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‘Political threats’ forced me to quit Archer denies he’s to blame for Sands’ resignation By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamian Contractors Association’s (BCA) president yesterday blamed “sinister and unprecedented” political pressure for forcing him to resign to protect the group’s advocacy efforts. Leonard Sands told Tribune Business that the BCA’s executive board members were last week warned that the organisation faced “dire repercussions”, and exclusion from efforts to improve
NOW, DID I REMEMBER TO LOCK UP?
and regulate the industry, unless he stepped down by noon yesterday. Mr Sands alleged that the threats, and demands for his resignation, came from Omar Archer, recently appointed as Contractors Registrar. Minister of Works Desmond Bannister said he was “dumbfounded” by the allegations. Mr Archer also denied the claims of interference, saying he had no influence over the BCA’s internal workings. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
CRUISE BOSS: PASSENGERS RATE NASSAU NEAR BOTTOM By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
ROYAL Caribbean’s top executive yesterday confirmed that the company’s passenger satisfaction surveys show Nassau ranked near-bottom among 35 Caribbean destinations. The news comes as the industry discusses submitting a bid to manage the Nassau cruise port. Michael Bayley, president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, said cruise lines were talking to each other - and also other groups - about the possibility of joint bids to take over the operations and management of Prince George Wharf. His comments came as he pledged that Royal Caribbean was “very willing to work” in a “nonthreatening” way with the Government and Bay Street stakeholders to improve the passenger experience in downtown Nassau. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
MINNIS TO STEP IN ON DOCTORS DISPUTE
JUDGE SIGNALS GAG ORDER IN GIBSON CASE
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
and representatives from several media outlets to her court, informing all groups that an order was SUPREME Court being drafted to block all Justice Indra public discussions of the Charles announced on case through its Friday that precompletion. paratory steps Justice Charles, were underway to speaking spebar further public cifically to the commentary on members of the the ongoing Shane media present, Gibson bribery called recent case. public actions and In a surreports concernprise move, SHANE Gibson at ing the case “a Justice Charles court on Friday. matter of grave summoned importance.” case prosecuSEE PAGE 11 tors, Gibson’s attorneys
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CANADIAN fashion mogul Peter Nygard is pictured arriving at court on Friday. His court appearance came on the same day that court officers took possession of Nygard Cay in order to pay off his legal debts. See page six for the full story. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
FAMILY’S AGONY YEAR ON FROM MISSING FLIGHT By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net
ONE year after a US couple vanished with their aircraft while en route to Rum Cay for their wedding and honeymoon, their families are still seeking information from anyone who might have any details on what happened to their loved ones. Donna Grant and Forrest Sanco left North Eleuthera to fly to Rum Cay on
DONNA Grant and Forrest Sanco. Photo from Facebook September 26, 2017. Mr Sanco was flying a newly-bought Cessna
150-N3214X and officially closed his flight plan at 4.58pm on September 26 last year. Despite search and rescue efforts, only a single wheel believed to have belonged to the plane was found. In an interview with The Tribune, Mrs Grant’s daughter-in-law, Erin Simmons, appealed to the public to provide any new details to authorities. SEE PAGE THREE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he will meet senior doctors in the public healthcare system this week to consider their concerns, hoping to stave off actions that could cripple the healthcare system. The Consultant Physician Staff Association could hold a strike vote this week, CPSA leader Dr Locksley Munroe said at a press conference on Thursday. The threat reflects the breakdown in their efforts to secure an industrial agreement with the Public Hospitals Authority. SEE PAGE FIVE
INSIGHT DO YOU REMEMBER OUR HEROES OF THE GREAT WAR?
SEE PAGE SEVEN
PAGE 2, Monday, October 1, 2018
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100 JAMZ listeners won invite only passes to party exclusively inside Radio House with a special edition of the Thunderstorm live and a night of soca on Saturday. They enjoyed complimentary Kalik Light Platinum drinks and giveaways while partying with the Jamz Dynasty and members of the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association.
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THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 1, 2018, PAGE 3
FAMILY’S AGONY YEAR ON FROM MISSING FLIGHT from page one
“We’re thinking at this point, our best shot is probably going to be someone locally helping us in The Bahamas, maybe finding some sort of debris or something related to our case…that may wash up, or someone that may have
some more information,” she said. Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Department. On September 26, Mrs Simmons mourned the “horrific loss” the families have experience on the Facebook page “Bring
Forrest and Donna Home”. “Well, it’s been one year today since our world was changed forever. Forrest and Donna, you were tragically taken from this life, taken from us, without warning or reason,” Mrs Simmons wrote. “In spite of our tireless efforts, our utilising every resource available to us, and continuing our
constant search for you in every corner that we know to look, down every avenue with a remote possibility of a lead, no matter how small, still we’re left with only the memories of yesterday. “Although we struggle to make it through our days without you both, with every new day comes the hope of answers, the chance
for closure, and the elusive offering of relief for the emptiness those left behind are tasked to endure. “They say that grief is the price we pay for love, Forrest and Donna we love and miss you so very much. Your parents, children, siblings, friends and family near and far, we miss you. “We’ll never stop searching
for answers or give up hope of finding you, and in the meantime, we will cling to our precious memories and take comfort in knowing you’re happy and together.” Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the Air Accident Investigation Department at 242-397-5513 or aaid. mota@gmail.com.
Lighthouse Point: PM to hold town hall meetings
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis suggested on Saturday he will hold town hall meetings with residents of Eleuthera to discuss Disney Cruise Line’s proposed development of a destination at Lighthouse Point. The development is being opposed by environmental activists. In a joint opinion piece released last week, Bahamas National Trust executive director Eric Carey and One Eleuthera Foundation CEO Shaun Ingraham argued that the country must stop acquiescing to the cruise sector. “We simply cannot afford to make material and ongoing mistakes in this (tourism) sector,” they wrote. “As Bahamians, we owe it to ourselves to assure our political representatives approach the subject of tourism with the utmost care, attention and critical thinking. We must demand that our political representatives focus on preserving and growing segments of our tourism sector that offer the greatest return on investment, the highest employment and ownership potential, with the least environment and cultural degradation.” The pair noted that 75 percent of visitors to The Bahamas contribute only around ten percent of the country’s total tourism dollars. They said: “Who comprises this 75 percent? They are cruise passengers. Our minister of tourism has neither been ignorant of, nor silent on, the issue. Indeed, over the past two years he has made many public statements on the paradox. Mr D’Aguilar has not only shed light on this important fact, he has pledged to investigate ways in which our country might effectively increase the clearly anemic and disproportionally small contribution by the cruise industry to our tourism economy. His focus, however, has been limited
THE VIEW at Lighthouse Point. to exploring ways in which we can entice cruise passengers to spend more money, but has largely ignored the elephant in the room: the increasing number of private cruise ports. “The flip-side of the foregoing reality is that roughly 25 percent of our visitors contribute around 90 percent of our total tourism dollars. These gold-star contributors are our ‘stopover’ visitors, to use a term adopted by our Ministry of Tourism. They are tourists who truly visit The Bahamas, stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores and visit our national parks, as well as our historical and cultural sites. “We must not continue blindly to acquiesce to the cruise sector that contributes only 10 percent of
Photo: Barefoot Marketing our tourism revenue at an immeasurable cost. We cannot get Little Stirrup Cay back; it will never be the same. We cannot get Gorda Cay (Castaway Cay) back; it will never be the same. “None of the islands or enclaves we lease or sell to cruise lines can ever be gotten back. They are forever changed. As desperate as we may be for the hope of employment, of a steady pay-cheque, a philanthropic handout or two by a cruise line, we cannot surrender our critical thinking as we plot the future of our tourism economy. “Right now, we are feeling the ‘Disney effect,’ a set of subjective assumptions based upon wishful outcomes rather than empirical evidence, but we must not look at the drama unfolding around Lighthouse Point
without examining the larger picture. We Bahamians find ourselves in a watershed moment. Lighthouse Point is a ‘golden goose,’ and there are very few others like her. We can either allow it to be sold to a cruise line and doom ourselves to the status quo, an upside-down tourism economy where 75 percent of our visitors contribute only 10 percent of our tourism dollars and Disney doubles its profits, or we can put the same ‘golden goose’ to work for The Bahamas and Bahamian citizens, particularly Eleutherans. We can begin to steer our country towards more profitable models of tourism or we can spend the rest of our lives dreaming up ways in which to squeeze out a few more dollars from cruise passengers,” they wrote.
