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VOLUME:116 No.193, OCTOBER 1ST, 2019
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Attorney General tells migrants who lost jobs in storm to leave country By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net MIGRANT storm victims who have lost their jobs as a result of Hurricane Dorian “need to go home” even if their work permits are not yet expired, Attorney General Carl Bethel said yesterday. His comments to The Tribune came after the Department of Immigration issued a statement specifying that prospective employers of storm victims that need work permits must prove their applicant has satisfactory living conditions, because if they don’t, they will be denied. “If the employer is still paying them then they have a job, if not then they need to go home,” Mr
Bethel told The Tribune. “The files will reflect who the business or homeowner applicant is. We will know if a job exists.” According to the government’s 2018 shanty town report, 41 percent of Abaco residents in the areas were legal residents as a consequence of their work permit. Meanwhile, in its statement, the Department of Immigration said: “The applicant for a new work permit, or the renewal of an existing work permit, by a prospective employer of a non-Bahamian worker, will be required to satisfy immigration officials that satisfactory living accommodations have been arranged by that employer on behalf of the prospective SEE PAGE THREE
$6M DOME SHELTER FOR ABACO REFUGEES By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE government will spend $6m to construct a “family relief centre” in Abaco that will feature dome housing structures capable of withstanding 180mph winds, according to shelter organiser JohnMichael Clarke.
He stressed yesterday that the temporary shelter is not a “tent city” because there will be no tents. He said the centre will be built in a 20-acre area outside Spring City, a government subdivision south of Marsh Harbour and Murphy Town. Mr Clarke said the domes SEE PAGE SIX
PETER YOUNG: BRITAIN’S PART IN HURRICANE AID
SEE PAGE TEN
$100M LOAN TO PAY FOR UTILITIES AND SHELTERS By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE $100m Inter-American Development Bank loan contingency that was activated following Hurricane Dorian will fund the restoration of public utilities and ensure the construction of temporary shelters on affected islands, Finance Minister Peter Turnquest explained yesterday. Yesterday, IDB President Luis Moreno told reporters he had hoped The Bahamas would have never needed to utilise the loan. SEE PAGE SIX
NO JAIL TIME FOR DOCTOR CAUGHT WITH MARIJUANA
INTO THE SEMIS ANTHONIQUE STRACHAN, left, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo both finishing in first place during their respective heats in the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, yesterday. Strachan is competing in the 200m and Miller-Uibo in the 400m. Tynia Gaither also qualified for the 200m semi-finals. See Sports for the full story.
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN doctor has been granted a conditional discharge for being caught with almost ten ounces of marijuana in his residence earlier this year. Magistrate Samuel McKinney ordered Dr Adrian Rolle to serve 120 hours of community service for the seven ounces of weed police found in his kitchen in January. SEE PAGE EIGHT
‘DEAF EARS’ FROM MINISTRY FOR TEACHERS IN SCHOOL DISPUTE By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net IRATE teachers at Carlton E Francis Primary School criticised the Ministry of Education for allowing their “cries to fall on deaf ears”. The stand-off between
teachers and the school’s principal continued yesterday for the fourth week. Some teachers are calling for the principal’s removal and have said they will not teach until this demand is met. As a result, some of them have been told they will be transferred to
another school. Barricades have been placed outside the school’s entrance and police have been brought to the campus to ensure order. Some teachers claim they have been barred from entering the campus. SEE PAGE EIGHT
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
FACE TO FACE TALKING TO SIR MICHAEL BARNETT
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
MEAT FIRM OFFERS AID A LOCAL business has stepped up to help Hurricane Dorian victims. Jojef’s Meat and More located on Blue Hill Road north, in conjunction with Rights Bahamas, answered the call by donating over 100lbs of meat on Saturday to Mercy Chef’s Kitchen operating in the National Training Agency building on Gladstone Road. On Sunday, the business
donated another 600lbs of meat to Hands for Hunger which facilitates hundreds of cooked meals to needy Bahamians on a daily basis. The items donated will be divided to Hands for Hunger’s agency partners such as The Bahamas Red Cross, BASH, Teen Challenge, etc, and to assist in the nonprofit group’s daily feeding programme.
Crisis team completes relief effort K1 DIRECT, K1 Britannia Foundation’s disaster relief and crisis team, has rounded off its relief efforts in The Bahamas. Earlier this month, the team of 13 volunteer members from St Maarten & Curacao were deployed to assist with relief. K1 DIRECT St Maarten and Curacao have been diligently training in various fields of disaster management and collaborated with various organisations and initiatives on ground to provide aid and assistance. The team’s relief efforts took place within three main areas of data collection, shelter assessment and distribution management. In Nassau, the team worked with HeadKnowles, a local disaster relief foundation, and other private entities to assist with the registration of evacuees from Abaco and Freeport into Nassau, and to assist with providing information for accommodation, additional supplies, and medical support. In Nassau, co-manager of K1 DIRECT, Iris Hakkens attended various emergency operations centre partner meetings and led the process of assessing properties that could be potential short to long term shelters, due to emergency shelters becoming over capacity. Ms Hakkens said: “Upon arriving in Nassau, through
MEMBERS of the K1 disaster relief and crisis team on the ground after Hurricane Dorian. a meeting with key persons of various humanitarian aid organisations, we found a few persons who assisted with providing supplies needed for different shelters such as cots, food, etc - but no one was really addressing the need for additional shelters. Each
shelter in Nassau was over capacity and it was imperative that someone needed to work with the international humanitarian aid standards to assess properties and shelters to provide additional accommodation for the influx of evacuees.” In Freeport, Grand
Bahama, the group worked closely with Senator Katherine Forbes-Smith and the National Emergency Management Agency to help manage the distribution process of government supplies to the most affected neighbourhoods in Grand Bahama, as well as warehouse set up
and management. According to a press release, Senator ForbesSmith stated: “It was almost like K1 was the first on the ground and I really appreciate that the team just jumped right in, no task was too great or too little and I’m so excited that K1 was a part
of our recovery. I’ll always remember K1 DIRECT and we really appreciate the take charge attitude to get the job done.” For more information, visit www. k1britanniafoundation.org, or visit the group’s Facebook page.
BTVI TO START AGAIN ON OCTOBER 7 THE Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) is preparing to resume classes in Grand Bahama on October 7. Classes will be held on the second floor of the main building located on Peach Tree Street and Settlers Way. They will also be held at St George’s High School on Sunset Highway. BTVI will be using five classrooms at the high school, in addition to the electrical, auto mechanics, cosmetology and welding labs. Those classes will be held in the evenings and on Saturdays. According to Associate Vice President of the northern campus, Veronica Collie, the schedule will remain the same for the most part, with classes now ending on December 21. This semester’s final exams will be held the week school resumes for the spring 2020 semester. “This is because of the extenuating circumstances,” said Ms Collie, who added that she has advised instructors to do make-up classes. Before hurricane Dorian, there were over 400 students registered at the Freeport campus; however, Ms Collie said the administration is expecting approximately 250 to continue this semester. “Some students have decided to withdraw for the semester. (Others) have been calling and coming by every day, asking questions. Many do not have electricity so there is no internet access. One called and said his family member is still missing so they are worried and some have family members who have passed away. Others are still staying in shelters,” she stated. BTVI’s ground floor experienced a surge of water up to eight feet. Presently, the entire ground floor is gutted and the administration is working out of make-shift offices on the second floor. BTVI’s administration is preparing to host a welcome back event in Grand Bahama on October 4.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, October 1, 2019, PAGE 3
Attorney General tells migrants who lost jobs in storm to leave country from page one worker, and that the said worker will not become a charge on the state or be permitted to live in substandard housing. Any person found in The Bahamas in contravention of the immigration laws will be subject to arrest, criminal proceedings and, where applicable, detention and deportation.” In keeping with a 2014 immigration policy put in place by the Christie administration, the department also said first time work permit applicants must be living in his or her home country when that application is made. The department’s stance will no doubt put pressure on hundreds of migrants stuck in limbo after Hurricane Dorian. “The public is advised that non-nationals seeking employment in The Bahamas must be approved by the Immigration Department and that applications for the issuance of the first work permit will not be accepted or considered unless the individual is physically present and resident in his or her country of origin at the same time that the first application is made,” the Department of Immigration said. “Further, the public is hereby reminded that work permits are nontransferable from employer to employer. Any transfer from one employer to another under a current permit may only be legally affected by a new application submitted by that new employer.” The government’s
ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel. announcement is likely to worry many who fled Abaco’s decimated shanty towns after the storm. At shelters, some evacuees have openly fretted about what their status means for their future. One man complained last month that he missed out on $5,000 from an Asue draw when the hurricane tore through the Mudd, money he planned to use to renew his work permit. A middle-aged woman said she has lived in the country for more than 20 years and similarly lost her work permit renewal savings. Both people had an unexpired work permit but likely lost their job because of the storm. One man told this newspaper he was born in Abaco to Haitian parents and never visited Haiti but lacked a Belonger’s permit to reside in The Bahamas. Some public figures have called on the government to give some temporary status to migrants displaced by Hurricane Dorian. Across social media and throughout the country, however, many Bahamians have reacted angrily to such suggestions.
