Despite assurances thatthe schools are safe forclasses to resume, parentsof students of CW Sawyerand Sybil StrachanPrimary have lingeringconcerns over a numberof issues.There was an early

pickup for CW Sawyerstudents, who returned toclasses yesterday follow-ing a two-day break overmould, rat and structuralconcerns.Adding to that was the

complaint among someparents that they were notupdated on the situation.Lisa Sterman, a parent

at CW Sawyer said, “well,they said there was mouldin the school and the

teachers were getting sickand also some of the stu-dents were getting sickand the fixtures in the

restroom for the girls andboys were not function-

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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. 28 75 CENTSTUESDAY - FEBRUARY 12TH, 2019

GG Attends AnGlicAn Women's 55th

AnniversAry service At st. AGnes

4 Governor General, Her Excellency the Most Hon. Dame Marguerite Pindling attended St. Agnes Anglican Church Women's combined AnnualInstallation and 55th Anniversary Service at the church's 7:00 Mass on Sunday, February 10, 2019. Assistant Bishop, the Most Reverend

Drexel W. Gomez performed installation of officers and executives. (BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna)

4 B.U.T. President, Belinda Wilson updating the media onhealth concerns at Sybil Strachan and CW Sawyer Primary,after continued reports of mold and other health relatedissues were only partially addressed by governing

authorities. (File photo)

PLP WANTS GRADUALAPPROACH FOR NHI

fter a meetingbetween theNational HealthI n s u r a n c e

Authority and theParliamentary Team ofThe Progressive LiberalParty, the Opposition isproposing that the gov-ernment consider a moregradual approach forNational HealthInsurance that wouldfocus heavily on primaryhealthcare and selectivecatastrophic care to meetthe demands in our pub-lic hospitals.In a statement issued

by Doctor MichaelDarville, the PLP says,“as micro and macroeconomic indicatorsbecome morefavourable, we can thenmove to implement thefull healthcare package.”The PLP representativesmet with NHIAChairman Dr. RobinRoberts and theManaging Director,

g See page 3...

A

4 Former PLP MP, Dr. Michael Darville (File photo)

Three Murder Accused Arraigned

Three young men accusedof murder were yesterdayarraigned before the

Magistrate’s Court.In the first matter,

standing before ChiefMagistrate Joyann

BY JAMEELHA MISSICKJournal Staff Writer

g See page 2...

Parents ConcernedAbout Health IssuesBY BERTHONY MCDERMOTT

Journal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

Reveal"Murderous

Pirates", SaysBishop Hall 

Leading Baptist BishopSimeon Hall is making aclarion call to the Haitiancommunity to reveal thenames of individuals whocontinually exploit

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

FNM SaysDavis ShouldApologize For

GB NeglectThe Free NationalMovement (FNM) hascalled on OppositionLeader Philip Davis toapologize for the neglectof Grand Bahama underthe administration of the

g See page 6...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 10:40 PM Page 1

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Tuesday - February 12th, 2019

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL SECURITY

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

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

Coral Harbour Base by 31st January, 2019.

To qualify, applicants must:

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

Bachelor’s Degree Programs are offered in:

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

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

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

2019).

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

The USCGA code number for the SAT exam is 5807.

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

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

The USCGA code number for the ACT exam is 0600.

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

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

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

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

PROGRAM

Three In Custody For GB ShootingPolice in Grand Bahamaholding three men in cus-tody for a shooting inci-dent in Hanna Hill, EightMile Rock which left twomen with injuries. A s s i s t a n t

Superintendent of Police,Terecita Pinder reportedthat on Sunday, shortlyafter 4:00pm, police werecalled to Hanna Hill,where it was reported thatan argument erupted witha group of males whowere involved in a gam-bling game. As a result of the argu-

ment, a short time later alone gunman exited awhite vehicle and openedfire on the group injuringtwo males. Both victimswere transported to theRand Memorial Hospitalvia private vehicle andwere seen by doctors.

