“Rubbish” is ProgressiveLiberal Party ChairmanFred Mitchell thinksabout the Government’sFiscal Responsibility BillAppearing as a guestyesterday on Love 97’sRadio programme Jonesand Company, Mr.Mitchell said the legisla-tion is not worth thepaper that it is written on.Finance Minister Peter

Turnquest has gone onrecord on numerous

occasions stating hisintention to balance thecountry’s budget, which

Shop at Standard ServiCeS where you

can get 20% off Houseware, linen,

lamps and draperies.and much, much more

Shirley & Church Street Phone: 322-4635

STANDARDSERVICES

SUPPLIES LTD.

DEAN & ASSOCIATES PROFESSIONALINSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS

“Meeting Your Needs Efficiently and Professionally”

BUILDINGS (COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL)LIFE - GROUP - MEDICAL -

ANNUITIES - LIABILITY - MARINE - HOMEOWNERS - AUTO

Tel: (242)-356-0986 Fax: (242)-356-0987Deal’s Plaza, Mackey Street

P.O. Box CB-13952 Nassau, Bahamas8:30am - 4:30pm

A L L T H E N E W S Y O U N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G

VOL. 31 - NO. 28 75 CENTSMONDAY - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2019

The Bahamas & Lenny KraviTz Launch

FLy away campaign

4 Bahamas Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar, Lenny Kravitz, Joy Jibrilu and Deputy Director General Tommy Thompson arrive at TheBahamas x Lenny Kravitz Fly Away Campaign Launch on February 7, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

WEEKEND CARNAGE

or the second con-secutive weekendin NewProvidence, there

have been multiple homi-cides. This past weekendfour persons were killedin separate incidents.Yesterday, three youngmen were shot and killed.Early Sunday two menwere killed one hour apartand on parallel streets andlater Sunday evening ayoung man was shot andkilled at Potter's Cay.These shootings follow

a shooting in a HaitianVillage, off Cowpen RoadSaturday morning.According to police

reports the first shooting

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

PoliceDestroyMarijuanaFields

A major drug bust onthe island of Andros lastweek has resulted inpolice uncovering eightmarijuana fields in SanAndros.

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

g See page 6...

MITCHELL CALLS FISCALRESPONSIBILITY BILL“RUBBISH”

4 PLP Chairman,Fred Mitchell(File photo)

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

g See page 3...

BISHOP HALL CALLS FORLONG-TERM AID FOR HAITI

4 Baptist Cleric, BishopSimeon Hall (File photo)

Outspoken BaptistCleric, Bishop SimeonHall says the death of theHaitian migrants “des-perately seeking to bettertheir conditions andthose of their families,brings into focus theurgent need for regionaland international longterm aid, directed in astrategic and efficientmatter, which woulddirectly benefit the least,the lost and the left outin the Republic of Haiti.”He was one of a num-

ber of local pastorsspeaking at the memorialservice prior to the burial

g See page 6...

HenfieldEndorsesBahamianInvestment in Haiti

The idea of Bahamiansinvesting in Haiti to aid inits stability has beentossed around for yearsand according to ForeignAffairs Minister DarrenHenfield, anything TheBahamas can do to keepHaitians at home is worthpursuing.“If there are good com-

mercial opportunities for

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See page 7...

BUSAWU ThreATenS STrike AcTion

The Water and SewerageCorporation union is atodds with the corpora-tion’s management overa number of grievancesthat if left unaddressedcould lead to industrialaction.The Bahamas Utilities

Services and AlliedWorkers Union spoke outon what it said is blatantdisrespect on the part ofWSC executives, whoare accused of unilateral-ly rolling back four bene-fits.Addressing reporters

outside The Departmentof Labour on Friday,BUSAWU PresidentDwayne Woods said thecorporation is in breach

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

F

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 1

A new, multi-channelcreative campaign featur-ing Bahamian-Americanrock legend LennyKravitz reveals theauthentic spirit of TheBahamas as a destinationof adventure and discov-ery. Set to the lyrics ofKravitz’s hit song FlyAway, the televisioncommercial and support-ing marketing campaigncapture his deep personalconnection to TheBahamas, as well as thepure adrenaline rush ofexploring the archipel-ago’s 100,000 squaremiles by boat and plane. Written in The

Bahamas, Fly Away wasinspired by the islands’white sand beaches, crys-tal-clear waters andcountless summers thesinger spent with hisgrandparents and mother,the Bahamian-Americanactress Roxie Roker.Behind-the-scenes videofollows Kravitz aroundhis home base ofEleuthera, where herecords music, embracesisland time and appreci-ates “this gift we weregiven. ‘Take your time’ isour call to arms,” he said.The commercial

underscores TheBahamas’ powerfulappeal as a destinationthat inspires adventureand exudes a rock ‘n rollvibe. “The music repre-sents not only the edgyindependence of theBahamian people, butalso speaks to those whotravel here for deep-seafishing, shark diving andopportunities to embracenew discoveries,” saidMia Weech-Lange,Senior Director of GlobalCommunications for TheBahamas Ministry of

Tourism & Aviation. In January, out-of-

home advertising beganwith billboards in NewYork City, Atlanta,Miami, Fort Lauderdale,Orlando and Houston.The OOH tactics alsoinclude a subway stationdomination of ColumbusCircle in New York Cityand a presence atSawgrass Mall inFlorida, as well as aboardBrightline passengertrains in South Florida.The media buy includes amix of television, search,social, programmatic anddisplay targetingprospective visitorswhere they consumenews, entertainment andinformation. Supporting digital

content atwww.bahamas.com/fly-away will allow TheBahamas Ministry ofTourism & Aviation toraise awareness of thedestination’s manyislands, which includeFreeport, The Abacos,The Exumas, Andros,Bimini, The BerryIslands, Cat Island,Harbour Island andEleuthera, Long Island,San Salvador, Rum Cay,Mayaguana, Inagua,Acklins, Nassau-Paradise Island andCrooked Island. The newhub draws visitors intoi s l a n d - s p e c i f i cmicrosites deliveringinspiring vertical marketvideo content on topicsranging from island hop-ping and boating to cul-ture and cuisine, whilesimultaneously high-lighting uniquelyBahamian experiences,places and personalities,such as Lady Di (akaEleuthera’s “Pineapple

Lady”), Junkanoo andthe popular People-to-People program thatmatches visitors withlocal hosts.“We are excited by

this campaign and hon-ored to partner withLenny Kravitz. Ourislands and his song fitperfectly together,allowing us to reach abroad new audience,especially digital con-tent consumers, throughauthentic storytelling,”said Minster of TourismDionisio D’Aguilar.