On September 23, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told The Tribune that undocumented immigrants affected by Hurricane Dorian face no protections and will be subject to the country’s laws of apprehension and deportation. That same day, Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson said undocumented immigrants must ensure that they have at least applied for legal status in order to escape deportation. “Now that we are in the restoration and rebuilding phase, we are enforcing our laws,” Mr Johnson told The Tribune last week. “Dorian did not give persons amnesty. If you were without status before the storm, you remain without proper status after the storm. If you don’t have your stuff, look at what the law requires. The laws will be applied in a way that maintains the dignity of people. We are in the rebuilding phase in Abaco and businesses must also ensure that the persons they hire are legal.”
ABACO residents at the Government Complex that acted as a shelter during Hurricane Dorian. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
HURRICANE SURVIVORS WARNED OF RISK OF SEX ABUSE A LOCAL non-profit group is calling for increased awareness of the potential impact of Hurricane Dorian on those who are most vulnerable to the threat of sexual abuse and violence. According to Sanctuary – which is dedicated to helping victims of sexual abuse and raising awareness about the issue – displaced victims of the catastrophic storm are “a sensitive population which face various degrees of risk when it comes to sexual assault or violence, as many will find themselves in vulnerable circumstances”. McCall Philippe, executive director of Sanctuary, has worked with victims of natural disasters in Haiti, the United States and Africa, and is well acquainted with the dangers that Dorian has created for vulnerable populations. “Displaced people will need full and ongoing support from responsible citizens,” she said, according to a press release. “Sanctuary will do all that it can to support this vulnerable population in addition to it advocating for and protecting all victims of sexual
abuse and violence. “It all begins with awareness of the situation and our surroundings. Some households in New Providence and other islands not directly affected by Dorian, could now experience a sudden increase of household members, which when not treated with sensitivity, can unfortunately cause persons to become vulnerable to sexual abuse. “We all need to be aware as a society, that both men and women, young and old, may be exposed to sexual assaults, molestation, and sexual violence if we are not aware, sensitive, and responsible as a community.” Ms Philippe stressed that it takes a community effort to prevent sexual violence and called for all Bahamians to work together to ensure support for the displaced population. “The community, civil organisations, and government must together be aware of these risks when considering how to house and shelter hurricane victims, in addition to the therapy that will be needed for the traumatised survivors of Dorian,” she added.
Sanctuary, which is partnering with Bahamas Against Crime, is organising a weeklong campaign
to raise awareness of ways the community can protect children against abuse, exploitation and trafficking,
and to increase collaboration in order to promote a safer and healthier society for children. The conference
was initially set for September 22-27 but was delayed to November 3-8 as a result of Hurricane Dorian.
PAGE 4, Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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Turning a cold shoulder after Dorian WHAT makes one victim of Hurricane Dorian deserve different treatment from another? We ask the question because there appears to be an increasingly hard line being drawn by the government – and the wrong side of that line is a place of little comfort. In today’s Tribune, we report comments by Attorney General Carl Bethel, who has told people who have lost their jobs as a result of Hurricane Dorian to “go home”. It doesn’t matter to him if their work permits are not yet expired. As far as he’s concerned, if the employer hasn’t been able to pay them, then out of the country they go. Never mind if the employer is still trying to pick through the wreckage of their business to see if it is still viable. Never mind if the employer is retrieving records after the storm. Never mind if, like The Bae restaurant in Abaco, they have been fundraising and trying to keep going but finally realising they can’t return to where they were. Some might relocate. Some might still need skilled workers or long-time employees but they’re not quite sure when the doors will be open again. Well, it’s bad luck for them, they’ll have to hunt for employees from scratch again and it’s worse luck for the workers as we say sorry, but we ain’t got time for you now. Mr Bethel also says that those applying for new work permits or renewing existing work permits will be required to satisfy immigration officials that satisfactory living accommodations have been arranged by the employer on behalf of the worker. What nonsense is this? The Tribune has had several nonBahamian workers over the years and not once has this ever been asked of us in the application process. When a new arrival has come, we have made arrangements for a hotel while the worker finds a place they want to live. Now who is to deem which accommodation will be satisfactory? Not once has the immigration department ever asked to come and see where a non-Bahamian worker is living. Does immigration have qualified building inspectors? And aren’t building inspectors likely to be busy examining those structures impacted by the power of Dorian? Every day, our Classifieds section carries listings of properties for rent or sale - with not one ever carrying a note “certified as satisfactory by the immigration department”. Why? Because they’ve never had to. It also seems an area ripe for the possibility of corruption - either for the granting of “satisfactory” status or
steering people towards a select few landlords instead of the open market. It feels like this is targeted at stopping shanty towns - but we hope this is not a case of opportunism to use the storm to solve problems the government has struggled to deal with through the courts. We should remember that in a survey last year, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes revealed that most residents of shanty towns have legal status, with about 20 percent undocumented. As we have said before, any replacement homes should be built to code, but if the government is saying the law is the law when it comes to deportations, they can’t ignore the law when it comes to any property rights residents of those areas might have. The Attorney General is right that work permits are non-transferrable at present - if you get a new job, you need a new work permit. The law is the law there, though given the nature of the situation, it seems harsh not to try to find a short-term measure to allow such a transition given the special circumstances of the storm. If one workshop needs a mechanic, for example, and knows of a skilled one from another workshop that has closed down because of the storm, is there not some way to resolve that without throwing a talented worker out of the country? We would also note with concern the suggestion from Minister of Immigration Elsworth Johnson that undocumented migrants in shelters might face deportation. If that’s the case, you can bet that if another storm comes along in two weeks, fewer people will seek the safety of shelters, and might be left in danger in the face of that future hurricane. There is little enough trust in the government from some sections of society, and this erodes that further. More than anything, this feels like turning a cold shoulder to foreign victims of the storm, turning away strangers in a fashion that is troubling in a Christian nation. As Christ says in Matthew 25, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Foreigners around the world have been gracious in support of The Bahamas since the storm. From the US Coast Guard to the British Royal Navy, from chef José Andres with his magnificent food operation for survivors to the many donations from all corners of the world to assist. How then do we turn to the foreigners in our midst and close the door on them, no matter what their pain? We need to do better than that. We need to be better.
