Prime Minister
Christie committed to “organized” rebuilding process
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie
addressed a myriad on issues at his Wednesday press conference at his Cable
Beach office and in so doing declared that The Bahamas Government has made a
commitment to reconstruct, to rebuild and to establish an organized process to
do so, in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Joaquin.
Below are excerpts from Mr. Christie on a number of related
issues.
Post
Hurricane construction and building team:
In announcing the appointment of former Director of Works Ms.
Melanie Roach as the head of the reconstruction and building team, Prime
Minister Christie said that “The Bahamas has a very dynamic capital development
budget that the Ministry of Works and their officials must continue to
implement in our country; so we thought we have to bring specific focus to the
combined efforts of the private and public sectors, and that Ms. Roach will
lead that charge, supported by engineering teams from the Ministry of Works,
from the Ministry of Housing, (and) from the private sector.”
Post
Hurricane rebuilding cost:
"We have not yet quantified the cost of the damages or the
cost of repairs; but I can tell you that when I looked at some of the figures,
we were over $60 million dollars and we were still having assessments come
in," Prime Minister Christie said.
Borrowing
to fund rebuilding and construction:
"I have already asked the Ministry of Finance to review the
opportunities for borrowing money from the Caribbean Development Bank, from
concessional financing made available by the Chinese to the region, and other
traditional sources because the country cannot wait; and that even if we were
to have the most successful fundraising campaign, these initial requirements
must be met by the government."
This is a particularly smart policy decision by a savvy and astute
leader because the aggregate interest rates on the current national debt are
significantly higher than the interest rates on loans sourced through the
Chinese government would attract. Borrowing through the Caribbean Development
under the China infrastructure development program will save The Bahamas tens
of millions of dollars long term. Some have suggested the use of VAT revenue to
fund the reconstruction in the southern islands. This is an ill-advised policy
proposal as The Bahamas will be better served if the government continues to draw
down on loans that attract higher interest rates.
Public
subventions to impacted businesses and families:
Prime Minster Christie pointed out that assessments will also be
made as to whom the Government would build homes for during this process.
"There are others we will help partially and there are others
who will just do it on their own; so the question is being able to make the
best assessments and to be able to move ahead with a programme that is very
broad. Obviously, we are going to have to raise monies and there are situations
that I have seen this time that causes me to believe that we even have to help
some people who are in business."
During the briefing, several government agencies and utilities
presented snapshots of their assessments so far.
Presentations were delivered by the Bahamas Telecommunications
Company (BTC), the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), the Water and
Sewerage Corporation (WSC) and the Ministry of Works (MOW).
Government
Immediate Relief Services:
The Prime Minister reported that the Department of Public Health
stated that Health Relief Assessment Teams were deployed to Acklins, Crooked
Island, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador, with a team of five doctors and
seven nurses being sent out as early as Sunday, October 4, 2015.
Government releases exigency
order
The
exigency order Prime Minister Christie announced in Parliament
on Wednesday of
last week was released this past weekend.
Effective
from the 3rd October and valid for ninety days, the order allows for
the duty and VAT free importation of building materials, plumbing fixtures and
materials, household furniture, appliances, generators and vehicles into
Acklins, Crooked Island, Cat Island, Long Cay, Mayaguana, Ragged Island, Exuma,
Inagua, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Long Island and Samana Cay. Imported items must
be certified by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Prime
Minister Christie said that the government would extend the order if necessary.
Additionally,
the government has waived landing fees and departure tax for non-commercial
flights bringing in hurricane relief goods and customs processing fees on
imports into the islands that are covered by the order.
Crooked
Island, Long Cay and Acklins were declared sufferance port areas for three
months; this means that dutiable goods are detained for a specified period of
time until the duty is paid.
Imports
by registered charitable organizations are also customs and VAT-exempt.
Government issues eight
conditional web shop gaming licenses
At
the close of business
on Thursday of this week, the Minister of Tourism, true
to his word, released the identities of the eight conditional license holders
for the operation of web shops. They are as follow:
FML
Group of Companies Ltd. (t/a FML Web Shop)
GLK
Limited (t/a A Sure Win)
Jarol
Investments Limited (t/a Chances Games)
Paradise
Games Bahamas Limited (t/a Paradise Games)
Playtech
Systems Limited (t/a Island Luck)
T.I.G.
Investments Limited (t/a Percy’s at The Island Game)
The Four
Point Group (t/a Asue Draw + Spin)
Bahama
Dreams Web Café Limited (t/a Bahama Dreams)
The statement said that on
October 19, 2015,
each applicant will be notified of an award or disqualification, as appropriate
pursuant to Section 85(22) of the Act. On
November 2, 2015 the Statement of
Condition review period ends and Gaming House Operator Conditional Licenses will
be issued by the Gaming Board under Section 32(5).
Upon issuance,
annual license and monitoring fees will be assessed as follows:
Operator: $250,000.00
Premises: $ 2,000.00 per Premises
Agent: $ 1,000.00
per Agent
The effective closure date for the
disqualified Applicant will be October 26th 2015.
This conditional issuance does not stop
there as the successful applicants must now complete a series of regulatory requirements
before receiving a plenary Gaming House Operator License.
Joint Provisional Liquidators (JPL’s) report on “all party talks”
The Joint Provisional
Liquidators (JPL’s) for the Baha Mar resort, Edmund Rahming of KryS Global and
Alastair Beveridge and Nick Cropper of AlixPartners, updated the public on the
progress made after two days of closed door meetings with all stakeholder
groups.
In
a press release on the 11th October, JPL's Alastair Beveridge said
the following:
"The talks this week are another
important step on the road to resolution. We would like to thank all parties
for their good faith participation in and constructive approach during the
meetings. Whilst there is still work to be done, it is clear that all involved
are focused on quickly reaching a viable solution to ensure that the Baha Mar
resort is able to open for business for the benefit of all stakeholders,
including the Bahamian people. We will continue to work with all stakeholders
as we explore the best route forward and will issue further updates as talks
continue".