“The Bahamas isabsolutely inspirational.We know that and webelieve this campaigndemonstrates that toconsumers in a true,direct way by sharingmany of our people,their islands and theirstories with the world.Setting it all to perfectmusic is icing on thecake,” said DirectorGeneral Joy Jibrilu.The Bahamas has

been on a healthy,upward trend in interna-tional arrivals sinceOctober 2017 and closed2018 strong.International arrivalsincreased 13 percent inOctober 2018 year-over-year, and future book-ings continue to outpacethe previous year.International air capaci-ty grew by nearly 16percent in October andscheduled direct flightshave increased 15 per-cent since November.American Airlines,Delta, Silver Airwaysand Bahamasair have allexpanded service fromgateways including NewYork, Miami, Atlanta,Charlotte, Chicago andHouston. New and revi-

talized hotels, includingBaha Mar, AtlantisParadise Island,Lighthouse Pointe onFreeport, and Peace &Plenty on Great Exuma,among others, are con-

tributing to the growingdemand. The campaign was cre-

ated by Tambourine, acommunications firm withspecialization in destina-tions and hotel e-com-

merce. The 60 second spot,30 second spot and behind-the-scenes interview withLenny Kravitz onEleuthera can be viewed onYouTube.com/VisitTheBahamas.

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Monday - February 11th, 2019

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL SECURITY

The Bahamian Government in collaboration with the United StatesEmbassy (Nassau) invites all qualified persons who are interested inapplying for a four-year degree scholarship at the United States

Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, United States, to submit theirapplications to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Headquarters,

Coral Harbour Base by 31st January, 2019.

To qualify, applicants must:

Be a Bahamian citizen•Be between the ages of 17-22 years old•Be unmarried and with no dependents•Be willing to serve in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for a•minimum of five years on completion.Must be physically fit•Must be able to swim•Have SAT scores of 600 in both Math and English (or ACT •minimum o 26 in Mathematics and 27 in English).•Have a high school diploma•Possess excellent English skills•

Bachelor’s Degree Programs are offered in:

Civil Engineering•Cyber Systems•Electrical Engineering•Naval Architecture•Operations Research•Marine and Environmental Sciences•Government•Mechanical Engineering•Management•

Deadline for submission of application is 31st January, 2019.

Deadline for registration for SAT examination is 8th February, 2019foe the 9th March, 2019 test date (results from March test are onlyaccepted if results from previous test are received by 1st March,

2019).

Students may register at:https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/international

The USCGA code number for the SAT exam is 5807.

Deadline for ACT registration is 11th January, 2019 for 8th February,2019 test date.

Students can register at https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act-non-us.html

The USCGA code number for the ACT exam is 0600.

Applicants can make application to sit the SAT/ACT at local SATCenters in New Providence as follows: Aquinas College, St.Andrew’s School, St. Anne’s School, The University of TheBahamas, Government High School and Queen’s College.

For further information, please contact the Royal Bahamas DefenceForce Human Resource Officer, Lieutenant Commander MichaelHanna at telephone 362-3705 or 362-3711 or via email at

michaelhanna@rbdf.gov.bs or visit the website www.rbdf.gov.bs

UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)ACADEMY 4 YEAR MILITARY DEGREE

PROGRAM

Tourism’s New Marketing CampaignFEATURES LENNY KRAV I TZ

WEEKEND CARNAGEtook place on BalfourAvenue around 9am andthen an hour later anothershooting on Robinsonroad. Police are now investi-

gating these incidents,which they cannot con-firm are connected. In the first incident,

according to reports,shortly after 9:00am, aman was sitting in front ofa business establishmenton Washington Street andBalfour Avenue, when hewas approached by a malearmed with a firearm, whoshot him, before gettinginto a silver vehicle andspeeding away. Emergency Medical

Services (EMS) werecalled to the scene andtransported the victim tohospital where he latersuccumbed to his injuries,according to police.One hour later police

were again called toRobinson Road, wherethey met the victim ofanother shooting.Shortly after 10:00am,

a male was standing infront of a business estab-lishment on RobinsonRoad and Miami Street,when he was approachedby a man armed with afirearm, who shot himbefore running away. EMS again were called

to the scene, attempted torevive the victim, butwere unsuccessful. Hewas pronounced dead atthe scene.Later yesterday

evening another youngman from Sunset park wasshot and killed at Potter'sCay. Circumstances sur-round that shooting wereunknown up to press time. These separate inci-

dents follow the shootingof two Haitian nationalsin a Haitian Village,which left one of the

males dead.Police say that shortly

before 1:00am onSaturday, a group ofHaitian Nationals werehosting a social event inthe Haitian Village offCowpen Road, when twomen emerged from bushesboth armed with firearmsand opened fired on thepersons, resulting in twomales being shot to thebody. Paramedics were called

to the scene, where onemale was pronounceddead. The other injuredman was transported toPrincess MargaretHospital, where he is listedin serious condition.Police are appealing to

members of the public,who may have any infor-mation that can assist withinvestigations into any ofthese incidents, to contact the Central Detective Unit. Investigations continue

in all of these matters.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 2

A3The Bahama Journal

Monday - February 11th, 2019NationalNEWS

R o y a l F i d e l i t y T o H o s tEconomic Outlook conferenceRoyal Fidelity will

host its 5th annualBahamas EconomicOutlook (BEO)Conference, under thetheme: “Dynamic NewWorld: Braving theTurmoil.”

