NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
AN INTELLIGENT APPROACH TO WAR
Maureen
Dowd, a columnist for the Sunday New York Times, wrote about the American
campaign in Afghanistan in her column of Sunday 28 October. There was also
an article by Paul Krugman also on Sunday last called TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS.
The thrust of both efforts begs the question: is the United States fighting
an intelligent war? And is intelligent and dedicated leadership being
exercised in this campaign in Afghanistan by the so-called coalition?
The first cracks in the veneer seem to be showing with these articles popping up in the Op Ed press in the United States. The Bush Administration that tried to prepare the American public for a long, shadowy and tortuous campaign is losing some support amongst the intelligentsia and the political pundits. But the patriotic spirit is still strong and the voices are still muted.
Essentially the questions being asked are: why is this primitive country being bombed into the dust without any clearly visible results and with significant suffering by civilian populations? Is the business community in the United States taking unfair advantage of patriotism at this time, in fact cynically helping to whip it up, and pocketing the profits?
On the fighting of the war, Ms. Dowd quotes Rudyard Kipling from the novel Kim: "Certain things are not known to those who eat with forks."
The message there is that the psychology of this war must attune itself to the events and circumstances on the ground. Talk of ground troops, high tech war and all that in the face of an enemy, whose psychology and social values are completely different from yours, rings hollow. It should have been the lesson the United States learned in Vietnam. And so the word quagmire is again popping up into the public lexicon. It also says that the leadership of such an effort must be intelligent and have it deep down in the pit of their minds, not relying on advisors. Advisors can only help you so far. What if this problem instead were looked at as a criminal justice problem. You would then go and find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The grander themes would be put to one side for a limited effort to contain the criminal behaviour and punish it and those responsible.
As for the business community, one was, to say the least, shocked by the gall of the airline industry. The bodies were not even cold yet, and they were on TV shopping around at the weakest moment for their country looking for money to prop themselves up. And at the weakest moment a Government that is business dominated gave the industry without conditions 15 billion dollars in aid. Glory be!
Says Mr. Krugman: "Cynics tell us that money has completely corrupted our policies, that in the last election big corporations basically bought themselves a government that will serve their interests."
This week we had 20,010 hits on this site for the week ending Saturday 3 November at midnight. For the month ending Wednesday 31 October we had 112,148 hits on the site. We had a total of 7,796 hits on the site for the month of November.
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
For a photo essay on the funeral of Archdeacon William Thompson. Click here.
 |
 |
| Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting | Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral |
| Site Links | |
| The PLP Position on Clifton | |
| http://www.johngfcarey.com/ | Thought provoking columns |
| http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/2477/index.html | Canadian contacts Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| http://members.tripod.com/~xtremesp/wolf.html | Bahamian Cycling News |
| http://www.bahamiansonline.com/ | Links to Bahamians on the web |
| http://www.bahamanet.com/JujuTree.cfm | Politics Forum |
| http://www.jameshepple.com/ | Tourism Statistics |
| http://www.briland.com/ | Harbour Island Site |
TUESDAY
HURRICANE UPDATE FROM NASSAU
New Providence remained 60 percent in darkness with no electricity
as night fell Tuesday 6 November. Thousands of telephones are still
out of order and many struggled with no water or low water pressure in
the aftermath of hurricane Michelle. Monday 5 November, winds gusting
to over 100 mph battered the island capital leaving the roads littered
with trees, pieces of damaged buildings and other jetsam from the high
winds. Flooding, particularly in the south of the island, hampered
travel. Banks and Government offices remained closed, with the Police,
the Defence Force and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation calling for people
to remain in their homes to allow for the clearing of the roads and the
restoration of utilities. BEC estimated that most people would have
electrical power within two days.
DION
FOULKES DISINFORMS
The headline in The Punch of Thursday 1 November said that there was
a war going on between Bradley Roberts, the voluble PLP Chairman and Perry
Christie, its leader. They were predicting that Mr. Roberts was making
a bid for the leadership. At the weekly press briefing of the PLP,
by the Chairman, he denied The Punch's story. C.B. Moss, the PLP's
candidate for Bain Town also denied the Punch's assertion that the PLP's
leader Perry Christie did not support him. He said that Mr. Christie
fully supported his nomination. Now what is happening here is that
this is a disinformation campaign by the master of disinformation Dion
Foulkes. What he is doing is creating a red herring. The report
is that he paid a visit to my cousin Ivan Johnson who runs The Punch and
gave him the so-called full story on his house. The reason the house
came up is because he is building a new home reportedly costing in excess
of a million dollars, three stories on a hill with an ocean view.
The PLP's newspaper on Monday 29 October carried a full story about the
house under the banner: SHAME AND SCANDAL IN THE FAMILY. Mr. Foulkes
was so shaken by the story that when he saw an advance copy he rang PLP
leader Perry Christie to demand of him whether or not Mr. Christie supported
the story. He reportedly told Mr. Christie: "that he never thought
he would see the day when the PLP's official newspaper would sink lower
than the Black Belt news." Black Belt news is a tabloid published
by political activist Gorman Bannister, known for its peppery style.
Mr. Foulkes also told Mr. Christie that after the boundary exercise on
which he is an FNM member, Mr. Christie and this senator would be the only
ones "f…ed by the exercise". The Punch carried the story that contrary
to the PLP's position Mr. Foulkes house cost with the land less than 500,000
dollars. They also claimed that Mr. Foulkes makes some $8,000 per
month and his wife has a "good salary". That the mortgage is $5,000
per month. The Punch's story claimed that the house only has a partial
ocean view. This is contrary to the information that the house was
being built out of pocket even though a mortgage had been secured.
The reports say the Minister has refused to draw down the mortgage because
he does not need the money. Perry Christie, Leader of the PLP, speaking
at a meeting of the Montagu branch of the PLP spoke about Mr. Foulkes'
house. He said that he (Perry Christie) had been working for nearly
three decades. He had been a Minister and Member of the House.
His wife too has a good salary and he can't figure out on that salary how
to build a million-dollar house. He said Mr. Foulkes was a minister
of the Government only since 1997 who left substantial debts in his last
law firm, and had no huge income to think of before that, who is supposed
to be living off a ministerial salary but building a million dollar home.
The criticism is obviously stinging Mr. Foulkes even though he publicly
shows bravado and says he has nothing about which to worry. Thus
the disinformation in The Punch. PLP's would be foolish to answer that
disinformation.
PUBLIC
ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE MEETS
The Opposition has the majority on the Public Accounts Committee of
the Bahamas House of Assembly. The five member committee includes
Bradley Roberts PLP Chair, Philip Galanis PLP Englerston; Perry Christie,
Leader PLP and for the FNM Elliott Lockhart and Anthony Miller. The
Committee's report has been delayed while Frank Watson who is accused of
acts of corruption puts together a defence. It appears after the
meeting of Tuesday 30 October at the House that Mr. Watson's defence has
collapsed. The Committee as we went to press was waiting to hear
from Mr. Watson if he wishes to reply to any of the Committee's preliminary
conclusions. If not, the Committee is expected to report on Wednesday
7 November when the House next meets. We expect that the Prime Minister
will lean on Elliott Lockhart to do a minority report. The other
thing is the report is likely to be condemnatory in that it appears that
the Prime Minister was aware of the shenanigans of Mr. Watson. Look
to Mr. Ingraham using a parliamentary maneuver to stop it from seeing the
light of day.
BRADLEY
ROBERTS-- CORRUPTION IN IMMIGRATION
Bradley Roberts, the Chairman of the PLP, has called for answers into
how it is that scores of Mexican workers are on a local job site for the
Ministry of Education's new headquarters on John F. Kennedy Drive, while
Bahamian workers are sitting idly with no work to do. Unemployment
rolls are increasing every day, and there are at least 50 air conditioning
firms listed in The Bahamas said Mr. Roberts. He said there was no
need for Mexican workers to be installing air conditioning systems. Click
here for the full press release.
CONSTITUENCIES
COMMISSION
The Constituencies Commission has completed its work in a manner of
speaking. True to form, the personal spite of Mr. Ingraham has butchered
the constituencies of Ft. Charlotte, Fox Hill, Holy Cross and Centreville.
The Fox Hill maneuver is an exercise of pure hate on the part of the Prime
Minister and latterly Dion Foulkes. But you know love always wins
over hate. So let them hate. The Shirlea seat has been eliminated,
in order to cause Pierre Dupuch, the incumbent, to be eliminated from politics.
Polling divisions 1 to 10 of Shirlea, only two are left; all go into the
constituency of Centreville. So what is actually Centreville is really
Shirlea. It is absolutely perverse. We in the PLP are going
to kick their asses anyway.
CORPORATE
WELFARE
We again raise the question of the request by The Bahamas International
Stock Exchange (BISX) to get the Government to kick in two million dollars
to help them over their difficulties. BISX that hires less than ten
people wants the Government to help them because their investment in the
stock exchange went bad. Let me make this clear, within PLP circles
there is no sympathy for this group. They are the champions of the
free market. Now let them eat their free market principles.
If they don't make it; too bad. When one thinks of the absolute contempt
this group has had for the PLP. The businesses that support it will
give no political campaign contributions to the PLP. Almost exclusively
they will go to the FNM. Why should the PLP support them at all?
But when one also thinks that down in Fox Hill, there is a man 63 years
of age who is ill and unable to get around and who lives in a bus. He can't
get about. We have repeatedly told Social Services about this but
they have done nothing to help. And the Government can't help that
man but must go into the coffers and give BISX, a group of rich men in
a bad investment two million dollars of taxpayer's money? They must
be nuts. They had better have a talk with Perry Christie.
THE PM
IS SERVED
Talk about funny stories. The Attorneys for Mohammed Harajchi
have served the Prime Minister with the promised writ. You will remember
that the Prime Minister at the prayer service held to commemorate the opening
of the new straw market allegedly defamed Mr. Harajchi. (Click
here for that part of the story). Derek Ryan, the attorney for
Mr. Harajchi, the proprietor of Suisse Security Bank and Trust, now being
wound up by the Central Bank, issued the writ. Problem is he could
not find a regular process server to serve Mr. Ingraham. Each police
officer asked refused to do so. But Rodney Moncur, the political
activist, taxi driver and all round intervener was ready willing and able.
Said Mr. Moncur to The Tribune: "I know the Prime Minister well and it
has done nothing to harm my friendship with him." Mr. Moncur said
that the Prime Minister was served in front of the Churchill Building.
He refused to take it personally. Mr. Moncur said that the Prime
Minister said that he could not serve a writ on the Prime Minister.
Mr. Moncur said that he replied: "Don't say that. They are paying
me well to do this." Mr. Moncur then said the Prime Minister got
into an unmarked car and asked him to place it on the vehicle. Whereupon
Mr. Moncur placed it on the floor between the legs of Mr. Ingraham.
Concluded Mr. Moncur: "I know the Prime Minister very well and it was all
done in a very amicable way and with as much dignity as possible."
The writ was served on 16 October. No word from Mr. Ingraham what
he plans to do. What I think is that he is going to say that when
he spoke, he was speaking as Prime Minister and that the country has to
defend him. You believe that! Of course that is bull crap but with
him anything goes. And also by the way, there is no rule that you
cannot serve a writ on the Prime Minister.
COMPTROLLER
WANTS $300 EXEMPTION REDUCED TO $50
John Rolle, the Comptroller of Customs, spoke to The Tribune on Tuesday
30 October to confirm what had been speculated in the press. He said
that he was about to put a formal proposal to the Minister of Finance to
reduce the Customs Duties exemption for goods accompanying travellers down
from the $300 per time twice per year to $50 per time twice per year.
Julian Francis, the Governor of the Central Bank, apparently supports this
move. The rationale is misguided in that they claim that this will
cause people to buy goods at home. We want to encourage the FNM to
do this. They will truly be finished politically on this one.
It is a naked scheme to help their merchant class friends. People
should not be denied the small exemption they have. Further, all
reducing the exemption is going to do is encourage smuggling and corruption
of public officers. Further, even if the policy had the desirable
affect of getting people to shop at home, the merchants cannot meet the
demand of the Bahamian public either in terms of variety or volume.
BAHAMIAN
MALE SEX HABITS
In response to the rapid rise in sexually transmitted disease, the
Ministry of Health has announced that it will undertake a comprehensive
programme on male reproductive health in The Bahamas. This will include
a programme on abstinence. Minister of Health Ronnie Knowles says
that sexual abstinence will be promoted as the first choice among young
men. Good luck to him! But the programme needs to improve knowledge
about how to stay healthy.
ROYAL
BANK OF SCOTLAND IS CLOSING
One wonders whether or not the Governor of the Central Bank is happy
that the Royal Bank of Scotland is closing its doors in The Bahamas after
nearly three decades in the country. We say this not to be cheeky
but because the Governor of the Bank Julian Francis has been saying some
peculiar things lately. One of which was while speaking at the American
Men's Club on Tuesday 30 October, Mr. Francis confirmed that there had
been a fall off in International Business companies of about 80 per cent
since the new regulatory regime in The Bahamas. The Governor said
the following: "I think that is entirely desirable. In fact that
is what we wanted to happen." We find that an incredible statement.
