Quake divineretribution

claim slammed

NNAASSSSAAUU AANNDD BBAAHHAAMMAA IISSLLAANNDDSS’’ LLEEAADDIINNGG NNEEWWSSPPAAPPEERR

Pinder in ‘conflictof interest’ claims

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Volume: 106 No.63 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25)

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Student writers

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HonouredJohnsongoes to

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PLP candidate’s jobwith US law firmsparks controversy

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Tim Clarke/Tribune staffOFFICERS remove the body of one of the young men shot yesterday morning in Rupert Dean Lane. Three people are being questioned.

By ALISON LOWETribune Staff Reporteralowe@tribunemedia.net

RYAN Pinder, PLP candi-date for Elizabeth, has beenhit with claims that his jobwith a US-based law firm thatadvocates for foreign devel-opers might mean he couldsuffer from a conflict of inter-est if elected to Parliament.

Andre Rollins, the Nation-al Development Party’s can-didate for the Elizabeth by-election, also alleges that MrPinder’s candidacy in Eliza-beth is “opportunistic”, con-sidering his recent history ofcampaigning in the Cliftonconstituency, and is aimedsolely at launching him intoParliament rather than a gen-uine concern or connectionwith the people who live inthe area.

“Is Ryan Pinder an oppor-tunist seeking to represent aforeign law firm who has closeaffiliation with many devel-opers seeking to do business,not only in the state of Flori-da, but potentially in thiscountry?” Mr Rollins asked.

Like Workers’ Party candi-date, Rodney Moncur, the 34-year-old expressed furtherconcern that Mr Pinder’s UScitizenship may impinge uponhis ability to truly act in theinterests of the Bahamas as alawmaker if elected, and maylead to the upheaval of anelection court challenge if notfurther explored.

Yesterday Mr Pinderdeclined to comment on MrRollins’ claims, saying thatthey were “personal” innature.

Mr Rollins told The Tri-bune that constituents needto question what both candi-dates put forward that theFNM and the PLP “repre-sent”, based on their records.

Not sparing Dr DuaneSands, the FNM candidate forthe February 16 by-election,Mr Rollins alleged that scruti-ny of Dr Sands’ record does

TWO SHOT DEAD IN SUSPECTED REVENGE ATTACK

By NATARIO McKENZIETribune Staff Reporternmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

POLICE were last night questioningthree people - two of them women - aftertwo men were shot dead in a suspectedrevenge attack.

The three were arrested in the WoodesAlley area off Market Street late yester-day afternoon. Police also recovered two

high-powered automatic weapons and acamouflage jacket.

They are being held in connection withthe shootings of Wilton Omar Smith, 30, ofRoberts Drive, Bamboo Town, and

Lashown Davis, 29, of Rupert Dean Lane.The pair were gunned down by the road-side, not far from the New ApostolicChurch on Rupert Dean Lane. Their deathspush the country’s homicide count to 10.

Screams of grief emanated from RupertDean Lane yesterday as relatives, friends ofthe victims as well as concerned residents of

By MEGAN REYNOLDSTribune Staff Reportermreynolds@tribunemedia.net

PASTORS who haveattributed Haiti’s cata-strophic earthquakeand subsequent suffer-ing of millions of peo-ple to divine retribu-tion were slammed byMethodist church lead-ers and charities yes-terday.

Bill Higgs, president

By ALISON LOWETribune Staff Reporteralowe@tribunemedia.net

DRIVERS who have pri-vately imported a US-madeToyota from the US havebeen advised to contact thecountry’s main Toyota deal-ership to see if they need toget it repaired after the carmaker recalled millions of thevehicles over a potentiallydangerous accelerator “stick-

ing” problem.Executive Motors has iden-

tified around 25 other Toy-otas - Camrys, Avalons andTundras from 2007 to 2010 -that it has imported from theUS and sold in the Bahamaswhich are also likely to needto have the problematic partreplaced.

“We are in process of con-tacting those clients directlyand we’re looking at puttingin a press release next week

for those we do not have con-tact information for, advisingthem of procedure,” saidExecutive Motors PresidentFrederick Albury.

Mr Albury said the compa-ny is hoping to have thereplacement part within themonth and have it installedinto the affected Toyotas tocorrect the “sticking” prob-lem or stop it from occurringin the future.

Executive Motors is order-

ing extra parts to assist thoseindividuals locally who mayhave imported US-made carsprivately and may also be inneed of replacement parts. MrAlbury was unable to say ifthe company would getenough extra parts to coverdemand and indicated thatsome car owners may have tocontact their US dealership

Toyota car importers urged to contact dealership

SEE page three

THE POLICE are asking for theassistance of the residents ofGrand Bahama and Abaco in theirefforts to locate 17-year-oldCharleah Wilchcombe. She waslast seen at the Columbus Housefor Girls on August 4, 2009. Any-one with information should call350-310/78, 352-9774/5 or 911.

HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

RYAN PINDER

XELIZABETHB Y - E L E C T I O N

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY POLICE

PAGE 3: Date for TV debate

SEE page 11 SEE page 11

SEE page 11

Police question trio,including two women

EIGHT Bahamian studentwriters were honoured fortheir written achievements atthe US Embassy's 2010 essayawards ceremony yesterday.

The students were chal-lenged to discuss how theydemonstrated personalintegrity in their lives or illus-trate the integrity of a per-sonal mentor. Inspiration forthe essay questions came froma legendary quote by iconicAmerican civil rights leaderDr Martin Luther King.

Before they received theirprizes, American Ambassadorto the Bahamas Nicole Avantcongratulated the students ontheir achievements whileencouraging them to be a pos-itive change in their commu-nities.

"I am a firm believer in thepower of choice. We have theopportunity everyday torespond to our circumstanceseither in a negative way or ina positive way.

"The circumstances them-selves do not hold the powernor do they in any way deter-mine who we are or who webecome. The true power is inhow we choose to respond toour circumstances," she toldthe crowd of students, parents,teachers and dignitaries at theBritish Colonial Hilton.

Also present was EducationMinister Desmond Bannister,who praised the competitionas an avenue to enhance theapplicants' reading and cog-nitive skills. He also heraldedthe contest as a chance for thestudents to enhance personalintegrity.

"Victory is not merely incoming first or walking awaywith a prize but in being anagent for change for your fel-low man," he said.

First place honours went totwo students — one from NewProvidence and another fromGrand Bahama, ShaquilleSands and Michael Cooper,of C W Saunders High Schooland Bishop Michael EldonHigh School, respectively.They were awarded severalbooks, a laptop and a certifi-cate of achievement.

Meanwhile, TraimaineThompson of Mangrove CayHigh School placed 2nd; Nak-haz Gay of Faith TempleHigh School placed 3rd; andNa'eem McIver of Westmin-ster College placed 4th.

Three students receivedhonourable mention: MicaiahBostwick of Westminster Col-lege; D'Abthra Adderley ofSt Andrews; and KaleneJones of San Salvador HighSchool.

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LOCAL NEWS

PAGE 2, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 THE TRIBUNE

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INDEXMAIN/SPORTS SECTIONLocal News...........................P1,2,3,5,6,7,11Editorial/Letters........................................P4Sports...................................................P9,10Advt..........................................................P12

CLASSIFIED SECTION 28 PAGES

USA TODAY WEEKENDER 8 PAGES

US Embassy’s 2010 essay awardsceremony honours eight Bahamians

US Ambassador Nicole Avant; Minister of Education Desmond Bannister and the Minister of Youth, Sportsand Culture Charles Maynard pose for a photo with the top finalists in the Martin Luther King Jr EssayCompetition, essay committee judges, sponsors and education officials from the participating schools.

