Bahamas News

The Bahamas Human Rights Network is calling on the new Bahamas government to lend its influence to the international community to help eradicate Haiti’s debt.

Before the May 2 general election, the group called for international monetary agencies to “immediately” forgive all of Haiti’s debts, and called for the Bahamas government to encourage the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank to make this happen.

Head of the BHRN, Elsworth Johnson, said the same message he had to the former administration remains the same for the new one.

“We want to congratulate them [the FNM] on their victory at the polls, but what we want to say is that it would be in the interest of The Bahamas to lobby internationally for technical assistance for Haiti for medical assistance and where there can be some debt reduction,” Mr. Johnson said.

“The first two countries that are really hit by the migration of Haitian immigrants would be The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos a little and the U.S. We have very few persons in the international community who are coming forth to lend us assistance.”

Haiti continues to fund its debts per year, which could be used to help develop health and educational systems in that country, Mr. Johnson has said.

He acknowledged that the IMF approved Haiti’s participation in its heavily indebted poor countries initiative (HIPC), which would apply to its World Bank debt. But it would take until 2009 for Haiti’s compliance to be completed.

Several months ago, the Board of Governors of the IDB approved 100% debt relief for Haiti, which also hangs upon Haiti’s compliance with the HIPC.

Even though these efforts are a step in the right direction, Mr. Johnson said, the BHRN is concerned about Haiti’s ability to wait for two more years for its compliance to be completed and to receive 100% debt cancellation.

Mr. Johnson said one can not calculate the contribution that the Haitian revolution made to black people in the Western Hemisphere.

“Haiti started it – hence the abolition of slavery. Now all of us can be around here dancing and carrying on – free. They did a significant thing and they’ve never been forgiven for that. We need to get up as persons in this hemisphere and say to the international community, to countries like France, the U.S., and Britain – give them a break,” he said.

He said that he is encouraged by the move of the IMF “but there can always be improvement. Anything that you do you can improve on it if you want to.”

When The Journal spoke to former Minister of State for Finance James Smith on this issue, he made it clear that The Bahamas supported the move by the IDB, but also beckoned to the international community for assistance to The Bahamas in dealing with this problem.

The BHRN believes that without proper funding to address the issues in Haiti,

countries like The Bahamas would continue to have an influx of Haitian migrants to their shores.

“It would only help us [should The Bahamas use its influence to get support for Haiti],” Mr. Johnson said.

“And we have to help ourselves because if Bahamians weren’t giving out the jobs, weren’t seeing Haitians as ‘my Haitians’, weren’t working them on construction sites as cheap labour, they would not come because there would be nothing here for them and that’s the reality.”

He added, “That’s why they go to Abaco because somebody is working them. That’s why we see a new community now in Exuma. Somebody is benefiting and we don’t want to be real about this. That is why the communities spring around here in New Providence. Somebody is benefiting.”

Source: Bahama Journal

Grand Bahama will be home to the largest mixed-used resort development ever undertaken in The Bahamas, and perhaps the region, at an estimated $3.1 billion, that according to proposed developer Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Resorts.

He made the statement Tuesday during a meeting with Cabinet Ministers at the Conference Centre at the Royal Bahamas Police Force Headquarters on East Street.

Prime Minister the Rt Hon Hubert Ingraham and his entire Cabinet, accompanied by permanent secretaries, directors, and other high level government officials and of the police force were given a comprehensive outline of the development at West End.

Mr. Ginn also addressed concerns raised by the government ranging from land development, waste management, job security, business opportunities, to other issues.

On Friday, December 9, 2005, a Heads of Agreement was signed between the government and Ginn Company to acquire the extensive Sammons Holdings at West End, comprising 1,957 acres of land.

But according to Prime Minister Ingraham, additional land purchase is in question, therefore, his government needed to have the particulars of the project further explained by Ginn.

The prime minister noted that the meeting was a “public information exercise” during

which specifics related to the heights of the building and other matters were discussed.

Mr. Ginn is known for his Reunion Village Resort and residential community in

Orlando, Florida. And, western Grand Bahama will be transformed into a resort mecca of

world-class calibre, resulting in a major economic boost for that area, the

government was told.

