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The Tribune
Volume:117 No.17, DECEMBER 13TH, 2019
Established 1903
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Friday, December 13, 2019
DEBENALY ISLAND SCULPTURES Page 17
Roarsome
Local Junkanooer discus ses his passion for the cultur e
WEEKEND: ‘KING JOHN’ ON HIS PASSION FOR JUNKANOO
Judge’s mercy for fire death mother
Six-year hospital care for setting daughter alight By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A SCHIZOPHRENIC woman who killed her two-year-old daughter by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire was ordered yesterday to spend six years at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre as punishment. Justice Bernard Turner said he was “satisfied” that Philippa Marshall’s mental disorder “is of a nature or degree” that warrants her being detained in a “hospital for treatment” for
murdering Philicia Marshall two years ago. Justice Turner said the decision was a “difficult” one to make, but said such a sentence would be the “most suitable means” of remedying the question of where Marshall would serve her sentence for the 2017 crime. In court, it was revealed Marshall had a family history of mental illness. after she complained of hearing voices from “demons”, relatives had sought a pastor to perform an “exorcism” on her. SEE PAGE FIVE
ONE day after Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller resigned from his party, Free National Movement Chairman Carl Culmer said it’s time Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine made up his mind about his own intentions. “You can’t be inside the party and be a Trojan horse,” he said. “He needs to decide whether he will be an FNM and know how organisations work or not. Sometimes you can’t agree (with a party) but
there’s a place and a way to air your disagreements. To come in the party and then blast the party, I have a problem with that.” Mr Culmer said he “cannot respect McAlpine for what he’s doing,” comparing him unfavourably to Mr Miller. “Vaughn had his differences but never one day tried to kill the party,” he said. “Vaughn stated his disagreements and that was it. You never saw him outside trying to degrade or belittle anyone.” SEE PAGE SIX
now it’s our turn to give back during
the ALIV countdown to Christmas giveaways
December 13 - 24 2019.
WHAT NOT TO DO AT THE OFFICE PARTY
SEE PAGE EIGHT
WAGE RISE ‘NOT BEEN DISCUSSED’
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Chamber of Commerce’s top workforce specialist yesterday revealed he has “no clue” where the director of labour’s assertions about a $300 weekly minimum wage originated from. Peter Goudie, also the National Tripartite Council’s vice-chairman, said he “did not appreciate” John Pinder wrongly suggesting that body had been discussing a public sector minimum wage hike “for some time”. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
GB CYCLIST SHOT DEAD BY GUNMEN
MCALPINE NEEDS TO SAY IF HE’S WITH FNM OR NOT By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
pages 4 & 5
because of you... we are ALIV
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
PHILIPPA Marshall at court yesterday.
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
GRAND Bahama police are investigating the shooting death of a man late on Wednesday evening in Freeport. According to police reports, the incident occurred shortly before 11pm when police received reports of gunshots being fired in the area of Redwood Lane and Carissa Street. SEE PAGE FIVE
MINNIS BROTHER IN ASSAULT PROBE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
POLICE are investigating an allegation that Cyril “Boxer” Minnis, the brother of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, punched a woman in the face at the Registrar General’s Office in Grand Bahama on Wednesday. Kevin Mortimer, chief superintendent of police, confirmed yesterday that
CYRIL ‘Boxer’ Minnis and, right, Tiffany Dennison at the time of the incident. there is an active investigation into this. Tiffany Dennison, a
lawyer with whom Mr Minnis has a long-running legal dispute, filed the complaint with police. She claimed Mr Minnis called her “a white (expletive)”, prompting her to tell him to “shut the (expletive) up” and “sit the (expletive) down”. Afterwards, she was allegedly struck on her jaw. Two alleged witnesses corroborated her claims to The Tribune, saying SEE PAGE THREE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
STANDING IDLE ON CORRUPTION CARRIES A PRICE
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Friday, December 13, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
113 Haitians deported by Immigration Dept MORE than 100 Haitian migrants were deported to Haiti yesterday. A press release from the Department of Immigration noted that a joint team of law enforcement officers left the Inagua International Airport at 10.10am yesterday en-route to Port-au-Prince, Haiti with 113 Haitian nationals under deportation order onboard a Bahamasair flight.
The initial group onboard this flight from New Providence included 54 males, 17 females and four minors. They were joined by 26 males, 11 females and one minor who boarded in Matthew Town, Inagua. The latter group was apprehended on December 7 by the combined efforts of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Royal Bahamas Police Force, Operation
Bahamas Turks and Caicos Islands (OPBAT), and the United States Coast Guard in waters off south of Inagua. The Department of Immigration said it will continue its commitment to carrying out the mandates of the agency “to combat illegal migration by establishing effective border control management” in compliance with the country’s laws.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, December 13, 2019, PAGE 3
MINNIS BROTHER IN ASSAULT PROBE from page one
A BODY being taken from Cabbage Beach yesterday.
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
Mother reveals ‘I love you Mummy’ text from drowning victim By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net SILVIA Knowles Rolle yesterday experienced a parent’s worst nightmare two weeks before Christmas, after being told her eldest son had drowned at Cabbage Beach yesterday. Her son, 38-year-old Chrisco “CK” Knowles, was pulled out of waters on Cabbage Beach, and pronounced dead on the scene after attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Ms Knowles-Rolle was at work when she received the urgent call shortly after 9am yesterday to get to Paradise Island where her son was involved in what appeared to be a boating incident, causing him to drown. With tears flowing, she explained that it was a surreal experience walking toward the beach where officials had her son’s body. “Someone called me from a school and said it was an emergency, so I spoke with her. I just picked up my car keys and break
CHRISCO “CK” KNOWLES
off running out the office, told them I had an emergency and just left. When I got to the beach and began to walk on the sand, my legs started to get weak. I continued to walk down those stairs as I look out to the sea. I saw the body was on the boat there just rocking trying to get into land, it just made my body weaker,” she said. When she spoke to this newspaper, she had not yet been able to identify her son, but was told she would be called at a later date to view the body. She described Mr Knowles as introverted person who last week, out of the blue, started expressing his feelings to her. She said this surprised her as this was not his normal behaviour. “Last week he texted me a message and said, ‘I love you’ and I said ‘you love your mama?’ and I asked him what happened because I haven’t heard that for a long time. He texted back and said, ‘I love you Mummy; I love you’ and I said, ‘Mummy loves you too,’” she said. Fighting back tears, his employer, president of Triple A Marine, Stefan Newbold, said Mr Knowles worked as a deckhand. He remembered him as a hard worker who was always available when he needed him. Mr Newbold explained that the deceased went to use the restroom on a tugboat in waters at Cabbage Beach when his small boat went adrift, and in attempting to swim towards a larger boat, he drowned. “I was at the airport when I got the call that he (Mr Knowles) was at the tug to use the restroom, in the little boat and apparently he did not tie the rope good enough and when he came out the boat was adrift. He took his clothes off and pitched in the water to swim the boat down and that’s the last sight
CHRISCO “CK” Knowles, above and right.