The full day confer-ence aims to bringtogether a premier lineup of leading thinkers toexplore the local impactof global influences.

“We believe it’s keyrole is to makeBahamians aware of keyglobal issues that are tak-ing place outside of The

Bahamas, which willhave an impact locallyand for people to be ableto understand what thoseissues are and how toadapt to them,” saidRoyal Fidelity President,Michael Anderson.“It doesn’t cover just

economics or justfinance, it covers a range

of different issues includ-ing health care, technolo-gy, the environment,geopolitical issues, theeconomy.” Mr. Anderson said

whether you’re a student,house wife, or a busi-nessman everyone canlearn something from theconference’s five dynam-

ic speakers.Royal Fidelity has

partnered with Aliv,Royal Bank, REV, TheTribune, PWC, J.S.Johnson and GlintonSweeting O’BrienAttorneys at Law.However Mr. Andersonsaid other sponsors arewelcomed to join.

The BEO conferencewill take place onFebruary 26 at the BahaMar Convention Centrebeginning at 8am.The registration fee is

pegged at $400 per per-son inclusive of break-fast, lunch, cocktail ses-sion and speaker presen-tations.

BY JAMEELHA MISSICKJournal Staff Writer

MITCHELL CALLS FISCAL RESPON-S IB I L I T Y B I L L “ RUBB ISH ”

involved raising taxesand implementing quite anumber of cutbacks thisfiscal year.When asked how he

felt about this move, Mr.Mitchell said one musthave a “feel for people”in order to be Minister ofFinance.

He said, “when PerryChristie was PrimeMinister, theInternational MonetaryFund ( IMF) came sandsaid that we had to raisetaxes. He said that hewasn’t going to do itbecause he didn’t want toinflict any more taxes onthe Bahamian people.”He added, “he said that

he is going to deal with

deficit and he’s going todeal with expansion bysimply growing thiseconomy. Now, unfortu-nately, others are reapingfrom ‘the big project’which they described as amirage and a bad deal.“Now, they’re crowing

to the rafters, talkingabout how great it is andso on and so forth.”, hesaid.

Senator Mitchell alsosaid that there is a list ofthings the country oughtto be doing in terms of itsinvestment in infrastruc-ture and investment insmall businesses. He said, “my view is

that $250 million shouldbe set aside for venturecapital from the govern-ment. My view is that theLynden Pindling

International Airportneeds to be expandedagain because it is toosmall for what it does.My view is that the air-ports in the FamilyIslands must be complet-ed because it’s ridiculouswhat you see happeningin North Eleuthera whenNew Year’s comes.”“My view is the digital

platform of which we are

operating is falling apart.Telephone calls are drop-ping. No one is lookinginto telecommunicationsand data in this country.Its time now to move to5G, and there’s no talk ofinvestment in that.”, headded. “All of these things

will make this countrycompetitive and grow inthe future.”, he said.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 3

A4 The Bahama Journal

Monday - February 11th, 2019 NationalNEWS

The music projecT-high schooL Band compeTiTion group

paid courTesy caLL on The governor generaL

4 Governor General, Her Excellency the Most Hon. Dame Marguerite Pindling (seated centre) welcomed members of the Executive Board, Teachers and Students, ofthe Music Project/High School Band Competition during a courtesy call at Government House, February 8, 2019. (BiS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

BUSAWU ThreATenS STrike AcTionof a number of articlesoutlined in the industrialagreement.“We have four con-

cerns that are beneficialto these members of theunion, one is the rollingback of the administrativeleave which the Presidenthas, it’s a three-year leaveand we have had thisleave for 13 years , whichmakes it customary underthe industrial agreement. “This leave was given

to the union members,which states that anypresident elected wouldbe off from work withpay in order to run theunion.“It is a benefit under

the industrial agreement,it is ours and we want tokeep it,” he said. Mr. Woods further

claims that the corpora-tion is demanding rentfor the use of office spaceto hold meetings.On one occasion,

WSC’s board reportedlycalled the police during aunion meeting that led toMr. Woods receiving a

letter threatening evictionand the rescindment ofhis administrative leave.According to Mr.

Woods, the corporationhas also forced employ-ees to take accrued vaca-tion leave and that the

union is ready to havethese issues resolved.Mr. Woods said, “we

will do whatever it takes

to get the matter resolved,but as it stands, all wehave to do is withdrawour enthusiasm and it willtake care of itself.”BUSAWU added that

they are always open totalking with the WSC andThe Department ofLabour.“Well , we are never

closing the door to con-ciliation. We will neverdo that, we will leave thedoor open for concilia-tion, but enough isenough; everyone getstired at some point. “We are headed

towards the strike votewhenever that comesabout.“The union will always

keep the strike vote as aback-pocket item, sowhenever we need to pullthat, we know just how todo that,” he added. The union is calling on

the Minister of Labour tostep in.