NEW Providence winner Shaquille Sands, 12th grade student at CW Saunders High School receivesher awards from US Ambassador Nicole A Avant and Minister of Education Desmond Bannister.

FAMILY Island winner Michael Cooper, 11th grade student atBishop Michael Eldon High School, Freeport, Grand Bahama,receives his awards from US Ambassador Nicole A Avant and Min-ister of Education Desmond Bannister.

By MEGAN REYNOLDSTribune Staff Reportermreynolds@tribunemedia.net

CARIBBEAN countries willwork together to build a hos-pital and provide healthcare indisaster stricken Haiti, Nation-al Emergency ManagementAgency director Stephen Rus-sell said yesterday.

As part of the widerCaribbean Disaster EmergencyManagement Agency (CDE-MA), NEMA is followingdirectives from the region-wideinitiative to support Haiti,which only joined CDEMA inSeptember last year.

Commander Russell said theCaribbean countries expect tofacilitate healthcare to Haitiansby building a hospital in Haitiand dispatching physicians andnurses in the devastated nation.

There are currently 350CARICOM representativesworking in Haiti and NEMAhas sent two officers on theCDEMA rotation to set up dis-aster relief operation centres.

However most of their workwill be done in the long-term,Commander Russell said.

“This disaster in Haiti isoverwhelming to all of us,” headded. “This is a long-termprocess and we need now tolook at a long-term strategy forrebuilding. If it seems we wereslow in doing some things wehad to do it in a systematicmanner and we are standing byto assist in the long-term.

“We don’t want everyonedoing their own thing; we haveto work together.”

Commander Russell praisedBahamian relief efforts andcharities working together toprovide emergency assistanceto Haiti while NEMA securesaircraft, road vehicles and a

ship to dispatch to Haiti whennecessary. The magnitude 7.0earthquake and subsequenttsunami warning in theBahamas has also alertedNEMA to the range of disas-ters it must be prepared to face.

Commander Russell said: “Ithas caused us to refocus on ourdisaster planning and look atthe full concept of disaster man-agement, earthquakes andtsunamis.”

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LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010, PAGE 3

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By ALISON LOWETribune Staff Reporteralowe@tribunemedia.net

THE first live televiseddebate between candidates in aparliamentary election since2002 will take place on Tues-day but while organisers claimthey have received confirma-tion of attendance from all fivecandidates the two main politi-cal parties yesterday denied this.

The “Great Debate for Elizabeth 2010”, which will allow foraround three to four hundred Bahamians to watch from within thevenue itself and thousands more on live television and radio, isbeing organised by the Jones Communications Network, the own-er of JCN channel 14 television station, Love97FM radio and theBahama Journal.

Pre-pared questions will be launched at the political hopefuls bymoderator Wendell Jones. Members of the public can submitquestions that they would like to see asked of the candidatesahead of the two hour event.

Yesterday Kristen Jones of JCN said all candidates – the PLP’sRyan Pinder, the FNM’s Duane Sands, the Bahamas DemocraticMovements (BDM) Cassius Stuart, National Development Partycandidate Andre Rollins and Worker’s Party hopeful RodneyMoncur – had quickly agreed to participate.

“We didn’t have any problems,” she said, asked whether thecompany had difficulty getting candidates to agree to the prospect.“The two main parties actually responded the quickest,” sheadded.

However, when contacted yesterday for confirmation, FNMchairman Carl Bethel said the party’s candidate in the by-election,Dr Duane Sands, would not be taking part, and denied that the par-ty had indicated otherwise to JCN.

“Our position has not changed on this matter. Our candidate isnot engaging in debate with other candidates. Our discussion is withthe residents of Elizabeth.”

Mr Bethel said the decision was that of the party, not Dr Sands.PLP candidate Ryan Pinder said he was “waiting to receive the

rules” when asked if he would be participating.The last public debate in the run up to an election in the

Bahamas was in 2002. At that time the leaders of the FNM, PLP,the Coalition for Democratic Reform and the Bahamas DemocraticMovement – Tommy Turnquest, Perry Christie, Bernard Nottageand Cassius Stuart respectively – debated each other live on radio.

Referring to this debate, Mr Bethel said yesterday: “We did itbefore, and we won’t be doing it again.”

According to Ms Jones, candidates in “The Great Debate forElizabeth” will be questioned by the moderator on a variety of top-ics pertinent to their candidacy and the constituents of Elizabeth,with each candidate being given 90 seconds to respond to eachquestion. Candidates will be given 45 seconds to rebut any responseby another candidate to a particular question and they may alsoface individual questions from Mr Jones.

No questions will be taken on the night from members of theaudience.

The event begins at 8pm sharp. Entrance is free and those wish-ing to watch must be in place ahead of time.

If you wish to submit a question for consideration by the mod-erator, email it to jcnnews@gmail.com or you can fax it to 325 3996.

Televised debate betweencandidates set for Tuesday

By MEGAN REYNOLDSTribune Staff Reportermreynolds@tribunemedia.net

A FREIGHTER loaded with supplies will besent to Haiti later this month to ease the suffering ofthousands in the earthquake ravaged nation.

Although the sea port in Port-au-Prince remainsclosed and a long line of aid ships sit in the har-bour awaiting entry, Bahamian charities have sur-mounted the challenge to ensure their donationsreach those in need.

The freighter, loaded with 40 20ft containers ofemergency supplies, medical supplies and equip-ment, 30,000 cases of water and a flatbed truck, willgo from Nassau to Cap-Haitien on Haiti’s northerncoast on February 24. The donations were collectedby: Rotary; the Bahamas Conference of MethodistChurches and Bahamas Methodist Habitat; theBahamas Red Cross Society; the Salvation Armyand the Scout Association. They will be collected bythe partner organisations of these entities on theground and transported to communities in need.

Nearly four weeks after the magnitude 7.0 earth-quake levelled Port-au-Prince, hundreds of thou-sands of people seeking medical help and shelter

have fled the capital and swamped small communi-ties already struggling with minimal infrastructure.

Rotary District 7020 disaster relief co-ordinatorRichard McCombe explained how the displacedpeople, including hundreds of children, many with-out parents, need shelter, education, mental andphysical care and social activities.

Rotary 7020, working with 17 Rotary clubs inHaiti, other Bahamian charities and their partners,intends to address these needs in a long-term reliefplan over the next two months. Mr McCombe said:“We need to create schools, we need to create com-

munities, we need to create a place where people cango for shelter because many people are going fromone community to another trying to find a home.

“They need people to inspire them to becomesocial again and help them rebuild a life.”

Rotary alone has put half a million dollars towardsHaiti relief, in addition to the thousands raised bythe Methodist churches, the Salvation Army, theRed Cross and the Scouts Association, who all spokeabout their combined relief effort at a press con-ference at the Bahamas Conference of the MethodistChurch headquarters in Baltic Avenue, Nassau,yesterday. With help from Odyssey Aviation, theyhave sent more than 155 flights to various Haitianairports and delivered 125,000lbs of emergency sup-plies including 70,000lbs of medical supplies.

Bahamas Red Cross Society director general Car-oline Turnquest said the charity’s two storey ware-house in JFK Drive has been filled with donationsand she hopes to transport the bulk of this materialon the freighter. Ms Turnquest said: “We have beenoverwhelmed with donations and we look forwardto continued support as we are in this for the long-haul. We know this is not something that will endover the next few weeks or even months. Therewill be homes to rebuild and we will be there for thatas well.”

Ship ready for mercy mission

RICHARD MCCOMBE, Rotary District 7020 disaster relief co-ordinator speaks at a press conference yesterday.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORT

Freighter loaded with supplies to depart Nassau on February 24

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COMMANDER Stephen Russell.

of the Bahamas Confer-ence of the MethodistChurch, publicly criti-cised pastors and otherswho deemed the Haitiearthquake a justifiedact of God.