Commonwealth of the Bahamas to investigate who the person in the video is, interrogate the person and have this person evaluated (to see what). . .inflicted this individual to believe that was an appropriate response to whatever that child may or may not have done for this child to be the victim of, and I call her ‘victim’ purposely, licked by way of a frying pan and not just one but several of them.” He continued: “Several of those blows would have been inflicted with some energy. To an extent that it very easily could have caused her shoulder and
a high level of violence among our young people in this society.” In the minute-long video, which was widely shared on social media, a young girl in school uniform is seen balled up in a corner being beaten by an older woman using frying pans. The woman is heard saying in between dishing out blows, “You want (make) booty shake movie? That’s what you gone to school for? That’s what you putting those clothes underneath your uniform for, to go in bathroom? What else you is do in that bathroom? That’s what I paying private school fee for?”
POLICE on New Providence are seeking the public’s assistance in locating and apprehending the suspects responsible for two armed robberies that happened on Wednesday. In the first incident, shortly before 3pm, two gunmen entered a residence on Chancery Lane off Eastern Road, and robbed a woman of cash, jewellery and other personal items before escaping. In the second incident, shortly before midnight, a man was on Essex Street off Mackey Street, when he was approached by a gunman who robbed him of cash, before fleeing on foot. Anyone with information should contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station. Investigations are ongoing.
A JUVENILE is in hospital after he was stabbed during a fight, police said. Shortly after 10pm on Wednesday, the teen was involved in an argument with a group of men in the area of a park at West End Avenue, Centreville. One of the men, armed with a sharp object, stabbed the teen about the body. The juvenile was taken to hospital where he is listed in serious, but stable condition. An investigation is ongoing.
two of my guys, which was on the barge, they saw him swimming for the boat. I don’t know whether he hit his head, but he was swimming. It’s just a sad situation to know that that was one of my best swimmers, he has a lot of adrenaline. I don’t know what to say. He’s been with me eight, nine years,” Mr Newbold said. Officials told reporters that after 9am they were alerted by a passing vessel that a boat in Cabbage Beach waters had ran aground and that a body, later to be identified as Chrisco Knowles was floating in the water. Assistant Superintendent of Police Alma Rolle and second in charge at the Paradise Island Police Station said that investigations are ongoing and they are speaking with individuals who were on the scene.
other parts of the body injury, if not serious injury to this defenceless child who is in a position of great vulnerability.” Mr Lloyd said if adults can’t evolve their thinking, society can’t expect children to understand appropriate responses to disputes. “I don’t care what society may consider to be punishment or discipline, I consider it to be abuse. What you are essentially teaching by this adult behaviour is violence. That’s all you’re teaching, violence,” he said. “You’re angry, upset, annoyed and offended or surprised that we have such
OFFICERS HUNT FOR ARMED ROBBERS
STABBED YOUTH IN HOSPITAL
TUBERCULOSIS CASE FOUND IN GYM SHELTER
LLOYD WANTS PROBE INTO ‘ABUSE’ OF GIRL By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net AN investigation has been launched to probe the circumstances surrounding a video in which an older woman is seen hitting a young girl with frying pans, according to Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd. When contacted, Mr Lloyd said the child in the video was abused and the matter needs to be investigated. Mr Lloyd told The Tribune: “I have invited the Minister of National Security as a concerned citizen and as a member of the
many people witnessed the incident. However, when contacted yesterday, Mr Minnis alleged it was Ms Dennison who assaulted him “with her finger.” Asked if he punched her, he first said “no comment.” However, he later said: “If I strike her, and she a big, red woman, wouldn’t she have marks all over her?” Meanwhile, Ms Dennison said she wants the matter handled properly. “I would like to see justice done and attended to as it normally would be if any other person was involved and I do hope this is treated appropriately,” she told this newspaper. For his part, Mr Minnis said police did not arrest him for a reason.
The girl is also heard screaming and pleading for the beating to stop, while shielding her face with her arms.
A CASE of active tuberculosis has been confirmed in the Kendal Isaacs Gym shelter, Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands confirmed last night. In a post to Facebook, he said officials were in the process of screening others for TB with skin tests and chest X-rays as needed.
PAGE 4, Friday, December 13, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
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The toughest of sentences to give “Difficult matters make for difficult decisions.” THOSE were the words of Justice Bernard Turner yesterday as he pronounced sentence on Philippa Marshall, who killed her own two-year-old daughter when she doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. It is a horrific case, and it has been clear that Mrs Marshall has serious mental disorders. In court, her history of mental illness was revealed, she complained of hearing voices from “demons” and relatives had sought a pastor to perform an exorcism on her. The greatest punishment has already been imposed - the loss of her daughter. In weighing the sentence, Justice Turner had to balance the need to give Mrs Marshall the therapy and treatment she needs - if any can ever be enough in such a situation - to help her overcome the challenges that led her to this point. He also had to consider public protection she could not be in a position to do this again to anyone. The heartbreak in this situation is very real for everyone associated with the case - and therefore his sentence of six years at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre is, as Mrs Marshall’s own attorney agreed, very fair and just. As her family said, they have not just lost baby Philicia, right now they’ve also lost Philippa. This sentence perhaps gives hope that one day she might find her way back, and that her family will not have lost two members forever. Mental illness is a serious problem - and Mrs Marshall is not the only one to suffer problems, though we hope
few so extreme. For those in such situations, reach out for help - let this case be a reminder to you to do all you can for those in need before it is too late. And Justice Turner, we salute you for your compassion and your judgment in this hardest of cases.
FNM must listen - and act
The confidence vote in Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis understandably saw a lot of attention go to Vaughn Miller as he quit the FNM to become an independent. But elsewhere there was also the voice of FNM MP Michael Pintard - who gave a timely warning to the party of what it needs to do to properly connect to the public. More urgency, he said, more collaborative work. He talked of talented people “that just wants government to get out of the way” and others “who know how to make it rain when we’re not making it rain”. He talked of making sure the government gave an opportunity to unleash these people, often young and skilled. The future of our country, in short. The FNM would be unwise to take their support for granted ahead of the next election – and they should listen to voices such as Mr Pintard’s. If they are going to stay in government, they have a long way to go. And they need to act just as Mr Pintard says – with urgency.
Christmas tree was not that bad EDITOR, The Tribune. DESIGN choices don’t seem to work out well for Lanisha Rolle. The Youth, Sports and Culture Minister notoriously came under heavy fire in November for handing out medals to young people at a youth in parliament event in October. (She was blasted for putting her face on the medals). In fact, so much so that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis had her told to repay the Government $582.40 — the cost of the medals. Now the tree in Rawson Square costs a little “less than $20,000” another alleged blunder.
The Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture has removed the widely mocked décor on the National Christmas tree and replaced them with more traditional universal décor. Culture Director Rowena Poitier Sutherland said on December 5, 2019: “I think the underwater theme which lends to the tropical and island theme is not only appropriate but it lends to a more tropical theme than a European décor.’’ Like everyone else I also feel that the underwater scene with sea horses, star fishes and conch shells were quite appropriate. The apex of the tree could have used
either a mermaid and/or a star fish. Byron Coley Austin, manager of the Tiki Bikini Hut on long wharf, had on his tree flip-flop sandals with the words painted: “The Beach is my happy place” with yachts’ steering wheels and Royal Blue mesh fabric, hugging the tree as décor, etc. Europeans don’t want to see a foreign tree in a tropical environment; they want to see something cultural and different to take pictures of and show friends, etc. That is why they travel. LOXSLEY BASTIAN Nassau, December 12, 2019.
Name and shame the delinquents EDITOR, The Tribune. VERY clearly the cashflow of Government is under serious pressure but when this is allowed to continue hundreds of millions could be collected from the hundreds who are delinquent in paying their bills. I recall back six-years the Education Scholarship Fund was owed millions then which I am told now sits at over $100m and bless Government ain’t nothing being
done. Minister Lloyd… 30-day notice resolve the debt (pay the darn thing) or in 60 days your name will appear in the newspaper…shame these delinquent people. Same goes for Real Property - no Minister Turnquest re-assessing property; property which many are current and owe nothing…use those people to collect the debts some over 20-years old! Again warning, 30-days and shame. Watch the money flow.
This BP&L Bond…if the Bond is a 20-year Bond just how will the public only be paying the Bond ‘fee’ for 10-months? BP&L has to find $30-32 million a year to service the interest! New maths? Remove VAT on Health Insurance - BP&L - W&S - Banking costs in-fact everywhere as they struggle to survive on a fixed inadequate Pension. W THOMPSON Nassau, December 10, 2019.
Minimum wage economics EDITOR, The Tribune. An increased Minimum Wage – Can we afford it? A silly question. The financial and economic gurus here in The Bahamas commenting on the minimum wage have been educated by, and within, a system that has failed. Shown clearly to have failed. It is not without irony that while we are having this discussion, millions upon millions of people in dozens of countries around the world are in the streets protesting the lack of being able to “make it” on their wages. And, here in The Bahamas, we see and hear the rumblings, as well. There is nothing about the neoliberal agenda, under which most of the world now operates, which has shown anything resembling fairness, sustainability, justice or common decency for the average person. It should surprise nobody. These policies were designed by the major money handlers, the IMF, the World Bank, Wall Street, the World Trade Organisation, the “financial geniuses”, the rich. What has been shown clearly, year after year for decades now, is that the world’s resources are being concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. Any thinking person, who looks at the gross income and wealth disparity which exists in the world today, and thinks this is OK, is an intellectual and moral failure, a sellout. What decent person can defend a system such as this? The very idea and main thesis of “economy” is predicated on the idea of fairly allocating the earth’s scarce resources. Don’t we realise that the whole idea, the whole construct of our economic system, is merely a human creation? Entirely made up by us. Or, should I say, made up by those with the power and money to do so. The arguments against a liveable minimum wage come directly from this same made up nonsense that those who appear to be knowledgeable, with their money and diplomas, are continually pushing on us. Can we not see clearly that their precepts are simply not working for most of us? Understanding Classical and Keynesian economics, as opposed to this failed neoliberal model we now operate under, would do wonders to open some eyes. It would also illustrate that every time taxes are raised, and as the cost of living increases, there is less money available to spend into the economy. When more money enters the economy, via increased wages, so too does the buying power of these workers whose wages were increased. Henry Ford understood that to sell more cars he needed to raise the wages of his own workers. Yet somehow today, “leaders” are cautioning that businesses and
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net our government may not be able to “afford” a higher minimum “living” wage. Is this because they are ignorant of how an economy works? In most cases, yes. As wages increase, more money circulates into the economy based on the “multiplier effect” alone. Give a rich person a dollar and they put it in the bank. Give a poor person a dollar and they spend it immediately, into circulation in the local economy. This is well known and understood in economics. More money available, more demand for businesses goods and services. More demand for goods and services leads to better business outcomes and hiring more workers. More business means more revenue through fair taxation for the government to operate. When this simple idea is thrown in the rubbish bin, as it has been for decades now, the results are exactly as we would expect them, and as we see them today. The poor class growing exponentially. The rich gaining ever greater shares, the lion’s share, of the world’s resources: money, land, politics, security. And, a faltering economy. Because we are constraining it, not developing it. Do I really need to say these things? Our government, along with most others, clings to a clearly failed model designed by the world’s richest people to benefit themselves. Why should this surprise anyone? Seriously! Can we not see where most nation’s constitutions, laws, ownership rights, religions even, are based on the desires, and for the benefit, of those at the top? Can we really not see this? Those whom the newspapers interview for their expert and educated views on the minimum wage effects are those educated by the same universities which serve the rich and politically relevant. The same ones which have completely failed the majority of humanity. Correct, or not? Everyone knows that higher wages will be passed onto the consumer. Every business cost is passed onto the consumer. Every one! Isn’t this why businesses had less of a complaint about the raising of VAT than the rest of us? Who really pays VAT? The businesses pass it on to us. They don’t pay it. Even if their cost of compliance goes up, that cost is also passed on to us. Sadly, many business owners went along with this hike in VAT, despite the obvious negative effects on our Bahamian economy. The real question is, and should be, “How do we stimulate our economy.” Presently, this question has been completely avoided by the loud and distracting calls for more and more Foreign Direct Investment. FDI does
nothing to more fairly distribute our common scarce resources, nor does it facilitate raising our own workers standard of living, via increased wages. All it does is to kick the can down the road, instead of allowing for a fair, sustainable, not to mention an eminently Christian way of being rewarded for a good day’s work; to live as respected human beings with a liveable wage. Sustainability does not mean relying on an ever increasing economic diet of FDI. The neoliberal agenda, which includes Structural Adjustment programmes under which we, and most of the world now operates, is a failed system. The Structural Adjustment programmes being pushed onto the world, include; reducing wages, cutting social services, privatisation, opening borders to trade and raising taxes. Who is left to defend these practices from a moral perspective? This is what governments must do to qualify for these big loans taken out in our name, to be paid back on the backs of our children. So naturally, the politicians who are kept in office by these big loans are the last to speak up on the moral implications, and hazards, of these realities of indebtedness and deals with the devil. I am saddened by the narrative of the “professionals” who control and frame the conversation. As if, there are no adults in the room. The newspapers and media it seems, can only hear their voices. Never the voices of suffering from the vast majority of humanity, no matter how well articulated. We are not allowed to discuss this suffering it seems, under this pre rational neoliberal economic agenda. Neo-slavery is what it should really be called. An oppressive system which is defended by men and women in empty suits, with diplomas on their walls, whereby the rest of us continue to toil, sweat and labour for the benefit of the few. There is no clearer indication of a lack of leadership than to have those people, all well known to us here in this small country, continue to cheerlead for a system that is designed to help the chosen few. While leaving the vast majority of us to wither and die on the vine in one of the richest and most productive periods humanity has ever known. The question should not be: “Can we afford a raised minimum wage?” The real question should be, “Isn’t it about time we treat all people with respect and dignity by insuring a living wage, while at the same time stimulating our economy?” This is what the minimum wage debate is really all about, though some would argue otherwise. Jr
