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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. 155 75 CENTSTUESDAY - OCTOBER 15TH, 2019

‘Chipman ViolatesTrust’

ree NationalM o v e m e n t( F N M )C e n t r e v i l l eConstituency

Association ChairmanJuan Cartwright saidCentreville Member ofParliament ReeceChipman’s decision toresign from the party“violates the trust of thepeople of Centreville.”In a statement yester-

day, Cartwright addedthat he’s deeply disap-pointed by the resigna-tion. If it was not for the

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

4 Centreville MP ReeceChipman

21 Receive NatioNal HoNouRs

4 Bishop Carrington Pinder (left) and Rev. Dr. Philip Rahming (right) were honoured yesterday at Government House duringthe Investiture of National Honours 2019. Bishop Pinder received The Order of Merit award and Rev. Rahming received The

Order of The Bahamas award. Attending the celebration was Senator Fred Mitchell (center). (Photo/Fred Mitchell - Minute by Minute)

Scores of Bahamiansgathered at GovernmentHouse yesterday to wit-ness more than 20

Bahamians receive theinvestiture of NationalHonours 2019 atGovernment House.The honours bestowed

were the Order of TheBahamas, the Order of

Distinction, the Order ofMerit and the Order of theLignum Vitae. Prime Minister Dr.

Hubert Minnis in hisaddress recognized thecourage of Hurricane

Dorian survivors whomhe said displayedresilience in such a tryingtime. “On Grand Bahama

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See page 7...g See page 4...

GB HurricaneAffected Schools

Reopen WednesdaySome public schools inGrand Bahama that wereaffected by HurricaneDorian will reopen onWednesday, according toMinister of EducationJeffrey Lloyd.Lloyd made the

announcement yesterdayduring a press confer-ence at the Ministry ofEducation where he saidthe schools that willreopen were given thenecessary approvalsfrom the Department ofPublic Health and theDepartment ofEnvironmental Health.Schools that will

reopen on Wednesdayare Freeport Primary,

Walter Parker Primary,Bartlett High Primary,Lewis Yard Primary,Martin Town Primary,Holmes Rock Primary,West End Primary, Jack

Hayward Junior High,Sister Mary PatriciaJunior High, JackHayward Senior High,

4 Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd

BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSONJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

GB Man Found Hanging from TreePolice in Grand Bahamaare investigating analleged suicide thatoccurred on Saturday.According to police,

shortly before 3 p.m.

they were called to therear of Sir JackHayward Senior HighSchool playing field,where the lifeless bodyof a male was discov-

ered hanging by a ropefrom a tree. EMS personnel were

called to the scene.Investigations contin-

ue.

Man Killed in Traffic CollisionPolice are investigating atraffic collision whichoccurred Sunday result-ing in the death of a man.According to police,

shortly after 8 p.m., theman was walking on

Prince Charles Drive inthe vicinity of the WokRestaurant when he wasstruck by a small blackJapanese vehicle, whichsped away. Paramedics were

called to the scene andattempted to revive thevictim, but he was pro-nounced dead on thescene.Investigations are

ongoing.

Gov’t Clarifies ConsulGeneral’s China CommentsThe Ministry of ForeignAffairs advised yesterdaythat comments made byMiami Consul GeneralLinda Mackey in an arti-cle claiming that “Chinawill not rebuild The

Bahamas” followingHurricane Dorian weretaken out of context.The article entitled,

“Bahamian diplomatsays China will notrebuild in hurricane dev-astated islands,”appeared in the PalmBeach Post on October

11.According to the

Ministry of ForeignAffairs, “The govern-ment has extensivelyreported on its plans toaddress the housing chal-lenges in Abaco.”

BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSONJournal Staff Writer

g See page 6...

FF

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 2019

Farewell to Former MP Family, friends, parlia-mentarians and officialsgathered to pay theirrespects to formerCabinet Minister andbusinessman TennysonWells during his funeralat Christ ChurchCathedral on Friday.Prime Minister Dr.

Hubert Minnis gave hiscondolences to Well’swife Stephanie, thebereaved family andWell’s colleagues. He remembered him

not only as a “noted andcapable” businessman,but a devoted politicianand a “FNM warrior.”“Along with the

founders and other free-dom fighters in the FreeNational Movement, hedemonstrated the courageand the tenacity to enterthe arena and to fight forwhat he believed,” Dr.Minnis said. “He fought against

victimization and otherthreats to our democracy.He played his role in theFNM’s first election tooffice in 1992 and in theBahamian renewal underFNM governments.”Wells served as Memberof Parliament for theBamboo Town con-stituency.Dr. Minnis considered

