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NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

THE BARBADOS PM SPEAKS
Owen Arthur, the Prime Minister of Barbados issued a statement this past week in which he said he supported the police of Barbados in their attack on the students of the University of the West Indies.  Remember now that Barbados is a common law jurisdiction that has the same rules about commenting on a court case while it is still active.  The case itself comes before the courts on 28 May. The students are charged variously with resisting arrest, obstruction of a police officer in the performance of his duty and with assaulting a police officer.  The charges probably aren’t worth the paper they are written on.

But instead of waiting until the courts have pronounced on the subject, the Prime Minister of Barbados has decided to be judge and jury.  He has convicted the students and their lecturer by saying that the police have the right where the highway is being blocked to remove the persons who are blocking the highway.  Even if that is correct, the Prime Minister of Barbados must explain why his troops used such overkill to deal with student protestors engaged in civil disobedience.  He himself admits that while a student he was involved in protest.  But now he is in the driver’s seat, and he is acting like so many of his predecessors with a heavy hand.  How quickly we forget.

The Government of The Bahamas must now seek from the Prime Minister of Barbados assurances that the Bahamian student and all the other persons charged would get a fair trial in Barbados.  With the Prime Minister having convicted them. What is the magistrate now to do?

This week we had 20,058 hits on the site up to midnight 31 March 2001.  That brings the total to 68,153 hits on this site for the month of March.  Thank you for reading and please keep reading.

PERMANENT LINKS
11th Review of the Judiciary
Mitchell Address to Senate: Why the PM is the way he is
Mitchell speech to PLP Convention 2000
Pindling & Me - A personal retrospective on the life and times of Sir Lynden by Fred Mitchell
Address to the Senate Budget Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to the Senate Clifton Cay Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to PLP Leadership meeting in Exuma / Haitian Issue

Address of Sean McWeeney / Pindling  funeral
Gilbert Morris on OECD Blacklist
Fred Mitchell Antioch College speech
The funeral coverage

Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting	Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral

e-mail timbuktu@batelnet.bs

THE FNM ON THE VERGE
The telephone calls were coming fast and furious in the evening.  This Senator was on his way to represent the PLP at a dinner for General Pace, Head of the U.S. Southern Command at a dinner at the Deputy Chief of Mission’s home. The call said that the Bahamas Ambassador to the United Nations Anthony Rolle was in town and he was coming to the FNM’s Council meeting Thursday 29 March to move a resolution to expel Pierre Dupuch the FNM MP for Shirlea and to censure the leader of the FNM dissidents Tennyson Wells. Mr. Wells for his part was confident that it couldn’t happen, but others weren’t so sure.  The prediction was that if such a thing happened, Mr. Wells would lead a breakaway group from the Free National Movement and form a Parliamentary group in the House of Assembly that would be bigger than the PLP under Perry Christie, making Mr. Wells the Leader of the Opposition.  That would have been an unreal situation because Mr. Wells does not control the votes that the PLP controls and so it would have been a Parliamentary aberration.  In any event, the FNM stepped back from the breach. Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson is said to have come to the meeting, spirited Mr. Rolle into a back room and nothing more was heard about the resolution.  But what we do know is that they will try it again.  The Prime Minister can’t help himself.  He has simply got the personality of a hatchet man.  He is like Henry II of Anjou who reportedly said, “who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?” and that led to the murder of Thomas Becket.  The other point is it would be interesting to see exactly who would leave with Mr. Wells.  We could only count two for sure, and we’re not saying who those two would be.  There are known to be five dissidents: Lester Turnquest MP Malcolm Creek; Pierre Dupuch, Mr. Wells, Floyd Watkins, MP for Delaporte and Anthony Miller, the MP for South Eleuthera.

BAHAMIAN STUDENTS IN BARBADOS
We publish today the comments of an interesting, shall we say remarkable letter by the President of the Bahamas Students Association in which the President Elton Gibson apologizes to the Prime Minister for what appeared in this column about a meeting with the students in Barbados.  It was reported in the column of 25 February 2001.  It seems gratuitously groveling, but who are we to comment on the ways of the up and coming that we try to defend and lift up?  We print the letter below:

The Rt. Honourable Hubert A. Ingraham:

Dear Sir:

Re: Courtesy Call in Barbados

     We the Bahamian Students’ Association of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus would like to sincerely thank you for sharing time with us on your brief visit to Barbados.  We were pleased that you were able to fit us into your busy schedule and were grateful to add you as a precursor to our Bahama Day Activities.

     We, the members are also aware of a particular inaccurate and false article published by fredmitchelluncensored.com.  Realizing the political implications of the publication, we deemed it necessary not only to correspond and clarify what was written but also to set the record straight.  We would like for you and the public to know that the statements published was (sic.) not on behalf OR the expressed views of the B.S.A. More overtly the information was incorrect.  As a non-profit, non-political official Association, we would appreciate if we were not politically misused, as we do not have any political affiliation.

     We do ask for your continued support and encouragement we extend the same to you.

     Thank you for your kind attention, we wish you all success in upcoming.

             Yours sincerely,
             Elton L. Gibson
             President

Now, there is something called the law of unintended consequences.  By claiming not to be politically affiliated and in the terms of this letter, the President makes a political statement about himself.

NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR
George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, has announced who his nominee will be for the Ambassadorship for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The U.S. Embassy in Nassau made the announcement on Tuesday 27 March.  His name is Richard Blankenship.  He is the Hospital Director of the Madarin Veterinary Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Mr. Bush said in making the announcement: “Rick Blankenship has spent much of his professional life working with The Bahamas and other Caribbean nations.  His economic expertise in the Caribbean region will make him an excellent Ambassador”.  Mr. Blankenship is thought to have been a financial contributor to the Bush campaign.  From our point of view, it is important for the U.S. man in The Bahamas to be able to get Mr. Bush directly on the phone.  Arthur Schecter, the last man in the post, had that ability with former U. S. President Bill Clinton. It is believed that the process of confirmation and appointment will take until June of this year before he is actually living in Saffron Hill, home of U.S. Ambassadors in The Bahamas. Mr. Blankenship from 1982 to 1985 served as President and CFO at St. John’s Capital and was with Raymond Jones and Associates in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1981 to 1982.  He is a graduate of Florida State University.

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FALLOUT ON THE CONTRACT ON BRADLEY ROBERTS

Last week we were the first in the Bahamian media to reveal that there was credible and specific information about a contract hit on the life of Bradley Roberts and Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham for two million dollars.  Security has been beefed up considerably around the Prime Minister, and Mr. Roberts now has 24- hour surveillance. (See Mr. Roberts in Nassau Guardian photo with bodyguard entering the House of Assembly on Wednesday 28 March)  It is incredible that it should come to this.  But these are the times in which we live.  All political parties joined in condemning the action by the drug people.  This has turned Bahamians against them that they could think that they have a right to undermine law and order.  Recent estimates say that some seven percent of the Bahamian economy is now drug related.

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BDM NOMINATES ELECTION CANDIDATES
Our view has been clear to Cassius Stuart and those who support him.  They ought to join the PLP.  But apparently they can’t see their way clear to do so.  Instead they have formed their own party called the Bahamian Democratic Movement.  They have announced four candidates for the next General Election.  Mr. Stuart, the Leader of the Party says that the party plans to contest all 40 seats in the House of Assembly in the next election.  The four candidates, including himself who will contest the St. Margaret’s seat are Gaylene Forbes, a banker, who will contest the Mt. Moriah seat of FNM Minister Tommy Turnquest, Bradley Smith, a businessman, who will contest the Golden Gates seat of Theresa Moxey-Ingraham (FNM); and Kenneth Andrews who will contest the seat now occupied by Anthony Rolle, (FNM) in Carmichael.  Mr. Rolle is retiring at the end of the term.   Mr. Stuart listed in his platform: seeing that every Bahamian citizen is granted a parcel of Crown Land free of charge throughout The Bahamas; teach Bahamians about their rights by bringing the teaching of the Constitution into the curriculum of schools; funding small businessmen; and doubling the old age pension monies for pensioners.  But we still say join the PLP.  The four BDM candidates are shown in this Tribune photo.

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JACKASS OF THE WEEK
Congratulations Janet Bostwick, you have made it to the head of the class.  This week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas issued a statement in which she sought to refute point for point all of the assertions reported to me and repeated in my statement about the police action against the students in Barbados.  We pubish photographs of the debacle e-mailed to us by a correspondent.  They clearly show police overkill in Barbados. Please click here for a full photo spread.  Mrs. Bostwick, the somnambulant Minister for Foreign Affairs, rose out of her sleep to say what a good job her Ministry had done for our Bahamians students.  She said that the Government of Barbados had promised a full inquiry. Well that’s what the PLP asked for.  Then she said that Selwyn Smith, the Honorary Consul for The Bahamas in Barbados, was available to assist the students in Barbados.  Not very effective, we were told.  Then the coup de grace, she said that no Bahamian student was beaten.   This is getting more like Animal Farm.  And so we say to the student concerned Ellsworth Johnson, those bruises, cuts and scrapes that you have, they never happened.  After all, the Minister of Foreign Affairs says so.   The Minister also said that Ambassador for Caricom Leonard Archer was going down to meet with the students.   We’ll see what happens.  But all in all for her inattention and misleading statements, the Minister gets the prize of JACKASS OF THE WEEK.

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AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ILLEGALLY LOCKED OUT
We reported last week that the Bahamas Government delivered letters dated Friday 23rd March to the members of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union placing them on administrative leave for three months.  If the idea behind it was not clear last week, it is now.  The Minister for Transport C.A. Smith who ordered the dastardly deed went on record in the face of blistering attacks from Opposition politicians as saying that they were asking retired air traffic controllers to come back, and that management would continue to run the system.  The fact that the system is unsafe because  uncertified air traffic controllers are at the controls is not a matter of concern.  Mr. Smith continued to insist that the system was safe.  If an accident happens we shall see.  Late word is that Nassau International Airport is now closed between 11pm and 6am because there are not sufficient air traffic controllers. Controllers are now working continuous 14-hour shifts and are complaining of fatigue but they are being told that they must go on. Even the Director of Civil Aviation himself is now working the tower. The public of course, as ignorant of the facts as ever, seems to be backing the government’s highhanded attitude to dismiss the controllers.  You see at the end of three months none of them will be current and therefore will be uncertified.  At that time, the Government will then say: “Sorry! You can’t come back because you are unqualified.”  This is an unlawful way to dismiss someone from the public service.  This shows how anti-union the Government is.  The clear intention is to break the Union. The matter should be challenged in the courts.  C. A. Smith, of course, used to be one of our favourite politicians but like them all they have forgotten from whence they came… when we used to all hustle to put gas in our cars in Freeport.  He once ran out of gas and had to be helped to push his car because he did not have the money to put gas in the car.  Some mornings there was no money for coffee. And many helped to pay for coffee.  We paid for each other's coffee, when the other was low on funds.  But now he is the minister and would act to take bread out of the mouths of these young Bahamians.  As they say God don’t like ugly.  The air traffic controllers are pictured in this Bahama Journal photo as they visited Parliament this week in silent protest.

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FIERCE STORM IN FREEPORT
No one knows where it came from.  But on Thursday night/ Friday morning 30 March and 29 March, there was a sudden storm in Grand Bahama and in New Providence.  There were also reports of twelve-foot swells in Bimini.  But despite a lot of wind and rain, nowhere was hit like Freeport in Grand Bahama. Winds were clocked there are 105 miles per hour. Some houses were damaged, and roofs torn off.  Because wind exceeded hurricane speed, the provisions of hurricane coverage kicks in, so homeowners will not get complete insurance coverage.  The airport was closed for most of the morning because it lost power.  And as of Friday evening 30 March at 6 p.m., the first Bahamasair flight for the day from Nassau had not arrived.  No explanation to the passengers as to what was happening.

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SEMINAR ON JOURNALISM
It is sometimes amusing to hear those who represent the media in The Bahamas talk about integrity in journalism and the need for integrity.  The School of Communications at the College of The Bahamas sponsored Journalism and Communications Week in The Bahamas.  They sponsored a trip by Dwight Lauderdale, the Channel 10 Miami newsman to The Bahamas.  He joined panelists Wendall Jones, CEO of Love 97, Arthur Foulkes, Chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas, Ed Field, the PR man for Sol Kerzner, Debbie Bartlett, former journalist and now a businesswoman. The discussion took place on Tuesday 28 March.  They all talked about investigative reporting and being against censorship.  But they speak too literally. First, no one mentioned the censorship of this writer from the Nassau Guardian.  The writers there continue to work there, knowing that it occurs and do nothing.  No other media person objects to it.  Secondly, there is censorship of politicians if they are PLP or Opposition.  The Cable Bahamas community channel cannot broadcast any statements by politicians.  Then no one spoke about how the owners of all media in The Bahamas refuse to offend their advertisers and pull stories or fail to cover stories if it will offend advertisers or potential advertisers. So as far as this writer was concerned, it was interesting for the students to hear but too much of what was said was self-serving poppycock. Of note, however was Dwight Lauderdale who said in the presence of Mr. Foulkes, the Chair of the ZNS, that a Government owned station cannot be fair and independent. Amen!

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A LENTEN TEA IN FOX HILL

It was quite gracious of Janet Davis and her husband Derek Davis to host the Lenten tea at their beautiful home in Yamacraw Beach Estates.  The guest of honour was Lady Marguerite Pindling, wife of the late founding Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden Pindling.  She is as beautiful and gracious as ever.  The tea was elegant and simply a delight.  We publish the picture of Lady Pindling with our gracious host Jan Davis. Please click here for a full spread of photographs of the event. Thank you very much for a great afternoon Mrs. Davis on Sunday 25 March. Thank you also to Evangelist Irene Rolle, fundraising chair for the PLP Fox Hill Branch. The photos are by Peter Ramsay.

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GEORGE MACKEY’S ADDRESS
George Mackey is the quintessential Fox Hillian.  Mr. Mackey was born in Fox Hill to Malachi and Olive Mackey on 19th January 1938. He served House of Assembly for 25 years from 1972 to 1997, first as the representative for St. Michaels from 1972 to 1987 and then as the representative for Fox Hill from 1987 to 1997. He is an acolyte at St. Anne's Anglican Church in Fox Hill.  Mr. Mackey was invested as a Member of the British Empire (M.B.E) by Her Majesty the Queen in 1998.  His wife is the former Mary Elizabeth Thompson.  Elected Chairman of the PLP in 1969, he served in this capacity until his election to Parliament in 1972.  Mr. Mackey has a wealth of knowledge and The Tribune asked him to share that knowledge as a writer and contributor to a regular column each Saturday in The Tribune.  His informative and incisive commentary is a must read.  And so he was asked by the College of The Bahamas to contribute to its lecture series held to commemorate the birthday of Sir Lynden O. Pindling on 21 March. You may click here for Mr. Mackey’s address.  He is pictured in this photo by Peter Ramsay. Mr. and Mrs. Mackey have two daughters Phaedra and Michelle and two grandsons to whom he is ‘George’.

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ADDERLEY ADDRESS
We are still awaiting the address of the Hon. Paul Adderley on the occasion of the commemoration of the birth of Sir Lynden O. Pindling.  As soon as it is available we will publish it.

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RAY MINUS BACK IN THE RING?

The Tribune of Wednesday 28 March (see their photo) reported that former Bahamian boxing champion Ray Minus was to return to international boxing in Atlantic City on Saturday 31 March.  Up to press time we did not have the results of the match and will inform you next week of the result. The fight was said to be the first international fight by Mr. Minus in ten years. Mr. Minus is 36 years old.

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BARCLAYS AND ITS CUSTOMERS
In the strange and arcane world of banking, Barclays Bank now has joined the list of foolish practices.  This week they sent out forms to all its customers who are International Business Companies.  The form asks the beneficial owners to prove that they as beneficial owners are not subject to U.S. tax authority.  What next?

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CONGRATULATIONS TO IDRIS REID

Former Bahamas High Commissioner to Canada and retired Permanent Secretary Idris Reid was congratulated by the Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest this week on his ascension to the office of Grand Master of the District grand Lodge of Scottish-Rite Masons.  We add our congratulations. The photograph is from the Bahama Journal of Friday 30 March.

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BAHAMIAN AT VASSAR

Congratulations to Tiffany Lightbourne, a Bahamian Lyford Cay Foundation Scholar.  Ms. Lightbourne has been appointed Assistant Professor of Psychology and Urban Studies at Vassar College, the sister school to Yale University.   Ms. Lightbourne entered Beloit College in Wisconsin at 15, worked on her Masters at 19 and at 26 she had her PhD.  Now the job at Vassar. The photograph is from the Bahama Journal of Friday 30 March.

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TIGER WINS IN THE COURTS
Garret Tiger’ Finlayson, the owner of Burns House Ltd. and Butler and Sands Ltd, the largest liquor merchants in the country, has won an important legal victory.  Last year there was a decision by the Licencing Authority to refuse to renew 23 licences of Butler and Sands because the Licencing Authority had not been consulted on the transfer of shares of Mr. Finlayson’s company. The Supreme Court overturned that decision in a ruling by a new foreign judge in The Bahamas, Hugh Small of Jamaica. The case was argued by Michael Barnett. The case appears to be authority for three propositions: first that the Licensing Authority cannot fetter its discretion.  It must act on its own and not be informed by policies of the Government against monopolies.  The judge said that it is a matter for the legislature.  The Authority must act within its powers and the law and not concern itself with matters outside its purview.  There is no requirement in law to get permission of the Authority to sell the shares in your company so long as the licence does not change from one company to another. Thirdly, the franchising arrangements are acceptable provided the stock continues to belong to the licensee, in this case Butler and Sands.  Mr. Finlayson said he was elated at the decision and would adjust his business practices to ensure that the stock ownership complies with the ruling. We'll try and get the full ruling for the law students amongst you to read. The ruling was made Friday 30 March.