4 BUSAWU President, Dwayne Woods speaking to reporters regarding union concerns (file photo)

Labour Director Unaware OfBUSAWU’S CONCERNS

Labour Director JohnPinder said he is unawareof the Bahamas UtilitiesServices and AlliedWorkers Union’s issues.The real issue, he said,

is the fact that the unionpresident has beenoffered a promotion,should he accept, he mustrelinquish his position asBUSAWU President.“I think he has asked

the Water and SewageCorporation to postponethat promotion until hehas finished his term aspresident of the union. “However, my infor-

mation is that there aresome benefits that theformer president enjoyedthat the corporation saidthat they can no longerfoot that bill.”As a result, the issue is

before us as it relates towhether or not he wantsto proceed with a tradedispute that was filed,because he simultaneous-ly filed an injunction onthe Water and Sewage

Corporation at theSupreme Court,” he said.As a result of a court

injunction being filed, theLabour Director said theDepartment is notallowed to intervene. Asfor the union’s other con-cerns, Mr. Pinder said hehas dealt with them.“It was agreed after

meeting with HR atWater and Sewage that hewould have access to hismembers, but they want-ed him to advise them asto when you would wantto have a meeting and notjust have an impromptumeeting. “That was what was

communicated to us andwe agreed that once hegave them notice as towhen he will have hismeetings, which I thinkwas a 24-hour notice asto when he will have hismeeting, so that they canarrange for them to havea meeting in the rightarea and that sort ofthing, or so they willknow that the staff willbe in a meeting, that wasthe only issue on that.

“As it relates to therent, I understood theformer administration ofthe Water and SewageCorporation, according toMr. Woods allowed themto not pay any rent. “I don’t know if that is

so or not, but if the trail-ers on the premisesbelong to the employerand you wish to use thosetrailers, there is nothingin the law that says theemployer must give youfree rental,” he said. When asked if the

union’s issues aregrounds for industrialaction, the LabourDirector responded said,“as it relates to thoseother things, some ofthose things are stuff thata union has to negotiatein its industrial agree-ment.” “The only way I can

see grounds for industrialaction is if the employerrefuses to allow the pres-ident access to its mem-bership, then that’s anissue. That will be a vio-lation of the IndustrialRelations Act,” he said.

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

WSC CHAIRMAN URGES UNIONPRESIDENT TO RETURN TO WORK

The board and manage-ment of The Water AndSewage Corporation(WSC) are “taken aback”by comments made byBahamas UtilitiesServices And AlliedWorkers Union President(BUSAWU) DwayneWoods last week. Mr.Woods has accusedthe Corporation of rollingback benefits agreed inthe Industrial Agreement.WSC Board Chairman

Adrian Gibson said thatafter consultation withWorks Minister DesmondBannister, they intend toset the record straight. He said, “frankly, much

of the rabble-rousing seenis simply due to one mannot wanting to return towork.“Nothing can be further

from the truth. At no pointhas WSC’s managementsought to vary or aggra-vate its agreement withthe union.“We are guided by the

Industrial Relations Act,and as an attorney, I cantell you that strict adher-ence to the agreement isconsistently and persist-ently emphasized byme.”, he said. Mr. Gibson added that

unlike any other unionpresident in The

Bahamas, Mr. Woods hasbeen on administrativeleave which has come at agreat cost to theBahamian taxpayer. The chairman also

shared that Mr. Woodsdraws a salary of approxi-mately $60,000 per year,coupled with accruedvacation leave, accruedsick leave, and enjoys allof the benefits withoutever coming to work. He said, “Mr. Woods

has not performed a day’swork for WSC in years. Inaddition to drawing hisfree salary from WSC,Mr. Woods pays himselfan addition $2,000 or soas the union president.”He added, “the union

also pays for other perkssuch as cell phone, airfarewhenever and whereverhe travels, and we are toldgasoline for his vehicle.”The Chairman said,

“Mr. Woods was evenpaid a proficiency pay byWSC. He was astounding-ly paid a partial incrementin 2013, and has requestedincrements and additionalbenefits . He’s alsorequested promotions andupward mobility. This isall while having no jobdescription.”, he said. This was brought to the

union president’s atten-tion in a letter dated May9th, 2016. The chairman added

that Mr. Woods respondedto that letter on June 16th,2016, saying that heshould get increments onthe promotion of industri-al harmony, supporting afive-year industrial agree-ment, conducting theprocess of the collectivebargaining on behalf ofthe union, and minimizingstrike action in five years. These were among 21

reasons that Mr. Woodslisted. Mr. Gibson said, “the

then GM wrote him on the25th June 2016 statingthat the significant major-ity of the activities out-lined in the letter to justi-fy and enhance incre-ments are associated withhis position as union pres-ident.”For which, he added,

that WSC already grantedMr. Woods the benefit ofleave. Mr. Woods was then

told that managementcannot support or supplyadditional increment.Mr. Gibson also said

that the board has consult-ed their attorneys to strikeout the union’s writ ofsummons to the mattersstated. He also reemphasized

that WSC does not intendto impede Mr. Woods inperforming his unionduties. However, he sayshe is to return to the job.

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

GOT NEWS?call The Bahama

TIP LINE at 356-7254

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 4

A5The Bahama Journal

Monday - February 11th, 2019EditorialNEWS

E D I T O R I A L

The Bahama Journal Is An Independent Newspaper - Published Week Days By The Communicators & Associates In Affiliation With Jones Communications Ltd.

University Drive - P.O. Box N-8610Telephone: 242-325-3082 - Fax: 242-356-7256

Kimaley P. JonesVice President/Operations

Wendall K. Jones Publisher/Chief Executive Officer

A NATION OFFCOURSE

Throughout the Bahamas, commenta-tors across the board who are trulyaware of the trajectory of the nation areconcluding that as a nation, we are offcourse. This can be justified socially,politically and economically. However, since the nation’s most pre-

cious resource is its human capital, thearea of social development is most wor-risome. The level of carnage in outheartland communities will confirm thatthere is an epidemic of violence, rootedin what is clearly a culture of violencethat has caused the deaths of more than athousand young men and women in thelast decade. It is as if the Bahamas isengaged in a continuous civil war.In addition, a few hundred have been

maimed. Due to shootings that haveoccurred, some young men are blinded,some in wheelchair, others are para-lyzed. Yet the level of debauchery con-tinues.This high level of violence is all a part

of a corrupt society, where our leadersacross the nation have not been focusingon the essential- what kind of society weare building and the quality of educationbeing provided. We contend that peoplemust be educated for life; they mustknow how to live in a well ordered soci-ety.While the Bahamas is called “ a