Wells as a friend. Herecalled Wells coun-selling and guiding himduring their morning andevening calls.“We owe a debt of

gratitude to individualslike Tennyson Wells, who

offer themselves for pub-lic duty and service,” theprime minister added.“Like other democra-

cies, our party-based sys-tem requires loyalty, for-titude and political matu-rity by those who answerthe call to service theirfellow-citizens in gov-ernment and politics.Tennyson answered thiscall. He sacrificed forwhat he believed.“He did not just sit on

the sideline and complainabout what was wrongwith The Bahamas. Hemade a contribution andhad a distinguishedcareer. May our departedbrother rest in peace.”Father Harry Bain,

rector of Christ ChurchCathedral, noted in hissermon that Wells wouldbend over backwards forpeople, gave away hissalary as Chairman of theBahamas Agriculture andMarine Science Institute(BAMSI) and was aninspiration to his familyand fellowmen. “Tennyson left a lega-

cy as he was God fearing,kind, generous, forgivingand encouraged eachfamily member to contin-ue to show love unity,kindness and lasting rela-tionships,” Father Bainsaid.“He was the kind of

person who did not flirthis possessions. He oftenboasted about living off$300 per week.” Wells was laid to rest

at Woodlawn Gardens.He died on September 24in his sleep at the age of72.

BY EARYEL BOWLEG Journal Staff Writer

4 An Official Funeral was held for former Cabinet Minister and well-known businessman, Mr. Tennyson Wellson Friday morning, October 11, 2019 at Christ Church Cathedral. Interment was at Woodlawn Gardens.

Governor General His Excellency the Most Hon. Cornelius A. Smith, Prime MInister the Most Hon. Dr. HubertMinnis, Cabinet Ministers and officials joined family and friends in commemorating his life.

(BiS Photos/derek Smith)

A3The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 2019NationalNEWS

Ministry of Finance to ImplementPublic Financial Management ReformDeputy Prime Ministerand Minister of Financethe Hon. K. PeterTurnquest said at theMinistry of Finance, theheart of Public FinancialManagement Reform isthe development andadoption of robust infor-mation systems. “We are in the full

swing of implementing theproject plan for this multi-faceted reform initiative,”DPM Turnquest explainedat a forum held by theMinistry of Finance inconjunction with the Inter-American DevelopmentBank at Baha Mar,October 10, 2019. Theforum was held under thetheme, ‘The Power ofData for TransformingNational Development.’“One of the ultimate

outcomes is the eventualestablishment of an

Integrated FinancialManagement InformationSystem (IFMIS) that stan-dardizes and centralizesthe financial managementoperations for all min-istries, departments, agen-cies and state-ownedenterprises.”He noted that if indi-

viduals could projectthemselves into the future,and envision how IFMISwill digitally collect real-time data for planning,analysis and reportingacross government, wecan foresee the improve-ments in accuracy andefficiency in reportingfinancial data, boostingtransparency and ulti-mately resulting in fiscalsavings for the govern-ment.DPM Turnquest said

combined with the phasedroll-out of the new online

Customs clearance plat-form, Click2Clear, onecan see that the future fordata in this country islooking completely trans-formed. He stated that

Click2Clear is completelymodernizing the wayCustoms operates. “Theonline system is designedto deliver faster, moreefficient and comprehen-sive Customs processingonce fully implemented.”The DPM explained

that this means end-to-endonline Customs process-ing and tracking, automat-ed entry checking, tightercontrols and risk manage-ment to reduce corruptionand fraud, more accounta-bility to protect govern-ment revenue, more statis-tical information and dataderived from artificialintelligence that can be

used for effective policymaking. “From a fiscal point of

view, I cannot overstatethe potential loss ofopportunity for even morerobust economic growthwhen we do not have suf-ficient real-time data anddata analytics on what ishappening in our econo-my. With it, we can seethings from enhanced per-spectives. We can be moreinnovative and proactivewhen it comes to craftingfiscal and economic poli-cy.”He said, “While all of

this work is in the imple-mentation phase, it isadmittedly difficult to seethe full benefits. But I amconfident that the govern-ment is putting in place apowerful foundation thatwill benefit us for years tocome.”

Guaranteed Loans Being Offered by theGovernment to MSMEs Impacted by DorianDeputy Prime Ministerand Minister of Financethe Hon. K. PeterTurnquest announced onThursday, October 10,2019, that $10 millionwill be taken from theDormant Fund to help re-start the economies inAbaco and GrandBahama.

The Deputy PrimeMinister was speaking at apress conference at theMinistry to announce thatthe Access Accelerator,Small BusinessDevelopment Centre(SBDC), through theMinistry of Finance andprivate financial partners,is offering government

guaranteed loans to micro,small and medium-sized(MSMEs) enterprisesdirectly affected byHurricane Dorian. He said, “Both Grand

Bahama and Abaco repre-sent some 18 per cent ofour overall GrossDomestic Product and soit is in our interest and

certainly significant for usto get them back and upand operating to as nearnormal as quickly as pos-sible.”The $10 million will

facilitate grants, loanguarantees and equitycapital for entrepreneursresiding and displacedfrom Abaco and Grand

Bahama.Attending the press

conference were the part-ners involved in this ini-tiative including FinancialSecretary, MarlonJohnson; Chairperson ofthe SBDC Board ofDirectors, GeoffreyAndrews; ExecutiveDirector, SBDC, Davinia

Grant; President, GrandBahama Chamber ofCommerce, GregoryLaroda; Abaco Chamberof CommerceRepresentative, KristaAlbury; Chairman,the Bahamas Chamber OfCommerce and

g See page 6...

