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The Tribune
Volume:117 No.238, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2020
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Friday, November 6, 2020 photography fashion art gardening history intervie w puzzles animals
Expert warns fall-off in numbers doesn’t signal COVID crisis is over By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT Tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net A LOCAL infectious disease expert is urging residents not to become relaxed about the apparent downward trend of COVID-19 cases, explaining other factors might be contributing to those lower numbers. Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/ AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, said scientific data must be taken into account when making a determination on lower
numbers and controlling an outbreak of COVID-19. “So yes, cases are starting to trend down, however, there are things that influence the number of persons testing positive,” she said yesterday. “It’s called biases in testing reporting. There are other factors that contribute to that. For example if you have a two-day lockdown, maybe persons aren’t going in to get tested on those days, or the lab may be compiling samples and running them every two days. So you do have to consider other things.” SEE PAGE THREE
LABOUR Director John Pinder said officials are excited about the spin-off economic benefits to come from major resort openings next month. While Baha Mar this week announced its phased reopening will begin on December 17, Atlantis has also said it plans to begin accepting guests before year’s end. With the Bahamas’ economic rebound finally within view, Mr Pinder said officials are hopeful both resorts will be seen
as a benchmark for opening by smaller hotels and businesses. However, he said, officials are keeping their fingers crossed that an uptick in visitors won’t spark another surge of COVID-19 cases. “We are really excited to hear now that Baha Mar is taking steps to try to open before the end of the year,” Mr Pinder told The Tribune yesterday. “That brings relief to at least 1,500 of their workers that I am hearing will be called back to work who are on extended layoffs at this time. SEE PAGE THREE
pg 16
WATCHING AND WAITING FOR THE US TO DECIDE
SEE PAGE EIGHT
‘KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF BANKS’ REPORTS’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net COMMERCIAL bankers are urging the Central Bank to stay in its lane and “not intervene in financial reporting matters” after the regulator’s recent COVID19 guidance release. Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, voiced concerns that the Central Bank’s statement on “loan accounting and provisioning” threatened to take the supervisory body “outside its remit”. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
RESORT’S REOPENING SEEN AS TRIGGER FOR RECOVERY By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
Pages 04 + 05
Boss move
Looking stylish in the workp lace
‘WE MUST NOT LET OUR GUARD DOWN’
LIFE COACH TURNS AUTHOR
THE DONALD DEFIANT (AND A BIT DERANGED)
DONALD Trump made a string of claims without evidence about the US election in a rambling press conference yesterday as counting of votes continued and increasingly looked likely to favour challenger Joe Biden. After making his claims, Trump refused to answer any questions from reporters - including one shouted question which asked him if he was being a sore loser. See page ten for the latest from the vote.
HUNT FOR KNIFEMAN AFTER FATAL STABBING By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
A MAN died in hospital after he was stabbed at a Joe Farrington Road residence yesterday morning, police said. Police said shortly after 10am, officers were alerted to a stabbing incident that occurred on Joe Farrington Road. SEE PAGE FIVE
HOSPITAL TO PAY SACKED WORKER $30K By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A FORMER Doctors Hospital employee has been awarded more than $30,000 after the healthcare provider was found to have unfairly terminated him following an industrial accident. Simone Fitzcharles, the Industrial Tribunal’s vice-president, ruled on September 18 the hospital breached both its own
DOCTORS HOSPITAL policy on “accommodating” injured workers and the Employment Act over how it treated Preston Clarke. Her verdict revealed Doctors Hospital had already decided to
“disengage” Mr Clarke prior to receiving a doctor’s letter, which gave him “the all-clear” but “recommended he be given light duties”, a day before he was due to return to work. Ms Fitzcharles said the healthcare provider’s defence that it had paid Mr Clarke all severance due to him under the Employment Act “does not obliterate a claim for unfair dismissal” by a worker. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
BACKYARD ISSUES ON FRONT LINE FOR POLITICS
SEE PAGE NINE
HURRICANE GUIDE
PAGE 2, Friday, November 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
INSIDE TODAY
Keep a close watch on Eta By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net A WEATHER official is urging residents to monitor the progression of Tropical Depression Eta, which could develop into a tropical storm by today. Chief Climate Officer Greg Thompson said the system may bring unsettled weather and possible tropical storm conditions for parts of The Bahamas
— including Andros and Bimini — Sunday or Monday. “The National Hurricane Centre anticipates it moving back off shore by either late this evening (Thursday) or into Friday. It is expected to regain some strength and develop back into a tropical storm,” the chief climate officer said. “The National Hurricane Centre then expects it to move towards the north and east and
approach southeastern, southwestern Cuba by late tomorrow and into Saturday. Thereafter, the system will move into the Florida Straits which will put it west of The Bahamas near the Florida Keys and somewhere near south Florida – that will be Saturday into Sunday.
“Sunday into Monday the system is expected to be just north of Cuba into our area or just west of The Bahamas… Thereafter it is expected to make a turn towards the west, Monday into Tuesday, and be moving away from The Bahamas. “So between Sunday and
Monday, parts of The Bahamas will be in the cone of uncertainty. During that timeframe we are expected to experience unsettled weather and possibly tropical storm conditions only for those areas.” He added that the NHC doesn’t have a real handle on the system’s intensity
or how strong it’s expected to develop. Yet, regardless of development, parts of the Bahamas will be experiencing showers and thunderstorms as the system approaches the country from the west during the timeframe of Sunday/Monday into early Tuesday.
PAYING TRIBUTE TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to former Parliamentarian Darrell E Rolle as a lying-instate ceremony was held during the day. The national flag was presented to his family by Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Frankie Campbell. Governor General Cornelius A Smith paid his own respects, signing a book of condolence and paying his own tribute to the family. Photos: BIS
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 3
‘We must not let our guard down’ from page one “There is a reason why we have to use other indicators because there are biases when looking at just persons who are testing positive. We want to know that the outbreak is under control and we want to have more scientific information that can support that. We also want to know things like the percentage of persons testing positive out of all the tests done. Those are indicators that will make us know what is happening with the outbreak as we manage the outbreak.” She said while the country is starting to see a decrease in the number of people testing positive and also being hospitalised, there is a lot more work to be done. “We want to continue on that trend and now is the time to keep our focus and continue prevention and, of course, other outbreak control strategies. In an effort to see those cases come down, we have more
to do,” Dr Forbes continued. “We don’t want to relax and become complacent and the cases go back up”. Health officials reported 39 additional cases of COVID on Wednesday. The death toll from the disease stood at 150 up to press time. Over the last week or so, cases have been falling along with testing numbers. Health Minister Renward Wells has said this is because less symptomatic people are coming to health facilities to be tested. He also said the spread of COVID-19 is down. “If you compare the first and second wave, yes, 53 cases per day is lower than it had been a few weeks ago,” Dr Forbes said yesterday. “I am happy about that. However, remember that is way more cases than we had in our highest numbers in the first wave. We must keep our focus and continue to have these numbers come down to get the outbreak controlled in our country.”
Dr Forbes also touched on the science involved in dealing with COVID-19. “There are several indicators that scientists look at as we analyse the COVID outbreak and what’s happening in countries,” she said. “One of those indicators is the number of persons being recorded as lab confirmed positive on a daily basis. We also look at the number of hospitalisations. There are other indicators and some of them are trends in the number of deaths per day. “We also want to look at persons presenting with compatible symptoms with other influenza-like illnesses and where possible, people who are presenting for other reasons could be tested to see if they are COVID possible or had COVID. It gives you an idea of what’s happening with COVID in your country. It tells you about the outbreak and how many cases you might have.” Realising that the pandemic will be a problem for some time, Dr Forbes said a
balance has to be created in terms of living with it as it is “not going anywhere”. “Having had the opportunity to hear the experience of multiple other countries in the world, there is something that all these countries have in common, including us, which is when the first wave of COVID happened there were very tough restrictions and the curve was flattened,” Dr Forbes said. “With the reopening and things going back to more normalcy, the economy reopening, global travel, commerce, people moving about, the second wave happened. We are no different. We have to balance health, the economy and socialisation because COVID is not going away. It’s going to be here for quite a while.” Regarding the anticipated COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Forbes noted that when available it is not going to be “a sudden magic bullet” to COVID-19. There is no cure for COVID-19 right now, so the only thing the country has in its arsenal is prevention, she said.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net A POPULAR West Bay Street cocktail bar and coffee shop announced yesterday its decision to cease operations until the government eases COVID-19 restrictions. In a Facebook post, Bon Vivants in Sandyport said
the move was “gut wrenching”, but it had no other choice as the harsh reality was that by remaining open for curbside service, the business lost more money than it would by closing completely. “Between having to pay vendors, inventory, electricity, our staff and rent we will continue to lose more money than serving the
public,” management said. Beginning November 9, the bar/coffee shop will close until measures allow for outdoor service again. The announcement included an appeal from Bon Vivants to the government to find a better way for businesses to remain in operation that provides balance between small business economics and
pandemic protocols. “We have exhausted every single option we could to continue to serve you day in and day out, but the truth of the matter is doing curbside is not sufficient or conducive to continue to stay open,” the establishment’s management said. “The goal for every single restaurant or retail business right now is to make just enough money to scrape by, to pay rent, to pay their staff and hope to just survive. We and every other business in the Bahamas for that matter are not expecting to make money right now. “We know that the current climate just won’t allow it, but we also cannot sit back and bleed money hand over foot or we will be forced to close permanently.
DR NIKKIAH FORBES
CLOSED UNTIL RESTRICTIONS OVER TOTAL CASES
TOTAL DEATHS
6,916 151
NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES WEDNESDAY 34 CASES
LATEST DEATHS • 70-year-old woman from New Providence on November 4
TOTAL TESTS
37,423
HOSPITALISED
59
CASES IN ICU
7
RECOVERED
4,876
34 NEW CASES CONFIRMED AND ONE DEATH THE latest figures released by the Ministry of Health show 34 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed, and one more death. According to the figures, 14 of the new cases were in New Provicence, a drop from 34 cases on Tuesday. However, there was an increase in cases in Grand
Bahama, with 13 new cases, up from nine on Tuesday. The remaining new cases saw five cases in Eleuthera, one in the Berry Islands and one with its location pending. The death confirmed yesterday was of a 70-yearold woman, who died on November 4.
A total of 37,423 tests have now been taken, and there have been 6,916 confirmed cases overall. The number of deaths has risen to 151, and there are 59 people in hospital, with seven in intensive care. A total of 4,876 people have been confirmed as having recovered.
20,000+ other jobs at stake. “So with a heavy heart, beginning Monday, November 9, BV will close its doors until the government eases measures to begin outdoor service again. It is a tough call to make but the moment we are allowed to serve you again outside, we will be open. “We beg those in charge to re-evaluate and find a better solution for all. No one wants to put anyone at risk, we are not asking for indoor service or to go back to life as normal pre-covid, but there needs to be more balance.” Outdoor and indoor dining is prohibited in New Providence under current COVID-19 emergency protocols. Restaurants/eateries are only allowed to provide takeaway or delivery service until further notice.
RESORT’S REOPENING SEEN AS TRIGGER FOR RECOVERY from page one
NEW PROVIDENCE 14 GRAND BAHAMA 13 ELEUTHERA 5 BERRY ISLANDS 1 PENDING 1
“The harsh reality is that by remaining open for curbside service, we lose more money than we do by closing our doors completely. Between having to pay vendors, inventory, electricity, our staff and rent we will continue to lose more money than serving the public.” Bon Vivants employs 14 workers. “It is absolutely gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to tell these incredible, smart, kind and hardworking human beings that they are now left to fend for themselves until we are able to begin, at the very least, outdoor service again,” the establishment said. “Keep in mind, we are just a blip on the map of the Bahamas hospitality/retail sector and there are nearly
“So that certainly will help them to have a merry Christmas because things aren’t looking so good. We are really thankful that they have made the decision. We hope that they can follow all of the Ministry of Health protocols to ensure the safety of those workers and their guests to ensure that there will be no further spread of the COVID-19. “But if you have more people now booking rooms to come to The Bahamas, the tourism industry can be fully opened by the spring of next year. “We know there is a spin off,” Mr Pinder continued. “There is an additional number of persons that benefit from this size property being opened. “Once they would have reopened, now you are talking about staffers now making it to those other little businesses that normally depend on persons who work in the hotel industry and other areas of the country can now have customers that can come back and patronise their business, so they too can open now. “Hopefully the other persons in the tourism industry
who operate the jet skis and the hair braiders and the straw vendors – eventually all of them will be in the position to start to benefit from this initial reopening of Baha Mar and Atlantis.” He said the hotel openings would also alleviate the financial strain currently on the National Insurance Board. The organisation’s total expenditure towards both Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19’s initiatives has amounted to $176m. NIB has spent $91.6m in unemployment benefit payments to 37,000 beneficiaries since the onset of this pandemic. As it relates to the government’s own unemployment benefit programme, $56.1m has been spent towards that initiative so far to over 30,000 persons, with $15.6m paid out directly to selfemployed people. “Once they start to work again you don’t have to worry about trying to get any benefits from NIB or any unemployment assistance or food stamps. Bahamians are very proud people. I know it hurts their hearts to tow lines to get this kind of assistance. So I think this is a step in the right direction,” Mr Pinder said.
