Fred Mitchell on Saving CARICOM

Saving CARICOM, pt. 3

• This commentary is taken from a lecture given by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell on February 6 at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago. Mitchell’s address was on “Saving CARICOM”.

There were times when the project appeared to be imperiled. It seems to me that most people will say that this was the case during the seven years when the heads of government did not meet. It is interesting reading the 1982 speeches, the first of the conference meetings after a break of seven years. By that time, Eric Williams had passed away and while some of the founders of the project were there, there was a new world order.

By the time the conference took place in 1982 in Ocho Rios, Edward Seaga had become prime minister of Jamaica, with Ronald Reagan in the White House in Washington. Mr. Seaga was embraced by the new U.S. administration as a sign that a more conservative era had returned to the Caribbean after the work in democratic socialism under Michael Manley.

It is not clear why the conference had not met during those seven years. I sought to find the reasons. The best I could discover was that a row broke out amongst the leaders over some issue and they simply refused to attend.

It was left to the ministers in council to carry on the work and in 1982 the leaders met in Ocho Rios in Jamaica and conferences have met ever since then.

The Bahamas joined CARICOM on July 4, 1983. We had become independent on July 10, 1973. I am not certain why it took us 10 years to join, since we had been participating in the work of many of the institutions of the project from the 1950s. The main one being the University of the West Indies and then the Council of Legal Education and the Medical Council.

Several generations of Bahamians have been trained at the university, in the law school and in the medical school. Our first student was Dr. Cecil Bethel who enrolled in the medical school in 1952.

In 1983, I was then working as a special assistant out of the Bahamas Information Services in the prime minister’s office. I recall two things about CARICOM at that time. The death of Maurice Bishop, the prime minister of Grenada took place on October 20, 1983. The question was whether or not The Bahamas and other CARICOM leaders would support the decision of the United States to invade Grenada to restore constitutional order. According to a recollection by former Guyana Foreign Minister Rashleigh Jackson on guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com “... The Bahamas, Guyana, Belize and Trinidad and Tobago were against any military action, whereas Barbados and Jamaica were clearly in favor of the OECS countries issuing an invitation to the United States of America to join with them in an invasion of Grenada... ”

I am happy to have included that story because I have travelling with me two researchers and aides from the ministry in Nassau: Joy Newbold and Jamahl Strachan. Ms. Newbold was born in the year the coup took place in Grenada in 1979. Mr. Strachan was born in 1988 well after both the coup and the invasion had taken place. The idea that there had been a coup in a CARICOM country had been news to them and with this inclusion they were enlightened about the story. It led to a full discussion with the secretary general again on the need for a definitive narrative on how we have come to where we are.

That disagreement over Grenada did not break up CARICOM. In fact at the heads of government meeting in The Bahamas from July 4 to July 7, 1984, Nicholas Brathwaite, chairman of the Interim Advisory Council, Grenada was accepted into the conference as the legitimate representative of the Grenadian people and the representative of Jamaica Edward Seaga was also there at the CARICOM table.

The conference continues to meet, often in a most passionate form.

The second thing that I remember from that time with Sir Lynden was that a decision was made on the question of putting the Tourism School for the University of the West Indies in Nassau. He said that he had made it plain to his colleagues that since The Bahamas was then the leader of tourism in the region that was the best place to put the school and they agreed.

That was my introduction to CARICOM.

In 1979, as the director of news and public affairs for our Broadcasting Corporation, I got to meet for the first time one Percival James Patterson, otherwise known as P.J. He was then foreign minister for Jamaica in and around the time of the coup against Maurice Bishop in 1979. As fate would have it, I became minister of foreign affairs of The Bahamas in 2002 and ended up working closely with Mr. Patterson on perhaps the most contentious issue of our era: that of Haiti and the overthrow of Jean Bertrand Aristide as president of Haiti about which I shall have more to say later.

I turn now to a document that was adopted by the heads of government in 1997 which loomed very large when I became minister in 2002 but seems now to have lapsed into obscurity; but you will see why I am arguing now that it should become more central to what CARICOM is and should be revisited and updated. It is called the Charter Of Civil Society. It was adopted in 1997 and while it is not justiciable, or so it appears, in that it is not community law in so far as I am aware, the document says the following at XXVI: “The states declare their resolve to pay due regard to the provisions of this charter.”

As lawyers often say, at the very least then this charter is binding in honor. It forms the basis of a descriptive and normative set of values to which we all adhere and aspire and if any country does not agree with those values, then ipso facto they cannot be a member of CARICOM. Thus those who argue in favor of Cuba becoming a CARICOM member without changes in the conduct of the internal arrangements at governance in Cuba may have an uphill battle.

Certainly for The Bahamas, it was the pretext for us to implement consultations in our country through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with civil society. That practice fell into disuse when the PLP lost office in 2007 and we have been seeking to revive it. Article XXV calls for reports to be sent to the secretary general periodically. There are supposed to be national committees reviewing the implementation of the charter.

I believe that it is time to put the words of this charter into action. I believe that while the CARICOM Single Market And Economy (CSME) is a valuable and valued project and aspiration, you will find that the emphasis on that aspect of our relations and the difficulties of harmonizing economies and market space have caused some of the negativity which we now see toward CARICOM. When you look at the successes of this region and the functional cooperation that has been engendered, the work of the specialized agencies, you will see that CARICOM has been a roaring success. It is time, therefore, to look to human rights issues.

Nothing is more contentious than this issue in our politics that I now raise, given the religious aversion and visceral reactions to discussion of LGBT issues in our region. Some people see it as striking at the very heart and fabric of our cultural identity. The Bahamas is not an exception to that aversion with many people seeing the discussion as a moral and religious one and not a human rights one. My own political career suffers because of my insistence that in this regard like all other aspects of human life, there must be tolerance at a minimum and we must uphold the principle that the general rights for which we fought as being rights for all people, particularly as a formerly enslaved and indentured people, cannot be derogated from because of someone’s sexual orientation. In other words, when the charter in article III says: “States shall, in the discharge of their legislative, executive administrative and judicial functions ensure respect for and protection of the human dignity of every person.” That in my view means literally every person and not just confined to what article V says: “No person shall be favored or discriminated against by reason of age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, language, place of birth or origin, political opinion, race, religion or social class.”

The charter is a 1997 document so orientation was not included and perhaps even in today’s atmosphere cannot be included, but the conversation has begun and the pressure from other societies with whom we deal is upon us to consider what our stand is on the rights of all people. Do we as a society for example condone violence against people simply because of their sexual orientation? The answer to that must be no. And if the answer is not no to that then the charter is not worth the paper it is written on.

The prime minister of Barbados, Freundel Stuart, and Dr. Denzil Douglas, [prime minister] of St. Christopher and Nevis, have begun public discussions of these issues in their societies. The prime minister of Barbados even challenged the Anglican Church on the subject at their provincial synod. That was right and just. The Bahamas has decriminalized behavior associated with sexual orientation.

We have available in aid and comfort to any change to amplify the discrimination provision in the charter the constitution of South Africa which admits to orientation as one of the named classes for which there can be no discrimination. There are profound changes throughout the United States and Europe, our main trading and cultural partners on this issue. It would be unwise to ignore it.

I often find that in drafting solutions to contentious problems that one solution is a generic one. One solution is that the charter can become justiciable with enforceable rights across the community. Less coercively, it can be open to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final arbiter of community law to adjudicate upon the charter and declare the rights of individuals for any aggrieved individual seeking an opinion from the court declaring his rights and the wording of the provision at article V can be reworded to read: “No person shall be favored or discriminated against by reason of including but not limited to the following: age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, language, place of birth, origin, political opinion, race, religion, social class or some other characteristic which in the opinion of the court deserves special protection.”