The
JPLs chaired the all-party talks that involved Government representatives; the
financier, the Export-Import Bank of China; China Construction America Bahamas
Ltd. and parent company, China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd.; and
the resort's founder and Investor, Mr. Sarkis Izmirlian.
PM Christie promises
National Heroes Park and honours regulations
The
work of the committee responsible for National Heroes Day as a national holiday
continues. That committee was established in 1989 with the Hon. Fred Mitchell,
the Hon. Loretta Butler Turner and Canon Sebastian Campbell to formally honour
Sir Milo Butler.
So
having secured the second
Monday in October to honour Bahamian heroes, the
lobbying continues. At a ceremony held at the Botanical Gardens on Monday, 12th
October, the Committee chair, Canon Campbell, called for a heroes’ park, an official
honours system, afrocentric education and an official national dress.
Acting
Commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Tellis Bethel proposed the naming
of the body of water that delineates our territorial borders the Lucayan Sea in
honour of the original inhabitants of the Bahama chain of islands.
In
delivering his keynote address, Prime Minister Christie announced that by January
10th 2016, a heroes’ park would have been identified, complete with
a cemetery and the attendant regulations governing the country’s local honours
system would be legislated.
Minister Hanna-Martin
stands behind the Met Office
Following
any catastrophe there is usually enough blame to go around and Joaquin was no
different. Notwithstanding the relatively weighty evidence to the contrary, the
Bahamas Department of Meteorology was the target of unfair criticism and
baseless attacks in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin. Some accused the
department of failing to advise the public on the storm’s development in a
timely manner and a foreign hurricane center accused the department of having a
faulty Doppler radar system. All of those claims to date proved to be inaccurate
and the various critics are yet to provide one shred of evidence to support
their claims.
This
week the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin spoke, throwing
her full support and commendation behind her department in concurrence with the
observation of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
“Caribbean
Disaster Emergency Management Agency who were here recently in a briefing with
NEMA took the opportunity to commend the Department of Meteorology for the work
that they did and for the actions they took in giving out warnings when it was
not their advice to do so and observe that the meteorologists in the region
were watching this storm and out of that has come a commendation for the
department and so I want to throw my commendation to them for all the good work
they have done.”
The Minister also urged vigilance because of irregular
weather patterns due to climate change from global warming and in light of the
country’s vulnerability due to its location - within the hurricane zone.
“It (Joaquin) was described as drifting and wobbly and
the end result is that it tells us that being in a hurricane zone as we are, we
have to be extremely vigilant at all times even if it’s, you know, it looks
like something you can discount – it’s something that we have to ensure that we
keep our “P’s” and “Q’s” (about) because we are peculiarly
Vulnerable,” said the Minister.
Just for the record, The Bahamas Department of
Meteorology tracked and reported regularly on Joaquin from the time it was a
tropical depression until it fizzled in the North Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, 3rd
October. NEMA released all 27 weather bulletins prepared by the Met Office to
all of its stakeholders.
PM Christie supports
postponing November convention
The
general consensus was that to host a political convention in the midst of
thousands of Bahamians struggling to come to grips of the tragedy wrought by hurricane
Joaquin as they worked feverishly to rebuild their lives, their communities and
their economies smacked of arrogance and insensitivity.
In
the end the Prime Minister (party leader) and the Labour Minister (convention
chairman) from the government side agreed and the party’s chairman agreed to
postpone the November national convention until around April 2016.
Prime
Minister Christie told the media
on Tuesday morning that for him “personally
the answer is yes” for postponing the convention even though as government
leader he was relying on the “good judgment” of the leaders of the party.
Mr.
Christie explained why he thought the convention should be postponed.
“During
the next several months in The Bahamas there must be extraordinary focus placed
on those islands and where some big decisions have to be made on those islands
with respect to infrastructure; whether or not people should continue to live
in particular areas if they (currently) live in those areas” said the Prime
Minister.
In
a press release the party concurred with the Prime Minister that this huge
national undertaking required the full attention and focus of the national
government at this time and a distraction such as a political convention must
take a secondary role.
“The party’s leadership has determined that the level of
devastation caused by hurricane Joaquin and the scope of the recovery, the
rebuilding and restoration efforts - especially of the physical infrastructure
- necessarily require the full attention and focus of the government at this
time.
“Bringing a measure of normalcy and comfort to the lives
of the residents of the southern Bahamas and assisting them with rebuilding
their lives and their communities are of paramount importance to the government
at this time.
“Politics must
necessarily and wisely take a secondary role to this critical national
undertaking” said chairman Roberts in a press statement
on Tuesday night.
Strachan leads
industry Dialogue 101
Continuing
her mandate to transform The Bahamas into a “state of the art arbitration
center,” Financial Services Minister the Hon. Hope Strachan welcomed two
industry experts, Professor Jan Paulsson and Attorney Clyde Lea
on Tuesday past
to the Ministry’s Dialogue 101 to discuss what arbitration means to the legal
profession.
The
Minister expressed her commitment to “ensuring that a strategic and
comprehensive capacity building programme is firmly entrenched in the National
Development Plan for The Bahamas International Arbitration Centre.”
Further, Strachan announced that her ministry has
invited the Principal Legal Officer of the United Nations Commission on
International Trade Law to conduct a lecture and technical workshop on the
impact of the Model Law and the development of The Bahamas International
Arbitration Centre. This workshop is scheduled for
13th &
14th November.
Another important step The Bahamas has taken in
establishing this jurisdiction as an international center for arbitration was
the 1st October, 2015 meeting between Bahamas Foreign Minister, the Hon. Fred
Mitchell, Mrs. Bertha Cooper-Rousseau and the Secretary General of the
Permanent Court of Arbitration, H.E. Hugo Sibliesz. The trio discussed The
Bahamas becoming a State Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Minister Strachan advised luncheon delegates that the
country was in the “advanced stages of satisfying the necessary procedural
steps for The Bahamas to become a Member State of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration.”