Christian nation” by the majority ofBahamians, the lifestyle of the citizenryis generally far removed fromChristianity. The Christian lifestyle isone that follows the example of JesusThe Christ, who as is recorded in thebook of Luke, called on his disciples tobecome Fishers of men. This means thatChristians must “rescue the perishing,

care for the dying and snatch them fromsin and the grave. Weep over the erringones, lift up the falling and tell them thatJesus is mighty to save.” That is thehymn that practicing Christians know.In communities around the Bahamas,

young men and women are miseducated,poorly socialized and as a consequence,have adopted a lifestyle which is new totheir grandparents. They are seeminglycaught-up in a new morality and this isresponsible for the early demise ofmany. The children of the 1990s are fol-lowing a new social order and have fall-en prey to imported deviant cultures .What we see is what former GovernorGeneral Sir Arthur Foulkes calls, “acoarsening of our society.”Sadly, far too many of our leaders are

uncaring about this state of affairs andthey fail to address it. Many of thechurch leaders are so compromised thatthey are only concerned about “feather-ing their own nests” financially and havereduced some churches to nothing morethan social clubs.We ignore this state of affairs to our

peril. The dilemma now is how shouldwe as a nation address the problemswhen values are being shaped by thevulgarization on social media.While many of our youth are chasing

false hopes, there are many in the gov-ernment who apparently do not under-stand good governance. Beyond this, wehave a country that cannot meet theexpectations of its citizens. The peoplehave been given false hopes and prom-ises for years. Now we pay the pricewith social deterioration and a peopledrifting without direction.

Blacklisted Again: Time To Go To The UN?By Jerry Hutchinson

“The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is thethickness of a prison wall”.

-- Dennis Healey, Former UK Chancellor of theExchequer.

As sure as bills follow excessive Christmasspending, The Bahamas is once more on a black-list, this time from the Netherlands. No matterhow cleverly the government crafts financial andcommercial legislation; or, how much nationalsovereignty is foregone; how much we complainabout the inequity of it all; how many formerlyhighly paid Bahamians are now unemployed,nothing seems to change. Like the proverbialdeer in the head lamps, Bahamians are alwayswaiting to be hit from some quarter, usually bythe Organization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD). I know that complainingabout the actions of the OECD and organizationswho enforce their rules is one of our national pas-times. Many have contributed ideas on how torelieve The Bahamas of the threat of Blacklistingfrom the OECD. However, I propose to takeanother route. I want to know what’s bugging theOECD and if their irritation with The Bahamasand other Blacklisted nations is justified and itsrules fairly applied. Also, how can an intergov-ernmental economic organization continuallyattack the very economic existence of a memberof the United Nations?According to the OECD website: “it is an inter-

governmental economic organisation with36 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimu-late economic progress and world trade. It is aforum of countries describing themselves ascommitted to democracy and the market econo-my, providing a platform to compare policy expe-riences, seeking answers to common problems,identify good practices and coordinate domesticand international policies of its members. Most OECD members are high-incomeeconomies with a very high Human DevelopmentIndex (HDI) and are regarded as developed coun-tries. As of 2017, the OECD member states collec-

tively comprised 62.2% of global nominal GDP(US$49.6 trillion) and 42.8% of global GDP(Int.$54.2 trillion) at purchasing power parity.And, like all fully developed countries the OECDcountries have large and expensive social bene-fits programmes which need to be funded. Thesebenefits include but are not limited to: unemploy-ment benefits, family benefits, social assistancebenefits, housing benefits, covering old age, sur-vivors, and incapacity-related benefits; health,family, and active labour market programmes;and unemployment, housing benefits; pensions.Funding would normally come from taxes paidby its citizens. However, many of their wealthiercitizens and businesses seek to reduce their taxliability through various legal investmentschemes some of which reduce tax liability and,in some cases, evade all tax liability”.The OECD represents in part, many of the rich-

est nations in Europe. Some of whom were colo-nial powers and had colonies across the globe.These nations plundered the wealth of theircolonies in Africa and Latin America; and, repa-triated vast amounts of gold and diamonds totheir national coffers. This explains why theywere able to create these massive economiesespecially as there are no diamond mines inEurope and very little gold mining. Yet, thesecountries remain major players in the markets forprecious metals and minerals. Having plunderedthe natural resources of its colonies to buildvibrant, affluent and expansive and expensivesocial security programmes for their citizens,these historical colonialists are now asking theirformer colonies to collect their taxes for them! Toassist them in spreading their false narrative, theOECD cynically conflates tax avoidance which islegal and tax evasion which is illegal. They havea lot at stake. The OECD estimates that there isbetween 50 Billion and 70 Billion Euros in tax-able funds held in offshore jurisdictions pejora-tively called “tax havens,” which they seek tocollect by any means.If that means destroying another nation’s econ-

omy while its own members regularly engage inthe same alleged facilitation then, so be it! Theseactions are nothing less than neo-colonialism andeconomic warfare which is defined as: “the useof, or the threat to use, economic means against acountry in order to weaken its economy andthereby reduce its political and military power.Economic warfare also includes the use of eco-nomic means to compel an adversary to changeits policies or behaviour or to undermine its abil-ity to conduct normal relations with other coun-tries. “Some common means of economic warfare

are trade embargoes, boycotts, sanctions, tariffdiscrimination, the freezing of capital assets, thesuspension of aid, the prohibition of investmentand other capital flows, and expropriation”.Encyclopædia Britannica.

How unfair and arbitrary OECD actions areespecially as regards to alleged money launder-ing was highlighted in the Guardian (UK) of 20thMarch 2017 which stated: “According to thenewspaper, these documents show that between2010 and 2014, British registered companies andBritish-based banks helped move out of Russia atleast $20bn of the proceeds of criminal activities.

