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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. 96 75 CENTSTHURSDAY - JUNE 13TH, 2019

Brian Moree, QC, Sworn in aS Chief JuStiCe

4 Mr. Brian M. Moree, QC, was sworn in Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, June 12, 2019 atGovernment House. Mr. Moree is pictured, left, being sworn in by Deputy to the Governor General, C.A. Smith.

(BIS Photo/Yontalay Bowe)

“NO BUSINESS AS USUAL”

here was standingroom only atG o v e r n m e n tHouse yesterday

as scores of family,Attorneys and friendslooked on as Mr. BrianMoree was sworn in asthe new Chief Justice.He was sworn in by

Deputy to the GovernorGeneral C.A. Smithsome nine months afterformer Chief JusticeStephen Isaacs past away. On current state of the

judiciary, Mr. Moree saidit won’t be business asusual.“We’ve got to see if we

can get an allocation ofnational resources whichare consistent with thestatus of the judiciary inour constitution. “We do need major

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

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T

CA SMITHMATTER TOBE HANDLEDBY PALACE

The Prime MinisterDoctor Hubert Minnissays that the matter ofthe prematureannouncement of a newGovernor General is tobe taken up byBuckingham Palace.Dr. Minnis commentedyesterday on the socialmedia video of DeputyGovernor General C.A


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UNIONREJECTS

MORTON'SPROPOSAL

Bahamas IndustrialManufacturers andAllied Workers Union,(BIMAWU) has rejectedMorton BahamasCompany's proposals inthe new CollectiveBargaining Agreement. Union President

Jennifer Brown in astatement released yes-terday said the offer pre-

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

g See page 3...LLOYD STATES POLICY ON CORPORAL

PUNISHMENTEducation MinisterJeffrey Lloyd made itvery clear in parliamentyesterday that his min-istry will not be suckedinto the debate of whethercorporal punishmentshould continue in coun-try’s the school system.He said, “Let me say,

Mr. Speaker, that theissue of corporal punish-

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

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4 Education Minister,Jeffrey Lloyd

MINISTER ANNOUNCES UB GRANT PROGRAM

Education MinisterJeffrey Lloyd yesterdayannounced in parliamentthe government’s imple-mentation of a tertiary

grant program and in theface of the University ofThe Bahamas announcingits hike in tuition thiscoming fall.This program will pro-

vide tuition and mandato-ry course fees for quali-

fied, present and incom-ing, full-time students atthe university. “The existing teacher

education and nursinggrants, the national bur-


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PM EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE IN ITALIAN PROBE

Prime Minister Dr. HubertMinnis has expressedconfidence in Italianauthorities to conductinvestigations into the

deaths of the twoBahamian males whosebodies were found in alake in Turin, Italy.His comments came

after the families of theyoung men asserted other-wise, saying that they

have no confidence inItalian officials.Speaking on the side-

lines of the swearing inceremony of the newChief Justice yesterday,


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MINISTERCOMMITTED TOGRADUATINGSTANDARD

Education Minister,Jeffery Lloyd revealedduring his contributionto the 2019/2020 BudgetDebate that less than 50percent of students inhigh school across thecountry leave schoolwith a high schooldiploma. In 2017, the first set

of high school studentsgraduated out of theBahamas High SchoolDiploma program(BHSD). Mr. Lloyd saysthat since the program


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Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 6/12/2019 11:41 PM

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Thursday - June 13th, 2019

PMH UPGRADES DIALYSIS UNITThe Princess MargaretHospital (PMH) outfit-ted its Dialysis Unitwith twenty (20) newdialysis reclining chairsas part of its phasedimprovement works.The Champion 54

Series DialysisRecliners were pur-chased by the PublicHospitals Authority(PHA) at a cost of$31,707.71. The chairsoffer patients durablesupport, around-the-clock comfort duringtreatment, and containkey features like sta-tionary arms, fold-awaytables, push handles,retractable foot traysand quick release seats.Minister of Health,