Lessons to learn from our history EDITOR, The Tribune. FROM as far back as I can remember there have been factions in this country whose major ambition has been to keep Bahamians divided. I remember when the PLP was born, and Pindling prided himself with heading an all black party. It was made abundantly clear that white Bahamians, especially those of the business community, who were desperately needed to be a part of the new nation, were not wanted. They were sent to the hills, and so they remained in the shadows, concentrated on building their own businesses and enjoying their yachts and the beauty of our islands. I recall one day in the House of Assembly when one of the Opposition — it was either the late Sir Geoffrey Johnstone or the
late Roy Solomon —had the temerity to stand up and make a very valid suggestion to Sir Lynden to help him solve what was unnecessarily turning out to be a ticklish problem. Sir Lynden, frothing at the mouth, jumped to his feet and bellowed something to the effect: “You think me stupid, hey — you think I don’t know that!” I went to the House very seldom, but that was one of my seldom occasions and I was not only shocked, but I was saddened. From then on I withdrew my participation in the affairs of my country — not wanted, talents and training and a willingness to help not appreciated — best to stay away. I remember the behind-the-scenes talk that Pindling would have given anything to have had Sir Stafford Sands remain in The Bahamas to keep the tourism ministry the success
that it was and help direct the country’s finances. Sir Stafford’s only response was that if they sat on their hands for five years, made no changes to his fiveyear plan for the country and let Colonial Secretary Sir Foley Newns guide them on how to manage a government, they would get through. Sir Stafford was a five-year planner and he had his Ministry planned for another five years when the PLP took over the government. Of, course, they failed to take good advice. Their attitude was: “You think, I stupid, hey! Well, I gon’ show, yinna.” And by jingo, they did show us! Not only were they stupid, but we were even more stupid for accepting their stupidity! VOICE FROM THE PAST Nassau, September 29, 2019
jamaaltheartist@gmail.com
Senator is wrong EDITOR, The Tribune. I RECENTLY noted a post by an opinionated Senator which I have up to this point tried to ignore... However, I feel the need to address matters when they emanate from persons seated in the Upper House of our Legislature due to what appears to be an inadvertent reliance on assumptions which are not grounded in reality nor placed in their proper historical context. First and foremost, for a Senator to suggest that every adult aged Haitian national in the shelter given temporary status and a general work permit for a year whether they entered illegally and/or had a job offer or not is utter nonsense. Can you imagine the consequences of such a policy? Numbers in shelters would swell to 10,000 overnight. And what of all the people who have paid $2000 for legal workers who entered the country via legitimate means? What type of precedent is a seated senator suggesting here? He goes on to state that if it were up to him – and thank God it isn’t – if they prove they got a job and were paying rent they can stay in our Bahamas and if not I guess his bright plan is that we should have to go and start from scratch and find them in the shanty towns they will have built if they couldn’t find a job and a place to live after we allowed them to be here illegally for a year on some ill conceived temp status with no job yet having a work permit...what exactly is this Senator proposing? And who is he proposing it for? Which people is he the voice for? Right now we have shelters that are 90 percent full of undocumented illegal immigrants. We offer an incentive for information on how they got here now, temp status and possible asylum for any who speak up and testify against smugglers. And truth is we know what docks and beaches they leave from in Haiti and we know where their historical landing points are. By now we could have sent Bahamian-Haitian police to infiltrate smuggling networks and to have made the ride themselves. We need to stop all this talk. And get serious: 1. Blockade the southern passage. We all know this can be done using existing equipment. Boats leave from the north shore of Haiti. From our big boats stationed on the maritime boarder we would know when they push off and observe them patiently with drones sending go fast boats to intercept and turn them back or tell them they have to sail north via the eastern seaboard in the Atlantic Ocean - their choice but no passage through our waters. If the DR navy so anxious to help and can send two boats and soldiers to Abaco, they can help by patrolling their northern
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net waters aggressively too and stop their poachers from crossing the border under threat of being treated as a hostile force by our RBDF; and in fact participate in joint pursuit, arresting poachers who flee back into their waters as being under hot pursuit by our forces. Any who enter our waters can be detained and processed at base in Inagua in tent cities and sent home. 2. Aggressive prosecution of captains and financiers under human trafficking laws with maximum 25 year sentences. Offers of plea bargains for captains who give information on the trafficking networks. 3. Prosecute those found employing illegals and hit them with heavy punitive fines. 4. Seize shanty town properties using any one of various legal orders available starting with health and safety orders and issue mandatory eviction notices. Legals and illegals out. Displaced legals persons can apply to social services for housing assistance and if they are unable to afford housing under the terms of their legal employment which by law can’t be under minimum wage then they need to go home as they can’t be allowed to live as squatters. 5. Clearing of those properties and simultaneously acquiring them via compulsory acquisition orders compensation being given to any persons presenting valid legal standing and valid legal title. 6. Government has already given a cut off point for applications. A deadline which has passed for all those who would have turned 18. There were tens of thousands who applied not sure how many were approved. But that said, we have a cut off point. 7. People presently in shelters need to be processed and those not in good standing need to be detained and sent back to Haiti en masse. 8. A system of seasonal and/or temporary work permits needs to be established for seasonal workers with a maximum of three to five years renewals also needs to be implemented. There is no easy painless overnight one step fix to this issue. Anyone who thinks so is a fool who fails to understand the depth of the problem. Human trafficking is an industry wherein the poorest people in the world are exploited by the darkest hearts in the world. Beyond that, the history goes deep: the displaced Haitian aristocracy that led their famed revolution and then fed on the poor people as did the French (until they were disposed by a Bahamian born dictator) fled to The Bahamas and became parts of its ruling black land owning elite. The Goodmans, Dillets, and many others with names that were
switched to their Anglo equivalents... and behind them they opened the doors for others. We are still finding persons connected to Papa Doc’s tonton macoute who also fled this direction on his downfall...and now deported serious gangsters from the US. The truth is to a great and undeniable extent from the pre-Columbus era the peoples of Haiti and The Bahamas have been intermixed and as such intertwined on multiple cultural, social and economic levels. That said, there is a border. There are laws. And this is our Bahamas. All of which need to be fully and completely respected. DR set the precedent. We can legitimately and justifiably expel whoever is found to be undocumented especially after the amnesty period. Trump and Australia have set the precedent re border policing and detention facilities – we can justifiably turn them around and or detain and process them in tent cities on the base in Inagua. Finally this notion of being Haitian Bahamian is in itself divisive. As is the concept of white Bahamian, Chinese Bahamian... we are all Bahamians, period. Those of Haitian descent left Haiti for very strong and compelling reasons to have risked their lives to do so. They should be on the very front line of protecting the culture that dwells within these borders. A culture that was welcoming when all of their neighbours in the Greater Antilles, Dominican Republic that they share a border with, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba all have extreme closed door immigration policies. While the revolution was the greatest act of defiance and liberation from colonial oppression in the black world to date; I am a Bahamian and my cry is for those of us Born Free Bahamians to own full freedoms and to have full rights to opportunities and ownership in our Bahamas - well ahead of the rights of those who choose to Immigrate illegally to our country and have become a non tax paying burden to every system in our society as their illegal status breeds a black market system of illegality around their entire existence feeding and festering among the epidemic corruption which is deeply embedded within our society... typical for a Senator to throw a five cent ill-conceived comment directed at appeasement of a certain demographic that is highly represented in a certain area of New Providence that he is praying ill on the present representative in hopes of getting the red head nod for the seat as the solution to a $100m problem that has been brewing for and has had its roots sunk for the better part of 100+ years. JOHN BOSTWICK Nassau, September 30, 2019.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, October 1, 2019, PAGE 5
Turnquest: PLP should help fix things, not just criticise By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net AS the government forges ahead with plans to restore storm-ravaged islands, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest said the country would be better served if the official opposition made contributions on fixing issues rather than criticising efforts. The Progressive Liberal Party on Sunday described the Minnis administration’s handling of Grand Bahama and Abaco following Hurricane Dorian’s passage as “scattered and unfocused”. Responding, Mr Turnquest said this was an unprecedented situation that “knocked” this country to its knees. “…The fact of the matter is this is an incident that is unprecedented in terms of the scale of it, in terms of the diversity of the islands and communities, which it impacted. So it’s easy to criticise. “I think it would be more useful for the opposition to contribute to the debate in terms of how we address these issues going forward and support us in the efforts that we’re trying to do to bring some normalcy to our citizens.” The Minnis administration has also had to worry about economic restoration in Abaco and Grand Bahama, Mr Turnquest telling The Tribune officials were certainly concerned about businesses returning to those islands. According to the Abaco Chamber of Commerce recently, some business owners there have said they won’t return. Similarly a few merchants in the nation’s second city are of the same view. However, Mr Turnquest said yesterday that it was
TWO Haitian migrants sit as one stands amid the ruins of a home destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in Abaco. vital for all businesses to return to ensure there is an “economic revival” on both islands, which account for 18 percent of the nation’s GDP. He said the government was doing everything it could to make it less expensive for merchants to rebuild after Dorian left many with nothing. “In order for us to rebound fully we need all of our entrepreneurs, all of our businesses to come back and to participate in this economic revival,” the deputy prime minister said in response to a question from The Tribune. “We’re certainly from our part as the government
doing all that we can to incentivise and to encourage all of those businesses to come back. “As you would know the prime minister has indicated there’s a package of incentives that we’ve put forward through loans, through grants, through joint ventures and through private sector lending commercial banks and other agencies. “We’re putting together this whole package to try and support the entrepreneur class so that they do come back and we make it as inexpensive for them to get back in to business. “So whatever we do from the government side we’re
certainly trying to facilitate that.” He also said: “The fact of the matter is that the two islands, Abaco and Grand Bahama, account for some 18 percent of our GDP and so we need them to be performing and we need them to be producing at the levels or even exceeding the levels that they’ve done before. “We believe that there is going to be a tremendous amount of opportunity in these islands in the short terms (and) in the medium terms as a result of all the reconstruction that is going to be necessary. “So whether it’s in the service industry, whether it’s in the food industry,
whether it’s in housing or whether it’s in construction there’s going to be opportunities in these islands and so I would encourage business people (to return).” Mr Turnquest continued: “We’ve been knocked down and we’re down on our knees. However we’ve been here before in that respect and we’ve been able to bounce back, slow as it may have been. “But I think we have to take advantage of this opportunity, see it as an opportunity to create new business opportunities and to take advantage of the situation and to produce and create employment and create wealth for
Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP ourselves.” He said despite some business owners saying they were prepared to set up shop on other islands, there was tremendous interest in government offered incentives and waivers. In late September, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said Abaco and East Grand Bahama would be designated as Economic Recovery Zones. He said at the time that a $10m loan guarantee and equity financing facility would be available for enterprises to either help them re-open or create new businesses. An applicant will be able to secure a maximum of $500,000.
