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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. 136 75 CENTSMONDAY - AUGUST 26TH, 2019

Doctors Increase Demands

Dr. Sands Says FiringClaims ‘False’Minister of Health Dr.Duane Sands yesterdayrefuted reports makingrounds on social mediaindicating that he hinted

to fire some 12,000Bahamian junior doctorsif they do not return towork. Since last Wednesday,

a local daily reported thatsome 420 doctors with-drew their services in thecapital and Grand

Bahama. Dr. Sands said, “Social

media is a wonderfulplace to make unsubstan-tiated allegations. I havemade no such statement.”The report, featured on

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4... 4 Dr. Duane Sands

PM Discusses econoMy with union LeaDers

4Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert A. Minnis and Cabinet Ministers of the Government of The Bahamas attend a high level meeting with the BahamasPublic Sector Services Union (BPSU) at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre, Saturday, August 24, 2019. (BIS Photos/Yontalay Bowe)

Dr. Sands Calls Dr.Bassett’s Comments

‘Interesting’

Minister of Health Dr.Duane Sands yesterdayresponded to president ofthe Bahamas DoctorsUnion Dr. MelisandeBassett’s comments,made this past weekend,labeling them as “inter-esting”. Dr. Bassett expressed

to reporters this pastFriday that she felt offi-

cials ambushed theunion. However, Dr. Sands

insisted that Ministry ofHealth and the PublicHospitals Authority(PHA) officials wereinvited to a meeting byDirector of Labour JohnPinder. “Furthermore, it is

never a bad opportunityto have a conversation to

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

Mitchell WantsFoulkes to ReviewPinder’s Conduct

Progressive Liberal PartyChairman Fred Mitchellis calling on Minister ofLabour Dion Foulkes toreview the unions’ com-plaints about the conductof Labour Director JohnPinder.Yesterday, Mitchell

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

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4 BDU President Dr. Melisande Bassett

4 Fred Mitchell

sking for morethan holiday pay,The BahamasDoctors Union

(BDU) increased itsdemands as it outlined anumber of issues deserv-ing attention and hopes todiscuss them duringtoday’s meeting.The new demands

range from increasedhealth insurance to arequest for Crown land

BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSONJournal Staff Writer

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Prime Minister Dr.Hubert Minnis met withunion leaders on Saturdayand expressed that it“paved the way for dis-cussions to move forwardwith a factual understand-ing of the country’s eco-nomic outlook and thegovernment’s fiscal con-straints”.This, Dr. Minnis said,

includes the need to exer-cise spending restraintand reach sustainableeconomic growth targets.

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

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A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama JournalMonday - August 26th, 2019

Man Shot Dead in EleutheraA man was shot dead inEleuthera on Saturday.According to police,

shortly before 9 p.m.,three men were sittingoutside a residence in thesettlement of JamesCistern, when they were

approached by a man,armed with a firearm, whoopened fire in their direc-tion injuring one of them,before running away. The island’s medical

doctor was called to thescene, where he examined

the injured man and pro-nounced him dead. Noone else was injured dur-ing the incident.Police on the island are

investigating the matter.

Man Shot Dead in Abaco

Police in Abaco areinvestigating the circum-stances surrounding thedeath of a man in MarshHarbour, Abaco. According to police, on

Saturday shortly after 3a.m., police in Abaco

responded to a report ofgunshots being fired at ahome on Breadfruit Street,Marsh Harbour, Abaco. At the home, police met

the lifeless body of a manwith multiple gunshotwounds and another man

with a gunshot wound tothe leg. Initial investigations

revealed that another manwould have entered thehome and shots were fired.

Investigations continue.

Issues over Ease of Doing Business to be Addressed While significant strideshave been made to make iteasier to do business inThe Bahamas, DeputyPrime Minister PeterTurnquest said there isstill more work to be doneand the Ease of DoingBusiness Committee isworking to address linger-ing issues.“So now it’s a matter of

working through some ofthe operational issues tosee how we can smoothenthose out, see how we canmove forward with theimplementation of ourtechnology solutions toremove some of thehuman elements that pro-vide some of the stickingpoints and move ourselvesup the ease of doing busi-ness ranking,” Mr.Turnquest said. His comments follow

those of Compass Point

owner Leigh Rodney, whoplaced a full-page ad inThe Bahama Journalexpressing he would closethe resort if the govern-ment doesn’t make it easyto do business in TheBahamas. As he addressed the

matter, the DPM said, “Ithink there are some spe-cific issues that relate tothat particular entity that Iwouldn’t want to speakabout in detail, but that arekind of unique in a way,”Mr. Turnquest explained.“While they are

wrapped up in this ease ofdoing business thing, theyare really negotiatingpoints, maybe withrespect to that particularinvestment.“So as the chairman of

the Ease of DoingBusiness Committeewould have said, we aremaking significantprogress and we believethat it is certainly easier

today than it was when wecame in and we recognizethat we still have someways to go and we’re

working very hard onthose issues.” The National Ease of

Doing Business

Committee was appointedin 2017 by Prime MinisterDr. Hubert Minnis follow-ing a World Bank Annual

Report that listed TheBahamas as 119 out of190 countries where it iseasy to do business.