Housing and other community infrastructure for Bahamians would be provided on

260 acres of land at Bootle Bay in the first instance.

The development will include:

- 4,400 Condominium/Hotel units

- 870 single family residential home sites

- 2 Championship Golf Courses and Clubhouses

- 2 Large Marinas

- Private airport

- Casino

- Swimming pools and water park facilities

- Tennis complexes

- Beach clubs and spas

Various commercial undertakings and retail businesses, which will be operated by Bahamians.

The Ginn Company has also agreed with the Grand Bahama Development Company to

undertake a massive development with golf courses, hotels and second homes on the eastern end of Freeport.

Source: Bahama Journal

New trade arrangements that have evolved in the past few years have erased the hefty duties Bacardi & Company had to pay to import rum from Puerto Rico to Europe; that means the company no longer needs The Bahamas as a middleman, according to a company official.

Added to that, industry-wide consolidation has cranked up the competition in the spirits business.

Bacardi Vice President of Corporate Communications Patricia Neal cited these two factors as among the main reasons Bacardi will be shutting down its Nassau operations by April 2009.

Ms. Neal stressed the fact that Bacardi is a large, internationally dynamic company – it’s the third largest spirits company in the world, and operates in 180 countries around the world – and that the company is always on the lookout for better “economies of scale.”

“We have our largest premium rum distillery in Catano, Puerto Rico, and this distillery happens to be the largest premium rum distillery in the world for anyone, and so what we have is that that facility can absorb the volume that was produced in Nassau without any significant increased impact or change in essential employment status there,” she said.

Ms. Neal explained that along with the fact that the volume of rum produced in Nassau can be absorbed by Catano with no real change, it is also important to understand that Bacardi has “several rum distilleries in the Americas and we feel that it is best to consolidate primarily into the one which is the largest.”

“One of the things that attracted us to Nassau, one of the many things, was the fact that we were looking to do our business in Europe, and we would have at the time tried to have this production concentrated in Puerto Rico because Puerto Rico is our largest distillery, and it’s some six times larger than the distillery in Nassau,” she said.

She reiterated that there had been hefty duties imposed upon imports into Europe from Puerto Rico, which didn’t exist when exporting from The Bahamas.

“In the last few years, new trading agreements have been put in place and now those duties no longer exist for us to have to ship our product from Puerto Rico – our main, central, principal rum distillery – to Europe, so that was another factor involved in our decision,” she said.

The corporate spokeswoman also elaborated on the consolidation question.

“In the past five to six, seven years, there has been vast consolidation in the industry that has made the industry far more competitive, and like any company that has international operations – in virtually any company that I know of – every day people are looking at what is best for the long term growth and competitiveness of the company,” Ms. Neal said.

She said it was partially this industry-wide consolidation that has made it in Bacardi’s best interest to prepare to cease operations in Nassau by April 2009.

Questioned about whether The Bahamas’ non-participation in an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe played a role, Ms. Neal pointed out that Bacardi made its decision for its own reasons.

“Our company made our decision based on our business, and the way our business is, and we feel like this is the best decision for our company for the long-term productivity and growth of our company,” she insisted.

Bacardi – which sells 20 million cases of rum a year – has promised to find work for the company’s 114 Nassau employees before its doors here are closed in a year and a half.

Bottling operations will cease first, followed by distillation and then aging.

Source: Bahama Journal

Chris Brown bolted to his second fastest career time in the 400 metres on Tuesday at the 12th International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

In the first heat of the 400 metres, Brown easily outpaced the field to clock 44.50, a tad better than his 44.48 PB. The Bahamian record is 44.45, done by Avard Moncur, the 2001 world champion for the event.

Brown emphasized his status as one of the favourites for a medal. Two other runners in the heat went under 45 seconds. Australia´s John Steffensen ran 44.82 and Arismendy Peguero of the Dominican Republic finished in 44.92.

