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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. 76 75 CENTSWEDNESDAY - MAY 1ST, 2019

“GOV’T PILINGTAXES AND FINES”

he Opposition’sShadow Ministerof Finance,Chester Cooper

says, “The Free NationalMovement is shamefullypiling taxes and fines onthe backs of the poor anda struggling middle classto simply appease ratingsagencies and theInternational MonetaryFund.”He added that, “the

FNM is disgracefullystarving capital expendi-ture and neglecting infra-structure in order to hit arigid target that no one inthis country asked for.“This madness is

BY LISA KNOWLESJournal Staff Writer

4 Opposition Shadow Minister of Finance, Chester Cooper

T

g See page 2...

Says PLP Deputy Leader "Bahamas needs togrow up,” Says Smith

eading QueensCounsel in theBahamas Fred

Smith says, “It’s timethat the Bahamas grewup. If we want to be abig player likeSingapore on the worldstage and if we want tobe in the First World cat-egory, then we need toembrace immigrationfor investment anddevelopment purposes.”The Attorney said, “forfar too long, the amazingpotential of the Bahamashas been choked byoppressive, repressive,

g See page 4... 4 Fred Smith, QC

PRAYER AND HEALING SERVICE ATGOV'T HOUSE FOR RBDF MARINES

L

4 Governor General, Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling & Commodore Tellis Bethel on April 30,shared words of comfort with marines of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force during a prayer and healing

service at Government House. The prayer and healing service took place after their comrade, Petty OfficerPhilip Perpall, was murdered while on duty at Government House. (BIS Photos/Letisha Henderson)

Bimini Clinic BlastedHealth Minister RefutesClaims of Inadequacies

There has been a criticalreport of medical facili-ties in Bimini after theshooting death ofAmerican BusinessmanAlain Perez on that islandthis past Sunday.

A news report, aired onMonday, on WPLG local10, in Southwest MiamiDade Florida, begins:"loved ones say they notonly want to see justiceserved, they want to findthe person who shot and

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

WSC UNIONS ADVISEMANAGEMENT TO TALK

Despite having a strikecertificate in hand, Waterand Sewerage union pres-idents yesterday said thatthey are actually lookingforward to a speedy reso-lution to the three out-standing matters behindthe ongoing friction. These include the fail-

ure of the Corporation toadhere to the promotionalprocedures and twounorthodox promotionallistings; WSC’s failure topost an organizationalchart indicating whichpositions within the com-pany are filled and thosethat are vacant, and thebreech of Article 1301.

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

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depriving Bahamians ofneeded services, all tomask the failure of thisgovernment’s revenuecollection efforts,” saidMr. Cooper.The Government is

not getting any browniepoints from theOpposition on how theEconomy has shaped upin the first 9 months ofthe Fiscal Year. In fact,the Progressive LiberalParty Deputy Leader isinstead scolding theMinnis Administrationfor, despite having raisedValue Added Tax (VAT)by 60 per cent, fallingshort of its forecast col-lection by hundreds ofmillions of dollars, a

failure he deemed ofepic proportions. Mr. Cooper said,“the

Minister of Financeknows full well that thereis no windfall expectedin the last few months ofthe budget year that willget them close to the tar-get amount. It is clear,and apparent by theirown admission, that thisAdministration botchedrollout of the VATincrease and other taxesdue to poor modelling,poor implementation, alack of consultation andpolitically motivatedexemptions.“Whose fault is it that

hotel and others weregiven a grace period toimplement VAT becausethe government failure to

understand many of theircommitments were madewith the understandingthat VAT would not behiked?” he asked.“Now the Minister of

Finance suggests thatnext year, the Budget tar-gets are expected to bemet. If they were so offwith this budget exer-cise, why on earth wouldanyone believe they willcraft a more realisticbudget next year?“Meanwhile, the con-

tinuous harping on thedeficit to explain theGovernment’s fiscalpolicies is losing itsshine.“To top it off, recur-

rent expenditure is stillup by $143 million. Itappears that all the

money saved by firingBahamian people hasstill been squandered.We wonder how manyhad to go without, onlyto have the Governmentspend money elsewhere.“We thank the

Government of TheBahamas for this level ofreporting. It takes a cer-tain courage to lay bareyour failures in this man-ner. What a sad indict-ment on a lostAdministration.

“We will have muchmore to say on thisGovernment’s fiscal fail-ures in the upcoming,legally-mandated BudgetDebate,” said the MP forExuma and RaggedIsland.