Dr. Duane E. Sands thisweek spoke to theimprovements under-

way in the DialysisUnit referring to theupgrade as progress anda glimpse of the visionto revamp publichealthcare in the coun-try while offering resi-dents equitable accessto quality care. TheHealth Minister alsorevealed that theprocess to procurebrand new dialysismachines is also under-way.The Dialysis Unit at

PMH is designed toaccommodate one hun-dred and twenty-five(125) patients.Currently, the Unitcaters to nearly twohundred persons whoneed renal therapy.Dr. Sands also fore-

casted further improve-ments to the Unitincluding an eventualrelocation to a new site.

BY LISA KNOWLESJournal Staff Writer

4 Newly renovated dialysis station, just one of many designed to accommodate one hundred and twenty-five (125) patients.

CA SMITH MATTER TO BE HANDLED BY PALACESmith announcing thathe would be steppingdown as a Non ResidentAmbassador and swornin as the next GovernorGeneral at the end ofthis month. Eventhough Mr. Smith hasapologized for the inap-propriate announce-ment, Dr. Minnis notedthat any concerns of abreach would be takenup by The Palace.He said, “It’s unfortu-

nate in our society thatyou can’t have a conver-sation with staff or aprivate conversationwithout individualsrecording it and sendingit viral on social media.“It’s unfortunate that

we have reached thatdegree in our society,but that’s a matterBuckingham Palacewould be able toaddress.” The Prime Minister’s

comments come after itwas formallyannounced that DameMarguerite Pindlingwill be relinquishingher post as GovernorGeneral. Dr. Minnis added that

the nomination for thenew governor general isnot yet complete.“There’s a process,

she would have goneover to visit HerMajesty, after which Iwould have sent forth anomination for thereplacement of theGovernor General; butthat is not completeuntil that is confirmedby the Queen; afterwhich they would sendthe correspondenceback here. So the wholeprocess is really in trainright now,” Dr. Minnissaid. In 2014 Dame

Marguerite was swornin as the tenth GovernorGeneral of TheBahamas succeedingSir. Arthur Foulkes. C.A Smith was sworn

in as Deputy GovernorGeneral last July.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...


sented by the companywas egregious. "After waiting months

to get back to the table,the company’s positionhas not changed."They proposed a 1.5

percent increase to itsworkers; yet has grosslyincreased health insurancepayments, which isviewed by the employeesas a modern day slavetrade," Mrs. Brown said. "An excerpt of the pre-

amble to the constitutionstates that no man, womanor child shall ever beslaves in the islands ofThe Bahamas," sheadded. She said what the

company has proposedfalls short. "This is clearly a deficit

contract that lacks visionand financial advance-ment of its workers. "It's obvious that they

can't be taken at facevalue. The officers of theUnion were told that 'yougive us salt, we will give

you money'. Well theworkers have done theirpart. "The company howev-

er, have rescind on theirstatement," Mrs. Brownsaid. "It is obvious that they

don't give a hill of beansabout their workers andare not trustworthy. Howmuch longer do the peoplehave to suffer under thehands of Pharaoh?" sheasked . In light of BIMAWU's

plight, the Chairman ofthe Progressive LiberalParty (PLP), FredMitchell, in a statement,said the PLP is extremelyconcerned about the stateof labour relations as itrelates to Morton Salt. "Following up on the

proposals advanced by theemployer to the Union atMorton yesterday, itappears that there hasbeen no movement in thecompany's position. Theemployees indicate thatthey have compromisedsince the parties were lastat the table, but the

employer has not shiftedits position As Morton Salt is the

single largest and domi-nant employer in MatthewTown, according to Mr.Mithchell, he said a col-lapse of the company, as aresult of the state of labourissues, "will result inextreme hardship for theisland of Inagua but alsothe country at large. "We do not want any-

thing to happen which willcause the shutdown of theplant and the collapse ofthe economy in Inagua.