COOPER BLASTS GOVT OVER HURRICANE RESPONSE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Deputy Leader Chester Cooper attacked the Minnis administration’s response to Hurricane Dorian yesterday at a constituency branch meeting. “The government knew Hurricane Dorian was coming,” he said. “We all watched it form and move. The government was briefed on it. The
opposition demanded to be briefed on it. The world saw it coming. Where was the mandatory evacuation legislation that was promised in 2016 and 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in 2017 when you were prime minister?” Mr Cooper continued: “Where were the trucks, chain saws, garbage bins, dumpsters all lined up to deal with the aftermath appropriately? In fact, where were the RBDF ships? Where was the
enforcement of the building codes as was promised when he was prime minister in the aftermath of Irma in 2017?” Mr Cooper’s comments were partly a reference to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ criticism of the Christie administration’s response to Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Dr Minnis had said: “You knew the storm was coming, you knew the strength of the storm, you knew the potential damage, you knew what was going
to happen to the south, and therefore they should have already had trucks, chain saws, garbage bins, dumpsters all lined up to deal with the aftermath appropriately.” Mr Cooper also criticised the government’s slowness to restore government services to Ragged Island. Ragged Island residents fear that with focus on restoring Abaco and Grand Bahama, their need for basic services like healthcare and public education
will be pushed aside. “For over two years I have been agitating for this government to address the concerns of Ragged Island, and to no avail,” Mr Cooper, who represents the island, said. “We have gotten minimal assistance and more big promises that have yet to come to fruition. We are still awaiting government buildings and proper infrastructure. We are still awaiting the promised solarisation of the island. They say that will
happen before the end of the year, but they didn’t say which year. Two years later and the government continues to fail Ragged Island. Still no school, no police, no nurse and no sense of normalcy. If it takes two plus years for the government to even approve a plan for an island with a population of less than a hundred, then I think it is fair to be concerned about how long it will take for the plan of an island with over 20,000 people to emerge.”
PAGE 6, Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
$100m loan to pay for utilities and shelters from page one However, given the level of destruction, particularly in Abaco, Mr Moreno said the money allows the Minnis administration “liquidity” to satisfy some immediate needs. The IDB, beginning today, is also conducting a three-week assessment to place a dollar value on the cost of reconstruction, Mr Moreno said, adding the organisation was also looking into a major project to assist the government in getting close to $180m for the advancement of the energy sector. Asked about the latter portion of Mr Moreno’s announcement, Mr Turnquest said as far as he was aware, the government had not agreed to this strategy. Nonetheless, the concentration of resources has left Ragged Island residents wondering if they have been forgotten. The island is still without essential services after Hurricane Irma’s destruction there in 2017. In this regard, Mr Turnquest said he did not believe any of the government’s focus had been removed from that island, which currently has a population of about 60 residents. The officials spoke to reporters following a brief meeting with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday. “As you know Prime Minister (Hubert Minnis) outlined a vision for Ragged Island and as far as I am aware that is still very much on track and so hopefully they will start to see the kind of results that they wanted and that they
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis met Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank, and executive board members yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister, and discussed restoration of Abaco and Grand Bahama. Photo: Yontalay Bowe/BIS expect to have,” the deputy prime minister said in response to a question from this newspaper. Explaining how the government intends to use the funding, Mr Turnquest said ultimately the loan is an important part of ensuring people can get back to normal. “As the president would have said, we have accessed
the full $100m and it is going to be geared towards the public utilities - both BPL and the water utility. I think the minister of works has indicated what that investment is likely to be. “We are also using some of that money to provide temporary shelter for residents as we try to encourage them to go back to these islands and help
in the reconstruction and some of it will be used in the immediate emergency relief that is necessary in order to support them during this upscale cycle where we get people back and commerce started,” Mr Turnquest said. For his part, Mr Moreno said the IDB’s focus in on helping The Bahamas to rebuild in a better way. He said: “I basically came here to The Bahamas to not only show our solidarity, but more importantly from the minute that the disaster happened we made a donation for disaster relief. “More importantly we’re thinking as we are not a relief agency we’re basically a development institution and as such we’re looking at how to help rebuild Grand Bahama and Abaco family islands. In this context we’ve been looking at a number of things. “First of all we had an emergency line of credit of $100m that the government of Bahamas can use as it sees the need to do
some of the reconstruction and immediate reconstruction in terms of getting the energy back up, getting the water working and in the initial phases of all the removal of the debris. But one of the bigger challenges going forward, and I offered this to the prime minister, is how we can help support the new ministry that is going to be created to do the reconstruction and help them do the coordination with a number of donors.” Dr Minnis announced the new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction more than a week ago. Member of Parliament for Central Grand Bahama Iram Lewis is the minister of state for the ministry, which is coordinating all of the storm related relief efforts. Mr Moreno continued: “Tomorrow (Tuesday) a very big team from the IDB is arriving and they will be working for the next three weeks in doing
a major damage assessment and that will put a dollar amount as to how much is the cost of the reconstruction that will essentially allow the government of The Bahamas to go to its partners to different countries that have expressed an interest in supporting the reconstruction to see how we can get funding for that. “Then finally we’re equally working on a major project to get close to $180m for the energy sector that will be used in different tranches and then hopefully we’ll have that approved by the end of the year.” The $100m contingency was approved by way of a resolution in the House of Assembly in January after it was previously approved during the 2018 budget exercise. At the time, Dr Minnis said the contingent loan facility was “a line of credit that is on standby in the event the country is hit by a hurricane and needs additional funds to respond and to recover.”