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HUNG JURY ON SECOND MURDER CHARGE
We have not been reporting on this because the evidence was becoming quite tiresome.  But Tennel McIntosh is back in jail on remand.  He had been charged with one murder at Paradise Island that occurred in August 1998.  He was acquitted.  Most people believe he was acquitted because of the perceived political interference of the Prime Minister and his Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson when they called a press conference in the face of world criticism over the slowness of the investigation into the two murders at Paradise Island.  Within weeks the murders were ‘solved’.  The jury acquitted in the first trial because of credible evidence that Mr. McIntosh was beaten.  It appears that in the second trial his attorney Godfrey ‘Pro’ Pinder was able to cast enough doubt because they could not get a verdict for murder nor for lesser charges.  The jury was discharged and Mr. McIntosh has to face trial again.  Family members of Mr. McIntosh cried shame on the jury, telling them that they were wicked people.  The jury was led out the back door shortly after 11 p.m. Friday 30 March.  The husband of the dead woman left the court in silence but in tears.  Once again the spectre of police beatings, and bad investigations raises its head.

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PLP NAMES NEW STALWART COUNCILLORS

The Progressive Liberal Party held a gala banquet Friday 30 March at the Raddison hotel, Cable Beach, Nassau in honour of scores of party faithful named to its Stalwart Council. Membership in the party's Stalwart Council is for life and is the party's highest honour. Party Leader Perry Christie said the move was aimed at honouring those who made the PLP into the formidable force which it is in Bahamian public life. Several of those honoured are longtime members of the Fox Hill branch, including Calvin Brown, Ben Demeritte, Edward 'Bobby' Glinton, Joe Hutchinson, Camille Johnson, Clarence Moss, Rev. Mathias Munroe, Deidre Rolle, Irene Rolle, Bishop Austin Saunders, Barbara Smith and Eric Wilmott who is pictured here receiving his award from Party Leader Christie. This columnist is at left. Please click here for more pictures.

NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Spring Storm  - Aircraft were tossed about like so much chaff. Residents reported the telltale “freight train” sounds of travelling tornados. The roofs of several buildings were peeled back and their contents scattered. An unusual spring storm which hit Grand Bahama in the early hours of last Friday 30th March (see story above) was the talk of the town. Freeport Power and city clean-up crews were on the move and did an effective job in returning the city to normal. Bahamasair, though, true to form, managed to get its first flight out at 6.30pm more than eight hours after the airport had re-opened. Carifta track and field trials in Nassau had to be cancelled as a result because Grand Bahama athletes were marooned in Freeport. The national airline offered not so much as a soda to its inconvenienced travellers.

‘Our’ Lucaya Votes Union - The Bahamas Hotel, Catering & Allied Workers Union has won its bid to be recognized as the bargaining agent for employees at Hutchison Whampoa’s ‘Our’ Lucaya hotel complex in Grand Bahama. Workers voted ten to one in favour of the union.  The management at ‘Our’ Lucaya has fought union recognition at every turn and recently lost a final court battle aimed at keeping the union out of the property. Many workers still on probation are said to have abstained from voting out of fear of endangering their job confirmations. Sources tell News From Grand Bahama that the hotel’s management is furious because they were promised by Government that they would not have to deal with the union and are threatening to “give the keys back to the bank” which backed the project. Reports are persistent that ‘Our’ Lucaya staffers are unhappy at the way the company deals with Bahamians. Stay tuned.

GB FNMs In The Dark - Grand Bahama members of the Free National Movement Council were reportedly taken by surprise at the aborted move against Shirlea MP Pierre Dupuch. (See FNM on The Verge above) Late word into our political correspondent who reports on all matters FNM is that Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson was told that “Long Island man don’t go against Long Island Man… after it’s all done, you still have to go home.” FNM dissident Tennyson Wells and Mr. Watson are both from Long Island. As we report above, Mr. Watson apparently aborted a planned move by U.N. Ambassador ‘Boozie’ Rolle to expel Mr. Dupuch. Curiously, Grand Bahama MPs, Ministers Ken Russell and C.A. Smith along with fellow Ministers Zhivargo Laing, Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes were all out of Nassau at the time. Plausible deniability, one supposes.

Bye-Election Soon? - Political sources in Grand Bahama report there may be a bye-election soon, somewhere in The Bahamas. The move they say would be aimed at jump-starting the voter registration process now stuck in low gear. The source contends, “There aren’t enough new voters yet registered for any good gerrymandering opportunities” Boundaries are changed ostensibly on the changing voter patterns. Things that make you go hmmm!

New Challenge To Blacklisting Laws - Freeport attorney Maurice Glinton has taken out writs against the Governor of the Central Bank and the Receiver of a bank recently closed by the Central Bank. The writs represent a constitutional challenge to the officials’ authority under the country’s new ‘blacklisting’ laws passed in a hurry in December to appease foreign powers. The laws have made The Bahamas the laughing stock of the Caribbean and have turned out for the good fortune of this country’s regional competitors in offshore finance.

PM Praises Citibank? - As Citibank prepares to close its offices in Freeport and scale back operations in Nassau, the company came in for praise from the Prime Minister this week. Correspondents to this site have been inundated with complaints about the PM’s move and a request to remind the policy makers that when jobs are lost, people hurt. Duh?

Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl+home to return to the top of the page.

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

PRAISE FOR BRADLEY ROBERTS
There has been a lot of sanctimonious claptrap written and spoken about Bradley Roberts MP for Grants Town and his action in the House of Assembly on Wednesday 4 April.  Mr. Roberts called the Prime Minister a madman and he forced the early closure of the House by threatening mayhem.  Some persons on the other side of the House ducked, as the Leader of the Opposition restrained Mr. Roberts telling him: "Don't throw the book".  We applaud Mr. Robert's action and he should have thrown it.

It is incredible how pompous and dishonest some in this country can be.  Polite to a fault.  Here we have the Prime Minister of the country using the power of the office to impose and limit and restrict free debate.  What is one to do after this is done, time and time again?  We have to raise our voices and sometimes physical actions may be necessary.

One remembers the situation in South Africa.  The conservative elements in this country could not understand and refused to understand why we condoned the violence used against the Apartheid regime. Sometimes it is the only way to achieve and do good and certainly in that situation in South Africa that was blandly and most often physically oppressive, there was no choice.

We have not reached that point in The Bahamas, but the Prime Minister of The Bahamas must come to know that there are consequences for his actions.  And if he persists in oppressing the minority then the minority is going to cause trouble for him, even if it means causing physical trouble for him.

This week we repeat in the main editorial pages the following stories: George Mackey's address; PLP Names Stalwart Councillors; and A Lenten tea in Fox Hill.  These were put up late last week and some persons may have missed them.

This week we had a total of 27,565 hits for the week and the month of April.  Thanks for reading and please keep reading.

PERMANENT LINKS
11th Review of the Judiciary
Mitchell Address to Senate: Why the PM is the way he is
Mitchell speech to PLP Convention 2000
Pindling & Me - A personal retrospective on the life and times of Sir Lynden by Fred Mitchell
Address to the Senate Budget Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to the Senate Clifton Cay Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to PLP Leadership meeting in Exuma / Haitian Issue

Address of Sean McWeeney / Pindling  funeral
Gilbert Morris on OECD Blacklist
Fred Mitchell Antioch College speech
The funeral coverage

Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting	Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral

e-mail timbuktu@batelnet.bs

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL IN THE HOUSE
Last Week we reported that the Air Traffic Controllers at the Nassau International Airport had been locked out illegally by the Government of The Bahamas their employer.  By letters dated 23 March, the Government sent them home on what is being politely called 'administrative leave' for three months.  The hitch is, according to the rules of their profession if they are off the job for three months, then they are decertified as controllers and then the Government will say you are fired.  This is contrary to the rules of the Public Service on how you discipline an employee of the public service.  So we are off to court before Senior Justice Emmanuel Osadebay on Wednesday 11 April to seek an order to quash the decision. Air Traffic Controllers demonstrated on the House day and President Roscoe Perpall had his youngster with him in this Tribune photo.  But the House of Assembly agreed with the Opposition that as a matter of urgency, the matter of air traffic control needed to be debated in the House.  The Leader of the House Algernon Allen came with the lame excuse that the Government was withdrawing the offer to debate because a legal action had been filed in the Courts and to discuss the matter would make it sub judice.  Of course that did not prevent the Minister for Transport C.A. Smith from going on the radio and talking about the matter to all and sundry.  The sub judice rule, that while a matter is active in the courts, it cannot be discussed was only used as an excuse not to debate the matter.  The Prime Minister though insisted that since the PLP was interested in safety at the airport, the Minister could speak to the issue of safety.  Bradley Roberts had enough.  He exploded and told the Prime Minister that he is a madman; that if Mr. Smith could speak then the Opposition could speak.  He raised a book about to throw it at Mr. Ingraham but Perry Christie, the Leader of the Opposition stepped in to  restrain the action. "Don't throw the book," he said.  We applaud Mr. Roberts' action.  Next time: throw the book!

INGRAHAM OVER THE HILL
Those who had any doubt that we were in election season should now be able to see.  Hubert Ingraham and his disintegrating FNM took their road show to Englerston, the seat of  PLP MP Philip Galanis.  The PLPs outnumbered the FNMs in the crowd and Perry Christie's spies were everywhere. Mr. Ingraham had great difficulty connecting with the crowd.  But one thing is clear: this man has been deeply wounded by the talk that he is an Uncle Tom.  So everything he is doing now is designed to get the support of the Black masses.  We don't know why he doesn't go into Montagu  where he belongs and of whose kind he is.   Anyway the latest salvo in the ghetto was to tell the young men to value life.  That slime ball Ozzie Brown who mis-edits the Nassau Guardian had a headline to that effect and a picture of Mr. Ingraham hugging a young boy on the front page (we hope the little boy was holding onto his pockets).  But what we understand is coming is a September election on the old register because the Prime Minister is unable to get the people out to register.  That's what the FNM insiders are saying.  But that flew in the face of contrary rumours that Mr. Ingraham had put a stop order on his order for 200,000 T-shirts and 100,000 golf shirts.  His supplier had done shirts for 15 constituencies but was a told to stop.  It also flies in the face of another story going around that Mr. Ingraham intends to gerrymander the seats by reducing them from 38 to 40… that he intends to change the names of 15 constituencies.  So that means when the election comes, people won't even know where they are.  All things will be new and confusing.  Our bet is that the election is next year so that he can carry out his evil intentions. But we always say, the best laid plans of mice and men.… You know the rest.

INGRAHAM ON DISCRIMINATION WITHOUT COMMENT
The Prime Minister says that he intends to bring legislation to the House to end discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. Here is what the Bahama Journal quoted him as saying on Thursday 5 April at his party's rally in Englerston: "… Now we're introducing a minimum wage in law for everyone else.  Everyone is entitled to a decent pay for a decent days work, and we're going to put in a law minimum standards for the workplace, and we're going to legislate against discrimination against the aged, against women, against the handicapped and we will end discrimination based on sexual preference."

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LEVI GIBSON CELEBRATES 87th BIRTHDAY
He is my godfather.  He Levi Gibson, the real estate broker, who is the quintessential godfather.  He is the godfather to many many persons.  He has helped many many young people get a start in life.  He is a good man.  He was born in a whole different Bahamas in the poor settlement of Simms, Long Island.  From that settlement he has risen by his bootstraps and with a primary school education to the highest heights and councils of the land.  He is a founder of Kiwanis in The Bahamas.  He has served on numerous boards.  He is a former President of The Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA).  He is the founder of Levi Gibson Real Estate.  He is a former valet to the late Sir Harold Christie. He is simply a good and great man.  His birthday was 5 April and that made him 87.  We hope he had a good day.

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A COUNTRY IN FEAR
Every time the chief slave in the country, AKA the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham goes on the stump, he is always talking about how he freed the slaves.  He keeps talking about how much freedom there is in the country.  But freedom from whom and for what?  The picture we show from the Nassau Guardian is the Chief Justice Dame Joan Sawyer swearing in the last Chairman of the defunct United BahamianParty Geoffrey Johnstone as Governor General, acting while Sir Orville Turnquest was out of the country until Sunday 8 April. It is disgraceful that you have a man who still solicits money for FNM causes and conventions take off that hat one day and the next day be sitting in Government House as a Governor General, then next day he is out raising money again for the FNM.  There we have one of the former masters, thought long to have been vanquished, as our overlord again.  Nice man, but the symbolism is wrong.   But that's how Hubert goes.  So there is plenty of freedom for the others.  But what about the lowly workers?  We get this scenario all the time: a worker calls from Paradise Island.  He and his fellow workers are working in an office without windows, air conditioning only.  There are fumes coming through the system that are making them ill.  He calls and asks this senator what to do.  The response was immediate, go to your union representative and complain.  But, he says, the people are afraid that they might lose their jobs if they complain and be seen as troublemakers.  My response: what is the problem with this generation?  They will suffer sickness and permanent injury to their health for three hundred dollars a week at Sun International rather than complain and get the matter straight. And then in Lucaya, Grand Bahama.  There was an election two weeks ago for the recognition of the Union as the bargaining agent for the hotel.  Of the 1500 employees, only 500 participated in the vote.  One third of the potential voters.  They told our friends that sure they support the union but they can't afford for the man to see them voting on that issue.  So again we ask the Overseer and Chief Slave.  What freedom did you give and for whom?

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INHERITANCE LAWS TO CHANGE
The Prime Minister announced in Parliament on Wednesday 4 April changes to the laws dealing with Wills, Administration of Estates and Inheritance.  In making the announcement he said: "For me also this is a great moment: it is the fulfilment of my lifelong political quest to bring about meaningful social change in and to our archaic unjust and unfair laws relating to the distribution of the property of deceased persons.  The legislation will ensure that Bahamian society lives up to the standard of honesty, accountability and fairness to which we all claim we subscribe, insofar as property matters are concerned.  It is, indeed, a long overdue step forward."   These bills are of course PLP Bills that have been around since 1982.  The fact is they were not proceeded with by the PLP because of a combination of factors, not the least of them married women were up in arms about the provisions on abolishing dower rights for women and the provision that would allow children born out of wedlock to claim against their husbands' estates.  None of the provisions in the bills are revolutionary.  They are long overdue.  Mr. Ingraham admitted that he had helped to craft this legislation as a PLP backbencher when he chaired a Committee to which the late Prime Minister Pindling appointed him.   The new bill limits the abolition of dower to those marriages after the act.  So those who have dower rights will continue to have them.  Dower is a one third life interest of a woman in the real property of her husband. The Inheritance Bill also allows a provision for children of a marriage who were not the children of the person deceased to claim upon the estate of the person deceased if during the life time, he or she was treated as a child of the deceased's married family.  And the more difficult one; a provision where children born out of wedlock can claim against the estate of their deceased father, if he left a will and did not provide for their maintenance in the will.  In order to qualify for that, the man must have been adjudged the putative father under the Affiliation Proceedings Act, and also have been recognized as the child with the father signing the birth certificate at the Registry of Records.  Then the court can grant a provision to the extent of the reasonable maintenance of the child.  Wives are again up in arms.  The Government says that it will hold public discussion on the matter.  The supposed real women's champion Janet Bostwick must let her views be known on this matter if it is to have any chance of public acceptance.

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CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO COME
The election season is on.  Promises! Promises! Promises! This time it's another promise of legislation.  The Prime Minister and Minister of everything also announced Wednesday 4 April that he intends to present a bill to amend the constitution of The Bahamas to make men equal to women in all matters of law.  What this means precisely we don't know but it should mean that the provisions in Article 26 on discrimination should include gender in the definition, it should also mean that the citizenship provisions will change substantially so that the same provisions that now apply to men will apply to women.  Now get this: the Labour Bills have been on hold for one year since he announced on 28 March last year that they would be passed by Labour Day 2000; the Civil Aviation Act to help rescue the airport; the Constitutional Amendment; the Inheritance Laws and a general election.  Oh yes and remember BaTelCo was supposed to have been privatized by  the end of 1998.  The latest deadline given by the Minister of Finance was April 2000.  That deadline is passing.  Word is that the Government spent 100,000,000 dollars of the Bahamian people's money downsizing BaTelCo, a million dollars on the auditor's fees alone, and the auditors still can't tell the Government what Batelco is worth. Who says there was no opposition in the country?  Remember this from the Lion in Winter: "I don't have to stop you.  I need only delay you."

