Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 1% [?]

<<< Oswald Brown, former Editor of the Freeport News, victimized for his independent speaking against the INGRAHAM GOVERNMENT! YOU CANNOT SILENCE A JOURNALIST!

OSWALD BROWN WRITES

Dear Editor,

It is widely known in this country that I introduced the National Spelling Bee to the school system of The Bahamas to select a student to participate in the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee held annually at the end of May in Washington D.C.

The Washington Informer, the paper that I worked with in Washington, D.C., as news editor for twelve years, is the sponsor of the District of Columbia Spelling Bee. After attending my first Scripps Bee in 1982, I promised myself that whenever I returned to The Bahamas I would do whatever I could to get The Bahamas involved in this competition. I returned to The Bahamas permanently in 1996, and when I became editor of The Nassau Guardian in 1997, I discussed my plans with the then Minister of State for Education Dion Foulkes, who wholeheartedly embraced the idea and an application was sent to Scripps National Spelling Bee for The Bahamas to be accepted as a participant, with The Guardian as the principal sponsor, given the fact that Scripps’ policy at the time was that contestants had to be sponsored by a newspaper.

The winner of the first Bahamas National Spelling Bee held in 1998 was Dominique Higgins of Jordan Prince William High School, and he performed very well competing against more than 250 spelling champions from across the United States, Europe, Canada and as far away as American Samoa. Young Higgins made it to the fourth round before being eliminated. Undoubtedly, the study habits he developed while preparing for the Bee in some respect accounted for the fact that he graduated from Jordan Prince William with an “A” in ten BGCSEs, and went on to graduate from Stanford University in California with a degree in neurobiology and is currently studying to become a neurosurgeon.

There is no question that the National Spelling Bee has had a tremendous positive impact on the educational system of The Bahamas. Like Higgins, all of the winners over the years have excelled in their educational pursuits as a result of the study habits they developed while preparing for the Bee. Indeed, Minister Foulkes once described it as the most important educational initiative to be introduced in the school system in many years. It is one of the accomplishments in my life that I am extremely proud of.

I have provided this background information to underscore my disappointment over the fact that the organizers of the Grand Bahama District Spelling Bee, which was held last week, for whatever reason decided not to invite me to participate in the opening ceremony, considering the fact that every year since I moved to Grand Bahama in 2002, I have participated in this ceremony, bringing brief remarks or presenting some of the trophies. The only reason for this disgraceful decision that that I can think of is that some educational official in Grand Bahama, quite possibly out of fear, decided that I should not be  invited because of my open criticism of the direction in which Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is taking this country. If this is the case, this is the kind of “fear” that Hitler used as a potent weapon to become a tyrant in Germany and, closer to home, Papa Doc Duvalier used to establish himself as a dictator in Haiti.

I know Hilliard Clarke’s grandson, Desmond Bannister, the Minister of Education, very well. We both come from Stanyard Creek, Andros, and his parents, Horatio and Joyce Bannister, both at some point in time taught me as monitors at Stanyard Creek All-Age School. Therefore, I am certain that he would not have sanctioned such political mischief, if this is indeed the reason why I was not invited to participate in the Grand Bahama District Spelling Bee opening ceremonies. But time will tell. The National Spelling Bee is due to be held in March, and with the exception of two years after I left The Guardian in 2001 when the then management of the paper chose not to invite me to the nationals, I have brought remarks and served as commentator for the live national broadcast. I would expect an invitation to continue in this capacity to be forthcoming from the Ministry of Education; otherwise, my suspicion that the Bee has been politicized would have been confirmed.

Yours sincerely,
Oswald T. Brown
Freeport, Grand Bahama
February 8, 2010

Popularity: 6% [?]

FNM candidate Duane Sands declines to participate in the National Debate. The FNM refuses to talk about JOBS and the WRECKED ECONOMY they have delievered to the people in Lizzy. WE CRY SHAME ON THEM!

The debate will be held this Tuesday 9th and will be televised live on JCN.

Bahamas Press tells Lizzy VOTE AGAINST THE FNM!

Popularity: 6% [?]

February 6, 2010
The Editor,

By all accounts, Dr. Duane Sands is a brilliant and highly trained surgeon. Many wonder why he has chosen to enter the rough and tumble world of politics or why his party leader would even cajole him to do so, leaving a void in the local health community that begs for greater specialization and skills. But Dr. Sands has made his determination for a career in politics and as a result, he must subject himself to public scrutiny on his ideas, beliefs and philosophy and their impact on the public good.