One of the males waslater discharged, whilethe other is said to be list-ed in stable condition.Three males all of

Hanna Hill, Eight MileRock were arrested andare assisting police withtheir investigation intothis matter.In Other Crime News:

Police recovered illegalfirearms and dangerousdrugs from the streets ofNew Providence in sever-al incidents. Police, acting on infor-

mation recovered two ille-gal firearms on Saturdayand two on Sunday. On Saturday, shortly

after 5:00pm, DrugEnforcement UnitOfficers, acting on infor-mation, conducted asearch of a bushy area onBonaby Alley off KempRoad, and recovered ablack AR 15 rifle whichcontained 28 rounds of

.223 ammunition. An hour later, shortly

after 6:00pm, DrugEnforcement Officers alsoacting on information,conducted a search of anabandon building onTurtle Drive offCarmichael Road andrecovered a 9 millimeterpistol and six rounds ofammunition.Following more leads

on Sunday, Flying SquadOfficers, shortly after6pm, conducted a searchof an abandon building atRupert Dean Lane andPatton Street and recov-ered a .45 pistol with fourrounds of ammunition,and a .357 revolver and asmall quantity of suspect-ed marijuana. Police are actively

investigating these matterwith a view of identifyingpersons who were in pos-session of these firearmsand dangerous drugs.

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

Three Murder A C C U S E D

A R R A I G N E DFerguson-Pratt, was 25-year-old, ShaquilleCulmer of WestStreet/Fleming Street.Culmer is accused of

the February 2nd murderof Randolph Andersonaka Deon Brice.He was not required to

enter a plea and bail wasdenied.He was remanded to

the Bahamas Department

of Corrections (BDC) forservice of voluntary bill ofindictment until April 5thwhen he returns to court atnoon.In the second matter,

charged was 28-year-old,Rashad Paul aka Eyes.The Whylly Close resi-

dent, allegedly caused thedeath of Kirby JeanPierre, on SaturdayFebruary 2nd, 2019. He too was not required

to enter a plea, denied bail

and remanded to the BDCuntil April 5th.The third man

arraigned on murdercharges was 21-year-old,Joel Bullard of LincolnBoulevard.Bullard who is accused

of the February 1st murderof Gary Leon, was alsonot required to enter aplea. Bail was denied andhe was subsequentlyremanded to the BDCuntil April 5th.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 10:40 PM Page 2

A3The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - February 12th, 2019NationalNEWS

PLP WANTS GRADUAL Graham Whitmarsh andhis team.The Opposition

spokesman on Healthsaid, “In the NHIA pres-entation nothing was saidabout home care and theneed to improve this armof healthcare delivery inthe country. If imple-mented properly homecare would, in our view,shift the burden ofattending to patients suf-fering from non-commu-nicable diseases awayfrom the accident andemergency and otherwards and free up bedspace at our hospitalsensuring that doctors andmedical staff provideservices for real emer-gencies.“We in the PLP

believe NHI is a must butonce implemented itmust be sustainable. It isour view that the propos-al presented by theNHIA does not fully con-sider all facets of costsassociated with thelaunch of the programand in the absence of aneconomic impact studyby the Ministry of

Finance we caution thegovernment to consider aphased approach in orderto reduce the potentialfor economic shocks.Their failure to do socould undermine the suc-cess of this very vitalprogram and undermineeconomic growth intothe future,” said Dr.Darville.He said the PLP is

convinced that a properNHI programme willenhance the globalgrowth of GDP ultimate-ly but we must get itright.“We in the Progressive

Liberal Party understandthe importance of univer-sal health and the rolenational health insurancemust play in order todeliver on this importantmandate. NHI is ourbaby and we want it tosucceed. Quality health-care must be accessibleto all Bahamians and webelieve NHI is the way toaccomplish this.“We were pleased to

learn that the NHIAaccepts our positionregarding the importance

of universal primaryhealthcare. However, itappears that the NHIA issaying one thing and theMinister of Health anoth-er on NHI,” said theSenator.“It is obvious that they

are operating from dif-ferent perspectives andthat is creating confusionin the public domain.Who does one believe,the NHIA or the Ministerof Health who has cabi-net responsibility forrelations with theAuthority?“For example, the

NHIA is saying that therewill be no cashexchanged by patients atthe point of service. Thiswas recommended by thePan American HealthOrganization and theWorld HealthOrganization as a meansof ensuring equity in thehealthcare delivery sys-tem. The Minister ofHealth on the other handis speaking aboutincreasing the cost forservices at the PublicHospitals Authority(PHA), the Department

of Public Health (DPH)and the Ministry ofHealth. Have theseincreased costs been fac-tored into the overallbudget for delivery ofNHI and if not who willbear this increased cost? “Secondly, we have

some difficulty with theNHIA proposal to estab-lish a separate out-patient medical record-ing system while thePHA and the Ministry ofHealth are currentlyworking with a reputableglobal software firmcalled Allscripts whowon a multi-million dol-lar contract to administerhospital medical recordsand supplied flow chainin our tertiary institu-tions and public clinics.While in office we wereassured by this groupthat this software pack-age was capable ofallowing doctors andmedical staff to accessthe hospital records inthe out-patient clinics. Iam not certain if thisimportant step was can-celled as part of theFNM’s stop review and