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NUMBERS HOUSES RAIDED
The police have been crowing about a series of arrests and raids on Numbers Houses throughout New Providence.  They arrested 85 people who are out on bail and will be arraigned before the courts.  Numbers' convictions are notoriously difficult to get.  And the police are wasting their time anyway.  It is a national pastime.  The Government simply has to get with it and legalize this trade and tax it to get much needed revenue.  The police have more serious things with which to deal.  But the PM must have started the whole thing when he was asked in those ill-fated talk shows a couple of weeks ago on Love 97 why since he admitted that he knew where the numbers houses he (the PM) did not report the matter to the police.  He answered by accusing the host of the radio programme of playing numbers himself and telling him which Numbers House the host frequented.  But the next week came the raids.  Folks say that the PM was especially incensed when he heard that a certain numbers' man was made a stalwart councillor of the PLP.  He thought the man was an FNM.  So the raid came and they took the 200,000 dollars they found in the raid.  As you know it's all political.  The FNM numbers' man was not raided until the next day after all the other raids (so they say).

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BAHAMIAN STUDENT ON RAPE CHARGE
Milton Cox, a 41 year old student at the University of Northumbria, England, has been tried for the alleged rape of a 22-year-old student in the United Kingdom.  The jury was deadlocked in its verdict.  It is not known whether the matter will be retried.  This is sad news for the gentleman concerned and for his family as well as that of the complainant. We wish them well. This report was based on information in the Nassau Guardian. The incident has been a legal matter since November of last year.  The student has been held without bail.  The question many in his family ask is: how does this pop up now and in the mealy-mouthed Nassau Guardian, struggling to compete with The Punch for lurid headlines and stories?  It appears to be a malicious act by the Nassau Guardian's editor.  It is now time to consider in these matters whether or not a law ought to exist that neither the complainant nor the defendant's name ought to be listed in these trials, unless the defendant is convicted.  We debated long and hard over the matter but our column is a summary of the news reported of the week in The Bahamas and commentary on it, so we have reported the matter.  But we also add that the newspaper The Guardian did a disservice by not reporting the fact that the evidence of the female complainant was entirely equivocal, hence the hung jury. The jury was made up of nine women and three men.

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THE CASE OF SAMUEL 'NINETY' KNOWLES

Arguments in the request by the United States Government to extradite Samuel 'Ninety' Knowles to the U.S. for conspiracy to import drugs into their country began on Friday 6 April.  Mr. Knowles was brought to court in chains and has been linked to every sort of conspiracy since he was imprisoned in October of last year, real or imagined.   He is before Magistrate Carolita Bethel. Mr. Knowles is pictured in The Tribune photo of  Tuesday 3 April.

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NIGEL BOWE TO RETURN HOME
According to The Tribune of Tuesday 3 April, Nigel Bowe is to be freed from jail after serving half of his sentence of 15 years.  He was set to return home on Saturday 7 April from New Jersey where he was imprisoned.  His family is said to be delighted as is Mr. Bowe about his return.  Many Bahamians think that Mr. Bowe was made a scapegoat in a kangaroo court trial by U.S. Federal authorities to get at the late Prime Minister Pindling in a baseless belief that the late Sir Lynden was involved in drug smuggling.

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RAY MINUS ENDS COMEBACK
We promised the results of Ray Minus fight last Friday 30 March in Atlantic City, a comeback fight for the World Boxing Council Continent of Americas lightweight title. There was a TKO in the eighth round.  Mr. Minus is 36 years old.   He lost the fight regrettably.  It appears to have ended any hope of a return to international, professional competition.

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PAUL ADDERLEY ADDRESS
We are still unable to provide a copy of the address of Paul Adderley on the occasion of  his lecture to commemorate the birthday of the late Sir Lynden Pindling on 22 March 2001. When we get it we shall present it.  But we did promise the address on the Quieting of Titles Act presented at a land symposium sponsored by Franklin Wilson and Arawak Homes Limited.  You can click here for the address.

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SALARY INCREASES FOR JUDGES
The rumours are fast and furious that the Chief Justice is about demit office.  There is a lot of juggling on the Bench to see who will succeed her.  The Prime Minister is said to be dead set against now Senior Justice Emmanuel Osadebay.  No doubt one of the PM's well-known and irrational vendettas for some imagined wrong in the past.  But in the mean time, the Prime Minister announced that it had partially accepted a report prepared by Sean McWeeney and a panel of citizens on the salaries of Judges.  They recommended a 35 per cent pay raise for the Chief Justice.  That would have moved her salary up to $110,000.  Instead she gets a 20 per cent only raise as do the other judges, and they get 10 per cent now and ten per cent later -- $90,000 now and 96,000 in 2003. This is a plain and obvious attempt at corruption of the Judiciary.   If the Government is to give a salary raise then they must do so all at once, not some now with the promise of some later.  That could mean that if the judges are bad boys and girls they may not get their raise… tongue in cheek you know, but you get the point.

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ONE HELLUVA NATIONAL TRUST MEETING
The stodgy Bahamas National Trust, bastion of polite environmental activism, was a little shaken up this week when storm troopers from the radical environmentalist side (this Senator amongst them) decided that its time for a change of regimes in the Bahamas National Trust.  The Trust has statutory authority to oversee environmental matters in The Bahamas and is the guardian over hundreds of thousands of acres of national parks both above and below ground in The Bahamas.  Until the radical environmentalists like Sam Duncombe from Re Earth got involved, the Trust was blithely going along to support the Clifton Cay project that would have devastated the last repository of slave and loyalist culture in New Providence.  That project is dead in the water.  Elections for the Board of the Trust were held on Thursday 5 April and the slate of the Trust was challenged from members from the floor.  Only four of the members from the floor made it and five from the usual crew were returned.  The radicals expect to continue the fight next year until the body is totally reformed.  Among the conservatives returning was Macgregor Robertson, an FNM ideologue who resigned in protest, when the Trust changed its position and condemned the Clifton Cay project. Pray tell why has he decided to return, to turn back the tide.  In any event Sam Duncombe, although not making it herself to the Boardroom said that she was pleased at the results. "Change is inevitable", she was quoted by The Tribune as saying. Well said!

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STATEMENT ON BARBADOS CAMPUS PROTEST
This Senator as the Opposition's spokesman on Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Thursday 5 April calling upon the Minister of Foreign Affairs to check her facts when she claimed that Barbados police during the protest did not beat the Bahamian student.  The statement also raised the issue of whether or not the student could get a fair trial in Barbados given the comments of the Prime Minister of Barbados that he supports the police. You may click here for the full statement.
 

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GEORGE MACKEY’S ADDRESS
George Mackey is the quintessential Fox Hillian.  Mr. Mackey was born in Fox Hill to Malachi and Olive Mackey on 19th January 1938. He served House of Assembly for 25 years from 1972 to 1997, first as the representative for St. Michaels from 1972 to 1987 and then as the representative for Fox Hill from 1987 to 1997. He is an acolyte at St. Anne's Anglican Church in Fox Hill.  Mr. Mackey was invested as a Member of the British Empire (M.B.E) by Her Majesty the Queen in 1998.  His wife is the former Mary Elizabeth Thompson.  Elected Chairman of the PLP in 1969, he served in this capacity until his election to Parliament in 1972.  Mr. Mackey has a wealth of knowledge and The Tribune asked him to share that knowledge as a writer and contributor to a regular column each Saturday in The Tribune.  His informative and incisive commentary is a must read.  And so he was asked by the College of The Bahamas to contribute to its lecture series held to commemorate the birthday of Sir Lynden O. Pindling on 21 March. You may click here for Mr. Mackey’s address.  He is pictured in this photo by Peter Ramsay. Mr. and Mrs. Mackey have two daughters Phaedra and Michelle and two grandsons to whom he is ‘George’.

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PLP NAMES NEW STALWART COUNCILLORS

The Progressive Liberal Party held a gala banquet Friday 30 March at the Raddison hotel, Cable Beach, Nassau in honour of scores of party faithful named to its Stalwart Council. Membership in the party's Stalwart Council is for life and is the party's highest honour. Party Leader Perry Christie said the move was aimed at honouring those who made the PLP into the formidable force which it is in Bahamian public life. Several of those honoured are long-time members of the Fox Hill branch, including Calvin Brown, Ben Demeritte, Edward 'Bobby' Glinton, Joe Hutchinson, Camille Johnson, Clarence Moss, Rev. Mathias Munroe, Deidre Rolle, Irene Rolle, Bishop Austin Saunders, Barbara Smith and Eric Wilmott who is pictured here receiving his award from Party Leader Christie. This columnist is at left. Please click here for more pictures.

A LENTEN TEA IN FOX HILL

It was quite gracious of Janet Davis and her husband Derek Davis to host the Lenten tea at their beautiful home in Yamacraw Beach Estates.  The guest of honour was Lady Marguerite Pindling, wife of the late founding Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden Pindling.  She is as beautiful and gracious as ever.  The tea was elegant and simply a delight.  We publish the picture of Lady Pindling with our gracious host Jan Davis. Please click here for a full spread of photographs of the event. Thank you very much for a great afternoon Mrs. Davis on Sunday 25 March. Thank you also to Evangelist Irene Rolle, fundraising chair for the PLP Fox Hill Branch. The photos are by Peter Ramsay.
 

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THE CONSUL GENERAL IN HONG KONG
The Bahama Journal carried an interview with Camille Johnson, a former classmate in primary school, and now Consul General in Hong Kong for The Bahamas.  This is a public servant's post and as such non-political.  The interview was with Ed Bethel, President of the Press Club of The Bahamas during a visit to China earlier this year as a guest of the Chinese Government.  Interesting interview for me as Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs.  But what was especially interesting is that she begins her days she says by accessing the Nassau Guardian's web site and the Bahama Journal's web site.  No mention of this web site or any PLP oriented news and information like Bradley Roberts web site.  We begin a link to that site today (see above or click here).  Well you know, what more should we say?  Things that make you go: hmmm!

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KING AND BAHAMIAN POSTPONE
The Royal Wedding Committee planning the marriage of African King Ayi to Bahamian Richa Sands has announced the postponement of the wedding. The committee issued this statement 5 April:
    His Majesty King F. A. Ayi, traditional hereditary Royal Monarch of the Guin Kingdom of the Ayigbe people of Togo, Benin and Ghana in West Africa, and his fiancee, the former Miss Bahamas Richa Sands, now known as Princess Ayele-Richa, announced they will be postponing their wedding date, originally planned for later this month, to later this summer.
    The King has been occupied by several matters this month requiring his attention in his native Togo and Benin, while Princess Ayele-Richa has been travelling extensively to meet various recording and performance commitments around the world.
    A spokesman for the King indicated that all these commitments have left insufficient time to properly plan and co-ordinate such an important event as the Royal Wedding.
    The King and Princess expect to announce shortly the new date for the wedding here in Nassau, likely some time in July, this summer.
 

NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Our Lucaya – The top Bahamian human resources man / labour negotiator at 'Our' Lucaya was in the news this week to say that the battle over union recognition isn't over yet. Shame, shame. shame. Last week we reported that the owners and senior management at Hutchison Whampoa's Lucaya strip hotel complex were outraged that they would finally have to deal with the Bahamas Hotel, Catering & Allied Workers Union. The workers voted (see story above) and now only the formal determination of the Minister remains, but there is now the threat of further court action by the hotel. They should remember the adage, vox populi... you know the rest.

'Our' Lucaya Sales Staff - The sales and marketing team at 'Our' Lucaya has spent months trying to figure out why one season after another ends in occupancy disappointment. Could it be that not one is a Bahamian? How can you 'sell' a destination with no one who knows the place as only a Bahamian can? Perhaps it is 'Their' Lucaya. Things that make you go hmmm!

Unanimity of Purpose at Honeywell (Syntex) - FNMs and CDRs joined PLPs in an impromptu demonstration this week at the Ministry of Labour in protest over delays by the Honeywell corporation, latest owners of the industrial plant built in Grand Bahama by Syntex. The anger is over separation settlements for the staff as the plant closes down. The company in its various incarnations has long been home to some of the best and brightest technical minds in the country and traditionally a bastion of FNM support. Observers say that the industrial action and the once disparate forces in brought together is a harbinger of things to come.

Alex Williams Out? - Resorts at Bahamia Food & Beverage boss Alex Williams is the latest victim of the cutbacks at the former Princess properties now owned by the Driftwood Group. Inside sources say that although Mr. Williams was given his walking papers, he was privately told that if he didn't "make trouble' the company would find something for him to do at a much lower salary. Sounds like cost cutting to us. News From Grand Bahama has long reported that all the upheaval at the Resorts at Bahamian was principally about money. One staffer reports that all Bahamians in the place from top to bottom are uneasy about their future. Said the staffer: "When Ingraham first came down when Driftwood took over, he tried to soft soap us, but Buddemeir (the new owner) got right up behind him and contradicted him... He (Buddemeir) told us that many would go... We should have been listening"

Road Changes Full Speed Ahead - Opposition to Resorts at Bahamia's plan to turn the public road between their properties into a swimming pool seems to have withered.  A new roundabout dubbed "the circle with four corners" has appeared in an effort to reroute traffic… Freeporters are predicting chaos, with one correspondent charging that the engineer who laid out the road should go back to school. Newly appointed Minister of Works and Grand Bahama MP Ken Russell should bring his inspectors back to see if they still feel the roadwork is acceptable. We won't hold our breath.

CA & Sub Judice - The furore surrounding the Government's decision to abandon the air traffic control debate in the House of Assembly citing the sub judice rule was hardly over when the Minister responsible C.A. Smith jumped onto radio in Grand Bahama to open the matter to public debate. Interestingly, production engineers at ZNS 3 in Freeport were instructed to screen the calls to Minister Smith's call in radio show for 'troublemakers'. Watchers of public opinion called it a cowardly act.

Payola Machine Cranks Up - A new school to be built on Settlers Way East, …the Rand Memorial Hospital to be renovated… The translation for these and other public projects announced to begin in Grand Bahama is that election time is near and someone needs money with which the boys can campaign. We want to know what happened to the first consultant's report on Rand?  Which general will get these jobs... We'll tell you who, and when it happens. What inflated price will be in the contract?  Will the same contractors get these jobs that got all the others? It's our money too, and we'll be watching.

Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl+home to return to the top of the page.

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

THE ACTS OF A POLITICAL MAD MAN
This week there was a plethora of evidence that the formal start of the campaign has come. Not the least of the evidence is the formal ad in the newspaper by the Free National Movement in which its Leader, the Chief Slave, Hubert Ingraham embarked on a campaign savaging a host of ex politicians with whom he had served in the PLP.  The ungrateful wretch that he is, unable to let bygones be bygones.  He is undeserving of another term in office, not only because he has broken the promise to the electorate not to seek a third term, but because he is simply unfit for office.  He has a savage and mean streak, an inner insecurity that makes him unfit for office.

We report below the full remarks made in the ad published in the Nassau Guardian on Thursday 12 April.  They are a disgrace.

Then we look at the string of legislative initiatives that he has announced without any proper consultation.  He expects to leave a legacy of new inheritance laws that will change some fundamental legal and social concepts in the country. Married women in the country are up in arms about his plans to allow children of their husbands born out of wedlock to claim on their husbands’ estates.  He has also announced that the laws on labour will be changed to exclude discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. Clearly all forms of discrimination ought to be banned. But in this case most lawyers and social commentators are asking given the plethora of more urgent problems in this country: where is the mischief he intends to cure?  In other words where is the evidence that discrimination against gay people on the job is a problem in The Bahamas?  Sexual harassment is already an offence in this country.

The changes in the Inheritance Laws, the changes in the Labour Laws have set off a flurry of public criticism, less than twelve months before a general election must be called.  The mandate of the current term runs out on 8 April 2002.  The Parliamentary Commissioner has said that of the 150,000 persons, who should register, only 50,000 are registered so far.  The Prime Minister is gearing up to go and go soon. He also intends to amend the constitution before the next election.  As one commentator pointed out, the changes in the Constitution should not be confined to his ideas alone but should consider the ideas of the country at large.

Into that mess of ideas and guff we found ourselves during this week.  As we wish you happy Easter, we also wish for you and all Bahamians everywhere that this is the last Easter that Hubert Ingraham will be Prime Minister of The Bahamas. Next year, let’s hope that he is in exile somewhere far, far away from us.  And good riddance to bad rubbish.

This week we had 19,024 hits on the site for the week ending Saturday 14 April at midnight and making a total of 46, 589  hits on this site for the month of April.

PERMANENT LINKS
11th Review of the Judiciary
Mitchell Address to Senate: Why the PM is the way he is
Mitchell speech to PLP Convention 2000
Pindling & Me - A personal retrospective on the life and times of Sir Lynden by Fred Mitchell
Address to the Senate Budget Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to the Senate Clifton Cay Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to PLP Leadership meeting in Exuma / Haitian Issue

Address of Sean McWeeney / Pindling  funeral
Gilbert Morris on OECD Blacklist
Fred Mitchell Antioch College speech
The funeral coverage

Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting	Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral

e-mail timbuktu@batelnet.bs

HAPPY EASTER

Easter Monday the day after Easter is the official beginning of the swimming season in The Bahamas.  Conventional Bahamian wisdom says that the waters are now warm enough for Bahamians to take a dip.  The season ends on 12 October, the last holiday before Christmas. Easter is this columnist’s favourite time of year.  It is really quite a glorious time. The air is still breezy and not humid.  The Tribune published this photo on Thursday 12 April of Wendell Mortimer, our friend, who is the proprietor of the Model Bakery on Dowdeswell Street.  He is shown preparing hot cross buns.  We say to you all: HAPPY EASTER!  To all of our student readers: Good Luck on your exams!

THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS CASE
We reported last week that the Air Traffic Controllers have taken their case to court.  We appeared before Senior Justice Emmanuel Osadebay. The case began on Wednesday 11 April and concluded the next day. This Senator together with Obie Ferguson, President of the Bahamas Trade Union Congress and Rawson McDonald also of Gwendolyn House appeared for the air traffic controllers.  This was an application pursuant to Order 53 of the rules of the Supreme Court to quash the decision of the Ministry of Public Service to put the officers on administrative leave for three months with pay.  The argument is that this is a disciplinary procedure and the Government is trying to fire the men and women through the back door. The ruling is expected next week.  The case of the air traffic controllers is an interesting one.  This is a blatant attempt by C.A. Smith, the Minister for Aviation and his worthless boss Hubert Ingraham to fire all the air traffic controllers.  Mr. Ingraham himself has a personal vendetta against Roscoe Perpall, the President of the Union and has reportedly said that Mr. Perpall will never be allowed to work as an air traffic controller again.  The interesting thing is that the vast majority of the air traffic controllers, including their President, voted for the FNM.  But after this treatment one wonders what the FNM expects them to do.  This treatment is an example of how Mr. Ingraham treats and speaks to other people and why he is unfit for office.  Everything is a bloody personal vendetta.  He wants to rid the FNM of Tennyson Wells, Floyd Watkins and Lester Turnquest. Why? Because they oppose him.  No logical reason.  He will gerrymander any boundary to prevent his enemies from winning seats even down to violating the constitution and the law.  He will sink to any depths for politics.  He is plainly and simply a worthless and unprincipled man who The Bahamas must get rid of before more damage is inflicted on this society; we await the decision of the judge.

10 APRIL 1968
A friend sent us an e-mail to remind us that an important anniversary passed during the week on Tuesday 10 April.  He says that the day is really the anniversary of majority rule because that was the day in 1968 when the PLP won the General Election by a landslide and finished off the United Bahamian Party and the Bay Street Boys as a front line political force.  The General Election was called because of the death of Uriah McPhee who was elected in 1967 to the 18-18 tied House of Assembly.  Rather than call a bye-election, the Premier Lynden Pindling as he then was, called a General Election.  The rest, as they say, is history.

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CLARIFICATION ON HONG KONG CONSUL GENERAL
Camille Johnson, the Consul General for The Bahamas, resident in Hong Kong sent an e-mail to clarify the position with regard to her updating herself on Bahamian news.  Please see last week’s story.  Mrs. Johnson said that her comments to Ed Bethel, President of the Bahamas Press Club were that on a daily basis she checks the mealy-mouthed (our adjective) Nassau Guardian and The Bahama Journal on the web. That would not therefore include this column since the column is a weekly one.  Thanks for the clarification!

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TENNYSON WELLS COMING AT HIM AGAIN
As the Chief Slave Hubert Ingraham moves toward an election, we understand that Tennyson Wells is set to make a direct bid for the Leadership of the Free National Movement.  Mr. Wells and his forces intend to bring a resolution to the Council of the Free National Movement directly opposing the Prime Minister for a third term as leader of the Free National Movement. We wish him well but those jelly backs in the FNM council are unlikely to support Mr. Wells. But let the theatre begin.

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THE CHIEF SLAVE ATTACKS HIS FORMER FRIENDS
The occasion was the rally of the Free National Movement in Englerston on Thursday 5 April.  The remarks are reprinted from an ad that appeared in the Nassau Guardian on Thursday 12 April.  Here’s what the Chief Slave had to say: “The Bahamian people got rid of George Smith [former Exuma MP], now he is planning a comeback.” This is an outright lie of Mr. Ingraham and figment of his warped imagination. “We put the head man out.  Now they’re on a historical lecture circuit.  On that score do not go to sleep; do not be deceived.  Don’t mind what they say; watch what they do.” Now can you believe that this stuff comes out the mouth of the same man who got up and pronounced Sir Lynden O. Pindling a national hero? After Sir Lynden died, Mr. Ingraham went all over the place saying that Sir Lynden taught him all he knows. He even kissed Sir Lynden on his deathbed. Now we know it was the kiss of a traitor… a Judas kiss.  And is it not disgraceful that he brings the man’s name up, dead and not here to defend himself into this political campaign?  Mr. Ingraham is a thoroughly dangerous man, disrespectful of his own legacy.  There is no other word to describe him than a low life. “We got rid of Father Maynard; now daughter is attempting to come back to avenge what was done to daddy.” Again the actions of a man with a vivid imagination.  The interesting thing is that same day as this ad appeared, there was Sir Clement Maynard (the daddy in Mr. Ingraham's words) shaking hands with the Prime Minister and presenting a report on Parliamentary salaries (see story below).  Sir Clement co-chaired the Committee with Ambassador Arthur Foulkes.  Sir Clement was good enough for that but is disrespected by this low life from a political platform. “We got rid of one Nottage.  Now the other one says he wants to be in charge.” Well that one is between him and Nottage, nothing to do with the PLP.   “And Vincent Peet. Anyone remember him? Well he says he has gone back to Andros.  This is after South Beach kicked him out and rejected him a second time.” Mr. Ingraham knows that the only reason that happened was because of widespread vote buying, gerrymandering and cheating by his party. And we would rather Vincent Peet for Andros than the man who is their representative Earl Deveaux who presided over the collapse of agriculture in The Bahamas. “They all want to come back.  They disguise their true purpose, but come back they desire.  Oh I almost forgot the one in Grants Town.  So sorry the UBP and those who think and behave like the UBP are no longer in charge.  Anyway, it isn’t long now! Remember that it is all about you.  Look around!” If we were Bradley, we would say, your ma is a UBP.  But we won’t. But look who is accusing people of being UBP. The very man who is the agent of the UBP today in 2001, doing their bidding, jumping to the tune of Geoffrey Johnstone and all the other UBPs in his garden.  Hubert Ingraham the low life Chief Slave and Uncle Tom-a case of the pot calling the kettle black. No Mr. Ingraham, it is not about us at all.  It is all about you.  And when you look around, you will be gone.

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ROBERTS RESPONDS TO THE SPEAKER’S SISTER
On 6 April Cathleen N. Hassan attacked Bradley Roberts in a letter.  She is an attorney and the sister of the Speaker of the House of Assembly Italia Johnson.  Mrs. Hassan claimed to be offended by Mr. Roberts’ behaviour in the House of Assembly (see report in this column 8th April) in which Mr. Roberts threatened to throw a book at the Prime Minister and called Mr. Ingraham a mad man. Mrs. Hassan said in her letter that Mr. Roberts should seek medical help. Part of Mr. Roberts' reply in The Tribune dated Wednesday 11 April: “I would respectfully suggest that Mrs. Hassan reconsider her position and determine who should have their head checked: 1) the person who prevents abuse; 2) the person who dictatorially abuses; 3) the person who although fully informed, blames the person who prevents abuse rather than the person responsible for the abuse.  And while on the subject of who should see a doctor, I wonder if Mrs. Hassan could tell us who should really be the one to see a doctor, the politician who by innuendo called the bankers, accountants and lawyers, criminals whom he couldn’t consult on new financial laws?  Or should a lawyer that defends that politician be the one who should really see the doctor? [Mrs. Hassan is an attorney-at-law.] It’s unfortunate that the annals of history have escaped Mrs. Hassan’s memory or, possibly she was too young to remember, but I hasten to remind her strong positions taken by her own dear father [Oscar Johnson Sr. MP Cat Island 1967 to 1977], when he represented the good people of Cat Island in the House of Assembly. During that time, I do not recall it being suggested that Mrs. Hassan’s father should seek medical help. Mrs. Hassan would be wise to understand that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” For the full text see bradleyroberts.org

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THE MEALY-MOUTHED NASSAU GUARDIAN
The Nassau Guardian is now more than ever a propaganda rag for the Free National Movement.  Witness their front page on Thursday 12 April.  Every story but one was a story about some Government minister making an announcement or other.  The Minister of Economic Development was announcing a household labour survey; the Deputy Prime Minister was announcing a campaign to cut down on crime with Rev. Simeon Hall of the Christian Council; the Minister of Agriculture was being shown the wasps being set free to kill the mealy bugs killing the hibiscus plants in the country.  The only story left was the one where Paul Major of Bahamasair [another Government owned company] was announcing Bahamasair was trying to seek more business from Europe.  Just a comment on that-this is an airline that can’t service the Bahamian passengers they have, how can they help people from Europe?

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REPORT ON THE PARLIAMENTARY SALARIES
Sir Clement Maynard who was disparaged by the Prime Minister from a public platform in Englerston last week, is shown in this BIS photo by Peter Ramsay presenting the report of the Review of Parliamentary Salaries by a Commission co-chaired by Sir Clement and Ambassador Arthur Foulkes.  Among its recommendations is that the Prime Minister ought to get a $40,000 duty allowance and a hefty raise in salary.  MPs are to get a $10,000 raise with a duty allowance of $15,000.  This is on top of the $28,000 they get now and the $18,000 for a constituency, office.  Imagine raising salaries for politicians.  The PLP Leader has taken the position on behalf of the PLP that this Parliament does not have a mandate to increase any salaries for politicians.  The FNM must fight that issue in a general election, and can only properly raise salaries after the issue is put to the Bahamian people in a general election.  Further, it is obscene when the economy is slowing down, when the Government is in a substantial deficit in its annual budget, when the Government’s overdraft is increasing in red ink at the bank to talk about raising salaries.   The situation has so deteriorated between the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister that the Leader of the Opposition now ignores all letters of so called consultation by the Prime Minister who abuses the process and does not believe in the consultation process. As one friend of the Leader of the Opposition said, Mr. Christie’s position about the Prime Minister’s requests to so-called consult is “F… him”.

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FELIX BETHEL ON ANTI-GAY RIGHTS DEMOS
The Chief Slave Hubert Ingraham had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth from his public platform in Englerston on Thursday 5 April (see story last week's column), when Rev. Walter Hanchell took to the streets to protest.  His position is that this is part of the Ingraham Government’s promotion of the gay life style (whatever that is).  He said that he and his associates are afraid for their children.  He linked it to the decision to allow the gay cruises into The Bahamas in 1998.  He has been on the warpath since then.  He and a small band of associates had a demonstration this week on Tuesday 10 April at the corner of Gibbs Corner and East Street in New Providence the site of the Penny Savings Barber Shop. (See photo from the Nassau Guardian of Wednesday 11 April.) All of the newspapers carried the story. Rev. Hanchell said that there was no need for any such legislation and further that he did not hate gays, he simply disliked their lifestyle that is against God’s laws.  He claimed that gays are immoral people. Some persons report that when Mr. Ingraham issued his remark, the audience in Englerston was in a state of shock.  They were actually waiting to hear in his list of anti-discrimination measures that there would be limits placed on discrimination against the children of Haitians in The Bahamas, and then the penny dropped on anti-gay legislation.  Any anti-discrimination measures ought to be supported.  The South African constitution implemented by no less a person than Nelson Mandela and supported by Bishop Desmond Tutu includes a ban on discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. But as usual Mr. Ingraham is seeking to mix up the Bahamian public and create a distraction from the main task at hand, which is getting rid of him.  So Rev. Hanchell and the others will get caught up in that and let the monkey slip by.  The Church has not yet commented on the Prime Minister's announcement.  But here is what Felix Bethel, the lecturer at the College of the Bahamas in politics, the consultant to the Bahamas Journal and columnist for the paper and commentator for Love 97 Radio had to say in his column of 12-16 April in the Bahama Journal: “The breaking news is that members of Vision 5000 - a Men’s Movement-obviously homophobic, angry and intolerant - is standing tall, firm and resolute in their demand that some other men not be treated equally under the law in this Commonwealth of The Bahamas.  Some vision.  Some 5000.  Lord God Almighty help us now in this dreadful hour.” Nuff said.

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BDM IN SUPPORT OF THE HAITIANS
Cassius Stuart and his nascent Bahamas Democratic Movement are at last doing what a new-born party is supposed to do. Mr. Stuart is really an FNM voter; disgruntled with the way Mr. Ingraham is behaving and not yet able to join the PLP.  They have stopped holding press conferences and relying on ZNS to show up and then complaining when they don’t and started doing something. It is unlikely given our system that the BDM will succeed at the next general election at being anything other than an also ran, but that does not diminish their political role.  There are some things that the major opposition party cannot and must not say and for that and other reasons the BDM is useful and they play their role.  Ultimately Mr. Stuart and his allies are being prepared, if they continue, to become part of one of the major parties and perhaps lead or play an active role in the leadership of one of those major parties.  The start of the week saw news reports from the mealy-mouthed Nassau Guardian run by that worthless bum Ozzie Brown. The Guardian carried a front page picture of Mr. Stuart and his cohorts in Abaco supporting the Haitians living in what is called Pigeon Peas or the Mud, a filled-in area of swamp to the north of Marsh Harbour, Abaco and in between the Black township of Dundas Town and the white town Marsh Harbour.   The whites in Abaco and the owner of the land want the Haitians who have been squatting there for thirty years to move.  It is a ramshackle collection of houses with illegal water and electricity hook ups and no planning permission. The question is, how has this been allowed to build up except by the leave of the owners and the ruling class in Marsh Harbour who needed a cheap pool of labour? Now that it has become inconvenient they want to move against these people.  The Government and the chief agents of the ruling class in Marsh Harbour set a deadline. The Prime Minister agreed to provide public lands outside the town for the quarters to move their homes. The problem is that even after Hurricane Floyd showed the dangers of such a squatter's camp on swampland, nothing has been done.  Hurricane season is again upon us. Mr. Stuart supports the Haitians and he took his party there to say so.  See also the photo of the Haitians demonstrating in Marsh Harbour, taken by Veronica Archer of Marsh Harbour.

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A DROP IN CRIME
Last year The Bahamas suffered the indignity of becoming a murder capital like the city of Detroit in the U.S.  There was virtually a murder every week, in fact more if you look at it statistically since there were 73 murders last year.  The Police claim that forty four percent of them arose out of domestic violence.  So the Commissioner of Police Paul Farqhuarson called a press conference on Tuesday 10 April to say that crime had dropped appreciably over last year's statistics.   Major crimes are down, he said, some 61 percent.  This echoed a speech given in Freeport the week before by Assistant Commissioner Ellison Greenslade.   In the first quarter murder has declined by 54 per cent.  But unlawful sexual intercourse has arisen by 25 per cent. But on the other hand attempted murders have increased by 43 per cent.  The Commissioner said the weapons of choice seem to have changed from the gun to the knife.   He attributed this drop to aggressive police vigilance on the streets, including road checks, which interrupt the public in the morning and evenings at odd times.  He also said that increased attention to domestic violence is having some affect.  He also credits increased public relations and the resultant improved co-operation of the public as instrumental in all of the decreased crime figures.  No doubt the Chief Inspector of the Force Hubert Ingraham will be out on the platform crowing about how he solved the crime problem, but the fact is that people in the country do not believe the statistics.  There is still a palpable fear of crime and Mr. Ingraham has done nothing to lick that problem.  But so far as it goes we wish the Commissioner and his team the best of luck and continued success.  The PLP lends it co-operation to solving the crime problem.

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FTAA MEETING IN QUEBEC CITY
The date that the Canadian authorities in Quebec City are bracing for is 20 April.  That is when the 35 nations of this hemisphere, sans Cuba, will gather with their heads of Government to determine how far the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas will progress.  The Bahamas together with other nations won a small victory according to Ambassador for Trade James Smith who says that instead of the deadline for implementation desired by the United States for 2003, the deadline is now 2005.  That still does not change the fact that the Government of The Bahamas has not adequately explained what we are to expect under these new agreements.  The Minister for Economic Development Zhivargo Laing says that we have not signed on fully yet because The Bahamas is still assessing the impact of it all.  But what we want to happen out of this process is that in exchange for a truly free and open economy, we want visa free and permit free access to the United States and Canada in exchange for the same thing in this country.  Further, we want all our professional groups to have reciprocity of practice to the United States and Canadian markets and for that matter all the countries in the FTAA area. When our leaders can tell us that, we will know that this thing is worth it.

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BLACKLISTING IS A DISASTER
The word is now coming out more and more what a fool our Prime Minister has been by grovelling before the world and allowing the financial laws of this country to be scrapped, imposing new conditions that are onerous upon our people to do such simple chores as opening bank accounts.  The Chief Slave was busy defending his actions in Englerston at his party’s rally there, but no one accepts what he says any more.  Tell that to the construction workers who can’t get jobs because all the persons who wanted to build have stopped until the situation is clarified. Tell that to those who have been laid off from the banks that have picked up and left or been closed down.  Tell that to those who have the greatest hassle trying to open a simple bank account in this country.  Tell that to the Treasury where they are scraping now to pay the Government’s bills.  We can go on and on…

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GENTLEMAN OF THE YEAR
We congratulate Peter Blair who has been chosen Gentleman of the Year by the Gentleman’s Club and is shown in this picture from The Bahama Journal.  Each year the Club sponsors an annual ball.  The founders and directors of the Ball are Judson and Marcheta Eneas.  The Ball has more applicants than they have places.  The young men are truly gems of the society both in intellectual and in social terms.  The Ball stresses both sides.  Mr. Blair is the son of Judith and Leslie Blair.  The 10th annual Gentleman’s Ball was held on Saturday 7 April at the Nassau Marriott Crystal Palace Ballroom.  Mr. Blair received the most outstanding BGCSE Results Award from the Ministry of Education for achieving ‘A’ grades in English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Combined Science, Physics and Geography.  He plans to pursue studies in the field of Business/Law. And has a career objective to become an economist/lawyer.  The Ball is open to outstanding 12th graders from private and public high schools in Nassau and the College of The Bahamas.  Congratulations again!