He said: “We don’tsee this as any judgmentor any payback or anywake-up call that unfor-tunately some churchpeople have said.

“If this is a judgmentof God on Haiti thenthe rest of us ought tobe worried. We shouldbe very scared indeed ofwhat could happen tous.

“We know about allthe corruption and weknow about social andcultural conditions thatare not in agreementwith what Godrequires.”

The Bahamas Confer-ence of the MethodistChurch (BCMC) whichincorporates BahamasMethodist Habitat, hasprovided social assis-tance to communities inneed across theBahamas as well as dis-aster relief in the islandsfor many years andexpanded to provideinternational assistanceafter Hurricane Ikestruck in 2008.

When Port-au-Princeand the surrounding set-tlements were levelledby an earthquake onJanuary 12 the organisa-tion was one of the firstto send emergency sup-plies to the region withassistance from Rotaryand Odyssey Aviation.

Despite the over-whelming support theyhave seen in collabora-tive relief efforts acrossthe Bahamas, manyBahamians have pub-licly judged the disasteras something divinelyjustified.

Henry Knowles,BCMC general secre-tary, said: “People saythis is God’s way of con-demning them. I heard apastor say, ‘Haiti needsto sit up and take abeating from God’ andthat is certainly not ourattitude.

“We have to pay itforward, we have to dowhat we have to do nowso when our time comesothers can step in andhelp us.

“Most people thinkthis is just a fad. This isnot a fad, this is what wedo every day and we arein it for the people, forthe humanity of thepeople.”

Mr Higgs added:“Rather than cast judg-ment, see this as anopportunity for us torespond, to share ourhumanity by embracingthe opportunity to helpeach other.

“We have an opportu-nity to do somethinggood and to do the rightthing.

“We don’t need tospend time casting judg-ment.

“Lets just do what’sright and respond to asituation that we couldvery well find ourselvesin.”

Quake divineretribution

claim comesunder fire

FROM page one

“If this is a judg-ment of God on Haitithen the rest of usought to be worried.We should be veryscared indeed of whatcould happen to us.

Bill Higgs

EDITOR, The Tribune.

“Reproach hath broken myheart, and I am full of heavi-ness: and I looked for some totake pity, but there was none,and for comforters, but I foundnone.” David implores God’shelp. Psalms chapter 69, verse20.

Recent events in the Com-monwealth of The Bahamas,has me reeling. As a conse-quence of the situation which Iam about to unveil, has broughtabout several questions: Firstly,what is the purpose of theImmigration laws of theBahamas? Who coined the lawsand/or was it intended to be apiece of legal convenience? Isthe opposition party, during anyperiod in our country’s exis-tence, irrelevant? How manyethnic groupings are there inthe Commonwealth of TheBahamas? What is the wisdombehind foreign individualsforming this cohesion? What isthe National Security of theBahamas? Who is responsibleand why? What is the role of aPolice Force when the mandat-ed legal enforcement body theImmigration Departmentappears to have lost its effec-tiveness? How can this veryimportant arm of law enforce-ment lose its edge? How manystatus challenged individuals dowe have in The Bahamas? Isthere a statute bar posed on thelength of time an individualcoming from another countrycan be considered for status?How is this possible when theinitial landing was due to thelaw being broken? How can anindividual continue his liveli-hood undetected and or with-out interdiction?

A person being detained atthe Carmichael Road Deten-tion Centre was obviously therebecause he or she had brokenthe laws and not based on howmany years they were in theBahamas. How then can theybe released when the laws werequite clear, or so I thoughtregarding detainees? If no lawswere broken why were theyincarcerated? Having set a dan-gerous precedent how will oth-er detainees be considered?

Who hired the politicians?For what purpose? Was it notto ensure that the Bahamianpeople have a better way of life,because of the way the politi-cians does the people’s busi-ness.

Finally history has shownthat when countries have a mul-tiplicity of ethnic people, thatconflicts results. RememberBosnia Herzegovina and Rwan-da. In Bosnia there were threegroups each with a certain per-centage, so too in Rwanda. Theend result, genocide, all tryingto outdo the other for suprema-cy.

This is a dangerous gamebeing played in the Bahamas,nowadays. While we may nothave been responsible for whathas happened in Haiti eco-nomically, and I’m not talkingabout the earthquake becausethe quake’s victims broughttears to my eyes. The Bahamashad done more for Haitians

then perhaps France and or anyother Caribbean nation whenin actuality we are not even inthe Caribbean, but the AtlanticOcean with the country,Bermuda. We are continuouslydoing for the Haitian people,as we have many thousands ofthem here.

I call on the United Nationsin New York, to cause there tobe had a massive investigations,with hopes of uncovering why itis that such a resourcefully richcountry, has ended up so verypoor.

This account should go backto the days when France con-trolled the colony/territory. Ifit is proven that politicians haddisadvantaged or plundered theresources of these people, thencharges are to be laid.

Surely no other country, andcertainly not the Bahamas,ought to be reaping the load ofthis misfortune. My prayers andthat of my family, goes out tothe families of those killed anddisplaced by the earthquake.

I do not know what thepoliticians are seeing as theydrive the streets of New Provi-dence, but what my travelrevealed frightened me everywhere you go, young men con-gregating all hours, dilapidat-

ed buildings, streets, pot holeridden, parks unkempt, oldderelict vehicles; an eye soreand breeding ground forrodents, etc, gambling houseson the increase, drug peddling,people of all ages blatantlymaking use of obscene lan-guage, among children, espe-cially. These are very differenttimes from what I used toknow. What is happening withthe maintenance programmefor these constituencies? Therevenue received from Bank-ing, Tourism and the FinancialServices? What percentage ofthis money is exiting this coun-try earmarked to support othernationalities? The Central Bankof The Bahamas, needs torelease the numbers for all tosee.

There is no question thatmany Bahamians are unem-ployed and hurting. Just theother day 6,000 customer’s elec-trical power had been turnedoff and what percentage of thatnumber remains? I praise theefforts of the Rt HonourablePrime Minster Ingraham in try-ing to bring relief, but the prob-lems faced by the country, aretoo gigantic for any one man.All hands needs to be on deck.

I can write ’till next year,but for now I thank you for thespace.

FRANK GILBERTNassau, January 26, 2010.

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EDITORIAL/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PAGE 4, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune LimitedNULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master

LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.Publisher/Editor 1972-

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WASHINGTON — Just a week afterenraging China with an arms sale pack-age for rival Taiwan, President BarackObama risks more damage to this cru-cial relationship by agreeing to meetwith the Dalai Lama in two weeks.

The truth is he has little choice.Obama already postponed the visit

once, angering U.S. lawmakers andrights groups. As Obama struggles toregain his footing after political set-backs, the last thing he needs is to openhimself up to fresh criticism that he iskowtowing to China.

So on Thursday, his administrationconfirmed what had long been expected:Obama will meet with the Dalai Lamawhen the Tibetan monk visits Wash-ington on February 17-18.

China immediately urged the UnitedStates to scrap the meeting to avoidhurting bilateral ties. China accuses theDalai Lama of pushing for Tibetan inde-pendence, which the Dalai Lama denies,and believes that shunning the exiledTibetan monk should be a basic princi-ple of international relations for coun-tries that want to deal with China.

In reality, China could not have beensurprised by Thursday's announcement.

Every U.S. president for the last twodecades has met with the Dalai Lama,and those visits are considered powerfulsigns of the American commitment tohuman rights. Obama also told Chi-nese leaders last year that he wouldmeet with the monk.