This membership, said the Minister, “would be an honour
for The Bahamas and would significantly boost its profile within the
international arbitral community.”
Halkitis: Joaquin
threw “monkey wrench” in government’s recovery plans
The
Bahamas chapter of the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants
played host to that body’s 2015 regional convention which officially opened at
the Melia Resort on Wednesday, 14th October.
Delivering the keynote address was State Minister for
Finance the Hon. Michael Halkitis. Commenting on the impact of Hurricane Joaquin
on the country’s public finances, Halkitis bluntly said that Joaquin threw a “monkey
wrench” in the governments recovery plans for 2015 and projected reprioritized
budget allocations, especially in respect of the government’s infrastructural
planning.
“We have to also consider for example, if there was a
coastal road, now is this the time that we commit to move that infrastructure further
inland to be able to withstand future storms.
“We will have to put a cost to it, put a timetable (to
it), and then we look at how we’re going to finance it.”
The State Minister foreshadowed some fiscal reprioritizing
from less critical areas to fund the critical rebuilding efforts in the
southern Bahamas resulting in some “movement within the current budget
structure.”
In Passing…
Peter
Deveaux-Isaacs has been recently appointed Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet
Office with responsibility for coordinating the implementation of National
Health Insurance. The Prime Minister feels that his training in diplomacy
positions him as an excellent mediator in negotiations that have sometimes
become challenging between consultants and key stakeholders. Mr. Deveaux-Isaacs
was educated at Saint Augustine’s College, Iowa State University and Holborn
College. He was also a Teaching and Research Assistant at Iowa State
University. He has received extensive training in Diplomacy and National and International
Security matters in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Chile, Mexico,
Japan, Canada and Argentina, Brazil and the Caribbean.
The Bahamas was
elected Chair of the Committee of the Capital Fund for the OAS Scholarship and
Training Programs during a meeting at the OAS on Wednesday, October 14, 2015.
Our representative will be in the person of His Excellency Dr. Elliston
Rahming, Ambassador to the United Nations and the Organization of American
States (OAS).The Bahamas' nomination was moved by Ecuador and seconded by the
United States. The Committee is tasked with managing, investing, mobilizing
resources for and identifying potential uses for the Capital Fund for the OAS
Scholarship and Training Programs. The use of the Fund is confined to assisting
Member States with their domestic developmental goals in human resource
development. The priority areas were established by the Strategic Plan for
Partnership for Development of the Inter-American Council for Integral
Development (CIDI) in response to the Summits of the Americas and the General
Assembly of the Organization.
The donations for Hurricane relief continued this week with
a group of webshop proprietors donating $250,000 to the relief efforts; Sebas
Sebastian also donated several trailer homes. The Ministry of Tourism teamed up
with Eastern Airlines to donate over 30,000 lbs of supplies; the Ministry of
Agriculture donated supplies to NEMA; the Colina group of companies joined in
the effort with $100,000 in goods and cash and the Progressive Liberal Party
donated $50,000 to the cause.
Former
PLP Senator and Greek immigrant Alexander P. Mailis was eulogized at the Greek
Orthodox Church on West Street and later laid to rest on Monday, 12th
October at the family’s farm near Adelaide beach. Prime Minister Christie paid
tribute to Mr. Mailis. He was 99 years old.
As
Grand Bahama continues its economic resurgence, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
has launched yet again another advertising campaign highlighting the ecological
riches, natural wonders, exhilarating adventures and vibrant culture that make
life grand on Grand Bahama Island. It is the multilingual “LIFE IS GRAND”
campaign.
Prime Minister Christie delivered the commencement
address
on Friday to the latest graduates of the LJM Maritime Academy.
The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs & Immigration advised of the relocation of its Consular
Division on Friday, 16th October. To facilitate this, the Division will
be closed temporarily from the 19th – 20th October 2015.
It reopens on 21st October 2015 at Charlotte House, on Shirley
Street. Its telephone number,
397-9300,
remains unchanged.
Prime Minister
Christie committed to “organized” rebuilding process
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie
addressed a myriad on issues at his
Wednesday press conference at his Cable
Beach office and in so doing declared that The Bahamas Government has made a
commitment to reconstruct, to rebuild and to establish an organized process to
do so, in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Joaquin.
Below are excerpts from Mr. Christie on a number of related
issues.
Post
Hurricane construction and building team:
In announcing the appointment of former Director of Works Ms.
Melanie Roach as the head of the reconstruction and building team, Prime
Minister Christie said that “The Bahamas has a very dynamic capital development
budget that the Ministry of Works and their officials must continue to
implement in our country; so we thought we have to bring specific focus to the
combined efforts of the private and public sectors, and that Ms. Roach will
lead that charge, supported by engineering teams from the Ministry of Works,
from the Ministry of Housing, (and) from the private sector.”
Post
Hurricane rebuilding cost:
"We have not yet quantified the cost of the damages or the
cost of repairs; but I can tell you that when I looked at some of the figures,
we were over $60 million dollars and we were still having assessments come
in," Prime Minister Christie said.
Borrowing
to fund rebuilding and construction:
"I have already asked the Ministry of Finance to review the
opportunities for borrowing money from the Caribbean Development Bank, from
concessional financing made available by the Chinese to the region, and other
traditional sources because the country cannot wait; and that even if we were
to have the most successful fundraising campaign, these initial requirements
must be met by the government."
This is a particularly smart policy decision by a savvy and astute
leader because the aggregate interest rates on the current national debt are
significantly higher than the interest rates on loans sourced through the
Chinese government would attract. Borrowing through the Caribbean Development
under the China infrastructure development program will save The Bahamas tens
of millions of dollars long term. Some have suggested the use of VAT revenue to
fund the reconstruction in the southern islands. This is an ill-advised policy
proposal as The Bahamas will be better served if the government continues to draw
down on loans that attract higher interest rates.
Public
subventions to impacted businesses and families:
Prime Minster Christie pointed out that assessments will also be
made as to whom the Government would build homes for during this process.