He went on: "We didn't think that it was consistent with good, responsible
management to have during the course of a year about 60,000 companies being
incorporated." He said that the fact that IBC 's bring in only $150
in revenue to the Registrar General's office was not enough to allow the
reputation of The Bahamas to be damaged. But this of course does
not take into account the knock on effects of the IBC business. The
fact that people are hired. Professionals obtain business and make
money in the country. We can't see how it would be undesirable.
The fact is that The Bahamas has a way of life. That way of life
is punctuated by lack of regulation and privacy. The Bahamas Government
has been complicit in trying to alter that way of life and it must be resisted.
So we ask again, we don't know whether the regulatory regime is responsible
for the closing of the Bank of Scotland, and the 23 persons who will be
laid off by the end of November just before Christmas, but we ask the Governor
of the Central Bank whether the closing of Bank of Scotland is also desirable.
JULIAN
FRANCIS ON FOREIGN LAWYERS
The Governor of the Central Bank now says (The Tribune Friday 2 November)
that he supports the idea of foreign lawyers practicing in The Bahamas
in order to give internationally based clients a level of comfort with
the services provided in The Bahamas. Not one Government of The Bahamas
has supported that, not even the dreaded UBP. Right now foreign lawyers
can join Bahamian law firms on work permits. They can also work for
the Government. They can act as Judges. They also can serve
as registered associates, on a work permit. If there is a special
need, they can be specially called to The Bahamas Bar. So there is
no need to change the law. Mr. Francis ought to think again.
Mr. Francis applauded Lennox Paton, the Bahamian law firm that recently
opened a firm in London to help attract business to The Bahamas.
We support that and we also support joint ventures with law firms from
outside the country, but no wholesale change in the law to allow foreign
lawyers to practice at the Bar. Bahamianization has caused so many
people to get where they are but as soon as one gets to the top there is
a tendency to forget how we got where we did.
NO
POWER, NO WATER
The continued deterioration of the utilities in The Bahamas must be
noted. Remember it was the Governor of the Central Bank who told
us that we wasted out money over the last ten years. He was of course
talking to the Government not to us broke mortals. But the evidence
is there for all to see: BaTelCo can't give you an instant connection even
in The Bahamas from one phone within the island to another. The residents
of the low cost housing subdivision in Blueberry Hill have been without
water for four days as of the writing of this piece. And the problem
is no one from Water and Sewerage will come to fix it. Now the worst
offender has got to be Bahamas Electricity Corporation. A friend
of ours said recently that this nation cannot progress without a reliable
supply of electricity. I agree. It is frustrating. The
power went off for two hours at 2:30 a.m. on Friday 2 November. And
there is no reason given. I am beginning to believe that we must
take away the monopoly for the supply of power from BEC.
JEANNIE
THOMPSON'S CHAMBERS DISSOLVING
There was a terse announcement in the press on Thursday 2 November
that Jeanne Thompson who has been a practicing attorney and some time journalist
since 1964 is dissolving her practice. The practice is to be taken
over by Lockhart and Munroe, the chambers of Elliott Lockhart, the MP for
Exuma and also the chambers of Winston Saunders, Ms. Thompson's friend
and ally. It appears that Ms. Thompson is to join the Supreme Court
bench as at 1 January. At long last Jeanne. Congratulations
and we will miss you at the private bar.
AUSTIN
DAVIS LEAVES THE LAW SCHOOL
The Eugene Dupuch Law School has said good bye to Justice Austin Davis,
its first principal. The Justice took at least a three-year leave
of absence from the Bench to head the school. Now he is back on the
bench. Things that make you go: hmmm!
DEVARD
DARLING CLEARED FOR FOOTBALL PLAY
The family of the late twin brother Devaughn Darling is suing Florida
State University. They are suing because they believe that FSU was
in some way culpable in the death of Devaughn who died on 26 February in
the midst of a football practice. Mr. Darling had the sickle cell
trait and it is believed that may have contributed to his sudden death.
Frank Rutherford, the Olympic bronze medallist of 1996 is a relative of
the Darlings and has been defending the lawsuit in public. A family
row broke out. Mr. Darling Sr. took issue with Mr. Rutherford speaking
on behalf of the family and told Mr. Rutherford to keep his mouth shut.
In fact, Mr. Darling Sr. threatened a lawsuit to restrain Mr. Rutherford.
As you know in Bahamian law when a lawful son dies without a will and no
lawful issue (children), the person who is the heir at law to his estate
is the father if he is still alive. Mr. Darling's divorced wife and
his other two sons snapped back immediately and said that they supported
Mr. Rutherford; that he was authorized to speak on their behalf.
They went further and said that Mr. Rutherford had been there when they
needed him and that he had been a father figure to them. Ouch! It
appears that there are hard feelings between the sides of the family since
the parents divorced. This is an unfortunate airing of their dirty
linen in public, but just one of those things we guess. On the bright
side, Washington State the new school of the other twin brother has reportedly
cleared Devard for play on the school's football team. Good luck
to him!
CONGRATULATIONS
TO ALBERT MILLER
The employees of the Grand Bahama Port Authority held a surprise party
for Albert Miller, the Co-chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority.
He has had 30 years of dedicated service to the company. The Tribune
showed photos of the event. Mr. Miller has been talking of retiring but
the word is that Co-Chair and shareholder of the Port, Edward St. George
says that Mr. Miller can only retire when he Edward retires. Edward
is still saying that he is around until the year 2054 when the exclusive
licence for the Port Authority from the Government runs out. Mr. Miller
is pictured at the party in this Tribune photo.
THANK
YOU ED BURNS OF MASSACHUSETTS
Ed Burns is a Sheriff in Middlesex County in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He is also a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government's class of 1980.
He is therefore a classmate. And each time, I visit Boston for one
of the twice-yearly meetings at Harvard, he takes time out from his duties
at the County Jail to take me around or anyone who is visiting with me.
He has a profound knowledge of the history of Boston, Cambridge and Massachusetts.
Thank you for your help this last visit. I was in Cambridge for the
annual Public Service Dinner of the Kennedy School and for one of the twice-yearly
meetings of the Alumni Executive Council of the Kennedy School of which
I am the Chairman.
GRAVE DESECRATION
Last week, you might remember we extended our condolences to the family
of our late cousin-in-law Seigfried Wilson. He was buried in the
Eastern Cemetery from St. Matthew's Church (not St. George's as reported
earlier) on Saturday 27 October. But we were shocked when we read
The Tribune on Friday 2 November to read that the grave next to his had
been desecrated on Wednesday 31 October, Halloween night. The Tribune
carried a picture of the Wilson grave that really upset his family.
Unfortunately there is no legal recourse for that. But what is shocking
is that in the grave next to his the perpetrators broke into the grave,
entered the coffin and took the body of the person out and splayed parts
of the body on top of the grave. This is gross, disgraceful and the
police believe is part of some kind of satanic ritual. They say that
Halloween this year also had a full moon for the first time in 46 years.
So one supposes all the crazies were out.
PARTYING
GG
Sir Orville Turnquest, the departing Governor General, has virtually
had a party every night since he announced that he is leaving office on
13 November. He had the Leaders of political parties up for dinner
on Wednesday 31 October. We guess that was the best trick or treat
night the Leaders could have. When Sir Orville has demitted office,
many people including the biased press of The Bahamas will say that he
leaves a legacy of bringing dignity to Government House and also allowing
the use of Government House by the common man. No one talks about
what an insult that is to his immediate predecessor Sir Clifford Darling
who because he was appointed by the PLP was forced from office, and who
while he was there under the FNM could not get any funds to repair Government
House even after desperate pleas. They made it so uncomfortable for
him. For example they ran him off to Canada on their first day for
the opening of Parliament in 1992. For our money the GG to end all
GGs was Gerald Cash, and there was no reason for the PLP to have caused
him to leave. And for our money the legacy of the present GG will
be parties and more parties.
NEWS
FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Tommyavelli - Further confirmation of the story last week in
our main website that FNM leader-elect Tommy Turnquest is set to move against
his embattled deputy Dion Foulkes. Political sources in Grand Bahama
confirm that Tommy is actively seeking to sink Dion and replace him as
deputy leader-elect with ousted minister Algernon Allen. "It has
all the earmarks of a classic Ingraham move," said one seasoned observer,
"...the only thing is that Dion is planning to spill beans on Tommy...
I predict that he won't go down alone." It is common knowledge in
political circles, though, that Dion Foulkes continues to see his election
as deputy leader-in-waiting as a mere way station on the journey to the
top of the FNM. There are also now reports that in preparation for
his ultimate goal, Foulkes has seized the party machinery and nothing can
happen internally without his express approval. Things that make
you go hmmm!
"Don't Do It, Vikey!" - FNM Senator Edwin 'Vikey' Brown was home in Grand Bahama this past week. Vikey is said to have been canvassing supporters and trusted FNM power brokers here for advice about his foreshadowed move to try to supplant Tennyson Wells as the FNM's candidate for Bamboo Town. The resounding and universal answer was "Don't do it, Vikey!" It remains to be seen whether Brown will follow that sage advice.
Help For Wallace in West End - Apart from the demonstration of a bald-faced exercise in gerrymandering, the FNM's cutting of the constituency boundaries before a General Election also tells the world of their deepest fears. Senator Obie Wilchcombe is one of those deepest fears threatening as he is to displace the FNM's representative for West End & Bimini David Wallace. Ta-ta! Don't worry David, help is on the way. The final 'recommendations' of the Constituencies Commission gerrymanders a large part of the neighbouring Eight Mile Rock into West End in a vain effort to protect and preserve Wallace's failing stewardship in the area. It won't work guys, it just won't work.
Universal Disapproval - A local Grand Bahama vendor in the know tells News From Grand Bahama that he's never seen anything like it in his 30 years in Freeport. "They still insist on calling this 'FNM Country', but every single former FNM general that I've run across is either not registered, not voting or not voting for the FNM." Wow. Even when you make the necessary adjustment for political disinformation, that's saying something.
Iris Out? - Director of Education, controversial civil servant, sister of former Minister turned FNM whistleblower Tennyson Wells, Iris Pinder is in the news again. Mrs. Pinder, well known in Grand Bahama from her stint as principal at Eight Mile Rock High School is said to be the target of a coming attack on her position in the civil service. Well-placed sources tell News From Grand Bahama that Mrs. Pinder is to be transferred against her will "after a decent interval" to a do-nothing job in another Government ministry. Why? 'Punishment' for her perceived and alleged - but hotly denied - role in providing damaging inside information to her brother for his disclosure of alleged improprieties in the dispensation of Ministry of Education Contracts. Minister of Education Dion Foulkes is still trying to sort through the fallout from those damaging allegations.
Ghost Town - At 'Our' Lucaya, it's worse that we think.
A twenty minute walk from one end of the Lucaya hotel strip to the next
turned up exactly three tourists on a balmy and pleasant autumn evening.
A stop at one of the main and popular bars in the hotel revealed that the
bartender could not even change a one hundred dollar bill. The credit
card machine was so infrequently used, it apparently wasn't even programmed
for service. In the midst of bowls of fresh fruit in the public areas,
expensive new imported vegetation and endless but empty well-lit sidewalks
faced with native stone, we ended up bartering away a gentleman's cigar
in exchange for the drink. A shocking interlude indeed.
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
MICHELLE’S BLOW
This
time, instead of moving inland, I decided that I would sit the storm out
in my own flat, on the third floor of an Eastern Road building, facing
the Eastern Harbour of New Providence. Last time, during Floyd, I ran inland.
Floyd that had hundred miles an hour winds did not damage at all.
Water all over the floor that I surmised came under the door sill.
Simple enough to keep that at bay the next time. To be frank, I hardly
pay attention to hurricanes at all.
Well we can't quite say it's a mistake but I didn't pay any attention to this one either. And to the amusement of my friends, I was even surprised that a hurricane was on the way. Of course, the darn thing picked up speed. At first it was creeping along behind Cuba at 3 miles per hour and expected to reach us late Monday 5 November (Guy Fawkes Day, when I planned to burn Hubert Ingraham in effigy). The hurricane's speed changed to 20 miles per hour and it came with its full force on New Providence and Andros on Monday morning around 7:30 a.m. And did it blow.
Then at about 11:30 a.m. there was a calm. The wind died. The trees stopped swaying. The sun came out. The people in their cars started surveying the events. The Nassau Met Office, which is not usually relied on by Bahamians, told us not to venture outdoors because the eye was passing over us. It was a wide eye of 40 miles or so. But no, we (not me) all came wandering out. Then came at 12:30 p.m. what has now become known as the second blow. My father! I should have moved inland.
Water
beat in from everywhere. No buckets could hold it. No newspapers
could sop it up. No towels could hold it back. And I stood
at the sliding glass door, looking toward Paradise Island that I could
no longer see and it looked like at any moment as if the glass door would
pop out of its frame and slam against the back wall. Guess what.
