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VOL. 31 - NO. 166
VAT-free Zones
P
BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSON
Journal Staff Writer
rime Minister Dr.
Hubert Minnis
declared yester-
day that Abaco
and Grand Bahama are
VAT-free zones until June
2020 and announced
plans to establish The
Bahamas National
Recovery and
Reconstruction Fund.
The VAT relief policy
is a part of the govern-
ment’s effort to stimulate
the economies of Abaco
and Grand Bahama that
were affected by
Hurricane Dorian.
The prime minister’s
declaration and
announcement came dur-
ing a town hall meeting
in Green Turtle Cay.
According to the
Office of the Prime
Press Club Cries
Minister, “The new VAT
relief policy means that
individuals and business-
Shame on House Speaker
g See page 4...
BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSON
Journal Staff Writer
Bahamas Press Club 2014
“cries shame” on House
of Assembly Speaker
Halson Moultrie, as
President Anthony
Capron said the organiza-
tion finds it disturbing
that the freedom of the
Fourth Estate is being
attacked by the speaker.
“The depth to which
the speaker has drawn the
speakership of the House
of Assembly is shameful,
in his labeling the reports
in the credible newspa-
pers of The Bahamas ‘yel-
low journalism,’” Capron
said yesterday.
On Tuesday, Moultrie
A L L T H E
THURSDAY - OCTOBER 31ST, 2019
4 Prime Minister Minnis announced the declaration of the Abacos and Grand Bahama as
VAT-free zones until June 2020 to help stimulate the economic recovery of areas impacted by
Hurricane Dorian. The prime minister (pictured speaking to a resident of Green Turtle Cay)
also announced the establishment of The Bahamas National Recovery and Reconstruction
Trust Fund, an independent and non-political body to help fund home and building repairs.
lambasted journalists in
the House of Assembly
following last week’s
incident when a Nassau
Guardian reporter used
her cell phone to take a
photo of Opposition
Deputy Leader Chester
Cooper as he contributed
to debate in the Lower
Chamber.
Moultrie said journal-
ists are out for “flesh and
blood,” as opposed to
conforming and submit-
ting to the House of
Assembly’s rules and reg-
ulations.
“If they want flesh and
blood, they need Jesus.
Jesus is the one whose
4 Press Club President
g See page 4...
N E W S Y O U
DEAN & ASSOCIATES PROFESSIONAL
INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS
“Meeting Your Needs Efficiently and Professionally”
BUILDINGS (COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL)
LIFE - GROUP - MEDICAL -
ANNUITIES - LIABILITY - MARINE -
HOMEOWNERS - AUTO
Tel: (242)-356-0986 Fax: (242)-356-0987
Deal’s Plaza, Mackey Street
P.O. Box CB-13952 Nassau, Bahamas
8:30am - 4:30pm
75 CENTS
Mortgages Waived
for Homeowners
Affected by
Hurricane Dorian
BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTT owners in Abaco got
their mortgages waived.
Journal Staff Writer
Bahamas Mortgage
Mortgages for nearly 600 Corporation Managing
homeowners in Abaco Director Phillip Haven
and Grand Bahama were said the waiver took
waived post Hurricane effect on September 1
Dorian. and is scheduled to last
A further breakdown until March.
revealed that 390 home- “All you had to do was
Loss After
owners in Grand Bahama
and more than 170 home- g See page 4...
Concessions
Unknown
BY EARYEL BOWLEG
Journal Staff Writer
Minister of Finance Peter
Turnquest disclosed on
Wednesday that the gov-
ernment is unable to cal-
culate the amount of
money lost in granting
concessions and exigen-
cies.
Yet, he informed after
(BIS Photo)
the Ministry of Finance’s
cheque presentation to
business owners affected
by Hurricane Dorian, that
there would be a better
4 Minister of Finance
Peter Turnquest
Wilson Calls Ministry
g See page 7...
of Education ‘Heartless’
BY LICEC BASTIAN
Journal Staff Writer
Seventy-five teachers in
the Ministry of Education
school system have had
their salaries cut and
that’s not sitting well
with Bahamas Union of
Teachers President
(BUT) Belinda Wilson.
Mrs. Wilson told The
Bahama Journal that "the
Ministry of Education
has not worked in good
faith by taking away
teachers’ salaries during
this time of hardship,"
which she said is "noth-
4 House of Assembly
4 BUT President
Belinda Wilson
g See page 8...
Anthony Capron Speaker Halson Moultrie
N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G
CDB Consultants Begin Work on
A2 The Bahama Journal
Thursday - October 31st, 2019
BTVI Multi-million Dollar Project
President of the Bahamas
Technical and Vocational
Institute (BTVI), Dr.
Robert W. Robertson
recently announced the
appointments of
Caribbean Development
Bank (CDB) consultants
to BTVI’s multi-million
dollar enhancement proj-
ect.
Project Coordinator is
LaToya Johnson and
Project Manager for
I n s t i t u t i o n a l
Strengthening is Gabriella
Fraser. Dr. Robertson
expressed delight in wel-
coming the pair to the
team of a project which is
expected to revolutionize
BTVI over a two-year
period.
The CBD’s loan and
the government’s contri-
bution are approximately
$4.7 million each.
Ms. Fraser is an econo-
mist by profession, who is
also a researcher and ana-
