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VOLUME:117 No.04, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2019
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HEALTH: PETRA LIVING A FULL LIFE WITH DIABETES
NOTHING TO SAY Gibson stays silent as corruption trial draws to its close By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net LAWYERS for Shane Gibson wrapped up their case in the former labour minister’s bribery trial yesterday after calling one witness who praised Gibson and expressed disbelief that he could have committed the crimes of which he is accused. The prosecution and the defence will present closing arguments today. A verdict in the closelywatched case will then come down after Supreme Court Justice Carolita Bethel gives directions to the jury. Yesterday’s hearing began with proceedings taking place in the absence of a jury, following which Leanza Elizabeth GardinerKeju, a Seabreeze Estates resident, took the stand. She testified that she met Gibson 34 years ago when he was recruited
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party deputy leader Chester Cooper said Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis should do more than just talk about marijuana decriminalisation, adding the Minnis administration should be drafting the necessary law changes for debate in Parliament as soon as possible. While he welcomed the prime minister’s recently
‘FAKE NEWS’ - 15% VAT RATE RISE
to join the youth choir of Church of God of Prophecy on East Street where she is currently a minister and national youth choir coordinator. Mrs Gardiner-Keju also said she was permanent secretary in the Ministry of Public Service from 2012 to 2014 before working as a National Health Insurance Authority human resource consultant before retiring. Over her nearly 30 years in the public service, she worked at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, the Ministry of Health, the Department of Lands and Surveys, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Public Service and Customs Department, mostly performing human resources duties. She described Gibson as personable and humane, adding that he was “above reproach,” had “high moral standards,” and was a “man of integrity”.
By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net DEPUTY Prime Minister Peter Turnquest has refuted what he called “misinformation” about value added tax increasing to 15 percent in January 2020. Mr Turnquest, who is also Minister of Finance, said despite social media speculation the government has no plans to increase VAT in the near future. “I have said publicly and privately that the government has no intentions to raise VAT in the foreseeable future,” Mr Turnquest said. SEE PAGE SIX
...AND THERE’S NO SIGN OF DOWNGRADE
SEE PAGE THREE
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
announced stance on the issue, Mr Cooper said Dr Minnis was “late again” as other public figures have previously expressed progressive views on the matter and called for reform. “In March 2018, in the House of Assembly, I called for the legalisation of medicinal marijuana,” Mr Cooper said in a statement. “In May, I publicly called in the House of Assembly for the legalisation of medical marijuana and the decriminalisation of small SEE PAGE SIX
DENISE BREAKING THE CHAIN OF SEXUAL HEALTH
SEE PAGE EIGHT
MINNIS’ ‘SMOKESCREEN’ TO HIDE FNM PROBLEMS By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
FACE-TO-FACE
DEPUTY Prime Minister Peter Turnquest yesterday accused the Opposition’s leader of “working his hardest” to attract the credit rating agencies’ attention, as he asserted there was “no sign” of a Bahamas downgrade. Mr Turnquest rejected Philip Davis’ fears that the country is “falling off a cliff” post-Hurricane Dorian and facing a “financial crisis”. FORMER MP Shane Gibson outside court yesterday.
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
SHELTERS TO SHUT DOWN BY YEAR END By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
WITH fewer than 600 people living in shelters throughout New Providence post-Hurricane Dorian, Minister of Social Services Frankie Campbell confirmed yesterday that the government is hoping to have those shelters closed by the end of the year. “From day one, we wanted to deactivate shelters as soon as practicably
MINISTER: Frankie Campbell possible…we see numbers in our shelters decreasing to the point where I think it is
now less than 600,” he said. “We’re hoping that by the end of the year before the holidays that we could have all of those persons successfully transitioned back to an environment that they’re familiar with, to an environment where they’re comfortable with and to be in a position to help further clean up and restore and bring back normalcy.” The Kendal GL Isaacs
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE FIVE
PETER YOUNG
FEEDING FRENZY OVER PRINCE’S OWN GOAL
SEE PAGE TEN
PAGE 2, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE DR Sandra Dean-Patterson was recently presented with the Point of Light award in honour of her outstanding voluntary service supporting survivors of violence and abuse in The Bahamas. Dr Dean-Patterson is pictured with Mrs Sarah Dickson, British High Commissioner, who presented the award.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, November 26, 2019, PAGE 3
Gibson opts to stay silent as corruption trial draws to a close
ABOVE: Leanza Elizabeth Gardiner-Keju; right, Shane Gibson; far right: James Guthrie, QC. Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff from page one She found him bold and ethical, she said, highlighting his move to reduce rent space to $25 per square feet. “Reducing the rate was right, we were paying for properties several times,” she said, adding that Gibson “wanted things transformed and believed in the rights of the disadvantaged”.
Asked for her reaction to the bribery allegations against Gibson, she said: “That’s not the man I know.” Under questioning from crown prosecutor James Guthrie, QC, Mrs Gardiner-Keju confirmed she left Gibson’s ministry in 2014, before Hurricane Matthew and the events material to the charges the former Golden Gates MP faces. She told him that although she
knows of the allegations against Gibson, she doesn’t know the details of them. For his part, Gibson opted to remain silent and not testify in the case. Gibson is charged with 15 counts of bribery. It is alleged that between January 16 and 19, 2017, while being concerned with Deborah Bastian, he solicited more than $200,000 from Jonathan Ash as an inducement to or a reward for him giving assistance
or using his influence in approving outstanding payments owed to Mr Ash by the government. It is also alleged that on various dates between January 19-31, 2017, Gibson, still concerned with Bastian, accepted $100,000 worth of payments from Mr Ash and that between January 30 and February 28 of that year, Gibson accepted several cash payments from Mr Ash totalling some $100,000. Between February 10 and
March 27, 2017, Gibson solicited and accepted a total of $80,000 each from Ash, but this time he was not concerned with Bastian, the prosecution maintains. The prosecution claims Mr Ash initially made the payments to Gibson through Bastian for the first set of payments totaling $200,000, but made them directly to Gibson for the remaining $80,000. Gibson has denied the charges.