$6M DOME SHELTER FOR ABACO REFUGEES from page one
come in two sizes, one that is 14ft and another 20ft, and they are made of polycarbonate material. He said the first batch of structures will arrive within a week. “The domes were particularly ordered to provide relief to an area susceptible to additional storms,” he said. “This is something we thought out and researched. These domes will have two sleeping areas and a bathroom facility so it takes care of the living and sanitary needs within one unit. The first order is for just over 200 domes and we’re going to be looking to house just over 1,000 people with the first batch.” Mr Clarke is the president and managing director of Veritas Consultants Limited, a company that provides project management and construction solution services. Mindful that some Abaco residents are returning to their own properties, Mr Clarke said organisers have not ordered “too many” structures but have been discussing other temporary shelter options with the Ministry of Works for
people who wish to stay on their property. “We are talking to the Ministry of Works about possibly allowing modular homes as temporary structures,” he said. “The domes are a safe, secure temporary housing for people returning to Abaco who may need it and we wanted sustainable housing for them. They are maintenance free.” Currently, 1,618 people are staying in government shelters in Grand Bahama and New Providence, according to a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) report yesterday. NEMA also said it discovered 62 Haitians living in Mission Baptist Church in the Sand Bank community of Abaco on Sunday, including 40 adult men, 20 adult women, a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl. With the first batch of dome structures expected to house about 1,000 people, Mr Clarke noted that policy-makers will determine who gets to stay in the structures. Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Limited has given organisers a generator to power the family
relief centre, Mr Clarke said. Last month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said a man camp will be built in Abaco to provide living arrangements for people working to rebuild the island. “Man camp construction will be driven by the private sector and the government will make suitable arrangements to house public servants,” Mr Clarke said. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest also told reporters yesterday that the government’s first order of temporary shelter units cost about $2.5m. “I know that in Abaco there is hopefully this week some accommodation for the government workers so that we can get the government systems back up and running and it’ll flow from there,” he said. Attorney General Carl Bethel has said the temporary shelter space in Abaco will have a noticeable law enforcement presence. He said in the long term, the government wants basic housing units, “preferably on stilts to give better durability in storm conditions,” to be constructed.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, October 1, 2019, PAGE 7
UB students welcomed at Hampton By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net IT’S been four weeks since Hurricane Dorian pummeled the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, and many hurricane victims are trying to get back to a normal routine. This is the case for some 47 UB North students who traveled to Virginia last week to continue their academic studies abroad. Among them is Kristoff Strachan, a junior currently majoring in history at Hampton University. Mr Strachan, 23, said he was staying in South Bahamia, Freeport when the monstrous storm hit last month, ultimately changing
the trajectory of his life. “It was a very harrowing and traumatic experience. I was standing on our balcony when I saw the water come in and I remember telling my family that we may have to go because the water is coming,” he said. “Fortunately, or weirdly I should say, the water only came up to our step and stopped but right across the streets by our neighbours, the water was past their cars.” After witnessing the destruction in Freeport caused by Dorian, Mr Strachan said he initially decided to drop out of school. He was studying geography and history at UB North before the monster storm destroyed the facility.
“I studied at UB in Nassau for two semesters and to be honest, having just come back from Nassau, I was just ready to drop out. I figured I was done with Nassau. I have a mom who is sick with cancer and that’s why I transferred to UB North so I was helping to take care of her and with everything that was happening, I was just ready to quit and then the whole Hampton thing came up and my first thought was, is this even legitimate?” he said. In the aftermath of Dorian, Hampton University, a historically black institution in the US, offered to enrol displaced UB students so they could continue their studies. They
were offered free enrollment as well room and board for one semester, and will have the option to stay at Hampton once the semester is over at regular rates for tuition and fees. For some students, the choice to transfer to Hampton was one they couldn’t easily refuse. However, for others, the decision to study at the institution was as not as simple. Tàbia Williams, 19, said: “After the storm, mentally I wasn’t there. My mind frame was far away from school. I just didn’t want to continue at the time. I felt like I needed a break because it was so much going on, not that I had much loss. The storm just was a lot to take in. It
was my parents who really pushed me to take the Hampton route.” Tomorrow will make a week since Ms Williams, Mr Strachan and many other Bahamian students started their journey at Hampton and the support thus far has been overwhelming. “For instance, we had a church reach out to us yesterday to assess our needs to determine what they could give us in terms of anything. A lot of people have been giving us clothes and toiletries. This church has even said as simple as if we wanted stuff to decorate our rooms. Whatever we wanted, they would try to get to us. There was a barber shop and two barbers came to out the hall
yesterday evening and they gave all the guys who wanted to get haircuts free haircuts. So, for the most part, everyone has been pretty welcoming and accommodating,” Mr Strachan told The Tribune. Although the journey has not been easy for him, Mr Strachan remains hopeful that everything will work out. “We can’t focus on every negative outcome of hurricanes because despite Dorian, the opportunity (to attend Hampton University) was extended to 600 students from The Bahamas and that in itself is amazing. This is a first for a lot of us and the furthest many of us have been from home so it’s a new experience,” he said.
the UNDP to expand its network, which is already working with St Lucia, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda, to include The Bahamas. “I was very pleased to learn of the UNDP’s contribution to Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts,” said Dr Minnis. “We will rebuild stronger
and better than before, and with more resilience, but we cannot do it on our own. We also need assistance from our international allies and partners to confront the challenges we face as a country as a result of Hurricane Dorian.” The UNDP funding will guarantee technical assistance in early recovery
interventions for crucial areas, according to the programme. It will also help promote environmentally sustainable resilient infrastructure; develop national and local capacities for disaster-risk reduction and recovery; and support livelihoods and economic recovery of most vulnerable communities.
Since the passage of Hurricane Dorian, the UNDP has been working alongside other UN agencies to support the affected islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama to address both immediate and long-term recovery needs. Recovery experts have already been deployed to rapid recovery assessments and to support the
organisation of the recovery efforts. The UNDP helps countries to address diverse development challenges related to building resilience to crises and shocks. It also supports efforts to eradicate poverty and accelerate structural transformation for sustainable development.
UNITED NATIONS GIVES $1M TO HURRICANE RECOVERY PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis welcomed an announcement by the United Nations Development Programme that it will contribute $1m for Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts in The Bahamas. During his address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, September 27, Dr Minnis encouraged
PAGE 8, Tuesday, October 1, 2019
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Attempted murder suspect granted bail ahead of trial By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been granted bail before his trial alleging that he tried to kill a woman five months ago. Justice Gregory Hilton granted Shannon Wilson $20,000 bail ahead of his impending trial for allegedly attempting to kill
Adena Young on April 1. As part of his bail conditions, Wilson must surrender his passport and is to be outfitted with an ankle monitoring device. He is to report to the Central Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday before 6pm, and is ordered not to have any contact with Crown witnesses. In July, Wilson, of Cotton
Wood Street, was charged before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt with attempting to murder Young. According to initial reports, shortly after 7am on the date in question, Young was standing at the rear of a vehicle in front of her home on Boatswain Hill, when she was approached by two men armed with a firearm. The men, one of whom is alleged to have
been Wilson, opened fire in her direction, wounding her, before fleeing the scene in a silver coloured Honda. Young was taken to hospital where she was listed in critical, but stable condition. Wilson’s arraignment came months after he was acquitted of attempting to murder Detective Constable 3569 Kendrick Brown on June 10, 2016. Wilson’s attorney, David Cash, told
The Tribune that Wilson was acquitted at the no-case submission stage by Justice Hilton in May. During Wilson’s initial arraignment, Mr Cash also submitted that at the time the Crown claims his client attempted to murder Young, he was outfitted with an ankle bracelet as part of his bail conditions for his trial over the earlier allegations that he tried to
CARLTON E Francis staff continuing their fourth week of protest outside the primary school.
kill D/C Brown. Mr Cash also submitted his observation that no representative of Migrafill Security Company, which monitors the ankle bracelet Wilson was wearing at the time of the alleged incident, is listed as a witness, despite the company likely being able to provide a report outlining Wilson’s whereabouts on the date in question.
Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
‘DEAF EARS’ FROM MINISTRY FOR TEACHERS IN SCHOOL DISPUTE from page one In an interview with The Tribune, Cedricka Rolle, Bahamas Union of Teachers acting secretary general, said union members have seen Ministry of Education officials “going in and out” of the school, but no one has said anything to the teachers. “This is really poor, poor taste on the minister’s behalf,” Ms Rolle said. “We haven’t seen him come to the school to even scope out or assess the situation. I think that’s terrible, if we say we are here, and we are here for the kids as the leader of education he should be here. He should be here, and he should come and see what is going on. “He should come and see the barbaric treatment that these people are getting just to even enter the campus. I cry shame on him because he hasn’t come here yet. This is affecting the children; we are out here in front of the school gate, so the children are looking through the window seeing
CEDRICKA ROLLE, BUT acting secretary general. “Apparently, Ms Daxon their teachers outside. I’m sure there is no learning (the school’s principal) is so valuable to the Department going on.” One disgruntled of Education that they teacher, Sharon McKenzie, implied she wasn’t here, but said she now feels victim- it seems like they are hiding ised by the Ministry of her. We haven’t seen her for three and a half weeks, Education. Ms McKenzie said: “The but we are told she is still ministry seems very non- here. Obviously, our cries chalant about this situation; are falling on deaf ears. “No ministry official they don’t seem to care. We are not out here for any- has yet to speak with us. thing other than the right They come in and out the to not be bullied or victim- school but not one has stop ised on our jobs. They are to speak to us. Obviously, not allowing us in our class- they’re not concerned. This rooms, and it doesn’t seem isn’t about who is right or like anything has changed. wrong, this about what is
right and what is wrong. What we are accusing Ms Daxon of is real, the bullying is real, the victimisation is real and now we are being victimised by our own ministry.” She added: “I don’t understand, I’m confused, and we followed protocols. We made complaints, we did our letters, we spoke to the PS, we spoke to the director of education, we spoke to the minister. We did everything that we were supposed to do, so this right here is our last resort and we are hoping that the public would support us.” Another BUT official, Tara Hanna-Rolle, said the teachers are still demonstrating because they want this issue to be resolved. She said teachers will continue to their action until they get an answer from the Ministry of Education. Mrs Hanna-Rolle said: “I want to encourage my teachers to stay strong and to know that we are here. The union is here, and we are going to stand in solidarity with them. They may get weary and tired but
that’s life. “Sometimes you just have to be able to cope with what’s going on and to believe this situation will come to an end because this too shall pass.” A parent who only gave her name as Ms Rolle said she’s hurt to see the teachers still protesting. She said: “I really was hoping at least praying that this would have some resolution by now. I was just telling some other parents what affects our teachers affects our kids. The principal isn’t the one teaching the children, it’s the teachers. “As parents we have to say if this principal is a problem and our teachers are distress about that, then we have to stand together. If the head is not functioning right, then the body will collapse. My son is affected because he had to get another substitute teacher because the teachers out here.” Another irate teacher, Melody Newbold, said the alleged unfair treatment has to stop. Ms Newbold said: “We
are simply saying to the Ministry of Education to please remove her and get us back in our classrooms. This has been four weeks now and we really want this matter to be resolved. We will be out here until the matter is resolved.” The Tribune’s attempts to get a comment from the Ministry of Education yesterday were unsuccessful. However in mid-September, the Ministry of Education said it is “disheartened” by the fact that a number of teachers at the school have withdrawn from their duties. “This defiant behaviour places our students at a grave disadvantage, depriving them of the quality time and education which they rightfully deserve,” the ministry said in a statement. “As such, the ministry’s paramount objective is to ensure that the education and safety of our students are not compromised. Accordingly, the public can be assured that ministry officials are working in earnest to resolve the matter.”
NO JAIL TIME FOR DOCTOR CAUGHT WITH MARIJUANA from page one
ALTESE KEMP
HUNT FOR MISSING TEENAGER GRAND Bahama police are searching for a 16-yearold girl who has been missing for about a week in Grand Bahama. Altese Kemp, of Seymour Drive, Freeport, has not been seen or heard from in the past five days, according to police. Police have issued a missing person’s poster for the teen, who has brown
complexion, is about 5’7” tall and weighs about 180 pounds. Anyone with information concerning her whereabouts is asked to contact the Central Detective Unit at 350-3107 through 12, 911, 919, or the Grand Bahama Police Command Centre at 4422872/2870, or call the nearest police station.
The Tribune understands Rolle is required to put in his hours by assisting in Hurricane Dorian relief efforts. Additionally, Magistrate McKinney sentenced Rolle to two years’ probation. Failure to adhere to the court’s orders would result in a three month custodial sentence. However, should Rolle complete his 120 hours of community service by January 22, 2020, he will be given an absolute discharge. During trial, Corporal 1601 Deangelo Gaitor testified how while on mobile patrol on January 20, he was dispatched to Rolle’s residence on West Bay Street over a domestic dispute. Upon his arrival, the officer saw Rolle’s former lover, Sky Holbert, throwing rocks at the windows of a car.
D/C Gaitor said Rolle identified himself and indicated his desire to press charges against Holbert. Holbert, in turn, called Rolle an offensive name and told the officer that the physician had “plenty dope upstairs”. D/C Gaitor said after showing Rolle a warrant, and while searching the kitchen, he found multiple packages of drugs on the counter. D/C Gaitor also said he found over $60,000 in mixed currency in a tin on the counter. D/C Gaitor said Rolle told him that he didn’t sell drugs and that the funds came from his medical practice at Eastwood Medical Clinic. However, the officer said Rolle did not deny having knowledge of the drugs. As a result, D/C Gaitor said the doctor was arrested in connection with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply, while Holbert was arrested in reference to the
discovery of the drugs and the causing damage complaint. When he took the witness stand in his defence, Rolle claimed Holbert planted the drugs and the money in his house. He explained that he called the police because Holbert had damaged both his BMW and Toyota Passo moments after he broke up with her. When the police arrived and he told them he wanted to press charges against the woman, he said he consented to a search of his apartment. However, in contrast to D/C Gaitor’s testimony, Rolle said Holbert directed the officer to a kitchen cupboard, where they retrieved a box that contained a plastic bag of marijuana. And in response to a question by his attorney, Rolle said Holbert had unrestricted access to his apartment, thus validating his suspicion that she planted the drugs.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, October 1, 2019, PAGE 9
He aimed to become a judge - he served as the highest in the land S
IR Michael Barnett is living proof that if you can see it, and if you believe it with all your heart, then you can achieve it. Lifetime goals are something to never give up on, despite any obstacles that may come your way. He stands as a testament to the fact that it is indeed possible. Now in his sixties, he is at the peak of his career and is still going strong. He knew from a very early age that he wanted to be a judge. Yes, he was an island boy… and yes, he was one of nine children, but lofty dreams are not contained by circumstances. The execution of those dreams can break any barrier of the situation the dreamer may be in. In this case, Sir Michael not only served as Chief Justice of The Bahamas, he is currently sitting in the highest court in the land – the Court of Appeal. During the years that I covered the crime and court beat as a reporter, I spent many a day in this court covering high-profile cases. I developed a high level of respect for the judiciary and I can understand why Sir Michael absolutely loves his calling. “I love being a lawyer and I love being a judge,” he said. “When you come to a lawyer, it is because you have a problem. You come for advice as to how to solve the problem. When you come to the court, you come because you have a problem and it could not be solved between you and the other party. “You ask the judge to help solve the problem you couldn’t solve on your own. That excites me about law. The law is designed to achieve fairness. “As a judge, I have the ability to impact peoples’ lives and treat them fairly, and that is something that I enjoy. I always had aspirations to be a judge. I was more interested in being a judge than entering a political career.” It has paid off tremendously for him. Today, Sir Michael L Barnett is one of the country’s leading luminaries of the legal profession. He served as Chief Justice of The Bahamas from 2009 to 2015. He then returned to the bench in December 2017 as Acting Justice of the Court of Appeal. In March of this year, he was sworn in as Justice of the Court of Appeal. Prior to his appointment as Chief Justice, Sir Michael served as the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of The Bahamas (2008–2009). He has also served as Acting Stipendiary and Circuit Magistrate (1985–1988). A former president of The Bahamas Bar Association (1989–1991), Sir Michael has also served that organisation in the roles of Registrar of Examinations (1980–1985) and Examiner, Law of Civil Procedures (1985–1990). It seems as if adjudicating is just in his nature. Even when he was a young boy, he was an avid sports enthusiast and would often be the one to keep score at games. His discipline and determination was likely honed by his parents. Arthur
Face to Face
By FELICITY INGRAHAM
Barnett comes from a Jamaican family who migrated to The Bahamas. He was the only one of his siblings to be born in The Bahamas, and he applied himself well throughout life and rose to the position of an esteemed Family Island Commissioner. He fell in love with and married Beryl Russell, who is descended from the Hanna, Heastie, Tynes lineage that I covered in a previous column. Arthur and Beryl raised nine children together, the second being Michael, who was born August 1, 1954. With his father serving as a commissioner and his mother working in the public education system as a mathematics teacher, Michael and his siblings did quite a bit of moving around the Family Islands. Although he was born in Nassau, he had the privilege of spending formative years in settlements like Rock Sound, Eleuthera; Mangrove Cay, Andros; and Alice Town, Bimini. I say privilege, because often we hear of Bahamians growing up in Nassau or in one settlement on a Family Island. This well-rounded experience was beneficial for the young Michael. In addition to enjoying all the childhood island activities such as picking native fruits and long beaching days, he developed lifetime bonds with people in the settlement considering the Barnetts as family. To this day, Sir Michael has visited almost every major Bahamian island and has a passion for this country. When he returned to New Providence for schooling, he and his elder sister Ann lived with their maternal grandmother at first, until his father came to the capital to work for the Ministry of Education as an accountant. His mother returned to continue teaching until she eventually retired as Vice Principal of SC McPherson high school. Michael attended Sacred Heart Church school for his final year of primary school. He then went on to St Augustine’s College, which was an all-boys school at the time. When he and his classmates were in form three, female students were brought into the SAC population from Xavier’s College. His class included the likes of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and former Face to Face interviewees Dr Rodney Smith and Fred Albury. Sir Michael says he has fond memories of St Augustine’s and still maintains close relationships with many of his classmates to this day. Michael was younger than many of his classmates when he graduated from high school as he was just 15 years old. “I can’t ever remember not wanting to be a lawyer,” he said when asked what lit his spark. “I always read a lot of Perry Mason novels. Before going into law, my
SIR Michael Barnett attends an AIDS Foundation event along with his wife, Lady Camille, daughters Viola and Michaela, and son-inlaw Rory Major.