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

4 Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest

PM DISCUSSESECONOMY WITHUNION LEADERSAt the crux of the

Bahamas Public ServiceUnion’s (BPSU) griev-ances is a lump sum pay-ment of $1,200 to assistunion members withback-to-school expensesahead of the upcomingschool year. Members peacefully

protested last week at theentrance of the Cabinetoffice intending to have aconversation with theprime minister, but wereunsuccessful. The prime minister said

the government takes theconcerns of the unionsseriously and this is why itconvened this high levelmeeting – the first of itskind. Moving forward, the

prime minister said thesekinds of discussions willbe integrated into thebudget planning process. He added that the gov-

ernment wants to learn

from the past and makethis kind of citizen dia-logue happen in a proac-tive way. While union members

came in hopes of resolv-ing individual issues,Saturday’s meeting,according to Dr. Minnis ,was “to facilitate an openand frank discussionabout the state of theeconomy and providecontext for the govern-ment’s position”.

The governmentstressed to the unions theimportance of achievingfiscal sustainability toenhance the social andeconomic benefits thatcan be maintained overthe medium and longterm. It was also stressed that

it’s imperative TheBahamas return to a moresustainable fiscal path. He added that expendi-

ture restraint is crucial to

this objective and if notachieved, it will haveadverse implications forthe entire economy.The presentation, Dr.

Minnis added, also high-lighted the significantrisks associated with thefailure to reduce the coun-try’s deficit, includingrisks to economic growthand downgrades by inter-national ratings agencies.

He also said while theeconomy is improvingand job numbers aretrending in the right direc-tion, the country is still inthe early stages of recov-ery. He cautioned, however,

that the country must alsobe mindful that it is vul-nerable to natural disas-ters and external econom-ic shocks and at all times “We want to make deci-

sions that are in the bestinterest of all Bahamians,”Dr. Minnis said.

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Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 8/25/2019 9:29 PM Page 2

A3The Bahama JournalMonday - August 26th, 2019NationalNEWS

Airport Runway Ready by November

Students Receive DermalDistributions BTVI ScholarshipsDermal Distributions hasprovided esthetics schol-arships to two students tostudy at the BahamasTechnical and VocationalInstitute (BTVI). Dereka Bain and

Chandira Wright willhave their applicationfees, tuition, uniform,books and tools covered.They will also receive aDermalogica product kitand mentorship through-out the program. With this scholarship,

Dermal DistributionsChief Executive Officerand President Sarah Beekhopes to raise the qualityof estheticians and mas-sage therapists in TheBahamas.“We have had a suc-

cessful business withinthe skin care industry formany years and wanted togive back and help ourfellow Bahamians. Intime, we are hoping toelevate the level of skintherapists across TheBahamas. Locals andtourists experiencing skintherapy or massage thera-py in The Bahamas shouldexperience something thatis the highest level - notonly compared to theCaribbean, but globally,”said Ms. Beek.Dermal Distributions is

the exclusive distributorof Dermalogica, Bio-Therapeutic, Revitlash,Jane Iredale and Intrinsicsin the Caribbean.Beek, professional skin

therapist for 19 years, will

mentor the recipientsthroughout the programwhich will include addi-tional training outside ofthe classroom. Chief Financial Officer

Raymond Simpsonexpressed how significantthe mentoring aspect ofthe scholarship is to thecompany. Mr. Simpson said while

giving the students prod-ucts and a scholarship aregreat, he believes themain focus is mentoringthem so that they are pre-pared for industry.Meanwhile, BTVI

Associate Vice Presidentof Fund DevelopmentAlicia Thompsonexpressed how this dona-tion further solidifiesBTVI’s reputation withthe industry.Ms. Thompson

acknowledged thatDermalogica is widelyknown for its quality skin-care products and withBTVI’s reputation fordelivering quality educa-tion, it came as no sur-prise when Dermalogicadecided to invest in theinstitution’s students.“This investment con-

firms the level of confi-dence that industry has inour ability to train our stu-dents as we prepare themfor the world of work. Itshows that they have beenwatching us, that theyhave seen our graduates atwork and they are com-fortable endorsing ourprogram,” she explained.Ms. Thompson noted

that initially, only onescholarship was promised.