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Wednesday - May 1st, 2019

HELP WANTEDFamily of four is seeking the services of a female aged 30years or over to work as a housekeeper at a home on

Paradise Island.

Applicants must be bi-lingual and possess the ability to speakPortuguese. The applicant must also have knowledge of

preparation of Brazilian cuisine. This housekeeper will also beresponsible for the care of an elderly family member and two dogs.

Interested persons are asked to contact telephone number 803-6151

WSC UNION STRIKE CERTIFICATE SIGNEDAs promised, LabourMinister Dion Foulkes hassigned off on strike certifi-cates for both the line staffand managerial unions ofthe Water and SewerageCorporation.This follows months of

tension between unionmembers on a number of

issues. The certificate gives the

two the green light to takesuch action if necessary,and this amid ongoing ten-sion with WSC executives. Minister Foulkes said,

“I had discussion with theAttorney General’s officeand also with the Directorof Labour and also withthe Executive Chairman ofthe Water and Sewerage

Corporation to come to adetermination.”“we thought that was

the right thing to do.”, headded. Despite, having the

paperwork in hand, theminister is hoping that theunions do not rush toaction. He said, “I want to

encourage both sides tolease sit down and talk, to

give it a little bit and see ifyou can reach a resolutionto the issues on both sides.““The supply of water is

a necessity to the residentsof The Bahamas, here inNew Providence and thefamily islands, and thegovernment is very con-cerned. The prime ministeris very concerned aboutthe consistency of the sup-

ply of water to all of ourresidents.”, he added.“We really wish to

impress upon both sides.There has been animprovement in the rela-tionship between theunions and management,and the board. We wouldlike to see that relationshipdevelop into a very friend-ly relationship where bothsides can reach an amica-

ble conclusion.”, he said. The unions recently

staged a two-day sit outdecrying a number ofgrievances with WSC offi-cials.WSC Chairman Adrian

Gibson has since firedback, charging that it wasan illegal strike thatincluded acts of sabotagewhich the unions havedenied.

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

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A3The Bahama Journal

Wednesday - May 1st, 2019NationalNEWS

Improved Security For Gov’t BuildingsDefence ForceCommodore Tellis Bethelhas been directed to con-duct an immediate assess-ment of key governmentstructures in the wake ofthe shooting death ofPetty Officer PhillipPerpall early Sundaymorning in the GuardHouse on the grounds ofGovernment House. National Security

Minister, Marvin Damestold reporters just beforethe weekly Cabinet meet-ing, that to ensure thatsuch a tragedy, does notreoccur, a team has beenput together to work onpolicies as it relates tosecurity on governmentbuildings. “In our planning,

we’ve been talking abouttaking a tiered approach,for example when youlook at a place likeGovernment House, for

far too long the securityfocus has been relativelythe same. “We’re living in a dif-

ferent world now; we seewhat is taking placearound us on a daily basis.So, we have to ensure,that we bring our securitymeasures up to addressany kind of challengesthat we anticipate. “In addition to that,

what we’re also looking athow we can bring technol-ogy to the fore, to work

along with the humancomponent,” Mr. Damessaid. The minister has

accepted that as it relatesto security at governmentbuildings, there’s roomfor improvement.However, he reiteratedthat changes and consulta-tions have been in thepipeline long beforeSunday’s tragedy.“As a government,

when we came into office,one of the things that we

recognized, given theworld that we’re living intoday, and we see what istaking place all around us,security as it relates togovernment buildings inparticular, in many of oursecurities have not beenrobust enough. “And, so, one of the

things that we recognize isthat we have to changethis. I’ve had a teamworking on a policy inrelations to security atgovernment buildings to

ensure that we bring therequisite security that isneeded to protect thesebuildings to the fore-front,” Mr. Dames said. A 30-year veteran on

the Defence Force, PettyOfficer Perpall was killedwhen another officergained access toGovernment House,Guard House around2:30am Sunday andopened fire, woundingPerpall multiple times. He died on the scene.