"There are others we will help partially and there are others
who will just do it on their own; so the question is being able to make the
best assessments and to be able to move ahead with a programme that is very
broad. Obviously, we are going to have to raise monies and there are situations
that I have seen this time that causes me to believe that we even have to help
some people who are in business."
During the briefing, several government agencies and utilities
presented snapshots of their assessments so far.
Presentations were delivered by the Bahamas Telecommunications
Company (BTC), the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), the Water and
Sewerage Corporation (WSC) and the Ministry of Works (MOW).
Government
Immediate Relief Services:
The Prime Minister reported that the Department of Public Health
stated that Health Relief Assessment Teams were deployed to Acklins, Crooked
Island, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador, with a team of five doctors and
seven nurses being sent out as early as Sunday, October 4, 2015.
Government releases exigency
order
The
exigency order Prime Minister Christie announced in Parliament
on Wednesday of
last week was released this past weekend.
Effective
from the 3rd October and valid for ninety days, the order allows for
the duty and VAT free importation of building materials, plumbing fixtures and
materials, household furniture, appliances, generators and vehicles into
Acklins, Crooked Island, Cat Island, Long Cay, Mayaguana, Ragged Island, Exuma,
Inagua, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Long Island and Samana Cay. Imported items must
be certified by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Prime
Minister Christie said that the government would extend the order if necessary.
Additionally,
the government has waived landing fees and departure tax for non-commercial
flights bringing in hurricane relief goods and customs processing fees on
imports into the islands that are covered by the order.
Crooked
Island, Long Cay and Acklins were declared sufferance port areas for three
months; this means that dutiable goods are detained for a specified period of
time until the duty is paid.
Imports
by registered charitable organizations are also customs and VAT-exempt.
Government issues eight
conditional web shop gaming licenses
At
the close of business
on Thursday of this week, the Minister of Tourism, true
to his word, released the identities of the eight conditional license holders
for the operation of web shops. They are as follow:
FML
Group of Companies Ltd. (t/a FML Web Shop)
GLK
Limited (t/a A Sure Win)
Jarol
Investments Limited (t/a Chances Games)
Paradise
Games Bahamas Limited (t/a Paradise Games)
Playtech
Systems Limited (t/a Island Luck)
T.I.G.
Investments Limited (t/a Percy’s at The Island Game)
The Four
Point Group (t/a Asue Draw + Spin)
Bahama
Dreams Web Café Limited (t/a Bahama Dreams)
The statement said that on
October 19, 2015,
each applicant will be notified of an award or disqualification, as appropriate
pursuant to Section 85(22) of the Act. On
November 2, 2015 the Statement of
Condition review period ends and Gaming House Operator Conditional Licenses will
be issued by the Gaming Board under Section 32(5).
Upon issuance,
annual license and monitoring fees will be assessed as follows:
Operator: $250,000.00
Premises: $ 2,000.00 per Premises
Agent: $ 1,000.00
per Agent
The effective closure date for the
disqualified Applicant will be October 26th 2015.
This conditional issuance does not stop
there as the successful applicants must now complete a series of regulatory requirements
before receiving a plenary Gaming House Operator License.
Joint Provisional Liquidators (JPL’s) report on “all party talks”
The Joint Provisional
Liquidators (JPL’s) for the Baha Mar resort, Edmund Rahming of KryS Global and
Alastair Beveridge and Nick Cropper of AlixPartners, updated the public on the
progress made after two days of closed door meetings with all stakeholder
groups.
In
a press release on the 11th October, JPL's Alastair Beveridge said
the following:
"The talks this week are another
important step on the road to resolution. We would like to thank all parties
for their good faith participation in and constructive approach during the
meetings. Whilst there is still work to be done, it is clear that all involved
are focused on quickly reaching a viable solution to ensure that the Baha Mar
resort is able to open for business for the benefit of all stakeholders,
including the Bahamian people. We will continue to work with all stakeholders
as we explore the best route forward and will issue further updates as talks
continue".
The
JPLs chaired the all-party talks that involved Government representatives; the
financier, the Export-Import Bank of China; China Construction America Bahamas
Ltd. and parent company, China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd.; and
the resort's founder and Investor, Mr. Sarkis Izmirlian.
PM Christie promises
National Heroes Park and honours regulations
The
work of the committee responsible for National Heroes Day as a national holiday
continues. That committee was established in 1989 with the Hon. Fred Mitchell,
the Hon. Loretta Butler Turner and Canon Sebastian Campbell to formally honour
Sir Milo Butler.
So
having secured the second
Monday in October to honour Bahamian heroes, the
lobbying continues. At a ceremony held at the Botanical Gardens on Monday, 12th
October, the Committee chair, Canon Campbell, called for a heroes’ park, an official
honours system, afrocentric education and an official national dress.
Acting
Commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Tellis Bethel proposed the naming
of the body of water that delineates our territorial borders the Lucayan Sea in
honour of the original inhabitants of the Bahama chain of islands.
In
delivering his keynote address, Prime Minister Christie announced that by January
10th 2016, a heroes’ park would have been identified, complete with
a cemetery and the attendant regulations governing the country’s local honours
system would be legislated.
Minister Hanna-Martin
stands behind the Met Office
Following
any catastrophe there is usually enough blame to go around and Joaquin was no
different. Notwithstanding the relatively weighty evidence to the contrary, the
Bahamas Department of Meteorology was the target of unfair criticism and
baseless attacks in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin. Some accused the
department of failing to advise the public on the storm’s development in a
timely manner and a foreign hurricane center accused the department of having a
faulty Doppler radar system. All of those claims to date proved to be inaccurate
and the various critics are yet to provide one shred of evidence to support
their claims.