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CARIFTA
The Carifta Games track and field events are being held in Barbados on the Easter weekend.  A full team from The Bahamas has been fielded.  The games are for under 20s throughout the Commonwealth Caribbean.  The games are held from Friday 13 April to Monday 16 April.  The team returns to The Bahamas on Tuesday 17 April.  We wish them luck.  Beginning later this week 20 - 22 April, The Bahamas hosts the swimming events in this year’s Carifta Games. Late word in confirms that Saturday evening 14 April, Bahamians won both first and second places in the under-17 boys 100 metre finals. Congratulations to them both. See story in News From Grand Bahama.

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THE FAMILY ISLAND REGATTA
Danny Strachan, the Commodore of the Family Island Regatta, has announced that some 50 boats have confirmed that they will participate in the Family Island Regatta, the nation’s biggest and longest running regatta. It began in 1953.  The regatta will be held as usual in beautiful Elizabeth Harbour in Georgetown, Exuma from 24 April to 28 April.  President of the Bahamas Boat Owners and Sailors Association King Eric Gibson says that his members won’t participate because a work boat that was refurbished abroad is being allowed to participate.  Mr. Strachan though says that this boycott will not affect the Regatta.  This Regatta is being held in honour of Sir Lynden O. Pindling, the founding Prime Minister of The Bahamas.

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NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Grand Bahama Silver Medalist at Carifta - Grand Bahama's Oscar Greene was the follow up to Nassau's Grafton Ifill III in The Bahamas' one-two punch at the Carifta Track & Field events Saturday evening 14 April in Barbados. Greene won the silver medal in the under-17 boys 100 metre race behind another Bahamian. Grafton Ifill of Saint Augustine's College in Nassau took gold. Greene attends Sunland Lutheran School in Grand Bahama and is coached by Coach Errol Bodie of the Neymour Hawks Track Club.  Grafton Ifill Senior is a well know businessman in both Grand Bahama and Nassau. Congratulations to both talented runners.

Underground Environmental Hazards - News reports early in the week in Grand Bahama told of an underground cavern caused by leaking chemicals at the Honeywell industrial plant (formerly Syntex) in Freeport. Workers at the plant who are currently in a dispute with the departing company revealed that the problem had occurred before and called on Government to investigate. The workers charge the strong possibility of long-term environmental damage from giant pools of chemicals under the Honeywell plant and perhaps under the entire industrial area. Grand Bahama environmental officials said that they were aware of the problem and had sent all relevant information to Nassau. However, the only response from Nassau came from former Ambassador for the Environment now Minister Earl Deveaux who mounted a personal attack on the union leader at Honeywell. Grand Bahama residents have long suspected ground and air contamination by the industrial plants because of higher instances of health problems including cancer among people in the surrounding communities. The question now is whether Government will turn a blind eye to the situation and allow the industries in the area to pack up and leave the country with no responsibility for the damage done to our environment. Shame on Earl Deveaux.

Disgrace in Abaco - Hundreds of people living in the 30 year old Haitian-Bahamian community at 'Pigeon Pea' and 'The Mud' in Abaco have found themselves personae non grata (see story above) as those for whom they helped build Abaco into a successful farming community turned against them. ZNS Northern Service News this week featured an interview with a Local Government Councillor for Marsh Harbour who said "We don't care where they go, we just want them out." The Local Government Councillor's remarks were inflammatory and could unnecessarily turn Marsh Harbour into a hot spot in The Bahamas. Common decency must be the order of the day lest the ruling elite in Abaco are allowed to taint the notion of humanity in this country by their actions. The people in Pigeon Pea and The Mud have been used as cheap labour for generations and do not deserve to be pushed into the sea notwithstanding legitimate claims to the land which they occupy. This could very well be a watershed in relations between the larger Bahamas and the integrating Haitian communities here. Insensitivity will bring us international disgrace and shame at home. Our advice to all concerned is to stop the inflammatory rhetoric and proceed with human decency.

Will CA and David Thompson Survive? - FNM generals who feel the pulse of the people in Grand Bahama are reluctant to campaign for Grand Bahama MPs C.A. Smith and David Thompson. "The people are so p...ed off with them," said one, "the only way we might be able to go house to house again for them is if they confess that they messed up in representing the people and give us plenty money to work with." The FNM campaign workers say that everyone feels disenchanted and let down by the FNM Government's performance. "People are telling me that it looks like the most important people to this Government are the foreign investors."

15 April - 7pm update... FNM To Lose Senior Campaign General? - Late reports in from Grand Bahama provide an addition to the above story. Sources say that Minister C.A. Smith and Ambassador David Thompson were so taken aback by the attitude of their campaign generals that they organized a separate, further meeting with two of the most senior generals. News from Grand Bahama has learned that the two hour meeting ended with at least one of the generals threatening to leave the FNM. If this materialises, the loss would send shockwaves through the FNM ranks in Grand Bahama. Some sort of announcement is expected Thursday. We will be watching. The other senior campaign general told the Grand Bahama MPs that he was a team player, but wanted it remembered that at the time he only went along with the group in supporting Hubert Ingraham for the party leadership. "If he went tomorrow, it wouldn't bother me in the least." Many in the FNM in Grand Bahama are disgruntled with their party's Government.

C.A. Gets An Earful - Government Minister C.A. Smith was among the panellists on a call-in radio show in  Grand Bahama this week, considering the question of what an early election would mean for the country.  The telephone lines opened to a continuous barrage of bitter disappointment from voters directed at Minister Smith. And this is (was?) the same Grand Bahama known as 'FNM Country'.

Resorts at Bahamia Turns Away Locals - Reports reaching this website charge that Resorts at Bahamia, the former Princess Properties now owned by the Driftwood group has begun limiting access by locals in the evening at its Resorts. Local observers expressed dismay, but not surprise. We wonder whether Resorts at Bahamia has considered the implications of their actions to their public licences, music and dance and shop licences which do not allow discrimination against anyone? To continue the reported practice of arbitrarily denying access to local individuals would certainly put their licences in jeopardy. Perhaps their Bahamian managers should bring the new owners up to speed on what is socially acceptable in Grand Bahama.

Click on a heading to go to that story; press ctrl+home to return to the top of the page.

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

THE GOVERNMENT DISOBEYS THE LAW
It was said as a joke at the time to colleagues. But truth as they say is stranger than fiction.  You will recall the case of the air traffic controllers. See last week’s column.  As law-abiding citizens they took their case to the Courts.  The Court ruled that the Government of The Bahamas was wrong and that the air traffic controllers ought to be allowed to return to work.  But the Government did not do that.  Instead they simply issued new letters of suspension, placing them on administrative leave on the 18 April backdated from 23 March 2001for two and a half months instead of three months. This is in a clear violation of the ruling of the court. And so we will be back in court again in the coming week.

Now you remember the apartheid regime in South Africa.  They used to issue banning orders against their citizens, confining their citizens to a life of misery in a particular place.  The citizen would go to court.  The Court would overturn the order, and as soon as you walked out of the Court, the police would come and arrest you for yet another charge. That is what the Bahamas Government now finds itself doing to law-abiding citizens of The Bahamas.

The air traffic controllers and their 30 families must now be asking themselves what in the name of heaven have they done to the Government of the Bahamas for things to have come to this.  This is a spiteful and malicious act on the part of the Minister for Transport C.A. Smith and the Chief Slave of the country Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.  It must not be allowed to stand.

Meanwhile, the Chief Slave has flown off to Quebec City, Canada.  He is trying to increase his stock in the international arena.  He is in the doghouse in The Bahamas.  So look for the glowing pictures grinning next to U.S. President George Bush.  What is happening in Quebec City is the meeting on the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.  This will be 35 nations in the hemisphere, sans Cuba, who are trying to create one market.  It is an opportunity for more U.S. hegemony in the hemisphere, and our leaders are ill equipped to protect our interests in these matters.  After Mr. Ingraham’s abject collapse in the face of the blacklisting initiative, we know he will be useless in Canada.  But perhaps a whiff of some of that tear gas from the Canadian police on the protestors there will bring his head back into reality and start him to think about fighting for the interest of Bahamians.

This week we had 18, 021 hits on the site for the week ending 21 April at midnight.  That means 64,597 hits on the site for the month of April up to midnight 21 April.  We have added a search engine this week that should make it easier for you to research material on this site, instead of having to go by month and year.  Thanks for reading and please keep reading.

PERMANENT LINKS
11th Review of the Judiciary
Mitchell Address to Senate: Why the PM is the way he is
Mitchell speech to PLP Convention 2000
Pindling & Me - A personal retrospective on the life and times of Sir Lynden by Fred Mitchell
Address to the Senate Budget Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to the Senate Clifton Cay Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to PLP Leadership meeting in Exuma / Haitian Issue

Address of Sean McWeeney / Pindling  funeral
Gilbert Morris on OECD Blacklist
Fred Mitchell Antioch College speech
The funeral coverage

Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting	Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral

e-mail timbuktu@batelnet.bs

IT’S CRIME AGAIN
Barbara Cartwright who is the Chair of the Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR) spoke at one that party’s rallies in the alley last week Tuesday 17 April.  In it she repeated a sentiment that was reported on this web site last week and that is that the public does not believe the crime statistics published by the police last week. She said that the Government has been found guilty of being unable to solve the crime problem and they will be sentenced on Election Day.  Amen to that! During the week, we received an e-mail asking whether or not by our comment last week that people do not believe the statistics that we were saying that the police were lying.  One does not follow from the next.  The fear of crime is palpable.  In any event, the words were hardly out of the mouths of the police when Bahamians woke up to their morning Nassau papers to hear that three men had been shot and killed and four others were rushed to hospital with bullet wounds.  The shooting took place on Malcolm Road in New Providence on the night of Tuesday 17 April.  It happened during a domino game.  A lone gunman fired into the game.  Two were killed on the spot and a third fell trying to escape. The police have no clue as to what the deaths were about.  That made twelve murder victims this year for The Bahamas and a thirteenth was reported on Friday 20 April.  So much for the new trend, announced by the police of knives being the weapon of choice for murder. The Tribune photo is shown.  The pictures in the press and on television are ever more graphic of dead bodies.  On TV, the bodies were being shown for minutes at a time, some being rolled over by the police.  The public just seems to be numb or is becoming insensitive to it all.  But once again it is crime.  The PLP of course is more sanguine on all of this than when it was in office and less arrogant than the FNM in opposition.  We know that crime cannot be solved as a political matter.  It will take a concerted effort by the entire community to solve this problem.  But one thing that might help is if the Government itself stops engaging in lawless behavior a la the air traffic controller’s case. Remember it was Janet Bostwick, the somnambulant Minister of Foreign Affairs who said if you get rid of the PLP you will get rid of crime.

SAFE BAHAMAS INITIATIVE

We congratulate Marlon Johnson, son of the late Yvonne Johnson, former Clerk of the Senate, on becoming the executive director of the new Safe Bahamas Initiative.  It is a non-governmental body dedicated to solving the problem of crime and its underlying causes.  Mr. Johnson is an aggressive, well-trained young man who excelled at his most recent job in the Ministry of Finance.  But like so many young people, he was frustrated by the FNM Government in the job and was decided to make a more useful contribution in the non-profit sector.  We wish him well in the job.  The Commissioner of Police Paul Farqhuarson and James Campbell, its Chair announced the initiative on Thursday 19 April.  The initiative was one of the recommendations made by the Crime Commission in its 1998 report to the Government. The Tribune photo shows Commissioner Farquarhson and other delegates at the launch.

CHRISTIE ON THE INHERITANCE BILLS
It is said to have been one of the stellar performances of his career as Leader of the Opposition.  As they say on the blocks, he bored a second hole in their behinds (that’s not the word they use but we are more polite).  The Government has announced three new draft bills: an Administration of Estates Bill, a Wills Bill and an Inheritance Bill.  The bills are long overdue and will revolutionize the law, but more importantly seek to bring the law into conformity with the actual social situations we find in The Bahamas.  Rodney Moncur, who is a Member of the Council of the PLP and Leader of the Workers Party, has been leading the charge.  He first started out on the radio by attacking the Inheritance Bill as the Sweet-hearting Bill.  The name has stuck.  That’s because of a provision that will allow persons who have been living together for seven years or more to claim on each other’s estates upon death without a will.  Janet Bostwick, the somnambulant Minister for the Women’s Desk, has been fighting to say it’s not a sweet-hearting bill. Our Deputy Leader Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt is adamant that it is.  Mrs. Bostwick has plenty of explaining to do and the Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie in that stellar performance on Wednesday 18 April asked Mrs. Bostwick to explain her flip flop in the bills.  The Bills will abolish the right of married women to dower (a life interest of one third in the land of their husbands that kicks in at death) for all women married after the bill comes into force.  She was called on to explain the provision that will allow children born out of wedlock to claim on their father’s estate, overriding the provisions of his will.  Mr. Christie pointed out to her that when the bill last came to the House in 1987, she and the late Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield opposed the bill.  He said that the PLP took the position that the bill was too controversial and unless and until the bill could proceed with the unanimous consent of the House the PLP under Sir Lynden Pindling said that it would not proceed.  Mr. Christie pointed out that the FNM now brings a bill to the House, the first 33 paragraphs of which are the same as the PLP’s bill, but Mrs. Bostwick is now supporting the bill. Janet has a lot of explaining to do.

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THE COURT ORDER ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
The photo from The Tribune of Friday 20 April shows this columnist as lawyer for the Air Traffic Controllers denouncing the Government’s violation of the court order that the controllers ought to be allowed to return to work. You judge for yourself whether or not the Government is in compliance with the Court’s order.  Here is Osadebay Sr. J’s ruling in his own words: “The decision in this matter by the Permanent Secretary or the Head of Department to place the 22 applicants in Group A on a three months: ‘garden leave’ or ‘administrative leave’ and the decision to keep the eight applicants in Group B away from their employment indefinitely without a reason, albeit with full pay, ought not to be allowed to stand.  Those decisions are therefore quashed and the ‘garden leave’ or ‘administrative leave’ letters removing the Applicants from duty for a period of three months declared invalid.  In the circumstances the Applicants are to be allowed to return to their duties.” Instead of complying with the order the Minister simply had new letters issued shortening the leave to two and a half months, back dated to the date of the original period that was declared invalid.  We are back to court again.

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PM BACKS OFF GAY RIGHTS
Political pressure is a bitch as they say.  The Prime Minister has not announced it but he has silently come to an agreement with the church leaders on the point.  He has told them that anti-discrimination legislation to protect against discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace will not go ahead.  We asked the question in this column: where is the mischief that it is meant to cure?  In an e-mail feedback to this column we were told that there is a lot of silent discrimination and innuendo and rumour campaigns used to prevent persons who should otherwise excel in the workplace.  This is vehemently denied by many businessmen who say that it has never figured in their calculations for jobs or promotions. One Member of Parliament says that there are high level clergy members who are gay.  There are politicians and leaders in business, law, accounting who are gay and it has not affected their careers.  But, replies our e-mail correspondent, they cannot openly identify themselves as such for fear of discrimination.  So the old argument and divide: can you legislate changes in attitudes?  The Prime Minister reportedly told the church leaders that the anti-gay legislation is not fundamental to him and that if they want he can just leave the law as is. But the sources tell us that the quid pro quo for this is that the religious leaders will not hit him hard for the ‘sweet-hearting bill’ (See story above).  This columnist was quite surprised to see in the Nassau Guardian an attentive group of clergymen including Their Graces the Archbishops of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches in a meeting called by the Prime Minister to talk on the Inheritance Bills. The picture appeared in the Nassau Guardian on Thursday 19 April.  There is something that strikes this columnist as odd indeed about a group of leaders of a religious community in such a meeting and pouring (from all accounts) glowing praise on the Prime Minister for tackling this problem of the inheritance laws.  First it should be clear that this is a PLP drafted bill. The initiative was started by the late Sir Lynden Pindling in 1982.  The bills need to be agreed by consent of the governed not rammed down everyone’s throat.  We are concerned that the Government seeks to do this in the short run up to the General Election that must come by 8 April.  Further the PLP is concerned about the schedule of speaking engagements of Ministers in Family Islands and in New Providence together with lawyers who support the FNM.  At each session they will no doubt have receptions.  This is nothing more than campaigning for office at the Treasury’s expense.   The abuse of public funds must be condemned in the strongest terms.