This should come as no surprise. In 2016, theHome Affairs Select Committee concluded thatthe London property market was the primaryavenue for the laundering of £100bn of illicitmoney a year. The investigative journalistRoberto Saviano has said of the internationaldrugs trade: “Mexico is its heart and London is itshead”. So, the recent Blacklisting of the Bahamasby the Netherlands was both surprising and trou-bling. Surprising because the OECD usuallyhunts in a pack and a country’s legislators canpartially rely on their findings. Puzzling becauseas an Oxfam report concluded: “Blacklist orWhitewash? Oxfam applied the criteria the EU isusing to draw up the blacklist to 92 countriesscreened by the union and its 28-member states.The criteria exclude EU member states, but ifthey did not, Oxfam concluded that four coun-tries should be blacklisted: Ireland; Luxembourg;The Netherlands; Malta. The Cayman government also weighed in and

articulated the lurking suspicion of many black-listed countries when it was reported: “TheCayman Islands government has accused TheNetherlands of including the British territory onits separate blacklist as a way of diverting criti-cisms of its own tax practices by attacking legiti-mate tax regimes” Caribbean News Now 29January 2019. Imagine that: blacklisted by theNetherlands and all we wanted was a slice of the“Dutch Sandwich”! The implications of this arefar-reaching and troubling. EU countries, manyof whom are members of the OECD, do notappear to apply the criteria it uses to black listThe Bahamas on its members. That’s my prob-lem. The Bahamas and other Caribbean nationsare singled out for blacklisting while notoriousmoney laundering and terrorist financing facilita-tors are being given a free pass. In The Bahamasespecially, unfair and arbitrary demands by theOECD has cost us dearly. As an example, theCentral Bank of the Bahamas in a December2018 industry briefing revealed that: “Combineddomestic and “offshore” banking assets declinedby 35.2 % falling from $657.9bn to $426.2bnbetween 2012 and last September”; a bankingindustry shrinkage of $200bn.

The briefing also examined the job losses inthe banking sector which declined by 113 jobs or2.5% of the financial services industry’s workforce mainly through a “shift in business strategyand de-risking”. These grim statistics confirm mysuspicions that despite the numerous bills andlegislation passed by successive administrations,the OECD, s policies are not to seek complianceas they define it but, rather, to subjugate us. Wecan add to this sad litany the flight of majorEuropean banks from our jurisdiction because ofthe actions of the OECD. Our appeasement of anorganization who applies unfair and economical-ly devastating requirements on the Bahamas yet,allows its member countries to go away scot freeis not and never has been in the best interests ofthe Bahamas. My view parallels that of CaymanGovernment officials who complained that theOECD backlisting policies were: “unjustified”and “wholly lacking in fairness and credibility”.

The discriminatory way the OECD and EUapplies its rules especially as it relates to it UKoverseas territories has not gone unnoticed.Molly Scott Cato, a Green MEP and a member ofthe European Parliament’s Panama Papers com-mittee, said: “Once again, the UK and its offshoreterritories are at the heart of things. “She saidBritain had to “clean up its act” and regulate the“legal limbo” of its overseas territories if it want-ed a positive trading relationship with the EUafter Brexit” The Financial Times. Indeed, nomissive or sanction issued can be fair, balanced,or non-discriminatory if members of the deci-sion-making body of the OECD are themselvesnot compliant with the rules they seek to enforce.The Bahamas has been made to virtually destroyits financial services through OECD driven legis-lation with nothing to show but economic painand job losses. As a member of the UnitedNations (UN) our country finds itself beingrelentlessly attacked by economic means by otherUN members through its surrogate, the OECD, anon-member but with Observer Status. We areaccused of many transgressions and while wemay sometimes fall short, we are not criminals!In their rush to destroy, the OECD convenientlyignores the research by imminent scholars on theoffshore banking industry. They also ignore the fact that as regards the

“offshore” banking industry, we are approachinga state of diminishing returns. Its just not worththe time and effort to comply when, the OECDcontinually moves the goalposts. By “we” I meanthe Bahamian people. The ones who are sufferingdaily inconvenience because of oppressive bank-ing requirements driven by OECD policy. Not the“nattering” class who make fortunes from off-shore banking.

No matter how this ends, they have amassedfortunes in fees to insulate themselves from thefallout. Fortunes which probably far exceed thecorporate taxes collected by the public treasuryalthough we foot the bill and bear the shame of

reputational damage. They know the futility oftrying to resolve our differences with the OECDby legislation but, remain silent. The more legalband aids, the longer it takes for the victims todie; while the victims die the death of a thou-sand cuts the fees keep rolling in. In the end,OECD actions is all about politics. They selectwhere and upon whom they will inflict torment.The Caribbean Offshore banking industry is aneasy target because of our self-doubt.Sovereign countries have allowed themselves

to be convinced that their financial servicesactivity which is fully legal is somehow non-compliant. A study by Findley, Nielson andSharman stated: “They were never able to setup a shell company in Caymans, Bahamas orthe Seychelles. The politicisation of the black-lists has enabled London to become the globalcentre of money laundering”. It is time for TheBahamas to resist implementing endless finan-cial legislation which appears to be futile. Weneed to accept that the world view of OECDmembers is informed by their mistaken beliefthat the real threat of money laundering and taxevasion lies on the small, palm-fringed islandsof their former colonies and not in London orthe money markets or banking sectors of itsmembers. And as the saying goes “Once a falseidea becomes fixed in a person’s mind, he willtwist facts or probability to accommodate itrather than question it”.This is a political fight which requires a fair

hearing in the proper forum. OECD actions arebiased, discriminatory, wrongheaded and selec-tive in who must comply. The Bahamas andother Caribbean nations must fight this clear

attempt to usurp the sovereignty of our coun-tries through the deliberate and pre-meditatedundermining of their financial systems. TheResolution adopted by the General Assembly3281 (XXIX). Charter of Economic Rights andDuties of States December 1974 gives a partiallist of members rights and obligations whichmay assist in this. These are:

Article 10All States are juridically equal and, as equalmembers of the international community, havethe right to participate fully and effectively inthe international decision-making process in thesolution of world economic, financial and mon-etary problems, inter alia, through the appropri-ate international organizations in accordancewith their existing and evolving rules, and toshare in the benefits resulting therefrom.

