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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. 102 75 CENTSFRIDAY - JUNE 21ST, 2019

Take A Strong Stand

Mitchell says government needs to

do more in Italianinvestigation.

ormer ForeignAffairs MinisterFred Mitchell isof the view that

The Bahamas govern-ment should take astronger stance in theinvestigation into thedeaths Alrae Ramsey andBlair John – the twoBahamians found dead inTurin, Italy earlier thismonth.

“The spokesman forThe Bahamas govern-ment should have said ina position like this, that

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See page 2...

DARVILLE REFUTESPM’S CLAIMS

Shadow Minister forHealth Senator Dr.Michael Darville yester-day strongly refuted alle-gations regarding thePrincess MargaretHospital’s Children’sWard repairs.

The ward received roof

damage after HurricaneMatthew barreled throughNew Providence in 2016.

During his wrap up tothe 2019/2020 budgetdebate in the House OfAssembly this pastWednesday PrimeMinister Dr. HubertMinnis hit out at the for-mer administration,charging that it “placed a

greater priority on party-ing than they did on sickchildren.”

Englerston Member ofParliament GlenysHanna-Martin told Dr.Minnis that these claimswere “categoricallyfalse”.

Citing a letter dated

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

g See page 3... 4 Dr. Michael Darville

F

BAHAMAS TIER 1 ON US TIP REPORTThe Bahamas remains atTier 1 on this year’s U.STrafficking In Personsreport (TIP) released yes-

terday.This happened after

making serious and sus-tained efforts during thereporting period.

Those efforts , notedthe report, includes “pass-

ing a national action plan,increasing funding forvictim assistance and anti-trafficking prevention,elevating national anti-trafficking planning to theoffice of the prime minis-

ter and instituting an anti-trafficking course into thetraining curriculum of theimmigration department.”

While the governmentmet the minimum stan-dards, the report pointed

out that authorities initiat-ed significantly fewerinvestigations and incon-sistently applied screen-ing procedures to vulnera-

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

WorksMinister

says Many ProjectsPlanned

4 The Hon. DesmondBannister

Bridges, roads, buildingsand airports throughoutThe Bahamas are amongthe 260 infrastructureprojects that the Ministryof Public Works has on itsschedule for the year.The Hon. DesmondBannister, Minister, high-lighted some of them dur-ing his recent contribu-tion to the 2019-2020Budget Debate in theHouse of Assembly.

Plans are in the makingto construct a new airportin North Eleuthera.Minister Bannister toldparliamentarians that amodern airport, identicalto one to be built inExuma, is planned andwill take several years.

“When aircraft move-ments in theCommonwealth of TheBahamas are considered,the North Eleuthera air-port ranks in the top three,

g See page 3...

NoN-ResideNt HigH CommissioNeR desigNate to New

ZealaNd, maRk Holowesko - meetiNgs at FoReigN aFFaiRs

4 Mr. Mark Holowesko, Non-Resident High Commissioner Designate of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to New Zealand,met with the Permanent Secretary, Director General and other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss mat-

ters relevant to his duties on Thursday morning, June 20, 2019 at the Ministry. Mr. Holowesko is pictured, right, withPermanent Secretary Jack Thompson. (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)

Gov’t ontrack to

meet fiscaltargets

With just a few weeks leftin this fiscal year, thegovernment maintainsthat they will meet theirdeficit target by the end ofthe year.

However, on theexpenditure side, FinanceMinister Peter Turnquestsaid the government isanticipating that they willcome some $400 millionbelow the original rev-enue target.

“We’ve been very

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

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The completion of theextensions to the facilityhousing the BahamasAssociation for thePhysically Disabled(BAPD) School onDolphin Drive is part ofthe Government of TheBahamas’ plan to ensurethere is equal and equi-table treatment for per-sons with disabilities.

Addressing aDedication and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony heldWednesday (June 19) atthe BAPD School,Minister of SocialServices and UrbanDevelopment, the Hon.Frankie A. Campbell saidequal and equitable treat-ment and inclusion for thecommunity of personswith disabilities should bethe norm, not the excep-tion.