It didn't happen. Two hours later, the wind stopped. Gusts
were up to 100 miles per hour.
The wind reminded me of one of those mindless potcake dogs that we have in Nassau who bark with ferocity as you approach their yard, and cannot be controlled by their owners. They may even nip you if they get close enough, and then their fear and anger subsides but every once in a while they growl and bark as if to leave a final impression. And so it was with Hurricane Michelle. We report on some of the fallout below.
This week we had 20,162 hits on the site for the week ending 10 November 2001 at midnight. That makes a total of 27,992 hits for the month of November. 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
For a photo essay on the funeral of Archdeacon William Thompson. Click here.
|
|
| Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting | Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral |
| Site Links | |
| The PLP Position on Clifton | |
| http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/2477/index.html | Canadian contacts Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| http://members.tripod.com/~xtremesp/wolf.html | Bahamian Cycling News |
| http://www.bahamiansonline.com/ | Links to Bahamians on the web |
| http://www.bahamanet.com/JujuTree.cfm | Politics Forum |
| http://www.briland.com/ | Harbour Island Site |
WHAT
THE STORM DID
The
Nassau Guardian led with the headline: DEVASTATED. In the end that was
a bit over the top to describe what happened during the hurricane.
Clearly both the physical elements and the people of the country along
with the emergency services were used to what faced us. Remember
we have had three hurricanes in ten years: Andrew in 1992; Floyd in 1999
and now Michelle in 2001. We simply intersperse this report with pictures
of the damage by the various newspapers and their photographers. Some were
saying Hubert Ingraham came in on a hurricane and is going out on a hurricane.
But there was still much to be desired of our emergency services.
And once again, we were simply fortunate that there was no loss of life.
There was just some flooding in areas. No doubt the material costs
are significant but nothing compared to what has happened in some other
countries in the past. We all survived. Tribune photo by Felipe
Major.
HOW
THE CORPORATIONS PERFORMED
Bahamas Electricity Corporation got mixed reviews. Some people
had power throughout the hurricane. Most of the island, however,
plunged into darkness one quarter of the way into the first blow.
An investigation has now been ordered by the Prime Minister. There
is some suggestion that it had little to do with downed power lines but
with the inability of BEC to provide generating capacity. BEC’s explanation
was that the pumps that operated to keep water out from around the generators
broke down. They were not sure whether it was their fault of whether
it was sabotage. But that seems to be the reason for the power failure.
BaTelCo came out smiling. Very few problems for them. This
time, unlike with Hurricane Floyd they remembered to keep their emergency
generators in good repair so that their batteries in the central telephone
system remained up. Most people had phone service throughout.
Congratulations to them. The Water and Sewerage Corporation did not
fare well. There had been a run of bad weather that had already forced
them to cut back on water, leaving some places out in eastern New Providence
high and dry for half of each day. But after the hurricane struck,
some people were out of water up to the time of this uploading of the site.
But the worst of all the public corporations was the Broadcasting Corporation's
1540 A.M. national service that broadcasts a clear channel of 50,000 watts.
Useless! Was knocked off the air in the middle of the storm and did
not come on again until late evening. Plenty of excuses but it was
fumble, fumble, fumble. That was the first time in the history of
the Corporation that was started in 1936 specifically to provide weather
information that the station was knocked off the air during a storm.
Lawdy be! Hubert Ingraham, the lame duck Prime Minister, was fuming
mad. He started mouthing off to friends about regretting his new
choice for Director of News. That got to us immediately. He
didn't like the fact that the Director of News Darrold Miller spent the
hurricane in Andros when the eye of the storm was in New Providence.
As for his part, Mr. Miller seemed quite unfazed by all the flap.
THROW
JONAH OVERBOARD
We
said in an earlier piece how some are saying that Hubert Ingraham came
into office with a hurricane (Hurricane Andrew) and now will go out with
one. But this writer talks with more frank company. Friends
said this. The Prime Minister has jinxed the country: fire, pestilence
and flood. All we have to do now is break out like Job in boils.
And now we have wasted the seven years of plenty and are into the seven
years of famine. We should be like the brothers of Joseph, sell him
into slavery. But they also had another apt analogy from The Bible.
Ingraham is a Jonah and like Jonah we need to throw him overboard to calm
the storm. Tribune photo by Felipe Major.
THE
HURRICANE'S ECONOMIC FALLOUT
When
the events of 11 September occurred in New York, every man and his brother
blamed whatever tragedy and misfortune befell them economically on the
World Trade Centre bombing. In our law office we were about to put
up a sign ourselves saying that due to World Trade Centre bombing our rates
were going up by ten per cent. Judge now what the affect of the hurricane
will be in Nassau. We at Gwendolyn House saw substantial flood damage
in one of our buildings. This will require complete new carpets,
a raised floor and new furniture -- it appears. No one knows
whether or not the insurers will cover any of it. But it needs to
be replaced. But more importantly in terms of economic fallout,
is what the Government had to say. The Prime Minister told the nation
by national address on radio on Thursday 8 November that the budget that
his genius Minister of Finance had so faithfully promised would be a balanced
budget was blown. He blamed the events of 11 September and now he
blames the hurricane. The Prime Minister says that the budget will
be in deficit some 80 million dollars on the recurrent side. We have
been told that civil servants have been told to expect no increments,
no raises in pay. There is to be no new hiring. All travel
is restricted for civil servants. All in-service awards are cancelled.
And so the low level civil servant must now suffer for the extravagances
in the past of the Government. Remember that the FNM as late as the
summer of this year was busy using public money to buy votes to get their
new leaders in place. But now having squandered public funds, they
say that there have to be cut backs. It is also a fact that the drop
in revenue, some 11 million dollars by some accounts in the first fiscal
quarter this year over last year, came well before 11 September.
Something just seems terribly wrong that the Government must now go hat
in hand begging for 100 million dollars U.S. The Prime Minister said
that there are certain notes that come due from a loan to building Packing
Houses, contracted by the PLP in the 1980s. The Government has to
use immediately 41 million of that 100 million to pay those due notes.
The rest will be for relief. The Prime Minister also predicted that
unemployment would rise from what he said is now 6.9 per cent. Presumably,
the Prime Minister and his Ministers will be part of that rise in unemployment
early next year. Guardian photo by Donald Knowles.
THE
GRAND HOTEL CLOSES AGAIN
There is some confusion about the length of time. The Prime Minister
said in his statement in Parliament on Wednesday 7 November that the Grand
Hotel on Paradise Island will be closed for a month. But that is
not the message that the employees got. They were told that they
are on furlough indefinitely. The hotel says that it will take until
at least until January before the repairs to the hole are done. What
repairs? Hurricane Michelle seriously damaged the Grand Hotel, two
years and some after the serious damage of Hurricane Floyd. The hotel
had already been suffering with occupancy rates as low as 11 per cent since
the 11 September attack in New York. The employees have been told
that they can either pick up their final package or take their chance with
the furlough. There is a real tale of woes going around the constituency
of Fox Hill where many Grand workers live. People are behind on their
mortgages and light bills, after months of working two days a week.
The workers are unhappy that the Union does not appear to be able to assist
as they expect.
DESECRATION
OF ST. AGNES
St. Agnes Anglican Church lost its former Rector Archdeacon William
Thompson one year and a half ago. It was a great loss. Now
we have to face the indignity of the desecration of the sanctuaries of
the main altar and the side chapel of Our Lady. This was on the day
of the storm 5 November. During the eye of the storm, when there
was a lull, members flocked to St. Agnes by the score to see for themselves
the evil damage that had been done. No one has yet been arrested.
This has the community concerned coming especially on the heels of the
desecration of a grave in the Eastern Cemetery just a week ago (see
last weeks story click here).
DION
SENT PACKING?
You
can always tell when the politics of the country is getting too hot.
All the executives from the times of those old British Governors in the
19th century did it. The UBP did it. Pindling did it!
When the House of Assembly became too rowdy, they simply prorogued the
Parliament for long periods of time, until passions cooled. In these
times, they don't prorogue Parliament, they just have long recesses.
And so Hubert Ingraham who promised that he would pass the labour bills
into law by Labour Day 2000 and has failed to do so; who promised to pass
the inheritance bills into law before the end of the year and has failed
to do so; who is now circulating proposed amendments to the constitution
(no joke), has now sent the House into recess until 21 November.
The talk is that this is to allow the heat to cool down on his Minister
of Education Dion Foulkes. Mr. Foulkes is under the threat of allegations
of corruption in the awarding of contracts to delegates to the FNM convention
to elect him Deputy Leader designate. The talk in FNM circles is
that it is absolutely shameless how the Prime Minister and the Minister
of Education are trying to set up Creswell Sturrup the Permanent Secretary
to take the fall for the awarding of the contracts. They also want
to ditch Director of Education Iris Pinder, the sister of the dissident
FNM MP Tennyson Wells, saying that she leaked the information on corruption
to her brother. Further, Dion has jumped on the plane and gone to
be with Daddy in Europe. Arthur (excuse me “Sir”) Foulkes is now
in Britain. He received his tap on the shoulder with the Queen's
sword to become officially a knight on Friday 9 November, the same day
Sir Tiny, the Governor General, was bidding old Queenie an official good
bye. The younger Foulkes was told to stay out of Dodge for two weeks, and
don't come back until the House meets. When the House meets it will
deal with the constituency boundaries. Guardian photo of Minister
Foulkes and Permanent Secretary Sturrup at a recent news conference by
Patrick Hanna.
THE
CONSTITUENCIES COMMISSION
The meeting of the Constituencies Commission scheduled for Monday 5
November at 4 p.m. was postponed because of the Hurricane. But the
majority on the Commission called a meeting together on Wednesday 7th November,
shortly after the meeting of the House of Assembly on that day. The
House had to sit and listen to Hubert Ingraham drone on about the effects
of the hurricane and what relief the Government promised for the people.
Mr. Ingraham has become a bit of a joke these days. He was on national
radio and TV on the morning that the storm hit giving the weather forecast.
So now in addition to Chief Inspector Ingraham running the murder investigation
into the death of two tourists (remember that in September 2000), we now
have Chief Weatherman Hubert Ingraham telling us in a national address
where the eye of the storm is going to be and at what time. A Prime
Minister obviously has nothing better to do. So the House adjourned
at 3 p.m. and the Commission met at 4 p.m. The result is a cobbled up compromise
that the PLP’s member Bradley Roberts signed with the clear understanding
and undertaking by the majority on the Commission that it would not be
disturbed by the Prime Minister pursuant to his powers under the Constitution.
Almost as soon as the deal was struck, word got out that Mr. Ingraham promised
to change the deal as soon as it gets to him. Well we will all see
by 21 November. The Constitution says that if Mr. Ingraham proposes
changes, he should give a statement as to why he is proposing to modify
the Commission's report. Two interesting side notes to the Commission's
activities. Commission member Supreme Court Justice Ricardo Marques
warned Commission members that in future they must act in the best interests
of the electorate and not of the parties that appoint them. He said that
even though they are appointed by their parties, they are Commission members
and must act in the best interests of the Commission not of their parties.
Things that make you go: hmmm! But the interesting one was Tommy
Turnquest who felt that there had been a breach of the security of the
Commission's proceedings because Larry Wilmott, the Chair of the PLP Fox
Hill, made the point in his petition with 10 other Fox Hill residents that
he had seen the proposals to change Fox Hill. Mr. Turnquest thought
that there ought to be an investigation of that breach in security.
Things that make you: hmmm!
WHEN
WILL THE ELECTION BE?
With the fact that the constituency boundaries will not be settled
until at least 21st November, that effectively means that barring an aberration,
the general election cannot be called this year. If the boundaries
were settled on 21st November it would take some time for the administrative
machinery to change the issued cards to their new constituencies and polling
divisions. But even if all that were done, there must be at least
four weeks for nominations and a campaign. That will mean a Christmas
election. Unlikely, say the pundits. So they now think that
it will be run out to the end, as the PM said, on or before 14 March 2002.
Remember that if he does not dissolve Parliament by 8 April 2002, Parliament
stands automatically dissolved. Some talk amongst FNM die-hards that
they ought to use the emergency powers under article 29 of the constitution
to put off elections for another two years. They will use 11 September
as the reason. Bad idea. Thumbs down!
CONGRATULATIONS
TO REV. RAYMOND NEILLY
The Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie, raised a Methodist by
his late mother, in the Rhodes Methodist Church was there. Rev. Raymond
Neilly has been installed as the head of the Methodist Church of the Caribbean
and the Americas, known as the West Indian Methodists on Sunday 4th November.
You will remember that there was a split in the Methodist Church in The
Bahamas that is still working its way through the Courts. The Bahamian
Methodist Branch is headed by Rev. Charles Sweeting. But none of
the bitterness of the split was in evidence as the splendid but simple
ceremony to induct the Rev. Neilly took place.