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$52 MILLION ON NEW PROVIDENCE ROADS
The Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Public Works Anita Barnard has announced that the Ministry is preparing to begin the second phase of a 52 million-dollar road improvement project for New Providence.  New highways and paving.  It is designed to ease the island’s traffic problems.  The Government will contribute 30 percent to the project with the balance to be funded by the Inter American Development Bank.  The project will continue until September 2002.  So this is being done just in time for elections.  The same tricks of the UBP.   A campaign is being proposed for public relations on 19 new traffic corridors.  The project includes 25 miles of construction, including 10 miles of new roads, with 15 miles added to existing thoroughfares.  The government has ticked off the family of Ivan Johnson, the owner of The Punch by acquiring land in their idyllic country setting of Carmichael to run a highway through it, without adequate compensation and without regard to their quality of life.  But what would Ingraham know or care about that?   We say the road project is one thing but the more fundamental problem is lack of adequate public transportation.  The police are busy cracking down on speedsters because the carnage on the road matches the carnage of murder and mayhem every weekend, and people speed when going everywhere.  But what about driver education, and cracking down on drinking and driving?

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CASSIUS STUART AND THE PRIME MINISTER
Cassius Stuart is peeved at the author of this site because he thinks that he is not getting due recognition as the leader of a political party.  Errington ‘Bumpy’ Watkins, former UBP Chairman and Member of Parliament for Abaco used to say to me (and it was not his thought originally but he is associated with it in my mind) that there is no such thing as bad publicity.  So Mr. Stuart should be happy when people are talking about him rather than not talking about him at all.  That said, we were amused at the commonality of interests that the leader of the nation’s newest and smallest political party has apparently with the leader of the nation’s governing party the Free National Movement.  The leaders of both parties Mr. Ingraham for the FNM and Mr. Stuart for the BDM are both annoyed with ZNS News.  According to Mr. Stuart who led a demonstration of seven souls outside the gates of ZNS to protest the fact that they were not covered on the air by ZNS  (Tuesday 17 April see Tribune photo), ZNS news was biased against him and his party.  The General Manager Edwin Lightbourne had a less sinister explanation: “We just don’t have the equipment to cover every one.”   We know.  The Leader of the Opposition was made to cool his heels for three hours on Thursday 19 April when he called a press conference at 10 a.m. at his office.  ZNS could not find a camera crew because their equipment was down.  As one ZNS reporter said to this columnist: “We are the land equivalent of Bahamasair”. The national carrier has a reputation that has engendered the slogan: “If you have time to spare fly Bahamasair”.  But back to the Prime Minister and Cassius Stuart.  Niki Kelly in her column on Tuesday 17 April reported that the Prime Minister says that ZNS is  “a factory for lies and distorted stories against the Government”. He said this at his rally in Englerston two week ago.  So we propose that Mr. Stuart and Mr. Ingraham ought to have a chat and see what they can do about ZNS. They both seem to agree that ZNS is bad news for their respective political parties. The irony is of course that Mr. Ingraham is the owner’s representative for ZNS, since it is publicly owned. He just sent Ambassador Arthur Foulkes to ZNS as Chairman to get the house in order.  Mr. Stuart might invite Mr. Ingraham to his next demonstration at ZNS where they can denounce the station together. That will make eight people on the line next time.  Mr. Ingraham might be persuaded to bring some of his supporters along.  By the way, we saw the demonstration of Mr. Stuart and the BDM at ZNS on ZNS TV.  Jerome Sawyer the reporter doing the interview with Mr. Stuart looked quite bemused as Mr. Stuart sounded off against his bosses.  We look forward to the next denouncement.

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WHITNEY BASTIAN RESIGNS FROM THE PLP
After months of disputes with the Progressive Liberal Party over the nomination for the South Andros constituency, Whitney Bastian, the National General Council Member for South Andros who was denied the nomination for the PLP for South Andros has resigned from the party.  The resignation came in an address at the Council of the PLP held at the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Hall (Gambier House is under renovations) on Thursday 19 April.  Mr. Bastian said that in being denied the nomination, he was denied due process and his constitutional rights under the PLP constitution.  In the circumstances, Mr. Bastian felt compelled to resign.  The PLP’s nominee for South Andros is Vincent Symonette, former owner of Tropigas and businessman.  Other nominees nominated for the PLP:  former Senator Damien Gomez for North Eleuthera; Alfred Gray, former MP for Carmichael is nominated for Mayaguana, Inagua, Acklins and Crooked Island; Anthony Moss for Exuma.  That leaves only Delaporte, St. Margaret’s, Montagu, Bain Town and Bamboo Town as the constituencies without nominees in New Providence for the PLP.  In the Family Islands, we have South Eleuthera and Long Island to complete.

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WELLS RESPONDS TO THE WEBSITE
Tennyson Wells, the dissident FNM MP for Bamboo Town, has confirmed that some moves are being made to resist the inclination of Hubert Ingraham to stay on for a third term as Prime Minister.   In an interview with the The Tribune published on Wednesday 18 April, Mr. Wells denied the story on this web site that he intended to bring a resolution to the FNM’s council to oppose Mr. Ingraham’s third term.  But he said that some moves are being planned.  Mr. Ingraham was busy helping out his favourite propagandist, the several times nominated JACKASS OF THE WEEK in this column Oswald Brown, the mis-editor of the Nassau Guardian.  In a long and tortuous interview (Tuesday 17 April) in which Mr. Ingraham tried his best to sound Pindlingesque, Mr. Ingraham said that he would stick by his promise to step down as Prime Minister because his family expects him to step down.  He said the promise was to serve for ten years or two terms.  That is an outright lie.  Mr. Ingraham said two terms.  Nothing was added about “or ten years”.  We have a tape that we expect to play at the PLP’s rally in Fox Hill on Monday 23 April at 8 p.m. on Freedom Park of what Mr. Ingraham said.  So clearly, Mr. Ingraham intends to stay on into a third term.  What he intends to do is call an election, run that campaign, hope to get re-elected as PM and then resign on 19 August 2002 in fanfare, having chosen Tommy Turnquest as the Prime Minister.  We ask you: who then will the Bahamian people be voting for or will have voted for as Prime Minister?  Surely the system was not meant to be abused in this way.

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DANNY STRACHAN CORRECTS US ON REGATTA
We ran a story last week on the Regatta that is to begin in Georgetown, Exuma on 24 to 28 April.  This is the longest running, biggest and most prestigious of the races in the racing calendar.  We reported that the Bahamas Boat Owners and Sailors Association headed by King Eric Gibson planned to boycott the race.  The boycott comes because a sloop the Tari Ann is participating and the BBOSA says that it was repaired abroad and should not be allowed to compete.  Danny Strachan who is the Commodore for the Regatta faxed in a clarification and correction.  The race started in 1954, not 1953.  He explained in his statement that the Regatta Committee cannot ban the Tari Ann because there is a court order that prohibits them from enforcing any ban until the matter is decided at trial as to whether or not the owner violated the rules of the race.  Mr. Strachan says: “We either obey the laws of the land or we could have anarchy because they [BBOSA] are saying we should not listen to the courts on this matter.  We believe in the rule of law and that is why the National Family Island regatta has been so successful and has lasted for the past 48 years because we respect and sail by the rules.”  Well said! Perhaps someone should show that to Hubert Ingraham and C. A. Smith who this week violated the court’s order in the air traffic controllers case (Oops! Sorry we should keep politics out of sports). Good luck on the Regatta.  Thanks for the clarification.  As a former member of the Family Island Regatta Committee, the race is close to my heart.

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THE AUTOPSY REPORT ON DEVAUGHN DARLING
Florida State University has released the autopsy report on the death of its young football star Bahamian twin brother Devaughn Darling. He died on 26 February after a work out.  He collapsed suddenly and died. The report says the sudden death was related to sickle cell trait. Mr. Darling had the trait.  Sickle cell trait is not the disease of sickle cell, that causes malformed red blood cells in mainly people of African ancestry to have difficult and painful bouts of illness. The trait says the autopsy report and according to the Associated Press and The Tribune of Wednesday 18 April is linked to strenuous exercise and the risk of sudden death.  Persons with this trait ought to avoid dehydration and avoid extreme exercise when ill.  The trait is usually in the generation after the one with the disease. A comment from the family of the late Mr. Darling reported on Friday 20 April said that they do not support the view that the trait caused the disease.  Whatever the cause, it is a sad and tragic event.

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SWIM FEDERATION AND AL DILLETTE
Even as the children of the Editor of this site one Albert King Dillette were excelling in swimming in Grand Bahama and in preparation for the Carifta swim meet and the Carifta Games themselves held in Nassau from Thursday 19 April to Sunday 22 April, Mr. Dillette entered intrepidly into controversy.  In a few sentences, he was really pissed that the Bahamas Swim Federation was not assisting the Grand Bahama team.  And he said so in no uncertain terms to The Tribune Tuesday 17 April.  Said our Editor: “I don’t understand the machinations or what happened to the money or what, but it is really a disgrace when members of a national team have to fund their own way.  It just shouldn’t happen.”  But children Robby and Alana did more than words could say in the pool. ‘DILLETTES DELIVER’ said the headline. The two gave The Bahamas its first individual medals in the international competition; Alana a bronze and Robby two silver.  The competition ends today Sunday 22 April. A full report next week. The Tribune photo of Robby Dillette is shown.

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GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN ON FTAA
At last, with the Chief Slave and one of the youngest turks off to Canada to see the world and bow down to the international community, there was some attempt to explain to the Bahamian people what the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas is all about.  Zhivargo Laing that youngest of turks who is a trained economist, told the country that as Minister, The Bahamas wasn’t quite sure which way we wanted to go on this all encompassing 35 nation free trade area.  What he did admit is that it will change life in some fundamental ways, like the tax system of customs duties will be abolished.  Then there is the question of services being opened up to all and sundry.  No protectionism.  He said the Government wasn’t sure but they knew it was a good thing so they were going to Canada anyway so they would not be left out.  Perhaps he can get a whiff of some tear gas too when he goes there to Quebec City.  More police than protestors to keep those who are proselytizing for people’s concerns out from the conference on 20-22 April.  Mr. Laing said all of this at a press conference with Leonard Archer, the Ambassador to Caricom and James Smith the Ambassador for Trade present on Tuesday 17 April. The Guardian photo is shown.

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JIM HEPPLE OF TOURISM RESIGNS
The Tribune Friday 20 April reported that Jim Hepple (see his web site address above) has resigned as Deputy Director General of Tourism for The Bahamas.  Mr. Hepple, originally from the U.K. married to a Bahamian and living in The Bahamas for 18 years, is to head the Curacao Tourism Board in the southern Caribbean.  What now happens to Mr. Hepple’s site on tourism statistics for The Bahamas?  Well, we shall miss him. We feel sorry (not really) for poor Tommy Turnquest, the Minister of Tourism and Mr. Ingraham’s Prime Minister in waiting, who had the ignominious job of announcing to The Tribune that his number two man is leaving to head the tourism team in Curacao.  Where did he make the announcement?  You guessed it; at a tourism meeting in Curacao.

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DELTEC BANK LICENCE SUSPENDED
The Central Bank is on a roll.  The name Deltec Banking is a household name in the country.  The principle Clarence Dauphinot died a few years ago. He and his wife Penny were well known in upper middle class circles in the country for their philanthropy.  Many Bahamians got their start in banking at Deltec.  Well it appears that the party is over.  The bank’s licence has been revoked by order of the Central Bank by notice published in The Tribune Friday 20 April.

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JULIAN FRANCIS AND THE BLACKLISTING
We have the utmost respect for Julian Francis.  He is after all a Fox Hill man, so we wouldn’t dare.  And beside, he can beat his friend Danny Ferguson - another Fox Hillian in the credit and collections business - playing tennis (well not according to Danny!). But he made a speech over the past week to the Chamber of Commerce at the British Colonial Hilton on Thursday 19 April, reported on Friday 20 April in which Mr. Francis, the Governor of the Central Bank, claims that there is no harm to The Bahamas from the blacklisting and the changes of our financial laws.  This does fly in the face of the evidence to the contrary, with banks closing down, IBCs fleeing the jurisdiction, people in the industry losing their jobs and construction slowing down as people hold up on projects.  Things that make you go: hmmm!

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CABLE BAHAMAS GETS ANOTHER LICENCE
In another corporate guise the folk at Cable Bahamas keep getting more and more.  Now they have a company called Caribbean Crossings Ltd. and it has been granted a licence by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to provide a cable link underwater between Grand Bahama, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abaco and the U.S.  This according to the Tribune of Wednesday 18 April.  The licence is for data transmission and Internet only.  The Bahamas Freedom Alliance headed by Ali Moultrie is screaming bloody murder.  They say the licence should not have been granted because Cable Bahamas, the parent company is under investigation for the illicit use of trailer facilities of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas.   The BFA also says that employees have been mistreated.  Cable Bahamas through its spokesman Dr. Keith Wisdom has denied this.  Well you know our views about Cable Bahamas.  Should not have been allowed here.  But one day the Chief Slave will have to explain before a Commission of Inquiry what he has, what he owns and what he knows and why the decision was made to give a monopoly to Cable Bahamas.

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RICK LOWE'S LETTER
It was a remarkable letter.  It was published in The Nassau Guardian on Saturday 14 April.  In it Rick Lowe, the quintessential FNM and Free Marketer, was lamenting the Free National Movement and its policies under Hubert Ingraham.  He lamented the offensive tone of the Prime Minister and the high-handed nature of his actions.  But the question for Mr. Lowe still remains: can he vote for the PLP? We can't understand it.  He said that white people generally are in a quandary as to what to do.  Mr. Ingraham, their champion, has apparently let them down.  The implication of course is that the PLP can't be trusted.  We have a simple proposition: Mr. Lowe and his fellow white Bahamians who he says are in a quandary as to what to do, ought to think about this.  In the wildest imagination and on his worst day, Perry Christie could never be half as offensive as Mr. Ingraham.  So what is the problem? Is it that unspoken thing in the background about the ethnic group that is the traditional support of the PLP that is the real problem?  If Bahamian whites are now race neutral, if they admit that they flourished economically under the PLP, and if they would admit Mr. Christie is not half as offensive as Mr. Ingraham, then there is no reason they can't support the PLP.  Further, the business of politics is a dynamic one, not static.  If one Government does not work out, you vote them out the next time.  The PLP hopes to get the chance to govern over the next five years.  Will Rick Lowe and his allies rise over their tradition bound thinking and vote PLP?  That's the only party that can form an alternative Government to the FNM.

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MISS BAHAMAS OFF TO MISS UNIVERSE

Miss Bahamas Nakera Simms is off to Puerto Rico for the Miss Universe Pageant. The 22 year old will compete with 80 other women on 11 May.  The Nassau Guardian published a photo of the beautiful Miss and we publish it here.  Congratulations and best wishes!

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NIGEL BOWE HELD
Nigel Bowe who was supposed to have been released by the US Government has not been released. Although Mr. Bowe was released from federal custody in New Jersey where he was in prison, he is still being held by US authorities pending an extradition request from the state of Florida to the state of New Jersey for him to be tried in the state of Florida on conspiracy to import drugs and money laundering. Experts in law say that this is a complete and blatant violation by the US Government of the treaty between the two countries that limits the offences with which an extradited person can be charged to those in the extradition request only. Minister of Foreign Affairs Janet Bostwick told the Bahama Journal on Friday 20 April that the Government has sought an explanation as to why Mr. Bowe is being held. We will continue to keep you abreast of developments.

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BLACK TUESDAY
Friday 27 April will mark the 36th anniversary of Black Tuesday, the Tuesday 27 April in 1965 when the late Sir Lynden O. Pindling, the founding Prime Minister of The Bahamas, threw the Speaker's Mace out of the window of the House of Assembly.  The Mace is the metal object that precedes the Speaker into Parliament as a symbol of the Speaker's authority. The protest by Sir Lynden was the culmination of a set of plans by the PLP's National General Council, plotted by the National Committee for Positive Action (NCPA).  The late Leader of the Opposition Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield led the protest outside in the streets. Thousands gathered to support what was going on inside.  Inside Sir Lynden told the House that the then governing white merchant oligarchy, known as the Bay Street Boys would not listen to the voice of the people and reason with regard to the Boundaries Commission report for that year 1965.  The distribution of seats in favour of the Family Islands was not acceptable to the PLP when the majority of the population lived in New Providence.  Sir Lynden often described how afraid he was on that day.  Some say that Sir Milo Butler, the late former Governor General kept urging Sir Lynden to go ahead or he would do it.  Eventually Sir Lynden did, threw the Mace out of the Eastern window of the House where it fell in the streets below and was destroyed.  Arthur Hanna, the former PLP Deputy Prime Minister who was in the House on that day says that someone brought the pieces to him and he buried them somewhere that he can't remember. Arthur Hanna, Paul Adderley, former Attorney General, Sir Orville Turnquest, now Governor General and Cyril Stevenson former PLP MP are the only MPs of that era still alive. The PLP left the House and led a massive crowd to the Southern Recreation Grounds from Bay Street.  The riot act was read commanding them in the name of the Queen to move from Bay Street. Conscious of the riot that happened in 1942, the PLP led the crowd from Bay Street south. The name Black Tuesday is said to have been coined by Arthur Foulkes, former MP and now Ambassador.  It is borrowed from the expression from the American usage for the day of the Wall Street crash in 1929. Sir Lynden said that the thousands that came out that day were not planned.  It was spontaneous given the police and other excitement in the streets.  But it was the height of his political career in Opposition and made him a legend in the minds of many. Sir Milo Butler, the people's champion, followed the Mace out the window with the Speaker's Hour Glass that was used to time the speeches of MPs.  In those days, each speaker in the House was limited to 15 minutes.  While the rule is still on the books, when the PLP came to power in 1967 they stopped enforcing it and it has not been enforced since. Paul Adderley, Orville Turnquest and the late Spurgeon Bethel, all PLP MPs at the time were not told of the PLP's planned action.  They did not agree with the subsequent decision of the party to boycott the House after that.  When they returned they were suspended from the party.  They formed their own party the National Democratic Party.  That party was defeated in the 1967 election.  The PLP won the government that year.  The rest as they say is history.