This
week the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin spoke, throwing
her full support and commendation behind her department in concurrence with the
observation of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
“Caribbean
Disaster Emergency Management Agency who were here recently in a briefing with
NEMA took the opportunity to commend the Department of Meteorology for the work
that they did and for the actions they took in giving out warnings when it was
not their advice to do so and observe that the meteorologists in the region
were watching this storm and out of that has come a commendation for the
department and so I want to throw my commendation to them for all the good work
they have done.”
The Minister also urged vigilance because of irregular
weather patterns due to climate change from global warming and in light of the
country’s vulnerability due to its location - within the hurricane zone.
“It (Joaquin) was described as drifting and wobbly and
the end result is that it tells us that being in a hurricane zone as we are, we
have to be extremely vigilant at all times even if it’s, you know, it looks
like something you can discount – it’s something that we have to ensure that we
keep our “P’s” and “Q’s” (about) because we are peculiarly
Vulnerable,” said the Minister.
Just for the record, The Bahamas Department of
Meteorology tracked and reported regularly on Joaquin from the time it was a
tropical depression until it fizzled in the North Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, 3rd
October. NEMA released all 27 weather bulletins prepared by the Met Office to
all of its stakeholders.
PM Christie supports
postponing November convention
The
general consensus was that to host a political convention in the midst of
thousands of Bahamians struggling to come to grips of the tragedy wrought by hurricane
Joaquin as they worked feverishly to rebuild their lives, their communities and
their economies smacked of arrogance and insensitivity.
In
the end the Prime Minister (party leader) and the Labour Minister (convention
chairman) from the government side agreed and the party’s chairman agreed to
postpone the November national convention until around April 2016.
Prime
Minister Christie told the media
on Tuesday morning that for him “personally
the answer is yes” for postponing the convention even though as government
leader he was relying on the “good judgment” of the leaders of the party.
Mr.
Christie explained why he thought the convention should be postponed.
“During
the next several months in The Bahamas there must be extraordinary focus placed
on those islands and where some big decisions have to be made on those islands
with respect to infrastructure; whether or not people should continue to live
in particular areas if they (currently) live in those areas” said the Prime
Minister.
In
a press release the party concurred with the Prime Minister that this huge
national undertaking required the full attention and focus of the national
government at this time and a distraction such as a political convention must
take a secondary role.
“The party’s leadership has determined that the level of
devastation caused by hurricane Joaquin and the scope of the recovery, the
rebuilding and restoration efforts - especially of the physical infrastructure
- necessarily require the full attention and focus of the government at this
time.
“Bringing a measure of normalcy and comfort to the lives
of the residents of the southern Bahamas and assisting them with rebuilding
their lives and their communities are of paramount importance to the government
at this time.
“Politics must
necessarily and wisely take a secondary role to this critical national
undertaking” said chairman Roberts in a press statement
on Tuesday night.
Strachan leads
industry Dialogue 101
Continuing
her mandate to transform The Bahamas into a “state of the art arbitration
center,” Financial Services Minister the Hon. Hope Strachan welcomed two
industry experts, Professor Jan Paulsson and Attorney Clyde Lea
on Tuesday past
to the Ministry’s Dialogue 101 to discuss what arbitration means to the legal
profession.
The
Minister expressed her commitment to “ensuring that a strategic and
comprehensive capacity building programme is firmly entrenched in the National
Development Plan for The Bahamas International Arbitration Centre.”
Further, Strachan announced that her ministry has
invited the Principal Legal Officer of the United Nations Commission on
International Trade Law to conduct a lecture and technical workshop on the
impact of the Model Law and the development of The Bahamas International
Arbitration Centre. This workshop is scheduled for
13th &
14th November.
Another important step The Bahamas has taken in
establishing this jurisdiction as an international center for arbitration was
the 1st October, 2015 meeting between Bahamas Foreign Minister, the Hon. Fred
Mitchell, Mrs. Bertha Cooper-Rousseau and the Secretary General of the
Permanent Court of Arbitration, H.E. Hugo Sibliesz. The trio discussed The
Bahamas becoming a State Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Minister Strachan advised luncheon delegates that the
country was in the “advanced stages of satisfying the necessary procedural
steps for The Bahamas to become a Member State of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration.”
This membership, said the Minister, “would be an honour
for The Bahamas and would significantly boost its profile within the
international arbitral community.”
Halkitis: Joaquin
threw “monkey wrench” in government’s recovery plans
The
Bahamas chapter of the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants
played host to that body’s 2015 regional convention which officially opened at
the Melia Resort on Wednesday, 14th October.
Delivering the keynote address was State Minister for
Finance the Hon. Michael Halkitis. Commenting on the impact of Hurricane Joaquin
on the country’s public finances, Halkitis bluntly said that Joaquin threw a “monkey
wrench” in the governments recovery plans for 2015 and projected reprioritized
budget allocations, especially in respect of the government’s infrastructural
planning.
“We have to also consider for example, if there was a
coastal road, now is this the time that we commit to move that infrastructure further
inland to be able to withstand future storms.
“We will have to put a cost to it, put a timetable (to
it), and then we look at how we’re going to finance it.”
The State Minister foreshadowed some fiscal reprioritizing
from less critical areas to fund the critical rebuilding efforts in the
southern Bahamas resulting in some “movement within the current budget
structure.”
In Passing…
Peter
Deveaux-Isaacs has been recently appointed Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet
Office with responsibility for coordinating the implementation of National
Health Insurance. The Prime Minister feels that his training in diplomacy
positions him as an excellent mediator in negotiations that have sometimes
become challenging between consultants and key stakeholders. Mr. Deveaux-Isaacs
was educated at Saint Augustine’s College, Iowa State University and Holborn
College. He was also a Teaching and Research Assistant at Iowa State
University. He has received extensive training in Diplomacy and National and International
Security matters in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Chile, Mexico,
Japan, Canada and Argentina, Brazil and the Caribbean.