Of course the short way to deal with this is simply to add orientation as one of the listed characteristics. I have no remit to pronounce on that, however, and I do not do so.

What is important is that our leaders have already begun the conversation and that conversation should continue. That conversation should be underpinned with the principles of tolerance and the protection of the law for another disadvantaged group.

Less contentiously I suspect will be the question of the extent to which the principle of non-interference in the affairs of another CARICOM state still applies given what happened in Grenada in 1979 and again in 1983. When a state disintegrates and is under threat because of natural disasters that is an easy question to answer, but not so easy when one faces the question of civil disorder over political and civic issues.

The experience of Grenada and the restoration of democracy there has perhaps set the precedent that a governor general or president, acting in his own deliberate judgment, can call for outside assistance, even military or policing assistance.

Perhaps the charter ought to be amended to make clear what the position of member states will be when the human rights of individuals in a member state are so violated that it begs the question of outside interference. This is dangerous ground I admit, one on which we tread carefully.

• Fred Mitchell is the member of Parliament for Fox Hill and minister of foreign affairs and immigration.

March 07, 2014

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 1

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 2

- Saving CARICOM pt.4

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 5

thenassauguardian

Fred Mitchell discusses CARICOM’s survival

Saving CARICOM, pt. 2

• This commentary is taken from a lecture given by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell on February 6 at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago. Mitchell’s address was on “Saving CARICOM”.

Stay with me for a minute here.

We in the Progressive Liberal Party returned to power in The Bahamas in 2002. We had lost to the Free National Movement 10 years earlier in 1992 which ushered in a more conservative and laissez faire attitude toward governance.

The leader of our party Lynden Pindling, who had founded the modern Bahamian state, was thrown out of office unceremoniously in 1992 after 25 years, and within eight years was dead of prostate cancer. When we came back in 2002, the CARICOM leadership of Manley, Burnham, Williams, Barrow had all passed on and we met a new order.

The new order was Kenny Anthony, P.J. Patterson, Jean Bertrand Aristide, Ralph Gonsalves, Patrick Manning, Owen Arthur, all a new generation of CARICOM leaders, all forged in the crucible of the region’s premier institution, the University of the West Indies, with the exception of Mr. Aristide.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister P.J. Patterson explained that Haiti had no other natural allies than we in CARICOM in the sub-region and he believed that it was necessary that they not stand alone and he persuaded them to join us.

Amongst these new leaders was a commitment to the CARICOM project. Even when there were strong disagreements around the table you got the feeling that no one would leave. There were some strong disagreements as in the meeting in St. Lucia in 2005 when P.J. Patterson sought to bring the leaders of the opposition together with the prime ministers in order to forge a consensus on the Caribbean Court of Justice. The meeting got off to a rocky start when one of the leaders of the opposition said he would not sit next to that prime minister because that prime minister was trying to put him in jail.

We stayed in office until 2007 when we lost to Hubert Ingraham, the leader of the opposition and once prime minister again. It surprised everyone in the region including us.

However, we might have seen it coming, for a trend against incumbents had started to develop: St. Lucia had elections in December 2006 and Kenny Anthony lost, then we lost in Nassau in May 2007. Then there was a loss by Portia Simpson Miller in Jamaica in September 2007, and then by Owen Arthur in Barbados in January 2008. Said Musa lost on February 7, 2008 in Belize and then a loss by Keith Mitchell in Grenada on July 8, 2008.

Patrick Manning, the then prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, speaking at a political rally in Port of Spain reminded his party how up to that time he had bucked the trend. Here is how the press reported the statement by the then prime minister on Sunday, July 13, 2008: “Prime Minister Patrick Manning said yesterday that his controversial actions in the selection of candidates in the last general election were vindicated by the results of the elections across the Caribbean.

“Addressing the PNM’s 42nd Annual Convention, Manning noted that many people questioned the strategy he employed in the selection of candidates, which saw many senior MPs and Cabinet members rejected.

“Let me ask you this question, where is the last government of Belize?” Manning enquired. ‘Gone!’ the crowd replied. ‘The last government of The Bahamas?’ he asked. ‘Gone!’ was the refrain. ‘The last government of Jamaica?’ he enquired. ‘Gone!’ shouted the crowd. ‘The last government of Barbados?’ he asked. The response was the same. ‘The last government of St. Lucia?’ ‘Gone!’ they shouted. ‘Where is the last government of Grenada, my dear friends?’ ‘Gone!’ the crowd chorused. ‘Where is the last government of Trinidad and Tobago?’ Thunderous applause drowned out the words, ‘Here, here.’”

Of course, history now shows that in 2010, a trend had indeed developed and that trend continued in Trinidad and Tobago. My larger point here is that we can detect the shifts in our societies by looking at one another.

Another example is how Jamaica started to develop a crime problem in the 1970s; and many of them as they fled Jamaica and came to Nassau would warn us that we too would face the problem of bars on our windows and crime out of control. We are seeing these same pathologies today in The Bahamas.

My point is that on this anecdotal level, trends seem to develop in our region and it tends to start south and move north.

The trend reversed itself somewhat within five years when beginning with Kenny Anthony some of the men who had lost power five years before were back in power again. Kenny Anthony described it on July 4, 2012 in St. Lucia as returning to power following a period of political metanoia. This inspired us in The Bahamas. In addition to Perry Christie, Portia Simpson Miller has returned and so has Keith Mitchell of Grenada. Of the original group that were Perry Christie’s peers in 2002, only Ralph Gonsalves and Denzil Douglas are still there uninterrupted by the vagaries of democracy. Everyone else had lost elections.

What we do then in The Bahamas is we look at the CARICOM region and what is happening here because it has been a fairly reliable predictor of what may transpire in our own society.

In fact, the talent to run our election campaigns has often come from Trinidad, Jamaica and Barbados.

You may also know that the Progressive Liberal Party was founded following a visit in 1953 to Jamaica by the founders of the party and talks with the then leadership of the People’s National Party.

My thesis then is that the development of the CARICOM project is a natural projection of what has been done on an informal basis by people over the years as they migrated from one territory to the next.

Who can forget how the lives of the region and of Trinidad and Tobago were influenced and transformed by the man now known as the Mighty Sparrow who hailed from Grenada.

I have styled this lecture rather grandly “ Saving CARICOM”. That has elicited many responses from many people but most people have said “how are you going to do that?” I argue that it does not need a savior, contrary to the harsh judgment issued by the Trinidadian writer V.S. Naipaul in his essay “The Killings In Trinidad”. CARICOM is a project that grows itself. The project is organic and when one looks at the history of the events, it shows that the Caribbean ethos causes it to survive, compels it to survive.

In this effort I adopt the history as outlined by the distinguished Secretary General of CARICOM Irwin La Rocque.

In an address delivered right here in Trinidad on October 3, 2013, the secretary general gave the summary narrative of the founding of the modern CARICOM project. I think that one decision that should be made is to adopt a common narrative about the founding of the organization and spread the story. It is important for the history to be reduced to a bite size. It makes for part of the wider understanding amongst the younger people of how we came to be where we are. The secretary general wrote: “Ladies and gentlemen, in real terms our integration process can be regarded as beginning 81 years ago, given that it was in 1932 that the first concrete proposals for Caribbean unity were put forward at a meeting of Caribbean labor issues leaders in Roseau, Dominica.