lyst. Her career achieve-
ments have been in
administration, policy and
regulation across key sec-
tors of the Bahamian
economy, including, high-
er education, tourism,
financial services and the
electronic communica-
tions sector, in areas of
administration, policy and
regulation.
Noting that BTVI is
critical to the country’s
socio-economic develop-
ment, Ms. Fraser said it
has an essential nation
building role to play that
often seems widely under-
appreciated.
“Over the life of the
project and following the
project’s conclusion, I
hope to see a changing
narrative that helps
strengthen this apprecia-
tion not only through
greater awareness, but
also through strategic
partnerships that add
important value to the
BTVI brand,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Ms.
Johnson has been a proj-
ect consultant for over 10
years, providing technical
and business consulting
services to engineering,
business firms and non-
profit organizations. Prior
to consulting, she was a
Network Engineering
Specialist at one of the
largest telecommunica-
tions companies in the
United States where she
provided support to over
100 network operations
centres on the East Coast
and technical expertise for
large capital management
projects.
Ms. Johnson‘s role is to
monitor the day-to-day
operations of the multi-
million dollar CDB proj-
ect, coordinate the selec-
tion of consultants needed
to execute project deliver-
ables and provide regular
project updates to all
stakeholders on the
progress of the project.
Some of the matters
that the project will
address over the next 24
months include rehabili-
tating and upgrading
existing classrooms and
laboratories to provide
better working spaces, an
improved governance and
management system, an
enhanced capacity for
NationalNEWS
quality technical and
vocational education and
training delivery (TVET),
and a skills enhancement
program in the Family
Islands.
Ms. Fraser pointed out
that her role will look at
the institutional frame-
work of BTVI and its
overall capacity to meet
its education and training
mandate with a view to
identifying opportunities
for greater effectiveness
and efficiencies, while
developing actionable
pathways to achieve those
goals.
Ms. Fraser said under
the improving governance
and management systems 4 Caribbean Development Bank consultants to BTVI are Project Coordinator,
component, strategic
planning will be a priority,
LaToya Johnson (L) and Project Manager for Institutional Strengthening,
Gabriella Fraser (R). (Photo Btvi)
including development of
a business plan for BTVI The improving gover- component, instructor as thorough as possible in
and a corresponding nance and management training and upgrade will creating a complete pic-
implementation plan to systems component will be a priority. The family ture of every situation. We
ensure a road map for also address the need for a island component is want to get the leg work
action. A strategic market- tracer study system. intended to enhance right so that our action
ing plan is also part of that “This will be critical to BTVI’s outreach, to sup- planning is solution
priority. assessing the transition of port targeted skills devel- based, best fit and com-
Development of a cam- BTVI graduates and for- opment needs, driven by prehensive,” she added.
pus master plan is another mer students into employ- industry demand. Ms. Johnson expressed
important initiative. Ms. ment, and how well they Both consultants said confidence the project
Fraser said this kind of would have been prepared they are looking forward team will obtain the full
planning is fundamental for the labour market…it to working with BTVI’s support of the BTVI team.
as a building block and should be an important team. “This is as we work
guide for development tool for continued “I look forward in par- together over the next 24
and enhancements in strengthening of the insti- ticular to sitting with months to enhance the
other areas. tution’s connectedness to members one-on-one first learning environment at
Enhancement of stu- industry and ongoing to create a visual of the BTVI. I expect that BTVI
dent services to strengthen industry developments. institutional aspirations in will be seen as the premier
inclusion and responsive- As a data source for stu- the various functional and technical and vocational
ness to student needs is dents’ post BTVI achieve- service areas, then doing institute in the country
also a key area, as is crime ment, the information the work of articulating that will attract and retain
prevention and campus compiled through the trac- the needs, identifying the students as they chart their
security. Another priority er study system will be issues and challenges that future career path or
is the enhancement of important to national dis- must be addressed in upgrade their current
human resources and course and policy,” said order to meet these aspira- skills. The BTVI enhance-
financial management Ms. Fraser. tions,” said Ms. Fraser. ment project is on the
systems. Under the capacity “It’s critical that we’re move.”
Stop Disney Relaunches
NationalNEWS
The Bahama Journal
Thursday - October 31st, 2019 A3

