exhibit — and he did it all from his hospital room at the Immanuel Rehabilitation Institute. Iler was operating “Welle,” a robot with video call capabilities, from his hospital room. The robot livestreamed his family and a tour guide who were physically at the zoo last week. The Elgin, Nebraska, family was the first to experience the virtual tour, a partnership between CHI Health and the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Iler, 48, has been at the Omaha institute since midAugust recovering from a spinal cord injury that resulted from a car crash. “Watch out, I don’t have any brakes on this thing,” said Iler, smiling. His family could see his face on Well-e’s screen as the robot rolled up a hill. Theresa Johnson, a longtime volunteer with the zoo, led Iler’s wife, Jennifer, and their three children around the exhibit, pausing occasionally as Iler and his physical therapist handled the robot’s controls. Johnson said she thinks the virtual tour is “an amazing way to reach out to people and families of patients who are otherwise unable to experience (the zoo).”
gasoline, so if you spend $60 per week on gas, you will pay less than $20 on electricity at BPL rates, it’s like getting the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon or more! 6. “ HOW MUCH DOES AN EV COST TO MAINTAIN?” Electric vehicles are very low maintenance. Diagnostics are performed on a computer. Since there is no combustion engine, there is no oil change, no spark plugs or pistons, no radiator or muffler problems, literally one thousand parts which are not present in an EV to repair or replace. This makes maintenance costs dramatically lower than a traditional vehicle and translates into fewer maintenance visits and lower ownership costs. 7. “ARE EVS SAFE?” Electric vehicles must comply with the same state of the art protection and
world-wide safety features as conventional gas vehicles. Rigorous crash testing has shown that EV are at least as safe as conventional vehicles, in some cases even safer, and some models have received the best rating possible by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Risk of fire or water affecting batteries is not a concern as they have performed well historically in multiple testing. 8. “ WHERE CAN I BUY OR LEASE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE?” Easy Car Sales on Gladstone Road was the first to offer 100% electric vehicles for sale or lease in The Bahamas, and has just signed an agreement with BYD, the largest producer of EVs in the word, to distribute new Sedans, SUVs and Commercial Delivery Vans with 8 year warranty on the battery and electric motor, and certified post-sales support.
PAGE 10, Wednesday, September 25, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
MP fails to overturn eviction By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net FOX Hill MP Shonel Ferguson has failed to convince the Court of Appeal to give her investment company another chance to try to overturn its Supreme Court-ordered eviction from a building on which it allegedly never paid real property taxes since assuming responsibility for it some 13 years ago. The appellate tribunal of Justices Jon Isaacs, Roy Jones, and Milton Evans refused to exercise its discretion to allow the reinstatement of Turtle Creek Investments’ (TCI) appeal against Justice Keith Thompson’s November 13, 2018, judgment and eviction from the building in Centreville. The appellate judges said they will provide “fuller reasons” for the court’s decision at a later date. They said in the absence of “compelling reasons for deviating from
the usual practice,” they ordered that costs follow the event, to be taxed if not agreed. Last year, Justice Thompson ordered TCI, its agents, servants, assigns or subtenants to move out of the building in Centreville no later than close of business on December 15. Additionally, Justice Thompson ordered TCI to pay all outstanding sums it owes Donna Davis’ Daybreak Holdings, the plaintiff, pursuant to a hire purchase agreement it entered into for the building. The judge also ordered both parties to engage an accountant to determine what TCI owes Daybreak pursuant to the agreement. TCI was also ordered to pay all of Daybreak Holdings’ costs associated with “the bringing of and prosecution” of the court matter, to be taxed if not agreed. TCI subsequently petitioned the appellate court on the matter, asserting that Justice Thompson
erred in finding that it had breached the hire purchase agreement it entered into with Daybreak Holdings on December 31, 2005, because the evidence on that issue was contained in “competing affidavits not tested by cross-examination”. Thus, TCI tried to persuade the Court of Appeal to halt its eviction from the building before its appeal, asserting that it would suffer “irreparable harm and prejudice” unless Justice Thompson’s order was stayed. “Irreparable harm is likely to be occasioned to the defendants [Turtle Creek] if the said order is allowed to be executed whilst the appeal is pending, as I am advised and verily believe that the prospect of success is high,” Ms Ferguson said in her December 11, 2018 affidavit. The MP and her attorney, Randol Dorsett, argued that the “harm” would be caused if Daybreak Holdings followed through with