4 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance PeterTurnquest delivers keynote address at The Ministry of

Finance and Inter-American Development Bank seminar on‘The Power of Data for Transforming National

Development,’, October 10, 2019 at Baha Mar. (BIS photo)

A4 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 2019 NationalNEWS

GOT NEWS?call The Journal

TIP LINE at 356-7254

FNM, Cartwright said,Chipman would have notbeen elected to the Houseof Assembly.Cartwright pointed out

that in his two years aschairman of the FNMCentreville ConstituencyAssociation, he never hada substantive or impactfulconversation withChipman over the needs ofCentreville residents or thebusiness of the association.Since the election, he

added that it seems asthough Chipman has beenmore preoccupied with hispolitical career than theadvancement of the peopleof Centreville.Additionally, he said no

effort was made by theCentreville MP to be ameaningful part of the con-stituency association.It is unfortunate, he

added, that during a timeof national crisis followingHurricane Dorian thatChipman made an atten-tion-seeking decision toresign from the FNM.“This act of egotism is

an attempt to take thenational focus away fromthe relief and recoveryeffort in the northernislands,” Cartwright said.“The FNM pledged bet-

ter governance in the 2017election campaign. It isdelivering on this promise.The country’s economy isregularly growing again.Tax breaks and incentiveshave been established forinner-city communities. Apreschool initiative isunderway to expandaccess to early education.There is significantly moreaccountability in govern-ment. “Despite Mr.

Chipman’s decision to

choose advancing hispolitical career over doingwhat is best for the peopleof the area he represents,the party’s constituencyassociation will continueto look after the interestsof the people ofCentreville.”However, Prime

Minister Dr. HubertMinnis is not focused onChipman’s resignation, ashe said his focus is onrebuilding the country postHurricane Dorian. “He has his own rea-

sons and the partyresponded to that. I amnow focused on buildingThe Bahamas. That’s ourfocus and that’s where Iwill remain,” Dr. Minnissaid yesterday. Last week, Chipman

resigned from the FNMbecause of partisan poli-tics and “insecure leader-ship.”

‘Chipman Violates Trust’

Schools Reopen WednesdaySt. George’s Senior High,Eight Mile RockSecondary and BeaconSchool. Lloyd explained that

school administrators, sup-port staff and teachers willreturn to school onWednesday and studentswill return on Thursday.“Staff and students from

schools in East GrandBahama have been reas-signed to schools in theFreeport area. If anyonefrom those schools isunaware of where he or shehas been posted, pleasecontact the DistrictEducation Office fordetails,” Lloyd said.“Works are continuing

at the Hugh CampbellPrimary School, GenesisAcademy, Maurice Mooreand the Haven School.”Lloyd also announced

that Hugh Campbell andMaurice Moore Primaryare expected to reopen onOctober 21 and both staffand students would beexpected to report to schoolon that day. “The district superinten-

dent will provide an updateon both of these schools, assoon as he is able to do so,and we advise the public tolisten carefully for hisannouncements in thisregard,” he said.“I wish to reiterate that

every school that we havescheduled for reopening issafe for occupancy.I have been informed

that donors have ensuredall of our schools will beadequately supplied with

bottled water, so that all ofour students will haveaccess to safe drinkingwater. Please note thatsome repair works willcontinue on various cam-puses. However, these nec-essary works will not inter-fere with nor compromisethe health and safely ofanyone, nor will they inany way negatively impactdaily operations.” Lloyd also assured that

the Ministry of Educationwill dispatch mental healthprofessionals to enable andsupport the mental andemotional wellbeing of stu-dents and staff. “A team of psycholo-

gists and counsellors led byour Employee AssistanceProgramme (EAP) andGuidance and CounsellingUnit will visit GrandBahama during this week.They will conduct exten-sive, intensive and ongoingtherapeutic sessions withvarious groups. Furtherdetails will be communi-cated via the DistrictEducation Office,” theminister of education said.Following the destruc-

tion left by HurricaneDorian, Lloyd noted thatthe road to reopeningschools in Grand Bahamawas littered with manyobstacles “First, public utilities

were compromised signifi-cantly. Amidst the destruc-tion, there was no electrici-ty, communication net-works were fragile and thewater supply was contami-nated. Then there was theneed to conduct properassessments to determine

the scope and extent ofrepairs. This included, butwas not limited to a mas-sive cleanup of the affectedschools, which involved,tearing out damaged wallsand ceilings, carting awaydebris and affecting exten-sive mould remediationwork,” Lloyd said.“Many came together to

mobilize an impressiveeffort, particularly giventhe circumstances. I ampleased to report that forthe most part, public utili-ties have also been restoredto acceptable levels. Wherethere are still challenges,for example with potablewater, alternative systemsare being implementedwith the provision of suffi-cient drinking water to allcampuses that need them.”With regards to the pro-

vision of education inAbaco, Lloyd expressedthat the Ministry ofEducation is pleased withthe self-help efforts whichpermitted the unofficialopening of schools on theisland.“Students are receiving

instruction from teachersand volunteers in the publicschools at Crossing Rocks,Cherokee Sound, SandyPoint, Moore’s Island, FoxTown and Green TurtleCay,” he said.“It is planned that teach-

ers and students living inthe Cooper’s Town areawill meet at a site to bedetermined sometime thisweek. In total, we expectthat in excess of 400 stu-dents will be receivinginstruction by the end ofthis week.”