The Dalai Lama enjoys widespreadsupport in America. High-profilecelebrities call him friend; college stu-dents flock to his frequent campus lec-tures; powerful U.S. lawmakers wouldcall another postponed meeting abetrayal.

Obama is focused on domestic mat-ters as he deals with a struggling econ-omy and a series of Republican politicalvictories. He does not want to add tothat with an outcry over his snubbing theDalai Lama again.

For the last year, Obama has facedcriticism that his administration is moreeager to win Chinese cooperation onnuclear standoffs with Iran and NorthKorea and climate change and economiccrises than to hold Beijing accountable

for what activists call an abysmal rightsrecord.

Much of that criticism stems fromSecretary of State Hillary Rodham Clin-ton's comments during a trip to China ayear ago that human rights should notinterfere with improving U.S.-Chinaties. Activists also said Obama failed tomake human rights a big enough prior-ity during his China trip in November.

Just a month before that high-profiletrip, Obama faced anger for putting offa White House visit when the DalaiLama came to Washington.

Still, he has little to show from Chinafor his outreach. As Beijing refuses togive ground on many key issues, theObama administration has shown anincreasing willingness to get tough.

In September, Obama slapped tariffson a flood of Chinese tyres entering theUnited States. Although he antagonizedChina and heard complaints about U.S.protectionism, he was praised by pow-erful American union allies who blameChinese tyre imports for the loss ofthousands of jobs.

And, in recent weeks, the adminis-tration announced the $6.4 billion armssale to Taiwan, the self-governing demo-cratic island Beijing claims as its own;Clinton urged Beijing to investigatehacking attacks that led to Google'sthreat to pull out of China; and Obamavowed to get tough with China on a cur-rency dispute. Now, China's anger willbe focused on the Dalai Lama's visit.

China maintains that Tibet has beenpart of its territory for centuries, butmany Tibetans say the region was func-tionally independent for much of its his-tory. Tibet and Taiwan are China'smost sensitive issues, and Obama risksChinese retaliation by stoking anger inBeijing.

Already, China has threatened topunish U.S. companies involved in anyarms sales to Taiwan and has suspendedmilitary exchanges with Washington.

Many will be watching whether theDalai Lama meeting wrecks a possibleApril visit by Chinese President Hu Jin-tao to Washington.

(This article was written by FosterKlug, Associated Press Writer).

All hands areneeded on ourcountry’s deck

LETTERSletters@tribunemedia.net

Obama and Dalai Lama to meet

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EDITOR, The Tribune.

I commend the hundreds of thousands of people, includingpro-life leaders from Canada, Africa, Europe, South America,Asia and Oceania who attended the annual March for Life inWashington, DC on Friday. America’s March for Life hasbecome the world’s pro-life protest against the aggressive pro-motion of abortion and population control that is sweeping theworld and which is now the official policy of the United States,thanks to the administration of President Barack Obama.

If an (human) embryo is human, it is a person — this is thegolden rule for bioethics.

It is a scientific fact that human life begins in its entirety at themoment of conception. From the first moment the embryohas a full anthropological qualification; there is a continuity;there are no leaps that have in them substantial mutations;the embryonic body develops. Every manual of human embry-ology states that the zygote is already an unrepeatable humanbeing, unique in its species, a different being from the motherand the father.

Ultimately, free will cannot be cited as justification for soci-ety to allow moral choices that strike at the most fundamentalrights of others. Such a choice is abortion, which constitutes thetaking of innocent human life.

The so-called “right” to abortion championed by feministsand abortion supporters ends up enslaving women becausethey are turned into instruments of sexual gratification. If thewoman can abort without restrictions, the man is free of anyresponsibility as father, leaving the woman as his tool of sexu-al gratification in a position of “non-equality.”

Let us fight for life. Life is the future of man, never death.

PAUL KOKOSKI Canada,January 22, 2010.

I applaud those whoattended March of Life

AN APPEAL has beenfiled against a court rulingwhich overturned theappointment of Rev DianaFrancis as pastor-elect of FirstBaptist Church.

The ruling was handeddown by now retired JusticeCheryl Albury last Decem-ber.

First Baptist Church Incor-porated, Rev Earle Francisand his daughter Rev DianaFrancis are listed as the appel-lants in the appeal. RevHarold Bodie – one of thefounding members of FirstBaptist Church on MarketStreet South – is listed as therespondent.

Rev Diana Francis, host ofthe show "U Gat Issues", wasinstalled in the position ofpastor-elect in December2007 by her father, the RevEarle Francis, head pastor ofFirst Baptist Church.

Rev Bodie, who wasbacked by some members ofthe church, opposed theappointment and sought aSupreme Court declarationthat Rev Diana Francis'installation as pastor-elect andco-pastor of the church was

null and void as it contra-vened article 16 of the associ-ation's memorandum. He alsoasked the court to declare thatall First Baptist’s financialrecords should be turned overto him and that all appoint-ments to the church’s execu-tive board by Rev Francis beconsidered null and void.

Justice Albury decided thatRev Francis' installation aspastor-elect was null and voidas it was in contravention ofthe association's memoran-dum.

UpheldHowever, the judge upheld

Rev Francis' appointment asco-pastor as well as the exec-utive board appointmentsmade by Rev Earle Francis,as these predated the amend-ments made to the memoran-dum after the court actionwas initiated.

Justice Albury also ruledagainst the request that allfinancial records of the churchbe turned over to Rev Bodie.

She noted that Rev Bodieand some of the church’smembers had expressed con-

cern over the lack of trans-parency with regard to thechurch's financial records, butsaid she had found nothing inthe evidence before her tosuggest that the demandwould be in conformity withthe church's memorandum,or in the interest of justice.

Five grounds of appealhave been outlined in a noticeof appeal filed on behalf ofRev Earle Francis and RevDiana Francis. They are beingrepresented by attorney

Sharon Wilson. AttorneyRomona Farquharson, whorepresents Rev Bodie, toldThe Tribune yesterday thatshe had been served with thenotice of appeal on Wednes-day but has not yet spokenwith her client about the mat-ter.

“I have to take instructionsfrom my client on how to pro-ceed and we have to preparefor the appeal but it is verydisappointing,” Ms Far-quharson said.

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THE TRIBUNE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010, PAGE 5

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"I vex that these PLPs, FNMs,BDMs, NDPs and all the rest get-

ting so worked up about this silly by-elec-tion what don't really mean anything inthe grand scheme of things instead of wor-rying about all the young men and womenwho getting shoot, stab and rob every dayof the week in our lil' country.

"I am tired of these politicians just mak-ing noise, handing out their scratchy t-shirts and inviting loud drunk people tocampaign with them while the rest of ussuffer. When the election fever wears off,the FNM will still be the government, people will still be out ofjobs and hooligans will still be running around shooting peopleup. But yet y'all want to wave pom poms."

– Tired of foolishness

"I vex because I tired of all this crime and murderation in thiscountry. I scared to walk out my door or drive at night thesedays because I scared to see some aggressive thug waiting forme. And I don't blame the police, and I don't blame the gov-ernment because it's our society that created these peoplewho have no regard for law, order or human life.”

– Praying for Nassau

"I vex at seeing people children on the side of the road sell-ing phone cards, soda, water, fruit, peanut; you name it, whiletheir big, rusty ma and pa home doing who knows what!

"Where are the police or social workers? Surely this can't belegal to have children under the age of 14 on the side of the roadwhen night falls, by themselves, working because their par-ents are so lousy. The other day I saw one lil' boy out in the coldwith no coat selling phone cards, I called the police. Don'tknow if they came but it hurt my heart to see.”