plans to sell the building, while also claiming that Justice Thompson’s ruling was “flawed”. However, Justice Jones, in a December 18 ruling, found that TCI fell “far short of what is required to provide the grounds to enable me to exercise my discretion in this matter”. He further ruled that Ms Ferguson had given “contradictory reasons” to support her argument that TCI would suffer “irreparable harm” as she claimed. And despite claiming that TCI’s appeal would be rendered pointless if the property’s alleged owner, Daybreak Holdings, was able to sell it prior to the appeal, Justice Jones said Ms Ferguson’s Supreme Court filings spoke “to a desire” for such a sale so that her company’s equity interest could be recovered. Justice Jones also added that there was also no suggestion by Ms Ferguson/ TCI that Daybreak Holdings, if it repossessed and
sold the property, would “dissipate” the proceeds such that they would be unable to recover any monies to which they are entitled. TCI’s application for the restoration of its appeal is the latest in a legal dispute over a near 13-year-old hire purchase agreement between the two sides for the building in question, which housed the Crab House and Seafood Emporium in Centreville. According to a sworn affidavit by Ms Davis, president of Daybreak Holdings, it was agreed that TCI would pay Daybreak a $150,000 deposit and thereafter the sum of $1,350,000 in monthly instalments of $10,833 per month over a period of 264 months. In exchange, Ms Ferguson’s company was permitted to assume responsibility and operation of the building in question. TCI was also responsible for all maintenance, taxes, fees, and
insurance over the building. TCI was also given the option to purchase the building for an amount to be agreed. And in the event that happened, TCI would receive full credit for the $150,000. According to court documents, TCI paid the $10,333 monthly sum for the most part until around December 2009, at which time there were some missed payments. TCI allegedly started making “reduced payments” in 2015, and by the end of September 2016, made no payments whatsoever. Daybreak claimed it served “many letters” on TCI, all of which contained “numerous requests and demands” for all outstanding sums pursuant to the hire purchase agreement, but to no avail. On July 31, 2018, Daybreak Holdings initiated legal proceedings, claiming that Ms Ferguson and TCI were in breach of the agreement.
GIBSON BRIBERY TRIAL DELAYED FORMER Cabinet minister Shane Gibson outside court yesterday. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff from page one However, jurors are expected to return to court on Thursday morning. On August 3, 2017, Gibson was arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court on 36 bribery and extortion related charges: one count of misconduct in public office, 16 counts of bribery, two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion and 15 counts of extortion – all concerned with Jonathan Ash. The number of bribery and extortion related charges were later decreased to 31, although the amount he was alleged to have solicited from Mr Ash remained the same. The Crown later announced its decision
to drop all the extortion charges against the former Golden Gates MP, with Director of Public Prosecutions Garvin Gaskin stating at the time that the decision was for the Crown to devote a “singular and simplified focus” on Gibson’s bribery charges. About an hour after his initial arraignment in 2017, Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson granted the former Golden Gates MP $40,000 bail with two sureties on the condition he does not reoffend and attends his trial. She did not impose any travel restrictions on Gibson, and neither was he required to surrender his travel documents or check into any police station. In June, Owen Wells, a member of Gibson’s legal team, indicated his client’s
desire to have Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis give testimony in the matter. At the time, Mr Wells said Dr Minnis has information that is “vital” to the defence’s attempts to stave off the 16 counts of bribery against Gibson. Mr Wells said the defence has requested the Crown to make Dr Minnis available as a witness. However, he said given the position the Crown has taken on the issue, Dr Minnis may have to be subpoenaed. In response to Mr Wells’ statements, Justice Bethel, who inherited the case after her fellow judge, Indra Charles, recused herself in May, said Gibson’s attorneys should endeavour to ensure that Dr Minnis has “something to offer” from an evidential standpoint.
SANDS SAYS PROCESS OF PLACING NURSES IS SLOW By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday that there have been some outstanding challenges in getting nurses processed through the public health care system. Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet yesterday, Dr Sands said post-Hurricane Dorian, some 70 registered nurses are waiting to fill positions throughout the public health sector. Dr Sands said he is well aware of how slow the process has been, while noting that he is hoping the problem will be rectified soon. “This is a real challenge because the process after financial clearance is given, then they have to be vetted by the Public Service Commission and they have to have the SIB (Special Intelligence Branch) review and so on and so forth so it takes unfortunately, far too long,” he said.
