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VOLUME:116 No.190, SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2019
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Time to rebuild $100m signing for cruise port in wake of storm
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE government and Carnival Corporation signed a heads of agreement (HoA) for the development of a $100m cruise port in East Grand Bahama, three weeks after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the island. The signing was held at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport, where Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Giora Israel, senior vice president of Carnival Corporation, also signed another HoA for an $80m cruise pier at Half Moon Cay where Carnival and Holland America Lines already have a cruise development. The HoAs will be made public after they are tabled in the House of Assembly, Dr Minnis said. He noted that the initial date for signing the HoAs had to be postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. “I am pleased that we are able to have today’s signing to help in the restoration
and recovery of Grand Bahama,” he told those gathered at the signing held around noon in the conference room of OPM. Dr Minnis unveiled more details about the proposed 329-acre cruise port at Sharp Rock in East Grand Bahama, where plans are to construct aquatic facilities, a lighthouse and fort structure, and food and beverage pavilions. There also will be a “Harbour Town” plaza with shops eligible for dutyfree status on approved goods to cruise passengers; a Junkanoo art plaza of Bahamian operated stores; facilities for a number of recreational and sporting activities, such as a zipline and rock climbing walls; ski lifts, and water slides; a yoga pavilion, walking and bicycle trails; an 18-hole miniature golf course and park areas. Carnival also plans to build an open-air concert/ entertainment facility and amphitheatre. SEE PAGE FIVE
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, left, with Giora Israel, senior vice president of Carnival Corporation, at the signing of a heads of agreement for a $100m cruise port in the hurricane-hit East Grand Bahama. Another heads of agreement, for an $80m cruise pier at Half Moon Cay, was also signed.
ABACO RESTAURANT WON’T MAN PLUNGES FROM THIRD-FLOOR RETURN AFTER HURRICANE ROOF AFTER GIRLFRIEND MURDERED By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE pictures of savory dishes and idyllic seaside views are still displayed on the Facebook page of The Bae, tokens of what once existed in west Abaco, but will exist no more.
The restaurant’s owner, Brad Fox, says the Marsh Harbour eatery that scored rave reviews online won’t rebuild after Hurricane Dorian ripped through its wooden walls and took everything. According to Ken
SEE PAGE FIVE
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Bahama police are investigating a murder and attempted suicide that left a young mother dead and her boyfriend critically injured after he reportedly jumped from the third floor of an apartment building in Freeport late Tuesday. SEE PAGE TWO
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
POLICE at the scene of Tuesday’s incident that left a young mother dead and her boyfriend in hospital. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
‘TOUGH’ FOR POLICE AFTER CRIME SPIKE By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday insisted that police are solving crimes, although he admitted that a recent spate of criminal activity over the last month has made the job “tough” for officers.
SURGEONS SAVE FRED SMITH’S LIFE AFTER PARAGLIDING HORROR CRASH
Speaking to reporters at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre, Mr Dames said: “They (police) continue to arrest these people. They have people in custody now for some of those matters that occurred this week and they are finding a nexus between quite a bit of them. They are solving the matters. “I mean you have a
situation where, I think the last time I gave it how many people we had on bail for murder (was) well over 100 — that’s unheard of in any country. How many in jail either on remand or serving time, I think it was well over 200, so the police are in fact doing their job.” He added: “Sometimes SEE PAGE 13
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
ATTORNEY Fred Smith is recovering in a European hospital after surviving a near fatal paragliding accident in Italy on Sunday that required five-hour surgery. While paragliding in the Dolomite mountains of the Italian Alps, he dislocated and shattered his left ankle, broke his left tibia, dislocated and sliced his right ankle and broke two vertebrae. “I’ve had surgery and they saved my life, as well as my left foot which has been reattached to my left leg and pinned together,” he said in a statement to The Tribune yesterday. “I must rest and protect SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Thursday, September 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Man plunges from third-floor roof after girlfriend murdered
PEOPLE at the scene of the murder on Tuesday. from page one The deceased woman, believed to be 30-year-old Monet Rolle, was stabbed multiple times in her body and died at the scene. The man, who is in hospital and suspected of stabbing her and then attempting to kill himself, is said to be her boyfriend. Rolle’s tenyear-old daughter was in the apartment at the time and reportedly witnessed the violent attack on her mother, according to sources. Neighbours, hearing the commotion, went and got her safely out the condo, The Tribune understands. According to reports, police were called to an apartment at the King’s
Bay Apartment Complex in South Bahamia shortly after 9pm, where they found the lifeless body of an adult female with multiple stab wounds. Assistant Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder reported that officers also found an adult male at that apartment complex attempting to jump from the third-floor balcony. “Officers spoke to the male in an attempt to prevent him from harming himself, but to no avail. The man jumped from the third floor to the ground,” she said. EMS personnel assisted the man at the scene, and then took him to hospital, where he is detained in critical condition. ASP Pinder indicated that police are looking at the matter as a
Photos: Vandyke Hepburn murder-attempted suicide investigation. As news of the tragedy broke, cell phone video of the man threatening to jump off his balcony went viral on social media. As the man stood dangerously near the edge of the balcony, persons below him, including a man who appeared to be a police officer, urged him not to jump. “I am sorry for this, she lied... She didn’t care anyway,” the woman’s boyfriend, wearing only his boxer shorts, shouted from his balcony. “She thought I was cheating so she cheated.” The woman’s boyfriend is said to be a physical education teacher. The killing brought the murder count to 77 for the year.
SUPERINTENDENT Brian Rolle speaks to the media.
THE SCENE of Tuesday’s incident.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 3
4,000 evacuees sought relocation to the US By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net MORE than 4,000 evacuees from the Bahamas sought temporary relocation in the United States after being forced to leave their homes in Abaco and Grand Bahama following monster storm Dorian. According to Keith Smith, public affairs specialist with Florida US Customs and Border Protection, a “significant” chunk of this figure included US nationals as well who arrived in America by air and sea. “On background, it’s important to note that a significant percentage of that was US nationals as well so this included Bahamians, but US (citizens) that lived in The Bahamas,” Mr Smith said. The official said US CBP was working to process the arrivals of evacuees as expeditiously as possible as long as they adhered to established policies and procedures. For the last several weeks, concerns have been raised on social media that Bahamians had been faced with more scrutiny than normal in attempting to enter the United States. Earlier this week, Public Affairs Liaison with US CBP Michael Silva said the requirements had not changed, as he urged Bahamians not to fall prey to scams. He said if something seemed too good to be true then odds were it really was too good of an offer. Mr Silva made the comments on Guardian Radio’s “Morning Blend” show with host Dwight Strachan on Monday.
HURRICANE Dorian evacuee Kennecia Burrows, 11, pushes her three-year-old cousin, Trevanti Saunders, both of Freeport, across the street as he sits on a suitcase after arriving on the Grand Celebration cruise ship from Freeport, Grand Bahama, on Wednesday of last week in Riviera Beach. The cruise ship transported hundreds of evacuees seeking passage from Freeport after the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian. Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP Asked about the requirements for admittance into the US, Mr Silva said: “There has been a lot of misinformation and urban legends that are being spread. First of all, our hearts and prayers are with the Bahamian people who have experienced this disastrous and horrific hurricane. We are there to support and facilitate and assist as needed the Bahamian government, the Bahamian people, citizens and nothing’s changed.
