PLPs Lay Out Case:
By Candia Dames -
Nassau, Bahamas:

Former Blue Hills MP Leslie Miller has sworn an affidavit naming 48 people he says voted in the constituency in the May 2 general election who were not Bahamians.

Most of the last names of the people are Haitian surnames.

Mr. Miller says also that at least 131 of the votes counted were not lawful votes as the persons voting were not entitled to vote either because they on the day of the election were not citizens of The Bahamas or were not at some time during the period of the six months immediately preceding the election ordinarily resident in the constituency.

In his affidavit, he says, "that at the count and recount exercise after the polls closed 14 ballots with votes for me were rejected on the basis that there was an ink impression finger mark on the ballot."

Mr. Miller says this was notwithstanding the statutory procedure for the immersion of the voter’s thumb in ink before being permitted to vote.

He says those votes ought to have been counted in the total of votes. Mr. Miller lost the election to Sidney Collie by 47 votes.

Mr. Miller says that on May 2 he saw a man he knows did not reside in Blue Hills. He says he confronted the man in the presence of a uniformed police officer about voting in the Blue Hills Constituency.

"He responded to me with much profanity that he indeed did not live in Blue Hills, but he along with a hundred other persons were voting in this constituency to vote me out," he says.

Mr. Miller says there are numerous constituents that he knows personally whose homes he has visited who came to the Blue Hills polling stations to cast their votes and were turned away because their names did not appear on the Blue Hills register and the names that appear on the list were among those who were turned away.

He says that at least four persons who were resident in the constituency of Blue Hills and were registered to vote in the 2007 general election were denied an opportunity of doing so by the presiding officers at the polls.

"[Mr. Collie] obtained an apparent and colourable majority over me, whereas in truth and fact I had the majority of lawful votes of the registered voters who voted at the said election and who were at the time thereof duly qualified by law to vote, and was duly elected as a member to serve in parliament for the said constituency and ought to have been returned as such member," Mr. Miller says in his affidavit.

He is seeking a declaration that the return of Mr. Collie was undue; a scrutiny on the ground that he (Mr. Miller), the unsuccessful candidate, had a majority of the lawful votes cast; a declaration that he was duly elected and ought to have been returned, and other relief as the court may deem just.

Two other defeated PLP candidates have mounted challenges in Election Court: Pleasant Bridgewater, who lost in Marco City, and Allyson Maynard-Gibson, who lost in Pinewood.

The Bahama Journal was unable to secure copies of the affidavits and other documents filed on behalf of Mrs. Maynard-Gibson. The documents were not available in the Supreme Court Registry as the file is before a judge.

Mrs. Maynard-Gibson advised the Journal to speak to her attorney.

But her attorney – Gail Lockhart-Charles – told the Journal that as a matter of policy she does not provide the press with documents.

The Journal was able to obtain copies of the documents filed in support of Ms. Bridgewater’s case.

She lost the election to Zhivargo Laing, also by 47 votes.

Ms. Bridgewater claims in her affidavit that 100 of the votes counted were not lawful votes as the persons voting were not entitled to vote either because they on the day of the election were not citizens of the Bahamas or were not at some time during the period of six months immediately preceding that day ordinarily resident in premises in the constituency.

She goes on to list the persons she alleges voted illegally.

"I am personally aware of the fact that on the 2nd day of May, 2007 there were a number of persons who were not citizens of the Bahamas, but their names appeared on the register of voters for the constituency for Marco City," Ms. Bridgewater says.

"In my presence, [Cecil Thompson] as returning officer, rejected a ballot of one such person who purported to vote in Polling Division No. 7 and whose vote was rejected because the following words were written on the space provided for Zhivargo Laing…‘Please help me with passport’."

Ms. Bridgewater says, "Indeed, a search of the official Gazette failed to show any official recording of the date on which the persons listed…had obtained their citizenship from the Government of The Bahamas."

She says she is also able to confirm that the premises officially ascribed as the address of certain persons are or were on the 2nd day of May 2007 abandoned and dilapidated premises that were or are uninhabitable.

29 June 2007

Clifton Cay Park Delayed:
By Vanessa C. Rolle -
Nassau, Bahamas:


The opening of the Clifton Heritage Park will be delayed because the chairman and the vice chairman of the Clifton Heritage Authority have submitted early resignations, according to Charles Maynard, Minister of State for Culture.

He said Chairman Sean McWeeney and Vice Chairman Kenred Dorsett resigned recently.

The first phase of the development was set to be completed this month, according to the minister.

New board members will be appointed to the Clifton Heritage Authority, he said.

"Some new board members will be appointed because the chairman and vice chairman resigned and their term would have been up at the end of the month in any event," Minister Maynard said.