– No Nonsense

"I vex because I broke and Valentine's Day coming up. Ican't even buy nothing nice for myself much less my girlfriend.I know all I ga get is headache because she ga be talking 'boutwhat her friends doing and all that, this time their boyfriends liv-ing at home while I got rent and bills to pay."

– Love ain' cheap

Are you vex? Send your comments to 'whyyouvex@tribune-media.net' or fax to 328-2398.

WHYYOUVEX?

Woman pastor’s fight forchurch post continues

APPEAL LODGED: Rev Diana Francis

APPEAL FILED AGAINST COURT RULING WHICH OVERTURNED APPOINTMENT

JASON FERGUSON, 27, (aliasShort Man) is wanted for ques-tioning in connection with mur-der and possession of a high-powered firearm.

RAPHAEL NEYMOUR, 24,(alias ‘Raffy’) is wanted forquestioning in connection withmurder and possession of ahigh powered firearm.

Anyone with information should contact PoliceEmergency on 919/911; Police Control Room on322-3333; CDU on 502-9930/9991; or CrimeStoppers on 328-8477.

WANTED FOR QUESTIONING INCONNECTION WITH MURDER

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PAGE 6, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 THE TRIBUNE

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Grant’s Town Wesley Methodist Church(Baillou Hill Rd & Chapel Street) P.O.Box CB-13046

The Holy Ghost Prayer-Line number is 326-7427(www.gtwesley.org)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH, 2010

Theme: “ But As For Me And My Household, We Will Serve the Lord”

7:00 a.m. Rev. Carla Culmer/Sis. Alice Woodside11:00 a.m. Rev. Carla Culmer/Usher Board Anniversary

7:00 p.m. Sis. Rosemary Williams/Bro. Franklyn Bethel

BY SIR RONALDSANDERS(The writer is a Consultantand former CaribbeanDiplomat)

THIS commen-tary is beingwritten in thefirst blush of the

news that Rex Nettleford hasdied. A profound and deepsense of loss overcame me,and I have no doubtenveloped many throughoutthe Caribbean including thosewho did not know him per-sonally. What everyoneunderstands — those whoknew him personally andthose who didn’t — is that hewas a Caribbean champion; aman who fervently believedin the worth of the term,“Caribbean person” and gaveit both intellectual meaningand depiction.

The entire Caribbeanknows, in the inner place thatis our Caribbean soul, that,with Nettleford’s passing, theregion has lost an essence –an essential ingredient of ourown validation as a Caribbeancivilization – that was uniqueand is irreplaceable.

Rex Nettleford (picturedtop right) simply madeCaribbean people moreassured of themselves; morecomfortable in their skins ofwhatever colour; and moreconfident that, despite the factthat they are a transplantedpeople, they had established aunique cultural identity equalto any in the world.

Nettleford was a Jamaican,but he was Caribbean too.

As he said: “The typicalWest Indian is part-African,part-European, part-Asian,part-Native American buttotally Caribbean”.

He developed the point bysaying: “The texture of char-acter and the sophisticationof sense and sensibility engag-ing the Planet’s systemic con-tradictions were ironicallycolonialism’s benefits for acouple of generations in theWest Indies.

“In dealing with the dilem-ma of difference manifestedin the ability to assert with-out rancor, to draw on a senseof rightness without hubris,to remain human (e) in theface of persistent obscenitiesthat plague the human con-dition, all such attributes inturn served to endow theCaribbean man with the con-viction that Planet Earth is,in the end, one world toshare.”

He drew on that realityand his fervent belief in it toserve not only multi-ethnicJamaica, but the wider multi-ethnic, multi-religious

Caribbean, and to be arespected regional represen-tative on the world’s stageincluding on the ExecutiveBoard of the United NationsEducation, Social and Cul-tural Organization(UNESCO).

All who knew him in hisseveral incarnations at theUniversity of the West Indies,as Professor, as Vice Chan-cellor and as emeritus ViceChancellor, will testify to hisgreat erudition; his capacityto argue passionately and con-vincingly ; and to the breadthof his knowledge.

EducationI recall well one such inter-

national outing when at abiennial meeting of foreignministers from the UK andthe Caribbean, he representedthe University of the WestIndies in a discussion of therole of education inCaribbean development.

I led a delegation fromAntigua and Barbuda thatincluded the late LeonardTim Hector himself an edu-cator and historian.

The discussion on the roleof education in developmentwas dominated by Nettlefordand Hector, and somewherein the British archives of thatmeeting held in London is theverbatim record of theirenthralling presentations.

It was a discussion con-ducted without a note by thetwo main speakers, and nonewho heard it could fail to beimpressed by the quality andforce of the arguments. But,they did a major service toCaribbean scholars.

The Chevening Scholarshipresulted from it, and annually

Caribbean students journeyto the UK for post-graduatework.

From his overarching posi-tion as Vice Chancellor ofUWI, Nettleford knew, in hisown words, that “the world ischanging as if in a contestwith the speed of light” andUWI had to produce skills “sothat its graduates can findfirm place and sustained pur-pose in the ‘knowledge soci-ety’ of the third millennium,even while maintaining stan-dards and delivering educa-tion of excellence”. “Thechallenges of politics, eco-nomics, social developmentin the new global situation”,he said, “demanded no less.”

It was a task to which heset his hand with determina-tion as the University’s prin-cipal officer.

But, he also knew, as he putit, that the University had “toplace great emphasis on theexercise of the creative attrib-utes of the mind.”

The University had to pro-duce the skills that wouldmake the Caribbean compet-itive in the global economy,but it had the ongoing respon-sibility too of nurturingthinkers, ideas-people, inno-vators – Caribbean peoplewho, from the richness oftheir own cohabitation andintermingling, could con-tribute to domestic and glob-al thinking on religious toler-ance, international relations,ending racism, and solvingconflicts.

Students from everyCaribbean Community andCommon Market (CARI-COM) country encounteredNettleford in one or other ofhis many roles in the Univer-sity for decades.

They were inspired and

motivated by him, and theyadmired him greatly. There-fore, it is not surprising thatCaribbean people — in theirseparate states with theirnational flags and nationalanthems – are united in theirsense of loss – a sense that theessence of the region’s singleCaribbean soul is yet againdiminished.

Rex Nettleford is toCaribbean cultural identitywhat Shridath “Sonny” Ram-phal, Alister McIntryre andthe late William Demas areto the Caribbean’s politicaland economic identity as aregion and in the region’sinteraction with the globalcommunity.

He belongs to a selectgroup of Caribbean visionar-ies who the region’s peopleknow without doubt champi-oned them selflessly and faith-fully and validated them inthe world.

RebuildingIn the rebuilding of Haitian

society – occasioned by themassive physical destructionof Haiti by last January’searthquake – Rex Nettlefordwould have been a perfectresource for CARICOM’s P JPatterson, Jamaica’s formerPrime Minister, as he leadsthe regional argument notonly for the rebuilding ofHaiti, but also for the restora-tion of Haitian society social-ly, culturally and politically.

Nettelford was a dancerand choreographer – two dis-ciplines he personally enjoyedand in which his creativitygave enjoyment to audiencesthroughout the Caribbean.

In these disciplines, hedanced to many drums andhe was spectacular in his per-formance.

But, it is in the dance to thedrums of his Caribbean lifethat he is a motivating force –Jamaican he was by birth andcommitment, but Caribbeanhe also was by intellectualunderstanding, cultural recog-nition, and passionateembrace.

It would be to theCaribbean’s lasting benefit iffrom the shared sense of lossfelt throughout the region,there could be a sustainedrevival of the drums ofCaribbean union to whichRex Nettleford danced in hislifetime.