ANOTHER WARNING OVER CONTAMINATED LETTUCE
By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS Agricultural Food and Safety Authority is warning consumers about two US recalls of over 75,000 pounds of salad products and a variety of lettuces contaminated with E. coli. BAHFSA issued a press statement asking the public to dispose of any of the recalled products, which include lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley region in California and Missa Bay salad products. The public health alert came after consumers were urged to avoid lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley region after 40 people fell sick sick and 28 were hospitalised due to the E. coli breakout in the United States. The
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US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration advised that all lettuces (hearts, heads or pre-cut packaged) and salad mixes (baby romaine, spring mix and Caesar) from the Salinas Valley region should be thrown out and not eaten. While shopping at the grocery store or checking your refrigerator for items, BAHFSA advises that consumers are able to identify recalled lettuce from the Salinas valley region by checking the label on the lettuce packaging. Meantime, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service also announced that Missa Bay recalled over 75,000 pounds of salad products that contain meat or poultry because the lettuce may be
contaminated with the bacteria E. coli. The company said it made the decision to recall due to the fear of the packaged salads with meat contaminating romaine lettuce. Over 30 packaged salad products with tainted romaine were produced
from October 14-16 and have with “use by” dates of October 28 and November 1, 2019. From the Missa Bay products, 17 persons have been infected with E. coli with no deaths reported. The E. coli contamination has caused seven hospitalisations, two
of which developed kidney failure. To date, the Ministry of Health has had no local reports of illnesses from the recalled products. E. coli symptoms appear with vomiting, stomach cramping and diarrhea, usually after three to four days of
eating the contaminated food. BAHFSA is advising members of the public who believe they may have consumed any of the recalled products to visit the nearest clinic. A list of the recalled products can be found at https://www.fsis.usda.gov
PAGE 4, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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When it comes to climate change, we really have to try JUST 11 days ago we asked here how serious the government was when Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said nations needed to intensify their response to the threats from global warming. A noble call much championed by his predecessor Perry Christie but in real terms we have seen little evidence of anything really changing here in one of the countries most threatened by rising sea levels and new super-hurricanes. Today’s paper carries an article by Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Like many articles before, it delivers a chilling message. Despite all the conferences, scientific reports, government agreements it seems our promises to reduce carbon dioxide emissions have pretty much come to nought. With the exception of one country – the United Kingdom – NO ONE has achieved a reduction in emissions of more than two percent a year. Just achieving the agreements the world’s nations have already signed up to won’t prevent the earth’s temperature rising by 3.2 degrees centigrade. That temperature rise unquestionably will mean stronger winds, longer droughts, coral wiped out, more ice melt, coastal areas flooded. To achieve the targets demanded we now have to increase our reductions by 7.6 percent every year for the next ten years.
Let’s be honest - that’s not going to happen. Inger Andersen though says we have to try. We have no other choice. Readers will recall some weeks ago we published a report of how the Bahamian coastline will look over the coming years if climate change carries on unstopped. Tens of thousands of people logged on to our website to see whether their islands would survive, how much of their Bahamas would be lost. The size of this online audience shows the public cares, that they are interested and, we suspect, ready to do their bit to try and help. In January the Bahamas’ ban on single-use plastics comes in so it will be fascinating to see how this small step in the war to save the planet is greeted. We hope with open arms. If it is, we would look to Dr Minnis and his cabinet to quickly look at what other quick fixes which have worked around the world we can adopt to increase our part in the emissions reduction battle. It would be shameful if we were to do nothing. Imagine, in ten years time – it really is that close – some of our citizens are standing in their washed out homes and asking – what could we have done? Doing nothing isn’t an option. As Inger Andersen begs for all our sakes – we have to try.
Shelters may shut but it’s still a worrying future for many SOCIAL Services Minister Frankie Campbell yesterday outlined the government’s ambition to have Dorian evacuation centres cleared by the end of the year. Unquestionably the hundreds of government staff and volunteers deserve our thanks for the incredible efforts they have made in recent months to provide as much care and comfort as possible for those whose lives were turned upside down. As Mr Campbell pointed out, these workers have families themselves who in the months since the hurricane hit have seen their loved ones working flat out, week after week. That takes a toll on anyone, so we wish these incredible people well as they return to their normal lives. We hope some sort of normalcy also awaits those who Mr Campbell and his colleagues feel are coming to the end of their stay. We do have slight misgivings that all may not be as simple as Mr Campbell suggests will happen. AFTER Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said the country is headed toward a financial crisis and that he is certain it will face a credit downgrade, readers responded on tribune242.com. Well_mudda_take_sic said “Both the PLP and FNM alike have taken us to the precipice of the fiscal cliff . . . with the IMF waiting in the background to push us over it.” SP posted this comment: “Astonishing that Brave did not consider himself and his political colleagues ‘incredibly selfish and unpatriotic to watch and do nothing’ as Perry Christie’s administration through sheer incompetence drove this country over a fiscal cliff with five successive downgrades!” Bahamianson had this to say: “Not to mention people are still bringing in cars and not paying a dime
How many of those still in shelters will end up back in Abaco or Grand Bahama picking up where they left off? The places they worked are mostly gone, their homes a pile of rubble, schools where their children went to learn and play left devastated. Not many, we suspect, will find a place in “Dome Village”. Very few will find work. None - if the government’s determination bears fruit - will find their way back to The Mudd or Pigeon Peas. So while the shelters here may shut we worry what the future holds for these unfortunate people. We won’t be surprised to see more in court on immigration charges, a press release from the Immigration Department celebrating its success in sending back another planeload to Haiti. Yes, we may get a gymnasium back in time for the New Year but let’s make sure when the bells chime at midnight on December 31 we can raise a toast to a job well done for all the right, humanitarian reasons.
in taxes, connected people are still not paying their electrical bills, water bills, etc. People are still buying drivers licences, etc.” A Bahamian-led investor group says its revised $25m proposal to transform the Road Traffic Department will create 300 new jobs if approved. That prompted this response from Chucky: “What do we need to bring ‘Road Traffic up to international standards’ for? Just because large fully developed countries do this, does not make this good! You could probably count the accidents caused by ‘unsafe’ vehicles on one hand each year. Commercial trucks are a different
story. But in that case you need to also include proper driver training.” Clamshell said: “Two predictions: If you spend $25 million on Road Traffic, $24 million of it will simply disappear and you still won’t get the paperwork you need. “If you hire 300 more Road Traffic clerks, 295 of them will spend all day staring at their iPhone while the other five stand at the window and explain in great detail why they cannot help you. But all 300 will manage to order lunch on time.” To which Proudloudandfnm responded with: “Exactly why all government services should be outsourced to private companies. Private companies will not allow their employees to sit on their butts all day playing solitaire . . . In private companies you perform or you get fired.”