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

GRAND BAHAMA POWER BLASTEDThe President ofFamilies for JusticeOrganization in Freeport, Pastor Glenroy Bethelis calling for the resigna-tion of Dave McGregorChief Operating Officerof the Grand BahamaPower Company.This comes a result

of the Executives of theGrand Bahama PowerCompany having filed acriminal complaint at the

Police Department inFreeport against severalbusiness owners severalweeks ago. Those busi-ness owners weredetained in police cus-tody for 12 hours.Statements were takenfrom the accused andthey were later released,however, no chargeswere filed against them. After being released,

the business owners metwith the Grand BahamaPower Company in orderto advise them of the

terms and conditions forhaving their electricityturned back on. Themeeting was held afterthe officials had alreadymade their criminal com-plaint to the PoliceDepartment. The busi-ness owners were not inagreement with theGrand Bahama PowerCompany’s demands, butsome were pressured intosigning a written agree-ment for various reasons,one being to save theirmedical supplies for the

community of Freeport.Others made agreementsin order to save the manyjobs, as well as inventorythat would have beenlost, had their electricitynot been restored.In a statement the

Organization said, localbusiness owners inGrand Bahama disagreewith what the GrandBahama Power Companydid and continues to doto business owners onthat island. They feel it isa criminal act under

Section 346 of the PenalCode.The statement said

recently, the GrandBahama Power Companytook to the airways tosend notice to the gener-al public that there aremore than two hundredplus residents that have afake energy savingdevice and, they areexpected to come intothe Power Company’sbusiness office and payfor the energy that wasused.

The Families ForJustice Organizationconsiders the actions ofthe Grand BahamaPower Company to be anact of extortion and feelit is a violation of everyB a h a m i a n ’ sConstitutional Rights onthe island of GrandBahama. Additionally, the

Organization will be fil-ing a formal criminalcomplaint of extortion tothe Attorney Generalagainst Mr. McGregor .

BY LISA KNOWLESJournal Staff Writer

WSC UNIONS ADVISEMANAGEMENT TO TALKBahamas Utilities and

Allied Workers Union(BUSAWU) PresidentDwayne Woods toldreporters outside ofWSC’s University Drivelocation that likelihood ofthe unions exercising theirright to strike is up to thecorporation. He said, “we are here

extending the olivebranch, although they maysay we are disingenuous;we want them to knowthat we are extending theolive branch from thedepths of our heart, but wehave problems.“You can’t expect us to

extend the olive branchtoday, and then you createanother bone of con-tention tomorrow; thenmake it look like the unionis the villain. We want aresolution for both unions.“That’s why we stand

in solidarity. So, we’resaying to solve the issuesof both unions so that wedon’t have to use the cer-tificate.”, he said. When asked if there’s a

particular timeline for thisto take place, Mr. Woodssaid, “I must say that thecorporation in all of itswisdom has already sentan invite for us to come tothe table.” He added that both

unions are walking intothis meeting optimisticabout a possible resolu-tion. Both parties are set to

meet with WSC’sExecutive team on May7th. Labour Minister Dion

Foulkes recently sharedwith reporters that therelationship betweenWSC Executives and theunion has improved. In response to his state-

ment, Mr. Woods said,“from the the last time wemet, I must say that thechairman and I left thereshaking hands; but in allfairness, it appears to theunion as though that rela-tionship has gone south.”He added, “the board

has now sanctioned thatthe HR Manager, theGeneral Manager and theDeputy General Manager

will now be responsiblefor HR matters. So, wealways had a good rela-tionship with them. Once,they’re allowed to do theirjob, we’re looking for-ward to big things happen-ing, because both sidesshould hopefully use goodfaith in negotiations.”WSC Management

Union President EdnellRolle said, “we have notmet with the executives ofthe corporation. I wouldthink that what he[Minister Foulkes] isimplying is that with thestrike certificate, relation-ships should improve.”He added, “that’s the

only way I can see himmaking a statement likethat, because we have hadno relationship with theexecutives, because it is amatter of public record.The Chairman has advisedno executive to meet withthe president of a unionwithout him being pres-ent.”According to Mr. Rolle

the corporation’s chair-man is not supportive oftheir concerns.

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

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A4 The Bahama Journal

Wednesday - May 1st, 2019 NationalNEWS

THE MINISTRY OF FINANCIALSERVICES, TRADE & INDUSTRY

THE PORT DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bimini Clinic Blastedkilled Alain Perez". "But they also want to

send out a warning to you,to any travelers who mightbe thinking of going toBimini, they say that med-ical care there is inade-quate." According to the

reporter, the mother of thedeceased said "her son didnot deserve to die the wayhe did".Perez, 47, was shot mul-

tiple times about the bodyafter responding to a knockon the door of his home. The reporter inter-

viewed the friend andlawyer of Perez, JuanCarrera, "who happened tobe in Bimini as well overthe weekend". Carrera gave this

account to what transpired:"He had just gotten offfrom work, at about 1o'clock in the morning;within a few minutes of hisarrival, somebody startedknocking very desperatelyat the door, so he attendedthe door and they shothim".Carrera then alleges that

Bimini's clinic was "ill-equipped"."I've seen veterinarian

clinics here that have moreadequate equipment andsupplies and trained staff. "The clinics there do not

have the capacity to dealwith traumatic injuries,"Carrera said.Health Minister, Dr.