In listening to him being questioned by Algernon Allen on issues of the Day, Love 97, Feb. 2, his responses on the implementation of National Health Insurance were vague, evasive and disingenuous at best. His political advisors obviously told him to say you support NHI (as the politically expedient answer). But Dr. Sand’s history as a medical practitioner and his real views on NHI, very closely parallel the objections and approach of American medical doctors on the implementation of a universal health plan (coverage for all) as defined in a NY Times article “Follow the money in the Health care debate”.

In the US, doctors, insurance and drug companies all fear that their revenues would drop significantly with the introduction of National Health Insurance. They therefore commit substantial resources to block its implementation. Since its creation in 1965, Medicare has evolved into the bedrock of health insurance for America’s elderly population. Anyone over 65 qualifies for coverage regardless of income or health status. What concerns doctors most about NHI is that like Medicare they will have to take a pay cut as Medicare pays doctors 80% of what an insurance company pays. Dr. Sand’s recent financial disclosure shows that the business of medicine has been good to him so he has a “lot of skin in the game”. There should be no wonder then that he fought so hard against the introduction of NHI, introduced by the PLP Government 2002-2007.

In the health care debate in the US and Bahamas, there has been a lot of double speak, or as Bahamians say “talking outa both sides of ya mouth”. In the US, the nation’s doctors say they wholeheartedly support health care reform, but the American Medical Association (AMA) has a long history of being opposed to legislation that threatens the status quo. The AMA opposed the creation of Medicare more than 30 years ago. Dr. Sands in his eloquent and forceful fight against NHI in Bahamas was the chief at double speak. In a March 17/06 address to the Rotary Club of East Nassau, Dr. Sands said that “the doctors (Medical Assoc. Bahamas) are not opposed to NHI, but we made it clear that we do not support the plan as currently presented”. What does that mean in real terms? Does anybody know?

Dr. Sands in his Rotary presentation also raised the question “Is health care a right or a privilege and how far should we go to guarantee this (healthcare)? In his presentation he openly questioned the cost/value of NHI. Since Dr. Sands wants to affect public policy via a switch in careers, I believe the good people of the Elizabeth constituency will answer his question on healthcare above as President Lyndon B. Johnson did in a phone conversation with his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey: “Don’t ever argue with me about healthcare. I’ll go a hundred million or a billion on health. I don’t argue about that anymore than I argue about Lady Bird (wife) buying flour. You got to have flour and sugar in your house. Healthcare, I’ll spend the goddamn money. I may cut back some tanks, but not on health”.

Dr. Sands has to be constantly reminded of his obstructionist stance on National Health Insurance for all Bahamians. His philosophy has hurt Bahamians and certainly the less fortunate who lack private insurance, in the Elizabeth constituency that he so badly wants to represent. When conservative American pundits were tearing down Britain’s National Health Service to discredit the Obama plan, Prime Minister Gordon Brown felt moved to state publically for the world to hear, that the NHS, “often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death.” Dr. Duane Sands told his Rotary audience that the debate on NHI is emotional and “requires a thorough evaluation of the core values of basic Bahamian humanity”. Yet when he had the opportunity to positively impact the implementation of NHI to achieve for the Bahamian people the noble values in an NHI plan similar to one espoused by PM Gordon Brown, Dr. Sands chose not to listen or even care. Like his medical counterparts in the United States, who characteristically block a universal health coverage plan, Dr. Sands in his objections to NHI, chose to “follow the money”. For that alone, Elizabeth must reject him on February 16, 2010.

Lawrence Harrison
Nassau, Bahamas
Tel:242-636-9777

Popularity: 6% [?]

Popularity: 13% [?]

<<< Bradley Roberts

Nassau, Bahamas – Bahamas Press is now investigating the financial solvency of the Jose Cartellone Construcciones, an Argentinean Company, which is responsible for the construction of the country’s new highway corridors.

We all know Hubert Ingraham gave the road construction work to this foreign company confirming his lack of confidence in Bahamian contactors.

We have information which questions the solvency and financial viability of the company to complete the project. You should know this is the same company, which pulled out of Jamaican’s road contact some years back leaving the Jamaicans holding the bag.