Climb down from those high horses EDITOR, The Tribune I OFTEN joke that I am the smartest individual in the Universe. As time goes on in our wonderful nation, I am beginning to really believe that. Let us examine the proposed debt reduction at Bahamas Power & Light. It is commonly agreed and accepted that Bahamas Power & Light and its corporate predecessor, Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) has been badly run and managed for decades under successive administrations. On balance, apparently, no one was checking and that entity was used as a cash cow and a depository of political hacks and supporters of the party of the day. While one is able to appreciate the mechanism of pure political patronage as played out in our wonderful nation, our people are now beginning to pay a heavy price for this unchecked phenomenon. Truly, the Androsian Buzzards, the bigger sized ones, have come home to roost. The costs of utilities in the Bahamas, especially here in New Providence, is simply too damn high, pardon my French. Individuals and businesses are struggling to keep current, pardon the pun, with their bills for the supply of current. Couple this with theft by employees; the unexplained ‘disappearance’ of inventory and the excessive governmental regulations and half baked ‘policies’ it is a wonder that more businesses and individuals have not yet gone under or closed their doors to the public. The current state of affairs is unsustainable. BPL is now proposing a plan of action to reduce rates at that monopoly by increasing rates. This seems like something out of the proverbial Twilight Zone. You say you are going to reduce electrical rates but the consumer has to first pay more? Since when has less become more and when did less become more? As the smartest individual in the Universe, certainly The Bahamas, I have yet to figure this one out. Managerial and structural changes and reforms are urgently needed at BPL. When was the last time that audited financial statements were laid on the table of the House of Assembly? What are the stipends
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net being paid to middle and top managers; directors and supervisors? No one, except at the ministerial and board levels seems to ‘know’ and, if they know, they are not revealing the same to the public. I tried googling this information of assorted web sites, inclusive of BPL, to no avail..In fact. the page was blank. Once the administration and the Minister with responsibility, the latter being ‘lost in space’, several proposals for the financing and eventual elimination of BPL’s legacy debt and raising funds for the purchase of new equipment must be considered by the Most Honourable Prime Minister and his ‘war’ cabinet....for this is a war on the people’s mentality and pocket book. The Christie regime ‘allowed’ 10 individuals and corporate vehicles a monopoly on the web/gaming industry for a locked in10 years’ period. While I fully support regulated gaming, I never subscribed to the notion that a handful of ‘chosen’ individuals would be able to hog up the vast majority of the potential profits from that industry. The web people said at one point that they would ‘sell’ shares in their operations to ordinary Bahamians. Yes, one of the operators did ‘sell’ shares but not directly, as was bogusly promised back in the day. For decades the web people them were operating outside the law and, by their own admission, amassing tens of millions of dollars in pure profits. When anyone dared to question the rationale behind this, the operators and their public relations hacks, were quick to accuse those persons of being against ‘black’ Bahamians making real money and were merely jealous! Well, blow me down! To finance whatever has to be finance down at BPL the Minnis administration should immediately introduce a National Lottery to be owned by the people of the nation. Of course, since the infrastructure is already in place the government could allow a consortium of web operators to actually ‘run’ the National Lottery
and even to be allowed to ‘own’ a twenty-five percent (25%) stake in the same. A similar percentage could be sold, in small lots to ordinary Bahamians and the administration would hold fifty percent (50%) not forty nine percent (49%) in the case of BTC. If this is done there would be no need to increase electrical rates while seeking a pie in the sky debt reduction scheme. Minnis and his people have a stellar opportunity to distance themselves from the ‘old’ PPL under Christie but, for whatever reasons, they just cannot seem to be able to get it right. The PM is /has evolved into a Christie like successor. He’s grown to become (maybe he always was like this but kept it well hidden when in opposition) more arrogant and dismissive than the latter ever would have been and, trust me, Christie was dead full of it. Taxes across the board were too high under the ‘old’ PLP. With the advent of my good friend and crew, taxes are now up to the level of the stratosphere and beyond. VAT was immediately almost doubled when Minnis arrived. Utility rates have never been higher. Home owners are pressed to keep current with their mortgages and tenants are obliged to duck their landlords. Corned Beef and White Rice have again, become the staple diet of thousands of Bahamians while the ruling classes, FNM and PLP, continue to eat Steak & Lobster for breakfast; Smoked Salmon & Broccoli for lunch and a succulent Rack of Lamb, with mint jelly, for supper. All of these, of course, are washed down with the best Champaign . The masses, if they are lucky, may find some public pump water or, at best, a can of soda. For the sake of the people of The Bahamas, it is my desire to see the PM and his crew succeed. They must, however, climb down from their high horses and remember that the people of this wonderful country, no longer are willing to grant a successive term to any party which appears to not be checking. To God then, in all things, be the glory. ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr Nassau November 21, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, November 26, 2019, PAGE 5
‘$10,000 NOT ENOUGH FOR HOUSEHOLD’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
humanitarian needs of each storm-affected individual. “There is talk of what other ministries with other responsibilities have to do, but of course we will collaborate and cooperate but our focus from day one is to ensure that all humanitarian needs are met and extended to those who come to and, of course, are in our shelters… that is our focus as a ministry,” he added. By having all shelters closed by the end of this year, Mr Campbell said it will also allow for social workers to return to a life of normalcy. “Dorian brought on an unexpected and unimaginable strain that we had to respond to while continuing to respond to our everyday clients. My staff has been working overtime. The Urban Renewal
staff has supplemented with some of their personnel from the various centres,” he told reporters yesterday. “Even our staff who themselves are victims of the ravage of Dorian are still on the frontline giving assistance. So, that is another reason why the sooner we’re able to deactivate those shelters and successfully transition those persons, our staff can go and attend to their personal lives and bring some normalcy to their personal lives.” To help storm victims transition back home, Mr Campbell said the Ministry of Social Services will provide assistance with transportation and rent. “We’re partnering with the Red Cross and other organisations who is going to be helping us with furniture. We’ve already
initiated the uniform assistance for school-aged children that were affected (by Hurricane Dorian) and, of course, the food assistance is a given that will continue,” he continued. However, it is unclear of how much money will be spent by the government to help victims as they return home. “I can’t speak to a specific figure, but I can say that millions have been set aside and if the need arises, the government of The Bahamas will have to find more to answer to the needs of our people,” Mr Campbell said. On Sunday, the Department of Social Services reported there were 585 people still in shelters in New Providence with 457 in Kendal GL Isaacs Gym and 128 at Bahamas Academy. Editorial View - Page 4
OPPOSITION Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said the government’s promised assistance for Hurricane Dorian’s most vulnerable victims is inadequate. “Almost ten weeks after Dorian, the government is yet to deliver on its promised rebuilding assistance of $10,000 per household to those in the greatest need,” he said at a press conference on Sunday. “Recording householders’ names does not amount to assistance.” He added: “I don’t think the ($10,000) is adequate but that is what they promised but have yet to deliver but since that’s what you budgeted to do and promised to do, then do it. I think each case has to be dealt with on its own right and peculiar circumstances. For example, the elderly, who have no source of income other than their pension, they ought to be treated in a particular way. Then I have the single mothers with children with no male figure in the house, they ought to be treated differently and they ought to have developed by now some sort of a social profile of which persons could achieve assistance and it depends on what profile you fall into that dictates what amount of aid will be provided by the government, that’s what we expected to happen but most people would need more than $10,000 because that’s hardly enough for a roof in some situations.” The Minnis administration hasn’t identified its
not accustomed to, since Hurricane Dorian ravaged the island in early September. The area - which is situated at the Grand Lucayan Waterway in East Grand Bahama, is an upscale residential area comprising large to medium canal-front residences and other medium residential in-land properties. The Casuarina Bridge – the largest bridge stretching over the Lucayan Waterway
— connects Freeport and East Grand Bahama. That area experienced severe flooding from 20ft storm surge during Hurricane Dorian. Many of the homes sustained significant damage and some residents lost their lives. According to a resident, the area is in bad shape and still has no power. “Lots of utility poles are still down, and in the evenings, it is pitch black,” said the resident.