"We are concernedabout these reports. OurLeader had previouslywritten to the employer tourge some movement onthe issues," Mr. Mitchellsaid.Mr. Mitchell added that

there is also concern aboutthe way the Minister ofLabour is dealing with theUnion's issues. "The Minister of

Labour is not taking anaggressive enoughapproach to getting thismatter resolved before it

explodes. We urge him todo so as a matter of prior-ity."It is imperative that

industrial peace and har-mony be maintained inInagua," Mr. Mitchellsaid.

Negotiations for a newIndustrial Agreement forBIMAWU began lastyear.

A3The Bahama Journal

Thursday - June 13th, 2019NationalNEWS

BUSINESSMAN REWARDS PRIMARY STUDENTS

Twenty-four hard workingstudents from various pri-mary government schools,including those from fam-ily island schools werepresented with laptops byPaul Smith, President andChief Executive Officerof Electro Telecom Ltd.The presentation tookplace at the Paul H.Farquharson ConferenceCenter yesterday. Ministerof National Security,Marvin Dames said, “when we all do our indi-vidual acts of kindness tohelp advance the dreamsand goals of others, wecollectively make this lit-tle nation of ours, and ourworld, a much better placefor all to live in.”He said, “we must

guide, nurture and encour-age children, because theyare our future. “Help them understand

their significance, theirvalue in life, because oneday, many of us will bearound to see them lead,and quality of their leader-

ship will depend on howyou nurture them in theirtender years, that is whatis important.”Mr. Dames welcomed

those students who trav-elled from the familyislands to the nation’s cap-ital and congratulated allof the outstanding stu-dents on such an amazingachievements. He toldthem, “this is only thebeginning. Use this expe-rience as a springboard tobecome better citizens, tobecome better leaders ofthis nation, to becomepeople, to become betterneighbours, to becomegood leaders, as well asgood followers.“Use this experience

to begin this process oftransformation, which isso desperately needed inthis country of ours.”The future of this

nation depends on eachand every one of you,and you are being recog-nized today becausesomeone saw in each ofyou, greatness, take thisopportunity to build onit.”

Mr. Dames said thatPaul Smith, does nothave the largest businessin the country, but hasdonated laptops todeserving students forfourteen years now, evenwhen his business wasnot doing so well. Hecommended him for thework that he continues todo in building communi-ties and strengtheningcommunities, not only inNassau, but across thelength and breath of thiscountry. Each year, moreislands are represented. “To him, it’s more

about giving back andbeing genuine about it.”And oftentimes we’renot; we give someonesomething, we want totell the world, becausethere is no genuinenessabout it. But he does thisand other things, that heseldom publicizes, andthat’s what being a nationbuilder is all about.“Oftentimes we use

this term so loosely, andwe call people, and referto people as nationbuilders, simply because

they may be a politician,or some public figure,way up there, when manyof them are so far from it,and are not deserving ofthe title. But the truenation builders are thosepeople who reside withinthe communities of thisnation, who continue,day in and day out,reaching out in pullingothers up. They may nothave much, but theyunderstand the true valueof building a country, oneperson at a time.” Mr. Dames said that he

hopes that more businessowners throughout thecountry will look at hisexample and help, not fortheir own personal gain,as many often do, but forthe gain of every com-munity within this coun-try.Mr. Dames said, “the

Chinese have saying, thatif you’re planning for ayear, invest in rice; ifyou’re planning for adecade, invest in trees; ifyou’re planning for alifetime, invest in peo-ple.”