The Ceremony wasattended by GovernorGeneral, Her Excellencythe Most Hon. DameMarguerite Pindling, whoperformed the ribbon-cut-ting ceremony and deliv-ered the keynote address.Minister Campbell cate-gorized DameMarguerite’s participationas “special, momentousand an honour.” HerExcellency demits officeas Governor General ofthe Commonwealth ofThe Bahamas on June, 28,

2019.Minister Campbell

said: “I feel in my heartthat this should be thenorm and not the excep-tion. Our conversationsabout the community ofpersons with disabilitiesalways centre aroundinclusion; always centrearound accessibility;always talk about equaland equitable treatmentfor all and so I am pleasedthat I can be a part of therealization of a thing thatcould bring some of thatequal and equitable treat-ment; a thing that couldfacilitate accessibility; athing that could speak toinclusion. It is a real hon-our and privilege just tobe a part of this ceremo-ny.”

The extensions includea front entrance coveringthat will allow students,parents, administratorsand staff uninterruptedaccess to the facility dur-ing inclement weather,and a pavilion at thesouthern side of the facili-ty that will allow studentsgreater access to the out-doors. Workmen alsoinstalled a swing set andsand pit for the children’senjoyment.

They are the result ofan assurance given byMinister Campbell, a littleover three months ago,

during a Handing-OverCeremony for the newgenerator donated by theMinistry of SocialServices and UrbanDevelopment to theBAPD in February, 2019.(The donation of the gen-erator was the result of aninitial assurance byMinister Campbell duringa previous visit to thefacility in September 2018-- just two months after heassumed the office of

Minister of SocialServices and UrbanDevelopment.)

“I felt honoured to beable to hand over the keysto the generator back inFebruary because it wouldmean no further interrup-tions in services and pro-grammes for the childrenwhen there were interrup-tions in electricity serv-ice,” Minister Campbellsaid.

“But in assessing thefacility, I saw there was aneed for some other thingsto be done. Two of those

things included the needfor a front entrance coverfor our children, parents,administrators and staff tobe able to get in and out ofthe building freelywhether there was sun-shine or rain. I furthernoted the lack of a spacefor the children to be ableto go outside and play,learn, and/or enjoy theoutdoors and so I askedmyself the question: ‘Whyshouldn’t the children beable go outside and playjust as all of the childrenwho attend schools do.’

And so we began theprocess that led to thecompletion of the exten-sions we are now dedicat-ing today.

“To see the manifesta-tion of a dream to some, awish for others and aneed for many, come to areality to make life morecomfortable for the chil-dren, the staff and thebusiness that goes onhere, is remarkable and Iam just so honoured andproud to be here,”Minister Campbelladded.

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Friday - June 21st, 2019

CAMPBELL: “EQUAL AND EQUITABLE TREATMENT FOR ALL”

4 Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, greeting students ofthe Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled (BAPD) School following the conclusion of the

Dedication and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony held Wednesday (June 19, 2019) at the BAPD, Dolphin Drive. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

Take A Strong we are pressing the Italianauthorities to bring thismatter to a conclusion. Wewill be following theinvestigation to make surethat the law is followedand we get to the answer,that’s what our responsi-bility is as a government,”said Mr. Mitchell.

He said, “the govern-ment also has a responsi-bility and I made thispoint privately to theMinistry of ForeignAffairs to ensure in thispresent dispensationwhere information is com-ing at you 24 hours a day,that if there is a vacuum,the public is going to fill itwith information,” hesaid.

This then begs thequestion of whether Mr.Mitchell is confident

Italian authorities willinvestigate the incident.

He said, “I think theyhave the capacity to do so,but I think that someonehas to be watching overtheir shoulders to makesure that they do the prop-er job.

“My own view iswhether or not we our-selves should convene aCoroner’s inquest,” thePLP Chairman said.