cancel policy But having two separatesoftware systems formanagement of medicalrecords would not onlycreate confusion in thesystem but it willincrease inefficiency andthe cost of deliveringhealthcare in theBahamas,” Dr. Darvillesaid.He said, “In the pres-

entation, little was saidabout healthcarestrengthening and themedical protocols neces-sary to ensure that serv-ices rendered in all ourclinics are consistentfrom Inagua to GrandCay, nor did they outlinehow we will sell NHI inthe Family Islands whosemedical infrastructure isfailing because of a per-sistent lack of medicalstaff, medical suppliesand life saving medica-tion. Also, nothing wassaid about funding fromthe government prior tothe launch in 2020 to hiretrained staff and estab-lish supply chains toensure equity in the sys-tem.

“We are also con-cerned about the feed-back from the businesscommunity, the Chamberof Commerce and thelabour force. The busi-ness community andlabour are saying thatthey will be forced to payfor this healthcare planin a sluggish economyafter the governmentincreased value addedtax from 7.5 per cent to12 per cent in the lastbudget cycle.“After reading the

Response to the publicconsultation documentfrom NHIA and listeningto the stakeholders, weare of the view that thisproposal is very ambi-tious and if implementedin the current economicenvironment could resultin the contraction ofbusiness activity. Thereis also the added risk tothe private sector of hav-ing to carry the burden ofthe shortfalls if the cur-rent figure of $130 mil-lion pegged to fund thenext stage of NHI isunderestimated,” said thePLP statement.

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 10:40 PM Page 3

ing properly.”According to Bahamas

Union of TeachersPresident BelindaWilson, mould is nolonger an issue at YellowElder Gardens campus.“What the teachers

would have done at CWSawyer, is they did a cur-sory assessment. “So they know that

some cleaning has beendone; yes some ceilingtiles have been replaced

however there was somecracking in the tiles andwe are concerned aboutthe structural part of theschool. “Then we would have

received the mould test-ing report and we wouldhave sent that on to a pri-vate company to analyzeit, so that they can giveus their views as to whathas been tested; if thetesting was done deeplyenough and if it’s safe for

teachers to occupy theschools,” she said. As for Sybil Strachan

Primary’s scabies out-break, Mrs. Wilson saidas far as she can see, thatsituation has also beenresolved.However, one con-

cerned uncle told TheJournal that he came topick up his nephewbecause of something hesaw on Facebook aboutthere being a scabies out-

break at that school.He said besides that, nocommunication wasmade between theschool’s administrationand the student’s parents.Meantime the BUT

President said that teach-ers are being tested forthe highly contagiousinfestation. At this point,there have been no suchconfirmed cases.“The teachers and the

union we are very

pleased at the manner inwhich the principal hasdealt with this healthissue, because we were inconstant contact not onlywith the Ministry ofEducation, but also withthe Ministry of Health,their nurses and theirteam. “So today the classes

are being cleaned by thejanitorial staff and theteachers will be tested. “Some were tested

last week; the remainderof the teachers will betested today so we hopethat the testing will becompleted today and thatthe cleaning will be com-pleted so that tomorrowmorning school will beable to run smoothly,”she said. Mrs. Wilson’s calling

on the ministry to contin-ue talks with the union.

A4 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - February 12th, 2019 NationalNEWS

Parents ConcernedAbout Health Issues

Reveal"Murderous

Pirates", SaysBishop Hall

Haitian nationals attempt-ing to flee poverty strick-en island nation. Speaking with this

Journal yesterday, follow-ing a mass turnout at oneof the largest funeral serv-ices on Sunday, BishopHall called the captain ofthe vessel and all respon-sible for the voyage "mur-derous pirates". He then made the call

for the Haitian communi-ty, pastors and churchleaders to release thenames of those behind theill-fated voyage fromHaiti. More than 30 Haitian

migrants lost their liveswhen the 40 foot sloopthey were on hit a reefjust off Fowl Cay Abaco, alittle more than a weekago. Twenty-two of them

were funeralized onSunday at the EnochBeckford Auditorium,many others still unac-counted for. "We commisserate with

members of the Haitiancommunity on the loss ofdozens of persons fromHaiti. It was painful see

some [22] caskets Sundayand we continue to standwith the members of theHaitian community."The only thing that

precedes a persons nation-ality is that he or she is ahuman being; those were[22] human beings."We also wish to call