BY LISA KNOWLESJournal Staff Writer

“NO BUSINESS AS USUAL”

reforms, we do needchanges and we intend toaddress some of thesechallenges very directlyin the short term.“I don’t think it’s going

to be business as usual.We do have an agenda ofitems, we are going to seeif we can implementchanges. We’re going tobe working with all thestakeholders who areinvolved with the admin-istration of justice to seeif we can make some sub-stitute changes to improvethe way in which we areconducting business at thepresent time.“The only other thing I

would say at this earlyday is that we need toaddress seriously the vari-ous public registers of thecourts or what I call theback doors of the courts,”he said. As for the backlog in

the court system, Mr.Moree noted that this isan issue that court sys-tems around the world aredealing with. He addedthat his intent is to look at

the issue from a differentperspective. “We’ve got to try and

look at that with somefresh eyes and we intendto do that over the nextseveral months and comeup with some new ideason how to better managethat in order to deliver ourservices to the Bahamianpublic in a more efficientand effective way,” hesaid. Mr. Moree described

the feeling of becomingChief Justice as hum-bling, adding that he wasgrateful to have theopportunity to serve hiscountry.“I am profoundly of the

view that we need in theprivate sector to be pre-pared to do some publicservice for our countryand I just felt like this isan opportunity where Ican give something backto a country that has beenvery good to me and tomy family,” the newChief Justice said. Mr. Moree added that it

is his hope that he leavesthe judiciary better thanhe met it.


UNION REJECTS MORTON'S PROPOSAL

MINISTER ANNOUNCES sary and the student-ath-lete financial assistancewill all be consolidatedunder this programme,”he said. The Minister also said

that the programme willnot cover non-instruction-al fees like securitydeposits, application fees,drop/add fees and books.“It does not include

payments for coursestaken during the summer,unless in extenuating cir-cumstances as determinedby the University, nor thecost of taking repeatcourses,” he added. He said that grant

recipients must be

Bahamian citizens; beenrolled full-time, andmaintain “satisfactoryacademic performanceand remain in satisfacto-ry disciplinary standingwith the university.“In order to receive or

continue receiving thestipends that are dis-bursed under the teachingand nursing grant pro-grammes, recipients mustcomply with the GPArequirement outlined intheir Contracts of Study);Complete all courserequirements within fiveyears of the commence-ment of their studies,unless there are extenuat-ing circumstances andthe University grants an

extension after verifica-tion,” said Mr. Lloyd. He further explained

that approval from theUniversity is the onlyway under which grantdisbursements will beextended beyond thefive-year period.Students whose mini-

mum cumulative GPAfalls below 2.0 will beplaced on academic pro-bation as per Universitypolicy. They will be permitted

one semester grace peri-od to elevate their GPA toa2.0 or higher.If they do not, then

they will be suspendedfrom the programme.




A4 The Bahama Journal

Thursday - June 13th, 2019 NationalNEWS

Gov’t Pursuing TransformativeReform in Public Service OperationsThrough the PublicFinancial Managementand PerformanceMonitoring ReformProject, the governmentdigitization effort andother initiatives, theBahamas Government isactively pursuing trans-formative reform in theway that the public serv-ice operates, the DeputyFinancial Secretary,Ministry ofFinance, AthenaMarche said.“We are committed to

upgrading humanresource and technicalcapacity to improve valuefor money for theBahamian taxpayers,”said the Deputy FinancialSecretary at the NationalStatistics of the PublicFinancial Managementand PerformanceMonitoring ReformProject two-day work-shop held at SuperClubsBreezes, Wednesday,June 12, 2019.She explained that dur-

ing the workshop,Component II of thePFM/PMR Project, ledby Nerissa Gibson,Deputy Director ofStatistics, will present thefirst draft of the strategicobjectives, mission,vision and core valuesthat will guide StatisticalDevelopment in TheBahamas for the foresee-able future via the

Bahamas NationalStatistical System (NSS).Ms. Marche stated that

this draft is the product ofcollaboration betweentechnical committeesfrom across the publicservice, and represents aninclusive, comprehensivearticulation of the foun-dation of the NSS.“The importance of a

cohesive statistical sys-tem that accommodatesthe needs of our growingnation cannot be under-stated.“Statistics makes up

the core of wide range offields including businessengineering, economics,biology, as well as socialscience and applied sci-ences. Data and informa-tion are imperative forevidence based planning.“Without relevant,

accurate and timely sta-tistics, our developmentin these areas will beimpeded. Policy makerswill be unable to recog-nise areas of success orfailure and the public willbe unable to hold usaccountable for ourpromises.”The Deputy Financial