CAMPBELL: EVERYTHING IN PLACE FOR UNIFIED BUS SYSTEM THIS YEAR By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net FORMER Transport and Local Government Minister Frankie Campbell yesterday said plans left in place by his team could culminate in a completed unified bus system this year. Mr Campbell, who now serves as the minister of social services and urban development, has maintained that “all the heavy lifting is done” on the longawaited unified system. Mr Campbell, the member of Parliament for Southern Shores, said Cabinet has gone over all the budgetary items needed for the new system, insisting “the small details are being checked”. His comments yesterday came a little over three months since he revealed in late June that a six-month pilot project would act as the test run for a new system. Mr Campbell yesterday said, as far as he is aware, the system is proving
successful and has brought the government closer to its goal of a reimagined public transportation system. “The details were worked out,” he said. “When I left, all the key details were in place and our plan for major change was ready to be rolled out and operated.” Mr Campbell added: “We have the major details such as the central bus depot, the old road traffic facility on West Bay Street, and all the minor stops along the route already hashed out. “The budget lines, well the funds needed to manage the system, was already worked out. “So all that was left was the small items; a couple of little things we had to discuss with some of the drivers,” he said. When asked to expound upon what he was referring to as the little things, Mr Campbell said: “The little details, we wanted to speak to the drivers about uniforms; minor details about the public service vehicles,
things along those lines. “Some aspects of the data collection system being proposed, we wanted to speak on that and how it would be used. “So, like I said, the small things. And I trust in the coming weeks there will be so much more shared on this by the minister with responsibility for the sector. “But be assured until then, this government and particularly the Cabinet has committed itself to seeing this project through and we are doing just that. “You see the road traffic
efforts coming along, the new legislations and so on; all a part of our effort to truly improve transport matters in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” he said. The pilot project had a budget of approximately $700,000. According to Mr Campbell, through the Inter-American Development Bank, the Italian government provided a grant of $500,000. He also said the Bahamian government will complement that money with about $200,000.
PAGE 4, Monday, October 1, 2018
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High stakes over Kavanaugh nomination WHAT is really at stake in the great political circus now playing in Washington, DC? As the tortuous process of confirmation for US Circuit Court judge Brett Kavanaugh has now been extended by at least another week, the easy answer to that question is that a win for Kavanaugh would cement conservative ideological control of the American Supreme Court, an institution established to remain above the political fray and deliver impartial justice to the nation. The nearly universal conventional wisdom holds that with the addition of Kavanaugh, the high court would have a solid conservative/Republican majority. Kavanaugh would join Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito to form a cohesive right-leaning majority bloc that would diminish progressive American social and economic policies enacted over the past 85 years. Anxious liberals see as threatened American iconic programmes such as Social Security and Medicare. They see as imperiled the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade that established a woman’s right to have an abortion to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Liberals believe issues such as gay rights, affirmative action and voting rights would be at a minimum circumscribed. The right of workers to organise and exert the significant clout of American labour unions would also be at stake. Influential Republicans and conservatives, from President Trump to Senate majority leader McConnell, to pundits and commentators like Rush Limbaugh and the Fox News team, have done little to disabuse concerned Americans. Rolling back social and economic policies designed to benefit the many in favour of the few is avowedly, exactly, what they have in mind. So Trump has, in nominating an avowedly partisan jurist like Kavanaugh and in carelessly not insisting on sufficiently thorough prior background checks, succeeded in turning the nation’s attention completely away from his miscellaneous misadventures. This is happening even as trade disputes with China intensify and relations with Canada and Western Europe slide and further deteriorate. Americans have been granted a respite from White House intrigue. Even the Mueller investigation has disappeared from the big headlines.
Those headlines have all concerned Kavanaugh and his principal but no longer only sexual misconduct accuser, Dr Christine Blasey Ford. Objectively, it did appear that Ford “won” the contest with Kavanaugh when both testified under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, its 85-year-old chairman and its 85-year-old ranking minority member. Ford seemed genuine. She appeared to be honest, frightened and quietly determined to pursue justice in denying to Kavanaugh the respect and admiration that would normally accompany a lifetime appointment to the highest US court. If her testimony is to be believed, he hardly deserves such acclaim. Kavanaugh gradually revealed himself as the openly and fiercely partisan who scares progressives and endears himself to their opponents. Twenty-five years ago, Hillary Clinton angrily and famously lashed out at a “vast right wing conspiracy” whose objective was to demean and tarnish her efforts in areas such as health reform. Now in his televised and widely watched testimony, Kavanaugh essentially blamed a vast left-wing conspiracy for his current troubles. Clearly angry and fiercely intemperate, Kavanaugh behaved badly before the Senate. He declared “this whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit... revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups.” The judicious, even-tempered Kavanaugh we saw on television before Dr Ford’s allegations surfaced was nowhere in evidence last week. Georgia State University law professor Eric Segall told the New York Times that Kavanaugh “is one of the most partisan nominees in a long time. I would think that any person, even acting in totally good faith, would not be able to put aside the obvious trauma of this hearing for him, whether he is telling the truth, lying, or suffering from cognitive dissonance”. Thomas and Alito have admitted they were scarred by their own fractious confirmation hearings and both have proven to be almost reflexive conservatives in their rulings. So the stakes are high in the Kavanaugh confirmation fight. But even if he is confirmed, a familiar remedy is available for those who disagree with him. That remedy is to vote, next month, and in 2020.
Hurting customers EDITOR, The Tribune. SURPRISE surprise! Those of us who saw in the Commercial Enterprises Act a backdoor assault on Bahamianisation have had to wait less than a year to be proved right. It turns out that the FNM’s sanctimonious proclamation of a reduction in labour certificate applications may reflect nothing more than the ability of would-be applicants to use this pernicious legislation to skirt the ordinary process for obtaining a work permit. This should surprise nobody. After all, the economic rationale for the legislation never made an iota of sense. We were told that it would help us advance on the “ease of doing business” index, something that sounds good, but few people actually think about what it means. Generally speaking, the poorest and least developed countries rank highest in many aspects of business ease, such as (lack of) regulations on health and safety, labour protective rules and (importantly) immigration rules. Jamaica ranks highest in our region in ‘ease of doing business’. It stands to reason that a net importer
of labour like the Bahamas would have more stringent immigration rules than Jamaica. Few Bahamians would disagree with the policy behind this relative stringency, or with the rules that protect the Bahamian middle class by reserving local business activities and professions for locals. Yet the creators of the Commercial Enterprises Act seemed motivated by little more than an underhanded desire to reduce these very protections, rather than focus genuinely on the many needless impediments to doing business in our country, including those that affect Bahamian owned businesses. Most of these impediments relate not to immigration, but to a banking industry that makes its own erratic rules as it goes along, often at the expense of businesses and the wider population and generally without a whisper from the government or “regulators”. For example, as a businessman, I can no longer have my customers make third party deposits to my RBC business account. In an archipelagic country this is an outrageous
impediment to the most basic of business needs. Another example is the arbitrary ID requirements banks impose on us. Some of them arrogantly refuse to accept the ID document issued by the government that licensed them to operate, forcing us to carry around a passport (a document intended only for foreign travel) to access basic services. Banks also charge for services that are free in their home countries and recently Scotiabank has begun refusing in-branch withdrawals of under $1,500. When you add to these indignities the business-retarding lending philosophies of the Canadian banks (which government ministers freely admit on television are “predatory”) it makes you wonder why their stated intention of removing obstacles to business did not begin in the most obvious place. Unless, of course, that was not their real intention, as the latest labour certificate figures would tend to suggest. ANDREW ALLEN Nassau, September 8, 2018
Alarm at NIB payout EDITOR, The Tribune. KINDLY permit me to share my views on the disclosure by the Public Service Minister that the government has decided to settle a dispute with the former NIB director in connection with a decision taken by the previous administration to effect his termination Let me say at the outset that my commentary here is not intended to be an assessment on the merit or demerit of the above mentioned dispute or any particular case, but to share my views generally on what has been a disturbing pattern by the government (present and past) in addressing disputes involving individuals or entities who were the subject of some form of disciplinary measure or dispute with a previous administration (contractual or otherwise). It was reported in the press recently, that the Minister with responsibility for the Public Service & the National Insurance Board, when asked what was the amount paid by the government in settlement of a dispute with a former NIB director, replied “No, I can’t discuss that, that’s his personal business,” First let me say that a dispute with the government of The Bahamas in which the government is being called upon to yield to certain demands which require the use of public resources (monetary or otherwise) to meet such demands is not a matter which the government should cloak as being an individual’s personal or private business. The right to be told of the settlement amount and the reason therefore. Save in extreme cases of National Security or an order of a competent court, where the public purse is used to settle a dispute (contractual or otherwise) between an individual or entity and the government, the public is entitled to know the amount paid to settle such disputes as well as the relevant terms and conditions that is or will become a contingent liability on the public purse. I accept that there may cases where the government relative position in a dispute may be so blatantly weak and unsustainable, that a claimant may enjoy a position to demand or dictate the settlement terms