“It was the labor movement which championed and pioneered integration as a means of self-governance for the West Indian territories. At congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, Caribbean labor leaders went from discussion of the idea to actually drafting a constitution for the unified terror territories, aided in large measure by a young economist from Saint Lucia, Arthur Lewis, who later distinguished himself and the region as our first Nobel laureate.

“Progress stalled with the intervention of the Second World War but shortly after its end in 1945, momentum was regained towards independence as a unit. This was the main theme of a landmark meeting which took place in 1947 at Montego Bay, Jamaica. Out of that meeting, the process began towards the West Indies Federation. This federation would eventually involve the British colonies, with the exception of then British Guiana and British Honduras, and came into being in 1958. Its goal was independence and some services were established to support the West Indian nation, including a Supreme Court and a shipping line. In preparing for independence, a plan for a Customs Unit was drawn up but during the four years for the federations (sic) existence free trade was not introduced among the islands.

“The end of the federation in 1962 brought a close to this phase and to this approach to integration. In many ways, however, the end of the federation led to the beginning of another chapter in the integration process which would evolve into the Caribbean Community. The need to maintain and possibly expand the Common Services that existed during the federation was the catalyst for that (1963) Common Services Conference which I mentioned earlier. The UWI and the Regional Shipping Service along with the Caribbean Meteorological Service, which began one year later, kept the embers of integration glowing along with the so-called Little 8, comprising the Windward and Leeward Islands and Barbados which stayed together after the dissolution of the federation.

The Little 8 folded in 1965 and later that year, the premiers of Barbados and British Guiana and the chief minister of Antigua and Barbuda Messrs Barrow, Burnham and Bird respectively, agreed to establish the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). It was the first attempt to integrate through trade. The other territories joined the initiative and CARIFTA was launched in 1968 along with the Commonwealth Caribbean Regional Secretariat, which became the CARICOM Secretariat.

“During that period, ‘regional nationalism’ was alive and well. It was a nationalism born out of a common desire and recognition of the imperative to forge our individual nationalism within a regional context. There was a political chemistry among our leaders.

“Eight years later, recognizing that CARIFTA could only carry us thus far, our leader felt confident enough to move on to a Common Market and Community and deepened integration arrangements on the basis of three pillars: economic integration; foreign policy co-ordination and functional co-operation. The Treaty of Chaguaramas formalizing this new agreement was signed in 1973. That treaty which reflected the aspirations of the time could only carry us so far. It included a Common External Tariff (CET) which incidentally requires member states to give up some sovereignty. However, decisions were largely unenforceable and dispute settlement arrangements were weak. Trade barriers among members were also rampant and many of the provisions of the treaty were best endeavor clauses.

“Sixteen years later, the watershed meeting of Heads of Government at Grand Anse, Grenada in 1989 set the region on course towards the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Grand Anse was a bold response to the circumstances of the day. The community was faced with a changing global economic environment while the performance of the regional economy was sluggish. The traditional market for our commodities was threatened with the advent of the European Single Market, and discussions continued on the global trading arrangements. Both of these developments would result in preference erosion for the commodities the region had come to rely on so heavily. Grant assistance was also declining. Our leaders recognized that we needed to become more self-reliant for our development. A deeper form of integration was the logical answer to those challenges.

“To accommodate this even deeper form of integration, the treaty was revised significantly and was signed in 2001. That revision of the treaty set out the objectives for the community, including the Single Market and Economy. These include improved standards of living and work; full employment of labor and other factors of production accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development and convergence; enhanced co-ordination of member states’ foreign policies; and enhanced functional co-operation. That last objective recognized the need for more efficient operation of common services and intensified activities in areas such as health, education, transportation and telecommunications.

“In 2006, five years after the signing of the revised treaty, the single market was ushered in. Twelve of our 15 member states form the single market, while Haiti and Montserrat are working towards putting it into place.

“In the midst of these various transitions in the wider region, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), whose members are either member states or associate members of CARICOM, have also been strengthening their integration arrangements which were first codified with the Treaty of Basseterre in 1981. In many ways the OECS has moved beyond CARICOM with the Revised Treaty of Basseterre Establishing the OECS Economic Union, signed in 2010, which among other things has granted free movement of persons within the member states. This is an integration group that has had its own single currency and institutions, such as its Central Bank, Supreme Court and Stock Exchange. There is much to be learnt from the progress being made at the level of the OECS which could assist the wider integration effort.”

I would only argue also that along with the common narrative on the founding of the CARICOM project, there was the parallel story of the emergence of the Pan African Movement across the Caribbean and the struggle for national independence, the negritude movement, the civil rights movement in the United States and the common cause found in the struggle of the Indians who had come to this part of the world as indentured workers. All of those blended together to produce what we now call today CARICOM.

• Fred Mitchell is the member of Parliament for Fox Hill and minister of foreign affairs and immigration.

March 06, 2014

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 1

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 3

-Saving CARICOM pt.4

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 5

thenassauguardian

Domestic Violence is not a joke, Leslie Miller

 Why Domestic Violence Isn’t Funny Mr. Miller 

Author: Danelle Rolle - drolle@purdue.edu
 

As a Bahamian student studying abroad, I try to keep as updated as I can about what’s going on in my country. While having a down moment on Facebook I came across a video of one of my nation’s Members of Parliament (M.P.’s), the Hon. Leslie O. Miller, speaking in the House of Assembly during the mid-year budget debate. (For those of you that are unaware, the Bahamas still operates on the British parliamentary system).

In the video, which can be viewed here, Mr. Miller uses a domestic violence scenario to illustrate a point on “the idea of love”. I’ll admit that I am not aware of what was said prior to or post of this clip. However, as a young Bahamian woman of voting age, what I saw in that 1 minute and 13 seconds left me utterly appalled, ashamed and angry at my country’s representation. Mr. Miller claimed that what he said was just in “jest”, however due to the global extent of domestic violence there are many reasons why it is no laughing matter.

Domestic violence against women, especially by a partner, is a major public health issue and a violation of women’s human rights[1].  Worldwide, 35% of women have reported either “physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence”[1]. With over 3 billion women in the world, a billion of them have had their rights infringed upon specifically by someone they knew. Is it still funny now, Mr. Miller? Additionally, up to 38% of the world’s murders where the victims are women, occur at the hands of an intimate partner[1].  In the Caribbean region alone, 25% of the murders committed are a result of domestic violence/relational disputes[2]. With roughly 1200 cases of domestic violence being reported annually in the Bahamas[2], is it still funny now, Mr. Miller?

Aside from the obvious initial physical trauma, domestic violence can have other negative effects on a woman’s health. For example, women who have suffered intimate partner abuse can experience depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – the two most prevalent mental-health issues that arise post abuse[3]. Knowing that these women experience mental effects that are still present long after the bruises disappear, is it still funny now, Mr. Miller?

There are also economic repercussions to domestic violence against women. According to the World Health Organization, women may be unable to work post abuse, which can result in “ loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities and limited ability to care for themselves and their children”[1].  As a member of the governing body who is responsible for our economic stability, is it still funny now, Mr. Miller?

I do not want to make it seem as if Mr. Miller was the only one wrong in the situation. Although he initially made the poor joke, every M. P. that found it funny is just as culpable as he is. I was especially disheartened to see the Hon. Cleola Hamilton, another M.P AND woman, laughing at what Mr. Miller said. Many women do not leave abusive relationships because of the shame they feel. By laughing at their situation, these M.P.’s could have possibly deterred many Bahamian women from seeking help. If their own leaders are making a mockery of their situation, why won’t others?  With elections only a few years away, many voters – especially female voters – won’t forget how a major issue that affects us was made “sport of” by our nation’s leaders. With the disrespect and insensitivity shown forever engrained in our memories, is it still funny now, Mr. Miller? 