Due to the flooding homes in that area sustained, the Grand Bahama Power Company is unable to re-energise the structures until they are inspected and cleared by officials at the Grand Bahama Port Authority. While residents wait for work crews to do their inspections, they have to deal with the added cost of running a generator. It is a struggle that residents are dealing with – life
without modern conveniences. They use portable hurricane stoves and gas grills to cook their meals. There is also concern about the area being targeted by thieves and criminals due to absence of street lighting. The resident noted that many building structures were significantly damaged and would have to be demolished and rebuilt from the ground. According to a source,
THE KENDAL GL Isaacs Gymnasium, among other sites, has been housing storm victims since Hurricane Dorian
Shelters to close by end of year from page one Gymnasium, among other sites, has been housing storm victims since Hurricane Dorian displaced thousands of residents from Abaco and Grand Bahama in early September. But some Bahamians have been calling for the government to clear out the gym and other shelters of undocumented immigrants. A little over a week ago, a group of outraged protesters, called Operation Sovereign Bahamas, demonstrated at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gym, demanding that undocumented Haitian migrants be sent home. As it relates to those shelter victims who are undocumented, Mr Campbell said his ministry will continue to meet the
means test for aid recipients. Under the Christie administration, people who fell in one of three categories — single-parent women, the elderly and the disabled — were eligible to have their homes rebuilt at the expense of the Public Treasury following Hurricane Joaquin and Hurricane Matthew. Earlier this month Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis revealed that non-government organisation Samaritan’s Purse wants to conduct 1,000 permanent home repairs and whole-house repairs in partnership with local churches and local contractors. The International Red Cross, meanwhile, has committed to repairing 1,000 homes that have received minor to moderate damage and is examining how to provide financial resources to 2,000 households for multipurpose use, including the replacement of furniture. According to the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) and related agencies, Hurricane Dorian left almost 3,000 homes uninhabitable, inflicting $1.487 billion worth of damage on the housing sector in the two affected islands: Grand Bahama and Abaco. “Approximately 9,000 homes, and in excess of 11 million square feet of structures, have sustained some damage on the two islands. On Abaco, more than 75 percent of the dwellings were somehow affected, and approximately 57 percent of the houses were severely damaged. Central Abaco (Marsh Harbour), Treasure Cay, and Hope Town were the most affected locations,” the IDB’s report found.
some second-home residents have decided to cut their losses and have left the island. Meanwhile domeshaped houses for displaced residents have arrived in Grand Bahama. Some of the homes have been installed in Hawksbill, East End, Grand Bahama. Each dome is 20 feet in diameter, are 2 feet high and each dome can accommodate up to four to five persons.
PARTS OF GRAND BAHAMA STILL WITHOUT POWER
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
SUBDIVISIONS in the area of ‘over the bridge’ in Grand Bahama are still without power, leaving residents vulnerable and having to use portable generators to electrify their homes. In addition to blackout conditions, residents have to deal with trying to rebuild and adjust to living conditions that they are
PAGE 6, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
TURNQUEST: GOV’T HAS NO INTENTION OF RAISING VAT from page one “The hurricane dealt us a significant setback however, it will not derail us from the path we have been on to bring long-term sustainable relief to the Bahamian people and improve our fiscal rating.” His comments came a day after Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis said he believes the country is heading toward a financial crisis and could possibly have a credit downgrade. However, Mr Turnquest is resolute there will be economic activity in 2020 that will give the country a boost. “With reconstruction
activity and new investments, we expect growth to accelerate next year and for us to achieve the desired deficit and debt to GDP goal by 2024,” said the finance minister. Last week, Mr Turnquest outlined the government’s Fiscal Strategy Report in the House of Assembly which shows that the ninefigure deficit will continue for the next five years. Despite the national debt soaring to 1.3 billion in five years, the deputy prime minister said last week that tourism arrivals partnered with foreign direct investment remains “on track” and will allow the country to shrug off Hurricane Dorian’s devastating
impact. He added to this that the economy will expand by 2.1 percent in 2021. For his part, Mr Davis said he thinks the situation is worse than the government is willing to admit. Mr Davis said on Sunday: “This administration is now at a crossroad. It can no longer pretend that it has a handle on this self created fiscal crisis. The impact of Dorian cannot be used as the reason for the obvious decline in the government’s ability to provide basic public service. Many Bahamian businesses have failed or are now on the verge of failing because of the gross fiscal mismanagement of this ‘balance sheet’
administration who ignores legitimate contractual obligations to achieve contrived and elusive deficit targets.” Mr Davis said the government should establish an Economic Advisory Council “forthwith” to look at the fiscal and economic state of the country and design a social contract that would “provide binding guidelines for expenditure, revenue, wage and pension reform policies over the next five years.” “This is a perilous time for the Bahamas as the government has proven itself incapable of managing the economic and fiscal affairs of this country,” he added. “No amount of hubris, arrogance or grandstanding
by the current minister of finance can change this reality. It would be incredibly selfish and unpatriotic of me and my political colleagues to watch and do nothing as this administration through sheer incompetence drives this country over a fiscal cliff. We believe that the true fiscal state of this country is worse than being reported by the government as blatant political considerations now seem to govern the reporting and classification of government expenditure and revenue. One obvious example is the treatment of the purchase and ongoing operating subsidy to the Grand Lucayan, amounting to $77 million in
PETER TURNQUEST expenditure, is being classified as an investment so as to exclude it from the deficit calculation. There are others: the shareholder loan to Aliv of $10.5 million, the treatment of the loan to the Bahamas Power and Light of $15 million and VAT refunds to Buckeye and Statoil estimated at $50 million.”
Minnis marijuana talk is a smokescreen, says Cooper from page one amounts of marijuana, as well as the expungement of criminal records for simple possession. Many of my FNM counterparts laughed. At the Progressive Liberal Party’s convention in June of this year, I urged us to leap forward as a nation on this issue. “Our party leader has also expressed his support for this position. While many Bahamians suffered, and continue to so do, under a condemnable policy and statute approach, the government dithers awaiting a delayed report from the Marijuana Commission. The same commission the prime minister says he does not expect to report anything significantly different from the CARICOM Commission on Marijuana. That commission has come to the same conclusion as I have, and now the prime minister. Marijuana should be treated as a controlled substance and not a dangerous drug. The Free National Movement has sat on its hands while the Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee, the law governing such being created, passed and gazetted by the Progressive Liberal Party, remained unconstituted. The prime minister must do more than talk. It is his duty
LEFT: Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and, right, PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper to act on his convictions and lead. The prime minister should have already directed his attorney general to draft the necessary legal reforms. “And they should be brought to Parliament. I am ready to debate this issue in the House of Assembly at any time. We need to move on from this punitive practice of denying those in need of medical treatment. We must end this persecution of those who are only interested in using marijuana for recreational
and religious practices,” he added. Despite his support for relaxed laws surrounded marijuana, Mr Cooper said there should be guidelines, such as ticketing for public use of marijuana and laws to ensure it is not used by those underage, or operating a vehicle or heavy equipment. Meanwhile PLP chairman Fred Mitchell has questioned Dr Minnis’ motive of choosing now to openly express his support for expunging criminal
records of people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Mitchell said the PLP finds the prime minister’s announcement surprising given the timing of the remarks. “We find it surprising that the announcement came from the PM before the (Marijuana) Commission appointed by the government has reported. We hope that this is not meant to be a distraction from the host of
negative issues facing the FNM but a genuine effort at reform,” he said. “The PLP in principle has advocated changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. The (PLP’s) deputy leader has spoken up for decriminalising marijuana. We need to know the details.” Democratic National Alliance chairman Omar Smith also released a statement on the matter, criticising the government “for using old tactics of deflection” whenever
the FNM is “called out” on national issues. In a press statement, Mr Smith criticised the prime minister for using the marijuana debate to take attention away from the FNM administration’s unpopular decisions, such as a rising national debt and plans to borrow $650m for Bahamas Power and Light to be offset by higher electricity bills. The statement added: “Bahamians see this for what it is - another attempt to grab a headline and distract us from their disastrous governance. The leader of the PLP has also just recently discovered his support for the decriminalisation of marijuana. The FNM and PLP are grasping for straws while the Bahamian people suffer. Neither of the two parties campaigned on marijuana.” On Sunday, Dr Minnis said he supports expunging criminal records of people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana. A week earlier, Dr Minnis became the first sitting prime minister to publicly support some form of marijuana decriminalisation, saying that in addition to decriminalising possession of small amounts of the substance, he wants it legalised for medicinal and/ or scientific purposes.