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net and condition, which could include some measure of confidentially. However, in the case to which the Minister referred, I am not aware of any information which would suggest or lead one to reasonably conclude that the government was in such a position. Perhaps, this is where proper disclosure of the relevant details by the minister would have been helpful to the public. Having said the above and in the absence of proper disclosure by the Minister, I see no reason why the Minister should have found it necessary or acceptable to withhold such information from the public. The public have a right to be told how much of the public funds were used to settle the matter and why the government found this to be a suitable case to settle in whatever amounts that it did and why. A generally disturbing practice. Again, not referring specifically to the case referred to by the Public Service minister, it has become a strategic practice, widely employed by individuals who are politically connected to allow a dispute (contractual or otherwise) which they may have with one administration to remain passive until the political party to which they actively and publicly support comes to power, confidently knowing that they will then find a listening and supportive ear to obtain a favorable settlement. As a matter of fact the politics in this country is such, that if one government terminates the services of an individual or fails to honour a contract (for good cause or not) all the individual has to do is throw his or her support behind the opposition party and when the opposition gains power, the individual is bound to be rehired in some capacity or the individual is made good on (paid for) a non-performed or under-performed contract. The blame for this disturbing practice is not to be placed at the feet of the individuals concerned, but squarely at the feet of
the government and more particularly at the feet of those politicians who seek to engage, justify and/or endorsed this commercially egregious practice. Notwithstanding, it may be the view of many, that the case to which the minister referred, may fit this pattern, it is not my suggestion here that such is the case nor do I suggest that it is or was the intent or modus of the individual to whom the minister referred, to engage in such a practice. The broader issue. Generally, there are too many instances where Ministers and Chairpersons of Statutory Boards or Commissions (past and present) make public announcements, which involves the use of public funds for various contracts and consultancy engagements, and when question on the cost of such engagements or funds expended on such contracts, curtly reply that they would not rather say at this stage or it is a private or confidential matter. This is unacceptable and should be vigorously condemned This practice in refusing to disclose how public funds were spent and in what amounts, only leads to corrupt speculation and rumors by members of the public. In some cases the public have every right to view such evasive response in such a manner, as it is often the approach taken by politicians and chairpersons who themselves are embarrassed by their decision to have spent public funds in such manner and in such unreasonable amounts. They are also seeking to avoid public condemnation of their decision. More troublesome though, this is the method often employed by individuals seeking to cover some corrupt or ill-advised act. In conclusion, the above comments are not to be construed in any manner as assigning or imputing any corrupt conduct or practice to or on the part of the Public Service Minister or the former NIB director relative the settlement referred to by the Minister or in any other matter whatsoever. CLAUDE B. HANNA Nassau, September 30, 2018.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 1, 2018, PAGE 5
Minnis to step in on doctors dispute from page one During a press conference on Saturday upon his return from New York where he attended a United Nations meeting, Dr Minnis said: “As you know I was at one point in time a member of the senior officers league or whatever you want to call it and I spoke with my colleagues about a week ago before I left so I was not sleeping, I know what’s going on. I asked them about their concern and we spoke and I told them that as soon as I return I would meet with them, so I have all intentions of meeting with my colleagues this week on that issue. I understand what their matters are and they understand what challenges and obstacles we may face, but we have a very, very good relationship.” Dr Minnis met with the Bahamas Nurses Union in August amid its threats of industrial action. The union’s rhetoric has toned down since then. The CPSA has not specified what it wants from the PHA, but its concerns centre around financial benefits. Last week, Dr Munroe said: “Despite what ought to be a civil, polite, respectful process, since the 16th of July, the PHA has not made any formal contacts with us to forward this negotiation process. They have not had the respect, the decency, to make contact with any of us to indicate that they are willing to come back to the table and that is a total lack of respect for persons like ourselves. “To date, we have not received a counter-proposal to the document we submitted initially in January of 2016. A fundamental aspect of any negotiation process is you submit a proposal, a counter-proposal is produced by the other side and you sit and negotiate a reasonable, amicable resolution to what that proposal is.”
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis at a press conference on Saturday after his return from the UN.
PM REJECTS PLP CALL FOR ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE MOVE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis suggested on Saturday his administration will not provide the opposition-led Public Accounts Committee with information it has requested. During a press conference following his trip to New York last week, Dr Minnis said on Saturday: “If it’s one thing I learnt from former Prime Minister Ingraham and he said always remember that the laws you pass today you must be able to live with when you’re out. When you’re in, be prepared to live with that when you’re out. “When we were in opposition, Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and those and quote me properly, had a policy that the PAC can only review matters that were brought forth by the auditor general. Our hands were tied we could not do anything. So if the auditor general brought nothing the PAC was functionless so tell Philip ‘Brave’ Davis live by the laws and rules he brought forth.” Yesterday, Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis was outraged over Dr Minnis’ comments. “That is a perverse and self-serving interpretation of an old ruling by the former speaker (of the House of Assembly). The PAC has the authority to send for any persons or papers,” Mr Davis noted in a statement in response to questions from The Tribune. “The PAC decides in its own deliberate judgment what it wishes to investigate and what is relevant to its investigations. The prime minister is simply ducking and dodging. His government must and should comply forthwith with our request.”
Mr Davis had complained of the administration’s lack of responsiveness to PAC requests during debate on the Fiscal Responsibility Bill in Parliament last week. “I said to them if you want to be responsible, allow the PAC to do their work and respond,” he said. “I mentioned the fact that I wrote to them in September 2017 for information related to school repairs for that year because of the controversy surrounding the Stephen Dillet school. They have failed to provide the information requested.” The PAC also requested information about “how the minister of finance arrived at his deficit numbers which were contrary to the Central Bank’s deficit numbers,” he said. “I got a response from the Central Bank but not from the administration. Then I wrote again lately about 12 questions in August; they were not responded to.” Earlier this year, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd took a different view on the powers of the PAC, saying the body could investigate any government entity it so chooses.
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Mr Lloyd said in April: “The PAC is a statutorily established committee, the most powerful in the House of Assembly. By law they are authorised to investigate any organisation or entity that is the recipient of funds from the people of this country. Whomever they want to speak to in this ministry they are welcome to do so at anytime. “This is a government of openness, accountability and transparency. Anything ever conducted in this ministry is open for scrutiny by the representatives of the people and that is the PAC. We have nothing to hide. It doesn’t matter who it is, what it is, the scope of their investigation, please come on by. No sweat, no problem. “It is with great respect and admiration that our democracy works in the matter in which it does because it shows this is what the framers of the constitution envisioned, that there would be accountability for the public’s hard earned money. Compliance is the morally and constitutionally appropriate thing to do.”
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PAGE 6, Monday, October 1, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
ACCESS is gained on Friday to the property of Peter Nygard at Lyford Cay - after a two-day stand-off - and the property is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. Photos: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff
Court seizes Nygard Cay as two-day stand-off ends By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net NYGARD Cay, the infamous property of Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, is now in the possession of the Supreme Court. Deputy Provost Marshal Tommy Sands along with a team of police officers seized the premises shortly after 11am on Friday, bringing to an end a twoday stand-off which saw officers blocked from entering the compound. It follows a petition by Save The Bays to have Nygard Cay sold to satisfy the $2.2m debt Mr Nygard owes in legal costs from illegal dredging activities. In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Save The Bays lead attorney Fred Smith cheered the development as a victory for the country’s judiciary. Mr Smith said the recent events should serve as stark reminder to Mr Nygard that no one man is above the law. “The property is now in the hands of the Supreme Court and the provost marshal; it is up to them to either rent it, sell it, auction it or do whatever they want
OFFICIALS at the Nygard Cay property on Friday. to raise that $2.2m he needs to pay off his legal debts.” Mr Smith added: “This has been a long time coming, but now he knows he is not above the rules and laws of The Bahamas and he is certainly not untouchable.” Employees of Mr Nygard had successfully denied Deputy Provost Marshal
Sands and a team of police officers access on Thursday, but attempts to thwart them on Friday proved unsuccessful. A locksmith was called to open a small side gate at the entrance, allowing entry to the property. The team moved in almost to the minute as Mr Nygard’s legal team fought to have his
sentencing for two contempt charges delayed. Mr Nygard, who appeared in court on Friday, was set to hear his fate on the charges stemming from a breach of retired Justice Rhonda Bain’s July 13, 2013, injunction prohibiting him from engaging in dredging activities at his Simms Point/Nygard Cay property.
Justice Indra Charles inherited execution of sentencing in the case after Justice Bain retired. Attorneys for Mr Nygard, both past and present, appeared in court on Friday to assist in having the sentencing delayed and Justice Charles recuse herself of the process. Attorney Keod Smith, who Justice Charles has long stated that she will recuse herself of any case he is involved in, appeared and petitioned the court to have a recusal application drafted by him, considered. However, the request was vehemently denied after Justice Charles agreed with Fred Smith that Keod Smith had nothing to do with the sentencing portion of the case. Coincidentally, in an affidavit filed on September 26, in support of the recusal of Justice Charles in the case, Damien Gomez, another of Mr Nygard’s former attorneys, claimed that the past recusal of Justice Charles in matters involving Mr Nygard and Keod Smith should bar her from handing down sentencing in this case. Mr Gomez in the affidavit claimed that Justice Charles, in chamber
meetings with himself as the attorney on record for both Keod Smith and Mr Nygard, disclosed that a person claiming to be Keod Smith had called her son who was attending an educational institution in New York and made various threats during the conversation. Subsequent to the call, according to the affidavit, Justice Charles made complaints to police, leading to Keod Smith being questioned on the incident. Justice Charles ultimately recused herself in the case, and has gone on record with her intention to recuse herself of any case involving Keod Smith. Mr Gomez said that ordeal and the way it was handled has made Mr Nygard anxious about possibility of being sentenced by Justice Charles, fearing that she suspects he may have been the person behind the call to her son. On Friday, Mr Nygard’s new counsel, the fatherson team of Carlton and Rouschard Martin of Martin, Martin & Co, made the court aware of their plans to seek the recusal of Justice Charles. The matter is adjourned to January 17.