[1] The World Health Organization (2013). Violence against women. A WHO publication. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/ (Accessed March 2014).


[2] Maura, M. (2012).  Domestic violence in The Bahamas accounts for 25 percent of regional murders. A TheBahamasWeekly.com publication. http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/bis-news-updates/Domestic_violence_in_The_Bahamas_accounts_for_25_percent_of_regional_murders24123.shtml (Accessed March 2014).


[3] Campbell, J.C. (2002). Health consequences of intimate partner violence. The Lancet. Vol 359, 1331-1336

March 06, 2014

purduepublichealth.weebly.com

Women of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) find Leslie Miller’s girlfriend beating remarks in Parliament extremely offensive and disturbing

Do Our Parliamentarians Condone Abuse Against Women?

Leslie Miller’s recent comments from the floor of Parliament last week speak to an issue that women in this country, and around the world, have faced for decades. The idea that any sort of violence against women has become laughable to the nation’s legislators is unfortunate, unacceptable but sadly unsurprising. Gender based violence in the Bahamas is real. It is a reality with which hundreds of women and girls face every day and everywhere.

Sadly, women who are being abused by their husbands or boyfriends continue to remain silent living in fear of their abusers, many of whom are high profile individuals not unlike Mr. Leslie Miller himself. It is disappointing to know the very people that should advocate for stronger laws to protect the rights of women are the ones making a mockery of women, especially those who are “victims”.

Mr. Leslie Miller has since attempted to back pedal from his comments. At the time, the Tall Pines Member of Parliament was attempting to draw a comparison between the FNM’s self-proclaimed love of the country’s fishermen while likening it to a husband who daily beats his wife as a way of demonstrating his love. Those comments, he says, were made in jest. As a father and a grandfather, I wonder if Mr. Leslie Miller would find the abuse of his own daughters at the hand of someone else equally as amusing.

What is even more shameful is the number of Parliamentarians who laughed along with him and others, while female members of government remained silent. As President of the DNA Women’s Alliance, I find these remarks extremely offensive and disturbing. The fact that Mr. Leslie Miller was not rebuked in that moment also gives me cause for great concern.

We do not elect Members of Parliament to be regaled with stories about their distorted sexual relationships. We do not elect them to be comedians at the expense of Bahamian women. We elect them to defend the rights of ALL BAHAMIANS and with women making up a large section of the voting public, we elect them to defend the rights of ALL WOMEN.

Are these the types of persons whom PM Perry Christie has deemed fit to lead? Does he himself condone the disrespect of Bahamian women, many of whom voted for him during the last general election? We demand that Mr. Christie offer an explanation for his silence on this very serious issue. He too, must answer for his apparent inability to curb the inappropriate behavior of members of his own government.

Just over a month ago, the DNA Women’s Alliance launched a campaign to “Break the cycle of abuse on women and children”. The forum encouraged men and women to break the cycle of abuse by breaking the silence and speaking out against violence and reporting their abusers.

Perhaps Mr. Leslie Miller would do well to attend one such forum. Perhaps then, his hands as he put it would become tired or hurt, not from physically assaulting a woman, but rather from helping to build up the country’s communities. Perhaps Mr. Leslie Miller would prefer that the voting public gave him the ‘break’ which he asked for by having him removed as the representative for Tall Pines.

This is a very serious matter, and we expect our Members of Parliament to be in our corner, and support us on this matter. The women of the Bahamas are owed an apology, immediately. Point, Blank, Period.

Prodesta Moore
DNA Women’s Alliance President

March 06, 2014

Democratic National Alliance (DNA) on Facebook

Fred Mitchell joins the discussion on CARICOM’s survival

Saving CARICOM, pt. 1

This commentary is taken from a lecture given by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell on February 6 at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago.  Mitchell’s address was on “Saving CARICOM”.

Kamau Brathwaite, the Barbadian poet writes in his work “Negus”:
It is not enough to be free
of the red white and blue
of the drag of the dragon…

In the days just before Christmas the great man Nelson Mandela died.  The Bahamian prime minister had made arrangements to get to South Africa on a commercial airline.  We received a call from the secretary general’s office at CARICOM to say that the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, had offered a Caribbean Airlines flight to all CARICOM countries without cost and would we take advantage of the offer.  Our prime minister agreed right away.  He was joined by the president of Haiti, deputy prime ministers of Grenada and St. Lucia, the foreign minister of Barbados and ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda.  That single gesture of Caribbean outreach made an impression on Africa and ourselves which went beyond what money could buy.

The prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who is ethnically Indian, wore on the occasion an African dress and headwear.   She was resplendent.  She joined the heads of Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname, who had already made their way there.  We appeared in South Africa as a team.  That is CARICOM at its best.  This was no group of groveling mendicants, as Errol Barrow had once lamented about Caribbean leaders.  In South Africa, the leaders got along well and the chemistry was there.  It is that chemistry about which Prime Minister Kenny Anthony spoke last year when he hosted the heads of government conference as being the key to CARICOM’s survival.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s decision reinforced the great comfort which The Bahamas got when in September last year CARICOM issued a statement in support of The Bahamas in the face of withering criticism by Cuban-American protestors in Miami. We knew we were not alone.  Someone had our back.

Tonight’s discussion is about CARICOM’s survival.

I am pleased to be here.  This is a special honor for me and for The Bahamas.  Being up at the northern end of the chain people tend to think of us as a world away and a world apart but I have come to tell you this evening that we see ourselves as an integrated part of this region.  Our founding father the late Sir Lynden Pindling on July 4, 1983 committed our country to this CARICOM project.  He reaffirmed that by signing the Grand Anse Declaration in 1989 committing The Bahamas to the Single Market and Economy although we have some ways to go.

All governments of The Bahamas, admittedly with varying degrees of enthusiasm, have embraced the notion that we have a common future together.

I come, therefore, tonight representing that generation of Bahamians to whom the task of governance for today has been entrusted, to renew our commitment to the CARICOM enterprise.

CARICOM is not just an economic project. It is the very soul of our people from Bermuda to Suriname. It is that narrative that I have come to tell.

In doing so I begin by saying thank you to my hosts for their gracious invitation to listen to what I have to say.  I recall Pastor David Johnson who has now sadly passed away.  He was being honored with the naming of the village Christmas tree in my Fox Hill constituency.  He was then 77-years-old. He said he could not believe it.  He could still on that cool winter evening in Nassau remember when he was running around in short pants and talking about the elders of the Fox Hill village.  Now, he said they are calling me one of the elders.

That is the stark reality of time.  It reminds us that our time on the stage is short; but I committed myself a long time ago to the notion that if I ever got a chance to be on the public stage I would not squander the opportunity.  I would do what I was called upon to do.

So this then is dedicated to all of those teachers and their patience from the time I was a little boy; my parents, particularly my mother, who forced me to wake up early each morning and get ahead of the day; dedicated to Dawson Conliffe and Bonaventure Dean, my old headmasters.  All now gone on but they live on the heart and mind of their student.

I thank Dr. Monica Davis, the honorary consul for The Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, who graduated with me from high school in The Bahamas way back in June of 1970 at the Catholic High School in Nassau, St. Augustine’s College.

James Baldwin reminds us in “The Amen Corner” how strange life is, the twists and turns it takes.  I call these Dickensian moments after the pattern in those Dickens novels where someone disappears at the start of the book and then magically pops up at the end of the book with a smart and pleasant surprise.