NORMAN TRABULSY Andros, December 11, 2019.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, December 13, 2019, PAGE 5
Judge’s mercy for fire death mother from page one “Difficult matters make for difficult decisions,” the judge said. Justice Turner ordered the sentence be suspended for 60 days to allow SRC to make the necessary preparations to house Marshall for the next six years. She is remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim. However, Justice Turner said Marshall could be released at an earlier date, but only pursuant to a medical report submitted to the court by a doctor with “special experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders”. Marshall’s attorney Bjorn Ferguson, who had petitioned the court to sentence his client to five years at SRC for the crime, said Justice Turner’s decision was “very fair” and “just”. He further credited the judge for arriving at the “appropriate sentence” for such a matter, and in doing so dismissing the Crown’s calls for Marshall to spend 30 hard years in prison for the crime. “Mental health is a very real issue in our country and the time has come for us to put the proper regime and laws in place to assist those who suffer from those disorders,” Mr Ferguson said. “And hopefully this will be the start of a movement to address that very serious concern in our society with mental health issues. “…At the end of the day it’s a very difficult matter for the family, but they’re satisfied that their loved one will be able to get the help she needs, as opposed to just placing her in the prison and getting lost in the system, and the help that she really needs, it never comes.” Mr Ferguson added: “I keep saying, yeah you might be punished and convicted, but one day you have to reenter society. And so in this situation she’s able to get help and hopefully re-enter society and continue to be a productive person.” During trial, prosecutors had asserted that the 41-year-old doused her child with gasoline and set her on fire at their home after “hearing voices”. Twoyear-old Philicia suffered second and third degree burns on 43 percent of her body as a result. The child died in February 2018 at Princess Margaret Hospital. She didn’t die from the burn injuries, but from an “overwhelming” bacterial infection—klebsiella
GB CYCLIST SHOT DEAD BY GUNMEN from page one
Assistant Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder reported that officers responded and discovered the lifeless body of a male lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds about the body. She said initial investigations revealed that the man, while riding on his bicycle, was approached by armed culprits who shot him. The killing brought the country’s murder count to 94 for the year, according to this newspaper’s records. ASP Pinder said that police are actively investigating the matter and are appealing to anyone who has information that can assist police to call 3503106, 911, 919 or call the nearest police station.
PHILLIPA Marshall outside court yesterday. pneumoniae sepsis—that when tested, was extremely resistant to multiple antibiotics. That infection, according to pathologist Dr Kiko Bridgewater, likely set in during her hospitalisation at PMH. The lack of an epidermis, or the protective outer layer of skin, made it easier for the toddler to become infected in such an open environment. As to what actually took place on the night in question, the evidence was that Philicia was laying down with her father and her two brothers on the living room floor of their Faith Gardens home, while Marshall was seen walking in and out of the house. During the course of the evening, her husband, Isaac Marshall, observed that his wife “didn’t seem right”. He also observed that he smelled gasoline. At some point, Mr Marshall noticed his daughter was no longer on the floor in the living room with him. When he went to check on his daughter’s whereabouts, he was told by his wife that Philicia was in bed with her. Mr Marshall later fell asleep. Later that morning, Mr Marshall was awakened by the sound of screams. When he went to check one of the children’s rooms, the door was locked. He eventually managed open the door with a knife, and when he did he saw smoke. That was when he saw Philicia in his
wife’s arms with her skin falling off. According to the evidence, when Mr Marshall asked his wife what had happened, she did not respond. A police officer, Sergeant Tamika Gibson, said when she arrived at the residence and gained entry that morning, she saw the entire family in the front room. Mr Marshall and the two boys were on the couch. Marshall was seated on the floor, attempting to put a pink sweater on Philicia, who was lying on a tan blanket next to her. According to Sgt Gibson, Marshall was getting the toddler dressed to go to the hospital. At that point, Sgt Gibson said she noticed that Philicia had no skin on her arms, hands and legs. However, she said the child was not crying. The officer said she also saw a burnt diaper as well as a burnt, yellow onesie near the young child. Sgt Gibson said Mr Marshall told her—in his wife’s presence—about the events that had transpired earlier. As a result, Sgt Gibson said she immediately cautioned Marshall, who in turn told her “demons” told her to kill herself and her daughter. Sgt Gibson said Marshall told her that she threw gasoline on the toddler and lit her afire. Justice Turner, in delivering his sentence, noted that there is a history of mental illness in Marshall’s paternal family. He said both the woman’s grandmother and
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff aunt are allegedly known as being mentally unstable. As it specifically relates to Marshall, her mental issues apparently began shortly after the birth of her second child. After the child was born, Marshall began complaining of hearing voices in her head. Additionally, she would drive to the neighbour’s home in the middle of the night and blow the car’s horn “long and hard”. Such actions caused one neighbour to shout from their window: “Stop working obeah!” Another neighbour said when she approached Marshall’s car during one of those episodes, it was as if the woman didn’t see her or hear her. “It’s like her body was there but she was not,” the neighbour was quoted as saying. Any number of clergy persons met with Marshall over her issues, and all said she needed to have those issues addressed by a mental health professional. However, one of those clergy persons performed an “exorcism” on Marshall due to the talk of “demons”. That event, according to Marshall’s brother-in-law, was described as a “frightening experience”, such as he had never seen. He said during the event, Marshall could be seen “speaking without opening her mouth as if she had a demon inside of her”. Notwithstanding
those issues, Marshall’s brother-in-law John Carey previously testified that in the 25 years he has known the 41-year-old Marshall, she has never exhibited any “violent tendencies”. And as it relates to her daughter, Mr Carey said Marshall constantly displayed “outright” and “genuine” concern for the child’s safety and wellbeing. As such, he said what took place in 2017 could only be attributed to Marshall’s mental condition. Mr Carey referred to a situation that occurred in the days leading up to the incident in question, which took place at a Christmas dinner for their family at the Marshall’s residence. At that time, he said Philicia had started crawling towards a flat-screen television he had installed and mounted on a wall for Marshall’s family. A few wires were hanging from the television, which apparently sparked the child’s curiosity. As such, the baby reached out to grab them. However, he said Marshall rushed to the baby and stopped her from doing so, and was “very much
concerned”. Mr Carey further stated that Marshall turned to him and ask him if he could fix the wires so they wouldn’t be within the child’s reach “because she didn’t want her daughter to get hurt”. “And I saw genuine, very, very genuine concern for that little girl,” Mr Carey said. Mr Carey also said Marshall and her husband both took “excellent” care of their two sons, who are at the “top of their class” in school. Additionally, Mr Carey said his own three children “love their auntie”. Thus, Mr Carey said his personal opinion was that if Marshall’s situation is handled correctly, in that she is given the appropriate help, not only would the woman’s life be salvaged, but “Philicia’s life may not have to be in vain”. “Because this that happened, Philippa did not choose to do this,” he said. “I know that for a fact. She is just as much a victim as her daughter. And my entire family, we are all victims as well. We have lost Philicia. And right now we’ve also lost Philippa.”