PRISON OFFICERS COMPLETE PAROLE TRAINING By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
TWENTY prison officers were celebrated on Friday after completing an inaugural parole programme
supervised by Canadian correctional service experts. Commissioner Charles Murphy said the programme reflects the government’s desire to transform the Department of Correctional Services from “punitive institution to a 21st century
correctional facility.” “This training has ensured that these officers are well equipped with such techniques as supervision, investigative procedures, inventive strategies and interview skills,” he said. Leslie Ottenhof, a parole supervisor at the
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Correctional Service of Canada, called the programme the “most innovative and comprehensive training programme” for parole officers in that country. She said the “induction training is geared to provide the introductory skills and knowledge required to be an effective parole officer. “In turn, this will contribute to achieving the mission statement of providing safe, secure humane environment, which ultimately contributes to our most important responsibility of public safety. “Through the completion of this programme, participants have gained the theoretical knowledge of how law and policy provides the framework to the effective assessment and management of an offender’s risk.” “This programme then challenges participants to apply such knowledge and to analyse information by interviewing and report writing. “Through a critical analysis of an offender’s case, our participants journeyed through a typical offender’s sentence
from start to finish; first by identifying risk factors of an offenders crime cycle, by creating objectives for rehabilitation through a correctional plan, by making critical risk based decisions throughout an offender’s sentence in custody and finally, by learning how to manage an offender’s risk in the community.” The Bahamas does not have a parole system. The $20m Inter-American Development Bank’s Citizen Security and Justice Programme is helping to fund the development of such a system. Under the Christie administration, a Parole and re-entry Steering Committee was established to examine the matter. The recommendations of that committee have not been made public and it is not clear when legislation will be brought to Parliament to establish the parole system. As part of a 2016 study, which involved 350 inmates, researchers examined a range of factors, including prisoner psyche, conditions at the BDCS and the country’s legal system.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
When The Bahamas sailed off to war ON November 11 this year, heads will bow around the globe to mark the centenary of the end of World War One. That bloody conflict from 1914 to 1918 claimed millions of lives - many of whom, to this day, have no known grave. As the stalemate on the Western Front claimed more and more lives through the horrors of battles like, Ypres, The Somme and Verdun, Britain looked to its then-colonies to find more men to shore up its bloodied forces.
All over the Empire men volunteered to fight for “King and country”, boarding troop ships from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa - anywhere that saluted the Union Flag. In the Caribbean, the call came too and here in The Bahamas local men from all walks of life signed up and sailed off to war. On November 9, The Tribune will be publishing a special tribute to mark the contribution of the Bahamian contingent who sailed from Nassau to ‘do their bit’ - whatever the price. We’ll
THE DEPARTURE of the gallant Bahamians in 1915 on the sloop Varuna. also examine the work done here in The Bahamas to help Britain’s war effort. Today we publish the original photographs and
all the names of the men of the three Bahamian contingents who took part in their conflict. If, in your own family
history, you recognise one of your relatives and have stories or photographs that have been passed down through the years,
we’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch by emailing getresults@felicityingraham.com.
THE 1st Draft for the Bahamas Unit, sailed August 5, 1916. Pictured from left, first row (bottom) - George Tinker, Jos. McBain Johnson, Clarence White, Arthur H. Lightbourn, Alfred Etienne Dupuch, Paul Bethel, Albert A Lloyd. Second row: George H Ingraham, Othaniel Cooper, Jephtha Hunter, Wilfred McKenzie, John Dean, Robert Sands, Maurice Rolle, Sylvester Ferguson, Arnold Williams, William Thompson, Vandruft Bunch, Jonathan Baker, Ferris Pearce, Ormond S. Fernander, John Smith, Jas. Edward Holmes, RH Crawford Esq. Third row: James A Payne, James Wallace, Edwin Rodenwalt, Louis Capron, James Davis, Abrah. Lafleur, Campbell Balfour, Chas. Evans, Jos Albury, Geo Rolle, Geo
Saunders, James A Rose, Harold B Bowe, Arthur Sandford, Jaris Johnson. Fourth row: Obadiah Cambridge, William Thompson, Ivanhoe Brown, Francis M. Johnson, Saml A Smith, Clarence Peters, Ernest Kemp, Hugh L Cash, Edmund Hanna, Victor Toote, William Bevans, Harold Turnquest. Fifth row: Richard George Cooper, Geo. Higgs, Harry Thompson, Leander Smith, Elijah Johnson, Albert Hall, James Wood, Hudon Hulen Moss. Sixth row: Reginald Petty, Nathaniel Symonette, Alfred Clark, Harold Peterson, Alex Pinder, James Newman, William B Carey, Benjamin E Roberts, Herbert Miller, Edmund Hanna, Alfred Sweeting, Hezekiah Stuart, Herbert Alex. Hart, Lorenzo Bannister, Alfred Pitt.
THE Second Draft for the Bahamas Unit. Pictured from left, first row: F Russell, A Taylor, RA Brice, AW Hall, T Roxborough, H Higgins, Sgt Harrison, R Seymour, F Larrimore, H Longley, R Morrison, C Ferguson. LJ Johnson. Second row: N Major, J Taylor, WN Hall, L Saunders, WG Saunders, D Penn, F Knowles. Third row: G Berry, SU Rolle, A Wells, JA Evans, A Williams, C Morris, L Barr, E Higgs, A Gay, WT Saunders, Theo Roker. Fourth row: N Robinson, F Sair, HC Sweeting, R Saunders, JW Moultrie, T Lightbourne, JH Johnson, G Dames, T Roker. Fifth row: H Morris, R Sweeting, WL Roberts. CH Tinker, T Smith, G Marshall, J Munro.
The Third draft of the Bahamas Unit. Pictured from left, first row (sitting): Alfred Cargill, Jas GW Bullard, Saml O Ambrose, Israel Mccartney, Jas Lloyd, Donald Ingraham, Jas Davis, Gabriel Brown. Second row: Jos Young, Jas Boyd, Wm W Thompson, Geo A Thompson, Dan Sweeting, Wm Evans, Asa Kemp, Alaric Saunders. Thos A Johnson, Benjamin Hamilton, Stephen H Saunders, Robt Taylor. Third row: Wm RA Bethel, Sol S Roker, Albert Barry, Soloman Davis, Jas W Hall, John Whylly, Albert Bizzard, Jas A Young, David Rolle, Ernest R Gibson, Chas A Bethel, Vincent Carey. Fourth row: Geo Fisher, John Turnquest, Sam Brown, Robt Green, Ed M Rolle, Jas Baptiste, Daniel Sweeting, Nathl Gordon, Horace Johnson, Howard Roberts, Wm A Thompson, Clarence Coakley, Gus Peterson. Fifth row: Octavius Dean, Edward Smith, Leon Albury, Fred Kerr, Robert W Sawyer, Allan A Thompson, Thad Evans, Anderson Seymour, Malvin Ingraham, Lees Hall, Henry Brennan, Geo L Sweeting.
PAGE 8 MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
There will be a heavy price to pay if we’re treated like children By MALCOLM STRACHAN
I
T is no secret that political factions within our country expect a level of loyalty from members of Cabinet in government. Often, when Members of Parliament who express feelings or views that conflict with the executive, the electorate may assume some discord within government. So it is at present within the governing Free National Movement, where it seems there are a few disgruntled backbenchers. However, what if we are viewing this all the wrong way? Pineridge MP Fred McAlpine, perhaps the most outspoken among the disgruntled, has long been a thorn in the side of the prime minister. Notwithstanding any underlying issue between these men, have we considered that McAlpine is just doing the job he was elected to perform? McAlpine, like the other 39 Members of Parliament, were voted in by their constituents to serve as their representatives. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, that conflicts with Parliamentarians serving at the pleasure of the prime minister. Rather than being viewed as servants of the people, any dissenting voices within government are seen as disgruntled detractors. Certainly, many among us would say the Minnis administration have become quite the arrogant bunch. The prime minister himself does not even consider any matters brought up by the Opposition. In fact, when prompted for a response by the media to the Opposition’s call for Bahamas Power & Light to be removed from Works Minister Desmond Bannister’s portfolio, Prime Minister Minnis completely disregarded their concerns and summed it up to the Opposition being negative (with a capital N). Fair enough, as our politics certainly allows for a large degree of immaturity to be on display. However, if we are to advance as a democratic society, such concerns should be taken seriously and debated for the Bahamian people to have a full grasp of the
PINERIDGE MP Frederick McAlpine - is he a thorn in the FNM side or is he just doing his job for his constituents? issues that affect us as a society. This would lead to a more informed populace who can be engaged in the democratic process and move beyond legacy voting. That manner of voting during elections serves only to hamstring our democracy. Similarly, backbenchers, who are not part of Cabinet and are not involved in any real decision making, seemingly only exist to increase support for executive decisions. Advancing any personal views on matters if they do not agree with the executive can have serious ramifications, as learned by Pineridge, Centerville and Bain and Grants Town MPs Fred McAlpine, Reece Chipman and Travis Robinson, respectively. Robinson and McAlpine
were both relieved of their duties as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Chairman of the Hotel Corporation after voting against the VAT increase a few months ago. Likewise, their colleague, Reece Chipman, who also voted against the increase, was fired as the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation Chairman in March of this year for reasons that are still unclear to the Bahamian people. That being said, House Speaker Halson Moultrie has recently called on the prime minister to make constitutional changes that would allow backbenchers to operate more independently with the hopes that it will advance The Bahamas as a democratic society. However, the lack
DR Hubert Minnis.
Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff
of a response by the prime most comfortable when minister is not surprising. he can create and control The Cabinet seems quite the narrative. Surely, we comfortable making what- have all seen that his knees ever decisions they like, tend to buckle - fumbling whenever they like, with through his speeches and little or no interference. becoming frustrated when Still high off a 16-month-old challenged by the media on election victory, the Prime matters where he is unable Minister and the gang go to sway the Bahamian on about conducting the people. “people’s With such business” sizeable The prime minister a without conmajority in seems most sultation Parliament, outside of comfortable when does the Cabinet prime minhe can create and tuning ister really out any and control the expect the narrative. Surely, dissidents. next threeWe have we have all seen plus years to seen the be run as an prime min- that his knees autocracy – ister avoid tend to buckle where he calls the pressure fumbling through the shots and of facing the everybody his speeches and Bahamian else serves at people on becoming frustrated his pleasure? the heels of when challenged As much unpopular as he and by the media on decisions. his cohort For instance, matters where he is promote camgoing on a unable to sway the paign rhetoric Family Island about doing tour to fill Bahamian people. “the people’s rooms with business”, people most likely incentiv- Dr Minnis seems misunized to show support is not derstood about the support characteristic of a confident he received that led to him leader. Actually, it is indica- becoming prime minister. tive of someone insecure The Bahamian people want and unable to meet oppos- a government that works ing views head on. on our behalf – not one The prime minister seems that speaks to us as if we
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don’t understand the issues, ignores our demands for real transparency and carries on as they see fit. Certainly, the prime minister’s delusion about him being the saviour of The Bahamas has created a god complex that is stifling the country. As more of us are beginning to view all political parties through the same lens, we are becoming jaded with the entire process. Dr Minnis still has a unique chance to create a better Bahamas, but consistent misunderstanding of the role that he should play will continue to lead to the disenchantment of the electorate. Perhaps this is why dissenting voices such as Fred McAlpine are appreciated by the common man. The Bahamian people are hopeful that someone within the halls of Parliament still has them top foremost in mind. MP for Long Island Adrian Gibson has been yet another backbencher to hold the government accountable by calling for “more teeth” on the Fiscal Responsibility Bill. It is our hope that rather than receiving blowback for standing up for the Bahamian people that the government can see this as a constructive exercise. The Bahamian people want to feel comfortable that we have leaders that are committed to fighting for us rather than enriching themselves. Too long we have forgotten what that feels like. Dr Minnis must remember that while he may not be as concerned with going back to his constituency and looking in his supporters’ faces, there are some Members of Parliament that are. His job may only become harder, if those voices become louder.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018 PAGE 9
SAME-sex marriage campaigners and volunteers during the successful campaign to pass marriage equality legislation in Australia last year. Even before marriage laws, there are a number of countries with a lack of equal treatment for people because of their sexuality. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP
Gay people are citizens too A REGRESSIVE 19th century law, that is a legacy of British rule, continues to exist in ten of the 12 independent Commonwealth Caribbean states. The law, inspired by the 1553 Buggery Act in England, was imposed on all British colonies by the colonial government in Britain in 1861. It effectively outlawed homosexuality. The two independent Commonwealth Caribbean countries that have done away with this archaic law, which, it should be emphasised, was not enacted by Caribbean legislators, are The Bahamas and Belize. The law also does not exist in Haiti and Suriname which, together with the 12 independent Commonwealth countries, comprise the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In one of the ten countries, Trinidad and Tobago, a High Court judgment ruled that sections of the existing law, which criminalise buggery between consenting adults, “are unconstitutional and should be struck down”. So, there has been action by the judiciary to reject the consequences on the Trinidad and Tobago society of a law imposed by colonial England 157 years ago. The law was not imposed by Britain in 1861 because there was a demand for it within its many colonies at the time. It was reportedly imposed to protect British soldiers and colonial administrators from “corruption” out of a fear that these men sent far from home (and their women) would turn to homosexuality. Of course, the law has long since been discarded within Britain itself. Today, homosexual men and women play leading and public roles in every aspect of British society, including its government. Other former colonies of Britain have also repealed this archaic law. Among these countries are Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and most recently India. The discarding of laws that discriminated against citizens based on their sexual orientation, has unleashed economic activity and productivity in all these countries. People who lived lives of fear, closeted from the society and afraid to participate to the full extent of their talents and creativity, are now freely contributing to government, the arts and the advancement of their countries’ economies in
World View
By SIR RONALD SANDERS
unprecedented ways. Holding back any society on the basis of any form of discrimination – gender, race, religion and sexuality – stunts it, depriving it of talent, expertise and productivity that would otherwise contribute to its growth and development. Of the over 200 nations in the world, only 70 retain laws that discriminate against its citizens based on their sexuality. Of those 70 countries, 35 are in the Commonwealth – all of them retaining the law imposed upon them by colonial England. The majority of these Commonwealth countries are in Africa (13), followed by the Caribbean (ten) the Asian region (six), and the Pacific (six). This “Commonwealth” problem had been identified by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on which I served as a member and Rapporteur between 2010 and 2011. In our report, “A Commonwealth of the People: Time for Urgent Reform” submitted to the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia, we recommended that: “Heads of Government should take steps to encourage the repeal of discriminatory laws that impede the effective response of Commonwealth countries to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and commit to programmes of education that would help a process of repeal of such laws.” The EPG cast the repeal of these discriminatory laws in the context of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS because Commonwealth countries comprised over 30 percent of the world’s population and over 60 percent of people living with HIV resided in them. We recognised that discriminatory laws made homosexuals outlaws and, therefore, deterred persons suffering with HIV from seeking medical attention, lest they be imprisoned. The human carnage was sizeable; it was also needless. There was much discussion within the EPG about whether to include this recommendation, not because we had any reservation
about its rightness, but because a few of us feared – me included – that some leaders would be motivated by their fear of repealing the buggery law to discard the entire report and, with it, solid recommendations for urgent reform of a withering Commonwealth. Eventually, the recommendation was included because of the persuasive arguments of two members of the EPG – Michael Kirby, a former Justice of the High Court
of Australia, and Asma Jahangir (now deceased), a Pakistani human rights lawyer who served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Their argument was simple but compelling: No person should be denied the right to live their lives in equality with other citizens because of who they are in terms of race, political persuasion, religious beliefs, gender or sexual orientation. Kirby acknowledged the path to achieve this objective is not easy, but he reminded me and other members of the group that, when we fought against the wrongs of apartheid in Southern Africa, we knew we were arrayed against mighty forces of bigotry, racism and political interest; yet we fought because
we knew what existed was wrong. The discriminatory laws against homosexuality, and other forms of sexual behaviour by consenting adults, continue to be defended by a few churches. In the Caribbean and Africa, these churches are predominantly foreign and dogmatic, and lawmakers are made hesitant to repeal these laws in the face of their assertive influence on local populations. But, other churches offer progressive views. For instance, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church has declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church”, and Pope Francis
has observed, “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord, who am I to judge?” The ten Commonwealth Caribbean countries are burdened by colonial leftovers, including ancient and imposed anti-homosexual laws; it is time for them to move on and join the progressive nations of the world by freeing their citizens in equality. • Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com. The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own.