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A5The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 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.

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BARBADOS PM WARNS OF MASSMIGRATION BACKLASH BECAUSE

OF CLIMATE CRISIS BY DESMOND BROWN

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, SaturdayOctober 5, 2019 (IPS) – Prime Ministerof Barbados Mia Mottley says herpatience is running thin, as she chal-lenges the world to tackle the climatecrisis.She warned of a backlash of mass

migration to the world’s richest andbiggest polluters, saying an influx ofclimate refugees can be expected incoming years as a consequence of fail-ing to take action to stop climatechange.“The bottom line is that we are not

here by accident. There is no tradition-al norm on the part of the world whereI come from,” Mottley tells IPS.In September 2014, Small Island

Developing States met in Apia, Samoafor the Third International Conferenceon SIDS and adopted the Small IslandDeveloping States AcceleratedModalities of Action, also known as theSAMOA Pathway. It is a 10-year planto address challenges faced by smallislands.During last week’s United Nations

General Assembly (UNGA), the worldbody convened a one-day, high-levelreview of progress made in addressingSIDS’ priorities in the first five yearssince implementation.According to the world leaders,

progress toward sustainable develop-ment in SIDS will require a majorincrease in investment.Foreign Affairs Minister of Belize

Wilfred Elrington says the mid-termreview represents more than a simplereflection.“It is a critical political moment,

given the overwhelming challenges thatthreaten our sustainable development,”Elrington tells IPS.“Our people receive daily reminders

of the ticking clock for our survival.Last year we had a special report fromthe IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change] that predicted utterdevastation for our countries if wemissed the 1.5° C target.”Elrington says the latest special

report on the ocean and cryospherefrom the IPCC projecting that 65 mil-lion people who inhabit islands andlow-lying states are at risk of total inun-dation, only reinforced what is alreadyhappening.“Our beaches are disappearing, our

drinking water is being salinated, ouroceans and seas are warming, acidify-ing and deoxygenating threatening ourreefs and our fisheries. And if we arenot experiencing more frequent flood-ing events, we are experiencingextreme drought events,” Elringtonadds.“Anyone of us could be the next to

face a Category 5 hurricane or cyclone.We are the ground zero of a global cli-mate and biodiversity crisis.”Some of the specific development

issues SIDS are faced with include theirremoteness, transport connectivity, thesmall scale of their economies, the highcost of importing, the high cost of infra-structural development, vulnerabilityand climate vulnerability.Already on the frontlines of climate

change, sustainable development inmany SIDS is threatened by difficultiesin achieving sustained high levels ofeconomic growth, owing in part to theirvulnerabilities to the ongoing negativeimpacts of environmental challengesand external economic and financialshocks.“It is diabolical and it is unbeliev-

able. I refer to the plight of Barbudawhose cost of recovery was 10 timesthat which was pledged, and who stillhave not collected even that which waspledged,” Mottley says.

“I refer to Dominica, whose publicservice is minuscule to most countriesbut who are required to jump throughthe same hoops to unlock 300 milliondollars in public funds while the peopleof Dominica, who were affected likethe people of Abaco and Grand Bahama[in the Bahamas], don’t know wherethey’re going to earn money this week.”The prime minister says: “Twenty

five years ago we met in Barbados andsettle the Barbados Programme ofAction, and on that occasion, we recog-nised that the wellbeing and welfare ofSmall Islands Developing Statesrequired special recognition and was aspecial case for our environment andour development.”Meanwhile, Guyana’s Minister of

Foreign Affairs Karen Cummings sayseven with their limited resources, SIDShave been doing their part, adding thather country has taken an “aggressive”approach towards climate change andhas been “ambitious” in its nationallydetermined contribution commitments.Leaders called on the international

community to mobilise additionaldevelopment finance from all sourcesand at all levels to support SIDS andwelcomed the ownership, leadershipand efforts demonstrated by these statesin advancing the Implementation of theSAMOA Pathway.They expressed their concern about

the devastating impacts of climatechange, the increasing frequency, scaleand intensity of disasters and called forurgent and ambitious global action inline with the Paris Agreement toaddress these threats and their impacts.The High-level Review of the

SAMOA Pathway comes one monthafter Hurricane Dorian devastated partsof the Bahamas, causing significantloss of life and property damage.Countries noted that the increasing fre-quency, scale and intensity of naturaldisasters will continue to claim lives,decimate infrastructure and remain athreat to food security.While some progress has been made

in addressing social inclusion, poverty,and unemployment, inequality contin-ues to disproportionately affect vulner-able groups, including women andgirls, persons with disabilities, childrenand youth. More support is needed tostrengthen public health systems inSIDS and especially reduce the risk fac-tors for non-communicable diseases,and healthcare after disasters.Other areas identified as needing

more effort include demographic datacollection, trade opportunities, and eco-nomic growth and diversification.Michael Tierney, Deputy Permanent