Article 24All States have the duty to conduct their mutu-al economic relations in a manner which takesinto account the interest of other countries. Inparticular, all States should avoid prejudicingthe interests of developing countries.

Article 32No State may use or encourage the use of eco-nomic, political or any other type of measuresto coerce another State in order to obtain fromit the subordination of the exercise of its sover-eign rights.

So, lets get on with it!

Blacklisted Again: Time To Go To The UN?CONT’D.

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 5

A6 The Bahama Journal

Monday - February 11th, 2019 NationalNEWS

Union Still In The DarkAbout WSC VSEP 'sThe Water and SewerageCorporation (WSC) hasyet to address theVoluntary SeparationPackages (VSEPS) withthe corporation's unionheads, but instead pre-sented employees "a cakewith all kind of cherry ontop" according to

Bahamas UtilitiesServices and alliedWorkers Union(BUSAWU) President,Dwayne Woods.Talks of right-sizing

several governmentagencies, began inearnest in 2018, and theWSC's ExecutiveChairman, AdrianGibson, just last Julyannouned that the corpo-ration wanted to "boost

efficiency and streamlineoperations", and plannedto reduce staff by offer-ing VSEPS to between80-100 of its 420employess. But BUSAWU presi-

dent says no such offerhas come to the union. "Management has not

come to the union to talkanything about a VSEPpackage. But what theydid was they went to the

membership withoutcoming through theunion and told them theyhave a cake with all kindof cherry on the top andthey must individuallycome to the office forthis cake with cherryicing on the top which isnonsense," Mr. Woodssaid. "That was very frivo-

lous and vexatious andthat’s how the union sees

it."We don’t want to get

into no contention, butwe beg them to be appre-hensible about this wholething and let's get to thebottom of what we tryingto do."Whatever they want

to do with the VSEPpackage, the union ishere to negotiate it," Mr.Woods said.When asked what

members should do aboutthe offer by WSC man-agement, Mr. Woodsopined that union mem-bers understand thenegotiation process.

"Our members knowthat the union is the solebargaining agent on theirbehalf and I don’t thinkthey’re fool enough toventure into that port,small craft must stay inport," Mr. Woods said.

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

Dames encourages youngmen to succeed academicallyTop performers of the

AF Adderley Junior Highhave been encouraged towork hard to succeed aca-demically.Addressing the

school’s awards recogni-tion ceremony Friday

morning, Minister ofNational Security MarvinDames reminded theyoungsters that successcomes through hard workand perseverance.“You’re not going to be

successful if you’re lazy,this is one impediment tosuccess,” he said. “Laziness is an impedi-

ment to success,” he reit-erated. “You’re not going to

be successful if you’relazy, you’re not going tobe successful if you’redisruptive in class, you’renot going to be successfulif you fail to do yourclasswork and yourhomework, you’re not

going to be successful ifyou feel that you’re thebig boy on campus andyou don’t have to do yourhomework, so those areall impediments to suc-cess.”Speaking specifically

to the young men, theminister added that suc-cess is not gender neutral.

“I say to many of theyoung men or all of theyoung men this morning,who are not sitting here,that you can be here aswell, you have to deter-mine your pathway, youhave to determine that,you can be here,” he said. “I remember as a kid

every time I failed, I

always went and reflectand said what did I dowrong, how can I do bet-ter, how can I succeed,and that’s what every oneof you ought to be sayingtoday.” Fifty-one students

made the honour rollwhile six made the prin-cipal’s list.

BY JAMEELHA MISSICKJournal Staff Writer

BISHOP HALL CALLS FORLONG-TERM AID FOR HAITIof the victims of theshipwrecked migrantsyesterday at the EnochBeckford Auditorium. Bishop Hall said,

“what France did toHaiti, albeit centuriesago, has left an indeliblestain on the countrydecades later, so much sothat some has deemedFrance’s actions “anunpardonable sin.“Most right-thinking,

progressive people wouldcall on France and otherdeveloped countries andpowerhouses to step upits assistance to Haiti. Itis somewhat duplicitousthat other countries inneed, with citizens withlighter hues and com-plexions, seem to receivedonor aid quicker andwith less strings attached.

“And yet this tragedyalso brings into focus theurgent need for the polit-ical and economic lead-ers of the Island Republicof Haiti to take a deep,introspective look atthemselves,” said BishopHall. “I have visited Haiti

on four (4) differentoccasions. Haiti is indeeda beautiful nation, but thevast division between isrich and it’s poor is fartoo wide. “Affluent and well-off

Haitians living in Haiti,as well the HaitianDiaspora living in com-fort abroad, must be thefirst to step up and carefor their own sisters andbrothers,” he said.He called on those

Haitian nationals living

comfortably in TheBahamas to also lead theway in assisting to ame-liorate Haiti’s social, eco-nomic, and politicalproblems. “I call on each of you

to urge your family mem-bers in Haiti to follow thelaws of The Bahamas.We are a welcoming peo-ple, but a country oflaws.“You must implore

them to refrain from tak-ing such dangerous voy-ages on the open seas.Indeed to be poor anddestitute is still far betterthan to be dead and gone. “Let us then, even as

we grieve, learn from thistragedy. And assist In anyway that to help ourbrothers and sisters inChrist,” said Bishop Hall.