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PROFESSOR GILBERT MORRIS TO SPEAK
Gilbert Morris is to be the featured speaker at the Heritage Foundation on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. on Monday 23 April.  The Foundation is a conservative think tank on U.S. Domestic Policy and International Relations. He will address the topic of the harmful tax initiatives by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  The Bush administration is trying to formulate a policy response to the initiative. Gilbert Morris is a Professor at George Mason University in Washington D.C. He opposes the initiative.

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COLINA CLOSING PRICES
We apologise for the absence of this week's closing prices from Colina. The data was not received by upload time. We'll try to correct the problem next week.

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NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA

Quote of the week… From a knowledgeable Grand Bahama politico at breakfast in Kristi’s - “Janet doesn’t believe a word that she’s saying about the ‘sweet-hearting’ bill… Anybody else except her could talk except her. You hear what I say?!”

‘Bulgie’ Allen Out Of The Loop? - Word in from Nassau is that Algernon Allen aka ‘Minister of Idle Poetry’ is now out of the political loop in the FNM. Sources say that this is why ‘Iron’ Mike Edwards, Allen’s main general in Freeport has hinting he is to leave the FNM. A major announcement supposedly to this effect was promised for this past Thursday, but did not materialise. When questioned about the matter, ‘Iron’ Mike said “I helped bake this cake and now you’ all want me to go? Not a day like it!” A major Grand Bahama supporter of Prime Minister Ingraham tells News From Grand Bahama that “we knew all about Allen’s scheming and plotting when he backed out of his support for Tennyson so he has been marginalised.” This would explain why Allen has been keeping a very low profile in the FNM campaign thus far…

No Respect For The People – Despite repeated demonstrations against it, plans are continuing to move crushed rock over the main road into the settlements of Eight Mile Rock in Grand Bahama. The proposal by the foreign-owned rock mining company Dravo is to move the rock from its crushing plant by overhead conveyor belt to large ships for transport, moored at the harbour on the other side of the road. Eight Mile Rock activist Caleb Outten and a group of residents held a demonstration Friday morning 20 April. The closure of the road to begin construction of the conveyor was postponed, supposedly because the company didn’t have “sufficient signage to ensure the safety of the driving public”. Mr. Outten asked the question ‘Who could you imagine a conveyor belt over I 95 in Miami?', noting that the move showed a tremendous lack of respect for the people in the area and Bahamian people generally. The last time this issue was raised, the FNM MP for the area said he knew nothing about it, but would check. This time, the Minister for Works is Grand Bahama MP Ken Russell. A spokesman for the Grand Bahama Port Authority said that all the relevant approvals had been granted. So now the people see how helpless and inadequate their elected representatives are in the face of anything thing to do with the Port.

Driftwood Closes Road, Damages Bahamian Business - Sunrise Highway, Freeport’s main thoroughfare has been closed in front of the ‘Tower at Bahamia’ resort. The Driftwood Group, new owners of the former Princess Properties then immediately erected a fence across the highway anchored into the hotel property. The fence restricts access by hotel guests to the popular and successful Bahamian-owned restaurant ‘Ruby Swiss’ and has the potential to severely damage business there. Our advice to the Driftwood Group is, don’t do it. Caroline Bailey Wipf and her family have been there for a long time and will be there for a long time to come.

More Musical Chairs At Driftwood  - Resorts at Bahamia’s Regional Food and Beverage Controller who hails from Pakistan was this week lamenting that this is a beautiful country and he doesn’t want to leave. The relevant authorities however, should be put on notice that he has resigned his post after six months on the job. Freeport has recently been rife with reports about foreign workers who enter the country on one work permit and end up permanently in the job market. Late word is that the former Food and Beverage man Kelly Burrows who had been reassigned to Sales and Marketing is now back in business. We hope that all the shenanigans going on with the Bahamians are now coming to a close and that those in positions there can finally give investor Buddemeir some wise counsel as to how to effect positive change… Driftwood has been drifting of late.

Wallace Should Finish The Road - Our senior correspondent was summoned to the community of Seagrape in Eight Mile Rock this week to be shown a dangerous unfinished road. Residents charge that FNM MP for Grand Bahama and Bimini David ‘Bread’ Wallace started some work in the area and left it so that unwary motorists might drive off a cliff. They complained, “David is always starting things and not finishing them.” Finish the job that you started David, and we recommend that road signage with reflectors be put in place and a light should be posted on that corner for safety purposes. ‘Nuff said.

If You Don’t Like It… - High-ranking rabid and defiant FNM faithfuls defended Transport Minister C.A, Smith this week in political discussions on Grand Bahama. One saying, “C.A. and this Government have mandate of 35 seats, so if you don’t like what we’re doing, vote us out! We ain’t checking for no court order because 35 seats makes us the law.” We report these comments without further embellishment and any comment ourselves, except to say: Well I’ll be!

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NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

A PASSING ANNIVERSARY
Friday 27 April 2001 was the anniversary of the famous Black Tuesday incident in 1965 in Bahamian history.  Last week in this column we presented a story that gave a summary of what happened on that day.  It is not our intention to repeat it here.  But we thought about it when speaker after speaker from the Free National Movement side of the House got up to attack the PLP for boycotting their silly debate on the inheritance laws on Wednesday 25 April.

A crippled Janet Bostwick, suffering bursitis, or some kind of ailment, could not even stand up to defend the Government.  She complained that she was in great pain and asked the Speaker’s permission to sit.  She looked simply awful and should have stayed home.  We show the picture below.  She came to defend a policy on inheritance in The Bahamas that she herself opposed when she was in Opposition to the PLP Government.

The PLP walked out of the debate when the Government refused to allow the postponement of the debate until the public consultations were over and the details of the bill settled by consensus of the society.  The FNM refused and ignored the request.  So the PLP walked out.  PLP Leader Perry Christie said they will return to the House when the third reading takes place and at the Committee stage when the PLP will present the amendments that it believes need to be made.

Black Tuesday in 1965 when Sir Lynden threw the Speaker’s mace out of the window led to the boycott of the House of Assembly by the PLP.  Following that event there was a split in the PLP and the PLP was down to just four members just as it is today.  The boycott worked and from 1965 to 1967 they did not attend the House.  In 1967, the PLP won the General Election and governed the country for 25 years.  These FNMs who have no sense of history ought to think and inwardly digest their history.

Please let us know if the search engine is working those of you who have tried it.

This week, we had intended to bring you another in the series of notable speeches on the occasion of the Sir Lynden Pindling memorial, this one by Allyson Gibson, however due to the pressure of space, look for these remarks in next week's edition.

This week we had 17,467 hits on this site for the week ending 28 April 2001 at midnight.  That makes a total of 81,797 hits on the site for the month of April.  This is second highest total for the site in the history of the site, exceeded only by the month in which Sir Lynden Pindling was buried.  Thanks for reading and keeping reading.

PERMANENT LINKS
11th Review of the Judiciary
Mitchell Address to Senate: Why the PM is the way he is
Mitchell speech to PLP Convention 2000
Pindling & Me - A personal retrospective on the life and times of Sir Lynden by Fred Mitchell
Address to the Senate Budget Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to the Senate Clifton Cay Debate / Haitian Issue
Address to PLP Leadership meeting in Exuma / Haitian Issue

Address of Sean McWeeney / Pindling  funeral
Gilbert Morris on OECD Blacklist
Fred Mitchell Antioch College speech
The funeral coverage

Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting	Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral

e-mail timbuktu@batelnet.bs

THE INHERITANCE BILL
Old Mother Hubbard is the figure that came to mind as Janet Bostwick the somnambulant Minister for Women’s Affairs struggled by all accounts up the stairs to the House of Assembly to speak on the Inheritance Bill that she opposed not even twenty years ago.  She got permission to sit during her intervention on Wednesday 25 April to begin the debate in the House to support legislation that is designed to bring The Bahamas in line with the times.  Mrs. Bostwick and the late Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield led the charge in opposing the Bill when it was brought to the House under the PLP.  We picture Mrs. Bostwick in the Nassau Guardian photo. You judge for yourself. She looks just terrible.  There is nothing revolutionary in the Bill.  What we have are moral objections from religious leaders.  There is the constitutional issue about whether or not someone can override the provisions of your will and how you want to dispose of your property which this bill does.  It will abolish dower for women, the one-third life interest in the land of her husband which operates by law upon the death of her husband.  It will also allow for those cohabiting for seven years or more to be able to claim upon the other’s estate.  It will allow children born out of wedlock in certain prescribed circumstances to claim on their dead father’s estate for their continued maintenance after his death. What the PLP says is that just before a General Election why would the Government want to ram something so socially divisive down the throats of the Bahamian people?  Particularly since they themselves are not ready with the provisions.  They intend to use Parliament as a sounding board, use public funds to propagandize the FNM’s position by public meetings at public expense throughout the islands.  They intend to stop the proceedings in the House after the second reading, then come back in June sometime after the budget and take it out of committee.  This is a ludicrous Parliamentary practice.  They did that with the labour bills and they were supposed to have been passed by Labour Day last year.  Those bills have gone precisely nowhere, causing a huge uproar in the country.  What is particularly interesting about this is that the church leaders who we commented upon last week, who should not have been there before Lord Ingraham, are now having second thoughts. They met with the Leader of the Opposition. In that meeting, Paul Adderley on behalf of the PLP raised some troubling issues about the Bill.  Now the church leaders think they have been duped as Mr. Ingraham has published their remarks in the meeting for the full public to see.  But Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt said it for all PLPs. “I cannot support this,” she said, “because it makes what is wrong right.”

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM ON JAMES HEPPLE
We announced last week that James Hepple, the Deputy Director General of Tourism, was leaving and headed toward a new job in Curacao as the head of the tourism business there. The Minister of Tourism for The Bahamas who made no announcement about that fact in The Bahamas was caught unawares by The Tribune’s reporter. But at least he seemed gracious to Mr. Hepple.  But now that the Minister has returned to The Bahamas, when he was asked by The Tribune’s reporter Samantha Joseph about Mr. Hepple, reported on Thursday 26 April, Mr. Turnquest seemed a little beside himself.  He protested that he did not know why The Tribune was making all this noise about James Hepple.  As if he were saying who the hell is James Hepple anyway.  Mr. Turnquest said that Mr. Hepple’s job had been divided up and things were going smoothly.  He wasn’t worried about a replacement, and anyway James Hepple was only in a supporting role and he expects to replace Mr. Hepple next week.  The coup de grace though was this quote: “We would like to fill the post, but the three most important positions –minister, permanent secretary and director general – are all filled.”  Now one wonders what the support staff at the Ministry would like to say about that.  We paraphrase from Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas in the U.S.A.:  “Poor Tommy! He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”

FOREIGN STAFF TO MAN ZNS?
The journalism community is all abuzz about a huge row between the owner and founder of Love 97 Wendall Jones and Director of News for the station Darold Miller.  Both men worked with this columnist when he was Director of News at the Broadcasting Corporation.  Friends say the two have had a huge falling out over an offer that the country’s Chief Slave Hubert Ingraham made to Mr. Miller to join the team at ZNS.  Mr. Ingraham later reneged on the offer.  Mr. Jones then withdrew Mr. Miller’s employment.  Whatever went down, the person at fault is that wicked man Hubert Ingraham for hanging Mr. Miller out to dry in this market for journalism that lacks mobility.  Mr. Jones ought to reconsider his view.  Mr. Miller was good for him and he for Mr. Miller.  It’s quite a shame really.  But on another note, predictions are that staff at ZNS News will be trimmed with some four reporters scheduled to lose their jobs in an FNM inspired reshaping of the staff.  Then get this, they want to bring in foreign persons to man the cameras and journalism positions because they say the Bahamians aren’t there to do the job that will be required to organize and broadcast The Bahamas Games, the Caricom Heads of Government Conference and the Independence celebrations together with the Caribbean Tourism Conference all in rapid succession this summer in June and July.  What a bunch of faeces!

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BRENT SYMONETTE'S ARROGANCE
Last week we reported how the Airport Authority in The Bahamas has imported non-nationals from Florida to run the airport parking lot at the Nassau International Airport.  All speakers spoke about the issue at the rally in Fox Hill on the evening of 23 April.  It is a disgrace.  The women who work for the parking lot were called in and told that they were being transferred to the new employer.  Now since when do we need outside expertise to run a parking lot?  Well, says the UBP Premier's son and Chair of the Authority, one Brent Symonette, they have expertise that we couldn't find here.  And he said that if only Perry Christie the Leader of the Opposition had only bothered to check with him, he would have told him what the story is. First, Mr. Christie has no obligation to check with him.  He is the chair of a public authority so the obligation is on him.  Secondly, it is patently dishonest for the Airport Authority to do such a thing without public bids. This is rank UBPism and is to be condemned. But as one FNM MP said; Hubert, the Chief Slave and Uncle Tom, will do anything to please the former masters.  Not me; that's what he said.

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THE SPOUSES BILL IS TESTED
The time was 1997, just before the election of that year.  One of the last acts of that Parliament was to pass a law that permitted the spouses of Bahamians to get a five year work permit simply for being married to a Bahamian.  The permit would allow any spouse to work anywhere and would not be tied to a specific employer.  Later that year the daughter of the Prime Minister was married to a foreign man.  So the smart guys put two and two together and came up with five.  The Prime Minister used the Parliament to benefit himself and his family.  Now friends say that the son-in-law has repaired to Canada. Not been in this town for a while.  Could the Prime Minister be wondering whether or not he should have passed that law now?

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLA SEYMOUR
My sister Carla Seymour nee Mitchell celebrated her 43 birthday on Thursday 26 April.  Happy Birthday Carla.  Remember when she was born.

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FOX HILL REP FINDS HER VOICE
PLPs were too amused. The radio reported that Juanianne Dorsett, the representative for Fox Hill finally got up in the House and said something.  This is the first time they had heard her voice in years.  She told the House that the PLP was wrong for boycotting the Assembly on the Inheritance Bills debate. She said that she had been attacked by the PLP for not speaking in Parliament.  “Well I’m speaking now,” she said.  Mrs. Dorsett was referring to the royal tanning she got from Bradley Roberts in Fox Hill at the PLP’s rally on Monday 16 April.  Mr. Roberts said that he had never heard her voice in Parliament on behalf of the people of Fox Hill. Mrs. Dorsett is sitting there in Parliament and is going to assist Mr. Ingraham to abolish the constituency, so the word is going around in Fox Hill.  Not to be out done was the loquacious semi-trained economist Zhivargo Laing, the Minister of Uneconomic Development.  He led the way attacking the PLP for the boycott.  The man does not know his history.  What a sorry state of affairs.  He is where he is because the PLP boycotted the Assembly in 1965.  Further, he should know that the FNM’s favourite tactic in Opposition was to walk out of the House.   Now he sits there basking in a ministerial light, as if he were God Almighty, prescribing what the PLP should do.  What he ought to do is fall down on his knees to the Almighty and ask forgiveness for the rudeness and disrespect that he showed Sir Lynden O, Pindling, a man twice his age, while Sir Lynden was in the House of Assembly.  When he does that, maybe just maybe the PLP might be interested in what he is saying.

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BAHAMASAIR FIASCO
The day began on Thursday 26 April with a call from a reporter in Freeport.  Was there any information on the grounding of a Bahamasair jet?  Bahamasair only has one jet.  This columnist investigated and found that the jet had indeed been grounded following its return to Nassau on Wednesday 25 April’s last flight.  The reason was the U.S. Federal Aviation Authorities in Nassau that are hired on contract to The Bahamas said that a vibration problem in the jet that Bahamasair had been warned about for some time needed to be corrected.  Now this columnist has often felt this vibration in the jet but ignored it.  Bahamasair has bought the parts and is fixing the jet.  The fixing does not take a long time but the testing may take a long time to be sure that the problem is corrected.  Now comes the juicy bit. The talk is from staff at the airline that the jet, which was used on the Nassau / Miami run, had been grounded in Miami some two weeks ago by the FAA who told them to fix the problem.  Instead of fixing the problem though, the management at Bahamasair instead took the plane off the international run and put it on the Freeport to Nassau run only.  Moral of the story: Bahamian lives are worth less than American lives?  The jet is down.  The FNM remember has promised that there will be jet service between Freeport and Nassau and Freeport and Miami.  To continue to keep their campaign promise they have wet leased another aircraft at the price of $550,000 per month; add to that hotel accommodation for the foreign crew.  And this is the Government of transparency and accountability.  No word from the Minister for Bahamasair C. A. Smith on this problem.  He is too busy violating the court’s order in the air traffic controller’s case. This was the story up to Friday 27 april. At the weekend, the second jet appeared to be back in service.