Lighthouse Point Campaign

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTT
Journal Staff Writer
Organizers of stopdis-
ney.com, last chance for
Lighthouse Point,
relaunched its campaign
work with a growing
community of support-
ers to ensure the cam-
paign’s urgent message
reaches millions of peo-
ple.
The group opted to
focus on relief efforts.
In a statement, envi-
ronmentalists pointed
out that just prior to the
hurricane, Disney
announced plans to
develop a cruise port at
18,000 acres of ocean
surrounding the coveted
petition had secured the
support of 100,000 peo-
Reearth, Earthcare and
Waterkeepers Bahamas.
property were initially ple. That number sits at Back in August,
proposed as a top priori- just under 110,000. Disney announced new
ty marine protected area The group’s organiz- details surrounding the
as part of the Caribbean ers include the Bahamas project noting that the
Challenge Initiative. Reef Environment project will celebrate

Hurricane Dorian Affected

Post Dorian. pause the campaign in Lighthouse Point, yet Before suspending its Education Foundation or the culture and spirit of
The renewed aim is to early September to failed to mention that campaign, the group’s BREEF, Save the Bays, The Bahamas.

Businesses Receive Cheques

BY EARYEL BOWLEG
Journal Staff Writer
Minister of Finance Peter
Turnquest presented
cheques on Wednesday to
eight business owners
from Abaco and Grand
Bahama who were affect-
ed by Hurricane Dorian.
The funds are expected
to help businesses resume
operation.
The businesses
received grants and loans
as a part of the Access
Accelerator Small
Business Development
Centre (SBDC) Disaster
Relief Program. The pro-
gram has 1,200 business-
es in both affect islands.
The government allo-
cated $10 million to the
program to assist the
effected islands’
economies.
“Small business is the
backbone of any econo-
my, but it is particularly
so in these affected
islands and so much as
well can get them back in
operation as quickly as
possible and we are going
to accelerate the past of
the recovery effort that
we all know is a momen-
tous task,” Turnquest
explained.
Program grants are up
to $20,000, equity up to
$100,000 and loans are up
to $500,000. Grants not
attached to financial facil-
ities are a maximum of
$5,000.
Program Lead Analyst
Nicholas Higgs made
pointed out that the pro-
gram does not affect
those in New Providence.
“The advisors are dif-
ferent. The accounts are
different,” Higgs
explained.
“Everything is separat-
ed. Even the funding is
different pool. So we’re
trying to keep it separate
so one feels that their lost
or didn’t get the attention
that they deserve.”
SBDC Resident
Advisor for Abaco
Charmaine Bonaby is set-
ting up the ‘one stop
shop’ to assist small and
medium sized businesses.
She noted the eagerness
of Abaconians in the pro-
gram.
“I’ve seen many
Abaco entrepreneurs who
are interested and ready
to return back home and
rebuild. Rebuild their
businesses. Rebuild their
lives,” she added.
“I will be station in
Abaco for good starting
next week for good so
that those residents who
are there, they have easi-
er access to the SBDC
Disaster Relief
Program.”
A4
PM Declares
The Bahama Journal
Thursday - October 31st, 2019
VAT-free Zones
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
es will be exempt from the
payment of value added tax
on a range of items, includ-
ing unprepared food of all
types, water, fruit and veg-
etable juice, clothes, shoes,
hats, belts, stockings,
gloves, scarves, cleaning
supplies, beds and bedding
material, hardware supplies
building materials, land-
scaping supplies, pest con-
trol supplies, electrical fix-
tures and materials, electri-
cal generators, farming
equipment and supplies,
fishing equipment and sup-
plies, manufacturing equip-
Press Club Cries
ment, cots, protective and
safety gear, household fur-
niture, furnishings and
appliances, solar panels,
Shame on Speaker
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
flesh was broken and
whose blood was shed,”
Moultrie said.
“Now, I have no diffi-
culty with journalists
going after me because I
am prepared to lead them
to Jesus.”
However, Capron said,
“Mr. Moultrie should also
be careful in his threats to
the media ‘to either con-
form or be gone,’ because
in a few short years
(2022), those words could
rebound and not in his
favour.
“He could very well be
gone from the House of
Assembly and the speak-
ers’ chair and the media
will still be here.
“Yes, Mr. Moultrie, the
press does need Jesus, as
does everyone else,
including you.”
Progressive Liberal
Party (PLP) Senator Fred
Mitchell also disagrees
with Moultrie’s actions.
“His latest rant against
the press and the substan-
tive issue to seize a
reporter’s camera to
delete photos when added
to his cutting off the voice
of the opposition in par-
liament shows that he is
Mortgages Waived
antidemocratic and a pro-