I would like to thank the Secretary General Irwin La Rocque for his kindly providing me with access to the secretariat’s headquarters building where this work was largely written and to his supportive staff.  The speech was written in Georgetown, Guyana which V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidadian-born writer, described in turns as “the most beautiful city in the West Indies” and then “the most exquisite city in the British Caribbean”.

I also thank the current prime minister of The Bahamas, Perry Christie, for permitting my participation in this, even as he complained that I was going to be away from home too long.  However, I have always enjoyed a good relationship with all my bosses and with this boss the relationship is no different.  I thank my constituents and Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues for their understanding and support.

I would however be remiss if I did not also dedicate this evening’s presentation to a man I greatly admired and respected.  The name: Rex Nettleford.  I first met him when I travelled with the late Winston Saunders, a Bahamian scholar and cultural icon in his own right, to Kingston for CARIFESTA in 1976.  To quote one of the English ladies of quality who admired him, this man Rex Nettleford simply said “the most wonderful things”.  He had a way of expressing life that could not be copied.  He was an intellectual leader in Jamaica and widely admired and respected throughout the region as a dancer, choreographer, lecturer, trade unionist, writer, thinker, vice chancellor of the University of The West Indies and finally as the chairman of the Public Service Commission in Jamaica. He died at the age of 76 on February 2, 2010, four years ago.

CARICOM is an idea born from the genetics of the people themselves.  I, for example, am the grandson of a Barbadian Sonny Forde who came to The Bahamas with his father at the turn of the last century as a baby.  His father was a tailor for the Bahamian police force.  My great grand grandmother was named Angelina Barrow.  I never knew any of them.

The founder of our country Sir Lynden Pindling was the son of a Jamaican policeman who emigrated to The Bahamas. Many in the Cabinet that ended the white minority rule government in 1967 had one parent from the southern Caribbean.  Indeed, today the governor general of The Bahamas, Sir Arthur Foulkes, is the son of a Haitian woman.  Our first black member of Parliament in The Bahamas was Haitian, a man by the name Stephen Dillette elected in 1834.

Lynden Pindling was a classmate in law school in London of the late Dame Lois Browne Evans of Bermuda.  She founded the PLP (Progressive Labour Party) in Bermuda with the advice and counsel of Sir Lynden of the PLP (Progressive Liberal Party) of The Bahamas.  The rallying cry of both parties to this day is “ All the way!”.  It was Ewart Brown, a successor of Dame Lois and a former Bermuda premier, who mooted the idea at a CARICOM Heads of Government meeting of a CARICOM airline that could provide transport for people from Bermuda to Suriname within a single day without having to traverse Miami.

I dedicate this to Rex Nettleford because he always talked about “the Caribbean ethos”.  That is what this evening’s address is really about: the Caribbean ethos.  The CARICOM project came about and continues and will continue because of the Caribbean ethos – what St. Vincent’s Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves amongst others has called “ the Caribbean civilization”.

So I am deeply indebted to Rex for imbuing in me a sense of hope and confidence that we as a people will one day get to the promised land.

Shortly after he died, there was a symposium in Kingston which was dedicated to his work and life.  Some of Jamaica’s intellectuals and scholars were there.  I was invited to lunch with some of them.  For the first time in the history of my relationship with Jamaicans I detected despair.  This was in the middle of the Dudus affair.

They lamented what had happened to their country. They did not see a way forward.  They did not think that even with all their intellectual capacity that they could see a way out.  They lamented the rise of criminal behavior in every enterprise, going so far as to say that they were shocked that some of the most respected business people in the country were infected by criminal enterprises.

This left me quite disturbed.  I had come up at a time when Jamaica was bold and strong and relentless, no despair.  Even in the worst of the economic issues of the Manley years, that remained true.  Michael Manley himself told me that he was unreconstructed, unapologetic and unrepentant.  That was the Jamaica I knew.

• Fred Mitchell is the member of Parliament for Fox Hill and minister of foreign affairs and immigration.

March 05, 2014

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 2

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 3

- Saving CARICOM pt.4

- Saving CARICOM, pt. 5

thenassauguardian

The proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) could deteriorate The Bahamas’ economy

Moree Says Gov’t Should Consider Payroll Tax–Attorney says VAT could destroy economy

by Korvell Pyfrom
Jones Bahamas:



A payroll tax would be a better solution for the country at this point, suggested Attorney and former Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Brian Moree, Queen’s Counsel, who warned that the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) could deteriorate the country’s economy.

Mr. Moree, who appeared on Jones and Company Sunday, said VAT will affect the cost of living in The Bahamas significantly.

“Depending on your view of VAT, it is not going to grow the economy,” he said. “It is going to cause significant deterioration of the economy because even the proponents of VAT and the policy makers will tell you that is going to create what they euphemistically call a one-time cost of living adjustment – they say of about nine per cent – some people say it could be as high as 12 per cent and some people say it may be as low as seven per cent. But what is common ground is that is going to have an immediate impact of an increase in the cost of living somewhere between seven per cent and 12 per cent.”

Mr. Moree acknowledged that the government needs to raise revenue, reduce its deficits, grow the economy and reform the tax structure, but he said VAT is not its only option to pursue these things.

He suggested that the government consider capital gains tax, sales, tax, income tax, but he said a payroll tax seems to be the best alternative.

“It’s just a question of deciding what will have the most negative effect on the economy at this time and what could reasonably be implemented in the economy of The Bahamas where we have no culture of paying taxes in terms of record-keeping, reporting, enforcement and compliance,” he said. “Many business people today are really concerned whether they are going to be capable of keeping the books and records that are going to be necessary in order for them to administer VAT.”

The government intends to implement VAT at rate of 15 per cent on July 1, 2014.

Many business leaders have raised concern about its implementation with Super Value food stores President Rupert Roberts warning that it could lead to a customer revolt.

Financial Services Minister Ryan Pinder recently suggested that regularising the gaming industry could delay VAT’s implementation and reduce the rate at which Bahamians will be taxed.

March 03, 2014

The Bahama Journal

The looming introduction of value added-tax (VAT) and investors’ perceptions of the tax in The Bahamas

VAT creating ‘a lot of uncertainty’ for investors

But Bahamas still viewed as less risky investment than most regional peers

By Guardian Business Editor
alison@nasguard.com

Arguing that the looming introduction of value added-tax (VAT) is generating a “lot of uncertainty”, a KPMG valuation expert suggested that this is one of the “major risk factors” that is determining investors’ perceptions of The Bahamas at the moment.

Shana Lee, associate director of valuation services for KPMG Advisory Caribbean Ltd., was addressing the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society luncheon at Luciano’s of Chicago restaurant yesterday, on the topic of adjusting for country risk in business valuations.

Asked by CFA Society President Andrew Strachan what he sees as the major risk factors affecting The Bahamas’ sovereign rating over the medium term, a factor which goes into determining the country risk premium that forms part of a business valuation, Lee said: “One would be the sovereign debt level and two, there’s a lot of uncertainty with the potential introduction of VAT. So if you are an investor coming in now VAT is definitely going to impact the returns you’ll see, so it’s something you have to factor in.”

However, Lee described the quantification of the potential impact of VAT as “really tricky”.

“Its hard to say, I think it’s just going to come down to investors seeing that there’s uncertainty at this point and trying to factor that in,” she said.

Notwithstanding this uncertainty, Lee said that there has been a slight “uptick” in demand for valuation services in The Bahamas of late.

“There is activity. You see activity potentially with family businesses that are looking at succession plans and need to know the value of their companies for that. There are companies that may be looking at transactions and are evaluating what the potential price they may be looking at is. Valuations come up in terms of financial reporting, if you have goodwill on your books you need to value and test that goodwill every year so that comes up that way. There is work, though the M&A (mergers and acquisitions) market is a little bit slow right now, so there’s certainly room for growth,” said Lee.