"So as soon as those persons would be put in place they can move speedily ahead to finish the preparations for what they are doing."

In October, Mr. Mcweeney said the park would be fully accessible for guided tours by the fall of 2007.

Phase one of the project calls for the construction of two parking lots at either end of the property, a tram system, a boardwalk as well as restrooms.

Mr. McWeeney had said the project encountered many delays beginning with the exorbitant bids by contractors.

There were also new archaeological findings, and as a result, it was decided that the planned physical works would have to be slowed down to be absolutely certain that the limited development would not disturb the property’s subsurface, Mr. McWeeney said back in October.

There was also coastal rehabilitation and study of the soil, he said.

Minister Maynard said, "Originally, the first phase was supposed to be completed by July/August. I think that it may be put back a couple of weeks as a result of the early resignation of the former chairman and vice chairman, but definitely by the end of summer we should have the whole process finished."

During his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly earlier this month, Minister Maynard said the first phase of Clifton Heritage Park would be completed by the end of this month.

He said that the development of the first phase of the park is a primary focus of his government, and that, "It’s a good thing I came in time to get it done because it was going to die in the Office of the Prime Minister."

The Journal contacted the authority’s former vice chairman, Mr. Dorsett, who noted that the resignations should have no bearing on the park’s opening.

"I don’t see any reason why our resignation should impact the delay that has arisen. I would assume that the minister has the ability to advance whatever plans he so chooses. He has the statutory authority to do so. I am certain that he would get the concurrence of the members of the authority," Mr. Dorsett said.

"But once again, I don’t know what is happening behind the scene as a result of my resignation and having demitted office. The resignation ought not to have any impact on the carrying out of work as the contracts were already executed and works were underway," he said.

He said his resignation was as a result of certain conventions – meaning that when one is a political appointee and there is a change in administration, convention has it that one must resign.

Resigning, he said, was not easy for him to do.

"I have mixed emotions about it. I am tied to the project emotionally…But as a matter of convention and proper protocol, I thought it was only fitting and proper for me to provide the new minister with my resignation," he said.

Mr. Dorsett said it is in the hands of the minister to determine whether he would accept or reject the resignation.

"But the plans for the opening of the first stage of the Clifton Heritage Park was well underway and I haven’t been involved in any recent meetings, so I don’t know if there were other circumstances which would lead to a delay," he said.

Mr. Dorsett said that when one looks at the makeup of the Clifton Heritage Authority, there are persons who were appointed who brought technical expertise to the project, or who were in the fight to save Clifton.

He said that it would be smart for the new Ingraham administration to keep them involved with the Authority.

"I think that there is nothing that would preclude the new administration from appointing a new chairman and deputy chairman and enabling the authority to carry on its work," Mr. Dorsett said.

"One need only drive out to the facility to notice that areas had been cleared and works were already underway for the construction of the parking facility and contracts had already been entered into for the walkways and nature trails to be put in place. I am not certain whether or not the dynamics of the project have been changed since the new administration has come into office," he said.

Mr. Dorsett said that if a formal meeting has not been held, then the plans should still be left in place.

"The plans call for an opening for later this year," he said.

"It is realistic to be completed by the end of the summer or the fall. We may have had ambitions to do so earlier. One has to realize that with the construction boom, it was very difficult to find persons who could conduct the work at a reasonable price within the timeframe that we’d wished."


27th June 2007

CARICOM Draws Its Line In The Sand On Cuba and Venezuela:
By Tameka Lundy -
Nassau, Bahamas:

Make not mistake about it. While CARICOM leaders were courting a mature relationship with the United States, they were determined to hold fast to their collective dignities and sovereignty, according to several Heads of Government who met with US President George Bush.

For instance, despite the US being on the other side of the fence on the matter of Cuba and Venezuela, Caribbean Community leaders said they made it quite clear at that recent meeting that they were not prepared to acquiesce to that nation’s subtleties on the issue.

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was also in the meeting with President Bush last week in Washington DC.

"We made it clear to them that we are not anybody’s stooge," said Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerit.

"We are not bribed in any way by any government of the world and we are principled leaders representing the interest of principled citizens and we have our own national needs and demands and as such our relationship with the rest of the world is based, in large part, on the principled positions and the interest of the region as a whole."

It was CARICOM Chairman Dr. Ralph Gonsalves who explained that President Bush is concerned that Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is undermining democracy and is destroying his country. Mr. Bush also branded Cuba as an undemocratic country and is worried that there have been security issues in the post Fidel Castro-era.