Moncur (45.27) was in the day’s second heat and he placed second to American Jeremy Wariner (45.10). Ireland’s David Gillick was third in 45.35. Wariner the defending Olympic and World champion, is the out and out favourite to win his second consecutive championship.

The other Bahamian in the heats, Andrae Williams finished third in the fourth heat as he joined Brown and Moncur into the next round. The three are on Team Bahamas’ highly-respected 1600 relay team. Also on the team are Nathaniel McKinney, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller. The national relay squad is in Osaka just on the heels of winning the Pan American Games gold medal last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At the 2005 World Championships, held in Helsinki, Finland, Brown and company ran a close second to the powerful American team with Wariner on the anchor leg.

That same match-up is highly anticipated again.

The Bahamas had one other competitor on the track Tuesday.

Jacobi Mitchell ran 20.81 to make it into the second round but an eighth place 21.17 in the second round heat, eliminated him.

American Tyson Gay who defeated Bahamian Derrick Atkins for the gold in the 100 metres, is the favourite for the half lap title. On Tuesday, he still appeared to be in an incredible zone. In the third heat of the 200 metres quarter-final, Gay clocked 20.08. His stiffest competition is expected to come from Jamaican Usain Bolt and fellow American Wallace Spearman.

The latter two hooked up in heat two of the quarters. Bolt won in 20.13 with Spearman following in 20.26.

Day five of the competition will see the quarter milers, Donald Thomas and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie back in action while Sharmar Sands and Laverne Eve are to get their first taste of action. Thomas will compete in the high jump final. Ferguson-McKenzie will compete in the 200 metres heats and Sands in the 110 high hurdles heats. Eve, at 42 will likely be competing in the World Championships for the last time.

The Bahamas goes into today with the lone silver medal won by Atkins.

Source: Bahama Journal

In what could lead to a landmark decision affecting the telecommunications sector in The Bahamas, Systems Resource Group Limited (SRG) has filed an action in the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) monopoly on the industry.

In filing the constitutional challenge, SRG is objecting to the restrictions placed on its licence. Presently, SRG, which trades under the name IndiGo Networks, is restricted to servicing New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama and it cannot operate cellular services.

Named as defendants in the newly filed action are The Public Utilities Commission (PUC), BTC and the attorney general.

The PUC, SRG and BTC are involved in ongoing litigation, some of which are before the PUC, the Supreme Court and the Privy Council. This latest action is different in the sense that it is a constitutional action, which goes to the legality of the actions of the government in the liberalization of the telecommunications sector.

The earlier actions are generally of a regulatory nature relating to the powers of the PUC under the Telecommunications Act to regulate the telecommunications sector in The Bahamas.

SRG is seeking a declaration from the court that any decision or statement by the PUC that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited has an exclusive right to operate systems to provide international connectivity for voice telephony to the exclusion of SRG, a licensed telecommunications operator, violates SRG’s fundamental right guaranteed under Article 23 (1) of the Constitution of freedom of expression, particularly freedom to receive and impart ideas and information.

SRG is also seeking a declaration that any restriction placed on the establishment by SRG of an independent international gateway for voice or data violates SRG’s right under Article 23 (1) of the Constitution to establish a gateway, particularly in the circumstances of a refusal by BTC to lease circuits to SRG for the purpose.

In addition, the company is asking the Supreme Court to declare that as a licensee under the Telecommunications Act 1999 it is fully entitled to enjoy all of the freedoms guaranteed a person by article 23 (1) of the Constitution, including the right and freedom to communicate ideas and information and to receive ideas and information by its own means of transmission and reception and specifically by way of its own international gateway free from any interference or hindrance which is not reasonably required for the purpose of regulating telephony or not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

SRG says in court documents that it has properly exercised its constitutional right in order to prevent it being hindered in the enjoyment of its fundamental rights by self providing circuits which were necessary but unavailable from BTC to interconnect its licensed system with any telecommunications system or equipment outside the Bahamas.