found danger to freedom
of speech and democra-
for Home Owners
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
go to the corporation and
sign up, if payments went
through before you were
able to get in and do the
waiver, we were able to
reverse it,” Haven said.
“We have also started
receiving insurance
cheques and we have our
team over in Freeport right
now and they are assisting
with negotiating so that the
homeowners can start
resuming some normalcy
to their lives.”
Bahamas Mortgage
Corporation Chairman
Patrick Ward emphasized
that anyone on the affected
islands can apply.
mosquito netting, plumb-
ing fixtures and materials,
office supplies and equip-
ment, tents, air-condition-
ing units and other equip-
ment.”
The Office of the Prime
Minister added that VAT on
fuel for generators in areas
still without electricity will
also be VAT-free.
“Details and start date
will be announced,” a
statement issued by the
prime minister’s office
read.
The Office of the Prime
Minister also explained
that The Bahamas National
Recovery and
Reconstruction Trust Fund
will be an independent
non-political body to help
fund home and building
repairs.
cy,” Mitchell said.
“What’s remarkable
about the outburst in the
house on Tuesday,
October 29, 2019 by the
speaker is that he is
threading on ground that
he didn’t need to thread
on. The issue is dead, but
he takes everything so
personally, can’t take last,
that he struck out again
against the press, which is
not soundly based and
logic.
“Now, if anyone knows
how prejudice and illogi-
cal the press can be, is the
PLP. But you have to
avoid generalizations and
further, you can’t be so
self absorbed that you
cannot understand when
as a public figure, you just
shut up and leave well
enough alone.
“The examples he used
of what he calls ‘yellow
journalism’ were errors to
be sure, but not ‘yellow
journalism.’ So he does-
n’t even understand the
terminology. Further, he
says he’s concerned about
propriety, yet he has not
yet answered for calling
me a nasty filthy name,
using the speaker’s chair
to defame me and others.
In the process, he lowered
the standards of the house
and disgraced himself to
quote the leader of the
PLP Philip Davis. This
“It’s based on the fact
that our expectations are,
for people feel like they
need to avail themselves of
that benefit. They will
make that known to us and
we’ll make it easier for
them to be able to get the
benefit of the deferment of
the mortgage payment,”
Ward said.
Currently, officials are
working to recoup out-
standing money from
homeowners who have
fallen behind here in the
capital.
“What we’re asking
people is, if you have a
mortgage, make sure you
pay it. If you have a partic-
ular situation that will
NationalNEWS
“The fund is included in
the Disaster
Reconstruction Authority
Bill 2019 tabled in the
House of Assembly on
Tuesday 29 October,” the
statement said.
During the town hall
meeting, the prime minister
told residents, “We want
your economy to get going
as quickly as possible. We
want to get you back into
your homes as soon as pos-
sible.”
The prime minister also
held a town hall meeting in
Guana Cay on Wednesday
and will hold town hall
meetings in Man-O-War
Cay and Elbow Cay on
Friday to hear residents’
concerns and provide an
update on the progress of
reconstruction efforts.
speaker is unfit for office.
“The speaker pleads
the rules and traditions,
except there is no such
rule and no such tradition.
What we know is the
prime minister’s girl,
Friday, was and is
allowed to snap all the
pictures she wants with-
out lent or hindrance. It’s
certainly a double-stan-
dard.
“The speaker also owes
Jasper Ward an apology
for lying on her by saying
she sought to apologize to
him for taking the pic-
tures.
“This then is not about
laws or rules. This is
about freedom of speech.
And I say again, the FNM
and the courts of The
Bahamas have colluded to
seek to stop parliament
from discussing matters
of national importance.
The press allows the
courts to gag them and
everybody keeps saying
it’s a question of the law.
“Well, I remember this
passage from Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens and
I’m going to quote it. It
says this, ‘If the law sup-
poses that, the law is an
ass.’ I would ask the
speaker to consider that
fact that quote from
Dickens, or he himself
might be considered also
an ass.”
cause you not to pay,
please come in and see us
because it is not our inten-
tions to put people out of
their homes,” the mortgage
corporation chairman said.
“It’s our intention to
keep them in their home
and we have plans that
we’ve put in place for
every situation.
“We understand that
maybe you and individual
plane, but the only thing
we’re asking is that if
you’re experiencing diffi-
culties to come in and see
us.”
Mr. Ward said the cor-
poration is committed to
ensuring that no one is
evicted from their homes.