The PLP Senator alsohit at social media reportsattacking the young men,charging that Ramsey andJohn were the finestexamples of Bahamianmales.

“They don’t deserve indeath, to have their repu-tations tarnished or sulliedin any way, shape or form.

“The Bahamas govern-ment has a responsibilityto say something to the

Italian authorities,because the informationwhich is coming out inthe Italian press mustobviously come fromItalian official sources,”he said.

Senator Mitchell stat-ed: “the suspicion I haveis that the Italian govern-ment, and I say this advis-edly, does not want it tobe seen that there is foulplay involved in this andthat it has to do with thesocial conditions whichare obtained in Italytoday,” Mr. Mitchell said.

The bodies of the twomen were retrieved fromthe Po River on June 4thand 5th.

A Foreign Service offi-cer, Ramsey was in Turinon study leave in Vienna.John, meantime was thereattending a psychologyconference.

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Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 6/20/2019 11:27 PM Page 2

with Marsh Harbour andExuma whether we con-sider domestic or interna-tional travel. The physicalplant is entirely inade-quate. Seating is on theoutside. In the morning

and in the evening themosquitoes are out in fullforce, and when it rainspassengers get wet.Moreover the runway isentirely inadequate,” saidMr. Bannister.

A dock will be con-structed in Harbour Island

in the amount of$4,702,221.53. MinisterBannister announcedCabinet’s approval tobuild the dock.

“The dock in HarbourIsland is the lifeblood ofthat community, but foryears has been inadequate

in size and configuration,and remains in poor con-dition,” he said. The areasurrounding the dock willalso be dredged andCustoms area refurbished.

Minister Bannister toldParliamentarians that he isaware of the “immense”need for roadworks inEleuthera. He said pre-liminary work has beencarried out on 38 miles ofroad from Governor’sHarbour to the NorthEleuthera Airport at a costof $472,196.03.

A contract for$2,803,102.40 for thereplacement of RussellIsland Bridge that con-nects Spanish Wells withRussell Island will soonbe signed. MinisterBannister said the bridgehas been in “bad shape”for a long time and will bereplaced with a two landbridge that is 162 feet longand 18 feet wide.

The Most Hon. Dr.Hubert Minnis, PrimeMinister, is expected tovisit Abaco soon to sign a$3,863,665.44 contract torepair damage to Queen’sHighway in Hope town.

“Hurricane Floydcaused served damage tothe edge of the Queens

Highway, thereby severe-ly eroding the beach andthe road. This is a projectthat is critical to the futureof Hope Town,” saidMinister Bannister.”

Construction on theStaniard Creek Bridge isscheduled to begin thisyear. This bridge is thefirst of three major bridgesin Andros that must bereplaced. The PublicWorks’ Minister informedParliamentarians that theengineering work hasbeen completed. He saidexcavation work will alsobe done on the creek torescue it from its currentstate of stagnation andrestore healthy tidal flow.

The search for consul-tancies for the design ofthe long-awaited LongIsland Airport will soonbegin.

“By the end of 2019,Long Islanders and visi-tors alike will have accessto two of the most beauti-ful ecological sites that Ihave ever seen in my life.And then we will start todevelop their Airport,”said Minister Bannister.

The amount of$1,346,474.41 to con-struct, create parking andpave the Monument Road

in Long Island has beenapproved.

“The monument roadis three miles of torturousdriving over rocks andthrough bush to get to themost beautiful vista inthe Bahamas, and per-haps in the world. Theview from the Columbusmonument is incompara-ble,” said Mr. Bannister.

Furthermore, construc-tion of a new bridge inNewton’s Cay is sched-uled to begin in July.Cabinet has allocated$548,263.36 to carry outthe work.

Moreover, he notedthat the damaged class-rooms at North AndrosHigh School will berebuilt. “The recent dev-astating fire at the NorthAndros High School willnot be permitted to crip-ple educational opportu-nities. As I speak, offi-cers of the Ministry ofPublic Works are on theground in North Androsassessing the challenges.We will scope the workand rebuild the damagedclassrooms so that theeducational environmentis better than it everwas,” said MinisterBannister.