BP can confirm the construction to the roadways have slowed and the Bahamian workers are on strike. Their arguments are over wages. We are also told by contracted companies hauling fill for the project the company has decided to slow up fill purchases. THIS IS INCREDIBLE NEWS. And BP understand there are more, MUCH MORE TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE BAHAMIAN PEOPLE MONEY!

Last week BRADLEY ROBERTS in a strong attack had this to say about CARTELLONE’s construction works:

Talk about wrecking the country, Ladies and Gentlemen, You will recall the FNM Government executed a contract on December 15th 2008 with Jose Cartellone Construcciones an Argentinean Company to complete the New Providence Road Improvement Program at a cost of $120 Million. Construction was to commence on January 5th 2009 and the construction was to be completed in 33 and one half month to 36 months.

Despite the excellent work of Bahamian Road Building contractors the FNM excluded their participation.

February 8th next week Monday will mark thirteen (13) full months since the works began. My sources tell me that the project is eight months (8) behind schedule and the Contractor has not completed one corridor.

Initially in hiring all Bahamian Staff the Jose Cartellone I am advised said that it was using a labour contract based on Argentinean Laws as a temporary move until they had completed setting up their operation locally. Yet to date this has not be revised, Bahamians are working based these contracts which do not provide the same standards as Bahamian Law does.

As a result the pay scale on the job does not reflect what should be paid to skilled workers or labourers. Currently Skilled Workers are paid $6 per hour and Labourers $4 per hour. This has been a bone of contention for sometime as the company’s President, Madam Cartellone, voiced her concerns from the outset only to be undermined by the group of engineers running the contract here in the Bahamas. Now they are running the show and spending the money. The company now owes back pay to its Bahamian Employees who have endured the situation due to tough economic times. Why has Minister Dion Foulkes not spoken out on behalf of the Bahamian workers who walked off the job?

I am also advised that to make matters worse the Company has turned a portion of the operations /equipment site at the Sports Center into living quarters for the Argentinean Worker. The portable housing that was put in place does not meet the Bahamas Building code in relation to Hurricane standards. In addition they have put in septic tanks next to residential zone Yellow Elder where septic tanks were never used due to the high water table in the area. The employees lounge is off limits to Bahamians who must eat under a tree or in their cars as there is no canteen. Bahamian Employees are also forced to use outhouses as the restrooms are also off limits.

In relation to the construction work, I am advised the company is not following proper guidelines when it comes to safe environmental practices. Most of the equipment owned by the company leak either or both diesel fuel and hydraulic fluid. There is no effort shown by management to clean up any of the spills which occur. The company does not even have an Environmental Safety Officer on site. I am further advised that some of the foremen have no clue about how to build the various components that must be put in place along the roadway but hold high paying jobs because they are Argentinians.

My sources also advised that no Bahamian contractors beside Bahamas Hot Mix are being employed by the Company. Of course the entire Bahamas knows that Bahamas Hot Mix is owned substantially by DPM Brent Symonette and his Brother in or out of a blind trust. This smells to the highest hills. The Big Rip Off. Clearly Jose Cartellone is badly struggling with this contract as they did in Jamaica where they failed to complete the contract. The PLP warned the FNM about the poor financial track record of this Company. This is part one Ladies and Gentlemen with more to come.

Prime Minister in a response a day following Roberts claims had this to say to the country in his national address:

I am also pleased that the first of the new road corridors, under construction as part of the $130 million New Providence Road Enhancement Project, are scheduled for completion in May and June of this year.   Nearly 180 Bahamians are presently engaged directly and by way of subcontract on this project.

We expect that portions of these corridors will be integrated into the road network ahead of that time – for example at Saunders Beach where the new traffic circle is likely to become operational in short order permitting work to commence on the development of the beachside park.

We believe the PM has intentionally avoided the issue of Bahamians striking on the job site. His minister of labour is like a cat who has lost his tail and says nothing about the workers. We at BP shall return to the public on this soon. However, we ask the question, “Is Jose Cartellone Constuction company on the verge of Bankruptcy?”.

Popularity: 8% [?]

<<< Commissioner of Police Mr. Elliston Greenslade

Nassau, Bahamas — Selective justice, VICTIMIZATION and blackballing are all practised in no better part of the world than in The Bahamas.