Letter to the Editor
Editor,
I was privileged to host my radio
talk show EXPRESS YOURSELF
(Global Radio 99.5 FM) at Potter's Cay
Dock a few days ago. During the show the
vendors; customers and I discussed many
of the issues of concern to themselves and
the surrounding areas at that location. I
must confess that I was also very sur-
prised by the cleanliness of the environ-
ment where the stalls are located, when
one considers all of the horror stories
which we continuously hear about in
media and social platforms.
I meet and talked with various
executives of The Potter's Cay Vendors
Association and it's President, Mr.
Bastian. The main concerns were: the lack
of proper parking and designated spaces;
alleged harassment by police officers
from the Paradise Island Police Division;
adequate toilet facilities and 'bad' media,
especially when there are alleged serious
criminal behavior. It would also seem that
another issue of concern is the 'hard line'
attitude being displayed by governmental
management at Potter's Cay.
During the show I was also able
to have a discussion with the Officer-in-
Charge of the Paradise Island Police
Understanding the
Division, a Supt. Rolle, a very well spo-
Connection Between
Genetics and Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the most common malig-
nancy in The Bahamas. It attacks
Bahamian women with a ferocity unseen
anywhere else in the world … being diag-
nosed two decades earlier and two stages
later than in North America. Sadly, it is
the leading cause of death among
Bahamian women.
The specific cause of breast cancer is
not known - however, certain factors may
put a person at a higher risk of developing
the disease such as age, ethnicity, and per-
sonal health history, among others.
Another important factor to consider is
also one’s genetic composition and family
history. Genetics plays a dominant role in
the treatment planning for breast cancer.
When appropriate, using family-based
risk assessment and genetic testing can
provide a basic understanding of the
structure and function of genes and deter-
mine the best option for treatment.
According to Cleveland Clinic, the risk
for breast cancer doubles for women who
have an immediate family member who
has had breast cancer — approximately
20 to 30 percent of women diagnosed
with breast cancer have a family member
who also has had breast cancer. However,
up to 80 percent of women diagnosed
with breast cancer have no family history,
and it is believed that cancer occurs due to
genetic abnormalities that result from the
natural process of aging. About 5-10 per-
cent of breast cancers are linked to gene
mutations a woman inherits from her
mother or father.
The most common genes associated
with inherited breast cancer risk are the
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. A blood test
is required to determine if a patient carries
either of these genes, with results typical-
ly available in a few weeks.
“During a genetic counseling visit at
EditorialNEWS
ken; professional and informed officer. He
is definitely a credit to The Royal
Bahamas Police Force and should be pro-
moted during the next exercises. He
explained that any umber of patrons do
not observe the traffic laws and the neces-
sity to keep the road ways at Potter's Cay,
clear and passable, without undue
obstructions.
The vendors alleged that the drop
off and delivery time was too short. All in
all, there is no reason why the police; the
vendors; the Ministry of Transport and the
Reverend Gregory Minnis, the Manager
at Potter's Cay should not be able to
resolve all of the issues outstanding.
Potter's Cay is a potential econom-
ic engine which will enabling vendors to
earn good money would also provide a
more enhanced and enjoyable cultural and
recreational venue for locals and our val-
ued tourists. The stalls were impressive
and the customer service attitudes of staff
members were off the chart. I would wish
to congratulate successive administration
for having the 'wisdom' to continuously
clean and upgrade both Potter's Cay and
Arawak Cay. To God then, in all things,
be the glory.
Ortland H. Bodie, Jr.
Business Consultant & Talk Show Host
Cleveland Clinic, a counselor will obtain
a personal medical and detailed family
medical history. That will determine
whether or not genetic testing is appropri-
ate and which genetic changes to assess,”
said Dr. Cassan Blake, M.D., Breast
Surgical Oncologist at Cleveland Clinic
Florida. “We also offer predictive testing
for family members who may have inher-
ited a specific genetic mutation."
For most people, breast cancer is a dis-
ease that affects women, but men can also
develop the disease. Although breast can-
cer in men is rare (Less than 1% of all new
breast cancer cases), men can develop the
same types of breast cancers as women
due to a small amount of breast tissue men
have. Risk factors for men are similar to
those for women, but also include others
such as testicular conditions, exposure to
estrogen, and Klinefelter syndrome, a
congenital condition affecting about 1 in
1,000 men.
Breast cancer risk in men increases
with age, most commonly diagnosed
between the ages of 50 and 70. Cancers
related to gene mutations often occur in
people younger than age 60. Symptoms of
breast cancer in men are very similar to
those in women. However, tumors are
usually smaller but may be more
advanced upon diagnosis because men
have very little breast tissue, so the tumor
doesn't have far to grow before invading
other tissues or the lymph nodes.
For both women and men in the
Bahamas with a strong family history of
breast cancer, it is important to do month-
ly self-exams and to have any changes
examined immediately by a physician. It
is important to share whether there is a
family history of breast cancer and dis-
cuss whether that history might warrant
changes to care.
Thursday - October 31st, 2019
The Bahama Journal Is An Independent Newspaper - Published Week Days
By The Communicators & Associates In Affiliation With Jones Communications Ltd.
University Drive - P.O. Box N-8610
Telephone: 242-325-3082 - Fax: 242-356-7256
Raising Up
E D I T O R
Heroes
Contemporary leaders today must appro-
priately accentuate, even laud, the lives
and actions of moral and ethical heroes
among us.
In the Bahamas we have a misinter-
pretation or misconception of who is, or
what makes a person a hero. There is no
doubt that we are raising up heroes as we
have recently seen in the aftermath of
Hurricane Dorian which ravaged parts of
the northern Bahamas.
Changing our cultural climate regard-
ing morality and ethics will not be auto-
matic, nor will it come as a result of a
clever parlor trick. Meaningful change
comes through sacrifice and dedication.
Human history is brimming with the gal-
lant acts of saints and heroes that enable
us to measure the depth and breadth of
what moral courage and honour can
inspire. This demonstrates the level of
sacrifice and degree of devotion to truth
that are necessary to forge a new vision
of life. They continue to capture imagi-
nations, hearts, and minds across the
globe regardless of social, cultural, and
economic variations.
A saint or hero is one who to a signif-
icant degree chooses to forgo or to risk
forgoing the enjoyment of goods or even
necessities, perhaps life itself, for the
sake of advancing the good of others.
Sometimes our heroes even sacrifice for
more abstract goods such as truth, jus-
tice, or beauty. Such persons are the ones
who illuminate by their lives the true
nature and worth of moral goodness.
Their lives and choices transcend the
normal activities of those who manage
an ordinary, uninspired level of decency.
We desperately long for heroes, and
from an early age we imaging ourselves
as someday being worthy and capable of
the same kind of amazing feats and char-
acter. Jesus Christ is the greatest hero of
all. This can and should be debated.
Even so, he is and has remained the hero
of so many of our celebrated heroes
across time. One has to seriously inquire
about, or perhaps even do an empirical,
quantitative study on, the number of
individuals who heroically gave their
lives in sacrifice for the greater good
who also placed their faith and assurance
in Jesus as their hero.
The Bahama Journal
A5
Wendall K. Jones
Publisher/Chief Executive Officer
Kimaley P. Jones
Vice President/Operations
I A L
The German theologian Dietrich
Bonhoeffer was one such hero. His won-
derful shorter works and letters from his
time in the concentration camp as well
beloved for good reason. However, we
lose the full strength of his heroic life if
we overlook the depth of his moral theo-
ry based on the life and teachings of
Jesus. He took a stalwart stand against
the Nazi regime, which based its moral
theory on something very different from
the teachings of Jesus. Bonhoeffer’s
stance cost him his life, but his heroism
resulted from the power and reality of
the truth he discovered in the risen
Christ, who directed him toward right
and away from wrong regardless of the
forces set against him.
Even still, few children, even those
from Christian homes, “dress up” like
Jesus and go trick-or-treating on
Halloween. This must change. Why?
Because Jesus is seldom regarded as a
heroic individual who with courage and
moral integrity chose to live and die for
the ultimate good of all humanity we
must begin to inquire why our educa-
tional institutions – our universities,
both Christian and secular, but above all
our local churches and seminaries – still
resist bringing their best critical thinking
to bear on the teachings of Jesus and
their ensuing traditions as a field of
moral knowledge in and through human
history.”
Today, we must ask whether we
believe it good or even possible for
everyday heroes to be found outside the
realms of first responders, soldiers in
battle, or schoolteachers and administra-
tors who gave their lives in a school
shooting. These heroes deserve our
admiration, to be sure. Yet history
reveals that there was a time when this
was absolutely the norm for many more
areas of societal leadership than just a
precious few. And perhaps this was
exactly the expected norm for early lead-
ers in democratic governments, those of
both ancient Greece and our own in the
Bahamas. Sacrifice was assumed and
relied upon as an essential quality of a
democratic citizenry in order for a liber-
ated society to even survive, much less
flourish.
A6