Despite the tension that has marked relations between the US on the one hand and Cuba and Venezuela on the other, the two latter have extended the hand of cooperation to their Caribbean neighbours. Cuba has thrown open its educational and health care systems and Venezuela is cooperating with CARICOM on the Petrocaribe initiative designed to produce cheaper energy alternatives.

For instance, there are 200 students studying in Cuban universities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and 30 of them are on scholarships in Venezuela.

The Bahamas has also benefited from Cuba’s largess with dozens of students having taken advantage of that country’s education system. Many Bahamians have also been recipients of the eye programme that affords them with more affordable, quality eye care in the communist country.

"President Bush is a practical man of affairs," said Prime Minister Gonsalves.

"He understands our position and he understands that it ought not be prudent to speak in terms of reprisals or reciprocity of treatment or anything of that kind, that we are a mature democracy.

"…We have functional relationships with Cuba, we have functional relationships with Venezuela in certain areas. Matters such as education; health; Petrocaribe - the area of the fuel; disaster preparedness and these are important areas for us in the same way that we are seeking to have other kinds of links on these questions with the United States of America."

Prime Minister Gonsalves made the point that neither of the two nations needs any member of CARICOM as its defender.

"We are building mature relationships with them," he said.

"Cuba and Venezuela have never asked for any country in the Caribbean to do anything for them. We have some sets of relationships with them which we find to be productive and we have some relationships with the United States of America which we find to productive.

"We are free and independent people and as I have said our voice in earlier times were uncertain as we stood amidst the alien corn. Now we are coming into our own and speaking with our own voice."

On Monday as US/Cuba relations continued to sour, Cuba President Fidel Castro accused US President George Bush of plotting his assassination. It was contained in a rambling essay published on the matter.

American law now prohibits the U.S. government from ordering the assassination of foreign leaders.

The Associated Press reported that Mr. Castro's essay noted that U.S. President Gerald Ford signed an order banning official assassinations, and said he didn't believe that Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton ever tried to have him killed.

But Mr. Castro apparently believes that Mr. Bush has other plans.

Now 80, the Cuban leader has not made a public appearance since he underwent surgery 11 months ago for intestinal problems. Cuba's provisional government is being led by his younger brother Raul while he recovers. In an essay he wrote on May 29, Castro accused Bush of renewing U.S. attempts to assassinate him.

"I'm not the first, nor will I be the last, whom Bush has ordered to be deprived of life," Castro wrote then.

His latest essay, signed Sunday afternoon and published Monday in state media, referred to that May 29 allegation.

26 June 2007

Hardt Reports On “Successful” CARICOM/US Conference:
By Kendea Jones -
Nassau, Bahamas:

Charge D’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Dr. Brent Hardt said on Friday that last week’s meeting of CARICOM countries and the United States was successful because it focused on the people and how to improve the relationship among the countries.

"I was amazed at the turnout for the conference," Dr. Hardt said at a press conference at the embassy in Nassau.

"I think it exceeded the expectations that everybody had. It was a unique event in the sense that unlike a lot of summits where you have a government organizing a government to government event, the focus here was on people."

Among some of the topics discussed at the conference were the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, OPBAT, health, immigration and education.

"Altogether the meetings were very, very positive and very constructive," Dr. Hardt said.

While noting that the Bahamas government is not willing to join the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, Dr. Hardt said the U.S. president was very strong on the issue of trade preferences.

"We look at the region as a partner and we were looking at the CARICOM region as a whole because there are very small countries with small economies and you have different implementations of regimes and different customs of trade; it makes it very difficult to do business in the region for Caribbean and American investors," he said.

"If you develop a common market economy with standards and ways of approaching economic standards that are common, I think it makes it easier for people to operate economically in that zone."

Dr. Hardt said that during the conference the prime minister agreed to expand the trade and investment framework agreement, which will expand trade and investments opportunities for American and Caribbean businesspersons.

He also said there was consensus that security is key in the Caribbean region.

"Security is key for economic and institutional development and we discussed ways to expand training for law enforcement officers," Dr. Hardt said.

He also said the president commended the region for its security efforts.

"We certainly recognize the vital contribution that countries in the region, such as The Bahamas in particular, are making to our collective security whether it’s in counter narcotics, anti-terrorism, money-laundering issues and military cooperation. It is something that we welcome and will work to build."

Dr. Hardt said Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham indicated during the meetings how important the OPBAT anti-drug initiative is for the Bahamas.

"We are basically trying to deal with a gap between the anticipated departure of Army helicopters in October this year and the arrival of new helicopters in the following year," Dr. Hardt said.

"We want to make sure that there is no erosion in our capabilities at all and that’s the commitment that we have made and we are now in the process of trying to identify our assets."