father suggested I should go to USA and get a first degree in liberal arts. I celebrated my 16th birthday in Mt Pleasant, Michigan.” He spent two years at University of Detroit before he transferred to Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He graduated in May 1974 with a Bachelor’s degree in economics. He recalls the difficulty he had fitting in with college mates: “I was intellectually capable of doing the work, but at that stage I was not as mature socially as others at university and that took away from a part of the experience. “I wasn’t into partying or drugs or many of the things that the other students were into at the time, but I was heavily into sports and I enjoyed going to the games.
“Social development is an important part of college life. I wouldn’t recommend persons going away to college as young as I did.” Sir Michael returned to Nassau and took a job at Deltec Bank. While at Deltec, he also took up evening classes with the Extramural Department of the University of the West Indies in Nassau. He took classes in Law of Contract and Company Law under the tutelage of former Justice of Appeal Emmanuel Osadebay, who passed away in August after wellnoted contributions to the Bahamian judiciary. “He helped to encourage me and stimulate my enthusiasm for law,” he says of Justice Osadebay, “And these two classes wet my appetite for law.” It was 1975 and Michael had already been home for a year when he reached a critical juncture in life. His superiors at Deltec sat him down and gave him a proposal. They wanted to send him to New York City and to London to further his education. They let him know that he had the potential to one day run the bank. He decided to go home and sleep on it, and he also discussed the proposal with his father. He returned the next day to decline the benevolent offer. His heart was set on a legal career. It was then that a surprising event occurred. Michael was offered a full scholarship to study law. “He was absolutely sure that I would be a successful lawyer and make an impact in society,” he recalls. The young Michael took off for London to enter the Inns of Court. He took the English Bar, qualified as a Barrister from Lincoln’s Inn (Inns of Court Law School) and was called to the Bar of England and
Wales in July of 1978. He came home and passed the Bahamas Bar on August 24, 1978 and was called to the Bahamas Bar. It was a proud day for him – his paternal grandmother’s birthday and three days after his 24th birthday. He then trained under Sir Kendal Isaacs for five years and says of his mentor: “He was a very good lawyer. He was always prepared and his research was thorough. He was not always an eloquent speaker, but his skill was his preparedness. Very few issues were likely to come up that he had not considered.” Sir Michael went on to become an highly regarded litigator, and the founding Partner of Litigation and Dispute Resolution
SIR MICHAEL BARNETT, above, and left with St Augustines Alumni Association member Jannifer Thurston as he is set to be honoured with the Lighthouse Lifetime Achievement Award on October 26 at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. practice of Graham Thomp- (2015–2019). son, one of the country’s Throughout his profesoldest and most prestigious sional life, Sir Michael has law firms. He was a senior remained grounded by the partner in Graham Thomp- love and support of his wife son for 25 years. of 38 years, Lady Camille His service includes Barnett (nee Liverpool), leadership of public and his daughters (who are not-for-profit boards, both attorneys and both including the Industrial married) Viola Major and Relations Board (Chair- Michaela Ellis, and his man, 1993–1997) and eight-year-old granddaughthe Water and Sewerage ter Kamelia Ellis. Corporation (Chairman, He will be honored by 1998–2002). From 1981 to St Augustine’s College 1989, he was the Chairman Alumni Association as the of the Catholic Board of SAC Alumnus of the Year Education. He was also a during the 2019 Lighthouse member of the Financial Awards and Gala on OctoServices Advisory Commit- ber 26. Prime Minister Dr tee to the Prime Minister of Hubert Minnis claimed The Bahamas (1998–2000). this award last year. The Sir Michael was con- school’s alumni associaferred the award of Knight tion will give out several Bachelor by Her Majesty other awards, with the lifeQueen Elizabeth II in 2009. time award being the most He was made an Honorary prestigious. Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in One of the roles that Sir 2010. He has also served on Michael is especially noted several corporate boards, for, is that of mentor. Many including Directorships on accomplished Bahamian the boards of Ansbacher attorneys speak so highly (Bahamas) Limited (1997– and so appreciatively of his 2008), Commonwealth tutelage; his openness and Bank Limited (1999–2008), his willingness to share his BSI Overseas (Bahamas) experiences and to impart Limited (2000–2008), and the wisdom of such a full Amber Bank & Trust Ltd and illustrious career.
PAGE 10, Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Britain’s contribution to hurricane relief IN the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, The Bahamas has received so much aid, assistance and support from such a wide variety of sources, both at home and from overseas, that it would be invidious to single out any particular ones as being more worthy than others. But, having learnt of the details of my own country’s involvement from the newly-arrived British High Commissioner, Sarah Dickson, who was responsible for coordinating the UK’s response, I should like to use this column to describe the ways Britain has contributed so far to the humanitarian relief effort. In a region of the world where hurricanes are all too common, this might be useful in learning lessons and preparing for the future. In summary, Britain has committed up to 1.5 million pounds sterling ($1.8 million) towards the immediate humanitarian response. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship ‘Mounts Bay’ was pre-positioned in the region ahead of the hurricane season and was tracking Dorian’s path from this side of the Atlantic so was well placed to be the first ship of any nation to deliver immediate assistance and relief to Abaco. Using helicopters and landing craft, she carried out a range of tasks including search and rescue, casualty management and the clearance of debris to reopen roads while also
The Peter Young column delivering food, water, medical equipment and a variety of other supplies. The figures are remarkable – 3,000 ration packs, nearly 100 tonnes of water, some 900 emergency shelter kits and 1,000 hygiene kits. 7,100 kilograms of aid was delivered by helicopter, chalking up over 42 hours of flying time. In addition, a helicopter was deployed from the British overseas territory of the Cayman Islands to bring in supplies and equipment and to transport helpers, including RBDF personnel, and to evacuate casualties; and a Royal Navy vessel delivered 38 tonnes of relief supplies donated by Bermuda. In Nassau, a UK crossgovernment team was rapidly assembled from British diplomatic missions
in the wider region and was coordinated by the new High Commissioner. A team from the Department for International Development in London was also deployed and will be working in support of the Bahamas Government and alongside bodies like the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency in assessing damage and helping to direct aid to where it is most needed. The High Commission is working closely with other countries like the US and Canada and various nongovernmental organisations. Since the UK is the only EU nation with a resident diplomatic mission in The Bahamas, teams from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been supporting EU nationals as well as British citizens who have been affected by Dorian. Speaking personally as an observer who was not involved on the ground, it looks to me that this British involvement in search and rescue operations and the provision of support and assistance for recovery and relief work has made a strong contribution to the overall humanitarian operation. It has been an impressive effort carried out in difficult, challenging and distressing conditions and it reflects well on all concerned. What is more, I hope that such assistance from Britain will always be available to The Bahamas in the event of any similar major natural disaster in the future.