“The US Embassy in Nassau is open for emergency visa appointments and US Customs and Border Protection as a point of entry are prepared should Bahamians request to temporarily relocate to the United States. “Please be very, very careful of people that unfortunately will take advantage of people that have experienced this disastrous event. If a deal is too good to be true don’t do it, just please visit our website
cbp.gov and also for the State Department at dhs. gov.” Mr Silva said all travellers that are applying for admission to the United States via air and sea had to meet certain requirements to ensure orderly arrival to the US. He said Bahamians must be in possession of a valid unexpired passport or a travel document. All other travellers arriving from The Bahamas, including US citizens and permanent
residents or individuals of other nationalities, must possess a valid unexpired government issued passport. “Now where there is a lot of confusion, especially when I was dealing with the press and trying to explain that to them here in the United States, is that if a Bahamian citizen travelling with a valid unexpired passport and a police certificate travels from a pre-clearance destination, a pre-clearance airport, they are allowed to travel to the United States
with just a valid unexpired Bahamian passport and a police certificate. “But if they travel by private vessel or private aircraft to the United States you are required to have a valid passport and a valid unexpired visa.” He continued: “A couple Saturdays ago we received a cruise ship, the one that arrived to West Palm Beach. We processed that day over 1,500 Bahamian nationals that were relocating temporarily coming into the United States and we worked with the cruise ships ahead of time to make sure the documentary requirements are there.” It is not clear what ship he was referring to, but there was a mix-up earlier this month regarding requirements for ship passengers. Some passengers from Grand Bahama could not be transported on the Baleària Caribbean because they had no visas. The Baleària said at the time: “We regret and apologise for the hardship and inconvenience experienced by the 119 passengers who are residents from Grand Bahama Island who could not be transported yesterday, Sunday, September 8. We boarded these passengers with the understanding that they could travel to the United States without visas, only to later having been advised that in order to travel to Ft Lauderdale they required prior in-person authorisation from the immigration authorities in Nassau.” Mr Silva said CBP has been urging transportation companies not to wait until the last minute to ensure requirements are met.
BUSINESSMAN: GIVE 5,000 WORK VISAS TO BAHAMIANS WILLIAM Douglass, an American businessman with a home in Eleuthera, wants the Trump administration to issue temporary work visas to Bahamians displaced by Hurricane Dorian. “The US administration should consider issuing anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 temporary work visas for a minimum of six months to displaced Bahamian workers,” he said in a statement yesterday. “Bahamians don’t want to emigrate to the US nor are they at risk of overstaying their welcome. Bahamians want to live in The Bahamas, full stop. In tandem with the Bahamian government, the US Border Patrol should consider expediting a process wherein temporary visa recipients could work in the US on a shortterm basis, at no cost to state and federal budgets, immigration officials or American taxpayers. With a scarcity of employees in the hospitality and service industries, the benefits of offering work visas to displaced Bahamian workers would be a win-win for both US businesses and Bahamian employees.” Mr Douglass also called on American companies to quickly help The Bahamas. Echoing the views of US Senator Marco Rubio, he said the Chinese will fill the void if the US does not step in. “For years both the State Department and the Department of Defence have been concerned abut the Chinese presence so close to the United States – and unless they take proactive steps to counteract this incursion, they are right to be worried,” he said. “For over three generations, my family has had direct ties to The Bahamas, its government, business leaders and residents. Six million US visitors visit The Bahamas every year, of which four million arrive via cruise ship. The US and this administration have already shown their desire,
WILLIAM DOUGLASS expertise, generosity and resources in helping the Bahamians dig out from an historic natural disaster. But with China continuing to expand its geographic footprint, from an economic, humanitarian and State department perspective it’s imperative to take things further. “As a long-time Eleuthera homeowner, I was deluged with calls and emails in the days and weeks after Dorian passed through. Friends wanted to know if my house was still standing. One called to wonder if he should cancel an upcoming wedding trip. These well-intentioned calls left me grateful but also disbelieving. Again I can’t reemphasise it enough: The Bahamas is open for business. So don’t hesitate.
Make a reservation, book a flight, hop a cruise – and see for yourself.” On September 6, Mr Douglass evacuated a family out of Marsh Harbour and took them to New Providence. On the same day, he rescued a total of 25 people by personally mobilising a King Air 350, a Gulfstream V and a Hawker 800, according to a spokesperson. He also paid for additional planes which helped up to 65 people evacuate Abaco. “Since September 6, I have seven lovely Bahamians staying with me,” Mr Douglass said. Mr Douglass co-founded K2 Advisors in 1994. The firm is one of the largest hedge funds in the world, with about $12 billion under management recently. He is the grandson of Pan Am Air Founder and South Eleuthera resident Juan Trippe, who died in 1981.
MR Douglass in Marsh Harbour, Abaco on September 6 with three of the first set of residents he assisted in evacuating the island. He took this family to New Providence.
PAGE 4, Thursday, September 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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This is how we start to recover THE signing of the heads of agreement for the new cruise port would have been a landmark moment for Grand Bahama regardless. In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, it’s more than that – it’s a lifeline. The ceremony was filled with much talk about opportunities, and what the port would bring to The Bahamas, and specifically Grand Bahama, but what it does most of all is point the way to what really will bring about a recovery for our country after the storm getting back to being open for business. That not only sounds difficult – it truly is difficult especially for those who have been displaced by the storm. On the ground, things seem far worse than in the photographs that we have all seen by now. Add to the photographs of devastation the smell that permeates the hurricane-hit islands, and the desperation that those still there face as they try to get what they need to survive even before they can think about getting what they need to rebuild. Looking at the piles of rubble that used to be houses, it’s hard to know where to even begin the clean-up operation. But what will start the ball rolling is getting back to work. Work that puts money in people’s pockets so they can then pay for reconstruction. For food. For school. For all the things that make up our lives. We fully understand why the Ministry of Tourism suspended its advertising campaigns in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but we hope they will relaunch those soon – announcing to the world that The Bahamas, as most of it
has been all along, is open and welcoming to tourists. The cruise port itself will bring jobs and opportunities. It will bring people back to a part of our country blasted by Hurricane Dorian. It will give communities a reason to go on. There are impressive figures to go with it – that it will be the largest Carnival cruise port in the world, and that it will boost the place of The Bahamas as a cruise destination. We would like to applaud Carnival’s senior vice-president, who said simply: “Storms should never stand in the way of a good heads of agreement, so here we are today.” Here we are – at the beginning of a long road to recovery, but with positive news that reinvigorates our belief that these communities can be rebuilt. As we do so, may we remember the spirit of togetherness that the hurricane response has brought – with all the volunteers, all the donors, all those reaching out to help those displaced. Even when the rubble is gone and the country rebuilt, many of the storm’s survivors will still bear scars, some of them invisible. They will continue to need our help. It can feel callous to talk about business opportunities and the economy when so many people still do not know what has happened to family and friends. People may feel angered by the push to get back to normal when their lives may never be normal again. But that’s how we begin again, that’s how The Bahamas rises. That’s how we lift up our heads, Bahamaland.