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019, PAGE 7
Say No to violence
ABOVE: Annmarie Bain, Director Zonta Club of Nassau; top right: Frankie Campbell; right: Sherene Seymour, Bahamas Harvest Church Drama Ministry; far right: Dr Calae Philippe, Senior Medical Officer at Ministry of Health. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN SETS 2030 DEADLINE By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net MINISTER of Social Services Frankie Campbell said the government is committed to ending gender-based violence by 2030. Speaking at the Zonta Club’s “Say No To Violence” campaign launch yesterday, Mr Campbell said officials have a tiered approach planned to help achieve that goal, including working with perpetrators to rehabilitate them. “What is our plan? We plan to focus on our perpetrators,” Mr Campbell said at the event in Rawson Square. “Unless or until there is a shift in the mind and perspective of persons who perpetuate this violence, we’ll just be spinning wheels..and so we intend to focus on the perpetrators. Through the prison fellowship programme, we intend to target 150 inmates per year and work with them to ensure that they have an appreciation for the wrong they have done. “We won’t stop there. As we work and focus on changing the minds who already caused those breaches and infractions, it is important that we work on some level of prevention and so we will work with 500 boys from private and public school sector to cause them to have an appreciation for the partnerships that are necessary with our females. “And, so we will also work with the archdiocese of the Catholic church who has a programme that is populated predominantly
from persons who are sent from the courts,” Mr Campbell said. The Zonta Club’s campaign, which runs from November 25 to December 10, is held worldwide to commemorate the elimination of gender-based violence against women. And, under this year’s theme, “From Awareness to Accountability “, various chapters of the Zonta Club will be participating in the organisation’s annual 16 days of activism initiatives, geared towards raising awareness on violence against women and children in the country. Director of Zonta Club of New Providence, Marisa Mason noted that other campaign initiatives will include educational forums on women’s rights and human trafficking etc and a women’s luncheon on violence prevention. She added: “We’ll (also) be providing tips in terms of helping women to know where to go to get help and when to scream for help and the resources that are available to get the help when they need it. “So, we say no to violence in all its forms and we’re working very closely with the Ministry of Health and with the Ministry of Social Services, who is providing the platform for us to partner with them to help eradicate gender-based violence.” Speaking at yesterday’s campaign launch, Patricia Minnis, wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, implored all women to use their voices to say no to
violence during these 16 days of activism. “We, as women, have come a long way in this country from being able to vote to serving in some of the highest offices in the land, yet there is still much work to be achieved in ending the violence that too many women and girls face often,” she said. “The time has come for Bahamian women to be heard with a new united voice, a voice that demands equality and empowerment…today we are here to further sound the alarm against genderbased violence. “Violence against women cannot be tolerated in any form, in any context, in any circumstances by anybody (and) by any government….so, I charge you to speak up, speak out and say no to gender based violence,” she said. Mr Campbell also encouraged people to join in the fight to eradicate violence against women and girls in the country. “Last year, I had the awesome privilege to participate in this very same 16 day of activism and I was pleased as I moved about the community to hear from ordinary persons that they recognised and acknowledged the work of (Zonta Club),” he continued. “It generated the kind of conversation that allowed an opportunity to share what was happening . . .it is necessary for all hands to be on deck on the question of ending violence against women.”
POLICE HUNT FOR ROBBERS POLICE on New Providence are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the men responsible for a robbery and an armed robbery that occurred on Sunday. In the first incident, according to reports, shortly after 9am, a woman was walking in the parking lot of a service station on
Prince Charles Drive and Fox Hill Road when she was approached by a man who robbed her of a bag containing cash. The man escaped in a grey coloured Honda Accord, licence plate #AE1101. The vehicle was recovered a short time later. In the second incident, shortly after 7pm, two women and a man were
at the beach opposite the caves on West Bay Street when they were approached by two men who got out of a small dark coloured Toyota Passo. The men robbed them of two cell phones before getting back into the vehicle and speeding off. Investigations are continuing.
PAGE 8, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
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Denise is breaking ‘the chain’ of sexual health ignorance B
AHAMIANS know their country consists of a small population. Take a look at any Bahamian and a fellow citizen would either know them, one of their family members, or someone connected to them… for the most part. It is a casual joke that ‘sweet hearting is a Bahamian past time’. But not enough Bahamians seem to acknowledge these realities are the very reason why sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to prevail in our society. Denise Major is doing something about it. She calls this link that connects us sexually “the chain”, and she is working hard to break it in order to help reduce the rate of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and STDs in The Bahamas. “If I am going with Tom, and Tom is also seeing Sally, Pam and even John on the side, then it’s just like I am sleeping with all of those people, and all of the people that those people are sleeping with,” Denise explained. “Even if Tom and I are monogamous, if we fail to get tested before we begin having sex, then we are still exposing ourselves to diseases that we may have from our previous partners. We don’t know our sexual status coming into the relationship. The only way to know is to get tested. “When we joke about sweet hearting, what does that say about us? It says we are aware we are putting ourselves at risk and we are casual about it.”
There are about 6,000 documented people in The Bahamas currently living with HIV. Since 1985, there have been more than 5,000 AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) deaths. Many more may be carrying and even spreading the virus because they have not been tested. Based on “the chain” concept, many others can be unknowingly affected. “Break the Silence, Break the Stigma, Break the Chain”, a special event to be held on December 1 - World AIDS Day - will address this issue through Denise’s organisation, The Empowerment Group. Denise will address as CEO and Founder of the NGO and will be joined by Glenise Johnson, an Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health. “You, me and STDs: We’re all closer than you think” is the motto and main topic of discussion this World Aids Day this coming Sunday from 6 to 9pm at Fiona’s Theatre, National Art Gallery. Other presenters from the Crisis Centre and Maternal Child Health will speak. There will be free testing and counsellors will be in place whether tests read positive or negative. There will be games and prizes for attendees.