Responses and previouscommentaries: www.sirronald-sanders.com <http://www.sir-ronaldsanders.com/>

Dancing to CaribbeanDrums: An Appreciationof the life of Rex Nettleford

BENGIE is a playful 1-year-old male Beagle/Pot-cake mix with beautiful brown and white markings.While being calm and collected for the most part, whenin the mood he is all about fun and just loves to runand play. This picture is a great example: he simplycould not contain himself!

Sadly, Bengie has been in at the Humane Societysince July, which means that he has been waiting to beadopted for over six months now — longer than anyother dog at the BHS! It is hard to believe that such apersonable gentleman has yet to be re-homed. Pleaseconsider adopting poor Bengie; it is high time that hehad a family to call his own and a garden to stretch hislegs and run about in.

BENGIE– PET OFWEEK

WORLD VIEW

Sir Ronald Sanders

‘Rex Nettleford simply madeCaribbean people moreassured ofthemselves;more comfort-able in theirskins of what-ever colour ...’

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THE TRIBUNE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010, PAGE 7

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52wk-Hi 52wk-Low Securit y Previous Close Today's Close Change Daily Vol. EPS $ Div $ P/E Yield1.49 1.03 AML Foods Limited 1.12 1.12 0.00 0.283 0.000 4.0 0.00%10.75 9.90 Bahamas Property Fund 10.74 10.74 0.00 0.992 0.200 10.8 1.86%7.00 5.50 Bank of Bahamas 5.90 5.90 0.00 0.244 0.260 24.2 4.41%0.63 0.63 Benchmark 0.63 0.63 0.00 -0.877 0.000 N/M 0.00%3.49 3.15 Bahamas Waste 3.15 3.15 0.00 0.168 0.090 18.8 2.86%2.15 2.14 Fidelity Bank 2.37 2.37 0.00 0.055 0.040 43.1 1.69%13.43 9.62 Cable Bahamas 13.43 13.43 0.00 1.406 0.250 9.6 1.86%2.88 2.72 Colina Holdings 2.72 2.72 0.00 0.249 0.040 10.9 1.47%7.00 5.00 Commonwealth Bank (S1) 6.99 6.99 0.00 0.419 0.300 16.7 4.29%3.65 2.21 Consolidated Water BDRs 2.74 2.71 -0.03 0.111 0.052 24.4 1.92%2.55 1.32 Doctor's Hospital 2.55 2.55 0.00 0.627 0.080 4.1 3.14%7.80 5.94 Famguard 6.49 6.49 0.00 0.420 0.240 15.5 3.70%11.80 8.75 Finco 9.27 9.27 0.00 0.322 0.520 28.8 5.61%10.45 9.80 FirstCaribbean Bank 10.00 10.00 0.00 0.631 0.350 15.8 3.50%5.53 3.75 Focol (S) 4.77 4.77 0.00 0.326 0.150 14.6 3.14%1.00 1.00 Focol Class B Preference 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.000 0.000 N/M 0.00%0.30 0.27 Freeport Concrete 0.27 0.27 0.00 0.035 0.000 7.7 0.00%5.59 5.00 ICD Utilities 5.59 5.59 0.00 0.407 0.500 13.7 8.94%10.50 9.95 J. S. Johnson 9.95 9.95 0.00 0.952 0.640 10.5 6.43%10.00 10.00 Premier Real Estate 10.00 10.00 0.00 0.156 0.000 64.1 0.00%

52wk-Hi 52wk-Low Security Symbol Last Sale Change Daily Vol.1000.00 1000.00 Fidelity Bank Note 17 (Series A) + FBB17 100.00 0.00

1000.00 1000.00 Fidelity Bank Note 22 (Series B) + FBB22 100.00 0.00

1000.00 1000.00 Fidelity Bank Note 13 (Series C) + FBB13 100.00 0.00

1000.00 1000.00 Fidelity Bank Note 15 (Series D) + FBB15 100.00 0.00

52wk-Hi 52wk-Low Symbol Bid $ Ask $ Last Price Weekly Vol. EPS $ Div $ P/E Yield

FINDEX: CLOSE 000.00 | YTD 00.00% | 2009 -12.31%

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES AS OF:

Fidelity Over-The-Counter Securities

30 May 2013

29 May 2015

WWW.BISXBAHAMAS.COM | TELEPHONE:242-323-2330 | FACSIMILE: 242-323-2320

19 October 2022

Prime + 1.75%

Prime + 1.75%

7%

THURSDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 2010BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: CLOSE 1,600.64 | CHG -0.03 | %CHG 0.00 | YTD 35.26 | YTD % 2.25

BISX LISTED DEBT SECURITIES - (Bonds trade on a Percentage Pricing b ases)Maturity

19 October 20177%Interest

52wk-Hi 52wk-Low Symbol Bid $ Ask $ Last Price Weekly Vol . EPS $ Div $ P/E Yield14.60 7.92 Bahamas Supermarkets 10.06 11.06 14.00 -2.246 0.000 N/M 0.00%8.00 6.00 Caribbean Crossings (Pref) 2.00 6.25 4.00 0.000 0.480 N/M 7.80%0.54 0.20 RND Holdings 0.35 0.40 0.35 0.001 0.000 256.6 0.00%

41.00 29.00 ABDAB 30.13 31.59 29.00 4.540 0.000 9.03 0.00%0.55 0.40 RND Holdings 0.45 0.55 0.55 0.002 0.000 261.90 0.00%

52wk-Hi 52wk-Low Fund Name NAV YTD% Last 12 Months Div $ Yield %1.4387 1.3535 CFAL Bond Fund 1.4387 6.30 6.302.8869 2.8266 CFAL MSI Preferred Fund 2.8869 -1.81 -1.811.5127 1.4387 CFAL Money Market Fund 1.5127 0.35 5.143.3201 2.9343 Royal Fidelity Bahamas G & I Fund 3.1168 -7.94 -7.9413.2400 12.6816 Royal Fidelity Prime Income Fund 13.2400 4.93 5.90103.9873 93.1999 CFAL Global Bond Fund 103.9873 3.41 3.41101.7254 96.4070 CFAL Global Equity Fund 101.7254 5.52 5.521.0898 1.0000 FG Financial Preferred Income Fund 1.0898 5.22 5.221.0680 1.0000 FG Financial Growth Fund 1.0680 3.39 3.391.0907 1.0000 FG Financial Diversified Fund 1.0907 5.15 5.159.5795 9.1005 Royal Fidelity Bah Int'l Investment Fund

Principal Protected TIGRS, Series 19.5795 5.33 5.33

11.2361 10.0000 Royal Fidelity Bah Int'l Investment Fund Principal Protected TIGRS, Series 2

11.2361 12.36 12.36

7.7171 4.8105 Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund 7.7171 40.05 40.05

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price

52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity

52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity

Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price

Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week

Change - Change in closing price from day to day EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths

Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today NAV - Net Asset Value

DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months N/M - Not Meaningful

P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings FINDEX - The Fidelity Bahamas Stock Index. January 1, 1994 = 100

(S) - 4-for-1 Stock Split - Effective Date 8/8/2007

(S1) - 3-for-1 Stock Split - Effective Date 7/11/2007

31-Dec-09

31-Dec-09

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | FG CAPITAL MARKETS 242-396-4000 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525

31-Dec-09

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31-Dec-0929-Jan-1031-Dec-09

MARKET TERMS

Colina Over-The-Counter Securities

BISX Listed Mutual Funds

9-Dec-09

31-Dec-09

9-Dec-09

NAV Date

31-Dec-099-Dec-09

31-Oct-09

By ALISON LOWETribune Staff Reporter alowe@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN labour stakeholders arein the midst of a three-day internationaltraining workshop highlighting the needfor workers and employers to have theirvoices represented in trade agreementnegotiations.