CUSTOMS
EXEMPTION TO STAY
Rats, they didn't do it! Last week, we reported here how the
Comptroller of Customs John Rolle recommended to the Government, supported
by Central Bank Governor Julian Francis, that the customs duty exemption
for travellers with accompanied baggage be reduced from $300 twice per
year to $50 twice per year. The Prime Minister speaking to the nation
on Tuesday 8 November said that he had given it careful consideration and
decided that even though the Government needed the revenue they would leave
things as they are. We were hoping that they did it. Politically
they would have been finished. But I think that they are just waiting
until Christmas is over and then the hammer will come down.
CALL
TO LAWYER HEAVEN
We neglected to offer our congratulations to Samuel Rahming on his
being called to the Bar of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The Bahama
Journal published a full photo of Mr. Rahming with others who were called
to the Bar on Friday 26th October. Mr. Rahming is pictured in this
Bahama Journal photo with Chief Justice Sir Burton Hall and others.
But we also want to say congratulations to two former journalists who now
join the legal fraternity: Pauline Seymour, formerly with The Tribune and
Mavis Johnson-Collie (pictured at right in Bahama Journal photo), formerly
with the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. Mrs. Collie is
also the wife of former Senator and now candidate (Mayaguana Acklins Crooked
Island and Long Cay) for the FNM Sidney Collie. Mrs. Collie worked
with me at ZNS when I was Director of News there. He husband had
kind things to say even when I had fallen out with his party. Journalism
is a natural route into law and then politics. It is a well worn
path by now: Jeanne Thompson, Kendal Wright and myself all started out
with journalism as a first love. 
When
I changed professions, I was deeply disappointed in myself at having failed
at being able to make a decent living as a writer. But the indignity
of always having to bury your opinions in the face of an employer's views
was simply too much, particularly for someone headed into politics.
Law is still the cheapest, fastest way for a Black Bahamian to get into
politics. Thems the facts. Archdeacon William Thompson told
me to get over it and do it. Which I did. When I was called
to the Bar, I said that I found becoming lawyer infra dig. That did
not go down to well. But one man was not fooled for a moment.
In an editorial, the late Sir Etienne Dupuch took me to task. He
was able to prick easily, and the bait was the fact that his brother Eugene
Dupuch started out as a journalist well before becoming a lawyer.
I said in my statement that I was moved to follow in the steps of Eugene
Dupuch. This infuriated the old man Sir Etienne who said that he
was not surprised that I had to call upon a Dupuch to hang my hat.
Not so, of course, but good writing. The part I laughed at was when
he called me the Chief Garbage Collector down at The Herald. I used
to be the Editor of the PLP’s newspaper The Herald, a paper that the Elder
Dupuch reviled as a gutter rag. It was good fun and nice to
remember an old adversary. Good luck to all the new lawyers.
NEHEMIAH
HEILD FORMERLY OF BAHAMEN
Nehemiah
Heild, the former lead singer of Bahamen, on hits like ‘Gin and Coconut
Water’ and ‘Going Back to the Island’, launched a solo career after leaving
Bahamen three years ago. Mr. Heild is featured on the front page
of The Tribune's weekly entertainment magazine Da Vibe Friday 9th November
edition. Mr. Heild talks about his new direction including a solo
album released last year, and new album that he is working on in
part a tribute to Smokey 007. Mr. Heild has also been working for
the last three years as a back up singer for Lenny Kravitz. Mr. Kravitz,
the rock singer of mixed racial ancestry, has Bahamian roots. His
mother now deceased from U.S. TV's ‘The Jeffersons’ fame was Roxey Roker.
She had Exuma roots. Mr. Kravitz keeps a second home in Eleuthera.
A NEW
PLAY COMING
Clarence
Rolle, formerly a reporter with The Tribune, is to star in a new play called
‘The Hold-Up’, directed by Ian Strachan. Mr. Strachan who was featured
in an article in the Nassau Guardian by Janice Mather on Friday 9th November,
has apparently quit his job as the Artistic Director of the Dundas Centre
For the Performing Arts. We predicted that it wouldn't last long.
And it appears that it didn't. Don't know why he wanted to go that
route but he is now onto other things. This time it's the play ‘The
Hold Up’. It seems that the play and his insistence on it being performed
on the Dundas' stage in part led to his departure. The Board didn't
like the idea. They thought it was negative and didn't think that
it was funny. So said Mr. Strachan. Mr. Strachan said he thought
it simply made them uncomfortable. He ought to watch Bunel’s film
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1973). But Mr. Strachan is
not to be deterred. He is going ahead with the play. The article
doesn't say who its author is. But we found out that the Plays and
Films Control Board, a body that should be abolished, had plenty to say
and suggestions about changes to make. Mr. Strachan rightly rejected
them as attempts at censorship. The play has a C rating which means
(ooh!) that only adults can see it. Nassau Guardian photo of Clarence
Rolle.
A MAN'S
WORK
Women
appear to have been in the ascendancy over the last thirty years in The
Bahamas. The figures show that women are succeeding in academics,
in the business world, and not in prison, where there are 39 women today
with 1500 men. But after the hurricane of this week, the impressionistic
evidence would give a sociologist lots of food for thought. The same
observation has been made in the clear up after the World Trade Centre
bombing in New York. Clearing up and cutting down is a man's work.
And as you travelled throughout the island of New Providence following
Hurricane Michelle, there were groups of men, young men, out in the streets
with cutlasses and chain saws clearing up the mess, cutting away the fallen
trees. There seemed to be a certain atavistic pleasure in it.
Some of the sociologists have said that part of the reason for the slipping
of young boys is that there is no longer the traditional physical role
necessary to give men a sense of self worth. Perhaps, these sociologists
ought to study the phenomenon of the clean up after the hurricane. Tribune
photo of Thomas Pratt chopping a fallen tree by Omar Barr.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY LINDA FITZGERALD
She is the quintessential Valley Girl. Her friends and family
were all there. The tributes came fast and furious from those friends
and family. She danced with her son Tyrone and her father Leon.
She is Linda Rahming-Fitzgerald. She celebrated fifty years on Friday
9 November at a big bash at Montagu Gardens, the former home of Finance
Minister Sir Stafford Sands on East Bay Street. Well happy birthday!
CONDOLENCES
TO WENDELL CLEARE
Rev'd. Dr. John Errol Cleare MBE JP, the late Pastor of New Bethlehem
Baptist Church on Independence Drive, died last week at the age of 76.
He died suddenly. He had just retired one month ago as pastor of
the church that he founded and built. The funeral service is going
on now at New Bethlehem as we upload. Wendell and I worked as young
lads at the Bahamas Tourist news Bureau. My condolences to Mrs. Cleare,
Wendell and the whole family.
EDITORIAL
NOTES
The Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest demits office Tuesday
13 November at 10 a.m. While it is not confirmed, it is widely believed
that Dame Ivy Dumont former Minister and FNM leader in the Senate is to
act in that position until the new administration can appoint a substantive
replacement after the General Election.
Commissioner of Police Bernard Bonamy confirmed to the press this past week that he is to officially demit office on Wednesday 21 November. Mr. Bonamy was recently called to the Bahamas Bar as an attorney-at-law. It is expected that Mr. Paul Farquahrson who has acted as Commissioner during Mr. Bonamy's absence will be appointed to the substantive position.
Michael Halkitis PLP Candidate for Adelaide married yesterday Saturday 10 November. Details next week!
Frank Rutherford was an Olympic medallist in 1992 not 1996 as we said last week in our story on the Darling twins.
NEWS
FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Exit One More Bahamian - The Driftwood Group, owners of Resorts
at Bahamia have let go another Bahamian and replaced him with a foreigner.
This time it a warehouse manager. The job of keeping track of the
hotels' inventory has been in Bahamian hands since the old days when the
property was called the 'Kings Inn'. Word is that the replacement
is yet another relative of one of the principals of the company.
This is the same Resorts at Bahamia which is constantly championed by the
former Minister, now Ambassador for Investment David Thompson, FNM representative
for the Marco City constituency in Grand Bahama... Go figure.
Raised Eyebrows - There is a cadre of the old faithful element of the UBP, now supporting the FNM in Grand Bahama which stays in close touch with correspondents to this site. This past week, they were curious at talk of Dame Ivy Dumont being asked to act as Governor General after the current GG demits office next week. "Between her and Geoffrey Johnstone, Barrie Farrington, Hugh Sands and one or two others, you would believe that there is no one else in the country loyal to our party who is capable of doing anything", said one. Another of the group observed "For heaven's sake, Ivy's already been retired about four or five times and has numerous pensions." Out of their own mouths.
Fury Over Speech - Dedicated political observers in Grand Bahama who used to support the FNM Government are furious over the proposal for the Government to borrow $100 million. Some quotes: "Who borrows money to put on standby?.... He gave the straw vendors money out of the Public Treasury when he couldn't pay teachers here [in Grand Bahama] for work already done... For the love of God, let Sir Lynden rest in peace. It's been almost 10 years since we've been in Government.... Cut back? If he wants us to cut back, he could start with some of those Parliamentary Secretaries who don't do anything... And every time we go to Nassau all you could see is brand new Cabinet cars..." Out of their own mouths.
Niggardly Behaviour - Students and faculty at Freeport Gospel Chapel School have been left to wonder what happened. The Grand Bahama Port Authority has had the road paved to the front of the school but left a side road used to exit the school rocky and unpaved. One parent called News From Grand Bahama to ask "How could the Port, supposedly a 'quasi government' be so niggardly?... I guess these new people who've taken over don't see things like the old crew who at least would never be caught in a situation like this."
Accidents Which Don't Have To Happen - There is a major crossroad
in Freeport at the corners of East Sunrise Highway and Sergeant Major Drive
through which school traffic to at least three institutions must pass.
For several hours each school morning and afternoon, the area becomes a
hazard. There is a caution light which the Port Authority says cost
some $70,000, but it does little to help in this instance. For more
than 18 months, letters and calls of complaint have been made to the various
authorities but nothing has happened. A police officer or some human
traffic direction is needed for the hours surrounding school drop-off and
pickup. The Department of Road Traffic knows. Local Government
knows. The police know. The MP for the area, also incidentally
the Minister for Public Works, knows. Come on guys. Each week
more and more serious accidents happen there with people trying to sneak
out from the stop sign when traffic backs up. There has already been
serious injury. Those responsible should act before there is loss
of life.
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
IS TOMMY’S WORD HIS BOND?
Shortly
after the corrupt election of the Leader designate and Deputy Leader designate
of the FNM was finished, the lame duck Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced
that his putative successors Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes were now
in complete control of the party apparatus. Tommy Turnquest affirmed
this. No one believed it. But we all knew that it was necessary
because of the allegations against the Turnquest/Foulkes combination that
they were two little boys, puppets being controlled by the puppet master
Hubert Ingraham.
On Sunday last, Tommy Turnquest and this Senator attended the Remembrance Day ceremonies to pay tribute to the heroes of World War II and others who had fallen in the service of our country. Mr. Turnquest was in a confident and affable mood. He told this Senator that after all the bad things that had been written about himself and Dion in this column he expected to see something good about him this week. He quickly added that he did not read this column but that people always told him what was said in it.
The reason he felt he deserved some praise was that in the Constituencies Commission, he agreed to certain changes to the constituency boundaries that he believed affected the Fox Hill constituency in which I intend to run. Instead of the FNM beating me by 576 votes, the margin was reduced to 356 votes. Great! Thanks a lot.
Remember now Mr. Ingraham had said only weeks earlier that when he is finished with the boundaries, the PLP will only be able to win one seat and that is Grants Town.
Mr. Turnquest almost had me convinced but since we were just out of church, I reserved judgment. I didn’t have long to make up my mind. During the week, Mr. Turnquest repudiated the agreement between Bradley Roberts, the PLP’s representative on the Commission and the other FNM member Dion Foulkes. Messrs. Foulkes and Turnquest pledged that the Prime Minister would not disturb the changes that they had agreed to in the Commission.
It turns out that they could make no such promise. The Prime Minister has informed the Leader of the Opposition that he will make substantial revisions to the boundaries again, because Mr. Foulkes and Mr. Turnquest “went too far”. He intends to shift Yamacraw, Centreville and Fox Hill to ensure the defeat of the PLP’s candidates in those three seats.
So much for the word of Tommy Turnquest. And now Mr. Turnquest has to ask himself and answer for himself to the nation: is he his own man?
This week, we had 22,970 hits on this site for the week ending 16 November 2001 at midnight. That brings a total of 50,892 hits on this site for the month of November. 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
For a photo essay on the funeral of Archdeacon William Thompson. Click here.
|
|
| Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting | Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral |
| Site Links | |
| The PLP Position on Clifton | |
| http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/2477/index.html | Canadian contacts Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| http://members.tripod.com/~xtremesp/wolf.html | Bahamian Cycling News |
| http://www.bahamiansonline.com/ | Links to Bahamians on the web |
| http://www.bahamanet.com/JujuTree.cfm | Politics Forum |
| http://www.briland.com/ | Harbour Island Site |
CHANGING
THE CONSTITUENCY MAP
Hubert Ingraham has taken the art of political cartography beyond science
to a form of high art. He is a socialist at heart, and he likes nothing
better than to emulate the late Prime Minister Lynden Pindling, sitting
on the floor to redraw boundary lines. Given his inner sense of insecurity
and the need to show Perry Christie who is the boss, he can’t help himself.