PAGE 10 MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
Fat, food, fatigue and brain fog By DR DESIREE COX, MD, Ph
public who want to get rid of fat, reduce fatigue and brain fog through dietary and life-style changes. THE 2018 HEALinc Nutrigenomics is a new Future Health Innovation science, birthed in the 1990s Summit (www.healincfu- as a result of the Human turehealthsummit.com) is Genome Project, which days away. sequenced the entire DNA Day one of this unique in the human genome. event is on Sunday, OctoSince then, science ber 7, at the Melia Hotel, and clinical practice have Nassau. pinpointed numerous The summit runs from interrelationships between October 7-9 and will fea- genes, nutrition and ture 50-plus speakers, the disease. best minds in next paraThe standard Bahadigm health, experiential mian diet, as represented workshops and demos, by the currently promoted speed-mentorfood pyramid, ing, networking The standard contributes and more. to nutritional Bahamian diet, You can imbalances, register for a as represented both defispecial one- by the currently ciencies and day pass for excesses, that promoted each day of can lead to the summit, or food pyramid, chronic disease. purchase a full contributes What if, (three-day) reginstead of relyistration pass to nutritional ing on a generic for the entire imbalances, food plan, pracevent. both deficiencies titioners could Each week, I personalise have discussed and excesses, nutrition reckey topics and that can lead to ommendations strands of the chronic disease. to an individsummit and ual’s current introduced feahealth and biotured speakers in order to chemical status as well as give readers a sense of the their genetics? event. The new science of Dr Ritamarie Loscalzo nutrigenomics provides the is our featured speaker framework to determine for this week. Dr Ritama- the influence of food and rie will be one of summit the environment on gene speakers on nutrigenomics. expression. She will also be running a Food and nutrients can special workshop on insu- turn on or off specific genes lin resistance for healthcare that influence biochemipractitioners as well as cal pathways that control members of the general hormones, mitochondria,
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neurotransmitters, detoxification pathways, digestion, immune function and much more. By learning which genes are associated with specific nutrients and how nutrients and foods interact with genes, practitioners can empower their patients and clients to make choices that are congruent with their genes, and positively influence the expression of their full genetic potential. Dr Ritamarie’s special workshops on insulin resistance will focus on learning to detect and correct early insulin resistance before it becomes dangerous. This subject will hit home for Bahamians. Insulin resistance is
a common condition that affects millions of people all over the world. Dr Ritamarie says that insulin resistance is the underlying cause of more than 50 percent of the health cases she sees in her US-based practice. The statistics will be similar for many family practitioners working in The Bahamas. Why? Because the way the body handles sugar can affect just about every other system in the body. Insulin resistance can lead to deadly conditions including heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Research has also indicated that it may play a
role in conditions like sleep apnea, polycystic ovarian syndrome, high cholesterol, and chronic inflammation. Additionally, more recent evidence suggests it may predispose people to Alzheimer’s, as well. In these workshops, Dr Ritamarie will share potentially life-saving information about how you can systematically and accurately help clients and patients discover whether they have blood sugar imbalances, before the symptoms become lifethreatening. If you are a student and/consumer you will also learn: a) How insulin resistance is often the more dangerous root cause of symptoms (like fatigue, excess weight, brain fog, irritability, and even depression); b) The relationship between all the hormones involved with blood sugar and energy, and how to keep them all in balance, as well as a step-by-step 30-day metabolic reset that restores proper blood sugar management and prevents and reverses insulin resistance. Additionally, healthcare practitioners who sign up for the practitioners’ course will learn: a) How to screen for early signs of insulin resistance and intervene before it becomes debilitating; b) Methods of determining where their client lies on the insulin resistance continuum, which includes hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes; c) The most important lab tests to order, and how to interpret them, including how to access labs you can use even if you’re not a licenced physician; and d) How to guide your clients through a simple, self-monitoring process they can do at home so they can design the diet and
exercise programme best suited for their physiology. Members of the general public and healthcare practitioners can register for these special four-hour workshop in insulin resistance, including teaching home glucose testing, on the summit website. Just go to www.healincfuturehealthsummit.com, click on the orange ‘Register Here’ button and scroll down the ticket options to find ‘Dr Ritamarie’s Workshop for Practitioners’ if you are a healthcare practitioner, and ‘Dr Ritamarie’s workshop for Students and Consumers’ if you are a patient or member of the general public. You can also download the agenda for the threeday summit on http://www. thehealinc.com/2018-summit/. Don’t miss out. Registration for special one-day passes for the summit opening ceremony are available online at www. healincfuturehealthsummit. com. For more information, contact the summit organising team: USA/Canada (877) 426-5361; Bahamas (855) 826-1165; Worldwide (716) 442-3798. • Dr Desirée Cox, MD, PhD (www.desireecox. com) is the founder and CEO of the 2018 inaugural HEALinc Future Health Innovation Summit (www. healincfuturehealthsummit. com). She is the first Bahamian Rhodes Scholar and first female British Caribbean Rhodes Scholar, a medical doctor, creative artist and published author. She has earned degrees from McGill, Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Her career achievements include honors by Oxford University and the British Medical Journal. In 2013, a 70-cent stamp bearing her photograph was issued by The Bahamas Government.
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THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 1, 2018, PAGE 11
Judge signals gag order in Gibson case from page one
She said she herself has read, with concern, articles in the local dailies which have reported on elements of the case, either directly or indirectly. “If you see it as a gag order, then so be it,” she said. Justice Charles said it remains the duty of the court to see to it that any person accused of a crime be granted an opportunity to a fair trial. She insisted that debate around the Gibson case - on radio talk shows, social media and other
various media platforms has expanded to a degree to which intervention by the court was necessary. To that end, Justice Charles said the order would be drafted forthwith, filed and circulated publicly – effectively restricting all commentary on the case until it is thoroughly resolved. The action comes in the wake of several reports last week which discussed payments to the Crown’s star witness, Jonathan Ash. On Tuesday, Attorney General Carl Bethel confirmed Mr Ash was still receiving instalment payments from the government
for debts the Minnis administration found on its books. However, in a follow-up report, Wayne Munroe QC, counsel for Gibson, told The Tribune documents disclosed by the Crown to his legal team during the discovery phase did not show that Mr Ash was still owed money. The issue was thrust into the spotlight last week after a document purportedly itemising payments to Ash Enterprises went viral on social media. While the document purports to show five payments of $30,000 since April to Ash Enterprises totalling $150,000, it does not name the company or describe
what the payments were for. Its origin is unclear, but Mr Bethel confirmed its contents on Tuesday. According to Mr Munroe, the government must now produce the bills and show documentation of the payments. All of this comes just over a week after lawyers for the former Cabinet minister accused the Crown of engaging in “wholly improper conduct” for allegedly conducting meetings with two key prosecution witnesses and their lawyers to discuss how the evidence they would eventually give against Gibson should be “edited” or “amended”. In July, Mr Gibson’s
lawyers filed a three-page motion calling for his case to be dismissed due to alleged witness coaching and overarching collusion between various police and prosecution units. Last month, Mr Gibson’s legal team filed court documents alleging that the statements of the prosecution witnesses in question, Mr Ash and Deborah Bastian, have been “tainted” and are not reliable. On August 3, 2017, Mr 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 of these concerned with Jonathan Ash. The number of bribery and extortion related charges were later decreased to 31, though the amount he is alleged to have solicited from Mr Ash remained the same. The Crown later dropped all the extortion charges against the former Golden Gates MP, with judicial officials stating at the time that the decision was for the Crown to devote a “singular and simplified focus” on Gibson’s bribery charges.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN DONATES $25,000 TO HELP THE HUNGRY ROYAL Caribbean International yesterday donated $25,000 to the Bahamas Feeding Network to aid in the relief of hunger for hundreds of Bahamians. The donation was made during a feeding event at Mosseff House in Fox Hill, where RCI CEO Michael Bayley and a team handed out home-cooked meals to residents. Mr Bayley said the initiative and the donation serve as extensions of the longstanding relationship between RCI and the Bahamas. He said that relationship, which started when RCI’s first ever ship to sail made it first port of call stop in Nassau, has now expanded to The Bahamas becoming its leading partner in the Caribbean. Mr Bayley, who highlighted several of the
other initiatives RCI currently supports in the Bahamas, said RCI’s connection with the Bahamian people took on “new meaning,” calling the opportunity for his team to aid in such a tangible manner “heart-warming”. “I was invited to experience first-hand the work that goes on in this historic community of Fox Hill where volunteers give of their time and energy to cook for others, to share friendship and to show they care,” he said. “This is the true meaning of caring and our team members who are here and myself are extremely touched and moved by the work of the Bahamas Feeding Network.” Royal Caribbean has ramped up its philanthropic efforts across the Bahamas in recent months. On Thursday, Russell
Benford, one of the company’s vice-presidents, toured LJM Maritime Academy. At the conclusion of his tour, Mr Benford described the facilities as “one of the best-kept secrets in the world”. He also hinted at plans to partner with the institution as the cruise line continues its push to deliver 1.2 million guests a year to the country. Additionally, the company has plans to launch its “Perfect Day at CocoCay” concept next May. The $240m investment includes a waterpark with the tallest waterslide in the North American region and the largest wave pool in the region. RCI is hoping the project will make CocoCay and the Bahamas, the single most desirable cruise destination in the Caribbean.
ROYAL Caribbean International presented a cheque to the Bahamas Feeding Network yesterday along with the cutting of a cake to celebrate. From left, Shonel Ferguson, Fox Hill MP; Frankie Campbell, Minister of Social Services; Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International; Sean Moree and Philip Smith, executive director of Bahamas Feeding Network. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Career Opportunity Scotia Wealth Management is seeking the services of a
Senior Manager, Account Reviews and New Business Position Summary: The Senior Manager, Account Reviews and New Business is responsible for the oversight, management and control of reviews for all structures within the Fiduciary Services Department to ensure compliance with the AML and KYC framework as mandated by Scotiabank worldwide, Scotia Wealth and the relevant Regulatory regimes. The Senior Manager, Account Reviews and New Business will assist with the implementation, operation and testing of operational risk controls on a periodic basis to ensure compliance with the company’s Operational Risk Management Framework.
Key Accountabilities for this role: • Create a framework to manage the reviews of all accounts of the Company ensuring the risk level is properly categorized and documented; • Lead and oversee the Account and Risk Review Team to ensure the timely, accurate and comprehensive completion of all Account Reviews as mandated; • Prepare management reports with trends, key findings from account reviews, sample testing and provide recommendations for corrective action; • Conduct periodic reviews of complex funding and external account openings to ensure adherence to any legal guidance notes, associated local regulatory and tax requirements; • Execution of monthly spot audits to test the efficiency of the various controls governing the management and administration of fiduciary structures; • Provide training guidance and support to the Account Review Team (ART) as required; • Conduct reviews of new business documentation to understand the purpose and intended nature of the proposed new business relationship in order to ensure compliance with Scotiabank’s enterprise wide AML/KYC framework and local laws and regulations; • Provide feedback or guidance on the new business submissions to understand the purpose and to ensure full compliance and execution of the required product specific documentation; • Provide oversight to Scotia Trust Cayman to ensure alignment to Scotiabank Operational Risk Management Framework.