A3The Bahama Journal

Friday - June 21st, 2019NationalNEWS

miNisteR dames addResses Book lauNCH oF dR. CaRlos g. Reid

4 Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames joined senior government, religious and civil society representatives at the launch of Dr. Carlos G. Reid's thirdbook 'The Bahamas Gang Culture: Proven Strategies for Change,' at the Hope Centre, on June 18, 2019. Among those present were: Acting Permanent SecretaryEugene Poitier; Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson; Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Tellis Bethel; District Superintendent ofStudent Development at the Ministry of Education Dr. Willard Barr; Member of Parliament Travis L. Robinson; Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton

Fernander; Bishop Neil C. Ellis; Apostle Raymond Wells; Dr. Dave Burrows; Apostle Kelson Miller; Pastor Keith Grey; Director of Teen Challenge Minister Eric Fox; andBahamian musician Landlord. Minister Dames is pictured at right, with Carlos and Tiffany Reid. (BIS Photo/Eric Rose)

DARVILLE REFUTESPM’S CLAIMS

Wednesday, June19th2019, Dr. Darvilleused it as proof that thePrime Minister lied andmisled parliament on thematter.

He said, “the truth ofthe matter is the contractfor the Children’s wardwas awarded on Oct 2016to GuaranteeConstruction Companyfor exterior work whichincluded the roof andwindow replacements at acost of $ 379,478 and the

exterior work was com-pleted in July 2017.”

He added, “It’s impor-tant to point out that theexterior of the buildinghad to be done first beforethe interior work couldbegin. The PLP lost officein May 2017. The com-pletion of the children'sward was therefore andremains the responsibilityof the current Minister ofHealth and the FreeNational Movement.”

He also said that judg-ing from that letter,released in a local daily

yesterday, the Minnis-ledadministration has donenothing to make improve-ments to the ward.

He said, “the recordshould reflect the truth.The repairs of the chil-dren's ward had absolute-ly nothing to do withCarnival.

“This debacle, howev-er, has everything to dowith neglect by the FreeNational Movement andthe Minister of Healthand the PHA’s failure todo its job,” Dr. Darvillesaid.

Works Minister says Many Projects

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Executives of GlobalPorts Holding (GPH)hosted a series of govern-ment-endorsed stakehold-er meetings recently todiscuss the Nassau cruiseport redevelopment proj-ect with key stakeholdergroups. These meetingsare a part of a series ofoutreach activities thatGlobal Ports Holding willundertake in partnershipwith the BahamasInvestment Authority andthe Office of the PrimeMinister to ensure thatmajor stakeholders areinvolved in the implemen-tation of the project.

“It’s critical for us toestablish these fundamen-tal partnerships as early aspossible,” said ColinMurphy, Head ofBusiness Development,The Americas, GlobalPorts Holding. “The out-come of this project willdepend heavily on thefoundations of the rela-tionships that we formwith key stakeholders.We’ve heard many of theconcerns of variousgroups during these meet-ings and we recognize thatthere’s a lot to considerand a lot of work to bedone. If we’re all con-stantly communicatingand keeping our commongoal in mind, we can worktogether to ensure thateveryone’s needs are met

in the most effective wayspossible.”

The series of meetingsbegan with a conversationwith leaders of associa-tions and committees ofBahamians who work inand around Festival Placeincluding the BahamasTaxi Cab Union, PrinceGeorge Dock TaxiCommittee, FestivalPlace TenantsAssociation, GlassBottom Ferry BoatAssociation, ProfessionalDowntown Hair Braiders

Association, Horse &Surrey Association, andthe Scooter Association.This was followed by ameeting with downtownmerchants, representa-tives of the BahamasHotel & TourismAssociation, the BahamasFederation of Retailers,and the DowntownNassau Partnership.

The Global PortsHolding group also metwith members of theBahamas Tour OperatorsAssociation and some of

the executives, trusteesand members of the StrawBusiness Persons Society.