We must pray for the PM EDITOR, The Tribune. WE begin with a verse from sacred Scripture found in 1st Timothy 2: 1& 2 – “I urge you then first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for the people, for Kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Bishop Delton Fernander, current President of the Bahamas Christian Council, during the recently held National Ecumenical Prayer Service, urged all clergy present to pray for the Most Honourable Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. It was not on the programme; but a spontaneous act. It was in fact what the Scriptures encourages us to do. Bishop Laish Boyd, Senior Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos, in a similar spirit called on Bahamians to be positive and pray for the Prime Minister, particularly in this time of national crisis left by the killer Hurricane Dorian. Prime Minister Minnis’
administration won handsomely the confidence of the vast majority of the Bahamian populace during the last national elections. That fact cannot be debated. The burden of leadership of the Prime Minister has been exacerbated by the destruction caused by Dorian. All well-thinking people should pray for the Prime Minister – whether you voted for him, agree with his style of governing or like his personality. As a mature Bahamian, indeed in the spirit of nationalism, we should pray for the Prime Minister. The truth is if his administration succeeds, we will all benefit; and concomitantly, if they fail then the country sinks into the abyss of more hell and suffering. When we pray for the Prime Minister, we do not deify him, like a mistake many made with the late Sir Lynden Pindling. But we pray for the Prime Minister, as well as all our political leaders in the ruling party and the official opposition, that they may seek and embrace wisdom so that they may lead us in
living peaceful, blessed and godly lives. The prayers of the church are critical because the church recognises that with the stroke of a pen political leaders can legislate policies that advance or reverse the freedoms and work of the church. We should pray for the Prime Minister and other politicians because the decisions they make – or refuse to make – impact the lives of the people we serve daily in our churches and communities. We ought to pray regularly and earnestly for all our leaders because we do not want them to allow their offices to sink to the low level of corruption, lies and empty promises. We ought to pray for every political leader so that he or she would work assiduously to make the wealth in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, more common. We should pray that as they work for us, God in His mercy will work for each of them. BISHOP SIMEON HALL Nassau, September 23, 2019.
The simple truth after the storm EDITOR, The Tribune. THE Prime Minister has just announced the creation of a new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, in part to aid in disaster preparedness. The question is why, isn’t that what NEMA was tasked to do and what skills or experience does the new minister have that qualifies him for this role? As a people, it is time to be honest with ourselves or we will find history repeating itself. The problem is that Bahamians are afraid to hear the truth! We keep hearing the untruth that we were defenceless against this storm, but that is not the whole truth. The truth is that hurricane season is an annual event. Many islands have been devastated in varying degrees by hurricanes during our history, but we simply did not use those opportunities to prepare properly for the “big one”. Proper planning has to include taking worse case scenarios into consideration. Consider that even though a nuclear war has not taken place, nations of the world with such arsenal have already invested in measures to minimise, since they cannot eliminate, the effects of such an event. That is the purpose of strategic planning. So, if we were to be honest, from a purely logical standpoint, the worse case scenario related to a hurricane in these islands is total devastation! The question then becomes how do we respond if such an event occurs. It is clear that our nation’s investment in and NEMA’s response
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net to the immediate aftermath, reveals the level of preparation that came out of pondering such a question. To the casual observer, there was an obvious disparity between our nation’s immediate response and that of foreign entities. Compounding the devastation and early recovery efforts were the twin problems of illegal immigration and substandard construction in shanty towns. If either previous or present governments had simply enforced our laws regarding immigration and construction, then the loss of life and destruction of property would have been significantly less. That’s the simple truth! To that end, there are several additional points I would like to make. Firstly, it would be unwise not to exploit the opportunity to create networks with many of the disaster relief organisations who demonstrated professionalism and efficiency in the immediate aftermath of the storm. All NEMA, RBDF officers, police officers and those involved in the new ministry that was formed should be placed on a roster to have three month rotations as volunteers with disaster relief organisations in different parts of the world, to get hands on experience. In times of crisis, theory cannot substitute for practical experience. Next, investment has to be made in acquiring equipment that would aid in surveillance of or delivery of disaster relief in such events. I am uncertain as to
whether or not the RBDF or RBPF even has or uses drones for aerial surveillance, but they should! No airport should be constructed at or below sea level because of the potential for flooding, since it obviously impedes efforts for evacuation or bringing in urgent supplies after a storm. Enforcement of the current building code with the necessary upgrades should be made to every reconstruction. Greater regulation of the construction industry is an absolute necessity. Too many take shortcuts to save costs during construction, potentially endangering the lives of homeowners and rescuers in a disaster. A national swimming programme should be implemented for every child above five years of age, if one does not exist. A female’s hair cannot be an impediment to learning a life saving skill! One can only wonder how many may have drowned because they could not swim or tread water. In addition, all homes with disabled persons or young children should have flotation devices in case of the need to evacuate flooded areas. Parents struggling to escape flood waters with babies in their arms is unacceptable. Of course more thoughts can be added to this list, but this is somewhere to start! If we take the time to be honest with ourselves we will realise that, in part, we are experiencing the truth of that old adage that those who fail to prepare are preparing to fail! JB Nassau, September 23, 2019.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 5
$100m signing for cruise port in wake of storm from page one Dr Minnis indicated that the development of the Carnival cruise port has been a long time in the making, has been discussed by successive governments, and has gone through various changes to arrive at this impressive model. He said: “What is being proposed will prove to be a significant catalyst for economic growth in Grand Bahama. This cruise port which will be the largest
Carnival cruise port in the world, seeks to make Grand Bahama and the Bahamas one of the best cruise destinations in the Caribbean.” When completed, Dr Minnis said, the new port is expected to bring millions more tourists to The Bahamas each year. Referring to further development at Half Moon Cay, the prime minister stated that approval was granted to Holland America Line to build a pier on the north end of the cay, as well as supporting facilities
at the pier site, which would accommodate ships. The scope of the development includes construction of facilities similar to Carnival’s new port in Grand Bahama, such as a lighthouse, a Bahamian plaza, and recreational facilities, as well as beach restoration. While in Grand Bahama also for an ongoing assessment of the recovery and reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Dorian, Dr Minnis believes that a major part of reconstruction, which has become
even more urgent, is the ongoing economic recovery and revitalisation of the island. He stated that Grand Bahama and Abaco are vital centres of economic activity and contribute significantly to the national economy. “In order to rebuild Abaco and Grand Bahama, we have to spur economic development throughout the country. We must also accelerate economic projects on Grand Bahama and begin rebuilding on Abaco as soon
as is possible,” he said. Dr Minnis thanked Carnival Corporation and the Grand Bahama Port Authority. Mr Israel indicated that the HoA process was open and transparent between both parties, and thanked Dr Minnis and his leadership. “Storms should never stand in the way of a good HoA, so here we are today,” Mr Israel said. “This will be the biggest in size port project we ever built, not only in the
ABACO RESTAURANT WON’T RETURN AFTER HURRICANE from page one