The valuation expert explained that generally speaking valuations look at potential political, economic and liquidity risks in a given country, as investors want to know what risks are involved across a range of areas in a country where an acquisition or investment may be set to take place, in order to get an appreciation for what types of returns they should expect should they invest.

However, she added that due to a lack of data availability in some countries – a factor in The Bahamas, she noted, due to the small size of the capital market – models have been created which use a country with good data as a benchmark and which then attempt to adjust for the incremental difference in the risk between that country and the country where the valuation is taking place.

This provides a “basic” but not fail-proof country risk premium which can be utilized by investors to determine whether or not they will pursue an investment, and at what cost.

In addition to this basic assessment, a more complex assessment of country risk is sometimes undertaken which takes into consideration other factors.

Out of nine countries listed in the Caribbean, The Bahamas was ranked roughly equally with Trinidad and Tobago in terms of its country risk premium for investors, behind the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, but ahead of Barbados, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Jamaica and Cuba.

The Bahamas country risk premium, based on the various models, tended to hover below five percent, while for countries such as Jamaica the risk premium is in the region of between eight and 18

percent, while Cuba’s risk premium went as high as 28 percent depending on which model was used.

The relatively high ranking of this country in the region points to how notwithstanding risk factors and the fear of uncertainty generated by VAT, The Bahamas is still view largely positively in comparison to its peers by investors and advisory firms.

In an interview with Guardian Business, Lee suggested it does appear that the government is taking some steps to ensure that its country risk premium remains lower – and therefore its attractiveness to investors, higher – than many of its regional peers.

“I guess the government is trying to take measures to address the sovereign debt level and hopefully the uncertainty relating to taxes would be resolved in coming months. So hopefully both of those things would be resolved. Similarly there are other factors that come into play like tourism and crime, so to the extent that the government is able to address those issues it would also help.”

Lee said that among the key factors determining The Bahamas’ country risk premium is perception.

“It comes down to country credit ratings, two of the three primary models to determine country risk are both based on credit ratings, and even the country risk rating model it’s based on investor perceptions of the riskiness of investing in The Bahamas, so it really comes down to investors and others’ perceptions of risk,” she said.

February 28, 2014

thenassauguardian

Value Added Tax (VAT) is unfair, untimely, unreasonable and undesirable ... says Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader, Branville McCartney

Vat Is 'Unfair, Untimely And Unreasonable' - Dna

Tribune242:


DNA leader Branville McCartney continued his push for the government to rethink the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT), calling it an “unfair, untimely, and unreasonable” burden to place on the backs of Bahamians.

Noting that in September 2012, five months prior to the failed gambling poll, Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis, in response to the sovereign credit downgrade by Standard & Poor, indicated that the Government was planning to release its Tax Reform White Paper for public consultation “next month” (October 2012), Mr McCartney said it is clear from all indications that the idea of introducing VAT was well in play prior to January 2013.

“The Prime Minister confirmed this during the mid-term budget debate in February 2013 saying; ‘The Government is implementing a broad tax reform package that includes the introduction of a Value Added Tax (VAT) in July 2014. While that is an ambitious timeframe, I would note that we have had the benefit of detailed studies of the feasibility of VAT in The Bahamas’.”

Mr McCarntey added: “Mr Christie in the House of Assembly continued: ‘The White Paper (which was completed in September 2012) contains a fully articulated policy framework for VAT. Following the public consultation process, the Government will present a refined proposal, and advanced legislation to bring VAT into effect’. We are gravely concerned about Mr Christie who recently suggested to Parliament and the nation that the Prime Minister had high level talks with the Minister of Finance on the VAT issue.

“At this meeting the Prime Minister confirmed that the Minister of Finance, who apparently does not listen to the Prime Minister, was moving ahead on VAT and for this reason he (the Prime Minister) left him (the Minister of Finance) at home and would only let the Prime Minister speak.”

With these comments in mind, Mr McCartney said the public needs to worry that Mr Christie’s views are “schizophrenic” on this issue as he appears to be blaming “his alter ego for VAT”.

“Mr Michael Halkitis, the Minister of State for Finance, stated earlier this year that, apart from the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT), the Bahamas has no other viable option to spark the required streams of revenue it needs to arrest government debt.

“However, Prime Minister Christie, speaking either as Prime Minister or one of his alter egos, stated that if anyone in the public sector has a better idea he is ready to listen. Numerous local and foreign consultancy groups later, we in the Democratic National Alliance ask, is this the same Christie who in 2013 rejected the Nassau Institute commissioned independent research study of ‘The Potential Impact of VAT for our country’ by Mr David Godsell accusing him of ‘distorting the truth’, and dismissed the DNA’s ideas as ‘nonsense’?

“Our country has not rebounded from the most devastating recession we have ever had and in light of the pending introduction of Value Added Tax we in the DNA are left to wonder if this current government truly cares about Bahamians. It cannot be fair for struggling hard working citizens of the Bahamas trying to make ends meet to now be faced with the fear of not being able to afford the basic survival items because of VAT. Moreover, the people of the Bahamas must be reminded that this government campaigned on putting people back to work and instead they now propose to put extra taxes on their backs,” he said.

At this time, the DNA leader noted, VAT is unfair, untimely, unreasonable and undesirable.

He said: “Mr Prime Minister there are alternatives… you just need to listen. Bahamians are living in a state of fear. Fear of crime, fear of increasing financial insecurity, and now, fear of VAT. There is no clear vision in sight from this group of merry men in the PLP. Their leader has been late, inconsistent and out of touch with the issues that face Bahamians daily.

“Our country is at a critical crossroad and demands that we make the tough decisions to lead our country to prosperity. We need strong dynamic leadership with a clear vision for our country. We need leadership that is not afraid to lead.”

February 24, 2014

Tribune 242

...Value added tax (VAT) is an inappropriate tax for a tourism-based economy

Value added-tax ‘anti-tourism’

Central Bank of Barbados chief says VAT system ‘a mess’ there and urges government to replace it with sales tax

By ALISON LOWE
Guardian Business Editor
alison@nasguard.com

BARBADOS – Claiming he has seen “declining enthusiasm” for the tax over the years in his own country, the governor of the Central Bank of Barbados has called value-added tax (VAT) an “anti-tourism” tax which has hurt its local industry and which he is lobbying to see removed there.

In an exclusive interview with Guardian Business on VAT and its effects, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados Dr. Delisle Worrell, who has held the post since 2009, said that VAT is “horribly complicated” to administer and called Barbados’s own VAT system “a mess”. Worrell said that in his view a “simple sales tax” would be a far preferable means of revenue generation for the Barbadian government.

Admitting that his position on the tax is considered “very radical” among his colleagues and does not necessarily represent that of the bank as an institution, Worrell said that he has been opposed to the tax in Barbados since its inception.

The government of Barbados introduced VAT at a rate of 15 percent in 2010; it was later increased to 17.5 percent in 2010 for what the government at the time said would be a period of 18 months and has remained at that level since.

The economist, who has recently concluded a study on VAT for the Central Bank, said: “I take a very radical stance on VAT. I think VAT is an inappropriate tax for a tourism-based economy. The rationale for VAT is that it is an export promoting tax, because if you are exporting physical goods (VAT is not charged on) those goods, but the producers are able to claim refunds/rebates on their inputs.