Representative of Ireland to the UnitedNations and co-facilitator for thePolitical Declaration of the SAMOAPathway midterm review, says SIDShave done excellent work in setting upa partnership framework at the UnitedNations, whereby the partnerships theyare working on are monitored and reg-istered and there is an analysis done oftheir effectiveness.“It’s actually a model of other parts

of the world to look at. It can beimproved and it can be strengthened butthere is a very detailed process here atthe U.N. whereby we try to encouragenew development partnerships for theislands, but also, we try to monitor andanalyse what we’re doing and if we’redoing it well,” Tierney tells IPS.“One of the things, quite frankly, that

we need to do better is get more privatesector interest in projects. That’s aproblem across the board in the devel-oping world but it’s something that isspecifically a difficulty in the SmallIsland Developing States.”

THE TWO FACESOF DEMOCRACYAs more of the world’s nations turn todemocracy, interest in alternative con-stitutional forms and arrangements hasexpanded well beyond academic cir-cles. In countries as dissimilar asChile, South Korea, Brazil, Turkey andArgentina, policy makers and constitu-tional experts have vigorously debatedthe relative merits of different types ofdemocratic regimes. Some countrieslike Sri Lanka, have switched fromparliamentary to presidential constitu-tions. On the other hand, LatinAmericans in particular have foundthemselves greatly impressed by thesuccessful transition from authoritari-anism to democracy that occurred inthe 1970s in Spain, a transitionenhanced by that country’s parliamen-tary form of government.Nor is Spain the only nation in

which parliamentarism has given evi-dence of its worth. Indeed, the vastmajority of the stable democracies inthe world today are parliamentaryregimes, where executive power isgenerated by legislative majorities anddepends on such majorities for sur-vival. By contrast, the only presiden-tial democracy with a long history ofconstitutional continuity is the UnitedStates. The constitutions of Finlandand France are hybrids rather than truepresidential systems.Parliamentary regimes, of course,

can be unstable, especially under con-ditions of bitter ethnic conflict, asrecent African history attests. Yet theexperiences of India and of someEnglish-speaking countries in theCaribbean show that, even in greatlydivided societies, periodic parliamen-tary crisis need not turn into full-blownregime crises and that the ousting of aPrime Minister and Cabinet need notspell the end of democracy itself.The superior historical performance

of parliamentary democracies is noaccident. A careful comparison of par-liamentarism with presidentialismleads to the conclusion that, on bal-ance, the former is more conducive tostable democracy than the latter. Thisconclusion applies especially tonations with deep political cleavagesand numerous political parties; forsuch countries, parliamentarism gener-ally offers a better hope of preservingdemocracy.

ELECTED BY THE PEOPLEA parliamentary regime in the strict

sense is one in which the only demo-cratically legitimate institution is parlia-ment; in such a regime, the govern-ment’s authority is completely depend-ent upon parliamentary confidence.Although the growing personalizationof party leadership in some parliamen-tary regimes has made Prime Ministersseem more and more like Presidents, itremains true, that barring the dissolu-tion of parliament and call for new elec-tions, Premiers cannot appeal directly tothe people over the heads if their repre-sentatives. Parliamentary systems mayinclude Presidents who are elected bydirect popular vote, but they usuallylack the ability to compete seriously forpower with the Prime Minister.In presidential systems an executive

with considerable constitutional powers– generally including full control of thecomposition of the cabinet and adminis-tration – is directly elected by the peo-ple for a fixed term and is independentof parliamentary votes of confidence.He is not only the holder of executivepower but also the symbolic head ofstate and can be removed between elec-tions only by the drastic step ofimpeachment. In practice, as the histo-ry of the United States shows, presiden-tial systems may be more or lessdependent on the cooperation of the leg-islature; the balance between executiveand legislative power in such systemscan thus vary considerably.Two things about presidential gov-

ernment stand out. The first is thePresident’s strong claim to democratic,even plebiscitarian, legitimacy; the sec-ond is the fixed term in office. Both ofthese statements stand in need of somequalification. Some presidents gainoffice with a smaller proportion of thepopular vote than many Premiers whohead minority cabinets, although votersmay see the latter as more weakly legit-imated. Following British politicalthinker Walter Bagehot, we might saythat a presidential system endows theincumbent with both the “ceremonial”functions of a chief executive, thus cre-ating an aura, a self-image, and a set ofpopular expectations regardless of thevictory margin which are all quite dif-ferent from those associated with aPrime Minister, no matter how popular.