He is busy trying to ensure that each of his enemies is eliminated from
the political map. He has a personal hate for Fred Mitchell that
is irrational beyond reason, telling his friend that he hates “his fake
New England accent”. What’s a “fake New England accent”? He hates Perry
Christie, can’t forgive him for being a Nassau boy and putting the name
Christie first in the old law firm they owned together: Christie &
Ingraham. He hates his own party members Lester Turnquest, Pierre
Dupuch and Tennyson Wells. He now hates Speaker Italia Johnson.
The list of hates is endless, and so the master cartographer is going to
redraw the lines already submitted in a report by his two puppets Dion
Foulkes and Tommy Turnquest on the Constituencies Commission that now sits
on the Governor General’s desk.
BRADLEY
ROBERTS SCORES TOMMY AND DION
When the Constituencies Commission last met to conclude its business,
the Commission agreed to certain changes that had earlier been proposed
by the majority. By the lobbying of the PLP’s Bradley Roberts, five
constituencies were changed from the original map proposed by the Prime
Minister’s puppets in the Commission. Those changes affected: Fort
Charlotte, Grants Town, Centreville, Fox Hill and Yamacraw. The Prime
Minister was furious and immediately threatened to revoke the changes when
the report comes to him from the Governor General’s desk. He has the power
to do so under the constitution. Bradley Roberts immediately fired
off a letter threatening to revoke his cooperation and issue a minority
report if the Prime Minister troubled with the boundaries again.
Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes had promised that the changes would not
be disturbed. Tommy Turnquest fired back a letter to Mr. Roberts,
clearly written for him by the lame duck Prime Minister saying that he
had no idea that Mr. Robert's signature was: “worthless”. Mr. Roberts
fired back that both Tommy and Dion should look in the mirror and they
would see a picture of what worthless is. Please click
here to visit Mr. Roberts' website for the exchange of correspondence
on the constituencies over the past week .
AN
ACTING GOVERNOR GENERAL
The
day after all the false pomp and pageantry - something that the FNM is
good at, (false pageantry and false history), Darrold Miller, the talk
show host was back in Nassau, after sitting out Hurricane Michelle in Andros.
He hosted a talk show to hear from the public praise for Dame Ivy Dumont,
the now acting Governor General. Dame Ivy replaced outgoing Governor
General Orville Turnquest, who will forever be known as the partying Governor
General. Following the announcement of his departure from office,
there must have been a party every night at Government House. Mr.
Miller got what he was asking for on his radio show. There was every
thing from pure unmitigated hatred for Dame Ivy Dumont to contempt for
the Government for choosing her. The Government was obviously so
stung by her unpopularity that they had to issue a statement on Friday
15 November showing that she was not getting all the pension benefits that
were being claimed around the town. The host Darrold Miller got so
frustrated at one point that he started cutting off callers and telling
the audience: “If you can’t have anything positive to say, don’t call this
show, call the other one.” It was amazing. Guardian photo
by Donald Knowles.
THE
STORY OF DAME IVY
What many of the callers to the ZNS talk show asked was: How much more
is this woman going to get from Hubert Ingraham? What has she done
so for him to appoint her to something again? Good question!
You will remember that this is the same Dame Ivy who served as Hubert Ingraham’s
hand picked Secretary General of the FNM in the pre 1992 period.
Then she inexplicably was chosen as the Leader of the Senate from August
1992 to January 2001. Then after faking a retirement from the politics
last January, he appointed her to the $30,000 per year job as Chairman
of the Public Service Commission, a bad choice because fresh from politics,
she was going to influence the choice of FNMs to government positions.
The position also came with a car. Dame Ivy is 71 years old. Now
she is Acting Governor General at $75,000 per year. The Government
was quick to point out that she will only get the salary, no pension benefits.
But even FNMs are outraged at the appointment.
THE
STORY ON DAME IVY’S PENSIONS
So stung was the Government by the criticism of Dame Ivy Dumont as
Governor General that the Cabinet Office issued a statement relating to
the monetary arrangements surrounding the appointment of Dame Ivy to the
job. According to the Cabinet Office after 37 years in the Public
Service she retired as Deputy Permanent Secretary with a pension of $9,187.50
per annum in 1978. That has now grown to $12, 833.20 per annum.
After eight years of service from 24 August 1992 as Minister she was entitled
to a pension of $10,254.60 per annum. But while she is Governor General
she will receive neither of those pensions. And the Cabinet Office
said that she does not get a national insurance pension to which she is
entitled. Further, she will receive no remuneration for the position
of Chair of the Public Service Commission from which she is now on leave.
We believe that someone ought to take the issue to court of whether she
can serve as Acting Governor General while holding the substantive post
of Chair of the Public Service Commission, there being a full blown case
of a conflict of interest.
WHAT
IS THE OUTGOING GG GOING TO DO?
Sir
Orville Turnquest has now retired from public life or so we think.
You can never tell with FNMs. He told the press this week that he
plans to start a new career as an historian. He would then join Sir
Clifford Darling who is writing a history along with Patty Roker of his
political life. Sir Orville is living temporarily with his son the
Minister Tommy in the mansion that he gave Tommy on Harrold Road.
He is doing repairs to a new home for himself and Lady Turnquest on Skyline
Drive, near the home of former policeman Courtney Strachan. As to
the bit about writing a history book, we always say that if you want your
legacy to be protected, the thing to do is write it yourself. But
left to us, we would say that while there was a lot of pizzazz at Government
House and plenty partying while Sir Orville was Governor General, we shall
remember him for his discrimination against this Senator. I serve
as the Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and despite repeated requests
by the Leader of the Opposition, when official presentations and rituals
took place for arriving foreign diplomats, this spokesman was routinely
ignored. This is clearly contrary to the conventions of the constitution.
It was one example of discrimination against the PLP while he was Governor
General. The other is the fact that Government House during his tenure
often seemed to be used as a staging platform for FNM policies and programmes.
TOMMY
CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY
People wondered what all the crowds were on Harrold Road Thursday 15th
November. It looks like a big crowd showed up to the Harrold road
mansion of Tommy and Shawn Turnquest. It seems Tommy was celebrating
his birthday and all the minions were persuaded to come and celebrate.
We wonder who paid for this party?
JANET
BOSTWICK—LEAD ME NOT INTO TEMPTATION
At the funeral for the Late Bishop John Cleare on Sunday 11 November,
the principal speaker was Bishop Neil Ellis of Mt. Tabor Full Gospel Baptist
Church. He was explaining the structure of Christian prayer as taught
by Christ in the gospel of Matthew, aka, the Our Father Prayer. Said
Bishop Ellis at one point: “There are persons who are appointed in this
world to tempt you and Christ was saying to us that we must forgive them.”
Janet Bostwick who was sitting opposite me in the church raised her finger
and pointed at me and said: “I forgive you”. I said the same thing
back to her. The point is this. Mrs. Bostwick is the Minister
of Foreign Affairs. She has simply been hopeless in the job, de-energized
and constantly asleep at the wheel. But her response in church gave
me a clue as to what the problem of the FNM is about public criticism;
they take all this stuff personally. The fact is that she is the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and she has to keep the Opposition and the
country informed of what she is doing. That is a public responsibility.
My responsibility is to shame her into doing so, when she does not.
I need neither her forgiveness, nor does she need to like me. Don’t
care! Just do your work.
HUBERT
DOES NOT SPEAK FOR ME
Tongues
are wagging this week in the FNM about why Deputy Prime Minister Frank
Watson was not at the ceremony to see fellow Long Islander Ivy Dumont sworn
in as Governor General. Mr. Watson was up in Freeport playing tennis.
The word is that Mr. Watson is totally pissed at the Prime Minister.
First he is being put to the wolves, i.e. the PLP led Public Accounts Committee
of the House of Assembly. The Committee is expected to report to
the House of Assembly on Wednesday 21 November. Frank Watson should
get ready to resign. Mr. Ingraham has not moved to protect him.
But friends of Mr. Watson are saying that Watson is seeking to distance
himself from Mr. Ingraham. Mr. Ingraham has told friends that he
has changed his mind again and will no longer run for his north Abaco seat
come the General Election. And he has also said that when he goes
Frank is going as well. Frank is putting out the reply: “Ingraham
can’t speak for me.” And it appears that C.A. Smith and Janet Bostwick
are saying the same thing to Mr. Ingraham.
A
VISIT TO LONG ISLAND
We
were in Long Island again this month for a one-day visit. The reason
for the visit was a legal case in Clarence Town, the Island’s capital.
But if afforded me an opportunity to visit with PLP allies and some other
old friends there. One new found friend and of course a great place
to eat was the restaurant owned by Reginald and Annie Minnis. Their
daughter Denise Minnis is a regular reader of this column and I thought
it would be great just to show her this senator with her mom and with our
PLP candidate Ron Pinder who was in Clarence Town for the visit as well.
Mr. Pinder is interested in agricultural issues and we were afforded an
opportunity to get a briefing from the Manager Maurice Minnis of the packinghouse
at Clarence Town on the current state of agriculture in Long Island.
Agriculture is suffering in Long Island as result of a disastrous flood,
followed by Hurricane Michelle. The banana crop has suffered. 
Bananas
have a double whammy in that the disease black sigatoga has devastated
the crops there over the past five years. Further, the island has
not properly recovered from Hurricanes Floyd and Lily– all over the past
decade. But the worst problem said Mr. Minnis is the fact that the
young people are abandoning agriculture for other vocations like construction
and fishing. We also note that in Long Island there is a real estate
boom going on. Generation land is now being parceled up into subdivisions
and sold off. That means that agricultural land is being lost to residential
uses. So farming suffers again. The PLP supports increased subsidies
in agriculture because it will assist in the development of our economy
and help preserve family island communities. Our other photo shows Michelle
Fox, law clerk at this firm heading into the Court House at Clarence Town.
Photos to be uploaded later.
CORRECTION
ON ARTHUR FOULKES
Last week we reported that Sir Arthur Foulkes was formally made a knight
at a ceremony of investiture on Friday 9 November. The date was wrong.
In fact, the formal investiture took place in London by Her Majesty The
Queen on the same day that Dame Ivy was made Governor General on Tuesday
13 November.
C.A.
SMITH—JACKASS OF THE WEEK
Despite
the fact that he has made a monumental cock up of the Air Traffic Control
system in The Bahamas, C.A. Smith continues to enjoy the confidence of
the Prime Minister. The two of them are just as hopeless together.
The last time we saw C.A. Smith in the flesh was when he appeared with
his mafia from the Department of Civil Aviation at the official opening
of a conference of international air traffic controllers. I thought
he was a brave man to show up to the ceremony on Thursday 1 November.
What he showed up for was what he got. ATC Union chief Roscoe Perpall
told his audience with old C.A. sitting in the front row how worthless
C.A. and his Government were. And they all sat there with stoic faces
while they got slapped around. After the speechifying was over though,
C.A. and his crew ran out of there like bolts of lightening. It was
delightfully good to see their discomfort and unease. Mr. Smith reportedly
sent a message to the air traffic controllers that if he had been thinking
of doing anything for them, all bets were off. For that alone he
should be jackass of the week. But we want to add this. No
doubt, C.A. was feeling his oats, after crowing that he was responsible
for the restoration by the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
of the Nassau International Airport to category one status. Bahamasair
and all Bahamians were relieved. At the same time, private air charters
with Bahamian registrations can now fly into the US. So C.A. must
have been too giddy to realize what he was saying at the opening of the
Grand Bahama children’s home on Friday 16 November. During the speech
he spoke of children as rejects and misfits. This was inappropriate
and offended many who were there. And for C.A. who has been told
by the PM that he has to go as a Member of Parliament to talk about rejects...
Now for all of the above, C.A. Smith is our JACKASS OF THE WEEK.
THE
FNM’S KENNEDY CANDIDATE
Dr. Bernard Nottage, who was elected as a PLP, now holds the constituency
of Kennedy. The seat is to be the subject of a three-way fight, with
Kenyatta Gibson for the PLP and we thought Ashley Cargill for the Free
National Movement. Now the word is that Tommy Turnquest, the putative
leader of the FNM has told Ashley Cargill that he is not going to be the
candidate. This after ten years of keeping the FNM going in there.
Mr. Cargill is to make way for a popular labour leader. Needless
to say Mr. Cargill’s family is traditionally PLP and we welcome him to
our ranks if he wishes to come.
BARCLAYS
IS UNIONIZING
The
Bahamas Financial Services Union has been formally recognized as the bargaining
agent for Barclays Bank. This was granted by the Minister of Labour
Earl Deveaux. Mr. Deveaux had been stalling for weeks making a decision.