“We just have to pray that there is no spread that persons will follow all the protocols and not drop their guards,” Mr Pinder told The Tribune. Baha Mar’s opening was hailed Wednesday by a hotel union official as a “good signal” for the tourism industry. Darrin Woods, president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, added that he hopes the move will help “create a domino effect” causing other hotels across the country to follow. Mr Woods’ comments came hours after the Cable Beach resort, in a press statement released Wednesday, revealed it will begin its phased reopening starting December 17, allowing for “over 1,500 associates” to return to work in the first phase. Resort officials said the phased reopening strategy will begin with the resumption of operations at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, followed by Rosewood Baha Mar and then SLS Baha Mar. Strict protocols inclusive of enhanced safety and health measures will facilitate this reopening to ensure the safety of both staff and guests, officials added.
PAGE 4, Friday, November 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Rocky Creek residents determined to rebuild By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ALTHOUGH Rocky Creek was devastated by Hurricane Dorian, displaced residents have returned after a year determined to rebuild their small fishing village in East End. Those from the close-knit community of siblings who reside in the settlement are living in temporary structures on their properties where their homes once stood. “We are happy to be back after being in Freeport for a year. It is not the same as it was before, but Rocky Creek is home, and we will rebuild it,” said resident Maxine Knowles. Ms Knowles is one of four siblings who lives in Rocky Creek with their spouses and children. The family’s matriarch – a native of Long Islander– who moved to Grand Bahama many years ago
and settled in East End is 71. Before the storm, the family decided to leave and take refuge at a shelter in Freeport, except for brother-in-law Paul Russell who stayed behind. He barely survived by clinging to a tree so he wouldn’t be swept away in the 20ft surge. The Tribune went to Rocky Creek on Saturday, along with the Rotary Clubs of Grand Bahama, which delivered building materials and supplies, acquired through a contribution by Grand Bahama Power. For Mr Russell, and his wife, Janine, the memories of the storm are still very painful and difficult. Nonetheless, they are grateful to be alive and back in Rocky Creek. The only thing left of the couple’s residence is the foundation. They have put up a small wooden structure which they are occupying. They have four children.
“That storm was not easy. You know what it is to be in four feet of water, crying out to God to let me live?” recalled Mrs Russell. Mrs Russell was at the Maurice Moore Primary School’s shelter when it flooded with water. “We were lying down on the floor when we saw water coming in. We thought it was rainwater and nobody wanted to taste the water. So, I tasted it, and it was saltwater. “When we opened the door, the water poured in and I said, ‘I can’t swim,’ and the wind was just knocking us down. I was also worried about my husband in East End because I had heard rumours about what was going on down there,” she said. Mrs Russell, who is a diabetic, said she felt that she was going to die and started praying to God as they were trekking through the water as they evacuated the shelter. “I just cry, ‘Lord, if I
never need you, I need you now. Just let me live.’ I felt my body was leaving me, and after praying, I could feel my body coming back to me,” she said. Mrs Russell said that after the storm, Rocky Creek was like a “forgotten” community. “We were left out …and people think Rocky Creek was off the map. Now, we finally got our sign put up,” she said. She said that they are excited about restoring the settlement and are very thankful for the assistance Rocky Creek has received from the Rotary Clubs over the past year. “Rotary was the only one checking for us, and they are continuing to assist us with getting our lives back to normal,” she said. “God is good, and I am happy.” Her brother, Walter Reckley, said that reconstruction is slow, but they appreciate the assistance they have been getting. Mr Reckley, a fisherman,
also lost his boat in the storm and is not able to work. He has started reconstructing his home according to the new building codes. Maxine Knowles said she is happy that her family is back together again in Rocky Creek. “When I came back to RC, my house was still standing, but the roof and everything inside was gone; my sisters and brothers’ houses were flat, and tears came to the eyes,” she recalled. “But, God is going to restore it. He is going to bring lil’ Rocky Creek back. The hurricane was hard for us; we lost all our homes, and the family was split up. But, today my family is back, and we are rebuilding,” she said. “Through God, we are going to be okay,” said Ms Knowles. “God is not going to leave us. The main thing is that we have life.” After living in Freeport for over a year, Judymae
THE BALEARIA vessel back in port yesterday.
Feaster said that there is no other place she would rather live than in Rocky Creek. “I live here all my life, and being here is a beautiful place,” she said. “We were in Freeport for a year and a month, and I am really happy to be home,” she said. “Where I am living, it may not be 100 percent, but I give God thanks for it,” she said of the tworoom structure where she, her husband, 16-year-old daughter, and 71-year-old mother live. Since returning to Rocky Creek, Mrs Feaster said that her daughter, who has Down Syndrome, is unable to attend the Beacon School because of transportation concerns. “There is no bus, and we cannot trust her with anybody…and she really wants to go back, but it is hard right now,” she said. Mrs Feaster said they are looking to get her back in school in January.
Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
BALEARIA BACK BUT CARGO ONLY YESTERDAY By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net BALEARIA Caribbean had expected to resume passenger sailings between Fort Lauderdale and Grand Bahama yesterday, however, the vessel arrived in port on Thursday with cargo only. The ferry service operator announced in a statement last week that it would take the first step towards resuming passenger service between Port Everglades and Freeport on November 5. Efforts to reach local and international representatives at Balearia proved fruitless up to press time yesterday. Phone calls were answered by an automated operator who referred callers to email all queries to Balearia Caribbean. Ferry services were initially suspended for passengers in March following the initial global coronavirus outbreak. On July 1 when the travel restriction was lifted, Balearia had resumed passenger ferry services to Florida. However, due to the resurgence of coronavirus infections on Grand Bahama with the return of Bahamian passengers from travel, the government allowed the ferry operator to operate on cargo services only.
In the statement issued by Balearia last week, it had planned under phase one to provide sailings once a week to Freeport on Thursdays and would coincide with the already established cargo route. To comply with health protocols, the company indicated that the use of face masks/coverings would be mandatory during the duration of the journey for both passengers and staff members. Plexiglass dividers were also installed on every seat and common areas have added layers of safety, it said. Other measures would include temperature scanning for each passenger and easy access to sanitiser dispensers in the terminals and aboard the vessel. To facilitate social distancing, the company would reduce passenger capacity by 40 percent temporarily. Balearia also operates services between Bimini. The Grand Bahama tourism sector continues to suffer, and tourism-related businesses are struggling. The Tribune contacted the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation offices in Grand Bahama concerning the return of ferry passenger services, however executives did not return a call up to press time.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 5
‘How do we get justice for police wrongdoing?’ By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net LOCAL activists are again calling for an independent body to investigate allegations of police wrongdoing, saying there needs to be a fair and unbiased process to ensure that when officers do wrong, they are held accountable. Khandi Gibson, founder of advocacy group Families of All Murder Victims, said more transparency is needed when dealing with investigations into the Royal Bahamas Police Force. “There needs to be accountability and transparency on the Royal
Bahamas Police Force. Moving forward, we need to have a commission done who investigates when the police does wrong. How could you ever get justice?” she asked. “I’ve said that for years. There needs to be an independent body to investigate members of the Royal Bahama Police Force once they do stuff that’s unethical, there needs to be that.” She continued: “I also believe that they need to be evaluated. Just like us, those police officers need evaluation too. They see people getting killed, they see people getting raped, they see people getting stabbed so come on they’re
only human too. The average mind could only take so much. . .so who’s evaluating them? “Every three months, they need to be evaluated and go to see a psychologist to test to see where their mental frame is. They need help too.” Alicia Wallace, another human rights advocate, said there is a need in the country to comprehensively address the issue of police violence. She said: “We hear stories about the way that officers step outside of their role in enforcing the law causing harm to people. It’s in the news several days and then we forget about it. The people who suffer at the
hands of police. We don’t have hashtags for them and there’s no sustained movement for the protection of people against the system that is supposed to protect us.” She also called for the publication of all police involved killings as well as the results of those investigations. “I think we have an expectation that law enforcement officers can and will get away with anything. What we really need is a public record of not only public killings but misconduct by police and the outcome of investigations so we could get a clear picture of what’s happening, what’s at the root
and what is required for us to address it because we’re just getting the stories one at a time.” Police Commissioner Paul Rolle has previously said he has “every confidence” in how police-involved killings are investigated despite calls for an independent body to investigate the matters. The Police Complaints Inspectorate, a civilian organisation that is an important police oversight body, is supposed to ensure investigations into police complaints are conducted properly. However the inspectorate’s work has been critically disrupted by the
COVID-19 pandemic and has not completed its prioritised tasks, according to chairman Tanya McCartney last month. The US State Department noted in its human rights report last year that the body had not met as of September 2017. The Minnis administration subsequently appointed five people, including Ms McCartney, retired assistant commissioner John Ferguson, Matthew Aubry, Allan Emmanuel, Franklyn Bethel and Hilbert Collie. Ms McCartney said in October that the members were reappointed when their 12-month tenure ended in July.
DWIGHT WILLIAMS JR, who was killed in a shooting in Peters Street on Wednesday night. In a separate incident, a man was stabbed and killed yesterday morning.
HUNT FOR KNIFEMAN AFTER FATAL STABBING from page one
HELP FROM THE US A HANDING over ceremony of educational tools, raised and donated by students of the South End Elementary School, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, USA, in a Hurricane Dorian School Supplies Drive was held yesterday at the Ministry of Education's headquarters. Pictured are students who were affected by Hurricane Dorian, currently studying at Sadie Curtis Primary School in Nassau, receiving the donated school supplies from Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd, and Ministry officials. Photos: Ulric Woodside/BIS
On arrival at the scene, officers were informed that a group of men were at a residence when a man known to them walked in and produced a sharp object and stabbed one of the males about the body. The suspect fled the scene on foot. The victim was transported to hospital where he later died from his injuries. The incident occurred hours after one man died and four others were injured during a shooting on Peters Street.
At the scene on Wednesday night, ASP Audley Peters told reporters that three of the victims were in stable condition. One was treated already and appeared to have been discharged at the time. Police were called to the scene around 7pm. “Officers responded and on their arrival their investigations revealed that a group of persons were gathered in front of a residence when a small vehicle approached. Two men exited the vehicle and produced firearms which they discharged in the direction of the persons gathered,” ASP Peters said.
“Five males were injured, four of which were transported to the hospital via private vehicle. As a result of one being (lifeless), the EMS service were called and on their arrival, they examined the body and pronounced it unresponsive.” The vehicle used in the shooting was said to be a Japanese model. Police said there was no evidence to suggest there was a social gathering going on at the time of the incident. Police said initial evidence also did not suggest that the incident is gang-related. Investigations into both incidents continue.
HOUSING CONTRACT SIGNED A CONTRACT was signed on Wednesday for the installation of civil works for phase one of the Carmichael Village Subdivision. Minister of the Environment and Housing Romauld Ferriera lauded the occasion and what it meant for the government’s housing programme. “Today is a red-letter day for the Ministry of the Environment and Housing, as the government continues to push forward with its very important initiative, which is to provide homes for all Bahamians,” Mr Ferreira said during the ceremony, held at his Ministry on Shirley Street. “And as we anticipate the economy reopening and
people returning to work, and rebuilding their lives, that there are going to be people out there who want to do exactly that. And the way to do that is with affordable housing and, of course, all the associated spinoff effects.” Signing on behalf of his ministry and Kamiller Builders Ltd, respectively, were Permanent Secretary David Cates and President and Director Dr Roosevelt Whyms. Phase one of the subdivision consists of 107 lots and the contract is for the installation of roads, drainage and sewerage systems. “We are very, very pleased and happy at this moment and we have done a lot of work within this ministry on the
environment side and we are equally committed on the housing side,” Mr Ferreira added. “So, here we begin this wonderful journey, which will result in over 100 service lots sold to the Bahamian public at reduced costs, with a gear towards young people. “This is your time to — as we move forward out of this pandemic — work together and get the job done.” Mr Ferreira congratulated Kamiller Builders and said that his ministry looks forward to working with the company. “This is a very important project, not just in terms of providing houses, but in providing positive news to the Bahamian people, at a time when we could all use it,” he said.
PAGE 6, Friday, November 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
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A steady hand at the tiller THERE is not a soul in The Bahamas who does not want to see the back of COVID-19. But while some are perhaps looking for the picture to be rosier – for whatever reason – we are fortunate to have steady voices to remind us we should not get ahead of ourselves. One such voice is Dr Nikkiah Forbes, the infectious disease expert whose plain talking has won plaudits for reminding us of the realities of the world we are in. Her assessment of our current situation points out some of the little details that get missed as we watch the ups and downs of the daily dashboard – such as there perhaps being less testing during the lockdown which drops numbers of positive cases. The advantage of course when someone speaks clearly and plainly is that when they do give a positive assessment, you feel you can rely on it more. So when Dr Forbes notes that we are starting to see a reduction in cases and hospitalisations, we can take it in good faith. Not least of all because of the note of caution that comes with it. She cautioned that 53 cases per day or thereabouts is lower than a few weeks ago, but added “remember that is way more cases than we had in our highest numbers in the first wave. We must keep our focus and continue to have these numbers come down to get the outbreak controlled in our country”. Even with the numbers going down further, she warned that COVID-19 is “not going away. It’s going to be here for quite a while”. So we need to be clear-headed about this. By now, we all know what needs to be done – and anyone stubbornly refusing to follow the simple measures such as wearing a mask and keeping distance is helping the virus to drag us all down. We don’t need to get caught up in the nonsense we’ve seen in other countries, such as the US, where people protest
loudly that wearing a mask for the sake of others is an infringement on their freedom. It’s not – it’s a courtesy to our fellow citizens, just the same as they are offering to us. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves, let’s not drop our guard – and let’s listen to those who tell it like it is.