PAGE 6, Friday, December 13, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Pintard: We need greater urgency By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net MARCO City MP Michael Pintard joined his Free National Movement colleagues in praising Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis during Wednesday’s confidence motion debate in the House of Assembly but differed from them in expressing notes of caution to his team as well. “As I stand speaking,” he said, “I have some constituents whose walls are up, whose roofs are leaking and the houses are hollow because there is no furniture, there are no appliances, sheet rock is damaged and they are expecting those who are in authority to work in a collaborative way with NGOs and the private sector to be a part of their salvation, not all of their salvation but a part of their salvation.” He said he supports his party because he believes it is best suited to deliver results for constituencies damaged by storms. “The comparison tonight for me is not between the PLP and the FNM, so I could never engage in the back and forth, the comparison is between who we
MINISTER of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff are right now two and a remaining two and a half this place on this side,” he me are we on the right path half years in and what we years and I believe we have said. I would say in many ways He continued: “If you ask yes. Are we moving at the could truly become in the some visionary leaders in
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right pace? I would have to humbly submit that there has to be a greater sense of urgency. “That means we have to be more collaborative. The public continues to make that point to us, that there are some talented people in the business community that just wants government to get out of the way, there are some entrepreneurs who know how to make it rain when we’re not making it rain and we got to do everything possible to change the way business is set up in this country so we could unleash them and tell them they can do better. “There are some young people who want to make sure that they can get the crown land required so they could do the work and we’re on that path but they saying we got to move faster. There are some folks right now who are waiting for building supplies so they are able to get back in their homes to revive the economy on the islands they are on. I’m sent here to also echo their voices. There’s some talent that is being underutilised, and we have to find ways to fully integrate them into the decision making we are making on behalf of our people.”
“The camaraderie with
him and the leader and him and (St Anne’s MP Brent Symonette) Wednesday night was clear and
respectful for a reason.” After a confidence motion in Dr Minnis passed the House of Assembly
on Wednesday night, Dr Minnis jested that Mr Miller could soon change the composition of the official opposition. “If those two members would get together under the CPU, as a cohesive political unit, then I believe that those two members would be entitled to appoint one senator themselves,” he joked. “If they got three more, then there would be no more PLP, they’d be the official opposition.” Gesticulating to Mr Miller, he said: “If you want to borrow three of us, you choose any three you want and they have my permission (to join you) only for two years. You have my word Golden Isles, that you’d be the official opposition. One of my three would be the leader of the opposition and you would be deputy leader.” Yesterday, Mr Miller said he is content with his decision to leave the FNM. He said supporters of several political organisations, including the Progressive Liberal Party, have reached out to him in hope he would join their party. “I can’t say how this will work out but I know they have indicated they would like to speak with me and at some time I will speak to them,” he said. “As an independent, I am going to be a very active and vocal independent in the House and let God and the Bahamian people determine where that goes from there,” he continued. “The overwhelming support that the FNM once had is not there. The FNM base could not have delivered a victory to that level the party had in 2017. That was done by the independent voters, the swing voters who don’t have an allegiance to either side, they go with what they think is best for the country. “What the PLP has been able to do in my opinion is to begin to revive their base. The base of the PLP has returned home. Lots of PLPs either didn’t vote or voted FNM in 2017. You find now that the independent or the swing voters for the most part have gone back to their base which is the middle of the road and come election time they will make up their minds what to do.”
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, December 13, 2019, PAGE 7
Solar power plan for Abaco water By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Water and Sewerage Corporation, in partnership with several international groups, yesterday launched its Abaco Sunny Waters project, which aims to solarise and transform Abaco’s damaged water systems in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. The $1.2m initiative will result in the installation a state-of-the-art solar facility that will power water wellfields and pumping stations in the Marsh Harbour area, which is expected to be completed in four months. Other objectives include the solarisation of Abaco’s water sanitation system and the implementation of a school-outreach programme to increase interest in science, which will be conducted in later phases. Speaking at yesterday’s launch and agreement signing, WSC Executive Chairman Adrian Gibson
WSC executive chairman Adrian Gibson. expressed gratitude to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Water Mission and The Goodness Tour and other non-profit organisations for their willingness to collaborate with WSC to better transform Abaco’s water and sewerage system. “You are all friends and this is all done in the spirit of friendship and collaboration and we are grateful to have you. Today is a red letter day .. (and) we are fully supportive of these initiatives and we will be closely monitoring their progress,” he added.
During his address, he also noted the initiative is a part of the water corporation’s ongoing efforts to build more resilient and climate proof water systems in Abaco. “We are getting up and building stronger and better than before…. The focus of all our rebuilding efforts is to design and construct climate resilient systems and facilities that could withstand future major storms. (Because) it is inevitable with climate change that we will at some point have another storm,” he said. “So, these tanks will be much stronger and will be more resilient.” To date, Mr Gibson added that contracts in excess of $6m have already been issued to help with the rebuilding process in Abaco. “The corporation has already awarded contract for a new $1.5m imperial gallon storage tank for this pumping station where we stand today to replace the two existing storage tanks
that suffered intensive damage (from Dorian),” he said. “That contract includes a new $750,000 imperial gallon tank in Treasure Cay and also $125,000 imperial gallon tank for Grand Cay and repairs to the existing Green Turtle Cay storage tank. All of these new tanks are rated for wind bloating in excess of 200 miles per hour.” He continued: “Contracts have also been awarded for new distribution pumps to this pumping station here (in Marsh Harbour) and the corporation is actively working with various NGOs to ensure that new stand-by generators for this pumping station and all the other stations in Abaco are obtained. “Contract drawings are (also) being finalised for a new pumping station for this compound and we hope to award that contract along with a contract for a new commercial facility for Treasure Cay and other building works in short order.”