Although much information is available on HIV and AIDS - and the red ribbon is recognised everywhere - there is still a stigma attached that makes people with the virus afraid to talk about it and get the support they need. “People living with HIV are still living in fear of being discriminated,” Denise, who daily works with them, says. “HIV is a disease that you can live a normal, healthy life with. The key to being healthy is to be on medication and take care of yourself. It’s just one pill a day. We have children that are being made fun of and discriminated against. Some have trouble getting jobs when they live normal healthy lives. HIV is no different from diseases like diabetes, meaning it can be managed with medication, following doctor’s orders and living a healthy lifestyle.” Denise founded The Empowerment Group because of her own life struggles that she has been able to overcome. When she was 16-years-old, she gave birth to a baby girl. “It can happen to anyone; I was an honour roll student,” she said. “If someone told me how not to get pregnant, it wouldn’t have happened.
DENISE is now the author of two books to help inspire others to live their best lives
No one sat down and said, ‘This is what family planning looks like. This is how you prevent a pregnancy’. So, we work with at-risk women and girls, building their self esteem and helping them make informed choices as it relates to sexual activity. We are involved in teen pregnancy prevention, gender-based violence, and HIV/ STD prevention.” “Having the experience of being a teen mother myself, I realised there are things lacking in our system that young girls need to thrive and survive when they find themselves in certain situations. Rather than dwelling in that bad choice, The Empowerment Group was founded as a resource to help young women to get past this one incident in their lives.” When the NGO was founded in 2010, the PACE school for teen pregnancy mostly focused on getting the girls back in school, Denise said. For that reason, her group provided resources for girls who did not want to go back to school. Some were connected with the Bahamas Technical & Vocational Institute (BTVI), and others were connected with human resource experts who helped to prepare them for job interviews and helped them land entrylevel positions. After having the baby, Denise attended PACE and then graduated from RM Bailey. She interned at the Nassau Guardian and was then hired there after graduation. She and Arthia Nixon, who was at The Tribune, became the two youngest reporters in the media corps at the time. While at the Guardian, Denise found herself in an abusive relationship: “I would come to work with swollen eyes and bruises. My fellow reporters Vanessa Clarke and
Lindsay Thompson, who was a Crisis Centre volunteer at the time, pulled me aside. They helped me to get out of the relationship. I got lots of help from the Crisis Centre, and that is part of the reason why I volunteer today.” Denise went on to work at CLICO Insurance in the Public Relations department, but when CLICO dissolved, she was left without a job. She had just had her third child, and decided to become a volunteer. That eventually evolved into her non-profit, which she actively continues while engaged at the Ministry of Health. Her NGO annually hosts “Love Smart” school tour. Love Smart goes into schools throughout New Providence and the Family Islands. It talks to teens about dating violence – something one in three teens are affected by. “We talk to boys and girls because of late, our girls are becoming more aggressive,” she said. “There is emotional abuse, verbal abuse and in some cases, physical abuse. We teach these kids to talk to a trusted adult. Often, they go through things and feel they have no one to talk to. They don’t go to their parents for fear of their disappointment. Because of this, a child may have an STD and not say anything for years until they are old enough to get checked out on their own; they don’t know how to say mom or dad, I have an itching or burning down there. We also host parenting sessions so that we can all figure this out together and get back to the village raising the child.” Denise has a lot to be proud of. Not only did she overcome teenage pregnancy and get out of an abusive relationship, she has three lovely children. The daughter she had as a
ABOVE: 16-year-old Denise christens baby Deneisha with her aunt, Rosylee Gibson, holding the baby; right, from top: Denise and 10 year-old Rickai; Rickai; Denise’s eldest, Deneisha
teen, Deneisha will be 20 years-old in December. She is a chef at Sandals Resort and is attending the University of The Bahamas where she is working on her culinary degree. Her son, 14 year-old Rickai is a Senior Lieutenant in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers Programme. Her ten-year-old Rickia loves digital media, taking photographs and videos. “I am now being the adult that I needed when I was a child,” Denise explained. “I am now being the sister I needed, the mentor I needed during the turbulent times of my life. I am doing it from the perspective of having gone through what these kids are going through. I know what it is to be a teen mother; to be rejected; to be looked at as nothing; to be judged; to be told you wont be anything because of your mistakes; to be in an abusive relationship and feeling all alone, not knowing how to get out. It is easy for me to be what they needed because I experienced it first hand.” Denise has written her life experiences down in two books: “Purposefully Broken” and “Rebranding My Life” – both of which can be found on Amazon. The National AIDS Centre (NAC) reveals that AIDS was first diagnosed in The Bahamas in 1983. By 1985, the first round of HIV testing was made available. In 2002, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) was introduced to the country, and the National HIV/AIDS Centre was commissioned. In 2016, introduced its “treat all” policy. The World AIDS Day international hashtag is #ROCKTHERIBBON. It is designed to encourage everyone to wear the red ribbon and let infected people know they are not alone and won’t be discriminated against because of their status.
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019, PAGE 9 By INGER ANDERSEN Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme
WE are doing nowhere near enough to limit climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are rising when they should be falling. Countries need to urgently increase action or we will face a future of rising seas, extreme weather events and increased human misery. The UN’s annual Emissions Gap Report, released in Geneva today, tells us that even if all current unconditional Paris commitments were implemented, we would remain on course for a 3.2°C temperature rise. To get on track to limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, we need to more than halve global emissions by 2030. Slicing this up evenly means emissions should fall 7.6 percent per year from 2020 to 2030. For the 2°C target, the figure is 2.7 percent each year. Scientists, the UN and activists have been delivering variations of this message for more years than most of us care to remember, and their voices have only grown louder. Still, the world has not heeded their warnings. We have procrastinated, thinking we can catch up later. But now the hard deadline for serious action is upon us. The size of these annual cuts is shocking. It is also unprecedented. The best annual emissions reduction any individual country has recorded is just over two percent per year – the UK, between 1990 and 2018. The task may seem impossible, particularly for 1.5°C. But we have to try, and we must start now. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned us that going beyond 1.5°C will increase the frequency and intensity of catastrophic climate events such as the heatwaves and storms witnessed across the globe in the last few years. Sea levels will be higher. Almost all coral reefs will die. The planet will be in serious trouble.