Donald the brat It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious. President Donald Trump gave a press conference yesterday where he gave all the appearance of a sullen schoolboy who’d been told he couldn’t cheat on his homework. He recited a string of accusations about cheating, complained about polling organisations, muttered about legal measures and looked anything but a man fit to be leading the free world. Notable in his speech was that there were a lot of accusations, but nothing in the way of evidence, and he stomped off before any reporters could ask him for any details. In other words, he had nothing that would stand up to scrutiny. If ever there was such a thing as the dignity of the office of president, Trump has long since sullied it and he stands in stark contrast to a previous loser in a presidential race – John McCain. When McCain lost to Barack Obama, the crowd began to boo Obama’s name during McCain’s concession speech. McCain shook his head to tell them no. It is perhaps of no surprise that a politician of such grace became an opponent of Donald Trump despite being in the same party. It will be of little surprise if Trump’s leaving of his office – if that’s how the vote turns out – is just as undignified as the manner he has shown in its occupation.
Time for tourism to rise again EDITOR, The Tribune. “IT’S better in The Bahamas”! There was a time when we all truly believed this and it showed as the world marked the manner of our bearing. It’s time to believe again. As a nation that constitutionally recognises “The Supremacy of God”, I am convinced that God has divinely favored us with warm Sun, soft Sand, crystal-blue Seas and most importantly, the beautiful Spirits of those who were born, bred and plan ta dead Bahamian. Since the establishment of The Tourism Development Board in 1914 which had the power to market and advertise The Bahamas, these “4-S supernatural resources” of Sun, Sand, Sea and Spirits have caused us to maintain our competitive advantage and positioning as a global tourism destination industry leader over the past century. We cannot squander a good crisis by dismissing,
downplaying, disregarding or diminishing an industry with a proven track record of sustainably contributing to the base of our national economy. Instead, we must collaboratively dream big dreams of ways in which we can further develop and diversify our industry and further position it to co-exist among other industries. We are all a valuable member of Team Tourism. Whether you are a Champion on the frontline or a Cheer-Leader on the sideline, in some way, either directly or indirectly, we have tasted of its glory and reaped the rewards of all those who run hard, intrinsically bearing the flag of our country across their hearts and extrinsically displaying authentic national pride through their attitudes with visitors and each other. I agree that there is a need for greater innovation and inclusion of ideas around the expansion of
our economy. We cannot be timid in sharing and embracing them. Our survival depends upon our collective input, a sense of ownership in the shared outcomes and working together as one people truly united in love and service. Collaboration is always more powerful than criticism. If we don’t stand together, we risk falling apart. As cliché-ish as it sounds, it is more true than ever before that The Business of Tourism is, “Everybody’s Business”. The time is now to lift up our head and together march on to glory with our bright banner waving high. The sun will rise again upon this archipelagic jewel among God’s creation. I am proud to be a Bahamian and proud to be a part of Team Tourism! What about you? KENNETH ROMER Nassau, November 3, 2020.
The flaws in travel regulations EDITOR, The Tribune. I AM writing both as the operator of a travel agency in Ottawa, Canada, and the owner for a long time of a holiday home in The Bahamas. I regularly follow your news, especially now in the tourism sector. Every day your Government agencies are heralding your new tourism entry requirements. Rosy predictions about tourism growth and a projected financial rebound appear in your news. What is definitely lacking is any understanding of the difficulties prospective visitors are facing trying to comply with them. Your Tourism Minister and staff seem to have concluded that the Health Visa is required. This is the greatest difficulty now in trying to sell travel to The Bahamas. It is not feasible for the great majority of Canadian people to arrange for COVID-19 tests, await two days for results, scan them to Nassau, await a reply and then be at the Nassau airport within five days. All health care in this country is operated by government agencies. People cannot go to a private clinic and get instant results. All of this has to be coordinated with available flights
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net which, due to your difficult requirements, have been drastically reduced to once weekly on Air Canada. So test appointments would have to fit in with that flight. Health authorities consider COVID-19 tests for leisure travel a very low priority so it is not easy to arrange them let alone for a specific day to fit into your five-day requirement. Just this morning a family of four who travel to Nassau for two weeks every Christmas season came to see me. They rightly believe that they cannot book this year because of all the uncertainties. My travel agents cannot also understand why compulsory health insurance is being forced on visitors. Everyone booking at our office either purchases such insurance with the tickets or arranges an annual plan with us or privately. No one travels without such insurance. This is just another deterrent to booking. This family are now considering booking their annual holiday to one of four other Caribbean locations which are far less
restrictive. I fear that as long as your Health Visa and the five-day test limit remains your tourist numbers will never recover. People do not want hassles when booking holidays. They will go where they are welcome and where it is easy to book. If they are unwell they will not travel anyway. As for people like myself and other winter residents we really believe we will not be able to travel to our own properties this year due to the rules. Once visitors begin travelling to other locations they may never return to The Bahamas. What research was ever done before these rules were introduced? It is a major blunder by your Government. For the first time since I opened this agency we have no bookings for The Bahamas. It has always been one of the major places for us to book clients. We hope change comes very soon. I fear the longtime consequences for The Bahamas if the Government stubbornly adheres to the current unworkable rules. DAVID HENDERSON Canada, November 5, 2020.
J
It doesn’t add up EDITOR, The Tribune.
COVID19 entry regulation change Regulations have been dramatically revised. The maximum time between COVID PCR swab test and Bahamas entry has now been reduced from seven days, or 168 hours (October 4) to only five days (120 hours). We made our airline reservation on the basis of the seven-day rule of October 4. This
five-day rule creates a major barrier for visitors, particularly from Canada where 72 to 96 hours is the expected time to get a PCR test result. The Bahamas October 31 update states that it can take up to 72 hours to obtain a Travel Health Visa after submission of the test results. 72+72 =144 hours, versus 120 hours, makes it unlikely or impossible for tourists to visit the Bahamas. It is hereby requested
that the Regulations please be amended by either returning to the maximum seven day rule in lieu of the five day rule, or accept the legitimacy of the 15 minute antigen rapid test procedure five days before entry (accepted by most of the world where tourists originate). THE SPECTOR FAMILY Residents of the Bahamas for 35 years November 3, 2020.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 7
Two accused of hitting man after $123,000 DONATED TO HELP STUDENTS car crash THE DONATION ceremony at the Ministry of Education yesterday.
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net TWO men and a woman were charged in Magistrates Court yesterday with causing harm to a man after they were involved in a dispute stemming from a traffic accident earlier this week. Courtney Thompson, 26, Alfred Rolle, 30 and Georgette Glinton, 33, stood before Senior Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain after they were accused of intentionally and unlawfully causing harm to Joseph Benson on November 2. Christopher Thompson, who was present with the trio during the incident, also appeared in court yesterday. However, he was accused of a separate offence – threats of death. According to prosecutor Sergeant Lincoln McKenzie, the incident occurred after the group was involved with a traffic accident on Bernard Road along with the complainant. He said the complainant reported to police that after the incident, Christopher, the driver, approached him, cursing and threatening him with death.
The complainant then told officers that the defendants — the other passengers in the vehicle — came out of the car and beat him about the body, causing injuries. The prosecutor said the defendants were subsequently arrested and taken to the police station, where they admitted to the offence. During yesterday’s hearing, Rolle, Glinton and Christopher pleaded guilty to the charges. However Courtney, who initially pleaded guilty, told the court he did not accept all the prosecutor’s facts when they were read before the court. Magistrate Swain told him that she wanted him to get proper legal counsel before making a judgement, at which point she will then hand out her sentence. Meanwhile, attorneys Ian Cargill and Milkin Cox, representing Glinton and Rolle respectively, noted that both their clients were self-employed and remorseful for their actions. They were both fined $500 and ordered to compensate the victim $500 or face three months in prison. As for Christopher, he was placed on a one year probation and
ACCUSED DENIES ASSAULTING MAN By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 22-YEAR-OLD man yesterday denied allegations of assaulting a man last month with a dangerous instrument. Shawn Cox appeared before Senior Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain charged with one count of assault with a dangerous instrument and another count of assault. It is alleged that on October 20, Cox, being concerned with another, unlawfully assaulted Fantino Johnson with a screwdriver. It is also alleged that he, with another person, assaulted
YOUR
Johnson the same day. Cox pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was adjourned to January 19, 2021. He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BCDS) in the interim. Also appearing before Magistrate Swain was Edwin Johnson, 55, who was charged with one count of assault. Officers allege that Johnson unlawfully assaulted Wilnique Dean on October 28 while at Johnson Road. Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charge and his case was adjourned to January 5, 2021. He was granted $1,000 bail with one surety.
CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019
ordered to attend anger management classes. During yesterday’s hearing, Rolle and Courtney Thompson were further charged with causing damage after they were accused of intentionally and unlawfully causing damage to a local church’s window and the front windshield of a 2015 Dodge Draft owned by Hubert Fowler on November 2. The court was told that the cost of the damage totaled $1,500. Rolle, who pleaded guilty to the offence, was subsequently fined $750. Magistrate Swain warned him that if he didn’t pay, he could risk spending an additional 30 days in prison. Courtney also pleaded guilty to the offence. He was remanded to prison and is expected to appear in court today for sentencing concerning both charges of causing harm and causing damage.
LENO Corporate Services is playing its part in helping students to adapt to virtual learning - with a donation of devices. The joint partnership between Leno and the Ministry of Education was developed to encourage corporate partners and private citizens alike to support the effort to put a device in the hands of every child in the public school sector. The tablets were presented during a press conference in the foyer of the Ministry of Education yesterday. More than $123,000 has been poured into the campaign. Donors included: Boys Brigade, Insurance Commission of The Bahamas, Bahamas Cooperative League, Trinity Methodist Church, Aliv, Cable Bahamas, Run for Pompey and Photo Magic. Assistance has also been given in the form of free ad placement by The Tribune. During the ceremony, CEO of Aliv Damian Blackburn also pledged $10,000 for devices for special needs children and Director of International
Organisation for Migration (IOM), JanWillem Wegdam, pledged $40,000 for the children of St James Street in the Kemp Road area. Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd thanked the donors and said the donations are timely, as over 36,000 students in the public sector are seriously challenged as a result of the pandemic, which requires a virtual learning platform. Pandemic and hurricane, he said, have presented unprecedented challenges for the country and the nation’s students, who principally lack devices or internet access or in some instances, both. Minister Lloyd said: “COVID-19 has placed an interference on learning. The Ministry of Education, however, is determined that no child should be left behind due to the deprivation of a device. We realised that we could not do it alone, therefore, we depend on and need the assistance of everyone. We are, therefore, proud and grateful to Leno who led this initiative to ensure that our children
Photo: Donovan McIntosh
do not suffer due to this disruption in normalcy.” Also expressing gratitude for the donations was Director of Education, Dr Marcellus Taylor. He said ‘responsible’ is the key word that epitomised the action taken by Corporate Bahamas. He also charged students to be responsible. “Corporate citizens have seen the importance of assisting with this initiative at this time,” he said. “Those who will be the recipients of their generosity must translate this with educational gratitude.” Leno Managing Director, Wealth Solutions, Brian Jones said that his organisation was happy to be a part of this initiative. He also thanked the others for their donations. “Leno is proud to lead this transformational initiative because we understand that it takes a village to raise a child,” he said. “We started with $60,000 to lead and we are very grateful to all who have joined us to contribute to our efforts. We also wish to thank our clients for pitching in.”
PAGE 8, Friday, November 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Watching and waiting for the US to decide A Comic’s View
By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA
THE whole world is anticipating the results of the US Presidential election. With the COViD pandemic playing a considerable role in voting this year, these elections are getting special attention. Other than that, it is also the most-talked-about event globally. People are eager to know if Donald Trump will win and embark on his second term as POTUS. If Democratic
candidate Joe Biden takes the White House, there will be a change in government. Since the internet is full of conversations (both good and bad) about the elections, there are also plenty of jokes circulating on social media.
DIS GA BE LONG
Don’t expect results of the US presidential
elections anytime soon. Nowadays, late into the US 2020 presidential ‘election night’ predictable splotches of red and blue are slowly lighting up the American electoral map, nudging anxious voters in
the general direction that closely fought elections go. Nail-biting fights in a handful of high-stakes states are happening, and we still possibly won’t know the results today.
NEVER mind the Donald, meet Mayor Wilbur!
POTUS Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden opened their scorebooks with a predictable string of victories. At the same time, critical prizes, including Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, remain too early to call. This is going to take a while! As a comedian, I find it quite comical that the once supremely confident POTUS is now scurrying like a headless chicken searching for new angles, loopholes, and narratives to extricate himself from this unfavorable position. These narratives are a last-ditch effort to ‘hold ya man!’ (as the veteran dominoes players would say). Trumpian logic to the results is in full effect: Stop counting the ballots in the states where he’s ahead, and start counting the ones where he trails! Say what?