The company is also seeking a declaration that it has the right and freedom to communicate ideas and information and to receive ideas and information by means of its own cellular telecommunications system free from any interference or hindrance which is not reasonably required for the purpose of regulating telephony or not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

SRG asserts that certain paragraphs in the government’s Telecommunications Sector Policy contravenes and/or is likely to contravene SRG’s fundamental right and freedom to communicate ideas and information and to receive ideas and information by means of its own cellular mobile telecommunications system as guaranteed by the constitution.

On its website, Systems Resource Group Limited says it is a Bahamian company with a 14 year history in offering innovative technology and telecommunications solutions to businesses and residential consumers.

Under the liberalisation policy of the Government of The Bahamas to deregulate the telecommunications’ sector, SRG was granted the first and currently only licence to allow international and domestic voice competition with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company.

Source: Bahama Journal

Samari Rolle is the grandson of an Exumian native. D’Brickashaw Ferguson is the son of a Bahamian father from Fox Hill.

They are both key among the player personnel on the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets of the National Football League respectively. The exhibition season is winding down and players and fans are preparing for the regular 2007 season that begins early September. Here in The Bahamas there are many football fans and two of the players they will be focused on are Rolle and Ferguson.

Bahamian fans are predominantly supporters of the Miami Dolphins. There are however some old fans of the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers, the Chicago Bears and other teams. The Bahamian influence in the NFL continues to spread. In the NFL, The Bahamian involvement has grown significantly from the pioneer seasons of Big Ed Smith, a defensive end for the Broncos during the 1973-75 seasons.

Rolle is the veteran of the group, one of the noted cornerbacks in the league. He is in fact a borderline hall of fame player. Into his 10th season at age 31, the former Florida State University star last year proved that he is as capable as ever. He had a total of 52 tackles, 48 of them solos, and three interceptions.

For his career, he has 27 interceptions, one of them run back for a touchdown. His credentials are solid and he figures to be important again to the Ravens’ defense. A cagey veteran, he knows well how to play the opposing wide-outs and he uses his quickness and agility to switch off his assignment and help out on defense.

Indeed he has come a long way since his selection in the second round as the 16th pick by the Tennessee Titans back in the 1998 NFL Draft. From 1998 to 2004, he played for the Titans before moving over to Ravens for the 2005 season. He has been most resilient, playing every game for Tennessee and Baltimore other than when hurt.

In town this past July for a brief vacation, he made an appearance at the Alex Smith Camp at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre and was in great spirits.

“I’m ready for another year in the NFL. I feel good and I expect big things for the team this coming season,” Said Rolle.

The Ravens were actually one of the better teams in the entire league during the regular season. They were 13-3 in the regular season but lost their initial divisional playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts.

The 6-0, 175 pounds Rolle believes the Ravens will be solid once again. He is a teammate of Bahamian wide receiver Devard Darling.

Ferguson one of the bright spots with the Jets is about go into his second season. He was one of the top rookies in the league last year. Many feel that he lived up to his status as the fourth player selected in the very first round.

Ferguson stands 6-6 and weighs in at 300-plus pounds (around 312). He was a dependable lead offensive tackle for quarterback Chad Pennington last season.

Those who have observed the big fellow, expect his star to rise in 2007.

He and Rolle are prominently a part of the Bahamian impact in the NFL.

Good health and best wishes to them!

Source: Bahama Journal

Prior to Sunday’s final of the 100 metres, Atkins who in his own words is ” the newcomer on the blocks” among world elite sprinters, was thought to be just below the status of his cousin and fellow Caribbean track giant, Asafa Powell.

Powell with three clockings at the world record level of 9.77, enabling him to share the prestigious mark with American Justin Gatlin, was considered the world’s fastest active human (Gatlin is presently serving the balance of a two-year suspension).

On Sunday’s final though, he was no match for Gay and Atkins.

What is so incredible about the performances of Gay and Atkins is the fact that Powell, not known for his great start, actually was out before the two men who ended up beating him. Gay caught him and surged ahead at the 70 metres mark and 10 metres later, Atkins move up on the shoulder of his fellow Caribbean super superstar and signaled to the world his arrival at the top echelon in the 100 metres.

The finishing times clearly told the story.