Hutton, president of the Abaco Chamber of Commerce, The Bae is not alone. “There are a lot of businesses who have decided they are not going to return, that they’ve had enough, that they can’t return,” Mr Hutton said during a recent meeting at the Hilton hotel to discuss the way forward for the island. Many expect Abaco to rebound after Hurricane Dorian, just like it did in previous eras when battered by destructive storms. But Dorian is already leaving permanent marks on the composition of the island’s business community. Some fear that as the island rebuilds, ownership will be even more concentrated in the hands of a few. “I think we’ll see the high earners, the high network people rebuild and return but I think what we will have is some displaced workers that can’t see past the financial burden it will take to rebuild their own situation,” said Mr Fox, The Bae’s owner. “Right now it’s a lot of smoke and clouds, no one can really see how the actual support and billions of dollars that will come in is going to affect their bottom line, their pocket, their bank book, their family, so I think we’ll definitely lose some locals to circumstance and relocation and just the comfort of other islands.” Last week Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the establishment of a $10 million-dollar loan guarantee and equity financing programme that would allow small and medium sized enterprises in
areas affected by Hurricane Dorian to potentially secure up to $500,000 to rebuild. Mr Fox, however, has already left Abaco and restarted his life in Harbour Island. With him are his family of four adults and four children: his mother, brother, sister, brother’s fiancée and two daughters and his sister’s two sons. “There was a moment that stuck with me after the storm when I literally had to discard my keys, my house keys, my car keys, keys for the kitchen, for everything,” he said. “It was sort of ceremonial in that I looked at this thing that I’ve been carrying on for however long, it never left my belt loop and I heard them jiggling, I looked at them and I was like, I have no use for any of this anymore because there is not a door handle to put a key in. We lost everything, there’s literally no trace of a restaurant having been at that location. “I was successful in relocating the entire family to Harbour Island where we’ve taken safe haven. The short-term plan is to find everybody some sort of relief work and people on Harbour Island have been very accommodating with this. My brother is already working. We are looking to secure a location in Harbour Island, one shortterm, in preparation for the upcoming homecoming and regatta, so that could be anything from a concession stall at the regatta site to a small food truck or concession outlet. Long-term, we’re looking to secure a location so we could reopen and rebrand as The Bae in Harbour Island.” The Bae started in 2015 as a kitchen on crown
land that sold three items: conch fritters, fried fish and banana pancakes. “By 2019 we were doing fairly good business,” Mr Fox said. “We did enough where at some point in the first quarter we could shuttle people out of Treasure Cay on a Wednesday night, pack an entire school bus and offer them dinner specials, happy hour specials and sunset views. The business from where we started to where we were up until Dorian was robust. I was making enough to pay the bills in July and August, so we knew once we got through those months, with investments to set us off properly the fourth quarter we were going to do some great numbers. “We were in the process of rebranding and re-strategising for the entire restaurant. We had gone through new menu items, a new pricing strategy and new marketing schemes. I was actually on my way to the United States to catch a Labour Day sale the day after the storm to try secure some more equipment for us to put this strategy in place.” The Bae’s clientele included some 40 percent locals and 60 percent second home owners and transient guests, Mr Fox said. The restaurant, he believes, filled a void on an island that “lacked a scene.” “The price was good and the ambiance and service were exceptional,” he said. “I always told myself I wasn’t going home to work for anybody and that place provided for me an opportunity to live out my dream, which was to own a restaurant and entertain people and show them what was so special about my home.”
AN AERIAL view of the aftermath of the storm posted to the Facebook page of The Bae.
AN IMAGE posted to The Bae’s Facebook page after the storm.
Caribbean, anywhere,” he remarked. Mr Israel expects that the project would probably creep over $100m. “But, we are planning… to develop an amazing project that is unique with a lot of opportunities for Bahamians,” he said. When asked if they still expect to meet their target opening deadline of October 2020, Mr Israel was confident they would, saying that Carnival never stopped working even during the storm.
PAGE 6, Thursday, September 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
$3m received in donations by NEMA By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
CAPTAIN STEPHEN RUSSELL, NEMA director.
Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
JUST over $3m in monetary donations for Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery efforts have been received by the National Emergency Management Agency and deposited into its bank account, NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell confirmed yesterday. While there have been many pledges made for monetary gifts in the aftermath of the devastating storm, Captain Russell said the agency was still waiting to receive the funds. “We have collected just over $3m and that was deposited into our bank account,” he said. On Tuesday, this newspaper was informed that $2m has been physically received by an official. Asked to reveal the value of these pledges, Capt Russell said he could not say, as accountants had not kept record of them. He said the money would be used to pay outstanding bills. “We are doing some work. It’s just that eventually we will have to expend the funds to catch up on the expenditure that we have already incurred. “Assistance from all areas, yes, flights to evacuate persons out of the islands (and) shipping,” he continued, when asked if the expenditure was associated with assisting evacuees. “So the funding will go appropriately to cover those expenditures incurred so far.”
This comes as Finance Minister Peter Turnquest has insisted donor money received by the government from dozens of entities and neighbouring countries will only be used to assist those affected by the deadly hurricane. 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. He said to run the new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Recovery and Reconstruction, funding would be drawn from several places, including dormant accounts. “Let’s be clear, it’s to fund the services that the ministry will provide,” Mr Turnquest said Tuesday outside Cabinet. “So for instance monies that were donated may be allocated to shelter; may be 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 employees currently in the public service.
delayed attending the General Assembly “due to the need to coordinate the national response to Hurricane Dorian”. The prime minister will also engage other leaders on the margins of the General Assembly, including a courtesy call by the secretary general of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, QC, and a presentation by the president of Micronesia, Peter Christian. On Thursday evening, Dr Minnis will meet with Bahamians living in New York. His wife, Patricia, and senior government officials, including senior policy advisor Joshua Sears and chief operating officer in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, Viana Gardiner, will accompany the prime minister on this trip. In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest will act as prime minister. This UN session comes
amid heightened concern over the implications of climate change; the Bahamas with its low-lying land masses and vast ocean territory is under more of a threat than before. According to a report issued Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – a group of scientists commissioned by the UN to guide world policy makers – the earth’s oceans are under severe strain from climate change. The situation is threatening everything from harvesting seafood to the well-being of millions of people living along coasts. The report said: “Sea level rise will increase the frequency of extreme sea level events, which occur for example during high tides and intense storms. Indications are that with any degree of additional warming, events that occurred once per century in the past will occur every year by mid-century in many regions, increasing risks for many low-lying coastal cities and small islands. “Without major investments in adaptation, they would be exposed to escalating flood risks,” the report shows. Some island nations are likely to become uninhabitable due to climate-related ocean and cryosphere change, the report said, but habitability thresholds remain extremely difficult to assess. “Increases in tropical cyclone winds and rainfall are exacerbating extreme sea level events and coastal hazards. Hazards will be further intensified by an increase in the average intensity, magnitude of storm surge and precipitation rates of tropical cyclones, especially if greenhouse gas emissions remain high,” the report noted.