Organisers hope they will strengthenregional labour stakeholders’ awareness ofwhy and how they should make their sec-tor’s concerns known to those negotiatinginternational trade agreements on behalf oftheir country.

They pointed out the significant impactsuch agreements — which often addressthe degree of foreign competition in adomestic industry or the question of theentrance of outside labour into the localmarket — can have on local employers and

employees once they go into effect. At theend of the three-day workshop, it is expect-ed that delegates, among them BahamasPublic Service Union president John Pinderand Union of Tertiary Educators(Bahamas) president Jennifer Isaacs Dot-son — strengthen their capacity to mean-ingfully advocate for their concerns to beincorporated in regional and internationaltrade arrangements, such as a new two-way free trade agreement currently beingnegotiated between the Caribbean andCanada.

The meeting, hosted at the British Colo-nial Hilton, is being held under the theme“International Trade Agreements and theDecent Work Agenda”, and has beenorganised jointly by the InternationalLabour Organisation (ILO) and the CARI-COM Secretariat’s Office of Trade Nego-tiations.

Labour stakeholders will look at trade

agreements already in effect and seek toascertain what lessons can be learnt fromthem going forward while also focusing onhow they can “maximise the benefits” thatmay be available to them or those theyrepresent under the provisions of particulartrade agreements. Around a dozenBahamians were in attendance, along withdelegates from Jamaica, Belize, Trinidadand elsewhere in the region.

Vincent Atkins, a trade policy/technicaladviser to the Less Developed Countries ofCARICOM in the Office of Trade Negoti-ations, said it was “opportune” that theworkshop was being held in the Bahamas,as the country has just recently started tobecome more involved in the globalisedtrade arena, having concluded steps to signonto the “free trade” Economic PartnershipAgreement (EPA) with Europe and tofinally join the World Trade Organisation(WTO).

Getting heard at trade agreement talks

SIXTY students of First Start Academy, with theirteachers and principal Shakantela Briggs, paid a cour-tesy call on Commissioner of Police Ellison Greensladeat the Paul H Farquaharson Conference Centre, PoliceHeadquarters, East Street.

While at headquarters, the group visited the FireDepartment where they rode on the fire truck andlearned about fire safety.

The group also visited the Internal Security Divisionwhere the Police Band and the K-9 Unit performedmuch to the enjoyment of the children.

On completion of the tour, the students were treat-ed by Commissioner Greenslade to snacks and treats atthe conference centre.

Students pay courtesy callon Commissioner of Police

THREE-DAY INTERNATIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP

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S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 0

T H E T R I B U N E P A G E 9

INSIDE • Sealey signs with Tar Heels

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By BRENT STUBBSSenior Sports Reporterbstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER reaching thehighest plateau as an ama-teur boxer, Taureano‘Reno’ Johnson has decidedto step up to the next level -the professional ranks.

Johnson, who made his-tory at the 2008 OlympicGames in Beijing, Chinawhen he became the firstBahamian to reach roundfour, said he felt he hasachieved everything exceptwin a medal and now heneed to start earning a liv-ing.

“I had planned on goingpro at the beginning of2010, so it was always in theplan,” he said in an exclu-sive interview with The Tri-bune yesterday from

McDonough, Georgiawhere he is training.

“The reason for that issimply. I need to start mak-ing some money.”

Johnson, who turns 26 onFebruary 12, recently signeda three-year contract withPound for Pound Manage-ment, headed by Shane Bai-ley and Barry Adams Jr.and he also has a promo-tional agreement with PrizeFight Promotions that hashim lined up for a minimumof seven fights over the next12 months.

Bailey said Adams Jr. hadan associate in the Bahamaswho introduced them toJohnson and after flying hisand his mother in town, itappeared as if a match wasmade in heaven.

“They came down for aweekend, but he wanted to

spend some more time, sohe stayed with me and myfamily for two weeks,” Bai-ley said.

The rest was history.They signed a three-year

deal and on March 5 at theCenter Stage in Atlanta,Georgia, Johnson will bemaking his debut againstAmerican Cleoney Fuquain the 160 pound mid-dleweight division in a four-rounder. Fugua has a 1-1win-loss record with aknockout.

He also has another fightscheduled for March 20 inMississippi.

Although he’s yet tomake his first dine, Johnsonsaid he’s going through thegrowing pain of getting him-self established as a prowhere he have to take careof all of his expenses.

“I’m going to get somefights, so that is what I’mworking on now,” he said.“I’m just trying to get start-ed and putting my footinside the door.”

So far, Johnson said histraining has been goinggreat. He’s currently work-ing out under the tutelageof Alex Baba, a formerWorld Boxing Councilchampion.

As for his debut onMarch 5, Johnson said he’seager to get into the ringagain.

“I’m very excited. I sawone of his fights on ytubeand so I think it will begreat to compete againstthis guy,” Johnson said. “Iwatched his fight, but notto be boostful, but I’m

Johnson takes it to the next level

Taureano ‘Reno’ Johnson

TENNISBRAJAXBA AGE GROUP

• THE 2010 BrajaxbaAge Group Series TennisTournament, which gotstarted on Saturday at theNational Tennis Center,will continue today at 10a.m.

Matches are also sched-uled for Sunday, starting at10 a.m.

This is the first event fortop level juniot players andwill be used as a tune-upfor the Subway Junior Ten-nis Tournament that willbe staged in GrandBahama in two weeks.

BASKETBALLNPBA UPDATE

• THE New ProvidenceBasketball Associationplayed one game on Fridaynight at the DW DavisGymnasium with the B-Reddies knocking off theSecurity & General Stars66-60.

The top scorer for B-Reddies was Jamaris Kingwith 18 points. TomekoMoxey had 21 in a losingeffort.The NPBA will be back inaction tonight at theKendal Isaacs Gymnasiumwhen they host a fund rais-er for Haiti. There will be aladies’ game at 6:30 p.m.and the feature contest willbe a match-up of the Hait-ian players in the leagueagainst a select side fromthe NPBA.

sportsNOTES

Shareyournews

The Tribune wants tohear from people whoare making news intheir neighbourhoods.Perhaps you are raisingfunds for a good cause,campaigning forimprovements in thearea or have won anaward.If so, call us on 322-1986and share your story.

By BRENT STUBBSSenior Sports Reporterbstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas CricketAssociation national team istaking advantage of its hometurf, sitting on top of the stand-ings at the Pepsi InternationalCricket Council’s AmericasDivision 2 Tournament.

Yesterday at Haynes Ovalon the fifth day of the week-long International CricketCouncil tournament, theBahamas remained undefeat-ed at 3-0 turning in 350 oversto out-score Panama, whocould only respond with 195all out.

Also yesterday at WindsorPark, Brazil scored 244 runsin 50 overs for a lost of sixwickets as they fell victim toTurks and Cacios, who cameback and scored 245.

Panama dropped to 2-1,identical to Suriname. TheTurks & Cacios is 1-2 andBrazil bring up the rear at 0-3.

Today, the Bahamas will

play Suriname at 9:30 a.m. inthe championship match atHaynes Oval. At WindsorPark, Panama will play theTurks & Cacios to completethe round robin.

The winner of the tourna-ment will advance to the Divi-sion 1 in May in Bermuda. Ifthe Bahamas win, they willalso go to Kuwait in the Divi-sion 8 of the World League inDecember.

In yesterday’s win, RyanTappin had 98 runs to lead theBahamas and the best bowlerwas Narendra Ekanayake withsix wickets for 20 runs.

BCA’s president Greg Tay-lor said he’s not boosting, buthe’s confident that theBahamas’ team comprising ofmixture of youth and experi-ence will prevail.