“We’re making a sig-nificant investment inNassau and we want to bea helpful partner in theeffort to revitalize down-town. This week helpedus to launch that process,”Murphy continued. “It’simportant that we all havea thorough understandingof where we are now andwhere we want to be sothat everyone involvedcan bring their best ideasforward to make the proj-ect successful.”

Yvette Prince,President of the FestivalPlace Tenants’Association, shared herthoughts about the GlobalPorts Holding presenta-

tion and the tone of themeetings. “Everythingthat we heard and sawwas very positive. We’repleased that Global PortsHolding is reaching outto us well ahead of mak-ing any changes to theport area, so we’re goingto take advantage of theopportunity to ensure thatour voices are heard dur-ing this process. We sup-port working with GlobalPorts Holding and arewilling to collaborate todevelop solutions toensure that everyonewins through this proj-ect.”

Minister of Tourismand Aviation, The Hon.Dionisio D’Aguilar,noted that "The GlobalPorts Holding project

will no doubt serve as thecatalyst for the redevel-opment of downtownNassau. With this inmind, it is critical that thevarious stakeholders par-ticipate in the discussionsand are kept abreast ofthe development and itmoves forward. I ampleased with the progressthat GPH is making asthey engage the localstakeholders. EveryBahamian involved inthis venture must havethe chance to make themost of this opportunity,whether through entre-preneurship, share own-ership or the countlessother benefits that it willbring. We are workingtogether to make sure thathappens."

A4 The Bahama Journal

Friday - June 21st, 2019 NationalNEWS

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BAHAMAS TIER 1 ON US TIP REPORT

Gov’t on track tomeet fiscal targets

ble populations.Credible allegations of

corruption also raisedconcerns about vulnera-bilities of potential traf-ficking victims during thereporting period.

The United States sug-gested that the country“increase efforts to inves-tigate, prosecute, convict,and appropriately punishtraffickers – and thatincludes officials complic-it in sex or labor traffick-ing”.

There was also the sug-gestion to “robustlyimplement the victimidentification and referral

protocol to identify vic-tims of sex and labourtrafficking”, especiallyamong vulnerable groups,including Haitians,Venezuelans and othermigrants.

It also suggested toprovide vulnerable indi-viduals with assistanceprior to, during, and afterscreening for trafficking,is also on the list as wellas providing language andcultural interpretation inscreening and trauma-informed protective serv-ices for vulnerable popu-lations, particularly inlesser known languagessuch as Creole andSpanish.

There is a further needto increase victim-cen-tered training for prosecu-tors, judges, and police-men on the trafficking inpersons act and collectingcorroborative evidence tosupport victim testimony,increase grassroots out-reach to potential traffick-ing victims among vulner-able groups in partnershipwith non-governmentalorganizations andstrengthen engagementwith officials involved inanti-trafficking activitiesin other countries in theregion.

Human trafficking issaid to be one of the mostheinous crimes on earth.

careful to try and manageour expectation and man-age our expenditure,given the fact that weknow we were going tolose some revenue due tothe concessions and otherchallenges that we’ve hadon the revenue side.

“Hats off to the

Ministry and hats off tothe government as a wholethat have been coopera-tive in playing their part.We have been able to meetthat without sacrificingany quality or the efficien-cy of service that we pro-vide,” the Minister ofFinance said.

In his midyear budgetcommunication, the

Finance Minister assertedthat the government wassome $185 million shortin revenue. This receivedmuch criticism from theopposition.

Opposition spokesmanon Finance ChesterCooper predicted that thegovernment would missits revenue projectionsand miss it badly.

GPH GAINS SUPPORT FROM DOWNTOWN ANDFESTIVAL PLACE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS

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4 Executives of the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union and the Glass Bottom Ferry Boat Association meet with Colin Murphy of Global PortsHolding, executives from the Bahamas Investment Authority, and representatives of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism during recent

Nassau cruise port stakeholder meetings.

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