The Report’s findings are timely as they come ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 which takes place in Madrid, Spain, chaired by Chile, and where parties will review their climate action pledges. Countries cannot wait until the end of 2020, when new climate commitments are due, to step up action. They – and every city, region, business and individual – need to act now. We need quick wins to reduce emissions as much as possible in 2020, then stronger national climate commitments and action to kick start the major transformations of economies and societies needed to catch up on the years in which we procrastinated. It is still possible to reach the 1.5°C target, but we should not downplay the size of the task. To close the gap in action, nations have to raise the ambition of their pledges over fivefold when they revise them. They must then immediately follow up with policies, strategies and action to meet these commitments. The global landscape has never been more conducive to taking the necessary action. There is an increased understanding of the multiple benefits of climate action – such as clean air, green jobs and a boost to many Sustainable Development Goals. There are many examples of ambitious efforts from national governments, cities, businesses and investors. Pressure is growing in the form of powerful protest movements. Climate change is becoming a bigger issue in the ballot box. We either take advantage of this environment to deliver the radical transformations and climate-smart solutions we need now or face the consequences of a planet radically altered by climate change. Editorial View - Page 4
We have to act TODAY...
before the planet is in real trouble
PAGE 10, Tuesday, November 26, 2019 “NEVER complain and never explain” is a mantra said to be favoured by The Queen and has been attributed to the late Queen Mother. As a traditional strategy in dealing with the Royal Family’s challenges and tribulations in public life, it has become something of a cliché. In fact, it derives from the English 19th century statesman, Benjamin Disraeli who, as Prime Minister, reasoned there was no point in trying to justify one’s actions because friends did not need it and one’s enemies would not believe you anyway. In the same context, Disraeli also observed that “circumstances are beyond human control but our own conduct is in our own control”. How appropriate both quotations appear in considering the furore over Prince Andrew’s disastrous interview with the BBC over a week ago. The horrendous adverse publicity and global media storm precipitated by his illjudged exchanges about his relationship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, together with his responses to allegations of consorting with underage girls, has resulted in humiliation for the Royal Family. The details have been splashed over the press and do not bear repetition or further analysis. But this hard-hitting interview, designed - at his own request - to put to rest once and for all controversy that goes back a number of years, has turned out to have the reverse effect and has become, for the prince himself, an unintended act of self-destruction. All that said, and while the immediate hubbub begins to die down, I wonder whether it is principally the extreme media response that has created what has become a public relations disaster. Such a view should not be seen as understating the seriousness of the allegations against him and his poor judgement in keeping company with a known paedophile. But it can be argued the media reaction to the interview was partly motivated by the tone of the discussion and the fact the prince came across as privileged, arrogant, aloof and lacking self-awareness without, most importantly, expressing regret or contrition or any feeling for the victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking and serial abuse of minors. Some commentators are now saying this was a catastrophic example of hubris. It is unprecedented for
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Taking stock of the feeding frenzy on Prince Andrew’s disastrous own goal The Peter Young column a senior member of the Royal Family to be forced to retire from public life, but the prince has had to step down from his official duties for the foreseeable future and a number of businesses, charities and other organisations have cut ties with him, with his role diminished anyway as Prince Charles is known to want to streamline the monarchy. But, amid the storm of criticism and disapproval, it looks to me the reaction to the interview has gone way over the top as everyone, it seems, is jumping on the bandwagon to condemn him. It should be remembered he has denied the allegations, which have existed for quite a while, and has indicated his willingness to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required to do so – and, until the accusations are tested in court or in an investigation by the FBI in sworn testimony under oath, they remain allegations only. If he did testify in court after facing calls
THE NEGATIVE headlines generated in British newspapers by Prince Andrew, pictured above with his two daughters Eugenie and Beatrice
to talk to the FBI about his links with Epstein and underage girls, Andrew would be the first royal to do so since the then future King Edward VII gave evidence for a friend in 1891 who had been accused of cheating at baccarat. The UK tabloid press is well known for not pulling any punches and it thrives on exploiting controversy, since reporting dramatic events, with sensational headlines like “Outcast”, “Pariah Prince” and “Prince Endy”, sells newspapers. It seems to be milking this scandal for all it is worth with disproportionate coverage, like the Daily Mail recently devoting in a single edition no less than nine pages to it. One unwelcome result is excessive global media
coverage. An example that borders on the risible was a Washington Post piece describing the interview as - and I paraphrase expecting a train wreck or plane crashing into an oil tanker and ending up with a tsunami triggering a nuclear explosion. One can only say that that is simply hysterical hyperbole. Such is the power of the media, the ordinary person may well wonder how the Buckingham Palace public relations machine allowed the interview to take place at all, and many now dread the likely outcome of Prince Harry’s recent attack on the press for its claimed “ruthless campaign of relentless propaganda” in relation to him and his wife. His move is said to have been taken against the advice of his staff.
It is the case, as a general proposition, that public opinion is driven by what people read and hear in the press and on television and there is always the danger of “group think” taking over. No one can reasonably dispute the prince had been unwise in his dealings with Epstein. He may also be guilty of other offences but these remain allegations he has consistently denied in the past and continues to do so. The ill-advised BBC interview has seriously damaged his reputation and the road to redemption may be a long one. But many will be sad that this has undermined much good work by him over the years involving patronage of a 100-plus charities and other organisations as well as being
claims small and mediumsized firms should have nothing to fear since he was going after big business with higher corporation tax together with the super-rich and the tax dodgers. As for Brexit, his stance of “neutrality” has been met with derision. The latest polls suggest a comfortable majority for the Tories of around 50 seats and Labour winning fewer than in the 1983 election when its manifesto under the Left-wing leader Michael Foot was dubbed as the longest suicide note in history. Earlier, in the 1970s, a Labour government lost its way as it presided over a failed economy, heavy inflation, strikes and industrial disruption and eventually had to be bailed out by the IMF. A Tory landslide followed in the 1979 election. But, of course, younger voters will have no memory of such chaos and
deprivation. It was not until Blair, Brown and Mandelson so cleverly remodelled the party and moved it to the political centre ground that it became electable again and stayed in power from 1997 to 2010. Meanwhile, the prospects of the Liberal Democrats, whose principal aim seems to be to reverse Brexit, appear to be waning while the SNP are looking to prevail in most seats in Scotland, and the Brexit Party, disappointingly for them, will probably mainly serve only to split the Tory vote. The general feeling in England seems to be traditional party loyalties are weakening to the extent that, since the 2017 election when Theresa May’s Conservative Party failed to win an absolute majority, there has been a dramatic swing against Labour in their heartlands – the industrial Midlands and the North
a trade ambassador on behalf of the government over a long period. According to well-known British historian and biographer, Robert Lacey, this episode is a reminder that the monarchy was once an institution of absolute power but now depends ultimately on the consent and approval of the communities it seeks to represent. So public opinion is all important. Some regard the current drama as “a minor scuffle” compared to the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936. I believe such a characterisation underplays the damage of the terrible publicity to the Royal Family as a whole, but it is surely the case the abdication crisis was a much more serious matter and considerably worse for the monarchy at the time. Many people now hope The Queen will be able to continue her vital role of protecting the institution thus ensuring it continues to thrive and, in the words of one observer, remains as strong and fit for purpose as it has been for so many years.