12 More Bahamians Elevated

NationalNEWS
The Bahama Journal
Thursday - October 31st, 2019

to Nation Builder Status

4 Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Cornelius A. Smith, O.N., (third right) and Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell (third left), are
photographed with the recipients of the 2019 Nation Builder Award following the ceremony Monday (October 28, 2019) at Government House, Mount Fitzwilliam. Also pictured (from left seated)
are: Mrs. Beverly Joyce Taylor (honoree); Mrs. Kathryn Campbell, wife of Minister Campbell; Ms. Phedra Rahming, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development
and Mrs. Ethel A. Williams (honoree). Pictured (standing from left) are: Mr. Colin David Moss-Bain (who accepted the Award on behalf of his mother Mrs. Sylvia Anita Bain-Moss; Mrs. Muriel
Elizabeth McKinney-Rahming (honoree); Mr. Joseph Emmanuel Wemyss (honoree); Mrs. Berthalee Adderley (honoree); Mrs. Merlease Bethel (who accepted the Award on behalf of her hus-
band, honoree Mr. Carl Orlando Bethel; Ms. Clara Evans (honoree); Mr. Cyril Leon Johnson (honoree), Mrs. Sislyn McIntosh (honoree); Mrs. Gwendolyn Dorothy McDeigan (honoree) and hon-
oree Bishop Charles Malcolm Rolle, J.P. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)

Twelve more Bahamians
were elevated to Nation
Builder status Monday
(October 28) during the
22nd Nation Builder
Award Ceremonies held at
Government House,
Mount Fitzwilliam.
The 2019 Class brought
the number of Bahamians
receiving Nation Builder
status to 206 since the
Award was established in
1997. The Award
Ceremony did not take
place in October, 2004 due
to the passage of
Hurricanes Frances and
Jeanne.
Governor-General, His
Excellency, the Most Hon.
Cornelius A. Smith, O.N.,
presented the twelve hon-
orees – eight females and
four males – with their
Awards, replicas of the
Conch Shell.
The honorees were:
Mrs. Gwendolyn Dorothy
McDeigan, Mr. Cyril Leon
Johnson, Ms. Clara Evans,
Mrs. Berthalee Adderley,
Mr. Carl Orlando Bethel,
Mrs. Beverly Joyce Taylor,
Mrs. Sylvia Anita Bain-
Moss, Mrs. Muriel
Elizabeth McKinney-
Rahming, Mrs. Sislyn
McIntosh, Mrs. Ethel A.
Williams, Bishop Charles
Malcolm Rolle, J.P., and
Mr. Joseph Emmanuel
Wemyss.
The country’s newest
Nation Builders are from
diverse backgrounds
including education, law
enforcement, broadcast-
ing, the tourism and hospi-
tality industry, business
sector, healthcare, religion
and the legal profession.
All of the honorees are
also renowned for their
volunteer work in commu-
nities across the length and
breadth of the
Commonwealth of The
Bahamas.
Minister of Social
Services and Urban
Development, the Hon.
Frankie A. Campbell, said
the honourees’ designation
Monday allowed them to
join other unsung heroes
whose contributions to the
country cannot be meas-
ured.
“As diverse as your
faces are, so are your tal-
ents. Some of you have
contributed to the spiritual
growth of the community
as Pastors, Deacons,
Elders and Sunday School
teachers; others to educa-
tion as teachers and tutors;
some to sports, blazing the
trail and opening interna-
tional doors for future ath-
letes,” Minister Campbell
said.
“Others have led
Feeding Programmes,
while some others have
given their time to helping
at-risk youth through men-
toring. Still others have
given to healthcare as
nurses and caregivers and
yet others to building
strong families. You were
the unsung heroes who,
though not compelled to
do so, saw the need and
met it.”
Minister Campbell
called on the nation’s
youth to change their way
of thinking, as well as their
behaviour, towards older
persons.
“Youth is the prized
standard and old age is
abhorred by many,”
Minister Campbell said.
“However, the World
Health Organization
(WHO) estimates that the
proportion of the world’s
population over 60 years
of age will nearly double
from its current twelve per
cent to 22 per cent by the
year 2050.
“Just imagine that!
Since old age is inevitable,
I encourage the young
among us to change your
way of thinking, as well as
your behaviour towards
older persons. The time
has come for us to give
them their rightful place as
equals in our society.”

4 Mrs. Ruth Wong, member, National Council on Older Persons, presents Governor
General, His Excellency, Cornelius A. Smith, with a token of appreciation at the conclusion of
Monday’s Awards Ceremony. The Nation Builder Awards Ceremony is a collaboration
between the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development and the National Council on
Older Persons. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)
4 Members of the Department of Social Services Choir perform during the 22nd Nation
Builder Awards Ceremony held on October 28, 2019 at Government House, Mount
Fitzwilliam. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)
PIMS Calls Post-Dorian
NationalNEWS
The Bahama Journal
Thursday - October 31st, 2019 A7

Coral Reef ‘Mixed Bag’

Loss After
Concessions
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
idea of the revenue lost
after next week’s assess-
ments of the damage.
“We are waiting on the
economic impact assess-
ment that is being done
by ECLAC group and
other agencies,”
Turnquest said.
“That we give us a
better indication from a
data point of view as to
what that number is.
“And at this point, all
I can say that Abaco and
Grand Bahama repre-
sents about 15 percent of
GDP so that kind of
gives you an idea of the
importance of it and the
size of the potential
impact.
“Once we have the
data, then we can extrap-
olate what concession
are going to do.
“That would allow us
then to access this
financing. To do the
infrastructure resilience
building that we need
ahead of an event.
“Then we can afford
to put in place the infra-
structures, the sea wall,
the infrastructure that we
need before a storm.”