DEAD MAN ELECTED
A Republican candidate running for the state legislature in North Dakota has won a seat despite having passed away due to COVID-19 in October. David Andahl was 55 when he tragically died on October 5 after winning a heated primary with an incumbent committee chairman, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). Andahl managed to win the Republican nomination by voters to defeat Rep Jeff Delzer. Delzer is one of North Dakota’s most powerful and popular lawmakers. He is the Chairman of the House of Appropriations Committee, and he lost to a deceased man.
DOG GONE IT
Wilbur, the French Bulldog, has won the race for Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. I must admit that my listeners and I have followed this story all week long on my morning radio show on KISS 96 FM. Wilbur has had quite the Bahamian fan base, all very keen to know how Wilbur fared against a large field of candidates, all with potential in their own right. Wlbur Beast won the mayoral election with 13,143 votes, the highest winning total ever. He unseated the incumbent Mayor Brynneth Pawltro, a rescued pit bull who assumed office in 2017. (That’s their names; I’m not making this up) The race had the biggest turnout ever, with a total of 22,985 votes reported. Jack Rabbit, the beagle, and Poppy, the golden retriever, came in second and third, making them
both Rabbit Hash Ambassadors along with Ambassador Lady Stone, who will keep her position, officials with the Rabbit Hash Historical Society announced. For those unfamiliar, the Boone County river community has elected a dog mayor since the late 1990s. Every four years in Rabbit Hash, residents can “vote” for their favorite canine candidate by donating to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. This year, organizers made some exceptions. The race included the 13 dogs, a donkey, a rooster, a late cat vying for the mayor’s seat. There was also a single human candidate who’s very unpopular and has little chance of winning. The lone human candidate sounds eerily similar to several incumbent candidates and opposition aspirant candidates. Each vote costs $1. Wilbur’s campaign raised a total of $6,165. The race raised a total of $13,156. Wilbur hopes to continue to raise money through donations to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society and many other causes, including mental health and breast cancer.
CONTROL YOURSELF
Finally, try to control your social media use because focusing on things that you actually can control may be soul-soothing. If following the news, watching the debates, or scrolling through social media causes you to stress, limit your media consumption. Also, for the record, if you come across my timeline like a raging political keyboard ninja, exposing your “weakness button”, I’m pushing it until it’s broken. Don’t start drama, and there will be no drama! And yes, my Bahamian brothers and sisters, let me painfully remind you that none of our opinions or theories matter because it’s not our elections, and we can’t vote. Sorry to inform you all that neither “The Donald” nor “Uncle Joe” checking for us. Our very own government leaders – past and present –’ain’t been checking for us. (Sad but true). However, we can make our politicians check for us. If Bahamians took our elections as seriously and passionately as we took the Americans’ elections, our politicians would have no choice but to serve at a high, accountable, transparent level. And if that fails, we can start electing “potcakes”.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 9
Backyard issues make the best frontline politics O
n November 12, a revised proposal for a major $100 million development on Love Beach in western New Providence will go before a public meeting at Town Planning. The proposal calls for multi-storey buildings housing 121 condominiums to be constructed adjacent to the four small buildings of Palms of Love Beach on one of the finest stretches of soft powdery white sand in a near-urban environment anywhere in The Bahamas. I know that beach well. I once lived at Palms of Love Beach and walked the beach every morning before work. But the issue at hand has little to do with the tranquility which I was fortunate enough to enjoy decades ago. It has to do with the fight that is likely to ensue when backyard issues meet frontline politics. What is being proposed is a scaled down version of a plan that was rejected earlier when nearby residents protested that it violated zoning regulations. Portions of the original plan, including a boutique hotel and overwater components, have been deleted and plans re-submitted. Project architect Sean Mathews told Tribune Business Editor Neil Hartnell in a story that appeared on October 28, 2020 that with people desperate for jobs, the plan should be approved and he’d “hate to see bureaucracy get in the way”. Mathews was correct about a need for jobs in an economy slashed by measures to control COVID-19, but others will ask jobs at what cost? Those who live nearby already decry how fast Love Beach is growing now that its long-hidden beauty has been revealed.
They believe the proposed project, The View at Love Beach Residences, is simply too big, the density too high, the shadows it will throw and how it will change the light, too great. Even if the revised plan satisfies zoning regulations - which residents argue it does not because it exceeds the 28’ height restriction which the developer and architect argue with equal force does not exist - the reality is if the project is approved, it will dramatically alter their quiet, peaceful environment. In simplest terms, it will change their lives in a way
“Those who live nearby already decry how fast Love Beach is growing now that its longhidden beauty has been revealed. They believe the proposed project, The View at Love Beach Residences, is simply too big, the density too high, the shadows it will throw and how it will change the light, too great.” in which there is no going back. Righteous indignation inspires courage. It gives the meek a voice they never knew they had. In the late 1970s, I saw an entire city’s future change because of one woman and one backyard issue. Her name was Dorothy Wilken. Before the issue became an issue for her, she was, if I recall correctly, head of the art department at Florida Atlantic University, the mother of four daughters, and a neighbour. Her everyday, hard-working
THE proposed development plans of ‘The View at Love Beach’.
suburban life changed in a flash. The city of Boca Raton was about to annex her subdivision, University Park. Without strict zoning laws at the time, Boca Raton was primed to run the risk of being overgrown by a population descending on South Florida that had already swelled nearby towns like Deerfield Beach and Ft. Lauderdale, dotting them with flashing neon lights, heavy commercial footprint, houses squished together on top of one another, and no place to breathe. Wilken was a believer in breathing space. She began speaking out to protect her own back yard which was then pretty much like countryside. Just her yard. That was all she wanted, a place for her four girls to be safe and play without massive shopping centres and dizzying traffic. The more she spoke out about the right to govern your own living space, the more people listened. Wilken was elected (the first woman) to the Boca Raton City Council. She
became the first woman mayor of the City of Boca Raton and led the fight all the way through the court system for the rights of a city to determine its own future when it comes to density. Wilken was stubborn. She was prepared to go all the way to the Supreme Court. Boca Raton looks different today from the surrounding cities because of her, because of one woman with a backyard issue who took it all the way to frontline politics.
Wilken was also a pragmatist. Once when I interviewed her for a story in the Palm Beach Post and asked her how she managed to run a university department, a growing city and a family with four teenage girls, she answered: “It’s easy. Anyone who can get a roast out of the oven at the same time the potatoes are done, the green beans are ready and everyone is ready to sit down at the table can do anything she sets her mind to.”
Wilken and I became friends. She has been to The Bahamas and stayed with us. The last I read the Sun-Sentinel was endorsing her for an important political post and her accolades and achievements were strung together like alphabet soup. In 1998, the Professional & Business Forum honoured her as Professional of the Year for Ethics, Values, Integrity and Excellence. She was a woman who got out in front of her back yard and took a stand.
SO WHERE DID ALL THAT PORK GO WHEN THE HOTELS CLOSED?
W
e didn’t stop to ask that question but Michie Lodge and the Lyford Cay Homeowners Association did. So they contacted pig farmers, including one who had been farming for 30 years, and asked what they have been doing with all the pork since most of their sales were to hotels.
For the past months, they have been buying more than 1200 pounds a week, turning it into pigs’ feet souse and distributing to those in need, providing hundreds of hot meals every week. It’s part of the homeowners’ association’s campaign to encourage backyard farming and additional self-sustenance to replace heavy dependence on imported foods.
READERS HUNDREDS MARCH IN HAITI OVER STUDENT’S SLAYING HAVE THEIR SAY ON PONZI LEGISLATION CARIBBEAN NEWS By EVENS SANON Associated Press
AFTER the government passed legislation in the House of Assembly that seeks to criminalise Ponzi schemes, readers posted their reactions on tribune242.com. Sheeprunner12 asked: “Can KPT name one so-called real Bahamian ‘Ponzi’ scheme that exists in our country??? We swing, swindle and scheme each other out of ‘tings’ every single day . . . any answer for that??????” Whogothere said: “Can we please do the same thing with these stupid dollar-eyed foreign investors that come in, pretending they know what they are doing, get crazy concessions, start a bunch gigantic projects and run out of money . . . and never live up to the employment benefits they promise. So much of our country is scarred with these things . . . it’s the same thing as a Ponzi scheme, just we Bahamians are footing the bill by the gov concessions, which, if the government just got brave, could finance so much of our failing national infrastructure . . .” Moncurcool posted this: “How many Ponzi schemes have been taken down in this country? Where is the Prime Minister term limits bill? Where is the fixed election date bill? Where is the Freedom of Information Act being put in place?” Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Hundreds of protesters – many dressed in school uniforms – marched through the streets of Haiti’s capital Thursday to demand answers after the kidnapping and killing of a young woman that has incensed the nation. High school senior Evelyne Sincère was found in a trash heap Sunday after relatives said they were unable to pay the large ransom demanded by her captors. Human rights groups contend the incident highlights the nation’s worsening security crisis. “I am worried,” said Katy JeanJoseph, 19, who marched while carrying a photo of Sincère. “What happened to Evelyne could have happened to me.” Haiti has been rocked by street protests demanding President Jovenel Moise’s ouster on allegations that he mismanaged the economy and failed to hold accountable those who siphoned billions in international aid into bank accounts overseas. Now the Caribbean nation is also grappling with growing concern over Moise’s decision to delay legislative elections and instead insist first on a constitutional referendum. International leaders including the Trump administration and the Organization of American States are pressuring Moise to set a date for a vote. Meanwhile, the United Nations and rights groups in Haiti are warning about a rising tide of violence by armed gangs whose crimes are largely going unpunished in a country that has struggled to buoy its weak national police force. The U.N. envoy for Haiti painted a grim picture to the U.N. Security
A PROTESTER adds tires to a burning barricade during a protest march to demand answers after the kidnapping and murder of high school senior Evelyne Sincère, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) Council last month, saying that the nation is “once again struggling to avert the precipice of instability.” Helen La Lime added that the Haitian National Police would need at least 10,000 well trained and equipped officers to meet international standards. “Gangs continue to challenge the authority of the state, especially in the more populous neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince,” she said. Nearly 2,000 protesters gathered Thursday in a neighbourhood known as a hotspot for kidnappings and marched to the Ministry of Justice. Many carried photographs of Sincère while chanting phrases like, “If we had a government, Evelyne would not have died.” The protest ended after police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. “I want to be able to succeed in my country, without fear, and have a normal life — not wake up in the morning and hear about a crime like what happened to Evelyne on
the news,” said Nerley Charles, 21, a protester. “We need justice and an end to impunity.” Police have not released details about the crime, but a local justice of the peace told the newspaper Le Nouvelliste that she had been beaten to death. A video showing Sincère’s sister wailing as the corpse was discovered sparked outrage on social media. She said kidnappers demanded $100,000, far more than the family could raise. “I begged for mercy and said I’d bring the money,” Enette Sincère told reporters. Several high-profile radio hosts announced they were canceling their shows to protest the crime, and politicians have joined in the demand for justice. Moise called on police to “put the bandits out of harm’s way.” “Normally children bury their parents – only in times of war should a parent bury their child,” Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe
wrote on Twitter. “But in Haiti we are not at war.” The crime comes two months after a prominent lawyer, Monferrier Dorval, was shot to death at his home. La Lime said Dorval’s death “epitomizes for many the weak state of rule of law in the country.” Civil society groups have recorded 162 kidnappings this year, including 21 in October. Fifty-five of the kidnapping victims were reported to be women. “Women do become more vulnerable as this continues to deteriorate,” said Ellie Happel, director of the Haiti Project at New York University School of Law’s Global Justice Clinic. Human rights lawyer Mario Joseph called the current situation a “state of terror” in which police do little to hold those responsible for crimes accountable. He pointed to a video circulating online Thursday purporting to show a former policeman wanted on an arrest warrant turning in Sincère’s boyfriend – but facing no apprehension himself. Joseph said most recent kidnapping victims have been people known to have enough money to pay a ransom – not students from poor families like Sincère. It is unclear whether gangs may have been involved in the crime. He added that the security crisis is fueling mounting distrust of authorities, some of whom have been implicated in a big corruption scandal involving funds from an oil assistance programme. In areas known for gang activity and kidnappings around the capital, police have repeatedly failed to mount an active response, he said. “There are nearby police stations and there hasn’t been any police intervention,” he said.