Dr. Hardt also said that extradition was discussed at the conference. He said that the United States appreciates that the Bahamas strongly agrees with extraditions.

"It is an opportunity to make sure that people who cross borders and commit crimes are indeed punished," he said.

Dr. Hardt also pointed to the issue of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, saying the United States president’s emergency fund will be used to help battle the epidemic.

"It has been targeted largely at Haiti and Guyana which have the worse HIV/AIDS problem in the region. We also provide other assistance and the president looked at ways to expand assistance to other countries in the region," he said.

Dr. Hardt said in terms of environmental issues, the United States focused on reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.

"I think we agree that there is a concern with the climate change which is of critical importance to the United States and to the region and we are going to be working together to look at forestry and water, resource management and clean air technologies and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels," Dr. Hardt said.

He said that in terms of natural disasters, the U.S. government addressed how it can assist the Caribbean region.

"As we get to hazards, we want to build natural disaster programmes and hazard mapping which is figuring out where floods may occur and where other hazards may occur. We have agreed to look at some risk assessment and get the US Geographical Survey involved."

Dr. Hardt said the conference also focused on how the Caribbean can expand education in the region.

He added that the issues will be followed up on by officials.

"What is going to happen is our officials in the state department are going to get together with the Caribbean ambassadors in Washington and come out there with a list of action items and that will drive the relationship forward from this point," Dr. Hardt said.

25 June 2007

Searching for some good:
Bahama Journal Editorial -
Nassau, Bahamas:

The government should – as matters of the most urgent priority- take steps to see to it that all funds and all assets that are drugs and guns related should be used to establish an account that would be earmarked for socially beneficial projects.

Our view is that just as it happens to be that these trades are socially destructive; it also stands to reason that some of the resources derived from these nasty trades should be used to help certain categories of victims.

Highest on our list would be those people who are caught up in the coils of one addiction or the other.

Yesterday we were left flabbergasted when we learned how large a bust it was that the police had made. Here reference is to that stash of guns, drugs and other crime related paraphernalia that had been found by the police.

We were agog when there was reference to some seven million dollars.

We were also a bit puzzled concerning the precision number that the public was given. We were left in wonderment as we tried to figure out how anyone could actually count out seven million dollars.

Making matters even more intriguing was the fact that someone was able to make a learned determination that a small amount of the loot was actually counterfeit banknotes, Bahamian and United States currencies, no less.

This is a part of a bigger story.

That story is told – in part at least – by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

We have no reason to disbelieve Drug Enforcement Administration officials who tell us that "the international drug syndicates operating throughout our hemisphere are resourceful, adaptable and extremely powerful. These syndicates have an unprecedented level of sophistication and they are far more organized and influential than any organized crime enterprise preceding them…

"Traditional organized crime, operating within the United States from the turn of the century to the present time, simply cannot compare to the Colombian and Mexican organizations operating in mainland U.S. and the Caribbean area today.

"Today’s international crime syndicates have at their disposal an arsenal of technology, weapons and allies --- corrupted law enforcement and government officials --- enabling them to dominate the illegal drug market in ways we never thought possible. Today’s drug syndicate leaders are able to oversee a multi-billion dollar cocaine and heroin industry which affects every aspect of American life."

These DEA folks know what they are talking about when they say that "these drug lords, who mastermind trans-global organizations responsible for every facet of the drug trade, are almost immune to conventional law enforcement strategies…"

Police revealed on Wednesday that they seized more than $7 million during a major bust in Grand Bahama on Sunday and they also confiscated more than $2 million worth of drugs as well as a cache of dangerous weapons.

The officials have called it the largest bust in the history of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Police found some105 kilos of cocaine valued at $2 million and 70 pounds of marijuana valued at $80,000.

It is also being reported that the police have also confiscated $51,000 in counterfeit U.S and Bahamian currency.

Among the high-powered weapons seized were six 7.62 caliber rifles, four nine millimeter pistols, three shotguns and one .38 pistol, bringing the count of weapons seized to 14.

Note also that more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition were also seized.

While this is good news, we must make the point that this bust is but one in a long series of other busts that have taken place in The Bahamas.

There will – for sure – be others.

No matter how you cut it, the drugs trade business is a canker that just will not go away.

Even now, we pray for the coming of that day when the illicit trade in drugs is no more.

But for now, we live in a real world where bad things do happen. It is a world where innocent men, women and children do get hurt and it is a world where many of these innocent ones also perish.

Much of this is the stuff that routinely makes the news.

Our concern today has to do with what good – if any – can be squeezed from this awful business called the drugs trade.

We believe that the answer is in the affirmative.

22 June 2007