LOCAL children performing song and dance yesterday at the Abaco Sunny Waters agreement signing and project launch in Marsh Harbour. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
BILLS WILL ALLOW GOVT TO SEEK DAMAGES FOR ‘HISTORIC’ POLLUTION By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net THE package of environmental bills passed in the Senate yesterday will give the government the “legal right” to seek damages caused to the country’s eco-systems by historic pollution. The statement came from Attorney General Carl Bethel during debate on the compendium of bills designed to strengthen the laws governing environmental management, protection, conservation and remediation. Mr Bethel referenced Carnival cruise line’s well publicised waste dumping in Bahamian waters. Speaking about the Environmental Planning and Protection Bill, 2019, Mr
Bethel said: “(This) bill places a ban on the commencement of any project unless the person has been issued a certificate of environmental clearance. The bill in part III makes provision for environmental management plans and for environmental impact assessments. The DEPP by Section 14 must prepare a national environmental policy framework. “This bill specifically imposes a legal duty on every person to ‘maintain and protect the environment’. That applies to each and every person in The Bahamas. The bill (also) speaks to the protection of coral reefs, the ozone layer and wildlife which is not already protected by any other ordinance, inclusive of all flora and fauna.”
He added: “Importantly, the bill imposes civil liability for ‘historic pollution’. By Section 28 of the bill, even in respect of pollution which occurred in the past, the director of (the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection) may, by notice, require the polluter to rehabilitate the environment. If the person does not rehabilitate the damage, the DEPP may do so and sue in civil court to recover the debt thereby incurred. Members would have read of the US court’s findings against a well-known cruise shipping company in respect of garbage dumping and discharges of ‘treated sewerage’ in Bahamian waters. Well, the Bahamas now has the legal right to recover any damage caused to our eco-systems by these
historic breaches.” Earlier this year, The Tribune reported that Carnival illegally dumped hundreds of thousands of treated sewage in Bahamian waters along with more than 8,000 gallons of food waste. The information was contained in a report, which covers April 2017 to April 2018, prepared by a US court-appointed monitor. In response to local outcry at the time, Mr Bethel said there would be an environmental protection law by the end of the summer, enabling The Bahamas to go after polluters. Yesterday, Mr Bethel also spoke about the purpose of the other bills passed. He said: “The Ministry of Environment Bill, 2019,
establishes the Ministry of the Environment by statute. The minister will be made a corporation sole with the power to sue and be sued, and to operate and to hold any property transferred to him in trust for the queen in right of the government of The Bahamas. “The minister will have power to establish an Environmental Administration Fund into which, amongst other things, future developers will have to pay a bond. This bond will be liable to be forfeited by way of fine or penalty should the developer commit any breach of an environmental law.” Mr Bethel continued: “Additionally, the minister will have powers under the new laws to impose fines and penalties for breaches of environmental laws
which will also be paid into the fund. The bill also makes provision for the creation of an Environmental Trust Fund.” Mr Bethel said these bills will allow offenders to be persecuted for crimes against the environment. Adding, that offenders can face penalties to up to $30m and 10 years in prison. The smaller bills are the Environmental Protection Control of Plastic Pollution Bill, 2019, The Bahamas Protected Areas Fund Amendment Bill, 2019, The Bahamas National Trust Amendment Bill 2019 and the Tariff Amendment Bill 2019. During his contribution yesterday, opposition Senator Dr Michael Darville expressed his support of the passed bills.
PAGE 8, Friday, December 13, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
What not to do at the Christmas party CHRISTMAS is upon us and there’s nothing more “political” than office Christmas parties. So to ensure all you office Christmas partygoers, whether it’s your office or someone else’s, remain “politically correct” and don’t end up either in court, incarcerated, hospitalised or all of the above. Here’s my top ten list of what not to do at your office Christmas party, always remember, work rules still apply. 1. GETTING INEBRIATED (DRUNK) It’s a party, so you can expect a lot of people to get a bit tipsy. However, dancing on the bar or starting a fight, is still unacceptable. As long as you don’t do anything that is illegal, then the worst punishment you will have is being “shame”. If the company puts on an “open bar” employees might feel that they cannot be held responsible, but they can. So no need to show your “jungaliss” side. 2. ASKING FOR A RAISE There is a time and a place to negotiate a change in your pay, the office Christmas party is NOT it! Drunken slurring about
how you’re the best employee to your boss while spilling your drink will not have the desired effect in securing your raise. 3. DON’T INVITE FRIENDS TO THE OPEN BAR An open bar is considered a Christmas gift from the employer to the employees, bringing your friends will make you “persona non grata”. 4. MAKING ADVANCES An employer may be ultimately responsible for the actions of his employees at an office function or party, just as it may be responsible for the actions of its employees in the workplace. So no “cutting up” with the boss’ wife or secretary for that matter. Nor any of your colleagues’ significant other. Neither any of your coworkers directly! Sleeping in a cell over the Christmas holidays is not cool. 5. DON’T ARRIVE OR LEAVE EARLY The office Christmas party is not an easy event for some as it is for others. In a multi-cultural society some might argue it is debatable whether or not the concept of an office
WHATEVER you do at the office party, don’t get as drunk as a... frog? Christmas party might be outdated, nowadays people just want a Christmas bonus, office parties, hams and turkeys are optional. In any case always remember to be “fashionably” late and leave late, right ahead of the staff, and you won’t be in violation of “office Christmas party etiquette”. 6. NO MAN LIKERY OR GOSSIPING After a few drinks, “liquid courage” might make people more talkative, but putting down colleagues or gossiping is never cool.
You don’t know if the person you are talking to will repeat your conversation, which could lead to awkward conversations when you sober up and have to face people in the office in the new year. 7. FUSSING AND FIGHTING Not surprisingly, fighting constitutes gross misconduct, which should be dealt with formally under a company’s disciplinary procedures. Advice to anyone thinking of getting involved in one is this – it will most likely lead to your dismissal.
8. NO TALKING SHOP Talk shop, and you might find you have a lot of very short conversations. The office Christmas party is a chance to talk with colleagues, but not about work. You don’t want to be known as “Boring Bob.” 9. DON’T OVERLOAD YOUR PLATE The food is for everyone. So make sure it lasts the night. You want to have something to eat, especially if you’re drinking, but you don’t want to be the person at fault for why someone else hasn’t got a single morsel.
“Toting”, however, is completely acceptable. 10. DANCE MACHINE In the old millennium, looking lost on the dance floor might have been largely forgotten as memories faded. Today, you can guarantee those “moves” could haunt you for a very long time. Social media is a wicked beast! Until next week, it’s the Yuletide season, it’s time to enjoy the Christmas cheer, time to party, so let the holiday spirits flow! Just remember the rules, written and unwritten.
NO LABOUR SURVEY ON ABACO AND GRAND BAHAMA THIS YEAR By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net FOR the first time in recent history, the Department of Statistics will not conduct its annual Labour Force Survey on Abaco and Grand Bahama this year due to Hurricane Dorian. “This survey is usually conducted in November in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco. But because of Hurricane Dorian it had to be delayed,” Leona Wilson, acting director of the Department of Statistics,
said at a press conference. “Additionally, we are not able to survey the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco at this time. The Grand Bahama Statistics Office is still not fully functioning and was not in a position to execute the survey in Grand Bahama. For Abaco, because the population profile has changed so much, we would have needed up-to-date information for Abaco so that a representative sample could be drawn,” said Ms Wilson. She is uncertain of when they will be able to conduct Labour Force Surveys in
Grand Bahama and Abaco and advised that next year the national census will be conducted where the department goes to each island. “We do not conduct a Labour Force Survey the same time we conduct a census, because we only have so much resources and all the resources go toward conducting the census. We more than likely are not going to have a Labour Force (Survey) next year (for Grand Bahama and Abaco) so the earliest will probably be May 2021,” she said.