The Bahamas was elected Chair of the Committee of the Capital Fund for the OAS Scholarship and Training Programs during a meeting at the OAS on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. Our representative will be in the person of His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming, Ambassador to the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS).The Bahamas' nomination was moved by Ecuador and seconded by the United States. The Committee is tasked with managing, investing, mobilizing resources for and identifying potential uses for the Capital Fund for the OAS Scholarship and Training Programs. The use of the Fund is confined to assisting Member States with their domestic developmental goals in human resource development. The priority areas were established by the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) in response to the Summits of the Americas and the General Assembly of the Organization.
The donations for Hurricane relief continued this week with
a group of webshop proprietors donating $250,000 to the relief efforts; Sebas
Sebastian also donated several trailer homes. The Ministry of Tourism teamed up
with Eastern Airlines to donate over 30,000 lbs of supplies; the Ministry of
Agriculture donated supplies to NEMA; the Colina group of companies joined in
the effort with $100,000 in goods and cash and the Progressive Liberal Party
donated $50,000 to the cause.
Former
PLP Senator and Greek immigrant Alexander P. Mailis was eulogized at the Greek
Orthodox Church on West Street and later laid to rest on Monday, 12th
October at the family’s farm near Adelaide beach. Prime Minister Christie paid
tribute to Mr. Mailis. He was 99 years old.
As
Grand Bahama continues its economic resurgence, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
has launched yet again another advertising campaign highlighting the ecological
riches, natural wonders, exhilarating adventures and vibrant culture that make
life grand on Grand Bahama Island. It is the multilingual “LIFE IS GRAND”
campaign.
Prime Minister Christie delivered the commencement
address
on Friday to the latest graduates of the LJM Maritime Academy.
The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs & Immigration advised of the relocation of its Consular
Division on Friday, 16th October. To facilitate this, the Division will
be closed temporarily from the 19th – 20th October 2015.
It reopens on 21st October 2015 at Charlotte House, on Shirley
Street. Its telephone number,
397-9300,
remains unchanged.
Prime Minister
Christie committed to “organized” rebuilding process
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie
addressed a myriad on issues at his
Wednesday press conference at his Cable
Beach office and in so doing declared that The Bahamas Government has made a
commitment to reconstruct, to rebuild and to establish an organized process to
do so, in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Joaquin.
Below are excerpts from Mr. Christie on a number of related
issues.
Post
Hurricane construction and building team:
In announcing the appointment of former Director of Works Ms.
Melanie Roach as the head of the reconstruction and building team, Prime
Minister Christie said that “The Bahamas has a very dynamic capital development
budget that the Ministry of Works and their officials must continue to
implement in our country; so we thought we have to bring specific focus to the
combined efforts of the private and public sectors, and that Ms. Roach will
lead that charge, supported by engineering teams from the Ministry of Works,
from the Ministry of Housing, (and) from the private sector.”
Post
Hurricane rebuilding cost:
"We have not yet quantified the cost of the damages or the
cost of repairs; but I can tell you that when I looked at some of the figures,
we were over $60 million dollars and we were still having assessments come
in," Prime Minister Christie said.
Borrowing
to fund rebuilding and construction:
"I have already asked the Ministry of Finance to review the
opportunities for borrowing money from the Caribbean Development Bank, from
concessional financing made available by the Chinese to the region, and other
traditional sources because the country cannot wait; and that even if we were
to have the most successful fundraising campaign, these initial requirements
must be met by the government."
This is a particularly smart policy decision by a savvy and astute
leader because the aggregate interest rates on the current national debt are
significantly higher than the interest rates on loans sourced through the
Chinese government would attract. Borrowing through the Caribbean Development
under the China infrastructure development program will save The Bahamas tens
of millions of dollars long term. Some have suggested the use of VAT revenue to
fund the reconstruction in the southern islands. This is an ill-advised policy
proposal as The Bahamas will be better served if the government continues to draw
down on loans that attract higher interest rates.
Public
subventions to impacted businesses and families:
Prime Minster Christie pointed out that assessments will also be
made as to whom the Government would build homes for during this process.
"There are others we will help partially and there are others
who will just do it on their own; so the question is being able to make the
best assessments and to be able to move ahead with a programme that is very
broad. Obviously, we are going to have to raise monies and there are situations
that I have seen this time that causes me to believe that we even have to help
some people who are in business."
During the briefing, several government agencies and utilities
presented snapshots of their assessments so far.
Presentations were delivered by the Bahamas Telecommunications
Company (BTC), the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), the Water and
Sewerage Corporation (WSC) and the Ministry of Works (MOW).
Government
Immediate Relief Services:
The Prime Minister reported that the Department of Public Health
stated that Health Relief Assessment Teams were deployed to Acklins, Crooked
Island, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador, with a team of five doctors and
seven nurses being sent out as early as Sunday, October 4, 2015.
Government releases exigency
order
The
exigency order Prime Minister Christie announced in Parliament
on Wednesday of
last week was released this past weekend.
Effective
from the 3rd October and valid for ninety days, the order allows for
the duty and VAT free importation of building materials, plumbing fixtures and
materials, household furniture, appliances, generators and vehicles into
Acklins, Crooked Island, Cat Island, Long Cay, Mayaguana, Ragged Island, Exuma,
Inagua, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Long Island and Samana Cay. Imported items must
be certified by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Prime
Minister Christie said that the government would extend the order if necessary.
Additionally,
the government has waived landing fees and departure tax for non-commercial
flights bringing in hurricane relief goods and customs processing fees on
imports into the islands that are covered by the order.
Crooked
Island, Long Cay and Acklins were declared sufferance port areas for three
months; this means that dutiable goods are detained for a specified period of
time until the duty is paid.
Imports
by registered charitable organizations are also customs and VAT-exempt.
Government issues eight
conditional web shop gaming licenses
At
the close of business
on Thursday of this week, the Minister of Tourism, true
to his word, released the identities of the eight conditional license holders
for the operation of web shops. They are as follow:
FML
Group of Companies Ltd. (t/a FML Web Shop)
GLK
Limited (t/a A Sure Win)
Jarol
Investments Limited (t/a Chances Games)
Paradise
Games Bahamas Limited (t/a Paradise Games)
Playtech
Systems Limited (t/a Island Luck)
T.I.G.