Educational/Competency Requirements: • In-depth knowledge of fiduciary principles, practices, requirements of administration of asset holding vehicles such as foundations, companies and trusts with facts involving multiple and varied jurisdictions; • In-depth understanding of Scotia Wealth policies, procedures, practices and documentation requirements; • Thorough understanding of local laws is required as they apply to the administration of wealth structures and the regulation of the financial services industry; • Knowledge of accounting with an ability to use and analyze retrieved data; • Excellent communication skills that enable the incumbent to interact with a wide range of internal contacts with varied degrees of receptiveness to the Annual Account and Risk Review process; • Excellent organizational and time management skills; • Professional Trust qualification; • Accreditation of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners; • 7 - 10 years progressive related experience within the fiduciary industry; • Proficiency in organizational and basic analytical and numeracy skills; • Foreign language capabilities are desirable. Qualified candidates should submit C.V. via email to: hrbahamas@scotiabank.com on or before October 5, 2018. Please note that only those individuals short-listed for an interview will be contacted.
™Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable).
PAGE 12, Monday, October 1, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
‘Developed countries should pay for disasters linked to climate change By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he urged stakeholders of developed countries during meetings in New York last week to establish a fund to aid developing countries who suffer climate changerelated natural disasters. Speaking during a press conference he held on Saturday upon his return home, Dr Minnis recounted telling leaders this country faces threats from “three hurricanes”: literal storms, ever-changing demands from bodies like the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development and illegal immigration. “We must deal with all three hurricanes or The Bahamas we see today will be completely different tomorrow,” he said. “We will deal with the migratory hurricane very aggressively;
DESTRUCTION on Ragged Island after Hurricane Irma. however we will respect and therefore we do not the humanitarian rules of qualify for any grants for the international sector. assistance. We are a poor We pointed out that The nation. We are not a rich, Bahamas and other Third wealthy nation. Yes we World countries are being have wealthy people, but treated unfairly. They look we have a high incidence of at our GDP per capita poverty, 12 percent within
Career Opportunity Scotia Wealth Management is seeking the services of an
Associate Position Summary: Under the direction of the Associate Director, Relationship Management, the Associate is responsible for managing a portfolio of trust, foundation, insurance, fund, companies and agency solutions, while deepening relationships and enhancing profitability. This position contributes to maintaining high standards of client service, quality control and operational excellence.
Key Accountabilities for this role: • Prepare and deliver communications to Designated Persons and their advisors in a prompt and efficient manner, with regard to the operation of wealth structures serviced by the Team; • Assist in meetings with visiting Designated Persons and advisors; • Invest funds in accordance with documentation requirements or guidance/instructions from Designated Persons or their advisors; • Review financial statements after preparation by accounting department and before dispatching to Designated Persons to ensure accuracy; • Ensure that regular and routine administration aspects are diarized and achieved promptly; • Prepare company minutes and annual returns and update statutory records.
our country which is very high. “Because of our financial outlook, we don’t qualify and therefore when we borrow money that affects our debt-to-GDP and therefore the UN must look at it more differently in that the war that we’re fighting in terms of hurricanes, is not our war, it’s a war caused by climate change as a result of first world nations. We make very little contribution to the climate change as we see it but we’re the ones who feel all the effects. We’re the ones that is attacked by a war that was not created by us and therefore it was pointed out to them that because it was their war that’s attacking us then the time has come that they should provide an independent funding that would deal with our infrastructure that is damaged by the hurricanes so it would have no impact on the debt-to-GDP ratio and our borrowing. That loan grant, borrowing would be treated completely differently from our debt-to-GDP ratio so that is not affected and that is something we’re going to look at.” Recounting details of a meeting he had in New York, Dr Minnis said: “I would’ve discussed the problems that we face. Climate change is a big problem that all small island states face, Caribbean inclusive. We were concerned with the strength
of the hurricanes today as opposed to yesterday and the damages they inflict on Caribbean nations. Most importantly what was discussed both at the UN level and at the Bloomberg forum where many banking representatives were in agreement with me and in agreement with the representative of the CARICOM is we both spoke with the same voices, at least we have the same views moving forward and that is, The Bahamas, I explained to them that in The Bahamas we face three hurricanes. “The world is familiar with Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Andrew etc, that’s hurricane we can see, you can make preparation for, that’s the hurricanes which cause overt and extensive damage to your infrastructure resulting in monies being moved from your consolidated fund to repair your infrastructure, resulting in less monies to repair your educational system, your national security, your health system, etc and obviously a deterioration in the quality of like. That’s one of the hurricane we see. “The other hurricane we face is the OECD and the blacklisting and the goalpost being changed repeatedly so we were in overt discussions with seeing how we can deal with that. But the third hurricane no one thinks about is the hurricane of migration, all the illegals that we face and they are causing repeated, increased cost to our healthcare system that we cannot keep up with, increased cost to our educational system, increased cost to our social system, increased cost to our security system and increased cost to our country at large so when you combine those three hurricanes The Bahamas is under great assault and we pointed those out and we seek some assistance moving forward. It was pointed out to them that under no circumstance would we relent on our immigration policy. That hurricane we can deal with and we will aggressively pursue. With the first two we get hit every six months, but with migration it’s a year-round threat and will devastate us.”
Dr Minnis also said he met the CEO of Airbnb, an online accommodation booking service, last week as well and two discussed a business opportunity related to the hospitality service. “We face challenges,” he said, “especially in the Family Islands with second home residences renting their facilities and the tourist product is changing. As opposed to hotel rooms you have bed and breakfast and rental facilities. Unless we take charge of that arena now we will lose the Family Islands. Therefore I had a very interesting and productive discussion with the CEO of Airbnb and discussed the challenges that we face and he offered that what they would do for us is they would keep a register of all rental facilities within The Bahamas and if at any point we introduce any taxation so that we could have some type of funds generated from these rental facilities, then they would do the collection for us, after which they would repatriate the necessary funds to The Bahamas and the minister for Grand Bahama was also in attendance in that meeting and he would follow that through.” Nonetheless, the government has already been engaged with Airbnb to accomplish what Dr Minnis discussed with that company’s CEO. Last year, the Ministry of Tourism and Airbnb signed a memorandum of understanding to regularise vacation home rentals. Areas the two sides hope to cooperate on include “sharing of aggregate Airbnb Bahamas data, provision of information to Airbnb on Bahamas industry-related laws and exploration of Airbnb’s collection and remittance of any applicable taxes,” according to a press release last year from Bahamas Information Services. Last week, Dr Minnis and a delegation attended the 2018 Bloomberg Global Business Forum hosted by Michael Bloomberg in New York. Dr Minnis also gave an address to the United Nations General Assembly while in New York.
Educational/Competency Requirements: • Thorough understanding of local laws as they apply to the administration of wealth structures and the regulation of the financial services industry; • An in-depth knowledge of fiduciary principles and practices for the administration of asset holding vehicles such as foundations, companies and trusts; • Must have a detailed understanding of local laws and regulations and knowledge of multiple and varied jurisdictions; • Knowledge of basic accounting; • Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of people from varying professional backgrounds; • Accreditation of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners; • Trustee Diploma; • Five years progressive related experience within the financial services industry; • Strong commitment to excellence and attention to detail; • Excellent computer skills particularly excel and the ability to learn new computer programs efficiently; • Foreign language capabilities are desirable. Qualified candidates should submit C.V. via email to: hrbahamas@scotiabank.com on or before October 10, 2018. Please note that only those individuals short-listed for an interview will be contacted.
™Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable).
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THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 1, 2018, PAGE 13
Arts winners celebrated By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net TWENTY-nine winners of the 59th Annual E Clement Bethel National Arts Festival on Grand Bahama received their awards on Friday at the Hilton Outten Convention Centre in Freeport. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle commended the award recipients for their excellent talent and for embracing and understanding the importance of culture. She noted that culture is an integral component of nation building. “Indeed, we are grateful for and to the founders and gatekeepers of the E Clement Bethel National Arts Festival who ensure our spirit, dance, songs, colours and our expressions never die – for this our nation is grateful,” Mrs Rolle said.