4 Fred Arnett of The Nature Conservancy surveys debris and toppled coral heads on
Mermaid Reef off Marsh Harbour.
(Photo Perry Institute for Marine Science)

Catastrophic Hurricane totally destroyed came out extensive assessments of

Dorian, which tore
through two major islands
in the northern Bahamas
last month, was not as
meticulous in its devasta-
tion undersea as it was on
land.
The Category 5 storm
ripped out patches of coral
reefs the size of small cars,
leaving them down and
out much like bowling
pins. Dorian trucked mud
from inshore and dumped
it onto reefs, burying its
base in silt over two foot
deep.
After buffeting trees
about in its ferocious
winds, the hurricane
angrily dashed casuarinas
into the sea. They came to
rest on the ocean floor
after steamrolling corals
and crushing other under-
water sea life in their path.
In places where Dorian
wreaked havoc, the impact
was devastating. Some
reefs will take decades to
recover, if they do at all.
These places, however,
are in the minority – good
news for thousands of
Bahamians who make
their living from this criti-
cal economic driver, the
turquoise waters of the
ocean surrounding The
Bahamas.
Most coral reef sites
throughout Grand Bahama
and Abaco are in pretty
good shape, the Perry
Institute for Marine
Science (PIMS) reported
Wednesday (October 30).
From October 8-22,
PIMS led an expedition to
revisit 29 previously sur-
veyed reef sites along both
islands, including multiple
reefs that suffered a direct
hit by the eye of Hurricane
Dorian as a Category 3, 4
or 5, hurricane as well as
those that experienced less
powerful winds.
Partners on the expedi-
tion included representa-
tives from The Nature
Conservancy, Middlebury
College, Angari
Foundation and others.
The preliminary find-
ings were surprising.
“Some reefs look total-
ly different now than they
did before. Still, it’s really
a mixed bag. Some places
I thought were going to be
looking fine and other
places that were really not
hit that bad by wind and
storm surge have reefs
covered with silt and the
corals are being smoth-
ered,” said Dr Craig
Dahlgren, a marine ecolo-
gist and PIMS executive
director who studies a
wide range of topics relat-
ed to tropical marine
ecosystems.
“It’s going to take a
while for us to fully under-
stand why things hap-
pened the way they did. I
think we’re going to have
to go back and do more in
depth studies on some of
these areas to see how
they might naturally
recover and what we can
do to help them recover. In
some cases, the reefs have
been fundamentally
changed from what they
were before.”
Underwater, land debris
ranging from trees to
metal roofing to construc-
tion materials and house-
hold contents littered the
ocean floor in some
places.
At other sites, sediment
buried sections of reef,
coral, sponges and other
organisms in a thick coat-
ing of silt.
Other observations
included broken corals,
reef structure collapse,
reduced fish populations
and some coral bleaching
off North Abaco. It’s too
early to say whether they
latter is as a result of the
hurricane or may have
been caused by elevated
temperatures pre-Dorian.
“There have been a lot
of other studies on coral
reefs hit by hurricanes but
nothing with such a good,
timely data set going into
the storm over such a large
area. Then, to get back so
quickly after the storm hit
and to be able to assess so
many of these places
which were impacted by
the storm differently, we
are really able to see what
the storm did and have a
really good before and
after picture for this one,”
said Dr Dahlgren who
from June 2018 to July
2019, led a team of
researchers conducting
the health of reefs
throughout Abaco and
Grand Bahama.
The fortuitous expedi-
tion provided a timely
benchmark.
It was funded by the
Devereux Ocean
Foundation, Disney
Conservation Fund,
Atlantis Blue Project
Foundation, the Angari
Foundation and the R/V
Angari.
“There were so many
unexpected things that
took place underwater.
This is not a simple case
of damage on land equat-
ing to reefs destroyed
underwater,” Dr Dahlgren
noted.
“It’s totally different in
some cases and by under-
standing how or why
some reefs fared better
than others we can better
predict and plan for future
storm impacts and how we
respond to them to help
coral reefs and fish recov-
er in a much more effec-
tive way.”
The two-week assess-
ment also revealed a silver
lining, said Dr Krista
Sherman, senior scientist
at PIMS with over a
decade of research and
conservation experience.
“On a positive note, all
the coral nurseries sur-
vived, and out planted
corals appear to be doing
well,” she reported. This
will help Abaco and Grand
Bahama moving forward
as the reefs are essential
for supporting the local
economy through fisheries
and tourism.
Additional, reef sites
surveyed within several
marine protected areas
including Peterson Cay
National Park, Lucayan
National Park, Pelican
Cays National Park, Fowl
Cays National Park and
Walker’s Cay National
Park sustained only mini-
mal or minor storm dam-
age.
Presently, all data from
the expedition is being
compiled and will be ana-
lyzed for a comprehensive
report expected to be
made available by early
December.
Wilson Calls Ministry
A8 The Bahama Journal
Thursday - October 31st, 2019 NationalNEWS