Officials are also urging residents to verify any persons claiming that they are conducting the annual survey, after social media reports warned of such persons as they might be criminals. The department began its semi-annual Labour Force Survey on December 1, visiting homes to collect information. The department is aware of a WhatsApp voice note circulating which warned residents of opening their doors for persons conducting surveys. “We want to ensure the householders in New Providence that the enumerators from the department are
properly identified,” said Ms Wilson. She explained that they will be equipped with a highly visible vest with the department’s name at the back; a blue and black bag with the department’s name engraved on it; letters signed by the acting director of statistics; photo ID signed by the director and a tablet on which the data is collected. In realising that residents might be hesitant to open their doors for surveyors, the acting director pleaded with the public to assist them to carry out the Labour Force Survey once they are convinced the surveyors are from
the Department of Statistics. “We are appealing to householders, if you receive a visit and the person identify themselves as being from the department, please verify the materials and once you are satisfied, provide the information so that the government and other users can have timely and accurate information on which to made decisions that will govern us as a people,” said Ms Wilson. The Labour Force Survey for New Providence is expected to be released by mid-January. Those who have questions about the survey can contact the Department of Statistics at 604-4015 or 604-4002.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, December 13, 2019, PAGE 9
Standing idle as corruption reigns carries a heavy price By Diane Phillips FIGHTING corruption would be a lot easier if it had at least a little sex appeal. After all, everyone loves a scandal. Look at the attention showered upon sex bully now failed movie producer Harvey Weinstein who made headlines for grabbing something else any time he could for years. Or the attention Prince Andrew received for the mere possibility that he engaged in sex with a 17-year-old girl as part of the sex, drugs and rock ’n roll lifestyle that landed Jeffrey Epstein in prison where he managed his final illegal act, hanging himself. But corruption doesn’t offend the way miscreant sexual engagements do and yet, as both an individual and as a nation of individuals, it should infuriate us. We should be shouting from the rooftops, demanding full stop, end, kaput - or else. If what Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said was even close to the truth, that corruption costs The Bahamas $500m a year, think what that $500m could buy – a few mini-hospitals, modern schools, pay raises for teachers, infrastructure projects that would mean jobs. It could even have fixed the BPL legacy debt mess and bought us renewable power. That alone should motivate us. But here we were, in the middle of anti-corruption week, and what happened. A few people from ORG (Organization for Responsible
Governance) showed up in the House of Assembly. Thank heavens for them and their determination to soldier on. Barry Rassin, the most famous Bahamian Rotarian in the world, presided over a town hall meeting at St Andrews Kirk and was powerful in his message as everyone in the hall recognised they were singing to the choir. So, overall, a handful of people bothered to show they cared when every single one of us needs to. Corruption exists where inefficiency prevails. As ORG’s executive director Matt Aubry said on a radio show this week: “If a fella has one hour to get his driver’s licence renewed and there’s a long line and the only way he can get it done on his lunch hour is to give someone a few dollars, what is he going to do – he weighs the few dollars against making his boss mad or possibly losing his job.” But low-level leads to mid-level and mid to highlevel corruption and in the end, nothing threatens democracy and a free capitalist economy more than corruption. Look at Haiti. Need we say more? Once the jewel and envy of the Caribbean, Haiti was brought down by two successive corrupt governments, reduced to a land of poverty and a new title, no longer a jewel, but the poorest country in the region. The only way to stop
IN this December 3, 2019, children play near their home in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. According to a joint statement by humanitarian organisations, an estimated 3.7 million Haitians require emergency food assistance. Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP corruption is to stop participating in the game and to report it when we see it. I heard a heartbreaking story of a man who recently had to get a work permit. The permit was $200. It cost him $2,000,
most of which he had to borrow and will spend months repaying. It may lack sex appeal. But in this week that is supposed to be eyes on corruption, let us get on with personal and corporate pledges and with the
needed legislation – full passage and funding for four essential pieces of legislation that will serve as the cornerstone to curbing corruption - the Freedom of Information Act with an independent commissioner, the Integrity Bill,
Ombudsman Bill and Procurement Bill. Until those are enacted and accompanied by strong teeth in the regulations, we are only paying lip service to ending a culture of corruption. You choose, but remember to look at Haiti.
RISING FROM THE ASHES THE first person who declared recovery from Dorian a marathon not a sprint got it right. Recovery efforts from the worst storm in Bahamian history, a monster that tore through two islands leaving a path of death and destruction, was like nothing we had ever seen. But the resilience of those among the hardest hit has been just as aweinspiring. Last week, with little fanfare a third hotel opened in Abaco, it was the
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16-room Abaco Inn whose manager Tom Hazel said: “Our goal is to rise like a phoenix out of the ashes…” Winding Bay re-opened. So did the Sandpiper Inn at
Schooner Bay. Three hotels in Abaco re-opening the doors to jobs, guests and a future that will be part struggle and a whole lot of love.