“There’s a group of TCNs and RNs who have been incredibly patient that have been long-suffering. As a matter of fact, they would’ve completed their training almost a year ago and I believe that we have been, as a system, far too slow in getting them through. “They have expressed tremendous disappointment with how slow and slothful the system is and I agree with that. Certainly, we are trying to get them across the finish line and I’m expecting that should happen very soon.” Dr Sands suggested that his ministry is seeking to find ways to resolve these issues. “We are looking at how we can compress that system so some of these things are done preemptively because to be a nurse and to struggle with rent, with food and with other expenses. It really is a problem,” he said. In late March,
Bahamas Nurses Union President Amancha Williams said 30 Bahamian nurses left Princess Margaret Hospital in a span of two months. She made the comment while calling for a solution relating to nurses being paid outstanding overtime. Ms Williams said the nurses left the public healthcare system in December 2018 and January 2019 from the ICU and the NCU. She said in March: “Not foreign nurses, Bahamian nurses (left)…doesn’t that speak volumes? Obviously, you have incurred a shortage. Shift change will not make a difference if you have a manpower shortage. You will incur overtime so you can’t tell the individual you can’t pay them.” Last year, Dr Sands acknowledged a critical shortage of nurses in public healthcare, saying more than 600 were needed to fill the gaps.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, PAGE 11
PELOSI ORDERS IMPEACHMENT PROBE:
‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’
By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK AND MICHAEL BALSAMO ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, yielding to mounting pressure from fellow Democrats and plunging a deeply divided nation into an election year clash between Congress and the commander in chief. The probe focuses partly on whether Trump abused his presidential powers and sought help from a foreign government to undermine Democratic foe Joe Biden and help his own reelection. Pelosi said such actions would mark a “betrayal of his oath of office” and declared: “No one is above the law.” The impeachment inquiry, after months of investigations by House Democrats of the Trump administration, sets up the party’s most direct and consequential confrontation with the president, injects deep uncertainty into the 2020 election campaign and tests anew the nation’s constitutional system of checks and balances.
Support Trump, who thrives on combat, has all but dared Democrats to take this step, confident that the spectre of impeachment led by the opposition party will bolster rather than diminish his political support. Meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, he previewed his defense in an all-caps tweet: “PRESIDENTIAL HARRASSMENT!” Pelosi’s brief statement, delivered without dramatic flourish but in the framework of a constitutional crisis, capped a frenetic week-long stretch on Capitol Hill as details of a classified whistleblower complaint about Trump burst into the open and momentum shifted toward an impeachment probe. For months, the Democratic leader has tried calming the push for impeachment, saying the House must investigate the facts and let the public decide. The new drive was led by a group of moderate Democratic lawmakers from political swing districts, many of them with national security backgrounds and serving in Congress for the first time. The freshmen, who largely represent districts previously held by Republicans where Trump is popular, risk their own re-elections but say they could no longer stand idle. Amplifying their call were longtime leaders, including Rep. John Lewis of
Georgia, the civil rights icon often considered the conscience of House Democrats. “Now is the time to act,” said Lewis, in an address to the House. “To delay or to do otherwise would betray the foundation of our democracy.” At issue are Trump’s actions with Ukraine. In a summer phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, he is said to have asked for help investigating former Vice President Biden and his son Hunter. In the days before the call, Trump ordered advisers to freeze $400 million in military aid for Ukraine — prompting speculation that he was holding out the money as leverage for information on the Bidens. Trump has denied that charge, but acknowledged he blocked the funds, later released. Biden said Tuesday, before Pelosi’s announcement, that if Trump doesn’t cooperate with lawmakers’ demands for documents and testimony in its investigations the president “will leave Congress ... with no choice but to initiate impeachment.” He said that would be a tragedy of Trump’s “own making.” The Trump-Ukraine phone call is part of the whistleblower’s complaint, though the administration has blocked Congress from getting other details of the report, citing presidential privilege. Trump has authorised the release of a transcript of the call, which is to be made public on Wednesday . “You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call,” Trump said. Trump has sought to implicate Biden and his son in the kind of corruption that has long plagued Ukraine. Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son. While the possibility of impeachment has hung over Trump for many months, the likelihood of a probe had faded after special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation ended without a clear directive for lawmakers. Since then, the House committees have revisited aspects of the Mueller probe while also launching new inquiries into Trump’s businesses and various administration scandals that all seemed likely to drag on for months. But details of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine prompted Democrats to quickly shift course. By the