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Police in Grand Bahamaare searching for fivemissing persons from EastEnd, Grand Bahama. Thepersons were missingsince Hurricane Dorian.The deadly storm causedtremendous devastationon the island last month.Missing are:

Aaron Cooper, three-•years-old, ofEmmanuel Way, HighRock, GrandBahama. He isdescribed as standingat two feet, five inch-es in height, weighing35 pounds, with darkbrown complexionand slim built.Adam Cooper, three-•

years-old, ofEmmanuel Way, HighRock, GrandBahama. He isdescribed as standingat two feet, five inch-es in height, weighing35 pounds, with darkbrown complexionand slim built.Albert Alexander•Bridgewater, 51, ofBevans Town, EastEnd, Grand Bahama.He is described asstanding at five feet,ten inches in height,weighing 160 pounds,with dark brown com-plexion and slimbuilt.Darnita Cooper, 43,•

of Emmanuel Way,High Rock, GrandBahama. She isdescribed as standingat five feet, four inch-es in height, weighing120 pounds, withdark brown complex-ion and slim built.Catherine Lynn•

Armstrong, 70, ofHenny Avenue,Derby Subdivision,Grand Bahama. Sheis described as stand-ing at five feet, fourinches in height,weighing 125 pounds,Caucasian and slimbuilt.If you have any infor-•mation on the where-

abouts of these per-sons, please contactpolice in GrandBahama at 442-2872/2870, 911/919,or call your nearestpolice station.

A6 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 2019 NationalNEWS

five GB residents Missing Since dorian

Guaranteed Loansby Gov’t to MSMEsImpacted by DorianE m p l o y e r sConfederation, KhrystleRutherford-Ferguson;and Chairman, theBahamas EntrepreneurialVenture Capital FundMike Cunningham.Ms. Grant explained

that it is the goal of theSBDC to continue serv-ing those clients it hadbefore the storm whilecreating opportunities forother existing MSMEs tobounce back even betterthan before.“I need to emphasise

this. We will continue totake care of our existingclients. What is beingdiscussed today is addi-tional resources that haveallocated by our govern-ment and our partneringfinancial institutions tohelp the 2,525 activeMSMEs across Abacoand Grand Bahama,employing approximate-ly 4,000 people.”She said the govern-

ment is providing fivemillion dollars to guaran-tee up to 6.7 million dol-lars in loans through theClearing BanksAssociation. Two mil-lion will be given equityin partnerships and 1.3million in microloans andgrants.Ms. Grant stated that

businesspersons dis-placed will fill out anapplication form. Thatform will be looked overand an executive summa-ry created by volunteeradvisors. Those sum-maries and supporting

documents will then besent to the relevantbanks.The form and list of

documents needed isavailable on www.acces-saccelerator.org underthe title Resources, in atab called Dorian.She noted that it is

anticipated that theprocess will take no morethan 10 business daysand disbursements forgrants and microloanswill be processed in fourto five business days.Mrs. Grant said dis-

placed businesspersonswho are currently inNassau will be processedat the Edmund MoxeyCentre on Baillou HillRoad.In Grand Bahama per-

sons can go to the BAICbuilding initially, untilthe one-stop shop isestablished at the CLICObuilding, for assistance.In Abaco, the

NIB/Inland Revenuebuilding will be madeavailable. The SBDC Executive

Director noted that forbusinesses that have beenin operation for less thanthree years, attendance ata three-day seminarwould be required forthem to access theseopportunities as well.The Bahamas

Chamber of Commercewill verify the authentici-ty of businesses seekingto access funding in orderto ensure transparencyand accountability.

gg Continued from / PAGE 3...

4 Aaron Cooper 4 Adam Cooper

4 Albert Bridgewater

4 Catherine Armstrong4 Darnita Cooper

Gov’t Clarifies China CommentsIn a statement, the min-

istry said China, like sever-al other countries, immedi-ately and readily providedassistance in the aftermathof Dorian.“The Bahamas continues

to enjoy good relations withthe United States ofAmerica and the People’s

Republic of China,” thestatement said.“The Government of

The Bahamas is grateful forthe support and generousassistance from all mem-bers of the internationalcommunity who demon-strated solidarity with TheBahamas in the wake ofHurricane Dorian.”Former Minister of

Foreign Affairs SenatorFred Mitchell said yester-day that the ProgressiveLiberal accepts the min-istry’s clarification on theissue.“The original report that

our country would excludeany assistance from Chinaseemed out of line with thefacts on the ground,”Mitchell said.

“It is incumbent thatnotwithstanding the facts ofgeography, culture andtrade, there is sufficientroom for The Bahamas tobe friends with all nationsthat wish to be friends withus. “We are now assured

that all of our representa-tives overseas understandthat policy.”