Last week BP told you of a breaking news coming out of Bimini where a police reserve officer who had robbed several government offices and was caught red-handed ‘THIEFIN’ in an inspector’s home on that island. Since our publishing of the story, police reservist officer R656 Pedro Curtis, has been released and sent to an undisclosed location somewhere in the Bahamas. THIS IS INCREDIBLE!

Not a single member of the WUTLESS MEDIA in this country has continued the story. IS BAHAMAS PRESS the only station fighting for the people! When thieves and rogues could pillage the homes in our community the Royal BahamasPolice Force COVERS IT UP BIGTIME!

Ohhhhh, but let that be John ‘Chippie‘ Chipman’s son, and they are dragging the entire family before the courts. It is no wonder the residents of Bimini were prepared to firebomb the police station, cars and boats while officers barricaded themselves inside a few years back. WHERE IS THE JUSTICE IN THIS COUNTRY FOR CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST THE INNOCENT BY LAW OFFICERS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS?

Bahamas Press asks Commissioner Ellison Greenslade, a man highly respected by this society, to bring RESERVEOFFICER R656 Pedro Curtis to JUSTICE AND MAKE HIM ANSWER FOR THE CRIMES HE HAS COMMITTED AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF Bimini! Make him the example you promised to deliver on the FORCE! For we are quick to ask if that was also a PR stunt?

This incident also brings us to our second point of VICTIMIZATION AND BLACKBALLING. Since October of 2007 Bahamas Press has asked the press office of the RBPF please send us news, information and updates of which they already send to other media houses. We’ve asked them to email information they want in the public to media@bahamaspress.com and please add us to their list of news items.

We’ve bagged for the good and the bad bits of information. However, we’ve been ignored. Imagine that! Police want to catch criminals and the most popular website in the country is denied a press statement from the police. They’ve COMPLETELY dismissed and avoided us. Nevertheless, Voices Bahamian a Facebook page can get police press statements and releases. Imagine that!

What other blog or newspaper in this country have delivered better intelligence and investigative pieces to the public than BP? With 5.8 million monthly readers from all over the world calculating to some 182,000 readers logging on our website daily , how could the police go wrong? Why is it, they’ve refused to share information with us is indeed mind-boggling?

Here is the information we received from VOICES BAHAMIAN:

Please bring these house breaking bandits to justice, these men are considered armed and dangerous. If you have information please contact the Royal Bahamas Police Force at 502-9930, Crime Stoppers at 328-8477 or the Police Control Room at 322-3333.

We need Change Bahamas! WE NEED CHANGE!

Popularity: 11% [?]

<<< Police investigating a crime scene in the Bahamas. [File Photo]

Bahamas Press is reporting that there has been another murder in the capital the 5th murder in less than 5 days. Reports coming into our newsroom confirms the victim was killed in the Step Street area of Fox Hill late last night.

This latest murder now climbs BP’s murder count to 99 since 2009 and the 11th for the year.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Nassau, Bahamas — Bahamas Press is appalled to see how low and desperate Hubert Ingraham, Cassius Stuart and political newcomer Andre Rollins have all become. All are now bordering on the plain of the delusional as Leo Ryan Pinder races to the home stretch with his newfound love, the constituency of Elizabeth.

We told you the day we know an election would be called, that Hubert Ingraham and his other desperate puns of planted independents [Stuart and Rollins] would all get a VICIOUS cut-you-know-what from the people of Lizzy.

Last week after BP discovered some 700 voters could not be found Stuart ran to one of them WUTLESS DUTTY papers on behalf of Hubert and said they were “PLP operatives” who cannot be found and that the Party paid people to register in the constituency. Had Stuart possessed the information we had he would know an apartment in polling division #10 of Lizzy registered some 10 persons to the same unit in November of 2009. He would remember Christie’s PLP had no intentions to run a candidate following Malcolm Adderley’s resignation.

Bp had warned Stuart when he made his comments to provide us with the list. He never did. In fact he refused to tell us where and or who were these operatives of the PLP. Clearly the BDM leader is now working for Hubert Ingraham and cannot be trusted by the Bahamian people for TELLING LIES! His party has no structure, no plan, no followers, and no council and is all but a shell standing in the wind making mischief getting in the way. We now publicly ask him to provide the same he gave to the WUTLESS DUTTY PAPER of face a vicious cut-you-know-what from this blog.