The employees felt that the Government was stalling to assist Barclays
at getting rid of the Union. Barclays as you know is in merger talks
with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). They are creating a new
entity for the Caribbean called First Caribbean. The merger is still
subject to regulatory approval. The employees were afraid that if
the recognition did not take place before the merger that they would have
to start all over again. The CIBC employees did not participate in
the effort to unionize. A march to pressure the Government was led
by the Union through downtown Nassau on Thursday 15 November. This
Senator together with the attorney for the Union Alfred Sears and labour
leaders Shane Gibson and Obie Ferguson joined the march and rally.
The PLP supports the unionizing of Barclays and the banking sector.
The PLP says that no person can be transferred to a new entity without
his or her agreement. Our photo shows the workers at a rally on Wednesday
14 November on the steps of the General Post Office in Nassau.
MELANIE
ZONICLE, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SERVICES
A Valley Girl has been appointed Director of Social Services by the
Government of The Bahamas in the Ministry of Housing and Social Services.
Ms. Zonicle who is a contemporary of this Senator has been appointed with
retroactive effect from 1 February. Ms. Zonicle has worked for 30
years in the welfare and rehabilitative services of the Government of The
Bahamas. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida Memorial College
in urban services and a Masters Degree in guidance counseling from the
University of Miami. Congratulations to Ms. Zonicle.
BANNISTER
BACK AS HEAD OF BAAA
Desmond Bannister thought to be headed to a career as an FNM Member
of Parliament, has decided that would not be an obstacle to his running
again to head the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA). Mr.
Bannister was elected the head of the sporting body, now known as the Bahamas
Association of Athletic Associations, the same acronym (BAAA). He will
serve for three years. Bahamian athletes credit Mr. Banister with
leading the organization through its most successful period with the winning
of several Olympic and World medals. Congratulations to him!
REMEMBRANCE
DAY
One of the last official duties of outgoing Governor General Sir Orville
Turnquest was to lay a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance on Sunday 11
November. The number of Bahamians who fought in World War II has
dwindled significantly. Most Bahamians do not bother to pay attention
to it. But it remains an important reminder of us all of what the
price of freedom often entails. The Governor General is shown in
this Nassau Guardian photo laying a wreath.
THE
LEGEND OF SWEET RICHARD
Richard Dean was his proper name. And when we were boys, he was
already a legendary dancer and entertainer. He had the name Sweet
Richard. He has long been dead but the name still has a magic ring
for a certain generation. The Nassau Guardian featured a story on
Thursday 15 November about Sweet Richard at the instance of his son Dexter
Thompson who is the spitting image of the man. They carried a photo
of Sweet Richard and one of Dexter Thompson. He danced
for the tourists at dockside and as a street performer. He was often
under arrest for disorderly behavior. He carried a parrot with him.
He performed at the Cat and the Fiddle, the Silver Slipper, the Lemon Tree
and the Montagu Beach Hotel. He died by choking on piece of steak while
on a trip to the United States in 1964 at the age of 34. Dexter Thompson,
who is a classmate from eastern Junior School, is reviving his father’s
image. The Guardian said that he is releasing a video on his father’s
life. We wait to see it.
REV.
CHARLES SAUNDERS IN HOSPITAL
The former President of the Bahamas Baptist Missionary and Education
Convention was in hospital during the week beginning 12 November.
He was involved in a traffic accident in Exuma, and had to have an operation
in Doctors Hospital to relieve pressure on his head. He is reportedly
doing well. Kindest Regards to him!
ECONOMY
IN SHAMBLES
The Bahamas Government is predicting an 80 million dollar budget deficit
for this fiscal year. This comes after predictions of a balanced
budget by the Finance Minister William Allen in the annual budget debate
in June of this year. The situation looks to be getting worse as
the Tourism Impact Survey of the Chamber of Commerce, the Bahamas Hotel
Association and the Nassau Tourism Development Board indicates that some
2,020 people will be laid off as a result of the contractions from the
attack on the World Trade Centre. The survey does not reflect the number
of people who are already on reduced days at hotels. Some persons
in middle class areas of New Providence are already three months behind
on their mortgages and can't keep up with ordinary bills. Doesn’t
look good and the Government has failed to aggressively tackle the problem.
AL TAQWA
BANK
The Governor of the Central Bank Julian Francis and the Attorney General
Carl Bethel have been using the closing of the Al Taqwa Bank to demonstrate
to the U.S. that we now have a strict regime in The Bahamas for the performance
of banks post the OECD blackmail demands of last year. The latest is that
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has relaxed its
deadline for compliance with the tax initiative to February 2002.
The Bahamas simply needs to tell these people go to hell. But that’s
another story. It turns out that there is a far less sinister
side to the closing of the Al Taqwa Bank. The Registered Agent for
the Bank Sean Hanna of the firm Arthur D. Hanna & Co says the bank
simply closed because it went into voluntary liquidation. The reason
is that the Bank’s proprietors decided that they did not want to comply
with the physical presence laws of The Bahamas following business reversals
in South Asia. The FNM simply can’t get it right.
‘N
SYNC PLAYS THE BAHAMAS
The boy group ’N Sync played a concert in The Bahamas Thursday 15 November
at Atlantis, Paradise Island. Mobs of Bahamian teenage girls and
boys mixed with tourists at the concert, which was taped by CBS television
and is to be rebroadcast at 10pm on Thursday 23rd November on CBS stations
across the U.S.
NEWS
FROM GRAND BAHAMA
From Bad To Worse for C.A. - This was not a good week for Minister
of Transport & Local Government C.A. Smith. Last Sunday 11 November
on a local call-in radio show caller after caller lambasted the Minister,
repeatedly complaining about his lack of representation and accusing him
of being the champion of foreign business. Said one caller, "You
don't seem to stand for issues that mean anything to the Bahamian people,
only those who come here to make their money over us." C.A. was virtually
speechless, reduced to thanking the various critical callers for their
'observations and frankness". The PLP's Ann Percentie, hot on C.A.'s
heels as candidate for Pineridge, looked on during the debacle. Also
on the radio show was Velma Smith of the CDR.
Who Were Those Callers? - After the show C.A. seemed shaken to the core. Friends of the Minister tell News From Grand Bahama that C.A. recognised many of the people who called in to criticise him and "He didn't realise that dissatisfaction was at such a level in the community... the true picture is that he is in trouble in Pineridge and the identity of some of those callers suggests that the party leadership itself is moving against him."
A Signal For C.A. - As Family Island election co-ordinator for the FNM, it was C.A. Smith's job to introduce the Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham during a ceremony Friday 16 November at the Grand Bahama Children's Home. Not only did C.A. insult the gathering with talk of rejects and misfits (see story above), but he was chastised by his leader for giving a speech at all. When he was finally allowed to the podium, the Prime Minister said that it was his understanding that C.A. was only supposed to be introducing him, not giving a speech. But he guessed he was attempting to campaign. With that the Prime Minister exchanged a serious and meaningful look with his Minister, only then to burst into hysterical laughter. Sounds like a signal to us. We think C.A. Smith's days as the presumptive FNM candidate for Pineridge are numbered. According to one seasoned political observer, "C.A. is fast becoming untouchable. He has nanny on his shoes." We say a full apology is in order to those children.
C.A. Stays Away - C.A. Smith was another important personage with ties to Long Island who did not attend the swearing in ceremony of Dame Ivy Dumont as Governor General (acting). C.A. was reportedly busy in his Pineridge constituency trying to immunize his leading campaign generals against defection. C.A. has reportedly told friends that he doesn’t want to end up like Maurice Moore, who is known in Grand Bahama as 'first born of the FNM'; a man without influence in his own party.
Where Is Dion? - The word from several sources usually in the know is that deputy FNM leader elect Dion Foulkes has become persona non grata in the FNM. News From Grand Bahama as asked to help locate Mr. Foulkes who has not been seen at any of the public gatherings here to support his leaders. An informant in the Ministry of Works says that Minister Ken Russell is upset at the handling of contracts for which Mr. Foulkes is under fire. "Ken thinks he is a stubborn little fellow who should have let those contracts be handled by the Ministry of Works... it never would have ended up like it did." Sources further tell News From Grand Bahama that the Minister of Education Foulkes will not be let anywhere near contracts to repair schools damaged by hurricane Michelle.
Tommy Just Doesn't Have It - FNM leader elect Tommy Turnquest on Friday 16 November called a meeting for all the poll workers and generals at the FNM headquarters in Freeport. The party's leader-elect was a full ninety minutes late for the meeting. By the time he got there, many people had left and many others who remained passed the time by sniping at Tommy's suitability for the post of leader elect. Said one, "this ain' no church business where you could just pass on the leadership...cheap as well his pa should have stayed on Government Hill and saved the Bahamian people money because the boy just don't have it."
'Vikey' Resurfaces - FNM Senator Edwin 'Vikey' Brown two weeks
ago was around his hometown of Grand Bahama canvassing FNMs for support
in a run against Tennyson Wells for Bamboo Town. After getting a
resounding 'No, don't fool with that' Vikey laid low for a while.
He was nowhere to be seen. Friday night at FNM headquarters those
who did stay the hour and a half to wait for Tommy Turnquest gasped in
shock. There was Vikey, toting Tommy's briefcase! Things that
make you go hmmm!
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
A POLICEMAN HANDS OVER
This
week the Commissioner of Police (Acting) Paul Farquharson became the substantive
holder of the office of the Commissioner of Police. Bernard K. Bonamy
retired from the job and the police force on 21 November amidst much pomp
and pageantry. There was an official handing over ceremony on Thursday
22 November. There was a banquet on Wednesday 21 November.
Now, there is an interesting thing about ceremonies in The Bahamas, perhaps ceremonies anywhere. The public aspect of the ceremony does not necessarily reflect the truth of the occasion or shall we say the truth behind the occasion. What remains unspoken is often more important than what is spoken.
There is no question that Bernard K. Bonamy is a smart and competent man. So is Paul Farquharson. But each brought different styles to the job. And in the midst of the hurrah over Mr. Farquharson, people forget that when Mr. Bonamy took over the Force 14 years ago, there was the same sense of excitement that a 43 year old had taken over the Force. He too did high profile walkabouts that the present Commissioner says he will continue. We also forget that even as Mr. Bonamy’s popularity plummeted on the Force in the face of a rise in crime, not the fault of the Commissioner, much of the change brought about on the Force today is Mr. Bonamy’s doing.
We must also remember that for changes to be brought about by the Commissioner, he needs the cooperation of the Government. Hubert Ingraham’s Government thought of him as a PLP and refused to cooperate with many of his initiatives. It was known two years ago that notwithstanding the Constitution they were trying to find a way to force him out.
Mr. Ingraham himself adverted to the problems in his address at the banquet saying how Mr. Bonamy had been criticized for being aloof. But Mr. Bonamy came the closest to speaking the truth when he admonished the Force at the official handing over parade not to bad mouth the new Commissioner. He would know since that was a feature of the last years of his tenure both within the Force and in the Government.
We report on the handover below. But what we wish to say here is best wishes to these two fine public servants: the incoming Commissioner and the outgoing one. We wish them both well.
This week we had 22,263 hits on this site for the week ending 24 November at midnight. That makes 73,147 hits on the site for the month of November. Thanks for reading and please keep reading.
 To
the 'Dream Team' - Shadows will fall all over town, I know you are leaving
ANY DAY NOW.... To Algernon Allen - A disciple for good, may God
bless his caring heart SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL... To the PLP - Stand,
Step Now, Handle It, as she steadily goes ALL THE WAY. |
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
For a photo essay on the funeral of Archdeacon William Thompson. Click here.
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| Professor Gilbert Morris on the country's blacklisting | Coverage of Sir Lynden's death & funeral |
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PM
POLITICIZES POLICE HANDOVER
Hubert
Ingraham never ceases to amaze you. There is not one occasion when
he can act the role of a statesman and not that of a pig in a poke.
The occasion we are talking about that demanded statesmanship was the handing
over ceremony of the Commissioner of Police Bernard Bonamy to the new Commissioner
Paul Farquharson. The occasion demanded that no partisan political
comments be made. But in the middle of an address in which Mr. Ingraham
laid out the qualifications of the new Commissioner and his promotions,
he reminded his audience that more than half of the promotions for the
new Commissioner came since 1992. His grinning hyenas in the Cabinet
thought it was funny. 
But
to us it is strange remark since, in our system; the Commissioner of Police
is not a political appointment. It requires consultation by the Prime
Minister with the Leader of the Opposition so that the person can enjoy
the confidence of both sides. So why insult the man with talk of
‘we gave you the promotions’. The only point is whether or not Mr.
Farquharson is objectively qualified to be Commissioner. Shame on
you Mr. Ingraham. Donald Knowles' Guardian photo shows Mr. Farquharson,
the new Commissioner, taking the salute following the handover. Also
shown is Felipe Major's Tribune photo of the passing over of the ceremonial
sword of the Commissioner who is also the Provost Marshal.