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More relief will soon beon the way to Abaco andGrand Bahama as theBahamas Red Crossworks to unload a 20-footcontainer full of suppliesfrom Consolidated Water(Bahamas) Ltd. (CWCO).The reverse osmosis watersupply company shippedthe goods from Florida toNew Providence to con-tribute to the BahamasRed Cross’ ongoingDorian relief efforts.Cleaning supplies, airmattresses, tarps, batter-ies, propane fuel, toi-letries, emergency foodsupply kits, first aid kitsand more were included inthe shipment. Bahamas Red Cross

representative Ms.Mackey said the shipmentwill help meet ongoingneeds for people on theislands of Abaco andGrand Bahama. “Ofcourse in the initial after-math of any major stormyou expect an influx ofdonations, but the effort torebuild is an ongoingprocess. One month laterpeople still need food andnecessities, so please,don’t stop the donations.Keep them rolling in.”CWCO General

Manager Bryan Russellsaid the company wants todo what it can to helpthose affected by thestorm. “It’s just what weas Bahamians do – wecome together and supporteach other. Corporate citi-zens have a responsibility

to the communities theyserve, and at no other timeis that more true and moreessential than in a time ofnational crisis like this. “I’m glad to say our

Cayman Water operationsalso donated $3,500 torelief efforts here in TheBahamas through a cam-paign hosted by theCaribbean DesalinationAssociation (CaribDA),which has encouraged allof its members to con-tribute to this cause.”Cayman Water General

Manager Manuel Thomazsaid, “Cayman Waterknows very well what it islike being hit by a majorstorm. Fortunately, theCayman Islands has beenlucky enough to be out ofthe hurricane paths formore than 10 years now.However, we do suffer thepain anytime a Caribbeanisland is not that fortunateand we feel we need tohelp them with the recov-ery efforts that take placein the aftermath of a hurri-cane strike.” – more – The Bahamas Red

Cross’ Ms. Mackey saiddonations from corporateBahamas will go a longway in Dorian reliefefforts. “We cannot sayhow overwhelmed we’vebeen with the supportwe’ve received to dateand we trust that it contin-ues, because we’re in thisfor the long haul. Like Isaid, the period to bringrelief and rebuild is an

ongoing process, and weexpect it to last at least 18months to two years.”According to Ms.

Mackey, the shipment ofrelief supplies fromCWCO should go outwithin the next week.“Everything that was putinto that shipment is well-received. We can use allof those items. There’snothing I can think of thatthe people on the affectedislands need that wouldhave been left out, sowe’re very appreciative ofCWCO.”

A7The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 2019NationalNEWS

CWCO Donates to Dorian Relief

4 Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd. (CWCO) donated a 20-ft container full of supplies to the Bahamas Red Cross forHurricane Dorian relief. The shipment contained cleaning supplies, air mattresses, tarps, batteries, propane fuel, toiletries,emergency food supply kits, first aid kits and more. L to R: CWCO Stores Manager Deno Campbell, Bahamas Red Cross

Representative Chris and CWCO Accounts Manager Welliya Cargill.

4 Reverend Bishop J. Carl Rahming (left) received The Order of Merit award at GovernmentHouse yesterday. He is pictured with his with Evangeline Rahming (center) and Senator Fred

Mitchell (right). (Photo/Fred Mitchell - Minute by Minute)

21 RECEIVE NAT’L HONOURS

and Abaco, many citizenssaved other people’s livesby taking them into theirhomes, where some sur-vived for days beforeflood waters receded,” Dr.Minnis said.“Some Bahamians took

to jet skis and small boatsto rescue others. Othersknocked on doors to evac-uate neighbors, children,the elderly and theinfirmed. “Beginning today,

through various socialmedia, the Office of thePrime Minister will recog-nized and recall the exam-ples of a number of theseheroes.“Their stories exempli-

fy the courage of many,many, other Bahamianheroes.” Receiving the Order of

The Bahamas was Rev.Dr. Phillip Rahming, the

late Timothy Gibson andthe late Rev. Dr. HervisBain.Those receiving the

Order of Distinction wereformer Cabinet MinistersFrank Watson and TommyTurnquest, Keith MasonSr., Franklyn Rolle, Dr.Diane Gail Saunders,Ambassador MissouriSherman-Peter, GodfreyKelly, Edward Maynard,Lynn Hollowesko andNorward Rahming.The Order of Merit

went to Rev. Dr. CharlesSaunders, BishopCarrington Pinder, the lateEdmund Moxey, the lateLouis Adams Sr., Rev.Bishop J Carl Rahaming,the Rev. Charles Sweetingand Rev. Oral Rex Major.Track athlete Shaunae

Miller- Uibo recieved theOrder of the LignumVitae.Dr. Minnis further

opined that like Dorian

survivors, yesterday’shonourees also showedcourage, generosity, jus-tice and fortitude.“They have demon-

strated courage in theexercise of religious andpastoral ministry, the pro-motion of cultural andnational development, theservice of others throughpolitical, public, civic andcommunity service, thechronicling of our historyand the preservation ofour natural treasures,including artifacts andarchives, the preservationand protection of our natu-ral built environment andthe pursuit of excellencein education, commerceand athletics,” he said. The prime minister said

it is his hope that theexample of those hon-oured inspires the desirewithin everyone to servewithin theCommonwealth.