on all members of theHaitian community, espe-cially pastors and churchleaders, that they shouldrelease the names of themurderous pirates whoengage in a nefarious voy-age from Haiti to TheBahamas. "Haitians living in

poverty in Haiti must betold that it is better to bepoor than to be eaten bysharks on the open seas.That's how ghastly thisthing has become. "And I think we need to

share that this trade has tostop," Bishop Hall said. President of the League

of Haitian Pastors, Dr.Jean Paul Charles, made asimilar call last week. Healso appealed toBahamians to invest inHaiti as a means of deter-ring Haitian nationalsfrom taking the risky seavoyage in search of a bet-

ter way of life. Bishop Hall, who said

he has visited the impov-erished island severaltimes, said that Haitishould lead the way inhelping itself. "One of the problems

we have with the Haitianchallenge is that you havethe rich Haitians, some ofwhom have gotten richersince the earthquake sev-eral years ago. "Haiti needs to lead the

way in how it helps itself."The Bahamas, the

region, CARICOM, andall should try to help."Haitians in Haiti must

do more to close the gapbetween the rich and thepoor; the rich, rich and thepoor, poor, is Haiti's, inmy estimate, biggest prob-lem. "We want The Bahamas

to help; we want theCaribbean to help, butHaiti itself must do more. "It is a travesty that the

rich in Haiti seem soobstinate and so calloustowards the poor in Haiti,and until they help them-selves then, others will beobligated to help them,"Bishop Hall said.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

GOT NEWS?Please call The BahamaJournal’s News TIP LINE at 356-7254 and let us know!

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 2/11/2019 10:40 PM Page 4

A5The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - February 12th, 2019EditorialNEWS

E D I T O R I A L

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

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

Kimaley P. JonesVice President/Operations

Wendall K. Jones Publisher/Chief Executive Officer

WHAT JUSTICE?There are many Bahamians who are beingdenied justice in the Bahamas for variousreasons and have had to plead guilty tooffences when they are in fact innocent.It has come to our attention that manyyoung Bahamians have been victimized inthe Criminal Justice System in theBahamas due to no fault of their own.Two cases are relevant here. In one

case, a young man was taken before aMagistrate and charged with fraud. TheMagistrate asked him whether he wasguilty or not guilty. Due to the fact that theMagistrate did not have the jurisdiction togrant bail under the Bail Act, the youngman who now insists that he was innocentof the charge, pleaded guilty because hedid not want to be remanded at theDepartment of Corrections at Fox Hill.He told the story that he had to attend

the funeral of his father and his incarcera-tion would have prevented that.In another instance, a young man was

taken before the court on the charge ofthreat of death to his step father. He deniedthat he had threatened the man andbelieved that his stepfather wanted to geteven with his mother in a domestic quar-rel. Since he knew that the Magistratecould not grant bail, he too pleased guiltybecause he claimed that he did not want tospend an hour in jail on remand, much lessweeks or months.Then, last week on a JCN Television

show another young Bahamian said thathe was remanded for two months after itwas reported that he threatened the life ofhis girl friend. He denied this, pleadednot guilty, but was remanded to prisonbecause once again, the Magistrate did nothave the power under the law to grant bail.The young man was devastated when hewas placed among hardened criminals toawait trial.This is totally wrong in the Bahamas,

when people can have their lives ruined bymere allegations and due to the fact that theparliament passed a Bail Act limiting thepower of Magistrates to grant bail in cer-tain offences.Among the offences that Magistrates are

unable to grant bail are murder, attempt-ed murder, armed robbery, fraud and inconspiracy case, among oth-ers. In English law, natural justice is techni-

cal terminology for the rule against biasand the right to a fair hearing. Further, incriminal justice, a person is deemed inno-cent until proven guilty. Based on what ishappening in the Bahamas, many personscharged before our courts are denied bothnatural justice and criminal justice, asmany of them are forced to spend timelocked up in prison on mere allegationsand because the Magistrate cannot grantbail.There are many lawyers of The Bahamas

Bar Association who have protested theBail Act for sometime, however their pleashave apparently fallen on deaf ears.Successive governments have left a systemin place that it patently unfair and unjust.No one should be forced to plead guiltybecause of the fear that they would beremanded to prison if they are innocent.There is no public outrage about this,

even when hundreds were remanded andtheir relatives suffered this unfortunatestate of affairs in silence. Years ago on indictable offences, a

Magistrate would preside over aPreliminary Inquiry to determine if therewas sufficient evidence for a matter to betried in the Supreme Court. Not today,lawyers are now required to get aVoluntary Bill of Indictment on matters.This came about as a result of the so-called Swift Justice initiative of theChristie administration.In the interest of justice we call on the

government and the judiciary to cause theBail Act to be amended posthaste to giveback to our competent Magistrates thepower the once had to grant bail toaccused persons in all cases except mur-der.This Act of Parliament was introduced

during the Ingraham administration. Itwas wrong then and it is still wrong now.After all justice must not only be done,but must be seen to be done.