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WHO WILL BUY BATELCO NOW?
One of the things that brought the ill fated land deal at Clifton Cay to a halt was the statement by the Leader of the Opposition from the beaches at Clifton that if the PLP became the Government it would reverse any permission given to the developers.  That was a year ago.  The project collapsed, largely because the bankers got nervous that their investment and loans would not be secure.  The Government has announced that it wants to put BaTelCo on the market for 1 June. Question is who will buy BaTelCo given the fact that the General Election is to be called within a year?  How does any investor who wants to buy BaTelCo know what the Opposition’s position on this matter is?  No one has bothered to check with us and we aren’t saying what we are going to do.  Put the sale of BaTelCo on hold.  A word to the wise is sufficient. No one knows who will be the next government of the country but we’re pretty sure it won’t be Hubert Ingraham or the FNM.

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NIGEL BOWE CONTINUES TO BE HELD
Paul Adderley, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs told The Tribune that Nigel Bowe, the Bahamian lawyer convicted in a kangaroo court trial in the United States in 1994, should be released by the U.S. authorities and sent home now that his sentence is exhausted.  Mr. Bowe who is 62 was supposed to return home two weeks ago but upon his release from a U.S federal jail in New Jersey, he was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization service (INS) on the ground that the authorities in the U.S. state of Florida wanted him on warrants for trial in their state.  Mr. Adderley told this columnist that The Bahamas has no treaty with Florida.  The treaty is between the United States and The Bahamas.  Mr. Bowe was extradited on one set of charges and cannot be lawfully held on any others.  Mr. Bowe in the circumstances ought to be released.  The Bahamas Government has been mum other than to say that they had been informed that Mr. Bowe was being held and they were seeking clarification on why from the U.S. authorities.  But we are not surprised, this Government does not stand up for its citizens and of course Janet Bostwick our Minister of Foreign Affairs is as usual asleep at the wheel.

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BOMBSHELL ON B.E.C.
The Fox Hill Branch of the PLP together with the branches of Montagu, Holy Cross, Malcolm Creek and Yamacraw held a rally in Fox Hill on Freedom Park.  Speakers were the candidates for those constituencies in turn this Senator for Fox Hill, Senator Melanie Griffin for Yamacraw, Darien Creary for Malcolm Creek and Glenys Hanna-Martin for Holy Cross. Some people estimated the crowd at 1000 people at the rally.  It had a good spirit.  The meeting was chaired by Fox Hill PLP branch chair Larry Wilmott and Eastern region Chair Mario Miller. But the night belonged to Bradley Roberts the PLP MP who announced that The Bahamas Electricity Corporation owes the Government some 35 million dollars that it can’t pay.  The Government's response through Frank Watson, the Acting Prime Minister was that the Government owes B.E.C. money. One guesses then that one sets off the other.  What a way to do business. Mr. Roberts told how the Government created an overdraft of 50 million dollars to pay the salaries of civil servants in December of last year.  He predicted that the country was on a downward slide economically.   The Budget debate starts in four weeks in The Bahamas and we will see whether or not the prediction of a balanced budget can come true this year like they were all crowing last year.  Remember that this was supposed to be a budget surplus for the first time in the history of The Bahamas. Never mind that the predicted surplus was only one million dollars.  But with the blacklisting by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last year causing the economy to take a dive, we expect a significant shortfall in revenue.

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DELTEC BANK REVISITED

The word is that the notice that appeared in the newspapers last week 20 April about the revocation of the Deltec Banking licence said less than the real story.  We are now informed but it has not been confirmed that Deltec gave up their banking licence voluntarily in a reorganization effort.  That’s the story anyway.  But we of the public only saw what the notice said.

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NEW PRESIDENT OF CHRISTIAN COUNCIL

We shall never see that face again or will we.  The Rev. Dr. Simeon Hall whose face as President of The Bahamas Christian Council was as ubiquitous as the morning sun has demitted office as President of the Bahamas Christian Council.  Bishop Samuel Greene of the Zion Baptist Union of Churches replaces him.  Congratulations to Bishop Greene. Bishop Greene is pictured in this Nassau Guardian photo.

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THE COURTS IN CRISIS
The staff of the Supreme Court is up in arms about the fact that the police were called in to find a file that was missing and wanted by the Office of the Chief Justice.  The staff had been telling the C.J.’s office that the file was in a certain place namely in the probate registry.  They refused to check and kept coming back for this file and being told the same story.  In the end the police were called in on Friday 20 April. The police questioned the staff members who were incensed by the implication that the staff was involved in stealing.  The file was found in the place where they were told to look in the first place.  But the anger of the staff on this issue is just symptomatic of a larger problem for the courts, the fact that the Government has neglected the courts and does not provide the support for the staff.  Pay raises are long overdue and the environment and working conditions are poor.  The staff say they are treated with disrespect and they don’t like it one bit.

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AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS’ STRUGGLE CONTINUES
The Government has appealed the decision of Senior Justice Osadebay in the matter of the administrative leave of 30 air traffic controllers at the airport in Nassau.  The Court ruled on 18 April that the controllers ought to be allowed to return to their duties. The Government refused. They instead issued new letters placing them on a new administrative leave backdated to 23 March 2001.  A lousy decision that was bad in law. The public response was not favourable so the Government has now decided that they will appeal.  This side will provide a respondent’s notice saying that the Judge’s decision should be upheld but his decision did not go far enough.  We have requested an expedited hearing of the matter.

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INGRAHAM ON FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Hubert Ingraham has come home from the meeting of the Summit on the Americas in Quebec City in Canada.  The tear gas reserved for the protestors did not reach him but all that we predicted last week for the meeting happened.  There he was grinning up with U.S. President George Bush and upon his return he issued the statement that George Bush is a man we can do business with.  That’s like we have any choice. Why did he not ask George Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell why our citizen is being held against international law in New Jersey, one Nigel Bowe?  At the summit, Mr. Ingraham and his fellow Caribbean Prime Ministers signed everything that was put in front of them.  What they managed to get was a small concession that monies would be put in place to help small countries adjust to the changes.  This seems a little paltry.  It is now clear that the Americans want the agreement to come into force on 31 December 2005.  The only country to reserve its position was Venezuela.  Why the Caribbean should be begging the United States for money to adjust is beyond us.  The whole point is that if this is a negotiation it should be made clear what the Caribbean’s objectives are in this matter.  If the bigger countries want free trade with The Bahamas in goods and services then we want free trade the other way.  This must mean free access of our people without any visas to the United States to be able come and go and work and set up businesses in the United States without any extra considerations because we are not U.S. citizens.  This should apply to all the countries that are pressing this thing forward.  If these countries cannot agree to that then we have to reconsider the whole exercise. Once again Mr. Ingraham also took the opportunity to denounce the U.S. plan to graduate The Bahamas and Barbados from the Inter-American Development Bank’s lending programmes.

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THE ENVIRONMENT IN GRAND BAHAMA
This Senator visited Grand Bahama on Tuesday 22 April to lend support to an effort by a non-governmental organization called PUMP in Freeport. Caleb Outten, the PLP’s candidate for the Eight Mile Rock constituency, heads the organization.  Mr. Outten has been involved in several protests about the only road from Freeport that leads to and from the largest settlement in Grand Bahama (the largest in the entire Bahamas in fact), that of Eight Mile Rock.  Now there is a rock plant called Dravo Rock Bahamas that plans to build a conveyor belt to carry rock from their quarry across the road to the ships docked in the harbour for export.  The problem is that no one knows whether or not it is safe.  The Government has not said.  Hubert Ingraham, the Chief Slave, has been silent but it is believed that he opposes the project but is not man enough to say so.  The people led by Mr. Outten have been protesting environmental and safety concerns of a conveyor belt filled with rock passing overhead filled with rock and gravel. Stay tuned! The protest is likely to get more heated.  Mr. Outten promised to go to jail if necessary to stop it (see News From Grand Bahama).

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SANDY SANDS THE BIG MAN AT MARRIOTT
Robert Sands, a classmate and friend of this Senator, has been appointed the General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Crystal Palace Hotel.  This is the hotel that he led before the owner Philip Ruffin took it over shortly after the PLP lost power in 1992.  He was then given the responsibility of the Nassau Beach hotel and from all accounts did a good job.  Apparently, Philip Ruffin, an American from Oklahoma, who owns the hotel, feels that Mr. Sands can now take over the helm of the hotel again.  Good for Sandy.  Mr. Ruffin also announced that Brian Adderley, another Bahamian, is to take over as Acting GM of the Nassau Beach Hotel.  We worry about Philip Ruffin though and whether he is good for The Bahamas. His style of ownership seems so mercurial.  The number of persons who have been fired by Marriott on a whim during his time is disturbing. Also a visit to the Marriott shows the signs of wear and tear and the lack of maintenance and investment in the property.  The quality of his product and our national product has been slipping under him.  We shall continue to monitor the situation. The Nassau Guardian photo is shown with Mr. Ruffin in the centre, Mr. Sands on his left and Mr. Adderley on his right.

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THE BELL RINGERS OF ST. AGNES

This columnist is a member, albeit with poor attendance, of St. Agnes Anglican (Episcopal) Church in Grants Town, Nassau, The Bahamas.  The church has a good group of bell ringers that gave a concert on Friday 27 April at the church.  Dahlia Deveaux leads the group.  The Tribune showed this picture of the bell ringers on Friday 27 April from left: Sascha Hamilton-Miller, Azaria Cleare, Lynishka Arnett, Valya Gray, the Director, Deangelia Deleveaux, Rochelle Minus, Brittney Culmer.  Congratulations to them all.

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HIV THE LARGEST KILLER
The Tribune reports (27 April 2001) that HIV/Aids is still the largest killer of young people in The Bahamas. Rosa Mae Bain, Principal Nursing Officer, told this to the Caribbean Summit Meeting in The Bahamas on Thursday 26 April. Ms. Bain also revealed that in 1997, more than 2000 babies were delivered at Princess Margaret Hospital.  She said more than 70 per cent of the mothers ranging in age from nine to 17 were unmarried, single parents and three per cent were HIV positive.  “Intergenerational sex, especially young girls seduced by older men, constitutes a major risk group on the island.  A contributory factor to this phenomenon is the belief that sex with a virgin will cure sexually transmitted diseases including HIV”, Ms. Bain was quoted as saying.

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REGATTA ON IN EXUMA
The Family Island Regatta in Georgetown, Exuma for 2001 is over.  It began on Tuesday 24 April and ended on Saturday 28 April. The boycott of the Regatta did not affect the race.  A good time was had by all.  The Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie and a delegation of Senator Obie Wilchcombe and Bradley Roberts went to Georgetown.  The race was held in honour of the late founding Prime Minister of The Bahamas Sir Lynden O. Pindling.  Lady Pindling was also present.  Garret ‘Tiger’ Finlayson who travels there annually was there.  By the way, congratulations to Mr. Finlayson who has been named Businessman of the Year by the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce. The winner of the prestigious Prime Minister’s cup race is the class 'A' sloop, 'Courageous'.

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FOX HILL ANNIVERSARY

Sunday 22 April, this columnist celebrated the fourth anniversary of involvement with the community of Fox Hill. Several supporters gathered at New Life Christian Centre on Prince Charles Drive in Nassau to join the service of celebration.

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MITCHELL'S ANNUAL PHYSICAL
This Senator is off to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota for his annual physical.

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NEWS FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Quote of the week… From an astounded onlooker at this week's Grand Bahama town meeting on the rock conveyor. - "I never thought I'd see the day when Grand Bahama MPs had to have SIB (Security & Intelligence Police) and a heavy police presence to protect them from their own people at a town meeting."

Fishing Hole Road - The controversy surrounding the proposed rock plant conveyor belt deepened this week and dominated the news in Grand Bahama. Dravo Bahamas Rock, a foreign-owned aggregate mining company in Grand Bahama proposes to build a conveyor belt to move quarried rocks over the main thoroughfare into west Grand Bahama. Thousands of people each day must traverse that section of the Queen's Highway known as the Fishing Hole Road to get into and out of the settlement of Eight Mile Rock and all points west. It is the only way in and the only way out.  For years, sections of the road have been the subject of controversy. Residents have long demanded that the road be made safer and either raised or bridged where it crosses the Hawksbill Creek and is often flooded and impassable. Now, the proposal to build the conveyor belt for aggregate over the road seems not only a step backward, but the addition of insult to the community of west Grand Bahama, already injured by the neglect of its existing concerns about the road. Everywhere, people were talking and officials were scrambling for cover and trying to put the best face on a bad situation.

FNM Doesn't Like It? - This week at Kristi's, a Freeport eatery which serves as a gathering spot for many local politicos, an FNM faithful from west Grand Bahama defended the Government over the Fishing Hole Road project in a 'spirited' discussion with a local construction expert, saying "The FNM doesn't like this project either." The construction expert pointed out that the Government had dropped the ball on this one because there were other ways that it could have been handled to accommodate everyone.  Anyway, if the FNM "doesn't like" the conveyor belt project, why is it happening? One well-connected FNM told us that the Prime Minister doesn't like it either. Things get curiouser and curiouser. Perhaps Mr. Ingraham is afraid to offend the large investors involved?

Brave Headlines - The following morning newspaper headlines read that David Wallace, FNM MP for West End & Bimini; would do "all in his power" to stop the conveyor belt from going across the road. The FNM faithful mentioned in the story above is a key advisor to Wallace. By nightfall that evening, reliable sources tell us that a visibly shaken Wallace had been 'cussed out' by a high ranking Grand Bahama FNM MP and was busy backpedalling from his announced position, saying he now supported the project. Things that make you go, hmmm!

Town Meeting - That night, a town meeting was held concerning the belt. All Grand Bahama MPs with the exception of Lucaya's Neko Grant were present. Led by a nervous C.A. Smith and the apologetic Minister for Public Works and FNM MP for High Rock Ken Russell, they felt the heat as community members heard a proposal to lower the road by 2½ feet. This is a road that, even now, floods at the slightest rain. People from Dravo Bahamas Rock, the company who want the conveyor belt, were there. Personnel from the Grand Bahama Port Authority were there with a scale model and a slide presentation of the proposed conveyor. The Director of Public Works was there, reporting that questions concerning the safety of the project had been asked and that nothing would go forward until satisfactory answers had been provided. Said one highly concerned resident, "It seems like a big soft-sell job to me... These fellows already make their deal and now we have to do what we gatta do." Amen to that.

Against The Belt - Community activists from the PLP, the nascent CDR and 'PUMP', the Eight Mile Rock-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) leading the opposition to this project were also at the Town Meeting. PUMP leader Caleb Outten, to the cheers of the crowd, vowed that if the conveyor belt was built across the road he would "...get a twenty-foot ladder and a hacksaw and cut it down and when the police come I will go away peacefully and when they let me go I will go right back and continue to cut."

People's Plea - Lindy Russell, FNM MP for Eight Mile Rock lives in the constituency. At the town meeting, one constituent appealed to Mr. Russell: "You have to pass this to get home, Lindy - don't sell your people out. Stand up for us." The question now is, will they listen?

Freeport Clean-Up - The Freeport City Council held a town meeting this week about the clean-up campaign currently underway. Derelict vehicles are being moved by the hundreds and a "state-of-the-art" garbage facility is planned. Great stuff, as far as it goes, but the town meeting offered no evidence that officials know, or even care, that the choice of location identified as the site of the new facility is fraught with potential problems. It is proposed to put the new garbage facility on Grand Bahama Highway in the area of the city's farming community. What is the potential for ground spillage from the facility? What happens to fruits and vegetables grown on neighbouring farms when the ground and / or the water table beneath it is contaminated in this way? What about the potential effect on children using the neighbouring new Grand Bahama Sports Complex, already plagued by an intermittent foul stench from the nearby chicken farm which the Government seems helpless to do anything about?

Pleasant In; Mac Out - Minor ripples in the Grand Bahama political firmament this week as woman PLP luminary Pleasant Bridgewater accepts the party's nomination for the Marco City constituency. Former PLP candidate for Eight Mile Rock Reverend Freddie McAlpine announced his resignation from the PLP following the loss to Ms. Bridgewater of his bid to run for the Marco City constituency. While there are rumours of an independent run, Rev. McAlpine would say only that he would "let the people decide his fate...".

Still No Ambulance at EMR - At least a year after assurances from Minister for Health Dr. Ronnie Knowles, there is still no ambulance at the Government clinic in Eight Mile Rock and the clinic remains a '9 to 5' operation. The facility was supposed to have developed into a full-fledged 24 hour clinic to take pressure off the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport. The time it takes for an  ambulance to get from Freeport to Eight Mile Rock and back to the hospital could easily be the difference between life and death. The Rand has eight ambulances, while Eight Mile Rock which is the largest settlement in The Bahamas, has none.

Calling the Auditor-General - Our correspondents ranged across west Grand Bahama this week, checking the conveyor belt story, but found many other interesting things. Among them a persistent theme that funds in west Grand Bahama's Local Government budget are being mismanaged and should be investigated. Let's remember Prime Minister Ingraham's admonition in this regard: "If we catch anybody with their hand in the cookie jar, we gon chap it off."

Bound To Happen - We knew it, and so did everyone else in Grand Bahama. Someone has run into the fence erected across the road by the Resorts at Bahamia, formerly Princess Hotels. Tire marks could be seen in the road and the fence was banged down, no doubt because of the poor lighting and the lack of signage. Bad enough that a public thoroughfare has been annexed by a private company, but even worse not to be concerned for the public safety. More lights, signage and reflectors are needed or someone is going to eventually be killed or seriously injured. Here's an idea, why not just move the fence out of the public road?