of Education ‘Heartless’
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
ing short of heartless".
"The teachers, who are
assigned to Carlton
Francis, it’s approximate-
ly about 11 of them now
who have not been
allowed in the school
gate from the ninth day
of September. So that is a
major concern for us,”
received on cent of pay
yesterday.
"We are now at an
impasse. They have cut
the salaries of about 65
teachers at CH Reeves.
So hence we are not
happy today.
"It is, I believe, the
lowest of the low that
we’ve been in a very long
time at education and the
and CH Reeves Junior
High School is believed
to be a result of teachers
staging small protests on
varying concerns.
Carlton Francis
Primary School, accord-
ing to Mrs. Wilson has
had challenges with its
principal going back two
years, while teachers at
CH Reeves have been
Bahama Journal that
despite the information
ministry for a meeting
that did not happen about
Department of Labour
about a week and a half
given by the minister of two weeks ago,” Mrs. ago, Thursday, to try to
education, that union Wilson said. bring resolution to the
members took it upon "We had our lawyers matter. The ministry
themselves and took and the government had came to the table. They
action, the BUT has doc- the attorney general and did not come in good
umentation of letters lawyers from the attor- faith so we are right back
written to education offi- ney general’s office. to square one.”
cials over the course of They were communicat- Mrs. Wilson said the
several weeks expressing ing. BUT will do what it has
concerns from both "We thought that we to legally, to ensure that

Social Services Joins Millions Around the World

Mrs. Wilson said. concerns are great." fighting unsanitary work- schools. had a win, win situation those teachers’ monies
"Those teachers’ The cut in salary for ing conditions since "We would have writ- or working toward a res- are repaid forthwith as
salaries were cut. I have teachers of Carlton 2018. ten to the ministry. We olution. well as to have their
teachers who have not Francis Primary School Mrs. Wilson told The would have gone to the "We went to the rights protected.

Observing Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Employees of the
Ministry of Social
Services and Urban
Development joined mil-
lions of men and women
around the globe in obser-
vance of October as
Breast Cancer Awareness
Month by wearing pink
ribbons at their work-
places.
The pink ribbons had a
special twist for ministry
employees as they were
crocheted by Ms. Dianna
Rolle, a colleague, to
show her support for
breast cancer awareness.
Breast Cancer
Awareness Month began
Tuesday, October 1 and
ends Thursday, October
31. The Month is an annu-
al campaign that is
observed in countries
across the world to help to
increase attention and
support for the awareness,
early detection and treat-
ment as well as palliative
care of the disease.
According to the World
Health Organization
(WHO), breast cancer is
by far the most common
cancer in women world-
wide, both in the devel-
oped and developing
countries. The incidence
of breast cancer has been
rising steadily in low- and
middle-income countries.
The WHO said early
detection of the disease
remains the cornerstone
of breast cancer control,
as currently there isn’t
sufficient knowledge on
the causes of the disease.
The WHO further went on
to say that when breast
cancer is detected early,
and if adequate diagnosis
and treatment are avail-
able, there is a good
chance that breast cancer
can be cured. If detected
late, however, curative
treatment is often no
longer an option. In such
cases, palliative care to
relief the suffering of
patients and their families
is needed.
Minister of Social
Services and Urban
Development, the Hon.
Frankie A. Campbell,
applauded the staff mem-
bers for their efforts to
bring increased attention
to Breast Cancer
Awareness initiatives,
while celebrating the
advances in medicine
towards the early detec-
tion and treatment of
breast cancer.
“The Ministry of Social
Services and Urban
Development, of which
the Department of Gender
and Family Affairs is a
part, is pleased to join
with women around the
world in celebrating the
advances in medicine
towards the early detec-
tion and treatment of
breast cancer.
“We salute all of the
survivors who are now
inspiring others who are
facing the similar chal-
lenge. I must pause to ask
our men to be supportive
for more than one reason,
but mindful of the fact
that men too can get
breast cancer – even
though it is a minute num-
ber.”
Minister Campbell said
serious illnesses such as
cancer, can have negative
social, psychological,
economic and emotional
impacts on families as it
can affect couple relation-
ships, family life and even
friendships. The impacts
can be even greater for
children.
He said as the govern-
ment’s agency that focus-
es on the family unit in its
entirety, the Department
of Gender and Family
Affairs looks at the family
unit holistically in an
attempt to ensure that all
of the constituents of the
unit nurture sustainable
partnerships that will cre-
ate the kind of environ-
ments than can result in an
empowered boy or girl.
“Sometimes the illness
can bring people/families
closer, sometimes it can
create distance.
Additionally, established
roles and daily routines
may also be altered for a
while. The impact of can-
cer on a person’s family
can depend on things such
as, which family member
is ill and the age of the
children. Responsibility
for finances, looking after
the children, in addition to
a number of other matters
that arise as a result of the
illness, are areas that also
have to be re-assessed,”
Minister Campbell said.
“These are some of the
reasons we at the Ministry
of Social Services and
Urban Development and
our various Departments
and Divisions are pleased
and feel honored to join
forces with our global
partners in bringing
awareness to the impor-
tance of early detection
and to encourage the kind
of early detection that can
increase survival rates in
order to have a positive
impact on the whole
socio-economic aspect
relative to the family.”