PAGE 10, Friday, November 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Biden on the brink WASHINGTON Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump is testing how far he can go in using the trappings of presidential power to undermine confidence in this week’s election against Joe Biden, as the Democrat gained ground in tight contests in some key battleground states. With his pathway to re-election appearing to shrink, Trump yesterday advanced unsupported accusations of voter fraud to falsely argue that his rival was trying to seize power. It amounted to an extraordinary effort by a sitting American president to sow doubt about the democratic process. “This is a case when they are trying to steal an election, they are trying to rig an election,” Trump said from the podium of the White House briefing room. The president’s remarks deepened a sense of anxiety in the US as Americans enter their third full day after the election without knowing who would serve as president for the next four years. His statements also prompted a rebuke from some Republicans, particularly those looking to steer the party in a different direction in a postTrump era. Neither candidate has reached the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. But Biden eclipsed Trump in Wisconsin and Michigan, two crucial Midwestern battleground states, and was inching closer to overtaking the president in Pennsylvania and Georgia, where votes were still be counted. It was unclear when a national winner would be determined after a long, bitter campaign dominated by the coronavirus and its effects on Americans and the national economy. The US on Wednesday set another record for daily confirmed cases as several states posted all-time highs. The pandemic has killed more than 233,000 people in the United States. Biden spent yesterday trying to ease tensions and project a more traditional image of presidential leadership. After participating in a coronavirus briefing, he declared that “each ballot must be counted”. “I ask everyone to stay calm. The process is working,” Biden said. “It is the will of the voters. No one, not anyone else who chooses the president of the United States of America.” Biden’s victories in the upper Midwest put him in a strong position, but Trump
DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden joined by Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen Kamala Harris, D-Calif, speaks at the Queen theater yesterday in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP showed no sign of giving up. “If last 24 hours have made declared Biden the winner in It could take several more anything clear, it’s that we Arizona and said Thursday days for the vote count to need new election integrity that it was monitoring the vote count as it proceeded. conclude and a clear winner laws NOW.” Trump held a small edge “The Associated Press to emerge. With millions of ballots yet to be tabulated, in Georgia, though Biden continues to watch and Biden already had received was gaining on him as votes analyse vote count results more than 73 million votes, continued to be counted. from Arizona as they come The same was true in Penn- in,” said Sally Buzbee, AP’s the most in history. Trump’s erroneous claims sylvania, where Trump’s executive editor. “We will about the integrity of the lead had slipped to about follow the facts in all cases.” PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s campaign was election challenged Repub- 22,000 votes — and the race Trump is looking at a lodging legal challenges in licans now faced with the is destined to get tighter. political map in which One reason is because several states, though he choice of whether to break he might have to perwith a president who, elections officials were not faced long odds. He would suade the Supreme though his grip on his office allowed to process mail-in have to win multiple suits Court to set aside votes grew tenuous, commanded ballots until Election Day in multiple states in order in two or more states to sky-high approval ratings under state law. It’s a form to stop vote counts, since prevent Joe Biden from from rank-and-file mem- of voting that has skewed more than one state was becoming president. heavily in Biden’s favor undeclared. bers of the GOP. That’s a substantially Some of the Trump team’s Maryland GOP Gov. after Trump spent months different scenario than Larry Hogan, a poten- claiming without proof that lawsuits only demand better in the contested presitial 2024 presidential voting by mail would lead access for campaign observdential election of 2000, ers to locations where hopeful who has often to widespread voter fraud. which was effectively Mail ballots from across ballots are being processed criticised Trump, said unesettled by the Supreme quivocally: “There is no the state were overwhelm- and counted. A judge in Court. Then, the entire defense for the President’s ingly breaking in Biden’s Georgia dismissed the camfight was over Florida’s comments tonight under- direction. A final vote total paign’s suit there less than electoral votes and involved a recount as opposed to mining our Democratic may not be clear for days 12 hours after it was filed. trying to halt the initial counting of ballots. process. America is count- because the use of mail-in And a Michigan judge disTrump’s campaign and Republicans already are ing the votes, and we must ballots, which take more missed a Trump lawsuit mounting legal challenges in several states, although respect the results as we time to process, has surged over whether enough GOP most are small-scale lawsuits that do not appear to as a result of the coronavi- challengers had access to always have before.” affect many votes. handling of absentee ballots But others who are rus pandemic. Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed The Trump campaign said Biden attorney Bob rumored to be considercampaign lawsuits Thursday, undercutting a campaign ing a White House run it was confident the president Bauer said the suits were legal strategy to attack the integrity of the voting proof their own in four years would ultimately pull out a legally “meritless.” Their cess in states where the result could mean Trump’s aligned themselves with victory in Arizona, where only purpose, he said “is defeat. the incumbent, including votes were also still being to create an opportunity The rulings came as Biden inched closer to the Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., counted, including in Mari- for them to message falsely 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White who tweeted support for copa County, the state’s most about what’s taking place in House. Trump’s claims, writing that populous area. The AP has the electoral process”. Trump and his campaign promised even more legal action, making unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud. Speaking in the White House briefing room Thursday, the president launched into a litany of claims, without proof, about how Democrats were trying to unfairly deprive him of a second term. “But we think there’ll be a lot of litigation because we can’t have an election stolen like this,” Trump said, suggesting that the Supreme Court might eventually decide the election. Earlier yesterday, a Biden campaign lawyer called the lawsuits meritless, more political strategy than legal. “I want to emphasise that for their purposes these lawsuits don’t have to have merit. That’s not the purpose. ... It is to create an opportunity for them to message falsely about what’s taking place in the electoral process,” lawyer Bob Bauer said, accusing the Trump campaign of “continually alleging irregularities, failures of the system and fraud without any basis”. Trump is used to suing and being sued. A USA Today analysis found that he and his businesses were involved in at least 3,500 state and federal court actions in the three decades before he became president. In one case dismissed Thursday, a Michigan judge noted that the state’s ballot count is over as she tossed the campaign’s lawsuit to get a closer look at local elections officials as they process absentee ballots. In Georgia, a state judge dismissed a case over concerns about 53 absentee ballots in Chatham County after elections officials in the Savannah-area county AN OBSERVER watches a polling place on election day in Las Vegas. Photo: John Locher/AP testified that all of those ballots had been received on time. Campaign officials said earlier they were considering similar challenges in a dozen other counties around the state. In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, the Trump campaign ELECTION officials in key bat- were carefully balancing access with continued Thursday in Pennsylvania won an appellate ruling to get party and campaign tleground states pushed back on the need to minimise disruptions. and Nevada where a narrow margin observers closer to election workers who are processclaims by the Trump campaign that “There were certainly a lot of eyes separated President Donald Trump ing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia. Republican poll watchers were being on the process in every absentee and his Democratic challenger, Joe But the order did not affect the counting of ballots improperly denied access to observe counting board all across our state,” Biden. that is proceeding in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the counting of ballots, saying Thurs- said Michigan Secretary of State In Nevada’s most populous county, as elections officials are dealing with an avalanche of day yesterday that rules were being Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat and officials said poll watchers were mail ballots driven by fears of voting in person during followed and they were committed to the state’s top election official. “I’m allowed in designated areas, told to a pandemic. transparency. proud of how transparent and secure comply with social distancing and Trump campaign officials, meanwhile, accused Tasked this year with monitoring a our process has been. I know that the mask requirements and required to be Democrats of trying to steal the election, despite no record number of mail ballots, parti- truth is on our side here.” escorted by county representatives. evidence anything of the sort was taking place. san poll watchers are designated by a Poll watchers have been a central In Pennsylvania, disputes over poll Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, in a call with political party or campaign to report element of legal battles that have watchers were concentrated largely in reporters on Thursday morning, said that “every night any concerns they may have. With a erupted in Pennsylvania, Michigan Philadelphia, where the Trump camthe president goes to bed with a lead” and every night few reports of overly aggressive poll and Nevada. While counting was paign complained its observers could new votes “are mysteriously found in a sack”. watchers, election officials said they largely finished in Michigan, the work not get close enough.
POLL WATCHERS EMERGE AS FLASHPOINT
TRUMP TURNS TO THE COURTS
PAGE 18, Friday, November 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
PUBLIC NOTICE
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INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, SHATIQUA JASMINE JOHNSON, of Pinewood, #61 Jacaranda Street, Nassau, Bahamas intend to change my name to SHATIQUA JASMINE VALLE. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.
NOTICE PARKER STREET LIMITED (In Voluntary Liquidation) Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000, the above-named Company is in dissolution, which commenced on the 20th day of October, 2020. The Liquidator is Windermere Corporate Management Limited, East Bay Street, P.O. Box N-7797, Suite A-084, Nassau, Bahamas. WINDERMERE CORPORATE MANAGEMENT LIMITED Liquidator
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE
INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, WHITNEY DESNYRA ERNESTINE STUBBS of #95 Lakeshore Road, Huyler Street, Big Pond Nassau,The Bahamas, P.O. Box, SS6392. Parent of KHY’RADO WILTON ERIC STUBBS A minor intend to change my child’s name to KHY’RADO WILTON ERIC MACKEY If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.
GRUPPO ZECCA BAHAMAS LTD. (In Voluntary Liquidation) __________________________________ Creditors having debts or claims against the abovenamed Company are required to send particulars thereof to the undersigned c/o P. O. Box SS-19084, on or before the 20th day of November, 2020. In default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made by the Liquidator.
NOTICE
Delano Aranha LIQUIDATOR of GRUPPO ZECCA BAHAMAS LTD
MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com
THURSDAY, 05 NOVEMBER 2020
BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:
CLOSE
CHANGE
2048.56
-33.74
%CHANGE
YTD
YTD%
-1.62 -180.04
-8.20
(242) 323-2330 (242) 323-2320
BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.05 22.66 2.00 1.79 2.46 6.00 6.75 4.50 8.59 4.50 6.16 12.77 3.64 6.25 10.88 8.44 16.99 4.25 9.33 15.21
52WK LOW 3.13 22.65 0.67 1.65 1.67 5.40 5.92 2.70 4.75 3.50 5.60 11.05 2.71 3.85 9.60 7.50 13.04 3.20 8.15 13.90
PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00
1.00
1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00
1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00
1.00 10.00 1.00
1.00 10.00 0.90
SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard RF Bank & Trust Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson
SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ
Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A RF Bank & Trust Limited Class A Focol Class B
BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB
CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00
52WK LOW 100.00 100.00
115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00
104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
52WK HI 2.36 4.43 2.13 198.39 176.73 1.69 1.85 1.77 1.24 8.34 10.26 7.08 12.15 12.71 10.81 10.00 8.98 11.79
52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.64 1.79 1.73 1.06 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20
SECURITY RF Bank Note 22 (Series B) + Bahamas First Holdings Limited
SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB
BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing)
MUTUAL FUNDS
MARKET TERMS
Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y
BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407
LAST CLOSE 4.05 17.43 1.62 1.79 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 4.75 3.76 5.99 11.26 2.06 6.10 10.20 8.44 14.30 3.94 8.19 15.20
CLOSE 4.03 17.43 1.62 1.78 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 4.75 3.50 5.99 11.26 2.06 6.22 10.20 8.44 14.30 3.94 8.19 15.20
CHANGE (0.02) 0.00 0.00 (0.01) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.26) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00
1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00
LAST SALE 100.00 100.00
CLOSE 100.00 100.00
CHANGE 0.00 0.00
107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
VOLUME 10,000 18,000
4,000
7,500
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
10
VOLUME
FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Preferred Income Fund Leno Growth Fund Leno Diversified Fund Leno Global USD Bond Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - High Yield Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F
BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00
NAV 2.36 4.43 2.13 198.36 173.98 1.68 1.81 1.76 1.07 8.30 9.90 7.08 11.27 12.71 10.23 N/A 9.28 11.86
EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.000 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
P/E 16.9 18.7 N/M N/M N/M N/M 18.3 -6.8 33.9 19.0 13.3 15.6 20.2 13.3 15.8 11.6 17.5 19.4 8.7 24.1
YIELD 4.22% 7.23% 1.23% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 3.85% 0.00% 0.00% 3.43% 3.67% 6.39% 21.07% 0.96% 3.22% 2.84% 3.78% 3.05% 2.44% 4.01%
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%
INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25%
MATURITY 19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025
6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25%
20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022
YTD% 12 MTH% 3.35% 4.31% 1.56% 3.12% 1.84% 2.51% 1.65% 2.39% 4.34% 9.82% 1.10% 2.34% -2.43% 1.49% 0.34% 2.43% -11.07% -9.92% -0.45% 8.36% -3.20% 11.46% 2.10% 5.15% -6.17% 3.54% 2.92% 5.55% -4.66% -3.81% N/A N/A -0.50% 3.70% -3.80% 4.10%
NAV Date 30-Sep-2020 30-Sep-2020 25-Sep-2020 30-Sep-2020 30-Sep-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 30-Sep-2020 30-Sep-2020 30-Sep-2020
YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price
52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks
Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity
52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks
Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity
Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume
Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price
Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume
Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week
Change - Change in closing price from day to day
EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths
Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today
NAV - Net Asset Value
DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months
N/M - Not Meaningful
P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings
TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333
NOTICE is hereby given that DALIN LUBIN ODEUS of Knowles Drive off Tonique Darling Highway Nassau, Bahamas., is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 6th day of November 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that ADELINE JOSEPH SAINTIDOR of Highbury Park, Soldier Road Nassau, Bahamas., is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 6th day of November 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that DALINN LUBIN ODEUS of Knowles Drive off Tonique Darling Highway Nassau, Bahamas., is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 6th day of November 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that JUNIOR FLORVIL of Coral Harbour, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 30th day of October, 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
THE TRIBUNE
‘Philanthropist’ in $1.5m bank account freezing FROM PAGE 24 ruling that could result on the injunction/freeze on the Monique VA Gomez & Company client account, held at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank (Bahamas) on Shirley Street, being discharged. “They didn’t in fact say he did anything,” Mr Gomez said of the allegations against his client. “That’s the problem. They said he had done something in the US before, but they never tied it in to what allegedly happened here.” He added that the claims centred around a transfer of money from Fuji Bank in Tokyo that was supposed to be a down payment to Boeing for a private jet. However, this purchase was subsequently cancelled and the funds - without the instruction of the client diverted “to some fellow in Atlanta”. Mr Gomez suggested the latter could have been a victim of identity theft.” The Court of Appeal judgment, meanwhile, revealed how Mr King had sought to strike out the appeal by the Attorney General’s Office on the basis that it had failed to comply with the registrar’s order that all transcripts related to the Supreme Court hearing by provided to the higher court. He and Mr Gomez also sought an order from the
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 19 Court of Appeal discharging the freeze/injunction on $1.511m in the Monique VA Gomez & Company client account or, alternatively, varying the sum involved to just $894,000. There is no suggestion that Monique Gomez or any of the law firm’s employees have done anything wrong in relation to the case. However, the Court of Appeal, while chiding the Attorney General’s Office for its conduct decided that it “be given a further opportunity to get its house in order”. “We are also aware that this appeal also has significance for this country’s treaty obligations with a foreign state so the subject matter is not trivial,” the Court of Appeal ruled, in a nod to the US. “It must be acknowledged, however, that the appellant’s handling of the appeal process could have been expedited by paying more careful attention to the requirements of the rules of this court. It was in those circumstances that although we were not prepared to strike out the appeal on this application, some sanction was necessary.” The colourful Mr King has a history with the US authorities, who are currently treating him as “a fugitive from justice” over two cases that remain open. In 2007, he was detained in Los Angeles, California, after the US Justice Department filed charges alleging he tried to defraud the US government’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of $2.7m.