Gay, who has a season’s best of 9.84, ran 9.85 for the safe victory. Second was Atkins in 9.91 (lowering the Bahamian national mark again). Powell could manage no better than 9.96. It was an amazing race, one of the fastest in the history of the sport.

Marlon Devonish of Great Britain clocked 10.14 but could do no better than sixth. Behind Powell was Olusoji Fassuba of Nigeria in 10.07.Next was Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles in 10.08. Matic Osovinkar of Slovenia finished seventh in 10.23 and Marc Burns in 10.29 was eighth.

Atkins was comfortable straight through. He coasted in at a 10.26 pace in his first heat, ran 10.04 in the semis. He was in the same semi-final race as Powell and recorded his first head-to-head win, Powell was second in 10.08. Meanwhile Gay was winning his semifinal race in 10.00.

The stage was thus set for the three top sprinters in the world this year.

In an earlier report, Atkins seemed quite calm and happy to be in the background of Powell and Gay.

He said as much, indicating that he thought of himself as “the new kid on the blocks’ who intended to do his best.

Well, his best has made a nation of Bahamians proud and brought new respect around the world.

Meanwhile, Chandra Sturrup registered her season’s best and is looking good in Osaka. The veteran Golden Girl clocked 11.15 to win her quarterfinal heat. She and her Golden Girl colleague Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (11.29) advanced to today’s semi finals.

Christine Amertil ran 51.55 to advance. The one disappointment for Team Bahamas thus far was Leevan Sands’ failure to qualify in the triple jump. He could managed no better than 16.53 on Saturday, not good enough for him to move on.

The Bahamas will have a presence during the rest of the week in the men 400 metres, men’s women’s 200 metres, men’s high jump, women’s javelin, women’s long jump and the men’s 1600 relay. (See related stories on this page, page 1b and 2b).

Source: Bahama Journal

That’s the assertion made by local real estate broker and agent Rachel Pinder, of Island Living Real Estate, who told the Journal that according to her evidence, the value of undeveloped real estate in The Bahamas has increased more in one year than it has in the past 10 years.

“The land is getting scarcer and scarcer, so the values are increasing because the demand is increasing,” Ms. Pinder said. “Yes, the value has increased dramatically over the past year or so.”

Because of that, people who own land in Nassau East, Seabreeze and Sans Souci and haven’t had their property appraised in a while should consider doing so, Ms. Pinder, the principle broker for Island Living and a BREA-licensed broker/appraiser.

“If you own a lot, particularly in these areas, you might be in for a pleasant surprise when you have it appraised,” Ms. Pinder said.

“Land is so scarce in the east that values are increasing because there just is not much left.”

She said that a lot in Seabreeze that was valued at $75,000 to $80,000 a year ago is commanding $95,000 to $100,000 now.

“It’s because there’s no more land for sale anymore in the east,” she said.

Appraisals are helpful for a couple of reasons, she said. It is good to know the value of property for insurance purposes. Typically, having an appraisal done at least every five years ensures that property owners carry an appropriate level of insurance, based on whether the property appreciates or depreciates.

However, with so many people wanting to build rather than buy their first home, the value of vacant lots in areas where land is scarce have increased at a faster rate in the past year, Ms. Pinder said.

In those areas, property owners might consider having an appraisal done every one to two years.

Ms. Pinder said that she really didn’t see any way, short of the aforementioned catastrophe or if Nassuvians decided en masse to move to the Family Islands, for the price of undeveloped land “out east” to come down.

“It means that people now that have younger children, if they don’t by the land now for their children, what’s going to happen is they (their children) won’t be able to afford the land,” she said.

Source: Bahama Journal

It is “the best business decision to make for the long-term growth and competitiveness of the company,” Bacardi said.

The communiqué explained that Bacardi located in Nassau in 1965 because at the time, trade agreements placed hefty duties on shipments from the company’s principal rum production site in Puerto Rico – the largest premium rum distillery in the world – to locations in Europe.

“With the advent of new trading agreements within the last few years, and the competitive business conditions, the Company believes that consolidation is the best business decision,” the release said.