TOP UK COURT: JOHNSON’S SUSPENSION OF PARLIAMENT WAS ILLEGAL By GREGORY KATZ, MIKE CORDER AND JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — In a decision that badly undermines Boris Johnson’s authority, Britain’s highest court ruled unanimously Tuesday that the prime minister broke the law by suspending Parliament in a way that squelched legitimate scrutiny of his Brexit UK Prime plan. Minister Boris The historic move by the U.K. Supreme Johnson. Court offered a ringing endorsement of Parliament’s sovereignty and slapped down what justices viewed as the legislature’s silencing by the executive. The ruling upended the prime minister’s plan to keep lawmakers away until two weeks before Britain is due to leave the European Union. The Supreme Court said Johnson’s suspension was “void” and never legally took effect, opening the door for Parliament to resume its duties Wednesday morning as if nothing had happened. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow welcomed the decision, saying citizens were “entitled” to have Parliament in session to review the government and enact laws. The ruling also established that Johnson had involved Queen Elizabeth II — one of the most revered and respected figures in British life — by giving her improper advice when he sought her permission to shutter Parliament for five weeks. The justices made clear they were not criticising Elizabeth, who as a constitutional monarch was required to approve the prime minister’s request. The British government said Johnson spoke to the queen after the ruling, but did not disclose details of the conversation. Johnson said he objected to court’s decision but would comply. “I have the upmost respect for our judiciary. I don’t think this was the right decision,” Johnson said in New York, where he is attending the U.N. General Assembly. He said the suspension of Parliament “has been used for centuries without this kind of challenge.” The ruling could not have been clearer. Reading a unanimous decision by the 11 highest judges in the land, Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said the prime minister had acted illegally. “It is impossible for us to conclude, on the evidence which has been put before us, that there was any reason — let alone a good reason — to advise her majesty to prorogue Parliament for five weeks,” she said. “We cannot speculate, in the absence of further evidence, upon what such reasons might have been. It follows that the decision was unlawful.”
time Pelosi addressed the nation on Tuesday, about two-thirds of House Democrats had announced moving toward impeachment probes. The burden will likely now shift to Democrats to make the case to a scandal-weary public. In a highly polarised Congress, an impeachment inquiry could simply showcase how clearly two sides can disagree when shown the same evidence rather than approach consensus.
Documents Building toward this moment, the president has repeatedly been stonewalling requests for documents and witness interviews in the variety of ongoing investigations. After Pelosi’s Tuesday announcement, the president and his campaign team quickly released a series of tweets attacking Democrats, including a video of presidential critics like the speaker and Rep. Ilhan Omar discussing impeachment. It concluded: “While Democrats ‘Sole Focus’ is fighting Trump, President Trump is fighting for you.”
HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelosi reads a statement announcing a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Pelosi’s well-known “efforts to restrain her far-left conference have finally crumbled.” Pelosi has for months resisted calls for impeachment from her restive caucus, warning that it would backfire against the party unless there was a groundswell of public support. That groundswell hasn’t occurred, but some of the more centrist lawmakers are facing new pressure back home for not having acted on impeachment. While Pelosi’s announcement adds weight to the work being done on the oversight committees, the next steps are likely to resemble
the past several months of hearings and legal battles — except with the possibility of actual impeachment votes. On Wednesday, the House is expected to consider a symbolic but still notable resolution insisting the Trump administration turn over to Congress the whistleblower’s complaint. The Senate, in a rare bipartisan moment, approved a similar resolution Tuesday. The lawyer for the whistleblower, who is still anonymous, released a statement saying he had asked Trump’s director of national intelligence to turn over the complaint to House committees and asking guidance to
permit the whistleblower to meet with lawmakers. Pelosi suggested that this new episode — examining whether a president abused his power for personal political gain — would be easier to explain to Americans than some of the issues that arose during the Mueller investigation and other congressional probes. The speaker put the matter in stark terms: “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed dishonorable facts of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of his national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”