POLICE
PROMOTIONS ON HOLD
The Prime Minister at the handing over ceremony on 21 November 2001
of the Commissioner of Police told the nation that because of the economic
situation in the country all promotions in the Police Force, as are all
promotions in the civil service, are on hold. He claimed that when
the economic emergency is over, the promotions will be made. So that
means that particular jobs in the police force will go wanting because
the Government can't or is unwilling to find the money to pay for those
posts. Seems dishonest to me but anyway. Mr. Ingraham said
that when the time comes, 106 constables will be promoted to Corporal,
and 40 corporals to Sergeant. There was a bet to a buddy of mine
on when the economic emergency will be over. No doubt it will be
sometime in February just as the elections are called. Mr. Ingraham
in 1997 attempted to politically bribe police officers by giving them a
pay raise on the day that they were going to the polls. The night
before the election, he shouted out from the public platform: Remember
the money! Remember the money! Now for next year’s election,
it will be a new twist: Remember the promotion! Remember the promotion!
PROFILE
OF COP - PAUL FARQUHARSON
Paul
Farquharson, the Commissioner of Police is 52 years old. His appointment
to the post makes him the fourth Bahamian Commissioner on the Force and
the second Commissioner of Police appointed since independence.
He first came to public notice as the Aide-de-Campe to the then Governor
General Sir Gerald Cash. Following Sir Gerald’s retirement, he had
a meteoric rise on the Force. He is known as a thorough man, with
an even temperament and has the loyalty of his men. The Commissioner's
post is a constitutionally protected one. If he remains in the post
until retirement, then he will retire in the year 2009. His
Bahamian predecessors: Salathiel Thompson, Gerald Bartlett and Bernard
K. Bonamy. Said Mr. Farqhuarson: “Today is the proudest day of my
professional life as a police officer… The foundations have been laid and
the building materials are being assembled. Whether we go on and
build rock-solid structures, skills and relations; and thereby reap the
real successes in policing which are possible for all Bahamians, is a matter
of choice.” Bahama Journal photo.
NO
CONSTITUENCIES COMMISSION REPORT
Last week, this column predicted that Hubert Ingraham would lay the
draft boundaries order on the table of the House of Assembly at its meeting
on Wednesday 21 November. No dice. The insiders said that the
report that was sent to Government House just a week earlier had not yet
found its way to the Prime Minister's office. The big question is,
what took them so long? But now we understand that on Wednesday 21
November, the report had at last found its way to the Prime Minister from
Government House. Mr. Ingraham has now started his knifing into the
boundary lines contradicting what Commission members Tommy Turnquest and
Dion Foulkes had agreed. The whole idea is to make sure that this
candidate does not win in Fox Hill and to damage Perry Christie beyond
repair in Centreville. That constituency is reportedly being designed for
Loretta Butler, the granddaughter of the late Sir Milo Butler who defected
to the FNM earlier this year. Mr. Christie is expected to switch
to the Grants Town seat and Bradley Roberts to the Bain Town seat.
The latest word is that the report will be laid on the table next week
at the meeting of the House on Wednesday 28 November. We live in
hope. This would suggest that there will be no General Election this
year. The Parliamentary Registrar has told the PLP that it will take
about a month to change all the voters’ cards to reflect new constituencies
and polling divisions and another month to distribute the cards.
If Mr. Ingraham remains rational and sane then that would suggest a March
2002 election. Now the question: will he remain sane and rational?
THE
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE
The Public Accounts Committee, the only Committee of the Parliament
dominated by the PLP, is expected to report tomorrow 26 November.
The Committee has reportedly completed its report condemning Deputy Prime
Minister Frank Watson and is now on to the work of investigating the claims
against Minister of Education Dion Foulkes. Mr. Foulkes is alleged
to have dispensed contracts from the Ministry of Education in exchange
for votes at the special convention of the Free National Movement in August
of this year. The Committee is also investigating another allegation
against a senior Government official. It is alleged that a contract
was dispensed to a female former officer of the Free National Movement
by the Ministry of Works at the Direction of another ministry. The
contract was not put to tender, and the bid of one company accepted.
The firm reportedly had no office, no track record, and was owned by two
principals who hand wrote the 175,000-dollar bid. This was mandatorily
reduced by the Ministry of Works to 120,000 dollars. One of the principals
is said to have a child for the public official.
EDWARD
ST. GEORGE SELLS HIS SHARES
Freeport, Grand Bahama is all abuzz at the report that Edward St. George,
one of the principals of the Grand Bahama Port Authority has sold his shares
in the Hutchison Container Port at the Freeport Harbour. The report
is that the Port facility expanded too rapidly into phases two and three,
resulting in massive losses. The principal shareholder Hutchison
asked for a fresh injection of capital from Mr. St George. He refused and
they offered to buy him out. So said so done. Now Hutchison
is in a row with Mr. St. George over the use of the logo that Mr. St. George
reportedly insists belongs to the Port Authority.
DAME
IVY IN HOSPITAL
Dame Ivy Dumont, the Acting Governor General, appointed in the midst
of controversy on Tuesday 13 November, was barely in the job one week when
she at 71 years of age spent two nights in Doctors Hospital for observation.
The reason given was that she had chest discomfort and it might have been
her heart. Dame Ivy’s explanation to The Tribune was that she was
suffering from dyspepsia. Anyway the story is that she is alive
and well and out of the hospital. But the Christian Bahamas has a
funny way of expressing things. We were sitting at lunch and a friend
who is a Christian (born again) told the story of a colleague who had done
him a bad turn on his former job. The man now has colon cancer.
Said the friend: Isn’t God Great? Yes indeed he is. But this
columnist was forced to make the comment that instead of a Christian God,
he appeared to have an Israeli god, viz. that one in the Old Testament
that exacts vengeance on his enemies. Not the one in the New Testament
that taught us to turn the other cheek. So without saying so,
you can imagine what the sotto voce commentary was on the hospital stay
of the Dame. But from this side, we wish her well and a quick return
to good health. Genuinely, we disagree with her politics but we wish
no one bad health.
PLP
EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER LAYOFFS
This Senator as Opposition spokesman on Labour held a press conference
on Monday 19 November to decry the layoffs in the country, being falsely
grounded on the events of 11 September in the United States. The
full press release can be read by clicking
here. Tribune photo.
CASSIUS
STUART’S NEW CHAIRMAN
The
extra Parliamentary party, Bahamian Democratic Movement (BDM) has a new
Party Chair. He is Samuel Bain, a classmate of mine from the Class
of 1970 at St. Augustine’s College. The announcement was made by
the Party and reported in The Tribune of Thursday 22 November. Mr.
Bain replaces Kenneth Andrews. Said the party’s release: “Mr. Bain
brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our party.” The appointment
and the comment are interesting. Mr. Bain ran unsuccessfully as an
independent in the Englerston constituency for the seat vacated by former
Speaker Sir Clifford Darling who was headed for Government House in 1991.
But more important is the strategy that it appears that the BDM is employing.
They seem to be learning sense. Cassius Stuart was especially stung
by the criticism at the recent forum of political leaders at the College
of The Bahamas for talking incessantly about how his party was a party
of young people to the exclusion of those over 30 years of age. Ad
nauseum. How he expected to get elected on such a platform was beyond
most people in the room. Mr. Bain’s appointment now seems to have
countered the criticism and perhaps given the party a broader appeal.
He is 49 years old. But we would still like Mr. Stuart to join the
PLP. Tribune photo.
CASH
FLOW PROBLEMS
The Government is announcing loan after loan. The press reported
this week (The Nassau Guardian Thursday 22 November) that Citibank has
agreed to float a loan of 16 million to Bahamasair if the Government guarantees
the loan. This is to allow Bahamasair to pay off its debt to the
Internal Revenue Service of the United States (IRS). The Prime Minister
also announced that he would be proceeding on Monday 26 November with a
further resolution to borrow 40 million odd dollars to pay off monies owed
on packing houses built during the PLP administration. He said the
Government needs the money to raise 41 million dollars urgently to solve
a potential cash flow problem. Interesting that it’s the Prime Minister
who is announcing all of this. What has happened to the genius Minister
of Finance William Allen?
LADY
PINDLING FOR GG
There
was a speculative story in the Tribune Thursday 22 November that Lady Pindling
is to be the PLP’s choice for Governor General. They quoted Bradley
Roberts, the Party’s Chair, as saying that while he did not know who the
choice would be, Lady Pindling would be a very gracious Governor General.
The PLP has made no decision as to who will serve as Governor General.
The Party’s Leader believes that it is a post that requires consultation
with the Leader of the other party. It is a safe bet that PLP’s choice
won’t be Dame Ivy Dumont. Mr. Christie has discounted no one, nor
chosen any one. It will be his recommendation to the Queen that will
carry the day, no doubt after consultation with his Cabinet. In general
a Prime Minister should try to be conscious of choosing figures that enjoy
the broad support of all the Bahaman people. Our impression is that
Lady Pindling does not want a job, but we believe that given her status
as the widow of the founding Prime Minister of the nation, the new PLP
Government ought to ensure that her physical circumstances and stature
is such that she has a comfortable existence for the rest of her days.
DEMO
ON THE DOCKS
People
are saying that the real reason that the Government cut short its House
meeting on Wednesday 21 November was the demonstration by taxi drivers
for changes in the security arrangements at the Prince George Dock.
Drivers mobbed Members of Parliament as they arrived to protest the silly
arrangement at the dock. In this preoccupation with security, we
tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater. If the security arrangements
frighten the tourists and cause economic collapse for our people, then
what security will there be needed and to protect whom? The Bahamas
Government is blaming the US government and saying that it’s because the
US says it must be that way, it is that way. The walk for the tourist
is too long. Further, some taxi drivers made a living off taking
tourists the short drive from the boat to the city. All of this has
stopped. The Government refuses to budge and they keep blaming the
Americans. This incenses Bahamian patriots who argue that The Bahamas
under Hubert Ingraham is abjectly supine to the US government. The
driver's complaint is that in being blocked from direct access to the ships,
they have to compete with ferryboat operators and hair braiders for business.
It is a madhouse. And it terrifies the tourists at a choke neck at
the dock with all the competing frenzy. Further, the distance away
from the boat is a disincentive to tourists to come to the city. Late word
is that the drivers have now gone to the real bosses of the country at
the US Embassy in Queen Street to try and work out some arrangement.
Said one protest sign: ‘We put steak on the FNM’s table and the FNM took
bread off of ours’. Bahama Journal photo by Kishno Jones.
US
AMBASSADOR CONFIRMED
The Bahama Journal has reported that the United States Senate has confirmed
J. Richard Blankenship as the new Ambassador to The Bahamas. Mr.
Blankenship will take up his post in The Bahamas shortly, relieving Charge
D’affaires Dan Clune who has been the senior US diplomat in the country
since the departure of Ambassador William Schecter in March 2001. Tribune
photo.
OPENING
OF ROBIN HOOD
Larry
Farrington has opened a new branch of his appliances and tools store Robin
Hood. The new facility is located in a huge warehouse and repair
building on Harrold Road. It is the second branch joining the first
branch on Soldier Road. The marketing concept is buying in bulk and
selling at low prices. It is an amazing feat. His prices are
at US prices and lower. They are able to buy from the US store Staples
catalogue and sell at 10 per cent over US list prices. We expect
to make a visit on Christmas Eve. It is likely to be Carnival.
Go visit the store. 
Mr. Farrington has a new partner: the Freeport Concrete Company, headed
by Hannes Babak. Mr. Babak said that Freeport Concrete, a publicly
traded company, wanted to expand its base of activities to homeowners instead
of to the professional trade. He is opening a new store in Freeport
on Thursday 29 November. The marketing concept is that of the legend
of Robin Hood, robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Well not
robbing in this case but the imagery of Robin Hood was present at the store’s
opening, including Viveca Watkins, who was the MC at the official opening
on Thursday 22 November dressed as Maid Marion. This columnist hammed
it up for the cameras in a photo by Jessica Robertson. The other
photo by Jessica shows Mr. Farrington with this columnist. Good bargains
to be found in tool sets, TVs stereos, air conditioning and more.
Good luck to them all.
SIR
ORVILLE’S SECRET VISIT
A Bahamian student was shocked at the University of Buckingham in England,
a few days after the outgoing Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest reported
to the Queen that he was leaving (9 October). He thought he saw the
familiar Bahamian face on his campus coming out of a Buckingham dormitory
and headed to his official car and driver. No he was not seeing double.
It was indeed Sir Orville who confirmed that it was indeed him, then promptly
jumped in his car and left. No visit with the other 49 Bahamian students
on the campus, no announcement and no explanation. The students were
mystified. Things that make you go: Hmmm!
VISIT
TO THE GRAND BAHAMA CHILDREN’S HOME
The
Progressive Liberal Party wishes to congratulate the Grand Bahama Children's
Home Committee for the construction of its new facility in Grand Bahama,
which was officially opened on Friday 16 November. The Leader of
the Opposition, the Honourable Perry Christie was unable to attend but
he wished to indicate publicly his support for the work of the Committee
and more importantly the care of the children in the Home. Mr. Christie
asked a high-level delegation of PLPs to arrange to visit the Home and
the delegation did so on Wednesday 21 November. The delegation comprised
this Senator, Opposition Spokesman on Labour, Foreign Affairs and Immigration;
former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater, candidate for Marco City and Stephen
Plakaris, candidate for Lucaya and a member of the Juvenile Panel.