Investments Limited (t/a Percy’s at The Island Game)
The Four
Point Group (t/a Asue Draw + Spin)
Bahama
Dreams Web Café Limited (t/a Bahama Dreams)
The statement said that on
October 19, 2015,
each applicant will be notified of an award or disqualification, as appropriate
pursuant to Section 85(22) of the Act. On
November 2, 2015 the Statement of
Condition review period ends and Gaming House Operator Conditional Licenses will
be issued by the Gaming Board under Section 32(5).
Upon issuance,
annual license and monitoring fees will be assessed as follows:
Operator: $250,000.00
Premises: $ 2,000.00 per Premises
Agent: $ 1,000.00
per Agent
The effective closure date for the
disqualified Applicant will be October 26th 2015.
This conditional issuance does not stop
there as the successful applicants must now complete a series of regulatory requirements
before receiving a plenary Gaming House Operator License.
Joint Provisional Liquidators (JPL’s) report on “all party talks”
The Joint Provisional
Liquidators (JPL’s) for the Baha Mar resort, Edmund Rahming of KryS Global and
Alastair Beveridge and Nick Cropper of AlixPartners, updated the public on the
progress made after two days of closed door meetings with all stakeholder
groups.
In
a press release on the 11th October, JPL's Alastair Beveridge said
the following:
"The talks this week are another
important step on the road to resolution. We would like to thank all parties
for their good faith participation in and constructive approach during the
meetings. Whilst there is still work to be done, it is clear that all involved
are focused on quickly reaching a viable solution to ensure that the Baha Mar
resort is able to open for business for the benefit of all stakeholders,
including the Bahamian people. We will continue to work with all stakeholders
as we explore the best route forward and will issue further updates as talks
continue".
The
JPLs chaired the all-party talks that involved Government representatives; the
financier, the Export-Import Bank of China; China Construction America Bahamas
Ltd. and parent company, China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd.; and
the resort's founder and Investor, Mr. Sarkis Izmirlian.
PM Christie promises
National Heroes Park and honours regulations
The
work of the committee responsible for National Heroes Day as a national holiday
continues. That committee was established in 1989 with the Hon. Fred Mitchell,
the Hon. Loretta Butler Turner and Canon Sebastian Campbell to formally honour
Sir Milo Butler.
So
having secured the second
Monday in October to honour Bahamian heroes, the
lobbying continues. At a ceremony held at the Botanical Gardens on Monday, 12th
October, the Committee chair, Canon Campbell, called for a heroes’ park, an official
honours system, afrocentric education and an official national dress.
Acting
Commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Tellis Bethel proposed the naming
of the body of water that delineates our territorial borders the Lucayan Sea in
honour of the original inhabitants of the Bahama chain of islands.
In
delivering his keynote address, Prime Minister Christie announced that by January
10th 2016, a heroes’ park would have been identified, complete with
a cemetery and the attendant regulations governing the country’s local honours
system would be legislated.
Minister Hanna-Martin
stands behind the Met Office
Following
any catastrophe there is usually enough blame to go around and Joaquin was no
different. Notwithstanding the relatively weighty evidence to the contrary, the
Bahamas Department of Meteorology was the target of unfair criticism and
baseless attacks in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin. Some accused the
department of failing to advise the public on the storm’s development in a
timely manner and a foreign hurricane center accused the department of having a
faulty Doppler radar system. All of those claims to date proved to be inaccurate
and the various critics are yet to provide one shred of evidence to support
their claims.
This
week the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin spoke, throwing
her full support and commendation behind her department in concurrence with the
observation of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
“Caribbean
Disaster Emergency Management Agency who were here recently in a briefing with
NEMA took the opportunity to commend the Department of Meteorology for the work
that they did and for the actions they took in giving out warnings when it was
not their advice to do so and observe that the meteorologists in the region
were watching this storm and out of that has come a commendation for the
department and so I want to throw my commendation to them for all the good work
they have done.”
The Minister also urged vigilance because of irregular
weather patterns due to climate change from global warming and in light of the
country’s vulnerability due to its location - within the hurricane zone.
“It (Joaquin) was described as drifting and wobbly and
the end result is that it tells us that being in a hurricane zone as we are, we
have to be extremely vigilant at all times even if it’s, you know, it looks
like something you can discount – it’s something that we have to ensure that we
keep our “P’s” and “Q’s” (about) because we are peculiarly
Vulnerable,” said the Minister.
Just for the record, The Bahamas Department of
Meteorology tracked and reported regularly on Joaquin from the time it was a
tropical depression until it fizzled in the North Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, 3rd
October. NEMA released all 27 weather bulletins prepared by the Met Office to
all of its stakeholders.
PM Christie supports
postponing November convention
The
general consensus was that to host a political convention in the midst of
thousands of Bahamians struggling to come to grips of the tragedy wrought by hurricane
Joaquin as they worked feverishly to rebuild their lives, their communities and
their economies smacked of arrogance and insensitivity.
In
the end the Prime Minister (party leader) and the Labour Minister (convention
chairman) from the government side agreed and the party’s chairman agreed to
postpone the November national convention until around April 2016.
Prime
Minister Christie told the media
on Tuesday morning that for him “personally
the answer is yes” for postponing the convention even though as government
leader he was relying on the “good judgment” of the leaders of the party.
Mr.
Christie explained why he thought the convention should be postponed.
“During
the next several months in The Bahamas there must be extraordinary focus placed
on those islands and where some big decisions have to be made on those islands
with respect to infrastructure; whether or not people should continue to live
in particular areas if they (currently) live in those areas” said the Prime
Minister.
In
a press release the party concurred with the Prime Minister that this huge
national undertaking required the full attention and focus of the national
government at this time and a distraction such as a political convention must
take a secondary role.
“The party’s leadership has determined that the level of
devastation caused by hurricane Joaquin and the scope of the recovery, the
rebuilding and restoration efforts - especially of the physical infrastructure
- necessarily require the full attention and focus of the government at this
time.