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A8 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - October 15th, 2019 NationalNEWS

GBPA to Offer EconomicRelief Assistance ProgramsBusiness owners set tobenefit from economicrelief assistance programsfollowing on-going con-sultation with the GrandBahama Port Authority,Limited (GBPA).As local businesses

begin recovery andrestoration plans follow-ing the impact ofHurricane Dorian, theGrand Bahama PortAuthority, Limited(GBPA) seeks to engagewith licensees to assesstheir needs. DeannSeymour, Chief FinancialOfficer and LicensingChairman of the GBPA,says, “We recognize thatmany of our licenseesface the daunting task ofrebuilding. Our commit-ment is to provide the nec-essary support for theirrecovery that will trans-late into our island’s eco-nomic sustainability anddemonstrate GrandBahama’s resilient spirit.”The organization’s

executive furtheracknowledged that busi-ness owners were impact-ed on multiple levels withphysical damage to com-mercial and residentialproperty, in addition toemployees who lost theirhomes, vehicles and otherresources. Seymour says,“The enormity ofDorian’s impact hastremendous effects on thephysical and emotionalwell-being of businessowners. With this inmind, we thought to allowbusiness owners a reason-able amount of time tograsp the full scope of thestorm’s impact before

approaching them toaddress theirneeds.” Seymour contin-ued, “This storm impact-ed us significantly notonly in managing materi-al loss, but also in han-dling the loss of man-power, due to the chal-lenges many employeeshave faced in their per-sonal lives. This alsoimpacts the recoveryprocess and we saw itappropriate to allowlicensees a time to assesstheir complete situations,so that when we engagewith them, they have abetter idea of theirneeds.”It has been more than

one month since Dorianslammed Grand Bahamaand the GBPA is makinga great push to connectwith licensees. Seymoursays, “We have already

begun the strategicprocess of connectingwith business owners andwe intend to make everyreasonable effort to con-nect with our 2,800licensees. This will beachieved through onlinesurveys, door to door vis-its, telephone calls andbusiness sector meet-ings.”As the engagement

process with relevantstakeholders continues,Seymour anticipates thather team will be betterable to design, developand deliver the best busi-ness relief assistance pro-grams. She says “Indoing this, they willexplain their businessneeds and goals and wewill listen, develop andlaunch the best initiativesto support their rebuild-ing efforts.”

4 Deann Seymour, Chief Financial Officer, Grand BahamaPort Authority Limited

The best and brightestglobal recently gatheredin The Bahamas to discussways of making stem celland regenerative healthtechnologies available,accessible and affordableto everyone, everywhere.Dr. Desiree Cox,

Rhodes Scholar andFounder and CEO ofHEALinc reflects, “Thisevent promotes researchand innovation in medicaltechnologies with thepotential to help peoplestay healthy through theirlifespan. Our presentersand sponsors delivered animmersive experience thatbridged the gaps betweenmodern regenerative med-icine technologies andancient healing arts ofcreativity, music, move-ment and breathwork.” The second annual

HEALinc Future Healthand Innovation Summitwas hosted at the GrandHyatt, Baha MarConvention Center fromOctober 2 – 4, 2019 withan audience of more than200-participants. A slateof more than 50 presen-ters delivered thought-provoking presentationsand the celebrity keynotespeech was given by Dr.Joe Dispenza, an interna-tional lecturer, researcherand author who has been

invited to speak in morethan 33 countries on sixcontinents. Dr. Dispenzachallenged the audienceto rewire the brains andrecondition their bodies tomake lasting life changes.Dr. Steven Greco,

Chief Scientific Officerof the HoustonHealthspan InnovationGroup said,"Regenerative medicineand immune restorationtreatments provide safe,accessible options forpatients. HoustonHealthspan was pleasedto share some of theexciting pilot data relatedto orthopedic and neuro-logical treatments deliv-ered at Okyanos. Throughour participation and thesponsorship of theBosarge FamilyFoundation, we were ableto collaborate on thisSummit because of ourshared commitment toHEALinc., and to TheBahamas.”Dr. Joshua Hare,

Professor of Medicine atUniversity of Miami andCo-founder and ChiefScientific Officer ofLongeveron, presentedimportant scientific datafrom Longeveron’s multi-ple FDA authorized stemcell trials in the US aswell as the 60+ patients

treated in The Bahamas inLongeveron’s approvedopen Registry for agingand musculoskeletalrelated disorders. Dr.Todd McAllister, CEO ofFountain Therapeuticsscheduled to begin opera-tions in Bimini was akeynote speaker at theSummit along with Dr.Robert Hariri, Founderand President ofCelularity, and one of theangel investors ofFountain Therapeuticsalong with PeterDiamandis and TonyRobbins. Dr. Hariri says,“This Summit is an idealenvironment to engage inconversations that affirmour commitment to har-nessing the powerful biol-ogy of the placenta totreat cancer, immunologi-cal and degenerative dis-eases and we commendDr. Cox for her leadershipin this regard.”Dr. Cox says, “As we

grow, we anticipate host-ing events in the UnitedStates that provide aspace for more individu-als to showcase productsand services that willallow more persons tolive longer, healthier andhappier lives because ofthe integration of modernand ancient regenerativehealth technologies.”

Second Annual RegenerativeMedicine Summit Proves Big

Win for The Bahamas