The Bahamas, managed byIrving Taylor and coached byMohamed Allie with GaryBrathwaite as trainer, willneed to beat Suriname inorder to win.

The tournament has been a

welcome event for theBahamas as its has broughtclose to 100 players and fansfor the week-long event. Thisis the first time that theBahamas has hosted such anevent and Taylor said theyhave been able to accommo-date the International CricketCouncil.

As for the level of competi-tion, Taylor said it has beenkeenly contested from all fiveparticipating ountries.

“Quite frankly, I think allof the teams have reallystepped up their play near theend of the tournament,” Tay-lor said. “But I think we gotoff to a good start and we wereable to maintain that high lev-el through the tournament.”

Taylor credited the BCA forincorporating more of theyounger players on their squadto the impressive showing sofar in the tournament.

The two youngest playerson the Bahamian team areAshmeid Allie, 15, and Jer-maine Adderley, 16.

Bahamas cricket national team remains undefeatedBAHAMIAN Gary Armstrong winds up to bowl against a Panama batter.

BAHAMIAN Gary Armstrong keeps his focus on the Panamian batter.A PLAYER from Panama takes his turn at bat yesterday at Haynes Oval.

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not show evidence of a strong sup-port for the rights of the “average”Bahamian.

While Dr Sands has held numer-ous senior positions in various med-ical institutions, associations andoversight bodies, Mr Rollins con-tends he is not aware of any instancewhere Dr Sands advocated on behalfof patients who have suffered med-ical negligence and sought redress— and this should be of concern tovoters.

He said: “I am extremely con-cerned that Bahamians have not

been able to receive redress or havetheir issues properly dealt with bythose within the medical profession.

“Why have we never heard DrSands speak out against these manyissues that have caused Bahamiansto lose faith and confidence in thehealthcare system?

“He said his track record is longenough where Bahamians can trusthim and know that the quantity heprovides is a known one. I take issuewith that because I don’t believewe’ve adequately seen Dr Sandsdemonstrate that he’s interested inmaking very difficult decisions thatwould show him to be one whowould fight for Bahamians.”

In response, Dr Sands said: “I’veserved as president of the MedicalAssociation of Bahamas for threeyears — longer than any other singlephysician in the history of theBahamas — and as chairman of theBahamas Medical Council.

“Certainly my record during thattime speaks for itself in spoken andpublished positions, taking on mat-ters of medical ethics, of appropri-ateness of care, reasonable and eth-ical billing practices, on and on andon. Perhaps that happened at a timeprior to (Mr Rollins) returning homeand he’s not aware of it.”

Speaking of Mr Pinder’s affilia-tion with a US-based commercial

law firm and lobbyists Becker andPoliakoff, for whom he works as aconsultant at their Bahamas officesince returning to Nassau from Flori-da in mid-2008, Mr Rollins said he isconcerned about reports that thecompany is “very aggressive in rep-resenting private developers’ inter-ests in South Florida” and Mr Pindermight use his election to the Houseof Assembly to further his compa-ny’s agenda.

“My question is if Becker andPoliakoff has been serving not onlyas a law firm but as a political lobbyhas pumped so much money into thepolitical campaigns of politicianswho have decided on whether or not

development projects are given thegreen light, well could it be that thelaw firm of Becker and Poliakoffwith Mr Ryan Pinder as a represen-tative of that law firm here in theBahamas is going to potentially beused as someone who will work inGovernment to serve the interestsof private developers in Florida whohappen to be trying to do business inthe Bahamas.

“I say this is going to be at theexpense or to the disadvantage ofBahamians seeking to do businessin this country, or Bahamians incommunities which do not wish tosee mega developments take place,”he said.

Pinder in ‘conflict of interest’ claims

Bain Town flocked to the sceneof the brutal slayings whichoccurred shortly after 10amyesterday.

“I came out in time to see aperson running off. I went overto the guy lying on the ground,the first one was already dead,”said Sherry Elliot Ferguson, alongtime Bain Town resident,said yesterday.

“I had a chance to talk tohim, that’s my boy,”

Assistant Commissioner ofPolice Glen Miller said. “Theinformation we received is thatat least one person was seenwalking up to the men.

“There was an exchange ofwords and the individual thenpulled out a handgun and anumber of shots were fired atthe first individual.

“A second individual whowas nearby came to questionhim and this is when he wasshot.”

Residents in homes nearbyclaimed they heard at leasteight shots fired.

he shooter, who police saidwas simply described as being

of dark complexion and ofmedium build, reportedly madehis escape on a motorbike.

A woman, who witnessesclaimed had gone to see whatwas happening, was reportedlyinjured following the shootingand had to be taken to hospital.Police are investigating the cir-cumstances surrounding thatincident as well. “We don’tknow what the exact motive isat this time although we sus-pect that it may be somerevenge killing,” Mr Miller said.“What we are seeing is a num-ber of drug houses popping upall over the place, particularly inthis area and other areas ofNew Providence. I do feel thatas a result of the proliferationof firearms on the street andthe increase of drugs on thestreets we are seeing this typeof violence.

“I want to appeal to the pub-lic, particularly in these com-munities where you suspect thathomes or streets are being usedfor the sale of drugs, to reportit,” Mr Miller said. Meanwhile,

senior pastor of New CovenantBaptist Church Bishop SimeonHall yesterday urged churchesto become more relevant to thesocial problems plaguing thecountry.

“It’s interesting that there aremore than 3,500 churches in ourBahamas and very few areopened after Sunday. Morechurches have to be more rele-vant to the social needs of ourcountry. The Government isdoing some things but yet moreneeds to be done,” Bishop Hallsaid. Community activist RevCB Moss whose church is basedin the Bain Town communitysaid: “It’s very sad what hasoccurred here today, and thiscommunity among others istired of picking up the pieces.It’s past the time that thisnation decides whether it’sgoing to repeat this scenarioweek after week, month aftermonth while lip service is beingpaid to the problem.”

“This is a time for action.There is just too much talkabout crime in this country. Idon’t think authorities under-stand what incidents like thisdo to communities and fami-lies.”

directly to order the part, which ExecutiveMotors can install.

In the meantime, the businessman adviseddrivers with US models to contact the Execu-tive Motors service department and registertheir vehicle.

“The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)number would indicate if their vehicle is affect-ed or not. There’s a procedure for checking tosee if that particular accelerator part is installedin their vehicle,” said Mr Albury, noting thatnot all models which appear in the list ofrecalled cars publicised earlier this month willdefinitely be affected.

Earlier this month, Toyota recalled millionsof cars after admitting that many may beimpacted by a “sticky” accelerator problemthat has seen some cars accelerate at randomdespite the driver not pressing the pedal.

Yesterday Mr Albury said Toyota’s headoffice in the US had confirmed what he hadpreviously told The Tribune was highly likely

- that the vast majority of their vehicles whichMr Albury’s dealership sells are not affected bythe recall as they are built in Japan, wheremanufacturers use a different supplier for thecars’ accelerators.

“We have received a letter from the Toyotamotor company that all vehicles we’ve import-ed direct from Japan are exempt from therecall,” said Mr Albury.

Vehicles which are included under the“sticky accelerator pedal recall” include: cer-tain 2009-2010 RAV4s, certain 2009-2010Corollas, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon,certain 2007-2010 Camrys ,certain 2010 High-landers, 2007-2010 Tundras and 2008-2010Sequoias.

The recall is the result of the latest in a longline of recent safety issues to have hit the glob-al car-maker since September 2007. Two daysago, Toyota announced that it is investigat-ing 200 reports of brake faults in its new Priusmodel, however a recall has not beenannounced.

Toyota car importers areurged to contact dealership

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