Tales of the unexpected still possible in Britain’s election INEVITABLY, the events surrounding the Royal Family have pushed the UK’s General Election off the front pages during the last week. But, with less than three weeks to polling day on December 12, political campaigning is well under way, with both main parties - the Conservatives and Labour - having now published their manifestos. Historically, the election process in Britain has provided for a two-party system under the first-pastthe-post rules rather than proportional representation. Those rules remain, but more recently other smaller parties have been included and have won a substantial number of the votes cast. That trend is continuing and in the forthcoming election the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, the Greens and the Brexit Party will all be taking part. As I reported last week, this election is being billed as the most important in the UK since the Second World War. That is partly because of Brexit but it is also seen as a crucial test of the electorate’s opinion because the main opposition Labour Party is now dominated by the hard Left and has therefore become more extreme as it seems to be in the grip
LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn in electioneering mood of an ideological minority clique. This has triggered serious division in the party and makes a mockery of the British values of liberty, tolerance and fair play as enunciated by former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The leader of the Conservative Party and sitting Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, presented the Tory manifesto on Sunday. As well as a commitment to “get Brexit done” in order to unleash the potential of the country, it contained detailed spending proposals in areas ranging from the National Health Service, welfare and education to crime, defence, infrastructure and the environment – all to be financed by increased revenue from corporation tax and from a surcharge on health for EU nationals. Earlier, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn put forward
a socialist agenda of state intervention and nationalisation, including free broadband for all, which could lead to stronger unions and more strikes, and higher taxes on income and on private assets and accumulated wealth. Defending what have been criticised as reckless socialist ideas (including seizure by the state of private assets) that would wreck the country, Mr Corbyn
ATWOOD, THE REALIST TUNING in recently to a BBC interview with famed Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and literary critic, Margaret Atwood - on publication of her new novel entitled The Testaments - I was interested to hear her view that while optimism meant better than reality and pessimism worse than reality she herself was a realist. Reflecting on this, I found it quite intriguing and thought it might be worth exploring further. So, although stymied by space constraints this week, I hope to return to the topic in a future column.
– where the signs are that, mainly because of the Tories’ stance on the issue of Brexit, they are poised to win in so-called working class constituencies that have always supported Labour. In addition, the hard-Left agenda of Labour’s extremists is, reportedly, now detached from the instincts and concerns of working people and does not reflect the mood of the country as a whole. What is more, Mr Corbyn’s opposition to Britain’s nuclear deterrent, and doubts about security matters given his radical background, will count against him - and his party’s support of open immigration will not be widely welcomed by the electorate. Despite all this, the polls are often wrong as many voters will leave it to the last moment to decide and even those who are expert in studying election patterns will be loath to make a definitive prediction - at least until nearer the time. Former Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, famously said that a week is a long time in politics, by which he meant, of course, that a lot of change can happen in a short space of time. So, despite the Conservatives riding high at the moment, there remains plenty of opportunity for the unexpected.
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019, PAGE 11
CONAN THE DOG GETS HERO’S WELCOME AT WHITE HOUSE AFTER RAID WASHINGTON Associated Press A US military dog that played a starring role in the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seemed oblivious to the praise that President Donald Trump heaped on it yesterday at the White House. Conan, a Belgian Malinois, seemed much more interested in the head scratches it was getting from Mike Pence, repeatedly looking up at the vice president in search of more attention. Trump used a slew of adjectives
PRESIDENT TRUMP, Vice President Mike Pence, and Melania Trump with Conan, the dog that participated in the raid that killed Abu Bakr alBaghdadi
to describe Conan, which was injured when it was exposed to electric wires in the late October raid while chasing al-Baghdadi at the terrorist’s compound in northwest Syria. “Incredible.” “Brilliant.” “Smart.” “Ultimate fighter.” “Very special.” “Tough cookie.” “So this is Conan,” Trump said. “Right now, probably the world’s most famous dog.” Trump said he bestowed a medal on Conan and presented the dog with a plaque. First lady Melania Trump stood a few feet away. The president said initially
Conan was going to be muzzled for the appearance, but Trump said he thought that would put the dog in attack mode. “He’s not in a bad mood today,” Trump told dozens of reporters, cameramen and members of TV crews gathered in the Rose Garden. “So you’re safe.” Trump said he asked members of the US special forces who met with him yesterday if an unarmed man would stand a chance against Conan. He said the special forces, who could not appear in public, told him “No”. “Conan is really a hero,” Pence said, patting the dog on the head.
PRICELESS GEMS STOLEN FROM GERMAN MUSEUM BERLIN Associated Press
THIEVES broke into Dresden’s Green Vault, one of the world’s oldest museums, early yesterday, making off with three “priceless” sets of 18th century jewellery that German officials said would be impossible to sell on the open market. The treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony was established in 1723 and today contains around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials on display in Dresden’s Royal Palace. Authorities said it appeared the thieves had broken open only one glass case containing three sets of Baroque jewelry made up of dozens of gems each. “This is a bitter day for the cultural heritage of Saxony,” the state’s interior minister, Roland Woeller, said. He added that the thieves “stole cultural treasures of immeasurable worth — that is, not only the material worth but also the intangible worth to the state of Saxony, which is impossible to estimate.”
THIEVES have carried out a brazen heist at Dresden’s Green Vault, one of the world’s oldest museum containing priceless treasures
‘Trump ordered SEAL review to be stopped’ WASHINGTON Associated Press DEFENSE Secretary Mark Esper declared yesterday that President Donald Trump ordered him to stop a disciplinary review of a Navy SEAL accused of battlefield misconduct, an intervention that raised questions about America’s commitment to international standards for battlefield ethics. Esper’s comments are the latest twist in the case of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, which led to a conflict between Trump and armed services leaders over military discipline. The dispute peaked over the weekend with the firing of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer. Gallagher was acquitted of murder in the stabbing death of an Islamic State militant captive but convicted by a military jury of posing with the corpse while in
DEFENSE Secretary Mark Esper Iraq in 2017. Esper initially favored allowing the Navy to proceed with a peer-review board which could have resulted in Gallagher losing his SEAL status, but he said he was obliged to follow Trump’s order. Still, Esper also directed the Pentagon’s legal office to review how service members are educated in the laws of armed conflict
and trained to wartime behavioral standards. “I can control what I can control,” Esper told reporters when asked whether Trump sent the right message to US troops by intervening to stop the Gallagher review. “The president is the commander in chief. He has every right, authority and privilege to do what he wants to do.” In yet another twist to the Gallagher saga, Esper also made an extraordinary accusation against Spencer. Esper said Spencer had gone behind his back last week to propose a secret deal with the White House in which Spencer would fix the outcome of the Gallagher review. Esper said this was a violation of the military chain of command and said Spencer acknowledged his misstep. Through a Navy spokesman, Spencer declined requests for
comment on Esper’s allegation. However, in a resignation letter on Sunday he had said he could not in good conscience follow an order that he believed would undermine the principle of good order and discipline in the military — suggesting he had been ordered to stop the peer-review process for Gallagher. Trump began to get involved in the Gallagher case in the spring after Bernard Kerik, a former business partner to his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, became an advocate for the family and made appearances in conservative media. The SEAL also changed his defense team to include Marc Mukasey, a lawyer for the Trump real estate company. The president has tweeted in support of Gallagher, praising the sailor’s service and saying the case was “handled very badly from the beginning.”
• AN intruder didn’t count on an 82-year-old woman living alone being an award-winning bodybuilder with nerves of steel.Willie Murphy was getting ready for bed in Rochester, New York, when a man pounded on the door and said he needed an ambulance She called police but wouldn’t open the door. Then, she said, the man broke in and skulked through the dark house. “He picked the wrong house to break into,” Murphy said. She clobbered him with a table, poured shampoo in his face and was beating him with a broom when police arrived.