Doctors Hospital worker wins $30k for unfair sacking FROM PAGE 24
prescribed painkillers and sent home, resulting in an initial seven days’ absence from work. While working through to later September 2016, he added that every time the painkillers ran out the pain from his injuries returned. Upon his doctor’s orders, Mr Clarke remained away from work between November 15, 2016, to March 27, 2017. He ultimately saw Dr Dane Bowe, an orthopaedic surgery specialist, who found he was suffering from bilateral groin pain. A subsequent MRI test also revealed a bulging disc and osteoarthropathy in the lumbar spine “On the day before he was due back to work, Mr Clarke received the ‘allclear’ from the doctor, but the doctor recommended he be given light duties involving no lifting of objects,” Ms Fitzcharles wrote. “This recommendation was embodied in a letter from the physician dated March 27, 2017.” That same day, Mr Clarke went to Doctors Hospital and presented the letter to its assistant director of human resources, who said: “Preston, I can’t let you go back to work because you are not 100 percent.” He responded that despite some minor pain he was fit to work, but the assistant director told him to return for a meeting on March 29, 2017, with her superior. Paul Haven, Doctors
Hospital’s vice-president of human resources, testified that prior to March 27, 2017, he met with Cynthia Sawyers, the company’s vice-president of operations, and Mr Clarke’s manager, Mr Wallace, to discuss the status of workers in the latter’s department who had been out sick for a long time. He “recalled that concerns were raised” about Mr Clarke either aggravating an existing injury or sustaining new ones while at work, and therefore “a decision was made to disengage” him. Doctors Hospital gave him a cheque for just over $6,000, and informed him of his termination at the March 29, 2017, meeting with Mr Haven. Explaining the company’s decision, Mr Haven said Doctors Hospital’s engineering department was facing “severe staff shortages” because several employees were on sick leave, thus forcing the healthcare provider “to incur increased overtime and double-time charges” through calling in personnel not scheduled to work. The department’s ability to meet the company’s needs was under “strain”. However, under crossexamination, Mr Haven admitted that only Mr Clarke and one other person were on sick leave. And while engineering had five persons on-staff, it had approval to employ nine.
“As Mr Haven’s initial testimony was that there were two facilities technicians on staff, and both were absent and ill, this gave the Tribunal the overall impression that there was no one else covering their work,” Ms Fitzcharles noted. “However, under crossexamination Mr Haven admitted there were two additional technicians on staff - Junior Ariste and Tristan Moss. The hospital also used the services of one Mr Simmons who was an independent contractor.” She also concluded that Mr Clarke’s extended absences were due solely to the injuries suffered lifting the water pump. The former employee argued that Doctors Hospital had been “unreasonable, and failed to follow its own policy, over the decision to terminate him. The healthcare provider, for its part, argued that the Employment Act allowed it to legally dismiss an employee “without cause”, and that it had done so by paying Mr Clarke what he was entitled to in severance pay. It also argued that it was under no duty to “accommodate” him because it had not known he was fit to return to work when the termination decision was taken. Having ruled that payment of due severance does not eliminate an Employment Act claim for unfair dismissal, Ms Fitzcharles
found that the effective date of Mr Clarke’s dismissal was March 29, 2017 - not two days before, as indicated by his termination letter, because the former date was when he was first notified. “Whatever the reason why the package was not ready on March 27 when Mr Clarke delivered his letter, it was within the power of the hospital to have it prepared in time for delivery on the date the dismissal was purported to take effect. It was not. Timing was everything, and Mr Clarke seized the day,” she ruled. And, the day prior to the March 29 dismissal, Doctors Hospital had “full knowledge” of the doctor’s letter saying Mr Clarke could return to work but only for ‘light duties’ - avoiding lifting - for the initial six weeks. Ms Fitzcharles found Doctors Hospital did not follow its policies to “accommodate” Mr Clarke despite having two days to alter its approach, adding that it did not show via the evidence it would have suffered “undue hardship” to take him back. As a result, she awarded him $7,344, representing a “basic award” of three weeks’ pay for every year Mr Clarke had worked, plus a further 12 months’ basic pay of $29,376 as compensatory damages. Deducting the $6,008 already paid to him by Doctors Hospital resulted in a $30,712 net award.
PUBLIC WORKERS’ CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT UNION LIMITED Disbursement of INTEREST on MEMBERS’ SAVINGS accounts (formerly known as Dividend) and CHRISTMAS CLUB accounts: Disbursement of INTEREST on: 1. Members’ SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, for the period January 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2019, will begin on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16th, 2020; ending on JANUARY 31st, 2021 and; 2. Members’ CHRISTMAS CLUB ACCOUNTS, for the period December 1st, 2019 to November 30th, 2020, will begin on MONDAY, DECEMBER 7th, 2020. Additionally, due to Covid-19, and the related restrictions, the credit union was unable to hold its Annual General Meeting in 2020; where Dividend (on Qualifying Shares) would have been dealt with.
PAGE 20, Friday, November 6, 2020
Industry urges Central Bank: Stay in your lane FROM PAGE 24
He argued that the regulator should instead be focused on compliance with the bank and trust company regulatory regime that underpins the IFRS standards, rather than on financial reporting itself after recent COVID-19 related guidance appeared to stray into this area. Mr Bowe, who was backed by Kenrick Brathwaite, the Clearing Banks Association’s (CBA) chairman, spoke out after Charles Littrell, the Central Bank’s inspector of banks and trust companies, reinforced the contents of
a July 2, 2020, letter sent to the commercial banking industry in relation to how it will treat borrower defaults caused by COVID-19. “The Central Bank communicated its prudential accounting minimum standards with respect to COVID-19 affected nonperforming loans, interest accrual and accounting for deferred loans on the balance sheet,” Mr Littrell said in reference to the previous letter. “We wish to reinforce this guidance, which implies among other things a minimum ten percent provision on the portfolio of unsecured deferred loans (net of security held)
THE TRIBUNE by December 31. Feedback from the domestic banking sector is that as a group the banks can afford to provision more conservatively than this, and have started that process.” Both Mr Bowe and Mr Brathwaite, who is also Bank of The Bahamas’ managing director, quickly pointed out any accounting treatment would need to comply with IFRS and be approved by their banks’ external auditors. “This is one, while it may be a little controversial, where my position is the Central Bank should not intervene in financial reporting matters,” Mr Bowe, an accountant by profession and former PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Bahamas partner, told Tribune Business. “From a financial reporting perspective we have to comply with International Financial Reporting
Standards, particularly as a public company. All the commercial banks have some public interest responsibilities. We have to be audited by external auditors and comply with international standards. “The Central Bank should not be seeking to intervene in financial reporting matters; it should be focused on the regulatory regime for reporting matters. It doesn’t need to get into the financial reporting. It should not influence auditors to depart from IFRS standards, and should instead focus on the regulatory regime for reporting matters.” Mr Bowe explained this meant the Central Bank continuing to focus on capital adequacy and other prudential norms that it has oversight responsibility for, and which could assume critical importance
7TH September, 2020
as the $1.85bn worth of loan deferrals granted earlier in the pandemic unwind and the commercial banking industry gains a clearer picture of who it will have to treat as non-performing. The Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief also warned that The Bahamas cannot afford to be seen as an outlier departing from adherence to IFRS standards, as these are designed to present a uniform, consistent presentation of bank income statements and balance sheets across the globe. “The purpose for IFRS is for there to be consistency globally,” Mr Bowe explained. “We don’t want, in our little Bahamaland, to alter that where comparisons between Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) and Lloyds in London differ because of some directive from the Central Bank. “It becomes very difficult if you start managing things outside your remit. How far do you go? There’s a reason why you have financial reporting standards that are recognised worldwide. You should leave the standard setters in each area to determine what they do best.” Mr Bowe was backed by Mr Brathwaite, who said every commercial bank’s external auditors would have to be satisfied with their treatment of COVID19 loan delinquencies and related provisions before they signed off on the annual financial statements. “We must make sure the external auditors are in agreement, and we must make sure we comply with these standards,” Mr Brathwaite said. “There’s nothing we can do that can contradict or contravene
NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE International Business Companies Act (No. 45 of 2000) AS Investment Fund Ltd. (the “Company”)
YOUNG CHAIS INVESTMENTS LIMITED N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a)
YOUNG CHAIS INVESTMENTS LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.
(b)
The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 04th November, 2020 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.
(c)
The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas
In Voluntary Liquidation
6th
October
Dated this 06th day of November, A. D. 2020
Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act, (No.45 of 2000), AS Investment Fund Ltd. (the “Company”) is in Dissolution. The date of commencement of the Dissolution was 3rd November, 2020. Gustavo Dos Santos Vaz is the Liquidator and can be contacted at Avenida General Leite de Castro, 200 - Bloco B Cedro - Apto 71 - Jardim Santa Cruz (Sacoma), São Paulo-SP, Brazil. All persons having claims against the above-named Company are required to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator before 3rd December, 2020.
_________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator
Gustavo Dos Santos Vaz Liquidator
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE DEERPARK PROPERTIES LIMITED Incorporated under the International Business Companies Act, 2000 of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Registration Number 47944 (B) (Dissolved)
Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company was dissolved and was struck from the Register of Companies on the 5th day of February, Dated this 6th day of November, 2020.
these standards. They hope the banks can be more conservative than the guidance, but that’s if the external auditors agree.” The Central Bank, in its recent monthly update for September 2020, revealed that commercial banks increased their loan loss provisioning by $87.6m or 20.6 percent during the first nine months of the year in anticipation of a wave of delinquencies when present COVID-19 loan deferrals end. “The ratio of total provisions to arrears rose by 11.6 percentage points, while the ratio of total provisions to non-performing loans firmed by 16.6 percentage points. For the nine-month period, banks wrote-off an estimated $69.7m in bad loans and recovered approximately $17.9m,” the regulator added. However, the Central Bank’s report revealed that banks’ credit quality indicators actually improved in September “as total private sector arrears decreased by $16.7m (2.3 percent) to $697.3m, with its accompanying ratio narrowing by 29 basis points to 12.35 percent”. This, though, was solely due to a drop in credit between 31 to 90 days past due or short-term arrears. “An analysis by the average age of delinquency showed that short-term arrears reduced by $39.1m (14.4 percent) to $232.1m, corresponding with a 69 basis points decrease in the attendant ratio to 4.11 percent,” the Central Bank said. “In contrast, non-performing loans rose by $22.4m (five percent) to $465.2m, resulting in the non-accruals rate moving higher by 40 basis points to 8.24 percent.”
NOTICE
NOTICE
CORNERSTONE ASSETS LIMITED
BRETLING LIMITED
N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:
N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:
(a)
CORNERSTONE ASSETS LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.
(a)
BRETLING LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.
(b)
The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 04th November, 2020 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.
(b)
The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 04th November, 2020 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.
(c)
The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas
(c)
The Liquidator of the said company is Leeward Nominees Limited, Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay 11, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Dated this 06th day of November, A. D. 2020
Dated this 06th day of November, A. D. 2020
___________________________ RICHARD L. BROUGHTON Liquidator
_________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator
_________________________________ Leeward Nominees Limited Liquidator
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE MONASCRON INCORPORATED
NOTICE SALENTO GROUP INC.