MINNIS FLIES TODAY TO ATTEND UN MEETING By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis will leave for New York today to attend the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Dr Minnis will deliver The Bahamas’ national statement on Friday. The statement will feature Hurricane Dorian’s overall impact on the country and outline how The Bahamas is responding to the affects of climate change. His visit follows that of a delegation. led by Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield, which arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly on Saturday. The delegation also includes Transport and Local Government Minister Renward Wells and Ricky Mackey, member of Parliament. A statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister said Dr Minnis
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 7
Couple fined after children put out on the street at night By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A WOMAN and her lover were each fined more than $1,000 because she put her three young children “out on the street”, instructing them to go to the man’s house in the middle of the night. When the children went to the man’s home as she instructed, he didn’t let them in because he wasn’t properly dressed. Kenya Corrine Penn, of Market Street, and Anthony James Robinson, of Martin Street, were each fined $1,500 for the respective roles they played in
causing the three children, ages 11, 9 and 6 to be found unattended on Market Street after midnight on Sunday. Failure to pay the fine would result in a one year custodial sentence, Magistrate Samuel McKinney ordered. He further sentenced the pair to two year’s probation each. Breaching probation would result in an additional $1,500 fine or 18 months in prison in default. According to the evidence, Penn, 43, instructed the three children to go to Robinson’s house to wash their school clothes. Penn and the 64-year-old Robinson are romantically
involved; he is the father of the six-year-old boy. When the children did as they were told and got to Robinson’s house, the 64-year-old did not let them in because he was “inappropriately dressed”, and turned them around. The three children subsequently went back out to the main Market Street, and there they stayed until half past midnight when a man who knew their mother saw them and took them to the nearest police station. Prior to being sentenced, Penn and Robinson were both charged with a single count of cruelty to children. According to the facts, sometime around 12.30am
on September 22, Cordero McDonald left his residence to go to his parent’s home at Whylly’s Close off Market Street. Before he entered that corner, however, he saw the three children who he recognised as from the area. The children, two boys and a girl, were all sitting up against a building on the western side of Market Street, wearing white sleeveless undershirts and trousers. The children had their uniforms with them. Mr McDonald turned onto Martin Street and called the children over to him. He said he asked the oldest child why they were outside at such an
hour, and the boy told him that his mother, whom Mr McDonald said he knows as “KC”, put them “out on the street” along with their clothing. Mr McDonald said he put the children in his vehicle and took them to the Quakoo Street Police Station. A little over an hour later at 1.50am, officers proceeded to Penn’s residence on Taylor Street and arrested her for child cruelty. She was subsequently taken to the Quakoo Street Police Station, and then later taken to the Central Detective Unit (CDU). Around 12.10pm the following day at CDU, Penn was interviewed under
caution and asked a series of questions in connection with the matter. Penn denied the allegations, but told police that she “told the children to pack their school clothes and go and take them to their father to wash.” A little over two hours later, police had Robinson in their custody. Around 2.14pm, he was interviewed by two officers and denied the allegations. He said he told the children to go back home to their mother and that he would be there shortly. He also said that he did not let the children in when they came from their mother’s house because he was “inappropriately dressed”.
LUZ Aponte Velazquez lies on a cot at the Ramon Quinones Medina High School, one of the shelters enabled by the municipality of Yabucoa, before the arrival of Tropical Storm Karen, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. Photo: Carlos Giusti/AP
TROPICAL STORM KAREN MAY START MOVING BACK TOWARDS THE BAHAMAS By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
WEATHER officials are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Karen, telling The Tribune it was too early to definitively state whether the country would be directly affected by this weather system. Geoffrey Greene, chief meteorologist at the Department of Meteorology, said by early next week experts should have a better understanding of what to expect from Karen. “It should be moving back towards the west by early next week, so this weekend it will be moving to the north and then it
will make a clockwise rotation and then move back towards the west towards us,” Mr Greene told The Tribune. “So as that happens we expect that early next week we would maybe have to put out some warning for The Bahamas if it continues to move in our direction. “If it makes a turn towards the north, again then we would have to put something out. It all depends on when it starts to make that move.” Mr Greene said it was too early to say what portion of The Bahamas, if any might, be affected. “That’s the thing. We would have to watch to see because right now we only
know that it’s going to make a clockwise rotation then it’s going to move towards the west. We don’t know how far it’s going to be near the central and southeast, or if it’s going to be closer to the northwest Bahamas. “So it will be early next week when we will be able to tell you whether we will have to issue warnings for The Bahamas. “Right now they have it projected to be a tropical storm and then make that turn towards the west again. That’s only a projection and that’s several days out so that may be incorrect. It could be a hurricane by that time but that’s what’s projected for right now,” Mr Greene said.
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THE TRIBUNE
THE RACE HAS BEGUN SECRETARY of State Mike Pompeo listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. TUESDAY was the day the 2020 presidential campaign really began in the US. Revelations that President Donald Trump appears to have tried to involve the president of Ukraine in implicating Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden in some suspicious-looking international skullduggery evoked new cries of outrage from across the Democratic political spectrum. Republicans such as Senator Mitt Romney of Utah and Florida’s Marco Rubio issued modulated but alarmed reactions. Many other GOP personalities remained silent. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally gave the green light to a formal impeachment inquiry. As she did so, liberal TV pundits were reminding viewers that at a roughly similar point more than 45 years ago, only 19 percent of Americans favoured impeachment against President Richard Nixon. As that Watergate inquiry widened, and its implications grew more ominous, the calculus changed, and eventually, Republican senators went to the White House and told Nixon they could no longer support him. Facing certain impeachment and removal from office, Nixon chose to resign. Pelosi and the Democrats in the House must believe
STATESIDE
with Charlie Harper
that a similar process will at the man he believes to unfold in 2020. be his most likely, and forThey must also feel that midable, opponent next the American people will year. There are reports that come to the realisation Biden and his campaign are that even though Trump stunned at Trump’s willcontinues to ingness to shatter norms ‘House Speaker fight so dirty for presiden- Nancy Pelosi finally this early in tial behaviour, gave the green the political and also freely season. to admit to light to a formal Welcome to most of his impeachment Trump World. misbehaviour, inquiry. As she And prepare he remains for a lot more unwilling to did so, liberal information make the TV pundits were than you ever effort to make reminding viewers thought you’d himself fit for receive about the office he that at a roughly Biden’s son. similar point more holds. Hunter Biden He could than 45 years ago, may have certainly followed an only 19 percent of remake himestablished self as fit to Americans favoured road to forbe president. impeachment eign riches. Apparently, As we have against President he doesn’t see learned over the need to Richard Nixon.’ the decades, do so, even there’s plenty in order to avoid defeat by of money overseas availwinning re-election. able in exchange for access But in moving so aggres- to American politicians sively against Biden, Trump and their relatives and their is digging into his political campaigns. Remember the playbook to hit back hard Clinton Foundation and the
allegations for foreign payoffs to the Clintons via that device? Both Joe and Hunter Biden may have been indiscreet in their Ukraine dealings. We’ll see, and we will likely have to make a judgment for ourselves. But there will be no lack of information and innuendo on this. Meanwhile, we must all prepare for the reality of a presidential campaign that promises to be as rough and embarrassing to the US as many have feared it could be. As the mudslinging continues, it will be interesting to watch the campaign of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is attracting bigger crowds in Iowa and New Hampshire, and promises many reforms that polls indicate might be attracting voters. Aside from her controversial claims of Native American lineage, she appears to be clean and free of personal scandal. She even looks honest. More people may be wondering “What if Warren were president?”
Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
THE RETURN OF STRIKE ACTION “YOU haven’t seen a real strike in a long time, and now you know what this is about.” The speaker was a Detroit-area official for the United Auto Workers, and he was talking to the Detroit News this week about the longest strike since 1970 by the powerful union against American auto giant General Motors. The UAW official was right. Americans haven’t seen a real strike in a very long time. But there is some evidence that the US may be headed for a renewed period of labour unrest after a relatively long period marked by the absence of major strikes. Many would identify a walkout by the federal air traffic controllers in August 1981 as the last significant US labour stoppage. That strike, then and now seen as a direct challenge to the conservative beliefs of newly-elected President Ronald Reagan, led to the president firing more than 11,000 of the strikers. His firm and unflinching handling of that crisis was one of the defining moments of a presidency that has led to Reagan’s enshrinement as a Republican icon. Even Donald Trump has professed his admiration for the former California governor. Back to the current UAW strike against GM. General Motors was one of the American auto makers rescued from collapse by President Barack Obama in the wake of the Great Recession in the United States of 2008-09. That move by Obama paid off not only for the many thousands of Midwestern workers in the auto industry, but also for the president. Obama carried both Ohio and Michigan in 2012 in a tough re-election fight against Mitt Romney. Hillary Clinton won neither state four years later, dooming her to defeat. An analysis of the strikers’ current demands appeared in the New York Times. “Workers hired before 2007 make about $31 per hour, and can retire with a lifetime pension. Those hired after 2007 start at $17 per hour and can reach $29 only after eight years’ service. The more
recent hires account for one-third of the GM work force.” This inequality is at the heart of the current strike. GM made a profit of $35 billion over the past three years. Perhaps the best symbol of the current labour unrest is the massive GM assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio. This sprawling facility alongside the Ohio Turnpike between Cleveland and Youngstown opened in 1966, and began producing iconic Chevrolet models like the Caprice, Bel Air and Biscayne. Since 2010, production had concentrated on the popular Cruze. In 1972, amid labour turmoil throughout the country, a UAW strike against GM at Lordstown was called the “Industrial Woodstock” because so many of the (male) workers sported long hair. The 22-day strike cost GM an estimated $150 million 47 years ago. (The Wall Street Journal estimates that the current strike is costing GM $50 million each day), But the Lordstown plant closed its doors for the last time just over six months ago, and to make matters worse, some of its functions are being outsourced to Mexico. GM had given six months’ notice of the closing, but the reality was a punch to the stomach for a reeling region. This happened despite Trump reassuring this northeast Ohio rust belt region that the good times were about to roll again. Big organised labour in the United States has seen a decline in membership and political clout since the famous Reagan action against air traffic controllers nearly 40 years ago. But it retains a seat at the table of major influential Democratic party constituencies. Candidates like Biden and Ohio representative Tim Ryan pay regular homage to the power of labour unions. Unions like the UAW can still organise and mobilise members to vote, and that’s another warning sign for the current US president that some big trouble lies ahead.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 9
Surgeons save Fred Smith’s life after paragliding horror crash from page one
we free fell,” he said. “Probably the only reason we’re alive is that against infection and necro- we were lucky enough on sis of the talus. I’m in the the way down to have been hospital in Bolzano, Italy blown hard against a cliff and being well taken care where we clung on until of. My surgeon recom- some hikers managed to get mends that I stay at the to us and helped to hold us hospital for at least another up until a rescue helicopter ten days.” airlifted us out. Mr Smith, 63, was cel“The helicopter had to ebrating his birthday. hover above us as it low“My greatest risk now is ered two medics to us and that I might get an infection put us in body bags and and or necrosis in the talus pulled us up. I was so glad bone which the tibia sits that the line and hook on on,” he said. the helicopter didn’t break “As a result of the acci- as we were taken off the dent the talus cliff side. We was completely ‘Probably the were 9,000 feet exposed and up. only reason therefore may “We were on have gotten we’re alive is the side of a infected. In addi- that we were cliff for about tion the talus half an hour lucky enough abefore doesn’t have they got many vascular on the way to us. The hikers elements and so down to have and the medics the risk of necrowere absolutely been blown sis therefore also fantastic.” arises. So this is hard against a Mr Smith said now a wait-and- cliff where we he was consumed see game in the shock and clung on until by short-term. didn’t feel much “If the heel some hikers pain at first as heals, all will managed to his tibia bone be good with broke and projust a substan- get to us and truded and his tial limitation helped to left foot bled and in the range of hold us up dangled. motion. I will He said his surthen only be able until a rescue gery lasted five to do half mara- helicopter hours. thons! If it does airlifted “Flying comnot heal, then mercial is not they will have us out.’ an option and to amputate my flying at all in the talus, which will bring more condition that I’m in now complications.” isn’t appropriate because Mr Smith, who said he of the continuing care that initially planned to hike, I need,” he said. “I will do yoga, meditate and get be missing in action for a massages on his trip before little.” a hotel concierge told him He said of his instrucabout paragliding, said tor: “My instructor is not his instructor was injured doing well. He is the local during the glide and that guru of paragliding. He’s the two fell from a very had a back operation. high altitude. Crushed vertebrae. Par“It may have been the tial paralysis. He is having sudden thermal that col- further operations on his lapsed our parachute and hand and arm tomorrow.
FRED SMITH QC His wonderful colleagues brought me a beautiful cake today for my birthday, and he and I were able to FaceTime in our respective beds! I’m sending him positive vibes for healing as well. “The medics were excellent. We were in shock and didn’t feel very much. My tibia bone broke and was sticking out and my left foot was just bleeding and dangling nearly off.” The well-known lawyer has been at the centre of fierce debates about immigration policy in the country, recently saying the government cannot take away the property rights of Abaco’s shanty town residents.