However, after meetingwith the applicants andhearing about theircareer goals and how aBTVI education willhelp them to achievethose goals, the companyrealized how difficult itwas to select only onerecipient and awardedtwo instead.Ms. Beek said upon

completion of the pro-gram, opportunity foremployment for recipi-ents may become avail-able at Dermalogica orDermalogica accountlocations.

BY EARYEL BOWLEG Journal Staff Writer

Minister of Tourism andAviation DionisioD’Aguilar confirmed thatrunway repairs at theLynden Pindling

International Airport(LPIA) are expected to befinished by Thanksgivingin November. Last week, D’Aguilar

said he is aiming to get therunway done in time toprepare for the busy holi-

days. “Obviously, as

Thanksgiving approaches,we start to get a bit nerv-ous because obviously theload will increase and wewould like the runwayoperating by then,” Mr.

D’Aguilar said.“We would assure that

it will be, but weatherdelays, equipment failures– you know the usual stuffthat could possibly bringabout a delay come intoplay. We’re optimistic

right now.” The airport is currently

operating on a single run-way, but D’Aguilarassures the airport has aplan in place in case ofany accidents.“We have in place the

necessary infrastructureand equipment to ensureshould an incident happenon the runway when clearit and get back into opera-tion as quickly as possi-ble,” he said.

BY EARYEL BOWLEG Journal Staff Writer

4 Dermal Distributions Chief Executive Officer and President, Sarah Beek; BTVI Associate Vice President ofFund Development, Alicia Thompson; Scholarship recipients, Dereka Bain and Chandira Wright; DermalDistributions Chief Financial Officer, Raymond Simpson and BTVI President, Dr. Robert W. Robertson.

The Stop Disney - LastChance for LighthousePoint campaign hasbrought a mobile bill-board to The Walt DisneyCompany’s D23 eventthis weekend in Anaheim,CA, to draw attention tothe growing global oppo-sition to Disney’s currentplans to develop a mas-sive cruise ship port atLighthouse Point (LHP)on the island of Eleutherain The Bahamas. Lighthouse Point is a

unique untouched naturalsite treasured by genera-tions of Bahamians andpeople around the world.The seas around the pointare so rich with marinelife, including endangeredcoral reefs, that they havebeen officially proposedas a Marine ProtectedArea. However, on March7, 2019 the Governmentof the Bahamas signed aHeads of Agreement(HoA) with Disney CruiseLines IslandDevelopment, Ltd (DCL),granting them permission

to develop a cruise shipport at the site.The Stop Disney - Last

Chance campaign hasprovided a platform forthousands of peopleacross the world to sharetheir concerns aboutDisney’s current develop-ment plan. The stopdis-ney.com petition hasattracted nearly 75,000supporters in just 5 weeks.The petition calls uponDisney to cooperate withBahamian groups on awin-win solution, includ-ing locating their port to amore suitable site andpursuing a sustainablealternative to preserve thepoint and provide greaterbenefits to local commu-nities in South Eleuthera.The D23 event brings

together Disney fans fromacross the country to cele-brate the company.Disney has stated theircommitment to “ensuringa world where wildlifethrives and nature is treas-ured and protected”. TheLast Chance for

Lighthouse Point mobilebillboard calls attention tothe contradiction betweenthat promise and Disney’scurrent plans to develop acruise ship port, includinga half-mile-long-pier, inan untouched naturalenvironment and pro-posed Marine ProtectedArea.Many supporters of the

Stop Disney Last Chancecampaign have indicatedthat they are long-stand-ing Disney fans, but theyhave been shocked tolearn that Disney CruiseLines is planning todevelop a cruise port andpier in such a specialplace surrounded by seascontaining endangeredcoral reefs and richmarine life. Bahamianenvironmental groupsremain eager to cooperatewith Disney on a win-winalternative. Casuarina Mckinney-

Lambert, ExecutiveDirector, Bahamas Reef

Stop Disney Displays Global Opposition to Lighthouse Point Project

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for the construction of aBDU office.The increased demands

follow last week’s juniordoctors’ strike where doc-tors withdrew their serv-ices from the PrincessMargaret Hospital andstood outside demandingtheir holiday pay, whileleaving only emergencystaff on the job. Today’s meeting is

expected to be held withrepresentatives from thePublic HospitalsAuthority (PHA),Director of Labour JohnPinder, a governmentnegotiator, BDU mem-bers and members of theTrade Union Congress.According to the list of

new demands, the BDUwants a timeline andagreement on one of its

non-monetary compensa-tion options as proposedin its communique onMarch 7, 2019. The non-monetary

compensation optionsinclude an increase in thecurrent health insurancebenefits of junior doctorsso that it would be on parwith police and immigra-tion officers.Other non-monetary