TIME FOR NEW IDEAS AS TOURISM BOUNCES BACK AFTER DORIAN SUCH is the nature of modern communications that news of a significant event in any country can be beamed instantaneously around the world. If a particular happening captures the interest of a news editor, at the press of a button it can receive global media attention. In the case of Dorian, it is
likely that the wide international interest and concern was in response initially to the terrible televised images of what appeared to be the total destruction of the shanty towns in Marsh Harbour, together with the other widespread damage there and in various parts of Abaco including Treasure Cay and the neighbouring
islands. Pictures of flooding and devastation in Grand Bahama then added further evidence of a major disaster. Inevitably, such videos of wholesale devastation led people around the world to conclude that the Bahamas as a whole had been damaged or at least affected by Dorian. But perhaps that is not surprising since, apart
from those familiar with the region, many outsiders will know little about the Bahamian archipelago and how it is spread out over some 500 miles from the north to the south east, covering 100,000 square miles. So, despite being informed that it was the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco that had each taken a direct hit, viewers from faraway countries of the video footage will have been unaware that they are around 100 miles from the most heavily populated island of New Providence and the nation’s capital. On a personal note, my wife and I even received emails and telephone calls from family and friends concerned about our welfare who had visited us before but seemed somehow to have lost sight of the geography. Thus, the perception overseas was that the whole of The Bahamas had been severely damaged and one result is likely to be less visitors. The Minister of
Tourism has been quoted as saying that already there has been a double digit decrease in forward visitor bookings since Dorian and that some hotels are suffering a 20 to 40 per cent fall-off. He acknowledged this was normal after a storm of such severity and that, of course, visitors would not be able to come to Grand Bahama or Abaco during the recovery period. But it was important, he said, to arrest the decrease by “getting the message out that 14 of the 16 islands (apparently designated as main tourist destinations) are unscathed and open for business”, as well as showing people that Bahamian tourism was resilient and would bounce back quickly. In such circumstances, I wonder whether I might revert to an old hobbyhorse of mine; namely, the relatively low numbers of visitors from Europe compared to the US and Canada.
The problem as far as the UK is concerned is the widespread perception that this country is too expensive and so the individual on an average income prefers Jamaica, Barbados and, in particular, the Dominican Republic which are considered to be better value for money. Nonetheless, with innovations like the growing home vacation rental sector, I believe that more attention should be paid to the potentially lucrative UK market. After a nine-hour flight, visitors from Europe are likely to stay longer and spend more money than short-term visitors from the US. Perhaps there should be a new approach by the Ministry of Tourism to the marketing of this country’s tourism product in Europe – particularly in Britain -rather than concentrating so much on North America where, as I understand it, Atlantis, for example, already does its own advertising.
CONSTITUTIONAL WARNING BECOMES REALITY I WROTE last week about the threat of a constitutional crisis as the UK Supreme Court was poised to rule on the legality of the Prime Minister’s decision to prorogue or suspend the Westminster Parliament for a period of five weeks. This was longer than the usual period at this time of year to allow MPs to prepare for and attend their party conferences and his critics maintained that he did so to stymie debate about Brexit. It is now clear that his action was unwise, if not politically inept. Such matters of constitutional law may normally be of little interest to readers. But what happened last week in Britain was so significant that it is hard to ignore it. There was a general expectation that an earlier ruling on the issue by the High Court in London that this was a purely political matter – and, as such, was not for judges to decide since it was none of their business – would be upheld. However, in its ruling the Supreme Court, as the highest legal authority in the land, stated categorically that the matter was ‘justiciable’ and found that the prorogation was unlawful, void and of no effect. Parliament therefore resumed its sitting
the next day. Predictably, this ruling has provoked outrage. One does not have to be a practising constitutional lawyer to realise that the Supreme Court has made new law by handing down such a verdict. It has set off a fiery debate amidst claims its decision was based on vague, abstract principles rather than on statute or precedent. Some say these judges have strayed too far into the political arena and their ruling was based on their subjective view so that, in effect, unaccountable judges are placing themselves in such matters above elected politicians, including the Prime Minister. It opens the way for them to strike down other government action. It is also contended that such a ruling evades Britain’s Bill of Rights of 1689 which declares that ‘proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any Court’. In other words the courts are forbidden to interfere with Parliament, but somehow the Supreme Court in this case found that the prorogation was not ‘a proceeding of Parliament’. When, ten years ago, the Supreme Court replaced
the old court of appeal which was a committee of senior law lords, there were fears that its judges would arrogate to themselves greater powers than would be consistent with Britain’s established system of the Crown in Parliament being supreme in the nation’s unwritten constitution. In Britain, the separation of powers is well established – Parliament makes the laws, the courts apply them and the executive governs while at the same time being accountable to Parliament. In a democracy governments are in reality answerable to the electorate as well. The debate about such a controversial matter will be endless. It was disingenuous of the Supreme Court to maintain the issue is not about Brexit when, clearly, it is everything to do with it. This intervention by the court has plunged Westminster into further chaos. The Prime Minister’s call for an election has been blocked by the House of Commons and the need to secure a deal with the EU has become even more urgent. These are dangerously uncertain, even perilous, times for Britain’s body politic.
PAGE 12, Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
GIULIANI SUBPOENAED IN IMPEACHMENT PROBE WASHINGTON Associated Press
DEMOCRATS yesterday subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer who was at the heart of Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family. That was after one of Trump’s staunchest defenders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said he would have “no choice” but to consider articles of impeachment if the House approved them. Democrats moved aggressively against Giuliani, requesting by October 15 “text messages, phone records and other communications”
that they referred to as possible evidence. They also requested documents and depositions from three business associates. Meanwhile, the circle of officials with knowledge of Trump’s phone call to Ukraine’s president widened with the revelation that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened in on the July 25 conversation. Pompeo’s presence on the Ukraine call, confirmed by two officials, provided the first confirmation that a Cabinet official heard Trump press President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Hunter Biden’s membership on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. PROTESTERS turn and run as police began to fire tear gas in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP
New protests amid demands that Haiti president resigns PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Associated Press
THOUSANDS of demonstrators set fires yesterday and chanted calls for Haiti’s president to resign as the opposition to Jovenel Moïse tried to increase pressure for him to leave office. Protesters said several people were hit by gunfire, including a local journalist. Schools, businesses and government offices were closed as protesters gathered chanting, “Down with Jovenel!” “We can’t continue to live like this,” said 34-year-old Lestin Abelo as he poured gasoline on a pile of debris that quickly caught fire. “We have a government that’s not doing anything for the people.” Opposition leaders and supporters say they are angry about public corruption, spiraling inflation and a dwindling supply of gasoline that has forced many gas stations in the capital to close. Suppliers have demanded that the cash-strapped government pay them more than $100m owed. Protesters also are demanding a more in-depth
investigation into allegations that top officials in the previous government misused billions of dollars in proceeds from a Venezuelasubsidised oil plan meant to fund urgent social programs. Critics accuse Moïse of trying to protect his ally, former President Michel Martelly. Blood spattered the concrete floor near the Bernard Mevs Hospital as the protest grew violent. Under heavy rain, a group of men rushed into the emergency room carrying a friend they said was shot in the left leg by police. Jean-Pierre Finfin, 34, said he was standing next to his friend when the bullet hit. He was still shaken as he recounted being part of a crowd marching toward Petionville when he said police fired. Local radio journalist Joseph Edmond was shot in his right hand while covering the protest. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, said his colleague, Eddy Baptiste, who was next to him when it happened. He said 22-year-old Edmond was injured when police in an unmarked car began firing at a distance so
they could get away from the crowd. Police threw tear gas and scattered thousands of protesters at mid-afternoon, with one canister landing on a family’s roof as several people fled the house in panic. Other protesters fled with handkerchiefs over their faces as they flushed themselves with water. One man held a crushed lemon to his nose. Among those running was 38-year-old mason Petit Homme Edner, who held a brown cloth to his face. “Is this democracy?!” he cried out. “We have the right to protest.” Moïse, who began his five-year term in 2017, has said he will not step down despite the unrest and instead called for calm, unity and dialogue during an address televised at 2 a.m. Wednesday. It was a rare appearance for the president since the new wave of protests began about three weeks ago. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency is “concerned by reports of violence and arson that have been taking place over the past few days throughout the country”.
PERU PRESIDENT DISSOLVES CONGRESS LIMA, Peru Associated Press
PERUVIAN President Martín Vizcarra dissolved congress yesterday, exercising seldom used executive powers to shut down the opposition-controlled legislature that he accuses of stonewalling attempts to curb widespread corruption.
In a televised address, Vizcarra told the South American nation that he had decided to call new legislative elections after lawmakers proceeded with holding a controversial vote to replace almost all the members of the Constitutional Tribunal. “We are making history that will be remembered by future generations,” he said. “And when they do,
I hope they understand the magnitude of this fight that we are in today against an endemic evil that has caused much harm to our country.” The turn could spell new instability as Peru grapples with the fallout of a corruption scandal, plummeting faith in public institutions and an inexperienced president struggling to govern.