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PAGE 10, Thursday, September 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
MOTOROLA Solutions vice-president territory director of Northern Latin America and the Caribbean Janet Fernandez and Ministry of National Security Acting Permanent Secretary Eugene Poitier signing the contract for the expansion of closed-circuit television. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Deal signed for 507 more CCTV cameras By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net THE Ministry of National Security signed a contract with Proficient Business Services yesterday for the expansion of the government’s closed-circuit television system, adding an additional 507 cameras to the initiative. National Security Minister Marvin Dames told reporters that the execution of this contract would bring the total number of cameras strategically placed in hotspot areas to 750. However, he said, only 82 percent of the existing cameras in the system are now operational. “Today’s contract signing with Proficient Business Services will result in the police now having access to footage to an additional 507 cameras,” Mr Dames said yesterday. “As for the previous 243 cameras, you may recall upon coming to office, 193 of the cameras or almost 80 percent were not working. Added to this, the system was plagued with bandwidth issues, thereby making their use ineffective. “The bandwidth problems have been rectified and the system received necessary upgrades. “To date, 200 or 82 percent of the existing cameras are
now operational, while the other 43 are in the process of receiving the necessary upgrades.” Mr Dames said CCTV will help law enforcement officials determine critical information form crime scenes. He said: “When fully installed, of the grand total, 100 of the cameras will be equipped with licence plate recognition capabilities, another 100 with facial recognition capabilities and another 120 with pan tilt zone capabilities which will be able to capture evidential information in real time. “The intent of today’s undertaking adds to the arsenal of crime-fighting tools, while heightening community confidence that perpetrators of crimes will be caught and dealt with to the full extent of the law. This administration is committed to improving law enforcement in the Bahamas as it is key to sustainable development.” He added: “The use of CCTV has offered various potential applications for public safety inclusive of preventing crime, detecting offences, improving the response times to emergencies, assisting in the management of places and reducing the public’s fear of crime. “The use of
CCTV technology continues to evolve globally both within the western hemisphere and across the pond.” The minister expressed his confidence that expanded CCTV coverage will aid the crime fight. Mr Dames said: “Research suggests that strategically placed cameras do have an impact on CCTV’s ability to reduce premeditative or property crime. The footage gathered will assist in a serious of questions known as the 5WH. “They include who was involved, where did it happen, what happened, when did it happen, why did it happen and how was the offence committed. CCTV will be useful (in) answering four of these questions, who was involved, where did it happen, what happened and how was the offence committed.” He added: “Policing and crime-fighting initiatives are characteristics of my life and I take them seriously. I am pleased with this initiative of the RBPF as we forge our way forward in creating a safer and better Bahamas.” Yesterday, the Royal Bahamas Police Force also signed a contract with Motorola to receive a complement of radio systems.
OFFICIALS APPOINTED TO COMPLAINTS BOARD By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday announced the appointment of officials to the Police Complaints Inspectorate. The civilian organisation is legally mandated to investigate complaints against police officers. A US human rights report released earlier this year said the PCI had not met since September 2017. Mr Dames said: “The Police Complaints Inspectorate, the members are mandated to review the investigations and determination of any complaint by the Complaints and Corruptions Branch of the Royal Bahamas Police Force to ensure that the investigations are conducted without bias. “The inspectorate will be chaired by attorney, Ms Tanya McCartney, and other members include Mr John Ferguson, Mr Matthew Albury, Mr Allen Emmanuel, Mr Franklyn Bethel, and Mr Hilbert
Collie. This is a very important board.” He added: “...Now that it’s constituted, they have already gotten to work as a matter of fact they would have paid a courtesy on the deputy commissioner of police who is the person responsible for complaints to the commissioner and so there up and running already. They are already began their work.” Speaking to reporters at police headquarters, Mr Dames said he often gets questions about some of the boards under his ministry and what they’re currently doing. Mr Dames said: “There are a total of eight boards, one newly instituted, two are reconstituted and five previously existing.” Speaking of the newly constituted Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee, he said: “For years having served their sentences, exconvicts have continued to be discriminated against in our wider society. “This committee is mandated to review records, and or empowered to make recommendations
for expungement of those records of convicts meeting their criteria set out by law.” He added: “The committee will be chaired by former commissioner of police, Mr Paul Farquharson, and the members include Mr Kahlil Parker, Mr Darron Rolle...Father Kendrick Forbes, vicar general, and a representative from the Department of Social Services.” Mr Dames said his ministry reconstituted the Aid to Discharge Prisoners Committee. He said: “Aid to Discharge Prisoners is the only non-statutory board; oftentimes when inmates leave prison, they require housing, counselling and myriad of other assistance as well as support. “This committee works closely with Prison Fellowship Bahamas to provide the support and the necessities in an effort to ensure seamless reintegration into society and positively affect recidivism numbers. Members of that board are Archdeacon Keith Cartwright and Revered Patrick Paul.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 11
Gas shortages paralyse Haiti By VINCENT JOOS Florida State University GASOLINE is fueling unrest in Haiti for the second time this year. The Caribbean country, which relies heavily on oil imported from Venezuela, has suffered fuel shortages and blackouts since Venezuela’s crisis-stricken government stopped oil shipments earlier this year. Throughout September, an acute fuel shortage has triggered street protests in the capital of Port-auPrince, forcing schools and shops to close. Hospitals are barely functioning. The crisis is beginning to ease in Port-au-Prince as more oil arrives. But the rest of the country remains paralysed. In Haiti’s Cap Haitian region and rural northeast, the humanitarian situation is dire. For over a year, a severe drought has left people with hardly any access to water. Crops have shriveled and the Dominican Republic just closed its border with Haiti, so food that once came from there is in short supply.
A FAILING ECONOMIC MODEL Haiti’s fuel shortages are one manifestation of the political crisis that has destabilised the country since the violent 1991 coup d’etat that replaced President Jean-Bertrand Aristide with a repressive military regime. That three-year dictatorship left Haiti’s democracy fragile. Haiti has had 11 prime ministers since 2010. The deeply dysfunctional government of President Jovenel Moïse has not yet passed a 2019 budget. This prevents the government from receiving the international loans that it relies on to fund over 20% of its operating budget. As a result, the government owes $130m in arrears to its fuel suppliers. Haiti’s financial struggles are also, in large part, the result of an ill-conceived economic system that has failed to meet Haiti’s needs for over a century. Ever since the American military occupied Haiti
Venezuelan fund that provided low-interest loans to help rebuild Haiti in exchange for oil purchases. The scheme was revealed in a stunning, 604-page report submitted in May 2019 to the Haitian Senate by the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes. The report explained why construction that began on hundreds of roads, bridges, hospitals, wharves, schools and soccer stadiums after Haiti’s 2010 earthquake was never finished. In southern Port-au-Prince, a gigantic half-built hospital and a bridge to nowhere serve as daily reminders of government embezzlement.