“They are ‘vattable’ goods but because their sales are external you’re not going to charge VAT on the exports, only on the domestic sales. So if they are a sugar producer they will pay VAT on local sales but anything they export they won’t pay any vat on, but they will claim a rebate on all of their inputs. So there’s a bias in the VAT in favor of export industries; that is if you are exporting physical things that are consumed outside, but not if you are exporting tourism, because the tourists come to you to consume.

“So VAT is an anti-tourism tax if you are a tourism producer because it makes your tourism more expensive than the people who don’t charge VAT, and that’s why all tourism countries who apply VAT have to apply it at a lower rate. A simple sales tax would be much better.”

Barbados applied a 7.5 percent rate of VAT to its tourism sector when it implemented VAT in 1997. This was later increased to 8.75 percent when the general rate rose to 17.5 percent, but as is proposed in The Bahamas, the lower rate was only applied to room-related transactions, and other tourism services such as restaurants on the hotel property, tours, activities, car and boat rentals, for example, remained subject to the full rate of VAT.

Worrell suggested that a sales tax, something a number of Bahamian business owners and operators, most prominently Rupert Roberts, President of Super Value, have proposed, “a more efficient way to raise the same level of revenue” for the government of Barbados, or The Bahamas.

Confirming the fears expressed by a number of Bahamians regarding the administration of VAT, Worrell said it “puts a tremendous burden on government administrations” and businesses.

“It’s a very complicated tax, especially if you are selling services - what are your inputs? If I am making a cell phone I know I need silicon, I know I need different materials and so on so I can inventory the materials I’ve brought in and say for each cell phone I need X amount of these materials, it’s clear. But if I am an engineer and I am supplying engineering services, what are my inputs? And so it becomes horribly complicated,” he told Guardian Business.

With reference to the refunding of excess VAT paid to the government, the Governor confirmed that the government has not managed to pay these sums back to businesses in a timely fashion, despite interest being owed by the government to the business if it takes more than six months to pay the refund after it is owed.

“They are in arrears on refunds and they are also a known quantity of refund claims that are outstanding, and there are cases where the companies have claimed the refund and the VAT office has not necessarily accepted those,” he added.

On the plus side, Worrell said that VAT has been successful at raising revenue for the government. In a recent study, titled “A Review of the VAT system in Barbados” Worrell and his three co-authors at the Central Bank said there was “some gain” in revenue yield relative to the tax rate with the establishment of VAT in Barbados, but the administrative costs of collecting the VAT were higher relative to the revenue received than for the taxes they replaced.

Finding that VAT has been “less elastic and less buoyant” in response to changes in income than its predecessor taxes, the authors said that this indicated the need for “greater compliance” with the tax in Barbados, noting that the VAT division of the government could benefit from employing additional staff.

Asked yesterday if the Central Bank of Barbados is therefore recommending that the government of Barbados do away with VAT as a source of revenue, Worrell said: “Not the Central Bank - me.” He added that the government is not officially considering removing VAT.

February 21, 2014

thenassauguardian

Value Added Tax (VAT) is viable in The Bahamas

“VAT is Viable,” says Leading Auditor, Calls VAT ‘Most Equitable, Transparent’

Kendrick Christie, President of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Bahamas Chapter asserted that “Value Added Tax (VAT) is viable in The Bahamas.”

“Business owners must be responsible with the information they purport as facts,” says Christie. “A lot of what I am hearing is at best anecdotal. The reality is the government is being prudent by aggressively tackling tax reform as the current tax system, led by customs duties experience high levels of leakage,” Mr. Christie explained. “VAT allows for enhanced checking ability for internal and external auditing and analysis that can be useful in business strategy.”

Mr. Christie’s comments come as the Bahamas debt is expected to reach just over $5 billion by June 30.

“The accounting profession has been conducting training for its members and the public for almost a year to ensure individuals are fully prepared for the transition to VAT,” Mr. Christie replied when asked about how prepared his industry is for VAT’s implementation.

“There will be opposition to any increase in taxes at any point in time,” Christie added.  “The truth is that to avoid downgrading of our fiscal and monetary position, the government must act. The government may feel that they are in a Catch 22, however, the decision is clear – a new tax system is needed and one of the most equitable and transparent is VAT.”

Mr. Christie complimented the government on its outreach to the different sectors of the business community. “It appears to be a multi-step educational process which started with the business community. I now note the consultation with consumers and I urge them (consumers) to prepare, ” he said , noting he expects the educational campaign to increase once the Value Added Tax Bill and Regulations are passed through Parliament.

VAT, since its introduction, has been the most successful fiscal tool worldwide for revenue generation.  No other taxation system has been adopted more rapidly than VAT and it has become the mainstay of national finances for developed and developing countries.

Bahamas.gov.bs

Value Added Tax (VAT) and the Bahamian economy

Imf Not Forcing Vat On Bahamas

Tribune242:



The Bahamas’ decision to implement Value-Added Tax (VAT) did not result from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) holding a gun to the Government’s head, a key Ministry of Finance consultant says.

 

Ishmael Lightbourne, former senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Bahmas, told dozens gathered at Evangelistic Temple that VAT is just one of many remedies to get the Bahamian economy back on track, given that the national debt has skyrocketed over the past 20 years.

 

The former World Bank director said the Bahamas’ fiscal deficit is five times greater than what it was in 1993. What started out as borrowing to finance capital spending on infrastructure – roads, hospitals and utility plants – has evolved into borrowing for everything from operating public corporations to paying civil service salaries.

 

“If the IMF were in the position to force us to do anything, they would have done so 20 years ago,” Mr Lightbourne said. “There is a great deal of misunderstanding about that. The IMF has made no threats, and does not - and cannot - seek to impose their will on a sovereign government.”

 

He said VAT is the Government’s effort to balance out the unsustainable inequity between what the country brings in as revenue and what it spends.

 

“Governments,” Mr Lightbourne said, “have for the past two decades tried to fill the vacuum left by policies that once allowed foreign investors and developers to build without putting in their own capital investment in roads, utilities, parks and more.

 

“Succeeding governments were left to foot the bill, but expenses were greater than revenue under an increasingly outdated tax system of heavy reliance on Customs duties.”

 

“For the past 20 years, in the absence of major private sector investment, this is what we have done,” he added. “As a result, our debt has more than doubled and growth has been stagnant. So today we can no longer be inactive.”

 

The Government’s series of consultations on VAT continue this month at Government High School on February 19 at 11am; AF Adderley High School on February 19 at 9:30 am; SC McPherson High School on February 20 at 10am; the Bahamas Human Resources Association on February 20 at 11:40 am; Alexiou Knowles & Co. on February 21 at 8:30 am; and BEC on February 21 at 11:30 am.

 

For more information on the VAT implementation, call the Ministry of Finance VAT hotline between 9am and 5pm, Monday-Friday, at 225-7280. Persons can also visit the official Facebook

page at www.facebook.com/vatbah242.

 

February 18, 2014

 

Tribune 242

We do not support value added tax (VAT)

Some Family Is. residents “clueless” about VAT

By ROYSTON JONES JR.
Guardian Staff Reporter
royston@nasguard.com

With fewer than five months before the implementation of value-added tax (VAT), several residents on two Family Islands said they have been left in the dark about the planned tax.

Iris Charlton, an English teacher at Abraham's Bay High School and a member of the Coalition for a Better Mayaguana, said many residents are “really afraid” that VAT will significantly reduce their standard of living.

Noting the high cost of living, and “exorbitant” charges on mail boat services, which bring food and other supplies to the island, Charlton said, “As a result, the things that customers have to buy in the local convenient stores are really, really high.

“It is tough. We do not support VAT.

“We do not see how it is going to work for us because we are struggling already.”

The government has said it will introduce VAT at a rate of 15 percent in most cases and 10 percent for the hotel sector.