The tour was conducted by Mrs. Paula Marshall, Asst. Deputy Director, Department
of Social Services; Mrs. Dorothy Lightbourn of the Grand Bahama Children's
Home and Senior Welfare Officer, Mrs. Karen Stubbs. The Home was
impressive and on behalf of the PLP, we offered congratulations to the
Children's Home Committee, the Department of Social Services and its staff
on the yeoman's service to the country by them. We said that Lady
Henrietta St. George, who is the Chair of the Committee deserved special
mention not only for her work in organising the general fundraising effort
for the Home, but also for her substantial personal contributions to the
welfare of Bahamian children. Senator Bridgewater said that she was
impressed by the facility and encouraged Bahamians to support the fundraising
effort to ensure that the quality of care continues. Mr. Plakaris
said that he was proud to be associated with such a fine facility in Grand
Bahama and pledged his support. A report of the visit has been given
to Opposition Leader Mr. Christie. Mr. Christie has promised at the
earliest opportunity to visit the Home so that he can see for himself.
From left are former Senator, Miss Pleasant Bridgewater, Mrs. Karen Stubbs,
Sen. Mitchell; Mrs. Marshall, Mr. Plakaris and Mrs. Lightbourn. PHOTO
BY GRECHRIS
IAN
STRACHAN THE PLAYWRIGHT
We
reported two weeks ago (click here
for that story) on the controversy surrounding a play by Charles Huggins
and produced by Ian Strachan that caused Mr. Strachan to no longer be the
Artistic Director of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts. We
commented then that we thought it was a bad fit from the start for Ian
Strachan to take a formal job like an artistic director. Just not
in his nature. He can’t survive in a formal structure. But
anyway he did it, and now as we predicted, it has ended badly.
There was a rant about it in The Nassau Guardian on Thursday 22 November
by Mr. Strachan himself. A strange piece indeed.
For a man of such high education, it appeared to be a shameful piece of unnecessary, prejudiced invective that one is not certain where it places him strategically except even further outside the mainstream and unable to attract capital and a central audience that he needs to succeed as a playwright. At this rate, this will be no Bahamian Neil Simon it appears and certainly (at this rate) no August Wilson. The greatest successes clearly operate at the middle not at the fringes. And it is clear that what Mr. Strachan wants more than anything else is to be accepted as an important talent in the country by the Bahamian middle. Yet what he does flies in the face of the ways of the middle and then he expresses surprise that he is not accepted by them. He appears also to be someone who refuses to consult or take advice before he acts or cultivate useful allies; who goes into a sulk at the merest slight.
The rant that appeared in The Guardian reveals a deeply troubled person, not in any pathological sense but someone not comfortable with himself, lashing out in all directions, without regard for whom he hurt or did not hurt. This is not the kind of stuff that should be coming from a thirty something year old man. This is the stuff of a teenager. Some excerpts:
“There are two ways I can explain this controversy over Charles Huggins ‘The Hold Up’ and my unexpectedly short tenure as Administrator of the Dundas. One is simple; the other is complex. The simple explanation is that Patti Roker - that white light that has come to save us from our darkness - has a grudge against me because I have been critical of that pathetic award show, The Dansas, in which mediocre actors pat themselves on the back while the television audience falls asleep in its stew fish. She probably also knows that the work I want to do flies in the face of the contented, sappy, irrelevant Broadway charades groups like the Operatic Society want to waste people’s time with. The objections she voiced are all poppycock... The complex answer requires that we discuss the animosity, paranoia and siege mentality of the homosexual artists who have dominated the Dundas for so long, making life difficult…
[He goes on to say that the Dundas should become part of the College of The Bahamas, that way young people would get theatre training] But if we did that wouldn’t those same cultural style campers come barging into the College demanding their place at the table? Perhaps we can appoint a ‘Consultative Committee for the wasting of Sensible People’s Time and the Promotion of Puffery’ so they won’t feel left out…
"I left the Dundas because I refused to be disrespected and treated unprofessionally any longer. I took a fifty per cent pay cut and left a secure job teaching abroad to work for the Dundas because I love my country and love theatre, but I came home to have the Dundas gang talk nonsense and waste my time in meeting after pointless, small minded meeting… But ultimately I was too Black and too Straight for them to stomach. I was a young man who needed to keep his AYM (angry young man) persona in check as Sean Hanna, annoyingly put it.”
You will not be surprised that some people are threatening to sue. The piece was unfortunate. Guardian photo.
LAWSUIT
ON BAHAMIAN ACCOUNTANTS
Philip Galanis and Paul Clarke, one formerly and the other a present
partner of Ernst and Young in The Bahamas are still parties to a lawsuit
in the US District Court in Arizona. Both Mr. Clarke and Mr. Galanis
sought to have the suit thrown out on jurisdictional grounds. Their
application failed. The suit alleges that funds in the care of Ernst
and Young were improperly invested. It has caused considerable political
heat for Mr. Galanis who is the PLP’s Member of Parliament for Englerston.
He continues to survive, however. The matter is a civil action and
not a criminal one. And we all know that paper will hold still for
people to bring any civil suit against you.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO BISHOP ELDON
The first Bahamian Anglican Bishop Michael Eldon was fêted to
a banquet in his honour on Friday 24 November. The Bishop this year
celebrated his 50th year as a priest and now his 70th birthday and thirtieth
year as Bishop and the diocese itself is celebrating 140 years as a diocese.
The Archbishop of the Province, Bahamian Drexel Gomez, led a concelebrated
mass with his fellow bishops of the West Indies province on Thursday 22
November at the Christ Church Cathedral in Nassau. We show Stan Burnside's
Tribune cartoon in tribute to the Bishop as we add our congratulations.
The Bishop is a faithful reader of this column.
THANKSGIVING
DAY IN NASSAU
Because of our closeness to the United States, we increasingly celebrate
Thanksgiving Day, the American holiday, in The Bahamas. Many Bahamians
travel to the United States for the holiday. Many have their own
turkey and stuffing here in Nassau. The hotels in The Bahamas are
filling up again, it seems. The occupancy rates reported in the Nassau
Guardian on Friday 23 November are: Atlantis Paradise Island 98 percent;
Sandals (Cable Beach) 70 percent; Nassau Marriott (Cable Beach) 70 percent
and Radisson Hotel (Cable Beach) 92 percent. At Paradise Island,
the Royal Bahamas Defence Force band put on a display of marching and music
for the visitors and the Nassau Guardian photographer Patrick Hanna was
there.
ANDROS
IS HURTING
Our special correspondent in Andros writes this week: The ‘Immediate
Response’ team was here a few weeks ago and promised roads and some other
things. Since the hurricane are these promises still in place?
How can a loud Prime Minister cut Local Gov't budget and say ‘no new spending’
then go to Abaco with an 11-million dollars contract? Sir what is
going on? South Andros was long forgotten but we are not crazy.
We are seeing and hearing everything. I think this is why we have
a substandard telephone system and don't have Cable yet. Today we
are punishing in South Andros... The Road Traffic Supervisor went
off the island on three weeks vacation last week leaving no one to carry
on gov't work. How can the Administrator and Chief Councillor sleep
while this is going on? The police residence is not fixed yet.
What seems to be the problem? Everytime some big investors or Cabinet
Ministers are in town only certain persons are informed. Is this
right?
SAC
ARE JUNIOR BOYS CHAMPIONS
The photo by Felipe Major of The Tribune on Tuesday 20 November showed
a happy pile up of youngsters of the Junior Softball Team at St. Augustine’s
College, Fox Hill. Lionel Ferguson pitched a one hit shut out to
lead St. Augs, aka the Big Red Machine, to their seventh straight private
schools junior boy’s championship. To my alma mater, congratulations.
We hope the boys learn their academic lessons with similar deftness.
NEW
CAMPUS FOR AQUINAS COLLEGE
We have been told that Aquinas College is to move to a new campus off
Gladstone Road in the near future and the size of the school is to increase.
The campus for the Roman Catholic High School is now located in the Palmdale
area of New Providence that has become a traffic nightmare. The auditorium
donated to the School by merchant Joseph Garfunkel has been sold and the
campus is reportedly up for sale. We were kidding His Grace the Roman Catholic
Archbishop that he is expanding the church buildings by leaps and bounds.
It is a good sign of a healthy and inspired congregation.
MUCH
ADO ABOUT HARRY POTTER
With all the major problems in The Bahamas that need attention, it
never ceases to amaze one how in The Bahamas matters that are really de
minimus can receive so much animated attention. And so it is with
the attack on the Harry Potter movies. Harry Potter is a pubescent
hero, in the tradition of the Hardy Boys, who is now being accused by parts
of the religious community in The Bahamas of promoting sorcery. Please!
We hear it’s an excellent movie and that it has caused young children to
take an interest in reading.
A SON
FOR SAMORA
A son was born to Tribune staff reporter Samora St. Rose and his wife
Shakeera on November 14th at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Mother
and 7-pound Shamar Chaka St. Rose are doing well. Congratulations
to the proud parents.
A
PHOTO OF SIR ARTHUR AT THE PALACE
We have reported that Sir Arthur Foulkes was formally made a knight
at a ceremony of investiture on Tuesday 13 November. We thought you
might like to have a look at the photo, by Peter Ramsay.
NEWS
FROM GRAND BAHAMA
Driftwood's Bahamians Disappearing - More unsettling news from
Driftwood Group's Resorts at Bahamia. Sunday 25th November Rooms
& Reservations Manager Jeff Hepburn was reportedly fired. This
makes Mr. Hepburn only the latest in a long and growing line of Bahamian
managers let go or hounded into resignation by this hotel property.
Driftwood is developing a reputation of firing Bahamians and replacing
them with owners' family members. Only recently, there were reports
of a similar fate for Resorts at Bahamia's Warehouse Manager. Mr.
Hepburn was a faithful employee of the hotel for some twenty years, working
in many 'back of the house' areas and winning promotions under each successive
administration of the property. He is well respected in the industry
for his competence. We cannot imagine what the rationale could be
for this act, but we shall be watching to see who his replacement is.
The area of Rooms and Reservations has been in Bahamian hands at various
hotels for generations. This latest outrage is a marker of the depths
to which Freeport has descended for professional Bahamians in tourism and
other areas. The prevailing view is that this country is being sold;
lock, stock and barrel. Now comes word that Resorts at Bahamia
is able to behave so flagrantly because they are under the protection of
a very high level Government Minister who is said to have shares in Resorts
as well as other business interests in Grand Bahama. To those similarly
affected in the tourism industry, we say time ain't long.
C.A. 'Stenches' - FNM Pineridge MP C.A. Smith is now reportedly singing the same tune reported from Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson last week; that he can't and won't be moved and that he will decide when he leaves active politics. Hmmm! Just for good measure, Minister Smith is said to be a 'new man' working his (soon to be former?) constituency with vim and vigour.
Labour Troubles at Island Construction - A flashback: During October, here is what News From Grand Bahama had to say: 'What’s Going on Here? - Fact one. The Government is spending 40 million dollars on new roads. Fact two. In the High Rock constituency in Grand Bahama where Minister of Works Ken Russell lives and which he represents in Parliament there, is a major, high quality producer of rock and gravel products. Fact three. That company, which has exported road building rock and gravel to elsewhere in The Bahamas and into Florida has been forced to put its workers on reduced hours because of a downturn in business. Fact four. The Government is importing rock and gravel for the building of Bahamian roads from Canada. What's wrong with this picture?'... Now Minister Russell's actions have borne fruit. The company was forced to issue letters 28 November to its staff reducing salaries by twenty percent. Staff took a wildcat strike for a day and a half. When they returned, they were locked out and told that they were dismissed. Negotiations between the company and the workers continue.
Another Sunday, Another Crash - The crash and burn of FNM candidates is becoming a weekly spectacle in Grand Bahama on the COOL 96 radio call-in talk show 'Meet The Candidate' hosted by Deandre Hamilton. Last time it was C.A. Smith who had to face the ire of his constituents. This past week it was the turn of David Wallace, FNM MP for West End & Bimini. As one FNM general said to another that Monday morning "Boy we get mash up again last night". Voters called in to say that they were disappointed at David Wallace's representation of West End & Bimini and disappointed with his lack of knowledge in matters of concern to the area. At one point during the show, Senator Obie Wilchcombe, the PLP's representative for the area had to tell Mr. Wallace what had become of the West End fire truck. Senator Wilchcombe also revealed that during the recent hurricane warning, shelters were not properly manned nor open in time. It was not a good night for Mr. Wallace.
EMR Fire, David to the rescue - A ten-room house in Eight Mile Rock known as 'the barracks' burned to the ground early Thursday morning 22 November, leaving five families homeless. FNM MP David Wallace immediately started a relief committee. Normally this would be good news, but the last time Mr. Wallace ventured into the fire relief area, that time in Bimini, the results were not promising. Perhaps he would have learned his lesson and simply alerted the Social Services people and encouraged others to help?