HAITI’S BRIGHT SIDE PROTESTERS scatter as shots are fired during a protest against fuel shortages and demanding the resignation of president Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Friday. Haiti has come to a standstill with no public transportation and banks, government offices and schools shut down amid street protests over a fuel crisis. Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP Today, fewer than 15,000 from 1915 to 1934, its eco- across Cap Haitian was trade policies it created in the early 1900s, which people work in the factories nomic and social policies threatened. This process of exploita- allow US companies to sell at Caracol – a quarter of have been designed to promised jobs. Most work attract foreign investment. tion followed by scarcity government-subsidised The plan, which was crafted and environmental degra- American rice and sugar to long hours in bad condiin the 1910s and 1920s by dation has repeated itself Haitians at prices that have tions for less than US$5 a left Haitian farmers unable day. the US military govern- for decades. Chasing low-wage labour to compete. The Haitian peasant ment, was to “develop” this One modern develop- farmers evicted by the Hairural Caribbean country and free trade, US corporaby making it an appealing tions and military agencies ment project is painfully tian state from their land so operating environment for have established sugar cane emblematic of Haiti’s failed the park could be built did plantations, rubber planta- economic model. not get jobs at Caracol, nor US firms. The Caracol Industrial were government promises In practice, that meant tions and textile factories in keeping Haitian wages, cor- Haiti for the past 100 years, Park, which opened in to resettle them met. Today, porate taxes and tariffs low. with similarly disappointing northeast Haiti in 2012, was many of them live in povIn exchange, the theory results for workers and the supposed to be the center- erty on the outskirts of the piece of the reconstruction park. went, foreign investment environment. effort in Haiti after its devwould bring infrastructure astating 2010 earthquake. development and jobs, benDeveloped by the Clinefiting all Haitians. ton Foundation, US State American agro-corpoDepartment and the Interrations began profitably American Development cultivating cash crops like I am a cultural anthro- Bank, Caracol was supFailed factories and coffee, bananas and sugar who studies posed to create 60,000 jobs exploitative agricultural in Haiti in the early 20th pologist industrialisation and infor- in the garment and assem- ventures are not solely century. In 1926, American busi- mal economies in Haiti. bly industries on farmland responsible for Haitians’ nessmen backed by the Over the past seven years, that, at the time, fed 4,000 poverty – or for their anger. In June 2019, protestAmerican military gov- I’ve spoken with dozens people. According to then- ers took to the streets to ernment seized more than of Haitian factory work12,000 acres of fertile land ers, small farmers and Secretary of State Hillary demand the resignation of from Haitian peasants in entrepreneurs about their Clinton, the industrial park President Moise of the Tet the Cap Haitian region to experiences with this kind would “put Haiti finally on Kale Party, who is accused embezzling funds grow sisal, a fibrous plant of foreign-funded develop- the path to broad-based of through fake construction economic growth”. used in weaving. To make ment project. After decades of The development took companies. room for this massive indusMoise and his Tet trial operation, thousands extremely business-friendly advantage of new, postof families were evicted policies, three quarters earthquake US policies Kale predecessor, Presiof Haitians still live on offering duty free Haitian dent Michel Martelly, are from their land. The intensive cultivation less than $2.40 a day. The garment exports and giving accused by his own governof just one crop over two United States, Haiti’s main tax breaks to corporations ment of siphoning billions decades so depleted the trade partner, has contin- that moved into this new of dollars in development aid from Petrocaribe, a soil that food production ued to enjoy the favorable Haitian free-trade zone.
EMPTY INDUSTRIAL PARKS
A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE
Fuel shortages and unscrupulous politicians may be a daily reality in Haiti, but there are positive things happening there, too. In 2012, the 42-acre Martissant Park opened in southern Port-au-Prince. It features a large library, dense forests and environmental and educational programming. To restore this urban forest and make it useful to locals, the Haitian foundation Fokal worked with city and state officials to remove and compensate squatters, upgrade surrounding neighborhoods and institute municipal trash pickup – a rare example of good governance. And, in January, a coalition of peasant farmers evicted to make way for the Caracol Industrial Park won a historic settlement against the International Development Bank. With legal help from the Accountability Counsel, an American nonprofit, 4,000 people will receive reparations in the form of small plots of land, employment and training opportunities. As frequent protests in Haiti show, people are well aware of the systemic problems hurting their economic and political systems. On the street, in their neighbourhoods and abroad, they are demanding better. • This article is republished from http://theconversation.com.
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THE TRIBUNE
Ministry rejects ‘irresponsible’ story about death of marine
DEFENCE Force Marine Eugene Wallace. THE Ministry of Health has refuted a “misleading” story circulating on social media about the “unfortunate” death of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force marine. The ministry said the the marine in question died of cardiac arrest after he went to the Marsh Harbour Clinic in Abaco on Tuesday evening. A Facebook page alleged the marine died in Abaco as a result of an infection brought on by conditions on the island in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. “The misleading story is replete with reckless and untrue assertions and allegations,” the ministry said in a statement. “The facts are that defence force marine Wallace suffered a cardiac arrest after presenting to the Marsh Harbour Clinic at 6pm yesterday, Tuesday 24 September, 2019. He succumbed after emergency air evacuation and was pronounced dead at Doctors Hospital in Nassau. “An autopsy will be conducted to confirm the exact cause of death and the relation to his known chronic medical illnesses, which were evident at the time of
his presentation. Mr Wallace’s medical history will remain confidential. “There is no evidence that his death was in any way related to his posting in Abaco, the environment, air or water. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have also examined 17 other Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) officers. One other had symptoms of a rash and respiratory symptoms. “There is no specific or generalised risk of inhabitation in Abaco. It is safe for officers of the RBPF, RBDF, other civil servants and the general population. The MOH and our partner agencies (including PAHO) continues to monitor the islands and have discovered no quarantinable illnesses or hazards that threaten the populations attempting to return to their homes and businesses. “We find that this reckless and irresponsible claim distracts from the everyday efforts of all positive minded individuals and we remind the public not to share such ‘reports’ unless from a reputable and credible source.”
PASTORS on Grand Bahama Island have teamed up with the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation to provide care packages for their congregants. More than 50 local churches are currently part of the effort. Photo: Alfred Anderson/Barefoot Marketing
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THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 13
‘Tough’ for police after crime spike from page one you arrest a guy, he (is) on bail for murder and you arrest him for another murder, so the police are doing their jobs. Are they there yet? No, they are far from it.” Mr Dames said yesterday’s contract signing for the expansion of the government’s closed-circuit television system is a clear example his ministry is providing law enforcement with the proper tools and training. “We just signed a contract this morning for 507 cameras, if you look on the grass (at police headquarters) you see a fleet of new vehicles and so we continue to send officers off and we continue to provide them with the best in technology,” he said. “Very shortly in a few weeks we’ll be signing for the body cam contract as well as the drone’s contract, which is a multiagency
approach that we will be able to lock this country right down, once we intergrade all of this technology and roll it out.” Mr Dames said the police have a lot of work to do but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. He said: “They have work to do yeah, they have a lot of work to do. After having said that, this is a manifestation of the neglect that all of us bear some responsibility for over the decades. “Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Of course there is, we are very confident that the things we are doing will further assist us in getting us where we need to go” There have been 14 recorded murders so far this month, more than double the total number of murders police recorded in September 2018, which was five. According to The Tribune’s records, there have been 77 recorded murders so far this year.
FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE PARADISE ISLAND BLAZE
FIREFIGHTERS responding to a fire on a property on Paradise Island yesterday. The blaze appeared to take place at a home adjacent to the golf course. Officers responded and there was no word of any casualties.
THE TRIBUNE
‘The Bahamas’ own street philosopher’
Thursday, September 26, 2019, PAGE 15
PAGE 16, Thursday, September 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
JOHN “Chippie” Chipman died on Monday at the age of 90.
STATE-RECOGNSIED FUNERAL FOR JOHN ‘CHIPPIE’ CHIPMAN A STATE-RECOGNISED funeral will be held for John Arthur “Chippie” Chipman MBE on Saturday, September 28, at 11am at St Agnes Anglican Church on Baillou Hill Road and Cockburn Street.
The interment will follow at St Agnes Cemetery, Nassau Street. Mr Chipman’s body will lie-in-repose in the chapel of Sweetings Colonial Mortuary and Crematorium from 9am on Friday until
the body departs for the church on Saturday. Viewing for the general public will be between the hours of 1pm-6pm on Friday. The general public is invited to attend.