NOTICE INT&SER CONSULTANCY
Incorporated under the International Business Companies Act, 2000 of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Registration Number 146017 (B) (Dissolved)
Incorporated under the International Business Companies Act, 2000 of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Registration Number 147477 (B) (Dissolved)
Incorporated under the International Business Companies Act, 2000 of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Registration Number 202032 (B) (Dissolved)
Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company was dissolved and was struck from the Register of Companies on the 24th day of February, 2020.
Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company was dissolved and was struck from the Register of Companies on the 3rd day of February, 2020.
Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company was dissolved and was struck from the Register of Companies on the 24th day of February, 2020.
Dated this 6th day of November, 2020.
Dated this 6th day of November, 2020.
Dated this 6th day of November, 2020.
___________________________ RICHARD L. BROUGHTON Liquidator
___________________________ RICHARD L. BROUGHTON Liquidator
___________________________ RICHARD L. BROUGHTON Liquidator
THE TRIBUNE
Long Island Outlook set for November 12 THE sixth annual Long Island Business Outlook conference will be held virtually on November 12 under the theme, A new era: Resilience in the face of vulnerability. It will feature four sessions with an array of speakers who will discuss tourism, technology, entrepreneurship and business recovery in an event aimed at, but not exclusively for, Long Island residents. Adrian Gibson, Long Island’s MP and a conference speaker, said the island shares the economic challenges and health concerns faced by all Family Islands as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it has low infection numbers, recording its first case on August 30, it has so far incurred a total of 12 with one death. “So far, people have been observing the protocols. I keep insisting on it, and I know the health team keeps doing the same. I think Long Islanders understand the impact that this disease can have as it relates to the economy,” Mr Gibson said. “The economy has really slowed almost to a halt; the major hotels are pretty much on pause. I was happy to hear that, as of November 1, some of the hotels like Cape Santa Maria were about to reopen.” Matt Brear, Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort and Villas’ general manager, confirmed the property had opened on that date as it does every year. However, this year it opened with “a slow start”, and in the midst of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. “We completed and complied with the Clean and Pristine Programme. This provides assurance to our guests that we are adhering to The Bahamas’ government-approved guidelines, which reflect the recommendations of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention,” Mr Brear explained. According to Cheryl de Goicoechea, Long Island Chamber of Commerce president, the private sector has been facing overwhelming challenges because of COVID-19. “Due to the fact that foreigners and Bahamians couldn’t travel, there was no revenue from our primary industry, tourism. This has had a domino effect on all aspects of life and has impacted all of the tourismrelated businesses on the island, even many of those
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 21 not serving visitors and tourists,” she said. “The future looks bleak. We don’t foresee much of an improvement any time soon. Hotels and other vacation properties on the island have minimal or no future bookings due to the uncertainty and inconsistency of the reopening protocols, as well as the costs of travel and added expense of COVID-19 testing.” The COVID-19 pandemic placed a hold on tourism, and not only here in The Bahamas but around the world. And this has forced tourism-dependent countries to develop other ways to generate revenue until the sector can completely re-open and gain momentum. Lou Carroll, Long Island Sponging Company’s president, said it was vital to look at the entrepreneurial and economic potential of sponging in The Bahamas, especially in Long Island. “Sponging is a relief for the other sectors of the fishing industry because it’s not taxing the conch and lobster, which is a plus. Sponging is a job creator not just for Long Island, but for the rest of The Bahamas. Therefore, it should be seen as a plus for the entire Bahamas,” he said. Ian Knowles, Long Island’s chief councillor, said COVID-19 and its spread remains the island’s greatest threat. “Infrastructural work is being done, so that’s putting in new roads, and also the work that’s being done to the airport. Another good thing is people wanting to come to the island and folks are moving back,” Mr Knowles added. He will join Mr Gibson, also the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s executive chairman; Algernon Cargill, director of aviation,
Ministry of Tourism; and Lou Carroll, president, Long Island Sponging Company, for the topic Time for change: Priorities for Long Island, Bahamas”. This webinar will take place on November 12 from 10 am to 11:30am. Reopening: Adapting to the changing business environment, will be held the same day from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm. It will feature Ellison ‘Tommy’ Thompson, Ministry of Tourism’ deputy director-general; Dr Sheena Antonio-Collie, vice-president of medical affairs, Doctors Hospital Health System; and Matt Brear, general manager, Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort & Villas. Engaging Technologies, which is to last from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm, will be presented by Sharmaine Sinclair, assistant director of education, planning and research section, Ministry of Education; Carol Roach, acting director, Department of Transformation and Digitisation; and Carl Monplaisir, Cable Bahamas’ general manager for the southern Bahamas. The Outlook will end with Empowering a new age of entrepreneurs and accelerating business recovery, lasting from 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm. The speakers will feature Davinia Grant, executive director, Small Business Development Centre; Dave Smith, managing director, Bahamas Development Bank; Michael Cunningham, Bahamas Venture Fund; and Kimwood Mott, project manager, digital currency implementation, Central Bank. Persons can register for the Long Island Business Outlook at tclevents.com or contact Alicia Green at 3221000/agreen@tclbahamas. com
NOTICE Pursuant to the provisions of Section 138 (8) of the International Business Companies Act (as amended), NOTICE is hereby given that SAINT PAUL HOLDING COMPANYLTD has been dissolved and has been struck from the Register with effect from 29th January 2020. Lorna Kemp and Magdaline Carey LIQUIDATORS c/o Clairmont Trust Company Limited Pineapple Grove #5 Lyford Cay P.O. Box SP-64284 Nassau, Bahamas
Curb-side ‘takes away our ability to survive’ FROM PAGE 22
view, to have to explain to tourists over and over and over again that I’m sorry, you can’t do this and you can’t do that. So, I’m hoping the competent authority makes some sort of change at their next press conference to allow outside dining again. “Because any business person would tell you this now, and they are not asking for much. They just want to be able to survive. It’s not asking for much. We don’t mind the curfew if you want to put it down to 10pm or 9pm, but at least allow people to survive. You are taking away the ability for people to survive right now,” he continued. “At the end of the day there is nothing worse than people not having anything to lose any more. They are just not going to care. Honestly, when it comes to that point, that’s when you are really going to have a problem because people are just not going to care any more. Whatever you say is going to go through one ear and out of the other.” Mr Newton said his regular operating hours previously were from 11am until about 11pm. “Before this whole pandemic started up we stayed open until 12pm or 1am, as people come and dine. We have a nice venue outside, so people enjoyed sitting outside by the ocean. “When curfew started, everything started to go down but people still came out. They came, got something to eat, sat and when it
was time to leave they left. It’s just like the beaches. Bahamians were glad when they opened the beaches because it gave you some sort of sanity, as this whole ordeal is depressing enough. “It gives somebody some type of sanity to say ‘OK, let me go out and get some fresh air, go on the beach and go and clear my head’. It’s the same thing: Go to the restaurant, have a drink, sit down, eat and clear my head because, at the end of the day, I’m not making any money, but at least let me go and relax myself,” Mr Newton added. “The thing is the competent authority doesn’t have to explain this to tourists in the front of their faces. As a business person I look at
people in the front of their face, and these restrictions sound stupid. You’re telling them you can’t sit and dine here, and they ask why. “But it’s outside, you say, and they ask you ‘why’ again? If you don’t want people to ask these questions then don’t let them inside of the country. Keep it shut down until you are ready to be functional fully so you don’t have to have these obstacles.” Mr Newton said he is losing 60 percent of his regular sales by not having the bar operational, and added: “It hurts a lot. Honestly, because people love to sit down and drink, and when they drink they want to eat. It goes hand in hand.”
Position Wanted Leading Vacation Resort is seeking to hire
Sales Executives Must be able to generate maximum sales efficiencies, while maintaining or exceeding targeted net sales volume. Must be able to adopt to state-of-the-art Sales Programs. Also be able to give high quality virtual and face to face presentations to clients. Must have excellent communication skills and a proven track record in sales productions. “Great Income Potential”. Interested and qualified candidates must email resumes to Jacquelyn.Gardiner@vacationclub.com Deadline is November 11th, 2020.
PAGE 22, Friday, November 6, 2020
ASUES NOT OUTLAWED UNDER LEGAL REFORMS CHRISTINA ROLLE By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE Securities Commission’s chief yesterday said the traditional Bahamian Asue savings scheme has not been outlawed in the new Financial and Corporate Services Providers (FSCSP) Bill 2020.
CHESTER COOPER Christina Rolle, its executive director, told Tribune Business: “Asues are not included. They are neither included, nor are they made illegal.” Ms Rolle was responding to concerns raised in parliament on Wednesday by shadow minister for finance, Chester Cooper, who questioned whether or not Asues
were made illegal under the Bill when it was debated in the House of Assembly. Mr Cooper had said: “I would like, however, for government to clarify whether this covers Asues. While I don’t personally like the high-risk profile of Asues, making them illegal might see many Bahamians in violation of the law. “As the violation carries a fine of up to $75,000 on a first violation, and double the fine and possibly four years in prison on the second violation, we need to be careful. Asues are as much a part of Bahamian culture as conch salad. It would be good if we could get some clarity from government on this and what it all means for Asues.” Ms Rolle said she was surprised this concern had been raised, adding that the Bill was clearly targeting pyramid schemes, advance fee and Ponzi-type frauds. While conceding that some persons may have felt the characteristics of such schemes, as defined in the Act, applied to Asues, Ms Rolle reassured that this was not the intention or how the Bill will be applied and interpreted. “We were very, very careful that none of these characteristics came close to defining the traditional Asue. We were very careful about that. Asues don’t have to register or anything like that. So they can carry on the way they are.”
THE TRIBUNE
‘We’re not hearing anything for Bahamian businessmen’ By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN gym owners were yesterday said to be “in limbo” and facing a “crazy” situation with no word from the government on when the sector will be allowed to re-open and its long term plans. Dr Kent Bazard, owner/ operator of Empire Fitness, told Tribune Business: “We’re pretty much in limbo as far as we don’t know where we’re going to be by this month’s end. It’s not looking good at all to be 100 percent honest. “We’re still accumulating debt and nobody is giving any announcement on what’s going to happen. We have been forced into accumulating that debt, and we hear about nobody trying to alleviate it. We have had no communication with anyone on if there is going to be any type of debt forgiveness or relief from it. Nobody is communicating at all and it is just in limbo now. Gyms have been closed for seven of the past eight
Curb-side ‘takes away our ability to survive’
By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN restaurant and bar owner yesterday warned that tourists are describing COVID-19 curb-side restrictions as a turn-off, and asking: “What’s the point of vacationing?” Shawn Newton, owner/ operator of the Studio Café, told Tribune Business that the present curb-side limitations are “pretty damaging” with sales down 60 percent compared to the
months due to the government’s COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. They were allowed to open for a month in July, only be shut down again in August, with this pattern repeated in October just weeks after the sector had been given the all-clear to re-open. Asked whether Empire Fitness’ landlord and other vendors are still providing some forbearance on the sums it owes, Dr Bazard replied: “Leniency varies, and with our landlord an agreement is an agreement. But we are still collecting debt - even if it is discounted or there is some delayed payment it is still debt. “Utilities is a whole different story. There is no leniency at all. As a matter of fact, the last time we opened for that two-week period in July, Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) showed up on day one to disconnect us. I thought that was kind of strange for them to show up on day one; the day I am opening is the day they are shutting us off. That morning they
showed up to shut off the electricity.” He added: “This is just crazy. There is no communication, and there is no plan for business owners from the highest level of the authority down to these utility companies and these debt collectors. It’s just nothing. “There should be some communication. The government should be telling these guys to give these businesses a chance to recoup. Whether that is some delayed payment plan, or whether the government says partially let us pay off the debt in time, or whatever. “The main thing is that we are not hearing anything, and that’s the most frustrating thing. We’re hearing about tourists going on the beach, but we’re not hearing about what’s going to happen with the Bahamian business owner and the Bahamian economy. We’re not hearing anything, and that’s very frustrating and disappointing as a business owner and as a Bahamianborn businessman. This is very disappointing.”