The Nassau facility currently manufactures Bacardi rums that are shipped in bulk to Europe, as well as bottles for local distribution. Natasha Vodka and Nassau Royale liqueurs are also produced at the facility.

The 114 people employed by the company have been assured that Bacardi will work with them to secure other employment opportunities, either within the Bacardi Group or outside the company.

According to the press release, employees will be offered severance packages and outplacement employment services.

“Bacardi is proud to have an outstanding and dedicated workforce in Nassau, and this action does not reflect on the quality of our operations or the caliber of our people,” said Francisco Carrera-Justiz, chairman of the board of Bacardi and Company Ltd. and former president of the Nassau facility.

“We thank all our employees for their continued dedication and professionalism.”

Felix Mateo, the facility director, said, “the change in business conditions and economies of scale were significant factors in the decision to prepare to cease operations here in Nassau.”

“It is very difficult to make a decision like this,” he said, “but it is the right decision for the company.”

The manufacturing and bottling of Bacardi rum will be absorbed by operations in Puerto Rico and other existing Bacardi facilities in the Americas.

Bacardi – which operates in 180 countries around the world – has apparently not decided on the future use of the facility and property.

Source: Bahama Journal

When complete, Baker’s Bay will feature a golf course, marina, boutique hotel and residential home development on Guana Cay, Abaco.

Despite the legal wrangling between the Save Guana Cay Reef Association and the developers of the Bakers Bay Club, Discovery Land Company, operations at the mixed-use resort development have continued, according to the club’s general manager.

Carter Redd told the Journal that the overwhelming presence of Bahamians in top level positions at Baker’s Bay Club is the result of a deliberate choice the developers, partners and executive team made early on.

“While I think you’ll find that certainly we do have a very small number of expatriates – myself included being from South Florida – that probably more so than any other like project throughout The Bahamas, by percentage we have more Bahamians running departments, supervising staff than any other, particularly one at such an early stage as ours,” he said.

He elaborated on the decision to make Baker’s Bay a Bahamian-run club, which he asserted was a “very conscious decision.” According to Mr. Redd, Baker’s Bay is a Bahamian club, not a US club that happens to be in The Bahamas.

As such, he said, it needs to not only be run and operated by Bahamians, it needs to feel Bahamian.

“Having been fortunate enough to spend a considerable amount of time in The Bahamas in my life, having the opportunity to go to all of the nicer places throughout The Bahamas, one thing does ring true consistently is you typically see a lot of expatriates behind the scenes that are managing certain areas, and it’s always struck me as odd,” he said.

Baker’s Bay has recently appointed four Bahamians to the senior management team in Guana Cay. They are Director of Human Resources, Simmone Bowe; Director of Food and Beverages, Reginald Woods; Manager of Purchasing and Receiving, Art Sands, and Club Controller (top financial post at the Bakers Bay Club) Della Kelly.

Ms. Bowe said her experience at Baker’s Bay “has been wonderful so far, despite being very busy and challenging. The greatest joys have been interacting with the staff who are very committed and excited about their work here. Being able to implement new ideas and processes keeps my work exciting for me.”

Reginald Woods, the new Director of Food and Beverage, Baker’s Bay Club said he’d been in the tourism industry for many years, and planned to “transfer that experience to Baker’s Bay by enhancing the service offered to our high-end guests.”

Mr. Redd said that the developers decided in the early planning stages that all that was needed is perhaps some direction and some teaching.

“When we hire folks like Della Kelly, or Reggie Wood or Simmone Bowe, one of the common threads with each one of them is that not only are they good at what they do in their specific fields, but in their heart of hearts, they’re teachers,” he said.

“That’s what we need at this early stage.”

He said the courtroom contortions didn’t affect the operations at the club.

“During the undertaking, during the legal process, club operations largely remained on track. It was just the development side that was delayed. We were still marketing, we were still showing property, which obviously is all about operations, and operations is everything about supporting sales,” he said.

“So in that regard we really did not miss much of a step. Now, of course, that we are building, and now that we are selling and closing on lots, we are back on track in all regards, both in development, marketing and in operations.”

Source: Bahama Journal