Funeral Service For
Nassau Tyre & Battery
Eric Ambrose Johnson Jr., 55
Fox Hill Road and Step Street
Holiday SALE
affectionately called
UP TO
50%
OFF
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
In Loving Memory of Petty Officer
Kevin Charles Moss Sr. “Boo”
April 6th 1957 - December 12th 2018
Husband, Father, Grand Father, Brother and Friend it has been one year since you left us. We love you, we miss you dearly sleep on and take your rest in the arms of Jesus. Sadly missed by his loving devoted Wife Fermina Lopez-Moss. Children: Kevin Moss Jr. Delina Moss-Ferguson and Shavonne Miller. Grand children: Japheth Ferguson JR, Jaylah Ferguson, Kyle Moss, Karis Moss and K.Lynn Moss. Brothers, Sister, Brothers In Law Sisters In law. Aunts, Uncles Nieces, Nephews and hosts of relatives and Friends including Rev. Daniel and Lady Roslyn Nottage, Pastor Greenslade Bible Truth Ministries Rev. Dr William Thompson Faith United Missonary Baptist Church REST IN PEACE
“Private Eye”
of Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019, 10:30a.m. at St. Patrick’s Anglican Church, Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Officiating will be Rev’d Fr. Ivan Eldon and Archdeacon James Palacious. Interment will follow in Bay Front Cemetery, Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Prior to service Eric Ambrose Johnson Jr. was cremated. Left to cherish his loving memories are his Devoted parents: Eric and Naomi Johnson; Son: Dante Johnson of Hollywood Florida; Stepson: Desmond Mackey and family; Sister: Austina Clarke of Pooler Georgia; Brother: Waden Johnson; Adopted Brother: Clyde Bethel; Aunt: Rose Cartwright of Wellington, Florida; Uncle: Allan Symonette; Special nieces: Johnita Johnson, Kyaja Knowles and Claudia Ellis; Other nieces: Darrien and Dwayniqua Ferguson, Jalessia and Carmika Ellis, Deanka and Vandesha Mackey; Nephews: Kymani Symonette, Nasir Knowles, Thearon, Akeem and Matayo Johnson and Devano Mackey; Sisters- in-law: Paula Ellis, Cyprianna Mackey and Tanya Johnson; Brothers-in-law: John Clarke of Pooler Georgia and Van Mackey; Special Cousins: Shawn Cartwright of Wellington, Florida and Wendy Baker of Port St. Luci, Florida; Special friend: Demetrius Johnson; Other Relatives and Friends including: Mark Thompson and Family, Nancy Sommer and family, Delores Rahming, Keith McCartney and family, Rosemund Williams and family, Gary Sands and family, Tracey Knowles, June Poitier, Arthur Turnquest and family, Paul Simmons and family, Gail Wisdom, Cecile Cooper, Sophia Dames, Joy Smith, Clinton Davis, Estell Major, Ethel Johnson, Sharon Green, Deidre Austin, Kathy Forbes, Thelma Bosfield, Marva Daccosta, Charlotte McIntosh, Emily Petty, Miss Cap(Caregiver) Raynard Bodie, Jennymae Taylor, Alonzo Micklewhyte, Linton Symonette, Christopher Knowles, Archdeacon James Palacious, Archdeacon Harry Bain, Rev’d. Fr. Ivan Eldon, Rev’d. Fr. Scott Brennan and Rev’d. Fr. Colin Saunders. There Will Be NO VIEWING. Relatives and Friends are welcomed to sign the book of condolences at Butlers’ Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Ernest and York Streets on Thursday, December 12, 2019 from 1:30p.m. until 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at St. Patrick’s Anglican Church, Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera from 9:30a.m. until service time.
PAGE 10, Friday, December 13, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Johnson win ‘powerful new mandate for Brexit’ LONDON Associated Press PRIME Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party appeared on course Friday to win a solid majority of seats in Britain’s Parliament — a decisive outcome to a Brexit-dominated election that should allow Johnson to fulfill his plan to take the UK out of the European Union next month. With about half the results declared, Johnson said it looked like the Conservatives had “a powerful new mandate to get Brexit done”. The victory will make Johnson the most electorally successful Conservative leader since Margaret Thatcher, another politician who was loved and loathed in almost equal measure. It would be a disaster for left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who faced calls for his resignation even as the results rolled in. Corbyn called the result “very disappointing” for his party and said he would not lead Labour into another election, though he resisted calls to quit immediately,
BRITAIN’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds arrive for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency count declaration at Brunel University in Uxbridge, London. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Results poured in early 2017, the Conservatives projected 55 seats for the Friday showing a substan- won 318 seats and Labour Scottish National Party — a tial shift in support to the 262. big increase — and a lackIt would be the biggest luster 13 for the centrist, Conservatives from Labour, after an exit poll predicted Tory majority since Thatch- pro-EU Liberal Democrats. the Conservatives would er’s 1980s’ heyday, and Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson get 368 of the 650 House of Labour’s lowest number of lost her own Scottish seat. Commons seats to Labour’s seats since 1935. The Conservatives The exit poll also took a swathe of seats in 191. In the last election in
post-industrial northern England towns that were long Labour strongholds. Labour’s vote held up better in London, where the party managed to grab the Putney seat from the Conservatives. The decisive Conservative vindicates Johnson’s decision to press for Thursday’s early election, which was held nearly two years ahead of schedule. He said that if the Conservatives won a majority, he would get Parliament to ratify his Brexit divorce deal and take the UK out of the EU by the current January 31 deadline. Speaking at the election count in his Uxbridge constituency in suburban London, Johnson said the “historic” election “gives us now, in this new government, the chance to respect the democratic will of the British people to change this country for the better and to unleash the potential of the entire people of this country”. That message appears to have had strong appeal for Brexit-supporting voters, who turned away from Labour in the party’s traditional heartlands and embraced Johnson’s promise that the Conservatives would “get Brexit done”. “I think Brexit has dominated, it has dominated everything by the looks of it,” said Labour economy spokesman John McDonnell. “We thought other issues could cut through and there would be a wider debate, from this evidence there clearly wasn’t.” The prospect of Brexit finally happening more than three years after Britons narrowly voted to leave the EU marks a momentous shift for both the UK and the bloc. No country has ever left the union, which was created in the decades after World War II to bring unity to a shattered continent. But a decisive Conservative victory would also provide some relief to the EU, which has grown tired of Britain’s Brexit indecision. Britain’s departure will start a new phase of negotiations on future relations between Britain and the 27 remaining EU members. EU Council President Charles Michel promised that EU leaders meeting Friday would send a “strong message” to the next British government and parliament about next steps. “We are ready to negotiate,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The pound surged on the exit poll’s forecast, jumping over two cents against the dollar, to $1.3445, the
highest in more than a year and a half. Many Investors hope a Conservative win would speed up the Brexit process and ease, at least in the short term, some of the uncertainty that has corroded business confidence since the 2016 vote. Many voters casting ballots on Thursday hoped the election might finally find a way out of the Brexit stalemate in this deeply divided nation. Three and a half years after the UK voted by 52%-48% to leave the EU, Britons remain split over whether to leave the 28-nation bloc, and lawmakers have proved incapable of agreeing on departure terms. On a dank, gray day with outbreaks of blustery rain, voters went to polling stations in schools, community centers, pubs and town halls after a bad-tempered five-week campaign rife with mudslinging and misinformation. Opinion polls had given the Conservatives a steady lead, but the result was considered hard to predict, because the issue of Brexit cuts across traditional party loyalties. Johnson campaigned relentlessly on a promise to “Get Brexit done” by getting Parliament to ratify his “oven-ready” divorce deal with the EU and take Britain out of the bloc as scheduled on January 31. The Conservatives focused much of their energy on trying to win in a “red wall” of workingclass towns in central and northern England that have elected Labour lawmakers for decades but also voted strongly in 2016 to leave the EU. That effort got a boost when the Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage decided at the last minute not to contest 317 Conservative-held seats to avoid splitting the pro-Brexit vote. Labour, which is largely but ambiguously pro-EU, faced competition for antiBrexit voters from the centrist Liberal Democrats, Scottish and Welsh nationalist parties, and the Greens. But on the whole Labour tried to focus the campaign away from Brexit and onto its radical domestic agenda, vowing to tax the rich, nationalise industries such as railroads and water companies and give everyone in the country free internet access. It campaigned heavily on the future of the National Health Service, a deeply respected institution that has struggled to meet rising demand after nine years of austerity under Conservative-led governments. It appears that wasn’t enough to boost Labour’s fortunes.