She acknowledged the vital role that participants, teachers, parents, playwrights, and cultural icons play in the continued development of Bahamian culture and arts. This year, more than 1,000 participants performed in Grand Bahama. Some 13 schools participated. Children four to 18-years-old are invited to participate from across the country. Mrs Rolle noted that the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture continues to play an integral role in the advancement of the national arts festival. “We are careful and intentional about the inclusion of our young people in our national cultural conversation and expression of art,” she added. “This initiative, while identifying the nation’s talent, serves the dual
purpose of educating our people with respect to their talents and gifts.” She noted that the festival is a way to identify, recognise, celebrate and reward “our very own.” She stated that over the years the festival has inspired some of the best Bahamian artists in the country, including the works of such greats as Timothy Gibson, author of the national anthem. Mrs Rolle also mentioned Bahamians such as the late calypsonian, George Symonette and Alphonso “Blind Blake” Higgs, as well as more recent works by artist Eddie Minnis, singer Kirk “KB” Bodie, and literary contributions from Terez Davis Nixon, Grand Bahama’s own Michael Pintard, minister of transport, aviation and local government, and Susan J Wallace, among many
others, including luminaries such as E Clement Bethel, and the late James Catalyn. She noted that each year the festival brings recognition to the increasing value of The Bahamas’ rich heritage as a nation and as a people. She commended all participants and winners. The E Clement Bethel National Arts Festival was started in 1959 by Lady Arthur, wife of the Royal Governor Sir Raynor Arthur. In 1961, the Family Islands, then known as Out Islands, were included and the music festival evolved into a countrywide festival. In 1971, under the direction of the late E Clement Bethel, the first director of culture, the Ministry of Education and Culture incorporated both the music festival and the Bahamas arts and craft exhibition into its programmes.
MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle.
POLICE HUNT FOR RAIDERS AFTER SERIES OF ROBBERIES POLICE on New Providence are seeking the public’s help with any information that can assist with solving a spate of armed robberies that occurred over the weekend. The latest took place shortly after 10pm on Saturday when employees at a business on Carmichael Road were taking in a delivery through a northern back door when they
were approached by two masked gunmen. The thieves robbed the store of an undetermined amount of cash, police said. A short time later, Anti-Gang and Firearms Unit officers, acting on information, arrested a male suspect who was found hiding in nearby bushes. Earlier on Saturday, shortly after 7am, a man was seated in his silver
coloured Nissan Note at a park at New Gate Road, Blair Estates, when he was approached by a gunman, police said. The assailant got into the victim’s car and made him drive to his home. The gunman then ordered the victim from the vehicle, got into the car and sped away. Officers responded to the area, where they spotted the vehicle and a chase followed.
The suspect crashed the vehicle in the area of Whites Addition and escaped. Officers conducted a search of the car and recovered a black imitation pistol. Police also said there were two armed robberies earlier on Saturday. Shortly before 3.30am, a man was outside his residence in Gamble Heights when he was approached by
a man whose face he knows, armed with a firearm, who robbed him of cash, a laptop and a cell phone, before fleeing on foot. In the second incident, shortly after 3.30am, a man was walking on Sumner Street, Nassau Village, when two armed men approached and robbed him of cash and other personal items, before fleeing on foot.
Police also said a woman was robbed on Friday when she pulled up to her home on Wild Guava Street, Pinewood Gardens. Shortly after 1am, two men approached the woman, one of whom was armed with a firearm, police said. The men robbed her of her purple 2009 Nissan March and sped off in it. Investigations are
FOUR IN HOSPITAL AFTER SERIES OF WEEKEND ATTACKS By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net
FOUR men are in hospital in varying conditions following separate incidents over the weekend. In the latest of the four incidents, according to police reports, shortly after 12am yesterday a man was sitting on a bucket in the front of a residence at Graham Drive, Yellow Elder, when two armed men opened fire on him, the bullets hitting him in his body. Paramedics responded
and the victim was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital for medical assistance. He is listed in stable condition. In an earlier incident, according to police, shortly after 3am on Saturday, a man was at his residence on Podoleo Street when he was attacked and stabbed in his body. Paramedics responded to the scene and took the victim to PMH for medical assistance. He is listed in serious condition.
In the third incident, a man was reportedly being dropped off at his residence on Sandra Avenue, Sunset Park, when a silver coloured Toyota Passo pulled up and the occupants opened fire, resulting in him being shot his body. He too was taken to PMH by paramedics, where he was said to be in serious condition. In the fourth matter, police on the island of Eleuthera are investigating a stabbing that took place in the settlement of Tarpum
Bay around 12am Friday. According to reports, a man was on the basketball court when a man known to him approached and they got into an argument. One of the men produced an object and stabbed the
victim several times in his body. He was taken to the local clinic, where he was treated and later airlifted to New Providence. He is also listed in serious condition.
Investigations into all four matters continue. Anyone with information on these incidents or any other crime is asked to call police at 919 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 328-TIPS.
PAGE 14, Monday, October 1, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
RESCUERS evacuate an earthquake survivor by a damaged house following earthquakes and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, yesterday.
Photo: Arimacs Wilande/AP
800 dead after Indonesia quake Heavy equipment mecHanic TROPICAL SHIPPING USA, the Premier Logistics Company in the maritime industry is seeking senior level HEAVY EQUIPMENT MECHANICS for port maintenance in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, The Bahamas. Performs a full range of maintenance, repair and service activities on heavy equipment including but not limited to heavy-duty trucks and semi-tractors, Reach Stackers, Jockey Trucks, high pressure pumps, cable inspections, crawler tractors and trailers, aerial towers and man lifts, and other engine components. Ideal candidates will possess excellent written and oral communications skills, computer entry skills, along with 5+ years’ experience preferably in the shipping or transportation-related industry, possess a valid driver’s license, and ability to travel abroad. This position will be filled immediately. To apply, interested candidates should register at the www.tropical.com website and select CAREER to view current opportunities. Please include your resume; additionally to tgibson@tropical.com . Third-party agency candidates need not apply. Tropical Shipping USA, LLC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.
PALU, Indonesia Associated Press RESCUERS struggled yesterday to reach victims in several large coastal towns in Indonesia that were hit by an earthquake and tsunami, and authorities feared that the toll of more than 800 confirmed dead would rise. With the area largely cut off by damaged roads and downed communications lines, military and commercial aircraft were delivering some aid and supplies to the hard-hit city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi, and others in the region. But there was a desperate need for heavy equipment to reach possible survivors buried in collapsed buildings, including an eight-story hotel in Palu where voices were heard in the rubble. A 25-year-old woman was found alive during the evening in the ruins of the Roa-Roa Hotel, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency, which released photos of the her lying on a stretcher covered in a blanket. At least 832 people
were confirmed killed by the quake and tsunami that struck Friday evening, Indonesia’s disaster agency said, with nearly all of those from Palu. The regencies of Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong — with a combined population of 1.2 million — had yet to be fully assessed. “The death toll is believed to be still increasing, since many bodies were still under the wreckage, while many have not been reached,” said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Bodies covered in blue and yellow tarps lined the streets of Palu, and officials said they were digging a mass grave for at least 300 of the dead. It was not immediately known when the burial would take place, but “this must be done as soon as possible for health and religious reasons,” said Willem Rampangilei, head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. Most of Palu’s residents are Muslim. The cries from beneath the Roa-Roa Hotel, which appeared to have toppled over with its walls
splintered, went silent by yesterday afternoon. Officials had estimated about 50 people could be inside. “We are trying our best. Time is so important here to save people,” said Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue team. “Heavy equipment is on the way.” Metro TV showed about a dozen rescuers in orange jumpsuits climbing over debris with a stretcher carrying the body of a victim from the modest business hotel. Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo toured Palu yesterday and said rescuers were having difficulty reaching victims because of a shortage of heavy equipment. “There are many challenges,” Jokowi said. “We have to do many things soon, but conditions do not allow us to do so.” He said authorities were deploying more heavy machinery so emergency workers can help recover more victims today. The stricken areas also needed medical supplies, fuel, fresh water and experts.
KAVANAUGH ACCUSER HAS HISTORY OF LEGAL CLAIMS WASHINGTON Associated Press JULIE Swetnick, one of the women who has publicly accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, has an extensive history of involvement in legal disputes, including a lawsuit in which an ex-employer accused her of falsifying her college and work history on her job application. Legal documents from Maryland, Oregon and Florida provide a partial picture of a woman who stepped into the media glare amid the battle over Kavanaugh’s nomination for the nation’s highest court. Court records show Swetnick has been involved in at least six legal cases over the past 25 years. Along with the lawsuit filed by a former employer in November 2000, the cases include a personal injury suit she filed in 1994 against the Washington DC regional transit authority. Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said court cases involving her have no bearing on the credibility of her claims about Kavanaugh. Avenatti said the suit from her ex-employer — it was dismissed a month after it was filed — was “completely bogus, which is why it was dismissed almost immediately”. He told AP that he “fully vetted” Swetnick before helping her take her claims against Kavanaugh public.
Avenatti released a sworn statement by Swetnick this past week in which she says she witnessed Kavanaugh “consistently engage in excessive drinking and inappropriate contact of a sexual nature with women in the early 1980s”. In the statement, which was provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Swetnick said she had been sexually assaulted at a party attended by members of Kavanaugh’s social circle, but did not accuse him of assaulting her. Two other women have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexually abusing them. One of those women, Christine Blasey Ford, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday to offer testimony that even Kavanaugh’s most ardent backers, including Trump, said they found credible. Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, has accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her during a drunken party when both were students at Yale University. Friends and colleagues of Ramirez describe her as a quiet person who has dedicated herself to being an advocate for needy families and survivors of domestic violence. Swetnick was the third named Kavanaugh accuser to emerge, when Avenatti released details of her accusations on Twitter on the eve of Ford’s testimony. Kavanaugh has denied the claims.