Political newcomer Andre Rollins is no different. He to has this strong affection for ‘Toilet Paper’. Yesterday he ran to the Rag Sheet asking them to attack the man running off with Lizzy. Calling our endorsed candidate everything but a child of God. When will Rollins and Stuart accept the people of the Bahamas wants nothing to do anymore with Hubert; their newfound papa friend? When will the NDP leadership accept Bahamians seek not to join a Party defending Ingraham and at the same time join an organization, which has no structure, no plan, few followers, no council and more importantly NO LEADER! Who will follow that?

When we see Stuart and Rollins these days we see Hubert Ingraham. We see people who have become desperate playing the dirty political at all cost. We see them being funded by FNM goons to stir and create mischief in the political process. They are all playing the game of the same old politics. They are all wearing that dirty political dress while mounting a message of CHANGE. Right thinking Bahamians rejects this.

Since the campaign in Lizzy has began Leo Ryan Pinder has stayed above the fray and has stayed on message. He has made it his mantra to stay away from character assassination and mudslinging. And now Ingraham attacks a DECENT white Bahamian and is using the race card. We would also say Ryan’s more serious opponent, Duane Sands, has also stayed away from any kind of NASTY messaging. Sands has also stayed above personal attacks and for that BP commends him.

We cannot say the same for his leader who has gone MAD like a gorilla from the West Coast. Hubert Ingraham since the campaign has began attacked Malcolm Adderley, Perry Christie, Bradley Roberts, Branville McCartney his own cabinet minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, Carl Bethel and recently members of the UBP by extension Brent Symonette. Our mouth fell open and we couldn’t believe our eyes when we heard and saw Ingraham play the race card by saying that PLP selected a white Bahamian. Ingraham called Bradley Roberts and Marvin Pinder UBPs and lambasted the PLP for choosing his decent son, Ryan to run in Elizabeth. WE ARE STILL IN SHOCK! Surely Ingraham doesn’t have a problem with the UBP for when he had the opportunity to select a young man, who he had earlier selected leader of the FNM, to become deputy Prime Minister he selected the son of the former UBP party leader to become deputy leader of his party. Now he is trying to convince and frighten the GOOD PEOPLE of ELIZABETH saying they should not vote for a white Bahamian? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE!

Ingraham made his comments last evening while addressing a handful of supporters in Lizzy. In his nasty hoggish style he suggested a vote for the PLP in the Elizabeth is a vote for the UBP! Well WOW! Serious FNMs must be taken by the comment as everyone knows the chief’s bagman for the FNM is Sir Jeffery Johnstone the last chairman of the UBP!

Marvin Pinder is a member of the PLP of longstanding. He was a former Cabinet Minister in the Pindling government. He served with Ingraham as a colleague in the Pindling administration. He suffered with the PLP for his standing with the poor, the weak and the disenfranchised during the long years of struggle in our country. Marvin Pinder was castigated for his political associations with the PLP. Lost employment, suffered in business and was removed from the social circles of the upper floors of acceptance as he supported the PLP. But Ingraham is here once again attempting to rewrite history, just as he tried to suggests that Elizabeth was named after his grammy. Please Mr. Ingraham you must come tougher than that. STOP TELLING LIES! The electorate is not as DUMB or as GREEDY as you think they are.

Ingraham must be bordering on the delusional as he further admonished to Lizzy residents that Dr. Sands will be as good as and “outdo his colleague in the west Dr. Hubert Minnis”. What a slap at hardworking Dr. Minnis. Could Ingraham be in his right mind? Or could it be the lost of his spiritual leader, which has taken him off his game.  It is possible Ingraham needs his black hat for this one but we are certain it wouldn’t help him one bit.

One thing is certain though with Cassius Stuart and Andre Rollins at his side after this CUT-YOU–KNOW-WHAT in Lizzy they all can solidify their alliances and form another new Party.

In his address to the Nation on Sunday March 10th, 2002 Hubert Ingraham said:

I shall not seek the Office of Prime Minister. This is in keeping with the position I communicated to the Bahamian people in 1992. My views was than, as it is now, that two terms would provide me the time I needed to accomplish the goals enunciated in Manifesto ‘92 and Manifesto II.

Popularity: 17% [?]