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

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

-- Dennis Healey, Former UK Chancellor of theExchequer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, lets get on with it!

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

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A6 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - February 12th, 2019 NationalNEWS

BPL bills and gasoline prices

Eureka! Falling gasoline prices andlower BPL electricity bills, explana-tions for which are being sought, havegiven rise to a degree of euphoria inrecent times. Yet, as I opined in a lettera dozen or so years ago, the answerappears to be quite elementary 'my dearWatson'.The price of gasoline moves cycli-

cally, as does the price of diesel fuel(automotive diesel oil/#2 oil/heatingoil) which BPL burns at its Blue Hillsplant. The price of heavy fuel oil (#6oil/bunker 'C'), which BPL burns at itsClifton Pier plant, also moves cyclical-ly; variations tend not to be as pro-nounced as with diesel fuel.Importantly, movements in the price ofautomotive diesel oil (ADO) andbunker 'C' tend to be in tandem butantipodal to gasoline price movements. Market forces (supply vs demand)

drive up gasoline prices in the summermonths, due to heavy demand by theNorth American and European motor-ing public. Likewise, heavy NorthAmerican and European demand forheating oil (and heavy fuel oil), in thewinter months, drive up prices for theseproducts during colder periods. Productprices, whether gasoline, diesel orheavy fuel oil, are also impacted bychanges in crude prices (which some-times seem to rise or fall without rhyme

or reason). The price of crude hasremained and likely will continue toremain relatively stable around $50-$60 per barrel (for reasons best left foranother communication). Hence, market forces ought to be the

singular factor impacting both powerbills and gasoline prices. In the case ofgasoline, market forces indeed are theanswer. As regards BPL’s lower electricity

bills, the answer is not quite that ele-mentary my dear Watson given the ten-dency for diesel and heavy fuel oilprices to rise in response to increasedNorth American and European demandfor heating oil during the winter. In fact, notwithstanding such tenden-

cy, BPL’s customers generally experi-ence lower bills during cooler months.This is due to the absence or severe cur-tailment of cooling, especially A/Coperation, during the period. Energyconsumption is reduced to such anextent that it more than counterbalancesfuel price increases. Reduced demandfor energy, moreover, makes it possiblefor BPL to fully satisfy customer’sneeds while running only its most ener-gy efficient/lowest production cost gen-eration plant significantly reducing fuelconsumption and cost.

Michael R. Moss

Dear Editor:

Letter to the Editor

FNM Says DavisShould Apologize Progressive Liberal Party.In a statement issued yes-terday the FNM accusedMr. Davis forundeservedly taking creditfor the new port develop-ment in Grand Bahama.The statement said, “the

old and tired Brave Davisis once again providing analternate view of reality,

continuing a track recordof lies. This time he claimsthe woeful PLP is respon-sible for the new projectwith Carnival to build anew port in GrandBahama, announced lastweek. If the MinorityLeader thinks he is foolinganyone, he should give up.“Perhaps Brave needs to

be reminded of what heand his PLP incompetents

are in fact responsible foras it relates to GrandBahama. Does he recallthat more jobs in GrandBahama were lost duringChristie’s PLP administra-tion than any other? Doeshe remember whenTreasure Bay Casino andMemories Resort closed,laying-off hundreds ofemployees? How canBrave forget the backlash

to PLP legislators in GrandBahama living lavishlywhile citizens struggled toput food on the table?“It is also a shame that

the opposition leader canmake such a claim abouthelping Grand Bahamaafter insulting the entirecountry with their misman-agement of the hurricanerecovery. Many mightrecall the PLP’s response

to questions concerningthe budget deficit and mul-tiple credit downgradesthat transpired during thelast administration. Theyclaimed the economy wasslowed by hundreds ofmillions in hurricane relief,primarily in GrandBahama but resulted in lit-tle to no relief for most ofthe Island,” said the FNM.The Party

stated:“Regarding GrandBahama, the only thingcoming out of Brave’smouth should be apolo-gies. He should apologizefor both the neglect GrandBahama has suffered underPLP rule and for the emptypromises he made foryears only to leave GrandBahama in far worse shapethan when the PLP tookoffice in 2012.”

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

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