Huel Williamson, a retiree, said the majority of residents are struggling to get by and many of them are unemployed.

Mayaguana has fewer than 300 residents, according to the Department of Statistics.

It is unclear what the unemployment rate is on the island.

“The economic situation here in Mayaguana is stagnant, very stagnant,” Williamson said.

“The I-Group wants to employ approximately 80 people, but right now they have a very limited number of people [on the project].”

According to I-Group officials, around 30 Bahamians are employed on the airport redevelopment project.

Asked whether residents have been adequately informed about VAT, Charlton said, “The way they had the forums for the (gambling) referendum, and the constitutional forums, something like that is needed...because a lot of people are clueless.”

Williamson said residents have been expecting government officials to visit the island to explain VAT, but that has not happened as yet.

Johnie-Mae Colebrooke, a mother of two and business owner in Andros, also expressed concern about VAT.  She said many residents are challenged to provide for their families.

“I feel very bad because I am a business woman, me and my husband George Colebrooke,” she said.

“We are praying for something to move in Andros where everyone can work because we have a lot of bills and there are no jobs.”

Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis said the government will cover all Family Islands before July 1, having already visited Grand Bahama, Abaco and Andros.

Mount Moriah MP Arnold Forbes said in a recent interview that on average nine out of every 10 people in his New Providence constituency do not understand VAT.

He said the government must get its education campaign to the “grassroots people”, something government officials have said they are in the process of doing.

“We will have the business owners who will have their say, but it is really the regular guy on the street, who is in the majority, that I believe we need to educate them on this in a major way,” Forbes said.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Perry Christie said he can still be persuaded by the private sector to introduce an alternative tax model if it proves to be viable.

Christie also said the Ministry of Finance is in an “advanced” stage of preparation for VAT and is moving ahead with its implementation.

February 17, 2014

thenassauguardian

Can anyone imagine two Romanian women landing on Columbus’ island of San Salvador ...scooping up 13 frightened iguanas, stuffing them in socks, then into a suitcase ...and getting as far as London on their way to deliver them to an unknown accomplice in Dusseldorf, Germany ...without some kind of local assistance?

Investigating Theft Of Iguanas

Tribune242:

AS Deputy Prime Minister “Brave” Davis said in a press statement yesterday, it is important that the mysterious appearance of 13 Bahamian iguanas — one dead— discovered in luggage at Heathrow Airport, London, should be thoroughly investigated.

Can anyone imagine two Romanian women landing on Columbus’ island of San Salvador, scooping up 13 frightened iguanas, stuffing them in socks, then into a suitcase and getting as far as London on their way to deliver them to an unknown accomplice in Dusseldorf, Germany, without some kind of local assistance? No, we can’t, nor can Mr Davis.

“This story is troubling in many ways,” said Mr Davis. “These animals are an endangered species, living in isolation from regular human contact. They run away from intruders. To secure 13 animals and to remove them from San Salvador in secrecy would seem to be a daunting task.”

Quite rightly, Mr Davis was concerned that these foreign ladies “probably had assistance from someone or others resident on San Salvador as well as in Nassau before boarding the flight to London”.

It is obvious that there is a local racket going on — if it’s not drugs, it’s our endangered species.

The question is what else and how many more of our rare species are being smuggled out? Were these the first iguanas to leave our shores, or were there others that unfortunately missed detection?

We are certain that all concerned Bahamians, in the words of Mr Davis, are “anxious that this criminal act is fully investigated and that all parties involved in this despicable attack on our natural heritage are dealt with by the law in all relevant jurisdictions. We must all play our part in protecting our natural heritage.”

Not only should any Bahamian who aided and abetted in this despicable act, all along the transit chain, be held accountable, but so should the two Romanian couriers, and whoever was to receive them at their final destination.

“I have been in contact with our security organisations and other agencies of the Government, to ensure that The Bahamas is intimately involved in finding a resolution to this theft and, hopefully, to arrange the safe return of the still living iguanas to their habitat in San Salvador,” said Mr Davis.

He called on “citizens everywhere to be mindful that there will always be those who try to use our islands for trafficking of drugs, people and our natural treasures to other jurisdictions. We must all be vigilant and play our individual parts to the fullest to protect our Bahamas from criminals of all sorts.”

“With only a few of these creatures native to the Bahamas in existence, the San Salvador rock iguana is considered extremely rare and is near extinction. All rock iguanas in the Bahamas are protected by the Wild Animals Protection Act,” The Tribune reported in “The Big T” over the weekend.

With all the publicity that this ugly escapade has attracted in Europe these are certainly 13 of the world’s best known iguanas. They will probably be delighted to return to the warmth of their own sandy shores.

However, Bahamians should take the protection of their heritage seriously. We recall that as a child — many, many moons ago — the delight we took in gathering the most beautiful shells from our beaches.

These precious pieces were in such abundant supply that no one ever thought that they could disappear — we believed that shells were washed ashore with every incoming tide. And then, over time they were no longer there. The only time that we see anything resembling these shells is in special shops in other lands.

Every summer we watched as American tourists walked our beaches, collecting the shells. We remember one gentleman in particular.

Every summer barefooted with rolled up trousers on Montagu Beach, he collected the shells for sale in the US. We watched him grow old on this beach and eventually take Bible in hand and establish a small church here.

He was not the only one. The desecration was happening before our very eyes, but no one realised what it meant for future generations until it was too late.

The only one who seemed to notice enough to take it seriously and warn Bahamians through these columns that they should protect their possessions was the second editor of The Tribune. He predicted that soon there would be a generation of Bahamians who would never understand the treasures they had lost — thanks to an earlier generation that did not protect what nature had bestowed upon them.

The busy pen was that of the late Sir Etienne Dupuch —nicknamed by many as the “Voice of Doom” – who daily through these columns told Bahamians truths that they did not want to hear. It is now up to this generation to become aware and protect what is left of our heritage for future generations.

February 12, 2014

Tribune 242

Serious concerns over endangered iguana smuggling

DPM expresses concerns over iguana smuggling

By TRAVIS CARTWRIGHT-CARROLL
Guardian Staff Reporter
travis@nasguard.com

Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis yesterday expressed concern that 13 rock iguanas were stolen from San Salvador and smuggled into the United Kingdom.

“I am anxious, as are all concerned citizens, that this criminal act is fully investigated and that all parties involved in this despicable attack on our natural heritage are dealt with by the law in all relevant jurisdictions,” said Davis, the Member of Parliament for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador.

“We must all play our part in protecting our natural heritage.”

According to the BBC News, a customs team at London’s Heathrow Airport seized 13 iguanas on February 4.

The report said the iguanas, which were stuffed into socks, were found in a suitcase after officers stopped two Romanian women who had arrived from The Bahamas.

Twelve of the endangered lizards survived the voyage, according to the report.

Davis expressed concern that the women may have had assistance from residents on San Salvador as well as New Providence before boarding the flight to London.

“This story is troubling in many ways,” said Davis in a statement.

“These animals are an endangered species, living in isolation from regular human contact. They run away from intruders. To secure 13 animals and to remove them from San Salvador in secrecy would seem to be a daunting task.

“Further, the atrocious act was compounded by taking endangered animals out of the country into a foreign country by two women, with the explanation, apparently, being offered by them to British officials that they were in the process of delivering them to a third party in Germany.”

Davis said he has been in contact with Bahamian security organizations to ensure that The Bahamas is “intimately involved in finding a resolution to this theft and, hopefully, to arrange the safe return of the still living iguanas to their habitat in San Salvador”.

February 11, 2014

thenassauguardian