compensation options callfor the construction of apaid parking facility onthe hospital grounds forpublic use and tax exemp-tions. “The profits are to be

shared equally betweenthe Government of theBahamas and the BDU,after construction costsare met. The profits fromthe venture will be paidout equally to all BDUmembers in perpetuity,”

the BDU’s list ofdemands noted.“As in practice in

Jamaica, give doctorsduty free exemptions onone vehicle every threeyears. Grant exemptionfrom real property tax.Crown land for the con-struction of the BDUoffice.”The BDU also wants

its one and two year con-tracts to be null and voidand no longer issued inthe future.The doctors are also

calling for intern housingallowance and on premis-es hospital housing to bereinstated.In addition, they want to

remove the stipulation thatdoctors are required toswipe in prior to receivingholiday pay. “Further, we request that

the existing method for

reimbursement be used, i.e.the Holiday Claim Form,”the list explained, addingthat “the petition that theBDU become the dentists’sole bargaining agent behonoured.”The BDU also indicated

that it accepts the proposedpay out of approximately$5 million covering theperiod of June, 2014 to

October, 2018 to be paid tojunior doctors in twoinstallments, the first at theend of August, 2019 andthe second in December,2019. “A third payment is to

be made for the year 2018at a date to be determined,”the BDU explained. The doctors are also

requesting that parity in

salaries between theDepartment of PublicHealth physicians andPHA physicians be recti-fied.“Doctors who have not

received the pay packageor allowances during ourlast IA be regularized andreceive back pay,” theBDU list of demandsexplained.

A4 The Bahama JournalMonday - August 26th, 2019 NationalNEWS

Dr. Sands Calls Bassett’s

Pinder’s Conduct

bring resolution in theinterest of the people ofThe Bahamas,” Dr. Sandssaid.“We are not enemies.

We’re on the same team.Now, we may have a dif-ferent view as to how toget to the end point thatwe’re going to get to. So,to use a word like‘ambushed,’ it speaks to acontext of antagonism. Ithink it’s an unfortunatechoice of words.”He added that health

officials have continued

to meet every day and hecontinued negotiationswith the union’s attorney. Also in an interview,

Pinder told The BahamaJournal, “I might havemade an error in notadvising the presidentthat they were coming tothe meeting, but I cannotresolve her matter with-out both sides.”“If the PHA or the

Ministry of Health owesher members some funds,only way I can resolve itis to get both sides toagree to the payments sothat we can move for-

ward from there,” headded.Pinder further

expressed that he thoughtit was wise to meet asearly as Friday of lastweek to have both sidesagree to a settlement sothat doctors can headback to work. There is a meeting

scheduled this morning at10 a.m. at theDepartment of Labour todetermine the way for-ward. Outstanding holiday

pay is at the crux of theunion’s grievances.

expressed concernsregarding comments onMr. Pinder’s conduct in aseries of trade disputes. In a statement, Mitchell

said he wants Foulkes toassure the public andunion leaders that therewill be no reoccurrence ofMr. Pinder’s conduct inthe future and the office’sfunctions will be dis-charged without “fear orfavor”.Mr. Mitchell further

revealed that representa-

tives of the BahamasPublic Services Union(BPSU) and the BahamasDoctors Union (BDU)labelled Mr. Pinder’s con-duct as “an honest anddisinterested broker” inthe trade disputes beforehis department. “The director of labour

is a statutory position andis meant to be politicallyand otherwise neutral inthe discharge of his or herduties,” he said.“All parties need to

feel sure that when theycome before the

Department of Labour,they can implicitly trustthe office and its process-es.”Mitchell’s call follows

comments made by BDUPresident Dr. MelisandeBasset last Friday, indi-cating that both the PublicHospitals Authority andMinistry of Health offi-cials “ambushed” theunion at a meeting withthe director of labour. Both Minister of

Health Dr. Duane Sandsand Mr. Pinder have sincerefuted such comments.

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Dr. Sands SaysFiring Claims ‘False’a popular Facebook page, indicatedthat Dr. Sands had Prime Minister Dr.Hubert Minnis’ full support on themove. It went on to say that the health

minister would replace these juniordoctors with Filipino doctors for alower price point.

This follows an alleged screenshotof Dr. Sands sharing an article fromAmerican political journalism com-pany Politico on Facebook. The article, written on August 5,

2008, commemorated the day formerU.S. President Ronald Reagan fired11,000 striking air traffic controllers.

Englerston Back to School Drive

4 On Saturday, hundreds of students in the Englerston community received school supplies during the ‘Back to School Backpack Drive’. The event was hosted by Senator Jamal Moss onEnglerston Park. (Photos/Jamal Moss)

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