“Bringing a measure of normalcy and comfort to the lives
of the residents of the southern Bahamas and assisting them with rebuilding
their lives and their communities are of paramount importance to the government
at this time.
“Politics must
necessarily and wisely take a secondary role to this critical national
undertaking” said chairman Roberts in a press statement
on Tuesday night.
Strachan leads
industry Dialogue 101
Continuing
her mandate to transform The Bahamas into a “state of the art arbitration
center,” Financial Services Minister the Hon. Hope Strachan welcomed two
industry experts, Professor Jan Paulsson and Attorney Clyde Lea
on Tuesday past
to the Ministry’s Dialogue 101 to discuss what arbitration means to the legal
profession.
The
Minister expressed her commitment to “ensuring that a strategic and
comprehensive capacity building programme is firmly entrenched in the National
Development Plan for The Bahamas International Arbitration Centre.”
Further, Strachan announced that her ministry has
invited the Principal Legal Officer of the United Nations Commission on
International Trade Law to conduct a lecture and technical workshop on the
impact of the Model Law and the development of The Bahamas International
Arbitration Centre. This workshop is scheduled for
13th &
14th November.
Another important step The Bahamas has taken in
establishing this jurisdiction as an international center for arbitration was
the 1st October, 2015 meeting between Bahamas Foreign Minister, the Hon. Fred
Mitchell, Mrs. Bertha Cooper-Rousseau and the Secretary General of the
Permanent Court of Arbitration, H.E. Hugo Sibliesz. The trio discussed The
Bahamas becoming a State Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Minister Strachan advised luncheon delegates that the
country was in the “advanced stages of satisfying the necessary procedural
steps for The Bahamas to become a Member State of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration.”
This membership, said the Minister, “would be an honour
for The Bahamas and would significantly boost its profile within the
international arbitral community.”
Halkitis: Joaquin
threw “monkey wrench” in government’s recovery plans
The
Bahamas chapter of the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants
played host to that body’s 2015 regional convention which officially opened at
the Melia Resort on Wednesday, 14th October.
Delivering the keynote address was State Minister for
Finance the Hon. Michael Halkitis. Commenting on the impact of Hurricane Joaquin
on the country’s public finances, Halkitis bluntly said that Joaquin threw a “monkey
wrench” in the governments recovery plans for 2015 and projected reprioritized
budget allocations, especially in respect of the government’s infrastructural
planning.
“We have to also consider for example, if there was a
coastal road, now is this the time that we commit to move that infrastructure further
inland to be able to withstand future storms.
“We will have to put a cost to it, put a timetable (to
it), and then we look at how we’re going to finance it.”
The State Minister foreshadowed some fiscal reprioritizing
from less critical areas to fund the critical rebuilding efforts in the
southern Bahamas resulting in some “movement within the current budget
structure.”
In Passing…
Peter
Deveaux-Isaacs has been recently appointed Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet
Office with responsibility for coordinating the implementation of National
Health Insurance. The Prime Minister feels that his training in diplomacy
positions him as an excellent mediator in negotiations that have sometimes
become challenging between consultants and key stakeholders. Mr. Deveaux-Isaacs
was educated at Saint Augustine’s College, Iowa State University and Holborn
College. He was also a Teaching and Research Assistant at Iowa State
University. He has received extensive training in Diplomacy and National and International
Security matters in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Chile, Mexico,
Japan, Canada and Argentina, Brazil and the Caribbean.
The Bahamas was
elected Chair of the Committee of the Capital Fund for the OAS Scholarship and
Training Programs during a meeting at the OAS on Wednesday, October 14, 2015.
Our representative will be in the person of His Excellency Dr. Elliston
Rahming, Ambassador to the United Nations and the Organization of American
States (OAS).The Bahamas' nomination was moved by Ecuador and seconded by the
United States. The Committee is tasked with managing, investing, mobilizing
resources for and identifying potential uses for the Capital Fund for the OAS
Scholarship and Training Programs. The use of the Fund is confined to assisting
Member States with their domestic developmental goals in human resource
development. The priority areas were established by the Strategic Plan for
Partnership for Development of the Inter-American Council for Integral
Development (CIDI) in response to the Summits of the Americas and the General
Assembly of the Organization.
The donations for Hurricane relief continued this week with
a group of webshop proprietors donating $250,000 to the relief efforts; Sebas
Sebastian also donated several trailer homes. The Ministry of Tourism teamed up
with Eastern Airlines to donate over 30,000 lbs of supplies; the Ministry of
Agriculture donated supplies to NEMA; the Colina group of companies joined in
the effort with $100,000 in goods and cash and the Progressive Liberal Party
donated $50,000 to the cause.
Former
PLP Senator and Greek immigrant Alexander P. Mailis was eulogized at the Greek
Orthodox Church on West Street and later laid to rest on Monday, 12th
October at the family’s farm near Adelaide beach. Prime Minister Christie paid
tribute to Mr. Mailis. He was 99 years old.
As
Grand Bahama continues its economic resurgence, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
has launched yet again another advertising campaign highlighting the ecological
riches, natural wonders, exhilarating adventures and vibrant culture that make
life grand on Grand Bahama Island. It is the multilingual “LIFE IS GRAND”
campaign.
Prime Minister Christie delivered the commencement
address
on Friday to the latest graduates of the LJM Maritime Academy.
The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs & Immigration advised of the relocation of its Consular
Division on Friday, 16th October. To facilitate this, the Division will
be closed temporarily from the 19th – 20th October 2015.
It reopens on 21st October 2015 at Charlotte House, on Shirley
Street. Its telephone number,
397-9300,
remains unchanged.
About the author: Elcott Coleby is a Deputy Director at the
Bahamas Information Services. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in
Chemistry (B.Sc) and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). He provides
frequent commentary on public policy and communicates the works of the
government. Address all comments to the following email:
egcoleby44@gmail.com