Police Destroy Marijuana FieldsFollowing a joint

operation by DrugEnforcement Unit, USDrug EnforcementAgency and officersfrom the North AndrosDistrict, in two separateincidents last week,police recovered inexcess of 90,000 mari-juana plants.

In the first discovery,according to policereports, shortly before7:00am Thursday, 7thFebruary, OPBAT offi-cers, while on air patrolover San Andros, NorthAndros, discovered fourmarijuana fields. Following the discov-

ery and with the assis-tance of AndrosDivision Officers, they

uprooted a total of9,700 marijuana plantsranging from 6 inchesto 3 feet in height,before destroying thefields with fire.A day later, Friday 8th

February, shortly after8:00am, officers fromAndros Division, DrugEnforcement Unit andUS Drug EnforcementAgency,

went to a bushy area inSan Andros, NorthAndros, where theyuncovered another fourmarijuana fields anduprooted a total of84,810 marijuanaplants. These fields were also

later destroyed by fire.Investigations are

ongoing into these inci-dents.

In a separate incident,police here in the capitalalso recovered a quanti-ty of marijuana thatallegedly originated outof Exuma. According to reports,

shortly before 10:00am,Friday, Central DivisionOfficers, acting oninformation went to avessel at Potters CayDock, which had arrived

from Exuma and recov-ered two boxes, contain-ing 17 packages of sus-pected marijuana.No arrest was made in

these incident.Investigations are ongo-ing.The weight of the

drugs 100 pounds withan estimated streetvalue of $100, 00.00.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 6

A7The Bahama Journal

Monday - February 11th, 2019NationalNEWS

RBDF Marines Graduate from Close Range Combative System TrainingTwelve (12) marines fromthe Royal BahamasDefence Force’s (RBDF)Military Police and ForceProtection (MPFP)Department recently com-pleted a three-week CloseRange CombativeSystems (CRCS) trainingcourse at the CoralHarbour Base. The rigorous program

was in keeping with the

Commander DefenceForce's intent to transformmembers of the RBDFinto a professional bodyof leaders, who set thestandard of excellence inguarding our heritage. The course offered par-

ticipants additional non-lethal combative optionsto gain control of combat-ive situations while carry-ing out their regular

duties. These newlyacquired maneuvers andsystems not only assist indeveloping marines physi-cally, but also mentally asthey learn new skills andtechniques.The CRCS training is

comprised of 5 levelswhich include: tan, grey,green, brown and black.During the graduationceremony, 10 Marines

completed their greybelts and 2 others wereawarded tan belts. Thetraining mixes boxing,grappling, armed andunarmed fight training.Marine Seaman

Marcian Tucker was thelead instructor for thetraining along with 8other instructors. InMarine Seaman Tucker'swords, the training makes

for 'a more fit fightingforce.' Captain Coral Harbour(Acting) Captain AdrianChriswell, in his remarks,congratulated the gradu-ates and assured themthat continual supportwill always be given bythe organization for train-ing which would betterequip marines.Commander Frederick

Brown, the CommandingOfficer of MPFP com-mended Chief PettyOfficer Carlos Sturrup,the Department'sTraining Supervisor, andhis team for hosting thecourse, and congratulatedthe participants on suc-cessfully completingtheir intensive training asdefenders of our coun-try's heritage.

4 RBDF Marines taking part in the Close Range Combative Systems (CRCS) training course at the Coral Harbour Base. (Photo: Marine Seaman Michael turner)

4 Marines and instructors from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s (RBDF) Military Police and Force Protection (MPFP) Department during the graduation ceremony ofthe Close Range Combative Systems (CRCS) training course at the Coral Harbour Base. Also shown are Captain Adrian Chriswell, Captain Coral Harbour (Acting) and

Lieutenant Commander Natasha Miller, Exeutive Officer MPFP. (Photo: Marine Seaman Michael turner)

Henfield Endorses Bahamian Investment Bahamians in Haiti totake advantage of, thenit would be great. “I mean the cost of

labour is cheaper, Haitiin known for its agricul-tural efforts, so I think itwill be a great idea. “I think anything that

we can do to keepHaitians at home,because these are eco-nomics migrants thatwe’re seeing. So, any-thing we can do to keepthem at home to findmeans of employment is

a great idea,” he said. Minister Henfield’s

comments follow thoseof Haitian League ofPastors President Dr.Jean Paul Charles, whothis week suggested thatthe wider communityshould invest in Haiti asan incentive for its resi-dents to stay home.This, as opposed to

sacrificing everythingand boarding dangerous-ly overcrowded vesselsto start a life elsewhere,as the case on two

Saturdays ago.Over people were per-

ished when their 40-footvessel ran aground nearMan-O-War Cay, Abaco.83 people were said to

be on board. Meantime,talks between TheBahamas and Haitiangovernments continue.“We have to signed

agreements with theHaitian government, butyou know since we hadthis high-level delega-tion meeting in Haiti leadby our Prime Minister

where we met withPresident Moise, thingshave been kind of disrup-tive in Haiti. “As you know there is

ongoing unrest in Haitias we speak and so wehave not been able togain any real traction,but this was always onour radar,” MinisterHenfield said. The Minister accepts

that until such time, TheBahamas will continue toshoulder this problem.“It is a perennial prob-

lem that we’ve beenexperiencing throughmany years now.“We’re hopeful that

this event will cause peo-ple to have cognizance ofthe danger of this per-ilous journey that peopletake to find a better wayof living in The Bahamasand elsewhere.“So, we hope that the

Haitian governmentwould continue to part-ner with us as we sendthe message forward toHaiti and communicate

wide and far across thecountry that this journeyis not worth it, becauseyou can lose your lifeand that needs to be com-municated throughoutHaiti to people who arepotential migrants tryingto find a better life in TheBahamas,” he said. The victims who died

in the boating disasterwere buried after servic-es on Sunday at theEnoch BeckfordAuditorium, CarmichaelRoad.

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 12:19 AM Page 7