pre-COVID-19 normal. He added: “For any restaurant, curb-side and take-out isn’t working. It really isn’t. So it is not going good at all. “Especially that we’re turning away tourists now, who want to come and dine, which just sounds stupid. Now people want to come over to The Bahamas to eat, and you have to tell them that they can’t come inside, or they can’t sit outside, and they have to take their food in a take-out plate. It’s like: What’s the point of vacationing at the end of the day?” Mr Newton said he has been receiving “calls from tourists” since the November 1 end to the 14-day mandatory quarantine for all visitor arrivals, and said: “They wanted to dine, but I had to explain to them that because of the emergency
orders we are only allowed to do take-out and curbside. “That was a turn-off for them, especially since one or two of them said ‘What’s the point?’ They want to come for vacation but they have to sit out to eat. They really don’t want to have take-out food - my food is not fast food.” Mr Newton added: “To me, this is embarrassing as a businessman and for our country to have to tell tourists these things. If that’s the case, then what are you opening up the borders for if you are only limiting what they can do? All they could do is go to the beach and that’s it; they can’t experience anything else? Then what’s the point? “It’s an embarrassment, from a business point of
SEE PAGE 21
The US Embassy Nassau has a requirement for qualified companies to provide Packing & Shipping Services. Solicitation: CS20-0001 Posted Date: 11/06/2020 End Date:
11/16/2020
Interested parties can request a copy of the requirement by email to MyersSP@state.gov All companies that respond to the solicitation must be technically qualified and financially responsible to perform the work. At a minimum, each offeror must meet the following requirements: • Be registered in SAM (System for Award Management) • Have an established business with a permanent address and telephone listing • Have a secured warehouse location in Nassau • Have all licenses and permits required by law to operate in the Bahamas • Have liability insurance • Had no adverse criminal record • Have no political or business affiliation which would be considered contrary to the interests of the United States • Willing to accept payment in full within 30 days after completion and inspection by electronic transfer of funds, no mobilization or stage payments are authorized *** US Companies please visit www.bahamas.gov.bs to see requirements to operate in The Bahamas. ***
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 6, 2020, PAGE 23
STOPPING POLITICS GETTING OUT OF HAND IN WORKPLACE
A
S THE US remains embroiled in election turmoil, the topic of politics in the workplace again surfaces. How vocal should employees be on topics of religion, sexual orientation and political persuasion? With the start of our Bahamian political season looming, how employees talk about their party of choice and opposing political views matters. We all know how distracting political aggression and banter can be in the workspace. Efforts to minimise this confusion, while not thwarting free speech, are
the great balancing act that corporate leaders must achieve. Older generations of employees would never consider bringing their political bias into workplace conversations. What employers are now discovering is that those boundaries and barriers are being removed by a new generation of employees. Millennials and generation Z-ers have no problem debating their favourite political subjects and personalities. So, then, let us establish the ground rules for respecting team members who see the world from
different political perspectives. Here are some suggestions to follow: • Establish office policies, and hold training sessions, that show respect to coworkers, but do not focus specifically on politics, which can have the effect of fuelling conflict. • Make what constitutes an “opinion” and what rises to the level of harassing another worker clear. Establish the lines and parameters of unacceptable behaviour and conversation. The gold standard is not to avoid all discussions about politics, as that would just be inhumane, but there are certainly some aspects
we should seek to avoid. • Set an example at the top. If the manager talks openly about supporting one candidate or another, employees can feel intimidated or worry they will be treated differently if they disagree. So managers should stay silent. Do not use social media, the local tabloids or anything else to discuss politics. • Consider keeping political programmes off the television screens in the office, including those in the break room. The less triggers employees have, the less inclined they are to engage. • Steer conversations in
meetings away from politics, or restrict discussions to the more generic aspects of an issue. • Limit or ban visual displays in the office, such as campaign buttons, bumper stickers and posters. The PLP, FNM and DNA paraphernalia should have no place in the corporate setting. Make this clear to everyone. • NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing
THE WEATHER REPORT
5-Day Forecast
TODAY
ORLANDO
High: 84° F/29° C Low: 71° F/22° C
TAMPA
TONIGHT
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Partly sunny with spotty showers
Cloudy, showers around; breezy
Windy with rain at times
Heavy rain, risk of flooding; windy
Windy with some rain and a t‑storm
Partly sunny, a shower; windy
High: 83°
Low: 76°
High: 83° Low: 75°
High: 83° Low: 76°
High: 84° Low: 76°
High: 85° Low: 75°
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
88° F
76° F
85°-73° F
84°-74° F
87°-78° F
92°-77° F
High: 86° F/30° C Low: 73° F/23° C
The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.
N
almanac
E
W
ABACO
S
N
High: 81° F/27° C Low: 78° F/26° C
10‑20 knots
S
WEST PALM BEACH High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
10‑20 knots
FT. LAUDERDALE E
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FREEPORT
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
N
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E
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High: 83° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C
MIAMI
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
10‑20 knots
KEY WEST
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C
Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 72° F/22° C Normal high ....................................... 82° F/28° C Normal low ........................................ 71° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 87° F/31° C Last year’s low ................................... 74° F/23° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.12” Year to date ............................................... 59.64” Normal year to date ................................... 36.26”
ELEUTHERA
NASSAU
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C
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uV inDex toDay
The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
tiDes For nassau High
E
W
8‑16 knots
S
8‑16 knots
Ht.(ft.)
11:16 a.m. 11:41 p.m.
2.9 2.3
4:48 a.m. 5:52 p.m.
0.8 0.8
Saturday
12:09 p.m. ‑‑‑‑‑
2.9 ‑‑‑‑‑
5:41 a.m. 6:47 p.m.
0.8 0.9
Sunday
12:40 a.m. 1:08 p.m.
2.3 2.9
6:42 a.m. 7:45 p.m.
0.9 0.8
Monday
1:44 a.m. 2:09 p.m.
2.4 2.9
7:50 a.m. 8:42 p.m.
0.8 0.6
Tuesday
2:48 a.m. 3:10 p.m.
2.7 3.0
8:58 a.m. 9:37 p.m.
0.6 0.3
Wednesday 3:48 a.m. 4:08 p.m.
2.9 3.0
10:03 a.m. 0.4 10:29 p.m. 0.0
Thursday
3.2 3.1
11:03 a.m. 0.1 11:20 p.m. ‑0.3
4:44 a.m. 5:03 p.m.
sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset
6:21 a.m. 5:26 p.m.
Moonrise Moonset
10:18 p.m. 11:30 a.m.
Last
New
First
Full
Nov. 8
Nov. 14
Nov. 21
Nov. 30
ANDROS
High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
High: 82° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C
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High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
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LONG ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
H
Low
SAN SALVADOR
GREAT EXUMA
tracking map H
Ht.(ft.)
Today
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C
N
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Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@ coralwave.com.
CAT ISLAND
E
W
IAN FERGUSON BY
10‑20 knots
MAYAGUANA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures
CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS
are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
RAGGED ISLAND High: 81° F/27° C Low: 78° F/26° C
High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C
GREAT INAGUA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C
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8‑16 knots
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marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR
Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:
WINDS NE at 10‑20 Knots E at 12‑25 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots E at 12‑25 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots
WAVES 6‑10 Feet 8‑12 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 4‑8 Feet 5‑9 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑6 Feet 5‑9 Feet 6‑10 Feet 3‑6 Feet 5‑9 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 5‑9 Feet 5‑9 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 4‑7 Feet
VISIBILITY 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles
WATER TEMPS. 81° F 81° F 81° F 80° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 78° F 77° F 82° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F
business@tribunemedia.net
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020
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Industry urges Central Bank: Stay in your lane By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
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OMMERCIAL bankers are urging the Central Bank to effectively stay in its lane and “not intervene in financial reporting matters” after the regulator’s recent COVID-19 guidance release. Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, voiced concerns to Tribune Business in a recent interview that the Central Bank’s statement on “loan accounting and provisioning” threatened to take the supervisory body “outside its remit”.
• Tells regulator: ‘Don’t intervene on financial reporting’ • Concern on accounting for COVID-19 loan defaults • Treatment must satisfy auditors, global standards Explaining that Bahamian commercial banks needed to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) when it came to the treatment of delinquent loans and credit arrears, Mr Bowe said external auditors had the main watchdog responsibility for accounting treatment oversight rather than the Central Bank. THE CENTRAL BANK OF THE BAHAMAS
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‘Philanthropist’ in $1.5m bank account freezing By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net FLAMBOYANT “philanthropist”, Rudolph Kermit King, pictured, is the subject of another US Justice Department investigation that has resulted in the freezing of $1.5m in a Bahamian attorney’s client account. Details of Mr King’s latest brush with the US authorities can be pieced together from a recent Court of Appeal judgment, which reveals how the US attorney’s office for Washington state’s western district urged the Attorney General’s Office to ensure the freeze on funds in Monique VA Gomez & Company’s client account remains in place. The letter from the US attorney’s offices identifies
• US Justice Department probes Rudolph Kermit King • ‘Bound to’ oppose claims involving aviation giant Boeing • Case sees injunction on Bahamian firm client account
the “victim” as Boeing Corporation, the massive aerospace contractor and jet contractor, although no specifics are provided on the alleged offence in the Court of Appeal judgment. However, given that a $1mplus sum is involved, it is likely fraud-related or some other financial matter.
Prosecuting fraudsters to remain challenging By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A WELL-known Bahamian accountant yesterday praised the government for moving to outlaw Ponzi-type frauds while highlighting the challenges of successfully prosecuting perpetrators. Craig A “Tony” Gomez, the Baker Tilly Gomez partner, told Tribune Business it would likely be difficult to identify fraudsters operating behind the anonymity of their computer screens while the authorities will also face practical difficulties in hauling the foreign masterminds of such scams before the Bahamian court system. While this also created difficulties when it came to recovering defrauded victims’ monies, Mr Gomez nevertheless praised the government and Parliament for “doing what they’re supposed to do” in outlawing pyramid and Ponzi-type frauds as well as advance fee-type schemes via the new Financial and Corporate Services Providers Bill 2020. Revealing that he had in the past been “approached from every level of society” - including “MPs and the political class” - for advice on whether to invest in such schemes, Mr Gomez urged that the Bill be accompanied by greater education so that Bahamians could detect the warning signs and avoid becoming victims. “It’s good that these schemes are now outlawed in The Bahamas, and
persons have a basis to go to court and be able to identify the perpetrators and haul them before the justice system,” the Baker Tilly chief told this newspaper. “The government has done what it’s supposed to. “However, I am not certain how we catch them because, more often than not, perpetrators come via the e-mail and social media and this is not known publicly unless the victims make it known to law enforcement. It’s not like they advertise it. It’s done privately and one on one. “These schemes are almost always run from beyond the border. It will be difficult, but does not mean Parliament and the government should not do what they did, and make it an offence in The Bahamas.” Several such schemes, including Pineapple Express Asue Holders and Lamont Pays the Bills, have been run from within The Bahamas over the years, and the legal reforms unveiled this week should provide a greater degree of protection and recourse against these. Mr Gomez, meanwhile, called for more education to ensure Bahamians are able to detect signs of a financial scam. “At the end of the day, it’s a matter of awareness,” he told this newspaper. “It is a matter of educating our community and citizens about this process. Something that sounds too good is too good.”
Kirkland Mackey, an attorney with the Attorney General’s Office, set out the US attorney’s office letter in an affidavit that was filed with the Court of Appeal, in which Mr King was referred to as “the third respondent”. “The appellant is advised by the United States attorney for the western district of Washington by letter dated July 24, 2020, that the investigation into the third respondent ‘remains active and ongoing...we request that the restraint remain in place. It is still our goal to forfeit and return those funds to the victim, The Boeing Corporation, as part
of the prosecution of the case’,” Mr Mackey alleged. No further details were provided, and Tribune Business has been unable to obtain further papers on the case. However, Damian Gomez QC, the former minister of state for legal affairs and Mr King’s attorney, said his client is “bound to” oppose and deny the US Justice Department’s allegations as he purportedly has no connection to the companies and events involved in the affair. He added that Mr King and himself were now awaiting a Supreme Court
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Doctors Hospital worker wins $30k for unfair sacking By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A FORMER Doctors Hospital employee has been awarded more than $30,000 after the BISX-listed healthcare provider was found to have unfairly terminated him following an industrial accident. Simone Fitzcharles, the Industrial Tribunal’s vice-president, ruled on September 18, 2020, that the hospital had breached both its own policy on “accommodating” injured workers and the Employment Act over how it treated Preston Clarke. Her verdict revealed that Doctors Hospital had already decided to “disengage” Mr Clarke prior to receiving a doctor’s letter, which gave him “the allclear” but “recommended he be given light duties”, one day before he was due to return to work. And, in a decision all Bahamian employers should note, Ms Fitzcharles said the healthcare provider’s defence that it had paid Mr Clarke all severance due to him under the Employment Act “does not obliterate a claim for unfair dismissal” by a worker. Setting out the background to the dispute, the Industrial Tribunal vicepresident said Mr Clarke had been employed as an assistant technician in the facilities maintenance department at Doctors Hospital’s Blake Road facility from January 3, 2013, with a salary that was $612 per week at the time of his dismissal. His problems started when he sustained an on-thejob injury on May 30, 2016, resulting in his absence from work on several occasions
“for an extended period of time”. Doctors Hospital did not dispute the circumstances of Mr Clarke’s injury, with the trial hearing it was triggered by a succession of events stemming from a broken Water & Sewerage Corporation water main. The corporation was forced to turn off the Blake Road facility’s water supply to effect repairs, and to provide temporary water in the interim Mr Clarke had to install an electric pump that had only recently been repaired. Mr Clarke called his Collins Avenue-based supervisor, Desmond Wallace, Doctors Hospital’s engineering co-ordinator, to request that someone be sent to assist him with the pump installation. He was also being pressured to act by phone calls from the Blake Road emergency room, physicians, tenants and the cafeteria complaining about the inability to do their jobs due to the lack of water. With no help coming despite a further phone call to Mr Wallace, Mr Clarke went ahead and installed the pump “but in so doing the floor got wet with water and, as he lifted the pump, he slipped and fell to the floor as a result of the weight of the pump”. While managing to complete the installation, the Industrial Tribunal verdict noted: “After the installation, Mr Clarke said he felt a shocking pain in his lower back and groin area.” After being advised to go to the emergency room to have his injuries checked, the person sent to assist with the pump arrived - albeit some “three hours later” after help was first requested. Mr Clarke was initially
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