Secretary also noted thatthe challenges the nationfaces are complex andrequire solutions thatconsider indicators thatgo beyond GDP.“We must consider

indices related to health,

education, ease of doingbusiness, security, agri-culture, marine resourcesamong so manyothers. The NationalStatistical System willimprove the administra-tion’s ability to build datamodels that reflect thenuances of our economy,develop immigrationpolicies that are in thebest interest of theBahamian people andeducation systems thatwill prepare our children

to compete on a globallevel.“The National

Statistical System willdirectly assist everyBahamian by offering acomprehensive picture ofthe state of our nation, sothat we can makeinformed decisions abouthome buying, the jobmarket, or which schoolsour children shouldattend for example.”She said as an addi-

tional benefit, the NSS

will also act as a catalystfor an industry that cen-tres on the application ofstatistical methods.Ms Marche explained

that econometrics andbusiness analytics willsupport the growth ofknowledge professionalsacross the country. Thesehigh paying, informationbased jobs will be neededas the government andprivate sector seeks tocapitalize on the opportu-nities of Big Data and

Open Data.“As we work together

to formulate the NationalStrategy for theDevelopment ofStatistics (NSDS), it isimperative that weremain focused on ourultimate goal of NationalDevelopment. We thankthe technical groups forthe draft that will be pre-sented in this workshopand look forward to thefinalization of theNSDS,” she said.

4 Deputy Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Athena Marche brought remarks during the opening of the NationalStatistics of the Public Financial Management and Performance Monitoring Reform Project two-day workshop held at

SuperClubs Breezes, Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna)

LLOYD STATES POLICY ON

ment is sanctioned by theMinistry of Education inwhat the school manualsdescribe as needed invery grave situations, andthat it can only be admin-istered by an administra-tor and never in the pres-ence of other students.” He suggested that until

Bahamian society decideswhether it wants to dealwith corporal punish-

ment, his ministry willnot comment or make adecision on the matter. He said, “You’re not

going to put anything onus while you half killyour child at home. “We are going to have

a conversation. We aregoing to bring in ourstakeholders. We aregoing to have a robustdiscussion on this partic-ular subject, since itsbeing called upon to be

revisited; but I’m so sug-gesting that the societyhave its own conversa-tion about corporal pun-ishment.”These comments come

as pictures and videos inrecent months make theirrounds on social media. The most recent being

an administrator fromSaint Augustine’sCollege being broughtbefore the courts lastmonth.

PM EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE the Prime Minister saidthere is no reason for himnot to have confidence inItalian officials.“They’ve been investi-

gating deaths and peoplefor umpteen years; frombefore I was on this earth,so why should I not haveconfidence in themtoday?” Dr. Minnisasked. “The Italian people

have confidence in them,this something they havealways done. They are asovereign nation and wemust respect their lawsand their procedures,” hesaid. In a statement yester-

day Dr. Minnis expressed

his deepest sympathy tothe families of the twoyoung men.It is understood that the

autopsy reports of the twomen were completed.In a statement Sunday

night, high commissionerto the United Kingdomand Northern IrelandEllison Greenslade notedthat a report detailing atoxicology examinationwould be released at alater date. Twenty-nine year old

Alrae Ramsey, was onacademic leave, and wasemployed with theMinistry of ForeignAffairs since December 9,2013.He was posted at The

Bahamas Embassy in

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, asthird Secretary/Vice-Consul in 2016-2017. Last year, he was

granted an in-serviceaward to pursue a one-year postgraduate diplo-ma program in diploma-cy/international relationsand languages at thediplomatic academy ofVienna in Austria for theperiod September 2018 toJune 2019.Twenty-eight year old

Blair John was complet-ing his doctoral degree inpsychology at SaintMary’s University inHalifax, Canada.He traveled to Turin to

make a presentation at apsychology conference onbehalf of the University.




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