Duane Sands, yesterdayresponded to allegations,on other social media plat-forms, where friends of the

deceased alleged thatPerez may still be alive hadthe healthcare facility beenproperly equipped. "This is an awful

tragedy, and anytime any-body is injured, shot, killedin the Commonwealth ofThe Bahamas, I think weshould all take pause. "I think as the investiga-

tion unfolds, we will learna little bit more about whathappened to this gentle-man; the nature of hisinjuries, which will befully revealed with hisautopsy. "I am advised that the

patient was greeted at theclinic by a consultantphysician, Dr. KeishaSmith. She was there wellbefore he arrived at theclinic. "She is trained and per-

formed advance trauma,life support care to him.The patient was shot multi-ple times to the torso, andit is conceivable that he didindeed have life threaten-ing injuries, and he suc-cumbed from theseinjuries. "This is very unfortu-

nate, but whether or notany change in equipmentwould have made a differ-ence in this gentleman'soutcome, I don't think wehave enough informationto answer that," Dr. Sandssaid. As the report stated

that the clinic does nothave the capacity to dealwith traumatic incidents,Perez died before he couldbe airlifted. Dr. Sands says contact

was made with both

Nassau and the US air-ambulance services."There is a protocol that

is followed for air-ambu-lances coming from theUnited States. Theyrequire admission, accept-ance at a hospital. "In the hour and fifteen

minutes or so that she [Dr.Smith] was caring for him,no acceptance for admis-sions to hospital in theUnited States wasobtained. And as such theair-ambulance service wasscrambled from NewProvidence to bring him toDoctors' Hospital."Unfortunately the

patient succumbed beforethe air-ambulancearrived," Dr. Sands said. As for optimizing clin-

ics or health care facilitiesthroughout the country, Dr.

Sands says this is some-thing that is being workedon not just for tourist, butalso for Bahamians."Bear in mind that in an

archipelago, we have 98clinics around theCommonwealth of TheBahamas; and in those 98clinics we try to standard-ize the care that's provid-ed. "We have a hubl, so that

there is different capacityat the major facilities inGrand Bahama and in NewProvidence and we're try-ing to strengthen thecapacity in other hubs sothat we can respond to themajority of issues thatarise," Dr. Sands said. At last report, Royal

Bahamas Police Forcesaid they are investigatingthe matter.

“Bahamas needs to grow up”discriminatory and abu-sive immigration poli-cies.” He said, “I support the

government 100 per centin this initiative. In fact, Idon’t think the govern-ment is going far enough.It should amend theCommercial Enterprises

Act (CEA) to insert theHawksbill CreekAgreement as a categoryin addition to tech hubindustry promotion initia-tives, as Freeport wasdesigned to be a cradle ofinnovation for the benefitof the entire country.”Mr. Smith who is also

the Legal Director forRights Bahamas said, “It

was short-sighted, abusiveimmigration policies thatstifled Freeport in 1969and the Magic City, thegoose that was laying thegolden egg, nearly died. Asthe government is nowseriously promoting GrandBahama as a tech hubonce again, the CEA needsto apply to all licensees ofFreeport. This would res-

urrect the economy ofGrand Bahama, and byextension the whole coun-try.” The Human Rights

Activist said, “If theBahamas wants to be in thebig boys' club, we need tostop shooting ourselves inthe foot with these closed-minded and fearful protec-tionist policies and liberal-

ize immigration dramati-cally, especially inFreeport, which the gov-ernment could use as anexperiment. Attracting thebest and the brightest toour shores would createamazing transfers of cut-ting edge skills to our peo-ple and lead to an explo-sion of economic activitywhich would benefit all

Bahamians. “Ironically, we bring 5

million people here a year,yet we make it almostimpossible for them tocome back to invest withall the red tape and espe-cially immigration hurdles.If we want to grow, wehave to roll out the red car-pet and roll up the redtape,” said Mr. Smith.

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Health Minister Refutes Claims of Inadequacies

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